Saturday, April 19, 2008

The Evolution of Jane


Jane is fast becoming a favorite name of mine. It is old-fashioned but has panache. And, in my family it is a heritage carried by five generations, starting with my great-grandmother Eliza Jane, who had Emma Jane, who years later had Mary Jane. Mary Jane was my father's sister and while she did not have children, he did and you guessed it. He had a daughter named Jenni Jane. My other sister Michelle, named her daughter, Emma Jane, which is where the story ends for now.

Great books are written about Jane and by Jane. The obvious examples are Jane Eyre and the ultimate female writer Jane Austen, who is still popular years after publishing her first book. I just discovered a new writer by accident, Cathleen Schine and her book the Evolution of Jane.

Apparently, I am not alone in my fascination Jane - the name is inspiration for Jane magazine, Mary Jane shoes, Calamity Jane, Dick and Jane series, movies like the Jane Austen Book Club and Becoming Jane. The name is even captured in lyrics by Jefferson Starship in the song "Jane."Why are we taken with Jane? Determined to have a good life and destined for greatness are the Jane's and I lay claim to the heritage in my family, even though I am a Jane by default. These women inspired me and still do, including my niece, Emma Jane, who surprises and delights me continually.

For all the Jane's out there, this one's for you!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Boots That Walked All Over Me


One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you…. That is a line from an oldie goldie and I just experienced this truth on an innocent, mind-my-own-business walk in the park yesterday. There I was walking at a pretty good clip with my iPod and reveling in the warm spring day. Walkers were everywhere and dogs happily trotted along with their owners.

I noticed a lean, sophisticated woman walking her cinnamon-colored King Charles Spaniel a few feet ahead of me. She was wearing Levi’s and a thin cotton sweater – she reeked of style and stood out in a park full of walkers and runners in typical sport attire. She was also wearing black boots that hit the pavement with an interesting staccato with each stride. It was apparent that the walk required zero effort and she was perfectly composed.

Here’s the bad part. I couldn’t catch her, no matter how fast I picked up my pace and well, I also admit, I gave up after a few tries. I did pass her twice when her little pooch stopped to sniff the flowers and scope out nature. Within minutes, the boots were hot on my trail and she would fashionably stride by me again with her elegant, long legs and black boots. What’s terrible about this is that I also have long legs. Why couldn’t they catch this mystery woman? I took a chill pill and decided to laugh about it, what else could I do? At the end of the walk, I saw her leave in a car with a California license plate. Oh, that explains it. She is a California girl who exercises 23 hours out of every 24. I had to justify it somehow…

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Maintenance Gone Bad


What was she thinking? Wouldn’t you think with all of Ivanna Trump’s money that she would take better care of her guns? You can see plastic surgery results on her face, collagen-plumped lips, but she forgot some major appendages – i.e., her arms.

As to the rest of her, less is more…If you don’t have the ammo to show off (check out Madonna’s arms, thanks to yoga and Pilates) then dress accordingly. Cover up next time, Ivanna.