Blog Every Day in May -- Day 26

Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.

William Zervakos, Arias Jury Foreman, Says '18 Days Of Testimony Hurt Her' 

I feel for the jury. These poor people put their lives on hold from January until now. They have had to view gruesome autopsy photos and listen to lurid testimony. The defendant is batshit crazy and her crime is heinous, but the prosecutor wasted their time on the wrong things. (Hours spent on whether Snow White was a battered woman. Really?) Now, after doing their civic duty to the best of their ability, they're taking pipe.

I realize that the death penalty is, in most cases, a state issue. But the fact still remains that it's not applied fairly in this country. While I believe Jodi Arias is a terrible person and a danger to society, I could not sentence her to death. Not while William Balfour here in Illinois, convicted of killing Jennifer Hudson's family got life without parole (3 life sentences, actually), and California's Betty Broderick killed two people and actually comes up for parole. And while the public is out for Jodi's scalp, Betty still amazingly has supporters out there who think that, after remorselessly committing a double homicide, she should be let out to walk among us.

Travis Alexander

Then there's my faith. I don't believe God wants us to stop killing by killing.

While I feel bad for the jury, most of all, I feel terrible for the family of Travis Alexander. They have to go through this again. The centerpiece of this soap opera, Jodi herself, is the least sympathetic one of all.

 

Hey, Hey! Holy Mackarel! No Doubt About It!

The Cubs are on their way!

When I was a kid, that was the song WGN used to play before broadcasting the game. Maybe that's overly optimistic, considering how they have played over the last two months. But this series against a very good Cincinnati team certainly was fun. We even won one today ... in extra innings!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Sunday Brunch Meme

1}Which do you prefer in the am: Coffee or tea?  Tea

2} Work has been cancelled on the spur of the moment: Clean house and do errands, Or just fun things? Fun things, unless I have laundry to do. I share a laundry room with 23 other condo dwellers, and if I can find a time when I can do the wash without sharing the facilities, I grab it!

3} Middle of the hot summer, vacation at: Mountains or Beach? Whichever has easy access to a city. I like to walk both beaches and mountains, but I'm not a sun worshipper nor a camper, so I'll want to do something else -- inside and air conditioned -- in the midday.

4}You have to travel at a leisure speed: Train, plane or car? All aboard!

5} To relax: A movie or a book? Yes. I love them both.

6} What kind of pets? Dog, cat, bird or fish. I have three cats. Right now, Reynaldo is having health and/or emotional issues. He's on my mind a lot. Charlotte is my diva, my major domo. And Joey is just a big tub of love.

7} Dream home: Hard wood floors or carpeting?  Hardword floors

8} a fun activity: cards, bingo or blogging? Blogging

9} First date: Dinner, movie or a hike?  Dinner and a movie. I mean, a hike? Really? I like the originality of the idea, but I don't want to travel out of town with a stranger.

10}The first Kiss: peck on the cheek, or a long romantic one? Depends on who is doing the kissing.

Blog Every Day in May -- Day 25

Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)

"You're more exceptional in every way than you know." So said my shrink at the end of our last session. I heard her. Now I'm trying to feel it.

It's been two months since I've had therapy. It's been a tough two months but I'm getting through. I have her number and I can call her any time. That's a comfort.

Memorial Day Weekend: Part One

Memorial Day Weekend 2013 began Friday at 3:00. Here's the update, so far:

The Good: It seems I may have been wasting my dread -- at least as directed to my professional performance. I was worried that Thursday's client meeting hadn't gone well. I thought The Chocolate Covered Spider was displeased with me because I was perhaps too animated, too eager. But on Friday she told me she thought it went well. So there you go.

Will, the moderator of the MeetUp I attended, turned me onto TCMParty -- a Twitterverse of Turner Classic Movie fans who watch the movies together and Tweet. I gave it a shot with Inside Daisy Clover, an old Natalie Wood/Robert Redford movie I know well, and found myself chatting with, among other people, actress Illeana Douglas. It was addictively satisfying. She agreed with my idea that comparing and contrasting the careers of Warren Beatty and Robert Redford would be an interesting programming idea for TCM. She has a relationship with the network, so, well, "you're welcome."

I got a terrific pedicure. It's not the color that makes it so great -- it's the same Revlon Optimistic I used on vacation last month. It's that I beat up the nail on my right big toe and she evened them out.  So I'm happy.

I have watched a lot of baseball. I still don't know this Cub team as well as I'd like to yet. They're not winners but the games are interesting -- we're in them at least until the 5th and there are no blow outs. I'm always happier when I watch baseball.

The Bad. I have no energy. I'm doing a lot of napping. I think it might be the stress of waiting for the biopsies on my moles and concern over my best friend. Also, my client is kicking off their Big Automation Project next week and I worry that it will inevitably lead to layoffs -- including mine. I had a dream that I was homeless.

Thinking of money ... More time is being billed by my lawyer regarding my mom's house. I hope this will all be over soon! We were so close to break-even with her estate. Now I fear we're going to fall back into the red (and by "we," I mean "me;" I accept that neither of my sisters is going to kick in).

The Ugly. Reynaldo still has litterbox issues. If, when this special, expensive prescription cat food is gone, he's still not using the box, we've got to go back to the vet. I'm sorry he's hurting and I'm trying to fix it. But I fear that this is going to be time consuming and costly. These have been a tough two months for me and Rey.