Yes, We're Creepy

John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" was quoted in the paper today saying Florida has a lot of creeps. 

They're not necessarily born here but, like everybody else, they come down here to hide out.  Walsh said that of the 1,200 people caught on his show, 30 per cent have been found in Florida.

We Floridians don't like to brag about it but we are fully aware of our serial killers and rapists, not to mention our colorful politics.  We also have the most exciting trials.

Have you seen this photo going around the Internet showing former Florida resident O.J. Simpson and current resident Casey Anthony?

Now, this is creepy.

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The Ides of March

We saw "Th Ides of March" a couple of weeks ago.  I like politics.  I like George Clooney.  I wasn't bored. 

But I had a hard time with the movie.  Very cynical.  Clooney produced, directed and co-stared so I was expecting some new thoughts. 

Some reviewers called it original.  I didn't see anything original in it. Haven't we all seen this in real life?. Here's a key:

The part of the really good looking, charismatic, smart, full of excellent values and ideas with only one flaw - played by George Clooney...............Bill Clinton.

The part of the young, idealistic slightly naive campaign manager - played by Ryan Gosling.........George  Stephanopoulos.

The part of the smart and beautiful but conniving intern - played by Evan Rachel Wood..............Monica Lewinsky.

Come on - what's original about it?


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Lobster Festival

Last night we walked to the Autumn Festival at St. Mary Magdalene's Catholic Church - as we do every year.  It's a big deal.  It's much like a county fair.

We looked at all the eating places.  Dave wanted a chili dog.  I wanted a lobster.  They cook up these big lobsters right in front of you.  At $12 each, they sell out fast.  Last year I missed out. 

My lobster came with a big wooden stick - the only thing available to get the meat out.  I began beating on it and, of course, the lobster juice sprayed everywhere, including all over my clothes, in my hair and all over my face.  It took me 20 minutes to wrestle all of the yummy meat out.  The toddler who shared our table was highly amused. 

Afterward we walked around among the hoards of other folks and rode the Ferris Wheel.  We watched the ladies frying up Snickers bars and Dave thought about having one - but didn't.

Then we walked the 8 or so blocks back home.  All the while, I was sticky from head to toe.

But it was well worth it.  I can't wait for next year.


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Do I Want to Live Forever?

• Two days ago I met with some folks who's goal is to help us live to be 100.

• Yesterday I met with my Power Rangers, all about my age, all strong and vital and making a difference in the world, despite some of us coming through some serious illnesses, including cancer.

• Today I saw my Oldies.  All in all a good visit but they're in their 90s and are weak in body, mind and spirit.  Their quality of life is questionable at best.

A few years back I had a friend in her late 80s who refused aggressive treatment for lung cancer.  Her doctors were appalled.  Just a few weeks ago I told you about my book club friend, Barbara, who did the same thing.  She opted for Hospice instead. 

The thing is that, when we get old,  cancer drugs, while many times helping us, also harm us.

If I was diagnosed with cancer now I feel reasonably sure I'd choose aggressive treatment.  20 years from now I'm not so sure.  But doctors find it hard to take when people reject their treatment paradigm.  I hope, by the time I'm really old, the conversation will be more about how I want to live.

• Some experts think old women don't need treatment for some types of breast cancer.
• Some experts think old men don't need treatment for prostate cancer.

Yes, it might be interesting to live to 100 - but I'd like to choose how.


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My Second Act

We have a relatively new group in our church called Act II.  It's for folks over 50.  There are service projects and spiritual times but occasionally we do something fancy.

On Saturday night a big bunch of us got dressed up and went to the Orlando Philharmonics "Night at the Oscars."  First we had a backstage party, then those who cared to, attended a short lecture by the conductor.  (We stayed back stage with our friends and ate cheesecake.) 

I can't imagine anybody not enjoying this concert.  On stage was a huge screen above the orchestra that showed film clips of movies that have won Academy Awards for music.  Movies like "Citizen Kane," "Ben-Hur," "An American in Paris," and "The Wizard of Oz." 

All in all, a fantastic night with our fantastic Orlando Philharmonic. 


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Legoland - It's About Time!

Yesterday Legoland opened its fifth - and largest in the world - theme park in Central Florida.  The others are located in England, Germany, Denmark and, of course, California. 

Those Californians always get the good theme parks before we deprived Central Floridans do!

It seems like so very long ago that Universal opened its hugely successful Harry Potter Theme Park at its Islands of Adventure.   It's been at least a year!

And yes we do have all of the Disney World theme parks, Epcot and Sea World, Universal, and all the others - but we needed Legoland.  As one guest said "It's very family oriented."  (As opposed to all that wild and crazy adult stuff going on at the other parks?)

Well, we know that's not happening.  But, as another Legoland guest said, "Finally, a place where they can ride the rides and not worry about their height too much."  I don't even know what that means.  Have Disney visitors been worrying about their height all this time and I didn't know about it? 

For all of you who visited Legoland yesterday and are now looking for a brand new theme park, help is on the way.  Legoland will add a Water Park in May.

Legoland's one day admission price is $75.  I'm going to start saving my money and hope that I'm not too tall.


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50/50

Last week Dave and I saw the movie, 50/50.  It's about a 27 year old guy who's diagnosed with cancer and given a 50/50 chance of survival.

The cancer guy is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (that kid from Third Rock From the Sun - only all grown up - sort of.)  His buddy is Seth Rogen who's famous for his potty mouth.  The fame is richly deserved in this movie.

Despite that, I liked the movie.  It's sweet.  The characters don't know how to react or even how to talk to their friend who may be dying.  Even his therapist is inept. 

This is kind of how we are about death and other serious matters.  We don't know how to talk about them.  When my husband, Ken was in a dialysis unit every other day for several years and ONE THIRD of the patients died each year - this is how they dealt with it:  They didn't. 

We need to find better skills for talking with each other about serious and scary issues.  Because our chances of dying aren't 50/50.

They're 100 per cent.


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Is Leaving Always Wrong?

On Tuesday I met with my book club ladies to discuss "Loving Frank," the story of the love affair between Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright.

As you know from a previous blog posting, I was fussing and fuming all the while I read the book about these two and their selfishness.  For instance, they left two spouses and eight kids who loved them.

A couple of the book club ladies said that it's never OK to leave your kids.  On the other hand, some of them were willing to give Frank Lloyd Wright a pass because he was a genius who left a great legacy to the world.

Is leaving always wrong, especially for a mom? 

I struggled with that issue a bit when my kids were young.  I could have been much more successful in my work if I'd traveled more - and sometimes we desperately needed the money.  But I was away overnight very little.  In fact, I don't think my kids were very aware of my working.

This morning's newspaper brought the news that the mother of a much loved and respected politician here in Florida died.  Mel Martinez was a former mayor of Orange County and went on to become our first Cuban-American senator.  His brother, Ralph, is a well known attorney. 

In the early 1960, their mom, Gladys Martinez and her husband made the decision to send their two sons to the United States after Castro took over in Cuba.  They weren't sure if they'd ever see them again.  But they were reunited four years later when the parents were able to come to Florida.

I know two moms who've been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan - twice. 

Dave's mom lived most of her adult life in Malaysia as a missionary.  Dave turned out to be a magnificent man.

My mom was in a T.B. sanitarium while I grew up.  Then she died.

So I can't put a pox on all moms for leaving.  I guess we have to evaluate it case by case. 

Mamah Borthwick Cheney was an intellectual, a mother, a feminist, and a translator.  But she could have been all of that and stayed home with her kids.  It appears to me that she abandoned them, along with her husband, sister and others simply because she fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright.

That, to me, is wrong.


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I Still Love Albert

Maybe you've been reading about the new discovery by the world's best scientists, that will replace Einstein's theory of relativity.

In a nutshell it's this:  Neutrinos can travel faster than light. 

What are neutrinos?  They're particles that travel through almost everything - anytime they want.

What does "faster than light" mean?  It means, if you shoot a gun - the bullet leaves before you pull the trigger. 

Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post Writers Group, says that, if it' true, everything we know about the universe is wrong including  Einstein's theory of relativity -  because it's the absolute prohibition on speed faster than light. 

If it's true we'll need a new understanding of past and future.

Are you confused?  Maybe this little joke that's going around scientific websites will help you.  You know how I love bartender jokes. 

We don't allow faster-than-light neutrinos in here, says the bartender.
A neutrino walks into a bar.

Think about it.


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Death and Communication

It was sad to wake up hearing on the radio that Steve Jobs had died.  But apparently, I was one of the last to hear.  The word spread across the world like wild fire.  And it's fitting, because communication was much of what made up what Steve Jobs shared with us.  It was his passion.


As I was reading about him this morning, Dave walked into the room to share with me a letter he'd just run across while unpacking some boxes.  It's an original letter, written in 1863 by one of Dave's relatives, in beautiful script. A portion of this letter is attached below.

It's from Hanover and Deborah Briggs and written to their children.   It looks like Hanover is the one actually doing the writing.

In the letter he's telling his other children that their brother, Harvey, has been killed in the war.  Looks like they're receiving this word quite a while after Harvey died.  Here are some excerpts:

Dear Children,

it is under the most painfull sircumstances that I address you.  it is the Death of Harvey I got the word by the way of a letter from Dent Gist.  he says he was killed in the great battle of the 22 of May in storming the breastworks at vicksburg.  He says Harvy is the only man killed in our company one of the bravest men in the regiment. 

I hope his name will ever be Dear to you.  I feel to Mourn with deep regrett the loss of A precious Son, one that never gave me a saucy word in his life, one that never told me a rong story, one that never said any work was to hard for him to do.  he has carried out the same principles in fiting rebbels. 

...all the evils and cares of Earth and things present or things to come can ever wear the precious name of Harvey J. Briggs from my mind.

,,,I got a letter from Harvey writen Just one week before he was killed.  I think the last he ever done.  I will send you a coppy of it.

From your Affectionate Father and Mother,

Hanover and Deborah Briggs

The old ways of communicating, ones that took weeks and months, are gone.  But they did have a certain charm and grace.


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Moneyball

We saw Moneyball this week.  It's had nothing but rave reviews.  Everybody loves it.  It's been described as sharp, tender, touching, soulful and funny.  I didn't think it was any of these things.


I didn't care for it.  The first two thirds was too slow moving, sad and frustrating for me.  Then it got better - but the ending was unsatisfying.

As you probably know, it's about the Oakland A's and how they broke all the rules of baseball by employing some unorthodox method of player analysis called saber metrics. 

It's based on a true story but lots of liberties were taken.

General manager Billy Beane is played by Brad Pitt.  He's great in this movie.  But Billy is a closed off, unemotional character.  In real life he has a second wife and twins.  It would have been good for me if that part hadn't been cut out of the movie.  Moneyball is solely lacking women.

To me, the best part of it was his daughter singing that song from Juno for him in the music store.

Jonah Hill who plays Peter Brand is excellent.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman who plays the A's manager is excellent.  I think he's one of the finest actors around.  He looks really old in this movie.

As I said, the ending was frustrating for me.  As long as they were makin' stuff up - they could have made a happier, more satisfying ending.

I'm just sayin'.


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Birth Control and the Wesleys

A while back somebody questioned how I could be a Wesleyan and still be so adamant about birth control since the Wesleys had all those kids.

Yes, my wish for the world would be that women would become pregnant only when they want to - and then - only after they'd been encouraged to think about the consequences and responsibilities they will face for the rest of their lives.

Susanna and Samuel Wesley had 19 children.  One of them, John, was the impetus for the formation of the Methodist Church.  But, beyond that, the entire western world is a better place because of John Wesley.  His brother, Charles, primarily a hymn writer, had a big part as well.

This morning in church Dave pointed out that the hymn we were singing was written by Samuel Wesley.  I don't know if that was the dad or another one of the sons. Dave notices these things because his grandfather was a hymn writer.

Anyway, there is a concept among some folks that several of our greatest leaders throughout history would never have been born if their parents had used birth control.

Case in point:  Susanna and Samuel Wesley.  They had:

1.  Samuel
2.  Susanna
3.  Emilia
4.  Annesley
5.  Jedediah
6.  Susanna
7.  Mary
8.  Mehetabel
9.  Unnamed
10. John
11. Benjamin
12. & 13. Unnamed Twins
14. Anne
15. John
16. Unnamed
17. Martha
18. Charles
19. Kezziah

John and Charles were # 15 and #18 so the argument would be that if Suzanne and Samuel had stopped at, say, an even dozen, these great men would never have been born.

I'm not buyin' it.

First, only eight of these Wesley kids lived to age 50.  Six died as babies.  Most scholars believe that Suzanna was an exceptional human being.  Just think what she could have accomplished if she hadn't been pregnant for 20 years. 

Yes, I'm grateful for John and Charles Wesley.  But I'm still strong on birth control.

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