Top Moments Of 2009 (so far)

Rather than wait until the end of the year, I decided to issue my top moments of each quarter. At year's end, I'll select the top 10. So, here is my highlight reel of the past 90 days (in random order):

New Year's Day pajama brunch. A brother-in-law started the tradition of dining at Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba! on Jan. 1. If you show up in your PJs, the restaurant gives you gift certificates in the amount of your bill. This was the first year we ate there, and we had a great time. The atmosphere was festive, the food (tapas) delicious, and the gift certificates most welcomed. (See my review from earlier this year.)

The Barack Obama inauguration. I witnessed (on TV) an historic swearing-in of a United States president. Doubly sweet was that I actually had voted for a winning candidate for a change.

Success of the Northwestern University Wildcat basketball team. The boys in purple started out losing their first four Big Ten games. By the end of the season, they were in the NIT tournament for the first time in 10 years. Their eight conference wins were eight times the total of last season's.

"Discovering" Cormac McCarthy. After watching "No Country For Old Men," I had to read the book. I loved it and I blogged about it. My younger brother, who turns out to be a NCFOM fan, recommended McCarthy's "The Road." I liked that, too, even though bleak events in the novel piled up one after the other, leaving me feeling worn out and depressed at the end.

Re-connecting with family. I joined Facebook, where I can now stay abreast of my cousins' activities. I also spent a day with my older brother and his family. I especially enjoyed the time with my nephew and niece. The circumstances weren't the best--I was attending the memorial service for my sister-in-law's mom.

Writers' Theatre (see photo) . We enjoyed two plays by this professional theater located in a northern suburb of Chicago. "The Maids" are two sisters in service to a Parisian mistress. They act out their feelings to each other and the mistress in role-playing games. Very chilling.
The theater commissioned "Old Glory," the intertwining stories of two young soldiers in Iraq. Gripping.

Celebrating my neighbor's 99th birthday. She still lives in her own house, albeit with a live-in caretaker. She was the first to greet us when we moved here 17 years ago. She gave us a dish towel. Over the years, I changed light bulbs for her and did other household chores. We had tea and birthday cake.

That's my life so far. Stay tuned for more.