With the rest of the world, I have watched the videos and news accounts of tragedy in Japan.  As if the earthquake and tsunami weren’t enough, the nuclear reactor explosions and subsequent meltdown are creating an industrialized disaster of unprecedented proportions. (more…)

Last week, I attended a social media workshop at a writer’s conference.  As the twenty-something speaker emphasized the necessity of an on-line presence, an old codger (and I use this word reverentially) raised his hand.  “What if you’re too old to catch that train?” (more…)

I just returned from the Bahamas with my daughter, Victoria.  This was my third and final ‘Teen Trip’, 3 days and nights that I’ve taken with each of my children.  Of all the pleasures of the cruise — staring out to sea, being entertained by comedians, watching my daughter soak up the sun — what stands out the most was our snorkeling excursion. (more…)

One of the most striking features of soap operas is that the characters never seem to be scarred by their tragedies. They live through illnesses, miscarriages, adultery, multiple divorces, and deaths but, the next year, they move on seemingly unscathed. We’re willing to suspend disbelief because the fiction is so satisfying, so comforting, so unlike real life. (more…)

When my children were in elementary school, before they were called to the bus at the end of the day, they had DEAR time.  This meant “Drop Everything and Read.”  For twenty minutes, they were allowed to choose a book or magazine and lose themselves in reading. (more…)