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Mykonos, Baklava Heaven

January 26, 2012 in Places

The Greek island of Mykonos is a paradise. Named after Apollo’s grandson, Mykons it serves as a playground for the rich and famous and the wannabes. Though once very poor barely surviving on fishing and stock breeding,Mykonos developed their tourist industry starting in the 1950s. There are approximately 10,000 people living on the island in many little villages. However, the port village which is called Mykonos(also known as Chora) is the most populated. There are ten villages on the island, but Chora is the largest. The island is approximately 33 square miles.

One of the island traditions is spotting the Mykonos mascot, Petros the Pelican. If you see him it’s good luck. Well, I saw him and his lady friend, so I think it’s a sign I should live there, okay that and the amazing food. Moussaka, fresh fish, and Greek salads were prepared for me with care. And to top it off I had strong coffee and baklava. The baklava was incredible. Stacked paper thin layers of buttery golden pastry with honey and crushed walnuts drizzled in between the layers. It was ultra sweet. I was sure I would eat only a bite. But before my small coffee was done I was running my fingers along the plate in frantic attempts to get every last piece of honey soaked walnuts. The waitress laughed. “Many people do that. You like it? Good. I will tell my mother, she made the baklava this morning.” So there I sat sipping the last of my coffee with a sugar rush to beat the band and looking out at crystal clear water where the fishing boats tied to moorings seemed to float in mid-air. I had just had one of the best meals of my life.

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by Bruce Sallan

Values, Money, Our Kids, and the Real World

January 26, 2012 in Family

There is a reason that money is on that short list of things that couples argue about most. What are the other things? Sex, and the kids, of course. With the state of our worldwide economy being in such flux, money is a more pressing issue for couples and families than any other time in my life. Plus, we have the glorious – and I use that word facetiously* – social development in which both parents work, more than ever before.

As a baby-boomer, it’s my unequivocal opinion that the only good thing “My Generation” produced was some pretty terrific music. I blame our generation for the deterioration of the family unit; the decline in actual honest discourse at our campuses, and raising the most spoiled generation of children in human history. Oh, we’re also responsible for tearing down many pillars of society from the military to the police, politicians to anyone over 30. How ironic given that Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, and so many others qualify for AARP now!

Threats to Our Lifestyle

Given the current economic turmoil, we now face genuine threats to our comfortable life-style. We’ve forgotten the values of The Greatest Generation and the values many of us were raised with. We’ve done a lousy job of preparing our kids for the REAL WORLD. Yes, the real world. And, I don’t mean the television series!

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by Maria Grazia Swan

Dreaming in Italian

January 26, 2012 in Romance

I always wanted to be a writer. When I was a little girl I lived with my grandparents in a 3 story house my grandfather built. One rainy day I went up into the attic to look for something, not sure what. Keep in mind that was before phones, before TVs and certainly before computers. I found a wooden crate full of old books—Gialli, that’s what mysteries are called in Italy. The books had been left there by my uncle migrated to Canada.

Love Thy Sister by Maria Grazia-Swanuncle Agostino who migrated to Canada.

From then on I spent my weekends in the attic, reading. Agatha Christie, Rex Stout…I loved them all. In school my best grades were in Literature. My teachers liked my writing, often would read it out loud.

Then my parents moved to Belgium, and I said goodbye to my grandparents, the attic and the books. In Belgium I had to learn French, and I did. Soon my teachers liked my French essays.

I still dreamed of becoming a professional writer. By the time I was fourteen, not today’s fourteen, mind you, I entered a short story contest and won! A French newspaper published my story. Pretty good I guess, except, my parents didn’t read French, neither did my grandparent back in Italy. Still, I felt proud. It was a good start.

Life has a way of playing tricks on our carefully planned tomorrows. So I met an American boy, fell in love, married and moved to the United States. I had to learn English. And I did. Didn’t have much time to write with kids, a career, Great Danes and a philandering husband. I managed to survive without writing. Then came the divorce, the kids moved out, the Great Danes went to dogs’ heaven, and I went back to write, in English, of course.

I paid my dues, learned my craft and won an award, a national award! All right! By then my grandparents were dead, too late to make them proud, but they always believed in me and that made it okay.

In 2001 my first book was released, a mystery, in English. Love Thy Sister (Order at Amazon) was a late homage to the 3 story house, my Italian heritage, and my newly found American life.

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by Bonnie Joffe

My iPad2..

January 21, 2012 in Boomers, TechSavy

My iPad 2 has become my new best friend

My iPad 2 has become my new best friend.

Whoever said us “old” people cant’ figure out technology? I am here to tell you, no matter your age, you can still learn!

My 81 year old father and my 70 something mother (you’re welcome mom!) have learned to navigate this digital age.

So I say- NO EXCUSES!

I must admit, I am a “bull in a china shop!” I have a tendency to drop things- Well, maybe more than a tendency! And as many of you know, (since I complained all over Facebook about it), I did drop my first iPad2 only 4 weeks after purchasing it. I was heartbroken. I had become so attached to this piece of technology that I almost broke out into a cold sweat! Apple was kind enough to replace my IPad- Thank You Apple!

Now I keep my life in this portable unit. No matter where I am, I can access the internet and do presentations about my business! I read books, keep my calendar, watch movies, access Facebook and email. And those are just a few examples of what you can do with these tablets.

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by Dena Kouremetis

Climbing into the TV with an old movie …

January 8, 2012 in Boomers, Entertainment

Dena Kouremetis

From the time I was tiny, old-movie-watching was a disease in our household. My father, a lover of television and communication technology in any form, would excitedly yell (not call) out to the entire family when a good old movie was about to start on TV. And because he was the smartest man on earth to my brothers and me, we would rally ‘round the old tube-laden console and try to see things through our father’s eyes. He would explain who the actors were, what the story was about and we would learn to love the past through movies.

As a child, I saw the movie world that lived inside our TV set as one that must have existed on another planet. Movies made in the 1940s had people wearing huge shoulder pads, hats at all times, suits even in the hottest weather and dresses in the kitchen, spouting their lines in fake British accents. They spoke to one another just a few inches from another actor’s face (tight screen shots, no doubt), which made me wonder about halitosis on the set. Still, I was riveted. They spoke more rapid-fire than you and I, and they miraculously never interrupted one another.

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