I am sitting in an overly warm living room at my round glass table with a big fan aimed in my direction. I can see the bushes outside swaying in the breeze, but the cool ocean air appears to be only out there, not making its way through the windows and doors of our house,…
Category: Writing as a Discipline
The Milky Way, Coyotes & the Orange Grove
Last night Ray and I drove to our orange grove in Ojai and slept in our tent under the stars. The sky was clear with just a sliver of a moon so the stars were bright and it was easy to see the Milky Way sprinkled across the sky. What a glorious sight that is….
Flash Memoir: “High-Top” Memories
When I was growing up, I had a problem buying shoes. My feet were small and wide, and in my little Texas town of 7,000 it was not always easy finding shoes that fit me in the local shoe stores. This meant at the very least traveling 25 miles over to Sherman, which had a…
Flash Fiction Prompt: He Said/She Said
Flash Fiction Prompt: The two “characters” should disagree about an issue or subject and their dialogue should have a subtext, an emotional truth that is operating on a deeper and perhaps hidden level. He said: I thought you were going to the market today. She said: Why do you say market instead of grocery store? …
Our Day in Palm Springs: Swimming, a Test-Drive & Movies
Today, I started out with a swim. The temperature of the water was perfect at 8 am. Just slightly cooler than body temperature. I swam underwater, on my back, on my side, and on my stomach (the crawl), then sank down to the bottom and popped back up, over and over. Just like when I…
Weather and Its Influence on Personality
Summertime here in LA. It was over 100 degrees today and people all over the city were out in shops and malls and movie theaters in an attempt to escape the heat. Even driving in the car was cooler than being at home since most Angelinos don’t have air-conditioned homes. After all, most of the…
A Must-See: Searching for Sugar Man
If you haven’t seen this documentary, I suggest you figure out how to make that happen as soon as you can. You will be better for it. Rodriguez is a man transcendent. He has worked as a laborer all of his adult life, except for a period in the early ’70’s when he recorded two…
An Evening of Rock and Roll Photos and Stories
Tonight we went to the Annenberg Space for Photography and listened to a presentation by Guy Webster, the famous rock and roll photographer. He photographed Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Judy Collins, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and on and on and on, and he told stories of meeting these people and spending time with…
Back to Wearing a Step Counter for Better Health
One of the best ways that I’ve found to remind myself to get up and start moving is to wear a step counter. This little device attached to my waistband can serve as a great motivator to get up and outside or even simply move more around the house. The simplest measure the number of…
Better Day Thanks to the Hollywood Bowl
Today was much better. I was up and out this morning to Pasadena and then after students this afternoon, we went with friends and family to the Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl is a must-see if you are in LA. No matter where you sit – and we were in the cheap seats in the back…
20 Minutes a Day 