These are the thoughts and observations of me — a woman of a certain age. (Oh, my, God, I'm 65!) I'm single. I'm successful enough (independent, self supporting). I live just outside Chicago, the best city in the world. I'm an aunt and a friend. I feel that voices like mine are rather underrepresented online or in print. So here I am. If my musings resonate with you, please visit my blog again sometime.
I admit some of these wouldn't have made my list of 13 fave raves, but I'm glad that at 82 Sir Paul is still reaching a wide audience. In fact, he just announced another European tour. Long may he reign!
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
Saturday morning, I woke up at about 2:30 AM (as I will) to go to the bathroom. I farted around a little on my laptop to help me get back to sleep and found this email from my oldest friend. She lives outside Los Angeles, so I'll use her time stamps to tell the rest of this story.
TO ME (AND HER ADULT DAUGHTER): 12:10 AM
I've lost my self phone and am not too happy about it. Yours in misery, me.
ME TO HER (AND HER ADULT DAUGHTER): 12:23 AM
Have you asked Alexa to call you? That's my go-to at times like this.
TO ME (JUST ME): 3:17 AM
All is well! Fou d the little thing 10 miles away. Making run for it.
ME TO HER: 3:28 AM
Where did you leave it? How did you find it?
At this point, I assumed she'd used Alexa to call her phone and it rang at the home of her friend/one-night stand/major crush, Robert. I figure he answered and told her he would bring it over. She has major medical issues and should not be without her phone.
I heard nothing more from her Sunday afternoon, more than 24 hours later.
TO ME (JUST ME): 1:20 PM
All is well! I just tore up my house and found it in the bathroom. I know! Go figure. How're things going? Going to Robert's for Dad's Day.
ME TO HER: 3:20 AM
Your bathroom is 10 miles away?
That was Sunday. This is Wednesday. She hasn't responded so clearly, we're not going to talk about it.
I know that she's diabetic and when her blood sugar drops precipitously, she gets confused. She told me how embarrassed she was, not that long ago, when she called the police about an intruder who turned out to be a pile of laundry on her sofa. I suspect this is what happened before dawn on Saturday.
I'm nearly 2000 miles away. I cannot help her.
Her daughter and especially her cousin should be looking in on her. And then there's Robert. While he has made it abundantly clear that their relationship is never going to work romantically and that he is still looking for a lover who doesn't have my friend's weight/mobility issues, he does include her in his social life. Since she -- and I am being quite literal here -- has no other friends, getting her out among people is important.
I am so angry at her. She moved to Los Angeles without thinking it through. It's been a disaster. Five jobs before giving up and calling herself retired. Unremitting financial problems have her accepting public aid. Health problems that began when she fell and broke her elbow and now, somehow, she can't walk any distance without a cane. Isolation and anxiety.
Her vaunted cousin, the one she moved out there to be with, does not really want to extend herself for my friend. I'm not sure my friend is completely honest with her adult daughter. It's easy to imagine what will happen when Robert finally lands on a regular bed partner.
I am worried. First John. Then Henry. Now her.
I am helpless to protect those I love. What the ever-loving fuck?
WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here.
PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.
1. What are you currently reading? Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth by Paula Byrne. I checked this book out because my library recommended it. I was curious about a Kennedy biography (from 2017) that had flown under my radar. I found it was originally published in England by a British author, and so far that makes an interesting difference. Every now and again I stop and think of the American/British relationship: "Ah, so this is how we look to them!" For example, Byrne writes about the Kennedys' Catholicism in detail -- more than the average Yankee requires -- describing a child's first communion as though a daunting cult ritual. Byrne also seems surprised that wealthy American children often had nannies and went to boarding school, "like upper-class British families." Since so much of Kick's life played out in England -- she was the 28-year-old Marchioness of Hartington when she died -- I'm hoping Byrne's very Britishness will give her story an added dimension.
Kathleen, aka Kick, was JFK's younger sister and the sibling he was closest to growing up. While Ms. Byrne has yet to make this connection, I will here: the similarities between Kick and Jacqueline Bouvier are striking. Both were unconventional, rebellious and adventurous. Both annoyed their mothers mightily. Each went everywhere with a big box camera on a strap around her neck. Both were ended up working for the now-defunct Washington Herald. Both could make John F. Kennedy laugh. I'm sorry they never met, because I'm sure Jackie and Kick would have liked one another enormously.
2. What did you recently finish reading? Siracusa by Delia Ephron. A novel about a couples vacation to Sicily. Lizzie and Michael are forty-something childless New Yorkers. She's an underemployed journalist and he's a successful playwright unsuccessfully struggling with a novel. Since college, Lizzie has known Finn. He's now a restaurateur in Portland, ME, married to Taylor. He's proud of her beautiful blonde looks and cutting-edge style. Together they have a daughter, 10-year-old Snow. Taylor brings Snow everywhere. Even on this trip, where she doesn't belong.
You just know bad shit is about to go down.
All four of the adults take turns narrating. I was impressed by how well Ephron establishes each character's individual voice and personality. The author was also brilliant in her decision to never have Snow address us directly. We only know her from the way the others see her. The child becomes kind of a spooky Rorschach test.
This is a very grown-up contemplation of marriage. How much do spouses share with their partners, how different is a couple's private reality from their public face, how a child changes the marital dynamic. Frankly, it made me grateful to be a barren spinster. Which is not to say it's not a good book. It is! It's just scary in so very many ways.
Here's how to play.
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth by Paula Byrne. Kathleen Kennedy was the sibling closest to JFK when he was growing up. I've been fascinated by her ever since I saw a photo of then-Senator Kennedy reading in his apartment, and on the wall were multiple framed photos of the same young woman, his deceased sister, known to all as "Kick." As one who has always suffered from brother envy, I was curious about their bond and his enduring devotion.
Kick was the fourth child and second daughter of Joe and Rose Kennedy. She was vivacious and confident and, while in her late teens, she took pre-War London by storm when her father was FDR's Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Her life was glamorous, short and tragic -- almost Shakespearean in how pointless her death at age 28 ultimately was.* My favorite part of this book is when Byrne reprints Kick's own letters. Like this one to a friend:
One thing to be sure of: Life holds no fears for someone who has faced love, marriage, and death before the age of 25.
That's where Henry will live out his remaining days. He's receiving palliative care, so I am trying to find comfort in his comfort.
I found out the way Reg's 552 Facebook Friends did, with a social media post titled, "Hello, Everyone." He reports he hasn't cried. Just like Reg, to make this about Reg. I wonder how different Henry's life would be today if Reg could have just once gotten out of his own way and listened to other people who also love Henry.
But I'll never know that.
Henry's faith in God has always been unwavering. As a gay man raised Catholic, he's had major problems with organized religion over the years. But never with his faith. I don't know for sure what's going on in that bruised and broken mind of his, but I know he's conversing somehow with God.
For his body to be in comfort and his soul at peace, that's what I wish for him now. He was a dear, loving man. If he loved you -- and he loved me -- he saw only good. He deserves all the grace God can give.
His mother died recently. She's waiting for him in Heaven. Their reunion will be beautiful.
When I was a little girl I loved a popular song that began, "When I woke up this morning, you were on my mind ..." When I woke up this morning, that song and Anthony Rizzo were on my mind.
He went down in the 7th inning of the Yankees-Red Sox game. He collided with another player, fell, and rolled onto his right wrist. In the moment, I thought the important thing was that he was safe. After all, Rizz has been hit by pitches more than 200 times. He acknowledges the sting but then just shakes it off and takes first base.
But then he didn't get up.
He walked off the field with his manager and the Yankees medical team and was replaced on the base pads and in the line up. A preliminary fluoroscope at Fenway showed no broken bones, but he was still in pain, so more tests will be performed today.
This breaks my heart. I have always believed baseball is a metaphor for life, and Anthony Rizzo's travails seem to be about so much more than the game.
In 2021, the Cubs traded him at the deadline. He did not want to go. Obviously. But he threw himself into being a Yankee. No whining, no complaints. In 2022 he was the victim of a botched epidural (a rather extreme way to treat back strain!) which cost him playing time. No whining, no complaints. In 2023 he played through an undiagnosed concussion (fuck you, Yankees medical staff), which not only threatened his career but his long-term cognitive abilities. This year he has fought to come back. He struggled and was even benched for a couple games -- embarrassing for a star of his stature -- but no whining, no complaints. He'd just regained his timing when this happened.
This should not be happening to him. He plays with such joie de vivre. A cancer survivor, he gives back with the same joy and passion. (Here's a recent post about his good works.) Yet he's in physical this morning as the New York press and some Yankee fans are literally feeding on his carcass. You'd think they'd be cheering for the hero in their midst to rebound, but no. They are calling for him to be dumped at the trade deadline.
I hate the unfairness of it. I have a gripe with Yankee fans and press but also with destiny and karma. Sometimes life just pisses me off so much!
Yes, when I woke up this morning, he was on my mind. And I'll be obsessing about him until the Yankees release word on his condition.
1. What is most important to you. The peace of mind that comes from doing the right thing.
2. Your best trait. If you need me, I'll be there.
3. A movie that makes you happy.
Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the Jailhouse Rock
4. Something that excites you. Baseball.
5. Something that worries you. Baseball.
6. Actions your admire. Those who do good in the world.
7. What year has been your best so far. I liked the year I turned 35. I was in love, felt sexy and womanly, and my career was taking off. It's the only time in my life I was equally happy at home and at work.
8. Who do you trust? Most of my friends. (Otherwise, they wouldn't be my friends, right?)
9. A song from your childhood. "She had two teeth in her mouth. One pointed north and the other pointed south. Madalena Catalina Ootendooten Whatendotten Hogan Bogan Logan was her name. She had two hairs on her head. One was alive and one was dead. Madalena Catalina Ootendooten Whatendotten Hogan Bogan Logan was her name ..."
10. What you wore today. Denim shorts and a t-shirt.
13. A question that needs to be asked. How can anyone vote for a twice-impeached convicted felon who has been found civilly responsible for sexual assault?
14. The best idea you’ve had this week. Taking Roy Hobbs to the vet. I've been worried about him. The doctor examined him, ran bloodwork and decided that, except for a tooth that likely needs to be pulled, he's "perfect." Now I can worry a little less.
15. How are you creative? With my words, with my problem solving.
This song was chosen in honor of Father's Day. Hear it here.
1)
This is Nancy Sinatra's celebration of her father, Frank. She singles
out the sound of his laugh as something special. Do you know anyone who
has a great laugh? My boss, Ceecee. She laughs easily and it's infectious.
2) Frank Sinatra recorded this song himself a decade earlier. It was one of more then 1,400 recordings he made over his career. When you think of him, what song comes to mind? As I cheer on Yankee Anthony Rizzo this baseball season, I should say "New York, New York." But instead I'll go with this. Francis understood heartbreak, and it shows in his best performances.
3)
Nancy always called her famous father "Daddy," while her younger sister
Tina referred to him as "Pop." How did/do you call your father? "Dad."
4)
Nancy went on to have two daughters of her own. The girls recall that
their grandfather was loving and supportive, even when they went through
a punk rock phase with spiky hair, lots of leather, and studs. Frank
defended their extreme choices as a healthy means of self-expression.
Did you have arguments with your parents over your clothes or hair? If
you're a parent yourself, have you always approved of your kids' fashion
choices? My mom didn't let me grow my bangs out, nor would she allow me to get my ears pierced, until I graduated from high school.
5)
Back when our own Crazy Sam was in high school, her father gave her
driving lessons. What grade would you give your driving today? Incomplete, because I don't drive.
6) For family barbecues, Sam's dad dons his "Kiss the Chef" apron and mans the Weber. What's the last thing you grilled? A couple weeks ago I fired up the George Foreman grill for some salmon fillets.
7) Because
he takes his grilling so seriously, Sam once invested in a pair of
forged steel tongs for Father's Day. Does anyone on your gift list have a
passion that makes them easy to shop for? My friend Mindy loves pop music and enjoys weaving lyrics into conversation. So she's getting this game for her birthday.
8) Traditionally
the most popular Father's Day gift have been ties, wallets and belts.
However experiences -- like tickets to a concert or a sporting event --
are gaining in popularity. Which would you prefer to receive: something
to own and hold or an experience to remember? You know what I'd really like? Gift cards! Especially to Chewy or Petco. I'm always buying cat litter and scratching posts and stuff like that. It would be fun to not have to pay for them myself. 9) Random question: Have you recently mistakenly called someone by the wrong name? No, but I got the names of these actors mixed up. The first is Dirk Bogarde, whose work I really like. The second is Laurence Harvey, whom I don't like at all. Yet I stumble over their names all the time.
13 Popular OTC Medications. It occurs to me that when I go to Walgreen's, I seldom buy drugs of any kind -- prescription or otherwise. It's my go-to for paper towels, Coke, Gerber Baby Meats (for my cat, Connie) and all manner of cosmetics and skin care.
But that's just me. According to Nforming, the over-the-counter drug market was worth more than $150 billion in 2022 and growth is projected.
So what are we buying? I tooled around the internet and this is what seems to be on everyone's lists. While I don't buy them often, I do make sure I always have the ones with the asterisk on hand.
1. Acetaminophen (Tylenol).*
2. Ibuprofen (Advil)*
3. Fexofenadine (Allegra)*
4. Hydrocortisone cream*
5. Dextromethorphen (Robitussin)*
6. Psueoephenedrine (Sudafed)*
7. Loperamide (Immodium)*
8. Simethicone (Gas-X)*
9. Loratadine (Claritin)
10. Omeprazole (Prilosec)
11. Ranitidine (Zantac). Ranitidine is no longer available OTC.
12. Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol)
13. Bisacodyl (Dulcolax)
What about you? What's always in your medicine chest or handbag?
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
WWW.
WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To
participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here.
PS
I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog
won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the
frustration I experienced trying to link up.
1. What are you currently reading? Siracusa by Delia Ephron. Two troubled couples take a Sicilian vacation together. Taylor is a beautiful but tightly wound working mom, married to restaurateur Finn. Lizzie is a journalist, married to Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Michael. Lizzie is annoyed that Taylor and Finn brought their 10-year-old daughter along, and confused by Michael's attention to the girl. Does this mean Michael regrets he and Lizzie never had children?
Each chapter is narrated by a different member of the quartet. Delia successfully established separate voices for each of them. So far (about a third of the way through), I like Lizzie best -- not that any of them is especially likeable. There's a tingly sense of dread enveloping this trip. I don't know what's going to happen to these four, but I'm here for it.
2. What did you recently finish reading? If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout.
Do you know anyone who lives with their extended family? I don't either. It's probably just as well, because according to mysteries and melodramas, big multi-generational households are just a hotbed of crime.
Let's take the Otis Jarrell penthouse as an example. Mr. Jarrell is a millionaire businessman (back when a million dollars meant something) who shares his home with his wife, his wife's brother, his adult daughter and son and daughter-in-law, his personal assistant and his stenographer. First Jarrell is disturbed when it seems one of them is engaging in industrial espionage and costing him money. Then people in their circle start getting dead. There are many suspects, all with shifting allegiances. It's all too complicated for me!
But not for Nero Wolfe (and Archie Goodwin). A fun and worthy entry to the series.
Anthony Rizzo is 1-for-June. I can't believe I'm writing this, but my favorite-most ballplayer simply cannot connect for a bloop single, much less a home run. He was benched for the first time I can recall, and tonight he got back in the batter's box and went 0-4. He made an exceptional defensive play and did it with his joy and enthusiasm. But Yankee fans are still calling him a bum, saying he sucks. The New York press is using words like "fried."
He deserves better. He is such a good man. Last weekend, 500 people -- pediatric cancer patients or their family members -- enjoyed a June afternoon at a Chicagoland amusement park. Free.
That's just here. Before this season started, Anthony got to party with pediatric cancer patients and their families at the Boomers Amusement Park in Boca Raton.
In New York, the $255 entry fee for the NYC marathon was comped for 27 runners who were competing on behalf of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.
Then there are the grants. Unpublicized but more important than the big events. Parents of kids with cancer can apply for financial help to pay for what insurance won't: Parking and meals in the hospital, daycare for siblings while parents accompany their children to treatments, rent/mortgage assistance for parents who have to skip work to care for their pediatric cancer patient ...
And the letters! Anthony sends personal letters to young people all over the country who are battling cancer, giving them hope with the story of how he beat the disease as a teenager.
So during the first six months of 2024, Anthony Rizzo has done more to help others than some of us do in our entire lives. That's why watching him struggle hurts me so. He deserves more from life, from baseball, from karma. The public embarrassment of being told he sucks, that he's a loser, that he's fried ... I hurt with him.
Meanwhile, in Tampa, my Cubs lost in the bottom of the 9th.
Just because I love baseball doesn't mean it loves me back.
Here's how to play.
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Siracusa by Delia Ephron. Taylor and her husband Finn have decided to travel to Sicily with another couple, Lizzie and Michael. Before the trip, Taylor, a working mom with a daughter named Snow, takes a moment to discuss the upcoming trip with her friend April.
"What's really wrong with Lizzie," said April, "is that she doesn't have children. Women who don't have children are entirely different from those of us that do."
"She's nice to Snow," I said.
"Nice isn't what I'm talking about. This may be a terrible thing to say, but women without children are emotionally stunted. They lack depth."
4. Did you ever participate in a talent show? I'm sure I did as a child, but I don't recall any details.
5. Do you have any piercings or tattoos? One piercing on each lobe.
6. Do you prefer Mac or PC? Mac.
7. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? I didn't think so, but it seems that one last, lonely one has worked its way down and poked through on the upper left.
8. Do you watch cartoons? Nope.
9. Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes.
Twice. I had a uterine artery embolization back around 2002, which they
thought would help save my reproductive organs. And it did, until 2011,
when I was back in the hospital for a hysterectomy. I've been to the ER several times, but was never admitted.
10. Have you had braces? Yes.
11. Were you ever a Girl or Boy Scout? (Or a brownie) Brownie, Junior, Cadette.
12. What is one food you refuse to eat? Anything with red peppers. I have a sensitive gut.
13. What's the most expensive item of clothing that you own? Golly, I don't know. Probably one of my coats.
14. What's your favorite foreign food? Lasagna
15. Who's your favorite fictional character? Oh, it changes. Right now, I aspire to be more like Melanie Wilkes. (Book and movie. She's better than me in both iterations.)
"Michael Jackson set his hair on fire. Druggies do that." So went the answer to what I thought was an innocent enough question on this week's Saturday 9: Without looking it up, can you recall why Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial made headlines the world over?
No, you dark-hearted dipshit, Michael Jackson did NOT set his own hair on fire.During filming, thepyrotechnic display went horribly wrong and, as he was descending the stairs, the explosion went off too close to his head and his hair caught on fire. In front of thousands of witnesses. On videotape. I only asked the question because it was one of the major news stories of 1984 and I thought anyone not living under a rock would recall it.
Michael Jackson had second and third degree burns on his face and scalp. Can you imagine how painful that must have been? (Remember the last time you burned your finger on a hot iron? Magnify that a million times over all over your head and face.) He endured several surgeries as a result. Here's the video:
Yes, Michael Jackson went on to have serious substance abuse problems -- likely as a result of this accident. I am no Michael Jackson fan. In fact, I can think of little nice to say about this artist as a man. But neither he, nor anyone who struggles substance abuse, deserves this black-hearted dipshit's dismissive attitude. Addiction is a disease, not a character flaw. No one would say, "He set his hair on fire. Asthmatics do that."
Well, maybe our black-hearted dipshit would. Who knows what misinformation about asthma she embraces? After all, look at all the conspiracy theories that stubbornly swirl about the covid vaccine.
And, of course, there's the FACT that he didn't set his hair on fire. Not that facts matter when you accept a stereotype and hug it tight.
Sometimes I love the internet. Right now I hate it. "Michael Jackson set his hair on fire. Druggies do that." That cruel, cavalier, thoughtless comment encapsulates everything that's wrong with the world wide web. Because someone might read it and believe it's true. "I read someplace Michael Jackson set his hair on fire. He was freebasing. He was a black kid from Gary so naturally he was on drugs and druggies will do that ..." And so it will go.
Or let's look at the case of Paul Pelosi. The 84-year-old was home alone. Asleep. He woke up to find a man half his age standing over him. With a hammer. He tried to reason with the man. He contacted police. The intruder bashed his skull in. Again, like the Michael Jackson accident, the attack was filmed. Instead of regarding this as a crime, it became the source of ugly rumors ... and unexpected hilarity. Want to see Donald Trump Jr., eldest son of the former President and officer of The Trump Organization, joke about it? Click here. Suddenly a home invasion becomes a gay tryst gone wrong, and somehow Hunter Biden is dragged into it. This ugly bullshit was retweeted more than 4,000 times. (People take tweets down all the time. Not Donald Trump Jr. He apparently stands by this. Which tells you a lot about him.)
Of course the problem is not the internet, per se, but media in general. And the willingness of some to be uninformed and hateful. It's an age-old problem. I've wandered through the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum many times and the cruel stories and cartoons printed about Abe during the 1860s would be enough to make you cry. (Unless, of course, you're a black-hearted dipshit. The proliferation of Confederate flags makes me wonder what my countrymen really believe about our greatest President.)
Before I slide my soap box away, I promise you this: I try not to spread misinformation. As with the Michael Jackson and Donald Trump Jr. references, I try to include links. I want to be what's good about the internet, and human nature. Not what's bad.
1)
In this week's song, Kenny Loggins encourages everyone to lose their blues by dancing. What reliably shakes you out of a funk? Cuddling a cat.
2) To cut footloose, he has to kick off his "Sunday shoes." What's on your feet as you answer these 9 questions? Nothing. I'm barefoot and suddenly very aware of my chipped pedi.
3)
This is the title song of the popular 1984 movie of the same name. It's
so well-identified with the film that the AFI named it #96 of the top 100 movie songs of the last 100 years. Have you seen Footloose? Once. I didn't care for it much, one way or the other. I can still sing along with the soundtrack, though. "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise," "Holding Out for a Hero." They were all very popular and ubiquitous on the radio.
4) The title of his 2022 memoir, Still Alright, was inspired by "I'm Alright," the song he wrote for the raucous golf comedy, Caddyshack. Do you play golf? (Yes, putt-putt miniature golf counts!) Do you watch it on TV? I don't get golf. I wish I did, because I admire the passion of those who are into it.
5) Thinking of movies, Kenny says watching Yankee Doodle Dandy
when he was just 7 years old made him think performing looked like fun
and says, "I knew deep inside this is something I could do." Do you
recall when you set off on your chosen career? When I was a little girl, I used those wax paper squares made to separate hamburger patties. I'd trace pictures out of my Golden Books and make up my own stories. Then I'd staple the squares and announce I'd "written another book." So my mom was not surprised when I became a professional writer.
Where it all began.
5)
Kenny grew up in Everett, Washington, north of Seattle and 84 miles
from the Canadian border. Have you ever visited Canada? If yes, where
did you go? Montreal when I was 8, Toronto when I was in my late 30s.
6)
In 1977 Kenny struck up a friendship with Stevie Nicks, who was a
source of encouragement and would sing with him on one of his biggest
hits, "Whenever I Call You Friend." Tell us about when you met one of
your best friends. At my first job as a writer, for the Sears catalog, I was given the cubicle next to John. He was an old-timer who had been there two years already. He came over to give me the keys to my file cabinet. My first assignment was to write about men's tube socks. "Why do I have to lock the drawer? Are we worried about spies from JC Penney's?" He knew then I had attitude and he liked me. Over our shared cubicle wall I saw a cardboard silhouette. I went into his cubicle and saw he'd taken a photo of Diana Ross (his goddess) sitting at a fashion show, cut it out, backed it with cardboard, and made a paper doll to "watch him work." I knew then he was an original and I liked him. We were dear friends for 43 years, until his death in April.
7)
In 1984, when this song was a hit, Angela Lansbury premiered in Murder, She Wrote, a show still seen in reruns today. Were/are you a fan? Not really. I'll watch it if it shows up in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, or if I'm spinning the dial and see a guest star I recognize.
Yes, that's a young George Clooney in Cabot Cove.
8)
Let's tweak your memory about something else that happened in 1984.
Without looking it up, can you recall why Michael Jackson's Pepsi
commercial made headlines the world over? His hair caught on fire during filming.
9)
Random question -- Think of your last professionally prepared meal. Did you dine in, carry out, or have it delivered? Carry out.
I recently finished My Name Is Barbra, Streisand's epic autobiography, and was delighted to read how consistently positive Barbra was about Judy. Over the years I've read that Judy felt threatened by Barbra, or that Barbra dismissed Judy as irrelevant, but in Streisand's telling, none of that's true. Judy recognized Barbra's talent and was enthusiastic about working with her, and Barbra acknowledges Judy's exceptional skills as a performer and how open and welcoming the established star was to the newcomer.
So if you're looking for juicy gossip about a feud, move along. There's nothing to see here. Not in my post, nor in Barbra's book. I'm going to concentrate on how Judy influenced Barbra and the younger woman's career trajectory.
Barbra appeared on The Judy Garland Show in October 1963. Considering
Judy's career in the 1960s, I've always wondered: What If? What if Judy
had a manager who cared about her, respected her talent, and took the
long view of her career, the way Brian Epstein looked out for the
Beatles and Marty Erlichman took care of Streisand. Marty discovered
Barbra when she was just 18 and has been with her more than 60
super successful years. And it's Marty who made Barbra's historic appearance
on The Judy Garland Show happen.
David Begelman and Freddie Fields were handling Judy at the time, and they wanted to bring young Barbra to their agency. They kept calling Marty, asking him what they'd have to do to "get Barbra." Marty said, "You get us The Judy Garland Show and you'll get Barbra." While Judy's show was not a hit, Marty was smart enough to know watching these two generational talents work together would get a tremendous amount of media attention. Barbra, just 21 and still in rehearsals for Funny Girl, could benefit enormously from being in Judy's spotlight. Judy was enthusiastic about sharing her stage with this hot new girl singer. As Mel Torme recalled in his book, "When Judy and Barbra met, it was instant warmth. I knew Garland would be on her toes all week to keep pace with this extraordinary girl."
Now for the legendary "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy" Medley. Barbra included "Happy Days" on her first album. Listening to the LP in her dressing room, she began weaving her own song, "Get Happy," in with Barbra's. Judy requested that Mel Torme, musical director on the show, shape it into the duet that the two ladies so memorably performed.
Barbra recalls Judy as "completely generous." She was surprised that, when they performed together, Judy grabbed her hand and held on. At 21, Barbra didn't know why Judy was apparently so nervous during the taping. Now, 60 years later, she thinks she does. Barbra believes that Judy wasn't worried about her audience, but producers, money men and critics who often seem to just be waiting for artists to fail.
In
2012, I saw Barbra perform the "Happy Days/Get Happy" medley live onstage with her sister
Roslyn Kind singing Judy's part. (Not as well as Judy, of course, but I was excited to hear it again all the same.)
Near the top of the charts in the autumn of 1964 was Barbra Streisand: The Third Album. You
see Judy's influence the moment you pick it up. The
photograph on the cover was taken by Judy's dear friend Roddy McDowell while Barbra was
performing on The Judy Garland Show.
Caution! In the early 1960s, Barbra threw a party and Judy surprised her by showing up. She didn't stay long but demonstrated why Barbra referred to her as "kind, truthful, supportive." Watching Barbra's career take off with gold records, award-winning TV specials and a starring role on Broadway, Judy warned the younger woman, "Don't let them do to you what they did to me."
A Star Is Born.Full disclosure: Judy's version is my very favorite, Barbra's is my least favorite. But I'm not going to debate that here. Nor am I going to compare and contrast. Instead I'm just going to point out that both Barbra and Judy performed in menswear-inspired outfits as Esther.
Esther Hoffman sings "Woman in the Moon"
Esther Blodgett sings "Gotta Have Me Go with You"
Again with the What If? Barbra has two Oscars. In fact, she's an EGOT. I am a Streisand super fan and celebrate her accomplishments.
But this all makes me wistful about Judy. What if she'd had the gift of time (Barbra has more than 30 years on Judy) and the benefit a role model, like she was for Barbra? How much more joy could she have given us, and enjoyed herself? At the end of My Name Is Barbra, Streisand is content with her life and happy in love. How I wish we could listen to Judy at 80, reflecting on her life and career.
