July Journaling Challenge

Day 6 -- Draw/paint something

No. I don't wanna.

Instead I'm giving you this picture of Joey and Connie. I love it because of the disparity in their sizes ... something they both seem completely unaware of.

Connie is going to her first vet appointment this Saturday. In the past, the doctor has told me that even though they're both fixed, they're undoubtedly still aware of their gender difference. Now I want to know if I'm right and they have no idea that Connie is petite and Joey is ... not.

BTW, the bleach bottle is there beside the refrigerator to stop her from sliding back behind there. It was a favorite hiding place when she was a new arrival. By end of summer, I think the compulsion to hide from me and the boys will only be a vague memory in her tiny brain. She's really integrated herself into our lives very comfortably.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Patriotic Meme

1. Are you "proud to be an American?" Very. Especially after reading excerpts of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg's opposing opinion in the "Hobby Lobby" decision. I love it that we can voice our dissent so freely.

2. Favorite Founding Father? Thomas Jefferson. "Religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship …" As a Christian and an American, I'm a big fan of the separation of Church and State, and it's clear Jefferson was, too. A man of amazing intellect and a wonderful writer, too.

3. Favorite president? Oh, I know I should say Lincoln because well, he's completely wonderful and I do love Illinois' favorite son. But it has to be JFK. He maintains such a hold on my heart and my imagination. This past week, when we observed the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights legislation he introduced, he's been on my mind a lot. His short life (he was 46 when he died and it sobers me to remember that I've now outlived him) has taught me so much.

I believe President Kennedy agreed with me about Jefferson, too. I recall his toast the evening he hosted every living Nobel Prize winner: "This is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, ever at the White House -- with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

4. Biggest "Patriotic Moment?" Every time I vote. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. It always feels very "big" to me.

5. Favorite patriotic song? "America, The Beautiful." Especially when we sign all the verses in church. There's one about the heroes who "more than self their country loved and mercy more than life." Gulp! That gets me every time.

6. Favorite American cuisine? Burgers

7. Happiest political moment of your life? Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Soldier Field. Standing with thousands of my fellow Chicagoans in Soldier Field watching our senator give his acceptance speech as the nation's first African American President. The crowd was so diverse, so peaceful, so proud. I remember Sen. McCain's succession speech was uncommonly gracious, too. A very important, very healing night. I wish everyone could have been there.

8. Best fireworks display you've ever seen? At Navy Pier, behind the ferris wheel, over Lake Michigan. Navy Pier is so crowded and touristy that sometimes I forget how splendid it can be.

9. America's gift to the world? Coca Cola. And I'm only being a little flippant. I do dearly love the stuff.

10. Favorite Bill of Rights right? I'm a big fan of the First Amendment. And again, even though I thought the Hobby Lobby ruling was dangerous, I think it completely rocks that the ladies of the court not only dissented but that Justice Ginsburg's opinion was published almost immediately. Dissent is a good, healthy thing in this country.

11. Favorite American Holiday? Thanksgiving, I suppose, because it's such a warm time with friends.

12. Favorite D.C. monument? The Lincoln Memorial. A breathtaking tribute to our greatest President.

13. Your dream for America's future? That we remember that we're supposed to love mercy and tolerance. So many of my fellow citizens are so quick to judge anyone who doesn't think exactly as they do, who doesn't worship exactly as they do, who doesn't love exactly as they do. It's OK, folks! Diversity is what makes us great!

Greetings from Padua!

I am watching The Taming of the Shrew on TCM and I'm having a wonderful time.

Here we have Richard Burton as Petrucchio, delivering the Bard's lines in that voice. Here we have Elizabeth Taylor, more athletic than I can ever recall her (except maybe for National Velvet) and charmingly game, performing alongside stage-trained Shakespearean actors and holding her own. And Mr. and Mrs. Burton generate real heat in their scenes together. Their passion is palpable, even after nearly 50 years.

I'm always surprised by what a fan I've become in middle age. For when I was a girl, "Liz and Dick" were everywhere and I thought they were ... well ... silly. Smoking, drinking and brawling, showing off their huge baubles and tiny dogs.

What was lost on me back then was how really good these two could be when they were doing their jobs. It's obvious now when I watch them at their best, separately and together, that they both enjoyed acting and took it seriously. I'm glad they're captured forever as Kate and Petrucchio, as George and Martha. I prefer their screen performances to their movie magazine incarnation.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

1) This week's song was performed by James Cagney in the famous movie of the same name. Do you plan on going to the movies this holiday weekend? Maybe tomorrow

2) Though known for his larger-than-life screen presence, Cagney was only 5'5". How tall are you? 5'2

3) During the Revolutionary War, General Washington celebrated the 4th of July by giving his troops a double ration of rum. Will you imbibe any spirits this holiday weekend? It's entirely possible. That reminds me that I need to pick up orange juice today.

4) American history was one of Crazy Sam's best subjects in school. In which class did you earn your best grades? History/English were best (math/science were worst)

5) The Fourth of July means we're in the middle of summer. Are you careful about applying sunscreen? Yes, indeed! It was last Memorial Day I had two "suspicious" moles removed. Thankfully they were benign. For more about skin cancer, click here.

6) Mosquito bites can be a major summer annoyance. Are you scratching any itches right now?I haven't had a single bite yet this year. (Knock wood.)

7) Emergency rooms report an increase in wrist injuries in summer, with people falling off bikes and skateboards and jamming their wrists catching hard-hit softballs. Have you ever had a sports-related injury? Nope.

8) New York is home to Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest every year on the 4th. Will hot dogs be consumed in your household this weekend? Perhaps tomorrow. After all, there is a package of Ballpark Franks in the refrigerator.

9) Atlanta hosts a 10K Peachtree Road Race every 4th of July. Are you a runner? Ha! No. It's something I'd like to try because it looks easy and fun. But right now? I can't even imagine it.

Day 5 -- Favorite Quote

“And then the dreams break into a million tiny pieces. The dream dies. Which leaves you with a choice: you can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.” 

Nora Ephron from Heartburn

July Journaling Challenge

Day 4 -- Special Memory

Because it's 4th of July, I'm thinking of a patriotic memory. When I was a little girl, we took the train from Chicago to Washington DC. (My mom was pregnant and in those days, pregnant women didn't fly.) We saw all the memorials and toured the Capital, but my memory of those are very vague.

What I remember vividly was touring the Jennie Wade Home. Jennie was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. She was a young single woman, still living with her parents and engaged to a Union soldier. She was baking bread when a minie ball pierced the thick door. Her boyfriend died a few days later in another part of the war, never knowing that Jennie was already dead.

Touring the house, which is rumored to be haunted by Jennie, had a tremendous impact on a 7 year old Gal. Romance! Tragedy! Ghosts! A gift shop! It also taught me how I best learn history: make it personal. RFK's abandoned tortoise shell reading glasses, the too-short bed where Lincoln died, the ceramic donkeys Truman brought to his vacation home in Key West ... the things that touch my heart bring American history to life. And it started with Jennie.

Gee, thanks, Dan!

Went to the health club today for my usual afternoon workout and to schedule my next training session. I've had a hard time reaching Alex, my new trainer, but I wanted to be sure I got on his calendar.

I sought out Dan. He's in charge of the trainers and the personal training program, and we have talked in the past. Dan's the first one I spoke to after I found myself disappointed with Alex, and Dan helped me get through to Alex and improve our relationship.

Today Dan was very chatty and charming as his fingers danced across the keys and he accessed Alex's schedule. He booked me two weeks out because he reminded that consistency is important to results. I told him I was grateful for the attention he was giving me, and said I didn't want to fall back into bad habits.

"If we don't ride you, you'll end up just strolling on the treadmill, not pushing yourself and watching General Hospital," he said with a smile. "I know because I grew up with someone like you. You remind me of my mom."

OW!

Dan looks to be about 30. So I could easily be his mother. I don't doubt the reasonableness of what he said. I just didn't like hearing it.

July Journaling Challenge

Day 3 -- Favorite Thing to Do

My shrink told me that I'm unusual in that I don't get lonely. I miss certain people at certain times, but I never feel at a loss when I'm alone.

I suspect this is because my favorite activities are solitary -- watching tv/movies, reading, farting around on the internet.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

To play along, just answer the following three questions ...

• What are you currently reading? Talk by Michael Smerconish.  A novel set in the world of a conservative talk radio station in Tampa-Clearwater. A really interesting book so far. Cynical, but fascinating.

 

• What did you recently finish reading?  Tropical Quests by Wesley Sizemore. A fictionalized memoir of life in Key West in the 1970s. Okay, I'm still kinda reading it. I just needed to take a break because (1) Talk distracted me and (2) the narrator of Tropical Quests really gets on my nerves. The author writes well, and many of the characters and settings come to life vividly. I just don't like the voice of the storyteller. But there's a lot of talent on display here and I'm sure I'll return to it.

• What do you think you’ll read next? I don't know.

To see how others responded, click here.

I Say a Little Prayer

This is the 50th anniversary of the day President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This bill made it illegal to discriminate based "on race, color, religion, sex or national origin." It outlawed institutional segregation. It was a glorious moment for LBJ. A President whose legacy is often thought of as sad because of the tragedy of Vietnam, he deserves all the praise he's receiving posthumously for making this happen.

He made it happen, in large part, by relentlessly and shamelessly invoking President Kennedy's memory. It was JFK who introduced the bill, who wanted the bill, and who faced an uphill battle in Congress at the time of his death. But in 1964, America was still reeling with grief and shame over Kennedy's assassination, and Johnson was savvy enough to tap into that. He used to say, "No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy."

In addition to the nightmare in Dallas, America had endured the horror of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham. An act of almost incomprehensible ugliness, white supremacists bombed a black church and killed four little girls in the fall of 1963. This domestic terrorism had a huge impact on the Kennedy brothers. I haven't read extensively about Johnson but, as sitting Vice President at the time it occurred and as a Southerner, I'm sure it touched him deeply, as well.

So today, when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the law that shows our government at its best, I'm going to remember LBJ, JFK, Addie Mae, Cynthia, Carole and Denise in my prayers. This bill was, literally, drenched in blood, sweat and tears.

July Journaling Challenge

Day 2 -- Dreams + Goals

The usual: get my home, my health and my finances in order.

I'm self aware enough to know that those things aren't making me unhappy, per se, but are symptoms of my discontent.

I'm working on all this by slowly redoing my bathroom (Cute Handyman is here in a couple weeks to install the new medicine chest and lights) and working with a personal trainer (not going as well as I'd like, but still, I'm putting in the effort) and being more disciplined with money (no Sir Paul for me; it's sold out and I can't afford $225 for a crappy nosebleed seat).

I hope I will end summer happier than I started it.

July Journaling Challenge

Day 1 -- All about you.

I'm a Cub fan.

I'm a Beatle fan ... a Paul Girl most specifically.

I have a deep appreciation for the 1960s.

My all-time heroine is JBKO.

I'm a Cat Lady, den mother to Joey, Reynaldo and Connie.

I'm a writer -- advertising for money, blogging for self expression.

I'm a good friend.

I keep cool in crisis.

I'm very messy.

I laugh easily.

My standard drink order is cranberry juice and vodka.

Stolen from Kwizgiver

Miss Kwiz turned me on to the challenge. If you're going to join us, let me know so I can check out your answers.

8 innings of no-hit baseball

For real! Jake Arieta came thisclose to completely shutting down the Red Sox at Fenway! How cool is that!

The pitchers are finding their grooves. The hitters are sending the ball sailing. Unfortunately, the pitchers and the hitters are not always good on the same day.

Whatever. Being a Cub fan is not about the winning, it's about the game. And I've been watching some truly awesome baseball lately.

Sunday Stealing

Click here to play along ... 

IF YOU COULD: 

Travel anywhere, where would it be? I've been thinking about Washington DC a lot lately. Aside from being inspiring and educational, it's such a beautiful city.

Meet anyone, who would it be? This is hard because I'm always afraid that if I met someone I really admired, I'd be disappointed. So I'll pick Bill Clinton. President Clinton is someone I admire who has already disappointed me.

 Bring anyone dead back to life, who would it be? My mom.

 Be anyone for a day, who would it be? Mika Brzezinski. I start every weekday watching Morning Joe and I wonder what it's really like on the set.

Get anything for free for the rest of your life what would it be? Cable

 Change one thing about your life what would it be? My incredible laziness.

 Have any superpower what would it be? Flight

 Be any animal for a day which would you be? One of my cats. I wonder how I could make their little lives better.

 Date anyone who would it be? Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS. And don't tell me he doesn't truly exist. I don't want to hear it.


 Change one thing about the world what would it be? Guns. No more handguns or assault weapons.

 Live in any fictional universe which would you choose? I don't read sci fi. Sorry.

 Eliminate one of your human needs which would you get rid of? My food cravings. Very inconvenient and I'm helpless to to resist.

 Change one thing about your physical appearance what would it be? I'm tired of being fat

 Change one of your personality traits which would you choose? My laziness


 Be talented at anything instantly what would you choose? Sing

 Forget one event in your life which would you choose? I have one in mind but I'd prefer not to think about it too much right now

 Erase an event from history (make it so it never happened) which would you choose? Lincoln's assassination

 Have any hair/eye/skin color, which would you choose? I like my coloring (light skin, green eyes, light brown hair)

 

Be any weight/body type, which would you choose? I wanna be Barbie


 Live in any country/city, where would you choose? I'm good right here in Chicago


 Change one law in your country, which would you change? No more handguns or assault weapons

 Be any height, which would you choose?  5'5


Have any job in the world, which would you choose? Pet sitter


 Have anything appear in your pocket right now, what would it be?  A wad of $50s


 Have anyone beside you right now, who would it be? My best friend

It was a beautiful day for a ballgame

Made my annual pilgrimage to The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field and, as always, had a wonderful time.

This year I took John to the ballpark to celebrate his birthday. We saw the first game of a double

View from Section 204

header against the Nationals. Our seats were in the upper field terrace, further away from the action than I'd like but they turned out to be fine anyway. We were sheltered from the sun, up high enough to catch a cool breeze, and could see all the action.

The highlight of the game was young Dallas Beeler. He was just called up from the minors to make his MLB debut, and his Cubdom was so freshly minted that he wasn't even listed in our scorecards. Yet he went six innings, threw 90+ pitches, and gave up just 1 run. Since the Nationals were able to keep the Cubs scoreless, he still got the loss. But that doesn't mean he didn't do a fantastic job. He even got a hit at his first at bat! It would have been nice to end the game singing our victory song with the 35,000 other faithful, but it was an involving game nevertheless.

I was so into young Dallas' performance that both the people next to us and the people behind us asked me if I knew the kid. No, but I love him. I love all my heroes in Cubbie blue.

After the game we got John a t-shirt and then went to dinner at Chili's. This amused me. Here we are in a world-class city, and we ended up at Chili's. But it was John's choice. He likes their chicken tacos and this location is right in front of the #36 bus stop. OK.

We caught up on each other lives and he spontaneously hugged me a couple times. Maybe it was the 5 beers over 6 six hours, or maybe it was an appreciation of a nearly perfect day, or maybe he was just appreciating our 30+ years of friendship. Maybe it was all three.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I Feel the Earth Move (recommended by Blue County Magic)
If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

1) This song is from the album Tapestry, one of the all-time best-sellers (more than 25,000,000 copies sold worldwide). Is it in your collection? Yes.

2) It's about that glorious passion you feel when you first fall for someone. How many times have you been in love? Three times, and I hope I'm not done yet.

3) San Francisco radio stations briefly removed "I Feel the Earth Move" from their playlists after the 1989 earthquake. Have you ever been in an earthquake and literally felt "the earth move under your feet?" I remember the 5.2 tremor in Southern Illinois that rattled me all the way up here.
 

4) Carole King is the first and only woman to win the Gershwin Prize for songwriting from the Library of Congress. Here's your chance to brag a little -- tell us about an accolade you have received.  Gave a presentation Thursday afternoon that our client deemed, "Terrific!"

 
5) Carole wrote "You've Got a Friend," which was a mega hit for her good pal, James Taylor. King and Taylor have known one another for more than 40 years, but have never been romantically involved. Do you have any platonic friends of the opposite sex? Yes, many. 

6) Like more than 80% of the population, Carole is right handed. Are you right handed, left handed (10%) or that most rare of all, ambidextrous (less than 10%)? I'm all rightie, all the way. Completely helpless with my left hand.

7) One of Carole King's earliest hits was Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion." Little Eva was the teenager King hired to care for her young children. Tell us about a sitter who cared for you when you were little. First there was Georgie, then Susie (who briefly dated my Uncle Ted and I wanted them to get married) and Susie's sister, Marilyn. I adored them all. I thought they were highly sophisticated and worldly, which is how a 16 year old looks to a 4 or 5 year old.

8) Beautiful is the title of the Broadway play about Carole King's life. If we were producing your lifestory, what would you want us to call it? The Thing of It Is … because I say it all the time.

 

 

9) Carole wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday," the Monkees' song about conspicuous consumption. When Crazy Sam looks at her crowded shelf of hair products (paraben-free conditioner, keratin-restoring conditioner, hair masque, hot oil conditioner …), she realizes she's guilty of it herself. Have you bought anything recently that you later decided was a waste of money? I used to spend a small fortune on Living Social and Groupon offers that I really didn't need. I was so swept away by the SAVE 35%! SAVE 80%! that it didn't occur to me that I really wasn't saving anything if I was buying stuff I didn't truly want.

Something to think about on a summer day

With kids out of school, it means no school lunches. For a lot of our neighbors, that school meal is important to keeping kids healthy and staving off hunger. So this week, when you do your grocery shopping, toss something in the cart for your local food pantry.

I find that, if I pick up something for less than $1 every time I shop, I can fill up a grocery bag in no time. Right now I've got spaghetti, tuna, green beans, powdered lemonade and fruit cocktail ready to go. Of course, tomato soup is always welcome. A can goes along way in spicing up a ground beef recipe. Since hot dogs are popular and affordable this time of year, condiments are appreciated, too.

As this Recession grinds on, so does need. It feels good to look out for one another. If you don't know where your local food pantry is, try this Food Bank Locator.

What I've known all along

I've been a Clintonista for decades now. But the umbrella of my devotion only shields Bill. Hillary has never had the same emotional hold on me, my loyalty, my checkbook or my vote.

I know what Bill Clinton is. I have no illusions about the Lewinsky scandal and to this day it turns my stomach. But I get it.

Growing up near Hillary's hometown of Park Ridge, I think I get her, too.

Put too simplistically, his weakness is sex and hers is money. I understand lust better than greed.

The dynamic between these two is complicated. If she hadn't taken the more conventionally "grown up" role and been the breadwinner, he wouldn't have been free to so doggedly pursue his political ambitions. If she wasn't so disciplined, he couldn't be free to be so emotionally resonant. I appreciate that without her, he wouldn't have gotten as far as fast as he did. And I truly believe we'd all* be the worse without him.

So I know it's unfair for me to hold such affection for him and antipathy for her.

But when I listen to Hillary talk about being "dead broke" and how hard they worked to dig themselves out of debt, my skin crawls. Whether it's White Water, commodities trades, or Wall Street, Hillary Clinton has always been too easily seduced by a buck.

I haven't ruled out voting for her. The Clintons have always been very lucky in that the people who attack them tend to more repellant than their own worst acts. I may become an ardent supporter because the attacks on her will become so egregious and disgusting.

But I don't like her and I don't trust her.

*Except, of course, Ms. Lewinsky.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

To play along, just answer the following three questions ...

• What are you currently reading? Tropical Quests by Wesley Sizemore. Set in the mid-1970s, an American ex-patriate is tired and discontented. He didn't belong in the Vietnam era Midwest, he didn't belong in Paris or Toronto, either. On impulse he takes a long weekend in Key West and finds his home. So far (less than 100 pages in), I'm enjoying it. Mr. Sizemore is gifted at evoking time and place and at times I can almost taste the Cuban bread and smell the ocean.

 

• What did you recently finish reading? Cop Town by Karin Slaughter. Coincidentally also set in the 1970s, this is a brutal, shocking and compelling thriller. It's about an Atlanta cop killer and two young female cops on his tail. There's a lot of racism, sexism and hate in this book. It's true to the time and appropriate to the plot, but it was jarring.

• What do you think you’ll read next? I don't know.

To see how others responded, click here.