True Confessions

• In today's crossword puzzle, backtalk = guff. If I hadn't gotten all the ones across, I wouldn’t have guessed that to save my life. But what really got me was that Rough up = Maul. Oh really? Isn't that throwing cold water on Maul? Maul is the emergency room; rough up is a bandaid.
• In my head I have a list of songs that I like but I’m kind of embarrassed about. Perfect example is Elton John’s Nikita. I’m not proud of it, but I do like that song. So when it came on the radio this morning, I turned it up and started singing. And I realized that I was driving down the road singing out loud to Nikita and I honestly rolled my eyes at my own self.
• The commercial for back to school supplies that uses the Spinners’ song, Rubberband Man? I love it. I love that they have introduced a "Rubberband Man" character, and that he is so funky and has that huge afro and pushes that cart or drives that scooter all around giving unsuspecting children everywhere their school supplies. It makes me miss the days when late August meant new pens, pencils and notebooks. And a new wardrobe that someone else was paying for.
• Also musically related, I just today realized that Kawlija was a wooden Indian standing in the door. I’ve liked Charlie Pride for years, and I’ve always liked this song but apparently not enough to pay any attention whatsoever the lyrics.
• I’ve recently discovered a whole new meaning to the hook ‘em horns sign. But I can’t talk about it here because a certain someone would read it and drop what they were doing to come over here and kick my ass. And by that, I do mean maul.