That is one happy kiddo!
REPAIR SHOP REJECTED SCRIPT #2: The Pocket Watch
NARRATOR: When last we left Herfordshire resident Charles, he had left his granddad’s beloved pocket watch for the expert restorers in the Repair Shop. But can master watch maker Stephen fix this prized heirloom? STEPHEN: Hi Charles, good to see again. So… I won’t keep you in suspense. Here it is. CHARLES: Well this is…
My Rejected “Repair Shop” Pitch
Jay: Welcome, what can we do for you? George: I would like this plate set mended. Jay: Oh that calls for our ceramics specialist Audrey. Audrey, would you come over here please? Audrey: What have we here? Oh, a set of china. But what happened to them? George: I’m afraid they had a bit of…
Rhythm Skating is Dancing!
What I love about rhythm skating is that I can pour into it all of my past dancing — solo jazz, house, breaking, waacking — and find new ways of expressing that on 8 tiny wheels! It’s seriously the best.
Easy Roast Duck (recipe)
INGREDIENTS 1 4- to 5-pound duck Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup soy sauce, more or less Equipment: roasting pan rack PREPARATION Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from duck cavity and discard or reserve for another use. Cut off excess fat from duck cavity. Place duck, breast side down (wings up), on a…
Kurt Vonnegut on Enjoyment versus Achievement
I have not been able to find the original source for this quote from author Kurt Vonnegut, I’m afraid. But it speaks volumes to me as a eternal beginner at so many things. When I was 15, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists one…
Arundhati Roy on COVID: The Pandemic is a Portal
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas,…
Review: Chicago 800/805 Skates
A little over two weeks ago I switched over from my Riedell R3 derby-style skates to a pair of Chicago 805s. I haven’t seen many people write about the Chicago 800/805, so I thought I would share my experience. The Chicago 800/805 originates from one of the oldest skate manufacturers in the US, the Chicago…
The Savoy Rollers, November 2020
One of the nicest things that has happened during the pandemic is that I started roller skating. Soon after, my friend Jess joined me, followed by Iris. Today, several months later, I’ve got a little posse of 30+ lindy hop friends from all over the Bay who have taken up skating, from Marin to Oakland to San Jose….
Unhappy Skaters
“It’s not possible to be unhappy skating,” my friend Kristin said to me on her second outing to the Skating Place in Golden Gate Park. I understand the sentiment. We’re rollerskating in a beautiful park in the city by the bay. There’s disco and funk pumping out of a boombox. People of all ages are…