Better The Second Time Around

I remembered what I forgot to mention in my last post.  My cousin, Carole, went through a messy divorce last year, after 29 or so years of marriage.  Even the kids turned against her, claiming she had been abusive to them, and needed mental help.  She remained strong with backing from her siblings and mother.

About the time she was getting near the finalization of the divorce, she met an old friend from her childhood while at church.  They hit it off and on his birthday this past Friday, he proposed to her.  They haven't set a date yet, but she called to let me know, and to make sure I would set aside a long weekend in the future to go to MN for her wedding.

It's unfortunate that at this time her children (who are all adults) will not be there to share in her joy.  I think this new man is making her very happy, and I am very excited for her.

Beautiful Weekend Followed by a Sad Monday

Several weeks ago, I received a message from one of those school contact sites, where you can get back in touch with people from school.  It was my friend Holly, whom I had not been in touch with since we graduated 6th grade.  She actually had lived here in the Chicago area for several years and had never thought about looking me up.  Now she lives in Louisville with her husband and two dogs.  Lo and behold, her husband is doing some work this summer in Chicago, and she came up to visit him.  So on Saturday, I drove into the city and met up with them at their hotel.  We walked several blocks looking for a relatively quiet place to sit and have a drink or two and chat for a bit while deciding what to do.  Unfortunately, we only had a few hours together, but it was so nice to see her again.  We both don't want to let 30 years go by before getting together again.

Then today I go in to work and find out a co-worker passed away Friday night.  Our Credit Manager was undergoing chemotherapy for Mesothelioma.  Unfortunately, the cancer was already very advanced when they diagnosed him, and the intensive drugs never really had a chance.  So after work today I went to the wake, and several from my office will be at the funeral tomorrow.

I keep thinking there's something else I wanted to mention, but I can't think of it.  If I happen to remember what it was, I'll post it later this week.

The Book of Eli

Last night I rented this movie, starring Denzel Washington, who plays the lead character Eli.  It's sort of a post-apocalyptic scene, where he is trying to deliver a very important book to a place for safekeeping.  There were a couple of bloody scenes, and a lot of killing, but it's a very barren, survival of the fittest type landscape.  You start to learn the significance of the book about half way through.  I thought it was a very good movie and would recommend it highly.

Inception

Saturday night I watched Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Very deep!  I heard both good and bad comments about the movie, but usually like to make up my own mind.  I remember from the movie trailer, I had no idea what the movie was about.  Here's the plot line:

"In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date:  Inception."

Basically, they invade someone's dream to steal information, but this job is to plant an idea instead.

The visual effects are fantastic, and when it was over, the idea of controlling a dream amazes me.  I really enjoyed it.

Has anyone else seen this movie? If so, what did you think of it?

If I Were A Flower...

If I were a flower, I think I'd be a Morning Glory.

That way, I'd always be up early in the morning, instead of sleeping half the day away.

Hot Times in the Windy City

.. DANGEROUS HEAT EXPECTED ON TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY...

AN UNSEASONABLY WARM AND MOIST ATMOSPHERE WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE A FIRM GRIP OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY CLIMB INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 90S ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWESTERN INDIANA ON TUESDAY. THESE TEMPERATURES... COMBINED WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S WILL RESULT IN HEAT INDICES CLIMBING ABOVE 100 DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BECAUSE OF THE SOUTHWESTERLY WIND COMPONENT... THIS DANGEROUS HEAT WILL ALSO IMPACT AREAS NEAR THE LAKE. LITTLE RELIEF IS EXPECTED AT NIGHT... ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS... AS TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY REMAIN IN THE UPPER 70S TO NEAR 80 FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS. THIS DANGEROUS HEAT WILL CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AS HEAT INDICES AGAIN CLIMB TO 100 TO 105. COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.

THE COMBINATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS... STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM... STAY OUT OF THE SUN... AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

CHILDREN AND PETS SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN VEHICLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE DURING HOT WEATHER WHEN THE CAR INTERIOR CAN REACH DANGEROUSLY HIGH TEMPERATURES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES!

Hey You! What Song are you Listening to?