Letters to the Editor
Ascendington
Published Letters: 74 Editor's Choice: 1
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happy to comply w new requirement
[Read the article: Anonymous no more]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]SYA fan.
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When I moved from Miami to Seattle in 1999...
[Read the article: I'm wasting my semester abroad watching TV in my apartment]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]it took a year and a half for me to get oriented..this won't be your case, LW, if you consider Cary's sage advice.
Being in a new place always presents a learning curve. Other people do not need directions, they know the routes and where they are going. They zip around confidently while we peer at street signs and look for numbers on buildings. Newcomers don't know how to get from A to B...so..the map comes out.. one meets friendly bus drivers, store clerks, strangers.
It takes a little time to feel like part of the local landscape.
A woman I met in class that first fall in Seattle is one of my most frequent correspondents now, nine years later.
Best of luck to ya'.
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LW, I don't think you are a hoarder.
[Read the article: I'm a condo parking-spot hoarder!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I like the idea of the potted plant and would have suggested a large cactus until someone pointed out that it may be against the condo bylaws to put anything in a parking space but a car.
If that is the case, would it be permissible to to paint "RESERVED" in large letters in your second parking space? Or RESERVED #XX (your condo number).
The word 'RESERVED' is often painted in commercial parking spaces and may be considered reasonably decorous as a visible reminder that the space is reserved though unoccupied.
A more forceful message would be to add: VIOLATERS WILL BE TOWED and post the tow company's name and phone number on the wall above the space.
I agree that your parking space should not be subject to the fluctuations of your neighbours' household plans. You don't want to know what their plans are. You want your peace and privacy.
They should think of your second parking space as permanently occupied, although it isn't.
I agree with the reader who said to be as courteous as possible to the neighbor who made the request, but clearly and firmly say no. You wish to reserve the space for the spontaneous use of your own family and your own guests at all times without coordinating your plans with your neighbors. Also, you might wish to say you are going to check into painting a "RESERVED" sign in the space just so that any visitor can easily know it is reserved.
Firmness now may avoid tangled upsetness in the future.
I don't think you are a hoarder at all.
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Mobility and flexibility - - vitality - -
[Read the article: Do not go gentle into that Eileen Fisher]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am 60. I have short, straight hair (not dyed). I believe in being comfortable - black Sportex l/sleeve top and pants are super comfy for everyday wear. Appropriate clothing for the specific occasion is not a problem.
What I find youthful is the energy and vitality conveyed by a) the mental outlook of a woman b) mobility, flexibility of her body.
At Christmastime, the mother of my 54 yr old g-friend came to visit our town. I invited them over on Dec 30. Her mother is about 77. I was bowled over by "Emily's" nonchalant physical mobility - not only the way she walked but the way she stood and sat. Emily was unconsciously fluid in her motions - much more so than me at 60!.
I was so impressed by what my eyes took in that I phoned my girlfriend the next day and got myself invited over for coffee whereupon I asked Emily to tell me her personal regimen.
Without any fuss or ado, Emily said she walks 1 hr per day, and spends 3 hr per week with an exercise group for seniors. In the exercise group they lift weights.
In addition Emily is an avid gardener and has tilled her 30 x 100 foot garden plot (in a cemetery) for the past 40 years.
Although I have not yet implemented Emily's plan in my own life, I think Emily's routine is the way I wish to go. The evidence of her effortless mobility and flexibility is enviable.
I have seen a 95 yr old woman with this same type of stance. The stance of a young girl. Standing with the weight on one leg in the back, and the front leg resting lightly on the ground.
I am Asian (where the culture respects age), but live in a Western country (where the culture venerates youth).
As I go forward from 60, I seek to maintain independence, physical flexibility and mobility.
Some of my co-workers are young people and this affords me contact with the thoughts of 14, 17, 19, 20 year olds...their music, concerts, tattoos, body piercings, boyfriends, and challenges, the benefits of a Macintosh computer vs an IBM computer, bungee jumping, snowboarding, music downloads, iPods, etc. Another co-worker is 36 yrs old and his passion is watching race car driving for which he will drive far distances to be a spectator.
How not to look old has to do with:
a) appearance & grooming
b) mental outlook / awareness of today's culture / being present to new developments today while remaining in the center of who you are.
c) physical mobility / flexibility.
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Experience teaches wisdom - these are the instructive points I got from Cary's story.
[Read the article: Have I ruined my karma by sleeping with prostitutes?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]* "One day I got crazy and quit. I screwed them over. I abandoned ship. I ran off. I left them in a lurch - - with dramatic flourish and a new hair color."
* "I needed to learn humility in the workplace."
* "I came to Salon not swaggering but carrying a toolbox. I came as a worker, a guy with skills.
* "The whole time I was there (the second time at Chevron) I was never welcomed into the fold. I remained a temp.
* "It's not about abstract forces and balance sheets. It's about conduct and relationships.
* "We do what we can to make things right. We deal with adversity as long as it lasts. We try to learn whatever our fate has to teach us"