That's what my girlfriend asked, rhetorically, after she'd spoken on the phone with her sister, who'd called yesterday to break the news that she'd had, according to K, "a boob job."

Mostly K was silent on the phone, listening, and I went outside to sit on the porch while they talked. Now and then K would laugh, but with that laugh I know so well that is a laugh of politeness, undermined by a hint of discomfort, a laugh forced out like a cough a doctor might ask for. I felt her muted, conf... read more

The weekend road trip to San Simeon a couple weeks ago and the subsequent "airing-out" episode upon return planted seeds that bloomed as another "get out of Dodge" trip, this one a same-day up-and-back on the train, Los Angeles to Carpinteria, this past Sunday.

We left Union Station at 12:30 and arrived in Carpinteria about two-and-a-half hours later. The ride up was leisurely, ultra-relaxing, the train clackity-clack floating on the rails, the movie out the big windows changing from stat... read more

is on the Cosumnes River, south of Placerville, California, on Highway 49. Sacramento is 45 minutes to the west and where my cousin and I fly into when we meet up annually for a day of skiing and just some general hanging-out. Head east on 50 and South Tahoe is a little more than hour away. I'm pretty happy to stay put and stare at the river from a chair on the banks or from one of the decks my uncle has built. Last week a few Canadian geese paddled up and down the calm stretch of water in f... read more

The last few months have been "interesting," especially where spirit meets religion meets faith meets unusual occurence that gets one to more than just scratch-the-head wondering about things "unexplainable."

At any rate, the other night, Christmas eve, when i was in a particular state of mind and emotion - moved somehow to take a good, hard look at the state of my state - I had opened my bible up at random (arriving at the book of Job).

(The inclusion of the bible here is meant neith... read more

This view is from the marina; the beach is on the other side. our room is out of view behind the
trees, lower-left, near the adult pool, which i called the iguana pool, because that's where the
child-allergic types sunned themselves like lizards, a toe in the water here, an entire leg there,
between visits to the bar. where a man from ohio, who'd finally had enough (booze), was freed
to orate from his seated position, letting the gathered reptiles know he knew "dave at gringo
dave's, y... read more