Facebook Friends

April 15, 2013
I recently realized I was lonely--most of my friends are in Texas or the UK, so I rarely see them. I joined a couple of "ladies" clubs, but found them unsatisfactory. One of them seems to be mainly about playing... continued

Play Ball!

April 8, 2013
The baseball season is here and as usual, all the fans I know are in despair about their respective teams (since one of them has to win every game--there are no ties in baseball--you'd think SOMEONE would be happy, but... continued

Clothes Make the Man

April 2, 2013
Or that's how the old saying goes, anyway. Pope Benedict appreciated the idea of dressing to fulfill a role--in fact, Esquire magazine put him on its best dressed list, saying that he had a way with accessories and advising their... continued

What’s the Pope All About, Anyway?

March 27, 2013
The current papacy is actually an extension of the old Roman Empire. The bishops of Rome took over the administration of the church using the governing methods of the Romans. As the Empire fell, that government became the curia (governing... continued

Hope for the (New) Pope

March 19, 2013
I was raised by atheists, and when it comes to religion, I often joke that I'm a "lapsed Wiccan." However, I AM (officially, anyway) a Catholic, and I have high hopes for the new pope. I never thought that Ratizinger... continued

Joe Shows Up Too

March 13, 2013
Andy showed up at the grocery store, and now Joe has shown up as well. We go to a local discussion group on Tuesday nights, and right now we're reading and discussing the mythologist Joseph Campbell. The last time we... continued

Andy Shows Up

March 4, 2013
Whitley has always loved the humor of the late comedian Andy Kaufman, who once put a gun to his head and told his audience he would shoot himself if they didn't laugh at his jokes (you can imagine the forced... continued

Flipper

February 25, 2013
You may think you've had some odd experiences (especially if you've had VISITOR experiences), but I think something that happened to me is right up there at the top. I woke up to find several faces peering down at me,... continued

The Pope is Poured Out

February 20, 2013
JFK once said, "An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it." Pope Benedict is the first pope in 600 years to resign, and while he cited bad health as the reason for this, many of... continued

The Grunge

February 16, 2013
I am just now getting over what I call "The Grunge." It's not the flu, it's something else--a hacking cough that keeps your spouse (and the neighbors) up all night. It's going around like wildfire out here (in Los Angeles,... continued