When Life Comes Full Circle

In 1959 in Indianapolis, I attended the great Broadway Methodist Church.  The charismatic,  handsome, extraordinarily gifted minister at the time was a man named Dr. James Armstrong.  My soon to be husband, Ken also attended Broadway Church.

I was living with friends at the time but casually told Dr. Armstrong one Sunday morning as we were leaving church, along with several hundred others, that my dad owned a little dry cleaners in a not too safe area near downtown.

That week he visited my dad at the dry cleaners.  I was astounded.

Later Ken and I were married, Dr. Armstrong baptized our first child, and we moved to Florida.

Dr. Armstrong went on to become world famous.  A man of considerable influence in the lives of folks in very low and very high places.  Then came many ups and downs in his life.  After becoming the youngest bishop ever elected in the Methodist Church and serving in that capacity for 15 years, he eventually left the  church, became a professor at Iliff, and later a minister in the United Church of Christ.

I'm grateful that our lives intersected many times over the past 50 plus years.

Dr. Armstrong is now almost 88 years old.  His mind is as sharp as ever.  He's teaching here at Rollins College. He's writing another book.  He's still as outspoken, controversial and charismatic as he's always been.

And, soon, if all goes as planned, he and his lovely wife are joining my local United Methodist Church.  Dr. Armstrong is coming home.

Welcome back, my friend!

(I wrote a blog posting about Dr. Armstrong on December 15, 2010 titled "My Friend Jim.")


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Downtown Orlando

Dave and I love going to beautiful downtown Orlando.  For a while we've wanted to visit the big movie complex that's right in the middle of everything.  As if by magic, our friends called from their cabin in North Carolina to tell us they left us their Groupon movie tickets under their doormat (here in town.)

So yesterday we drove downtown, found the parking garage, rode down the elevator, then up the escalator to the Cobb Plaza Cinema 12 with full dining menu and two wine bars.  Very classy.  Luxury amenities everywhere.  The theater we were in had big leather chairs with room to hold food and drink.  They rock!  No seriously, the seats rock. Back and forth.  And so big that Dave and I could have sat together in the same seat.  But we didn't.

The only problem was...what to see?  Before you scoff, it was a choice between The Dictator (too much,) Chernobyl Diaries (too heavy) and what we saw...Dark Shadows.

We thought, at the least, it would be visually elaborate what with the pairing once again of Tim Burton  and Johnny Depp.  And it was.  But also ridiculous...from start to finish.

I read that Burton and Depp promised the fans of the original American Gothic TV soap opera that ran from 1966 to 1971, that they would not trash the memory.  They clearly broke the promise.

This was one long, weird, expensive joke.

Some memorable lines.....

Are you stoned or something?
They tried stoning me, my dear.  It didn't work.

Depp - on seeing TV for the first time and ripping it from the wall:  Reveal yourself tiny songstress. 


And my favorite line in the movie:
How soon will the horses be ready?  We don't have horses...we have a Chevy. 


Don't get me wrong, we had fun.  And, no, we didn't stop at any wine bars or buy a bucket of beer while watching the movie.  But all that's available.




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Is It Starting Now?

I'm tired of seeing clueless character Sheldon Cooper, in current promos for reruns of The Big Bang Theory,  saying "Is the sex starting now?

This morning I was looking on the web for one of the many "Living to 100" sites.  I took the calculator test  to see how long I'm going to live.  My score came back at age 99.  Good news!

But then, as always, I started thinking about my brain and how healthy it will be when I'm 99.  Do I really want to live that long if it's mush?

So, like many of my friends, I worry about the dementia process and when I can't find my keys (like yesterday) or my sweater (like today) I think "Is it starting now?"

I always play a little memory game on the computer while I'm cycling at the gym.  I've set a target score for myself and now, after several months, I always surpass it.  Until Saturday when I failed miserably.  And, of course, asked myself "Is it starting now?"  Do you think like that when you've continually misplaced the remote or forgotten to shut the garage door?

Yesterday, fortunately, I beat the memory game again.  So I'm safe - until tomorrow.

But, unlike Sheldon, I don't have to ask his nightly question on the promos.  I can still figure that one out.


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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

In a blog post on September 1st, 2010, I discussed a movie Dave and I had just seen called Cairo Time. What I liked most about it was that it took me to Cairo.  Visually, it was exciting beyond measure.  There are so many places I'd like to go but I won't because I have neither the time nor the energy nor the money.  But the movies take me.  Isn't this a wonderful time in which to live?

I felt the same way last week when we saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - for the Elderly and Beautiful.  This time it's not Egypt but India that we get to feast on.  And the icing on the cake is four of my very favorite British actors, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Bill Nighy.  It also stars that kid from Slum Dog Millionaire, Dev Patel.

By the way, these actors have 14 Academy Awards between them.  

The story is about seven older Brits who lost their retirement money so can't afford to live out their lives in their homeland - sort of like some of us here in the U. S. of A.  But, instead of Mexico, they get sucked into traveling to a dilapidated  retirement hotel in Jaipur, India, run by Dev Patel.  

The film is funny, sad and somewhat predictable.  But it's a redemption movie.  My favorite kind.  And the two hours in India is fantastic. 

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American Graffiti

Last night we were bushed after a super fun but busy day.  So we turned the TV on to TCM and watched American Graffiti.  Yes, we'd both seen it (hasn't everybody?) but we enjoyed it even more this time.

This film was made in 1973 but the story (such as it is) takes place in 1962.  My era.  It was filmed in 29 days at a cost of $775,000.  Peanuts!  It was nominated for five Academy Awards including best picture.

The plot (such as it is) is a coming of age story about two kids spending their last night at home before going off to college.  The movie takes place in one single night.  It's filmed kind of like a documentary.

What do I like best about it?  I guess the trolling up and down the street - all night.  We actually did that.  For hours we drove around, stopped at the burger place, switched cars and drove around some more.   Just think how much gas was wasted.

It's fun to try to identify cast members who went on to greatness.  First, there's the director, George Lucus.  Ever heard of him?  And here's a list of cast members that I know from later work:

• Ron Howard - He'll always be Opie
• Richard Dreyfuss - Mr. Holland's Opus
• Cindy Williams - Laverne and Shirley
• Charles Martin Smith - The Untouchables
• MacKenzie Phillips - One Day at a Time
• Wolfman Jack
• Joe Spano - Hill Street Blues and NCIS
• Suzanne Summers - Three's Company
• Harrison Ford - He went on to play that guy who's afraid of snakes. 

Even if you don't care for the movie, the music is the original, pure and "real" rock and roll. There are 41 of these great songs.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Ain't That a Shame, The Great Pretender, The Stroll, At the Hop, Rock Around the Clock, Party Doll, Get a Job, Love Potion # 9, Why Do Fools Fall in Love.  - And the all time best original rock 'n roll song ever!

Johnny B Goode.


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Casey Anthony Digs

Dave and I went on a totally awesome trip to the courthouse today - along with several other folks from the church.  One of our members who is a judge, set up the day for us.  Not only did we hear from four of the judges who attend our church but we got to pal around with Belvin Perry.

In case you've been in outer space or otherwise occupied the last couple of years, he was the judge for the Casey Anthony case.  And he's a rock star among judges.

But don't feel bad if you didn't watch every minute of the six week Anthony trial because I didn't watch any of it. 

The Casey Anthony trial was the most widely broadcast trial in history.  The courtroom in which it took place is the most technologically advanced on the planet.  One camera focused entirely on Casey because folks around the planet wanted to see her facial reactions at all times.

One of the reasons our trials are so popular is because Florida has the most open court policy in the nation.  Everything is public.  The media loves us. (Remember the Casey Anthony "hot body" contest that went viral?)



By the way, this is Belvin Perry's chair.  But that's not Belvin Perry in it.


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Boss Bacon Burger

In something called "Epic Meal Show" I was mesmerized by a little video showing these guys making a bacon burger totaling

109,000 Calories!

Here it is.  Yum, Yum.  It's made from ground bacon, cheesy bacon, piles of fried bacon, bacon stuffed bun - and topped by a Jack Daniels and root beer sauce.

Since I try to eat 1,300 calories a day I would have to eat this burger in about 83 daily servings.  This guy, in the video was trying to eat it all at one time.

But he drank a bottle Jack Daniels prior to starting.  If you do that you'll have to add the liquor calories.

Here's a hint about bacon.  It's very flavorful.  You don't need much.  Crumble two crisp pieces into your scrambled eggs.  Don't forget to add the 60 calories to your daily count - that I know you (as I do) calculate in your head with each morsel of food you put in your mouth.


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Do the Right Thing

Twelve years ago Melinda Gates, along with her husband, Bill, started the Gates Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic organization.

Melinda has been "hands on" all over Africa with the foundation's vaccine programs.  Now she has a new passion.  It's contraception.  Those of you who read this blog know that it's my passion as well.

Melinda was moved when the women she encountered told her that what they needed most was birth control.  They would walk for hours, sometimes with children, often without their husbands knowing, to receive the four-times-a- year injection of Depo-Provera.  But it's now in short supply.

Right now 100,000 women a year die in childbirth after unintended pregnancies.  Six hundred thousand babies born to women who didn't want to be pregnant die in the first month of life.

The decision to make family planning her signature issue and primary public health a priority has come at some price to Melinda Gates.  She is a practicing Catholic going against the doctrine of her church.

But sometimes we ordinary folks, like Mrs. Gates, feel compelled to override our domination's dictates and follow the heart of Jesus as we see it.

She was quoted in Newsweek saying,  This is about empowering women to be educated and to make a choice that they want to make.

I'm grateful to God and to Mrs. Gates that she's made this commitment.


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What I Would Do If I Had Teenagers

I know you think I'm going to say that, what I would do if I had teenagers, is, maybe, shoot myself.  But I found the teen years with my kids to be quite satisfying.  I enjoyed them.

Yesterday my church honored our high school grads.  All 47 of them.  The majority are graduating from Winter Park High, a public school.  Their photos and short bios were given to all of us church goers.  I was blown away with their accomplishments and plans for the future.  If I were an employer I'd hire any one of them.  But that's not an option because they're all going off to impressive colleges and universities.

Three of them spoke from the pulpit.   All moving, non-braggy stories about themselves.

Here's what I would do if I were a single mom with teenagers and without big time resources.  I'd do whatever I could to move into a school district with a topnotch high school.

Winter Park is great but, despite the sorry state of our nationwide public education system, there are other fine high schools.

I'd also get my kids to a church that offers a topnotch youth program, one that reinforces the values I want for them.  I've heard many of these kids say that the most meaningful thing they've done in their lives - so far - is to go on mission trips.

And there's something to be said for peer pressure.  When your kid is hanging out with highly motivated kids most of the time it makes a big difference.

Not to mention the scores of adults lovingly cheering them on from the sidelines.


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Stress Dreams

Do you have stress dreams?  I do.  Dave does occasionally.  His are almost always work related.  Mine are almost always a combination of family/work.

Take last night for example:  I dreamed that I had a bunch of hungry kids waiting for dinner, a house in chaos, a sick husband slumped in a wheelchair and I was late for work.  This was not only stressful but I had an overwhelming feeling of being so tired that I couldn't take care of any of it.

Why did I have this dream?

Because I was having a hot flash.  I was physically uncomfortable and it manifested itself in my brain by going back (in an exaggerated way)  to stressful but meaningful times in my life. I think this is probably like a mini PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) symptom.

I read an article this morning about early retirement.  One of the biggest reasons for it is that we're exhausted and, despite the fact we loved our work, we just can't do it anymore.

As for the stress dreams, it's good to wake up and know that, first, it's not really happening and, second, it's not going to happen.


*** 

My Cell Phones

I've had a cell phone for about 15 years.  In that time I've upgraded my phone once, about 8 years ago.  Until yesterday.  Dave and I went to the AT&T store.  I switched to AT&T and bought a new phone.  This process took most of the day.

Several times during this experience I thought about shooting myself.  Of course, I'm kidding.  But I did excuse myself  once and, since we were in the mall, quickly circled the food court and wolfed down a sample of everything offered.

The guys helping us couldn't have been nicer.  Poor Dave, even though he wasn't getting a new phone, had to get his number changed in order to get me on his plan.  This was very traumatic for him so our AT&T guy, Sam, tried really hard to get them to make an exception.  But no dice.  This part only took about two hours.

This cartoon is from the current issue of The New Yorker.  I would have taken a photo like this at the AT&T store but I have no clue about how to use the camera part of my new phone.

The phone is great.  Lots of APPS and everything.  It's about the size of a slice of bread so that will take some getting used to.

But here's the thing.  I have no idea how to use it.  I have, with some difficulty, figured out how to turn it on.  Last night we had dinner with several family members.  Every one of them has a fancy phone (like me!) but nobody offered to give me a tutorial.

My (potential) best friend, Sam, told me to enjoy playing with the phone over the weekend then come back to the store on Monday and he'd give me some pointers.

I'm dreading it, but I'll go.  I'm motivated.


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Mind Your Ps & Qs

Local columnist Darryl Owens wrote a piece last week on racism.  Today he tells us that he heard from several readers telling him "Racism is over."  It no longer exists.  Done.

What?

This is most surprising to me since last week a group of very scary skin headed, white supremacists was arrested for hate crimes right here in in their Central Florida "Arian compound."

But nowadays most racism is much more subtle than that.

When we were in Georgia last week we stopped at a history center near a tiny south Georgia town.  When we bought our tickets the guy said "I need to warn you,  there are about 100 school kids here today."  He didn't say so but they turned out to be mostly African American children.

Since this place covered several acres with about 18 separate buildings, we thought that sharing our tour with a bunch of kids wouldn't matter to us.  And it didn't.  They were divided into groups, along with their leaders, and scattered from here to there.  We enjoyed them.  They added some excitement to the process.

But the folks in charge weren't happy.  Everywhere we went they made negative comments.  An old lady in charge of one of the buildings whispered to me,

"I don't like this one bit.  But I've been told to mind my Ps and Qs today."

***

Serenbe

I admire futurists.  Folks who can visualize a venture and then go for it!

Dave and I just returned from a five day trip to Georgia. We spent a good part of  Monday visiting with friends in Serenbe.  This exquisite village was, not so very long ago, a picturesque, idyllic sustainable farming community, an hour or so south of Atlanta.

Then along came Steve and Marie Nygren with a dream to raise their kids in this kind of atmosphere.  They visualized building a small community with as little impact on nature as possible.  By the way, we met Steve Nygren right on the sidewalk while we were there.

The upshot of this dream is that Serenbe has morphed into a green community of some 300 folks nestled in this pristine countryside.

Pictured here is HGTV Green Home 2012.  It's loaded with sustainable features.

There's also a Bosch Net Zero show home - meaning power is created by the home itself.

As you know, I'm a big city gal who needs her twenty-screen movie complex to be five minutes away - but we had a lovely time in Serenbe.  You would as well.

You could spend the weekend at The Inn at Serenbe and have dinner in the Farmhouse Restaurant.  We were treated to lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy before heading home.  It was great.


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Larry the Cable Guy is My Hero

Yesterday evening when Dave and I were having dinner at McDonald's and were sharing a packet of Newman's Own Dressing for our salads, I noticed that Paul Newman's foundation has given 300 million dollars to charity.

I am moved by celebs who consistently give of themselves and their money to help others.  Celebrities like Sean Penn and George Clooney and Angelina Jolie and Oprah Winfrey are a cut above when it comes to giving themselves to a cause - no matter what you think about them otherwise.

Locally, we love Arnold Palmer for way more than golf.  He's been hands on for many years, establishing the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. And pictured here is the state of the art Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.  Named after Mr. Palmer's late wife.

We're also proud of Dan Whitney, a.k.a, Larry the Cable Guy.  He's worked long and hard to raise money that will help thousands here in central Florida who are in need of hip surgery.  The Orlando Health's new Wyatt Whitney Hip and Orthopedic Institute opened yesterday.  Larry the Cable Guy and his wife have donated $5 million dollars to this project.  Their five year old son, Wyatt was born with hip dysplasia.  The Whitney family has responded to this personal health issue by choosing to bless all of us with treatment.

And, like Arnold Palmer, their work is ongoing.

By the way, I've never seen Larry the Cable Guy perform.  I've never seen Arnold Palmer perform either.  But they're still my heroes.


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Martha Dodd

Did you ever wonder how some women have strange powers over men?  I'm sure you have.  Me too.  I just don't get it. 

Several months ago I read Erik Larson's excellent book, In the Garden of the Beasts.  It's about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the mid 30s.  It takes place primarily in Berlin and is chilling in its' revealing how Hitler was able to, not only put down opposition, but to brutalize folks who even whispered disapproval to a neighbor. 

Prior to reading the book I had never heard of Martha Dodd.  She was the daughter of  William Dodd who was sent to be our ambassador to Germany in 1933.  He took his wife and two grown children with him.  

From the get-go Martha was what we used to call a "party girl."  She was an indiscriminate dater.  She dated Americans, Nazis, and Communists alike.  Because it was the 1930s I wasn't sure what this "dating" really meant.  But, apparently it meant just what you're thinking it meant. 

By, the way, after the war Martha came back to America, became a writer and a spy for the communists, among other things.  She lived a big life in a number of ways. 

The other day I read a review of the book Hitlerland by Andrew Negorski.  This book's about how many Americans cozied up to Hitler in the 30s even though many of them could see that he was a monster.  It's just that nobody, including Martha's father, Ambassador William Dodd could get the American home front to listen. 

But who fascinated me was Martha.  To say she had a way with men would be big understatement.  I know there are women like this, but, as I said earlier, I just don't get it.  Below is an excerpt from the new book Hiterland.

Putzi Hanfstaengl, who was still on the scene during Hitler's first years of dictatorship, introduced the chancellor to Martha Dodd, the flamboyant young daughter of the scholarly American ambassador. "Hitler needs a woman," Putzi told her.  "Martha, you are the woman!"  Dodd had been making the rounds of handsome young men in Berlin, and also managed to include the much lionized American novelist Thomas Wolfe among her conquests when he visited Germany. (Wolfe told a friend she was "like a butterfly hovering around my - private parts."  But Hitler didn't quite know what to make of her when Putzi presented her to him in a Berlin hotel...Hitler kissed her hand, mumbled a few words, kissed her hand again, and then cast "curious, embarrassed stares" at her the rest of the evening. 

In other words, Martha was too much for Adolf Hitler!

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