Orchard & Grand

Never give up, no matter how things look or how long they take.

Don't quit before the miracle.

Anne Lamott

Spilling Over

I paint many paintings that tell me slowly that I have something

inside of me that is just bursting, twisting, sticking, spilling over to get out.

Out into souls and mouths and eyes that have never seen before.

Bob Thompson

Showering Lauren with Tradition

The Great Believers

Surprised this book received so many rave reviews and accolades. 

I'm weary of the overly used narrative device tracking two parallel stories

in different time periods which ultimately connect.

Listening to this book shined a light on the standard prose

belabored with he said this and he said that.

BUT to its credit the deep loss and unmitigated terror experienced by this group of friends living in the '80s during the AIDS epidemic profoundly affected me.

Sometimes the volume of stories told on a particular subject matter can desensitize me to the horror.

The global atrocity becomes a factual backdrop instead of a circumstance provoking emotion.  

These characters' responses subverted previous portrayals and their stories have stayed with me.

The Last of Her Kind

How have I never read Sigrid Nunez before?

I'm desperate to read every word she's written.

She writes about women and female friendship

with a strong sense of knowing.

Void of sentimentally, she examines the ideals of two young women from 

very different backgrounds who meet as freshman roommates at Barnard in 1968.

Their lives continue to diverge as they find their footing as adults in a turbulent era 

and then the unthinkable happens; one of them is sentenced to life in prison.

Gorgeously crafted, dense with complex ideas, but oh so accessible.  

Nothing is Forever

Los Liones

I can fall into a pattern of beloved routines and habits.
Sunday mornings, if I'm in Hollywood, you can find me at the farmers market followed by yoga.
My preferred Sunday evening is to be home, relaxing and cooking a meal from fresh provisions.
But today I bagged the usual for the unfamiliar and
took a 30 minute drive to The Palisades
to a popular trail with spectacular views.