Today we had friends over for a late lunch and I made grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs. I followed the recipe below and they were delicious. We had a fun-filled afternoon, telling stories, swapping jokes, and laughing. Always great to have friends with whom you can be open and real. I hope you’ll try the…
Month: September 2012
2O Minutes of Pure Fatigue
I am sitting here dropping off to sleep while I type. Not the best sign, I suppose. We were up at 5:45 am so we could go to the St. Thomas homeless breakfast to volunteer. The rest of the day has been busy as well. This is going to be a short, short post since…
LA County Museum of Art and Friday Night Jazz
Tonight we went to hear jazz down at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA). Every Friday night, people come from all around to have picnics on the lawn and listen to free music. It was a happy and attentive crowd, who had brought lawn chairs, food, kids, and dogs out for the evening. They…
Roget’s Thesaurus: A Hard Copy Must-Have
Roget’s Thesaurus. Ah, heaven. I try my best to educate my students on the necessity of having a hard copy of this three-inch thick book around if they are truly interested in writing. After all, when we’re stumped for just the right word, they see me stand up and head to my bookcase. “It’s time…
Out of Balance
Am I the only one? I can not seem to balance my life to save my life. And I do mean literally. I don’t know if the Puritan work ethic was injected in my veins at birth or if I just lost the ability to engage in leisure time activities somewhere along the way, but…
Literary vs. Genre Fiction: What are the Differences?
The differences between literary and genre fiction can be slightly elusive, so here goes what I have learned by reading descriptions of the forms in two well-respected books on writing: Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft and Sarah Stone and Ron Nyren’s Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers….
Hope Springs Review
This afternoon, we went with family and friends to see the movie, Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. This is a story about a couple who has been married 32 years but who are disconnected emotionally and sexually from one another. Steve Carrell plays their marriage/sex therapist and you watch as this…
The Grand Canyon & Now Back in LA
We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 9 am this morning and this is what we saw: The sky was overcast and there had been a little rain so the air smelled evergreen sweet. We passed many fields as we drove from Flagstaff that were covered in these flowers: Of course, they was exceptionally pretty….
Trip Back to CA
We are slowly making our way back to Los Angeles from North Central Texas. Today we have progressed at a relaxed rate, stopping to take pictures as we’ve made diversions off of 40 and onto Route 66. The first stop was Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, where an art group named Ant Farm sank 10 Cadillacs…
20 Minutes a Day 