Another Year Older

Last week while we were on my annual Florida idyll, my friend M. and I hit the movie theater several times.  Neither one of us every goes to the movies at home, citing lack of time.  Generally I'm happy to wait for the DVD release so I can curl up on the couch and watch the film in my jammies. But when you're faced with six lovely days to fill, we figured we had  time to spend catching up on the shows. After all, there's only so much Florida sunshine a girl can take, right?

We went to three films, at three different cineplex.  There are some very nice movie theaters in Naples, particularly The Silver Spot, where you choose your own seat when you purchase the ticket, a huge brown leather armchair complete with cupholder and footrest.

Tickets are a little pricey in Naples, as is most everything else in this resort town which caters to older, wealthy Floridians.  Matinee tickets range from $7.50 to $10.50, which seems like a lot to me, since I remember going to lots of $2.50 movies back here in "the D."  Of course, that was in the olden days, when I was young.

My friend is a bona fide senior citizen, although she hardly looks or acts the part of a mid-septagenarian. But she happily asks for the senior ticket at the box office, although it doesn't buy her much of a discount in Naples where the richest people actually are the senior citizens.

Usually I buy the regular adult ticket.  I'm still seven years (and one day) away from the official, government sanctioned version of the designation.  So I'm always my usual kosher self, and play by the rules.

The other day though, I tried an experiment, although I was immediately sorry about it.

We were at the Regal Cinemas to see The Adjustment Bureau.  It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon, so lots of people had turned out to see the latest Matt Damon release.  Tickets here were relatively cheap - $7.50 for seniors, and $8.50 for adults.  I stood in line behind M., who purchased her $7.50 senior ticket and walked into the theater ahead of me.

I walked up to the ticket window and requested "One, for The Adjustment Bureau."

"That will be "$7.50," he told me, barely glancing at me as he pushed my paper ticket under the window ledge of the box office.

He gave me the senior ticket without asking.

He took one look at me and just gave me the senior ticket.

S*#!.

I'm wasn't really surprised.  I feel tired and old lately, so I'm sure I look it, too.  I had done my hair that day, although the still breeze that's always blowing off the Gulf continues to wreak havoc with my thick wavy locks.  I was wearing makeup, and dressed decently.  I know I shouldn't care whether a teenager thinks I'm old enough to be his grandmother - which I am NOT, by the way.

But still.  S*#!.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and until the last five years, I've never minded being another year older.  Of course as a kid, I couldn't wait for it - wanted to grow up and be an adult just as fast as I possibly could.  And most of the time, being an adult is just fine and dandy.  But sometimes, I'd prefer not to be quite so much of one.

I might like to hold onto my "youth" for just a while longer, even if it costs me an extra dollar at the movies.

Research Material

Research is formalized curiosity.  It is poking and prying with a purpose.  ~Zora Neale Hurston

I've been reading a mystery series based on a character named Maisie Dobbs, a young woman investigator/psychologist who practices in London during the years just after World War I.  The author, Jacqueline Winspear, developed an interest in this era after hearing about her grandfather's experiences in that war, and how he was affected by shell shock.  The novels are extremely well researched, and each one illuminates many interesting aspects of society and culture during this particular time in history.

Writing - even fiction writing - often involves research.  If you have a particular interest in a subject  or historical era,  you'll need research to help you create an accurate portrayal in your story or essay.  Sometimes the research itself will give you ideas for writing.   As you read through newspapers and magazines, see if something sparks your interest, or plants the seed of an idea or character.

Research is not just for term papers.  It can provide fresh material for all kinds of writing

On the Wheel

Our week here in southern Florida is over, so I'm preparing myself for the familiar re-entry process - getting out of relaxation mode and back onto the hamster wheel otherwise known as daily life.  I should be accustomed to that by now - after all, we flit back and forth every four to six weeks, so every winter is rather like an extended schizophrenic episode ~ warm breezes/beach walks ~ frigid winds/slippery sidewalks. But I'm flummoxed every time, and it's probably because I'm still not sure exactly which lifestyle is the right one for me.  I mean, somewhere in between the endless unplanned hours of the past week and the obligation filled days of the weeks ahead of me, lies the lifestyle I'm looking for.

How often do we get to choose the life we want? The one with just the perfect balance of time for our own pursuits and time spent in doing things we have to do?  The perfect balance between work and leisure?

I know it's unrealistic to expect that everyday life can be the perfect mix of work and play - at least not every day.  It's when ones life is completely out of balance (either way) that the trouble sets in.  My Facebook status last night echoed the hamster wheel concept, and a comment from one of my very clever friends said, "Life has to be about more than squeak, squeak, squeak..."

She's so right.  We all need productive work or at least productive pastimes.  We all need something to goad us into getting out of bed in the morning.  But we also need time to rest, to play, to simply be with ourselves for company.  I'm convinced that a happy life has all of those elements, and that each individual needs them in completely different measure.  Goldilocks had the concept down pat -the porridge must not be too hot, or too cold, but just right.

So as I start sprinting on my little wheel, here's hoping I can find the "just right"  balance for the days ahead.

Social Networking, Part Two

Although it's been quiet here on the blog-front, I've actually been rather pre-occupied this week doing more  "social networking."  My friend M. and I are spending our annual "girls week" in Florida, a tradition we started eight years ago, and one that has become sacrosanct for both of us. What do we do?  Mostly what you'd expect two ladies of a certain age to do when left alone in a resort town.  We eat, we drink, we sit in the sun, we read,  we shop, we go to the movies.

We talk.

Yesterday, we saw The King's Speech - first time for M., second time for me.  I don't see a lot of movies, and  I rarely watch a movie twice in the same season, but I was happy to attend a repeat viewing on this one. It was a stellar film in all respects, and won well-deserved awards.

Today, after a lovely lunch and some shopping, we saw The Black Swan.  Hmm.  That was a horse of a different color.  Natalie Portman was astounding in her role of the psychopathic ballerina.  Her self destructive behavior and its psychological basis was eerily reminiscent of a young woman I'm acquainted with in real life (although not yet to that extreme, thank goodness).  It was definitely not the "feel good" kind of film that M. and I usually gravitate toward - but we both agreed we were glad to have seen it.

We had dinner tonight at Patric's, a local restaurant that has instituted a tapas style menu in a cozy dining room, complete with entertainment- tonight, it was 1940's showtunes played on a vintage upright piano. The small plates were perfect for the two of us, neither of whom are big eaters.  After dinner, M. did quite a bit of shopping in a little boutique called Just 4 Dolls, which featured a huge selection of outfits and accessories for American Girl dolls.  Believe me, her granddaughter's new American Girl will be dressed to the "nines".

On the docket for the days ahead - an art fair, a choral concert, people watching in downtown Naples.  The weather has been more than cooperative, with the sunshine and balmy breezes that make Florida such a popular destination for winter weary mid-westerners.

It's a good tradition we started those years ago.  I'm glad we've had another year to continue it.

How about you?  Do you have any special traditions with your social network?

First Lines

When the lights went off, the accompanist kissed her."  from Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

The first line of this novel grabbed me immediately...partly because I'm an accompanist myself, and that word doesn't show up in novels very often.  But this sentence immediately created an image in my head - not only an image, but an entire scene is set by those nine words.  You can hear the singer's last note, ringing through the hall, see the lights suddenly go dark, feel the accompanist's excitement as he jumps up from the piano and kisses the performer.

First lines are the way a writer grabs the reader from the get-go.  Go through your favorite novels and read the first lines.  Which ones are the most interesting?  How do they get you involved in the book and make you excited to read more?  Set aside one section of your writer's notebook for favorite first lines.

Now pick one of your favorite first lines and make it your own - write for 10 minutes using this favorite first line as a starting place.