Published in RiverRhythms·2 days agoMember-onlyThe Rise and Fall of MP3 Blogs“I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there’s something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out.” — Nick Hornby, Songbook In the infancy of the Millennium, MP3 Blogs began appearing on the web…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Nov 29Member-onlyMemories of My Spiritual TeacherYesterday I was clever and wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. — Rumi “Right now, right here, you are free.” With these seven words George Falcon began each session. The topic was always the same. Who are we? How do we live…Spirituality15 min readSpirituality15 min read
Nov 26Member-onlyWriting Poems With SeniorsI teach poetry classes to senior citizens. I love working with people who’ve come to the final chapter in their lives and who no longer feel a need to prove anything. They’ve raised families, had careers, traveled the world and survived all manner of illness and calamity. …Poetry4 min readPoetry4 min read
Nov 24Member-onlyRattlesnakesJimmy Saget was a tough kid. He was an older boy who broke into cars and smoked hand-rolled cigarettes. Rumor was he caught a rattlesnake with his bare hands and kissed it on the back of the head. No one witnessed the event but it took on legendary status in…Snakes9 min readSnakes9 min read
Published in WritingAndTyping·Nov 16Member-onlyJack Kerouac’s Rules for WritingIn the winter of 1948, Jack Kerouac went on his famous cross-country road trip with Neal Cassady. They visited old friends, all-night cafes, broken down bars and forgotten towns. They acquired food, money and gas by whatever means possible and arrived in San Francisco in 1949 broke and exhausted. Reflecting…Kerouac3 min readKerouac3 min read
Published in Buzzer Beater·Nov 12Member-onlyWilt Chamberlain’s House on the HillIn the early 1970s, Wilt Chamberlain was king of Los Angeles. He was a basketball star for the Lakers, acted in films and television, drove around town in a classic Bentley, partied at the Playboy Mansion and played weekend volleyball on Santa Monica Beach. …Lakers5 min readLakers5 min read
Published in Buzzer Beater·Nov 11Member-onlyDodger Stadium’s Shameful Origin StoryChavez Ravine is a canyon and series of hills in Elysian Park just north of downtown Los Angeles. It’s the home of Dodger Stadium, a beautiful baseball park that recently turned 80 years old. The Dodgers and their stadium are the pride of Los Angeles. But there’s a dark history…Dodgers11 min readDodgers11 min read
Published in Picture Palace·Nov 9Member-onlyThe Kidnapped ScreenwriterGary is a successful Hollywood screenwriter with multiple film credits (not his real name). Early in his career, he was hired to write a script for an action movie that called for a crucial kidnapping scene. As part of his research, he read the book Six Days in August that…Screenwriter6 min readScreenwriter6 min read
Nov 8Member-onlyThe Part-Time Golf CaddieI met Steve Rose during high school. We became great friends united by our love for sports, baseball card collecting and the movie Caddyshack. Steve excelled in all sports but his great love was golf. He competed in Junior Golf Tournaments and in one match he played against future PGA…Golf3 min readGolf3 min read
Nov 6Member-onlyThe Zen Martial ArtistMy friend Conrad Romo is a lifelong salesman who’s hocked everything from pens to chimney cleaning services to fresh meat to computer diskettes. He’s also a devout practitioner of Zen Buddhism who studies at the Zen Center in midtown Los Angeles. A few years back, the Zen Center experienced a…Friendship3 min readFriendship3 min read
