Ho, ho, go!

Dear BoomerGirl's children and husband...none of whom ever read her blog,
   I've asked countless times, but if you don't tell me what you want for Christmas, I can't buy, er, make it for you...now can I? YOU are the reason I'm only half done with my shopping, er, making list seven days out. You're the reason my elves are paralyzed! Now, put your greedy little minds to task and come up with something toot sweet!
   Thank you.
   Love,
   Santa

Organizing: The mental game I mostly lose.

     At the risk of sounding like a shill for Flip-Pal - who provided me their fab portable scanner free of charge - I must (again) promote the idea of digitizing all those old photographs before it's too late. Because, you never know. Your house might burn to the ground, or a hoarder reality show might come calling and toss out your picture boxes like so much garbage. I have managed to scan about 70% of my photos (no small feat) and am now brainstorming ways to organize them. Not easy for a right-brained person like myself.
     My current plan is to create folders titled with the addresses of where I've lived, then fill them with photo albums from events that happened while I was living in that particular place - parties, holidays, vacations, silly moments, etc. 
    The plan would work beautifully for a photo like this: 

Mercier Street > 1985 > No. 2 child's baptism

But, not for a photo like this...

"Care Bear" party for golfer Tom Watson's kid, year/address unknown but I think I was pregnant.

    See what I mean? I need a plan in which memory doesn't have to be a factor. But, I don't want to end up with hundreds of folders on my computer either. I think "tagging" may hold the key to the solution, but I don't know how that works exactly. Back to the drawing board...

Just two of my favorite things

Besides the aforementioned iPad mini, I really loved this birthday present from my sister - personalized gift enclosure cards from Embossed Graphics...

Measuring only 2.75 by 3", they're the perfect size for wedding presents or to attach to a bottle of wine for a hostess gift, which I will do tonight when we go to the neighbors for soup supper.

Another birthday treat was from my daughter, the esthetician. This is KSS mineral make-up (or 'miracle make-up' as I call it) which she's used on me, to great effect, as she's honed her skills as a make-up artist. It covers spots well, doesn't look heavy and provides healthy benefits to the skin, to boot. I've never been a big fan of mineral foundation, but this brand converted me. Highly recommended.

58 is pretty great

Last night, the family and I celebrated my birthday by dining at my favorite downtown restaurant. I had the trout. We left our smart phones - and my new iPad mini - at home. My son calls it "going analog." No checking messages, no taking photos of food, no Google'ing to settle arguments...it was delightful. And, it set the tone for wanting a little less "digital" in my next trip around the sun. Life, simplified. That's the ticket. Now, if I can just put the new iPad down long enough to do some yoga....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Digitize your memories FAST with Flip-Pal

I told the folks at Flip-Pal I didn't know when I'd get around to test-driving their sweet little mobile scanner. The holidays and all. I figured I'd need a a huge block of time to get my (thousands of) pictures organized. But yesterday, the weather outside was frightful and I had a few hours on my hands, so I decided to go for it. I hauled out boxes of old photos and started scanning to my heart's content. The machine is super simple to set up and, because it's battery-operated, you can scan anywhere you have a level surface - on the breakfast bar, in bed, on the floor while you pretend to be doing yoga because you wimped out on going to the pool in the cold. And, it's fast! When I got in the flow, I was scanning 4-5 photos per minute. (Hint: you don't have to wait for the second pass before lifting the lid and inserting the next picture to be scanned.) By the afternoon, I had over 400 photos in my laptop - all cropped, color corrected and optimized for slide show viewing:

Oh, those crazy 80's. May we go back, please?

Hippies on Halloween.

Little girls' luau birthday party

Sorority shenanigans, circa '76

Caution: The Flip-Pal can be additive, not only for its ease of operation but for the sheer joy you'll feel (those 80's hairstyles notwithstanding) seeing the happiest moments of your life flashed across the computer screen. (Because who snaps pictures of the bad times?)

    Flip-Pal has extended their special offer from Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Receive a $20 discount on the Pink Bundle, which includes the Flip-Pal scanner, commemorative scanner lid and pink carrying case by using coupon code pink6 as well as the following link: http://flip-pal.com/breast-cancer-awareness.  Once the pink bundle is placed in the shopping cart, just enter the pink6 to enjoy the discount. The offer is now good through Dec. 31.

   The price after the discount is around $175, so I'd suggest extended families chip in and buy one together. After I finish scanning all of my pics, I'll be lending the Flip-Pal to my mom and each of my siblings so we can pool our photos and swap. 

Head shots: Stark reality in high rez

Due to my desire to reinvent myself as a commercial actor, I am examining my aging self in a new, not always comfortable, light. First, there was the 'go-see' audition for a print job - promotional materials for a bank. I knew my gray hair would read "mature," but seeing the words on the casting sign: Needed: "Woman, old".... that was hard to swallow. I didn't get the gig. Maybe I just wasn't old enough, I rationalized. My ego was still intact. Then, I got my new head shots back.

I don't mind this one, except it looks like I'm about to fall down. "Woman, old...with Ménière's disease"

Here's what I should have done before looking at over 30 photos of myself:
      1) Have a stiff drink
      2) Take off my glasses
      3) Repeat #1
      4) Repeat #3
Now, I'll admit to taking a selfie or two with my phone, but seeing yourself through someone else's sharp lens - especially in close-up - is a reality more disturbing than "My Strange Addiction." That's right. I would rather watch someone eat a phone book than look at those crevices on my face. (Kids, stay out of the sun! I can't emphasize this enough.)

"Woman, old" on phone with her dermatologist: "Are you kidding me with this Retinol crap?!?".

But, the show must go on and now I must choose three to five of the best "looks" for the talent agency's website. Let's consider the other possible choices, shall we?

"Woman, old" laughing hysterically for no reason on a staircase in Barnes & Noble. She might be lost.

"Woman, old" giving it one more shot as a hooker.

"Woman, old" still at B&N. Yep, lost and terrified.

There are more proofs, but I won't do that to you. It's the holidays. My one consolation? At least, I'm not reinventing myself as a swimsuit model.

Grapefruit and apple water

Half a red grapefruit, sliced and squeezed, and a whole apple sliced thin

So, you know that 'I'm definitely breaking up with coffee' post from yesterday? Yeah, not so much today. I woke up fifteen minutes before I needed to be at my volunteer gig and, without even thinking, poured and consumed a cup of that damn Joe (the pot was already made by my early-rising spouse.) Only then, did I remember I had given it up. 40-year habits are hard to break. Oh, well. "Tomorrow is another day," said Scarlett.  To counteract my blunder, I decided to up my water consumption by doing another one of those spa-inspired, healthful infusions.  This time, it's red grapefruit and apple. Super simple to do. Just add slices of whatever fruit or veggies you like (cucumber is delightful) and float in a large pitcher or carafe of H2O. Keep adding water to the concoction as you drink during the day.  Eliminates those cravings for soda and keeps you nice and detoxed. I'd like to think it will help fend off this cold I've been fighting for a couple of weeks, too.

Breaking up with Joe. For good.

I broke up with wheat. I broke up with diet soda. I even broke up with vodka, except for the occasional Tito's (no wheat) and diet tonic which, I know, is just like diet soda but give a girl a break. It's the holidays. What I haven't been able to do is break up with coffee.

Until today. Today, I woke up with new resolve to kick the coffee habit once and for all. Why give Joe the boot, you ask? After all, my morning companion for 40 years has been so stimulating, so tasty! Coffee causes weird fluctuations of blood sugar and tends to spike blood pressure. Not so good for a person like me. Plus, it dries you out and causes calcium leakage which isn't good for bones. And, sometimes, you just have to kick an addictive habit to get healthier...in mind and in body. So, it's tea for me. Black or green in the morning and herbal in the afternoon.

Thankfully, I have this stimulating tea drawer that gives me a little buzz every time I open it. Polly, put the kettle on...and wish me luck!

Total hip replacement countdown: 1 month

The bad news: We were bumped to Jan. 3 for the hubs' hip surgery due to the hospital's busy schedule. (Apparently, there's an end-of-the-year last-minute rush for ORs.) The good news: He'll be up and running (well, more like limping along slowly) for the holidays. Beyond stopping certain medications and supplements on a timetable, there's not much prep required....except for the post-op exercise plan. Treadmills are out. Ellipticals, too. So, we're shopping for a stationery bike.  I'm looking at the Schwinn AD6, seen above, and wondering how far the price will go down right before New Year's Day. This will require more research. Anyone have any experience with pricing/buying exercise equipment before making your annual resolutions?

Careful, people. I could get crafty!

This used to be an expensive wool sweater purchased for me in the early 90s by my family. I loved that sweater but I wore it only a few times due to its tendency to make me sweat like a sailor in all but the coldest weather. Eventually, it went out of style and became too big for me. Still, I could never bear to give it away. Inspired by the felted goods for sale at Bizarre Bazaar last weekend, I dug it out, felted it (by sending it through the washer/dryer in hot water/air....twice), then cut and sewed to make this cozy Santa Fe style pillow for the living room. I even made boot toppers with the sleeves!

Not these, but like these.

I'm bursting with pride, I tell ya, and scanning the closet for more old wool sweaters. If you have any hanging around, send 'em my way.

Happy decorating day!

I stole this from a friend's Facebook post because a) I hadn't posted anything here for a while; 2) it made me laugh: and c) I'm so busy getting decorated and polishing off the turkey, I can't keep my letters and numbers straight.  Here's to three weeks of low-carb eating again!