Rice, noodles, tomato paste and soup

I believe in the phrase, "Demographics are destiny." With that in mind, let me tell you a little something about my neighborhood.
• Our average HHI is nearly 30% higher than the rest of the state
• Our homes are worth, on average, 40% more than those across the rest of the state
• Requests for aid from our local food pantry were up a staggering 22% in 2011. Last year 50,000 people were served by the food pantry that is open 2 days/week in the basement of our Methodist church.

My neighbors are still suffering. And, statistically speaking, yours probably are, too. This Recession and the sluggish recovery have been brutal on middle class families. A lot of folks are under-employed, working at part-time jobs that help them make ends meet but leave them without benefits, and so they are paying more than ever for prescriptions and trips to the doctor and dentist. Add in escalating gas prices, and you can see why they are turning to food banks for help.

History tells us that in November and December, when people are filled with the holiday spirit, food pantry shelves are full. After the new year, contributions wane and then spike in time for Easter (now). Then, over the summer, the need becomes more critical. Especially because classes are over and kids won't be getting their free school lunches.

So while I'm glad that I visited our local food pantry and dropped off a bag of Rice-a-Roni, Kraft Macroni and Cheese, Campbell's soup and generic tomato paste, I have to remember to keep at it throughout the summer. (And maybe remember to add some vegetables!)

And, if helping the hungry in your hometown is something that interests you, here's a link that will lead you to the food pantry nearest you.

Saturday 9: Stuck in the Middle With You

1. In romance, have you ever been stuck in the middle with someone? I've been listening to this song for decades and it's never put me in the romantic mind set. "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you." So I always assumed "stuck in the middle" meant surrounded by people we just don't get. And yes, when my late uncle was alive, I got the idea that he and I were "stuck in the middle" together at every family gathering. We were somehow the family "outlaws," yet we understood one another easily enough. I miss him enormously.

2. Which current commercial is the currently most annoying to you on TV or radio? The Amy Sedaris/Mean Joe Greene Downy commercial. She's self-consciously cute and it annoys me. And yes, I get it. I saw the original Mean Joe Green Coke commercial when it first ran and as an adult I have heard how it was a breakthrough in celebrity endorsements. I just don't like Amy Sedaris. Leave me alone.

3. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? Getting started and staying with it.

4. What area is your expertise in? I write.

5. Have you ever bumped into a former lover and found out they were now gay or straight depending on your relationship with them? No.

6. When was the last time that you got stabbed in the back? Nothing springs to mind. Which is kinda nice, actually.

7. For a few years in a row, you receive a nice tax refund: do you make an adjustment with your payroll deduction so they’ll take less, or do you leave it that way so that you can continue to receive the big check every spring? I keep getting the big check in spring. It's kind of my enforced savings, and it goes paying for my mom's Medicare supplemental insurance and snow removal. (And if there's any left over, I buy purses.)

8. Do you remember the most naughty night of your life? (And do tell a bit, if comfortable) Yes. A coworker/boyfriend and I were supposed to be at a company function at a hotel and we got bored and crashed the dental convention down the hall. We were dressed nice, we had name tags, no one ever knew. Mad Men aside, the dentists had a far nicer open bar than our advertising agency did. And we got plowed. And carried away. In a secluded corner of a hallway near the maid's closet. Somehow when he kept saying, "So what if anyone catches us? We'll never see these people again!" it was very convincing. BTW, I think of him often because he was born and raised in Sanford, FL, the town that has been in the news lately of their ridiculously awful police department. He said he couldn't wait to grow up and leave that town.
 

9. How would you handle yourself if you were regularly in the press and tabloids? Badly. That's one of the things I admire so about my all-time idol, JBKO. After leaving the White House she rarely gave interviews (two or three in more than 30 years) and never responded to anything that was written about her. What self control that must have taken! I'd have a regular seat on The View, every damn day, saying, "Listen, Whoopi, here's what really happened."

Again in March!

I reached my goal of 13 workouts for the third -- yes, third! -- month in a row. I still feel like the real me is trapped inside a fat moo-cow's body, which is bad. But this evening's accomplishment means fitness is becoming a part of my life, which is good.

This evening I worked until about 8:00 and then, sure that everyone had gone home (even the janitors), went and did my 25 minutes on the treadmill that's tucked away on the 40th floor. Did a few floor exercises, too.

There was a time, not that long ago, when I would have looked at my watch, seen that it read 8:00, said "fuck it" and come straight home. So while I don't think I'm exerting myself enough, and I'm still eating too many carbs, and I can still answer to "Fatty McFatterson" or "Peppermint Fatty," I am still giving myself this round of applause because I am making progress.

Everybody should have one

A Joey like mine, that is.

His heart is as big as his massive old gut. He loves to curl up beside me and make curly paws. And there is nothing more comforting than the sound of his purr. Which is loud, as befits a gentleman of his considerable size.

Trifecta

This weekend's challenge: Write a horror story in 33 words, without the words blood, scream, died, death, knife, gun, or kill. 

“I love high, sturdy ceiling beams,” he said appreciatively, knotting the bedsheet under her chin. “Don’t worry, you won’t leave a big mess behind. It will look like a simple suicide by hanging.” 

 

Here I was, all broke

It never fails -- this late in the pay period my bad planning catches up with me and I'm short.

So consider my delight this afternoon, when I came back from the ladies' room (where I was practicing good oral hygiene) I found my expense check for $86.16 on my keyboard. I know it's my own money, not a present, but considering the timing, I couldn't be happier.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #165

A TT Rewind from Five Years Ago ...

Thursday Thirteen #10 -- Rewatchable Reruns

Here are thirteen shows
THE GAL HERSELF
is happy to drop everything and watch again,
and again, and again.

Originally posted 3/29/07. Gawd, I can't believe how long I've been doing TT's!

1) Law & Order. You guys had me at, "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."

2) Friends. Phoebe referring to Old Yeller as "a puppy snuff film." Chandler announcing that, "Joey's tailor is a very bad man!" Every episode has a memorable moment.

3) The Dick Van Dyke Show. "Oh, Rob …" How I wished my parents were as glamorous as Rob and Laura! I especially enjoyed the episodes where they sang songs like "Mountain Greenery" at their cool dinner parties. My mom and dad played pinochle with my friend's parents at the dining room table. Not quite the same, is it?

4) The Andy Griffith Show. But only the black and white ones with Barney.

5) The Brady Bunch. I have no idea why. It's achingly stupid. Yet I can't turn away.

6) I Love Lucy. I do. Love Lucy, I mean. Plus, I believe the Riccardo's apartment accounts for my fondness for exposed brick.

8) That Girl. The clothes. The hair. The handbags. The romance of New York City.

9) Sex & the City. The clothes. The hair. The handbags. The romance of New York City.

10) Magnum PI. Thomas is a rakish charmer and a much better detective than Higgins (appears) to give him credit for. The cast interacts beautifully, as though they really do have a history that reaches back to Nam.

11) M*A*S*H*. Anarchy and humanity and a ton of puns, all in a half hour comedy. It doesn't get any better than this.

12) Moonlighting. After Hawkeye left Korea, network TV was left with a dearth of smart ass heroes. Then David Addison Raybanned and smirked his way across our screens. Watching the DVDs, I realize that Cybill Shepard was more charming than I recalled.

13) Golden Girls. Wouldn't it be comforting to know that as we grow older we'll also grow warmer and funnier and we'll remain sexually active?

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

Enjoying her coffee

My mother loves coffee with milk, and that's what she got to have today. Along with chicken broth. Tomorrow her gastroenterologist is adding even more foods to her list. (Though I believe the list consists of stuff like tea, saltines and jello. But still!)

She's sooooo much better than she was over the weekend. I don't know why my sister painted our mom's condition in such a gloomy light. I'm sure I could have taken off for Williamsburg without incident.

But what's done is done. I'll book the trip again soon (maybe the week of the 15th). And it'll probably be better to go then, because I'll know beyond a doubt that she's better. By then she should even be home. I won't get my charming little house again. but oh, well.

Staying there couldn't possibly be as thrilling as watching my mom drink coffee with milk!

I Want Wednesday

I want to be looking back on this. Last night, when I went to sleep -- or, more accurately, was unable to sleep and watched a documentary on The Last Days of Elvis -- I was worried sick about my mother. I had made peace with canceling my vacation, but was sad because doing so felt like I was giving up on her, like I didn't have faith that she would pull through. I even called my friend from Key West, who graciously and kindly promised he would fly up and hold my hand through her funeral.

After all, my kid sister just told me last night there were "surgeons at the ready," and my mom is an old lady.

Well, this afternoon I called to check on my mother and she sounds so much better! She was very upset that I canceled my trip in preparation for her surgery because, well, there have been "surgeons at the ready" since she was admitted last Friday and every day that goes by makes surgery less likely, not more.

So now I am relieved, tired, and a little weepy. I want my mother home ... and if not home, then at least out of ICU. I want us to look back on how silly it was that I canceled my vacation for nothing. I want all this to just be a memory.

Well, at least now we know

My mother has ischemic colitis and has to stay in the ICU at least through the weekend. She is not in good shape, physically. It is hard for me to get my mind around this, since she is so alert and involved mentally.

There are surgeons monitoring her throughout the day, but hopefully surgery won't be necessary and her body will begin to repair itself. If she survives this, her diet will have to change radically.

She is where she needs to be. I am trying get my mind around this whole thing. It's hard.

Tomorrow I cancel my long-scheduled trip to Williamsburg. I am sad about this. Not only because I really could use the getaway, but because I feel like that, by canceling, I am giving up on my mom by admitting she might take a radical turn for the worse next week.

Call me "Narc"

Yesterday I spoke to my mom's nurse, letting her know that my mother doesn't want visitors to bring her magazines or flowers in the hospital, she wants Tums. And she convinced my kid sister to bring "a baggie full of them."

Sunday I thought my mother's passion for otc antacids was funny. First she asked me if I had any Tums. When I told her "no," she persisted, "In that big purse, you don't have any Tums? Are you sure?"

But then I read a little about Tums and, like aspirin or cold medicine, it's not completely harmless and could be interfering with her prescription meds. Not only that, it can exacerbate some of her symptoms -- including constipation and kidney problems.

I don't want my mother mad at me, so I asked the nurse not to name me as the source of this tip. But I want to help her get well!

Trifecta

This week's challenge: Check out the third definition of cheap (below), and use the word exactly as it appears, in no less than 33 and no more than 333 words.

3   a : of inferior quality or worth : tawdry, sleazy

     b : contemptible because of lack of any fine, lofty, or redeeming qualities 

It looked positively elegant, hanging there in the sun. The coat was a dark orange that reminded her of the leaves on the lawn in fall. It had chocolate brown buttons and was trimmed with golden fur.

Her grandma and big sister, Beth, were, as always, hand-in-hand as they went through the next rack of clothes.  They were looking at little t-shirts, more appropriate for the summer weather. But Tess was irresistibly drawn to the coat.

Grandma looked up and around, clearly annoyed. “Where is that girl?”

“Here I am, Grandma!” She called, standing proudly beside her find. “Look what I found! Isn’t it pretty? Look at the fur!”

“Geez, Tess! Your taste is so cheap. Let’s go!” As Grandma led Beth past the orange coat, Tess couldn’t miss her sister’s smirk.

“That’s not really fur. Not at a sidewalk sale,” Beth said. Her big sister was always more sophisticated. She was, after all, a woman of 9 to Tess’ mere 7½.

----------------------------

That long ago village sidewalk sale popped into Tess’ head decades later as she slipped into her favorite burnt orange car coat. Reminiscing about Grandma was never fun. There weren’t any Hallmark moments.

"Look at your knees! Tess, you could get dirty just standing still."
"Geez, Tess, do you have to drown your potatoes in gravy?" 

“Your voice is always too loud, Tess.”
"That's not music, Tess, it's noise."

“Don’t wear your hair like that, Tess. You have ugly ears.”
"How can you waste your time reading about pop stars, Tess?"
"Geez, Tess, stop jiggling your leg! Why can't you ever just sit still?"

Tess was 13 when her Grandma died. Today, thinking about the formidable older woman, Tess wanted to ask her, “How could a little girl annoy you so much? I was a child, for Christ’s sake. And I wanted to love you.”

Tess certainly remembered her grandmother. She just didn’t miss her.

Glad I went

Spent a couple of sunny Sunday hours with my mom in her hospital room. I brought this bear for her to cuddle while she's laid up. She gave him to me when I was a toddler and he was a fine, empathetic companion whenever I was sick. Seeing Pouting Bear again seemed to mean a lot to her, so I'm glad I did it.

My mom is very feisty because she's sleep-deprived and in a lot of pain. They still don't know what's wrong with her. Kidneys? Bowel obstruction? Bladder infection? Her GI specialist was out of town this weekend, but her GP (whom she loves) says that doctor's absence gave him a fine opportunity to get her hydrated and healthy in preparation for tests on Monday.

After chatting with her and meeting her nurses, I am more confident about leaving for my vacation on April 1. For while my mother is a sick old lady, I am nowhere near as worried about her as I was when she was battling COPD and pneumonia in Spring 2009. She is sharp and involved in her own care, and I'm confident that by the time I leave she will be diagnosed and will have a treatment plan in place.

It was also nice to see my niece again. She's in town this week for her early spring break, and she's like a tonic for my mother. A lot more take-charge than I am. I sat in the chair and interacted with nurses, while my niece fluffed pillows and checked IVs, etc. If she didn't know what she was doing (and I suspect she really doesn't), it didn't show!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Last March Meme

1. Which TV character do you think you are most like? As one who moved from administrative assistant to copywriter, and who has exhibited questionable taste in men, I'd have to say Peggy Olson. (Mad Men is back tonight!)

2) What time do you go to bed? Between 11:00 and ?

3) What was the last meal you made from scratch? You mean like catching a fish and gutting it? That would be never.

4) What is your favorite type of music? The Beatles

5) In what position do you sleep? On my left side

6) What is your first memory? Looking at the sun shine on my little fat hand, flat on a red ottoman. According to my mother, we had that chair/ottoman set only for a brief time, but it was in front of the picture window in the house where we lived until a little after my first birthday. Lest you think I have an extraordinarily sharp memory -- all I can recall is that split-second visual.

7) What is your least favorite smell? Coffee mixed with cigarettes! (Shudder!) I became the happiest woman on the planet when smoking inside planes and restaurants was banned.

8) It's your round at the pub and your friends asked you to surprise them. What drink would you buy and why? Lotus martini. Because it's blue.

9) What was the last thing you read/watched that made you cry? I cry easily at the movies. I admit I misted up as Uggie raced his heart out to save Georg in The Artist.

10) They say that you learn something new every day. What was the last thing you have learned? That DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa on wood (poplar), not a canvas, and consequently it is very susceptible to damage from heat and humidity. I got this from a book called Mona Lisa in Camelot.

11) Which Literary love interests would you snog, marry and avoid. Snog and marry? Professor Bhaer, Jo's suitor in Little Women. Or maybe Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. Avoid? Heathclif from Wuthering Heights. He was just too damn much drama!

12) What is your oldest memory? Didn't I answer this already?

13) Paperback, Hardback or Kindle? Which of these is your favorite reading format and why? Hardcover, because it feels so permanent.

14) If you could bring back any canceled TV series for another run what would you pick and why? Cybill, because Christine Baranski's Mary Ann was such a gas.

15) Paperback, Hardback or Kindle? It's only been a few seconds since I answered #13. My answer hasn't changed in that time. :)

Such a sad story

I admit it, I'm obsessing. About something I can do less than nothing about. I think I'm doing this to distract myself from worrying about my mother, but I am not the point of the post.

Instead, the redoubtable Katharine Hepburn is.

I discovered her when I was in high school and have worshiped her ever since: Beautiful, talented, independent and completely original. What's not to admire?

Not only do I consider her awesome, so have generations of movie fans. She has four Best Actress Oscars (to Meryl's puny little two, thankyouverymuch). Cate Blanchette won an Oscar for portraying The Great Kate and her affair with Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Her on and offscreen relationship with Spencer Tracy is the stuff of legend.

So why am I now sad when I think of this woman who lived a long (96 years!) and wonderfully productive life? Because it seems it wasn't a happy life.

In the 9 years since her death, all kinds of rumors have begun to surface about her. Mostly they circle her sexuality. Yeah, whatever. She never married*, never had children, so she had to be lesbian. How cliche! Besides, it doesn't explain why she carried on an illicit and mostly secret affair with the married Spencer Tracy for decades.Why not just marry elaborately and publicly, the way Rock Hudson did? Sorry, I ain't buying.

But the tales that somehow do ring true to me involve young Tom Hepburn. Those of us familiar with Kate's saga know how she was devastated by the death of her favorite brother, Tom, when he was 15 and she was 13. He hung himself -- according to legend, he was imitating a magician the family had just seen while visiting friends in Greenwich Village. Our heroine was the one who found him, with a sheet tied to a ceiling beam and knotted around his neck. This so traumatized her that she began giving his birthdate as her own (it wasn't until the end of her life that she admitted she was really born in May, not November) as a way to help keep his memory alive. This is the version of events she even told herself in interviews and in her autobiography.

Now it turns out some of her very closest friends, including director George Cukor, heard a different story about Tom's "accidental" death. The family "golden boy" wasn't golden at all. He stuttered, and was physically awkward and painfully shy when away from the clannish Hepburns. Instead of Kate hero-worshiping Tom, it seems he idolized his athletic, pretty and confident kid sister. He seduced her, and they began a short but completely consensual sexual relationship. When their parents found out, they blamed Tom because he was older and better able to understand the ramifications of their actions. Their son responded by committing suicide.

As the new tale goes, this was the transformative incident in her life. It left her more sensitive and introspective, but self-protective and wracked with guilt. Unable to allow herself the intimacy and joy of a family of her own. Decades later, as a very old woman, she asked a New York cab driver to take her to the Greenwich Village home where Tom took his life. She dissolved in tears at the very sight of the building, was unable to get out of the car or even speak for a time. Cukor believed she never recovered from losing Tom, never stopped missing Tom, and said he hoped that beautiful boy would greet her in Heaven, welcoming her at last to to peace.

If this is true, it's one of the saddest life stories I have ever heard. And while I don't want to believe it, somehow I do.

Oh, my poor Kate! I hope you are now resting in peace.

*Though she was married for three or four years to a man named "Luddy."

Oh, Mommy!

My mom is in the hospital ... again. This time, instead of the pneumonia or COPD that have plagued her in the past, it's some kind of infection. Maybe ileum, maybe kidneys.

She exasperates me, but she's my mom and I love her. So I'm scared.

I realize that she's ultimately in God's hands, and that in this realm she's being treated by a doctor she likes and really trusts, and all that is good. I'm trying to just get on with my Saturday. I talked to her on the phone and learned that while she's lucid, she's sleep deprived and in a lot of pain and the best thing I can do for her now is to let her be. Maybe I'll go visit her tomorrow.

But she's my mommy ...

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Come Dancing

1. When was the last time that you went out dancing? Ages ago. I don't even remember.

2. Have you ever had an argument with a teacher? Regularly. I had what was known as "a smart mouth."

3. Do you have a tough time remembering people’s names? Names? No. Anything numerical though stymies me. I can't even remember my own cell phone number.

4. Would you rather change your past or know your future? Change the past, I suppose. The allure of the path not taken.

5. What’s one thing you feel you must do in your life before it ends? Nothing springs to mind. I guess I just don't approach life in that way.

6. How many credit cards do you have right now that have a zero balance? Eight. Fortunately I had Quicken open on my desktop or this would have gone unanswered.

7. What is the most expensive thing you purchased this year? My upcoming vacation (next week!) is partially paid for. When the final bill comes, it will give me pause. I prefer to concentrate on the rewards I'm earning from the credit card company. Don't annoy me by telling me that's illogical.

8 . If you're married, this probably doesn't apply to you, but: Are you mindful about getting tested for STDs/HIV at least semi-regularly? Why/why not? Married people: Were you mindful about this type of thing when you were single? Why/why not? I give blood regularly and Lifesource checks it.

9. If you could ask the president of the United States one question, what would it be? ONLY ONE QUESTION? This hurts! I guess I'd say, "You don't really think we'll ever be able to banish the Taliban from Afghanistan forever, do you?"

Trifecta

This weekend's challenge: We are given the first 33 words of a story (in bold). We each need to complete it with exactly 33 of our own words (in ital).

Memories of 1972

“There’s nothing cute about it,” he said. The register of his voice indicated decision more so than discussion.

She disagreed heartily and privately, staring past his head and out the window behind him.  The only thing cuter than David Cassidy nude on the cover of Rolling Stone was David Cassidy nude blanketing the lockers beside the science lab, welcoming our moms and dads to parents’ night.

It was fun

Saw the pre-Broadway try out of Bring It On: The Musical. While it's hardly high art -- imagine All About Eve set not on Broadway but in the hall of fictional Truman High School, and the prize at stake not a Tony Award but a 3-ft. tall monstrosity with a megaphone on top -- it was a lot of fun.

The theater was only about half full, and my friend Barb and I found ourselves surrounded by families and cheerleading squads. I must say it was almost as fun to watch the young girls as it was the play. Taylor Louderman, who played tall and strong blonde heroine Campbell Davis, got an enthusiastic standing ovation from the under 20 crowd. Fluffy as the show was, a girl of an impressionable age could have a worse role model.

A sure sign of spring!

As we sweat through the hottest March in Chicago history, there is something to celebrate.

PUPPET BIKE!



I just happened upon it last night on my way to dinner and a play. While as the announcer explains, Puppet Bike is about as low tech an entertainment as you'll find, it's always such a welcome surprise to turn a corner, see a crowd assembled and find it's these ratty old puppets doing their thing under a little disco ball.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #164

THIRTEEN

ILLUSTRIOUS 

ILLINOISANS

Blago, Blago, Blago! What a black eye you have given this state! Well, here I am, doing my part, to undo this grievous wrong and add a little luster to Illinois' reputation.

So here they are, 13 native-born Illinoisans who done good! I have alphabetized the list, so as not to play favorites.

1. John Belushi -- comedian, actor, original SNL castmember -- Wheaton, 1949

2. Lou Boudreau -- Hall of Fame player, manager and broadcaster -- Harvey, 1917

3. Dan Castellaneta -- Better known as the voice of Homer Simpson -- Oak Park, 1957

4. Hillary Clinton -- First Lady, NY Senator and Secretary of State -- Chicago, 1947

5. Cindy Crawford -- Supermodel -- DeKalb, 1966

6. John Deere -- He of tractor fame --  Moline, 1804

7. Betty Ford -- First Lady and activist -- Chicago, 1918

8. Ernest Hemingway -- Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author -- Oak Park, 1899 

9. Jennifer Hudson -- Oscar winner -- Chicago, 1981

10. Ray Kroc -- Philanthropist and businessman of McDonald's fame -- Oak Park, 1902

11. Michelle Obama -- First Lady -- Chicago, 1964

12. Nicholle Thom -- the oldest daughter on The Nanny (just wanted to see if you were still reading) -- Hinsdale, 1978

13. George Will -- Pulitzer prize winning columnist -- Champaign, 1941

(No, I didn't forget Abraham Lincoln. He was born in Kentucky.)

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

The Queen's Meme

Queen Mimi of Bloggingham is hosting an après St. Patrick's Day green meme.

1. How many green things are within your reach? Each of my earrings has a tiny green stone, and there are greens in the vase with my pink and white carnations.

2. Have you ever been green with envy? Yes.

3. Do you like split pea soup? No.

4. Have you gone green? I'm trying. I'm a good little recycler.

5. Do green Leprechauns scare you? No. In my mind they're forever connected to Lucky Charms. How can you be afraid when you're enjoying magically delicious marshmallows?

6.  What color was the Wicked Witch of The West's face in the Wizard of Oz? My best guess is PMS 377c. What do you think? Too yellow?


7. Tell us about your last experience with a frog...or a toad...or a prince. You pick. I don't recall my most recent experience, but my most memorable  occurred the summer between second and third grade. I was rolling down the shallow hill behind our summer cottage and came face to face with bug-eyed toad. I was frightened but he seemed quite copacetic with making my acquaintance and hopped away at a leisurely pace. It's funny how distinctly I remember his little countenance.

I Want Wednesday

I want him not to go. My best friend and his family for their spring getaway to Laguna Beach this coming Monday. Then on the following Sunday, I go on my spring getaway to Colonial Williamsburg. Which means we will go two weeks without talking. I hate that. BAD PLANNING!