August Happiness -- Thursday 16

A 12-4 victory against the Reds! Yes, the Cubs reigned supreme within the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, ending a bit of a skid. I love my guys, win or lose, but winning is a lot more fun. And now that my heroes remember what winning feels like, we will be passing those pesky Brewers any day now!

Thursday Thirteen #29 -- All Hail the King

THIRTEEN GREAT ELVIS SONGS
as selected by
The Gal Herself



Elvis quite literally changed the world. He successfully fused country and rhythm and blues into rock and roll, and we’re all forever in his debt.

He also remains a never-ending source of campy joy to me. I love watching him come out in a cape, a jumpsuit and a belt buckle as big as my head as the band plays “2001: A Space Odyssey.” I adore it when he incongruously does karate moves in the middle of a ballad. I devour even his corniest movies and can recite the dialog. (Can you name this movie? “Them ain’t tactics, honey. That’s jes’ the beast in me.”)

But the goofy, gauche Hollywood and Vegas Elvises (Elvi?) are unable to erase the indelible imprint of his music. The time I spend making fun of peanut butter and banana sandwiches is equal to the time I spend in awe of his talent.

Thursday is the anniversary of the day Elvis Left the Building Forever, and I’m celebrating his life with 13 of my favorite Elvis songs. Even if you're not a fan, there must be at least one song here that you're familiar with. The King is that big a part of our culture.

1. Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. Like the river flows surely to the sea, darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be.
2. Burning Love. Lord Almighty! I feel my temperature rising …
3. Steamroller Blues. I’m gonna inject your soul with some sweet rock and roll, and shoot you full of rhythm and blues.
4. Suspicious Minds. We’re caught in a trap. I can’t walk out, because I love you too much, baby.
5. You Don’t Know Me. No, you don’t know the one who dreams of you at night, who longs to kiss your lips, who longs to hold you tight.
6. Love Me Tender. For my darling, I love you, and I always will.
7. Jailhouse Rock. If you can’t find a partner, use a wooden chair and ROCK!
8. Heartbreak Hotel. Since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell. It’s down at the end of lonely street at Heartbreak Hotel.
9. Kentucky Rain. Seven lonely days and a dozen times ago, I reached out one night and you were gone.
10. If I Can Dream. If I can dream of better land where all my brothers walk hand in hand, tell me why can’t my dream come true?
11. Viva Las Vegas. There’s blackjack and poker and the roulette wheel. A fortune won and lost on every deal. All you need’s a strong heart and nerves of steel.
12. I Was the One. She lived, she loved, she laughed, she cried. And it was all for me.
13. Saved. I used to smoke and drink and dance the hootchie coo. And now I’m standing on this corner, praying for me and you.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Tink's is important -- about an eating disorder called BED
2. Sue over at the Urban Zoo shares what makes "the Zookeeper Happy"
3. Suprina is presents the pride of her home state
4. Like all charming, delightful and timely TT'ers, Malcolm has devoted his list to Elvis
5. Jenny McB finally admits that she'll never hear from my man, Clooney (and 12 other things)
6. Damn that Sharon for tormenting us with rebus puzzles!
7. Harlekwin has some truly gorgeous new banners, esp. the guy watching the TT on his bigscreen TV
8. Starrlight has a list of rocker quotes. Appropriate and sad for the anniversary of The King's death.
9. Like all charming, delightful and timely TT'ers, Gattina has devoted her list to Elvis
10. Damozel's TT should be required reading for young and old alike. It's about the separation of powers, and it's terrific!
11. Get happy and celebrate with Ed's joyous TT
12. Gabriella introduces slang words -- and a plug -- for her charity event for the Freeport Humane Society.
13. Sparky Duck takes us on a tour of his bookshelf
14. Nicole Austin takes on the weather. Specifically hurricanes.
15. What Works for Us shares words of wisdom
16. Jeremy's TT is about illicit drug use
16. Erin shares 13 of her favorite poems
17. Frigga has an interactive, fill-in-the-blank TT
18. Mo's TT is about manx cats in general, and Sushi the Birthday Girl specifically
19. Janet has worked her way through the alphabet to her "X" TT
20. Impworks has a culinary TT from Matta's International Foods in Liverpool, England
21. Jennie lists 13 lines of memorable movie dialog about looooove


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

August Happiness -- Wednesday 15

I'm going to dinner and then a play with my theater buddy, a former boss and long-time friend. We both work erratic hours so we enroll in the Broadway on Chicago subscription series, knowing that if we invest a chunk of change on tickets, we'd be more likely to make the time to get together.

So at least once a month I eschew jeans, dress like a grown-up, enjoy a very nice dinner with good hootch, and see a top-quality theatrical production. We've been doing this so long that I've forgotten to appreciate what a terrific city Chicago is and all is has to offer. A thriving theater district and world-class restaurants are just a 15-minute train ride from my front door. How lucky can a gal get?

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups."

Today at lunch I saw "the police, who investigate crime" in action. Apparently evil was done at my McDonald's. One of Chicago's finest strode in, went behind the counter and, before the curious gaze of the lunch crowd, made his way to the office where he had a brief but intense conversation with the manager and a young Hispanic female civilian (meaning she wore neither a McDonald's nor a CPD uniform). My guess is that either another customer grabbed her purse or harassed her in some way. (Since the cop came alone, it couldn't have been anything that put our lives in imminent danger.)

I hope the girl is OK. She really looked rattled. And I hope that when Dick Wolf rips this story from today's headlines, I approve of the extra who portrays me.

August Happiness -- Tuesday 14

PUPPY! My downstairs neighbors have an enormous yellow lab named Jaffa. Whenever we meet, I rub his head and coo "puppy" to him while he sniffs my purse, my laptop case, etc. I had come to feel that, in our relationship, I was actually peripheral, simply a vehicle for feline smells from upstairs or exotic city smells from the el. This morning, I was leaving for work as Jaffa and his owner were returning from their morning walk. From a full block away, he recognized me and pulled at the leash! There's nothing like being greeted a dog who knows you and is happy to see you. It was a lovely way to start my day.

Goodbye and Good Riddance, Turd Blossom

"Turd Blossom" is GWB's nickname for his good friend and close adviser, Karl Rove. (Apparently "Turd Blossom" is Texan for a lotus that grows in the mud.) Until his resignation and the accompanying sea of ink, I had no idea that's what our Commander in Chief called him. I also had no idea of his illustrious Chicago connection. From today's Tribune:

"As a 19-year-old working in Illinois, Rove used an assumed name to gain access to the headquarters of Democratic state treasurer candidate Alan Dixon. He made off with campaign stationery, which he used to print 1,000 fliers promising 'free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing' at Dixon's Chicago office. The fliers were given to homeless people on Lower Wacker Drive. Years later, Rove expressed regret for the 'youthful prank.'" Ah, the enthusiasm and boisterous nature of youth! Only a curmudgeon wouldn't see the humor in a joke at the expense of the unfortunates who live in cardboard boxes on Lower Wacker.

Turd Blossom continued down this regrettable path, though. In 1986 there was a bugging incident. In 1992, Bush 41 fired Rove for alleged leaks. Then, of course, there's the leaking and the dirty tricks and the illegal firings that Turd Blossom (allegedly) committed on behalf of this President.

Karl Rove is the best example I can think of for why politics must become more secular. As I look over his sorry resume, it makes my blood boil that this lowest-common-denominator manipulator felt comfortable telling me that my positions on security, reproductive rights and gay marriage are either not "Christian" or not "patriotic."

I don't care if Congress "gets" him. I really don't. I just hope that, for the good of the country he served so poorly, he disappears from the public eye.

Zzzzz …

There's a kid (age 22, tops) sound asleep in our now-deserted reception area. I believe he works in our mailroom, but he's not our mail carrier so he doesn't belong on this floor at all. He's curled up in a ball in one of the oversized leather chairs, impervious to the PING! of the elevator or the CLICK! of the door whenever anyone enters.

At first I was annoyed. He is soooo going to get caught, and undoubtedly reprimanded. Perhaps even fired, if this has happened before. It's unprofessional and stupid and not exactly the image a Michigan Avenue ad agency likes to project.

Then I got sad. How unprepared for the world is this kid? Hasn't it occurred to him -- hasn't anyone explained to him -- that the reason why the reception area is now deserted is that WE HAD LAY OFFS, and could again? Hasn't it occurred to him -- hasn't anyone explained to him -- no one else here just picks a big chair and dozes off? How many times is he going to be stalled in his progress, or worse, how many jobs is he going to lose, before he figures this stuff out?

I'm not being superior here. I'm no slouch at sloughing off during work (as evidenced by this very entry, being posted on company time). But I know when/how to do it! And besides, our positions are different. I'm expected to work evenings and weekends at a moment's notice, he's expected to be out of here at 5:00 PM.

I'm tempted to go out there, sit down in the chair beside his, put my feet up and explain the facts of life. If he's not feeling well, he should tell his boss. There are places he could lay down. If he's just bored, he should either ask for something else to do or (if he's in a sloughing off mood) go to the 39th floor, where the vending machines and TV are. But he should most emphatically NOT be sleeping in the reception area!

But he has no idea who I am and, if he's not ready to listen, he won't hear it. He'd either be embarrassed or, worse, angry at me for waking him, dismissing me as a dumb old fart. Still, shouldn't someone prepare him to make his successful, autonomous way through the world? Isn't that what parents and teachers are for?

It really is sad.

Heads & Tails #1

This meme comes from a new source, Skittles' Place.

This week's theme is "Beginnings," which is fitting because this is the very first week of Heads and Tails. Since we can interpret the theme any way we wish, I'm celebrating "Beginnings" with the Chicago song, popular when I was in high school …

"When I'm with you, it doesn't matter where we are,
Or what we're doing. I'm here and that's all that matters.
Time passes much too quickly when we're together laughing.
I wish I could sing it to you,
I wish I could sing it to you."

Here's How To Play:
• Visit Skittles' Place each Tuesday, look at the Heads & Tails sidebar, and check out the theme.
• Interpret them in any way you wish. You can write a story or a poem, show photos or videos, scan and post a picture you drew, just about anything. The choice is yours.
• Please link back to Skittles.
• Visit the other participants.

August Happiness -- Monday 13

"That haircolor is wonderful on you." So a complete stranger at the health club told me today. This haircolor is my haircolor, as God intended. I'd been dying it for so long I'm not sure how this shade of bronde (brown/blonde) looks. So that offhand, objective comment made me very happy.

He has a family?

Karl Rove discussed his imminent departure from the White House in terms of the impact on his family. This is the start of a new chapter in his family's life … he and his family struggled with this decision … the first thing he's gonna do is go dove hunting with his family and friends …

So that's what he going to do with himself instead of demonizing gays or slagging a pair of war heroes (Sens. McCain and Kerry) to win elections? What a lucky family!

He has mentioned wanting to teach. I'd love to sit in on his lectures: The ends justify the means … winning isn't everything, it's the only thing … put the short-term interests of your candidate ahead of the long-term good of your country …

Karl Rove is certainly gifted. But it's an ugly talent. He personifies that question, "What if his power had been harnessed for good?"

August Happiness -- Sunday, August 12

My favorite Key West souvenir t-shirt is clean and wearable again! I simply love my blue shirt from the Dry Tortugas because of the 5 turtles making their way across the front. And in a classic Lucy Riccardo move that is simply too stupid to recount here, I splashed spaghetti sauce all over it. Effectively combining the power of Shout!, Tide and prayer, I got the stain out completely!

Google Search Meme

Callista tagged me for my first-ever visual meme!

Here are the rules:
1) Go to http://www.google.com/
2) Click on Google images
3) Type in your name and search
4) Repost the picture of the oddest, craziest, strangest, coolest, oldest, etc. person that shares your name. Post multiples if you find a few you like.
5) Pass it on to at least 5 other people.

This was certainly a surprise! There's someone out there with my exact name who literally hangs around in caves. I suppose we may be related, but from this angle she doesn't look familiar and I see no family resemblance.

I Googled images for just my first name, but forgot to turn on "safe search" and certainly got an eyeful. There are gals out there enjoying far more daring personal lives than this one is!

Now for my five tags:

Book Mama
Jenny McB
Cupcake
Kwizgiver
Mo

Unconscious Mutterings #6

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Voyage :: to the Bottom of the Sea
   
2. Patricia :: my icky older sister
   
3. Transformation :: duckling/swan
   
4. Vocabulary :: Dictionary
   
5. San Francisco :: Golden Gate
   
6. Edward :: the King
   
7. Sawyer :: Tom
   
8. Literary :: Library
   
9. Tiger :: Woods
   
10. Seal :: of Approval

For more information, or to play yourself, visit Unconscious Mutterings.

Getting to know me, getting to know all about me

Picked this link up from Cupcake, and I suppose the results are pretty accurate:

ISFP - Introverted, sensing, feeling and perceiving are my dominant personality traits. "Artist". Interested in the fine arts. Expression primarily through action or art form. The senses are keener than in other types. 8.8% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

August Happiness -- Saturday, August 11

Fresh Kitty® Biodegradable Litter Box Liners! Just discovered them today at Petco and I am tickled! My building is located beside a children's home and behind a church, so I'm very careful about how we dispose of kitty waste. With so many children around, we most definitely do not want rats. This provides an immediately sanitary but long-term eco-friendly solution. I'd share this exciting news with the cats, but they are busy snoozing and grooming and cannot be interrupted.

Saturday Special #5

~This Past Week Did You...~

1. Have anything exciting happen?
Reconnected with my best friend after about a month. I missed him!

2. Buy anything new (and I don't mean groceries)?
THAT GIRL: Season 3 on DVD. I loved that show when I was a little girl,
and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Seasons 1 and 2.

3. Go anywhere special?
Dinner and a play with my former boss/longtime friend.

4. Discover a new restaurant?
No. Just the opposite. Before the play (#3), we met at Italian Village.
It's been open since the 1920s, making it
the oldest Italian restaurant in all of Chicago
(and one of our favorites).

For more information, or to hop aboard, visit The Saturday Special.

Together

For the first time since before July 4th, I had a long phone conversation with my best friend. I've been so mad at him, so worried about him, and I have missed him so! He's an insulin-
dependent diabetic who travels a lot and works very hard, so his health is always on my mind: is he taking care of himself, eating regularly and getting exercise? Plus he's simply a very good person who I respect on a number of levels, so I not only appreciate his insights on my world, I love that he thinks I'm great. I've been surrounded by so much sadness myself lately, and I feel stronger and more capable when I know he's in my corner.

He's having serious marital problems for the first time in years. As Cupcake and Sparky Duck so wisely advised me, he had to be by himself for a while. This perplexed me, because as a rule, he's very open with me about his problems ("whiny" would not be entirely inaccurate).

But this was different. Because I can be rather ... um … "take charge," and because these problems are so personal and the stakes are so high (both he and his wife are children of divorce who vowed never to do that to their own girls), he didn't know how to explain it, or how I'd react. (I think he was afraid I'd get on the phone and give the Mrs. "what for.")

I blurted that I really don't want to know the "gory details. Shit!" I mean, what do I know about maintaining a long-term relationship? Need to find a new messenger bag or pedicurist? Come to me. Want career advice? Here I am. Can't choose between Expedia and Orbitz? Move over and let me take over your keyboard. Arguing with your mom? I can fix that. Snap, nothing to it! Stuff like this I can, will and MUST handle for those I love. (Just try and stop me.) But why come to me for romantic advice? Are Jennifer Lopez, Cher and Liz Taylor all unavailable?

Then I felt bad about blurting. What if in the future he wants to vent to me about her? I don't want to be insensitive … By now he was laughing. He enjoyed listening to me try to wriggle out of "I don't want to know the gory details! Shit!" And then I started laughing, because his laughter was affectionate and it's nice to be known so well.

He said he hadn't really understood how tough the last month and a half has been for me -- he hadn't had the time nor the emotional resources to really pay attention -- but he'll be more available for me.

"We'll work this out together," he said -- referring to our individual struggles and the impact they have on our friendship.

Together. I like the sound of that.

August Happiness -- Friday, August 10

Done! Today I'm happy because it's still early Friday evening and my errands, my laundry and (most of) my grocery shopping are done! Now I can kick back and enjoy my weekend. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

You can so die of a broken heart

When Princess Diana died ten years ago, I was shocked by the incredible waste of her being killed by a drunk driver while escaping the paparazzi. But I learned the following from Tina Brown's book, The Diana Chronicles:

"(The doctors) found a tear in the upper left pulmonary vein, caused when the velocity of the crash displaced the heart from left to right. They stitched the tear. The bleeding stopped, but Diana's heart gave up again."

The People's Princess literally died of a broken heart. So sad, yet somehow incredibly appropriate for the woman who had been disappointed so often by love.

Friday's Feast #10

Appetizer. What is your favorite kind of pie?
Strawberry rhubarb

Soup. Name something that made you smile this week.
Buying school supplies to help out the city school systems.

Salad. What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
Soak in the tub, and thank God my ac works!

Main Course. You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
Living room! I'd love to get a new sofa and have my carpet professionally cleaned.

Dessert. Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.
My neighbor says, "Come on over for a barbecue," but I think it may be too hot!

For more information, or to play yourself, visit Friday's Feast.

Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!

These very musings were reviewed by the discerning women of Some Many Blogs, So Little Time. To borrow from Sally Field, "Lexis likes me! She really likes me!" Or, as Mr. Rogers (sort of) sang, "I'm proud of me, I'm proud of me, I hope that you're as proud as I am proud of me …"

August Happiness -- Thursday, August 9

I'm sitting here at work, trying to look productive, trying not to think of everything that's troubling me, trying to at least appear normal and together. And then I hear that voice from my iPod: Paul McCartney singing "This Never Happened Before." Suddenly faking it becomes much, much easier.

I've mentioned this here before -- I've loved Paulie since that first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in February, 1964. That voice has been one of the few constants in my life. Today it's a comfort to hear my enduring romantic troubadour sing about "the way it should be for lovers." It makes me happy that there's something so simple and so accessible (and so legal) the dependably acts like a tonic for my weary old soul.

Not fair!

It's not only not fair that my beloved, future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, didn't win his last start, it's unfair that I haven't had a reason to use this photo in a while. I so love it.

He gave up only 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings -- in 96º heat! And yet the Padres lost to St. Louis by a score of 2-1. He's pitching OK, but that's not reflected in his record since the All-Star Break.

I tell ya, baseball can break your heart!

Thursday Thirteen #28 -- The Feline File

Thirteen Things about
THE BEST CATS ALIVE
in the humble opinion of
THE GAL HERSELF

Meet the cats that share my home. Or, more precisely, that allow me to share their home. All three are shelter babies and are healthy, adorable, and as different in temperament as you can imagine. These fab felines are the best endorsement for adopting from your local humane society.

1. JOEY: Enormous gray and white tomcat. Age: 10 (best guestimate). Named after Joey Tribiani from Friends, which was a good choice because he is so open and warm.

2. Joey loves all people everywhere. Especially children. For a cat so large, he is amazingly gentle and literally wouldn’t hurt a fly. (I’m not kidding – I’ve see him ignore flies.) I find it very comforting when Joey has a “love jones” and can’t get close enough to me, and presses his warm bod hard against me. This is especially nice if I’m not feeling well.

3. He powernaps. No one has ever appreciated the rejuvenating power of sleep more than old Joe. When he’s asleep, he looks like he’s smiling and is so cute he breaks my heart.

4. He doesn’t meow, he gargles. Joey is not much of a talker. The only time he meows is when he’s also purring and it’s a very strange sound that comes from his throat.

5. CHARLOTTE: tiny white and brown girly-girl. Age: 10, as near as we can tell. I got her sight unseen in 2001, after a fire at the animal shelter. Her paperwork got lost in the chaos, so her past is shrouded in mystery.

6. Charlotte has no tail, but she’s not a Manx. Judging by the way her “stub” healed, the vet supposes she lost it when she was very young, possibly in a refrigerator or car door.

7. She knows she’s a babe. Charlotte is forever grooming, and when she wiggles that unfortunate little stub, and you can tell she thinks she’s wagging her tail in a saucy manner. That’s why it’s so incongruous that she snores like she’s sawing wood. Very unladylike!

8. She’s emphatic about her likes and dislikes. Likes: spending quality time with me while I’m putting on makeup; shedding on fresh laundry; a clean litter box. (There’s a spot on the hallway carpet that gets punished if the box isn’t to her specifications.) Dislikes: Joey, for reasons all her own resents his very existence and hits him whenever he walks by.

9. REYNALDO: 3-year-old skinny beige whirling dervish. If the Tasmanian Devil was a tomcat, he’d be Rey-Rey.

10. Reynaldo is a thrill junkie. Nothing frightens or displeases him. Life is all a game to Rey. If he takes a running leap onto the window air conditioner, thereby endangering his life because we live on the fourth floor, and I spank him, it’s the cool game where I yell at him and spank him. Let’s do it again! If he won’t stop howling and I spritz him with water, it’s the cool game where I yell at him and spritz him with water. You get the idea. It’s exasperating. There’s a plus side: he’s the only cat I’ve ever known who thinks of nail clipping as a delightful diversion.

11. He’s very gentle. I cannot imagine him ever biting anyone. Because nothing frightens or displeases him, he’s great with kids. It didn’t bother Rey at all when my neighbor’s son would drag him down the hall by his tail. The kid's mom and I were horrified, but not Rey. To him, it was all part of their game.

12. He has cat charisma. Both Joey and Charlotte adore him. He and Joe play rough and tumble games together, and he and Charlotte groom one another. (Though Charlotte quickly gets impatient with him when he starts to bite or chase her; Miss Thing is not into undignified, childish behavior.)

13. Rey can’t get enough sugar. Doesn’t matter what he’s doing: sleeping, eating, playing, or monitoring the activity of squirrels and birds. He’ll interrupt anything for a head scratch or a snuggle. If I’m not paying enough attention to him, he’ll dive bomb down on me from above. It’s an effective maneuver.

These cats were adopted from two of the many local humane societies listed on Petfinder.com. Before you buy a dog or cat from a breeder, stop by Petfinder and see if you can’t find the perfect companion there at a shelter in your neighborhood.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Amy remembers her college days at Union Univ
2. Nicole Austin takes us along as she shops for school supplies
3. Pussreboots has a photographic TT
4. Suprina shares her school supply shopping list -- & it scary!
5. eht (Elementary History Teacher) lists new education blogs
6. Still in the mood for more fab felines? Visit Thomma Lyn's TT
7. Susan Helene defines the true Shapeshiftere fan
8. Comedy Plus shares pearls of wisdom
9. Sue takes a nostalgic look back at Honest Ed's, a Toronto favorite
1o. Friday's Child shares quotations she has found to be true
11. Lori must be a fly on the wall at my workplace, because her 13 snappy retorts would work well here!
12. Lori's Light Extemporanea is a tasty visit to her mom's kitchen
13. Week two of Jenny's vacation!
14. L^2 has an evocative TT of morning sounds
15. Damozel enlightens us about the political scandals of the past
16. Harlekwin goes banner crazy, and they're gorgeous!
17. Fence answers the important questions :)
18. Sparky Duck tempts us off our diets with a TT about fast food restaurants
19. Clubbs takes us eavesdropping on the wee ones at the beach
20. Robin's TT is the "Robin Wants" Google Game, always fun
21. Go check out Nicholas' sock drawer. I dare you!
22. Callista gets it all off her chest (a most healthy thing to do)
23. Marina explains about moving from CA to TX.
24. Impworks names his fictional characters from his spam folder
25. Boliyou lists 13 little-known that she owns and watches often
26. Guusejem spent the some not achieving these 13 goals


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

August Happiness -- Wedneday, August 8

Received a long email from my best friend today. It was so nice to reconnect. He is struggling through a lot that he clearly thinks he has explained to me, but hasn't, so as I read his message I got the same feeling I get when sitting through a movie with subtitles ("what aren't I getting here?"). But he's healthy, if not necessarily happy and wise. And this was a start. I must admit that now that I know he's OK, I've been angry at him for abandoning me. But when I haven't been mad, I've been worried. And when I haven't been worried, I've missed him. So this morning's email has us moving in the right direction.

I drank dishwashing soap before taking this

I heard on CourtTV that's how to beat a lie detector test. And I certainly beat this blogthings test, which I found via Kwizgiver, because I know lean toward the hysterical at times.

You are a Balanced Babe!

You're direct and to the point, but never dramatic You've got the confidence to speak your mind to anyone But you leave the theatrics to Hollywood Level headed and emotionally stable, no wonder everyone loves you

How Much of a Drama Queen Are You?

What I'm dreaming of

When I'm traveling and people find out I'm from Chicago, they say, "Sorry about those rough winters." Oh puh-leeze! On a day like this, when it's 90º and humid, when everyone is surly, when you're stuck on a bus with minimal air conditioning, seated behind a smelly slob named Michael (I read the tattoo on his neck) who is sprawled across two seats, the Chicago in this photo looks delightful. The only downside is no Cubs baseball.

August Happiness -- Tuesday 7

This one was rough, because today has been rather sucky. (I'm tempted to provide a litany of all that sucked, but that kinda defeats the point of this challenge, doesn't it?) But here's something today that made me happy …

My CVS Giftcard. I got it for switching a prescription, and it really came in handy today. For some reason I'm broke this pay period, and I'm really trying to stay within my budget. And, as luck would have it, this week is the only week that our office building is collecting school supplies. I love donating school supplies because I believe it takes a village to raise a child and that the children are our future … I truly believe all those sentimental phrases are absolutely true. So it made me happy to use my CVS card to pay for crayons, pens and a composition book. (I only got one because, while the public school requested them, they're really ugly and crayons are so much more fun.)

I might as well just have a hot dog

Back in April, I realized that I looked like a fat pigeon. So I began working out more. In addition to visiting the gym more, I've upped my cardio and added a couple of weight machines to my routine. I have actually begun eating salad, which I most emphatically hate, and have tried to substitute my daily chocolate fix with yogurt or fruit.

So here we are, four months later. Today at lunch, when I looked at my reflection in the store window, guess who looked back at me. Yeah, it was the lady on the right again!

I'm trying not to be completely demoralized, instead remembering all the good I've done my heart, lungs, bones and digestive system. But I also gave in and stopped at America's Dog because, well, what the hell. And now I'm off to get a Snickers. I'll have salad tonight.

Tina's Tuesdays #3

Topic: Mystery Island

If you got stranded on an island...

1. Who would you like for a companion? My best friend
2. What item couldn't you live without? My iPod
   
3. What would be your fear on the island? If it's a tropical island: sunburn! I'm a very pale gal.
   

For more information, or to play yourself, visit Tina's Tuesdays

In praise of a pretty boy auteur

Movie lover that I am, I've done posts that canonized Marilyn, Liz and Nat. Today we give equal time to one of modern Hollywood's most influential stars, one who is just as gorgeous as any of those movie queens. Let's take a closer look at actor, writer, producer, director and gossip column staple for almost 50 years: Warren Beatty. Trust me, you'll enjoy the view.

Beatty's appeared in only 22 movies over 46 years. (Compare that to Clint Eastwood, who appeared in almost twice as many movies in the same amount of time.) Yet he's become an influential filmmaker because so many of his films have been simply excellent.

Bonnie and Clyde. Curl up with this one again and let it break your heart. It's a quintessential American tale about money, fame, sex and violence. And, most of all, longing. If you can separate yourself from the story as you watch, try to think of the better-known Great American Films this one has influenced. The Godfather and Butch Cassidy spring immediately to mind.

The Paralax View. Political paranoia with a dollop of disillusionment. Beatty plays Joe, a workaday reporter who just so happens to figure out what really happened when a senator died. It's an exciting movie, to be sure, but more than that it taps into the sadness and cynicism of our country after enduring the Kennedy/King assassinations and Watergate. Can we trust our institutions? Why should we bother? (Warren made this movie with Alan J. Pakula, who went on to direct All the President's Men. You can definitely see the influence this thriller had on that Watergate movie.)

Shampoo. Sex as commerce. Sex as power. Sex as something to do when you can't sleep. Lots and lots of sex. And deal-making. And not-so-subtle Beverly Hills class warfare. All set against the corruption of the Nixon era. It's a funny and sexy movie, to be sure, but it's also incredibly sad. All these gorgeous characters wandering around, aimlessly bumping into one another.

Heaven Can Wait. I can't believe that the same cynic who made the 99.44% love-free Shampoo also co-wrote, directed and starred in this fantasy love story. With his soft voice and deft timing, Warren draws us to first Pendleton and then Farnsworth -- a football player and a millionaire who fall in love for the first time in his/their life/lives. He loves Betty Logan, and all that he is when he's with her, so much that he's willing to fight for her all the way up to ... um ... the Ultimate Authority in All Matters. A simple, sweet valentine to the enduring, redemptive power of love.

Reds. An epic about Communism, journalism, and love. More than three hours long, it covers a lot of ground, literally (taking us all around the United States and Europe), and many years. It looks at the Communist ideal through American eyes while examining the shifting balance of power in a decades-long relationship between a man and a woman. It's a big movie about big ideas, but the moment that stays with me is a small one ... Jack and Louise wordlessly, wearily, tearfully finding one another against all odds near the end.

Bullworth. A wacky adventure in politics, race, rage, love, poverty, suicide … and rap. It's ridiculous and heartbreaking and funny all at the same time. Warren has a gift for showing America itself, and this movie is as potent an indictment/reflection of our time as The Parallax View and Shampoo were of their time. Just because the topics covered are deadly serious doesn't mean Bullworth isn't funny. It's worth renting just to hear 60-something-year-old Warren rap. Really.

(Yeah, I know I skipped right over Splendor in the Grass, McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Bugsy. I appreciated those movies, but I didn't love them the way I do the ones above.)

14 Oscar nominations, and an Academy Award for Best Director. Not a bad track record for a man who has done only 22 films. And no, it certainly doesn't hurt that he looks absolutely yummy, too.

August Happiness -- Monday 6

"Oh baby, come on, let me take you where the action is. It's so neat to meet your baby where the action is …"

Today the oldies are making me happy. More specifically, an anthology of Paul Revere & the Raiders hits. "Action" was the theme of Where the Action Is! -- an even lower-rent version of American Bandstand that was on every weekday after school, right before Dark Shadows. To my gradeschool mind, there was no better or more important hour of television. I don't think I've heard this song since I've been allowed to cross the street by myself. It's fun to listen to it, and remember my Little Gal days.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Look who's back!

Yes, I'm aware we lost. I watched the entire game, even after I knew we would lose (I wanted to see Glavine hug his wife, kids, mom and dad after he achieved #300). And naturally I'm heartsick about poor Alfonso Soriano. But that doesn't mitigate my joy at seeing Kerry Wood return to the mound.

He looked strong, slim and very focused. The loyal fans at Wrigley gave him an amazing welcome, and with every pitch the night was punctuated with camera flashes. It's good to know the city is behind him.

And with that happy, happy observation, this ol' gal is going to bed.

August Happiness -- August 4 and 5

This weekend, this made me happy ...

Saturday, August 4 -- Coffee shop breakfasts. Saturdays are always hectic as I bounce from grocery store to post office to bank to the vet. When I'm done, I just love sliding into the booth at my local coffee shop, ordering breakfast, and escaping into a book. This week it was french toast and orange juice with Tina Brown's biography of Princess Diana. I always leave feeling renewed and civilized.

Sunday, August 5 -- Silly laughter. This weekend I spent a lot of time with my oldest friend. We laughed about everything and nothing. No consequence, no responsibility, just laughter. It's left me so happy, relaxed, and glad to know her.

Unconscious Mutterings #5

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Voices :: sing
2. Have to :: must
3. Machine :: sewing
4. Seventh grade :: class
5. Beach :: read
6. Roommate :: dormitory
7. Cyclone :: Oz
8. Theater :: musicals
9. Pregnant :: baby
10. Phoebe :: Buffay

If you have questions, or want to play yourself, visit Unconscious Mutterings