Some down time at last

Another Christmas Day is here. Time to reflect on the year and on those who have made an impact on me. Today is perfect. The snow is falling lightly, just enough to make things look festive outside but not enough to really impede travel. We will be spending time today with good friends and family. We spent Christmas Eve in Wisconsin with my sister and her family. My sister and brother-in-law led the music for the Christmas Eve service and it was beautiful as always. God has given them musical talent that they use to make others happy at this time and throughout the year. One of my nieces got engaged, and it is hard to imagine that since it seems like just yesterday that I was holding her in my arms as a baby.

The cookies are baked, the other food is prepared, and we are relishing the quiet and down time. We have seen more movies in the past couple of weeks, which shows that we are trying to make time for our "dates." We saw The Hobbit, which is good but so far not as inspired as the Lord of the Rings. Perhaps we are all too jaded and spoiled from that magical trilogy. We also saw Skyfall, which is probably my favorite James Bond movie to date. I wonder what it means that I liked it more than my husband, who is the hard-core James Bond fan? If it appeals more to women, is the Bond genre losing its "edge"?

So as we head into another new year, I hope you all find peace and contentment through this holiday season, remember those who are gone fondly, and treat others kindly. For that is really what matters in the end.

Time to slow down

This time of the year usually feels so rushed. This year I am going to try to slow down and enjoy my friends and family. The decorations are up, the gifts have not been bought yet (but that's OK) and I have begun my annual baking today.

Keeping things in perspective is important. I think about the strife in the world and feel blessed to live where I do in a free country, despite our political divides. As a former journalist, I watched yet another decline in journalistic / media civility this week when some radio hots made a prank phone call to the hospital where one of the British royal family was, and a nurse subsequently committed suicide, apparently over the call. Perspective. It's important.

Enjoy the holiday lights. Enjoy your families, Enjoy your friends. Be happy to be alive. If you have good health, be grateful for that. If you have an extra few dollars, give to a non-profit that helps others. The feeling you have at this time of year is more important than the things you have. Slow down and enjoy.

Lincoln: the Movie

I just saw the new movie about Abraham Lincoln in the last few months of his life. As a history buff and movie lover, I found the movie fascinating and interesting. I highly recommend it. The authenticity is remarkable, and it also humanizes and brings Lincoln to life in a way that the animatrons at DisneyLand cannot.

I am sure that Daniel Day-Lewis will be nominated for an Oscar, and so might Sally Field. James Spader was magnificent as a scoundrel who helps Lincoln pass the 13th amendment. I read that even the sounds in the movie are authentic: the ticking of Lincoln's watch came from Lincoln's real watch that was found in a museum. The squeaking of chairs and floorboards, as well as the creaking of old doors, came from actual sounds recorded at the White House from furniture, floors and doors that Lincoln really used. A former high school classmate of mine, Gary Rydstrom, has won many Academy Awards for sound and I saw his name in the credits for Lincoln, too, so he may add another statue to his collection. We will see what the Academy does with nominating Steven Spielberg - he so deserves to win more statues.

If you like history, if you like to see the sausage-making process that goes into making a bill become law, or if you simply just like a film with great dialogue, I highly recommend the investment of your time to see Lincoln.

Is Twitter the new AP wire?

Why do people like, and some even love, social media? The Internet has been around for a long time now, and the rise of social media has eclipsed some of the more meteoric technology advancements of the recent past. In my opinion, what is important is the engagement and sense of belonging that people get from this medium. As a former journalist, I find the rapid fire reporting on Twitter to be similar to the old days of the AP / UPI wires. The difference, however, is that in the "old days" of the AP wire, the facts were checked and the information was considered reliable. Today, you have to be your own fact checker. I really like Twitter for the information it carries (knowing I need to check the facts), and for the engagement it can inspire. But beware that most items are opinions and some can be really off the rails. That is also the fun of it.

Twitter, like Facebook, Pinterest, and other social avenues, requires interaction to really get the most out of it. For all these media (dare I call them that?) you will get out of them what you put into them. Responsiveness is expected, maybe not immediately but soon; and you should be authentic in how you present yourself and your ideas. This is another difference between social mediums such as Twitter, and the " old days" of journalism. In the past, if you were a writer you were not expected to have an opinion. Now, it is "opinion-palooza" all the time! People who engage with you want to hear and read your personality and followers you have want to learn from you and hear your opinions.

If you are just starting out and learning about social media, dive in. That is the only way to learn about it. You will make mistakes, but that is OK. Have fun and engage. I will be interested in hearing about your experiences!

Something to fall back on

I'm on vacation and reading the book "The Good Girls Revolt" about the women at Newsweek magazine and how they sued the magazine in order to be writers, in the 1970s. It really occurred to me that I was not too far behind these women as I was coming up in my career. I, too, wanted to be a journalist. I had no idea in the 1970s that journalism was a difficult role for a woman. As I read the words of Lynn Povich about how she took stenography even though she had a Vassar degree, I thought back to my own high school days. I took typing class in high school, because my mom thought I should "have something to fall back on" in the event I could not get the job of my dreams someday. In other words, I could always fall back on being a secretary somewhere if a real career was not in the cards for me.

Although I do not consider myself old, I look back at some of the toxic sexist situations I have encountered in my life and shake my head: yes, I lived through some sexist times myself.

When I worked for a television station as a reporter in my college town, the news director would not put me on the air until I cut my long, curly hair. "I don't want you looking like a college kid," he growled, even though I was a college kid. And when it was convenient for the tv station, I was asked to do promotional commercials that ran during Saturday Night Live.....to draw in the younger audience, the college students. And when the same news director asked me to come over to his apartment to review tapes of my stories, the only way I got out of it was by letting him know my boyfriend would be joining me since he would like to hear the input, too. Needless to say, the invitation was rescinded, thankfully.

At one of my first jobs post-college, ironically at a weekly newsmagazine, I was literally chased around a piano at a New York party by one of the magazine's customers. I recall running up to my boss at the time, a New York woman about 10 years older than me, and asking what I should do. "Just remember he's a big customer, and try to be nice....and don't let him catch you" she advised. He didn't, but when I tell that story now it sounds like something out of an old Doris Day movie or 1960s sitcom, not something that happened in the early 1980s.

Through the years, I have been in work situations in which I have been groped, leered at, flirted with, and asked out.....all the while being married and trying to do a professional job at the companies I have worked at. I have reported some men's behavior to my companies in the past, and have never seen a man obviously reprimanded or penalized for boorish behavior. Are women still discriminated against in the workplace today? I would say yes. It can be overt sexist behavior, or more subtle discrimination that prevents women from moving ahead or getting certain jobs, or discourages women in other ways: to leave certain industries for ones that are more woman-friendly. Women still need to appear at the top of companies more often, and we will need to continue to ignore bad behavior around us, boost one another as much as we can, and be role models for those women younger and just coming into business. The younger women need to see our success, and perhaps hear our war stories, so that they can be encouraged and not  discouraged themselves. It is good for them to see us helping one another, and not tearing one another down. You never know where life will lead you, and what nuggets from your past can shape someone else's future. As it turns out, I am glad I took typing in high school. Even though I could not have imagined it then, the typing skills I learned have been invaluable in today's computer age. Who knew? And who knows what words you tell a young woman can help her, too. You may tell her something that she can use to fall back on someday.

The day after September 11...

I read a post online today about the day after 9/11 in 2001. About how our nation was in shock and disbelief. If you read my older posts, you will see that I told my own story about 9/11 on this blog last year, but I found it interesting to think about the day after.  I began to think that maybe America was softening in its memory of that horrific day.

In parallel to reading the online post, I watched the news today and saw yesterday’s tributes to the victims and heroes of 11 years ago. There were photos of people in small country towns holding flags and signs that said, “We will never forget.” There were images of the tributes and the broken families left behind at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center site, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

But I realized that America was not softening when I heard the news about the U.S. Embassy in Libya. The reports now say that the protest outside the Embassy may have been used as a front for a terrorist act by Al-Queda. The U.S. Ambassador was killed, along with three other brave Americans. Our President made it clear to the terrorists that we will get justice for this act, and it is a sober reminder that Americans remain targets in this world. We will never forget. 

Memories of Ray Bradbury

Independence Day 2012 has now come and gone. This time of year reminds me of Ray Bradbury and his beautiful prose. The wonderful descriptions of small town life in the Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. The buzzing of bees, the twinkling of fireflies, the searing summer heat, and the tinkling of ice in glasses of lemonade are all reminiscent of a Bradbury story. He lived a good long life and made so many people happy with his richly described characters and his fantastic imagination. 

My neighborhood in Chicago held its annual 4th of July parade yesterday, going from one neighborhood park to another. The scene was nostalgic: the small children waving American flags, the brightly painted antique cars, the red Chicago fire engine with its siren blaring, and the tossing of penny candy to the people who lined the streets......again, reminders of Bradbury to me. 

I drew so much joy from his books as I was growing up, and have re-read them many times as an adult. His writing influenced my writing. I followed his lead, and I try to be as descriptive as I can when I write, yet also use words sparingly and clearly. Bradbury painted a vivid picture with each story. He brought the sparkly night skies to life. He perfectly described the dry red ravines of Mars. He nailed the portraits of lush green foliage in small towns in the summer; towns full of children bursting to have adventures and succeeding while experiencing the everyday monotony yet miraculous distinction of their summer days.

Ray Bradbury, I miss you already, yet I truly appreciate the joy and inspiration you gave to me and others like me for many years. You truly made your mark in this universe, and it is lasting.

The death of journalism in my lifetime, and the birth of ....?

I never thought that the profession of journalism would die during my lifetime. It is really amazing to me that it has had such a quick demise. I always dreamed of being a reporter, telling the truth about what was going on in my community, my country and the world. I have two journalism degrees and when I went to school, the concept of the "fourth estate" was taken seriously. It has been 40 (!) years since Watergate, an event that inspired me, and lots of others, to imagine themselves as crusaders in the foot steps of Woodward and Bernstein. But what do we have now, 40 years later? The Internet, which I love, enables "citizen journalists," an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Anyone can write anything online and it becomes the "truth." What in the world ever happened to fact checking? No time for that I guess. Reputations are gained....and lost....in a day, an hour, a moment today. Is there hope for this, for optimism? I hope so. There is a long trajectory of learning and experience that the Internet and social media is on. It is a journey and we are at the beginning of it, really. What will be next? What will happen as the medium matures? It is fascinating and I look forward to experiencing, witnessing and participating in it!

Resuscitation Annie, NSGW, and more......

I keep seeing the phrase "high school hijinks." I believe it is because it is the end of the school year and lots of kids are graduating and hijinks are being discussed. What hijinks did you do in high school? Mine are more numerous than I can fully relate, but here is a sampling: 1) Orchestrated the kidnapping of "Resuscitation Annie," the doll we used to practice CPR on. Donna and I lured the health teacher to the office by sending in a note that an urgent phone awaited her in the office (this happened well before cell phones). One of us was in the courtyard while the other hoisted Annie out the window. We hustled her to a secure hiding place in a washroom. Oh, yes, and we left a ransom note demanding all the sex ed videos (film strips?) from York High School. Needless to say, the teacher was not amused but we somehow returned the doll without ever being caught. 2) Painting the courtyard of said York High School. Who knows if a courtyard exists there anymore? The school has been made over at least once since then. But back in 1976, the Bicentennial year, Beth, Matt and I drove my mom's Oldsmobile 98 to the scene of the crime, spilling red, white and blue paint in the trunk - but successfully entering into the courtyard and painting over the traditional York green and white with the patriotic hues of the bicentennial. What a mess but the patriotic paint lasted well into the next school year. 3) NSGW. Donna and I talked this up for weeks before its arrival. "NSGW is coming!" "NSGW is arriving" and so on. What was it, people wondered. On the infamous day, Donna and I sneaked to the front of York High School and unfurled the banner so the arriving buses would see it: "National Squirt Gun Week" had arrived. Squirt guns for all! The administrators were not amused but we had a lot of fun with it. Elton John parties, York Dukes homecoming float parties, Elves crashing sock hops - yes, we did this and more. Lots of fun, and maybe you call them hijinks.

What a great day!

We had a great day in the San Francisco area. I began the day by taking a morning walk from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf and back. The weather was perfect and it got the day off to a good start. Next up was a visit to Muir Woods. The majestic redwood trees always help put my life I perspective, and walking through the quiet foliage makes me feel at peace. I make sure to see Muir Woods every time I visit the Bay area. It is nice that there are well marked trails, and it is impossible to get lost. While some people may think the trail at Muir Woods is too commercial, it is perfect for people like me who want to experience the magnificent trees, but aren't able to rough it in the real woods. We had a fabulous lunch at Sam's Anchor Cafe in Tiburon. The place always has a positive vibe and when you sit outside and look over at the San Francisco skyline, it is bliss. Especially on a beautiful day like today, the day ended in North Beach, at the appropriately named North Beach restaurant. It is one of the best Italian restaurants around, and the veal dish I had was the best veal I ever had. It was a perfect way to end the end perfect day - lots of exercise, food, and good conversation with Ed!

The emotional memory lane

I always seem to post when I have an emotional connection to writing. Today would have been my mom's 83rd birthday. Seems like a long old age, except when I think that that she has been dead for 22 years. Then it seems like she died too young and it has been way too long since I have seen her. I got a wist of sentimentality today and went to the cemetery. It had been too long and I was worried that something bad might have happened to her burial place. With all the issues around cemeteries in the Chicago area, I was worried. But I went to the cemetery and the mausoleum where she is buried seemed in better shape than the last time I was there. Ed went with me and we visited his grandparents' graves and my grandparents' graves also. They are all in the same graveyard. We couldn't find my grandparents' graves but went to the office. The people there were kind and looked up the plots. It was interesting because they pulled old handwritten documents from the files in which my grandparents' handwritten notes were in the files. We eventually found the plots and they are very close to where the circus people are buried - the "show folks." It was time well spent and I am glad Ed went with me to the cemetery. The drive down there was interesting - down Mannheim Road - and we also decided to drive around Ed's old neighborhood in Westchester to see the house he grew up in. He will report back to his parents tomorrow about the graves and the old house. Definitely a trip down memory lane today.

My Winter Walk

A flash of red against the snow.
The friendly chirp of the cardinal sings.
They brighten up the winter sky.
Spring cannot be far behind.

The bobbing white of the tail of the deer.
The graceful leaps over the fallen brush.
The contrast between their fur and the snow.
Seeing them makes my walks worthwhile.