Damn near killed me!

Monday was my first day back to work and I stuck to the bland diet suggested by my doctor. One of the items on it, one of the few hadn't yet tried, was baked potato.

UH-OH!

Within two hours I was so sick. Sicker than I've been since the bug first hit. And at work, which is always especially embarrassing. I managed to compose myself -- without, I hope, anyone realizing what was amiss -- finish the day and get myself home. Where I promptly fell fast, fast asleep.

Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling all headachey and still weak. And there was something else, hard to describe. My gastrointestinal region just kept making itself known to me. It was twingey, I guess. Nervous about being on the train when the violent urge struck again, I went back to bed for a few hours, waiting until noontime to go in to make sure I was fine.

It occurred to me that the twingey feeling might actually be hunger -- eating has become so fraught with danger that I've almost forgotten hunger. So I had two bowls of Rice Krispies (no milk, doctor's orders) and went in. I was fine!

I had a grilled salmon filet for dinner -- plain, with nothing on the side -- and so far this morning, all is well. I've haven't had any, er, um, "solid evidence" that I'm OK, but I remain devoutly hopeful. I'd really like to be back to normal. I optimistically think that by this time tomorrow (Thursday), the only remnant of my illness is the snafu with the doctor's bill.

Bleh!

My tummy still isn't right. I'm headachey. A cold is beginning to kick in. If Downton Abbey wasn't about to come on, I'd curl up and take a nap right now.

The cruel thing is, tomorrow I have to go back to work. I DON'T FEEL GOOD!

I did something!

Of all my messy rooms, my den is the messiest. And unfortunately, I knew that my birth certificate was somewhere in there. I need that document because soon IL drivers' licenses won't be accepted by the TSA, and I'll need a passport just to fly from here to ... wherever I fly next. (Los Angeles? Williamsburg? Memphis? Boston? Atlanta?)

I found it. Yea!

Even better, while in there, I went through the closet. I'm parting with a lot of clothes. Most are going to Goodwill. I've set aside the better pieces for consignment. The middling pieces and the pieces that are for spring/summer are going to my sister and niece. I'm very proud of myself.

I was also happy to take stock of all the sweaters I never wore last year. The pullover I impulsively bought at Old Navy just before Christmas looks to be the only new addition to my wardrobe this winter, but it's the only thing I think I need.

Unfortunately, the room is still a hideous mess. I'll fill a bag of trash before I go to bed tonight. It'll barely make a dent. But I know I've done something and that knowledge makes me feel better.

Sunday Stealing

A nice, short little meme to start 2016.

This Year: 

A bad habit I'm going to break: Hmmm ... Nothing comes to mind. Not that I don't have any bad habits. I just haven't resolved to break any.

A new skill I'd like to learn: Maybe to be more tech savvy. I feel like the world is getting away from me in that regard.

A person I'd like to be more like: As always, my all-time idol, JBKO. She walked her own path and never explained, she never complained and somehow made a very painful life look effortless and graceful. She made strength look feminine. Hell yes, I aspire to be more like her.

A good deed I'm going to do: I'm going to find a good book or maybe some articles about Sen. Gene McCarthy for my nephew. He's a sophomore and so into Bernie Sanders. He's acing his history class, but his high school curriculum is all about ancient history. I think he would be fascinated by the parallels between 1968 and 2016, especially McCarthy and his unexpected army of young supporters. Encouraging his interest and faith in government is my good deed.

A place I'd like to visit: There are so many places I'd like to revisit: Colonial Williamsburg, Memphis, Boston ... If I'm not roped into another trip to Los Angeles this spring, I'm going to hit one of those destinations.

A book I'd like to read: Sinatra: The Chairman. It's the second part of the epic biography by James Kaplan. I loved volume one and gave myself this 992 page tome for Christmas this year. Can't wait to dive into it.

A letter I'm going to write: Let's emphasize the word "write." I'm going to do better about handwriting my correspondence. My cousin Rose has mentioned that I'm the only one who ever, ever writes to her and that receiving my letters means a lot to her. I could actually write to my friend in the Keys, too. My niece gave me notecards for Christmas, and I'm going to put them to good use.

A new food I'd like to try: I had macaroni and cheese with lobster last week and loved it. So now I am longing to try more and different seafood/pasta combos.

I'm going to do better at: Organizing my life! Sometimes I think I'm the most scattered woman on the face of the planet.

Getting ready for goodbye

 PBS Prime has been running Downton Abbey again from the beginning, and I've been watching, transfixed. It's the run-up to tomorrow's final season premiere. Sniffle, sniffle. I'm sad to see the Crawley saga come to an end.

It's been another day wasted, though. I went out for breakfast and tried eating a real meal. (So far, so good.) Then I watched some Downton, took a nap, did laundry, watched more Downton ... I believe I'd feel better about my life if I did something to clean this place up. And commiserating with Lady Mary isn't helping me accomplish that.

Saturday 9

Sleigh Ride

1) Have you ever ridden in a sleigh? No. We have a horse drawn carriage here in my neighborhood early every December to inaugurate the Christmas season (OK, it's probably to drum up holiday sales for the local businesses) and I always mean to take a ride in that. But ... As we Cub fans like to say, "Maybe next year."

Don't judge me

2) This recording is from Harry Connick Jr's best-selling CD, When My Heart Finds Christmas. This year, did you add any new holiday songs to your personal collection? No. I recently realized that I never got around to adding the Michael Buble Christmas CD to my playlist, and I bought it in 2013. So no new music for this gal until I organize what I've got.

3) Harry was born and raised in New Orleans, a city that seldom sees snow. Have you had enough snow to shovel so far this winter? Yes. Twice this week. The first was Monday, and it came down fast in sheets of slush. I like snow and cold, but this was too much even for me. Then on Wednesday morning, Mother Nature redeemed herself with big, white fluffy flakes.

4) Speaking of weather, Harry hosted a mini-series on The Weather Channel called 100 Biggest Weather Moments. Do you frequently check The Weather Channel? Not that often. I only care about the weather right here, and right now. They always seem to be talking about stuff like the upcoming impact of El Nino on the Bahamas later in the week.

5) Harry's mother was a very impressive woman -- a lawyer, judge and Louisiana Supreme Court justice. Tell us about someone in your family of whom you're very proud. My late uncle built an orphanage in Viet Nam. What began as a local family sheltering homeless kids in their house ended up looking like a school, with a classroom and a room of bunkbeds. It bothered him that so many of the children had been fathered, and abandoned, by American servicemen, so he did something about it. (In between trips to the jungle where he was shot at.) 

It's a long story, but he was drafted illegally back in 1964. Yet he went, did his duty and then some. Early in the 2000s, Parkinson's Disease robbed him of his independence. Since it was likely exacerbated by exposure to Agent Orange in Nam, it would have been nice if the VA had been of more (ANY!) help. I'll always be very angry by how he was treated. 

There are a couple of die hard Obama haters who play Saturday 9 every week and it might interest them to know that it was the George W. Bush era VA that let my uncle down. So please stop acting like these issues began with Iraq/Afghanistan and Obama. I have an ache in my heart that knows better. It's an institutional, systemic problem and our veterans deserve better than crazy partisan gridlock.

 6)  Happy New Year! Now that Christmas is over, are you done with holiday music and decorations? Or are you sad to see the holidays end? I'm sad to see it end.

7) The New Year's Eve fireworks celebration in Sydney, Australia is famous for coordinating pyrotechnics and music. Have you ever welcomed the New Year in another country? No. This year I didn't even welcome it here. I've had terrible tummy trouble all week and I didn't trust myself to not drink or overindulge at midnight.

8) Do you have any New Year's Resolutions for 2016? Not officially. I did such a bad job on last year's that now I feel bad ... and it's hard to get motivated when you feel like a failure. So I'm going to try to just face forward and do better in 2016.

The times of my life

9) Looking back on 2015, what surprised you? All the office drama! The departure of the Chocolate-Covered Spider, Long Tall Sally's short and tumultuous reign, my showdown with Christine the Mole, The Big Project ... Don't let anyone ever tell you that Mad Men wasn't realistic. Folks, to me it looked like a documentary series.

Is 2016 "Next Year?"

Maybe after this year, we'll be able to quit saying, "Maybe next year."

Welcome 2016!

This morning I'm channeling the spirit of a patriotic Marilyn as she wished Happy New Year to the Marines during the Korean War.

Thank God it went well!

This year, for the first time, Chicago put on an outdoor, New Year's Eve event. At midnight, a giant star rose 36 stories, up the side of the Hyatt, so it could be seen from both The River and The Lake. Leading up to midnight, the group Chicago (natch) sang "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (natch). Then, after the star ascended, recordings of "Sweet Home, Chicago" and "Chelsea Dagger" and "My Kind of Town" were played. (Yoo hoo, New York, Frank sang about us first.)

2015 really sucked in Chicago. We needed something to go well. Looks like this did. YEA!

Eating crackers, drinking soda

That's how I'm ringing in the New Year. I think my stomach is almost well, but I didn't want to risk it, so I put on my pajamas at about 7:00 and settled in.

To be honest, I'm not that crazy about New Year's Eve and I'm not certain I'd be doing anything more thrilling even if my tummy was sturdy as cast iron.

Looking back on 2015, I'm not crazy about my life. It's not something that obsesses me, but the thing about New Year's is it encourages reflection.

•  The clutter around my house still controls me, and that's not good.

•  I still completely lack discipline. Instead of scrubbing a floor or divesting myself of shit I don't need, I spent the evening "helping" Sam Winters compose special occasion Saturday 9 memes for 2016. 

•  My oldest friend is not being especially nice to me. Just got my Christmas present from her today (a week late) and even though we exchanged emails today she has yet to ask me how my bloodwork/liver test came back. (She did, however, tell me that it hurts to sleep in her bra. Glad we have our priorities straight.) I know she is overwhelmed with her own shit right now, and she is who she is and I can't change her. I accept all that and, of course, I still love her. But I'm no saint, and it pisses me off that I mean so little to her, and that I can't depend on her.

There's a lot that's good, though, too.

•  First of all, everything I listed above that's bothering me is within my control to fix. I can clean my house (other people do it every day!) and only I can adjust my attitude toward my oldest friend. So that's good.

•  I am proud of The Big Project. Because of all the vacation time I'd stockpiled, I really worked very little in November and December and that gave me perspective. I accomplished a great deal without much help. It's not a glamorous initiative, but if it goes as projected, it will make my client a lot of money ... and that is the point of my job. So good for me!

•  John, the guys in the Keys, Kathleen, Mindy, Kathy, my aunt, my cousin ... maybe instead of fixating on how distant and erratic my best friend is, I should spend more time remembering and enjoying the people who do love me and are there.

•  The blogging community is cool and supportive, too. If you're reading this, I appreciate you. And Kwizgiver, Snarkypants and Endomental, especially, I'm grateful for how supportive you ladies always are.

•  Joey is curled up next to me as I post this. He's fine. We brought 2016 in together, just like the vet said we would. That's a gift.

So welcome, 2016! Let's see to it that by this time next year, my bathroom remodel is finally done!

Celebrating at home

So there were three final Christmas celebrations of 2015 ...

La familia. December 27 at my sister's house. A little awkward, as it always is when it involves us sibs. But it was lovely to be around my niece and nephew, and my niece's new fella. She's so happy with him! And my nephew is so idealistically and passionately into Bernie Sanders. In these crazy, Trump-dominated days, it's refreshing to talk to a young person so optimistic about both the system and the future. Unfortunately, my sister had made a very spicy pasta dish which was the catalyst for the final gut busting incident that sent me to the doctor on Monday.

The old gang. On Tuesday evening, Mindy, her hubs, John and I met at Miller's Pub again this year. Fortunately they serve breakfast all day/any time and I was able to have some nice, bland eggs. The gift exchange was fun, and it was neat to catch up. It's funny what happens when we get together -- I end up talking to her husband, she concentrates on John. With each passing year, more and more people seem to treat John and me as a couple, and we're sort of slipping into the pattern, as well. Just call us Will and Grace.

Girl talk. Then on the 30th I met up with Kathleen at a nice little local diner. We had a wonderful time. She enjoyed her gifts -- an ornament depicting her and husband and a signed copy of Jimmy Carter's memoir -- and I got a kick out of mine. She somehow actually found Beatles nesting dolls, imported from Russia! And again, I was able to coddle my tummy with chicken (chicken soup and chicken breast).

OH, HOW I HOPE I'M ON THE MEND! I had thought this would be the Christmas dominated by my worries about my dear old cat, Joey. He has, gratefully, turned out to be a very merry and mellow chap this season. Instead, it's been all about my gut.

Christmas Dinner

We went to The Harbourview Cafe, one of the restaurants at the posh Pier House Resort and Spa. To get to the dining area, we passed a sweet little pond of fish and turtles. I enjoyed seeing them immensely and consider them our dining companions.

I had lobster macaroni and cheese and little crab sandwiches. The food was delicious and the views were awesome.

My friends shared some important news with me: after 25 years together, they have decided to marry! (Of course, until this year they'd been denied the right to marry.) And this year, after all the health problems and money trouble, they are still going strong. After dinner I impulsively rolled up my jeans and ran into the Atlantic. It was a lovely Christmas.

Beachy Days

Key West is very proud of being the Southernmost city in the continental United States, closer to Cuba than to Miami. This concrete buoy marks the Southernmost spot, and it is decorated each year for Christmas. The tree topper is a rooster. It's common to see hens and roosters wandering freely around the island, brought here by Cuban refugees decades ago -- or hundreds of years ago, depending on whose account you're listening to. Some locals (aka "conchs") feel the roosters are a health hazard. But they seem to appeal to tourists, and so they are remain and are celebrated, like on this tree.

This part of the island is popular with tourists, like me, from up north. And for us northerners, Christmas means snow. As I walked the beach,  I was delighted to see how some wee ones expressed this.

I also took morning swims in the hotel pool and soaked a moment in the jacuzzi. Met a friendly couple from Boston and chatting with them made me want to go back there someday soon. (Of course, I also want to go back to Williamsburg ... and Memphis ... and Atlanta ...)

Naturally I spent a lot of time catching up with my friends. I thought things were going better for them. At least, I hoped they were. But they aren't.

One of them works 7 days a week -- five as a bookkeeper, two tending bar. The other works 6 days a week -- five as a production artist at the newspaper, one at a bookstore. Yet they are down to one car because it would cost too much to repair their old Chevy Tracker. Their home was uncomfortable because the air conditioning is out. The neighbors are complaining about one of their trees and so a landscaper has to come out. They have nothing set aside for retirement. No matter how hard these men work -- and they work very hard -- there is just never enough money. They probably should leave Key West, even though they are happy there and have put down deep roots, because the economic possibilities are so limited. But they are underwater on their home and it will be hard to sell. If they let it go into foreclosure, it will be hard for them to get a new start somewhere else.

They are good people. I wish their lives were easier.

My Key West Christmas gift

The friends I visited gave me a gift certificate for a facial at Nailtini, the salon on the main drag in Key West. And so, at noon on Christmas Eve, I got pampered.

I was cleansed, exfoliated, extracted, massaged and moisturized. Best of all, I got to enjoy a complimentary cosmo. Sigh. It was a lovely, much appreciated gift.

Whew! That's a relief!

This post is accompanied by an image of saltines, and this gal's consumption of saltines can mean only one thing: TUMMY TROUBLE!

My digestive system has been bedeviling me for nearly a week now ... since December 23, as a matter of fact. While it was never constant, and didn't impinge on my vacation, I did see a rather startling color in the bowl. The duration and the oddness of it scared me enough to send me to the doctor's office yesterday.

My doctor did not automatically dismiss me out of hand. That scared me. Instead of just giving me industrial strength Immodium and sending me home, she called for lab work. Because I'd been traveling, she assumed it was just some virus I picked up (probably at one of the airports), but since I take NSAIDs for headaches and a statin for my cholesterol, she wanted to make sure it wasn't my liver. So she requested a blood panel.

Liver disease/damage is scary. Wasn't happy to hear that at all.

But she just called with the results. A-OK!

I'm to stick to a bland diet and no booze through the weekend -- which will kinda harsh the remaining holiday celebrations on my calendar. And if, by Sunday, I'm still having tummy trouble, she wants a stool sample (she sent me home with a bowl/bottle set that I most emphatically don't want to use). But none of this really bothers me so much because I don't want to have liver disease/damage.

So right now, I'm a happy gal.

10 Things about Connie

I have a lot of posting to do about Key West, about Christmas, about its aftermath. But right now I'm going to post about my little girl.

I haven't tabulated it, but I suspect Connie receives the least mentions on this blog. But that doesn't mean she's not an important part of this household.

1) She is very affectionate. At the shelter, they said she resisted being held, but that's not been my experience. She's a cuddler.

2) But she doesn't understand human anatomy. She thinks my bust is a shelf and doesn't understand why she can't sit there without sliding off.

3) She's sensitive about her feet. Clipping her nails is such a battle that I don't do it anywhere near often enough. I'm not a big fan of people adopting kittens since there are so many older cats that need loving homes. BUT this is one advantage to getting 'em young. My cat Reynaldo -- for all his many, many faults -- is a prince about nail clipping, and I think it's because I accustomed him to having his feet handled when he was just a wee one.

4) Her eyes are better now. Connie has a recurring eye infection, the result of living with a hoarder who kept more cats than could possibly be cared for properly. Her eyes were why she was labeled "Special Needs" at the shelter, and it kept her from being adopted. But after a few months of dosing her with an over-the-pet-store-counter powder, it cleared up and her eyes have been fine since. (Knock wood.)

5) She's a picky eater. But she has a lowest common denominator palette. She only likes kibble. For a long time I tried to make her happy with more and more expensive canned food, but finally got the message. She just doesn't like the wet stuff. She also won't eat in the kitchen beside the boys. I have to put her bowl on a dining room chair. I suspect it's because when she lived with the cat hoarder, she had to fight off other kitties who wanted to steal her food.

6) She doesn't beg. The boys -- Reynaldo and Joey -- are not at all shy about demanding snacks between meals. (They aren't always successful, but they keep trying.) She's far more easygoing about the meal deal.

7) She's the curious one. Every box or bag that comes in the door mus be thoroughly inspected.

8) She's got imagination. My boy cats have never been much for toys. They have a nice, big, shallow box filled with balls and catnip sacks and play mice, and they go untouched. They prefer to wrestle for exercise. But Connie can amuse herself by chasing and kicking and playing on her own.

9) She's chill. Storms don't frighten her, the way they do Joey. She's not forever trying to slip out the front door, like Reynaldo. She's really very easygoing and, except for the pedicure issue, very easy to care for.

10) She's our hub. The dynamics of our household changed radically with Charlotte's passing. Charlotte was the alpha and she ruled as a diva. She liked Reynaldo well enough, but always spurned poor Joey's attempts at friendship. Connie is also an alpha, but she's a far more benevolent despot. She plays with Rey but also cuddles and grooms Joey. It makes me happy that the old boy will end his life enjoying a daily  dose of feline affection.

Sunday Stealing

 The 2015 Year End Meme

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before? Went to Lollapalooza. The day we saw Sir Paul, we were in a crowd of more than 100,000 (an estimate because 300,000 passed through the turnstyles over the three days and the day we went was the most attended). I've never before been in a crowd that big but it really was fun!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No. And yes.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My coworker Emily had a little boy.

4. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2015? Patience. I feel like I have to learn it anew every year, but patience nevertheless.

5. What was your favorite new TV program? Braxton Family Values. I just discovered it this year and enjoy it thoroughly.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015? A stronger grip on the particulars of my life. (From, "Where is the adapter for my phone?" to"When can I finally finish my bathroom remodel?")

7. What dates from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 7. The day the Cubs won the one-and-done wildcard playoff with Pittsburgh.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? The Big Project at work. I accomplished a lot, and did a good job with little support. I'm proud of it.

9. What was your biggest failure?You can still call me Fatty McFatterson. I haven't lost a pound.

10. What was the best thing you bought? I got myself a little DVD player. Since they're passe now, I got a great price. Can't tell you what a great companion it is when I fly.

11. Whose behavior merited celebration? Joey, my 20-year-old cat, is sitting beside me, purring as I post this. He's a gentle, loving soul and every day I have with him merits celebration.

Shame on anyone who cheers this

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? Donald Trump and his supporters. Once he mocked that disabled reporter, and his crowd stuck by him, I realized his campaign was beyond redemption. I had an uncle who battled Parkinson's. I know the courage it takes to face that kind of physical disability. Donald Trump is an asshole.

13. What song will always remind you of 2015? "Shake It Off." I believe it came out in 2014, but it seems I heard it everywhere this year.

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Farmville 2.

16. What was the best book you read? Frank: The Voice, the first volume of Kaplan's massive Sinatra biography. I enjoyed it so much I gave myself volume 2 -- The Chairman -- for Christmas.

17. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying? Fewer guns. Chicago is awash in firearms. It's a tragedy.


18.  Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. It sums up every year, "Pride can hurt you, too. Apologize."

Merry, merry, merry

I will likely be away from the keyboard for the rest of the week. But, considering what an important week this is, I wanted to wish everyone (commenters and lurkers alike) a very merry Christmas from the bottom of my Cubbie blue heart.

On Day 21, we go up, up and away!

Day 21: Do you travel on the holidays?

ON the holidays? No. A few days before and immediately after. Tomorrow (gulp!) I'll be landing in Key West and I'm returning on Saturday.

Key West International Airport really does require you take stairs off the plane and walk outdoors to the terminal. Those figures surrounding the Southernmost marker are called "New Friends" by sculptor John Seward Johnson, whose work appears on the island. Key West is a quirky place, and the airport is part of its charm.

To play along with this challenge, click here.

Sunday Stealing

Christmas Questions

1. Have you been naughty or nice this year? I always think I'm nice, though I'm not sure everyone agrees.

2. What do you want most for Christmas? I just want to love and feel loved with my old, dear friends.

3. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.

4. How many Christmas cards do you normally send out? About 25.

5. Do you still get a stocking? No.

6. What is your favorite Christmas song? It changes. At this very moment, it's Bruce singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." How great to see him on SNL last night!

7. What is your favorite Christmas tv special? I always loved watching Andy Williams celebrate with his family.

8. What is your favorite way to wrap gifts? With tape and ribbon.

9. What do you look forward to most at Christmas? The music. The lights. The gift giving. All of it.

10. What did you do for Christmas this year? It hasn't happened yet.

11. Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? The list is vast.

12. What kind of Christmas tree do you have? One that's still in the box on the shelf in the closet.

13. Did you take part in a Secret Santa? Nope

14. Did you go to any Christmas parties? I celebrated with my movie group earlier this month.

15. How early do you wake up on Christmas morning? Wow, I don't know. Depends on how late we stay out on Christmas Eve.