Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Don't Sleep in the Subway (1967)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Subways can be bright and noisy. Do you need it dark and quiet before you can fall asleep? I have often dozed off on trains.

2) In this song, Petula encourages her lover to talk it out instead of walking out. Do you usually remain reasonable during a disagreement? No. I get emotional easily. I once had a lover who would say, before disagreements could turn into arguments, "I'm not telling you you're wrong, I'm asking you to be clear." I wish everyone I clashed with took that approach. It really helped stop things from escalating.

3) Petula was a child star in England during WWII. Her BBC broadcasts

were very popular with the British troops, who nicknamed her The Singing Sweetheart. Soldiers pasted her photo onto their tanks for luck as they went into battle. Do you have any little rituals or good luck charms that calm/comfort you when you're afraid? A friend gave me a Guatemalan Worry Doll. I try to transfer my terror to her when I fly.

4) Now 84, she recently told London's Daily Mail that she's surprised and thrilled to have found love again with a new man. Do you believe you'll ever be too old for romance? I suspect I am. I'd be delighted to be proven wrong.

 
5) Her family is far flung. She lives in London, her middle daughter is in Paris, her son is in Los Angeles and her oldest daughter lives in New York with Petula's two grandchildren. Who is your nearest friend or relative? Which one is farthest away? My closest close friend is John, who never more than a 20-minute cab ride away. The one who's farthest away is in Southern California, 2000 miles away.

6) In 1967, when this song was popular, Rolling Stone published its first issue. John Lennon was on the cover. Publisher Jann Wenner reports that, either individually or as a group, the members of The Beatles have appeared on the most Rolling Stone covers. What's the first Beatle song that comes to mind? "Who knows how long I've loved you? I know I love you still. Shall I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will." Judging by the audience participation, I guess I'm not the only one who holds this song dear.

7) In 1967, Star Trek was in its second season on NBC. Who is your favorite Star Trek character? I'm not a big Star Trek fan, but I do get such a kick out of William Shatner. Everything I've seen him in, he's been delightfully over the top.

  
8) RANDOM QUESTION: When you slip into jeans or slacks, which foot do you put in first? Right.

9) As you considered #8, did you mime pulling on your pants? Yes.

 

One of those days ...

Broadcast News from Anton Tokman on Vimeo.


I had to have everything in the world done by 5:00 Friday.

I am proud of myself. There are times that I know I'm really good at this job, and today was one of those days.

I'm also filled with anxiety. While I am confident I did the best I could with what I was given, I also know I wasn't provided the proper timing, staff or upfront information I need to do all I'm capable of.

The presentation is Monday. I'll be on the phone from my den -- I told everyone when we began (last Monday at 4:00 PM) that contractors will be working in my home and so I'm taking a long-scheduled day off. My boss is going to present in my stead but he wants me on the phone, just in case someone has a question that he can't answer.

I'm alternately flattered and annoyed. Flattered because, in this industry and our unsure environment, it's good to know I'm important to the process. Annoyed because my regular art director is on a two-week vacation and everything possible was done to accommodate her. I take one day -- ONE. DAY. -- and I have to be by the phone, just in case.

I Got Your Horse Right Here

I love that old joke: A kid finds a pile of manure and begins happily digging because, "there must be a pony in here somewhere."

And so, while myriad things are disturbing me right now, I'm going to catalog pretty little ponies instead.

1) I don't have to travel downstate next week. I enjoy presenting to the client, and I don't really mind riding the rails to go down there to see them. But the weather is really changeable this time of year, and all my nice slacks (aka not denim) are heavier weight. I'd either have to bet on a cool day or wear my crappy gray polyester-elastic-waistband-I've-given-up-on-my-appearance pants. Or buy a new pair of slacks, launder them, and hem them in time. All of which distracts me from the work, which is what I should be thinking about. So I'm glad that Monday's presentation is a conference call. (I haven't refunded my Tuesday train ticket, just in case.)

2) I'm paying cash. I'll be presenting from home, from my den, because I'm off that day -- finally having work done on my condo. Back in (gulp!) 2013, Cute Handyman uncovered a hole in my living room wall. I have a through-the-wall air conditioner and for decades, the sleeve that supported the unit on the outside was at an unfortunate angle. That allowed rain and snow to slide from the air conditioner into wall. I got the sleeve fixed promptly, but not the hole. I was afraid it would be expensive and complicated and really, I just wished it would fix itself.

Well, I finally decided that I can't stand living with a towel stuck in wall and behaved like a grown up. I got three estimates, hired a contractor, and on Monday they're going to come in, patch the hole with drywall and paint the wall. And I'm paying the contractor not out of my household emergency fund -- because let's face it, it's been more than three years so I can hardly call it an "emergency," not even to myself -- but with money I've been socking away. Any funds left over will go to a new mattress and box spring.

I would have preferred to use this money for a trip. And it's tempting to use it for a trip. But this is smart. I like being smart. And I'm proud of myself and my focus and restraint.

3) The Cubs won two in a row. What a skid my guys have been on! Right now we're barely a .500 ball club (8-7). Oh well, it's still April. And we did win two in a row. And Jason Heyward seems to have found his groove, so I'm happy.

I wish I wasn't still enveloped in this feeling of dread. But I'm trying to remain upbeat by accentuating the positive, and patting each of these three ponies on the nose.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Place for Pumpkin Questions


1. If "happiness" was the global currency, what kind of work would make you a gazillionaire? I'd work with shelter animals. Adopt, don't shop!

2. Would you break the law to save someone you loved?  And, if so, how far would you be willing to take it? I don't know. I remember having this conversation with my mom and grandmother -- both of whom are gone now -- during the OJ trial. His mother took the stand for him, and at the time it seemed so exploitative it made my skin crawl. So I asked Mom and Grandma what they'd do in Eunice Simpson's position. 

Their answers surprised me. My mother said "yes," she'd show up in court and lie under oath if she had to in order to save her child -- no matter how old that child was or what that child had done. Mom said the maternal instinct to protect was too strong. Grandma said "no." She thought it would be important for her son's soul to pay for what he'd done. (Though it must be said Grandma went to her grave believing OJ was innocent. She simply couldn't believe any man would throw away his wealth and freedom over a woman he'd already divorced.)
    
3. Is it possible to really know the truth without questioning it first? Wow. I think it depends on the situation, and the truth we're considering.
    
4. Do you remember that one time . . . oh, about 5 years ago or so . . . when you were really, really upset? Does it really matter now? If not now, then when? Yes. It mattered then and it matters now. It doesn't gnaw at me now like it did then, but thinking about it can still upset me. (Gee, thanks for bringing it back up again!)

5. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? No. Of course not. Because for an act to be truly good or truly evil, intent and motive must be considered. Only God can see what's in another's heart. I'm not arrogant enough to think I have that ability.
    
6. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I'd do karaoke.
    
7. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work I enjoy.

8. Would you rather be an anxious genius, or a tranquil fool? I've thought about this often. Tranquil fool, definitely!

9. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Yes. (I put a lot of pressure on myself sometimes.)

10. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? 45.

 

Neighbors

I had kind of a grumpy day Saturday. I devoted three -- count 'em, THREE! -- hours on the phone, first to Comcast, then to Apple, trying to solve the Mystery of the Intermittent Internet. NOT how I wanted to spend my sunny Saturday!

So let's not concentrate on that. Instead, let's consider sights seen around town.

In honor of Easter, I dropped a bag of food off at the food pantry. Boxes of mac-and-cheese and Rice-a-Roni, tuna and jars of baby food. None of that would be on the menu for a festive holiday meal, but it's all stuff the average household can use. Besides, the volunteers wouldn't get it onto the shelves in time for Saturday's 9 till noon distribution.

On the way, I passed two individuals who had just picked up monthly allotment. They were both seniors. One was pushing his wire shopping cart in front of him, the other was pulling hers behind. I surreptitiously glanced into their bags. He had eggs on top, she had lettuce. It made me happy that the food pantry was able to distribute fresh foods in addition to canned and dry. But it made me sad that this is where they are at this stage in their lives. I saw my own mom in them. I wish that they had someone to send them a little money each month so that they wouldn't have to wait in line to "shop the pantry."

Later in the day, in front of my building, I ran into a girl and an older man. (Daughter and dad?) I believe she said her name was Katie. She was taking photo after photo of the building, which I must admit is really not very attractive. You wouldn't know it by her enthusiasm. The restored Grand Central Station wasn't photographed this extensively for Architecture Digest.

They just placed a bid on #307. It's a newly-renovated unit downstairs, laid out like mine but in much better shape. I don't know who paid for it, exactly. (Was he there as an advisor, as a roommate, or because he laid out the downpayment?) But she's definitely going to be living here.

I loved how different their questions were! She wanted to know if I thought it would be worth it to have a washer/dryer installed in her unit. (No, I'd prefer not to sacrifice the closet or counter space when we have a laundry room in the building.) He wanted to know if I heard the train all day and all night. (Yes, but as a woman who lives and alone and commutes, I find it comforting to have such a short, safe walk from train station to front door. This made him happy.) They both wanted to know about parking, which amused me. Whenever two or more people from this community get together, they complain about parking. So these two will fit right in.

I liked her spirit and her energy. And I'm jealous. There's so much I'd like to do to improve my home and she's moving into a freshly painted and redecorated place. Well, good for you, Katie. I hope you're happy here.

All that he's seen

Last week, Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams came out onto the field and received a World Series ring. He hadn't played for the Cubs since 1974, but he's part of the team. Not only in the hearts of the fans but as part of the Cubs organization, acting first as batting coach and now as "senior advisor."

To old-time fans like me, he's "Sweet Swinging Billy." I grew up on him. He was a perennial
All Star. A fixture in the outfield. He was handsome. He was reliable. #26 was so much more mature than the other eight Cubs in the line up.

In 2008, I finally found out why when I read his autobiography. Born in June 1938, he grew up in the segregated south. His extravagant natural gifts led him to professional baseball, and his first exposure to overt racism.

The year was 1959. He was a talented 21-year-old black man who filled the stands and thrilled the fans by day. But once he left the field, he no longer felt like an adult in the white man's world. He couldn't eat with his white teammates. He couldn't stay in the same hotels. The discrimination was so hard for him to bear that he left the team and went home to Whistler, Alabama.

Buck O'Neill, a member of the Cubs organization, visited Billy at home and spent two days trying to convince him to rejoin baseball. Billy did, but now he had an emotional distance, a cool persona that would always make him seem more businesslike than flamboyant, like an adult determined to excel at a boy's game.

Last week, at age 78, he finally got a World Series ring. He strode onto Wrigley Field and was hugged by the current Cubs coaches and management. That includes Laura Ricketts, Cubs co-owner and board member, and Brooke Skinner, Laura's wife.

That's right. He was hugged by a white woman, and by that white woman's lesbian partner, in full view of 41,000 people.

I bet if you told 1959's Billy Williams that would happen to him, he would call you crazy.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: This Is the Way the Bunny Hops

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

1) Why do you suppose there are so many songs about Santa Claus, yet very few about the Easter Bunny? I think it's because the Easter Bunny is just dopey. This little Scottish girl adorably sums up my point for me.

 

 

2) This song was written by The Kiboomers, two early education teachers who are passionate about the power of music to help kids learn. Tell us about a teacher who had an impact on your life. An English teacher, Mrs. Rath. I wish I could remember her first name, because I'd like to look her up and thank her. Anyway, when I was in junior high, I became aware that I had a better vocabulary than my friends. I got teased for being geeky and decided to hide my light under a barrel. My mom came back from the parent-teacher conference and reported Mrs. Rath was worried about me. Why had I suddenly stopped participating in class? I was touched and heartened that she noticed -- not only me, but the absence of me.

 

3) Legend has it that the Easter Bunny was introduced to America in the 1700s by German immigrants. These children waited for a magic creature who left colored eggs. Today's kids dye Easter eggs themselves. When did you most recently color eggs? Maybe 20 years.

4) The Easter Bunny is usually shown carrying a wicker basket filled with eggs, toys and candy. Is there any wicker in the room you're in right now? I've got a wicker basket by the front door where I dump my keys.

5) While marshmallow Peeps are manufactured all year around, they are most popular at Easter. Do you prefer the chicks or the bunnies? The chicks. But my preference is based purely on aesthetics, not flavor. I hate the taste of all of them equally.

 
6) A little time in the microwave can do ugly things to a Peep. Have you ever nuked a Peep? No. I have a hard enough time keeping my microwave clean as it is.
 

7) Would you prefer a hollow or a solid chocolate bunny? Hollow. The thinner chocolate melts faster on my tongue.

8) A traditional American Easter dinner usually includes glazed ham or roast lamb. Which would you rather have as your main course? Of those choices, I'd prefer ham, but I've been saving a steak for the occasion.

 

9) Easter is considered the season of rebirth. What makes you feel refreshed or rejuvenated? I always feel better after I shower and wash my hair.

 

In Love with Night

The Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.

From In Love with Night, page 56. Senator John F. Kennedy is running for President. His kid brother Bobby is running his campaign. In the process, Bobby earns a reputation for ruthlessness.

"He has all the patience of a vulture without any of the dripping sentimentality," said one of the reporters assigned to cover JFK's race. Bobby took it as a compliment. 

Tasty Grande

Here is the Cubs World Series ring. There are 108 diamonds, rubies and sapphires to signify the 108 years that it took the team to get here. It's the biggest, most expensive ring in MLB history.

Manager Joe Maddon says that while it's beautiful ("tasty grande" in Maddon speak), he'll never wear his, claiming he couldn't even steer his car while wearing such a big piece of hardware.

EVERYONE who worked for the Cubs organization in 2016 -- including the guys who brought out the tarp during the rain delays and tended the ivy -- will get one of these. That's 1,908 rings. And the last time the Cubs won was 1908. Coincidence?

WWW.WEDNESDAY

To participate, and to see how others responded, click here. 

1. What are you currently reading? In Love with Night by Ronald Steel. Subtitled "The American Romance with Robert Kennedy." Steel promises to take Bobby's life and legacy and put it in some real world perspective. How much of his legend is performance and how much is promise? How to separate the complex and contradictory man from the myth?

The contradictions are mighty. As the author notes, Bobby "was an ardent prosecutor who abused the law, a champion of Black pride who allowed the FBI to torment Martin Luther King, a fearless rebel who would not take on an unpopular president until another man cleared the way." 

I'm looking forward to this book being serious. When reading about the Kennedys, it's easy to slide into either sludge or hagiography. I hope this book rises above both gossip and idolatry.

2. What did you recently finish reading?  A Hole in Juan, by Gillian Roberts. Another in the Amanda Pepper mystery series. It's easy to dismiss these books as cozy mysteries, in the Murder, She Wrote vein. But they're always more than that. 

In this one, Gillian Roberts channels her inner Hitchcock and builds a real sense of tension in an otherwise benign spot: a dance in the high school auditorium. Teacher Amanda Pepper notices her senior English class acting differently. Their teenage dramas are suddenly a bit more dangerous and their pranks take on a darker hue. Are the kids simply swept up in excitement over Halloween, and the annual Mischief Night dance? Or is it something more sinister?

This book also reminded me of how hard it is to be an adolescent. How important everything feels when you're on the precipice, about to leap (or fall) from childhood into your adult life. Ms. Pepper's class is reading A Separate Peace, which is a nice touch. 

 
3.  What will you read next? I don't know. Maybe I'll reread A Separate Peace.

It's a Long Way to the Top

My Cubs are great guys. By and large* they're handsome and clean cut and joyous. During the off season, we saw story after story about the charity appearances they made, how they brought the trophy to children's hospitals.

Tonight, on Opening Night at Wrigley Field, they showed another side. It was the first time they'd appeared on their home turf since winning it all in Cleveland and they strutted onto the field. They swaggered. Anthony Rizzo hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy over his head and his teammates followed him onto the field to AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top."

My darlings were badass tonight.

Photo: MLB.com

 Welcome home! It was a long way to the top, but you rocked it.

*I'm excepting Lackey and Arrieta because they are, respectively, hot and cool and are always quite intimidating.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Sassy Questions

1. If you could say anything you wanted to say to Donald Trump, what would you say? Let's see those tax returns.

2. If you had to be the mother of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, who would you choose and why? This question makes me so grateful to be barren.

3. You get to be Queen for a day. The kids are all taken care of, and you can spend as much money as you want. What do you do all day? Breakfast. Cub game in seats above the dugout. Dinner at the Old Crow Smokehouse, a Wrigleyville restaurant I've always wanted to try. 

The happiest place on earth!

 
4. Is there a song that brings tears to your eyes every time you hear it? If so, which one? Save the Best for Last by Vanessa Williams. It was "our" song and we didn't work out.

5. A fairy taps you on the shoulder and tells you that you can either have a perfect face or a perfect body for the rest of your life. Which do you choose? I've got a question for the fairy: does perfect body denote perfect health? If it does, then I go with the bod. If it doesn't, then I'll go with the face.

6. If you could live any place in the world and money was no object, where would you live and why? I'd live in the Palmolive Building here in Chicago. It's a beautiful building, and offers gorgeous views of The Lake. 

I just adore a penthouse view.

7. What is your biggest regret in life? I suppose my role in the breakup of the relationship referenced in #4.

8. If you could go back and visit one person in your life who is now dead, and ask one question, what would that question be and why would you ask it? I'd bring back my mom, and I have soooooo many questions.

9. If you had the choice to age forward (like we are now) or aging backwards (think Benjamin Buttons) which would you choose and why? Whatever way everyone else is aging. I don't want to be a lonely freak.

10. What will the epitaph on your headstone say? A Good Writer and a True Friend. Yes, I stole it from Charlotte's Web. But it's something I aspire to.

 

And so I stayed home

I'm in a mood where I hate everyone. I have shit on my mind. I don't feel like being pleasant.

So instead of going out with John and The Gang, who met for pizza and beer at Giordano's, I stayed home. If it had just been John and his cousin Lori and our old friend Steve, I might have gone. If it hadn't been at noisy Giordano's on a Saturday night, I might have gone. But this was starting to look like a clusterfuck of epic proportions so, no thanks.

Cubbie blue AND on sale!

I bought new athletic shoes at DSW. I took myself out to lunch, where I treated myself to a drink. I took a nap. I vacuumed. I watched the Cubs beat the shit out of the Brewers (YEA!). I spent much of the day in my underwear.

It felt good.

I have little on tap for tomorrow. I think I just needed this weekend to recharge.

Ernie died

Ernie was my next door neighbor. He just moved in last July. He was newly divorced and newly retired and looking to "start fresh." He was friendly, jolly and optimistic. A big man with a full mop of snowy white hair.

I hadn't seen him lately. Come to think of it, I don't think I've spoken to him this year.

I talked to one of his daughters today. Ernie was diagnosed with cancer in January and it ravaged him quickly.

She says that, on the one hand, she's glad that didn't suffer long. On the other hand, he had "so many plans" he never got to realize. I explained to her that I'd lost both my parents, so I had a little window into what she was feeling. I gave her a hug.

Now I'm reflecting on my neighbor. He worked a lifetime, retired, began a new chapter in his life and died before he could enjoy it.

That sucks, Ernie. I wish you'd had the gift of more time.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Work from Home (2016)
 

1) This song is about a woman who doesn't get to see her lover often enough because he's on the night shift. Have you ever worked nights? Nope. I've worked overnight on occasion -- I can remember more than a couple 12-15 hour days -- but I've never been on the night shift.

2) She promises that if he takes the day off, she'll make it feel like a vacation. Have you traveled anywhere fun so far this year? Do you have any leisure trips planned for 2017? I'm going to visit my niece on the other side of Lake Michigan in July. Then in November, I'm spending my birthday in Las Vegas. And Christmas will be in Key West with those dear friends.

Grand Haven, MI

3) The ladies of Fifth Harmony are enthusiastic supporters of the Girl Scouts, rewarding troops who excel in fundraising activities with free concerts. The Scouts' best-known fundraiser is their cookie sale. What's your favorite cookie (Girl Scout or otherwise)? My favorite GS cookie is the Do-Si-Do, aka peanut butter sandwich.

4) Fifth Harmony also participated in Goodwill's Fall Haul campaign. They encouraged high school students donate as many items as possible to Goodwill, and the winning school got a free concert. When did you last take gently-used items to a resale organization? A few weeks ago I donated to Goodwill through Carson's (it might be Bergner's or Bon-Ton or Younker's in your neck of the woods).

5) Do you ever shop second-hand or thrift stores? I do now. I initially began patrolling them because I wanted to be sure I assigned the right value to my donations. (Who wants to piss off the IRS?) But it seems whenever I go in there I find something that's so cute and so cheap I leave with it.

6) Fifth Harmony member Normani Kordei competes on Dancing with the Stars this season. Would you do better on DWTS or The Voice? In other words, are you a better singer or dancer? I'm abysmal at both.

7) In February 2016, when this song was first released, The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl and Spotlight won the Best Picture Oscar. Can you recall who won the 2017 Super Bowl and Best Picture Oscar, just two months ago? Boston won the Super Bowl. And, since I was riveted by Envelopegate, I'll never forget the producer of LaLa Land saying, "There's a mistake. Moonlight -- you guys won."

8) 2016's most popular TV show was Game of Thrones. Are you a fan? No. I really don't care for fantasy/sci-fi stuff.

  
9) Random Question: What's the subject line of the newest message in your email spam folder? My, there's quite a bit of porny looking stuff in there! But the question is the newest message, so I'll share that, even though it's not dirty at all: C0STC0_1OO: MEMBER SERVICES. I'm not a Costco member, and even if I was, they wouldn't fool me with 0 (zero) for O charade.

In danger's path

I can't shake this feeling of dread. Like a storm is headed toward me and I can't get out of the way.

Part of it is my neighbors. I'm now on the condo board. It's only fair, I suppose. I've lived here forever and I don't intend to move, so I should do my part and help run this building we share.

But now I'm privy to information I'm not sure I want to know. For example, owners collectively owe $80,000! You could BUY a one 1BR apartment in this building for that!

Some of it is the special assessment for bed bugs. Not everyone was able to pay. One of my neighbors was stubbornly unwilling -- she feels that since she didn't have the bugs in her unit, she shouldn't be assessed the cost of exterminating them. Looks like we're going to have to involve the lawyer. Which means spending up to $700 to collect $850. Sigh.

But much of it is The Saddest Boy Ever. While he didn't bring the bugs into the building, he became and remains the epicenter of infestation. And that's because he's filthy. Literally. His once pale carpet has been darkened by bug feces. The exterminators say that the only way to ensure that his unit is bug free is to remove the baseboards and strategically drill holes in the floor to spray. He won't participate. He says he will, he acknowledges that he has to, and then is just never home when the exterminators come.

Every time the exterminators come, we have to pay them something for their time. This can't go on.

I found out that many of his personal belongings -- and his late mother's -- are gone. They had to be discarded because of infestation. With no sofa and no mattress/box spring, he's now sleeping on an air mattress given to him by a member of the condo board. And has been Christmastime.

We're going to have to take legal action. He's putting the building at risk -- not only our health but our liability. The woman across the hall has a little boy and she is demanding to know whether the building (meaning his unit) is bug free. She has that right -- morally and legally.

This can't go on. Ultimately, he's going to be evicted. Because he's battling demons. My conscience is clear -- I know how much work has already gone into helping him (even the air mattress he sleeps on was a gift from a board member). But I hate where this is headed. And I'm haunted by what will happen to him. He's not equipped for this world.

Part of it is work. Too much tension. Too much drama. I wish I was in better shape financially. Then I'd wish to be the next to go. But I do need the money. I desperately need that paycheck every two weeks so I can better prepare for retirement. Right now, I only have 3 years worth of expenses put away. I'd like to say that, with Social Security, I can stretch it to four but I'm not confident. After all, Medicare doesn't cover dental, and our teeth don't get stronger with time.

So I worry. And worry.

Not the one I want, but the one I have

Thursday night, President Donald Trump retaliated against Syrian atrocities with an airstrike aimed at their bases.

Hours earlier, it's what Hillary Clinton said she would do, had she won the election. Years ago, it's what then Secretary of State John Kerry wanted to do, and he has always tried to avert conflict. So I'm left to believe it was the correct decision.

My news feed is filled with opinions otherwise, most of them feverish with conspiracy and dark motives. Normally I find such rantings rather easy to dismiss, and I dismiss them this time, too. But here's the thing ...

This time, I get it.

No, I never believed Hillary Clinton had Parkinson's. Yes, I believe Sandy Hook happened. Sorry, but Elvis really is dead. I believe almost all popular conspiracy theories are crap.

But I wish I could reject this one on faith, rather than commonsense and life experience.

I wish I could say I believe my President.

But he's the Birther in Chief who promised to produce "the truth" about Barack Obama's birth certificate. He's the inaugurated paranoid who insists Obama had him wiretapped. He's the Islamophobe who swears he saw tape of thousands of Muslims cheering when The Towers fell on 9/11. He's the cynic who knows his base is dumb enough to embrace an Enquirer story about Ted Cruz' father and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Isn't this why, when we were kids, our moms used to emphasize that they would forgive us our naughtiness as long as we didn't lie about it?

A Hole In Juan

The Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.

From A Hole in Juan, page 56. English teacher Amanda Pepper, worried about the rumor that her senior class somehow got an advance copy of their exams. Could it be true? Or is it just another of the Halloween pranks that go on at high school every year at this time ...

Those tests had been locked in my drawer since Friday. I went back to my desk and tried the center drawer. Still locked.