Faithful readers will already know that I’m a liberal. But just to make it clear, I am a liberal with a neon pink capital “L” that you can see from space. I am a civil-libertarian, an authority-suspecting, e-waste recycling, workers-rights-supporting, gun-controlling, universal healthnik, who thinks it’s the government’s job to regulate corporate polluters and hedge […]

A day at the air show can leave you breathless, but too sun-drenched to blog — so we’ll have to let the picture do its thousand words. More on the March AFB Airfest 2008 to come — once we catch our breath.

I’ve seen lots of paintings in the last few weeks: three juried group shows and an exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. It’s been good; it sent me off on my current realist exercise and it’s been sort of encouraging. I feel a happy understanding of the language of paint. It is good […]

Thanks for visiting us Sharoan, Sam and Zeke! Click the arrows at the bottom of the slideshow to see what we’ve been up to on our family visit. Click “credits” to learn more. Enjoy!

Uncle Val and Auntie Kate took the nephews to the Aquarium of the Pacific today. More pix to come.

I make no claim that these are Rome’s best restaurants — I have had some crazy good meals in Rome at restaurants whose name I can’t even remember. One with Laurie on our last night in Rome, after I was pickpocketed, and she — with her supreme graciousness — picked up the tab for a […]

I always say I’m through with Paris. Through with gray and grumpy Paris with its strikes and its cranky nonplused waiters and its universal disdain. The last time I left Paris, during the massive transit/museum strike of May 1999, I was literally in tears. “I have to get out of here. I can’t can’t […]

Okay, if you’re squeamish about lady things, just skip this post.
When Laurie hurt her back and had to cancel her New York trip last month, one of the many things she lamented missing was a visit to the famous Bra Man of New York. The Bra Man can just look at you and select […]

Last night, Laurie, Val and I went over to the Carpenter Center to see the Shaolin Monks Live Kung Fu Spectacular. About 20 monks did all sorts of crazy difficult stuff like balancing their bodies on the points of spears and leaping six feet in the air off their bellies and breaking iron bars over […]

of phone pix from my Marukai 98-cent store shopping trip today.

Mmm … hamantaschen.

Yesterday, on a day that was especially beautiful — even by LA standards — friend Mark and I took a field trip to the legendary Pink’s Hot Dogs on LaBrea (dogs=just right, fries=coated, not my fave) and then we sat in the shade at a Starbucks on Melrose and watched the world go by while […]

Tomorrow is the autumnal equinox so we will be officially in my favorite season! Laurie and I are starting the new season clean and smooooth. Yesterday we went for an amazing Korean scrubbing bath at the Royal Health Spa in Garden Grove.

This is where the fabulous Korean bath ladies put you on an upholstered […]

I avoided the news today. Instead, I watched a little of the interesting French documentary Life of Buddha (Says one holy man: the Guru does not tell you the truth, he prepares your heart to accept truth). Then, I headed out into the blue and breezy day. And — despite the fact that this was busy update day — I took the binoculars and went out to the Bolsa Chica wetlands trail.