September Challenge -- Day 29

Not to be confused with me

Have you broken the law? How so?

I actually did once. I jaywalked in the Loop and a policeman followed me in his squad car calling to me from his loudspeaker. "Lady in the black coat! Wait!" It was a one-way street and I just turned and walked the other way (a benefit to being a pedestrian that drivers don't have) and trotted off, pretending I didn't hear him. He called me over and over again, presumably to scold me. I guess I wasn't heinous enough to merit the siren. Sorry. I know this isn't exactly Bonnie Parker stuff here.

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September Challenge -- Days 27 and 28

Day 27: Were you a good listener today (Sunday)?

This makes me smile because -- except for a text exchange with my oldest friend, a "thanks" to the woman who bagged my groceries and a brief chat with my neighbor in the laundry room -- I literally spoke to no one on Sunday. Since we've been stuck sitting in this "Clown Car" ("open seating," with four of us one on top of the other) and I feel pitifully exposed and painfully public Monday-Friday, I enjoy my alone time even more. So no, I was not a good listener on Sunday. And that's all right with me.


Day 28: I never _______________

Relax much these days. Things have slowed down some at work, but the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. I should have seen this coming. After all, when I told my boss about my issues with Christine the Mole and he assured me he'd take care of them, I knew this meant he'd have to let her know I complained. Now Christine and The New Girl are treating me like I'm toxic. I was right to do what I did. I don't regret it. I just wish I knew how to NOT let the tension in. I've been doing this for decades, and the office politics still get to me.

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September Challenge -- Day 26

Day 26: What made today worthwhile?


I had lunch with my nephew and gave him his birthday present. This shirt was the centerpiece. He loves Stephen Colbert so much. I also got him M&Ms personalized with his picture and cheese-flavored salt twists made to look like worm larvae. And a little cash.

We celebrated at his favorite restaurant, a glorified hot dog stand that also sells pizza. On the way over, we stopped in front of a stranger's house for photos. Him with a gift bag, a dumpster and some decorative gourds. It amused him. "People will ask, 'whose porch is that?' and I'll say, 'I don't know.'" That amused him enormously.


Over lunch we talked about his new hero, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. I told him I still suspect the GOP nominee will be Marco Rubio, and that seemed to make him feel better. The anti-Muslim, homophobic rhetoric of Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee was very disturbing to him. I like that he thinks about this stuff, and from such a heart-centered way.

He's proud of how well he's doing in his AP courses, but the class he's enjoying most is English. They're reading A Separate Peace. It made him happy that I remembered and loved that book, too.

He's smart, he's good, he's funny. He feels the same way about me. No wonder time spent together felt worthwhile.

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September Challenge -- Days 24 and 25

Day 24: What I wish I could have skipped today (Thursday)?

That jaw-dropping moment when my boss told me I could not have 10/8 off, after all.

When I requested the day, saying that I had been saving a handful of days of to celebrate my Cub playoff victories, he was very cavalier and said, "They're your days. Take 'em whenever you want."

Until I try to take one.

The client will be here on 10/8 and he wants me to do a presentation about The Big Project.

It's so unfair I could cry in frustration. No one else on this team has ever had to reschedule a vacation day.

Day 25: Was I in control of this day?

Pretty much. Since my boss spoke to Christine the Mole, things have been going more smoothly. That includes a meeting today that I kind of insisted we have, and it went well.

September Challenge -- Days 22 and 23

First baseman Rizzo & a snow leopard

Day 22: If I could change today (Tuesday), would I?

Ultimately, no. Because the Cubs won, Jake Arrieta became the first pitcher in the NL this year to win 20 games, and Kris Bryant broke Billy Williams' Cub rookie/homerun record. I mean, really! How can you want to walk away from all that fabulousness?

It was a little wild on the field before play even started. Manager Joe Maddon invited a zoo and an aquarium to Wrigley Field with animals and hosted a petting zoo instead of batting practice. His unorthodox methods certainly are working. Love this team!

Day 23: I believe ...

... that God has a plan for all of us.
I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet.
And I believe that the current President of the Church, Thomas Monson, speaks directly to God.
I am a Mormon.
And dangit, a Mormon just believes.

(My favorite song from Book of Mormon.)

September Quiz -- Days 20 and 21

Day 20: What pressure did you feel today?

Choosing between Cubs/Cardinals and my movie Meetup (Psycho on the big screen!). I realize how ridiculous it is to think that I have any impact on the outcome of an MLB game, so I went to the movie. And the Cubs lost. AAARGH!

Day 21: The last gift I've received was ...

Thinking of the Cubs (and I have been doing that a lot lately) ... My aunt gave me a copy of Calico Joe, the John Grisham novel that revolves around the 1970s Chicago Cubs. It's a moving little book and I highly recommend it.

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September Quiz -- Day 19

Day 19: OMG!

Oh, my God, I'm interested in numbers! And I hate math more than I hate nuclear war.

Right now the two numbers obsessing me are 5 and 0.5.

5 = Five straight wins, and against the two teams the Cubs need most to beat: The Pirates and the Cards.

0.5 = Games we are behind the Pirates. This is important because it's becoming rather obvious that the Cubs and the Pirates are going to meet for a one-game wildcard playoff ... and the team with the best record gets home field advantage. Naturally, I want that all-important game to happen here:

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September Quiz -- Days 16, 17 and 18

Day 16: The last party I went to was thrown by:

I don't recall. I truly can't think of the last party I attended.

Day 17: What went perfectly about my day?

That would, of course, be my Cubs! My heroes in blue are enjoying a late-season surge, and it's given me playoff fever.

Day 18: How old do I feel?

Right now, at this moment, I feel like a woman in her 50s. (Which I am.)

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Ssptember Quiz -- Day 15

The last thing I said to another person was... 


"Thank you" to the conductor who punched my train ticket.


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September Challenge -- Days 12, 13 and 14

Day 12: The computer I use most is:

My MacBook Pro. It's more than 7 years old now and I worry that one day it's just going to go kaput on me. :( It's filthy because Joey loves to rub up against it. I can see fur under the keys and just know the slot for DVDs/CDs must be full of it. Yet he's 20, and I don't have the heart to refuse him anything his feline heart desires. So if he wants to cuddle on the warmth of this computer ...

Day 13: How did you spend your free time today?

Cubs baseball through my headphones as I walked to the other side of town. I got a pair of expensive but environmentally solid lightbulbs (because they last so long, I always forget how they cost -- almost $20 for 2!) at the hardware store and then stopped at the ice cream store for a scoop of cinnamon. The stores on this path tend to be mom and pops (though Starbucks and Subway are still represented) and I always enjoy the vibe. I should head over there more often.

Day 14: Were you stressed today? Why?


My day has barely started and I'm already stressed.  The Big Project and Christine the Mole. Sigh.

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September Challenge -- Days 9 and 10 and 11

Day 9: Does anyone owe me money?

I suppose. My oldest friend and I are going to Las Vegas for my birthday in November, and I've paid for the hotel and the show with my credit card. I know she'll pay me back when we're out there.

Day 10: When is the last time I intentionally wasted a day?

I waste days often, and then feel bad about it. Maybe I should just admit that I'm going to do nothing and spare myself the guilt.

Day 11: What is your favorite gadget?
I'm writing on it.  I love my MacBook Pro.

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September Challenge -- Day 8

My life would be easier if ... 

I had staff. I wish I had people. Someone to make my dinner, handle my bills and other paperwork, and clean my house.

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September Challenge -- Day 7

The last thing I felt guilty about ... 

How enthusiastically I tore into this issue of People. For if the term, "rest in peace" means anything, it should apply to poor Rosemary Kennedy. Yet Kennedys still sell, and I'm a dedicated Kennedy consumer. So I consumed. At least I'm a subscriber, so I didn't contribute to incremental sales.

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September Challenge -- Day 6

Six things I didn't do today

Three things I should have done today ... 

1) Scrub the tub
2) Vacuum the living room
3) Flip the pad on the futon

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September Challenge -- Day 5

The last doctor's appoint I made was for ... 

My annual physical. Unfortunately I had to cancel it because of jury duty and I never got around to rescheduling it because of The Big Project.

But I must reschedule it next week because, well, this old gray mare just ain't what she used to be. I tire so easily. I'm so much more short-tempered than I should be. I think a lot of this is that I don't get the exercise I need. But it could be something more, either something more serious or (hopefully) something very easily treated. I'd like to get my quality of life back.

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September Challenge -- Day 4

Where would you like to go? I have two answers to this question ...

First, what I thought this morning when I first read it. I want to get away! I want to wake up in a hotel room. I want to eat a big breakfast someone else made. I want to wander streets where no one knows me. I want to have an adventure. I want to learn something. I'm thinking of going Presidential. Maybe to the Lincoln Library in Springfield. Or the Truman Library in Independence. Whatever's cheapest.

Then, what I thought of when I sat down to answer. I want some peanuts and Crack-er Jack. I don't care if ever get back! So if I'm going to escape, I better wait until after the season is over. I can't be away from this Cub team for a moment.

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September Challenge -- Day 3

What's the most recent thing you have learned? I knew that Watergate had a huge impact on my world view, but I didn't realize how it effected my vocabulary. Two phrases I use all the time at work were introduced during the Watergate scandal.

Plausible deniability. The term used in the Executive Branch when wanting to distance themselves from an action taken by underlings. They may have clearly wanted the dirty trick or break-in to occur, but they didn't want any evidence that they knew about it in advance. I use this at work, when people around me want to rewrite copy that's already been approved by the client and their attorneys. I tell my coworkers I don't want to know about it so I can maintain my plausible deniability.

Twisting in the wind. When Patrick Gray had been nominated for the head of the FBI, John Ehrlichman, Nixon's White House Counsel, intentionally let the confirmation hearings go on ... and on ... and on ... even though everyone in the Executive Branch knew Gray would never be confirmed. According to the infamous tapes, Ehrlichman felt it would be better to let Gray "twist slowly, slowly in the wind," like a body at the end of a hangman's noose, because at least while the hearings were going on, no one was talking about Watergate. When I feel vulnerable and completely without support, I say I've been left twisting in the wind.

I learned this stuff while reading Evan Thomas' riveting, and so sad, biography Being Nixon.

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September Challenge -- Day 2

What are you questioning? The care my oldest friend is receiving, 2000 miles away in Los Angeles. Her shrink has diagnosed her as bipolar and resistant to medication. An MD with a prescription pad, this doctor has her on a cocktail of at least three medications. This is in addition to the pills she takes for her heart and the antibiotics she takes for the tenacious infection she contracted when hospitalized a few years back.

Here's the thing: she's not doing any better. In fact, she's worse. With all those drugs coursing through her veins, she's no better.

I've told her I think she needs a new team. She needs a GP with balls, who can oversee her treatment in its entirety. She needs a second opinion on the bipolar diagnosis. She needs hope. She needs to know every morning when she wakes up depressed that this isn't the way the rest of her life will be.

I know this may sound presumptuous from someone who has no letters after her name, but I have known her since we were in Kindergarten and I REFUSE to let her go under. My instinct is powerful, and it's telling me she needs more and better than she's getting. I'm going to keep questioning and keep challenging until I see improvement.

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September Challenge -- Day 1

What decision do you wish you didn't have to make?

The bad part of sharing your home and heart with animals is that they never live as long as you need them to. It was Memorial Day weekend last year that I had to put my beloved girlcat, Charlotte, to sleep. That decision was wrenching.

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September Challenge

Courtesy of Kwizgiver