Just an Ordinary Gal

Stroll Along Las Olas and Admire the Sights for Cheap Fort Lauderdale Things-to-Do

2012-01-08T16:49:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite Fort Lauderdale things-to-do is to walk around the Las Olas Boulevard area.

This tropical paradise is someone's back yard, just off one of the numerous canals that crisscross the section of the city designed to be the Venice of the United States.

A modern apartment building with spacious balconies overlooking one of the navigable canals -- and therefore prime real estate.

The Cadillac Villa is a well-known example of Mid-Century modern style.

It was on the market a year or so ago and may have changed ownership. This strikes fear in the hearts of those of us who love this old Florida style that a modern high-rise could all too soon spring up in its place.

This blue aluminum tree in an upstairs window of the Cadillac Villa strikes exactly the right decorating note for the Christmas-New Year season. This time of year is so popular with visitors that it is simply called The Season down here.

The habit began when Palm Beach and Miami were winter retreats for the fabulously wealthy. A round of gala fund-raisers, balls, and polo matches began that comprise The Season.

Now, it is co-opted by the tourism trade as that time of year that brings in the largest portion of that industry's income.

Another darling mid-century modern low-rise condo. It is in the Isle of Venice and Hendricks Isle area off Las Olas Boulevard.

A canal becomes a boat parking lot yet evokes serenity for those fortunate enough to have this view.

Interesting architecture of a newer grand home that contrasts the curved line of the roof with the angles of the windows and patios.

Gluttony Is Olympian Sport on Travel Channel

2011-08-16T19:39:00.005-04:00

When did gluttony become an Olympic sport?

The Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food Nation promotes over-eating as a Herculean and manly trait.

Complete with crowd encouragement and melodramatic music, Adam Richman travels the country eating at restaurants that offer supersize platters for gargantuan eaters.

Richman huffs, puffs, and sweats his way through seriously oversize portions that may be seasoned with the hottest chile peppers and spices.

Comparisons to athletic training are explicit and frequent. The show’s star frames his showdowns with obscenely large meals at competitive events. The recipes – burgers, pizza, and the like – are loaded with carbohydrates and calories.

This show is so popular that Man vs. Food Nation evolved from the original program, Man vs. Food.

The promotion of gluttony is disturbing – especially when no show similarly glamorizes a gourmand for eating wisely controlled portions of healthy foods.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly one-third of the U.S. population is obese. The number of obese children has doubled since 1980, and fat adolescents have tripled.

The consequences of obesity are serious health problems – from diabetes to heart attack and stroke – and early death.

We often think the word obese is a politically-correct way to avoid calling someone fat. In fact, the definition of obesity is being fat to the point where a person’s health is harmed.

CDC is so concerned with the effects of our national gluttony and poor eating habits that web page after page is devoted to such topics as

U.S. health care costs are as out of control as our eating – and the link is scientifically proven. Travel Channel’s contribution to this health quarmire, Man vs. Food Nation, is unconscionable. And that's not all. Similar programming that vaunts over-eating includes World's Best Places to Pig out, for example. What's next -- a program that shows a smoker traveling the country to over-indulge the best tobacco? Travel Channel is one of several liftstyle networks conjointly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive (70 percent) and the Tribune Company (30 percent).
There’s lot of irresponsible programming on TV, of course. People rant about sexual content, depictions of unmarried parents, and violence, for example. Controversy reigns because the nation cannot agree about social values.

The jury is not, however, about the link between gluttony, obesity, disease, and death. The consequences gluttony contribute our overburdened health care system.

Scripps Interactive and the Tribune Company are irresponsible to air a show that promotes over-eating as a competitive sport.

Fort Lauderdale Murals: Trompe L'Oeil Street Art

2011-07-17T20:43:00.010-04:00

A huge mural graces the side of a three-story building at 1995 East Oakland Park Boulevard in Tamarac. Trompe l'oeil street art is a free delight among Fort Lauderdale things-to-see.

The sunset colors recreate the glowing peaches of a subtropical evening. Details, such as the shadow of a bird, add to the realism.

The artist has left name and phone number for admirers.

A few blocks away, a sub sandwich shop advertises its location at 1100 East Oakland Park Boulevard with this clever rendition of a European-style street cafe.

This colorful scene artfully disguises an awkward corner where a strip mall abuts an older, larger building. A patch of blue sky at the right top blends with the normally blue skies of South Florida. Even the yellow bricks, left, are fluently incorporated into the mural.

The close-up, below, shows the colorful palette of this creation.

I enjoy the murals that seem to be cropping up everywhere, adding interest to otherwise blank or even unsightly walls. Cheers for these street artists.

More Murals

Scroll down to see mural on Las Olas Boulevard.

Historical mural on Broward Boulevard is last photo.

Mid-century modern buildings at beach

Mid-century modern buildings, Seven Isles, off Las Olas Boulevard

The Wise Crone Archetype Is Depicted in Long Interviews with Real Women

2011-06-08T12:24:00.004-04:00

Interest in the third face of the maiden-mother-crone archetype is spawning books, articles, and even a magazine. One of the best is The Living Spirit of the Crone, fluently written by Sally Palmer Thomason (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, Theology and Sciences series).

The wise crone is emerging as a woman symbol for conscious aging.

Fluently Written and Very Readable

This highly readable book is a serious contemplation on growing old for women. Starting with feminist efforts to reclaim the wise crone archetype as a woman symbol of feminine power, Thomason effectively uses the long interview format to bring into focus the epiphanies of late life for specific women.

This is both the strength and the weakness of The Living Spirit of the Crone. Thomason uses the best practices of ethnographic research by checking back with her sources to comment on whether her interview descriptions capture the essence of what each wanted to express. In one instance, she has even translated the interview into a prose poem.

Interviews Offer Depth Not Glib Anecdotes

I don’t want anyone to think that this means the work is a dreary academic tome fit mostly for researchers. These interviews are deep and rich insights into how women built a new life stage in a society that worships sexual youth and beauty, overlooks the second face of the triple goddess, and denigrates the last stage of the maiden-mother-crone.

The contrast favorably with the anecdotal stories that little popular psychology and often barely scrape the surface of an exemplar’s life story. Such stories often imply that they are somehow universal descriptors of human experience.

To her credit, Thomason avoids this pitfall by pointing out the deficiency of interpreting the case histories as universal. She writes:

Each Interview Story Is Unique

Trying to comprehend the multiple and mysterious facets of aging is like trying to embrace a giant amoeba. When squeeze in one direction, it squirts out and dribbles off in another direction . . . this is not surprising, for the process of aging mirrors . . . [the] changing process of life itself. . . . Extemporaneous stories from other women give profound testimony to the reality that personal meaning is situated in place, time, and culture. . . . We all have a story within. If we listen carefully, we find clues of what we value and who we are becoming” (p. 18).

Walker reviews some well-worn material for the reader who may not have done much previous reading about aging. This includes tracing the history of the crone archetype and etymologies of words such as hag and witch that have origins reverencing older female as sources of wisdom. This is all part of decades-long feminist historical research to bring to completion the maiden-mother-crone triple goddess as a woman symbol of for the wise crone.

Aging Is Not a Disease To Be Treasted

Thomason summarizes the trend of science to identify aging as a medical condition to be treated, rather than as a stage of life to be honored. The book culminates by referencing the work of Carl Jung.

She suggests that successful aging is a time of growth and increased connection with the unconscious.

She proposes the last trimester of life as a time to write a “new script” for our lives. This includes reflecting on what we have learned, being aware that we may choose our conscious responses to the unbidden and often unwanted conditions of our elder years, and to greet the imminence of our own ends as part of the mysterious processes of birth, life, and death. By doing so, the older woman may hope to grow into the role of the wise crone.

Get inspired! Write your unique late-life script.

Source: Thomason, S.P. (2006). The living spirit of the crone: Turning aging inside out. In K. J. Sharpe (ed.) Theology and the Sciences series. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

LaQuinta Ad Uses Cliche and Stereotype and Is Not Humorous

2011-04-19T21:50:00.002-04:00

LaQuinta recently has been hawking the comfort of its hotels to business travelers with a salesman who leaves his room so refreshed that he is able to . . .

At this point, a large block of ice slams the table in front of two men dressed in a Hollywood fantasy of Eskimo garb.

The announcer suggests we all “Get a clue.”

“No one needs a clue” one of the ersatz Inuits says sourly.

Thus a tired cliché that isn’t particularly humorous is piled on top of a stereotype of Northern native peoples. The suggestion that listeners "Get a clue" simultaneously insults viewers' intelligence whilst suggesting that we are – wink, wink – smarter than the announcer so that we don’t need the clue.

Yes well of course, we out here in TV land are well versed in tired cliches, after all.

Particularly irritating is that the supposed Eskimo does not resemble any native American, which genetically are relatively hairless.

The man appears Mediterranean, South American, or Mexican -- but certainly not Inuit.

I can only hope that LaQuinta gets a clue and retired this ad soon.

Mayhem Actor Dean Winters: Why I Love Allstate’s Bad Boy

2011-04-13T14:33:00.003-04:00

Actor Dean Winters injects just the right amount of devilish charm into Allstate ads in which he portrays Mayhem.

Even at an age when I'm old enough to know better, the sexy grin and knowing wink of a Bad Boy still has seductive appeal.

The series started with Winters portraying a curvy female jogger with headband described as awesome. An ogling driver ends up with his car wound around a post.

He manages to simultaneously portray and skewer a texting teenage girl who leaves a bashed fender in a parking lot. The sexism of these two ads has been protested.

As a longtime feminist, my take is not that Allstate is making a general statement about all females wearing pink or being shallow, anymore than it is saying that all garage roofs will cave in from snow. It is, after all, portraying mayhem, which is by definition, random and unpredictable – not stereotypical.

Part of Winter’s appeal as Mayhem is the glee with which he portrays the result from each accident. Even as he survives battering in each accident, Mayhem laughs with unfettered joy.

And isn’t that part of the appeal of the Bad Boy, laughing in the face of all authority figures?

Allstate’s Mayhem shows up undaunted from each mishap, sporting an increasing amount bruises, dirt on his face, torn clothing, and other signs of, well, random mayhem.

Winters intones moodily about how you and the snow on your garage roof are growing heavier – until eventually the roof caves in to Mayhem’s delight.

Mayhem chortling as he scrunches under the dashboard, a bandaid clearly visible, pretending to be the voice of an out-of-control GPS system. “Recalculating,” he cries out at the last possible moment, too late for the driver to avoid an accident.

I’m not the only viewer enjoying Winter’s performance. The Internet is filled with chatter of women who invite Mayhem to run into them.

Ah, the Bad Boy – the once and future prince of our hearts.

Why I Love Florida: Scenes from St. Petersburg Skyway Show Gulf Beauty

2011-04-10T21:04:00.011-04:00

Vistas of the Gulf of Mexico seduce the traveler to pause at a rest area.

It's hard to believe that a busy six-lane Interstate highway is just a few hundred yards away.

Gnarled trees spread their branches across the path in a natural arch.

A weathered log creates an elegant pattern of lines and curves.

Local residents park pickup cars in the shade. Boat trailers wait for day trippers to return with coolers of fish. Kayakers paddle in after a full day on the water.

The wind was stronger than reported, the kayakers tell me, which made rowing more challenging.

The wide purity of the blue water gleaming in the sunlight.

Trees at water's edge create abstract designs with their branches. It is illegal to cut mangroves in many places, because they create valuable ecosystems for sea creatures.

Scrub pine wave their feathery branches against the blue background. Color and texture, broad vistas and intimate byways, create the endless appeal of natural South Florida.

Try as we might to pave over Paradise, small bits and and pieces survive to inspire and delight.

Origami Kusudama Is Interesting and Fun Craft Project

2011-01-29T14:43:00.006-05:00

This is my second origami kusudama.

It is a bit flat on one side, shown in the photo below right. I did not understand how to glue together the five-petalled flowers to form half the globe.

I started paper crafting a few years ago. I focused on modular flowers and stars. I tried to make a kusudama, but it got all sticky.

I did not have proper glue, so I used a collage finishing coat. This is a liquid and less precise than the mini glue gun I used this time.

I also was using proper origami paper, which is thin. So the combination of the liquid and thin paper turned into rather a sticky mess.

For this , I used heavier card stock and a glue gun. The flowers also were larger than those of my first effort.

This kusudama is made of 60 folded units. It is not particularly hard, but it takes some patience. The directions are located at Folding Trees.

I love the tactile feel of paper and the wonderful colors. I am taken aback at the expensive prices for many of the pretty gilded print Japanese origami papers. I will have to find wrapping papers and other substitutes.

I’ve bought my first book about origami folding by one of the best-known artists, Origami Inspirations.

Artists take great care to figure out patterns, often using their knowledge of mathematics. So the folding instructions are copyrighted and not necessarily available free on the internet.

I also bought a day calendar, Easy Origami Fold-a-Day: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar

So far, the folds are too simple to be interesting. Some of the models require coloring in eyes and noses or wheels and so forth to make the ambiguous folds look like something.

On the other hand the Mukeriji book is beautiful even if all I do is look at the wonderful color photos of her work.

Tired of Fending Off Retailers' Requests that I Join Their Charity Efforts

2011-01-14T21:24:00.006-05:00

Why is it necessary for every store I visit to solicit my assistance with the retailer's charity endeavors?

Today, I went to three stores, and two wanted to know if I wanted to leave cash behind to donate to the retailer's pet cause.

"My favorite charity is National Public Radio. Would you like to take some money out of the register so that I can send it along to them on behalf of your store?" I asked in exasperation.

Times are hard, but corporate begging only motivates me to avoid local stores. It is especially annoying that Publix supermarkets and Whole Foods markets solicit me every time I am at the cash register. I shop frequently for fresh food, so I can easily be asked to donate two or three times a week.

Now TJ Maxx is asking us to donate to diabetes.

My employers ask me to give annually -- to charities and school foundations.

I do not mind that students try to put their ideals in action with food drives and toy drives and fund-raising for worthy causes. This is what young idealists need to do.

I feel differently about corporate retailers I must visit if I wish to eat. I do not go to the supermarket to give to charity; I go to do my grocery shopping.

I am a grown-up.

I can decide where I want to send my money without being nudged and reminded every time I open my purse.

Delray Beach, Christmas Fantasy, Great Restaurants: Fort Lauderdale Things to Do

2010-12-15T21:24:00.019-05:00

Delray Beach is one of several sea-side towns that offer quaint charm a pleasant drive from Fort Lauderdale.

A Winter Festival was being celebrated when I visited last weekend.

The many restaurants were decked out in holiday finery. After enjoying the rare treat of raw oysters, I sauntered over to the village square where Santa was holding court.

A snow machine had produced some of the white stuff for children, disappearing by the time I arrived.

Two young blades were testing their skills on the ice. From their dress and moves, I suspected they were more at home on skateboards on cement.

A horse of a different color invites visitors into Ted's desert and gift emporium.

Ted's is a feast for the eyes, as well as a treasury for your sweet tooth. This photo looks in from the door.

Christmas trees, glittering with decorations, seemed to be everywhere.

Bits of holiday cheer popped up in surprising places -- here, a mermaid in Mrs. Santa suit on shelves with candy gifts, top right.

Santa turns up on a vintage coffee sign -- itself tucked surprisingly among fishy wall art.

Santa in a gold suit goes sailing.

Santa draws attention to glittery gifts.

Two huge glass chandeliers of blown glass were exceptional works of art.

When you visit Fort Lauderdale and are looking for things to do, rent a car and take a drive to see some of the seaside towns.

Delray Beach, with its plentiful restaurants, is a pleasant spot for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Next further north is Lake Worth, which also has some exceptional luncheon spots, at least two with French themes. Last if you want to continue driving northward, quiet Stuart is worth seeing.

Stop Calling 'Em Terrorists; It Gives Punks Too Much Power

2010-11-02T20:22:00.005-04:00

Calling the bomb-makers and other irritating crazy violent people terrorists gives them too much power.

I'm not terrified, are you?

Millions of Americans go about our lives every day, completely not terrified. We may be concerned, especially when we or a loved one boards an airplane.

We may be irritated, annoyed, exasperated, and fed up with these misguided miscreants.

But let's keep some perspective on this.

Calling them terrorists puffs them up with importance. It creates the impression that they hold one of the most powerful nations in the world in emotional bondage.

It suggests that Americans are sheep who are intimidated by a few crazy yahoos.

Let's stop creating a reality that does not exist and giving them credit they do not deserve.

Call them criminals, punks, severely delusional, sociopaths, psychopaths, and -- for the suicide bombers who are underage -- juvenile delinquents.

Believing one is a terrorist may be attractive to some people. Being called international scum, probably not.

Communication and psychology researchers have known for some decades that language constitutes in some part our reality. See, for example, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Journalists, wise up. Choose the words you use to describe renegade bomb-makers wisely. Diminish them; don't build them up.

I'm not terrified. Are you?

Billie Swamp Airboat Ride, Gators, Turtles:Fort Lauderdale Things to Do

2010-10-31T12:46:00.014-04:00

It was a perfect day for the Billie Swamp Airboat ride. The sky was blue as tourmaline and a light breeze riffled the air.

Even though I’ve lived in South Florida for most of the past 28 years, I’ve never been to the Big Cypress Park in the Everglades.

CHICKEE HUTS

Chickee huts, native structures of the Miccosukee Indians, are everywhere.

They serve as picnic pavilions, places to store old farm equipment, and shady play areas for children. Some backyards have several.

AIRBOAT AT DOCK, BACK VIEW OF ENGINE

These chickee huts may be seen from the dock of the Billie Swamp airboat ride.

The airboat is noisier than one might anticipate. Earplugs are distributed with one’s pass for the ride.

PARKED IN THE SUN

The ride is relatively brief. Nearly 15 minutes of the half-hour jaunt was spent parked in still water while the guide answered the prattling questions of a child.

PARKED IN THE SUN

Among the facts learned: There are 2.2 million square miles of Everglades and 6 million alligators.

SMALL TURTLE'S NOSE BARELY VISIBLE

As a longtime Florida resident, an alligator sighting is no longer a thrill. Mostly, one hopes not to see them crossing the road or climbing from the water into one’s yard.

They find little dogs and small children tasty.

ALLIGATORS LURKED HERE

We also encountered water buffalo and ostriches (or possibly emus) in one area of the swamp. Water buffalo were imported for the entertainment of the visitors who expect to see wildlife.

Their milk is used to make expensive Buffalo mozzarella.

MYSTERY PORTAL -- YOU HAD TO BE THERE TO SEE IT

I was especially intrigued by what appeared to be a mysterious portal in the shrubbery, photo above. I have a quartet of door and archway art on one wall of my home.

LONG STRAIGHT ROAD TO BILLIE SWAMP SAFARI

There is lots of nothing to see on the reservation, as the U.S. government was fond of giving Native Americans the least valuable parcels of land.

RESERVATION FLAT LANDS

The Miccosukee have made the best of it, breeding cattle, rock mining, and of course the big money-maker, running casinos.

CATTLE GRAZING

There is a small restaurant with a limited menu on the premises. I had the over-priced gator tidbits. It wasn't the first time I've had gator but it's not on every menu in the state either. Yes, it tastes like chicken.

There are some brightly-plumed jungle birds, snakes, and turtles in cages for visitors to see.

BIG TURTLES WITH BEAUTIFUL SHELLS

GOPHER TURTLE

Bubble Frenzy Stirred by Lady Gaga’s Dress Updates Long-Standing Entertainment Tradition

2010-08-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

The bubble frenzy stirred by Lady Gaga’s bubble dress is only the latest in the uses of this ephemeral children’s activity in popular culture.

Sally Rand introduced the bubble dance to the stage. She and other exotic dancers used a large balloon to play an erotic game of hide-and-seek with the audience.

My mother is fond of recounting her time as a Navy wife in the midWest. Young and naïve, she didn’t find out for quite some time that the kindly couple who often stopped to chuck her babies under their chins were a bubble dancer and her husband, who accompanied her on the piano.

At an afternoon party for military families, they performed their act, without the erotic striptease. The children loved the bubbles.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood sanitized the use of bubbles to simultaneously show and hide the female body. Bubble bath girls appeared taking utterly feminine bubble baths in foam up to their necks.

Andrew Einhorn has devoted an entire book to this cultural topic.

Thus, absolutely nothing erotic was visible. Yet, the knowledge titillated of a naked women’s body shimmering in clear water beneath the ephemeral surface. Salacious allusions of foam to cream add another dimension to this iconography. Lawrence Welk, who once fired a Champagne Lady singer for showing too much leg, reintroduced bubbles as family entertainment.

Welk's prolific use of the bubble machine constituted a new bubble frenzy that persists to this day. It drives up the price of this item of Welk memorabilia.

Lady Gaga -- the most original glamorous eccentric in quite some time -- is wrongly hailed as an innovator for the bubble dress.

Rather, she is an inheritor of an entertainment tradition who has made bubble frenzy uniquely her own.

Fashion Guru Throw Down: Tim Gunn versus Simon Doonan

2010-07-26T14:22:00.002-04:00

Tim Gunn (Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style (Tim Gunn's Guide to Style)) is nice, but Simon Doonan (Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You) is funny.

Tim Gunn has got to be one of the most pro-active professors in the United States. I can’t think of any other faculty member – outside of sports coaches’ promotion of college football, basketball, and other sports – who has brought his school to national attention with its very own hit TV show.

Parsons School of Design was never really off-the-map. But Gunn’s brainchild, Project Runway, created with model Heidi Klum, created a fun forum to showcase students’ work.

Gunn always has a kind word for hard-pressed students in the pressure cooker of the Project Runway deadlines.

His slogan, “Make it work” has achieve a degree of national fame.

Doonan is mostly unknown to TV audiences. He’s been a guest presenter on America’s Next Top Model.

Doonan can be caustic, but his fashion lessons strike to the heart of the fashionista who deplores following trends.

Doonan’s slogan, “Say no to ‘ho” perfectly captures a lesson I wish more of my female students would take to heart.

The line between Las Vegas showgirl and college girl has grown so perilously thin it barely exists when it comes to campus dress.

I’m also in love with Doonan’s pronouncement that jeans and denim are over. If only it were true. Meanwhile, Gunn, in his Guide to Style, counsels pairing various accoutrements – a good pair of leather boots, a blazer – with jeans for a casual look.

If I were going out for a café lunch on a gray day when my spirits needed propping up, I’d choose Tim Gunn as my lunch companion.

The rest of the time I’d pick Simon Doonan. I’d laugh so much my face would hurt. I love that.

Cuisinart ICE 50 Ice Cream Maker & Quest for Perfect Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

2010-06-19T17:49:00.006-04:00

The Cuisinart ICE-50 ice cream maker set my feet firmly on a quest to concoct the perfect homemade vanilla ice cream.

After deliberating more than a year to make the purchase, the box sat on my floor unopened for another two weeks.

Finally, I started to research ice cream and how to make it.

One of my early newspaper jobs was typing recipes for the weekly food section. This taught me that all versions of any particular recipe have certain ingredients in common.

Cooks may disagree on the proportions and finishing touches, such as herbs, adding nuts or some other flourish.

One of the first thing I noticed about ice-cream and how-to-make-it tips: ingredient proportions vastly vary.

The best explanation of the necessary ingredients is Stephanie Jaworkski’s for custard-base ice cream, preferred by many cooks.

From Jaworksi I learned the contribution of each main ingredient:

Cream gives the ice cream its rich taste. Too much, however, can create butterfat lumps.

Sugar makes the mixture smooth but can prevent freezing when there’s too much.

Egg yolks add smoothness.

Flavoring also is a personal choice.

I expect egg yolks also help the ice cream to thicken. Cheap ice cream brands substitute gelatin or cellulose for egg yolks.

My first venture was chocolate ice cream. The recipe used eight egg yolks for four cups of liquid. Three cups of half-and-half was recommended plus a cup of heavy cream.

I like high butterfat content, so I made that two to two cups of each.

I reduced nine ounces of sugar to eight, because some readers found the recipe too sweet. I kept the cocoa at a half-cup.

Important steps in preparing a custard-based ice cream are
(a) heating the mixture until it just barely bubbles, between 160-180 degrees.
(b) Allowing the mixture to cool on the counter so that no liquid forms on the lid in the refrigerator.
(c) Refrigerating at least eight hours before churning so the flavors can blend.

This chocolate ice cream recipe was too thick and stopped churning after only 20 of 40 desired minutes.

It was good, but a tad too creamy even for me and very rich.

Eight egg yolks also left with me all those egg whites to use and makes this an expensive ice-cream recipe.

My next outing was purely my own devising: Two cups half-and-half to one cup heavy cream, three egg yolks (1 yolk per cup of liquid, cutting the chocolate recipe’s ratio in half), and less than a half-cup of sugar.

I followed the same procedure for cooling the mixture and marrying the flavors overnight in the frig. The vanilla extract is not added until the mixture is put into the churn. I used one overflowing teaspoon.

It churned beautifully for the full 40 minutes, froze smoothly, and tastes like the best vanilla custard ever. So far, I am using all organic ingredients. The one exception was the cocoa, but it was a good brand.

I have half the custard on standby, and I’m going to experiment with a flavor completely of my own.

I love the Cuisnart ICE-50 ice cream maker. It is easy to use, and anyone can become an ice cream chef overnight.

Mid-Century Modern Buildings -- Fort Lauderdale Things-To-Do

2010-06-16T11:49:00.008-04:00

Walk a few blocks from the beach at Oakland Park Boulevard to see some fine mid-century modern architecture.

Architectural sightseeing is free and one of the interesting Fort Lauderdale things-to-do.

One area, a few blocks that looks forlorn, reminds of gaudy former times when then beach was populated by low-rise buildings with details that perpetuate some of the clean lines of the Art Deco buildings for which Miami South Beach is famous.

Many of these architectural gems are being replaced by tall, architecturally undistinguished highrises that blot the shore from view.

Some projects apparently failed in the real estate market belly flop.

That leaves many treasures standing. A few are meticulously maintained and painted in authentic colors of the mid-century era.

A Fort-Lauderdale-Things-to-Do list ought to include a walk around this area before the mid-century modern buildings have been destroyed and replaced.

Another design influence of the mid-century modern beach residences is the clean lines of Scandinavian modern exterior and interior design.

Manhattan Beach has an interesting spiral tower that simultaneously hides the stairs and reminds of the steel skyscrapers of the real Manhattan Isle.

Windows are emphasized with boxes similar to the graphic lines of Art Deco – which in turn borrowed some of these graphic stylistics from Egyptian design elements.

The ochre yellow building also incorporates a circular design element, similar to the steamboat gothic feature of some Victorian homes.

These porches provide a place where residents could sit and chat in the gently cooling alternation of the sea and land breezes that sweep the barrier island.

The Presidential Speech USA Isn't Ready to Hear

2010-06-15T20:05:00.004-04:00

My Fellow Americans --

I wish I had better news for you.

Due to the reckless quest for profits by a global corporation, the Gulf of Mexico has suffered unprecedented ecological damage.

Even sadder, the best minds in government, academia, and the oil industry do not know how to fix this.

The damage from the oil spill may not be fixed for years, or decades -- and perhaps not ever.

I will hold BP responsible. But let's face it, some things can't be put right, no matter how much money BP spends and how much effort all of us put forward.

But make no mistake about it: It is not just BP oil and the government that are responsible for this disaster.

It is your fault, too.

You don't want to give up your SUVs, your fancy gas-guzzling sports cars, flying off to vacations here and there around the globe, air-conditioned homes, or even to cut down on use of high-speed internet connections.

You don't want to walk or bike to where you need to go. You will drive 10 or more miles to pick up a carton of milk, instead of waiting until the next time you are on that route.

You don't want to deny yourself the tiniest comfort.

The result is a nation that is overweight, at risk for heart attack, strokes, diabetes, and other preventable illness.

This tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico is all of our responsibility.

The time is now to walk, to bike, to take the bus, to go to a park near your home instead of a far-away vacation, to run fans whenever you can instead of the air-conditioning, and to admit that the only reasoning BP was drilling a mile under the sea was to satisfy our endless addiction for oil.

Fort Lauderdale Things to Do: Walk Seven Isles

2010-06-12T12:04:00.013-04:00

Your Fort-Lauderdale-Things-to-Do list may not include taking a walk around Seven Isles.

Isle of Venice, a street branching North off Las Olas Boulevard, has some gems of mid-century modern architecture.

Mid-century modern is an outgrowth of Art Deco, for which South Beach in Miami is so popular.

It features clean lines and sherbert colors, such as aquamarine, peach, pink, and lemon yellow. Whitewash also is popular.

If you are looking for Fort Lauderdale things to do that are completely free and you enjoy getting away from the beach tourist zone to see how residents live, Seven Isles is accessible by bus, bike or scooter rental, or walking if you are up to it.

Some features of mid-century modern architecture are:

Soaring roof lines with clean angles.

Eyebrow windows – that is, windows have a detail above them.

Details, such as relief palms or tropical-themed murals.

Louvre windows.

Having lived in a 100-year-old building with these, I know how drafty they are in winter. Buildings were designed to let in the sea breezes back then, however. Now you will see air-conditioning units protruding from walls where they have been cut to accommodate this technology.

Seven Isles was dredged with navigable canals. This makes homes and condominiums among the pricier real estate.

Here are buildings on Isle of Venice you will see during your Fort-Lauderdale-things-to-do-walk.

2010-06-03T19:23:00.007-04:00

Your local library is a good place to find fashion-advice-for-women, discover how to choose figure-flattering clothes, learn about style categories and all about chic. Attendance at the nation's estimated 122,566 libraries is sharply up during these recessionary times.

But I'm guessing that most fashionistas don't jump at a chance to shop there.

True style is about more than snagging the latest bargains. An important first step in looking like a superstar is figuring out what looks best on you.

This is especially true for the over-50 woman. A fashion misstep that is naively cute on a young woman can be a fashion disaster for us.

Your local library is a good place to find fashion advice for women because:

Biographies of chic women and clothing designers can help you discover a style that is uniquely yours.

Much of the best fashion photography is not available online.

You'll save money by borrowing books, rather than buying them. Many libraries subscribe to women's magazines that now cost $7 and up at the news stand.

Books show how to systematically develop a wardrobe and buy figure-flattering clothes; magazines offers only a pastiche of new things to buy with little information about how you can weave these purchases into a look that is right for you.

In summary, don't overlook your local library as a source of fashion advice for women. You may be pleasantly surprised at just how much is there for you to enjoy.

Food Fights: When Did They Become An Expression of Love?

2010-06-01T18:57:00.007-04:00

When did the food fight become a family bonding activity?

Yesterday, I watched not one but two film food fights, each symbolizing fun and closeness.

In Hanging Up, Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, and Lisa Kudrow are three sisters coping with the growing dementia and death of their eccentric father, played by Walter Mattau.

The sisters’ verbal battle is predictable. They make up while preparing a big meal, and the film ends with flour spilling wantonly over them, the floor, and everywhere as they re-live fond memories and renew their love for each other.

The food fight also may symbolize erotic love. Holly Hunter, as Det. Grace Hanadarko in the TV series Saving Grace, smears catsup and mustard over love interest Kenny Johnson/Det. Ham Dewey.

He smears back, and we know how this scene fades to black.

Catsup and mustard?

What is romantic or loving about having to clean up gooey condiments or fine flour from upholstery, between floor boards, and all tiny places into which food may fall?

I shudder at the sanitation implications; here in South Florida, ants and cockroaches own this place. The tiniest atom of food is an invitation to move in and stay for a long, long time.

Moreover, I loathe housework, so anything that increases the need for this is an activity to be assiduously avoided.

What is the secret of relishing a food fight? Are we to assume that the movie characters have housekeepers to clean up after them?

I doubt I’d feel comfortable having a housekeeper know I’d engaged in such childish pranks, increasing the work for her.

A food fight may be an improvement over much Hollywood fare – action flicks with lots of explosions and phony animation.

In a food fight, it is only the emotions that are phony.

A Shout Out to Awesome Creative Bloggers

2010-06-01T18:07:00.003-04:00

The creativity on display on the Internet can consume days, weeks, months, years of web surfing.

A beautiful, illustrated art or coffee table book plump with high quality colored plates can cost a fortune.

For the price of an Internet connection -- free at public libraries, many hotel lobbies, airports, and coffee shops -- we now have riches of design a click away.

James, for example, of The Creative Life keeps five blogs. Some are technology oriented, with the latest tips and tricks for Nokia phones, i phones, and other gadgets.

The Creative Life is a visual delight that uses photos and colors to keep us updated about creative uses for technology.

Stephanie Lawley's Just Me and Feminine Opinion also show a sharp eye for design and color.

I especially like the black-and-white logo design at the top of Just Me. Don't miss the wonderful photos of Sussex, England.

I'd also like to thank the others who follow this blog. I appreciate your interest.

Bamboo Is Miracle Renewable Fiber from Floors to Textiles

2010-06-01T17:22:00.006-04:00

Bamboo is a favorite of green ecology enthusiasts.

Bamboo is easy to grow and springs right back up again after harvesting.

Many species are invasive. This means their root
systems are so hardy, they crowd out other plants.

These same root systems regenerate new plants.

Bamboo can be grown without chemicals, and bamboo plants grow quickly.

It's easy to see why bamboo gets rave reviews as a green resource.

It's impressive that the same plant that is used for hardwood floors can be processed into a yarn that rivals cotton for softness.

Bamboo fabrics are praised for being:

Soft.
Antimicrobial (resist viruses and bacteria).
Absorbent.
Wick moisture away from the body.
Washable.
Durable and long-lasting.

Here's more information about the chemical and mechanical processes used to process the fiber used in bamboo clothing, towels, and other textile goods.

A Nice White Blouse Is a Versatile Addition to Any Wardrobe

2010-05-24T21:55:00.004-04:00

A white blouse is a versatile wardrobe essential worth every penny you pay for it.

Today's fabric blends ensure that a white blouse will look fresh and wrinkle-free throughout the day and evening.

A dash of Spandex or Dacron is the key. I can't wait until more the stain-resistant and even self-cleaning textiles become common.

It's tempting to believe large clothing hides figure flaws, but this is not the case. Tuck in a white blouse for a trim, professional look.

This means making sure the tails are long enough to stay in and short enough not to bulk up under the skirt or slacks.

An exception to the not-too-large rule is the Big Shirt or poet's shirt. These are cut full in the body and have long tails. They are meant to be worn outside of slacks and may serve as a jacket.

The shoulder seam should fit at the rounded edge of your shoulder, no matter how full the body. This will avoid sleeves that are too long.

Here are some more tips for fitting and buying a white blouse -- more than one -- as a versatile wardrobe purchase.

New Fabrics Created at Nexus of Nanotechnology and Biotechnology

2010-05-22T12:04:00.007-04:00

I started researching fabrics and fabrics, such as environmentally-friendly cotton blends.

Now, smart fabrics and wearable technologies are creating textiles that will help heal wounds and build bones. Self-cleaning fabric also is in development.

We already have cloth that kills germs, wicks away sweat, resists odors, and provides sunscreen protection. Some experimental products have allowed wearers to hear their MP3 players wirelessly.

My interest is more at the level of sensual and appreciation.

I still love walking through a fabric store -- even though I do not sew except for the occasional curtain -- to savor the riot of colors and textures.

A walk through a craft store that displays handmade papers is another of my own personal nature walks.

I regret the loss of the thick, plush cotton velvets of my youth. On the other hand, the new engineered velvets drape better, are shinier, and more lightweight to wear.

All innovation produces a touch of nostalgia for those of us who are old enough to have a past to remember. But the benefits of smart fabrics, especially as more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes are developed, are almost magical in their potentials.

Knowing Your Style Is Step One in Basic Wardrobe Planning

2010-05-21T13:48:00.007-04:00

Identifying your personal style is recommended for basic-wardrobe-planning.

Two books I’ve recently read that take this approach are Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Styleand The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style.

The Lucky Guide (Kim France, Andrea Linnett) is skewed young. The book is lavishly illustrated with photos.

There are two useful features.

Each section profiles a young woman who illustrates that fashion type. Some of her favorite pieces also are photographed.

Secondly, each section includes a feature that shows how one foundational wardrobe item may be used in versatile ways – such as transitioning through the seasons, or being teamed up for professional or party wear.

Tim Gunn’s Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style, written with Kate Maloney, is wittier and delves more deeply into what makes a woman chic.

Gunn, for example, lectures readers about the importance of posture.

The line drawings that serve as illustrations are a charming reminder of vintage illustrations from the 1920s through 1950s. They cannot compete with the usefulness of good, color photos, though.

Written like the academic Gunn fundamentally is, the chapter on fashion style types first defines the difference between a fashion icon and a mentor.

Gunn advises against slavishly copying a fashion icon and adapting fashion to one’s one figure and lifestyle.

My complaint with both books is that they focus too much of styles that are popular on the East or West coast. Suburban style and a professional look for older women get left out of these mixes. Scroll down to see table comparison.

LUCKY GUIDE	TIM GUNN GUIDE
Euro Chic (Catherine Deneuve)	Les Francaises (Deneuve)
The Bombshell (Sophia Loren)	The Siren (Angelina Jolie)
American Classic (Katherine Hepburn)	Masculin/Feminin (Hepburn)
Gamine (Sofia Cuppola)	Les Gamines (Cuppola)
California Casual(Farrah Fawcett)bi-coastal opposites?	The Risk Takers(Sarah Jessica Parker)
Rock and Roll (Patti Smith	The Rockers (Smith)
Bohemian (Stevie Nicks); Arty/Slick (Donna Karan)	The Bohemians (Donna Karan)
Posh Electic (Debutantes who may someday become doyennes)	Les Doyennes (Haute couture fashion leaders; a look too mature for Lucky readers
Mod (the youthful equivalent of?)	Italian & Complicated (Fellini’s women)
Nothing equivalent	Power Brokers (Oprah)

Basic Wardrobe Planning Is Easy as S-O-S

2010-05-19T19:40:00.005-04:00

Basic wardrobe planning has turned out to be one of my most-hit articles at e-zines.

Managing my own website has challenged me to develop many new skills. Watching traffic statistics is one of them.

Writing for a few hundred site guests a day is a big change from writing for hundreds of thousands of newspaper readers when I was a reporter.

I had a lot of freedom, but the one topic that was always taboo was fashion. Fashion editors were very territorial about not sharing that domain with a features reporter.

There is a lot of free help for any woman who wants an image makeover. My article mentions some excellent basic-wardrobe-planning information on the Internet.

I also have some favorite books. The public library is a great place to browse for ideas on how to change your personal style.

It's really not that hard to put together a practical, budget-conscious, and flattering wardrobe -- once you understand basic-wardrobe-planning.

Web Jewels: Five Places to Find Outstanding Beauty and Creativity on the Internet

2010-03-03T15:43:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it’s fun to go on an online walkabout to discover something new and fun. My most recent adventure was to find websites that I found creative or beautiful. Here are five discoveries.

Alicia Paulson writes that she likes to make things. She writes about all kinds of things on her blog Posie Gets Cozy and also has a website in her name where she shows things she makes.

The photography is bright and cheerful. The crafts are colorful and, well, cozy. If you are looking for cutting edge trends, this may not be the site for you.

If you’d like an afternoon pick-me-up of eye candy instead of empty calories, stop by and get cozy with Posie.

Lonny Magazine is a complete online full-color magazine about home decorating.

There are interviews, decorating tips, and delicious photos. The current issue features an article about how to get organized and stay that way.

I am impressed that a publication of this quality is available free online.

Treat yourself to an hour perusing the pages of Lonny Magazine.

Forgotten Treasurez is a storefront.

It does not, perhaps, belong in the same category as Posie Gets Cozy or Lonny Mag. It is beautifully organized by artist – almost a sophisticated online gallery more than just a trashy storefront littered with thumbnail photos.

From Cezanne to Renoir, you will find an alphabetized list of artists, some of whose work may be affordable.

Kim, of Today’s Creative Blog writes that, “I'm just a crafty, over protective mom who teaches fitness. Be sure to check out the March 3, 2010 entry about a remodeled cottage. Topnotch stuff.

The High Street Market has good photos, short entries, and is more toward the clean, urban, trend-setting esthetic.

It’s a good place to visit if you want to know what the city folk are doing with creative design.

The next time you need a dose of beauty, color, and style, walkabout the World Wide Web and visit these or find some sources of inspiration all your own.

The Case of the Vanishing Adverb

2010-02-19T13:15:00.004-05:00

The adverb appears to have vanished from the English language.

The adverb, in case you're wondering, is a descriptive word that modifies (applies to) a verb. Verbs are action words in sentences.

Many adverbs end in "ly," and it is that syllable that has mysteriously disappeared. Doug Adams, late author of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe novels, once hypothesized that lost pens had run off to the planet of their origin.

I'm not sure where all these lost adverb endings go. I account for two of them in the first name of actress Leelee Sobieski, with slightly transformed spelling.

I notice dozens of missing adverbs every day, however.

For example, there was the high federal official who assured that the government agency was "taking things serious."

Sir, that would be seriously.

Few of my favorite authors bother with adverbs anymore. Kim Harrison, nope. Ilona Andrews, another big-time offender. Jim Butcher, too.

As for TV on-air reporters, they have been language ninnies for as long as I can remember. For an old gal, that's practically to the first days of television journalism.

I don't suppose there is much that anyone can do about this, what with spelling morphing into text message acronyms that students now believe are correct.

I can understand why laughing out loud is easier to text as LOL. What benefit is it to spell cool as kewl? The first requires less keyboard movement by hitting the o twice.

It does not even make sense phonetically. Cool is pronouned like the hoo in hoot-owl. Kewl is pronounced like the ew in Oh, ew, that's yukky."

But I digress.

The adverb is gone. I feel badly about it.

Testimonial to Amazon.com

2010-01-30T12:52:00.003-05:00

I am perhaps my own best customer at amazon.com. No, I do not get to order through the affiliate links on Fashion After 50; that’s unethical.

Time and again, amazon.com responds promptly and with courtesy. I have been one hundred percent satisfied with every transaction.

For example, late last year my primary laptop died. I had been downloading tunes, and I forgot to include one CD on the transfer. Amazon is allowing a free second download to the netbook I have dedicated for this purpose.

I have returned books for no reason other than upon inspection, the book was not what I had thought it would be.

I like to support local merchants, and I sometimes pay a premium price to do so. Immediacy and commercial engagement with our community businesses also is important.

Sometimes, what we want or need is not readily available locally. Buying from a gargantuan and seemingly distant source may reasonably prompt concerns about cold indifference, harsh return policies, and long waits for refunds. So far, my dealings with amazon.com has been flawless.

Fort Lauderdale Skyline is Banking Mecca

2009-07-04T19:26:00.013-04:00

It didn't occur to me until I started fine-tuning these photos that the Fort Lauderdale skyline is dominated by big banking institutions. These photos were taken from the roof of the public parking garage. The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, the Main Library, and several college campuses also are located in this area. Nearby are the tony shops and restaurants of Las Olas Boulevard and RiverWalk.

National City and Wachovia banks have their logos on the skyscrapers above. Regions Bank claims the white tower, below right. Left, the rooftop terraces, with their greenery, remind me of the hanging gardens of Babylon.

Bank of America marks its territory, above right. In the foreground is an apartment building. A dark glass building in West Palm Beach, similar to the twins below, is known as Darth Vader.

This large mural is on the side of a parking garage on Broward Boulevard, near the area that serves the Courthouse, museum, and main library. It depicts images from South Florida history and culture.

Donald Trump Dumpster-Divingin Trash Bin of Popular Culture

2009-06-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

Just when I think that Donald Trump could not possibly do anything more tasteless, trashy, bombastic, or self-promoting than he’s already done, the guy finds a new way to delve into the trash bin of popular culture.

After buying World Wrestling’s Monday Night RAW program, Trump is all over the airwaves boasting about how now things will be done his way. Okay, wrestling fans, perhaps I am not appreciative enough of this popular culture entertainment. After all, even French semiotician and egghead extraordinaire Roland Barthes analyzed wrestling back in the 1970s.

Critics are saying that the purchase of this successful TV franchise is one more proof of Trump’s Midas touch. But no one ever said Midas was a nice guy, certainly not his daughter who turned into a golden statue when he touched her. Too bad Trump isn’t as similarly mute.

Ilona Andrews’ Builds Kate Daniels’ SeriesTo Greatest Strength in Magic Strikes

2009-05-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

The husband-wife writing team of Gordon and Ilona Andrews build fresh strength into their Kate Daniels’ urban fantasy series with the third entry, Magic Strikes. I devoured it, right after finishing Magic Burns.

Kate Daniels is a stone killer of ghastly supernatural beings in a world where magic and technology exist as erratically alternating realities that wash across the Atlanta landscape. The origins of Kate’s considerable magical resources – and magical sword called the Slayer – are cloaked in mystery in Magic Bites and Magic Burns. They become clear in the third novel in a back story as exotic and compelling as any of the thousand-and-one tales of Arabian nights. Andrews so deftly hides this back story that the reader is hardly aware of this missing element in the first two action-packed tales. We are used to stories commencing in media res (in the middle of things), and do not require every last detail about a hero’s biography. Does anyone care whether Sam Spade grew up in Iowa or California? Probably not. But Kate's back story matters. A lot.

Another subplot that keeps the stories steaming along is the mutual attraction between Kate and the lord of the shape shifters, the were-lion king Curran. His Beastliness, as the smart-mouth Kate calls him, has been keeping closer tabs on her than she’s known until this third novel.

“'His Majesty needs a can-I girl . . . and I’m not it,'” Kate tells a friend and a were-hyena at lunch. Asked to explain, Kate “leaned back. ‘Can I fetch you your food, Your Majesty? Can I tell you how strong and mighty you are, Your Majesty? Can I pick out your fleas, Your Majesty? Can I kiss your ass, Your Majesty? Can I . . .’”

At this point, Kate realizes the others have gone eerily silent. “'Technically, it should be may I’” Curran says without missing a beat from behind her. Like all cats, he has the gift of silent feet, even in human form.

This is a couple in the tradition of Hollywood’s fast-talking babes and smart-mouthed tough guys – a Nick and Nora Charles for a world where myth, murder, and mayhem meld in a seamless, intelligent blend. Long may they reign. In the first two books, they have slaughtered legions of the undead and vanquished an evil god trying to incarnate and destroy humankind. No wonder this busy pair do not have time for romance.

It’s taken three books for readers’ to get a figurative handle on Kate Daniels and for Curran to move in to get a literal handle on this killer chick with blood that can freeze in a cannibal villain’s veins, creating needles that rip him from the inside-out.

The denouement of Magic Strikes is a richly imaginative whorl of demons and monsters. Each new phantasmagorical creature is pulled from the far reaches of creativity that awe and delight me. How do the Andrews think of this stuff? The long story arc of the three novels, including the slow character development of Kate, astonishing revelations about the secondary character Shaiman, and the simmering romance, cohere gracefully. The third book was well worth the wait, and I am eager for four promised additions to this series.

Tea Makes the World Seem BetterEven When It's Not

2009-05-09T18:55:00.006-04:00

Tea is a restorative drink, with as many shades of subtle flavor as wine. HBO has serialized The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency (books by Alexander McCall Smith). The number one lady detective, Precious Ramotswe (played by Jill Scott), enjoys a cup of tea to handle every situation. It is wise and altogether civilized.

I decided against reading the first book in the series a long time ago, but I may have to give it a second chance.

I have had only part-time work for a year now. This situation has called for a lot of tea drinking, as does having a job, working, relaxing, thinking, writing, and reading.

I’ve given up, for the most part, items such as cookies, breakfast Danish, chocolate, and steak. I’ve had to live on rice and beans in the past, and I can do it again. Rice and vegetables are healthy. I’m purchasing a cheaper brand of ice cream, too. And I’m wondering if I can afford to take advantage of the economic stimulus package tax credit to buy a new central air conditioning/heating system. This one has been limping along since I bought the place four years ago, and I’m not sure that even a shot of Freon will get the old cow up and going again.

I have not yet given up drinking tea. I laid in some English Breakfast tea, from England yet, at $2 a box from Big Lots, compared with $3.69 at the supermarket. It’s not always available, so I may go back next week for more. I feel a bit better when I open the pantry and see it stocked with something I love.

For that matter, I love opening the pantry, because it represents a really good buy and timely find. I was longingly perusing online stores for a free-standing pantry that would open with narrow shelves on the doors and inside. The cheapest one was $200 plus shipping, and it was a bit rustic for my style. Then I found one exactly the same color as my kitchen cabinets in a Goodwill Store for $40. Such a deal.

Tea and the occasional bargain are beacons of light in hard times. But I wish times were not so hard. I will be 61 on Monday, and I do not much feel like celebrating.

On a completely different topic, I am looking for feedback on my page about Chinese Clothes at FashionAfter50.com. I’ve also changed the template design for the whole site. I will be rewriting and revising many existing pages over the next month or two.

Cash-for-Clunkers: Another Tax-and-Spend Fiasco

2009-04-25T16:47:00.002-04:00

A bill known as Cash-for-Clunkers is slipping in under the radar of most citizens, but it’s another government giveaway that will cost taxpayers. On the surface it sounds great: $3K to turn in your high-emission vehicle and buy a more fuel-efficient car.

I’ve been researching this bill for an interested organization, but I only write about what interests me on my personal blog. I'm all for fuel-efficient cars, but I do not want to pay for someone else's new Lexus hybrid while all I can afford is what I've got.

Here are some of the most important reasons why taxpayers are suckers – again – if we let Congress spend our money on this.

The cost of producing each fuel-efficient vehicle offsets the lower-emissions that will be produced. There is no environmental benefit.

The emissions standards are not high enough for the trade-ins.

Fuel savings are not great enough to compensate for the new car payment over time.

The reimbursement is so low that many people are better off selling their older vehicles privately.

Destroying older vehicles drives up used-car and parts prices. Hobbyists who restore classic cars are very concerned and are among those who do not support this bill.

Now that gas prices are lower, Americans are returning to their love for bigger cars. A cash or tax incentive is not going to change Americans’ love-affair with their cars.

American car manufacturers are not in a position to benefit from a spike in sales; their lower-emission vehicles are not yet available in great numbers.

The people who will benefit are those who already have enough money to trade in their older cars for a new one. Of course, this will be financed by ordinary people who are struggling to stay afloat.

One drawback I have not found many considering is what we are going to do with the toxic batteries from hybrid and electric cars. This makes sense because the bill does not require purchase of a hybrid car; most purchases will be fuel-efficient internal combustion engines.

Batteries are another cost of hybrid car ownership that often is not considered against the price of owning a hybrid or electric car; it run to a few thousand dollars to replace the battery/ies.

In summary, Cash-for-Clunkers not an idea whose time has come; it’s an idea that taxpayers do not need to finance.

If you want sources, I’ve got dozens of them.

McCullough's Hero with Chaos in HisEyes Disappoints in CodeSpell

2009-04-11T11:49:00.003-04:00

CodeSpell is the third entry in Kelley McCullough’s series about Ravirn/Raven, a 23-year-old hacker descended from the gods and goddesses of the Greek Pantheon. The first book, WebMage, is a unique blend of urban fantasy and cyberpunk fiction, seasoned with Greek myth. The series starts with Ravirn, a mortal descendent of the deities with superhuman powers, and an implausible plot about a magical mweb through which the immortals communicate.

By the second novel, Cybermancy, Ravirn has been banished from the House of the Fates, handmaidens to Necessity. Necessity has become the not-so-artificial computer intelligence that runs the universe. The plot is about how Persephone codes a virus into Necessity, The virus secures Persephone’s permanent release from Hades, where she has been unhappily forced to dwell for the six cold months of the year since time immemorial. The virus also knocks out vast portions of the m[agic]web.

The swirling stuff of Chaos appears in his eyes when Ravirn is transformed into the Raven. He is able to transform himself into a large version of that bird and to travel through chaos with greater mastery. He also is now a lord of his own royal house outside of space and time, rather than scion of the Fates.

CodeSpell picks up the story. Ravirn is tasked with rebooting Necessity, down for the count with the Persephone virus. During the time of the reboot, Ravirn and powers competing to get there first will be able to refashion the Universe, should he or they presume to do so.

A secondary plot is Ravirn’s romance with Cerise, another child of the royal Houses of Fate. A true child of order, Cerise is a crack programmer to Ravirn’s rebellious hacker. She is disturbed by the chaos in Ravirn’s eyes. She returns home to the Fates, to work on security programs in face of threats from the broken mweb. This leaves the field open for Tisiphone, one of the three Furies, who lusts for Ravirn.

Winged Tisiphone is naked with fire where strippers usually strategically place sequins. This is too much like an adolescent’s wet dream to be appealing. No doubt this is McCullough’s target readership, not an old babe like me.

CodeSpell is proof that there can be too much of a good thing. WebMage was unique, one of those unexpected finds that appear serendipitously on a library shelf. Cybermancy was a good effort to wrap up some loose ends at the end of book one. Ravirn’s transformation to a character of comic-book proportions and the increasing incredulous plot twists mean that I may not make it to the end of CodeSpell, Ravirn Book 3. I won’t be reading Mythos, which will be released in May.

Night Illusions and The Dawn of Reality

2009-04-06T11:52:00.002-04:00

Things that look brilliant or scary at two in the morning often don’t survive in the light of day. Have you ever awoken with a cold sweat, worried about a loved one’s health or your own survival – physical, financial, or emotional? Have you ever had a plan that seemed inspired during those quiet, dead hours and became quite ordinary after the sun rose?

This weekend, I discovered that my little website, Fashion After 50, has quietly been earning a few pennies from Google Adsense over the past few months. Indeed, even this blog followed only by a few dear fellow blog-hers and friends, may have had some click-throughs.

That $7.12 seemed like a fortune. For three days, I visited my Adsense account obsessively. I watched the affiliate marketing earnings mushroom to over $8.50. Watching seven dollars turn to eight-and-a-half, nickel-by-nickel and dime-by-dime, makes watching ice form look downright exciting.

I’ve worked throughout the weekend to revise pages, practice code to wrap copy around ads, and experiment with layout. I’ve updated and added new articles. I worked until nearly 3 a.m., and I was on fire with hope that I could turn Fashion After 50 into a place visitors love for finding fashion for older women.

Then I looked at the Alexa rankings for Fashion After 50. Alexa is the Supreme Court of online website rankings, wrecking sought-after judgments about who is in the coveted top 100,000.

I know that a little bitty affiliate marketing website with less one hundred visitors was not in the top tier. I just wanted to take a peek anyway.

The average time spent at Fashion After 50 by a guest is a half-minute. Thirty seconds!

Some things look so much better when it’s dark outside – like a Christmas tree trimmed with lights and ornaments that glitter and shine. Others look worse, like a darkened alley hiding threat, violence, and decay. Day dawns. The Christmas tree is merely a dying pine that needs water. The alley is simply a bleak cement space that needs cleaning and care. Illusions, for better or for worse, melt away.

The Bleak Look of RecessionFort Lauderdale, Florida, 2009

2009-04-01T10:02:00.011-04:00

This cement wasteland was a bustling new and used car dealership near the heart of Fort Lauderdale. Cars whisk past on busy Sunrise Boulevard, heading toward the upscale Galleria Mall, just a few blocks away. Strip malls and businesses line this six-lane highway, some starving more quickly than others. These photos depict a panorama. Below, I am looking directly east, toward the Galleria Mall and ocean.

This view also faces east. The vast showrooms, guarded now by chain-link fencing, are a bleak memorial to American's economic distress.

The photo below faces north, directly in front of where I was standing at one-time entrance to the facility.

Facing west, the cement graveyard of the auto industry stretches many blocks in both directions.

This pile of rubble was a decorative island for plantings, on the fancy cobblestone drive into the auto dealership.

It hurts the heart to see the decay, the far-stretching emptiness of an economic boneyard such as this.

Changing Rainbow of Light: ArtAt Main Library, Fort Lauderdale

2009-03-27T17:53:00.013-04:00

A new art installation in downtown Fort Lauderdale features an ever-changing rainbow of irredescent light. A woman sitting bottom left shows how large it is. It is located outside the Main Library. These photos show the colors as they evolve through one cycle.

The panels suggest solar energy may be the power source. Unfortunately, I took many of the early photos through the railing.

Significance of Place in Urban FantasyAnd Burke's Robicheaux Novels

2009-02-22T13:25:00.003-05:00

The lyrical pose of James Lee Burke is no less evocative when he writes about the West, where he has lived and taught for many years. Yet I found myself unable to complete Swan Peak, the first time I have not completed a Burke book. My fascination with New Orleans led me to his detective Dave Robicheaux mysteries. The stories he sets anywhere else do not have the same effect on me. How even can the title, Swan Peak, compare with the gleeful rhythms and visions conjured by titles such as

The Tin Roof Blow Down
Pegasus Descending
A Morning for Flamingos
Jolie Blon’s Bounce
A Stained White Radiance or, my personal all-time favorite,
In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead.

The dream of New Orleans is so deeply rooted in my soul I cannot trace its sinuous hold. Did it start because I had studied French from first grade until I was 20, and New Orleans is the only French-speaking city in the United States? If so, why did I not fantasize about Quebec, practically next door to my upstate New York hometown?

Was it the novel, Dinner at Antoine’s, on the library shelf that hinted at a place in America as foreign as France? By the time I discovered Dr. John in his voodoo chant regalia and the Mardi Gras Indian bands, such as the Wild Tchoupitoulas that were briefly popular in the 1970s, my interest in New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) was cemented.

The first time my marriage broke up, I threw just about all the clothing I owned in the backseat of a beat-up Beetle (what else? in that era), crunched some uppers and drove to New Orleans in 24 hours. My first sight of the antebellum mansions along the Gulf Coast – now swept away by hurricane Katrina – is so strong that I have dared not visit that ravaged area since my last drive there in November 2004.

No wonder I have been drawn to Charlaine Harris’ Southern vampire series, with its Louisiana locale. None of the urban fantasy writers I have lately been reading are stylists of Burke’s caliber. I would rather read, perhaps, any tale set in the NOLA environs than a lyrical story set in Montana. This set me thinking about the role of place in the urban fantasy genre in particular and in compelling writing in general.

Ilona Andrews’ heroine inhabits a parallel Atlanta, a city I know a little after six years at the University of Georgia in nearby Athens. Harry Dresden inhabits Chicago, a city I’ve visited twice for conventions, backdrop for the V.I. Warshawski mysteries and sometimes seen in films. Kate Morgan, Kim Harrison’s witch, lives in Cleveland. Any of these places could be named Anywhere, USA, for all that sense of place matters. They are cities, concrete wastelands that look gray even on a sunny day. Character and plot hold my attention in these stories, not sense of place.

How important is place for a well-told tale? In the hands of a master word slinger, place is another character permeating every action with its history. Could Casablanca happen anywhere else but in the exotic locate of wartime Morocco? No other city but New Orleans has a street or A Streetcar Named Desire, the pulsing sense of place that throbs throughout Tennessee Williams play. The seething undercurrents of race and sex of the old South collide with the weather to create an explosive brew in Williams’ The Long Hot Summer. Weather and place also catalyze the drama of the film Key Largo.

Joshua Meyerowitz wrote an important book of media analysis, No Sense of Place. He persuasively argued that television had dissolved social norms between on-stage and back-stage. We have the outworking of this theory in the current craze for reality TV and the plague of social networking, in which nothing is too personal to be made public.

Me, I embrace a sense of place. I love where I live, and I am clinging stubbornly to this toehold in the sun despite the harsh economic climate. I escape into worlds of urban fantasy in which demons are no less dangerous but contained with charms and incantations, circles of salt, blood rituals, and alliances with creates that never were. These are other worlds with a verisimilitude to my own but different enough that it is the world of fantastical beings and events that captures my attention, not details of the cityscape. Harris’s Louisiana alone stands out as distinct. I hope that James Lee Burke bring Robicheaux back to Iberia parish and all things Louisiana.

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files:Inventive Urban Fantasy

2009-01-20T21:42:00.003-05:00

Harry Dresden is a wizard, the only practicing wizard-private eye in Chicago. Of indeterminate age but most likely in his 30s, Dresden is a hero in the wise-cracking, tough-guy tradition of Sam Spade and the other film noir private eyes. Butcher packs each book with rollicking action, plot twists, and ensemble characters. Working with the Special Investigations team of the Chicago Police Department, Dresden is their consultant for the scary things that go bump in the night and that people prefer not to believe are real.

In the series opener, Storm Front, Dresden battles a black magician. Lieutenant Kerrin Murphy heads up the Special Investigations team. She is embattled not only by the black magic murderer but by police politics; there are those in high places who consider her work unnecessary.

The adversaries of Dresden and Murphy include giant scorpions, a demon, and a power-mad black practitioner who rips the hearts from victims while not even being present. Dresden triumphs, just barely, with potions, power objects, and occasional gunfire.

Fool Moon introduces a pack of werewolves who channel their magical powers for good. He and Murphy barely escape from the bad werewolves; it would spoil the suspense to say who’s who. Dresden also comes by an attractive love interest.

Most of the series, which stops numbering the novels after nine, is available at one library or another in my area. The vagaries of availability led me to move on to the fourth book, Summer Knight. Enough of the third book, Grave Peril, is filled in so that I can make sense of what went before without knowing so much I no longer want to read it. In short, Butcher does a good job of allowing each book to stand alone.

Charlaine Harris’s Southern vampire series remains my favorite in the urban fantasy genre. Sookie Stackhouse is a nice Southern gal, the vampires come preciously close to being human in their motivations and comport, and gore is minimized. All in all, this series is endearing.

Lori Handeland’s werewolf/nightcreatures series is heavy-handed on eroticism. She seems to be evolving in both character development and plot twists.

Kelly McCullough’s webmage series, with three books so far, is closest in tone to the Dresden files. Both feature magical heroes – one human, one nearly immortal. Both pack guns, are rebellious smart-mouths, chivalrous, clever, and honorable. One channels his magical energy through the computer web; the other blows out computers and most other forms of technology when near them.

Kate Daniels is a feminine counterpart to Harry Dresden. Magic Bites is the first entry in Ilona Andrews’s promising series. Daniels is another freelancer magic worker who polices evil mayhem at the boundary between technical reality and sorcery. Andrews’ vampires are much different than those in the world created by Harris. They are mostly mindless, blood-thirsty and evil; they are compared to cockroaches. Wizards can animate the vampires' bodies for their own, usually nefarious, purposes. There’s great potential in a romance developing between a were-lion, king of the shape shifters, and Kate. Magic Burns is the second Kate Daniels’ book.

In summary, the Dresden files are fast-paced, entertaining books in which Jim Butcher creates a magical world ruled by its own laws. Harry Dresden is an appealing and entertaining hero in the ever-growing pantheon of urban fantasy novels.

Free DIY Planner Templates Personalize Your Organizing

2008-12-24T11:09:00.003-05:00

The new year invites all of us to tackle those things that we didn’t get to or complete in 2008 . . . or 2007 . . .

Have you noticed how expensive some planners are? Many of them have almost cult-followings for organizing procedures that may meet some, but not all, of your needs. It can be a lot of money to spend on an organizing schema that gets you about halfway right.

To the rescue is the DIY planning website with dozens – probably more than a hundred – planner downloads. Templates come in a variety of standard sizes, from 4 x 6 note-card to 8.5 x 11 binder.

Do you need a storyboard planner for that screenplay you’ve been meaning to write? Got it. (See the creativity template.)

How about a way to track medication side effects? Diabetes symptoms? Moods? Or a dive log? Got it. Got it. Got it. There’s even a planner for your persuasive messages, based on the research of Robert Cialdini. Go to the Templates Directory.

There are dozens of suggestions for how to organize daily, weekly, and monthly planning sheets. Project planners, to-do lists, and various ways to organize shopping lists are available.

There is even an article for how to organize a prototype planner. If you want something tailor-made for your planning needs, without spending the weekly grocery budget on a planner. We also get to exercise our creativity to personalize our planner covers, if so inclined.

The best way to access the templates is from the templates tab on the horizontal menu bar at the top of the website.

Please let me know what you think if you visit this site. If you download a lot of stuff and have enough money to share and to spare, it’s nice to throw a few bucks their way to maintain the website. This is easy with a donation button. (Disclosure: I am not connected with this website, do not receive any trades from it, and I do not know the web owners.)

Happy holidays!

Handeland's Rising Moon and Hidden MoonAre Top Entries in Nightcreatures Series

2008-12-13T19:56:00.003-05:00

Lori Handeland hits her stride in the last three volumes of her eight-book Nighcreatures werewolf series. The plots of Rising Moon and Hidden Moon have surprising twists, and it’s pretty hard to fool this lifelong bookworm. I don’t want to be a spoiler, so let me give an overview of the novels in order.

One thread that unites the books is the recurring presence of a mysterious secret government agency, the Jager-Suchers or werewolf hunter-searchers. A minor character in one book may emerge as the protagonist in another. These books follow the pattern of romance novels, with distracting sex scenes that contribute little to character development or plot. Handeland, nonetheless, creates an interesting multi-faceted world in these novels.

The series opens with Blue Moon and weird goings-on at a Wisconsin summer resort. Police officer Jesse McQuade and a native American professor Will Cadotte unravel the mystery. Edward Mandanauer, driving force behind the Jager-Suchers, arrives early, armed to the teeth with silver bullets in bandoliers slung across his bony chest. Jesse gets her guy; the werewolves get dead.

Leigh Tyler, a talented werewolf slayer, is the protagonist of Hunter’s Moon. The action moves to Wisconsin. Helped by Jesse, Will, and Mandenauer, Leigh becomes involved with the first good werewolf we meet in the series. Readers are introduced to Dr. Elise Hanover whose own werewolf adventure and love story is the subject of Dark Moon, third book in the series. Mandanauer’s own dark past is revealed in that tale.

Crescent Moon strikes off in a new direction. Diane Malone, a cryptozoologist, is hired to investigate suspicious disappearances in a bayou outside of New Orleans. Her sleuthing uncovers the family curse of the Ruelles and leads her into the arms of another rugged hero in the series, Ruelle scion Adam. Edward Mandanauer and Dr. Elise Hanover emerge like deus ex machina toward the end of the story.

Midnight Moon takes a minor character in Crescent Moon, voodoo priestess Cassandra, to Haiti. The nightcreatures theme broadens to include zombies and other shapeshifters besides werewolves. Devon Murphy, the love interest, is Indiana Jones with Captain Jack Sparrow beads and feathers in his hair. The Jager-Suchers and Edward Mandanauer are but a shadowy group pulling the strings off-stage.

Things really get interesting in Rising Moon, one of my favorites in the series. The action returns to the Big Easy. Private eye Anne Lockheart comes to New Orleans looking for her missing sister, meets mysterious blind jazz musician John Rodolfo, and the story goes from there. Cassandra and Devon, Diane and Adam, Mandanauer and Elise are on hand for the surprising denouement. The story also is appealing because the theme of redemption emerges with strength for the first time since weakly broached in Hunter’s Moon.

Hidden Moon takes readers to Georgia. Claire Kennedy, small-town mayor, is confronted with inexplicable happenings when a band of gypsies arrive. An element of sorcery emerges in the figure of love interest Malachi Cartwright. The theme of redemption is linked with that of love in a poignant climax (in more ways than one). Mandanauer and Elise Hanover make cameo appearances.

Finally, Thunder Moon returns to Lake Bluff, Georgia, and the theme of Native American mysticism that plays a key role in the plots of Blue Moon (book one) and Hunter’s Moon (three). Grace McDaniel, Lake Bluff sheriff, full-blooded Cherokee, and childhood friend of mayor Claire Kennedy, had a large supporting role in Hidden Moon. Now, her romance with Ian Walker, physician, Native American healer and warrior, continues to move the series away from werewolves into other permutations of shapeshifting and sorcery. Walker is revealed as a member of a Native-American society of monster hunters. The Jager-Suchers play little part and go underground, according to an epilogue.

It’s unclear whether Handeland will continue the series. The preview chapter of Any Given Doomsday does not suggest continuance of the moon-themed series. Yet Handeland leaves the door open.

To purchase all eight novels, please see my listing on ebay through Dec. 19.

WebMage by Kelly McCulloughIs Unique SciFi-Fantasy Romp

2008-12-06T09:47:00.003-05:00

Kelly McCullough’s first novel, WebMage, cooks up a compelling dish of science fiction and fantasy, with a dash of romance. The recipe might look something like this:

Break off parts of William Gibson’s Neuromancer series, especially episodes about jacking into cyberspace and solving code mysteries. Crumble coarsely. Set aside.

Create a thick stew of spells, goblins, dragons, faeries, trolls, castles and warriors. I like the Harry Potter series for this purpose. Beat in some Greek mythos from Edith Hamilton and Bullfinch. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Season with wisecracks from Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Bake for several hours.

The story posits web links where the world of the Greek Immortals overlaps that of geek mortals. For those of us who grew up when making a copy meant pounding out a document in carbon triplicate on an upright typewriter, praying that we’d make no typographical keystroke mistakes that could not be fixed with WhiteOut, the world that computers bring to our fingertips makes coding pretty darn close to magical spell casting anyway. So it’s a short leap to blend cyberspace with the Olympian space occupied by the gods and goddesses of ancient mythology. This is especially true if one had to take two semesters in ancient culture, as did I.

The plot concerns a fight for free will for humans and their webgoblin companions, as Eris, goddess of discord, battles the Fates, guardians of order, one of whom happens to be our hero’s great-great into ancient time grandmother. Our hero, Ravirn, experiences a value and identity transformation in the endlessly changing cosmos of chaos-verses-order. This may sound like a task for a brooding, romantic hero. Ravirn is more like a film noir detective, a man (figuratively speaking, for he is not human) of action, ready for anything, a quip on his lips while facing down death.

His is not the film noir world in which right and wrong are hard to distinguish admidst moody shades of gray. Rather, our web sorcerer’s reality is the brightly colored light dance of our times, in which colors and images flicker before his eyes in a dizzying and sometimes confusing array of cross-cutting. Truth, right and wrong, are still hard to discern as impregnable values.

WebMage popped off the library shelves as I was looking for a entirely different book by another author -- a happy happenstance. As it turned out, the other book was not to my taste, and I am returning it mostly unread. Not all fantasy worlds are created equal, and Cheyennne McCray’s witchy series includes S&M and too much predictable sex for my taste. If you have a taste for cyberpunk fiction or sword-and-myth fantasy, WebMage may be for you.

Pieces of South Florida Sky

2008-12-01T09:38:00.002-05:00

November 29, 2008
Unenhanced

Florida, My Florida: Home Again & It Feels Great

2008-11-29T10:07:00.002-05:00

South Florida makes me smile. Blue sky, warm sun on my skin. Sunglasses out of its case for the first time since I left Fort Lauderdale five days ago. Four days in the Northeast is about all I can stand.

There’s something to be said, I am sure, for a brisk walk in the crisp air, the feathery spikes of frost on a window pane, a blanket of white snow carpeting the ground, trimming the trees, and piling high on power lines. I am not the one to say it. I remember standing swaddled in a nylon snowsuit, snowbanks towering over me. I thought God had put me with the wrong family; surely I belonged with one in Florida. I moved South of the Mason-Dixon line as soon as I was old enough to do so. Baltimore was not warm enough, so eventually I moved to South Florida with little more than a Doberman and a dream of being able to stay. It has not always been easy.

My plane left Albany on a morning as gray as all the others of my Thanksgiving stay. Approaching Fort Lauderdale, the noonday sun reflects off canals and catchment lakes, turning them into sheets of hammered gold. Swaths of green are cut by black ribbons of roads as the plane descends. Grand homes on large lots yield to those closely huddled around cul de sacs.

In the first flush of leaving the terminal, all my gripes, fears, worries and concerns vanish in a rush of agape for this place. I love the feel of vitamin D soaking into my skin. The air kisses my face. I am home.

Text Messaging: Connection or Illusion?

2008-11-18T09:18:00.004-05:00

I don't get it: text messaging, I mean.

I have officially reached old fogey status with my complete lack of comprehension for this convenience. Using my thumbs to communicate with people in hieroglyphic abbreviations is not so much not-doable as not appealing.

It may be useful in some situations, but I do not fall into any of the categories that suggest themselves to me. For example:

A working mother who cannot take time out to talk on the telephone every two minutes with children but who wants to keep tabs on them and respond to their needs.

An emergency medical technician taking a class but who must remain on call and similar work situations.

A husband at work waiting for a call to take his pregnant wife to the hospital and other medical situations.

A stock day trader (if there are any left in this sorry market) who must see the prices scrolling past moment by moment.

Barack Obama, isolated behind intense security and constantly on the move in a campaign bus, keeping in touch with family and friends.

I grew up in an era when Be Here Now was the philosophy. My goal is to be deeply rooted in the moment. I want my body-mind-soul to be aware of their space-time connections. I do not want to splice off parts of my consciousness to text message. I'm not even all that fond of the telephone.

Moreover, I suspect that the messages I am most likely to receive are those that I least want. These would include late-night questions from students when I am too tired to care about their success in my class and scary announcements about elder relatives’ well-being that would jolt me awake in terror.

Text messaging has advantages: it less expensive than cell phone time, less obtrusive in many situations, can be used to answer a question quickly without the small talk or distractions of a conversation, and may consume less time than talking. My millennial students say that text messaging makes them feel connected to the world at all times. My philosophy is that connectedness starts within, not without. Test messaging is an illusion of connectedness, not the real thing.

Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire BooksBeat Handeland's Werewolf Nightcreatures

2008-11-09T17:46:00.005-05:00

Lori Handeland has my respect as author; anyone who can make a living turning out novel after novel deserves accolades. This isn’t about trashing a penwoman. Rather, it’s an investigation into why I find one fictional world compelling and the other boring.

I am so enthralled by the world Harris creates in her Sookie Stackhouse novels (source of the HBO Trueblood series) that I became concerned about polishing off the eight novels too quickly. I can tear through a typical airport novel in a day. Handeland’s werewolf series earned many complimentary reviews on amazon.com. I purchased the Nightcreature novels as a set on ebay.

I have finished the first four novels in each series. Here’s five reasons why I love the world Harris has created.

Harris creates interesting, appealing multi-dimensional characters.

Heroine Sookie Stackhouse is so unique that 150-year-old vampire Bill Compton asks her several times, “What are you?” Sookie is a small-town waitress, psychic, and brave, but she has off-days like anyone else. I may be 35 years older than Sookie, but I can relate to her concerns, such as how to afford gravel for the driveway or a new coat to replace one splattered with the brains of a shapeshifter who tried to kill her.

The vampires are a mix of evil and good, like humans. I can move almost seamlessly from my world into the one Harris has creates for Sookie and her herd. Each Handeland heroine, on the other hand, has two interests: killing werewolves and having great sex with the guy in her life. Handeland also created a writing conundrum for herself by writing in the voice of a new heroine in each book. Handeland gets around the similarity in voice of the first two protagonists by playing it up. They become best friends. The third book was so by-the-numbers that I finished it in three hours while standing in line to vote, skipping over anything that made me yawn.

The Southern vampire stories are lightened with humor.

Sookie Stackhouse is a kind-hearted misfit. She tends to think charitably of those around her, living, dead, or supernatural. Her humor is more often self-deprecating than unkind to others. Handeland’s gals are tough, alienated, and often bitter. The humor often denigrates others and, most of the time, I don’t find what I am told are humorous asides particularly funny.

The Southern vampire plots are full of surprises.

In the course of four novels, Sookie has (not necessarily in this order) single-handedly foiled vampire drainers, exposed a vampire embezzler, broken up an evangelical group that burns vampires, traveled to Mississippi with a werewolf, hidden a vampire sheriff who has lost his memory from evil witches, participated in several bloodbaths, rescued her lover vampire Bill from being tortured, and become a valued friend of a pack of werewolves and a family of shapeshifter panthers.

Handeland’s heroines have killed werewolves and had sex. Once a Handeland heroine has a good lay, she is hooked forever on the guy. It does not matter if he’s a werewolf or the devil himself, she is in l-o-v-e.

Sookie Stackhouse is not ruled by sexual desire.

It’s tempting to dismiss the sexual obsession of Handeland’s heroines as the follies and hormones of youth. Sookie is young, too, and she is not ruled by her glands. Sookie rescues vampire Bill from his former lover, but she does not return to his arms. Sookie has something going on above the waist.

Sookie’s unexpected affair with vampire Eric, when he loses his memory and becomes uncharacteristically sweet, was inspired. Sookie quickly reject continuing the liaison when Eric returns to being his arrogant, confident, demanding self.

Handeland novels have the typical romance-novel plot: hunky hero, an obstacle that makes the heroine doubt him but not so much that she does not continue to fall into bed with him every time she's near him.

Harris treats sex scenes with a light touch.

Romance novels that started out with purple prose in the 70s have evolved to soft-core pornography. Aching loins. Swollen throbbing manhood. Got it. I don’t need five or six pages of details, thanks anyway Lori. I prefer my porn hard core. By the time I got to Crescent Moon, fourth Nightcreatures novel, the characters and sex was so predictable that I skipped the center, turned to the denouement, and wrapped up the novel in under an hour.

In summary, my unread Charlaine Harris Southern vampire novels are tucked away, a special treat to be anticipated and savored. Appealing characters, original plots, a touch of humor and tasteful sex make this series a winning combination.

Joe Lieberman & Howdy Doody: Twins?

2008-11-04T14:43:00.006-05:00

Strong resemblance or my imagination?

Voting Was Torture inFort Lauderdale, Florida

2008-11-04T13:20:00.002-05:00

Voting was torture. It took three hours. The Florida day was dank and cool. I was close to tears by the time I reached the polling booths, from the pain in my hip and the arthritis in my neck and shoulders.

I finished the last three-quarters of a trashy werewolf novel and had time to knock off a few pages in an internet marketing book I am slowly reading.

A man started standing next to me as I read. He didn’t seem to have been there before. I whisperingly asked the older woman behind me if he’d always been there. She said no. As he inched in front of me, I softly said, “Sir, I was wondering where you came from. Because I’m right behind him (I gestured to a man with a baby in carriage), and she’s right behind me.”

“I was always here,” he said.

The elders in line started shaking their heads at this bald-faced lie. “No, you were back there,” several gestured. He didn’t fall back, but waited where he had been standing as we moved forward. I expect he’d try to find another unaware person – as he must have thought I was buried in my book – or a more timid soul than I who would not challenge him. My hip simply hurt too much after two hours in line to put up with a young buttinsky.

Just as we reached the door into the voting room – a cafeteria in this small development of 10 condominium apartment buildings that served three districts – a busload of handicapped elders came in. They were given chairs and ushered into line before us. I mentioned that I was in severe pain, even though I wasn’t handicapped. People even older than I who had been standing near me also started to grumble. the woman behind me insisted that she go to the check-in ahead of two people who were pushed in front of her. She was 70, at least.

No one wants to be unkind to the handicapped, but after two and a half hours on our feet, our own aches and pains were screaming for attention.

I will never again vote at a polling place. Never, never, never. Absentee ballots are inconvenient, because often they are due before I have all the information I need about the local propositions and local candidates. Nonetheless, when a 19^th century voting system is in place, absentee ballot is how I shall have to do it.

Amazon 4-for-3 sale & SavingsWith GEICO

2008-10-29T17:57:00.003-04:00

I am not getting any kickbacks, payments, or freebies from these folks. This is strictly my frugal shopping at work.

Amazon.com has a four-for-three sale right now. Not all books and home products qualify. If you buy four of those that do, the cheapest one is free. Select SuperSaver Free Shipping, and it can really add up. I've just made my second purchase since the sale started. I'm collecting all of the Charlaine Harris/Sookie Stackhouse novels.

I also was pleasantly surprised to save about $800 on auto insurance by switching to GEICO from Hartford/AARP, without losing anything much in coverage. Hartford/AARP is supposed to give a price break to people over 50. At first, it did. But over the years, it has jumped by leaps and bounds. I've had a clean record for more than 10 years, knock on wood.

I like the Hartford approach of issuing a policy for 12 months, not six. I've hesitated to switch, because a teaser rate for the first six months can quickly jump when it comes time to renew. If that happens, I will feel ripped off, and I will leave GEICO so quickly, it will make a scampering ghekko look like a turtle poking along. In the meantime, I will have saved a bundle, so it was worth going through the paperwork. GEICO also made that easy with online and telephone help.

I had GEICO many years ago, and I had no trouble with them, so I hope it works out.

Dreamworlds of Literary Space Are Haven from Economic Bad News

2008-10-26T17:19:00.007-04:00

Maybe it's the economy, but I am plumb wore out on posting any opinions about the news of day. More and more, I am making time to sneak into the dream worlds of literary space. Last night's outing kept me up until three in morning, which meant I guiltily skipped my tao yoga group.

My adventure was in the cyberpunk dreamworld of Michael Marshall Smith's Only Forward. I was impressed with his second novel, Spares, a tauter and more cohesive cyberpunk novel that I read at least five years ago. I can see how the themes of Spares are improved variations of those in Only Forward.

I am hoarding the remaining Charlaine Harris/Sookie Stackhouse series books. Like an addict with a limited remaining supply, I am afraid that I will tear through them too quickly.

Another current diversion is Diana Vreeland's autobiography, D.V., published in 1984. I'll comment on that at Fashion After 50. I hope you'll visit there to read my most recent post about this fabulous button coat, a scanned copy that appear here without publisher's permission. This fiber art creation is by Mario Rivoli.

Water Mall, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2008-10-21T17:47:00.007-04:00

The best thing I do for myself all week is attend a tao yoga class on Sunday mornings. It is located in an unusual mall that attracts many alternative health businesses.

There are four buildings, arranged as if a square had been bisected in each direction. The buildings are built on two levels, one slightly higher than the other. The center X is formed of fountains and waterways that run the length of the buildings. Water flows from higher pools to lower ones, over the escarpments. Visitors cross the waterways with steps and bridges. In some places, the trees seem as carefully trimmed as stunted Japanese plants. Oh, I wish I could think of the word for that careful asymmetry. Here are the photos.

Literary Space: Experiences& Quotations

2008-10-17T17:52:00.007-04:00

There have not been many times in recent years when I have found a literary space compelling and longed to escape there. Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series and the HBO rendition Trueblood are having that effect on me. I feel a little silly, because I have decided that a woman of a certain age should not be seduced by fiction.

The times when I have fallen so completely under the spell of another world created by a writer are memorable. One summer when I was working part-time, I read the entire, more than 1,000-page version of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Dumas Pere. Accompanied with Chardonnay and perhaps a bit of hashish, it was amazing.

In graduate school, I entered the cyberpunk world of William Gibson in the Neuromancer trilogy. It was a bright new way to look at the computers we in newspapers had been using for typesetting and layout for decades. Gibson coined the word cyberspace. He later said in an interview that his cyberspace world was richer because he didn’t really know much about computers at the time.

Here are some quotations related to creating and entering literary space.

I read a great deal. It’s the only way we have to live more than lives than one.

-- Bonita Hersch, in John D. MacDonald’s Nightmare in Pink

Why cannot one make one’s books live except in the night, after hours of straining? and you know they have to be your own books too, and you have to read them more than once. I think they take in something of your personality, and your environment also . . .It is that specially which makes one need good books: books that will be worthy of what you are going to put into them. . . . if you can get the right book at the right time you taste joys – not only bodily, physical, but spiritual also, which pass one out above and beyond one’s miserable self, as it were through a huge air, following the light of another man’s thoughts. And you can never be quite the old self again. You have forgotten a little bit: or rather pushed it out with a little of the inspiration of what is immortal in someone who has gone before you.

-- T. E. Lawrence, John E. Mack's biography, A Prince of Our Disorder

That’s a great gift, my boy, to tell a story the way you did, a story that is not quite true but that sounds true. That the point in story-telling. Making people believe the story is true.

-- B. Traven – a man whose whole life is a story of false identities, stories told so that they sound true, a man whose life was as much an adventure as his stories – in The Death Ship

Never trust a writer. They think they can do atrocious things and then just tear them out of the typewriter, throw them away and start afresh.

-- William Kotzwinkle in The Queen of Swords

The writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one. He has a dream. It anguishes him so much he must get rid of it. He has no peace until then. Everything goes by the board: honor, pride, decency, security, happiness, all, to get the book published. If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate.

-- William Faulkner, in the Paris Review Interviews, Writers at Work, 1958, edited by Malcolm Crowley

Fort Lauderdale Cheap Thrills: Broward Boulevard and Beyond

2008-10-13T15:29:00.007-04:00

Some places, like some people, make one’s heart skip a beat. I rarely enter a library without a feeling of excitement at the treasure hunt that lays before me. I almost never enter a place of worship without a feeling of wonder at the magic of faith that has inspired humankind to both art and depredation for so long. And although I my life no longer includes the sight of thoroughbreds galloping around a race course at dawn, the sun gleaming off their shiny coats, I can never see those athletes of such power and elegance without thinking of the words of racing handicapper Clem Florio, “You gotta love this life.”

CHEAP THRILL #1

The Fort Lauderdale Main Library, just off Broward Boulevard in the heart of the museum district, is an architectural relic of the 1960s. The entire non-fiction collection fits on one floor.

If you have spent time in a university library of any size, or one of the great libraries such as Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Fort Lauderdale Main Library is not much. However, I spent much of my teenage years ransacking the shelves of a neighborhood library that occupied the space of a pharmacy which had built a larger, modern accommodation across the street. Pharmacies were changing from dispensaries of pills, salves, ointments, bandages, and hospital equipment to the popular vendors of everything from auto motor oil to T-shirts and teddy bears that we know today.

No matter how small the library, I never despair of finding true treasure on its shelves. The day did not disappoint. As I searched for architectural guides to South Florida, I discovered a photo illustrated volume of the architecture of the South. I do long to take a little expedition one of these days along the Natchez Trace and into the heart of the Mississippi Delta blues juke joints.

CHEAP THRILL #2

Nothing beats free when it comes to cheap thrills

Adjunct professors are paid beggars’ wages, but a perk of my job is free parking on Broward College campuses. The downtown campus is across from the Main Library.

The seventh level of the parking garage is free if you have a staff or student window hangar. The climb to the top is perilous, with young students whipping cars recklessly around the hairpin curves, despite traffic driving two ways. But the elevators are air-conditioned and clean. And the price definitely is right.

CHEAP THRILL #3

Hot Dog Central at 4200 West Broward Boulevard in Plantation is an old-time drive-through with a quaint outdoor deck, pictured above. The Top Dog comes with homemade corn relish and mustard and is a winner.

Be sure to read the paper menu if you go. I craved some fresh coleslaw but didn’t see it on the menu next to the order window. The paper menu brags about the fresh-made slaw. Another menu brag is the fresh-cut fries.

A chicken salad sandwich was on the special menu today. Regular menu features include burgers, Philly cheesesteak, veggie wrap and even a chopped salad.

Hot Dog Central is well off the tourist path, just west of S.R. 7/U.S. 441. It closes at 5 p.m. and on Sundays.

CHEAP THRILL #4

When was the last time gas was $2.89 a gallon? Cash only and expect to wait in line about 20 minutes. I passed up this real deal yesterday, hoping the lines wouldn’t be as long on a workday as on Sunday. It was worth the drive even though far, far from Broward Boulevard, on University Drive between Riverside Drive and McNab Road.

I returned to my lair just as the afternoon rains were starting.

It’s been a good day, of unexpected small pleasures and treats -- the best kind.

Georgette Heyer, Mark Twain, Tom Robbins & More Quotations for Our Times

2008-10-12T14:27:00.001-04:00

Dorothy Parker reportedly answered the telephone, “What fresh hell is this?” (See for example, Marion Meade’s biography of that title.) Many of us have felt this way in recent weeks.

Dumas pere, in the Count of Monte Cristo, implied that the ancients had it correct when they named “Mercury, the of merchants and robbers – classes which we in modern times have separated if not made distinct, but which antiquity appears to have included in the same category.”

These trying times call for wisdom greater than my own. For example, Tom Robbins, in Still Life with Woodpecker, reminded, “A successful external reality depends upon an internal vision that is left intact.”

Along similar lines, Mark Twain commented, “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.”

J. B. Priestley, in The Magicians, succinctly stated, “When you’re bitter, you’re beat.”

Eastern philosophy is always a good place to turn for bracing ideas. Swami Sivananda, in Divine Bliss, explained the concept of mental austerity or tapas:

To keep a balanced mind in all conditions of life, to bear insult, injury and persecution, to be ever serene, contented and peaceful, to be cheerful in adverse conditions, to have fortitude in meeting danger, to have presence of mind and forbearance, are all forms of mental tapas.

I have often rallied myself with this quotation from The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, “You have fallen into a fit of despondency, and there is not the least need! In fact, nothing could be more fatal in any predicament! It encourages one to suppose that there is nothing to be done, when a little resolution is all that is wanted to bring matters to a happy conclusion.”

I whiled away many afternoons as a teenager with Heyer, lying in a hammock. My ex-husband used to say that the reason I liked to read costume novels was because, “You imagine that you will be would have been the royalty. But you wouldn’t have, you know. You’d be the kitchen maid.”

He probably is right. My father’s family was potato farmers in the old country. My maternal grandfather came from the illegitimate second family of a wine merchant. The family was well-off but those are not credentials that gain admittance to the castles of lords and ladies.

I remember where I was when I learned of Heyer’s death: reading the Times-Picayune in a corner diner, eating breakfast, on my first trip to New Orleans, my first separation for the husband of the snarky quote above.

The point of reading novels is not to weigh the words on the scales of reality but to slip through the veils of imagination into the literary space created by the writer.

Sookie Stackhouse, Charlaine Harris & Her Southern Vampire Series, HBO's Trueblood and Literary Space

2008-10-05T20:02:00.004-04:00

I took most of the day off from work and entered what Ruth L. Hubbard called “literary space” in a 1969 research article. My territory was the world created by Charlaine Harris in her Southern Vampire series, which is receiving vast public attention since used as the basis for the HBO series Trueblood.

Sookie Stackhouse is the hero of this compelling world, which occupies a small corner of northern Louisiana. The tall, dark, handsome love interest in the first novel, Dead Until Dark, is the vampire Bill, who just happens to be dead – until dark.

I entered this steamy world from about 10 p.m. last night until 1 this afternoon, with some time out for sleep. The experience of so fully entering a fictional world that blots out the here-and-now reality set me to thinking about what makes the experience of watching the TV serial qualitatively different from reading the book.

Hubbard’s article (Inner Designs in Language Arts, volume 66) has shaped my thinking about the experience of reading long past the influence normally held by academic research. Hubbard interviewed seven- and nine-year-olds with open-ended questions. She found that children, like adults, enter into what she calls "literary space," defined as that mental area in which the story events feel as if they are happening to you even though you know they're not. It is a state of mind in which the distinction between oneself and the story blurs. It is characterized by complete concentration on the book that blocks out attention to the outside world, and the sense that what happens in the story "fells like" it is happening to you.

Obviously, I am influenced by my experience watching Trueblood, because a month ago I didn’t know who Charlaine Harris was. Now, I’ve read the first book and avidly await the arrival of the next four.

One way that the books are different from watching TV is that I can enter the literary space of the novels and occupy it for hours and hours.

I also enjoy imagining the characters, instead of seeing the writers' and directors' visual interpretations. Anna Paquin’s Sookie structured my imaginary Sookie, but my vampire Bill is as much influenced by Anne Rice’s Lestat as actor Stephen Moyer.

Rice’s vampire world became overly convoluted in Queen of the Damned and her writing overwrought. Tale of the Body Thief redeemed her quartet of Vampire Chronicles. Down-to-earth Sookie Stackhouse’s common sense will, hopefully, be a counterweight to Harris going in that direction. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to my next escape into the literary space that Harris has created.

Lauderhill, Florida, Evening Walk

2008-10-03T20:21:00.012-04:00

I know there are places more beautiful than South Florida. It's hard to believe that, though, when I catch a photo like this of clouds reflecting off one of the many ordinary, ordinary canals that are a part of our drainage system.

This resident coaxes birds to live on Easy Street in many charming houses. These photos show a few.

The curve of the lake contrasts with the angles of the skeleton of this tree.

A sign points the way home to our apartment buildings, named after European cities.

Las Olas Boulevard: A Backyard Tourist's Photos

2008-09-27T18:02:00.033-04:00

I am richly lucky to live in a subtropical paradise. I played backyard tourist this afternoon, after the morning's downpour stopped, and wandered down to Las Olas Boulevard. It's a center for restaurants, jazz clubs and nightlife, as well as shops and galleries. This waterfront restaurant on the New River epitomizes the South Florida experience.

Las Olas is close enough to the beachfront hotels, just across the Intracoastal Waterway, to attract tourists. But the area also is home to many of Fort Lauderdale's more prosperous citizens, including a substantial gay community.

This building is a newer structure. Its steamboat balconies overlooking both the New River and the boulevard are undoubtedly among the priciest in the building.

Stucco walls and voluminous foliage seclude this mansion on a quieter stretch of Las Olas -- and even closer to the Intracoastal Waterway. Spanish Mediterranean architecture was popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

Next door to the mansion -- and separated from it by the walls, are a row of a half dozen townhouses.

Each is tucked away behind its own gated entranceway and foliage. They are chicly European.

The gate creates something much like a foyer, as seen from the sidewalk. Two of the residents want even more privacy and added these canvas curtains to shield the tiny yards from view. I had to alter the colors a good deal to make the dark green fabric visible.

It would be lovely to live in a spot that was simultaneously close to restaurants, shopping, museums, the main library, the Riverfront walkway with its beautiful parks, and the beach -- yet so beautifully hidden. The pricetag? I saw a listing for a new townhome on the New River in a real estate office window for a well-groomed eyebrow under $1.7 million.

All gates are not created equal. This one shields a ground-floor suite in a new building that appears not fully occupied. What were they thinking to use wooden paneling of a completely different architectural mood?

These three charming slight buildings huddle together as new structures crowd them. I expect they have been there for many decades.

Careless colors and a jumble of signs evoke the nearby Caribbean islands in a building turned to multiple uses.

The building (above) has good bones, with a substantial upstairs veranda. It could easily be rehabilitated with an ironworks upper deck in the French-Spanish style of New Orleans and Savannah.

The courtyard entrance to an upscale restaurant, at a different location on Las Olas, would be at home in the French Quarter.

Purple trim properly emphasizes the artistic details of this art deco apartment building (below).

A trompe l'oeii mural adds interest to the exterior of this bar and restaurant.

Even a parking lot is beguiling (and barely noticeable, at the left in photo) when festooned with palms and lush subtropical foliage.

Ironically, there will be no tomorrow for this interior design business. Notice the shop's prominently displayed name and the for-rent signs in the windows.

Signs of the economic downtown are apparent in closings along the boulevard. This handsome cabinet, inlaid with a variety of woods, will be in a property auction in October.

A plaid front inexplicably decorates the facade of Hound and Herringbone,also shuttered and out of business.

On a happier note, a festive table painted in the Haitian tradition delights the eyes. Whimsical dancing figures add to the merriment.

Next door, a stuffed Siberian tiger hangs out with real ice that can't melt in a jewelry store window. Window glare adds a fantasy quality to these photos.

So I'll close with this shot of an entrancing gown, probably circa 1920s, that emerges like a shimmering ghost from this lavish window display. May the national troubles we seem to be facing vanish like the chimera of bad dreams, so we dance like giddy flappers until dawn.

Federal Bailout Won't Work; Martial Law Would Not Surprise Ordinary Gal

2008-09-25T10:43:00.003-04:00

Considering that every single prediction the Bush administration makes is dead wrong, I simultaneously do not believe is a federal bailout is necessary to resolve the economic crisis -- and I doubt that an bailout will work, if the economic picture is this bad.

I cannot for the life of me understand why the free marketers only become socialists when the need arises to rescue their rich friends from bad decisions. My hunch is that my frugal life would remain pretty much unchanged if the market shake-out were allowed.

I would not be at all surprised if the country is in sufficient chaos by inauguration day -- should Senator Barack Obama win the election -- for the current administration to declare martial law. On the other hand, I believe that the administration is illicit anyway. Gore won in 2000, and the Supreme Court overturned the results. The computer balloting of 2004 also is suspect by conspiracy theorists.

I hope there are some glad hearts out there to tell me how nuts I am.

McCain Squirms as Debate Approaches

2008-09-24T19:39:00.003-04:00

Sen. John McCain is trying to squirm out of Friday’s presidential debate with a claim to doing the public’s business.

I don’t doubt that the country is in serious economic trouble. I’m very uncomfortable with socialism for the wealthy and bailouts for the Wall Street high rollers. It’s strange how these are the same folks who reject all plans to provide socialized medicine for we who need. Nor do I see any relief coming down the pike for those of us who have lost half the values of our homes but can afford to pay our mortgages. I tried negotiating with my mortgage holder on the basis that they hired the appraiser, so half the mistake is theirs. Nopesy. The debt is all mine.

Questions are being asked in Congress about why the trouble escalated to the point that Congress is being asked to rush a $7 billion bailout through in one week. As Stephen Colbert pointed out on The Colbert Report last night, Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson, who has asked to administer this unprecedented governmental slush fund without oversight, is a former employee of Goldman Sachs himself. This is a lot like Wiley Coyote says only he can protect the henhouse; just trust him.

Until today, The Idiot In Chief said he wouldn’t sign the bill – the bill he is so adamant must be passed – if limits were placed on executive salaries.

The whole thing stinks.

Like his Republican Party counterparts who are exploiting the economic downturn for personal gain, McCain is exploiting the so-called crisis to avoid debating a contender who is smarter and better prepared to deal with complex economic situation than he is.

Let the housing market crash. People will find apartments to rent. People with savings will buy the homes at reasonable prices. At last. No bailouts for the wealthy.

Mama Duck Saves Her Brood

2008-09-22T10:55:00.012-04:00

This mother duck was quietly enjoying a lawn picnic with her ducklings when I happened by. Some were so comfortable, they were lying down while snacking on insects. The vigilant mama was distressed by the whirring-click of the camera.

She appears to be giving marching orders in this photo.

There they go. Mama conveyed the distinct impression that she is in a huff at how rude I was to interrupt their dinner with my clackety intrusion.

I felt guilty at disturbing this brood. It is late in the year to see Muscovy ducklings. Some South Floridians do not like the Muscovy ducks because of the wattles on their faces and the dirt they leave on the walkways. I am glad to see what I can of nature in our cityscapes.

Here is the catchment lake just a few yards from these ducks. There are many places for them to hide and sleep beneath the branches of trees and in the cattails.

These pine trees were stripped bare by hurricane Wilma in 2005. Even now, they have a strange, denuded appearance.

AIG Holds Pension Funds for Milliions of Public Service Employees in Many States

2008-09-17T12:02:00.003-04:00

News of the AIG federal bail out only scratches the surface of what is going on. Millions of schoolteachers, firefighters, and other government employees have 403bs managed by AIG.

The Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund inaugurated a lawsuit against AIG in May of lying. According to Reuters, the fund “accuses New York-based AIG of repeatedly but falsely assuring investors that its risk management and diversification insulated it from credit market turmoil in 2007. Credit market problems led AIG to suffer a $7.8 billion first-quarter loss.”

Google links suggest that the California Public Employees Pension Fund, the largest in the country, was considering suing AIG for similar reasons.

MSNBC reporters and online sources are assuring people that FDIC savings and checking accounts are safe. Retirement funds typically are stock funds that are not insured by the FDIC. This misdirection by newscasters is not helpful; it does not answer the questions that people are asking: Are my AIG retirement funds safe?

AIG representatives are not returning phone calls. My did not, and I see posts on the Internet that other clients are getting the same treatment.

I am trying to move my funds into a different fund. The representative warned me that it is going to take time. Tens of thousands of people are also rolling over their funds from AIG into other accounts.

With the economy in meltdown, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of us wind up, like those poor Enron employees, with nothing. My mother is reminiscing about the great depression. Her father had six children and was jobless. The landlady kept track of missed rent, and the owner of the deli down the street provided food on on credit. “What can people do when no one has money?” my mother asks.

The end of defined payment pension funds and the inauguration of IRAs, 401ks, and 403bs, is turning into a huge swindle of hard-working Americans. We worker ants have routinely been salting away a percentage of our paychecks, forgoing cars and vacations, to save money for our old age.

On the other hand, some people bought homes they could not afford based on the fast talk of mortgage loan officers who promised that everything would turn out right in the end. These loans were made out of the funds that we worker ants were plowing into our retirement funds.

Now, those who wanted to live beyond their means are asking the federal government to bail them out. I include in this category the person who was working an ordinary job and wanted a 2,000-square-foot home, with swimming pool, hot tub, and two-car garage, purchased at 105% credit with escalating interest payments. I also include in this category investment bankers and brokers who have have been living the high life in New York and other investment capitals, looking out on cityscapes from million-dollar lofts and driving Ferraris. At least part of this money is that of those of us who have slogged through jobs we didn’t really like.

We did what we were supposed to do. We fulfilled our obligations. We lived responsibly. Now the rules of the game are changing. We are being told that it's too bad things didn't work out like we were promised they would (at least, not for us); so sorry that you lived modestly and sacrificed.

Funky Sculpture Near Fort Lauderdale Beach

2008-09-15T21:58:00.004-04:00

This colorful sculpture at Art & Design on Commercial Boulevard near the Fort Lauderdale beach is simultaneously funky and contemporary.

Palms Are the Poodles of Trees

2008-09-11T14:16:00.004-04:00

Palms are the poodles of trees – tufts of fronds at the end of slender stems.I wish I could claim that thought as my own, but I read it somewhere so long ago I cannot remember the source.

They are useless for shade. Queen palms and several other varieties drop nuts that are remarkably fertile, causes sprouts everywhere that must be weeded. When the nuts are especially thick, they ferment, creating a odorous, slick paste that must be carried away. Only the coconut palm provides a useful fruit.

I am fascinated by the palms in front of this church complex on Federal Highway (U.S. 1) in Fort Lauderdale. The palms perfectly mirror the steep slopes of the roof. It was gray out, from the bands of hurricane Ike circulating in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. I experimented with different lighting effects on these shots.

Empty Mall Contradicts McCain's Assurance of Sound Economic Fundamentals

2008-09-10T16:38:00.014-04:00

If John McCain really believes America's underlying economy is fundamentally sound, he is not living on the same planet as I am. I invite him to visit the strikingly empty Boynton Beach mall – a once bustling retail center centrally located in an area of average families and retirees.

Boynton Beach is by no means a tourist mecca on the order of Daytona, Fort Lauderdale, or the Keys islands. Sandwiched between the old wealth of Palm Beach and the nouveau riche of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach is an area of mostly newer and more affordable single family homes, over-55 duplex villas, condominium apartment and mobile home complexes.

Boynton Beach Mall has grown in size since the last time I was there, circa 2004 when I moved from Palm Beach to Broward county. It has a new Muvico multiplex, a grand Starbucks, and a TooJays Delicatessen – a favorite in these parts. I was shocked to find the mall all but empty on Wednesday at 1 p.m., as these photos show.

Is this sad? This is not an out-of-the-way, dilapidated strip mall. It is a major commercial retail center that serves a large, densely populated middle-class citizenry.

Another customer at Ritz Camera store said he’d gone to Delray Beach on Sunday where Atlantic Avenue’s many restaurants attract Sunday brunchers. “The roads were empty, and I had no trouble at all finding a parking place,” he said. Usually, one has to drive around to find a spot.

I grumbled that my 403(b)s have lost so much value that I may never be able to retire. “Don’t even go there,” he said. “I’ve lost so much that I will never gain it back in the remainder of my lifetime.” Of course, the economic Big Boys have been playing fast-and-loose with our retirement monies, investing in FreddieMac and SallieMae (according to NPS's Marketplace, even when it appeared these massive housing market lenders were in trouble). We were promised that we would be oh-so-much better off when we didn’t have to rely on fixed income retirement plans. Hahaha.

Earth to McCain: The economic fundamentals are not good for us who cannot afford $313,000 designer ensembles.

Footnote: I stopped by a local Salvation Army before going home. It was Wednesday Madness, with half-off on everything. The parking lot was full, and the store was mobbed. There were lines at the register, even though the store's air-conditioning was out. That is a big deal here in South Florida, when outdoor temperatures are in the high 80s and inside can top the 90s. But we cannot eat T-shirts.

The Politics of Fashion: This Ordinary Gal is Galled by Cindy McCain's RNC Bling

2008-09-09T16:07:00.004-04:00

The politics of fashion is not an appropriate topic for Fashion After 50.com, I've decided. But I am one very ordinary gal who was galled at the ostentatious show of bling by Cindy McCain at the Republican National Convention.

Vanity Fair editors estimated that McCain's designer shirtdress ensemble on the first night would ring the cash register at an eye-popping $313,000, according to Melanie Coffee for the Associated Press.

I cannot a house that expensive -- even wit a 30-year mortgage. Remove the diamond earrings, the dress, shoes, watch, and accessories would total around $20K. Geez, I couldn't even buy a luxury car for that paltry sum.

Reporters cover the candidates' wives as if they are engaged in a fashion throw-down. Michelle Obama favors Chicago designer Maria Pinto. You'll find lots of photos of Obama in Pinto styles at The Black Snob blog. CNN commentators (Sept. 5 morning news) said the pricetag for Obama's dress for the closing night credits at the Democratic National Convention was $1,250. Have these people heard of T.J. Maxx? Beall's Outlets? I think not.

Amanda Fortini's article, "The Semiotics of Convention Fashion," suggests an intellectual treatment of the topic for The New Republic. Fortini does not seem to fully understand the concept of semiotics. The article is packed full of fashion details, but the cultural analysis is missing.

If you want to understand the semiotics of style, read propeller.com. Real people understand how really silly spending this kind of money on fashion is, when young people are dying in strange lands, families are losing their homes in America, and the economy is in crisis.

Perhaps no writer was more incisive about the relationship between economics and culture than Roland Barthes in the landmark volume, Myth Today (1972). Umberto Eco eviscerates American cultural pretensions in Travels in Hyperreality (1985), continuing the great tradition of the semiotics of culture from an economic perspective. Propeller readers understand this analytical approach: it is the semiotics of real life.

Most papers are hedging their bets in the fashion throwdown. The New York Post, for example, compares Cindy McCain's flashy, high-end fashion statements with the classic, easy glamor of Michelle Obama. The language allows for the styles to be evaluated as separate but equal. The United Kingdom's Guardian qualifies both as polished dressers ready to be a stylish First Lady.

Project Runway judge Tim Gunn had no trouble taking a strong position. He observes that Obama seems comfortable in her clothing and has some snarky things to say about McCain.

Even though my interest in the politics of fashion of presidental candidates' wives is recent, as early as February, Bean at alternet.org asked, "Why Are Blogs Evaluating What Political Wives Wear?" The question is, of course, essentially contradictory: discussing the question adds to the buzz about First Lady wannabe wardrobes.

There are even paper doll books that allow us to dress the senators McCain, Obama, and their wives, according to Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times writer. McCain in his undies? Thanks but no thanks, I said.

Fashion After 50 Launch

2008-09-05T18:23:00.005-04:00

A free fashion archetype quiz is now available on my website, Fashion After 50. Until there is enough traffic to hire a information technologist to make the quiz interactive, you'll have to use pencil and paper. It is based on my several years of reading about Jungian archetypes and goddess archetypes. I'd love to know how accurate you find the archetypes so that I can fine-tune them.

The website is about how to dress attractively after we reach a certain age, as the French so refreshingly term older females.

There is a lot more work to be done on FashionAfter50.com. I am trying to figure out how to integrate a blog that will feature photos of attractive older women. Do you know how hard it is to find stock photos of older women for sale online? Fuggetaboutit. Even though I have written some scholarly analysis about the absence of older women from popular culture, even I was astonished at thoroughly all sign of us is erased every place but the AARP monthly magazine.

I was not planning on making Fashion After 50 a place for political expression, but my first entry is about Cindy McCain's $300,000 Republican National Convention outfit. Sigh. You can count on not finding any expensive designer togs touted by Fashion After 50.

Everglades Canals Are SwollenFrom Tropical Storm Fay

2008-09-04T20:06:00.009-04:00

The canals along Alligator Alley through the Everglades are more filled with water than I have seen them. Tropical storm Fay crossed and re-crossed the state at a slow 12 miles an hour, flooding some areas. Now the River of Grass is doing its job – draining the excess into the ocean.

You can see how the water comes all the way up the boat ramp to the parking lot at this rest area along highway 75. The other photos also were taken there. These canals would normally would have visible sides, rather than spilling into the grasslands. One shot, taken out the car window, shows standing water in the highway media, almost enough to be a canal in itself. On other drives, the median has been dry.

The Everglades usually appears as a dry sea of long grasses, with an occasional island of trees popping out here and there. One knows that there is water under the grasses, a swampy and complex ecosystem. I have rarely seen that water. Now, however, lakes have formed on the surface in a few places.

The magnitude of the flat grassy swamp is as awe-inspiring, in its way, as the Grand Canyon, the glaciers of Alaska, or the desert stretches surrounding Death Valley, California. Even this vast river or bay area outside Bradenton fills me with wonder at the beauty of Florida. I love this place.

Three more storms are lining up in the Atlantic. Hannah is expected to make landfall in the Carolina. It will skim the east coast of Florida. I do not expect much water from that. Josephine is dissipating off the coast of Africa.

Ike is the one to watch. Landfall is expected early next week. The hurricane meteorologists are not sure of Ike’s path. Already a cat(egory) 4, Ike will blow through the Bahamas, leaving destruction in its wake. Whether this storm will land in south Florida, bump northward along the east coast, or rush into the Gulf of Mexico is not known. If Ike enters the gulf, the storm will be Somebody Else’s Problem but could do great harm elsewhere in the United States or Mexico.

Palin's Speech Is Not Enough

2008-09-04T19:51:00.005-04:00

Gov. Sarah Palin gave a rousing, smart-mouthed speech last night as she accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination in St. Paul. Some people don’t like sarcasm. I do.

That, plus the accolades to John McCain as a national hero, was almost enough to make me switch teams. But not quite. In the end, an election is a question of values, not gonads or hormones. I do not share those of the Republican candidates for the nation’s highest offices, Sen. John McCain and Palin.

Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look

So Shakespeare characterized one of Julius Caesar's assassins in his play of that name. The line, describing a friend tuned traitor, has become a descriptor of ambition. I do not, of course, literally see Senator Barack Obama as murderous or traitorous. Yet, when I see this slim young fellow of somewhat meagre national political credentials, the renowned playwright's words come to my mind.

I remain disappointed, and more so by the day, in the Democratic nomination of Barack Obama. Had he served his full Congressional term – even, in a worst case scenario, waiting out eight years of a Hillary Clinton presidency – he could have run with unassailable credentials of experience.

If he loses, it will be because of his ambition to pluck the golden apple from the tree before he was ripe.

McCain's VP Choice Adds Viagra Touch to GOP Ticket

2008-08-29T15:17:00.004-04:00

The old warrior, Sen. John McCain, has picked a trophy veep to add that Viagra touch to the GOP ticket. Sara Palin, 44, governor of Alaska, is a self-described “hockey mom” with five kids. The youngest is a Down’s Syndrome baby, proving her anti-abortion credentials for the hard line right phalanx which has never warmed to McCain.

Palin is young, pretty, and enthusiastic. The former beauty pageant contestant arguably has even less applicable governing experience than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. That is not, however, what I want to argue.

The nomination of Palin by no means proves that the 18 million Democratic primary votes for Sen. Hillary Clinton are irreversible cracks in the glass ceiling. The vice president of the U.S. is second banana. A pretty administrative assistant is the longtime perk of powerful men – not a breakthrough.

If any Hillary supporter is tempted to vote for this ticket on the basis of Palin’s gender, I urge that person to read up on the history of feminism and the double whammy of ageism and sexism for older women. Such a vote is not proof of sisterhood; it only proves that this pandering worked.