The best thing about a blog is being able to look back and remember the places you went and the people you met. I love to randomly search through this blog’s archives and find old posts and recall distant memories. Recently I was looking at some posts from a week […]
“It pretty much never ends,” said Jim Olsen, in an interview in his office at Signature Sounds last week, when I asked about the planning and details for this year’s Green River Festival, the 30th since 1986. This will be the third time it’s all being handled by Signature Sounds, who […]
It’s a rainy Sunday and a rare moment to have a truly relaxing day doing very little. I just don’t give myself enough of these days where I do little or nothing, leaving chores and work in the dust. We had a great time last night getting to know two […]
Steve Szkotak died today at 3:01 pm. I am doing my good work, keeping busy, meeting new people, as my pen-pal has died, slipping away . We have been sharing emails between us for a decade; it’s hard for me to look at email the same way now that Steve […]
Houston, I’ve been told, is the most diverse city in the United States. More than 170 languages are spoken here, beating even Astoria, Queens as the biggest challenge for translators. This vast city is full of so many immigrants, that naturally, it would also be a top food destination. Last […]
There is really no better way to explore a new city than by bicycle. I joined Phil Butcher, owner of Bayou City Bike Tours this morning for a trip around part of downtown Houston, and I was impressed. Before I took off on our ride, some of the people at […]
Steve Szkotak has had a great run. I write this with great sadness, after hearing from Mandy his wife of nearly 40 years, that he is in hospice care. Like all of us, he’s facing the end, the only difference is that he’s painfully closer, very critical and near death. […]
Who has time? Even youngsters are all on a schedule these days, it’s time for Johnny’s playdate, oh, we gotta leave now to get to Susie’s soccer practice! Who has time to play games that take as long as 30 minutes? I read a story yesterday by Anne Marie […]
Sheryl Sandberg is famous for her line that is the title of her book: Lean In. But besides being the CEO of Facebook and a major empowerer of women, she’s someone who has suffered a great loss, and despite vast wealth and power, remains humbled by it. In today’s WSJ, […]
I can’t think of anything I’d rather do right now than join my five pals and play some poker. To people who don’t play, it’s hard to convey, but to those of us in my poker group, it’s a golden time for all. To a man, we all love the […]
Last night I joined a crowd of about 700 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke where four luminaries and a few institutions were recognized in the 2016 NEPR Arts and Humanities Awards. The sun came out on the terrace as the many guests mingled, and as usual, I found plenty […]
Every May, WFCR has held a gala event that honors members of the community in the Pioneer Valley who stand out for how they’ve helped foster the arts. The list of the 2016 recipients is impressive–Tracy Kidder, Maria Luisa Arroyo, Community Access to the Arts, and my all-time favorite movie theater, […]