NAKED’S NOT NOVEL ANYMORE

Here in Indiana, Hoosiers are gearing up for another weekend of partying during the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 mile race. Fifty years ago, it was the one place where getting drunk and naked in public wouldn’t get you arrested. The excitement began on Carb Day, the Friday before the big event. Even if you didn’t care for the races, many of your friends and co-workers came back with pictures of drunken parties where men and women stripped and streaked with wild abandon. However, things have really toned down since Covid-19 changed everything. Last year, they scheduled a race without any fans at all. This year, they’ve canceled Carb Day, and only half as many tickets to the big race will be sold. But it doesn’t really matter, because naked’s not novel anymore.

Netflix and other streaming services have watered down the novelty of seeing naked strangers. Almost every other movie or TV series has at least one scene where someone isn’t wearing any clothes. Not only that, sex education is provided in the form of video demonstrations of the act. Consequently, there’s so much sex and nudity on television that it’s not even titillating. Remember when ankles were considered so erotic that porches were built so that a man would not see a lady’s ankles while ascending the stairs? Nowadays, who would get aroused at the sight of a woman’s ankles?

Anyone who grew up in Indiana has probably attended at least one Indianapolis 500 race. For most of us, it was about as exciting as watching paint dry. The only thing to relieve the boredom of seeing cars drive around the track was a hefty supply of alcohol in the cooler under your seat. Nevertheless, diehard race fans thrive on the possibility of carnage when a driver hits the wall at a speed of 257 miles per hour.

As a result, there’s still a lot of hype surrounding the race. The city throbs with excitement, and you see women in ball gowns entering hotels at all hours of the day and night. There will always be sponsors who host festive galas. It’s probably the highlight of the social season in Indianapolis. Still, you wonder what will happen to attendance now that naked’s not novel anymore.

March 19, 2021March 19, 2021

6 GOOD THINGS ABOUT BRITISH TV

Have you watched more television during the Covid-19 pandemic? I’d have to guess that most of us do. Stuck at home during a cold, dark winter, the long evenings were difficult to fill. No concerts to attend, friends to visit, places to go, or things to see and do. They say Netflix has seen an astronomical rise in revenue, and it’s no wonder. However, after watching so much TV, you become a bit more discerning. And many of us have found that we prefer watching British shows. Here are 6 good things about British TV.

The writing is better on the shows. It’s geared to a higher intellectual level. Not PHD’s but not aimed at the sixth grade mentality, either. The BBC produces 30% of all British TV . BBC mission statement is “to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain.” Since BBC isn’t dependent on commercial advertising, they don’t have to worry about pleasing sponsors like Procter and Gamble or Astra Zeneca.

2. Older people are more often major characters. And they aren’t cast as stereotypical seniors (crabby, saintly, sickly, frail). They’re strong men and women who have talents, abilities, enjoy sex, and are flawed in some way.

3. The characters aren’t as good looking as in America. They’re apt to be overweight, wrinkled, or sort of plain. Actors are cast for their talent, not their looks.

4. The females don’t wear as much makeup. They don’t all look like fashion models. They seem more like the women we see every day.

5. .The characters are more restrained. They behave in a rather formal, dignified manner.

6. British accents. Having lived in a small Indiana town, I had never heard a real English accent until I moved to Chicago after college. The best companies hired women with English accents . There are hundreds of different English accents, but all of them are easier on the ears that the flat American way of speaking Even if they use poor grammar, the British accent still sounds posher than an American of a similar social class.

As the pandemic hung on, we found Masterpiece Theatre and other British shows more entertaining than the typical American TV shows, thrown together with predictable plots, and cardboard characters. By this time next year, we’ll surely be watching less television than we do now. But we’ll appreciate the 6 good things we’ve learned about British TV.

February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

DIRTY WORDS SHOW POOR VOCABULARY

Believe it not, when I was in college, words like hell and damn were considered cusswords. It was shocking in Gone With The Wind, when Rhett Butler told Scarlett O’Hara, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Any four letter words referring to the lower body functions were seldom used and never heard in the media. Ladies didn’t swear–at least not in public. It was thought that only ignorant, uneducated people incorporated vulgarity into everyday language. That’s all changed now. But I still believe that over use of dirty words show a poor vocabulary.

Unfortunately, most Netflix shows set in modern times seem to delight in their characters using f**k in almost every sentence that comes out of their mouths. It’s gotten really tiresome. Potty mouthed men and women seem coarse and unappealing. This was especially true in the series called “The Ranch.” It wasn’t just one or two characters, it was every single one of them. Now, it’s happening again in “Dead To Me.” Personally, I find the overuse of these words obnoxious—not only on the screen, but in real life. Which is why the historical series “Bridgerton,” was so refreshing. . I’m sure the writers would have loved having every female character use lots of F words, but they couldn’t. Only “gutter snipes,” used vulgar language in 19^th century Britain. It would not have been historically accurate.

At least network television is still adhering to certain standards of decency. If a nightly news reporter used the F word, they would probably be kicked off the air. I hope that continues, but nothing in this day and age would surprise me. .

I’m not against the occasional use of cuss words. Actually, it’s been shown to be therapeutic. As an example, scientists have found that people can relieve pain by swearing. They’ve proven that swearing, or “the use of taboo language conveying connotative information,” has pain reducing effects. Past research has demonstrated that repeating a swear word helped people tolerate physical pain. If I stub my toe, I’m liable to scream every single dirty word I’ve ever heard in my life. And when I’m done, I do feel better.

dirty Words Show Poor Vocabulary — Swearing has been proven to relieve pain, but overuse of dirty words show a poor vocabulary.

But the truth is, most people aren’t experiencing intense physical pain all day long, every day in the week. So, if a person does overuse the F word , you have to wonder about their inner pain. I’d like to feel sorry for them, but the trashy talk doesn’t evoke much sympathy.

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020

STAY AT HOME DIARY: WEEK 7

When every day is the same, you lose your sense of time. Consequently, I almost forgot my youngest grandson’s birthday, May 4. It’s worse at the first of the month, when you don’t even know what month it is. Luckily, my husband keeps a birthday calendar, and reminded me when he flipped it from April to May.

Planted flowers for the big container on our deck. I just couldn’t wait, and Meijers had a great selection of annuals. But here’s the bad news. Spent so much time outside that I inhaled too much tree pollen. Woke up in the middle of the night with a stuffed up nose. Trouble with spring allergies is that they scare you into thinking you’ve caught the coronavirus. Now, the weatherman is predicting frost for the weekend. I’ll have to cover the flowers with a sheet overnight. The rule of thumb used to be: don’t plant annuals until after Mother’s Day. I think that’s good advice.

Stay At Home Diary: Malls are reopening this week in Indiana — Stay at Home Diary: Week 7. Malls are opening this week in Indiana.

Malls are opening this week, but why? What’s there to buy when you aren’t going anywhere or seeing anyone.? Here’s what they’re going to do in places like Macy’s and Stein Mart: Everyone wears a mask. The bathroom and dressing rooms are closed. You have to take your clothes home to try them on, and return them if they don’t fit. Sounds like a lot of bother. If there’s anything we’ve learned during the lock down, it’s how few clothes a person really needs. My closet is full of clothes that haven’t been worn in months.

This is four season weather. In the side hallway: wool hat, wool scarf, mittens.. Gardening gloves and winter gloves. winter coat, winter jacket, spring coat, sweat jacket, raincoat. And—I’ve worn all of them in one week’s time. Weather has gone from 82 to 34 degrees in the past 7 days.

We’ve managed to keep our weight even. In fact, my husband has lost five pounds. Wish I could say the same. We’re both at the far end of normal on body mass Index charts. I can remember when I was borderline underweight. That’s what retirement will do for you. But it’s good at our age to have a little “extra,” in case we get sick. That’s what they say, and I’m going to believe it because I want to.

More Netflix binging. This week started watching “Hollywood,” which is supposed to be the story of Rock Hudson. The actor they’ve chosen to portray Rock is no way as handsome as he was. I think they could have done a better job of casting that part.

Today, our local paper ,has gone from 7 days a week to 5 days. We still get the Indy Star every day, but on the Tuesdays and Sundays when we don’t get a local paper, it isn’t delivered to our door. I have to get up out of bed , put on a coat , and walk to the end of our driveway. to get the Indianapolis paper. Well, that’s one way of keeping track of time.

We’ve changed to bar soap for washing our hands. Ivory for me, Dove for my husband. Now our hands are not red and itchy from scented, colored liquid soap. .But with all the extra scrubbing, fingers are swelling, and my wedding ring is too tight.

Grocery shopping one day a week is a big job. Our side by side refrigerator and freezer are packed to the brim. Wonder what people with big families are doing? They would have to shop more often for milk, juice, eggs, meat, etc. So far, haven’t had any problems with shortages except for canned cheese soup, cream of onion. Plenty of cream of mushroom and plain tomato. available. Didn’t realize how many people dislike mushrooms.

Never dreamed I would still be writing a Stay At Home Diary after seven weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stay safe. Hang in there.

March 6, 2020March 6, 2020

PURELL HITS JACKPOT IN COVID-19

One man’s poison is another man’s meat, to rephrase an old cliché. While the cruise industry is reeling from the shock, and the stock market nose dives, some people are getting an unexpected windfall. The coronavirus appears to have a few beneficiaries. Purell hits the jackpot during the COVID-19 outbreak. Manufacturers of other hand sanitizers will see an increase in their bottom line, too.

Parell and other makers of hand sanitizers are making lots of money — Producers of hand sanitizers are seeing big sales. Purell hit the Jackpot in COVQ10-19

You may wish you owned stock in Purell, but if you work for a company making face masks or respirators, your job security is rock solid right now. Take it a step further. The drugstores who sell all of the aforementioned items are keeping pretty busy

Because more people have stopped attending church or public events, cable and network ratings must be going through the roof. We’ve watched more Netflix this month than we can remember. Just like Joe Biden, what video stores remain in business may experience a comeback.

Don’t worry about layoffs if you’re working in the healthcare industry.. You’re services are greatly needed right now. Not saying the coronavirus will get worse, but everyone who gets sick is going to think they have it. Patients may even get turned away from the emergency room, because there is no room for them.

Booksellers should see a surge in sales, as libraries keep up with the demand for bestsellers. We’ve probably read twice as many books this month as we usually do. I’m checking out as many library books as my arms can carry.

Family life may improve. When people are staying home, they may sit down and eat meals together. Suddenly everyone is bonded by fear of the coronavirus. A common enemy unites us all, as we huddle together in front of the hearth (or television) .

If it goes on too long, the coronavirus may reduce our reliance on Chinese goods and services.. Maybe manufacturers will decide to invest in American workers by moving their factories out of China and into the good old USA.

You never know. Every cloud has a silver lining.

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019

WARNING: ONE THING MAY RUIN SLEEP

The “twilight years”, when people grow old, is supposed to be a time of peace. Our worries are over, kids grown, and we can relax, enjoy life. Why, then, do most elderly people have trouble falling to sleep? We’re told to go out in the sunlight and get more exercise. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, and take magnesium. But what if these things don’t work? Warning: one thing may ruin your sleep.

Even after retirement, I didn’t have problems falling to sleep. But that changed when we stopped going South last winter. We looked for something to get us though the long winter nights. Our grown children had been talking about Netflix for years, so we decided to bite the bullet and embrace technology. We, too, could binge on House of Cards and Ranch on those long, cold evenings. Instead of yearning for spring, we would liven up the season with some great television shows. And that’s when I began to lie awake long after I’d gone to bed.

At first, I resigned myself to my fate. The experts said it was normal. The elderly have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, and that’s the way it was going to be. The sleeplessness continued even when spring arrived. and during the long hot summer,.

And then, last week, I stumbled across a story about “blue light,’ and what it does to our sleep patterns. According the the National Academy of Sciences, “the use of a light emitting electronic devise…before bedtime prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep…suppresses melatonin*, reduces the amount and delays the timing of REM sleep, and reduces alertness the following morning.”

For the first 30 years of my life , children went to bed after dark, while grownups listened to the radio, watched black and white TV and read books. No one had ever heard of blue light.. Then along came television and e mail and i phones.

TV emits blue light, blocks the prodution of melatonin, and may keep you awake — Watching television two hours before bedtime could keep you from falling asleep promptly

And now, our new habit of watching Netflix before going to bed was exposing me to hours of blue light , and keeping me awake. Computers also emit blue light, so I would have had the same problem if I’d been online for the same amount of time.

Last week, I found glasses on the internet that block UV light, and promptly ordered some. Since they hadn’t arrived, , I put on a pair of sunglasses while watching television. Within an hour, I felt groggy and struggled to stay awake. By the time our programs were over, I stumbled into bed, and fell asleep within minutes.

I’m hoping my new UV blocking glasses will have the same effect as the sunglasses. There is plenty of evidence that blue light affects when our bodies create melatonin. So, if you watch television a couple of hours before bedtime, these glasses might help stop you from staying up later than you want.

There are many factors that affect the quality of your sleep, but blue light may be one of them.

*Melatonin is a hormone that plays a role in sleep. The production and release of melatonin in the brain increases when it’s dark, and decreases when it’s light.