At least it didn't rain

 

 

I went down to Macomb one last time, to see my nephew before he graduates from Western Illinois University.

If you're ever in Macomb (I know; why would you ever be in Macomb?) I recommend the Super 8 Motel. The rooms are tiny, but clean, safe, and affordable (cheap). I also applaud this sign on the door. Someone wrote, "We wish you didn't have to leave at all." A writer like me. I love that added touch, even though I bet 9 out of 10 guests don't read after 11:00 A.M.

While rain was predicted, it never fell. That enabled us to wander the campus under cloudy skies. He showed me buildings where he had classes and talked to me about his favorite professors. He has been happy here, and so I felt more than a little melancholy. This part of his life will be over in a matter of weeks, and he'll be embarking on the next one.

We talked about that a lot. In a way, he and I are in the same place. He knows he will soon graduate and has to start working and planning his career. I, on the other hand, know I will soon retire. I don't have a date certain like he does, but I'm 64 years old and know that my professional journey is about to end just as his is beginning. We both confessed a little anxiety. (OK, he's really anxious.)

His job as a baseball writer may have fallen through. The website, devoted to baseball, was financially crippled by the labor dispute (fucking owners!) and doesn't have the funds to add to staff right now. Maybe in May. Maybe not.

But he wants to write. He knows that now. He asked me how to go about breaking into it. 

I told him that it won't be easy because his degree will be in political science and government. I'm also not sure he doesn't want to go into politics in some form. He just lights up when he talks about those classes! I recommended that he offer his services to local charities and local campaigns (after all, this does just so happen to be an election year). The important thing is for him to get content published somewhere ... anywhere. 

And we saw a deer! My nephew was amused by how excited I was. He said that they're just making their way out of the deeper forest and starting to appear on campus, but by the end of the month this will be a regular sight. There's little car traffic around the halls and, on weekends especially, it's pretty quiet so the deer just hang out. I thought it was very nice of her to be so still so I could take her picture.

Anyway, I'm grateful that he likes to spend time with his old fart aunt, that he confides in me and thinks I have something to offer. I hope he will be happy as he moves forward. I wish he wasn't so worried about all this, but then, I'm a worrier, too. Maybe it's genetic!

Thinking of genetic ... OH! HIS DORM ROOM! It's not only a mess, but it literally stinks. (He does laundry every other week, and 14 days worth of dirty underwear can really reek.) There also was nowhere for me to sit. Every surface was covered with printouts, wrappers, and Walmart bags. As he dumped the trash off a chair so I could sit, I admit I admired how unembarrassed he was by this. I wish I could just own my sloppiness the way he does his. (Please note: I just bleached my whites before I left on Friday; I can't imagine going 2 weeks without doing the laundry! So I'm not that bad.)

Sunday Stealing

FROM BUN-TOTING LIBRARIAN

1.    When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? No zits.

2.    What shirt are you wearing? My Lincoln Home NHS t-shirt. This over-sized t is a souvenir of my most recent visit to Abe's house in Springfield, and it has the honor of being this week's nightshirt.

3.    Do you label yourself? Yes. I'm a barren spinster.

4.    What does your watch look like? Black band, white face, black numbers. Very utilitarian.

5.    What were you doing at midnight last night? Watching Pulp Fiction on cable. It's one of my favorite Bruce Willis performances (and I'm so sad about his health news).

6.    Last furry thing you touched? My cat Connie, who insists I never pet or feed her.

7.    Favorite age you have been so far? 35. I was in love. My career was taking off. I felt sexy and successful.

8.    What is your current desktop picture? It reflects why I never have company.

9.    If you had to choose between $1,000,000 or to be able to fly what would it be? Show me the money.

10.  The last song you listened to? "Down in the Boondocks" by Billy Joe Royal.

11.  What time of day were you born? Midnight between 11/21 and 11/22. Since midnight is not legally a time, my mom chose 12:01 AM for my birth certificate.

12.  Where did you live in 1987? On the other side of the tracks. Literally. If it wasn't for the train tracks, I could see my old home from my current one.

13.  What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Swear

 

14.  Would you move for the person you loved? Yes.

15.  Name three things that you have on you at all times? Since I (like most people) shower naked, there is nothing I have on me at all times. However, I never leave my home without my keys, a mask, and (usually but not always) my phone.

16.  What’s your favorite town/city? Chicago. It's a toddlin' town. I love it. I bet your bottom dollar you'll lose your blues in Chicago, Chicago ...

17.  What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Dinner for myself and my nephew at Cathy's Cafe in Macomb, IL. An old school, small town diner. Just over $25 for both us (including tip).

18.  When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? Every week I send postcards to seniors as part of the Letters Against Isolation program. Thanks to Bev for introducing this program to me. 

19.  The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear? It's been more than a year! I wore a long, garnet red duster with matching cami over black leggings. Black flats.

20.  Does anything hurt on your body right now? Hurt? No. But I'm stiff getting up and getting moving.

 

Sunday Salon

 

I'm thinking about two books today. I'm not going to give them a thumbs-up/thumbs-down. This post will be more concerned with their genres than the actual books themselves.

•  Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood. Why does this single novel have four authors? Because it's a reimagining of Little Women, and each March sister has her own voice and, therefore, her own author. This time it's set in the 1940s, The March family is reeling from two blows: the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Beth's fatal illness. I know Gone with the Wind received a similar treatment in the 1990s with a sequel called Scarlett. (Though Alexandra Ripley left Rhett and Scarlett in the 1800's.) Are there classics that you'd like to see updated or continued?

•  All About All About Eve is an exhaustive look at the making of the 1950 film, All About Eve. To this day it remains the only movie to receive four Oscar nominations for its lead actresses. That's how good it is. Influential, too. One of its lines, "Fasten your seatbelts! It's going to be a bumpy night!" has made its way into the vernacular, and it spawned a Tony Award winning play and Emmy nominated made-for-TV movie (both called Applause). Author Sam Staggs tells us how a short story in Cosmopolitan magazine started this juggernaut, explains the role of the set designers and costume designers as well as the writer/director, and dissects the performances (and off-screen shenanigans) of the actors. Staggs tried to interview the last surviving cast member, Oscar-nominated Celeste Holm, when he began this book. She refused to cooperate, saying, "A work of art speaks for itself. A book like this is a waste of time." Do you agree? Do you enjoy the reviews and analysis of a book, movie, poem or play? Or do you prefer to let the art speak for itself?

Check out other Sunday Salon participants here.