16 Saturday Feb 2013
Posted in Art
Prismatic light. Madrid, Spain.
This photo reminds us of our four-day jaunt to Madrid, Spain in December 2011. It was taken inside one of the many cathedrals throughout the city that we would wander in to. Here, Julie caught and snapped the prismatic light that streamed through the stained glass windows to create patterns of abstract art.
14 Thursday Feb 2013
Posted in Art
Card designed by Julie Seyler ...
09 Saturday Feb 2013
Posted in Art
Fire escape on 2nd Avenue after February 8 snow storm. Photo by Julie Seyler.
Waking up after a snow storm is like waking up on your birthday. You never know what to expect, but you know it’s going to be something good. That first sight of a snow-topped landscape is something good. At this point, the city and its environs are covered in a pristine white velvet blanket. It may devolve into a muddy slush, but to not appreciate its infancy is definitely not an option. Here’s to the first hour of the first day after a snow storm.
The backyard. Photo by Lois DeSocio.
08 Friday Feb 2013
Tags
Drawing by Julie Seyler
So many mysteries seem to descend on the right side of 50 body. You know, that icky age spot that pops up on the left hand; the appearance of a clump, not a strand, of gray hairs, dead center on your head. And those bags of flesh hanging just below the armpits. Lovely! We think this drawing basically sums it up.
06 Wednesday Feb 2013
Posted in Art, Confessional
“The fascination of beauty.” Collage by Julie Seyler
I live in Manhattan, and am surrounded by gorgeous women of all ages. But my eye gravitates towards those younger than me, who can still traverse the city streets in 7″ heels, completely oblivious to foot pain. Their wrinkle-free skin holds the dewy blush of infinite confidence. The world truly is their oyster, or at least that is what I choose to project onto them as they stride down the street, smartphone in hand, laughing jauntingly on their way to Thursday night happy hour.
I was her once. But alas, no more. At a time long prior to now, could I ever really imagine that one day I would be 57? Approaching 60? It was much too far away, and in my mind, it was not going to happen. I would stay stuck in whatever year I happened to be immersed in at the moment.
I am ashamed to admit it, but there are times when envy for “their” current youth smacks right up against wistfulness for “my” long lost youth. At those precarious moments, I take gleeful pleasure in singing to myself a la Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,” “Just you wait ‘enry ‘iggins, just you wait.”
That small, petty part of me just needs to secretly and quietly cackle:
“Ha, ha, ha. One day, you flawless flexible soul of youth, will be here – on the right side of 50. And you’ll also wonder where it all went, and how did it go so fast?”
02 Saturday Feb 2013
Tags
Anthony Buccino, Art, Bob Smith, Frank Terranella, Julie Seyler, Lois DeSocio, Super Bowl, The Write Side of 50
By Julie Seyler
It appears that all of us at The Write Side of 50 are neck and neck, and head to head, with ambivalence when it comes to tomorrow’s Super Bowl. Bob will be the life of the party, Anthony may be “fixing” a doorknob, Frank admits to being among the “men who hate the Super Bowl,” Julie has already turned the game into an art project (above), and Lois just loves a good game (and the accompanying party), and will jump on the bandwagon.
29 Tuesday Jan 2013
Tags
Art, ISAW; Institute for the Study of the Ancient World; Buddhas; China, Julie Seyler, opinion, The Write Side of 50
Left hand of Maitreya, Buddha of the Future ca 550 AD
The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), is a resource center for scholars devoted to documenting and recording a time that existed thousands of years before Facebook. But they also put on exhibits for the curious, like me. If I tell people I am heading off to see a show called “Pagans, Jews, and Christians at Roman Dura-Europos”, of course eyeballs are rolled. But I am endlessly fascinated in the continuities from then to now: that we have always made art; that gold has always been prized; and that grapes have always been fermented into wine.
Our tradition of adorning ourselves and getting drunk is so old it can never be new. So it is always a pleasure to see an old, old treasure like the pure gold fragment of a plaque embedded with pieces of turquoise that represents a snow leopard from Kazakhstan made about 2800 years ago. A cat of the ancient world that would blend in perfectly at Tiffany’s today.
Photo of a recreated cave from Xiangtangshan, China
One Saturday afternoon before hip surgery I needed an art pick-me-up, so I dropped by to see ISAW’s latest exhibit called, ” Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temple of Xiangtangshan,” which just closed on January 6. The focus of the show was these earth-carved caves located in northern China near the city of Xiangtangshan. The caves, decorated with beautiful lotus flowers, once housed 20-foot Buddhas, grand bodhisattvas and imaginary monsters sculpted from limestone by unknown artisans sometime between 550 AD, and 577 AD. The monumental Buddhas, with their half-opened eyes and plush lips scream, “benign contentment”.
Staring up at these tranquil giants made me think that the desire to seek a more noble world is timeless. It also made me think that in every culture, in every era man/woman has needed to create art. And sometimes that art has reflected the continuous search for spirituality.
28 Monday Jan 2013
Tags
Almost 60? Really?, Annalena's Kitchen, Anthony Buccino, Art, Barbara Rachko, Blogs, BOOM! By Cindy Joseph, Booming, boomspeak, Concepts, Every Day is a Holiday, Food, Huff/Post 50, Lois DeSocio, Men, News, Opinions, Sparsely Sage and Timley, Stilettos in Snow, The Feisty Side of 50, The Five O'Clock Cocktail, The Write Side of 50, Travel
By Julie Seyler.
According to the most recent stats, there are 156 million blogs, and counting, on the Internet. A good chunk of the pile seems to be geared to us baby boomers. Apparently, we like to read, talk, and write about ourselves. Here are some age-appropriate (and a couple not), that are worth mentioning:
The big guys, Booming from The New York Times and Huffington Post’s Huff/Post50, will give you news, commentary, debate, celebrity bloggers – basically all the good, the bad and the ugly that comes with the “middle ages.”
There’s gutsy girls:
A read of The Feisty Side of 50, BOOM! By Cindy Joseph, and Almost 60? Really?, will help us women feel good being gray, and naked; make us want to climb the biggest mountain out there, and then maybe kick up our heels at the summit, and scream “Yay Menopause!;” and then come down to earth – in that order.
Wordly men:
Award-winning writer, and our new contributor, Anthony Buccino, writes about history, travel, even N.J. Transit. And there’s David V. Mitchell’s, Sparsely Sage and Timley, a West Coast, post-boomer blogger, who had us with his title.
A cool spot for a little bit of everything, including some tech advice, is boomspeak.
There are others that we like because, even though the bloggers are over 50, they manage to write about something else. Annalena’s Kitchen has everything to do with the fun, the passion and the science behind food. Blogger Norman Hanson, is “just an over the hill gay guy who likes to cook.” And no doubt you’ve noticed that we tend to be madly appreciative of the visual image and the craft that comes with being a highly-skilled artist. Barbara Rachko’s barbararachkoscoloreddust delivers.
No 50-year-old bloggers in sight on The Five O’Clock Cocktail, but it is right on time with us.
And Stilettos Stuck in Snow (full disclosure – we know her mother), and Everyday is a Holiday must be mentioned, because although these bloggers are nowhere near 50, they’ve managed to produce some visually appealing, artsy, fashion-focused blogs. It’s important for us boomers to remember it’s not all about us, and they offer us a fun way to check in and keep up the with the times.
26 Saturday Jan 2013
Photo by Julie Seyler.
One of our favorite movies is Auntie Mame, starring Rosalind Russell, and one of our favorite lines from the movie is: “Yes! Live! Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” Hence the bowl of cherries – which captures the luscious richness of life. Have a great weekend, everybody.
24 Thursday Jan 2013
Tags
Art, Bird of Paradise, Dolores Del Rio, Joel McCrea, Julie Seyler, opinion, The Write Side of 50
without passion, by Julie Seyler, May 2012
BY JULIE SEYLER
Can we live without passion? I don’t think that question ever arose in my 20s, 30s, or 40s. It was a fait accompli based on youth, pheromones and hormones. But during the first half of 2012, at the riper age of 57, when I was dealing with a relentless pain in my left hip, I must admit I started wondering.
I had seen seven doctors, three physical therapists, and two acupuncturists – all of whom had various theories and proposed remedies for my distorted walk and constant ache, but no solutions. My hobbling gait just got worse and worse. I was definitely experiencing the passion of pain, but felt little passion for anything else.
About this time I saw a still of Joel McCrea and Dolores del Rio from the 1932 movie, “Bird of Paradise.” The way they gaze into each other’s eyes screams ardent lust.
And so I had to have some passionate fun making a collage about what it feels like when the only passion you have is feeling the passion of pain. 
The Write Side of 59 