Good Morning Dear Reader:

It is finally Friday and I hope for you it is a lovely, long holiday weekend. In addition to lots of Fourth of July celebrations and  fireworks shows, this weekend signals the beginning of serious swim wear sales as the stores make room for coats, and fall ensembles. Even if you dread the prospect of trying on those swimsuits, you pretty much have to own one to get into the pool, ocean or lake. And who can say “no” when the prices hit 75% off? Certainly not me. The great price dampens the pain of the dressing room trauma. Heck, isn’t that why they invented beach cover-ups? They’ll be on sale, too!

The secrets to longevity

I was fascinated by an article in The Dallas Morning News about Jeanne Calment, a French woman who was born in 1875 and died in 1997 at age 122. She was confirmed to be the longest living human ever recorded. In addition to having great genes, Calment had some remarkable milestones in her life:

1. She met Vincent van Gogh when she was 13.

2.  She took up fencing at 85.

3.  She quit smoking when she was 120.

4.  She released a spoken CD accompanied by a rap and hip hop artist just two days before her 121st birthday.

We can draw some interesting conclusions from the life of Jeanne Calment:

1.  It’s never too late to try something new.

Try new things, in case they don't work out, make sure insurance is paid up.

2.  Be open to meeting new and different people, even if they only have one ear and appear to be a bit off-kilter.

3.  Just because you have never been athletic, keep looking for a sport that suits you. Who knows, the Jamaican luge team might be right for you.

4.  Maybe some of your “bad habits” aren’t so bad after all. Smoking may be the exception. We don’t all have Jeanne’s genes!

5. Keep up with what’s hot, stylish and hip,it will keep you young (maybe not in body, but in spirit).

Let’s go to the movies!

Outside the rain is pouring down and the prospects for the weekend are not so good, which is a great prescription for a trip to the movies. Here’s a mini-report from The Dallas Morning News’ media critic, Tom Maurstad:

Cyrus: A- Marisa Tomei and John C. Reilly, a mix of creepy and comic and a romance thwarted by Tomei’s character’s son, Cyrus.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: B+ the third in the trilogy. More vampire action and a werewolf pack.

The A Team: D, Many attractive stars, lots of action, most of which may make no sense ( my own interpretation of review).

The Back-Up Plan: C+, Jennifer Lopez, artificial insemination, and romantic complications. Not the worst you’ve ever seen.

Knight and Day: C+, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, action/romance, mayhem.

Letters to Juliet: B+, “Charming romantic comedy is a shimmering tribute to the glories of both true love and the Italian countryside.”

Killers: D, Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher. “Killers has neither suspense nor laughs.”

Growns Ups: D, “Sentimental meets stupid.”

Get him to the Greek: B+, “A cut above the average dumb comedy”.  Probably if you liked The Hangover, you’ll find this one funny.

Robin Hood: C-, a prequel, “grim and gritty lesson in 13th century British history”, that we might need, if we slept though history class. Not sure if we will see Russell in Crowe in tights or not.

Sex and the City: B-, Lots of fabulous clothes, fabulous lifestyles, “snarky-sweet sisterhood”–so what’s not to like?

Shrek Forever After: A-, “Fall in love with him all over again”.

Toy Story 3: A, but you already knew that.

Have a smashing Fourth! Please come back on Monday!

Diane