Trifecta

This week's challenge: Using between 33 and 333 words, write a response including the third definition of the word: 

trou·ble noun \ˈtrə-bəl\

3 : an instance of trouble 

A Valentine for WLS-FM

“The True Oldies Channel!” 94.7 on her dial. That’s her go-to when she hurts. It doesn’t matter if she’s coping with one trouble or twenty. The Top 40 of days gone by can help cure what ails her.

Today it's cash flow that drives her to the radio. The paycheck she received on the 15^th simply won’t stretch all the way to the 30^th. She hadn't foreseen an increase in her annual homeowner’s insurance premium hitting at the same time her cat needed his 3-year rabies vaccination. If she had squandered her money on couture or cosmopolitans, it wouldn't feel this bad. But the expenses that vex her are mundane and it really weighs her down.

Still checkbook math is easier to master with while listening to the travails of that sailor sweetheart, Brandy, the one who's a fine girl. It’s comforting to know that singing Jenny-Jenny’s phone number – 867-5309 – still makes her smile.

She has no idea what Tommy Tutone looks like today. She can’t name a single member of Looking Glass. Yet just now they seem like dear friends and she is very grateful to them. When she hears them, she feels happier, more hopeful and even a little more capable.

Who knows?

I have been thinking about my oldest friend all day. And the impetus for all this reflection were a pair of wildly divergent TV shows: Joel Osteen's ministry and Mad Men.

I was too lazy to get to church today so I watched Joel Osteen's televised service. I like his sunny Christianity. I believe in it. You can have all the hell, fire and brimstone you can handle. I know my Lord loves me, that's why he sacrificed His son for me. He wants me to be happy. As Joel says, "God desires for me to experience joy where He placed me." So I'm fine praying with Osteen on Sunday.

And today his sermon could not have been more spot on for my oldest friend and me. For she's still troubled, still fragile, still surrounded by her troubled kids and the uninvolved cousin she moved 2000 miles to be near. First my shrink told me I'll be happier, and our relationship would be more peaceful, if I quit trying to run my oldest friend's life. But it's a trap I keep falling into.

So this morning's sermon approached it from the spiritual side. "It’s easy to focus on others’ faults and what we would like to change about them. But, God is the one that put the talents, creativity and strengths into each person.  Isaiah 64:8 says, 'We’re the clay and you’re our potter: all of us are what you made us.' Our job isn’t to change people. Learn to accept that God is the one directing their steps, making them and molding them into who He wants them to be. If you’ll learn to love, honor and accept people for who they are right now, your relationships will go to a whole new level." The Lord is the sculptor, not me. She is as God made her. Any change will be between the two of them. It's my job to accept her as she is right now. Must remember that!

Then I watched Mad Men. Betty, Don's ex, now married to a New York state politician. She's struggling with her weight, with her kids, with her new marriage. And she hates how happy Don is with his new wife, Megan. Betty's willing to put their daughter in the middle of her warfare with the ex-husband who has soooo moved on. All this is very much like my oldest friend and her ex. He used to be verbally abusive, but those days are over. I don't know if he's outgrown that sort of thing, or if she's broken him of it because she refuses to engage. I don't care. I love my friend and I'm glad he's knocked it off.

But she still makes digs at him, puts him down in front of the kids. She refuses to co-parent, even though her daughter spends holidays with him. How awful it must be for that girl, to bounce from his ZERO TOLERANCE when it comes to boys and drugs to her mother's more passive "let's choose our battles" approach! But, like Betty on Mad Men, my oldest friend is unable to stop herself, no matter how much she loves her kids. Like Betty, she resents the bond her daughter feels with dad's second wife.

I wonder: as she watches Mad Men, does she see herself in Betty? Do any of us see ourselves that clearly? And I'm not going to ask her if she saw Mad Men tonight, and certainly not if she saw herself in it.

It's my job to love her, not to change her. God is the sculptor, not me. She's not a clump of clay on my potter's wheel, she's a person who deserves my support, not my nagging. Starting tomorrow, I will try harder.

Sloth

You know all those things I was gonna get done today? Like working out and scrubbing the tub and washing the floors? I didn't get any of it done. This place is a messy mess-mess-mess and I'm not at all pleased with myself. All I did all weekend was ... well ... kinda what I'm doing now. It's amazing that I don't have carpal tunnel from all the farting around I've done online this weekend. Oh well, at least I'm relaxed. Isn't that what days off are for?

Sunday Stealing: The Get Out of Jail Free Meme, Part Two

21. Has there ever been anyone that now you regret meeting? Yes. I have a toxic ex in my past and nothing but bad came of that relationship. It was decades ago, and I'd be able to say it was behind me if he didn't insist on reaching out to me periodically, as if there's anything he can say to make up for what he did.  

 

22. What's the last film you saw? Would you recommend it? Titanic in 3D. I have always loved Jack and Rose, so yes, everyone should see it. Not that the 3D adds much. I just like the movie.
 

23. Would you rather have roommates or live alone? ALONE!

 

24. Do you like any of your friends a little more than just a friend? There's a line from Will and Grace describing the main characters: "More than friends, can't ever be lovers." I think that sums us up.

 

25. We loved the results yesterday on Saturday 9. Post a rather current song that you'd like us to hear. Sigh. The Boss has still "got it."



27. If you found out that you were going to be a parent, what would you do? If you are one, tell us what the best parent of being a parent is. At this point in my life, if I found out I was going to be a mother, I'd contact JAMA because I know they'd want to cover it

28. Do you give money to homeless people when they ask? If I have change in my pocket, I do. I have a rather strict rule against taking my wallet out on the street.

 

29. A weekend in Las Vegas or Miami? Why? Vegas. Because it's Vegas. There's always something to do within walking distance.

30. What was your reaction to the president supporting gay marriage? Yawn. I thought it was too timid. For the son of an interracial marriage in 1960 to call this a state's issue is both naive and sad. If civil rights were left to the states in the 1960s, African Americans would still be riding in the back of the bus. And for him to say that, at age 50, he was still evolving on this issue indicates he believes we're all naive. Oh, and there's no way this costs him votes because fanatical evangelicals are skeptical of the Mormon candidate and homophobes weren't going to vote for him anyway. So I'm a little dispirited by the weak tea he served us.

 

31. You are totally alone on a Saturday. What do you do? Read. Nap. Luxuriate in the alone time.

 

32. You have 3 months left to live, what is your bucket list? I don't have a bucket list. I resist it because I find the idea more than a little depressing.

 

33. You're having a bad day, what one thing can make your day better? I've found a lunchtime workout and a middle-of-the-day shower improves my perspective.

 

34. Ever use a tanning bed? I have. I got fidgety and bored.

35. Is there anything you would change about your body if you could? My waist. I miss it.

 

36. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction?  "What the fu..."

 

37. Is there anything that you should be doing right now? There usually is when I'm farting around on the internet.

38. At what age do you think that sex becomes less important? Why? I don't accept that it ever does.

39. What is your favorite breakfast food? Eggs

 

40. Your phone rings at 4am, who do you expect it to be? My sister saying that my mom is back in the hospital

 

I've got to stop doing this

Yesterday, my mom and I celebrated Mother's Day. I took Saturday because my kid sister refuses to commit to a time to celebrate on Sunday as she is a mother, too, and the day should be about her, too (as opposed to every other day of the year). My mom and I agreed that we'd talk on Saturday at 11:00, after my trip to the vet with Joey and her time in the stands for my nephew's morning soccer game. When I called, she didn't answer.

Where was she? Bathroom (it's a 4BR ranch house) and it's hard to get to the phone in 5 rings before the machine picks up (she still has a machine). Yard? The garbage has to go out. Still with my sister? That would piss me off, if my sister decided to run errands with my mom in the car, making her unable to honor her commitment to me.

The hospital. I was sure she was back in the hospital.

So I got angry at my sister so I called back and left a snotty message on my mom's machine because angry is easier for me to handle than terror.

Turns out she was with my sister's family. Instead of 11:00, she was home by 12:30. She was fine. She liked her gifts (giftcards so she can spoil my niece and nephew and a little plush toy, a gardener, because she misses working in her own garden -- hard on her knees). We had a nice visit. Her health is on the mend.

I just have to stop worrying like this. Every time she doesn't answer, my mom isn't dying.

Our morning at the vet

This was the worst day my big old tub of guts Joey could ever imagine. It was raining, and he hates that. For some reason, he's more sensitive to the changes in barometric pressure than my other cats are, and he hides (or tries to) away from windows whenever it rains. Then there was the "outside" aspect of it. The only Great Outdoors Joey needs is the carpeted hallway just beyond our front door. The traffic and smells and motion that accompany actually leaving the building don't set well with him at all. And lastly, there's the vet and his annual check up. Do you know what they do to you at the vet? UNDIGNIFIED THINGS!

By the time we got to the vet, he had peed on himself. So now he's terrified and wet and uncomfortable. I was eager to get him into the examining room so I could wipe down the carrier while the vet checked him out. At just about the same moment we arrived, so did a woman, just about my age, with a sweet and subdued mutt. We both waited with our pets in the reception area for a few moments, she discussing the new Dark Shadows movie with one of the vet techs. Then the doctor took her first. I was pissed because, well, Joey was uncomfortable and he's my priority and who are these people who aren't on board with this?

We sat there for a half hour, me and Joe, with the urine soaking into his fur. Now I'm angry. A HALF HOUR?! Really, people?

Then the woman came out, alone and in tears. The vet followed her, trying to get her to understand what he was saying. Apparently her dog wasn't merely shy or very well behaved -- he was subdued because he was in a lot of pain. They put him on fluids and pain meds right away and hopefully by Monday he'd be strong enough for the next steps. That might include surgery or a transfer to a facility with more sophisticated diagnostic equipment. Did she understand this? Was she giving her consent? The vet walked her out to the car ... I think as much to make sure she was capable of driving in the rain as to get her permission to spend thousands of dollars.

I felt like such a bitch for being angry that they took her dog before my Joe.

For while he was smelly and scared and wet and enormously fat, he's also in pretty good health for a 15 year old and I'm very grateful.

Saturday 9: Touch Me in the Morning

1. Who or what sleeps with you? My cat Charlotte

2. Last time you saw your high school best friend? December 2010. Though I just heard from her yesterday. We're still very close.
 
3. What do you do when you're sad? Drink and worry and fixate. The usual.

4. What do you wear when you are relaxing around the house? A tiara and feather boa.

5. What did you do immediately after high school? Had a Coke and opened graduation presents.
 
6. Is anyone on your bad side right now? Well, my bad side does appear to be my bigger side at times, so yes.

7. What's the first thing you do when you get online? Check my email.
 
8. What jewelry are you wearing? My lotus ring, my scroll ring, my watch and my earrings. Oh yeah! I forgot the tiara referenced in Q4.

9. Post a current song that you like. (Or name it and tell us why you like it.) Rita Wilson's "Come See About Me." I'm struck by how different it sounds with one voice instead of four. Miss Ross knew her girls had her back, so it sounded more defiant, more like a command or ultimatum, than this more stripped down, plaintive version.

In from the cold

Five days and six completely unrelated emails later, my best friend and I are communicating again. He wished me a happy Mother's Day and advised me to just enjoy my time with my mom, not to fixate too much on how we nearly lost her last month.


No mention was made of IT. And that's OK. He knows what he did was wrong. He feels bad and was very thoughtful and wise in another area. There's nothing to be gained by dragging this out.

I'm just so happy to be back from Siberia.

Trifecta

This weekend's challenge: Write anything you want, in whichever form you please, so long as your response is exactly 33 words and includes the word "mother."  

A Dixie cup of 7 Up, served at room temperature, and a trio of plain saltines are all you can have when you’re recovering from tummy trouble. I know because my mother said.

THIS JUST IN: The good people at Trifecta ranked this entry third. I'm surprised and very happy.

No Cub game tonight

But I don't care. I'm spending this evening with my favorite movie boyfriend, John McClane. AMC is running Die Hard and Die Hard with a Vengeance back to back. Thank you! Thank you!

I heard a fifth Die Hard movie is in the works. I guess being a father again at age 57 has rejuvenated my hero.

Some lucky Obama supporter and her guest are having dinner tonight at George Clooney's home tonight with George and a couple from Washington he knows well enough -- Barack and Michelle Obama. I entered twice. My oldest friend and my friend Mindy also entered, and both promised that if they won, they would take me as their guest. So I suppose it's just as well I didn't win. I mean, which one of them would I choose? Such a sticky question! It's better this way.


I am amazed at how much this fundraiser hauled in. I think it's quite a testament to George's popularity. He may be Obama's secret weapon.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #170

THIRTEEN MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES 

BY STANLEY TUCCI

He's not a star, not a household name, but you know him. Currently he's appearing in cineplexes all over the world in The Hunger Games. I haven't seen it, but I know he's good in it. Because he's always good. He's just as credible playing a gay fashionista as he is a ruthless businessman and a womanizing mobster. I'm celebrating 13 of his more memorable performances:


1) The Hunger Games (2012). Caesar Flickerman, the host of the famous fictional games.

2) Burlesque (2010). He held his own as Cher's friend and confidante.


3) Julie and Julia (2009). He was lovely as Julia's loving husband, diplomat and artist Paul Child.


4) The Lovely Bones (2009). He earned an Oscar nomination for portraying one the very bad man.

5) Kit Kitteredge: An American Girl (2008). Mr. Berk, a down-on-his-luck magician who takes a room in the Kitteredge house during the Depression.


6) The Tale of Despereaux (2008). The voice of the soup-loving Boldo.

7) The Devil Wears Prada (2006). My favorite Tucci performance as Nigel, the loyal and royally screwed assistant of the evil Miranda.

8) Shall We Dance? (2004) He joins Richard Gere in Jennifer Lopez' dance class.

9) Who's that Girl? (1987) It amuses me that early in his movie career he was billed as "Dock Worker #2" in a forgettable Madonna movie

AND ON TV …

10) ER (2007). The head of the ER during a memorable blackout.

11) Monk (2006). He won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a Hollywood star researching his greatest role -- Adrian Monk.

12) thirtysomething (1990). Karl Draconis, Michael's boss-from-hell.

13) Miami Vice (1988). Miami mobster Frank Mosca seems to be seducing one of Miami's finest female detectives.

For more information about the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

Six out of ten!

I don't mean to imply that with today's victory against the Braves that the Cubs are now on their way to World Series rings. On the other hand, the Boys in Cubbie Blue have now won 6 of their last 10, which is very respectable. And this makes me very happy! I truly believe that we have turned a corner, and that the 2012 season won't blow.

I'm singing, "Go, Cubs, go! Go, Cubs, go ..."

And in other Cubbie news, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is really trying to get the City Council on board to help fund the renovation of the Friendly Confines. I don't live within the city limits, so my opinion doesn't mean (to borrow a phrase) "a hill of beans in this crazy world." Except that I love Wrigley Field easily as much as Rick loved Ilsa, so I hope that somehow this is all worked out for the betterment of the park.

I Want Wednesday

I want my best friend to get over himself already! He behaved badly (we all do at times) and I busted him for it (he deserved it), and yet somehow in his mind I'm the baddie. I'm not apologizing because I haven't done anything wrong. I did send him one last email on the matter, explaining that if I don't stick up for myself and my feelings, no one will, and that's that. On this subject. Knowing him, and knowing how loathe he is to admit when he's "wr..." (see clip below), I have also given him a trio of unrelated emails to respond to, so he can keep the lines of communication open and still save face.

My considered opinion

Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez have been doing a lot of TV to promote their new book. Emilio and I are the same age, which makes Martin (literally) old enough to be my dad. And yet he is, hands down, the sexier one. Throw Charlie in, and Dad still wins. (Am I alone in suspecting Charlie has some serious hygiene issues?)

Why doesn't my virtue make me happier?

I am such a grown up! And it's left me feeling a little miserable.

One of my coworkers, Tom, offered me the FREE ticket next to him at tonight's Cub game! But, alas, I turned it down, and here's why:

•  While it was in the mid-60's when I left for work this morning, it's going to be rainy and cold in the ballpark tonight. I'm just wearing sandals, a little boatneck t-shirt and my denim jacket. That's simply not enough to keep you warm when it's raining within The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.

•  My first impulse was, "Let's go to Macy's!" It's connected to our office building by a pedway and I could pick up all manner of new Cubbie blue gear to keep me warm. But considering that even the cheapest MLB sweatshirt is more than $30, and I'd need many layers, that's just a waste of money that I don't have.

• And then there's the cab ride from the park to the train station after the game. That would be at least $20, probably more. I could save money and take the "el" home, but the game won't be over until 9:00 at the earliest -- later with the predicted rain delays -- and I just don't believe the el is safe that time of night.

•  "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack," as the song goes. Well, whose gonna take me up on that? Nobody. So that would be even more money. I bet by the end of the evening, that free ticket could end up costing me more than $100 I can't afford to spend.

Sigh. Being an adult so sucks.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now that I'm fat I'm harder to flip

I completely adore my best friend. No one who reads this humble blog with any regularity can doubt that. But there are times that I forget he is what he is -- a straight male -- and that this congenital defect causes him to be irrational at times.

For example, he is incapable of apologizing.

Last summer, when his beloved old dog died, I made a contribution in her name to the American Humane Association and asked the organization to send the acknowledgment to my friend's family. My friend never mentioned it.

So, after the charge came through on my credit card, I asked him about it. Then several weeks later I asked him again. He never responded. Now emails and texts fly back and forth between us a lot, so I suppose it's possible that those two honestly got overlooked. So I asked again. Nothing.

It's always sort of nagged at me. Now that I'm packing up the office for our big move, I found a receipt for American Humane that confirmed my memorial to his dog. So I asked again.

He simply said he didn't remember. 

This really hurt my feelings. So naturally I wrote: "This hurt my feelings. First the gift I gave your family made no impression on you whatsoever at the time and then nowhere in this stream of emails did you bother to thank me. I know you're busy with work and dances and recitals and I'm sorry to hassle you. But what I did was thoughtful. And if you recall, last summer I had a thing or two on my own mind. Like doctor's appt's and the run up to my surgery, which was a very big deal in my own life, but I managed to try to be thoughtful about your loss. I believe I deserve better and you're nicer than this. (But I did take the tax deduction.)"

How does he respond? "I am sorry if this hurt your feeling but I am being honest. I truly can’t remember if we received a note. Do you want me to lie? Sometimes I feel like you just want to beat me down, I don’t get it. Sorry!"

Nice jujitsu, Bud! Only I didn't and don't accept it. I told him that if someone cared about me as much as I do him, I wouldn't feel "beaten down." And then (both because it's true and because I'm not above fighting dirty), I reminded him that I've already inquired more often about his new dog's recovery than he has about my mother.

He sarcastically responded that he's sorry he doesn't do more for me. I told him I am also sorry he doesn't do more for me. And that's where it sits.

I'm sad and angry but I'm not backing down. He's almost 46 years old. He can accept responsibility for ignoring my emails and thank me for the gift. Like I said, I deserve it.

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Trifecta

This week's challenge: Using between 33 and 333 words, write a response including the third definition of the word: 
enig·ma noun \i-ˈnig-mə, e-\
3: an inscrutable or mysterious person

SHERRY & "HER GIRLS"

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Audrey Hepburn. Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace.

Sherry not only admired these women, she fixated on them. Her “girl crushes,” she called them. They were all considerably older than she, from an earlier generation when it was more common to keep your own counsel.

Not for her was Princess Diana, who willingly shared her feelings about Charles and Camilla with Martin Bashir … and a worldwide TV audience. Or Britney Spears, who in a sad display of manic-depression or rebellion gave the paparazzi a peek at her genitalia as she got out of a car. Or the Kardashians, who seemed to evaporate if they weren’t on camera.

It wasn’t just that Jackie, Audrey and Grace were beautiful and dressed and behaved, as Grandma would say, “like ladies.” It’s that each was an enigma, unwilling to share too much of herself with a voracious public. By holding back, they held us in their thrall.

Sherry was just the opposite. She was as complex as a glass of tap water. As mysterious as white bread. As sophisticated as a kitten. She suspected this was why she was chronically unlucky in love, and was certain that if she studied Audrey, Jackie and Grace closely enough, she would learn how to enchant men with her own aura of glamorous, inscrutable self-containment.

What Sherry never understood is how like "her girls” she already was. For while these icons may have enjoyed the enduring adulation of the masses, they – like Sherry – somehow never enjoyed the fidelity of the men who mattered most. If only they could respond, the women she admired so might just tell her that the heart is the greatest enigma of all.

Go, Cubs, Go!

Now today, THIS was a good game! The rain delay ran more than two hours. The pitcher originally pegged to start was battling the flu so a new puppy pitcher, Travis Wood, took the mound. He only allowed three hits in six innings and got a double.

These are new summer heroes for me -- Travis Wood, Darwin Barney, Bryan LaHair, Ian Stewart and David DeJesus, who got a walk in the 11th to force the winning run.

It's a new chapter. While April was really, well, difficult for Cub fans, I'm starting to feel the energy that comes in with the new regime.

Damn you, John Steinbeck!

It's a rainy Sunday and I was about to settle in and improve my mind. The film version of the Steppenwolf Production of Of Mice and Men starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich is on. It's a beautiful play, and this production is like a unicorn. It theoretically made theater history here in Chicago in the 1980s, but I've yet to meet anyone who actually saw it. We were all too broke back then. So here's my chance, right?

No.

I can't.

It's because of Candy's dog. I know it's coming and I cannot bear to watch. Candy's dog used to herd sheep but now he's old and he farts and he doesn't see well and he can no longer enjoy his food because his teeth are so bad. But he's all Candy has in the world and he and that dog are inseparable. They love each other. One of the other farm hands convinces Candy that the dog is an eyesore and probably in pain and the only humane thing to do is put it out of its misery. At least then his old, useless life will be painlessly, quickly over. Offstage, he shoots the dog in the back of the head. Candy is filled with remorse because he betrayed his old and true friend and because now he's alone.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I was awake in English class. I know Candy's dog foreshadows the fates of Lennie and George. But I never got as worked up about Lennie as I did Candy's dog.

But what makes Steinbeck's original work so great is that it's filled with characters bound to burrow into the reader's/viewer's consciousness: slow-witted Lennie, responsible and resentful George, the outwardly flirtatious but deeply disappointed ranch wife … for me it was Candy and his dog. Breaks my heart. Thanks a lot, Steinbeck, you fucking genius.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Get Out of Jail Free Meme, Part One

1. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you use the restroom? No.

2. If you have to go grocery shopping, would you rather go alone or with someone? By myself. It goes faster.
 
3. It's your best friends' birthday, would you buy them a gift even though they didn't buy you one for yours. Yes. I love celebrating birthdays.

4. You win the lottery. Lump sum or small payments over a period of time? Why? If I win $5 million, after taxes my lump sum would be $3 million. Or I could receive $6000/month (after taxes) every month for the next 26 years. Because I'm an old broad, I might entertain the "small" payments. It would be a sure thing to carry me through retirement. I'm not sure I'd invest the $3 million wisely enough to last 26 years. (As you can see, I have given this a lot of thought.)

5. Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level? Naturally I think I'm listening at a reasonable level. I'm not sure everyone else agrees.

6. Are you a beach person or a snowy mountain person? Beach, I suppose, since I don't ski. But I'm not a big lover of heat and especially not boiling sun. (I'm very pale.)
 
7. When do you brush your teeth? Morning and lunchtime.

8. Can you watch scary movies alone? Sure. I just don't like gore, whether I'm alone or with someone.

9. Soft bed or firm? And in fantasy land, who's in it with you? Firm. Bruce Springsteen.
 
10. Would you rather stay home all day, or be out and about? Yes. (The perfect day would be a combination of both.)

11. What's one of your worst memories (that you are comfortable sharing)? I worked very hard on Senator Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign. It did not end well and it broke my heart. And continues to do so. A genuine hero's war record was successfully slimed on behalf of a man who assiduously avoided combat. How did that happen? Then there was waging two wars without the tax increases required to pay for them. And the escalation of the war in Iraq at the expense of Afghanistan. And Katrina. We're still paying for George W. Bush's second term. 
 
12. Do you like to keep the peace or be confrontational? Depends.

13. Are you more likely to be with a large group of people or a few close friends? Close friends.

14. What are your plans for October? I don't have any right now.

15. If money were not a problem, where would you like to live? Here. Chicago is a joyous, liveable place. I'd just like to enjoy it from a much nicer place. With a view like this. Which I'd be lucky to get for (gulp) $4 million.

16. What is your ideal profession? I like what I do (advertising writing). I just wish I could afford to it to promote not-for-profits and causes I believe in.

17. Are you (or were you) close to your Mom and Dad? I'm close to my mom. My dad died in the 1990s, and our relationship was more than a little complicated.

18. What is one fear that you can't seem to overcome? Air travel. I'm terrified the whole time.

19. Are you good at math? Not remotely. All those calculations on the lottery win? Stolen from a website.

20. Editor's note. There is no question 20. It is sort of like getting a "Get out of Jail Free" card. We will do 21 to 40 next time. Peace & love!

Why I Love Blogging

My surgery was last September. Not that long ago in the scheme of things. And I had weeks and weeks away from work -- the longest time I've had off since I was 17. Yet I remember little of it. I remember just about every moment in the hospital, but little after I got home. Isn't that odd?

Fortunately I mused about it all. And Blogger has kept it organized and easy to find, as though it was just waiting for me to return to those September and October entries.

Trifecta

This week’s Trifextra challenge is simple, but ambiguous. Three truths and a lie. 

Three truths and a lie. I've told them all. But it's only in retrospect I know which was the lie, and that, sadly, I was deceiving myself as much as him.

I'll always love you … I'll always feel the way I do tonight … No one will ever be to me what you are … Your secrets are safe with me.


THIS JUST IN: The good people at Trifecta ranked this entry third. I'm surprised and very happy.