August Happiness Challenge -- Day 6

Today's happiness -- It's back! A major event in my neighborhood, the library book sale is a three-day affair that happens every August. Except, of course, for 2020 and 2021 when it was just another thing covid spoiled.

In 2022, the show went on! Not exactly as it has in years gone by. Instead of used books consuming the high school cafeteria and spilling out into the halls, it was in three of the library's meeting rooms (fiction, non-fiction and children's). No cookbooks this year. Also, I didn't volunteer. In the recent past I helped sort and display books. This year, because the venue was the library, the volunteer hours were weekdays only and I just couldn't make it work with my job.

But still, I was happy to be back. Sure it was more smaller and more subdued, but it was another sign that we're inching back to pre-covid normal. I bought two books -- a cozy mystery called Gone with the Twins (A League of Literary Ladies Mystery) and a memoir by Lauren Bacall -- for $3.

And, once again, I can bestow a dubious honor on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Every year there's a book donated in bigger numbers than any other. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is continuing its streak and picking up where it left off before the pandemic. Why do so many of my neighbors buy this book, year after year, and then decide not to keep it? I suspect book clubs keep choosing it as a selection.

For those of you keeping score ...

2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2016: The Help

2015: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

2014: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2013: The DaVinci Code

2012: Sixkill (a Spenser Mystery)

2011: The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

2010: Scarlett, the Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind

2009: My Life by Bill Clinton

2008: The DaVinci Code

2007: The Nanny Diaries

2006: The Corrections

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

 

O Captain! My Captain!

Look who's modeling the latest Alpha Bomber jacket. Now that Anthony Rizzo is a New York Yankee, he's getting endorsements. I'm happy for him. New York fans have really taken to him, which is glorious. Yankee fans can be brutal. (Look how they treated Joey Gallo, acquired the same day as Rizz.) I know he was heartbroken to leave Chicago, and I'm glad his story has a happy ending. As Bud counseled me last year when the trade happened, Yankee Stadium is a good place for him at this stage in his career.

But I had a fantasy that he would come home somehow and make his last out within The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. That's just not going to happen, no matter how much I want it to.

Saturday 9

 Big, Bad John (1961)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song tells the story of a stern, enigmatic miner. None of the other miners knew much about him. When people first meet you, do you think they see you more as mysterious or straightforward? I think I'm as transparent as a glass of tap water.

 

2) During a serious accident, many of the miners panicked. But not John. Think of your family, friends and acquaintances. Who would be the most dependable in a crisis? Joanna. She is smart and cool (in every sense of the word). This reminds me: I owe her an email.

3) His heroism allowed 20 miners to escape, but cost John his life. According to the lyrics, there's a marble slab on site of mine that honors him. Is there a memorial to a local hero in your town? I read the pavers in front of our branch of the public library. I think people who support libraries and reading are local heroes.

 

4) This song was written and performed by Jimmy Dean. He began composing it on a flight from New York to Nashville. How do you amuse yourself while traveling? I try to sleep on flights. I'm terrified of flying and dose myself with Xanax before I board.

5) Jimmy Dean hosted a long-running variety show on CBS, which is best-remembered today for introducing Jim Henson's puppets -- especially Rowlf, a dog who sang and told jokes. While Rowlf didn't make it to Sesame Street, he was a recurring character on the Muppet Show. Are you a Muppet fan? I don't seek them out, but when I come upon them I always smile.

6) Jimmy found success in business with The Jimmy Dean Sausage Company. He sold the company to Sara Lee in 1984 for $80 million. Today Jimmy Dean breakfast products are still popular in grocery stores all over the country. What's your favorite breakfast? The usual coffee shop breakfast: eggs, toast, bacon, OJ.

7) In 1961, when this song was popular, Vogue asked if fashion sense is inborn or if could a woman could learn to be chic. What do you think? Do you think style is either something you have, or you don't? Yes. I think some people are born with style. Alas, I'm not one of those people.

8) Also in 1961, Ernest Hemingway took his own life. Did you read Hemingway in English class? Can you recall any other novels you read for school? We did a compare/contrast of A Farewell to Arms and The Great Gatsby. I also remember The Bridge of San Luis Rey. (I should reread that one.) I HATED Moby Dick as much as I loved To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

9) Random question: Think about the last "white lie" you told. Was it to make your own day easier or spare someone's feelings? Trying to remember my last white lie and I can't. I'm sure I told one -- likely more than one -- this week, but nothing to springs to mind.

 

 

August Happines Challenge -- Day 5

Today's happiness -- Expanding my circle. It's true that the older we get, the harder it is to make friends. That's why what happened Friday made me happy.

Karen is from my movie group. We've been meeting online since covid, so for more than two years we have only zoomed. I don't recall ever having met her in person and wasn't aware she paid any particular attention to me until the TCM Classic Film Festival approached. She was among those of us attending and seemed pleased we were staying at the same hotel. 

Since the festival, we have become Facebook friends, IM-ing, etc. She's begun sharing her life away from the group -- divorced, retired, proud mother of a newly-minted Kindergarten teacher -- and Friday she sent me information about Noir City Chicago, expressing hope that we see one another in person there.

I like Karen. I respect her smarts about film. It pleases me that she thinks I'm funny. I'm glad that I'm slowly making a friend here. I'm happy with how this is unfolding and comfortable with the pace.

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.

 

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 4

Today's happiness -- I was wrong. Tuesday we got word of a big new project. Insanely tight turnaround. No one was assigned to it because everyone was assigned to it. Literally 14 of us were asked to come up with ideas during a big 3-hour brainstorm Thursday afternoon.

When I first heard of it, I was all, "Oh, kill me now." Last time I was in one of these meetings, it was silly. Pretentious. A waste of time. 

By 5:00 Thursday, I was happy! The meeting was fun! The new head of our creative department, Meg, knows how to manage people, how to make us feel safe and not competitive. 

Sometimes it's delicious to be wrong.

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.

Thursday Thirteen #269

Thirteen top reasons patients go to the ER. 

1. Chest Pains
2. Cuts, Bruises and Wounds
   
3. Skin Rashes and Infections
4. Concussion
5. Traumas
6. Difficulty Breathing and Asthma Attacks
   
7. Burns
   
8. Toothaches
9. Stomach Aches
10. Diarrhea and Vomiting
11. Back Pain
12. Migraines and Headaches
13. Abdominal Pain

Last time I went to the ER, it was a hybrid. I had sudden, stabbing pains in my leg (not on the list). Turn out the root cause was back pain (spinal stenosis). 

I don't think it would occur to me to go to the ER for a tooth ache. Not even if it hit at 2:00 AM. I'd get my dentist out of bed and make him prescribe painkillers, but I can't see myself contacting a hospital for that.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

 

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 3

Today's happiness -- I done good. About two weeks ago, I wrote out a ton of post cards encouraging Kansans to vote down an amendment that would deny abortion rights to women of that state. I went to bed last night knowing that the amendment was defeated. YAY! But this morning, I saw the numbers.

59% against to 41% for. That's substantial. Even better was voter turnout. It was up 60% from the last off-year election (2018).

I'm a Kennedy girl. I grew up believing that we should ask not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country. I try, I do. But it's hard. With so many election deniers and MAGA supporters winning, it's easy to get discouraged.

But then I saw that the post cards I sent -- purchased and stamped at my own expense, written on my own time -- may have played a part in getting people out to the polls. To helping preserve the separation between Church and State. To ensuring that women are safe and babies are born wanted.  

Right now, I am happy and proud.

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.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here.  

1. What are you currently reading? Beatles in 1966: The Revolutionary Year by Steve Turner. I'm getting my Beatle nerd on with this look at 1966, the year the lads stopped being a boy band and became artists.

So far this is what I've learned about the band I've known for all these years ...

25-year-old JOHN was far more spiritual than we knew. He was, in his parlance, "a fan of Jesus." John just doubted the miracles and, even more, found organized religion hypocritical and obsessed with sin and guilt.

24-year-old PAUL was worried about the future, his own and the world's. He sought out philosopher Bertrand Russell, then over 90, to discuss the arms race and Vietnam. Paul was so nervous in the presence of the great man that he gestured widely with his hand and knocked over a table lamp.

23-year-old GEORGE was more willful than I'd suspected. First wife Pattie had always fantasized about a big church wedding with a white dress. At George's insistence, it was a small ceremony in a judge's chambers, and she wore a striped Mary Quant mini dress.

25-year-old RINGO didn't have a drum kit at home and never rehearsed away from the studio. He needed other musicians and an audience to gauge how he was doing. 

2. What did you just finish reading? Every 15 Minutes by Lisa Scottoline. Dr. Eric Parrish thought he had it all. He was married to his best friend. He adores their 7-year-old daughter. He runs a highly-rated hospital psych unit. His papers have been published by respected journals. His private practice is profitable. 

Then, bit by bit, his life begins to unravel. His wife divorces him and puts their home up for sale. He only gets to see his little girl a couple times a week. His newest patient, a teenager with OCD who must complete a ritual every 15 minutes, becomes a suspect in a murder and Eric is enmeshed in profound moral and ethical dilemmas about confidentiality. And ... and ... and ... One thing after another. Soon his perfect life is a nightmare.

We know something Eric doesn't know: someone in his life is a manipulative sociopath. At the very least, this person is enjoying Eric's downfall. It's very possible they are methodically orchestrating his destruction. Who? Why?

This was chilling and it really captured my imagination. I thought I'd guess the villain, changed my mind, and found I was right the first time. I love these guessing games! When I was forced to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it. It's not perfect: in retrospect there are plot points that just don't make sense. But while I was reading it, I was completely engaged.

3. What will you read next? Play Dead by David Rosenfelt.

  

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 2

Today's happiness -- Freedom and flexibility. I admit that sometimes I am just done with this job, and with working altogether. Last week I was frustrated by all kinds of things ... a boss who hinders as much as she helps, another generation of novice coworkers that I get to train, OKTA verify and VPN issues, etc.

But today I'm experiencing the good side of it all. Today is Tuesday, the day I'm supposed to show up and work onsite at the office. There are meetings planned as well as a farewell party for the interns. Anyway, I woke up feeling kind of shitty. Literally. My gut hasn't been healthy since I took antibiotics last month for my tooth extraction and this morning it was most definitely making itself felt in unpredictable ways.

So I sent an email to my coworkers and went back to bed for an hour. I woke up to all manner of "Get well's" and "We'll miss you's." But no one really cares that today is another day I'll be working from home.

The boss I had three years ago on this date leaned very heavily on me and would have made me feel guilty about taking care of myself. Annoying as Marilyn can be, she gives me the freedom and flexibility I need today. 

I'm also happy for the very VPN and OKTA verify that bedeviled me last week, because this connectivity enables me to work from home.

And I'm happy that even on a day that begins with bathroom distress, I can find happiness. That's a gift I'm truly grateful for.

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.

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 1

Happiness icon 2022

 
Each day in August,  post 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.

Leave your link in the comments and I'll check out your happiness post. It helps if your August Happiness Challenge posts are marked with an icon. Just something that means "happy" to you. 

 

Today's happiness -- Turning the page. The new month begins on a Monday! Doesn't that feel new and hopeful? Since I do my laundry on Sunday evening, it means I started the first day of the new week/new month by drying off after my morning shower with with fresh, clean towels. August 1 kicks off TCM's Summer Under the Stars, where a different actor is spotlighted each day, and today it's ELVIS! (Elvis on Tour is on as I write this.) Plus, I got to literally turn the page on my kitchen calendar and now I'll be gazed upon by Jelly, a rescue kitty adopted with his brother cat, Jiminy, through the PAWS animal shelter.

 

There is no bottom

 The two latest stories I heard about Donald Trump.

1) He thinks it's a veritable laff riot that Joe Biden remains sick, and is using this as an opportunity to reinforce racist stereotypes and reiterate The Big Lie.

2) His dog whistle comments about Britney Griner are stomach churning. The woman won two Olympic Gold medals and had cannabis oil.  If she weren't a member of two MAGA punching bag communities (black and LGBTQ) would he dismiss her as "potentially spoiled" and "loaded up with drugs?" Of course not. This is the President who stood behind the seal of his office and wished Ghislane Maxwell luck when she was in jail. Of course, Ms. Maxwell is rich, white, conventionally pretty, and partied with Donald and Melania. And this gives him a chance to side with Putin. Again. I think when he sleeps, he dreams that Putin is Butch Cassidy and he's The Sundance Kid. 

What a dark, ugly man this is. So proud of his darkness and ugliness that he doesn't even try to hide it.

Does he lead half the country, or reflect it?

The very fact of Donald Trump makes me sad, and I wish he would just do us all a favor and go away. I think that's the only way we will heal.

 

SUNDAY STEALING

STOLEN FROM FRIDAY 5

1) What one event from your lifetime would you change if you could, and why? I would have followed my head not my heart, or perhaps have been less stubborn, and walked away from a toxic relationship far sooner than I did.

Sorry, Babs, but this right here is bullshit

2) If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be and how old would your younger self be when they got it? Do you think your younger self would listen? I would have advised myself to be less self-critical, especially about my looks and body image. I don't know if I would have listened.

3) Would you be any good on Survivor? I've never seen Survivor, so I may be wrong about this, but it looks like there's a lot of running around in the woods and eating food cooked over a campfire, so I would suck at it.

4) What's a safety rule that's very important to you? I always stand behind the yellow line when I wait for the train, and get nervous when I see commuters who don't.

5) What would you like to say to people in the future? "I never supported Donald Trump." Though I would wager that, come 2027, many people who did vote for him will say the same. I lived through this with Nixon. He got 60% of the popular vote in 72 (Trump got 46% in 2016) and within a decade, you had a hard time finding anyone who would admit being a Nixon supporter.

6) What's your favorite dish to bring to a summer cookout? Last time I was called upon to do this, I brought a fruit bowl.

7) How much time have you spent outdoors this week? Precious little.

8) Where do you set your thermostat? On the wall. (Sorry. I was possessed by the spirit of Bud there for a moment.)

9) How did you learn to swim? When I was in grammar school, I took a week of lessons every summer at the local high school.

10) How do you avoid overheating? I stay indoors.

11). What are you going to do this weekend? This weekend is just about over. I haven't done a lot. I've been tired and kinda moody. Some of my friends are facing health challenges, and I don't like embracing our mortality.

12) What’s your favorite way to spend time? Baseball, movies, books. Cuddling my cats.

13) What’s the most useless thing you own that you would never get rid of? Oh, I have tons of shit around here and I have no idea why I retain it.

14) Have you started planning your next vacation? Yes. Hotel and flights are booked for Key West Christmas, 2022.

15) Are you very active, or do you prefer to just relax in your free time or is it one and the same to you? I am a slug.

 

Stolen from Kwizgiver

You'll find her answers here.

First, go to this nifty online random-letter generator. Set the “number of random letter sequences to generate” to 1. Set the “length of each random letter sequence” to 1. Leave the “letters to choose from” how it is and click the button. You’ll get a rather non-dramatic one letter. Use this letter to begin all your answers to the 5 questions below. If you’d like to avoid difficult letters, feel free to change the “letters to choose from” list. 

Alternately, if you find this boring, you could set the “length of each random letter sequence” to 5, thereby giving you five letters, a different one for each question.

ABKLT was my sequence.

1. What geographical feature should be renamed in your honor? Arie Crown Forest Preserve. We went there with Girl Scouts.
   
2. Who should play you in a movie about your life? Bette Midler. We can both be bawdy.
   
3. What are you chasing? Karma. You know, the good old Golden Rule.
   
4. What’s getting in your way? Limerence. I'm thinking of the hero for a piece of fiction I'm plotting, and I think I'm falling in love with him. Since he doesn't exist, it's a problem.
   
5. What are you especially grateful for this week? Time alone
   

Happy Yankee

In the dugout last night

Last night marked the first anniversary of Anthony Rizzo's appearance in a Yankee uniform. He marked the occasion with a home run.

His trade last year broke my heart. He was my favorite Cub. He made the final out in the 2016 World Series, ending our 108-year drought. He has four Gold Gloves for his fielding. Three All-Star game appearances. No one plays with greater heart or joy.

He is also an inspiring philanthropist. I've written many times about his work with pediatric cancer patients. But there's this, too. During the pandemic, he made sure that 4,500 health care workers got lunch. He bought the lunches through independent Chicago restaurants struggling through the Covid lockdown. It's no accident baseball bestowed the Robert Clemente Award on him.

So naturally the heartless Ricketts family (owners of the Cubs) chose not to pay the man and instead traded him. 

I won't lie. I cried real tears when he was traded. 

But he's doing well in New York. It's still only July, and he's already racked up 24 home runs and 59 RBIs. (For contrast, in the entirety of 2021 he hit 22 homers and 61 RBIs.)

Bud was right. Mr. Wiser is a wise man. At the time Bud told me the Bronx is the place for Rizz at this point in his career. (He is 32.) If there's any justice in the world, the shit way the Cubs treated Anthony Rizzo will bring him his second World Series ring.

Saturday 9

 I Would Be in Love (Anyway) 1970

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Frank Sinatra sings, "If I knew then what I know now." If you were giving advice to a recent high school grad, based on that phrase, what would you say? Take a moment to enjoy your youth. I'm thinking of my post below about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As a teen, she was she was very critical of her own appearance, even though she was very pretty. I look at pictures of myself when I was at my best and recall only concentrating on my flaws. Nora Ephron said it best (of course, Nora Ephron said most things best).

2) This song is about a man looking back on his marriage, which has ended. While he is sad, he is not sorry he loved her. Do you believe that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Not always. Looking back, I truly believe my life today would be happier if I had spent my 20s alone instead of with the man I wasted them on. 

3) Sinatra married four times. He met his first wife, Nancy, when he was 19. He saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a pedicure, and he rushed home for his ukulele so he could serenade her. Have you ever sung to anyone? Has anyone ever sung to you? I sing to my cat Connie all the time. Usually to "Swanee." (Connie! How I loves 'ya, how I loves 'ya, my dear old Connie ...) It must be said that I am a terrible singer and that Connie is a good sport about it.

 

4) According to Barbara, his final wife, they met when they were neighbors in Rancho Mirage, California. Sinatra had his own tennis court, needed a fourth for doubles with his houseguests, and invited the lady next door to play. Tell us about your neighbors. Mark is on my left. He's tall, perhaps 6'3, with white hair and glasses. We're on the condo board, and I appreciate his conciliatory style. Zoraida is across the hall. She is a bank teller who always -- always! -- wears her false eyelashes. Her fiance is there most of the time and he is as shy as she is outgoing. I've met my neighbor to the right a handful of times and, while he is very pleasant, he makes little impression on me.

 
5) When not performing before an audience or cameras, Sinatra often wore hats and caps because his hair was thin and his toupee annoyed him. Is there anything you wear for "dress up" that you're happy to ditch when you go casual? I prefer going without makeup.

6) Frank had a sweet tooth and to the end of his life, he enjoyed chocolate-covered apricots, ordered from Lepore's in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ. If you could have any sweet treat right now, what would you request?  It changes. Right now, I'd like a dish of Neapolitan ice cream.

7) This song was written specifically for Sinatra by Bob Gaudio, best known as a member of The Four Seasons. That 1960s quartet is now legendary. In addition to 25 Top Ten Hits, they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and inspired the Broadway play and movie musical, Jersey Boys. Do you have a favorite Four Seasons song? Sing along! You know you want to.

 

8) In 1970, the year this record was released, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered. Were you a fan?  I think I've seen every episode.

        

9) Random question: Have you ever named your car or truck? Nope.

 

HBD to My Queen

93 years ago today, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was born in Southampton, NY. Here's a photo of her from her awkward teen years. I'm not kidding. At this stage in her life, she complained to friends about her wide-set eyes and unruly mane. She lamented to her stepbrother that her lips were too full and no man would want to kiss her. Obviously that wasn't true.

This photo got me thinking:

 •  Is any woman ever happy with her looks? I recently came across a photo of myself at about 30 and looking back, I see I was adorable. But at the time I thought my face was too round. I used to joke that I was just two sets of fat cheeks. I now wish I hadn't been so critical, and that I enjoyed my looks.

•  What's up with the plush dog?

Thursday Thirteen #268

America's top 13 fast food chains. Because I am a hopeless cook, I'm big on carry out. I try to patronize local, independent eateries, but the names of those places would mean nothing to anyone outside my neighborhood. So I'm sharing this list instead. 

The ranking is based on sales. I'm surprised to see how far Burger King has fallen. I remember when it was a real contender for market supremacy.

1. McDonald's. Burgers.

2. Starbucks. Snacks/coffee.

3. Subway. Sandwiches

4. Taco Bell. Mexican-inspired.

5. Chick-Fil-A. Chicken.

6. Wendy's. Burgers.

7. Burger King. Burgers.

8. Dunkin'. Snacks/coffee.

9. Domino's. Pizza.

10. Panera. Sandwiches.

11. Pizza Hut. Pizza.

12. Chipotle. Mexican-inspired.

13. Sonic. Burgers.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here.  

1. What are you currently reading? Every 15 Minutes by Lisa Scottoline. Dr. Eric Parrish isn't happy. His wife is divorcing him and selling the house. He only gets to see his beloved 7-year-old daughter a couple times a week. It's a good thing, then, that his career is going well. He runs a highly-rated hospital psych unit. His papers have been published by respected journals. His private practice is profitable. 

Since this is Lisa Scottoline, someone's got to get dead. The murder victim is a popular high school student. The person of interest is Eric's newest patient, a teenager with OCD who must complete a simple ritual every 15 minutes. What's Eric's loyalty to his patient? What's his responsibility to the dead girl? And who is the unidentified sociopath who provides narration at the beginning of each chapter? Is someone manipulating the situation to destroy Eric?

This one is keeping me tense and has me guessing. I think I know who our deranged narrator is, but I'm not sure. And I've come to like Eric, which ups the stakes ... and my involvement.

2. What did you just finish reading? Judy and I by Sid Luft. This is the story of Judy Garland's third -- and longest -- marriage to entrepreneur and producer, Sid Luft. It's a harrowing tale because Judy was ill, an addict, at a time when little was known about addiction. Looking back on his life with her, Sid admits he enabled her, trying to monitor her pill intake, naively believing he could stop it from escalating. Of course he couldn't. They divorced in 1965. By 1969, she'd had two more husbands and was dead of an overdose.

The Judy that comes through on these pages was funny, driven, and very aware of the power her prodigious talent gave her. This was a revelation because Garland is so often portrayed as a victim. She was a victim of addiction, that's true, but she was also tough, willful, and very smart. I was happy to see that side of her. Remember, Dorothy was strong enough to get over the rainbow to Oz and back again. Good to know that Judy herself was a formidable character, too.

3. What will you read next? I don't have anything selected yet.

 

Donald Trump and my family

Yes, another post about Trump. I am sick of him and wish he would just disappear from the national landscape. But, like any good narcissist, he just won't go.

Of course I'm disgusted by the way he behaved between November 3 and January 6. While many of us -- including ME! -- were battling covid, he was busy trying to overthrow the very government he took an oath to lead. Appalling.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about my family, and the deleterious impact he has had on us.

My nephew. He is smart. He is passionate. He is just the kind of young person you want getting involved in the system. He just graduated with a degree in political science from Western Illinois University, and he's not going to use it. Even though he graduated in an election year.

Guess why.

He's watched life-long Republicans, Trump supporters and Trump employees, testify about the January 6 riot. Yet half the country isn't watching or doesn't care. Half the country has somehow convinced themselves that all these people, testifying under oath, are lying. Or that having your President encourage a riot isn't such a bad thing.

My nephew is so disheartened that he has given up. He once dreamed of working for a congressman and helping shape policy. But because of the misplaced and blind loyalty of the MAGAverse, he sees no point.

He did say he's interested in becoming a volunteer at the polls on election day. The way Trump publicly bullied Shaye Moss and her mother has motivated him. So I suppose that there's always a silver lining to every Trumpy cloud.

My cousin. Last week he found a black-and-white Polaroid of himself at age 3 on our grandfather's lap. A new grandfather himself, it meant a great deal to him. Our grandfather was a great man -- patriotic in that special way immigrants often are, compassionate, curious and loving -- and his grandchildren miss him. In the photo, my cousin looks eerily like Grandpa. Same receding hairline, even same eyeglass frames! 

My aunt -- my cousin's mom and Grandpa's only surviving child -- hasn't seen this picture. Not because she wouldn't love it. Because they aren't talking. Because, in her full-throated support of Trump, she revealed herself, in her son's words, as "a homophobic racist." She is very vocal, and it is very disheartening for my cousin to hear the woman who insisted he go to Sunday School every week behave in such an un-Christian way. 

My aunt has never held her first great-grandchild. Her once favorite granddaughter -- who is also appalled by the hate her grandmother spewed toward gays and BLM -- graduated cum laude this past spring and her grandmother doesn't even know.

This is tragic. 

I am a decade older than my cousin. I remember my aunt when she was still in her teens, and kept JFK's picture on her nightstand. I believe that inclusive, sensitive girl who once believed you should ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country is still in there somewhere. Of course, I don't have to square the circle of hypocrisy that my cousin does. 

I hope her red MAGA cap is worth it.

Even more, I hope she can STFU long enough -- stubbornness is a family trait we all share -- to reach out and heal this breach. I hope that if she does, my cousin has the wisdom to accept this olive branch. My aunt is over 75. I don't know how much time she and my cousin believe they have to fix this.

And I wish Donald Trump would just stop trying to defend his indefensible behavior, quit throwing gas on the fire, quit insisting his election lie is the truth ... just quit. 

Leave us alone, please!

Sunday Stealing

HODGE PODGE

1. What's something you've recently accomplished solo. Self care. I'm trying to baby myself this weekend. I had a busy workweek last week and am looking at a tough one this week. If I don't accomplish much this weekend, that's OK.

2.  What's one product you use that never ever fails? 

These paper towels may well be the love of my life

3. Have you found your place in the world? Where is it? I think I've found myself, unexpectedly, in the world of classic film. I didn't expect to. I found my movie group Meet Up completely by accident. I was looking up Meet Ups for my dear old friend in Los Angeles, and every time I completed a search in her zip code, the site reverted to mine. From that accident I met Will, our moderator, and two friends I now see away from the group: Joanna (I owe her an email) and Elaine (I owe her an email, too). 

Will convinced me to go to Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2019 and I was delighted to find myself in my element. I met people I kept up with through Facebook and when we all got together again this past Spring, it was almost as good to meet them again as it was to see the movies on the big screen. One woman, Trudy, pulled me aside and told me she was so sorry to read my Facebook posts about the death of my cat, Reynaldo. How kind was that!

 

Can you spot me in there?

And, of course, there's the movies. In this community, I can indulge my passion for Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. (Really, when they were on their games they were so extravagantly good we didn't deserve them.) I learned that Elizabeth Taylor was so much more than a much-married bejeweled celebrity, and Rock Hudson was more than an AIDS victim. And that, with all due respect to Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn is the GOAT.

4.  Worst movie you ever saw? Frankie and Johnny, starring Elvis. Now I grade Elvis movies on a curve, but even allowing for that, it's dreadful. Not enjoyably bad, like Valley of the Dolls. Just unwatchable. Boring.

5. What's the last fun thing you did? Yesterday I gossiped with my friend John. He hangs around at a local bar, playing Norm to a nice 72-year-old man we'll call Cliff. It seems Cliff had fallen hard for the 27-year-old bartender. She works a couple days of week to augment her earnings as a newly-licensed realtor. Seems most people want to look at homes in the evening, anyway. So sometimes at the end of her shift, she and Cliff would go to dinner. She viewed these quick meals as a bite with a friend. Cliff believed he was making inroads to her heart. John tried to warn Cliff. Anyway, last week Cliff watched as a very nice looking, far younger man hit on her, and she responded positively. At the end of her shift, not wanting her afternoon with this man to end, she invited him to enjoy her and Cliff for dinner. Cliff was furious and heartbroken. John told this story very well, with great compassion for all three involved, and everything from his insights to his word choices reminded me why he's such an entertaining friend.

6. What's your favorite Italian dish? Manicotti. Prepared properly, it's divine.

7. Have you ever been to France? Any desire to visit there, and if so what would site or city would you most want to see? I went to France when I was still a teenager. I loved Monmarte. I saw Moulin Rouge, but was too young to go in. Seeing the Mona Lisa and the Arc de Triomphe was a thrill, too. Funny, but I really have no desire to be a world traveler. If I'm going to take a long flight again, I'd rather see Anchorage or return to Honolulu. I want to see the USA first.

8. Have you ever been to Disney, any of the parks at all? Are you a Disney superfan or something less than that? They're open right now so tell us, would you go if you had the time/money/a free trip? I've been to Disneyland and DisneyWorld. I had a wonderful time. I enjoy rides, so I'm a natural. I'd love to go back -- for free. Maybe I'd take my nephew.

9. Your favorite place to go when you want to be quiet as a church mouse? Would those who know you well describe you as more church mouse or perhaps more like mighty mouse? I like my own company and I'm happy to be home alone. When I go out, I'm very verbal (OK, blabby) but then I go home, power down and recharge.

10. Do you bake your own bread? Last time you had hot out-of-the-oven homemade bread? What's your favorite kind of bread? I have never baked bread. I will never break bread.

11. What's something you might say is 'the greatest thing since sliced bread'? BASEBALL! I really missed it during the All-Star Break.

12.  Share with us five little things you're grateful for today. Small blessings. One catch-they all must start with the letter T.

Tranquility: I have a quiet day planned

Talent: I'm going to finish watching the HBO Max documentary about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

Thrift: I'm under-budget for the weekend. Yay, me! 

Thrills: Lots of baseball today -- Cubs/Phillies and Yankees/Orioles

Tide: It works so well and it's laundry day

13. Tell us where you were and something about what life was like when you were 20-21. I was always broke. I loved my little 3-room apartment in a courtyard building. But on summer day like this, I was afraid to turn on the a/c because of what it would do to my electric bill. My paychecks just never went far enough.

I lived behind the tree, center right

14. What's on the menu at your house this week? Don't know. Two nights this week I'll be in the city, so I might grab something on the go.

15.Something you recently purchased where a coupon was involved? Do you regularly shop with coupons? Coupons are the only reason I return to CVS as often as I do. There's one in my wallet right now.