Tuesday Tunes #12

Just tell us what artist/band/song comes to mind when you see these words:

Storm: Riders on the Storm by The Doors
Rain: Rainy Day Women by Bob Dylan
Old: Dirty Old, Egg-Sucking Dog by Johnny Cash
Magic: Magic by Colbie Caillat
Angst: Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin
Trust: If I Fell by The Beatles ("If I trust in you ...")
True: More, More, More by the Andrea True Connection
Broken: For My Broken Heart, Reba McIntire
Cheesy: Helen Reddy
Family: The Partridge Family (I'm not proud of this answer, but it was the FIRST response that came to mind)

To play along yourself, or to see how other bloggers responded, click here.

I can't do that, but I can do this

The anniversary of September 11 is almost upon us. It occurs to me as I write checks, or when I pass specials on the flights or the World Trade Center that air on The History Channel.

I cannot watch the shows. I just can't. I don't have to "remember" 9/11 because I think of it nearly every day. It's not a maudlin obsession, the way some people read and watch everything they can about The Kennedy Assassination. Nor is it the result of a bitter, aching heart, because I didn't personally know anyone who was killed that day.

But it changed my life in ways I'm reminded of each day. I can see the Sears Tower from my front steps unless it's very cloudy. On those rainy or foggy days, the thought pops into my head unbidden, "I bet this is what it's like for people in New York who won't ever see the World Trade Center again."

While I don't work in the Sears Tower, my office building is nearly as tall and has very tight security. After my young nephew and I went to his very first ballgame in Wrigley Field this summer, we stopped by my office to use the bathroom (again). The kid found it fascinating/annoying that we needed my key card to get through almost every doorway, even the bathroom. "Why would anyone steal anything out of the BATHROOM?" I explained, as lightly as I could, that the security guards are more worried about bad people sneaking in to leave dangerous things in the bathroom, so the key cards are really a good idea.

Recently the Blue Angels flew past my office on the 37th floor. They were rehearsing for the weekend's Air and Water Show. The sound of those jets echoing among the skyscrapers scared me to my bone marrow.

As I ride through the Loop each workday, it's not unsual to see cops with dogs on the el platforms on one day, gone the next. Or police boats in the river in the morning that are gone in the afternoon. Or police on foot, standing near trash receptacles on Michigan Ave. We all know what it means -- the police dept. heard whispers about terrorism. It's great that they are out protecting us and I appreciate them, but still, it's a sobering reminder of 9/11.

And, of course, there's air travel. Let's not even go there. After all, I was a white knuckle flier before 9/11.

So no, I don't have to watch documentaries or listen to speeches to recall what happened that day 7 years ago. Yet I need to observe it somehow.

So I'm sending a check to Windows of Hope. This wonderful organization has been providing, and will continue to provide, medical care, financial assistance and scholarships to the families of those lost in
The Windows on the World Restaurant on the top floor of the
World Trade Center.
Many of those workers only made minimum wage,
had little if any insurance,
and left a total of 150 children.

This charity has been a success, helping these families recover (at least in part) from their losses not only with financial aid, job training and English language lessons shortly after the tragedy, but they have continued to provide financial advice, preventive healthcare, and college tuition. For example, if the son of a bus boy was 4 in 2001, today he's 12 and might need braces; the now 19 year old daughter of a waitress is ready for college or a career. Thanks to solid management, Windows of Hope is still there for them.

Windows of Hope continues to do their work quietly, efficiently and successfully. If you would like to send a donation, here's the address:

Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund
c/o Bloomberg LP
731 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022

I find that celebrating their good work helps me take my mind off what we all lost that day.

Just because I feel like it #2

A fantasy to brighten this cloudy day. Ah, Don Draper!

Just because I feel like it

It's raining here in Chicagoland today. It's raining in Key West, too. So I am posting the photo of the Simonton Street motel in Key West where I'll be spending New Year's because I need a little future-focused pick me up.

DAY 08 -- September Fitness Challenge

I worked out -- 30 minutes of cardio, leg lifts (8 on each leg) and 8 hip lifts. (After I click "publish post" I will update my workout counter at the bottom of the page.)

Because it was raining, I took the pedway that (eventually) connects the health club with my office building. By avoiding the precip, I also avoided many of your more evil fast food places and stopped instead at Subway. I substituted the Dannon yogurt for chips.

It all feels good. If I didn't have a fabulously dumb meeting at 2:00, I'd be a completely happy camper.

My mom and her doctor

My mother's gastrointestinal specialist called her yesterday afternoon when I was there visiting. At first she was frightened -- how bad must her test results be for him to call her on a Sunday? She quickly went from tense to downright giggly. Seems the doctor's wife and kids were off at his in-laws and he went into the office to clear off his desk, and one of the things on his "to do" list was call my mother.

Her test results were informative but not disturbing. She needs to take a different/additional antibiotic and hopefully she will feel better.

But more than discussing the results of the call, she wanted to talk about the caller. Her doctor is "so cute!" She wonders why someone so good looking would be so interested in bowels and intestines! He has dark ashes and dark hair but light skin and blue eyes. My 70-something mother was completely gushing.

"You make him sound like Ricky Nelson," I observed. "Yes!" she responded enthusiastically.

Sunday Stealing #2

Have you ever…

1. gone on a blind date? Yes

2. skipped school? Yes

3. watched someone die? No

4. been on a plane? Yes

5. been on the opposite side of your country? Both sides (I'm in the middle)

6. swam in the ocean? Yes

7. had your booze taken away by the cops? No

8. lettered in high school sport? No, but I did letter in volleyball in Junior High

9. cried yourself to sleep? Yes

10. played cops and robbers? No

11. sung karaoke? Once ...

12. paid for a meal with coins only? Yes

13. done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes

14. cheated on an exam? No

15. made prank phone calls? Back when I was a letterwoman in volleyball

16. laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? No

17. caught a snowflake on your tongue? No

18. written a letter to Santa Claus? No

19. watched the sunrise with someone you care about? No

20. been kissed under the misteltoe? Yes

21. ever been arrested? No

22. gone ice skating? Long ago -- and I did very badly

23. been skinny dipping outdoors? No

24. had a nickname? Yes

25. been on TV? Yes

To play along yourself, or to see how other bloggers responded, click here.

DAY 07 -- September Fitness Challenge

I did it! I got my requisite 10,000 steps in! Listening to Pat and Ron call the Cubs game through my headphones. The day was mild and sunny, the game was exciting (even if the outcome was far from ideal) and I really enjoyed it. Plus I get to move that workout meter at the bottom of the page over a teeny tiny bit.

Cubs Win! Cubs Win!

"Happy days are here again, the skies above are clear again …" That's what Comcast SportsNet is playing as the Cubs leave the field. The long, 6-game losing streak is over. Soriano got 3 homeruns, Pitcher Jason Marquis hit one out of the park, too, and D. Lee celebrated his 33rd birthday with a good day at the plate.

WHEW!

These two are starting to creep me out

I give you Cindy and George Anthony, the Florida couple whose granddaughter Caylee Anthony is missing and whose daughter Casey -- a "person of interest" in Caylee's disappearance -- is out of jail for the time being.

The story is tragic. Caylee, only 3 years old, is the victim, but the poor little girl is overshadowed by this Floridian version of the Addams family.

According to Casey, and reiterated over and over again very angrily by her parents, she gave her daughter to a woman named Zenaida, a lovely and seemingly trustworthy woman who had been watching Caylee for years, and Zenaida suddenly just ran off with her. According to the Anthony family, Casey has no address for this woman, nor a phone number, nor any banking information because apparently Zenaida the governess had been watching this child "for years" for free.

During the first month that young Caylee and "Zenaida" were missing, Casey didn't call the police but instead conducted her own search for her daughter … interrupted every now and again for a pole dance at a bar and time alone with her boyfriend, Tony.

Casey's car smelled terrible and cadaver dogs tagged it as having been the site of a corpse. According to the Anthonys, the smell came from a bad pizza in the trunk. Or, if there ever was a dead body in the car, "someone" must have put it in there to frame poor Casey. DNA found in the trunk is "consistent" with Caylee's, but Cindy Anthony doesn't believe in DNA results. Significant amounts of chloroform were also in the car. I haven't heard Cindy Anthony explain that way, but I'm sure she can and will.

Cindy Anthony is angry that the Equisearch team, who came to Florida from Texas at their own expense and have been riding through swamps and wooded areas looking for Caylee, aren't looking for her live granddaughter but instead a body. George Anthony screams at the reporters that swarm his home. The police, who have incarcerated Casey twice -- once for child endangerment/giving false statement to police and again for fraudulently emptying out her friend's checking account -- are harrassing their poor daughter!

When the truth comes out, Cindy Anthony said, Casey will be hailed as "mom of the year."

Caylee has been missing SINCE JUNE. These two people blame the media, the neighbors, the Equisearch volunteers and the police for their tragic misfortune … never their crazy daughter. They cannot possibly believe what they are saying. They must, by now, as the days go by and the evidence mounts, realize that their daughter killed their granddaughter.

Or maybe they're as loony as Casey is.

I wonder if poor little Caylee ever stood a chance with Casey as her mother.

Oh, for pity's sake!

My friend Kathy is on my mind, and on my nerves.

She has had a very, very rough summer -- at 61, when we all hope to be thinking of retirement, she lost her apartment, had to give up her cats, is unemployed and unable to afford health insurance. Even worse, she moved in with her daughter's family who were looking at foreclosure and bankruptcy after Labor Day! I have been terribly worried about Kathy.

Labor Day has come and gone and I still haven't heard from her. Did her son-in-law figure out how to keep their home? Can she continue to stay with them after all? When I had breakfast with her in late June, she had gotten a part-time job at a small newspaper in her daughter's community. Has she scraped up enough money to get her own apartment … and get her cats back? I want to know!

As my best friend likes to say, "The Gal worries."

Well, Kathy won't tell me over the phone or by email. She says it's easier to discuss face to face and is sending hugs my way.

I don't want HUGS. I want a PHONE CALL. I want INFORMATION!

I suspect this can't be good news because she didn't suggest a time for us to get together to talk face to face.

However something completely unrelated is making me very, very happy right now. I'm afraid to comment on it for fear of jinxing it …

It's review time

My boss came into my office this afternoon, sat down, and started to discuss one of my coworkers with me. The one I work the most closely with. The one who gives me agita.

This month we're all being evaluated by peers and subordinates alike. The results go to our supervisors, who add their own observations and it turns into our annual reviews. Her peer reviews are coming in, and they aren't very complimentary.

"She doesn't push herself, and people think she doesn't care."

That's true. He knows it, I know it, and if she were honest, she'd admit it herself. It makes me sad, though, because strange as it seems, this job is important to her. She was divorced not that long ago and just bought her first place on her own, so the paycheck is vital. Our agency is quite famous and even though our account is far from glam, she enjoys the cachet.

She's going to be very upset by this.

My boss and I discussed it and it might be better to split us up for the next project. I can be very Type A when I work, and her lackadaisical appearance might be a response to that. I mean, if the writer (me) is passionate and opinionated, the graphic designer (her) might lay back a bit to keep the mood level. Maybe if she works with someone else, she will appear more involved.

I hope so, but I don't think so.

As unpleasant as this is, it's necessary. This is business and we have an obligation to give our clients a good product.

I'm sorry I know all this and wish I could stop thinking about it.

DAY 05 -- September Fitness Challenge

This was not a good day on the fitness front. I didn't work out and the lunch I had at my desk wasn't especially nutritious. Once I got home, I began chomping on cheese crackers as I watch the Cubs fall again. But I did salvage the day by doing leg lifts on the livingroom floor. The cats were fascinated and delighted. I must do it again.

Magic Number: 18

Chin up, Cub fans! Any combination of Cub wins or Brewer losses that equals 18 means that the Boys in Blue will be the Division Champions. Yes, times have been tough within the (normally) Friendly Confines lately, but we're still at the top of the heap. First place in September is always a good place to be! Defending the lead is easier than earning it this late in the season.

Reality is still soooo overrated

Today I'm just so sick of real life! Everyone at work was annoying. The weather sucks (chilly and rainy). The Cubs are off. The Republicans are dominating the airwaves, and they annoy me, too. What I need tonight is an escape from reality, a safe and familiar place to retreat to, while I curl up in a ball on the couch. What I need is …

That Girl!

The Season Four DVD set just arrived and the timing ideal. I am having a silly, tranquil time, watching Ann Marie's wacky career-girl adventures, whimsical and sweet relationship with Donald, and impossibly expansive wardrobe. I loved this show when I was in grade school, and it's wonderful to get reacquainted with it.

DAY 04 -- September Fitness Challenge

I feel kinda bad writing this, considering I didn't work out today and began drinking beer at about 3:30. But still, my lunch was STELLAR! 2 hard-boiled eggs (a good source of both protein and those B vitamins I need) and grapes (vitamin C) and instead of dessert, yogurt (calcium) with blueberries (fiber and vitamin C). It was actually filling, too.

Didn't improve my mood, though. Maybe more beer …

I know why Don Draper drinks

It's raining. I lost my ID, so I'm trapped on this floor. The Cubs have been losing. And at this very moment I hate the head of account services. Let me rephrase that: I always hate her, but at this moment, I especially hate her. Don Draper would understand.

Fortunately the Friday Beer Cart arrived a day early. Just in time to help me with my mood. It's not the high-class hootch Don Draper drinks, but then, this isn't TV.

Thursday Thirteen #84 -- Putting the "Business" in Show Business

THIRTEEN MOVIE STARS
WITH POSITIVE ROIs

According to Forbes.com, these are the movie stars who more than pay for themselves. The dollar amount next to each name indicates how much each of their movies makes per dollar of their salary.*

1) Vince Vaughan — $14.73
2) Tobey McGuire — $13.44
3) Julia Roberts — $13.19
4) Brad Pitt — $12.73
5) Naomi Watts & Matt Damon — each at $12.15
6) George Clooney — $11.56
7) Jennifer Aniston — $10.48
8) Hugh Jackman — $9.90
9) Ben Stiller — $9.50
10) Renne Zellweger — $9.49
11) Kate Winslet — $9.48
12) Reese Witherspoon — $8.91
13) Jodie Foster — $8.59

My favorite movie star, Bruce Willis, came in at #19 with a respectable $6.86 payback. From a purely financial aspect, the worst investment is currently Nicole Kidman at $1.01.

P.S. YES! Johnny Depp is in the Top 20! But this is Thursday Thirteen, not Thursday 20. Plus I think that after the success of the Pirates movies, his asking price went up, which naturally makes his ROI go down. My guess would be that next year, Vince Vaughan won't be #1. The studios look at this and say, "Vince is a bargain." I bet some around Vince look at this and say, "You're underpaid."

*Forbes determines how much a movie makes by adding worldwide theatrical box office and the first three months of DVD sales. These numbers represent three films in the last five years, so actors who don’t work that often weren't considered. To see exactly which movies included in the tabulation, click here.

Include your link in the comments and I'll add you here:

1) Sandy shares the joys of being an early riser
2) Anthony North looks at aging -- or do I mean "maturity?"
3) Hootin Ani shares the gentle humor of Erma Bombeck
4) Claudia talks about her summer
5) Slender Octopus shares the history of the Australian flag
6) Nicholas shares slang from his side of the ocean
7) Lori gives us clues on how to spot a healthy relationship)
8) Small Reflections has an equine TT
9) Popping Bubbles has a movie TT, and I love movie TTs
10) Malcolm has a legal/movie TT, and it's great
11) Qtpies shares some "strange visions"
12) Elaine's TT is a tribute to classic movie stars
13) Patsy goes random on us!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

DAY 03 -- September Fitness Challenge

Lunch at my desk again. But instead of what I REALLY wanted (a grilled cheese or a cup of nice, creamy clam chowder), I dined on salmon salad on wheat bread. Salmon is supposed to be high in B vitamins and protein … nutrients I'm supposed to make sure I get. I feel quite virtuous. Pudgy and out-of-shape, but virtuous.

Greg Maddux gets 354th win

"He was great," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said of Maddux, who notched victory No. 354 to tie Roger Clemens for eighth place on the all-time list. "I mean, the first three guys up in the game get base hits and then he just shuts them down completely." From the LA Times.

Ah, my beloved future Hall of Famer ...

Thinking positive

My Cubs have lost four in a row. They are even losing consistently at home, something that was, until this homestand, unheard of.

I know, I know. It's a long season and streaks like this are bound to happen. It's September, for God's sake, and we're still comfortably in first place.! Things will turn around soon (hopefully tonight at 7:05).

Times like this are just part of being a Cub fan.

On my mind

I hate bullies. I hate bullies more than I hate global warming, Republicans, or Roger Clemens. (Wait! He IS a bully!) I have always believed that it's the duty of the bigger to help the smaller, not hurt them. To me, that's even more important than the Golden Rule.

Which is why I can't get Saturday out of my mind.

My friend Tony and I were gossiping about the sad and squirrelly Caylee Anthony case in Florida. I said I thought the mom did something stupid, like leave her daughter in the car while she went to party and the poor tot died in the heat. Or maybe she didn't watch her closely enough in the pool.

Tony said maybe the mom lost her temper and struck her daughter, over and over. He said he could understand how it happened -- that when his now teenaged daughter was a toddler, she argued about everything and once had a loud, angry tantrum right in her exhausted father's face. He said he slapped her hard, on each cheek, while yelling at her. His wife intervened, scooping up the 3 year old and telling her husband to go outside and cool off.

I had no idea this happened, or even that Tony had it in him. I've known him more than half my life, and still I'm shocked.

His daughter seems fine. She has a boyfriend, has been visiting colleges, plays in the band. She and her father clash over how much she owes him for gas and how often she goes over her allotted cell phone minutes, but that doesn't sound serious, does it?

I am trying not to dwell on this, but it keeps coming back. I hope it won't change how I feel about Tony. The incident happened so long ago. But still ...

DAY 02 -- September Fitness Challenge

I missed my workout today because deadlines loomed! So instead I was healthy by choosing my lunch with greater care than usual. My carry-out container included 3 compartments -- 1) roasted turkey; 2) chopped salad; 3) fruit salad. I'm telling myself that the fruit salad was my dessert.

See how easy, Ms. Snowbird? Are you sure you don't want to come along?

Tuesday Tunes #11

Word associations: You tell us what musical, band/artist, song, album etc each word makes you think of:

Technology: "Video Killed the Radio Star" Buggles
Exercise: "Physical" Olivia Newton John
Punch: Nada. Zip. Zilch. I'm coming up with nothing here.
Temperature: "(Love Is Like a) Heatwave" Martha and the Vandellas
Fire: "We Didn't Start the Fire" Billy Joel
Clothes: "Dress You Up in My Love" Madonna
Doll: "Rag Doll" Aerosmith
Sweet: "How Sweet It Is to be Loved By You" Sweet Baby James Taylor
Makeup: "Lipstick on Your Collar" Connie Francis (and I HATE Connie Francis, so I'm just thrilled to have this one playing over and over in my head now!)
Drunk: "Tequila Sunrise" Eagles

To play along yourself, and see if other bloggers do better with"punch" than I did, click here.

The GOP VP's nominee favors teaching "abstinence only"

From MSNBC.com: "Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain."

I feel terrible for the poor girl. Being a pregnant senior must be rough enough. Being a pregnant senior and the daughter of the Republican vice presidential nominee has to be worse.

But, when your mother is the friendly Hockey Mom who is so comfortable telling the rest of us what we should do if we become pregnant (and, as a rape survivor I find her stance incredibly insensitive), and what to teach the following generation about reproduction (abstinence only), this must be off-the-chart dreadful.

Also, Sarah Palin knew her daughter was pregnant when she agreed to be on this ticket. She also knew this story would come out. I am confused by a mother's decision to put her unmarried daughter's expanding waistline on display. If Governor Palin is sophisticated enough politically to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, she must realize that her daughter's condition is going to be the hot topic of talk radio and cable TV. I hope she was able to adequately explain to 17-year-old Bristol how much attention her condition would receive.

I am not looking at this as a Democrat. I'm looking at it as a woman. I say to Governor Palin, "Yenta, heal thyself." To her daughter, "Hang tough, Sweetie, you're in my prayers."

Day 01 -- September Fitness Challenge

I haven't been feeling well lately. Nothing huge … just tummy troubles and headaches and a pesky but minor skin infection. But it's all left me physically tired, and it's time to take my own health into my own hands.

So I am replacing my August Happiness Challenge with The September Fitness Challenge. Every day this month I will do something that is good for me ... I PROMISE! It can involve exercise or diet, but it has to be inarguably healthy for me.

Today I am stopping at the grocery store to pick up fruit to munch on instead of chocolate.

As you watch the Gustav coverage ...

Please keep Louisiana's furry population in mind. It's easy to give to the Louisiana SPCA because they have a storm-safe PO Box in Washington DC.

For even a small donation and a postage stamp, you can watch the coverage in your dry, safe livingroom and feel less helpless because you'll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you helped those who cannot help themselves.

When is a Duck a real ass?

When Mad Men is on, that's when.

As one who works in the creative department of an advertising agency, I was bound to be leery of "Duck" Phillips, the head of account services at fictional Sterling Cooper. After all, regardless of the decade, account executives restrict and sit in judgment of the creatives. It's just a fact of life.

Oh, and Duck is not very handsome, whereas Don (sigh) Draper, chief creative officer at Sterling Cooper, is sooooooo hot. If more CCOs were like Don Draper, I'd figure out a way to get to work on time.

All that account/creative tension aside, last night Duck did something fabulously unforgivable. His soon-to-be ex-wife gives him permanent custody of the family's well-behaved, beautiful and loyal dog, Chauncey. Duck keeps the dog at his side at the office, presumably until he can find an apartment (he's staying in a hotel) and a dog walker. After a completely shitty day, Duck is alone at the office, just him at Chauncey, and he finds himself tempted to jump off the wagon and have a drink. The only thing that stopped him was the sound of Chauncey's panting and those soulful canine eyes. Duck looks down at the one living being who depends on him and takes action. As the official website states in the recap: "Although he resists the temptation, he intentionally abandons his dog on the sidewalk outside the office."

He dumps the dog -- who has done nothing but love him -- after dark in the middle of Madison Avenue. Bastard. Asshole. Low-life worm.

That was awful, even for an account exec.

Sunday Stealing #1

Sunday Stealing: "The Finish This Sentence" Meme

1. My uncle once: took me skiing

2. Never in my life have I: gone skinny dipping

3. When I was five my parents: went out to dinner often with another couple named Bobby and Sonia.

4. High school was: hell

5. I will never forget to: take my keys when I leave the house!

6. Once I met: Bruce Springsteen, and he was a doll

7. There’s this boy I know: who takes his Pokemon card collection very seriously

8. Once, at a bar, I: wore a red fez with a yellow tassle, and it got me a few free beers from guys who wondered what was with the hat.

9. By noon, I’m: starving.

10. Last night I: emailed by best friend, who was arguing politics with his neighbor and was asking me for back-up over his Blackberry

11. If only I had: smaller thighs

12. Next time I go to church: I'll remember to bring something for the food drive

13. What worries me most is that I: will be a poor old lady living on Lower Wacker Drive in a discarded Kenmore refrigerator box

14. When I turn my head left I see: my cat, Reynaldo, who is sleeping in the sun

15. When I turn my head right I see: my really messy dining room table

16. You know I’m lying when I: say something gracious about one particular coworker

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: my thin thighs!

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Kate of Padua

19. By this time next year I will: either still be in this job, or have been laid off

20. A better name for me would be: Sloppy Sue

21. I have a hard time understanding: Republicans

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: pay better attention this time

23. You know I like you if I: tell you my troubles and ask about yours

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: depends … probably my mom

25. Take my advice, never: turn off a Cubs game before the final out. You never know for sure how it will turn out!

DAY 31 -- August 08 Happiness Challenge

The Take Care Health Center in Walgreens. And my Cigna insurance. According to the APN who diagnosed it, this slight but tenacious infection is angular chelitis.

The small fissures that resemble paper cuts on either side of my mouth are not what makes me happy. But I'm delighted that I had somewhere to go on a Sunday during the Labor Day weekend where I would be seen without an appointment. Even better, I got a diagnosis and a prescription filled, all for $4.45.

I could have waited until Tuesday, made a doctor's appointment for some day in the future, and have to take a day off from work to see the doctor. By then an uncomfortable malady could turn into a really ugly, embarrassing, gross and uncomfortable malady. (The photos she showed me in her dermatology book were sooooo not pretty!) So I'm happy I was able to just walk on in to the Take Care Clinic.

Bless the Beasts and the Children

This weekend, please take a moment to reach out to those who need your help.

The Louisiana SPCA. This shelter performed valiantly during and after Katrina and is preparing to the same for residents during Gustav. It's a cruel twist of fate that they are called upon to protect homeless, abandoned and lost pets during a natural disaster again so soon. They are now closed to the public and hard at work evacuating all the critters currently in their care. For that reason, if you find it in your heart to help, send your contribution to their storm-safe Washington DC address:

Louisiana SPCA
PO Box 96495
Washington DC 20090-6495

Or, if it's easier, click here to make a donation online.

Muscular Dystrophy Association. Hey LAY-DEE! It's that time again! Send your gift to help cure this disease and help those who, in the meantime, are living with it. If you don't feel like picking up the phone and calling during the Jerry Lewis Telethon, you can send help here:

Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Headquarters
3300 East Sunrise Drive
Tucson, AZ 85718
1 800-FIGHT-MD

Go on. You'll feel better after you give. I promise.

Zach Morris, Thespian

Am I the only who is surprised that Mark Paul Gosselaar grew up to be a hard working, respected actor? He's being showcased in the new Stephen Bocho/TNT show, Raising the Bar, which premieres tomorrow night.

DAY 30 -- August 08 Happiness Challenge

Done! Between Friday and Saturday I finished my chores. Grocery shopping -- check! Haircut -- check! Laundry -- check! Paid bills -- check! Called Mom -- check! Now this happy laborer can spend the next two days of her Labor Day Weekend doing whatever she pleases …

DAY 29 -- 08 August Happiness Challenge

My best friend. He now lives in the Boulder area, and his daughters (esp. the 6th grader) were soooo excited about having the DNC right nearby. He wanted to encourage their interest but naively thought it would be easy to just drive up to the Pepsi Center or Invesco/Mile High. As a campaign veteran, I wasn't surprised that he was shut out. But I also knew how to find celebratory events his family could enjoy without credentials. Last night he took advantage of one -- taking his family to the MSNBC viewing stand outside the Pepsi Center. I was so happy to get the download on their impressions of the historic night that Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee for President. He gave them a memory they will carry throughout their lives … and I helped.

Where's the logic?

John McCain insists that Barack Obama is not ready to be President, and he backs this up by choosing Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice President. I'm sorry, but I don't get it.

Governor Palin assumed her current office less than two years ago. Before that, she was the mayor of a town with a population of less than 10,000.

John McCain is 72, and today he presented her as qualified to be Commander in Chief if something happens to him during his term. What about her qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency during a time of war? Dan Quayle had more experience in public office.

Governor Palin was very gracious today in acknowledging Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Rodham Clinton. I just hope voters who supported HRC don't just assume Governor Palin and the NY Senator have much in common in terms of domestic policy. They don't.