Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I Don't Care (2019)

1) This song begins with Ed Sheeran admitting he's not enjoying the party he's at. What's something you have to do this weekend, but don't want to do? Laundry. I enjoy clean towels and sheets, but I hate doing laundry.

2) Justin Bieber sings about trying to have a conversation at a party. Have you seen any of your social gatherings cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic? My classic movie group has morphed a bit. We now watch the films on our own on YouTube and then "meet" on Zoom to discuss. It cheers me up to talk movies with people who share my passion, but I'm eager to watch the films on a big screen again.

3) Both Ed and Justin conclude that this party -- and everything else -- is okay because they're with the ones they love. Who in your life always makes you feel comfortable and content? My oldest friend. I suppose it's no wonder, since we've been BFFs since Kindergarten.

4) Ed and Justin have both appeared on The Simpsons. Are you a Simpsons fan? Nope.

5) Speaking of animation, Ed Sheeran has said that he'd love to do a Disney soundtrack, like Elton John's Lion King. Do you have a favorite Disney movie? She may not be animated, but she is supercalifragilisticexpalidocious! 

 
6) Justin Bieber is fluent in French, and Ed says he knows enough to get by. Say something to us in French. Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble. (Everything in my life somehow goes back to the Lads from Liverpool.)

7) Justin can solve a Rubik's Cube in less than two minutes. Are you good at puzzles? Nope.

8) In 2019, the year this song was popular, 20 new governors took office. Tell us something about the governor of your state (or commonwealth)? Last year, I cast my vote for JB Pritzker without much enthusiasm, but he's turned out to be a wonderful surprise. He really fights for us here in IL. JB addresses us every day and speaks seriously and plainly. He's informing us, not "selling" us or campaigning for re-election. I genuinely appreciate him now.

9) Random question: Did you more recently give a compliment, or receive one? I gave one. I let my oldest friend know how her easy laughter lifted my spirits.

The week in captivity

I've been moody this week. It started with the Easter-that-wasn't. I attended church online, made myself a special meal, and enjoyed a nice chat with my friend Henry, but it was a weird holiday because of the corona virus. Then there was work -- first my boss retired, then we had layoffs. There's been some drama on the condo board that I don't feel like recounting just now.

I didn't tackle any of the projects I intended to. I barely read 10 pages of the two books I've started. I did binge through The Morning Show on my free week of Apple TV. While I enjoyed it, I don't know that finishing it counts as an accomplishment.

I'm fixated on weird shit. I picked up carryout from Boston Market, but on the way home I threw my Coke away. The guy at the counter wasn't wearing gloves when he gave me the lid. Was that wise or paranoid? Then there's the new cover for my bathtub drain. I want a nice little vented plastic thing to catch the hair, but I can't find one that fits over my pop-up drain. The one from CVS is too small. The one from Amazon is tall enough, but the holes are too big. I have high hopes for the as-yet untried one that arrived from Walmart.com. I have become the Goldilocks of vented plastic things!

So to cheer myself up, I'm going to recount the nice moments:

•  Martin's birthday. My friend Kathleen hosted a Zoom party for her husband. I joined at about 6:30, and by that time he'd been drinking since noon. I don't blame him. He turned 60 during a pandemic, and was celebrating this big birthday without his mom, his older brother and one of his sisters-in-law -- all of whom died in the last two years.

Anyway, he was drunk and funny and hyper-emotional. At one point, he got up and walked out of frame. He came back waving an old photo. It was me, holding his daughter. The day, decades ago, when Kathleen went into labor, Martin was downtown without a car. So I went to the hospital with her and held her hand as she checked in. I stayed through her first stages of labor until Martin arrived. I picked up their older child from preschool and took care of him until Martin could come home and tell him about his baby sister.

By sharing that photo with everyone at this Zoom party, Martin was saying, in his sloppy and slightly impaired way, that I was part of their family. It was charming and sweet and meant a lot to me.


•  Three hours! My oldest friend and I broke our previous record for blabbing on the phone. We were watching the Magnum PI reruns on the Hallmark Channel together, just like we used to watch it together on Thursday nights back in the day. How we laughed! I felt positively healed when I hung up.

•  "I love you, Gal." Henry's husband, Reg, is coming to a heart-breaking conclusion: Henry is no longer getting better. His condition has deteriorated since I saw him at Christmastime. I wrote Reg a long email, explaining to him that I think Henry needs around-the-clock care. Maybe not forever, but right now. I wanted Reg to know how I felt, and that I support any decisions he makes in this regard. Reg wrote back that he loves me. His response was important to me, since I was afraid perhaps I'd overstepped.

Truer words were never sung: