I Left Aaron Sorkin Speechless!

With the buzz swirling around Steve Jobs, the movie based on Walter Issacson’s biography of the brilliant yet narcissistic founder of Apple, it was a priviledge to attend a screening organized by my union. The successful screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and I both belong to the Writer’s Guild of America, and frankly, that may be where the similarity ends.   Once upon a time I penned words for Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson on PrimeTime Live, but that was another lifetime ago. 

Aaron Sorkin

Sorkin was going to engage in a Q&A after we screened his latest film, so this was my second chance to ask him a question. I blew it last time when Sorkin did a Q&A after screening  the Social Network, another brilliant, rapid-fire tome that makes writer’s like me throw up our IPads and search for a dog walking job. I was intimidated by the master wordsmith’s presence and unsure of what to say, but I was younger then.  This time I was not going to throw away my shot.

Sitting in the front, I shot up my hand and was the first person called.  I said, “I loved this film but I don’t have a question about it. I’ve waited a long time to say this.  I want to thank you for the West Wing.  I have multiple sclerosis and for years in our support groups, we complained about the need for a poster child, ala Michael J. Fox with Parkinson’s disease.  Someone with an unpredictable affliction, but who still gets up, takes the nasty drugs and gets on with it. Then you gave President Jed Bartlett MS.  Fiction or not, I don’t think we could have asked for a better role model.”

Almost Free Theater!

Many of you want to see a Broadway show when you come to NYC and I don't need to tell you how frighteningly expensive this pursuit can be.  Still, a live show is an unforgetable experience and those of us who are lucky enough to live here have found several ways to "never pay retail."

By now most people know about the TKTS booth, operated by the Theater Development Fund.

You must wait on line, but you are rewarded with a half price ticket on the day of the show. Booths are located in Manhattan in the Theater District, at the South Street Seaport, and in Brooklyn.  Check the link to get hours of operation and remember the earlier you get there, the better your chance of getting the show you want.

10 Almost Free Things to do in New York

10 Almost Free Things to do in New York 

I moved last year to what we affectionately call "Upstate Manhattan."  Washington Heights had a scary reputation in the 80's but things have changed radically and it is now a very friendly, safe, family neighborhood  The 2008 Tony Award winning musical "In The Heights" is composer (and my son's 7th grade substitute English teacher(!)) Lin-Manuel Miranda's love letter to the neighborhood he grew up in and still calls home.

sunset in Washington Heights

So I thought I'd start this invitation to visit New York with a Northern focus.  Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters are really the jewel of this neighborhood.  The Cloisters feature art and architecture from the Medieval era and a reconstructed monastery,  You can easily transport yourself back to the days of Romeo and Juliet!  The Cloisters are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and admission to one gets you same week admission to the other. The suggested entrance fee is pricey - $25 for adults, $17 for Seniors, $12 for students, under 12 free - but remember this is a recommended price.  You can (and should if you need to) pay less.

A New Computer!! 

Is your computer so slow you want to throw it out the window?  Are you delaying cutting the cable cord because you think your computer cannot handle it?  I am about to rock your world.

Crucial, a computer hardware company I discovered a few years ago, offers DIY memory upgrades that couldn't be simpler, even if you are less than confident about your computer skills.

Full disclosure here:  I frequently blame the type of nerdy guys I wouldn't date in high school  - we used to call them the AV (audio/visual) nerds - for all the unfriendly computer stuff out there.  It can be very intimidating. 

Cut the Cable

Cut the Cable

Happy New Year!

If you have decided to save significant money in 2015 - about $100 per month - read on... 

As many of you know, I am a former television writer/producer and an incurable news junkie, so this was not a decision I made lightly.  But a monthly cable/phone/internet bill that approached $300 was enough to spur me to explore the alternatives.

In my old apartment I had Verizon's FIOS and loved it. After years of TimeWarner unreliability, I was thrilled when FIOS finally was available in my old neighborhood on the Upper East Side.  I think I was the first one to sign up for the service and when they finally got it right, I was very happy.

Then I moved to my new apartment in Washington Heights and FIOS was not available.  Instead of going back to TimeWarnerCable, I decided it was time to take the plunge.

The Blessings of MS - Part 2

The Blessings of MS - Part 2

The very last thing I would have expected to be doing on a biting cold day in the middle of November is sailing on the Hudson River!  At my weekly swimming class, Val the instructor mentioned an email she'd received about an organization called SailingSclerosis - Oceans of Hope.  My friend Dodie and I jumped right on that bandwagon and poof!  There we were, getting on a boat for a a fabulous adventure.

SailingSclerosis.com is an amazing foundation founded by a Danish physician, who wants to change the perception of this wacky disease.  Their boat is sailing around the world with a crew of people who have MS but are determined to keep doing, keep learning, keep truckin' (sorry Dead fans, couldn't help it)!

Beware of Men Who Make Less Money Than You Do

Never Marry A Man Who Makes Less Money Than You Do

$$$

You never knows what life is going to throw your way.  After more than 30 years living in the same neighborhood, most of them in the same building, I've just moved to a dramatically different place in New York City.  From a 3 bedroom, 3 bath doorman coop on the tony Upper East Side (where all the good public schools are) to a 2 bedroom' 1 bath pre-war Washington Heights rental (one UES shopkeeper thoughtlessly & erroneously called it "the ghetto") I could have gotten whiplash from the speed that landed me here!

But since I always try to look on the bright side, I'm going to share with you the view outside my living room window last night...

Not too shabby, eh?

I really love my new apartment, but uprooting and downsizing in three weeks is very difficult.  On the list of stressful life events, moving is #1 - above divorce, above a death in the family.  That's because one's entire frame of reference is thrown into chaos.  You don't know where anything is and for an admitted OCD like myself, this is truly hell!

I tried everything I could to stay put, from getting a mortgage to buy out my ex-husband, to hosting students in my son's empty bedroom.   My ex, the father of my two children, was not going to allow me to have anything that he didn't have, never mind that I have MS and had retired from my job to take care of myself and my children.

I am not going to tell the whole sad story - I may write the book someday - but I have learned something valuable that I am compelled to share now: 

 Never marry a man who makes less money than you do!

There was a time not long ago when this wasn't even a possibility.  Women didn't work, and men knew that to get the girl, they had to show her family that the suitor could support the daughter in the manner to which she had become accustomed.  

Happily, times have changed.  Women who work hard and play their cards right can earn responsible positions that pay well.   Some things, however, have not changed.  Men still measure their worth by their paycheck and compare themselves accordingly.  Size matters.

So if you make more money than he does, he doesn't want you, my dear.  He wants your money.

It makes me very sad to report this.  As a young feminist, I believed that women could do anything and that enlightened men would not feel threatened by our success.  I still believe women can do anything, but even enlightened men still have that stubborn double x chromosome and testosterone to boot.  It's all about measuring up.  They just can't help it. 

My wise boyfriend says, "men are simple creatures, like dogs.  Feed us, rub our bellies a little and we're good!"  This truism puts women in the driver's seat, but you have to steer the car - or train the dog, if you prefer the canine metaphor.  As Oprah reminds us, you teach people how to treat you.

If you run after a man, you've taught him that he doesn't have to make an effort to pursue you.  If you don't ask for help with housework or cooking, you've taught him he doesn't have to do any.  And if you marry a man who makes less money than you do, you've shown him that he has nothing to offer ...except, of course, for sex, the even bigger male must have.

Women know how irresistible a cute guy with a slow hand can be, but when the sex cools down - and it most likely will - you're going to be stuck with a very angry man with zero confidence and a terrible self image.  After all, he married a woman who makes more money than he does.

Please don't do it.

Swift Thrift  - Down the Drain                     

The bathroom drains in my new apartment were very, very slow.  The sink has one of those weird faucet/drain combos that cannot be separated, so the stopper cannot be removed.   I did the baking soda & vinegar "volcano" but it didn't help the sink or the bathtub.  I was about to put it on the long list of issues I had to speak to my new super about.  Then on one of several trips to the hardware store, I picked up a $3.99 piece of plastic called a Zip It.

I later found it on sale at Home Depot for $2.48.  This long piece of plastic w/spikey bits fit right down into the sink drain and pulled up the most disgusting glob of hair. Another little volcano and poof!  I had the fastest drain in NYC!  Fantastic and so inexpensive.  Save the cost of a plumber for something positive, like a new bathroom!

If you enjoyed this blog, please forward it to a friend.  I'd love to hear what you think and I promise to respond to any comments you care to share!  Looking forward to hearing from you...

Keep calm & carry on...Lori.