Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: 28 Question Meme

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Was your dad named after anyone? He was given the same middle name, Carl, as his father.

2. What do you think is the minimal age to get married? 21. Seems crazy to be able to marry before you can buy booze.

3. What’s the longest time that you‘ve been involved with the same person? Sir Paul McCartney and I have been together for 47 years. Part of why we have lasted this long is that he has no idea I exist. Men who don't know me find me easier to get along with.

4. What actor/actress do you consider hot at the moment? Robert Downey, Jr.

5. What is you favorite album by a band? The White Album by The Beatles

6. What is your favorite album by an individual artist? It changes. Currently it's Dusty in Memphis by Dusty Springfield.

7. What is something that you‘d rather be a bit dirty? Sex

8. What was the last TV show that you watched? Royal Pains on the USA Network

9. How many people have you met from the blogosphere? Who are they? So far I haven't met any. But that doesn't mean I won't.

10. What's your philosophy on life? The Golden Rule works for me.

11. Do you think prescription drugs are over prescribed? Depends on your doctor.

12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest? Since I don't know you, keeping a secret would be very easy.

13. What is your favorite memory in the last year? I really enjoyed the three days I spent with my nephew, a mini-vacation in Springfield, learning about Abe Lincoln.

14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Nancy Grace

15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you: I have no reflexes in my legs. Never have. You can hit my knee with that rubber hammer all the live-long day and nothing happens. No one told me about this when I was a kid because the doctor was afraid if I realized my leg was supposed to move, I'd move it.

16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they? Does Mimi know you referred to "world peace" as "malarky?" First, I'd wish for my mom to have what she needs -- medically as well as financially. Then I'd like the time and the resources it would take to make my condo exactly as I'd like it. And I'd like to see into the future, to know how Kathleen's treatments will go.

17. Who would you want to get together with and make a cake? My best friend. He loves cooking and I'd like to see him in action.

18. Which country is your spiritual home? This one.

19. What is your big weakness? Laziness.

20. Do you think Judd Corizan is a good person? Yes. A good son and a good dad, too.

21. What was your best/favorite subject at school? English.

22. Describe your accent: Midwestern. I'm told I speak with flat, drawn-out a's.

23. If you could change anything about yourself, would you? My waist. I'd like it to be discernible again.

24. What do you wear to sleep? Nightshirts.

25. What is your favorite casual outfit to wear? Jeans and t-shirt.

26. Do you use cigarettes or alcohol? I use alcohol as I disinfectant. I drink booze. I have never smoked anything.

27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!) We don't know each other, and you're scaring me.

28. Rate the memes that you play generally. Use any scale or just in order. The Queen's Meme rates at the top, because she is my monarch. I like The Bumbles' Movie Meme, and Saturday 9, and this one, of course.

What was it I just saw?

I loved Inception. I don't like sci-fi/fantasies. I was bored by Star Wars and ignored Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and have never cared one way or the other about Star Trek. And yet I loved Inception.

It's about dreams and memories and mazes and gravity and obsessions and secrets. And it's all held together by Leonardo di Caprio.

Leo and I have spent a great deal of time together, ever since I first noticed him as the emotionally damaged teen in Marvin's Room. I don't think I've seen him give a bad performance, and this one is particularly tricky. In a goofy way he reminds me of -- this will sound crazy, but hear me out -- Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz.

We went along with Dorothy on a fantastic odyssey through a world we'd never imagined before. This world may or may not be real, and much of what we encounter is unbelievable, but because of her unflagging sincerity, because she believes it, we believe it.

Leo's Cobb is the same way. This is all very real, and desperately important, to him. And so it becomes real and important to us.

Even if I can't tell you what it is exactly I saw.

Indeed it is

One of the kids working at the local movie theater asked me, "Is that Jackie O on your shirt?" That made me happy since, because she died 16 years ago, he couldn't possibly have first-hand knowledge of her. I'm glad she lives on.

I am happy for them

Behold the parents of the bride, arriving at the rehearsal dinner. Say whatever you wish about The Clintons, but they have successfully steered their daughter into adulthood. So on the eve of Chelsea's wedding day, I toast them for a job well done, and done in the public eye, no less.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Bad Day

1. Is there anything that you tend to do to cheer up when you are having a bad day? In the summer, I watch the Cubs. Any other time, I turn to The Lads from Liverpool. Anything is better with baseball and the Beatles.

2.What’s the last card game you played, and with whom did you play? I truly don't remember.

3.What’s the last board game you played, and with whom did you play? Yahtzee, with my nephew. Though technically speaking, Yahtzee doesn't have a board ...

4.What’s the last computer game you played, and with whom did you play? Boggle, vs. whoever was in the room at Pogo.com

5.Is there somewhere you’d like to visit but have not, and where is it? The Grand Canyon

6.Think of your favorite movie (or a movie you really like, if you can’t think of a favorite). Some people say that the reasons you love your favorite movie are related to what you value in romantic relationships. How is this true or untrue in your case? The Way We Were is the movie, and yes, it reflects what I value in romance, in that Katie is always true to herself. At the end of the movie, while Hubbell is subdued and just kinda pale, she is still vibrant, still enthusiastic, still fighting for what she believes in. I still believe that your soulmate will love you for that, and encourage you in that. Yes, I've had life experience to the contrary. But then, so did Katie!

7.What physical attributes do you find the most attractive? Good hair. My first great love was Paul McCartney and I think his mop-top marked me for life. Arms are good, too. And an ass you could bounce a dime off. Is it getting warm in here?

8.How many people live in your house? Tell us about them. They would be me. I live here. I am a pudgy middle-aged broad with a good heart.

9. Ever punch someone in the face? No! Ew!

Guns just make it easier

Nearly 30 kids have been gunned down on the streets of Chicago this year. 30 children dead, and many of their murderers were also under 21.

Kids killing kids.

Naturally I'm heartsick that the Supreme Court has chosen to strike down Chicago's gun law, which made it easier to police to try to stem the obscene tide of blood that neighborhoods are drowning in. But I know guns aren't the only problem.

The parents of Blair Holt have been making public appearances addressing Chicago's tragedy. And no one has more right than the Holts to discuss gun violence in this city. Anne Nance-Holt was a commander in the Chicago Fire Department and her husband, Officer Ronald Holt, was one of Chicago's finest when they lost their son in the Spring of 2007. An honor student, Blair was murdered on his way home from school, shot by a gangbanger who got on a public bus and opened fire. Blair pushed his classmate onto her seat, out of the line of fire. She sustained a gunshot to her foot and has recovered completely. Blair Holt's last words were, "Tell my mom and dad I love them."

Because of their life experience, I take the Holts' opinions on the culture of violence very seriously. They blame the parents even more than the economy, saying that the hopelessness that breeds violence comes from a generation that doesn't understand the consequences of their own actions, who haven't been taught to value life.

I am trying to make sense of this, and I return to a hideous statistic: 1 out of 6 Chicago schoolchildren has attended a dogfight. Violence as entertainment. Killing = Victory. Enhancing one's self-worth through brutalizing the weak.

Please consider supporting your favorite humane society and increasing the awareness of this problem. I believe it will help all of our souls, and it certainly can't hurt.