Category Archives: Life in the United States

It’s that week. The end of one year and the beginning of a new year is the time when many people think about the resolutions (promises to yourself to do something) they made last year. And make new ones for … Continue reading →

In the same spirit (idea and feeling) as Warren’s great post about random acts of kindness, I’ll talk a little about giving. Americans often talk about the holiday season, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, as “the season … Continue reading →

2015 has not been a year that made it easy to think about peace, hope, and joy – words we often use at this time of the year as we celebrate the holidays. We can’t change what’s happening in the world, … Continue reading →

Few people expected the Charlie Brown Christmas television special to amount to much (be very successful). When the producers (people responsible for it) watched it for the first time, they worried. Two CBS television executives watched it in what one … Continue reading →

For an American parent, it is difficult to buy any item for their child, no matter how young, without running into (meeting) a clear dichotomy (split into two): boy or girl? In many stores with children’s items, there are separate boys’ sections … Continue reading →

If you’re in Los Angeles and need to repair your shoes, head over to (go to) Echo Park, to Lopez Shoe Repair. You won’t be disappointed. To find Lopez Shoe Repair, first look for Señor Fish, a Mexican restaurant and … Continue reading →

What’s the most interesting thing about Los Angeles? Steve Lopez’s answer may surprise you (he’s the Los Angeles Times writer I wrote about in The Musician and The Writer). It surprised me. And it made me stop and think. Here’s … Continue reading →

When I say “New Orleans,” you might immediately think about 2005’s Hurricane Katrina which killed over 1,200 people and did more than $100 million in damage. But on the eve of (just before) October 31st, Halloween (see posts by Jeff, Warren, and … Continue reading →

Last week my friend Don gave me something that reminded me of (made me remember) my childhood – pickled beets (a plant with round dark red roots eaten as a vegetable) in a Mason jar. Let me explain. Years ago, … Continue reading →