Dirty windows

New Yorkers don’t know how to clean windows. Or at least that’s the way it seems. There are dirty windows everythere, coated with dust and debris–in houses, apartments, buses, taxis, private cars, stores. (Sometimes what’s displayed in store windows can’t be clearly seen and may keep  customers away. ) The Big Apple is thus demeaned, and the residents appear disdainful. Our Apple needs a wash so that the rest of the world can see in.

Falling out of love

In the 60 years I’ve spent in New York City, the first 20 were lived in Manhattan. It was the end-all and  be-all of nirvanas, and I was in a state of bliss.  It was the center of the theater, dance, publishing, a mecca for diners,  a center where writers could meet and discuss with one another. How could anyone live anywhere else? But, underlying all this, there was coldness,  anonymity. Something was lacking. There was no soul.

I got married and after a few years, a child was  born. We needed more room and because we couldn’t afford a large place in Manhattan, we moved to Brooklyn. My feelings have changed. Having now lived here for 40 years, or half of my life, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. It has fulfilled  every need and expectation.

Brooklyn has humanity and a soul.

Dianamania

Ever since the death of Princess Diana, we’ve had no one to replace her in public esteem and adulation. We need someone like her to perk things up–someone young and beautiful and babelicious. Hollywood isn’t producing any Lana Turners or Betty Grables, and there’s no Gina Lollobrigida shaking up the Italians.

The world is in the doldrums as far as feminine beauty is concerned. How can we find the next Princess Diana? Why can’t nations join and plan a worldwide contest to select a new beauty goddess? What a shot in the arm that would be!

Healthy aging

For healthy aging, I keep reminding myself:

–Face up to it. Don’t be embarrassed.

– Remember that scotch, antiques, wine, and trees are more valuable as they get older.

– Think of yourself as a living link to the past. Not everyone can do that.

–  The mine of experience you have.

– Learn to bear suffering alone and avoid becoming a bore.

–

Living cheap

Nothing wrong with that. It’s how our family got through the depression years of the late 1930’s. Mamma would cook pasta e fagioli, better known as past’ e fazool, which cost pennies, but still nourishing and filling. All Italian standbys. Of course,  pasta dishes, served in a variety of ways: pasta with peas and onions (no tomato); pasta with peas, onion and tomato sauce; elbow macaroni with a mixture of egg and grated cheese; macaroni omelettes. Or frittata con funghi (mushroom omelette);  chicken liver in egg batter; baked chicken pieces with lots of sliced potatoes, sprinkled with parlsey and grated parmesan cheese. All ingredients, low-priced. It was great eating on the cheap.

Respect #1: memo to self

Memo to self: “Neaten” up when alone, be kind to yourself, be courteous. If you feel a burp coming on, cover your mouth to muffle the sound, as if friends were present. Avoid walking around the house in the same skirt, or jeans, day after day. Change your clothes daily for a fresh look. Since you like to look good to others, why not yourself? Don’t keep your room in disarray, but neat and organized. A clean room is energizing.

Touches like these stack up the odds for a good day.

The logorrhean

Logorrhea is the excessive use of words. Happily, I’ve known only one logorrhean (my term for someone who uses words excessively, who tends to express something with an overload of words). She was a good friend at college, but I loved her dearly (the spirit of independence, her detachment from family) and suffered through the chatter..

In writing, I tend to be careful about using too many words and am inclined to under- rather than overwrite.  I’ve noticed for years that American writers and journalists are generally free of verbiage. It makes for good, easy reading. Some novels read as a teenager–Thackeray, Dickens, Dostoyevsky–had logorrhea that formed a huge cloud. It needed to be pierced to get to the gist. I stayed away.

I prefer Hemingway, or the Bible.

Funny money

Call it funny money, provincial currency, i.o.u’s, script, faux legal tender, casino chips, gift cards, virtual currency, promissory notes.. In today’s economy, these are ways of paying that  replace cash payments. Happily, our kids don’t have to worry about them, Mommy and daddy still hand over a few dollars of legal tender to buy ice cream cones.

Blogging while asleep

I have a bad habit of blogging while sleeping. Having nodded off, I find myself waking with a new post running in my head. Fearful it won’t be remembered in the morning, I leap up to write it down on paper. But then it has to be edited and rewritten. An hour or two are spent doing that. By then it may be 3 o’clock in the morning, probably 4, and the night’s rest is shot.

At 9 a.m, tired and spent, I ask myself, Was it worth it? Yes, the post conceived in sleep sounds fine in the morning.

Blogging while asleep

I have the habit of blogging while sleeping. Having nodded off, I waken suddenly with a new post running around my head.  Before it disappears, it must be written down.. (Memories have a habit of becoming short-term with passing years.) But once it’s written down, it has to be rewritten. An hour or two are spent doing that. By then, it’s 3 or 4 o”clock in the A.M. and the night’s sleep is shot.

As I try to go back to sleep, Morpheus spurns me.  In the bright sunlight, the question pops up: was the post worth losing a night’s sleep over? Usually, despite minor changes, the post sounds fine in the morning.