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? Murder at Blackburn Hall by Sara Rosett. Olive Belgrave has a problem: money. So why she doesn't just get a job? She tried, but she comes from a titled family, and in 1920s London, she can't just be a barmaid. The book opens with her interviewing for a "suitable" position as a hat model. The milliner hoped Olive could attract her friends in the gentry to the shop. This is a suitable short-term fix, but Olive would prefer to have her own clients for her "high society lady detective service."

Olive discovered quite by accident that she has a talent for "discreet inquiries." Turns out that's something the aristocracy needs every now and then -- to check out a daughter's new beau, find a lost chihuahua, vet a nanny candidate, or, as is the case in this volume, look into the disappearance of a famous author on behalf of his publisher. Olive is so much more circumspect than those vulgar police!

This is the second book in the series and, while I'm not very far into it, I'm already enjoying it as much as I did the first, and for the same reason. The writer creates such a lively post-WWI London. I love the hair and the clothes (especially the hats; 100 years ago everyone wore hats) and the milieu: Olive bounces back and forth between two worlds, upstairs and downstairs. Here's hoping the mystery itself turns out to be as engaging as the setting.

2. What did you recently finish reading?  The Break by Marian Keyes. I am so MAD at this book! There is the kernel of a great story here. But Marian Keyes buries it in bloat. Too many irrelevant characters and scenarios that go nowhere. Consequently it takes 400 pages to tell a story that could comfortably have been told in 325.

 

Amy and Hugh have been married for 17 years. Amy thinks she has a happy home, but when a pair of deaths hit Hugh hard (first his dad, then a boyhood friend), she realizes her husband is really struggling. He tells her he wants six months off, "a break" from marriage. He wants to travel, to put himself first for a change, to get more out of life before it's too late.

 

I like the way Keyes uses flashbacks. It would be easy to dismiss Hugh as selfish and heedless, but slowly we see that he's a wonderful dad, just crippled by depression. Very effective dimensional story telling that makes you question what you think you know about your friends' marriages.

 

But then there's the ridiculous excess. Amy has four siblings. Each is given a backstory, yet only two really matter to the plot. Example: Her gay brother and his partner have an adorable baby via surrogate. I kept waiting for them to matter to Amy's tale. They never do. 

Amy works in PR and keeps flying back and forth between Dublin and London. Her job was interesting, but did we need to meet so many of her clients? One of her clients brings his brother -- a sour man who prefers to be called "Dan" and not "Dante" -- to meetings because ... well, hell, I either forgot why or stopped caring.

 

Amy loves vintage designer clothes, which shops for at estate sales. OK, I get it. She's giving new life to the clothes of dead people. It's a charming idiosyncrasy. But do I need to know what she wore every damn day for a year?

 

Really, I'm tempted to take my own damn blue pen to this thing and see how much I can excise without diminishing the center of the story: the homelife that Amy and Hugh built together for themselves and the three girls they're raising, and what Hugh's sabbatical does to it.

 

3. What will read next? A biography of Paul Newman (hence this week's photo).

 

Introduced to Rob and Andy

Sunday I finally got together with Joanna! We haven't been in the same room since September 2020. Ten months. Gulp. Damn covid!

I was surprised to see her. Because she looked a little different. She was in a stretchy white t-shirt that hugged her round tummy a bit too much. Her usually smooth and sleek hair was waving any which way it wished to and there's a lot of gray visible. Normally I don't comment this much on appearance but appearance is Joanna's barometer. She's the only woman I know who has both winter gloves and fashion gloves. She usually won't leave the house without coordinating. I remember the day we met for frozen yogurt and she showed up wearing black accented by red earrings, a red scarf, red (prescription) eye glass frames and even a red case for her phone. Yes, she changed cell phone cases just to meet me for yogurt! So I was surprised to see her looking as average/everyday/not-pulled-together as me or anyone else. (Though her new cat's eye glass frames were amazing!)

Joanna is self employed and she works when assignments come in. She told me it's been feast or famine, 9-5 be damned. I suspect that trips to the salon have not had a place in her schedule or her budget. 

We caught up on one another's lives. She's still mad for her "boyfriend," Sid. I used the quotes because Joanna is 66 and Sid is over 70, and somehow "boyfriend" seems a bit jeune fille. (Joanna is a francophile.) A retired real estate developer, he has lots of money and nothing to spend time on but her. He's also a stroke survivor dealing with short-term memory loss, so he can be difficult. He lashes out occasionally, accusing Joanna and his daughter of "ganging up" on him when it comes to his care ("and we are," she confirmed, laughing). When she's with Sid, everything is first class. But when she's on her own? Finances are a struggle. She doesn't want him or his daughter to think she's there for the money, though, so she won't ask for any help. 

The stress has caused her to have a sudden, severe headache, which she worries could have been a TIA. I'm happy to say, though, that she's getting care. She mentioned it first to her eye doctor (she was already going there to pick up those fabulous cat's eye frames) and her GP. Neither doctor thinks it's anything serious, but to be safe, she's scheduled for an MRI next month. This is such a relief after Kathy, Henry and John -- three close friends who simply will not get the medical care they need.

Because we're both classic movie fans, I told her about how much I enjoyed The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s. I mentioned how relatable I found Astor, even after 90 years, because all she wanted was hot sex with a man she liked, and somehow that eluded her. 

That's when she told me about Rob and Andy. I knew she'd been twice divorced by 30, and very embarrassed by this. But beyond that, she didn't tell me much about her marriages.

Rob was her first great love. He was beginning his career as a dj and she was just out of college. This was 1975, and while she wasn't a virgin (not by a long shot, wink-wink) he was less experienced and she respected that. They never had intercourse until their wedding night where they were, she reports, completely incompatible in bed. At first she thought it was their conflicting schedules -- he was working overnights. Nope. That wasn't it. When he got the mid-morning shift they arrived home at the same time. 22 year old newlyweds and barely intimate! They were such good friends everywhere but between the sheets she thought perhaps he simply wasn't attracted to her. Rob -- who could talk to her about movies, music, tennis and birds -- refused to discuss their sex life. She wanted a baby with a lifetime partner and she knew Rob wasn't it. So after two years, she left.

That's when she met Andy. He was so passionate she was swept off her feet. The thing is, that passion translated to high drama in other areas of life, too. When he found it hard to express himself verbally, he hit her. Then, in self loathing, he'd injure himself. (Cutting, bashing his head into walls, etc.) Just when life outside the bedroom was becoming unendurable, she found she was pregnant. Idealistically, she was sure the baby would cure everything. In the spring of 1981, early in her pregnancy, she had a very painful miscarriage. It broke her heart, because she really wanted that baby (and still remembers his due date: August 1, 1981). But it caused her to reassess her life. She didn't want to bring a child into her tempestuous relationship with Andy. So after two years of marriage, she left. She was 28.

In her 20s and 30s, she never found a man who embodied Rob's sensitivity and lovability and Andy's passion. She never had that baby she always wanted.

There were no tears as she shared this. I think it was too long ago for that. She was just telling me how
well she, too, understood Mary Astor. But it reinforced a lesson that I keep relearning every time I read about President Kennedy -- no matter how good someone's life looks from the outside, you have no idea how it feels on the inside.

I didn't tell Joanna she reminds me of JFK -- attractive, charismatic, and filled with pain and sorrow no one would ever suspect. I think she might find that amusing.

But talking about Mary Astor, Rob and Andy was heavy enough on a sunny Sunday at an outdoor cafe over a root beer float.

Sunday Stealing

THURSDAY THUNKS

1. Did you eat paste and/or glue as a child? No. But I can report that Play Doh has a salty taste.

2. Look at the wall to your right, what is on it? A framed photo of the Water Tower, lit up at night. It was a gift from my favorite uncle.

3. Do you put butter and/or salt on your popcorn? Yes. Both.

4. What does your favorite coffee cup look like? It's a big beige mug. It says, "El gato" and is decorated with an illustration of a cat playing with a ball of yarn.

5. Would you rather have a pet hippo or a pet elephant? Neither. Exotic animals shouldn't be pets.

6. Toilet Paper: hard, soft, extra soft? I checked the package when I changed the roll just now. It said, "strong."

7. Have you ever rescued/taken in a stray animal? In 2004, Reynaldo was a stray kitten who was making a nuisance of himself in neighborhood backyards. Begging for food, making himself at home on porches, trying to sneak into houses ... He was turned in to the animal shelter. From there he came home with me, where I'm proud to say he has lived happily ever after.

17 years later, he's a very old boy. His vision is failing, he has arthritis in his back legs, he requires a special diet for his chronic kidney disease and medication for his thyroid condition, and the vet recently detected heart trouble. I'm not happy about any of this,of course, but it's nature. 17 to a cat is 84 to a human. Body parts wear out.

He plays less and sleeps more. But he's still affectionate and has really enjoyed the pandemic. Having me work from home means all deliveries come here, so he has boxes to check out and then claim as his own. There are also Zoom meetings to crash. He enjoys his life. I am committed to keeping him comfortable for whatever time he has left. He's a good boy and I love him.

8. If you realize your house is on fire while you are using the bathroom, do you wipe or just run for the door? Well, this is a question we've never had before.

9. Now, if you only had $10 to buy one thing, what would it be? Lunch at McDonald's.

10. What’s your favorite type of potato? Mashed.

 11. How long do you keep unmatched socks before you get rid of them... and how do you dispose of these socks? How did you know I have two mismatched socks (one blue, one white) in my laundry hamper right now? They have been there for maybe a year. I have no idea why I keep them, or how much longer I will allow them to linger there until I finally move them from hamper to trash.

12. What was the last thing you took a picture of? This is a poorly composed photo of a garage apartment in my neighborhood. I snapped it while on my way to the vet to pick up Reynaldo's special food (see Q7). My aunt and I both enjoyed Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries, and our heroine lived in a garage apartment with a top floor sleeping loft. Isn't that what this looks like? 

I'm glad I texted this to her because sloppy though it is, it made her happy. My aunt has allowed her aggressive Trumpiness to isolate her from old friends and even her son and grandchildren. I don't care how tightly she clings to her MAGA misinformation. I insist on still loving her. We will just limit our conversations to books, our medical maladies (her knee, my tooth), my cats and her dog. And baseball. My grandma (her mom) loved Cubs great Ryne Sandberg as much as I love Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, so my Cubbie passion/obsession amuses her and makes her happy.

13. Do you use a cookbook? I own a cookbook. It gets little to no use.

14. Bottled or tap water? We're lucky here in Chicagoland in that Lake Michigan water tastes good.

15. Do you like pumpkin pie? Do you cheat and buy a premade one or do you make it from scratch? Heck, do you even make pumpkin pie at all? I do like pumpkin pie. I have never baked a pie of any type.

 

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Purple People Eater (1958)

1) When actor Sheb Wooley brought this song to MGM Records, they initially rejected it, saying it just wasn't the kind of thing they wanted to be associated with. Then executives discovered how popular the audition recording was with the 20-somethings in the office. MGM released it after all and it became a #1 hit. Tell us about a time you were glad you changed your mind about something. Dollar Tree. It looks so blah that I never felt like going in. But it just so happens to be near the new pharmacy I use, so I gave it a shot. Oh my! Great for office supplies! On good days I found my favorite brand of toothpaste, too, for just $1! The people who work there are pleasant, which is a big plus.

2) This song has been so enduringly popular that in the 1970s, the Minnesota Vikings defensive line referred to themselves as the Purple People Eaters. What football team do you root for? I root against the Packers. OK, I don't really care about football one way or the other, but I clearly remember my father being desolate whenever the Bears lost or the Packers won (and in those days, they lost to the Packers every time they played). So, out of perhaps misplaced loyalty, I root against the Packers.

3) The song was initially inspired by Sputnik, the satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1958. In the 21st century, do you think space exploration is a worthwhile public investment? Or would you prefer  governments spend that money here on earth? I suppose I'd rather see the money spent here, but I also don't accept that it's an either/or proposition. I believe we can do both.

4) The Purple People Eater is a visitor from another planet. When you imagine creatures from outer space, are they frightening or friendly? I don't think about this very often, but when do, they are friendly.

5) This record was the biggest hit Sheb Wooley ever had. He was better known as an actor, costarring with Clint Eastwood on the 1950s TV show, Rawhide. What's your favorite Clint Eastwood movie? I generally loathe Clint Eastwood. His cop movies and westerns are too ugly, angry and violent. So I was surprised by how much I adored Million Dollar Baby, which he also directed. I found it moving and memorable. "Mo cuishle."

 

 

6) Sheb and Clint remained buddies and appeared together decades later in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). Tell us about one of your longest-lasting friendships. I don't think I've ever told the story of how I met my dear friend Henry. It was 1992. We started working at the same agency on the same account at the same time. Both Henry and I, and the agency, had recently fallen on some hard times and were fighting our way back. The company I'd worked for had gone under. Henry had just lost his teaching job at a very prestigious Big 10 school (yes, that one!). The agency had lost several big accounts in a short period of time and had finally won one -- and hired us to work on it. There was a wonderful feeling of building something new, of fresh starts when we first met.

Henry can have a bit of an edge. Collaboration is not always his strong suit. Plus, it was his first job in advertising. He was preternaturally good on the Mac when desktop publishing was new and he handled his assignments well. It's just he had a hard time grasping exactly how low he was on the food chain. His job was to simply take the copywriter's words and flow them into a template.

 

He had suggestions for improving the copy. For streamlining the production process. For making everything better. People didn't understand him. They thought he was elite, showing them up or making a power grab. He was just trying to help. 

For some reason, he took an immediate liking to me. Even though I wasn't his supervisor, he decided I was. I became something of a "Henry whisperer," and since I could handle him -- which I did effortlessly, because he liked and trusted me -- my bosses gave me credit for tremendous people skills I don't actually possess.

That's the thing about Henry: he always, ALWAYS sees the best in me. He thinks I'm one of the kindest, wisest women he's ever met. Therefore, when he's around, I try to kinder and wiser. He loves me, and I will never take that for granted.

7) In 1958, when this song was popular, hula hoops were a national craze. Did you ever play with a hula hoop? If yes, were you good at it? The neighbor kids had two hula hoops (yellow and orange) and we played with them all the time, but not as hula hoops. We had relays where we competed as we rolled them (which we weren't good at, so this took a very long time) or we pretended to be horses/jockeys in harness races.

8) Also in 1958, Arnold Palmer won his first Masters Golf Tournament. When did you most recently play golf? I don't think I've ever golfed. Oh, I've miniature golfed, but I've never tried to hit the ball for distance.

9) Random question: Do you believe women gossip more than men? I suspect men and women are equal in this area. I think they just gossip differently. I don't know that conjecture about LeBron James is really any different than conjecture about Britney Spears, or that speculating about a coworker's salary is any more high-minded than speculating about how much a neighbor spent to get that luscious green lawn.

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

Mary Astor

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 Break by Marian Keyes. Amy and Hugh have been married for 17 years. Amy has been happy, but when a pair of deaths hit Hugh hard (first his dad, then a boyhood friend), she realizes Hugh is not. Still, she was gobsmacked when he tells her he wants six months off, "a break" from marriage. He wants to travel, to put himself first for a change, to get more out of life. 

Will he come back? What if he falls in love with someone else? What if, after six months, she changes and he no longer wants this different woman? How will she explain this to their daughters? Who will change the lightbulbs and empty the garbage?

So far this book is about the large and small ways Amy handles Hugh's midlife crisis. I'm enjoying it (Keyes always manages to wrest a smile from me, even in the sad bits) but I hope soon Amy stops just reacting and takes a deeper look at her life.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s by Joseph Egan. Mary Astor was a major movie star who, on the rebound, married the wrong man. A doctor, he had no interest in her career or most of her friends. They didn't realize their incompatibility until they had a daughter. As was the custom within the moneyed set in the 30s, they began having affairs. They frequently talked of separation and divorce. They were no longer lovers or friends but they were not yet enemies.

Then he found her diary. YIKES!

In purple ink, Mary wrote candidly about how her new lover, an acclaimed playwright, satisfied her in bed ... implying her husband didn't. Compared to the playwright, he was uninterested and uninteresting. She also wrote about the doctor's drinking and how it exacerbated his temper. In short, she was not at all flattering. OK, she was brutal.

The doctor was hurt and angry. He retaliated by battling Mary for custody of their little girl and leaked diary pages (juicy stuff about her lover, not unflattering stuff about himself) to the press, hoping to blackmail Mary into submission.

The case dominated the front pages. False rumors about the rest of Mary's diary ran rampant (she purportedly kept a "box score" of every Hollywood stud she screwed) and studio heads actually pressured her to give up her daughter, just to make the case go away and stop embarrassing the movie industry.

Mary was tough, a mother with definite ideas of how her daughter should be raised, and she wasn't going anywhere. No matter how much pressure was brought to bear, she was going to see this through. She was also a good actress. No matter how upset she was, she remained unflappable in the courtroom by channeling the character she was playing. Regardless of the many different ways her husband's attorney called her a whore, Mary kept cool, under ladylike hats, with her hands folded in her lap.

 

I liked Mary. I also admired two other actresses of the day -- Ruth Chatterton and Florence Eldridge -- who risked the ire of the studio bosses (and therefore their careers) by sitting with Mary in court each day. GIRL POWER!

I highly recommend this true story.

 

3. What will read next? I don't know.

 

She looks like she had a rough night

Here's JBKO's second-to-last driver's license. Her eyes aren't quite focused on the camera and so she looks a little sleepy. Tee hee. Turns out my girl was human after all.

There are far, FAR more photos of her looking terrific. Effortlessly fabulous. I'm sure someone out there has a picture of a pre-teen me wearing roller skates, but I promise you I didn't look this good.

Ah, you say that it's easy to look good in a posed shot. OK, how about this? She was 40+ when this was snapped with a telephoto lens by a photographer she dragged to court to stop.  

And then there's this. Here is Jacqueline Bouvier's 1953 passport photo. I am in awe.

 

 

I suspect if she could speak to me, she'd tell me this part of her life came easily and didn't really matter so much. She took more pride in her mind and her love of learning and books, and as she once said herself, "I think my biggest achievement is that, after going through a rather difficult time, I consider myself comparatively sane."

 

That's two nights in a row

I woke up scared again this morning. My second nightmare in as many nights. I have a vague memory of it being about Icky Grandma. She was dreadful, but she's also been gone since I was in high school.

I had a good day Saturday. Work is going well. There are dark clouds in the skies above, of course. Aren't there always? I'm worried about the dentist (Wednesday), concerned about Reynaldo's ongoing health problems, aware that the next BIG PROJECT is due July 22 and I don't have any ideas ... But life is never perfect. I'm handling all this.

So what's up? The Cubs had another truly awful game, which brings us closer and closer to the team being disbanded. I am genuinely saddened by this. I've been watching the core players on this roster for six years. I don't want to say goodbye ... and what I want matters not one whit.

And then there was The Three Faces of Eve (1957). In the movie's climax, Eve finally remembers the childhood trauma that caused the fracture of her personality. At her grandmother's wake, six-year-old Eve was forced to kiss her grandmother's corpse goodbye, and it horrified her. Perhaps it upset me more than I thought it did.

I have to be more careful about the media I consume these days. What I watch and read has a bigger impact on me now than it normally would.

Photo by wayhomestudio - www.freepik.com

Sunday Stealing

 THAT'S MY ANSWER 

1. Do you ever feel completely rested and unrushed? Sunday morning usually finds me that way. I worry that when my congregation starts meeting in the church instead of on YouTube, I won't feel as unrushed.

2. If you had to wear all white for the entire day, how long before you spilled something on it? 90 seconds. The other day I somehow smeared makeup on my bra before I even got dressed.

3. What would you include inside of your emergency kit? Immodium, my migraine meds (naproxen), band-aids, kleenex, cough drops, alcohol, antibiotic ointment and hydrocortisone cream.

4. What’s more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? Two barrels full of monkeys.

5. Is it hard for you to let go of certain things, even if you have too many of them? Yes. Very hard.

6. When was the last time you were ready to throw in the proverbial towel? Did you end up letting go, or decided to fight on anyway? I'm close to throwing in the towel with the condo board. It's really fucked up. I'm trying my best to stick with it because I think I can make a difference. But I wonder if it's worth the effort.

7. What is the color of awesome? Cubbie blue! (Though these days, I must expand my definition of "awesome" to accommodate it.)

8. What is your favorite black and white movie? Laura (1944).

9. If you could describe your mood in a color today, what color would it be? Cream. Off white.

10.  If you could wish for anything and it would come true, you wish for? I would like a lot of money. Like $750,000. I could retire, and then I could help John, Henry and my oldest friend in ways that would lighten their loads.

11. What are some of the wacky things that you like to do? Depends on how you define "wacky."

12. If you could have any author –living or dead – write your biography, who would you choose? Carrie Fisher.

13. If you could be a “fly on the wall” anywhere and at any time in history, where and when would you choose? The White House, January 6, 2021. Then I'd know, once and for all, if the President of the United States was part of a plot to overthrow the nation he placed his hand on the Bible and swore to lead.

14.What is the last thing you made from scratch? Cookies. 

15. When we are able to travel again, where would you love to go? So many places! I have plans to go back to Key West for Christmas.

 

Frown turned upside down

I woke up today feeling kinda ... bleh. Joanna and I had long planned to get together today. A Francophile, she volunteered to help out at a local boutique's Bastille Day event. When it was over at about 3:00, we were going to meet for a late lunch/early dinner. Then, Wednesday she let me know she had to cancel. Self-employed, she had a project that demanded her attention and she just couldn't afford to choose volunteer work over a paying assignment. I certainly understood and would have done the same thing in her position. But I was sad nevertheless. I keep getting stymied as I try to take tentative steps back into the post-Covid world.

When I turned on my cell this morning, I saw a text from Nancy. She and her her husband were going to be in my neighborhood. They'd been cleaning out their closets and wanted to donate their used running shoes to Soles4Souls, and there's a drop-off location nearby. There's also Nancy's favorite bookseller. She asked if, she was going to be literally around the corner from me, I wanted to meet them for lunch.

YES! YES! YES! Suddenly I was smiling again.

I like Nancy. I like her husband. Their life isn't perfect, of course. 2020 saw the death of Nancy's son and she's still not over that. (May never be over that.) But they aren't as complicated as John, Henry, Kathy or my oldest friend. They're easier to talk to and laugh with.

It was good to enjoy brunch -- complete with a screwdriver -- with them. 

Joanna is going to try to make it out here next weekend, too. I feel like I'm emerging from my Covid cocoon. 

Photo created by drobotdean - www.freepik.com

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Mairzy Doats (1944)
Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.



1) While today this is considered a children's song, "Mairzy Doats" was a #1 hit and a staple on radio stations in 1944. Do you know any of today's most popular songs? (Here's this week's Hot 100.) Nope. I recognize the artists (Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber) but not the songs. This exercise made me feel most unhip.

2) One of the song's writers recalled that the song was inspired by an old English nursery rhyme. Tell us a rhyme you remember from childhood. "Jack be nimble, jack be quick, jack jumped over the candlestick and burned his pants off." That's exactly the way my mom taught it to me. I was very lively and mischievous as a child and she was terrified I'd actually try the candle thing, so she tried to make the rhyme a cautionary tale. I was so embarrassed when I recited it at school and my teacher called me a "smart aleck."

3) This week's group, The Merry Macs, was formed by three brothers -- Judd, Joe and Ted McMichael -- who learned to harmonize at home. Did you grow up in a musical household? Not at all. My dad liked to sing along with the radio in the car, and I always had music on in my room, but that's it.

4) When the McMichaels decided their new group needed a woman's voice, they asked Cheri McKay to join them. Realizing all their names began with Mc, they began calling themselves The Merry Macs. Have you ever performed with a singing group? (Yes, that garage band you played in after school counts.) If yes, what was your band called? I have nothing for this.

5) The Merry Macs' first gigs were playing high school dances. Do you have any memories of school dances you'd like to share this morning? For some reason, the first memory that popped into my head was from junior high. The first time I danced with a boy was to a song called "Things I'd Like to Say." I found him on LinkedIn and  he's now a "retired investor."

 
   

6) Once their recording career took off, The Merry Macs went to Hollywood. They appeared in a film with the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Who last made you laugh? PJ, who works at the vet's office. I don't recall what she said, exactly, but she always makes me laugh.

7) In 1944, when "Mairzy Doats" topped the charts, sunscreen was invented. It was first developed to protect soldiers during WWII, and that original formula was sold to Coppertone. Do you regularly use sunscreen? It's been so hot, and I've been working so hard, that I've seldom been outside this summer. This makes me sad.

8) Also in 1944, a board game called Murder! was introduced in England. In 1949 it made its way to the United States and was renamed Clue. It's still popular today. Can you name any of the original 6 "characters" in the Clue game? (Extra credit: One was replaced in 2016; who was it?) Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock. That was from memory. I know Mrs. White was replaced by Dr. Orchid, but that's because I looked it up. The game my nephew and I often played included the original six.

9) Random question: The new house you just bought comes with a big mirror on the ceiling of the master bedroom. Would you take it down or leave it there? It would have to come down before I even slept there. I can't imagine waking up and having the first thing I see is  my reflection with smeared mascara and messy hair. YECH!

I chose red and blue intentionally

This roller coaster is Cardinal red and Cubbie blue, and it represents how I feel about baseball right now.

24-hours ago, I was miserable. Cubs President Jed Hoyer made it plain that trades would be made ... and soon. Met fans on Twitter were jubilant that Kris Bryant would be theirs before the end of the month. Since KB puts the BRY in BRYZZO, I was bereft.

Then Boston fans started gloating that my favorite most Cub, Anthony Rizzo, would soon be returning to the Red Sox, the team that signed him when he was still a teenager battling cancer. They are gleefully anticipating Rizz leading them to a World Series in an ending befitting a Hollywood movie. Losing Rizz would break my heart in more ways than I can count.

The end of Bryzzo. I want to cry,

Then my guys rallied today to beat the arch-rival Cardinals most decisively. The team on the field today didn't look like they'd just lost an epic 10 straight. Bryzzo each got a hit!

I am happy. I celebrated with a creamsickle float.*

*The latest offering at the local ice cream shop: Fanta orange soda and vanilla custard. I highly recommend it.

Photo by mrsiraphol @ www.freepik.com

Kindness, Compassion and Conservative Values

When the photos of 6'5 Barron Trump appeared yesterday, and memes comparing him to NBA players cropped up, Chelsea Clinton pleaded with the tweeters to just stop.

We can recall the bullying tweets posted by Barron's father. Candidate Trump made fun of Heidi Cruz' face. The President of the United States did not think it was beneath the dignity of the office to call people he didn't like "dopey," "low class slob," "dummy" and "clown."

We can all remember Barron's father honoring Rush Limbaugh with the Medal of Freedom. Rush famously called 13-year-old Chelsea "the White House dog."

We all know Barron's mother spread birther lies about Barack Obama without pausing a millisecond to consider how this would impact Sasha and Malia.

And yet noisy Christian Conservatives question the direction of the country with Democrats in charge, all the while holding the Trumps near their hearts.

I really, really want my faith back. 

In the meantime, I'm so grateful that we now have a gentleman (how's that for an old-school term?) who is a gentle man in the Oval Office. Take his trip to Miami after the condo crisis. He touched the arm of  Gov. Ron DeSantis and said, "Just tell me what you need." He did this even though DeSantis appears to be preparing to run against him. "We aren't going anywhere," he said, sitting across from Sen. Marco Rubio, showing solidarity with the Republican lawmaker when it comes to Federal response. Think about that. Biden was sharing the limelight with a member of the opposition party. Can you imagine Donald Trump (Mr. I Alone Can Fix It) doing that?

President Biden thanked the workers who are trying to recover bodies. It wasn't that long ago that elected Republicans refused to support the Capitol Hill police -- who protect them! -- with a formal investigation into the January 6 riot.

Somehow President Biden managed to not callously fling paper towels at anyone while in Florida.

Going back to what I was taught in Sunday School, this month Joe Biden and Chelsea Clinton have demonstrated Christian values. 

At least he checked in

Got a quick text from John today. He saw a doctor for the first time since 2019. He reports that she changed his medications and their dosages, hoping that will enhance his energy level and his life. She also scheduled an MRI and "heart tests" for him. 

I'm relieved. He has been feeling so rotten over the last 3-4 months, I was afraid she was going to admit him. I'm grateful he was able to just see the doctor and then go home.

I'm also grateful that he remembered to let me know. Often when he's sick, he withdraws. I get it, because when I don't feel good, I just want to recharge and heal. But what John forgets is that I care about him. When I don't know what's going on with him, I'm stressed. 

So this two sentence text -- received when I was waiting for my order at Panera (which they botched) -- was positive. Not only is he getting care, he's taking my feelings into account.

 Photo by jcomp - www.freepik.com

It's no longer whether they win or lose

The Cubs have been very good for the past 20 years: Eight trips to the play-offs and, of course, the 2016 World Series. Both Lou Pinella and Joe Maddon won Manager of the Year. Geovany Soto and Kris Bryant both won Rookie of the Year. Jake Arrieta won the Cy Young and Kris Bryant won MVP. Derek Lee, Javier Baez and my two fave raves -- Greg Maddux and Anthony Rizzo -- won Gold Gloves for exceptional fielding. 

It's been fun. Winning is better than losing.

On the other hand, I'm a lifelong Cub fan. I remember seasons where they finished 15 or 20 games out of first place. When winning just one more game than we lost felt like a dream come true. In a way, losing seasons are fun, too, because there's no pressure. Instead of the outcome of all 9 innings, I could concentrate on the moments, and say to myself, "That was an exciting catch," or "What a great at bat!"

So why have I found this extended losing streak so shattering? Because every loss brings us closer to the end of Bryzzo. Bryant and Rizzo. The heart of this team. Both of their contracts are up this year. The owners (BOO! HISS!) have not offered either of them an extension. If the team did well this year and appeared poised for the play-offs, management might keep the them together. After this 10-game skid, Kris Bryant might be gone before the trade deadline this month. This could very well be Rizzo's last season in Cubbie blue.

 They attended one anothers weddings. KB always supports Rizz' charitable ventures (my favorite was the year he surprised fans and raised a ton in tips by acting as a waiter at Rizzo's Cook Off to Knock Out Cancer). They're funny together. They're my guys.

So it isn't whether they win or lose, it's how much longer will they be my guys. 

I am bereft.

 

Who knew?

Last night, during a genuinely dreadful game (Cubs lost their 10th straight), the Cubs broadcasters promoted an online auction for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation. More than $650,000 was raised to help families as they battle cancer.*

The top earner was a day of fishing in Fort Lauderdale with Anthony himself ($175,000). There was lots of autographed sports memorabilia, including a Michael Jordan basketball, Muhammad Ali boxing gloves, a Babe Ruth baseball. A local TV meteorologist made herself available for the day to school kids and raised $3,500. 

This item especially intrigued me. First of all, the listing said it was donated by Andy Cohen personally. I wonder how Andy found out about the auction to make the donation. Secondly, I was surprised that there was much overlapping interest between Cub fans and Watch What Happens Live viewers. Last, I got a kick out of Andy's description of this item. 

62 bids and $3,265. Nicely done, Andy!

*One thing I learned from my favorite-most Cub is that hospital parking is expensive. It's not unusual for parents to have to pay $30/day to park where their child is a patient! Combine that with the cost of lost wages, eating in the hospital cafeteria, daycare if the family has other children, and parking is an added expense families can't afford. One thing the Rizz' foundation does is reimburse families for parking. One less thing to worry about as they battle cancer together as a family.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

Mary Astor

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 Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s by Joseph Egan. Mary Astor appeared in many films that remain popular today (Maltese Falcon, Meet Me in St. Louis) but I can't say I'm a fan. So her story is new to me. And WOW! What a story!

A beautiful girl born to a poor family, her father saw her potential as a moneymaker and got her in front of movie cameras. As a teenager, she was seduced by John Barrymore and developed what would be considered today a healthy attitude toward sex, but back in the 1930s, she was viewed as almost voracious. What she wanted -- even more than the career, which came rather easily to her -- was a husband who could engage her both intellectually and physically. Doesn't every woman want that? Somehow Mary couldn't find it. Her first husband was her best friend, but they had little physical chemistry. He died suddenly and, grief-stricken and confused, she married a doctor with (ahem) very good hands. They were compatible in bed but he was left-brained. He didn't care about books, music, or movies. Just science, medicine, and hunting.

She and the doctor had a baby and then, realizing how disappointed they were in one another, starting cheating. He returned to a former lover, she took up with a popular playwright. They were en route to a rather amicable divorce.

Then her husband found her diaries. Her very personal diaries.

Mary Astor not only chronicled her extramarital sex life, she wrote about her true feelings. Her husband found her descriptions of him unforgivable. He wanted revenge, and knew the diary was a powerful weapon. And so a megastar whose name was right up there with Bogart, Gable and Harlow had to fight for both custody of her daughter AND to keep her juicy memoir out of open court ... and the press.

I like Mary Astor. She was the anti-Kardashian, trying to live a public life with dignity. I understand her hurt and angry husband, even though Dr. Thorpe is definitely the villain of the story. This is a great story, well told.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Twenty-something Lara Lington is at a crossroads professionally, financially and romantically. It's at this stressful time that an apparition appears to her. It's the ghost of her late, great-aunt Sadie, who has come back as a madcap, fashion-forward flapper ("twenties girl").

This book starts out silly. VERY SILLY. Even by Kinsella standards. (If you've read any of her popular Shopaholic books, you'll know what I mean.) The humor was so I Love Lucy meets Bewitched that I almost gave up on it.

But then, at about the halfway mark, the plot gelled and took off in an interesting direction. Sadie became a more dimensional person (can a ghost have three dimensions?) and therefore more sympathetic and less a mere goof. I found myself more involved with, and more touched by, this book at the end than I thought I'd be.

 

3. What will read next? I don't know.

 

Thank you, Elaine

Last week I missed my Monday night movie group Zoom. I think it was the first time since we've moved online last year. But Monday had been a tough day at work after a long weekend of working, and I'd gotten the bad news about Reynaldo, and the condo board bullshit was getting more complicated ... and I didn't really get the movie. I did kinda sorta see The Paradine Case, but I didn't give a shit about what I was watching and since it's Hitchcock, I really should pay attention if I'm to speak intelligently about it. Anyway, I blew it off.

Beginning Thursday, Elaine started texting me. She was concerned about me. For the past year, every time Reynaldo crashed one of our Zoom movie meetups, Elaine would IM me that she thought he was flirting with her. So when in her text she asked if he was OK, it was cute and clever. But, since there truly is something wrong with Rey, I took a day to reply, and did it via email so I could really explain it to her.

I knew from our lunch back in May (and from the furry roommates who make discreet appearances on her screen) that she has a dog and a cat. She bought them from breeders, which is a pebble in my shoe because so many completely lovable dogs and cats are languishing in shelters, but she does love and dote on them. I know that to her, they aren't investments or status symbols. So I was comfortable sharing with her about Rey Rey.

She emailed back that she's happy to pick me and Rey up in her van for vet appointments. She's retired now, has time and resources and is "happy to share the bounty" in her life. Then she texted photos of her cat in his new purple cat bed, looking regal (purple being the color of royalty).

I'm flattered that she wants to be friends with me. I'm touched by her kindness. I need new friends who aren't as fucked up* as John and Henry.

I also got a fireworks text from Joanna. She and I keep rescheduling on one another because of work, but hopefully we'll see each other this coming Saturday. I met her through movie group and bonded with her over cats, too. Maybe, as things open up more and more, the three of us can get together.

At any rate, I wanted to take a moment to note and feel good about this. To appreciate it.

*said with affection

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at Freedigitalphotos.net.