Friday 5

1. What’s a profession you believe to be overpaid? CEOs of US car companies. Private jets? In this economy? Puh-leeze!
2. Who’s a musician you believe to be overrated? Madonna. I'm not even sure she is a musician. I think of her as a traveling freak show.
   
3. What in your life could stand to be overhauled? My condo! I need to seriously start throwing things away. It could use a nice paint job. The kitchen and the bathroom are tragically old-fashioned. If I don't lose my job soon, I'm going to start saving/planning to do some of this through 2009.
4. What’s something interesting you recently overheard? That global warming has heated up the oceans, and that's why hurricanes now are so ferocious.
   
5. Who is the most overextended person you know? Kathleen springs to mind, because she is juggling a high-stress job, steering her kids through adolescence and shopping for colleges, a reading group, a marriage to a challenging (but lovable) man and yet remains a good, available friend to people like me.

To play along yourself, click here.

A little turkey, a lotta attitude

My 9-year-old nephew can be a sweet and very funny little person. But I have discovered that he can also be an abrupt little shit when he's playing Nintendo, which he was doing constantly before/after we ate on Thanksgiving.

He thought he lost his charger, but in reality he had left it at my mom's house and we returned it to him when we arrived at his house for Thanksgiving Dinner. At first he was excited about the holiday and had much to show me -- especially the placemats he had carefully made. During the meal he was well behaved and engaged. But from the moment his Gameboy was charged, he was lost to us, and made sure I appreciated how annoyed he was by my interruptions.

If I had been the only one receiving his scorn, I would have brought it to his parents' attention. But he was just as condescending and pointed with his own dad, so they're aware of it. I'm just the aunt, and there's only so much I can do.

Also, we get the results back from the neurologist next week, so I'm inclined to cut him slack. Because of his headaches, the little guy has been seen by two pediatricians, endured an MRI and a trip to this specialist. While all the doctors seem to believe that the cause of the headaches isn't life-threatening, it's hard not to worry. I know he's very concerned that he is going to hear that his terrible headaches are triggered by dairy. After all, he's just 9. To him, the worst thing that can happen is being told he can no longer have his favorite meal -- a grilled cheese sandwich and milk.

My 16-year-old niece was notably absent. She is spending this weekend with a friend's family at an indoor water park in Wisconsin. She enjoys her new-found freedom, but I missed her.

My mom read an article in one of the Chicago papers about problems at the advertising agency where I work. The first thing she said when she saw me was, "Happy Thanksgiving! I love you." She hugged me often. It took me by surprise. Since her illness earlier this year, our role reversal has been even more pronounced, so it was lovely to have her go all Mommy on me again. She observed that I have always had a hard time "being patient," so she realizes that waiting to see what happens at work must be hard for me. She's right. But I guess that's no surprise. Nobody knows you like your mom.