Doubt

We watched the movie Doubt last night. I had no expectations and had no idea what it was really about. It was a really good movie and made us really think. You have no idea if the character is guilty of what he has been accused of or not. At no point is it made clear definitively whether the character is guilty or not. It is a really clever movie; I really liked it.

I added the photo as an afterthought. I had no idea it had won so many awards. I don't follow the Oscars, etc. It deserves them.

The Toad - AKA: Mr. Sweetheart of a Guy

Two nights ago, I was standing on the driveway talking to Lana and Rich and I saw a tiny silhouette shadow on the street. I walked toward it and stooped down. It was a tiny little amphibian. I brought it into the house to see what kind it was. It was a little toad. After letting it hop around the washroom sink for a minute, we went back outside. I let him/her go in the garden and hoped that no snakes or skinks would find him. He/she is safer in the garden than on the street. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE frogs and toads?

Acute Bronchitis - NOT Pneumonia

At this moment, I now only cough when I get chatty. Mornings and evenings I go through a grandpa-eque lung purging routine that would make all prisses faint with disgust. It's a necessary evil. I've had this delightful disease over the years (thanks loads mom and dad for being smokers during my childhood) and purging the lungs of evils is absolutely necessary! Hey, at least I do it in the bathroom with the door shut and the fan on! You're welcome.

The nurse at my doctor's office diagnosed my ailment as pneumonia on June 26th. I had been all pleasant and optimistic about only having Pneumonia. Yippee, it turns out it was only an early stage of the dreaded bronchitis. We were supposed to leave for Chicago on the 27th, however Erika called and said she was too sick. That worked for me too; I was sicker than a dog by Saturday the 27th. I was so sick I called my dear doctor's emergency number three times over a six hour period starting at 10am and ending at 5:30pm, but the man didn't have the decency or courtesy to call me back in any timely manner. By 10pm, I was in the emergency room at St. Anthony's Hospital. Apparently, Dr. Wessling finally called our house while I was there. After Xrays, blood tests and the lowest dose of morphine known to mankind, I was diagnosed with the above-mentioned bronchitis. The doctor prescribed an Albuterol inhaler and the lowest dose of darvacet to calm my over-active lungs down. Wow, that worked like a charm! I went from not having a break between plague-victim-esque coughs to being able to rest and actually sleep. Wow! I can't believe I got this in the summer. But it is far worse to have this midwinter when the air is dryer than hell. Thank God for the process of the hospital emergency room. Who would've thought I'd get the most thorough care there?!? I used to tough this ailment out but not anymore! Yay drugs! I'm making a lot of those 'hemmm hemmm' noises right now; I hope the locals find it sexy. Hey, it's better than the loud, phlegmy throat clearings favored by the older generations of men. Right?

Chicago - Coolsville

I had a really good time in ChiTown. Our departure was delayed by both Erika and I suffering from our own respective plagues. Hers: some viral sore throat and cough thingie. Mine: Pneumonia, NO! Make that acute bronchitis. By Monday, I felt capable of going to Erika's. Fortunately, she was pretty low-key since she was still hacking too. Thank God; normally we walk for miles while there. I couldn't have withstood that without dying from an exploded lung.

We had mellow meals on restaurant patios, I saw the Barenaked Ladies at the Taste of Chicago, free concert no less! I loves me some Barenaked Ladies. I got a teeny, tiny bit of shopping done. We played Baggo with Sabat on the back pavement outside Erika's condo garages. Two doors down is a BBQ restaurant, Smoky's, and their fenced patio is next to Erika's back drive. We played bean bags while listening to their outdoor stereo which was playing some really awesome music. It was a wonderful time! I could happily live in that part of the city. I need human interaction too much to be down here in cliquesville. I loved it!