Dear Mom, May 17, 2022, is a day I won’t soon forget. After two-and-a-half hours, I left your bedside for the ride of a lifetime aboard the B-29 “Doc.” Strapped into one of six gunner seats as the engines started up, the message I expected arrived. “Ben, I don’t know if you’re up in the […]
To Ponder
Film Review About Loss – The Note
Personal loss is something we always believe is years away or we just don’t, or won’t, think about it. However, life has a number of surprises for us and when they come, perhaps we could consider what it all means to us individually as well as to those we love. This Memorial Day weekend, with […]
Calling Doctor Weirdo – Episode 16 – Fear and Dread in Polite Company?
Calling Doctor Weirdo is a series of short, very short detective stories. The stories revolve around Jack, sometimes referred to Dr. Weirdo, but not to his face. A middle age couple solve local Pacific Northwest problems and help people via their friend and associate Jack, a community supporter of King and Pierce County. Episode 16 […]
2022 Priorities and Beyond
Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 blog post. While 2022 is almost halfway over, I started kicking around priorities late in 2021 and looking to the future. There was a great deal of work that was started in my first year in office, but there was still so much to do. To […]
Across the Fence: Some Versatile Dough
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. One of the western world’s favorite doughs consists of no more than some unleavened wheat flour, egg(s) and/or water, and a pinch of salt. In Roman literature it has been documented as of the first century A.D. And today, there are around 310 specific shapes it comes in, dried or fresh. […]
On-stage Review of Film Noir Play Yellow Fever
Storyline: “Sam Shikaze, a smooth private eye, narrates his own story about what happened when he was hired to find the missing Cherry Blossom Queen. He is soon trapped in a web of racism and political intrigue that seems to lead back to the Hong Kong tongs. Chuck Chan is a lawyer who tried to […]
Calling Doctor Weirdo – Hi Ho Silver
Episode 15 – Hi Ho Silver I was sitting alone at the breakfast table and looking out on a wet and foggy day in late May. I thought “Well, at least it’s not raining.” The mechanical doorbell jerked me out of my stupor. I knew who it was. It was the joyous crank of our […]
The Movement Towards Diversity and Inclusion Onstage
Almost twenty years ago, Peg and I saw a performance of My Fair Lady in Portland. When the character Eliza Doolittle came on stage, we saw a Black Eliza. I was taken aback but within moments, I thought, “Well . . . why not.” and enjoyed the performance. Now, here we are in 2022 and […]
Duke’s Seafood on Puget Sound Lunch Review
I hadn’t had lunch with my buddy Jim Harris for a while. I called him after checking my calendar. He had to be back home at 1:30, so I suggested Duke’s on Ruston Way next to the old fireboat and only a mile or so away from Jim’s home and perhaps only two miles from […]