Category Archives: books or movies

For what are you grateful?

Posted on May 11, 2021 by stillalife

For this blog— on the topic of gratitude— I’m returning to the same source that inspired my previous post called, “Every day is Earth Day.” The source is the book “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist, professor, writer and … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, health, inspiration | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Nancy Drew was responsible for my love of mysteries

Posted on February 14, 2020 by stillalife

I read everything, but I’m always drawn to mysteries. My first detective hero was Nancy Drew.   How could one not look up to her after reading her bio? Says writer Bobbie Ann Mason, “At sixteen she [Nancy] ‘had studied psychology … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies | 7 Comments

Bookstores are gone, but libraries still live

Posted on February 1, 2020 by stillalife

At my request, my father taught me to read before I started school. This memory came to me because I’m currently moving into the nostalgia phase of my life, not yearning for a return to the past so much as thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, books or movies | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Film festival whets my appetite for good movies

Posted on May 26, 2014 by stillalife

This past week I traveled to England, Spain, Romania, India, Iceland, Denmark, Greece, and stopped for a few minutes in Turkey. While in these countries I met three teachers, a mathematician, scores of quirky horse owners, a disgraced detective, a rookie … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, personal reflections | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

My encounter with Pico Iyer

Posted on May 1, 2013 by stillalife

Elliott Bay Book Company will soon celebrate its fortieth anniversary. The Seattle Times reported that the store was collecting customers’ recollections of experiences they’d had there, “from meeting your spouse in the stacks, to attending memorable readings…”  Below is the … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Parable of the Chinese pot

Posted on April 25, 2013 by stillalife

Thanks to college students willing to undergo a variety of tests and challenges, (without knowing the real purpose), for the price of a pitcher of beer, researchers have collected volumes of data  about human behavior. I don’t remember why I … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, inspiration, personal reflections | Tagged | Leave a comment

Blame our brains

Posted on September 3, 2012 by stillalife

Tomorrow, the day after Labor Day, marks the beginning of two months of political-campaign assault in the form of simple messages– often half-truths, exaggerations, or just plain lies —  repeated over and over until, in desperation, we turn off our … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, personal reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

I’m right, you’re wrong

Posted on December 17, 2011 by stillalife

Few experiences give us the same high level of satisfaction as winning an argument.  So says Kathryn Schultz in her book Being Wrong.  She says, “…the thrill of being right is undeniable, universal…” and “we can relish being right about … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, personal reflections | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“A wonderful lesson about life”

Posted on November 4, 2011 by stillalife

Themes from a book I just finished reading, a talk in church last Sunday, and a Japanese poem came together for me this week. The book is “Second Wind: one woman’s midlife quest to run seven marathons on seven continents,” … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, inspiration | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Movies and myths

Posted on October 19, 2011 by stillalife

I’ll never look at movies in the same way, as a result of reading The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler, who says that contemporary storytellers construct their works according to ancient mythology and fairy tales.  This past week I watched … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment