Apr
29
Our dear, darling daughter has finally made her collegiate decision, but it was not without fits and starts. We visited colleges from sea to shining sea over the past few years. Who knew she’d end up on top of a remote hill, in the middle of rural Minnesota?
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of St. Olaf. Most of her friends haven’t either. They say, “Skye? …. Saint? We never would’ve thought you’d attend a school whose first name is Saint.”
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Beth Gourley puts Marci through her paces like a rat in a maze or a wife on a deck.
Perhaps the very first thing you want to do, when it comes to taking a memory test, is remembering that you took a memory test. There might be something else, but I’ve forgotten it. Read More
Apr
03
NOTES FROM LONDON
It seems the Brits have taken a shine to my ladies. Let me clarify; British restaurant owners love our daughters. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s our girls’ accents. Read More
Apr
01
NOTES FROM LONDON
Contrast. A striking exhibition of unlikeness.
That’s how our good friends over at dictionary.com describe things that are wholly different than each other.
London’s Tower Bridge and City Hall were built more than 100 years apart. The design differences — from boxy to bulbous — show how a city shifts through phases and ages.
It seems they have figured out how to make new friends yet keep the old. Classics share the skyline with contemporaries. There’s room for everyone as long as royally approved sight lines to St. Paul’s remain in tact.
Seriously. According to a very knowledgeable friend, new construction can be as tall as it wants, as long as it doesn’t block traditional views of the famous cathedral. That’s why a new building — still being erected and the highest structure in the EU — has taken on the shape of a pointy shard of glass. Otherwise, it would have blocked views of the dome which have been seen above the city for 300 years.
Ah, London. Urban renewal with a keen eye toward modern aesthetics.
And tradition.
Mar
30
NOTES FROM LONDON
The first time we came to London in Spring, there was snow on the ground. Now, Marci can work on her tan in March.
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Mar
29
NOTES FROM LONDON
King Falafel wanted his son to take over the family business, but Prince Falafel just wanted to dance.
Many years ago, during the first uprisings, King Falafel was deposed from his tiny sheikdom. After a tearful farewell, he moved his young family and old mother to London’s Camden Town to begin a new life.
He built a thriving sandwich business and dreamt of the day he would pass it down to his teenage son. But Prince Falafel only wanted to dance.
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Don’t worry Mom, you can skip The Hunger Games. I’ve known your movie tastes for years now, and beginning with A Fish Called Wanda — which I recommended and you hated — I’ve had to ask myself the simple question, what would Mom like?
You probably won’t like this.
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Mar
07
Mighty Mouse dances with Krakatoa Katie.
Go ahead, click on the picture if you want to watch the six minute cartoon.