Kings Point

I'm spending much of the month of May in Kings Point, the active adult community my parents retired to in 1979, fixing up their condo to put it on the market. 

Of course the folks who live there now are not-so-active.  Many are in their upper 80s or 90s.  Baby Boomers seeking a nice but unpretentious place are moving in slowly.  Most choose Kings Point because they can honestly live there on a shoestring. 

When my folks retired from long hours of uninteresting work in frigid Chicago they thought they had found Nirvana in Kings Point.  It was warm and beautiful with three big clubhouses, indoor and outdoor pools, free bus service to take you anywhere you might care to go, cheap bagel places serving breakfast for a buck and a half, more clubs and neighbors and activities than you had time for, well stocked Jewish groceries and delis, and synagogues you could walk to.  There was terrific shopping, a first class hospital next door, a quaint and cutesy downtown and it's smack dab in the middle of much tonier homes and developments.  The years my parents spent in Kings Point were the happiest of their lives.

Kings Point also came to have a special place in my heart.  I thought to myself that whatever misfortune I might encounter (poo poo poo) there would "always be Kings Point".  I could grow old there and live on my social security check.  It was my home away from home.

But the tired old dining room set where we had our Seders and Thanksgivings, my parent's bedroom set that I would crawl into when I was scared, the TV stand that held the black and white set I watched Mickey Mouse on, and even the little desk and the hide-a-bed that are "new" at only 30 years old - I will say goodbye to them soon (I hope). 

But I think I'll keep the lamp I made in Mr. Courtney's 8th grade Home Economics class...

;-)

#Hashtag

I'm starting to #hate those creepy #hashtags that are now included in posts, pins, tweets, you tube videos and probably pretty soon on #tattoos.  It is interesting that the online public has developed and adopted a way to group and search for topics without intervention from a behemoth developer like #Microsoft or #Google or #Apple. There are even #hashtag battles like "#Obamaintwowords" versus "#Romneyintwowords".

I could probably group my life by #hashtags.  #Evsbreakfast. #Evscleaningsupplies. #Evsnailcolorthisweek. #EvsPopeyesVersusChineseDecision.

I simply must tear myself away from this computer and start getting ready to leave for the airport and a fun weekend in the real world. #Evs3amblogging.

Golden Boy

I'm hooked on a new show - Golden Boy.  It's a riveting cop drama with lots of neat sub-plots, great casting, interesting characters and super-hunky Theo James as the title character.  But what makes this show especially interesting is that each episode starts and ends with a flash forward to the future and you get to see where Golden Boy will be in seven years.  The decisions he makes in the future are shaped by what he's learned here in the present and the people who guide or challenge him along his way.

When I look backwards over (many) more than seven years I see how I got to be where I am today.  My parents, who were my biggest influence (like it or not), the people I've met and loved, the decisions I've made - mush them all together and Viola! You get the me of today.

I'm not perfect but I certainly do feel a little Golden myself...

;-)

Love and Hate

They say there is a very fine line between love and hate.

Yesterday I read two articles on how we should feel about the Boston Marathon bombers.  One was Dear Dzhokhar, I Can't Hate You by a Christian Reverend, the other And Hate the Sinner Too by a Jewish Rabbi.  Excerpts and what I believe is the essence of the Love article:

I can't hate you because, even though you did unspeakable things ... somehow you are still my brother and your death can never be my gain.
I can't hate you, and not just because I am a Catholic, and a Christian, and because in a couple of months I will be a priest, I am a human and I simply can't hate you.
Dear Dzhokhar, I still have hope for you.  I am glad you are in custody, but you are just a kid, and you are lost. I will love and pray for you, because somehow your sin was turned for good, and my community and the people I love will only be stronger in the end.
Dear Dzhokhar, godspeed.

Excerpts and what I believe is the essence of the Hate article:

Living in a Christian world that teaches us to 'love the sinner,' we find excuses for evil and refuse to dedicate ourselves fully to its destruction.
Forgetting how to hate can be just as damaging as forgetting how to love.
Hatred is a valid emotion, an appropriate response, when directed at the truly evil. Contrary to Christianity, which advocates turning the other cheek to belligerence and loving the wicked, Judaism obligates us to despise and resist evil at every turn.
Let us never forget the immortal words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."

Dear Dzhokhar, I Hate You.

Dating

One of the many joys of being married is that you don't have to meet and shmooze with strangers who might be potential dating partners.  So why would I want to put myself "out there" to make the acquaintances of people I don't know?  Well, I'd like to meet and make more women friends.  There is a wonderful camaraderie between women who go through life together and "get" whatever you are going through. 

I saw a link to a site called "Girlfriend Social" and I nervously posted my profile.  I figured what the heck, I'm already reluctantly on LinkedIn and probably a zillion other places including this blog (which I constantly think about taking private). The site is for ladies only who want to meet other ladies for platonic banter and maybe lunch. 

After signing up (it's free BTW) I searched for potential gal-pals.  I soon realized I needed to filter on age and not just location as I do not care to meet ladies who want to dance the night away on South Beach.  But when I found a lady in Boca who also likes mystery books, I bolted at the thought of contacting her. 

I think I'll wait 'til someone comes knocking at my virtual door.,,

;-)

The Time 100

Time Magazine arrived yesterday with its list of this year's 100 Most Influential People.  I personally have never heard of at least half of them and I'm pretty sure most of them have no influence on me or my life  (JayZ? LeBron James?) except in the most superficial or indirect ways.  But the issue is perfect reading for my flight next week so I'm planning to get to know them all better.

A few do affect me every single day.  Thanks to Michael Kors and my two well designed and stylish handbags I finally can find things in the abyss known as "my purse" and I love the rose-gold watch that also bears his name and helps keep me organized.  And I'll tip my hat to Bryan Cranston whose compelling performances on Breaking Bad keep me enthralled. Of course I am not so superficial to think that President Obama, Elena Kagan, Pope Francis, Kim Jong Un, Steven Spielberg and others do not influence our world and thus, me too. 

Equally interesting are the folks who wrote the brief commentaries on each of the Time 100: Hillary Clinton on Barack Obama, Barack Obama on Tom Coburn, Eric Cantor on Joe Biden, Jodie Foster on Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stein on Jimmy Kimmel, Arianna Huffington on Kai-Fu Lee, Jim Brady on Gabrielle Giffords, Maya Angelou on Michelle Obama, just to name a few.  Many of them could, should or have made the list themselves.

I skipped to the back of the issue and read Joel Stein's commentary on the hits and misses of Time magazine's past ten years of naming the most influential people.  Mel Gibson!  Lance Armstrong! Eliot Spitzer! Tiger Woods!  David Petraeus! Oscar Pistorius!  Loved his advice to the ladies:

Don't date anyone on the Time 100!

;-)

Where To Retire

I purchased a subscription to "Where To Retire" magazine last year. Each issue is chock full of suggestions for low cost tax havens and towns that feature beaches, farmers' markets, colleges and golf.  I sprung for the subscription because I wondered if there was "something better" out there, some retirement paradise that would make our golden years the best of our lives.

I have a list of requirements for my retirement heaven.  I need a one story home in a warm climate (no snow! ever!) in a Jewish area close to bagels, a shul, delicatessens, maybe a JCC.  I want lots of events and entertainment venues to choose from and of course, the best medical care.  There has to be a major airport nearby and also a major port for frequent cruises.  I'd like a variety of ethnic restaurants close by and lots of service people to do things we no longer want to do ourselves.  It has to be in a guarded and gated community with nice neighbors who don't party and keep their places in tip top condition.  And I'd rather be near the ocean than the desert or the mountains.

So far, home beats all the places in "Where To Retire"...

;-)

A Shameful Day

President Obama is right.  Today truly is a shameful day.  It was bad enough that a bill that merely closed a loophole allowing people to purchase guns online or at gun shows without background checks failed to pass in the Senate (much less the House).  No, Rand Paul had to accuse the President of "using" bereaved Sandy Hook parents as "props".

This is the last straw for me.  Although I do believe in reigning in the monumental pork that bloats the Federal budget, I am no longer sure the Republicans have a better answer (or any answer) than the Dems. And of course, I support gay rights, a woman's right to choose, even universal health care (although not in its current "Obamacare" adaptation).  Once Obama swore to protect and defend Israel, I have no more impediments to following the Democratic path to patriotic bliss. So from this day forward you may consider my vote to be in the Democratic column.

But needless to say, deep down inside, in my heart of hearts, in the depths of my soul, I know they are, all of them, Goniffs.

;-) 

Gypsy Dance

Anyone who knows me knows that there are very few things that will excite me enough to get me to a "real" department store and (gasp!) pay retail.  But 17 years ago I saw an ad for Gypsy Dance bedding at Dillards and Had To Have It.  I loved the colors, the "Shabby Chic" patterns and the funky bohemian feeling.

Being cheap, I limited my purchase to one king size fitted sheet (we don't use flat sheets) and four king size pillow cases.  The sheet is gone now but with my tender loving care the four pillow cases survive.  I put them on last week and once again had to stand back and admire them. I still loved my old friends, as much as the day I brought them home.

Gypsy Dance was a pattern created by Collier Campbell, famous English designers. Wamsutta made the fabric into sheets, pillowcases, comforters, bedskirts and shams.  The pattern and the bedding are long discontinued and of all discontinued patterns, Gypsy Dance is the most sought after.  But I decided I would try and find them again.  And yesterday I received two beautiful Gypsy Dance king size shams from a vintage collector I found on ebay!

It pays to look for old friends!  Quality endures and love never dies...

;-)
 

Nixon

I never understood exactly why my folks loved Richard Nixon.  To the day she died, my Mother kept this color picture of the man under the glass on her dresser. But after watching a couple of movies on the History of Israel - a little activity I planned in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day (it's today) - I understand.

On Yom Kippur 1973, the Holiest Day in the Jewish calendar, Israel was attacked. 180 Israeli tanks faced over 1400 Syrian tanks and a mere 436 Israeli infantry were poised to fight over 80,000 Egyptian soldiers. The attacks by Egypt and Syria were backed by nine Arab states and the Soviet Union. 

This part I got from the movie: Things were not going well. Prime Minister Golda Meir was desperate and called Nixon at 3 am asking for help.  He responded by immediately sending Israel everything Golda asked for - weapons, supplies and munitions. 

Nixon later related this story: when he was a little boy his mother read  Bible stories from the Old Testament to him. She told him that the Jews were a special people and that someday he would be called upon to help them. When that day came he must do everything in his power to assure they survive.

From the Nixon Foundation: To this day Richard Nixon is very highly regarded in Israel. Prime Minister Golda Meir said “For generations to come, all will be told of the miracle of the immense planes from the United States bringing in the material that meant life to our people.”  Golda remembered Nixon fondly for the rest of her life. 

Mom did too...

An Assignment: Jews Are Evil

A high school teacher gave his students the assignment to write a paper on "Jews are Evil" from the perspective of the Nazis.  It would have been just as bad if he had asked the class to write a paper on "Why Slavery is a Good Thing" from the Confederate point of view.

I will attempt to be VERY kind to this imbecilic teacher and assume he was trying to get his class to see a historical event from another very different perspective. So instead of boycotting the assignment as one-third of the students did, I will complete the assignment in my own way, "drawing upon a packet of Nazi propaganda, what I've learned in history class, and any experiences I've had with Jews being evil".  Here goes:

After suffering a resounding and humiliating defeat in the First World War and living through a brutal depression for almost a decade, the German people were eager to blame their increasingly miserable lives on something other than themselves.  Any charismatic speaker who told them that it was Someone Else's Fault would be hailed as a Messiah.  Bad luck that the charismatic speaker was a deranged psychotic madman

What was required were people to blame.  They had to look a little different, have different beliefs and rituals and be the weakest, most defenseless and marginalized population in the country. So began a campaign of lies that painted Jews as predatory and sub-human.  Do they kill gentile children at Passover? Do they starve and debase their own children?  Even coloring books for the youngest children promulgated this filth.  

Since your assignment, esteemed teacher, asks me to "draw from a packet of Nazi propaganda and what I've learned in history class",  I will state that I have seen the hateful images myself at Yad Vashem. 

I find it incredibly  ironic that while trying to convince themselves that "Jews are Evil" these murderous monsters committed the most heinous, gruesome and TRULY EVIL acts in the history of the world.

M&M

Melissa McCarthy was on Saturday Night Live and was oh so funny!  I love this gal and I adore Mike and Molly, the best sitcom on TV after The Big Bang Theory.  It's great that M&M is set in Chicago.  I can almost identify the exact locations of the street scenes and even the contrived sets of interiors are dead-on old Chicago.  M&M is even true to Chicago weather - snow and icy winds are in almost every episode.

But best of all is Melissa McCarthy (a genuine Chicago native).  I loved her for years on The Gilmore Girls and though I normally would have gagged through Bridesmaids she helped keep me from choking on my popcorn.  She is genuinely talented and to her credit, she does not use self-degrading "fat" humor to keep us amused. 

I worry a bit about her health; she truly is obese and being over 40 that can spell trouble.  But no doubt about it - I'm a Big Fan of this big lady.

;-)

Dr. Ben Carson

Dr. Carson has been in the news lately and has taken quite a bit of flack for his strongly conservative views. 

Several years ago I attended a Martin Luther King Day dinner held here in Hollywood Florida.  I attended as a representative of the City of Hollywood, my employer.  Dr. Carson was the speaker.

The audience was mostly black and they cheered wildly at Dr. Carson's anecdotes about his struggles growing up poor as the child of a single mother, his quest to attend college and medical school and his efforts to provide medical care to the poor all over the world.  Especially moving was Dr. Carson's story of how he made medical history by being the first surgeon to successfully separate twins that were conjoined at the back of their heads.

The audience cheered the loudest when Dr. Carson voiced his opinion that he believes in affirmative action.  And they were still cheering when he went on to say he believes in affirmative action for all races, i.e. if there is a poor but promising white child struggling in Appalachia or wherever, they should have the same shot at the benefits of affirmative action as black children.  It took a few seconds for what he had said to sink in but the nods and smiles and happy looks and encouraging sounds toned down significantly.

As for me, I knew I was listening to someone I would be hearing from again...

Wild Ride

A friend I used to work with over 17 years ago sent me this photo.

I started my IT career in 1979.  I wrote computer programs in Basic Assembler Language and COBOL which were keypunched on to hollerith cards.  These were loaded into a card reader and used to run overnight batch jobs that processed financial data.

When I retired last year in 2012, I directed a group of highly skilled programmers who created browser based and mobile applications using more computing power than Apollo 11 had to get to the moon and back.

Yes old friend J, we certainly have come a long way baby.  What a ride!

;-)

Amber's Journey

I don't know Amber and I have no idea who posted a link to her new page on Facebook.  I "like" very few pages to avoid having to wade through any more FB posts than I already do every day.  But I was intrigued by her quest to get from 400 pounds to healthy and could not resist liking her page on Day One of its existence.

I love success stories, especially stories that feature an underdog who prevails against almost impossible odds.  Losing hundreds of pounds without surgery certainly qualifies.  I'm cheering for this young lady who is trying to encourage others as well as keep herself motivated.

Yes Amber, it is never too late to change your life.

;-)

Oil Change

We took the car in to Pep Boys for an oil change on Sunday.  I know better than to go by myself and see mechanics' eyes light up and not because I am so good looking.  I am happy to let hubby navigate the maze of viscosity, oil filters, drain plug washers, top and bottom mount cartridge filters and other stuff I have zero interest in learning about.

But I can read signs and this one, which attempted to compare Pep Boy prices to other local chains, clearly stated that the tire rotation was Free.  Free means no charge, right?  Apparently it means something different at Pep Boys. 

So I sent a complaining e-mail to the Customer Service address on the Pep Boys website.  I am waiting to hear back.  Hubby asked why do I bother?  I told him it's who I am.  I hate social injustice and I severely dislike being duped or mislead. 

I remember our old "salad days" when hubby would save money by changing the oil himself, lying on the ground with the car up on little lifts.  Scary!  Thankfully those days are over and I guess I can even spring a little extra for the tire rotation.

;-)

Dear President Obama

Dear President Obama,
 
You are always saying that "the most fortunate among us" should be paying "our fair share" (more).  I'm pretty sure hubby and I qualify to be in this "lucky" group so I would like to share a few tips on how many others (if not most people) can also attain the level where they too can pay more in taxes.

1. Get good grades in high school.  This will get you some kind of financial support for college. Save your birthday gifts, earnings from babysitting and any other income for college. Forget owning your own car at 16.

2. Live at home and commute to a local state university.  Walk the three miles (like I did) to save bus fare.  Try and get your textbooks from the library, buy them used or share with a classmate. Take the hardest classes you think you can pass because those are what employers need. Bring your own snacks.

3. When you marry (or cohabit) use birth control.  Share a single car with your partner.  Eat beans, pasta, hot dogs and whatever else is on sale.  Take the relatives' used furniture and other usable stuff that's been discarded. Check the thrift shops weekly.

4. Pay your bills on time and in full every month.  Build your credit score.  Save one salary and live on the other.  Max out 401K and IRA contributions every year.  Decide on what's important to you both and prioritize.

5. Do the very best job you can at work.  Keep vigilant about opportunities for advancement either in or out of your current company.  Take a risk.  Keep your skills up-to-date. 

Do all this and barring a truly awful turn of events by the time you are as old as me you will have safely weathered many financial storms and career setbacks.  You will be proud of your accomplishments and your strong relationship with your partner.  You will have few regrets, if any.

And best of all, you will qualify as "wealthy" and thus able to pay more taxes to help support those folks who did none of the above!

Yom HaShoah 2013



Gittel Silverstein Rabinowitz

This is a repeat,slightly modified...



Today is Yom HaShoah, the Day of Remembrance commemorating the Holocaust, the most heinous crime ever committed against humanity in the history of the world.

The Holocaust is never far from my mind. It is built into everything I am and it haunts the deepest reaches of my psyche. Whenever I do hard physical work, I remind myself that it is nothing compared to what my people were forced to endure. I will not buy anything made in Germany or from a German company if I can possibly avoid it. I will not (cannot) watch movies depicting Jewish torture and suffering. Visiting Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. brought me to tears. I am filled with emotion thinking of my three living relatives who bear tattoos on their arms, and of my Aunt Gittel, her husband Ben Tzion Rabinowitz and their daughter Rifka who were murdered at death camps. I pray every Friday night (well almost every Friday night) for all who perished without anyone to say Kaddish for them.My only comforting thought, my only way of mitigating this horror, is to think it took 6 million lives to establish today's State of Israel and end our long exile in foreign countries.   A homeland for the Jewish people is built upon their ashes. 

May their names forever be a blessing.

Siskel and Ebert

Roger Ebert passed away yesterday, two days after announcing he would be taking a "leave of presence" and that from now on he would be reviewing only the movies he wanted. 

To their movie-loving public, and especially to us Chicagoans, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were beloved icons. 

I awoke last night to the sound of thunder, lightning and howling winds.  Siskel and Ebert must have been enjoying a 3-D action flick!

;-)

Israel 101

I'm trying a new class today at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center - Israel 101. It promises to be "an illuminating discussion" on Israel in today's world, the history of the region and current events that will shape Israel's future.  I can't wait because this is exactly the kind of forum I have been hoping to find. 

Israel has become more real and more meaningful to me since our wonderful trip there in 2011.  I came to understand the importance of what I once thought of as a faraway place with not all that much impact on my day-to-day existence here in the US.  I now realize that no matter how "integrated" and successful and valued we may feel in the US or Canada or any other country, the homeland of Jews everywhere is the State of Israel.

In this picture I am physically in Israel, at a place where my distant ancestors may have lived their lives. 

In my mind, a piece of me is always there,  in  אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל  Eretz Yisrael.

Sher The Hope

Since my BFF Sheryl passed away in 2006, her children and their spouses have walked for hundreds of miles in the annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  Their team is aptly named SHER THE HOPE.

This year they honored me on the team's web page with a picture of the two of us standing together, as we did for 40 years.  

I am so incredibly proud of my god-children.  They and their spouses are so smart, so hard-working and successful in their careers, such terrific parents and loving husbands and wives.  Yet with all that they have going on in their lives they devote their time, energy and money to their community and to fighting the disease that claimed my dear friend at only 55.

Sheryl would be so very proud of them!!  And I am happy to kvell along with her and to SHER THE HOPE!

Zinio

Don't you love getting something for FREE??  Especially if it's something you will actually use and enjoy?
I had to stop by the Hollywood Branch library a few days ago because the Stirling Road branch was being recarpeted.  I picked up a card that said how I could get "Zinio -FREE Online Magazines from the Broward County library".  I didn't think much of it - after all, it was going to be FREE - but I checked it out anyway.  Wow!  Dozens of magazines, some super popular and some geared for specific interests, some for iPhone, iPad or the PC, or all three.  Everything from $10 Dinners to Yoga Journal. 

This is my current selection but trust me, I could fill up my days doing nothing but flipping through the pages of a stack of magazines.

Digitally flipping that is...

;-)

The Sins of the Fathers

Germany 's biggest synagogue, in Berlin, has reopened after a lavish restoration.  The synagogue was set ablaze on Kristallnacht, the Night of
Broken Glass, in 1938.  Holocaust survivors from all  over the world attended the "grand re-opening".

Perhaps there is something wrong with me; I feel no joy in this news.  There is nothing anyone in Germany can ever do that will mitigate even a drop of water's worth of guilt in an ocean of evil.

I was born a few years after the Holocaust "ended".  But to Jews everywhere, and especially to the families of Victims and Survivors, as I am, I assure you, it will never, ever be "over".  Ghosts of uncountable lives destroyed, children tortured and murdered, villages and towns that vanished without a trace, visions of my cousin and aunt and uncle gassed in ovens - these haunt my soul and sometimes fill my nights with terror. 

I do not forget, nor do I forgive.  I do not.  

I hear about how the children and grandchildren of the evil-doers, the murderers, the crazy hate-infested monsters, feel "guilty" and "ashamed".  Good.  I really don't care.  I wish upon them just a little of the horror their grandparents inflicted on other innocent children.  It is fitting they should answer in some small way for the sins of their fathers. 

I am sure that is what this "restoration" of what can never be restored is all about.

500

Yesterday I published Blog Post Number 500.  Wow!  What started as a lark has become a true joy for me.  I am actually proud of my blog and deep down I'm astounded that my relatively dull life has yielded so many opportunities for opining.

I write it for myself but of course I'm thrilled when someone compliments one of my posts.  Especially someone I didn't think ever read it. 

What do we leave behind when we depart this world?  Children and grandchildren to carry our gene pool forward?  Memories in the minds of others still living?  A contribution in the form of a work of art or music or literature?  A bequest that changes lives? 

Hahaha my blog is none  of the above.  But it is the essence of me and perhaps in a distant future someone will pick it up and laugh at the things that occupied my thoughts. 

Hope so  ;-)