Why Write?

—From CB— Whenever I start writing my blog, the week it’s my turn, it starts out political. I justify this by considering it my hobby to save the world. But it tends to focus on the absurdities perpetrated in the name of stuff I believe in, given that the Bible tells...

Love . . .

—From EF— Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of the most perfect love stories I have ever seen on film. It’s a vessel of desire on a slow-moving stream that becomes ever-wider, ever more powerful, and when the story ends, as it must, the water does not stop. So...

Back in the Saddle Again . . .

—From CB— Normal life has been disrupted, for which I’m always grateful. I hate routine: I want each day to dance its own jig, and when I see it falling into gym/coffee/writing/walk-home/lunch/etc. etc. etc., I start fearing death. In our latest novel, the child...

Eighty . . .

—From EF—         It feels really good to finally be eighty, flat-out 100% eighty, and not “almost eighty,” as I have been claiming for a while. It’s a lovely number, isn’t it? Round and balanced and substantial. I like it. And the weekend of...

Redrafts . . .

—From CB— Having just finished the 10th draft of our new novel MASKS—more yet to be done but this is basically it—I’m in that flounder stage. I have an idea of what’s next, but haven’t quite yet chomped onto the earthworm and got myself hooked....

Writing . . .

—From EF— I’m trying to take myself seriously. I was astonished that I could finally get into a responsible routine of physical workouts, and going to the gym 6 days out of 7 in the morning is a complete 180 from my previous inability to stick to anything. The...

Of Death . . .

—From CB— [Note: If you are yourself at death’s door, or know others knocking there, you should read this only knowing that I’ve lost recent friends. I speak of this with humor, but a humor born of pain.] A number of people have died. That’s been going on a long time,...

Unruly Collections . . .

  —From EF—      Anybody else having a hard time avoiding unravelling? At times in my life I have felt that I am an unruly collection of different people trying to pass as somebody with one face and one name. It was a healthy experience to use that to make a play,...

Peace Negotiations . . .

—From CB— Yesterday I was in San Francisco for a dental appointment. Early morning bus, then art museum, then our old standby Cafe Trieste for lunch, then bus to the dentist, then checked into the Adelaide Hostel for an overnight. Out to eat, then back to the hostel’s...

Critter Comfort . . .

—From EF—        If my scratch notes are right, our brother cats were born Mar 10, 2017, part of a litter of five, their mom-cat’s first. (Her next litter was 10; fecund lady.) We picked them up on May 31, when they were almost 12 weeks old. Males, Shadow and...