The Road to Farley is Less Traveled

I was feeling sorry for myself as I sat in the Admiral's Lounge, waiting for my flight home. It was a stressful week at work. I logged 76 hours in five days, and I was operating on about 2.5 hours of sleep. I was barely able to keep my eyes open while I waited. Then, something on the tarmac caught my eye. I watched and waited.  Suddenly,  I felt really small and petty for thinking I had it so bad.  This is what I saw.  Quietly, and without prompting, those of us seated near the windows who saw what was happening all stood and watched in silence to show our respect for the fallen anonymous soldier.  It was a sweltering 95 degrees outside and probably hotter on that tarmac in the stifling humidity. The soldier's comrades never faltered and carried out their honorable task with precision, surrounded by the American Airlines ground crew.  My week was not hard.  I am sitting in an airport lounge waiting to boa...

I'm really busy at work right now. So I made a vow with myself to get up earlier and start work earlier to be more productive. My days are filled with meetings so I don't get actual tasks accomplished. Yet, here I am, enjoying the quiet of the morning. With this face... Well, there's always tomorrow for an early start. 

I've had a revelation in the past few months that dogs, like people, sometimes turn out not to be who you think they are or want them to be. They also have the propensity to disappoint.  We can all agree that 2020 was a pretty shit year thanks to COVID-19. It was made worse for me when I lost my dad in April and then lost my dog in July. I grieved hard when I lost Bailey2. It was the straw that pushed me over the edge, I guess.  So, of course, I began the quest for another dog. It's what we've always done...being a dog loving family. Though our last five dogs were rescues, all with some kind of quirk, getting a puppy seemed like a great idea. I had my heart set on a Rough Collie, but also a Blue Merle so she would have the same coloring as Bailey2. Enter Luna... Super cute, right? It started out great. She was housebroken in less than a week. Slept through the night after the second or third night of being home. We started in puppy pre-school right away. She learned sit, do...

I've been thinking a lot lately about the past year and all the losses, heartbreak, challenges, hate, and vitriol suffered by so many people all over the world. It is hard for me to understand what leads a person to such hate of someone different than yourself. I kept thinking about this clip from "Trainwreck." If you look at the pictures on your phone or social media, or look at your friends or followers on social media and do not see people who look different than you...people of color, different ethnicities and cultures, straight, LGBQT, left, right, rich, poor, smart, average, differently abled...you may be part of the problem and are really missing out on the beauty and diversity of our world. Everyone has a story, be open to listening to it. That is all...happy Sunday, happy spring.  Watch "Trainwreck Funny scene first meet Amy & dr.Conners" on YouTube https://youtu.be/lzsO13c7Jic  

On my way to O'Hare Airport this morning, traffic was backed up in the westbound lanes of 80/94 for a "gapers' block." I'd heard this on the traffic alert, but decided to go this way as my alternate route would be to go through downtown Chicago, which had its' own traffic issues because of the looting and rioting that took place overnight. But, that is another story.  So, back to 80/94. Sure enough, the slowdown occurred right at Kennedy like they said. It was clear the eastbound lanes were shut down because there was no traffic. As I approached Torrance Avenue, I could see the accident scene. It was horrific. It's not clear exactly what happened, but a semi tractor was involved and the driver side was smashed in and the windshield shattered. There was a large pickup off on the shoulder with pretty bad front end damage as well. Then, there were two cars in the middle of the four lanes completely destroyed. There was debris across all four lanes for at leas...

We can all agree that 2020 has really been one for the record books. Now, more than ever, the level of hypocrisy coming from our elected leaders to our neighbors across the street has been on prime display.  hy·poc·ri·sy /həˈpäkrəsē/ Learn to pronounce noun the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.     Quite frankly, I'm sick of it.  If "All Lives Matter," where is your outrage when:  Migrants are kept in cages at the border Innocent people are put to death in our prison system A court denies an appeal to end the life sentence of a man (who has already served 20 years) accused of stealing hedge trimmers Peaceful protesters are brutally attacked by covert federal agents Thousands of individuals are dying daily due to COVID-19 but people refuse to wear a mask People are insistent that children go back to school en masse this fall If your constitutional or civil rights are being thwarted...