Rock The Wrinkle

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Turning the page.

02/19/2015 /

I confess. I’m a book nerd. I still love old-fashioned hold-in-my-hand books.

With paper pages, bindings, covers, and inside flaps. I love how a book feels in my hand, how it smells, how smooth the pages feel.

I love opening a new book for the first time. Entering its world and dipping my toes in its wonder and promise. Using a bookmark to hold my place or dog-earing a page if I feel I’ll be coming back to a section again and again.

I like giving other people books and writing a dedication in them.

So no, I’m not an e-reader by first choice. I don’t Kindle. I don’t Nook. It just feels at bit cold and impersonal to me. I know there are good reasons to go electronic: e-books are easier for travel, lighter to carry, don’t take up space on a shelf, and so on. Great. Enjoy.

alejandroescamilla-bookI happen to like the whole tactile relationship I have with a book. For me, the weight of the paper, width of the page, choice of font, and placement of photos or illustrations is part of the author’s message. After all, some suffering fool agonized over these words for possibly years. I think reading it merits more action than a few clicks.

Yes, I’m a baby boomer, so maybe having Dick and Jane as my first literary introduction has something to do with it. But actually I’ve met others who love books and they’re quite young…they’re not ready to go completely touchscreen yet.

Thank heavens.

I can’t even imagine an elementary classroom with children asked to pull out their readers and then the clicking begins.

I cherish the books I loved as a child, and still have many of them. The Mother West Wind Stories  by Thornton W. Burgess.  Raggedy Ann, Charlotte’s Web, and Alice in  Wonderland.  Countless books about horses and animals.  Poetry and inspiration.  Some have inscriptions from my mother. Others bring back memories of summer afternoons made even more pleasant by wonderful stories. I sincerely hope future generations can have these experiences.  Because I just think some books are meant to be just that…books.

Case in point.  I have a copy of Cosmigraphics by Michael Benson, a wonderful coffee-table book that looks at the discovery of the universe through breathtaking maps, illustrations, paintings, and more that span 1,000 years.  The images are amazing and command a large page.  It’s a thrill to leaf through.  I don’t think I’d get the same effect on a small screen.

But alas, things have changed, and for many authors, being published online is an opportunity to get their work out there to new audiences. I appreciate that, and applaud anyone who’s published a book in any form. But it just seems a it too easy, when so many great writers struggle and agonize for years just to get the attention of an agent, much less a publisher.  (Like when we were all told that the Evelyn Wood method of speed-reading was so wonderful….and someone asked, “but what about the writer who spent days deciding between a comma or a period?  Won’t that get missed in a supersonic reading speed?)

 file0001366323512Still, I hope and pray that books stick around and independent book stores still are there for those of us who love getting lost in them.  MacDonald Bookshop in Estes Park, Colorado.  Collected Works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe in Washington, D.C.  Burke’s Bookstore in Memphis, Tennessee.  To name a few.

That’s my story. Read any good books lately?

“We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.”

      Henry Miller

 

Why are we telling lies?

02/16/2015 /

There’s lots of talk about the truth lately. Truth in the media. Truth in journalism. Truth in advertising. Truth in so-called reality shows, books, and the such.

When did it get so hard to tell the difference between a lie and the truth?

When did truth have, as one character in a movie said, “versions”?

file000143069688It was pretty simple when I was a child. You either told the truth, or you were telling a lie. The size of the lie didn’t matter. A lie was a lie was a lie. It meant you had done something wrong, and you were about to be in big trouble.

Because they always found out.

Some people carry lies better than others. You can’t tell by looking at them, although scientists say we can if we look for the right signs. They call it a “microexpression”, usually a 25th of a second, which is actually concealing the truth. A person lying might get a very fast flash of anger, fear, or jealousy on his or her face. It’s pretty hard to detect, since it happens so fast.

I’ve also heard a liar will blink more. Fidgit more. But one thing they usually do not do is break their glance. They’re happy to look you in the eye and tell a fib.

But that’s not really the issue. What’s amazing is how effortless it is for some to lie. How it becomes easier over time.

How if we tell a lie often enough, we start to believe it is the truth.

Studies say a fifth of social exchanges lasting 10 or more minutes involve at least one lie. Want to spot someone lying about a good hand in poker? Check their feet. Wiggling feet usually means a good hand, while a sudden freeze in the feet indicates a bluff. (You can figure out how to explain why you’re looking under the table.)

Have you ever given someone your ideal weight or age, instead of the actual one? Have you ever told a friend her haircut looks great, when you know it’s a disaster?

Ever told your boss or client you’d love to work all night on a project, when secretly you’d rather drown in fire ants?

Is it a lie when you S-T-R-E-T-C-H the truth to avoid hurting someone?

And then there’s the matter of size. Are there big lies and small lies? Do small lies not count as much? (I have a feeling the IRS could weigh in on this.) And of course we lie to ourselves…about our health, our happiness, our disappointments.

breakingI’m usually not surprised when I hear about famous people lying, whether it’s a sports figure, entertainer, or other public figure. And though my roots are in journalism, I’ve lost a lot of respect for the validity of what passes as the news these days. Still, it disappoints me a great deal. Truth and trust go together and when we lose one, the other isn’t far behind.

Maybe this is all part of growing older: growing more skeptical. What do you think?   Really?

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”

        Mark Twain

Pick up a pencil.

02/12/2015 /

Pencil, anyone?

I confess. I’m a boomer and I love pencils.

I love how they feel in my hand. I love how the aroma of the lead (which is actually graphite). I love being able to erase and start over any time I choose.

Pencils are friendly. Casual. Easygoing. If a pencil was a car, it would be an old Chevy station wagon. Unassuming, yet practical. Modest, yet hard-working.

file0002053556247Johnny Carson used to play with pencils on The Tonight Show that had an eraser on both ends. Henry David Thoreau manufactured pencils. John Steinbeck is said to have started each day with 24 newly sharpened pencils.

We pencil lovers are in the minority these days, at least it feels that way in business meetings. Everyone pulls out their fancy pens and writes silently, while we purists write, erase, and make noise. Somehow, it’s looked down upon, as though you’re not quite as sophisticated as the guy next to you (who is actually writing a note to himself to remember to tape the game later).

It’s really not fair, especially if you are a writer by profession. God knows no one knows more about how things can change than a writer. Maybe it’s our own edits, but usually it’s someone else’s, welcome or not. So we understand the lack of permanence.

 Frankly it makes me nervous to write down anything with a pen and ink…it’s so final. So formal. So lacking in imagination.

Pencils have a cooler history than pens. Some say a man in Napoleon’s army is said to have invited the first pencil, though I suspect it was long before that. Man (and Woman) has always wanted to express him/herself, and for sure, change his/her mind as well.

There is actually a Pencil Museum in England. And I must say, they have the coolest website…(click on their “History” tab and scroll down)…clearly a group of people who appreciate all things pencil. The museum traces the birth of the pencil all the way back to graphite being discovered in 1500 and lists 1832 as the first record of a factory in Keswick making pencils.

People boast they can complete the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink.

How lacking in elegance.

file000429854677A pencil and a crossword puzzle just go together. My mother used to have dozens of 3-inch pencils spread around the kitchen so she could do her morning puzzle while we ate breakfast. Pencils are home. Lunchboxes. Dick and Jane.

 Pencil Revolution is a blog devoted to the love and use of pencils. Yes, there’s a community out there. We know we are.

What about you…do you reach for a pen or a pencil? If you are a secret pencil lover, do you proudly show your writing instrument, or reserve it for use only in private?

Don’t be shy, go back to your roots.  Pick up a pencil.  Roll it in your fingers, smell the graphite, and feel your blood pressure slowly go down.  And down. And down….

 

“Map out your future…but do it in pencil.”

                                    Jon Bon Jovi

 

 

 

 

Learning new technology.

02/09/2015 /

In the e-book “Better With Age”, retired attorney-turned author John Lefevere spins a tale of a technologically deficient baby boomer fearful of losing his executive position in an upcoming merger.  He decides to turn the tables on the younger executives who want him out, and begins secretly educating himself on everything from smartphones to sending tweets and beyond.

What happens next?

Scandal, death, and vindication…just another day in the corporate world! But it brings up an interesting question for anyone of boomer age and beyond:

wi9yf7kTQxCNeY72cCY6_Images of Jenny Lace Plasticity Publish (4 of 25)What do we do when everyone around us seems to be light years ahead in technology—and we need to catch up fast?

Can it be done, especially if we were never tech-savvy to begin with?

Lefevere gives his motivation behind the writing of “Better With Age”:  “The impact of losing a job when you are most vulnerable, such as five to ten years from retirement, when you have financial responsibilities can be devastating, particularly if you are in the ‘sandwich’ situation:  supporting children/grandchildren and also your parents.  The threat of losing the job can be just as stressful, and possibly more so….If you’re not up-to-date digitally, these stresses can increase even more.”

Personally, I know I’ve taken some steps in the right direction, but I also know I’m a dinosaur in many areas. (I can hear a niece and nephew laughing.) I try to keep up with what need to know in my profession, but often hear new terms and lingo and wonder what the heck is that, and do I really need to know?

But often, the answer is yes. I do need to know. I need to do some research, read an industry publication, and/or call on someone a lot smarter than me and get the dirt. I owe that to those I do business with. And I don’t want to be left behind.

But there are some things about which I remain stubborn.

I don’t like the idea of always being reachable by text, email, or a phone call. (Is it really so vital that it needs to be handled this exact instant?)

I don’t like seeing the act of thinking being replaced by a software product that will take care of that for me. (A turn of a phrase…an illustration…an original design…you can’t replace the value of considering how something feels in your gut. That’s what pencils and erasers are for.)

DSC02021I really don’t like trying to have a meeting, business call, or working luncheon and know that everyone is playing with their devices while we’re supposed to be sharing ideas and information. (Doing one thing at a time really does bring better results, you whippersnappers!)

Still, if you are faced with the stress of being unable to keep up in your profession, it can feel overwhelming. What’s good to know is that you can keep learning, no matter your age.

Most of us older adults learn best with one-on-one, hands-on teaching. We like to learn things in small bites. I confess I’ve always been this way…show me, let me try it, and don’t give me 20 new things at once.

Chances are, you already know more than you think you do…you may drive with a GPS in your car. Check the stock market on your smartphone. See your grandbaby over Skype. Play computer games.

So maybe it’s taking an adult education course, either in person or online. Reading some computer magazines. Spending a few hours in the library. Meeting with someone willing to walk you through some new technological opportunities.

Lefevere has this message for boomers:  “You cannot let age discrimination and/or falling behind digitally force you out of the workplace.  Don’t ever give up.  There are benefits in terms of knowledge and experience that make you ‘Better With Age.'”

You can do it.  And of course, as the older and wiser person in the scenario, you can be a great example to a younger person of the value of listening, thinking, and working hard.

 “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”

       Gertrude Stein

 

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