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. 

PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Hounded by David Rosenfelt. When ex-convict Danny Diaz is murdered, Detective Pete Stanton calls on his friend, lawyer Andy Carpenter, to come get Diaz' basset hound, Sebastian. That's no surprise, since Andy has an outsized love/affinity for dogs. What is a surprise is that, holding the leash, is Diaz' son, Ricky. With his father's death, the little boy is now an orphan. Soft-hearted Det. Stanton doesn't want Ricky to get mired in the child welfare system and persuades Andy to take the boy as well as the dog. So far, it's heartwarming, right?

Things take a shocking turn when a suspect is arrested and Andy is called upon again, this time to provide a solid defense. So he's representing the the accused killer in court while the victim's son and dog are sleeping in his guest room. 

 

So far I'm loving this book because it's so very Andy Carpenter. He's quick witted, smart mouthed and refreshingly void of physical bravery. He's also funny and I enjoy learning how he preps for a big, high profile trial.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Girls by Emma Cline. Evie Boyd is kinda invisible. She's in her 60s, childless, never married. Her "career" consists of getting by, taking care of other people's plants, pets and homes. While crashing at the summer home of an old friend, she's awakened when she hears someone opening the refrigerator. She immediately thinks the intruder is going to kill her. Instead, it turns out it's her friend's college-aged son.

 

The kid remembers Evie. He recalls his dad mentioning her notorious past. Back in 1969, she was a member of a cult. An infamous murderous cult. You know the one: a California wild man collected girls at a ranch and somehow persuaded them to kill.

 

In flashbacks, we see how 14-year-old Evie was seduced -- not by the cult leader but by "the girls." How they gave Evie something she ached for. It wasn't the drugs or the sex, it was belonging.

Why do people join cults? What made teenage girls follow Charles Manson, or makes church goers applaud every cruel, crude, illegal action of a twice-impeached, 90x indicted ex-president?

This is a serious, challenging novel.

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

 

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Gloria (1982)

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

 

1) In this song, Laura Branigan is advising her friend to take it a bit slower in her pursuit of a particular man. Did you more recently give or receive advice? I had a rather serious conversation with my nephew, who just turned 24, about the worst part of pet parenthood: euthanasia. My sister's family adopted their cat 17 years ago, when my nephew was just 7. That feline has been his buddy almost his entire life. The family knew Donny was fading, but my nephew wasn't sure it was time to let him go. He asked me how I arrived at the decision with my cat, Reynaldo, in 2021. I got a text from my nephew -- he only texts -- after they said goodbye to Donny and he thanked me for helping him be at peace with the decision.

 

2) Gloria seems determined to rush ahead, regardless of the consequences. Do you consider yourself a big risk taker? Not anymore. When I was younger, I was more fearless. Time has made me more conservative.

 

3) Laura herself seemed to be impulsive in love. She met a lawyer at a party in 1978 and they married months later. It worked out, though. They were married for almost 20 years, until his death. Thinking of your circle of friends, has someone more recently been married, divorced, or widowed? I'm at a time in my life when my friends' kids are getting married.

4) "Gloria" was originally recorded in 1979 by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. His version was a Top Ten hit in Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. Have you ever visited any of those countries? I visited Switzerland and Germany back in the mid-70s during my one and only trip to Europe.

5) In 2018, decades after its initial release, this recording of "Gloria" enjoyed a surge in popularity. The St. Louis Blues used it as their victory song whenever they won a hockey game at home. What's the most recent sporting event you attended? 

I was there last month when Kris Bryant returned to Wrigley Field. It was a perfect day. 

6) After Laura Branigan died of a cerebral aneurysm at the age of 52, her high school established a scholarship in her honor. When did you most recently return to your old high school, and what was the reason? My nephew's graduation six years ago. Being back there practically gave me PTSD. My mom, who also attended that same school, used to tell high school me that "these are the best years of your life." My mother could not have been more wrong about that.

 

7) In 1982, when this song was popular, the Sears catalog sold an at-home blood pressure monitor that ran on four C-batteries and sold for $190 (that's $600 in today's dollars). Amazon's current best-selling monitor is cheaper ($40) and smaller, running on AAA batteries. Is high blood pressure a concern of yours? I'm probably more worried about it than I should be. My dad died of a stroke, brought on by high blood pressure, when he was 55. Since I favor his side of the family, I always grill the doctor after my BP is taken, and I'm always told it's fine.

 

8) Also in 1982, The Compleat Beatles, a two-hour documentary about The Fab Four was released to good reviews. Do you enjoy documentaries? If I'm in the right frame of mind.

9) Random question: Which of these chores to you enjoy the least: doing the dishes or the laundry? The dishes. Laundry is a once-a-week thing and it's the one chore I'm very good at, which makes it satisfying. It feels like I'm always at the kitchen sink, washing something. I hate it.

 

The interesection of Crazy and Craven

That's the location of MAGA World. They continue to support Donald Trump, even as he claimed:

"Migrants are poisoning the blood of our country." I know that sounds like Hitler, but no, it was Donald J. Trump. Here are his specific words: “Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions and insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country.” Of course he doesn't back this shit up because no one demands he back it up. Instead, his followers take it to heart (assuming they have hearts; which I am doubting).

Do not try to tell me that, here in Chicagoland, we don't understand the downside of illegal immigration. Gov. Abbott of Texas has been sending busloads from his state up here. He doesn't bother to coordinate with our mayor or governor because he has nothing but contempt for us or the people he's shipping. More than 195 buses, more than 13,000 immigrants. Just plopped here. Of course it's been difficult to accommodate them. But they are human beings and we are doing our best.

But saying that people who are fleeing gangs and/or political persecution are "terrorists" from prisons, mental institutions and insane asylums is not helping. I'm going to go out on a limb and say invoking Nazi rhetoric is never a good thing. ("Poisoning the blood of our country" is awful close to the Mein Kampf reference to "the poison of foreign races.")

Is this an accident? Of course not. Are his passionately evangelical followers aware of the connection? If they were, they wouldn't be his followers. If they are, I question their Christianity.

A young clerk is fucking a married man. A woman who works for Judge Engoron was "outed" by Donald Trump as "Chuck Schumer's girlfriend." He has no proof of this. In fact, there is no known connection between this woman and Sen. Schumer. Yet Trump posted this on Truth Social, mentioned it on the courthouse steps and used it in a fundraising email.

This was so untrue, so egregious, so embarrassing to a blameless young woman that Judge Engoron issued a gag order against a former President of the United States.

Of course Donald Trump has a dirty mind. We've all read how he refers to his own daughter, Ivanka. We all heard the Access Hollywood tape.

Of course Donald Trump steamrolls over women who are in his way. We all heard what he said about election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, all of it baseless.

I'm more appalled right now by his MAGA supporters. Aren't some of them women? Don't they have mothers and daughters? 

From The Guardian

MAGA Nation: If you don't want to be labeled "deplorable," stop acting deplorably. I close with the words of retired General John Kelly. If Trump is re-elected: "There is nothing more to be said: God help us."

Thursday Thirteen #329

Thirteen commonly prescribed meds.

"Big Pharma" is big business. Drug companies spend more than $10 billion on advertising. For context, liquor companies spend about $7 billion.

So they're hawking a lot of meds. And we're taking them. Here are the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States.

1. Lisinopril. (Zestril) For high blood pressure and heart failure.

2. Levothyroxine. (Synthroid) For hypothryroidism.

3. Atorvastatin. (Lipitor) Lowers cholesterol.

4. Metformin. (Glucophage) Controls blood sugar levels.

5. Simvastatin. (Zocor) Another cholesterol medication.

6. Omeprazole. (Zegerid) Combats acid reflux.

7. Amlodipine. (Norvasc) Treats high blood pressure and angina.

8. Metoprolol. (Lopressor) Another blood pressure med.

9. Acetaminophen plus hydrocodone. (Vicodin) Relieves pain.

10. Albuterol. (ProAir) An inhaler for respiratory conditions.

11. Gabapentin. (Neurontin) Anti-seizure.

12. Losartan. (Cozaar) For high blood pressure and diabetes.

13. Sertraline. (Zoloft) An antidepressant.

You'll find #3 and #9 in my kitchen cabinet. Do you take any of these thirteen medications?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

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. 

PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? The Girls by Emma Cline. A middle-aged woman is getting by as a professional caretaker -- of other people, of other people's plants and pets and homes. Evie works hard and is very adept at blending into the woodwork. We soon find out why: she has a dark secret. As a young teen, back in 1969, she was a member of a cult. A notorious murderous cult. You know the one: a strange man collected California girls at a ranch and somehow persuaded them to kill.

This novel is a difficult, painful read. But not because of the homicidal lunacy of Charles Manson. Emma Cline has perfectly recreated how I felt during the most difficult, painful time of my life: my high school years. While reading certain passages about Evie's home life with her biological family, I actually "saw" my own dad as the father. Cline is that talented. This book has gotten that deep under my skin.  But it's heavy and consequential.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created by Jane Leavy. His is still one of the most recognized faces in America. He was universally loved in his day for his outsized talent and personality. He continues to be revered today for his stats. A sabremetric analysis of his hitting and pitching places him near the top -- and that doesn't allow for the fact that he played in the Polo Grounds and that there were no rules preventing pitchers putting substances on the baseball. The Babe hit .342 in a park with ridiculous dimensions and against pitchers who threw spitballs. I am in awe.

He was also tireless in his time and attention to kids. I loved that about him! Orphanages, schools, hospitals ... when he was the most famous man in the country, he spent as much time as he could surrounded by children. Probably because he had a truly horrific childhood. He was entertaining, though not as heroic, off the field. He did indeed enjoy hotdogs, hookers and hootch. Again, his heartbreaking start to life left him with appetites impossible to satiate. 

I'm not surprised the Yankees treated him like shit at the end of his career. After everything he did for that franchise -- the money he brought to the Bronx is staggering, even by today's standards! I'm not a fan of Yankees management today and I see that ingratitude is just part of their culture. (If you're a Yankee fan and disagree, I warn you: don't get me started.) He was dead at 53 after a painful battle with cancer. He suffered so that I wanted him to die. Then I welled up when he did.

This book is hard for me to evaluate. Ms Leavy introduced me to details of The Big Fella's life, and for that I'm grateful. But the way it's organized made me crazy. Lots of flashbacks and fast forwards. For example, I didn't find out Babe and his first wife, Helen, adopted their daughter until Helen died in a fire. By then, the girl was, like, 10 years old. Huh? Adopting a child is no small detail. Distracting and frustrating!

 

3. What will read next? Hounded by David Rosenfelt. It's a puppy-centric mystery featuring my fantasy boyfriend, Andy Carpenter. I really need something light!

 

 

One comes home, one stays in

My oldest friend came home Sunday after two nights in the hospital. She was running a fever (UTI) and her blood sugar was dangerously low (hypoglycemia). She also suffers from heart disease, which complicates everything and makes it all more serious. 

Henry remains in the hospital after a grand mal seizure. The downside of this is that he's in and out of consciousness and only vaguely aware of his surroundings. The upside is that this hospital is just 3 miles away from their new home in Fort Lauderdale. No more air lifting Henry out of Key West to get him decent medical care.

I wish they were each nearer to me so I could help more. But they both chose to leave Chicagoland -- with its jobs and world-class hospitals and, of course, The Gal Herself -- to struggle emotionally, physically and financially in SoCal and Florida respectively. Why? Snow. And it gets dark so early!  It's so flat (my oldest friend). They were "done" with Chicago and wanted "something new" (Henry and Reg).

The Bible says, "bloom where you are planted." On M*A*S*H, Col. Potter said, "If you aren't where you are, you're no place." Do I ever fantasize about leaving and starting over? Sometimes. Property taxes and crime are high here and I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed either.

But my life is here. My friends are here. The Cubs are here. I am, by and large, happy here. 

Maybe that's the lesson my oldest friend and Henry are here to teach me with their example: I'm lucky I like my life.

 

Self Portrait

 

The Cubs have been eliminated from post-season play. In a way, it's a blessing. This team has been out of gas, banged up and tired, for the last week and I've felt terrible watching them lose heartbreaker after heartbreaker. This is a charismatic, entertaining roster and I've become very fond of them (as is my wont). I hope they each have fun in the sun over the winter and I'll be back here for them come April.

Still, I am melancholy. I love baseball. I will miss it. 

This does free up my time, though. I can go to the movies. My friend Elaine wants to take a road trip. Kathleen wants to go to dinner. John and Gregory want to take a day trip to visit Kathy. Now I can do all those things without being one of those obnoxious folks who is forever checking her phone to see what the score is.

Which is all well and good. But I'd rather be watching Cubs baseball.

Sunday Stealing

STOLEN FROM SWAT BOT

1. the last song you heard: "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer. I hate that song and wish I had a better answer, but it's what was playing on my shower radio while I scrubbed the tub.

2. the last food you ate: A slice of thin crust cheese pizza

3. the last drink you had: Water

4. the last line in a book/newspaper or magazine you read: "I like the movie." Richard Roeper's review of Dumb Money in the Chicago Sun Times.

5. the last movie you saw: The Trouble with Angels. I dearly love it and never tire of it.

6. the last TV show you watched: The news is on right now

7. the last news you read about your hometown. Read? As opposed to saw on the TV news? Hmmm ... I guess that would be an email about my congregation's annual fund drive which emphasized our deep ties to our community.

9. the last video you watched on YouTube A documentary about socialite Ann Woodward, aka Mrs. Bang Bang. A court ruled she accidentally shot her husband in their home. No one believed it, though. Ann is going to be front and center again this winter when her saga is featured in this season of FX's Feud.

10. the last thing you bought at the supermarket. Italian sugar cookies.

11. the last time you were on an airplane. LAX-ORD in April.

12. the last long drive in a car. I was stuck in a traffic jam and it took me more than hour to travel less than 10 miles. I didn't handle this well.

13. the last telephone conversation you had. My oldest friend (see post below).

14. the last letter you wrote. For Letters Against Isolation

15. the last concert you attended I think it was Diana Ross in Las Vegas

 

She sounds so old!

I have been spending more time -- on the phone and online -- with my oldest friend lately. This is a relief. She is bipolar and dealing with chronic physical issues, so I worry about her. She also lives in an area where quality medical care is not readily available. 

Hearing from her is a double-edged sword, though. I know what's going on with her, which is good, but what I'm hearing doesn't delight me. She has gotten herself into a difficult situation financially and at this point in our lives, I don't see how she can rebound. She is overweight, diabetic and saddled with mobility issues. We could argue that she did this to herself, too, or at least colluded with Mother Nature to find herself here. But what good does woulda/shoulda/coulda do at this point?

It's the sound of her voice that haunts me right now. Her reedy voice makes her sound like an old woman. Maybe I sound that way, too, and just don't realize it. 

This all also makes me more grateful for what I have. I am healthier today than I was a year ago. While I'm terrible at yoga, at least I can do it and it helps my back. One of the things my instructor says each week is to think about someone who can't "be on the mat" and dedicate the practice to that person. I always think of my oldest friend or Henry. Similarly, I should start thinking of her when I look at the cup of water I keep beside me. Hydrating is the easiest thing I can do to improve my health and there's no reason not to do it.

Maybe that's what our relationship is about now. I'm here to help her through the tough times. Her example is to help me avoid pitfalls.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: On a Clear Day (1970)

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

 

1) Is today a clear day where you are? I'm doing this Friday night, but Friday was a beautiful day. 70º and sunny.

 

2) Streisand sings that today she's "astounded." What has recently shocked or greatly surprised you? The continuing casual cruelty of Donald Trump and his supporters. I just read that at a California rally he made jokes about the attack on Paul Pelosi, and the MAGA faithful laughed. Folks, if you don't want to be called "deplorable," try not acting deplorably.

3) Streisand's voice astounded people from an early age. She began performing in New York clubs when she was only 18, too young to order a drink in the establishments where she sang. Do you remember the first adult beverage you ordered at a restaurant or bar? For awhile in the mid-1970s, we could order beer and wine at 18, so it was probably a Miller Lite. I remember the bar more clearly than the drink. It was torn down about 10 years ago and condos went up in its place.

4) Barbra has discussed the importance of her Jewish faith in her life and has enlisted the guidance of Reform, Conservative and and Orthodox rabbis as she explored her religion's complexities. Do you enjoy discussing religion? Depends on who I'm discussing it with. I love it when, within our congregation, we discuss how to "put our faith on its feet." I'm less enthusiastic when other Christians try to tell me how to be a Christian. (BTW, if you are amused by Donald Trump, I don't want you to advise me about how to practice my faith.)

5) Taylor Swift just passed Barbra Streisand as the woman with the most #1 albums (12). What's the last album you purchased? I don't even recall. This makes me sad. I used to love lying on my tummy in my bedroom, listening to an album and reading pouring over the liner notes. It was a different world.

 

6) The lyrics to "On a Clear Day" were written by Alan Jay Lerner. He attended Choate, a private boarding school in CT, at the same time as John F. Kennedy. While JFK was in the White House, Lerner had two major Broadway hits -- Camelot and My Fair Lady -- running concurrently. Obviously those two Choate alumni did very well. Have you been to any of your class reunions? Have you been surprised, pleasantly or less so, by how any of your classmates turned out? I have no interest in attending reunions. My oldest friend is plugged into that world and reports back to me. George, who was among the grossest boys in our grade school, is a very successful investment banker. This fascinates me. I can't imagine taking financial advice from someone ate paste and wiped his boogers on his desk. (Of course, I'm pretty sure he no longer does that.)

7) The music was written by Burton Lane. In the 1930s, Lane worked for MGM Studios in Hollywood. After he heard Judy Garland perform at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles, he brought her to the attention of his studio bosses and the rest, as they say, is history. Lane and Garland later worked together when Judy was an established star. He wrote the song, "How About You?" for her to sing in Babes on Broadway and received an Oscar nomination. Judy's best known movie has to be The Wizard of Oz. How many times have you seen it? About a gazillion. I had a particularly wonderful time watching the Sing-Along Wizard of Oz with my niece, who was then about 10. It was delightful to experience it with an interactive audience. She was especially tickled by the row of men behind us, wearing spray painted shoe boxes on their heads (they were the yellow brick road, get it?).

8) In 1970, Glenn Frey formed the Eagles. What's your favorite Eagles song? Oh, sweet darlin', that would be The Best of My Love.

9) Random question: Which would upset you more, being trapped in an elevator or stranded atop a mountain in a ski lift? I don't think either one would upset me, unless I had to pee. I've been trapped in an elevator and it was no big deal. I know how to dress for the cold, so I think I'd be OK on the ski lift for a while until I was rescued. Of course, much of the experience would depend on who I was with. I don't want to be stranded/trapped with someone who is freaking out.

 

 

What the well-dressed cat is wearing this Fall

Roy Hobbs spent Wednesday at the vet. He had to be anesthetized to have his teeth cleaned and, while he was out, a mole on his chest was removed and sent off to be biopsied. The incision wasn't deep or long and only required three stitches. Still, it's important that he not lick or chew the area. so precautions were taken.

First he modeled the cone they gave him at the hospital.

He was miserable. He walked with great difficulty and panted like a dog, even though there is no real reason for a cone to cause that level of discomfort. Still, I couldn't bear to see him so unhappy. So I ordered a donut from Petco.

It would be a wild exaggeration to say he liked this, but he tolerated it better. He ate and drank while wearing it, jumped on the bed and purred.

In the morning, I woke up to a much happier cat. That's because he had somehow gotten out of the collar and stashed it behind the TV table.

I give up. I just really, really hope he leaves those three stitches alone, because the cone and the collar are a major failure.

 

Oh, shut up!

Every day I try to be more Melly and less Scarlett. Meaning I try to see the good in everyone, I try to be kind, I want to want to help. But I admit it: no one brings out the willful, selfish, snark in me faster than my friend Kathy.

She is cognitively impaired. Is it Alzheimer's? I don't know for sure. Three or four years ago, when she was still high functioning but beginning to fail, she got furious if anyone mentioned she should see a doctor. 

Now she's far worse. Her phone is her lifeline. She is on social media constantly, commenting on everything -- even when she doesn't understand it. I try to protect her by hiding most of her comments and straight-up deleting others. Most of the time, it's Melanie who is guiding me. 

But this morning I woke up to her splashing all caps all over my Facebook feed: I DO NOT USE MESSENGER. I seethed but just clicked delete, delete, delete to every one of her comments. Here's the thing -- Kathy does use Messenger. All the time. She sent me an IM yesterday via Messenger about my cat and I responded with a "thumbs up," which somehow pissed her off. 

Then I checked my phone and there was a text: NO MESSENGER! I DO NOT USE MESSENGER!

We just did this last month. She sent me an IM via Messenger asking me what books I'd recommend. Now let's face it: Kathy no longer retains anything she reads, so nothing I say will make any difference. But I didn't want to hurt her feelings by ignoring her. Since Messenger upsets her so, I sent her an email that began: You sent me a Facebook IM asking me about books, but I know you don't like receiving IMs so I'm answering you here ...

Her response: Thanks for the books but what is an IM?

Me: IM = Instant Message. Or Facebook Messenger. It's what you sent me yesterday. You have made it clear that you don't like to receive them. So rather than responding to you by hitting reply to your message, I sent you an email. (See attached.) The attachment was a screenshot of the Facebook Messenger message she sent.

Her response: Thnx, Gal.

Here we are weeks later, doing the same thing. If I ignore her, she's going to hound me about why we are no longer "connected." So how to answer?

I admit I was feeling distinctly Scarlett. I wanted to say, "Oh, shut up!" I wanted to say, "Listen, I don't care if I never hear from you ever again." 

But I took a deep breath and stopped myself. Instead I texted back: I do not initiate Facebook Messenger messages. What I sent you yesterday was in response to the one you sent me.

Her response: Thnx, Gal.

I know we will go through this again in a week or two. What is especially disturbing to me is that Kathy has more than 100 Facebook friends. It's depressing to contemplate how many other people have explained to her -- repeatedly -- that she does use Messenger.

God, I wish someone in her family would delete Facebook from her fucking phone. See? There's Scarlett again. I'm glad Melanie is sitting on my shoulder, reminding me that it costs me nothing to be kind to a 76-year-old woman who is doing her best and must feel frightened and isolated.

It was a really good day

My nephew and I spent last Friday within The Friendly Confines. It was a beautiful day, mild and bright, the first really sunny one in nearly a week. It was important to me because the game/lunch/dinner was my birthday present to him and because it was the Rockies. Yes, the Rockies are one of the worst teams in baseball. They are also the team who gave former Cub Kris Bryant a $200,000,000/no trade contract. I love Kris Bryant. I'm glad he's rich and can count on never uprooting his family again. But Rockies fans will never love him like Cub fans love him.

  

I was delighted to be one of those 38,000 fans who rose to applaud KB. And yes, I got choked up when I tried to take the below picture. Kris Bryant amid the iconic Wrigley Field scoreboard and the ivy is what the Good Lord intended. If I got this upset about the man who put the BRY in Bryzzo, I just imagine what a puddle I'll be if his infield partner, Anthony RiZZO, finally comes home when the Yankees play the Cubs in 2024.

This home stand against the Rockies was the last really good string of games the Cubs managed this season. They've only won 4 of their last 10 and their playoff hopes are now very dim. But that's OK. This team played better than anyone -- including me -- expected this year and will be even better in 2024.

I gifted my nephew with two of his favorite things: baseball and dairy. During the game he had a Home Run Inn cheese pizza and afterward we went to Shake Shack. How has this young man never had a Shake Shack shake? I am proud I was able to right this egregious wrong.

He selected chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry

 

I am grateful that my nephew is willing to spend a 12 hour day with his old fart aunt, because I truly enjoy his company.

Thursday Thirteen #328

The 13 languages spoken most often in the US. Here in Chicago, the languages I hear spoken around me are primarily English, followed by Spanish and a smattering of Polish. But that doesn't reflect our country. According to Wikipedia, these are languages most commonly spoken at home in the United States.

Remember, this refers to conversation within a household. That doesn't mean that our neighbors don't understand English, our national language.

1. English (80% of households speak English exclusively)

2. Spanish

3. Chinese

4. Tagalog

5. Vietnamese

6. Modern Standard Arabic

7. French

8. Korean

9. Russian

10. Portugese

11. Haitian Creole

12. Hindi

13. German

Does this reflect your neighborhood? I know I was surprised that Polish came in at #14. When I'm in the hallway I can hear my neighbor Hannah on the phone, speaking Polish.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

Sunday Stealing

STOLEN FROM SWAPBOT

 1. What you did you do today? It's so early Sunday morning that I really can't claim to have accomplished anything yet, except giving my boycat, Roy Hobbs, the snuggle he demanded.

 2.  What are the must-sees in your area?

Wrigley Field. Right now, at this moment on Sunday morning, my guys are in the play-offs! It's by a razor-thin margin and depending on what happens here against Colorado and in Cincinnati, the Wild Card standings could look different. But, right now, my guys are in the play-offs.

 3. What is your favorite quote? We can't be perfect but we can be present: Joe Maddon (Cubs Manager 2015-2019)

 4. What was the last thing you cooked or ate? I had a late dinner of a hot dog with a side of mashed potatoes.

 5. What is something you learned from your grandparents? They were Cub fans. As you can see, they handed it down to me.

 6. What makes you happy? The Cubs! (Are you noticing a theme here? I'm very happy this morning because of the Wild Card standings.)

 7. What is your best travel memory? I'm very much looking forward to the TCM Film Festival in Hollywood this coming spring, so I'll name TCMFF 2019, 2022 and 2023.

 8. What’s the weather like today? 70º and sunny.

 9. Share an interesting fact that you’ve learned. Decades ago in school I learned that President Eisenhower was the moving force behind our interstate highway system, but it wasn't until I read this biography last month that I fully understood the ramifications. If you live in a suburb and drive more than 20 minutes to work, you're reaping the benefits of his foresight. Before Ike, Americans literally lived where they worked, or worked where they lived. The flexibility our modern workforce enjoys is due in large part to him. (OK, I thought it was interesting; of course, I'm a nerd.) 

 10. What is your favorite book, movie or band.

 11.  Write your favorite poem or haiku?  Don't let anyone say that it's just a game, for I've seen other teams and it's just not the same/When you're born in Chicago you're blessed and you're healed the first time you walk into Wrigley Field: Eddie Vedder, Someday We'll Go All the Way.

 12. What is a local festival or tradition from your area? Our local restaurants and bars closed a few streets and had a little neighborhood Octoberfest Friday night through Saturday night. It's a happy get together, and I like to crash the kids' rootbeer garden and get a float.

 13. What was the best thing you learned in school? I think it was how to interact with peers. I don't think teachers, scout leaders and coaches get the credit they deserve for not allowing us to grow into completely self-centered adults.

GO, CUBS, GO! C'mon, Guys! Please win today.