Usually, pictures say more than words.  And, in the age of digital photography, it’s hard to resist the urge to snap most everything in sight.  Here are even more of our favorite photographic memories from the year just gone by.

Bravest dog:  Sage in lampshade collar, post oral surgery

Sea of fleece:  Matching dog beds and outfit (by Susan), Lev modeling

Sunbathers:  Lev and Sage enjoying winter sun-time, from indoors

Best travel Companions:  Dogs (Lev and Sage) on the road, in car crate

Other favorite photographic memories from 2008 are included in: What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 1 (January 26, 2009), What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 2 and What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 3 (January 31, 2009).

Usually, pictures say more than words.  And, in the age of digital photography, it’s hard to resist the urge to snap most everything in sight.  Here are some more favorite photographic memories from last year.

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

Fish-like kites, Ocean Drive

Man-made coastal walk:  The Cliff Walk

Quaint architecture:  Castle Hill Inn

Beautiful blue:  Hydrangeas

Evening sail with golden glow

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Clever Pigeons, Central Park

Joan Miro self-portrait (MOMA)

Memorial:  To John Lennon, in Strawberry Fields, Central Park

Today Show Set after-hours

Other favorite photographic memories from 2008 are included in: What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 1 (January 26, 2009) and  What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 3 (January 31, 2009).

Usually, pictures say more than words.  And, in the age of digital photography, it’s hard to resist the urge to snap most everything in sight.  Here’s a small sampling of favorite photographic memories from last year.  

BOSTON

City improvement:  Copley Square restoration

Farmer’s Market, Copley Square

Painter’s Statue:  John Singleton Copley, Copley Square

Peaches:  Copley Square Farmers’ Market

Peppers:  Copley Square Farmers’ Market

Wildflowers explained (Old South Church)

Wildflowers in the city (Old South Church)

CHICAGO

Friendly Policeman:  River North

Fun way to see a city:  Chicago by Segway

Picture postcard waterfront

Pretty pink sail boat at sunset, Lake Michigan

Smile-provoking city-wildlife: ducklings on Lake Michigan

Unexpected skyscape at sunset, Grant Park

Other favorite photographic memories from 2008 are included in:   What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 2 (January 29, 2009) and What to See and/or Do in 2009. Photos, Memories, Ideas, and Surprises from 2008. PART 3 (January 31, 2009).

 

By chance, on Thanksgiving eve, I received notification that two more Boston charities were to be given my artwork for display.  I greatly appreciate how The Art Connection makes artist donorship possible, even for those who no longer live in the area.  I became involved with the Art Connection in 2006, and feel proud and honored to have had several dozen works chosen by 15 of their local charities in the last two years.  My artwork is now enjoyed by:

• Andrew Peabody School (A Rigorous Academic Approach with a Commitment to the Arts), Cambridge, MA
• Boston Public Health Commission (protecting, promoting, and preserverving the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly the most vunerable, Boston, MA
• Boston Rescue Mission (Transforming Lives at Risk Since 1899), Boston, MA
• Casa Esperanza (a bilingual bicultural Latino community sanctuary for those overcoming homelessness and/or addictions), Boston, MA
• CFCS_TLC (Cambridge Family and Children’s Sevice—Teens Learning Choices Programme), Cambridge, MA
• Community Work Services (promoting independence through employment, for challenged indivduals), Boston, MA
• Goddard House (Serving Elders Since 1849), Jamaica Plain, MA
• HAWC (Help for Abused Women and their Children), Salem, MA
• Health Care for All (providing comprehensive, affordable, accessible, culturally competent, high quality care for everyone, especially the most vulenerable), Boston, MA
• Malden Senior Community Center (a newly developed property providing services to Malden area seniors who previously utilized a center in a windowless basement), Malden, MA
• MAP for Health (health link for MA Asian and Pacific Islanders), Boston, MA
• Sherrill House, (a not-for proflt skilled nursing and rehabiliation Center), Jamaica Plain, MA
• St. Francis House (largest day shelter for the poor and homeless in New England), Boston, MA
• Triangle Inc (helping people with disabiliites), Malden, MA
• Year Up Inc (helping urban young adults), Boston, MA

 

In keeping with today’s food/Thanksgiving theme, the image at the start of this post is called "Ripe," and comes from the trilogy, "Ripe, Sweet, and Lonely," at St. Francis House (each image: 24 x 24, oil on canvas, 2005).  "Sweet" is inserted above this note, and "Lonely" below it. Thanksgiving is a great time to send kind wishes to, and care for, the "ripe," the "sweet," and the "lonely" —in the environment where this artwork is now on display, and beyond.  What a suitable home these paintings have found! 

 

Interestingly, The Art Connection is working on a "pilot project" at St. Francis House.  Accordingly, they asked me to write about the the pieces I have hanging there, including the "Ripe, Sweet, and Lonely" trilogy. In an effort to make art placements a bit more educational for clients, a statement from the artist, it’s hoped, can help give the viewer a better understanding of the work. This is what I wrote:

 "Ripe," "Sweet," and "Lonely":  three things I thought about while painting this trilogy.  Even though I’m ripe (all grown-up) and sweet (kind), I’m often lonely (as a single adult), just like so many others out there.  People might be compared to fruit, with outside (skin) and inside (taste) provoking different responses  Also, fruit cut up into pieces (like for a salad), can be arranged on the plate in a variety of ways.  Some fruits are placed close together and/or touch.  Others end up further apart.  Each of the three paintings focus on one description—the" ripe," the "sweet," or the "lonely"—and they are intended to be arranged in that order, from left to right.  I am quite comfortable painting food, as well as writing about it.  As an art therapist, I had a book published called, More Than Just a Meal:  The Art of Eating Disorders. (2000).  Also, when I didn’t get into a conventional landscape painting class at SMFA (the Museum of Fine Arts School, Boston) I decided to create my own landscapes in other ways.  Food offers many possibilities and gives much cause for thought.  There is not only the selecting and arranging of it, but the eating (to celebrate) that comes afterwards.  In my earlier work (to which these paintings belong) I came to like using pale blue backgrounds.  They show reflections and shadows well, especially when objects are not crowded together.  I also like the softness (and restfulness) of this color, and the contrasts it can encourage.  All the fruits painted in the "ripe, " sweet," and "lonely" set are among my favorites.  Their shapes, colors, textures, and flavors each have their own significance, as well as work well together.  As with most of the artwork I create, I don’t  like to create one-off single pieces.  I also prefer to work on several pieces simultaneously, going from one to the next, consistently.

To view more of my "food art," please check out the Snack Happy! and Buon Appetito! collections as well as the Representational Gallery, all on the DocSusan website.

 

For 2$ a bag you can check in your luggage at the curb, if traveling domestically in the US.  I did this for a Chicago - Boston flight recently.  Inside the terminal, the lines were long.  But for a fee that many others seemed to be paying also, you could, essentially, queue skip.  Interesting process, the lines inside make you want to check-in outside.  But, if there were no lines inside, a revenue-generating op like this might not be possible.  Convenient?  Then there was the plane.  The first one we sat on, for about an hour, had engine problems, so another identical model was prepared a few gates down.  Another hour on, all passengers had deplaned and replaned.  Only two hours late into Boston, frequent flyers appearing unsurprised. Just a typical day with United?  No fuss and no apology messages necessary?  At least that’s what I perceived as someone who isn’t terribly familiar with US domestic aviation practices.

Please check out some of the other entries on this blog about airports and airline travel:

• BMI (British Midland):  First Impressions, September 6, 2008
 
• Airport News Stands: Jennifer Aniston, “Straggler Single”: Uncommon Attention, Common Problems. (Poetry about Dating and Related Blog Entry Links Included), August 22, 2008

• Charter Flights, May 26, 08

• Planes: Flights of Feeling, May 21, 2008

• Traveler’s Poem: From Airport to Destination, May 18, 2008

 

Artists and academics have opportunities to give back in creative ways, if they’re alert to them.  Sometimes, it simply requires a little extra energy and resourcefulness. There are too many possessions (the fruits of our labours, as well as research/study aids) that we store up, but don’t use.  So, why not donate them to others, and have them put to good use?  

I have been involved with Boston’s Art Connection since 2006, and am thrilled to have had  artwork chosen for display in a dozen of their member-charities.  Yesterday, I drove to Boston to transport 20 more paintings to them.  I also delivered my entire arts therapies journal collection.  The intention is for this to be divided between Lesley University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), two of my alma maters.  (Right now, it will be housed at Lesley’s Porter Square campus, at the art therapy core program.)

The journal collection contains:

• Arts in Psychotherapy, 1992 - 2000,  Vol 19 #1 - Vol  27 #3 (42 journals)
• American Journal of Art Therapy, 1992 - 2000, Vol 30 #3 - Vol 38 #4  (32 journals)
• Art Therapy. Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 1992 - 2008, Vol 9 #1 - Vol 25 #1 (55 journals)
• American Art Therapy Association Newsletters, 1992 - 2008, Vol 25 #3 - Vol 12#5 (62 newsletters)
• Canadian Journal of Art Therapy, 1992 - 2008, Vol 6 #1 - Vol 21 #1, and Newsletters (26 journals, 11 newsletters)
• Inscape. Journal of the British Association of Art Therapists,  1984 - 2000 (24 miscellaneous journals and one newsletter)
• Journal of Poetry Therapy, 1993 - 2000. Vol 7 #1 - Vol 13 #3 (25 journals)

Other entries on this blog that look at opportunities for artist-giving, include:

• Creating a Magic Pot: Artists and Community-Giving (May 8, 2008)
• Nuit Blanche/Live With Culture: Give a Litte Get a Lot, Give a Lot Get a Little. C’est la Vie! (September 30, 2007)
• Giving:  Give to Give (September 5, 2008)

An evening stroll along one of Newport’s beaches, last Friday night, led us to a sandcastle.  From the front, it was a work of art.

Around the back, there was a marriage proposal inscribed (to which the answer was "yes," of course)

The shore line and waves looked pink, as did seaweed deposits washed up there—part of the red tide phenomenon.  

Then there were the clams; their shells, at least.  Gulls were fat, happy, and plentiful!

 

Boston and New England are craft-enthusiast-friendly.  Each time I’m there, I want to start working on a new project.  For basics, Windsor Button (open since 1936), close to Boston Common, has every supply you can possibly need.  This includes a vat of buttions at the entrance, from which I display a selection in my 2004 painting, "Memories."

 

Then, on Newbury Street, the more recent 1154 Lill Studio offers a few short cuts—assisting with the assembly of custom designer bags and accessories.  I checked it out, packed with clients the day before Mother’s Day.  Such a neat concept—for a personal visit, group party, or special gift!  Their prices range from $26 - $185, and there’s something to suit almost everyone’s taste. 1154 Lill came into being in Chicago in 1999 (where its headquarters are), and a local boutique in Lincoln Park.  Additional boutiques are located in Philadelphia and Kansas, and there’s in-home party opportunities as well!  Congratulations to founder Jennifer Velarde!

It was great to be back in Boston last weekend, albeit just for an overnight visit.  This city stirs so much positive energy for me.  Good friends and an environment that’s quaint, cultured, and progressive seems to entice locals as well as travelers.  Spring blossoms and time with special friends, of course, were bonuses!  

The last time I was in Boston was Labor Day weekend, and much has changed since then.  Soon-to-be landmarks are now open—or almost:

• The Liberty Hotel, on Charles Street, with its bars and restaurants.

Check out the unique refurbished jail cells, with "light shows."  Then, go downstairs for a meal at Scampo. The food is well-prepared and presented. It’s just the acoustics that need a little work.  You may lose your voice tying to have a conversation with dining companions!

• The Mandarin Hotel, on Boylston Street

• The New Apple Store, on Boylston Street scheduled to open today (May 14, 08).

Although I (like many others) have found the Macbook Air to have a few unexpected kinks, I am still a big fan of everything Apple, and this is a super location.

Saturday lunch was at Stephanie’s. But, unfortunately memories were better than actualities.  Somewhat disorganized and dirty, and not quite as delicious, I wondered what was happening there. Sunday breakfast was at the Panficio Cafe. Clean, efficient, and very delicious, this is definitely a must-try.

Boston has something for everyone, and it certainly loves its parades.  I came across two of them, by chance.  On Saturday, "Youth Pride" on Boston Common.  On Sunday, "Duckling Day Parade," along Charles Street and on to Boston Public Garden.

 

 

Recently, an e-mail arrived inviting me to decorate a terra cotta plant holder to be auctioned off at a charity event, Eat Play Love, put on by Toronto’s Children’s Peace Theatre, this Saturday, May 10, 08.  Though I had no previous knowledge of the charity and wouldn’t be able to attend the event, I thought it was a fun idea and interesting cause.  This past Monday evening, the pot was delivered.  By Wednesday afternoon, I’d glamorized it with faux jewels and iridescent paints. Almost overnight, a non-descript container started to turn into a "Magic Pot."  Artists are often called on to give in whatever ways they can.  Whenever and however possible, most of us try our best—whether time and resources permit, or not.  The finished pot is inserted above.  How it looked before treatment is inserted below.

 

I have had the privilege of being an artist donor for Boston’s Art Connection for several years, already.  This is a marvelous one-of-a-kind artist- and community-friendly organization.  It would be wonderful if other major cities could follow its model, bringing artists and the wider community together, year-round, in mutually satisfying and innovative ways. 

Big thank you to Justin Skinner for his October 11 news piece in the City Centre Mirror today. Please click on the link to take you there http://www.insidetoronto.com/News/Centre/article/32066 or read text from it below:

NEW FUND SEEKS  HELP FROM GOOD NEIGHBOURS
Grassroots charity will support local artists
BY JUSTIN SKINNER
October 11, 2007 11:14 AM
 
When local artist Susan Makin was invited to enter some of her work in the prestigious Florence Biennale, an international arts competition, she was understandably thrilled. Her excitement turned to disappointment, however, when attempts to find funding to pay her way there came up dry.

Makin’s struggles have led to the foundation of a new grassroots charity that could help local artists and performers showcase their talents around the world.

Makin, a North Toronto resident, said she instituted The Good Neighbours Fund after seeing first-hand the difference between the support artists receive here and the support they find south of the border.

"I was living in Brookline, Mass., until last fall and I learnt a lot of things about good neighbourliness in the way they supported local talent," she said. "When I tried to apply for grants up here, I went through hurdles for about 10 months and just saw lot of roadblocks. Canadian artists unfortunately don’t have much incentive to stay if they’re not going to get the funding."

After appeals to her St. Paul’s MPP Michael Bryant, went nowhere, Makin appealed to her MP, Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s), who pledged to help out and suggested a fundraiser. After months of footwork and word-of-mouth promotion, the Good Neighbours Fund finally began gaining traction, with its inaugural event taking place tonight at Grano Restaurant.

"It was an event that was built step-by-step-by-step, and we’ll be lucky just to cover the costs of starting the fund, but hopefully it will turn out to be a success," Makin said.

While the fundraiser was geared to help Makin pay some of the costs of bringing her exhibit, titled Buon Appetito!, to Florence, she said she hopes to keep the Good Neighbours Fund alive, with annual grants to an artist in need.

"The survival of the fund will depend on the outcome of this event and the money raised," she said. "We want to set up a working fund where artists can apply for the grant, but they have to work to earn it."

While working on the fund has taken up a great deal of Makin’s time - she said she has been unable to paint while spreading the word - she said it was definitely a worthwhile venture.

"I see the importance because there’s nothing for individuals formally or informally to find funding for things like (the Florence Biennale)," she said. "Artists are invited to a world-class event and they can’t go because of funding, and Canada just looks shabby."

Graham Kennedy, who has been working with Makin to start the fund, said the goal of this year’s fundraising event was twofold. Ideally, the Good Neighbours Fund will not only raise money for artists and performers, but will also create a sense of neighbourhood spirit.

"We’ve kept it local at first, but we want to create a community of interest more than a community based on geography," he said. "It’s a fund where anyone can help out, not just the high rollers, and people can give as little as five or 10 bucks and know they’re making a difference."

Like Makin, Kennedy said the fund’s future is contingent on how much support the inaugural event drums up.

"Frankly, I don’t think we expect to meet all of (Makin’s) costs, but in a sense this event will let us know how much community interest there is for something like this," he said.

The inaugural event will take place at Grano, 2035 Yonge St., on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Admission is free (with a suggested $10 donation), with additional fundraising activities on hand at the event.

For information on the fund, including how to make an additional donation, e-mail goodneighboursfund@gmail.com

Virgin trains are infamous among Brits for their delays and diversions.  I can now confirm this from personal experience.  My Liverpool - London train, last week, got diverted to Coventry, clipping the time I got to spend in London.  That’s the bad news!  Then, though I’d booked a regular ticket for the return to Liverpool, I somehow ended up in a First Class carriage (not that there was anything wrong with Second Class—every seat has its own electrical outlet).  That’s the good news!

What a treat first class was—or would have been, had I known in advance, and not slipped into Marks and Spencer to buy refreshments. (M and S has become so user-friendly, with mini-stores at train and gas stations, throughout Britain, you know you can pick up a decent snack from them almost anywhere anytime.) 

First Class Virgin passengers are served unlimited meals and drinks (including wine and alcohol), and are offered an array of complimentary reading materials and other resources.  The tableware and accessories aren’t paper or plastic, the seats comfortable, and crew very friendly.  The journey back passed so fast, I wasn’t ready to get off the train!  There’s also First Class Lounges at key stations.  Had I known…! 

In the little red book placed on every table on the train, there’s a note on the front page, with an e-mail address. If you’ve been "particularly impressed" with the service received by staff on the train, they want to know at feelgood@virgintrains.co.uk.  

I think about my Amtrak experiences on the Boston - New York route, when living in Boston.  Performance, or lack of it (as well as train station food and other compensations) don’t compare!

 

When I lived in Boston I was always suprised by how many things I purchased that had Made in Canada labels.  Simple every day products:  grocery items, flowers, a desk, a chair… 

On my Labor Day weekend visit to Boston, I went to put money in a meter. A "Made in Canada" label was prominent there too…

 

 

Bostonians take their cycling seriously, and they have some serious cycle paths to enjoy—some of which I had the pleasure of riding this past weekend.  I recommend the Minuteman Bikeway, and the Needham/Dover/Sherburne loop, starting at Cutler Park.  In total, we clocked about 60 miles of trails—Lev and Sage along for the ride in their Pet Cruiser!  The extra weight over the handle bars made me work that little bit harder on the uphills.  But, it was worth it to see caninekind enjoy the breeze on the downhills…

 

Information on cycling in and around the Boston area is provided by The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition and bikemaps.com, as well as many others.

 

The last four years, I was in Boston for July 4th.  This year, I’m missing being there!  The United States may be a very big country.  But, on holidays such as Independence Day and Thanksgiving, it can feel more like a small town, most people being encouraged to be involved in some way.  Because of this, I experienced a much greater sense of community/patriotism/belonging/spirit, consistently, (even as an "alien") than I have ever done in Canada.   

For most Canadians, it seems that Canada Day/Thanksgiving are non-events, with individuals often left floating alone.  Many stores/restaurants remain open, and there’s a chance for time off.  But, sharing festivities (public or private) isn’t, generally, a huge priority, especially if you’re not part of a particular group—and the impression of aloofness some home-grown Canadians can give isn’t heartening.

Each year, in Boston, I was invited to a variety of gatherings, usually in people’s homes.  Some, I knew well.  Others, I didn’t know at all.  Hosts encouraged their friends to bring friends. All were concerned that everyone, strangers in particular, be involved.  Inclusion and wanting to be included seemed important. And, even if I’d stayed home, I could see fireworks in every direction, from my own apartment.  Most neighbors, it appeared, were doing something to celebrate/acknowledge the day—and each other!

In Canada, my impression, overall, since coming back, is that there just doesn’t appear to be the traditional group energy/pride or warmth/openness that there is in the US.  This is a shame, especially for newcomers and visitors.  Sometimes, you can’t put your finger on what’s missing. But, my stay in the US has given me an alternative perspective—shown where/how/why other (friendlier) ways are possible…

Vacations open our eyes. Acutally living somewhere else, day-to-day, for a longer period, helps us see/understand more clearly, causgin our comfort levels and tolerances, as well as expectations, to change.

This coming weekend (May 5th and 6th, 07), I’ll be missing Grub Street’s annual conference, the "Muse and the Maketplace," for the first time.  Now, in its 6th year, it’s been billed as the best one yet, a stellar list of authors, editors, and agents presenting and consulting.  During the four years that I lived in Boston, I experienced Grub going from strength to strength, providing both veteran and novice writers opportunities to grow and network through night school and weekend classes, as well as special events.

There is no organization in Toronto—formal or informal—that compares to Grub.  In fact, I’m certain, there’s nothing like it in any other North American city.  Grub has a totally unique ambiance and programs. And, as it has evolved, it’s become a vital part of Boston’s arts and cultural scene.  Also, since relocating to offices that overlook Boston Common, it’s at the center of everything—a true asset to the city, as well as neighboring communities.

Physicians and other suitably credentialed healthcare professionals are advantaged in a variety of ways. Their specialized knowledge and aspirations to get ahead give access to educational opportunities others might not have, such as Harvard Medical School Continuing Education Programs.  Julie K. Silver’s "Publishing Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Nonfiction" (March 15 - 17, 2007) is a significant example.  

Over the years, I’ve been to a variety of conferences, courses, and workshops put on by bodies more specifically geared to writers and their craft.  These include:  ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors), Boston Center for Adult Education, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Grub Street (Boston writers’ group), International Women’s Writing Guild, National Writers’ Union, and Harvard’s Nieman Program (for narrative journalism).

I was aware from Silver’s introduction that this Harvard educational and networking opportunity would be a little different than those provided by these others.  Early on, she drew attention to 10 interesting points:

1.  As a "health expert" it’s perfectly okay for someone else to write your book and you still be the primary author—so long as the ideas included are yours.

(Note:  This doesn’t just happen with  "health experts." Many others, with the funds or power position, let others do the grunt work while they get the recognition.)

2.  Publishing is a field to be respected on its own, where you can expect rejection, editing, "egos," and having to meet deadlines—publishers/editors have really "big egos" and they don’t like authors with "egos."

(Note:  Should "health experts" expect different "ground rules"?  Publishing and its protocols is just as significant as medicine and its protocols.  Being an expert in one area, doesn’t guarantee you’ll be an expert in another. Writing is more than just a "delivery mode"—it’s an art.  And art, not unlike medicine, requires practice, perseverance, creativity, and education.  Not everyone’s a "natural.")

3.  Publishing is all about deadlines.  Medical people are notorious about being late for deadlines.

(Note:  How long have you been stuck in a medical waiting room, without explanation?  In other professions, there’s different rules, responses, and consequences—and less excuses.)

4.  Re. "Platform":  "’Platform’ is who you are and how you can reach your audience.  ‘Platform’ is about bragging in a nice humble way."

(Note:  More than most, "health experts" might have an edge with platform.  On all kinds of levels at all kinds of times, they’re more likely to be viewed as having "authority." But, doctors can be wrong too.)

5.  "Bristley" literary agents weed out "riff raff"

(Note:  Some "health experts" might consider themselves exempt.)

6.  Brag when you sell yourself to the publishing industry.

(Note:  This may be easier for "health experts" to do, and they may be more able to get away with it than others.)

7.  Book title objective:  to be positive with a promise.  That means being "ethical" about what you’re presenting, but you have to do something to get people to open the book…."Over-promising can make you sound silly…or you can get by with it…"

(Note:  Experience shows us that promises are often broken, and too many supposed "authorities" get by with silliness.)

8.  A key reason why a book might not sell:  an author lacking a "platform" ("platform" describing "who you are and how you can reach your audience").

(Note:  For some "medical experts," a "platform" is a "given."  Others may be  surprised to learn that being a "medical expert" isn’t always enough.  That’s when support teams (paid for by their instituions) and devoted spouses come in handy.

9.  Non-fiction sells better than fiction.  People like to buy things that will help them.

(Note:  Present company considered?)

10.  "Americans have smaller and smaller attention spans and want the information in more and more compact ways, and we have to give them that."

(Note:  Present company included?)

Other faculty members for the program included (in order of presentation):

• Jonathan Edlow
• Jean Tomson Black
• Lawrence Kutner
• Susanne Klingenstein
• Edward Hallowell
• Larry Dossey
• Howard Zaharoff
• Suzanne Kovern
• Cheryl Olson
• Julia Fox Garrison
• Marvin Krims
• Jeff May
• Joni B. Cole
• Katherine Russell Rich
• Susan Aiello
• Lisa Tener
• Regina Brooks
• Rusty Shelton
• Linda Konner
• Elizabeth Rider
• Debbie Carvalko

Creating a hybrid program from medicine and writing, it was evident, is not an easy task.  Julie Silver’s efforts were commendable. I was also impressed by Regina Brooks (Serendipity), Debbie Carvlko, Lawrence Kutner, Suzanne Klingenstein, Lisa Tener, and Howard Zaharoff.

Julia Fox Garrison, whose book about her stroke, Don’t Leave Me This Way, put her in a league of her own.  She had the first and only standing ovation in the history of the program.  Physicians, it was clear, have a lot to learn from non-physicians.  It’s a long hard road to become an MD, but becoming a published author can be even longer and harder—as well as a lot more uncertain.  The MD credential helps, but isn’t an automatic ticket to an audience or publication.

Unfortunately, Larry Dossey, the presenter I most expected to be engaging, wasn’t.  Either he was "on stage" at points in the day when people were most likely to doze off, or he’s a more stimulating writer than speaker.

After a three day program like this, it’s only when you get home, and back to work, that you can appreciate how motivational it’s been.  You need to follow-up and -through—take suggestions, examples, and networking opportunities seriously (as soon as possible).

The Fairmont, Copley Paza, Boston, the setting for the program, isn’t only an exquisite hotel, but it also has a very unique staff member, Catie Copley.  Since this dog-star has a new book coming out about her, perhaps, next year, she should be invited to present too!

The grass is always greener.
I really miss some of Boston’s many unique places, entertainments, organizations, and activities. These include:

• A Good Yarn knitting store
• AMC Fenway movie theaters
• Apple Store at the Galleria Mall, Cambridgeside
• Art New England magazine
• Atlantic Fish Company restaurant
• Bed Bath and Beyond, Landmark Center
• Bertram Inn, Brookline
• Bloomingdales, Chestnut Hill Mall
• Boston Center for Adult Education
• Boston Center for the Arts
• Boston Duck Tours
• Boston Marathon
• Boston Public Gardens and Common
• Boston Public Library
• Brigham and Womens Hospital 
• Brookline (town)
• Brookline Booksmiths
• Brookline Grooming pet store
• Cambridge Art Association
• Cambridge Center for Adult Education
• Charles Hotel, Cambridge
• Charles River
• Coolidge Corner, Brookline
• Coolidge Theater, Brookline
• Copley Place mall
• Copley Square
• DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park
• Dick Blick art supplies
• Fairmont Hotel, Copley Plaza
• Fenway Park
• Finagle a Bagel
• Finale dessert company
• Gardner Museum
• Grub Street, writers’ group
• Harvard Club
• Harvard Medical School Continuing Education Programs
• Harvard Square
• Harvard University Art Museums
• James Mitchell’s Boston Convivium Parties (singles-friendly events)
• Jae’s Asian restaurants
• Jasmine Sola’s fashion boutiques
• Kao Sahn Thai restaurant
• Knitsmiths’ Sunday afternoon group, Brookline Booksmiths
• Legal Seafoods fish restaurants
• Matt Murphy’s pub with fish and chips
• Mint Julep fashion boutique
• Museum of Science
• Newton Center
• Paper Source’s paper boutiques and workshops
• Museum of Fine Arts
• National Writers’ Union, Boston Chapter
• New England Aquarium
• Newton Wellsley Hospital
• Newbury Street (downtown finer shopping and dining)
• Park Plaza Hotel
• Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Brookline
• Pho Lemon Grass Vietnamese restaurant
• Prudential Center mall
• Provincetown Ferry
• REI, Landmark Center, outdoor wear and fitness supplies
• Ritz-Carlton Hotel
• Royal Sonesta Hotel
• South End Galleries
• Stephanie’s American restaurant
• The Art Connection for artist donors, charities, and volunteers
• The Boston Globe newspaper
• The Improper Bostonian magazine
• The Studio fashion boutique
• Trader Joe’s grocery store, Coolidge Corner
• The Vilna Shul cultural/heritage center
• Walgreens, Brookline

(Please note:  Boston’s landmark Ritz-Carlton has been sold, becoming the Taj Boston, January 11, 2007.)
 
The grass isn’t always greener.
There are also some things I don’t miss about Boston.  These include:

• big dig tunnels
• broken traffic meters
• Comcast’s service interruptions
• construction problems
• feeling unsafe and heavy/obvious police presence
• getting lost, due to one-way streets, incorrect signage, and construction
• heavy traffic and bad drivers
• having to buy in bulk for better value
• junk food
• line-ups
• parking lot fees
• power outages (Nstar)
• rats and mice (and traps), visible day and night in all types of neighborhood
• sirens, noise, and dirt
• stormy weather:  rain and damp
• telephone repair delays (Verizon)
• the T’s inefficiency, cramming in of passengers, and filth

 

Step onto a crosswalk in Brookline (a Boston suburb) and you take your life in your hands.  One day, it was a number 66 Harvard Avenue bus.  Racing to the next stop, the driver wasn’t looking at the road ahead.  Living in Boston for nearly four years, I learned how pedestrians can expect to be ignored.  Had I not paused and stepped back, my dogs and self wouldn’t be around to tell the tale!

Drivers of private cars, we know, break the rules of the road frequently.  In Boston, everyone does (including those who drive for a living—in buses, cabs, police cars, delivery vans, and more).  There’s even a book on the subject, The Boston Driver’s Handbook:  Wild in the Streets—The Almost Big Dig Edition. 

Boston boasts the largest number of Ph.D.s per capita, but it’s less proud of its shockingly high percentage of dangerous and discourteous drivers.  Their routines are infamous:

1.  Give a "no-look look," making believe you haven’t seen other drivers or pedestrians.

2.  Speed up to go through lights that have just turned red.

3.  Never let anyone change lanes who’s indicated well in advance that they’d like to do so.

4.  Turn right at a red light when the sign next to it says "no right turn on red."

5.  When parking, don’t worry about denting others’ bumpers or scraping their doors. Spaces can be tight!

6.  Sound your horn frequently, especially if you want to run the "within-the-speed-limit driver" who’s infront of you off the road.

7.  Never keep the speed limit, unless you know there’s a speed trap.

8.  When squeezing by, don’t worry about scratching someone else’s car (or knocking their side-mirrors).  What’s not yours doesn’t matter!

9.  Multi-task!  Drink a coffee, have a cigarette, put your makeup on, chat on the phone, eat a donut—all at the same time, while driving.  You can do it!

10.  If you see someone else waiting to reverse into a parking space, cut in behind them and grab it.  When there aren’t that many spaces around, a little selfishness helps.

When I first moved to Boston, I didn’t understand why there were so many cars with gashed corners and sides, left unrepaired.  Very soon, I was aware numerous accidents happen daily.

For the most part, Boston drivers are aggressive, not defensive.  And the longer I lived in their city, the more easily I understood why.  The pace of life is very fast.  To beat the competition, or to show that you have it in you to do so, there’s no time for pleasantries, especially with strangers.  It’s about getting from A to B, and not worrying too much about who and what’s along, or in, the way.

The more time you’re in Boston the more likely you are to assume Bostonians’ ways, particularly when driving.  It’s a matter of survival!  However, when you do leave town, it’s important to readjust. You realize you might not be cut off trying to get where you want to go, and can give others the right of way.  In more relaxed cities, (like Toronto?), drivers still seem to be a little more mindful of others.

Harvard Medical School’s Department of Continuing Ed  provides unrivalled 2-day courses on a variety of conditions and treatment approaches.  November 3 - 4, 2006, I attended, "Bipolar Disorder:  From Childhood to Adulthood."  Serious and celebrated researchers, clinicians, and academics presented.  Then there was former Today Show co-host, Jane Pauley.  She was there to explain how you could still be "successful," even if bipolar. 

Pauley started, "Mental illness has opened many doors for me…like being invited to speak at Harvard."  She continued, "My comfort level rises with the size of the audience."  Her implication was that this related to her mental state—a sense of fearlessness and grandiosity while manically inclined. For most sufferers with more prolonged and less easily treatable symptoms, obviously, opportunities and outcomes are different.

Pauley also discussed her dismay over how the doctors in the hospital where she’d had an epic 3-week stay, five years ago (after an adverse reaction to steroids), hadn’t recognized her celebrity status.  At a time when she didn’t know who she was herself, and had been admitted under an alias, this proved disconcerting for her.  Not being from the US, and not having grown up with the Today Show (though a regular follower of Meredith Viera, right now), I was struck by Pauley’s lack of humility.

Maybe this was her way to add humor and draw attenion.  Her focus on Ted Turner as her bi-polar "role model" was interesting, and she did touch on sad personal moments (possible triggers for her illness), like her father being off at war for her birth.  But, for the most part, she dwelled on her good fortune and satisfaction.  Her rapid rise to stardom had been freaky, one day weekend news anchor in Indianapolis, next day Today Show co-host (at 25), Next, she was the "most visible pregnant woman in America"—mother of twins and a third child, with supportive husband.

Undoubtedly, Pauley’s book, Skywriting:  A Life Out of the Blue is an interesting celebrity autobiography.  However, for a more inspiring no-frills account of life as a manic depressive, the now classic An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jameson is a must-read.  Not only is this Ph.D. psychologist/author a long-term survivor, but she’s guided countless others in similar situations, as well as their family and friends, through how things actually feel and what can be done to help, very realistically.  

Other course presenters’ academic and clinical findings provided information overload.  The only points at which they seemed to disappoint was when they alluded to their relationships with drug companies, past and present.  Bruce Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., (author of 300 publications) quipped, "I stopped drug company relationships three years ago, because my salary is secure."  He’s the Director of the Stanley Research Center at McLean Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School!  

Jean A Frazier, M.D. declared, right away, that she does have relationships with many drug companies, the manufacturers of atypical antipsychotics.  However, she added, "I hope by having relationships with so many, it proves I don’t have a bias… Also, I don’t have relationships with companies that make mood stabilizers."  She also announced that evidence based drug trials have such poor outcomes, not only because of patient dropout rates, but because "they’re skewed towards newer drugs."  And speaking of drug trials, she highlighted an irony:  "56% of bipolar patients have substance abuse issues, but this makes them ineligible for being included in trials."  Therefore, it would seem, most new drugs ignore the needs of the majority!  As Director of the Child Psychopharmacology and Child and Neuropsychiatric Research at the Cambridge Health Alliance, Dr. Frazier clearly understands drug industry foibles better than most!  

Gabrielle A. Carlson, M.D. was the opening speaker, who insisted "we treat people not diagnoses."  However, when she discussed her difficulties with her own son, it was hard to imagine her working with others as she did.  Apparently, when he got into a rage, she’d "throw him in his room" where he did "a lot of damage."  "At two-years old, that was one thing, but when he got to six feet tall, that was another," she lamented.  If the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Professor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University School of Medicine admits how she couldn’t handle her own child, what hope is there for regular parents?  

Perhaps, the more popular speakers weren’t the M.D.s., but Judith S. Beck., Ph.D. and Barent Walsh, MSW, Ph.D.  They offered very practical and consistent approaches, personally and professionally.  Beck is the Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at University of Pennsylvania.  She’s also the editor of the Oxford Textbook of Psychotherapy. 

Barent Walsh, M.S.W., Ph.D. is the Executive Director of The Bridge of Central Massachusetts, and the author of Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide.  Both speakers’ case studies and personal anecdotes were cleverly inserted into presentations jammed with references and reasons.

Another "crowd pleaser," was J. Stuart Ablon, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Collaborative Problem Solving Institute, Department of Psychiatry, at Massachusetts General Hospital.  He wasn’t afraid to advocate against a Dr. Phil-style approach to treatment, which had listeners grinning in agreement.  Ablon and his colleagues favor therapeutic rather than "correctional" interventions.  Audience attention captured, a few knitting and embroidery needles were put down for notes to be taken. 

Knitting and embroidery needles, you wonder.  Yes, there were many, a lot more than I remember at other Harvard courses attended in years gone by.  I, myself, had a crochet hook, and made a belt on the first day.  The attendee sitting next to me was sewing a seat cover for a bench.  I won’t comment here about the benefits of multitasking with craft activities at meetings like these. Try it, you might like it!  

At the end of the second day of the course, I rode the T to my favorite wool store, A Good Yarn in Brookline Village.  Apart from superlative cultural and academic opportunities, the Boston area caters to crafters of all types.  Saturday morning, Harvard.  Sunday afternoon, Brookline Booksmiths—where the basement is given over to its Knitsmiths.

Cape Cod has most people thinking summertime.  I think fall.  There’s no traffic jams or parking problems, and Sandy Neck Beach is dog-friendly.  Lev, Sage, and I said au revoir to the Boston area on a warm October Saturday, regretting that there hadn’t been enough opportunity for more outings like this!  Our snapshot records a very special day and memory.