Dave Gorman's Wisdom

One of my favorite authors to read lately is Dave Gorman. All of his books fall into the genre of 'comedic travel journalism.' Yeah, you didn't know there was such a genre, did you? It's silly stuff, really, and some people may not get it. He's British (of course), but he's positive and optimistic, and he has a way of phrasing things that has made me convulse with suppressed laughter in my dentist's waiting room. Those of you who know me know that when I laugh, I laugh LOUDLY, so suppressing it is quite the trick. Some people may not appreciate his books about odd topics (finding 54 other people who share his name, or finding a string of Googlewhacks), but I find it gives me hope to know that such people exist. Wouldn't it be great to know that your purpose in life was to make other people laugh? That that was your job? What a fantastic thing!

I just recently finished his third book - "America Unchained." This one was "a freewheeling road trip in search of non-corporate U.S.A." Basically, after doing a four-month tour of his one-man show which left him completely disgusted with the 'sameness' of U.S. hotel and food chains, he went in search of the real, personal, 'mom and pop' U.S.A. He flew to LA to buy a car and travel across the country, not using branded fuel, branded hotels, branded food, or branded car repair. But the trip was also a road to self discovery for him, and he had some fantastic thoughts upon his completion.



This is the part I wanted to quote at present:

"Twenty years ago a journey like ours would have been easy. I can't help thinking that in 20 years' time it might just be impossible. It's a shame because these places - the good and the bad - are truer to the American spirit than anything the faceless, bland and acceptably average corporations have to offer. The chains offer us a world in which average things are guaranteed... I'd rather live in a world in which fabulous things are possible. I'll take a roller coaster instead of a train... I'd driven nearly 7,000 miles in order to cross a country less than 3,000 miles wide. It had been a journey with as many ups and downs, but in that instant I couldn't summon up one ounce of regret. That was when I knew I hadn't just worked out what it was I wanted America to be... I'd discovered what I wanted me to be. I wanted to live my life with passion. I wanted to aim high and make mistakes. I want to be a roller coaster and not a train... The final drips of happiness filled me up and confirmed for me something I'd known since day one. You don't need a convertible to feel the wind in your hair. You don't even need wind. Or hair. It's not a physical sensation, it's a state of mind. I want to live a passionate life. I always want to feel the wind in my hair."

And I think that pretty much sums up what so many people (including myself) have been looking for, too. We hear all the time that people want to 'live a passionate life' or 'be in the moment.' But isn't what they're saying is that they want to feel life, to really experience it, rather than just to muddle along, day to day?

I think it's human nature to want to feel that passion, that electricity, that hope and happiness. But to be on a roller-coaster instead of a train means we have to have our share of downs as well as ups. I've heard it said that you have to experience the sorrows in order to fully appreciate the joys. Heck, I think we all know that. Just when it comes time, it can be a hard pill to swallow.

I know the roller coaster of emotions that life's experiences brings can drive me absolutely batty. However, isn't that part of what makes life worth experiencing and what makes us who we are?

The point is, if we expect the safe sameness out of life (or chains), we are by default giving up the chance for truly extraordinary experiences - whether they be successes or failures.

I can't get excited by a bird singing outside my window, leaves dancing in the wind, or the moon shining on me and not get upset in equal measures at times, too. I can dance the vacation dance, sing in a parking lot, and love passionately, all because I can also have those low days where my spirits are in a slump, where everything goes wrong, or when there's truly a reason to grieve. I can cry at a Hallmark commercial if the scene is right (I'm alone, my hormones are just so, and the topic hits home), but I can also laugh myself breathless over a dog tangled up in a sheet.

So, all that to say, thanks, Dave. I'll take the roller coaster instead of the train, too. I can only hope that the happiness far outweighs the sad.

Some Days Are Like That...

I've wanted to have a blog for a while now - three years to be exact. In May of '05, an age ago, I had a terrible day. It was so bad, in fact, that I found it comical and decided to write to my friends about it. If I'd had a blog then, this would have been my first post. So, when I finally started one, I knew this entry had to be included. Thank you for your indulgence.

Part of being a Glamour Pi means helping your sisters find the silver linings in the storm clouds of life. I've been known to have a bubbly persona and to always try to find the bright side of things (or at least be able to point out how much worse it could be), and I think this is a good illustration of that.

Have you read the book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst? Well, it's about this boy who is the youngest of 3 brothers who has a really, really, crappy day.

From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander's way. At breakfast, Alexander's brothers Nick and Anthony reach into their cereal boxes and pull out amazing prizes, while all Alexander ends up with is . . . cereal. The situation does not get any better at school, in fact it gets worse. No wonder Alexander wants to move to Australia ! In Australia , everything is upside down, so maybe a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day can become a wonderful, terrific, really good day. After school, Alexander encounters even more bad news when he visits the dentist and goes shopping for sneakers with his mother and brothers. And Alexander's father isn't at all happy with him when the boys visit his office and Alexander gets a little carried away with the new copying machine! This terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day is enough to make anyone want to go to Australia !

Well, anyone that would be me. It's only 9am and I already want to move to Australia . Have you seen that "Got Milk" commercial that touts the claim that milk helps prevent symptoms of PMS? You'd think that after having been together for 16 years, my husband would learn when to keep his mouth shut. Long story short, the ad came on while we were getting ready this morning, and he commented about how funny the ad was. I figured I'd let it pass by, until he added, "But it's totally untrue!" Now, given how much milk I consume, I took great offense to that statement, and a magnificent row ensued. Hence the beginning of my no good, very bad day.

It only got worse. Today is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Day, so I had promised to be at 8 am lineup with the pots and cards the other room parents decided I was more artistically inclined to create. Normally, this wouldn't have been (much of) a problem (given my propensity for tardiness), but the morning domestic altercation had consumed much more time than I had anticipated. In any case, it was a great stretch for my pride to ask my husband to help by taking the kids to the lineup. It kind of puts a damper in the cold-shoulder treatment when you have to request assistance from the person you're freezing, you know? Anyway, on my way to school, my cell phone rang with the obligatory guilt-ridden "Where are you? I'm the only parent that showed up!" call from one of the two other room parents. Now to make me feel more guilty, this is from the recently-widowed mom who has 3 kids (one of whom has special needs) but still manages to walk her kids to school on time every day (a task that I resolve to accomplish every year, but fail to do on anything resembling a regular basis.)

Well, the gift delivery went well, and the teachers really felt appreciated. That is, until D's teacher asked if it was a day of appreciation or a whole week. You see, in the past, it has been a whole week, but there's been a movement to make it a single day. Given the amount of work it takes to coordinate a week of thanks and the amount of teeth-pulling involved to get 5th graders to communicate information to their parents, much less get the parents involved, I, along with the other two room parents, was more than willing to cut back to a single day instead of a whole week's events. Although this is reasonable, my conscience pointed out that it's not the 5th grade teachers' fault that by the time the students are in 5th grade their parents are so burnt out and jaded that the teachers always get the shaft. I mean, every single year the kindergarten teachers get a full brunch hosted by the parents along with a week of gifts from every student. This year, thanks to my brilliant idea, we had the students use paint pens and sign a big ceramic pot that I decorated with a "thank you" from the students, and we planted a mini rose bush in each pot. Now, last night we decided there needed to be something else to go along with it, so we got them Starbuck's and bagels along with thank you cards. Oh well!

In any case, I've been a bit unwell, so running up and down the staircase to the classrooms 4 times carrying 20 lb pots didn't help. Then, on my way to work, I called my mom and had a thoroughly frustrating conversation. Which, of course, made me feel guilty for getting frustrated with her (and snippy). So, as I was getting out of the car carrying the breakfast I didn't have time to eat at home, I kicked the door closed with one foot - promptly slamming it into the other leg, which caused me to jump and spill coffee (very HOT coffee) on my boob!

I'm having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!!! I think I'll move to Australia! However, in the story, just as Alexander is going to bed (without the kitty who wants to sleep with his brother, without the Mickey Mouse night light that is burnt out, and in the railroad train pajamas that he hates), his mother wisely notes that some days are like that, even in Australia.

Given our "grass is greener" complex, I hope that you can find some enjoyment in my misery; as we say, it could always be worse! I hope you have a wonderful, terrific, really good, fantabulous day! We all work very hard to be the best women we can be, and even though sometimes it's hard to see the beauty and goodness in ourselves, know that your sisters see it and appreciate it.

What are the Glamour Pi?

So... what exactly are the Glamour Pi? (Yes, it's spelled like the British do, because, well, Al is British.)

Well, last year when J and Al went to Sedona, they were having some fun. After a particularly hot day, when they'd been hiking, were coated with a fine layer of red Sedona dust, and felt more than a bit...ripe, J commented on it. Al's response was that, no, they were beautiful in their natural state. They were a bit punchy, having way too much fun on the trip, and they progressed into Al calling J a Glamour Puss, and J responding that Al was one, too. So, Al proclaimed that they were Glamour Pusses, but searched around for something that didn't sound so 'Pussy Cat', settling on 'Glamour Pi.' J then remarked that it sounded like some sort of sorority, and thus, the Galmour Pi were born.

Our theme song is "I'm So Pretty" from Westside Story, and our motto is "Beautiful from the inside out*"
... *which includes our underwear!

We embrace other songs, too, particularly uplifting or humorous ones which match any current mantra or life lesson we seem to be learning. The second Glamour Pi theme song comes from Monty Python: "Always Look On the Bright Side Of Life!" Te dum, te-dum, te-dum, te-dum!

We believe in increasing our happiness quotient, being green, volunteer-ism, enjoying and protecting the planet (and nature) as much as possible, finding the silver linings, and just being all-around good gals - supporting and loving our fellow sisters () and brothers on the planet. We use gold-plated pom-poms to cheer each other on, but aren't averse to serving up a dose of reality when needed. We look for daisies in everyday life to share with each other (those little things that bring a smile to our faces and brighten our days.) We strive to find ourr inner-calm and center, maintaining the 'Woo-saaah!!!" that comes with our yoga practice. Some days we succeed more than others, but we strive for it, nonetheless.

At the moment, the sisterhood only includes the two original members, Andy as a pledge, and B as a little sister. Others, like Tropicana and even Sandy Underpants at one point, have expressed an interest, but have not reached full membership status. We openly embrace all sisters, but acknowledge that only a few will earn the right to proclaim, "Glamour Pi Forever!"

Our latest mantra is, "Let it play out." (Thanks, Tropicana, for that one!) Acknowledging our lack of control over some things in our lives, and our willingness to admit it, embrace it, and trust to a greater good, karma, or kismet to bring everything to fruition, as we roll with the motion of the ocean. And Tropicana found a song to match that idea, too: "Que Sera, Sera." Which is fitting, because I believe Doris Day would have been the ultimate Glamour Pi.


It's my hope that this blog will be a place for us to find ways to laugh at life. Because at times, if you don't laugh, you'll wind up crying, and I'd much rather laugh than cry!