Scavenger’s Delight

(re-run) My neighbors give away good stuff. Last year, a neighbor moving to Oregon kept piling stuff on his driveway for us to take until he got the house emptied. His wife and kids had gone on to Oregon ahead of him. I made a haul of a plastic wagon, flower pots, a rolling garden… Continue reading Scavenger’s Delight

West Side Story

Sixty years ago, the movie West Side Story won 10 Academy Awards at the Oscars. It was perfection. Why did Steven Spielberg feel the need to make it again? Because he could. Because he did. Because he should’ve.  Spielberg has a slew of movies under his belt – E.T., Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List and so… Continue reading West Side Story

A Night with the Girls

(re-run) If you haven’t seen Thelma and Louise in a while or ever, it’s time to do it.  My friend rented an entire movie theater for a screening with a bunch of women last week. I usually head to my beach town every other Thursday, but the movie party was on a Thursday night, so… Continue reading A Night with the Girls

When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You

(re-run) I just unpacked my one-thousand-book collection. Ten years ago, I packed it up and stored it in Rubbermaid tubs in a damp garage two blocks from the ocean. I was in the middle of a divorce, and I sold all the bookcases in my divorce house so that I wouldn’t have to move them.… Continue reading When your Subconscious Self is Screaming at You

A Cruel Joke of a Disease

It has been a tough week.  When you sister has early-onset Alzheimer’s and you witness firsthand how it is robbing her of the stuff we all take for granted, it’s hard. How to hold a fork. How to get it to your mouth. How to remember to swallow when drinking. Sis is mostly nonverbal these… Continue reading A Cruel Joke of a Disease

Build Me Up, Buttercup

(re-run) There’s a new Geico commercial for motorcycle insurance that starts out with the introduction to one of my favorite songs – Build Me Up, Buttercup. Of course, I have to sing along. Why do you . . . build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess me around . .… Continue reading Build Me Up, Buttercup

Off the Power Grid

The power is out.  I was in the middle of a movie when everything shut off.  Soon my neighbors were texting me, asking me to report the outage to PG& E. The more the better, they said. A few minutes after that, I received a robocall. The outage was affecting 5000 customers. The power also… Continue reading Off the Power Grid

A Night with the Girls

If you haven’t seen Thelma and Louise in a while or ever, it’s time to do it.  My friend rented an entire movie theater for a screening with a bunch of women last week. I usually head to my beach town every other Thursday, but the movie party was on a Thursday night, so I… Continue reading A Night with the Girls

A Good Little Shopper

(re-run) If you think this post is going to be about how I scour the racks at Nordstrom’s for the best deals of the season, it’s not. If you think it’s about how I maximize double coupons at the grocery store, I don’t. What it is about is how I can find the deals for… Continue reading A Good Little Shopper

Scavenger’s Delight

(re-run) My neighbors give away good stuff. Last year, a neighbor moving to Oregon kept piling stuff on his driveway for us to take until he got the house emptied. His wife and kids had gone on to Oregon ahead of him. I made a haul of a plastic wagon, flower pots, a rolling garden… Continue reading Scavenger’s Delight