For anyone reading this who is not old, triglycerides are a fat in your bloodstream which can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and strokes should the level become too high. Mine bears watching I am told, although I have not yet reached the dangerously high mark. I've been ordered by a physician to give up eating everything I enjoy, or else to cut way back.
Of course I am unhappy about this!!! I figuratively boo-hooed on the shoulder of my dear friend, Rose.
"It's really mean to take sweets away from YOU," she consoled. "That's the ONLY vice you have!"
Actually, I don't even consider it a real vice. After all, I could eat an entire box of chocolates (I wouldn't!) before getting into my car without killing or maiming anyone. -- Sweets do not impair your judgement!!!
Besides, I don't (and never would) sit in front of the TV and eat candy, chips, or anything else. That's rather disgusting! Geez, guess that's why I'm naturally thin!
Although my father claimed that his plump aunt & uncle ate very little. While my grandfather always had second and third helpings but remained thin as a scarecrow.
Friends who've see me wolf down an entire 17 inch pizza in one sitting would say I've inherited my grandfather's gene. However, they don't see me the following day. I have an egg for breakfast with an English muffin, plus unsweetened applesauce with tea. Lunch is a granola bar, yogurt, & coffee. Then it's a Lean Cuisine for dinner when I'm cutting back.
The only time I enjoy sweets is for dessert after my last meal. And I absolutely have to have it! -- Fresh fruit is not my idea of one! Unless it's mixed into jello or layered in plain Greek yogurt like a parfait.
During the holidays all the best goodies are out there, beckoning to me. I feel deprived if I can't indulge. I'm never satisfied with just a taste. The food is part of the holiday! Plus holiday meals tend to be big with a variety of tempting and tasty hor deourves.
If I know I'm going to be dining out, I'll eat light the meal before. Then, I can unleash my appetite and fully enjoy that pizza, rich dessert, or party food guilt free!
Turned loose, I'm a voracious eater! I've startled many a dinner date. When looking at me they assumed I'm a Bambi (salad eater) actually I'm more of a Godzilla. I go after food the way the giant lizard attacked Tokyo! I take big bites and chomp fast!
"You're not used to eating in front of other people, are you," remarked a former neighbor the first time we lunched together.
No, I'm not. But since I attend lots of business networking events, I'm currently eating in a more civilized fashion.
Now that the holidays are a memory, I need to get back to my regular schedule and diet.
My new book (co-authored with April Sampson) should be coming out soon. In it, I give lots of weight loss advice, as well as beauty and style tips. Since I love to eat and have never been over-weight, I must be doing something right! -- I can put on weight, but it always comes off fast!
I've never been a drinker. -- Lots of empty calories there, folks! Unwind with a book or movie, listen to music, have a cup of tea, take a cat nap, or cuddle with your cat. All of these are better ways to relax!
We emphasize in the book, that the goal is to be healthy first, and trim second. You can be over-weight and still be attractive and healthy, just as you can be slender, homely and sickly.
Our book also features April Sampson's valuable advice on nutrition; plus delicious, healthy, and inexpensive recipes. These can be served to the entire family so that the dieter does not have to eat a separate meal. Just drink a tall glass of water before, plus an organic apple if you wish, then it will be easier to cut down on portions.
I'm never going to give up rich, high-calorie sweets entirely, but they will be reserved more for special occasions, only.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
MISS SAIGON & THE MOULIN ROUGE
Yesterday, I treated myself to a live performance of MISS SAIGON at the Riverside Theatre. The price of my ticket cost the same as I paid to attend the MOULIN ROUGE in Paris back in 1978. And that package included a gourmet dinner at a swanky French restaurant! The dollar was weak in Europe that year, too!
Normally, I wouldn't spend that much on a show. But I had never seen this particular musical and I've seen plenty. Usually, I attend the Theatre Guild featuring local actors and singers who are every bit as talented as the professionals. The price there is about one third of the Riverside. -- Recently, they raised prices as well, but it's still far cheaper.
In 1999 when my father & I moved to Vero Beach, a ticket at the Riverside cost $20., $5. more than we paid in Stuart to attend a live show. For this reason, my father declared we would now be giving up our yearly treat. I argued that it was a once a year event and we never did anything else for fun! But he was adamant!!!
Although once, I did persuade him to go. That particular occasion I got in free by dressing up in a toga. Still he was reluctant and it took lots of pleading on my part.
After his death, I attended shows at the Riverside on more than a few occasions either by myself or with friends when the price was still $20.. After the theatre was re-vamped and enlarged, ticket prices shot up. I moved into the less expensive balcony seats. Nearly always I ended up behind someone with a gigantic head. -- What I wouldn't have given for a machete!
Now the price of balcony seats are up. So I usually eschew the Riverside Theatre. However, I really wanted to see MISS SAIGON! The story concerns the Vietnam War. I remember this period, well. It was our first living room war in color on our TV screens! I felt so bad for the men who served there. This was back in the days of the Draft, had I been born male, I probably would have been there, too. I was the right age!
What-the-heck, I was going to see this show! It was something special and I wanted a good seat! -- You don't have to guess why my father is haunting me!
I'm glad I did! The performance was powerful, the show was fast paced and action packed. It was exhilarating! And it captured the flavor of the era perfectly.
Dad was not along on any of my European trips. It's a good thing too, or I would never have gotten inside the Moulin Rouge. My father was not the type who thought in terms of making memories.
My MOULIN ROUGE experience was indeed a memorable one! It was the first and last time I had ever seen a live topless show. -- Surprisingly, most of the dancers were not all that well-endowed. The comedy sketches were in French, which I don't speak, but they were still funny. It was mostly physical comedy. The highlight of the evening was a dolphin tank springing up from the floor. A beautiful woman in a bikini performed tricks with the creatures. In the final stunt a dolphin removed her top. (SHE was well-endowed!) The entire show was spectacular! Shimmering streamers and confetti rained down upon the audience in the grand finale.
The Riverside Theatre will never top that!!! However, I'm still glad I went. I greatly enjoyed the MISS SAIGON performance. -- Some memories don't come cheap! In this case, both were worth it.
Normally, I wouldn't spend that much on a show. But I had never seen this particular musical and I've seen plenty. Usually, I attend the Theatre Guild featuring local actors and singers who are every bit as talented as the professionals. The price there is about one third of the Riverside. -- Recently, they raised prices as well, but it's still far cheaper.
In 1999 when my father & I moved to Vero Beach, a ticket at the Riverside cost $20., $5. more than we paid in Stuart to attend a live show. For this reason, my father declared we would now be giving up our yearly treat. I argued that it was a once a year event and we never did anything else for fun! But he was adamant!!!
Although once, I did persuade him to go. That particular occasion I got in free by dressing up in a toga. Still he was reluctant and it took lots of pleading on my part.
After his death, I attended shows at the Riverside on more than a few occasions either by myself or with friends when the price was still $20.. After the theatre was re-vamped and enlarged, ticket prices shot up. I moved into the less expensive balcony seats. Nearly always I ended up behind someone with a gigantic head. -- What I wouldn't have given for a machete!
Now the price of balcony seats are up. So I usually eschew the Riverside Theatre. However, I really wanted to see MISS SAIGON! The story concerns the Vietnam War. I remember this period, well. It was our first living room war in color on our TV screens! I felt so bad for the men who served there. This was back in the days of the Draft, had I been born male, I probably would have been there, too. I was the right age!
What-the-heck, I was going to see this show! It was something special and I wanted a good seat! -- You don't have to guess why my father is haunting me!
I'm glad I did! The performance was powerful, the show was fast paced and action packed. It was exhilarating! And it captured the flavor of the era perfectly.
Dad was not along on any of my European trips. It's a good thing too, or I would never have gotten inside the Moulin Rouge. My father was not the type who thought in terms of making memories.
My MOULIN ROUGE experience was indeed a memorable one! It was the first and last time I had ever seen a live topless show. -- Surprisingly, most of the dancers were not all that well-endowed. The comedy sketches were in French, which I don't speak, but they were still funny. It was mostly physical comedy. The highlight of the evening was a dolphin tank springing up from the floor. A beautiful woman in a bikini performed tricks with the creatures. In the final stunt a dolphin removed her top. (SHE was well-endowed!) The entire show was spectacular! Shimmering streamers and confetti rained down upon the audience in the grand finale.
The Riverside Theatre will never top that!!! However, I'm still glad I went. I greatly enjoyed the MISS SAIGON performance. -- Some memories don't come cheap! In this case, both were worth it.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
YOU SAY I'M WHAT!!!
I want to slap Emma Thompson's face! She's an over-rated actress, anyway! Did I say slap, I'd like to slug her! Emma uttered fighting words.
In a recent Parade magazine article, she stated that women go thru 3 stages: NYMPH, MOTHER, and CRONE. Well I never went thru ANY of them, not a one! All of these are labels and demeaning ones at that, including Mother.
I hated my mother! She was crazy and abusive. Just the very word makes me taste bile. Any idiot can reproduce and too many of them do!
As for nymph, NEVER was I the flirtatious type! If you don't like me, I won't try to change your mind.
And then we come to crone. I recently turned 63. According to Emma, I became a crone when I turned 60. -- Take my word for it, no one would ever mistake me for any one's little old lady! I'm better looking now then I was at age 16. And I'm sure that's true for many! Women today do not dry up and deteriorate with age the way they did in decades past.
At 16, I was still going thru my nerdy, awkward stage. I didn't really start to blossom until I hit age 20. -- But my real life didn't begin until after I turned 50! This is when I came into full bloom.
Certainly, most of us were more beautiful in our 20's. I know I was! Plus it was an eventful decade! I made 5 trips to Europe as well as exhilarating fun-filled journeys to North Africa, Russia, Finland, Guatemala, and 2 trips to Mexico. I relish every one of those trips and the memories. Unfortunately, I always returned to my miserable life.
Then came my 30's and 40's. These were largely spent in a psychological oubliette. A french word meaning, "A place of forgetting," where someone is locked away to die slowly or go mad. -- I almost did! Suddenly I was hit with chronic unemployment and worsening mental disorders. Plus I was dealing with the undiagnosed ones of others.
The Grim Reaper was my emancipator. He didn't come for me, but my wardens.
At age 50, I suddenly found myself alone in the world. -- And I mean as alone as one human being can get! What evolved was a joy I had never before experienced. I discovered freedom!!! My world moved at MY will. Now, I am the one in control.
For a modern woman, Emma's thinking seems dated. At varied events I meet plenty of women in their 60's, 70's, and even older. If you think they are crones, I've got a biscuit for your seeing eye dog!
In a recent Parade magazine article, she stated that women go thru 3 stages: NYMPH, MOTHER, and CRONE. Well I never went thru ANY of them, not a one! All of these are labels and demeaning ones at that, including Mother.
I hated my mother! She was crazy and abusive. Just the very word makes me taste bile. Any idiot can reproduce and too many of them do!
As for nymph, NEVER was I the flirtatious type! If you don't like me, I won't try to change your mind.
And then we come to crone. I recently turned 63. According to Emma, I became a crone when I turned 60. -- Take my word for it, no one would ever mistake me for any one's little old lady! I'm better looking now then I was at age 16. And I'm sure that's true for many! Women today do not dry up and deteriorate with age the way they did in decades past.
At 16, I was still going thru my nerdy, awkward stage. I didn't really start to blossom until I hit age 20. -- But my real life didn't begin until after I turned 50! This is when I came into full bloom.
Certainly, most of us were more beautiful in our 20's. I know I was! Plus it was an eventful decade! I made 5 trips to Europe as well as exhilarating fun-filled journeys to North Africa, Russia, Finland, Guatemala, and 2 trips to Mexico. I relish every one of those trips and the memories. Unfortunately, I always returned to my miserable life.
Then came my 30's and 40's. These were largely spent in a psychological oubliette. A french word meaning, "A place of forgetting," where someone is locked away to die slowly or go mad. -- I almost did! Suddenly I was hit with chronic unemployment and worsening mental disorders. Plus I was dealing with the undiagnosed ones of others.
The Grim Reaper was my emancipator. He didn't come for me, but my wardens.
At age 50, I suddenly found myself alone in the world. -- And I mean as alone as one human being can get! What evolved was a joy I had never before experienced. I discovered freedom!!! My world moved at MY will. Now, I am the one in control.
For a modern woman, Emma's thinking seems dated. At varied events I meet plenty of women in their 60's, 70's, and even older. If you think they are crones, I've got a biscuit for your seeing eye dog!
Friday, January 3, 2014
THE POST HOLIDAY BLUES
The saddest day of the year to me, is Jan. 2 when the Christmas tree comes down. My living room looks so lackluster without it. It's certainly a lot darker! My big tree lights up the place all by itself.
The best part of the year is now officially over, that gloriously festive period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Some are depressed by the holiday season. I think they're disappointed because they can't have the Currier & Ives, or Hallmark Christmas they've been conditioned to expect. But I never wanted that! It's not my style. My holidays are custom tailored to me. I always fill them with things I enjoy!
Sure, there are elements of the classic Christmas I like, and I make certain to incorporate them into the mix. This year, I fulfilled a decades-long holiday fantasy. I had oyster stuffing for Thanksgiving and chestnut stuffing for Christmas. Which I know doesn't sound like a big deal. But this was the first time I was able to find roasted chestnuts! Apparently there isn't a huge demand in Florida.
I'll admit that after you reach a certain age, Christmas Day is an anti-climax, nothing more than an elaborate meal. For me, it's the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year's that are fun! I love all those special holiday events, delicacies, and just that magic atmosphere. I feel super alive!
I enjoy listening to the Christmas carols on my car radio, even if they are played way too soon. It always feels kind of weird when they suddenly vanish on Dec. 26.
Let's not forget all those decadent desserts on display for the tasting! The frosted sugar cookies, petit fours, gingerbread, pecan divinity, fruit cake, fruit stollen, cranberry-cheddar, peppermint truffles, eggnog, etc.; all disappear quickly from the shelves after New Year's Day.
I love wearing my almond-sugar cookie scented body spray after my bath. It sweetly blends with the cinnamon and vanilla scented candles in my living room. Often I bake and decorate cookies as well. Holiday fragrance fills my home!
My mailbox is stuffed, nearly over-flowing with catalogues! I always look forward to them. It's such a delight to browse and go wish-shopping. Christmas week they cease.
This year, there was one less week to enjoy the season because Thanksgiving came so late. It made everything feel more rushed.
I got a late start on most of my cards. -- Yes, I still mail out holiday cards! (And I like mine gaudy! The more glitter, the better!) Almost a week after Christmas they were still arriving, so I wasn't the only one thrown off schedule by the late Thanksgiving! This time, I was on the fence about many. Some were cut. I tend to have a lot of acquaintances and few close friends. Postage is up again, so more will get the axe next time.
I miss my stormy weather pals, Margaret & Pat. Margaret's cards were always funny and contained lengthy letters. Also I miss Pat's weekly telephone calls. We enjoyed long conversations about nothing and everything. I would like to think both women are finally meeting on the other side. But I can't imagine them waiting around for me to join them. Both are probably too busy enjoying everything the afterlife has to offer.
My neighbors were late in erecting their outside decorations this time around. Many seem to be in competition with each other. (All I do is put a wreath on my door!) With all the colorful lights, giant Santas, sleighs, and other showy decorations around me, I feel as if I've been magically transported into a Christmas wonderland. What a thrill to look outside and see! It makes me feel like a small child again. And it's a deflating feeling after it all suddenly comes down.
Wednesday is my favorite day for Christmas and New Year's to fall. It's literally a holiday smack dab in the middle of the week! I always feel cheated when they fall on weekends, because weekends feel like holidays, anyway.
However this year, my real Christmas was the week before with my friend, Rose. We exchanged gifts in her office by her tree. Afterward we enjoyed a delectable seafood lunch at the Ocean Grill with a magnificent view of the Atlantic below. And Rose, I wish I had known you back in the 80's when you accidentally lost your bikini top in the surf while everyone in the restaurant watched.
Our celebration was in typical Florida style!
Another Christmas, another year has passed into history. -- The next holiday is Valentine's Day. Ho hum, at least the candy is good.
The best part of the year is now officially over, that gloriously festive period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Some are depressed by the holiday season. I think they're disappointed because they can't have the Currier & Ives, or Hallmark Christmas they've been conditioned to expect. But I never wanted that! It's not my style. My holidays are custom tailored to me. I always fill them with things I enjoy!
Sure, there are elements of the classic Christmas I like, and I make certain to incorporate them into the mix. This year, I fulfilled a decades-long holiday fantasy. I had oyster stuffing for Thanksgiving and chestnut stuffing for Christmas. Which I know doesn't sound like a big deal. But this was the first time I was able to find roasted chestnuts! Apparently there isn't a huge demand in Florida.
I'll admit that after you reach a certain age, Christmas Day is an anti-climax, nothing more than an elaborate meal. For me, it's the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year's that are fun! I love all those special holiday events, delicacies, and just that magic atmosphere. I feel super alive!
I enjoy listening to the Christmas carols on my car radio, even if they are played way too soon. It always feels kind of weird when they suddenly vanish on Dec. 26.
Let's not forget all those decadent desserts on display for the tasting! The frosted sugar cookies, petit fours, gingerbread, pecan divinity, fruit cake, fruit stollen, cranberry-cheddar, peppermint truffles, eggnog, etc.; all disappear quickly from the shelves after New Year's Day.
I love wearing my almond-sugar cookie scented body spray after my bath. It sweetly blends with the cinnamon and vanilla scented candles in my living room. Often I bake and decorate cookies as well. Holiday fragrance fills my home!
My mailbox is stuffed, nearly over-flowing with catalogues! I always look forward to them. It's such a delight to browse and go wish-shopping. Christmas week they cease.
This year, there was one less week to enjoy the season because Thanksgiving came so late. It made everything feel more rushed.
I got a late start on most of my cards. -- Yes, I still mail out holiday cards! (And I like mine gaudy! The more glitter, the better!) Almost a week after Christmas they were still arriving, so I wasn't the only one thrown off schedule by the late Thanksgiving! This time, I was on the fence about many. Some were cut. I tend to have a lot of acquaintances and few close friends. Postage is up again, so more will get the axe next time.
I miss my stormy weather pals, Margaret & Pat. Margaret's cards were always funny and contained lengthy letters. Also I miss Pat's weekly telephone calls. We enjoyed long conversations about nothing and everything. I would like to think both women are finally meeting on the other side. But I can't imagine them waiting around for me to join them. Both are probably too busy enjoying everything the afterlife has to offer.
My neighbors were late in erecting their outside decorations this time around. Many seem to be in competition with each other. (All I do is put a wreath on my door!) With all the colorful lights, giant Santas, sleighs, and other showy decorations around me, I feel as if I've been magically transported into a Christmas wonderland. What a thrill to look outside and see! It makes me feel like a small child again. And it's a deflating feeling after it all suddenly comes down.
Wednesday is my favorite day for Christmas and New Year's to fall. It's literally a holiday smack dab in the middle of the week! I always feel cheated when they fall on weekends, because weekends feel like holidays, anyway.
However this year, my real Christmas was the week before with my friend, Rose. We exchanged gifts in her office by her tree. Afterward we enjoyed a delectable seafood lunch at the Ocean Grill with a magnificent view of the Atlantic below. And Rose, I wish I had known you back in the 80's when you accidentally lost your bikini top in the surf while everyone in the restaurant watched.
Our celebration was in typical Florida style!
Another Christmas, another year has passed into history. -- The next holiday is Valentine's Day. Ho hum, at least the candy is good.
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