April Challenge -- Day 28

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The word/phrase you use constantly

"Oh, shit," seems to spring forth from my lips from time to time. 😃

 

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Melania done good

One thing I've learned about while reading about First Ladies is that Presidential "soft diplomacy" counts. The respect we show for our neighbors and the pride we have in our own history influences the work that our Presidents do internationally. Pat Nixon's good work in China brought pandas to our shore ... Jackie's dinner in honor of French minister Andre Malraux gave us the Mona Lisa ... Having the people of a foreign country like America better makes it easier for the country's leader to do business with the American President.

Melania Trump did a terrific job this past week when French President Macron was here. At the State Dinner, she gave a gracious nod to her predecessors by using Hillary's china and Laura's glassware and serving fresh vegetables and honey from Michelle's garden. She's signaling that even though her husband is a change agent and a flame thrower, America respects its traditions. And that dress! Acknowledging French fashion by wearing Chanel was a beautiful touch. Reading about this dinner in France, the French must have been pleased by the terrific way their President was treated, and impressed by the pride Mrs. Trump has in her role.

I only wish the President hadn't been such a petty tyrant and had included the press at the dinner. I mean, really! The Birther in Chief, the man who gave oxygen to the rumor that Ted Cruz' father was in league with Lee Harvey Oswald is still whining about what is said about him. His petulance prevented his wife's accomplishment from getting the press attention it deserves.

April Challenge -- Day 27

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I always trust Andy

 

What you wore today

I just saw my favorite TV weatherman, Andy Avalos, report that the closer we are to the Lake today, the cooler and windier it will be. So I'm reaching for one of my favorite and very well-worn sweaters: the long, royal blue cable knit. Very well-worn boot cut jeans. Blue socks. Closed-toe, flannel Birkenstocks. Small earrings, chunky necklace and watch. Cubs jacket. (Cubs beat Milwaukee 1-0 in a nailbiter yesterday.)

I look comfortable.

 

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April Challenge -- Day 26

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Things you would say to an ex

I had a great love with a good man. It didn't work out. This is what I would say to him.

I love you. Relationships may become untenable, but love doesn't die.

I'm not sorry. Oh, I regret a lot of things I said, and heard, during our relationship. But I'm not sorry I knew you.

I hope you're happy. Because I do.

 

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WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

1. What are you currently reading? Kickback: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins. I loved Robert B. Parker's creation so much that I was skeptical when Mr. Atkins took over the Spenser series. But he does Spenser justice. This is the fourth time I've picked up an Atkins-authored Spenser, this one about a high school student who lands in juvie, and his mother turns to Spenser to help. I've just begun it, but I know that things will get very complicated, and very dangerous, very fast.

2. What did you recently finish reading?  American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping,Crimes and Trials of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin. Oh, this book! Frustrating!

Toobin does a terrific job at laying out the facts of Patty's case in the trippy, violent, cyncial post-Watergate, pre-Internet world of the 1970s. He brings some colorful characters -- particularly Ms. Hearst's fiance, Steven Weed, and father, Randolph Hearst -- to life. He is also masterful at explaining the complicated legal issues Patty faced -- which is to be expected because he's an accomplished trial lawyer and a familiar legal analyst on CNN. 

But I disagree with the conclusions he draws. He has Patricia willingly joining the SLA and holds her responsible for the crimes she committed. Unfair! The 19-year-old girl was kidnapped at gunpoint and kept first in a closet for more than a month. She was told her parents were not fully cooperating with the kidnappers to gain her release, and that the FBI considered her a fugitive. The second was true, the first was not, but no matter -- she believed both. She didn't think she could return to her former life, and she was too famous and too notorious to just slip back into society. She felt she had to stay with the SLA. Perhaps she even came to accept their Marxist mumbo jumbo. Again, no matter -- she was a crime victim, not a criminal.

Which is not to say I don't recommend this book. It was entertaining and educational, and it makes me want to buy Toobin a drink and explain to him why I think he's wrong about Patty.

3.  What will you read next? Maybe another biography? Or a mystery. My TBR pile is stacked dauntingly high with both.  

 

April Challenge -- Day 25

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Four weird traits you have

1) Some stuff just has to match or I'm not happy. For example, every day I take two fiber gummies. They must be same the color.

2) I hate doing laundry, even though it's the only domestic chore I'm good at.

3) All my cats have full names. For example, Rey is Reynaldo Curtis and Connie is Constance MacKenzie. I believe they deserve the dignity of their own identities. And I judge others by the names they bestow on their furry roommates.

4) I eat my food one thing at a time. For example, I won't touch my fries until I'm done with my burger. I do not think this is weird, but people in my life have. One of my best friends watched me like a hawk, hoping to "catch" me bouncing between my sweet potatoes and my main course. My icky grandmother actually scolded me for it.

 

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Falling apart

Self portrait

This old gray mare just ain't what I used to be ... As per my doctor, I am now peeing through a strainer. I have a rather large kidney stone on the lower left side. My doctor suspects the blood and pain were the result of bits of stone breaking off and working its way out. She says if we have a sample of the stone, we'll know if it's calcium, uric acid or oxalate, which will help determine treatment. She also will be sending me a referral, as she doesn't think she's the one to treat me from here. Still, she doesn't think this is anything dire. She said that the specialist and I may even decide no further treatment is required, just a lot more liquids.

I'm also slathering Capzasin on my right knee. For some reason, yesterday it started hurting soooo bad. I didn't twist it. It's not swollen. Perhaps it's arthritis. If it's not better soon, I will haul my fat ass over to urgent care and get it looked it.

I'm falling apart!

It earned me a hug

I sent an admittedly corny "get well" card to Napoleon's mom, Randi, who is still in the hospital. The card had a cat on the front, and inside it said, "Hope you are feline better." I slipped a $5 bill inside and attached a little kitten ornament to the envelope. (I got the ornament for $1 at a fundraiser my village held to raise funds for the animal shelter.)

Apparently this meant a great deal to her. She's got the ornament and card next to her hospital bed because, as her husband, Caleb told me, "they remind her of this guy (Napoleon)." He thanked me and gave me a hug.

I want her to feel more normal. She appreciates me because I treat her like a woman, not a homeless woman. I imagine that most of the other patients have get well cards and flowers and gifts. Now she has a card and a little giftie, too.

Doing this made me happy, and it earned me a hug!

April Challenge -- Day 24

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Something you miss

The mall. I went to Carson's on Sunday because that's the best place to buy my favorite jeans. They are going out of business. It was miserably sad. Carson's -- originally Carson, Pirie, Scott and Co. -- has been in the Chicagoland area since before the Civil War.

To get to Carson's, I had to pass Toys R Us. Their liquidation sale is in full swing, too.

The other anchor stores in that mall are JC Penney and Sears. Were I a betting woman, I would have put money on those two going under before Carson's.

I used to love going to the mall. I enjoyed people watching, wasting time in the food court, window shopping. It was a destination, even if all I needed to buy was cat food.

 

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April Challenge -- Day 23

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A fun family event

On Friday, May 25, my nephew graduates from high school. I am very emotional about this. 

I'm happy to see it happen. He hasn't liked high school, didn't feel like he belonged.* He needs a fresh start, and perhaps at college, in a bigger pond, it will be easier for him to find his tribe. It will be fascinating to watch him evolve.

On the other hand, it makes me sad. The little boy who read the Cubs box scores with me, who loved Thomas, the Tank Engine so much, who cried so easily, who always fell asleep when I pushed him in his stroller is gone forever. A man stands in his place. A man I admire, for sure, but no longer a boy.

In addition to little presents, I've socked away $200 or so for him. I like thinking of how happy he will be with the cash. And it will be fun to see him in the moment he says goodbye to this chapter in his life and looks ahead to the next.

 

*He was disgusted when his classmates walked out in support of the Parkland students, and then simply went home. Many didn't even attend the rally protesting gun violence, and they certainly didn't come back to class.


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NO! No no no no!

See this? This is what happens when a reckless jerk named German Marquez throws a 96 mph fastball at your head.

From the Chicago Sun Times

The ball knocked Kris Bryant's glasses clear off his face (there they are, flying through the air, sans an earpiece) and twisted his helmet on his head. He had to be helped off the field and is under observation for a concussion. (So far, he's fine.)

Marquez' teammates say he wasn't aiming at Bryant's head. Yeah, whatever. When you're throwing inside and that hard, you are required to be careful. He wasn't. And he injured one of my guys. Bastard. The umpire didn't even eject Marquez.

One of the Cubs' coaches threw a cup of coffee at the umpire. As the Beatles sang, "You can't do that." So he was ejected. But I understand his fury. Look at KB in that picture!

A couple of Burts

In 1994, when Burt Lancaster died at age 80, my grandmother was bereft. I was surprised, because she had never expressed her affection for him before. She seemed to go for the Latin lovers that were popular in the old days -- Fernando Lamas, Riccardo Montalban, and most of all, Cesar Romero.

"You don't understand," she said sadly. "Even my movie stars are dying." My dad (her son) was gone. Her husband and parents were gone. And now, even Burt Lancaster, who was crazy popular in her regular movie-going days, was gone.

Reynolds with DeNiro and Chase at the premiere

Today, I kind of understand. I rented The Last Movie Star from Xfinity OnDemand and was touched and appalled by Burt Reynolds. I don't know how to judge his work in this movie, as he is pretty much playing himself and I wonder how it would play to someone who didn't watch him on The Tonight Show and Hollywood Squares and Smokey and the Bandit.

The stud who posed nude for Cosmopolitan now cannot walk without a cane, and his voice is so ravaged it's hard to hear him. I feel sorry for him, but I'm also mad at him. His frailty is a reminder of my own mortality. He's my Burt Lancaster.

I was never a fan of Burt's. He was a little too smirky and a little too superficial. But he was ubiquitous in the 1970s. I saw Smokey and the Bandit at the show ... more than once. We all did. I can still sing the theme song. ("East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'. We're gonna do what they say can't be done. We've got a long way to go and short time to get there. I'm east bound, just watch old Bandit run.") I still think of him whenever I'm served Coor's.

Fortunately the actors of that era I did fangirl over are faring better these days. Two-time Oscar winner Robert Redford just teamed with Jane Fonda for the fourth time in Netflix' Our Souls at Night. I haven't seen it (no Netflix) but I did watch them do publicity. At 81, he's still fit and articulate and he has a scene where he and Fonda dance, so I know he's still mobile.

Oscar winner Warren Beatty is still working, too. I saw his turn as Howard Hughes in Rules Don't Apply. I was ambivalent about it -- Hughes' mental and emotional problems are being played for laughs and they really weren't funny. But here's the old auteur, acting and directing at 80. And, lest you have any questions about his mental agility, just recall him at both the 2018 and 2017 Academy Awards.

It was Warren who first realized what had gone wrong at the 2017 Oscars, that LaLa Land wasn't really the winner. He knew he had been given the wrong envelope and refused to relinquish the evidence until he was vindicated. It was fun to watch. He may be old, but he's still imposingly tall and he just wasn't letting go of that envelope and no one was going to make him.

Bonnie and Clyde at the 2018 Oscar do-over

God bless you guys. Because Bob and Warren, you mean more to me than your estimable work. You are my touchstones. Don't go all Burt Reynolds on me!

April Challenge -- Day 22

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Your morning routine

This is asked on Sunday, which is not a typical morning. But here's how it unfolded ...

•  Got up on my own. Meaning: no alarm. I locked Rey out of my room at about 2:30 AM because he was too disruptive, so I thought I could sleep even later, but my room got soooooooo hot it woke me up.

•  Fed the cats. Each is on a special diet, so I have to watch and make sure each sticks to his/her own bowl.

•  Watched the local news and farted around on the Internet
•  Went back to bed for an hour
•  Watched Meet the Press and This Week (George was actually there!)
•  Put together a bag of "housewares" for Goodwill (the fan, heater, flower pot and vase from my office)

•  Showered.
•  Put in NEW lenses (which I do on the 22 of each month)

•  Executed my skincare regimen.
•  Brushed my teeth.

• Took my meds from my days-of-the-week pill case. (Prevents me from asking myself five hours from now, "Did I take my meds?")

 

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Sunday Stealing

IF ...

1. If you could eliminate a single type of insect in the world, which would it be? Oh, no you don't! You're not going to trick me into forgetting what we learned in Girl Scouts: every one of Mother Nature's creatures serves a purpose. I'm not eliminating anybody.


2. If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen? I already witnessed a pretty cool one. I had the distinct honor of being in the crowd on 11/4/08 when Barack Obama addressed us, and accepted the Presidency. 

Look! There I am!

3. If you had to paint your entire home inside and out a single color other than white, what would you pick? Light blue


4. If you could decide what will be written on your gravestone, what would you have inscribed. Just the names and the dates.


5. If you could have a secret listening device in any one room in the world, what room would you put it in? My boss' boss' boss. He's the one who ultimately decides if I get axed this year.


6. If you could have any music group that no longer exists play at your birthday party, who would you want? As Ed Sullivan memorably said, "And now, here they, THE BEATLES!"


7. If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do? Ringmaster




8. If you could master one type of cuisine, which one would you choose? Italian! It's my favorite.


9. If you had to have one piece of music softly playing in your mind for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be? "I Will" from The Beatles White Album.



10. If you could ensure one single personality trait in your children, what would you want it be?  Curiosity     
     
11. If you could resolve any single dispute, anywhere in the world, what would you solve? I am so not equipped to even dip a toe into this arena.



12. If you could be a guest on any talk show, which would you like to be on? Colbert! Because I love him.


13. If you were to be a news correspondent posted to any foreign country, where would you like to go? There's a little wedding coming up that I'd love to cover.

14. If you could have been on the Supreme court for any single case in its history, which would you select? Roe v. Wade. We have a right to privacy. We have the right to control our own bodies. In addition to freedom of religion, we have a right to freedom from religion.

15. If you could pick one person from history to live next door to you, who would you pick? My all-time heroine, JBKO. I've read comments made by her younger friends (Carly Simon, Kathy McKeon) about how she enjoyed playing mentor. Maybe she could teach me how to tie a scarf. For real! I could do a post solely on Jackie and her scarves! She saw the world in a way I just can't.

Also, we share a love of older buildings, and of books. I'd love to ask her how she feels about the internet.

ORD - EWR

Had lunch with my nephew yesterday. As his senior year ends, he's terribly excited because he really hated high school. And because, at 18, he's about to take his first solo vacation.

He's going to Newark! About a decade ago, he began playing Pokemon online with like-minded little nerds all over the world. Even after the passion for Pikachu faded, he stayed in touch with two of the boys. One lives in Kentucky, and the other lives in Newark.

The one in Newark just had a baby and is about to marry his baby mama. The groom is 21. He's invited his two midwestern Pokemon pals to the wedding. It will be the first time the three of them have met, face to face.

Nick is paying for the flight, a wedding gift and a haircut himself. A friend of the groom's works at a nearby hotel and is giving them a break on the room for a couple nights.

Graduation! Junior college vs. university! Vacations and weddings! Wasn't I just pushing this kid in a stroller?

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Love Don't Cost a Thing (2001)

1) Love may not cost a thing, but everyday stuff does. What's the most recent thing you bought? How much did you spend? After drinks with friends, I took a cab to the train station. It was $8 (with tip).

2) This video begins with Jennifer Lopez on the phone, on a veranda with a view of the sea. What's the view from the room you're in right now? A fan in the living room window. The heat's still on in my building and it's become a little toasty in here.

3) She sings that she doesn't want her lover's gifts or money, she just wants his attention. Let's change that a bit. Which would you prefer: a gift that was personally chosen but you know you'll never use, or cash? Personally chosen.

4) She met her first husband, dancer Cris Judd, while working on this video. She met Ben Affleck, to whom she was once engaged, while working on a movie. Think of those you're closest to -- where did you meet them? Most of them I've met through my jobs.


5) She and her current boyfriend, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, are both workout fanatics. How often do you exercise? I haven't exercised in weeks because of this persistent kidney problem. I miss the physical exertion.

6) Her high school nickname was "La Guitarra," because her curvy shape reminded her friends of a guitar. Share a high school memory about you and your friends. Study hall with Jimmy. He was reading The Godfather and would pass it to me, with the sex parts marked. Truly, until Sonny and Lucy slipped away during the wedding reception, I didn't know people could have sex standing up. 

7) JLo just completed filming her third season playing a police detective on NBC's Shades of Blue. Did you see anything memorable on TV this past week?

 

8) Jennifer Lopez posts often on Facebook, and Twitter, and Instagram. Do you feel you spend too much time on social media, do you wish you posted more often, or do you try to avoid it altogether? I probably spend too much time on it. On the one hand, it helps me feel connected to the rest of the world. On the other hand, it doesn't always make me happy.

9)  Random question: You're at a yard sale and come upon an unusual little knicknack that would make the perfect gift for your best friend. The tag says $7. You think that's rather high for a castoff. Do you pay it? Do you pass on it? Or do you try to get the seller to lower the price? I agree that $7 sounds expensive for a yard sale knicknack, but I'd buy it. I like finding the perfect gift, and I'm not comfortable with the whole haggling thing.

April Challenge -- Day 21

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Your zodiac sign and whether you think it fits you.

While I am on the cusp, those who follow these things assure me I am a Sagittarius.

Here is what Astrology-Zodiac Signs says about people like me:

Strengths: Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor
Weaknesses: Promises more than can deliver, very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic
Sagittarius likes: Freedom, travel, philosophy, being outdoors
Sagittarius dislikes: Clingy people, being constrained, off-the-wall theories, details

I am surprised by how well that does describe me,* because I don't much believe is astrology.

 

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*I'm not really an outdoor girl. I like being outside, but I do don't camping. I try not to over promise.

Saved by the balls

Napoleon update: His furry little life was so harrowing this week! As he approaches his first birthday, he is quite the bruiser, very strong and healthy. When I think about the sad fate met by his momcat and littermates, it's amazing how lucky he is, being adopted by Caleb and Randi. They may be homeless, but they lavish him with love, attention and care. He's up to date on his shots, but he hasn't been fixed yet. Turns out, that's a blessing.

Caleb and Napoleon are high profile, panhandling together on Michigan Avenue street corners day in/day out.That has its benefits: local beat cops know them on sight. And it has its downfalls ... like Monday.

An "older woman" (Caleb's words; I suspect she might be younger than I am) came upon them and announced, "That's my cat! You stole my girl! That's Pussy Fru!"

Caleb told her he's had Napoleon since he was a tiny kitten, and that Napoleon is a he. (Blogger's note: no one who names a cat "Pussy Fru" should be allowed to have one.)

She reached for Napoleon, who was wrapped in blanket and tethered to a harness. "Do. Not. Touch. Him. You. Bitch." Caleb said, "Don't hate me. I was trying to be as tough guy as possible. Napoleon is my baby!"

The woman left but, unbeknownst to Caleb, returned. She and her husband were sitting in a big old car, idling at the corner, waiting. As Caleb was packing up for the night, the woman got out of her car and actually picked up the cat. What she hadn't counted on was the leash, which Caleb stands on when he can't be looking at Napoleon to make sure his baby doesn't travel. When he felt the tug under his foot, he spun around and saw her making her way to her car with Napoleon!

By the time he got over to her, her husband had gotten out of the car and taken Napoleon. This cat is usually very chill, but he's not accustomed to being held by anyone but Caleb or Randi. So he unsheathed his claws and took a piece out of the man's neck. The man, naturally, dropped Napoloen and Caleb punched him in the face. He picked up the poor frightened cat and started back to his cart when a cop arrived. After all, the woman had been screaming, "Pussy Fru!" the whole time. Even in Chicago, that will garner attention.

So they all got a ride to the police station. The woman insisted that Caleb was not a homeless man, but a hipster from Palatine (a suburb northwest of Chicago) who stole her cat, the unfortunately named Pussy Fru.

The top cop on duty checked under Napoleon's tail and announced that since Napoleon is a male, and Pussy Fru is a female, Napoleon cannot possibly be her cat. He told the couple that they had no standing to press charges for the assault because they were stealing Caleb's "property" and he was merely defending it.

As Caleb and Napoleon were leaving the police station, one of the cops that they see every day recommended that Caleb get "proof of ownership," so that this doesn't happen again. He's going to try to get a copy of vet's records detailing Napoleon's shots last fall. He also asked me if I'd sign "an affidavit or something" that says I've seen him with the cat regularly since Spring 2017. I told him that of course I would.

There's a notary public in my building. Maybe I'll just write something up myself and have it notarized for Caleb to carry.

April Challenge -- Day 20

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Put your iPod on "Shuffle," write the first three songs and share your thoughts.

"You and I" -- Barbra Streisand
Her voice is a complete delight in this one. She goes from a whisper to a belt, holds notes forever and proves that what she insisted at the beginning of her career is, indeed, true: She's not a singer, she's an actress who sings. 

"Shameless" -- Garth Brooks
I love early 1990s Garth.

"Dancing in the Moonlight" -- King Harvest
 A summertime song. Beginning with the first chords, it takes me back.  I remember which kids I babysat for (Stephen and Jeffrey) and which Cubs started in the infield (Santo, Kessinger, Beckert and Hickman) when this was popular.

 

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April Challenge -- Day 19

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Five fears that you have:

1) Losing my job and being unable to find another one. This one literally keeps me up at night. Ten years ago, it never occurred to me that I couldn't use my connections to get work in my industry, in my town. But "my connections" are retiring ... or out of work themselves. Gulp!

2) That I will outlive my money. (See #1.)

3)  That I will be ill and vulnerable. I don't feel I have people I can dependably turn to, nearby, to take care of me if something bad happens. Kathleen is always traveling, on work or otherwise. John hates, loathes, despises and abominates cats. Barb is preparing to move to Hilton Head. Henry, my aunt and my cousin all would, but they are in Florida.

4) That I will go down The Stoney End. I used to really, really battle depression, and when I was in its throes it felt like this Barbra Streisand song:

"Never mind the forecast cause the sky has lost control,
cause the fury and broken thunder's come to match my raging soul,
now I don't believe I want to see the morning.
Going down the Stoney End, I never wanted to go down the Stoney End.
Mama, let me start all over. Cradle me, mama, cradle me."

Years of therapy have taught me what to say to myself when I feel it encroaching. I need to slow down, step back, breathe deep, and recognize it. Isolate the cause. Then deal with it, before my soul rages. That's when I make really bad decisions.

5) That I will be in a plane crash. It isn't dying that worries me, it's the horror of those last seconds. The descent, people screaming ... I can't even look at coverage of the Southwest crash because it's my nightmare brought to life.

"Gee, this was fun!" The Gal said sarcastically. Maybe next time, before I accept one of these challenges, I should read the questions beforehand. Some of these prompts have been downers.

 

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Farewell, little Willow

Queen Elizabeth had to have her last corgi put to sleep. Willow was 14 years old.

Yes, she is one of the world's most famous women. Yes, she has eight (8!) official residences. No, she never wears earrings purchased at Claire's Boutique, like I do.

But in some very important ways, the Queen is just like you and me. She looked into the eyes of that dog and melted. When she learned that Willow's cancer was untreatable, she had to make the same decision that everyone who shares her home with a furry friend has to make. Even though she knows her corgi is gone, she'll still look at the spot at her feet, or by the door, or on the rug, where Willow always slept. And she will ache.

Of course, I'm thinking of my dear old Joey as I write this. I feel such a kinship with HRH right now. God save the Queen.