Yesterday, I got to see a picture of my first grandchild in utero. It was amazing the clarity of the picture. I could actually see the little tyke’s profile: his/her nose, mouth and chin. My daughter is four and a half months pregnant and we can already see our unborn baby’s facial features. This is…
Category: Timed Writing
Unexpected Life Lessons
Tragedy struck this past week in Beverly Hills. The beloved soccer coach at the high school – a thirty-year-old man in excellent health – died suddenly from a massive heart attack. This is sad all on its own, but it became more personal for me when one of my high school seniors, who has been…
Not My Cup of Tea
We made it to the Wiltern tonight to see Alfie Boe. Unfortunately, we left at intermission because despite Alfie’s beautiful voice, his type of music – a sort of Opera/Pop was just not something that was compelling to either one of us. I felt bad on one hand because he was quite an entertainer –…
A Foray into Humility: Ray’s SNAFU
My husband, Ray, is a logistics king. He can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple activities for multiple people on multiple dates with the ease of a seasoned tightrope walker. He’s the guy who takes that extra time to see if it makes sense to have our kids drive back home if they’re east of town…
Family Visit and Straining to Hear
My brother, Sam; his girlfriend, Jaime; and Sam’s grown kids Hutch and Charlsie are visiting us at the moment. This is my little brother – five years younger than I am – and he and I are the two remaining siblings out of a family of six children. We are funny together. We are more…
Great Food, Great Service and Celebrity Sightings
We just returned from dinner at a new restaurant in Los Feliz called Mess Hall, which is based on the concept of a mess hall in a summer camp. That are a few camp-like features inside – a display of Swiss Army knives on one wall and metal trays on another – but that’s where…
Peter Gabriel at the Hollywood Bowl
We just came from the Peter Gabriel concert at the Hollywood Bowl. There is only one word: awesome. The music, the lights, Peter Gabriel’s voice that goes right to your heart – all of these made this a must-see event. If you have a chance to see him on tour, do it. This is the…
Movie Recommendation: Perks of Being a Wall Flower
We went to the movies this evening and saw Perks of Being a Wall Flower. It covers adolescent angst without reducing teenagers to stereotypes, and it has a twist you will not see coming. Emma Watson from the Harry Potter Saga is strong in her portrayal of a high school senior and Logan Lerman as…
The Joys of Writing “Flash” and Some Reading Recommendations
I currently am teaching an online course on Flash Fiction and Flash Memoir for Story Circle Network. This subject is close to my heart since flash is one of my favorite modes of writing. For the course, I have read a lot of short-shorts both fiction and memoir and have been reminded of just how…
My Personal Organizer Winner: Wunderlist
I have spent much of today looking at organizational tools online. I checked out several lists that different friends sent me after reading my blog last night. For me, the tool couldn’t be too complicated. I wanted a pretty simple application, but I wanted color and visuals that keep me happy while getting organized. I…
20 Minutes a Day 