What is it about what people choose to put on the top of their urban sky scrapers...?

Go Bears.

A very special napkin ring on top of a cat... Shazam is reluctant to become the Alfa Cat in Buds absence. He did agree to try on Buds crown, but was generally crabby about it.

What ever patience Bud taught him has remained.

Rest in peace...

BUD 1986 - 2007

In time, I won’t remember this past week as Bud. I'll mostly remember him by memory's of times like the 4 road trips, during the early 1990’s, in my Volkswagen - between Connecticut and Seattle - with him driving shotgun... One of those mornings, I woke up, alone with Bud, surrounded by Volkswagen GTI, in a rest stop I had chosen in Idaho (during the deep, dark, moonless night) to sleep a few hours till the sun rose. I sat on the roof with my legs comfortably draped through the sun-roof, Bud draped comfortably in my lap, and watched the sun rise from behind beautiful, moonscape mountains that we were surprisingly - not only among - but on top of. …or… living in the third floor walk up with him in Providence, Rhode Island while I went to Drama School. We would literally play hide and seek in that apartment. I would hide, he would hunt and seek me. He totally spoke English. Sometimes he spoke in meows; sometimes he spoke with his fabulous tail. It helped if you spoke Rago. And I did. Do. He made me want my own tail.

Bud was born somewhere near or in Providence, Rhode Island. He was one of the first Turkish Van’s in the U.S. I think. At least six toes on every paw made him unwanted by his original humans; Mange on his nose and skinny appearance made me think he was not likely to be adopted by anyone other than me at the Providence Humane Society. It helped that he looked at me squarely and calmly in the eye. Mellow and alert. A grand combination in baby cats. I try to be mellow and alert myself.

I’ve only known my “adult” years with Bud waiting for me at home. Various homes. 3rd floor walk up with Kathleen and her own baby cat, Lilly, in Providence; the cool, Victorian boarding house in Providence. The studio apartment in Seattle. Then Chicago… the beautiful, vintage, 3 bedroom apartment with Amy, Peter and their own good cat, Morgaine, in (at the time) scary Uptown, then to the Ukrainian Village with them. Then the great 7 years in our own one bedroom apartment in Ravenswood Manor. Than one year in Old Irving park (where we met Shazam and adopted him as our own), two years in Avondale, two years in the Ukrainian Village again and finally - the South Loop.

Bud. Not Buddy. Budly, yes. Buddy no. Rags, yes. Ragamuffin, Rago, Lamb, Lamby, bunny, Rabbit feet, BUD.

Good boy. Lucky boy. Funny boy, smart boy. Turkish/American, New Englander. Those of us who knew him will miss him terribly, but are better, wiser, funnier and smarter for knowing him.

Shazam and I will be ok on our own in the South Loop. But it will not be the same. We will courageously soldier on without Bud on this earth, and maybe some day even save another Turkish Van who needs rescue. But I’ll never forget the guy who always was with me as I grew from a teenager into an adult, became a stage actress, moved around the country and joined the circus on the other side of the camera with the big boys of Hollywood.

Bud.

In acting class at Victory Gardens, they asked us to make up our own tongue twisters that were difficult to say fast repeatedly. Mine was particularly good. “Bad baby Bud bit a big bug.” I know for a fact of at least one Chicago Actress who still uses the phrase as a vocal warm up. I know I always will.

He kept my heart opened for 21 years. Now its up to me.

I can do it. Now I know how.

Bud... if he hasn't rallied by the weekend...

My honestly trusted and soul fused best friend of 21 years is in day five of being very sick.

I'm lucky enough to be able to have a Veterinarian who will come to me. After two heroic, way after hours visits, blood work and urine tests show remarkably good shaped heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and spine. Elevated White Blood Cells made the Doc hunt for tumors last night. He found a swollen right side of Buds back mouth. He prescribed steroid for a shot of life, appetite stimulant, and continued fluids injections daily, antibiotic, nausea mender and vitamin dose. That's one injection with a needle and a drip bag, 4 pills and a dropper in the mouth that Bud and I are living through the last five days. Production remains at full tilt. I steal home to him whenever possible. Doc, Bud and I reassess daily. Tomorrow may bring his turn to spiral upwards.

When all the world is a hopeless jumble

And the raindrops tumble all around

Heaven opens a magic lane

When all the clouds darken up the skyway

There's a rainbow highway to be found

Leading from your window pane

To a place behind the sun

Just a step beyond the rain

"SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW" - lyrics by EH Harburg and music by Harold Arlen

Rainy, foggy rooftops today...

Todays point of view...

first day... come and gone

A success. Whew. Mild weather made it less painful. A product placement deal with a different Starbucks allowed us to open the Starbucks on the corner of our set just for us! My Departments team is strong; we actually find time for a joke and a laugh throughout the day. The 16 hour day that was day one. Now I'm knee deep in production 'till the end of the month. The 20 Picture Cars and 150 Extras felt easy day one. As it should, since we managed 500 extras and another 20 Picture Cars on Michigan Avenue yesterday and today. My Department performed our responsibilities with grace and style, seemingly unnoticed, thanks to our diligent preparations. +*+Poof+*+ there's a warming tent. +*+Poof+*+ there's a Porta Pottie. +*+Poof+*+ there's 4 flagship super-corporation retail stores on Michigan Ave. whose windows are redecorated from their current SALE windows to their Christmas windows. +*+Poof+*+ Bus Shelter posters have been changed to Christmas themed, clearances approved, colorful posters. +*+Poof+*+*+*+Poof+*+*+*+Poof+*+ I'm eating my vitamins, trying to steer the ship rather than ride the wave and not forgetting to stop and enjoy the view.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

My street, New Years Eve, dusk...

Audra McDonald was broadcast live last night by the good folks at Live From Lincoln Center; imagining my front row, center isle seat was easy thanks to my favorite guilty pleasure purchase of 2006. I raised a delicious cup of Earl Grey tea to the gowned, glamorous New Yorkers and relished the in the moment nature of the live event. The New York Philharmonic sounded perfect with her. I feel that I now have heard an as brilliant version of "I Have Confidence," from The Sound of Music as Ms. Andrews blessed us with back in the day. It was a pleasure to hear Audras version of "Over The Rainbow" with a lone guitar. Pleasure became honor when she admitted to being afraid of the song and never being brave enough to sing it publicly before. It was lovely and so was she.

Happy New Year from Chicago's South Loop.

Proud to ring in the new year with brave Audra, Earl Grey and medium hot Chicago.