“If you have the words,…

…there's always a chance that you'll find the way." — Seamus Heaney Before I went to Ireland for the first time in 1990, the wife of the chef I had worked with prior to my move to Albany strongly recommended that I read the novel, Trinity, by Leon Uris. It was a must. I remember nothing about … Continue reading “If you have the words,…

A sublime Sunday.

It started with one of my favorite yoga classes at The Hot Yoga Spot - core focused flow. This never-quite-the-same -twice practice turns me into a sweaty mess, but the returns are real. My abdomen is definitely reaping the rewards of 60 minutes spent on my mat breathing through crunches, high and low boat poses … Continue reading A sublime Sunday.

QPL XXI

Yesterday was my youngest son’s 21st birthday, a milestone that came with no small sense of satisfaction. Parenting this kid, the family baby, had not been without its challenges. There had been numerous early miscarriages, (something I’ll forever attribute to the aggressively high radioactive iodine dose I received and my managed state of hyperthyroidism), before … Continue reading QPL XXI

Quelle surprise!

The time I spent recently in Montreal was fundamentally sans agenda. Yes, there were a couple of jazz shows for which I had tickets, but we didn’t have as much as a single reservation for dining or specific plans for the majority of the roughly 72 hours we were in Canada. Being wide open leaves … Continue reading Quelle surprise!

Thankful for…

Yoga classes in dim light that leave me feeling peacefully strong. An Asian riffed soup with baby bok choy, mushrooms, scallions and chicken meatballs. A few nights ahead in Montreal. Two planned evenings of live jazz, a yoga studio, two bakeries, and a bagel place, all marked on my Google map of Montreal. Freshly baked … Continue reading Thankful for…

Thanksgiving, eh?

When one of my sons, a few months ago, suggested that we spend Thanksgiving in Montreal, I immediately ran with the idea. This holiday, which had been my favorite for many years, just doesn’t feel like a celebratory occasion when one learns about the atrocities (far beyond the singular Trail of Tears lesson taught in … Continue reading Thanksgiving, eh?

Holiday shopping…

…is problematic. It’s the time of the year when many cultures traditionally exchange gifts. There’s a conditioned seasonal impulse to shop with a vengeance joy, often spending beyond our means in an effort to impress others with the amount we care for them. Wait! Am I projecting like the Republicans accusing the Democrats of sexual … Continue reading Holiday shopping…