Of Tuscany and beyond

Life in Chicagoland has been steamy of late. So today, instead of doing chores around the house - a place that doesn't much get below 80 degrees indoors these days - I reclined on the sofa and watched "Under the Tuscan Sun".

Let me preface my remarks by saying, I love this film. It's beautifully shot, and Diane Lane is simply a treasure.

During the early days of My Divorce, I watched two films that gave me hope while simultaneously making me feel like a total sap. The first was "Calendar Girls". Watching these beautiful, aging women discover their beauty made me believe it could happen, and want it for myself. Perhaps, subconsciously, that movie is what drove me to the gym four years ago. The second, as you've likely guessed by now, was "Under the Tuscan Sun".

I love that movie, and I loved it then, too. It was beautiful for me, in those early days, to watch someone go through divorce and come out on the other side. But one line - just one line - made it completely unrealistic to me.

Frances, the lead character, says, "Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It's such a surprise."

I watched, thinking to myself that this character I loved, this pillar of strength, actually ended the film a simpering idiot. But then, time passed. Bitterness faded. (Though I still wish He Who Must Not Be Named and Judy the Ho would get a mad case of crabs.) And somehow, miraculously, unthinkably good things began to happen.

My life found its way back to me.

Today, I've padded around my little (warm!) one-bedroom walkup in bare feet, loving the cool feeling of the wood beneath them. I've run (on a treadmill), loving the feeling of one-foot-in-front-of-the-other, doing something I did not, even one year ago, know I could do. I've done bicep curls until my muscles cried, and I've done push-ups from my toes. Tonight, I will spend my evening surrounded by girlfriends ... none of whom I even knew the first time I saw "Tuscan".

So what if things didn't turn out the way I'd planned? The truth is ... I simply didn't plan big enough. Unthinkably good things, indeed.

What a weekend!

Yes, I realize that a week ago I officially started my weekend last weekend. (How many times can you use "weekend" in one sentence? Turns out, about three.) Anyhoo ... I had a blissful day and a half off of work, and quite honestly packed the 3.5 days with activity and FUN! It would be difficult if not impossible to tell this story, so I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking.

First stop: rehearsal for Summer Showcase 2011. There is nothing like working with talented performers who also happen to be friends. Case in point, Polly Ludena. We're singing "Evil Woman" from Xanadu ... it's a freakin' blast.
Next stop: midnight viewing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II, in iMax 3D, natch. Complete with popcorn and milk duds. Saw the show with my friend Alexis, Linda and Lorna. Loved it. LOVED it.



Oh, Wrigley Field, I love you so. Justin and Diane treated Linda and I to a Cubs game. And really, you haven't lived until you've eaten a hot dog with thousand island dressing and kraut. To. Die. For. (The Cubs won, btw, and our seats were perfect.)



Remember how I said I loved HPatDH, pt 2? So much so that I saw it again the next night. While seated in a recliner. With a bunch of friends, and blanket that matched my outfit. And beer, calamari, quesadillas and chocolate cake. Hell to the yeah.


The next morning, believe it or not, Linda and I were at the gym for our workout. But Saturday night found us at House of Blues, Chicago to see my favorite Band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Here's Rog, being awesome.


P.H. Naffah on drums.Nick Scropos on bass, and the divine Jim Dalton (who kissed my hand at the end of the show; no lie) on lead guitar.


More Roger. Because I dig this shot.
What was the setlist, you ask? Well, I'll tell ya. Counterclockwise, Down Together, All Over the Radio, Wanted, I Don't Need Another Thrill, Heaven on a Paper Plate, Mexico, Tell Yer Momma, Maybe We Should Fall in Love, Marie, Banditos, Leaky Little Boat, Switchblade, Suckerpunch, Dinero, Hello New Day, Beautiful Disaster, Mekong, I Do and Nada. Encore was Green & Dumb, followed by a mix of Girly, an awesome cover of the Violent Femmes’ Kiss Off, the theme from King of the Hill, and finishing the last verse of Girly. Awesome.

Here's me and Linda on our way out the door, happy and full of good music.



Sunday morning came too fast, but we had an opportunity to go to the Vernon Hills branch of our gym ... the fancy club, that usually doesn't let in Our Kind of people. So we went, got our dance on for an hour and a half, and then reclined, poolside. Our friend Rebekah brought beverages, I brought sunscreen, and we had a great time. Here's Linda, Donna and me, tired but sublimely happy in the sunshine.



To say that this was a great weekend is a grave understatement. I was so thrilled to have a little time away from work to recharge and remind myself that life is a series of experiences, and when you dive into them ... you can have an amazing result.

Lessons from the Water Park

Twice now this summer, I have joined my sisters for a day at the pool. "Pool", roughly translated, means "holy crap this place is huge and can we go down the slide?" This is what they call a pool. The place is amazing ... and filled with opportunities to learn. Such as:

• My ass fits in an innertube. It's been years, and yet there you have it. Happy little Maggie, floating down a lazy river, or flying down a water slide, tushie encased in what had formerly eluded me. Yeah, that felt good.



• I freaking love water slides! It was a blast climbing up, up, up with Jenn and Bernie, only to go flying down an array of different slides. One dumps you out into a big funnel; another, into what feels like a toilet bowl. Screams and cheers and WOW that was fun! Could've done that all day, but I don't like to wait in line.



• There is a weird "trend" out there for women's swimwear. Seems if your suit is too small, you can just wear your bra under it to provide appropriate coverage. It looks hideous, but for some reason, it happens. There was a woman busting out of a black swimsuit, with a turquoise bra on underneath. Clearly, her suit would not have been street legal without the bra, but here's the thing: bathing suits are available in a variety of sizes. You are not required to squeeze 10 pounds of shit into a five-pound bag. Please stop.



• I have an amazing sense of fashion. I came to the water park in a bathing suit (which covered all the important parts), shorts and a linen shirt. All of which were my size or a little too big. However, it seemed more popular to pour oneself into a denim skirt, use innertubes as a cover-up, or wear a t-shirt into the pool than to use your brain and dress appropriately. Good Lord!



• If you're overweight, accept it. Don't try to hide it under a t-shirt in the pool, because once it gets wet, you just look like the fat guy (or girl) in a wet t-shirt who's trying in vain to cover up the fact that he (or she) is fat. Here's the gig: it's not like all of a sudden someone is going to see you in a swimsuit and realize you're fat. It's obvious, even fully clothed. Adding a t-shirt IN THE POOL just looks like you're fat and dumb. At my heaviest, I still just got in the pool. This is who you are at this moment in time. Just enjoy the pool, and no one will notice or care.



• Dippin' Dots are delicious. And they don't immediately melt in 90-degree heat. Best cooling treat ever.



• My sisters are nuts. I knew this before we got to the pool, but it became more evident as the day wore on. And I wouldn't have it any other way.



• There is no better way to spend a hot day than wooshing down waterslides, floating in a lazy river, jumping in a wave pool and lounging in the sun. Better yet to end the day with hamburgers, fries and family.

Perfect weekend, indeed.