Hanging out with ed_grover (have a drink with me W/O)Aug 25 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Come learn more about one of my favorite epinioners (ed_grover) as we share an evenings conversation.
I have invited ed_grover to participate in the new W/O by travel’s TR Vodkaboy. This is an attempt for us to get to know more about our fellow epinioners. As you may or may not know, Vodkaboy has three obligatory questions, but the rest are up to us. ============================================================ So Ed, let’s get those nasty questions out of the way. Since I have invited you for a drink and those of us who know and love you know you don‘t drink alcohol any longer, where would you like to go for that drink? Well, since it's such a nice day here by Lake Michigan let’s just stop at this outdoor cafe and have something while we chat. The view is great and there's a nice breeze. Then we can walk over to my place and have a look at the garden. My drink of choice is diet Pepsi; what will you be having? Ditto, but without caffeine. I gave that up too. The other obligatory question is do you flirt? (I am thinking that you do, but please speak for yourself!) Is the Pope Catholic? Of course I do. I love a good tease and can give as good as I get. You have talked about your life in several of your essays and reviews. You have held some pretty fascinating jobs. Which one do you consider to be the most interesting and why? Oh Lordy. I guess my first big display job at Lord & Taylor in Manhattan would take the cake. I still have some very dear friends from that period in my life. We all really formed a lasting bond. Two of them still live in the city while another lives on Fort Lauderdale. There are two gay men and a straight woman. The woman is Greek and lives very close to Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. She's 80 and still a firecracker. The New York is a decorator and does a lot of work for Country Living magazine. He was my assistant on the main floor of L&T when I was there and took over after I moved to San Francisco. He lives at Sutton Place South in a two bedroom condo he bought for nothing in the 60s; it's all black and mirrors, we call it the "Mushroom Cave," and it's now worth a bundle. My Fort Lauderdale friend is five years older than I am. He's still working as a decorator and artist (there seem to be a lot of decorators on my life). We had some wild times at his cottage at Cherry Grove on Fire Island. I'm just finishing a very interesting book on that place so you can look for a review soon. Of all of the famous and infamous people you have met, who was the most interesting? Barbra Streisand. It was only once; she was a friend of my friend on Sutton Place. It was in the late 1950s and she was singing at the Bon Soir. She won a contest singing at the Red Lion , a gay bar in the Village and that was part of her prize. We went to see her and she said she needed a place to store some of her clothes and shoes. I had some extra space so I volunteered. I had that box under my bed for two years and when she finally got around to getting it she was famous and wouldn't speak to us. She sent one of her minions to collect her junk and that was that. We found out she was nothing but a people user . . . a talented one, but still . . . ! You have talked about being a cancer survivor. We know that this directly impacted your life by forcing you to choose a healthier life style, but that it took you are really long time to stop smoking. Would you share with us why you finally chose to stop smoking? I've been trying to stop ever since I was diagnosed with cancer. I tried to cut down, changed to so-called low nicotine brands and even tried the patch and gum. Nothing! One day I was at my doctor's and he suggested this prescription, Zyban. He said he had just put his father through the process and it worked for him; maybe it would work for me. I was willing and he said I could get the medication for free. Three months later I was smoke-free and haven't had the urge to smoke since. I must add that when I finally stopped smoking, I made the same vow not be a crusader to stop people smoking as I did when I stopped drinking. The only place either of those things isn't allowed is in my apartment. If I'm out with folks and they want to smoke and drink, that's their business. If they get out of hand, especially with drinking, they just don't see much of me any more. At one point I did suggest to one friend that he look at his drinking habits. I told him that when he decided to stop that I'd be there for him, but he's still in denial and still at it. We don't see each other any more. Maybe one day I'll see him at an AA meeting. We know quite a lot about you from your reviews and your profile page. But I don’t recall that you talk much about your family. Why is that? I wrote about my father this Father's Day and I think I've mentioned my parents in cookbook reviews. I had a happy and protected childhood. My parents both died in the 1950s. Dad of a cerebral and mother of breast cancer. I write about my sister in the Aunt Ursy stories. We are very close and she's been very supportive of my life choices. I have a brother I haven't spoken to in over 50 years. Let's just say he hasn't been supportive in any way so I thought it was better not to be involved. Do you need another drink or something to eat? I'm fine. We could walk over and have a bowl of my fresh gazpacho. It's a cold vegetable soup with a tomatoes/cucumber base. I have a bounty crop of tomatoes this year and all the other vegetables are from the local green market. It's really refreshing, like a liquid salad. Back to the subject at hand, which would be you, of course! If you could choose to live anywhere or anytime, where would that be? I fluctuate between the 1920s and 30s in England and Europe and being right where I am at present. I'm very happy with myself and my life the way it is. I can (and have) read about almost all the people I ever wanted to meet in the past. If I wasn't here, I wouldn't be with Epinions and I wouldn't be doing this interview right now. Now that you are retired, what advice do you have for us working stiffs? Save some money for a rainy day by all means. I was rather like the grasshopper that spent his summer playing and when the winter came along he was in trouble. I manage very well on what I get, but a little nest egg would have been nice to have. I'll never win the lottery because I don't gamble so that's out of the question and I don't see any inheritances coming my way. What life advice do you have for us? Go with the flow. Know yourself and your limitations. There are a lot of wonderful people, places and things out there. Experience everything you can. Old friends and memories can be very comforting. Any advice for your fellow epinioners? I just wish people would play nice. Anything you would like to add that I haven’t asked about? No, not that I can think of. More soup? ========================================================== This wonderful evening with ed_grover was an entry into the "Have a drink with me" W/O. Invite someone you find interesting for a drink (in your imagination) and find out about them. Details: http://www.epinions.com/content_3455295620  |
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