Over the past several weeks, a student and I have read Mastery by Robert Greene. This book tracks a whole realm of “masters” in many different fields and chronicles their life stories. The point of most of these stories is that these individuals were not remarkable at the outset, but became masters through years of…

I am sitting with Jonah. We are sitting in my living room and it is 4:40 pm on a Tuesday afternoon. I have had students for the past 2 hours and I have another student after Jonah for at least 2 hours. So, a long day for me. This morning, I took care of some…

This article is one I found for the “Scene Craft” internet course I’m teaching right now for Story Circle Network. This is filled with valuable information. For you writers – or potential writers – out there, this is very helpful.  Len 10 Tips on Writing Strong Scenes by Jordan E. Rosenfeld Any story or novel…

I am sitting with Cameron. What an impressive girl. She is here on her first morning of spring break. Thanks, Cameron, for wanting to come work on your writing before heading off on your college tour on the East Coast. This bodes well for your future, my little passionate fiction writer. Ray and I have…

Sarah learned today that she won one of eight spots in a family medicine residency program at Glendale Adventist Medical Center here in Southern California. Glendale is right between Burbank and Pasadena and is a highly sought after area to live in the LA area. The residency program is associated with Loma Linda University and…

Here are my pictures from our trip on Tuesday to the LA Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Arcadia.  This is a very pleasant place to visit, and would be a perfect spot to go for a picnic on a beautiful spring day.  There is also a great gift shop with lots of goodies for not…

I am sitting with Jonah. We are doing our quick write. It is a bright sunny March day with a slight breeze that is causing the Nandina bushes outside my living room window to jostle to and fro. Cordelia is currently licking the wooden floor, which has recently been mopped with Murphy’s Soap. I may…

Thank you, Ray, for teaching me a few things about life over these past 30+ years. You have opened my eyes to art, architecture, antiques and design; the whole realm of the visual. You have also pushed me to express my feelings. I count chasing you around the back yard with a crowbar early in…

I made Ray a maple sugar sweetened Hummingbird Cake for his birthday party on Sunday (actual birthday tomorrow) and I must say it was quite a hit. I have included the traditional recipe I used from Food Network with my modifications in parentheses. This will be a regular on my special events menus from now…

Ray and I went with our friends, Chanel and Jeff, and their three friends visiting from Vancouver to the Getty Art Museum today. This was part of an early birthday celebration for Ray, who will turn 56 on Tuesday. We saw several exhibits, but the most notable was entitled, “A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and…