I was going to write more Italy entries, but I feel like it’s dragging on, so I’ll just tell you about the difference between Florence and Siena. In the 1200-1300s, Florence and Siena were in stiff competition with each other.…
Of all the art I saw in Italy, Michelangelo’s David was my favorite. I never realized before how it tells a story: It’s David right before he throws the stone at the giant Goliath. David’s face, looking up at the…
I heard that California is supposed to have the same climate as Italy, but that didn’t seem to be the case when I was there. Italy in October is more like California in February–everything is lush and green. There was…
One of the coolest things about Italy was how history is transparent there. It’s not just the fact that modern Rome is sitting right on top of ancient Rome; it’s also how the art in the museums was at one…
Things to be happy about: It’s raining. Last night, it was smoky and cloudy and warm outside. Kyle and I went for a walk and I ate late-season blackberries. The bank of purple clouds was streaked with orange and pink.…
My cover story on The Clock of the Long Now is running in this week’s Pacific Sun. Scientists are creating a clock that will be installed in a mountain in Nevada. There, it will quietly tick away the days, years,…
Yesterday, I struggled with questions like “Do these characters seem real? How do I get into this character’s head?” Some characters seemed exceptionally vivid and others seemed flat. It was annoying. So of course, last night’s dreams were full of…
Last June, I went to the 2006 Rock, Paper, Scissors Championship at Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg. You can read my write-up of the event in the wonderful new issue of Imbibe Magazine. They also published some pictures I took of…
A. Promise him a romantic home-cooked meal. B. Make it all vegetarian. You can broil and stuff an avocado with polenta and chestnuts. You can handmake a rustic tart with homemade crust and use all vegetables from your garden. You…
I know six people who are celebrating their birthdays this month, including Kyle, my mother-in-law, and my dad. And, last night, we learned that Kyle’s cousin Tonya (maid-of-honor at my wedding) gave birth to a baby girl, Emma Lynn. August…