Bill Remembers Belmont and Broadway
Gerry's Blog
This time, Gerry talks about Peace of Mind. I always feel better after reading his blogs. I hope you do too. I am emailing.
The Discoverer
La Pas, Bolivia is the destination. Another place we may never get to, but enjoy finding out a little about it from home. I am emailing.
Carole sent an article about Jane Austin. She never goes out of style. (That's Carole, and Jane.) I am emailing.
Yesterday I enjoyed a fun lunch with my friend Trudy. Only one bee! It left our table when we refused to pay attention to it.
So, in case you're feeling blue about being inside again, here's a few things that have landed in my inbox, which I happily pass along.
Season 6 of Schitt's Creek will be on Netflix starting October 7. If you haven't watched this delightful series, you have a great binge watch ahead. Don't miss it.
Remember when we travelled all over Chicago in October to take advantage of the programs at the Chicago Humanities Festival? Here's the schedule for 2020. They are doing their best. . . as are we all.
My favorite travel site, The Discoverer, imagines visiting Taipei, Taiwan. Not on the top of my list, but fun to read about.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's and my life have spanned the same arc of history. I faced the same discrimination as she did. One of my classmates at Northwestern was able to quip: "Only ugly girls go to grad school."
I have so much admiration for the few of us who insisted on professional careers. Teaching and social work were the most attainable. But one became a chemist and another an M.D. And, I think it's fun to remember that Playboy magazine did hire women for creative jobs.
It wasn't until much later that I was able to have a creative job too. Most of it was me of course, but I was able to fall in with changing times. Times that were secured for me by the work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Is this a John Grisham novel? No. It's real life. Maya Moore, the WNBA star, left her career to work full time to secure the release of Jonathan Irons from prison. It worked! Maya says she has known Jonathan for 13 years. That's an indication of how long it takes for an innocent person to finally be set free. The delays are heartbreaking. Yesterday, they announced their marriage. Every good wish to them both.
In the latest issue of The Atlantic magazine there's a twisty tale of a woman who befriends a man in prison through a dog training program. Eventually she helps him escape. As you can image, this story has a different ending. Great read.
If you're interested further, I just read a sobering but fascinating book by Jim McCloskey, When Truth is All You Have. Jim has devoted his life to fighting for the incarcerated innocent. Grisham credits Jim for inspiring his own writing on the subject.
Also, there's a remarkable program on Netflix: Rectify. I watched it a few years ago and it stays with me to this day.
I discovered Chicago Public Square when it was featured on my favorite podcast -- The Ben Joravsky Show. It's a roundup of local news that's a lot more appealing than the silly local TV shows and, I have to admit, I no longer subscribe to a daily paper.
It's easy to get the Square. Just go to the site and hit "Subscribe." It's free.
One item remarked on the passing of Bob Rohrman, the TV car pitchman. I thought:
"Oh no, I'm not going to be able to get that "roar" out of my head today." You've got to admit, he was a local phenom.
The Square invites tips. I sent this one in. When I saw a list of Chicago restaurants that are closing permanently, I paused at two: Ronny's Steak House (did you ever have one of their $2 steak dinners?), and Harold's Chicken Shack (Marguerite told me about the fabulous south side favorite). A heartfelt R.I.P. to both.
