The Power of Our Democracy

This is my husband Ray and two of our three daughters, Liz and Rachael, at 8 am on our way to the polls.  Before leaving home, we pulled out our Voter Guides  and went over all the propositions and measures so we could make informed decisions.  Our voting location is in a garage of a…

Leonard Cohen Does Not Disappoint

Tonight we went to see Leonard Cohen at the Nokia Theater.  The show was sold out.  This was a Father’s Day gift from our daughter Liz.  This was the 2nd time I’ve seen Leonard Cohen in the past 3 years.  He is one of my favorite singer/ songwriters, and the fact that he is still…

On the Road Again & Thoughts on Political Differences

Here are Cordelia and Sammie in their bed on our return journey to California. We left north central Texas at 6 pm and are just arriving in Amarillo at midnight. Tomorrow we hope to have a long day on the road, stopping in either Kingman, AZ or Barstow, CA. This time we plan on 2…

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…

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 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…

A Movie Well Worth Seeing: The Sessions

We have just come home from seeing the film The Sessions starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy. This is a movie about a man who is severely disabled from polio making the decision that it is time to explore his sexuality. Helen Hunt plays a sex surrogate, Hawkes plays the disabled man,…

Hamburger Mary’s on a Thursday Night

I just walked through West Hollywood after being at Hamburger Mary’s where we went with friends for a Trivial Pursuit night, plus 1/2 of a drag show. I left before Ray and our friends because I need to get up early tomorrow morning to go with Liz all the way out to Rancho Cucamonga so…