Last of the Red Hot Mayors

I understand that Visit Pittsburgh has embarked upon a national "Pittsburgh is Beautiful" ad campaign to entice visitors and tourists to the region.  Well, it's about time the world learns what we Pittsburghers and the Furries have long known -Pittsburgh is a great place to visit.   

Somehow I think that it is particularly fitting that this ad campaign kicked off just as the city was celebrating and remembering Sophie Masloff, the quintessential Pittsburgher, who passed away at the age of 96 last week. 

Sophie Masloff was a wife, mother and long-time civil servant in Pittsburgh. She took a job with Allegheny County when she was 18 and a recent high school graduate, and worked there until she was elected to the Pittsburgh City Council in 1976. She remained on the Council until 1988, when she was named Council President.

That same year, when then Pittsburgh Mayor Richard Caliguiri died in office, Sophie became Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh.  She was the first woman to hold the office, the city's first Jewish mayor, and at the age of 71 the oldest person to hold the office.  She was reelected for a second term in 1989.

I try not to speak in absolutes, but I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone in these parts who wasn't crazy about Sophie.  She was an unassuming, down-to-earth grandmotherly type with a great sense of humor and was given to spouting charming malapropisms. Nonetheless, she was smart as a whip and a kick-ass Council Member and Mayor.  She cleaned things up and got things done, and she was widely respected by her fellow politicians who looked to her for advice and guidance long after she retired from office in 1993. 

Many local folks have their stories of colorful Sophie encounters.  I have two.

I was working for the Salvation Army in Pittsburgh when Sophie was Mayor, and she was very involved in collaborating with the Army's efforts to help some of the city's neediest residents. Every year the Army gave an award to a local individual who exhibited extraordinary humanitarianism and one year Sophie was the gracious, appreciative and humble recipient of this award.  The award was given at a huge well-attended luncheon.  When Sophie ascended the podium to accept her award, she started off her acceptance speech with "In the Torah it says..."

You see, one of the city's most Christian organizations had just given its highest award to the city's most prominent Jewish resident.  By starting her acceptance speech with a quote from the Torah, she was recognizing that and making a point about religion and interfaith cooperation and collaboration.

My second encounter was on the Parkway East when I was driving out to Swissvale to visit my parents.  I saw a Lincoln Town Car in the right hand lane with a vanity plate saying "Sophie" on it. Could it be, I wondered?  She was a resident of Squirrel Hill.  Nah, I thought.  The recently retired Mayor of Pittsburgh wouldn't advertise that a car was hers so blatantly, would she?  As I passed the town car on the left, there she was behind the wheel of her car. 

She caught me looking and gave me a little smile and wave as I passed.

Age Before Beauty

I'm getting older every minute and I couldn't be happier about it.  First of all, I'm having the time of my life right now, and really, it beats the alternative.

Sure I have my aches and pains but honestly most of those started when I was in my mid-thirties.  One conclusion I have come to over time is that I don't enjoy pain, and I will actually go out of my way to minimize or avoid it.

One of the great advantages of aging for me is that I no longer care if my appearance pleases  the universe. Which means I will no longer totally sacrifice my comfort in order to look good.  It's not that I don't try to present myself in a positive light.  It's just that now I try to be reasonable about it.

Let's start at the top- with my hair.  With the help of my wonderful hairdresser, I have a haircut that I believe flatters my face in a color (which coincidentally doesn't happen to be gray) that complements my skin tone.....but I keep it short because I don't want anything that takes more than 5 or 10 minutes to fix in the morning. 

I had to gently explain to my eye doctor and stylists who help me choose my frames that I wear eyeglasses in order to bring focus and clarity to my life; without them my world is just one big blurry Impressionist painting.  While I certainly want glasses that are stylish and attractive, it is even more important that they have a large enough lens to accommodate my trifocal prescription with a large enough middle vision that I can use my computer for an 8 hour workday without headaches or blurred vision.  I want to wear the same pair of glasses everywhere, and that means everywhere, including the big fancy dinner dance or my son's upcoming wedding.  I want to be able to see my son get married.

I wear makeup everywhere, so of course I'll wear it to the wedding, but I'm thinking that some waterproof products might be in order because I am already starting to tear up with happy emotion at the thought of it.  

Which brings me to my shoes.  I am a clumsy woman with two bad knees and size 7 WW feet featuring a wide instep but narrow heel. I do not wear sneakers everywhere, but all my shoes are what one might refer to as "sensible"- i.e. comfortable and basically flat.  I do NOT wear heels, ever, anywhere.  For my son's wedding I bought a pair of dressy ballet flats that are shiny and have a little "bling" on them that feel like I'm wearing slippers when I have them on.

Rest assured that when you see me fully dressed on the street that I will be wearing underwear, however I want to be able to forget that I have it on. I want a bra that is supportive AND comfortable and pantyhose that does NOT control my top.

One thing I've learned over the years is that you don't have to have perfect teeth to have a beautiful smile that emanates warmth and happiness, but comfortable underwear sure helps. 

Christopher and Deirdre and Marilu and Spike

Mr. Rip and I didn't initially think we were interested in seeing Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike the show that was playing at the Bucks County Playhouse while we were in New Hope, PA this past weekend.  We really loved the show when we saw it at the City Theatre in Pittsburgh but that was within the past year.

Then we heard Christopher Durang was appearing in the show and we were intrigued to see the playwright perform in his own work.  Therefore it was bit ironic that he turned out to be the weakest player on stage, primarily because he struggled to remember his lines, including a climactic and pivotal monologue that absolutely screams for an effortless delivery. In fairness, his stammering line delivery actually worked for the character, except during the monologue.

We tried to rationalize. He is not really an actor, we told ourselves, but actually he has acted before.  Rumor has it that he wrote the role with himself in mind. It was an awfully long monologue, but Durang wrote the thing. These were his own words he was having such trouble remembering.  Ironic, don't you think?

Just to add to the irony, one of Durang’s co-stars was Marilu Henner (of Taxi fame) one of only twelve people documented with HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) which means she can remember absolutely everything that ever happens to her in her life.  Which is puzzling as she clearly forgets to eat, as the first thing you notice when she walks on stage is that she is impossibly thin.  Mr. Rip and I just wanted to give her a sandwich.  She was especially fine in the role of Masha, the movie star sibling who returns home to visit her less flashy siblings.  You can bet she remembered her lines, and I am guessing she knew Durang’s lines as well.

I do have to take a moment here to give a shout out to Deirdre Madigan, who was absolute perfection in the role of Sonia.  I don’t know that she delivered every line as written, but I know I believed every line she spoke.   

I could not be happier that we decided to see this production.  We got to see the playwright in his own work in a theater in the town where the story is set. It was an especially enjoyable evening at the theater, and I would highly recommend this play to anyone. 

Best of all, perhaps, is the fact that this production was rife with incidents of actual irony so that I can continue my life’s work to educate the world on this topic (and to undo the damage Alanis Morissette has wreaked upon us).