The Red Suitcase is a story about a woman abandoned at 66 by her husband of 40 years, the daughter who struggles to help her and their experiences in a journey across America. This is a trailer and it looks like a worthwhile movie with a good story line but they need funding. There are not enough stories that explore the life of older people and women in particular. If for no other reason than that, I am asking you to view the film and support it if you like.
Finding a new gadget, app and digital service that will help me or my family live simpler or more productively is a treasure hunt that I really enjoy. And I have found quite a few that I think you will like too. So I will begin posting what I find and you can choose which ones work for you.
A new Gadget and App coming out this winter helps you locate lost items – like keys, purses, bikes, backpacks etc. Sounds pretty cool to me.
I learned about this digital service, Task Rabbit, that allows people to outsource themselves for basic services – running errands, buying groceries, hooking up computers, clearing away dust bunnies etc. These seemingly simple task become overwhelming when we don’t have the time, physical capability or expertise to handle it.
For example, my mom recently broke her hip. Having someone run to the store for a few items will be useful for months to come and this is much less expensive and less intrusive than care takers. She could also use help with minor maintenance items. There is a college nearby and if some of these students were signed up, they could connect and both be happier!
The service providers are vetted and background checked so there is more security than a Craigslist and less cost than a Care taker Service. People work when they want doing what they want.
Can’t wait for it to come to my town!
Hal Lasko, better known as Grandpa, worked as a graphic artist back when everything was done by hand. His family introduced him to the computer and Microsoft Paint long after he retired. Now he paints with his computer.
Known as the pixel painter, Hal’s work is incredibly detailed even though he basically blind. The computer allows him to magnify and focus on certain areas and you can actually see the actual pixels. According to his family he can’t stop talking about his art. Now he can paint what he wants vs what his clients want.
Don’t you love that technology can open new avenues even as one door closes….
Brilliant look at individuals in all their beauty as they age from 1 to 100. The thing that was so apparent is how difficult it is to determine one’s age by their appearance. I could kind of get the first 10 years and could tell that those in their 90s were older than those in their 60s but beyond that, it was really hard to tell.
Additionally it struck me that beauty was so much more apparent in the elders than in the youngers. The richness of life played out on their features and their answers. There were other signs of beauty in the person’s face, their voice, their spunk and their gaze. How do we honor that type of beauty?
Honoring Internal beauty seems to be more prevalent in other societies than it is in USA. We are so obsessed with outward appearance that we overlook the true beauty of a person. It reminds me of the Dustin Hoffman interview on playing the role of Dorothy in Tootsie.
How often do we overlook or look down on those with real beauty in deference to those with surface beauty. Miley Cyrus is a shining example of how we, as a society, pay so much attention to physical beauty (or in her case extremism) and give them so much media attention that even you do not want to see or hear it, you cannot avoid it.
Compare this to Malala, a beautiful soul, that has awakened the world to the plight of girls in the face of the Taliban and the need for education of girls all over the world. She met with the President and we saw a few token photo opps of this, Malala absolutely floored Jon Stewart and left him speechless and if you watch his show or found the video you would be amazed. But for the most part, we just know that she is still alive.
What is wrong with human nature?
If you ever wondered why daddies matter, watch this little home made video of a little girl who is afraid of the fireworks, her daddy and a pink guitar. She is adorable and her daddy is so patient, strong and reassuring.
Do you remember the fear of loud noises in the night? I do and I remember pulling the covers over my head to keep the boogie men away but I do not remember my daddy singing to me on my little pink guitar while filming it for the world to see – oh, right, we did not have pink, child sized guitars, iphones or youtube. But my daddy saved me anyway.
I do not want to discourage the single moms out there or say anything that implies they have to have a guy because it aint so but at the same time, we do need to recognize the tremendous impact strong, supportive and available dads have on the lives of their kids.
My experience is that dads address situations differently and just the exposure to those different reactions and experiences gives a child balance and confidence. The dads in my life have been tinkers and creators of new devices that worked to solve a problem. Whether it was a book cover for odd shaped books, science projects that were outside the box or devices to close the door from a distance to keep the big brothers out of the room. They were creative thinkers.
Dads also have a strength in the way they hold you as a child, hold your hand as you get older or speak to you wen angry that makes you know they are in control. So depending on the circumstance the child can be totally safe or completely afraid.
This charming little father daughter duo has stole my heart this week. How about you?