You're ours now, Lou

The Cubs played, and fell to, the Mariners in Seattle tonight. Lou Piniella's team is struggling, and these days he looks tired whenever they show him in the dugout.

And here we were, in Seattle. Home of past triumphs. I look at you and wonder, "Were you happier with the Mariners, Lou?"

Is this how second wives feel at graduations and weddings and all those other festive occasions when they find themselves face-to-face with the first wife?

He's so over me ... and I'm so glad

There's a guy in my building I have christened The Saddest Boy in the World because, well, he is. He's 40+, currently unemployed, shoulders all the responsibility for his mother, a stroke victim who was unpleasant when she was well.

He's long had a crush on me, which has always made me uncomfortable. For example, one evening, as I was moving my clothes to the dryers from the washers he was waiting to use, he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a writer. Thirty mins. later, when we were both down there again to retrieve my clothes, he brought a 20-year old compilation from a local poetry contest. He was a runner up and he read his poem to me. It was a sweet, touching and profoundly embarrassing moment.

Well, that's all over now. I have seen him twice lately, and both times he has gone out of his way to make sure I saw he was on his cell phone, in a conversation he just couldn't interrupt to speak to me.

Good for him! I hope he's happy, and less lonely.

10 on Tuesday

This week I reveal exactly how unhip and cornball I am by sharing 10 of the most played songs on my iPod.

"My Tears Dry on Their Own" -- Amy Winehouse

"Oooh, Child" -- The Five Stairsteps

"Oh Me, Oh My (I'm a Fool for You)" -- Lulu

"The Right Thing to Do" -- Carly Simon

"What a Fool Believes" -- The Doobie Brothers

"I Will" -- The Beatles

"My Heart and Soul" -- Marcia Ball

"More than You Know" -- Barbra Streisand

"We're All Alone" -- Boz Scaggs

"Dancing in the Moonlight" -- King Harvest


Lyrics | King Harvest lyrics - Dancing In The Moonlight lyrics

The Queen's Meme -- The Beach Meme

1. When is the last time you saw the ocean? Last December, when I was in Key West.

2. Where is your favorite stretch of beach shoreline? Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. One of the most gorgeous spots in the whole country!

3. Are you planning a beach vacation this year? Back to Key West for New Year's.

4. Bikinis or one-piece? One piece. Green.

5. Do you sunbathe or sit under an umbrella? Under an umbrella. With a drink in hand.

6. Have you ever been to a nude beach? God, no! There are parts of my alabaster skin that should never see sunlight. Ouch! Sunburn. Pain!

7. Favorite activity at the beach while on vacation? Sitting under an umbrella with a drink in my hand.

8. Condo, hotel or cottage rental? Hotel. I'm not a very summery, outdoorsy gal. In fact, too much heat makes me growl.

9. What beach in the whole wide world would you like to visit for the first time? Blackpool in England. It sounds so veddy, veddy British.

10. Did you ever have a special romantic time at the beach? Not the beach, technically, but I have snuggled and kissed alongside the Chicago River.

11. Tell us about a favorite beach memory. I was probably 16, which would have made my kid sister about 8. We were staying at the same cottage in Wisconsin my family dragged me to every damn summer. She was on me like Velcro anyway, so I deigned to let her accompany me out, way out to the raft, the destination of choice for us older kids. Of course I wouldn't let her get on the raft with me. I mean, she was only 8 and would listen in on my conversations with the other kids and rat on me. So she hung on the side, just basking in our sophistication. Until I noticed her pudgy fingers let go and glub, glub, glub ... down she went. I slid off the raft to retrieve her. She grabbed hold of my legs and quickly crawled up my body like a little monkey. I can still feel her hands and legs as she climbed to my shoulders. And stood there. Holding me under for what seemed like forever. Finally one of the other kids pulled her onto the raft so I could surface.

Save yourself! Stay out of the dungeon!
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Twin Spin!

Both Molly the Cat and "my" homeless gentleman in front of McDonald's were out today! It made me happy to be able share my change with them, and I worry about them when they aren't around for a day or two.

Clean Me

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

As promised, today I took a close look into the sunglasses drawer. Once I added the glasses I found in jacket pockets and handbags and carelessly left on the kitchen counter, I confirmed what I suspected: I don't need to buy another pair of sunglasses again for a long, long time. Not when I have:

7 pairs with black frames
4 pairs with blue
3 pairs with brown
1 pair with purple
1 pair with grey

As with the earrings, now that I know what I have, I can choose more carefully in the morning and enjoy all that I have collected. I'm tossing one pair with a broken stem and one broken glasses case, and donating an additional two pairs of sunglasses and two cases to Goodwill.