August Happiness Challenge -- Day 21

Today's happiness -- The kindness of strangers. The unemployed construction worker who has taken over Randi and Caleb's corner seems like a nice, albeit sad, man. I've learned some things about him --

•  He has a daughter. When he visits with her, they meet at his aunt's house.

•  He has a generous heart. He ran into another homeless man who pimped a tortoise shell kitten for donations, didn't trust the level of care she was getting, and so he "adopted" her. The first thing he did was go to Target and buy a collar and harness so she couldn't wander off into traffic. I like that about him. He is trying to convince his aunt to take the kitten before winter arrives.

Today, when I got to his corner, neither he nor the kitten were there. I saw his box of belongings, but not him. My guess is he slipped into Starbucks (with the kitten hidden under his shirt) to use the bathroom.

My moment of happiness was the 20-something woman standing there, looking up and down the street, gift card in hand. It was obvious she wanted to help him out. Her willingness to pitch in, that obvious connection she felt with him, cheered me up.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

1. What are you currently reading? Little Gloria ... Happy at Last by Barbara Goldsmith. I wear Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. I watch Anderson Cooper. So I'm not unfamiliar with Gloria. But I admit I know little about the 1930s custody case that once captured the nation's imagination.

It's fascinating, filled with intrigue and legal shenanigans and sex and rumors about sex. And at the heart of it all is a diffident little girl. I can't tell who wants Little Gloria for herself, and who wants her for control of her trust fund.

This book is well written, but it's filled with a lot of people -- lawyers and secretaries and  maids and aunts and cousins, etc. I find myself stopping and thinking: "So Gloria's mother didn't trust Tom ... Who is Tom again?" So this 600+ page tome is going to be slow going. Thank goodness Goldsmith did such a good job of recreating the time and place, so it holds my interest.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. This is a silly book. Now that's not necessarily a knock -- I grew up on I Love Lucy and screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby, so I'm very capable of being entertained by zany antics. But I want you to know just what to expect if you pick up this book.

Samantha is a workaholic lawyer who loses her job suddenly and in a most public and humiliating way. Through a series of misunderstandings, finds herself hired as a housekeeper in a big, beautiful house on the English countryside. She doesn't know how to cook, sew or clean, so she's not exactly a natural for this line of work. Lots of hijinks ensue. Some are very funny. None bear any resemblance to anything that could happen on Planet Earth.

I'm not sorry I read it. I enjoyed it. But I know I won't recall a thing about it a year from now.

3.  What will you read next? Michelle Obama's autobiography. Unless I change my mind.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 20

Today's happiness -- I missed the rain. It rained off and on all day, at times accompanied by thunder. Yet I lucked out of all of it. It just so happened to stay dry during my commutes to and from work, and the Cubs got their entire game in. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 19

Today's happiness -- I don't have a black eye. I've lived to the age of 62 without ever having a black eye, and that's a record I'm pleased to report that I maintain.

But Sunday was a close call. I got ambitious and decided to wipe down my shower stall with vinegar, to help combat that musty smell I've noticed since keeping the bathroom door closed all day to save on air conditioning costs.*

I was not careful when removing items from the top shelf and got bonked in the eye with a tube of St. Ives scrub. It hit me hard, making a loud noise in my head upon contact. The tube caught me sharp edge first. I was scared that I would look like I ran into Muhammad Ali.

Fortunately, immediate application of an ice pack and a dose of ibuprofen did the trick. I woke up this morning relieved to find just a tiny cut and a small red bump. I started the day delighted.

 *The vinegar worked, along with the bowl of baking soda and lemon juice I left on the toilet tank. And keeping the door open. I've decided that I'd rather have a higher energy bill than mildew.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 18

Today's happiness -- A lot of Rizzo. Today the major leagues celebrated the Little League World Series with a game between the Cubs and the Pirates in Williamsport, PA. To say that my favorite Cub, Anthony Rizzo, seized the day would be an accurate statement, and I enjoyed watching him.

First, he hung around the with the kids before the game. He took part in their tradition of sliding down a hill on a piece of cardboard, and he enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Then he got his 23rd home run. The ball was returned to him, and chose to make it a gift to the short stop of Japan's little league team. Rizz took Yu Darvish, the Cub pitcher born in Osaka, with him to translate as the handed away the ball.

He was just so Rizz, all day. I enjoy this kid soooo much.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Here's to The Birthday Boy

Today, Robert Redford turns 83. He says he's retired now, and I suppose he's earned it. After all, he has two Oscars, a Medal of Freedom, and he's been honored by both the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center. Those accolades must be awful comfortable to rest upon.

I remember reading in costume designer Edith Head's memoir that she liked to put him in wide-brimmed hats to balance his wide, square chin. It is a lovely chin, isn't it?

Sunday Stealing

SWAP BOT

 
1) What do you enjoy about summer?

via GIPHY


2) Do you like snow? Why? Yes. First of all, I feel privileged to be here in Chicagoland, where I get to see all four seasons. I have friends/family in Florida who never get to see snow, and that just feels sad to me. And I like watching kids and dogs enjoy snow.


3) What do you think about dogs? I love dogs. One of the silliest myths of modern life it that there are "cat people" and "dog people."


4) Have you ever gotten lost? Always! I have the world's worst sense of direction.

5) What are your favorite type of socks? My favorite socks are similar to these. I picked them up at The Coke Store in Las Vegas. They are a nice, useful souvenir of my vacation.


6) What is your favorite style of shoes? I love my Birkenstocks sandals.

7) What would you name your boat if you had one? Oh, I don't know. But this reminds me of my favoritemost episode of The Flintstones. Fred and Barney go in together on a boat. They fight about what to call it. Fred wants to call it Nautical Princess, while Barney likes Sea Queen. They combine the two names and call it The Nausea.

8) What common misconception do you hate to hear repeated as fact? That Mexican immigrants are, in Donald Trump's words, "criminals, drug dealers and rapists." (BTW, Mr. President, why aren't drug dealers and rapists considered "criminals?") Or that guns don't kill people, people kill people. Or that cat ladies can't love dogs.

9) What was the last shop you went into and what did you buy? CVS. Aveeno cleanser (the pink one, not the green one).

10) What's your favorite thing to do to pass the time? Watch #44, Anthony Rizzo.

 
via GIPHY

11) What is a way to die that scares you the most? Airplane crash. It's not the dying part that scares me, it's the terror leading up to it.


12) Travel or home body? Yes. I like traveling, but I also appreciate staying home.


13) Have you ever gone to a Bingo hall? No.


14) What is the longest plane trip you have taken? More than 8 hours to Paris.


15) Do you text more or call more? Why? Text, because people seem to prefer it.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 17

Today's happiness -- An hour and 19 minutes with Henry. He got home yesterday! He sounds strong and refreshingly unwilling to rehash his time in the hospital. After the accident, he was like a broken phonograph record, stuck in a woe-is-me groove. Today he was the opposite. We actually found ourselves discussing Elvis, of all things!

We don't know for certain what caused his seizures. I suppose it doesn't matter. He is home and has a new medication regimen predicted to help prevent them going forward.

I even spoke to his husband, Reg, for a while, and it wasn't unpleasant. Reg has been a trick bag lately, so I was actually kind of afraid when he came on the line. But he was communicative and doesn't seem to hate me ... today

I have been worried about Henry every day for the last week. I feel like a weight has been lifted. He is not well, "well" might be a relative term from here on out, but he's home and he and Reg seem to be coping. So now I can finally exhale!

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Where You Lead

Where You Lead (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here. 


1) This is the theme of The Gilmore Girls, a TV show that ran  from 2000 to 2007. It recently enjoyed renewed popularity as a reboot. Were you a fan? Nope. But it almost feels like I watched it because my niece grew up on it, loved it and referred to it often.

2) The show is about thirtysomething Lorelai Gilmore, her teenage daughter Rory, and her parents, Richard and Emily. The four of them had dinner together every Friday night. Who did you have dinner with on Friday? What was on the menu? I had crab rangoon and pork fried rice with my old friend Kathy. It was delicious. And then, like a ninny, I forgot to put the leftovers in the refrigerator, so I had to toss it away. (Boo!)

3) Lorelai is outgoing and talkative. How about you? Are you seldom at a loss for words? Hardly ever. In this way, I'm just like Sundance.

 

4) Rory dreamed of going to an Ivy League school and then becoming a broadcast journalist. When you were in high school, what were your ambitions? I dreamed of being a journalist, too. But I wanted to write for the Chicago desk of a national magazine, like Time or Newsweek.


5) Rory's grandfather (and Lorelai's dad) went to Yale and performed with the Whiffenpoofs, Yale's famous a cappella group. Have you ever sung in front of an audience? No! No no a thousand times no! Even at church, I just move my lips.

6) Rory's grandmother (and Lorelai's mother) Emily was very active in civic organizations and worked hard on the Hartford Zoological Society's Annual Silent Auction. Have you ever attended an auction? Nope.

7) Alexis Bledel, who played Rory, went on to appear in Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale. Of these three shows -- Gilmore Girls, Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale -- which would you prefer to binge watch? Mad Men. It's scary how accurate it is about agency life, and how little has changed in 50 years.

8) Carole King originally wrote this week's song, "Where You Lead," for her Tapestry album. Do you have a favorite Carole King song? "Make it nice, play it clean ..." I love the sound of "Jazzman."

 

 
9) Random question: If zoo animals could talk, which animal do you imagine would be the rudest? The polar bears. I know this for a fact. Ok, I don't. But I grew up near a zoo and the stories about their diva behavior were the stuff of legend. I have heard they are picky eaters, easily bored, and -- with all apologies to Yogi -- "smarter than the average bear." So I bet if they could talk they'd be very snarky.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 16

Today's happiness -- My day in Dekalb. It's a town 65 miles from Chicago, and home to Northern Illinois University. My friend Kathy moved out there last year. We've seen each other regularly since she relocated, of course, but she usually comes up here. I wanted to show her that I continue to be supportive of her new life, so I offered to go out there for a visit.

It's a relaxing 60+ minute train ride each way, which gave me a chance to finish my book. And, thinking of books, I had a biography of Barack Obama for Kathy that I'd rescued from the recent book sale. She loves Obama, so this was a happy moment.

We went back to Thai Pavilion for a big meal, visited in her cute apartment for a while, and then I headed back. A nice way to spend a late summer Friday.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

3-7

Bryzzo used to be a sure thing

Of the last 10 games, the Cubs have lost 7. How can that be? How can a team that has Bryzzo, Baez, and Contreras as their Core Four be unable to score runs? Because Contreras is on the Injured List and Baez has the flu. Oh yeah, and our bullpen keeps giving games away in the 9th.

I am not enjoying this. It's not that losing, in and of itself, bothers me so much. Yes, this millennium has been good in Wrigleyville -- since 2000, we've made the playoffs seven times. But before that? Everyone knows of our century-long World Series drought, and that didn't diminish my passion for the team.

I'm upset because I love these guys, and I'm afraid if they don't go deep into the post-season, baseball wunderkind Theo Epstein will back up the truck and start unloading of players. I hate that thought.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 15

Today's happiness -- Coconutty Cupcake. It was a pretty day, not too hot with low humidity. I took a walk at lunchtime.

I saw something new by the fountains at the building next door -- three food trucks! I have no idea how they got those trucks up there, but never mind. There was a pizza-by-the-slice, and a seafood place, and a cupcake truck.

At first blush, I wanted everything. On closer examination, I saw that the slices were too expensive and the seafood truck had too long a line. But A. Sweets Girl was, as Goldilocks would say, "just right." I had a vanilla cupcake with buttercream and lots of roasted coconut.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 14

Today's happiness -- Connie. My girlcat is terribly sweet. She likes to cuddle and purr with me, she likes to run and play with her brother cat, Reynaldo.

On a day like today, when I'm tired from work and deflated by the Cubs lopsided loss,  her soft fur, bright eyes and rumbling purr make me happy.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Apparently I'm loud and angry

Remember Hamid, The New Boy? I like him and think he shows tremendous potential. But he's still junior, and he confuses activity with accomplishment. He doesn't give the creative team time to think. He wants answers and solutions and he wants them by end of day.

Tuesday afternoon, he expected too much too fast. He wanted me to decide how to repaginate a six-page brochure about investing in annuities -- a complicated subject -- and he wanted me to do it off the top of my head. I called the art director over and involved her, because I can't/shouldn't do everything. The three of us hammered out a solution, but there was bruising.

Today, Hamid reported with some amusement that one of the work friends asked why I was so "loud and angry." He told the work friend that if I was loud and angry, the friend had best never work in Dubai, where my manner would seem subdued.

I'm glad Hamid wasn't offended by our exchange, but I admit I'm stung by being considered "loud and angry." With open seating there are no offices and I have no privacy, no place to think, and I admit it wears on me. Plus I have to fight for quality and the integrity of our creative product.

Or maybe I'm good with it. Maybe I like being badass. Must keep turning this over in my head before I come to a conclusion.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 13

Today's happiness -- My auntie. Tuesday I got a postcard from York Beach, ME and an email from Virginia Beach, VA. She thought of me because they were having lunch at the Abbey Road Restaurant and, well, me and the Lads.

It makes me happy that she's there. I disagree with her on many, MANY things (Trump, immigration, guns, Trump). But she loves me. I am not taking her love for granted. I'm going to revel in it.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Tuesday's come and gone

I don't know where Henry sleeps tonight. Is he back home in Key West? Is he still in a hospital bed in Miami?  Do we have a diagnosis on the seizures, a prognosis for recovery? I don't know.

His husband Reg posted to social media on Monday: "Here is what I need. I need people to stop calling me. Stop sending text messages. I will let you know what is going on. IN MY OWN TIME." I resent the living shit out of this. Is it really so awful to be loved, Reg? Is it such a burden to have people praying for your husband?

Bitter though I am, I respect his wishes. I reached out to Patrick just before beginning this post, hoping for news, but he hasn't heard anything either. 

So we wait. My instinct tells me that Henry will be OK. I think if the news was bad or dramatic, Reg would have posted that by now. I suspect that the test results may be difficult to articulate. Brain injuries are complicated.

I'm holding Henry in my heart tonight. Remembering how he brought flowers to my mom's hotel room when she traveled to Key West. He is such a good person. Wherever he is tonight, he deserves to sleep the sleep of the righteous.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 12

 

Today's happiness -- TCM. Busy day at the office. Worried about John and Henry. Emails to write re: the condo deconversion.

No ballgame!

So thank God TCM was there to comfort me. It's August, so the programming is devoted to Summer Under the Stars, with a different star featured every day. Monday was Ann Sothern. I admit I'm not a massive fan, but there is a movie of hers that I recently discovered and completely adored: A Letter to Three Wives. I fell asleep watching it. That's OK. I know which husband leaves with Addie. And this ca 1949 b/w suburb was a nice place to fall asleep. (Better than my messy, musty apartment. What's that stale smell, anyway? I worry that there's a problem of some sort with my air conditioner ...)

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

As night falls, Henry is in Miami

My dear Henry is still in the hospital. He may be there until Tuesday.
 
I can't talk to him directly -- he's sedated to prevent further seizures -- but Patrick has been in touch with Henry's husband, Reg, and reports that Henry is being a far more cooperative patient than he was last fall. That is good news. Right after his accident, Henry fought everyone, every step of the way. It sounds like he's participating in his own treatment. This is viewed as an improvement.

At the hospital, the staff noted bruises on Henry's chest and arms, indicating that he's fallen more often than he's admitted. So the seizures we know about on Tuesday and then Saturday are probably just the tip of the iceberg of his suffering. This breaks my heart. He's also been hallucinating -- asking his coworkers to turn down the music when he knows there's no music playing.

While this sounds very bad, it could just be part and parcel of recovering from a traumatic brain injury. His brain is teaching itself to work again, perhaps forging new paths through areas as they heal. The seizures and hallucinations could just be the result of a "system overload."

Today is Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday and then there's Tuesday. Hopefully I can at least text him on Tuesday. I don't want to upset or overtax him. On the other hand, I want him to know how much he is loved.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 11

Today's happiness -- Patrick. A good friend to Henry's husband, Reg, since the 1980s, he's become an ally and comfort to me, too.

He called Reg today to find out how Henry is doing. Then he took the time to update me. Patrick and I commiserated about how difficult those two are to deal with. It was such a relief to talk to someone who gets it -- who understands that I can have compassion for everything Reg is going through and yet still not want to be his "punching bag" ... who realizes that, dear as Henry is, talking to him can be exhausting.

 

I found myself reflexively saying, "I'm sorry" quite often during our hour conversation. "You're a good person, Gal, no reason to be sorry," he replied more than once. Hearing that, from someone who knows the situation even better than I do, meant the world to me.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Sunday Stealing

Questions from taken from the Friday Five.

1. Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger? Yes! I once flew from ORD to RIC beside a woman who worked as a court-appointed elder care custodian. She explained her work to me, and I was grateful that I met her when I did, for unbeknownst to me, my uncle was going to be taken to court within the year and appointed a guardian. Much of what she said came back to me.

 
2. Where did you go on the very first vacation of your life? "Duck Lake." I don't know where it was (Illinois? Wisconsin?). My parents and my grandparents got a cottage there. It had a grassy front yard (the beach was, as my mom would say, "a ways away"). There was only a shower, which I was too young to use, so at night, my mom gave me a bath in a Rubbermaid tub in the kitchen. I was 4 or 5. I caught my first and only fish that summer. That's all I remember about it.

3. Open the door of your refrigerator. What is the first thing you see? My Coca-Cola

can/water bottle. I bought it to encourage me to drink more water. I keep it cool in the frig and then take it with me to the bedroom at night (if I remember).
4. What is your favorite place in your home. My dining room table.

5. If you had wings to fly about the universe, where is the first place you’d land? I'd fly to my friend Henry's side. He's going through a frightening time with his health.
 
6. What is the first thing you do when you get in your car? I don't have a car.
 
7. What is special about the town you live in? Our architecture. We have an impressive collection of prairie style buildings, including many Frank Lloyd Wrights.

8. What is the last thing you heard about your first love? His mom died in 2015. I sent flowers to the funeral home. I haven't seen him for decades, but his mom and my mom remained friends and she would have wanted me to.

9. If you had created the world in seven days yourself, what would you have created on the First Day? I'm not going to second guess The Lord in this one!
 
10. How do you beat the summer heat? I whine and look for air conditioning.

11. Did you enjoy your Senior Year in high school? No.
 
12. Who is your favorite First Lady of all time? As was stated during the C-Span series on The First Ladies, she was sui generis.

13. Post a link to your first blog post. No. I believe if you're that interested, you know how to do that.

14. When was the last time you needed First Aid? I wore a Band Aid a few months ago when I got a paper cut. 

15. Can you explain what a first down is in football? The first time the offense gains 10 yards.
   

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 10

Today's happiness -- "Till There Was You." Today has not been a great day. Henry is suffering, the Cubs are losing ... I'm distracted and restless.

Then I looked at my August happy picture and remembered how happy I was to sing along with Sir Paul in the shower this morning. (No! He wasn't there!) The song was "Till There Was You," It was never a single, it was a cut from Meet the Beatles. It's not broadcast very often. It surprised me and made me happy when I was shampooing and conditioning.

(In this live version, he muffs the lyric a bit.)

 

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

I know the right thing to do. I just don't feel like doing it.

My dear Henry is back in the hospital. More seizures. There isn't a hospital Key West equipped to handle this, so he was airlifted back to Miami.

I think this means that he is now, indeed, an epileptic. Epilepsy is a not uncommon side effect of traumatic brain injury. I worry about the impact Henry's drinking has on his condition. From what I've been able to glean from the Internet, the only thing worse than alcohol is alcohol withdrawal. All I can do is first throw my hands up, and then fold them in prayer.

If this is hard for me, I can only imagine what tonight is like for Henry's husband, Reg. I know I should call him, but I'm not going to. Reg has been so mercurial himself lately. His Facebook posts have all been about himself, not about Henry, and I just don't feel like dealing with it. I just can't bring myself to put my head into the lion's mouth.

I am monitoring Facebook and have sent a message to Stephen's good friend, Patrick. I hope I'll hear something soon. And I definitely want to hear from Henry when he finally comes back home.