Sun City, Neighborhood of Watchers

Phoenix' nickname is "Valley of the Sun".  My nickname for Sun City is Land of Watchers.  Here the art of watching reaches new levels.  People watching should be a club here.  All our neighbors know when we come, when we go, when we buy groceries, when we play bridge.  These people know EVERYTHING.   In any Sun City neighborhood, there's an awful lot of medical emergency traffic which is ordinary fodder for the watchers.  Who could resist peeking out at the Sheriff's SUV, the ambulance with flashing lights and the fire truck complete with siren.  Admittedly, they turn the siren off pretty fast, but the blue and red flashing lights wink away for quite a while.  Sun City passed the 'peeking out' stage long ago. When anything unusual happens, doors fly open and out come the neighbors.

Getting ready to 'lift'

We had a premiere watching event on our very street this week, and it was right in front of our house.  The neighbors across the street got a new HVAC (furnace/air conditioner).  Usually that's not such a big deal, and would only rate a glance as you drove by in any other place in America.  In the Original Sun City (where we live) all the HVAC units were installed on the roofs when the houses were built.  To move the units to the ground, the entire duct system of the house would have to be rerouted as well as the roof replaced.  Thus, roof installation of a new HVAC unit  means a CRANE to lift it.  I'm talking excitement here.

Under the cover of blog writing, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door to watch the entire process along with half a dozen of my other neighbors.  No one was as bold as I, though.  I showed those old watchers a thing or two as I strolled over to the crane operator.

"Hi.  I write a blog, and I'd like to write an entry about you and your crane operation.  Would that be OK?  My name is Jan."

This is Robert

"Really?  I'm Robert.  Nice to meet you.  Are you sure you want to write about me?

"Yeah, this is the most interesting thing to happen on this street since I've lived here.  I think your job is fascinating.  How did you become a crane operator?"

"Well, I started working construction when I was a teenager, and I sort of started by helping built scaffolding.  I got tired of that work and starting learning how to operate one of these cranes."

"Is there a training course?  How did you learn how to use it?"

"Oh, I just learned on the job.    Somebody just showed me the controls one day, and then I started operating it.  After a while, you get really good at judging distances."  (I admit, I thought, YIKES!)

"How much does it cost to hire your crane?  Oh, it's $100 an hour.  Like this job, there was 30 minutes travel time, and the lift took about 30 minutes.  It takes more time to get everything ready, than the actual lift."

"What the most interesting thing you and your crane have lifted?

"I think it was the big TV."

"Do you mean a real TV?

"Yeah.  I lifted a huge TV through the patio door on the second floor of this big house.  They wanted a really big TV in their bedroom.  That lift was kind of fun."

Robert may have been thrilled with the big TV, but I found his lift of the enormous HVAC unit onto the roof of the house across the street to be pretty thrilling.  We could have sold soft drinks and popcorn there were so many watchers.  Oh, the excitement of Sun City.

http://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=ZqqcMuBFZRw&video_referrer=watch

Lights, Camera, Action!

Who among us isn't a movie buff?  If you just thought, "Well, I'm not.", then don't waste your time reading this blog entry.  I love movies, and I especially love good movies.  A friend of mine refused to go see any movie that wasn't ' socially important'.  After attending several movies of her choice, I came to the conclusion "socially important"  meant any movie which wasn't really fun and entertaining.  It was Barry Lyndon and Chariots of Fire that were the last straws.  We finally parted ways when it came to attending the flix.

This is the most exciting time of the year for movies.  Not only are the 'award' movies out there, but TCM (Turner Classic Movies) runs a shtick called "30 days of Oscar".  Simply put, they run movies that have won Academy Awards.  My DVR gets a work-out this month.  The movies they choose will have won an Oscar for something, and although I've seen quite a few of them, there are always new ones and old favorites I can re-watch at the drop of a hat.   It's very interesting to chart the evolution of popular culture in the United States by watching movies from all time periods in the 20th century.  We sometimes forget we're copied by almost everyone else in the world, and a big reason for our cultural dissemination is our movies which are distributed world wide.

However, let's dish about the current crop of 'award movies'.  First, I've seen lots of the nominated movies. Now, I don't know about you, but even if I wanted to see the short and long documentaries, I couldn't find them anywhere in this Philistine city.  Only if you live in L.A. or NYC do you have a prayer of seeing those documentaries, so I'm just going to ignore them.  I also don't know enough about Film Editing or Sound Production to be able to pick in those categories.  Let's face it, we only really care  about the actors, the best pic, the director, the cartoon pic, and the song as far as the Oscars go.  We might give a slight nod to screenplay and score.  So here goes.

 The animated film I liked best was Frozen.  I think it was the music that tipped the balance for me.  (Disclaimer:  I only saw 3 of the 5.)  I also liked "Let it Go" from the movie for best song.  I walked out of the theater humming the "Let it Go" song. However, I thought Best Score should go to Her.   The unscientific reason is I kept noticing the music during the film.

As for Costume Design, I think it has to go to American Hustle.  What a perfect re-creation of the ugliest clothes of the century:  the late 1970's.  I think ties were 5 inches wide, and clothes for women were skimpy and tasteless - such a winning combination.  Make-up/Hair Design should go to "Dallas Buyer's Club, a movie about the mishandling of the anti-virals needed by HIV positive patients in the early days of the AIDS crisis.

Oddly enough Dallas Buyer's Club should have been a completely miscast, utterly depressing movie.  Instead, it turned out to be my second favorite film this year.  I think Matthew McConaughey should get the nod for Best Actor.  It wasn't just his weight loss which was shocking in itself, but his realistic portrayal of an unlikely hero who, even though dying himself, made it his mission to help keep others alive.  Oh, and if he made a buck at the same time, so much the better.  Instead of a depressing movie, it was uplifting and one of growth and triumph.  MM needs an Oscar to legitimatize his actor chops.  His competition are already accepted as 'real actors'.  He's still trying to shed the Rom-Com label, and the smirk in people's voices when his name is mentioned.

As to who should win in the women's categories:  I'm torn between Judi Dench in Philomena and Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine as Best Actress.  They both created mesmerizing characters you couldn't take your eyes off whenever they were on screen.  Cate Blanchett had better material to work with (Woody Allen just knows how to write a move.)   Oh, I do want to mention Meryl Streep and her movie - I hated August Osage County and I hated her character.  I disliked the entire production so much, I don't even want to think about her or the movie winning ANYTHING.  Newsflash!  I'm done, done, done with dysfunctional families.  At some point you have to quit blaming your parents for your difficulties.  Amy Adams in American Hustle may sneak in and take Best Actress because she's been working really hard, and Hollywood likes that.

My choice for Supporting Actress would be Jennifer Lawrence from American Hustle.  When you walk out of a movie quoting one of her lines, and marveling over her character as if she was a real person - well, that deserves an award.  Oh, I forgot the Best Supporting Actor - I'm torn between the guy who plays the Somali Pirate in Captain Phillips and the guy who plays the cross-dressing prostitute in Dallas Buyer's Club.  Again, though, it might be Bradley Cooper, American Hustle, because Hollywood is 'in love' with him right now.  I think either of other two guys are more deserving for the characters they created.

Gravity should win for Cinematography.  I really believed they were in space, but gag me with a spoon - Sandra Bullock in the lead isn't a good enough actress to carry the whole movie.  Perhaps I should have seen it in 3-D.  Don't get me started - I try to boycott 3-D movies because I hate being ripped off by the bumped up ticket price. There are other awards - like best screenplay, but I'm such a Woody Allen fan I just want him to win for Blue Jasmine.  I have no clue who will win Best Director.  If they had a category of "Most Interesting Ideas in a Feature Film", then Her would win.

I do know which should be the best movie of the year:  American Hustle.  It was fast paced, smart, entertaining, funny, nostalgic, and, the movie I will want see again in the future.  Isn't that what ultimately should be the one factor that decides the best American movie of the year?

Here's my final tip:   DVR the entire proceedings starting with the pre-Oscar show, so you can ogle the dresses and fast forward through the commercials.  But, the most important reason to DVR, is to fast forward through the winner's speeches.  Don't forget to extend the time of the actual program for an hour because those Hollywood people are long winded.  And, you're not quite finished.....to really top the festivities off - DVR "The Fashion Police" on E Network with Joan Rivers and one of the Osborne's - the one with purple hair - dishing the dirt on the dresses the morning after.  It's hilarious and a great finish to the entire Romanesque spectacle.

Happy Viewing!        

Glass in the Desert

'When we rolled into Phoenix, I was very excited to discover Dale Chihuly had installed an exhibition at the Phoenix Botanical Garden.  I first heard of this artist in the 1980's when Margie (college roommate, dear heart friend) came back from a trip to Seattle raving about 'GLASS'.  At first, I couldn't understand her excitement.  I knew she loved Lalique, and I was still thinking of art glass in the terms of 'vases'.  I had figured she wasn't talking about those little blown spun glass ships, birds, butterflies and unicorns you buy at most cheesy souvenir shops.  It wasn't until she showed me pictures of Chihuly's work that I finally got it.

Dale Chihuly has singlehandedly pioneered large scale art glass.  He founded the first American glass studio which evolved into a cutting edge Glass Museum in Tacoma, Washington.  Here's what I'm talking about.

This vibrant yellow and red sculpture is about 40 feet high, and Mr. Chihuly has installed twenty-one diverse glass sculptures scattered throughout the entire Desert Botanical Gardens.  This venue is one of my favorite destinations in Arizona.  It's a cactus garden run amuck.  There are all sorts of desert vegetation from the commonplace, such as prickly pear, to the uncommon such as a Bojum Tree.  Mike Perez, my brother-in-law, who has lived in the desert all his life, was amazed by plants such as this one.  I first saw the garden in 1970.  It was my first trip to Arizona.  I was a 20 year old Oklahoma girl who had never seen a desert.  The Gardens were a wonderful introduction.  

Chihily has been doing exhibitions in other gardens around the world for several years.  This is an artist with an international reputation, and his pieces reside in the most famous museums in the world.  His garden installations bring his glass visions to ordinary people.  They are utterly astounding.  Some of our discussions as we viewed the pieces were 'how were they transported'; 'how were they assembled', and what does that one weigh?  

If you are interested in future Chihuly exhibitions, click here:

http://www.chihuly.com/current-and-upcoming.aspx   

My pictures of what we saw on Sunday are available at

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/115478608971584948192/albums/5974116550479894913?authkey=CPL-r-Si8vnmAg

Memo to "Morning People"

RE:  Do's and Don'ts

1)  Please learn to modulate your chirpy, cheery voice if you are a woman, or your booming "bonhomie" delivery if you are a man.  Those noises are like fingernails on a chalkboard
.

2)  Do not whistle.  I do not want to hear your interpretation of either elevator music or the music you hear in your head.

3)  I'm not interested in receiving your offers of any type of food that (a) crunches, is (b) squishy, or (c) runny.  The only acceptable nourishment offer contains caffeine.

4)  Do not ask me questions.  Period.  End of sentence.

5)  Do not give me 'reports'.  I do not want to know what the temperature is going to be.  I could care less what's going to fall out of the sky during the day - especially in the next two hours.

6)  I am not capable of formulating a 'plan for the day' until I've been out of bed for a minimum of two hours.

7)  Do not suggest to me that it's a "GOOD MORNING!!!!"  In my opinion that is an impossibility.

8)  Only call me on the telephone before 10 am if someone is dead.  Rewind:  Call if someone is dead I care about.  That does not include your pet.  Bad news can wait for a civilized hour.

9)   Newsflash!  Not enjoying sunrise is not a character flaw.

10)  Keep in mind I can always call you to 'chat' at 11pm.  Easily and guilt free.

You've been warned......

                                                       An Anonymous Night Person



      

Electrons, Electrons - Where Do You Stand?

Is Social Media taking over your life?  OK, let's be more precise:

Do you use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or some Smart Phone Apps more than you suspect is good for you?

Are you starting to hear people who think they are talking to you become ominously silent when they notice you keep glancing at the screen of your phone?

Have you ever been with a group of people in which no one is making eye contact much less conversation because they are each fondling their own electronic device?

Ever turned down a social occasion so you could get home and 'harvest your crops'? (or play some other electronic game solo)

When you sit down on the commode, do you entertain yourself with your smart phone or your tablet?

Have you spent more than an hour cruising YouTube looking for cats, dogs or babies?

Do you 'follow' a celebrity on Twitter?

Have you ever posted what you ate at some ordinary meal on Facebook?

Have you ever sent 'the cutest thing EVER' as a mass email to your entire address book?

And, I suppose, do you send out a massive email whenever you write a post on your blog?

I read Real Simple (in paper, not electrons), and each month the magazine has a theme.  They do have "Christmas" issues, but they also have interesting themes such as this January when the theme is "A Balanced Life".  One discussion in the issue is how easy it's become to have your life consumed and dominated by electronic gadgets.

I've been thinking about the electrons weaving themselves around us for some time now.  Some incidents stand out over the past ten years.  Sarah (daughter) got one of the first iphones.  I played with it for only 15 minutes that December when I realized what a game changer this piece of electronics was going to be.  I can still remember the chill that went down my spine when it dawned on me  I was holding an entire computer in my hand as well as a camera and a phone.  My next thought was:  I want one.

As a teacher I despaired of the legions of fellow teachers who were wholeheartedly rejecting using computers in their classrooms.  As teaching tools, computers have no equals.  They should be employed to revolutionize our decaying public education system.  Is it going to happen?  Well, it has to if you are interested in the USA being competitive in the world in the 21st century.  Is it going to be painful?  Probably.  Why?  See the first sentence in this paragraph.

As a parent I felt I was constantly fighting what now seems to be the laughably primitive media bombarding my household.  When Sarah was a child, television seemed to be getting so violent and so sexually explicit.  Movies were even worse.  I pity parents today.  How can you control those electrons seducing your children?  Where are the lines?   How much is too much exposure?  What if it's educational?  Doesn't every kid these days need to be computer savvy as early as possible?  Of course, there's the entire issue of American childhood obesity which any fool can see is linked to those pesky electrons.  

Another incident that stands out in my mind is a social occasion about five years ago in which a group of closely acquainted people were together.  We flew on airplanes to spend time with one another to celebrate an important occasion.  Our first evening together, we are sitting in a circle, and gradually I realized that one after another every person was no longer participating socially - they were all interacting with their phones!  No one was making a telephone call.  It was the first time I'd seen the social disconnect caused by hand held electronic equipment.  In 2014, teenagers really don't like to have real time conversations face to face.   According to one of the Real Simple articles, teens cite there's too much pressure in real time situations to think about what to say or how to respond.

Do I think we should reject technology and our smart tools?  Absolutely not.  Here in Sun City there are still dinosaurs who are participating in their own cultural extinction.  They don't "DO" computers.  However, even the seniors use of technology is on the dramatic rise - up from 13% ten years ago to over 50% this year.  In New Hampshire, I taught two lovely ladies in their 80's how to use the laptops their helpful families had given them.

 Drake and my vagabond lifestyle would not be possible without our smart tools connected to the internet.  My mother-in-law has moved 38 times in her lifetime.  By moving so many times, her entire family didn't make many lasting friendships as most of the people they left behind faded from their lives.  One of the joys of this new technology is you don't have to lose touch with fun and interesting people who pass through your life.  It still takes effort to make friends, but the electrons can make it seem as if you still live just down the block.

Electrons, electrons.  Seems like I struggle to live with them and without them.  I do know they are causing a world wide upheaval and reshaping entire cultures including ours.  I guess it's up to each of us to decide if this revolution is going to be positive or negative.  I do know that it's unstoppable.  So, these are my thoughts winging their way to you via those marvelous electrons.            

Trekking...Again

If we had driven another six or so hours, we could have done an Atlantic to Pacific road trip.  We decided we've seen the Pacific, so we halted in Arizona. This was the best/worst trek yet.  Moving out of Richmond was horrible!  The movers I hired to help us get the stuff off the second floor and into the trailer didn't show up.  Gosh, I wonder why?  The temps were freezing, and the skies were dropping freezing rain and sleet all day long.  We delayed a day in Richmond, so we weren't pulling the trailer over frozen roads.  The following two days were the most difficult driving days Drake has experienced.  Day one out of Richmond was constant rain and gusting winds.  Day two out of Richmond was a persistent headwind.  The 'best' parts were a new route and staying with friends throughout each leg of the trip.

We headed south to avoid winter and thus saw new scenery and towns.  We saw two Greenville's (South Carolina and Alabama), went to NOLA and had a splendid dinner while catching up with a long time friend.  Next, we hit Houston staying with an even longer time friend.  We saw Hurst and more friends as well as our dentist and hairdresser coming and going to Tulsa to see family.  Then, ten days in Austin for a great Christmas celebration with the newlyweds and family.  See?  Our life is so typical.  We pulled into Sun City yesterday afternoon, so both yesterday until dark and all day today has been pulling things in and out of the trailer trying to get reorganized.  What I want to know is how did we manage to fill a LARGE box with stuff to give away.  Where has this stuff been hiding?

There were Christmas cards waiting for me in Sun City.  I sent out a Christmas letter while 'on the road' this year.  (Aren't you impressed?)  The return address on my letter created an extended Christmas when I returned to Arizona and found about 20 cards waiting for me.  I really got caught short this year.  All my Christmas stuff was still in Arizona when I was on the East coast.  For some reason, I thought I'd be back here before Christmas and be able to pick it all up.  I do have a traveling Christmas box, and a stack of already bought Christmas cards ready for sending.  They didn't do me any good at all sitting in my Christmas storage closet in the desert.  The worst thing was all the Christmas music was trapped in the Arizona house.

I discovered some new techniques this year for keeping in touch at Christmas.  First, Jacquie Lawson (my favorite electronic card maker) has a "Christmas Letter" card.  Next year, I'm going to save $37.50 in stamps and contribute to the downfall of the United States Post Office.  Also, one of my smart friends studded her 'Christmas Letter' with pictures!  Why didn't I think of that.  The Shutterfly/Picabo/ type websites will let you create your own 'card' of photos and we got several of these.  I really like those picture cards especially from folks I haven't seen for awhile.  And, if you wrote me a letter and put it into your card - well, I like you best.  Outstanding Card this year goes to the friend that lives in Rusk - you know who you are - with runner up being from Sarah Lynn's namesake.

 Drake wins best present.  I saw this wonderful handbag in Amish country over Thanksgiving, and Drake ordered it for me for Christmas!  It was a complete surprise.   I'm now part of an extended game playing family - in the good way, like board games - not psychological drama, and we played one of the new type colonization games which after a couple of times playing left me not much of a fan.  Sarah and Jay introduced another new game called "Set" which is an interesting game of perception and shape recognition.  I'm not particularly good, but it was fun to play - very fast and quick.  One good thing about Christmas this year is people gave us homemade treats, an entire candy basket, and the women in the family split the cooking duties.  We also saw lots of movies.  The winner of best movie was 'American Hustle'.  I've still got a few more to see, but, alas, Phoenix, AKA the Cultural Wasteland, doesn't have a single theater that shows limited release movies.

Soon, we will be back at the bridge table.  I've only forgotten everything we perfected last year since we have played ONCE since we left Arizona.  The exercise club/swimming pools are also calling my name, and after the Christmas food blow-out, I'm actually ready to get back to it.  We have already drawn up a list of 'stuff ' to do at the house.  Keep in mind we've been here ONE DAY, and Drake was licking his pencil lead, listing and prioritizing.

Finally, we made our first Arizona deadline:  WATCHING THE SUGAR BOWL 2014.  I just have one thing to say:  BOOMER, SOONER!  Let's go, Oklahoma.    

              

The World's Greatest Dessert

Dear Readers:  The following entry is a guest blog from my favorite person.

The World's Greatest Dessert is the Profiteroles served at Mr. B's Bistro on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  This knowledge is based on years of culinary research as well as our sentimental history with the Mr. B's restaurant. Even my memorable 1980 Paris chocolate souffle can't quite measure up to the Mr. B's specialty.  And like a slick advertising spin doctor, I make this audacious claim since it can only be debated, not refuted legally or scientifically.


This week we drove the southern route from Virginia to Texas both to avoid the winter weather and also visit our good friends in New Orleans and Houston.  During the Crescent City stopover we made the opportunity for dinner with our friend, Martha, at Mr. B's, our favorite New Orleans restaurant.  (The "B" is for Brennan, the most famous multi-generational restaurant family in New Orleans.)  Mr. B's not only has great food which we enjoyed many times when we lived near the Big Easy in the 1980's, but it is also linked to special memories involving our daughter, Sarah.

It has been about 20 years since we ate at Mr. B's, so we couldn't be entirely sure the experience would measure up to the memories.  The restaurant was full on a Wednesday night, but the atmosphere was the same comfortable buzz we remembered.  Thankfully, even the Katrina disaster didn't destroy, or even essentially change, the many French Quarter restaurant landmarks.  Our meals were tremendous, including a nice familiar Oregon wine, excellent service, and especially the WGD capstone.  Their profiteroles were one of the key drawing cards to return to Mr. B's for our one evening meal on this New Orleans trip.  It was a great relief to still find them on the menu.

A profiterole is a baked puff pastry about the size of a golf ball, cut in half, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce.  (Mr. B's serves three on a plate suitable either for sharing or gluttony.  On this night Jan and I both chose gluttony.)  We've tried so called profiteroles elsewhere many times in hopes of

matching the Mr. B's excellence, always with some degree of disappointment.  The real thing, to be great, must have each of the three components in perfect harmony.  The pastry has to be baked fresh to a precise degree of stiffness/softness.  The ice cream must not be too hard or too soft.  The sauce can only be a rich dark chocolate.  If the pastry ice cream ball is not the right consistency, the dessert can not be eaten with a fork or spoon without falling apart or shooting off the plate.  It's important to get small bites easily with all the elements present.  We've had many impostors with the pastry too crunchy or too soggy, or the ice cream too hard or melting, or topped with cheap milk chocolate.  Anyway, the recent version was just what we remembered - perfection again.  I was certainly happy with the decision not to share.

The other draw for Mr. B's has to do with specific 1985 memories.  At the time, I worked in downtown New Orleans in a Poydras street skyscraper, a five minute walk from the Quarter.  I invited Jan downtown for lunch on September 25, her birthday.  Jan was pregnant with Sarah, about one week from delivery per her doctor's latest forecast.  We started at Mr. B's for lunch, then walked all around the French Quarter that hot day, through Jackson Square, stopping in Jan's favorite perfumery, Hove, on Royal Street for a birthday gift.  (Jan would have remembered it being hot that day under the circumstances regardless of actual conditions.  I checked the historical data.  That September 25th high was 90 degrees with humidity over 80%, so yeah, it was hot.)  That evening friends invited us to a special birthday dinner at Commander's Palace, considered by many to be the best New Orleans restaurant.  I don't remember much about that dinner because driving home from Commander's, Jan went into labor.  Sarah was born about noon the next day.

Two months later after a couple of successful fast food outings with infant Sarah, we decided to treat ourselves with another visit to Mr. B's.  It was a disaster.  A few minutes after ordering our meals, Sarah had a melt down.  I don't know what triggered the outburst - maybe smells or noises or internal physical distress - but we couldn't shut it down.  Finally, we had to take her outside and wait for our expensive meals being packaged to 'go'.  Anyway, it was our first lesson in the risks and the importance of preparedness when including a small child in adult social situations.  That experience propelled Jan to become an expert child entertainer in nice restaurants.

So, our return visit to Mr. B's this week was an enormous delight, for the good company and wonderful food for sure, but also, to reinforce those 1985 memories associated with the most important single event in our lives so far.  Jan even got to enjoy the Hove Perfumery in person again after many years of relying on mail order shopping.

                                                    Delectably Submitted,

                                                    Drake