Celebs

I didn't watch much of the Grammys last night. Mainly because I don't know most of the celebrities anymore. Of course, you'd have to be brain dead not to know Justine Timberlake or Carrie Underwood - but I never heard of "Foo Fighters."

I know absolutely nothing about Amy Winehouse's work but I know who she is because I read the papers. I'm aware of her fugitive status but not her music.

There was yet another article in this morning's paper about our fascination with "Celebs Gone Bad." Is it because we can't get enough of this news or is it because it's forced on us? My take is that in one sense it's good for us. Unlike al Qaeda or the recession, it's news that doesn't affect us personally. Whether or not Amy gets her visa back doesn't affect my travel status one bit.

But it does make us sad.

Whenever we pass a Waffle House my Boyfriend laments about how tragic it is that Kid Rock has been banded from them for life.



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The Meaning of Words

The problem is that the meaning of words changes. We were in an old bookstore yesterday and saw a publication from the 1920s called "The GAY Magazine."   It featured spring weddings.

Leonard Pitts' column this morning is about Feminism - what it used to mean and what it's perceived to mean now. In the 60s women were proud to be known as feminists. Today even the most independent female shrinks from admitting to it.

I asked a friend what his definition of "feminist" would be and he said "Ugly lesbian."

It's sad because young women today owe a tremendous debt to the women who were out there making changes. My daughter went to law school with a young women who called herself an "anti - feminist."

I wonder who she thought paved the way for her to be in law school.

Leonard Pitts wrapped up his column with this:

We have, I think, lost collective memory of how things were before the "F" word. Of the casual beatings. Of casual rape. Of words like "old maid" and "spinster." Of abortion by coat hanger. Of going to school to find a man. Of getting an allowance and needing a husband's permission. Of taking all your spirit, all your dreams, all your ambition, aspiration, creativity, and pounding them down until they fit a space no longer than a casserole dish.

I'm very grateful that my daughters, granddaughters and I live in this world and not that one.

Fake Medicine Works

I was reading in my Intellectual Devotional this morning about "The Placebo Effect."

It seems that it can be partially explained by brain chemistry. Brain image studies have shown that when a person takes a placebo, it triggers the release of endorphins.

In other words, if I believe I'm going to feel better, I will.

This, obviously, may not work on big things like cancer or total knee replacement, but it works on every day kinds of pain.

Interestingly, the opposite works as well. In one study people were given a sugar pill and told that it induced vomiting. 80% of them threw up. This is called "The Nocebo Effect."

How can we make this info work for us?

Well, we could spend lots of time around people who bring us down and have nothing but negative things to say.

Or we could get ourselves around people who are upbeat and affirming - as I'm going to do this afternoon when I meet with my Power Rangers.

As a fellow public speaker used to say to me:

"If you want to soar like an eagle, don't hang around with turkeys."



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The Giver of Gifts

One of my Power Rangers keeps giving me gifts. I wish she'd stop.

She is one of the most giving people I've ever seen - and that's saying something because I'm surrounded by givers.

A while back she gave me a suit that was almost new but didn't fit her anymore. I was going to refuse it but it's gorgeous and fits me perfectly and I love it. So I'm keepin' it.

After the birth of my last grandchild she left one of those "grandmother and child" sculptures at my front door. I called her and said (in my charming way) "Stop it."

She said the only reason she did it was because I saved her husband's life. (I drove him to the hospital.)

I told her the only reason I saved his life was because she gave me the suit.

Dark chocolate is good for blood pressure. Saturday the doorbell rang. There she was with the biggest bag of Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates I've ever seen.

What am I going to do with her?



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Health Update

I know that you're wondering how my blood pressure situation is coming along. Here's the latest scoop.

I was on three B/P drugs and it was fine for a while. Then it started zooming up again. They say that when you have blood pressure symptoms you"re in big trouble. It's not called "The Silent Killer" for nothin'.

I was sitting in church a couple of weeks ago all comfy and quiet. Then I started feeling like I was going to explode. Then as I was trying to take some notes my hands wouldn't work. They felt all tingly.

I was either having a blood pressure spike or some kind of strange religious experience. Since I'm Methodist and we don't general have those, I figured I'd better get the B/P checked out again.

So now I'm on four B/P drugs.

The side effects are quite entertaining.

What's the big deal? High blood pressure can cause organ failure and stroke, among other things. So next time you're in the drug store or supermarket, get your blood pressure taken.

And don't think that just because you take good care of yourself that you're home free. I'm the poster child for taking care of myself. I've never smoked. I exercise and eat chocolate every day.

As my internist said to me a few years ago as I was doing everything humanly possible to get the blood pressure down myself.

"You're old. Take the medicine."



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Cultural Weekend

My Boyfriend likes cultural things. I do too as long as he doesn't push me too far.

On Friday night we saw a weird experiential play that was a combination of live performance and technology. Titled: Alice Experiments in Wonderland, it was described by the reviewer in the paper as, confusing and nonsensical. Actually, to be fair, I always thought Alice in Wonderland (the book) was confusing and nonsensical.

I didn't hate it. It was interesting and funny in parts. And it was only one hour and fifteen minutes long. I can keep my sense of humor about most anything for an hour or so. And besides, we were there with some good friends after having a really fun dinner together.

Saturday afternoon we traveled to a nearby little town because my Boyfriend wanted to see the traveling Contemporary Teapot Exhibit. Yes, I did some eye rolling when he mentioned it.

But it was fascinating. Jeweled teapots, teapots shaped like people and animals, teapots shaped like rocks and penguins. Varied works of art whose only thing in common was a handle and a spout.

We arrived just in time for the "Tea Tasting." We sat in the sun, ate sweets and drank flavored tea from old fashioned china cups.

Also in this little town Men of the Deeps were performing. But I drew the line at seeing "North America's only coal miners choir."

In a few minutes we're headed to the college art gallery to see a Louise Nevelson display.

Have I mentioned that all of the above is FREE!

Plato's Cave Stories

Like many people I read Plato's The Republic in college. But the difference for me was that I was about 32 years old.

I remember sitting in a classroom, amongst some very bored young students, with my tongue hanging out - I was so excited!

This Plato guy gets it!

The Allegory of the Cave is basically this: A bunch of guys are trapped in a cave. All they know about life on the outside are the shadows they see projected on the wall. Occasionally somebody escapes and comes back to tell them what it's REALLY like out there - but they just say "no way" and go back to looking at the shadows.

Or, as Auntie Mame said:

Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death!

I've enjoyed spending much of my life helping people to see what's out there - and to know that everybody has a place at the table.

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