We are in Dallas at the Dallas Opera Center for a performance of Aida. We are with our friends Darrah Dunn and Shann Schubert from Sherman, Texas. This is our Halloween treat to ourselves, a night out with close friends enjoying the new Winspear Center. The lights are about to go down. The orchestra is…
Month: October 2012
Hurray! Two Publications.
I am happy to report that two of my memoir pieces have been accepted for publication: one in the 2012 Story Circle Network hard copy anthology and the other in the SCN online anthology. The best part is that both of these pieces came from right here: my blog. I wrote them in my 20…
One Nation
I am standing in front of the space heater which is glowing orange while I write this post on my phone. It is cold here – in the 30’s – and I look forward to warm covers and a soft bed. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those on the east coast who…
2 am – We Have Arrived
We have made it to our Texas home. Finally. We arrived at 1:15 am, after having driven since 7:45 am. Except for gas and a few dog pit stops, the only time we weren’t in the car was in Albuquerque for lunch at around 3 pm. We passed the time today listening to NPR and…
Travels East
We are en route by car to Texas for business. Left LA at 5:15 pm and are now in Williams, AZ (the turn off 40 for the Grand Canyon). We arrived around 1 am. I missed my blog deadline for the 27th, but here I am early on the 28th. Ray and the dogs are…
A Poetry Book That Pulls You In and Teaches You History
My daughter Rachael has introduced me to a book of poems from her poetry class at UCLA entitled Blue-Tail Fly by Vievee Francis. This is a wonderful volume of persona poems written in the voices of either real people or composites of people living from the pre-Mexican American War through the post-Civil War era. This book…
The Santa Ana Winds Are Here
The wind is rustling the leaves in the tree outside my back door; I can see the Nandina bushes bending and shaking through the front window. The Santa Ana winds have been blowing since yesterday, sending the pollution out to sea and making the LA air smell cleaner. Unfortunately, because the winds are dry, they…
A Modest Plan
Today I took the dogs for a walk. This is noteworthy only because it is so rare. We have a backyard and leave the back door open, so the dogs go in and out. This is fine for bathroom needs, but doesn’t solve the exercise issue. Cordelia, our corgi, really must have exercise or she…
A Mother’s Dream: Time with Her Grown-up Daughters
Liz, Sarah, and Rachael I am having an occasion that is happy for a mother – I am seeing my three daughters almost daily at least for the next little while. Sarah has a clinical rotation that is only four blocks away at an Urgent Care Center; Liz is here everyday from 6:30 – 8…
Frankenweenie – Not What I Expected
We went this afternoon to see Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, a movie I’ve been looking forward to seeing. Alas, I must say that I was disappointed. The film is in black and white to begin with, and I immediately longed for color. Second, though I liked the main character and his dog, Sparkie, I didn’t like…
20 Minutes a Day 