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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

A Case of the Human Condition

I’m Barbara Falconer Newhall and I’ve got an incurable Case of the Human Condition. And since you do too, I’m counting on you to laugh and cry along with me as I riff on life as we know it . . . Below you'll read about my creaky, old fifties house, my forays into home gardening, my shopping stories, my spectacularly low-fashion wardrobe -- and more.

Shopping at the Berkeley Potters Guild — Three Artists, Three Visions

August 7, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

By Itsuko Zenitani, two round, fine porcelain ceramic bowls with ceramic lids-\that appear to be straw. At the Berkeley Potters Guild. Photo by BF Newhall

Lots of wonderful stuff to see at the Berkeley Potters Guild the other day. The work of three potters in particular, each with a distinctive vision, caused me to pull out my trusty point-and-shoot and click away. Read more.

 

Institute of Mosaic Art — A Berkeley Spin on an Ancient Art

July 17, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

"Holy Cow" a mosaic with ceramic tiles and cow & angel figurines by Marcy Schaff, $155, at the Institute of Mosaic Art. Photo by BF Newhall http://BarbaraFalconerNewhall,com

The Institute of Mosaic Art left its creative mark on facades all over Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood before moving last year to Berkeley. Visitors are welcome to stop by, and on a recent afternoon there was plenty to see: mosaic lemons, mosaic limes, a mosaic bird — and a mosaic bundt cake. Read more.

Amazing Places: A Walk Around Oakland’s Jingletown

July 3, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

a car entirely covered with mosaics parked in Oakland, CA, Jingletown neighborhood. Photo by BF Newhall

Is Oakland the next Brooklyn? Lots of people are saying so. As rents and living expenses skyrocket in San Francisco, thanks to the tech boom, hipsters and artists are relocating across the Bay to Oakland. Read more.

Oakland’s Jingletown: Arts, Crafts, Cool Kitsch — And Cookies

June 26, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Bright green letters spell out the word "art" on a black background on a sign for East Bay Open Studios. Photo by BF NewhallIt 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.

The Summer Solstice, Arriving Right Now in a Sky Near You

June 21, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Yellow, orange and lavender sky at sunset on the eve of the summer solstice 2014 in California. Photo by BF Newhall

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

June 19, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

After Barbara Falconer Newhall bumped into a glass wall, spilling her latte, a barista arrived with a mop to clean up the mess. Photo by BF Newhall

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.

Robert Morse — Don’t Miss His Madcap “Mad Men” Season Send-Off

May 29, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

actor robert morse in black tie smiling

Spoiler alert — skip this if you haven’t had a chance to see last Sunday’s “Mad Men” half-season finale.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Lost Art of the Telephone Conversation — Here’s What Happened to It. Sheltering at Home Week 14

the lost art of the telephone conversation

I know why young people do all that texting. It’s because 21st-century wireless phones make for a lousy telephone conversation, and kids want to — talk. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • On Writing & Reading
  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

robert morse in season finale of mad men tv show dances and sings the best things in life are free with four pretty secretaries.

Actor Robert Morse – Sweaty at 36, Sublime at 83

Fireweed blossom appears purple in the shade on an island in Washington's San Juan Islands. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Human Need to Name Things — While Standing in a Patch of Weeds

Barbara Falconer Newhall at her home office desk

At 78, I Still Have a Lot of Living to Do — Do the Deciders Care? Sheltering at Home Week 8

On April 4, 2016, former employees of the Oakland, California, Tribune, had a wake in honor of the paper's last day of publication. Photos by Barbara Newhall

Oakland Tribune: The Trib Is Dead, Long Live the Tribbers

MORE DON'T MISS!

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