One commenter on yesterday’s blog asked, “Are you saying that stimulation in your throat is just as satisfying as vaginal sex?” No, I wasn’t saying that (thought that was the male-POV wishful thinking in the porn film “Deep Throat.”) Looking back, rereading the blog in the sober light of today, with the cortisone calming down a smidge, I was just tripping out about how the photos of the throat look insanely like a vagina and, it turns out, the cells are the same. Got some interesting comments, including one from someone who felt I went too far…sorry. Didn’t want to offend. I’ll blame it on the cortisone. By the way, it was Kathy Griffin who first mentioned that I should get a cortisone shot for the throat. Maybe she’s seen her print outs and wanted me to experience mine. Maybe that’s where the trouble started-with Griffin. Maybe she never recovered from seeing her throat!!
Enough about that.
Had a fascinating dinner with Tim and Wren Wirth after the show. I know, I should have gone straight home and to bed but couldn’t pass up the chance to spend time with them. Former Colorado Senator, Tim is now President of the U.N. Foundation founded by Ted Turner. I was bursting with pride when I heard the cutting edge work they are doing on energy issues-vast and deep and, if Congress can muster the will and vision to put the ideas into practice, the climate crisis may just be able to be turned around. But, as Tim made very clear, this must have more urgency than the incremental approach being proposed by some in high places.
I woke up to the lovely sight of my Lulu, a precious part of my extended family, who flew here from her apartment in Tuscon, Arizona to see the play tonight and fly to Alaska tomorrow where she will spend the next four or five months in the Alaskan Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Lulu (her name is really Mary Luana Williams but the family has always called her Lulu.) She became a U.S. Park Ranger two years ago after being the first African American woman to walk the entire Appalachian Trail—alone! A trek of 6 months. She then took a 5 month assignment in Antarctica because she was afraid of the cold and wanted “to confront her fear”. That’s the kind of woman she is. Listening to her this morning as we chatted over breakfast made me cry. Through sheer courage, determination, reading, listening, keeping her radar out for signs of any person, story, experience that might help her grow and deepen, Lulu has gone from an angry, frighten person who didn’t like herself to someone who is at peace in her skin. It radiates. Years ago, when she lived in Atlanta and worked first at the DCD on domestic violence and then for the Hawks and Trashers (Basketball and hockey teams) foundation, she foundation the Lost Boys Foundation as a mechanism to get support for the 100s of young refugee boys from the Sudan who had fled the genocide there -some as young as 5 and 6 years old, and been in refugee camps for years. She got scholarships for them and jobs. She wrote a book, “Brothers in Hope” about the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” She’s a fine writer and I’m hoping she will write a book about her wilderness experiences. While in Antarctica, she sent us all a regular update on what it was like. They were titled “Soul On Ice: Part One,” etc. they were wonderful. She would like to encourage more African Americans to experience the wilderness.
I think she’s going to really be moved by the play tonight.
My daughter Lulu (photo: Micheal Rudd)
We’re going to dinner afterwards with my friend, writer (“The Preppy Handbook“) and radio interviewer, Lisa Birnbach. One of the wonderful treats about doing this play is that it’s given me the time and means (They know where to find me) to reconnect with friends.
Lisa Birnbach (photo: Michael Rudd)
Oh, and speaking of that, who showed up unexpectedly last night but Ernest Thompson who wrote the play and movie, “On Golden Pond.”
Academy Award-winning author of On Golden Pond, Ernest Thompson
Sharon Maxwell Ferguson her husband Howell Ferguson (photo: Michael Rudd)
I’m off to nap and then to the theatre.
See you next time.
Sarah
I can not believe you apologised for the previous blog, I found it rather funny. It was random and unexpected from someone such as yourself, which made it better to me. Even if it was all down to the Cortisone lol.
Still it’s nice that you apologised (even if you didn’t need to).
Have a good night, looking forward to your next blog.
Sue MCullough
Dear Jane,
Thank you for your very entertaining Blog. Just finished your My life so far, Great read. This is a wonderful way to keep in touch, as didn’t want the book to end. Love reading what happens every day. Well done and keep strong.
Sue
Timothy Dougherty
Interesting post Jane, I like what
William Butler Yeats wrote: The Two
Trees
“The ravens of unresting thought;
Flying, crying, to and fro,
Cruel claw and hungry throat,..”
You do have some unresting thoughts Jane,
Nice to have friends, both the imaginary ones you build for yourself out of phrases taken from a living writer, or real ones.In one hour of conversation you may have only five minute only for real foreign ideas to enter your brain. The golden years of youth and maturity and the gratification of ambition hints of an imaginable alliance of new and old friends.The inevitable climax and culmination of Art seem to be good friends,infirmity and fallibility of human nature. The multitudinous tongue of the people are a pretty and delicate game of talk. Friends ties of a common cause ,the ultimate verdict of mankind the very texture of soul and life. nice to see you have so many.
Nice post Jane
Morgan Paige Fisher
No worries! Your blog yesterday didn’t go to far. You are a very outspoken woman and that’s why everyone loves you. Keep it up and just remember…it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. Still can’t wait to see your show next Saturday the 25th!!
Sandro
Hi Jane!It’s great to read your blog. Isn’t it great to see that the love and attention you bestowed on Lulu helped her change and influence a lot of people… we’re all interconnected. 🙂
Take care… and good luck for the next show.
Darlene Frank
Jane…i like your honesty…you are, it seems, simply being yourself and sharing that with us and that has meant a great deal to me. Thank you!
Darlene…i am hoping to come see your play again before it ends…
BuffyB
Jane, you are a role model and mentor for wise-elders-in-training such as myself so keep on telling it like it is, and thank you for that. Sorry to read some found your honesty offensive it made me chuckle.
Karen
What wonderful work your Lulu is doing. I guess that is all much braver than eating pork knuckles after all! You are brave in other ways, Jane! Re: On Golden Pond, I have this party trick that I do when I have had a couple of lemonades in certain company. I basically do all the major lines of the script doing imitations of Ms Hepburn, your Dad and Dabney Coleman, but I haven’t quite got your Chelsea quite right yet! I can do your lines but I don’t sound like you! Most people get a laugh out of it except when I do the Norman and Ethel scene where INorman gets lost. I don’t know whether I should have admitted all this to you, but I reckon that you would take my impersonation the right way! Love Ernest’s words, they stick in my head and my heart. My relationship with my Dad has been similar in many ways, so I can relate a bit. I still can’t do a “God damn back flip”, though! Love ya Jane. Your blog yesterday was a crack up, don’t worry about it.
Barbara
Jane,
The throat chronicle was a freaking riot. Don’t be
sorry Grasshoppa. I only wish these folks would have
really let the comments fly on that blog. It would have
been a good laugh.
I just gotta ask were the throat pics a match to the
vagina? tee-hee 🙂
Ok nuf said.
Do you suppose that research about the cell comparison
of the throat and vagina was done by a male doctor?
Just wonderin’? It sounds right up a males alley.
Congrats to Lulu!!! Awesome one!! Hope we’ll get to
see pics of her adventures.
She could make a film of her Antarticia journey?
Write on,
Barbara
Ingrid
Jane, I just learned today from a website about your mother that you, through her, are a descendant of John Adams. Wow! Something to be pretty proud of.
Michael Nille in Birmingham
Humour is humour – and I found your throat analogies yesterday a wonderful departure. No need to apologise. Some people didn’t bat an eyelid when animal sacrifice was discussed. How curious our priorities.
In fact, you may have well given us all a fundamental explanation for the visceral craving billions of people have to make deep oral contact with their sexual partner’s erogenous zones. Is it not a case of like seeking like?
Anyhow… keep on with this wonderful blog. It used to be your workouts that kept me wonderful company each day. Now we have your blog, too. Lucky us, I say. 🙂
terry
I dont think you can ‘go to far’ on YOUR blog Jane, its your thoughts and no one can tell you what your thoughts are, people have the choice to read or not to read, I’d hate to think you’d restraiin yourself from writing exactly what you think. I love this blog just the way it is !
Robin and her dad!
Jane, Lulu sounds extraordinary, and you are too! My dad and I spent one of the best days of our lives yesterday, seeing you in the matinee and connecting with each other. You were GLORIOUS! I believe you said you tried things yesterday during the show that you hadn’t tried before. I’d love to know what they were so that my dad and I can appreciate that we were there to witness them. Thank you, as always, for your courage and inspiration.
Love, Robin (and Bill!)
Terry
How proud you must be of Lulu.she sound like a great woman.My daughter name is Lori and we calll her Lulu since she was born she Looked like the comic book Lulu dark curley hair big brown eyes.
pris
It’s about time women speak about their bodies- what a message we send to our children when we don’t talk openly. Keep it up!
Brandon
Wow…interesting to know lol. Always room to learn something knew LOL It makes me think of my throat muscles in an entirely knew way(in all sorts of bad ways too haha) Anyway, your grand-daughter sounds immensely interesting. I don’t know if I would ever have the tenacity to take a 6 month trek. Thats incredible. I have to push myself to play a wiii and do yoga… Was she doing it to retrace the steps of the native americans?
Roseann
Jane,
You continue to amaze,and entertain. I laughed aloud reading about your wonderful throat comparison.
As for Lulu, what a difference she has made in so many lives already.
Be well,
Roseann
Kelsey Ozga
You didn’t go too far! Are you kidding? I thought it was great! Hey, On Golden Pond is just one of my favorites. I cry everytime because it reminds me of my dad and makes me wonder if i’ll ever have that closure with him. I’m only 15 so maybe it won’t be for another 20 or 30 years. Then again, maybe it could be sooner if I pushed it. On Golden Pond is comforting. Although it was a movie, I know how the relationship was between you and your father since I read your book. Its comforting to know that the woman I look up to and read her blog everyday (reallly cracks me up) has felt those same father/daughter insecurities. Thank you Jane!
Kelsey
Kelly
Mary is definitely fearless and unique! I knew about the Appalachian Trail and Antarctica (because you told me about that), which just blew my mind, but now the Alaskan Kenai National Wildlife Refuge?! Seriously, that’s amazing. To be African-American and do that kind of stuff is cool, outrageous, adventurous, etc!
Ottilia
It’s great when people want to get over their fears! Lulu is a very good example.
I’m so happy for you that you’re having her with you now! She is a great, strong woman like you are too, Jane!
missy
Just wanted to say thank you for blogging and sharing your experiences. I have truly enjoyed reading. I think you are an incredible woman, humanitarian and actress. Congrats on the success of the play!
Lv, Missy
(42 yr old mom of 2, make that 3 if you include the hubby -ha!)
Sue Fawcett
Don’t apologize for yesterday’s blog…I’m still thinking about the irony of identical cells in the throat & vagina, openings, etc. It’s fascinating to think about. I’m also reading “My Life So Far” and find it riveting, to say the least. Please don’t lose your forthrightness & honesty, which lead to discussions about issues that *should* be discussed, but often aren’t because of silly inhibitions. Be yourself!
Amanda
Jane,
you shouldn’t apologize for yesterday’s blog. I very much enjoyed it, and as always, I appreciate your honesty. Never apologize for being who you are. Sometimes people get so touchy when the subject of sexual organs are brought up in conversation (or written about in a blog), but it’s your website and you should be able to chose whatever topics you want to discuss…even if the cortisone played a part in it.
It seems like your daughter, Lulu is quite an amazing woman. It’s fantastic all the work she’s done.
Best,
Amanda
Hannah Castellaw
Lulu is gorgeous.
Marilyn
Walked the Appalachian Trail alone! Wow. Have you read Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods?” (Love that hilarious book.) As impressive as that solo Trail trek is, it almost pales in comparison to spending months on Antarctica. That is one fierce woman. 🙂