Category Archives: Life

Arthritis Of The Eye

Can you believe there is such a thing as Arthritis of the Eye? Well, there is and I’ve got it.

The eye’s version of arthritis is call Uveitis. Some doctors believe it follows an infection of some type, but if you suffer from arthritis, it almost certainly is related. And it’s hard to diagnose. This is the fourth time I’ve experienced an outbreak, but it wasn’t until the third episode that it was finally diagnosed.

…This can be confounding to the patient and the doctor when the infection has long passed at the time of presentation with arthritis or eye inflammation…

Surprisingly, it even has political overtones–who would’ve thought!

Reactive arthritis has, in the past, been referred to as Reiter syndrome (a term that has lost favor because of Dr. Hans Reiter’s dubious past, one of enthusiastically embracing Nazi politics and medical abominations).

Be that as it may, I’ve got it and my symptoms are: painful eye (only one eye at a time, not both), profuse watering of the eye and, consequently, blurry vision, and a painful reaction to bright light/sunlight. The treatment prescribed for me is Prednisolone Eyedrops.

Prednisolone is a steroid, therefore, the treatment is controversial. But leaving it unchecked is a lot more dangerous according to the Mayo Clinic.

Complications

Left untreated, uveitis can cause the following complications:

Abnormally high pressure inside the eye (glaucoma)

Damage to the optic nerve

Clouding of the lens (cataract) or cornea

Scar tissue inside the eye

Retinal problems, such as fluid within the retina or retinal detachment

Vision loss

This is where my post ends. Evidently, looking at a computer monitor only increases the blur.

Hatha Yoga Or A Pedicure

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I got it into my head that I should try yoga. Pretty much, the only things I know about yoga are, it’s a form of relaxation, it helps with flexibility, it’s good for one’s balance and it doesn’t require me to bounce around too much.

I had one problem with the yoga class; it’s held at my local hospital for the 55+ gang on Tuesday evenings and, as it happened, I had an appointment to get a pedicure last Tuesday. Pretty much, what I know about pedicures is it’s a form of relaxation, your feet and legs receive a massage and it, too, requires no bouncing.

Hmm. What to choose, what to choose…

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Here’s something to think about from Yoga Informer regarding relaxation.

The eye-catching promise of poise, grace, and flexibility are the common reasons why people—especially females—are being drawn to yoga classes nowadays. Having a similar stance with ballet, more and more people see yoga as a relaxing yet more elegant form of exercise.

But there’s something to be said for the pure pampering of a spa pedicure, too.

It isn’t often that a woman’s feet get to relax. Constantly on the go, with careers, family, and other commitments, the feet often take more than they deserve. Making the time to visit the beauty salon for spa pedicures rejuvenates the feet and keeps them looking their best.

Hmm. What to do, what to do…

I decided to check in on MSNBC to find out what ideas the exercise experts have beeen touting lately:

…new guidelines call for healthy adults to engage in moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 30 minutes five days each week…

…The new guidelines offered specific advice for people 65 and older, urging them to consider lifting weights, improving their strength to prevent falls, and working on flexibility exercises and balance training.

Okay, I can forget about the weight training. That’s not going to happen anytime soon while I’m dealing with a rotator cuff tear. But there’s that flexibility and balance training again. It’s clear I should give yoga a try. And as an added bonus, if I yoga my heart out for an hour each week, I’m half way to meeting the five day requirement–well, almost.

Being a firm believer in having the best of both worlds, I attended my first yoga class on Tuesday; I rescheduled my pedicure for Thursday. The choice wasn’t so complicated afterall.

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Elvis

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If you’ve been following my blog, you know I swept in and out of Memphis, TN with two friends for a three day weekend last month. We packed in a lot of sightseeing and activities, but we didn’t have time to visit the King’s house–Elvis, that is.

I happened to mention that fact to one of my younger co-workers shortly after I returned. And she said to me, “You call that guy who died on his toilet from a drug overdose a king?”

Not exactly what I wanted to hear after a truly great weekend adventure. I tried to explain to her what it had been like seeing Elvis for the very first time on the Ed Sullivan Show.

What I found out was, it is impossible to define the “Phenomenon of Elvis” to young people who cannot comprehend a time when there were NO Super Stars.

Then came Elvis.

So, here was my dilemma. How could I possibly explain about the young Elvis that the world fell in love with? How could I tell her what a fresh faced boy he was back then, when all she is familiar with is the unfortunate last act of his life. In a way, it broke my heart, because I grew up with Elvis and I know that, although it appeared he had “everything”– money, fame, adulation– he also had a really rough ride. He was literally trapped in his compound at Graceland. He agonized and begged to be able to make movies that would allow him to act, but the studios insisted he star in movies that they believed his public craved, and maybe we did. His music was the only freedom he was afforded.

Of all the movies he starred in, he liked only one–Jailhouse Rock

To top that off, Elvis had no idea what it meant to be an internationally known Super Star. Why? Because he was the first. He was “it.” How does a kid who grew up in a small country town handle that? Who can instruct him? There were no footsteps to follow.

Superstar! We have plenty of them today, but none– repeat none–come even close to the King’s popularity. He was known throughout the world. Here is a statue of him in Jerusalem.

January 8th was Elvis Presley’s birthday. People all over the world remembered him especially on this day. Following is a comment posted on a blog that originates in Ireland

Elvis Presley was remembered here in Ireland as our national radio service RTE1 played his beautiful music on his birthday.

Did ever a vocalist’s voice reach right around the globe like Elvis’s did? and light up millions of peoples, lives like no other, before or since.

They loved him in Germany then and now

In the quaint little town of Bad Nauheim, it was “big love big heartache” every day when young ladies back in the 50s wrote their phone numbers with lipstick on the typical German garden fence outside the king’s villa. Aging German locals report that every night the wooden fence would be cleaned to make room for more love notes.

“He still preoccupies us, he’s well-known across the generations, and he brought about a sexual, musical and social revolution,” said the head of a German museum that hosted a recent Elvis exhibition.

Unlike any other performer before him, he spawned an industry.

Elvis Impersonators

He met Presidents and Heads of State. Crazed crowds of people clamored to see him at every airport.

And when he passed on to the stardom in the sky, many countries outside the U.S. built monuments for him like this one in Germany.

So, “To answer your original question, dear, Elvis remains The King, in spite of his final curtain. I doubt there will ever be another like him.”

How To Buy A New Car – 21st Century Style

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It doesn’t happen that often, but when it’s time for me to buy a new car, I cringe. Last Saturday, I thought I had myself talked into visiting some car dealerships to test drive a few cars. But when Saturday rolled around, I couldn’t make myself go. My insides seized up, my head began to pound and I think I actually had a panic attack. I couldn’t leave the house.

By Monday, after giving it some serious thought over the weekend, I decided there must be a better way. Maybe if I didn’t have to deal face to face with a salesman, I might be able to hold on to my sanity. I decided to try out internet shopping. Did you know almost all car dealers now have an internet management group?

Don’t be thinking it’s all peachy keen, though. In some cases, you still have to put up with salesmen who prefer to give you information that they want to give you, instead of information you ask for. And there are still a few holdouts who won’t divulge their out-the-door price. (That is the bottom line that includes price of car, taxes, dealership fees, option costs, rebates, etc.). Fortunately, when you are working with this type of salesmen via email, you can just “delete” them and erase them forever from your life. It feels heavenly.

But for the most part, internet salesmen are happy to answer all your questions; to let you know what cars are in stock and, best of all, dickering over price is much more time efficient. Instead of sitting in the showroom waiting for the sales manager to bestow his reluctant blessing on each and every price reduction, you are sitting at home checking your email whenever it’s convenient for you.

Forays into the land of the hard sell are kept to a minimum, because it’s a lot more difficult for a salesman to pressure you via email, and those that did make feeble attempts to push, I was able to weed out the first day. Finally, I decided to concentrate on getting the best deal I could get on a Toyota Corolla.

There are three Toyota Dealers in my town and I spent three days corresponding with each of them. In the end, I decided to do business with Andy. He works out of a dealership named Courtesy Toyota; their name says it all.

Courtesy Toyota

Although price was my major concern, finding a likeable saleman also enteres into my equation. As the days wore on, it was Andy who patiently answered all my questions, made suggestions, made concessions. When we finally talked on the phone, he worked out a few more minor issues that were troubling me, such as, how could I get two cars to my home since I wasn’t planning on trading in my old car. His solution: two individuals from the dealership would follow me home.

All in all, my car buying experience was painless. I never thought I’d ever say that in this lifetime.

So, here you have it. Yet another reason why you should learn to make your computer work for you. Blogging and writing memoirs are a plus, but when the computer can save you time and money, it’s time to get on the bandwagon and make 2008 the year you’ll learn to utilize your computer to its fullest.

“Bucket List” “Done That List” “No Guts List”

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Recently, I’ve seen coming attractions on TV about a new movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman called The Bucket List. From the few snipets I’ve caught, it appears their list contains things they’ve both dreamt about doing before they kick the bucket.

I have a list like that, too, although I never thought to name mine the bucket list. And happily, my list spawned a Done That List. Some things on my “done” list include:

See Paris (a lifelong dream)
Ride in a helicopter
Go parasailing
Snow Ski
Ride a motorcycle, not just any cycle, a “Harley”
Learn how to blog, even when I thought I was “too old” to learn

Then there’s my tattoo. I sport a tiny bluebird of happiness on the inside of one of my ankles. I love birds.

So, I’ve fulfilled some of my dreams, but there are still plenty of challenges left on my Bucket List. Here are a few:

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Find out if I really can’t sink in the Salt Lake
Publish a Book
See Redwood Trees-This item, at first glance, might seem somewhat plebian. The fact is, these trees are disappearing quickly, and some people are pretty passionate about keeping them around.

What’s Your Tree is a program inspired by the story and message of Julia Butterfly Hill.

Julia Butterfly Hill gained international notoriety when she climbed 200 feet up into an ancient redwood tree named Luna that was slated to be cut down by Pacific Lumber/Maxaam Corporation. She refused to come down until Luna was permanently protected. Withstanding death threats and gale force El Nino winds, Julia lived on a tiny platform in Luna’s branches for 738 days. Julia and her team had successfully negotiated to save Luna and a 3 acre buffer zone around the tree into perpetuity.
(see the rest of the story)

Learn to Paint (don’t have to be good, just have to try)
Hang Glide (parasailing was wonderful, so hang gliding must be spectacular)
See Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument

The No Guts List – I have one of them, too. These are things I know I could never muster up the courage to do:

Sky Diving
High Diving
Scuba Diving
Bungee Jumping

Bungee jumping in Normandy, France in Viaduc de la Souleuvre.

Can you even imagine doing this?

New Year’s Resolutions and Non-Resolutions

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New Year's Resolutions

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I don’t do it anymore–make New Year’s Resolutions, that is. After 60+ years, I know better.

Evidently, I’m in good company. Mark Twain wasn’t too keen on New Year’s Resolutions, either.

…Mark Twain has written of New Year’s Resolutions, “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.” read full post here

But there is one thing I do each year. I pull out the books I’ve been journaling in for over thirty years, and I reread some of my favorite sayings collected over the years.

Some of them mean something totally different to me now then they did twenty or thirty years ago when I first wrote them. Take for instance this one by Eleanor Roosevelt, No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

When I first wrote this in my journal back in the sixties, women were scrambling uphill to establish equal footing with men. I recited it out loud, over and over again like a mantra. The “little woman” stereotype in me was attempting to break out and reach for hitherto impossible things. Believe me, it wasn’t an easy concept to grasp–this freedom to be whoever I wanted to be. It was a time when every young woman needed a mantra and this one was mine.

I saved another one from Eleanor Roosevelt that still rings out loud and clear to me. You must do the thing that you think you cannot do. This one started me on the path I’ve walked for the rest of my life.

I’ve learned that I don’t always have to conform. I think the reward for conformity is everyone likes you but yourself. Attributed to Rita Mae Brown.

Learning who to befriend is big, too. Claudette Colbert said it best. It’s more important what’s in a woman’s face than what’s on it.

I like to believe the older I get, the wiser I become. Reading over the sayings that are dear to my heart each year reinforce that belief. I’ve learned it’s important to “live” from Dorothy McCall. One cannot have wisdom without living life.

Also, from Joan Baez, You don’t get to choose how you are going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live. Now.

And it appears many people are collectors of sayings. These are a few from Lee Cantrell’s blog:

I’d like to think that this one is a good description of me:
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Lastly, since I just quit my job, I guess this one is really me:
“I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.” – George Burns read full post here

Once I’ve read through all my journals, there’s no reason to make a resolution. Life leads, and I follow.

Memphis, Tennessee & Tunica, Mississippi

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Did you know Memphis is situated in the southwest corner of Tennessee and that it shares its borderline with Mississippi and Arkansas? Well, it seemed to my friends and me that we should, at the very least, have lunch in one of these two bordering states. We decided to drive over the bridge into Mississippi. What a surprise we had in store!

Our first stop was Mississippi’s Visitor Center, where we learned we were 15 minutes away from a large gaming area in the small town of Tunica. The casino aspect didn’t interest us much because we were hungry, but we figured a casino would have multiple restaurants to choose from. The Horseshoe Casino caught our eye.

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Lucky for us, because we ate at their unforgettable buffet restaurant. Words cannot describe the immense array of food offered there.

Picture yourself standing in the middle of a shopping mall’s food court having no need to decide what you want to eat, because you can eat everything: Italian, Oriental, Southern, The Grille, Southwest, Barbeque, Salads, Soups, Desserts and Ice Cream Sundae Bar. I’ve probably forgotten a few, believe it or not.

With appetites sated, we headed back to Memphis to shop.

A word about Beale Street–I was expecting something similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but Beale Street is much shorter, only extends about a block to two. Therefore, it doesn’t have as many shops, but what it lacks in shopping, it makes up for in good food and fantastic music. The entire time spent on Beale Street is a party for the senses.

After that unbelievable lunch at the Horseshoe, we thought we would never eat again, but the next day, we found ourselves at Pig On Beale.

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There is one important fact to know about BBQ, it comes “wet” or “dry.” At the Pig, you can order your ribs with a dry rub. Take it from me, if you’re ever at the Pig, dry is the way to go.

The final Memphis highlight that I will touch on has a lot of “soul.”

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We had time to visit one museum and, boy, did we make a good choice. Music, with just the right mixture of history, made for a memorable visit.

If there was one negative about Memphis, it would be their widespread panhandling. The city doesn’t seem to have a handle on handling their panhandling, which during the day is irritating, but when it’s dark, it’s really scary.

Other than that, there’s lots more to do in and around Memphis, but we ran out of time.

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Memphis, Tennessee – The Birth of the Blues

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If you’re looking to hear the blues, Memphis is the town.

Looking to savor the sweet taste of BBQ? Memphis is a good choice.

I recently got it into my head that I’d like to do both. I emailed a co-worker to see if there was any mutual interest. This is how the emailed exchange went.

Do you want to go to Memphis? [Me]

Are you serious? [Co-worker]

Yes. [Me]

What brought this on? [Co-worker]

$100 roundtrip offer being made by Northwest Airlines. [Me]

Let’s do it. [Co-worker]

I guess it’s clear from the email exchange that I’m a bit of a free spirit and most of my friends tend to be cut from the same cloth. Therefore, this type of exchange happens more often than one would think, especially since I receive updates from various travel sites listing each week’s top ten best travel deals. (It was one of these offers that served as catalyst for my Carnival Cruise, which I wrote about back in October, ’07)

Anyway, we swooped into Memphis early Saturday morning, and we stayed at the Comfort Inn, a fortunate choice. Choosing accommodations in a city that you haven’t visited before is tricky, but sometimes luck is on your side. Our Comfort Inn was truly an inn. The price of the room included a continental breakfast that turned out to be much, much more then mere donuts and coffee. What a delight.

Speaking of delights, another one of our friends drove clear across Tennessee to meet us in Memphis. What began as a spur of the moment jaunt, became a glorious three-day reunion, jam packed with loads of fun, music, history and good eatin’.

Our first stop was to the famous Beale Street, where we swooned over the music at B.B. King’s and ate catfish, shrimp po’ boys and, what else? BBQ.

More about the Memphis adventure next week.

December-The Perfect Month To Reminisce

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Because so many things occur in the month of December, dreaming up something to write about is as easy as 1-2-3. I’m here to spur you on with some writing ideas because I know how important your memories are, even if you don’t realize it yet yourself.

The obvious choices are Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Maybe you remember one that remains a true highlight in your mind. It should be shared. Write it down now. Your family and friends will someday be thankful to relive it with you through your written words.

Speaking of words; maybe you’re thinking that you can’t write. The truth is, writers wouldn’t want you to know this, but journaling is simple because all you do is write the same way you talk. Write as if you were telling the story to your grandchild or to your next door neighbor. If you can talk, you can write.

Getting back to the holidays, maybe you can’t think of one that stands out as being special. Well, this year is another year. Write something about this year’s holiday.

Maybe you hate holidays. Some people do, you know. There are numerous other things you can write about this month.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks sat down in a bus and almost single-handedly started the Civil Rights Movement. Her day is commemorated each year on December 1st, Rosa Parks Day. What were you doing in 1955? Want to refresh your memory about the Rosa Parks. Go to her website http://rosaparks.org/index.html
What do you remember about the Women’s Movement? The First Susan B. Anthony Dollar appreared on December 6, 1978.
Where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941?
Maybe you’re more interested in science. Write about the Winter Solstice, when the earth moves closest to the sun. It happens this year on December 22nd. If you want to learn more, go to http://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html
On a lighter note, write about the swell times you had looking at the Howdy Doody Show. It premiered on December 27, 1947. If you were lucky enough to have a television, you were probably watching Clarabelle and the rest of the gang. If you didn’t have a television, write about that–living without TV.

Trust me, writing about yourself is easy as pie. And if you still can’t bring yourself to share a memory, share a pie recipe.

Candy Cigarettes

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I like to write “remember when” essays, and yesterday I got to thinking about penny candy and how wonderful it felt to buy a handful of candy with a few copper pennies. One of my favorites was candy cigarettes: all sugar, shaped like a real cigarette with one tip painted red.

It was my intention to go on the web and find a picture of the candy to attach to this post. Imagine my surprise to find that candy cigarettes are a very controversial topic. Who knew?

According to Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Jun. 19, 2007) — New research suggests that playing with candy cigarettes may favorably set the minds of some children towards becoming future cigarette smokers.

And the British Medical Association, (BMA) reports, candy cigarettes have actually been banned in some countries.

Candy cigarettes have reportedly been restricted or banned in many countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Finland,Norway, Australia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States,legislation banning candy cigarettes has been proposed unsuccessfullyat the federal level in 1970 and in 1990, in 11 states, and inNew York City. Only one US jurisdiction, North Dakota, has everbanned candy cigarettes. (That ban in 1953 was repealed in 1967.)

Who knew?

All I wanted to do was reminisce a little about how I loved those candy cigarettes. I remember sucking on the end until it came to a sharp point. Although, upon recollection, I don’t think I ever put the “lit” end into my mouth, so I suppose they did represent a real cigarette to me.

And, looking back, I did become an adult smoker, so maybe the test results are valid. Oh, didn’t I tell you there have been actual tests run? It appears that kids who smoke pretend cigarettes grow up and become adults who smoke real cigarettes ?

“Candy cigarettes: do they encourage children’s smoking?” This studyfound that sixth graders who reported having used candy cigaretteswere twice as likely to have also smoked tobacco cigarettes, regardlessof parental smoking status. Additionally, 5-11 year olds infocus groups consistently identified candy cigarettes as “smokingtoys,” BMA

Sheesh!

The next time I decide to write a “remember when” memoir, I’ll try to stick with something that is less controversial like Tinkertoys, Teaberry Chewing Gum, or Tangee Lipstick, which I loved to wear when I was a young teen.

Frances Ellen Speaks!

A little bit of this and that.

Category Archives: Life

Elvis

Memphis, Tennessee – The Birth of the Blues