by SY

A NEW!???

THE  NOUVEAU NONAGENARIAN!

It seemed a bit of a stretch to move into this ninety year old nation, but the paradigm shifted and I’ve been busy joining the esteemed nonagenarian population.

I did not apply, neither did they recruit me or vote me into their group. Nope!  I arrived to join this sterling group because of a date on the calendar. They are the real deal. Providence has smiled——friendships reigned and rained!

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We can not be described as a one-size-fits-all population of the human old and tired. Respondents in one part of a study published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics said, “From interviews, researchers concluded that “exceptional longevity was characterized by a balance between acceptance of and grit to overcome adversities, along with a positive attitude and close ties to family, religion, and land, providing purpose in life.”

I love the grit part because my friends do not characterize a “slower pace” or a “helpless” mode. Their “grit” is the M.O. of reality, riveting stories, shared empathy, strength and outrageous humor. Certainly, personalities that augment and jazz up my own ninety-year old nonagenarian dessert course. We may have questions about today’s world…

                                                                            **

But, many, many of my friends will agree with David Brooks when he said,  “The quality of attention you bring to the world determines what you see in the world…..she who looks with eyes of compassion will see complex souls, navigating life as best as they can.” ***                                                                                                                                                  We nonagenarians always dressed our best to go shopping,

board an airplane,

park parallel,There were no computers or TV as children and when TV arrived, Saturday nights was devoted to….of all things….wrestling!                                                                                                                                                                                 We also lived through a nasty pandemic and a lot of barbaric, cruel wars. Plus those aching years of the losses of friends and family members…..Filaments of our  memories….                                                                                                                                                                                         We will continue to learn——Michelle Feng, chief clinical officer at Executive Mental Health, said that the assumption that getting older is a downhill journey is just wrong. She calls it a mindset that can lead to “taking fewer chances and, in turn, experiencing less in life. But by being brave and choosing to carry out activities that might seem challenging, we are able to expand our life experiences in worthy ways.”

I am fascinated about the impact artificial intelligence, AI, will have on our humanity. “Artificial intelligence’s impact on society is widely debated. Many argue that AI improves the quality of everyday life by doing routine and even complicated tasks better than humans can, making life simpler, safer, and more efficient. Others argue that AI poses dangerous privacy risks, exacerbates racism by standardizing people, and costs workers their jobs, leading to greater unemployment.” What would the eminent physicist/mathematical “AE” possibly observe about AI?:

A Humanitarian’s Answer!

 

THE SWEET-TOOTHED SLUTH:

I believe resilience is our by-line and the Sweet-toothed Super Sleuth has a question for some AI chatbots:

Can you tell me one thing about being a nonagenarian that is special?

 

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From Chat GPT: Answer: “One special thing about being a nonagenarian is the wisdom and life experience that comes with having lived for nearly a century.”

ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) chatbot developed by OpenAI. It is trained on a massive dataset of text and code, and it can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way.

From AI Bing:  Answer: “One thing that is special about being a nonagenarian is that you may be eligible for some benefits and privileges from the government or other organizations.  For example, in some provinces of the Philippines, nonagenarians can receive cash gifts, certificates of recognition, and other incentives during the Annual Elderly Filipino Week.  In the United States, the Social Security Administration conducted a Nonagenarian Project to verify that older beneficiaries were properly receiving their benefits and to prevent any fraud activities. Being a nonagenarian also means that you have lived through many historical events and changes, and that you have a wealth of wisdom and experience to share with others.”

Bing can be accessed from your home page on the Microsoft Edge app.

From AI Bard: Answer: “Age 90-Plus Adults Tend to Be Resilient and Optimistic.”

A conversational AI tool by Google to brainstorm ideas, spark creativity, and accelerate productivity.

Woah, with all the computational power in the world, making computers supposedly smarter and smarter, don’t we need to know more from these digital wizards?  Should we expect more? Obviously, AI has a LONG, Long way to go in order to understand my human life experience.  This is not the answer I want for my dessert course!

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Our Sweet-toothed Sleuth still has questions for the human nonagenarian  side.                                                                This question is to one of our 102 year old Centenarians, “Will you share something that was special when you were in your nineties?”

From L:  It was a happy, festive time because I enjoyed going out to dinner, wearing make-up, loved dressing up! Lately, I am only able to go out on rare occasions, but I still dress to go to church on Sunday’s and visit my sister.”

Now, on to a bona fide nonagenarian, “Please share something that you take pleasure in as a nonagenarian beside breathing?”

From J: “I am happy and relieved that my bag of marbles has a very slow leak.  I believe that 2…maybe 4 have squeezed through.  I know the seams are getting a bit frayed, but I am counting on them to hold fast.  This is called ‘wishful thinking’ and I believe in it. Whoops, was that a clink I just heard?”

More Importantly,

We still have time to smell the flowers!

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Sy’s Salient Points:

The generative AI bots are here to stay. They are commercial businesses that will “make a mint,  “200,000 books are being pumped into the electronic brain LLaMA, the chatbot developed and distributed by Meta Platform (formerly Facebook), in competition with…ChatGPT bots marked by OpenAI.”****.                                                                           “In the next few years, the computers that power artificial-intelligence could consume as much [electricity] as some countries do now.“*****                                                                      Age does not matter if we continue to hear the eloquent voices of our friends.                  The “robot/bot” answers and quotes throughout this blog have no sentient. There is not the reality of offering emotion, passion and/or intuitive personal happenings and awarenesses. We want our humanistic qualities to shine.

  *Encyclopedia Britannica                                                                                                                                                                   **Art by Sue Berman                                                                                                                                                                  ***David Brooks, Twitter, Sept. 14, 2023, New York Times Editorial Columnist                                                                          ****Michael Hiltzik  Business Editorial LA Times 10-5-23                                                                                                                  *****Oct. 11, 2023 The New York Times Morning Edition “Technology”

Happy Homecoming Your Senior High School Year, Darling Blaire

It was not love at first sight! Or second, but I needed some kind of attachment to get around because I was not doing too well on my own two feet! Let me retrench and explain a blunder of my feet. They were the ones who did not do too well.

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Speaking of “well,”  there are degrees of “well” and a whole lot of “unwell” degrees. My “unwell” happened at 4:00 am and it was a doozy.  It  was a dark and stormy night when my finely-tuned internal gyroscopically-balanced body  unwittingly arrived on the floor. Kaput! An important bone that needed to be intact was unquestionably un-intact; darn thing was broken in two places leaving me in need of an attachment. My own two feet were not going to work until the darn bone got a lot better. (Truth be told——it was not a stormy night.)

Unfortunately this is a bone that Doctors unmitigatedly cannot fix. (No doubt you may be noticing the use of the prefix “un” a whole lot but my un-graceful fall that undeniably resulted in my un-positive diagnosis is an unhappy bummer. All because that big bone has to heal in two places all by itself. Sounds like some unnecessary justice for a poor little old lady. Therefore the prefix “un” is validly justified.)

In order to gain a bit of agility I need two new attachments. I have deep romantic feelings for one and like it immensely, the other, not so much. My favorite attachment is a four wheeled vehicle and if so inclined I could possibly learn to do wheelies. At this time, I am still bumping into walls, soooo wheelies might be a pipe dream. But you never know!

The second attachment has only four skinny legs. It is way down on my list. Rock bottom! Neither one of us like each other.

IT entails effort and fortitude.

Fortitude like this!!!

After 90 years of fortitude, I’m looking for the life of a sultan on my own pouf——full symphonic performances, operas in my own theatre, Broadway shows, the latest mystery books piled high, friends quipping and laughing, family, close by——really close by, happily on their own poufs.

I NEVER EVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE IN LOVE WITH A WHEEL CHAIR! BUT, I AM.  The imagery of me feeling the breeze in my hair as teeth bared, I mightily pump my arms on those big wheels and soar down a long hallway on hardwood floors.  In reality, the hallways have thick carpeting and if you see a black wheelchair moving with me in it, my speed is tediously inching along, no breeze.

Style wise, my yellow plastic seat cushion is a miss, a bit glaring. It’s not Rolls Royce worthy. I’m thinking of sending a picture to see how the Rolls Company will tone up my wheelchair cushion. Cross your fingers, I’m crossing mine!

But, I can skillfully wheel backward and do twirls. It is so light, it turns on a dime. My wish is to hopefully learn a dance routine and for that I plan to watch Fred Astaire movies. I recall a movie where he danced with a pole, (a far cry from a wheelchair) but I have hopes.

For a brief and exciting excursion outside the walls of my Retirement Realm, it might be possible to ride down and out through the main gates,  If I garner up a fast speed and make a left turn onto La Costa Blvd. I could ride all the way to Highway 5 possibly making it down the freeway ramp where I will definitely stay on the blacktop. Or with a bunch of green lights I could keep rolling, in reality, more like meandering, out for a sunny day at the beach. I love this attachment.

My temporary pit stop to implement my healing is this new location surrounded by thoughtfully kind people who offer comprehensive care. When I ask, they share their own stories; it is an uplifting way to spend my days. For example:

Suphai is tall and slim. She has elegant posture and a lovely, beatific smile as she wields her cleaning tools. When she told me she was from Cambodia,  I asked if she and her family had had to escape from the communist Khmer Rouge. They did. Suphai briefly shared her family’s story of the darkness of hiding and running and more hiding, constantly running to find short bouts of safety as they hid in tents and tunnels. They survived to eventually become U.S. citizens and as of now, my beautiful new friend has five children and is surrounded by her seven grandchildren.

Sara’s smile and personality spill over into laughter. Her energy and spirit are catching and I love her joy. When her beloved Father died at their home in Tijuana, she, her five sisters and one brother moved to live with their Grandmother in Mexico while her Mother made her way to San Diego.  Two years of hard work resulted in allowing her Mother to bring her seven children to live permanently in the U.S. when Sara was twelve.  Life evolved and three more brothers were added with a new father when her Mother’s strength was again tested as her new husband moved on. She was left to raise her ten children by herself.  Today, Sara’s dance card is full. She shared a picture of her family. Standing in the center is her mother with a glorious smile. And why not? She has so proudly produced this happy, successful family of 56 members.

I could write blog after bog of more inspiring life stories. In essence, my healing life takes place in this Skilled Nursing facility that is a part of the Retirement Realm where I live. It is a bit of an out-of-this-world encounter. No extraterrestrials, but Aides who arrive to answer needs when bed-ridden and take general and gentle day and night care, nurses who dispense medication and therapists who challenge you to increase strength and stability. They help me find hidden tidbits of stouthearted tenacity to make the broken areas of my body work. These new connections and experiences fulfill my life and are a healing highlight.

About my romance:                                                                                                                                                                    Sorrowfully and a bit bitterly, the powers that be will not let me take my beloved wheelchair home with me. Instead, guess which attachment I was forced to go home with? Of course——

                                                                         THIS ATTACHMENT/CONTRAPTION

                                                                              My heart breaks for my former love————                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                             Words escape me!

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Sy’s Salient Points:

 

My fall was so much more than the grist of mending and tedious strengthening exercises.  It sparked paying attention to the sharing of lives of new friends.  We seem to feel a sincere closeness.                                     THEY CARED!

I am sending my heartfelt thanks to each and everyone of them AND to my friends who visited, called and e-mailed. to share their warmth and humor and lives. And my family who are always with me.                                                                                                                                                                                     LUCKY I AM!

 

Happy Belated Birthday to Carol

Happy Senior Year of High School, Darling Blaire

                                                                                      ANATOMY OF A BATHROOM                                                                                              A PUZZLEMENT!

As a professional designer, I felt completely “design challenged” with the amount of space in a ‘7 X 8’  bathroom, but a cantilevered outside shower stall high in the sky was ridiculous. And a circular staircase leading to a loft bathtub would be equally pathetic. There were simply no walls to knock out. It was a puzzlement!

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My longtime clients requested a change for a bathroom that was dated and a wrong-note chink in their lovely older home. It was a sixties bathroom with a matching sink and toilet of turquoise, lackluster beige tile accented with walls of glossy foil wallpaper.

They wanted a bathroom that would create a serene, handsome atmosphere and celebrate their love of art and culture. Size was a key issue:  a 7’ X 8’ space with no option to enlarge.  Oh how I wanted spaciousness!                            

             As the former King of Siam said in the “King & I” musical——“It is a puzzlement!”

Since the existing dimensions were a constraint, this bathroom needed to be unique with high quality materials. My client said, “It’s the last room in our house that needs a fresh look, “let’s go all out.”  My eyes and smile widened.                                        Ohhhhh boy!”

Realistically, money, always a consideration, had to be spent prudently for my clients. Design showrooms offered their staggering amounts of choices, but not one bathroom fixture spoke to me. Where was my starting point?

I needed a focal point and had none until my husband and I traveled to Arizona to visit friends. On a lunch excursion, we walked across the border to Nogales, Mexico. Flags, pottery, piñatas and dozens of treasures awaited us, but we stoically kept walking away from those fun treasures. Mexican food—-guaranteed to satisfy—-chips, salsa, beans, rice, chilies rellenos and margaritas beckoned.

Our hosts/friends in Arizona were redoing the casita on their property. After lunch we visited some building supply stores and…And, there it was in a nondescript hardware store haphazardly thrown in between a multitude of plumbing equipment —–I’m not sure it spoke to anyone in the group,  but a beautifully sculpted hand-tooled copper sink—-yelled loud and clear—-“Buy me.” My starting point!”

It was time to draw a floor plan and elevations. How great is the power of the pencil? With the flourish of that pencil I eliminated a floor to ceiling small wall, which was a privacy wall between the tub and toilet and replaced it with a pony wall.  A pony wall is a half-wall and this particular pony wall would hold plumbing fixtures and the carved and etched clear glass panel.  This etched glass design interpretation is taken from  a celebrated Art Deco design!  (see below)

 

 

Glass Panel

 

 

 

 

Pony Wall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen and bathroom counters are normally twenty-two inches wide——but again——pencil in hand I reduced this one to the depth of eighteen inches. I was on a roll with this counter and raised the counter’s height from thirty-two inches to thirty-six inches. (They loved the new counter height and did not miss the original width.)

Renovating starts with its own surround sound, clomping heavy work boots amidst the uproar of the electrical tools playing a symphonic demolition composition where not one musical note is played in tune? But when my contractors brought in and installed the carved new pale Crema marble backsplashes, handsome rich wood cabinets and copper sink with Botticino tumbled marble floor tiles – radiant smiles prevailed.

 

My original design called for a carved marble backsplash that included the same carved marble design on the tub backsplash and pony marble wall that was handsome and elegant. Going for broke, I originally designed a 7′ wall mirror over the sink wall that replicated (in vertical mirror image) the cut marble backsplash design.

The glass company assured me it was no problem. Actually it was a monumental problem. The anticipation of waiting to see if the carved mirror shape would exactly match the carved backsplash was a pins and needles wait. It did! But, as they were installing the mirror on the wall, it split in half. Not to worry, the company would replicate a match. Once again they doggedly offered another replacement. Which also cracked!  Oh boy!  On their third attempt the mirror was brilliantly held fast against the wall by their professional installers… and sadly, my prayers to the heavens weren’t enough. I heard one of them scream, “Ohhhh…..*$#*$$^!!!!”  Three tries were not a lucky charm.  I went mirror shopping the next day and found a lovely Peruvian reverse-glass mirror.

Reflections from tub surround across bathroom.

Dual flush toilets from Australia fulfilled water conservation requirements while grab-bars were placed next to the whirlpool spa tub and toilet area. Solar tube down-lights offered excellent daylight, plus two marbleized glass pendant lanterns completed artful lighting needs.

I discovered the influence of Art Deco while doing research for design lectures on early 20^th decorators and movie set designs. A design portion of a famous brass door became a resource for the etched glass wall.

To install it our contractors cautiously sank it into a slim hollowed out opening nine feet into the pony wall.

Finally periods and cultures were mixed to include the wonderful copper sink from Mexico, we added framed antique English tiles (circa 1898), a new reversed glass Peruvian mirror, Asian accents and with a lovely etched glass Arte Deco vase completing the design. My clients were thrilled!

 

The goal accomplished—a bit of shimmer, a touch of glamour and a functional bathroom showing the power of interior design!

The Puzzlement – Unpuzzled!

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Sy’s Salient Points:

 

My personal quest is to create meaningful and harmonious rooms/homes for my clients has always been my foremost intention.

 

 

Thanks to my sweet, handsome model Everett, and his upcoming future of many soccer balls, Legos and marble track building! Hooray Everett.

 

 

Happy 4th of July to my darling Blaire!

Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree…   *

THEY’RE BACK!

 The joy of unexpected magic arrives with a right turn onto a wide road as I leave my retirement realm
————drumroll please———.
Hooray, I am smack dab in the middle of  a
JACARANDA WONDERLAND!

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Spring is sprung and Jacaranda trees are lined up as regal precision sentries along each side of the road as they welcome walkers and drivers. It’s their time of the year and talk about ego! Unstoppable!

Lavender is not necessarily a bold color, but when multiplying hundreds of lavender tree blossoms, you know you are driving down a Bold Lavender Empire. Trust me, bold is an honest description with its’s proud plum-shaded effervescence.

I clearly remember a birthday when upon returning from breakfast with a friend, my husband told me there was something in the backyard and he wasn’t sure what it was. Over the years we had discovered animals that did not belong and that were not welcome Never brave, I hesitantly walked toward our solarium windows. Was it another fox or a blue heron standing in our pond eating our koi? Was it a fat possum or the mule who lived in our neighbor’s stable? Nope! It was perfection in nature! Of course, not any old tree but my favorite. I was

“PLUM HAPPY”!

to see my very own

JACARANDA TREE!

I had to wonder,“Do others have a favorite tree?”

Time for The Sweet-toothed Sleuth!

 

She posed this question to friends, “Do  you have a favorite tree that makes you ‘PLUM HAPPY’ and will you share why?”

Oh, Did They!

 

 

JBLB: “‘Oh Christmas Tree.  Oh Christmas Tree. How lovely are your branches’. 🎶 With needles encircling its’ boughs, a height of up to 295 ft., and a diameter of 13 ft. Its’ deep fragrance soars above my childhood and still lingers in my imagination. Besides their beauty Fir is one of the strongest, fine grained wood for boat building, houses and often used for reforestation. And the pine cones we children gathered.  Who did not  paint them gold or silver for the holidays?  No one. That’s who. We all did.”

SCJB: “The first thing you see when you open my Chinese Red front door is my glorious Eucalyptus Tree. It is like a painting hanging on the wall, but this is a glass wall and as you walk closer and closer to this wall you can see, my tree is a haven At any time you might see humming birds, blue jays, crows, hawks, a squirrel claiming their territory but most audaciously upstaging them all——is a peacock on parade.”

JBM:  “I love the ornamental purple Smoke Tree. In the spring it produces filmy blossoms that look like smoke hence the name. It comes in green as well but it is the purple that tugs at my heart. It grows to about the size of a fruit tree.”

NDL:  “Moringa is one of my favorite trees.  It grows fast, light and leafy with little white flowers, needs little water, and is completely edible.  It is a native of India offing vitamins, minerals, and proteins to those who eat Moringa.  According to NIH, “A growing body of evidence suggests that moringa (Moringa oleifera) helps fight inflammation, a known contributor to chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes and obesity.”  Do be careful of buying Moringa powder at stores, or over the internet, being mindful of added ingredients.  There are lots of Moringa garden clubs forming throughout the world that offer growing and harvesting support. Highly nutritious, Moringa is being planted around the world to feed populations with food insecure areas.”

JLJ: “Since the God Odin is the telemarketer of wisdom, the sacred tree often referred to him is the Yggdrasil because it stands at the absolute center of the Norse cosmos. Norse legend affirms that the Three Norns (we think they are girls) sit under the tree spinning the webs of our lives. At any moment any one of the three can cut our threads. They represent fate and fate in Viking culture is inexorable: in Danish it’s skaebnen er ubønhørlig.  Since I am a Viking to the core, the giant ash tree better known as Yggdrasil in Denmark is my esteemed choice.”

SNDBD: “Our family collectively has a favorite tree. My mother and father were tried and true Missourians. When they moved to Kensington, CA to be close to us our family was complete. They did miss the abundance of fall colors so we had liquid amber trees planted in their front yard. Many wonderful years together ended with our living tribute to my mother and father when we had a pair of liquid amber trees planted in a favorite park.  These trees and heartfelt memories celebrate not only them but my husband as the trees are planted and overlook his Sunday afternoon San Diego Band concerts.”

Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree…   *

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 Sy’s Salient Points:

I was astonished and thrilled at the variety of trees shared.

Thank you, thank you for your engaging comments.

And remember:

Trees are all bark and no bite.

I shook my family tree and a bunch of nuts fell out!

Become a Dendrophile today!

Plant a tree!

• Joyce Kilmer —Tree Poem 1913

Happy Summer Holidays Darling Blaire

Did I ever imagine seventy-five years ago, I would be writing a blog. Of course not! Blogs at that time were nada; they were journals, letters, memoirs, etc. And along came the good and the bad of social media. I want to thank you for reading my blog, my blog that is taking a chance on social media. A special thank you to Betty Barnecut, Matt Karl, Sue Berman and Caroline Meade.

One niche of my long life was the trepidations, challenges and joys of lecturing at various ASID Conferences, Universities and Cruise Ships It allowed me to research a wide range of design subjects and their unsuppressed and unsurpassed achievements. I loved that research time!  Please meet a few quixotic stars acting on their own stage!

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 TALES & TIDBITS OF…..                                                                                                                They loved center stage convinced that it was solely their domain. Join me for a few of their enticing stories and their magnetic star power as we revisit tidbits of their yesterdays.

Amazingly, they are not all movie stars. Nope! The “they” include designers, architects—the who’s, who created legends in their time—the trailblazers!

                                                                       

I’d like you to imagine the lobby of the Dorchester Hotel in London after a World War II air raid.  A beautiful woman in her late fifties with a magnolia complexion, black eyes and a neat, well-proportioned figure meets her ex-husband. She was about to sail to America.  In an effort to enlist his attention and sympathy she said, “Oh Willie, I”m so afraid my ship will be torpedoed.”

Willie, who was afflicted with a severe stammer, but true to his form, said,  “I have only one piece of advice to offer you.  Keep your mouth open and sw-sw-swallow and you will drown the s-s-sooner.”  The former Mrs. William Somerset Maugham began to cry. Her name was Syrie Bernardo Maugham!

In 1926, it was time for Syrie to move to center stage with the visually stimulating all-white rooms she created by exquisitely mixing different combinations of white and adding a multitude of shade and texture variations.  The rooms were said to be impressive, gutsy and intelligent.  Decorative arts historian, Stephen Calloway said, “Syrie’s all-white room is beyond doubt one of the two or three most famous and influential schemes of decoration of the century…it has been imitated for over fifty years.”                                                                   It was not the first of its kind, (the totally white decor), but the publicity it received was cause for celebration; particularly for Syrie.  The mirrored screen with its reflecting images was described by one visitor as being somewhat “hazardous”.  It seems the glue holding the thin strips of mirror in place melted when the room became too warm.  Pieces of glass would fall off without warning! This was still at the height of the all-white craze where the Parisienne collections showed white beachwear, white daytime and evening wear.                              Humorists had a field day with comments such as one regarding a fashion photo, “the movie star Jean Harlow appears to be constructed of equal parts of snow, marble and marshmallow, no human there; or regarding a trip to Calcutta with (Elsie de Wolfe-Lady Mendle.) “Syrie has gone to paint the Black Hole of Calcutta white!”

One admiring guest at her lavish parties was William Sommerset Maugham who was not interested in the decor but definitely interested in Syrie. At that time, he was one of London’s best-known playwrights who had four plays running simultaneously in the West End. Maugham had recently been rejected by an actress and he was said to be deeply hurt and humiliated.  Syrie, who was pretty, popular and socially acceptable restored an inordinate amount of confidence in him.

They began an affair that was compatible until….

Humility was not in his DNA.  His career spanned the years from l893 to l959, architecture that can be seen throughout the world, much of it restored to its former glory. It is characterized with soaring roof lines and unexpected light sources using natural materials, wood, stone and reflecting pools.

Frank Lloyd Wright was convinced he always knew a client’s mind better than the client did. Edgar Tofel, a former apprentice of Wright and a New York city architect, said, “he was so far ahead in terms of design that it took years before we got the building materials to catch up with him. No doubt why many of his roofs leaked.”   

One client hosting a dinner party was angry because the roof was leaking over his dining room chair during a dinner party. He picked up the telephone and complained directly to Mr. Wright.

Mr. Wright with his imperious dignity told the client “move your chair.”

The world was his personal landscape. It never occurred to him to be affronted by critics or critiques. “He,” alone was a creator who always looked to the future!

Happily for us…we can still enter many of his wondrous doors.

When they left the sunlit streets and slipped into darkened theaters, celluloid wizards showed them the promise and excitement of glamour, memorable moments and splendid images. The early visionary movies, the set directors, the stars, the producers offered the public spellbinding theater fantasy. The future incandescent Gloria Swanson was a fifteen year old film extra who soon saw her name across marquee electric lights.

Her salary from Paramount in 1925 was $7,000 a week, or $98,000 in 2022 dollars. By the time she starred in Sunset Boulevard she had made more than 40 feature films, with costars ranging from Rudolph Valentino to Laurence Olivier. “I was the first Hollywood actress to produce and star in a picture in Europe, and I married a titled Frenchman” along with five other men.”  She continued,  “The public wanted us to live like kings and queens.  So we did——and why not? We were making more money that we ever dreamed existed and there was no reason to believe it would ever stop.”  (There was no income tax!)

At one of her parties there were three hundred guests who each received a favor of either a solid gold compact or a solid gold cigarette case. A liveried footman stood behind each guest’s chair.

Gloria was also an amateur sculptor, slowing in a London gallery. She and her team developed a carbide-steel-alloy cutting tool and developed the first plastic buttons for clothing.

She was a fifteen year old film extra whose dreams came true!

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Sy’s Salient Points:

Syrie, Frank and Gloria had a heightened awareness and a sense of discipline that allowed them to  continue transforming their originality, verve and substance.

 

 

 

 

• Lectures and articles from SYRIE, AN ARTICULATED ARCHITECT & HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD—-Sheila Yates
• Wayne Lawson quotes, ghostwriter for “Swanson on  Swanson” published 1980
• Pictures: Gloria—https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-gloria-swanson/
• Frank—Pinterest
• Syrie—Richard B. Fisher Biography/Duckworth Publishing

Happy May Day Darling Blaire

 

                                                       Example: Woodstock was part of the zeitgeist of the 1960s!

According to the (zeitgeist/characteristics/happenings) of our specific time—2023—academic benchmarks of AI artificial intelligence systems will bolster deep learning. Yikes!

There is a tiny sense of optimism hovering around my brain. Am I capable of understanding AI and its many ramifications? I picture my brain busily computing, inserting, plus a whole lot of deleting as I digest the ideas that all these really, really smart people want me to fall for.

And I also really, really want to. So therefore, I have high hopes that if you are reading this you’ll join me and help me to understand.

One such avenue to travel on is the use of bots, short for robots. To me, a bot is a representative of an entity— it is not tangible or human. It is computer generated. Give it instructions and it does what it is told to do, a soldier following orders simulating human activity.

A BORG IS A HALF HUMAN & HALF BOT (for all you STAR TREKKIES)

“Software bots are simple or complex programs designed to do specific actions. They are designed to perform repetitive tasks and reduce human effort. (A chatbot example is Siri).”                                                                                                             

CROWD OF BOTS WAITING FOR ORDERS FROM A HUMAN BRAIN

Now for the latest biggie! A company titled Open AI created the ChatGPT-4 engine in March 2023 with its updated ability to write humanlike text and code. There are a multitude of other programs in this AI engine, but right now we are about to explore and compare its writing talents.

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The following selection includes text of paragraphs and slide pictures taken from my Power Point lecture on SURREALISM. This is an exceptionally challenging topic for even the most experienced design historian to explore during a lecture.  The pictures, in this case, help provide imagery and color to the story.  Let’s take a look at a piece of my presentation material and we will then compare using AI (ChatGPT-4)  presenting the same information.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Surrealism was fueled by the lions share of some wonderfully outlandish artists. Please meet two of the early Surrealists: Apollinaire was the forefather of Surrealism and a poet, playwrite, novelist, short story writer. His life was cut short from WWI wounds and he died shortly before the Armistice in 1918 at age 38.

A key figure of Surrealism was the French writer André Breton, who published the first Surrealist Manifesto in 1924. Breton was interested in exploring the potential of the subconscious mind to create new forms of artistic expression. He believed that the irrational and the unconscious held the key to unlocking the mysteries of the human psyche.

In WWI, Breton worked in psychiatric hospitals with soldiers. He focused on the work of Sigmund Freud to help alleviate the traumatic episodes experienced from that war. His doctrine pushed artists to bypass reason and rationality. The heart and soul of this group was to get attention using concepts of their unconscious dreams and thoughts, plus utter nonsense.

Andre Breton, last row final figure. Salvadore Dali, second figure, 1st row.

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The above photos and writing are from a small window of my 45 to 50 minute lecture. In order to present Surrealism, I used multiple resources such as living at the University library, haunting used and new bookstore and collecting mini libraries of books that I still treasure today. I loved research and I am still impatient to know more. Too bad,  [winks] you will miss all my clever anecdotal stories.  

Following,  we have a computer bot writing an opening lecture for our subject.Let’s see what a computer bot can do.        Here is AI writing on the same topic – please notice how it automatically grabbed some of the same colorful characters.  

My question to AI chatGPT-4: “Explain early proponents of Surrealism” It’s reply:

Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in the early 1920s, and its early proponents were a group of artists and writers who were interested in exploring the realm of the unconscious mind, dreams, and the irrational. These individuals sought to create a new form of art that would challenge traditional ways of thinking and break free from the constraints of rationality and logic.

One of the key figures of Surrealism was the French writer André Breton, who published the first Surrealist Manifesto in 1924. Breton was interested in exploring the potential of the subconscious mind to create new forms of artistic expression, and he believed that the irrational and the unconscious held the key to unlocking the mysteries of the human psyche.

Other early proponents of Surrealism included Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, and Joan Miró, all of whom were artists who embraced the movement’s emphasis on the power of the subconscious mind to create art that was imaginative, dreamlike, and often strange and unsettling.

Together, these early Surrealists sought to create a new kind of art that would challenge conventional modes of thought and expression, and explore the full range of human experience, from the mundane to the fantastical. They believed that by tapping into the power of the subconscious mind, they could create a new kind of art that was both deeply personal and universal in its appeal, and that would help to shape the artistic and cultural landscape of the 20th century.

The above explanation from the bot is spot-on and would truly have saved many months of research years ago. It does not cover the original inspiration for Surrealism, Apollinaire, but I do think it is a viable research tool covering pertinent info—————as long as you do not claim it verbatim as your own writing! That would be plagiarism/cheating!  Not worth it!  Go with your own human brain, spotlight and use your computer brain and remember,

It’s the Zeitgeist of the times!

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Sy’s Salient Points:

Chatbot GPT-4 from the company Open AI is easy to use and I felt I was communicating with a live person.

I sent a comment/compliment to the company—”Excellent coverage. ” The machine spontaneously  answered,

“Thank you.”

I felt like we were buddies working together, My Machine & Me.

“How great is that!”

 

  Happy Easter Darling Blaire!

School days, school days,

Dear old Golden Rule days

‘Reading and ‘riting and ‘rithmetic

Taught to the tune of the hick’ry stick…*

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I recently spent a couple of hours with KING TUT and all that tantalizing gold that he took to his  Sleeping World. He also took a lot of hieroglyphic reading material, not forgetting some of his chariots, jewels, clothing, weapons, games, furniture, food, wine and cosmetics. That’s what you call a death-defying and brave moving journey! Thank you National Geographic for putting us together.

P.S. The exhibition was swell but as I was leaving, Tut whispered to me that although he was fuming about the forced entries into his private sleeping world along with the nerve of scooping up his personal possessions, statuary, gorgeous masks and schlepping them around the universe, he has forgiven Lord Carnarvon because his afterlife has brought him acclaim and attention. He’s so happy!

George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon

I apologized for the schlepping and gave a hot minute’s thought to studying hieroglyphs so we could write to each other, but in my ever involving octogenarian world, I discovered I might do better to step it up and study a current, new universe. Its vocabulary seems a bit grandiose and elaborate to me, but, why not? So back to school for me!

Call it what you will—redrawing reality, science fictional or out-of-the-box, the Phygital World is a happening! It sounds weird and challenging, so now what? Stick with the old or attempt the new or both? In reality, a few new terms have never stopped any of my Senior friends. They are always ahead of the curve. Hold onto your hats—here we go.

A Bunch Of Details:

The phygital world is a marketing term that wants us to keep connecting/spending our money if we are not physically in a store. It’s a method of revamping online shopping by blending physical and digital. And the phygital people are counting on transforming the way we shop and do business. A hybrid shopping environment, Whew!

From Google, wisdom in the language teaching world suggests introducing 5-10 new words per day with a chance you might still remember them all by the time you go to sleep.

P.S. Please let me know if you remember phygital when you go to bed if this is first time you are hearing it.

For us to enter this phygital world, we have to identify,  ta da——AR, VR, AI. There are a lot more ta da’s, but for now, please meet:

AR – defines Augmented Reality.

Augmented Reality (AR) opens a live view often by using the camera on a smartphone. The way I shop for shoes is to go to a shoe store where I can try on as many shoes as I need to find the right fit and style before I purchase—known as “try before you buy”. I am physically in the store, wearing, feeling and looking at the shoes on my feet. Wait, but now:

“You can now virtually try on digital versions of shoes before you buy them on Amazon.” The Amazon online retailer has announced the launch of its “Virtual Try-On for Shoes” feature, an augmented reality shopping tool.

As the name suggests, shoppers can tap the “virtual try-on” button on a footwear product and then aim their smartphone camera at their feet. A pair of virtual shoes then appears on their screen. AR users are now in contact with the real world and “Amazon is using augmented reality to let you try on shoes virtually before buying. While you cannot feel how the shoe fits, you have a view of how the shoes look on your feet and customers can change the shoes’ color options to see what it would look like.”  Will they see my painted toenails?

 Augmented Reality

VR – defines Virtual Reality.

VR users move in a completely fictional world, while AR users are in contact with the real world. OK! I want to get this right:               

“The computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way…”. Meaning that this is “a computer-generated environment that, to the person experiencing it, closely resembles reality”.  A hugely popular aspect is playing computer games, often with special equipment. Maybe the next time I’m asked to take the driver’s test, I may never step into a car at all? After which, a voice from between my ears proclaims, “You Passed!” Who said that?  Oh well, yea me! ***.                                                                                    Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has the capacity to inspire us to communicate and work using technology of the future. It has both entertainment and serious uses. Virtual reality and its cousin augmented reality could substantively change the way we interface with our digital technologies. Do I want that?  I don’t know!  I’m continually struggling with THIS reality!

AI – defines Artificial Intelligence.

We’ve all been exposed to it originally through film, believe it or not beginning with Frankenstein and the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. (a functioning entity without a physical heart).

                                                          Artificial Intelligence  – “The Wizard of Oz”,  Vanity Fair                                                            In the 1950’s Alan Turing spearheaded a way to have future machines demonstrate intelligence. “AI” Computers quickly advanced to the famous 1997 Chess Match with the IBM Deep Blue Computer beating world chess champion, Garry Kasparov.  Today, there seems to be no stopping this profound and fascinating AI future. 

For now, my future in AR, VR, and AI is still at that early stages of understanding the concepts – let alone how it might help me find my way to my doctor’s office, order a prescription through a virtual kiosk, or have a spiritual moment with my newly acquired – virtually augmented senior body!

The last thing Tut said to me: “Forget hieroglyphics, you have the opportunity to move forward—— Keep learning Old Lady, break new ground in that head of yours and embrace change!”

OK? [weakly]

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SY’s Salient Points

 P.S. I did not remember phygital when going to bed the first time I heard it! I also did not remember it after reading it a lot more. Hmmm.

I am definitely part of the digital world, but willing to become a freshman. Life is about making space, opening doors. My door is in the slightly open stage. I hope you will help push it. 

 

 

Citations:

*Wikipedia School Days Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards song. A 1907 popular song.

**By Euronews  Updated: 10/06/2022

***Oxford Languages

****Harvard University “The History of Artificial Intelligence” Science in the New.

 

Happy Birthday and St. Urho’s Day Everett!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day My Darling Blaire!

 

During my freshman college year I had the opportunity to discover a word that epitomized my very being.

A freshman English class assignment was to write an essay about the ONE word that described an unfavorable aspect of my character.

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Nope, I felt very rational, actually overjoyed:

Finally an assignment to suit me. I could write a thesis and add a couple of daydreams.

1. Exchange my feeble math skills to rise to the top of math mountain and become a genius mathematician.
2. Exchange my body shape that resembled a railroad tie for Brigette Bardot’s body. (I know—totally unrealistic.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Nope,

 there was an especially fine word that embodied me, only me! And, I still have a copy of my deeply introspective essay: CHARACTER TRIBULATIONS! Subtitled:

                                                                               “THE GODS DID IT!”

A kaleidoscope of black and white shapes streaked through the sky as the lightning challenged the incantations of the kettle drum announcing the annual assembly of the GODS. “THE WORD GODS!”*

Noah, the eminent head CEO smiled as he said to Peter the COO (chief operating officer), ” Bestow the honor! Congratulations to Sheila who personifies this year’s word,                                                                                                                                            PROCRASTINATE!

It will no longer sit huddled & alone. Yep, it was mine, all mine.                      

The WORD GODS better known as Noah Webster and Peter Roget saved this word for me—listen to how it rings, zings, sings, PRO-CRAS-TI-NA-TION!  When it is used as a verb, it offers unlimited choices, and they are all super—dawdle, delay, hesitate, loiter, pigeonhole, slacken, stall, tarry and my personal favorite, dilly-dally.

Wow! When you put them next to run-of-the-mill verbs such as will, was, be, — —not good — —procrastinate is just a really great word!

Think of that tiresome quote, “Procrastination is the thief of time”.  Please do not be misled. It is not a thief when it comes to writing. I’m actually saving trees and lessening hyperbole. And ponder this, if certain couples had practiced procrastination instead of the next word in my pocket dictionary, procreation, would not the world be better without the likes of VLAD III, Hitler, Stalin, John Wilkes Booth, AND the future tyrannical despot, Vladimir Putin? How about our beautiful planet Earth? Why didn’t we muddle through history without atomic bombs, guns, nerve gas, to name a few inventions that could have been delayed forever by procrastination?

There is one small problem when one embodies the word in its entirety. If I am its sole authority will I receive proper homage, or will I procrastinate myself into oblivion? Hmmm.

Another glitch, I confess to one lapse in regard to my word. I have never dawdled nor dilly-dallied when offered a plate, box, or bar of chocolate and I absolutely never race to attack a laundry pile if a new book appears.  But unfortunately, my most mega procrastination, and I am shamefaced to admit and deeply embarrassed, is my car.  It is always in need of a visit to the car wash. I am just not as fussy as I should be for this noble four-wheeled vehicle. It should be bathed a lot more. A whole lot more!  Poor Old Dear and I love my car. How can this be?

Mindless procrastination is also not to be emulated. It would not do for me to tarry when paying my bills as that kind of stalling will lead to fines, empty pockets, possibly the hoosegow!

There were times in my life when I had a love-hate relationship with my word, thinking procrastination was my middle name–lately though it appears to be my first, middle, maiden and last name.

Not wanting to be totally histrionic but wanting to be completely honest,  procrastination and I are inextricably intertwined—sort of like love and marriage, two to tango, salt and pepper. Two symbiotic words: Sheila and Procrastination. And kudos to Noah and Peter (Mr. dictionary and Mr. thesaurus) for bestowing it upon me.

Success! Feeling wonderfully untroubled.

It’s mine. All mine!

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SY’S Salient Points:

Shortly, transformation will be in my future. I look forward to completing all tasks in a flash!

 

 

HOPEFULLY!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        *Noah Webster (1758 – 1843), was a lexicographer and a language reformer. He is often called the Father of American Scholarship and Education.

**Peter Roget: (born January 18, 1779, London, England—died September 12, 1869, West Malvern, Worcestershire), English physician and philologist remembered for his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (1852), a comprehensive classification of synonyms or verbal equivalents that is still popular in modern editions.

Blog Comments from past articles, “TODDERING INTO 2023”:                                                                                   DEAL: “No caged animal for me. A Bald Eagle perhaps-top of the food chain and free to roam!”             BSS:    “You have the right idea. Yes, I also wouldn’t mind being a panda. We’re kind of like the panda.  We look good when wearing black and white.  For the most part we are peaceful except if we think our babies are being attacked.  The panda is ferocious at that time.  Also, I wouldn’t mind grazing all day on chocolate and ice cream.”

  Happy Valentine’s Day, Darling Blaire

 

I look forward to any of your comments by replying to my email. – SY

Is Briskly Tottering a presage of my sometimes imperfect gait? You betcha!

One aspect of my octogenarianism is accepting the perfectly imperfect. Oh dear!                                                                             Because at times, my uneven walk is not exactly a graceful glide.                                                                                                                     It borders on a stunning zigzag. Gee Whiz!

  Bringing to mind an alternative solution written many years ago by a favorite author and creative prime mover.                                                                                                                Fleur Cowles

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 I found it intriguing when author, editor, and artist Fleur Cowles* asked over 100 world-famous personalities,  “If you could be reincarnated as an animal, what would it have to be, and why?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**

CELEBRATE THE SEASON!

 

A Hopeful Season for family and good-will.

A Gentle Season to put our lives into perspective.

A Kind Season to make us stop, thank and think.

A Wishful Season to hope for renewal.                                                                                                                                             Let’s celebrate!

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This moment seems right to happily return to a Christmas memory in our home. Join me as we embrace a bit of nature and a lot of sparkle.

The first eight years of our married life were spent traveling to the Midwest to spend holidays with my family. We did no decorating. Sooo, when the first opportunity arrived to decorate our home….nirvana!

Not Decorating did not stop us from collecting a small arsenal of the holly, the ivy, ornaments, garlands, etc. In other words or whatever, the truth is—we collected everything.

A tree was essential. A mammoth one sounded good to me. Sooo, off we went to a Tree Farm with our small daughters and friends visiting from Australia, lots of rope and a saw. It was glorious!

What was not glorious: No perfect tree! I could visit a design showroom, some of them the size of a baseball field and within a short time find a blue-ribbon range of fabrics for a client, but, where, oh where, was that perfect tree?

Our adored Aussie friends viewed my husband with awe and wanted to bestow a “personal-best” blue-ribbon for spousal patience. By the end of the afternoon, they wanted to cut down a tree… any tree or plant me, and drive off into the sunset— without me!

Fortunately, my happy Cheshire cat grin offered a reprieve and they took me home with them to decorate that first Christmas holiday stationing our perfect tree in front of the entry balcony. Everyone took turns placing ornaments. Garlands hanging from the ceiling outlined the tree, added a finishing touch. Good thing I had prepared dinner that morning; decking out that tree required stamina.

All were up to it, including our visitors, who were Professors Emeriti of Sports of Antiquity. Max was a member of the Olympic Committee and beautiful Reet ran the Greek Marathon in Greece. (Max and Reet nominated us to be Danforth Associates leading to new insights and opportunities.).*

It was time. We were ready! The magical moment arrived as we held our breaths in anticipation. Would our stockpile of wampum dazzle us?                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Lights, camera, action! Raise the curtain! 

Even our resilient Aussies forgave me.

But the tree was only the start! We had parties to give, delectables to entice.. Our creative juices were flowing.

The dining room needed to make a statement and over the years different themes took center stage. Some memorable ones were when mirror runners held prancing feathered peacocks. Another year, a gilt and dark green table runner sported a village scene all made of candles. As the flames moved down the wicks, different levels of light flickered and gleamed.                                                                                                                                                                                                         When we bought this house, it was empty for over six months. The yard was filled with chest-high weeds. The house had no premonition that Joshua was arriving at his Jericho. Walls came tumbling down, seventeen avocado trees were tired. We said good-bye to them and said hello to our gifted landscape architect and his lighting design that accented the pergola, the tree by the koi pond, the wicker swing. And then:

No guilt! Later we abandoned the tree farms and purchased an artificial tree. We liked it so much we bought two for our open areas and one still skitters out each year at our Retirement Realm. With minimal space limitations, our well-traveled, long-lasting tree and favorite memorabilia deliver warm splashes of color and nostalgia.

That includes being open to new and old challenges, thankful pride in my family, my husband who opened new doors, admiration for the challenges met by my parents and affection for dear and dearest friends.

For me, the focus of holiday happenings is tucking memories away and finding a bridge to put my life into perspective, enjoy traditions and stop to think thankfully for the many, many warm and wonderful years of life.

 But don’t forget when  a bit of glitz and glitter catch the light there’s a glow in the air offering festive lightheartedness.

From my family to yours, “Celebrate The Season”!

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SY’S SALIENT POINTS:

As Tiny Tim said, “God bless us everyone!”

Thank you and Happy Holidays to Betty, Mat, Sue and Caroline!

*Danforth Associates: The Danforth Foundation sponsored regional conferences which addressed topics related to Associates’ roles as faculty, teachers and citizens and to increase the effectiveness of faculty through strengthening inter-institutional and interdisciplinary relations among faculty at colleges and universities.

Wishing You A Season of  Holiday Cheer and Happiness My Darling Blaire