My Resolution.

I've only got one resolution for the New Year/New Decade:  PLAY MORE.

Play has the power to transform:  improving health, boosting creativity, enhancing learning and invigorating relationships.

Forgotten how to play?  Don't have an 8-year old to observe?   Visit the The National Institute for Play, http://www.nifplay.org/, for stimulation..

Choosing to Love a Vulture.

I was in 2nd grade when my teacher asked what my favorite animal was.  It was one of those frequent "sharing moments"  so common in elementary school.  Because my last name started with a W, I was the last student to speak.

I was a smart-alecky kid.  And even at that tender age, a non-conformist who knew the value of shock.

So following a earnest little-kid chorus of puppies, kitties and turtles, I blurted out that I liked vultures.  I briefly considered declaring my love for pandas--which was real and lasted for
years--but I liked the subversiveness of the carrion eater. 

Never mind that I had never seen one. 

My young female teacher went slack-jawed.  Thirty heads turned, bug-eyed, to gape at me.  There was giggling, whispering and then silence.  I was given a chance to reconsider my apparently inappropriate declaration.

But I remained firm in my selection.  A vulture wasn't cute or cuddly or popular.  I knew something about that as an awkward eight-year old.

"Yes," I repeated, "I like vultures." 

This week, I thought of the maligned vulture. Native American culture celebrates animals of all kinds as totems, so I Googled the symbolism of these birds.

Turns out they are much more than nature's flesh-eating housekeepers.

Vultures are revered for their patience, resourcefulness and economy of movement, among other positive traits.  Read for yourself at:  http://www.whats-your-sign.com/bird-meaning-vulture.html.

So in the spirit of the season, consider your own lenses.  Then rethink it.  Applaud those with unconventional thoughts.  And the courage to express those thoughts.

As we enter both a New Year and a New Decade, I am mulling over how I can apply vulture wisdom to my life.  Especially to the misunderstood among us.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

Viva La France!

Buckhead's newest restaurant, the French Bistro Niko, is sumptuous without being stuffy. It's a welcome change from the minimalist, monochromatic decors of many of the city's trendy eateries.

It was packed on a recent weekday visit, infusing the place with the lively ambience of Parisian bistros.

We started with champagne and gougeres, feathery, two-bite cheese puffs, before moving on to the melting rich pork rillettes. The escargots, bathed in garlic and butter and goosed with a splash of Pernod, were tender and lip-smacking; the glistening steak tartare made traditionally way but enlivened with tabasco was a knockout. And don't miss the savory, flatbread-like tartes: the delicate smoked salmon with creme fraiche and the luxe truffle-oil topped mushroom.

Our favorite entrees were masterful comfort food: a veal osso bucco shephard's pie and succuclent coq au vin. Every dessert we tried was a triumph: the baba rhum atop a puddle of apricot sauce, the citron tart with its gorgeous flourish of meringue, the cinnamon-y spiced apple tart.

No wonder Buckhead Life Group founder Pano Karatassos was strutting like a proud peacock throughout the dining room.

The Fantastic Mr. Clooney.

George Clooney is one of America's sturdiest--not to mention studliest--actors.

His most recent movies, the animated feature The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and his adult dramedy Up in the Air, are currently in release. Both have been nominated for Golden Globes and SAG awards.

Both send up his playboy image in self-deprecating, but totally different ways. Both films are supremely satisfying.

Wield Your, Um, Assets, With Purpose.

As the Recent Tiger Woods bimbo explosion has shown us, being bodacious is often all a gal needs to garner attention.

The wrong kind of attention.

Which reminds me of Salma Hayek.

Yes, the Mexican actress is one hot tamale, to use an offensive, outdated cliche, but she is also...brilliant.

Did you know that she is the force behind the hit U.S. show Ugly Betty? She also used her potent combination of brains and beauty to bring the Oscar-winning film Frida, a project she long nursed, to fruition.

Bravo to women like Salma! They use their melons.

All three of them.

Simply Delicious Prose.

Two visually arresting phrases from critic Owen Gleiberman, writing in Entertainment Weekly about the movie The Young Victoria:

"...she makes her twinkly ivory radiance fit the role." (referencing actress Emily Blunt).

and

"Director Jean-Marc Valee's images have a creamy stateliness..."

Blue Collar Brillance.

I'm in awe of my plumber, Ken. His problem-solving abilities trump that of most MBAs.

Check out this article from Utne Reader, http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Blue-Collar-Brilliance-Intelligence.aspx and you'll learn why.

Family Time.

Many of you know that over the past four months I have found members of my biological family.

So, it was with particular interest that I watched ABC's Find My Family, which airs on Mondays at 9 p.m EST.

And although I suspect this reunion show is scripted, it is a positive departure from most reality-show dreck. Complete with heartwrenching happy endings.

Not just for adoptees, this show is a reminder of the power of TV--for good.