I managed to keep up a deluge of freelance output in April despite a big deadline at my county gig. If you’re interested in what I wrote last month, grab an umbrella and prepare for the wordfall. Read More
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Independent Bookstore Day
Some people think I’m awful because I never remember birthdays, and holidays like Mother’s Day register more as minor annoyances than celebrations. But I’m not completely unsentimental. Sometimes I get quite excited over minor holidays. Like Independent Bookstore Day. Of course, I can never remember when it’s coming up, but even caught by surprise, I try to make the day special. Read More
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What a pretty fire
In the Hayao Miyazaki movie Howl’s Moving Castle, Lauren Bacall voices the English version of the Witch of the Waste. Even as an animated old hag, the fabulous Bacall steals the show. My favorite line of hers is, “What a pretty fire,” as she stares at the fire demon that powers the castle.
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Wagner Ladles Crazysauce in The Flying Dutchman
Alfred Walker (The Dutchman) photo by Philip Newton c/o Seattle Opera
Opera is about so much more than the story – it’s the entire theatrical experience: sets, costumes, voices, music, emotion. But me, I’m about the story. And the story of The Flying Dutchman is pure Smart Bitches F+ crazysauce. In other words, delightful.
If you are, as I was before attending Seattle Opera’s production of The Flying Dutchman, unfamiliar with the story, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Read More
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British Panto
Panto is a British Christmas tradition. We watch it every year at the British-style pub, Hales Ales. It’s tons of silly fun that balances slapstick for kids and double entendre for adults. And it’s completely irrelevant to spring. Enjoy.