Flying

Read this morning (WSJ, 7/6/12) about the 2009 Air France Flight 447 disaster (Rio De Janeiro - Paris) that killed all on board, 228 passengers! A major reason was the young inexperienced co-pilot (32 years old!) was at the helm while the captain took a break during crossing of an area renowned for major, high-altitude storms. There is a GOOD reason I feel assured and comforting when I see white-haired pilots board the flights I'm about to take, probably also the main reason Captain Sully was able to save and land the US Airways aircraft (Flight 1549) in the Hudson River in the same year, 2009. Captain Sully is a former fighter pilot who had been an airline pilot since leaving the US Air Force in 1980. Read more re: Air France Flight 447 - "Air France Flight 447 Crash 'Didn't Have to Happen,' Expert Says" http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/air-france-flight-447-crash-didnt-happen-expert/story?id=16717404

Reminder from Nora Ephron, "You do get to a certain point in life where you have to realistically, I think, understand that the days are getting shorter, and you can't put things off thinking you'll get to them someday," she wrote in "I Remember Nothing," published in late 2010. "If you really want to do them, you better do them. There are simply too many people getting sick, and sooner or later you will. So I'm very much a believer in knowing what it is that you love doing so you can do a great deal of it."

A friend forwarded me this article from the NYTimes today, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/us/romney-merged-law-and-business-at-harvard.html?_r=1&ref=us about how Romney was able to successfully double major at Harvard AND graduate with honors in two of the toughest fields: Law (to please his Dad) AND Business (to please his own interest) - a rarity, even in Harvard history! I'm glad and pleasantly surprised the NY Times ran the article – for once, they were fair to Romney. Too bad currently the country is so turned off by ‘evil businesses’ they won’t even read or look at Romney’s qualifications and leadership potential! To many he equates 'evil' Bain Financial as though it were a crime to be successful in business! I had to remind many that the filthy-rich Kennedys NEVER earned their own wealth (all inherited) plus the grandfather, Joseph Kennedy, made his fortune from moonshine  - WHAT IS THE PRIDE in that?! Something to think about in this election year … 

Market Totes And Checkout 'Knockouts'

I was truly surprised and disappointed at the New York Times for publishing Jane Herman's article on the prices of ‘market totes’ and ‘checkout knockouts’ that cost from $32.00 to $495.00 (!!!) with $68.00 and $195.00 in between?!  NY Times 6/3/2012, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE2DC1731F930A35755C0A9649D8B63 Is she with ‘the Times’ (pardon the pun) or out of synch with today’s real world?! Perhaps Ms. Herman only keeps wealthy (still) friends?

Attached is the photograph I took of 3 gorgeous and huge (14” x 16 ½”), bright/splash-colored totes of fruits and olives that are also sturdy/waterproof (I used it in the rain!) and cost me a ‘whooping’ 0.96 € (96 cents euro) EACH!!! I bought these at the Spanish department store chain, El Corte Inglés, http://www.elcorteingles.es/ in Spain when I was there this May.

Another wonderful PLUS – it became my consolidated ‘1-piece carry-on’ (fit my messenger bag, full size/frame Nikon camera and camera bag, snacks, book, etc.) for boarding flights that now only allow 2 piece carry-on’s! I also took my travel group to buy them and they’re eternally grateful for the “cheapest, best quality and most popular/practical ‘souvenir’ for friends and family!”

I offered the NY Times that I'll be happy to send in and submit write-ups of more truly 'priceless' treasures to share with the paper and its readers but haven't heard back.

Nora Ephron - a rich and creative life

Ms. Nora Ephron at Seattle Arts & Lectures, 11/18/2010, to promote her book, I Remember Nothing.

 

My floral arrangement for the occasion: red roses, white callas, NW cedar and holly.

I was sad to hear Nora Ephron's passing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nora_Ephron) this morning on NPR after driving my daughter to work in Atlanta. I had the honor of making the floral arrangement when she spoke at Seattle Arts & Lectures 11/18/2010 (www.lectures.org/). By sheer coincidence my daughter was just asking in the car why I haven't started to write yet; I will now after listening to Nora Ephron's recorded voice of not to wait and regret it ...  The floral arrangement I made for Ms. Ephron consisted of red roses and white calla lilies with Northwest cedar and holly. By mere coincidence the NY Times profiled her in the following Sunday's View section with photos of her in her apartment and guess what was on the table? A bouquet of roses ...

Pianists

A friend shared the link about a pianist who caused quite a 'stir' at a recent concert at the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/arts/music/yuja-wang-and-kirill-gerstein-lead-a-new-piano-generation.html

By coincidence I just recently read a NYTimes article on the same pianist, Yuja Wang, and tragically how classical pianists are now "Virtuosos (correction: plural should be 'Virtuosi') Becoming a Dime a Dozen", http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/arts/music/yuja-wang-and-kirill-gerstein-lead-a-new-piano-generation.html

I’m not at all surprised at Yuja Wang's outfit. It’s the shock value (Stupid!)! Even classical pianists now have to update to ‘Twitter age’ standards and do ANYthing to attract/seduce the audience, sell tickets and get engagements in order to survive… I still recall the excellent pianist Jundi Li (,  who won the Int'l Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, at age 24 (the youngest winner in the history of the competition)! Sadly he is too ‘straight’(=decent) and professional and doesn’t ‘prostitute’ himself (sorry for the strong word for lack of a better ‘metaphor’) like Lang Lang, the 'ultimate melodrama'; therefore dropped by Deutsche Grammophon! Many people were disgusted but guess – this is the 22^nd century ‘state of the arts’?! Read my identical sentiments in an excellent Wall St. Journal article, 'Why Yundi Li Got Cut', http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122790914204065299.html

Guess I have a lot to thank for … that my daughter is not a performing pianist and has and loves her current exciting job! Today's floral photo is an arrangement I just made for the 2011 Kirkland Art Center's (http://www.kirklandartscenter.org/) Annual Members Show in Kirkland, WA.

Have been away for a while - shame on me! My only excuse is the big wedding I had to do flowers for Sunday, 8/7. Not only did I have to make 7 bouquets/boutonnieres, 17 reception centerpieces, plus the wedding ceremony arbor and seating, but TRANSPORT all of this 2.5 hours north of Seattle to the venue! It made it all worthwhile when I received ravings about my flowers and this from the bride: "Thank you for your amazing flowers that made my wedding a total success! The photographer wants your name!" Below are a few photos I took; photography is another passion. The wedding theme was Irish so the bridal bouquet was green tea roses with soft optic grass. Always looking for unusual flowers, I used onion blooms for the outdoor aisles.