Day 13: Smell My Vicks Vapo-Inhaler is tremendously comforting. I struggled with allergies late last month and this got me through. Also, when I had covid back in the day, I lost my sense of smell. So now, whenever I'm sick, I reach for this Vicks Vapo-Inhaler to reassure myself that I don't have the plague.
This one started with a sniff. I have two bottles of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol – one in the kitchen and the other in the bathroom. While I use the alcohol for many things, often I sniff it. Really. When I have a tenacious cold or feel the flu coming on, I check to see if I can sense that distinctive smell. It reassures me I don't have covid. Silly, I know, but in 2020 during those dark pre-vaccination days, I had a bad case of covid and my first symptom was no sense of smell. Today that familiar sniff comforts me. (Yes, I realize this is not definitive; it's just my way of dealing with post-covid PTSD.)
This TT was inspired when I overheard someone say she was given alcohol to sniff when she came out of anesthesia because it helps prevent nausea. So there's a more scientific reason to sniff alcohol!
I found a variety of uses for alcohol at Healthline. Most of these do not include sniffing.
1. Surface disinfectant for thermometers, tweezers, etc.
2. To clean cuts
3. To treat post-op nausea (again, sniff it, don't ingest it)
4. Astringent to tighten pores
5. Deodorant (but not after shaving your armpits)
6. Applying a rag soaked in rubbing alcohol can soothe aching muscles
7. Cleaning dry erase boards
8. Refreshing kitchen sponges
9. Deodorizing shoes by spraying alcohol inside and then letting them dry in the sun
10. Removing ink or marker from clothes
11. Removing the adhesive left behind by stickers
12. Refreshing cloudy mirrors
13. Removing water stains from stainless steel faucets
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
What were you doing ...
1. Twenty years ago? In spring/summer 2005, my Cubs weren't doing so great, but my favorite-ever pitcher, Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, was back in Cubbie blue so I was happy. I think I had a nice office. The agency I worked for rearranged and moved us often, and having a good office had a major impact on my attitude toward coming to work. I was still a redhead and I still had a waist. My cats were Joey, Charlotte and Reynaldo.
2. Ten years ago? In spring/summer 2015, I was immersed in The Big Project. It was the highest-profile assignment, with the biggest budget, I would ever have in my career. I didn't know it then (wouldn't know until fall), but I acquitted myself well and it would be a success. Joe Maddon was managing the Cubs and the glory days were upon us. (I'm still a little in love with Joe.) Connie had just joined Joey and Reynaldo.
4. One year ago? In spring/summer 2024, Anthony Rizzo hit his 300th homerun so I was happy. I had a wonderful time at the TCM Classic Film Festival, but so many of us returned home from the fest with colds/flu. This year I masked up for my flights and stayed healthy. I think that, like wearing my glasses every day instead of contacts, wearing a mask when I am on an airplane is my new normal. Catwise, it's Connie and Roy Hobbs.
5. Yesterday? Got my hair cut, had lunch with my nephew, bought my niece a Mother's Day card, and watched my Cubs kick Brewer ass.
Bonus! What will you do tomorrow? Monday I'm going to the dentist.
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| Like Joey, I'll miss him |
Chandler Bing got me through some tough times. In 2020, when I had covid and was scared ... ten years ago, when I was recovering from surgery and in discomfort ... those Friends marathons were a genuine comfort.
This past spring I read his memoir. It was unflinching and brave, and I admire him for writing it. He put a familiar and well-loved face on the disease of addiction.
This morning I'm more than sad. I'm angry. Conspiracy theorists are blaming his untimely death on -- wait for it -- the Covid vax. As though 40 years of alcohol abuse, 25 years of pills and a tobacco habit so powerful he was allowed to chain-smoke in the hospital didn't damage his heart, the vaccination did.
Matthew Perry wanted to be remembered as someone who helped people battling toward sobriety. To those who want to exploit his death for their hysterical, paranoid agenda, I say this with all sincerity: Fuck you.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Huey begins the song by telling us some workdays feel like they will never end. How was last week for you? Did it drag or did it fly by? I was rather busy last week and over the weekend so I appreciated the nice, even, predictable pace of this week.
2) He sings that his car payment is due. Think about your personal finances. Do you pay most of your bills manually or do you more often take advantage of automated bill pay? My only automated bills are the ones that businesses/organizations insist be automated, like my health insurance premiums. The rest I prefer to pay manually. I'm kind of a control freak.
3) Huey Lewis achieved a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. Did you take SATs and/or ACTs? Were your results anything to brag about? (If they were, go ahead and let us know!) I clearly remember taking one of them -- I believe it was the ACTs but I wouldn't swear to it in a court of law. It was a Saturday morning in the biology lab, which had the most godawful orange plastic chairs. I got bored during the math section because I understood less than nothing about the questions and chose my answers by doing a design with the dots. Since I was planning to go to community college, which had to take me because I lived in district, I didn't take any of it seriously.
4) In his role as District Attorney for Essex County, MA, Huey's grandfather Hugh Cregg prosecuted high-profile murder cases. Do you enjoy watching or reading courtroom dramas? Very much. Especially the original Law & Order.
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| Season 6: My favorite cast |
5) Huey no longer performs because he has an inner-ear disorder that prevents him from holding a vocal pitch. Of your five senses -- hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste -- which is the strongest? Well, I wear glasses and I always have closed captioning on when I watch movies, so we can eliminate hearing and sight. I'll go with smell. When I had covid, not being able to smell really creeped me out.
6) He is a fan of fly fishing. Did you do any fishing this summer? Nope. Which would make this summer like every other summer of recent memory.
Since this Monday is Labor Day, the holiday established to celebrate the American worker …
7) Approx. 10% of Americans are self employed. Have you ever been your own boss? Yes. I was a freelance writer in 2003-04. I took my last job in 2004 for the insurance and 401(k).
8) According to Monster.com, 50% of workers have left a job to get away from a boss. Are you one of the 50%? Oh, yes. I've had bad bosses, but one genuine psycho. She told me that she believed in reincarnation and we clashed now because we were enemies in a past life. I guess I tried to run her over with my chariot or something. We'd better work this out now, she warned, or we'd be fighting one another for eternity. I could not get away from her fast enough after that.
9) Farmers feel the impact of extreme weather events. Have you ever had a job that required you to be outdoors most of the time? Nope.
BTW, this is my first Labor Day as a retiree. I admit it feels funny. Not unpleasant, of course, but weird.
Also, unlike Mary/Laura, I don't want a best friend dropping in at all hours. Mary had Rhoda, who lived upstairs. Laura had Millie, right next door. Many times, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda would drop in as soon as she heard Mary was home from work. On The Dick Van Dyke Show, Millie was always coming over to gossip over coffee or compare notes on the carpool.
No thank you. I would hate that. First of all, I'm a slob and my home is not visitor-ready at all hours (OK, it's never ready). Secondly, I value my alone time. Too much perhaps. I've learned since covid lockdown that just because something is comfortable doesn't mean it's good for me.
We saw each other a couple weeks ago for her birthday. It seems that every day since she's got ideas of other things we can do together. She's nice, she's interesting and imaginative, we have many common interests. So all this is nice, right?
It just feels like too much. If I see one of my friends once each week, that's plenty for me. (This week it's Nancy. I think. She may cancel, and if she does, that's OK.)
But Elaine is a good person, and her heart is valuable. So today I'm going to send her a nice long email to keep the dialog going and to let her know she matters.
I'm not Mary Tyler Moore after all. I'm really a cat. I'm loving and devoted, in my way.
I met Joanna at Miller's Pub. It's a classic, old-school Chicago restaurant. Laminated menu. Lots of burgers, chops and chicken. Framed photos on the wall of the luminaries who have dined here before. (We sat across from the Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton, whose autographed photo was displayed beside Ghostbuster Harold Ramis. I passed Joey Bishop on my way to the ladies room.)
I took the train and wandered through the Loop. I was surrounded by people! Not as many as an afternoon in February 2000, but more than I've seen in a while. It made me happy.
I strolled on my way to the restaurant and saw this. The Huntington Bank branch on the corner of Madison and Wabash was a place of worship before The Fire. I've passed this corner dozens of times and never noticed this plaque before. For a moment I felt a tremendous kinship with the Chicagoans who were here before me.
It was nice to catch up with Joanna. She and I email and text regularly but this is the first time I've seen her in 2023. I loved her yellow raincoat. I told her she looked veddy veddy British, which makes sense she'd ordered the coat from a department store in London. She always puts such care into her appearance that I upped my game a bit. Sure, I was wearing jeans and tennies, but I chose a pullover instead of a Cubs t-shirt.
She's been working very hard, is tired, and I sense that she's a little jealous that I'm retired. Two years older than I am, she's long been self-employed and hasn't had the benefit of decades of 401(k) contributions. But that isn't why my heart went out to her today. She's been seeing Sid since 2019 and has been crazy about him since they met. A successful businessman, he retired because of a stroke and she's enjoyed being part of the new chapter of his life. But his health and especially his cognition are failing and she knows she's in the midst of a long goodbye. As she talked about him, she still laughed at things he says to her every day. He amuses her, she loves him, and he's fading away. Heartbreaking.
But she's a survivor. She's looking ahead, too. The cost of living here is too expensive and she's considering a move to Kalamazoo. Or Paris. I tried not to laugh but that's so Joanna. She of the Paddington Bear raincoat. She always has one foot in the Midwest as her soul soars over the ocean.
Monday night, a 24-year-old man suffered a heart attack on national television. Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed after a hit. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was rushed to a Cincinnati hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Today the internet is alive with conspiracy theorists, insisting that Monday was "a bad day for Pfizer" because this young man had been vaccinated. Not that it was bad for the Bills, or his teammates, or the traumatized viewing public, or his family ... No, Pfizer. Apparently they believe this was Dr. Fauci's fault, and they are delighted. Fucking ghouls.
When the official statements were released by the hospital, the NFL, and the Hamlin family, we were warned not to be fooled. They are all in on it. The doctors, the league and his loved ones are all part of the vaccination conspiracy. Damar Hamlin is intubated, and conspiracy theorists are luxuriating in falsehoods and demonization.
That these online anti-vaxxers tend to be Republican doesn't make sense, since it was Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed that spearheaded creation of the vaccine. Also, if they want to investigate conspiracies, why not look at January 6? You know, the insurrection that took place right there on TV. Why was Ginni Thomas, wife of the Supreme Court Justice, texting Mark Meadows? Why did five GOP House Members request Presidential pardons after January 6?
They could be using social media to look more closely at the hit that precipitated Damar Hamlin's collapse. Should the NFL entertain a rule change that could not only save the lives of their players but all the kids who emulate them? Or they could get the word out about first aid after a heart attack (which you'll find here).
But why do something that will help when you can instead do something that hurts?
Vaccines save lives. Damar Hamlin had a heart attack because he tackled a 6'4, 220 lb. wide receiver.
So many of these baseless conspiracists claim to be Christian. Instead of spreading lies, maybe these keyboard monsters could pray. Of course, if he survives he's worth less to their ugly agenda.
If you read this humble blog often, you know I've been battling the blues a bit lately. While I was doing laundry, a package arrived for me. Big, and from Target. I hadn't ordered anything. I thought it might be from my friend Mindy, who has missed my birthday by a long way this year.
She's a Hindu and an Indian citizen, so she doesn't celebrate Christmas, but this is the second Christmas gift she's given me. Back in 2014, when she was an agency newbie, her desk was near mine. We didn't work together, but because of the proximity she felt she got to know me. She watched me when I didn't know I was being observed (making me kind of like a sitcom). She heard me rhapsodizing about the new bags I wanted and bought me one! Her note said it was because I am thoughtful and "spread the holiday cheer year around." I can quote it because I still have it. I tucked it into my address book for safekeeping.
I try, you know? Every day I try to live my faith. Or, in classic movie terms, I try to be more Melly and less Scarlett. It means a great deal to me that she sees that in me. And that she has seen it in me when I was just going about my life, without knowing she was watching.
Since covid, we haven't seen one another often. The only time we were in the office together was for major events. She was very upset that I'd been terminated. I was something of a mentor to her.
In the 8 years between the handbag and the blanket, she has had two babies, been promoted twice (she's now a director!) and has spoken and blogged about being a woman of color in American advertising. If I acted as a mentor to her in any way, I am proud of that.
Plus, her timing was exquisite. I didn't know I needed an electric blanket. It's always very warm in here. And yet today, this electric blanket was exactly what I needed.
PS I read the comments on the post below and those lifted my spirits, too. Thank you, ladies.
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| My wheels |
Today's happiness -- Taking a break
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.
Today's happiness -- Better this time
Ok, I caught covid a second time. I noticed I'd become more lax with the hand washing and my mask spent more time on my wrist than on my face. So I shouldn't have been as shocked as I was Tuesday AM when I tested positive.
But my symptoms are minimal. Nasal congestion and (this was weird) my eyes were dry and painful. Also, I have the attention span of a gnat, so I'm here to tell you "covid brain fog" really is a thing.
So I'm happy I was smart enough to get vaxxed and boosted. I'm happy that my symptoms are nowhere near as bad as my 2020 bout. I'm happy that between the federal government and my insurance company I always have testing kits on the kitchen counter. I'm happy I can work from home.
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.
Today's happiness -- PeopleI had no plans for today. I was OK with that. But then, my friend Mindy called and wanted to know if I could meet her and her hubs for a quick bite. They were in my neck of the woods, and who knows when all three of us will have a free sunny Saturday?
When I got home, I received a call from my friend Patrick who lives in Maine. We chatted for about an hour. At the end of the call, he said, "Love you," and I believe he does.
I don't reach out to people much anymore. With covid, I got out of the habit. Yeah, I could call [insert name here] for drinks or dinner, but then I'll have to put on a bra and spend money and oh, hell, isn't it easier to just stay home?
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.
Today's happiness -- Hi, Aaron!
Aaron was my boss in 2021. He was a breath of fresh air: creative, collaborative and supportive. Everything you want in a supervisor. Plus, I really liked him. When he left in January, it broke my heart. Because he relocated to California, I was able to meet up with him when I attended the TCM Film Festival in April, and today, I Zoomed with him.
I was very happy to hear what's going on his world. He's still with his lady, Amanda. He loves their life together but there have been some hiccoughs (her favorite uncle died, he suffered a bout with covid, his job isn't what he expected). You know, though, no adult has a completely perfect life. He's fine financially and he's happy in love, and I'm happy to hear that.
Since he's a preacher's kid, I'm comfortable talking faith with him. This occurred to me as I was telling him how my faith guided a work decision I'd made. I knew he would get it. That was lovely.
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.
Thirteen items for a back-to-school shopping list. It's been a long, long time since I was a student. But that doesn't stop me from noticing that the back-to-school aisles at Target and Walgreen's are starting to buzz. So here are the things parents are shopping for:
1. Backpacks
2. Face masks. (Yes, still. Want to be prepared if/when that next variant hits.)
3. Folders
4. #2 Pencils
5. Colored pencils
6. Blue or black ballpoint pens
7. Crayons
8. Glue or glue stick
9. Highlighters
10. Markers
11. Spiral or composition books
12. Calculator (yes, there's an app for that, but teachers aren't always crazy about kids having phones in-hand during class)
13. Scissors
Every year, my mom sent me to the first day of school with a new protractor. To this day I'm not sure what it was for, but I used it as a straight edge for art class. Therefore I'm not surprised to see protractor is not on the list, but I did expect to see "ruler."
Did this list take you back? What do you remember buying for back-to-school?
Today's happiness -- It's back! A major event in my neighborhood, the library book sale is a three-day affair that happens every August. Except, of course, for 2020 and 2021 when it was just another thing covid spoiled.
In 2022, the show went on! Not exactly as it has in years gone by. Instead of used books consuming the high school cafeteria and spilling out into the halls, it was in three of the library's meeting rooms (fiction, non-fiction and children's). No cookbooks this year. Also, I didn't volunteer. In the recent past I helped sort and display books. This year, because the venue was the library, the volunteer hours were weekdays only and I just couldn't make it work with my job.
But still, I was happy to be back. Sure it was more smaller and more subdued, but it was another sign that we're inching back to pre-covid normal. I bought two books -- a cozy mystery called Gone with the Twins (A League of Literary Ladies Mystery) and a memoir by Lauren Bacall -- for $3.
And, once again, I can bestow a dubious honor on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Every year there's a book donated in bigger numbers than any other. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is continuing its streak and picking up where it left off before the pandemic. Why do so many of my neighbors buy this book, year after year, and then decide not to keep it? I suspect book clubs keep choosing it as a selection.
For those of you keeping score ...
2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2016: The Help
2015: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
2014: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2013: The DaVinci Code
2012: Sixkill (a Spenser Mystery)
2011: The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
2010: Scarlett, the Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind
2009: My Life by Bill Clinton
2008: The DaVinci Code
2007: The Nanny Diaries
2006: The Corrections
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.
I'm unhappy and overwhelmed these days. There's stuff going on at work that annoys me. I'm beyond sick of the ongoing dental drama. And then there's Henry. (See post below.)
I had a hair appointment at 1:15. At noon, my friend Nancy and her husband Paul met me for lunch at the little fast food place next door to the salon. They told me about seeing Steve Martin and Martin Short in Milwaukee. I told them about the TCM Film Festival. We talked about how Nancy and Paul just discovered Blue Bloods and can't get enough -- even though their kids mock them for it.
Then it was time to go. They had to finish sprucing up their daughter's car (she's returning from an Italian vacation it's their surprise "welcome home" to her) and I had my haircut. As we walked out, Nancy said, "It's been more than a month and like Paul and I say, we miss The Gal when we don't see her."
That little comment melted me. I think about it now, hours later, and I'm literally smiling.
I told her that I appreciated hearing that because I worry about my people skills after two years of staying home during covid. She hugged me and said, "You 'people' just fine."
So here's the moral of my story: If it's positive and you're thinking it, say it. It may seem like a little thing to you, but it might mean a lot to the one who hears it.
The TCM Classic Film Festival began at 9:00 AM, but I admit, I was still in bed. When I finally rolled down to the lobby for my free continental breakfast -- newly reinstated after covid! -- the crowd was finishing their bagels. I recognized a familiar voice. KAREN! She and I have been spending one night a week together for over a year with our Zoom movie meetups, but we have never met! Here we were, 2000 miles from home, and we were finally able to hug. She was there with her charming 20-something daughter, who snapped pictures. Bob, a rabid Beatle fan who also belongs to our movie group, was there, too. After all the video contact, it was good to finally see one another 3-D.
The film was introduced by actress Diane Baker. She compared The Group to her own film, The Best of Everything, and said this one was better. I disagree. The Best of Everything was great, soapy fun while The Group was heavy going.
Then it was time for more Doris. Will, Guy and I saw The Pajama Game (1957).
Another new-to-me movie, another movie that isn't shown very often. We were completely charmed. I also liked the message. As TCM host Eddie Muller pointed out in his introduction, there aren't many musicals focused on the importance of labor unions.
From there it was off to the BIG theater. The Chinese Theater. 916 seats. The perfect place to see the restored print of Giant. This was, after all, the theater were it originally premiered in 1956, where Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson left their hand/footprints in the forecourt.
I love this movie. Always have. Now I remember it especially fondly because my late mother loved it. I was also excited to see Steven Spielberg in person. He was one of the moving forces behind the restoration of this film. He spoke of it in terms of film making (dissolves and long shots) and story telling (racial tensions and feminism).
It's also a great popcorn movie. Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor were both still in their 20s and both staggeringly beautiful. They're as gorgeous as the panoramic shots of wide open spaces.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I was very worried about Chicago's homeless. I know how hard life on the street is, and how dependent they are on the foot traffic of office workers in the Loop. I kinda adopted a homeless man on the corner of Michigan and Lake. He used to have a tortoise shell cat that he doted on. At the beginning of the pandemic, he was convinced by a nice lady to surrender her. He said he missed her, but he realized she was better in a safe, stable home.
While she looked good, I'm sorry to report he did not. There were scratches on his face and a cut on his nose. They were not the marks of kitten. My guess is a fall or maybe a car accident.
The next time I saw him, two Tuesdays later, he was asleep -- right there on that noisy corner -- and he didn't have the cat. I left him a blessing bag (tissue packet, cough drops, breakfast bar, clean mask, and a $1 bill) and an additional $5.
Same thing today. Sleepy dude. No cat. I just hit and run with the blessing bag again. I was kind of glad he was out of it. I don't want to know what was wrong (I suspect meds). I don't want to know what happened to the cat. (She might have been stolen, or run into that busy, busy street).
Some stories just don't get a happy ending.
Yesterday was a good day. I have been starting to venture out and see friends -- three weekends of socializing in a row -- but that was enough. Now I'm happy to stick close to home for awhile.
The mercury climbed to 65º and I wanted to get out in it. I headed off to the dollar store, walking more than a mile to and fro. I stocked up on stuff I use often that I pay more for elsewhere (especially the refills for the automatic air freshener spray near the litter box; $6.00+ at CVS and $1.25 at the dollar store).
I also bought packages of generic lip balm that break down to 45¢ each. I picked those up for my "blessing bags." I've been carrying ziplock baggies in my purse that include a breakfast bar, tissue packet, cough drops, a $1 bill, and a mask. But as the mask mandate fades, I wanted a replacement item. Since masks are still required for public transportation, I'm going to continue including them for the time being, but I'm glad I have the lip balms on hand as we transition out of covid.
I swung by and picked up a double cheeseburger because, well, don't I have to undo fitness benefits I gained by walking? That's just how I roll.
We talked for (gulp) three hours! She sounded good and happy, which is a relief. She updated me on her life and on her daughter's life, and I'm so glad they're getting along. Until comparatively recently, she was much closer to her son and I worried her daughter was neglected. Yes, her daughter is now 24, but a girl always needs her mom and I think it's great that their relationship is improved.
I'm anticipating a rough workweek ahead, and I'm glad I've been gifted with this lazy weekend to recharge in preparation.
