Chasing Clean Air

If my life were a sentence, chasing clean air, I fell into a comma on Jan. 21, 2012--a long pause as a result of two sprained wrists. As a result of a slippery substance in a garage, I fell fast, lickedy-split with arms stretched out to protect my head and slamming my wrists with weight of my body on pavement. Yoga and weight training for years, I am told, likely saved me from broken bones. Nonetheless, I can not do normal activities, including typing. I am seeing an occupational therapist. In order to heal, I am on hiatus. To my Facebook friends, I deactivated my account.

Book Review: Primetime by Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda's done it again! Positively impacted my life, this time with her new book, Primetime.

The first time she impacted my life, rather unexpectedly, I'd moved to Los Angeles from Washington, DC and learned what a real workout was at The Jane Fonda Workout Studio.

No resemblence to the Jane Fonda workout video my mom had used.

At Jane's high-octane gym in Beverly Hills, I discovered a side of myself I'd never known before: Highly energetic! And let's face it, without high energy one can't easily travel the world, build a business, or dance nights aways...

So when I read Jane Fonda's new book, Primetime, I glimpsed pearls of Jane's wisdom gained through her life both lived and examined. I learned ways I might continue to improve my life from her trailblazing lessons.

If there's one main point to this book, it's this: Examine your life. Interview your parents to really know them while you can. See your parents as people. And practice forgiveness.

I started to do this during my last visit home, interviewing my dad with a tape recorder, well, actually with Garage Band on this Mac. One thing unexpected I learned was that my dad, at age 17, hitch-hiked alone from New York to California and got a job at a deli. That's when he learned he loved Los Angeles. When he was accepted to multiple colleges he accepted USC for undergraduate studies. Apparently, I get my ability to travel alone somewhat fearlessly from both parents. My first solo international trip was at 17. At the time, I had friends with over-protective parents and I kind of wondered why mine weren't. Hmmm. Anyway...

I watched Jane Fonda on Oprah's Life Class last night, and loved this quote, which, I don't know about you, but I can relate to:

"When you weight lift you tear muscles a little bit, and it takes 48 hours to build up stronger where there was a tear. Life is like that. We get stronger where we've been broken."

The book offers classic Jane advice regarding eating and exercising well, and more specific advice for women of a certain age dating after menopause, living without regrets, the power of focus...

And the importance of striving to be whole.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

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Clean Air Getaways, Solutions to Air Pollution, A New Magical Place

While I was writing this post, I learned KQED's Forum with Michael Krasney has a live radio show about Clean Air and Obama's decision to reverse our "clean air" ozone regulation strides, by overriding science at EPA.

It wasn't easy to create scientific air pollution studies and testify for cleaner ozone standards. And now Obama sets our efforts back, and, in essence, belittles my time, yours, and our lungs in favor of going easy on industry.

Birds in Flight

"All good things are wild and free."  Henry David Thoreau

I headed out to Marin wetlands with my Nikon D7000, which I bought to capture wildlife in 6 frames per continuous second.

Channeling Frank Sinatra

That's it.

I want to be young at heart!

I'm trading in the environmental spirit of Rachel Carson to channel my new hero, Frank Sinatra.

Oommm. Get me Franky!

"Fairytales can come true, it can happen to you..."

Yes, it can happen, giggling into the future.