october beauty product review

here are the skincare and makeup products i purchased this month and how they worked for me. i haven’t purchased much makeup lately so i needed to stock up on a few things.

paula’s choice vitamin c super booster - i’ve been using this for about a year and it’s become a staple. i’ve read that vitamin c can quickly degrade so i keep mine in the fridge and it’s the first thing i put on in the morning with a clean face. you put a couple of drops on and it instantly absorbs. the other thing i like about the website is you can read up on specific ingredients you hear about and it gives a description and a rating.

urban decay eyeshadow palette in naked2 basics - what i like about this palette is that they are all mat shades which i like better for mature skin.

ulta eyeshadow palette in soul - i was looking for a plum palette to go with fall and winter but didn’t want to spend too much since i usually prefer neutrals, so this was a fantastic price at $12. the dark plum is great to set my eyeliner with.

laura mercier foundation primer - this primer goes on very light and doesn’t have that gloppy feeling or pill up like some others that i’ve tried. i do notice a difference in my makeup lasting longer, so it’s definitely a keeper.

urban decay eyeshadow primer - it has a doe foot applicator and helps my eyeshadow stay put for longer, and helps prevent it from settling into the creases in my lids. i also put a tiny dab on the inner corner of my eye where i also put concealer.

looking forward to playing with the purples and plum colors this fall!

aloha friday

photo courtesy of justin ornellas

i’m looking forward to having game night this weekend as well as a visit to mom’s. I hope I also have time to watch a film noir this weekend on tcm called follow me quietly. the architecture, the clothing, the interiors, and oh yeah the acting.

this week i had a partial loaf of this incredible sour dough bread that i bought from breadshop in kaimuki and so i made a test run of stuffing with it. i don’t know why i make stuffing only once a year at thanksgiving because it’s so gd delicious.

how to seed pomegranates without looking like a murder scene - finally an easy way.

i’m listening to this song playlist of sade. what a beautiful and ethereal voice she has.

if you take daily medication take a peek at an app for your cell phone called pill reminder. it not only reminds you to take your medications but it can also give you a report that you can use for doctor visits. it’s so much easier than my previous system of using my phone reminders or logging it manually.

to kill a mockingbird was named best american novel. i’m one of the few people who never read it but definitely on my tbr.

i’ve been looking for dark grey or black jeans for a while and settled on these from everlane. i’ve never ordered jeans online but i’ve done my research and so fingers crossed they fit. i’ve loved everything that i’ve ordered from everlane so far.

great article on michael j. fox foundation blog about testing of drug for parkinson’s.

enjoy your weekend!

edamame (soybean) hummus

this is a riff off of chickpea hummus. it’s a beautiful vibrant green and the flavor is lighter and fresher. it’s a great snack or appetizer, also delicious smeared on toast or in a sandwich. aside from this hummus, soybeans in the pod are also a favorite snack in hawaii with a glass of wine or beer. it’s sort of the local version of boiled peanuts. for the hummus you’ll want to start with the shelled version.

edamame (soybean) hummus

2 cups shelled soybeans, cooked

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice

salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

put the soybeans, garlic, warm water, olive oil, tahini, pinch of salt, & cayenne into a food processor and blend for a good 3 or 4 minutes. add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and blend for another minute. you want it to be nice and fluffy. taste and add more salt if needed. serve with raw vegetables, crackers, pita bread, sweet potato chips. enjoy!

boy am i getting a sweet tooth

i wasn’t really a dessert person growing up. yes i enjoyed sweet things occasionally but didn’t seek them out. but man has that slowly started to change over the last couple of years. then i started seeing articles popping up about parkinson’s and whether it increases you’re wanting sweet things. i don’t know if it’s true or not but one of them mentioned that since many of us with parkinson’s lose our sense of smell (which in turn lessens our sense of taste) that we might be seeking things with a sweeter flavor to compensate.

in any event, each night after dinner, i could really use a piece of cake, or pie, or ice cream! but i try to eat pretty healthfully so i had to figure out a strategy to reign in the beast and here is what has been working for me so far.

some people can have a bag of potato chips in the pantry and eat a few with a sandwich and put it back until they feel like it again. in my case, the bag of potato chips calls my name everytime i’m in the kitchen and i will eat potato chips every day until they are gone. but i know that about myself, so i only buy potato chips when i plan on eating them for a particular meal and purchase only enough for that meal. for me, out of sight out of mind so that goes for sweet things as well.

the next thing is i try to have sweet things only if i make them myself. that slows me down because although i want cookies everyday, i’m not going to bake them everyday and if i do bake them, i keep some for myself and give some away immediately. you’ll also be making a friend :)

the next line of defense is i do have dark chocolate in the house all the time. it’s very dark and strong so you really don’t want to each much, but a couple small squares in the evening is in most cases enough to keep the wolves at bay.

lastly if i do have leftover dessert, i wrap them into individually servings, freeze them, and put them in an extra freezer i have in my storage room. silly as it sounds, just having them removed from the kitchen helps me slow down and gives me one more opportunity to pass on them.

those of you that don’t have a sweet tooth are probably laughing but as i’m writing this i’m thinking of when can i make these salted butter & chocolate chip cookies. if you have any good strategies i’d love to hear them. XO Kai

have you participated in a clinical trial

i just read a surprising statistic that 85% of clinical trials for parkinson’s face delays and that 30% never get off the ground because of a lack of volunteers. while we try to live our best life now, we of course want to find new scientific breakthroughs and hopefully a cure. i know for many, just trying to get through the challenges of day are the priority but participating in just one trial can not only multiply the speed to a cure for ourselves, but is a way to pay it forward for the next generation who get parkinson’s.

many people want to participate but don’t how and think it would be too difficult. the michael j. fox foundation makes it simple to find out about what trials are available and can even send you a notice when a trial comes available that fits your parameters. all you need to do is register at fox trial finder. here is a short video from the mjff that’s really interesting. wishing you a happy saturday!

aloha friday

this weekend i’d like to see the movie colette with keira knightly and maybe have a scrabble night. exciting stuff, i know, but it sounds perfect to me. i’m getting a garden bed ready for some kupukipu ferns that i’ll be planting in them soon so i’m sure some gardening will be in order. have a wonderful weekend and live your best life now!

- interesting article about new study on light therapy to help parkinson’s non-motor symptoms.

-won’t you be my neighbor - a charming documentary about mr. rogers.

- an american in paris - i saw this classic movie again this week. no wonder it’s one of the 100 best movies of all time. gene kelly’s dancing is heavenly.

- slow roasted spiced pork - i made this for dinner this week and it was delicious and easy. you can eat it as a roast the first night and shred up leftovers for pulled pork tacos.

- the dream podcast - i love true crime and there are so many good podcasts right now. this is an interesting new one.

- a rule against murder - mystery novel by louise penny. i’m halfway through this and really loving this series about charming inspector gamache in a quaint canadian town.

learning to fall

i was walking up the stairs in my garden very quickly and the front of my foot hit the lip of the step and i fell face forward into the concrete steps. i’m completely fine because i able to catch myself and brace the fall with my hands, but it scared the you know what out of me. my husband also recently sprained his ankle from a fall.

it made me think about falling in general. the reality is we all fall down from time to time whether you have parkinson’s or not and there is so much injury that can come from these falls. so wouldn’t it be important that we all learned to fall correctly? i wish i knew this stuff when i was a kid. so i started to research how to fall and there is a lot of stuff online including techniques for athletes, law enforcement, etc. one of the best is elliot royce who at the age of 95 teaches the elderly how to fall and does it by falling over and over again! he is a falling ninja!

here are two videos that show how to fall forward and backwards. i have an air mattress and going to practice this and i’m even going to see if i can convince my mom to try it. give it a go and let me know how it goes or if you have any tips.

a meditation a day....

keeps all sorts of things away. i’ve been meditating off and on for the last couple of years and i do notice the difference when i meditate more regularly. i feel calmer, more grounded, and i think the most amazing thing it does is to give me just a second or two more of being present in a situation before i react to it. i’m more able to catch myself and think it through, than automatically react. that has been helpful not only in how i respond externally with others but how i react to myself particularly in dealing with my pd.

i meditate for ten minutes a day, most days in the morning, but anytime will work. i do try to time it when my medication is in high gear as during off periods, it can be difficult to focus. on not so good days, even five minutes is helpful.

the good news is there are so many fabulous ways to meditate. here are a few apps and sites to get started.

insight timer - this is my favorite app right now. it has tons of choices and you can choose the time you have, the teacher, and the subject, all for free. it also has a free course on learning to meditate if you’re new to the practice.

headspace - this app is also a good one. the first ten sessions are free and then you pay after that monthly. it has some very good animated clips on helping to learn and stay on track and all the meditations are narrated by the same person which headspace fans like.

here are two videos on learning to meditate. the first is from pick up limes and the other from dan harris. give it a go and let me know what you think.

aloha friday

it’s a beautiful morning in hawaii. our family room looks out over pauoa valley and our neighbors huge avocado & mango trees. the trees in the morning are filled with a variety of birds and they make an extraordinary symphony of chirping that i love to hear. it’s such a joyful way to wake up.

this weekend we are having friends over for dinner. the menu is a chicken curry and rice pilaf dish from nigella lawson that i’ve been cooking for years. it’s great for entertaining because you can make everything in advance and i serve it with lots of different condiments including mango chutney, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, & bacon bits so everyone can customize to their tastes.

pumpkin skillet coffee cake - stella parks is an incredible baker and these look like a delicious way to kick off the fall season.

my parkinson’s team - this a social network for those living with parkinson’s. i just signed up and look forward to meeting new people.

losing touch, finding intimacy - a powerful and touching piece.

can’t get comfortable in your chair? - really interesting article about how most of our chairs make us sit incorrectly.

blinc mascara - loving this mascara. never runs and super easy to remove.

book i’m enjoying - nonviolent communication by marshall b. rosenberg

simplify - my favorite podcast right now.

have a terrific weekend and live your best life now!

trading in my to do list

photo courtesy of justin ornellas

most mornings as part of my morning routine, i make a to do list for the day. i have a been a big list maker for years and they run the gamut on how they were organized. it’s so fun for me to cross off those items after they are completed.

but i’d like to add a new list called my “joy & meaning” list. it comes from a book i’ve really enjoyed called the gifts of imperfection by brene brown. in it she describes how her lists in the past many times included things that were linked to mostly professional accomplishment, acquisition of more things, monetary goals, and so forth. i have had those same lists and they can be important things to focus on, but most of them required making and spending more money.

the joy & meaning list are the ingredients of how we would like our lives to look like when it’s at its best. it will of course change over time and incorporating all of them is a lesson in progress and perfection but it’s a wonderful exercise and once you start thinking about it, you cant take it in all sorts of creative directions if you’d like. here is my list:

-sleeping well

-cooking delicious & healthy meals

-doing exercise that i enjoy

-gardening

-spending time with family & friends

-being present with the people in my life

-volunteering or doing something for others

-finding time to play, ponder, and putter

-having control over our finances

-doing meaningful work that doesn’t overly consume me

tell me what’s on your joy & meaning list. enjoy your week!

favorite cookbooks

i heard ina garten on milk street radio this morning and happy to hear she has a new cookbook coming out this month called cook like a pro. ina has been an enduring favorite of mine. her relaxed style and serene home, make you wish she’d invite you to her gorgeous east hamptons abode and sit at her counter while she cooks for you and her husband jeffrey. her recipes are pretty simple but stylish and her cookbook covers are also super comforting to see. i just love to see their bright colors and stripes sitting on the bookshelf.

ina owned a very popular specialty food store in east hampton called the barefoot contessa in the late 70’s and 80’s. she went on to do catering and from there started writing cookbooks and her tv show which is the oldest running show on the food network. she has 11 cookbooks in all but here a few of my favorites and links to a couple of recipes that i’ve made over and over again.

Barefoot Contessa at Home - whiskey sours her drink recipes are great for parties

green herb dip - simple but delicious dip with veggies

chicken salad sandwiches & chicken salad veronique- chicken and tuna salad need to make a comeback! classic

lamb kebabs with couscous - the only recipe i could find online doubles the recipe in the book, so just half each ingredient if you don’t need to feed a large crowd.

Barefoot Back to Basics - tuscan lemon chicken - great for fall barbecue

company pot roast - another classic

Barefoot Contessa Family Style - parmesan chicken -i’ve made this a ton and it’s great with company because you make it ahead of time, keep it in the lowest oven setting and just plate with a salad when you’re ready.

Ina Garten Make it Ahead - crunchy iceberg salad with creamy blue cheese

Cook Like a Pro - this is her new cookbook coming out this month and this is a sneak peak recipe from it that i can’t wait to try. cauliflower toasts

september garden notes

it’s still in the high 80’s here in hawaii and this year has been a hot wet one. the veg garden has been minimal this summer because of all the traveling we did this year. so i have some seedlings that i’ve started and waiting to get a little bigger before i transplant them into the raised beds. chard, kale, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, & lavender. there are always a few herbs around. right now its basil, green onions, garlic chives, parsley & thyme.

the year round heat and humidity can make it tricky to grow things here, but what you can grow, many times can be grown all year long. the humidity makes for tons of bugs and viruses, and i don’t use any chemicals in my garden, so i use the planting method called “half for me & half for the bugs,” and try not to stress about it.

the ginger and tumeric are doing well. the leaves are just starting to turn yellow which is a sign that they should be ready to dig up soon. i keep a little of both each year to replant and are just the best in my morning smoothie. the figs i’m still trying to figure out. they are in pots because i don’t have the yard space to let them grown into trees. they were struggling at first but seem to be coming in a little better and there are even a dozen or so fruits starting. i need to do a little research on how to net the plants so the birds don’t get the fruits before we do.

i see four papayas coming in and the lime and myer lemons are also doing well. the lime seems to do much better and i’ve getting them year round which is great for my friday cocktail hour! all is well in my little garden. for me gardening is meditation, exercise, and a lesson that it’s never perfect and complete, but always worth enjoying in the moment.

healthyish cookies

these are quite possibly the ugliest cookies ever made. although i enjoy cooking, baking has always been a big challenge for me but stick with me.

as time goes by, i’ve gotten more and more of a sweet tooth. i’ve recently read a lot of people with PD saying the same thing. i usually have a small piece of dark chocolate and sometimes fruit in the evening which most of the time can hold back the dam. but i’ve started looking around for some alternatives that i realize may not “healthy” but at least have a nod towards a few better ingredients.

these are it. they are called lalo’s famous cookies from gwyneth paltrow’s cookbook called my father’s daughter. they are very simple, with few ingredients, and have a not to sweet and nutty flavor to them. in the book, gwyneth says she has even let her kids eat them for breakfast! i halved the recipe and it turned out fantastic.

lalo’s famous cookies

4 cups barley flour

3 cups raw whole almonds crushed in a food processor (20-30 seconds)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup canola oil

1 cup maple syrup

your favorite jam

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. combine all the ingredients except for the jam together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Form into tablespoonful balls and space them evenly on 2 cookie sheets. using your index finger, make an indent in each cookie. fill each indent with a small spoonful of jam. bake until cookies are evenly browned, about 20 minutes (ovens differ, i had to bake mine about 30). let cool before eating. delish…

aloha friday

this week we saw spike lee’s new movie the BlacKkKlansman. it’s a super interesting movie done in such a creative way. definitely check it out. we stopped by murphy’s for some good old comfort food, washed down with an ice cold gin and tonic. this weekend i’m looking forward to reading royal flush by rhys bowen and the guest list by ethan mordden (goodreads gives it a terrible review but i purchased it from the library book sale and i’m going to give it a go).

the plants in the garden go bananas during the summer so there will be a lot of trimming of overgrown areca palms, a prehistoric ficus, and a neighbors overgrown avocado tree (it’s too bad it doesn’t bear fruit). the normal trimming rules for four seasons don’t seem to all apply in our climate.

i also excited to try my first boxing for parkinson’s class at orthosport.

my name is yeh - molly yeh has a beautiful smile and her enthusiasm for food is contagious. she is young and energetic, down to earth, and i think she is going to be a big star!

the great american read - this is an eighth part series on pbs about the top 100 novels as voted for by the public. each show interviews different people around the country and why they liked a particular book and if you like to read, this will explode your “to be read” list, and if you need some inspiration to read more, this will definitely get your juices flowing.

I made a quick small batch of plum jam while the plums are still around. aside from toast, you can spoon it over ice cream or cake, add a little to a vinaigrette, and even as a condiment with pork chops or chicken.

its a simple ratio of half the weight of sugar to plums. so for this batch i had 1.5 lbs. of chopped plums to 3/4 lb. of sugar, and juice of 1 lemon. i put them in a saucepan and over medium high heat bring to boil. reduce and simmer for 20-30 minutes to thicken up, stirring frequently. i’m not preserving these for long term so i just transfer them into small mason jars, put one in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. simple and delish…

enjoy your weekend!

technology tools for parkinson's

i came across the website for liftware which are utensils designed for people with a tremor. i have a tremor in my right hand so i switched to using utensils to my left, but it got me thinking about what other things are out there to help people with parkinson’s and other health challenges. here are a few interesting things i found.

the one thing i noticed is that it would be great if some of the items, especially the ones you wear, were designed with a little more style and color. although we may have health challenges, we can still sometimes want to be stylish and unique. look at 65pinkroses in her tricked out wheelchair! love it!

liftware

s'up spoon

readi steadi

rocker knife

my id

dragon software

kangaroo cup

button helper

zappos velcro shoes

digit grip

ez off jar opener

magna ready

forever summer fashion

top from anthropologie

---

summer is eternal here in hawaii. we have two seasons, sunny and hot or rainy and hot! so while i see all of fashion blogs talk about all the wonderful cooler season wear, we will still have 85 degree weather most days. i’m not complaining because i love living here, but it does get challenging sometimes not being able to swap out seasonal clothing.

i also have much fewer clothing now that i’m retired and fewer opportunities to dress up, and since i spend most of my time at home, it has to be heat friendly (not to mention menopausal, but that’s a different post!).

i don’t have a capsule wardrobe per say but i do now like having fewer clothes to choose from because it makes it much easier to get dressed in the morning. i keep my selection for the season in the front of my closet and put the rest folded and in baskets or hung in the back so i don’t see them until the next season. i eliminate items that i don’t like but kept just in case, things that don’t fit, and most things that are not natural fabrics. now i like everything in my wardrobe and don’t often have that “can’t find something to wear” feeling.

what works best for me is to have a basic wardrobe of items i wear all year long. my favorite jeans, basic tees, and ballet flats. then in each season i add a few pieces to change it up. this keeps things fresh and i don’t get bored because i really do wear the same things over and over again so i have to really like them. the way i break up the seasons are Nov-Jan, Feb-April, May-July, & Aug-Oct. here are a few things i do to fake my seasons!

1. each season has different color themes - i like neutrals but add in one different color for the season. this summer i added a few pink tops. i even have the breton top above with pink stripes. in fall and winter i add more darker pieces and this fall i’d like to add a new camel colored piece. during the winter, i’ll also add something sparkly for holiday events.

2. change my shoe style and colors - again i choose the shoes for each season and put them together. they really don’t change in terms of style, except i may use a dressy sandal more in the winter because of the holidays and i’ll make an effort to wear more covered shoes in winter just because.

3. jewelry - i use more casual delicate pieces in spring & summer months and will wear my more formal pieces even with casual clothes in the fall & winter. pearls are fun to wear during fall and winter with a button down shirt & jeans.

4. makeup - dark lipstick and makeup does not work in heat and humidity but i do play a bit more with a darker lipstick in the evenings or a little more sparkle on the cheeks or eyes for the holidays.

5. accessories - again it’s mainly the colors that change more so than style. so scarves and bags can be lighter and brighter in the summer months. i have a burgundy tote that i’ll pull out for fall & winter and put away my lavender purse.

6. fragrance - changing your fragrance is a wonderful way to change up the seasons. you know, light and fresh in the spring and summer, warmer and spicier in the fall and winter. i’m loving everything roses right now with chloe rose perfume and jo malone velvet rose.

overall i think the key has been to break up my wardrobe and pretend there are seasons so that each time i put the wardrobe together, it feels fresh. it’s funny how quickly you forget something when you don’t see it and “surprise” it’s like shopping again when you pull them out. when i do have several days that i feel like i don’t have the right thing to wear, i’ll look through my stored clothes to make an adjustment and if i don’t find it there, then it’s probably a sign of something missing in my wardrobe and it goes on the shopping list. but through that process it has made me shop much less and gave me pause to see if i really need it.

if you live in a warm climate or have any tips on how to feel seasonal, i would love it if you would share them!

aloha friday

this weekend we’ll be cleaning out the garden from the heavy rains this week from tropical storm olivia. thank goodness it wasn’t as strong as anticipated but it did do some flooding in certain areas. thoughts also for those in the wake of hurricane florence.

Perseverance: The Seven Skills You Need to Survive, Thrive, and Accomplish More Than You Ever Imagined- by Tim Hague - Looking forward to starting this book this weekend. Tim was diagnosed with PD at age 46 and is now a motivational speaker.

Lovely Day - Bill Withers - You’ve got to listen to this song in the morning. It’s a great way to start the day!

Did you know that the New York Public Library has more than 180,000 digital photos that you can download for free? Browse this amazing collection of anything you can think of. Here are few cool drawings that I printed out and framed for art.

Aviation Cocktail

We enjoyed this beautiful and delicious cocktail with homemade brandied cherries and is a great way to kick off the weekend.

finding the rhythm of your day

before i retired, the rhythm of the day usually involved waking up early, reading something motivational, look over my planner and plot out the day and week, and then off i went. i as many people do, had more things to do, than time to do it. and i enjoyed it. i felt productive, busy, important, and always had the next project or goal in mind. 

i also had the luxury of retiring over a period of time, giving me space to slowly get used to the pace of my new life. even with that, it has taken some time to find the daily routine that fits my current lifestyle. the physical and cognitive changes from my parkinson's including fatigue, and trying to reduce stress also play a part of how i spend my day. lastly i had to make a mind shift that the things that i do now have tremendous value, even though they don’t involve earning a living or adding to my career path. but enough time has passed and with the help of family and friends and the extraordinary PD community, i have transitioned from seeing what i can’t do but what i can do.

so i started with listing all the things that i could do during a day.

gardening

home maintenance

exercise

cook

read

listen to music

meditate

practice a 2nd language

research family history

volunteer

blog

journal

advocate for PD

meals or time with family or friends- whether that means in person, by phone, email, text, or social media

that’s 14 things and some items can be broken down further into sub categories. then i decided on the ones that i’d like to do daily, or at whatever interval is appropriate. then i tried experimenting throughout the day to see what worked out best for me.

i found that still getting a good morning routine helped me set the rest of the day in a more positive tone. i also found that i exercise much more if i do it first thing in the morning before i get too fatigued. i have coffee and read something inspirational or motivational whether it’s a book or podcast, and sometimes it’s reading a story from the davis phinney foundation website called moments of victory. then i review and plan my day, read my emails. then do some exercise, have breakfast, and some gardening.

after the sweaty work is done i like to get cleaned up and dressed. even if i’m staying home all day i find that showering, putting on makeup, and getting dressed (even if it’s shorts and a t-shirt, we are in hawaii after all) i feel better and ready for the next stage of the day. i try to make my appointments in the late morning to early afternoon. in the afternoon when i’m back home i pick one or two things from my list to do depending on how i feel.

i’m sure that rhythm will change over time and I’ll make adjustments as needed. i’d love to hear what the rhythm of your day is like. oh, and i forgot there is one more thing to add to my list when needed. a nap!

parkinson's websites

photo courtesy of Justin Ornellas

as i try to learn more about pd, i've found a number of different websites that i like. i read them for different purposes. some have a lot of scientific information, much of which i don't understand. but i like to at least scan through them to see what new research there is or what research is moving through the system.

others have real practical information about medication, exercise, and complementary therapies.  others are just inspirational and help by sharing similar experiences or give me a boost of positivity when i need it. i'm sure there are many others, so please share the ones you enjoy.

the michael j. fox foundation

parkinson's foundation

the davis phinney foundation

a soft voice in a noisy word

parkinson's journey

parking suns

defeat parkinson's

parkinson's humor

fred phillips

out thinking parkinson's

parkinson's news today

the science of parkinson's

aloha friday

looking forward to digging in my garden this weekend and going for a walk. the weather is gorgeous with clear blue skies which always brings me joy. enjoy your end of summer weekend!

burt reynolds - sad to hear of burt reynolds passing. he was a charmer, had a great laugh, and said of his life, "no one had more fun than i did"....hope to be as lucky.

without gorky - saw this interesting documentary on netflix about the family of Abstract Expressionist painter Arshile Gorky and how his life and death impacted his family. for some reason i've been on a documentary kick about families and their interesting dynamics.

embracing the present moment - when i have a tough day, this is a good reminder.

a tree grows in brooklyn - i just started reading this classic book selected as one the top 100 books of the century by the new york public library. it's a wonderful book and i'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read it.

a blast from the past - i've been watching these old videos on youtube that show all about different thoughts on lifestyle. this one is a crack up about how young people should take care of  their clothes in the 1940's.