A lil sappy I know, but... Back when I had my Geocities website I had a page where I listed my most romantic songs- I thought I'd add/update that list... Feel free to share some of yours :)
Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin (kidding!)
Always and Forever, Heatwave
You're The Inspiration, Chicago
Come To Me Softly, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
Can't Find The Time To Tell You, Orpheus
The Woman In Me, Shania Twain
Let's Face the Music and Dance, Diana Krall
Never My Love, The Association
Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends, Willie Nelson (KK's version is great, too)
Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers
God Only Knows, Beach Boys

Relaxing with a Geary's Summer Ale (or two!) on a warm Sunday evening... Woke up with a sore throat this morning- don't know what's up with that. I almost never get one, even in the winter. Odd...

The new season of Mad Men has started! Tho' that was an era that I wouldn't have preferred to live in, Mad Men is a remarkable snippet of a time on the very cusp of the many social upheavals and changes that- for better and for worse- still mark our culture today. (I do like the more refined and glamorous clothing, architecture, decor, and- mostly- behavior. But all of that smoking... yuck!) I imagine some viewers um, appreciate the character of Joan Harris-Holloway most (duh!) and many women may admire the elegance of Betty Draper but my fav character is Peggy Olson. (See? Sometimes I watch TV!)

Second Time Around is a good place to find some pretty nice items at consignment prices- they have several locations in and around town... Some good runs and workouts this week, even as hot and muggy as it's been. Tho' fall is still my fav season I don't mind the heat- I like it actually- but I could do with a bit less humidity; give me a dry heat (plus humidity is murder on my hair, ack!)... Just finished reading Andrew Napolitano's A Nation Of Sheep, and am starting in on Boston Noir (Akashic's city noir series is pretty good if you're into those sorts of stories) with Daniel Pyne's Twentynine Palms on deck... The Patriots open camp later this week- yay! The AFC East should be interesting this season, as the Dolphins and the Jets have upgraded a bit more... Starting to begin prep for this fall's wagering $ea$on as well: NFL, ACC, Big East, Big Ten... I bought a new basketball. I went to shoot around recently and realized the ball I had was as smooth as could be- all the pebbling was gone! I don't even know how old it was, 10 years maybe? Little known fact: Kellie played in high school (at 5'6", point guard, natch... but with some good hops; I could- barely, but could!- touch the rim! Not bad for a suburban white girl... :) I don't get to play too often anymore, and my shot was a lil off, but I was never a great scorer anyway...

News to use... or lose
Economist Debates: Gambling
Blocks away, urbanites find season’s splendor
10 Women Weigh In On Casual Sex With An Ex (Offered simply as a public service... )

"God only knows what I'd be without you..."

Tough
You think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone
You're hard enough...
- Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own, U2

An extremely busy last week+ or so. Now I can begin to ratchet things back down to their usual only semi-hectic level! Another very good 6+ mile run this am, and finally time to hit the gym again- I hadn't had time to get there in over a week (decent workout today, too :)

I don't often re-read my posts (I'm not that self-absorbed!) but I took a lil time today to read back over some of my posts going back to last November or so... while many of 'em still were my usual light-hearted, perky (!) fare an under-current of stress, largely related to the health issues and treatments, etc... my mom had been under-going, was evident as well. She still has a few follow-up things to tend to, and at her age there will probably be other things occasionally rearing up as well. But the last many several months had seen much of my- limited as is- spare time spent tending to various things with her. Besides the concern and worry, frankly it was quite time-consuming, time spent going to and fro/shuttling back and forth from. And with very little support, and even less assistance, from my siblings. I'd do anything for my mom, but it would have helped to have had a lil more assistance. With my time being at such a premium seeing/spending much time with friends was limited as well, again a limitation on potential support and such. I did hear from and receive interest and support from some of my online friends, interest and support that was and is greatly appreciated. I tried my best to appreciate as well as reciprocate. Apart from running and working out and- trying- to maintain healthy eating habits (I'm one of those persons who, when stressed, tends to eat, and eat poorly) I really haven't taken as good care of myself these last several months as I should, and usually do. Eating less cleanly. Sleeping even more poorly than I often do. Not always maintaining many of my beauty regimens. A couple of bad haircuts on the fly, simply due to time constraints. Fortunately work hasn't suffered. My social life certainly has, moreso than usual. I need to find/make/take a lil more me time soon. I like to believe that I'm strong enough, hard enough, to take it, and I guess I was/am- four decades of conditioning has served some purpose I suppose. But ya know? Sometimes I'd like to not have to make it all on my own.

Anyway... some random bits and pieces:
GOP judges back gay marriage (Which is more than can be said for the current occupant of the White House, whose views on same-sex marriage are no different from his predecessor's- worth reminding certain members of "the community"...)
5 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise
Christina Kahrl continues to blaze trails
From Loneliness to Solitude
Pickup Artists: The Girliest of Men (Sorry, guys!)
The Trouble With Intuition
What is Irish whiskey, really? (If someone wants to buy me a bottle of Redbreast 12 yo, I'll promise to share- slainte!)

"Sometimes you can't make it on your own..."

Who Will Comfort Me, Melody Gardot
My soul is wearying
My soul is wearying
My soul is wearying
I said my soul is wearying

My soul is wearying
Beating down from all of my misery, yeah
Oh Lord, who will comfort me?

Gotta hold of my heart
Keeps me bound where the whole wide world is free, yeah
Oh Lord, who will comfort me?

My home is a wreakage a family ground
Implied in poverty, yeah
Oh Lord, who will comfort me?

I feel as if I haven't had more than ten minutes to call my own the last week or so, and not out of the woods yet... Between travelling up to Maine and then back and then this past almost week now of getting my mom to and from various medical appointments, treatments, etc... with some more to come (from which my brother and sister have pretty much been MIA- the good news is that the end game is in sight, and looking good for Mom) as well as my usual schedule I'm running on fumes (and running is about the only "me" thing I've had time to do lately, only because I'm out pounding the pavement at 5:30am- I've missed several days @ the gym, just haven't had time.) Once again I have beaucoup calls, email, messages, etc... to catch up on and reply to (and hey- if I've made/taken the time to message you, acknowledge and reply; it's not brain surgery! It's not that difficult! And thank you to those who do respond :)

Random musings... I guess I don't know what men find attractive. On the cover of the latest issue of The Improper Bostonian is a pic of Bridget Moynahan, one-time amour of your QB QT (I always wanted to use that phrase!) and mine, Tom Brady, who is now married to Gisele Bundchen. Now, maybe Gisele is a witty conversationalist, a fantastic cook, reads to blind puppies and more, all along with being easy enuf on the eyes while perhaps Bridget is a shrew. But I'd luv to run a poll just to see who people thought was actually a prettier woman, Bridget or Gisele. (My .02? Bridget, but then, in my mind who wouldn't prefer a brunette Irish gal from Massachusetts to anyone else?! ;)... I wish I could sleep better. I never have been able to. It takes close to two hours, no matter what time I lay down, for me to actually drift off to sleep. And no matter what time I fall asleep, I can seldom sleep past 5am or so, even when I don't have to be up... Getting old? I heard The Cars on the local oldies station recently- yikes (side 2 of their first album was classic junior high make-out music!)... My beer of the moment: Smuttynose Summer Weizen (I'll be having one- or two!- in another couple of hours... :)

Some more news you can lose:
She balks at being good friends with boyfriend's ex-wife (Well, duh!)
Why Women Get Friskier As They Near 40
Age 95 And Still Pumping Iron 'Attaboy!
The Spirit of Independence: The Social Psychology of Freedom
Willie Nelson: 'Three Chords and the Truth—That's What a Country Song Is'
Why Are Women Better at Tasting Beer Than Men? (Posted solely as a public service! ;)

Who will comfort me...