This past weekend I found myself engrossed in a book titled, Experiencing Old Age In Ancient Rome, written by Karen Cokayne. It was interesting to read that in antiquity, scientific and medical texts considered changes in one’s physical appearance, such as wrinkles, grey hair, and baldness, due to a deficiency of heat that was brought on by cooling and drying of age.
Month: August 2009
The Face of a Friend
So lucky to have Judy back in my life.
I recently joined Facebook, something that I resisted for a while; just didn’t have the time or patience to pursue one more avenue that necessitated keeping up with posts. However, a few more urges from friends convinced me to click along and join the ranks of everyone else out there writing status updates, sharing their life with everyone and making new friends of course. It just so happened that after a very busy day I was left with a restless mind, and unable to fall asleep, I began to think about people from my past. One of those people who often popped into my mind was Judy; suddenly, the idea of renewing our friendship became more accessible to me—I began to feel excited at the possibility of finding her. We used to be neighbors in Manchester, England, when we were students in the late 80s, and we were very good friends. However, after graduation we both moved to different countries many miles apart, and what happened next was life.
Oscar Wilde Talks Wrinkles
Last Sunday night, while relaxing in front on my TV, I happened to come across a movie that I had not seen in years, “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” I also remember reading the book in my early twenties and loving it so much that I kept it in my library as one of those books that had impacted my thinking—that I would always want around me. I felt that way even though I still suffered from—age appropriate ignorance—that aging would never be “my problem,” nothing that would happen to me specifically. But in spite of my youth, I still loved the story and saw great value in it.
Computer Yoga
Computer games have been an ongoing source of entertainment for years so it’s no surprise to learn that the very keen, computer crazed individuals, have somehow caught up with the rest of us, and they too have aged. The pending question though is how well have they aged, knowing that they have spent a decade or more sitting for a myriad of hours per day, every day, in front of the screen while their brains have been lured into their virtual playground.
Salad On My Face
Years ago, when I still lived at home, I remember my mother scooping avocado for a salad she would make, then keeping the avocado peel—only to be used later for rubbing all over her face. She would encourage me to do the same, and I remember my reaction time and time again,”You mean put salad on my face?” I would say this, completely disinterested in any of her home-made beauty treatments.
Dreading 50!
Certain things always catch my attention and such was the case with an article about Amanda Redman, published in the Mail Online. The caption read, “Amanda Redman says that she is dreading turning 50. Well, it’s a bit too late for that—as her 1957 birth certificate proves.” I never really heard of this woman before, but still, I wanted to know why she dreaded her 50s.
Hormones And Looks
While researching the topic of wrinkles I come across all sorts of interesting information and such was this next article from The Independent. Roger Dobson wrote about attraction and what really draws a couple together.
“A woman’s smile may not be all it seems when her zygomaticus major cheek muscle moves the upper lip upward and outward to produce that warm smile, it may be more than a friendly gesture—it could be a sign of hormones at work.”
Botox And The Chef
Earlier this summer an Australian television reporter caught Chef Gordon Ramsey by complete surprise when she asked whether his “refreshed looks” had anything to do with Botox treatment in America, and whether America did this to him. I could detect a little sarcasm in her voice when she asked the latter part of her question, and it was this particular part that caught my attention more than anything else.
A Wrinkle-Making Experience
Generally, I tend to live my life without putting too much energy into trivial matters—at the end of the day it’s just not worth it, and I don’t need more wrinkles either. However, sometimes that philosophy doesn’t keep me from feeling anger and frustration towards certain people, or utility companies, or airline representatives.
The Ugly Man
I was intrigued by an article written by Iain Aitch, for the Mail Online (I won’t apologize for not discriminating when it comes to my sources) about Stan Cattermole—a self-proclaimed ugly man. I logged onto his site betedejour.blogspot.com, and found his posts so dismal and somber, but a candid and fascinating account of one man’s experience in the very one-dimensional, unkind world of dating. Apparently, Stan has suffered from this affliction his entire life and, sadly, he’s always been rejected and made fun of, because of his looks.