Sunday Stealing

Shannon's Moments Meme, Part One

1. Do you like blue cheese? No, but thank you for asking.

2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit? I've never smoked. Anything. Few notions creep me out more than taking smoke into my lungs and letting it out my nose, thereby polluting the air around me and leaving my hair all stinky.

3. Do you own a gun? How are your feelings about gun control/2^nd amendment rights? I live in a city awash in guns. Firearms that come in from Indiana and Kentucky, two states with lax gun laws. I am sick about all the children caught in gang cross fire. It would seem to me that sportsmen and responsible gun owners would want this kind of violence to stop. Yet they do nothing. 

25 Chicagoans were shot in 14 hours yesterday. How do you think I feel about gun control? Do not even try to tell me that this mayhem would be curbed if "good guys had guns." EVERYONE already has guns! That's the problem! People who don't live here don't get it.

This 10-year-old boy was shot in front of his twin sister, 5 miles from my home. He is now fighting for his life. Perhaps he should have been armed? (PS I'm warning you -- gun control is a dearly held conviction of mine. If you don't agree, keep it to yourself. You have your own blog. Post it there. BTW, this is why I'm not visiting many other Sunday Stealings today.)

4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors? I need a drink after question #3! My preferred liquor is vodka. 

5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why? Yes. Because I don't want to get bad news.

6. How do you like your hot dogs? Sliced and mixed with baked beans.

And this was taken in Key West! I love Key West.

7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before. Up Close and Personal (1996). It's a newsroom drama, loosely based on Jessica Savitch's life. I like the way it handles local vs. national news coverage. And I love the way their romance is handled. Sometimes we meet the perfect person at the wrong time.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I have a lot of sugar in the morning -- a Coke and a glass of chocolate milk.

9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…) I don't think so. I try to present the most gracious version of myself -- more Melanie Hamilton than Scarlett O'Hara. But that's not cooler or hipper, is it?

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why? I wear a black diamond infinity ring on my right hand. I don't know why I love it, but I do.

11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it. I

love classic movies because this intrinsically American art form gives us a snapshot of who we are at any given moment. Just last month a group of us movie geeks were watching Butterfield 8 (1960). It's a glamorous, soapy Elizabeth Taylor vehicle, but one thing about it struck me as rather important. Her character is "the slut of all time" as a result of her abuse as a child. Yet the movie treats her sexual molestation as somehow her fault. We've come a long way in 55 years, haven't we? It's as cool to watch us evolve as a society as it is to watch the hairstyles.

12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it? No.

13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself? My chins. I have too many.

14. Middle name? Like it or not? It's fine. I don't use it often, so I don't care much.

15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week: I don't understand the question. This past week or this coming week? I'll answer with random thoughts I'll probably have during coming week ...

1) Go, Cubs, go!

2) I don't think I want to go to the all-agency picnic.

3) Where did I leave my keys/phone?

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them. Coke, orange juice, water. I believe you're familiar with all three.

17. Current worry: Money.

18. Current annoyance: My cat Reynaldo keeps knocking stuff over in an attempt to hold my attention.

19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”. Watching the Cubs! Online from my desk at work, through headphones as I run my errands, on the sofa at home, from a stool in a bar, and soon, from within The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.

20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be? I used to ring in the New Year with friends in Key West. Over the past few years, I've switched my travel plans from New Year's to Christmas, so my New Year's is up for grabs. Last year I watched Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper and enjoyed it thoroughly. In my fantasy, I'd like to get a hotel room at the Intercontinental in Times Square and watch the ball drop.

Isn't he lovely?

21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please. See Question 19. I am so in love with this Cub team. I don't think I'll ever forget them. Here's a picture of the league's top homer hitter, KRIS BRYANT.

22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on? Why would anyone do that?

Feeling virtuous this morning

Yesterday, after lunch with my nephew, I didn't take a cab* home. Instead I walked to the high school and took the Saturday bus home.

•  This cost $1.75, vs. $12 to $20 in car fare
•  It had me hoofing it for more than a mile and a half, and at a nice clip
•  I traveled the same route I took when I was a high school student, 45 years ago, and I was surprised by how clearly I remembered it.

My favorite part of this journey, though, took place at the bus stop. I was waiting with a woman who told me she was 64 years old and spoke to me as though I was much, much younger. I am so not. (I'm 58.) This made me happy.

Now I'd just had my hair done. I was dressed in jeans in a t-shirt. My glasses were dark and obscured my face somewhat. But still, to be viewed as "a kid" by a peer made me happy.

*or Uber or Lyft

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 20

Look at my happy kitty

Saturday's happiness: Catsup on pizza. My nephew, now a junior in high school, still likes to dip his thin crust pizza in catsup. It made me smile to see that remnant of his little boyhood.

We had lunch together on Saturday and as always, he wanted to talk politics. He had been a passionate Sanders supporter, and he can explain his point of view with great clarity (though perhaps too much emotion). But now he's "with her." 

He supports Hillary now with more enthusiasm than he thought he would, and a lot of it has to do with the horrible rumors about Parkinson's that are given oxygen by the even more horrible Martin Shkreli. 

This is particularly odious to me because my favorite uncle bravely battled Parkinson's and died of it in 2010. I wasn't sure how well my nephew recalls his great uncle. He does. And with compassion. 

As an enthusiastic Bernie Bro, he can list all Clinton's shortcomings. But he is disgusted with her opposition for these rumors. As appalled as he is, that's how proud I am. His heart and his integrity are impressive for one so young. (Or,  as you consider the conspiracy mongers, perhaps his integrity and heart are impressive at any age.)

We also talked about school. He still hates it, but "at least this year is easy." We talked about The Beatles, of course. He is a massive Beatle fan and was interested in my tales of The Fest. We talked about The Cubs -- because he knows that I always want to talk to about the Cubs. 

Despite his height and his ugly neckbeard, he's still the sweet little boy he's always been. And he still likes to dip his pizza in catsup.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy cat. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

Saturday 9

The Trolley Song

1) In this movie clip, everyone (except Judy) is wearing a hat. Do you wear hats for fashion, for warmth or for both? I don't wear hats. I hate hat hair. Come winter I'll flip on a hood or slip on my crocheted headphones for warmth.

2) This song is from Meet Me in St. Louis, which was a huge hit and the second highest grossing movie of 1944. When is the last time you watched a movie in the theater?  I saw an oldie from 1939, The Rains Came, with my movie group back on August 9.

3) The movie follows the Smith family as their hometown, St. Louis, to prepares to host the 1904 World's Fair. What's the biggest thing happening in your hometown? The first place Cubs! More than 30 games over .500, and with Kris Bryant, who went 5-for-5 on Thursday.

4) This week's featured artist, Judy Garland, is best known as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. That movie is shown so often that Sam thinks she may have seen it a dozen times. Is there a movie or holiday special you've seen over and over? Probably the one I've seen the most is The Sound of Music.

5) Judy admitted to being perpetually tardy. Are you usually prompt? Or are you always running late? For everything but work, I'm on time. I'm always late for work.

6) Judy's first professional performance was a rendition of "Jingle Bells" when she was just two. How old were you when you entered your chosen profession? 21.

7) Thinking of "Jingle Bells," here's a wintery question for a hot summer day: What's your favorite carol? River. It's so poignant.




8) Judy was a very demonstrative person. She enjoyed hugs and admitted that, when she nervous, she took emotional support from physically reaching out. Are you demonstrative? Not really.

9) She told Barbara Walters that people would be surprised to learn that she was a good cook and specialized in desserts. Do you have a sweet tooth? Dear God, YES!

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 19

Look at my happy kitty

Friday's happiness: My new hairdryer. It's been so humid here, and every time I look in the mirror, my hair looks a little different. Curlier and more cowlicky. I hate it.

The only respite was when we were at the hotel last week. That little hair dryer left my hair looking so shiny and smooth and manageable! I found it on Amazon for just $20 and ordered it before I checked out Monday.

It arrived yesterday and I used it the first time this

Love!

morning. I got caught in the rain this morning, and my hair was still looking good.

The best $20 I've ever spent.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy cat. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

"It's all good in here"

"It's all good in here."

That was the catchphrase of my vacation time with my oldest friend. We'd each point at our temples and say, "It's all good in here."

Meaning that our fantasy lives are so much more satsifying than our real lives. And we're good with that.

It started with me reiterating that my love affair with Sir Paul McCartney is the most successful and enduring relationship I've ever had with a man ... and he hasn't been around for a moment of it. But that's OK, said I, because "it's all good in here."

Watching the Cubs on the big screen TV in our hotel room, I rhapsodized about how wise manager Joe Madden is, and how I wish I could bring him with me all the time for advice and support. "You can," my friend said, touching her temple. "In here. Because it's all good in here."

For her part, she talked about how involved she was with the exhaustive 2-volume Frank Sinatra biography I recommended. She wondered how long she would have lasted with Frank (since no woman lasted very long) and whether their break up would be sweet or hostile. Yes, she's aware he's been dead for nearly 20 years. But what difference does that make? "It's all good in here."

She is turning 60. We were at The Fest for Beatle Fans, her chosen way of celebration.* So indulging in fantasy was totally appropriate and the order of the day(s). But here's the thing:

I think she may be too deep in her own head, and not involved enough in the world around her.

Beatle fan Terrence Howard

We saw actor Terrence Howard at the Fest. He wasn't speaking or anything, just moving from booth to booth like the rest of us Beatle fans. As I was texting the news to my pals, my oldest friend was rather annoyed because she had no idea who Terrence Howard is. Not from Empire, or Crash, or The Butler. She used to go to the movies all the time, but since she's moved to LA she goes nowhere. Part of it, she says, is the traffic and parking. No one goes anywhere. 

That's just stupid. If no one went anywhere, there wouldn't be any traffic. Reminds me of that old Yogi Berra-ism -- "It's too crowded so no one goes there anymore."

I think it's because she doesn't like to go anywhere alone, and she hasn't been able to make friends out there. When she bought a car recently, the finance company wanted five references. NONE of them were friends from California. Two were relatives, three were friends from her time here in Chicagoland. She's lived out there for five years!

I know how hard she's working on managing her bipolar condition. But she gets such little support from the cousin she moved out there to be near, and she feels very alone. Her coworkers are much, much younger than she is, so she's not making friends there.

I've recommended she join a church. Spiritual reinforcement and a community to bring over a covered dish when she's sick. But she's sure those congregants would "judge" her. That's how the Right Wingers she sees on TV appear to her -- more disapproving than supportive -- and she doesn't feel "up to it." I tell her that MY church is not at all like that, we're about involvement and love. She's deeply skeptical. She watches Joel Osteen instead. I think her connection to Christ is great, but it doesn't help her connect to her fellow man.

OK, so what about a Meetup? Or a book club? No, and no. She's too tired when she gets home from work to do anything but crash on the sofa.

She's no longer involved with Twitter or Facebook or her blog.

This isolation worries me. I know she's under the care of both a shrink and a psychiatrist, so maybe this is cocooning is what she needs to do to heal and get strong.

But here's the thing: she's so funny and smart and generous. She'd have a much easier time making friends than I do. I think she must be Los Angeles' best kept secret. Those women out there don't know what a good girlfriend they're missing out on.

*I offered her three things -- a long weekend at the Los Angeles Festival of Books; a tour of movie locations with TCM, or the three-day Fest for Beatle Fans.


Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 18

Look at my happy kitty

Thursday's happiness: Work out. I hadn't been at the health club in two weeks! That's too long. 

It felt good to pedal my little heart out on the stationery bike, after reps on a trio of machines.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy cat. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 17

Look at my happy kitty

Wednesday's happiness: Free lunch. Back at work after four days off and found myself swamped. Didn't even think about lunch until about 1:30. 

My timing was great, for a catered client lunch meeting had just let out and I got my pick of leftovers. I scored a small deli-size egg salad sandwich, a deli-size ham and cheese, a ton of grapes, a can of Pepsi and a cookie. 

I had to stay late, but not late enough to "legally" expense my cab. But, since I had saved lunch money, I was able to treat myself to the taxi anyway.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy cat. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

But we don't have a relationship!

My icky neighbor still isn't getting the hint. He's forcing me to be mean, and I really resent it.

But then, I resent everything about this situation.

It started back in May, when 90-year-old Walt rapped on my door. I wasn't prepared for company and tried to talk to him through the chain but he insisted on coming in. He had a "problem" he just couldn't discuss in the hall. So, even though I was in my robe, I let him in. Remember, I was covered to my ankles in flannel. Turns out his "problem" was his cable bill. The intro period was over and Comcast jacked up his rate. He took this opportunity -- being alone with me in my apartment -- to tell me I'm "sexy." I handed him the bill back and told him we were done and he should be on his way.

He slipped a note under my door, telling me he was sorry and taking responsibility for the incident. I thought it was over.

Then in June, it happened again. It was early, early morning. Someone was leaning on my doorbell. The intercom's broken so I had to grab my long flannel robe and my Crocs (close your eyes and picture that ensemble) to see who it was. Turns out another neighbor's daughter couldn't reach her mother and tried my bell instead. Anyway, I ran into Pervy Walt in the hall. Who then slipped another note under my door, telling me how he dreams of kissing me ... that at first I resist and then I give in. I returned the note to him, writing: THIS IS UNWELCOME! PLEASE STOP!

Every time I saw him after that I either avoided eye contact or glared. He apologized. I thought it was over.

Then last week, on Monday, he left me a note saying he was going out of town until Friday and wanted me to pick up his newspaper. He believes that if he puts his paper on vacation hold, "they" will know he's out of town and he'll be a vulnerable to a break-in. AARGH!

Now, I try to be compassionate and decent and Christian. He's 90 and alone. I suppose picking up his paper costs me nothing. It made me uncomfortable for two reasons:

1) I don't think it's wise to have anything to do with the old perv and
2) He didn't show me the courtesy of asking me.

But what the hell. Tuesday and Wednesday, I picked up his papers. When I got home Monday afternoon, I saw there were more down there and put them in front of his door, too. I thought maybe I misunderstood his note.

No. This morning, another note from Walt. A long one. He had been in Ohio ... he was supposed to come home Friday but spent four days in the ER ...  just got home now ... wonders what happened to his Thursday paper.

Now clearly I'm supposed to ask him how he's doing. That's not a good idea. Because WE DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP!

I just put the note back by his door with the response, "I was out of town myself this past weekend but did what I could to retrieve your papers."

I should be able to relax in my own home, but every time I open the front door, I'm expecting another Walt-o-Gram.

I'm on vacation, watching baseball. I want to be able to shout encouragement to my heroes in Cubbie Blue without worrying that someone is in the hall, listening.

I want to be left alone.

And all I have done to deserve this is treat an elderly gentleman with respect. That'll teach me.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 16

Look at my happy kitty

Tuesday's happiness: A long walk. The last day of my vacation. Sigh. It was sunny and humid but not too hot, so I took a nice long (1.3 mi) walk across town to the vet to pick up some kibble for Reynaldo and Connie.

It was lovely to wander across town with the Cubs-Brewers game in my headphones. And it was nice to take the time to notice my neighborhood. I'm really very happy here because it's so diverse and so lively.

My favorite sight seen: an energetic game of duck-duck-goose played by day campers at the community center. Do you suppose the counselor knew how drop-dead attractive he was, allowing himself to be chased and nearly caught by a little boy whose Batman cape trailed behind him?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy cat. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

See you in September

Joe Nathan signed with the Giants. He's now on their minor league roster.

I'm going to the Cubs-Giants game on Saturday, September 3. If he's on the major league roster by then, and he enters the game, I promise I will cheer him.

He's 41, and he refuses to allow himself to be sidelined. I admire that.

You go, Joe!