THE QUEEN'S MEME

1. What is your typical weekend like? I don't have a "typical" weekend because I like to leave them as unstructured as possible. In the words of my idol, JBKO, "The only routine with me is no routine at all."

2. Are you a party animal or a couch potato on the weekends? Couch potato. I actually prefer going out on Wednesdays and Thursdays because I find that Fridays and Saturday are the province of desperate amateurs bent on getting wasted and behaving badly. I far prefer it if my excessive alcohol consumption and bad behavior evolves naturally as I socialize with friends on a weeknight.

3. It wasn’t until 1940 that the two-day weekend became nationwide. I say it’s time for three-day weekend across the whole world! Wouldn’t you love to work 4 days and off 3 all the time? Do you think this is a good idea? Yes. But only if everyone else had to work the 5 day week. I'd love to have the grocery store, veterinarian office and post office all to myself every Monday.

4. Do you consider Sunday as a traditional day of rest? No. I consider it my traditional day of watching the morning news shows and then praying for the future of my country and the world. (And that's really only the slightest exaggeration.)

5. What are your around-the-house weekend chores? Grocery shopping and laundry.

6. If you have a significant other in your life or are dating, what is your favorite indoor and outdoor activity? Since I don't have an SO, I guess it means I don't have to answer, right?

7. Where would go for a romantic weekend getaway? Chateau Elan, a spa and winery just outside of Atlanta. I have been there 3 times, and it's bliss.

8. Do you have any special weekend traditions, quirks or rituals? I try for as much alone time as possible. My coworkers think I'm quite blabby and social, which amuses me because I don't think they have any idea how much that sociability takes out of me. I also try to touch base with my mom, my niece and nephew, at least by phone.

9. What is your weekend blogging routine? Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing

10. Tell us about your favorite weekend memories as a child? The swingset in the backyard. We briefly had a slide, but eh. I didn't care about it one way or the other. But the swings! Flying through the air inspired so many games and fantasies!

SAVE YOURSELF! Avoid Her Majesty's dungeon by playing the Queen's Meme yourself. Click here.

Brags, Gratitudes and Desires

Liberated from Snarkela.

1. How have you totally impressed yourself, turned yourself on, pleased yourself, or otherwise created magic lately? That’s a BRAG.

I have been parting with clutter as part of my Clean Me initiative. This morning I noticed that my bedroom carpet need vacuuming, which is noteworthy because it's been a while since I could see that bedroom carpet. I'm nowhere near caught up yet, but it's satisfying to see that these little things, like tossing out more than a dozen magazines, done regularly really do have an impact.

2. For what are you thankful? What blessings are right here? What blessings are on their way and you want to give thanks in advance? And what currently-challenging situations in your life are you going to affirm as blessings in shit-brown wrappers? Those are GRATITUDES, or “grats” for short.

The sky is blue, the sun is warm, the skyscrapers are awe-inspiring and Millennium Park is green and gorgeous. I love Chicago, and am fortunate to live here and grateful to be able to take it in. I see people every day who are so zoned out, so wrapped up in getting where they're going that they miss the scenery along the way.

3. And what are you craving? Yearning for? Realizing the world needs? What marching orders from the universe are written on your heart in the form of desires? From wanting “this headache to go away” to yearning “to know my divinity” to realizing “I want to be a mother”, no DESIRE is too big, too small, too “selfish” or too far-reaching.

My response here echoes SnarkyPants': I want to feel good. I am fat and I tire easy. I want to get well. I have had health problems this year and they are wearing me down. But I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm trying to race toward it.

If you want to play along, let me know in the comments so Snarky and I can compare our answers to yours.

A good lunch

It's a sunny 81º. I wandered out of the office, walked past Millennium Park, and just happened to land at Pizano's, an Italian restaurant I have never visited before. I had a big burger, fries and a beer for just under $20, including tip, which I could afford. I read a few pages of my book and happened to look up at the TV when one of the sports channels announced one of Joe Namath's passes as the second most important of all-time, and it's always good to see Joe Willie in all his green-eyed glory. En route to the ladies' room, I spotted a photo of my beloved future Hall of Famer, Greg Maddux, in his Cubs uniform.

On the way back, I wandered among all the tourists (including very exuberant members of the Class of 2014) and landed back here at my desk.

A beer, burger, the sun shining down on my favorite city, sports heroes ... it's helped my mood immeasurably.

Now what made me think of this?

For some reason, a very specific moment popped into my head this evening. I am a little girl -- this was pre-Beatle, so I must have been 5. I am sitting in an aisle seat in the dark. A very, very tall man appears at my side, so light on his feet I didn't hear or sense his arrival until he was there. I'm not frightened, I am entranced by his agility. He bounces in place beside me for a few moments -- I don't think I ever looked up at his face, I only remember his big hands and his very long legs. Then the music gets louder and he runs up the aisle and onto the stage and everyone cheers.

I feel so connected to him that I mime a trombone gesture along with him. This amuses the adults around me, so I become embarrassed and stop.

As an adult, I recognize the song as "76 Trombones." I looked it up, and Forrest Tucker (6'4) played Harold Hill for 56 weeks in the Chicago production of The Music Man at The Shubert Theater (now The Bank of America Theater and still my favorite venue in the city -- maybe this long-ago moment is why).

My dad hated going into the city, but he loved musical theater, and that must have won out. I must ask my mom about this. This suddenly remembered moment is so vivid.

Look what just happens to be on eBay now -- the Playbill from that very run at the Shubert. If I wasn't in "Clean Me" mode, I'd bid on it.

Clean Me for Tuesday

Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.

I moved 16 magazines, two catalogs and an expired bus schedule from my bedroom floor to the paper recycling bag in my kitchen. I also disposed of a green water bottle I bought when Reynaldo was still a kitten. If it did nothing to deter his bad behavior in 2004, I think I should give up the ghost and admit Rey is Rey and nothing I will have any impact on that. (Psst! Don't tell Rey this, but I'm not really sure I want to change him anymore, anyway. I have grown to find our battles of wits/will rather endearing.)