First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Near Summer Fun

We don’t lack for amiable weather in L.A., but this is still my favorite time of year. The daylight is particularly beautiful and seems to goes on forever. It inspires me to get out and experience some nature, which for this urbanite might mean a city park. Or at least buying cut flowers for my dining room table. Any outdoorsy weekend plans?

Photo by secretcities

What’s for Breakfast?

Most weekdays, it’s Fanny’s Granola. What a splurge, but so worth it.

Waffle by Beth Hoeckel

Be Kind Even When Your Flight is Delayed

Twice in the last 24 hours I got on a plane, and twice my flight was delayed for longer than the actual flying time. What impressed me most was how calm my fellow travelers were. This is the true test of practicing kindness. (I’m still working on it.)

Illustration by Lisa Congdon

Packing a Bag

I’m off to San Francisco for a meeting and dinner.

Hotel Room by Edward Hopper (except I’ll be staying with friends).

The Best Pesto Recipe

I never used to like spaghetti with pesto. It tasted gloppy. But then I tried the recipe from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and my life changed. This past weekend, I secured a bunch of basil from my friend’s garden, and made a batch just in time to watch Mad Men. Add in a crisp martini and you have all the ingredients for a perfect night. Recipe here:   Continue reading »

Punctuating the Week

I’ve had highs and lows this week, and I’m more than ready to put it to rest. Your spirited comments have been one of the pleasures. Keep ‘em coming. And go have some fun.

Exclamation Point by Richard Artschwager

Looking for a Lift

Balloon vendor in Buenos Aires. 1921. Photo for National Geographic

Wishful Thinking

Photo: Robo-vac, 1959.

I Don’t

This weekend, I watched two films that made me happy to be single. Before Midnight is the latest installment in a trilogy of films exploring the almost 20-year relationship between an American (Ethan Hawke) and a Frenchwomen (Julie Delpy) who had first met on a train in Vienna and fallen in love.  They are now middle-aged with twin girls and a well-entrenched pattern of fighting. The film is amazing and excruciating in how intimately it takes us into the evolution of passion. Then on Sunday, plopped on the couch, I grimaced through Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple married for over 30 years whose relationship is in crisis. I kept wondering what they ever saw in each other. At the end of the weekend, I smugly got into bed, alone.

Sculpture by Will Cotton

It Felt Like Dancing

This evening, well into the night, I phone banked with friends who care about immigration reform legislation. We ate pizza, drank beer and  sweated through the calls as we implored our community to speak out. It was almost like dancing, except my muscles aren’t sore.

Artwork by Christian Northeast