Musings
The Other Door
Not too long ago, a yoga studio opened up next door to the martial arts studio where I train. The two businesses share a parking lot in the back, and both have a rear entrance, along a narrow path about five feet below the level of the parking lot. One day, I parked...
Running in Parking Lots
Today I’m going to tell you about my brother. I don’t often bring up my bro because it starts a longer conversation that is often off-topic to whatever point I’m trying to make at the time. And some days, I’m just not interested in having that particular conversation....
The Irrationality of Love
It’s 3:00 pm on a Saturday and I’m sitting in a loft of a church that’s been converted into a theatre. The space holds seating for 27 audience members, and the seats I’m sitting in were installed in their current configuration by my husband (with the help of a crew of...
Claiming Space
“Unless I’m crying or bleeding, you don’t need to apologize.” I found myself uttering this odd phrase the other day during Kenpo class when I was practicing techniques with a girl who was about 12 years old (and taller than me). Our dojo in Granada Hills is still...
Pushing Paper
I work for a nonprofit, InsideOUT Writers (IOW). IOW’s mission is to reduce the juvenile recidivism rate. If you don’t really know what that means (and a surprising number of people don’t), they are trying to keep incarcerated kids from going back to juvenile hall...
Landscape of Happenstance
The garden has been looking a little sad lately. With 100 degree heat for nearly a month, the Heuchera is fried, the roses wilted with exhaustion and even some of the Blue fescue has just plain given up in despair. The weeds, however, are thriving, as is the invasive...
Lying to Children
We are all liars. Every single one of us. Fibbers. Fakers. Phonies. Frauds. Pretenders. Deceivers. We tell lies to children. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy -- that’s just the beginning. Later we get creative. My aunt Sylvia told my eight-year-old self...
Fight like a Girl
I took my first martial arts class in 1999. Since then I have earned black belts in two different styles, and am currently studying Kenpo Karate. In my previous style, I was fortunate to have taught kids for almost seven years, and I am sure I gained more wisdom from...
Quotes from Goodreads’ 2012 Fiction Challenge
I love quotes. It's like getting to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich without having to eat the crust. These are just a few I collected while on my Goodreads 2012 Choice Awards challenge. Enjoy. "The half life of love is forever." - This is How You Lose Her,...
Tell Me a Story…
I have a confession to make. Although I love to read and my reading tastes are fairly eclectic, I really, really like trashy vampire novels. OK, technically that’s not a recognized literary genre,* but I’m talking about that class of urban fantasy novels with its...
Notes from the Garden
Spring is here. The tulips are pushing their way up to the surface, the dianthus and candytuft are in bloom and the Pride of Madeira has sent up its spikes, ready to give another dazzling display of purple splendor. Spending Sunday afternoons in my garden allows me to...
Life on Gough Street
I once went to an audition, and the director asked me if my name was pronounced like the street in San Francisco. The stage manager sitting next to her piped up, "Oh, you mean Goo Street?" Sigh. I didn't write this poem, but I am thankful for the Gough who did. As if...
Contact
Follow
Read
