MEANDERINGS – by Peter Rocchio

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One absolute truism about Peter Rocchio is that exercise has been about as far from my life as playing a golf shot out of the sand dunes of the moon.  It has been against my religion – a task not likely to happen even with a gun at my head.  Notice I used the past tense.  I spent the month of February at the Duke University Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina to see if finally I could get control of my life and become the healthy and fit person I should have been for all the previous decades. I felt sure that I could gain some control over my eating habits but never, never make exercise a part of who I am. Well, clearly, at some point during the month someone crept into my room while I was asleep and implanted an exercise chip into my brain. I returned to Winter Park on March 1st and commenced a workout regimen at the ‘Y’ Wellness Center two miles from my home. I'm hooked! M-W-F I do the treadmill and strength training and T-Th-S I do treadmill and swim. How long does it take to become a hunk? I tell you this self-indulgent and boring tale as an intro to a telling of a most embarrassing moment I had one very busy recent afternoon at the ‘Y’.

I was bopping right along at 3.8 mph at an elevation of 8.0 and enjoying listening, via my headset, to selections from the ballet 'Copelia' by Delibes.  My eyes were closed and as I was being musically transported, I released my hand from the bar and began conducting.

As the orchestra reached its crescendo I was in ecstasy. Being totally convinced that the orchestra couldn't continue without me, I released the second hand to bring the music to it’s fullest conclusion with both hands. It took only two beats for me to be thrown backward off the treadmill and land in a position of total ignominy.  It seems every one around me had been watching my ‘performance’ and therefore witnessed my dramatic conclusion to this masterful piece of music. Of course, they had no idea what I been listening to – only that some damned fool was out of control and now on the floor.

No damage done, except for a very bruised ego.  Now chastened, I remember to keep on hand on the bar at all times.

SODIUM ALERT! There is so much worthwhile information imparted at Duke that I have become a one-man nutrition band. But if I may, there is one aspect of nutrition which I feel a duty to share with you and that’s on the subject of our intake of sodium. Simply put, it is too damned much! The average American consumes about 6000 mgs of sodium daily when the consumption should be more at the 2500mg level. Every aspect of our health, not just our weight, is effected by the amount of sodium we ingest so please, PUT DOWN THE SALT SHAKER and begin reading labels.

BIRTHDAY DRAG & DINE. You may recall, at the conclusion of my last piece I said I was invited to a birthday party entitled Drag & Dine and that I would report to you on this somewhat unusual event.  Well we went – to a VFW hall (and if that isn't enough) it was in Longwood. Who would believe?  It was a celebration of the birthday of Kenny Lee, the server from Amira's restaurant in Altamonte Springs. Together with seven of his friends, five of whom were drags put on a two hour show which was totally entertaining and totally ‘G’ rated.  The non-drags were a male and a female singer, both of whom were terrific.  The female (real) was Mary Schaeffer; wife of channel two’s Bill Schaeffer and I apologize for not knowing the name of the male DJ/singer – a man of considerable talent. I should also add that the food was by Amira’s and as one would expect, quite good.  The almost totally straight and older and Jewish audience loved every minute of the evening.  I came to learn that Kenny and friends perform every few months or so and the mostly Jewish clientele from the kosher deli are loyal fans of Kenny and his performing friends.  The next evening of drag will again be at the VFW hall in Longwood on August 20th.  Mark you calendars.

WINE BY MAIL.  Hooray! The US Supreme Court may not have rectified its disastrous decision of December 2000 denying Florida it’s voting rights but it did put Florida in the mainstream of states by declaring unconstitutional the law which prohibited wineries from shipping wine to consumers in the state.  Many boutique wineries in California have arrangements for the shipping of their highly sought-after wines – but not here in Florida.

My friends Donn & Molly Chappellet of the Chappellet winery in the Napa Valley have a club entitled the Pritchard Hill Club, which offers their extraordinary wines at very excellent discounted prices  - not available here in Florida up until now.  We can only hope that more Florida laws will be challenged and the courts will bring this state kicking and screaming into the nation’s mainstream.

DOROTHY GILLESPIE ROCKS – Dorothy is a grand dame as well as an artist and if you doubt that, I suggest you visit the Maitland Art Center (until July 3rh) and catch the display of this lady’s jewelry.  This is her personal collection and shows for all to see that Dorothy has a definite vision of who and what she is – a lady of style and panache and great self –confidence.  Also on display among the jewelry are fabulous pieces of clothing designed by Fabrice -the brilliant young Haitian designer who died all too soon.

The clothes demonstrate that high fashion is timeless as is Dorothy’s eye for the spectacular.

THE CINEMA…caught a preview of CINDERELLA MAN – the newest Russell Crowe, Rene Zellwegger film.  It is the story of the boxing champ James J. Braddock set to the harshness of the great depression. Wow! This is surely going to be a big summer hit.

It is Crowe at his best.  Zellwegger is excellent but her role requires no stretch.  She is the downtrodden, long-suffering wife – a role against type but has little dramatic content.  Paul Geminiani (Sideways) as Braddock’s manger will, along with Crowe, very likely to garner a nomination.

Roger Moore in the Sentinel gave ENRON smartest guys in the room – five stars.  I usually agree with Moore but not in this case.  If you have followed the Enron story at all you will learn not much new in this documentary.  It’s not boring, not because it is particularly well done, but because the series of events depicted are amazing in their boldness and cynicism.  If you haven’t followed the Enron story closely, then by all means see it.

Gay Days are upon us! Put on your red shirt, join our brothers and sisters and have a ball. It’s our time to shine.

Ciao for now!

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