Earl, Jamie, and Chris gave me an afternoon at the “man spa” today. Festivities included a 90 min deep tissue massage, my first mani-pedi, and my first hour long facial.I feel amazing!
July 2018
Avoidance.
I’ve been avoiding politics on Twitter. I unfollowed a bunch of journalists that habitually retweet each other. I’ve blocked a few extra keywords from appearing in my timeline. I’m using the Twitter app the make the platform less appealing to me and I no longer wear pearls; lest I won’t clutch them during the Twitter Outrage-Du-Jour.
In short, I strive to throw water on the raging dumpster fire of the platform instead of gasoline.
It’s not that things are getting any better, quite the opposite. We are rapidly heading into the age of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, but so many in society are incapable of separating reality from reality television or dystopian television shows and movies in general, it doesn’t really matter anymore. Honestly, I’m tired. I just want to nap until someone else, anyone else, takes the high-chair in the Oval Office.
American news broadcasts are useless. There is no reporting anymore; it’s all speculation, conjecture, and opinion. I follow Al Jazeera and the BBC.
I don’t want to be part of this team sport we call politics anymore. I want to be part of a sane society that encompasses the world.
It’s a shame I’ll probably never see it in my lifetime.
Easy.
The Netflix series “Easy” is filming in our neighborhood this week. Earl and I couldn’t recall the series when we saw the signs posted along nearby streets, but then we looked it up at home and realized we had watched some episodes back when we lived in Central New York.
We started watching season two this evening.
I remembered enjoying the series when watching season one last year (before our move), watching season two is extra fun because we live in the same city as where the series takes place and was filmed. This never happened when we lived in Utica, because after all, the only thing that took place in Utica was the first episode of a Jenny McCarthy flop, and that wasn’t even filmed in Utica.
If you want to see what it’s about, here’s a link to the show on Netflix.
“Easy” on Netflix. The “new” content channels are so much better than the traditional networks.
“Easy” is on on our binge list for the month. We’ll have to check out the filming going on later this week.
Brown Line View.
The two tourists sitting in front of us on the Brown Line, pointing out landmarks as we went along, inspired me to snap this photo from the moving train. I feel a love for this city that others find unbelievable. Chicago gets a bad rap, and there are small pockets of bad places in the city, but overall I love it here and moving here was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Seek your happiness so you can find it.
Truth.
A friend from high school posted this on Facebook. People need to read this:
Okay, I have resisted fb for weeks, but I just need to state some truth that many of you are not aware of.
1) Our Big (her husband –J.P.) is a federal attorney, not an immigration attorney, but someone who knows his way around federal court. He is trying to reunite children with their parent, and we are in TX. Children have been moved all over the country without any records being kept. There is a federal court order to reunite these children with their parents, but the administration is unable to find these children.
2) Under international and federal law, any human that sets a foot on USA soil is entitled to due process. For you morons who do not understand what that is, look it up. Google is your friend.
3) 90 percent of these parents were seeking asylum. For you morons stating seek it from your home country, one cannot seek it from one’s home country. Political and religious asylum must be pursued from inside the United States. That is the law. A woman and her five year old son were seperated AFTER once she crossed the border, she flagged down border patrol and asked for asylum. Not someone looking to buck the system. But someone looking for a better life. That is what America is. Why would people flag down Customs and Border Patrol if they were not trying to do the right thing?
4) 99 percent of people let out of custody, follow through with their court appointments. If they are not granted asylum, they are deported.
5) yes there were children detained under the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations. They were UNACCOMPANIED MINORS. Also, children that were with adults who may not have been actual cbildren of the adults crossing the border….meaning sex trafficking or kidnapping. They were detained as well.
6) Whatever you think is okay, think if your child was taken from your arms. Think about it. Think long and hard. Think about being in a situation that was so desperate, that you decided to travel 3000 miles with nothing but the clothes on your back and a couple of bucks in your pocket. I am a mother. I would never move my children unless their lives were in danger. These mothers are heros.
7) Before you complain, UNDERSTAND THE FUCKING LAW. AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION IS BREAKING IT
8. ) If you are a mother, and accept this, shut the fuck up. You have no right to speak. Any mother that accepts this is despicable.
Defriend me, hate me, whatever you want to do but you are dead wrong.
9) It is easy to be white in this country. So many of you are so afraid. White people not understanding white privilege is like a pretty girl saying, “Why is everyone so nice to me??”
10) I can always understand conservative viewpoints. I get it. But this broke me. Kidnapping children for political gain is not only disgusting, but evil, and people will pay.
11) The real haters will never get this far. The people who accept this despicable, hateful treatment of children will never read this. Why didnt they? They are cowards, and do not care about the lives of BABIES. Cowards.
SmartRoads.
This is technology put to good use. Introduced last autumn, the SmartRoad technology on the Jane Adams Tollway (Interstate 90) west of Chicago is pretty cool to watch in action.
Listen.
Growing up I loved sitting on the screened in porch on the back of the house. It sat about 25 feet from the woods and it was peaceful and quiet. Breezes from Lake Ontario would make their way inland and they’d be accompanied by crickets and frogs making noise and the sounds of an approaching train way off in the distance. The cats would strategically place themselves about the back lawn, our dog would settle in under her house for the night. It was summertime and it was peaceful. I loved it.
Fast forward 38 years and I’m sitting on the balcony on our fifth floor condo in the city of Chicago. The breezes are blowing from Lake Michigan. The rumble of the ‘L’ visits periodically. Overhead lights indicate passengers on their way to and from O’Hare and farther in the distance, Midway. The ambience is different. The sounds are different. The vibe is more electric but I feel very relaxed.
Growing up I always loved being home because it was home. I still feel the same way. The place is different and I’ve moved from a little bit country to a little bit rock ‘n roll, but I love being home because it’s home.
Awesome.
As Earl and I were driving along the roads of Northwestern Illinois yesterday I asked him how he was doing on a more than normal basis. This was his first time on a ride in the Jeep since his surgery and since he’s been in recovery for only a couple of weeks, I was worried this might have been a little much for him.
I was wrong.
When I asked to his well being, my husband would respond in a very positive voice, “I’m doing great”. It’s this positivity that has brought him along in his recovery much faster than I ever thought he would progress. He would occasionally ask me how I was doing and I would say, “OK”. In reality, I was enjoying the moment, and I was feeling grounded in my element. When I can’t fly I enjoy going for long rides. It’s what I do. Earl’s response to my “OK” was, “I want you to be better than OK. I want you to be great! It’s all about the attitude.”
This led to a discussion about the world in general and how recent events in the country are really bothering me. This is when Earl told me something that helped adjust my attitude.
“They want you to be just OK. They want you to feel fine. But our life is better than OK. Our life is great. And it’s OK to be vocal to help others make their life great, but it’s important that we stay upbeat and positive as it’s the only way to beat the negativity.”
As always, my husband is completely right. It’s time to stop worrying and to put more positive energy in the world. The people in charge right now lead miserable lives and they want everyone around them to be miserable. Let’s counteract and shut this out with a whole bunch of awesome.
That’s how we can make the world a better place.
Open Road.
Earl and I just arrived back home after a 12 hour ride from Chicago to Iowa and back, exploring various nooks and crannies of Northwestern Illinois along the way.
It was very relaxing and a great way to escape the heat of the city. The sky was beautiful, the small towns interesting and we spent some time driving along the Mississippi River.
A great way to spend a Saturday.
