The GypsyNesters

David Interviews Director Bill Pohlad of “Love & Mercy” – Beach Boys New Biopic

This amazing movie delves deeply into the troubled life of Brian Wilson, the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, from a compassionate and compelling point of view – a must see.

David sits down after the screening with the film’s director and producer, Bill Pohlad (12 Years a Slave, Wild), to chat a bit about the extent of Brian Wilson’s involvement… CONTINUE READING >>

An Interview with Director Bill Pohlad of Love & Mercy - Beach Boys New Bio-pic. GypsyNester.com

A special pre-screen of the new music biopic Love & Mercy was featured at the AARP Movies for Grown Ups Film Festival in Miami – and we were so lucky to attend.

The movie delves deeply into the troubled life of Brian Wilson, the creative genius behind The Beach Boys, from a compassionate and compelling point of view.

Paul Dano plays Brian Wilson in the sixties, with John Cusack portraying the older Wilson. Paul Giamatti stars as Dr. Eugene Landy, the doctor who took advantage of Wilson’s condition for his own gain, and Elizabeth Banks as Melinda Ledbetter, who helps Wilson escape from Landy’s clutches.

David was pleased to have the opportunity to sit down after the screening with the film’s director and producer, Bill Pohlad (12 Years a Slave, Wild), to chat a bit about the extent of Brian Wilson’s involvement with the project and how this involvement affected the production of Love and Mercy.

Bill explains his desire to keep the movie away from the tabloid type of representation of a pop music icon, and he and David discuss the incredible influence the Beach Boys music, specifically the landmark album Pet Sounds, had on many of the bands in the sixties, especially The Beatles.

Love & Mercy will be in theaters June 5th – go see it!

Discounts at the movies for those of us over 50 at AARPdiscounts.com!

David and Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Thanks to AARP Membership Advantages for providing this great movie experience! As always, all opinions are our own.

3 Money Mistakes Empty Nesters Make – and One of Them is OURS!

Check us out talking about a BIG lesson learned in U.S. News & World Report!

When your kids leave home, you may worry about how they’re going to handle their money. But don’t forget to worry about yourself, too… SEE FULL ARTICLE >>

And that’s not all! See more Going Gypsy News!

Check us out talking about a BIG lesson learned in U.S. News & World Report!

When your kids leave home, you may worry about how they’re going to handle their money. But don’t forget to worry about yourself, too… SEE FULL ARTICLE >>

And that’s not all! See more Going Gypsy News!

So I Broke Down and Tried Botox (please don’t judge me!)

I’m a squinter. Always have been. My Grandma used to caution me, “Quit doing that – your face will freeze that way!”

In my twenties, David would affectionately tease me about my “worry line.” He would always know when something was amiss, all he had to do was look between my eyes.

Fast forward thirty (or so) years and, still, I squint on. The squinting’s worst when I’m writing – I don’t even realized I’m doing it.

And Grandma was right, my face… CONTINUE READING >>

Before I get started, let me say a few things:

I am not a doctor, so I am not giving medical advice here.

I am not trying to convince anyone to do this, it’s just my story.

The photos are not altered. I wasn’t planning to write about this experience (I was and, still am, a little embarrassed), so the photos were originally taken for my personal comparison.

I did my best to be careful that the before and after photos were taken in the same light, the same location and on the same time of day. I also attempted to wear the same amount of mascara, and used no other kind of cosmetic on my face. Still, it’s not perfect science, I’m not a scientist (in addition to not being a doctor).

I am not being compensated in any way. No money, no free services, no nothing. No one suggested I do this. It was solely my idea and I paid for the treatment myself.

That being said, here’s the scoop…

I’m a squinter. Always have been. My Grandma used to caution me, “Quit doing that – your face will freeze that way!” In my twenties, David would affectionately tease me about my “worry line.” He would always know when something was amiss, all he had to do was look between my eyes. Botox can help address problems like crow’s feet, frown lines and more, as Aesthetic Lane explains.

Fast forward thirty (or so) years and, still, I squint on. The squinting’s worst when I’m writing – I don’t even realized I’m doing it.

And Grandma was right, my face did freeze like that. I had a very wise Grandma.

I was squinting as hard as I could here for this picture. See what’s going on?!!!

Then the headaches started. Right smack in the middle of the face butt. Mild at first, but eventually they were heavy and constant.

It was really boiling down to a lifestyle change. I would have to stop writing or go in for a drastic measure. And I didn’t want to stop writing.

I’m not going to lie and say that vanity didn’t play a part in this decision. I felt like every time I looked in the mirror (or worse, editing one of our videos!) my brow was getting more and more Neanderthal-like.

I can handle my laugh lines — they are created by happiness. But the cave man brow made me look like I was scowling. Like I was mean and angry. And I’m definitely neither of those things.

I wanted to look in the mirror and see my face reflecting my true, happy self.

So I ran my thoughts through the family.

The Piglet: Mom, I think you should do what makes you feel good about yourself. I’m going to do it when I’m older. I have a lot of friends in their twenties and thirties who already do it preventively. (ME: WHAT?!)

Decibel: You’re going to put POISION in your face? Seriously?

The Boy: I didn’t tell The Boy, he’d be no help and he’d just mock me, which is exactly what he did when he found out afterward.

David: I’m really against this idea.
Me: You’re not the boss of me (mature, I know.)
David: Fine, but I’m not driving you there.
Me: I’ll drive myself.
David: In what?

He called my bluff. The sum total of my motorhome driving experience involved top speeds of about 5 miles per hour in parking lots and campgrounds. However, his protective instinct kicked in.

I’m just not sure if he was more worried about me, or the motorhome. Either way, he ended up driving me.

The Piglet had advised me to find a really good Botox-er because people have ended up with droopy eyes and lopsided brows. She correctly assumed that was not the look I was going for.

So I found myself in a plastic surgeon’s office. My visit began with the reading of four scary pages of THINGS THAT MIGHT GO WRONG.

Then I started asking my questions. I had marked up the four scary pages with lots of questions. I learned that the droopy eyes and wonky brows can happen from the migration of the Botox to the wrong muscles. The doctor confirmed that it had happened to one of his patients and that it was temporary.

The doctor was fabulous and patiently answered my queries. After about ten of them, I started to feel a bit ridiculous. Here is a man who may have just performed a skin graft on a burn victim. Now he’s got this stupid woman in his office freaking out because her eyebrows might not match up.

I took a breath and went for it.

I never saw the needle, but it had to be tiny because I barely felt it. However, there was a more-than-slightly disturbing crunching noise during the procedure – in fact, the nurse actually called them “the crunchies” when I commented/freaked out about it.

The doctor completed his task in under thirty seconds.

For the rest of the day, I fed my panic monster. Every little twinge in my body had me convinced that it was a horrible side effect. I spent a lot of time checking up on face butt in the mirror. I searched diligently for possible infection at the injection sites (I couldn’t even find the injections sites).

After three days, I was seeing huge visual results. After five, the headaches stopped. Seriously. Completely stopped.

I made up my mind to share my story (and the fact that I tried Botox at all) mainly because I don’t trust the before and after photos I see in ads. It would have been nice to have someone I trusted give me the straight dope.

So in that spirit, allow me to show my embarrassing before and after Botox photos.

(Drum roll please!)

BEFORE: Relaxed. Note the face butt, the hook and the ridge.

AFTER: Relaxed. One week later.

Now, admittedly, the next two photos are slightly disturbing. In my head I knew what Botox did, but this was just weird.

BEFORE: Squinting as hard as I can.

AFTER: Squinting as hard as I can. One week later.

Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: NOW you can judge me. 😉 Have you/would you try Botox? Feel free to ask me questions!

Yes! We’re Featured in AARP’s Life Reimagined!

From Empty Nest to No Nest

Veronica and David James were living on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands when the last of their three kids flew off to college. Some of us might have opted to stay in that tropical paradise, but the Jameses knew they needed a change… SEE THE FULL STORY

And that’s not all! See more Going Gypsy News!

From Empty Nest to No Nest

And that’s not all! See more Going Gypsy News!

Letters from Americans to FDR at His Presidential Museum

In the entry hall to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, a wall is covered with letters sent to the president.

Partisan politics is nothing new, but we were impressed that FDR not only kept these, but they are now proudly on display… CONTINUE READING >>

A big thank you to Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and Dutchess County Tourism for providing this enlightening adventure. As always, all opinions are our own.

Very cute letter from a child to Franklin D. Roosevelt — Our favorites were from kids!

In the entry hall to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, a wall is covered with letters sent to the president.

We spent time perusing the correspondence and found that while most of it was complimentary, several held extremely harsh criticism as well.

Partisan politics is nothing new, but we were impressed that FDR not only kept these, but they are now proudly on display.

Here are more of favorites:

Very cute letter from a child to Franklin D. Roosevelt

Letters from American's at Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

David and Veronica, GypsyNester.com

DELVE DEEPER:
Click into our full story about hangin’ with the Roosevelts in Hyde Park!
Find out more about the Roosevelt Ride
See the Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC
See all of our adventures in New York!

A big thank you to Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and Dutchess County Tourism for providing this enlightening adventure. As always, all opinions are our own.

Racing our RV Around Watkins Glen International Speedway!

This could possibly be the most hysterically dumb thing we’ve ever done (and this is saying a lot!) ,.. See the whole story here or enlarge video

A big thank you to Watkins Glen International and Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes for providing this tire-squealing adventure. As always, all opinions are our own.

Watch: This could possibly be the most hysterically dumb thing we’ve ever done (and this is saying a lot!)

We raced our RV at Watkins Glen International Speedway! GypsyNester.com

With spring in the air, the time had come to take our new (to us) camper van out for a maiden voyage.

We could think of no better way to properly break in our new baby than to run him around the track at Watkins Glen International!

Our new RV - Baby BAMF! GypsyNester.com

David checks out a map of Watkins Glen Speedway before Driving the Glen

One might call it a baptism of fire, or at least smoke, as in your brakes are starting to smoke.

This would be quite a test since Watkins Glen is no ordinary oval speedway, no sir, this Grand Prix course has eleven turns, including a full hairpin, so the brakes, tires, and our nerves would all be getting a good work out.

Watkins Glen International allows you to Drive the Glen

We weren’t sure that a motorhome, no matter how small, would be allowed on the racecourse, but our friends at the Corning and Southern Finger Lakes Visitors Bureau loved the idea and set everything up for us.

Actually, we aren’t that special, anybody can drive their car around the famed track as a part of their Drive The Glen program.

Driving our RV on Watkins Glen International Speedway! GypsyNester.com

Admittedly, most people aren’t foolhardy enough to do it in an RV.

Even under the controlled conditions, following the pace car at non-Formula One speeds, it became abundantly clear after the first set of curves that this was no place for a top-heavy camper van.

David came in last, but took a victory lap anyway at Watkins Glen - GypsyNester.com
David may have come in dead last, but felt the need for a victory lap anyway!

But our rig was a trooper, and managed the raceway without rolling over.

Many of his contents did not fare as well; there may be no better way to empty the cupboards of a rolling house than to take a series of eleven sharp turns at top speed.

Flying debris aside, we figure that since he took the checkered flag with flying colors (even if it was in dead last), he should be ready for just about anything we might throw at him in the future.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

DELVE DEEPER and find more to do in the Fingerlakes Area of New York:
Watch us soar above it all while gliding in a sailplane
Kick some glass in Corning!
We drove our motorhome on Watkins Glen Speedway!
Go plum Western at the Rockwell Museum
See all of our adventures in New York!

A big thank you to Watkins Glen International and Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes for providing this tire-squealing adventure. As always, all opinions are our own.

YOUR TURN: How do you think David handled himself on the track? Does he have a future in RV racing?

Why We Call Our Adult Kids “The Spawn” (and how they got their nicknames)

Every once in a great while we receive comments like this:

Please don’t refer to your children as “spawn”. It sounds so disrespectful…

AND

You refer to your daughter as “Piglet”… How would you like being referred to as “piglet’ or “spawn”?” Have you ever asked her?

I’ve wanted to respond for a while now, but it didn’t feel right before I got my hands on the hilarious evidence behind our nicknaming… CONTINUE READING >>

I’ve been wanting to write a post about this subject for some time, because every once in a great while we receive comments on our site like this:

Please don’t refer to your children as “spawn”. It sounds so disrespectful, even though I know you don’t mean it that way. They either have names, or they are your kids or your children, but not spawn.

And this:

I am annoyed every time you refer to your children as “spawn”, the definition of which is: “the product or offspring of a person or place (used to express distaste or disgust)”… You also refer to your daughter as “Piglet”… I wonder how your daughter feels about being referred to as “piglet” now, and named as such for all the world to see (as well as her friends) on your public site. Have you ever asked her? How would you like being referred to as “piglet’ or “spawn”?

The Spawn - GypsyNester.com — The Piglet, Decibel, and The Boy starring in one of many stage shows – aren’t they the CUTEST?

Not wanting to upset or annoy folks, I’ve felt the need to clear the air, but it didn’t feel right before I got my hands on the hilarious evidence behind our nicknaming.

As anyone who has ever stuffed a keepsake, momento, or child’s ex-refridgerator-gracing paper into a box (or sixteen) for safekeeping knows, retrieving said items can be difficult.

Traveling full-time can take this task from difficult to nearly impossible.

But recently we invaded our storage unit and made a beeline for the beat-up plastic bin labeled “Mommy Treasures.” The very box that held the documentation needed for this post.

Why we call them The Spawn

The note from our kids that spawned "The Spawn" GypsyNester.com

Back when The Piglet returned to the nest for her first college summer, the kids gave me a beautiful bracelet and a cake for my birthday.

Along with this note (it’s wrinkled because someone threw it away while cleaning up after the celebration, but I loved it so much that I dumpster dived to retrieve it).

I knew it was The Piglet who wrote it — mainly because it mentions food.

Oh, and I know her handwriting.

The kids were so tickled by my love for the note — and the fact that I so obviously loved it more than the bracelet or the cake — that they began calling themselves The Spawn.

Who are we to argue?

Since a definition was brought up…

Merriam Webster says spawn means:
: to cause (something) to develop or begin
: to produce or create (something)
: to produce young especially in large numbers

— and some stuff about fish and mushrooms.

Knowing The Piglet’s sense of humor, she was probably referring to the fish and mushroom stuff.

It took me quite a bit of time to find the exact definition provided by the commenter above (I finally realized it would be best to Google the exact phrase – duh).

I found it in the Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words (buried in amongst entries about fish and mushrooms) – at books.Google.com. Unless the commenter owns the aforementioned tome, I’m thinking he had to dig fairly deep to make his point.

So – thanks for noticing?

Their nicknames

Early on we decided that for our site — and the book that spawned from it — we wouldn’t be using our adult kids’ real names, so we used their childhood nicknames instead. We are extremely protective of The Spawn’s privacy, and ask for their approval before we post anything that we think may tread on iffy territory.

The Piglet: We’ve always called her that. It might have started as a Winnie the Pooh thing, but I do know that from day one, she was a big eater.

She was a ballet dancer throughout her school years and we would have to double what would be considered a regular family dinner – just so we’d all have enough to eat.

To top it off, she’s one of those enviable people who eat and eat (and eat) and never gains a pound.

She’s fully outed herself as our daughter, has written for our site (see examples here and here), leaves comments as The Piglet, and still refers to herself as such in family situations… she’s just fine with the moniker.

Decibel: The girl is loud. When she sings, it’ll blow your hair back. Also, the name is kind of pretty if you strip it of its meaning.

So it stuck.

On a side note, throughout her formative years I often heard from folks about how sweet and shy she was.

I could never quite drill it into people’s heads that she was, in fact, the loudest person on the planet.

Then they got to know her better. And their hair blew back.

The Boy’s first plane – he made it out of plywood.

The Boy: You’d think that it was because he was, well, the boy – but you’d be wrong.

His first flight instructor, a gruff Texas native, never, ever, referred to him as anything but The Boy.

I was suspicious that this was because he couldn’t remember The Boy’s name, but by the time The Boy was in high school, they were together so much that I knew that couldn’t be the case.

We gave up and started calling him The Boy too.

Do The Spawn Mind?

Decide for yourself (we received this e-mail as I was writing this):

“In celebration of mom popping us out and thus being able to celebrate Mother’s Day, we would like to invite you to a sunny, deck BBQ brunch at Decibel’s house.

We will take care of the menu – you can assume the grill will be fired up. -The Female Spawn”

Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Does our usage of The Spawn annoy you? Isn’t that note the best birthday present ever? Don’t forget to share your sweet/funny/weird family nicknames with us!

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