My Favorite Things

This isn't exactly the version of My Favorite Things that I was looking for. I was hoping to find the video of that terrific scene in The Sound of Music where Maria is singing My Favorite Things with the kids in her bedroom during the thunderstorm and they're all dancing around until the Captain interrupts them. Unfortunately, I didn't find it.

I love My Favorite Things because it always makes me smile and cheers me up, which I need tonight after the day week month I've had. Listening to it tonight dried up my most recent tears, for a few minutes anyway.

As I explained to my grief counselor last week, I just want to feel like me again. She explained to me that I won't ever really go back there. Grief changes us. So a new me will emerge. Okay, but when? When will it stop being so hard to find a smile? When will I stop being sad all the time, except for when I pretend I'm not? When will I be able to stop pretending I'm okay and I'm happy for real?

I know there are no answers to my questions except that time heals all wounds. But I want answers. I guess I'll settle for a few minutes of smiling every now and again and hope that the distance between now and again diminishes over time.

No Socialized Medicine!

Okay, I completely stole this from AMERICAblog, one of my absolute favorite liberal political blogs. Because I said that, I know that some people won't read this post, although I hope you will.

Remember, this is NOT my original work and I have no idea who originally wrote it and neither do the good guys over at AMERICAblog. If you know, let me know and I'll happily give credit where it's due.

I have so much to say about this whole health care debate, but it's going to have to wait for another post. Too many untruths are being spewed as facts. For now, I'm going to let the piece below speak for itself.

Over at AMERICAblog, this is titled "I'm An American Conservative Shithead," but I thought that title would scare too many people off, so I changed it for the title of my blog. I also found other titles used as I searched the internet for the author including "I'm an American Conservative Shitheel" and "A Day in the Life of Joe Republican," so I feel comfortable using my own blog post title.

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy.

I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility.

After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

I watched this while eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank.

On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the U.S. Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right.

Jerry Taft Cracks Up on 10pm News

Did you happen to see Jerry Taft lose it last night during the 10pm ABC7 News in Chicago? It was hysterical. I laughed and laughed along with Jerry as it happened live, even though I honestly didn't know what he was laughing at. According to the ABC7 website, Mark Giangreco was giving Jerry a hard time off-air and Jerry just couldn't stop laughing.

It's worth a revisit. Just try to keep a straight face. Who knew reporting the weather was so darn funny?

Those Crazy Teenage Years . . .

. . . were made so much easier with John Hughes' films.

Pretty in Pink. Sixteen Candles. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The Breakfast Club.

These movies are woven into the fabric of my teen years. I can quote them with ease, just like everyone else who came of age in the 1980s.

My experience may have been just a little different though.

All of the John Hughes movies were filmed around Chicago in a town named Shermer, Illinois. Shermer doesn't exist, but John Hughes grew up in the North Shore Chicago suburb of Northbrook and graduated from Glenbrook North High School on Shermer Road.

The church used for the wedding in Sixteen Candles is Glencoe Union Church in Glencoe, another North Shore town, is the church my Gardner grandparents were members of for years, my Aunt Barb and Uncle Jeff were married there, and my grandparents' ashes are buried there in the memorial garden. And just like Anthony Michael Hall's character, I've made out in the park across the street from the church. (It was years ago and I won't tell you with whom). Every girl loved and lusted after Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles in high school. My 2-year high school boyfriend looked just like him. Yes, I was a lucky girl.


Sixteen Candles - Final Scene - Movie Ending - The most amazing home videos are here

Ferris Bueller's Day Off . . . I don't even know where to begin. We all wished we'd had a friend like Ferris who would push us to take chances and have more fun than we ever imagined, but somehow never really got caught. Ferris taught us all the most important lesson of them all. "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."



Freshman year at Lake Forest College, there was a woman who lived next door to me who looked almost exactly like Mia Sara (Sloan Peterson, Ferris' girlfriend). The rumor mill around campus was that it was her, but it wasn't.

Who among us couldn't identify with the characters of The Breakfast Club? The jock, the misfit, the nerd, the princess, the wastoid. They were each of us and we were each of them. They taught us that no matter what clique we belonged to, there was far more than united us than divided us.

Yes, these were the movies of my youth. The movies I watch over and over and over again no matter how many times I've seen them, how old I get, how many curse words are bleeped, or how many commercials I must suffer through. John Hughes' films told us we were normal and that the angst we all experienced wasn't unique to us and our individual social standing.

When I worked at Lake Forest Food and Wine in Lake Forest during college, John Hughes used to come in all the time. He was the nicest, humblest guy. In fact, I didn't even realize it was him at first until the store owner told me after he'd left the first time. He didn't have that air that of self-importance that highly successful people with gobs of money sometimes have. He was truly an everyman. And he will be missed.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Are you feeling guilty because you missed my birthday in June? Maybe you were just thinking you wanted to get me a gift "just because." Maybe you want to give me the coolest Christmas present ever. Whatever your reason, it's ALWAYS a good idea to get me gifts. And I have a gift idea for you that we can enjoy together, as long as you get yourself a ticket too.

Wrigley Field offers tours! And they're only $25 per person! That's about the same cost as going to see some crappy movie with popcorn and a Diet Coke.

Check out this video!



And then go to the Chicago Cubs website and schedule our tour!

Just Like President Obama, I Was Born In Kenya!

Well, I'll be . . . I can't believe this is true, but I found it on the Internets, so it must be! Here I always thought I was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida, but it seems that birth certificate I've been using for 38 years may be a fake. It turns out, I was born in Mombasa, Kenya, just like President Obama. In fact, we were even born in the same hospital! WOW!

Believe me, I'm going to have some serious conversations with my parents over the next few days.

See my birth certificate . . .

Open Letter to Betsey & Ross

My mom's friend Jane sent this to me tonight. I have to say, it was brilliant of Jane to email it. Betsey and Ross are in need of some new rules, so I'm posting this over their food dishes, above their litter boxes, and at cat nose level on the refrigerator.

Unfortunately, I have no idea who authored it. If you know, please let me know and I'll give credit where credit is due.

Feel free to use it with your pets.

Dear Betsey and Ross:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. Let's make a deal: I won't eat your food and you don't eat mine.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

Speaking of beds, from time to time, God willing, I may have company in mine. No, I do not need your pre-approval. I also do not need your supervision. Really.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years--feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To all non-pet owners who visit and like to complain about my pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it "fur"niture.
3. I like Betsey and Ross a lot more than I like most people.
4. To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted children who are short, hairy, walk on all fours, and don't speak clearly.
   

Love,

Mom

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

Happy Birthday President Obama!

I wasn't sure who to have sing to you for your big day. So I asked Beyonce, since she did such a fine job at the Inaugural Ball, and Marilyn Monroe, since she's got experience singing to the President.





I know it's a little tacky to ask you to give me a gift on your birthday, but I'm going to do it anyway. I did get two sexy starlets to sing to you afterall. Anyway, I'd really like it if you could get me healthcare for all Americans for your birthday. Thank you!

Gratitude List

One thing that's helped me feel better over the last few days is focusing on all I have to be grateful for. I thought I'd share that list tonight, as I do periodically.

Today I'm grateful . . .

• that I had 38 wonderful years with Nana and that up until the last two years, she was in fairly good health. She had her problems and was never quite the same after her stroke in 2002, but she was feisty, fun, optimistic, loving, generous, and the kindest woman I've ever known.
  
• that I have a business with flexibility so I can take the time I need to mourn and be with my family.
• for music that makes me want to sing and dance. Of course, I'm also grateful that I can sing and dance.
• for friends who give me space, but don't let me fall too far. It's a delicate balance, but my friends seem to have mastered it.
• for the generosity that has poured out of friends, family and strangers these last few weeks. I received the list of donors in Nana's honor to Crystal Beach Community Church today and am blown away by the generosity of those who have donated. I am overwhelmed with gratitude on this one.
• that I took the advice to get into grief counseling. It took me awhile to find what was right for me, but just setting up the appointment has made all the difference.
• that I am able to spend more time with my mom this month and we've got some really fun stuff planned.
• for Betsey and Ross. Never ever underestimate the healing power of pets.
• that I feel like myself today.
• for the friendships I've renewed through Facebook. Que "It's A Small World Afterall" here.
• that the Cubs won tonight.
  

Snuggies for Dogs!

Does your best friend get a little chilly and nervous about going out during Chicago's sub-zero weather? For that matter, is your pooch ever a bit cold around the house?

Yes?

Then I've got the perfect gift for you!

For just $14.95, plus $7.95 shipping, you can accessorize your dog in the hottest fashion item around: The Snuggie!

And what's even better, you can get a second Snuggie for free AND two free recordable dog tags! PLUS you can choose between blue and pink! Just imagine how your pet will feel walking around the neighborhood in the ultra-chic Snuggie or snuggling with you at home in your matching Snuggies!



My favorite line of the commercial: "It's just too cute for words." Um, okay. I guess that's one way to put it.

And, yes, of course, my friends with dogs can fully expect to receive this from Betsey, Ross, and Me, this Christmas. I've already ordered them all . . . in pink. Really. There's no need to thank me.