Annie Laurie Cechini was a sullen seventh-grader when she swore she would never write again after sharing a creation that caused her classmates to laugh. She wasn’t trying to be funny.

It was a senior year English teacher at El Camino High School, however, that pushed her to nurture her natural gift for words and regain her confidence.

Today, the 1998 El Camino graduate is kicking off a new career as a full-time writer, already holding book signings for her debut novel, Liberty, a young adult work about a space captain navigating life after losing her ship and crew.

In an interview earlier this year with San Juan Unified School District’s marketing department, Chechini discussed what motivates her work, how she is a relentless self-editor and how young writers have more resources than ever to pursue their passion. Here are excerpts from the conversation:

Explain your book for us.
Liberty is about a teenage girl who has lost her family. And she’s a space captain. She’s trying really hard to be tough and run everything and find a little piece of the world that she feels safe in. And everything just keeps backfiring. She’s got bad guys chasing her for something that she feels like she has that she shouldn’t, and her friends get threatened, and it’s just a big fun mess.

Were you a sci-fi fan growing up? What inspired you to tell this story?
I’m kind of a very big geek. I had very, very long hair when I was five years old, and Return of the Jedi came out that year, so I kind of grew up thinking that I was Princess Leia. … There’s something about science and the fact that we don’t have all the answers yet that lends itself to more imaginative writing. Because there’s still just a little bit of magic in science and space – because there are so many things we still don’t understand – there’s a lot more wiggle room to do some really interesting things in science fiction.

The central character is trying to find her place and is overcoming obstacles. Did you draw on any personal experiences for inspiration?
When I wrote Liberty, I was trying to remove myself as far away from the character as I could. Some writers feel like they need to have a direct life experience that correlates, and for me, that’s just therapy that I don’t want to deal with. I would love to just leave that at the door and write interesting characters.

But inevitably what happens is little parts of you sneak in, and I think authors try really hard not to let that go completely crazy. But I know one of the things that was really hard is there’s this theme of loss in Liberty, and I know everyone has had experiences with loss, but the year that I wrote Liberty there were some pretty big losses in my life, and that kind of found its way in. I didn’t even notice it until I was talking to a writer.

This is your first novel. Had you had any other writing published before this?
When I was at El Camino, I actually tried to publish a poem I wrote, and I think it was soundly rejected for being kind of terrible.

That’s good experience, too, right?
It absolutely is a good experience, because rejection is a permanent aspect of being an author. The sooner you can learn to tolerate rejection, the better.

Was this book difficult to get published?
Yes and no. I actually tried to start writing full time in 2009, and the first novel I tried to write was a total train wreck. It was huge and cumbersome and just a disaster. Liberty I actually wrote for fun on kind of a lark. I finished writing in March and I signed a contract in January of the next year. That’s pretty quick.

Can you talk about submitting your work to publishers and what that process is like?
Just in the time that I’ve been writing, there have been incredible changes. And really good ones, too. The first manuscript, or query letter, that I ever sent out to an agent, I had to send him a big manila envelope … and now, everything is digital. And because everything is digital a lot of publishers, small presses, agents, anyone connected to the industry – they’re online, they’re on social media, they have blogs, they tell you exactly what they want. So once upon a time, you had to … try and figure out who was accepting your type of book and then figure out if they were querying or not. And sometimes they wanted manuscripts, and you would have no clue what they wanted, so you were just throwing stuff out there hoping something sticks. And it’s not very effective.

Now, you can go online and visit a site like Query Shark – it’s a blog that I love – and it will tell you what not to do in a query letter to an agent, and … you can look at agents individually and see what they’re looking for and what they represent. … There are so many great resources out there for the aspiring writer to get their career going.

Can you talk about why you dedicated Liberty to your grandfather (a former English teacher at Rio Americano)?
When I was a kid, I lost a sibling to cancer, a younger brother, and when I was 7 or 8 years old I was just an angry, angry nightmare child. My parents were going back to school, so we lived with my grandparents for a time, and my grandpa would give me grammar sheets … for me to play with. And I did, and I learned stuff.

Then I started hounding him to let me help him grade papers, and of course that was never going to fly. But he did let me help him correct text, and I just developed this fierce love of the red pen.

Do you use the red pen a lot on your own work?
Yes. I think that’s one of the best things that you can possibly develop as a writer: the ability to see your stuff, and see where it sucks, and learn how to fix it. If you’re not able to take that step back and say, “This really isn’t working,” then it’s really hard to progress as a writer. You have to be really critical of your own stuff.

This story is courtesy of the San Juan Unified School District.

On Saturday, April 27, the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library celebrated spring with its second annual spring after-hours celebration. The event was open only to the Friends of the Library. The event featured books, food, wine, art, music and fun.

The following are bios of the local artists and authors who showed their works at the celebration.

Mary Highstreet is a Californian fine artist. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and later attended to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.  She graduated in 2009 with a BFA in Art & Design.  Following her graduation, she spent eight months in Los Angeles studying concept design for film under visual development artists and animators currently working in the film industry. Mary has worked in a variety of media and is currently working in oils, acrylics, and digital painting. Her subject matter delves into the deciphering of the human mind, literature, dreams, spirituality, and capturing the sublime.  Her style is primarily illustrative and impressionistic.  Visit www.maryhighstreet.com.

Twenty-three years old, Michael Panush has distinguished himself as a promising young writer. He has published numerous short stories in a variety of e-zines including:  AuroraWolf, Demon Minds, Fantastic Horror, Dark Fire Fiction, Aphelion, Horrorbound, Fantasy Gazetteer, Demonic Tome, Tiny Globule, and Defenestration. He published his first novel, Clark Reeper Tales, for his high school senior project. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Michael currently serves as a City Year Corps Member at Rosa Parks Middle School. His books with Curiosity Quills include The Stein and Candle Detective Agency, Volume 1: American Nightmares, Volume 2: Cold Wars, and Volume 3: Red Reunion, all featuring a pair of occult detectives in the 1950s, Dinosaur Jazz– where The Great Gatsby meets Jurassic Park — a story about a Lost World battling against the forces of modernization; and El Mosaico, Volume 1: Scarred Souls and Volume 2: The Road to Hellfire, a Western about a bounty hunter whose body was assembled from the remains of dead Civil War soldiers and brought to life by mad science. Dinosaur Dust and El Mosaico, Volume 3: Hellfire are expected to be released soon. Read excerpts from his work at http://curiosityquills.com/published-authors/michael-panush/ and follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/Michael_Panush

Eighteen-year-old Sierra Brown is a senior at CK McClatchy High School in the Humanities and International Studies Program. She has won numerous awards over the years for her photography, writing, and art. She enjoys traveling and has visited every state in the U.S. (except Hawaii) and has also traveled extensively throughout Europe and the British Isles. Last summer Sierra spent a month in Rwanda, Africa, as part of a cultural and community service program with other McClatchy High School students.Many of photographs were taken during her travels. Sierra will attend UC Berkeley this fall and plans to study integrated biology.

Carol Ng has played the piano since she was 4 years old and has taught piano for more than 28 years.  Her second instrument is the harp, which she has played for more than 19 years and has taught it for eight years. She has been employed as a clinical certified music practitioner at Mercy General Hospital since 2008 where she has brought therapeutic harp music to the patient’s bedside.  Carol is the resident harpist for the Lutheran Church of the Master and an active member of the choir and bell choir.  Carol received her music teaching diploma from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in Hong Kong.  She composes and arranges music for both the harp and piano.  She is a freelance harpist and pianist for weddings and special events.  She has played before large audiences in Hong Kong and intimate settings in Sacramento. During her tenure as a piano and harp instructor, she has intimate musical one on one interaction with her students and has modified her teaching to accommodate their interest and learning abilities.  She has been an active member of the California Associate of Professional Music Teacher Association (CAPMT-MTNA), the Sacramento Capitol Valley Harp Circle, Harper’s Hall and was Vice President of the Association from 2004-2006. She can be reached at 391-2560.

In addition to her work in public relations and communications in Sacramento, Annette Kassis is a historian specializing in the Western United States, particularly the Greater Sacramento region and Northern California. She recently received the Sacramento County Historical Society’s Award of Excellence in Publications for her book, Weinstock’s: Sacramento’s Finest Department Store (The History Press, 2012), an examination of the history, people and innovations of the Sacramento landmark department store that began at 4th and K Streets in 1874. Kassis serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento History Foundation, and her background includes nearly 20 years as co-owner of Sacramento-based advertising and public relations firm K&H Marketing, LLC. Kassis studied journalism and history at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, and continued with graduate studies in United States history at California State University-Sacramento and the University of California-Santa Barbara. She and her husband Rich Kassis live in the Sacramento area.

When a rainy day threatens to spoil a little girl’s plans to play outside, her disappointment quickly disappears when her mother shares a “magical” hat with her.  This “magical” hat has the power to whisk the little girl away to any place she imagines. The real magic in “Murphy and the Magical Hat” lies in Land Park children’s book author Kate David’s message – imagination can lead children from despair to delight in a matter of a few moments.

David reminds parents of the importance of kindling their children’s imaginations, particularly, when life seems bleak and boring. David believes it is critically important that children develop resilience to life’s disappointments and the book shares that poignant message with parents while delighting the child.

David was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.  She received her degree in Journalism from Ohio University after numerous higher education creative writing courses. In her prior life, David was in advertising and marketing for both radio and television stations. She feels fortunate to make her lifelong dream of becoming an author a reality, in “Murphy and the Magical Hat.”

Sparked from the birth of her daughter, Murphy, in June 2010 in New York City, Kate had spent many days imagining all the adventures she would take with her daughter and the idea for the book began.   Kate currently resides right in the heart of Land Park with her two daughters and husband, Jeff.  She spends her time caring for her two daughters and working on the next book in the “Murphy and the Magical Hat” series.

David said it’s definitely been a challenge working on the book while staying home and raising two children. “Some days are better than others,” she said. “It was definitely something that I wanted to do – in regards to the book and certainly to have kids. So I do the best I can.”

With two really well-behaved girls, she tries to get work done on her second book during their naps. “It’s a lot of work, for sure,” she said with a chuckle. “But I don’t know, you manage it.”

Self-publishing was a huge learning curve for David. After reaching out to agents before she started this process, she got great feedback but no takers on the book, so she decided to self publish. After going through three different companies, she settled with Outskirt Press.

“It was a huge learning curve. I knew nothing about the publishing industry. I’m still learning everyday … I think you have to be prepared for a lot of curve balls,” she said.

One of them was the unanticipated cost of self-publishing a book. Another had to do with coordinating the text with the illustrations. And then she also had to choose the font and design the layout of the book. “I thought somebody would have helped me through all of that. You have to do everything even though you are working with a company that will eventually publish the book,” she said.

However, she said self-publishing companies can provide a lot of assistance for you if you want it. They guide you through the process – the step-by-step ways of doing it. You are the one making a lot of the decisions.

David started writing “Murphy and the Magical Hat” when her daughter was 6 months old, or about two years ago and she didn’t have a book until this past January.

The illustrator she chose was one she found online named Helen Turner who lives in the United Kingdom. “It’s funny, we never met. We communicated through email. She had such a great, creative vision. It just came together perfectly,” David said.

“For my first book, I am really pleased with the way it turned out but it was a fantastic, scary, wonderful, terrible process. It was just all of those things.”

For David, it was more important to fulfill this dream she had to write a children’s book, than to go the route of selling millions of copies. “It would be fantastic if I do, but it was more important to do it and see it through,” she said.

David, her husband Jeff and Murphy were living in New York City when the idea for the book came about.  “I had all these wonderful thoughts of what I’d do with (Murphy) when she was old enough,” she said.

As it turns out, Murphy loves carousels. They have enjoyed the one in Arden Fair Mall, the one at the zoo and the one at Funderland. Though when they go to the mall’s carousel, Murphy chooses to ride on the bench. “It’s fun to watch her choose … “it’s fun to watch her enjoy that, as much as I enjoyed putting that to paper.”

David has always been a big day-dreamer. For her high school senior thesis, she took pictures all around town and wrote the stories that went on behind them. Especially with New York City and even now in Sacramento, there are things she wants her daughters to experience.

“They’re sponges. I think that it’s so important to expose them to so much. So wherever we are living, I feel imagination is so important,” she said.

The Davids came to Sacramento after Jeff took a marketing job for the Sacramento Kings. Before that he worked for the NBA league office. “So that’s why we’re here … It’s a big job. He loves it. It’s a great place for us to be. He has seen tough days but it’s a good job for him.”

She said she couldn’t have finished the first book without him. “Jeff has been a never-ending source of support and encouragement. I’m very lucky,” she said.

You can get it on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. Locally, you can purchase it at Koukla Kids in East Sacramento and Puddles in the Arden area.

Jackie Boor, co-author of “Inside the President’s Helicopter,” will sign copies of her book at the Avid Reader at Tower, 1600 Broadway in Sacramento on December 12, 2 to 4 p.m. Written with LTC Gene T. Boyer, the books tells of the early days of transporting the President of the United States by helicopter. Among many glowing endorsements, is Julie Nixon Eisenhower who writes, “Inside the President’s Helicopter is a story of high adventure, courage and history-making moments…a very human, up-close look at the Presidency. It is a must read for anyone interested in the White House.”

 

On the 24th of October, the Battle for Leyte Gulf had been raging four days, when a U.S. Navy reinforcement group arrived off the island of Leyte to support the amphibious landing of U.S. forces as they prepared to liberate the Philippines.

Gordon Swehla, a nineteen year old petty officer third class, was manning the radar in the Combat Information Center (CIC) of the USS Hopewell. The ship, a Fletcher Class Destroyer (called a Tin Can by U.S. Navy sailors), was equipped with the latest radar. Each sweep of the antenna lit up numerous amber blips on his radar screen.

He was looking for low flying enemy planes and surface targets that might be enemy ships. The Hopewell had limped into Leyte Gulf on a damaged propeller after the ship struck an uncharted reef. Two days later, it hauled-out for Hollandia, New Guinea to make repairs on the damaged propeller. En route the ship’s gunners knocked down two enemy planes.

Gordon recalled that “Air search wouldn’t pick up those low flying aircraft. But our surface radar could spot ’em approaching low on the water.”

Gordon had been a crew member aboard Hopewell since it was launched by the Bethlehem Steel Co. in San Pedro, Calif. a year and a half earlier. By the time of the Leyte operation, he was a veteran tin can sailor having fought in three major battles from the Marshall Islands through New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Grand Forks, N.D. was his home before he joined the Navy in March, 1943. A year earlier, his family received the dreaded telegram that his older brother Donald, a crewman on the USS Langley, was reported missing in action when the Langley was sunk by Japanese bombers during the opening days of World War II.

On Valentine’s Day 1945, the Hopewell was dueling with shore batteries on the Island of Corregidor at the entrance to Manila Bay, when it was ordered to rescue survivors of a mine sweeper that had been set afire. While closing on the sinking vessel, the Hopewell shuddered from the impact of a direct hit.

Gordon described what happened next: “One shell hit the forward stack. Another blew out the fire control center (a complex unit that synchronized all the ship’s guns). A third shell ruptured the forward fuel tank. One shell went clear through the ship.”

Damage control parties sprung into action. The wounded were moved to sickbay. The ship was ordered to retire from the action and head for Subic Bay, where the wounded could be transferred to a floating medical facility and the dead could be moved ashore. Seven sailors were killed and twelve wounded.

“When my ship docked at Mare Island for repairs a month after the Corregidor operation, I came to Sacramento on liberty,” Gordon recalled. “This was a good liberty town. For a quarter, I could ride the bus from Mare Island to Sacramento. We went to dances at the ballroom above the Senator Theater.”

On a blind date he met a girl named Dorothy Haskell.

“We had a few dates.” Gordon said. “But my ship returned to the Pacific in April.”

He and Dorothy kept their romance alive with letters.

In March, 1946 Gordon finally returned home wearing seven battle stars on his campaign ribbons and the insignia of Petty Officer Second Class. He had been at sea for almost two years.

“I got here on a Friday and rode the street car out to the Clunie Club House in McKinley Park,” he said. “Dorothy was working for her boss, the principal at Donner School, who was managing the annual camellia show.”

Gordon remained in Sacramento, hoping to find a job. One day while shopping in Oak Park, they stopped in front of the Arata Brothers Grocery store.

“Why don’t you inquire about a job,” Dorothy urged.

Gordon walked in and convinced the boss that he was a reliable, hard working young veteran. He got the job.

Dorothy Haskell became Dorothy Swehla on July 3, 1946. The young married coupled moved into a small two bedroom house in Colonial Heights bought with a $100 down payment – Gordon’s mustering-out pay from the Navy. After five years working for Arata Brothers, he took a job at the Sacramento Army Depot, where he worked for thirty years retiring as Shop Superintendent in electronics. In 1966, on their 20th anniversary, Gordon and Dorothy moved into a new home on 13th Street in the Pocket Area of Sacramento. This year they celebrated 64 years of marriage with their two sons, three grandsons, and eight great-grandchildren.

At 85 years of age, Gordon is still a working man. Driving a Chevy pickup filled with tools and parts, he oversees the maintenance work on several warehouses in West Sacramento. His garage is filled with power tools. His building skills are numerous. His craftsmanship is impeccable. He is everyone’s good neighbor. He will give you the best advice on repairs to your house, then reach in to the bed of his pickup, pull out his tools, and help you with the job. He flies his country’s flag every day of the week.

Gordon hopes his countrymen will remember his brother, Donald Miles Swehla, Seaman First Class, whose name is inscribed on a marble column in the American Military Cemetery in Manila. Those sailors of the old Asiatic Fleet with their antiquated ships and no hope of reinforcements made their stand and went down fighting against impossible odds.

September 2010 is bound to be a very busy month in the life of long-time Sacramento area resident Lawrence Tom as he begins an intensive local speaking schedule to promote his newly-published book, “Sacramento’s Chinatown.”

At least eight public library presentations are scheduled for him in September at branches throughout Sacramento County, including talks at the Belle Cooledge library in South Land Park (Sept. 18 at 3 p.m.), and the Robbie Waters branch in the Pocket area (Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m.). Other dates include Sept. 8 at the McClatchy library in the Midtown area and Sept. 15 at the main library downtown.

The 73-year-old Lawrence Tom wrote the text and assembled the 200-plus photos in his book with his younger brother, Brian Tom, an Oakland-area resident who graduated from UC Berkeley and the UC Davis School of Law. The younger Tom practiced law for 25 years and served as an administrative law judge.

The book marked their second collaboration to compile the story of Chinese immigration to Northern California, which began with the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. Their first book, “Marysville’s Chinatown,” was published in 2008.

The Tom brothers were born in Marysville, which in the early gold rush days was an important way-station for Chinese newcomers flocking to the gold fields.

Lawrence Tom moved to Sacramento in 1957, when he enrolled at Sacramento State and emerged with a degree in business administration. He then settled down in the capital, married and raised a family. He spent 40 years in state government, mostly as a career executive with CalTrans, and close to half a century with his family as a Greenhaven resident.

Tom said the early-day immigrants, most of whom came from southwestern China centering around Guangdong province and the Hong Kong area, were attracted by stories of gold discoveries, “and like most of those who emigrated to America, were seeking a better life for themselves.”

Among the early-day Chinese, Tom said, Sacramento was known as “Yee Fow,” which translates to “second city.” The “first city” was San Francisco, where the immigrants made their first landfall, he added.

The book also reviews the intensive discrimination that early-day Chinese immigrants encountered when they arrived here, including the enactment of laws in California that barred them having the same legal protections as other newcomers to the U.S. Tom said the anti-Chinese discrimination continued in one form or another until the mid-20th century.

Tom said a number of Chinese organizations are currently working together to establish a Sacramento Yee Fow center as an historical memorial for the days long gone by.

“We hope the book will generate a greater interest from the public in increasing awareness of the history of the Chinese pioneers in California and the Sacramento area,” he said.

Tom noted that the original Chinese community along I Street between 2nd and 6th streets was mostly torn down over the years and redeveloped, and that descendants of the original settlers now live throughout the community.

“This book is dedicated to the Chinese of Sacramento,” Tom said, “who for over 150 years have turned adversity into opportunities and in the process have succeeded in building better lives for their families and future generations.”

The book is profusely illustrated, with many scenes of life in Sacramento during the 19th century, followed by more recent photos depicting the role of Chinese-American soldiers and sailors during 20th and 21st century wars, plus the role of local community leaders in business and politics among descendants of the 19th century Chinese immigrants. Many of the book’s photos will be shown as slides during the library presentations.

“Sacramento’s Chinatown” was published by Arcadia Publishing, a South Carolina-based firm that specializes in books that expand readers’ knowledge of America’s people and their places in history.

The contrasts surround us. People who reach the ripened age of 80 with energy, vitality and purpose and those who slowly decline throughout their 70s to wait of the infirmities of age to claim their final breath. I was talking about this with a Linda Kelly, co-owner of AmeriTechnology in Sacramento – a woman a tad over 60 and leading the baby boomer edge in a once non-traditional technology role. What’s the real difference between people who age successfully and those who do not, we wondered. Is it genetics or habits or attitude? According to research, successful aging is a combination of each of these qualities and heavily influenced by things that are under our control.

Linda bemoaned the fact that older adults have a wealth of experience, talent and wisdom to bring to society. We no longer need (or want) to retire in the same way as our forebears did. She correctly recalled that in her parents’ day (when most people survived into their mid-to-late 50s), folks expected to retire by 60, maybe spend some time traveling and enjoying grandkids, and then slowly go into that ‘goodnight.’ People who made it to 65 had “longevity.”

With the average life span of Boomers now at 77.4 years, and more centenarians than ever before in history, we can anticipate many more years of productive life. As baby boomers, we don’t want to be disengaged, disregarded and put out to pasture. According to Linda, the old paradigm is not only outdated, it’s also dangerous. “I see it as a destructive pattern for society as a whole,” she said.

Medical and social science support her theory. Today there is ample research to show us how to live well longer. Information from credible studies on aging is no longer limited to massive textbooks and scholarly papers. It’s readily available to most of us via the Internet. Many Websites are devoted to the topic and offer guidelines that are based on work that comes from leading universities and health organizations.

What are these experts on aging saying? There are some common threads across the spectrum of research. The value of exercise is one point of agreement. About 30 minutes five days a week seems is recommended by many experts – some advise more and others say we can get by with a little less. But, there is no  doubt that aerobic exercise such as walking, bicycling, swimming and even dancing produces measurable cardiovascular benefits, feeds muscle health, improves brain function and elevates mood.  These aspects of health, in turn, allow us to remain physically active and emotionally engaged in life – in contrast to simply checking out by plopping down in the Lazy Boy Lounger and watching sitcoms – a brain numbing and belly-building practice!

Add to this mild aerobic workout a modicum of weight or resistance training. You’ll be able to twist the caps off the peanut butter jar, easily climb stairs and carry groceries. This activity can be done at home with a simple set of light weights. Experts say about 90 minutes (or more) a week will make a noticeable difference. It’s about maintenance – not muscle building.

I particularly like the research that’s emerging on brain health. Researchers from Columbia University documented the growth of new brain cells in people who exercise. (We once believed that brain cells simply withered and died, never to return). In addition, the kinds of activities we do with our brains are now being examined for efficacy in affecting brain health. According to the deputy science editor of the New York Times who has written a book on the brain, the time-honored value of doing the crossword puzzle is being challenged. Scientists now say that such activities essentially tap prior knowledge. To enhance our brains we need to infuse them with new knowledge, challenge ourselves to learn or do something entirely novel. This activity encourages the formation of new neural connections (rather than exercising those already on board). Think taking a class, learning a language, taking up an art form or a new game that requires strategy – master programs on the computer.

Separate research shows that learning to play a musical instrument is a great way to build the brain – perhaps this is because an instrument requires intellectual engagement along with physicality and coordination – body and brain working in tangent. 

Baby boomers have the advantage of hindsight – we pretty much know what doesn’t work. We also have the advantage of technology and easy access to resources. With these tools, our Boomer generation can exert influence and continue to contribute richly to the fabric of society.

 

Darby Patterson is a member of the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission and the author of “Meow.org, The Cat-Napping Caper.” Visit Darby at www.storiesandbooks.com. E-mail Darby at darby@valcomnews.com.

If you are over the age of 50 it‘s likely that you’ve been told the following; “Age is just a state of mind.” I certainly was told that by my daughter when she was in her early 30s – like anyone in their 30s is an expert on age?

The truth about this assertion is a mixed bag of “yes” and “no.” The state of one’s mind certainly does affect how we feel. There are measurable differences in the health and well being of people who have positive vs. negative attitudes – at any age. When people are laughing, happy, energetic and optimistic the release of endorphins in the body increases. According to a paper presented to the American Physiological Society last year, stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine and dopac are reduced by as much as 70 percent under the influence of laughter. When these stressors are diminished, the immune system appears to benefit – leading to improved health.

It’s important to note that regular aerobic exercise offers similar benefits. Clearly, being active, upbeat and involved with life offers benefits that support the “state of mind” theory. On the other hand, aging is also a purely physical state. Undeniable things happen with the passing years. After the age of 60 we get shorter – women loose more height than men. We gain weight in midlife and lose it in later years. Without compensating exercise, muscle strength diminishes, and both men and women can experience bone loss in the form of osteoporosis.

We also lose aerobic capacity over the decades. A 2005 study by a coalition of university researchers showed accelerated decline after the age of 40 – more profound in men than in women. However, according to U.C. geriatrician Michael McCloud, MD, physically active older people can actually have “greater aerobic capacity than young sedentary ones.” That’s good news because this is an area over which we have some control.

A bodily state that accompanies aging becomes most apparent in the skin. We get those wrinkles that are often more disturbing to females of the species than to men (who generally think they’re gorgeous no matter what). I, for one, certainly never look down at myself in a reflective surface because I see a Shar Pei staring back. Interestingly, if we cared about the effect of time upon the epidermis and dermis while we were young, this is yet another aspect of aging which we may control. About 90 percent of damage to skin comes from the sun and not from the biological clock. It’s time to tell our granddaughters about this!

There is a growing body of information about the real dynamics of aging and much of it comes from a study launched in 1958. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging followed more than 1,400 volunteers and examined multiple aspects of aging. The study continues to this day – providing valuable information never before available. Among the findings are some general conclusions that provide us with encouragement and a measure of hope for a healthy future: There is no master clock; chronological age isn’t a good predictor of performance; there is significant individual variation, and lifestyle decisions (such as smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, a sedentary lifestyle and diet choices) have an observable influence on occurrence of disease, among other conclusions. According to Dr. McCloud, with normal aging, we should be able to live independently at least until the age of 100! That’s because, outside of serious diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, there is a lot that’s within our control. The good doctor is fond of say ‘hardly anyone dies of old age.’

To foster that state of mind that sets our aging clock back 10 year and more, I like the very practical suggestions Dr. McCloud gave to my recent class at UCD Mini-Medical School: Maintain your own health records; have a healthy distrust of medications; eat a highly varied diet and ignore food supplement crazes; allow only one doctor to prescribe medications; have a social network outside the home; be an avid walker; be a lifelong learner; and avoid hospitalizations.

Many of us are surprised to observe the signs of aging. We’re fond of saying that, inside, we feel exactly as we did when we were a sexy 40! But, truth is, after a certain age we are wise to embrace some cautionary limitations on how we treat our bodies. At the same time, it’s just as important to embrace a state of mind that keeps us active, vital and positively thinking about life after 50.

 

Darby Patterson is a member of the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission and the author of “Meow.org, The Cat-Napping Caper.” Visit Darby at www.storiesandbooks.com. E-mail Darby at darby@valcomnews.com.

 Tom Myers’ love for history and photographs is shaping into something fantastic – for him and the Greater Sacramento Area.

Myers, a nationally renowned commercial stock photographer and author, has published a book documenting Sacramento’s rich history through postcards dated from 1905-1925. “Postcard History Series: Sacramento” from Arcadia Publishing, features 213 historical black-and-white postcard/photographs.

This book would be the publishers 19 title documenting the history of the Sacramento area.

“Tom is an ideal author for a pictorial history in the fact that he’s an experienced photographer whose work is already highly respected by locals,” said Teresa Simmons, Publicist for Arcadia Publishing.

It took Myers six years to collect the rare, decades-old postcards. He has more than 600 vintage cards bundled in a black binder he keeps in his Land Park office. His new book, brings to life the history of the city’s early years showcasing postcards such as symmetrical rows of historic buildings off of K Street, acres of undeveloped land, Sacramento bathhouses, McKinley Park, early farmers and even the fashion line of the time. Almost all the postcards he features in the book have writings on the back. He describes the writings as a form of “story telling.”

“Postcards were cheaper to use then it was to make a phone call back in the early 1900s. The mailman would make four deliveries a day, explains Myers. One card from 1913 reads, “I’ll be in late tonight on the ‘L’ train. Meet me around 6 p.m.”

That would be mailed around ten in the morning and the person would get the postcard by the afternoon and show up in the evening.”

Myers knew the postcards were special the moment he saw them – a feeling, he jokes, that is often shared by collectors such as himself. He has spent hundreds of dollars amassing his collection, countless hours reviewing old blue prints at the library, walking up and down the busy streets of Sacramento, but nothing compares to the expense he endured learning how to “Google.”

“I learned how to Google because of this book,” joked Myers. “I hate the computer, but I like to Google.”

At 84 Myers continues to work out of his home which he has turned into a photography museum. Along with his wife Sally and son Jeff, all photographers, Myers continues to live and breathe what he loves to do, photography. For more than forty-five years his stock photos depicting everything from the California agriculture to the deserts of New Mexico, have appeared in National Geographic, Newsweek, National Wildlife, hundreds of educational books and magazines, and Hallmark cards.

He has more than 600,000 slides all cataloged in banker-made cabinets out of his home in Land Park.

“The slides we have are different from what the photo agencies have. We have more natural appearing scenes,” he said. “Some slides start at $1,500 and go up from there.”

Myers first venture of documenting history was when he was shipped to Korea in the 1940’s. There he took snapshots of his combat engineer unit, the 45th Infantry Division. “I always had a camera around my neck, not for the Army, just for me. I took photos of tanks hitting mines, military personnel in camps, and the unique scenery. It’s just so easy to forget what came before us, but it’s important to remember. Everything we face today, we have faced before.”

Those 600 “permanent” photos of the Korean War he took now sit in an archive at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Myers started taking photos with a manual 35mm Canon, 45 years later, he is still using a Canon, but to help keep up with the times, he’s using a digital.

 

E-mail Elizabeth Valente at reporter@valcomnews.com.