When my friend and employee, John Green, told me his melanoma had returned, I had never heard of the disease. This was in the early eighties and John was in his thirties. He died. Before the decade was over, my father succumbed to melanoma, too. He was 69.
Today, melanoma is not a strange disease someone else gets. It’s the deadliest form of skin cancer. Over 70,000 people have been diagnosed with it so far this year, and over 7,000 have died. It’s imperative to get an annual full body check so you can detect this insidious skin disease in its earliest stages.
It takes just minutes–and it could save your life.
Since melanoma is anything but pretty, Dr. Ellen Marmur has offered to give complimentary body checks at the FOF Beauty Bash, October 1 and 2, in New York. Associated with Mount Sinai Hospital, she is one of the most respected docs in the dermatological field and has performed extensive research on the development of melanoma vaccines.
Get a complimentary body check from Dr. Ellen Marmur
It’ll be one of the most beautiful things you can do for yourself.
My FOF sister, Shelley, instantly recognized the woman being interviewed on TV on a local New Orleans station. It was actress Tina Sloan, who played Nurse Lillian for 26 years on the soap, Guiding Light, which went off the air two years ago, after 72 years. A big fan, Shelley got excited when she heard Tina would be speaking at the Red Hat Society convention, which we also were attending.
Changing shoes can change your outlook, Tina believes
“She’s beautiful,” I said to Shelley. “Great style, great body. How old do you think she is?”
“She looks like she’s in her fifties, but I think she’s in her sixties,” Shelley answered.
We ran into Tina a couple of hours later, at the convention, where she was planning to talk about “getting older, not old, with style, humor and grace,” the subject of her book, Changing Shoes. Of course, we told her about FOF and the Beauty Bash we’re producing in October, and asked if she’d speak there, too. Who wouldn’t want to hear from a woman who looks as good as she does? Coincidentally, Beth Chamberlin, who played Tina’s daughter on Guiding Light, will be demonstrating her kettle bell exercise program at the Beauty Bash. That sealed the deal. Tina accepted our invitation.
Tina and Beth Chamberlin played mother and daughter on Guiding Light
When I returned to New York, I wanted to learn more about Tina, so I listened to a few interviews with her on You Tube, and read the first couple of chapters of her book on Amazon.com. It will definitely be worth listening to this FOF.
Some Tina tidbits:
She’s 68, grew up outside New York and went into acting despite her parents’ vehement objections. “They were appalled. They said acting wasn’t smart enough, that I should become a teacher or work on a PhD,” Tina told an interviewer.
Tina’s played Al Pacino’s secretary and Ben Affleck’s mother in the movies, but TV is her real love. She likes the fast pace.
In her book, Tina recounts the moment, at 48, when she started to feel “invisible.” Getting coffee with Beth one morning, after shooting an episode of Guiding Light, Tina knew everyone—including an elegantly dressed man in the corner, with salt and pepper hair—was enthralled with Beth. “Nobody even glanced at me. [The man] looked at her the way men used to stare at me,” Tina writes.
“Everywhere I turned, there seemed to be signs that my life was changing, and not for the better: My parents’ health was in decline. My son had recently joined the Marines and would be going to Iraq. My skin was duller. My body softer. My role on Guiding Light had been fading away right under my nose,” Tina gained weight, eschewed Chanel pumps in favor of scuffed black flats and started running around in sweats, without makeup. Then she woke up, determined not to let her “light be dimmed” and to use all her tools to “stay forever frisky in all areas of life.”
“Staying in the room keeps you in the game,” Tina says.
Meet Tina and hear her sage advice at the Beauty Bash. It’s going to be one of the most beautiful days of your life. I promise.
Ever since Banana Republic closed its big store on the southwest corner of Madison Avenue and 85th street, well over two years ago, the space has remained empty. Not many retailers can afford the steep rent, especially during these tough economic times. Tonight, when I walked by the corner with Rigby, I couldn’t help but notice that the giant windows were now covered with red paper, printed with inspiring statements in bold white lettering.
Do one thing a day that scares you.
Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
Friends are more important than money.
The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
I loved every one of the thoughts and thank the new retailer that is preparing to move in. It’s Lululemon, the smart and cool athletic apparel brand. Smart move too, because Lululemon’s new space is right below a fancy gym.
New Orleans holds a great deal of significance for me. The first time I visited, in June 1978, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child.
When Edgar and I cruised the Mississippi on an authentic steamboat, in the early 90s, New Orleans was the final stop and I was hysterical because he was going back to Florida and I to New York.
I took Colby and his best friend, Prince, to New Orleans in 1997, as a high school graduation present. It was almost 20 years after Colby first visited, as an embryo. I liked being with him better the second time.
David graduated from Loyola Law School in New Orleans in 1969. We traveled there for his 35th Reunion, in 2004, and I met a group of his special New Orleans pals, who welcomed the New York boy into their hearts decades ago.
That was a year before Katrina’s devastation.
After being away for seven years, I returned to New Orleans this weekend, for the fifth time, to attend the annual convention of the Red Hat Society, a fascinating women’s organization (which I’ll talk about in another blog.)
FOF sister Shelley in front of a colorful NOLO (New Orleans, Louisiana) home
This trip to The Big Easy was significant because I went with FOF sister, Shelley, the first time the two of us have traveled alone. Besides being my sister, Shelley is FOF’s unbelievably buttoned-up member liaison. We made some pretty good connections during the visit, but spending time with my sister made it especially worthwhile. We ate in two fabulous restaurants, Iris and Bayona; we watched Bridesmaids on the hotel’s movie channel, we walked all over The French Quarter and, of course, we squeezed in a little shopping, something Shelley and I excel at.
An iris on the table in Iris restaurant
Geri in one of a gazillion gift emporiums on Canal Street, the dividing line between The French Quarter from the rest of the city
New Orleans has, blessedly, survived a disaster of unspeakable proportions. It’s as warm (literally and figuratively) and inviting as it’s always been. It’s a symbol of reinvention and rebirth. Maybe that’s why I seem to wind up there at such interesting times in my life.