A couple weeks ago, in a burst of nerdy enthusiasm, I “promised” to write about subplots in the movie, Barbie. I know nobody really cares if I follow through on this, but I somehow still feel obligated, even though I’d truthfully prefer an easier and funner topic. This will be my last Barbie post for a while. Also, I’m … Read more
And then we weren’t Writing about Barbie last week reminded me of something else I wrote about Barbie long ago. And by long ago I mean 2006. So, of course I decided I needed to find this essay/article from 2006 in the digital dumpster of my computer, then I couldn’t resist doing a quick edit, … Read more
Last week, the 2024 Oscar Nominations were announced. On social media, Barbie stans voiced annoyance that Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated for Best Director nominations, and Margot Robbie didn’t receive a Best Actress nomination.* A meme that appeared several times on my social media feeds was this one. At quick glance it seems to express a … Read more
Still not sure how things are shaking out between this blog and my new Substack project, but since I usually report on my (Astral) Solar Return trips here, I’m posting a link to this weeks letter.”
The folks at Screencraft (they run the contest that I won earlier this year) recently sent me some prompts / questions about my screenwriting journey in order to cull testimonials from my answers. They managed to find a few uplifting snippets to use in their Instagram / Twitter posts — and kudos to them for … Read more
“When you have your health, you have everything. When you do not have your health, nothing else matters at all.” (Augusten Burroughs, writer) I don’t believe this entirely (in particular, you have to wonder if the writer had children), but I certainly understand the sentiment. The first time I had cancer, there were so many … Read more
Telling people you are planning to drive from one end of the country to the other in the midst of a pandemic gives rise to some questions. Do you think it’s safer to drive than fly? The answer is “maybe.” We have to make more stops, but we won’t have the hours of sharing air with … Read more
EPISODE 3: “Monster Leaves Dog”(After the Storms, Part 3) As a long-married couple prepares to part ways, the husband tries to convince his wife to change her mind. This story is the third of three interrelated stories called After the Storms.As with “Room” this story originated with a prompt: Two characters part ways forever. We were … Read more
(As promised at the end of my last post.) Much of the story we pitched for ADMISSIONS is built around three families — all New Yorkers, but with different backgrounds and socio-economic resources — vying to get their children into Ivy League colleges — and making some questionable moral and legal decisions in their pursuits. Last year, … Read more
I saw this online and ordered it from Target. Super-cute right? But I didn’t look closely and I made some assumptions. Like I figured those straps probably had a hidden snap or button. Or I figured that there might be a zipper on the side. It didn’t occur to me that they would have would … Read more