Driving north on I185 the Sunday after Thanksgiving can be, well, hell. Not yesterday! Why? An Angel was watching over travelers! -- diana
Monday, November 29, 2010
WHY Travel Was A Breeze!
Driving north on I185 the Sunday after Thanksgiving can be, well, hell. Not yesterday! Why? An Angel was watching over travelers! -- diana
Friday, November 12, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Why Women Are Fed Up
Now is the time for all good women to come to the aid of their...country!
We owe it to ourselves, our children and the suffragettes who fought (literally) for each woman's right to vote. Still, today, some progressive women are fed up and tend to turn inward their anger over the current state of the nation.
Women, however, must propel forward and take action at the polls this Tuesday, says Gloria Feldt in October 30th's The Daily Beast. To read her article "Why Women Are Fed Up, Click here!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Why The Green Tights?
We don't live in medieval times.
(Just act like it far too often.)
We don't have to "steal" from the rich to give to the poor.
(Helping others is a good thing, but robbery? Not so much.)
We don't need to wear green tights.
(Unless of course we look really good in 'em!)
So, then, what do we do to help the financial mess this country finds itself? (Recession may be "technically" over, but those folks in foreclosure and unemployment lines aren't believing it.)
Ben Stein spoke on this issue recently on CBS Sunday Morning. (I used to not agree with his opinions much, then began to see his point. But on this subject, he totally lost me.) Apparently, he lost Linda McGibney, too.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Why We Call It Failure
A recent article in Newsweek (9.20.10) by Julia Baird explores the possibility that Willy Loman was not a loser. Loman, you’ll remember, is Pulitzer-winning Arthur Miller’s character in “Death of a Salesman.”
As the saying goes, look up “failure” in the dictionary, and you’ll see Willy Loman’s picture. Baird, however, asks us to think about this poster child for “loser” a bit differently. “...Willy kept a job for 38 years, he owned his house—he had just made the last mortgage payment – and had a wife and two children.” She adds, “Today he’d be a survivor.”
J.K. Rowling, another famous author of another relatively well-known character, addressed Harvard grads in 2008 and described failure as a “stripping away of the inessential.”
Let’s think about this, here in 2010, with a staggering unemployment rate. Do we ever judge unemployed people too harshly? Do we see them, and they themselves, as “failures”? If so, why? Life, if nothing else, is about good times and hard times. We all have them in some form or another. Easy times are swell, but let's remember, it’s in the tough times we discover what is really important in life.
Without “failure,” how would we ever know the true meaning of success? As Baird writes, “Today [Willy’s] grandchildren might be proud.”
As the saying goes, look up “failure” in the dictionary, and you’ll see Willy Loman’s picture. Baird, however, asks us to think about this poster child for “loser” a bit differently. “...Willy kept a job for 38 years, he owned his house—he had just made the last mortgage payment – and had a wife and two children.” She adds, “Today he’d be a survivor.”
J.K. Rowling, another famous author of another relatively well-known character, addressed Harvard grads in 2008 and described failure as a “stripping away of the inessential.”
Let’s think about this, here in 2010, with a staggering unemployment rate. Do we ever judge unemployed people too harshly? Do we see them, and they themselves, as “failures”? If so, why? Life, if nothing else, is about good times and hard times. We all have them in some form or another. Easy times are swell, but let's remember, it’s in the tough times we discover what is really important in life.
Without “failure,” how would we ever know the true meaning of success? As Baird writes, “Today [Willy’s] grandchildren might be proud.”
--Diana
Photo: Miller (left) and Dustin Hoffman as "Willy" in 1985
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Why I Want To Help...
There are some people who simply grab your heart and won’t let go. Like Dot Patterson, one of the original WOOF pack. “Pedigree” (an appropriate WOOFer name to reflect her blue-blood heritage!) lives life to its fullest no matter what it hands her.
We first met in our 30’s during the “songwriting” phase of our lives. Every other month or so, our friend Mary, Dot and I would put pedal to the metal traveling from Louisville, KY, to Nashville, TN, pumped that Music City’s country song publishers and top ten artists would roll out the red "song-contract" carpet for us. Alas, after crushing (but honest!) critiques and disappointing appointments, we’d steer our car north on I65 and high tail it out of “Dodge.”
Looking back, those were such great times. No, we never achieved our goals of a Number One Hit Song or a Grammy, but we actually accomplished something far more valuable: a lifelong friendship.
So in 1996 when Dot was diagnosed with MS, it was a blow to us all. How can this vibrant, beautiful woman—a woman who sings like Carline Carter and belly dances and has an amazing talent and eye for gardening, fashion, decorating and art—be hit with such news?
Well, as it turns out, just like every time we returned from those sad song sojourns, Dot was the first to bounce back and move forward.
Today, Dot’s doing so well, her doctor says she’s his “poster child.” Since starting Copaxone therapy, she hasn’t relapsed. Still she must use a cane or walker to get about which means she can’t carry or walk with her grandbabies. Sometimes it takes both hands to move one leg, and yes, that can be a bit frustrating. Never one to lose her sense of humor, she laughs that maybe she should use her good leg to kick her bad one out of the way!
One way Dot stays emotionally healthy is her involvement with MS volunteering and fundraising. She says, “I find it truly empowering and the benefits have spilled over into all aspects of my life. You quit feeling like a victim and join the human race again.”
Her husband, Phil, is right there supporting her both at home and with volunteerin
g. For each of the last 13 years he’s participated in the two-day 150-mile bike ride fundraiser in the beautiful landscape of Kentucky horse farms. This year's event is June 5 & 6, and both Dot and Phil are actively participating.
I'm personally committed to helping "Team Dot" raise funds for the MS Society in an effort to educate people on the disease and find a cure. 87% of the money raised goes back into communities as well as MS and related autoimmune diseases research.
If you’d like to join Team Dot, there are a couple of ways you can do that. On Facebook, on the left-hand column of my profile page is a secure place to donate ("Support Me"). It is linked to the MS Society and "Team Dot" will receive credit! You can also donate through my profile page provided here by the MS Society.
Thanks in advance for reading about this amazing woman! And also for your donation of any amount.
Support Bike MS 2010: On Course for Team Dot & A Cure for MS!
-- Diana
We first met in our 30’s during the “songwriting” phase of our lives. Every other month or so, our friend Mary, Dot and I would put pedal to the metal traveling from Louisville, KY, to Nashville, TN, pumped that Music City’s country song publishers and top ten artists would roll out the red "song-contract" carpet for us. Alas, after crushing (but honest!) critiques and disappointing appointments, we’d steer our car north on I65 and high tail it out of “Dodge.”
Looking back, those were such great times. No, we never achieved our goals of a Number One Hit Song or a Grammy, but we actually accomplished something far more valuable: a lifelong friendship.
So in 1996 when Dot was diagnosed with MS, it was a blow to us all. How can this vibrant, beautiful woman—a woman who sings like Carline Carter and belly dances and has an amazing talent and eye for gardening, fashion, decorating and art—be hit with such news?
Well, as it turns out, just like every time we returned from those sad song sojourns, Dot was the first to bounce back and move forward.
Today, Dot’s doing so well, her doctor says she’s his “poster child.” Since starting Copaxone therapy, she hasn’t relapsed. Still she must use a cane or walker to get about which means she can’t carry or walk with her grandbabies. Sometimes it takes both hands to move one leg, and yes, that can be a bit frustrating. Never one to lose her sense of humor, she laughs that maybe she should use her good leg to kick her bad one out of the way!
One way Dot stays emotionally healthy is her involvement with MS volunteering and fundraising. She says, “I find it truly empowering and the benefits have spilled over into all aspects of my life. You quit feeling like a victim and join the human race again.”
Her husband, Phil, is right there supporting her both at home and with volunteerin
g. For each of the last 13 years he’s participated in the two-day 150-mile bike ride fundraiser in the beautiful landscape of Kentucky horse farms. This year's event is June 5 & 6, and both Dot and Phil are actively participating.I'm personally committed to helping "Team Dot" raise funds for the MS Society in an effort to educate people on the disease and find a cure. 87% of the money raised goes back into communities as well as MS and related autoimmune diseases research.
If you’d like to join Team Dot, there are a couple of ways you can do that. On Facebook, on the left-hand column of my profile page is a secure place to donate ("Support Me"). It is linked to the MS Society and "Team Dot" will receive credit! You can also donate through my profile page provided here by the MS Society.
Thanks in advance for reading about this amazing woman! And also for your donation of any amount.
Support Bike MS 2010: On Course for Team Dot & A Cure for MS!
-- Diana
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Why It's The Next Big Thing
I came up with a design maybe 20 years ago (yeah, when I was 8!), doodling during a Nashville workshop while a Grammy-winning songwriter passed along valuable information to those of us itching for what he had. Maybe if I'd listened more closely I too would dust one of those awards on my bookshelf. But alas...Anyhoo, what I do have, finally, is a necklace and earrings of my design I've named "Encore." Well, with the help of my daughter. We both racked our brains and it just happened to pop into mine.
So the last few weeks have been devoted to learning how to make those little hoops on the end of straight jewelry findings. (You take these flat nosed pliers and bend the pin at a 45 degree angle and then with another tool twirl it around like you were going to start a motorcycle. Gee, why would THAT be a problem?!?!) Oh, sure, I've done other stuff since April 8th. Like spend my life savings at Michael's and open a biz account and get my GA state tax number. This is gonna be the next big thing! This new line of jewelry my daughter and I are creating.
Notables Jewelry. Catchy name, huh? Wait till you see the first three designs. Above of course is "Encore." Then there's "Tres Sharp" and "Harmony."
But what makes
all this really "notable" is that it was a lifelong dream to work on a creative/business project with my daughter. And now we're...living the dream.Yeah, definitely. The next big thing.
Diana
Thursday, April 8, 2010
It's Totally Understandable Why ...
Find out who truly is your role model, - mine was
Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa.
DON'T SCROLL DOWN YET!!
FIRST, do the simple math below.
THEN, scroll down to find your hero.
It is truly remarkable just how accurate this is!
1) Pick your favorite number between 1 and 8
2) Multiply your choice by 3
3) Add 3
4) Multiply again by 3
5) You'll get a 2 digit number.....maybe 42, for example
6) Add the digits together. Example 4 and 2 = 6
Now Scroll down and
with that number,
see who your
ROLE MODEL
is from the list below:
1. Albert Einstein
3. Mother Teresa
4. Ronald Reagan
5. Bill Gates
6. Gandhi
7. Eleanor Roosevelt
8. Babe Ruth
9. Diana Black
10. Winston Churchill
11. Barbara Walters
12. Dalai Lama
what?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
DisneY with mY gurls!
Granddaughter Caitlin, daughter Jennifer & her halfsister Jessica
These three gurls make my heart sing!
They keep me young!
They help me not take myself too seriously!
So could a better time have been had last week at Disney?
NO!
It was perfect.
Not because it was perfect weather
(cuz it was cold and overcast).
Not because we all got along perfectly
(after all, gotta have a tiff now & then.)
Not because we bought perfect stuff
(mostly clothes to keep us warm & gifts for those back home.)
It was perfect because we were together.
A rare thing these days.
I continue to bask in perfect bliss!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Why I Love My Hometown...& Butt Drugs!
Below: The Making of Butts Drugs Commercial! (And to think, I went to Junior Prom with Tom Butt!)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Why Re-read "The Catcher in the Rye"
We all recently bid a sad, final farewell to one of our great writers. Here's my small tribute to Mr. Salinger:
I devoured J.D. Salinger’s first-person narrative “The Catcher in the Rye” when I was about my granddaughter’s age. My daughter read it when she too was around 15 or 16. A great age to be introduced to that icon of teenage rebellion, Holden Caulfield, while also experiencing a master writer’s creative style.
My granddaughter's reading of the 1951 novel inspired her mother to give it re-read. My daughter told me how she not only gained a new appreciation for the book, but it also created an opportunity to discuss its topics with her teenager.
So nothing would do but that I trek to the library and check out one of the worn copies lining the shelf, the one with the least amount of tape holding it together.
What a treat! How wonderfully the book has aged. It is truly timeless. The characters, the dialogue, the issues as relevant today as they were when the book was first published.
And the joy didn’t stop there. Re-reading that book at this point in life has manifested benefits in other ways:
• I appreciate that my granddaughter, my daughter and I shared the experience.
• I know I am still basically that same girl who first read those pages.
• I am grateful to authors who write books worth reading again and again.
• I am reminded that as we mature, we gain new insight and perspective.
Perhaps some books should be re-read every decade. Interestingly enough, I read that a number of people feel guilty reading a book a second time. A waste time. They believe one should always be reading something new. Exploring the unknown!
I would argue I explored the unknown. I’d never read “The Catcher in the Rye” with +2.50 readers. I’d never read the classic after becoming a mother or being divorced or losing both of my parents.
And a waste of time? Did I mention the discussion with my “girls”?
So, if anyone thinks re-reading a book is frittering away precious hours, well, perhaps they should give me back my hunting hat.
My granddaughter's reading of the 1951 novel inspired her mother to give it re-read. My daughter told me how she not only gained a new appreciation for the book, but it also created an opportunity to discuss its topics with her teenager.
So nothing would do but that I trek to the library and check out one of the worn copies lining the shelf, the one with the least amount of tape holding it together.
What a treat! How wonderfully the book has aged. It is truly timeless. The characters, the dialogue, the issues as relevant today as they were when the book was first published.
And the joy didn’t stop there. Re-reading that book at this point in life has manifested benefits in other ways:
• I appreciate that my granddaughter, my daughter and I shared the experience.
• I know I am still basically that same girl who first read those pages.
• I am grateful to authors who write books worth reading again and again.
• I am reminded that as we mature, we gain new insight and perspective.
Perhaps some books should be re-read every decade. Interestingly enough, I read that a number of people feel guilty reading a book a second time. A waste time. They believe one should always be reading something new. Exploring the unknown!
I would argue I explored the unknown. I’d never read “The Catcher in the Rye” with +2.50 readers. I’d never read the classic after becoming a mother or being divorced or losing both of my parents.
And a waste of time? Did I mention the discussion with my “girls”?
So, if anyone thinks re-reading a book is frittering away precious hours, well, perhaps they should give me back my hunting hat.
--Diana
Monday, January 18, 2010
Why You Can't Take Me Anywhere!
So, I’m at my book club meeting. Discussion begins in the living room after we’ve all enjoyed a sampling of wonderful food. A couple of us head to the dessert table near the sofa. I linger trying to make the best decision considering I’ve already splurged with two pieces of bread.
I quietly eye the choices. Hmmm, what’s this over here in the corner? I love those little candies, Boston Baked Beans. Maybe I’ll just scoop up a few. Wonder why there isn’t a spoon to dish them out? Oh, well, I’ll be very careful to not contaminate the ones I don’t take.
ACK! POO! SPIT! UGH!!!! What the hell is this?!?!? I say, hand to mouth, trying to run discreetly to the kitchen for the garbage can. And then my taste buds sound the alarm. Oh, my god, it’s… potpourri!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll understand if the members need to discuss whether or not I’m still allowed in the club!
I quietly eye the choices. Hmmm, what’s this over here in the corner? I love those little candies, Boston Baked Beans. Maybe I’ll just scoop up a few. Wonder why there isn’t a spoon to dish them out? Oh, well, I’ll be very careful to not contaminate the ones I don’t take.
ACK! POO! SPIT! UGH!!!! What the hell is this?!?!? I say, hand to mouth, trying to run discreetly to the kitchen for the garbage can. And then my taste buds sound the alarm. Oh, my god, it’s… potpourri!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll understand if the members need to discuss whether or not I’m still allowed in the club!
--Diana
www.DianaBlack.net
Buy the new WOOF companion
Accentuate The Pawsitive!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Take WHY? for an answer?
So tell me, do you get upset when someone answers your question with a question?
What do I mean? you ask.
See, right there! So was that second question asked because clarification is warranted? Or rather to ignore the first question?
The first question asked for a simple yes or no response. Or at least a declarative sentence!
Well, I guess if you've read this far, it's no secret how I feel about questions answered with questions.
But then, I just asked myself, do I do that?
The answer came at lightning speed.
Why, would it upset me if I did?
-- Diana "WhY me?" Black
www.DianaBlack.net
What do I mean? you ask.
See, right there! So was that second question asked because clarification is warranted? Or rather to ignore the first question?
The first question asked for a simple yes or no response. Or at least a declarative sentence!
Well, I guess if you've read this far, it's no secret how I feel about questions answered with questions.
But then, I just asked myself, do I do that?
The answer came at lightning speed.
Why, would it upset me if I did?
-- Diana "WhY me?" Black
www.DianaBlack.net
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Why Follow This Blog Tour?
Cuz you might could get some FREE stuff!
As two WOOFers (Women Only Over Fifty), Mary Cunningham and I are on a blog tour for the next couple of weeks. We're celebrating the release of "Accentuate The Pawsitive," a guide to realigning your body, mind and soul.
"Mind spinning? Mood Swinging? Middle sagging? Get used to it! When you reach 50, shift happens. But, you're not alone. WOOFers to the rescue!"
Follow us on tour, make a comment on the various blog stops to enter a contest for a free download of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"
DEC 24 - Dames of Dialogue Interview - Woofers who Accentuate the Pawsitive
"Mind spinning? Mood Swinging? Middle sagging? Get used to it! When you reach 50, shift happens. But, you're not alone. WOOFers to the rescue!"
Follow us on tour, make a comment on the various blog stops to enter a contest for a free download of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"
DEC 24 - Dames of Dialogue Interview - Woofers who Accentuate the Pawsitive
DEC 30 - Dames of Dialogue Interview - WOOFer, Mary answers the Dames Dozen
JAN 4 - Doing It With Grace Blog - Chocolate - 'Nuff Said!
JAN 5 - A Woman's Life In Stages - Downward Facing Dog
JAN 6 - Mysteries & Chitchat - Fashion Fits or Flops
JAN 5 - A Woman's Life In Stages - Downward Facing Dog
JAN 6 - Mysteries & Chitchat - Fashion Fits or Flops
JAN 8 - The Stiletto Gang - Boning Up On Books
JAN 11 - Blog: A Working Writer - Animal Rescue: Mission For Mutts
JAN 12 - Virtual Wordsmith - Myths About Menopaws
Jan 13 - Blog Talk Radio - Mary Eileen Williams, Feisty Side of Fifty
Join us! and find out how to get your copy of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"
Join us! and find out how to get your copy of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"
Like to laugh? You'll discover more funny women stories,
limericks and poems when you...
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