Category Archives: writing

The City as Spectacle

“What strange phenomena we find in a great city, all we need to do is stroll about with our eyes open.”

In early April I found myself at a mid-level hotel in mid-town Manhattan. My husband, Jon, was busy helping his mom with some projects and my son, Aaron, had virtual meetings with his college advisor and some studying to do on his spring break. The reason for our visit was to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday. But the party wasn’t until Saturday night. I had eight days stretching before me.

I’m no wide-eyed tourist. I lived in New York for seven years before moving to San Francisco. I know how to hold my bag close to my body, stride confidently through the ever-changing zigzag of crosswalks with their walk and don’t walk signs and construction tunnels, and not gawk at tall buildings or store windows. I had no plans to see Broadway musicals or visit 30 Rock.

But with an inner clock still set to California time and many of the sights within walking distance, I became a hybrid visitor: in the city but not of it…

Happy Spring! Or, Writing and Riding into 2021! Or, Lisa’s 30-day Yoga Challenge in only 54 Days!

As the ball dropped on the despicable 2020, and 2021 hoisted itself up to its new, exalted place, I resolved to say YES to new opportunities that presented themselves. So, I leaned in and signed up for multiple classes, communities, and new ventures that spanned the first quarter of the year. Did I kind ofContinue reading “Happy Spring! Or, Writing and Riding into 2021! Or, Lisa’s 30-day Yoga Challenge in only 54 Days!”

Dog Blog #2

I was just glancing at my NaNoWriMo files. I am a Winner! My goal for National Novel Writing Month was 50,000 words and ten short story drafts in the 30 days of November. I completed 50,000 words and drafted fourteen short stories. What I didn’t realize was that my intrepid Springer Spaniel, Ruby Penn, draftedContinue reading “Dog Blog #2”

SHUT UP!!!

Tuesday mornings at 10:00 I have a sacred duty to yell at a bunch of people to SHUT UP! But don’t worry—it’s sanctioned! I co-host a Shut Up & Write group through the California Writers Club. We used to sit around a table at a real café with the whirrr of the coffee machines andContinue reading “SHUT UP!!!”

Dog Blog #1: Letters from a Dog

My dog, Ruby, received a letter in the mail. My niece Zooey picked Ruby to be her pen pal, and asked what kind of treats Ruby wanted when she saw her next, and if she would like to play fetch. Zooey is in second grade and wrote a very nice letter. Though I had lotsContinue reading “Dog Blog #1: Letters from a Dog”

Crowing From the Darkness

I’ve done my best to keep a positive outlook throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, stay safe, and follow the rules to keep everyone else safe. When the first shelter-in-place order came down from Sacramento March 19, those first weeks were surreal. Back then we thought it would be a short-term thing, we’d lick it, and moveContinue reading “Crowing From the Darkness”

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

I spent grades three-through-five in “Multi-Age” a class that spanned three classrooms opened up into one. My friend Janine likes to Throwback Thursday and periodically post our class pictures to Facebook, and her latest got me thinking about that time. Multi-Age was a very progressive class: we sat in a big circle every morning andContinue reading “HOT OFF THE PRESS!”

The Party Trick of Memory

What is the role of memory? I started two of the books from my library book stack simultaneously and they both drew me in so immediately I was alarmed I couldn’t actually read them both at the same time. So I read them back to back. Though they deal with different themes, settings, and socialContinue reading “The Party Trick of Memory”

The Book Stack

In mid-March, just before the public libraries closed for what would turn out to be a very long time, I stopped by my local branch in hopes that two of my book club holds had arrived. (I’m in three separate book clubs these days.) They had not made it to the shelf in time. SoContinue reading “The Book Stack”