COMING IN 2018: WE'RE ENTERTAINING NOURISHMENT FOR THE MIND, BODY & SOUL

We will return in 2018 with a new look, mission & direction. Stay tuned as we develop our online destination that celebrates contemporary & retro pop culture as well as body, mind & spirit!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Mammogram comic relief, courtesy Ellen

Thursday, November 19, 2009

GUEST SHOT: "Iron Heart" book review



Guest Shot
By Roselyn Sacco

Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back From the Dead by Brian Boyle is a triumphant story of one young man’s struggle to come back from the brink of death.  After he had a horrific car crash, Brian shocked and amazed the medical community and his family by his stunning recovery. By all accounts he should be dead, all of his organs were shifted inside his body, including his heart, bones broken, and he was in a coma for months.

Somehow, he had the strength inside himself not only to survive, but to be able to rehabilitate himself to the point that he could compete in a world class event, the Ironman. The amazing fact that he could come back and swim, bike, and run the Ironman triathlon is almost beyond comprehension. Anyone who reads this first-person account will be inspired by his strength and courage.


As I was reading Iron Heart, I was considering if I'd want to have my husband “pull the plug” automatically if I ever end up on a ventilator. Brian Boyle’s harrowing account of his time in a coma from a severe car accident chilled me to the bone. During his coma Brian was clearly in and out of consciousness, he could see and hear but not communicate.

It brings to mind the Terri Schiavo case, where she was suspended in a coma from 1990 until her death in 2005. She was not on a ventilator, but instead on a feeding tube that provided nutrition and hydration. I wonder if she was suspended in a limbo, wanting to communicate, having thoughts and emotions, just like Brian had. No one will ever know.

Her husband fought in the courts for the option to end her life, stating that Terri would never want to live incapacitated, and that she said she would never want to live on life support. After a long, contested trial between her husband and the rest of her family, the courts ruled that her feeding tube could be removed. Terri starved to death after FOURTEEN days. I wonder if there ever could have been some sort of breakthrough for her, some kind of ability to blink commands or SOMETHING. It is a frightening thought.

My heart stirred when I read this book. In fact, I am reading it aloud to my 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. They can’t get enough of it. When we pick it up to read, my daughter’s comments are “Oh, it’s so sad” and my son says, “I know he comes through in the end!” I feel that this book is universal in its appeal, and is definitely worth checking out.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

My new interview with Laila Ali—a one-two cover punch!



Excited to share my cover story on Laila Ali in the Winter 2009 issue of Get Active! magazine. http://tinyurl.com/yz7s9pk

Also, check out my cover story profile on the women's boxing and reality TV champ in last month's issue of the fitness industry magazine Club Business International.



 


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Barry Gibb is God


And even if he isn't, do you still want to piss him off?

I mean, look what he does to satin. He, his chest hair and his sister Robin will take your ass down.


"Remote Control" Host Ken Ober Remembered



MTV personality and Remote Control host Ken Ober has sadly died on Nov. 15, apparently due to natural causes, at age 52. Retroality's friend Ted Nichelson shares this with us that Ken visited him and Love to Love You Bradys co-author Susan Olsen at a booksigning on Oct. 17.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1626376/20091116/story.jhtml

Says Ted, "He was a good friend of Susan's (as demonstrated in the You Tube video linked below) and we were so impressed he came out to support us. Ken and Susan hosted a radio talk show in the 90's on Los Angeles station 97.1 FM called Ober and Olsen. We never dreamed he would be gone so soon. Susan said she is grateful to have seen him one final time. We don't know the cause of his death at this time."

RIP, Ken.