Atypical 60

Regarding my new position. I need to be replaced. That means someone needs to be hired to work as an Administrative Assistant—the position I had for four and a half years.

This is me now! I’m on the phone–a lot. And I’m having a blast!

During this time, rarely was I out of the office. I called out sick when my husband had his very mild heart attack. I also called out ill when I had my two cataract surgeries and a couple of times when I just felt too ill due to a fever, food poisoning or an incredibly bad cold.

Ahhh. The eye surgery that changed my life–and my sight for the better. I took two days off. One for each eye!

I was also out of the office during my vacation and holidays.

Oh St. Tropez—we haven’t been since lockdown–and we’ll be back at the end of next month!

During the infamous lockdown, I volunteered to go into the office every day. Every. Single. Day.

Well…I really volunteered because I didn’t want to work from home!

The reason I volunteered to do so is for multiple reasons.  First off, the office would be empty save for three or four people who were nowhere near each other.  Secondly, because the company I work for handles documents, most of which are extremely confidential, someone needed to be in the office to handle documents that were to be mailed out and documentation and paperwork that came in.

And during lockdown, I was NEVER closelikethis to anyone! Heck–there weren’t even that many people in the office!

The best part was driving to and from the office with no traffic. To be honest, there are days when I wish we would go back to lockdown—simply due to traffic.

Honestly, I felt like an alien being on the road with nobody else–and it was GREAT!!!!

So, you might know where this is going.

My ex-boss (but she’s still my boss for two hours a day because I volunteered to work from 7:00 AM until 9:00 AM for her) has been having a daunting time finding not one replacement, but an additional replacement for another employee who left.

It’s been beyond daunting.  The position has been offered as “in house/office”. And therein lies the issue.

Nobody, and I mean nobody wants to return to the office to work. I find this fascinating—and not in a good way. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that people would rather stay home 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  There’s actually a fear factor in writing this blog post because I got flamed in a Linked-In debate. People working at home were ridiculously defensive—to the point it made me wonder how many of them were goofing off and concentrating more on housework than work work.

Could this be why folks prefer to work from home?

Trust me, I love my home. It’s my castle. My nesting place. The place that makes me happy.  But the main thing is, my private, home life is so sacred to me that I want nothing do to with my job the second I enter through the front door into my hallowed foyer.

And until I arrive home, THIS king of the house loves to rearrange the sofa pillows…

And when my home is decorated for the Holidays, it’s even more of a happy place!

I know my person. If I was working from home, I would procrastinate. There would be a reason to get off my fat ass and take Chippy for a walk—which I never do—that is my husband’s arena.

Okay Chippy. Instead of working, I shall take you walking!

I would be headed to the fridge to mindlessly snack during the working hours. I am already 18 pounds overweight and it is difficult to lose even one pound—if I worked from home, I would be dangerously overweight.

Yup! I would be baking more bread and chowing down on it..

Not to mention taking endless breaks to also bake croissants! And eat them!

I like and enjoy the entire process of waking up, being presented with my morning coffee as I sit in my little makeup room getting face and hair ready for the day.

My little corner of the upstairs guest room where the magic happens…

All made up and ready to go!

The ritual of the day’s ensemble is also an enjoyable one.

Sometimes I’ll wear pants and long hair..

Sometimes I wear a dress and medium hair. But most times I go barelegged!

Sometimes I drive to work myself. Other times The Frenchman drives me in order to be economical.

I love my cubicle. It is my home away from home. Granted the office has but a handful of employees on any given day, but I find my little space enables me to be extremely productive. Even during stressful work days.  Work keeps me organized and Lord knows that I’m so disorganized in my personal life. So much so that I’m now using planners to keep me on the straight and narrow.

My cubicle is full of family photos and tons of sticky notes! It’s my personal work space and I love it!

Look. I realize that we all have our personal preferences. My daughter and her husband love working from home. Having a child who’s one and another on the way (Yes. Oona is pregnant again. Owen will be a big brother come September), they are into a routine of driving Owen to daycare and then back home. There commute is to daycare and back—not an office.

Yes. Owen is going to be a big brother! They work fast!

And I get that.

But for an office position that requires one to be in the office five days at first, then a day from home later on, I don’t get it.

Do people not need money? Do people not have mortgages and car payments and utility bills and other expenses?

Seriously. Are most people independently wealthy that they don’t need to work?

Would people really rather have no job than a job that requires driving to an office?

What about nurses and doctors and police officers and firemen and teachers and people in retail and restaurants who have gone back to their establishments?

Think of those who have no choice. They are helping others.

I’m incredibly flummoxed that older people who can’t afford to retire but have had no luck getting hired due to age discrimination. I have to say, one of the saving graces of the company I work for is not an ageist one. And I’m almost shocked about this one. I head people my age voicing their opinions on age discrimination but here we have two positions and very few applicants.

I guess older people might not care to return to an office environment.

It’s weird. And I wonder if people will ever be returning to an office.

I’m beginning to think that people who need people aren’t people who need people anymore. I think the pandemic has made us anti-social.

What are your thoughts? I’m really interested to read them because this is one topic I just cannot wrap my head around. And, as always, we can all be respectful on this subject!

I’m curious to read your comments below! I’m eagerly anticipating…

I’ll tell you.

I’ve been off the radar for a few weeks simply because I’ve been hard at work. I received a promotion. A great promotion that I’m proud of. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to master but overall, I’m working my way into this new arena and just want to focus on doing the best I can.

Yes. I did. However, I was more surprised than Jim from The Office was!

For now, the hours are a bit…well, more than I’m used to but will subside. The paycheck, however, is nice!

A plus is that the company I work for could have hired someone much younger. Instead, age wasn’t a deterrent, so I’m extra pleased.

My reaction was more akin to this!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that that’s out of the way, The Frenchman took me to Morocco for my 67^th!

Morocco in Philadelphia, that is.

We headed into Center City last Saturday to the restaurant Marrakesh. Given for our joint love of Mid-Eastern food, it was the perfect choice for my birthday.  To be honest, we don’t venture into Center City (the term for Philly) often because the parking situation sucks so badly. I swear to God, parking is far better and more convenient in New York City and Paris-it really is. In both those cities, there is parking abound.  And yeah, even though parking can be pricey, it’s a helluva lot cheaper than retrieving a towed car or finding a ticket on your windshield.

If only………………

The mayor of Philadelphia should really do something about the parking situation. For instance, make parking free from Saturday to Sunday evening. After all, WTF is the money going from parking tickets because Philly’s roads are horrific.

Okay. Back to the dinner. I ramble every time I head into Philly because I hate the parking that much!

Philly. Center City. It may be the City of Brotherly Love but it sure ain’t the City of Motor-ly love! (I’m happy with this pic I snapped from the car)

So, we found a parking spot lit-uh-ruh-lee 50 feet from the restaurant. God must’ve been watching over me and gifted me with the space.  It was good for two hours which was about the time it took us to enjoy our dinner!

I honestly think God gifted me not only as a birthday gift but I was so good about not cursing during Lent!

Reservations are definitely needed because this place gets crowded and when we arrived, and gave our name, we were offered a choice of being seated outside or in. Because there was still a chill in the air, we opted to dine indoors and were so happy we did.

We will definitely be dining al fresco during the summer when we return!

The interior of the restaurant was absolutely beautiful. Adorned and festooned in all décor Moroccan. I felt as though we had been transported to a home in the real Marrakesh!

How colorful and cozy is the interior of this restaurant?

I immediately understood how this place has been in operation for 43 years!

Next, our server greeted us, seated us and we washed our hands in rosewater. This was a great touch and should be made available in every restaurant!

And we were given warm towels too!

Our meal consisted of seven courses. Yes. S.E.V.E.N.  You must bring your appetite with you!

It was one of the most enjoyable restaurant experiences ever!

We started off with a delicious, simple and robust salad—actually three salads in one. The eggplant melted in your mouth. The carrots—I’ve never tasted carrots prepared this wonderfully and cucumber and peppers. The seasonings were perfect.  But that eggplant was heaven-in-your-mouth!

If I could have that plate of salad every night—–I would!

Next was B’stella, a pie made from flaky filo dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The inside loaded with juicy chicken, nuts and spices. I’ve made this once at home and it was very good—but the version at Marrakesh was off-the-charts outstanding. I wish they sold this to take home. I was a bit skeptical that my husband would find it a bit too sweet but he loved it (I didn’t make mine too sweet because of this reason). He was raving about it all night!

At this juncture I completely threw my caloric intake out the window. We were eating the crumbs–the CRUMBS–that’s how good this was!

Following the B’stella was Spicy chicken in a cumin-based sauce. This made me want to leave me cushioned seat, run into the kitchen, grab the chef by the collar and demand to have the recipe.

This chicken though. OMG. Juicy and the spices and sauce were incredible! 

Following that was lamb. And while I realize that lamb isn’t everyone’s jam, I happened to come from a family that ate lamb regularly. My mother was the master of the leg-of-lamb Sunday Roast. And this lamb was a different take. Chunks of fall-off-the-bone meat. We had the Tagine style lamb served with almonds and the best honey sauce I’ve ever had in my life. There were other options of preparing both the chicken and lamb but we went with what we love. Spicy and Tagine!

Even if you aren’t crazy about lamb, you would not be able to resist this dish. Melt-in-your-mouth-fall-off-the-bone tender!!

We’re not done yet. The cous-cous platter was the next course. At this point we had to pace ourselves

And we did because………………….

The Saturday evening Belly Dancer arrived and was displaying her talent on the floor. She was awesome. I want to take up belly dancing now! Actually, she motioned for me to get up on the floor and me, being the exhibitionist that I am, jumped at the opportunity and shook my wares. Someone even placed money in my pants but I gave it to the dancer!

The photos I took of the belly dancer at the restaurant wouldn’t upload. But our entertainment was similar to this! She was awesome!

Now that I had my share of exercise, it was time to get back to the next course.  Couscous topped with chick peas, veggies and raisins. The last time I had couscous that good was in Paris when my husband’s aunt’s Moroccan housekeeper made her couscous by hand. I was immediately transported back to Paris!

The couscous. My eyes rolled to the back of my head in awe.

Did I mention all the while a huge basket of flatbread was passed around? It was so wonderful to soak up all those juices with this bread. The carbs were part of my birthday gift! At this point my piggy-bits were doing the happy dance. And the fruit platter was placed on the table.

I finished off the grapes!

And lastly, Baklava for the final dish. I couldn’t even finish it. It was delightfully sweet and full of flavor but my innards were full to capacity.

I couldn’t finish. And it was simply because I was stuffed!!!

One last wash of the hands and my birthday dinner was finished. As an aside, we were glad that we hadn’t made the decision to dine outdoors because it started raining!

As another aside, we were able to bring our own wine and the wine that my husband chose was the perfect one for this meal.

Our bill? $70. For two. For all that food! If you are ever in Philly, or live close by, you have to head to Marrakesh. It’s freaking amazing. The next time any of the kids are visiting, we’ll head to Philly (and even deal with the horrible parking) and enjoy another meal at this restaurant!

It really was a nice birthday. I keep the birthdays low-key these days. It was my brother Pete’s birthday too. Twins 13 years apart but since he passed, the birthday is a bit bittersweet these days.

This remains my favorite photo of my brother Pete and me. It was back in the early 1990’s. He was visiting from Korea and we took the kids from NYC to Tice’s farm in New Jersey to pick pumpkins. I miss him so–our mutual birthday has been broken..

I started the day by transitioning my winter clothing to warmer-weather clothing that still fit.  Actually, the ones that stretch.  And lo and behold, the weather got colder as soon as I transitioned!

All the summer frocks are a hangin’ in the closet and it’s freezing outside!

The summer shoes are also in their rightful places!

Jake, Roman and Oona gifted me with a gorgeous bouquet and my little Ishkabibble, Owen, sent the cutest card and a Starbucks gift card! He “gets” me!

A week later and my birthday bouquet is still going strong!

My grandson is a regular PicassOwen!! He drew on the card!

And now, I’m off to get a manicure and head to Bala Cynwyd to accompany The Frenchman as he casts his second vote for Emmanuel Macron!

Let’s hope he wins again!!

Okay. I gained that horrific Pandemic weight. And as I write this, I am on the road to losing the weight my doctor told me to lose in January. I’m down to 162, now it’s 160, but it’s going to be a long road to drop twenty more pounds.

Alright. So I’m 2 ounces over 160 pounds. But I’m losing at a slow but steady rate!

No getting around it. My aging body doesn’t drop the excess baggage as readily as it did when I was younger. And it acquires excess baggage just by thinking about food.

Inspired by the ever-transparent and wonderfully truthful Jamie Lee Curtis (that is her REAL tummy–she refused to have a fake one for an upcoming film),  I, too, decided to showcase my piggy bits. These bits are taking forever to lose!

Here’s the thing. Last Fall when I laid my summer clothing into hibernation until Spring, I had no idea that the clothing to be unpacked for winter would be tight on me—or just not fit at all. No idea.

Could you please explain why I had the Gallstones to be surprised that my clothing didn’t fit or was very tight? Could it possibly be because I was a glutton? And a lazy one at that!

There were quite a number of winter clothes that were in hibernation along with the summer ones.

And that brings me precisely as to what I wore during this past Fall/Winter season.  It was weird because I hadn’t gained enough weight to go out and purchase new clothing. On the other hand, I did gain enough weight that only clothing with stretch, as in pants, along with skirts that contain stretch and Velcro or elastic waistbands were worn on repeat.

Err, most of my jeans got this tight!

That doesn’t leave a lot of room for different looks each day as I headed into the office. But to tell you the truth, I don’t even care. Not only did Covid change the way I look at cosmetics with a “less-is-more” approach, but I also used that same approach to clothing.

I’m officially “basic”. Not trendy. Not chic. Not elegant. Just. Basic. And I’m fine with it.

Many are so insulted by being called basic. Me? I don’t give a flying fu..(Oops! I gave up cursing for Lent). I don’t care if I’m a Basic.

Not one for over-accessorizing, I wore my Hot Girls Pearls practically every day. I absolutely love the way these menopausal and hot-flash friendly oversized faux pearls (you keep them in the freezer) give my neck comfort and look incredibly flattering with crew-necked tops and sweaters.

I love my Hot Girls Pearls — an added feature is the magnetic clasp, and you can get them on Amazon–Here’s the link

But back to the “basic” thing. “Basic” has become such a negative word in the “fashun” world for a number of years. And it’s ridiculous that this five-letter word (Hmmm. Could Wordle be thinking of using this word soon?) has become such an insulting word.  I’m not insulted though.

I would rather be wearing a basic wardrobe as opposed to a trendy one. Think about it.  Trends die quickly.  The last “trends” I can think of that have stuck around and become mainstream are leopard prints and skinny jeans—and that’s out of how many trends?

Yes. I would much rather prefer to be a basic and blend in than to be garish and vulgar in the latest trends.  Take a look at Emily in Paris to see the absolute worst ensembles of all time.

Zara and H & M don’t move my needle. Probably because I have perused both stores and have never found anything worth purchasing.  Old Navy? The brand may be fast fashion, but I’ve purchased many basic items from the brand that have lasted forever.  And let’s not dismiss my adoration for J. Crew.

Old Navy jeans. $15 on sale. I have worn them all winter. Paired with a J. Crew sweater and scarf it’s a nice basic look!

Anyway, I thought I would just showcase some of the outfits that I’ve worn on repeat from the Fall up until now. And funny thing is, the weather has been on such a warming trend I thought to get my warmer-weather clothing that still fits out of hibernation. And then it went back to freezing cold so forget it for a while.

Although slightly snug, I love this J. Crew blazer I snagged on Mercari for $40.

This outfit has been worn to the office so many times this past fall/winter that I feel as though it is a uniform. The elastic waistband on this J. Crew Factory skirt from years past, and J. Crew now-discontinued Tippi Sweater are a perfect match–as well as the Hot Girls Pearls!

My Christmas-that-covid-still-ruined dress. I think I actually wore boots twice this entire winter. The dress from Loft is a winner because a holiday meal can be enjoyed without having to undo pants at the waist!

The one skirt that managed to zip up to my waist without killing me. Another J. Crew beauty. I wore this when I felt like fake tanning my legs. Honestly, I did that a lot during the winter because it wasn’t super-cold.

Skinny jeans with stretch. Another pair of Old Navy dark wash jeans. Worn with a J. Crew tee, J. Crew blazer and J. Crew shoes found at Goodwill for $7.00 a few years back.

Short skirts, heavy sweaters, tights–proof that one is never too old to wear a shorter skirt.  I really did do the basic thing all season!

One of my favorite kilts. I may wear this tomorrow since the temperature took a springtime nosedive back to winter. The velcro waist on this SportsKilt  is so weight loss/gain friendly . I love this brand so much!

Basic black. Basic leggings. Basic top. And more Bass Weejuns. I really started to dress for complete comfort last fall!

Another Old Navy frock–and the second time I wore boots. That scarf? It’s from two years ago purchased during the pathetic Nordstrom Anniversary sale. It was probably the only item worth buying and I’ve worn it constantly!

I love these J. Crew Factory pants so much but I had to put them away because my belly got so fat that the waist was killing me. I swear I got sick at work because the waist was so tight. Hopefully, next fall or winter!

Leopard-print pants with a ton of stretch. From Target. A trend that went mainstream. I love leopard print but tend to not overdo it!

These Katy jeans by Kut From The Kloth have become a mainstay during the past few months as well. I wore them to Paris. OMG. It’s SNOWING outside.  Okay, back to the blog. I wore these a lot. A LOT!!

Again with the Katy jeans. And the pearls!

The camel coat I purchased in Paris before the lockdown? I wore it almost every day during the late fall into the entire winter. That vintage coach bag? I got it during lockdown for $45. It’s the greatest used investment of all time. I freaking love it.

I wore this recently. My favorite AG jeans are snug around my disgustingly overblown belly, but they are beginning to fit a lot better. Two months ago I couldn’t even zip them up. It’s a rare occurence for me to wear a white button down shirt because I find them so awkward to wear under a blazer but I like the look.  Repetto ballet flats–very basic, complete the look!

And another basic look to give a monochromatic winter vibe. Leggings and a heavy sweater. And as is the case when I’m home, bare feet!

And when I am home I mostly live in pajamas these days or leggings and a tee shirt.

Old Navy Pajama Bottoms–how I love you. I’m most comfortable in an outfit like this. Sadly, I cannot dress like this at work!

So how basic have you become? Do you think Covid had something to do with it or just because as we age we become more comfortable with our taste? I think it’s a combination of both! How about you?