Happy to see it again

I adore Katharine Hepburn: her look, her attitude, her talent, her life. And I discovered her back when I was in high school and saw her two-part interview with Dick Cavett (on whom I had a crush).

TCM is running the show as part of its Summer Under the Stars tribute to The Great Kate. I can't wait to see it again. I hope she'll mesmerize the middle-aged Gal the way she did my teenaged self.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 7

Today's happiness: The Village Book Fair. I live in a village of book lovers, where the library has three branches, and every year, the first night of this fundraiser has people lined up around the block. This year some enterprising little kids who live across the street set up a lemonade stand.

It always offers such great values, too. This year my find was a gift for my friend Kathleen: Turning Point, Jimmy Carter's memoir of his first 1962 campaign ... signed by the author! Yes, I got a Presidentially autographed book for $1. I asked the guy at the counter more than once if he was sure it was just a buck, and he assured me it was. Kathleen has told me more than once that she really admires Carter, so I think she'll be thrilled. I looked it up on eBay and the cheapest signed copy was $29.99.

I got goodies for myself, too:

Franklin & Lucy, about FDR and Mrs. Rutherford
American Rose, about Gypsy Rose Lee and the Roaring 20s
Kill and Tell, a mystery by Linda Howard
Breakdown, a Chicago-based Warshawski mystery
Cat Crimes, an anthology series featuring felines
The Chocolate Cat Caper, a cozy-looking culinary-inspired mystery

Then I got three lightweight paperbacks -- a couple Graftons and an Agatha Christie -- for the troops.

All this for $11! (And all that $11 goes to the library.)

Another thing I enjoy about the book fair is seeing which book is so over. There's one every year -- the book my neighbors bought in big numbers and then decided, seemingly at all once, to discard.

In 2006, it was The Corrections.
In 2007, The Nanny Diaries.
In 2008, The Da Vinci Code.
In 2009, My Life by Bill Clinton.
In 2010, Scarlett, the Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with The Wind.
In 2011, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
In 2012, Sixkill by Robert B. Parker (a Spenser mystery)
In 2013, The Da Vinci Code all over again.
In 2014, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
In 2015, it's "The Girl" again, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
 

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 6

When I didn't expect him, there he was: BROOOOOOCE! Jon Stewart's final "moment of Zen" on his wonderful Daily Show was provided by The Boss himself. The E Streeters played "The Land of Hope and Dreams" and, of course, "Born to Run." (OK, they didn't do all of "Born to Run," but still ...)

Sometimes Bruce Springsteen feels like the cavalry. He has been known to just show up when I'm feeling worn around the edges to rescue me and remind me that, somewhere deep in my heart, I'm still just one of those tramps. If that's not worth a Happy Cone, what is?

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

She likes cowboys, too

So this morning, as I got ready for work, I watched an episode of Bonanza on my little Philips DVD player. It was on the floor, right outside the bathroom, where I could hear/glance at it as I put on my makeup.

This is the scene my cat Connie came to watch. And she watched it most intensely, but from a strange angle. She was behind the screen, peering over it.

I don't think she liked that the two best-looking Cartwrights were at odds. Once the scene was over, she went about her usual morning routine of searching for breadbag ties and balls with bells in the middle.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 5

Today I was happy to sip a can of beer on the train home. I worked late and was very productive today, so I deserved it. Good for me!

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

It's as though she never left

Marilyn Monroe died 53 years ago on August 5, 1962. She was 36 years old. At the time of her passing, her career had hit a slump. She hadn't had a major hit in years, and was no longer among the year's Top 10 Box Office Stars, having been replaced in the glamour department and the headlines by Elizabeth Taylor. While gossip had her seeing everyone from Joe DiMaggio to Frank Sinatra to the President, Marilyn was found alone in her tiny bedroom, pills on the nightstand,  the telephone receiver in her lifeless hand.

Hollywood never much respected her. In real-time, that is. Back in 1962, La Liz had just won her first Oscar with her fourth nomination. Never-nominated Marilyn had just been fired from Something's Got to Give. Monroe and Taylor were both working for 20th Century Fox at the time, and Fox was doing absolutely everything it could to make Liz happy on the set of the blockbuster Cleopatra. Marilyn they canned, blaming her for the cost overruns on her little rom-com. With Cleopatra, Fox made Liz the first actress ever to make $1,000,000. Marilyn was making $100,000.

Yet today, she personifies Hollywood. Marilyn is big business. According to Forbes, her image generated $27 million last year. You can get officially licensed Marilyn snowglobes, ornaments, wrapping paper, handbags, lunchboxes and throw pillows.

I wonder how she'd feel about being ubiquitous. I'm sure that the fatherless child, the mousy brunette who craved attention, would be thrilled to be recognized and adored as an icon. But what about the actress who studied tirelessly with Lee Strasburg and dreamed of the classics, even as producers gave her dreck like Let's Make Love? Her movies aren't cable staples, the way Elizabeth Taylor's, James Dean's and even Elvis' are. Wouldn't she prefer to be known for her work than her cleavage, red lips and platinum do?

A natural, gifted comedienne, she was often as witty as she was sad. It's that touching combination that has earned her a place in my heart. And so I'm closing this post with the lady's own words.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 4

 

Today I was happiest when I was coming home.

Walking home from the train takes just under 10 minutes. But those 10 minutes were filled with small joys. The weather was perfect --79º and sunny, with no humidity. If only it could be like that all summer long.

 

Like my neighbor's, except my neighbor's was empty. ):

I passed my neighbor's Little Free Library. Over the weekend, someone stole all the books -- which really sucks. The point of this little outdoor kiosk is to share our love of reading, it's not something to vandalize or a way to score freebies. It felt good to help replenish it with two paperback novels, to support my good-hearted neighbors in their quest. (And it got the two books out of my office, which is just as cluttered as my home.)

 

And I was doing a little meal planning. I remembered I had fish sticks in the freezer. For some reason, I wanted to eat like a kid tonight. So yeah, I had a version of my favorite little girl dinner: fish sticks bathed in catsup, but instead of applesauce I had corn and I replaced milk with ice water. But I still had ice cream for dessert. A frozen Reese's peanut butter cup, to be exact.

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

Pardon me, have we met?

I've been thinking a lot about Long Tall Sally. Worrying about her. Feeling bad that her career here was so short and chaotic. Just can't shake the residual sadness over this very unfortunate situation.

Since I believe she has a good heart and was genuinely fond of me, I texted her this morning. Told her that I'd been to Lolla on Friday and got so filthy I scrubbed my face. I recalled how she once advised me to go easy on the facial scrubs after we compared beauty regimens, "Remember, it's your face, not a kitchen floor."

Quick question: Who's this?

Hearing from me seemed to make her happy and I got a text back filled with LOL's. Then she asked the most extraordinary question: "Who did you see at Lollapalooza?"

She was working here when I ordered the tickets, was working here when the guy from the mail room delivered them with such pomp and circumstance. She saw the big Beatle poster in my corner of the office.

Plus there's the fact that everyone who meets me learns rather early on that my two abiding passions are (don't make me rank them, please, don't make me rank them) Paul and The Cubs.

So it makes me wonder if she ever heard a word I said over the four months we toiled together in the agency mines. 

It washed over me anew that what happened to her was unfortunate but necessary. For I don't think she ever actually heard a thing I said. That doesn't make for a good collaborator or a productive working relationship.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 3

Today it's my virtue that I'm celebrating with the Happy Cone. For I began my workweek by:

1) Working out at lunchtime

2) Then eating a lunch I brought from home

3) Tracking all this healthy activity on The Daily Plate at Livestrong.com

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 2

Today's Happy Cone goes to my trusty Kenmore Energy Star air conditioner.

This was one of those days when I don't want to go outside. Hot and humid. It was such sweet relief to come in and know that within a few minutes I'll be comfortable.

The AC is one of those modern miracles -- like electricity and running water -- that I take for granted until I'm without it. I shouldn't be that jaded, and the Happy Cone shall remind me to be and stay delighted.

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

The kid is all right

I spent a little over two hours blabbing with my oldest friend, the one who is struggling so in Southern California. At the end of our call I felt better, and I hope she felt less isolated.

She is in a mighty battle with her bipolar disorder. Her body is trying to adjust to the cocktail of meds her shrink has her taking and she's considering a partial hospitalization program at UCLA. It sounds radical, and I know it took me a while to get my mind around it. Even though it will take her 6-8 weeks to complete, I think it's a very good thing for her. She's had a hard time making friends out there. Her cousin Sharon (the one she moved 2000 miles to be near) has been useless. Her psychologist and psychiatrist don't talk -- at least not enough to suit me. By going into the UCLA program she will have a support system. Counselors and other patients. Maybe a new doctor. I think it's all good.

Of course, we didn't spend the whole two hours talking about that. I had to give her a blow-by-blow recount of Macca at Lolla. One thing that came to me while recounting it: this new generation of fans don't call him "Paul," "Sir Paul" or even "McCartney." He's "PaulMcCartney."

And she told me how she and Sharon believe Sharon's house is haunted. I sent my mind away to the happy place during most of that (the Cub game was on the TV screen, after all) but I know she enthusiastically believes in that sort of thing and I'm glad she's engaged in something that makes her happy.

So I think she's going to be all right. I know this takes courage, this battle she's waging. I know her pain is real. And I'll continue to pray for her, support her and love her.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: Shout out the answer

Do you shout out the answers at the TV while watching quiz shows? I have been known to, yes.

Do you get over-involved with TV or movie plots at times? Oh, yes. I still can't get over the fact that Don Draper and the rest of the Mad Men gang are out of my life forever!

 

What's the highest hill or mountain you've ever climbed? Illinois is notoriously flat, so I had to go to Arkansas to climb a mountain. This is the Hot Springs Mountain Tower in the Ouachita Mountains and it provides breathtaking views of green trees and blue skies.

Do you have a piggy bank? Yes. I just emptied it recently and scored $7.51 in pennies! Coinstar gave me a Red Robin gift certificate, so there's lunch.

What's the fastest you've ever traveled in a car? I don't know. I don't drive and don't pay much attention when I'm being driven somewhere.

Could you ever hand milk a cow? If it came between me and dehydration. But for my sake and the cow's, I hope it never comes to that.

Which was your favorite science? Biology, Physics or Chemistry? D) None of the above

Have you ever had a surprise party? (that was an actual surprise) I threw one that was an actual surprise. In high school, one of the girls in our group had a November 1 birthday. So I told her it was a Halloween party. She came dressed as a clown and was shocked to see the rest of us in street clothes.

Have you ever warn clothing with the labels/tags still attached? Not intentionally

Have you ever slipped on a banana skin? No

Are you scared of the dark? No

Do you have a lawyer? Yes

If you had a paid year off, what would you want to do? Chill out for a while (preferably at Wrigley Field). Then do volunteer work.

How long did you last phone call last? A little over four minutes.

Have you ever helped someone across the road? No.

Have you ever been wolf whistled in public? Yes. But not in a long, long time!

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 1

This year's happy icon

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

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 is one of those days when the Challenge is helpful because I'm so annoyed by stuff just now. The condo association (see post below). My oldest friend, who emails me about her overwhelming problems but when I call her, she not only doesn't pick up, her voicemail is full (and she only has a cell, no landline). CVS, who it turns out didn't take $2 off for Joey's cat treats, even though they kept my coupon. Grumble, grumble.

Yet, many little things made me happy, and the Challenge helps me focus on them. The filthy towel that survived Lollapalooza came out of the wash looking very nearly good as new. (Or at least clean).  I had a delicious coffee shop breakfast. I took a long, rejuvenating nap. The Cubs' Anthony Rizzo hit a beautiful home run.

But this year's first Happy Cone goes to the first day of Summer Under the Stars on TCM. What a wallow this is for classic film fans, like me! Today Gene Tierney was featured, and I caught parts of her more familiar movies (Laura and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) and one that's legendary but I'd never seen (The Razor's Edge) and here's the happy, happy part -- I DVR'd a movie I'd never heard of but looks like a soapy, Technicolor gem. Discovering movies I've never even heard of makes me happy, happy.



If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find. 

Too much drama and intrigue

In today's mail I received notification of a "very important" condo association meeting for this Thursday. No agenda is included, but all owners are "strongly encouraged" to attend. Yet it's starting "promptly at 6:00 PM."

At previous meetings, many of us (including and especially me) have told the board that it's very hard to get to the meetings before 7:00 because we work downtown.

So I'm wondering if something isn't up. If the board isn't trying to slip something past us. No matter what's going on at work (and it's going to be busy this week), I'm going to be at that meeting.

I just wish the 24 condo owners in this building could get along without all the drama and intrigue.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Heartbeat Song (2015)
 

1) Kelly Clarkson is singing an upbeat song about falling in love. Think of your favorite love song. Is it about finding love or losing it? I suppose it's advising a friend about how to keep love. My favorite lyric, "Pride can hurt you, too." Advice to take to heart.



2) This song was co-written by Kara DioGuardi, who was a judge on American Idol. Kelly was, of course, the first American Idol. Do you watch Idol, The Voice, or America's Got Talent? Only Idol. I didn't for a long time, but Harry and Keith are hot. I suppose I watch it more for the beefcake than for the music.

3) In this video, Kelly is blonde. Clairol based a famous ad campaign around the assertion that "blondes have more fun." Tell us another commercial catchphrase (it can be for any product at all). McDonald's "I'm lovin' it."

4) As a young girl, Kelly wanted to be a marine biologist. She jokes that she changed her mind after seeing Jaws. Tell us about a movie that really scared you. The Exorcist.

5) Kelly is very involved with NASCAR, performing at pre-race concerts and appearing at their Champions' Breakfast. Are you a race fan? Nope

6) Kelly is married to Brandon Blackstock, stepson of country superstar Reba McEntire. Are you a country music fan? Nope

7) The Blackstocks have a baby girl, River Rose. In May, the family visited an Australian wildlife preserve and introduced her to koalas and kangaroos. Have you visited the zoo this year? Not yet this summer. But I'm a big fan of Brookfield Zoo. They do such a wonderful job informing generations of us about our role in the environment and all that's at risk in the desert and the rainforest. They do it in a way that's fun, too, which is so important. Plus, of course, you gotta love the animals. If you're ever in Chicagoland, go, go, GO!

8) Upon learning that she was getting criticized on Twitter for being "big," Kelly responded, "Say what you will. It's a free world. It doesn't bother me." How about you? Do you worry what other people think of you? Of course I do. Everyone does. Although with time, I'm able to put it in perspective. I try to learn from constructive criticism and set aside snark.

9) She bid over $200,000 and won a ring that had once belonged to Jane Austen. (She doesn't have the ring, though; the British government banned its sale because it's a historic artifact and Kelly's money was returned.) She also has a first edition of one of Austen's novels. Who is your all-time favorite writer? As a big reader, this is a very hard question to answer. But I can narrow it down to two: Doris Kearns Goodwin, who makes history romantic and accessible, and Nora Ephron, who is the older sister I wish God had given me. Let's close with a wise and wonderful quote from her book, Heartburn.

“And then the dreams break into a million tiny pieces. The dream dies. Which leaves you with a choice: you can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.”

You should go!

 I don't like heat. I don't like crowds. And yet I love Lollapalooza!

The crowd was warm, friendly and (reasonably) well managed. On the way out last night, the security guard for the turnstyle I exited through high-fived each and every one of us, saying, "See you tomorrow!" So I sensed no tension between authorities and audience.

The food was great. Like a mini Taste of Chicago. I met a new band. My nephew and I sat through Alabama Shakes' set because it was in the same spot where Sir Paul would be playing and we wanted good spots for him. But I loved Britney, their Janis Joplinesque lead singer. So that was cool.

It wasn't all great. I can't believe how DIRTY I was after my Lolla adventure. Even under my fingernails! And I'll never forget the porta potty (shudder). Trains were packed and noisy, the expressways were a parking lot. Of my 12 hour day, literally 4 hours of it was spent trying to get to and from Grant Park.

But I don't know what the City could have done better. That was a massive influx of people. It was more peaceful than I had expected.

And I gave my 15-year-old nephew bragging rights. You should have heard his swagger when he took a call from one of his buddies. "I can't talk now. I'm at Lollapalooza." He's a good kid and I'm happy I could give him this.

"OOOH, you were meant to be near me ..."

So I'm standing in Grant Park with 99,999 of my new best friends, waiting for Sir Paul at Lollapalooza. And I admit I'm a little worried. It's a young audience. I was by far the oldest person I could see. How would a 73 year old play to a massive crowd in their 20s and 30s?

Beautifully, thank you. It was during "Got to Get You into My Life" -- a song that was never released as a single when the Beatles were still together -- that I not only knew everything was going to be OK, I realized that my Paul is not really MY Paul and that he's going to be remembered long after I'm dust. For by the third song of his two hour (!) set, it hit me that everyone was singing along, enthusiastically. 100,000 of us were following him, phrase-for-phrase. This song was released 49 years ago.

The boy behind me (25, tops) kept screaming (in my ear), "PAUL! You're bad!" And every time Paul said "thank you," he shouted back, "Thank you, Paul! You're fucking awesome!" At one point he turned to his girlfriend and said with more than a little awe, "I'm seeing a Beatle." He knew which album every song was from, even the Wings and solo stuff. It would have gotten old (I mean, we were so close I could practically feel his breath on my neck) except I was genuinely moved. I told him I thought I was the world's biggest Macca fan, but he was my peer and I was happy to be there with him. He squeezed my shoulders affectionately. It was that kind of crowd.

His Lordship more than earned the audience love last night. He played a full set in the summer heat. Two hours without a break. The other bands played half that.

This is a first

I'm filling the first backpack I've ever carried, in preparation for Lollapalooza. Glasses, contact lens solution/case, comb, sunscreen, wipes, towel, meds (bee sting, tummy trouble, migraines), wallet, phone, camera and ID. Water bottle, if there's room. Oh yeah, and our wristbands.

MUST NOT FORGET THE WRISTBANDS!

I'm going to see Sir Paul tonight! I'm going to see Sir Paul tonight.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

This meme is no more. And yet I persist in answering the three questions it asked each week. Stubborn, ain't I?

1. What are you currently reading? Being Nixon by Evan Thomas. A far more engaging book than I expected -- and I'm an Evan Thomas fan. For my whole life, Nixon has been either a villain or a punchline. It's easy to forget that he was a person, and the man whom millions upon millions of

Americans voted for as President three times. So there had to be some real-time appeal there that escapes me now, and that's what I hoped to find when I picked this book up.

I still don't know how anyone could pull the lever for NIXON over KENNEDY or HUMPHREY.* But I'm shocked by the compassion Thomas engenders for this man. Nixon faced prodigious personal demons -- shyness, paranoia, fear of intimacy -- and he tried to face them down. When he was successful, he accomplished much. But when he failed, it was on a grand, historic scale.

Usually when I play WWW.WEDNESDAY, I illustrate it with a photo of JBKO reading. Not this week. Nixon never ever got over his obsession with the Kennedys. He and JFK met very early in their careers, and he liked Kennedy enormously. The Kennedys represented the establishment that shunned him, yet he was as drawn to their charms as everyone else. It was a conflict that bedeviled him to the end of his days.

So instead of Jackie, I show Nixon with Pat. Though not always attentive to her, he was always in love with her. And he worked hard at being a good father.

2. What did you just finish reading? Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head with Paddy Calistro. I expected Hollywood dish and I got it. Liz Taylor had a beautiful back; Grace Kelly had perfect posture and a penchant for gloves; Redford was shy about disrobing in front of old Edith. But more than that, I learned how a woman coming of age in the 30s could turn herself into a celebrity and a very successful businesswoman. That part of the story was at least as interesting as the movie star stuff.

3. What will you read next? Probably Calico Joe. This Grisham baseball novel was a surprise giftie from my aunt, who knows how I love the national pasttime.

*I suppose I get McGOVERN, as much as I personally admired the man.

I feel awful

Today my boss called a meeting, a postmortem of sorts to explain what happened with Long Tall Sally. He told us that part of her problem was her inability to get along with Christine.

Oh. My. God. I clashed with Christine and told LTS about it. I may have unwittingly thrown gasoline on the fire. I may have contributed to LTS' dismissal! Because of my actions, this 40-year-old woman who lives with her widowed mother, who has no savings and few friends to turn to or share her troubles with, is now out of a job.

After the meeting, I went straight to my boss and told him it was me. That I had bumped heads with Christine and that LTS was probably defending me. I asked him if he thought I should talk to Mr. Big.

He told me to forget it, that it would have happened to LTS anyway, and he added the names of others
who wanted her gone.

I still feel terrible. My conscience is not clear and besides, I'm worried about LTS. The comments left in a previous post by you blogging buddies have me thinking that she may be bipolar. She needed this job. It makes me very sad that she lost it, even though it may be for the best.

Birthday Girl

“Once you can express yourself, you can tell the world what you want from it or how you would like to change it …  All the changes in the world, for good or evil, were first brought about by words.” Jacqueline Kennedy to daughter Caroline

On this day in 1929, the woman who made it chic to be bookish was born.

It's almost Happy Time

Every year I take the August Happiness Challenge. Here's a brief explanation of the Challenge: "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."

You're invited to join me. Visit me with a link to your daily happy, and I'll come read it. I've found that experiencing other peoples' everyday pleasures is a great mood lifter.

It helps if your Happiness Challenge posts are marked with an icon. Just something that means "happy" to you. Here's my 2015 Happy.

P.S. Thanks for the reminder, Kwizgiver!

Cue "Taps"

Long Tall Sally was let go Friday afternoon. Turns out she simply didn't show up for a client meeting on Thursday, nor did she come into the office.

I am simply relieved.

On the one hand, I realize that this is a career setback for LTS, and I'm sorry about that. She was, in her way, very good for me and I appreciate how she enhanced my profile with the client.

On the other hand, she was simply too much drama and I couldn't bear being around her anymore. She's 40, lives with her mother, has no savings and now no job. She doesn't have a lot of friends because she was working overseas for a few years. She rather glommed onto me, talking ad nauseum about what was wrong with her life and all the work she had to do. It was exhausting. And then, to blow off a client meeting ...

I believe she has a good heart and a generous spirit. I hope she gets her life together so her career can recover from this setback.

And I shall enjoy the quiet.

Odds are good that you annoy me

Everyone seems to be bugging me these days.

1) Barb. We go to the theater together. She orders the Broadway on Chicago subscription. That way we have a reason to get together on a regular basis. Otherwise, she reasons, we'll drift apart. I completely laud her intentions, but she forgets to write the playdates down and then I end up scrambling for a seat filler. She's doing it again this coming week for Pippin. Of course she is. Maybe I won't go. Maybe I'll go alone. (That doesn't bother me.) But I don't feel like asking someone else to accompany me. I don't like anyone well enough these days.

2) Rose. Ah, Cousin Rose. Once again exhibiting why I love her but don't like her. We're related on our mothers' side, which gives us each a father's side filled with relatives we don't share. When she goes on and on about cousins, nieces and nephews I either haven't met or don't recall, I feign interest and try to ask polite questions. Most recently, it concerned her taking young-uns to NASA and Cape Kennedy. Again, I don't care. But to be nice, I asked if the name hadn't been restored to Cape Canaveral. She wrote back that was something I could just "look up on Wikipedia." How about you fuck yourself? I took several deep breaths and counted to 10 a few times before answering that letter.

3) Kathleen. Last year, when we celebrated my birthday/her birthday and Christmas, she gave me a card and said we had a date to see a Cub game at the renovated Wrigley Field. The season started in April. When, in May, she still hadn't mentioned it, I sent her a list of games and dates that were good for me through July 26. May ... June ... July. I told her I didn't want to do August because I don't like heat, and September is always iffy because rainouts are notoriously hard to reschedule at that late date.

First she set a date in June. Then she changed it because her daughter's college roommate would be visiting and wanted to join us, so she chose another date. Then she cancelled that one because her husband wanted to take her to a concert that night. Then I had to commit to the first weekend in August, even though I didn't want to go that late in the season, so she could coordinate with both her adult son (he now lives in Detroit) and daughter. Then she cancelled that one because it's too confusing for her son and daughter and what about September? I told her to forget it. If it's too hard, we just shouldn't do it. 'SHUT UP," she emailed back. "I love you and want to see you." That was July 17. I still haven't heard back.

So basically, it seems, she's trying to consolidate my birthday -- which was more than eight months ago now -- with spending the afternoon with her kids. And when it comes to dates and preferences, it's obvious my wishes come in third, after her kids'. I'm hurt and embarrassed. Clearly this is not a priority for her, and it would be less humiliating if we just forget about it.

4) My Clown Car cohabitants and everyone else at work. Can't stand their faces. Need a day off desperately. All I really did today was nap, because the thought of going in and facing them, my grumpy old boss and Long Tall Sally -- who, while well meaning, really is insane -- exhausts me.

I hope I get to work out at least once this week. The lack of physical activity isn't helping my mood.

And I have to keep remembering -- SIR PAUL IS THIS FRIDAY. SIR PAUL IS THIS FRIDAY. SIR PAUL IS THIS FRIDAY.

Face forward, Old Gal. To paraphrase his lordship, it's going to get better, a little better all the time ...

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: I'll Spread My Wings ...

1. Have you ever had a pen pal? In junior high. It didn't last long and I don't remember much, if anything, about her.

2. What’s your favorite breed of dog? A mixed-breed shelter rescue. Open your heart and look for your next best friend here.


3. Can money buy happiness? It can buy comfort and security, which can give happiness the time and space to grow.

4. Do you listen to music when you’re down? Yes

5. What is one thing you spend way too much money on? Watches. Instead spending $10 to replace the battery in my favorite watch, I'll replace it for $30 or $40. Which is stupid.

6. Can you honestly say you’re okay right now? Yes

7. What was the last thing you spent money on? Movie ticket (see post below)

8. Is your current hair color mostly your natural hair color? Augmented by highlights

9. Who have you texted in the last 24 hours? Nobody

10. Were you in a good mood last night? Yes. I spent a lot of time on the phone, catching up with my oldest friend. Happy to report we're both doing better this Saturday than we were last Saturday.

11. Do you have a reason to smile right now? Yes. My wonderful old cat Joey is sitting next to me, purring loudly and feeling healthy. I'm so grateful he's still with me at 20 years of age.

12. How often do you hold back what you want to say? Not as much as I should.

13. Do you think that in the end, everything will fall into place? Yes

14. Are you currently looking forward to anything? This Friday I'm seeing Sir Paul at Lollapalooza!

15. Do you have any TV shows on DVD? Yes