The World Is A Different Place So Early In The Morning

I'm in Niles, Illinois right now, writing this from a computer in a crowded living room with a three-year-old in my lap. No, this isn't a typical morning for me. I had to wake up at my usual time of 7am like it was any other work day instead of a Saturday, a day created just for sleeping in on. My friend, Montgomery, who has been living with the Reilly's, the family of Jimmy, another friend of mine, is moving out today and I have been recruited to help. Driving through Chicago on a Saturday morning, especially with construction, is not fun. Do not do it.

But I suppose it's worth it. The Reilly's have four dogs so Baxter now has play mates. And Mrs. Reilly is a fabulous cook who is in the kitchen, refusing help, cooking an impressive breakfast spread to feed this enormous brood of people. Let's see. There is Mr. and Mrs. Reilly, Mr. Reilly currently being outside playing with all of the dogs. Then there is the six children. I know, typical Irish Catholic family. Mike, Meg, Oliver, Jimmy, Tracey, and Patrick. The three year old I speak of is JJ, Mike's son. Everyone is over except for Jimmy, who is in Phoenix with my and Montgomery's friend, Robbie. Even Allison, Mike's wife, and their twin sons, Tommy and Sean, are here. Baxter was quite overwhelmed when we arrived with all of these people and the four dogs: Horatio, Napoleon, Potato, and Little Hugo. It's a crazy house but I've been here many times. During school, we would come down here on the weekends and Mrs. Reilly would do our laundry and feed us with homecooked foods before kicking us in the stomachs on Sunday morning as we slept on the floor of her living room so we could get up for church. She really is an amazing woman. She is a breast cancer survivor so when my mom was diagnosed, she invited me down for a weekend so I could talk things over with her. She adopts all of her children's friends, hence why Montgomery is living with them.

I told Mike that Baxter loves to watch television. His favorite show is Project Runway and so far, his favorite movie is The Virgin Suicides. Mike wanted to test this out for himself so we are sitting in the living room with the Alfred Hitchcock classic "The Lady Vanishes" on the television. Even if you're not a fan of Hitchcock, which I do not understand how you can not be, I recommend this movie. And why not? It's a fast-pace thriller set on a train with a dramatic shoot-out at the end. I know a lot of people don't like black and white movies that are older than themselves, but my mom raised me and my brother and sister on old movies. I appreciate good movies. This was one of the last movies Hitchcock made in England before moving to Hollywood and making one of my all-time favorite movies "Rebecca". Mike is quite amused for Baxter is lying on the couch, his head perked up at the movie, cocking his head at the images he sees. I love this dog and the fact that he actually watches television. JJ just asked me to mention him once more in the blog so here's another mention. He's a brat.