October, 2009 – Chris Botti

Cultural Corner

admin

-

October 1, 2009

0

Cultural Corner

Chris Botti – Smooth Jazz with a Punch

by Glenn Swift

Chris Botti had two epiphanies at the age of 12 – and millions of jazz lovers would be forever grateful.

“I suddenly realized that I was never going to be the best second baseman in the world,” cracked Botti.

His second profound realization came just a few months later.

“I heard Miles Davis for the first time… and my life would never be the same.”

Botti had been playing the piano under his mother’s tutelage since age 6 and the trumpet since age 9 after meeting Doc Severinsen, but hearing the signature wail of Davis’ trumpet was truly a life-changing experience.

“I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a professional trumpet player.”

Chris Botti, Grammy-award winning trumpet player

As for what it was about the late master’s technique that made him so special, Botti said this: “Davis had a melancholy, hypnotic quality combined with an incredible vision. His was the greatest trumpet sound ever.”

Unlike many musicians, Botti doesn’t mind being labeled, and he is comfortable with being referred to as a smooth jazz artist. However, most critics and aficionados would certainly agree that his music is a far cry from the elevator muzak mix of Kenny G. and Dave Koz.

“Labeling doesn’t scare me, if it helps sell records,” laughed Botti, whose last two CDs represent a new direction artistically from his first 10 albums.

“I’m finally doing in the studio what I’ve always been into musically,” said Botti, whose 2007 release, Italia, is an eclectic mix of many different styles that places focus on his Italian roots with jazz interpretations of several of classical opera’s greatest masterpieces, Schubert’s Ave Maria and Puccini’s Nessun Dorma.

His most recent CD, Chris Botti in Boston, features collaborations with a number of pop music icons, Steven Tyler, Josh Groban and Sting to name to name but a few.

“I’m a jazz musician who came up the ranks of popular music,” said Botti, who credits Sting with making his career. “I routinely use elements of popular and classical forms in my work,” said Botti, who readily acknowledges that the “meat and potatoes” of his music is “rhythm and blues with a rock backbeat.”

Although Botti is widely heralded as one who has truly mastered his instrument, the famed musician and composer is quick to say that there’s a lot more to being a great trumpet player than playing fast and blowing hard.

“Technical skills are important, but there is nothing more powerful in music than a great melody.”

When asked about the difference between playing before a live audience and recording in a studio, Botti replied: “There’s a lot more planning with a record, and because there’s no audience to respond to you have to step back and see what kind of an emotional impact you’re making.”

Botti then added, “Of course, in a live show you have to amp it up.”

Amping it up is just what Botti’s live performances are known for. Featuring a brand of music with wide audience appeal, Botti’s concerts routinely sell out. Despite his ever-increasing popularity and climb to the top of the jazz world, Botti is not one to boast. In fact, he had a very special message for his fans.

“I’m very fortunate that I can do what I love to do, and I want to thank everyone who has found my music.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to see one of the world’s most renowned trumpet players live and in person when Chris Botti takes the stage at the historic Sunrise Theatre in downtown Ft. Pierce on Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m. For tickets or more information, call (772) 461-4775 or visit www.sunrisetheatre.com.

Glenn R. Swift is a freelance writer and editor living in Palm Beach Gardens. Winner of the Florida Magazine Association’s Bronze Award for Writing Excellence, Swift is Co-founder/Editor in Chief of the Palm Beach eMedia Group and Co-founder/Director of Marketing of the Theatre Orchestra of Florida.

Visit these sites for cultural events Around Wellington and beyond:

http://www.armoryart.org/

http://www.bocaratontheatreguild.org/

http://www.floridastage.org/

www.jupitertheatre.org

http://www.kravis.org/

www.lakeworthplayhouse.org

http://www.onstagepalmbeach.com/

http://www.scattershottheater.com/

October, 2009 – Collecting Your Feedback

Buzz on Business

admin

-

October 1, 2009

0

October, 2009 – Collecting Your Feedback

Buzz on Business

Collecting Your Feedback: The Best & Worst of Local Businesses

By Peter Wein

I am not sure how you feel, but this seemed to be one of the hottest summers in a long time. I feel like I have been sweating non-stop for months. The best part about it is that those wonderful autumn and winter months are just around the corner. Talking with business owners, it seems as if the overall consensus is that September is the hump to get through. It seems as if back-to-school and the vacationers coming back to the reality of everyday life puts a clamp on customer’s purse strings. Although between the time of year and the so called downturn in the economy, we still do not have the luxury of stopping purchases when it comes to our everyday needs. In case you haven’t heard, there is a movement in the country (even the world) of going green and buying locally. My request for you is to try this, not only with your local farmers but with your merchants that provide the merchandise and services that each of us needs on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating the banning of traveling to another community for purchasing of gifts, food, entertainment, services and other purchases, but I am asking you to check out the availability of these things in your community. By supporting your local merchant, it gives them the incentive to get involved in community activities. Putting back your money into the area that you reside in. The charities. The community events among other activities that we produce for the betterment of our town. (Editor’s note: For the entire month of October, you can buy Brighton bracelets and badge holders, also known as lanyards, and for each purchase, and $10 goes back to Your Bosom Buddies II, Inc., a breast cancer support group, right here in Wellington.)

On the other side of the coin, all you business owners, it is your responsibility to make sure that you give back to the communities that support you and shop with you. It is these communities that help you keep your doors open. Running specials to get shoppers to walk through your door is great. Although it may be a way to get shoppers during off times, ultimately it is just a way for you to profit. With the beginning of “Snowbirds” migration and the “Beginning of Season,” there will be a plethera of events popping up in the coming months. The charities step it up. The Municipalities start stepping it up. Also the residents will start looking where to spend their dollars for holiday gifts. That’s right, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza are just around the corner. Even those with tight and near empty pockets will be spending, probably more than they should. My campaign will be to urge people to shop with the store owners that believe in Give N Take. I will definitely be writing about those who care and take the steps needed to help this community. Additionally, those who let greed control their practices will also be announced publically.

My request to you, the reader and local resident, is to email me and let me know those you praise and also those that only want to take from us. Email me at pdwein@mybnetwork.com or contact me through this publication, subject “Buzz.” Believe it or not, we can make a difference. We can “lightly” pressure those merchants that want our almighty dollar into working with us to continue to make this a desirable locale to live and play.

Hoping to hear from you and certainly hope that I will see you “Around Wellington.”

Peter Wein, a business professional who is very active in the Western Communities, is also the managing member of the B Network. To contact Peter, email: pdwein@mybnetwork.com or call him at (561) 827-4223. Tune into Peter’s Livingroom radio show on W4CY radio, www.w4cy.com or visit his network at www.mybnetwork.com.

October, 2009 – Touched by an Angel

Poem of the Month

admin

-

October 1, 2009

0

Touched by An Angel

by Maya Angelou

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

Maya Angelou is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She is best known for her autobiographical books: All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. For more, visit poets.org.

October, 2009 – The Cleansing Breath

Health & Fitness

admin

-

October 1, 2009

0

Health & Fitness

The Cleansing Breath

By Cheryl Alker

We take many things for granted in life; however, without a doubt, breathing has to be in the top five. Oxygen is the most vital nutrient for our bodies. It is essential for the health of the brain, nerves, glands and internal organs. We can do without food for weeks and without water for days, but without oxygen, we will die within minutes.

One of the major secrets of vitality and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. The quickest and most effective way to purify the blood is by taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe.

By purifying the blood stream, every part of the body benefits, as well as the mind. Your complexion will become clearer and brighter and wrinkles will begin to fade away. In short, rejuvenation will start to occur.

The average person reaches peak respiratory function and lung capacity in their mid 20’s then they begin to lose respiratory capacity between 9% and 25% for every decade of life. So, unless you are doing something to maintain or improve your breathing capacity, it will decline, and with it, your general health and your life expectancy.

The respiratory system should be responsible for eliminating 70% of your metabolic waste. The remaining 30% should be eliminated through defecation – 3%, urination – 8%, and perspiration – 19%. So, if you think that going to the bathroom everyday is important, or that working up a good sweat is healthy, think again – start to value the quality of a simple breath.

The Cleansing Breath

Of course, we all know how to breathe. It is something that occurs to us automatically, spontaneously, naturally. We are breathing even when we are not aware of it. So it seems foolish to think that we should take time to learn how to breathe or focus on the quality of our breath. Yet, our breathing often becomes modified and restricted in various ways, not just momentarily, but habitually. We develop unhealthy habits without being aware of it. Our posture can greatly affect our capacity to breathe efficiently. Therefore, vital for us to address good postural alignment. A slouched position will reduce the ability of our diaphragm (the main breathing muscle) to work efficiently and will diminish lung capacity.

Many of us have become habitual “chest breathers” i.e. rapid shallow breathing. Chest breathing is inefficient and can result in an approximate 25% decrease in oxygen being transferred to the blood resulting in poor delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the heart, brain, skeletal muscles, organs and tissues. Chest breathing also utilizes the neck and shoulder muscles. If you think how many times you inhale in one day, no wonder fatigue, pain and discomfort in this area is so common. You can test if you are a chest breather by placing your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your abdomen. As you breathe, see which hand raises more. If your right hand raises more, you are a chest breather. If your left hand raises more, you are an abdomen breather.

Abdominal breathing is also known as diaphragmatic breathing. Good diaphragmatic breathing will lead to an improvement in stamina for both fighting off disease and athletic activity. Like blood, the flow of lymph, which is rich in immune cells, is also improved. By expanding the lungs’ air pockets and improving the flow of blood and lymph, abdominal breathing also helps prevent infection of the lung and other tissues. Most of all, it is an excellent tool to stimulate the relaxation response that results in less tension and an overall sense of well being.

Abdominal Breathing Technique

Breathing exercises such as this one should be done twice a day or whenever you find your mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts or when you are experiencing pain.

Ø Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in through your nose. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that the diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of the lungs.

Ø After exhaling through the mouth, take a slow deep breath in through your nose imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for a count of 7 (or as long as you are able, not exceeding 7).

Ø Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8/10. As all the air is released with relaxation, gently contract your abdominal muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from the lungs. It is important to remember that we deepen respirations not by inhaling more air but through completely exhaling it.

Ø Repeat the cycle four more times for a total of 5 deep breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one breath every 10 seconds (or 6 breaths per minute). At this rate our heart rate variability increases which has a positive effect on cardiac health.

Abdominal breathing is just one of many breathing exercises. But it is the most important one to master before exploring other techniques.

So the next time someone tells you to “take a breather,” take it. It may be the most important thing you do for well being that day!

Cheryl Alker specializes in flexibility training, facial exercises and postural alignment. Her 26-year career began as a group fitness and personal trainer. She has lectured and directed fitness training programs in both Europe and the USA and was an advisor for a British governmental health promotion program. Alker and her company Stretch Results International continues to work with a select clientele from a base in Palm Beach County, certifying health professionals in her results-based stretching program, educating consumers through public speaking and offering consultation to clients who wish to lose their muscular pain and gain flexibility to achieve full and active lifestyles. Her program has been accredited with The National Association of Sports Medicine, The American Council of Exercise, The National Strength and Conditioning Association and The Florida Physical Therapy Association. For more information about professional continuing education and consultation options, please call Cheryl at (561) 889 3738 or visit www.stretchresults.com.

October, 2009 – A Very Tangled Web

Tech Talk

admin

-

October 1, 2009

0

Tech Talk

“It’s a VERY tangled web we weave…”

By Jamie Allison

How many websites are out there and will it ever stop? When was the first email sent? I ask myself these questions sometimes and it still boggles the mind. I have been working in the information technology industry for over 15 years now and I am still amazed at how things work the way they do.

Email, websites, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, online games, fantasy sports – just to name a few.

Email – Much like the first telegraph or phone call, the first email marked an historic moment in the evolution of communication. Unfortunately, the message itself was less than earth shattering. The text of that first electronic missive consisted of something like “QWERTYUIOP.” Sent by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson in 1971, the email was simply a test message to himself. The email was sent from one computer to another computer sitting right beside it in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but it traveled via ARPANET, a network of computers that was the precursor to the Internet. Working for Bolt Beranek and Newman (the company picked by the U.S. Defense Department to build ARPANET* see below), Tomlinson had been fooling around with two programs called SNDMSG and READMAIL, which allowed users to leave messages for one another on the same machine. He applied the idea behind these programs to a third program called CYPNET, which allowed users to send and receive files between computers. The combined technology allowed people to send and receive files that could be appended between different machines.

*The ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) created by ARPA of the United States Department of Defense during the Cold War, was the world’s first operational packet switching network, and the predecessor of the global Internet. Packet switching, now the dominant basis for both data and voice communication worldwide, was a new and important concept in data communications. Previously, data communication was based on the idea of circuit switching, as in the old typical telephone circuit, where a dedicated circuit is tied up for the duration of the call and communication is only possible with the single party on the other end of the circuit. With packet switching, a system could use one communication link to communicate with more than one machine by disassembling data into datagrams, then gather these as packets. Not only could the link be shared (much as a single post box can be used to post letters to different destinations), but each packet could be routed independently of other packets.

Most users have what is called ‘Web Based Email’ – The most popular ones are: Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail and AOL. Webmail is an e-mail service intended to be primarily accessed via a web browser, as opposed to through a desktop e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook. A major advantage of webmail over application-based e-mail is that a user has the ability to access their inbox from any Internet-connected computer around the world. However, the need for Internet access is also a drawback, in that one cannot access old messages when not connected to the Internet. Today, email is a part of everyone’s lives and I don’t think we could imagine living without it.

Websites – “But how many web pages are there?” Large websites can have many thousands of pages. Dynamically generated sites can have a seemingly infinite number – and we must somehow agree not to count all of these. Yet most sites just have a few pages introducing a business or a person, or simply a placeholder home page. Who could possibly tell us how many web pages there are? There are two obvious candidates: Google and Yahoo, the major search engine companies. Visiting, analyzing and indexing the billions of web pages in the world is their business. Unfortunately, neither company currently publicizes the exact size of its index, and they have not done so since August 2005. It seems that everybody has a website these days. You might need a personal website to share family photos or talk about you and your hobbies or you might need a website for your small business to enhance sales and promote new products.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications.

Facebook is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. The website’s name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students get to know each other better.

A blog (a contraction of the term “weblog”) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

An online game is a game played over some forms of computer network. At the present, this almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology; but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the internet, and hard wired terminals before modems. The expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and the growth of Internet access itself. Online games can range from simple text based games to games incorporating complex graphics and virtual worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Many online games have associated online communities, making online games a form of social activity beyond single player games. The rising popularity of Flash and Java led to an Internet revolution where websites could utilize streaming video, audio, and a whole new set of user interactivity. When Microsoft began packaging Flash as a pre-installed component of IE, the Internet began to shift from a data/information spectrum to also offer on-demand entertainment. This revolution paved the way for sites to offer games to web surfers. Most online games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II charge a monthly fee to subscribe to their services, while games such as Guild Wars offer an alternative no monthly fee scheme.

A fantasy sport is a game where participants act as owners to build a team that competes against other fantasy owners based on the statistics generated by the real individual players or teams of a professional sport. Probably the most common variant converts statistical performance into points that are compiled and totaled according to a roster selected by a manager that makes up a fantasy team. These point systems are typically simple enough to be manually calculated by a “league commissioner.” More complex variants use computer modeling of actual games based on statistical input generated by professional sports. In fantasy sports there is the ability to trade, cut, and sign players, like a real sports owner.

Above are just some of the great things the internet offers which most of us use in our everyday lives. Try some and have fun! 🙂

Jamie Allison, MCSA MCP Net+ A+, can be contacted at PC Piece of Mind Computer Services, jallison@pcpieceofmind.com or at 561-827-3792. AOL IM: pcpieceofmind. Visit www.pcpieceofmind.com.

October, 2009 – Pet Talk

editor

-

October 1, 2009

0

Pet Talk

By Frances Goodman

Helping Puppies

Become Good Dogs

One of my very special training cases was a large breed puppy we will call “Baxter.”

At age 5 months Baxter weighed almost 50 pounds. His manners and hyperactivity were making him a persona non grata.

“I’m ready to send him back,” the wife told me.

“My husband left him alone in the house for a little while so he could mow the lawn and Baxter tore up my potted plant and nearly wrecked the house!”

A little investigation uncovered several factors that are so typical with puppies — especially large breeds — that Baxter’s story deserves to be shared.

Exercise

First and foremost, Baxter was not getting enough exercise.

Everyday a puppy wakes up with a glassful of energy. If not expended in a positive way, it will be used in a negative way.

A minimum necessity for this large breed pup on a daily basis would be two or three brisk walks a day and a good half-hour of ball-chasing and other backyard games with the owners, all in the cool times of the day.

But Baxter spent the better part of his days crated until 3 p.m., because both husband and wife worked. They were often too tired or busy to do more than turn him out in the fenced yard, hopefully to exercise himself. That often included destructive digging.

More exercise was the immediate recommendation.

Sugar

Sugar was also likely involved in Baxter’s behavior. His treats contained corn syrup, sugar, and or dextrose. Sugar in its various forms does the same to dogs that it does to children. It was the last thing this hyperactive pup needed.

The treats also had artifcial color, sodium nitrite, artificial preservatives and corn, all of which can affect animals adversely.

Fortunately, many pet supply stores, including the large chains, are adding “all natural” sections where truly premium foods, including organics, are offered.

Last, not Least

Last and just as important, Baxter’s owners were expecting too much of him too soon. At almost 50 pounds, he looked like a dog. But between his ears, he was still a puppy. His particular breed (Doberman) does not mature until around 15-18 months.

Part of the formula for helping puppies be good is, “When you are with them, supervise. When you cannot be with them, confine them safely, so they cannot hurt themselves or the house.” Although never for too long.

We recommended an outdoor run for Baxter in a shady part of the fenced yard, or even a 6′ x 12′ outdoor kennel. This way, he could have an outdoor playpen for times when they were home and could not supervise but did not want to close him in his crate, either.

Finding ways to help puppies be good, combined with training for manners, can help them become adult dogs that are a pleasure to live with.

Frances Goodman is a professional dog trainer and pet care writer who lives in Royal Palm Beach. Got a question? Email her at fhpettalk@hotmail.com. Or click on her ad to visit her website, www.mypetnews.com.

October, 2009 – Feeling Antsy

As I Was Saying

editor

-

October 1, 2009

0

AS I WAS SAYING

by Alan Williamson

Feeling Antsy

I’ve never been nice to ants and the bad karma of my abusive behavior has come back to bite me in the butt. And the ankle. And the arm. And other parts of the anatomy much too personal to itemize.

Lately it seems ants are working day and night to think of ways to pay me back for my long-standing policy of swatting, stomping or spraying them on sight. Consider the following ant-initiated incidents from the past few months:

Ants Ambush My New Car. I hadn’t purchased a new car in nine years, so I was eager to experience the thrills of the latest automotive innovations and that treasured, perversely pleasing fragrance known as “new car smell.” The honeymoon between me and my Mustang Convertible was going well until a few days out of the showroom when the first ant appeared on the dashboard. Then I noticed one on the windshield, the steering wheel, and the center console. Next, a steady stream of them marshaled forces along both door panels before making their way up to the radio and changing one of my pre-set buttons to a disco station. Soon my new car smell was replaced by the haunting aroma of Raid Ant & Roach Spray.

Ants Assault My Mother-in-Law. I was sitting next to her in the back seat of a rental car on the way to dinner. Seeing an ant scurry up her arm, I gently smacked it, believing it to be an isolated incident. When we returned to the car later, her seat was peppered with the tiny tormentors. After some high spirited swatting and stomping, we bought still more ant and roach spray, which, by now, I was considering using as aftershave.

Ants Surround Our House. Ants can nest almost anywhere around your home and yard. At our place, they’ve taken up residence in the soil, trees, shrubs – even the cracks and crevices in our paver brick driveway. Hector, our pest eradication technician (otherwise known as “the bug guy”), comes out once a month or so to identify infestation sites, note migration patterns, and squirt chemicals that cause the ants to relocate their colonies from the outside of the house to the inside.

Ants Storm Our Kitchen. When my wife and I started seeing a chorus line of ants tap dance across the kitchen counter we called Hector back out.

“They move their colonies when threatened,” he informed us. “After I sprayed outside they headed inside looking for safe shelter and a source of food.”

“I liked it better when they were outside,” I stipulated, clarifying my personal preference as a consumer of home pest control services.

“I’ll give you an inside treatment to flush them out and drive the survivors back outside,” he assured me.

This strategy seems to work fine until someone drops a crumb from a piece of banana nut bread or the queen ant decides that having 350,000 worker ants in her colony is no fun if she can’t send a few off to war in our kitchen or family room. With every invasion the message is clear: we are surrounded by an army and our house is a giant picnic basket worth dying for.

Ants Launch an Air Attack. In an onslaught of “shock and awe” magnitude, my wife and I came home from a weekend away to find epic swarms of ants flying around inside our house. Now, in the world as I knew it, ants aren’t endowed with the gift of flight, which instantly put the experience into the realm of the paranormal. It was about the same level of weirdness as hearing a dog talk, which, by the way, I have never personally encountered, except the time I was left alone in a room with an albino Doberman. At this point, I was prepared for the full-blown Amityville Horror experience in homeownership, complete with unexplained power outages, furniture stacked into pyramids in the middle of the floor, and the booming, disembodied voice in the night claiming to be the original owner and demanding that we rethink the whole burgundy-colored accent-wall in the master bedroom.

Instead, I got three months of flying ants that would show up out of nowhere anytime we had more than a 25-watt bulb on in the house and send us fleeing into other rooms where we would barricade the door and pray for whatever ancient curse was put on us to expire. The flying ants were finally vanquished when Hector’s no-nonsense colleague Edgar drilled holes in our walls and injected enough flying ant poison to bring down the 94^th Aerial Squadron.

Call me paranoid, but judging from the relentless, well-organized and increasingly malicious nature of the attacks against me and members of my family, the ant world has targeted me for extermination. If that’s their mission, drastic measures are called for in response. Starting tomorrow, no more free banana nut bread crumbs. And I’m hiring Hector the bug guy as a bodyguard.

Alan Williamson is an award-winning writer with 27 years in the field of true fiction (advertising). A practical man who knows that writing for a living is risky going, he has taken steps to pursue a second, more stable career as a leggy super model. Alan can be reached at alwilly@bellsouth.net.

October, 2009 – One More Weekend at Ben’s

Cantankerously Yours

editor

-

October 1, 2009

0

October, 2009 – One More Weekend at Ben’s

CANTANKEROUSLY YOURS

by Wendell Abern

One More Weekend at Ben’s

In perhaps four hours, the sun will set.

It is a glorious August afternoon, the first day of poker weekend, and we sprawl languorously across the planked deck, seven overweight poker players, staring west across a glassy Lake Michigan and smoking long cigars with alluring Hispanic names.

Tradition dictates the first game begins when the sun sinks beneath the Chicago skyline, but we are in no hurry.

Ben’s summer home in Michigan City, only an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, sits atop a small hill with an unimpeded view of the lake. We have hauled our suitcases up the 26 steep steps to Ben’s deck, along with enough deli for a small battalion.

After ironing out all Iraqi and Pakistani problems, we have our traditional opening day drink and toast to our host, Ben. Our only drink of the weekend. We are an Eating Poker Game, not a Drinking One.

“Abortion joke,” Shel announces. “They asked a Jewish mother when life begins. She said, ‘When my child graduates medical school.’”

“You told that joke last year,” Ray says.

“Yeah, but with your pathetic memories, I figured no one’d remember it.”

Then we toast the two charter members we have lost, Dennis (ten years ago) and my brother (five years ago).

We toast, drink, smoke and have solved all issues dealing with abortion, then move on to Uzbekistan, the stock market, the White Sox and Cubs when Lou announces, “Dinner.”

Lou – our organizer, shopper and tradition-keeper – heads to the refrigerator, and starts hauling out food. He slaps down tall stacks of corned beef, pastrami, salami, cheddar cheese, rye bread and dinner rolls on paper plates; then he sets out large cartons of potato salad and

cole slaw, surrounding them with three different kinds of mustard and green tomato dill pickles.

“Dinner,” he yells, and we get up as one, walk into the kitchen,

make sandwiches only a lion’s mouth could accommodate, and amble back

to the deck to await sundown.

“Gonna be a spectacular sunset,” Ben says.

He’s right. The sun is nearing Chicago’s three prominent skyscrapers — Sears Tower, Standard Oil Building, John Hancock –which stick up like fuzzy gray pencils on the horizon, and the sky is already ablaze with orange and pink slashes. Lou starts taking pictures.

“I hate your cigars,” Ray, the only non-smoker, says. “The smoke clings to me. When I get home from a poker game at one in the morning, my wife won’t even let me in the bedroom until I take a shower.”

“You don’t know how to handle your wife,” Jerry says. “When I come home from poker, I make my wife take a shower.”

By the time we have finished eating and solved the nation’s racial and prison problems, the sun is touching the lip of the lake, just north of the Hancock. And it drops, as if swallowed by the horizon, disappearing in seconds.

The game begins.

I look around the table and marvel, for about the thousandth time, at us. At the improbability of us. At the mere existence of us.

We began playing poker together when we were ten years old. A game every month since 1944. Seven marriages, no divorces. In the last

few years, five of us celebrated Golden Anniversaries. Great kids and grandchildren, you could get obnoxious, who would blame you? A sixty-three-year-old poker game. Unreal. We should call Guinness.

The game, which used to go until two in the morning, ends before midnight (with one fifteen-minute cigar break). Everyone finds his usual

bed or couch, upstairs or down, and they’re all asleep in ten minutes.

I sit up and read. As I trudge up to bed sometime after two, I think to myself … our poker game, the reason we get together every year, is the least important part of the weekend.

* * *

On Saturday morning, the early crew (Shel, Jerry and Lou) departs for Shirley’s Diner at about 6:30, where Lou will order, “The usual,” and muddle the entire waitstaff. They have returned by the time I get up (nine-ish), shower, and walk to the deck with my first cup of coffee.

Everyone is noshing on the coffee cake the early crew brought back from Shirley’s.

We spend the next hour resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis when Lou says, “Game time.”

The morning game breaks at 11:45 for lunch: deli left overs from last night. The game ends at l:30, when we clean up, and Shel, Jerry, Lou and I head out to the nearby Blue Chip Casino.

I win $235 at blackjack, Lou loses ten, Jerry wins twenty. When I ask Shel how he fared at Three-Card Poker, he says, “Do I ask you how much money you make?”

When we return, everyone naps for an hour before heading out to dinner. Every year, we go to a nearby restaurant, named – and it’s as hard for me to write this name as it is to believe it – Ben’s.

We return around seven. I make coffee and we settle in for the final game, which ends a little after midnight.

We sit on the porch, seven overweight poker players, exhausted, smoking our final cigars, talking in monosyllables, and listening to waves lapping at the sand. At 1:15, we all go to bed.

* * *

Sunday morning. I am the last one awake. I shower, shave, make the bed, shove clothes into my bag (none of us unpacks – we live out of suitcases) and join everyone on the porch.

We wolf down the bagels, lox and cream cheese we brought with us on Friday, help Ben clean up, then walk carefully down the steep steps with our bags to await the annual getaway photo. Ben joins us.

Tradition, according to Lou, dictates we must wait for a stranger to come by to take our picture. We wait 15 minutes before a

young woman, out cycling, pedals our way.

Art yells out, “They just let us out of the home for an hour. Can you take our picture?”

“Don’t worry,” Shel tells her as she dismounts. “Last time anyone here was a threat to a woman’s virtue, you weren’t even an idea yet.”

She takes several pictures of us and cycles away. We say our goodbyes to each other with an unarticulated sadness. It is 2007, some

of the guys aren’t well, some of the wives aren’t well, and we all sense this is The Last Game.

Oh, the guys still get together for monthly games with some ringers they have found. And I talk to them regularly. But in my quiet moments, when I reminisce and chuckle to myself, I can see Lake Michigan and the

Chicago skyline, and I think to myself, my God, what I would give for just one more weekend at Ben’s.

Cantankerously Yours,

Wendell Abern

Wendell Abern can be reached at .

October, 2009 – Back-up Plan

Mommy Moments

editor

-

October 1, 2009

0

Mommy Moments

By Melanie Lewis

Back-up Plan

“Hey wing nut, where’ve you been?” my neighbor asked me. “Well, coconut, I’ve been in the sick-ward since May”, I responded.

It was true; I had been out from mid-May to mid-July. How does a stay-at-home mom of two kids under the age of six parlay her responsibilities with no warning of impending illness? It was a day-to-day riddle to be solved. Before anyone would dare step in the door, I needed to be cleared of carrying a contagious disease. Even my husband put me in solitary confinement. I swore my illness bore no resemblance of the flu, or at least of any variety propagated in the Petri-dish called school and delivered by my sweeties. I was whisked away to the doctor’s office for a complete examination. For the journey, I had to wear a mask dug out from under the work bench last used to sand and refinish furniture. It did not help my nausea. It turns out that the room-spinning, stomach-turning illness was no other than BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.) Basically, I had rocks in my head- or rather inner-ear. I’m sure my many acquaintances could have confirmed that for free.

Now, the help could arrive. I couldn’t move without turning green, so I made one call to a connected friend from church. After a brief explanation, she brought in a visiting nurse. She was of the Florence Nightingale variety and could hold my hair back while I leaned over the toilet with real fortitude. She held up better than my sorority sisters did back in the ole’ college days anyway. This magnificent woman cleaned, cooked and even read stories to the kids. After a couple of weeks the dizziness subsided and I had to let her go. Meanwhile, a friend shuttled the kids to their respective activities and babysitters. I found the High School guidance counselor to be a great resource at recommending some really helpful, kid-friendly sophomore girls. They arrived fresh from central costuming which included rainbow hair colors and dynamic grunge attire. Despite their tough-look, they had great energy, enthusiasm and were very trustworthy.

So what’s the moral of this story? Be prepared in the event you are not able to care for your kids should you become injured or ill. Get the phone numbers of caregivers and housecleaners who do not need a year’s contract. Have them in a handy spot where someone can get them. I made a little notebook and put it in a drawer of my desk. Don’t be certain that relatives and friends can be around the great many hours you’ll be in need. You will likely need outside help, often specialized in a medical field. Have your metaphorical diaper bag packed and ready to go at all times. You never know when you need a backup plan.

Melanie Lewis is the mother of two boys, ages 3 and 5. She is married to a self-described geek and works part-time. She enjoys reading, gardening and playing with her Blue-mitted Ragdoll cat Percy and Golden Retriever Rosie.

October, 2009 – It’s a Busy Month!

Future is Bright

editor

-

October 1, 2009

0

evan-baumel TEEN TALK

by Evan Baumel

It’s a Busy Month!

October is homecoming month for Palm Beach County high schools. Traditionally, homecoming is when the alumni from years past come back to visit their alma mater during the homecoming football game. The week begins with a flurry of activities that promote school spirit. It would be to your advantage to participate.

While some of the activities may seem childish, they can actually be quite enjoyable if you get involved. Powderpuff football, where the cheerleaders play football (class against class) and the football players are the cheerleaders, is both entertaining and amusing.

Since the Wellington High School homecoming theme is “Decades,” the lip sync contest will surely incorporate music and costumes from the 50’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. A variety of clubs will have fun building their floats for the homecoming parade. This year will be different from previous years in that the parade will precede the carnival on Thursday, October 15^th, rather than the homecoming game. This is due to a scheduled teacher work day on Friday, October 16^th. The week will also include pep rallies and the homecoming dance. I strongly encourage students to try to attend the homecoming dance. It’s much less formal (and less expensive) than prom, and the entire student body is invited, so get your tickets before they sell out.

One thing that I notice year after year is the lack of involvement on the part of the freshman and sophomore classes. They don’t know what they’re missing!

Homecoming week is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the activities planned by members of student government. They put in an extraordinary effort to make homecoming week as enjoyable as possible. Also, try to be supportive of your team and attend the homecoming football game.

By the 15^th of October, most Palm Beach County secondary schools will end their first quarter. It is surprising how quickly the first grading period has passed. In the midst of all these activities, be sure to pace yourself with your schoolwork. Try to plan ahead and don’t let your grades start to slip.

Of course, the other notable event in the month of October is Halloween. Rather than trick or treating, most high schoolers get together with friends at Halloween-themed parties. You can still creatively dress up in costume, overload on candy and watch a scary movie.

October is filled with exciting and enjoyable events. With any luck, the weather will be pleasant and start to cool down. Rainy season is just about over, so let’s hope for clear skies on Halloween night. However, knowing south Florida, I would bring an umbrella… just in case.

One last reminder for seniors: if you are in the process of applying to colleges for either early action or early decision, don’t forget to submit your applications by November 1^st. I will discuss colleges and the application process in further detail in the next issue of Around Wellington. Have an optimistic October!

Evan Baumel is a senior at Wellington High School. He’s involved in Debate, National Honor Society, Key Club, politics and writes for the school newspaper.

Here is the tagline

Here is the tagline

October, 2009 – Chris Botti

October, 2009 – Collecting Your Feedback

October, 2009 – Touched by an Angel

October, 2009 – The Cleansing Breath

October, 2009 – A Very Tangled Web

October, 2009 – Pet Talk

October, 2009 – Feeling Antsy

by Alan Williamson

Feeling Antsy

October, 2009 – One More Weekend at Ben’s

One More Weekend at Ben’s

October, 2009 – Back-up Plan

October, 2009 – It’s a Busy Month!

by Evan Baumel

It’s a Busy Month!

Total Shredding, LLC

Chakalaka - Spice with Soul

NFA Risk Services

Palm Beach Dermatology (561) 440-7546

Tranquility Psychiatry: 561-203-5625

The Salt Suite

About Around WellingtonHere is the tagline

Quick Links

Get Social with AW!