AIKEN #1

Clay Aiken is #1 of the latest Lycos 50.

JUDY TUCHMAN DEAD

This is beginning to sound like a deathblog. Longtime MENSA member Judith Blinn Tuchman died earlier this month of complications from cancer. Donations in her honor may be made to the Make a Wish Foundation.

ADVENT

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. I would have noted it, but Blogger wouldn't let me, so I just went to bed.

janedoe@seductive.com

"THERE'S A LADY DRESSED IN BLACK"

"In a motorcade of Cadillacs,'Daddy's not coming back.'”

Where There is Faith by 4 Him

BUGGED

Think I'm coming down with some kind of low-grade bug, trying to zap it out before it turns into a high-grade bug.

FOUR WEEKS

It is slowly sinking in that I don't have a father anymore.

janedoe@seductive.com

T-DAY

Happy Thanksgiving!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY

I am going home pretty soon -- feeling kind of coldish.

janedoe@seductive.com

THIS JUST IN

WTOP reports Dan Rather is stepping down from the CBS Evening News.

REID #1

Tara Reid is #1 of the latest Lycos 50.

IT'S OFFICIAL

WTOP reports the name of the new DC baseball team will be the Washington Nationals.

janedoe@seductive.com

ANOTHER PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Bring at least three non-perishable food items to Potbelly's tomorrow and get a free sandwich.

janedoe@seductive.com

MISSING PERSON

Bookcrossing programmer Dan Clune has been missing since the first week in November. People are fearing the worst.

janedoe@seductive.com

SOMETHING PLEASANT FOR A CHANGE

Being too wound up to sleep I Googled myself this morning and realized how much my posts have changed since my early days with Blogger, when I still had a father and one grandmother. Here is something nice to look at.

TROPHY WIVES IN TRAINING

See today's Post article on the Madisons and the Capital Club. There's no such thing as bad publicity.

WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH TO SEND THE VERY BEST

Went to Giant this morning, saw a Hanukkah card "to my parents." Then at CVS I saw a card that said "to Grandma at Thanksgiving." It hit me that I don't have a grandma, I only have one parent and we're not Jewish anyway.

FRIDAY'S I'M IN...

Dad always said everthing happens on a Friday evening. He died on a Friday evening. I have broken two teeth on Friday evenings. This Friday like a dummy I tried to repair a leaky faucet by myself. The leak turned into a hemmorhage, and unfortunately it was like a hot side, so my condo became like a steambath. The plumber did not arrive until after 4 PM and we couldn't find the building engineer. Fortunately we did not have to turn off the water for the entire building as feared. Dad was right.

janedoe@seductive.com

THREE WEEKS

Three weeks ago today I still had a father. I know, I know. And for some strange reason, it was about this time of day that I last talked to him. The numbness is wearing off and the fear and loss are setting in. And I am facing a major plumbing disaster at home, which has taken away a lot of my resolve.

janedoe@seductive.com

D'OH!

The new Smooth Jazz CD is out (and has been for the past two weeks, actually).

DAD'S MEMORIAL MASS

It will be February 17th at St. Thomas More Church in Sarasota. That would have been his and Aunt Margie's 81st birthday. We will probably have a local memorial in DC in the spring.

janedoe@seductive.com

BAD THINGS COMING IN TWOS (OR POSSIBLY THREES)

Phil's mum died Saturday. Part of her ashes will be buried with her husband at Ripon Cathedral in England, the rest in Bermuda. Hearing the news was like hearing about my dad's death all over. Also, Thursday was the anniversary of Dave's father's death. Gee, we're a happy bunch.

AIKEN #1

Clay Aiken is #1 of the latest Lycos 50.

COMFORT ME WITH PIGS

Everyone should have a pig. Multiple pigs if possible.

janedoe@seductive.com

COMFORT ME WITH APPLES

Or moo goo gai pan. Back at work full-time now, more or less. There is something comforting about a hot lunch, the rhythm of the keyboard, the droning of the printer. We celebrated Sherry's birthday. Life goes on.

janedoe@seductive.com

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHUCK?

Access Hollywood did an hour on '70's sitcoms and raised the question of whatever happened to Richie Cunningham's Brother, Chuck on Happy Days. Evidently both actors who played him are still alive. I remember looking at sitcom credits when I was a kid and noticing the Irish, Jewish, WASP and Italian names. When I worked in TV myself I wondered whether the people behind the credits were like us. Did they date each other, take vacations, celebrate holidays together? Did their kids play together and go to each others' parties?

LITTLE KINDNESSES EVERYWHERE

My uncle the Benedictine is saying a whole week of masses for my father's soul, someone else enrolled him in the Order of the Sacred Heart, Bill is having at least one mass said by the Atonement Friars and my boss and his son are having perpetual masses said by the Norbertine Fathers. That's four orders of priests! Also, he is in the prayers of the faithful at our old parish in Falls Church, he is supposed to be in the prayers of the faithful at my church and they mentioned his name at Mom's church. Not only that, Dallas's church had a service for him and Mom got a nice letter from the Jehovah's Witnesses saying they would pray for him.

IN THE DARK

Evidently the whole neighborhood is out of power. I am using the back-up battery on my computer. I don't know how much longer I can take this.

PETERSON GUILTY

MSN reports jurors found Scott Peterson guilty today.

janedoe@seductive.com

'BYE, BURT

After 39 years of service Burt Cohen leaves WMAL. He was at PGC the day Kennedy was shot. When asked how he could stay at one place so long without murdering anyone he replied "I have pictures taken at a Christmas Party."

janedoe@seductive.com

TWO WEEKS

Two weeks ago I still had a father. I talked to him about this time of day. You never know when the last time you speak to someone will be.

janedoe@seductive.com

NEW AND IMPROVED!

Ariana, genius that she is, tweaked my website and fixed the broken links. And she did Dad's memorial cards.

VETERANS DAY

Today is Veterans Day, not sure as to whether we need an apostrophe. A tough day for Mom, as Dad was proud of his military service.

ARAFAT DEAD

Yasser Arafat died in France today. French officials won't say how he died. Dad and Grandma died in distinguished, if not good company -- Arafat, President Reagan, Ray Charles and Julia Child.

janedoe@seductive.com

HOLY SHIT!

Just when I thought my life was fucked up.

janedoe@seductive.com

NO PREGNANT CHADS

The 2004 presidential election was #1 of the latest Lycos 50. Clay Aiken was #2.

THE WEIRDEST THING

Mailed Dad's obituary to the Valley News Dispatch. It forbids naming pets as survivors. That is the weirdest thing I have seen all day, possibly all week/month/year. That people would even think of that worries me. This is one reason we don't live there.

janedoe@seductive.com

DCRTV

Dad's obituary made today's DCRTV.

janedoe@seductive.com

TOO MUCH TOO SOON

Going back to work this weekend was a mistake.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If not the week, month year:

"You can't get blood out of a stone. Don't expect support from an asshole."

From the same guy who said "Nothing scarier than an asshole with a badge."

THE LAST SUPPER

Dad's last meal on earth was Oscar Meyer (or Hillshire Farms) L'il Smokies. Mom froze the rest of them. That was tonight's dinner. I need a hug.

ANOTHER OBITUARY

This one is on page B-4 of today's POST. Dad had four sisters, not three. At least the reporter understood we are not Japanese.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Or at least back on the mounting block. Went back to work this morning.

BABY STEPS

Taking baby steps today. To the vet, to the printer's, to the 7-11.

janedoe@seductive.com

ONE WEEK

This time one week ago today I still had a father, I think I talked to him on the phone about this time. Arrived home last night with minimum inconvenience, will pick up the pigs today.

janedoe@seductive.com

IT NEVER RAINS

But it pours. A pipe in Mom's bathroom started leaking again. But at least the plumber's hot.

MEET THE PASTOR

Or in this case, the associate pastor. I made sure I wore my St. James Catholic School T-shirt and my crucifix as opposed to the Star of David I had been wearing. That wasn't enough -- Mom made me take off the shorts I was wearing and put on long pants.

Father G. was everything Mom promised and then some. If more priests were like him, I wouldn't spend so much time with Jews or Episcopalians. He actually made me feel he cared about us and that there is some hope for my father's soul. I didn't mention horoscopes, crystals or tarot cards.

janedoe@seductive.com

KERRY CONCEDES

John Kerry has conceded the election to George Bush. I was up 'til 4:00 AM, just got up a little while ago.

janedoe@seductive.com

MY FATHER'S OBITUARY

As seen in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

ALL SOUL'S DAY

Today is All Soul's Day. I prayed for my dad, even though Mom and I didn't go to church -- the priest wants to see us tomorrow and we haven't found any holy cards we like. The cat is in mourning. Mom told her "Daddy's sleeping."

In fifth grade Sister Catherine Marie told us about a little boy who went to pray for the souls in Purgatory. As soon as he got out of church he was hit by a car. She told us he was now a saint in Heaven.

VOTE

Today is election day, in case you've been living in a cave. This will be the first presidential election I haven't voted in since I was 18. Today I am in Florida, the hotbed of dissent four years ago. For those of you who haven't voted yet, go vote.

ALL SAINTS' DAY

For the past two days I have been haunted by so many memories, not just of my father. Mom says when her parents and two of my cousins died she felt their presence. Hopefully we will have time to go to church and pray today.

janedoe@seductive.com