New York for Christmas

Flashes of my trip to New York for Christmas

Seeing my nephews

Seeing my siblings

All the girls

Dropping in on my sister's in-laws

All celebrations

 

Randy Campbell

 

The baby of our Peace Corps group, Randy Campbell, was a glorious gift in my life. He toured the world and explored new cultures and had adventures I could only dream of. And he made friends everywhere. His spontaneity meant that I could get a call at 2pm and have the joy of him for dinner that night. Such joy. 53 years just doesn't seem like enough time. I love you, baby brother. You are forever in my heart.

On the fifth of December, Randy and his dog were killed when his van was hit head on... and I can't believe it. My heart is sick and sad. I miss you and love you, my sweet boy.

COVID-19

I had sinus congestion on  September 23rd and just to be safe, I did a home Covid test. It was negative, so I went to work- we all mask at our desks so it wasn't a big worry. John had a fever that night, so we pushed Gatorade and Ibuprofen, but his Covid test was also negative.

Sunday night, before heading to work on Monday, I did another at home test that was again negative- which was good as I had a work project I had to get done on Monday.

But Monday was a rough day. I did not feel well and it got worse over the course of the day- I left early and on arriving home, did my third at home test of the week. And it was positive.

For the first time since the pandemic was declared on March 13, 2020, this illness got hold of me. On September 27th I did a proctored exam that confirmed that I had COVID-19. Bah Humbug!

Still, I consider myself truly lucky- I had my vaccine and first booster. When I was diagnosed, my Primary Care Provider prescribed Paxlovid, and five days later I was on Prednisone. But I did not have to be admitted to the hospital. I did not end up intubated. 

But the cough, the insomnia, the aching bones and fatigue that is impossible to describe.  I am using Vicks, albuterol, Reishi Mushroom tea with Rooibos and Orange Peel- which tastes worse than dirt but I need to do something. 

I was out of work for another week- My FMLA ran through October 17th...And I went back to work today- and only worked a half day because I was exhausted. After speaking to my manager, we agreed to me working short days the rest of the week. 

I am not a fan of this illness.

Mikhail Gorbachev

 

Mikhail Gorbachev died yesterday, and it feels like the old Cold War is fading from memory. Gorbachev ushered in a new world- Berlin's wall came down and he said it was a German event. No tanks rolled. He let it happen. The USSR had many of it's republics pull away. And he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

But I also remember 1986. The Chernobyl disaster, a nuclear accident, occurred on 26 April 1986. And he didn't warn the world as soon as he could have.

Things I never thought I would see in my lifetime now seem a world away.

My granny named her pup after Gorbachev- he was well thought of in the West. 

Rest in Peace.

Meeting Ella Quinn

Today I got to meet the romance author of The Marriage Game series, The Worthington series, The Trevors series and most recently, The Lords of London series. I love her stories and have read each novel, and have the Kindle versions and all her Audible options. 

I follow her on her Facebook group, and when she said she would be in the US, I asked when she would be in the area I live in (I use the term area in loose terms- it was over five hours travel time but totally worth it!)

I left my house early in the morning, and drove in my "WHY DON'T I HAVE AIR-CONDITIONING" car on what was a VERY hot day thru Kentucky, Indiana, a some of lower Illinois, when I decided to stop for a drink about an hour from our meeting place. I was making good time and just wanted something cold. In jumping out, I only took my wallet, realizing a few minutes later that I had locked my keys in the car!

Only me!

I called my Roadside assistance people... They had no providers anywhere near where I was.

I decided if worse came to worse, I would break a window. I would have to drive all the way home instead of staying overnight in Louisville but needs must. 

I called the Carmi IL police department and lucky for me, Officer Grider was able to get me into my car without any damage and I was on the road again in short order.

I arrived at The Hills in Harrisburg IL only to discover that I was really early- Illinois is an hour behind Ohio- a fun fact I completely forgot!

So I settled in to wait and it was SO WORTH IT.

We ordered lunch and we talked about her books, her former life as a JAG and family attorney, the world and life in general. She is brilliant, funny and I felt honored to spend time with her. Ella offered to sign my copies of her books and I was over the moon. And so glad I brought them all with me.

It was a great afternoon and I am so glad I went. We parted company, her to go see grandchildren and me to get to the Louisville hotel for the night.

But my adventure was not over yet. As I pulled in a gas station, my oil light went red, and when checked, my car was dry- no oil at all. Grateful to have stopped before my engine seized, I got 2 quarts in and was back on my way. And just outside of Louisville, there was a downpour and it cooled off the day.

Thanks so much, Ella!

 

Breonna Taylor and Justice in the making

Today the big stories are:

Alex Jones having to pay $4 million to two of the Sandy Hook parents because he caused emotional distress by claiming the shooting was staged. Not nearly enough.

Brittney Griner, a WNBA player who was arrested in Russia back in February because she brought less than a gram of  cannabis oil into the country, was sentenced to NINE years. Yes, traveling to other countries means subjecting yourself to their rule of law. But NINE years?!?  She pleaded guilty and so the length of the sentence may have way more to go with a war in Ukraine and how pissed Putin is with Biden than an actual belief she was going to Russia to sell drugs. Just saying...

Today is the anniversary of when the Nazis found Anne Frank and her family....

But the biggest news today is about Breonna Taylor. Today marks 874 days since Breonna Taylor was killed on March 13, 2020. Today the FBI arrested 3 former officers (Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, and Kelly Goodlett) and 1 current officer (Kyle Meany). It is believed that Jaynes and Goodlett did not verify the accuracy of the warrant affidavit and then lied about it to the investigators. Meany approved the affidavit that he knew was inaccurate. All of this set in motion the fatal raid that killed Breonna. Hankison is charged with excessive force. In March 2022, he was found not guilty on state charges related to the raid. This is only the beginning of what will be a long and ugly court battle, but I hope to see justice done.

Hamilton

I didn't get into Hamilton way back in 2015-2016 when the Lin Manuel Miranda brought the show from off Broadway to Broadway. I dismissed my friend Betty when she and her husband spent a small fortune on a trip to NYC with their Broadway tickets as the highlight.

It had been a rough few weeks since the Pandemic was declared and the world started to shut down. And I suspected the worst yet to come would be heartbreaking. New York City had a death rate that terrified me. My family is still there. I had a sister working in a City Hospital. I had a friend who was a mortician. Their stories chilled the blood in my veins.

The world news was full of sadness, heartbreak, fear... 

Enter my hero, John Krasinski, who I knew from Jack Ryan (I never watched The Office) and 13 Hours. On April 5, 2020, Some Good News with John Krasinski (Ep. 2) dropped. 

The story of a 9 year old not seeing Hamilton leads to a Zoom bomb by Lin Manuel and the original cast and they serenade the 9 year old. It was a bright light in a very dark time. And this spark of true joy started my late to the party love of the musical Hamilton. I have watched it an obsene number of times- my safe and happy place, 

On July 3rd 2020, Hamilton dropped on Disney Plus and I watched it and fell in love. I cried when John Lawrence died, when our First Father stepped down, when Philip, poor Philip... I yelled at Hamilton for cheating on his dear sweet wife.

And I sobbed my eyes out when Alexander Hamilton died. Like it just happened, instead of happening in 1803.

Then I watched First Burn... and It's Quiet Uptown by Kelly Clarkson. 

Yes. Officially obsessed. In absolute love. And how I needed it that dark dark summer. And I read the book (a mammoth task even for a bookworm like me) which only shows my brain doesn't work anything like Lin Manuel Miranda. 

I am watching Hamilton again tonight after finishing Failing Up by Leslie Odem Jr. (Arron Burr).

I will always be grateful to these brilliantly talented individuals and this gift they have given us.

Miss Fisher

Acorn TV has a great series from Australia that I discovered in March of 2020 when Amazon recommended the series to me when I finished another series- sometimes those automated recommendations come up with a true winner.  I love the books too, but the joy of 1920's Melbourne is a delight. And the clothes! After the series ended, they crowd funded for a movie to pick up the story.

SO MUCH FUN!

And there are some great female roles.

If you are looking for a good series- give it a go. 

I also recommend  the follow-up series, Ms. Fisher's Modern Mysteries take the story to the 1960's. 
 

Speed Limit Birthday

 I spent the weekend in Chicago. It went by in a blur- Drinks and dinner with friends, a green river, the Art museum full of Monets, amazing Guatemalan food, a Thai massage (NEVER AGAIN but HILARIOUS!!) and a visit to the bean, a drink 96 floors up, cake and pizza... It was a good time had by all!

Liz is off to her next big adventure- Mexico then Guatemala, so it was a send-off for her as well. 

I am grateful to my cousin Maryellen who hosted us along with Jean and Geraldine, her housemates. 

Here's to the next 55!

Goodbye Nonna

 My son's grandmother, Carmela, died at the end of February. 

My son last saw her when we were in New York for my father's funeral mass. We visited her and my son's aunt, Roe. It was a good visit. Roe, who has been living with cancer for the last several years, was having a good day. Carmela recognized my son, which was not assured given her diagnosis of Parkinson's and dementia. It was such a good visit. I am glad it is our last memory of both of them.

Roe died in November after her long struggle. Carmela moved to her sister's house in Sicily the week prior to Roe's passing. Roe had arranged everything for her mom. She was the perfect daughter.

My son has lost so much in the last two years. I think he might be numb to all the tragedy and sadness.  I ache for him. What can you do when there is nothing you can do?

2022 starts with a loss

 Betty White's death was announced on New Year's Eve, Sidney Poitier died January 6th, and the Bob Saget died on January 9th at only 65 years old.

Icons all, and losses to be sure. But when it was announced that Meatloaf died on January 20th, 2022, my heart broke. 

Because he was MY icon.

My Facebook comment was:

Meat Loaf's two biggest albums, 1977's "Bat Out of Hell" and the 1993's "Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell" gave us "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", Heaven Can Wait", and "I'd Do Anything for Love, But I Won't Do That". "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" gave us his role as Eddie (What's for dinner? Meatloaf, Eddie, Same thing!) My friends and I knew all the words of every song and sang along- still do, if I am honest. We danced to "Paradise" at my sister's wedding. I even got to see him live in concert. Meatloaf- thank you for the magic. Rest in Peace.

That night, I talked to a friend I met when I worked at the Hayden Planetarium- my favorite High School job, and we shared our mutual sadness. Because his music was the soundtrack of our childhood.  And the loss is profound.