I've been volunteering at the Sestak for Senate campaign off and on. A bit more off recently with the holidays but hopefully more on in the future. Today I got to spend a few hours handing out literature and stickers at an event in King of Prussia and was lucky enough to hear Admiral/Congressman Sestak speak.
He was terrific, well spoken, passionate but not shrill or overly polished, just a guy with no jacket, shirt sleeves rolled up, talking about his wish to make our country a better place. He spoke about Tikkun olam , the Jewish responsibility to repair the world and how that was the duty of all Americans. He said that his 31 years in the Navy made him not an ideologue but a problem solver and that he wanted to be not a politician but a public servant.
Later he passed me in the hall and I called out great speech. He stopped and said really, I just came from two veteran's funerals and felt bad I didn't get to mention that. I told him he came off very real and not to change his style at all. I got a big hug before he went off to the next meeting. Being the good jewish mother that I am I stopped his handler on my way out and gave him my bag of soft pretzels so they wouldn't be hungry. He said he would try and get him to eat.
The man who introduced him noted that Sestak's opponent, Toomey, represents some of the worse aspects of present day politics; the revolving door and the desire to eliminate any discussion or difference of opinion. After having worked on Wall Street Toomey then went to Congress to pass laws to end financial regulation and oversight of Wall Street. We all know how well that worked out. He also worked for a lobbying group whose main purpose was to eliminate any moderate voices in the Republican part, allowing the tea party to flourish. He said what people need to realize is that this is not your grandparents, or even your parents, Republican party. The Republican party has destroyed itself, giving up their ideas and beliefs and nothing seems to be left but fear and hate. The alternative to the Democratic party is no longer alternative ideas but is instead anger and divisiveness.
It felt great to give some of my time to such a great guy and hopefully have hugged the next Senator from Pennsylvania.
Want to learn more? Go to JoeSestak.com
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
colorado
Just back from an awesome trip to Colorado. Flew into Denver and spent the day wandering the city which was very nice and had some great restaurants. They managed to save all their old factories and have turned them into terrific looking loft apartments and bars and restaurants. In the middle of the city is the baseball stadium which looks great and really gives a city a nice vibrancy. Sorry ours isn't located in our downtown area. The next day we drove an hour away to Colorado Springs. Toured the air force academy which was really beautiful and huge. The cadets do their line up at lunch which was great fun to watch. There they were marching in perfect precision on two sides of a field when suddenly they starting screaming and running madly toward each other, flags and bayonets in hand. It looked like a scene from Braveheart or Robin Hood and we thought they had all gone mad and we were about to witness a carnage. However someone explained to us that the next day was the opening football game and this was their version of a pep rally. Then off to tour the Olympic training facility which was a bit dull unless you are an Olympic geek like me who gets ecstatic looking at the pool Michal Phelps swam in and the weights Apollo Ono lifted. Finished the day at the Garden of the Gods, a beautiful area of red rocks.
Left the next day at 9am for Rocky Mountain National Park,and spent till after 6pm that night driving and exploring. The park is amazing, mountains, trees, wildflowers, lakes. Denver is a mile high, 5280 feet above sea level and we went to over 12,000 feet in the park. At that level you are officially in the tundra eco system ( remember 5th grade?), above the treeline and the temp dropped to about 55 degrees. The road we took through the park is one of those winding edge of the cliff things and for some unfathomable reason has no guard rails. Not sure they would have helped with a 10,000 foot drop but still...I spent much of the ride leaning towards Ken as if my weight shift would prevent the car from crashing over the edge. We survived.
Near the end of the day we pulled over where some people were standing and wound up no more than an arm length away from a mother and baby moose. The were so close you could see how soft and velvety their fur was and look right into their eyes. It's easy to see how people forget and reach out and try to touch them. Not a good idea as a female is usually around 700 pounds. Then we all spotted the Dad maybe about 15 feet away laying down in the woods with an enormous set of antlers. ( Insert 'what a rack' joke here) We waited,along with 20 of our new friends and got the treat of a life time. He stood up and wandered into a clearing incredibly close to us where he proceeded to eat, scratch his massive antlers against a tree and make the most bizarre noises for over 30 minutes. I can't believe how lucky we were. Ken of course has it all on photo and video.
The next day we were headed back to Denver for 2 nights and decided to stop in Boulder along the way. We took a walking tour with a Univ of Boulder sociology professor who was so terrific and so enthusiastic that by the end we can cancelled our hotel in Denver and had hotel and dinner reservations in Boulder. We loved Boulder. It is really special place. An incredibly beautiful and walkable 'downtown' all perfectly maintained where no building is over 3 stories so you see the very blue sky and breathtaking mountains no matter where you go. Of course everyone is into hiking and biking and is very environmentally and health conscious which we kind of expected. The city is full of attractive and fit people. What we didn't expect was that the combination of the university and several federal research facilities has made Boulder a center of entrepreneurial activity and bought in amazing wealth in search of start up companies. The restaurants are expensive, with innovative and amazing food and 20 page wine lists and were filed with the kind of well dressed, sophisticated looking crowd you expect to find more on the east coast. Except everyone is wonderfully nice and friendly! The town has it all. We went to a farmers market, saw the Univ of Colorado stampede (a pep rally that marches through town before the big football game), took a walk along the foothills of the mountains, and shopped and ate! Did I forget to mention that Colorado has medical marijuana and Boulder seems to be its center? It's fascinating socially and legally and I'll put that in another post. But all good things must end, so we said our goodbyes to the mountains and the moose and headed home.
Left the next day at 9am for Rocky Mountain National Park,and spent till after 6pm that night driving and exploring. The park is amazing, mountains, trees, wildflowers, lakes. Denver is a mile high, 5280 feet above sea level and we went to over 12,000 feet in the park. At that level you are officially in the tundra eco system ( remember 5th grade?), above the treeline and the temp dropped to about 55 degrees. The road we took through the park is one of those winding edge of the cliff things and for some unfathomable reason has no guard rails. Not sure they would have helped with a 10,000 foot drop but still...I spent much of the ride leaning towards Ken as if my weight shift would prevent the car from crashing over the edge. We survived.
Near the end of the day we pulled over where some people were standing and wound up no more than an arm length away from a mother and baby moose. The were so close you could see how soft and velvety their fur was and look right into their eyes. It's easy to see how people forget and reach out and try to touch them. Not a good idea as a female is usually around 700 pounds. Then we all spotted the Dad maybe about 15 feet away laying down in the woods with an enormous set of antlers. ( Insert 'what a rack' joke here) We waited,along with 20 of our new friends and got the treat of a life time. He stood up and wandered into a clearing incredibly close to us where he proceeded to eat, scratch his massive antlers against a tree and make the most bizarre noises for over 30 minutes. I can't believe how lucky we were. Ken of course has it all on photo and video.
The next day we were headed back to Denver for 2 nights and decided to stop in Boulder along the way. We took a walking tour with a Univ of Boulder sociology professor who was so terrific and so enthusiastic that by the end we can cancelled our hotel in Denver and had hotel and dinner reservations in Boulder. We loved Boulder. It is really special place. An incredibly beautiful and walkable 'downtown' all perfectly maintained where no building is over 3 stories so you see the very blue sky and breathtaking mountains no matter where you go. Of course everyone is into hiking and biking and is very environmentally and health conscious which we kind of expected. The city is full of attractive and fit people. What we didn't expect was that the combination of the university and several federal research facilities has made Boulder a center of entrepreneurial activity and bought in amazing wealth in search of start up companies. The restaurants are expensive, with innovative and amazing food and 20 page wine lists and were filed with the kind of well dressed, sophisticated looking crowd you expect to find more on the east coast. Except everyone is wonderfully nice and friendly! The town has it all. We went to a farmers market, saw the Univ of Colorado stampede (a pep rally that marches through town before the big football game), took a walk along the foothills of the mountains, and shopped and ate! Did I forget to mention that Colorado has medical marijuana and Boulder seems to be its center? It's fascinating socially and legally and I'll put that in another post. But all good things must end, so we said our goodbyes to the mountains and the moose and headed home.
Monday, August 30, 2010
So much for resolutions...
We all have things we resolved to never do, or let happen again. The best laid plans...somewhere after high school I resolved to never let a boy make me listen to music I hate, especially Led Zeppelin, and never to sit by the phone , staring at it, willing it to ring. Or worse, making myself crazy trying to determine if calling 'him' would make me seen desperate.
Then I had a son. First came years of listening to his music on the car radio or blasting through the house, most of it good, some of it, Led Zeppelin. Resolution 1 down the drain. And then, after moving him into his freshman dorm on Friday, I sat for the entire weekend staring at my cell phone, willing it to ring, or text , or email. There went resolution 2! Finally Ken texted him late Saturday afternoon and since then have had some texts and even 2 (quick) phone calls). Yea!
All is well.
Then I had a son. First came years of listening to his music on the car radio or blasting through the house, most of it good, some of it, Led Zeppelin. Resolution 1 down the drain. And then, after moving him into his freshman dorm on Friday, I sat for the entire weekend staring at my cell phone, willing it to ring, or text , or email. There went resolution 2! Finally Ken texted him late Saturday afternoon and since then have had some texts and even 2 (quick) phone calls). Yea!
All is well.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wash Dc, rappers and museums...
On the road with my favorite traveling companions! We needed to move Melissa out of her summer Washington digs so we decided to make a mini weekend out of it. Ken, Ross and I went down on Friday morning and headed over the the Museum of American history where Melissa met us after finishing her last day of work. Had lots of fun seeing Lincoln's hat, the ruby red slippers, James Brown's cape and of course Michelle's dress. Then over to her apartment where ,shockingly, she was completely packed up and ready to go. Of course, not shockingly, she had so much stuff it filled the car and the 3 of us walked back to the hotel. Had a great dinner, did the mandatory photo op in front of the White House and walked over to the W hotel where the rooftop bar is suppose to have an amazing view. After standing in line for 10 minutes we were told we couldn't go up because Ross didn't have ID to prove he was 21. Annoyed, the kids went off to the bathroom while Ken and I went outside. Bored after waiting for 2 seconds Ken wandered off to talk to the guy hanging out in front of one of those huge touring buses you see going down the highway and wonder if they belong to some rock band on tour. Guess what, they do, and they are very cool inside. Turns out this one belongs to Outkast and within 5 minutes the four of us were inside the bus drinking beers and hanging out with Angelo, Andre 3000's first cousin.(One of the most innovative and successful groups in hip-hop, OutKast comprising André "André 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Pattonhas sold more than 20 million records over the last 14 years, both members have also now branched out into film acting)
We spent an amazing hour hearing all about their life together in Atlanta both as kids and now, what life is like on the road, and why Outkast (minus Andre) was in Washington DC (a long funny story involving a lot of money and a strip club). Angelo had lots of great life advice for the kids, most of it completely unprintable here. After hanging out on the bus for over an hour and getting the most bizarre looks from the people who wandered off and on the bus ( I guess a suburban family of four is not what you expect to find on a rappers bus)Angelo made Big Boi stop before getting in the (large black) SUV to the 'gentlemens' club so that Ross could get his picture taken with him. It was all pretty thrilling.
The next day,joined by one of Melissa's friends from Penn, we went off to a tour of the Capital which wasn't bad and then spent the afternoon at the Newseum (
Back home on Sunday...Ken and Ross in the car, piled high with Melissa's junk and her and I by train!
We spent an amazing hour hearing all about their life together in Atlanta both as kids and now, what life is like on the road, and why Outkast (minus Andre) was in Washington DC (a long funny story involving a lot of money and a strip club). Angelo had lots of great life advice for the kids, most of it completely unprintable here. After hanging out on the bus for over an hour and getting the most bizarre looks from the people who wandered off and on the bus ( I guess a suburban family of four is not what you expect to find on a rappers bus)Angelo made Big Boi stop before getting in the (large black) SUV to the 'gentlemens' club so that Ross could get his picture taken with him. It was all pretty thrilling.
The next day,joined by one of Melissa's friends from Penn, we went off to a tour of the Capital which wasn't bad and then spent the afternoon at the Newseum (
Back home on Sunday...Ken and Ross in the car, piled high with Melissa's junk and her and I by train!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Inception & More
Saw Inception last night. First I need to tell you that this movie is revealing a previously unknown generation gap . My parents and 3 of their friends saw it opening weekend and Hated it. Seriously hated it, as in 'worst movie ever, wish we had walked out' hated it. My daughter reported that her boyfriends' grandparents, who live in new york and do not know my parents or their friends, also hated it. Their reaction, combined with some pretty weak reviews and ,in my opinion, very unappealing coming attractions, had me crossing it off my list.
Then my daughter and several of her friends went to see it, over a two day period. Their reaction; incredible, unbelievable,loved it,amazing.
What! Now I was totally confused. Sure people often disagree on a movie but this seemed like a pretty extreme difference of opinion.
So, obviously I felt the obligation to see it myself. I was, I think, well prepared by a friend's comments/advice. 'At first I tried to fill in all the pieces of information and back story that the movie didn't give me and that was making me not like it. Then I just relaxed and went along for the ride.'
My verdict,echoed by husband, Loved it!
The movie seems to start in the middle, as if you had walked in 15 minutes late and missed some crucial piece of information. But, as the movie points out that's how dreams are; you never remember how you get somewhere in a dream you are just there in the middle of a situation. So I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, really, really, enjoyed the ride.
So why the extreme difference of opinion split along generational lines? Not completely sure. Perhaps my parents generation requires a more lineal plot line? A movie with a more strict beginning , middle and an end? I know my parents get frustrated when the computer, or TV, or DVD doesn't work and they don't know why. While,to me, as long as we can get it to work, the reason it suddenly went haywire is not all that important. Perhaps long term exposure to constantly evolving and complicated technology makes us better able to enjoy something without needing to fully comprehend it. After all I can enjoy my laptop and phone even if I don't use, or know how to use, a good chunk of it's functions. Or perhaps I'm totally wrong! Feel free to chime in.
On a side note, I'm trying to figure out how to plant the ideas of veneers as a life necessity into Ken's patients brains, so if you can do that be sure and call!
Then my daughter and several of her friends went to see it, over a two day period. Their reaction; incredible, unbelievable,loved it,amazing.
What! Now I was totally confused. Sure people often disagree on a movie but this seemed like a pretty extreme difference of opinion.
So, obviously I felt the obligation to see it myself. I was, I think, well prepared by a friend's comments/advice. 'At first I tried to fill in all the pieces of information and back story that the movie didn't give me and that was making me not like it. Then I just relaxed and went along for the ride.'
My verdict,echoed by husband, Loved it!
The movie seems to start in the middle, as if you had walked in 15 minutes late and missed some crucial piece of information. But, as the movie points out that's how dreams are; you never remember how you get somewhere in a dream you are just there in the middle of a situation. So I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, really, really, enjoyed the ride.
So why the extreme difference of opinion split along generational lines? Not completely sure. Perhaps my parents generation requires a more lineal plot line? A movie with a more strict beginning , middle and an end? I know my parents get frustrated when the computer, or TV, or DVD doesn't work and they don't know why. While,to me, as long as we can get it to work, the reason it suddenly went haywire is not all that important. Perhaps long term exposure to constantly evolving and complicated technology makes us better able to enjoy something without needing to fully comprehend it. After all I can enjoy my laptop and phone even if I don't use, or know how to use, a good chunk of it's functions. Or perhaps I'm totally wrong! Feel free to chime in.
On a side note, I'm trying to figure out how to plant the ideas of veneers as a life necessity into Ken's patients brains, so if you can do that be sure and call!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
the age of men
I always thought that it was women who had the most trouble with aging. Fear of losing our looks and the power that goes with that...but lately I've been thinking that it's men that seem to have more extreme issues.
Somewhere around late 40s/early 50s men seem to hit this wall where they look at their life and often realize that they are not where they thought they would be in terms of money, success, power, possessions. Even if they are by most standards quite successful it often doesn't match up to the fantasy life they projected in their 20s. The result; depression, moodiness, anger, stupid spending and sometimes drastic life changes.
Women, while having their own aging issues (see my last blog!) don't seem to hit the wall in quite this same way. Maybe it's because we take a much more 'big picture' view of our lives? Sure we have all had that sensation , wow , thought I'd be doing this or having that by this point in my life but women see their lives as so much more multi-faceted than men. If one aspect, work, finances, is a little down we turn and look at an aspect, kids,friends, family, that's doing great.
I think this happens again later on. Women in their 60s and 70s, often free of work and kid responsibilities, seem to flourish and expand using their freedom to learn new skills, make new friends, and try new things. Men seen to shrink, often doing less and less in more and more time.
That's sad and with a little effort,or shock therapy, easily changeable.
Somewhere around late 40s/early 50s men seem to hit this wall where they look at their life and often realize that they are not where they thought they would be in terms of money, success, power, possessions. Even if they are by most standards quite successful it often doesn't match up to the fantasy life they projected in their 20s. The result; depression, moodiness, anger, stupid spending and sometimes drastic life changes.
Women, while having their own aging issues (see my last blog!) don't seem to hit the wall in quite this same way. Maybe it's because we take a much more 'big picture' view of our lives? Sure we have all had that sensation , wow , thought I'd be doing this or having that by this point in my life but women see their lives as so much more multi-faceted than men. If one aspect, work, finances, is a little down we turn and look at an aspect, kids,friends, family, that's doing great.
I think this happens again later on. Women in their 60s and 70s, often free of work and kid responsibilities, seem to flourish and expand using their freedom to learn new skills, make new friends, and try new things. Men seen to shrink, often doing less and less in more and more time.
That's sad and with a little effort,or shock therapy, easily changeable.
Monday, July 5, 2010
New stage, old body
Such a strange time of life. Like most people my age I have always pictured myself as younger than I really was. Could never figure out how I was driving my daughter to college when I just graduated myself, that type of thing. Now suddenly I feel a 100 years older than I am. Our next door neighbors ( and close friends) moved away and in their place is a lovely couple with a 4 and a 6 year old. There they are playing catch on the driveway, drawing with chalk, and waiting for the camp bus. Isn't that suppose to be me? Now not only will I soon have two kids in college,in less than a year I'll have one graduating! Rented It's Complicated last night and burst into tears during the Columbia graduation scene. I'm pretty sure it was suppose to be a comedy.
And now my body seems to be betraying me. As most of you know I've always been thin. Suddenly I seem to have developed a stomach. And I do mean suddenly; went to bed skinny as always woke up unable to button my jeans! What the hell is going on here? Not a happy camper.
And now my body seems to be betraying me. As most of you know I've always been thin. Suddenly I seem to have developed a stomach. And I do mean suddenly; went to bed skinny as always woke up unable to button my jeans! What the hell is going on here? Not a happy camper.
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