October Challenge -- Day 27

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 27: Current music fave/rave. Lately I've rediscovered Patsy Cline. While watching Judy, the Renee Zellwegger movie about Judy Garland, and it occurred to me that the only other woman* I'd ever heard whose voice literally cuts straight through to my heart is Patsy. I started listening to her again. And, as luck would have it, Lifetime just did a biopic of Patsy! So it seems I'm not the only one enjoying a Cline-aissance.

*Sinatra and, when he's at his best, Elvis can, too ("Kentucky Rain").

Guilty!

This evening, as I was juggling the clean laundry to get to my housekey, I saw a cat curled up in a little furball by our side door. When she saw me, she ran away next door and disappeared into the trees and bushes.

It's been raining all day, yet she looked very clean so I suspect she's someone's cat who snuck out. Or maybe they got bored with her and abandoned her. She must be frightened and uncomfortable, and I scared her away from a dry, safe spot.

If I had a bigger place, I'd go downstairs and search for her in the neighbor's bushes, maybe coax her out. But as it is, what could I do with her? She's too big to keep in a cat carrier until I could get her to the local shelter, like I did with little Jeri, the kitten I rescued five years ago.

I couldn't let this cat interact with mine. She may not have had her shots, or she might not get along with other cats. Reynaldo is a senior citizen and Connie has a compromised immune system, and their safety has to be my first priority.

According to the ASPCA, 3.2 million cats enter shelters every year. I can't save them all. I have to remember that.

But I keep seeing her. In my head, I keep seeing her.

October Challenge -- Day 26

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 26: Fall bucket list

Before I answer, I'd like to change it to "Fall To-Do List." After all, the term "bucket list" refers to things you want to accomplish before you die ("kick the bucket"). I don't intend to die before year-end, so ...

I want to organize my books. I tore the bookshelves apart back in 2016 and have never put them back together in any real way.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Miss Me More (2018)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
Chosen because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Learn more and spread the word that help is available.


1) This song is about a girl who ditched her high heels so she wouldn't be taller than her beau. Tell us about the most recent addition to your footwear wardrobe. Do you need to go shoe shopping? The last shoes I bought were Nikes, ordered from Dick's Sporting Goods. I needed new running shoes, and since Nike was getting hassled for supporting spokesman Colin Kaepernick and Dick's was being criticized for refusing to sell guns, I thought, "I'll make myself heard with my wallet." 

And yes, I need new warm, and water-resistant boots to keep me comfy and dry as I tramp through the slush we know is coming. I see a trip to DSW in my future.

Ryka Suzy Snow Boots: Me want

2) She sings that she misses the sheets on the bed she made herself. As you answer these questions, is your bed made? I never make my bed.

3) This video shows her in a ring. Have you ever worn boxing gloves? Not that I recall, but I may have. I was in a long-term relationship with a guy who boxed recreationally and he just dropped them anywhere. I was always moving his gloves so I could sit down, or serve dinner, or pay bills ...

4) This week's featured artist, Kelsea Ballerini, got married on Christmas Day in 2017. That makes their anniversary easy to remember. Are you celebrating any birthdays or anniversaries this month? My nephew's birthday was earlier this month, but we celebrated it during the last weekend in September.

5) Kelsea has been quoted as saying, "Perfect doesn't exist." She worries that we exhaust ourselves "trying to be something that isn't real." How about you? Do you believe your best is good enough? Or do you strive for perfection? I agree that perfect doesn't exist. I'm comfortable walking away once I'm satisfied I've done my best.


6) One of Kelsea's tattoos is a square inside of a circle, aka a square peg in a round hole, on her left wrist. She says it's there to remind her that it's OK to "not fit the mold of what normal might be." Tell us about a time where you felt like a square peg in a round hole. Often! I never fulfilled what was expected of a woman by my family. I'm simply too opinionated, not deferential ...

7) In 2018, when this song was popular, French President Emmanuel Macron lowered fuel taxes. When it's time to fill your tank, do you shop around for the best price? No car

8) Also in 2018, Luxembourg made all public transportation free. When is the last time you rode a bus or train? Every workday. 

9) Random question: When did you most recently say, either out loud or to yourself, "I haven't got a thing to wear?" Every time I prepare for a client presentation. Though my particular version of this is, "Do I have dress slacks big enough to encase my fat ass?"

 

C'était charmant

Thursday night I saw Paris! The Show. It shines a spotlight on popular post-war French songs. It was all in French, which I don't speak, so I was unable to follow the story. But I enjoyed it all the same. There were songs I recognized: "What Now, My Love?", "My Way," "I Wish You Love," and, of course, "Can Can" and "La Vie En Rose." The dancing was exceptional.

I really enjoyed the venue, too. The Athenaeum Theater is a big old beauty. Over 100 years old, it was originally part of the neighboring church, St. Alphonsus. Long-ago it was a gym and community center for the neighborhood's German Catholics. Today, it's broken up into four theaters: three that seat less than 90, and a main stage (where we were) for an audience of 1000.

I got the ticket from Joanna. A friend of hers, involved with PR, got a pair of comps and was unable to go. A Francophile who's been to Paris nearly a dozen times, she was seriously into it and her enthusiasm was infectious. During intermission, she told me about spending hours buying a pair of kid gloves from a tiny Parisian boutique ("smaller than my bathroom") on one trip, and returning to the store years later. The owner remembered her -- and the gloves -- and recommended the perfect silk scarf to go with the gloves. It was such a Joanna story! She lives for the aesthetics, things I'm not sure I'd even notice if she didn't point them out.

Before the show, we went to a neighborhood diner. One of those 24/7, breakfast all day places I adore. She told me about her two new beaux -- Sid and "the other guy"* -- that she met through Our Time. What a smitten kitten! It's nice to see her happy.

It was also nice to go to dinner and the theater again. Since my friend Barb moved away/drifted away, I've stopped doing this. I didn't realize how much I missed it until Thursday night.

*She mentioned his name, but Sid is so clearly the favorite that I don't recall it.

October Challenge -- Day 25

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 25: I will always have.


I love this quote, because no matter what happens, I'll always have these.

October Challenge -- Day 24

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 24: Staple grocery items.

•  Paper towels. Viva or Bounty. White. Full sheet (I do NOT want to choose a size).

•  Coke. I am loving the smaller 7.5 oz cans.

•  Gerber baby food. Turkey. Perfect for dissolving the powdered supplement Connie has twice/day. There are other flavors (chicken, beef and ham), but they make Connie sad.

October Challenge -- Day 23

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 23: Cooking or eating.

Eating!

Since I battled c. diff in 2016, I have become more careful about what I eat and I've been preparing more meals at home. My gastrointestinal tract and cholesterol are better for it. But I don't enjoy it.

One of my favorite things to do is still sit in a booth with a good book and enjoy a nice, quiet, coffee house meal.

Tuesday 4

Over and Over Again

1.   One Movie You'd Watch Over & Over Again? The Way We Were

2.   One Book You'd Read Over & Over Again? This one is harder, because my to-be-read pile is so high with books I haven't read yet but want to. But I'll go with this one.

Reckless Youth takes John Kennedy from birth to his first run for office at age 29. It introduces us to a gifted, charming young man who demonstrates great courage at times and an incredible appetite for risk at others.

It also portrays him as damaged -- by phenomenal health challenges and a very complicated family dynamic. At the end of the book, he's already overcome a great deal, and only has about 15 years left to live.

I learned a lot about life from reading this book. For, while he appeared to have it all (wealth, looks, big family, hero's war record), he suffered a great deal. No matter how a life looks from the outside, you don't know how it feels from the inside.

3.   One TV Series You'd Watch Over & Over Again? Law & Order

4.   One Song You'd Listen To Over & Over Again? Here it is the very first time I heard it.

October Challenge -- Day 22

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 22: Modern or Traditional.

Yes.

I like reading old school. Words on paper. I read magazines and books and the newspaper.

On the other hand, I prefer Uber to taxis. Ride shares make it so easy.

I messed up

As condo board secretary, it's my responsibility to send updates to all the owners. Right after I hit "send," I realized that I cc'd instead of bcc-ing. Which means I inadvertently shared everyone's email address with everyone else.

I hate me right now.

Maybe no one will notice. Or maybe I'll have to apologize 24 times over.

October Challenge -- Day 21

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 21: My favorite shopping spots.

This one makes me a little sad, because my favorite shopping spots are gone. I loved shopping at Marshall Field's on State Street. It's a beautiful building, and it had higher-quality merchandise than the other department stores. Shopping there was an experience. The windows! The fitting rooms! The restaurants!

But then, in 2006, it became Macy's. It's fine, I suppose. But I don't get enthusiastic about Macy's like I did Marshall Field's.

And then there was Carson's. Twice a year -- spring and fall -- I shopped their Goodwill Sale. Every item I donated to Goodwill through their store got me a 20% coupon. I stocked up on skincare, sunglasses, clothes and an umbrella. (I'm always losing or breaking umbrellas.) It closed for good more than a year ago.

The empty Clinique counter at Carson's, days before the store closed for good.

But that was then and this is now. I find myself at Kohl's and the aforementioned Macy's. Target opened just blocks away from my home, and that's nice. There's an independent bookseller here, too, and that beckons to me.

But I'm shopping a lot more resale these days. A couple times a month, there's a fundraiser in a fabulous old Victorian and I always find something (a cardigan, a t-shirt) there. Last year I got a terrific find -- a like-new belted, hooded trench from Nordstrom that I got for $14. It's nice to shop there because it benefits local charities. And ThredUp is fun. It's the hunt, you know.

Sunday Stealing

 Firsts

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? That the new lightbulb is working out well. The fixture takes three bulbs, but only the one on the far right burned out. I was afraid just changing the one wouldn't look the same. It's fine.
 
2. Where did you go on the very first vacation of your life? Duck Lake. My parents and grandparents took a clapboard cottage up there. I was 4 or 5. My grandfather took my sister and I out in a row boat and I caught my only fish. I felt terrible when I watched him take the hook out of its mouth. It was such a tiny fish, the hook did damage. I've never gone fishing again.

3. Open the door of your refrigerator. What is the first thing you see? Cans of Dr. Pepper. I usually buy Coke, but Dr. Pepper was on sale.

4. Tell us about your first kiss OR your last first date. His name was Jim. Two years older than I. He barely knew me. I was in line, waiting for my order at Jack-in-the-Box, and he and his friend (I forget his name) came barrelling in, singing The Four Tops "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got." They each grabbed a girl in line, kissed her, laughed and ran. I'm sure he doesn't remember it, but it was a big moment for me. MY FIRST KISS!

5. If you had wings to fly about the universe, where is the first place you’d land? Hesperia, California. My oldest friend lives there, and I could use an afternoon of laughter with her.

6. What is the first thing you do when you get in your car? No car

7. What is the first thing you ever said to your firstborn? No kid

8. What is the last thing you heard about your first love? That his mom had died. I sent a white orchid plant to the funeral home. I haven't seen/spoken to him in decades, but his mother had remained a good friend to my late mother, and I felt my mother would have wanted me to make the gesture.

9. If you had created the world in seven days yourself, what would you have created on the First Day? Oh, no you don't. You're not going to get me to second guess the Lord.

10. What is the first song in your IPOD or song list? "If I Had a Million Dollars" by The Barenaked Ladies.

11. What is the first tangible thing you lost that you could never find again? My virginity. While it could never be recaptured, I know exactly how I lost it.

12. Who is your favorite First Lady of all time? JBK. She's my ultimate hero. Did you know she's the only First Lady to have won an Emmy Award? In 1962 she hosted a televised tour of The White House. She did the whole thing without notes, answering questions about the People's House and the origin of the items in each pubic room. She used to joke privately that no one thought there was "a brain under the pillbox hat." There certainly was!

13. Post a link to your first blog post. Why? I imagine if you want to read it, you can figure out how to find it.

14. When was the last time you needed First Aid? Two weeks ago I wore a Band Aid after my flu shot.

15. Can you explain what a first down is in football? The first time the offense gains 10 yards. But I don't really like football, so instead I'll concentrate on the ground rule double at my beloved Wrigley Field. Ivy covers the outfield walls. If the ball gets trapped in the green leaves, the outfielder must raise his arms immediately, before he tries to retrieve the ball, and the hitter is awarded second base.

BTW, congrats to the Astros, the best in the game, 2019

October Challenge -- Day 20

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 20: Good habits I'd like to have.

I'd like to be more disciplined. When I'm engaged, I can be successful. But I'm so lazy and I waste so much time.

 

Smoothies in the sun

Kathy came in today for a visit. We took advantage of this dry, sunny day and had smoothies outside. The coffee shop serves them in mason jars, which was a nice touch. It was a good way to spend the afternoon, sitting at that wrought iron table one more time before the cold weather sets in.

Earlier I went to the community resale event and picked up a deep purple cardigan for $2. I swung by the diner and had a cheeseburger as I knocked off a chapter or two of the mystery I'm reading.

It was a good day.

October Challenge -- Day 19

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 19: Favorite color combinations.

I love these colors together, but I can't wear them. They make me look sallow. But my living room is the light green and my kitchen is the bright yellow. If I ever move, I'll decorate with this palette.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my closet! I have a few pink blouses and a raspberry coat, but this is really pretty much me.

 

Saturday 9

I'd Really Love to See You Tonight (1976)


1) This song is about a guy who, out of the blue, phones an ex. Have you ever spontaneously phoned or emailed a former lover? Has an ex ever reached out to you? Yes, and yes.

2) He suggests walking through the park, taking a drive along the beach, or watching TV. Do any of those suggestions appeal to you right now? I'm always happy to stay at home and watch TV. 

3) "England Dan" got his nickname because he was a passionate Beatles fan and would affect a British accent when he talked about his favorite group. Are you good at imitating accents? No.

4) Dan met John Colley when they were high school classmates in Dallas. When they were still kids, they agreed that "John Ford Coley" would be a better stage name. Think back to your high school days. Which of your friends daydreamed along with you?  My oldest friend. I've known her since Kindergarten. That's a lot of history, and many, many daydreams.




5) After the duo disbanded, "England Dan" went to Nashville, billed himself by his real name -- Dan Seals -- and recorded country music. Who is your favorite country performer? 


 

6) Today John Ford Coley lives in TN. He performs occasionally and raises horses. Have you ever been to TN? Yes. I've been to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, TN, I've been to Graceland.

The King's Castle

7) In 1975, when this song was popular, Foster Grant Sunglasses had a suggested retail price of $5/pair. Do you buy sunglasses more for fashion or utility? Fashion. I love sunglasses.

8) The most popular movie of 1975 was Jaws. Have you seen it? Yes. But for some reason I can't recall, I didn't see it in the theater in 1975. I rented the video from Blockbuster years later.
 
9) Random question: Excluding anyone related to you by blood or marriage, what man are you closest to? My friend, John.

 

Short but not sweet

I saw Caleb today. He was alone, Randi and Napoleon were on a different corner. Our conversation didn't go well. I'm not sure why.

He didn't seem to recognize me at first, which confuses me. I was wearing my signature Cubs jacket and I haven't changed my hair. He also didn't seem to want to talk. The news he shared wasn't good -- he hasn't worked more than a few days since August. Consequently, they lost their apartment and are back to sleeping in shelters. They hope to have enough money set aside "before November 1" for a new tent. That's all he seemed to want to share, so I didn't press.

As I dropped a $5 into his cup, I asked how Napoleon was, and he said, "huge." But he didn't smile. I squeezed his shoulder, asked him to tell his family I said "hi," and then I was on my way.

They are in my prayers.

In praise of the new boy

Hamid has been with our agency less than a year. Maybe that's why he's still so enthusiastic and positive. Friday he did something very kind. I think the empathy is all his own.

While we work on all the same projects, we are in different departtments. Therefore we have different supervisors. We all received bad news two weeks ago, but Hamid's boss has been more sensitive and communicative about the situation and our future. He made a point of coming over to my desk on Friday afternoon to share this with me. He didn't want me to "go into the weekend worried."

I don't know that he alleviated the worry, but I was impressed by the kindness of the gesture.

October Challenge -- Day 18

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 18: Words I love or hate. 

Love:

Deuteronomy. I love saying it. Go ahead. It's fun!
Gubernatorial. So much fancier than saying, "all governor-y."

Hate:
Trump. President Pussy Grabber is a depressing disgrace and I literally cringe when I hear Christians defend him. How exactly do his lying, bullying, self-absorption and graft reflect my faith? I live for the day when we go 24 hours without hearing about his twitter feed.

 

October Challenge -- Day 17

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 17: Pet peeves. I have two big ones.

1) Space hogs. We all share this planet. Please respect that and don't take up more space than you must. For example, this girl is taking up a seat for her bags, while the man in the yellow shirt has to stand. She sucks. I have ridden the el many times with parcels under the seat, protected by my legs, so someone can squeeze into the seat next to me.

BTW, it's not only rude, it's theft. If you didn't pay for two seats, you don't get two seats.

2) Noise polluters. Now that we have open seating -- which means no offices -- it makes me CUH-RAZY when anyone listens to music or videos without headphones. People do it on the train all the time now, too. What makes you think we're all interested in what you're listening to?

Oh yeah, and there's the woman hear who sneezes really loud and in a very loud pitch. She thinks it's adorable. Sometimes I fantasize about strangling her.

My, but this has left me feeling anxious. Can we go back to Day 5, when we gazed upon hot men?

 

October Challenge -- Day 16

I'm joining Ms. Kwiz for her October blogging challenge.

Day 16: My bad habits. I am lazy, and I can't stay focused on a task or subject that doesn't grab me. This is a very immature way to go through life.