on the bagel buffet

this is my grandma:



she's 94 but i think of her as a youthful 75. we call her gg -- that works on a number of levels. both her first and last names begin with g and she is a grandmother and a great-grandmother. that's a lot of g's.

gg is one of the most extraordinary people i know. she has had a challenging life -- her husband passed away and she was left with 4 children all under the age of 18. when you ask her how she coped with that she just sort of shrugs and says in her old jewish lady who lives in florida accent "whaaaat? you just keep goink (not a typo her g's always sound like k's). you can't fall apart when there are 4 children who need you."

i have never met someone with the resilience and grace that she has. i stub my toe and act as if the world is crumbling down around me. the love of her life passes away and she pulls herself together so she can be a good mom. we could all learn a thing or two from this lady.

until this year she was a world traveler -- antarctica two years ago, to china, russia, alaska, and pretty much anywhere else you can imagine -- she's been there. this past year she came to jamaica with us and went to russia. due to some fainting spells her doctor said that she couldn't see the world anymore which pissed her off royally. thankfully she can still come see her multitudes of family. it's hard for a 94 year-old woman who had to give up driving at 93. . .i'm telling you -- she's hardcore.

all of that is to say that gg is not only the matriarch of our family but it's bright, shining star so when she sends out an email (oh yeah -- this broad emails!) that tells you the following story it is very exciting. i'll let her tell it and you can imagine that she looks something like this as you read it and don't forget to read those g's as k's:



***selma signed me up for this call for seniors age 70 and up to be extras in a movie. we had to be at the pickup site at 6:30 am. as it was being held at the former bagel bar. there must have been about 50 or more of us. shortly after we arrived the director came over to where I was sitting and asked me how tall i was. when I told him he asked if I MINDED doing some personal acting. of course I said yes. so they put me int o several shots, it was fun watching them work and being a little bit special. It's called "Bart got a room" it is about a high schoolboy growing up in Hollywood, Fla. Just before we finished up I heard that it will probably take a year or two before it hits the theatres as it is being produced by a small group. so, I don't know if we will ever see it. but it was a fun day.***

ok -- there are many things about this story that make me happy.

1st: i love that her bff is a woman named selma who gg refers to as young because she's like 85 or something.

2nd: i love that it's at the former bagel bar. was that the pick-up spot for the hot single septuagenarian scene?

3rd: she was hand-picked by the director to be a more present background performer. OBVIOUSLY she was!!! look at her! she's stunning. and if you want some lovely elderly ladies to be chillin' at the bagel bar you want them to all look like her.

my family is obsessed with this story -- to quote "it's a hoot!" and if she isn't invited to the premiere (travesty) then i will fly down to florida and unroll my own red carpet for her from her apartment to the car to the ticket window to the concession stand all the way to our seats. because if there is one thing i know, she deserves it.