I’m going for the Max in the book. My scepter is still drying.

A couple of men helped pull the driver out of this burning propane tanker before it exploded yesterday morning between I-69 and I-465 in Indianapolis. The driver survived with non-life threatening burns and cuts on his face. I-465 is still closed today due to massive structural damage on the bridge. The beam supporting the bridge was completely blown out and will take weeks to fix. Three others were taken to the hospital with injuries.

On a happier note, I ate an entire package of delicious fresh mozzarella and a container of juicy blackberries. I’m calling it dinner.

Well Frank loved the Signature Room. We all did. They sat us immediately in the corner next to the window with a perfect view of Chicago’s Navy Pier on our left and the entire city sprawled straight ahead. I remember years ago when a dozen of us would ride our bikes along the city shore to a very bare Navy Pier. Just a slab of concrete that reached out to a lake so vast it felt like you were staring out over the ocean. We would sit on the edge of the pier and drink beers as we waited for the sun to go down so we could watch the stars in solitude. Those days are gone. Now the pier is packed tightly with shops, exhibits, restuarants and an impressively sized outdoor musical venue. I often get nostalgic for the old days and that once private space. But I must admit all the different colors and the ferris wheel’s large changing light display added to the evening’s dreamy atmosphere. I ordered the African lobster. Holy cow. Insanely scrumptious. The best I ever tasted. Two enormous tails opened up and ready to eat. Everything was spectacular. After Frank’s and Wendy’s birthday crème brulées arrived, we enjoyed an unexpected but excellently timed firework show literally right under our noses. I’ve seen firework celebrations off a yacht on Lake Michigan, a cruise ship on the lower east side of New York and a restaurant balcony on Sydney, Australia’s wharf. I have never looked down at the tops of a fireworks from 95 stories up. A very distinct perspective. Of course, I coyly grinned as I modestly accepted their gratitude when they pretended it was me that arranged for the fireworks. Turns out the Navy Pier shoots them off it every Wednesday and Saturday evening. Chicago is one the best.

Looking down over Navy Pier.

Wendy’s dog Max passed away recently so she got a new puppy. Meet Mabel. Utterly irresistible. I just wanted to eat her up.

Frank is starting to meet all my friends from Chicago. Last weekend Vera and Marilyn came down and we went to Istanbul Cafe (my favorite restaurant in all of Indy).

Saw Where the Wild Things Are at the IMAX. The little boy was perfectly cast and the monsters were wonderfully whimsical. Pretty heartwarming flick. Wendy cried at the end. I highly recommend the IMAX for this show.

Saweeeet! Much better than that useless pet insurance offered.

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Well hi. I’ve been on a bit of a xanga hiatus. Life came knocking and I thought it wise to answer it’s call.

Since I last blogged, (Properly blog. Not counting political satire and propaganda.) quite a bit has happened. A New York trip was in there. I saw the play God of Carnage. If you’re asking…yes…go see it. Awesome cast. And I did get to go here and here (which incidentally is a bar in midtown Manhattan that my nephew Ryan owns… he’s not yet 30… insane, right).

I’m also on a mission now to get back all the friends and relatives who relationships my mother’s past behavior scorched out of her existence. I managed to get two out of four of her remaining sister-in-laws to visit her at the nursing home during my last trip. Very cathartic. Especially for mom. Buoyed by the pleasant experience and feeling optimistic, I called Jenny, a once very close friend that my mom had not seen in over ten years. I was back in Indy, but my brother said that seeing Jenny made mom ecstatic. Afterwards, several of Jenny’s children have visited her. The great thing is my mom is also apologizing for her actions. My brother doesn’t know if that is a good idea, but I think it’s important that my mom owns it. I think it is helping her find peace.

Desiree, Aunt Hilda & me (top) Aunt Nita & mom (bottom)

Frank’s birthday is this Friday, so I’m taking him to the Signature Room in Chicago to celebrate this weekend. It’s one of those touristy things. But Frank doesn’t go to Chicago very often and it is such a magnificent way to see the city.

Breathtaking view and African lobster… mercy.

Where the Wild Things Are opens this weekend. Are you excited? I expect good things. Frank is having his annual Halloween party on the 31st. I’m going as Max. My tail just arrived today.

Well I told myself I would not go on and on and on just because it’s been a while. So I’ll just say good night and leave you with a poem from Emily.

I felt my life with both my hands
To see if it was there-
I held my spirit to the Glass,
To prove it possibler-I turned my Being round and round
And paused at every pound
To ask the Owner’s name-
For doubt, that I should know the Sound-I judged my features-jarred my hair-
I pushed my dimples by, and waited-
If they-twinkled back-
Conviction might, of me-I told myself, “Take Courage, Friend-
That-was a former time-
But we might learn to like the Heaven,
As well as our Old Home!”

Poll Finds Most Doctors Support Public Option (click here for story)