I am just back from Midnight Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. I was part of the acolyte corps and it was a real pleasure working alongside my fellow acolytes for a Mass that was so beautiful. We arrived 2 hours early just so we would be appropriately trained for the Mass and it…

I am sitting with Jonah here on this bright and sunny Monday, two days before Christmas. The weather report says that it will be in the low 70’s today and quite possibly 77 degrees on Christmas Day. I think we may be in shorts for our Christmas celebration. Ah, the joy of living in Southern…

Quiet night at home with two dogs asleep beside me on the couch – one slightly stinky. (Perhaps a bath is in order for tomorrow.) Ray is upstairs reading. I have been enjoying this non-busy evening by skimming through my unread emails and getting up to date via Facebook on my online friends’ activities. Tomorrow…

This evening, our church had its annual Advent Lessons and Carols celebration featuring the a capella voices of the 12-member LA Schola. The music spanned the centuries with pieces from Bach, Britten, Mendelssohn, Palestrina, Rutter and others; the lessons were from the Gospels as well as from the prophets. I was serving as an acolyte…

I made these date nut bars today following this basic recipe but I substituted honey for sugar, walnuts instead of oats and I left out the cinnamon. Despite all those changes, the date nut bars were delicious. This is a perfect holiday treat. Sweet and nutritious at the same time. Be sure to simmer the…

        Philippa (Flip) Mayall   Here is my friend, Flip, who has written an amazing book that is well worth your time.  She was a fellow participant in the John Rechy Master class and we workshopped her book every week for 2 years.  I know this memoir intimately and can recommend it…

I am sitting with my student, Elena, who is an old friend and the mother of several of my former students. We are writing our quick write, which is 12 minutes of pouring out on the page whatever is on our minds. In my case, this is a chance for me to purge my mind…

Here is Luna with Grandpa. Here’s another one. Yes, this is very short, but I am still recovering from only 5 hours sleep last night. So, this is my effort for tonight. I am hopeful to return to normal soon. Surely, I’ll get rested soon enough!

I hosted the holiday get-together of the John Rechy Master class tonight, buddies of mine with whom I shared the singular experience of having a true master guide us in our writing. I was John’s student for five years on a weekly basis, others worked with him much longer. All my classmates are exceptional writers….

Today has been busy. Up early for the homeless breakfast – fed around 150 people – then students for 5 hours, then back to church to serve as the thurifer (the acolyte swinging the incense) at the Vigil Mass. This evening, in contrast, has been leisurely – just adding photos on Facebook, watching HGTV and…