These are the thoughts and observations of me — a woman of a certain age. (Oh, my, God, I'm 65!) I'm single. I'm successful enough (independent, self supporting). I live just outside Chicago, the best city in the world. I'm an aunt and a friend. I feel that voices like mine are rather underrepresented online or in print. So here I am. If my musings resonate with you, please visit my blog again sometime.
The Cubs played, and fell to, the Mariners in Seattle tonight. Lou Piniella's team is struggling, and these days he looks tired whenever they show him in the dugout.
And here we were, in Seattle. Home of past triumphs. I look at you and wonder, "Were you happier with the Mariners, Lou?"
Is this how second wives feel at graduations and weddings and all those other festive occasions when they find themselves face-to-face with the first wife?
There's a guy in my building I have christened The Saddest Boy in the World because, well, he is. He's 40+, currently unemployed, shoulders all the responsibility for his mother, a stroke victim who was unpleasant when she was well.
He's long had a crush on me, which has always made me uncomfortable. For example, one evening, as I was moving my clothes to the dryers from the washers he was waiting to use, he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a writer. Thirty mins. later, when we were both down there again to retrieve my clothes, he brought a 20-year old compilation from a local poetry contest. He was a runner up and he read his poem to me. It was a sweet, touching and profoundly embarrassing moment.
Well, that's all over now. I have seen him twice lately, and both times he has gone out of his way to make sure I saw he was on his cell phone, in a conversation he just couldn't interrupt to speak to me.
1. When is the last time you saw the ocean? Last December, when I was in Key West.
2. Where is your favorite stretch of beach shoreline? Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. One of the most gorgeous spots in the whole country!
3. Are you planning a beach vacation this year? Back to Key West for New Year's.
4. Bikinis or one-piece? One piece. Green.
5. Do you sunbathe or sit under an umbrella? Under an umbrella. With a drink in hand.
6. Have you ever been to a nude beach? God, no! There are parts of my alabaster skin that should never see sunlight. Ouch! Sunburn. Pain!
7. Favorite activity at the beach while on vacation? Sitting under an umbrella with a drink in my hand.
8. Condo, hotel or cottage rental? Hotel. I'm not a very summery, outdoorsy gal. In fact, too much heat makes me growl.
9. What beach in the whole wide world would you like to visit for the first time? Blackpool in England. It sounds so veddy, veddy British.
10. Did you ever have a special romantic time at the beach? Not the beach, technically, but I have snuggled and kissed alongside the Chicago River. 11. Tell us about a favorite beach memory. I was probably 16, which would have made my kid sister about 8. We were staying at the same cottage in Wisconsin my family dragged me to every damn summer. She was on me like Velcro anyway, so I deigned to let her accompany me out, way out to the raft, the destination of choice for us older kids. Of course I wouldn't let her get on the raft with me. I mean, she was only 8 and would listen in on my conversations with the other kids and rat on me. So she hung on the side, just basking in our sophistication. Until I noticed her pudgy fingers let go and glub, glub, glub ... down she went. I slid off the raft to retrieve her. She grabbed hold of my legs and quickly crawled up my body like a little monkey. I can still feel her hands and legs as she climbed to my shoulders. And stood there. Holding me under for what seemed like forever. Finally one of the other kids pulled her onto the raft so I could surface.
Save yourself! Stay out of the dungeon! Click here to participate in this meme.
Both Molly the Cat and "my" homeless gentleman in front of McDonald's were out today! It made me happy to be able share my change with them, and I worry about them when they aren't around for a day or two.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
As promised, today I took a close look into the sunglasses drawer. Once I added the glasses I found in jacket pockets and handbags and carelessly left on the kitchen counter, I confirmed what I suspected: I don't need to buy another pair of sunglasses again for a long, long time. Not when I have:
7 pairs with black frames 4 pairs with blue 3 pairs with brown 1 pair with purple 1 pair with grey
As with the earrings, now that I know what I have, I can choose more carefully in the morning and enjoy all that I have collected. I'm tossing one pair with a broken stem and one broken glasses case, and donating an additional two pairs of sunglasses and two cases to Goodwill.
The people of the Gulf Coast are our neighbors. They are suffering ... again. This horrible oil spill is making it difficult for them to work, which means it's hard for them to keep up with their bills and their rent payments.
They need our help.
This country proved very generous when Haiti was decimated. I'd like to see us display similar compassion and generosity toward our own. I'm doing my small part by including this link. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is affiliated with Feeding America and Catholic Charities. I encourage everyone to investigate this and consider making a contribution.
Yes, BP has put aside $20 billion to handle the clean up and to respond to claims by those in the Gulf who have lost their livelihood. But even if the fund distributes the funds efficiently, it will still take weeks for checks to be cut.
These people don't have weeks to wait for that money. They have medical bills … utility bills … housing costs … childcare and petcare expenses … and, perhaps the ultimate insult, they have to pony up about $2.60/gallon for gas.
The Second Harvest Food Bank is helping these citizens with emergency food services. And I'm helping them with a cash contribution. Because getting a free bag of food from The Second Harvest will help their cash on hand go a little further and last a little longer.
I am going to tell this story without embellishment, because none is necessary. The real-life details are horrifying enough.
Today our agency's new chief creative officer started. This is a very big deal. There was a reception for him and we were all supposed to go up and shake his hand.
I went up to the meeting room where the reception was being held. I saw our agency president holding court, allowing two of our top production chiefs to sniff his ass with so much enthusiasm I thought I had wandered into a dog park. Unseemly, yes, but bearable. "Suck it up, Gal," I told myself. "You can expect office politics everywhere there's an office."
I moved over to the buffet, where I heard one of my coworkers ask, loudly, of the ranch dressing he was spooning onto his plate, "Is this lox?" Well, it's not often you encounter white, runny lox. Perhaps the BP oil spill has already done something heinous to all of our salmon.
Then a guy swaggered in who appeared proud of having too many piercings, too many tattoos and a severe, too-black-to-be-natural mullet-mohawk. (This is Brian Bosworth; I am quite sure even he has figured out this look is stupid and abandoned it.)
I couldn't stay another moment. I simply couldn't. I left before the CCO even arrived.
I grabbed a beer and hurried back to my desk to blog about it before I forgot a single detail. And was envious of people who work from home.
I love this movie! Bad Influenceis so perverse, and so 1980s (even though it was released in 1990). Rob Lowe plays the completely decadent, amoral but impossibly seductive Alex -- not unlike the guy I spent the 1980s with in real life. Alex is the opposite of Sam Seaborn of The West Wing. This is a guy who scoffs at idealists, or perhaps sleeps with their wives. James Spader, of all people, is the "normal" one, Everyman, the stand-in for you and me. If you can get past the way most of the women are hidden beneath curly perms and impossibly large polyester shoulders, it's enjoyable in a very twisted way.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
I bought an earring/jewelry display and organized my earrings and necklaces. Now that they're in one place (instead of on the bathroom sink, the nightstand, the coffee table, etc.) I can wear and enjoy them all -- and not buy anything else I don't need. This, I have learned, is one of the secrets of controlling my stuff.
My new Kodak EasyShare M350 is indeed pretty easy to figure out. My big old tomcat, Joey, was a very patient model. If Tyra was here, she'd declare "curly paws" as his signature pose.
1. The phone rings; who don't you want it to be? My kid sister. We never just chat, so I'm afraid it will be bad news about one of her children or our mother.
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Yes. I'm a good girl.
3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? TALKER!
4. What was the last compliment that someone gave you? One of my coworkers said, "I told him (our boss) I just can't be as nice about things as you are."
5. Do you play the lottery? Yes.
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, who would you want with you? I'm sticking with my celebrity answer from last month's Sunday Stealing -- Bill Clinton. As I said then, I think he'd be a riot to hang out with for a few hours. Plus, since he has Secret Service protection and his wife is Secretary of State, someone would come looking for us pronto. 7. Do you like to ride horses? Yes
8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Yes. It was the only thing that made Girl Scouting worthwhile.
9. What is your favorite party game? I don't think I have one ...
10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you go for it? There's no sin in some delicious flirting.
11. When was the last time that you lied? I told the sales guy at Best Buy I was buying the camera on behalf of my siblings for our dad. Since he thought I wasn't making the purchase decision completely on my own, he wouldn't try to upsell me. I just want a little point-and-shoot job, you know?
12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you? Yes, and I have. As long as you treat one another's views with respect, it doesn't have to be a problem.
13. If you have a S/O, who pursued who? If not, do you like to pursue or be pursued? I'm more comfortable pursuing. I think it goes back to that Groucho Marx joke about not wanting to belong to any club that would have someone like me as a member.
14. Use six words to describe yourself. Pudgy. Loyal. Smart. Verbal. Sensitive. Independent.
15. Name a song that could make you cry? "Save the Best for Last." It so perfectly captured our relationship at the beginning. Unfortunately it ended badly, so that song tugs at my most tender heartstrings.
16. Are you pleased with your education? I wish I had more of it.
17. How do you feel about gun control? That it's sad we're still even having this conversation. We need to move away from this Old West mentality, where we're all armed and we settle our disputes in the streets with guns.
18. If your house was on fire, what thing would be the first thing you grabbed? Provided the cats are OK (and after all, they aren't "things"), I'd grab my wallet. Regardless of what happens next, I'll need ID and a credit card.
19. How often do you have a romantic weekend? So seldom, I don't remember.
20. Do you think more about the past, present or future? Future.
21. What was the last adult magazine that you have read? Penthouse.
22. What are you told about your eyes? That they are very pretty and very green.
23. How tall is just right? Height doesn't really matter to me. Maybe because I'm just 5'2.
24. Where is your dream house located? High above Michigan Avenue.
25. Do you have a secret fetish? No. Any suggestions?
26. Have you tried bourbon? If yes, what type? If bourbon is the booze that's in a mint julep, then yes.
27. Have you ever seen a male or female stripper? Yes. We took a road trip to see the male strippers at The Sugar Shack in Lake Geneva. They were dressed like Alladin (while they were dressed).
28. When was the last time you were at TGI Fridays? Years ago. The service isn't what it could be.
29. When was the last time you were at Church? More recently than I've been to TGI Fridays. It's a more pleasant experience.
30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today? It's dawn. The longest distance I have travelled is from the bedroom up the hall to the kitchen. 31. What was your favorite job? I worked in professional product development at Helene Curtis, writing the packaging and promotional materials.It was fun and I learned a ton about marketing
32. What condiments do you like at your BBQ? BBQ what? I like to add cinnamon to pork and beans. I put butter and salt on my corn on the cob. BBQ pork, beef and chicken don't require anything extra.
33. Bud is hosting Thursday Thunks this week. Will you play? I may. I may not. I'm wacky, madcap and devil-may-care that way.
34. Do you look like your mom or dad? Actually no. My parents and my two sisters are all dark eyed and tan easily. I'm green eyed and very pale. I used to think I was adopted.
35. Who was the last person that you showered with (it's okay to leave out the name)? Does a bath count?
But I was very disappointed in it. Sex and the City 2, that is.
The boondoggle to Dubai is every bit the distraction as I feared it would be. Carrie's enduring love for Manhattan is so much a part of her character that something vital is missing. The slapstick hijinks are silly and insulting -- both to Middle Eastern culture and my intelligence. Samantha has become such a caricature that she's lost her humanity.
But it has it's moments -- my favorite is when Miranda gets Charlotte plastered, comparing notes on their lives as mothers. These are two characters that don't get much one-on-one time, and besides, friendship has always been at the heart of the SATC saga.
I also came away with new respect for Chris Noth and Cynthia Nixon. They alone are consistently authentic, even as the situations their characters find themselves in become more other worldly.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
A day of actually DOING what I say I'm GONNA DO to get my life in order. I finally took that sweater set (that's been just sitting atop the dirty clothes hamper) to the dry cleaner, along with two winter coats. This is something I've been telling myself I'm GONNA DO for two weeks now. I began a new bag for Goodwill and also dropped another bag of bags (yes, I know, my bag fetish is ridiculous) at Kohl's for recycling before I went to Best Buy to get my new camera.
Apparently electronics are popular Father's Day gifts, because Best Buy had a great sale on digital cameras. This is my new baby, a Kodak EasyShare M350. Hopefully I can figure out how to use it over the weekend.
1. When was your last train ride? Thursday. It feels like I'm forever on trains -- the el or commuter trains to and from work, Amtrak to visit my client in downstate IL. Which is fine by me. Trains are a very peaceful way to travel.
2. How many foreign countries have you visited? Tell us about one. Five. Liechtenstein is the easiest to talk about. We literally drove through it one afternoon. I recall that it was very beautiful, with lots of pink and red roadside wildflowers everywhere. From what I could tell, they speak German rather exclusively -- as opposed to Switzerland, where everyone seemed to speak German or French or English.
3. What do you always take with you on vacation? Stamps so I can send postcards to friends and family.
4. Tell us about something you've lost recently. My ambition to be very productive on this, my day off. I got three loads of laundry done, vacuumed and straightened up under the sink, but that's about it. I think I went horribly off course when I stumbled upon I Love Lucy reruns onthe Hallmark Channel.
5. Do you prefer action packed vacations or relaxing ones? Relaxing. I have no desire to go on safari or climb a mountain.
6. How long will you wait in a check out line before abandoning your purchases? Depends on whether I'm on my way to catch a bus or train. If I'm not on a schedule, I'm rather patient.
7. How old do you wish you were? 35. I felt very womanly and sexy at 35.
8. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes. But there's room for improvement.
9. Tell us about your tattoos. Or if you had to get a tattoo, where and what would it be? I don't have any tats and don't want any. However, if there weren't needles and permanent dyes involved, I might get something small and discreet on my right shoulder.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
The bag situation around here really is pathetic. Why do I hang onto them? Why is the thought of being without the proper bag for disposing of sodden litter or glass/plastic recyclables so intolerable? Well, tonight I have set aside yet another big bag of bags for the Peapod driver to take in exchange for my groceries.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
This may not sound like a big deal, but trust me, for this Gal, it is. Yesterday, en route to picking up my nephew for the ballgame, I stopped at Goodwill and dropped off a bag of little stuff -- about two dozen pairs of earrings, brand-new pink flip-flops (a giveaway from a salon), a pair of books. The old me wouldn't have bothered "yet," figuring the bag wasn't big enough to bother with. What the New Clean Me realizes is that I actually must DO what I'm GONNA DO to get stuff out of here. Whether it's actually mailing that package to Operation: Shoebox, remembering to place that extra cosmetics bag I bought in my gym bag, or donating my costume jewelry to Goodwill, follow through matters even more than intention.
I love a close contest, and this was one. It was tied into the bottom of the 9th. And, thanks to Kosuke Fukodome, the Cubs won. Now I'm exhausted.
I spent 9 hours with my nephew, start to finish, and that's one long day for a barren spinster who usually only spends 9 hours at a crack with immature art directors. He started out mega-excited and ended up a little sullen. But I guess that's what happens to 10 year old boys over the long haul. Even good ones.
And we can file this under, "from out of the mouths of babes." When he saw the BP ad on Wrigley Field scoreboard, my nephew asked me if they had to pay to get it shown up there. I confirmed that yes, indeed, they did. He said he believed they'd do better to give that money to the fishermen who have lost work because of the spill. I was very proud of him.
Like this kitty, I can't bear to have you look at me right now, because I have done nothing to improve my standard at living at home. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I just ate dinner, watched the game, twittered, and paid a lot of bills. Now I'm going to bed.
That's Jon Stewart on the President's address from the Oval Office about the spill. The Daily Show is funnier than ever these days. For those who suspected that Stewart and Colbert would be handcuffed by a Democratic President, unable to find topics to mine for humor, they need not have worried.
After riffing on Obama's lackluster speech, Stewart took off after the Fox commentators who called the President "disingenuous" for invoking religion at the end of his address. How, he asked, would they have responded if he'd attended church to pray for divine intervention about the Gulf?
"Cannibal Obama feasts on Christ's blood."
Don't get me wrong -- there isn't an aspect of this that doesn't break my heart. I hate what's happening to, and will continue to devastate, our neighbors on the Gulf Coast. I hate the partisanship when we should be pulling together. I hate the apathy, the way some citizen's eyes glaze over the topic of the spill comes up. I hate that last night I got Jimmy Carter when I longed for JFK.
But I've got Jon and Stephen. Reminds me of those long ago days of Watergate, when the first 10 minutes of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show took away some of the sting with laughter.
I am about to leave the office, not to return until June 21! These four days will include an observance of Sir Paul's 68th birthday, a trip to the vet, at least one workout and a possible excursion to the movies.
But the raison d'etre is tomorrow's baseball game! My nephew and I are going on our summer outing to see the Cubs play the Oakland A's. Some families have Ellis Island, mine has Wrigley Field. Once again I will point out all the signposts that bring past generations to life in that ballpark, and hopefully he'll feel a connection to those he never knew.
So much crazy news out there lately -from sunbursts to outbursts to implants to supplements. Here are a few topics spinning off the newswire.. Sound off and tell us how you really feel about it. Your opinion counts.
1. What would you do about the BP oil spill? Give us your suggestions. I don't understand why everyone says we must "partner" with BP because they have the technology to fix the problem. Don't BP, Halliburton and Transocean have competitors? Don't these other companies have contingency plans in case of a spill? Let's call on them, encourage them to help, and reward them handsomely if they can successfully clean up after BP. (BTW, I know they wouldn't work well together. I want the competitors to be as fiercely cutthroat as possible, trying to come up with the best way possible to fix hole.)
3. It’s hot! The heat index topped 104 degrees today in some parts of the United States. How is the weather in your part of the world? Low 80s and sunny.
4. Do you think smoking should be banned in public places? Yes. Here in Chicagoland it pretty much is prohibited.
5. Unemployment from the top down: Do you think President Obama has a good chance or no chance of being re-elected in the next US election? Depends on who he's running against.
6. What??! Actor Gary Coleman’s wife reportedly sold private pictures of the deceased actor on his deathbed. This girl gets progressively creepier with every new revelation.
7. Texting while driving.Do you? Don't you? Will you? Won't you? I don't drive, so I'm innocent of all charges.
8. Lindsay Lohan. Has she been treated fairly or unfairly by the legal system? Let's just say the legal system in California has a history of being more than fair to celebrities.
9. The Sarah Palin rumor mill caught wind of her recent decision to have breast implants….so said the reporters-who-need-to-get-a-job-and-stop-making-up-news. She has denied the earthshaking allegations. Was this really news? Sure. Why not? If Heidi Montag's multi-surgeries are newsworthy, so's the "did she/didn't she" on Sister Sarah.
10. An asteroid is supposed to hit Earth this Friday. Are you prepared? Asteroid ... Is that "duck and cover" or "stop, drop and roll?"
Play along and stay out of the dungeon! Click here for details.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
Lordie, but I have a lot of buttons! And yarn. Seems every blouse or sweater I buy comes with extra buttons and yarn and, being a slob by nature, I just kinda leave them wherever they lay. Not anymore, folks! Not the new Clean Me! All the buttons and yarn -- as well as their "clutter cousins," the earring backs -- have been assembled.Oh! And the hair clips and headbands I bought while experimenting with longer hair have been collected and tucked away, too. The top of my dresser looks like someone else sleeps in this bedroom! I also threw went through my cosmetics basket on my dresser and threw away three tubes of lipstick because, well, I hate lipstick. I have no idea why or when I bought this stuff, but it was beyond time to bid it adieu.
En route from lunch I road the elevator with a pair of impeccably groomed young men who were commenting on how "rotten" Chicago's baseball teams are and that's why they "hate baseball."
I fantasized spinning around, in full Scarlett O'Hara/fury mode, and slapping them across their smug faces. "Hate baseball? Don't ever say you hate baseball! Why, that's the same as saying you hate your Pa and Mother, that you hate America!"
Do twentysomethings still watch Gone with the Wind? Would they know that scene?
Oh well, I like imagining them rubbing their freshly shaved (and now freshly slapped) cheeks and wondering "what the fu ..." as I flounced off the elevator. (Because Scarlett would flounce.)
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
I was once involved with a guy who was really into ... um ... a particular kind of lingerie. And, because I especially enjoyed being with him when he was especially happy, I had a drawer of that lingerie.
Note the tense: "had."
For I opened the drawer disposed of all the lacy lovelies. I mean, I couldn't donate them to Goodwill, could I?
While I hope I'm through with the support hose, I won't know for sure until next month. And, since they cost about $30/pair, I don't want them to snag so I put them in the quilt-top lingerie box.
It was a true sitcom moment. Rhoda would tell Mary how this was the perfect metaphor for a life gone hopelessly awry: yesterday's silk thigh top stockings are now today's industrial-strength support hose.
I'm trying not to look at it that way, though. I'm trying to see it as simply freeing up most of another drawer and bringing me closer to a "Clean Me."
Today at lunchtime I did 32 minutes on the stationery bike, about 20 shoulder presses, lots of leg presses because they're easy and, at the opposite end of the easy spectrum, just about a dozen crunches. I have very strong leg muscles and mushy old abdominals.
Still, it was good to feel those endorphins pumping. I realize that one trip to the health club won't make me the world's oldest SI Swimsuit Cover Girl, but it was a natural mood enhancer.
BABY TALK. Share movies featuring babies, linking back here at the Bumbles.
Away We Go. Sam Mendes of Revolutionary Road and American Beauty directed this lovely little road film starring John Krasinski of The Office (hidden behind a bushy beard and glasses) and Maya Rudolph of SNL. These expectant parents travel around the country, trying to find the right place to settle down and raise the baby she's carrying. Not only does mommy-to-be keep getting bigger and bigger, which reminds us that a wee one is imminent, they visit parents and kids in their travels. (Maggie Gyllenhaal is the funniest and most disturbing new mom in recent memory.)
Terms of Endearment. This modern classic is a love story between a mother and daughter. The tenor of their relationship is established early on when Aurora stands gazing at peacefully sleeping Emma and then starts worrying that the baby isn't asleep at all, but dead. She is so paniced she practically climbs into the crib. Realizing she won't fit, she pinches the baby. Once Emma starts screaming in pain, Aurora is reassured that her baby is fine. The encounter between baby and mama shows us how deeply Aurora cares, but how important it is to her that Emma behave as Aurora wishes and in the way she expects.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
Even if I lose a gazillion pounds, I won't want to wear control-top, reinforced toe panty hose ... EVER! Especially not after my interlude with support hose. So I disposed of an entire drawer of obsolete hose. I even had one pair still in its L'Eggs Egg ... and those plastic containers were discontinued in 1991!
Now I have an empty drawer I can devote to all that junk jewelry I discovered. If I keep it organized, I'll wear and enjoy it again.
Ted Lilly pitches a no-hitter into the 9th. Toss in a balk for good measure. The game ends with the bases loaded with dreaded White Sox ... standing there in the freaking rain!
People who say baseball is "boring" didn't watch THIS game!
My apologies to my beloved old tomcat, Joey, who endured me clapping and cheering throughout this awesome game. He's giving me "curly paws" now as he hopes he can go back to napping in earnest.
1. You’re building your dream house. What’s the one thing that this house absolutely, positively MUST HAVE? (other than the obvious basics of course) A good location. I want to be able to leave the house and walk around in a neighborhood that makes me feel comfortable and welcome.
2. What is your dream car? One that comes with a driver.
3. What is your favorite website that isn’t a blog? imdb.com
4. iPhone 4 or Droid, which do you want? I'd prefer the cash, thank you.
5. When you’re feeling down or lonely or just generally out of sorts, what do you do to cheer yourself up? I turn to Cubs baseball, or I listen to The Beatles. Those two things have been cheering me up for decades now.
6. Tell me about something or someone that you love that most people seem to hate. Nancy Grace. She's so hideous, so hostile, so inconsistent and insincere, she's sublime.
7. What do you want to be when you grow up? A great singer/actress. Being tone-deaf and plain got in the way.
8. Would you go on a reality show if given the chance? NO! Dear God, no.
9. Who was your favorite teacher when you were growing up. (Grade school, Middle School, Jr. High or High School only.) My third grade teacher. She made us all feel as though there truly are "no bad ideas."
10. You get one pass to do something illegal or immoral. What are you gonna do? Sleep with someone I shouldn't.
11. What were you doing 10 years ago? Trying to decide if I wanted to buy or continue renting.
12. By this time next year, I ... want to both my body and home to look and feel better.
13. Do you think the United States will elect a female President in your lifetime? Do you think this would be a good thing? Yes, I do. And whether it's a good or a bad thing depends on the woman.
15. What is your greatest pet peeve? People who are so in love with their own victim status they do nothing to change it.
16. Tell me about your most recent trip of more than 100 miles? Our client is located 114 miles south of here. I went down there last Thursday. The creative presentation went well, and I rewarded myself with a trip to their local mall, which includes an A&W, so I had a root beer float.
17. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus? Thesaurus
18. Do you have a nickname? What is it? My nicknames come and go. Years ago, my dad called me, "Tiger."
19. What are you dreading at the moment? Being old, poor, and dependent.
20. Do you worry that others will judge you from reading some of your answers? No.
21. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship. His youth.
22. What were you doing this morning at 8am? Hitting the snooze-alarm.
23. Do you have any famous relatives? No.
24. How many different beverages have you drank today? 5 (water, milk, coke, juice, vodka) 25. What is something you are excited about? My nephew and I are going to the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field this Thursday. It's Ryan Theriot Juicy Fruit Bobblehead Day at the ball park.(Doesn't it look more like Tom Cruise?)
26. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group? It was a presentation for work in February. The conference room was pretty packed. I think I did rather well.
27. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
28. What were you doing at midnight last night? Snoring
I was having a good day. It began with a very virtuous morning -- returning my library book on time, mailing a box of paperbacks off to Operation: Shoebox, and donating a bag of groceries to the local food pantry. I rewarded myself with a lovely lunch at FlatTop Grill (including a "taste size" Triple Chocolate Storm for dessert, as I'm back on my diet tomorrow). Took a nap, and then watched a nearly satisfying Cubs game (see below). Then I made my mistake -- checking in with my mom. Once again, something that has nothing to do with me is MY FAULT. It's as though in this family, my culpability is pre-destined, as though the dictate came from on high: Everything is always MY FAULT.
My oldest friend began preparing her home for possible sale back in the spring. She asked me if my brother-in-law (a maintenance worker by trade) would be willing to make some extra money, doing extra jobs around her house. I conveyed her question to him. He said that since money in their house was going to be tight for months to come, he was eager to do it. So I gave him her number.
He didn't call. He forgot. Fine, whatever. Shit happens.
More than a month went by. My friend wrote out a list of projects she wanted my brother-in-law to do and handed it to my niece to take home and place in her dad's hand. My niece complied.
So I heard (through my mother) that my brother-in-law called my oldest friend "yesterday" and she "still" hasn't called back. Give me a fucking break. The woman is a single, working mother, trying to decide whether or not to change jobs, sell her home and move 2000 miles away this summer, and my sister* is upset that she didn't return my brother-in-law's months overdue call instantly.
So my brother-in-law finally makes his way to my oldest friend's house last Saturday. He spent the day there, accomplishing everything on her list. She paid him, and mentioned to me that he did a good job and was "a godsend." I thought it all went well. I thought this was the end of it. I know my friend thinks it's the end of it.
But today my mom asked why he's not going to my friend's home anymore. What was the problem? Is she unhappy with what he charged or something?
My mother is asking because clearly my sister* was expecting him to make more money at my friend's house than he did. I am supposed to impose myself into this somehow. Fix it. Make it better. Get my sister more money somehow.
My brother-in-law is knocking on 50. He has been doing these side jobs for years. I assume he knows how to negotiate his own price.
My friend gave him a list. He accomplished all the items on it. She cut him a check. Why are we even talking about it anymore?
Because everything is my fault. My responsibility.
It doesn't feel like such a good day anymore. I need a drink.
* It's always my sister who is upset. By contrast, my brother-in-law almost never gets upset. It's as if their household has a pissy quota and my sister fulfills it.
The Cubs dropped the first two games of the Crosstown Classic to the dreaded White Sox, and yet I really enjoyed today's contest. Yes, it was a loss. But it was exciting, a nailbiter to the end. If they continue playing with this much heart, I'm sure the Cubs' fortunes will turn and a winning streak is in our future!
The Cubs played, and fell to, the Mariners in Seattle tonight. Lou Piniella's team is struggling, and these days he looks tired whenever they show him in the dugout.
1. When is the last time you saw the ocean? Last December, when I was in Key West.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
iently, it will still take weeks for checks to be cut.
y swaggered in who appeared proud of having too many piercings, too many tattoos and a severe, too-black-to-be-natural mullet-mohawk. (This is Brian Bosworth; I am quite sure even he has figured out this look is stupid and abandoned it.)
I love this movie! Bad Influence is so perverse, and so 1980s (even though it was released in 1990). Rob Lowe plays the completely decadent, amoral but impossibly seductive Alex -- not unlike the guy I spent the 1980s with in real life. Alex is the opposite of Sam Seaborn of The West Wing. This is a guy who scoffs at idealists, or perhaps sleeps with their wives. James Spader, of all people, is the "normal" one, Everyman, the stand-in for you and me. If you can get past the way most of the women are hidden beneath curly perms and impossibly large polyester shoulders, it's enjoyable in a very twisted way.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
But I was very disappointed in it. Sex and the City 2, that is.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
Apparently electronics are popular Father's Day gifts, because Best Buy had a great sale on digital cameras. This is my new baby, a Kodak EasyShare M350. Hopefully I can figure out how to use it over the weekend.
w many foreign countries have you visited? Tell us about one. Five. Liechtenstein is the easiest to talk about. We literally drove through it one afternoon. I recall that it was very beautiful, with lots of pink and red roadside wildflowers everywhere. From what I could tell, they speak German rather exclusively -- as opposed to Switzerland, where everyone seemed to speak German or French or English.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
That's Jon Stewart on the President's address from the Oval Office about the spill. The Daily Show is funnier than ever these days. For those who suspected that Stewart and Colbert would be handcuffed by a Democratic President, unable to find topics to mine for humor, they need not have worried.
I am about to leave the office, not to return until June 21! These four days will include an observance of Sir Paul's 68th birthday, a trip to the vet, at least one workout and a possible excursion to the movies.
So much crazy news out there lately -from sunbursts to outbursts to implants to supplements. Here are a few topics spinning off the newswire.. Sound off and tell us how you really feel about it. Your opinion counts.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
En route from lunch I road the elevator with a pair of impeccably groomed young men who were commenting on how "rotten" Chicago's baseball teams are and that's why they "hate baseball."
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
relationship is established early on when Aurora stands gazing at peacefully sleeping Emma and then starts worrying that the baby isn't asleep at all, but dead. She is so paniced she practically climbs into the crib. Realizing she won't fit, she pinches the baby. Once Emma starts screaming in pain, Aurora is reassured that her baby is fine. The encounter between baby and mama shows us how deeply Aurora cares, but how important it is to her that Emma behave as Aurora wishes and in the way she expects.
Every day I am going to do something -- no matter how small -- to improve my standard of living at home.
The Cubs dropped the first two games of the Crosstown Classic to the dreaded White Sox, and yet I really enjoyed today's contest. Yes, it was a loss. But it was exciting, a nailbiter to the end. If they continue playing with this much heart, I'm sure the Cubs' fortunes will turn and a winning streak is in our future!
