February Blogging Challenge -- Day 9

  

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9) Make list of everything you'd like to say "no" to ...

I say "no" to this prompt. With Marjorie Taylor Green, QAnon and Trump apologists being both ubiquitous and toxic, I'd rather accentuate the positive. 

This is the earliest available photo of Major Biden as a puppy. The Delaware Humane Society says he is the one at the top.

 

This litter was found living outside and, being puppies, they'd gotten into something they shouldn't have. The spent their first days at the shelter on fluids. They bounced back, but needed socialization before they could be adopted. Ashley Biden saw a Facebook post about the litter, contacted her dad, and on Easter Sunday, 2018, he became Major's fairy dogfather. Months later, Joe and Jill officially adopted their new family member.

February Blog Challenge -- Day 8

  

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8) I feel most tired when ...

I am working hard but on something that doesn't grip me. I have a new automotive client and writing about car care does not come easily to me! Some of the assignments go smoothly and I roll merrily along with my writing, happy that I'm helping build my clients' business. But if I'm working on an assignment that requires a lot of research, it exhausts me. I feel like I just plowed the back 40.

Two very different women

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. It is also my Cousin Rose's birthday. She's not really a football fan, but now that she lives near Tampa and the Bucs are competing, and her adopted hometown is hosting it, she's into the game. She also really, really loves Mark Harmon. So I posted this photo for her on Facebook to wish her a happy birthday.

Jeri is a journalist and a classic movie fan I apparently met at the TCM Film Festival in 2019. I say "apparently" because, honest to God, I don't remember her. But after the festival, when we all got home, she reached out and wanted to be Facebook friends. OK! You want to talk William Powell and The Thin Man movies? I'm your Gal!

Jeri commented on Rosie's birthday pic immediately, saying she's loved Mark Harmon since St. Elsewhere. Rose and Jeri gave one another's drooly comments thumbs up. This amuses me mightily.

For in real life, Rose and Jeri would likely never meet or speak. Rosie is a very devout Catholic. She never misses worship. If she comes to visit you, she'll tell you which of your neighborhood churches she'll be attending and when because she's done her homework. Rosie never swears. Ever. If you cuss (and I do), she will firmly ask you to "cut it out" because it make her uncomfortable.

Jeri was not born a woman, but she lives as one. She writes for The Advocate. 

While Rose was very supportive of my gay friend Henry after his accident, contributing generously to the GoFundMe set up to pay his hospital bills, I know that was out of love for and loyalty to me. The LGBTQ world confuses her. She simply doesn't get it.

And today, Rose and Jeri were trading giggling comments on Mark Harmon. It makes my heart happy. I keep hearing how "cruel" Facebook is. I seldom find that. More often, I see connections made and maintained. Maybe I'm a Pollyanna, but I remain a social media fan.

I have an aunt who forgets her manners on Facebook, but that's only in relation to Donald Trump. I blame the former President for that -- his disrespectful all-caps Tweeting just overheated everything and made rudeness fashionable. And I blame my aunt. I know she loves me, but her Trumpy anger eats her up. It came between her and her oldest son early on and, if I let it, it would separate us. I email her regularly, but I won't engage her on Facebook. But that's on her, not Mark Zuckerberg.

Instead, I will enjoy the connection between Rose and Jeri, and I will keep an eye out to see what other of my posts they both respond to. Maybe someday I can introduce them in real life!

A real-life Howard Beale

Howard Beale was the cinematic brainchild of Paddy Chayefsky, the Oscar winning screenwriter who who gave us Network in 1976. Chayefsky understood that somehow angry white middle-class white people* need an anchorman to scream for them. And so the phrase, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" was born.

Fast forward to 2021. Lou Dobbs has lost his gig at Fox Business because much of what he said on air cannot be substantiated. If it could, voting technology company Smartmatic wouldn't be suing Fox and Dobbs for $2.7 billion. 

Clearly Fox understands that they have considerable exposure and are trying to distance themselves from the Dobbs "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theories that have been circulating since November. I get that.

And I get how angry white middle-class white people* might have found watching Dobbs rant cathartic. 

But this is also obvious: little of what Dobbs said about election fraud can be verified. If it could, he and Fox would be salivating, waiting for a show trial that would vindicate them and substantiate their claims that Donald J. Trump was robbed. Instead, Fox is all, "Lou Who?"

So what I don't get is why the loyal viewers Dobbs has been lying to are still clinging to him. He lied to them. Either he's deluded or he knowingly misled his viewers. But he broadcast untruths. Why the loyalty?

It's like my friend Kathy with Sen. Al Franken. She has long complained that he was run out of office without due process over innocent hijinks. I have always hated what he did. Do I think he was denied due process in the Senate? Probably. But I also believe he enjoyed grabbing the boobs and butts of women he didn't know, just because he could. I'm not going to defend him.

Sen. Al Franken betrayed me. Lou Dobbs betrayed his viewers. Why do we remain so infatuated by the men who do us wrong?

*I've been a middle-class white person all my life and grew up watching this phenomenon. My dad used to yell at the TV, complain about liberal bias and worship Archie Bunker as some kind of Queens oracle who understood how "they" (blacks, Jews, Hispanics, women ...) were trying to crowd him out. I learned from him. Instead of parking myself in a recliner and screaming to no one in particular, I write letters, raise money and work on campaigns. I am, on balance, happier than my dad and have fewer lines on my face because I don't feel powerless.

February Blog Challenge -- Day 7

 

  

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7) I feel most energized when ...

I get out of the shower. There's just something about water that makes me feel good about everything.

Sunday Stealing

 JANUARY, PART 2

1.Can you eat with chopsticks? Nope. I am seriously uncoordinated.

2.Could you tell real money from counterfeit? Well, I understand a $5 is supposed to feature Honest Abe and NOT be pink, so I know these are fake. Other than that, not really.

 

 

3.What do you think about school uniforms? I've evolved on this. When I went to public  high school, the "uniform" my friends and I adopted for ourselves was very egalitarian: jeans and t-shirts. Subsequently things have gotten much dressier, with a greater emphasis on accessories. While I'm all for self expression, I worry about the kids who can't afford the accoutrements. So now I like uniforms because they're an equalizer.

4.What ancient civilization would you most like to visit? Ancient? None, thank you. However I am very curious about 19th century America. I'd like to visit Springfield, IL, ca 1860. I've toured the Lincoln sites so many times and find them captivating. A very romantic time. No slaves, of course. And maybe I'd run into Mary and her boys on Adams Street as they stop by to visit Mr. Lincoln at work. There's a Subway near there now, and I remember daydreaming about seeing them as I ate my sandwich.

 

5.What would make a great new Crayola color? Pantone 294, Cubbie blue! I believe the Dodger blue is similar (if not identical), so this addition would be helpful to many artistic young fans.

6.If an art project is created with the intent of getting rich and famous, does that cast doubt over its significance as a work of art? No. Art is about what we get from it.

7.What do you get in trouble for the most? Ha! My big mouth.

 

8. Do you blow your nose in public? Of course. I don't make a performance of it, but I don't think sitting there with snot on my face is elegant or hygienic, either.

9.If all the nations in the world are in debt, where did all the money go? Jeff Bezos and Amazon. Maybe Walmart. An oil company?

10.Is it as easy to make you happy now as it was when you were a child? Yes.

11.Who knows more...you, or your parents? My parents are both dead, so I win!

12.What instrument would you like to be famous for playing? Guitar! However, see #1. I'm really bad with the manual dexterity thing.

13.Would you have sex with a stranger for one million dollars? Call me, Bob.

 

14.Are you completely in control of your body? No. Our bodies call the shots. I think as women, we feel that more keenly than men.

15.What is the coolest web site you know of? I don't know how cool they are, but I spend a lot of time on Goodreads and Letterboxd.

 

 

Hero

Anthony Rizzo: Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008

All-Star First Baseman: 2014-2016

Gold Glove First Baseman: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020

World Series Champion: 2016

My Favorite Most Cub: 2012 through all Eternity

 

 

February Blog Challenge -- Day 6

  

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6) What is something you have always wanted to try but haven't yet?

Cross-country skiing. I prefer really cold days to really hot ones, so it would be a fun and healthy way to take advantage of the way I'm naturally calibrated. Also, I have like NO upper body strength, so it would be a good workout for me.

Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: Waiting for Tonight (1999)

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

1) In this song, Jennifer Lopez anticipates a night of unbridled passion with the love of her life. What are you waiting for tonight? (No pressure; it doesn't have to be as thrilling as hers.) I'm watching this film for my movie group. It's new to me and I'm enthusiastic about it. Afterward, I may reach out and call my oldest friend. Seeing Louis Jordan makes me think of her mother. When we were in junior high, comparing and contrasting David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman and Donny Osmond, her mom would interrupt and say, "Now Louis Jourdan! HE is dreamy!"

2) She sings that she's glad she's beyond those nights that found her tossing and turning alone in her bed. Did you enjoy restful sleep last night? Yes. I put clean sheets on the bed (the flannel ones!) and they felt positively delightful.

 

3) Whatever Jennifer has planned for tonight, it won't include alcohol. She never drinks liquor. What's the last adult beverage you enjoyed? I had a glass of Bailey's Irish Creme back before Thanksgiving. Since my case of the coronavirus settled in my gut, not my lungs, I've been reluctant to drink again. I don't want to upset my newly-settled stomach.

4) Ms. Lopez performed "Waiting for Tonight" during last year's Super Bowl halftime show. Will you be watching The Big Game this weekend? Nope. This is what I'm living for. (Soon, Gal, soon ...)

 

 

5) Speaking of this weekend, The Weeknd will headline the Super Bowl 2021 halftime show. Are you a fan of his? Nope. I'm barely aware of him. He played at Lollapalooza in 2015 when I was there to see Sir Paul. So was most of the midwest. Apparently his fans are passionate and therefore upset that The Weeknd wasn't getting the attention they believe he deserved.

6) Super Bowl Sunday is the #1 day for guacamole consumption in the US. When did you most recently eat something with avocado in it? I don't recall. I'm not a big avocado fan.

7) Chicken wings are a popular Super Bowl dish, too. When did you most recently eat chicken? How was it prepared? I had a pulled chicken sandwich on Friday.

8) This year, fast food chain Chipotle will run their first-ever Super Bowl ad. Do you pay closer attention to commercials during the Super Bowl? No, because I see most of them before the game. I work for an ad agency. This really is a big fucking deal within the industry.

9) Random question: Are you more likely to pretend to be more naive than you really are, or more sophisticated? I've done both. Most recently I pretended to be really unaware of the thinking behind about a project to save a colleague embarrassment. (Hey! Do you think it's possible that they might have meant ....)

February Blog Challenge -- Day 5

 

Visit Kwizgiver for the prompts

 

5) What is your favorite time of day?

Now that I'm working from home during the pandemic, it's 5:00. No putting on a coat or boots, no jockeying for a seat on the train. I'm just done for the day.

I do miss my downtown worklife, though. In days gone by, I would have chosen 11:30, because that's when I went to lunch. Would I work out? Hide out at a restaurant with a book? People watch on Michigan Avenue? Lunchtime just used to offer so much.

 

February Blog Challenge -- Day 4

 

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4) If you had a theme song, what would it be?

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches on ahead. "Two of Us." It's the perfect song for me at this time of my life. 

It popped into my head one day as I was watched my mother walk away, toward her kitchen in the house where I grew up. She was in her mid-70s at the time, and suddenly she looked old to me. Sir Paul provided the soundtrack to the moment.

Me and my friend, John. Me and Henry. Me and my oldest friend. Even me and my skinny beige tomcat, Reynaldo. We have loved one another longer than we have left. It's not sad, exactly, because I'm lucky to have such a rich backlog of memories. But it's poignant and important. I must honor our past and treasure the present and accept the inevitable.

How lovely and fitting that the voice that reminds me of this is the voice that's captivated me my whole life.

 "Two of Us" is one of the last duets the public heard Paul perform with John Lennon, whom he met in 1957 and would lose in 1980. He wrote it about himself and the Lovely Linda, whom he would lose in 1998. Mortality is an equalizer.

February Blog Challenge -- Day 3

 

 

Visit Kwizgiver for the prompts

 

3) What is a common misconception people have about you? What do you wish they knew?

A common misconception: That I'm tough. I think it's because I don't cry often and I'm seldom at a loss for words, but that doesn't mean that I'm impervious to pain or fear.

What do you wish they knew? How easily I can be hurt. But I'm not sure I want "people" to know that. The idea makes me feel vulnerable. So let's keep it between us, okay?

 

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? The Princess Bride by William Goldman. "Who can know when his world is going to change?" So begins William Goldman's reminiscence of when his father introduced him to this fable. It also applies to me when I first discovered this book. I loved The Princess Bride beyond measure when I was a young woman. Revisiting it as a no longer young woman, I'm pleased to report it still shines. 

If you enjoyed the movie, I still recommend the book. Because it's about more. In addition to the swashbuckling tale of the Dread Pirate Roberts, the Farm Boy and the beautiful Buttercup, there's a subtext of resignation that comes with maturity. This story is tinged with the hip cynicism of a romantic who has been disappointed by life. It's about what we're left with when our dreams don't come true.

 

Which is not to say it's not funny. The book is just as funny as the movie. I am captivated by William Goldman's voice, humor and imagination. I am so glad I picked this book up again.

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. This is the story of four women in Miracle Springs, NC, a small town that sprang up around natural hot springs. It's supported by tourism, by people who visit to take the waters. It matters that these women are "townies" (bookseller, bathhouse attendant, baker and beautician). Tourists come and go, but these four aren't going anywhere and their paths will cross again and again. Therefore, there's risk involved when these four damaged souls choose to share their secrets and become friends, real friends. I understood and was involved with this part of the story.

 

Suddenly this bucolic town is plagued by a pair of murders. The four women join forces to form the Secret, Book & Scone Society and head out to solve them. It's their amateur sleuthing that kinda bored me. 

 

So I liked this book, but didn't love it. It's the first installment in a series and as such has an awful to do -- create a unique sense of place, introduce the characters and their backstories and give them a crime to solve. Sometimes the subsequent books are better because their agenda isn't so crowded. I may give this series another chance in the future. 

 

3. What will read next?  I don't know, but since I'm rereading and enjoying The Princess Bride I'm thinking of perhaps revisiting one of the biographies I read long ago.

February Blog Challenge -- Day 2

 

 

Visit Kwizgiver for the prompts

 

2) What are you looking forward to this month?

Feeling my new financial normal.

I got a raise on December 1, but it didn't appear until my December 31 check, with my Christmas bonus, so it looked like a lot. Then in January, with my refi I got a refund check for overpayment on my previous mortgage account. And, with the refi, my mortgage payment is naturally lower. So in December and January I felt like I was rolling in dough.

That's not reality though. It's not like I suddenly became a Vanderbilt in December. So February is my first real financial month of 2021.

February Blog Challenge -- Day 1

 

Visit Kwizgiver for the prompts

 

1) What was the highlight of the last month?

I'm eating better, or at least regularly. I nap less and stay awake more.

My December and January were pretty much defined by my six week battle with the corona virus, followed by my recovery. I realize how lucky I was, and I'm enormously grateful, but I admit there was a PTSD aspect to my life in January. Every time I went to the bathroom, I worried. I compulsively sniffed things (cologne bottles, air freshener cones) because no sense of smell was my first symptom. Hopefully, in February, I'll leave the worry behind.

I'm gonna try

I appropriated this from Ms. Kwiz. It seems like a worthy way to impose a little discipline to my thoughts. If you want to join us, please do! 

 I'm afraid I can't post the graphic as legibly as she's managed to, so ...

Visit Kwizgiver for the prompts

"God, I love baseball!"

So said Roy Hobbs/Robert Redford in The Natural. So say I almost every day.

Yes, it snowed last night. I know that some people are grumbling and grousing because 6" (Ok, 6.8") is a bitch to shovel and bullockses up traffic. But I can hear the kids outside my window -- I live next to a children's home with 26 kids in residence -- and they're filled with excitement and joy. And here's a photo from last night. As Stevie Wonder sang, "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?" There is nothing about this picture that doesn't make me happy, including the salute to health care workers. 

I came upon this last week. Lurie Children's Hospital is a not-for-profit on the city's west side, renown for its pediatric cancer unit. Fat Cat is a Chicago restaurant that -- like most independent eateries -- has suffered financially through the pandemic.

My favorite-most Cub, Anthony Rizzo, and former Cub Ryan Dempster brought the two together -- paying for and delivering more than 100 meals to essential Lurie staff. Win/win. Yea!

My hero!

I am told there are people who are not Cub fans. I feel bad for these people.

Sunday Stealing

 ANIMALS

1.   What is your favorite animal and why? As a species, cats. Though there have been dogs who held a place in my heart, too.

2.   Are people animals? What separates humans from animals? We're just mammals with big brains and opposing thumbs. I remember that from school.
 

3.   Which animal is the most dangerous? We are.

No other animal would do this, or respond to it with "We love you. You're special."

4.   What should you do if a bear approaches you? Speak in a calm voice and wave your arms slowly up and down. Apparently this will reassure the bear that you're a human and not another bear. I don't know what I'm supposed to do next. I have always been very sure I'll never be approached by a bear.
 

5.   Do you like dogs? Why do people call the dog, man’s best friend? Of course I like dogs. Everyone likes dogs! I think they are a favorite companion because they are so sweet and obedient. (If you require subservience in a furry roommate, do not share your home with a cat.)

6.   Do you enjoy going to the zoo? Some people consider zoos to be cruel environments for animals. What do you think? I love visiting the zoo. A responsible zoological society educates us about animals and gives endangered species a safe place to breed. Rodeos and circuses are inhumane. Zoos are great.

7.   Where is the best place to see animals in your country? In the world? What animal are you looking for?

8.   Are you a vegetarian? What makes some people give up eating meat? I'm not a vegetarian. Why have "people" given up meat? I imagine there are many reasons, some tied to animal rights and their humane treatment, some tied to health.

9.   Which animal is most helpful to humans? Probably dogs. Though for centuries, I think horses could have claimed that title.

10  If you could be any animal (besides human), which animal would you like to be? I'd like to be a cat in a household like mine. First of all, I give them the best life I can. Secondly, I admire a cat's nature. They are secure. Cats do what they want to do, secure that it is the wise choice because they are cats. In many ways, I wish I was more like my cats.

11.  Who would win in a fight between a tiger and a lion? They don't live together in the wild. If a lion and a tiger got into a fight, somehow a human would be involved, and that would affect the outcome.

12.  What do you think about hunting animals? Would you like to try it? I don't think I could ever enjoy hunting or fishing.

13.   Books like “Watership Down” and “Animal Farm” give animals human characteristics like human thoughts or language. Is this how you think animals really are? Or are those really just stories about people? Those are really just stories about people.

14.  Some animals are endangered due to illegal poaching. How do you feel about this issue? I think illegal poachers are selfish assholes.

15.  If we can bring an extinct animal from the past back with genetic engineering, should we do it? Which animals should we bring back? To paraphrase Dr. Malcolm, before we find out if we can, we should stop to think if we should.

 

As the fellow once said, "Ain't that a kick in the head?"

Since November, I've been doing blog posts for my agency's new(er) client. A national chain of auto shops, they hired us to, among other things, spiff up their website. Or, as we pretentiously like to say, "create more robust content." It's not a day-in/day-out thing, but it looks like it will land on my plate monthly.

I hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it.  I have no affinity for anything auto. It takes me twice as long to write this stuff as it does for my regularly-assigned financial services client. This causes me tremendous stress.

So when, last week, the client requested a meeting with me, for me and about me, I was filled with dread. I was terrified that it was some sort of corrective summit and I'd be told how I was coming up short, what I needed to do to improve. I've been doing this for 40 years now. I've never had a client ask me off their business. While I am confident such an occurrence wouldn't cost me my job in the short-term -- contractually, much of my salary is subsidized by my financial services client* -- I want to hang on to this job as long as possible and client trouble wouldn't help me any. Also, it would be professionally embarrassing.

The stress has not been good for my still covid-fragile gut.

Imagine my surprise when it turned out we were assembled not to bury me but to praise me. Someone actually referred to my efforts as "amazing." They said that since this is going to be an ongoing relationship, they wanted to give me greater context surrounding their digital efforts. They explained how they see these blog posts contributing to their online presence and their brand credibility in 2021.

They also gave me more time than originally scheduled to do this month's posts. They didn't do this to be nice to me -- the current timeline didn't allow for their legal team's availability. But still, I'm delighted to have more time. As I mentioned, this writing does not come easily to me. More time = less stress. 

So nothing I was dreading came to pass and everything is better than fine.

As the sailor said, quote, "Ain't that a hole in the boat?"

*It's at times like this I'm glad I'm one of those creatives who pays attention in the geeky, business side of the business meetings.

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1973)

Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.

1) Bette Midler sings that the bugle boy wakes up Company B every morning by playing reveille. What awakened you this morning (phone, alarm clock, sunrise, etc.)? Or did you wake up on your own? My cat Reynaldo was hungry and/or bored.

2) This single was produced by Bette's arranger/piano player, who went on to have a successful singing career of his own. Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song? I basically loathe him. Except for the song "Even Now." I thought I was completely over someone and then his name came up in conversation and I realized I wasn't over him at all and knew I was acting like Barry Manilow in this song. That's the downside to romance: it can make you behave like a Barry Manilow song. (Great. Now I'm remembering him again. "I swear I think of you and God, I wish you knew ..." Damn you, Barry Manilow!)

 
 

 

3) Bette was named after Bette Davis. Her sisters, Susan and Judy, were named for Susan Hayward and Judy Garland. So now we know who Mother Midler's favorite actresses were. Who are yours? Katharine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Aniston.

4) Bette has been married since 1984 to artist Martin von Haselberg. She was 39 years old, already a star, and had never married before. Yet within six weeks of meeting him, she was so sure Martin was "the one" that they tied the knot. Have you found that love takes time, or, like Bette, have you fallen in love quickly? It creeps up on me. Yes, I'm thinking of the guy from #2 again. Sigh.

5) When their daughter Sophie was growing up, it was Martin who taught her to cook. What was the last thing you prepared in your kitchen? Did you use the microwave, stovetop, convection oven, blender, coffee maker ...? I nuked a cup of tea in the microwave.

 

6) Bette says that listening and compromise have been the key to their happy marriage but adds, "Compromise is hardest of all." On what have you compromised recently? Ha! I was working with a new creative director on a project and he asked me to revise my work. I thought he was making it worse, but these things are subjective and I wanted to be a good sport and a team player, so I complied. Guess what. Our client immediately asked me to take out everything he added. I'll be intentionally obtuse and pretend I don't know the moral of the story.

 

7) Bette and Martin have a farmhouse in upstate New York. She enjoys feeding the chickens (whom she has jokingly named The Kardashians) and puttering in her garden. Do you have a green thumb? Yes. I had to bring my office plants home and they have, literally, taken over my den. They'd do even better if I could bring myself to cut them back more often. 

I'd love to drape them around the room like Hepburn did in Desk Set

8) In 1973, the year this song was popular, actor Neil Patrick-Harris was born. He's best known as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, which ran from 2005-2014. Were you a fan? I like it when I stumble on it, but I don't go out of my way to watch it. Mostly because I dislike one of the characters whom we're obviously supposed to adore. (Robin.) This is why I enjoy Friends so much. I like all six of those characters.

9) Random question -- How often do you put crackers in your soup: Always, often, seldom or never? Always.

I hope I'm wrong

I don't claim to have any supernatural intuition. (That's Snarkypants' purview!) But I have a very strong feeling about Warren, and I can't shake it. 

Warren is the big, colorful guy who -- until last February -- worked in our mail room. Everyone loved Warren. He shared, and overshared, with everyone who would listen. As he dropped off my Amazon packages, I learned that he:

• Hated living in Gary, and was saving to move to Chicago

•  Loved Susan Lucci/Erica Kane and would forever mourn the cancellation of All My Children (noontime would never be the same for him)

•  Is terrified of bugs

•  His real name is Warren Edward, Jr., known in his family as WeeJay  

... on and on and on. Sometimes I was charmed by him, sometimes I wanted him to shut up, but I always noticed him. I felt like I knew him.

In February he made big changes in his life. He went from our mailroom to "facilities coordinator" for a competitive agency. Instead of handling parcels, he was in charge of catering, making sure office supplies are on hand, etc. He also moved from Gary to Wrigleyville on the North Side of Chicago. Since he's in his mid-50s, these changes felt very scary to him. But he did it! Yea, Warren!

Then the pandemic hit. His new agency didn't really need him. When no one is working onsite, no one is having meetings that require catering. When no one is in the office, no one is ordering office supplies. Yet they have kept him on the payroll. 75% of salary, I believe he said. So he gets to stay in his new apartment. Yea!

So why am I worried? Because as I follow Warren on Facebook, I see him devolving. Spinning faster and further away from what he should be doing.

He's been going to the Wrigleyville bars all the time. All. The. Time. Even during the day. Even when the bars weren't technically open. If asked, he and his barmates would tell the police they were hanging out waiting for their food to go. No masks in any of the photos.

When the bars officially reopened this week, he bought a round because he always wanted to do that. "Like in the movies." Yeah, but Warren? You're not on full salary. 

He's written about his new and pervasive battle with anxiety. He can't sleep. He can't relax. He posted about how disappointed he was with the offhand way his doctor handled his concerns. I responded I could recommend a good GP. "Not now," he IM'd me. "I'm in the bar." He never got back to me.

I've watched similar behavior with my friends Henry and John. Without jobs to anchor them, they drift and make less-than-stellar choices. Maybe it's a guy thing. 

Anyway, as I watched Warren's latest video -- he's singing REM's "End of the World As We Know It" with his new best friend at a bus stop; 22º, no mask -- it hit me very hard that Warren is headed for something bad. Something sad. A crash of some sort. I hope I am wrong.

Warren is luckier than many during this pandemic. He is literally being paid to do nothing. He has friends who care about him. But he can't feel his blessings. I know his anxiety is very real to him. I just wish that he could see he has resources to address his pain and improve his life.

This is such a sad waste.

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? The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. Miracle Springs, NC, is a small town that sprang up around natural hot springs. Tourists came in search of relaxation and healing. Occasionally someone has a problem that the waters can't cure. At times these folks turn to Nora, the "bibliotherapist" who ran Miracle Books. She recommends books so they can read their way back to health.

It's in this quirky setting a murder is committed. Before a visiting businessman can make it to Miracle Books, his seemingly unsolvable problem is solved permanently when he is pushed under the 3:00 PM train. Some of the women of Miracle Springs are determined to solve the crime, and they form the Secret, Book & Scone Society, meeting in Nora's bookstore. 

In Miracle Springs, tourists don't go to McDonald's, they visit The Pink Lady Grill or The Gingerbread House Bakery. It's a special place. I used to vacation in Hot Springs, AR. I was enchanted by how green everything was there -- fortified and enriched by the natural spring water. So in my mind's eye, Hot Springs is the small town where this is set. So far, it's charming, intriguing and better written than many "cozy mysteries."

   

2. What did you recently finish reading? Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes. 26-year-old Lucy and three of her friends visited a fortune teller and, when her friends' prophecies came true, it appeared Lucy just might get married as predicted. What lucky bloke will get to be Mr. Lucy Sullivan? 

 

Yes, this is chick-lit. If you can't figure out, 30 pages in, who Lucy Sullivan will end up with, you've never read a romance novel or watched a Hallmark channel movie. But this book is about more than falling in love. Lucy Sullivan endures depression and low self esteem. I can't well say she "suffers" because for the first 2/3 of the book, she seems unaware of how she gets in her own way. She undervalues herself so much that she takes little in her life seriously. She doesn't understand that she deserves more than shallow (borderline abusive) friends, a dead-end job and men who take advantage of her sexually and financially.

Which is not to say this is a sad book. Lucy is quick, clever and creative. 640 pages is a lot of time to spend with a character, and Lucy is good company. I cheered for her and understood her. (She reminds me of me, half a lifetime ago.) I was uncomfortable with the character of Meredia. Lucy's coworker is a mere punchline, an excuse for fat jokes. This book was originally published 22 years ago. I'd like to think Marian Keyes would not write Meredia the same way today.

 

3. What will read next?  I don't know, but it won't be The Sun Also Rises. I tried to give this Hemingway a chance and you know what? After about 50 pages I realized I didn't like it. Now that I'm not in lit class, I don't have to finish books I don't like.