Michelle Obama seems to have a personal sense of style - & isn’t managed by a stylist - if so, that’s refreshing!

Why do women of a certaine age make the mistake of trying to compete with sheer youth?  It will always FAIL! We have our own charms to cultivate!!

My whole life (that of a baby boomer) has been one of change - sometimes the pace was faster, sometimes not!  The 60’s for me grew out of say my "Kennedy-esque" period -& it was all organic - I managed not to get into the "Greed is Good" era  - becaz, like Bogart sd "I got scruples!" The new thrift mvt. suits me to a tee - check out my frugal blog at www.myfrugallife.com/blog_pamphyila.html - or my updates at www.twitter.com/pamphyila and www.zannel.com/pamphyila!!!

I remember Ms. Streep speaking at a seminar about aging in Hollywood & the media in L.A.- was it 10 yrs ago now? And she DID get the system to wake up.  Good for her!

Drive U.S. cars now - a Chevy & a Mercury - quite ancient - but running - Guess I would look for an American hybrid - I find that US cars are easier to service…

I was unable to have any children - although I would have loved to - because at the time it was them or my artistic work - and frankly, I would have had to give it ALL up to them, as I didn’t have the resources to do otherwise. And I couldn’t make that choice. It’s ironic that if I were less-well edcuated and the like, the powers that be might have supported me on welfare of some kind.

Habitual hauteur, insensitivity and cruelty.

Football is still the same confusing jumble of men running around that it was to me in high school marching band, forced to sit through too many of them in both early heat and late cold!

Me to late on this thread- but I have to add my 2 cents - I love my hair long - despite the fact that women of my age usually chop it all OFF. I have been wearing it UP - which I find easy and flattering, too. I have misgivings about Ms. Palin - but she gave the trend to daytime updos a boost, for which I am grateful…

Yes - high ticket prices keep many of us culture mavens from enjoying as many performances as we would wish - $40 is a lot for a ticket! I think if there are empty seats, there should be discounts. There used to be many at the Ahmanson and Mark Taper Forum - including invites for Equity members - but the new regime has ended that & has collective amnesia about the fact that it ever existed. Alas.

How refreshing! To see clothes on very elongated tiny tots has always seemes silly to me…

Romantic/dramatic - sort of like Casablanca - I have an idea from a true story - fill of intrigue and amour - but can’t bruit it about - Directing is too much - help to produce ? It’s about a woman of a certain age, with a cameo for me, too!

All through my adult artistic existence, I have been financially challenged, and yet managed to give my family and friends gifts. (I even wrote an article about it in www.associatedcontent.com - This Xmas Gift it Weirdly) Yes, the weirder the better. I have had great success with old books bought for 50 cents at a used book store. Not to mention a preserved pirana fish! Thrift shop vintage silk scarves - even freebies! (The small gratis promotional packets are great for travelers, I had an aunt who was always gadding about and I collected such lotions/shampoos, etc. for her.) The freebies are FREE, too! You can get FREE magazine subscriptions - because the publishers are giving them away to boost their circulation to keep up ad revenue, I think. Go to www.mommysavesbig.com and www.freestufftimes.com for 2 of the best and most current freebie sites. Check out Xmas in the heartland (and thrift throughout the year) at www.thriftyfun.com - And you can even look up my on-going thrifty blog at www.myfrugallife.com/blog_pamphyila.html to see how an Ivy League grad copes nicely sans mucho dinero! I think thoughtfulness and ingenuity is the key - who else but I would know that the 1911 book on Robert Burns monuments would charm my brother. Added to his Burns’ collection he said - and you know - it was downright CHEAP. So take heart, even you the financially challenged.

We have a sailboat to get away to and avoid regular communiques as much as possible - but not there is instant messaging and I can get my email on my PHONE. Try to put the important folks in folders & avoid the rest.

The 40 trend is nice - but remember that all those folks were once on the BIG screen and TV is a step down for them. Not too many 40+ you don’t already know pretty well. Don’t you notice the trend to having older movie stars take leads/guest stars on TV now? They used to go to TV actors. Not anymore.