baby boom – Page 2 – Don't Gel Too Soon

Blogging Boomers #114: From Travel to Dictators to Shoes!

There's plenty worth checking out in this week's Blogging Boomers, and not only because it's living at the blog of one of my favorite women, boomer or otherwise, Janet Wendy Spiegel at GenPlus. There's of travel, from road trips to Key West to Berlin, there's a review of a book about Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and some deep thoughts about cool shoes. Nobody ever accused boomers of being homogeneous, after all. Visit GenPlus and you'll agree.

Blogging Boomers #108: the Economy Hits Home

The very wise John Agno of So Baby Boomer suggested at all the Carnivalistas write about the economy this week and so we have. For a Boomer perspective that, of course, mirrors what everyone is feeling, this is the place to go. It turns out we're a pretty wise bunch, writing about everything from the "alternative economy" to keeping things less stressful at home to dealing with the market. John ha a good idea and Carnival posts rose to the occasion.

Blogging Boomers Are at It Again!

I'm a bit late posting this week; life took over unexpectedly. But that doesn't diminish the usual value in the assembly known as Blogging Boomers Blog Carnival #103, this week posted by Ann Harrison at Contemporary Retirement. This time we have everything from the stimulus package to canned food to hormone replacement. And there's lots more. Don't miss it.

Pete, Bruce, Beyonce and Obama: the Changing of the Guard

There they are: two of the cultural icons of my political life. Pete Seeger, close to 90, peer and colleague of Woody Guthrie, creator of We Shall Overcome and Turn Turn Turn, of Abiyoyo and Sam the Whaler, leader of The Almanac Singers and the Weavers. If there was a civil rights rally or a labor rally or an anti-war rally, he was there.

Beside him, Bruce Springsteen, a modern troubadour whose songs speak for many Americans whose opinions are never sought, whose voices are seldom heard.

As they stood together at the Lincoln Memorial in celebration of the Inauguration of Barack Obama, they represented, to me, all that I had believed and tried to help bring into being. To many, though, they were “the ultimate in subtly old-left populism.” Speaking about the concert early Sunday before it began, I kept talking about Bruce. A younger friend gently suggested that he was probably not the day’s headliner. That would be Beyonce Knowles, she said. I’m sure she’s right.

As one who was present the last time “the torch was passed to a new generation;” as a strongly defined Baby Boomer, it’s painful to hear anchormen celebrate the fact that “there will never be another Baby Boom President.” It’ s not that I mind the fact of that; it’s just painful that it seems to be something to celebrate. So many of us have tried so to be productive agents of change, have spent our lives working either full or part of the time to see that our country offers more to the least powerful, demands quality education, justice and maybe, even peace. So to hear Joe Scarborough revel in the fact that “16 horrible years of baby boomer presidents is over” really hurts. All my adult life we’ve been tarred by the brush of the least attractive of us while the work of the rest of us went unnoticed. For most campaigns, as I’ve written before, we were the secret weapon of the right.

So as exciting as all this is, especially for one who has supported Obama for so long, it’s also bittersweet because I feel the shadow of the disdain in which so many of us are held. I really don’t know how to respond. If I were to try, it might be by offering some of the words to Si Kahn‘s They All Sang Bread and Roses. It’s better with the music, but it does the job.

They All Sang “Bread and Roses (Si Kahn, 1989,
1991)

The more I
study history,

The more I
seem to find

That in
every generation

There are
times just like that time

When folks
like you and me who thought

That they
were all alone

Within this
honored movement

Found a
home.

And ‘though
each generation fears

That it
will be the last,

Our
presence here is witness

To the
power of the past.

And just as
we have drawn our strength

From those
who now are gone,

Younger
hands will take our work

And carry
on.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #97 –

Once again the Blogging Boomers Carnival arrives – this time at I Remember JFK. This week it covers everything from midlife love affairs to commuting by bike to Peyton Place – and, of course, the holidays. Don't miss it!

Blogging Boomers #96 – A (Somewhat) Holiday Edition

The Boomers are blogging again, this time at So Baby Boomer. There's lots of holiday stuff, clues on social networking, avoiding holiday weight gain, sentimental family time with grown kids, midlife dating and even — Lizzie Borden, among others. Don't miss it!

Blogging Boomers Carnival #95!

The Blogging Boomers Carnival is here again – this time at the home of the remarkable Janet Wendy Spiegel – GenPlus. Find links to posts about divorce, pop culture, newspapers, recessions that might turn into depressions, vacations south of the border, job hunting and more. there's never a dull moment so stop on by.

BLOGGING BOOMERS #93 AND I’M HOST. ELECTION POSTS AND LOTS MORE

From here in Washington, DC, nerve center of exhausted political junkies and traumatized McCain supporters comes this week’s Blogging Boomers Blog Carnival.

Those two Fabulous After 40 gals (who are fabulous) remind us that if we think we might be shrinking "You’re right. Starting at 40 we lost half an inch in height every decade."

What’s a boomer gal to do, other than wear high heels? Check out
Fabulous after 40 for fashion advice on How to dress to look taller.

John at SoBabyBoomer has found a new study has found that women have a
greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. So, he wonders, "Should guys worry about holding hands with
women? Find out at SoBabyBoomer.com

Maybe those germy women would feel better if they knew how to manage in today’s economy? If, so this week’s Vaboomers is for them. They’re sponsoring a free seminar: How to Manifest What You Need in Difficult Times" for women coping with the current economy.

The Midlife Crisis Queen has something different on her mind:

We
make all kinds of mistaken assumptions about the opposite sex when it comes to
sex. Here’s some wrong assumptions made by men and here’s some made by women.

Boston’s own Rhea Becker, like most of us, still had the election on her mind. As she says "History was made this week. A baby boomer was elected president of the United States. Learn more at The Boomer Chronicles.

Also with elections on her mind, Janet at Gen Plus shares her reaction to Obama’s acceptance speech. And, like any of you, yes….she wept.

Meanwhile, over at LifeTwo, we’re getting some exciting ideas: The key to happiness, according to university researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is the concept of "flow." Flow are those activities in which you are so deeply involved that you feel outside reality.

As usual, I Remember JFK has a great social memory to offer: TV Trays. "The living room of the 1960’s was a warm, friendly place. True, times had changed since our parents might have first purchased our modest homes fifteen or twenty years prior. Most living rooms in the US had a new center of attention: the television set. That one-eyed monster changed the purpose of the home’s central location from a place of casual conversation, or possible listening to the radio, to the spot where our parents unwound after a long day at work, accompanied by a cocktail, Walter Cronkite and a TV dinner.

Thankful for new leadership in the land, Dina at This Marriage Thing challenges us all to bring that same feeling home with the Gratitude Project. I’ve actually been there – it’s pretty cool.

Oh and if you can stand one more election post, here’s mine. It’s about having been in Grant Park during the 1968 Democratic Convention riots, and watching Obama accept the presidency on that very spot.

DON’T MISS IT: BLOGGING BOOMERS CARNIVAL #81

The fabulous Blogging Boomer Carnival – the 81st in fact – has
landed here at Don’t Gel Too Soon. And a real feast it is.

As the Baby Boomer generation approaches retirement age, over 7.7 million business
owners will exit their businesses over the next 10-15 years. John Agno at
So Baby Boomer says this demonstrates a tremendous need for exit planning.

And while we’re talking money, two more posts this week.

This comes from Janet Wendy at Gen Plus: If, like
much of America, you are sick of watching your dollar shrinking, Janet Wendy at
Gen Plus, points you to an eye-opening post on what banks are NOT doing with your money. Oh…and be
careful. You might bust a seam laughing.

And this from Ann Harrison at Contemporary Retirement: Although
we’ve always been told that money can’t buy happiness, an increasing number of
studies show that, if you know the right way to spend it, money just may be
able to buy you happiness after all… Find
out how at Contemporary Retirement:

Meanwhile, Rhea Becker of The
Boomer Chronicles has noticed something interesting about this
year’s Olympics: "A number of athletes in the Beijing
Olympics are older than the usual crop." She’s profiled some of
them. In the Northwest Arkansas area where
I make my home, that was the case with every community. Unfortunately, it is
also the case that every one of them has closed.

If you’re looking for someone
else to fix things, Laurel Lee at Midlife Crisis Queen says
"Cut it out." No one else can change your life for you, no matter how
much you pay them."
“Spiritual work is not something you can copy from someone else’s
homework…."

One of those things you have to do for yourself is keep a marriage going. Dina at This Marriage Thing says: "Counselors say marriages are
strengthened by honest talking. But when was the last time you
really communicated with your spouse? Here are a couple of
questions that might do the trick."

If that doesn’t work, and you’re facing the end of a marriage, Wesley Hein at
LifeTwo offers an important consideration: In a divorce, who gets custody of mutual
friends? This moral dilemma is discussed
in "The
Post-Divorce Custody Battle for Mutual Friends". Make no mistake about
it, in divorce every aspect of your life changes–including friendships.

On a lighter note, no matter what the status of the rest of your life, you can fix your hair. If you color your hair, then you know how the blazing summer sun and chlorine
pools can really fade and damage your hair. Is there anything you can do about
it, short of wearing a hat? Check out what the Glam Gals have to say about it at Fabulous after 40.

Our friends over at Vaboomers have an interesting offering too – a
kind of online mall they call "viosks"
–sort of online kiosks offering art, music, cookies — lots. As they put
it: "Vaboomer is excited to announce the Grand Opening of Vaboomer Viosks on Aug 8; A Suite of
“Viosks" with the best of Boomer reFiree’s original art, books, music and
education."

My own entry is a
pensive one – about a Jewish holiday with a huge emotional punch.

BLOGGING BABY BOOMERS CARNIVAL #77 : Holiday Inns, Senior Moments and the Movies

Well I’m "it" this week –
the blog carnival gang has landed on my doorstep, and what wonderful gifts
they’ve left!

Since we’re blogging boomers we’ll
start with John Agno of So Baby Boomer, who’s thinking about video games this
week: Aging boomers are turning to video games to keep their wits
agile….because they are worried about too many senior moments.

The always original Wesley Hein
reminds us that "Hollywood has made good use of the struggles of middle
age." With that in mind, on LifeTwo he has compiled a list of Top Ten Midlife Crisis Movies.

Rhea Pearlman of The (recently highly complimented) Boomer Chronicles is thinking real estate and makes an irritating discovery: There’s a stigma to being middle-aged and renting.

On the aging theme, Nora Ephron may hate her neck, but she never met the two creators of Fabulous over Forty. Did you know that wearing the
wrong style of necklace can really age you? They’ll tell you which of this
season’s accessories are in or out.

Perfect for summer: I Remember JFK‘s Ron Enderland’s
meditations on summer vacations past : "Ah, life on the
road circa 1967. Where would we spend the night? Would dad pull an all-nighter
and get us somewhere early in the morning? That was known to happen. Or would
we stay at a nice, clean, cheap, joyless motel without a pool? Or, would
dad, feeling flush after a particularly profitable week fixing diesel trucks in
his garage, spring for the ultimate experience in lodging? That would, of
course, be the Holiday Inn!"

In other very exciting news, the ultra-cool, innovative, trend watching company PSFK has listed
Gen Plus and The Boomer Chronicles in their list of “Boomer Blogs to
Follow”. Janet Wendy has the full list posted and a link to PSFK to get a
peek at the latest in trend.

Ann at Contemporary Retirement
couldn’t help smiling in recognition when she read Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia
Nelson. See if it rings any bells for you.

Meanwhile, Midlife Crisis Queen asks
"Do you ever wonder if you’re headed for a midlife crisis?" then
answers with the warning signs.

"Who says divorce is the answer when
things get rough?" asks Dina. "There may be a better way to solve things." She’s got some thoughts over at This Marriage Thing.

And, even though it’s just below here – here’s my cranky Boomer post about the John McCain "love" commercial. Don’t hate me if you disagree – I couldn’t help it.