We saw Revolutionary Road this weekend. Though it was an excellent film -- acting, locale, sets, costumes were all wonderful and perfect for the time -- I found it very disturbing. And, not because it was the story of a very unhappy marriage. Here's why: The Look She looked toward him from the counter and offered him a glass of orange juice freshly squeezed. She was fully dressed in blouse and skirt and little wedgie shoes, Her makeup was perfect Her long blonde hair just so. She then invited him to sit down at the table. Scrambled or fried eggs? she asked He said whatever is easier, scrambled probably, and unbuttoning his suit jacket sat down, looking at her all the while. She stood at the sink scrambling and when the eggs were cooked she sat down opposite him and they ate. Not much talking, mostly eating, and looking closely at each other's eyes. He got up to go. That's the best breakfast you ever made for me, he said. And before he left, he … [Read more...]
More movies
We've been catching up on our movie going -- taking advantage of the time off during the holidays and trying to get in some of the movies that will likely be up for some kind of award next month. Since Christmas Day we've seen: Frost/Nixon Yes Man Gran Torino Plus a couple on Netflix: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Also, right before Christmas we saw: Seven Pounds Well in my humble opinion Frost/Nixon was no where as good as Slumdog Millionaire and Milk, and Yes Man was a real loser. It was a great way to have a light time on New Year's Eve, but it wasn't even particularly funny. Seven Pounds had a pretty good script, but it was depressing as hell. But, I will put Gran Torino up there with my best picks for this round of viewing. Clint is at his best, playing the part of a tough guy -- and a really old tough guy at that. Even so, he pulls it off perfectly. I went thinking this may well be my last chance to see him on the big … [Read more...]
Christmas day — a day for going to the movies
We saw a terrific movie this afternoon Slumdog Millionaire. Perhaps it's the best movie I've seen all year. Such a vivid portrayal of the streets of India and the life of street children and how they were exploited and abused and even mutilated! It was heavy and then uplifting in the end. And, so full of the sights and sounds of Mumbai -- a part of India that probably no tourist ever gets a chance to see. Later, after dinner, we went to see "Milk," the story of the first openly gay elected official. The phenomena of Harvey Milk and his gay rights movement happened in the 70s when I was a young mother and too preoccupied to pay attention to what was going on in the world around me. Also, when he finally came into power and was later assassinated we were living on Kwajalein where we were deprived of news of the goings on in the States. That was my loss. Seeing this movie tonight was a look back in a part of history that I unfortunately had no connection to. I'm glad to say I had the … [Read more...]
The women in my life – part 5
The ladies in retail Rosie serves me at the cleaners. No matter when I go there mornings, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays she is always there. She calls me Mrs. Sharpless, but I don't mind. I like that she provides good service and good value and always with a smile. She is a tiny woman with red hair, always worn up off her face. And, she moves like lightening from the back cleaning area, to the counter, to the racks of cleaned and ready clothes. There is never a hesitation. She knows me when I walk in the door and knows exactly where to find the clothes I'm there to pick up. That's what I call good service. Vivian used to serve Bob in the men's department at Nordstrom, but she branched out in the last year or so to also serve women as a personal buyer. I really love that she's so ready and willing to go shopping for me because it's one of the things I dread doing. She lets me know when a big sale is coming up, I call back with a few things I'd like her to find for me, and we're … [Read more...]
Calling for votes
I participated in a calling bank today, and I keep asking myself, did it really make a difference? The calls came in electronically, so I had no idea with whom I was speaking -- except someone who lives in Missouri. And, more times than not, my call was either aborted by a hangup before I even had a chance to speak or I was greeted by a hangup as soon as the responder found out whom I was supporting. However, there were several who responded favorably to my questions. That, I think, made it all worthwhile. In fact, one women who was reluctant to share, said she felt comfortable sharing whom she planned to vote for because she liked my voice. But, today I didn't get a chance to change anybody's mind or get anyone who wasn't in favor of my candidate to listen to me past my first introductory statement. In fact, I got some guff because I interrupted someone while he was watching his football game. Oh well, I was calling on a Sunday afternoon. … [Read more...]
Four generations
My aunt has been hosting a Rosh Hashanah lunch for the family for about the last 20 years. Here we are -- four generations -- last Tuesday posing for our annual photo. Auntie is front and center -- 92 years young and still gorgeous! … [Read more...]
Italy for a year — a choice in question
My Pilates instructor just came back from two weeks in Italy. She, too, has been planning on living there for a while, but came back questioning that decision. She says it's very expensive -- of course, I already knew that -- that people throw garbage out their windows -- definitely not the no litter values we have over here -- and there is no separation of church and state -- I think I could probably live with that. We'll just have to spend a few weeks over there as well before we make any final decisions about moving there for a year. But, I don't find that a bad trade at all. I'm always up for a trip to Italy. And, I certainly don't want all the Italian I've learned to go to waste. Ciao! … [Read more...]
Some photos
My garden Buddha The chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs last weekend -- outside and in My adorable great nieces … [Read more...]
Italian lessons success
I've finished the 6-week online Loyola University Italian course almost on time. This past weekend I finished going over the last two chapters, did the assignments, took the last two quizzes, and yesterday I took the final exam with a 100% score. Of course that doesn't mean that I know much about the Italian language. I have learned about greetings, numbers and dates, how to get around a train station and airport, how to ask for directions, how to get help if sick or in an emergency, and most important of all how to shop and order food off a menu. I also know that I need to keep studying verbs and their conjugations and a long list of expressions and vocabulary. But, I'm not daunted by all that. I'm just very glad that I started. Now, I have a plethora of study material the lessons and quizzes from the online course, the verb drill book, six CDs with a total of 30 audio lessons, and the Collins Italian dictionary with about 1000 pages of vocabulary to memorize. All this … [Read more...]
It’s all relative
I've been wanting to share these photos for a long time -- one taken while visiting the NYC Central Park Gates by Christo; the other in my neighborhood, the Greenbelt Gates, an art project created by our local grade school students. What a thrill to get up one weekend morning and see the little "gates" just across the street from my house. … [Read more...]
"Recount" is great
We saw Recount on HBO last night. A brilliant and well-researched script written by one of Ben's friends from middle school, Danny Strong. I just loved the way Laura Dern portrayed Katherine Harris, who by the way still thinks she did what was lawful and just. And, even though we knew how it all turned out, there was still a strong sense of suspense about the outcome. It made me incensed as I was back in 2000 at the Republican's shady dealings and their accusations that the Democrats were trying to steal the election. Of course when all was said and done, we knew who really stole that election only Al Gore was too much of a nice guy to fight anymore. The lesson is that we must, like Hillary keeps saying, allow every vote to be counted now. I've also been madly reading the book Madness, written by someone with bipolar disease. I think the writing is a little over the top in its attempt to portray how she really felt and acted while she was manic and depressed, but it certainly … [Read more...]
New York memories
I'd love more days like the one free day I had in New York. I loved being all by myself, walking block after block, looking in the windows on Madison, Fifth, and Lexington avenues, seeing what the museums had to offer, sitting down to lunch at a table for one, meandering along the clothing aisles at Bloomingdale's, and not having to answer to anybody. That is my idea about how to spend a day. Not that I'd want to do it everyday. It's just that I'd like the freedom to do it whenever I wanted. But, that freedom is not yet on the horizon. In another year perhaps, but not yet. Yet, everything about New York reminded me of Paul. Every place we went, there he was. We'd talk about a 5-story walk-up, and there I'd be watching the piano we gave him being moved step by step up to his fourth floor apartment. We ate dinner at Tabla, and there Bob was having an argument with him across the street. We took the circle line tour, and there I was walking the length of the island and across the … [Read more...]
Read Eat Pray Love!
Sunday afternoon. I feel like I've been living the life of a sloth. I've done nothing much else but read and sleep and eat for the last three days and if I keep it up much longer I could definitely make it my way of life. I finally succumbed and started Eat Pray Love last week reading the first few pages while on the stairmaster at the gym. But on my off Friday I got through the Eat part and the next day got through the Pray part, and by the end of today I suspect I'll get through the Love part the fastest I've read through a book in about two years. It's good to know that I can still wolf a book down I used to do that all the time and at the same time, I wish I could savor what's in this book a bit longer. I love the writing it's very personal, and I love the telling of the adventures in each of Italy, India, and Indonesia. But most of all I'm jealous that I didn't have these kind of adventures as a young woman and write about them myself. It's not good enough for me to … [Read more...]
March morning
No Grudge Intended No work today and I begin with a walk just before the sun peeks over the roof tops. The spring ranunculus and clivia burst with open-mouth smiles, the old lady with the cane says a hearty hello, and the brawny guy on the round metal stilts struts at the end of the pier. I stop for a tea sip as I walk home and hope the bully at the gym who yelled and pointed his finger at me will get to enjoy this day. … [Read more...]
The never-ending bucket list revision
About my bucket list. I just looked at my earlier bucket list blog entries to revisit what I've put down so far. Though I don't have a lot of travel destinations on it, I need to add two more trips: Israel and Egypt and India and the Taj Mahal. Other than that I feel like I'm traveled out. I've done so much traveling already. I like to be at home. It was such a pleasure to spend time at home and around Manhattan Beach over this past weekend. I live in a traveler's destination point. I don't need to go far from here to be just fine. If I can travel to all the destinations on my list and take small trips to see family and friends, I'll feel complete. Besides Bob has some other destinations on his list. I'll go to the places he wants to see; he'll go to the places on my list. That should keep us busy for quite some time. … [Read more...]
Tomorrow is an off-Friday
That means I get the day off. My company is on the 9/80 system. We work nine hours a day for four days and get the fifth day off during Week 1 and then work four nine hour days and one eight hour day during Week 2 to total 80 hours for two weeks. When I'm working a proposal I don't get to take advantage of off Fridays, so I'm really looking forward to this one -- mostly so I can sleep in. I can definitely get used to working less days a week -- definitely something to strive for -- four days a week every week or even three days. Why not? … [Read more...]
To dos for the week
So, now that Hanukah and Christmas are over on to what I need to do to make the best use of my week away from work. First submit to poetry journals and contests. Second, work at finding an agent for my memoir write letters to anyone I can think of who may have an in with an agent. Third, meet with my writing coach and work on any necessary changes to my manuscript. Fouth, decide if I need to have someone else read through the manuscript. Fifth, get the manuscript ready for the Kore Press open submission. Besides all that I have a list of more movies to see. Today's movie, Charlie Wilson's War, was great. Aaron Sorkin is a real master. The other movies on my list are Atonement, Savages, Sweeny Todd, and the Great Debaters. I don't know if I enough nights left in the week to see them all. Needless to say, I don't know the meaning of the word, RELAX!!!! … [Read more...]
What a wonderful weekend!
This past weekend was the best three whole days off for pampering (manicure, facial, and massage inside of two days) and being with people especially young people whom I love. And the best part is that it started out raining and raining hard. Bob and I fell in love on a rainy night over 40 years ago, and the magic of its power has stayed with me ever since. It's just too bad that we get so little of it. First off was lunch with my new adopted daughter, Elizabeth. We've known each other such a short time and yet it's like we've always known each other. We can talk about anything and the talking is non-stop. I found it so interesting that we both gravitated to reading at a very young age virtually gobbling up as many books as we could. I can't say that I learned to read at age three like she did, but once I started there was no stopping me. Our lunch was packed and all too short. Now, since I'm her Mum in LA, I have to find the perfect conversion to Judaism gift for her. This … [Read more...]
Back in Manhattan Beach — yeah!!!!
Before we left Portland yesterday we took the scenic route through the Columbia Gorge the border between the states of Oregon and Washington and visited several waterfalls. We had to hike about a half mile to see one of them, the Bridal Veil, but it was worth it. Still cold, but not raining, we didn't mind the hilly and rocky canyon road . We also visited the Vista Point but couldn't stand to be outside there the wind chill made the temperature less than 10 degrees. However, the highlight of the trip for me was seeing my friend, Kitty, who I write with at Esalen. It was such a treat to see how she lives. She has chosen to work only 16 hours a week so she can spend the rest of her time writing, painting, going to Esalen, seeing her grandchildren, gardening. Her lifestyle is a huge inspiration to me. Perhaps I can arrange my work life like that not quit completely but work much fewer hours so I'll have time to do my creative projects and see friends outside of work, and travel, and … [Read more...]
Nine whole days off — enjoy and rejoice!
I can't believe how pleasant it is to be home and in my office looking out to my garden. A huge squirrel stopped by for a drink in my lily pond, and just a second ago a gray bird took a sip as well. A new lily leaf is popping up, and the other mature, flat ones serve as little islands for the birds to skim across. Even though the sun isn't shining, it's just glorious out there so calm and green. I feel so blessed to be able to look out my picture window and take it all in, and I feel so cheated when I get so caught up in work that I don't get the opportunity for days at a time. Which reminds me, I need to get that Buddha. It needs to sit right out there where I can see it and watch it watch over me and my house. Other to dos while I'm off for the next nine days: Submit to the Things I Never Told My Mother anthology due by November 30 Organize my poems for submittal to the 2008 New Women's Voices Chapbook Competition due by February 15, 2008 And now for a challenge: write a … [Read more...]
