"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

I was sitting in the Nuclear Medicine department of a hospital today, waiting to be given radioactive iodine (that I'm hoping will give me superpowers - perhaps X-ray vision?) for a thyroid scan.  The television in the waiting room was tuned into The Today Show.  I was trying to read my new book, but I'm a sucker for human interest stories.  They started telling the story of a woman named Sara Adair, a woman who battled what life threw at her with humor and music.  The story is very good and you should definitely watch the video all the way through, but since we are discussing the curse of Oz, allow me to get to the point.  Of all the songs they could sing to the baby in the clip, what do they choose?  Not Kenny Loggins singing about Winnie-the-Pooh, not a gentle lullaby.  No.  "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  Of course.

I went back to reading my book.

Sara Adair/The Today Show

I'm Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore

Welcome to my wizardly nightmare.

Several years ago, a student of mine mentioned that she had a "Wizard of Oz curse."  In answer to my quizzical look, she explained to me that there is a random Wizard of Oz reference in her life every single day.  I chuckled and thought, "Surely she is exaggerating."

The curse is contagious.

Since then, I have experienced some sort of Oz moment every single day.  It is usually totally random - a reference on a television show, a blurb in a newspaper article, a few bars of a hummed tune in the line at the bank.  Once, I even saw someone at a crowded festival who had the Scarecrow tattooed on his right calf and Dorothy tattooed on his left one.  When I tell people this they usually react the same way I did - a dismissive chuckle and a metaphorical pat on the head.  I have decided now to document my daily Oz occurrences.

Some self-imposed rules regarding my "Ozcurrences": if I'm in a bookstore, that doesn't count.  If I am perusing Amazon or some other website that sells movies, posters, or classic Hollywood paraphernalia, I don't count that either.  Halloween trick-or-treating and costume shops?  No.  I only count "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" if it shows up in an unexpected place, not a popular commercial or if I'm listening to movie soundtracks on XM radio.  When possible, I will provide some sort of evidence, e.g., video or photos.

And be careful - Oz may be contagious.  It will stalk you and drive you insane.  So, let's drink to Frank L. Baum and start the journey into my own personal hell - paved in yellow bricks, of course!