Bus travel teaches us more than being alone in our cars.

Early this morning I went to New Jersey from New York City by bus.

While I was waiting at the Port of Authority for my late bus, I noticed an attractive woman talking on her cell. Her back was towards me but I admired how she was dressed in leather and fur. She was neatly put together on this early morning.

I on the other hand taking the same bus was dressed like a slob. Oh my clothes were clean, but my boots from the snow and wear and tear were shabby. My "Head" ski jacket from about 25 years old is still colorful but far from sexy; my warm hat and ear muffs messed up my hair but I did not much think about it, I was warm, until I saw her.

How could she look so attractive on this same morning taking the same bus? I studied what I was doing wrong. When she turned around she smiled and walked towards me. She was a pretty lady too. Funny enough, we did not stop talking from the moment we met making both our trips entertaining; I told her I liked how she was dressed and she thought lightly of it. We exchanged e mails hoping to be friends. Oh, and I think I will buy a new ski jacket and boots!

I went about my business in New Jersey and another lovely lady drove me back to the NYC bound bus instead of having to take a cab.

Oddly enough on that bus I met another lady. We struck up a conversation about weather and went on to other topics. I found it unusual to have two long conversations with two strangers in a three hour time limit. She and I will meet too.
Actually, I will try hard to bring the three of us together. Wouldn't that be nice?

Carol Sue Gershman

Decorating/ Decisions/ Dust/ Do's and Don'ts...

I absolutely love to decorate, but the decisions I have to make drive me insane.

We are talking kitchen. Sure I can call someone in and tell them to gut my 23 year old kitchen and pay them $25,000 to do it, but what fun is that?

It would be too perfect and I wouldn't have the opportunity to be creative or drive myself mad; like should I choose mirror as a back splash, yes,mirror, or tin tiles, gorgeous.... what ever happened to good ole Formica? Yes, I know it is still around but don't think a Formica man is going to run over and replace my Formica for a couple of hundred dollars. No now, it is a process, an architectural drawing, a layout; I want white, but he said, "There are so many whites." "Just bring me a shiny white and let it shine,I will worry about the rest." While you are doing my drawing put in a new sink and faucets. How I wish I had gone to a tech hi school and gotten some building skills.

I was going to treat myself to a new stove till I heard the prices. Never mind the price of the stove with self cleaning; but then there is delivery, installation, a new microwave, and then the charge to attach it to the stove and take away my perfectly good stove.

So I made myself a lot happier and richer by buying a new stove top, nice and white, new stove knobs, and now will put some mirror over the side to hide the old stuff; Funny enough, it actually works great; it self cleans and the microwave is already attached, and so is the stove.

Oh, the cabinets.. Have you heard the price for new doors for the EXISTING cabinets? How bout $11,000 plus.... paid out over a year, no interest. No not me, I will take one main front cabinet, make a hole and add glass. The rest will get new handles. P. S. Meant to say, I live in a NYC apt with a small kitchen.

The floor. Do I tear up the old tiles and put new? or can I just put the new tiles on top of the old? These are the questions .
You see, all of this could have been taken care of easily if I just went with a designer, but then I would never be writing about this or having the fun of creating and practicing the art of saving money all in the same time or occupying my mind with decisions and samples or driving myself mad.

I will get a new panel for my dishwasher and new handles for my refrig.

I will paint the back wall Black, yes shiny black, or should it be orange and add mirror touches... Why not see myself as I cook; others have to look.

When I am through I will post a before and after; which reminds me better get the camera out right now.
Thanx for listening. You must have gone through the same.
Carol Sue

Broken bones/Does that mean I am getting old or just a klutz?

Broken bones/Does that mean I am getting old or just a klutz?

Oh how I love to fall and break my bones. Just kidding, but seems like it is my fate.

I have had 7 falls with 4 broken bones. I guess my first fall happened in my 50's. (years old) I slipped on a plastic bag in my apartment, landed on my hard wood floor on my shoulder. It was horrible. When the Dr. told me It would be at least three months till I healed, I did not know how I could possibly just stop my life. After all, "Every thing I do is so important." I learned otherwise! The only thing I learned that was important was to heal. The shoulder affected other bones so I had to use a cane, my body was crippled. When I thought I would never be normal again, suddenly I was me. Nature heals us, the body heals, we are all lucky. OK. that was number one.

#2 : I fell off of my bike and broke my wrist. Not so bad to fall off my bike, but did my wrist have to break? so there I was again in a sling, physical therapy etc,

#3 got even better. This time I slipped on a Clorox floor falling backwards and landing on my elbow. Yup, shattered and broken; I was on my way out the door going on a trip wanting to leave the apartment sparkling clean. OK, all I had to do this time was have two intense operations, go to therapy, be incapacitated and heal.

#4 This was a nice fall on the sidewalks of NYC falling again on my lucky left wrist; ambulance, doctors, settings, healing. Good bye to those who had no sympathy for poor me.

Those were the broken ones.

I once fell off of a train in Eastern Europe, I was grabbing my luggage as the door closed, so went with the luggage on to the platform landing on my back. Next thing I knew I was in an East German hospital Ward wheeled in as The lady from New York City.... so that makes five. I had sprained my back.

The 6th fall was in China at the Ritz Carlton after sipping their lovely tea. Upon exit I missed the 2 steps down and there I was flat on the floor being escorted out of the Ritz and into a limo back to my hostel. I had sprained my ankle.

For the life of me I cannot remember # 7 but I know there was one.

As soon as the last fragment healed, I was up and off with my life, never looking back. OK. lucky 7 has made me more cautious. I have slowed down a bit and look more where I am going; spending more time looking down than looking up especially on the side walks of NYC. A fall can happen any time and at any moment. It is awful; nothing teaches you more how life can change on a dime.

So what you think am I simply a Klutz? Maybe we should all have four legs.
Carol Sue Gershman.

Ladies Unite! A New Years eve treat for all.

I questioned what to do this New Years. A date? Had many on New Years. How bout a party? Ok, but what kind of a party, a party for two, No! A party with several couples, No! Friends stopping by, No.!

Well then, how about a Mah Jongg Party?

4 beautiful ladies came marching in all dressed in glitter. I wore my hot sequined dress and hat; we hugged and sipped champagne. For me it was an O'Douls. I decorated my studio apartment in red and gold and candlelit the room. The sofa was called my living room and there I introduced my friends to the Burning Bowl. "Write down what you do not want in your life from last year." I marched us into the bathroom sink and lit a match to all the 2010 negatives. Then we wrote our goals for the next 3 months. We each put them in a sealed envelope and on April 1, I will mail them out to see if we really lived up to our hopes and dreams.

We took 2 steps into the dining room, my card table set in the middle of the room, the centerpiece my mah jongg set all decorated in silver and red. I served a luscious green organic salad with garlic oil dressing. We each devoured our own Rock Cornish hen in orange sauce, cous cous with vegetables and string beans in garlic and oil. After all we were all ladies.

After dinner we threw the dishes in the sink, removed the cloth and set up the mah jongg set. Hard to concentrate going from spirituals, to gourmets and now gamblers. The chocolate chip thick cookies, the bombalini's filled with chocolate and the pumpkin cheese cake kept us delighted.

At 11:30 we tore off our glitter and changed into warm clothes, walked 2 blocks to Central Park's awesome fire works party.
There was snow on the ground, the trees over head, music was playing, the runners were getting ready for their 12:00 a.m. marathon, all of this with fabulous exciting fireworks bursting over head.

Happy New Year beautiful ladies. We could not have done it without each other.

Carol Sue Gershman