June Challenge -- Day 30

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30. What do consider the best thing about starting a blog?

It's a real-time snapshot of my life. It reflects my real self, in all my wisdom and folly. I think it helps me be a better person.

June Challenge -- Day 29

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29. What bit of advice would you give to your 8 year old self? 

I'd tell Little Gal three things:
1) Don't worry, as an adult you will never really need math.
2) Your best friend right now will be your best friend for life, so take care of her.
3)  Yes, Paul McCartney will indeed turn out to be the great love of your life.

June Challenge -- Day 28

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28. What did you want to be when you were a kid, teenager, now? First I wanted to be a teacher. I think that's because it was one of the only jobs commonly held by women in those days. Then, during my That Girl period, I wanted to be an actress/singer, like Anne Marie. During Watergate, I wanted to be a crusading investigative journalist. When things at home became untenable, I decided to be a secretary so I could make enough money to move out.

I always wrote long letters, kept journals, noodled with novellas. So, when I was a secretary at Sears, and someone offered me the copywriter's test, it felt very natural and a career was born.

I wanted to prove I could be a creative director, so in that way I was like Peggy on Mad Men. I'm so sorry the show ended when it did. I mean, Peggy and I went through the secretarial pool together, stupidly fell into bed with men from work, had creative director/mentors and then became creative directors ourselves, and ... damn! No more episodes! Without Peggy, how can I predict what my next chapter will hold?

June Challenge -- Day 27

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27. If you could turn into any animal for a day, which one would you pick? My cat Reynaldo. I got him when he was still a kitten, just 6 months old, so I know he's had a very comfortable life. I'd love to know what goes on in that mad little beige cranium of his. Sometimes he is so loving and sweet, and other times he seems so frustrated with me. Like something is compelling him to be naughty. If I could be him for a day, and see the world through his eyes, maybe I could make his life better.

June Challenge -- Day 26

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26. What’s your favorite store to browse in? Macy's on State Street. It's huge, has restaurants and a food court, so it's like a mall all in one convenient location. Housewares, baby clothes, make up, jewelry, sun glasses, career wear, casual wear, books, greeting cards, Frango mints ... If I'm looking for it, odds are very good I'll find it right here. (Except for jeans. I buy my jeans at Carson's.)

The service, at least at this location, is a cut above. The prices are reasonable. The structure itself is an architectural gem. What's not to love?

June Challenge -- Day 25

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25. What are the 10 most significant events in your life?

The question isn't "good" or "bad." It's "significant." So here we go. Chronologically ...

1) Birth

2) Seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. That Sunday evening gave me the soundtrack of my life, and helped cement my relationship with my favorite uncle.

3) Being abused. I discussed it a bit on Day 5 of the Challenge. I don't feel like rehashing it this morning.

4) Choosing to be an administrative assistant at Sears, rather than at Loyola Hospital. Working in Sears Tower not only fulfilled my youthful ambition to be downtown every day, it gave me a gateway into advertising.

5) Volunteering at Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society. It gave the problems of animal overpopulation and abuse sweet little furry faces. It haunts but it galvanizes, too.

6) Falling in love, and choosing to stay in a toxic relationship. I wasted my 20s.

7) Leaving that relationship. At least I'm educable!

8) Joining my church. It's fulfilling, and it makes me a better person, to have a spiritual home where I genuinely belong.

9) Buying this condo. I was over 40, but it made me feel like I'd finally grown up.

10) John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign. I dialed. I photocopied. I handwrote letters. I filed. I answered phones. I rallied. I did whatever was asked of me. I poured my time and money and heart and soul into it in support of a man I still completely admire. I learned a lot. I cried a lot. I did it for my country and I'm proud of it.* I also worked on Walter Mondale's, Bill Clinton's and Barack Obama's campaigns, but I really clocked the hours and made the commitment for Kerry.

*And it's why I have so little patience for rabid Sanders supporters whose dedication extends no further than preaching to the choir on social media. "Don't just do something, sit there." They'll never support Hillary? Big deal. What did they actually do for Bernie?

June Challenge -- Day 24

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24. Pick one food item and beverage to live on forever.

I can change the bun and the garnishes when I get bored. (With the steak sandwich. I never get tired of Coke.)

June Challenge -- Day 23

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23. Put your iPod on shuffle and talk about the first 10 songs that pop up. 

1) Can't Help Falling in Love -- Elvis
2) Her Majesty -- The Beatles
3) It's Over -- Dusty Springfield
4) Honey Pie -- The Beatles
5) King Creole -- Elvis
6) I Wanna Marry You -- Bruce Springsteen
7) Touch Me in the Morning -- Diana Ross
8) Another Night -- Aretha Franklin
9) Don't Pass Me By -- The Beatles
10) Comin' In and Out of Your Life -- Barbra Streisand

This list amuses me because it just so happens to include my all-time favorite artists. I've got many one-hit wonder artists on my iPod, but they aren't here.

Obviously these aren't the best Beatle efforts, but I do have affection for them. And I included a link to the Streisand song. Babs often gets slammed for being a technical vocalist, who can be devoid of emotion. Well, with this song, she'll break your heart.

June Challenge -- Day 22

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22. Talk about your obsessions. Hey, hey! Holy mackerel! No doubt about it! It's a great year to be a Cub fan!

Jake Arrieta! Rizzo and Bryant! Joe Maddon! Could I love my guys any more? No, I could not.

I believe this could actually be THE YEAR!

June Challenge -- Day 21

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21. Who do you consider your best friend right now in life? I guess it's my friend who lives in the Keys. He always sees the best in me. During this trying year, that unconditional love has been such a ballast.

June Challenge -- Day 20

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20. Talk about the first time learning about sex. My mom first introduced the topic when I was in first grade. She sat down on the side of the tub when I was bathing and tried to explain it. I was completely uninterested, fascinated as I was at that time with my fragrant tub toys from the Avon catalog. (I especially liked my pink whale that squirted shampoo from the blow hole.)

The thing I remember most about it was my mom's concluding line, that after mommies and daddies have sex they never talk about it -- not to anyone! I think she was afraid I'd give seminars at the playground. But still, it struck me as an odd thing to say, both then and now.

June Challenge -- Bringing It Up to Date

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16. If you could go into an alternate universe, where would you go and what would it look like? This is hard for me because I don't like fantasy or scifi. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter simply do not interest me. So instead I'd like to revisit a Nanowrimo I wrote years ago, imagining my life at 50 with each of the men I loved and thought I wanted to be with forever. It was a very enlightening exercise. Playing it out in my head, I had to admit that none of the scenarios was particularly comfortable for me. If I'm honest with myself, I realize that my life's turned out exactly the way it was always supposed to.

17.  What can you guarantee will always be there?

18.  What’s your passion? Books and cats. :)

19.  Write a letter to yourself in 30 years. I hope that, at age 86, you're still independent and cognizant. Otherwise, I hope you're not still here.

June Challenge -- Days 14 and 15

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14. What do you notice when you're casually observing people? I take public transportation a lot, and I like to see how my fellow commuters while away the time. Talking to one another, talking on their phones, texting on their phones, reading books, occasionally dozing off ... no one (but me) reads the newspaper on the train anymore, and no one flips through magazines.

15. What would you say to Michael Jackson? First of all, this is a very odd question. But secondly, I'd ask him how he could have screwed Sir Paul over like that. Buying the Beatles catalog out from under his "friend" was a crappy thing for Michael Jackson to do.

June Challenge-- Playing Catch Up

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That's me on the left

10. What are your bad habits? I'm a slob and a packrat. Because of the burgeoning bug problem, I haven't been able to donate my stuff when I part with it. I've had to throw it away. It's very hard for me. For once I arrive home, I hate doing work of any kind, and housework is by its very name "work." And because I hate waste. Throwing away a bag of t-shirts that were still wearable caused me nearly physical pain. And I have very low standards. As long as no one sees how I live, I truly don't care.

11. What do you think is something worth dying for? To save something smaller and more vulnerable. Though I must admit this was a hard one to answer. Nothing came instantly to mind.

12. What would you say is your biggest fear in general? Air travel! I'm very proud that I made it to and from Muskegon this past weekend without the assistance of Xanax.

13. If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change and why? I would want the United States to wake up and institute common sense gun laws. That whole argument about how the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is for a good guy to have a gun was proven wrong this past weekend. An armed, uniformed off-duty policeman didn't stop a mad man from mowing down over 100 people. What will it take to wake us up?