Recently I worked with one of my UCLA students on a paper centered on Elie Wiesel’s book, Night. This is Wiesel’s first-hand account of being forced to leave his home in Transylvania (along with his entire village) and relocate first to Auschwitz and later to Buchenwald concentration camps during World War II. The volume is slim…

Leslie Earl (George) Leatherwood, my dad, was born on February 19, 1903. He was fifty years old when I was born and he died on February 4, 1972, just a few weeks shy of his 69th birthday. I am currently in my 60s and so I understand exactly what my dad meant when he said…

Olena had no idea what to do. She was tired and hungry and wondering where she was going to sleep that night. She wasn’t used to being displaced. She was used to having her morning coffee in her kitchen along with a nice bowl of corn porridge and white cheese. She was accustomed to bathing…

Innocent people Women Children Men Huddle in subway tunnels Unsure of their fate Unsure of their country’s fate Russian soldiers cross into Ukraine Russian tanks move into Ukraine Russian rockets explode in Ukraine Naked aggression Bullying A war motivated by greed and power Russian Anti-war protesters Bold and brave Arrested by police In a country…

I had a student on Zoom this afternoon. She told me that she is recovering from Covid. She said she had a terrible taste in her mouth on Sunday and a slight headache. By Monday, her sinuses were aching, her throat hurt, and her chest felt heavy. She took an in-home Covid test then and…

We left Ensenada at 11:30 this morning and arrived at Gregorio and Sarah’s at 5:20 this afternoon. That was with stopping for gas, two bathroom breaks, and heavy afternoon traffic through Orange County on the way to South Pasadena. I stayed just long enough to gather up my bags and then headed on to Beverly…

Today was our last full day in Ensenada. Tomorrow, we’ll pack up and head back to Los Angeles. It was a chilly day, but we all enjoyed the jacuzzi. The kids were the only ones, however, who braved the unheated pool. The whole day was relaxed and low-key. No rush. I did work at least…

I have spent the last couple of days in Ensenada at the beach with Sarah’s family. Very low-key and relaxing. Wonderful to spend time with Sarah, Gregorio, Luna, Nico, and Lyla. An exceptional treat. Here are some photos:

I am in Ensenada, Mexico with Sarah and her family. Ray wasn’t able to come due to prior commitments. I wish he were here since we both love coming to Estero Beach with our kids. Here are a few photos of today. I got up really early this morning so I could beat the traffic…