Questions answered in this video:
00:00 – Intro
01:35 – How come you always sit in the same order?
01:50 – Do you talk English or German at home?
02:02 – Will the Hammond organ feature on future Duo Sessions?
02:32 – Do you ever give up on songs, because they are too difficult to play?
03:22 – What was your quickest song to write?
04:15 – Do you ever have moments of “What do we do next?”
04:47 – What side of the road did you learn how to drive on?
06:56 – What are your thoughts on the “German” Beatles songs?
07:43 – If you didn’t sing, what would you do for a living?
08:31 – Have you played a resonator guitar? Or slide techniques?
09:58 – What parts of the US would you still like to visit?
11:15 – Have you played any songs by Herman’s Hermits?
12:24 – Fun Facts and Outro
Let’s start off 2024 with a chat!
It’s great to be back and we’re buzzing to get going with our plans and goals for 2024. SO MUCH TO DO, SO MANY IDEAS! 😉
We’re excited for all the new projects in the months ahead but thought we’d start things off with a little Q&A video to catch up with some of your questions from the past year. We made a good dent in the list but if your “Q” still hasn’t been answered yet, we probably just haven’t gotten around to it yet and will try to do so in following episodes.
If you think of new things you’re curious about, you can also always submit them here!
Stay groovy!
Mona & Lisa
Wow a week behind here…yikes but great video and This year we spent time with friends for New Years Eve and had fun bringing in 2024. And this year marks 50 years that I have known my wife, Nancy! Met her in 1974 and has been the most wonderful 50 years ever.
I love your Q&As. Never submitted a question before but l will shortly.
My Grandma, mother’s side, was from a Spiritualist background and on New Year’s Eve wanted the darkest male, just before midnight, to leave the house via the back door carrying a lump of coal and circle the house, as much as possible, and re-enter via the front door as midnight struck. It was supposed to bring good luck but I never really understood how or why.
My dad had been the usual one to do it, he was quite olive skinned, but he had died so the task usually fell to me or my brother Andrew often depending on which of us had the longer hair at the time, having hair is a distant memory for me! On fine evenings it was great but on wet and windy ones we just bit our lip and did it to please Grandma.
The Herman’s Hermits reference and idea appears to be a Phil thing as I was wondering the same thing.
Well, I guess we all hear what we want to hear. After several listens I finally realized that at 0:42 Lisa is saying “make new content in the MLT club” and not “make new cotton candy MLT club”. If they did make a new Cotton Candy MLT Club I would join immediately without even checking the membership dues!
(Note to Brits: cotton candy is what you call candy floss.)
Omg, I just fell down laughing. How did your brain justify that?
My brain constantly craves cotton candy, JP!
Marlo and I just watched again, and we both heard Cotton Candy. Too funny😂
On New Year’s Day we went for a walk on Crosby beach. Here I am with one of the 100 iron men. I’m the one on the left with his clothes on 🙂
https://test2.monalisa-twins.com/members/richard-cook/photos/
Explosives story – my brother enjoyed chemistry as school and used to make his own fireworks. Once he tried strapping a home-made rocket to a Hot Wheels car expecting it to shoot around the track. But it didn’t work out that way, as the plastic track melted 🙂
Richard,
That really is a man made out of iron, right? I like seeing the clean energy windmills out in the water! — Happy New Year! — Bud
Yes, there are about100 iron men on the beach. Some submerge as the tide comes in. It is an art installation by Antony Gormley. Happy New Year :).and yes, there are huge wind turbine farms all around the UK. I have selected an electricity supplier called Good Energy that only uses clean energy 🙂
Bud – check out my poem next to the photo 🙂
Hi Richard,
I’ve been working a lot lately, so I’m slow to get back to you. I don’t see a poem, but I saw what you wrote above about the 100 iron men. I’m glad you have so much clean energy! — Bud
Loved your questions and answers as always!. You asked about sharing our New Years activities and I spent mine with my cats, Peaches and Murphy, My mother, Alma, died in 2010 and she really kept the family together through the holidays, but since she passed, i find myself pretty much alone, So this year for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years I started to learn how to cook the great things my Mom (a good German girl whose father never learned to speak English) used to make and I have been enjoying it greatly. Capturing the smells and tastes bring me home in many ways and I love it…. particularly, my sauerkraut! That is why I love listening to your Christmas song, “All I Want Christmas To Be”, because you talk about so many things that my Mom talked about remembering her childhood Christmases. They used to make decorations and had lit candles on the tree.
Mona, It’s cool that your Florida vacation idea matched my recent airboat ride through the Everglades. Also, I got the biggest kick out of your explosive device story!!
Here’s some info for Mona & Lisa, particularly Lisa, because she wasn’t sure where the mountain ranges are in the US. The first 7 Main US Mountain Ranges listed are:
1.) Rocky Mountains — (3,000 miles or 4,800 kilometers long, from New Mexico thru
B. C & Alberta, Canada, 40 million yrs. old. They’re in 6 US states, incl. Montana
& Colorado.
2.) Sierra Nevada — (430 miles long) in California, & over 100 million yrs. old.
3.) Cascade Range — (700 mi. long,) from south B.C. thru Wash, Oregon & Northern
Calif, over 400 mil. yrs. old.
There is a gap between the S. Nevada & the Cascades, otherwise they’d be much
longer. The Cascades are still growing taller, as are the Rockies!
4.) Coast Mtns. — (990 mi. long,) thru all of B. C. & the Alaskan Panhandle, 115 mil. yrs.
5.) Appalachian Mts. — (1,500 mi. long in US, but 2,050 mi. long counting Newfoundland,
Canada. They’re the OLDEST mountains in the US, at 480 mil.yrs. old!
6.) Chugach Mts. in Alaska.
7.) Brooks Range in Alaska.
There are over 100 mtn. ranges in the US! The Appalachians are the oldest, but the most worn down. The highest mountain in the Rockies is Mt. Elbert at 14, 439 ft.
The tallest in the Cascades is Mt. Rainier at 14, 411 ft.
But Alaska has the tallest peaks in N. America; Denali at 20,310 ft. And Alaska has 12 mountains taller than Mt. Rainier in Washington State!
For comparison, the tallest mountain in the Appalachians is Mt. Mitchell, at 6,684 ft, in
Western North Carolina.
I love mountains, & I’ve been thru the Alps, was at the Matterhorn in Switzerland, & thru 16 countries in Europe. So I was impressed with the beauty of nature & mountains in Europe! And I’ve been near Kilimanjaro in Kenya. I like to hike in the Cascade & Olympic Mountains in Wash. State!
Mona & Lisa, I hope you’ve found this interesting! Please study the main points, because there MAY be a Test at some time in the future!
Yer Fan, Bud
Hi Mona & Lisa,
This video was the 1st time I saw a Resonator Guitar. The very influential Blues singer here is Edward James “Son House” Jr, 1902 — 1988. He didn’t start playing until age 27, & had a very aggressive, heartfelt style! I hope you enjoy this!
Son House “Death Letter Blues” (youtube.com)
This year, I took most of December off, can’t really, because we run our own business, but cancelled most of what we usually do, so that we’d have a more peaceful December, which are usually hectic. So, it was a nice relaxing Christmas and New Year.
“No Milk Today” was probably the song I liked best from Herman’s Hermits. I had a “Best of” album and played that song over and over.
I didn’t find driving on the left side of the road that hard, but I was glad the pedals were not switched, especially driving a stick shift (manual gears). The hardest part was turning into a road, especially if there were no cars, I’d tend to turn into the wrong side. That and the narrow roads in Scotland! Those were a bit nerve-wracking!
Thank you for the update!
You guys are hilarious. It’s cute when you try to correct each other.
Mona says,“I don’t think any of those words are OK?”
We slept into the new year, so it was a pretty smooth slide. I liked your matchbox explosive formula. I used to do something similar by emptying the powder out of model rocket engines.
Loved the stories of you driving experiences. It’s almost always fun when the back seat passengers lose their mind. Next time one of your passengers dozes off, reset the clock ahead a few hours.
“You’ve been sleeping for hours.”
Happy New Year!
Marlo & JP
p.s. Lisa is an excellent slide player 🤓
Thanks for answering my driving question! You are the only people I know offhand who have transitioned driving sides and it was an item of curiosity for me.
Hello Ladies
One story that comes to mind, I was about 5 and it was near New Years Eve, my Aunt and uncle (they were 12 and 10 years older than me) were throwing snowballs with firecrackers in them. They would explode and snow would go everywhere. I was watching on the front porch, and they asked if I wanted to throw one. I of course said yes. They lit it and handed it to me. I was fascinated by the glowing Sparks. They kept telling me to throw it, but I was more interested in the firecracker glowing and just kept watching it. Up close too! Finally they slapped my hand and the firecracker went flying. About 2 feet and exploded. I jumped up and down and clapped saying let’s do it again. 🤪 NO!!!! LET’S NOT!! Was the reply. Funny now.
Thanks for the Ask MLT/ LMT time and stories!
Best Always
Rick Ross
Rick,
That was a very good description of the event! Good thing your aunt & uncle saved you! Like me, you survived & lived to tell the tale! Even a small firecracker can blind a person. Those days were fun, but I’m glad they’re over!
CHEERS for the NEW YEAR! — Bud
I’m dyslexic, so driving on the wrong side of the road would be tough, and I haven’t ever had to. The roundabouts even bothered me as a passenger.
We had a quiet New Year’s Eve this year, but it was nice.
I also was into the “make your own fireworks” thing when I was young. Some crazy stories there, but let’s just say I still have all my fingers. Here’s a favorite fireworks practical joke story of mine: in high school physics class a friend and I snuck back into a storage room when the teacher left the room for a bit. We lit a cigarette and stuck a firecracker fuse in the other end. In the middle of the next class it went off and the entire next class had to go to the principals office – nobody every figured it out.
I know I’ve posted a LOT of videos this week! But here’s my favorite group today, & one of their best (of MANY) songs & videos. I would LOVE to see them play this in a LIVESTREAM! That would be very Special for all of us fans!
Any Other Day – MonaLisa Twins (Original) (youtube.com)
I agree, that would be awesome.
Greetings one more time,
Mailmen here in the US drive delivery trucks with the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle. So they drive to work in their cars with the steering wheel on the left side & then drive a truck for the day with the wheel on the right and then back to their cars with the wheel on the left. It can become confusing at times when you go to get into your car or truck on the wrong side hahaha.
Take care everyone,
Bobby S. 🚚🚙🚘
Hi, I’m leaving a few short(?) comments today, instead of a very long one lol.
I’ve never been to Europe, but when I was in Bermuda the vehicles did drive on the left side of the rode. I rented a moped – for the first time in my life – and it was weird to drive on the left side. A bus passed me & almost hit me.
I heard of people being killed on their mopeds.
Scary.
Bobby S. 😢🧛♂️
Hi Bobby,
I have heard the most dangerous thing about driving on the left vs. right side is being a pedestrian. In Grand Cayman I kept looking the wrong way for traffic on my side of the road.
Howdy,
I always enjoy the Q&A videos. I recently added YouTube to my television – so now I can watch Mona & Lisa YouTube videos on my 32” TV (instead of my laptop or cell phone). Wow, the girls look fantastic on a big screen. I can watch them for hours.
Bobby S. 😎🎵🎵🎵🧛♂️
P.S. Rudi should think about making a documentary – The Birth and Music of the MonaLisa Twins. He certainly has a lot of footage of the girls from a young age until now.
If you ever come state side, I invite you to come to Oklahoma USA. There are no ocean beaches, but there’s plenty of lakes. I promise one thing; the people here are some of the friendliest on earth. If you make eye contact with a stranger, they will smile, and say “how are ya.” The only time I’ve ever driven on the opposite side of street was when I was sedated, probably on a New Years eve. Peace be.
That was fun and informative to watch….
Though I don’t have/never bothered to get my driver’s license …. from when I was a youngster in the 70s when I’d watch ” On The Buses ” tv show on tv , I never seen or knew up until watching that show about UK cars/Europe in general, had steering wheel on right and drove opisite sides of road then what is in USA/Canada where steering wheel us on left side and driving on opposite sides of road … The double decker bases we now have here in Ottawa for the public bus system, the steering wheel on left side, staircase is behind the driver to go upstairs ….only a few vintage double-decker buses are used for tourism in Ottawa, the bigger ones, while eons ago, both the smaller/larger sized buses were used …. now the few small ones still kicking around are that I may come across, now converted into chip wagons, or private campers , etc …..lol…
A relative of mine when he moved to UK yrs ago, married a lady from UK , he had to get his UK driver’s license and has dual driver’s licenses, Canadian/UK.
Many fab Qs asked here in this edition of the ” ASK MLT Q & A Episode # 7 and always a hoot and education in the replies given by Mona & Lisa and the wee extras snuck in as part of a reply ….
Thankyou for offering up a great Segway of fun/learning of/entertaining to begin 2024 with …. 😎🫶🤘🏻👍🏻👌😁🌞
Mona’s shirt/blouse is stunning. Is that a bird necklace? Maybe a hummingbird?
I’m hopeful this year will be better than the previous couple.
Always a pleasure watching your “sit down” videos. I try to get together with friends at a cafe once a week to chat And band practice every Saturday morning Couple of months ago I asked band members to give me their favorite songs off our play list – – I Don’t Know Birds That Well got votes. I turn 77 in a few months, not as active as I used to be (had to stop flying) but doing all I can. You mentioned your skiing – – come to Seattle, Cascade Mountains have lots of skiing, taller than stuff on east coast
I’ve never driven in a country that drives on the left. I have been to England a couple times though. The last time I was there in the mid-80s, we had just left the office for our meeting in the City with our biggest customer, Midland Bank, where I needed to demo the new tool I’d built for them, and we were waiting for traffic to clear at a roundabout.
I thought I was good and began to step off the curb, and Bob the salesman grabbed my shoulder from behind and pulled me back, just as a truck went whizzing by. He said, “no, you can’t do that, you’re the only one who knows how this thing works.”
Since then I’ve called that my “mind the lorry” story. If you only learn one phrase of Britspeak, it’s good to know what a bloke means when he says “mind the lorry”. Avoiding driving might not be enough to keep you alive. lol.
Back when I was in college, long ago, we used to call New Years Eve “amateur night”, since too many people who didn’t know how to party drank too much and got behind the wheel. We never went out on New Years.
These days, it’s a night when I get together with family. Half of my family live in Michigan, and half live on the East Coast. 2 dozen total. This year we were back in the Pennsylvania Wilds, which is a 5 hour drive for most of us, and which is 2.1 million acres of wild, forested Appalachian mountains in state parks, with big rivers, trails, and bears. A beautiful spot. We rented 3 cabins and a big farmhouse and were there from Friday through Monday.
Happy New Year it going to be a great one
I so adore your adventurous spirits. Whether it is making up your own explosives, jumping out of airplanes, or crossing bottomless underground crevices on rope ladders and zip lines, nothing seems to phase you two! Your passion for new adventures and joy of living are contagious and, combined with your creative talents and natural beauty, make you both irresistible. Please be careful!. Looking back, I realize just how lucky I was to survive so many hair-brained antics of my youth. Happy New Year!
Hello Ladies, so nice to see you back in what hopefully be a year with less wars and fighting and much much love for one another. Nowadays my NYE is waiting till 12’o clock and the inevitable fireworks. I never liked fireworks, to much noise for all the animals and to dangerous for your health. When i was younger i would wait till 12 and then hurry up to the disco, dance all night long and come home completely worn out.
Those days are gone but still cherish those memories.
My first impression of this segment is Mona’s blouse! The colors are so vivid I couldn’t keep my eyes off it. I’m sure Lisa’s was beautiful also but her pretty hair covered it. It was a fun Q&A session. When I was in my late teens and early 20’s I played in several bands. We loved New Years eve because we could make more money for 4 hrs that night than we could make playing Friday and Saturday both. That’s my favorite recollection of New Year. “Happy New Year” to MLT
Happy New Year, ladies! Great to hear that you are all refreshed for the year ahead.
When I was a teenager we used to all go out on NYE so separate parties. One year I was the first to arrive back home but had forgotten my keys! I managed to climb up the drainpipe at the back of the house and in through the tiny toilet window and then went to bed.
Later in the morning of NYD everyone was surprised when I appeared in the dining room as they had assumed I was still out – maybe staying over with friends.
Strictly speaking, I was also the “first foot*” that year – although I think it was my head that first made contact inside the house!
This also meant that my younger sister (who had thought she had been the first foot that year) was demoted to second foot!
*First-footing is a tradition in the North of England and Scotland where it is believed that the first person to cross the threshold of a home in the new year brings with them the luck for the year ahead.
thank god you survived the home made fireworks ive also had them explode when lighting them no fear when young but older and much wiser now.
My cousins and I went into Times Square(it has become an annual tradition for the last 15 years or so) to watch the ball drop.My 2 nephews are Police Officers(NYPD),so we get up close,and enjoy a great view of all the action.Would LOVE to see you Beautiful Ladies perform on the stage to ring in the New Year someday.Or even just hang out with us and celebrate together.
Wishing you all a Happy,Healthy,Wonderous 2024!!
Love & Hugs💛💓
Tom
Don’t do much on New Years Eve anymore. Except take it easy.
As always another very enjoyable video to watch !
It’s so nice to see your smiling faces again. Most days in January here are cold and gloomy so your videos help to make it a little warmer and brighter. We have plenty of sun in the summer without being ungodly hot like the Southern U.S. We even have our own East Coast (Lake Michigan) and West Coast (Mississippi River). I used to enjoy going out to the clubs on New Years Eve to listen to bands and kiss all the girls at midnight which is a great tradition. This year I actually went to listen to a band consisting of two nephews, a niece and grand niece. I had a lot of fun hooking up with friends and relatives but I was home by 5:00pm. I watched football (American) the rest of the night and was in bed early. No fireworks this year!!
I also remember playing with fireworks when I was younger…. I remember my fingers being numb for a couple days after fireworks blew up in them… of course that happened many times, so I guess I didn’t learn as a kid! We also would have bottle rocket wars against each other….. it’s a wonder we’re still alive?!🤓 but it was sure fun! New Year’s day I came down with something… I very seldom get sick, but I was in bed for 24 hours! I arrived in Hawaii last night. Hopefully the heat and humidity will burn what is left off? I promise I only sneezed once on the plane!😬🤓
Tim,
Glad you’re in Hawaii — I WISH I was! The Big Island is so different from Oahu. It seemed like a big empty place when I was there just once. It is beautiful & green on the Hilo side, & very rocky & dry on the Kona side. But without the big population as on Oahu.
Enjoy your WARM Winter & don’t get TOO sunburned!
— Bud
Hi Tim,
When I was serving in the army, we had a bottle rocket fight with a neighboring barracks. Eventually one of the rockets went through our open window and somehow went up the shorts leg of a squad mate and exploded (no, not quite that far up). He wasn’t hurt, but that was the end of the bottle rocket fights.
Dennis,
Good thing the bottle rocket didn’t explode too far up the pants leg of your friend. Otherwise, he might have ended up a Soprano!
Great to see you back in action and looking so groovy in those outfits! Love the driving story. I actually found it easy to drive when in Europe but had to keep thinking about it more once I got back home! And you are right, roundabouts and pulling out of junctions are the trickiest. Interesting set of questions and answers as always, don’t fancy the cave wire though, I’d be worried about hitting the sides. And making your own explosives!!! – I suppose we all do some crazy things when we’re young! For New Year here in this part of Scotland we have a crazy tradition called the Loony Dook where brave people dress up and go into the sea (hint – it’s very cold!) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-67856747
I wouldn’t do it myself but maybe Mona and Lisa could be tempted?
Very nice to have you two back! Your stories about learning to drive remind me of driving in the US Virgin Islands. I learned to drive in South Dakota USA ..the steering wheel is on the left… and you drive on the right side of the road. In the USVI all the vehicles are the same as the US but you drive on the left side of the road!! And as you mentioned roundabouts are very confusing…. and also turning onto another road when there’s no cars around to give you a hint! I took my 80 year old mother with me one time! She definitely let me know she was my mother when she chewed me out for turning into the wrong lane in traffic!!!🤓 luckily I think the top speed limit on St John is 45 miles an hour…. And that’s pretty rare. So if you are on the wrong side, you can hear the car honking at you and see their eyes bulging with time to spare!!😳🤓.
Tim,
I also visited the US Virgin Islands & rented a car. But the rental people didn’t bother to tell me to drive on the LEFT side! After two cars honked at me, I figured it out! It’s a nice, beautiful laid-back place though! And the Reggae Music was very good! — Bud
I’ve only been to St. Thomas and St. John…. I love St John…. It’s only 9 miles long…. I’m afraid I’d get bored on my motorcycle! There will be a day when I get too old to ride the way I do. Then I’ll have a place there. There’s a lot of people in Hawaii.
Tim,
Yeah, I stayed on St. Thomas for 3 days. It was fun swimming at the beach in 80 F + water at midnight! And I took a boat to St. John one day to visit one of their beautiful beaches. It was like being Robinson Crusoe for a day! And people would stop their car in the middle of the road to have a conversation with someone. But you’re in paradise, so who cares!
Has anyone seen that British TV show called “Death in Paradise?” I usually don’t like police shows, but the scenery in that is great, & I like the characters. HEEYY! Mona & Lisa should be on that show! Except I wouldn’t want to see one of them bumped off, even though it’s not real!
The last time I was on the Big Island was in 1981, so I’m sure it’s changed a lot since then. But I was on Oahu last September. The weather is SO nice there!
— Bud
Usually when I went to St John… in the mornings, I came down the hill from Bordeaux mountain, there were goats laying in the middle of the road that I had to get out of my vehicle and shoo them away… and then there’s a lot of wild donkeys. Also, they just walk down the road.. 75% of St. John is national park. It is very beautiful…. The beaches on Saint John might have 20 people on them…. The closest beach to my cabin usually has 100-200 …It’s just a different feel. I’m not complaining. Hawaii is also very beautiful!
The Colorado summers in the mountains are equally as beautiful!🤓
I recently heard one of our pastors say….
“ The task is not to get the life you want…. but to love the life you have….
I’m certainly not complaining at all🤓
Tim,
Very true; I’m realizing that more as I get older; ER, Younger! — B.
Tim,
My daughter & I went on a Caribbean cruise with my aunt in 2004. We spent so much time looking at some goats standing on a hill that we almost missed our cruise ship take off! The ship blew its horn, and we RAN, something like a mile through the streets & just made it to the cruise ship as it was taking off!
They saw us, stopped the ship & backed up. I was SO thankful, especially since I wouldn’t have had to buy plane tickets to the next destination! My aunt, who was 84 at the time was happy too!
I have cousins that live in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is beautiful there! Same with Wash. State — lots of mountains!
MEMORIES! — Bud
Nice to start the year seeing your smiling faces, and listening to you answering these interesting questions with fun and enthusiasm. I’ve not been to the cave, but have you been to Zipworld in Penrhyn, Snowdonia- if not, you’d love it there.
I got a nice Christmas pressie on Christmas day ‘DVT’ !!, yes 3 clots in my right lower leg, which puzzled the doctors because I’m an active runner and walker! It wasn’t my main pressie though, it was just a ‘stocking filler’ ha ha. But seriously, I spent Boxing day and the day after at hospital, and couldn’t walk over the Christmas/New year period due to the intense pain, so new year for me was spent with my leg raised watching TV and listening to you two. Now managing to limp better as the days pass, so I’m on the mend. But I will always remember this particular New Year for that reason!!
Looking forward to the year ahead with you both, Michaela, Rudi and the MLT club members.
David,
I wish you a quick recovery with no complications! It’s good that you exercise, or it might have been worse. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the downtime, & it sounds like you did that! Now have a better new Year from here on out! — Bud
Thanks Bud
Oh no, we hope you’ll be able to walk and run without pain again soon. What unfortunate timing but I guess 2024 can only get getter from now on! 😛
We’ve got vouchers to visit Zipworld in Penrhyn and are planning to do it over the summer! It looks so much fun! 🙂
Mona,
I foresee a video for the future coming out of that experience! I know you’ll be careful, so have fun! (“Wish I Was There!”) — Bud
Thank you Mona, As you say ‘things can only get better’, looks like I’ll be doing a lot of volunteering at Parkrun over the next month or so!
That’s great that you’ll be experiencing Zipworld – you’ll certainly have loads of fun- hope you don’t mind heights ha ha.
Perhaps a good place for an “Out and About” video????
Oh, my, David! Healing 🙏!
It is great to see you back ! Your caving clips were funny. Somehow the thoughts of you playing with explosives is terrifying though.
I spent this New Years home sick, I blame Mona for giving it to me during the livestreams. Next time I won’t sit so close to the monitor screen.
Ugh, sorry! I hope you’re feeling better by now! 🙂
I thought you liked me Mona! Next time you give me germs it better be because we hugged! I’ll take one for the team happily!😉
Happy New Year! Thank you for another fun Q and A, a lot of interesting questions, always wonderful to learn more about you both. I’ve never experienced having to drive on the wrong side of the road, that would be weird, especially the look left than right when crossing the road, would have to be look right than left. I will trust what you say and not be afraid to drive there, although carefully at first. I think if music wasn’t your thing, yes I think you would be wonderful with animals like vet or zoo keepers. I think you would be great writers, journalists and Hollywood actresses too, you would be natural at it. Your natural talent in front of the screen shines in just the way you carried yourselves in the livestreams, the way you can make it so exciting, engaging, and fun for the audience while you look into a quiet screen with scrolling text like that. Your music videos and radio interviews show just how naturally talented you are in front of the screen and mic. But of course, I am soooooo glad you decided to pursue your music, you make the world a much better place. “LIGHT UP THE DARKNESS” with your beautiful music.
For New Years Eve this evening, lately we’ve just enjoyed staying in spending cozy times together. I like Irish Cream and snacks so munched on them, listened to some MLT tunes, and just enjoyed savouring the last moments of 2023, and excited about 2024. Went for a nice seafood dinner with gift cards we got from my sister. Unfortunately I gained 4 pounds since the end of November, gosh! Time for ramping up the good eating habits and exercise regimen.
Loved your stories at the end there. That cave in Snowden looked like a blast. Loved your creative ingenuity as kids making little fireworks, I would have loved to help. That reminds me of a time as kids when we first got fire crackers when they were still legal in Canada in the 70s. One evening my brother wanted to let some off, but we couldn’t find any matches, so my brother turned on the stove burner in the kitchen, lit the fuse, and threw it out the nearby window, was a lot of fun. I kept begging him I wanted to try it. So he let me. Well as soon as I got the wick lit on the big firecracker at the stove, I panicked, and tried to throw it out the window, and missed and it landed on the hardwood floor leaving a big black mark. Needless to say my brother was less than thrilled with me, and we both did our best to wash the black stain away as much as we could. I don’t think our parents ever noticed. 😁
Big hugs to you both, Jung. 💛 ❤
Jung,
I agree with all you said about Mona & Lisa! They are both great in front of a camera, & very photogenic, with engaging personalities! They could have gone successfully in many different directions BESIDES Music. And I’m glad they chose Music for their profession!
I enjoyed seeing their new Q & A today! But our Mona & Lisa playing with FIREWORKS!? Oh–My–Goodness!! We’re lucky to have them in one piece!
When I was young, I was the “Fireworks Kid!” I was way too interested in that stuff, but I learned from my mistakes! When I got old enough, (ha-ha,) my uncle let me light things on my own. I made my own bottle rockets out of rolled up paper & black powder. Then I attached a firecracker to the top, so it exploded in the air.
I also lit firecrackers in my hand & timed them so when I threw them in the water, they would send up a waterspout. Fun, right? One time I threw one in a hornets’ nest, (real smart!) But I caught the stump on fire & had to put it out. On 2 occasions a firecracker exploded in my hand, causing blood blisters. (Lucky it was a small one!)
The worst thing was when I made a cannon out of a small pipe & loaded it w/black powder. I lit the fuse & it went out. I got close too soon, looking into the touch hole — then it went off, shooting sparks into my eye! My vision was blurry, & I was too afraid to tell my parents for 3 days! Also, I was leaving that day with my aunt & uncle to go to their summer cabin on an island with a beach; where I would light MORE fireworks of course!!
The eye doctor confirmed that I had no permanent eye damage, but that eye continued to be a bit blurrier than the other! My uncle had a coworker who made a stress-proof steel cannon for me, almost a foot long. It WAS safer than the one I made, & I used water-proof fuse, that burned at an even rate. Those days were fun, but I’m sure glad I chose Music instead of a career as a pyrotechnician! That was a wise choice!
Jung, that’s a hilarious story you told of you & your brother, throwing and TRYING to throw firecrackers out the window! We all “lived to tell the tale,” “So it’s “All Good!”
(Please don’t judge me for my dumb kid mistakes!)
Have a Great New Year Everyone! — Bud
Hey Bud, wow you had some wild adventures with fireworks/firecrackers! It sounded like a lot of fun. I’m glad you recovered from the eye incident unscathed. I have to admit I was drawn to pyrotechnics too, though it usually never went beyond letting off a whole carton of matches at once, or going wild with a magnifying glass in the hot summer sun, that kind of thing. We might have had a lot of fun if I met you growing up. HAHAHA. 😁
Jung,
I’m sure we would have had fun! Most of those things I did alone, but I had a friend at our island property, & we did a few of those things together. The problem with that is that you can egg each other on, which can be dangerous.
Another friend that came over to our property and I got into a friendly (?) sling shot match. But we were shooting at each other, & I think we used something other than rocks that weren’t hard. But I hit him squarely, I don’t remember where, and we decided to stop out of safety! But we also laid on the rocky beach & shot rocks up in the air, trying to come close to each other, & then roll away while laughing.
Now mind you, I was the kid who rarely got into trouble, like no problem for my parents. I did a few of those reckless things but came away unscathed!
The 1st friend I mentioned was learning guitar, while I was taking trumpet lessons. We tried playing some Tijuana Brass songs together, but he didn’t seem to know many chords. He lived in a different city, so I didn’t see him much.
My 2nd friend Jim, actually lived close to me, played alto saxophone, & we were in high school Band together. I got my interest in the Beatles, Frank Zappa, Rolling Stones & more from him.
Well, 2 more days & I’m back to teaching! I know what I want to work on, but I still have prep work to do. So from now on, I’ll have to scale WAY BACK on my communications on the MLT website. But I sure have enjoyed the back & forth with you & several other friends now, on this site! Maybe we could get together sometime. That would be fun! But NO FIREWORKS and NO SLINGSHOTS!
Thanks friend! — Bud
Hi Bud, my friend. Hope you have a relaxing couple of days before going back to the teaching. My weeks been fairly quiet with most of my colleagues away all week, but the new week promises to be a busy one. Yeah enjoyed interacting with you, and hope we could meet up sometime. Seattle-Vancouver not too far.
All the best
Jung
Jung,
Maybe Springtime might be good! — Bud
I spent most of New Year’s Eve driving home from a belated Christmas get-together with my mom and siblings. (This entailed spending several hours in the Appalachians, in case a couple of people might be interested in carpooling next time.)
Then in the evening, while everyone else was counting down to the new year, I was counting up YouTube views for my monthly MLT stat sheet. Some of us truly know how to party… and I’m not among them!
Sounds like me, there was a time I liked to run with the big dogs but now days I’d rather lay on the porch and scratch fleas. I went out on New Years Eve day to listen to my nephew’s band called Home By 9. They take that name to heart too and only play afternoon shows. I had 2 non alcohol drinks and was back home by 5:00pm. Party on David!!
I should also mention that I LOVE your caving clips. Caving is one of my favourite endeavours. I haven’t explored any caves for years but it was always a thrilling activity when I was younger. I remember coming out after one expedition, covered with huge bruises from head to toe and navigating through some tight squeezes. The thrill of getting unstuck when surrounded by layers and layers of rock is unmatched! I also loved
rappelling down the rocky pits, not knowing what was at the bottom!
You’re very brave, Jeannette! I’ve been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky a few times, but I’ve only done the walking tours. The most challenging obstacle I had to deal with was a narrow passage called Fat Man’s Misery.
Ooh, I would love to see the Mammoth Cave! I’m not sure whether you can call my caving expeditions brave – it was more likely youthful confidence and folly! To enter one cave, we had to swim on our backs with only our nostrils out of the water until we made it through the mostly water-filled entrance. That was somewhat nerve-wracking.
Oh my Jeanette! The “thrill of getting unstuck when surrounded by layers and layers of rock”?!! This can obviously only happen after first getting stuck -which quite frankly scares the living daylights out of me. Happy New Year!
Before the expedition, my instructor assured me that if I became stuck in a squeeze, I would eventually free myself as long as I could move my flesh at least an eighth of an inch at a time. Don’t panic, he said, just keep wriggling!
You are talking about the kind of caving I never would do Jeannette. I like the kind of caving the Twins were doing, and I loved Carlsbad Caverns National Park here in New Mexico, but I have wimped out every time on the tight squeeze, unknown what’s next in the dark thing.
You both radiate renewed energy and zest for life – it must have been a good refreshing holiday for you! My New Year’s Eve story from this year is that I sat up all night with a very ill kitty. By early New Year’s Day, we were at the emergency vet clinic – the only place open on a holiday! We had a nerve-wracking few days but thankfully, the diagnosis (UTI) was treatable and not as serious as it might have been. Campfire (our kitty) is recovering with the antibiotic treatment and for that we are grateful. Now, I need a good night’s sleep to get some energy back! Watching you this morning, however, injected some wonderful vitality into me. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Ah! Now it can be a happy new year, indeed! I hope you were able to relax and recharge some during your brief respite, but it’s undeniably GREAT to have you back posting again! I’ll try to give this new Q&A vid a look ‘n listen this evening!