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In memory of Tim Curry
When I tell people I worked in the entertainment industry, I think they assume I rubbed elbows with a lot of famous people. I did. But not the way you, or they, might think. I was a computer programmer for most of my career. The “talent” – which was the way we referred to people…
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Goodbye Jackie
For almost a week now, I have been struggling to write about Jackie, a bald eagle that lived in a nest with a live webcam trained on it 24/7 high above Big Bear Lake, California, in the mountains just north of me. You see, she died last Monday, and I have been profoundly sad. There…
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In Memoriam
An 86-year-old retired congressman from Massachusetts died last Tuesday at his home in Maine. He had congestive heart failure and had been on hospice care since April. He had many legislative accomplishments to his name, serving in Congress from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in crafting…
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At a Loss
I am at a loss. Not for words, obviously, as I have plenty for you this morning. No, when this year began with the inauguration of Donald Trump to a second term in office as our president I made a decision, and that was to stop trying to work out what motivates him and explains…
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Never a truer friend was there
I have a friend who is going to die shortly. I know this not because of his diagnosis or some prescience on my part. I know it because in light of his diagnosis he has made the choice to end his life using the California EOLOA – the California End of Life Option Act –…
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Hiking in the Verdugos
You might think I’m going to write about what happened in the United States of America yesterday, how the day was nothing more than an orgy of grievance, bold-faced lies, xenophobia, Nazi salutes, score-settling, and false bravado. But I’m not. Because January 20th is a very significant day for me. Two years ago, on January…
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Mothering
After telling people that I’m adopted, the most common reply is a look of shock and then some variation on the question, “So, do you know your birthmother?” Now, I’m smart enough to understand the question, but I believe that’s an unfortunate phrase, because in every way that matters my “adoptive” mother gave birth to…
Your mileage may vary.