It’s that time of year again.

Nu? So It’s Christmas

September 24, 1919

On this day, the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, here are the thoughts I jotted down to read at his memorial service in 2001. My dad was a teacher, and like many outstanding teachers, he never took time off from teaching. Sure, there were vacations and summers, but he was always on the job.Continue Reading

Bandon, Oregon

 I read this piece at the Octopus Literary Salon at an event that paired published authors with emerging writers. I wrote it in response to my partner’s piece, which touched on smoking, the wind, being young and making mistakes. I didn’t know right away how to respond, so I looked out the window and listened.Continue Reading

On the occasion of my sister’s birthday

It’s April 9th, my sister’s birthday. In what has become an annual tradition–for now anyway–I’m re-posting this edited version. Five years ago, in 2014, I was out of town at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop and missed being here for her birthday. So I put together something special to make up for being away, becauseContinue ReadingContinue Reading

Playlist for March 22: A hip medley

If they allowed me a playlist for tomorrow, it would have to include these three tunes. Thanks for all the good wishes from near and far.  

The Writing Year in Review: 2018

I did this last year and it helped me see that I had been slightly more productive than I thought. Let’s see what happened this past year in my writing life… A look  back at what I wrote in 2018: A number of pieces for Retrospect, which are listed on my Articles and Interviews pageContinue Reading

From Bait Shop to Dive Bar: The Kingfish

I’ve started a new series on some classic old bars of the East Bay. Here’s the first one, published on Berkeleyside: From bait shop to beloved dive: Oakland’s Kingfish Pub and Café has a fascinating history

Martha, My Dear

November 21st is Martha’s birthday.  She’s been gone several years now. Her birthday still pops up on my Google calendar. I don’t intend to do anything to change it.Seeing this reminder of her birthday gives me the opportunity to celebrate her life and our friendship every November. (This was originally posted in 2013)   AsContinue Reading

Another health update

The online magazine, You and Me, recently published the last of three articles I wrote about my journey from diagnosis to the present. In case you missed the first two, they are here too. Yes, there is still numbness and there are some awkward moments, and my food choices have remained somewhat narrow, but othersContinue Reading

Just doing my job

Here’s my latest for Berkeleyside. You’re welcome! Where in the East Bay to get boozy slushies, floats and milkshakes