The stage and film musical satire Bye, Bye, Birdie contains a great song,” Kids.” If you are not familiar with the song, find and listen to it. You’ll get my point fast. Many of my contemporaries and several of my elders wonder if today’s kids are worth a hoot. The numerous seeming differences in Baby Boomer and Millennial youth generate responses from bemusement to outright … Continue reading What’s the Matter with Kids Today?
I’ve been working with numerous healers to regain my health, strength and stamina. And my obliterated Sense of Self. That happens when one is sick for a long time. One of these healers is a hypnotherapist who specializes in rewiring our brains to help us overcome chronic conditions. Despite not knowing each other and working in separate ‘modalities’ a thousand miles apart, Dr. Hypno and … Continue reading The Best Expression of Me: “Have Less Stuff”
The house build proceeds. As the ‘homeowner’ the process reminds me of riding a roller coaster. You strap in. You wait while others are strapped in. Then, the jerky movements that gain you a few feet at a time, throwing your head back with their abrupt halts, begin inching you toward the mountain of track ahead. Finally, the snake of cars in which you are … Continue reading Rollercoaster Ride
I used to be a news junkie. The accompanying commentary interested and informed me. But, I’m done. Between journalistic political opinions and conjecture and minute-to-minute coverage of ‘blood on the streets,’ I can’t bear to tune in anymore. What am I missing? That another black male was needlessly killed by police officers? That another movie theatre, classroom, church or nightclub massacre ‘broke out’? I’m fed … Continue reading Gunning Down America
I have many younger friends who are raising kids or considering it. Allow my perspective to join the other unsolicited advice with which you are bombarded. First and foremost, adding a new life to this world automatically commits you to a lifelong relationship of self-education, adjustment, sacrifice and growth. If you are not up for it, don’t do it. Get a puppy, a goldfish, a … Continue reading Raising Kids: Unsolicited Advice
When answering honestly, most couples managing to ‘last’ will admit there was a separation, when one partner had simply had enough of waiting for and wanting operational changes that the other wouldn’t help make happen. In my experience, it’s usually the woman who finally has to put her foot down, shove her partner out, or pack up and go. The men I know are baffled. … Continue reading Becoming a Husband
I’m prone to forgetfulness. I can easily forget that I’ve already seen a given movie or television show, taken my thrice daily medications, and what day it is. Where I’ve left my handbook, shoes, keys, mail, garden clippers, and the dog’s leash are just as likely to slip my mind. They stay slipped, until I search all possible locations. My lapses in memory grew serious … Continue reading Forgetting Myself
I raised my daughters in fixer upper conditions. They had school clothes, play clothes, ‘Sunday-Go-To-Meeting’ clothes, and ‘Paint Clothes’. Paint clothes were old, ragged or stained clothing in which we could garden, woodwork or paint pictures or houses without a care we might ruin them. I nearly live in paint clothes now. I still get moderately gussied up for gatherings and doctor appointments, but mostly … Continue reading Paint Clothes
The plethora of lighting options for new builds or replacements in existing homes confounds the mind. The lighting industry is huge, delivering products from one shop artisans, conglomerate electronics lines and age old foundries. Shapes, materials, accents and functions are seeming endless. Ceiling mounts, pendants, wall sconces, table lamps… How does one choose? Allow me to illuminate my criteria. (ha, ha) I’ve spent hours ‘oohing’ … Continue reading Lighting
My friend Lenny lives by the sea. He and his family dwell in one of San Francisco’s older neighborhoods, where houses were built for working people. Unpretentious homes, packed tightly together, with the Pacific Ocean in their backyards. Clanging streetcars ratchet up and down the avenues, northbound planes yawn overhead. Crashing surf echoes, its rhythm bouncing off succulents and paving stones. Fog sidles. Lenny walks. … Continue reading Count Your Change: Lenny’s Markets
The InConstant Muse 