Fashion Eyeglasses: I see what you're saying

One thing I really liked about the personal style of Leanne Marshall, the winner of season five of the show Project Runway, was her glasses.

It wasn't just that she wore a cool pair of glasses, but that she wore glasses at all! The photo I found first, on Bravo and Amazon, shows her without the glasses.

We're inundated with makeover shows, make-under shows and almost inevitably if the subject is wearing glasses they'll come out the other end in contact lenses or having had some sort of corrective eye surgery.

The glasses have go to go. It's usually an unsaid 'fact of life.' To be deemed as hip, younger-looking, trendy, acceptable I guess, toss the specs? They're finally letting some grey hair pass through. And bald can be beautiful. Hail baby boomers for that.

If something as innocuous as wearing glasses is not tolerated, imagine that for some reason you stand out even more. What if you are overweight? You have a disability? Something they can't just toss away to make you appear to be more a part of normal society?

I found an article online called You think those glasses are ‘ironic’? How short-sighted. Some folks are wearing glasses now just for fashion. They use clear glass lenses.

Big sunglasses are back in style. When I was in high school, big glasses were a fad, partly thanks to Elton John. For a while you might see some huge, novelty glasses on the street. When I go to get new frames, I'm happy to see (way out of my price range) some designers are creating eyeglass frames.

It's interesting to watch awards shows. You see some celebrities nervously whip out a pair of glasses to read a cue card and then quickly hide them away again.

KarolinFelix on Etsy had a cute brooch called Pink Glasses.

How many celebrities can you think of who wear glasses? John Lennon was the first one who came to mind for me. TV characters?

There was a famous episode of The Brady Bunch devoted to Jan Brady's struggles getting used to wearing glasses.

But the recycling and upcycling movement has brought a new style into eyeglasses. People are now wearing one of a kind glasses, having them made from frames found in antique shops for instance. The frames have to be in good enough shape for use and I've heard that warranties on upcycled glasses may be different if you BYOF, bring your own frames?

Do you wear glasses? Do you have a choice? Have you been able to choose some frames that are fashionable, cool, stylish?

What's you opinion of the wearing of glasses by people who don't need them?

Project Runway: The Complete Fifth Season

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Short Films: One Too Many (Éramos pocos), Helmer & Son

Éramos pocos (One Too Many), Directed by Borja Cobeaga

There are some short films that I've really enjoyed. Since I've done some posts about aging, this one seems appropriate for the blog.

This one is a 2005 Academy Award nominated short film from Spain. I'll give away some of the plot, but not the ending.

The one I saw was in Spanish with English subtitles.

When the film starts, a man is waking up and discovering that his wife's left him. He has a teen-aged son.

The two of them aren't able or willing to care for themselves and their apartment.

Dad goes off to the nursing home to retrieve his mother-in-law and bring her back to care for them. Her meals are delicious. She takes good care of them and the home.

This film is under 30 minutes long. It's poignant and funny with a twist of an ending.

This is on a DVD collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films that's available at Amazon. I first saw it on one of our favorite PBS shows, Image Makers. Check your local PBS station to see if you get that show. They may replay it. They feature some terrific short films from all over the world, many are Oscar winners and nominees. Academy Award Nominated Short Films

The Amazon DVD also contains the Danish short, Soren Pilmark’s Helmer & Son, which I look forward to viewing.

The film is described this way: A son is called to the rest home where his recently admitted father has locked himself inside a closet. Distinguished by a good dialogue, the short provides an insight on the relationship of father and son. *There is more that's said about this one, but it gives some of the outcome away.

In Hamlet, Shakespeare said that brevity is the soul of wit. There's something particularly wonderful about those who can create something fine, and do it in a short form.

Poster image from abandomoviez.net

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What do you do for the world?

The question posed was, "Sept. 11 is the anniversary of a very tragic event. To make the world better what do you do? Charity donations or support, volunteering, living green or ?"

I'd like to say that I'm spending weekends rescuing people from horrid situations (though we did rescue a homeless cat and I'm very proud of that. We did it when we said we just couldn't do it. It had to be done, so we did that and care for her every day.) I'd like to say that I'm doing something exotic and life-saving every day.

I have friends who are fire fighters and police officers. Very noble. My niece is the a doctor. I used to diaper a doctor. Sheesh. Amazing. The other niece is a teacher. They're making the world a better place.

The first thing that came to mind when I read the question was to say what I'm not doing. Maybe that's a cop-out. Maybe that's the right answer for me, though, because I'm actively, on a daily basis not doing things in an effort to help to make the lives of the people I come in contact with at least a little better.

As much as possible, I try to think of the other guy -- or gal. If someone cuts in line, wants that particular shopping cart or parking place or wants to fight for a store dressing room, they can have it. I've witnessed Dressing Room Rage and it isn't pretty. I'll come back later when I have more time if necessary.

It's not a point of backing down in situations. It means not turning encounters with family, friends or strangers into some kind of confrontation. Remember what's important. Every little thing is not a competition.

When that person is making a cutting remark or glaring across the room, I check myself before I get my back up. There's a mental image, a snapshot ready to replay in my mind.

I think of when my mother was going through some of her worst time with Alzheimer's Disease. I was her caretaker and there came a time when, thanks in part to major lack of sleep, I'd reached physical and emotional burnout point. I uncharacteristically snapped at people, strangers and friends alike regardless of the situation. I never stopped to put on an "I'm in pain & stressed because I haven't slept in days as I'm caring for my dying Mother" T-shirt.

These days, I'll count to ten, breathe, remind myself not to take it personally. They're probably going through something in their lives, too. A lot of problems are invisible. If they're going to get some kind of satisfaction from a skirmish with a stranger, that stranger isn't going to be me.

WWMD? What would Mother do? What would I want my Mother to see me do in the situation? Whatever it takes for me to keep it together and respond correctly in a given situation.

So yes, I do quite a bit of recycling. I do what I can to help the elderly, children and animals, and I donate to charities whenever possible. But maybe my main daily contribution to the world is a mindful attempt not to add to the stress, overwhelm and "life rage" that seems so prevalent in the atmosphere nowadays. The goal is to replace some of it with kindness.

A previous blog post was about anniversary reactions to significant dates.

Nursing Home Week, Seniors, Relatives Considering Moving

National Nursing Home Week 2009 began on Mother's Day, May 10 is scheduled to run through May 16th.

Aging is on the minds of many baby boomers these days, due situations with their parents or other family members and/or issues in their own lives as we're growing older ourselves. Elder care is something a lot of us are dealing with right now.

This week is an opportunity to acknowledge and honor the people who reside in nursing homes as well as those members of staff and volunteers who help them and help to make their lives better. I can't completely endorse nor guarantee any of these sources, but think that they're a good place to start when sometimes we don't have an idea of where to turn.

Some families may have in-home care. There is a site with information on things to consider when arranging in-home care for persons with Alzheimers.

Whether one chooses an assisted living, home health facililty or nursing home, it may be a voyage into uncharted territory during a difficult time. In the US, your state Department of Health should have information where you can check on facilities (including any reports of abuse, public health and patient rights).

For instance, there is a page regarding the licensing and certification of Health care facilities in California.

The National Center for Assisted Living report offers a state-by-state summary of assisted living regulatory review.

The US Dept of Health & Human Services has a national Nursing Home Compare site. One of the things they offer is detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.

The Alzheimers Association has a Senior Housing Finder. The Senior Resource Guide Blue Book offers different information including that on housing. I'm not aware of how this data was compiled but the local version of this book was informative to us.

You may want to visit the US Senate Special Committee on Aging and The US National Institute on Aging web sites.