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

Oh how I loved this decade and now on to the new!

How was your decade? I hope it was enjoyed in good health and with lots of new adventures. I was 65 when our century turned, my life was good but empty; nothing was wrong but nothing was right. I felt lonely lacking friends and some outs with family. I believe it began all over again when my son gave me a gift of dating on line. Soon love began to storm into my life and in the age of retirement my life became more and more exciting crossing boundaries never crossed before. I wrote a book for the first time in my life; written out of passion. In order to promote the book I had to learn to speak, so I went to Toastmasters and had an over the top book launch entertaining 100 guest. I became my own agent and booked myself across the country into Barnes and Noble, Borders etc.driving 9000 miles driving alone in my mustang. It has been two years since the book was launched and I am still busy promoting giving lectures on Living agelessly, Living passionately. Of course I was disappointed that it was not a best seller. After all my ego thought it would be. Nor did it become the major motion picture with stars clamoring for the lead; at least not yet. However, it led me to meeting new people including having Alec Baldwins arms around me in the Hampton's, newspaper articles lots of books sold and "Author" as part of my resume. I left Miami beach my home for 18 years and moved back to NYC becoming closer to my family. We still all live on opposite sides of the universe, but NYC seems more central and I get to see much more of them. There were two major trips for me this decade, 2 months in Africa and 2 months in India backpacking both times while learning and having fun. There were cruises and short trips here and there. And then there were the falls, the broken bones leaving me incapacitated for months, reminding me that I was a major Klutz or just simply getting older. But when the last segment of bone healed I picked myself up, like it never happened, and went on to the next adventure.
At 75, I am happily single, I am in love with my life and my family and NYC. More love will come and more friends will come as this is what is already happening, love storming in again.
What I want from now on is simple:
Good health and to have a good time and the same for my family.
The point of me telling you this is that, "yes, I am older but that does not mean I have to be old. Going to Doctors has not become my new social life as I see in many contemporaries. I do all I can to help nature by following the rules to good health and taking it seriously.
Presently, I am writing a new book, this time for children. It is taking me a bit longer to write this time, but does it matter? I am speaking to women's groups on living agelessly and living passionately and am booked in several places next year.
The second point of me telling you this, is life holds so much for each and every one of us. What we choose to do with it is in our heads and how we feel about our own selves.
If you do feel lonely or lusterless, lacking adventure, at no matter what age, go out and MAKE A STORY. People like to listen to good stories and when it all comes down to it, that is who we are, a story to be told.
love,
carol sue gershman

Xmas lunch invite to my family laughed my head off writing it.

DEAR LITTLE FOXES, LITTLE KUSTERS, LITTLE DAVIS' LITTLE LIPMANS AND MEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
We are going to meet the FOCKING LITTLE FOCKERS on Xmas day.
 
First, We will have a FOCKING roasted Duckling FOCKING lunch at 1:30
 
We will leave my FOCKING apartment at 4:15 so those FOCKING LITTLE FOCKERS don"t start with out us.

 
Afterwards we will come back here for a FOCKING FOCKER Dessert filled with FOCKING calories
 
See you at the FOCKING Copley in my FOCKING apartment
 
MERRY FOCKING XMAS
 
xxoo
Carol FOCKING sue
P. S. Foxes, drive your FO
 

A good salesman is a good person and salesman

Went to buy a mattress early this morning. The store was barely open when I met an employee in the entrance way.
I said, "Let me in, I want to buy a mattress." P. S. After 23 years I could not wait another hour.
He was a nice guy and I told him to go take off his hat and coat and show me mattresses. He laughed and politely told me to wait upstairs.
As I reached the second floor a woman salesperson approached me. I told her I was waiting for someone to help me. She said," He thinks he will wait on you but I get the first customer of the day." "Oh, I said; "O. K."
She asked me a lot of annoying questions but I was stuck with her. She led me from one mattress to another and there I was lying down all over the store.
Then came the first salesman but she told him, "sorry I am waiting on this customer." He shyly walked away.
Then she said, "he was out of order."
I said, "I thought he was nice."
'I am sorry and I apologize for his behavior, he had no right to this sale.'
"I did not think he showed bad behavior; I liked him, in fact I would like him to take over THIS sale." P. S. I held my breath not to tell her she was the one showing bad behavior.
She had no choice to go and get him and yup he made the sale and I have a new pillow top mattress coming Thursday.
Moral: Do not tattle to a customer about a fellow employee.
Don't try to steal a customer.
What you think? Do you like a pillow top mattress?
Carol Sue Gershman

Runaway Jewish Ladies from Katz's Delicatessen/nyc

Walked into Katz's (a rare treat) with my friend. We were handed 2 pink slips, one for her and one for me. The doorman said, '"Bring them back when you leave.'
We indulged in pea soup, hot pastrami, pickles, happy to taste the good food, enjoying our treat.
The waiter wrote the bill on one of the pink slips. We went to the register and paid.
The doorman said, "I am missing a pink slip." I responded, I am sorry, I don't have it, somehow it got lost, but we did pay."
"I am sorry, he said, you cannot leave without giving me the other pink slip."
I said, "What are you talking about as I tried to exit." If you touch me I will consider it an assault and will call the police; go find your pink ticket."
You listen to me, It is no longer on the table, I do not have it and you are making us late for the movie."
"No ticket, no exit."
"Call the manager, I said."
We waited patiently and angrily, standing in our fur coats and hats, for her to wobble over, taking her time as our clock was ticking to make the film, we were pressed for time.
"Sorry ladies, you need your ticket, where were you sitting, who was your waiter?"
Exasperated, I replied it is no longer Is on the table or in our possession."
"Stand here and I will try to find it, as she wobbled away from us."
"We are going to miss our movie."
As the blocking doorman leaned over to talk to someone, I saw our exit. I grabbed my friend and said, "RUN."
There we were escaping down Houston Street, running down the street, looking over our shoulder to see if we were being captured, huffing and puffing, dashing into the subway and on to the train, leaving no trail behind and just in time for the movie.

Carol Sue Gershman
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