Arts Overload

After seeing the wonderful Watanabe exhibit last evening, and enjoying some excellent speakers today at our church's Celebration of the Arts weekend, I went with a friend to a Fort Wayne Philharmonic concert this evening.  It was wonderful with a French Horn soloist "to die for". A lot of other people must have thought it sounded like a good program (Strauss and Beethoven) because the place was packed. Tomorrow afternoon, assuming we don't get snowed out, I'll be reading poetry (not  my own) as part of an organ / poetry / liturgical dance concert.  By tomorrow evening I think I will have had my fill, at least temporarily, of things artistic.

the art of Sadao Watanabe

I really enjoy the art of Sadao Watanabe, an internationally acclaimed 20th century Japanese artist. All of his prints are depictions of Bible stories, mostly New Testament.  Beautifully composed, with dramatic colors and bold lines, and a very Japanese point of view.  One print shows Jesus and his disciples at the last supper eating sushi and fish and drinking sake.  Our church owns a couple of Watanabe prints, so I has some idea of what his work was like, but right now, in the First Pres Gallery we have an amazing exhibit (mostly from a private collection) which will be on display through March.  I recommend it.

A travelogue on Puerto Rico

So I was flipping through the channels and came upon what appears to be a travelogue on Puerto Rico.  Beautiful sandy beaches, lovely shots of buildings in the "old town" and a demonstration of native dancing.  Very nice, but wait, what are all these improbably beautiful bikini-clad women doing in the foreground of every picture? Cut to commercial and then "Welcome back to Victoria's Secret Swim 2015". So now I understand what they're doing there, but that brings up another question.  How do they air brush all those bodies while they;re running around or rolling in the sand?  Those cannot be their real bodies.  Sour grapes?  What do you think?

Pollyanna who?

Another fascinating factoid: Human language is basically positive.  In a survey conducted in 10 different languages it was discovered that people make positive statements, use positive words, much more often than negative ones.  They are calling this the Pollyanna Principle.  She was the fictional character who always saw the bright side of everything.  "You broke your arm? Well at least you can still use the other one."  That sort of thing. The Pollyanna Principle?  It couldn't just be human nature? Or maybe it's a learned response - people seem to treat me better if I say nice things?  Or maybe, most people are basically nice?  I think I like that last one best.

Whatever you do, keep calm!

Another fascinating medical study reported on the morning news.  Add this to your "for what it's worth" file.  It turns out that a person is eight and a half times more likely to have a heart attack within two hours after a violent outburst of anger, so, no matter what, don't scream and shout, don't kick the dog or break anything, just stay calm.  On the other hand, people who indulge in a sauna 4-7 times a week are 65% less likely to have a heart attack.  Unfortunately I don't own a sauna.  I wonder if long hot showers work?  They certainly sooth me.

"The Voice" is back!

I'm not a huge contemporary music fan, although I am going to see "Maroon 5" in a couple of weeks, but I do like "The Voice".  I appreciate the premise that someone is being judged on their voice alone, although I do wonder if that's completely true.  It seems to me that the judges, with their backs turned, can still hear audience reaction, which perhaps sways their decisions?? Not sure about that.  Anyway, I still love the show and I'm so glad it's back on TV.

Now it's officially official

They had a retirement reception for me after church today.  It was a pleasant, proper reception with punch and yummy cupcakes and nuts and mints.  My husband always said it wasn't a proper reception unless there were nuts and mints.  People said lots of nice things but they asked one embarrassing question over and over, "What are your plans now that you're retired?"  I felt a little foolish saying "Well I really haven't made any definite plans."  Not sure if that was better that the honest answer "I plan to sleep in everyday and spend time reading good (not intellectually good, entertainingly good) books."  But after all, isn't the whole idea of being retired that you don't have to plan so much?

life a century ago

My mother was born in 1910 so when I came across a list today of various elements of life in 1910 it caught my attention.  The average life expectancy was 47 years. Fuel for cars was bought in drug stores, and speaking of drugs - marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter in drugstores.  So does that mean that Colorado, Washington, etc. have taken a giant step backwards in legalizing marijuana? The average US wage was 22 cents an hour, but eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.  I remember my mother talking about the cook/housekeeper who worked for her family for many years. Occasionally mom would bake a batch of "Mrs. McGowan's cookies" or reflect on something domestic that the housekeeper had taught her. This never struck me as too unusual.  My grandfather was a minister and I guess I just assumed that having household help would have been the norm.  I was more surprised, some years later, to discover, while doing some genealogical research, that my grandfather (my father;s father) actually married the live-in help.  Theirs was a much more modest household, my grandfather was a carpenter, but they evidently still had help.

bad reporting or bad research?

I heard a report on TV news this morning that said that children who are held back and start school a year later than is typical don't do better in school (which has long been the assumption).  Since my son was "held back" a year (back then they had an extra year built in called "Reading Readiness") and has subsequently done very well, this comment caught my attention.  The reporter said when 8 year olds who started school later are tested against 8 year olds who started on the usual schedule they don'd do as well on standardized tests.  Well, do you think that could possibly have something to do with the fact that the late starters have one less year of school under their belts?  How about testing 2nd graders against other 2nd graders, or 8th graders against 8th graders, and then comparing the early starters to the late?

I'm reading a good book, slowly.

I'm reading the book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand and I highly recommend it. It's the true story of WWII airmen stranded on a life raft after their plane crashes in the Pacific and then captured by the Japanese.  I've seen the movie and I thought it was good but it doesn't begin to have the emotional impact of the book.  The problem is I only seem to be able to read it in small chunks.  Usually, when I'm into a good book I can spend hours reading but not with this one.  It's just too intense.  That doesn't mean I won't finish it, it may just take a while longer than usual.

High tech, low tech

In the last two days I've been treated to examples of an interesting range of educational tools.  As I worked yesterday with a fifth grader I've just started tutoring, I enjoyed watching him set the alarm on his nifty watch so we would know when our hour was up, then start the stop watch ticking so we would know when he had read for 20 minutes in an actual book.  Then we got out a little white board and marker and manipulatives so we could work through some math problems.
Today I spent some time with my granddaughters after school and watched the 7th grader assemble her science fair display.  She had printed out narratives and graphs created on a computer and mounted them on a large display board with the help of scissors and a glue stick, while checking her school-issued i-pad to confirm that she had arranged things correctly.  She then used the same i-pad to pull up definitions she needed for homework which she completed with a plain old yellow #2 pencil in a traditional work book.  It's good to know that there are still some school tools that I know how to use. I'm sure you can guess which ones.

What's right with this picture?

Ok, now I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this retirement bit.  My day today included breakfast at a restaurant with my brother, shopping all morning and lunch at our favorite Thai place with my daughter, then home where I took a nap (of course only because I learned recently from a TV doctor that naps are good for you) and spent a good part of the afternoon reading a good book.  I could get used to this.

What's wrong with this picture?

So here I am at the end of my first work-week day of retirement and how did I spend the day?  Most of the morning I was on the computer or on the phone doing committee work.  In the afternoon I made my usual drive down to church to take part in a tutoring program. It felt suspiciously like a work day except for two things 1. I slept in until almost 8am (it was actually daylight when I opened my eyes). and 2. I was wearing my fuzzy slippers for most of the day.  So I guess that was a pretty good first step toward adapting to retirement behavior.

butlers and maids

Watching Downton Abby again - my favorite "high brow" soap opera, and I've started to day dream about what it would be like to be surrounded by maids and butlers, and of course scads of money to pay for it all.  I know I'd enjoy the scads of money.  That goes without saying.  But I'm not so sure I'd actually like lots of people around the house all the time.  Mind you I might like to try it for a little while.  Maybe I should check out fortwaynemaidsandbutlers.com.

I love spaghetti

Every once in a while I get the urge to cook up a large pot of spaghetti because I like my spaghetti better than any other.  I remember, as a young girl - probably about 10, going shopping one day in down town Fort Wayne.  This was a big deal back then. Going shopping down town was a day long event that required dressing up and often involved eating lunch in a restaurant. It was a rare and exciting experience.  On this particular day I remember ordering spaghetti in the restaurant because I love spaghetti.  That's when I sadly discovered that not all spaghetti tasted like my mom's, but mine does.  I know her secret ingredient.  Happy to say this batch turned out just right.  Yummm...

Two satisfying health reports

In the last few days I've heard two news reports which i find very satisfying.  First, it's been determined that intense jogging is just as bad for you as no jogging at all.  They implied that a little jogging might actually be good for you but I think I shall continue to avoid it altogether.  Second, they've discovered that 30 minute afternoon naps are good for you.  Well, duh.

training - the last day

The day is done, the race was fun....It's over.  Cindi is trained, as much as I can do, and more than ready to take over my position, so I retired today!  I was taken to a lovely lunch, many nice things were said about me, I was given German chocolate cake, I went out with friends for a very fine dinner and a glass of wine.  I received funny cards and gifts, and capped off the evening by attending a concert.  The St. Olaf Choir is simply amazing.  All in all it was a lovely day. If I had known how much fun retiring is I might have done it long ago.  Oh wait, I did.  This is my second (and last) retirement.

training, day three

We started three more projects today and Cindi continues to wow me, and others.  At a meeting this morning, after she explained a new process we could use, one of our staff members said "Wow, it's like you're "Luci 2.0".  I think it's true and it's exactly what I've been hoping for.

Training, day two

How fun is this?  By this afternoon my replacement was arranging articles in the newsletter, cleaning up spacing issues, deciding what should go where and generally doing all the work while I sat back writing an article and watching her.  Wow, I should have had an assistant years ago.  Two days to go and I think she's going to do very well indeed.

Training, day one

Well, I've finished the first of four days of training my replacement and it went well. Lucky for me she's a really quick study.  But I'm exhausted.  I'm used to sitting quietly at my desk in my out-of-the-way office, focusing on what needs to be done, and getting it done.  It feels really different to explain my processes and systems out loud to someone else and let that person do a good part of the work. I didn't realize how little I actually talk each day until I started to loose my voice this afternoon.  Ah well, it's a small price to pay for guilt free freedom.  I know I'm leaving the job in good hands.

washing woodwork

People keep asking me "What are you going to do when you retire?"  or "What are you looking forward to when you retire?" and I keep giving vague answers like "Oh, I'll find some volunteer work that interests me." and "I will still be involved with committees at the church." but the truth of the matter is that I'm looking forward to giving my house the first really good "spring house cleaning" it's had in years.  Of course, I do have a fear - what if it's only the grime of ages holding everything together?  I can see the headlines now "MYSTERIOUS HOUSE COLLAPSE, INSURANCE REFUSES TO PAY UP!"

packing up and moving out

of my office that is.  All last week I've been bringing odds and ends of stuff home from my office: the family picture, the stuff that was hanging on my bulletin board. most of the items from my desk drawers, the fake plant from on top of the file cabinet, It's amazing how much stuff a person can accumulate in five years on a job.  Friday afternoon I spent a couple of hours cleaning out my files (paper and computer).  It's really good that our church recycles now.  Somehow throwing stacks and stacks of unnecessary paperwork into the big recycling bin seems less of a jolt than just tossing everything.  Day after tomorrow I'll start the week of training my replacement and I'm sure it will go well, but I can't quite shake the feeling that something I've tossed away will be the one thing she really needs. Ah well, in five days it won't be my problem.

now that was funny...

I went to dinner and a play with a friend this evening at the Arena Dinner Theater.  it's a fun little theater here in Ft. Wayne, where first you eat and then you see the play.  The evening started well when we were seated at the same table with an old friend from my real estate days and his wife.  So dinner was fun and so was the play.  It was the funniest play I've ever seen at Arena and the actors were excellent. I generally don't react well to dark comedy but this one was hilarious. It didn't hurt that one of the characters was in real estate so there were lots of real estate jokes.  The name of the play was "The Smell of the Kill" and it involved three couples who dined together once a month at each others' houses.  As the play unfolds you quickly realize that the wives (the only ones ever seen on stage) are not as happy as they might be with their respective spouses.  When the man of the house shows off his new $8,000 meat locker that he has had installed in the basement to store the deer, rabbits, etc. that he hunts, he and the other two husbands accidentally get locked inside.  The wives spend a very funny second act debating whether they should let the men out or not.  Do they or don't they?  I'm not telling.

graceful I'm not

I've never been accused of being graceful. Swan-like I'm not.  Although I'm not sure how graceful swans actually are, at least on land.  They waddle, but that's beside the point.  As I was rushing into Kroger's on my way home from work today (oooh, only 5 more days to say that) I slipped on a patch of ice and landed less that gracefully on my bottom on the sidewalk. Luckily, I was wearing a heavy coat and nothing was hurt but my dignity.  A man driving out of the parking lot did slow down to ask if I was ok.  Other than that I don't think anyone else even saw what happened, which was just fine with me. Although, on the other hand, I may have missed my chance for a really good law suit.  Maybe it's too bad that I didn't have a larger audience...

decisions, decisions

Have you ever debated whether to keep something or throw it away and decided to hang on to it because you might need it sometime?  Well picture an office with several file drawers full of five years worth of papers tucked away just in case.  Then add to that all the possible ways one can store information on a computer and you can get a sense of the clean out job I'm facing with one week to get it finished.  Of course I could just dump everything but sure as I do, there will be a few bits of information that I should have passed on to my successor.  And so i'm sorting and sorting and pitching and pitching and trying to leave things in some semblance of order.  We shall see, but hey, if it's not perfect when I walk out next Thursday what are they going to do, fire me?

To immunize or not to immunize, that is the question.

I've been following the measles immunization discussions on TV over the last few weeks and I must say I tend to lean heavily toward the "do immunize" point of view.  I didn't realize that the MMR vaccine was first used about 1971, the year my son was born, but I do remember that both of my children did get those series of shots with no ill effects.  But I think that the depth of my feeling that children should be immunized stems from memories of my youth.  It wasn't measles but polio that was the really scary possibility back then. People ended up in iron lungs or with paralyzed limbs.  I had a girlfriend in 5th grade with a shrunken arm from polio and one of my uncles spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair because of polio.  So it's not surprising that when Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was introduced, my mother made sure we were right there getting that miraculous protection which, as I recall, was given to us on sugar cubes. We stood in long lines at school to get that magic protection and my mother was pretty sure that Dr. Salk was destined for sainthood.
I'm not suggesting that measles is in any way comparable to polio, but it can sometimes have deadly consequences so why not prevent it if you can?

poor penmanship

Not long ago I had the chance to observe the handwriting of a couple of my grandchildren and found myself mentally comparing their penmanship (does anyone remember what that is?) to what I had to practice as a child.  I've always prided myself on having decent penmanship. Then today, while enjoying a weather day off from work, I decided to write a letter, actually write a snail mail letter, to my sister-in-law who is recovering from a roll-over accident when she hit some black ice on a down hill slope.  Happily. she is recovering well out there in Spokane but I thought she might enjoy a letter. So I wrote a letter, two whole pages and was actually appalled at the state of my handwriting, legible I think, but certainly not elegant. And, to add insult to injury, no spell checker. Gasp! Do you realize what this means?  I've become totally reliant on e-mails and text messages.  I have a plan though.  The next time I get the urge to "write" a letter, I will type it, convert it to a font that looks like handwriting, print it and mail it.

Snow Day, cont.

So what does one do with an unexpected free Sunday?  I thought about cleaning - boring, or starting on my taxes - ugh, but instead I decided to bake - yum.  It's my turn to bring the snack for staff meeting on Tuesday (my last time) so I decided to try a new recipe.  I baked a double batch of Coffee Cake Muffins.  I must say they are quite tasty.  Now I just have to decide what kind of whipped butter to take with them.  Orange butter, lemon butter or honey butter or maybe some orange & honey butter.  I may have to do some taste testing.  Ah well, it's a burden but it's for a good cause.