These are the thoughts and observations of me — a woman of a certain age. (Oh, my, God, I'm 65!) I'm single. I'm successful enough (independent, self supporting). I live just outside Chicago, the best city in the world. I'm an aunt and a friend. I feel that voices like mine are rather underrepresented online or in print. So here I am. If my musings resonate with you, please visit my blog again sometime.
Remember, these are people who support him. But his need for the cheap sugar high that comes from applause is more important to him than their safety.
No, he is not managing this pandemic well. No, he does not care about us.
This is why I'm ridin' with Biden. If you haven't contributed yet, please consider doing so. Even $5 would help. And, to borrow from Michelle Obama, our lives depend on it.
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?The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger. This dual biography of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her sister, Lee Radziwill, is by the writers who authored Furious Love. That book was the extraordinary, sweeping tale of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and their epic love affair. This one, alas, is nowhere near as good.
Lee, who died last year, cooperated with the authors. You'd think that would give the book greater authenticity, but it's weighed down by an unintended consequence: a lot of distracting Lee-centric detail. For example, in 1959, Lee acquired an English country home that she decorated in her own perfect taste. Pages are devoted to how she daringly chose theatrical designer Renzo Mongiardino and worked with him to realize her vision. OK ... but there was very little about Jackie's life in 1959. She was living in Washington with her toddler daughter and her husband -- the junior Senator from Massachusetts -- and the family was gearing up for his Presidential run. Nary a mention of any of that, which I find far more interesting than Lee's choice of wallpaper.
I guess that's the problem with the book thus far (I'm about halfway through). Lee's life is seldom as interesting as Jackie's -- an observation Radziwill heard often and resented mightily. But "the fabulous Bouvier sisters" remain the subject of enduring interest not because they were once the star debutantes of Newport society. It's because Jackie became a historical figure when she married John F. Kennedy, and then from the White House, she captivated the world. Sorry, Lee. I'll finish the book, but so far, I wouldn't recommend it.
2. What did you recently finish reading?Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace. This novel is about a quartet of Type A Washington women: our first female President, Charlotte Kramer; her first-ever female running mate, the colorful Tara Meyers; her first-ever female White House Chief of Staff, Melanie Kingston; and network reporter Dale Smith, who is having an extramarital affair with America's First Gentleman.
The author is the same Nicolle Wallace who has her own
show on MSNBC every day. Before that, she was briefly a co-host
on The View, and before that, she was a Washington insider -- a veteran of George W. Bush's White House and John McCain's Presidential campaign. She puts her entire resume to use in this gossipy, sexy political thriller. I'm guessing that while on The View, she learned to be conversant on designer duds. Dior, Jimmy Choo and Vera Wang are name-dropped here to entertaining effect. First in the White House Press Room and now at MSNBC, she's probably picked up on how alternately competitive, resentful and supportive TV reporters can be. Working for President Bush, she experienced how the White House responds to fast-moving events. And as part of McCain's campaign, she learned a thing or two about sassy Vice Presidential candidates who can't resist the limelight.
I had great fun with this book. It's like a drugstore candy bar: empty calories, not too memorable, but pleasurable while it lasts. (PS The acreage of the title
refers to the White House grounds.)
It's taken him a week to mention it, but my friend John is fine. Our little drama began last Wednesday, when my friend -- aged 65, with diabetes and heart trouble -- mentioned that he was feeling rundown and "monitoring for symptoms." I texted back that now would be a good time for him to take his "Medicare out of the box and give it a try," though if I know my bud, he still hasn't signed up for. (He has until October 3, and I'll bet you anything he'll wait until October 2.)
We exchanged messages throughout the week like always -- Cubs, mostly, with a rather poignant exchange about RBG -- but I scrupulously avoided nagging him because it does more harm than good. He just shuts down and goes into hiding.
Today he rewarded my patience and restraint with a text letting me know he's "fine." PHEW!
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, my art director found out over the weekend that she was exposed to the virus. She went to look at a condo and the realtor who showed her the place reported that he's tested positive. Today she went and got a walk up test. She'll find out definitively later this week, but the tech who administered the test was upbeat. Since my AD was with the realtor 9 days ago now and has shown no symptoms, odds are very good she's OK.
I'm very glad that, although she and I work together for hours every day, we do it from our respective homes.
And I am so fucking ready for this virus to be over.
1. When did you last feel down and out? On the 1st. I get paid 2x/month, and that paycheck on the 1st just doesn't go far enough.
2. What do you do to feel sexy? I haven't felt sexy since this quarantine began. It's just not on my mind. 3. If you could be somewhere else, where would you be and why? The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. This is the first season I haven't been to a Cub game since sometime in the 1980s.
4. What have you always wanted to do? Cross country ski. I think I would enjoy it because I like snow and bright, still, cold days. 5. What do you appreciate the most about your life at this time? That I'm not sick. Really. We've lost more than 199,900 Americans to the corona virus this year. I feel lucky it hasn't come closer to me.
6. If you could be someone else, who would you be and why? Jennifer Aniston. Because she's talented and pretty and she seems very nice. And rich. Rich would be good. I think of her when I'm doing something really inconvenient or unpleasant, like standing in the mud while waiting in the rain for the bus. I think, "This wouldn't happen to Jennifer Aniston." Last time I mentioned that I wonder what similar vexations she does suffer, someone responded that Brad Pitt left her. (Really? I hadn't heard!) I don't consider losing one's husband equal to being caught in the rain and I still wonder what little things can go wrong in life when you're talented and pretty and nice and really rich.
7. Have you ever made a fool of yourself? If yes, spill. In March, at the beginning of covid work from home, I was invited to my first remote webex meeting. Distracted, I dialed from my home phone as if it was my office desk phone -- meaning I hit 9 for an outside line, then 1 and then 1 for the meeting code. Which means I had accidentally called 911 and summoned the police. I am such an idiot.
8. What have you always wanted to do but haven't? I haven't yet tried cross country skiing since I answered #4. 😉
9. What do you think about the talk about traveling to Mars? I don't. I'm not against space exploration, it just doesn't interest me.
10.If you could bring back someone who has passed, who would it be? My answer to this changes, depending on when it's asked. I know I recently answered by saying my grandfather. But right now, I miss my mom.
1. A person I’m glad to have in my life. My shrink. I went back into therapy in February, when I was wrestling with how deeply my friend Henry hurt me. (Henry is recovering from a traumatic brain injury and I know his behavior is going to be erratic. However understanding that intellectually and dealing with emotionally are two different things.) ANYWAY, during this pandemic I've been similarly struggling. I get anxious and I worry that I'm no longer able to keep anything in perspective. She's been a very valuable, objective sounding board for me.
2. Something I find comfort in. The crack of the bat. I really love baseball.
3. My favorite part of the morning. Feeding the cats. Seeing them healthy, happy and content is a good way to start the day.
4. My favorite memory. The final out of the 2016 World Series. CUBS WIN!
5. An accomplishment I’m proud of. I won a Clio. In my industry, it's a big deal.
6. An opportunity I’m grateful for. Every day is an opportunity I'm grateful for.
7. My favorite song (and why). This one always lifts my spirit. BTW, Monday is the 21st of September.
8. A future event I’m excited about. Seeing Joe Biden take the oath of office.
9. My favorite area in my home. My bathroom. I love soaking in the tub.
10. Something beautiful I saw today. Blue skies and green lawns.
11. My guilty pleasure. The most fabulous bad movie EVER. I love every wretched moment.
12. Something I love about a family member. My niece's commitment to her cat, Annabelle. She adopted Annabelle as four years ago. Suddenly the cat has developed some very unsavory behavioral problems. My niece and her fiance have been ferrying this cat to and from the vet for months now and trying everything anyone suggests. The only time she bristles is when it's suggested they just "get rid of Annabelle." The way my niece looks at it, Annabelle is giving her and her future husband a good exercise in how they deal, as a couple, with adversity. I'm very proud of her.
13. A compliment that made me feel good. Al from my classic movie group thinks every one of my insights is brilliant and repeats them on the group's web page.
14. The item I treasure the most. There's a ceramic trolley car that belonged to my favorite grandfather. He kept his cufflinks, tie clasps and licorice throat lozenges in there. When I was a little girl, it fascinated me, and he'd take it off his dresser and let me examine it. After my grandparents died, and their house was being prepared for sale, my mom slipped over there and rescued it for me. I love it because of it reminds me of Grandpa, and because my mother so thoughtfully retrieved it for me.
15. My favorite part about nature. My cats. It's like having a little nature in here with me.
16. A book I loved reading. These are the two that are currently beside by bed. I don't know why, but as The Trump Show spins faster and further out of control, I find terrific comfort in the pages of big picture books, looking at icons doing beautiful, graceful things.
17. A freedom I’m grateful for. My First Amendment right to dissent.
18. My favorite part of the evening. Bedtime.
19. One good thing that happened today. I'm answering this on Saturday, and I had a nice, chatty conversation with my friend Joanna. It was good to reconnect.
20. How I show gratitude for my friends. I make myself available.
• I aced a presentation. My internal agency team was, per usual, skeptical about my abilities and my work product. But my client was happy and impressed.
• Even better, a client at the same company -- one I worked with in years gone by -- specifically requested my help on something. If this continues, my internal agency team will have no choice but to get out of my way and let me work.
• A shooting on the WIU campus, in the very dorm where my nephew was studying! He's fine, but it was terrifying for all of us. What on earth would possess a college student to bring a gun to his dorm room in the first place?
• My oldest friend suddenly had surgery on her bladder. She's had an infection for three years that hasn't responded to treatment. They finally isolated the problem months ago but were slow to act on it. The reasons were logistical and financial, and since she's on Medicare/Medicaid she really doesn't have much say in the matter. All of a sudden on Tuesday, they told her to show up at the hospital on Wednesday! I don't like the sound of any of this. But then, she did need the surgery if she's ever to feel relief and I guess it went well. I got lots of really loopy texts from my doped up friend.
• My friend John is "feeling rundown." No fever, but no energy, either. He's a 65-year-old diabetic who battles congenital heart disease, so naturally I'm worried. Also, he's been frequenting his favorite bar regularly. He assures me it's safe because they have given him his own "socially distanced covid corner table." I want to yell, "There's a fucking pandemic! Watch TV and drink at home!" But I nag John too much as it is, so I'm trying mightily to keep my mouth shut about this. He texted me last night but he didn't mention his health, which I guess is a good sign. He just wanted to commiserate because ...
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. In February 2016, when Justice Scalia died, Republicans said it was too close to the November Presidential election for Obama to nominate a successor. In September 2020, the same Republicans are saying Trump should name RBG's successor, even though we're having a Presidential election in less than 60 days. They not only deny science, they disregard calendars. They are ... what's the word I want? ... oh, yeah! They are assholes.
• Then there's this: One of my neighbors knocked on my door last night to let me know there was water seeping
into the laundry room. I went down there with her and damn, she was
right. Water was also flooding out of the boiler room next door. Now
what? I reported it as an emergency and both the electrician and the
plumber came over. It seems the boiler's "automatic feed water valve"
broke. I have no idea what that means, other than WATER! Here's a photo I
took for the management company (they seem to feel this could be the
result of negligence on the electrician's part when he fired up the
boiler, and they want evidence).
I have a ton of work to do this weekend, but I'm not touching it until tomorrow. I need a day to rest and recharge.
"I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks."
You've all heard the story: at the beginning of her career, the brilliant Ruth Bader Ginsburg had trouble finding employment because she was a woman with a child. When she interviewed, men didn't see a graduate of Cornell and Columbia or the first woman to be on two major law reviews (Columbia and Harvard). They saw a woman with a child.
She went on to argue six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court. If you're reading this, and you're a woman with a career, you got a leg up from RBG.
I also loved her love story. Her husband, Martin, was a successful tax attorney and endlessly proud of his more prominent wife -- unusual for a bride and groom who got hitched in the 1950s. And she was devoted to him. While they were both law students, shortly after the birth of their first child, he became ill with testicular cancer. She attended both his classes and hers and typed his papers for him, all the while caring for their new little girl. She did this because she loved him and because they were partners, ultimately married 56 years. They remind me of a real-life Jo and Professor Bhaer. Just writing this makes me misty.
Farewell, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Thank you. For all of it.
Unfamiliar
with this week's tune? Hear it here. 1)
When this record was initially released in 1966, it never cracked the
Top 20. Critics were harsh, saying that Elvis had not kept up the times.
How about you? Do you consider yourself up-to-date on today's music? Not at all. The last "new" artist I was seriously into was Amy Winehouse, and she's been dead for 9 years. But mentioning her gives me an excuse to post this again. I loooooove this song.
2)
The song is about a woman named Frankie and Johnny, the man who does
her wrong. Who is the most recent person to do you wrong? (It doesn't
have to be in romance; it could be the person who cut in front of you in
line at the supermarket.) Okay, I'll go with an incident at the supermarket. One of our local stores will let you pay for an item but designate it for the food pantry. The checker then scribbles out the UPC with a marker and puts it somewhere behind the counter. Twice/week, the store delivers the donated items to the food pantry. (I checked with food pantry.)
ANYWAY, as the checker was ringing up the items in my basket, I mentioned the pasta was for the food pantry so he shouldn't bag it. He looked at me like I was a crazy lady. "Okay then!" he said too loudly. He handed me my bag and then the spaghetti separately, saying oh-so condescendingly, "Here's your food pantry pasta."
"Why are you giving this to me? Don't you know how to handle pantry donations?" I challenged, loudly. The manager came over and walked him through it. I had to bite my tongue to stop from chirping, "Okay, then!" back to him.
I get being new at a job. I get that there are things to learn. But really, you could see in his face that he thought I was just some dotty broad randomly sharing my charitable impulses with a stranger. And you know what? So what if I was? He was rude and mean.
3)
Elvis sings that Johnny cheated with "a chick named Nellie Bly." The
real Nellie was an estimable woman, a pioneering 19th century
journalist. Can you think of another song that mentions a real person? Marc Cohen's "Walking in Memphis" has all kinds of references to Elvis.
4)
This song was recorded for a movie by the same name. Elvis played a
riverboat gambler. When did you last play a game of chance? There's an Illinois Lottery ticket in my wallet. Maybe I'm a millionaire!
5) Actor Harry Morgan had a supporting role in the movie. He's remembered as Officer Gannon on Dragnet and Col. Potter on M*A*S*H.
Gannon was a good cop but could be particular about his food and
surroundings. As a career soldier, Potter didn't mind roughing it every
now and again. Which character are you more like: fussy Gannon or
outdoorsy Potter? Gannon. 6) Elvis' leading lady was Donna Douglas. She filmed her part during her summer hiatus from TV's The Beverly Hillbillies. Have you ever had a summer job? Back in high school, I spent a few weeks working in a souvenir shop at the zoo. It sold really expensive safari-themed purses, scarves and jewelry. No one ever came in, which is a good thing because I lived in terror of balancing the register at the end of the day.
7)
Though not remembered as an actor, Elvis was a bona fide movie star. In
1966, he was listed (with Paul Newman, Sean Connery, John Wayne and
Richard Burton) as one of the world's biggest box office draws. Who
starred in the last movie you watched? Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb. This is one of my all-time favorites. While I just rewatched it Thursday, I remember the first time I saw it. While traveling on business, trapped in a crappy motel in Dallas, it completely transported me to glamorous 1940s New York.
8) In 1966, Lauren Bacall appeared on the cover of Time
with the headline: "The Pleasures and Perils of Middle Age." She was 41
years old and starring in a hit Broadway play. In the article, she
explained that in middle age, she had come to understand that "character
and a sense of humor are the two things that will carry you through."
Tell us about something you understand better or appreciate more today
than you did when you were young.People who love me. When I was younger, I obsessed on romantic love and didn't stop to fully appreciate my dear friends and family who hold me in their hearts.
9) Random question: Have you checked out Bud and Mimi's cool new meme, Monday Madness? Yes. You should, too!
I'll remember this morning for a long time. I woke up and flipped on the TV. I heard a "breaking news" story about a shooter on campus at Western Illinois University, where my nephew is a student. The campus was on lockdown.
I told myself to stay calm. My landline phone hadn't rung overnight, and certainly if my nephew was in trouble I would have heard. I got to the kitchen, where my famished cats awaited me and my cell was charging. I figured I'd text my nephew as soon as I fed the cats.
I turned my phone on and saw lots of texts. Uh-oh! Someone had been trying to reach me overnight! But it wasn't my nephew.
• My oldest friend (two hours earlier in Southern California) wanted to let me to know she's suddenly having unscheduled surgery. She's suffered with tenacious bladder issues forever now. She's on Medicare/Medicaid, and they have been slow to get her treatment. (The pandemic? The fires? The fact that she's not paying for it? I don't know.) Anyway, she got the word that they were ready to operate. Wednesday, aka today. With all her myriad medical problems, I'm worried that they aren't thinking of her care holistically. The whole "we got a bed, come on in!" thing makes me wonder if they've considered her pre-diabetes, her bipolar disorder, her heart and the way her meds interact. I know the surgery needs to be done, I just hope and pray the doctors are taking her care seriously.
• John chose to text me overnight Tuesday because he didn't want to talk. (I do the same thing; I used to be famous for leaving boyfriends personal voicemails at the office when I knew they weren't there.) John wanted to explain why he's been incommunicado for nearly a week. My dear friend -- who is 65 and suffers from both diabetes and congenital heart trouble -- is "feeling rundown and monitoring symptoms." He doesn't have a fever, so that's good. But I bet he also still doesn't have a doctor -- I've been nagging him off and on since July -- which is why he didn't want to talk to me in real time. He knows I'll scold.
It was not yet 7:00 AM! Can you believe it? A shooting ... an operation ... a covid scare ... That's a lot of horror for first thing in the morning. I really wanted to toss my phone out the window so it couldn't hurt me anymore.
But I needed to check on my nephew. He got back to me right away (he's a good boy) and told me not to worry. Yes, it was his dorm where the shooting occurred. It was a roommate dispute between freshmen, settled with a gun! His RA pulled the fire alarm so everyone evacuated, and then the police shut the campus down. My nephew let it slip that, even though it was against covid protocol, he was crashing with his girlfriend in another dorm. GIRLFRIEND? I didn't know he had a girlfriend!
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?Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace. This is the right political thriller for me to read at this moment. It's about our first female President, Charlotte Kramer. She has the first-ever female White House Chief of Staff, Melanie Kingston. Network star Dale Smith covers the White House and is the first woman in history to find herself in illicit love with America's First Gentleman.
I knew I would enjoy it when it opened with Melanie treating herself to a designer bag. In this beltway fantasy, brilliant and ambitious women wear Jimmy Choos, drink martinis and bake in the sauna as they determine the fate of our nation.
I like these women and I'm getting a kick out of the book. It's written by the same Nicolle Wallace who worked in George W. Bush's White House and helped manage John McCain's White House bid. Now she's a commentator on MSNBC. She's my TV BFF. She writes like the savvy insider she is, and she's spinning a fun, gossipy, exciting book. It's of no real consequence, but in this season, in the run up to a most consequential Presidential election, that's fine with me. (PS The acreage of the title refers to the White House grounds.)
2. What did you recently finish reading?The Father Hunt by Rex Stout. This book has everything I've come to love in Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries: twisty plots, minimal violence, maximum atmosphere, and a supporting cast of colorful characters. Every few pages, I felt like saying, "Hello, old friends! I've missed you!"
Which is not to say it doesn't stand well on its own. A case comes to world-famous detective Nero Wolfe through his assistant, Archie Goodwin. Archie meets a woman socially who asks him for help in a personal matter. She wants to learn the identity of her biological father. With her mother's recent death, she thinks this is an almost impossible task. Archie and Wolfe predict it'll take about a week. Boy, are they wrong. Soon the case takes them and us into the worlds of investment banking, network TV and public relations. Along the way, they identify the culprit in a previously unsolved murder.
Complicating things is the fact that the book is set in 1967. Blood tests aren't considered conclusive in determining paternity. Forget DNA. Do today's mystery writers have it easier, or harder, in our technologically advanced world?
3. What will read next? Since Eighteen Acres has me all ginned up on girl power, I am considering a biography of one of three women I've long admired: Lucille Ball or Carrie Fisher or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
When Kris Bryant gets on base, and then Anthony Rizzo gets a hit to move him around, we Cub fans say the ball was Bryzzo'd. So far this season, there's been no Bryzzo. First KB was hurt, then he was sick,* then he was slumping. Rizz hasn't been that consistent, either.
BUT TONIGHT! Against Cleveland, my boys Bryzzo'd. KB crossed home plate 3 times and we won 6-5.
Our then-treasurer, a young man who loves Ayn Rand and proclaimed himself "all about personal responsibility," wanted to evict all the renters within 30 days. We could have legally done that since they were living here with invalid leases. "Rules are rules," he insisted.
But the renters signed those leases in good faith! It was the unit owners who rented their condos illegally that were at fault. I didn't want to toss those poor people out into the autumn night. (The 30 days would have been up on November 30.) We fought and fought and finally agreed on a humane compromise -- all renters had to be out in six months, or May 30.
Fast forward three years: guess who wants special permission to rent his unit because of hardship. Yes, it's Ayn Randman. He can't sell his unit for a decent price because of the corona virus, can't afford to pay the mortgage and assessments because he lost his job, and wants to rent it out for a year while he moves in with friends. But "rules are rules," and rentals aren't allowed. Wah wah.
It gets better. While he has a tenant waiting in the wings, Mr. Personal Responsibility has also asked those of us now on the board to look the other way because he can't scrape together the money to pay a lawyer to put together a rental agreement. Wah wah.
What happened to "rules are rules?" What happened to being "all about personal responsibility?"
Of course, I'm going to vote to let him rent his place because it's the decent thing to do for a neighbor who is struggling during a pandemic. I suggested we let the association lawyer review the rental agreement and we'll absorb the cost (about $200) because a properly-worded lease protects us, too.
But galls me. It really does.
There's a line from the Hal David-Burt Bacharach song, "Alfie," that keeps running through my mind, "If life belongs only to the strong, what will you lend on an old golden rule?"
1. You are at a party in a
very bad mood. There is an obnoxious guest with a camera snapping
pictures of everyone in sight. Do you allow the photographs or ask them
to stop? Since I'm not the hostess, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling another guest what to do. I think I'd just try to avoid the snapper. Or, since I'm in a bad mood already, I might use this as an excuse to go home.
2. You
are on your way to a formal affair and running late. You are the guest
speaker at this event and everyone is waiting for you. A police officer
pulls you over for speeding. Do you make up a story or tell him where
you are going and try to talk your way out of the citation? Or do you
make up a wild excuse? If so, tell us your tall tale! Well, I don't drive, so this isn't anything I have experience with. But I guess that, since I'm in a hurry, I'd just say, "Sorry, Officer," and take the ticket so I can be on my way.
3.
When you drive down memory lane for the last two years of your life and
look in the rear-view mirror, do you see a happy journey or a bumpy
ride? Bumpy. Especially this year. I've posted this before because it sums up how I feel during the pandemic. Some days I'm fine. Other days, I'm not fine at all. I know I should feel lucky to be healthy and working, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to sometimes really battling the blues.
The complete irresponsibility of online conspiracy mongers especially depresses me. No, you stupid fucks, wearing a mask won'tmake you sick, but it does protect me. No, you paranoid nut jobs, Dr. Fauci doesn't profit when Remdesivir is prescribed. I could go on, but why? The people who cotton to and perpetuate these theories are obviously both reason- and conscience-free.
4. Who makes you laugh when no one else can? My oldest friend. We met in Kindergarten, when her family moved in across the alley from mine. In those days, we made each other laugh until we peed a little. Guess what: 55 years later, we can still make each other laugh until we pee a little.
5. What are your superpowers? Grudge carrying and worrying unnecessarily.
6. What is the last thing you memorized? Yet another computer password. (Yeah, this is a vast improvement over, "What's the last song you heard?" 😜)
7. Tell us something you once took that you wish you could give back? I once spooned a ton of avocado onto my plate, but it was wasabi. You do not want to dip your chip in wasabi, but you cannot give it back.
8. The iPhone just gave birth to the next generation of phones. What would you name them?
The i_____? The iGotNothingforThisQuestion
9. How much mystery should be in a relationship? Is it a good thing or not? To me, everything about enduring love relationships is a mystery. People speak freely about their break ups but really, I find happily married people more interesting.
10. What is your weekend blogging routine? I'm a loyal acolyte of Bud's: Saturday 9, Sunday Stealing and now Monday Madness.
"What an incredible Cinderella story. This unknown comes out of nowhere to lead the pack." Cub fan Bill Murray won't mind me invoking his immortal lines from Caddyshack to describe Alec Mills today.
The 28-year-old that nobody ever heard of just threw a no hitter. He was a walk on in college who barely made the team as a reliever. They didn't let him start until he was a junior. Then the Royals signed him, but he never made it out of the minors. He came to the Cubs, but if lefty Jose Quintana hadn't sliced his hand while doing dishes -- honest, I'm not making this up -- Alec Mills likely wouldn't be a starter for the Cubs this year.
This is why I love baseball. You just never know.
One group hug, boys, then it's back to social distancing
I remember Bankerchick. She was a good blogging buddy, but she hung it up.
1. Tell us about any lawn or garden plans you have for this month. I don't have a lawn. 2. "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there."~Thomas Fuller What does this quote mean to you? That life gives us unintended consequences to contend with.
3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God? Love. He knows how hard I try.
4. If we were chatting in person, how would I know if you were nervous? I talk faster and my leg jiggles.
5. Do you like the color yellow? Would I find any in your home or wardrobe? I like it to look at, but I look hideous in it. My kitchen is yellow.
6. Daffodils, tulips, roses, sunflowers, day lily, black-eyed Susan...which yellow bloom on this list is your favorite? Roses. Though you left out my favorite: yellow carnations!
7. Flip flops or bare feet? Bare feet
8. Fish out of water, big fish in a small pond, living in a
fishbowl, packed in like sardines, this is a fine kettle of fish, plenty
of fish in the sea, fish or cut bait...which fishy phrase most recently
applies to some area of your life? Workwise, this week I had bigger fish to fry.
9. Have you ever been
fishing? Did you catch a fish? If so did you keep it or throw it back?
If you haven't been fishing is that something you'd like to try? I went fishing exactly once, when I was very young. (Kindergarten, maybe?) I caught a small fish and felt bad that it died on the bottom of the boat.
10. What's something you're always fishing for in your purse, wallet, desk, or kitchen junk drawer? Most recently it was my library card in my wallet.
11. Your favorite fish tale or movie?
12. Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight or night? Explain why you chose your answer. Daylight. I like the color of the sky.
13. What's the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear? I have a sweatshirt that's 20 years old. I don't throw things away unless I'm forced to.
14. What's been the best and worst part of your summer so far? The best part? Cubs baseball! The worst part? You selfish conspiracy theory fuckers who refuse to wear masks and are prolonging this pandemic for the rest of us. WWG1WGA, indeed! Doesn't it get hot under that hat?
15. Are you a Jimmy Buffet fan? If so, what's your favorite JB tune?
1) Whitney sings that she keeps her lover's photo beside her bed. What's on your bedside table? Alarm clock, tissue box, landline phone.
2)
She's getting frustrated, waiting for the phone to ring. If your phone were to ring right now, who would you expect to be on the other end? As election day approaches, it's likely a campaign organization. I'm very proud of my work as campaign volunteer and consider involvement part of my civic duty. But boy, once you get on one of those lists ... 😃
3)
The video was filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA. It seats 6,200.
As the nation reopens from Covid19, would you feel comfortable sitting
knee-to-knee with a stranger in an arena like this? Hell to the no. I just passed on an outdoor dinner for 5 because of the virus. I'm not doing a concert any time soon. (BTW, 6,200 sounds pretty small to me. Chicago's United Center seats 23,500 for concerts.)
4) This week's featured artist, Whitney Houston, appeared on the
daytime drama As The World Turns.
She played herself, performing with Jermaine Jackson at the Miss
Cinderella contest in the fictional town of Oakdale. Have you ever been
hooked on a soap opera? I grew up on Erica Kane and the gang in Pine Valley from All My Children. And I loved Dallas.
Pam, Bobby, Jock, Sue Ellen, JR, w/Lucy & Miss Ellie in front
5) Whitney had a sweet tooth, and her favorite breakfast cereal was Fruity Pebbles. Do you often eat cereal for lunch or dinner? It has been known to happen. 6)
At Whitney's wedding to Bobby Brown, her bridesmaids all wore lavender
dresses and the groomsmen had custom made alligator shoes. Have you ever
"stood up" for a friend or relative? If so, do you remember what you
wore? I especially recall one cap-sleeved, v-neck bridesmaid dress because the color was so awful for me. It was called "dusty rose." I remember because the bride's mother -- who was really calling the shots, not her daughter -- would correct me every time I said I was dubious about how pink would look with my red hair. I saw resistance was futile and gave up. After all, the bride wanted me in her wedding party, and that's an honor. So I spent a day looking like a jaundice sufferer. 7) In 1987, the year this song was popular, Cher won the Oscar for Moonstruck.
Her most famous line was, "Snap out of it!" When you think of Cher, do
you first think of her movies, her TV show, or her music? Probably her music. Though mostly I think of her as CHER, a force of nature. 8) Michael Douglas won the Oscar that year for Wall Street.
His most famous line was, "Greed is good." His character goes on to say
that, "Greed in all its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love,
for knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of all mankind." Do you
agree? Kinda. It sounds ugly the way ol' Gordon put it, but he's describing capitalism, isn't he? "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs," sounds more generous and fair, but that's socialism. 9)
Random question: When you woke up
this morning, were you ready to get
out of bed? Or do you wish you could have snoozed for a bit longer? My cat Reynaldo was my alarm clock this morning. He snuggled up so close to me that he unintentionally woke me up. Then I had to pee. He did not wish to be disturbed, but once I move from the bed, he demands and deserves his breakfast. I'm going back to bed for a while after I post this.
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?The Father Hunt by Rex Stout. It's good to revisit the Manhattan brownstone of world-famous detective Nero Wolfe. This time his assistant Archie brings him a case. A woman Archie met socially takes a shine to him -- women are always taking a shine to Archie -- and asks him for help with a personal matter. She wants to learn the identity of her biological father. With her mother dead, she thinks it's an impossible ask. Archie and Wolfe expect this simple case of paternity to take about a week. It becomes more complicated than they anticipated, with twists and turns along the way and even an unsolved murder. Every time I think I know who the father is, and whether he is somehow involved with the murder, I'm wrong. I do love being fooled, and this one has me going.
This is #43 of the 45 books Stout wrote. While the earliest stories take place in the late 1930s, this one is set in 1967. Wolfe's brownstone has air conditioning and a color TV and his client wears a miniskirt. (Wolfe only approves of air conditioning.) While it's modern compared to the rest of the series, it still seems primitive at times. There's no such thing as a DNA test to prove paternity, and no one considers blood tests reliable. I wonder if mysteries are easier, or harder, to write now, with today's advancements in STEM.
2. What did you recently finish reading?My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella.
A completely charming book. Motherless Katie grew up on an English dairy farm, just her and her dad. When she hit her 20s she reinvents herself as "Cat" and moves to London. She gets a bottom-rung job at a marketing agency and wants to make a success of herself. She creates perfect Instagram posts of her not-so-perfect life, and assumes that if she works hard enough, some day her real self with match her cyber self.
Cat has a love-hate relationship with her boss, a beautiful and brilliant woman in her early 40s who has countless awards but few people skills. In this way, the book is kind of like The Devil Wears Prada, only here I like our protagonist. (I wasn't at all fond of Andrea on the pages Prada; I liked her better in the movie.)
Katie-Cat is a three-dimensional character and she keeps the story grounded. That's important to note because while Kinsella is a very funny writer, sometimes she veers off into silly. Some of her later Shopaholic books and a standalone I read, The Undomestic Goddess, descended into slapstick unreality. I'm happy to report that this is NOT the case with this book.
In short, this is the best chick-lit I've read in a while and I recommend it.
3. What will read next? Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace. Now that she's on MSNBC (at least) two hours every day in the run-up to Election Day, I forgot that between being a GOP political operative and a TV analyst, Nicolle Wallace tried her hand at writing. This is her novel about the first woman President and I'm looking forward to it. After all, Wallace worked for Bush 43 and has inside knowledge. For example, the 18 acres of the title refer to the space taken up by the White House grounds.
It's been two weeks since I've received an x-rated comment.
They used to arrive regularly, often daily, on posts that were always more than a year old. They seemed to be promoting an adult "dating site," except the author was always UNKNOWN with a protected profile. I added that extra "prove you aren't a bot" verification step, but that didn't really have any impact on the comments.
Then they just stopped.
I don't for a moment think it was personal, or anyone trying to harass me (although I did feel harassed). It was most certainly a bot, and a broken one at that, considering that it didn't link back to anything. I wonder if its disappearance isn't a "New Blogger" thing. Maybe there's some innovation or upgrade that now protects us from anonymous dirty comments.
PS By the way, if you're looking for a graphic like the one I used above, do yourself a favor and be absolutely certain you click Safe Search first. I mean, that was creepy there for a moment.
So I labored. Four hours Saturday. Three hours Sunday. Five hours today. It was the beginning of my work on the latest Big Project. I had to come up with four different ways to sell the same service -- to 25 to 35-year-olds, 36 to 50-year-olds, 51 to 60 year-olds, and those 60+. That was only Phase One.
Phase Two is an 8-page brochure about the service. I don't have the input I need to start on this yet. It's due 9/11. I don't see how that will happen. The stress is making me très nerveux.
I used to get off on the deadlines. But after 40 years of doing this, I'm just upset and resentful. Oh, well. The good thing about working from home is that I was able to pound away on my laptop while the Cub games were on. They're still in first place, having squeaked out two wins against the Cardinals in this five-game series.