My "constant reader" SEB has pointed out to me that it's been almost two months since I've posted to this blog.
I suppose one could say "there are reasons for that."
a. Once the autumnal equinox hits, you really don't want to have much to do with me...
b. "Open enrollment" for Medicare D ramps up about October 1st. How would YOU like to be 103 messages behind at work?
c. How many ways are there to rhyme "f*cking lazy....."
Anyhow here I am and especially given the fact that I'm NOT QUITE 60, you'll have to forgive me.
So, hot off the presses:
1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (again....)
OK, so he forgot he was in Michigan instead of Ohio. Have you ever BEEN to Michigan or Ohio? Add in Indiana and they all look alike. Except for the Terminal Tower in Cleveland there are no "landmarks" to give you a sense of place. And he's 60 years old for gosh sakes. We should be glad he's still standing.....
2. JUMPING UP AND DOWN!
Did you hear that one of the BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BONES is jumping up and down? Who knew? Forget all that weight lifting and swimming. Get a jump rope or better yet (in these recessionary times) just stand in place and JUMP UP AND DOWN! (Probably not wise on an empty stomach or full bladder, however. We are, after all, over 60....)
3. MEALS ON WHEELS!!!
I received my very first "senior" meal on wheel today. It is a tradition in my agency that when someone turns 60 (which officially makes one an "elder" under the Older Americans Act of 1965) the staff brings you a "home-delivered meal." We will talk about congregate meals in future posts but trust me, the best deal going is the manicotti in Berkshire County.....
4. MAMMOGRAMS
I'm not sure I agree with this new decision giving women between 40 and 50 a pass on mammography. I personally had a benign cyst removed at age 37.5. I have always been glad that I had an early baseline mammogram. If the healthcare system can't handle it, the heck with them!
5. AND I'M SURE YOU WON'T AGREE WITH ME.....
but as upset as I am about the abortion restrictions in the healthcare reform bill, I think we NEED TO PASS HEALTHCARE REFORM and then fix it later.....the devil is in the details and the perfect is the enemy of the good and I'm sure I could think up more cliches if it weren't so late.....
And so it goes.....
peace
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Who's the Boss?
Of course the big news in the world of demographics is that Bruce Springsteen is also my age. But this presents an interesting conundrum....
I have never BEEN to a Bruce Springsteen concert. Does this mean I am not representative of my generation? One of my friends, Becky, has probably been to over 100 concerts but she's a mere 50 plus....I have the feeling that by the time people were paying attention to Bruce I was the mother of at least one and perhaps two children and listening to "Free to Be You and Me" rather than rock 'n roll.
I do own an iPod however and have at least one if not two BS songs....does this count?
Unlike my friend Kay, who is the world's living authority on popular music, I stopped paying attention to what was going on about 1971. At that point we lived in Washington DC and there was a wonderful classical music station on AM radio which we listened to every morning on the way to work. I can tell you what was popular -- John Denver (and even I know that that is not rock music!) -- in 1974 because that was the year my husband and I took a three month trip around the country. That was also the summer of the Barbra Streisand/Robert Redford movie, the title of which now escapes me, and so they played the theme from that movie a lot too.
But once I stopped commuting to work all that came to a halt. And even though I went back to work, our town was so small that my job was literally down the street. So no long drives listening to the Boss, or heavy metal or rap or any of those other things that were going on.
I guess this is also where I should confess that I know nothing about the Grateful Dead, even though my husband's name sounds like one of the members of the group....
I really am out of it. Or was. Now that I'm almost 60 I'm on the cutting edge of social change. Just don't ask me who won the Grammys this year.
I have never BEEN to a Bruce Springsteen concert. Does this mean I am not representative of my generation? One of my friends, Becky, has probably been to over 100 concerts but she's a mere 50 plus....I have the feeling that by the time people were paying attention to Bruce I was the mother of at least one and perhaps two children and listening to "Free to Be You and Me" rather than rock 'n roll.
I do own an iPod however and have at least one if not two BS songs....does this count?
Unlike my friend Kay, who is the world's living authority on popular music, I stopped paying attention to what was going on about 1971. At that point we lived in Washington DC and there was a wonderful classical music station on AM radio which we listened to every morning on the way to work. I can tell you what was popular -- John Denver (and even I know that that is not rock music!) -- in 1974 because that was the year my husband and I took a three month trip around the country. That was also the summer of the Barbra Streisand/Robert Redford movie, the title of which now escapes me, and so they played the theme from that movie a lot too.
But once I stopped commuting to work all that came to a halt. And even though I went back to work, our town was so small that my job was literally down the street. So no long drives listening to the Boss, or heavy metal or rap or any of those other things that were going on.
I guess this is also where I should confess that I know nothing about the Grateful Dead, even though my husband's name sounds like one of the members of the group....
I really am out of it. Or was. Now that I'm almost 60 I'm on the cutting edge of social change. Just don't ask me who won the Grammys this year.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Scenic South Hadley....
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?
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?
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!
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