BABY BOOMER DIVAS TALK RETRO POP CULTURE ON MY BLOG TALK RADIO SHOW

From their mid 40's to their mid 60's - WOMEN TALK NOSTALGIA AND YAK UP SOME DIVA DISH on the "TRIPPIN' DOWN MEMORY LANE" radio show premiere!

I premiered my Blog Talk Radio Show, ''TRIPPIN' DOWN MEMORY LANE" today with a short half hour test show. To help me out and give me some moral support I asked 3 of my friends to call in and be part of the show. The show theme is the retro pop culture of the baby boom generation.

It was half an hour of memories and laughter as we all took a blast to our pasts and discussed the fashions, fads, trends and nostalgia from our tens and teens in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

Give a listen here - it will jog a few past memories of your own!



Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

If you would like to call in live and participate or just listen for your own stroll down memory lane here's the time slot and details for the next show. Be sure to sign up for a Blog Talk Radio account so you can join the live chat too:

TRIPPIN' DOWN MEMORY LANE with your host POP ART DIVA

Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

THE DIVA OF THE U.S. - THE STATUE OF LIBERTY SINGS THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! FOR YOUR INDEPENDENCE DAY PLEASURE I PRESENT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY SINGING OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM:



Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

A little comedy break with Mrs. Hughes

I've been so busy revamping PopArtDiva.com I haven't had time to breath - but tonight I took a break to watch some comedy on YouTube. Here's one that cracked me up, considering I'm right there with the hot flashes:



Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

POP ART DIVA LIVE FRIDAY at the BOOMER DIVA DAY EVENT!

I am excited to be a part of this wonderful online event hosted by Beverly Mahone, founder of Boomer Diva Nation.

The event is the 2nd Annual Boomer Diva Day celebration in honor of Baby Boomer Day and will be on June 20th from 10amEDT-3pmEDT in the WECAI web conference room at:

http://www.wecai.org/ewednesdaychat.exe

This link above opens the chat software to enable you to listen and participate in this exciting event and maybe a chance to ask PopArtDiva some questions!

This is a time of celebration and fun for boomers all over the world who are (as the motto of Boomer Diva Nation) "On the Move and Making a Difference".

I hope that you will join me for the wonderful event and join in on the fun, community and support for Boomer Divas everywhere!

Here is my time slot:

POP ART DIVA, the artist formerly known as Terri:

12-12:15pm (EST) 9 - 9:15 (Arizona, PST)

Please join me and let's celebrate our generation and it's unique way of viewing the world!

Pop Art Diva

Also, we are so excited and honored to have Heidi Richards, founder of WECAI, to be the speaker of the day to talk about Blogging for Business.

Here is the updated schedule (times and vendors may change):

THE FULL SCHEDULE OF INSPIRED BOOMER DIVAS:
10:00-10:15 Welcome/Greeting
10:15-10:30 Kathy Porter – Mia Bella Candles
10:30-11:00 SPEAKER: Heidi Richards – Blogging for Business
11-11:15am Passion Parties rep, Donna Bourque
11:15-11:30am Dortha Hise - Avon
11:30-11:45 Break/Networking
11:45-12pm Rosie Horner - The Blog Management System Organize Your Blogging Today!
12-12:15pm Terri – Pop Art Diva
12:15-12:30pm Debbie Mormino - The Breast Cancer Diva
12:30-12:45pm Lisa Fredette –BeautiControl Rep
12:45-1pm Sharon Williams- The 24 hour Secretary
1-1:15pm Barb Ireland The Sample Cake
1:15-1:30pm Heidi Caswell (http://www.connectsimply.com)
1:30-1:45 Stephanie Fish, Buckeye VA http://www.buckeyeva.com
1:45-2pm pending vendor
2pm-2:15pm Dr Sally Witt (http://www.drsallywitt.com)
2:15pm-2:30pm Michelle Waters , Product Sellers Seminar
2:30pm-3pm Networking/Giveaways

Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

PLASTIC SURGERY CANNOT CHANGE THE WORLD

We are inundated from childhood with commercials, ads and film that reinforce the value of the "young and beautiful". Do we ever see or hear any media that promotes the value of wisdom, experience and the beauty of a face that has earned the right to a wrinkle or two?

As we march into the twenty first century age discrimination still abounds, as well as discrimination against those who are not what our society considers "good looking." This attitude is even more severe for females. Is it any wonder that women will spend small fortunes on beauty regimes that promise to turn back the clock, practice extreme diets in order to be fashionably thin and submit to the dangerous knife of a plastic surgeon in hopes of conforming to societies concepts of "beautiful" or in a vain attempt to gain back youth?

Take a look at celebrities who have surgically altered their looks so drastically that the results are tragically worse than having a few wrinkles or a turkey neck! Many look as though they are permanently being affected by G-forces strong enough to flatten a boulder. Those silly swollen lips that many actresses are sporting just look like an allergic reaction that localized near the mouth.

Are these women more beautiful now? Are they funnier, better actresses, better people?

In these times, when the world has some very serious problems, when war spreads around the globe, when people are starving and humanity everywhere face the threats of global warming, depleted resources and even possible extinction, wouldn't we all be better served by turning our desires and hopes towards a more beautiful planet than a more beautiful face?

Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

WHY IT'S GOOD TO BE A WOMAN!

I was doing my "spring" cleaning in one of my computers and came across this e-mail I'd saved about why it's good to be a woman.

This had been forwarded to me by one of my friends ages ago and I don't know where it originated but I saved it for some reason. I guess today is the day I saved it for - it's just a perfect bunch of happy little thoughts about why being a woman is a good and DIVA thing to be:

• We got off the Titanic first.
• We can scare male bosses with the mysterious gynecological disorder excuses.
• Taxis stop for us.
• We don't look like a frog in a blender when dancing.
• No fashion faux pas we make could ever rival the Speedo.
• We don't have to pass gas to amuse ourselves.
• If we forget to shave, no one has to know.
• We can congratulate our teammate without ever touching her rear end.
• We never have to reach down every so often to make sure our privates are still there.
• We have the ability to dress ourselves.
• We can talk to the opposite sex without having to picture them naked
• If we marry someone 20 years younger, we are aware that we will look like an idiot.
• We will never regret piercing our ears
• There are times when chocolate really can solve all your problems.
• We can make comments about how silly men are in their presence because they aren't listening anyway.

So there you have it my sisters - fifteen reasons why it's good to be a woman!

Check out the fun graphic, Pop Art Kiss, on some fun gifts, apparel and products at my new PopArtDiva Boutique!

AND THE LION SHALL LAY DOWN WITH THE LAMB - The cat and the crow friendship

There is nothing more DIVA than friendship - especially friendship between what most would call natural enemies. This video about an unlikely friendship between a kitten and a crow shows that any obstacle to friendship can be surmounted and triumphed over! VIVA this DIVA bond!



GET YOUR DIVA ON! Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED apparel, gifts and goodies!

MY INTERVIEW ON GROWING BOLDER RADIO

I've been trés busy completing my PopArtDiva Boutique this last month and have been a little remiss in posting good DIVA stuff - mea culpa! But a DIVA's gotta eat so the store completion took priority! Check out some of my JUST 4 DIVAS department for some fun Diva inspired graphics on great apparel, gifts and goodies!

But I'm almost done and shall be back with great dish for DIVAS and fab female fodder for you all soon!

Here's some news! I was interviewed by Growing Bolder Radio on my Baby Boomer inspired web enterprises recently! Stop by and read the profile and listen to the interview!

Psst! Visit the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

Woman Versus Man - A Study in Stereotypes

Here's a little video animation I found at YouTube on Women versus Men. It was made by an Italian man so keep that in mind.

What I found interesting about the whole thing was this - the stereotypes of what a man is and what a woman is don't seem to have changed all that much. I'm just wondering how this cartoon might have been different if created by a woman, Italian or otherwise?

The section on "Seduction" was pretty accurate though, lol. Check it out and let me know what you all think - have we really "come a long way, baby" or are we kidding ourselves?


Stop by the PopArtDiva Boutique for some great DIVA INSPIRED gifts and goodies!

Are You a "SEX" Maniac? I'm talking "Sex in the City"!

I admit it. I am a "Sex" maniac. I loved the "Sex and the City" series on HBO. It was so refreshing to see four women, not girls, in the prime of their life and getting the most out of New York, men and their world in general!

These were real women, they cursed (sometimes shockingly so), they slept around, they suffered and they celebrated with each other. It was a wonderful testament to sisterhood, DIVAdom and friendship.

These were women of the modern world, they had thrown out the "truths" told to them by the previous generation and they were taking on life on their own terms. I loved them all because they complemented each other and gave each other what no man ever could - total support and understanding.

Based on Candace Bushnell's book of the same title, it was centered around Carrie Bradshaw (the narrator and central DIVA, Sarah Jessica Parker) and her three DIVA friends, Samantha Jones (the sexy one played by Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (the sweet one played by Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (the career minded one, Cynthia Nixon).

I cannot wait for the Memorial Day weekend because the "Sex in the City" movie premieres May 30th! I've already made plans to go and see the movie with my DIVA friends and fellow "Sex" maniacs - I wonder if I could manage to sneak in a few Cosmopolitans to go with my popcorn?

A LADY DOESN'T THINK ABOUT SEX, SEX, SEX, SEX. . . .available as a poster at the PopArtDiva Boutique - where you can get all my great pop culture art on cool products!

Coming soon as fine art giclees on PopArtDiva.com - look for the JUST 4 DIVAS icons and links!! Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

WE NEED MENOPAUSE PARKING AND WE NEED IT NOW!

Since I seem to be on a menopause kick lately, here's a little comedy routine from a very funny DIVA of a "certain age", Chonda Pierce.

Ms. Pierce has a little suggestion to make the world easier for those of us over 40 which would also make the world a safer place for all, because we all know that a happier menopausal woman is less likely to commit an act of hot flash induced violence!

SOME FREE TELESEMINARS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN

There are some really good FREE TELESEMINARS coming up this month that are great for empowering and informing women. Click here to register at the Your Time To Shine Telesminar series:

Thursday, May 8 at noon Breast Cancer Advocate Debbie Mormino on BlogTalk Radio: The Breast Diva Talks about Toxicity, Obesity and Breast Cancer.

Thursday evening May 8, at 8pm Author Karen O Bannon: The Relationships Between Mothers and Daughters.

Thursday, May 15 at noon Author Vicki M. Taylor on BlogTalk Radio: Fighting the Battle of Living with Mental Illness. Encore Presentation Thursday evening at 8pm

Thursday, May 22 at noon Fearless Fifties Advocate/Author Jacqueline Wales on BlogTalk Radio: Ten Secrets to Taking Fear Out of Your Life

Thursday evening, May 22 at 8pm Author/Virtual Assistant Kathie Thomas: The Value of being a Work-at-Home-Mom

Thursday, May 29 at noon Entrepreneur Heidi Richards at noon on Blog Talk Radio: How to get the Most Out of Social Networking

Thursday, May 29 at 8pm Wedding Planner Pam Archer on BlogTalk Radio: Top Ten Mistakes when Planning a Wedding or Event-

Thursday, June 12 at noon Life Coach Eileen Williams BlogTalk Radio: Reinventing Yourself at Midlife

Thursday evening, June 12 at 8pm: Boomer Blogger Rosie Horner: Making the Most of Your Online Presence

Thursday, June 19 at noon Best Selling Author Linda Alexander on BlogTalk Radio: Telling Your Life Story or Anyone Else’s

Thursday evening, June 19 at 8pm PTSD Counselor/Author Lady Cerelli : Why We Take Things Personal

Thursday evening, June 26 at 8pm Cookbook Author Betty Lynch Eat to Live

AND I will be presenting a FREE TELESEMINAR - Part Two of ARTISTS WHO WANT TO SELL THEIR ART on May 15th!
Listen to Part One at:
"The Tried and True Techniques to Selling Your Art"

Sign up details for upcoming teleseminars posted at
The NORMAL CHALLENGED ARTIST blog.

HOT v. COLD - THE TEMPERATURE DANCE BETWEEN THE SEXES

My friend and writer, Elizabeth, wrote this in an email to me about the temperature wars in her house with her husband:

"It's super cloudy, almost foggy today and we've been having hot weather, how strange. My husband is holed up in his office with the heat blowing. I swear it's ninety degrees in there. I'm hot all the time, and he's cold all the time. Things used to be the other way around. It's not THAT cold this morning, he could put on a sweater!"

After posting about menopause this made me laugh. For some reason couples seem to have this temperature dance throughout their domestic years. Have you ever noticed? If you want the windows open at night your partner wants them closed. While you go about freezing and piling on sweaters your partner is running around naked or close to it.

And then, sometime, after you hit 40 or so, you hit menopause and all hell breaks loose! And what does your partner do? They flip too and start having cold flashes!

It made me wonder, is this a medical phenomenon or is it just that couples seem to like the temperature dance? Which made me laugh again and remember the old saying "Dildo's don't dance."

They don't care if you're having a hot flash either!

MENOPAUSE - ARE WE THERE YET?

Whoever told you that being a woman can't be fun was wrong!

I just got through watching an interview of my friend and fellow Diva Boomer, Eileen Williams (on the local ABC affiliate in San Francisco) about celebrating menopause - the symptoms, the signs and embracing the "change".

It was a great interview and funny! Eileen mentioned our bodies "flopping and dropping" and I had to laugh because I have named my "girls" (that's boobs to you men) Thelma and Louise. Not because they are cute and perky but because they have gone over the cliff!

Both women spoke to the advantages of growing older as a woman. Because of the testosterone levels we begin to be more outspoken, more assertive and even more creative! As pointed out in the video we no longer have to worry about having feminine hygiene products in our medicine cabinets or our handbags! Even our headaches can go away!

I have found that menopause has been a doorway to freedom for me. As a younger woman I was always struggling to be like every one else. For me that was almost an insurmountable goal because, as an artist, I am "Normal Challenged"! I am, and have always been, a little different from other people. This caused me many years of confusion and discomfort. I just wanted to fit in and be like other women my age.

Now that I am older I recognize my "normal challenged" personality as a benefit and not as a detriment. I no longer care to fit in and I have embraced my unique voice and style. This is the DIVA way! I love my life as a Normal Challenged Artist and unique person and I am doing things now that I would never have thought possible nor even had the courage to try when I was younger!

Though I do not enjoy hot flashes and mood swings, I am not afraid to have them. I never took hormones because I did not want to fill my body with artificial chemicals. If that makes me more assertive, more demanding and less malleable than some would prefer - well, phooey on them! I'm happier and, frankly, that's what counts to me!

I've even started a rant blog where I get to complain about the things that bug, irritate and annoy me called The BRAT in the HAT! I highly recommend a rant blog for all women over 40 - you get to post your irritation for the world to see and get it out of your system. It's better medicine than a few hormone treatments by far - and it's cheaper!

So, if you're on the far side of 40, sliding into menopause and worried that your life is over - don't! Your life is really just beginning and it's going to be a wild ride into the second and best part of your life!

Some great sites to network with other dynamic women on the far side of 40:

The Feisty Side of 50

Enjoy Your Menopause

Boomer Diva Nation

Rosie's Boomer Review

New Jersey Baby Boomer

The Crazy Rancher's Wife

Life After 50

THE ULTIMATE DIVA - Norma Jean aka Marilyn Monroe

While I was attempting to wake up this morning, I was watching the mini-series "Blond" - a biography on Marilyn Monroe. I enjoy this movie a lot because it devoted a good amount of time on Marilyn Monroe as a very young girl. I suspect it was not entirely accurate, however it was still interesting and made you think about what Marilyn would have been like as a little girl.

Marilyn Monroe aka Norma Jean Mortensen/Baker was an intelligent and highly underrated woman of talent. Sadly for us, and the beautiful women of those days, gorgeous women were only seen as sex kittens in Hollywood. Marilyn's acting talent and her intelligence were ignored and her body and face were seen as her only values. I often wonder how she would have grown as an actress had she lived to see today's world.

Marilyn was never won nor was nominated for an Oscar. I think Oscar missed a trick, don't you? That is why the title of my artistic tribute to Marilyn above is entitled "HEAVEN TRUMPS OSCAR" because Heaven is always a better reward than a statue any day and I figure the angels might just have had enough sense to cast her in something that was equal to her talents and intelligence.

There is one little thing I would like to point out to all the women of today's world who strive so hard to fit into a dress size that wouldn't fit a Barbie Doll - Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14 dress. You heard me right. A size 14 dress. And she was considered to be the most beautiful, sexiest woman of her time - maybe the sexiest woman of all time.

Norma Jean Leaves The Scene in a Lilac Cadillac is available as archival prints and giclees on canvas in various sizes at my website. Copyright 2008 by Pop Art Diva. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

Heaven Trumps Oscar is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and not for sale. Copyright 2008 by Pop Art Diva. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

Roller Girls - How DIVA can you get?

I was recently wondering what had happened to Roller Derby in a post on my Pop Culture Blog and I got a comment from Ruby Khan telling me about the resurgence of Roller Derby and that she was a Roller Girl herself! Wow, a real Roller Derby Queen found my blog post! I was thrilled!

Ruby gave me some great links to her team's website - The Boston Derby Dames and I checked her blogger profile and found she had a blog entitled "Pigeons playing roller derby" so I just had to check that out and post a comment - I loved the blog name!

Now, I ask you just how much more DIVA can you get than being a Roller Derby DIVA? They get to wear really fun (though Ruby says "often ridiculous") costumes, get great exercise, really compete (Ruby says these games aren't staged) and then create really fun names for themselves! The featured player on her team's website was "Queen Kamayhemmayhem" - I loved it!

Even though I am not a Roller Girl - though I do still have a pair of skates tucked away gathering dust somewhere - I thought it would be fun to come up with a Roller Derby name for myself and have decided that my Roller Girl name should be "The DIVA of DOOM".

Ladies and Gentlemen, skating for the baby boomer women of Divaville - The DIVA of DOOM! She's not fast, she's not coordinated, but she's sneaky so watch your backs and keep your helmets and knee pads fastened tight! Can I get a fanfare here?

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

BABY BOOMER DIVAS GETTIN' JIGGY IN DAYTONA BEACH!

Are you over 40, female and loving your life?
Are you taking charge and moving in new directions?
Do you believe women are like wine - better with some age and maturity?
Are you a DIVINE BABY BOOMER DIVA?

If you are you need to read more about a sisterhood of other women DIVAS who believe like you, who are "on the move", who are making a difference and who have come together under the leadership of The Queen of Hearts of Boomer Divas, Ms. Beverly Mahone.

Visit The BOOMER DIVA NATION online or join in the festivities at their Girlfriends Weekend Getaway in Daytona Beach, Florida being held April 18th - 20th. Women from all professions and backgrounds are getting together, networking and sharing their power, bringing DIVA to the world with grace, elegance and style.

Read more on Judy Davids, The Rock Star Mommy! - Click BLOG at the top of the page. And be sure to peruse the rest of Judy's fun site - it's a must visit for any Rockin' DIVA!

Listen to Beverly talk about this great event:

I MAY BE A FLIP-FLOP SNOB - BUT I'M A THONG DIVA!

I have to admit I'm not one for fashion fads anymore - I've stated this before in a post where I wanted to go naked, but I have gotten into the new flip-flop trend with a vengeance.

When I was a kid, we called flip-flops thongs, but I am making a concerted effort to retrain myself to call them flip-flops. Tragic misunderstandings have ensued from my bad habit of calling flip-flops thongs, but I won't go there.

This new batch of flip-flops is far superior to those white trash versions I had as a kid. The original flip-flop was simply a rubber sole with a strap plugged through the soul and around your toes. Much like the ones pictured above in my Pop Art "Flip Flops Aren't Thongs?", except we didn't even get pretty flowers on the tops of the soles like the ones pictured here. (I got these cute thongs as a gift for a trip!)

Now you can get flip-flops with some great DIVA frills. I have some that have been treated to a knitting project using really fun fuzzy yarns and even torn fabrics that flutter around my toes. My favorite pair at the moment are a pair of metallic, hot pink flip-flops with a sexy little 1-1/2 inch spike heel. I also favor a pair of turquoise flip-flops that are silk with a similar kicky little heel. And I have a pair of black silk ones that go great with a black caftan I bought for my martini hour outside in this great Spring weather.

I will admit I am a bit of a flip-flop snob. When I'm doing an art show I watch to see how many of the white trash versions of flip flops are flapping on the ground - too many and I know I'm dealing with a Walmart poster crowd and I stick my nose back in my book. Cheap flip flop wearers are not big on buying original art! But if those flip flops are sporting some bling I'm in the money!

Whatever the economic version of flip-flops, one thing can be said for all - they are a great way to show off your new pedicure and they're the fastest shoe to kick off at the end of a long day! Now, that's DIVA!

Flip Flops Aren't Thongs? is available as archival prints and giclees on canvas in various sizes at PopArtDiva.com. Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.

SOME JAZZY DIVA DISCO EARRINGS FOR PETUNIA

I finally had to break down and get a new (to me) van for my art shows. Now vans by their very nature are not DIVA! They are utilitarian vehicles that get you and your assorted passengers and cargo to a destination. They are not sexy but they are a necessary evil for an artist who has to transport a portable store to a new location each weekend.

My new (to me) van is a dark green Ford of "a certain age", much like me. Well, I'm not green but I do have a few miles on me. I have named her "Petunia".

Now, I have found that if you treat your cars with respect by giving them a name and petting them for a job well done they will respond much like most men. In other words, they will be reliable, comfortable, easier on the pocketbook and more inclined to be responsive. A little gift now and then is also beneficial.

So I gave Petunia a pair of earrings. They are small mirror covered replicas of disco balls that were in style in the 1970s. These are very DIVA car earrings - they sparkle and dance around as Petunia and I go down the road.

I think Petunia likes her new earrings. Petunia is now a DIVA car and I think Petunia gets better gas mileage since she's gone DIVA.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED - TIME FOR A MANI-PEDI!

The weather has warmed and Spring has arrived and now we get to wear all our cute, kicky little sandals and fancy flip-flops.

I was excited to pull out my summer clothes and my cute sandals until I looked at my feet. OMG! Chipped toenail polish, cracked and dry skin had hidden all winter under socks and boots and fuzzy slippers! Let's not even talk about how I managed to ignore my shaving and waxing schedule!

So out came my clipping, snipping, sanding and buffing tools, my special creams, lotions and potions that promise to make my feet pretty for the "Season of the Naked Foot".

Since I'm an artist who sculpts as well as paints a manicure is kind of a lost cause for me - no matter what I do my fingernails will forever be short and unpainted. Manicures are simply not an option for those who work with paint, water, solvents, chemicals and most art mediums. It's sort of a waste of money and time.

BUT, I can have painted toes and cute shoes to show them off. So I will be soaking, grinding, creaming, filing and french-manicuring my feet to DIVA perfection this whole next week. It will take that long to get the "winter" off of them!