Focused at Fifty

This is dedicated to all my friends and family who have lamented over the fact that people don't RSVP, not too mention my own issue with people who do not bring a host gift to a party. I went to a cocktail party about a month or two ago. It was an informal thing. Great wine, even better conversation, and some first class food. I had a really nice time and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was shocked though by the amount of food served and I asked the hostess about it. She stated that she wasn't sure how much to make since people hadn't RSVP'd her invitations. She figured she would rather be safe than sorry with the amount of food, so she over cooked. And boy did she ever. I went home with a nice doggy bag which became lunch the next day. I could sense her annoyance though at the fact that certain people could not even call to let her know they weren't coming. When I arrived there, I brought a bottle of wine. It wasn't a high end wine, just a $10.00 bottle of Fre

Writer's Note: I will be entering this piece in the Real Simple Magazine blog contest about surprising friendships. Back in December of 2010, my housemate John’s 92 year old father, Joe Verno, suffered an abdominal aneurysm. Joe ended up going into the hospital and miraculously, survived the surgery with flying colors. John’s parents have lived in the same home since the 1950’s. Both were able to live together but one of them living alone was a safety issue. Therefore, his 89 year old mother, Ann, had to come live with two middle aged guys. Now I lovingly refer to Ann as my second Mom, but never in a million years would I dream that she would be our new roommate while Joe was recuperating in the hospital! Mom Verno moved in soon after New Year’s Day. We arranged the guest bedroom for her to stay in. I made sure she had a night light by the bedside for her as she frequently got up in the middle of the night. I cleaned up and cleaned out my bathroom for her personal items as wel

 ( Source )  Ever wonder what our men and women in the Armed Forces are going through over in Afghanistan? Can we even comprehend what they are dealing with? This incredible 2010 documentary shows you exactly what they go through. It follows a tour of duty timeline of deployment to stateside return in the lives of the the Second Platoon Bravo Company of the US Army in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan as directed by filmmakers/journalists Sebastian Junger (of The Perfect Storm fame) and Tim Hetherington. The name of the movie comes from the platoon medic PFC Juan Restrepo who was killed by the insurgency while over there with his Company. They named their advanced outpost OP Restrepo in his honor. This documentary showed the attempts of our Armed Forces to clear the dangerous Korengal Valley of the Afghan insurgency while working with the local Afghan civilians to gain their trust. Before watching this powerful documentary, I admit that I had never put much time into thi

 ( Source) Serious blog time. I have been going through some issues with certain people in my life and have realized after talking with my father that sometimes you have to "put things on a shelf" and deal with them later. As I get older, I find that you can't always deal with the issues at hand immediately. You have to table them until they can be delt with later. This is hard but necessary so the issue does not consume your every waking thought. It also helps in thinking more clearly about the problem. Case in point: Someone does something to you and you just wanna strike out. Yet striking out will create more crazy drama that your life doesn't need. Instead, you have to table it or put it on that shelf until later. Take time to breathe. If there is more than one issue in the controversy, deal with the important issue first. It sucks though. We know this. You wanna deal with it NOW! But you can't, simple as that. You need to continue on with other

I grew up in a family that did not have a lot, but we always had everything that we ever needed. My mother was the ultimate scrimper, saver, and coupon clipper. I really feel so much like her when I try and save money. Her legacy lives on in me in more ways that I discover every year. Some ideas below are her’s and some are mine. Others I have heard about hear and there. Some of the ideas are laughably quirky but they really do work. There is a little bit of everything for everyone. And they are in no particular order. Obvious! Reuse gift bags and bows. My Nana used to iron and reuse wrapping paper, she was the Queen of Thriftiness! Sorry, Nana, but that was a little overboard. Every year, I donate my old magazines to the local hospital where Mom was. She always complained that they had a horrible selection in the waiting rooms.  I clean out my living room of the old mags and let others enjoy them. If you do find you want to save magazines but tend to get overwhelmed by them, cl

These are some of my favorite modern sculptures. This is not an inclusive list by any means, just some which I have always admired during my studies. I have not seen all of these, just studied them during my years getting my Art History minor at Rutgers U in New Brunswick. The ones in Philadelphia I have seen. I also saw the Calder sculpture below in Seattle. The pictures shown are for educational purposes only. I do not own the rights. Andy Warhol "Brillo Boxes" 1964 Philadelphia Museum of Art I have always been such a huge Andy Warhol fan!  I am fascinated by the concept of taking everyday objects and creating art. Andy Warhol took popular objects and did the same. Claes Oldenburg "Clothespin" 1976 Philadelphia I remember seeing this even as a young child. There is something so wonderful about the simplest of objects made so large! Constantin Brancusi "Mademoiselle Pogany " 1912 Philadelphia Museum of Art Alien, so smooth, a beau

 Baboon Beanie Baby from my sister Sheryl  There is no dancing around it.  Those family members who know me closest already know my secret. I will tell you but please do not judge. I have no idea why I picked this to be my imaginary friend but I did. When I was three or four, my imaginary friend ... was a baboon. You can tell I was just the beacon of creativity as I named him ... Baboon. For a period of my young life, Baboon was my best friend. Baboon would play games with me when my brother would not. He was VERY good at hide and seek. I always found him, although my family members never did. I used to leave Baboon gifts. I would make him cards and leave them for him in obvious places so my family would no they were not the only ones in my life! I had another friend and although he was a primate, he meant the world to me. Baboon would also leave me gifts. Usually it was just a card with a banana drawn on the inside and signed Love, Baboon. I also gave him gifts. I would le

Stress.  What an ugly 6 letter word. For these last two weeks, I have been particularly stressed over home construction projects and work ... well mostly work. I also feel like I am living in a constant construction zone. With everything happening in my life I have been feeling completely overwhelmed as of late. I know it shows in my mannerisms, how I behave, and how I look. I feel exhausted and not on focus with many aspects of my life.  Side projects such as my blog, my house, and my garden tend to fall by the wayside. I come home and just want to vegetate until bed. I don't want to do ANYTHING. My health tends to be affected by stressful times in my life. My allergies are worse, especially my asthma. I don't sleep as well and am always tired. I tend to drink more to relax. I have also had another recent health issue crop up these past two weeks which is definitely stress related.  And the exhaustion! I am just so lacking of energy.  What to do, what to do. Yes I know t