Sunday Stealing

See the Stars Ablaze

1 - You’re in a tattoo parlor about to get inked. What are you getting done? If I were to be convinced to get a tatt, I like this one. It's Sir Paul's signature Hofner bass.

2 - If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Jo from Little Women

3 - You’re given $10,000…under one condition: you cannot keep the money for yourself. Who would you give it to? I'm assuming it's tax free. So, I'd give $1,000 each to:
• Napoleon and his humans
• A Key West vet, so my friends Reg and Henry can get their dogs checked out thoroughly
• The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, because their current financial crisis is a sin
• My niece, who worries about her college loan
• The local food pantry 
• The animal shelter where I met my cats, Reynaldo and Connie 

Then I'd buy a $1,000 CVS giftcard so my oldest friend can get OTC meds and health/beauty ... but not cigarettes.

The rest would go to a trip to Washington DC with my nephew. That would make him so happy.

And this would all make me very happy!

4 - If you had to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be? I wouldn't have been as sharp tongued at times.

5 - If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be? 1987 was not a good year for me.

6 - You’re an Action Movie Hero. What’s your weapon of choice and the line you scream when defeating your arch enemy? My weapon of choice would be the free press, and my battle cry would be, "Print It!" (Take that, Mr. President.)

7 - What is the first curse word that comes to mind? "Fuck." Though technically speaking, it's a vulgarity and not a curse word. I can be trashy tongued, but I seldom take the Lord's name in vain.


8 - Would you rather be stranded on a desert island with someone you love for ten years or someone you hate for a month? Explain why. Someone I love for 10 years. Because it's someone I love.

9 - 5 things within touching distance:
My checkbook, the calculator, an envelope of receipts that will eventually go to my accountant, water bottle, and, of course, this computer.

10 - What are you supposed to be doing right now? Showering. I can't believe I'm still not dressed!

11 - Currently wanting to see anyone? Yes

12 - Would you go against your moral code for money? I'd like to say "no," but I'm sure at times during my career in advertising I have promoted products or services that I personally would not use. So what exactly are you asking me to do?


13 - What’s more important to you: strength of the body or strength of the mind? Mind.

14 - How important you think education is? I agree with the founder of Faber College:

One of the first scenes of Animal House

15 - If you were the president, what would you do? I'd try to be the President of all people. I wouldn't demonize everyone but the 35% who steadfastly support me.

Oh yeah, and I wouldn't mock the disabled.

My Day in Dekalb

Dekalb has an old-school confectionary

I spent Friday afternoon and evening in Dekalb, IL. It's a city 65 miles from Chicago, and home to Northern Illinois University. My friend Kathy moved out there last spring.

It's a long train ride away from Chicago, but it was an easy commute. You get on in the city where the line starts and sit there all the way to the end. Fortunately, I had a good book.

Got out there around 3:00 PM. Kathy proudly showed off her apartment. It's spacious -- the entire upstairs of an old house. She has an eat-in kitchen with a pantry, a bedroom with a walk-in closet and a den. Her rent is less than $1000/month, so it fits in her Social Security budget. Her granddaughter lives nearby, which helps keep her busy and connected.

She bought me a beer at a local bar where she knew I could watch the end of the Cub game. Then we went to her favorite candy store, the local library, and The Egyptian Theater. What a great old building that is! It's both architecturally and historically significant.

The Egyptian began in 1929 as an art deco movie palace. It's said to be haunted. Acts from Journey to comedian Lewis Black have performed there. And, in 1959, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy addressed The Cold War from The Egyptian. Today, it's on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Isn't he impressive?

Then we had a nice Thai dinner and I got back on the train and headed back to civilization.

It was a nice visit. We got along well. I deflected any questions about John's health or anything too personal about his life. The Gal-John-Kathy "triangle" is tiresome. Part of why we got along so well is that I avoided that pitfall.

I was happy to support Kathy in this new, retired stage in her life. It meant a great deal to her that I made the trip, and you know what? It was really a rather small thing to do. 8 hours and $50. I should be more thoughtful about similar supportive things I can do for my friends.

It also made me feel a little better about my own retirement. A bit more peaceful about my own finances. When the time comes, I could live like Kathy. I told her that, and it seemed to please her.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 11

Today's happiness: "My Tribe." Saturday night, I went to see Stage Door with my movie group. I had a great time. Of course.

I could credit Hepburn's dynamic personality or Ginger Rogers' sass or how happy I was to see Gail Patrick, my favorite classic character actress. But that's not what made last night special.

I was watching it on a big screen with others who loved it like I did. It's this feeling of belonging that makes me hope I can pull off a trip to the TCM Film Festival in 2019.

via GIPHY

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.