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…
Tag: writing discipline
When Family Comes to Town
I am sitting here in my living room with my little brother, Sam, who has been visiting us for the past week with two of his three kids, Hutch and Charlsie. The kids headed back to Texas today on the plane and Sam leaves tomorrow morning to drive back to Tempe, Arizona to join his…
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 –…
Rain and Hope in the Forecast
Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Ray and I went out back this evening and put away anything that might be damaged by water. The chances we will see any significant rainfall is not high. When we hear we’re getting rain in Los Angeles it might mean just a few sprinkles. Still, we’re ready…
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…
20 Minutes a Day 