Driving & Texting, Texting and Driving... Watch Out!!!

Yesterday, I was driving home with my 12 year old from his music lesson down a country road behind a teenage driver (girl) with all the tell-tale signs of of one who was texting/reading and driving.  This went on for about 2 miles!!!  I could see the lit screen she was holding up while she was slowly and erratically driving her Mercedes.  When the road became two lanes I pulled into the lane beside her and I could see clearly that she was scrolling and reading info on the small screen.  She looked over at me while I looked at her in disbelief... her face was expressionless as she turned back to her business... as far as I was concerned, it was 'lethal business'!

In this months issue of AAA's Car & Drive Magazine there is a very telling article, "Albany AWOL on Texting" on stalled legislation in Albany regarding texting and driving.  It's already illegal but not as a primary offense which ties the hands of the enforcers...

The statistics are glaring... the NTSA reported that 16% of traffic fatalities in 2009 were due to distracted drivers and of all distractions texting poses the greatest risk..."because it distracts drivers visually, manually and cognitively, creating a trifecta of deadly distractions."

Your NY community needs your support, let them know you want tougher laws to protect us...

Visit  www.capwiz.com/aanys/home to weigh in on this important issue!... when you click the link it only takes about 30 seconds to fill-in-the-blank email those politicians in Albany.

Meeting Mr. Kimmelman

The BIG story of the day yesterday at the US Open,... the horrific 95 degree temps, the hottest in US Open history.  The BIG story of my day... meeting Michael Kimmelman, yes, after my blog post yesterday, I was surprised to actually come face to face with him just as people were arriving for the start of the first matches of the day.  I think he was taken aback and so was I as I blurted out, "Kimmelman"... it just came out, unedited... OMG what had I just done... could I save both he and I from embarrassment?!

So I said something to the effect about how I appreciated what he and Marzorati were doing at the Open with their blog, "Straight Sets", and the idea of cross-pollinating an art perspective with tennis, as the Times put it, ..."covering the Open from uncommon perspectives".

I broke into a sweat and it wasn't from the air temperature, not yet anyway.  Then he graciously went over the play schedule with us and what players we didn't want to miss... I mentioned that I was an artist, he asked what kind of work I do, I started to answer and then I'm not sure what happened after that... my friend took some photos of us and then were off to a sweltering hot day of tennis which at times seemed unbearable, possibly even heat-madness dripping from our pores, testing our patience with each other, while watching the very best in tennis... a memorable birthday.

I will be checking in daily with Straight Sets... thanks Kimmelman, stay cool.

Art Meets Tennis

I'll be spending my birthday at the US Open today.  All of my friends that are going with me have kids who play tennis and they will be thrilled to spend this hot hot day at Arthur Ashe Stadium as well as all the side venues.  Spotting famous players will be a thrill for them!  Spotting Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, would be my thrill.  As an artist, meeting him would be a highlight to my day.  Although he may be not be considered a celebrity to most, I read his work and I'm very excited to see this kind of cross-pollination from the Times.  Yes, he will be there with Gerald Marzorati, editor of the New York Times Magazine and big tennis fan, and they'll be blogging about the US Open... called "Straight Sets".

The first time I ever saw this kind of cross-pollination was many years ago when Gene Siskel, movie critic, was interviewed on TV about the Olympics... so go guys!

A Local News Forum

Simply called Patch... "a local source for news, events, business listings, and discussion"... I heard about it through a friend, writer and teacher extraordinaire... Today was the launch of my local Patch in Dix Hills, NY, with editor Karen Forman.
I'm excited to be a contributor, writing articles with the 'Mom' audience in mind... about the spicy rumblings going on in my backyard...  especially when it comes to FOOD, where to get it, how to cook it, how other people cook it, how to eat it... fresh and healthy, one meal at a time!

Check out 'Patch' in your community, if you don't have one yet, maybe you can get one started!

Thanks Rissa and Sharon for turning me on to Patch!

Hope In James Cameron

Photo by Jo Yong-hak / REUTERS

I swear it's true when I say (and I almost wrote a post on the idea) that a few weeks ago, I was thinking that artists should be a part of the brainstorming on the Gulf 'oil spill'... so yesterday when I heard that director James Cameron ('Avatar' and 'Titanic') was asked for his ideas, what better person than this modern day 'Renaissance Man'... Cameron is part artist, part scientist, but mostly an expert on underwater remote vehicles, and was part of a think tank yesterday with scientists and other experts to brainstorm ideas on how to stop the disastrous six week-old oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Whether it be an artist or scientist, creative minds coming together maybe our best hope at this point...

 John McCain, who during the Republican Convention relented to the rallying cry of Sarah Palin to the tune of...

As the blog 'Gulf Stream Blues" put it...  The 'drill baby drill' chants didn't just influence McCain, but Obama too, since he lifted the moratorium on oil drilling off the Northeast coast, even though technology to stop a potential leak hasn't been tested!

Red Hot Cyndi!

Last Nights Episode

If you're not a fan of this season's 'Celebrity Apprentice' then you won't want to read this... "How could you 'FIRE' Cyndi Lauper Mr. Trump?!", she and Bret Michaels are the whole reason to watch the show at all... she's totally entertaining, a creative powerhouse and hard worker... and she's right Holly is a "byach"!. 

The reason I like the show is because of the creative challenges each team faces, it's the reason I watch 'Project Runway' too...

Cyndi's Red Hot Celebrity Room from last nights challenge

Cyndi's Exit Interview

Cyndi, you made a classy exit... sorry to see you go...

A Ground Swell

The ground swell which lead to the environmental movement of the 70's and it's pinnacle, Earth Day, got it's momentum in 1962 from a book written by Rachel Carlson called "Silent Spring", which sounded the alarm...she said that we were destroying the planet with the over use of pesticides... of course the pesticide industry called her "an hysterical woman'... haven't we heard that one before!  I had no idea about her until my husband and I happened upon a wonderfully thoughtful and riveting historic documentary a few nights ago on WNET 13, called "Earth Days"... you can look it up in your local listings or watch it online too.  There's lots of great footage and sometimes brutally honest info about Denis Hayes, leader of Earth Day, and the great U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day, which eventually lead to the formation of the EPA.

Denis Hayes

U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson

Another terrific documentary which stopped my Pop Culture addicted 12 year old in his tracks (and that's no easy feat) , is another PBS, Nature show, "Frogs: The Thin Green Line"...

Thank you Rachel Carlson, and other women who have spoken out when it was unpopular!

This is what brought me to tears a few weeks ago on a family trip to Sedona... this view from 'Broken Arrow Trail'...

If Women Ran Wall Street

I'm packing today for our family trip to Arizona next week where I'll be blogging about our adventures in  Sedona, and that amazing hole in the ground called 'The Grand Canyon'.  For now I wanted to share this article I found fascinating...  

photo by Lori Nix

In the current issue of New York Magazine, an article titled, "What If Women Ran Wall Street, testosterone and risk.", by Sheelah Kolhatkar, caught my eye... it pokes a hole in the stereotype that men are more rational and less emotional than women, and that possibly the cause of the latest devastating economic downturn was unregulated emotional males!  Halla Tomasdottir, chairman of Iceland's Audur Capital and author of "The Great Big Penis Competition", doesn't argue that all men are one stereotype and all women are another, but talks about the herd behavior: "They all think the same, they're all from the same school, with the same friends, the same jargon, the same books. You get very unbalanced as a result." Will women buy into the next financial frenzy (or bubble), displaying the same mania as males or do females respond to stress differently?... neuroscientists have something interesting to say, maybe we can apply these ideas to our personal lives too... check out this fascinating article.

Celebrating Green!

Green vs Hazel

I don't have to WEAR green on St. Patricks Day, because my eyes are green or some say hazel (of course my husband and kids have blue eyes)... and also my Irish girlfriend and former roomate deemed me 'Honorary Irish', after putting up with her antics for so many years... "just kidding" Mikie.

Green just happens to be my favorite color too... I hate when people ask, "What's your favorite" anything?... don't you?   I don't have a favorite song...  but I did sing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", in a trio once for some school thing, and I never forgot that experience or every word of the song to this day! 

Maybe that's where my long and unfulfilled fantasy of becoming a Jazz singer began... although I did have a friend who was a Jazz singer and she taught me to sing the Billie Holiday classic "Am I Blue", just to prove to myself I could...

"Am I Blue" by Billie Holiday

Ok, so today I should be singing..."Am I GREEN"...

NEWS FLASH... there is actually a severe shortage of clovers reported from Ireland this year due to the severe weather this winter... so there is less green for this year's St. Patrick's Day.

I say let's enlist the CGI (computer generated imaging) people to make as many 3D Clovers as possible.

... or just go to Michaels for some "Shamrock Sprinkle Mix", yes it's edible and Kosher too!

Irish Soda Bread Scones by Smitten Kitchen

Although Deb Perelman whose wonderfully delicious (and beautifully photographed) blog "Smitten Kitchen" modestly calls this  'American soda bread'...  I recommend anything she makes... I could go on and on about her recipes, ( and especially her posts about Italian chef extraordinaire Marcella Hazan) but I must 'green up' now for the day, so just visit her site when you can...
and Happy St. Paddy's Day!    

Pothole Garden!

While you're cursing every pothole (which right now are quite numerous), your car and your butt must endure this time of year, think about this... artist Pete Dungey's pothole garden installations in England...

My first thought is 'How Sweet', my second thought (being one who loves to garden), is who is going to water them... then I remember it's England!

Speaking of gardening, I may have to consider growing my own tomatoes this summer, since the word is that there will be a shortage due to the cold Florida winter they've had, and since I'm just slightly obsessed with finding the perfect tomato...

Remember this... firm for salads... soft for cooking...

And if you're not into growing them yourself, buy tomatoes from your local farmstand... they taste better and local growers need your support.

Oscar Madness!

Imagine the frustration and MADNESS of about one million (out of 3.1 million viewers) Long Islanders including myself, who had the red carpet pulled out from under their feet, unable to watch the ABC7 coverage of the Oscars last night... it's a REALLY scary thought!  My personal madness began earlier in the day when my husband promised to take the kids to see the 5pm showing of Alice in Wonderland... I was already worried that Cablevision was not going to settle their dispute with ABC by 8pm, and the pressure to find a way to watch on the internet (NOT happening), eat dinner, clean up and be ready for one of my favorite TV events of the year!  I didn't want to barge in either on my neighbors who had FIOS (and were sitting pretty), but it was tempting... By the time I missed the Red Carpet my blood was boiling, I was alternately on the phone commiserating with my equally CRAZED girlfriend, and on hold with Cablevision poised to let my frustration out to the already verbally beaten down employee on the other end of the line when... when he says to me at about 8:38 in this eerily calm tone... "are you in front of your TV", yes I replied, "then go to 707", ok I said, "what do you see", OMG!!!...  it was the Oscars, I was speechless just like some of the award recipients...  in fact it felt like I had won too!

Some of my favorites gowns of the night...

Beautiful this year... and I love you Jeff Bridges, and always have...

Heart Sick

For those of you not glued to your TV these past few weeks watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics, you may have missed the tragic headline surrounding the women's figure skating competition.  Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette's mother, age 55, died of a sudden heart attack, this past Sunday while in Vancouver, awaiting her daughters skating competition.

Rochette skates last night...

Rochette on her way to a Bronze Medal

                                                                   NBC Olympics


This brings me to the subject of heart health, in particular women's heart health, this being 'American Heart Month'... it's important to note that women can have different heart disease symptoms than men.  Start taking care of your heart early, eating healthy, and keeping your blood pressure within the normal range.
NEWS FLASH... It was reported that 1 in 3 Americans have hypertension, and some may not even realize they have it!  Yesterday in the LA Times, and across the country it was reported that a Federal Panel is sounding the alarm on this national emergency.

To my friends and blog readers...  I wish you good health!!!

Skating Olympic Style?!

Well with the kids off from school this last week, and once we were home from skiing for a few days, we had a lot of time on our hands.  Don't get me wrong we did some fun things like sledding, going to the city, seeing jazz with their friends (they're all in the jazz band together), having sleepovers with friends and cousins, etc... but I was thankful that the Olympics were on TV this week too.  The 'winter games' are my favorite, I'm addicted!  The skiing and snowboarding have been great, and the only time I ever watch ice skating is during the Olympics.  So I must comment on the Russian champions, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin.  Besides skating brilliantly in the compulsory on Saturday with an expressive interpretation of the tango romantica, they looked so chic in an arena where most of the time the fashion police should throw away the key.
You judge...

NBC

NBC

Then SADLY there was yesterday... 

NBC

Washington Post

Worst case...  an Australian aboriginal themed freestyle where they were accused by some of 'cultural theft'!  At best the costumes were amateurish and a complete distraction from the bizzare and underwhelming dance which showed very little of their extraordinary talent. 

When an artist is influenced by music from another culture (and many have), then interpret the sound through your own eyes and make it yours... at worst it's exploitive and at best they looked ridiculous! 

Email Engagement from Chelsea and Marc...

                                             Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky


"We're sorry for the mass e-mail," they wrote, "but we wanted to wish everyone a belated Thanksgiving! We also wanted to share that we are engaged! We didn't get married this past summer despite the stories to the contrary, but we are looking toward next summer and hope you all will be there to celebrate with us. Happy Holidays! Chelsea and Marc."

An E-mail announcement... very social-E courant... but then don't apologize for it!
Will Chelsea follow Ivanka Trump and convert (he's Jewish) for love?...
I found a very amusing and wry blogsite, 'Half Sigma', discussing Ivankas', and in general  a spouse-to-be converting to Judaism. What do you think?... Seriously, I recommend they read a book about interfaith marriage,"Where Does God Live? Questions and Answers for Parents and Children" by Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman, ('The God Squad') sold on Amazon... great Chanukah, I mean Christmas, I mean... Holiday gift!

Thankful for Soldiers...

I do feel very removed from the war torn parts of the world... and I do appreciate the US soldiers and the job they do... I spent some time this week looking at the more intimate photographs taken in Afghanistan by David Guttenfelder, chief Asia photographer for The Associated Press. 

A Bit of the Old Days and the New...

For some, it's a day of celebration and rejoicing for the triumphant New York Yankees... an old fashioned 'Ticker Tape Parade' up Manhattan's Canyon of Heroes to celebrate The World Series Champions!  For others like me, it's THE day to run to the Verizon store to purchase and celebrate the release of the new "DROID" phone!

I'm a MAC user, but I guess a traitor when it comes to the phone.  I really wanted a keyboard because my kids only want to be texted to and my friends like texting too.  I've only had it for a few hours... so far it's sublime. Verizon is offering a free tutorial at the store by appointment. I'll take advantage of it on Monday. The only thing I'm not sure about is the keyboard... the keys are flat and a little tight, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I'll keep you posted on my progress...