Author Archives

• Eponymous Bosch

  By 70-and-rising on July 31, 2012 • ( 1 )

  

  I’ve been thinking about eponyms….the word was coined from two Greek words, epi, “on” and onama, “a name.”  It has come to mean the person for whom something was named: For example, here’s a zeppelin, named for Count Ferdinand von… Read More ›

• My Crush on Ted

  By 70-and-rising on July 18, 2012 • ( 3 )

  

  This year I lucked out and  met Ted.  One of my friends introduced us. I know now that he’s actually been available since 2006 but I had never heard of him, impossible though it might seem. Now it seems I can’t… Read More ›

• My brain’s secret talents

  By 70-and-rising on July 11, 2012 • ( 1 )

  

  What a relief… it’s not necessarily incipient Alzheimer’s, dementia or worse! It’s probably not even a sign of a deteriorating brain or loss of memory. It’s completely normal that my middle-aged brain is slow on the up-take, stops me from remembering… Read More ›

• Retirement. It happened.

  By 70-and-rising on July 1, 2012 • ( 1 )

  

  Reader,  she retired. *  I had it all: The testimonials The tributes. The gifts. The fabulous party.  The meeting with the benefits office. The strange feeling of not getting a paycheck after working in the office for 27 years. My final date… Read More ›

• My Nora Ephron Problem

  By 70-and-rising on June 30, 2012 • ( 3 )

  

  Janet Maslin wrote a touching essay in The New York Times about Nora Ephron to commemorate her passing last week.  She mentioned that she and many other women had “Nora Ephron problems” because, hard as they tried, they just couldn’t be as funny, creative, or… Read More ›

• Good Night, Irene

  By 70-and-rising on August 27, 2011 • ( 1 )

  

  More extreme weather. Earthquake at the beginning of the week and now- hurricane Irene. The news is relentless with it’s warnings and dire predictions. Everything is closing down: schools, businesses, state government. Batteries were gone from stores this morning and bottled water… Read More ›

• Shake it up, baby

  By 70-and-rising on August 23, 2011 • ( 0 )

  

  I’m still reeling from the earthquake that took place an hour ago.  The building shook briefly and a soft train-like noise reverberated.  I had never experienced an earthquake before but I instinctively knew what it was- like a rat on… Read More ›

• Positive uncertainty

  By 70-and-rising on August 7, 2011 • ( 1 )

  

  Planning for the future seems much more fraught than ever before.  Once upon a time the past was known and the future seemed predictable. Today the present is changing so fast our heads are spinning. Time to break out a new… Read More ›

• No flow, no glory

  By 70-and-rising on August 2, 2011 • ( 2 )

  

  Digital Flow I want some flow.  According to the theory proposed by Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, flow is the result of completely focused motivation.  You become immersed in an experience.  The emotions are positive, energized and aligned with the task at hand. There… Read More ›

• It takes a Villanelle

  By 70-and-rising on July 24, 2011 • ( 1 )

  

  Nothing beats a cool drink and a villanelle on a steamy, sultry July afternoon. The drink can be random but the poem must be a villanelle. The haunting quality, the repetitions, the melodic story make for satisfying reading  poolside. Here’s… Read More ›