I made this soup last night and it is something that can be whipped up in no time. The key is to have this secret ingredient available: This concentrated chicken broth takes just a few minutes to prepare and is always delicious. The recipe goes like this: Saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil: 2 cloves…
Behind the Scenes at Church Last Sunday
I woke up with a start in the middle of the night before my debut last Sunday as sub-deacon at St Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. I had gone through a training on Saturday evening after the Vigil mass with the Master of Ceremony, Efrain Cisneros, who was kind enough to stay late to help me…
Sub-Deacon at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood
Today was the first day I made my debut as sub-deacon at St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood. When serving as a sub-deacon, I act as one of the sacred ministers of the church. I consider this a great honor. I have worked in almost every other position at the altar before being allowed to serve as…
Repost: A New Publication from Query Letter to Acceptance
Here was my query letter: Dear Editor, Below is an essay on the perils of self-doubt as a writer, the major writers who admit to this same doubt, and the resolve to keep going in spite of those nagging negative thoughts. I am a current Pushcart nominee for a flash fiction story published in the…
Tired, but Happy
I am very tired. We’ve been working hard for the past three days on an estate in a multi-million dollar condo in a posh Wilshire-corridor building near Westwood. The home owner association dues are $4000/month if that gives you a clearer picture. Anyway, we’ve been rushing to get all the art, antiques and collectibles packed…
A “Nice” Rejection Letter for An Odd Story
I received this last night from the editor of Thrice Publishing. Dear Helen, Thanks for sending “The Mustache: A Social Experiment”. I’m going to pass on this one Helen, but am honored by the opportunity to see work of merit. Sometimes it only comes down to the direction we’re taking at the moment, more than…
Handling Estates, the Unexpected Pleasures
We are handling an estate in the Wilshire District of Westwood for a very nice woman who has recently lost her husband. Her condo is in one of the prettiest buildings on the Wilshire corridor and has a view at night that is hard to beat. Today we worked with her, deciding which pieces of…
My Very First Art Class as an Adult
I am not known for my artistic ability. I enjoy wonderful art and appreciate the skill that others bring to painting, sculpting, and pottery but producing beautiful pieces of art has never been part of my experience. That is until tonight when I attended my first art class since middle school…or maybe even elementary school…
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…
Shared Birthday Weekend Celebration
I have spent the last two days at our orange grove in Ojai with my family celebrating daughter Liz’s 29th birthday and my upcoming (next Wednesday) 62nd birthday. Ray and I arrived on Friday afternoon and returned today (Sunday) late afternoon. Our time with family, first at Surfers’ Beach in Ventura for several hours on…
20 Minutes a Day 