Sunday cafe: Sochi

Curling

It’s about time that I check in with common thoughts on the Winter Games in Sochi.  And when I say ‘common’, I don’t mean dull.  It’s just that when I’m among a group of adults these days, we’re inevitably laughing at our similar reactions to all things Olympic – good, bad, ugly. First, the good: They’re the Olympics.  When I was a kid, we had to wait every four years for both the winter and summer games but now it’s only two as they take turns and we’re treated to massive inspiration on a … [Read more...]

Teaching kids that failure = success (with help from the Olympics)

olympic rings copy

The girls are 14-, 12-, and 11-years old.  By virtue of luck, good genes, and effort, there has been little ‘falling down’ in which they’ve needed to get up and brush themselves off.  This is not a result of helicopter parenting either, though I’ve certainly been known to drop off a forgotten lunch and occasional homework assignment to school because I can.  The girls know ‘it should never happen again’ and so it rarely does. As wise participants of life, we know that all the good stuff … [Read more...]

Super Bowl XLVIII (I love Roman numerals)

Super Bowl XLVIII

First, Philip Seymour Hoffman.  As my sister said, there was nothing he did, not on stage or screen, that wasn’t good.  Hoffman was a favorite actor of mine from the get-go, which for me was 1994's “When a Man Loves a Woman”, one of the better movies to deal honestly with alcoholism.  He played a fellow rehab patient to Meg Ryan’s and now, as we all know, Hoffman was sober himself for over 20 years.  That he apparently died of a drug overdose surprises no one who has fought addiction, even as it … [Read more...]

Motherhood in August

The girls and I were invited over to a friend’s tomorrow to watch the USA women play in the Olympic soccer final.  I had a crowd over on Monday to watch the semi-final and felt whole again after two hours of hanging with adults, screaming, talking, experiencing the energy of persons over the age of thirteen.  It meant a lot to me.  Last night after soccer practice, I told Bun Bun where we were watching the game on Thursday and she quietly said (because everything she says is quiet), “I like … [Read more...]

Random: the Olympics, Chick-fil-A, Mitt’s taxes, and guns

Bun Bun turned eleven on Tuesday.  She wanted a phone for her big gift; she got a bike.  So it was a good birthday but in no way was it the best one ever.  In terms of children, you can never win.  It’s not a contest, but still. I hate that the head of Chick-fil-A is against gay marriage, but can I be honest?  The restaurant chain hasn’t been in Los Angeles all that long and I’ve been meaning to head over to Hollywood with the girls one afternoon (it would kill at least an hour) to try their … [Read more...]

Monday morning quarterback: Chile, hiking in the rain, Girl Scout cookies, the Closing Ceremonies and health care (once more, with feeling)

The world: Chile.  Really, what is there to say?  8.8?!  Having been through two 6.8 earthquakes, I confidently shared my knowledge of the Richter Scale yesterday, reporting that with each decimal point increase, the quake feels ten times greater.  That would make the Chile temblor about two hundred times more powerful than Northridge in 1994.  “I can’t even imagine,” is what I said to my friend.  According to an article I read in the Los Angeles Times yesterday, I was way off.  Chile’s … [Read more...]