I'm Outta Here!

I'm checking in before I check out. Taking a little vacay, as they say, with the kids. I'll be back in touch soon! Hope you are enjoying your summer so far.

Worried About My Sister

Image by pixieclipx via Flickr

I have three sisters. The one who is 18 months younger than me has always had the most health problems. Weird stuff, too: Fibromyalgia, TMJ, Chronic Fatigue. Doctors think a painful fall down a stairwell YEARS ago may have triggered all this.

But now she's having problems with the female side of her. She's had an irregular period for about seven months, and when it does appear, it's very light. Cramps, though. She is tired all the time and her legs feel like they're going to give out on her.

I thought menopuase, of course. She's 47, and if heredity plays a part, then she should be well into it, like her big sister here. Oddly though, her FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) number doesn't indicate that she is in menopause yet.

She had an ultrasound last week and they discovered that the lining of her uterus has thickened, and we're all just worried sick about her. She is getting a biopsy on Tuesday. There's plenty of info on this online, which is what has frightened me. I believe one of the best preventive health measures is to educate yourself. But sometimes you can learn too much.

The possibility of uterine cancer hangs over her. All us sisters are keeping our fingers crossed -- and praying a lot -- that it's not that.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? And what was the outcome? If you respond, that means you're still living and breathing, which is a good thing, and gives me hope.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why haven't I had a period? (cnn.com)
• Endometrial Biopsy (findmeacure.com)
• ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia Around the Web (fightingfatigue.org)

Morning Joe

Ever since I started this blog, I’ve been on the lookout for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond who are living life to their fullest regardless of their age. And last Friday, I found my man! (I know this is a blog for women, but sometimes men can inspire us, too!)

I was driving my 11-year-old daughter to school and Joe Klug caught my eye. I noticed him immediately because he looked so out of place. As drivers were pulling out of housing tracks and into the busy streets and intersections to take children to school and head to work, Joe Klug burst onto the scene in rollerblades, gliding effortlessly down the sidewalk for a morning roller jog.

So after I dropped off my daughter, I did the only thing a curious blogger would do . . . I went looking for him. I knew an interesting story when I saw one. I saw Joe across the street, made a U-turn and then pulled into the driveway of a church, half blocking the sidewalk he was coming down. I think I scared him. I quickly explained my purpose and asked him if he wouldn’t mind posing for a picture. He hesitated at first, then allowed me to snap off this picture:

What I love about Joe is that he is an “older” guy engaging in a sport that is typically associated with young people. I didn’t ask him his age because it didn’t really matter. He grew up in North Dakota, where he played ice hockey as a kid. Rollerblading through the neighborhood, which he has been doing for many years, allows him to connect, once again, with his childhood passion.

“Old, my ass!” says Joe, who perfectly embodies the spirit of this blog.

You go, Joe!

Words Of Wisdom For Women

My big sister sent me this e-mail tonight, and I wanted to share it with all you Oldmyassers before bedtime. It's always good to end the day with a little humor. My two favorites are #14 and #15. How about you??


1. Aspire to be Barbie - the bitch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every color.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt... A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don't get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

11. When life gives you lemons in 2009 - turn it into lemonade then mix it with vodka.

12. Remember where ever there is a good looking; sweet, single or married man there is some woman tired of his bullshit!

13. Keep your chin up, only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

14. If it has Tires or Testicles it's gonna give you trouble.

15. By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

I've Gone Rogue!

I live in Southern California. Orange County, to be precise. There are lots of rich and famous -- and really cool -- people down here. I am none of those. In fact, my motto has always been: “In a town with so many somebodys, it’s nice to be a nobody.”

Last weekend, I finally became a somebody. I was invited to my first-ever underground dinner in Studio City, the precise location I am not allowed to reveal for fear of either being killed, or worse, never invited back. But I can tell you that the dinner was not at a restaurant, but rather, at the home of LA-based chef named Amy Jurist. That’s Amy, below, standing in her kitchen.

About 50+ people gathered at her home in the hills, her “rogue restaurant,” most of them strangers, and all of us lovers of great food and wine, for one of Amy’s Culinary Adventures. As Amy puts it, “Underground dinner parties are like food raves. Bootleg restaurants in apartments, houses and other private spaces, where you get to dine with other fellow foodies, at locations you don’t find out about until after you’ve paid the entrance price.”

Pretty cool, huh?

Chef Amy has been hosting underground dinners for five years to rave reviews. She calls her special cooking style “yummy decadence.” Each dinner has a special theme. The dinner I attended was called “The Mushroom Experience,” and every dish was made from – you guessed it -- a different variety of mushroom. None of them hallucinogens, sorry.

Here’s a sampling of the menu:

Appetizer: Curried mushrooms in filo with crème fraiche
Dinner:
Soy-glazed Asian mushroom stir-fry
Grilled portabello mushroom pizza with goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions and spinach (my favorite!)
Mushroom, caramelized onion and chicken cannelloni with fontina and parmesan cream sauce
Porcini-crusted hanger steak with red-wine mushroom sauce

Here’s what the portabello mushroom pizzas looked like:



What I really enjoyed is the eclectic mix of people there. I met an Internet entrepreneur, an event planner, an artist, a public-relations professional, a mother of twin teenagers, a decorator and a lifestyle guru. Meet Lauren and Shanna of Purry Communications Group, holding their mushroom lamps made out of paper mache:



If you’d like to be on the inside of the “It” dining experience, log onto The Ghetto Gourmet,” a pirate restaurant project that started in 2004, whose website lists the more than 100 underground restaurants "in hiding" all over the country.

I’m a big Italian food fan, so you just may see me at Amy’s next underground dinner, “One Night In Italy,” on July 11th at a beautiful private residence in Santa Monica. (Click here to learn more about it.)

Did I mention the decorations were spectacular, too, thanks to a really creative guy named Jonathan Fong? Here’s one of his mushroom bubbles that was hanging over every table (is that a gorgeous sunset, or what??):