I saw a sad, old man walking down the street the other day with no particular expediency. He got me thinking about my dad, which made me wonder if this man had any loved ones...or if he'd ever had one great love in his life.
That made me even sadder to think 'how many people go through life without ever knowing real love'...when someone cares about your well-being and considers your needs and wants ahead of their own.
It's easy to look at others and believe we all get what we need but the sad truth is, we don't. There are many people who go without not only bare essentials but the intangibles which don't show...like love.
To love and be loved in return is one of life's greatest riches.
Blessed are they who do!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sigh!
It turns out, if all reports are true, the main enemy against all things age-related boils down to one little thing...or I should say, one humongous yellow orb. The Sun.
Oddly enough, a recent report also states that Oregon has a high percentage of melanoma, skin cancer.
Huh? Oregon is cloudy more often than sunny, so how can that be?
Many reasons were cited, one being lackadaisical use of sunscreen here; lots of pale skin going to sunnier climes, coupled with first reason.
But I was surprised one of the main contributors wasn't noted. Even though it's cloudier here, the harmful rays of the sun still penetrate clouds; hence, our skin. Therefore, it's an easy leap to assume Northwesterners don't take the use of sunscreen seriously enough.
I look back on my youthful days of sunbathing--slathered not with a screen but in baby oil to attract more sun--and just cringe. Where were all the experts and warnings back then? Probably there all along but in the din of rock 'n' roll I couldn't hear them nor would I have heeded their message.
As one (ahem!) matures, it becomes infinitely clearer why the saying goes, "Youth is wasted on the young."
sigh.
Oddly enough, a recent report also states that Oregon has a high percentage of melanoma, skin cancer.
Huh? Oregon is cloudy more often than sunny, so how can that be?
Many reasons were cited, one being lackadaisical use of sunscreen here; lots of pale skin going to sunnier climes, coupled with first reason.
But I was surprised one of the main contributors wasn't noted. Even though it's cloudier here, the harmful rays of the sun still penetrate clouds; hence, our skin. Therefore, it's an easy leap to assume Northwesterners don't take the use of sunscreen seriously enough.
I look back on my youthful days of sunbathing--slathered not with a screen but in baby oil to attract more sun--and just cringe. Where were all the experts and warnings back then? Probably there all along but in the din of rock 'n' roll I couldn't hear them nor would I have heeded their message.
As one (ahem!) matures, it becomes infinitely clearer why the saying goes, "Youth is wasted on the young."
sigh.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Personal Problem
Have you, like me, ever wondered about the differences in vegetarianism? If so, have a seat; class is in session. Herewith, a glossary to clarify.
Vegan: Similar to a vegetarian diet but excludes all animal products. That means no eggs, dairy, nothing with gelatin or animal rennet in it. Some people also choose not to eat honey.
Raw Food: In this diet, food cannot be heated above 115 degrees. Those who follow a raw food diet believe foods cooked above that temperature have lost vital nutrients and may be harmful.
Vegetarian: This diet excludes meat from any animal including poultry and fish.
Pescatarian: The same as a vegetarian diet but includes fish and shellfish.
Lacto-vegetarian: a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products but no eggs.
Ovo-vegetarian: a vegetarian diet that includes eggs but no dairy products.
Flexitarian: just as the name implies, this diet is flexible/mostly vegetarian but meat is eaten on occasion.
The last entry proves that vegetarianism is in the mouths of the beholders. It seems to me if one eats more than only vegetables, one would no longer be a vegetarian--OF ANY KIND--with or without a prefix disclaimer.
Furthermore, if I ever heard someone say, "I'm a lacto-vegetarian", I'd say it sounds like a personal problem, best kept to oneself...which is pretty much what I think about vegetarians.
Yawn!
Vegan: Similar to a vegetarian diet but excludes all animal products. That means no eggs, dairy, nothing with gelatin or animal rennet in it. Some people also choose not to eat honey.
Raw Food: In this diet, food cannot be heated above 115 degrees. Those who follow a raw food diet believe foods cooked above that temperature have lost vital nutrients and may be harmful.
Vegetarian: This diet excludes meat from any animal including poultry and fish.
Pescatarian: The same as a vegetarian diet but includes fish and shellfish.
Lacto-vegetarian: a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products but no eggs.
Ovo-vegetarian: a vegetarian diet that includes eggs but no dairy products.
Flexitarian: just as the name implies, this diet is flexible/mostly vegetarian but meat is eaten on occasion.
The last entry proves that vegetarianism is in the mouths of the beholders. It seems to me if one eats more than only vegetables, one would no longer be a vegetarian--OF ANY KIND--with or without a prefix disclaimer.
Furthermore, if I ever heard someone say, "I'm a lacto-vegetarian", I'd say it sounds like a personal problem, best kept to oneself...which is pretty much what I think about vegetarians.
Yawn!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Any Other Questions?
A fish outta water!
That would surely be me if I were still in Detroit, landlocked and living in an auto town. Not only do I drive a foreign model, my 1987 Honda Accord is festooned with various winged-things. In Portland, whenever people may give me a curious look or a chuckle, I simply say,
"I'm an artist. Any other questions?"
Nope. That always explains it.
Were I driving my "art car" in the Motor City, I can only imagine the looks I'd get alongside top-o'-the-line Escalades and tricked-out Hummers.
But by the time my license plate came into view, it would all make sense. As goes the former Oregon tourism slogan:
"Things Look Different Here"...
...and that's just the beginning!
That would surely be me if I were still in Detroit, landlocked and living in an auto town. Not only do I drive a foreign model, my 1987 Honda Accord is festooned with various winged-things. In Portland, whenever people may give me a curious look or a chuckle, I simply say,
"I'm an artist. Any other questions?"
Nope. That always explains it.
Were I driving my "art car" in the Motor City, I can only imagine the looks I'd get alongside top-o'-the-line Escalades and tricked-out Hummers.
But by the time my license plate came into view, it would all make sense. As goes the former Oregon tourism slogan:
"Things Look Different Here"...
...and that's just the beginning!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Two
Last week I had the opportunity to show and sell my art in The Pearl for First Thursday. Twas a scathingly delightful summer evening with all the usual suspects...and quite a few new vendors since last time I showed there.
The success of this monthly outdoor event which coincides with gallery openings all over Northwest Portland, exceeds itself. It has morphed from a very humble art walk to the "see & be scene" that it is today.
What a difference a few years make!
My artist-neighbor was a very animated painter whose style attracted lots of lookers and quite a few buyers. One woman in particular who was in town visiting, stopped to chat. After living here for seven years, she went back to her native Spain.
Compared to her sunny clime, she definitely doesn't miss the rain, but she went on to say, there are two things about Portland she does miss very much.
I listened intently. I thought it would be Oregon's beauty, its people or its microbrews.
Nah, none of the above.
Imagine my surprise to hear the two things this Spaniard misses the most about Portland is 'First Thursday' and 'Last Thursday'--two very-decidedly Portland traditions.
"Yes!", I thought.
Portland doesn't need bumper stickers claiming a place among the weird. If anything, she is unique, quirky, maybe a little eccentric...after all, we eschew umbrellas in one of the rainiest corners of the world...
But weird?
Nah, we're just being our charming selves, making up the rules as we go, doing what suits us, living and letting live...
...like any good Oregonian would!
The success of this monthly outdoor event which coincides with gallery openings all over Northwest Portland, exceeds itself. It has morphed from a very humble art walk to the "see & be scene" that it is today.
What a difference a few years make!
My artist-neighbor was a very animated painter whose style attracted lots of lookers and quite a few buyers. One woman in particular who was in town visiting, stopped to chat. After living here for seven years, she went back to her native Spain.
Compared to her sunny clime, she definitely doesn't miss the rain, but she went on to say, there are two things about Portland she does miss very much.
I listened intently. I thought it would be Oregon's beauty, its people or its microbrews.
Nah, none of the above.
Imagine my surprise to hear the two things this Spaniard misses the most about Portland is 'First Thursday' and 'Last Thursday'--two very-decidedly Portland traditions.
"Yes!", I thought.
Portland doesn't need bumper stickers claiming a place among the weird. If anything, she is unique, quirky, maybe a little eccentric...after all, we eschew umbrellas in one of the rainiest corners of the world...
But weird?
Nah, we're just being our charming selves, making up the rules as we go, doing what suits us, living and letting live...
...like any good Oregonian would!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
It's a good thing
It's just a word I made up but it says it all: A'rosa'therapy!
My roses smell so good and bring me so much pleasure that the combination of aromatherapy and roses seems like a natural!
Fourteen years ago, when I first moved in this home, I went about filling the perimeters of both front and back yards by planting lots of perennials and roses.
But not just any roses--only those with fragrance! Sweet, spicy, mossy, heady. All words used to describe roses--all of which I own.
When I put my rose garden together, I made sure I got a collection of different colors--with one sweet scent or another--knowing I'd cut and use them in floral arrangements
My roses are not just a thing of beauty; I take time to smell them, too...
...for what good is a sweet rose if a nose doesn't enjoy it?
My roses smell so good and bring me so much pleasure that the combination of aromatherapy and roses seems like a natural!
Fourteen years ago, when I first moved in this home, I went about filling the perimeters of both front and back yards by planting lots of perennials and roses.
But not just any roses--only those with fragrance! Sweet, spicy, mossy, heady. All words used to describe roses--all of which I own.
When I put my rose garden together, I made sure I got a collection of different colors--with one sweet scent or another--knowing I'd cut and use them in floral arrangements
My roses are not just a thing of beauty; I take time to smell them, too...
...for what good is a sweet rose if a nose doesn't enjoy it?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Got Blueberries?
One cream to erase wrinkles; one to retain a dewy complexion. An elixir to undue the past, one to renew the future.
I ain't buying it!
No amount of advertising or marketing is going to convince me that there's a product or "magic bullet" able to undue the ravages of Father Time and Mother Nature's big yellow orb.
I don't believe topical ingredients like retinols and antioxidants are going to bring back youthful skin. Only by resorting to invasive procedures with needles or scalpels can one turn back time. But in doing so, one is only fooling oneself.
Not only do these so-called regenerating serums make unsubstantiated claims, most are very expen$ive! I prefer to get my antioxidants, naturally...
the old-fashioned way...
....by eating them.
Blueberries, anyone?
I ain't buying it!
No amount of advertising or marketing is going to convince me that there's a product or "magic bullet" able to undue the ravages of Father Time and Mother Nature's big yellow orb.
I don't believe topical ingredients like retinols and antioxidants are going to bring back youthful skin. Only by resorting to invasive procedures with needles or scalpels can one turn back time. But in doing so, one is only fooling oneself.
Not only do these so-called regenerating serums make unsubstantiated claims, most are very expen$ive! I prefer to get my antioxidants, naturally...
the old-fashioned way...
....by eating them.
Blueberries, anyone?
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