Real Snow in Minnesota . . . and Real Warm in My Real Austrian Walkjanker
My authentic Austrian Walkjanker jacket has hung forlornly at the far end of a plastic garment bag for decades. It had no place to go till my son got engaged to a Minnesota girl — and I had a chance to show it a good time on a snowy weekend in Minneapolis.
The Luscious Lip, Skinny Lip Quiz — And the Answers!
My Upper Lip and Other Sorrows
I feel bad about my lip. My upper lip. Nora Ephron felt bad about her neck, a body part she made famous back in 2006 with her book I Feel Bad About My Neck. Nora also felt bad about her frizzy grey hair, parched skin, incipient mustache, flabby upper arms, and tendency toward belly fat. She was getting older.
Sue Johnson’s Lamps and Shades — Works of Art From a Little Shop in Berkeley
On Solano Avenue in the far north reaches of Berkeley, California, a modest storefront softly glows, luring me in every time I pass by. It’s Sue Johnson’s custom lamp and shade store.
Amazing Clay — More Wonderful Stuff from the Berkeley Art Center Show
Some more wonderful stuff made of clay by three artists featured in the show, "Local Treasures: Bay Area Ceramics," at the Berkeley Art Center through Nov. 18 — Wanxin Zhang, Ted Fullwood and Clayton Bailey. Read more.
Book Openers: A Heather Donahue Lexicon — Flopsweat and Larfy Defined
Here’s some help with the pot-growing argot in Heather Donahue’s book, "Grow Girl."
Welcome to My Website . . . I Hope You’ll Stay a While
Hey, everybody! Come take a look at my updated website — lots of great stories and pretty good pictures.
A Case of the Human Condition: Am I Scotch?* Or Midwestern?
Genealogically speaking, I’m not that far removed from Scotland. My father’s father was born near Glasgow. But the complex – presumably – set of beliefs and customs he and his parents brought with them to the shores of Lake Michigan in 1873 are lost to me now. Tartans have given way to Levi’s. Haggis has succumbed to pizza and Chinese take-out. When I think about where I come from, I do not think of Scotland. I think of Michigan. Read More.
A Checkerspot Butterfly in Marin — And Other Insects I Have Known and (Tried to) Love
I spotted an endangered butterfly — the checkerspot — in Marin county. A couple days later, one appeared outside my kitchen window.
Zumba at The Hills! Authentic, Never-Before-Published Video of Real People Moving Their Bods!
Want to see some sexy dancing? My favorite Zumba teachers and their fast-footed Zumba students show their stuff on a video. That’s me on the left. Read more.