Mamie Edith

Edith and Dad

My father's sister, "Mamie" Edith (do not know where the "Mamie" came from) was the undisputed Matriarch of our family.  All important - and not-so-important -decisions went through her.  She approved my hubby-to-be (he endeared himself to her by eating her egg and onion omelet) and had my mother's wedding dress made from her measurements without Mom ever seeing it until her wedding day.  She is revered for locating my three cousins who survived the Holocaust, bringing them to Toronto (not that easy) and finding them nice Jewish boys to marry.

Yesterday my cousin Terri (Edith's grand-daughter) who is recuperating from surgery wrote me the following:
Don't I look like my grandmother? I can't say that it's my best look.......Lol. Time to get that Silverstein nose taken care of. Kind of half joking!

I answered:

HAHAHA Must be your Other Grandmother. You don't look like Mamie Edith by a long shot!

I once blogged about our "family resemblance" http://evelynsilvergold.blogspot.com/2012/09/family-resemblance.html

Take care of yourself. You look terrific to me!

 

;-)

Everyday Jeans

Here's a picture of me in my favorite "everyday" jeans.  They have become my daily companion (unless they are in the wash which I do almost everyday so they are quickly put back into use).  They are sturdy yet soft and comfy and have a enough tears and patches so that they could almost pass for designer knock-offs. I feel good just putting them on.

Like most other women, I have a big stack of blue jeans which I have divided into two groups - everyday and "best".  There is not much difference, perhaps the "best" ones are a little snugger and have more bling.  All of them came from Ross-Dress-For-Less or Goodwill.  None of them are "Mom" jeans (for old fuddy-duddies).  Heaven forbid! 

The ones in this picture came from Ross.  I found them in the women's section but wondered at the size, 16R.  I thought perhaps they were a mis-marked 6R.  I liked them so much I googled the brand name, "Justice Jeans", and found out they were indeed a size 16R since "Justice Jeans" are only in girl's sizes, hahaha.

So now I know why I like them so much.  I feel like a girly girl in them - tough enough to play but cute enough to go out and look good!

;-)

The Daily Motivator

My friend Marj emails "The Daily Motivator" everyday.  These consist of slide shows of pretty pictures with meaningful (although a bit trite) messages set to background music from New Age CDs called things like "Serenity" or "Ocean Waves".  I believe Marj subscribes to this service and forwards them on to us for free. 

OK, I'll admit I do not ever last through a whole slide show if I even bother to open it.  But today I awoke feeling the need for motivation after a weekend of sloth and gluttony and the scale registering the expected extra 2 pounds. 

The slide shows (there were 3, to catch up on the long motivation-less weekend) and they were just as corny, but I have to say, I do feel invigorated from seeing them.  Not because of anything in them (I know all that good stuff already) but because Marj herself is motivated to send them out and keep her friends energized.

Thanks Marj!  I'm ready to tackle this new week!

;-)

The Triumph of Evil

I'm listening to "The Triumph of Evil" by Lawrence Block, one of my mostest favoritest authors. I do believe I've read everything he's ever written.  But there are a few things that make this audio experience special.

The title is inspired by a famous quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" (Edmund Burke).  Block has tweaked the quotation a bit into "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do the wrong things" .

The book was written in 1973 so somehow I missed it.  It's currently out of print.  But by some act of serendipity, it was just recorded as an audio file and released as such this month.  That was the good news.

The "bad" news was that although it was available for download for free from the Broward County library and the one license for it was not being used, I had a heck of a time getting it downloaded.  I will not bore you with the details Dear Diary but after much finagling it now resides on my iPad.

This is probably the most thought provoking of Block's works which include such lighthearted offerings as the Burglar Who and Matt Scudder series which were adapted for the big screen in "Burglar" (with Whoopi Goldberg) and "8 Million Ways To Die".  This is obviously the work of a younger, idealistic, questioning Block who (with his Yiddisha kop) brilliantly dissects the events that might turn America into a fascist dictatorship.  Remember - this was written at a time of great student unrest, racial strife and a country deeply divided. Think assassinations, violence, political upheavals, right wing rage and back room manipulators.

Thank you Lawrence Block for many, many wonderful reading and listening experiences.  At 74, I hope you have not yet retired!

--------------------------
PS
A note from Lawrence Block himself!  I am soooo happy!

Evelyn, thanks so much! I'm delighted you enjoyed the audiobook of The Triumph of Evil, and grateful to you for blogging about it.

As you note, the book's out of print—but it's eVailable as an Open Road eBook, and indeed that's what led to its being released in audio. The eBook revolution has resulted in virtually everything I wrote over the past half century being available again—and that's very gratifying, as I'm sure you can imagine. Here's a link to a blog page with a full list of what's out there: http://lawrenceblock.wordpress.com/about-lbs-fiction/

Again, thanks.

LB

The New Normal

The New Normal.  Such a cute expression.  I really like it.  What is normal today is definitely not what was normal when I was a kid, say 50 years ago or so. 

Truth be hold, the "New Normal" is really a state of constant smaller changes and big time metamorphoses every few years.  I have gone through several iterations of "New Normal" in my life and as a result, I'm completely qualified to deal with the current "New Normal". 

Whatever it is...

;-)

Arts and Crafts

I love our Florida Art and Craft Festivals, a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in the company of cheerful companions.  There's free admission and fresh air and if you buy something you are helping artisans and crafters and also sponsoring the smallest of small businesses.  There's usually great food like funnel cakes or turkey legs which you can partially burn off by walking the length of the festival and back. You can breathe fresh air and people watch while checking out amazing jewelry, glass works, paintings and Judaica.

So I am looking forward to the 13th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Thanksgiving Weekend Art Festival with good friends Terri and Fred on Sunday.  It will be a pleasant reprieve from the noise surrounding Black Friday and the mass-produced electronics, toys, clothes and knick-knacks made in third world sweatshops!

:-)
 

Mitt

As this year's Thanksgiving turkey (whom I have named "Mitt") awaits his ultimate fate tomorrow, I am thinking about the things I am grateful for (see 60 of them in recent blog posts) but also about some scary things going on in the world.  Luckily there are far less than 60:

the conflict in Israel and Gaza
the Fiscal Cliff
Sandy-devastated states
the European economy
the stock market
health care changes
new taxes

I can do nothing or precious little to influence the outcome of any of these. 

In that way, I'm a bit like MItt awaiting his future...

;-)

A Little More Gratitude...

The 30 Day Challenge was far too easy.  Thanksgiving is almost upon us so here's a few more:

I am so grateful that:

1. Employers took a chance on me
2. I got a full scholarship to college many years ago
3. Hurricanes have never damaged our properties
4. There's a turkey and all the trimmings waiting for Thursday
5. I did not have to wait until I couldn't work anymore to retire
6. The god-kids are doing so well it amazes me
7. The strong chemical I found seems to clean the porcelain floor
8. I have a ladies' Canasta group
9. I have a fun night out planned for tonight
10. Good renters are returning for the season
11. De-Lites makes yummy low-cal ice cream
12. The fiscal cliff talks seem to be moving forward
13. Israel is surviving thanks to our brave IDF soldiers
14. Dolly very rarely has accidents
15. Young people still ask for my advice
16. Netflix sends me movies
17. Online games are free
18. The stock market was up 200 points yesterday
19. A simcha in March in Chicago!
20. A side trip to Orlando for Scott's birthday next month!
21. Hillary Clinton is going to Israel and Gaza today
22. I have a great gardener
23. I can now turn on the hot tub with a phone app
24. Cousin Jeannie will be back in a few weeks
25. Costco has the best tomatoes
26. The City of Hollywood is in better fiscal shape
27. Dexter is renewed for another season
28. Da Bears won at least a few games this year
29. I'll be volunteering this morning
30. Someone gave me a second chance...

Twinkies

The world is struggling to cope with demise of Twinkies, Ho-Hos (how will godson Jason survive?), Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread and my personal favorite, Sno-Balls.  It's a good time to reminisce over my other lost loves from the universe of consumer products.

Dippity Do - nothing plastered my naturally wavy hair into submission like this goop from the 60s

Riverview - the original Chicago amusement park and home of the Greyhound, the roller coaster for sissies (like me)

Angel Face pressed powder - I found this again in Mexico a few years ago.  But alas, no longer in the US of A.

Clairol Herbal Essense shampoo - the original, not the awful products that use the same name.  I am still hoarding a few decomposed bottles...

Black Jack gum


RIP Hostess treats.  A little bit of my youth goes with you...

:-(

It's A Look

We were wandering around the Boca Raton Art Fest yesterday with cousins Morry and Barb.  Hubby spotted me from a little ways away and when I got closer he said "you have that 'Rich B*tch' look". 

Did I take this as a derogatory comment?  Heck No.  I was thrilled. It certainly beats the "shlumpy middle-aged broad" look I feel like I carry with me most of the time. 

But of course his comment puzzled me.  After all, I was wearing my "everyday" blue jeans ($5. from Ross) not 7 For All Mankind or some other brand of $200.+ jeans.  I was wearing 3 year old sneakers (for walking around Mizner Park) and a $4. tank top from Wal-Mart with a $5. lace overlay and a $3. gold belt from the Swap Shop.  So what gives my "Rich B*tch" look its punch, I asked. 

Is it my sassy haircut? my mani in the pretty but understated color? my makeup? the Coach bag you gave me that I would never have bought for myself?  No, he said, it's just your whole look. Classy.  Put together.  Confident.

I think he means OLD don't you?!? Hahaha!

;-)