Old So What

  I do not enjoy being called by my first name by little children who don’t even reach my knee in height.  Who gave you permission to do this? It wasn’t me.

  Look around for pricing for cell phone service.   The rates can really vary.   I am now paying half of what I paid previously for better service.

There is nothing better for the soul,  than the quiet serenity  of watching snow fall. 

Sorry, but at my age I’ve heard every Christmas song about 2 million times. I can no longer listen to one of them without squirming.

Now showing on Netflix Starring and directed by Bradley Cooper with Carey Mulligan A movie is very much like a train. It leaves the station, and through dialog and other controls, (including the actors, the screenplay, sometimes the costumes and set design), winds itself along on the tracks of a story. With a successful film, the viewers of the movie also participate. They are right there with the director, cast and camera crew.  They are all in. But the “train” called “Maestro” leaves the station without the passengers. They are left still sitting alone on the waiting room benches. They are not taken along for the ride. This is a movie that wants to get your attention, and it does to a certain extent. Its method is a sharp, quick and innovative style. It wants to show you how different it is from other movies.  It wants to break through, to became a new genre.  Maybe it tries too hard.  It’s exhausting.  All the effort shows.  We don’t want to see “the lit...

I will admit up front that I love the melancholy sound of a Cello. It stirs the soul and takes the listener on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.  2CELLOS exemplifies the artistry, grace, and range of this timeless instrument. They cover songs from famous soundtracks to hard rock classics, while never altering their style or passion. They truly have a unique sound that can be appreciated by everyone.  My personal favorites are "Despacito," "Smells like teen spirit," "Seven Nation Army," and "My heart will go on." I now am the proud owner of their collection of cds, and stream their videos for added visual fun. My only regret is that I did not discover them until the week before they retired from touring. I will continue to support both the band and the individual artists. Do yourself a favor and give them a listen, you will not be disappointed. 

  is the glowing optimism of Cecilia Blomdahl, the host.   She looks at all glasses as being half full. She glories in the Arctic cold and wind and snow in the winter months, and in the yellow Arctic Poppies in the summer. She smiles and draws a kind of life force from the Northern Lights (Those exquisite undulating waves of color that float so high above in the sky; technically the aurora borealis.) Frankly, Cecilia is a life force all her own; seeing the adventure in life as something to run toward, something to enjoy.   She expects the best and makes the best of whatever the results turn out to be. Her optimism is contagious! Cecilia is a life force of positive expectations that just like dreams in a Disney movie, really do come true.  

  Svalbard does not allow cats because of the potential for them to escape their indoor homes, and run loose on the tundra; then perhaps stalk and eliminate the local bird populations, of which there are many during the warmer months, including: Common Cranes and Purple Sandpipers. Also, the island does not allow anyone to remain when they can no longer financially or physically take care of themselves. There are no services or care homes for the elderly, or any form of public transportation. I personally find this discrimination in its worse form:   Age-based instead of ability-based.   But would I want to live through the rough conditions, including carrying a gun to scare away (and try not to actually kill the polar bears unless absolutely necessary)? No thank you!   I pass on that one.  

  How is it possibly fair for a person to have arthritis AND acne at the same time?  I ask you!

  The father had been a minor player who had come up through the ranks by virtue of his sheer availability.   It was certainly not because of any moral fortitude or advanced level of thinking on his part. The son had been a popular college student, and then, minor entrepreneur, getting ahead whenever and however he could, who now worked on behalf of his father in whatever capacity was required. But now the work started to bother him, some of the loathsome work that he had performed on behalf of his father had left an indelible mark on his very soul. Some sins do not disappear and just go away, no matter how hard you wish them to. In order to forget the more troublesome issues, the son had slipped into some bad habits including drinking too much and too often.   Evaporating quickly was the self-delusion that the more loathsome deals he was dealing, and the wrong turns he was taking in life, were really alright. It would turn out OK in the end, he had told himself, ...

On the streaming channel that has videos on absolutely everything, there lives a channel hosted by Cecilia Blomdahl. She is Swedish but. I think that it is Norwegian that she’s speaking to her boyfriend, Christopher, and her fluffy, furry Finnish Lapphund dog, Grim. As someone who has some Norwegian heritage in her somewhere, I really enjoy hearing the language. It has a happy lilt to it! Grim is always smiling and so it seems is their spoken word, There is a happy relationship, too, between Cecilia and Christopher, both in their relationship to each other and the frozen world they inhabit inside the Arctic Circle, 500 miles from the North Pole.   But they’d be the first to admit that the true star of the show is Grim! He is a phenomenon of beauty, grace and affection.  Watching him is a total treat and you never have to worry about his care (which I always do when viewing animal shows.)  Grim is cared for superbly by his human companions.  This is a total love...

  A documentary produced by Netflix about the 2015 series of tragic events… Looking for something substantive to satiate your brain? Well, look no further, Net flix has done all the work for you! Here is all the pathos and drama of true stories that will grab your attention and not let go!   Compelling television at its best that documents the earthquake which left 3.5 million people homeless, and 9,000 people dead. N ot just individual stories but unexpected events such as the outbreak of violence that happened with the perceived favoritism of just who would be rescued by local government first, from the small village of Langtang (in the earthquake zone). The final outcome had the dramatic heroism of the Israeli military, who helicoptered in and proclaimed that everyone (not just its citizens who had called for help) had a ticket out!

Chaos first; creation coming up. The only way to create anything is to organize it out of a mess. I’m sure this is not a new theory. I had reference books, papers, dictionaries, library tomes, pets, scraps of paper, shreds of notes crinkled up and strewn all over the bed, with my husband’s photos and layouts balancing precariously from the nearby drawing board. We really got inside our work, together.  Sometimes yelling at each other to make our point.  Criticism occasionally showing it’s face with a curt: “that stinks!”  But for the most part, agreeing and encouraging; on each other’s side, each other’s best critic and even better supporter.  Filling in when creative gaps appear, shoring up, honing and enhancing our respective crafts:  graphic design, photography and copywriting.  It was sweet. Then to see the finished product, hold it in your hands, view it, read it.  Deliver it to the client and feel the kind of praise that comes from doing somethin...

  Perfume, freshly cut grass, just baked cookies? I think BACON tops them all, doesn’t it? (With apologies to all with dietary restrictions who can’t eat it.) You can just have eaten BACON, left the room, come back later, savored the BACON scent once more, and then still want more BACON!    

  Cole Porter was a composer and lyricist, and genius! He wrote this in 1935 during a pacific cruise aboard a Cunard ship traveling from Indonesia to Fiji. (Jerry Gray is also listed as a composer on this song.) To do this song justice you must, of course, listen to the melody. A sample of the lyrics to The Beguine: When they begin the beguine It brings back the sound of Music so tender. It brings back a night of tropical splendor. It brings back a memory ever green. I’m with you once more under the stars, And down by the shore an Orchestra’s playing And even the palms seem to be swaying When they begin the beguine…   …Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play Till the stars that were there before return above you, Till you whisper to me once more, Darling, I love you! And we suddenly know What heaven we’re in When they begin the beguine   …Even the palms seem to be swaying!

Let's face it, at some point we will all be faced with a doctor's appointment that will change our lives. This can be scary and completely overwhelming, but this tip can and will make things easier. Choose a close friend or family member to go to the doctor's office with you and be in the room when you hear the news. This "second set of ears" matters! While you are focused on the questions, "will I be okay," and "what do I do now," the other person can focus on what the doctor or nurse is saying. They can even take notes! While explaining the next steps in the course of action, most medical professionals will use examples of how others patients adapted to their new way of life, and those examples are important too and will not appear in the visit summary. "What did they say could help?" "What foods should I avoid specifically?" The other person can help you fill in the blanks of any parts you missed. Together you will have a...

  I had a brilliant idea the other day. But you’ll never see it. Why… Because I didn’t write it down, and forgot it. This has happened annoyingly often to me. That’s why I urge you to keep pen and paper near by both during the day and at night. Don’t lose those pearls of your wisdom.

  Brian Dennehy, an American actor with a beautiful Irish name. To say he was an award winner is to put it mildly with two Tony Awards, An Olivier Award, a Golden Globe and six Emmy nominations. He also had one of the most beautiful, polished speaking voices with a friendly face and manner that made you think, “Here is a nice guy!” Mr. Dennehy died in 2020.   He made over 180 films and performances on stage and television.   And, as very rarely happens, he was a gifted character actor who fit in equally well as a leading man.  

 Here are a few of the words of advice I tell my elderly cousin often. Take your time . When you are rushing to finish a task and your mind is drifting, you are more likely to loose your balance or drop something. Focus on one thing at a time. If you are easily distracted or trying to do too much at once, try to focus on the just one thing at a time. This will lead to better outcomes and less trouble. Tell yourself "good job!" If you don't have someone around to compliment you, then you have to compliment yourself. A simple reminder that you can do something regardless of how simple, will boost your confidence and independence. 

  “You’re killing her.   She’ll get Diabetes…” How did this happen?   I don’t know. I was feeding her as usual.   But something went terribly wrong. Unexpectedly she blew up to monster size.   Gone was that scrawny little creature for whom I had felt so sorry; now, there was this mighty overnight presence. (She was so big that you could almost envision her getting her own food.) I’m killing her, I thought.   I’m killing this little huge creature.   I felt different.   I looked different, like an axe murderer? The whole veterinary office was looking at us as we exited, whispering behind our backs, I was sure. “You have to lose weight,” I said to her at breakfast next morning.    She looked at me solemnly.   She knew I wasn’t saying anything good.   There were no words of food mentioned. “It would help if you’d stop eating your sister’s food as well as your own, and no more 10 AM treats, no more 1 AM treats. ...

  No! What seems to be growth is actually a comparison:   As we age our cheeks and lips lose volume and make everything else look larger. And the fact that gravity makes our noses and ears sag adds to the overall aging effect. But, so what?!   (Unless you’re thinking of entering a beautiful Ears and Nose Contest.)

  If you haven't viewed the movie, “Moonstruck,” it may be because you’re too young to have seen it when it arrived in 1987, because this was a BIG, BIG Movie.   If you travel back to that time, you’ll notice there are no cell phones. Time has stood still in a very good place.   But this is a movie bursting with good things!   Great things, including the director, Norman Jewison. It’s-A-Feel-Good and Leave-The-Theater with a Smile-On-Your-Face Celebration! The cast is topped off with:   Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, John Mahoney, Danny Aiello and Vincent Gardenia.   Everyone in this production is la crème de la crème. Described as a “Romance/Comedy,” it’s more like a slice of America at a poignant moment, an America very proud of its family traditions and ties to each other.   It gives us just another reason to appreciate our country. Here is a movie as they used to make movies. Alongside the main plot are other stories, and other char...

  A dermatologist, a famous dermatologist who was about one hundred years old at the time (and whose wife held your hand in case you experienced any discomfort during the procedure), once told me that: itching is actually the lightest form of pain.  

  About 36,000,000 older adults fall every year. Well, this didn’t just happen. And I think that the brain tries to eliminate the memory of pain, but to be honest, it actually wasn’t as painful as I would have expected. Now having said that… After I fell down the cellar steps, not because something in my body snapped or through lack of calcium, but simply because I reached for a banister that wasn’t as long as I thought, and I had at the time lost my sense of balance due to dehydration. I laid there thinking that I hope I could get up again quickly so I could forget the whole unfortunate event.   But no such luck because any movement on my part led to an unexpected sharp pain. I looked up and saw this spider looking back from near the stairs, surveying the scene and looking as if it was considering the possibilities. Before it got too far into its plans, I decided to get up. I couldn’t.   So, sitting up was the next option. No one was coming back to my house for...

  It set new records. It resulted in new laws and codes that included the retrofitting of sprinklers on all building floors from now on citywide.   It left us with a lot of statistics.   The most tragic one was that three firemen lost their lives in what can only be described as the perfect storm of office fires. Everything went wrong at once.   It was a building with a prime location and easy accessibility.   It had a modern feeling of power and durability, which turned out to be false. Our offices were spectacular.   Visitors were often overheard expressing superlatives under their breath.   There were different kinds of costly, well-oiled woods used throughout, in the paneling and the flooring as well, so you had to take care when walking not to slip and slide into something, such as the walls. It was beautiful but not ostentatious. These offices didn’t have to try to impress you, they just did.   The company had a history of accomplishme...

  Sometimes you can just plunge right in and do something. You haven’t done it before, but you do have the general idea.   So go ahead. Give it a try! This happened to me just the other day. It was no big deal. But you know I did feel proud of myself afterwards.

  Think of germs as if they were rice when washing your hands. It’s sticky and you have to really scrub down to get rid of them. (A doctor told me that.)

  According to WGSN: It’s Apricot Crush! WGSN, according to their information, is “the global authority on change using expert trend forecasting combined with data science to help you get ahead of the right trends.”  Just another way to know, should you want to, what’s going on in the world of fashion.

To save money manufacturers now make butter compartments that don’t close off the butter dish. (It’s a half compartment sort of thing, which doesn’t keep the butter at a separate temperature, which would make it softer and easier to spread.) Although I suspect that a separate temperature has been missing for quite a while. And small, individual bandages no longer come with a red string that made opening them much easier. Plus, salt shakers now come with just a spout so everything pours out   all at once, no more perforated screen to help adjust the flow. Ka-Ching!

  Suggested that this story be included in our Blog. I really don’t want it included because it’s unpleasant to say the least, but in the interest of telling you that you’re not alone should this happen to you: The other morning, at 2 a.m. to be precise, the outside lights came on, on the side of my house. Thinking it was the usual raccoon, I looked out the bathroom window and saw someone, a man, standing between my side door and my car. Just standing there until he wasn’t and was trying to open the car doors.   I flew down the stairs with my mobile in hand and called the police. I looked out the side door and saw that this person had opened the storm door as well in an attempt to enter my house. I was angry and, not seeing anyone at the moment, I yelled out, “You better leave, the police are on the way.” This was a stupid thing to do and the police dispatcher called out, “Don’t engage this person.” Anyway, the local police, who are very impressive, at least to me,...