Tag Archives: friends and family

Stories to mystify, exact revenge and embarrass

Posted on September 30, 2011 by stillalife

Storytelling was the subject of my last blog, that is, how stories passed on within a culture affect behavior and beliefs of members of that culture.  Today, I’m thinking about other kinds of stories, the silly ones that get told … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, humor | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The beauty of blogging

Posted on July 17, 2011 by stillalife

Today I’m replying to an interesting comment made by Sharon in response to my last posting: “Ann, you write, ‘I like the challenge of trying to turn everyday experiences into blogs.’  That sounds a bit like people who travel who … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Blundering into a blog

Posted on July 15, 2011 by stillalife

I like the challenge of trying to turn everyday experiences into blogs. Earlier this week I took a friend named Ross Hunter to lunch, someone I met at least ten years ago before he became well-known.   He treated me to lunch last … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, friends and family | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Other people’s diaries

Posted on May 31, 2011 by stillalife

Other people’s diaries are often more interesting than our own.  I drew this conclusion recently after reading a summary by my friend Walter, professor emeritus, expert on Ottoman poetry and speaker of many languages, based on diaries he recently obtained and … Continue reading →

Posted in inspiration, luxury of time | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Peter Pan story ends, life in the U.S. begins

Posted on April 18, 2011 by stillalife

Today I am posting the last two parts of a six-part video interview with my friend Maria, who talks about her family’s experiences before and after fleeing Cuba during the revolution of the late nineteen fifties and early nineteen sixties. … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, memories | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Peter Pan Airlift separates families

Posted on April 17, 2011 by stillalife

An article in today’s Seattle Times describes Cuba’s celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, in which U.S. political leaders trained Cuban exiles with the goal of ousting revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. The U.S. government … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, memories | Tagged , | 1 Comment

“Pedro Pan” was no bedtime story

Posted on April 15, 2011 by stillalife

Fleeing their country was something many middle and upper class Cuban families did in the early nineteen sixties after experiencing life under revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.  Many children from these families were sent to Miami for safe-keeping with the expectation … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, memories | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Peter Pan Airlift” not a magical flight

Posted on April 13, 2011 by stillalife

I read Carlos Eire’s “Waiting for Snow in Havana” thinking it would help me better understand my friend Maria, who bought 36 copies and sent them to her relatives.  You see, both Eire and Maria were among the 14,000 children … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and family, memories | Tagged | 2 Comments

Traveling in reverse

Posted on March 30, 2011 by stillalife

A friend told me that her mother just retired from her long-time job as a prison guard and didn’t know what to do with herself.  She hadn’t wanted to retire, but apparently had reached mandatory retirement age.  Luckily I never … Continue reading →

Posted in changes after retirement, friends and family, inspiration, luxury of time | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Far from the “maddening” crowd

Posted on March 9, 2011 by stillalife

Retirement brings new opportunities for being alone.  But do we want to be alone? Should we be alone? Many of us have mixed feelings about solitude.  We know that keeping one’s friends and social connections is important as we age … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, changes after retirement, friends and family | Tagged , | 2 Comments