September 2021 – Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50

Posted on September 30, 2021September 28, 2021 by LA · 25 Comments

Who do you report to?

Pat Lee is the CEO of Widgets Inc. Widgets Inc. is a multi million dollar conglomerate that is a public company.

Pat Lee is the top of the food chain at Widgets- sort of…

Who does Pat Lee really work for? When Pat Lee does their job, who are they reporting to:

Board of Directors?

Shareholders?

Employees?

General Public?

Special Interest Groups?

When Pat Lee makes a decision who are they primarily thinking about?

Why?

How important is it if a company makes money? If a CEO doesn’t make money, is the Board correct in replacing them?

If you were CEO of a major corporation who would you report to?

Posted on September 29, 2021September 27, 2021 by LA · 102 Comments

Take Care of You

Do you

Refrain from smoking/vaping?

Limit your alcohol consumption?

Stay away from drugs that can become addictive or cause other issues?

Exercise?

Know what your cholesterol and blood pressure are and blood sugar are?

Limit fatty foods?

Limit sugary food?

Drink 64 ounces of water a day?

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day?

Walk 10,000 steps?

Get six to eight hours of sleep a day?

Brush and floss teeth regularly?

Wear sunscreen?

Stretch?

If you said NO to most of these questions, I will assume that you are under 23 and/or a college student.

If you’re over 23, I have one question to ask:

Why are you choosing not to take care of your health?

which then leads to the question:

Should we take more individual responsibility when it comes to checking our health?

Should we do the basic things that help keep our bodies in working order before things get out of hand?

Is the onus on US to take individual responsibility for how our bodies work?

Do we care enough about ourselves that we do what we can to keep things in working order?

Or do we just not care enough about ourselves to do whatever preventive measures we can?

Should people take basic responsibility for their health?

You can give your responses as multiple choice, short answer or essay. You will not be graded on grammar, and there are no consequences for only answering some of the questions.

You have unlimited time to write your answers:

You may begin:

Posted on September 28, 2021September 28, 2021 by LA · 52 Comments

Opinion vs Belief

I really try to avoid discussing politics, religion and money.

I may poke the bear a little bit, take shots at both sides of an argument when I am able to, because sometimes the hypocrisy is just too obvious. Sometimes I like to push people to think about the other side of the coin…It’s what some people love about me- it’s what others hate about me…

But anyway…

I try to avoid the obvious taking sides, or thinking that one way is superior to another…especially in politics, religion and money. I understand that people have firm thoughts on these things, and I think everyone can own their own thoughts.

I think there is a difference between an opinion and a belief.

I think opinion and belief are two separate things.

Say what you say…

I define OPINION as something that someone takes a stand on, but knows that it is entirely personal preference.

My opinion is that Zazzy’s pizza is better than Joe and Pat’s.

My opinion is that the Dior exhibit was better than the Fashion Exhibit at the Met.

My opinion is that loose leaf tea makes a better cup than a teabag.

The above are my opinions. It is what I think about a particular topic. I would gladly have a discussion with anyone about these things, and I can do so in a calm and kindly matter. I will not think someone is stupid because they think the opposite- I will gladly debate points about my opinion and counter their opinion. However- none of these is the cause I defend to my dying day. I am never going to get really mad if someone disagrees with me on one of these things. If you think Joe & Pat’s rules- well fine by me. I am not going to think the other person is stupid or ill informed or ignorant if they don’t share my opinion.

Beliefs. Beliefs are core values. Beliefs are the things that people will defend to the end. Politics, religion, money: these are some things that people take a side on and do not budge. Beliefs are not points that can be argued or debated or discussed politely.

I believe that censorship is bad and we should avoid it at every level.

You are never going to be able to argue this with me politely. If you don’t agree with me I will think you are stupid, ignorant and ill informed. It’s that simple. I may think that some things should not be shown where children are, perhaps age restrictions, maybe warnings…but I will defend the right for an artist to create something. Period. Even if I don’t like it. Remember my diatribe on WAP? HATE HATE HATE the song. I will defend it being played.

What are things that you have opinions on?

What are things you believe in?

Posted on September 27, 2021September 25, 2021 by LA · 52 Comments

Sacred Space

Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy
Joseph Campbell

Sacred space

Sacred Time

Something joyous

Are those the three keys to a happy life?

I have routines and traditions. There are things that I do on a consistent basis, as there were things that my family did on a consistent basis. These things were sacred to me, this time spent in a certain way. These things were joyous…

Is that all I need for a happy life?

I admit my life is pretty good. If you ask my daughter, she will tell you that the biggest parenting fail my Husband and I made was giving her a really nice childhood…(no- there are no parenting wins FYI)

Of course, my routines have evolved over the years as my interests have changed. I’d say the hardest thing about pandemic, for me, was not being able to have routines and continue with things that I love.

So yes, I think Campbell in onto something…

My sacred spaces are my desk in the living room. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Movie theater- especially Film Forum.

My sacred time is the morning when the day is filled with endless possibilities. I also like 10-11pm where the world is a cup of tea, the New York Times Crossword for the next day, and a chapter or two of a book.

Joyous? Books, film, art, tea, flowers, words…

What are yours? Your space, your time, your joy?

What is all you need?

Posted on September 26, 2021September 26, 2021 by LA · 20 Comments

What Inspired Me: September 26

Banksy exhibit was quite interesting. It’s unauthorized, so I didn’t expect anything to disappear before my eyes, yet I was still sort of hoping… Banksy was the author of the quote in Friday’s blog. It’s not his art per se that is important- it’s his reasoning behind what he chooses to do…
Flip Sigi is Philippino fast food- and it’s delicious. The burger has a Longanisa sausage patty on it. Don’t know what it is, but it’s delicious…two words: banana ketchup
It was fun to go back to San Gennaro. Our goal is always to find something new at one of the stands- this year a huge, meat filled rice ball. We were not there for the parade or cannoli eating contest.
The Relative Value: The Cost of Art in the Northern Renaissance exhibit at the Met is interesting because they explain how things were valued- namely by how many cows it would take to purchase something.
I’d never seen Breathless before. Should see for anyone who is interested in film…however….if this was an American classic we would be condemning it as opposed to genuflecting before it. If you are easily offended by sexist behavior, probably not for you to watch…
We have completed the Thrillist List of best Pizza- My clear winner is Zazzy’s Pizza. Clearly one of best slices of pizza in NYC- if you ever visit and want a traditional NYC slice- this place should be on your list
Dior exhibit amazing!!

Posted on September 25, 2021September 24, 2021 by LA · 35 Comments

Gratitude Saturday- September 25

On Tuesday my Husband worked in the office and then had a business dinner.

Do I need to tell you how grateful I am for these two things?

That evening I binge watched some show called “On the Verge” on Netflix.

It was very mediocre.

I am grateful for very mediocre TV because sometimes you just need to get lost in something that you don’t really care about. Sometimes you just need to veg in front of a screen…

Posted on September 24, 2021September 24, 2021 by LA · 42 Comments

Anything Can Happen Friday: Game Time

I recently read the following:

The idea of blindly obeying orders is perceived by %^&*&$ as an opportunity to avoid responsibility for your own actions. They underlines that it is essential for each of us to make our own decisions and be responsible for them.

When you read “blindly obeying orders”, what does it mean to you? (there are no wrong answers- this is totally opinion)
Can you give an example of someone blindly obeying orders?
Who do you think made this statement? You don’t need to submit an actual name- you can say some characteristic of the type of person who would make this statement

Do not argue at one another about their answers! Everyone is allowed their opinion. Also, be prepared that your answer might contradict the answer of another. Try to grasp why someone’s point of view may be different than yours.

The speaker of the quote will be revealed on Sunday

Posted on September 23, 2021September 21, 2021 by LA · 65 Comments

I Miss You

Pet Peeve time:

I hate it when people ask me if I miss my daughter while she is at college.

What does it mean to miss someone?

Let’s talk a little about me…

I love my daughter very much. I also feel that she loves me very much. When you are secure in the to and fro of a relationship, you don’t really feel the “missing” because it’s just a part of your heart. I don’t really “miss” her because she is always with me in spirit.

I also text/facetime/talk to my daughter almost every day. I know everyone out there is going to have an opinion about this. Some will say I’m not allowing her to spread her wings. Some will say I’m being over protective. Some will be jealous of my relationship. Some will think it’s nice that we connect when we can. For the record: don’t care what anyone thinks- this is how our relationship has evolved up to this point. I’m sure as time goes on it will evolve further, but I’m all for letting things happen organically.

What do we talk about you ask?

Sometimes it’s practical. She texts that she received a package. I call because I’m having trouble resizing a JPEG that I need to attach to something. She asked me to read over an review she wrote for the paper. I give her updates about her grandfather.

Sometimes it’s fun- she calls to tell be about a sorority party. I call to discuss a movie I just saw. We text each other pictures from the Met Gala…

Can you really miss someone you talk to almost everyday?

Chew on that for a moment…

You know why else I don’t completely get this question?

In a world where Zoom took over our lives- do we still need to be physically present with someone in order to not miss them?

I guess if we are discussing pet peeves I must add that I hate Zoom and doing things where I have interactions over a screen with more than one person. What am I saying? Even one person. I can facetime with my daughter because we are easy going about it. I walk around the house, I make tea, I put things away while I am on the phone with my daughter because we just kind of go with the flow. I don’t know how many others would be this easy going about my laissez faire video calls.

Now I know you’ve enjoyed learning about some of the things that I don’t like- but we will return to the original question:

When you say you “miss” someone, what do you mean?

What are the things that make you say you miss them?

What do you miss about them?

When is the last time you told someone that you missed them, and what was the who, what, when, where and how of it all?

Posted on September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 by LA · 75 Comments

Butt, I’m just trying to help…

Imagine a person is coming into the city from the suburbs.

They get to the train station in the city and need to use the rest room.

In the rest room they happen upon a woman who appears homeless. The person is washing their face in the rest room sink. The presumed homeless person is with a child.

Suburban woman exits rest room and tells a station police officer that there is an apparent homeless person in the bathroom with a child.

Suburban woman’s 23 year old son is with her. He becomes mad at his mother for saying something to police. Her response is that when a child is involved she needs to say something.

If you were any of the players in this little drama, what would you do?

Now, because I know that people are going to make assumptions about the woman, in this example, let’s say that the suburban woman is a pussy hat, liberal flag waving sort- this is the person who would burn a MAGA hat if she saw one, and most likely the person in the hat. Son wears the same hat and flag of his Mother.

Does the above fact change your mind or your opinion about anything?

Tell me anything you want about the above scenario:

Posted on September 21, 2021September 21, 2021 by LA · 110 Comments

Special Request

I don’t normally eat fish.

My daughter doesn’t eat beef, chicken or pork.

My Husband doesn’t eat cheese, butter or most dairy.

I know- at this point you’re all thinking- How is it that I’ve never invited LA and her family over to break bread…

We don’t have allergies. We either don’t like the taste or choose not to eat these things.

If you are going to someone’s house, do you volunteer this information, or do you wait to be asked if you have any food issues?

If you find out what your host is making ahead of time, and you know that you don’t like it, do you mention it to them?

For me, unless directly asked “Is there anything that you don’t eat?” I tend to just find something at the meal that I can eat. I don’t make a big deal about what is being served. I don’t want the host to go out of their way to satisfy me. I figure they have enough on their plate.

Do you make food requests of hosts?

Now let’s get a little tricky. If you found out that your host was going to make lobster, or buy expensive steaks, do you tell them not to buy a portion for you, because it is expensive and you know you’re not going to eat it?

How about if you are going to someone’s house, would you ask them to make a certain dish because you like it? (for the record, I don’t mean if my daughter is coming home and asks me to make something special, because I think in some situations it’s OK for a kid to ask their parent to make a “favorite” dish, and most parents are happy to oblige) I’m referring to a less close relationship than parent/child.

If you find out that you are going to someone’s house and find out that they are ordering pizza, do you tell them that pizza is not an appropriate food to serve guests?

When you are going to someone else’s house, should the food be a consideration? Or should the main goal just to be hanging out and spending time together?

Discuss: