Earlier this year, my closeknit, eager family started a WhatsApp group chat, then launched a book club. It’s been quite successful. We had a high uptake the first few times, but several months in, interest is waning, as it does. At dinner, I complained to my son’s French wife, my belle-fille, about the latest pick,…
So-called “50 Best Indie Albums” of the year
According to not-quite-relevant Rolling Stone magazine, these are the 50 best indie albums of 2024. Let’s give them a listen. 1 MJ Lenderman, ‘Manning Fireworks’ He’s getting a lot of buzz for sounding like he could be from any modern era, notably the 90s — the universality being a good thing, why? I love the…
Los Angeles on Fire 1/7/2025
1. Refugees On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, I was on the phone with a friend who asked if I could see the fires from where I was. “What fires?” I asked, completely unaware. It didn’t take long to find out. By that evening, friends from Pasadena showed up at my door with their pets and…