When the dog bites, when the bee stings ...

… when I'm feeling sad, I simply look at Joe, National League Manager of the Year!

Oh, this was such a magical year for my Cubs. Happy to see them getting love from the national media and the MLB PTB.

Why is this man drenched in Gator Aid?

Behold the NL Rookie of the Year, the Cubs' very own Kris Bryant!

Since it's mid-November, his teammates can't bestow a Gator Aid bath on him for this particular honor. But the photo you see here might have been taken after one of his 26 home runs or 99 RBIs.

Every single voting member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America cast their ballot for KB. So this morning, I'll say his batting average is 100.00.

The world has been a sad, complicated place lately. It's easy to let things get me down. That's why I'm so glad I'm a Cub fan. Look at that face. He's our third baseman, and he's Rookie of the Year!

Enchanted

I have been watching Sleuth (1972) rather obsessively since I accidentally happened upon it more than a week ago. I'm struck by what a well constructed movie it is. The sets, wardrobe, and score are all top rate. The direction, by Joseph Mankiewicz, is smart and skillful. Old Joe took what was originally a two-character stage play and artfully opened it so it never feels claustrophobic, as other films based on plays often do. (Like Death Trap.)

Best of all, it's got Michael Caine and Lord Laurence Olivier. Especially Michael Caine. Of course Olivier was good. By the 1970s, he was regularly acclaimed as England's best living actor. He's having a ball here. 65 by the time he made this movie, he seemed to relish doing something light and contemporary. He slips in and out of accents with a speed and dexterity that would make Meryl Streep drool.

But the one I can't take my eyes off of is Michael Caine. He has the less showy role, yet he brings such dimension to it. His Milo has accomplished a lot but wants so much more, and that longing practically comes out of his pores. There's also an unforced sexual energy to him, subtle but important because we have to believe the woman they both love would willingly walk away from the most comfortable life Olivier has given her. His joy and delight are infectious, as well. Next time you catch this movie, play close attention to his scenes as Joey the Clown. The was he laughs and dances, you want to go to the circus with him.

So if this movie is so good -- and it is -- why isn't it better remembered today? Why didn't it win an armful of Oscars (both Caine and Olivier were nominated)? Why isn't it better remembered?

"I didn't know until today it was Barzini all along."
"Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday ..."
"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
"Make him an offer he can't refuse."

Yes, 1972 was the year of The Godfather. Sleuth had the bad fortune of being a fine movie released the same year as an American phenomenon. This was the year that Marlon Brando won his comeback Oscar but didn't accept it. He famously sent Sacheen Littlefeather to reject it on his behalf.

Don't feel too sorry for Michael and Larry. They eventually each got to adorn their mantles with a pair of Oscars. And the awards apparently made them happier than they made Brando.

Sunday Stealing

-->

Cookie Meme

Are any of your friendships on a fine line? I'm sorry, but I don't understand this question.

Have you ever witnessed a birth? Do guppies count?

Where’s your favorite place to be when you feel depressed? By myself. Though I'm learning that my favorite place may not always be the best place.

Are you currently looking forward to tomorrow? Yes

When was the last time you held someone’s hand? Don't recall

Have you ever faked sick? Yes

Are you currently wearing jeans?  Yes

Have you gone to a coffee shop within the past week? [i.e. Starbucks] It's likely been six months or more. I don't drink coffee.

Would you like to be able to read thoughts?  Oh, yes!

Do certain swear words just roll off your tongue? Fuckin' A

Are you often the last one to understand a joke? Well, I'm sure I'm the last to understand the first question of this meme.

Can experience be gained just by reading? Yes

 

Does playing the guitar make a person more attractive? Often (see photo at right)

Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out? Yes

What does your hair look like at the moment? I'm having a good hair day

Are you mad right now? I'm a little pissed at my neighbor. She's not following accepted laundry room etiquette.

Who did you spend your summer with last year? Summer is three months long. I didn't spend every day of it with any one person.

Did you eat a cookie today? No.

It hurts to think about

129 Parisians were murdered by terrorists yesterday.

417 Chicagoans have been murdered by other Chicagoans so far this year. This is beyond sobering. It's heartbreaking.

It is so painful that I don't want to think about it. My neighbors -- people who live within 20 miles of my home -- are more adept at killing than Isis.

What's even more insidious is I fear Isis and Al Queda more than I do my neighbors. The mayhem here is so self contained, so targeted, that I find it easy to avoid. I witnessed a crime in 2004, and haven't been the victim of one since the 1992, so my immediate environment feels pretty safe. But terrorism did cross my mind twice last summer -- first attending a ballgame over 4th of July weekend and then at Lollapalooza.

Am I so anesthetized to the local violence because it's so unrelenting? Every morning, the local news reports on how many young people were murdered over night. I fear I've become used to it.

Every once in a while, a story breaks through and breaks my heart. If you visit this blog often, you know how moved I was by the story of Nailah Franklin.* I'll never forget Yummy Sandifer, the 11 year old gangbanger (yes, you read that right) who committed murder and then was murdered himself back in 1994. Eleven years old.

Most recently, I've been saddened and disgusted by the story of Tyshawn Lee. This 9-year-old was literally assassinated in retaliation for his father's gang activity. This youngster was lured into an alley on his way home from school, shot multiple times and left to bleed out. His beloved basketball was found beside his body.

Lest you think that's as depraved as life can get, let me tell you what makes this story particularly disturbing. Tyshawn lived with his grandmother. His father refuses to help police find his son's killer, going so far as swearing at law enforcement when they approach him. His mother reportedly took the money raised for her son's funeral on GoFundMe and bought a car. "I got it for my protection. That's what my son would have wanted me to do," she said in a video she posted in her own defense.

What the hell? What the hell!

I feel helpless. I feel as though a shell is forming over my heart.

I don't want any of this to be happening.

*Though she was, most likely, strangled. No evidence of gun violence found in that case.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

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


Attention, Harriet! Since you removed the button requiring me to click on the pineapple, I can no longer leave comments through Blogger. Please know, though, that I have visited you these past two weeks. (I even admired your St. Jude's hat.)

1) The lyrics tell us about a young man who stopped at a bar named Webb's before heading home. What's the last restaurant or bar you visited? What did you order? We had dinner at the Randolph Tavern, arriving at about 7:00. It was packed with the pre-theater crowd and a lot of basketball fans, watching Western Illinois play Madison. We were jealous of those happy, noisy patrons because they didn't yet know what had gone down in Paris. Oh yeah, I ordered a lobster roll with fries and had a Moscow Mule. My friend John just had three beers (Stella Artois, if you're interested).

 
2) In this video, Vicki Lawrence is obviously lip synching. If you had to participate in a competition, would you do better at karaoke or lip synching? And what song would you choose to perform? I'd lip synch and I could perform this week's song. I know it that well. ("That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia, uh-huh-uh. That's the night that they hung an innocent man ...") I don't like this song, mind you. But it's one of those earwigs that bores in.

3) Back when this song was popular, so was the Rubik's Cube. Can you solve that 3-D puzzle? No

4) Vicki Lawrence is a hyphenate, meaning she's a comedienne-actress-singer. Using hyphens, describe yourself. Aunt-Friend-Cat Lady

5) Back in the early 1970s, songwriter Bobby Russell first offered this song to Cher, who refused it. Give us the name of a song Cher did record. "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"
 

"Julie" then

"Julie" now

6) Vicki Lawrence won her first big break playing Carol Burnett's kid sister because of her resemblance to the star. Have you ever been told you look like a celebrity? I used to hear all the time that I looked like Julie on The Love Boat. I saw a photo of her recently and realized, "My God, I still look like her." And now I don't know if that's a good thing.

7) She also starred on Mama's Family in the role of matriarch of an argumentative Southern clan. As we head into the holiday season, do your plans involve a lot of family time? Not really. I'm spending Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day with people I love, but they are not my blood relatives.

8) After The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family, Vicki became a staple on daytime TV. She hosted Win, Lose or Draw and was a contestant on The Match Game and $25,000 Pyramid. Do you watch much daytime TV? Yes, but not during the day. I discovered this cable channel, Buzzr, that shows vintage game shows every evening. I am especially fascinated by What's My Line, ca 1962. The guests, the panelists and the audience are all dressed so elegantly and behaved with such impeccable manners. And we were so gender-defined in those days. The panel was surprised when women had jobs like architect or scientist.

9) Random question provided by a Sat 9er: Bugs/insects. Do you like 'em or fear 'em? Tell us something/anything you know about them. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs.

Shocked and sad

I'm watching the hostage situation at Paris' Bataclan Theater unfold in real time. It's overwhelming.

Bataclan, in happier times

I have no desire to travel overseas, never really have. There's so much of the United
States I haven't seen, or wish to see again, and that's my priority.

But I did go to Paris, back when I was 19, and it was exactly as I wanted it to be. I saw the Mona Lisa, the Champs-Élysée, the Arc de Triomphe. I loved almost* every moment.

That makes me feel a greater kinship to the tourists and citizens of Paris. My sadness, anger and horror is greater than my capacity to express it.

*OK, I also remember severe stomach upset after dining on a beer and sausage fondue. Just typing those words made me cramp up.

Looks rather silly, doesn't it?

This is the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It will be our home-away-from-home next week. It's the goofiest looking, most garish building I've seen since ... well ... last time I went to Las Vegas.

We're going to see the Supreme Diana Ross at the Venetian and Las Vegas' one-of-a-kind Mob Museum. There's also going to be spa treatments -- a facial for me and a massage for my oldest friend -- and maybe, time permitting, time in the jacuzzi.

I'm a little worried about this whole trip with my oldest friend. She's still not done with her outpatient stint for depression. She owes me $200 for the trip and can't pay it back, because she's not working full-time yet. Is she going to be able to get up in the morning, as she'll need to if we're to make our spa appointments? I understand that with the meds she's on, mornings are difficult ...

Oh well, there isn't anything I can do about the situation until it actually presents itself. No point in borrowing dread.

Instead I'll try to imagine what trippy fairytale could have a setting like this as its happily ever after.

Love it!

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

Why, yes, Andy, I am.


I began listening to carols on the ride home this evening. It was cold, damp and windy. I hate that kinda weather.

I wanted to feel better. I wanted happy.

To borrow from another song, I needed a little Christmas.

I know there are those out there who feel Christmas should stay hidden until the day after Thanksgiving, and should put itself away on December 31. I'm not one of those people. I want to squeeze as much goodwill out the season as I can.

Don't harsh my holiday buzz with any "one holiday at a time" talk. As the wind howls outside, I'm grateful for Andy.

Guilty

It took the jury just over two hours to find Reginald Potts, Jr., guilty of the first degree murder of Nailah Franklin. Illinois no longer has the death penalty, but he is unlikely to ever walk free. He had eight previous convictions and warrants for $40,000 in outstanding child support by the time he was 31. He had recently been paroled when he met and wooed Nailah Franklin. When she found out about his past, and about the child he'd fathered while seeing her, she severed the relationship.

Women did not dump Reginald Potts, Jr. When she broke up with him, their relationship changed from boyfriend and girlfriend to, in the words of the prosecutor, "hunter and hunted."

Long ago I loved a man like that. He still resurfaces in my life from time to time and still has the power to scare and upset me. We all make mistakes. It breaks my heart that Nailah Franklin had to die over hers.

Her case has resonated with me since she went missing, that warm autumn of 2007. She had recently worked at Leo Burnett, an advertising agency just up the street from mine. Her former coworkers, who clearly adored her, were leafleting at my el stop and pressed one of these into my hand. Throughout my neighborhood, her face looked out at me from store windows.

First her car was found, abandoned and empty and wiped clean. I had hoped that perhaps it was a carjacking gone hideously wrong.

Then her body was found in an Indiana lot, beside the video store* which just so happened to be run by the brother-in-law of Reginald Potts, Jr.

Now it's over.

I hope that her family can find some measure of peace. They have suffered a great deal and lost a great deal more. They are in my prayers.

*When is the last time you saw a video store? That's how long this case has dragged on.

Google says

Liberated from Kwizgiver

1. Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search: a new liver 
Reaction: Well, this game is starting with a very sad story. A mom needed a liver transplant but died before a donor organ could be found. The link was to her family's Facebook page, and the cover photo is the woman's grave, decorated by her daughters' jack-o-lanterns.

2. Type in “[your name] wants” in the Google search: to be lazy
Reaction: Well, yeah. And I am.

3. Type in “[your name] is” in the Google search: in Dublin
Reaction: But I'm not.

4. Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search: a pit to me
Reaction: There's a dog out there with my name

5. Type in “[your name does] does” in Google search: work that appeals to kids of all ages
Reaction: No, I don't.

6. Type in “[your name] likes” in the Google search: summer in Oakville
Reaction: I suppose I would, as long as it doesn't get too hot

7. Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search: public schools
Reaction: No, I don't!

8. Type in “[your name] goes” or “..has gone” in Google search: over to Arizona's dark side
Reaction: I've never been to Arizona, but I suppose every locale has a dark side.

9. Type in “[your name] loves” in Google search: The Pampered Chef
Reaction: Hah!

10. Type in “[your name] says” in the Google search: Get right with God
Reaction: I'm four-square in favor of that, only I don't believe it's my place to tell you how to do it

Who knew cauliflower popcorn existed?

11. Type in “[your name] eats” in Google search: cauliflower popcorn Reaction: What? Never heard of it and am not interested in munching on it

12. Type in “[your name] has” in Google search: quit
Reaction: Oh, how I've thought about it!

13. Type in “[your name] makes” in Google search: mischief
Reaction: It's been known to happen

14. Type in “[your name] can” in the Google search: interrupt
Reaction: Yes, I can.

15. Type in “[your name] will” in Google search: play the villain
Reaction: Bwaaah! That might be fun.

No wonder I drink at lunch

Last week, when I took a few days off, my boss had to handle one of my presentations. It was not a big deal at all. Since we were presenting web banners, which have a very easy-to-understand format, he was able to do it over the phone, saving him a trip downstate to the clients' offices.

Of the six concepts that were presented, four were his and two were mine. At the end of the presentation, our client asked what the agency recommendation was. This is de riguer and I hate it. I mean it when I tell her, "We would never waste your time with creative concepts we don't stand behind," and then I once again topline the benefits of each idea.

My boss, on the other hand, had a clear favorite. One of his. On the call, our client agreed with him enthusiastically but said she had to show the concepts to her boss before she could give us her final choice.

On Friday, she let her know that her boss had overruled her and they were going with one of mine.

My boss was shocked and appalled. You would think they had accused his mother of being a hooker in France during the war. Oh, for Christ's sake, it's a web banner. It will appear on their site for 30 days and poof! It's gone forever.

And, as I was impolitic to point out, we presented it. If, as an agency, we didn't think it was a good concept, we shouldn't have shown it to the client.

That was Friday. On Monday, we had to start on the next month's banners. I showed my boss one that was a logical follow up to the one the client choice so we could leverage the visual and content. He killed it right away. This was just plain petty. If the client had chosen one of "his" ideas (and I consider them all "our" ideas), I would have suggested a continuation of that one, too.

"Let's retire that," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. RETIRE IT? The original idea hasn't even been seen by the public yet! He has no idea if it will be a success or not, and we're already retiring it?

It almost amuses me that he's so emotionally invested in this. These web banners are ancillary to The Big Project, and while it's high profile, it's kinda boring and my boss has been very willing to let me virtually run it since it kicked off in April. He only got involved with these web banners because I'm finally taking my vacation and he got in front of the client in my stead.

And here's the kicker: Wednesday morning, the client is having a big hush-hush meeting. The title is, "Go/No Go." Meaning that The Big Project -- the thing I've been working on since April, the one I found myself discussing from the courthouse while I was on jury duty, the one I concentrated on instead of finishing my bathroom redecoration or celebrating the Cubs' victory against Pittsburgh -- may be postponed or cancelled.

So the fucking banner that my boss hates so much may never be created. Of course, this also means that the 16-page booklet, six-panel brochure, series of six letters, emails, and multi-piece welcome kits that are already being produced may be scrapped, too.

After I heard this, I walked over to nearest dive, ordered a greasy burger and washed it down with beer. Cold, wonderful beer. Don't judge me. You would have done the same.

Now we wait

Remembered as "not just a star, but a superstar"

The last few witnesses have testified in the trial of Nailah Franklin's accused killer. His ex-wife and a former girlfriend described the physical abuse they suffered at his hands. A friend of his testified that they were together in Chicago all day, running errands, on the day Ms. Franklin went missing, and therefore he couldn't be dumping her body and car in Indiana. (Never mind that last week, he had a different alibi.) The accused chose not to take the stand in his own defense.

Tomorrow the jurors will hear closing arguments. Then they will begin to deliberate.

They will consider the cell phone evidence -- the threatening text messages he sent her, the defiant ones she sent in response, and the telltale "pings" that place their cell phones in the same vicinity on the day she died. Then there's the surveillance evidence -- the camera in the garage of her condo building shows them leaving together on the day she disappeared. Then there's his pattern of abusive behavior -- placing his hands on the necks of two other women in his life, relevant since Nailah's cause of death was asphyxiation.* Then there's the crime scene evidence -- her body was discovered in a vacant lot next to a business owned by the accused's brother-in-law, and her abandoned car was found just 10 minutes away. And now, his shifting alibis.

Then finally, after more than eight years, there will be a verdict. Most Illinois murder cases take two years to go from arrest to trial. This one took so long because the accused kept changing attorneys -- at one point insisting he could defend himself -- and complicating matters by committing literally hundreds of serious infractions from behind bars.

In 2007, when he was arrested, Illinois still had the death penalty. Now, as the jury hears closing arguments, it has been abolished.

*Though, to be fair, there is no evidence that she was strangled. Decomposition makes positive determination impossible.

Wherever she is, she understands and forgives you

This old (2007?) photo is making its way around social media. Melania Trump is seven months pregnant, wearing a gold bikini and high heels, posing on the steps of husband Donald's jet. We can certainly wonder what this photo means about Trump and his attitude toward women, but that's not what this post is about.

Not that long ago, there was an uproar about Michelle Obama showing bare arms in her official White House portrait. In comparison, bare arms seem pretty tame, don't they?

I've learned that no First Lady gets good press in real time. It started when Martha Washington was slagged for the formality of her official dinners ("What? Does she think she's royal or something?") and hasn't let up since.

For example, the First Lady whom Melania Trump is said to aspire to be like, JBKO, was haunted by these two photos when she entered America's consciousness. The first is a shot of her at 16, trying to look like "a vamp" between sets on the tennis court. During the 1960 campaign, when this 1945 snapshot surfaced, there was an uproar over a teenager smoking. And her lifestyle! A young girl flaunting heavy lipstick, jewelry and a cigarette holder as she romps around Newport tennis courts? How decadent! There was a war on, after all!

This second one is of First Lady Jackie Kennedy vacationing -- without her husband (!) -- in Italy. Anyone with even a shallow understanding of the Kennedy marriage can imagine why she may wish to get away from the White House soon after her husband enjoyed being the subject of Marilyn Monroe's rendition of "Happy Birthday." However, back in 1962, whispers about the President's infidelities were limited to the Georgetown/New York/Hollywood elites. Ironically it was Jackie who was slammed for abandoning her husband and toddler son to go off to Italy on her own (though "on her own" meant accompanied her 5-year-old daughter, her sister and brother-in-law, and a pair of Secret Service agents).

Photos like this one, showing her in a bathing suit, were splashed across front pages all over the world, and Americans were scandalized. Is this how a young wife and mother should behave? 

After her husband's assassination, public sympathy swung overwhelmingly in Jackie's favor. But once she married Aristotle Onassis, the charges that she was spendthrift and decadent resurfaced. While no one blamed her for the nude sunbathing paparazzo shots that Larry Flynt published in Hustler, no one much felt sorry for her, either.

Now, decades after her death, JBKO is the First Lady today's candidates wives look to.* I think this would amuse her. Now that the pendulum has swung back, she's considered an icon of elegance and decorum again. I suspect she would say she was pretty much the same Jacqueline all along and it was the public's perception that changed.

*No word on who Bill Clinton's First Spouse role model is.

Sunday Stealing

The Big, Bad Meme

Is there anyone else in the room with you at this moment? What are they doing? Nope. It's just little ol' me.

Do you show your teeth when you smile, or do you prefer smiling with your lips closed? When I'm posing for a photo, I'm careful to control my upper lip when I smile. Otherwise I can look a little gummy.

Would you rather be told the truth, even if it isn’t what you want to hear? Depends on who's doing the telling, and if what they're saying is an absolute truth. If it's an opinion about something superficial -- like a coworker doesn't like my cologne -- keep it to yourself.

What is something that you plan to buy, as soon as you’ve saved up the money for it? New tile for my bathroom walls! Gawd, I hate it in there!

Do you play Sudoku? No

Have you ever had a migraine? Not recently, and I'm grateful for that. Migraines are murder.

What was the last book you read for pleasure? The Chocolate Cat Caper. It's just as lightweight as the name implies. But I've been reading biographies lately that have gotten me involved emotionally. It's a nice change of pace to read something inconsequential.

What was the last item of clothing you purchased for yourself?  Just today I bought myself a green Izod pullover for $2.50 at Goodwill. I went over there to drop off a bag of clothes and wandered around a moment, checking the pricing to make sure the fair market value I declare to Uncle Sam is close to true. And wouldn't you know? I fell in love with a cable knit sweater on the rack. Yea for me!

Your first serious relationship, do you still talk to him/her? No. His mom died earlier this year. I sent flowers, because his mother had stayed close to mine and I think my mom would have wanted me to. I didn't hear anything back and that's just fine. I was a little worried I would, and then what would I say to him?

Who is the last person you texted? A former coworker who wanted to share some industry gossip.

 

How close is your family? My niece and nephew like me, and I have a cousin (mom's side) and an aunt (dad's side) in Florida that I correspond with. But my sisters and I are not at all simpatico.

Is there anything too serious to be joked about? Yes. I do not joke about another person's faith or race or infirmity. I'm one of those insufferably PC people some complain about.

Do you like to understand and have good knowledge of things? Yes. Why on earth would anyone answer "no" to this?

What is worse? Back pain or shoulder pain? Back pain. It's impossible to get comfortable when your back hurts.

Have you ever almost fallen off of something high off the ground? Of course.

What’s one fruit you love in drinks? This afternoon I had a peach bellini, so I'll say peach.

What is something simple that you’re afraid of? Air travel.

   

Has this weekend been good? The weather's been good -- sunny and 55º. The company was good -- lunch with my niece and her boyfriend. But I feel crappy because a nascent cold is sapping my strength.

 How much time do you take to get ready in the morning? It takes me forever to get ready in the morning because I keep getting distracted. I'm very much an "Oh, look! A squirrel!" kinda gal when I'm preparing to go out.

 

 Last movie you watched in theaters and with whom? The Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror film that was screened by my classic movie group to celebrate Halloween.

And all I want to do is sleep

I have so much to do! My home is a mess, and I had rededicated myself to finally doing something about that before November 19 -- which is the day a contractor may be wandering around, moving furniture, as he remedies the problem with my heat.*

But I have no energy. I'm battling the beginning of a cold. So far no cough, and the congestion that isn't so bad. But it's a battle to stay awake!

As I post this, I'm watching Ken Burns' Civil War, which could be an inspiration as I continue Liza's saga for my Nanowrimo, but I'm struggling to remain upright on the sofa ... and here it's barely 5:30.

Oh well, it's not like I did nothing this weekend. Saturday I did laundry and put my summer clothes away. And today I took a bag of clothes to Goodwill and bought a new set of sheets at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Best of all, I had lunch with my niece. My 23 year old niece! I can't get over how time has flown, and that she's done with college. She was just in for the weekend and wanted me to meet her new fella, Michael. A sanctimonious pain in the ass if ever there was one. Though, I suspect, the woman I am today would have felt the same way about a 23 year old Gal. And, it's important to note, she seems quite happy with and proud of him. I just hope there's no wedding in the near future. She went from a few months in the dorm to sharing an apartment with her boyfriend Jason directly to sharing an apartment with Michael. I worry that she's not spreading her wings and flying solo. But then, that's me wanting what I wanted/want for myself, and this is her life we're talking about.

*Which is way too much heat. I can't regulate it.

Saturday 9

  Random

 

1) Do you prefer your pickle sliced thin, sliced thick, or in a spear? I like the spear when it's served on the side with my burger or sandwich. I'll happily munch it solo. But if I'm having pickles on my sandwich or burger, I prefer sweet relish.

2) What kind of eggs do you like best for breakfast? I like all eggs. Scrambled with diced ham. In an omelet with cheese and spinach. Over easy or poached. It's all good. (Can you tell I'm thinking of heading over to the coffee shop for breakfast this morning?)

3) If you got 2 pennies for change, would you pocket them or leave them on the counter for the next person? I'd take them because I save pennies in a red piggy bank (a gift from a coworker). It holds about 750, and when it's full I take it to the Coinstar machine and give myself a little present. Last year I got an Amazon gift certificate, this year, one from Red Robin (yum).
 

4) You’re now in charge of the manners for the planet. Tell us the new rules for cellphone etiquette. NOT at the table! My friend Barb used to check her phone all the time while we were eating, until one evening I told her if she touched it one more time, I was getting out my hardcover book and beginning to read. She never did it again. My oldest friend needs to shape up her phone manners, too. She takes her son's every utterance way too seriously (he's now 25) and I've seen her take his call during a lecture and a museum exhibit. I know he's had problems in the past, but the last call turned out to be about whether he should pick up cat food at the grocery store or Petco. That certainly could have waited.

 

5) You’re about to write a novel. What genre will it be (sci fi, chick lit, historical fiction, comic …)? I'm writing a novel right now. Does that sound pretentious? It shouldn't, because November means NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and people all over the country are working on that idea that's been rattling around in their hands. Anyway, mine is historical fiction, set in the mid 19th century.

6) Is it a bad thing to lie to save a friend’s feelings? Usually, no. Especially if the question is something like, "Do you like my hair?" Sometimes, though, if it's a serious matter, people need to hear the truth if they are to move ahead in their lives, and who better to tell them than a friend? So it depends on the situation.

7) Is your big toe your longest toe? Yes.

8) Hot stone massage: yea or nay? Yea.

9) Do you check the mirror before going out? Yes.

 

Sisterhood can be powerful

This week in the trial of Nailah Franklin's accused murderer: A woman made her voice heard, even though she didn't testify.

A guy named Hugh took the stand and said that, on the night of the murder, he picked the accused up at an Indiana gas station, not far from where Nailah's abandoned car was found. This is not what he told police back in 2007. Then Hugh had provided his buddy an alibi, saying they had been together all evening in the city of Chicago.

Why did he change his story? He testified that his wife coaxed him "to tell the truth."

Good for her. Good for him. Good for the memory of Nailah Franklin, may she rest in peace.