By Leigh Anne Jasheway, NABBW’s Associate for Boomer Humor I’ll be 59 next month and it’s got me thinking about math. That’s right, MATH, that subject near and dear to the hearts of so many… nerdy girls like me. My knowledge of math lets me honestly tell people I’m only 32. This statement is absolutely true when I calculate my age in base 19 instead of base 10. Using the same system, I also still weigh in at my birth weight. Booyah! Prime numbers aren’t the only way math pays off – geometry is also helpful. For example, I also know that my knees hurt if I sit like an isosceles... Read More

By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Associate for Boomer Humor I’ll admit that I’m lousy at setting boundaries. Words come out of my mouth that in my mind make my desires or lack thereof clear, but what other people seem to hear is, “What you need to do is wheedle, and manipulate, and pressure me into changing my mind.” And by other people, I mean mostly male people. Wish-washy boundaries are why I ended up married to my last ex-husband, a man who proposed to me while he was in the bathtub! He could leave a ring around the tub, but I couldn’t draw a line in the sand. How sad is that? My... Read More

By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Associate for Boomer Humor   Why are there so many creams for women over “a certain age” that have the word “blur” in them? There’s Miracle Blur, Opti-Blur, Magic Blur, 5-Second Blur, Victoria’s Secret Blur Bra for Boobs Over 50 (okay, I made that last one up, but it’s probably on the drawing board). I don’t want to be a blur. I want to be high definition clear. That’s right, crows’ feet, soft jawline, broadening midsection, dangly boobies and all—I want those in sharp focus. I earned them and I want you to see them, dammit! It’s important... Read More

By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Associate for Boomer Humor    “Hey, Red!” There’s something about a redhead. I may be biased, having been born red-headed and kept up the “tradition” thanks to boxes of hair color with names such as Copper Penny, Awesome Auburn, and Hey, Who Started the Fire? What can I say, I love redheads. My first dog Copper was a “ginger” as we’re often called these days. (By the way, ginger is also my favorite spice.) Three of my best friends have had fiery hair and dispositions, as did my favorite high school and college teachers. I wanted to... Read More

By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Associate     Note: This article is republished with permission from Leigh Anne Jasheway\’s blog.  When I signed up for a nude group photo with 100 women, I did so for a few reasons: the photographer is amazing; the women’s empowerment message of the shoot is something I care deeply about and at 57-1/2 years-old (yes, I count half years now), the chances of anyone asking me to pose naked would surely fall off soon. From 1 to 0, I’m thinking. I am not an exhibitionist. I’m okay with my body – I just look better with certain bits... Read More

By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Associate for Boomer Humor   Note: This article is republished with permission from Leigh Anne Jasheway\’s blog.  Robin Williams is gone, tragically by his own hand. Another brilliant soul so tortured that the only way out seemed to be the final one. As a stand-up comic and someone who teaches people to use comedy writing to create laughter from the negative thoughts and emotions that we all deal with every day, Robin’s passing (and Richard Jeni’s suicide 7 years ago) has affected me deeply. I know that comedy is an amazing life skill that allows... Read More

Walk (in Shoes) Like a Man By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Associate According to a Home Shopping Network pitchwoman (whom I only saw accidentally when one of my dogs rolled over on the remote and changed from the highfalutin PBS pledge drive I was watching), “Comfortable shoes are back!” Can I get a low five? Of course, the spokesperson was talking to women because most men are too smart to ever stick their tootsies in a six-inch stiletto heel with a toebox meant for a hamster’s foot, not a human’s. Given the choice between painful footwear and, say, getting their chests... Read More

It’s My Party, Where’s My Pony?  By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Expert This is my birthday month. I’ll be 36. Well, I will be if I calculate my age in base 17, which I do. That’s right, being a math geek pays off big as you get older! If you want, I can calculate your age for you as well. Just let me find my old slide rule. Many other “36”-year-olds want to forget they even have a birthday. They prefer to roll up in the fetal position in a closet and whimper softly as they contemplate their own mortality. That does NOT sound like the kind of party I want to be invited... Read More

When I Grow Up I Want to Be Betty White By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Expert When I was a teenager I thought my grandmother was ancient. She had white hair, wore hand-knit shawls, and kept a bowl of hard candy on her coffee table to distract us from the chocolate she hoarded for herself in the pockets of her apron. We never ate the hard candy because it would have taken a hammer and chisel to get a piece small enough to fit into our mouths. Besides, it was mostly covered in dust and moths. Grandma was also a germaphobe who Cloroxed everything. We kids were afraid to roll over... Read More

I’ve Been Slimed By Leigh Anne Jasheway NABBW’s Boomer Humor Expert According to a recent episode of The Doctors, it is possible to pay hundreds of dollars at a spa for a snail facial. That’s right, a snail facial, during which a white-coated technician places a few of the garden gastropods on your face where they slime their way from chin to cheekbone. Can you say, “Ick”? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those “easily freaked out by mollusks” type of women. In fact, I have a pretty good relationship with both snails and slugs. I have to. I live in the Pacific Northwest;... Read More