Tonight is the last night that my daughter, Rachael Beaty, has to study for a final exam as an undergraduate. Tomorrow at noon after one last final, Rachael will officially be finished with her Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in American Literature. I am very proud of this youngest daughter of mine who has…
Tag: timed writing
The Joys of Teaching Writing: Online and Off
I am sitting here in my living room – night outside – and I am ready to finish up my work for today. I have been busy all day, as usual, but not crazy busy. My “Flash Fiction/Memoir” online class started on Monday through Story Circle Network, so I’ve been occupied responding to students’ comments…
Birthday Movie: Django Unchained
Ray and I went with friends today out to lunch and then to the movies for Ray’s birthday. We saw Django Unchained. We are both back home now, exhausted from the movie, but happy we went. It is grueling at times to watch, but well worth the effort. The story of slavery – if told…
Mock Trial at Southwestern Law School
Today Ray and I went with Liz and her boyfriend, Ron, to Southwestern Law School near downtown where we played the role of two characters in a mock trial that they were participating in. This was the culmination of their class, and Liz and Ron were the defense team for a man played by Ray…
Happy News Today
Today, one of my students who is now a junior at Boston University called out of the blue, told me he was on spring break, and made a request that brightened my heart: “Could I come over and write with you this week?” My answer: “Well, of course you can.” Shaun is a boy who…
LA Phil: The Gospel According to the Other Mary
We went to the LA Phil today to see the staged version of John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. This comes just before Easter so it’s especially timely since it chronicles Jesus’s life from the raising of Lazarus to Jesus’s own death and resurrection. The music was composed by John Adams and…
Liz: Almost There!
Here is my daughter, Elizabeth Beaty, who finishes her last final at Southwestern Law School on Monday and then starts a 2-month externship before graduating on May 12, 2013. This sweet middle girl of mine is about to complete law school in an accelerated two year program, which is called SCALE. Southwestern has one of…
Drive-ins and Being Sixteen Again
The drive-in theater in Bonham, Texas is a place I spent more than a few Friday nights in my teenage years. Yes, I was there with my boyfriend, Sam, and I would be less than honest if I said that we ever saw more than half of any movie. There was something so private –…
A Chance to Help with Luna’s Birth
I am pleased to say that I am going to get the chance to be a birth coach for my daughter, Sarah, along with Gregorio. That means I get to stay in the room when she is delivering our new little Luna, rather than being asked to step outside with the rest of the family….
Maybe a Little Food Poisoning?
This post will be short tonight. I am in the midst of a stomach upset and I am suspicious it might have come from eating out late this afternoon. I haven’t felt this yucky in a while and my stomach is the culprit – it is aching. I went with family and friends to a…
20 Minutes a Day 