Tasty Grande

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

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

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

WWW.WEDNESDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's a Long Way to the Top

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

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

My darlings were badass tonight.

Photo: MLB.com

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

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

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Sassy Questions

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

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

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

The happiest place on earth!

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

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

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

I just adore a penthouse view.

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

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

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

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

 

And so I stayed home

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

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

Cubbie blue AND on sale!

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

It felt good.

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

Ernie died

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Work from Home (2016)
 

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

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

Grand Haven, MI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In danger's path

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So I worry. And worry.

Not the one I want, but the one I have

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

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

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

This time, I get it.

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

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

I wish I could say I believe my President.

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

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

A Hole In Juan

The Friday 56

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

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

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

 

The first of many

My valiant World Champion Chicago Cubs won their first game Tuesday night. 2-1 against a very good Cardinals team, and at Busch Stadium.

Arrieta was dominant. Almora, Jr. made an outstanding catch up against the wall. YEA!

Baseball has started again, and I'm happy. But you know, I'm almost afraid to hope for a repeat. We had last year. It was thrilling. It was beautiful. It was magic. It feels so greedy to dream for another World Series Championship.

Staying focused

FOCUS

verb
to concentrate: to focus one's thoughts

I want to end 2017 by being able to point to concrete achievements. To do that, I must focus. 

I love the baked spaghetti pie at a local restaurant. I really, really love it. It's gooey. It's yummy. If I could, I'd marry it.

Today, after I voted, I could have just walked up the street and rewarded myself with that fantastic spaghetti pie. But I didn't. I came home and had a hot dog and salad, all with ingredients found in my refrigerator.

I had time. I had cash in my wallet. But I kept going because I kept my focus. After all, I just voted to increase my own property taxes. If that referendum passes, it's another $30/month that I have to find somewhere in my already weary budget.

Tempted

I have spent all my adult life in this neighborhood, but I didn't become a homeowner until I was nearly 45 years old. When I rented, I always voted "yes" on referendums because 1) I wasn't being assessed the resulting tax increase, my landlord was* and 2) schools, libraries and parks benefit us all.

I never have been able to stand those people who vote "no" because they don't have kids, or because their kids are grown. Having a family-friendly community with safe facilities raises everyone's property values. And then there's the moral imperative. Children are everyone's responsibility. It does take a village to raise a child.

And yet today, I was tempted to become one of those people. There's a local election today, and a rather expensive referendum is on the ballot. I'm taking today off work because I'm collecting estimates from two contractors and will soon learn how very much it's going to cost to repair my living room wall.

My condo association fees have gone up. My county property taxes have gone up. I need a new mattress and box spring. I have to take my Mac in to the repair shop but I wish I could replace it instead. My little TVs are both (gulp) 17 years old and nowhere near up to date with new technology.

Unless you're very involved in local politics, you may not even know we're voting today. In elections like this, one vote matters a great deal.

I'm going to do the right thing. I refuse to be one of those people. I'm going to vote "yes."

But I admit it's not as easy as I always thought it was.

*In my community, there's a ceiling on rent increases. No matter how many spending bills pass, my landlord could never raise my rent more than 5%.

I'm gonna cheer, and boo, and raise a hullabaloo

Ok, so the Cubs are opening the season on the road. At night. In St. Louis.

Details, details.

This corny, stupid song is played before every home game at Wrigley Field and on the air before every Cubs radio telecast. And it's running through my mind as I watch MY WORLD CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS defend their title on this first game of the season.

Enjoy the view of The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.

Color me sad

Thursday night, as I walked home from the train station in the twilight, I thought I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance in front of my building. As I came closer, I wondered if maybe it wasn't just a repair truck of some sort. By the time I got home, it was just a big dark shape -- no flashing lights -- pulling away and turning the corner. I didn't think of it again.

Until Friday morning, when I found Pervy Walt's newspaper in the vestibule beside mine. He usually picks his up at dawn. It was still there Friday night when I got home. I put it outside his front door. I did the same with Saturday's paper. And Sunday's.

Clearly it was an ambulance, taking Walt away ... again. On New Year's Day, the police knocked down his door to find him in the bathtub, unable to move. He was hospitalized for days. Then on March 3, he fell down and alerted the police through Life Alert. They cut the lock off his door to get to him, and he was hospitalized again for days. On Thursday, he must have been able to let the paramedics in himself because his door wasn't damaged this time. Also, there were no emergency lights or sirens on the ambulance as it took him away.

The man was born in 1927, so if he isn't 90 yet, he will be soon. He has serious health problems, and it seems is being taken to the hospital on a monthly basis.

I hate that he thinks of me the way he does. It's creepy and it makes it hard for me to relax in my own home.

But I get no pleasure out of being in the cheap seats to watch his slow demise.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Cannon Fodder Questions
 
1. Is there someone you'd like to be kissing right now? Yes.

2. When you're being extremely quiet, what does it mean? I'm busy.

3. What are you listening to right now? Meet the Press

4. Are you a big fan of thunderstorms? No. I don't fear them, either. I just take them as they come.

5. Do you believe in perfect? I believe in Kris Bryant, and Sports Illustrated believes he's perfect.

SI asks: "How Perfect is Kris Bryant?"

 
6. Are you a jealous person? Yes.

7. What was the first thing you thought this morning? "Wow, I slept really late."

8. What do you think about when you are falling asleep? "Doze off, Gal. Drift away."

9. Are you satisfied with what you have in life? Yes, but I still want more.

10. Do people ever think that you're either older or younger than you actually are? I gratefully still pass for younger.

11. Do you think men truly understand women? No.

12. How about women understanding men? No.

13. Did anybody ever call you handsome or beautiful? Cute, but not beautiful.

14. What is one fact about the last person that called you? He's thrilled because his next door neighbor is moving away. They have been involved in an ugly battle over the tree in my friend's backyard.

15. Other than your current one, tell us about the longest relationship you have had either a romance or a particular good friend. I've loved this man since I saw him on The Ed Sullivan Show 53 years ago. I love him still.

A jam-packed Saturday

So my day started with a trip to the UPS Store. I needed to get a form notarized, which kind of annoyed me because it seems unnecessary. Cook County requires me to submit a form stating my Property Identification Number (which they gave me), how long I've lived here (which they already know), and my 2015 income before I can get a "Long Time Homeowners Exemption," aka a break on my escalating property taxes. My guess is that they believe if they make us jump through hoops, we won't bother and they won't have to grant the exemption. I may be able to save $250 or more, so I went through the hassle.

Then I got my hair cut and colored. My stylist is so funny. I've known him almost my whole life and can attest that he is, indeed, racist and anti-Semitic. He doesn't believe he is. (Example: He thinks that because he hugs his mailman and tips him big every Christmas, he now has "a black friend." I try not to roll my eyes.) Anyway, he spent most of the cut complaining about his 26-year-old daughter who, briefly, moved back home and busted him on his language and attitude constantly. I tried to hide my amusement. After all, he had scissors in his hand.

Then I went to my classic movie group. Will, our moderator, is enchanted by Barbara Stanwyck. (So much so that he continually ignores the brilliance of my girl, The Great Kate Hepburn, but never mind.) Last night we saw a Stanwyck screwball comedy, The Mad Miss Manton. It was fine because I'm more than a little in love with Henry Fonda. He was just the cutest mix of honorable and adorable in this movie. (Swoon.)

The night ended with tapas. Joanna and I caught up over stuffed mushroom caps, puffed pastry filled with sirloin, and baked apple with goat cheese. All good. No booze, though they have a full and impressive bar. The house band? Well, I could have done without the mariachi version of "I Just Called to Say I Love You."

Joanna is such an interesting woman. So stylish, so talented, and so very flawed. I find her flaws endearing because they keep me from being intimidated by the style and talent. It felt very good, very comfortable, to reinforce my fledgling bond with her. And I think it's important to make a friend somewhere other than work. My career is coming to an end, and it's good hang out with people who don't necessarily define me by my work.

I got home at 1:00. I was exhausted. I remember when 1:00 was the shank of the evening.

Saturday 9

THE TOO FAT POLKA

1) Have you ever danced the polka? In grade school phys ed, we square danced and polka'd. Since the town I grew up in was filled with people of Polish and Czech descent, the polka was way more relevant than the square dance. I've seen people polka at weddings. I've only ever seen the Virginia Reel in Gone with the Wind.

2) The centerpiece of a traditional Polish polka band is the accordion. The accordion is a substantial instrument. Have you ever tried to play it? I'm not aware of ever having been in the same room as an accordion.

 
3) The plump lady of this song cannot fit into the singer's car. How many passengers does your car comfortably seat? 34. (It's a car on the Green Line train.)

4) Would you like to lose a few pounds? Yes. Many more than a few, in fact.

5) In the long ago 1940s, this song was considered amusing. Do you think it's still funny today? No. That oozingly sincere chuckle creeps me out.

6) Arthur Godfrey, who recorded this song, was a popular radio and TV host from the 1930s to the 1970s. Before this week's Saturday 9, had you ever heard of him? I've read about him as a pioneer in radio and early TV.

7) One of his more popular radio shows was Talent Scouts. A 1940s-50s version of American Idol, this show gave previously unknown singers their first national exposure. Godfrey could point with pride to having helped discover Tony Bennett and Patsy Cline, but he made a mistake by rejecting Elvis Presley. Tell us about something you'd do differently if you could get a "do over." In the summer of 2005, I had the opportunity to jump to another, smaller advertising agency. I didn't take it. I thought that if I stayed with the bigger company, I'd receive bigger, regularly scheduled raises. HA! The bigger places were hit harder by the 2008 Recession than the smaller, more nimble shops. My paycheck very likely would be bigger if I'd made the move.

 
8) In 1953, Godfrey made news by having one of the nation's very first hip replacements. Have you ever been/would you be part of a clinical trial, either for a new drug or a new medical procedure? I suppose if I had a disease with a dire prognosis, I'd seriously consider it.

 

9) RANDOM QUESTION: You and a friend are shopping. She tries on an expensive sweater and enthusiastically asks what you think. You think it looks awful. Do you tell her the truth? I'd try to come up with a softer way of saying it looks bad. You know, like, "Do you really think the sleeves hit you right?" or "Maybe it's the light, but I'm not sure about that color ..."

We've been here before, and it's not funny

This morning on the el, I was sandwiched tight between two disparate people. On my left was a working mom, in boots that looked butter soft and a scarf that probably cost as much as my coat. First she used her phone to issue after-school orders for her kids' daycare provider, then she turned her attention to the Politico website. I could see a picture of Gen. Michael Flynn looking very angry.

The man on my right was decidedly blue collar. His dark jacket was spotted by what looked like oil stains. His boots looked as big and heavy as Herman Munster's. He was wearing a Blackhawks cap. He was reading a story on his phone, too. And it was accompanied by a photo of Gen. Michael Flynn.

Bad news, Mr. President. People understand this story, and it's resonating.  Espionage and Russia have cut through the noise of our individual lives and captured our collective attention more than Hillary's email server ever did. This is not going away.

My mind went back to the summer of 73. I was riding my bike to my friend Judy's house. As I pedaled up the street, I heard the Watergate hearings live, drifting out through the open screen doors. The neighborhood grownups -- my parents' friends and my friends' parents -- were in a way united by Watergate and more interested in the hearings than they'd been in anything else I could recall.

Yes, the assassinations of the 1960s left a lasting impact on Americans of all ages. But those were sudden tsunamis. Watergate was different, it was a storm that grew slowly, steadily stronger until the winds blew the Nixon White House away.

I feel those winds starting to blow again.

I was never a supporter of Donald Trump's. In fact, I still cannot really believe that he is President. But I get no pleasure from this. I don't enjoy the sense of deja tragedy that is sweeping us all up.

It's familiar, but it's not comfortable. And I wish I wasn't so sure of how this long, painful saga is going to end.

Darling, After All

I wasted too many years with a man who was not good to or for me. He was manipulative and controlling and he could be cruel. I am glad and grateful that I finally found the strength and self-reliance to leave him.

This was decades ago. Ancient history. Over. Done. Page turned. Chapter closed.

Which is why I was shocked by how I reacted when this oldie unexpectedly sailed through my headphones.

"Darling, after all, I will be the one to hold you in my arms ..."

My mind flashed back to a moment -- his head resting against my bare breast, me stroking his hair as he slept. Then another moment -- us slow dancing to this song in the living room, my cheek pressed against his yellow shirt.

I loved him.

I don't like to remember that part. It complicates it. It's like paper clips. When I think of him, I want one emotion -- relief. When I pick up a paper clip, I want one paper clip.

Occasionally the paper clips are magnetized and I reach for one but get two. Occasionally when I think of him I get two emotions -- relief mixed with regret.

But hearing Al Jarreau, it's like I reached for one paper clip and got a whole chain. Regret, relief, joy and love.

It's too many paper clips. It's too much. I don't want this.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

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

1. What are you currently reading? A Hole in Juan, by Gillian Roberts. Since this is one in the Amanda Pepper mystery series, much of the action takes place in a Philadelphia college prep school. This time our heroine, English teacher Amanda, is trying to wrangle students excited about the Halloween season and, specifically, a "Mischief Night" dance. She senses something in the air, beyond just high school hijinks, and she's right. The science teacher, Juan Reyes, has become the target of sophisticated threats.

A cozy series like this only succeeds if you like the star sleuth, and Amanda is an easy to like Everywoman. She's funny but not snarky. She's smart but not brilliant. She cares about her students, but she's not sanctimonious. She loves her new husband (finally they're married!) and she's in tune with her cat, Macavity. I'm not that far into the book, but I'm comfortable and happy with the company already.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Chaos by Patricia Cornwell. I have to admit I didn't so much finish this book as abandon it. What a frustrating affair this was!

It's the latest in Cornwell's successful Scarpetta series. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is a character I like and admire. She's brilliant and discerning but also flawed. I love Kay Scarpetta's regard for her patients, the victims of crime, and her passion for justice. Cornwell is a wonderful writer. She not only created an admirable heroine, she can set the scene and make you feel the escalating tension/darkness/danger like few other authors can.

But this plot is a freaking mess. Too many characters, too many coincidences, too much unreasonable behavior, too many unbelievable plot twists. I won't say anymore for fear of being a spoiler, but I did actually get angry at Cornwell for squandering her gifts and the good will Kay has earned over the years.

 
3.  What will you read next? I don't know. Maybe a biography?