Since my first exposure to Rabbi Shmuely Boteach I have come to recognize him as someone who can teach me a thing or two. But my first contact was not so great. He had written a column in June 2013 praising to the high heavens President Obama's appointment of Samantha Power to the UN. I was not so sure about this and posted a small comment that he should not be so quick to give her a free pass based on her past comments. I believe I got lambasted by his and other comments and I retreated to take out my frustrations privately in you, Dear Diary. I called my post "Smoke and Fire".
Since I recently decided to follow the good Rabbi on Facebook, I saw his most recent column backtracking on his unqualified endorsement of Ms Power based on her refusal to call the 1915 massacre of 1.5 million Armenians "genocide" for fear of insulting the current Turkey regime and the Muslims that descended from the Ottoman Empire
My my, if I can challenge the Rabbi and then be proven if not right, then at least to have had a point, I can kvell a tiny bit and bask in my own smarts.
But I'm still not happy with Ms Power...
;-)
Harper's Bazaar published a list of 8 Beauty Products they are thankful for. Of course I have my own list and every one is a tiny fraction of the cost of the H.B. suggestions.
1. Hollywood Instant Hair. This is my big secret for transforming my limp, slightly wavy locks into Big Hair. It's made for folks with real hair problems but it works fine for me too. $9.95 for several months worth.
2. Dark Brown Hair Dye from Dollar Tree. I have no idea if my underlying hair is gray, white or still my original color. But for $1. every couple of months why take chances?
3. Professional Gel-fill manicures. A super big splurge for me at about $12. each week (tip included). But it saves me from constantly filing my weak nails that can never hold polish on their own for more than a few hours.
4. A decent haircut every five or six weeks. Around $5. a week when I average it out.
5. Concealer, Pressed Powder, Blush and Mascara. The stuff from Big Lots or Dollar Tree for $1 or $2 works fine.
6. Black Gel Eyeliner. So much do I love gel eyeliner! I like any brand and have quite a stash in case there's a natural disaster that might cause me to run out. Not sold at Dollar Tree or Big Lots unfortunately.
7. Contact Lenses. I've been wearing them since I was 17 so I tend to forget what a miracle they are.
8. Baby Oil, also $1 at Dollar Tree. I use it to take off the beauty products listed above, hahaha.
;-)
There's no place like The Villages if you want to have an "active adult" retirement. Even if you are not particularly social and have hardly any hobbies you will soon be swept into a whirlwind of new friends, activities, events and entertainment options.
I came to The Villages after a year and a half of retirement that consisted of taking care of the house, shopping, a weekly Maj Jong game at the JCC, maybe a library book or lunch out with an old colleague, a Torah study class twice a month, TV, a few hours of volunteering and Friday night services.
Now I do all of the above plus the Sisterhood, the No Hatters, dinners out with friends, double or triple the Maj Jong games, Hebrew lessons, Girls Nights Out, friends on the phone, card games with neighbors, interesting lectures and club meetings and golf cart rides. It's like Retirement On Steroids!
I used to say I didn't want one of those retirements where I was banished to a rural setting with no cultural offerings and nothing to do. I am rethinking this. There's is nothing wrong with a rocking chair on the porch watching the sun rise and set and the world go by as you savor a life well lived with a Zen-like attitude.
I'm thinking of getting one of those rocking chairs!
;-)
In a misguided attempt to "assure religious freedom" states like Indiana and Arkansas are proposing and approving laws that allow businesses and other entities to abstain from offering services and/or benefits if such actions conflict with their "religious principles". The corollary is that otherwise illegal activities can get a free pass if they are part of long standing religious practices and beliefs.
It doesn't take a genius (Gee I figured it out myself) to conclude that this idea will soon devolve into a quagmire of chaos. What about bigamy (OK according to some Mormon sects)? How about child marriage, wife beating, "honor" killings, rape and deception (just peachy in radical Islamic sects)? If the Amish can forgo street lights on their carriages why can't I skip them on my golf cart? If Native Americans can smoke peyote can I get some cannabis?
Of course, the Jews have an answer for this dilemma: the Jewish law concept called “dina d’malchuta dina” – obeying the law of the land. Dina d’malchuta dina allowed Jews to adapt in the Diaspora to both preserve their legal tradition (and avoid lengthy jail time or capital punishment). Jewish courts narrowed their jurisdiction to only those areas of Jewish law that their host nations would tolerate*.
If you need a quickie explanation, the old adage "when in Rome do as the Romans do" will probably suffice. My view is that if your religious practice conflicts with the law of the land put your practice on hold while you work to change that law.
*http://www.emorylawandreligion.com/2012/01/jewish-legal-development-in-diaspora.html
I took this book out of the library and since it's message was pretty simple I was able to return it the same day. I'm sure the library appreciated it because they reminded me at check-out that it was a new arrival and only on loan for two weeks.
Like lots of other books I've read, this book warns (in draconian terms) against 1. Sugar 2. White flour 3. All processed food and additives and 4. Salt. What's left for dinner? Lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, beans and basically anything occurring in nature sans human intervention.
I've been feeling sick and bloated lately and the scale has not budged downwards no matter what I've tried or how "good" I've been. So decided to give this program a very short trial. No results and I'm out-of-here.
Imagine my surprise when I dropped five pounds (I know it's mostly water but still) in the first two days! Yesterday's highlight was Egg Foo Young, a favorite, made with mung beans, egg whites and minced garlic. I even "cheated" a bit by having nightcaps of instant hot cocoa made with artificial sweetener.
So I am on to Day Three...
;-)
This cute t-shirt really resonated with me. Most days all I really do need is coffee and eyeliner!
Someone once told me that needs are so few but wants are so expensive. I strive to both need and want less. I think this is a self-defense mechanism that has helped me prepare for life's' inevitable ups and downs.
My closet, jewelry case and shoe shelves are pretty pared down and nowhere near the jam packed ones that my friends have. But I do have the latest smartphone.
My laptop is getting really old but it still gets email and my blog and Facebook and eBay and there's not a lot more I need these days. But I have tickets to a scrumptious Passover seder and a funny play next month.
I use the library and my free magazine subscriptions for almost all my reading materials but I have a premium cable package and Cinemax (for Banshee) and HBO (it was included).
I shop at Aldi's for most of our food but never really skimp if I want something good (like lox).
I'm happy to stay home and watch TV, but we also have a New Year's Eve cruise and an 11 day cruise a month later planned with our cousins.
Time to make my coffee and put on my eyeliner. Right now, they are truly all I really need!
;-)
Tomorrow is my first day of Hebrew School. I've signed up for a one-hour-a-week course for the next twelve weeks in Reading Hebrew. As a friend pointed out, I'm a little late, about 55 years, hahaha.
Oh I have tried to learn Hebrew several times before. As a child I practiced writing my letters in a notebook and singing the Aleph-Bet song. Once, the local public television station televised a class in conversational Hebrew and I mastered the phrase "Abba yoshevet al ha kisay" which means "Father is sitting on the chair". And when I was in high school, they even offered a one semester class in Hebrew that I took as a senior year elective.
Obviously none of these efforts stuck. I can slowly sound out Hebrew words from their letters which always come out incorrectly as I have no knowledge of the all important Hebrew vowel system.
I have been trying to re-learn the letters that I stumble over. I am back to writing them over and over in a notebook like I did as a child.
The beauty of retirement is a second chance to do the things you always meant to but never quite got around to. Wish me luck this time around!
;-)
Happy St Patrick's Day and Top of the Morning to me! I'm feeling better after a rough couple of weeks.
There's corned beef and little potatoes in the slow cooker. There's a Maj Jong game this afternoon with friends. There's a steaming cup of Joe by my laptop.
All is still not perfect. My tooth still hurts despite a new cap and I'm still sore after some minor surgery last week. The news from my scale is abysmal. And I am still sniffling from a cold.
But the sun is rising now and I'm glad to be here, in this place, with all my small ups and downs. My friend Jean sent this Irish blessing to me this morning:
Happy St Pat's!
;-)
Yesterday I heard the happy news about the engagement of Bristol Palin and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.
Now everyone knows who Bristol Palin is and most people probably sneer and chuckle maliciously when they hear her name. She certainly has been handed some lemons and truth-be-told she's been responsible for one or two of her own problems. But I have never sensed anything less in her than the will to face the music and get on with it.
Her fiance has had some bumps in the road himself. Obviously even a brave soldier can face demons when he returns home. But I read his message to other soldiers and decided that it's true - better times can come to us if we weather the storms in life and stay strong.
I heard that his proposal came at a Rascal Flatts concert where the band dedicated "Bless The Broken Road" to them. A perfect song - every lost dream does seem to lead us to a better place.
Congratulations to Bristol and Dakota. May your future path be straighter and a little less bumpy...
;-)
Who Knew? Think of all the divorces that could have been avoided if we only knew!
Everything points to this ad being real. The secret to a lasting marriage is apparently lasting lashes and Maybelline lash sensational full fan effect mascara.
It's truly back to the fifties with this sexist ad. Don't believe me? Check these out...
Lots more where they came from.
Perhaps we can think of some other ways to keep our marriages sensational?
;-)
