Monthly Archives: January 2014

At the top of the stairs

Posted on January 20, 2014 by

Yesterday we went to a performance of the Sweat Girls, known as the monologue mavens.  Six women, mostly of “a certain age” told their individual stories about aging, financial woes, retirement fantasies, working at Aldi’s because of the need for … Continue reading →

Posted in catharsis, family, women | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Community functioning at its very best

Posted on January 19, 2014 by

Last night we attended a fund-raiser for the displaced workers at the three businesses that burned down in Evanston, one of which our son IB worked at as a bartender (see “Two paintings were saved”). The Evanston business community came … Continue reading →

Posted in community, work | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ghosts in the Lobby of the Secor Hotel

Posted on January 18, 2014 by

The Secor Hotel as we called it , but actually named the Hotel Secor, was at one time a luxury Hotel in Toledo, Ohio where I grew up. My mother recalls attending wedding celebrations there and dances she and my … Continue reading →

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HITACHI, cause of the Civil War

Posted on January 17, 2014 by

We are setting the scene for Reconstruction by exploring the causes of the Civil War. I assigned pairs of students a single cause that they researched and presented to the class using powerpoint. The students took notes during each presentation … Continue reading →

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Aesthetically practical, liberally inclusive, utterly magical

Posted on January 16, 2014 by

Though it has been long suspected, it has finally been scientifically proven that birds fly in a V-formation to take advantage of the updraft of the birds in front. Steve Portugal, a researcher at the Royal Veterinary College in London, … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, behavior, birds | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mawlid and Rumi

Posted on January 14, 2014 by

Today is the day celebrated as the birth of Muhammad (born 1,444 years ago), a holiday known as Mawlid, observed on the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, Rabi al-awwal. Celebrations, often more like carnivals in … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam, poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“A Small Glass of Orange Juice” by Ron Padgett

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

A Small Glass of Orange Juice on a white tablecloth with light blue legs below in a hotel restaurant in a small town in Poland in 1936 is being contemplated by a man whose homburg is tilted at an angle … Continue reading →

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“Royals” acapella

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

She’s only 17, but Lorde’s song “Royals” has been nominated for three Grammies– Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and the Album the song is on is nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Album … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

All crossings are sacred

Posted on January 11, 2014 by

This is dedicated to my dear friend MH who placed his partner of 38 years into an Altzheimers Care facility today. In Jewish tradition, the entire Bible is divided up into 54 sections, one of which is read every Shabbat … Continue reading →

Posted in Altzheimers, Judaism, sacred, transformation, transition | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hello

Posted on January 10, 2014 by

The obsessive editing work of the Dutch filmmaker, Matthijs Vlot, inspired by Lionel Richie.

Posted in short films, videos | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment