Sunday Stealing

Ask, Ask, Ask

1 - Who was the last person you texted? My friend, John. He's so funny. Quite possibly the last person to get a smart phone, he's now reluctant to put it down.

2 - When is your birthday? It's coming up! 11/22. (I love my birthday.)

3 - Who do you want to be with right now? The Chicago Cubs! This is the first Sunday without baseball in months. I'm suffering.

4 - What sports do you play? None well.

5 - Who is the first person in your blogroll? Now don't be lazy. You can look over there yourself.

6 - What is your favorite song at the moment? Eddie Vedder's "Go All the Way." When you're born in Chicago, you're blessed and you're healed the first time you walk into Wrigley Field ...


 
7 - If you were stranded on an island, who do you wish to be with? Matt Damon. If he can figure out how to get by on Mars, I imagine he'd be very handy on an island.

8 - What do you feel right now? A little hungry. Rice Krispies? Raisin Bran? Yogurt? I can't decide.

9 - What chocolate is your favorite? Lately I've been leaning to dark chocolate (with coconut).

10 - How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have? Oh, hell, I'm not counting this morning.

11 - Why did you create a blog account? To create an ongoing diary of my life as it happens.

12 - Who is your favorite blogger? I feel a great kinship with Kwizgiver.

 
13 - Where do you want to be right now? I'd like to be in bed for a bit more sleep. But I have a lot to do today.

14 - What do you want to be in the future? Here. Just healthier and more organized.

15 - When was the last time you cried? Why? I'm a Cub fan. What do you think?

16 - Are you happy? I'm a Cub fan. What do you think?

17 - Who do you miss? I come from a family of Cub fans. I miss the ones who weren't here to see this.

18 - If you were given a chance, would you like to have a different life? Sometimes, but not really.

19 - What was the best thing you were given? A key opportunity early in my career.

20 - Who was the last person who called you? It was a political robo call.

21 - What is your favorite dish? The manicotti at La Cantina.

22 - Who is your best friend? It depends on the situation. I'm blessed with very good friends.

23 - What is your biggest regret? Wasting too much time in a bad relationship.

24 - Have you ever avoided your partner? I don't have a partner. Which, I guess, means I've been exceptionally good avoiding him.

25 - Who do you spend crazy moments with? My oldest friend. Or John. I've laughed a good deal with both of them.

Look at me, all happy

I returned to my movie group Saturday night for the first time in ages ... well, at least since the Cubs began their glorious playoff run. I've missed the classics and my fellow film fanatics, and this week we watched one of my all-time favorites, 1944's Laura.

Mark meets Laura

NY detective Mark McPherson is assigned to solve the summertime murder of Laura Hunt, a glamorous Manhattanite who had appeared on the society pages on the arms of a variety of suitors. As he interviews her mentor, her fiance, her maid and and her aunt, as he reads her diaries and letters, he finds himself falling for the ultimate unattainable object: the murder victim herself.

It's romantic, it's twisty, it's well-acted (especially by Clifton Webb as the divine Waldo Lydecker). The clothes are beautiful. I've seen it about a million times, but this was the first time I've viewed it with an audience. That made it all the more fun.

The other thing that made Saturday night special for me is that three of the regulars: Will, Betty and, of course, Joanna, made a point of telling me how they thought of me throughout the World Series.

Baseball, classic movies and friendship ... how great is this!

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Hold It Against Me (2011)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Britney Spears addresses this song to a dance partner when she hears her favorite song. What song always makes you want to get up and dance?



2) She sings that she needs a vacation. How about you? If you could escape anywhere for an affordable three-day weekend, where would you go? Graceland. I don't know why, exactly, but I've been wanting to go back to Memphis for a while now. And this year I'm finally going to do it! I'm giving myself a stay at the brand new Guest House in Graceland for my birthday.

3) Britney shows off her dance moves in this video. Her coordination shouldn't be surprising, since she was already an accomplished gymnast in grade school. If we asked you to turn a somersault right now, could you do it? Don't want to and you can't make me.
 
4) Britney's first and only feature film was Crossroads, written by Shonda Rhimes. Ms. Rhimes is famous for writing popular TV series including Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, The Catch and How to Get Away with Murder. Have you watched any Shonda Rhimes shows? I used to love Grey's, even cried when poor George died, but I lost track of it. Tried, but just couldn't get into Murder. 

5) Britney admits to smoking and biting her nails. Do you share either of these bad habits? Not those two.
 
6) Britney prefers Margherita pizza to thin slice or deep dish pizza. What's your pizza preference? Pizza and I are such good friends because I take pizza any way I find it. Just please, no peppers. (Burp!)

7) In 2011, when this song was popular, Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton was big news. Are you a royal watcher? Pretty much. I'm so excited that Harry is keeping company with an American actress. (Now that baseball is over, I need something new to distract me from Donald Trump.)

8) Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in 2011. Do you have a Mac, and iPad or an iPhone? I'm answering this on a MacBook Pro. But my phone is an Android.

9)  Random question: Which friend annoys you more, the one who interrupts you all the time, or the one who is never on time?  The one who is never on time. I suspect this is because I'm the one who interrupts all the time.

 

Hey, Chicago, what do you say?

We know how to celebrate.

This is what 5 million people wearing blue looks like.

The Chicago River is Cubbie Blue.

Art Institute Lion and a W.

ORD

Banners for the parade.

We've had nothing but clear, Cubbie blue skies and 60º+ days since Game 7. So it's been like Christmas, but with much better weather. I've been wearing my wardrobe of celebratory Cub gear pretty exclusively for a week now, and the most amazing thing is we all smile and greet each other. "Go, Cubs!" "At last!" "Cubbies!"

This city has its problems. (Like more shootings than New York and Los Angeles combined.) But this has brought us all together. This has made us proud.

God bless my guys!

Dona Nobis Pacem

In the last speech he ever gave, Robert F. Kennedy said:

"We can end the divisions within the United States. I think it's quite clear that we can work together ... We are a great country, an unselfish country, and a compassionate country."

And then, moments later,  he was shot with a handgun.

I live in Chicago, a city awash in guns, and awash in the bloodshed those guns make too, too easy.

Instead of dwelling on what we lost when we lost Bobby,  let's instead dedicate ourselves into living up to his faith in us.

Let's agree that guns kill people, and let's do what we can to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals. Let's vote for candidates who will stand up to the gun lobby and close the loopholes that allow guns to end up in the wrong hands.

Come on, America! We can do this!

For more about the Blog 4 Peace movement, please click here.

So it finally happened

Last night's game had it all: home runs, fielding gems, stolen bases, wild pitches, big leads, bigger rallies, a rain delay and an extra inning.

And the Cubs won! They prevailed!

Of course I have a bad cold. Nothing this good comes easy. I napped before the game and slept in this morning. I didn't get dressed until 3:00. Then I belatedly got dressed and walked across town, gazing up at the clear, Cubbie blue sky, as I voted for our first woman POTUS.

What a day!

My sinuses are stuffed and I can't breathe but I don't care. Know why? Look at this marquee!

Exhausted but very, very happy

I am so lucky to live in a great city and to be cheering for a great team.

Jake was great & Russell got a grand slam!

We live to fly the W one more time!

Photo courtesy of The Chicago Tribune.

This is a shot of the overflow in front of Wrigley Field Sunday night. Fans (and police) are milling about outside the stadium, cheering the Cubs' improbable victory over the Indians.

Now the series is 3:2. My boys in blue have won two in a row before.Go, Cubs, Go!

PS And if they don't win two in a row in Cleveland, well, this season has felt like a gift and I'd never complain. My team is in the World Series!

Sunday Stealing

Halloween Meme

1. What is the worst treat to get when trick-or-treating? Anything that came unwrapped while bouncing around in my bag. My mom was a stickler for going through our stashes and ruthless when it came to tossing the unwrapped/unsealed.


2. What character from any horror film would you most like to play? The title character in She Wolf of London. She's a pretty, very well dressed heiress who fears she's picked up the family gene for going all hairy and killing people. It's especially kitschy because she's played by June Lockhart (Lassie's mom) and her boyfriend is played by Don Porter (Gidget's dad).

FYI: "Lycanthropy" is the study of werewolves.

3. Would you rather be a zombie, alien, or psycho? (why) An alien. From Mexico. Because I would annoy Donald Trump.

4. How many Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street movies combined do you have on dvd? None.

5. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen? Psycho is by far #1. Gravity is #2. The idea of being so small and vulnerable in the infinite expanse of space makes me want to wet my pants. And while it wasn't a theatrical release, IT is #3. I don't like clowns. Really, I don't.
 
6. Lamest costume you have worn on Halloween? One of the store bought ones my mom picked out without consulting me.

7. Favorite Halloween treat? Mary Janes and popcorn balls.

8. Friendly-faced jack o’lantern or scary one? If I were to carve one, this is what it would look like. I just wish the Cleveland Indians saw it as more scary than friendly.

 
9. Have you ever had nightmares about a scary movie character chasing you? No.

10. Best thing about Halloween? I can have a taffy apple for breakfast. And I shall.

11. Strangest Halloween custom you’ve heard of? Strange but kinda cool: I've heard that in some Latin countries, it's not unusual for families to picnic on Halloween at the cemetery so they can visit with their loved ones.


12. Person in your family who most likes Halloween (not counting yourself)? I got nothin' for this one, either. Sorry.

13. Are you superstitious? If so, name at least one superstition of yours. I remember what shirt I was wearing when the Cubs lost a playoff game, and then I'm careful not to wear it on game day again.


14. What's your best Halloween memory? My oldest friend's dad -- a really great guy -- drove us to another town to trick or treat. We still got the same Snickers and Kit Kats, but still, they felt exotic.

15. At what age were you allowed to go trick-or-treating by yourself? I think I was about 12. But I don't recall, for sure. My mom was a worrier when it came to Halloween, so it was probably later than most kids.

I admit this isn't good

I'm exhausted. Watching my Cubs fall to the Indians has been highly stressful. And I'm not stupid -- I know how hard it will be to come back from a 3-1 deficit.

But here's the thing: this season was magic. They got to the World Series for the first time since Harry Truman was in office.

So no matter what happens tonight, I'll always be grateful to these guys for 100+ wins and for getting us this far.

Oh! And btw, it ain't over. Go, Cubs, go!

Hmmmm ....

Saturday I had my regularly scheduled, once-every-two-years appointment with my gyne. While naturally I didn't leave with my test results, he told me everything in his jurisdiction looks normal.

He asked me what else was going on, healthwise. I told him. C. diff ... thinning hair ... fatigue ... vision change ... He and my GP are in the same practice so he has access to all my test results and saw that diabetes and thyroid disease were eliminated. He suggested that -- if the medicated shampoo doesn't work -- my GP and I discuss autoimmune diseases.

Last time I spoke to my GP, she thought these things were all unrelated. She suspects my fatigue is a result of sleep apnea and my hair loss is some sort of fungal infection.

We'll keep trying things her way for a while. But after January 1, I think I'm going to consult an endocrinologist.

October Challenge -- Day 30

Today's October Daily Prompt: Favorite Costume

It's my favorite because I've still got the dress. I don't think it would be too hard to find Mousekaears. I drew my nose and whiskers with an eyebrow pencil.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Tubular Bells (1973)

1) According to Reader's Digest, The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. Have you seen it, and if so, did it scare you? Yes, twice. It scared me more during the second viewing.

2) The Exorcist has been made into a TV series on Fox, premiering last month. Have you become a fan of any of the season's new shows? I haven't seen the new Exorcist but I've taken a look at Bull and This Is Us, and I like them both.

3) "Tubular Bells" is a popular ringtone for both Android and iPhone. What's your ringtone? Standard issue TMobile. So at a restaurant, whenever the phone rings in the next booth I reach for my purse.




4) As Halloween approaches, do you watch more scary shows and movies? I did when I was a kid, but not anymore.

5) Do you have any recurring nightmares? Yes and they all are variations on the theme of doing without. I'm locked out without my keys, my purse is stolen so I'm without cash or credit cards, etc. I wake up exhausted.

6) Have you carved a jack o' lantern this year? Nope

7) Do you like the taste of pumpkin seeds? They're OK.

8) What will the trick or treaters who knock on your door get? I don't have anything yet. I've been too Cub-obsessed to think about Halloween. Maybe I'll pick up something this afternoon.

9) A Halloween "let's pretend:" Back in the 1950s, a home in your neighborhood was the site of a gruesome murder/suicide. Relatives retained ownership of the house but declined to live there. During the ensuing decades, a legend grew: The tragic couple haunts the halls. Generations of schoolchildren insist they heard strange sounds and saw curtains often move mysteriously. Now the house is about to be demolished. A local charity is raising money by sponsoring a Halloween sleepover. Would you be willing to stay in this haunted house over night? I think it could be fun. Especially if I grew up believing I heard the noises and saw the moving curtains.

 

October Challenge -- Day 29

Today's October Daily Prompt: Throwback

When I trick or treated, this was by far my favorite candy. Since it was no one else's, I made out well on November 1 when we traded..

October Challenge -- Day 28

Today's October Daily Prompt: Something black

It's an obvious choice, I know, but I've always had a fondness for black cats. I grew up with one named Trouble. She was not terribly bright, nor as pretty as the one in this photo. But she was a very good sport.

October Challenge -- Day 27

Today's October Daily Prompt: 11:11 PM

Zzzz ... I unintentionally crashed on the sofa after work.

Keeping my Cubbie karma clear

I walked around at lunchtime, taking pictures of the W's I saw in The Loop. I'm going to do the same this Saturday afternoon, around the village where I live. I love how Chicagoland has embraced my guys.

I don't love that my boss is taking Friday off to go to the game. The first World Series game to be played within the Friendly Confines since 1945. His neighbor has season tickets.

I wouldn't mind this if he was a fan. He's not. Throughout this really incredible 103-58 year, he only mentioned games after a loss. Keep in that the Cubs won 44% more games than they lost. But his "heh-heh-heh, that was a tough one" was just him being a dick.

AND he's told me that baseball puts him to sleep.

When I told him how excited I was for him, that he was going to see Kyle Hendricks and Hendricks reminds me of my beloved Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, he said, "Yeah, I heard the announcer say that, too."

Oh yeah, and he doesn't need to take Friday off. The game doesn't start until 7:00 PM. We have work to do. An internal review at 11:00 on Monday that we won't be ready for because he's taking Friday off. To go to a game he doesn't care about. I now feel absolutely no guilt whatsoever if I take Monday off (to celebrate the World Series win) and whatever day the parade is held.

He asked me what souvenir I'd like from the game. I said, "Would it be pushing it to ask for a program AND a scorecard?" His response? "I don't care. It's your money." He's not even gifting me a souvenir! When I think of the vacation souvenirs and Christmas ornaments I've given him over the years ...

But see, now I'm not happy anymore. And I like savoring this, maintaining the high that comes from waking up in the morning and saying to myself, "My guys are in the fucking World Series!"

So, to regain my zen and clear my Cubbie karma, I'm going to start thinking good thoughts. To inspire me, here's Jake. He was terrific in Game Two -- his last game of the year.

The Jake of Game 2 looked like the Jake of 2015. YEA!

October Challenge -- Day 26

Today's October Daily Prompt: Made you smile today

Cub manager Joe Maddon always makes me smile. Even after a loss.

October Challenge -- Day 25

Today's October Daily Prompt: Creepy

I wasn't allowed to have one of these, but my oldest friend had one. It was thrilling!