My First Weeks of Summer

       Yep. Summer is here, big time. Yesterday the sun was out in full force. Yikes. Today, we can expect more of the same, except there is a thunder storm expected. I welcome it if it means cooler weather. But it does change my plans of going to sit outside and read later. I love thunder storms but feel about them, the way I always felt about my parents, I loved them dearly, had loads of respect and just a bit of fear of them. For me there was nothing worse when I was a kid than to have someone say, "I am going to tell your mother on you."

I just read an unsettling memoir titled, If I Am Missing or Dead, by Janine Latus. The sub-title is A Sister's Story of Love, Murder and Liberation. Two sisters find themselves in abusive relationships time and time and again. One sister is finally murdered by her lover. Ugly stuff, but could not put it down. I kept saying to myself, I don't get it, "he hits you, you leave." I know that is simplistic thinking but it is hard for me to imagine that I would remain in such a relationship--on the other hand I know of others who have stayed and found some sort of peace. Sadly, I can hold a grudge.

I woke up in the middle of the night sometime last week. Of course, I had left the television on :-( Pollyanna was just coming on Masterpiece Theater. I had seen the movie a long time ago, but never the classic. It was wonderful. The scenery often took your breath away--sometimes it looked like a painting. I am such a sucker for this kind of thing. Pollyanna's dad, now deceased has taught Polly to be forever, almost annoyingly optimistic. When something bad happens to her, she says, "I am glad because..." For instance if Polly's house burned to the ground she would have said something like, "I am glad that the fire happened now instead of after we had painted it." It was a bit much for her Aunt, who under protest, had taken Polly in, but soon she, like everyone else was caught up in Pollyanna's unique way of looking at life. The film opens in dark somber colors, as it progresses the colors become brighter and vibrant. One really sweet scene is after Polly has been struck with a crippling illness; a woman comes to ask about Polly, she is wearing all black, except for a narrow royal blue ribbon tied around her neck. She tells the Aunt to please let Polly know that she has started wearing brighter colors. Oh come on, Mr. Bloggie, you know that's sweet.

Last week Jazz in the Garden at the Newark Museum was wonderful. I love sitting there listening to music, reading my book and people watching. The food is not bad but a bit pricey. I heard a man say "I hope this hamburger is worth $7." I bring my own sandwich and a bottle of water. Last week I did buy those kettle chips, not sure of name. I sit under the big tree because I don't like sitting in the sun. I always, always wear my hat cuz; I won't sit under a tree without it, too afraid of bird poo. Not sure where this comes from, but something must have happened at some point. There is talk of thunderstorms tomorrow, so maybe the jazz will be inside of the Museum. I hope they are still selling Tee shirts; I would love to buy one.

Newark Renewal's?  http://www.localtalknews.com/detail.aspx?id=11

 

Ann Coulter

    I dislike political commentator, Ann Coulter. I find myself surprised by this because generally I do not care about news commentators one way or the other.  I had never paid attention Coulter until I saw and heard her speak on television at the Conservative Political Action Conference. I guess a portion was televised and I caught it live, while I was away in early March of this year.  I was stunned by what she said, or in this case did not say, but alluted to. This is from CNN, "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards, so I think I'll just conclude here and take your questions," http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/04/coulter.edwards/index.html

Coulter is now defending herself by saying that she did not call John Edwards a faggot. I agree that she did not, but it's all about the twist of words, isn’t?  

Food for Thought - Life Lessons

    This was posted in one of my groups, I liked it so much I wanted to share with my friends.

food for thought

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.


1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of j oke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached ..

It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Import ant Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitres s brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant la id down his burden and tr ied to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

No more Violence Against Women Forum

    I must say that I am offended by the need for forum such as this. But I guess the fact that there will an open dialogue is a positive move forward.

06.25.07 Tishman Auditorium at The New School 66 West 12th Street NYC TimesTalks No More Violence Against the World's Women Millions of girls and women around the globe continue to endure deadly oppression and human rights violations. Every day, they are threatened, beaten, raped, mutilated, enslaved, trafficked and killed with impunity. Hear New York Times foreign correspondent Celia Dugger; Times Op-Ed columnist Bob Herbert; international women's rights spokesperson Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the author of "Infidel"; LaShawn Jefferson, executive director of the women's rights division of Human Rights Watch; and Rachel Mayanja, U.N. special adviser on gender issues and the advancement of women, discuss how such crimes against women's human rights can - and must - end. Buy Tickets

Nothing Like Old Friends

     I just returned from the shore Monday. A long-time friend went with me. There was just the two of us, we had such a wonderful time, it was hard to believe that we had not  this done before. We were 18 and 19 years old or so when we first met. That's a long time ago. If you remember S. Klein's in Newark, you know what I am talking about.

We did nothing but enjoy the sun and the ocean. Oh, and talk, talk, talk. Not excessive chatter, no gossip, no whining, just good girlfriend talk--thank you. We probably learned more about one another than we had ever known. And *still* the bond is there, laughing.    

I had been lamenting to myself about this friend thing and found that reaching back can be an excellent idea. 

My Weight Gain, Someone Else's Fault

      O. K. I am shaking my head on this one. It seems that obesity is on the rise in the US and it is not the overweight person's fault or in the case of a child, the parents fault. It turns out to be the fault of the cereal maker or the fast food places the sell the products, blah, blah, blah.

MMMmm, I wonder if anyone has thought that it may be prudent to refuse the 'extra' that is offered to you for only a few cents more. Or if you accept it, take it home and make another meal rather than eat it on the spot.

The Kellogg's cereal folks are giving their cereals an overhaul and removing some sugar. While it is true that some of the cereals taste like a too sweet dessert, some of the blame has to sit with those who refuse to eat what is considered  proper portions. I know that I am guilty of this. The only thing that saves me is that I don't care for already sweetened cereal. I like corn flakes and Kix (yum!) and I can guarantee that I eat more than the suggested portion every time I have cereal.  Just recently I have started using a smaller bowl and pouring 1% percent milk instead of whole milk. I won't talk about how long it took me to get to this point with the milk. 

When it comes to food many of us have a "more is better" attitude, particularly when it comes to fast food, where even a small drink is fairly large. And why would anyone need a hamburger with more than one patty? or a 1/4 of pound of meat on bread? Come on guys--the weight blame is on us.     

Sometimes the Answer is Right In Front of You

     It's amazing, sometimes you know the answer but have not asked yourself the right question. But that's O.K. I have it now.  I am still getting used to the financial aspects of retirement--I am not complaining, just still getting used to living within the confines of a different budget. Time was, a bill came in and I just paid it without thought to my checking account. It has been a decent morning even though I was unable to reach a few of the people I needed to. It gave me time to ponder and watch Suze Orman. She annoys me, but I think she is a financially savvy woman. I can watch the same show repeated and learn something different each time.

I have another early morning biz thingie in New York this month. I have been careful not to lock myself in tight corners this month--well not too tight anyway. If I can get through this week, I am good to go with the remaining June weeks. Am going to a dance recital tonight. I am so proud of Dee. It will be lovely to see her work. We will celebrate later this evening.