The Tipping Point

Last night I was complaining that Charlie Sheen is getting way too much media attention for saying crazy things - things that any homeless person near the Santa Monica promonade might say on any given day.

"What's the big deal with Charlie Sheen and why, exactly, does the media care so much?" I asked Josh as I was getting into bed. I continued, as I fluffed by pillow, "They are making a verb out of the word sheen! I read a quote in the Sunday Times that was used by Mat Stone (co-creator of South Park) that said 'We were just sheening our heads off.''' My voice must have been acquiring a bit tone because Josh told me "This is not really a topic that you should get so upset about. It's not worth losing sleep over." At this point, he encouraged me to drop the topic and to go to bed rather than get all "angry Ade" over this sheen issue.

There have been other types of discouraging news. I read an article in "W" magazine called "A Wrinkle in Time." Underneath the title was the phrase "According to research out of Japan, 35.09 is the exact age at which beauty begins to fade." The author, Sloane (love her name) Crosley states, "Approximately 33 days past your 35th birthday - is the precise tipping point: You'll start to look older from the moment you wake up that morning. And that's not all! From that instant on, everyday stresses will have a more profound and lasting impact on the condition of your skin." By golly, I thought, here I am, precisely balancing on top of the tipping point. I am like a banana with only a few black specks. Give me a few years and I will be bruised, mushy fruit, sitting in the "half-off" box near the check out counter. YIKES!

Today when I woke up,I was sobered by the news of the tsunami that surprised us all, by sweeping through Japan's coastal cities. Might I add: This is NEWS! And, Yes, my heart pours out to all of the people who were effected by this natural disaster. This put my own life in perspective. All of the creams and face masks in the world cannot prepare human life for the travesty an earthquake or tsunami randomly unleashes upon entire populations.

Since I don't have a television, I watched the clips of video that people had recorded and sent into CNN from the dentist's chair. As my teeth were being scraped and polished, I winced (through one eye) at the raw footage and felt lucky to be alive - just a few months past my prime (35.4).