20 Things to do (instead of acknowledging the ceremony in D.C.) on 1/20

Listen to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Honor Michelle Obama’s refusal to attend the inauguration* by reading her memoir Becoming. Screen a David Lynch marathon. Spend some quality time with your tweezers in a mirror with good lighting. Write a check to an organization you believe in - Planned Parenthood, the Damien … Continue reading 20 Things to do (instead of acknowledging the ceremony in D.C.) on 1/20

Notes from a retired party planner

Somehow, ok, maybe it’s because I’m good at it, I’ve become quite the “milestone birthday party planner (MBPP). Through the years I’ve planned three 50th birthday parties (my mother’s dessert & cordials festivities, my ex’s Tuscany/London celebration and my own DeFazio’s & wine shindig) and, in recent years, two 60th birthday fetes, one of which … Continue reading Notes from a retired party planner

Fiddling while home burns

My heart remains full from last week’s Laker gathering in Saratoga in honor of my brother’s milestone birthday. Being able to spend a couple of nights with friends we have shared since middle school is a gift none of us take for granted.   We’re very, very lucky. The timing of my brother’s birthday coincided … Continue reading Fiddling while home burns

Liverwurst as love language

As a child, my relationship with food was pretty weird stuff. There was a phase when I refused to eat steak other than if I could gnaw on the bone. I was inclined to eat my pancakes with jelly, rather than syrup, and I oddly enough picked soft boiled eggs over fried every time. Vegetables, … Continue reading Liverwurst as love language