WWW.WEDNESDAY

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? Act of Betrayal by Edna Buchanan. This is the fourth of the Britt Montero series and it's a thrill ride from the very beginning. Britt is a reporter on the crime beat for a major Miami daily. She's had a helluva morning, covering the death of a grandmother found in her own kitchen and a van accident that killed immigrants being transported illegally to a work site. She stops for lunch and as she contemplates the empanada purchased from a street vendor, Britt hears an explosion. Being a reporter, she doesn't run away, she runs toward it.

 

And we're off! The Britt Montero books are not cozy mysteries. They are shocking and violent, but also very human. Miami-born Britt is a thirty-something single, looking for love but not as hard as she pursues leads. Her best friend is Lottie Dane, a statuesque crime photographer transplanted to Miami from Texas. I like these women and their friendship.

 

Buchanan is a good writer, successfully creating a specific time and place: 1990s Miami. Very Crockett and Tubbs. Newspapers were still thriving, though very aware of competition from local news stations. Britt keeps a quarter in pocket all the time so she can use the nearest pay phone to check her office voicemail. (I kinda miss those days.)

 

2. What did you recently finish reading?  Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto. There have been more than 100 books written about Marilyn, her movies and her legacy. I'm glad I grabbed this one. Donald Spoto takes her seriously as a woman and an artist. He doesn't ladle on extra sensationalism or victimization because 1) those are baked in and 2) he respects her and us.  

 

This is a reread for me and I came away with a different emphasis this time. First, Marilyn worked very hard and kept improving. Because she was fired from her last movie and then died at 36 just weeks after, it's easy to assume she'd peaked. It's impossible to know, of course, but she had two new films on her horizon* and it's possible that, like Elizabeth Taylor, she could have become more than her looks and kept getting better. 

 

Second, she kept evolving as a person, too. Around the time she got a part in The Asphalt Jungle, she was struck me as selfish and unlikable. She was 23 and (to slip into today's vernacular) was couch surfing and using people. All exigence and ambition, anything to get by, anything to get a part. Over the next 13 years, she learned about herself and others. As she became more comfortable in her own skin, her generosity of spirit emerged and by the end of the book, I mourned this sweet woman.

 

Unfortunately, Marilyn's death seems to have become more important than her life. This book walks us through her final days and puts to rest many of the more tenacious and lurid rumors.  

3. What will you read next? I don't know.

 

  

 *Both movies were made with other actresses. Carroll Baker played Harlow and Shirley MacLaine starred in What a Way to Go.

 

 

Thursday Thirteen #466

Birthday Girl. This month classic movie fans are celebrating the centennial of Marilyn Monroe. She remains the most recognizable star Hollywood has ever produced, and is among the most famous American women ever. Today she's known all over the world, identified more for her whispery voice, platinum hair and tragic personal life than her work. 

That's too bad, because she cared about her craft. She completed 29 films in 14 years, though her appearances in the first 4 are blink-and-you'll-miss-her. Of the remaining 25, these are the ones I recommend. She does not have the quality oeuvre of Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck, two actresses with whom she shared the screen. But Marilyn did her best with what she was given and was often very good. She made a shit ton of money for an industry that never respected her, and she was always fascinating to watch.

1. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). She was showgirl Lorelei Lee who wore hot pink and believed "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." She's silly and funny as the girl who very wisely plays dumb. BTW, here's another reason to love Ryan Gosling: he used his live performance of "I'm Just Ken" at the 2024 Oscars to pay homage to Marilyn's "Diamonds" number.

2. Some Like It Hot (1959). On a snowy night in Chicago, two musicians witness a certain Valentine's Day mass shooting. To escape the mob, they dress in drag and travel out of town with an all-girl band. Marilyn is luminous as Sugar Kane, the boozy and confused lead singer. They fall in love with her, and you will, too. (The 80s TV show Bosom Buddies owes an awful lot to this movie.)

3. All About Eve (1950). This is the best movie on this list, though it's Bette Davis' show, not Marilyn's. She has a small (two scenes?) but cleverly-written role as Miss Caswell, "an actress and graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts." Miss Caswell may be only moderately talented, but she's smart enough to persuade New York's most famous theater critic to mentor her.

4. The Misfits (1961). She's in Reno for a quickie divorce. She unwisely begins a rebound relationship with a much older man, a cowboy played by Clark Gable. Initially they seem to have nothing in common, but it turns out they are both emotionally battered and can give each other hope for the future. At least that's what I think it's about. I've seen it several times – it has an amazing cast and terrific dialog – but it's not one of Arthur Miller's better works. Still, there's such real affection between Marilyn and Gable that I find it touching. (It was the last completed film for both of them.) 

5. Bus Stop (1956). A naive cowboy falls in love at first sight with a showgirl performing at a rural bus stop and decides to make her his wife. She's a painfully bad singer – not quite as awful as Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins, but certainly prettier – yet he stubbornly insists she's "an angel." Often mentioned as Marilyn's own favorite Marilyn movie, she is good as a world-weary woman who longs to see herself as he does. 

6. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Three women set out to ... well ... find rich husbands. Hey! It was the 1950s. The thing that elevates this comedy is the camaraderie among the three stars, each gorgeous in her own way. Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn could be the precursors of Carrie Bradshaw and her SATC posse. 

7. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954). One of those musicals about a family of performers who believe the show must go on and all those other cliches. The movie is not very good, but Marilyn has two great numbers, "(We're Having a) Heat Wave" and "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It." Seeing her in gorgeous clothes, dancing well and putting her songs across, you enjoy her work as the untalented showgirl in Bus Stop even more.

8. Niagara (1953). This movie is a curiosity because it's the only time Marilyn plays a completely unsympathetic character. She's Rose, a sexy siren who is so very over her husband and open to all ways out of her unhappy situation. She's unlikable, for sure, but you can't take your eyes off her.

9. Don't Bother to Knock (1952). This one surprised me. Marilyn plays an unhappy girl who gets a gig babysitting a little girl at a hotel where the parents are out-of-town guests. She finds herself attracted to one of the other guests and makes up an alternate identity for herself, pretending that the nice clothes and makeup in the hotel room belong to her, not the little girl's mother. Eventually we realize she's batty. It's a little, low budget movie, barely over an hour long, but Marilyn handles her dramatic part well.

10. Clash by Night (1952). Marilyn has a rather small part in this one, but she's sweet as a young girl in love. Her boyfriend has a big sister (Barbara Stanwyck, the star). Sis is unhappily married with a baby, and Marilyn's character is worried about ending up as unsatisfied as the older woman. 

11. O. Henry's Full House (1952). Marilyn appears in the first of four vignettes. A homeless man is tired of life in the cold and wants to get himself arrested so he can enjoy a bed and three squares. He approaches a pretty young woman on the street and makes a lewd suggestion, assuming she will report him for harassment. Marilyn rather charmingly provides the plot twist.  

12. The Prince and The Showgirl (1957). What a weird ass movie this is. Marilyn was as big a star as she would ever be – at least in life – and this is what she chose to do with her power. She produced the movie, and hired Sir Laurence Olivier as her director and co-star and they have no chemistry whatsoever. The title tells you all you need to know about the plot. And yet, when she's on screen, you can't take your eyes off of her, even when she's sharing a scene with the great Olivier. Part of it is her white dress. It deserved a co-starring credit.

13. The Seven Year Itch (1955). I feel like I had to include this one, even though I do not like it one bit. This is THE MOVIE, the one that made Marilyn a superstar, the one where her white skirt blows up. People not yet born will see that iconic image. I find this film to be a smutty affair, where a married man leers at her for 90 minutes. It's all childish sex jokes, like an episode of Three's Company. Marilyn's character is so completely sexualized she doesn't even have a name! She's The Girl. But here's the thing: you like her. She rises above the slop she's given to do and imbues it with humanity. In that way, I suppose this movie is a microcosm of her enduring appeal.

Happy Birthday, Marilyn! Watching you gives me joy. Sending you love and wishing you peace. 

6/1/26 through 8/4/62

 

 

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

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? Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto. This is a reread for me. I was inspired to dig it out when I got an email from The Hollywood Roosevelt, which is the TCM Film Festival's mothership. This grand old hotel is celebrating Marilyn Monroe on the occasion of her 100th birthday this month. Then I saw a photo of Lisa K., a Los Angeles-based TCM fest fan who paid her respects by visiting Marilyn's old dressing room on the former Fox lot. So I thought it was time for me to take a moment and reflect on Marilyn. 

 

Her story has always touched me on a number of levels. I first discovered Marilyn when I was in high school. My feminism was awakening at just this time and I saw her as a cautionary tale. She did everything the patriarchy asked of her and it literally broke her. Then I set out to see as many of her movies as I could so I could assess her as an artist, not just a celebrity. Now I'm wondering what it is about her that makes her endure.

 

I first read this particular biography of Marilyn more than a decade ago and recall that Spoto treated his subject with respect. So far, I see I wasn't wrong.  

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Off the Menu by Stacy Ballis. This book was great on atmosphere. It feels very Chicago. But as a romance it was a yawn. It was slow, it had too many supporting characters and not enough action. Also, two of the main characters were shitty pet parents. I can't go into my gripes in detail without giving away too much of the plot, but I just didn't like two corners of the love triangle. The third? Him I found fascinating, even though I suspect I wasn't supposed to. He had some dimension and his character had an arc.

 

Am I sorry I picked this book up? Maybe. Ballis has a good reputation for chick-lit, and maybe this was just one of her weaker efforts. Someday I may give her another shot.

3. What will you read next? I don't know.

 

  

 

 

Gratitude Challenge: Day 3

I first took this challenge in November 2014 and I think now is a good time to revisit it. Click here for a list of the Gratitude Challenge prompts.

Day 3: Something I see every day I am grateful that, with cable and streaming, I have the opportunity to check in with Lucy Ricardo every day. She's on as I compose this post. To borrow a phrase, I love Lucy.

 

 

Nevertheless I'm happy

During the TCM Classic Film Festival, we wear our passes on lanyards around our necks. It's become custom to add pins of our favorite movies and stars to the lanyard. In April, while Will from my movie group and I were waiting in line for another movie, we compared notes about our movie going the day before, I rather enthusiastically described Suddenly, Last Summer, starring Elizabeth Taylor and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz. One of the people in line near us, a stranger, enjoyed my retelling so much she leaned across the rope to give me another pin for my lanyard: Elizabeth as Cleopatra. 1963's Cleopatra was also directed by Mankiewicz. I was happy to get the pin, Will was amused that I had entertained our fellow movie fans.

Fast forward from April to August. Cleopatra is having a moment. TCM has made it the subject of this season's The Plot Thickens podcast and tonight, Chicago's Music Box Theater just showed all 245 epic minutes on the big screen.

I was in the stylist's chair this morning when Will reached out to me, inviting me to go with him tonight. His initial invitation consisted of this photo. Every movie fan, every baby boomer, knows it:

 

I declined his invite because I woke up this morning with a disrupted gut. I was worried about making it through a 4 hour movie and then dinner and a train ride home, and stress only makes the situation worse. Yet I feel good about the whole thing. Will fondly remembered that moment in line at the film festival and wants to hang with me. That's important to me. 

I know "diversity" is suddenly a dirty word, but I like it in my life. While I hang with lots of classic movie fans, they're all women. Will is a closeted gay Republican.* He's also a regular church goer.† I truly don't have anyone else like him in my life. Knowing him makes me stronger and makes life better.

I hope he'll continue to reach out to socialize. I want all kinds of people, all kinds of energy in my life.

  

 *Here in Cook County, Republican raises more eyebrows than gay.

†We've talked religion on occasion but steer clear of politics. 

Thursday Thirteen #421

 Thirteen Jackies. Next week, on July 28, we'll see the 96th anniversary of Jacqueline Bouvier's birth. No other First Lady has had her pop culture impact. 31 years after her death, she's still fascinates. Producer Ryan Murphy recently made news by announcing his Jackie, the actress who will play John Kennedy, Jr.'s mother, in his upcoming mini-series about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

Murphy decided on Oscar and Emmy nominee Naomi Watts. Here are 13 other actresses who have also portrayed the former First Lady.

1. Jaclyn Smith. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981).

2. Blair Brown. Kennedy (1983).

3. Roma Downey. A Woman Named Jackie (1991). This mini-series got tepid reviews at the time, but I was pleasantly surprised by Downey's performance (if not the series' Lifetime/Hallmark tone).

4. Joanne Whalley. Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000).

5. Stephanie Romanov. 13 days (2000).

6. Jill Hennessey. Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot (2001).

7. Jeanne Tripplehorn, Grey Garden (2009).

8. Katie Holmes. The Kennedys (2011). If you're watching for iconic hair and clothes, this is a good choice.

9. Minka Kelly. The Butler (2013).

10. Kat Steffens. Parkland (2013).

11. Ginnifer Goodwin. Killing Kennedy (2013).

12. Natalie Portman. Jackie (2016). I believe she did the best job. She also had the best script and the most innovative director.

 13. Jodi Balfour. The Crown. (2017).

I close with the genuine article.

 

 

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Sunday Stealing

Questions Christina Stole from Liz

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? I'm going to respond not with a bill but an item: light bulbs. They're seldom on sale and they're always boring to shop for.

2. Which restaurant would you recommend for a romantic dinner? I am going to defer to a former coworker for this one. She loves going to Coopers Hawk Winery with her new husband. They are having a lot of work done in their condo and when the chaos at home stresses them out, they get dressed up and go to Coopers Hawk. It's easy to get in, and they like the food, the drink and the ambience. To see if there's a location, click here.

3. Who was your first grade teacher? Her name was Mrs. Krach. I don't recall her first name. In fact, I doubt that it even occurred to first-grade me that she had a first name.

4. What should you be doing right now? Showering and feeding the cats. If I don't get moving, they're going to remind me that it's time to feed them very soon.

5. What did you want to be when you were growing up? So many things! The earliest I remember is a singer. When I played Barbies, my doll was always a singer so she could hang around with her pretend BFF, Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) of That Girl. Ann was an actress in New York and she and my doll had such fun on their imaginary showbiz adventures. Of course, the fact that I'm completely tone deaf helped quash this ambition.

 

6. How did you choose the shirt you're wearing right now? I'm wearing my nightshirt. I chose it because it was on top when I opened the drawer.

7. Gas prices! What's your first thought? That I don't care. I'm sorry, but since I don't drive, I don't pay attention.

8. Do you have a teddy bear? Yes. It wears a yellow shirt that says "Someone Loves Me at FKCC." It's a treasured gift from my late friend Henry, who taught at Florida Keys Community College and did love me.

9. Do you own the last book you read, or did you get it from the library? I don't know how to answer this. I own the last book I finished Tuesday but the one I'm reading right now is a library book.

10. Did you more recently send a text or write a Post It? Text.

 

Lizzie Lewis is my hero

I was proud to contribute money and time to Elizabeth Lewis' campaign for Board of Education member. She didn't win, and that hurts. 

Maybe she wasn't the best candidate. Her campaign was so focused on hearing and empowering students that perhaps she was ignoring fiscal and administrative issues. But here's what touched my heart:

1) She announced her candidacy when was only 17, though she turned 18 in time to serve on the Board. I love it when young people are involved and giving back. She took it so seriously! Her website has more depth and detail about the Mohonasen Board of Education than I've seen from candidates in mayoral, aldermanic and state house campaigns. She made herself available to the press, and while sometimes she sounded naive she was, as Teddy Roosevelt said, "in the arena." Most touching of all, she spent all day Tuesday at the polls – just outside the perimeter where campaigning is banned. She was there for hours and hours to answer the questions of parents and voters. All this for a seat on the Board of Education! 💔

2) She stood up to a bully. I know in today's MAGA/Might Makes Right World being heavy-handed and insensitive to DEI issues is in vogue, but I'm still a proponent of the old Golden Rule. When she was still a student at Mohonasen High, Lizzie had the temerity to lobby for a GSA organization at her school. A Board member publicly singled her out, chewed her out, and disparaged her advocacy of LGBTQ+ students. He was admonished by the state's education department for the way he treated her, but he has never apologized – even though his callous remarks cost the district more than $14,000 in legal fees to defend him. 

Think about it: a grown man in a position of power holding a student up for ridicule. A student who, by the way, often needs crutches because she struggles with EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). Not a pretty picture, is it? When I was 15, that would have been enough to make me slink away. He would have completely dispirited me.

But Lizzie is made of stronger stuff. When she was old enough she ran against him. (Though she always said that wasn't the only reason why she ran. Read about it here.)

I hate bullies. I love Lizzie. Young people like her will help make our world a better, safer place.

Her yard sign

 

 

SUNDAY STEALING

Time Travel

 What were you doing ...

1. Twenty years ago? In spring/summer 2005, my Cubs weren't doing so great, but my favorite-ever pitcher, Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, was back in Cubbie blue so I was happy. I think I had a nice office. The agency I worked for rearranged and moved us often, and having a good office had a major impact on my attitude toward coming to work. I was still a redhead and I still had a waist. My cats were Joey, Charlotte and Reynaldo.

2. Ten years ago? In spring/summer 2015, I was immersed in The Big Project. It was the highest-profile assignment, with the biggest budget, I would ever have in my career. I didn't know it then (wouldn't know until fall), but I acquitted myself well and it would be a success. Joe Maddon was managing the Cubs and the glory days were upon us. (I'm still a little in love with Joe.) Connie had just joined Joey and Reynaldo.

3. Five years ago? In spring/summer 2020, we were on Covid lockdown and I was obsessed with finding Cubbie blue masks. My cat Reynaldo really, really loved me working from home. I reread To Kill a Mockingbird, which was a good and inspiring choice, and rediscovered That Girl, which I loved as a little girl. I stopped wearing contact lenses because I didn't want to be touching my eyeballs all the time during a pandemic. I don't miss them and kind of like switching up glass frames.

4. One year ago? In spring/summer 2024, Anthony Rizzo hit his 300th homerun so I was happy. I had a wonderful time at the TCM Classic Film Festival, but so many of us returned home from the fest with colds/flu. This year I masked up for my flights and stayed healthy. I think that, like wearing my glasses every day instead of contacts, wearing a mask when I am on an airplane is my new normal. Catwise, it's Connie and Roy Hobbs.

5. Yesterday? Got my hair cut, had lunch with my nephew, bought my niece a Mother's Day card, and watched my Cubs kick Brewer ass.

Bonus! What will you do tomorrow? Monday I'm going to the dentist.

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Georgia on My Mind (1978)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This lyrics refer to "an old sweet song." What old sweet song is a favorite of yours? "More Than You Know" was published in 1929. This is one of my favorite Streisand performances.  

 

 

 

2) Composer Hoagy Carmichael said he was inspired by saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer to write a song about Georgia. In those days, bands traveled by bus and Frankie enjoyed rolling through Georgia. Hoagy recalled that Frankie even volunteered the first two words, "Georgia, Georgia ..." If we were to organize a Saturday 9 bus trip, where would you recommend we go for lovely scenery? Arkansas. I used to take an annual spring spa trip to Hot Springs and there was a courtesy van that would pick me up at the airport in Little Rock and take me to my hotel. The hour-long drive was lovely. Lots of rolling hills and dense green foliage. I love Chicagoland, but it's very flat here and in late March, the trees are still bare, so I really enjoyed that drive.

 

3) This version of "Georgia on My Mind" was controversial before it was even recorded. Willie Nelson's label, Columbia, didn't see the point of their outlaw country star singing an old standard that was associated with Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. Willie had the last laugh. This record was a hit and Willie won a Grammy. Tell us about a time when you were a success despite opposition. Oh, this is an example of why I'm glad to be out of advertising. My client wanted us to save them money by encouraging customers to pay bills online rather than through the mail. I suggested using a simple front/back "buck slip" inserted in their monthly statement. One side would say, "Go Paperless. Save  Trees." and the other side would show how paper – and trees – could be saved annually if just 10% of customers switched to online payment.

 

My boss thought it was a good idea, but that I was "wasting" it on a buck slip. "No one reads those!" he insisted. Why don't we send a letter? It's more likely to be read and we would have more space to do an emotional appeal about saving water and trees and landfill space ... how we'd be helping future generations ... how we could toss in a buck slip but it would show a child planting a seedling on the front ...

 

I was like, "But we'd using more paper to discuss how bad using paper is." After all, his idea would include a separate envelope and an additional 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. As a consumer, that would set off my bullshit meter. Plus it would cost the client more in production and postage. My boss argued, "It will pay for itself."

 

He really didn't like being disagreed with.  At least not by me. He said he would present both concepts to the client and let them decide. HE would present? He never presented! I knew what he would do: he'd say, "you could just do a nice little buck slip ... or an effective, heart-tugging appeal that's certain to change minds and behavior." 

Well, based on the cost of the two concepts, the client chose mine. Every step of the way through execution, my boss bitched and complained. "I can't believe they chose THIS!" he would say as he approved first the copy, then the layout, then the final print. Over and over he made it clear that my idea was deficient and lame.

 

He was the Vice President/Creative Director. He could have killed my idea before the client ever saw it. Instead he presented it, along with his own, just so he could prove me wrong. Put me in my place. What a petty shit he was. We worked for the same agency. Any time the client was happy with us was a win for us. Not in his eyes. 

 

This kind of thing happened all the freaking time. I'm glad to work at the card shop.

 
4) While it's at odds with his "outlaw" image, Willie was a popular and active high school student. He played three sports and was a member of Future Farmers of America. What school activities did you participate in during your teen years? I wasn't big on participation. I'd join a club at the beginning of the year so I could work on and ride the homecoming float, but then drop out before Christmas.

 

5) Willie once worked as a tree trimmer, so clearly he didn't suffer from acrophobia. How about you? Do you have a fear of heights? Nope.

 

6) He wrote the lyrics to one of his biggest hits, "On the Road Again," during a flight, using the airplane barf bag as scrap paper. That was back in 1980. In 2025, do you handwrite onto note paper, or do you make all your "notes to self" digitally? I scribble on lined paper.

7) In 1978, when Willie was singing "Georgia on My Mind," audiences were flocking to see the movie Grease. What's your favorite song from Grease? The first one that comes to mind is "Summer Nights." Wella, wella, wella, ooh, tell me more, tell me more ... 

8) Also in 1978, Karina Smirnoff was born. After spending her early years in the Ukraine, she came to America and found success on Dancing with the Stars. Are you a DWTS fan? I was during the early seasons but I've lost interest.

 

9) Random question: Do you ever carry a backpack? Not often. I switched to a backpack during my vacation at the TCM Classic Film Festival. It holds so much and made it possible for me to not keep running back to my hotel room. But for day to day, the backpack is in the closet.

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY STEALING

Manic Monday

1) What's the longest you've gone without sleep? 20 hours. My boss was fighting with his boss, and by the time they stopped playing "¿quién es más macho?" and finally gave me the assignment it was already very late. Like it was already due. When I finally got home, I didn't so much go to sleep as surrender to it.

2) What was the highlight of your last week? Saturday I attended one of the 1,200 HANDS OFF! rallies. It was right here in my neighborhood. Members of my church group took the el into the city for the protest at Daley Plaza (see photo), but I chose to stay local. It was inspiring to see the spirit of peaceful activism as people spoke up for Medicare, Social Security, medical research and free speech at universities. Yes, we live in a nation where Medicare, Social Security, medical research and free speech at universities need defending from our own President. Anyway, we gathered at the WWI memorial next to the library and marched through the center of town. According to the Associated Press, I was one of hundreds of thousands "from New York to Anchorage." So far, there's no word of arrests. It was peaceful, it was serious, and it helped me feel empowered, less alone, and less like I'm living in Berlin before The War.

Protesters at Daley Center, from CBS News

 
3) You have to give a 10-minute speech to a group of high school students. What's your topic? I think there's a lot to be learned from the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with a special emphasis on her accomplishments as First Lady. For example, she was personally responsible for the Mona Lisa coming to the United States. It was the first time the painting had been allowed outside of France since it was returned after WWII. Jackie believed that seeing the world famous masterpiece would inspire Americans, especially school children, to become more interested in art. She lobbied French cultural minister Andre Malraux. She convinced her husband to augment security and insurance with his family's fortune, on top of the credit of the United States, a gesture that impressed the French government. She oversaw Mona Lisa's transatlantic voyage on the SS France, where it was cossetted by a special vibration resistant crate and the temperature was always 62º. The painting was displayed first at the National Gallery in Washington and then the Met in New York. Americans turned out in record numbers: more than 60,000 a day in New York alone. It was a resounding success, and it was Jackie's show. This was just one of her accomplishments. Jackie was a compelling mix of strength and grace and, as her friend Tish Baldridge used to say, there was a brain under that pillbox hat.

Mission accomplished: The official unveiling In DC

The Mona Lisa, protected by the Marines, at The National Gallery

4) What is the single best decision you've ever made in your life? Buying this condo. I didn't really want to be a homeowner. Renting seemed so much easier. But there are financial benefits to owning that I appreciate more every year.

5) If you could ask a coworker, friend or family member a question and be guaranteed an honest answer, who would you choose and what would you ask? I would ask my financial advisor what he would tell his own grandmother to do with her retirement funds as we try to navigate Trump's fakakta tariffs.

6) Do you cook for yourself when you're home alone? I have to. I live alone. If I didn't cook for myself I'd starve.

7) Do you most often access the internet from your computer, your phone, or your smart watch? Laptop

8) Do you have more email addresses or phone numbers? Email addresses

9) What's the biggest source of anger in your life right now? The current administration

10) Mondays make me feel _________________. Like I'm starting anew.

 

 

Sunday Stealing

Prompts and More Prompts

1) How do you show others love? What makes you feel loved? Like the song says, "I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour." I'm available to those I love. I put the time in. I feel loved when someone trusts me and shares what's important and dear to them.

2) Who is someone you admire? Why? I have always admired JBKO. She lived her life on her own terms, despite unsparing public scrutiny and judgement. She faced everything life threw at her with matchless grace. As Margaret Mitchell described another heroine/horsewoman Scarlett O'Hara, she "took her fences cleanly, like a good hunter." Jackie confronted hardship and then did her best to move on.

3) Do you have the qualities you value in a friend? I like to think so. I work at it.

4) What is something you enjoyed doing when you were younger but don't do anymore? Why did you stop doing it? I used to dance a lot. Alone, at home, I'd turn up the music and spin around to get my heart rate up. I don't know why I stopped, but I don't it anymore.

5) What is something other people think is fun but you don't? Sci-fi and fantasy. The Turner Classic Movie Film Festival is in a few weeks and they just announced the opening night, red carpet film: The Empire Strikes Back. It's a big deal, and there's an extra fee to have director George Lucas himself introduce the film. I'm happy for all the fans who are happy. I'm also happy to save the money, because I quite literally have no interest in it.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

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? How I Helped OJ Get Away with Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret and Remorse by Mike Gilbert. I recently watched Netflix docuseries on the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman and was introduced to OJ's agent and confidant. One of his comments really resonated with me. Gilbert wondered whether OJ was a good man who did a terrible thing, or if he was a terrible man who could occasionally do good. It reminded me of something our minister said while encouraging us to do prison work: Don't judge an entire life by its worst moment.

 

OK, but Gilbert eventually cut all ties with OJ and even wrote this book, which obviously is not a defense. How did he get here? I believe we each have a snapping point -- which is why I'm against citizens carrying handguns -- so I suppose it's possible that I could somehow find myself in his position. How do you deal with it when someone you love does something despicable?

 

I'm ruefully amused that in early 1994, Mike Gilbert didn't approve of OJ golfing with President Bill Clinton. Gilbert was all judgey about Bill while he was proudly representing a man who, within months, was going to commit a double homicide. Okeedokee.

 

Btw, this is a library book. I'm not yet sure of Gilbert's motives and don't wish to support exploitation with my cash.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers by Elizabeth Edwards. This is a reread for me. I once again found it immensely moving, but it landed differently this time than it did 20 years ago.

 

Back then, I was shaken by Elizabeth's courageous candor about how the death of her son rocked her. She shamelessly recounted how she literally collapsed with grief in the grocery store when confronted with Wade's favorite soda. In 2006, I had to put the book down after that passage. It was too real, too raw. It shocked me that anyone would willingly share something (and she shared much in a similar vein) that made them seem so vulnerable, so wacky. As I made my way through these difficult passages, I realized Elizabeth was teaching me that it's OK to be weak, to struggle, to hurt and to be confused. That weakness, struggle, hurt and confusion are universal and can bring us closer to one another and those connections will ultimately bring us strength. I've internalized that. In the last 20 years, I've been more honest with my friends and loved ones. This past spring, after my friend John died, I very honestly called Joanna and Elaine and told them I was suffering. They each came through for me. I am grateful to them, and to Elizabeth Edwards for being my sherpa.

 

But in 2025 it hit me differently. I worked on the Kerry/Edwards campaign, and this time it was those chapters that made me the most emotional. We've lost so much in the last 20 years! Elizabeth recounts how shocked she was when, en route to a campaign appearance, a man held up a handmade sign calling her, "Fatso." Today the Oval Office is inhabited by a man who, while being deposed about a rape, said unasked that the female lawyer questioning him was not his "type." Good to know what our Predator in Chief's preferred "type" of rape victim is, I guess. (I'm not making this up. See it here.) After the 2004 election, John Edwards was reluctant to concede because of Republican shenanigans in Ohio. Come to think of it, in 2000 there were shenanigans in Florida. Apparently the Bush campaign was good at shenanigans. So why didn't I go to Washington, storm the Capitol and beat up a cop or two? Because Al Gore and John Kerry were patriots who were more concerned with the peaceful transfer of power than in possessing it by any means necessary. 

So this time around, Elizabeth's words have spurred me to fight for my country, like she did as a Vietnam-era college student. When one of her professors chided her, telling her no one in Washington was not paying attention to peace protests and asking why do it, she said she continued because she had to do something. Well now, I have to do something, too. Something more meaningful than hand-wringing posts like this and Facebook memes. I'm going to raise funds for candidates I believe in and work on local campaigns so that by the mid-terms, Trump's power will be diminished. (Don't worry, Elon. I will do all this legally and peacefully. No reason to shut down my blog and toss me in the Gulag.)

3. What will you read next? I don't know.