Thinking of songs ...

Here's my second Tuesday Tunes:

What music related tv shows do you or have you watched? I am sadly addicted to American Idol. There should be a support group for people like me.

Have you ever gone to see a movie just for the music? No.

What is you favorite music related movie? (Blushing and averting my eyes) The Sound of Music.

A sad old song that's stuck in my head

Talking in Your Sleep (as recorded by Crystal Gayle)

Three o'clock in the mornin'
And it looks like it's gonna be
Another sleepless night
I've been listenin' to your dreams
And gettin' very low
Wond'rin' what I can do

Maybe I'm bein' foolish
'Cause I haven't heard you mention
Anybody's name at all
How I wish I could be sure
It's me that turns you on
Each time you close your eyes
I've heard it said that dreamers never lie

You've been talkin' in your sleep
Sleepin' in your dreams
With some sweet lover
Holdin' on so tight
Lovin' her the way
You used to love me
Talkin' in your sleep
With lovin' on your mind

Maybe I'm bein' foolish
'Cause I haven't heard you mention
Anybody's name at all
How I wish I could be sure
It's me that turns you on
Each time you close your eyes
I've heard it said that dreamers never lie

You've been talkin' in your sleep
Sleepin' in your dreams
With some sweet lover
Holdin' on so tight
Lovin' her the way
You used to love me
Talkin' in your sleep
With lovin' on your mind

I'm so into it

I am genuinely happy to see Paula, Randy, Ryan and Simon on Larry King Live. I love American Idol. I'm so into it that right now I may very well be on the verge of pathetic. If Randy refers to Larry King as "dawg," I'll die of completion.

Greetings from Geek Heaven

As I write this, I'm watching Abigail Adams tearfuly marry off her only daughter in the HBO mini-series. This came on right after the King documentary on The History Channel. And this morning, I finished book, The Day Lincoln Was Shot.

Except for the time spent listening to the Cubs kick Astro ass as I replaced the shelf paper under the sink, I have been ensconced in American history. It's been an exciting and emotional ride and I've enjoyed it enormously.

"Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been ..."

Your Old Fashioned Name Is...

Elinor Gosebourne

Old Fashioned Name Generator

Now THIS is why God made Saturdays!

It's sunny and in the low-to-mid 60ºs! I celebrated by walking my 10,000 steps through the park and along the side streets to and from the cheapie pet store (where Friskies are only 38¢/can!). Most gloriously of all, I had Pat and Ron in my headphones. So I exercised AND economized. I am happy.

I love my Cubs broadcast team. Especially on a day like today, when the Cubs come from behind to win! Unflappable Pat reports the play-by-play and Ronnie (Cubs great Ron Santo) provides the heart, and the insights of someone who played All Star-caliber third base in Wrigley Field.

The games on TV are enjoyable for sure. But there is nothing like wandering around town on a bright sunny day with Pat and Ron company. All the better when DLee goes 4-for-4 and Kerry Wood gets the save.

Still the gold standard when it comes to obnoxious Beatle Birds

Yoko Ono has leapt to the defense of Heather Mills, encouraging the former Lady McCartney to "do her very best and try to survive."

I'm sure the $50 million that Sir Paul's ex will receive will make "surviving" a little easier. To put it in perspective, according to Great Britain national statistics, households in London have the highest total average income in the UK and that is approximately the equivalent of $77,000/year. Average households throughout Great Britain "survive" on less.

And these women wonder why the public dislikes them. To paraphrase Jennifer Aniston's assessment of Brad Pitt, each of these Beatle Birds seems to be missing a sensitivity chip.

Shame on me!

I let economizing and PMS get the best of me! Yesterday for lunch, instead of working out, I went to Border's because I had a soon-to-expire coupon for 25% off and I NEEDED new headphones. (No, really. Without my iPod I am simply not myself!)

To make it worse, I also bought a chocolate bunny wrapped in gold foil and wearing a little red ribbon. This year, at Easter, my mom gave me little Tootsie Rolls and jelly beans. It was fine, but I missed having a chocolate bunny. It was on sale. I'm PMS-ing. And who knew Border's had chocolate?

To make it even worse, I stopped at McDonald's for lunch on the way back. PMS protein cravings took over. I chose a QP with cheese because it's fewer calories than a Big Mac. Somehow that made me feel virtuous.

At 3:30, our office had a party to celebrate the start of baseball season. I knew the beer cart would be there (a major beer company is one of our clients) and that Cub and White Sox cookies would be provided so we could declare our team affiliation. I passed on the beer and cookies but instead grabbed what I didn't expect -- a hotdog and a bag of peanuts. I figured: free dinner. Again, I'm taking my resolution to economize seriously.

But what I did yesterday was UNwise and UNhealthy. Bad for my skin. Bad for my heart. Bad for incredily big thighs and round, round tummy. Bad for my self esteem.

Move more, Gal. Eat better, Gal. Drink more WATER, Gal. I realize it's as important as saving money.

Where are you?

As we reach the anniversaries of the murders of MLK and Bobby Kennedy, I am becoming sadder and sadder about all we lost, and what might have been. Remembering 1968 makes me more and more nervous about the Obama/Clinton stand off.

The Democrat nominated here in Chicago in 1968 wasn't Gene McCarthy and it sure wasn't Bobby. It was the compromise candidate, Hubert Humphrey. And we ended up with President Richard Nixon.

I know that John Edwards is sensitive to the legacies of Kennedy and King. Perhaps he is waiting until the anniversary of Bobby's murder (June 6) to make his much awaited endorsement.

It's time for this primary contest to end. We aren't talking about policies nor issues anymore. We're simply waiting for Hillary to give up or for Obama to self destruct. I don't think either is likely to happen. We may, however, just continue watching two good candidates beat and bruise and weaken one another.

I'd feel better if I knew that Gore and John Edwards were talking, perhaps Bill Richardson, too. I have never believed that Howard Dean had the sense the Lord gave a duck, and I want to know that people who are objective, those who have my party and my country's best interests at heart, are talking about the end game here. I don't want to see a repeat of 1968.

Plus, I miss John Edwards' hair and magnolia voice.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #60 -- Here's to the Coolest Guy in the Universe

THIRTEEN OF PAUL NEWMAN'S
BEST -- AND COOLEST --
PERFORMANCES

The good people at dictionary.com define “cool” as “calmly audacious or impudent,” “socially adept,” and “great, fine, excellent.” Using these definitions, I hereby declare Paul Newman the coolest guy in the universe. Yes, he’s a world-class philanthropist, donating scads of cash each year. Sure he’s a consistent, involved political activist. I love that he's been married to the same woman for nearly half a century. Of course, all that’s cool. But most of all, he’s delivered decades of indelibly cool movie performances. Here are 13 of my favorites:

1. Cool Hand Luke. (1967) The cornerstone of the faith, the ultimate Newman-rebel role, and a highly entertaining movie. Luke gets arrested for a pointless act of vandalism (cutting the tops off parking meters) and ends up on a chain gang. This is not the place for Luke, because he simply cannot conform. He thinks too much, sees the bullshit too clearly, to ever take the easy route. Yet he’s funny and charismatic, a hero to the other inmates. This movie has a lot of terrific scenes – the egg-eating competition, the highway paving scene, Luke’s harrowing “night in the box,” Luke on the run and his final conversation with God (“what we have here is a failure to communicate”). But for me the most memorable moment is Luke sitting on his bunk, mourning the death of the much-loved mother he disappointed time and again, by singing, “I don’t care if it rains and freezes long as I got my plastic Jesus riding on the dashboard of my car …”

2. Hud. (1963) My favorite Newman performance. He’s a ruthless, heartless SOB who believes to his very core that the ends justify the means. And yet, even though we know all about this bastard, even after he lies and rapes and nearly destroys his family, we keep hoping he’ll find redemption. When towards the end of the movie Hud cynically cracks that he’s like this because, “My Mama used to love me, but she died,” he breaks my heart, because I suspect that for the first time, he's spoken the truth.

3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (1969) George Clooney recently said Newman and Redford are the last real movie stars, and this movie shows us why. So handsome, so charming, with such beautiful blue eyes and such amazing smiles, that we almost forget that these two are doomed from the start. The movie moves slowly to a tragic ending, but we have so much fun along the way that we almost forget how inevitable their demise is, too.

4. The Verdict. (1982) Frank Galvin is an alcoholic lawyer who is way, way past his prime. But a case falls into his lap that touches something deep in him, a respect for life and justice and the law that he thought he lost. His need to regain his real sense of self is at once redemptive and cool.

5. The Hustler. (1961) Who knew that pool could be exciting to watch? Who knew that Carrie White’s mom (Piper Laurie) was once lovely and sympathetic? Who knew Jackie Gleason could act? And most of all, who knew that talent doesn’t always accompany character? A terrific film, with a towering performance by Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson. He won his only acting Oscar decades later for reprising the role in The Color of Money.

6. Sweet Bird of Youth. (1962) Chance Wayne (I love that name) is almost the opposite of Fast Eddie. He’s an undertalented actor who gets by on his looks, his attitude and his gifted way in bed. Yet even ultra-cool Chance can get tripped up by something as uncool and corny as love, true love.

7. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (1958) Brick has problems with a forceful father, Big Daddy, played by Burl Ives. Brick may be Big Daddy’s favorite son, but he doesn’t understand him one bit. Neither does Brick’s gorgeous, frustrated wife, an obscenely carnal Elizabeth Taylor. She acts as though the lack of loving from her husband just might kill her. When she tells him that she feels like a cat on a hot tin roof, he cooly advises her to, “Jump off the roof. Cats jump off roofs and land uninjured.”

8. Harper. (1966) A "so cool he’s cold as ice" PI who has seen it all and has an answer for everything. Yet when he’s confronted with the mystery of what happened to some rich guy named Sampson, even he is rattled by the missing man’s decadent family and lifestyle. Unlike Hud, at the last moment, Harper does the right thing. He’s as surprised by this as we are. After all, Harper’s philosophy is, “The bottom is full of nice people. Only bastards and cream rise.”

9. Slap Shot. (1977) One of the funniest, most profane sports movies ever made. Newman is Reggie Dunlap, player/coach of a failing hockey team. Reg discovers that the way to save the team is to give the public what it wants. No, not a winning hockey team. The team becomes popular when they go lowest-common-denominator – fighting and playing dirty at every opportunity. I'm no prude, but my favorite line of line of dialog – Reggie taunting an opposing player with an observation about his wife – is too vulgar for even ME to repeat. Which is not to say it’s not funny. And you’ll never forget the Hanson brothers.

10. Nobody’s Fool. (1994) A very traditional, predictable movie, but still, it has its moments – and they are all courtesy of Newman. Unlike a lot of major movie stars (Jack Nicholson comes to mind), he doesn’t dominate the screen, he inhabits it, and plays wonderfully with his fellow actors. Watch him charm Jessica Tandy, banter with Bruce Willis, woo Melanie Griffith, and bond with his young grandson. He makes Sully an unforgettable smalltown character.

11. Absence of Malice. (1981) Newman is Michael Gallagher, related to, but not involved with, some very unsavory characters. Imagine Michael Corleone gone good. He becomes the target of law enforcement, and then of the press, and even though he hasn’t done anything, his reputation is damaged. He gets his revenge by staying cool, keeping his head and simply being smarter than everyone else.

12. The Long, Hot Summer. (1958) Newman’s first film with his long-time, off-screen leading lady, Joanne Woodward. He played Ben Quick, a loner who rolls into a sleepy Southern town and heats everything up. In fact, there are rumors that he’s an arsonist. But the town’s leading citizen (Orson Welles) overlooks that and hires Quick, hoping romance will spark between Ben and Clara, his schoolmarm daughter. Sparky fly alright. Boy, do they ever!

13. From the Terrace. (1960) Another Newman-Woodward collaboration. Even though this movie is kinda soapy, I still find it very relevant. How should we define success? Newman’s character has a life that looks completely terrific from the outside – great job with a lot of room for advancement, a wife on his arm who is a business asset. But this life feels fraudulent and pointless to him. So he makes the choice to be true to himself, which is the coolest choice of all.

Include your link in the comments and I'll add you here:
1) Pjazzypar has a timely TT about the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2) Sandy Carlson shares her new toy with us, and it is indeed pretty neat!
3) Anthony North's TT is as interesting as it is unavoidable
4) Malcolm "blows the lid off" some Hollywood He-Men
5) SJ's TT is about baseball, which is on my mind a lot these days.
6) Nicholas shares 13 of the most memorable things he never said
7) Open Grove Claudia introduces 6 word stories
8) Lazy Daisy's TT is in glorious black and white
9) Lori gives us insight into the life of a single mom
10) Kay keeps us safe on the road
11) Journeywoman has a wise list for the candidates, and the news media
12) Starrlight quotes some especially articulate rockers
13) Natalie tells us about her vacation
14) Cordia Amant is funny and probably very, very true
15) Marcia has a rich and varied TT
16) DrillerAA has a terrific playlist on his TT
17) Storyteller has a bright and blooming TT
18) Lisa takes on the letter "I"
19) Alice introduces coffee as an artform
20) Sarah shares some memorable tidbits
21) Cindy speaks for all of us with her TT

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Has anybody seen my sense of Zen?

I had it throughout the week of my vacation. I even had it Monday and yesterday. But today? It's GONE!

Instead of working out, I'm having pizza, Coke and a chocolate chip cookie for lunch. And waiting, waiting and waiting for the work we're presenting tomorrow to go through the approval channels. And fixating on how I believe we're concentrating our resources on the wrong part of the presentation.

I must stop this. I have to stop subsisting on sugar and caffeine and worrying about that which isn't my responsibility. Yes, I'm presenting tomorrow. But so are two vice presidents. I have to learn to let go and let them take the reins.

Remember the movie Broadcast News? At times like this I can be very much like Jane (Holly Hunter). Her boss admonishes her, "It must be nice to always think you know best, to always be the smartest one in the room." "No," she replies in all sincerity, "it's awful."

If I remain in Jane mode, my sense of Zen shall never return.

Ah, Love!

So here's a photo of Sir Paul on vacation, enjoying the sunny shores of Antigua. His companion is Nancy Shevell, and (according to the Daily Mail), she is pointing out a starfish. Nancy Shevell is active in NY politics and has a terrific body for a 47-year-old! I wish them every happiness. Especially since Heather Mills has hired an attorney to force the publication of court documents that will "expose" Paul's abusive behavior and reveal Heather to be the blameless party.

Tuesday Tunes

Word association week: Remember name the first song/album/artist/musical style that comes to mind when you see the following 10 words.

Camera: Kodachrome, Paul Simon
Married: That's the Way I Always Heard It Should Be, Carly Simon ("The couples cling and claw and drown in love's debris")
Lost: Lost in Love, Air Supply (?)*
Grin: Jane, Barenaked Ladies ("Was dazzled by her smile while I shoplift there")
Rest: Sunday Morning, Maroon 5 ("Come and rest your bones with me")
Environment: Mother Nature's Son, Beatles ("Find me in my field of grass--Mother Nature's son, Swaying daises sing a lazy song beneath the sun.")
Hippie: For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield
Betrayal: Heard It Through the Grapevine, Marvin Gaye ("Between the two of us guys, you know I love you more")
Emotion: Emotions, Samantha Sang*
Dream: Dream a Little Dream of Me, Mama Cass

*I REALLY dislike thse songs. But they are the first ones that popped into my head.

To play Tuesday Tunes yourself, click here.

Heads & Tails #13

This week's theme -- in honor of April 1 -- is "fool." The first thing that popped into my mind was "The Fool on the Hill," originally on the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. I've heard Paul perform this live, and I'm still touched by the purity of his voice on the "round and round and round" part. (Dear God! I'm starting to sound like Paula Abdul on Idol!)

Here are the lyrics:

Day after day,
Alone on a hill,
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him,
They can see that he's just a fool,
And he never gives an answer,

But the fool on the hill,
Sees the sun going down,
And the eyes in his head,
See the world spinning 'round.

Well on the way,
Head in a cloud,
The man of a 1000 voices talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him,
Or the sound he appears to make,
And he never seems to notice,

But the fool on the hill,
Sees the sun going down,
And the eyes in his head,
See the world spinning 'round.

And nobody seems to like him,
They can tell what he wants to do,
And he never shows his feelings,

But the fool on the hill,
Sees the sun going down,
And the eyes in his head,
See the world spinning 'round.

Ooh, ooh,
Round and round and round.

And he never listens to them,
He knows that they're the fools
They don't like him,

The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down,
And the eyes in his head,
See the world spinning 'round.

Ooh,
Round and round and round

For more information, or to play along yourself, visit the Heads or Tails site.

I couldn't turn my back on them

It's after 6:00 and I'm just now leaving the office. No, I wasn't especially swamped with work on this, my first day back from vacation. I just couldn't leave espn.com until the outcome of Opening Day was decided and the game went into extra innings.

Ok, so we lost. And on Ernie Banks Day at that! Let's not forget that it was just the first game of a long and sure-to-be entertaining season. I'm just glad my boys are back.

"Nobody deserves this more"

So said Cubs All-Star third baseman and radio announcer Ron Santo at the unveiling of Ernie Banks' statue today, Opening Day, right in front of Wrigley Field.

Ernie was the first Cub player I ever "knew," my first baseball hero when I was just a tiny gal. His stats were impressive -- including 2 consecutive MVP awards and 512 homeruns. But most of all, it was Ernie's enthusiasm and charm and sportsmanship that enchanted me.

"Let's play two!" he would announce on even the cloudiest days, or even during the longest losing streak. He's the one who christened Chicago's enduring tabernacle of baseball "the friendly confines of Wrigley Field."

I love Ernie Banks, my mom loves Ernie Banks, and I'm teaching my nephew to love him, too, just as my dad and my grandparents are loving him from heaven. The whole city loves him, that's why the Mayor declared today "Ernie Banks Day." He typifies what being a Cub fan is about. And Ronnie's right, no one deserves an honor at that ballpark more.

So many great broads, so many books to read, so little time

I am completely into the John Adams HBO mini-series, especially Abigail Adams as portrayed by Laura Linney. Sure, I knew she was the wife of one President and the mother to another. But I had no idea she was such a strong and inspirational force. Her marriage was a true partnership, as well as a love story. I'm eager to learn more about her, but I already have a book about another First Lady, the much-maligned Mary Lincoln, on my on-deck circle.

Who bears "the biggest burden" during this war?

A wise and sensitive man once said, "War, at its best, is terrible … It has deranged businesses and ruined homes and produced a national debt …" That was Abraham Lincoln back in the 1860s. It's true today.

Dick Cheyney, a most unwise and insensitive man, said that, when it comes to Iraq, "The president carries the biggest burden, obviously. He's the one who has to make the decision to commit young Americans, but we are fortunate to have a group of men and women, the all-volunteer force, who voluntarily put on the uniform and go in harm's way for the rest of us." For ABC's coverage of Cheyney's comments, click here.

I don't believe that the President carries a bigger burden than the kids (and they all look achingly young to me) "who voluntarily put on the uniform." I think every one of those soldiers, sailors and marines are heroes, even though I am completely disillusioned by this war.

To show my respect and gratitude, I am sending a package filled with travel-sized shampoo and body wash to Operation Shoebox. This wonderful group is committed to sending "support, snacks and personal care items" to those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a small gesture but it makes me happy to do it, and I hope it makes one of those brave young souls "who voluntarily put on the uniform" feel a little more comfortable, and reassured that many of us still believe they carry the biggest burden of all.

To donate items, mail them to:
Operation Shoebox
PO Box 1465
Belleview, FL 34421-1465

Picked up at Skittles' Place

If I were …

If I were a direction I’d be… right.

If I were furniture I’d be… a swivel chair.

If I were a liquid I’d be… Coca Cola Classic.

If I were a sin I’d be… sloth.

If I were a gem/stone I’d be… lapis

If I were a metal I’d be… copper

If I were a tree I’d be… a mighty oak.

If I were a fruit I’d be… a green grape

If I were a flower I’d be… carnation.

If I were weather I’d be… highly changeable and hard to predict.

If I were a music instrument I’d be… Paul McCartney's bass.

If I were an element I’d be… water.

If I were a color I’d be… cobalt blue.

If I were an animal I’d be… an independent feline.

If I were a sound I’d be… a cat's purr.

If I were a lyric I’d be… "Pride can hurt you, too," The Beatles' "She Loves You"

If I were a song I’d be… "You Don't Know Me," by Ray Charles

If I were a music type I’d be… pop

If I were a perfume/cologne I’d be… SJP's Lovely

If I were a feeling I’d be… erratic.

If I were a book I’d be… Reckless Youth by Nigel Hamilton

If I were food I’d be… an egg

If I were a city I’d be… Chicago

If I were a taste I’d be… chocolatey

If I were a scent I’d be… available in a light cologne, a rich lotion and a fragrant bubble bath.

If I were a word I’d be… "gubernatorial" (my all-time favorite word).

If I were a verb I’d be… flex.

If I were an object I’d be… a big, oversized shoulderbag with lots of pockets.

If I were a piece of clothing I’d be… a carefully broken-in sweatshirt.

If I were a body part I’d be… skin.

If I were an facial expression I’d be… bemused.

If I were a cartoon character I’d be… Eeyore.

If I were a movie I’d be… The Way We Were

If I were a geometrical figure I’d be… something with parallel lines

If I were one of the 4 seasons I’d be… Autumn.

If I were a sentence I’d be… "I really don't need this shit."

So you have seen my answers. If you're going to play, maybe you'd like to see Barb's answers, too, at Skittles' Place.

I'm not the only one enjoying spring break

From the New York Post March 27, 2008 -- Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell were seen riding bikes in Jumby Bay, Antigua

From the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority

Member Nancy Shevell

Recommended by: Governor of New York
Date Appointed: June 18, 2001
Term Expires: June 30, 2011
Board Committees: Chair: Capital Construction/Planning and Real Estate; Member: Finance, Audit, Governance, Long Island Rail Road/Long Island Bus, Bridges and Tunnels

Gossip that I'm repeating without attribution

According to a source close to Ms Shevell and her then-husband, Bruce, she and Sir Paul have known each other for more than 10 years. She was a friend of Paul's first wife, Linda, who died of breast cancer in 1998. Ms. Shevell was diagnosed with breast cancer the year after Linda and the two women fought the disease together.

I have high hopes for this one. I love romance and would love seeing Sir Paul enjoy a happy ending. (Even though it looks like this Nancy IS a Republican.)

What I learned while hanging around in a robe

There's something healing about going off by myself. In this suburb of Atlanta, where the only decisions I had to wrestle with were whether or not to have my eyebrows shaped (I chickened out) and whether I wanted the beef bourguignon or the salmon steak (the beef was just sooo fabulous!), I was able to turn off the noise. To think about my life and how I felt about things. To give myself a little direction.

My "living piece of shit" ex-boyfriend (as he was recently christened by my oldest friend) was on my mind again as he hasn't been in years. Most vividly when I was having a neck and shoulder massage by a man. There was something chilling and awful about a man's large hands on my neck from behind. Deja terror. But good actually came of this. I reminded myself that he's only top of mind because last week he tried to reinsert himself into my life. I've decided that, "I hear him knocking, but he can't come in." Therefore he'll fade from my consciousness again. It's up to me now. I let him ruin my life once. I won't let him do so again. I just won't. And this isn't "fake it until you make it" talk. I believe every word I just wrote.

The economy is on my mind, just as it is on everyone else's. Even in what should be "the happiest place on earth." While getting an absolutely wonderful foot massage, I heard one of the Chateau Elan nail techs announce that she was knocking off early because her hours had been cut. The limo driver who ferried me between airport and spa was new to livery -- he ran a horse farm nearby and has sold off most of the horses on his way to retirement, but right now he can't get the price for his land he knows it's worth. So he spends his mornings making a few extra bucks and sharing his observations on life from behind the wheel of gray Mercedes, waiting for the real estate market to change.

I realized I feel vulnerable, too, because I have too much credit card debt. Yes, I have almost 8 months' worth of expenses tucked away and yes, I know that's a laudable nest egg. But that nest egg would last just that much longer in case of a layoff if I owed less to Citibank. Reducing my debt is not only the smart thing to do, it's the comfortable thing to do. I'm a nice old gal. I deserve to feel good about my situation. So I'm going to curb the incidental, silly spending. Not vacations like this one -- I need and deserve these. But really, NO MORE PURSES for a while! And no more books until I dent this prodigious TBR pile. I'm going to have to watch what else I piss my money away on each week. I know there must be ways to economize. I'll feel stronger and safer for doing it.

One of the best things about a vacation spent mostly in a spa-supplied robe is that I have precious little laundry to do. So I have many time-consuming tasks that simply MUST be done before Monday, so I can continue decompressing -- and maintaining this feeling of zen -- until I have to return to work and real life.

I found my color for 2008!

It's Puerto Vallarta Violet by OPI. It's light but not shimmery, feminine without being girly. I had it applied to my finger/toe nails as I sipped champagne and nibbled chocolate. Unfortunately the spa didn't have any sealed bottles for sale, so I've had to order it online. But still, it's a lovely way to remember my "ah … spa!" days at Chateau Elan.

I must note that even though my manicure is only 48 hours old, it's already a mess. I warned the manicurist that I'm very hard on my fingernails and she pooh-poohed me. I'd just never had a manicure by HER. She seemed to realize that I am indeed a hard case when she had to redo my right thumb nail three times before I even left the chair.

My toenails, however, are gorgeous. I endlessly admire their beauty.

I also had my makeup done for the first time in, perhaps, a hundred years. Lauryn, the esthetician, gave me some good advice for modernizing my eye makeup. NO mascara on the bottom lashes, instead wear eyeliner. It's something I never would have tried, and yet it does indeed draw attention to my eyes. I had a great time playing with colors and brushes.

I did stymie Lauryn by not being thrilled with the powdery mineral foundation she used. I have deep dimples, which are cool when I'm smiling but leave deep wrinkles when I'm not. Unfortunately that foundation just settles into those wrinkles and looks cakey. Poor Laryn didn't know how to wean me off my tinted moisturizer. I'll accept a little less coverage in exchange for a smoother look.

This just in! I'm an idiot!

My niece, the budding chef, takes her ingredients seriously. So when I came upon Chateau Elan's private label salad dressings, I excitedly picked up a bottle for her. It was some special onion-&-something recipe. I was so looking forward to giving it to her! So I wrapped it in tissue paper and a bag and placed it with TLC into my carry on.

Guess what I forgot: salad dressing is liquid. My foundation, my chapstick, etc., all these I put into the zip-lock baggie. I was so careful about following all the rules! How could I have overlooked the fact that salad dressing is liquid and needed to be checked?

So I see an Atlanta t-shirt, purchased at the airport gift shop, in my niece's future. Oh well … if that's the worst thing that goes down while on vacation (and it was) it was a very good trip (and it was).

More later …

How Could I Have Missed This?

I've been too preoccupied with my day-to-day life, Easter and preparing for vacation. Clearly. How else can I explain my overlooking this HUGE news story about two of my favorite most pitchers … EVER?

"(Kerry) Wood struck out two in a scoreless inning Sunday during his third appearance in four days, and the Cubs scored seven runs off Greg Maddux in a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres."

"Maddux was in a good mood, even after yielding six runs in the first inning. The 41-year-old right-hander, who has 347 wins, thought he was better than his final line showed. He said he was pleased to endure a 40-plus pitch first inning that included a three-run double by Ryan Theriot."

To read the entire article, click here.

So both of the pitchers who hold special places in my heart are happy and enthusiastic about the upcoming season. God love ya, boys!

Spa Sabbatical -- Almost Here!

I made these reservations back in January. I don't think I believed my vacation would ever really arrive. But it's almost here!

Chateau Elan is a winery and spa just outside of Atlanta (where it's in the 60ºs). I have my own suite (I'm on the first floor, and here's the view from my bedroom), and am looking forward to a antioxidant body exfoliation, wellness massage, makeup lesson, moisturizing bath with vichy shower, champagne and chocolate mani and pedi, hand therapy, neck/back/shoulder massage (especially for us keyboard addicts), and ultimate facial.

There are also restaurants to gorge myself in (meals included), a fitness room to work it off in (I am bringing my workout togs), and beautiful grounds to wander about.

I haven't decided if I'm going to finish my latest Lincoln book (The Day Lincoln Was Shot … hm … how do we think it ends?) or a light and romantic chick lit tome or maybe just a huge stack of magazines. One thing for sure: I am most certainly bringing my sandals. I'm not a big fan of hot weather, but this winter has gone on too, too long and my beautifully painted toes will deserve to see sunlight!

Today I've got some vacuuming and floor scrubbing to do. Litter boxes to clean. The plumber is coming by this evening to give me an estimate on repairing the pipes under my sink. I've got to pack and take a trip to the ATM (meals may be included, but gratuities and souvenirs aren't). It's more than I feel like doing, but what the hell. I have nothing but relaxation and pampering ahead of me!

Alone time is very important to me. It's important as I plan and repair and rejuvenate. It will be good for me to simply be somewhere new, with its own sounds and colors, and no easy access to my every day life. I get a clarity from adventures like this. I love my friends in Key West and look forward to visiting them each New Year's. But I also need a solitary vacation like this one.

Easter at arm's length

My mom is a natural-born hugger. And yet today, all we did squeeze each other's shoulders in greeting. I shook her hand in farewell, which made her laugh.

You see, she has a bad cold. A juicy sneeze/hacking cough cold. And I am leaving on vacation in a matter of HOURS (see the ruler at the very bottom of the page). I don't want anything to spoil my Spa Sabbatical. So I got home and toasted Easter with a big glass of Airborne.

My niece was a joy today. Funny and enthusiastic and enjoying her looong week off. She annoyed my sister (her mother) no end, but isn't that teenage girls are supposed to do? My nephew, on the other hand, made me want to scream. Even though he's a big boy/second grader, he has taken to using baby talk when speaking for his ubiquitous Pokemon characters. And since Pokemon characters can only say their names, you can imagine how obnoxious this became after awhile. The phase cannot end soon enough. I sooooo miss the good old days of Thomas the Tank Engine!

Funny Girl

I'm going to ring in Easter Sunday -- the holiest day of my year -- with Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey. This movie has a lot of heart, a lot of relevance (both socially and spiritually, with all of its references to The Depression and redemption), and a lot of laughs. It boasts a wonderful cast, but without a doubt, my favorite is the luminous Carole Lombard.

Beautiful, graceful and stylish, she is also faster and funnier than any other actress I can think of. She is a physical and agile comedienne, unafraid to get mussed up as she leaps on beds or gets dumped in the shower (shown). She prattles her dialog off so quickly that she often finds herself charmingly out of breath. She's capable of being quiet, but not being still -- you can tell by the way her hands flutter and fly that standing by and doing/saying nothing is almost physically painful for her.

If you haven't seen this gem, or haven't seen it lately, please do. I promise you'll be glad you did. This synopsis is revised slightly from Amazon.com: "Classic screwball comedy with Carole Lombard as madcap heiress who hires William Powell as butler after finding him on garbage dump. Actually from a wealthy Boston family, marvelously funny Powell teaches them money isn't everything."

Maybe he knew what he was doing …

… and maybe he meant well. My cat, Reynaldo, that is.

I took a nap yesterday afternoon and this offended him. He seemed to believe that if I had taken a day off, I should spend it lavishing my undivided attention on him. He expressed his frustration by knocking over and scattering the magazines I had stacked carefully beside my coffee table.

He still had some frustration left in that skinny beige body, so he took off on my unanswered mail, bills, medical and charitable receipts -- knocking over all the folders and burrowing about, leaving no sense of order.

He announced his actions with noisy howls, but I unwisely tried to ignore him. I didn't realize how active he had been, and I'm overwhelmed by how much he "accomplished" in such a short period of time.

Oh well. What can I do but look at the bright side? I'm never going to reread that US magazine article about how that bitch Angelina stood p0or Jen up at a pre-Oscar bash. And I DO need to return these book club response forms. So maybe Reynaldo felt he was helping me finally handle some of this stuff. To paraphrase that old Viet Nam-era adage, perhaps he had to destroy my living room to save it.

I would be offended …

… except it's probably true.

You've Changed 32% in 10 Years

Ah, the past! You may not remember it well - because you're still living in it. While you've changed some, you may want to update your wardrobe, music collection and circle of friends.

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

He was the worst thing to ever happen to me

I wasted my 20s on a man who was completely unworthy of me. He was physically abusive and emotionally cruel. A narcissist who exquisitely exploited my weaknesses to gain strength. I was young enough and neurotic enough to confuse all the sturm und drang with love. After that relationship ended, it literally took me years to rebuild my life.

He was an asshole. And everything he did to me, I allowed him to do. No one will ever again cripple me the way he did. I won't allow it.

Because this relationship had such a huge impact on my life, what happened Thursday night has had a huge impact, as well.

He emailed my friend John, trying to re-establish contact after all these years. He told John how having two daughters has changed his life. How it led him to God. How since leaving Chicago he has learned to hunt and fish. That he carries a concealed Smith and Wesson handgun.

He asked John to intercede on his behalf, to get him my permission to contact me. He says he has Googled me but doesn't even know how to start talking to me. He does, however, want to "beg on bended knee" for my forgiveness. He hopes that when I think of him, I think of the "crazy good times."

I asked John to tell him that I never want to hear from him again.

I don't forgive him. Some things really are too damaging to forgive. I hope God forgives him, but that's between him and the Lord. I'm not involved.

If he could find John's email address, he can find mine. I have to brace myself for that. But I can end it by blocking him my emailbox. I must remember that he needs my permission to torment me again, and I'm not granting it.

Now is the time for all good bloggers to ...

... COME TO THE AID OF GALTOPIA!

My own little minicity is in peril! I'm afraid it grew too much too fast, and now we're suffering from massive unemployment -- due to a dearth of clicks.

Please, click the link. You don't even have to stay long (though I personally think Galtopia is a happening place). Just please, help us through this economic crisis.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #59 -- Have you met my fictional friend, Kinsey?

THIRTEEN THINGS ABOUT
KINSEY MILHONE

Kinsey Milhone is Sue Grafton’s creation, the heroine of the popular “Alphabet Mysteries.” So I realize Kinsey is fictional, even though she seems like a buddy. After all, we’ve gone from A Is for Alibi through T Is for Trespass together.

Earlier this year, I did a TT on Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta, the bigger-than-life, this-close-to-perfect doctor/lawyer/gourmand. While Kay is the kind of woman I hopelessly aspire to be, Kinsey is far, far more accessible. There’s nothing intimidating about my buddy Kinsey. Down-to-earth, no-nonsense, fabulously flawed and very funny, she’s as comfortable as a pair of old running shoes (her favorite footwear).

1. When she was 5 years old, she and her parents were in a car accident. Kinsey was the only survivor. While she grew up to be a successful and self-sufficient woman, Kinsey has intimacy and abandonment issues, and it’s not hard to see why.

2. She was raised by her Aunt Gin. A contented and single woman living in Santa Theresa, California, Aunt Gin did the best she could. But she never planned on having a family, and didn’t quite know what to do with a traumatized little girl. So while these two lived in the same house, we really don’t imagine them together very much.

3. Her career at Santa Theresa High seems to have been devoted to smoking pot, cussing, and doing only what was necessary to not flunk. After graduation, Kinsey joined her aunt at California Fidelity Insurance, working as a receptionist and hating it, until she was old enough to try her hand at police work.

4. It was joining the Santa Theresa Police Department that straightened our girl out. While she had big problems with the regimentation that went with being a cop – she left the force after just two years – she discovered she had a passion for investigating and protecting the good guys from the bad ones.

5. Kinsey endured two short, unsuccessful marriages. The first, to Mickey, occurred after she left the force, when her Aunt Gin died and she was emotionally adrift. Her second husband was a musician named Daniel. Since they each turn up in books, and so as not to be a spoiler, I shall say no more. Of her husbands, Kinsey has said, “I dumped the first and the second dumped me.”

6. She’s had a few lovers throughout the alphabet – Charlie, Jonah, Dietz (my favorite) and Cheyney. None of these relationships have lasted because we all know her great love is really …

7. Henry Pitts, her landlord and best friend. He’s in his 80s, but that doesn’t stop her from completely adoring him. She mentions his blue eyes often. He bakes for her, shares Happy Hour with her (he has Jack Daniels on ice, she has her wine), celebrates Christmas and birthdays with her.

8. Rosie runs Rosie’s Tavern, Kinsey’s favorite restaurant. Rosie has brightly dyed hair and wears print muumuus and annoys Kinsey no end. She is also a fabulous cook, and her tavern is Kinsey’s refuge after even the most dangerous “day at the office.” Rosie, Henry, and Henry's various siblings make up Kinsey's surrogate family.

9. Kinsey has some unconventional talents, which come in very handy in her chosen profession: lying, picking locks and snooping. She enjoys all three equally (which is to say she enjoys them all a great deal).

10. She’s not a fitness nut, but she understands that being in shape is as important to her job as a good set of picklocks. So she jogs 3 miles every day. Sometimes she enjoys it, oftentimes not.

11. She owns a single, all-purpose black dress, doesn’t wear makeup and has been known to hack at her curly hair with nail scissors.

12. She drinks lots of coffee and loves McDonald’s. Especially Q-Ps with cheese and Egg McMuffins. She has referred to fats and carbs as “nature’s antidepressants.”

13. Unlike other fictional crimefighters (like Scarpetta or Robert Parker's Spenser), Kinsey often has to resort to markedly unglamorous tasks to pay the rent. She’s served subpoenas, investigated car insurance claims and taken jobs with clients she hasn’t really cared for. Seeing her in workaday situations makes her seem more real to me.

I know that since she's already on "T," Sue Grafton will reach the end of the alphabet, and this series, soon. Too soon for my taste. I'll miss Kinsey: she who writes clues down on index cards and arranges and rearranges them, trying to solve the crime; she who cleans compulsively and never leaves home without a paperback in her purse; she who has a strict personal code and lives by it. I've enjoyed every moment I've spent with her.

Leave your link in the comments section and I'll add you here:
1) Chelle rocks out with her TT
2) Malcolm lists 13 sexy women over 50 (yet somehow neglected to include The Gal Herself; go figure)
3) SJ Reidhead has a movie TT -- and I loooove movie TTs
4) Lilibeth loves Lord of the Rings
5) Sandy Carlson takes us to Wisdom House
6) Sue answers 13 random questions
7) Anthony North doesn't have a TT, but he has displayed thought provoking posts
8) Puss Reboots displays book covers
9) Silverneurotic's posts are always worth reading (I know, I'm a regular reader)
10) Open Grove Claudia shares highlights of "Trusting Yourself"
11) Lori has a funny -- and true! -- TT about personal ads
12) Tasina has a movie TT (and I LOVE movie TTs)
13) Winter has a darkly romantic TT
14) Adelle has a gorgeous Faberge TT
15) Xakara wishes us only beautiful things for Easter
16) Ann and Renee share their personal theme songs

17) Mo reviews a book starring the one and only Kay Scarpetta

18) Lisa's TT is brought to us by the letter G

19) Candy Minx looks at the dark side of "the criminal justice system"

20) Dane's TT is about the subject he is the undisputed expert on

21) Susan Helene Gottfried shares the rites of spring

22) Mama Bear has a fabulous Beatle-related TT (and how I love the Lads!)

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He persuaded me!

As we observe the 5th anniversary of the war, I'm going to quote the paper my nephew wrote in his second grade writing class. His assignment was to "use my words to persuade someone to do something." He chose to persuade "President George Bush to end the war."

"You should end the war because it kills people.
War hurts people too.
It uses money you could use to give babies free shots.
War sets a bad example for children."

He was frustrated that he had to say "free shots" when he wanted to say "free vaccinations." But he thought it was spelled v-a-x, and couldn't find it in the dictionary.

Still, he got an A. I am proud of his vocabulary, his printing (which he struggles with), and his heart.

I asked what his classmates wrote about. There were kids who wanted to persuade their parents to get them Wiis, or pets. But, he said, there were lots of papers about recycling and global warming. He was very impressed by his best friend Brandon's paper to persuade Bush to end global warming because "what would the world be like without polar bears?"

I loved this speech

Barack Obama gave a speech today that touched on many tough issues and answered many tough questions. Race, rage, bigotry, faith, loyalty … these are not superficial topics and he handled them in a digntified, graceful and still very personal way. Here is my favorite part, the section of the speech that was, for me, key:

"This helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

"These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love."

Who among us hasn't listened to someone we love speak in politically incorrect, hurtful terms? My father died believing blacks are inherently "dirty," Jews are not patriotic, women are hyperemotional, and gays are depraved. My mom had a long way to go in understanding and appreciating that gays are people, too. My dad felt that way because he needed villains, someone to blame for his missed opportunities. My mom believed as she did because she's lived a very, very sheltered life. Yet I love my parents, and grew up because/in spite of them to have a diverse circle of friends who have enriched my life immeasurably.

I bet everyone who heard Obama's speech has a similar story. For bigotry is that pervasive in our society. We each have a story. I thank Barack Obama for describing it in those terms.

It's also a smart speech. He doesn't pander, he doesn't dumb it down. It was neither written nor delivered to be fed to us in nifty little sound bites. I appreciate the respect that showed the American people.

To paraphrase the Dixie Chicks, "I'm proud this Presidential candidate is from Illinois."

For the text of his speech, visit His Own Words.

They really hate her

"They" would be the London tabloids. Above is the front page of the London Sun.

"Her" would be Heather Mills.

She does herself no favors, to be sure. The way she's behaved during her split and subsequent divorce from Sir Paul has made her a target. She's leaked the most personal and unflattering moments of their married life (for example, Paul telling her not to nurse Baby Beatrice because he didn't "want a mouthful of breast milk") in hoping the public would take her side. They didn't.

She presents herself as a selfless charitable crusader, yet the judge who heard Mills vs. McCartney wrote:

• "Much of her evidence, both written and oral, was not just inconsistent and inaccurate but also less than candid."

• "Her tax returns disclose no charitable giving at all."

• "To some extent she is her own worst enemy. She has an explosive and volatile character."

• "In the light of the husband’s generosity towards her, as I have set out, I find the wife’s behaviour distinctly distasteful."

• "I reject her case. I am afraid I have to say her case is devoid of reality."

Still, her treatment in the British press does take my breath away. So far my favorite reference to her is as, "one-legged former porn model." And that can't be the most attractive picture of her they could find to run on page one.

I'm not saying Heather Mills doesn't deserve this. No one makes her appear on camera. No one forces her to cry and whine and air her personal dirty linen in public. No one insisted she throw a glass of water at her husband's lawyer in court. (Heather dismissed it by saying Paul's lawyer had simply been "baptized.") No one implored her to lie about her involvement with charitable causes. She's a 40 year old woman. She did all these things of her own volition. And she was made to look even worse because she was up against the most publicity-savvy Lad from Liverpool, who understood that by suffering in silence he'd look that much more gallant.

But still … I almost feel sorry for her.