hey!! what about marlene dietrich? or, are you only profiling “live” women?? then, how about cameron diaz - great gams!

i stopped coloring my hair when i was 38 ( it had gotten so damaged, it scared me). now, nearly 20 yrs later, i’ve got a great, healthy-looking head of gray hair. it was the best decision i ever made. do i look older? - maybe but, i know i look genuine. i feel stronger, almost empowered. it’s the right thing for me, maybe not for others.

oh, there are quite a few… i guess i would say any of the books by jane austen & also, the golden notebook by doris lessing.

it would be so nice if i could see a film about women my age, dealing with issues faced by 50-something human beings. oh, there have been a handful but, they’ve been few & far between. i know the studios cater to the teen crowd but, we’re out there too & it’s such a cliche about “the older woman” & how she’s really more interesting than a 20 yr old. it’s the only thing that has ever made me consider leaving the u.s. & moving to europe where i think women my age are valued & respected much more than they are in america!

yes, i feel better about my body now than i did years ago. i am more comfortable in my own skin than i ever was as a girl. i don’t have the ideal figure that we see in magazines but, i have a real womans body & it doesn’t show too much of the wear & tear of middle age. i would not go back to looking 20 for anything in this world!

when i first heard that the games would be held in china i said, “yeah, right. they’ll never have the olympics in china!” well, obviously, i didn’t know what i was talking about. i’m sure the chinese govt has tried to sweep everything under the rug as best they can. i hope all the athletes do well - american as well as the other nations. the best deserve the glory. and, then, they should beat it the hell outta there! nothing will improve in that country any time soon - certainly not because of a sporting event - even the olympics.

i wish i could figure out why some pictures turn out so scary-lousy & others are just fine. try as i might, 90% look awful.

that i am more patient, tolerant & understanding of myself & of others than i ever was in my youth. i don’t know where this came from but, i am ever so grateful. thought i would end up the bitter, rigid old lady that i saw over & over when i was a girl.

my friends… my love for them, my faith in them & all we have learned from one another - they are my treasures!

people are so cautious these days - afraid even to make eye contact with another human being. maybe it’s easier when you have small children. they assume you’re not a psycho if you’re wheeling a stroller. nobody in my apt building has small children. we’re all out at work all day so, i guess in the pm we just want to shut our doors & have some down time. it’s really a shame. neighbors used to look out for one another. you knew everyone & felt somehow protected from strangers.

and, here i thought i was the only one who followed the advice of satchel paige! looking back can be damaging, sometimes, more often than not. there was a song way back in the 80’s by steve winwood, “roll with it” - i truly believe every word of that song & down through the years, i’ve tried to apply it to every situation.

i think the doll lady got it right - my white gloves are wrapped around my heart so tightly, i don’t think i could keep my balance if they were removed it’s funny to me - i’ve had panic/anxiety attacks at the weirdest times - when there was nothing to fear, when i should have felt snug & secure. and, yet, when my physical safety has been threatened, i go on automatic pilot. calm, collected, trying to figure a safe way out of danger. i take more risks with my physical well being now that my parents & siblings have passed on. i never wanted to be a burden or have them worry about me. i cannot imagine mountain climbing or anything dangerous if i knew it meant that someone i loved would have to pick up my pieces. i think it is our hearts that we shield from harm - not our bodies.

shorts - i don’t care what you call them… they’re still shorts! and, those rubber flipflops & plunging necklines, too. it always makes me wonder… if you wear that out of the house, what do you wear behind closed doors??!!

i worship emma thompson. i honestly cannot remember her ever giving a less than brilliant performance. i would go to see her in anything. i’m sure she’ll give lady marchmain a different slant than claire bloom in the pbs production. and, unless she’s had all of us fooled all along, i think she’s quite a witty, warm, down-to-earth individual.

I agree with liz smith one million percent!! the only music i can abide is cole porter, noel coward & all of the pop rock stuff of the ‘60’s & ‘70’s. she’s got it exactly right!!!