Category Archives: Thoughts

WORD PLAY

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I’ve already mentioned the importance of taking the time to journal once in awhile so that a small part of your history will remain alive forever on a written page. It’s important, and I’ll keep saying it.

But sometimes, it’s important to have fun with words, too. With that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to a contest that the Washington Post conducts annually. It’s call the Annual Neologism Contest. Readers are encouraged to begin with a common word, but give it a new meaning. For example:

Coffee – The person upon whom one coughs.

Balderdash – A rapidly receding hairline.

Flabbergasted – Appalled over how much weight you have gained.

 Another portion of the contest, and my favorite, invites readers to again start with a common word, but this time add one letter, or take away one letter, or change one letter. Then supply a new definition. Some examples:

Giraffiti – Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Karmageddon – It’s like when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon – The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

If you’d like to see the entire list, go to Washington Post Annual Neologism Contest Winners. Enjoy.

And don’t forget, think seriously about writing something down, any little thing will do just fine. It doesn’t have to be clever, it just has to be about YOU.

Silk Stockings

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I think I’ll write about something that is not a part of my personal experience. These days, that’s somewhat of a rarity, however, this actually happened before I was born. It’s something my mother and her girlfriends did during WW II.

 

First, it’s important to know that up until the New York World’s Fair of 1940, women still wore silk stockings with a seam running up the back of the leg. That year at the Fair, though, a new material was exhibited by the DuPont Company. Since this was its first introduction to the public, DuPont named it nylon, the “ny” stood for New York.

According to Mark Falco’s Hiistory of Nylons

…after the New York World Fair when the new miracle fiber in the form of nylon stockings hit the market on May 14th 1940. Women rushed out to buy them, not in their thousands, but in their millions!

Two years later the production of nylon stockings went on something of a hold as nylon was enrolled in helping the war effort, being used in such things as parachute and tent production.

My mother told me during the time when stockings became scarce, she and her friends became quite adept at mimicking seam lines. First they applied pancake makeup to the back of their legs. Then they drew seam lines on each others’ legs with eyebrow pencil. It took a steady hand, although my mother admitted that when she was in a hurry, she drew some pretty crooked lines. That wasn’t a terribly bad thing because the seams on nylon stockings very often became crooked after they were worn for several hours. So, unless the lines were really squiggly, they were deemed acceptable.

Since I’m composing this post from a chaise lounge, by the pool, on a ship headed for Cozumel, Mexico, my next post will be about travel.. My cruise includes stops in Belize, Freeport and Roatan, Honduras.

Senior Cotton Candy

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My intent for this blog is to provide a senior citizen voice. In that regard, I am eminently qualified since I have recently joined the 55+ gang. With that in mind, here are a few things you should know about me.

I live and work in corporate America, I like to cook, and reading is my obsession. There’s much more, but for now I’d like to talk about my “cotton candy hair.”

I don’t mean to imply my hair is pastel pink or blue. What I’m saying is, my hair has lost all semblance of what is commonly known as “body.” When I watch shampoo commercials on TV and the model’s lustrous hair is bouncing and flowing from side to side in slow motion, I sigh deeply, and force myself to face reality. The fact is there is no shampoo on the face of this planet that is going to change the fact that I have cotton candy hair. How did this happen? And is there anything I can do about it? According to MSNBC…

A shock to the body’s system, which stresses the hair follicles, is often to blame for this change in cyclical hair events. Two to three months after the stressor hits, up to 70 percent of hairs can enter the telogen phase and commence a massive “fall out”.

…This may be due to a condition called alopecia areata. This is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the hair follicles and hair falls out in small, round patches. In some individuals, this can progress to total loss of hair on the head (alopecia areata totalis), or even complete loss of hair on the head, face (eyebrows, eyelashes) and body (pubic and underarm hair). The latter rare condition is called alopecia areata universalis.

…There are a number of therapies that are currently being used (when there are multiple therapies, it generally means that no one is going to be absolutely effective). They include:

  • Corticoid steroids: These are cortisone types of anti-inflammatory drugs that help to suppress the immune system; they can be given as a pill, topical ointment or as a local injection, directly into the hairless patches on the scalp.
  • Minoxidil 5%: (known under the brand name of Rogaine) This promotes hair growth in several conditions in which the hair follicles are small and not growing to their full potential. It needs to be used on a daily basis. New hair growth can appear in about 12 weeks, however if use of the drug stops, the new hair may fall out.
  • Anthralin (Psoriatic): This is a tar like substance that is used to treat psoriasis; it changes the immune function in the affected skin. If it does work, new hair growth is seen in eight to twelve weeks. It is often used in combination with other medications.
  • Sulfasalazin: This sulfa drug is used to treat autoimmune disorders.
  • Topical sensitizers: These, when applied to the scalp, cause an allergic reaction that leads to itching and scaling, but also stimulate the hair follicles and can cause hair growth. Again, results are only seen after long-term use, usually three to twelve months.
  • Photo chemotherapy: This too is used for psoriasis. It has helped about half those treated, but requires special equipment and treatment two to three times a week. There are concerns that it could increase risk of skin cancer.

Hmm, that doesn’t sound too encouraging.

Anyway, now that I got that off my chest, I’ll close with remarks about the general content you should expect from my blog.

Since I suffer the same setbacks as any other senior citizen, and I revel in the same joys, sometimes I’ll share a memoir with you. From time to time, I’ll give you hints about how you can start your own journal or blog. I intend to talk about vacations, retirement trends, and about topics in the news that apply to us seniors. I may even reveal some of my most cherished recipes. (It could happen!)

Some of what you find here will be light and fun, at other times it could be important stuff, because learning new things should never come to a grinding half.

Your comments, concerns and ideas are always welcome. It will please me if we, as senior citizens, are out here thinking and planning, and expressing ourselves. Here’s to us!