I'm baaack

It feels like forever since I've blogged! I hope I can get down everything that happened while I was gone.

Wednesday was my last day at work before vacation. I was very happy to get away. I was doing what I could to pitch in on a big project, going above and beyond, and yet I felt my boss was still favoring "the boys," Phil and Kevin. A breather might be good for me and my boss.

Thursday I packed up and flew out to L.A. I still hate flying and four hours is one long-ass trip. Add to that the lingering FAA issues and panic over ebola and O'Hare is just a very stressful place. Plus I was worried about leaving my Joe. My big ol' gray tom seemed better, but he is feline senior citizen so his health is always a concern.

When I got to the hotel -- the LAX Marriott -- I was thrilled by the room. It wasn't big, it wasn't new, but it was comfortable and clean and had a private patio that afforded me a view of palm trees! How cool is that!

My friend unexpectedly dozed off after work and so I had Thursday night and Friday morning to myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The History Channel had a special about the Kennedys that included footage I hadn't seen, plus I'm reading The Patriarch about Joseph Kennedy, so it was geekapalooza.

Friday when my friend arrived we got in the pool and caught up. She joked about how since we were seeing each other in October (LA) and November (Las Vegas for my birthday) she wanted me to commit to coming out west in December and January, too. We did laugh a lot and I'm glad that she was so happy to see me. But come November it will be four years since she's been out there. She needs to make friends out there. I refuse to believe -- as she insists -- that the problem is people in SoCal just aren't friendly.

I'm also unhappy to report that she's smoking again. Sigh. She's overweight and already suffered a heart attack back when she was just 40. What the fuck is she doing?

Then we started Festing. I was out there for the Los Angeles Fest for Beatle Fans. We saw Bob Eubanks (host of The Newlywed Game), who was the promoter who brought the Lads to Los Angeles for the legendary Hollywood Bowl concerts. We heard from Julia Baird, John's half sister, a very classy witness to Lennon's legendary life. And Peter Asher! What a career he's had. As a teen, he was Paul's roomie and the first one to hear Lennon/McCartney sing "I Want to Hold Your Hand." (On the piano.) Then he was half of the pop duo Peter and Gordon, with fascinating tales of the British Invasion. Then he became a producer, who literally discovered James Taylor and made all those famous records with Linda Ronstadt. It was a privilege to hear him discuss his life and very exciting times.

Monday was spent in the air. I do so hate flying. I got home rather uneventfully and was pleased to find three happy, healthy cats. It's beyond words, how relieved I was to have Joey meet me at the door. Connie was wildly enthusiastic to see me, and to get fresh food and water. Rey, my own personal Tasmanian Devil, was surprisingly subdued. He didn't warm up to me until this afternoon. Is it possible he was pissed at me?

Happy Joey

It was only for a few minutes, but big old Joey thoroughly enjoyed a bout of rough housing with little Connie. I was so relieved. It's good to see him enjoying himself and even a little physical exertion means he has to be feeling better.

I'm traveling this week and I'm less worried about leaving a happy Joey.

Two clean floors

I devoted part of today to my bathroom and kitchen floors. Both were filthy. I also did all the dishes in the sink and scrubbed the bathtub.

I think I must be the world's worst housekeeper.

Sunday Stealing

Random 20 

1. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person?  Nothing springs to mind, which makes me happy.

2. Are you talking to anyone while filling this in? How about texting/chatting on Facebook? I'm watching This Week with George Stephanopolous as I respond. Does that count?

3. Have you done something recently that helped someone else, in any way? One of my coworkers had a plant die on her. It was never going to last -- it had been planted into a vase with no drainage instead of a pot. Anyway, I swiped the vase and put a few carnations in it. It made her very happy.

4. Who was the last person to pay you a compliment? That coworker. She told me I remind her of the heroine of her favorite movie, Amelie, a girl who tries to make the world better by bringing happiness to others. Could there be a higher compliment?

 5. Is there anything that’s happened in the past month, that you wish you could go back in time and change? I wasted money by buying the wrong light bulbs and then compounded the problem by tossing the receipt away before I could return them. I hate when I do stupid shit like that.

 6. What colour is your purse/wallet? Reddish brown.

 7. What’s the closest item to you that’s black? The handle of the cat comb on the coffee table.

 8. Think about what you looked like 5 years ago. How did you look different, compared to the way you look now? I changed my hair.

 9. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace?  No

10. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sung to you? If so, how did you respond to it? You mean serenaded? No.

 11. When did you last hug someone of the opposite sex? Last Sunday

 12. Have you ever seen the film “Casablanca”? Did you like it? Very much

 13. Do you have a relative whose name begins with ‘L’? Tell me about him/her. Can't think of anyone

 14. Are you a secretive person? I can be

 15. When did you last eat? I was eating an apple when I began this meme

 16. If you were going to buy a present for a special person, what would you generally choose? It depends on the person

 17. If I’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get? Those icky cherry-filled chocolates

 18. Is there something you generally always ask for help with? Printing. I think I have to ask IT to upgrade my Adobe.

 19. If you had to give up your phone or your computer, which would it be? Phone

 20. Has anyone called you gorgeous/beautiful today? No, and no one is likely to, either.

That was intense

I saw Gone Girl yesterday. Wow.

I haven't read the book, so I can't comment as to how faithful it was, or which was better. But I will say that what I saw on screen took me on a wild ride. The plot had twists I didn't see coming, the pacing maintained the tension, and the performances were multi-layered and compelling.

As one who watched the Lacey Petersen/Casey Anthony/Jodi Arias trial obsessively, I loved the wise and funny way Nancy Grace was handled. As my friend John once told me, "she is to news as wrestling is to sports."

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Rubber Ducky (1970)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is sung by Muppet Ernie. Who's your favorite Muppet?

Abby Cadabby. She's a very young fairy who has a lot to learn and a lot of enthusiasm for learning. Just looking at her makes me happy.

2) Ernie became famous on PBS's Sesame Street. What public television shows do you watch? Downton Abbey and a local news show called Chicago Tonight. I enjoyed the series on The Roosevelts, too.

3) When you were a little kid, what was your favorite TV show? Clutch Cargo, Mr. Peabody, Rocky and Bullwinkle

4) On Sesame Street, Ernie frequently teases his best friend Bert by stealing his nose. Do you enjoy practical jokes? No

5) Sesame Street creators developed carefree Ernie and serious Bert to show children that different types of people can be good friends. Think about your closest friend. Tell us how you two differ. The friend I most recently spent time with is John, so I'll compare/contrast us. He's tall, I'm short. Male/female. Black/white. He's a partier and I'm more stay-at-home.

6) Bert and Ernie share a basement apartment on Sesame Street. Tell us about the basement of the building you're in right now. We don't have a basement here. I wish we did. Tornados are a reality here in the Midwest.

7) Ernie and Bert were created by Jim Henson. In addition to being an accomplished puppeteer, Mr. Henson was also a talented cartoonist. Can you draw?  Nope

8) Jim Henson made his first puppets himself using felt, foam rubber, string and rods -- all items that can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. When is the last time you shopped in an arts and crafts store? I can't recall. I'm not very crafty, I'm afraid.

9) When is the last time you took a bath (as opposed to a shower)? Earlier this week when I shaved my legs. I can't do it in the shower.

I think the worst is behind us

Joey has not had another diarrhea incident since Sunday night/Monday morning. He's enthusiastic about food and sitting beside me right now, purring happily, so I think my old boycat is going to be OK. Thanks to everyone who sent along good wishes.

Now if I can only get some good joo joo going for my futon cover. I cleaned it myself as soon as I discovered it and that took care of the stain, but the smell! I'm trying a "fabric refresher" formulated for pet odors. I hope it works where the Febreze did not. I don't want to risk laundering the cover again, for fear it will shrink, so if it's not smelling any better next week, I'll take it to the dry cleaner.

Ow, ow, ow!

I worked out three times this week, once with my trainer (aka "The Doe-Eyed Sadist"). While I admit to some soreness, it's the kind of hurt that indicates progress, not damage. I feel stronger and more fit, even though I don't believe I've lost any weight. (I am allergic to scales.)

My balance has improved, too.

I am feeling proud of myself right now.

My poor Joe

Some time between 11:00 PM Sunday night and 7:00 AM Monday morning, my old tomcat Joey had a sudden attack of diarrhea on my futon.

He's a good boy. He would never miss the box intentionally. It must have hit him very suddenly.

Yes, it was a drag to have to haul my futon cover down to the laundry room first thing Monday morning. No, I don't have the stink completely out and yes, it's creeping me out. (Note to self: Let's see if those Febreeze commercials are telling the truth about pet odors.)

But most of all I'm worried about him. He's very old. He's still social and affectionate, and as recently as Sunday I saw him playing with Reynaldo (albeit only for a few minutes), so I don't think he's in any pain.

But he's dying. Fading away. I know it. I see it. If he has diarrhea again, or exhibits any signs of discomfort, I'll bundle him and haul him to the vet.

But we're back to this again: Am I doing it for myself or am I doing it for Joey? He's approximately 18 years old. That would be 87 in human years. He hates going outside -- the street sounds and smells terrify him.

But I love him. I love reaching out and touching him, feeling his purr and curly paws against me. I love his gentle soul. I don't want to lose him.

But I don't want him to hurt. Ever. I see that as my job, to keep his life as safe and comfortable as possible.

I hate this.

We still give a damn

Sunday my friend John and I went to see Gone with the Wind, enhanced and on the big screen again
to celebrate its 75th anniversary. We had a great time.

I saw this movie for the first time when I was still in high school, released in theaters for the 35th anniversary. It was the 70s. The audience back then thought Scarlett O'Hara rocked. She was a feminist's feminist.

Then in 1989, for the 50th anniversary, I saw it in the theater again. By then the word "bitch" was being bandied about to describe Katie Scarlett.

In 2014, the prevailing audience sentiment seemed to be that Scarlett was selfish and silly.

I find this fascinating, since the movie doesn't change, but this country -- and our perception of women's roles -- continues to.

I'm still the 70s gal. I still think Scarlett is a tough, brilliant but blind heroine who somehow keeps her family safe and fed in the worst times despite facing unimaginable hardships. I love Miss Melly, too. She's the woman I wish I was. Just as tough as Scarlett, but always in touch with her better self.

And then there's the racial aspect. GWTW is filled with happy darkies serving benign slave owners. The Ku Klux Klan is referred to as a "political party." It's pretty odios. My friend John is black. He was one of 4 people of color in the theater Sunday.

When I saw the movie in the 1970s, there were no African Americans in the theater. But that didn't surprise me because the neighborhood my family lived in was lily white. Every movie I saw, I saw with an all-white audience. In 1989, the theater was all-white, too, and I was aware of it because the neighborhood where I chose to live when I left home is racially diverse.

John said he wanted to see it Sunday because 1) it was an event, 2) because the Civil War happened, 3) the attitudes of the country in the 1930s when the film was made happened, too and 4) it's always good to spend a Sunday afternoon with me.

Sunday Stealing

Ask Away! 

1. What is your zodiac sign? Oh, dear. This is not an easy question for me to answer. I was born at the stroke of midnight, which for legal purposes does not exist. So my mother had her choice between November 21 and November 22 for my birthday. She chose the 22nd. So I'm on the cusp of a cusp. I've had one astrologer tell me definitively that I'm Scorpio, another that I'm Sagittarius. So I kinda give up.

2. What is your favorite color? Blue. Specifically Pantone 294, which is Cubbie blue. 

3. What’s your lucky number? 7

4. What talents do you have? I write well, I'm a good public speaker, and I can wiggle my ears.

5. Are you psychic in any way? Not really.

6. Favorite song? It changes. Lately I've been listening to a lot of 70s pop, specifically Boz Scaggs.


7. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two


8. What position do you usually sleep in? Face down or on my left side

9. Have you ever tried archery? Yes. It's the sport I was best at back in my high school days.

10. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 20 hours

11. Do you have any scars? Yes

12. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Yes

13. Can you do any other accents other than your own? No

14. Are you a good judge of character? Yes

15. Can you curl your tongue? Yes

16. Are you a clean or messy person?

That's me on the right

 17. How long does it take for you to get ready? Where are we going?

18. Do you have much of an ego? Yes

19. Do you talk to yourself? Yes

20. Do you sing to yourself? I'm tone deaf, so it's better that way.

21. Can you name all 50 states of America? Yes. Is there a prize involved?

22. Have you ever been scuba diving? No

23. What makes you nervous? Airplanes

24. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Yes. I'm afraid I can be something of an ass.

25. Are you ticklish? Very

26. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yes

27. How many piercings do you have? Dos

28. Can you roll your Rs? Yes

29. How fast can you type? Oh, God! I haven't been timed in a million years. I used to be very fast.

30. What are you allergic to? Bee sting and erthromycin

31. Do you keep a journal? You're looking at it

32. Do you like your age? I'd prefer to be 10 years younger

33. What makes you angry? Bullies

34. Were your ancestors royalty? Not to my knowledge. I haven't gone any further back than my great grandparents, though.

Constantinople

That's not what I expected to discuss over lunch yesterday. Yet that's what my nephew wanted to talk about, and since we were celebrating his birthday, he got to choose.

Now a highschool freshman, his favorite subject is Western Civilization. He loves the teacher, loves the resources, loves the subject. Particularly Rome and Byzantium. When we changed the subject to Of Mice and Men, I was on firmer ground.

I love how much he loves learning, how he relishes that it's harder than 8th grade had been. I was also happy to hear that he still walks to school every day with Anna. He has known Anna since pre-school, his great-grandmother and Anna's grandmother were church friends. Old friendships are important, and I'm glad that he's maintaining his.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: A Day in the Life (1967)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) According to Rolling Stone, this is the greatest Beatle song of all. What's your favorite Beatle song?  It changes. Right now it's "She Loves You." The music is infectious bubblegum, but the lyrics are surprisingly sophisticated. It's a guy giving another guy relationship advice -- I can't think of another song with that premise. And "pride can hurt you, too," is a bit of wisdom I need to be reminded of.

2) "A Day in the Life" took 5 days to record. Looking back on the last five days, what did you accomplish? Not a lot. At work I came up with some content for a series of radio PSAs my client is considering. At home I played around with ideas for this year's Nanowrimo. (November is NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth.)

3) This song is the highlight of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, the first album released after the Beatles gave up touring. Critics predicted that, when they abandoned live concerts, their creativity would wane. Obviously this wasn't the case. When has someone underestimated you? I was in a very long, not healthy, relationship. My boyfriend was sure I'd never walk away. He was wrong.

4) The song says our hero "woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head." How is your hair right now? Are you prepared to go out and face the world? It's kind of a mess right now, as I've yet to take my shower. I'm not washing it this morning, though, since I'm going to the salon at noon and I'll leave the shampooing and conditioning to the pros.


5) The lyrics tell us he had to hurry to catch the bus to work. When is the last time you rode public transportation? Yesterday. To and from work. Like every workday.

6) "A Day in the Life" was a true Lennon-McCartney collaboration. Conventional wisdom is that Paul is easy going while John was edgy. Is your temperament more Lennon or McCartney? Much as I adore Sir Paul, I think my personality is more Lennon.


7) "A Day in the Life" came out five years after the Beatles replaced their drummer. Taking over for Pete Best was undoubtedly the biggest break of Ringo Starr's career. Tell us about a time when fortune smiled on you. When I interviewed for my first writing job -- for which I was completely unqualified -- the creative director reviewed my resume and saw we'd gone to the same high school. This caused her to give me a bit more consideration than my experience (which was negligible) deserved.

8) It would be hard to overestimate the Beatles' impact on popular culture. Their story and music have inspired a Broadway musical, a Las Vegas show, two movies and, according to Amazon, 900+ books. What's the most recent biography you read? Currently I'm reading The Patriarch, a massive biography of Joseph P. Kennedy (JFK's very colorful dad).

9) The Beatles are an ongoing boon to England's tourism industry. Fans from all over the world visit Liverpool each year to see where the Beatles grew up and got their start. If you won a trip to England, tell us what you'd like to see. Like Pussy Cat in the nursery rhyme, I'd go to London to look at the Queen. And, like any Beatle fan worth her salt, I'd cross Abbey Road.

Even this All American family couldn't resist

WWW.WEDNESDAY

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

• What are you currently reading? The Patriarch by David Nasaw. I'm barely a quarter of the way through, Joseph Kennedy (JFK's father) is not yet 45, and he's already been bank president, stockbroker and head of a movie studio. Now he's trying to get into the Roosevelt administration. I'm really enjoying this part because I watched the documentary series on PBS about the Roosevelts. It seems that in FDR, Mr. Kennedy has finally met someone who is more charming, more manipulative and cagier than he is.

• What did you recently finish reading? Gambit by Rex Stout. A Nero Wolfe mystery. I started but never finished it about 8 years ago, where it's been languishing on my shelf. Then last weekend I found it again and simply devoured it. I wonder why it didn't hold my interest before and this time it kept me riveted. Anyway, the title is a chess term but the mystery is only peripherally about chess. It's about mothers and daughters and fathers and daughters and lust and love and jealousy and betrayal. And, of course, murder. I figured out whodunnit at about the same moment the intrepid Archie Goodwin did. What made this book so interesting is that while it was pretty easy to deduce the killer, the hard part was coming up with proof. "I feel it in my bones," will not stand up in court. It was great fun to see how Archie and Wolfe would prove their brilliant deduction.

• What do you think you’ll read next? I've got Webb Hubbell's first novel, When Men Betray. It's a political mystery set in Little Rock. As a former aide to Bill Clinton and Mayor of Little Rock, he's well qualified to tackle this terrain.

To see how others responded, click here.

Time to admit it

I hate war but I support our troops.

I had hoped that we really were winding down our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and responded by cutting back on my contributions and donations to my two favorite soldier-related causes -- Operation: Shoebox and Puppy Rescue Mission.

Ok, so my world view was irrationally rosey and it's time to get off my ass.

Operation: Shoebox gets my stuff. I'm traveling a lot through the end of the year, and I must remember to bring home all those little shampoos and conditioners and pack them up for our fighting men and women. I'm also beginning to receive Christmas stuff in the mail -- holiday cards, 2015 pocket calendars, little felt stockings. Time to pack those up for the troops.

Puppy Rescue Mission gets my money. These wonderful people raise the thousands of dollars it takes to bring home the pets adopted by troops overseas. Yeah, I know that your local shelter could save a lot of dogs and cats right there in your neighborhood for the cost of rescuing a single overseas critter. But here's the thing: our troops are surrounded by hostility and destruction and death. These dogs and cats touch a chord in them and reconnect them to their humanity. That is a beautiful thing that makes me even more proud of our soldiers.

I wish I didn't have to help these organizations. But I fear I'll have to continue for years to come. I hope that everyone who supported our over-ambitious, poorly planned interventionism ten years ago get off their asses, too. That's what burns me. In 2004, then-Senator Kerry said we were doing more harm than good in the region, creating chaos and generations of new terrorists. He was, obviously, right. How ironic that it's left to now-Secretary Kerry to clean it up.

I couldn't make this up

I mentioned last month that I have rediscovered Bonanza. I began watching the reruns when I was home sick with a summer cold and find I really enjoy it. Partly for nostalgia's sake, partly because it's pretty good. Also, between Me-TV and it's sister channel, Me-Too, it's on almost whenever I want to watch it.

I have developed a crush on Adam, the oldest brother, who has a hairy chest and a dry wit. He did not play much of a part in the episode I fell asleep watching last night (Little Joe was about to get into a gunfight to avenge his mother's memory) but he did have a starring role in my dream.

I dreamed that I time traveled back to the 1860s to marry Adam Cartwright. I remember little of the dream except that I was glad to move onto the Ponderosa because one of the benefits to sleeping with a man back then is he didn't expect me to shave my legs or prune my bikini line.

No, really.

Sunday Stealing

Alphabetty 2 

A) What does the last text you sent say? And to whom? After our dinner, I texted my dear old friend it was good to see her.

B) What does the last text you received say? And from whom?  She said it was good to see me, too.

C) What time do you wake up most mornings? When my cat Reynaldo is overcome by hunger and boredom.

D) Are you afraid of walking alone at night? Sometimes. Depends on how late it is and where I am.

E) What do you do to relax at the end of a stressful day? Curl up with a cat. Purrs and fur do wonder.

F) Where did your last kiss take place and with whom? I don't remember. HOW SAD IS THAT?!

G) Do/did you get into trouble a lot at school? Well I wasn't as bad as I could have been.

H) Do you enjoy your job? If unemployed, are you content being so? I'm a writer and I enjoy writing. I don't necessarily enjoy this particular job anymore.

I) Do you often pick up on double entendres and innuendos? Yes.

J) Have you ever been offered drugs but declined? Yes.

K) Have you ever met someone who has completely altered your way of thinking? Yes.

L) Have you ever been offered drugs and accepted? Yes.

M) Tell us something weird that turns you on. No. But thank you for asking.

N) When did someone last admit romantic or sexual feelings for you? Was the feeling mutual? About two years ago. No, it wasn't mutual.


O) What is something you have given a lot of thought to lately? Farmville 2


P) When did you last swallow your beliefs to avoid an argument or confrontation? Two weeks ago at the office.

Q) Do you usually initiate hugs? No.

R) Are you a very affectionate person? No.

S) Can you roll your own cigarettes? No. And if I can go the rest of my life without having the stink of tobacco on my fingers, I'll be happy.

T) What are you looking forward to? I'm going to LA in a few weeks.

U) Do you have any tattoos. Do you want any/more? No. No.

V) Are you mentally strong? Yes.

W) Are you physically strong? I could be stronger.


X) Do you think you’re a good person? Yes.

Y) Name one thing you wish you could change about your life right now. I wish I had greater self discipline.

Z) What do you usually eat for breakfast? This morning I had Raisin Bran.

It makes a gal think

I am just about finished with Ken Burns' latest PBS documentary, this one on the Roosevelts. I am so impressed ... by Burns' work, by this family and by my country.

The documentary introduced me to TR as I had never seen him. It didn't really tell me much I didn't already know about Eleanor and Franklin, though it did present FDR's achievements in a new light and context. For example ...

I have been hard on President Obama lately because he has desperately disappointed me. But not because he's a "marxist/socialist" (as one overheated blogger from Florida called him yesterday -- as if the two are interchangeable) but because he lacks the leadership skills and imagination exhibited by the Roosevelts, especially FDR.

That blogger I encountered yesterday proved herself to be a superficial woman -- interested in justifying her misplaced anger and ignorance with her religion, which is sad for all Christians -- but she did get me thinking. If there had been Fox News and the Internet during the Depression and WWII, would we all be speaking German today?

I'm not being facetious. Can you imagine how FDR, with his New Deal programs like the National Recovery Administration and the SEC and the FHA, would play with the extreme right wingers that dominate the airwaves? Those programs did more than give the citizens hope, they strengthened our economy to the point that we were able to first assist the United Kingdom and then enter WWII. And defeat Hitler.

I'm a loyal Democrat -- a Kennedy girl who believes that government should do for us what we can't do for ourselves* -- so it's not surprising that FDR struck a chord with me. Still I appreciate hearing from the other side. I always perk up and pay attention when Mike Murphy, Nicholle Wallace (now on ABC's The View) or Steve Schmidt shows up. These Republicans are thoughtful grownups who can articulate their POV without going all birther/muslim/socialist/marxist. I've learned a lot from listening to them.

But because they don't pander to hate, I bet a large swath of far right wingers like "my friend from Florida" can't be bothered with them.

Which is sad.

 And kudos to Ken Burn and PBS for serving up our recent past in a way that encourages us to think.

*A rather Christian notion

That went well

I got a mailer from Carson's that included four coupons for my beloved Goodwill Sale. Usually, to get these 20% off coupons you need to contribute gently used clothes or linens, but here they were, in my mailbox! So I left the two blouses I was going to contribute at home. Oh, they'll end up at Goodwill, all right. It's a charity I enjoy supporting. But if I drop the blouses, and any other clothes I part with, at Goodwill itself rather than Carson's, I'll get a receipt for The Tax Man. So this was win/win.

First I got a new pair of black slacks and a dressier black/royal blue blouse ticketed at $84 for just

$44.38. Then I got my favorite Clinique eye creme for $39 instead of $44. Best of all, I found this watch. It's at Macy's for $49, but I got it at Carson's with my Goodwill coupon for just $34. I love the sturdy denim blue band and easy to read numbers.

I had time before my bus and stopped at a discount grocery store I seldom get visit. The Gerber baby food I mix with Connie Cat's medicine was just 90¢/jar (about a dime less than I usually pay) and I got a package of fettucine for just 69¢! That went immediately into the bag of food pantry donations, which is filling up nicely.

I got home before the rainstorm. I don't know why getting caught in a downpour drains me so, but it does. So I'm glad I missed it. On the way home I found myself in the middle of my village Oktoberfest. (Our local police now have segways; they look just as silly as Chicago police on segways.) My village is justifiably proud of how inclusive we are, so in addition to standard German fare we could choose from other cuisines. Which is how I ended up with egg foo young for dinner.

A good day all around.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Margaritaville (1977)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song Jimmy sings of "booze in the blender." What do you prepare in your blender? I don't have a blender.

2) As the song opens, Jimmy is sitting on his front porch swing. Describe the front porch of the building you're in right now. We don't really a front porch. There are four or five steps (odd that I never paid attention to how many) that lead to the vestibule where our mailboxes and doorbells are.

3) Jimmy sings of being able to smell boiling shrimp. Do you prefer your shrimp boiled, glazed or breaded? All shrimp is good shrimp to this gal.

4) During the song, he mentions his flip flops. Have you put your flip flops and sandals away till spring? Or is it still warm enough to wear them? It'll be warm enough again this weekend. But I know these days are waning.

5) Jimmy Buffett had hoped this song would be recorded by Elvis Presley, but The King died before he could perform it. What's the first Elvis song that comes to mind? "Like the river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be." I'm such a sucker for Elvis and this song.

Fins to the left, fins to the right

6) Buffett fans are known as Parrotheads. Concert attire for a well-dressed Parrothead often includes a Hawaiian shirt and a foam fin hat. What will you be wearing tonight? Same as I will be wearing all day today -- jeans and a t-shirt. I went out this week and can't afford to this weekend. Plus, my foam fin is at the cleaner's.

7) Loyal Parrotheads paid between $500 and $5000 to see Mr. Buffet at a fundraiser for Barack Obama's 2012 Presidential campaign. What's the most you would pay for a concert ticket? I've seen Jimmy in concert and thoroughly enjoyed it, but not $500 worth. I did, however, pay $285 to see Sir Paul, live and up close from the infield at Wrigley Field. My favorite Beatle at my favorite place in the world. It was glorious.


8) Jimmy is an outspoken environmentalist and supports causes like ocean conservation, saving the manatees and expanding the Dallas Zoo. What steps do you take to help save the planet? I recycle. I'm careful to choose appliances with good Energy Star rankings. I bring my own canvas bag to the grocery store. Fill my reusable water bottle from the tap. I know I should do more. We all probably could do more.

9) Uh-oh. When Jimmy and the Coral Reefers played in Wisconsin this past August, more than two dozen concertgoers got tickets for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Do you believe pot should be legalized? I'm really ambivalent on this. On the one hand, the police and courts are wasting so much time and money on this when there are bigger problems. On the other hand, I don't think it enriches anyone's life. Oh, and I hate the smell, I really do. Does that make me sound like an old fart? Well, Jimmy himself is getting up there, isn't he? He must be nearly 70 by now.

Checking on my chicks

Sometimes I can be a mother hen when it comes to my friends. So I'm happy to report that some of my chicks have checked in and are doing OK.

My friend in the Keys is so excited about his book going to press. I haven't spoken to him, but we've emailed and texted. Since he's been working on this novel forever -- writing, rewriting and revising for, literally, years -- it represents such a big chunk of his life. I sent him these flowers to commemorate the occasion and he snapped this with his phone. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be economizing, but 800Flowers had certain bouquets on sale AND I got bonus airline miles. Plus, c'mon, this is an event and attention must be paid.

Tom's wife is pregnant and he's happy at his job. Tom is a great guy. A "bro," as he and his friends like to say. He's had a tough go of it professionally over the last two years but he's kept at it and his hard work has paid off. His personal life is going very, very well, too. His wife's pregnancy happened faster than he expected but just as she hoped. She's a pediatric nurse at a major city hospital, and consequently sees only the sickest babies born to women over 35. The millions of healthy ones born to 35+ mommies each year? Those are not entrusted to her. So she was most eager to have her baby before she turns 35 and this one will come in under the wire. Tom is happy, but since it's nearly six months in the future, it doesn't seem "real" to him yet. What he is over the moon about is his dog. They got a puppy at Christmastime, his first pet ever (!), and it's such a delight to hear him talk about how that dog has opened his heart. Naturally, since we were in a sports bar and the visages of Rice and Petersen were on the screens all around us, the subject of the NFL scandals came up. Tom is a massive football fan who likes to watch Dolphins games in his official jersey, but this year he can't bring himself to watch. He talked about an incident where he accidentally made his puppy yelp and it literally made him cry. He says with that in mind, he can't look at men who would beat those who love and trust them. I thought I was going to cry.

Mindy's got it all in perspective. Her career and marriage are solid. Her oldest son just got his own apartment in the city. While he's a little lost professionally, he does have a well paying job (unusual for millennials in this tough economy!) and he's happy with his girlfriend and, since he's not yet 24, he has time to find a job that satisfies both his wallet and his imagination. Her younger son is now her problem. A senior in high school, he's skipping school and getting very bad grades already again this year. He has ADD and isn't willing to do the extra work required of him. Mindy and her husband are very patient with their son, more patient than he is with himself. Mom and Dad accept that he's going to have to go to community college for a year or two, to mature and get his grades up, and then go off to college. They're ready for his higher education to either be a 6 year slog or perhaps it will be a vocational school for him. Their son, however, has a new circle of friends who are already talking about going away to Iowa State, Oberlin and Purdue, and he won't have the grades or scores to get in to a good school. So he's been acting out -- skipping school and saying things he KNOWS will press his mother's buttons. Specifically that he thinks Adrien Petersen should be left alone ("So he hit his kid. Big deal.") and, since their beloved cockapoo has developed diabetes, it's time to put the dog down ("She's so expensive" and "Her best her days are behind her" and "It's embarrassing the way she pees all the time."). It hurts her that her sweet-natured little boy has turned into such an asshole, but then she reminds herself that he's mad at the bad choices he's made, mad because he's not going to have what he wants when he wants it (the dorm life he saw his brother enjoying at U of I and that he his friends will have this time next year) and this is how the mad manifests itself.

Cha-ching! Tom picked up the check for my burger and beer. I overpaid for my portion of the meal with Mindy* because I didn't have any singles and we didn't have time to wait for change if we were to get from the restaurant to our trains. So I'd say financially it was a wash.

Best of all, that's three chicks this mother hen can check off her worry list.

*Somehow, whenever I go out with Mindy, I end up overpaying. It's been like this for 30 years. It used to bug me, but now it just makes me smile.

I want this very much

I love The Palmolive Building on Michigan Avenue. It's a beautiful, lovingly restored art deco building and that light you see is called The Lindbergh Beacon. It dates back to the 1930s when it helped pilots fly into Chicago from over the Lake. Of course with today's air traffic controllers it's no longer necessary, but it still shines every night, rotating a full 360º. 

Quite possibly the coolest condo in the building is now up for sale! It was actor Vince Vaughn's bachelor pad, and now that he's a sedate married man and a father, he's put it on the block for just under $15 million.

What will my $14.9 million get me? The top three floors. The 35th floor will be my bedroom and personal bath, as well as four guest bedrooms and two more bathrooms.

The elevator won't stop at 35, though. The bedrooms are connected by stairs to the living room on the 36th floor. That's where my foyer (and elevator entrance), living room, dining room and kitchen (including butler's pantry) are. 

From the terrace

Another set of stairs takes me to the the 37th floor, the penthouse. That's where my game room is. Computers, big screen TV, pool table, and bar. My private terraces will give me unparalleled views of Michigan Avenue and Oak Street Beach.

Best of all, the 37th floor was, for many years, the office of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. I like this idea of this unrepentant 1970s vintage feminist putting her feet up there.

A new day

In the late 1980s and early 90s I clocked a lot of hours volunteering at the animal shelter. One of my duties was watching how prospective pet parents interacted with the adoptable cats. I was asked to do a little prescreening and raise a red flag if someone expressed outmoded animal care ideas.

"Naturally I'll let him out at night. Cats need to roam."
"I don't want to get her fixed until she has at least one litter. It's not fair to her to not let her be a mother."
"I'm going to keep him in the basement because we have mice."

Of course that was 20 years ago. We have evolved as a society and generally people recognize how dangerous it is to let our pets just "roam," and that it's safe and preferable to spay/neuter a puppy or kitten before they are old enough to mate, and that domestic cats should be companions, not "mousers."

I'm hoping that, as a society, we evolve the same way about childcare. And that whole idea that no one can tell parents how to raise their kids? It's not true. We have laws that protect children from bad parenting, as we should.

For example, in this state, you can't leave a kid of 13 or under unsupervised for any length of time. Doesn't matter that "back in the day," 13 year olds were considered old enough to baby sit. We know better now. You can't let a kid under 16 behind the wheel of your car. Doesn't matter that "back in the day," rural kids were driving trucks and tractors. We know better now. You are responsible if minors drink in your home. Doesn't matter that "back in the day," parents thought that, since kids are going to drink anyway, you think it's "safer" for them to do it at home. We know better now. You have to secure your little one in a carseat. Doesn't matter that "back in the day," you were allowed to bounce around and patrol the backseat unfettered. We know better now. If a child misses more than 18 days of class per school year, the parents can be fined or jailed. Doesn't matter that "back in the day," your parents didn't think it was "a big deal" when you skipped school. We know better now.

And it's illegal to hit a child so hard, or so often, that the kid requires medical attention. It just is. Even if you are the parent. It doesn't matter if your parents disciplined you that way "back in the day." We know better now.

We don't want a child to stop doing something because they fear corporal punishment, we want them to stop it because they know it's wrong. It's not about obedience, it's about values.There are many long-term studies -- conducted long before the current NFL scandals -- that bear this out. Children who were spanked often can grow up to be more aggressive and have an extrinsic morality.

I hope all these people who still insist that it's okay to "belt," "whup," "beat" or (a new one I just learned yesterday from my friend Tom) "chancleta" kids because their parents did it to them will open their eyes and their hearts. Saying that the way you were raised wasn't perfect doesn't mean you don't love and don't honor your parents. It means you recognize that they were human. Second guessing some of your own parenting decisions doesn't mean you don't love your children. It means you can forgive yourself for being human and that you're willing to change.

It's a new day.