One of the most beauteous dreams I've had is a recurring one, of the Neverending Cemetery. I've only gotten inside a few times, but oh, I'll never forget them. It's a place of deep copses and broad glades, fireflies, gorgeous flowers of every description, fountains, and statuary and structures reminiscent of ancient Greece. There are dark, cool ( Read more... )

I dreamt of the Neverending Cemetery (or is it Cimetière), one of the more elegant, enchanting recurring dream locations I have. There's no end to the hidden copses and mysteries you can find there and it's absolutely lovely, scattered with statues, fountains, mausoleums and other tucked-away buildings. The last dream I had there, I got to stay ( Read more... )

I had a new experience as a teacher today that nobody thought to warn me about, and while I understand why, that doesn't make it any easier.

This afternoon I was talking with my mom about my inspiring former student, Gail, and since I was home I decided to check in on her Facebook page - only to discover that Gail passed away this summer.  Gail ( Read more... )

Each time I visit downtown Burbank, I usually glance at the portraits of film stars surrounding the local movie house with a special twinge of nostalgia and child-like glee. There are the Ghostbusters! And there, smouldering as Othello, is my beloved Laurence Fishburne, calling me to join him with those spellbinding eyes.

But for the past few ( Read more... )

It's Sunday morning, and Edie is dead.  I knew that she eventually would be, given that her 80th birthday just passed, but it seemed as far away as ever.  As an old spitfire, she knew how to plummet toward oblivion and bounce back up like a Joe Palooka doll.  (When was the last time we made one of those?  If I asked my students what a Joe Palooka ( Read more... )

It was 1987, and I was a girl.

Sometimes it feels like it's still 1987 somewhere, and I'm still a girl falling in love with Patrick Swayze, like every other female I knew.  Young or old, it didn't seem to matter - the man could move.  He had a grace that was hard to match; most men had no chance, and most women envied his flow and charm.  And why ( Read more... )

Forest Lawn Cemetery sprawls across a prominent hill in Glendale, California, my home town.  It is a swath of lovely green on a map, as Google will easily show you, but the experience of the place isn't to be found on the internet.  Behind elegant brick walls and tall black gates, the entryway has a complex of quaint buildings to the right and a ( Read more... )

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My God, the talent in this man knows no boundaries. Absolutely none.

Jermaine Jackson broke my heart today, and I'm glad. The talking heads and Ms. Mariah Carey with her typical plunging neckline were negligible. The contributions of his friends and family - I think they'll stick with me for a while.

I look forward to watching his kids grow up, and it looks like they have a lot of love around them right now. When it ( Read more... )

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It is so difficult to speak at the service of someone you love, let alone sing - and sing so very beautifully. Whenever I hear this song now, and maybe for the rest of my life, I will hear Jermaine Jackson singing it as he does in this clip.