Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Live and Let Die

1) "Live and Let Die" was nominated for an Oscar as best song. Do you have a favorite movie song? Oh, so many! But the first that comes to mind is "Somebody's Baby," the Jackson Browne song from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

2) The latest Bond movie, Skyfall, is crazy successful. Have you seen it/do you want to see it? This may be the first Bond movie I pay to see and watch, start to finish. It has gotten fabulous reviews.

3) What do you think makes Bond movies so enduringly popular? Sex and danger, I guess. I really don't know. I'm not much of a fan. But I know so many people who love the series.

4) Do you have a favorite among the actors who have played "Bond, James Bond?" Again, I'm not really much of a fan. But definitely not Roger Moore. He always seemed too old, and it looked like elder abuse, seeing him dangling from a cord from a plane or whatever derring do was being done.

5) Bond orders martinis -- "shaken, not stirred." What's your regular drink order? Well, I just had a light beer, and it hit the spot. Maybe because it was free. I'm at LAX as I write this, in the Admiral's Lounge for the first time, trying not to lather myself up into hysteria over my upcoming flight.

 

6) Moving from the bar to breakfast -- do you have a favorite cereal? It changes. Right now the lucky brand is Honey Bunches of Oats.

7) Let's daydream about warm weather. Would you rather swim in a lake, the ocean, or an outdoor pool? Pool. I like having a bathroom nearby and a safe place to stow my stuff. (I always have lots of stuff.)

8) Did you get 8 hours' sleep last night? Yes! And it was blissful! I'm away from home right now -- visiting my oldest friend in LA -- and I have to admit I didn't miss my little demon cat Reynaldo eating my hair or howling at the light fixtures or turning the lights on and off or ....

9) What are you wearing on your feet right now? Socks and tennies.

Happy birthday to me, Part 1

Wednesday night my friend Barb was going to treat me to a special birthday dinner before we saw Sister Act at the Auditorium. She chose the restaurant -- Trattoria No. 10 -- and made the reservation for 6:15. That would give us an hour to eat because the curtain is at 7:30.

She was 20 minutes late. She forgot my birthday present. We didn't make the curtain.

At first I was very hurt by this.

But then I got over myself.

First of all, it was really kind of nice to not be rushed. Instead of being out of there by 7:15, we were done dining a little after 9:00. I even had time to enjoy a fabulous apple crostata for dessert.

Secondly, for all that she can be thoughtless in some areas, she has proven herself a true friend in others. The most sophisticated of my friends, she never leaves the city limits unless absolutely forced to. And yet she drove the half hour to my mom's visitation and service and stayed for hours, even though at that point none of our mutual friends were there yet. She also made a generous contribution to my mother's favorite animal shelter in her memory. And Barb and my mom had never met.

And, last month, when I was freaking out about the funeral costs and afraid I'd lose my job, Barb made it clear that she will never let me starve. And she reiterated that Wednesday night: I can always get freelance assignments from her. She cares about me as a friend and respects me as a writer and if ever find myself unemployed again, she will use her clout to get me work. That's very comforting.

So I didn't get my gift and I missed a play that I didn't much care about seeing anyway.

But I had a delicious dinner (pumpkin ravioli) and warm conversation with a friend who cares about me and is there when it counts.

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #197

THIRTEEN GREAT TV DETECTIVES

These are my favorites. I didn't include any TV cops because they seemed like a slightly different category (and one I may need for another TT some day). Therefore, because Castle is about a cop/private citizen pair, yummy Nathan Fillion doesn't qualify. Alas.

1) DAVID ADDISON -- Moonlighting. I have always loved Bruce Willis very much, and never more than in his only TV series. His mystery-solving skills are completely irrelevant to my enjoyment of the show.



2) THOMAS MAGNUM -- Magnum, PI. Tom Selleck was so completely charming as Thomas Sullivan Magnum. He was also very good on Friends as Dr. Richard Burke. If he were to ask me, I'd tell him to skip the drama and stay with comedy. (If you see happen to run into him, tell him that's the Gal's career advice.)

3) JIM ROCKFORD -- The Rockford Files. I love how grumpy Rockford is. James Garner may have had matinee idol looks, but he has the attitude of an old man who'd tell you to get off his lawn.

4) PERRY MASON -- Perry Mason. I didn't watch this show as a child because the theme music frightened me. (Check it out below.) However now I go out of my way to catch it whenever I'm home sick. I love how willing Perry is to almost break the law and taunt the prosecutor. Slightly overweight, well-heeled and always in a suit, he doesn't look like a rebel, but he really was one.



5) ARCHIE GOODWIN -- Nero Wolfe. Orchid-loving gourmand Wolfe may have been the brains of the organization, but Archie (as played by Timothy Hutton) was the legs and the brawn. Streetwise, born to wear a fedora, and with a weakness for a well-turned ankle.

6) ADRIAN MONK -- Monk. Yes, his idiosyncrasies and attention to detail were fun to watch. But I loved the sad subtext, how much Mr. Monk still loved and mourned his late wife, Trudy.

7) ELLERY QUEEN -- Ellery Queen. Like Nero Wolfe, this series is of a specific time. And like Nero Wolfe, it starred a Hutton, this time Timothy's father, Jim. This show was goofy and sweet and deserved a longer run than it had.

8) REMINGTON STEELE -- Remington Steele. I just discovered this show and am belatedly in love with Young Pierce Brosnan. I love how willing he is to make a fool of himself. Remington is really a very bad detective. I'm also loving how Remington and Laura never go beyond necking. I'm not sure why really, but it's romantic nevertheless.

9) BEN MATLOCK -- Matlock. It's a kinda dumb show, but I'm a sucker for Andy Griffith.

10) SPENSER -- Spenser, For Hire. I'm a huge fan of the Spenser books and have a hard time separating the screen characters from the original ones on the page. Robert Urich is too good looking to be Spenser, Barbara Stock seems more like a Baywatch Babe than Harvard-trained psychiatrist Susan, Carolyn McCormick isn't slutty enough to be Rita ... you get the idea. But watched on its own merits, it's a good show. Taut plots and terrific Boston scenery.

11) SHAWN SPENCER -- Psych. James Roday is so good with the fast patter, he's nearly as charming as David Addison. I enjoy the show, too. Am I the only one who has noticed how many really entertaining shows are on USA network?

12)  BATMAN -- Batman. No, really! He was so smart and earnest and good and true. Forget Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, et al. There's only one real Batman, Adam West!

13) JESSICA FLETCHER -- Murder, She Wrote. Ok, this show kinda sucks. But I love a plucky middle aged writer indulging in derring-do. And I don't she ever fired a gun. I admire that.

For more information about 

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I Want Wednesday

I want more of that. My best friend called me today. Actually spoke to me in real time. He knew from recent emails that I'm unraveling a bit and he called to shore me up.

I know that he really can't call me as often as once did. But that doesn't stop me from missing those good old days. He's so reasonable and comforting when concentrating on my life. And, as he deals with the unpleasant reality of unemployment during the Recession, I like to think I can be supportive of him.

Oh, well. It is what it is. I'm just grateful he so reliably lifts my spirits and that I feel better today.

A mixed bag

Greetings from Estate Land! It feels like I live here, digging my way through papers and policies and deeds, etc. I am very tired of this, but there is progress to report.

Snoopy came through! I received a check for $5,600 from MetLife from policies my grandmother and dad took out on my mother back in the late 1940s and mid 1950s. It took a lot of phone calls, letters, and even some yelling, but the check was deposited into my account this morning. Hopefully another check is on the way for the sale of MetLife stocks. Keep your fingers crossed. This money could help me dig out from under the debt my mom's service left me with.

We should be out of the house soon. My kid sister believes she's on track to have everything personal/unsellable out of my mom's place so an estate sale can be held and we can be done with all of that portion of the program by 12/31. I know this is hard for her, and I'm sorry. But it has to be done and I can't wait for it to be behind us.

It may be time to switch lawyers. My lawyer has been very generous in giving me advice but he's reluctant to take the reins. Frankly he handles estates much larger than my mother's (let's face it -- all she left was debt) and he tells me I can't afford to have him represent me, making calls or appearing in court. These are all things I can do pro se, he says, saving myself money. But I don't wanna! And not just because I find addressing the court daunting. I'm scared that I will put a foot wrong and cost my sisters and me money. So before the end of the year, I think I'm going to have to go lawyer shopping.

I wish this was all done. I hate being an adult.

Even hangers remind me of her

My mother liked to buy me hangers. Specifically padded "huggable hangers" she saw on HSN. She liked thinking of  the shoulders of my cardigans looking natural, not pointy.

I need more hangers. I went to CVS and bought 10 plastic tubular ones for less than $5. I paid for them using a CVS giftcard we found among my mom's things -- a card I bought her originally but she died before she could use. So in a way, she bought me the tubular hangers, too.

But I don't want these tubular hangers. I want the "huggable hangers" my mommy chose for me.

It's predawn and I'm sad about hangers.

Sometimes I don't think I'm taking this as well as I like to think I am.

Happy

Some little girl is going to get this set of lip glosses from Santa. Because I picked it up at Kohl's today and will either put it in the toy drive bin in our office building or take it to a Toys for Tots drop off site. I also have a book, a Barbie, a Disney Princess puzzle and a Hot Wheel stunt set.

There's a joy that comes from doing this that makes me feel grateful and good. I encourage everyone to look into doing something similar. You will be glad you did!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday stealing Who Are you? Part 7 – It is Over!

Part 7: Self Image

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you: I get up, I go to work, I come home, I am tormented by my cat, Reynaldo. I don't know why I don't just throw in the towel and admit he's smarter and tougher than I am. Don't let his sweet countenance fool you. He always wins in our battle of wills.

85. What is your greatest strength as a person? I am as tough as I need to be (except where Rey is concerned).

86. What is your greatest weakness? Complete and utter lack of discipline.

87. Are you going to run for President in 2016?

88. Are you generally self-contained? Yes, in that I'm independent. But I wish I was more opaque. My heart is on my sleeve.

89. Are you generally organized or messy? Messy, messy, messy.

90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at: GOOD -- writing, friendship, caring for critters; BAD -- organization, money management, self control
 

91. Do you like your neighbors? Do they like you? We smile and say "hi."

92. Are you different in public than you act among friends? Nope. I'm pretty much one size fits all.

93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime? As Wilbur eulogized Charlotte, I want to be remembered as a good writer and a true friend.

94. Where do you see yourself in 4 years? In this spot on the sofa. Though I hope by then I'll have a new sofa.

95. If you could choose, how would you want to leave this world? Like my Grandma did. She laid down on her bed for a nap, read a few pages of a Louis L'Amour western to help her doze off, closed her eyes, and died. No sign of struggle. The book was still on her chest, the glasses on her nose. She was 85.
 

96. If you had only one week to live, what three things would be bumped up on the bucket list? How healthy am I? What am I still able to do? Need more info before I can answer.
 

97. What is one thing about you that really stands out? I have dimples. People seem to remember my smile because of the dimples.

98. What three words best describe your personality? Funny, loyal, imaginative.

99. What three words would others probably use to describe you? I hope the same three I gave in #98.


100. What advice do you have to give? In terms of office politics: "What people say isn't as important as what they do."

Just a couple weeks away

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, 11/22, so it's almost upon us! The economy is still tough, our neighbors are still struggling, and that big meal might be a strain on budgets already stretched too thin.

That's why I'm glad I took a small bag of canned goods -- including cranberry sauce! -- over to my local food pantry this morning. To find the pantry nearest you, click here.

MSG is not just Chinese food

Here's a little something new I learned as I navigate the shoals of my mother's estate: MSG = medallion signature guarantee. My local bank, Chase, guaranteed my signature on a document enabling me to take possession of my mother's 65 shares of Met Life stock. It should be worth about $2,000, and if I truly can access it, I come that much closer to closing out her affairs.

It will be two months ago on the 13th that we lost her. I still check my phone every time I come through the front door, hoping to see that she's called. But that will fade. I believe that eventually I'll have happy memories instead of this worry and sadness.

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Good Morning, Heartache

1) Do you come up with your brightest ideas early in the morning or late at night? In the morning, in the shower.
 

2) Are you more likely to feel romantic at night or in the morning? Whichever happens to be the least convenient.

3) Do you shower in the morning, after work or before bed? Morning

4) Billie Holiday was just 44 when she died. Is there an artist whose early demise surprised and saddened you? John Lennon's murder broke my heart. 
 

5) Billie was known as "Lady Day." Do you have a cool nickname? (If not, feel free to give yourself one right now.) No. But I like "Lady Day" and may just claim it as my own.

6) When was the last time you had the blues? I get sad in those everyday moments when I realize how much I will miss my mom from now on, for the rest of my life.

7) Crazy Sam is eating Trader Joe's Snickerdoodles as she composes this. What's the last snack food you ate? Chocolate Mochi. This Japanese ice cream treat is awesome! I just heard that the businesswoman and philanthropist who ran the Mochi ice cream manufacturer, Frances Hashimoto, died this week.

8) Do you worry about preserving endangered species? Or do you believe in survival of the fittest? Yes. I worry about the polar bears and the big cats. I hate the idea that future generations won't see them.

9) Would you ever hire a lawyer who runs commercials on TV? Do you know anyone who has? No. It's hard to take those TV lawyers seriously, isn't it?

 

Thursday Thirteen #196

THIRTEEN PIECES OF PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA

I'm feeling very Presidential these days. So here are some little known facts about our last 13 Commanders in Chief. (Thanks to Kwizgiver for the inspiration.)

1) When Barack Obama was a student at Columbia University, his nickname was "Barry."

2) As a little boy, George W. Bush took the role of family "clown" to raise his parents' spirits after the death of his younger sister Robin, who passed away at the tender age of 4 of leukemia.

3) A passionate pop music fan, Bill Clinton named his daughter after his favorite record, "Chelsea Morning," a Joni Mitchell song recorded by Judy Collins.

4) Though he later developed a passion for foreign affairs, George Herbert Walker Bush earned a degree in economics from Yale.

5) Ronald Reagan referred to himself as "an indifferent student" until he discovered dramatics at Eureka College.

6) Jimmy Carter's mother, "Miz Lillian," defied racial segregation in Georgia in the 1920s by counseling African Americans regarding women's health.

7) A gifted athlete, Gerald Ford turned down offers from both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

8) Richard Nixon was very good at the piano and encouraged guests to sing along as he played.

9) While in college, Lyndon Johnson earned glowing references as a student teacher.

10) John Kennedy was the father of the last baby born to a sitting President, but Patrick Bouvier Kennedy lived only a few days and never made it to the White House.

11) At West Point, Dwight Eisenhower was reprimanded for smoking.

12) Harry Truman was a self conscious child who believed wearing glasses set him apart from his classmates.

13) Franklin Roosevelt passed the bar and practiced law briefly for a prestigious New York law firm, but he never enjoyed being an attorney.

For more information about 

the Thursday Thirteen,

or to play yourself, click here.

I was his guest

Barack Obama's, that is. Here's a rather grainy photo of "my credentials," the ticket to get me into McCormick Place. It was an honor to be there. There was such a feeling of good will within the crowd!

Although if I may be blasphemous, I have had more fun at Election Night celebrations when the candidate isn't present. Because no candidate means less security, no secret service, and BOOZE. 20 years ago, the night Bill Clinton won the Presidency, he was in Little Rock and I was on Michigan Avenue in a "No More Bush" conga line.

I Want Wednesday

I want relationships to be less complicated. I got into the official Obama celebration last night not because of my own volunteer efforts but because Kathy got two tickets -- as a result of her canvassing efforts in Iowa. And she chose me.

At first I almost said no. I'm trying to distance myself from Kathy. I don't believe our decades-long friendship is good for me.

On the other hand, this was history. To be in the room with Barack Obama when he accepted his second term ... WOW!

So I went. But I felt like I was pimping her.

Am I taking advantage of her, or am I giving her a chance tos how she has changed? I don't know.

I try to be a good person. This makes me uncomfortable.

I was there last night and I am tired this morning

President Barack Obama stands with his family, first lady Michelle Obama, left, daughter Sasha, 2nd from left, and Malia, right, after taking the stage to give his acceptance speech at McCormick Place in Chicago. — Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 7, 2012

Trifecta

 

This week's challenge: Using between 33 and 333 words, compose something that includes the third definition of the following word:

YEAR  

3 : a calendar year specified usually by a number

 

My most memorable birthday was in the year 1963. It fell on a Friday. I was in first grade. My teacher's name was Mrs. Kroch. 

 

In honor of my special day, I got to pass out a carefully selected treat: milk chocolate discs individually wrapped in red and black foil so they looked like lady bugs.

My little celebration was interrupted by the loudspeaker. It wasn't our principal, Miss McCann. It was a scratchy radio broadcast that I couldn't understand. Mrs. Kroch seemed confused and upset and sent a classmate next door to “see if it's true." We kids didn't know what "it" was.

                         
I realize now that, at this point, no one knew JFK was dead, but he had been shot. The teachers conferred in the hall and then we were all sent home – not just for lunch but for the whole day. I don't remember what we were told, but what amazes me about this decades later is that (1) we all walked to and from school, no one got a ride, and (2) the school was confident that we each had a stay-at-home mom who would be there waiting for us.


When I got home, my mom was sitting on the coffee table, staring at the TV and crying. I remember that she was sitting on the table because we got scolded for doing that. I think she wanted to be as close to the TV as possible.

By now everyone knew the President was dead. My mom said she heard the news at the grocery store and was so upset she just left her cart and came home. This was highly significant because it meant I wouldn’t have a birthday cake! Remember, I was six. I barely knew who JFK was, but I sure knew it was my birthday and I wanted cake.


Still, I'd never seen my mother cry like that before so I kept quiet. She was scaring me. There was something very wrong in my world.

About the photo: Life Magazine makes a library of their archive images available for free to use for “non-commercial personal purposes."

 

Now it's up to Barack

That's 70 Iowans I have called as part of the President's GOTV effort.  I did it for these reasons:

1) My late mother adored President Obama and really, really wanted him to win re-election
2) Bill Clinton is working for him, so why shouldn't I?
3) When the polls close tomorrow, I want to know I did what I could to protect my country

Does #3 sound a little over the top? The following is from the Think Progress website:

1) Romney supported the Blunt amendment. The Blunt Amendment would allow employers to deny contraception to their female employees because of religious objections. That means any woman working for an employer who didn’t support contraception would be denied the right to have her birth control costs covered. When asked if he supported the amendment, Romney said, “Of course.”

2) Romney wants to defund Planned Parenthood. Seventy six percent of the patients who go to Planned Parenthood are seeking affordable contraception options. Low-income women, particularly, rely on the organization to get family planning options that might otherwise be out of their price range. Because the organization uses a sliding scale pay system, it allows the poorest women to get the most affordable care.

3) Romney would restore co-pays for birth control. By repealing the Affordable Care Act, Romney would get rid of the requirement that insurance companies offer women a variety of birth control options without a co-pay attached. That makes it harder for women to get contraception, especially the most effective kinds, which tend to have the highest up-front costs.

4) Romney supports a ‘personhood amendment.’ Romney once told reporters that be would “absolutely” support a state constitutional amendment defining a fertilized egg as a person. Had it passed, that law would have outlawed some forms of contraception — as well as all abortions and in vitro fertilization.

I am personally pro-life. I am personally conflicted about IVF. But these conclusions are the result of my faith, and I passionately support the separation of Church and State. I don't want to live in a theocracy, and I fear that's where Romney-Ryan would take us.

Please keep this in mind when you vote on Tuesday.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: Who Are you? Part 3 & 4 – Is it over yet?
 

Part 3: Past

 

34. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far? I was very much in love with a good man when I was in my mid-late 30's. It didn't work out. Loving him was very good for me as a person and I don't regret it, even though it wasn't right in the "forever" kinda way. And breaking up with him was defining because of the timing. I realized that he was my last crack at a conventional biological family of my own. I learned that simply wasn't in the cards for me, and that's alright, too.

35. What do you consider your greatest achievement? I am a strong person and, as Wilbur eulogized Charlotte in Charlotte's Web, I have become a good writer and a true friend.

36. What is your greatest regret? I wasted my 20s on a truly bad man.

37. What is the most evil thing you have ever done? I don't know that it's evil, exactly, but I have been known to yank the chains of RWNJs on Twitter. It's fun (although not especially nice) to press their buttons and watch them spin.

38. When was the time you were the most frightened? Autumn 2011, when I was waiting to hear if I had uterine cancer. I didn't. Thank God.

39. What is your best memory? I have many wonderful memories. I'm blessed that way.

Part 4: Beliefs And Opinions

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic? Optimistic

41. What is your greatest fear? Being in a plane that crashes

42. What are your religious views? Jesus Christ is my Savior, and He inspires me to be a better person

43. State a random opinion? Ringo Starr and George Harrison are the luckiest men in the history of show business

44. What are your views on sex? I'm all for it

45. Are you able to cook? I can grill, boil and microwave. Does that count?

46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do? Destroy joy and innocence

47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love? Yes. And I hope to find it someday.

48. What do you believe makes a successful life? The Gorey quote at right says it all: "Books. Cats. Life Is Good."

49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings? I strive to be honest with myself.

50. Do you have any biases or prejudices? I admit to an inflexible problem with authority.

51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it? I refuse to wear animal fur. Nothing that comes from that much cruelty can possibly be beautiful.

52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)? I don't know.

Feeling grown up

I did my grocery shopping, took my nephew to lunch, got my hair cut and colored. And the money budgeted for my weekend is gone.

So I will stop spending.

While I am sick of worrying about money, I'm sticking to my resolve this weekend. While I want to eat out, go shopping and go to the movies, I want to stop worrying about money more. And being a grown up is the only sensible course.

Dona Nobis Pacem

I love this movie

Primary Colors is the "fictional" story about a charismatic (and prematurely gray) governor of a small, poor Southern state who -- with the help of his smart-as-a-whip and foul-mouthed Yankee wife -- overcomes the odds and a sex scandal or two to win the Presidency.

John Travolta does a wonderful job as Bill Clinton. And it reminds me of how much fun the 1992 and 1996 campaigns were to work on.

I'm working the phones for Barack Obama tomorrow afternoon. My heart isn't really in it, but I want to know when I go to sleep on Tuesday night that I did what I could to get him re-elected.

My heart was in it in 1992, 1996 and 2004. I miss that passion.

Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Key Largo

1) This song was inspired by the Bogart/Bacall movie of the same name. Do you have a favorite Humphrey Bogart film? Which one? Casablanca. "Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that." Yes, I've seen it a time or two.

2) Where do you rent movies? (Netflix, Redbox, OnDemand, etc.) OnDemand. This question makes me a little sad. I early voted on Friday afternoon, at our Village Hall, a building I don't often visit. But there has always been a mom 'n pop video store across the street. Like since the days when they had a sign in the window that said, "Be kind. Rewind." Now it's empty, closed for good, and the building is for sale.

3) Have you ever been to the Florida Keys? I ring the new year in there every year. I have a dear friend who moved down there more than 15 years ago, and this is our traditional time together. With my mother's death this past September, I suspect I may begin spending Christmas down there, too, in 2013.

4) According to government statistics, more than half the people who currently live in Florida were born in another state. Were you born in the state where you currently live? Yes.

5) To be honest, Crazy Sam really hates this week's featured song. (Hear it here.) Do you like it? Loathe it? Or are you unfamiliar with it?  This song is intolerably annoying. First of all, Bogie didn't say "Here's looking at you, kid," to Bacall in the movie Key Largo. He said it to Bergman in Casablanca. Idiot.

6) Local authorities in a suburb of Sydney blasted Barry Manilow songs into a neighborhood park to keep "hooligans" away after dark. Is there an artist or song that would make you run in the other direction? Well, if Crazy Sam takes "Key Largo" and the folks in Sydney have claimed Barry Manilow, what is is left that really grates? DISCO! 

7) Two of the most common fears are going to the dentist and speaking in public. Do either of those really get under your skin? Nope. 

8) We're having burgers. What do you want on yours? Lettuce, mayo, barbecue sauce.

9) Here's your chance to do a shameless plug -- What charity or cause do you wish got more support? Right now, New York's North Shore Animal League. I first discovered this charity after 9/11, when they willingly went in and rescued pets from the residences around Ground Zero for people who weren't allowed to return home. So I'm not surprised that they are once again providing shelter to companion animals who would otherwise suffer or be abandoned because of Hurricane Sandy. I can't imagine the heartache that accompanies being told to evacuate my home and not being able to bring my cats. They are members of my family. It would be an enormous comfort to know there was a resource like the NSAL there to help.

 

Trifecta

 

This weekend's challenge: Explain in, exactly 33 words, why I write.  

I write to create or recapture a moment that rings with authenticity. I want readers to feel a little jab, a flash of recognition, and say, “I know him,” or “I was her.” 

 

 

Almost here!

I'm rerunning my 2011 peace globe to remind y'all that this year's event is almost upon us (11/4/2012).

 Envision "... a world of peace
where the weak are secure and the strong are just."
John F. Kennedy

I'm very excited about this year's peace globe, and encourage everyone who lands here to participate, too. For more information about this peaceful movement, click here.

A night at the theater

Saw Cyndi Lauper's Kinky Boots last night. It tries so hard to be shocking but really, it's a very old-fashioned Broadway show (though this was it's preview engagement before The Great White Way).

So while the plot is predictable, the cast and Cyndi's score have a lot of heart. And the lead, Stark Sands, has an awesome voice. It's a rather drab part as written -- he's a working class lad playing opposite a flamboyant drag queen -- but he transcends it.

A star is born!

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #195

VOTER TURNOUT FOR 

THE LAST 

13 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

I don't understand why so few Americans vote. And yet it's true, an amazing number of us don't bother. The largest turnout in modern times was for Kennedy vs. Nixon in 1960, followed closely by Obama vs. McCain in 2008. But even in those two elections, where voter participation was at an all time high, 37% of eligible voters stayed home. What gives?

1) 1960 -- 63.1% Winner: Kennedy

2) 2008 -- 63% Obama

3) 1964 -- 61.9% Johnson

4) 1968 -- 60.8% Nixon

5) 2004 -- 56.2% George W. Bush

6) 1992 -- 55.2% Clinton

7) 1972 -- 55.2% Nixon

8) 1976 -- 53.5% Carter

9) 1984 -- 53.1% Reagan

10) 1980 -- 52.6%  Reagan

11) 2000 -- 50.4% George W. Bush

12) 1988 -- 50.2% George H. W. Bush

13) 1996 -- 49% Clinton

 

For more information about 

the Thursday Thirteen,

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 To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading? Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos. Chick-lit about three very different women -- a perfect housewife, a working mother and a recent transplant from Manhattan. The writing is exceptional. And I'm coming to appreciate one of the characters (the perfect housewife) that I despised at the beginning of the book. Reminds me of the old saw about how every villain is the hero of his own story -- it's all about perspective, isn't it?

• What did you recently finish reading?  Bone Bed, the latest in the Scarpetta Series, by Patricia Cornwell. One of the best in the series in a long, long while. There are things I could quibble with, but why? It was a fun read that took some interesting twists along the way and I enjoyed it.

• What do you think you’ll read next? I'm feeling very Presidential these days. So I'll either pick up Listening In, the Kennedy White House tapes, or The President's Club.

Wow

Just wow.

Hurricane Sandy is devastating New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Flooding and winds and power outages and fires and snowstorms, all at once.

We get our share of bad weather here in Chicagoland, but nothing has rocked my world the way this storm is endangering millions of my fellow Americans.

If this had to happen, I'm glad it's happening now. For as hard as it is for people to be without heat, it's not as dangerous as being without air conditioning. You can always put more clothes on, but you reach a point where you can't take any more off. One of the greatest natural disasters in Chicago history doesn't get much attention because there was nothing to photograph. In 1995 we had a horrible heatwave here and 750 people died in just 5 days. That was a death every 10 minutes for five days. Most were the elderly or very young children, most died in their homes. They didn't have ac and lived in areas with such high crime that they were afraid to sit around with their front doors open. Milwaukee was hit very hard, too, and I suspect, under similar circumstances. (It always amazes me that no one who doesn't live here realizes how truly horrific it was -- click here for more.)

But just because Sandy could be worse doesn't mean it's not terrifying. Devastating.