Found tucked in the corner

As I continue to pack up my office, I came upon the following fortune, which is all that's left of a long-ago Panda carry-out lunch.

YOU ARE NEVER SELFISH WITH
YOUR ADVICE OR YOUR HELP.

I like that, and I hope it's true.

I've been Minnie Mouse and Harpo Marx, but never this

You Should Be a Werewolf

You are seen as a bit tough and quite unpredictable. You follow your impulses. You see Halloween as a time you can go a little crazy. You love to scare people, and people are quite scared of you. You tend to be intimidating - and not just on Halloween!

What Classic Halloween Costume Should You Wear?

This is just CRUEL

Read the message that just arrived in this loyal Cub fan's email box! The wound is never going to heal if people don't quit picking at the scab.

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I'm packing up my files ... but will I unpack them?

My agency keeps breathlessly telling us how terrific it will be for this account when we're all on the same floor. The Big Move is supposed to happen later this week. I have seen the floor chart and yes, I do have an office assignment. But the thought keeps nagging me ... how long will I actually reside in my new office? I am keeping all my personal items separate from the work items in case it'll just be easier to have those shipped to my house if/when the axe swings.

Sunday Stealing -- The Meme about Memes & Blogging

How do you feel about being tagged for memes? Usually I like it because it's fun to respond to questions that have no wrong answer.

Do you participate in any regular weekly memes? Which ones? Thursday Thirteen, Tuesday Tunes, Sunday Stealing, Saturday 9 ...

Have you found any bloggers that you began to read regularly after participating in a meme with them? Yes. That's how I've found most of my regulars, or how they have found me.

Do you know of any readers who found you through a meme and became regular readers? See above. (I guess this proves that I don't read these before I start answering.)

Did you find any favorite blogs through comments or blogrolls on others’ blogs? No.

Did you find any favorite blogs from someone else’s recommendation? No.

If you comment on someone’s blog, do you expect a response? If so, do you prefer that response to come through an e-mail, a comment from them on the same post, or a a comment on your blog? While I enjoy them, I don't expect a response. People are busy!

Do you ever struggle with your blogging “voice”? No. I'm a writer by trade and am sometimes more comfortable at the keyboard than away from it.

Are there certain types of blogs that attract you? I love finding I share insights, interests, opinions, etc., with people whose lives don't necessarily resemble mine. I guess ultimately more does unite us than divides us.

Are there certain types of blogs that repel you? Racial/ethnic "humor." Hate talk. And nothing is worse than hate talk disguised as Christianity. (I take my faith seriously, and my Lord is about love.)
What time of day do you usually blog? When I'm bored at work or can't sleep.

Do your family and friends know about your blog? Do they read it? Do they mind if you mention them? Do they suggest posts for it? I try to keep this blog a secret. It began as a journal, and personal journals lose their impact and effectiveness if I pull my punches. But I don't want to hurt anyone, either. So SHHHH!

To play along yourself, or compare your answers to other bloggers', click here.

Grudging fondness for our erstwhile First Lady

After reading American Wife and seeing W, I find myself strangely supportive of a woman I hadn't given much thought to before, Laura Bush.

I find First Ladies fascinating. Like Betty Ford, was this or that First Lady thrust into a spotlight that neither she nor her husband ever anticipated? Or, like Jackie Kennedy, was she given a heads up and just didn't believe it could ever happen? (A Catholic President! Whoever heard of such a thing?) Was she a helpmate to her husband through the painful times, like Lady Bird Johnson, or a distraction, like Mary Lincoln? Did acting as a full partner, like Awesome Abigail Adams, strengthen their marriage or complicate it, like Eleanor Roosevelt? What the hell is going on with the Clintons, anyway, and how would Bill have handled the role of First Gent?

But Laura Bush has always seemed, at best, annoying. Positioned as "the anti-Hillary," she seemed aggressively bland and uninvolved. Proud to have no thoughts of her own, just standing by her man.

The woman who emerges from these current fictionalized depictions of her life is wise, a little sad, tested by life and truly and deeply in love with her husband. While I cannot IMAGINE spending 20 minutes with George W. Bush, much less a lifetime, she can. I respect and admire her for seeming to make her marriage work in the most difficult of circumstances. The part of me that still believes in true love hopes these fictionalized accounts are true.

Saturday 9 -- You Wear It Well

1. What are your favorite shoes? A completely adorable pair of Enzo Angiolini black flats. They're a cross between Mary Janes and ballet slippers and I love them.

2. What does your favorite shirt or blouse look like? It's a pale blue Eileen Fisher sweater set, tank and cardigan. With slacks it's dressy, with jeans it's business caz.

3. What does your favorite tee shirt say on it? "Books. Cats. Life Is Good." As it looks more likely that I'll be laid off, it's good to remember the simple things that make me happy.

4. Do you think you look better in casual or business attire? Casual. When I'm in serious business attire, I feel like I'm in "grown up drag."

5. What do you sleep in? Either just my panties or panties and a nightshirt. This week's nightshirt bears a big bright picture of Lucy Riccardo.

6. Do you wear expensive sneakers? I pay between $50 and $75 -- that's mid-range, right? The pair nearest me right now is by Ryka. (I never put my shoes away.)

7. What is your favorite hat? That would be the only one I have -- a Burberry bucket I wear on rainy days to keep my hair from frizzing and going booiiinggg!

8. Your preference for men: Boxers or briefs? Briefs -- and I like deep colors, too.

9. Your preference for women: Suits or dresses? Ew, ick! I'd prefer to wear slacks ad jeans. (Unless I'm waiting for Mad Men's Don Draper in the ladies' lounge. Sigh …)

To play along yourself, click here.

My theory about Caylee Anthony

This case -- featured on the cover of the new PEOPLE -- continues to both fascinate and haunt me.

The mom and now defendant, Casey Anthony, is a pathological liar and an amazing nut job. The grandmother, Cindy Anthony, is more than a little bizarre herself. The dogged investigators keep relentlessly pursuing clues and piecing the puzzle together. Most of all, there's Caylee, the bewitching missing victim, a tiny brown-eyed girl who captured the heart of all who have met her (except perhaps, tragically, her mom).

Here's my theory: Mom Casey -- unemployed party girl -- couldn't afford a sitter but couldn't bear to spend a single night without male attention. So she would take Caylee with her and, to make sure she slept quietly in the car while Mom partied on, Casey would dose Caylee with chloroform. One night, she simply used too much.

She paniced and tried to make Caylee's death looks like a more blameless, more easily understandable, accident by leaving her in the backyard pool. For whatever reason, that didn't work and she had to move the body again. Stuffing her child in the trunk, Caylee drove around and found a spot in the woods. She settled on a secluded spot and disposed of little Caylee.

Caylee. Poor Caylee. I hope her passing was painless, and that she's at peace.

My hero

What with my post-Cub depression and stock market panic and job fears, I have suffered a loss without allowing myself to absorb it.

I will never see Greg Maddux pitch again.

My favorite Cub of all time very likely played his last game in the Dodgers' loss to the Phillies on Wednesday night. I miss him already. What will my Aprils be like from now on?

Four Cy Young Awards, 355 wins, more Gold Gloves than any other pitcher has won ever …

He said of his role as Dodger reliever in these playoff games, "I felt privileged to do it. I was glad I had a chance to pitch."

It was a privilege to watch him pitch all these years, too.

I'm scared

Yesterday was not a good day for me.

I have spent weeks working on a presentation, trying to get it right, fighting the good fight internally so we could give our client the best possible solutions. Wednesday evening, as I was leaving the office to go home and get some sleep, I learned that our client was slashing budgets and most likely wouldn't be able to launch the initiative we were presenting and proposing for January 2009.

Even scarier -- They weren't sure they were going to have the money to use it at all during 2009.

If the client doesn't need what I create, the agency I work for doesn't need me.

So I had to get up at 5:00 AM to ride for hours to present something I worked hard on that may very well end up be totally unusable.

Got home to find my 401(k) statement. I have lost $4,085 over the last three months.

Then I went to my condo association meeting. My proposed assessment for 2009 is 10% more.

So I could soon be an unemployed 50 year old woman who works in an industry that is really hurting right now. My retirement account is dwindling the same way my job prospects are. I have too much credit card debt and can expect increased expenses when I may be relying on decreased income.

Let's be real: If I wasn't scared, I'd be an idiot.

The plus side: I have 8 months' worth of expenses in the bank (though not all FDIC insured ...). I just made my April 2009 mortgage payment. Much of my Christmas shopping is already done (I buy things throughout the year as I come upon them). I already have the funds for my mom's 2009 Medicare Part B insurance and snow removal service. Most of my holiday trip to Key West is already paid for, so no matter what, I won't have to cancel that.

So it's not as bad as it could be. But still, I'm scared. And since the job market is so crappy, there is precious little I can do about it, except to tighten my belt and try to calm down.

Breathe … breathe … breathe … sleep … sleep … sleep …

Thursday Thirteen #89 -- The New Millennium's Biggest Bombs

THIRTEEN OF HOLLYWOOD'S
LEAST SUCCESSFUL MOVIES

If you’re thinking of investing money somewhere safer than the stock market, forget the movie business. While there is always a lot of publicity about the movies that break records for making money (Titanic, The Dark Knight), there are even more movies that lose a staggering, embarrassing amount of money.

Here are some of the bigger bombs in recent film history. What makes this list interesting is that many have big stars and rather sound premises. With so many Oscar nominees/Oscar winners on this list, I bet on paper many of these projects looked like solid bets. Yet as a moviegoer, you may not have heard of some of these films, because they were so unsuccessful they didn’t play very long at the local cineplex.

Who keeps track of the industry’s big losers? That would be Tim Dirks of Filmsite.org.

1. Sahara (2003) Starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz searching for treasure. Budget: $145 to $160 million. Total gross: $103.2 million.

2. Catwoman (2004) Starring Halle Berry and Benjamin Bratt as the feline supermenace and the cop on her tail. Budget: $85 million. Total gross: $82 million.

3. Around the World in 80 Days (2004) This remake starred Jackie Chan, with appearances by Luke and Owen Wilson, Kathy Bates and Rob Schneider. Budget: $110 million. Total gross: $72.2 million.

4. The Alamo (2004) Remake starring Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett and Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston. Budget: $95 million. Total gross: $22.4 million.

5. Gods and Generals (2003) Civil War saga starring Jeff Daniels and Robert Duval. Budget: $56 to $70 million. Total gross: $12.9 million.

6. Gigli (2003) Remember Bennifer? This is the movie that starred Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Budget: $54 million. Total gross: $6.1 million.

7. From Justin to Kelly (2003) Starring American Idols Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini. Budget: $12 million. Total gross: $4.9 million.

8. Windtalkers (2002) Starring Nicholas Cage as a WWII general who guards the Native Americans who coded transmissions. Budget: $115 million. Total gross: $77.6 million.

9. Disney’s Treasure Planet (2002) Animated and futuristic treatment of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Budget: $140 million. Total gross: $91.8

10. Swept Away (2002) Madonna as a rich-bitch socialite who finds herself shipwrecked with only an employee she’s treated very badly for help and company. Budget: $10 million. Total gross: $599,000

11. Glitter (2001) Mariah Carey plays a rising pop star. Budget: $22 million. Total gross: $4.3 million.

12. Town & Country (2001) Starring Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Gary Shandling and Goldie Hawn as a pair of married couples with fidelity issues. I actually saw this one! I’m sorry I did. Budget: $90 to $105 million. Total gross: $10.4 million.

13. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) A sci-fi comedy starring Eddie Murphy as the title character. Budget: $100 million. Total gross: $7.1 million.

Please note: Thursday is going to be a jam-packed workday for me,
so forgive me if I don't visit your TT as quickly as I normally would.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Me and her

There's a woman I work with who I have lovingly dubbed "The Freakazoid Bitch." She's responsible for either canning my best friend or at the very least not coming to his aid. That's not the only reason she bugs me. She is also loud, she wields her power too zealously and is very immersed in office politics. I neither like nor trust her. She neither likes nor trusts me.

So why is it that when things go badly for her, she actually seeks me out?

First it was when her boss was let go. She told me about it in advance as we went to the announcement meeting together (she came looking for me) and confessed she was scared that she would be next. Today she made a point of telling me how scared she was about a letter she got from the IRS.

This is very weird. I like us better when we're busy not liking nor trusting each other.

Tuesday Tunes #14

This week we want you to do a mini review of your favorite album of the moment. Talk it up, tell us why you love it and why we should listen!

My current favorite CD is Peace, Love and BBQ by Marcia Ball. It's her latest album, just came out this spring, and it was my introduction to her.

She's a piano-based boogie-woogie blues queen. These songs take her through a variety of moods -- festive ("Party Town"), sexy ("My Heart and Soul" and "Falling Back in Love with You"), even evangelical fervor ("Miracle in Knoxville").

Her sound is unique, her band is tight, her lyrics are witty. After I committed this one to memory, I went out and got her performance CD, Live! Down the Road. I look forward to catching up on more of her work. (Though when she does it, it definitely sounds more like "play.")

To read more reviews, and play along yourself, click here.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Bands/Artists that Remind You of High School

I'm a member of the Class of 75

1. Elton John
2. Alice Cooper
3. James Taylor
4. Carly Simon
5. Barry White
6. Grand Funk Railroad
7. Electric Light Orchestra
8. Olivia Newton John
9. The Carpenters

… and my favorite …
10. Paul McCartney & Wings. (I still love Band on the Run and Venus and Mars.)

To play along yourself, click here.

The self-proclaimed "pit bull with lipstick" snaps

Sarah Palin bites the hand that supports her. (BTW, I'm linking back to Fox News so you can see I'm "fair and balanced.")

RICHMOND, Va. -- Sarah Palin mistook some of her own fans for hecklers Monday as a rally that drew thousands.

A massive crowd of at least 20,000 spread across the parking lot of Richmond International Raceway, and scores of people on the outer periphery more than 100 yards from the stage could not hear.

"Louder! Louder!" they began chanting, and the cry spread across the crowd to Palin's left. Some pointed skyward, urging that the volume be increased.

Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.

"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.

Some in the crowd tried to shout toward her what was really being said, but she couldn't hear them.

Some in the crowd had stood in place for more than three hours on a sunny day without shade. Paramedics provided aid to several people who passed out in the press of people. The exact nature and number of the ailments was not immediately clear from Henrico County authorities.

Sending my mind to the happy place

I'm having a rather rough day here at work, so I'm trying to calm myself on this unseasonably warm (77º) autumn day by dreaming of a white Christmas, and the gifts I ordered for my best friend.

He took his family to London and Paris for Spring Break, and I'm giving him/them mementos of that wonderful trip that are suitable for hanging on their Christmas tree.

These glass ornaments were hand-crafted and hand-painted in Austria. London, especially the subway, was what impressed his daughters most, so I'm happy to see "Mind the Gap" on the London one.

I wanted to be Jackie, but this ain't bad, either

Thanks to Cupcake (aka Bette Davis) to turning me on to this quiz.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

"Nobody's young anymore"

So says Chance Wayne to past-her-prime Alexandra Del Lago in Sweet Bird of Youth. Watching this 1962 movie today, after what we know becomes of both Geraldine Page and Paul Newman is especially poignant.

While the play as written lost some punch when it was adapted to the screen, this was a provocative and risky project in 1962. Still, I'm glad their performances -- and their youth -- are preserved on screen for us to enjoy forever.

Sunday Stealing #6

The "Sometimes" Meme: All you have to do is finish the sentence...

Sometimes I just need: a shot of caffeine

Sometimes I want: a little more alone time

Sometimes I like to: pamper myseslf (massage, pedi, etc.)

Sometimes all it takes: is guts

Sometimes I picture: my best friend back here with me

Sometimes I wish: I was better organized

Sometimes I find: earrings under my dresser

Sometimes I take: too long in the shower

Sometimes I look: like a fat pigeon

Sometimes I hate: the people in the health club locker room (Do your iPod, water bottle and dirty towel REALLY need to take up so much space on the bench that I can't sit down?)

Sometimes it’s nice: to have a drink at lunch (shhh!)

Sometimes it hurts: to think of how my mom has aged since her illness earlier this year

Sometimes it makes me happy: to put other people first

Sometimes it’s sad: to see how different -- how much uglier -- John McCain is as a candidate than he was as Senator ("straight talk," my ass). So disappointing. I hope for the nation's sake that he can put that hateful "domestic terrorist" genie back in the bottle.

Sometimes I listen: to real crap on my iPod (like the Partridge Family) and hope that the person sitting next to me on the el doesn't identify it

Sometimes I sleep: on the sofa

Sometimes I like to watch: Batman reruns. They're a riot. (POW! ZAP!) I just forget when they're on.

Sometimes I feel: so much younger than my age that I wonder where the years have gone

Sometimes I rant: about religious intolerance. Some noisier members of the hellfire-and-brimstone Religious Right seem to be perverting my faith, which is dear to me, and it makes me NUTS!

Sometimes I never: want to talk to anyone all weekend and just be a hermit from Friday PM to Monday AM

Sometimes I really: wish I could end up in the ladies' room lounge with Don Draper (sigh). If you're a fan of Mad Men, you know where his hand is. It's enough to make a gal start wearing skirts again.

To see how other bloggers responded, or to play along yourself, click here.

I always love Olivia & Elliott. Especially in this episode.

It's the episode from Law & Order: SVU last season* when Olivia ends up with Elliott's wife, Kathy, under the most trying circumstances, and helps deliver Elliott's baby.

We know why Olivia behaves with such gallantry, even if she would never admit it: She loves Elliott. Not just in a carnal way, though there is quite a bit of tension between them. Not just in a romantic way, though I sense there is plenty of "if only" longing between them. But also in an unselfish way. She wants what is best for her partner. At the end, when Elliott passes Olivia visiting Kathy and the new baby for the first time, he stops, turns and pulls her to him. Watching the cavalcade of emotions cross Olivia's face broke my heart.

In this episode, the sweetness and pain of their relationship was exquisite. I really want these detectives to "partner" in every way!

* I guess USA Network has been running an SVU marathon all day. Damn! I was wasting time out in the sunshine, moving among real people, when I could have been indoors, parked on the sofa, observing one of my favorite TV couples.

It's a $ign of the Times

Checked on one of my IRAs and it's gone down 14%. This particular IRA is the one I opened back in 2003 specifically for my cats. (Yes, my cats. The beneficiary is my oldest friend, who knows that if I die suddenly, she's to use the money to care for my fur family in my stead. Otherwise, I'm using it for my retirement.)

The bank that holds my mortgage (WAMU) is no more. Now this. I'm not checking on my 401(k), where most of money is, because it will just upset me.

I know, I know. This economy is hurting everyone. I'm probably luckier than some because I have at least a decade till retirement so I have time to see the stock market rebound and I'll probably make my money back (eventually). Even though I'm not feeling overly enthusiastic now, I suppose it's possible I could even turn a profit. While only about 20% of my portfolio is in bonds and annuities, they are both dependable in a bear market and have actually made me money (though not 14%).

Breathe deep. Stay calm. Be patient. And be cheap and pay with cash whenever possible.

Saturday 9 -- Return to Sender

1. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? Maybe 10 days ago. It was a letter to my Cousin Rose. I always write to both her and my friend in Key West. I like that it requires a little more work and thought.

2. Can you change the oil on a car? No. Fortunately, I don't have a car so it never comes up.

3. Name three things you have on you at all times. House keys. Epipen (I'm allergic to bee sting). Ring on my left hand (it has no sentimental meaning, I just feel naked without it).

4. What’s your life motto? "What man has done, man can do."

5. What’s a word that you say a lot? That would be the "f word."

6. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping on the sofa.

7. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? "Oh, that zit is still there." It feels like it went away, but the red spot is still visible.

8. Who is your worst enemy? To be completely honest, me.

9. What does your watch look like? I have three that I wear often -- one with a lilac "alligator" band, one with wide brown band, one with a black "leather" band. I also have a dressier silver watch with a blue face

To play along yourself, click here.

Everyone, please, stop being so hysterical about Obama and Ayers

As one who lives in the Chicagoland area, this story is such a freaking YAWN! Chicago has 2.5 daily newspapers (the 1/2 is the RedEye). 6.5 channels devote hours every day to news coverage (the 1/2 is CLTV). Everything Barack Obama has done or said over the last four years, ever since a star was born at the 2004 Democratic Convention (at the time he was running for Senate here in Illinois) has been examined by our local press.

THERE IS NOTHING TO
BARACK OBAMA'S RELATIONSHIP
WITH AYERS, FOLKS!

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

This is a city that lives and breathes scandal. This is the home of the Elliott Ness of The New Millennium, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. This is Illinois, where a Republican Governor is currently in prison and a Democratic Governor is about to be indicted. Evil doing is to reporters here what cat nip is to cats.

If there was anything of substance to the Ayers-Obama story, it would have originally come out during Obama's senate race.

More recently it was investigated again (here's a link to the Sun-Times story) when Hillary Clinton brought it up during the primaries. Nothing there, folks.

If this isn't enough for you, here's a link to the Woods Fund of Chicago's website, so you can see all the other heinous criminals who "associate" with William Ayers. They look like a dangerous crowd to me.

I am not minimizing anything Ayers and his wife, Bernadette Dohrn, did decades ago. I am minimizing Ayers' practically non-existant relationship with Obama.

Tony Rezko, that's another story. (You'll have to look that up yourself. I shouldn't have to do ALL your homework for you.) But McCain and Palin aren't emphasizing that, even though they might. It's not as easy to link "sleazy land deal" with "terrorist."

I hope that everyone sees this sad and dangerous act on McCain's part for what it is. When it comes to weighing a candidate's fitness to serve as President, I hope everyone remembers that McCain responds with cheap shots and half truths when things aren't going his way.

I can still blush

Last night I had a lovely dinner and a few drinks with my friend, John. I took the 9:40 commuter train home (it's safer than the el at that hour) and decided to occupy myself during the ride with American Wife. During a graphic sex scene, a younger woman took the seat beside me.

"Good book?" she asked.

"Huh? What? Yes, thanks," I said, feeling my cheeks turn scarlet.

The book is a fictionalized account of a certain First Lady, one who went from being a small town librarian to marrying the son of a wealthy, well-connected political family. Since I don't think of that woman as being highly sexual, I just didn't expect that passage. So I reacted the way a junior highschool boy would when his mom finds Playboy under his mattress.

To make it worse, my seatmate showed me her book. It was about the woman who played the role of muse for some painter I never heard of.

Ok, so I'm lower brow. But I bet my book ends up being more fun.

I wonder how many coworkers would agree ...

You Aren't A Diva

You don't like to cause a fuss or draw attention to yourself. You're easygoing, and you can even put up from diva behavior from others. This makes you everyone's favorite trusty companion. But watch out - it could also make you their favorite doormat.

Are You a Diva?

This just in! Another reason to be pro-Obama

Visit the Best Friends Animal Shelter website and read how, after the election, Barack and Michelle Obama are adopting a shelter dog for their daughters.

There are as many as 12 million dogs and cats in US shelters. As one who has always gotten her pets from shelters, I can assure you that they are just as loving as pedigreed dogs and cats. I'm thrilled that the Obamas are making adoption their first option.

Happy Birthday, John Lennon

He would be 68 years old today.

I miss what might have been. Would he still be singing? Or would he have concentrated on exploring his talents as an artist or a writer more fully?

I miss his candor and his creative fearlessness. He would not be one of those artists who believes in keeping his world view to himself so as not to polarize his audience. John seemed to be determined to make you declare whether you were with him or against him.

I miss seeing what he'd be like at 68. Would he be a vibrant example of "60 is the new 50," with an active, healthy lifestyle? Or would all the smoking and drinking and drugs have taken their toll? Would his turbulent soul have quieted a bit so he could enjoy this time of his life surrounded by cats and kids and other loved ones? (I hope so.)

I'm going to listen to my favorite solo Lennon song, "Watching the Wheels." If you're a fan, what song would you like to remember him with?

Feeling better about it all

This evening, after the workday had officially ended, I ran into that coworker (the one who has played such a big role in my days lately) in the ladies' room. Since most people had gone home, it was quiet and we weren't interrupted. I believe that we understand one another better now. She was pleasant -- as she always is -- but she didn't hold her cards as close to the vest. We discussed ways to help prevent this situation from happening again, and agreed that our differences aren't personal.

So three cheers for ladies' room detente!

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors

I had a bit of a confrontation with the goody-goody coworker I mentioned earlier. It wasn't much of a confrontation because that's not her style. I presented my concerns and supported them with a chart and background information and all she had was her opinion. I'm grateful that my creative teammates voiced their agreement with me. It took a little over an hour to get this all ironed out and it was stressful, but now it's behind us and we can concentrate on the work.

At least I hope it's behind us.

She's always so measured and controlled that I'm never sure what she's really thinking. My boss' door was closed for a while this morning and I was sure it was her complaining about me.

Oh, it was just me be silly/paranoid. Not only was she not complaining about me, it wasn't even her in my boss' office.

It would help, though, if she was a bit more genuine. Or if I just understood her better. Her inscrutability makes me nervous.

I'm sick of how much these two dislike each other

As I watch tonight's debate, Senators McCain and Obama are giving me a headache. Snipping and sniping. Please guys, just cut it out. It's really unpleasant to witness. I think the only way to get through this is to do a shot every time McCain calls the audience, "my friend."

Heads or Tails #18 -- Black or White

I haven't HoT'd for months, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty …

Today's theme is "Black OR White." I opt for black, and here are five songs that use "black," but not "white," in the lyrics;

Black Is Black -- Los Lobos. "Black is black, I want my baby back. It's gray, it's gray, since she went away. Oh-oh, what can I do? Cuz I'm feelin' blue."

Back to Black -- Amy Winehouse. "We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times. You go back to her, when I go back to black."

Paint It Black -- The Rolling Stones. "I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore, I want them to turn black."

Baby's in Black -- The Beatles. "Oh, dear! What can I do? Baby's in black and I'm feeling blue. Tell me, oh, what can I do?"

Black -- Pearl Jam. "All the pictures had been all been washed in black, tattooed everything."

To see how other bloggers responded, or to play yourself, click here.

See what last weekend did to Cub fans?

It's almost dawn and here I am, online and on the sofa, watching loyal Cub fan Vince Vaughn recreate the role of Norman Bates in Psycho.

I can't sleep.

I'm upset about work -- both in micro (I hate the revisions I have to make to this project) and macro (maybe I should just go along peacefully because the economy's bad and I don't want to lose this job) ways.

I miss my best friend.

I miss the Cubs.

I'm going to watch the end of the movie from bed. If I don't doze off soon, tomorrow morning is going to be brutal.

Why can't we all just think like me?

I have been clashing with a coworker. She is very blonde and very nice (in a completely superficial way, as in, "It's always so nice to see flowers on your desk!"). But she's a chocolate-covered spider -- she's just as willful as I am and wants her way just as badly. She's just sweeter about it.

I am creative and she is account. I am responsible for communicating our message to the public, she is responsible for making sure that I remain true to the strategy. On this project, she thinks I'm difficult and I think she's short-sighted.

I wish we had been able to wave our arms around and scream like the coworkers in this illustration. Hash it out, clear the air, and move on. Alas, that's not her style and so we talked in circles, realizing we reached an impasse. I promised to compromise and consider her input more seriously when I rework the concept tomorrow. And I will. But compromise is not capitulation. I owe our client the best possible product and I intend to deliver it.

Manic Monday #19

What is one thing you admire about each of your parents? My mother loves and respects animals. She showed us by example that our pets were members of the family and should be treated that way. My dad read a lot and enjoyed history. I got that from him.

Which parts of your home do you like best? The view from my living room window. I'm on the fourth floor and I look into a tree top and it's quite cool.

Which would you prefer and why? To have every stoplight turn green upon your arrival for the rest of your life or to have one week of the best sex any person ever had? Since I love the planet and wouldn't want to add to carbon emissions, I guess I'll have to take the 7 days of heavenly sex. That's OK. No need to thank me.

To play along yourself, click here.

Just when I'm in danger of feeling good about myself ...

… I see Kelly Ripa. I don't watch Regis & Kelly, but I am aware that she has 3 young children, a really hot husband (Mark Consuelos), and a great body. I see her on commercials for Wisk and home appliances. She always looks terrific in a natural, girl next door kinda way, even though she clearly has a busy life.

I'm a pudge who was too lazy to work out today. Today I cleaned my tiny kitchen and yesterday it was my teeny-tiny bathroom and was feeling virtuous. Then I saw that I still haven't replaced the shelf paper under the sink, even though I bought the new stuff at Ace Hardware back on July 14 (the receipt is still in the bag). My living room, bedroom and den are all messes.

Kelly Ripa is busier than I am and yet maintains her looks and her life. Kelly Ripa's house is clean. Kelly Ripa works out. I bet even when her hair is in the in-between growing out stage my hair is in, she knows how to blow it out so it still looks sleek.

I hate Kelly Ripa. Almost as much as I hate me.