From the Inside Out

My birthday is coming up next month, and there’s a part of me that’s dreading it. Seriously, I can’t be this old. I still feel like I’m in my 20s. When I was younger, I thought I’d have everything figured out by this age — what a myth. The only thing you can be sure of when you get older is that you will be acutely aware of how much you don’t know.

Instead of dreading the future and all the uncertainty it holds, I’ve decided to embrace it. After all, there are some benefits to growing older. For example, every year that passes means I’m closer to retirement. You may laugh at that statement because I’m still relatively young, but I plan to retire early — 50 isn’t that far away. Before I know it the day will arrive, and it’s something to anticipate, not dread.

I received an email this week from a friend who retired a few years ago. She’s having the time of her life. She spent a month in Australia earlier this year and is planning to be in South Africa for almost 2 months in the Fall. Wow, isn’t that awesome? If I plan it right, that’s what the future has in store for me.

So, I’m changing my perspective and celebrating the digits being added to my age. Growing older simply means that I’m getting closer to achieving my career goals and moving to the next stage where I have the freedom to pursue my passions. What’s so bad about that?

Tags: age, aging, birthday, growing older, life, perspective

I don’t understand it. Why is our society so obsessed with beauty? Why is the value of individuals based primarily upon appearance? I want to believe that all people are treated equally regardless of the way they look; however, it seems this standard of equality exists only in my idealistic little world. The reality is that beautiful women are treated differently than those who were less blessed in the genetic lottery. I don’t get it. The structure of your face is not something you can control — it’s the way you were born. All of our faults and differences make us unique, but our uniqueness isn’t celebrated by society. Instead, our unique differentiators are deemed as imperfections and ugliness.

China displayed a perfect example of this ridiculous beauty standard to the entire world last week. Just moments before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, officials determined that the 7 year old girl who was supposed to sing the Chinese national anthem, “Ode to the Motherland”, wasn’t good looking enough. Although her voice was beautiful, her chubby face and crooked baby teeth were deemed unacceptable, and she was not allowed to represent her country. Instead, a more attractive girl (a veteran of television ads) was trotted to center stage to lip sync while the less attractive girl sang behind the curtain.

When I read stories like this, it angers me. No wonder girls have self-esteem issues. They are held to an impossible standard and are judged “unworthy” if they don’t measure up. It doesn’t matter if they have a brilliant mind, a Grammy-winning voice, or a beautiful heart. All that matters is the outer appearance. It’s a shame.

Life shouldn’t be a professional beauty pageant. Women should be valued for their intellect and skills, not their attractiveness. We’ve come a long way since the “leave it to Beaver” days when women were just supposed to be pretty, bear children and keep the house clean. Yet we obviously have a long way to go until we are respected as intelligent human beings with skills and value beyond a pretty face.

Tags: beauty, china, double standard, equality, olympics, standard of beauty, women

The one remaining bastion of solace from the far reaching arm of the Internet is about to fall. One of the things I enjoy about flying is that it forces you to disconnect for a few hours. Sure, you can still get work done, but you aren’t getting flooded with new emails or IMs while you are working.

All of that is about to change next year. Delta plans to launch a broadband service across its entire domestic fleet. This will open up WiFi capabilities to all passengers. They will be able to use Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs to surf the Web, check e-mail, Instant Message and access their corporate VPN. Luckily, Delta does not plan to enable voice capabilities — for now. Of course, once Internet is available I find it hard to believe that voice won’t be following soon after. Moreover, Delta is not the only airline carrier planning to offer WiFi service. American Airlines has already tested the service on some of its Boeing aircraft. Southwest Airlines, Jet Blue and Alaska Airlines are also expected to trial similar services soon.

I’m conflicted about this decision. On one hand, I see the value of being able to surf the Web and be productive while you are stuck in a plane for hours. However, there’s a part of me that mourns the loss of the only place I don’t feel guilty about not being connected. On a flight, I can turn off WiFi and be free from the bondage of technology (and work). I don’t have to check my mobile device every few minutes for the next email or text. It’s a nice place, a simpler place, a haven — if only for a few hours.

Some call the inclusion of WiFi on planes “progress”; others call it productivity. I’m not sure what label to give it. Technology is wonderful. It has made my life easier in some ways, but it has also complicated many other aspects of it. This “always on, always available” technology makes it more difficult to strike a good work/life balance. In the past, work didn’t follow you home (or on a plane). Now, it follows you everywhere. Companies love it because it makes employees more productive, but the personal costs can be high.

I’m sure recreational travelers will welcome the addition of WiFi. For these travelers, it will help minimize the boredom they experience on long flights. Many business travelers will rejoice also. I see the advantages, and I’m sure I’ll use the service when it’s available. Who knows, I may be happy to be more productive while I’m in the air. Maybe it will mean that I won’t have to work quite as late when I reach my destination — that’s always a good thing.

WiFi might be a blessing in the long run, but then again it could also be a curse. Even worse, it could be the precursor to enabling voice in the cabin. Just imagine…150 people using their cell phones in flight…lovely.

Tags: american airlines, broadband, Delta, Wifi, wifi on plane

For those “foodies” out there, it’s time to rejoice because this week is Restaurant Week in Dallas. What’s Restaurant Week? It’s a week when over 100 restaurants will offer three-course meals for the fixed price of $35. The meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Since many of the participating restaurants are four- and five-star rated, this is a steal. Don’t feel bad for taking advantage of these fine restaurants, though, because it’s all to raise funds for local charities. A portion of the price will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.

Restaurant Week begins on August 11 and runs through August 17, but some restaurants are extending the offer through August 31. Reservations and required, and availability is limited. When calling, you need to request a Restaurant Week reservation.

For more information and to view a list of participating restaurants, click here.

Tags: dallas, fine dining, foodies, north texas food bank, restaurant week

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics will air on television Friday night. Approximately 91,000 spectators and 15,000 performers will participate in this ceremony which is expected to attract a global television audience of more than 3 billion people. It will be a 5-hour spectacle that includes 35,000 fireworks — an amazing sight to behold.

Despite the controversy surrounding the host nation of the Olympics — including concerns over pollution, security and human rights — the games will go on. Athletes from 205 countries will represent their countries and compete to earn one of the most coveted awards in sports, the gold medal. This year, NBC will broadcast events live via the Internet. If you don’t want to wait for the tape delayed broadcast on TV, you can visit www.nbcolympics.com and watch what you want, when you want it. It’s the Olympics “ala carte” style. Simply pick and choose your events. You can even open two windows and watch multiple events at the same time. About 2,200 hours of programming will be available on the Web — impressive, huh?

Because of the time difference, while we are watching the opening ceremony on Friday night, the Olympic games will be gearing up in Beijing. To calculate the time difference, here’s an easy shortcut. Flip the a.m. and p.m. to go from Eastern time to Beijing time. Remember, it’s always ahead in China. So, 8 p.m. Friday in New York is 8 a.m. Saturday in Beijing.

The Internet viewings enable you to watch the games online Friday night and cheer on your favorite athletes while the events are occurring “live” Saturday morning in Beijing. Ah, the power of the Internet. Remind me again…why do we need broadcast TV? Oh yeah, so we can watch mindless commercials and advertisements, but that’s a different rant for another night.

Go team USA!!

Tags: beijing, olympics