Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a shopper. I hate going into clothing stores and going through the racks to determine yet again that I am a hard size to fit. The fashion industry certainly doesn’t use the under 5 foot tall woman as the model for their clothes and…
Category: Timed Writing
A Memory of Mom…
Today I worked with a graduate student in Psychology on a paper on “Differentiation in Family Systems.” Differentiation is basically when children establish their own personhood that is separate from the family unit. I remember a moment when I was 13 when this concept played out in my own life. When I was 13, I…
Happy Birthday, Rachael
Today, my youngest daughter, Rachael, turns 24. It seems impossible to even imagine that it’s been almost a quarter of a century since that little baby arrived so quickly and easily at 7:40 am on a sleeping bag on our bedroom floor, delivered by a midwife. i was shocked when the midwife said, “Just one…
Mahler at Disney Hall
Ray and I went to Disney Hall tonight to hear the LA Phil perform Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. This is Ray’s favorite and also a favorite of mine, so having Gustavo Dudamel conduct it without the need of a score was fairly thrilling. The LA Phil proved once again that it is filled to overflowing with…
Confession of a Neurotic Writer
Last week I made a goal to write every morning right after waking. This was not for my blog, but for my novel in progress. Monday – Thursday I did great. I got up, sat down, wrote and was pleased with myself. However, Friday morning, I was leaving early to go to see a client…
For Gayle: The Reprint of a Story Inspired by Music
Janet wasn’t sure why life seemed so complicated these days. Maybe it had to do with the way the wind was always blowing, tossing her short gray hair this way and that, and reminding her of happier times before Chet died. Chet, her husband of 35 years, who woke up one day and said he…
Road Trip Preparations
We are preparing for our westward trip back to LA. We will be leaving on Thursday and plan to arrive home on Friday night. We have been hustling around today attending to a multitude of small tasks, all of which need to be completed before we take to the road. Also, we have seen many…
Flash Fiction: Group Therapy
I am not an apricot kind of girl, all small and soft; squishy and sweet. No, if I had to choose an orange fruit to characterize myself, I would have to pick a cantaloupe: a rough exterior, but sweet once you find a way to break me open. This exercise we’re doing in group therapy…
A Quick Note to Self
Dear Body, I promise to do better by you. I can see I need to eat more vegetables and fruits and move more. I am also aware that I could use more sleep as well as a bit more downtime. I plan to read online about foods that will help these bits of inflammation I’m…
Flash Fiction: Hot Pink in the Synagogue
I was dressed in a completely inappropriate shade of pink and I didn’t care. In fact, all I really wanted to do march down the aisle of that synagogue and shout “hello” to as many people as possible while the Rabbi was praying. Yes, you guessed it. I was ticked off at Rabbi Coulter. He…
20 Minutes a Day 