It's a new day

There were many spontaneous celebrations Saturday, wonderful release valves for the relief and joy of the election outcome. Here's my favorite photo (courtesy of the Sun Times). It's on the Wabash Bridge, just past Trump Tower. Last Tuesday we did more than vote out a divisive bully. We voted in the first female VP of color.

Joe Biden is already working his magic. We're already healing. The world feels safer and brighter.

Sunday Stealing

 RANDOM QUESTIONS

1. What’s something no one wants to hear but everyone should? To be told you're wrong. Everyone is occasionally, but no one enjoys hearing it.

2. What’s the most annoying animal you’ve ever encountered? Henry and Reg's late dog, Nikko. Geez! That collie mix really was obnoxious. Every time you entered or re-entered the room (even if you had just gone to the bathroom), he'd bark and jump on you. He also humped the other family dog all the time. I know it wasn't Nikko's fault -- Reg and Henry should have disciplined him -- but he was unpleasant to be around.

3. How much does language affect our thinking? I'm not sure I understand the question. Do you mean "language," as in word choice? Or "language," as in Spanish vs. French? I suppose my questions about this question illustrate something, but I'm afraid I'm not clever enough this morning to come to any profound conclusion.

4. Do you prefer to watch movies in the theater or in the comfort of your home? I dearly miss going to the movies! I hope that, when the pandemic is over, my local movie theater has survived.

5. What topic could you spend hours talking about? The mid-20th century. I really think we experienced a Renaissance from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.

6. If you could run away from it all and start fresh somewhere new, would you? Good question! I admit I fantasize about it a bit whenever a "witness protection" scenario presents itself in a movie. I wonder how I'd fare with a completely clean slate. Have I gotten wiser? Or would I just make similar mistakes in a new setting?

7. What’s the most polarizing question you could ask a group of friends? Anything related to religion. People who believe tend to proselytize, which is tiresome, and people who don't can sound smug, which is annoying.

8. Do movies have the same power as books to change the world? I think movies are more powerful because they are easier. This answer makes me a little sad.

9. What would you rate 10/10? Cherry Coke. It's my official beverage of the pandemic. I went decades drinking nothing but Coke -- except at the office, where Pepsi was free and, therefore, more delicious -- but now I like Cherry Coke. Go figure.

 

10. What are you really good at, but kind of embarrassed that you are good at it? I am good with dogs and cats. Being unmarried and childless, I know that plays into the dotty cat lady stereotype, so sometimes I keep it to myself. And then there's my knowledge of the electoral process. Some of my coworkers were surprised last week when I told them which local official's website to ping if they wanted to confirm their vote-by-mail ballot had been received and processed. I thought knowing this was just part of being a responsible voter, but apparently having the information on the tip of my tongue makes me a nerd of a high order.

11. Who do you go out of your way to be nice to? The homeless, and people struggling with the door at my local Chase Bank branch. (Of the two doors, only the one on the left works. After swiping their ATM card for access, I've seen many become frustrated and stymied when they hear the click, pull on the door on the right, and remain locked out.)

12. What problems will technology solve in the next 5 years? What problems will it create? Oh, hell, this is way beyond my paygrade.

13. What from the present will withstand the test of time? Indoor grills. They make healthier eating so much easier for the culinary challenged among us. (Like me.)

 

14. What movie would be greatly improved if it was made into a musical? Rebel without a Cause. I don't know how a musical version would work, but it's one of those classics that I simply cannot stand. Maybe I would like it better if the kids broke into song, like in West Side Story or Grease.

15. What is something common from your childhood that will seem strange to future generations?

 

Now let's move toward that more perfect union

 

Thank you, Kwizgiver! 

 

On the peaceful transfer of power

Last Tuesday, we elected our next President. As of now (6:00 PM on Saturday) our current President shows no signs of conceding.

Donald Trump doesn't have to, of course. Joe Biden will become President at noon on January 20 whether or not Mr. Trump does the right thing.

It's just that in this country, the peaceful transfer of power is a proud tradition. None of these modern presidencies ended joyfully or well. And yet, every one of the men and women shown displayed grace and dignity for the sake of the nation. Let's just hope Donald and Melania Trump have it in them.

Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: For All We Know (1971)

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

1) This song is about newlyweds looking ahead to a happy life together. What are you looking forward to today? I hope to Zoom with a friend this weekend. Her birthday was November 1, but she was knocked out by a sinus infection (not Covid, thank goodness!) so we didn't talk on the actual day.

2) They look forward to getting to know one another better. Tell us about someone who knows you well. Is it the person who has known you the longest? The friend who knows me best has not known me the longest. We met in Kindergarten, but my aunt, my cousin and my older sister all knew me from birth. But my oldest friend knows me better than they do, and she and I share more (and far funnier) memories.

3) The song lyrics are credited to "Robb Wilson" and "Arthur James," but those aren't their real names. Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin were founding members of the 70s soft-rock group Bread. Are you familiar with that band? If so, do you have a favorite Bread song?  "Make It with You." I know they all sound corny now, but I was very young when Bread was popular, and their songs represent how a very young girl imagines romance.

 
4) Richard Carpenter discovered this song on his afternoon off when he and sister Karen were on tour. He took a few hours to unwind at  the movies, heard this song in the film Lovers and Other Strangers, and decided it would make a perfect Carpenters record. How do you like to unwind? Fart around online, lose myself in a book, watch a movie ...

5) Karen Carpenter drank unsweetened iced tea, every day, all year long. Do you prefer your tea hot or cold? Hot. I don't like iced tea.

6) Elvis was a fan of Karen's and, according to the recollection of singer Petula Clark, hit on her when she and Clark visited him backstage in Vegas. Pet recalled Karen was very innocent and said, "I felt responsible for her so I got her out of there." Tell us about a time when you looked out for a friend. First of all, would it be so bad for Karen to have had a magic moment with The King to look back on? 

Now, on to the question at hand: I try to look out for all my friends, all the time. This week, I advised a coworker to let our new boss know about her current health scare. Since we're all still working from home, it's easier for her to keep this to herself. BUT she's distracted and not on her game. Our new boss doesn't really know her yet. You can't undo bad (or mistaken) early impressions. Plus, it is his business because he is responsible for getting her help with her projects, and maintaining the quality of the work we deliver to our clients. Since it's her breast, though, she's embarrassed. Which is silly. I am happy to report she took my advice. YEA! She felt better because he was compassionate and supportive.


7) President Richard Nixon was a Carpenters fan, too, and invited the duo to perform at the White House at an official dinner for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. If you could hear anyone perform live in an intimate setting, like a dinner party, who would you choose? Sir Paul. I love his song intros (even though I think I've heard them all by now) and would love being in a small room, listening to him tell his stories.

 

8) Today Richard collects classic automobiles. He has a 1964 Ford Thunderbird, like the one Beach Boys sang about in the song "Fun, Fun, Fun." Can you think of another song that mentions a car? James Dean in his Mercury 49 ... Burt Reynolds in his TransAm ... and of course a long, dark, shiny and black Cadillac are all here:
 

9) Random question: Do you tend to feel more content at the beginning of the day, or at the end? It depends on the day. 

 

Dona Nobis Pacem

After enduring four years of a President exploiting our differences, I'm honoring the eloquence of a leader who reminded us of what we share.

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this same planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." 

John F. Kennedy, Commencement Speech at American University, June 10, 1963

 

"Let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation's future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause – united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future – and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance."  

John F. Kennedy,undelivered speech, scheduled for the Dallas Trade Mart, November 22, 1963

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOGGING FOR PEACE HERE.

We're a community of writers who believe words matter.

 

 

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? JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 by Frederik Logevall. This is Volume 1 of what promises to be a comprehensive biography of President Kennedy. As of today I'm with him in high school at Choate. So much has already been written about the rivalry between the two oldest Kennedy boys, Joe Jr. and Jack, and how the parents clearly favored and extravagantly believed in Joe. (There's a telling passage in this book where, when Rose is shown evidence that her second son has a higher IQ than her eldest, she just dismissively says she doesn't believe it.) 

 

What Logevall makes clear is that the rivalry didn't so much damage the future President as shape him. The attention and pressure his parents put on Joe gave him room to develop his own personality, to become the most original character in the clan. The humor, insouciance, creativity and detachment that President Kennedy would display on the world stage seem to have flourished during an adolescence of benign neglect.

 

So far this book is serious but not dry or scholarly. I'm grateful for that. So much published about the Kennedys is, well, crap. Even QAnon feels the need to drag them into murky conspiracy theories to ennoble their tripe. But this book is refreshingly anchored in objectivity, context and fact. I'm sure I'll have more to say about it next week.

2. What did you recently finish reading? A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. The night in question begins before midnight on April 14, 1912. That's when Titanic's lookout spotted the iceberg. It ends about five hours later, before sunrise on April 15, when Carpathia begins picking up survivors. Mr. Lord tells the story of the ship through the eyes of those who were there. It's engaging because it has so much heart and humanity. I'll never forget the passage about the women in the lifeboats, just before 2:30 am, seeing the ship ... their belongings ... their loved ones ... go under. Numbed by cold, numbed by emotion, all they could find to say to one another was variations on, "She's gone." (Except for Lady Duff Gordon, Lifeboat #1, who rather ridiculously said to her secretary, "There is your beautiful nightdress gone.")

While this is not a new book -- first published in 1955 -- it included many new-to-me tidbits. For example, I'd never before read what it was like for passengers on Carpathia that night. In the predawn hours, they heard all this remarkable activity: food preparation, doctors readying makeshift infirmaries, engines sounding first as though they'd stopped then like sped up ... They had no way of knowing what was going on and no one told them anything except, "Stay in your cabin. Captain's orders!" How frightened and vulnerable they must have felt!

That's the thing: if you pick up this book, expect to feel -- denial, dread, disbelief, relief, joy, regret, courage, cowardice, gratitude ... I believe every human emotion is within this slim book.

 3. What will read next? Something a bit lighter!

I was 10 once, too

Saturday afternoon I Zoomed with my shrink. As the hour came to a close, I confessed that I can't stop worrying about Election Day. What if America re-elects that divisive, incompetent bully who indulges in name calling and can't resist conspiracy theories? (The latest: front line doctors "blame" deaths on the corona virus to make money.) What would that say about us as a nation? It makes my heart hurt.

My doc told me I'm not alone. She mentioned that everyone she spoke  to this past week has expressed similar concerns about our President. Everyone. Whether she saw them professionally or socially. Even a 10-year-old girl.

"How could a man who lies and lets people die become President?" she asked, starting to cry.

I wanted to know how my shrink addressed this.

My doctor told her that this is not her responsibility. Her observations may not be wrong, but it is not up to her to worry about it or fix it. There are adults in her life who love her, and they will take care of her.

I happen to know for a fact those words didn't help that girl. 

I was 10 in 1968. I was playing Barbies on the living room coffee table, a TV special about the Beach Boys in the background, when a "special bulletin" came on. Dr. Martin Luther King had been shot. While doing nothing more than standing on a balcony. Chicago erupted in riots.

I was very moved by Bobby Kennedy, addressing the people of Indianapolis the night Dr. King was killed. He was so wise, so sensitive that there were no riots in nearby Indianapolis.

A quick nap w/Freckles

Bobby was running for President, and I saw him on TV and in the paper all the time. He was always surrounded -- by adults, kids, and Freckles the dog. I was very grateful that a man like this would soon be President. He clearly knows what to do: about assassinations and riots and the bloody Vietnam War. We would be OK.

Then just two months later, he was murdered. I saw it all on TV. Followed by the Democratic Convention here in Chicago ... and more riots, and more body bags from Vietnam.

I cried a lot. Adults cannot take care of kids because adults let stuff like this happen.

1968 marked me. I carry it with me every day, like the vaccination scar on my left arm. Sometimes it comforts me. If this country can get through a year of assassinations, riots and war, we can get through this.

It also made me a Democrat ... a liberal ... a progressive. The best part of me still sees the world like I did then. I still want us to be, as Bobby said in the last speech he ever gave, "a great country, an unselfish country, a compassionate country." Given a choice between a good and decent leader but a sluggish economy, or a bully and a bullish market, I'll proudly take the hit to my wallet every time.

I ended the session Saturday in tears myself. For that little girl my shrink mentioned, and for 10-year-old me. Because now I'm an adult. Now the world is my responsibility. And I don't know how I'll face living in a country that has seen Donald Trump for what he is and still re-elected him.

I'm still that kid

I am a procrastinator. I don't know why, because worry about "things to do" causes me stress and I realize that I'm just in my own way. For some reason, though, as I hurtle toward retirement, I find I'm still the kid doing homework on the bus.

Last Thursday at 4:30, I got an assignment to write for a new client. This was kind of exciting, because I've been dedicated to one client for more than a decade and opportunities to do something else are few and far between.

That's good, right? Well, the client is an automotive company, and there is little I know less about than cars. Still, the medium was an obviously familiar one: blog posts. They wanted two posts, 1200 words each, by end of day Monday. (They aren't due to the client until Thursday morning, but I'm off Tues-Fri this week.)

I told my klatsch of new coworkers I'd be done by noon Monday, no problem. 

I am an overconfident fool.

My assigned client tossed a few unexpected things my way Friday and I wasn't able to get to this assignment until end of day. I told myself that, since I am such a nice person, I deserve Friday night and Saturday off. I could knock off those blog posts Sunday evening (in between loads of laundry) and Monday morning.

Did I mention that I'm an overconfident fool?

I started to worry about my own hubris on Sunday afternoon, so at about 1:00 I began working. I researched and then wrote about the first assigned topic: motor oil. I was very pleased with my effort. It was cogent (apparently this client's favorite word) and included all the required search words. Once I did a word count, I was no longer puffing out my chest.

653 words. 

Barely half of the required 1200. What the fuck! This was going to be much, much harder than I realized!

Except for an hour for dinner -- the laundry never got done -- it took me until 11:00 PM to finish. That was a full 9 hours to do one post. How was I going to get the other one done in four hours?

I couldn't. I simply couldn't. On Monday morning I sent the first post off, first thing (meaning I delivered early), and promised they're receive the second one "before I knock off for the day." I was careful in the wording. If it took me until 11:00 PM, well, then 11:00 PM would be when I knocked off, wouldn't it?

Fortunately I picked up speed and was done with the second one (subject matter: car batteries) by 5:37 PM. Considering that I spent 30 minutes on the phone with a coworker* and another 30 in a Zoom meeting with my new boss† and probably an hour being distracted by other shit, that means the second post only took me seven hours.

Nine hours for the first; seven hours for the second. And I thought I could do them both in six.

Did I mention that I'm an overconfident fool?

And I really wish I could get Friday night and Saturday back. Using that time more wisely would have saved my internal organs a lot of wear and tear.

PS This was 544 words.

 

*She has to have a breast lump biopsied, and I wanted to cheer her up.

†He's turning out to be a peach and deserves his own blog post sometime soon.

Sunday Stealing

A KWIZGIVER KWIZ

1. What has been your favorite part of the year so far. It's been a weird year, so I'm going with what brought me joy, comfort and continuity. THE CUBS!

 
2. Have you started Christmas shopping? I do my shopping all year around.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Yes. I have pretty handwriting. I believe it's becoming a lost art. That's part of why I'm proud of 345 postcards I wrote to registered Democrats this season. I like thinking that one of my handwritten efforts helped inform/remind someone about getting to the polls.
 

4. Song you could hear over and over and over again. It changes. These days, this is the one that keeps running through my head.

 
5. A favorite quote. "The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of us all." John F. Kennedy

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honours, the men it remembers.”

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2017/05/quotes-by-john-f-kennedy

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honours, the men it remembers.”

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2017/05/quotes-by-john-f-kenne

“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2017/05/quotes-by-john-f-kennedy

6. Last dream you remember. Oh, this is weird. But it's a dream, so it's not my fault. For some reason, I was forced to quarantine through the pandemic with Willie Geist of The Sunday Today Show. And his wife and children. I don't know know the significance of this dream, but I'm pleased to report the five of us seemed to get along.
 

7. Most expensive object you want to buy right now. I'd like to renovate my home. New windows, new flooring ... You know, the disruptive, expensive stuff.

8. Describe your eldest family member. Either my Aunt Jo (dad's side) or Cousin Rose (my mom's side). They both live outside Tampa. I don't know which one is older. Aunt Jo is also my godmother. She loves mysteries, her second husband, Richard, and their poodle, Ella. Cousin Rose enjoys genealogy, NCIS, and British mysteries on PBS. Even though, at times, I want to smother each of them with a pillow, I treasure them. They hold my history, and they love me.
 

9. What has your weather been like? It's different every day. Saturday was sunny and 57º. Sunday will be 40º, cloudy and windy.
 

10. Do you enjoy your job? Usually.

11. What is your favorite everyday item? My shower radio.

12. Are you currently obsessed with any TV show? Saturday into Sunday, I binged on Sex and the City. Specifically Season 5, when Carrie gets the compilation of her columns published. I wish it had been a real book. I'd like to see if she was really a good writer. By the way, I've tried to read Candace Bushnell, who created Carrie in the SATC book. I really hated her work.

13. Book you’d like to read before the year ends. Oh, I don't know. Meet Me in Monaco sounds good.

14. Describe Kindness. Being present for and sensitive to someone else.

15. Describe your favorite candy in great detail. Ah! Mary Janes! Hard little squares of peanut butter taffy. They are popular at retro penny candy stores, but I never see them at drugstores. Probably just as well, as they are most certainly hell on teeth.

 

The News from Wrigleyville

The Cubs resigned my favorite-most! I've been worried. The internet is abuzz with rumors and the conventional wisdom has been that no player is untradeable. I could not bear seeing Rizz in any color but Cubbie blue, so this has weighed heavily. While strictly speaking, this doesn't mean he can't be traded, it does make it less likely.

I'm not thrilled by the $16.5 million though. It's a lot of money to you and me, but not within the MLB. He's nowhere near the highest paid first baseman in the league. Or even in the division! (St. Louis' Goldschmidt makes $26 mil.) Or even in town! (The Sox' Abreu gets $17.6.)

But part of what makes Rizz so very Rizz is his approach to the money. He told reporters that he's not motivated by it -- he's "already set for life" and he "wants to be a Cub for life." I think we can all agree that he is not an especially savvy negotiator. So if he's good with $16.5, I guess I should be, too.

But then there's Jon Lester's classy farewell. The Cubs have chosen not to resign our 36-year-old ace. Not a surprise. It's been a good run -- six years and A WORLD SERIES -- but now it's over. Maybe his career is done, maybe he'll sign on for one more season, probably with the Red Sox. But he's thanking Chicago by buying everyone in the city a beer. I'm not kidding.

Three full days of beer at three popular watering holes. Fucking awesome. 

I love my Cubs so much!

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: This Haunted House (1964)

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

1) Loretta Lynn wrote this song to help her cope with the sudden death of her friend, Patsy Cline. When they first met, Patsy was already a star and she helped Loretta become established. Did you more recently advise or receive advice? I advised. I'm always advising. I am a buttinski.

2) She sings that Patsy's is the face she sees when she turns out the light. Do you remember who or what you were thinking about when you fell asleep last night? The salad I ate too close to bedtime. BOY, I was burpy! (I wish my thoughts were more elegant, but there you go.)

3) Loretta maintains her TN ranch is haunted. She says "the moaning woman" is a harmless apparition, dressed in white. Do you believe in ghosts? Not in the Halloween, spooky sense. But in the Christian, I-know-you're-in-Heaven-so-I-know-you-see-and-hear-me sense.

4) Loretta Lynn's Ranch is now open to be public. In addition to horseback riding, fishing and camping, Loretta's ranch features shops that sell locally-sourced jams, jellies and sauces, as well as Loretta Lynn CDs and "Coal Miner's Daughter" glassware and t-shirts. Have you ever brought home an edible souvenir? Or do you prefer to remember your trips with something more lasting, like a coffee mug or t-shirt? I'm big on t-shirts and magnets. Also postcards, but they are becoming harder to find.

5) According to Reader's Digest, The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. Have you seen it, and if so, did it scare you? Yes, and yes.

6) Which do you find spookier: haunted houses or cemeteries? Haunted houses. I don't find cemeteries spooky at all.

7) What's the most recent Halloween costume you wore? Minnie Mouse. I believe I still have the dress somewhere. The ears wouldn't be too hard to replace, should I need to dress up again.

8) When you were a kid, did you trade your Halloween candy with siblings or friends? Yes. I swapped with my older sister and was successful. She thought I was a ridiculous nerd because I liked Mary Janes and Bit-o-Honey and would trade chocolate for them. Fine with me, because I could (and do) eat chocolate all year around, and Mary Janes and Bit-o-Honey seemed to only be plentiful around Halloween.

 9) Random question: You meet your very friendly new neighbor. She invites you over for a "get acquainted" cup of coffee tomorrow afternoon and you accept. Then you learn that she was once on trial for an axe murder ... but acquitted. Would you still go over to her house? Why not? I've never (knowingly) spent time with an accused axe murderer before.

 

Happy birthday, dear Kwizgiver!

 

Celebrate her first-ever -- and hopefully only -- pandemic birthday. Head on over to What If This Is as Good as It Gets and share your best wishes (and book recommendations, as well as the title of your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie).

Use your voice!

On November 4, I'm joining in Mimi's Blogblast for Peace. Why don't you do the same? It would be lovely if we filled the blogosphere with peace signs. During this contentious election season, it's more important than ever to use our blogs to overcome the ugly, angry, conspiratorial voices with calls for peace and truth.

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? A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Written back in 1955, this is considered the definitive chronicle of Titanic's last hours. But it's not dry or boring. Mr. Lord puts us in the dining room with the waiters when the collision takes place, after they've set the tables for a breakfast that will never be served. They thought the problem was a propeller and wondered it if they'd get an extra day in port somewhere while it was repaired. We're with the ship's fireman when he's confused by what he thought sounded like "the tearing of calico," but of course it was ice ripping through steel. It's these details that bring the story to life.  

2. What did you recently finish reading? Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger.  Wow! That is what I said aloud when I finished this story. It is a multilayered, twisty thriller that will keep you guessing to the very end. Then, when you reach that shocking conclusion, you'll say to yourself, "I should have known this all along." All the clues are there. There are no convenient coincidences. Unger took no shortcuts with her plot.

Selena is a mom who just returned to work because her husband lost his job. She finds out through the nanny cam that instead of looking for employment, he's playing with the nanny on the playroom carpet. Selena impulsively shares this with the stranger she finds herself next to on the 7:45 PM train home. That woman reciprocates by saying she feels trapped in an affair with her boss. It's the kind of sharing that's more comfortable with someone you're sure you'll never see again. The stranger muses that it would be nice if all their problems could just "go away." It seems like an innocuous comment. Then, Selena's nanny actually does disappear. What's going on here?

There's thrills and tension but little violence or gore is detailed. I was grateful for that. And the writing is very good. There's a passage at the beginning of the book, when Selena is virtually alone in the office before packing up to take the later train home, that made me miss my office and my pre-covid life so much I nearly got misty.

 3. What will read next? I have some biographies stacked up. I think I'll grab one of those.

Don't disappoint Fraulein Maria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wear your mask!

Here's the story about the surviving cast members doing their part for public health.

 

 

Let's hope it was enough

I'm haunted by President Obama's words at the DNC: "Whatever you have done so far, it's not enough."

As we lope toward the finish line, I've checked my personal stats. I gave nearly $100 more (almost to the penny) to Joe Biden than I did to HRC. Is that enough? I don't know. I purposely held a little back in case more is needed after the election to pay lawyers to protect the sanctity of the vote.

But here's what I'm proud of. Here's what I cling to:

I handwrote 345 postcards to registered Democrats in 12 different states.

Yes, I did that. Yes, it caused a callous.

I comfort myself that while the other side spews venom, conspiracies and lies about Joe on social media, they are likely just "preaching to the choir." (An ironic phrase, when you consider how many of these smut peddlers claim to be Christian.) I delivered facts about voter registration, facts about vote by mail, facts about online resources to guide voters to their polling places.

I feel good about what I've done. I just pray it's enough. Tonight Amy Coney Barrett has been installed to do what Donald Trump obviously expects her to do: rule in his favor after he loses at the ballot box. Now maybe she'll do the right thing and recuse herself when the time comes. Or maybe she'll behave like a jurist and not a political hack. (It is so possible! Look at Justice John Roberts.)

So the vote has to be decisive. I like thinking that one of my postcards is stuck with a magnet to a refrigerator somewhere, reminding the recipient that early voting has started in her district and here's her chance to GRAB HIM BY THE BALLOT!

Go, Joe, go. As Paul Simon sang about another Joe, "Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Rescue us!

 

Meanwhile, on Planet Earth

 

Cook County is now experiencing a spike.

Betty wants our movie group to transition from Zoom to in-person get togethers because she "misses us" and she is "bored." And, "We have to get back to our lives."

I miss seeing films on the big screen. I'd love to share pizza and beer with fellow movie lovers. 

But Zoom is fine because THERE'S A PANDEMIC!

Betty is a 60 year old mother of two adult daughters. She drives and votes. Scary, isn't it?

Let me tell you about my Saturday

You know how some people can be accused of making their lives look better on social media? I'm not that girl.

First I got my hair cut/colored. Since I wear a mask throughout the procedure, I thought it was safe (wise, even) to wear a hydrocolloid pimple patch on the zit on my chin. I could multi-task: start healing my pimple while sitting in the chair. I was meeting my friend Nancy and her hubs for lunch afterward, so I'd have to remember to get to the restaurant ladies room, wash my hands, remove my mask, remove the patch and replace the mask before my dining partners arrived.

I forgot. I went through the entire lunch* with the patch clearly visible while I ate. I felt like such a jerk when I got home -- like I'd been walking around all day with my slip showing or toilet paper stuck to my shoe.

Then I did laundry. In our communal laundry room. I figured Saturday night was a good time to have the room to myself. I went down, disinfected every surface, washed one load of warm and one load of cold, followed by one load of tumble dry and one of high heat for my towels. Things were going along in blissful solitude. I was just about done when my neighbor came in the back door, spotted me, and wanted to talk condo board business.

At that moment, I was folding my massive white Hanes underpants. I'm also happy to report that, while I was wearing a mask and he couldn't see the new pimple patch I'd applied, I was wearing Crocs with socks. 

Me and Sheila E, living the glamorous life. 

 

*I had a grilled cheese and ham sandwich with fries and a root beer. $8.94. I mention this because of yesterday's Saturday 9, where it was reported that pop star Ellie Goulding tries to limit herself to $10 for lunch, which some viewed as a lot of money. Sitting at a Formica table, under fluorescent light -- watching Nancy enjoy her pizza-by-the-slice and a shake ($6.93) and hubs have a burger/no cheese, fries and Coke ($9.09) -- I didn't feel like one of the beautiful people. Of course, I was wearing a pimple patch, which will make any girl feel a bit declasse.

Sunday Stealing

 

Halloween
 

1. What is your favorite spooky song. The one I learned in Kindergarten. "Stirring and stirring and stirring my brew. Ooh, ooh! Ooh, ooh! Tip toe. Tip toe. BOO!" My memory of our teacher -- with her back to us, sitting at the piano bench, patiently playing and singing this over and over until we got it right -- is still so clear.

2. What do you want etched on your tombstone? I don't think I want one. Oh, I'm not forestalling death. I just think cremation or maybe donating my remains is a better way to go.

3. Who is your favorite horror movie villain. The evil Nick Simmons from The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

 

4. Have you ever seen a ghost? Nope.

 
5. Do you prefer gore, thrillers or supernatural movies? I prefer to be thrilled, I think.

6. What is your favorite scary book? Little Leftover Witch. OK, it's not really scary. But it's one of the first "chapter books" I read on my own, and so it holds a special place in my heart.

 

7. Have you ever had a tarot card reading? Was it accurate? Yes, and I don't recall.

8. Are you superstitious?  At times.

 
9. Have you ever used a voodoo doll? No. Sounds very negative and ugly to me.

 
10. Have you ever participated in a seance? No. Unless a Ouiji Board counts. 

 
11. Have you ever heard voices when no one was around except you? No.

12. What is your favorite Halloween candy? Kit Kat.

13. What was your most memorable Halloween costume? One year I went as Harpo Marx: curly blonde wig, man's hat and overcoat, bicycle horn. It was fun.

14. Do you like going through haunted houses (not real ones)? Not especially.

15. If someone dared you to spend the night in a haunted house (a real one) would you do it? Hmmm .... I must hear more before I make my decision.