It was a lovely afternoon for wandering in and out of artists’ studios in Jingletown, Oakland, California’s vibrant, up-and-coming arts neighborhood, earlier this month. More than a dozen neighborhood artists had opened their doors for the annual East Bay Open Studios. Read more.
Barbara’s Riffs on Life
The Summer Solstice, Arriving Right Now in a Sky Near You
It’s midsummer. Right now. Today. It’s the summer solstice. Read more.
At the LA County Museum of Art: Van Gogh, Kandinsky and a Bump on the Head
Like any normal, safety-conscious person, I was watching where my feet were about to step as I left the café at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.. I did not see the – tastefully faint – safety strip in the glass wall. Whack! My forehead hit the glass. Wham! The back of my hand hit the glass. Bam! My knee hit the glass. Splash! My latte crashed to the floor. Read more.
Little Girls Are Superior to Little Boys — Here’s Why
Little girls are superior to little boys. This fact is not written down in black and white anywhere. The popular baby books talk warily around the topic of sex differences. And researchers will make only minor, technical concessions to the superiority of girls. Read more.
At the Breast Cancer Center — Where Everyone Is Super Nice to You
A smiling receptionist greets you as you enter the lobby of the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center in San Francisco’s East Bay. She directs you to the registration desk, where there’s no wait. A nice woman with pretty eyebrows is ready to help. Everyone here is nice, really nice. Read more.
Actor Robert Morse – Sweaty at 36, Sublime at 83
The last time I saw Robert Morse there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was 1967 and he was working the crowd on the set of a local TV comedy show. Robert Morse was on. He was going for laughs and he was going for them with the intensity of a rocket launch. He was doing what mid-life folks do – he was striving.