Manic Monday
1) What's the longest you've gone without sleep? 20 hours. My boss was fighting with his boss, and by the time they stopped playing "¿quién es más macho?" and finally gave me the assignment it was already very late. Like it was already due. When I finally got home, I didn't so much go to sleep as surrender to it.
2) What was the highlight of your last week? Saturday I attended one of the 1,200 HANDS OFF! rallies. It was right here in my neighborhood. Members of my church group took the el into the city for the protest at Daley Plaza (see photo), but I chose to stay local. It was inspiring to see the spirit of peaceful activism as people spoke up for Medicare, Social Security, medical research and free speech at universities. Yes, we live in a nation where Medicare, Social Security, medical research and free speech at universities need defending from our own President. Anyway, we gathered at the WWI memorial next to the library and marched through the center of town. According to the Associated Press, I was one of hundreds of thousands "from New York to Anchorage." So far, there's no word of arrests. It was peaceful, it was serious, and it helped me feel empowered, less alone, and less like I'm living in Berlin before The War.
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| Protesters at Daley Center, from CBS News |
3) You have to give a 10-minute speech to a group of high school students. What's your topic? I think there's a lot to be learned from the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with a special emphasis on her accomplishments as First Lady. For example, she was personally responsible for the Mona Lisa coming to the United States. It was the first time the painting had been allowed outside of France since it was returned after WWII. Jackie believed that seeing the world famous masterpiece would inspire Americans, especially school children, to become more interested in art. She lobbied French cultural minister Andre Malraux. She convinced her husband to augment security and insurance with his family's fortune, on top of the credit of the United States, a gesture that impressed the French government. She oversaw Mona Lisa's transatlantic voyage on the SS France, where it was cossetted by a special vibration resistant crate and the temperature was always 62º. The painting was displayed first at the National Gallery in Washington and then the Met in New York. Americans turned out in record numbers: more than 60,000 a day in New York alone. It was a resounding success, and it was Jackie's show. This was just one of her accomplishments. Jackie was a compelling mix of strength and grace and, as her friend Tish Baldridge used to say, there was a brain under that pillbox hat.
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| Mission accomplished: The official unveiling In DC |
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| The Mona Lisa, protected by the Marines, at The National Gallery |
4) What is the single best decision you've ever made in your life? Buying this condo. I didn't really want to be a homeowner. Renting seemed so much easier. But there are financial benefits to owning that I appreciate more every year.
5) If you could ask a coworker, friend or family member a question and be guaranteed an honest answer, who would you choose and what would you ask? I would ask my financial advisor what he would tell his own grandmother to do with her retirement funds as we try to navigate Trump's fakakta tariffs.
6) Do you cook for yourself when you're home alone? I have to. I live alone. If I didn't cook for myself I'd starve.
7) Do you most often access the internet from your computer, your phone, or your smart watch? Laptop
8) Do you have more email addresses or phone numbers? Email addresses
9) What's the biggest source of anger in your life right now? The current administration
10) Mondays make me feel _________________. Like I'm starting anew.
