New Clean Me

Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.

This morning I took inventory of my watch drawer. Perhaps it's crowded because at least five of the watches require new batteries. At approx. $10 a pop, I can't afford to handle this all at once, especially not this late in the month/pay period, but I did slip a couple into purse and will drop them off at lunchtime. (After all, I can't exercise at all this week -- sclerotherapy -- but that doesn't mean I can't be productive.) Then I'll look them over, decide which stay, and put the others aside for Goodwill.

At any rate, I'm organizing the drawer and removing any temptation to buy another watch!

The Subconscious Doesn't Lie

While I have often admitted my abiding fondness for George Clooney, I didn't realize how graphic -- and I do mean explicitly detailed -- my fantasies about him were until I woke up blushing this morning. That dream last night shows George to be very imaginative indeed. Oh, my! Good thing I had a cold shower to dive into.

Lovin' Lee & Crystal

I could be watching the NCIS finale on CBS -- an episode sure to pack an emotional punch. Or I could be watching the Cubs take on the Dodgers within the Friendly Confines. But I'm going with the American Idol finals. And I'm not sorry.

Crystal is really in a special place tonight. Lee DeWyze is my sentimental favorite, and I wish he'd sung "That's Life" instead of "The Boxer," but he's redeeming himself right now with "Beautiful Day." Touch me … teach me ...

Crystal is in the zone. Can't wait to hear what she sings.

I'll switch to the Cubs game at 8:00. (4th inning, maybe?) Comcast On Demand should begin showing the NCIS finale tomorrow. (All I have to do is avoid Googling for spoilers.) And I'll continue thoroughly enjoying Crystal and Lee.

And Simon. I can't imagine Idol next year without him. I'm getting a little sloshed on Pearl Pomegranate Vodka in his honor. Here's to ya, Mr. Cowell! You will be missed.

10 on Tuesday -- "The Peanut Butter Cup Break" Edition

As I sit here at my desk, filling my face with the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups I got out of the vending machine, I will list the

TEN THINGS I'D RATHER BE DOING
THAN COMPLETING THE PROJECT AT HAND

1. Finishing Girls Like Us, the bio I'm oh-so-close to being done with.

2. Starting a new book (I can't decide which one from my daunting TBR list)

3. Listening to the amazing, exhaustive 4-disc Dusty Springfield anthology I just received yesterday

4. Writing to my friend in the Keys, letting him know that for his birthday this December, I already have a reservation for us at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant. As a local, he doesn't get to do many of the more fun, tourist-y things unless I'm visiting.

5. Drinking pomegranate-laced vodka on ice. (Jimmy Buffett makes this gal's mind turn to booze, in more ways than one.)

7. Petting a cat. That's the glory of having three at home -- one of them always needs a little attention.

8. Sending a little something to an old neighbor. Back when I was in high school, I cared for this woman's sons and daughter. She has been very good about keeping in touch with me over the years and across the miles, and I want to let her know that the house she lived in -- way back when -- is for sale again. I think she'd really enjoy seeing the flyer.

9. Getting out of these freaking support hose and in touch with my feminine side by reading the latest issues of Glamour, Allure or More -- all of which are home, just waiting for me!

10. Looking back on the project at hand, satisfied that I have done it well!

New Clean Me

Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.

Today it was the medicine chest: I disposed of three tubes of ... stuff. First aid for cuts and rashes. It was all expired. I also removed four individually wrapped bars of bath soap -- two were gifts and two are souvenirs from the Marriott. Those are going to soldiers via Operation Shoebox. But first I have to send off the condiment packets I have been saving in the kitchen. I'll do that TODAY.

Thank you, Carole

I am reading Girls Like Us, the biography of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. "You've Got a Friend" figures prominently, since Carole wrote and recorded and James Taylor (Carly's soon-to-be bridegroom) had a hit with it. I learned from the book that music executives weren't crazy about the song because it was too long -- but both Carole and James insisted on recording it. Millions of people were glad they did.

Like everyone else I knew, I bought Sweet Baby James' 45 back when I was 13. I loved singing tunelessly along with it. But lately I have listened to it, really listened to it, again and it means more to me than ever.

My best friend and I are bonded. No matter what happens to one of us (and much has been happening to both of us!), we know the other one is there. Out there. Somewhere. I mentioned it yesterday and he agrees: this says it better than either of us could.


When you're down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
And you know whereever I am
I'll come running, oh yeah baby
To see you again.
Winter, spring , summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.

You just call out my name and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring , summer, or fall,
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah …

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
Well they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Don't you know that
Winter, spring , summer, or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.

Introducing "New, Clean Me"

Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home. And this blog is going to help keep me focused. Here it is, not even 8:00 AM yet, and I've already accomplished my Monday task:

Disposed of an expired tube of insect repellent and expired Gyne-Lotrimin, as well as body mist that I never really liked, from the shelf in the bathroom.

Movie Monday

This week's movie topic is all about Brothers...

Share your selection of movie brothers, linking back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Love Me Tender. This Civil War saga is about one woman who loved two brothers -- first Vance, and then, after Vance was presumed dead in battle, his kid brother, Clint (portrayed by Guess Who in his movie debut). When Vance comes home, the love triangle nearly destroys the family. The brothers end up realizing how strong their bond is, fortunately before one of them dies doing the right thing in a subplot about stolen money. I won't be a spoiler and say which brother dies, but he does ascend to heaven with his guitar. I know Toby Macguire and Jake Gyllenhaal did a movie that had basically the same plot with the Afghanistan war as a back drop, but it couldn't possibly be as impossibly, CinemaScopically glorious.

The Godfather, Part 2. "I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was passed over!" and "I know it was you. Fredo, you broke my heart." Those Corleone boys gave one another an operatic level of grief.

She's a good kid, & I have nothing to be ashamed of

It's becoming a weekly thing -- My niece pulls up in front of my place and work begins. Last Sunday she helped me organize my paperwork, this week we helped my oldest friend prepare for her mega-garage sale next weekend.

My niece was like a machine -- plugging away at the task at hand, working hard until she was done. She cleaned away dust and nail polish and then waxed a butcher block table, sorted four shelves of books, and tirelessly hauled cartons out to the POD in my friend's driveway -- even though it was the first 85º+ day of the year. In nearly 4.5 hours she took only two breaks -- one for lunch and one to drink cold water and catch her breath. The second one was at my insistence because I thought I caught a quaver in her voice during her trips in and out of the heat with the heavy cartons.

"I'm fine," she insisted, rolling her eyes. "And I'm the boss of you," I countered, pressing a mug of ice water into her hand. I can't believe I actually said, "And I'm the boss of you." Teenagers bring it out in us, I guess.

Anyway, I was terribly proud of my niece. My friend was so impressed that she gave her a check for $40 and invited her to make even more money next weekend, working the garage sale. I'm going to pass on the garage sale.

While my niece was handling the physical exertion, I boxed some photographs, sorted some books, and did three loads of my friend's laundry. I devoted myself to moving clothes from washer to dryer and then folding ... and folding ... so that my friend would be able to concentrate on preparing for the sale when she comes home from her day job every day this week. (She still has lots to do.)

The three loads of wash barely dented the trail of dirty clothes that ran down the stairs and into the laundry room. I did jeans and socks and sweats and t-shirts and towels ... enough to keep my friend and her kids dressed this week. But I never got deep enough into the piles to find the bed sheets or underwear. If my niece hadn't needed to get home to do homework and prepare for school tomorrow, I could have and would have stayed on and continued doing wash for hours more.

So aside from reaffirming what a hard worker my niece is, I learned I'm not the only lazy housekeeper around here. Yes, my home could use a thorough dusting and vacuuming. Yes, I need to go through my own books and get the den in order. I admit that all that has to be done before I can begin changing the window coverings and repainting and decorating (and my bathroom and kitchen both need work -- like new caulking and grout -- desperately).

But my friend's laundry room was a real mess, and it went beyond the daunting amount of clothes that needed washing. A thin layer of laundry detergent covered her washer and dryer, and attracted dust and lint. These surfaces were so "gunked up" I didn't want the clean, damp clothes to contact them. I cleaned away what I could, using disinfectant wipes I found upstairs in her bathroom. An old kitchen curtain was actually stuck to the dryer lid. I didn't want to draw too much attention to what I was doing -- ostensibly I was sorting books with my niece and I didn't want to embarrass her about the mess I'd found.

My shrink has often told me that while it's not good that clutter has taken over my life, I need not beat myself up over it. I should just slowly but surely work toward the remedy.

I have known my friend since we were in kindergarten together, and yet I had no idea how messy her basement was, with all the dirty clothes and the pervasive smell of litter box. I still love and respect her; in fact, I feel a little closer to her now that I have seen for myself what we have discussed, that our homes have gotten away from us.

I got home and took a shower. After all, even though I was indoors her house got warm because the doors were open and I was baking in these damn support hose. So I didn't get to my own laundry tonight. But this weekend, I will do something to improve my standard of living.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Voice Post Meme

1) What's your middle name? Gal

2) How old are you? 52

3) Where are you from? Are you living there right now? I have lived my entire life in the Chicagoland area. Where I live now is about 40 miles from the hospital where I was born.

4) Is it cold where you are? It is currently 66º.

5) What's the time? Almost 10:30 PM on Saturday

6) What are you wearing? An oversized t-shirt emblazoned with a photo of Robert the Doll, my favorite demonic talisman, and support hose to prevent clotting (see post below). Yes, it's a good thing you aren't here because I'm sure I'm damn near irresistible right now.

7) What was the last thing you listened to? Something from my Dusty Springfield playlist. I'm seriously into Dusty these days.

8) What was the last thing you ate? A tossed green salad topped with slivered almonds, raisins and French dressing. I made it myself!

9) What was the last thing you watched on TV? George Clooney's exceptional Good Night and Good Luck is on right now.

10) What's your favorite tv show? Why? NCIS. Because Gibbs is my TV Boyfriend. If you see Mark Harmon, please tell him I love him.

11) Quick! Find a book, or something with text on it! Flip to a random page and post the second paragraph's first sentence. "Throughout the romantic whirlwind, Carly continued to write songs -- not just 'Anticipation' about Cat Stevens but 'Three Days' about Kris." From Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller.

12) What was the last movie you saw? How was it? I believe it was Shutter Island. Leo was very good, but I'm disappointed that I was able to figure out the surprise ending long before we got there. That took a lot of the fun out of it.

13) Do YOU think you have an accent ? Where do people in your country do people speak with strong accents? No, I don't have an accent. But Southerners do.

This is not the bad part

This is a photo of the sclerotherapy treatment I had on my veins today. About 15 injections on each leg over 30 minutes. Each site is covered with gauze and tape, which makes it appear as though I have suddenly spouted goiters. While unpleasant, this is not the worst part of the treatment.

I have to wear fucking support hose for a week. I hate support hose.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Upside Down

1. When was the last time that you felt your world got turned upside down? In a good way, my world was completely rocked on 11/4/08, when I found myself part of an enormous, peaceful, joyful celebration in Chicago's Grant Park when Barack Obama gave his victory speech. For all that it amuses some to mock the President's "hopey-changey thing," the spirit in the park was empowering, transformational and real. YES, WE DID!

2. Should the United States do more to help its own citizens before helping people in other countries? Let me rephrase that to "as we help people in other countries." I've posted about this before. I am stricken and saddened by the dichotomy here -- we generously opened our hearts and wallets to Haitians but there was no similar outpouring to those who suffered through the Nashville floods. Often I hear the homeless on our own streets described as "lazy," when in fact I think a majority are ill. So I wish we would extend the same compassion to our own that we show those overseas.

3. What was something you memorized for school and still can recall? "By thine rivers gently flowing, Illinois! Illinois! Over prairies verdant growing, Illinois! Illinois! There's an echo on the breeze, rustling through the leafy trees, and its mellow tones are these: Illinois! Illinois!" (Bows deeply.) Thank you, thank you.

4. With what types of people do you tend to associate? I am fortunate in that I don't think there's a single, simple answer to that question. My friends are a very diverse group, and my life is much richer for it.

5. Besides blogging what is the last creative thing that you've done? Since I'm a writer by trade, the people who pay me like to think I do something creative every workday.

6. In nature, what outdoor activities do you enjoy the most? Walking, preferably alone. I notice more when I'm by myself.

7. When was the last time that you had a great belly laugh? This past week a coworker showed me a photo of a State Farm agent who gave her customers piggy banks. It really had nothing to do with the woman in the photo -- it was the piggy banks and it's part of a long in joke and you really had to be there. But the important thing to note is that it made me laugh so hard I had to catch my breath.

8. What kind of fashion-sense attracts you? Clean lines. When I was a very little girl, the icons were JBKO and Grace Kelly and I think that's why I'm drawn to that "style of simplicity."

9. What traits in others turn you off? Space hogs. It's so selfish! Taking up space on the locker room bench with your iPod and water bottle so others can't sit; puffing away right in front of the building entrance, ignoring what the signs say, so I have to fill my lungs with fresh air and run through your smoke, just to get to my office; giving your backpack its own seat on the train; scolding your kid via your cell phone and in my ear ... You know, acting as though it's your world and we just live in it.

More than just a pretty face

Kudos to Senator Scott Brown, R-MA, for breaking ranks with Republicans and voting for sweeping financial reform. It's heartening to see him willing to risk his status as party darling to do what's best for the people who sent him to Washington.

I did my share of hysterical hand-wringing when it looked like a dreaded Republican would take the Kennedy seat, but am happy to report that, this morning at least, it looks like I was wrong.

That's what makes horse racing

My theater buddy, Barb, and I went to see The 39 Steps at the Bank of America Theater. I enjoyed it -- in an absurd, Monty Python kinda way. She looked so bored I wondered if it hurt. Still, she was a good sport about it and stayed through the final curtain.

She was also a good sport about American Idol. While I was happy to see her and catch up, and was genuinely amused by the live performance and was glad to be back in my favorite theater,* I was sorry that the Idol results were being announced just as intermission was ending. Barb was proud of her dexterity on her iPhone and was able to confirm that yes, the final two are Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze.



* I love Jersey Boys as much as the next pop music fan, but I was glad to see that production finally close and cede the stage to another show.

He still likes me. He still really likes me!

An invitation came in today's mail. My presence is requested at the graduation party of the youngest son of an old boyfriend.

His dad and I dated, and broke up, back in 1981. I was never really IN that relationship, never really gave it a chance. Were I to have been honest with myself -- and in those days, that wasn't one of my strengths -- I would have admitted that I was just biding my time until the guy I really wanted became available. (And, to my everlasting regret, he did and we began a tumultuous relationship that haunts me to this day.)

Even if I had been willing to dive in with both feet, I know he would never have this happy life with me. I could never be content as a mother of 4, working from home in a suburb somewhere in Wisconsin. So these things do work out just the way they're supposed to.

But still, it means the world to me that Dad still thinks to include me in moments like this. He was, and remains, a genuinely good guy and his esteem means a lot to me. I'm sending his son a $25 Border's gift card, and my regrets to his wife. But even though I won't be at the party, I feel like a part of the day.

I Want Wednesday

If I had the time and discipline, I would want to learn Spanish. While I don't approve of the situation, this country is becoming bi-lingual. Plus, my friend in the Keys teaches Spanish, and I think it would please him to keep my newly-learned skills sharp by conversing with me in his native tongue.

What about you? What language do you want to learn?

10 on Tuesday -- More Movie Quotes

Last week I shared the Top 10 Movie Quotes, as per the American Film Institute. This week, by popular demand,* I am listing the first 10 that come to this Gal's mind.

1) My sister, my daughter ... She's my sister AND my daughter! Chinatown, a movie I've never seen its entirety, btw

2) I mean happy, like "Julie Andrews twirling around on a mountain top like a mental patient" kind of happy. The Sixth Sense

3) That's my problem! I'm an onion roll on a plate of bagels! Funny Girl

4) You're advertising's just dandy. Folk's'd never guess you don't have a thing to sell. Bonnie & Clyde

5) East is east and west is west, and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb ever will. Now tell me what you know. Animal Crackers

6) Leave the gun. Take the cannoli. The Godfather

7) Not a bit like Cagney. Help!

8) You still think you're the cutest little trick in shoe leather. Gone with the Wind

9) Story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop. Some Like It Hot

10) Wouldn't it be lovely if we were old? We'd have survived all of this, and everything would be easy and uncomplicated ... like when we were young. The Way We Were


*Well, Kwiz asked me.

Brand New Me: Day 2

Got home from work and began to watch the Cubs game. Then I decided to do something. So I cleaned the bathroom. I went the whole 9 yards -- the mirror, the toilet, the floor and the tub -- and looked babelicious as I did it, too! I prefer listening to an exciting game to watching it, and fortunately the Cubbies came in loud and clear on my shower radio.

So yesterday was going through the paperwork in the livingroom. This evening was the bathroom. What will tomorrow bring? With this fever to be industrious hang on?

"He threw me a fastball, and I was ready for it."

So said Aramis Ramirez after his TWO RUN HOMER in the bottom of the 11th! A great game, a real nailbiter. Glad the rain held off until after he hit it into the bleachers.

"Go, Cubs, Go! Hey, Chicago, what do you say? Cubs are gonna win today!"

Movie Monday

This week's movie topic is all about Dancing...Share your favorite dance scenes from the movies, linking back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Summer Stock. "Forget your troubles, c'mon get happy!" My favorite Garland musical number of all time. Perhaps even my favorite dance number of all time.

The Sound of Music. I don't remember the name of the folk dance that Maria is teaching the children, but Captain Von Trapp offers to be her partner and it's evident to all of us, even the Baroness (boo! hiss!), that a certain novice was never going to become a nun.

The Way We Were. It's the Big College Dance. Gorgeous, letterman Hubbell crosses the dance floor, and the social divide, to cut in on frumpy, unpopular Katie and her gawky date.* It's impossibly romantic. Perhaps because Streisand finally found a partner we believe she could and would let lead.

*James Woods in his movie debut.

She surprised me

My niece is completing her junior year in high school and she has a hard earned reputation as a hard worker. But I had no idea what a tough cookie she could be!

When I hired her to help me organize my livingroom, we agreed at a fee of $10/hour for 3 hours. In addition to helping me sort and file the paperwork that has taken over the house, I tasked her with keeping me focused. No matter what I told her, or how much I whined, I told her it was her job to remind me, "I need the money and you need organization."

I had no idea how seriously she would take it! Picking up an empty envelope, she asked me why I still had it. I pointed out to her that I needed it for the return address. "Get your address book and write it in there. I'll wait." She wasn't kidding. She handled me the same way when it came to an offer from Comcast I was "gonna" respond to. "Do it now, sign up now," she said, reasoning that then I could get rid of the flyer. Ouch! Over and over again, she challenged me and kicked my butt. We went from the paperwork to the books I've read to the mess that obscured my kitchen counters.

She reminded me of that ferocious little terrier, taking on the bigger dog.

I ended up with a big bag of paper in the recycle bin, two bags and a box for Goodwill, and so much more carpet than I remembered! I'm inspired to keep with the decluttering.

Interesting, not threatening

Christopher Hitchens is on CSpan, being interviewed by Salmon Rushdie, and he is talking about "the equal time demand" in schools receiving tax dollars, describing it as alternating "teaching science" with "teaching rubbish." He wonders why it can't be spun differently -- if churches want to retain their tax-free status, shouldn't they be required to teach Darwinism as well as creationism?

While I, unlike Hitchens, believe in God and Jesus completely, I find his conversation with Rushdie fascinating. I enjoy that in this country, we are free to believe as we wish, even if our beliefs don't fall within Judeo-Christian guidelines, we are free to express them. Listening to this is liberating and opening my mind to new ideas.

This introduction to new ideas, this explanation of how atheists and agnostics think -- and why they think this way -- cannot threaten my faith in God and Jesus. My faith is as much a part of me as my bone marrow.

I wonder about people who are so easily offended that Rushdie and Hitchens bother them, or that they believe Rushdie and Hitchens should be demonized. Do they not trust their Lord, or is it their forefathers who gave us freedom of speech or religion that they are second guessing?

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Speed Dating Meme, Part 2

26. Have you ever been stung by a bee? Yes, and discovered I'm allergic. Hence the Epipen that's in my purse every day from April to October.

27. What's the sickest you've ever been? Probably the aforementioned bee sting, but since I was only a kid I didn't realize how potentially dangerous it was.

28. What's your favorite form of exercise? Toss up between stationery bike and swimming.

29. What's your favorite Cyndi Lauper song? Time After Time

30. What did you do for your 13th birthday? I don't recall.

31. Are you afraid of heights? Nope.

32. Have you ever taken dance lessons? I took ballet as a little girl. I was staggeringly bad at it.

33. What's your favorite newspaper? Chicago Tribune. It's the only paper left in town that covers the news in any depth.

34. What's your favorite Broadway / West End musical? My Fair Lady

35. What's the most memorable class you've ever taken? Psych 101, my introduction to the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic morality.

36. What's your favorite knock-knock joke? "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Repeat." "Repeat who?" "Who! Who!"

37. What's your least favorite commercial? The Panda Bears for Snapple Tea. There's something uncomfortable and creepy about them.

38. If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be? Bill Clinton. I think he'd be a riot to hang out with for a few hours. Plus, since he has Secret Service protection, we wouldn't have to wait in line -- not ever, not even at Space Mountain.

39. Do you prefer baths or showers? Most mornings I shower, but that's due to time. I really enjoy baths.

40. What's your favourite newspaper comic strip? I don't really have one.

41. What's your favorite breakfast food? Eggs. Scrambled, once over, poached ...

42. Who's your favarite game show host? Bob Barker. Please spay or neuter your pets.

43. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Flight.

44. Do you like guacamole? Nope.

45. Have you ever been in a food fight? Yes. One of the few things about high school I actually enjoyed.

46. Name five songs to which you know all the lyrics. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, She Bop, Time After Time, True Colors, and American Pie (I'm very proud of knowing all the lyrics to that one)

47. What's your favorite infomercial? Meaningful Beauty -- Cindy Crawford and that French doctor who can keep us young using melon juice.

48. What's the longest you've ever waited in line? Hours and hours at Disney World! Which is why next time I want to go with Bill Clinton.

49. What's on the cover of your address book or day planner? Plain brown leather.

50. Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths? Yes, at the mall. When we were kids, my mom would send me in with my sister.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Lies

1. When was the last time you lied and why? I'm sorry but I can't recall anything. Which means it couldn't have been a very big deal.

2. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you, where would you go and who would you take? Los Angeles. I don't really want to move there, but my oldest friend is desperate to. So I'd move there, get her settled, and move back here, where I belong.

3. What was the last thought before falling asleep last night? That I'm not sure moving Sex and the City 2 out of eponymous city -- New York -- is a good idea. (I'd just been reading the Entertainment Weekly about the movie.)

4. What’s your favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex? Briefs. Dark-colored briefs. Yum.

5. If you didn't have to work, would you? If you work from home, are there days you’d rather be in the workplace? I probably would go back to work eventually. I heard an interview with a representative of the Illinois State Lottery, and she said most sudden millionaires do that, because all their friends and relatives have to work and they don't have anyone to play with.

6. What is a secret that you wouldn't mind everyone knowing? I can't think of anything that I wouldn't mind everyone knowing.

7. What’s a favorite movie that you wouldn't want anyone to find out about? Young at Heart, with Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. Or just about any Doris Day musical. I can be such a trashy wench that loving Doris Day musicals doesn't fit my image, but there you go. Hey! Can this be my answer to #6, too?

8. What’s you favorite all time medical and why? Sorry, but I don't understand the question.

9. What’s the worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back? Stubbornly refusing to see that I was completely wasting my time with a real repulsivo. I understand that I had important lessons to learn from that relationship. I just regret that it took me a decade -- and then some -- to learn them.

A productive day off

First I took myself out for a cheese omelet, orange juice and a few chapters of my book at the Cozy Corner Restaurant. Then I wandered around town, enjoying the sunny blue sky, and stocking up on pet food -- finally using those Petco coupons I've been hanging onto.

Then I alternated between watching the Cubs play the Pirates and doing 5 -- count 'em, FIVE! -- loads of laundry. A hideous drag, that's for sure. I resent every moment spent in the laundry room. But at least doing it on a weekday meant I didn't have to share the machines with anyone.

I took a break and got a pedi. I love my shimmery coral spring/summer look. Mine is Avon, not Sally Hansen, but this is close.

Then I put all my clothes away -- and I do mean all. Not just the freshly laundered ones, but also the clean clothes I left haphazardly around when trying to figure out what to wear in the mornings. I vacuumed a little, too.

Then I paid bills (today is payday, after all). Now I'm watching the USA Network NCIS Marathon ... oh, Gibbs! ... and chilling. In all, a satisfying day off.

Last night on the couch ...

We covered a lot of ground last night:

Much of the depression I experienced lately could be tied to Vicodin. The pain killer enhanced my comfort physically -- after all, the dentist sliced deep into my gums, cut bone, and stitched me up. Without the medication it would have been excruciating. But it also left me feeling fuzzy, and that fuzziness left me feeling vulnerable and clouded my judgement. That left me feeling profoundly uncomfortable.

Likewise the work on my veins, while completely voluntary, is putting my body through changes, and my body is reacting and perhaps rebelling. I can't ignore the impact the physical can have on the emotional.

Much -- but not all -- of my blues can be tied to that. Mother's Day was difficult for me because I realize my mother is aging. She's 75, and her time is short. Death and loss are a natural part of life, but that doesn't make them any easier to accept. In addition to knowing how much I will miss my mom, it's occurring to me that when she dies, so will much of my sense of family. I don't like my sisters.

This saddens me, and yet also leaves me feeling liberated in a way. For when my mother does die -- and she's feeling better these days, thank God, so nothing is imminent -- I have close friends I can turn to. My oldest friend has made it clear I always have a place for the holidays with her. And just as I spent New Year's in Key West, so I can spend Christmas. Saying all this aloud gave it a feeling of, "there, that's settled."

So last night's time on the couch was a most productive 50 minutes.

It's only a show ... it's only a show ... it's only a show ...

Just watched the penultimate episode of NCIS and am both eager and apprehensive about next week's finale.

The writers have been slowly, surely building the tension and I can anticipate just enough to make me crazy. A couple weeks ago, as part of a case involving a judge, the NCIS team interrogated a polygrapher. She did a demonstration on Gibbs, which he aborted because it was dopey and annoying ... and because he didn't want to answer her question about whether or not he had committed a felony. After all, we know that decades ago Gibbs used his exceptional skill as a sniper to shoot the Mexican drug runner who killed Kelly and Shannon, his wife and daughter.

This week Abby was sent to a symposium on forensics and cold cases in Mexico and was given a particular cold case to use as an example. It was the 20-year-old murder of a drug runner. Shot from a great distance with a high-caliber weapon. Naturally Abby figures it out -- she's very good at her job. But it breaks her heart. She and Gibbs are like family, "closer than family," as she likes to say. She is his favorite, his surrogate Kelly. She basks in his affection and has imbued him with super-human powers. As she often says, "He can do anything! He's GIBBS!"

He knows she has figured it out. She knows he knows. She asked him if he will still love her if she does what she has to do with the information. That's where the episode ended.

Clearly Gibbs was set up. It was no accident that Abby was sent to this symposium or that, out of all the unsolved murders in Mexico, the one she's handed is the one Gibbs committed.

According to the rumor mill, someone dies in next week's shocking finale. I think the one to go will be Allison Hart -- the icky lawyer who fell in love with Gibbs. But I fear it will be Abby.

Pauly Perrette, the actress who plays Abby, is one of the main cast members whose contract hasn't been renewed. The others -- Tony and McGee -- aren't as involved in this plot line as Abby. (Representatives for CBS have reassured us that they have "taken care of Mark Harmon," so we know that Gibbs isn't going anywhere.)

It would be sad for our poor Jethro to lose Allison because he's been so unlucky in love. Losing Abby would be devastating for him. And for me, too. For as one who longed for a positive daddy/daughter relationship, I find Abby and Gibbs very comforting. Reassuring. Something I'm still looking for.

I Want Wednesday ...

Here's what I want for myself today ...

1) Discipline to work out at lunchtime today. I'm finally over the Vicodin and I have the OK from the surgeon who is working on my legs. So now all I need is the will. Accomplished!

2) Energy to do some housework this evening. My niece is coming over Sunday to help me organize my living room, and because I know this is the plan, I have been neglecting to do anything, saying to myself, "I'll take care of that when she gets here." We're getting to the point where she is going to have to wear HazMat coveralls. Accomplished! Finished sorting laundry (I see 5 loads -- blues, blacks, reds, whites-to-be-bleached and everything else -- in my future) and changed the linens in my bedroom and bathroom.

3) A Cub victory. I know it's still early in the season, but I'm beginning to get a little nervous about the fielding and the bullpen. Accomplished! Thanks, Guys!

4) Lee DeWyze to make the final 3 on Idol. He's a hometown boy, he's got a neat, bluesy voice, and he's cute. Now that he's made the Final 3, the Tribune reports that the AI cameras will follow him to Wrigley Field and film him tossing out the first pitch.

5) Serenity. I'm feeling a little unsettled these days. It may be all the meds flowing through my system, it may be the lack of endorphins because I haven't been working out, it may be because I'm obsessed/saddened by my resemblance to Elena Kagan … the skies of my soul are a bit gray these days.

What about you? What do you want for yourself this Wednesday?

10 on Tuesday -- Movie Quotes

I thought of listing my own Top 10 movie quotes, but I couldn't limit myself to just 10. So I turned to the experts. According to the American Film Institute, here are the top 10 movie quotes of all time.

1. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. (Gone with the Wind)

2. I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. (The Godfather)

3. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been a somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am. (On the Waterfront)

4. Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. (The Wizsard of Oz)

5. Here's lookin' at you, Kid. (Casablanca)

6. Go ahead. Make my day. (Sudden Impact)

7. All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. (Sunset Blvd.)

8. May the force be with you. (Star Wars)

9. Fasten your seatbelts, it's goging to be a bumpy night. (All About Eve)

10. You talking to me? (Taxi Driver)

You know the type ...

Endured a rather stressful commute this morning. At first I thought the only thorn in my side was going to be the old man seated behind me, who was gurgling with phlegm as he coughed and sniffled. You know the type: 70+, wiping his nose and mouth with a cloth hankie, has clearly enjoyed a lifetime of booze and cigarettes, as all "real men" do in the Old Country. There was something about his unique tone that, no matter how loud I turned up my iPod, Natalie Cole just couldn't drown out.

But no, it got more interesting than that.

A woman got on the train with her overloaded bike. You know the type: rail-thin, no make up, stick-straight hair pulled back. Probably only watches PBS or listens to Celtic Woman while munching on baby carrots. Usually rides her bike to work to reduce her carbon footprint. I don't know why she thought she needed to bring her bike on the el this morning during rush hour. She doesn't do it often, because she didn't know how to store it, letting it lean across three seats (thereby depriving six passengers of a place to sit).

However, I had a seat, and there were several other open, so I, like most commuters, ignored her.

HE, however, didn't. You know the type: young middle-aged, blue collar. Wearing a pull on knit hat and a thick, well-worn, water-repellent jacket. Unzipped, possibly because the zipper is broken. He was mad when he got on the train. Probably was mad when he woke up this morning. You know the type: you just hope he doesn't have a dog at home to kick.

He told her he wanted to sit in one of the seats her bike was obstructing. If the train were more crowded, I'd think he had a point. Between the bike and her skinny self, she was taking up 7 seats and had only paid for one.

She started to act like a victim, complaining about the rain and something about the bus she usually takes to work. I admit she was annoying. I mean, it's not like it wasn't raining on all of us. And most of the time, the CTA is pretty reliable. If something went wrong with her bus, well, shit happens.

He started to get aggressive, talking about her very loudly in the third person, saying she's only interested in her own comfort and not that of the other passengers. He had a point, but he also had access to another seat, so I don't see why he had to get so damn mad. Except that's what guys like him do.

So then she got all school-marmy, because that's what women like her do. And she lectured him more about how she tried to take the bus with her bike and he should just take another seat.

He got angrier, told her that her problems weren't his business, and started to move her bike.

She shot out of her seat and squealed, causing another man to get involved, holding the bike still and telling him to chill and just take another seat.

The angry man grabbed the newspaper she had been reading, balled it up and sat down where she had been. "OK! THIS is the seat I want!"

Being the way she is, she couldn't let it go. She leaned on her bike as if to protect it and accused him of assaulting her.

Being the way he is, he couldn't resist yelling some more. He called her "Lady" and warned her to shut up because he hadn't assaulted her ... yet.

We all rode on in silence for a while. Then the train arrived at his stop and he angrily, dramatically stomped off. She called out after him about how difficult he had made her morning.

I felt like saying to her, "Look, you both had seats. Why did you let it escalate?" But I didn't. Because my stop was next and I just wanted to get out of there.

I realized, though, as I was watching it unfold, that they each reinforced the stereotype I had of them. I wonder if seeing people as "types" and assuming how they are going to act gets in the way of really relating.

Likewise, I wonder what "type" people think I am. I guess I bear more than a passing resemblance to Elena Kagan. So my fellow commuters probably thought of me as a pudgy, middle-aged, lesbian/old maid cat lady. Of course I do not find that assessment flattering. Of course not. A woman like me wouldn't.

After all, you know the type ...

Mother's Day 2010

Let me preface this by saying my mother is healthier than she was last year on this day, and for that I'm grateful. I love my mother very much and would like to have her around for a long time.

That said, Mother's Day 2010 was unsettling.

No, not because my mom was dissatisfied with her gift. She was happy with the set of six commemorative repeat/three-peat Bulls glasses, prominently featuring her beloved Michael Jordan. And yes, yesterday she recalled that earlier this year I'd given her $500 to care for her poor sick cat, Lucy, and that we had agreed that would be her Mother's Day present. So our visit was pleasant. I "got" her on Sunday because my kid sister and her family wanted to fuss over my mother on Saturday.

I noticed that she's looking older every time I see her, and she can be very vague in conversation, but we got along well. The best times were when we rhapsodizing about my niece and nephew, who my mom and I agree are fantabulous.

The weird part was my kid sister. First, my mom relayed a message from her -- my sister has decided that "the adults" aren't exchanging gifts anymore for holidays or birthdays because she and her husband can't afford it. I said to my mom, "They're still buying for you, right?" Yes, she said. So it's just ME that my sister and her husband aren't exchanging gifts with anymore.

Also, I have been trying to engineer a few days of "side jobs" for my brother-in-law at a friend's house. After all, I keep hearing about how dire their financial straits are, and I know he does handyman projects on weekends. My brother-in-law has embarrassed me by not even returning my friend's calls. Okeedokee.

Then my kid sister kept calling. First to talk to my mom, then to me, then my mom again. The first calls were about a cat she was thinking of adopting -- her Mother's Day gift from her family. She wanted my advice for incorporating a second cat into their household. That's just like my kid sister. As she once said to me during an argument, it doesn't bother her to accept favors from me but somehow I just don't "inspire her to give."

The last call was the most awkward. I heard my mom say, "No, not yet. Soon … Pork would be nice … Breaded … I really shouldn't right now … No not yet …" I just packed up my purse and called a cab. It was clear that my sister was ordering carry out for her family and my mother and I wasn't included. Since she was in such a hurry for me to get out of my mother's house, I did my best to oblige.

As my mom gets older, I promise myself I will try to get along with my sisters for her sake. But the fact of the matter is, my kid sister is a selfish brat without redeeming features -- except, of course, my niece and nephew.

Movie Monday -- My Movie Budget

Share on how you budget for your movie fix and any ways that you save or splurge. Link back here at The Bumbles and don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

This one is easy: I don't budget. My movie-going tends to be very spontaneous. If I have a couple of free hours on a Saturday afternoon, I check to see what's playing at the local theater. If I know I'm going to be at the mall, I see what's playing at the big-ass multiplex. The only time I really plan a trip to the movies is when I'm going to celebrate someone's birthday (both my oldest friend and my friend, John, prefer trips to the movies than more conventional parties).

One money-saving tip I've learned: a movie and dinner (meaning movie at 4:00 and dinner at 7:00) always costs less than dinner and a movie because you can take advantage of the cheaper weekend price. It also gives you the opportunity to discuss the movie over dinner.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Speed Dating Meme

1. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Green Eggs & Ham

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? Ann Marie's NY apartment from That Girl. Built in bookshelves, exposed brick, a huge bathroom and a very tiny kitchen.

3. What's the longest you've gone without sleep? 23 hours.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song? Even Now. That's the insidious thing about break-ups -- they actually have you relating to Barry fucking Manilow songs.

5. Who's your favorite Muppet? Elmo's sister Zoe.

6. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking? Drinking Coke or (worse) Monster all day long at work.

7. What's your favorite website? IMDB.com.

8. What's your favorite school supply? ERASERS! Massive, free-standing erasers, not those little ones on the end of pencils.

9. Who's your favorite TV attorney? Jack McCoy (L&O)

10. What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles? Colonial Williamsburg last month. It's already been a month! Damn. I was so happy during that trip.

11. What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or junk shop? Does this count? I got an autographed copy of Jessica Savitch's biography for 50¢ at the annual library booksale.

12. Where were you on September 11, 2001? Since our agency shared space with the Israeli consulate, I was evacuated by the Chicago police. I will never forget this. Ever.

13. What's your favorite tree? Redbud. My mom has been nurturing a most delicate one in her front yard for more than 40 years and whenever I see one I think of her. (My Mother's Day reference)

14. What's the most interesting biography you've read? Unwise Passions, the biography of Anne Randolph, the woman at the center of one of America's first sex scandals.

15. What do you order when you eat Chinese food? Shrimp.

16. What's the best costume you've ever worn? I enjoyed dressing as Minnie Mouse. I think the black nose and whiskers suited me.

17. What's your least favorite word? The c word.

18. If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be? Georgia, so I could listen to Ray Charles singing about me.

19. Who's your favorite bear? Yogi

20. Describe something that's happened to you for which you have no explanation. I was born with bright green eyes, yet everyone in my family -- both sides -- is/was brown-eyed.

21. If you could travel anywhere in Africa, where would it be? I'm sorry, but I have no desire whatsoever to go to Africa.

22. What did you have for lunch yesterday? A baked potato

23. Where do you go for advice? Friends. I've got quite a diverse group to draw from.

24. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus? Thesaurus

25. Have you ever been snorkeling? Scuba diving? No and no

How did I do at the speed dating thing?
Are we going to hook up?

Vicodin & Betty White -- that's my Saturday night

Went to the dentist today for the second of three (or is it four) appointments to fill a particularly deep and troublesome cavity that appeared under a crown. There was almost nothing to the first appointment, and while I'm sure the dentist explained that today's appointment would be intense, I probably wasn't listening. Which is why I was surprised by all the drilling and scraping noises in my head during my nearly two hours in the chair this afternoon. I overheard words like "scalpel," "bone," and "suture."

I didn't feel any of it as it was going on. My dentist is terrific about really the numbing process. Ditzier than usual, certainly. Sleepy, you betcha. I wasted all afternoon and evening on the sofa.

But now, here I am about 9 hours later, and the dentist was right -- I am swollen and in pain. Thank goodness she had the foresight to prescribe the Vicodin.

And thank God for Betty White on SNL. The Golden Girl (born in my hometown, btw!) is living up to the hype.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Hey Jealousy

1. When was the last time that you got jealous? Thursday. Finally met a coworker from another department whom I'd previously only dealt with via email. She was gorgeous. Not yet 30, flawless skin, and so thin her entire body weighs less than one of my thighs. Blonde, of course. Oh, and she was highly competent, very good at her job. I know it's not very highly evolved of me, but I was so depressed when I left her office!

2. At what point do you finally decide it's time to move forward with your life (like, major changes)? How do you know? What do you do? Usually in the spring, after I go off on vacation, slipping away by myself for a few days of pampering and alone time. The change in surroundings lends a change in perspective. I have made several big decisions when I've been away -- to buy my own place, to work my down the corporate ladder … How to take the next step in my "real life" somehow seems clearer when I'm away from it for a few days.

3. When is it time to just let it ('it' can be whatever you choose) go? How do you know? What do you do? When "it" no longer works anymore, I make a change.

4. How many times must someone push your buttons before you've just had enough? Why? Depends on the buttons and depends on the someone. There are some areas that are more sensitive, and some people who are more gifted at the button console.

5. If I S/O were to cheat on you, could you ever see yourself giving them a second chance? Or a third? I did, and I learned a valuable lesson. It's not really about the sex, it's about the boundaries. Once I allowed him to hurt me like that, he seemed to think it was acceptable to hurt me in other ways, as well.

6. What was the last thing that someone did that you were very grateful for? Also Thursday. While at the florist, picking up some poms for my desk, I grabbed a spray rose stem and one of the free "Happy Mother's Day" cards for a pregnant coworker. I put it in a second-hand bud vase that I had tucked away on my office window sill and presented it to her. She literally lit up. She hugged me. Later in the day, she emailed me a photo she had taken with her phone, telling me that this was going into her baby book as her first-ever Mother's Day gift. Such a small, offhand gesture meant so much to her, and she was so open in sharing her joy. She touched my heart and this will stay with me for quite some time.

7. How much time do you spend online in a given weekday? What about the weekends? Too much. I haven't timed it.

8. How many online journals/blogs do you read regularly? What are some of your favorites and why? I like different blogs for different reasons ...
• Kwizgiver lives in another part of the country and yet her life feels very familiar to me
• Snarky Pants is a fan girl like me, and once a fan girl, always a fan girl
• Book Mama and Snowbird very generously share their extended family with us
• The Bumbles are baseball and movie fans, two passions that the best people share
• Vivian has a wise heart
• Mimi is enormously talented

9. What was the last major purchase that you made? I booked my New Year's trip to Key West.