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 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? Murder at the Movies by Alicia Malone. A 30-something Hollywood publicist named Audrey inherits a house and an old movie theater on an island just off the coast of Maine. So she pulls up stakes and heads off to make the theater a success as a revival house, showing the classic films she loves. Unfortunately, on the night of the grand reopening, someone dies. Was it an accident, or murder? (The title answers that for us.)

 

This is the first of a "Movie Palace Mystery" series by my girl Alicia Malone. (There's another coming out this summer.) Alicia is one of my favorite hosts on TCM and has authored non-fiction about film so I know she can write. As cozy mysteries go, she's avoided some potholes. Example, what makes Audrey think she's qualified to investigate anything, much less a murder? Alicia addresses this rather neatly. Also, this book is filled to the brim with movie references, so I'm captivated. I especially like how when she introduces a new character, she says who should play them in the movie.

 

So I'm enjoying this thoroughly. Of course, I'm the target audience. I mean, cozy mystery series AND old movies? I'm so in! 

 

2. What did you recently finish reading? Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency by Nigel Hamilton. This book is devoted to the Bush-Clinton transition and the first four years of the Clinton Presidency. I found it fascinating, illuminating, and ultimately very upsetting.

 

Hamilton gives us a Bill Clinton who is highly intelligent and empathetic, who wants to do good, but doesn't know how accomplish it. Hamilton – a Brit – repeatedly blames this on Clinton's lack of military experience. Bill simply didn't have the training or experience to be a chief executive. I'm a Clintonista and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don't buy it. He was Governor of Arkansas for more than a decade. He had no excuse for the chaotic start to his presidency except that (in my humble opinion) he trusted the wrong people and didn't want to make anyone close to him unhappy. Compulsive people pleasing is the flipside to all that empathy. 

 

Once he got the hang of being President, he was good at it. Better even than I recalled. I knew the economy was gangbusters and I credited his approach to deficit reduction. I forgot how he shored up Social Security and Medicare. In real time I was proud of the FMLA and remain so today. But I forgot how influential the US was on the American stage, and the affection/trust world leaders had for Bill Clinton. He was key to peace in Northern Ireland and the Bosnia and made us a trusted partner in international environmental issues. (Remember, we're still only in the first term here, too.)

 

But his first term was scandal plagued, and here's where it gets tricky. Hillary Clinton was greedy and not always scrupulous with the family finances. Whitewater was all her, and she didn't cover herself with glory. But it also happened when the Clintons were still in Arkansas, and the amount of money involved always was small. (The initial investment was $20,000; $60,000 adjusted for inflation.) Compare that to the grift going on now. From the White House. In broad daylight. The Trump family has monetized everything from Don Jr.'s wedding reception to the President's social media posts. 

 

Then there were the sex scandals. Remember, this is the first term. At this point, the press was unaware of Monica Lewinsky. But there was Bill's offhand harassment of Paula Jones – yes, I believe her and not him – and Troopergate. I'd completely forgotten Troopergate. But Bill Clinton was personally involved with trying to silence the Arkansas state troopers who once protected him by offering federal positions so they wouldn't talk about him getting blow jobs in pick-up trucks (among other places). It was tawdry. It was shameful. It's unseemly how unable he was to control his appetites. But still, shall we talk about Stormy Daniels? Is it time to mention Epstein yet? 

 

While we were unaware of Monica, the affair took place during Bill's first term and so Hamilton covers it.* I feel for her. It's a story as old as time: she was in love and he got laid. A man with Bill Clinton's ability to read people knew she was vulnerable and damaged and he took advantage of her because for no greater reason than that he could. The power differential is completely unacceptable. But she was 22 years old. By her own admission, she made the first move, flashing him her thong. How I wished he had responded to that not with a kiss but with a transfer to another federal building. As appalling as the Lewinsky story is – yes, I believe her, too – it doesn't hold a candle to Epstein. Monica Lewinsky was in the White House by choice. She was not trafficked or seduced. She was not a minor. (My mom had two kids at 22 years old.) 

 

So strangely enough, as I read about the lowest points in Clinton's first term, I felt like defending him and Hillary because they are nowhere near as appalling as Donald Trump. This book was written as George W. Bush was beginning his Presidency, when Donald Trump was still a developer, so my reaction was not Hamilton's intent, but there it is. I'm outraged by our lack of outrage today. What has happened to us?

 

Also, this book made me long for a time when the world liked us. So yes, in spite of it all, as the Fifth Dimension once sang, "Bill! I love you so, I always will ..."

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

 

  

 

*Though not the impeachment.

The Lovely Linda joins Sir Winston

 

What do Linda McCartney and Winston Churchill have in common? They are two of the only Brits to be honored by the USPS with a stamp. Though Linda was born in Scarsdale, at the time of her death she was Lady McCartney, a Subject of the Crown.

Buying these stamps today made me happy. I was so mean about her for so long! She was too plain for Paul. Her speaking voice was so flat. I hated her voice even more when she adopted that fakey English accent. She couldn't sing. She didn't shave her armpits. I knew she'd slept with Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger before she married Paul.

I was too young, too immature, too silly to see that a great 20th century love story was unfolding before my eyes. As the three other Beatles battled drugs and alcohol, Paul avoided all that. (OK, maybe not all that. We know the Macs loved their weed.) Together they raised four children. They were married more than 30 years, seldom spending a night apart. I believe part of why he's with us today, still performing at 84, is because he had Linda when he needed her most.

Of course, he was the bigger star. I realized while watching Stephen Colbert's last show, he's now probably the biggest star in the world. (Always kind of shocking because I forget he's not just mine.) But she wrote cookbooks, was a tireless environmental and animal right activist, and her photos were exhibited all over the world. In watching the documentary on Wings, Man on the Run, I learned that those who worked with her in those days had good things to say about her. Perhaps she took the heat publicly so that he could be forever lovable.

They're like characters from a Victorian novel: She was born into money and prestige, he was a slum kid. They improbably meet and build a celebrated life together. It's through the lad from the lower classes that the black sheep of an upper class American family ends up in the peerage. C'mon, tell me this wouldn't be a great Netflix series.

 

 

Sunday Stealing

Survey Asks ...

1. What was the last gift you received? My friend Mindy gave me this book. It's the perfect purse book. It fits in my bag and the chapters are very short and self-contained, perfect for a train ride or my break at work.

More about it here

2. Who did you last hang out with? My nephew and his girlfriend. We had pizza and they showed me their new apartment.

3. Do you often lose the remote? Only constantly.

4. When did you last check Facebook? Just now.

5. Are there scented candles in the room you're in? No. I don't trust my cats around candles.

6. Next time you leave the house, where will you be going? To the pharmacy for my flu and covid shots. (You're jealous, aren't you?)

7. Do you know anyone named Steven or Stephen or Steve or Stevie? Yes. He goes alternately by Stephen and Steve.

8. Which do you prefer: macaroni salad or potato salad? Potato salad.

9. Do you have an ice maker in your refrigerator door? No. I expect I'll be buying a new refrigerator soon, and that one won't have an ice maker, either. It's not that hard to use an ice tray. I mean, I'm not very handy and I'm not much of a cook, but I can make ice.

10. When you woke up this morning, did you get up straightaway or lounge a bit? I lounge. So much lounging.

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Big Girls Don't Cry (1962)

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

1) When is the last time you shed a tear? When I dropped my girlcat off for surgery. She didn't feel good and she didn't understand and I couldn't explain. You people with actual human children: I don't know how you do it!

2) Lyricist/producer Bob Crewe recalled he got the idea for this song while watching a movie on TV. "Big girls don't cry" was a line from the 1956 film Slightly Scarlet. Give us a quote from another movie. 

Her first line on-screen, Funny Girl

3) This inspiration came to Bob during the late night/early morning hours. What time of day are you most productive? Evening. Between 7:00 and 10:00 PM.

4) Bob wrote another song for the Four Seasons, "Silence Is Golden." The band was not happy with their recording and never released it as a single. Three years later, The Tremeloes had an international Top 10 hit with "Silence Is Golden." Tell us about a decision you wish you could do over. I think I forced a breakup. I might have given up on us too soon. But there's no going back, is there? I hope he's happy.

5) Before he got his big break, Four Seasons lead singer Frankie Valli worked as barber. Do you have a hair care appointment scheduled? Saturday afternoon. (I may be in the stylist chair as you're reading this.)

 
6) Oscar-winning actor Joe Pesci has a connection to the band. He was a young chum of Four Seasons founding member Tommy DeVito. By the time DeVito left the group and found himself overwhelmed by gambling debts, Pesci was a star. He helped his friend out, making Tommy his personal assistant and getting him cameo roles in films. Tell us about someone who has been there for you in tough times. I miss my late friend Henry so much. There's nothing he wouldn't do for me, and only ever saw the best in me. Even when I didn't deserve it. What a hole he has left!

 

7) The Four Seasons disbanded in 1977 after 17 years together. The original bandmates reunited onstage 1990 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was an important night for them professionally and personally, too, as it gave the old friends a chance to reconnect and mend fences. Is there anyone from your past you wish you could reach out to? My former boss and theater buddy, Barb. After her husband died, she moved to Hilton Head and we lost touch. I don't even have a current address for her anymore. It's sad how easily we drifted apart.

8) Another hit song from 1962 was "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Tony Bennett compares San Francisco to Rome, Paris and Manhattan. Have you visited any of those four cities? San Francisco, Paris and Manhattan. 

 
9) Random question – You're home all alone. Do you close the door when you use the bathroom? Nope. 

 

 
 

 

I'm wearing black anyway

The Chicago White Sox have their backs against the wall and are facing elimination in the play-offs. But it's a miracle* this team got there at all, after two seasons of losing more than 100 games. These young men should be proud and so I've been wearing black on game days in their honor, since their uniforms are black.

That does not mean, though, that I have changed my opinion of White Sox fans. They are  hostile and spend way too much time wishing ill to my guys in Cubbie blue. "Cubs suck!" Much of their antipathy comes from their belief that Chicago is overwhelmingly a Cubs town. That my guys get all the positive attention. I hate to say it, but the Sox fans might be right about this.

When my Cubs were in the playoffs – a mercifully short matter of days, considering how badly they played – there were W flags everywhere and we were all wearing official Cubs gear. As the White Sox have valiantly defied the odds and moved from the Wild Card to the ALDS, I've seen ... nothing. No White Sox logos in store windows. No GO SOX on theater marquees or sidewalk chalk signs. I did see it on the bus. Every once in a while I see a man in a Sox cap, or a woman in a Sox hoodie, but it doesn't happen often. The first story on the local sports is just as often the Bears (who only play once/week) as the White Sox. 

So while the Cubs have a victory song, the White Sox have a whine:

 

 

*A term I don't use lightly, considering their biggest fan is Pope Leo.

As someone once said ...

"What's love got to do with it?" I had dinner last week with my old friend, Mindy, and it upset me. Yes, a week on, I'm still tossing it over in my head. Maybe writing about it here will help me purge it.

Mindy and I have known one another for decades. We're Beatle-bonded, both Paul girls. We were once extraordinarily close – talking every day, vacationing together. Then our lives went in different directions. She got married, moved to the North Shore, started having babies. It isn't so much the domestic side of the equation that came between us as lifestyle. Mindy and her husband have different values than I do. Example: when they visited my new condo for the first time, he commented on my 24" set, "You must not watch much TV."* No, I watch entirely too much TV. I just don't want my TV to be the focal point of the room, and I don't want to prematurely add electronics to the landfill by arbitrarily trading up to the newest. I think they can be superficial, I imagine they view me as sanctimonious. 

Anyway, Mindy and I met for dinner. She was sweet, as always, and brought me a thoughtful gift. I asked her all about her recent trip to Scotland. During the planning, it sounded epic. Her husband, newly retired, wanted to celebrate by playing on legendary golf courses. They traveled with their adult sons and their wives. I had so many questions! Did they all sit together on the flight? What did the womenfolk do when their men were on the links? Do the sisters-in-law get along? What's it like to be Americans overseas in the Age of Trump? Did they stay in a hotel or an Airbnb? How was the food? 

She cut me off and changed the subject to me. Only she didn't ask about me. She wanted to know if I've traveled this summer. Nope. This seemed to make her sad. Then she asked for a recap of the TCM Film Festival back in April. We've talked since then, she knew all my stories. So I tried to come up with some new material. 

I started to tell her about Doug. A SoCal native, I see him annually at the TCM film festival and frankly, for years it was awkward. He's very MAGA and outspoken about it. (During the first post-covid festival, he flouted the mask rules and mocked those of us who followed them.) I don't feel like having my every choice attacked and politicized, especially when I'm on vacation. Anyway, Doug witnessed his wife Laura and I bond over baseball and suddenly he saw my charming side.† He has joined our movie group via Zoom several times since and brightens whenever he sees me. We're now in the same Facebook/TCM group and he always likes my posts. This makes me happy. I don't like being mad at the 37% of America that still somehow supports Trump. One of the things I loathe most about my President is that he tries to exploit our differences and I resist that. Donald Trump has cost this country so much, I'm not going to let him take my humanity away, too.

I told Mindy this story, hoping she would tell me how she deals with MAGA in her own life. Instead, she took it another way. She seemed sorry that Doug wasn't single and we couldn't pursue romance.

What the ever-loving fuck?

She asked me if I was "open" to relationship. No. I'm too old and set in my ways and besides, I don't want anyone to see me naked these days. She said, "But his body wouldn't be perfect, either." "Then why would I want him?" I was joking!

She went on to tell me that, if I had a partner, I'd have someone to take care of me when I get sick.

Yeah, that's why I want a lover. So I can be a burden on him. What a very transactional way to look at life in the final innings.

So as I got on the train, I realized that Mindy feels sorry for me. She seems to see me as a lonely, loveless Cat Lady who doesn't travel. Poor, poor pitiful me.

I rail against this! I do not accept victimhood. I see myself as a woman who struggled with the unexpected emotional impact of retirement and came through. I am rebuilding my life after losing two of my best friends within months of one another in 2024. I am trying to establish new friendships with new boundaries and I'm doing my best.

I don't want to go to Europe. It's not the money, Mindy. It's that I don't feel like it. The trips I'd like to take would seem very small to her – Graceland, the spa at Colonial Williamsburg, Springfield and my man, Abe. Most of all, I'd love to go back to the Kennedy Center and celebrate that it's survived Trump, too. These things would make me very happy, but right now I'm content with my two planned trips to Michigan to see Baby Violet and my upcoming week in Hollywood for TCMFF 2027. 

And if I fall in love again, it will be because I want to spend time with someone who touches my heart and stirs my soul. Not someone who is willing to change my diapers.

 

*I'm amused that he often watches sports on his phone. On. His. Phone. That's a 5" screen! So it's not really about screen size or resolution, it's about having the coolest new toy. Which is fine if it makes him happy. It's just not for me. 

†I have noticed men find me especially adorable when I'm talking about my Cubs. I think it's because they don't expect me to know what I'm talking about and are delighted when I do. The same way you're surprised when you go to the children's zoo and see a chicken play the piano. I suppose I could find this condescending, but I choose not to.

Thursday Thirteen #483

A workout for your imagination. That's how former Cub manager Joe Maddon recently described reading. He said he has workout equipment for his upper body, and a machine for his legs, and books for his brain.

Because I appreciate Joe's take on most things, and since I'm a book lover myself, here are ...

13 facts about reading and readers

1. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, just 38% of Americans are regular book readers. 

2. Chicago's own Rush University Medical Center studied more than 5,000 individuals over 14 years and found that the ones who read regularly were at a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. 

3. Cambridge University studied the brain structure of teenagers and learned that the areas of the brain tied to memory and attention were stronger among readers. 

4. At Yale, researchers concluded that regular readers live an average of two years longer than non-readers. 

5. Reading a book – fiction or non-fiction – is good for memory because you have to remember names, relationships and motivations.

6. The greatest benefits come from books or long articles. Scrolling through social media encourages you to skim, whereas reading requires you to analyze. 

7. For a newspaper or magazine article to deliver brain health benefits, it should be long enough to fully engage your imagination and concentration. (Remember, no skimming.) 

8. It can teach empathy. Whether it's a 300-page book or a 6,000-word magazine profile, reading introduces you to, and gives you greater understanding of, someone else's life. 

9. 30 minutes of reading a day: That's what the Yalies concluded is all we need to begin reaping benefits.  

10. Reading reliably reduces stress, similar to the way listening to music, drinking tea or sipping wine can.  

11. It's more effective than word-a-day exercises because it helps build vocabulary by presenting words in context when the imagination is engaged.

12. You should also read when you're reading. Meaning don't multi-task. No TV or music in the background. Your brain will thank you.

13. People who read make often do better in business because they can write better emails and make more cogent presentations. 

 How about you? Are you a regular reader? What are you reading now?

 

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

 

 

 

Sunday Stealing

WHAT? 

1. What are you currently excited about? Nothing. That's not as negative as it sounds. There's next to nothing on my calendar this week and I'm looking forward to a lot of reading, naps, and marking things off my to-do list.

2. What do you wish you had more time for? Reading, naps, and marking things off my to-do list. Like finishing my handwritten GOTV postcards. I committed to 230, and it's taking longer than I thought it would. (I know, I know. Writer's cramp is not a high price to pay for citizenship. I just get angry at my own sloth sometimes.)

3. What would like to do less? Clean the litter box. I love my cats beyond measure, but sometimes it feels like I'm forever wrinkling my nose and then grabbing the scoop.

4. What do you spend too much money on? Everything! Though it must be my imagination, since my President keeps telling me "affordability is a Democrat hoax."

5. What childhood wish never came true? I am not Lady McCartney.

6. What did you do to celebrate your last birthday? Joanna planned a wonderful day for me. We saw a theater production based on Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, then we had a late lunch at legendary Walnut Room. She is so sweet to fuss over me like this.

7. What drives you nuts? That so many people don't see what's happening. We're sliding into authoritarianism. Our President is in Dear Leader mode, slapping his name on everything and building monuments to himself. His Truth Social posts are unhinged, vulgar and cruel and we're all pretending we don't notice. Just like we have moved on from the January 6 riot and our own citizens being shot by ICE in the streets. We are at odds with Canada – Canada, for fuck's sake! – and we act like this is normal. We have a Secretary of Defense who insists on calling it War and is glorifying testosterone while decrying inclusion. We've become so LGTBQ-phobic that somehow this is OK. So many who stubbornly continue to embrace Donald Trump and his self-dealing, self-aggrandizing and bullying loudly, loudly proclaim themselves as Christians. So much for the old Golden Rule. If the November 3rd Blue Wave does help us right our ship of state, it makes me sad that it will be because voters don't like the cost of diesel, not because they are unhappy with any of the above.(Hey, you asked.)

8. What keeps you sane? Humor. I laugh a lot. Often at myself.

9. What historic date is etched in your memory? My sixth birthday. 

10. What one thing would make your life immeasurably better? That Donald Trump allows us to speak truth to power on Tuesday, November 3, without casting doubts on the results ... or worse. BTW, that one thing would make your life immeasurably better, no matter where you are in the world.

 

 

Saturday 9

Eastbound and Down (1977)

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

1) This week's song was featured in the movie Smokey and the Bandit, the surprise box office hit of 1977. Have you seen it? Yes. I seem to catch it on cable every couple years and am embarrassed by how much I enjoy it. I mean, it has plot holes Jerry Reed could drive that Kenworth through and so many car crashes become mind numbing. And yet, God help me, I laugh. Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason are so funny.

2) Though not well received by critics, Smokey and the Bandit had one very famous fan: Alfred Hitchcock. The classic film director enjoyed re-watching the movie on video at home, often while having dinner. Do you ever watch TV with your meal? Usually I've got the news on.

3) Jerry Reed not only wrote and performed the movie's theme, he appeared in the movie as truck driver Cledus "Snowman" Snow. Have you ever driven, or ridden in, a big rig? Nope. The biggest vehicle I ever rode in was the tow truck that hauled my Cousin Rose's car (and us) after it crapped out on the highway.

4) He sings, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." Have you recently felt rushed? Not since I retired. I worked in advertising, which is very deadline driven. I'm happy to have left that behind.

5) Director Hal Needham asked Jerry Reed for a song that explained the plot of the movie. He wrote this overnight and always considered it a happy accident. Can you think of a time when something turned out better than you expected? Often. Just about every time I go out. I kinda dread social engagements. I mean, I've got to get dressed in real clothes and wear makeup and for what? But then, when I get home, I think, "That was fun."

6) Reed was born in Atlanta and, coincidentally, he mentions Atlanta in the lyrics. Has your hometown been immortalized in song? Sinatra just couldn't stop singing about us. Because we are so awesome.

 

 

 

7) Jerry met Priscilla Mitchell at Capitol Records, where Jerry was a session musician and Priscilla was backup singer. Though she was only 18 when they wed, it seems their union was a happy one and they were together until his death almost 50 years later. If a newly engaged 18-year-old asked you for advice, what would you say? I would say, "Talk to someone else." I am abysmal at romance.

8) In 1977, when "Eastbound and Down" was on the radio, nostalgia for the 1950s topped the TV ratings. The two most popular shows that year were Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. If you magically transported back to the 1950s, what do you think you'd like about it? What do you think you'd miss about your life in 2026? I think I would like all the physical media: glossy magazines, thick catalogs, heavy hardbound books and small paperbacks I could carry in my purse, and vinyl LPs. I would miss air conditioning. A lot.

9) Random question: Were you ever afraid of monsters in your closet or under your bed? No. At least not technically. I was often convinced I saw scary faces in my bedroom drapes, and I suppose those demons must have either come from the closet or under the bed.

 

 

 

Thursday Thirteen #482

 Right on track. According to Goodreads, I should hit my target of 38 books completed this year. In May, I Thursday Thirteened the first books I'd read. Here is volume two.

All these books are linked to Amazon for easy reference. If you're going to buy them, though, please consider supporting a local bookseller.

1. Nothing but the Night: Leopold and Loeb and the Murder that Rocked 1920s America by Greg King and Penny Wilson. True crime. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

2. And Never Let Her Go by Ann Rule. True crime, 4 stars

 

3. Off the Menu by Stacy Ballis. Chick lit, 2 stars

 

4. Marilyn Monroe by Donald Spoto. Biography, 5 stars

 

5. Act of Betrayal by Edna Buchanan. Thriller, 4 stars

 

6.Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. Mystery, 5 stars

 

7. Harlow in Hollywood by Darrell Rooney and Mark Viera. Biography, 4 stars

 

8. Rescued by David Rosenfelt. Mystery, 4 stars

 

9. In Pieces by Sally Field. Memoir, 5 stars 

 

10. Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams and David Fisher. Non-fiction, 4 stars

 

11. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden. Thriller, 3.5 stars

 

12.Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie by Carly Simon. Memoir, 3.5 stars

 

13. Margin of Error by Edna Buchanan. Thriller, 2.5 stars

This list took my through June, July and part of August. How about you? Did you set any reading goals for 2026? If yes, are you on your way to meeting them?

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

I live in a warehouse

Rear Window is a great old movie about a man, stuck in a wheelchair as he recovers from a badly broken leg, who amuses himself by watching his neighbors across the courtyard. Through his binoculars he discovers who is happily married, who is lonely, and who is homicidal.

Since I'm on the condo board, I don't have to use binoculars to peer into the private lives of my neighbors. I am forced to read about them in emails. What I've learned is that what looks to the untrained viewer as a standard multi-unit residential building is really a warehouse for storing troublesome relatives. 

Second Floor: The Saddest Boy in the World.  He is in his mid-50s and has lived in this building, in the same apartment, since he was a child. In 2001, when I moved in, he spent all his time caring for his invalid mother. I think being alone with her all the time eroded his social skills. When she died in 2012, he took a series of part-time jobs (the local grocery store ... Macy's Department Store ...) but for various reasons he quit or was fired. He is like Eeyore. Nothing makes him happy. Nothing. While his home has long been paid for (no mortgage), there are still property taxes and monthly assessments. Legally the unit belongs to his sister, but they don't talk. At all. I suspect he's in constant pain, as his teeth are visibly very bad and he's told me about his recurring gout. I can't put too fine a point on this: His negativity is mind-numbing. He means well, but he's living embodiment of that old joke, "The food was terrible, and in such small portions!" Anyway, we got word from the County that the unit he lives in has been sold for property taxes. Meaning his sister (the legal owner) has approximately two years to repay the back taxes or the unit will go to the new owner. And The Saddest Boy in the World will have to move. I can't imagine where he will go or how he will cope. I don't know if his sister has explained this to him. What he thinks of as home, she seems to see as a place to keep him out of sight and out of her hair.

Third Floor: The Old Man. He's 90. I've known him for 25 years, since I moved in, when he was newly retired and vibrant. He was excited about "the ladies" he was meeting at the local library and was even helping one with her Avon sales. (He sold me some nail polish back in the day.) Today he is vague – either he can't see me or doesn't recognize me – and requires oxygen. He can't walk on his own. His daughters visit him regularly, though not daily, and they are staggeringly unpleasant. They complain when the cable is out because it's tied to his phone and then he's unable to communicate. (Not an Association issue.) They complain when the elevator is out for more than an hour or two because they need it to get him from his unit to the parking area. The elevator is original to the building and sometimes it takes a while to find replacement parts that will work. Besides, it's not like I can get my toolbox out and fix it myself. They used to complain about the dog that lives on the premises but upon learning its a service dog they finally shut up. After all, one of his daughters is a lawyer (as she loves to remind us) and I'm sure she understands the ramifications of discriminating against Americans with disabilities. Bottom line: He shouldn't live alone anymore. But the condo is in The Old Man's name. As is the unit next door, which they rent out, even though we no longer allow rentals. The Old Man was grandfathered in. As I understand it, once he no longer lives here and isn't, at least technically, an on-site landlord, the Association could demand he sell the rental unit. His daughters don't want to do that because they are greedy. If they sold both units today, they would get likely get a windfall of more than $350,000 that would pay for a year or two in a facility where The Old Man could get around-the-clock care. But if they wait for him to die, they can sell both units and pocket the money. I dislike these women intensely. Not just because they are bossy and whiny and rude – and they are – but because I think of The Old Man's quality of life alone in that apartment and it makes me sad.

Fourth Floor: Chris. The man at the end of my hall. I've posted about him a lot recently. He has mobility issues and struggles with neurodivergency. Like the Saddest Boy in the World, Chris has a good heart. But he has no respect for boundaries and doesn't pick up social cues. Our management office has let the condo board know that they have literally given him guidelines on how to interact with them. When he can't reach our property manager, he doesn't leave a voice mail. Instead he calls the main number and asks the receptionist "to go get him." If she can't/won't, he goes back to calling the property manager over and over, again never leaving messages. So now the property manager has instructed him: Call once, leave a detailed voicemail, and give the manager two hours to return the call. (I think two hours is more than fair.) Of course, if it's an emergency, Chris should call 911, but it's never an emergency. It's always something like, the trash man didn't put the bin back where it belongs. I asked our property manager why Chris doesn't just email. And here's where it gets interesting: 1) He doesn't know how to use email and 2) even if he did, his brother is the unit owner and so Chris wouldn't get the building announcements (water will be turned off for an hour, the elevator will be in use for a move, etc.), they go to his brother. And, as with The Saddest Boy in the World, the siblings don't communicate well or often. Unfortunately, legally, it's Chris' brother's responsibility/decision as to what is shared with Chris. If this situation doesn't get better, if Chris can't give the building manager a break with his calls, we're going to have to escalate this to his brother. Again, our building is just a place for Chris' brother to make a problem go away.

I'm so glad I have long-term care insurance. If the time comes and I can't care for myself, I can make the decision myself to sell this place and go live in a care facility. I don't want to be the relative that is hidden away out of sight. 

 

Photo by Doug Bagg on Unsplash 

Some days it takes more than a shirt

This is my official 2026 locker room shirt. It's identical to the one my guys wore as they sprayed champagne on one another after clinching a wildcard berth. It arrived from Wrigleyville Sports on Monday afternoon. I tracked the shipment and as soon as it arrived, I tore open the package and ran downstairs to do laundry. I had to have it for Tuesday, when the playoffs began. I was so happy.

 Then Tuesday dawned. I went to yoga and it was awful. My regular teacher, Rachel, has had to change her schedule for a few months and the instructor who has replaced her is ... not Rachel. I'm used to Rachel. I want Rachel. Rachel explains the poses as she does them and offers ways for students like me to adapt and still execute them. That's not what I got yesterday. "Let's do pigeon pose." 

There are more than a dozen steps to executing pigeon pose.  Our instructor walked us through each one as she did it, but all of this was new to me and I couldn't keep up. Then I saw I didn't want to keep up. I'm fat, I'm old, I have two bad knees (meniscus tear on one side, arthritis on the other). I plopped down on my butt and surveyed the room: just about everyone was following the script. Some with greater dexterity with others, but my classmates were on board. My new instructor saw me in the mirror and said, "Listen to your own body. Let your body determine your practice." She was giving me permission to do my own thing, and I appreciated it, but it's not how Rachel would have handled it. Rachel would have demonstrated the pose first herself, then she would have done it with us a second time, talking us through. She always gave us an either/or – "try this instead," not just "don't do it if it doesn't feel right."

Oh well, next week when I go, I'll know what to expect from this instructor. I'll come to class with stretches in mind that I'll go into when I can't/won't do what she recommends. BTW, this instructor is trying hard, has a lovely smile, and is probably good at her job. She's just not Rachel.

Then I tripped on the elevator. Yes, you read that right. It's hard to hurt yourself while getting into an elevator, but I managed. The floor of the car didn't line up perfectly with the floor of the lobby. It doesn't happen often, but Tuesday was one of those days. I was flipping through my mail, not paying attention, and stumbled into the elevator. The door closed behind me and I was sitting there, on my ass, my grocery bag on one side and my purse on the other. It took me a moment to raise myself up. I wasn't hurt, thank goodness. I'm grateful no one saw it. But I was annoyed with myself. FOCUS, GAL! Look down once in a while!

Then this happened.

 Now I never expected a World Series this year. I am a Cub fan. Statistically speaking, we grab the brass ring once every 108 years. 

But this year's team has played with such heart! We have a genuine unicorn in Pete Crow-Armstrong. Alex Bregman came back from a broken face! (I'm not kidding. The man is playing with eight fractured bones in his face.) Our catcher, Carson Kelly, has a legitimate gift for successfully challenging umpires. And so I was hopeful. And they were humiliated. I didn't even watch until the end, it was making me so sad.

Me, sitting there in my official "Clinched" shirt. I just couldn't bear it.

So I changed into my Cubbie-themed pjs and tried to put this terrible Tuesday behind me. Hopefully my heroes in Pantone 294 come back and redeem themselves tonight. I can't decide if I'll wear the shirt again. It doesn't seem to be have been stitched with luck, does it?

 

 

 

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 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? Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency by Nigel Hamilton. I am a Clintonista. I worked on both of Bill's presidential campaigns and am proud of it. Eight years of peace. Eight years of that economic rising tide lifting all ships. He was a Washington outsider, still just in his 40s. A Baby Boomer taking over the mantle from two WWII-era Republicans. This was going to be our time.

 

I forgot how exciting and messy – incredibly messy – the beginning of his first term was. As I read this book, it all comes back. Nigel Hamilton is a Brit with a talent for writing about American Presidents. His JFK: Reckless Youth is not only my favorite Kennedy book, it's one of my favorite books ever. But Hamilton doesn't do hagiography. I know I'm going to read some less than flattering accounts in this book and that's fine. I want to learn, not adore.

 

2. What did you recently finish reading?  50 Movie Nights by Dave Karger.   The TCM host asked 50 celebrities to name the movie they would recommend for a movie night. It had to be a movie that touched them in some way and made a lasting impression. Their responses surprised and delighted me.

 

CNN's Anderson Cooper chose Apocalypse Now because after he saw it as a kid, he wanted to travel up the river with those men and tell their stories. Ty Burrell chose the Pink Panther and explained how his lifelong love of Inspector Clousseau influenced his portrayal of the lovable goof Phil Dunphy on Modern Family. Now I'm not a big fan of either of those movies, but I loved those stories. I loved all 50 stories. There is affection on every page of this book, and it has given me new movies to look for and familiar movies to rewatch through fresh eyes. 

 

PS So many of these movie memories revolve around going to Blockbuster and perusing the aisles. I didn't realize how much I miss that experience. Streaming curates and makes recommendations based on my viewing habits, which is super convenient, but I miss being able to go exploring.

 

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