was the setting for planning my 40th college reunion this weekend. WHAT? 40???? It feels like just yesterday when we arrived with our suitcases and walked up to the fourth floor of the dorm. It was one of the few times that men were allowed upstairs...just fathers and brothers carrying stuff!
Lots of the discussion this weekend was how things had changed for women beginning just about the time we went off to college in 1967. A woman was there from the Class of 1963 and talked about how the five years after her graduation had been a time of change and turmoil, and yet the day they had graduated they didn't have an inkling of what was to come. They had gone to college planning on looking for husbands....two decades later people were discussing "displaced homemakers."
But in addition to all the fun we had, the best part was hearing from older women that Turning S*x*y was, in fact, something to be looked forward to and savored. My friend Liz, with whom I was working, has become a vegan. She is totally committed to it and convinced that animal protein in one's diet can lead to bad stuff like cancer. I was intrigued....not sure I'm ready to become a vegetarian but I'm sure going to start Googling the "broccoli theory" which supposedly is the work of an MHC physician alumna in the same Class of '63. Who knew?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
THIS NEWS JUST IN!
I always suspected that moderate drinking was "the way to belong." Thank God that has been confirmed by none other than The Paper of Record.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/health/research/01aging.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Aging&st=cse
I try to drink moderately every single day. As I sip my moderate drinks I chant my mantra, which is "my brain is not aging....my brain is not aging...."
Of course I am just about to leave on vacation. The rule on vacation is that the definition of "moderate" is slightly modified. Moderate means "not before noon if you can help it...." and "remember you don't know any of the neighbors so if you do something silly who cares?"
What you have to know is that when I get back from vacation I am in my BUSY SEASON at work, so any moderate drinking I do will not be for enjoyment but for restoration. So vacation is my last time to really be able to savor my moderation rather than crashing onto the couch and roaring "Give me a drink!" I've tried to train the dogs to mix a martini but so far my efforts are for naught.
There is also research that shows that your liver gets more effective after the age of 60 and can handle pretty much anything....well, most anything....and the additional gain is that we usually fall asleep before we can do too much damage.
Bottoms up!
I try to drink moderately every single day. As I sip my moderate drinks I chant my mantra, which is "my brain is not aging....my brain is not aging...."
Of course I am just about to leave on vacation. The rule on vacation is that the definition of "moderate" is slightly modified. Moderate means "not before noon if you can help it...." and "remember you don't know any of the neighbors so if you do something silly who cares?"
What you have to know is that when I get back from vacation I am in my BUSY SEASON at work, so any moderate drinking I do will not be for enjoyment but for restoration. So vacation is my last time to really be able to savor my moderation rather than crashing onto the couch and roaring "Give me a drink!" I've tried to train the dogs to mix a martini but so far my efforts are for naught.
There is also research that shows that your liver gets more effective after the age of 60 and can handle pretty much anything....well, most anything....and the additional gain is that we usually fall asleep before we can do too much damage.
Bottoms up!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thought I had forgotten you?
Hey, it was August! That means vacation! And that meant VISITING MY GRANDCHILDREN. Life does not get any better than that!
But now it's September so it's nose to the grindstone. Except that we have one more week of vacation next week. Which we'll need, because the fall is a very busy time at work for the Diva and so one needs all the R & R that can be mustered....
Just found a great article in the NYT about how much of one's retirement nest egg it's prudent to withdraw each year....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/your-money/individual-retirement-account-iras/29money.html?pagewanted=2&em
As you can see, the Diva is not only thinking about vacation but also about retirement. Not that she's going to retire any time soon.
But it's good to have goals and so two goals for the next six years are: have as many vacations as possible and save as much $ as possible.
AHA you say! Conflicting/competing goals! How does one deal with this conundrum?
I'm not sure....but I'm working on it. I'm banking on the fact that by the time I'm S*x*y S*x, people will be begging all of us s*xagenarians to keep working at lofty rates of pay. Dream on, you say? Well, I shall.....
But now it's September so it's nose to the grindstone. Except that we have one more week of vacation next week. Which we'll need, because the fall is a very busy time at work for the Diva and so one needs all the R & R that can be mustered....
Just found a great article in the NYT about how much of one's retirement nest egg it's prudent to withdraw each year....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/your-money/individual-retirement-account-iras/29money.html?pagewanted=2&em
As you can see, the Diva is not only thinking about vacation but also about retirement. Not that she's going to retire any time soon.
But it's good to have goals and so two goals for the next six years are: have as many vacations as possible and save as much $ as possible.
AHA you say! Conflicting/competing goals! How does one deal with this conundrum?
I'm not sure....but I'm working on it. I'm banking on the fact that by the time I'm S*x*y S*x, people will be begging all of us s*xagenarians to keep working at lofty rates of pay. Dream on, you say? Well, I shall.....
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
SALLY SEZ....
that the new infatuation in the universe is the season premiere of "Mad Men."
We were talking about the fact that the show does such a good job of portraying how absolutely stultifying life was for intelligent women pre-1968. My daughter said that watching the show helped her understand why I was so angry that young women didn't appreciate how much we had worked so that they had opportunities we didn't (Can you tell that she was an Obama supporter and I was a Clinton supporter in 2007-8? But of course now I adore the Prez and think the Secy of State is doing an AWESOME job!)
But Sally put it so well that I must just quote her:
the fact that we really are sexier, can feel sexier, now than when we were young, because:
no garter belts or tight cotton bras -- bare legs and sports bras.
no sitting in the bleachers cheering on the boys -- we jog, spin, walk and celebrate our bodies (what there is left).
no sitting by the telephone -- not only can we call, but we can IM, text, or whatever. Hello!
no secrets and embarrassments -- now one can advertise all or nothing on Facebook, plus there's so much more that's discussed and allowed.
no terrible competition, in a way -- now everyone is becoming gray and splotched and wrinkly, no matter how blonde or perky they were at 18. One can dye (but it's obvious) and buy creams of every description, but, really, we're all in the same boat. It's personality, humor, intelligence that counts. And, anyway, the guys have the overhang and the saggy chins, too, so who are they to be critical?
let's see -- I know there's more. But, in general, there was such a stereotype of what was pretty and desirable, and all the rules and accoutrements that went with it. Then, in the '60s, you could be a hippie -- but that was just as confining in its own way, and the women were supposed to wash the dishes while the men did the heavy political thinking, or music-making. Girls were still accessories.
Now, we make our own rules, for better or worse, and that's the sexiest feeling of all.
Isn't my friend Sally AMAZING?!!! She has really nailed the essence of this aging thing. Especially for women we HAVE come a long way baby and only those of us who wore the garter belts can truly understand how long and difficult the journey has been.....
We were talking about the fact that the show does such a good job of portraying how absolutely stultifying life was for intelligent women pre-1968. My daughter said that watching the show helped her understand why I was so angry that young women didn't appreciate how much we had worked so that they had opportunities we didn't (Can you tell that she was an Obama supporter and I was a Clinton supporter in 2007-8? But of course now I adore the Prez and think the Secy of State is doing an AWESOME job!)
But Sally put it so well that I must just quote her:
the fact that we really are sexier, can feel sexier, now than when we were young, because:
no garter belts or tight cotton bras -- bare legs and sports bras.
no sitting in the bleachers cheering on the boys -- we jog, spin, walk and celebrate our bodies (what there is left).
no sitting by the telephone -- not only can we call, but we can IM, text, or whatever. Hello!
no secrets and embarrassments -- now one can advertise all or nothing on Facebook, plus there's so much more that's discussed and allowed.
no terrible competition, in a way -- now everyone is becoming gray and splotched and wrinkly, no matter how blonde or perky they were at 18. One can dye (but it's obvious) and buy creams of every description, but, really, we're all in the same boat. It's personality, humor, intelligence that counts. And, anyway, the guys have the overhang and the saggy chins, too, so who are they to be critical?
let's see -- I know there's more. But, in general, there was such a stereotype of what was pretty and desirable, and all the rules and accoutrements that went with it. Then, in the '60s, you could be a hippie -- but that was just as confining in its own way, and the women were supposed to wash the dishes while the men did the heavy political thinking, or music-making. Girls were still accessories.
Now, we make our own rules, for better or worse, and that's the sexiest feeling of all.
Isn't my friend Sally AMAZING?!!! She has really nailed the essence of this aging thing. Especially for women we HAVE come a long way baby and only those of us who wore the garter belts can truly understand how long and difficult the journey has been.....
Friday, July 31, 2009
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH....
I know my last post was over two weeks ago. What do you expect? I'm old and tired and can hardly put my fingers to the keys....
But a conversation with my friend John reminded me why I'm writing this blog. When you start to think about this "Turning S*x*y" stuff and aging and all that it can scare the **** out of you! Listen to this recent experience of John's....
Dropped off my car for service, and they were still open. Rick said he checked, and I didn't have it done very long ago, and I said that I had put on 3K miles. He said he saw that I had done 800 in 2+ weeks, but was going to check to be sure it wasn't something like they forgot to change the window sticker, or put the wrong mileage, because he didn't want to do the service if it wasn't needed. If only the doctors paid that much attention..
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY? Auto mechanics (good ones, anyway) pay more attention to your car than physicians pay to our bodies! I'm being simplistic and the good docs are attempting to be like Rick the auto mechanic. But in my case, my personal physician has 4200 patients. Do you think Rick works on 4200 cars in a year? I DON'T THINK SO!!! And yet what's more important?
With the "Turning S*X*Y" set aging, we all have to be our own best advocates or we're F**K*D......but you didn't hear that from me....and apologies to my family members who are part of the medical profession but you know I speak the truth!
But a conversation with my friend John reminded me why I'm writing this blog. When you start to think about this "Turning S*x*y" stuff and aging and all that it can scare the **** out of you! Listen to this recent experience of John's....
Dropped off my car for service, and they were still open. Rick said he checked, and I didn't have it done very long ago, and I said that I had put on 3K miles. He said he saw that I had done 800 in 2+ weeks, but was going to check to be sure it wasn't something like they forgot to change the window sticker, or put the wrong mileage, because he didn't want to do the service if it wasn't needed. If only the doctors paid that much attention..
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT OUR SOCIETY? Auto mechanics (good ones, anyway) pay more attention to your car than physicians pay to our bodies! I'm being simplistic and the good docs are attempting to be like Rick the auto mechanic. But in my case, my personal physician has 4200 patients. Do you think Rick works on 4200 cars in a year? I DON'T THINK SO!!! And yet what's more important?
With the "Turning S*X*Y" set aging, we all have to be our own best advocates or we're F**K*D......but you didn't hear that from me....and apologies to my family members who are part of the medical profession but you know I speak the truth!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Just a reminder....
that it is INCREDIBLY COOL (ok, I'm dating myself with that word...) to be turning s*x*y. Listen to this!
Happy Birthday Meryl, Vera, Sissy, and Anna! These beautiful, brilliant, accomplished women are putting the “sex” back into sexagenarian.
Meryl Streep just turned 60 last weekend, and Vera Wang’s seventh decade begins next week. Bonnie Raitt and Sissy Spacek and Anna Wintour and Jessica Lange will soon follow. But these elderly geezers are not exactly going gently into that good night; instead, they have gone from zero to 60 with engines roaring. Streep just picked up an honorary degree from Princeton, Lange starred in the HBO hit Grey Gardens, Wang is about to twirl on Dancing With the Stars.
Now I have to admit, I'm still waiting for the local community college to call me about my honorary degree, and my closest connection to HBO is that my daughter worked there for a year and NO WAY am I going to appear on Dancing With The Stars! (I'm sure I would win but I have a philosophical objection to reality TV....)
However, I DID invent "Turning S*x*y" and you never know what else I might come up with. So stay tuned.....and while you're at it, have a nice day.
Happy Birthday Meryl, Vera, Sissy, and Anna! These beautiful, brilliant, accomplished women are putting the “sex” back into sexagenarian.
Meryl Streep just turned 60 last weekend, and Vera Wang’s seventh decade begins next week. Bonnie Raitt and Sissy Spacek and Anna Wintour and Jessica Lange will soon follow. But these elderly geezers are not exactly going gently into that good night; instead, they have gone from zero to 60 with engines roaring. Streep just picked up an honorary degree from Princeton, Lange starred in the HBO hit Grey Gardens, Wang is about to twirl on Dancing With the Stars.
Now I have to admit, I'm still waiting for the local community college to call me about my honorary degree, and my closest connection to HBO is that my daughter worked there for a year and NO WAY am I going to appear on Dancing With The Stars! (I'm sure I would win but I have a philosophical objection to reality TV....)
However, I DID invent "Turning S*x*y" and you never know what else I might come up with. So stay tuned.....and while you're at it, have a nice day.
Monday, July 6, 2009
WHO STOLE MY METABOLISM??!!!
I was standing in the coffee shop this a.m. and someone came over and said "You sprinkle cinnamon on your lattes, don't you?" "Yeah," I said, "it's supposed to be good for you..." "Yes," she said, "it's supposed to help your metabolism...."
"I used to have metabolism," I said, "I wonder what happened to it?" "EXACTLY!" she said, "WHO STOLE MY METABOLISM?"
And you know, that is the essence of the problem.
I was not a bio major in college but I believe your metabolism has something to do with how quickly or efficiently your body processes nutrients etc. When you have a high basal metabolism, I think it means that you can eat fairly heartily and not put on pounds. If your metabolism is low, it's the opposite.
One of the real frustrations of aging for women is that their metabolism just seems to get up and walk off the stage. One day you're sort of a normal looking person and the next day you're "matronly." And no one can explain why.
Except people who understand metabolism. What are those people called? Endocrinologists? Haven't a clue.
All I know is that I'm sitting next to a group of eight men, all of whom are older than I am, and they're all thinner. That sucks, as the kids say. Now, it might be that this particular group of guys don't hang out with heavyset people. But somehow I just think that women have gotten the short end of the stick.
Maybe metabolism is one of those things that you can order on the internet....I don't know how much to order though and what kinds of sizes/amounts it comes in. Maybe I'll ask for a "medium" and see how that works out, and tweak it from there....
"I used to have metabolism," I said, "I wonder what happened to it?" "EXACTLY!" she said, "WHO STOLE MY METABOLISM?"
And you know, that is the essence of the problem.
I was not a bio major in college but I believe your metabolism has something to do with how quickly or efficiently your body processes nutrients etc. When you have a high basal metabolism, I think it means that you can eat fairly heartily and not put on pounds. If your metabolism is low, it's the opposite.
One of the real frustrations of aging for women is that their metabolism just seems to get up and walk off the stage. One day you're sort of a normal looking person and the next day you're "matronly." And no one can explain why.
Except people who understand metabolism. What are those people called? Endocrinologists? Haven't a clue.
All I know is that I'm sitting next to a group of eight men, all of whom are older than I am, and they're all thinner. That sucks, as the kids say. Now, it might be that this particular group of guys don't hang out with heavyset people. But somehow I just think that women have gotten the short end of the stick.
Maybe metabolism is one of those things that you can order on the internet....I don't know how much to order though and what kinds of sizes/amounts it comes in. Maybe I'll ask for a "medium" and see how that works out, and tweak it from there....
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