It Could Happen To You
February 2, 2010, by Prudence Baird
Falling by Tom Bagshaw
Like a sign post that screams Watch Out!, Prudence zooms in on one of midlife’s challenges.
Falling. It happens to the best of us. One minute you are putting one foot in front of the other, and the next you’re on your ass. Or your face—with absolutely no idea how you got there so fast.
When young, falling is funny; slapstick even. Occasionally falling is painful, but having friends sign your cast or getting out of P.E. makes it all worthwhile. In fact, there’s a notorious t-shirt that mocks falling:
“I don’t have a drinking problem. I drink. I get drunk. I fall down. No problem.”
Ha-ha. Try that at age 54.
This brings me to the other morning when I heard a crashing and thrashing sound coming from the bathroom. Read more
Filed Under All Posts, Health, Prudence Baird | 15 Comments
Only When I Laugh
January 27, 2010, by Christie Healey
For Christie Healey, time spent with relatives is just the ticket. Many of us have recently spent time with our families over the holidays. Family has taken on a very broad meaning and I am blessed with a wonderful family of choice. But, for now I want to reflect upon those persons in our family that we had no choice of selection. Time spent with the relatives can be revealing, precious, stressful, hilarious, and restorative. My former father-in-law comes to mind when I think of some of the adjectives I used above. He is an extraordinary person, a man of great persistence in certain areas. He loved golf. No, I mean he really loved golf. Practiced for over 50 years with no noticeable signs of improvement. He would swing a club in the apartment we shared whenever the obsession took over. Chips out of the concrete beam in the living room bear witness to his fervour. After some pleas, he agreed to use the “air” practice swing. One evening he was found lying on the floor in the bedroom. “What happened?” we cried. “I was going for distance,” he responded. Read more Filed Under All Posts, Christie Healey, Family, Parenting, Relationships | 7 Comments Keeping up with your girlfriends can be a challenge. Connie Stetson offers up a solution that is shaken, stirred and intoxicating. “It’s 5:00 PM. Do you know where your vodka is?” Okay, I actually stole that line from my pal, Barbara. It was just too funny not to use and she’s a funny girl, especially around cocktail hour. I’m not sure exactly how much vodka she and I have consumed over the last 20 years, but certainly enough to be awarded Russian citizenship with full honors. “Nostrovya,” ya’ll! When I moved up here to Yosemite 23 years ago, I fretted as to how to keep my friendships in L.A. thriving. For a long time, I’d find any excuse possible to get back there. I needed a haircut, shoes, movies, the theater, the Apple Pan, or just the smell of good, salty ocean air, (which I still long for every day I’m in the woods.) But mostly, because I was so bloody homesick for everyone who knew me, and because I had not yet reinvented myself into the mountain bitch I am today. I’m not sure anymore who’s idea it was to start the Monday Night Martini, but Barbara and I agreed that Monday was good, because nothing was on TV anyway, and who doesn’t need a cocktail on Mondays, yes? Read more Filed Under All Posts, Connie Stetson, Relationships | 8 Comments Wrapping up our fun holiday picks, Carine Fabius’s choice might be just the antidote for the cute overload so abundant this time of year. Excuse the language, but what I’m groovin’ on is the site called “Fuck You, Penguin, A Blog Where I Tell Cute Animals What’s What.” This may say more about my dark and twisted, and crude-language-loving sense of humor, but I think this guy is funny as hell. His blogs are very short—just a few lines—and they never fail to crack me up. If anyone is offended by raw language, don’t go there. If anyone is offended by this site, please don’t write me off completely. People tell me there are other, very winning sides to my personality! http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/ Filed Under All Posts, Carine Fabius, Humor | 8 Comments Get up, warm up and get funky with Connie Stetson’s choice for post-holiday cheer. Urghhh…It’s after Christmas. I feel fat like a stuffed Christmas goose. I need to feel the funk…. So, let’s “Get Up Offa That Thing” and dance so we can feel better in 2010. 2010???? I feel so space-age. Much love and luck to all in the coming year.
Filed Under All Posts, Connie Stetson, Group Posts | 10 Comments Christie Healey shares a holiday pick about a musician who turned a bad experience into a very popular video. Dave Carroll adds new meaning to “sweet revenge”. This may not be everyone’s idea of an inspiring holiday video link, but it is mine, and I hope it makes you smile and sing along. United Airlines broke Dave’s custom Taylor guitar and were not really sorry about it. During Dave’s final exchange with United Customer Relations, he said he had no alternative but to create a music video and post it on YouTube. The manager responded “Good Luck with that one pal.” After the video received almost 6 million hits and was featured on CNN, United contacted Dave and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. And his response? “Good Luck with that one pal.” A little bah humbug, but a lot of giggles too. A big Happy Holidays to all. Filed Under All Posts, Christie Healey, Humor | 10 Comments Melissa Howden shares a special treat for the “word nerd” in all of us. I am a fan o’ words, an alphabet lover as my friend Lori b has named herself. I love the history, the roots, the story of words. In my etymological meandering through cyberspace I found http://podictionary.com/ Podictionary puts a word root in your in-box everyday. While I receive my word root in text form the word root can also be heard as an audio word through a daily podcast (subscribe through iTunes). This is a site for word lovers. Charles Hodgson, the brains behind Podictionary, is clever, conversational, informational and contemporary. Take for instance the recent exploration of the word Nike, which, looks to the Greek Goddess of the same name and explores how she came to be more known as a shoe! Taking your etymological trivia and history a bit further, iPhone now has a Podictionary application, which can bring you a month’s worth of episodes for $1.99. Given the history of Podictionary there are 1000 episodes to choose from. I found my daily word habit came in quite handy over a Thanksgiving weekend game of Scrabble! Filed Under All Posts, Melissa Howden, Miscellaneous | 9 Comments
It’s 5:00 PM. Do You Know Where Your Vodka Is?
January 20, 2010, by Connie Stetson
FU Penquin
January 13, 2010, by Carine Fabius
Get Up Offa That Thing
January 6, 2010, by Connie Stetson
Sweet Revenge
December 22, 2009, by Christie Healey
ALPHABETLOVER
December 16, 2009, by Melissa Howden
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