Didn't see this coming

Early next week I'm sitting down with my boss to compose job descriptions for my staff.

Wow. Just wow.

I'm going to have two writers answering to me. This will give me the opportunity to do something I've wanted to do: give my client choices. Multiple ideas and creative concepts to choose from. When all roads lead to me, and me alone, there simply isn't time to explore other ideas. I will oversee the work of the other two players to be named later, and I'll be creating, too. But it won't be all me, just me, all the time anymore.

Also, after 9/15, I will no longer be working on the automotive client. They have been lovely -- it's not their fault I have less than no interest in their products -- and I have learned a lot about writing for the web. But upper management feels that I should concentrate exclusively on my primary client. I asked who is going to pick up my monthly assignments for the automotive client and was told, basically, not to worry about it. There is a feeling that I was mismanaged and misused by the team in charge of that project and now it's time for them to clean up that mess. I kinda/sorta feel bad about this, since again, the automotive client pays us good money for good work and I would like them to continue getting consistent quality. On the other hand, I have mentioned many times to that team that they should have someone on the on deck circle who can also handle this big monthly project. You know, in case I get sick or when I'm on vacation or if my primary client needs me. "Yeah, yeah, we think you're doing fine." They put it off and put it off and now that laissez-faire attitude has come back to haunt them. 

So right now, at this moment, I seem to have what I want professionally. I am appreciated. My strengths are recognized and now actually played to. How funny that it happens to me now, when I'm 63. When I'm tired and eager to hang it up. For the past dozen or so years, I have felt underappreciated and on the verge of a lay off. It would have meant more to me to get this recognition and vote of confidence then. Oh well, it happened when it happened and I'm glad it happened.

I did have an awkward moment with my boss this afternoon. I told him that, while I was once a creative director and I know how to be a creative director, I won't play that role ever again. I prefer to be head writer. First of all, that's in line with my pay. Second, I am not going to be responsible for firing anyone, ever again. I simply will not do it. I told him I know it must have sounded odd that I'm already considering firing writers I haven't even met yet, but I wanted this to be clear. I said, "I have worked my way down to the corporate ladder, just to avoid firing people." He says he understands completely, and that if those tough decisions must be made, he and HR will make them. 

YAY!

And not a single roll of paper towels was thrown

I know, I know: Joe Biden looks old and Trump supporters like to make fun of him for that. I get it. Born in 1942, he's not the dewy and energetic stud 75-year-old Donald Trump is! Maybe Trumpers are just not used to seeing a POTUS who is not dipped in spray tan and Miss Clairol. 

And yes, Biden stumbles over words and reads from a teleprompter and perhaps that should be mocked, but not by people who enthusiastically support a man who can't pronounce "Yosemite" and depended on teleprompters and scripts as often as he didn't. 

I wonder if Trump and his son will depend on a teleprompter when they do color commentary for the upcoming Evander Holyfield fight? Yours for just $49.99. Why does Jimmy Carter waste his time helping others with Habitat for Humanity when he could charge people to listen to him talk about a (far) less than legit fight? No wonder Donald Trump Jr. mocks President Carter. SUCKER!

I'm glad Joe Biden is President simply because he has a soul. That's how low the bar has sunk post-Trump. If he can give a press conference without demeaning the reporters asking tough questions ... if he can tour the site of a natural disaster without throwing paper towels at those in need ... if he can respect the Capitol and our democratic process without inciting a riot ... well, I'm happy.

I recently read a biography of Ronald Reagan, a President whose policies I disagreed with vehemently but who I find I improbably miss for his civility. How strange that just being decent now looks like heroic. 

Most of all, there's this. It's an oldie but a goodie. Yes, it's funny. But it breaks my heart, too. Millions of Americans (a minority, for sure, but still ...) actually support this shit. I'd really like my Christian faith back.

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? Dorothy Parker Drank Here by Ellen Meister. Poet, essayist and critic Dorothy Parker ruled the bar of the Algonquin Hotel in life, and now in death, she haunts it. But she's lonely and bored. As a ghost she's making highly sophisticated mischief as she searches for a newly-dead-but-not-ready-for-Heaven companion to keep her company.

She focuses on Ted Shriver, an eccentric but extravagantly talented author who has checked into The Algonquin with no plans for checking out. He has a brain tumor and has decided the surgery to remove it isn't worth the risk. He'd rather die in a hotel room than wake up with in a hospital bed with diminished capacity. His earthbound friends try to convince him to get the surgery so he can share more of his gifts with the world. Mrs. Parker, who knows all Ted's darkest secrets, wants him to join her for eternity in the bar.

This is one of the most thoroughly original books I've read in a long time. Well written, witty and (so far) carefully plotted. As portrayed here, Mrs. Parker is not exactly likeable but she certainly is fascinating. I can tell Ellen Meister is a fan and works hard to stay faithful to Parker's voice.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage by Anne Edwards. I'm very glad I read this book. As a liberal Democrat, Ronald Reagan's policies were and remain anathema to me. But before this I knew little about him as a man. He was corny, sincere and more genuinely spiritual than I realized. While I still disagree with much of what he did as President, I find myself liking him. There was an optimism to him that is nearly irresistible. From lifeguard in Dixon, IL to president of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood to the White House, he truly believed he was helping people. We can debate the result, but I no longer question the motivation. Reading this while Trump's malignant shadow is still so dark and prevalent left me hoping the GOP returns to someone as authentic as Reagan. Soon.

He had a major blind spot: Nancy. Growing up the son of an alcoholic, then dumped by his more successful first wife (Oscar winner Jane Wyman), he was at a low point in his career and his self-esteem when Nancy entered his life. She loved him and believed in him and encouraged him to go further than he ever would have dared on his own. In return, he saw her as perfect. She was not.

 

Her relationships with her stepson, Michael, and her biological daughter, Patti, are appalling. When the kids bought these issues to their adored father, he responded with, "Why do you lie about her? She loves you." His dismissal must have been as devastating as their mistreatment at her hands. (Please note: this is not a Nancy hatchet job. Edwards explains at length how Nancy's childhood damaged her. Nancy's dedication to "Ronnie" as he succumbed to Alzheimer's is portrayed as heroic. She was still an abysmal mother and employer and an unimpressive First Lady. I wouldn't want to have known her.)

Anne Edwards' biographies are high level. If you've been reading about Reagan for years, there is probably little new here. But since I picked it up knowing little about the man, I learned a lot.

3. What will read next? I don't know.

 

Sunday Stealing

100 Questions (or 10)

1.What's your favorite TV channel to watch in the middle of the night? Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Magnum PI is on overnight. I've seen every episode so many times that I can doze off easily without wondering how the story ends. Even more than watching Thomas solve the case, I like seeing him and his gang (Higgins, TC, Rick, Zeus, Apollo). Spending a little time with them isn't a bad way to fall back asleep.

2.Which decade do you feel the most special connection to and why? I'm fascinated by the 1960s. I love the music and the fashion, and I see it as a moment in time when everything changed. I was happiest in the 1990s. I went from having a job to having a career and I was happy in love.

3.What is your favorite oldie/classic rock song? I have many favorites. This is the first that comes to mind.

4.What Disney villain are you the most like and why? Sorry. I've got nothing for this.

5.Have you ever been a girl scout/boy scout? Brownie, Junior and Cadette.

6.If you were traveling to another continent would you rather fly or take a boat? I think I'd like to try a cruise. But only after covid is a memory.

7. What are three of your favorite dog names of all time? I don't have favorite dog names. But these are names of two dogs I loved: Sheba, NouNou.

8. How do you feel when you see a rainbow? Wonder

9. If you were in the Land of Oz would you want to live there or go home? Stay! I know it's not the message of the movie, but I think I'd prefer to live in color than black and white.

10. What is the first word that comes to mind when you see the word:
Air: Water
Meat: Burger
Different: Same
Pink: Blue
Deserve: More
White: Room (with black curtains, near the station)
Elvis: King
Magic: Trick
Heart: and Soul
Clash: Train in Vain
Pulp: Fiction

 

 

Color him indulged

I now keep two grocery delivery boxes in my living room. Reynaldo likes the one on the left (limes) for sleeping and the newer one (apples) for observing me as I move about the room.

He doesn't play with toys or Connie Cat anymore.* He doesn't look out the window for squirrels and birds anymore. He moves from perch to perch throughout the day. These include:

•  My dining room table, where I work. He loves to tuck himself as close to the computer as he can get.

•  The top shelf of the kitty condo, next to the dining room table. 

•  The boxes in the living room.

He no longer spends time in the bathroom (he used to loved walking along the ledge of the tub, having adventures between the shower curtain and liner) or the bedroom, unless he wants to cuddle with me in the morning. 

He is tired. He is dying.

But he also seems happy. He loves his food, he loves being carried and when I rub his head. In the morning, he opens and closes his paws in delight as he parks himself beside me, happy I'm (finally) awake.  

I am watching him closely. When it begins to seem that he is in pain, or that little in life brings him joy, I will put him to sleep.

In the 70 days since I learned about his heart trouble, and have tried to come to grips with the fact he will never get better, I have noticed decline but it's nothing precipitous so far. 

I went through this six years ago when beloved Big Tub of Guts, Joey, died. There is much to be learned about life as it ebbs away. I want to savor every moment with Reynaldo, and learn all he has to teach me.

*I can tell she misses him. He really has no interest in her anymore at all.

I hate giving up on people

... but alas, Warren gives me no choice.

Warren is a former coworker of mine. 53 years old. When we worked together, he was in our mail room. He moved to a competitive agency in February 2020. There he handles catering for client meetings, making sure the conference rooms are set up properly and that everyone has the office supplies they need. But here's the thing: once March and covid arrived, everyone worked from home and there were no big meetings in the conference room, and everyone was in charge of his or her own supplies. His new employer has kept him on anyway, at 75% of salary. It's been like that for 17 months now. 

Warren recently moved to a trendy Chicago neighborhood with a lot of bars and a lot of young people. He spends a lot of time partying with twentysomethings he has nothing in common with. He says this leaves him lonely.

He was sure he had neuralgia, until the doctor assured him he doesn't. He insists he had long-term "inflammation" and "nerve damage" from the Pfizer vaccine. He says he can't be alone because it stirs his anxiety.

Warren also insists that he knows the way he's living would not have pleased his mother, a devout Jehovah's Witness. This makes him sad. He has tried to fill the spiritual void in his life by watching and listening to Joel Osteen. But now he believes Osteen is too greedy to be a reliable messenger.

He went to the Kingdom Hall not far from where he lives and was told by an elder that he is "not ready to serve God." I was shocked by this. I don't know a thing about Jehovah's Witnesses, but I can't imagine a minster of any kind discouraging a parishoner that way.

But now I get it. Warren is not ready to serve God or make any constructive changes to his life. I have recommended to him -- time and again -- that he should volunteer at a charity. After all, he now only works on site 2 days/week, so he has time. If he wants to hang around with like-minded people, instead of partiers young enough to he his kids, he'll meet them there. If he wants to serve God, helping his community is a great way to start. I mentioned to him that he has many organizational and people skills, and it would be lovely if he could put them to use for his neighbors.

"I hear you, Gal, but I don't have time. I may be back at the office full-time."

I sent him the link to local food pantry that needs volunteers. He could walk to it. They need help organizing and manning the donation tables at upcoming local events, like Oktoberfests. This is exactly what Warren is good at!

"It just doesn't fit my plan right now."

This he has time for

You know what does fit his plan? Partying at Sluggers. I cannot tell you what a fucking zoo that place is. Tonight he's posting pictures of himself with his favorite (30something and blonde) bartender with captions about how young he believes he looks in the photos and how happy she was with the $50 tip he gave her. (He can't afford a $50 tip; he's only getting 75% of his paycheck.)

He also wants to start an official Facebook fan page for a former soap opera star. He is hoping for a zoom with this "celebrity" after Labor Day.

This is all just sad.

I wish Warren understood that doing for his neighbors would help him feel more grounded. That living his faith would bring him closer to God. But I can't make him understand.

I am sure something bad is going to happen to him. I feel helpless watching.

But I'm letting Warren go.  

Not all victims of Covid have the virus. 

I want to cry.

Saturday 9

 A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)

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

1) John Lennon sings that he's been working like a dog. What's the hardest job you've ever had? What made it so difficult? Being a secretary (in those days, we were still called "secretaries") at the corporate offices for what was then the world's largest retailer. I hated it. My bosses were all condescending jerks. The women I worked with could be very petty. I realize now -- hindsight is 20/20 -- that when you're treated badly, you respond badly, but I wasn't that smart or sensitive back then. I was just unhappy. It was my first full-time job and I stuck it out four years. I got a couple of promotions and raises, and thought that being unhappy was just the working girl's lot in life. I'm so very grateful I became a writer! Now, even though I have tough days, I really enjoy what I do.

2) Despite the hard work, he likes his life and asks, "So why on earth should I moan?" What's the last thing you complained about? Who were you talking to? I complained about being caught in some interdepartmental cross fire. Person A expressly told me to do something. Person B specifically told me not to. I was whining to a coworker.

3) John was raised by his Aunt Mimi. She meant well when she told the teen-aged John, "The guitar's all right, but you'll never make a living out of it." What's the worst advice you've ever received? I had just emerged from a very bad relationship with a very bad man. I was confiding this to a new friend, trying to explain why I didn't share her enthusiasm for fix-ups and husband hunting. I was healing. She advised me to return to my abusive lover: If someone had that big an impact on your life, maybe he's supposed to be in your life. That attitude helped explain all the drama that was always in her life. We weren't friends for long.

4) This week's song was cowritten and also sung with Paul McCartney. Paul's father was more supportive of the lads' show business aspirations than Aunt Mimi was, but he still worried that his son wouldn't be able fully support himself as a musician. To please his dad, 17-year-old Paul worked over the Christmas holiday season as the "second man" on a delivery truck. Paul would be the one to hop off the truck and drop off the packages while the driver could keep the motor running and the heat on. Where was the last package you received from? (Extra points if you share what was in it.) Clinique cream from Kohl's. I earned $5 in Kohl's Cash.

 

5) After Christmas was over, Dad insisted Paul get a full-time, year-around job. He ended up at a factory, winding heavy coils to be used in electric motors. He hated the work but enjoyed the lunch hours, eating jam sandwiches and, weather permitting, kicking a soccer ball around the yard with his coworkers. What's for lunch at your house today? I'm doing this Friday night, so I'll tell you what I had for Friday lunch. I took myself to my favorite neighborhood bar to enjoy a Moscow Mule and a BIG bowl of their signature clam chowder as I read People magazine and watched the end of the Cub game. (My first Cub game since management's inexcusable July 29-30 bloodbath trades.) I was celebrating Labor Day. After all, I've been a tax-paying laborer since I was 17. (See Question #1.)

6) In early March 1961, the Beatles accepted a booking to play lunch hour gigs at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and so February 28, after less than two full months, Paul said goodbye to factory work. What's the shortest you ever stayed at a job? I worked in corporate communications for 90 days. Normally I believe in committing to a job for at least a year, but I left this position as soon as I could. It was ill-defined and they didn't know what to do with me. They were shocked because they were a software development company and thought they were cutting edge and hot shit. Maybe they were effective developers but they were awful communicators. I couldn't see staying there when I could tell it wasn't going to get better. I just ripped the Bandaid off and moved on.

7) Enough about these Brits! Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had? I am currently working with my 9th (and likely last) employer. (Not counting high school jobs.)

8) This weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore? Yes. Or to paraphrase John to Ringo in A Hard Day's Night, "I'm a window rattler."

9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year. When she was a kid, Samantha was crazy for her brand new box of 96 Crayola Crayons. It even had a sharpener in the back! What do you remember about preparing to go back to school? If you're an educator, let us know how you get the classroom ready for the kids. I remember going to the la-de-dah, fancy mall with my mom and sister to pick out back-to-school clothes from Marshall Field's. I found the shopping itself boring, but I loved the mall with its fountains.

 

The fancy mall, circa 1966

 

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 31

 Today's happiness -- Not alone. Last week I was tired because I found myself doing more than my fair share of the work for my "team." Today got off to an equally exhausting start because, even though we were charged with coming up with even more new ideas by end of day, my art director told me she couldn't really work on it until 11:00, after her pedi. Yes, she made a pedicure appointment during work hours because, well, with work from home, who's to tell if we're home or not?

Why not stick me with the lion's share of the work again? It's what she's been doing for years anyway.

At 11:00 we talked for a while. We agreed to flesh out ideas independently and touch base again at 1:00. I tried to stay upbeat because 1) she did just get over a bout with breast cancer and I don't want to beat up on "cancer girl" and 2) this is who she has always been. She's 59 years old. She's not going to change now.

Well damn if she didn't! Of the 5 new ideas we sent to our boss at 4:00 today, two were hers! I had to tweak them a bit and she balked at first. But I explained that my little changes to her concepts would amplify what made them unique. 

Then, to assuage her wounded ego, I told her something that was very true: I am grateful for her input.

I cannot do everything all by myself all the time.

Isn't it nice when a day starts out crappy and ends surprisingly well? Isn't it nice when people surprise you for the good?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

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 Reagans: Portrait of a Marriage by Anne Edwards. I recently watched, and enjoyed, a Ronald Reagan movie on TCM and it occurred to me I know very little about the man. Oh, I know about his Presidency and I admit his worldview left me cold. Today I'm curious about Ronald Reagan, the person, not the politician.

So I picked up this book by Anne Edwards. Ms. Edwards writes highly readable biographies. This is another. It's moving along at a brisk pace and yes, so far I'm getting an idea of the man behind The Reagan Revolution. I admit I like the old boy. An interesting combination of spiritual, optimistic and remote. That ability to withdraw, to keep a part of himself to himself, seems to be the coping mechanism of a preternaturally upbeat man who grew up loving his disappointing alcoholic father. 

Nancy is even more complicated. She loved her husband sincerely and put him first. Ahead of all else, all the time. This made her a deficient mother, stepmother and employer. The book attempts to explain this by sharing Nancy's childhood -- her father abandoned the family, so her mother left two-year-old Nancy with grandma when she traveled with a theater group and just swooped in and out of the girl's life for years, then Nancy's adored stepfather was reluctant to adopt her and give her his name. This left Nancy insecure, and caused her to cling to "Ronnie" desperately. OK, that's an explanation but not an excuse for how she treated her household. You would think that a woman who longed for her own stepfather's love and approval would have been more sensitive to Reagan's children by his first marriage. I guess this is a real-life example of how toxic family cycles come to be.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Someone We Know by Shari Lapena.  Plot synopsis from 40,000 feet: Raleigh is a typical teenager with a penchant for computers and a bad habit: he breaks into neighbor's homes, and their laptops. Not to steal! Just for kicks and to make a little mischief. When one of the neighbors is murdered, the fun goes out of Raleigh's "game." The community has to face that fact that "someone we know killed someone we know."

 

This is really about much more than that. What's really going on? With your neighbors ... in your marriage ... with your kid ... Does anyone truly know anyone else and what they're capable of?

 

This paranoid little yarn has many twists and turns, but I was able to follow each one and never felt deceived. The plotting is that good. Shari Lapena has a new fan.

3. What will read next? I don't know.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 30

Today's happiness -- These two. That's former Cub first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the left, former Cub manager Joe Maddon on the right. Monday night, the Yankees played the Angels for the first time since Rizz has been on the team, and these two shared a moment on the field. It delighted me to see them together, looking like they enjoy each other.

 

These two veterans of the 2016 World Series will always have a place in my heart, and I've always been more than a little in love with Joe Maddon. He gave me words to live by: 

•  Don't let the pressure exceed the pleasure

•  Do simple better

•  Try not to suck

And Rizz? When he's not winning Gold Gloves and swinging a bat, he is helping children and their families battle cancer. (He raised over $650,000 in one month before being traded.)

Unfortunately one of them had to lose last night and it was Rizz. But he went 2-for-4, so I think his Covid slump is over. YAY!

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 29

Today's happiness -- My neighbors' sunflowers. I live next door to a childrens' home. The backyard is a playground filled with bikes, a sandbox and a tree house. And today I noticed their big, beautiful sunflowers are blooming. They're tall and they look like they're smiling, and I find myself smiling back.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Good Henry, Bad Henry

Sometimes,  Henry can be very sweet. That's how I know my old friend is still in there somewhere. Sometimes he can be a rampaging asshole. Like yesterday. 

He called me on my cell, not my landline. It was charging in the kitchen and I couldn't get to it in time. I listened to his voicemail: "Just me, checking on you." Nothing specific, nothing seemed wrong, so I didn't return the call. I figured he was just bored and probably found someone else to call.

A few minutes later he called back on my cell. I picked up. He began by ranting about his phone. He could not "find" my landline number and he wanted to throw the phone against the wall. That's his TBI talking. It's the same phone he's had for ages. Sometimes his brain just doesn't work as it should.

I told him it was OK, it was all good. We connected, that's all that mattered.

He wanted to know what was going on in my life. Silly me, I believed he actually wanted to know. Remember, I thought was this one of his, "Reg is asleep and I'm bored" calls.

So I told him how my aunt was suffering after her knee replacement. How I was worried about her because she had to choose between pain or the severe gastrointestinal discomfort the pain meds give her.

"Yes. I understand. I have that all the time," he said dismissively."I am so ..."

"No, you do not know what she's going through," I said. I will not infantilize him. "They have never cut you open, removed part of knee and replaced it with metal!" I was upset that he was diminishing her pain and my worry. 

"No, that is true," he admitted. I told him about her surgery and he responded with:

"OK, this is why I am upset." He'd obviously been waiting for me to stop talking about her so we could talk about him.

I was now sorry I picked up. I know how these calls go. Henry is in a rut about how bad his life is. There is no getting him out of this, no matter how I hard I try. All I can do is try to slow his hysteria.

He hasn't been like this -- with his mind stuck immovably on one track -- since Spring 2020. Then, like now, he wasn't working and didn't have a schedule to ground him.

I know he can't help it, but it's scary and tiring to talk to him when he's like this. I wish that, instead of "Henry," my caller ID would indicate if it was "Good Henry" or "Bad Henry."

Sunday Stealing

 ONE DIRECTION ASKS

1. Are you a Jeopardy fan?  Who do you want to replace Alex Trebek? Clearly the correct answer is Jonathan Lawson. He's already replaced Alex on the Colonial Penn commercials.

 
2. What’s your favorite horror film? Psycho. It's a beautifully made film on just about every level. So many horror movies are slapdash, or depend on blood and gore while Psycho is all about the suspense.

3. Are you a possessive person? In my own way.

4. Who’s your idol? JBKO. She was a very strong woman who endured more than anyone should -- an alcoholic father, 5 difficult pregnancies in 10 years (but she only brought 2 babies home), wiping her husband's brains off her face and then mourning for the nation on the world stage, her baby sister's cancer, her mother's Alzheimer's, her own battle with cancer -- and she did much of it in the public eye, with people judging her. She never explained and she never complained. She lived her life on her own terms and at the time of her death, she was a grandmother and a successful book editor and loyal companion to a man who loved her. She was triumphant.

5. List five things you can’t live without. Coca cola, chocolate, TV, the internet, air conditioning

6. Where do you feel home? Anyplace with Coca cola, chocolate, TV, the internet, air conditioning.

7. What are your three best qualities? I'm loyal, honest and funny.

8. Name three things that make you happy. My cats, my books, old movies on TV

9. What helps you when you’re feeling down? My cats, my books, old movies on TV

10. Which big cities have you been to? Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris, Munich, Honolulu, Las Vegas ...

11. What’s your favorite lovestory? (Book, film, etc. ) Holiday. It takes Cary Grant an awful long time to realize he should be with Katharine Hepburn. It's an achingly romantic movie about finding that person who really gets you, and this sweet kiss on the cheek is all that happens between my favorite lovers until the final frame. If it wasn't for my pesky job, I'd watch it every day.

 
12. Talk about the best concert you ever attended. Paul McCartney at Wrigley Field. My favorite person, my favorite music, my favorite place.

13. What’s one thing you don’t ever want to change? My cat Reynaldo. He's 17 now, entering the end of his life. I wish I could make him young again.

14. What scares you? People who are horrified -- HORRIFIED, I TELL YOU! -- by the 13 service members who died in Kabul but don't want to talk about the 6 who died during the Trump-incited riot on January 6. A sitting American President encouraged citizens to take over the Capitol. Think about that. The death of our troops is always tragic and I do not diminish what happened in Kabul. Not in any way. But a terror attack led by a sitting President, Americans killing Americans, that's some scary shit. I'm glad Trump's gone and only wish he would stay gone. I hear he was on Fox this week, ripping on President Biden for the airport attack (and Biden accepts responsibility). Did Fox ask him about Officer Brian Sicknick? Yeah, tell me again how Blue Lives Matter. So yes, the MAGA crowd scares me. There's no reason, no logic, no patriotism. Just grievance and hate. And they wrap themselves in my Christian faith. Shudder. (Hey! You asked!)

15. What are three things you want to do before you die? I don't do these questions. Sorry. It's like a bucket list. 

 

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 28

Today's happiness -- That I can. I made two people happy today with really very little effort on my part. I feel fortunate that I have the wherewithal to do these things.

1. A man who is down on his luck.  Instead of just giving a panhandler a dollar bill, I now carry zip-lock bags filled with a sealed breakfast bar, a small pack of tissues, individually wrapped cough drops and a $1. Since those incremental items (even the baggie) came from The Dollar Store, I'm really only spending a few extra cents per person, per bag. 

Anyway, I handed one to a guy who was asking for help. He was astonished. "You mean you had this ready, just in case?" 

"Yes," I said. "We never know when we'll meet a neighbor in need."

"I'm Jerry," he said and he added in a most courtly manner. "I thank you." He told me he was off to the parking kiosk to check the coin return slot.

2. My aunt.  She just had knee replacement surgery and she's in a great deal of post-op discomfort, reacting badly to her medication. She hasn't heard from her son (my cousin) or her grandchildren; they likely don't even know she went under the knife. Her aggressive Trumpiness has alienated her from those she holds dearest. If you come here often, you know I believe HRC was right: Donald Trump is a very bad man and many of his supporters are deplorable. (January 6, anyone?) But I refuse to let the malignant narcissist of Mar-a-lago hurt me anymore. He's done too much damage to us already.

So I keep the lines of communication open with my aunt. When I learned Thursday night that her recuperation wasn't going well, I went to Amazon, chose a gourmet get well present of 6 cookies in a box with a bow, and she got it today.

She praised my timing and told me my thoughtfulness really helped. It took me just a few clicks and less than $20, but it lifted her when she needed lifting.

Helping Jerry and my aunt made me happy. And fortunate myself. And it reminded me that we're all connected.

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Saturday 9

SATURDAY 9: FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (1990)

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

1) In this song, Garth Brooks tells us he wore boots to a black-tie affair. When did you most recently get dressed up? What did you wear? It was my niece's wedding last October. I wore a long (just past my knee) garnet-colored duster over a matching camisole, with leggings and black shoes. I like how I looked, which is nice because the outfit is in many photographs.

2) The lyrics refer to The Oasis, which was a real bar in Concordia, Kansas. What's the name of the last bar or restaurant where you ordered a beverage? (Yes, Dunkin' counts.) Phil's. I had a margarita with salt on the rim. My friends had wine.

3) Garth was having a stellar 2021. He kicked the year off by performing "Amazing Grace" at President Biden's inauguration in January, and then over the summer he received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor. Now that we're past the halfway mark, how's your year going? OK, I suppose. Certainly not perfect. There was my dental nightmare. I just received a email/blackmail threat (which is probably nothing, but we'll see). And my dear old tomcat Reynaldo is not well (though he is curled up with me as I post this). But this is the stuff of life, isn't it? I think covid -- and all the selfish drama junkies who insist on making uncontroversial things like wearing masks controversial -- just exacerbate the rain that simply will fall into each of our lives.

 

4) But earlier this month, Garth cancelled the remaining August and September dates of his big concert tour. He's provided refunds for the 350,000 tickets that were sold. How do you tend to react when plans change? Are you easily annoyed, or do you roll with it? Not well. I don't often change plans on other people. Give me a time and a place. I write it down. I show up. I don't understand why other people have such conflicts. Sick kids, sudden work responsibilities, I get that. But beyond that? Yeah, it makes me grumpy because I don't get it.

5) Before he sang about having friends in low places, Garth hung around in some. When he was as a struggling performer, he supported himself as a bouncer. What's the most physically taxing job you've ever had? It's not a "job," but I remember being exhausted after my now adult but then very young niece or nephew would come by for a sleepover. I don't know how you parents out there do it! Hats off to you.

 

6) According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), Garth surpassed The Beatles as the top-selling recording artist of the last 30 years. Who do you listen to more often: Garth or the Beatles? No shade on Garth, but the Lads. Obviously and forever the Lads.

7) Garth and singer Trisha Yearwood have been happily married for 15 years now. Trisha says that as much as she loves her husband, his whistling drives her crazy. Come clean: what's your most annoying habit? I'm such a slob I annoy myself at times.

8) In 1990, when this song was a hit, Soviet President Gorbachev traveled first to Ottawa to meet Prime Minister Mulroney and then to Washington DC to meet President Bush. Do you have any travel plans? We want to hear about them, even if you aren't meeting any politicians or heads of state. I have reservations to spend Christmas in Key West. Of course, I did last year, too, and didn't make it. So fingers crossed!

9) Random question: Your dear friend spends weeks planning a party. After just 30 minutes, you find yourself having a terrible time. Would you leave at the earliest (polite) opportunity? Or would you stay till the bitter end out of loyalty? I would lie. I would look my dear friend in the eye,  feign tummy trouble, go home and watch a Law & Order rerun.