Let Me Check My Calendar

   The Board Meeting, a.k.a. the PTA gathering to introduce the new leaders,  was winding down. The president wanted to know if I was available to meet the following week to go over the agenda for the community life committee I had joined. Uh ... .
  A true LOL is only as good as her technology. Let's just say I'm a work in progress.
   I probably was the last person over the age of 8 and under the age of 70 to get a cell phone. And that only happened because I was offered one for free through work a couple of years ago. When that gig came to an end in April, I was hooked enough to invest in one on my own dime. But I just couldn't fathom a monthly bill the size of a small nation's budget. So I went the pay-as-you go route, splurging on the full-keyboard Samsung model. All of a sudden, I had access to a portable calendar that I could use without having to struggle with clicking through rounds of letters.  Better yet, I could set alarms that would go off during various points of the day, usually while around others, and, just like all the other LsOL, glance down and say, "Oh, that."
   It's the minor leagues, I know. Not close to the iPhones that keep those manicured fingers twitching on the LOL circuit.  But better than a brick, which I'm told by the resident teen, is the moniker of the basic, cheap phone. Because the phone really has nothing to do with phoning anyone. It's all about the level of eye-candy appeal.
  So, I was thrilled, even with my sub-par model, to be able to say to the PTA prez, "Let me check my calendar" and then wage a strangely satisfying thumbie war with those miniscule keys.

Retrosexual Neanderthals Should Stay in Their Caves

  No one should have to be a LOL. It's a choice. It should be made by the lady, perhaps in consultation with the manly man of the house, but not, no way, at his demand. That's what feminism is all about: Choose  to  be the role you want to be.

  The retrosexual trend is all cool on the clothing front (love those suits) and as far as etiquette is concerned (please, do hold those doors open), but what's with all this Neanderthal behavior?

  For more on the retrosexual trend, check out my story: Manning Up.

LsOL in the Making

  These young  women seem sure to grow up to be LsOL extraordinaire as they "haul" 'til they drop -- though I am a little concerned about the underage ones flaunting a little too much. Atouch of modesty is important, young ladies.
  On another front, the journalist in me can see the fine line between objective product endorsement and PR for the Big Company that sent that fine blouse for free. But then again, plenty in the media get freebies (can anyone say review copy of the latest bestseller?) or admission passes all the time.
  Is this a case of holier than thou?

LsOL Make the (School) World Go Round

  I'm just back from the annual year-end lunch to thank all the volunteers (a.k.a. LsOL who rule the school). I have to marvel at this group. Skinny, smart and super fundraisers, able to stock the coffers like Sarah Palin on steroids.
  As a slide show chronicled a year's worth of good works, it was clearer than ever that a LOL's contributions go way beyond the lunch circuit. Without these women, and it is overwhelmingly women, so much would be missing in the life of the school and its students. A few work full-time, as I did until recently even as I squeezed in volunteer work, but the bulk of the heavy lifting is done by LsOL, who obviously are not living all that leisurely if they're spending hours on planning and executing auctions, book fairs, tennis days and more.
  PTAs at these Main Line schools (both private and public) are really small businesses that handle hundreds of thousands of dollars and make the difference between a great educational experience and an outstanding one for not only the students but the parents as well. They create logos, design T-shirts, dream-up centerpieces, put together marketing plans, drum-up advertising and then make sure the whole event goes off without a hitch. Pretty commendable, no?
  So here's to all those LsOL who pass up R&R to make their children's schooldays brighter. I only hope I can follow in your Jimmy Choos.

The Business of Motherhood

  The minute you enter Tango in Bryn Mawr, you know you've arrived at one of the the top Main Line LOL lunch spots. The noon hour brings a steady stream of middle-aged women, hair highlighted just so, all dressed to lunch in casual elegance. A few are accompanied by Lords of Leisure in blazers and open-collared shirts, faces sporting golf-course tans. The decor is dark and moody, capturing that Orient Express sensibility.
  I was there to meet another mom, a veteran of the LOL lifestyle. It was the LsOL equivalent of a business lunch. Talk was heavily focused on the children, deep analysis and short- and long-range strategies for school and life success -- all over broccoli rabe and roasted pear. Motherhood has become the profession for a new generation of well-educated women. My friend is a psychologist. Other LsOL are physicians, lawyers, marketing executives. Smart women who need to put all that intellect toward something. And that something is the family and the PTA.
  As an on-the-cusp Baby Boomer, I'm catching the tail end of the generational shift toward Pro Momhood. Now it's abundantly clear why those exercise classes are so necessary -- to keep us Pro Moms fit for the job. And, perhaps, to save us from smothering (interesting that it contains the word mothering) our children to death.

Sl-o-o-w is Fast Becoming a Trend

  Here's to the slow movement (http://www.trendcentral.com/WebApps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7731).
  More of us are yearning to slow down the pace of life. Take the time to see an art exhibit, relax over a sipped drink (no more chugging) and -- STOP THE PRESSES!!! -- enjoy the Sunday newspaper, says Trendcentral.
   Let's add take a yoga class instead of power aerobics and read a novel all afternoon over the tweet feed. LsOL are trendy, not that we ever doubted it.

Don't Judge a LOL by What She Wears

 It's easy to get caught up in the perfect Spandex look. Today was bliss: new Under Armour black jacket, Fila gray capris and Adidas yellow and moss green workout top that matched my gray and green sneaks -- my first truly put-together look for the gym. OK, I know I mixed labels. But still.
  But I digress. LsOL also like to read. Really. This morning a roomful met for our monthly book club. It would be hard to find a better-read group of women. I'm still playing catch-up. One gift of leisurehood is time to read and not just the kid's required books for English class, but for yourself.
  So what do LsOL read? This month was the Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's a sweet mystery read, appealing to adults but a perfect recommendation for tweens who enjoy a strong female heroine, that being Flavia De Luce, 11 years old and Super Detective.
  This group  takes a hiatus over summer -- there is the Shore, after all, and for many of these LsOL, Shore houses. (Not yours truly, however.) But our summer stimulation will be The Millennium Series by
the late Stieg Larsson. I've already started The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am riveted. Hope to finish it in time to catch the flick at the Bryn Mawr Theater. But that could be challenging. This isn't a beach read. It's more of a rainy day, stay in bed with the covers up kind of story. Perfect for a LOL.