Suprise Me

Jews were told to remove their shoes and then shot by the Hungarian Arrow Cross and pushed into the river. As one of our guides said, “They disappeared.” Only their shoes remained behind. Read More

To me, Marian always seemed like a name for old ladies .... My surname, Hirsch, has a convoluted history. Read More

They said silence is gold…but they lied, Silence is the reason you care, don’t deny! Something up there is walking untold, Something up there is walking powerfully broke. It’s the slowest punishment, It’s that echo that screams and you shout. Silence takes more power than just some words Silence breaks you apart, tears down, leave… Read More

When I arrived on the Brandeis campus in the autumn of 1970, it did not have a student union, though one was under construction. We were the last class to use the old mail room. Our new student union, “Usdan” officially opened on November 1, 1970. The night before, with barely any furniture to get… Read More

Fireman Phil came to Marble Elementary School.  We first-graders were gathered in the school gym, seated cross-legged on the floor.  What makes a fire?  How do you stop it?  Do you throw water on oil (no!)?  This is a fire extinguisher. If you are on fire, don’t run–drop and roll.  It’s been over 60 years… Read More

There were two times, one in the '60s and one in the '70s, when something changed my life dramatically, Read More

I. As hippies, we repaired our jeans with patches, braid, embroidery floss. A statement: flower power. Decades later came heavy metal, grunge. Tattered and torn, a statement: fuck you. Now, designer distressed, professionally ripped in all the right places, a statement: I’m with it, at any cost. II. Broken, faded, distressed, frayed. I’m not talking… Read More

Today I’m thinking about all the women I have worked with. Some have been bosses, many many colleagues, and now I have two women who are my employees (heaven help them). I want to honor the women who taught me how to work: Cathy, the nurse manager at UCSF who hired me fresh out of… Read More

Neighbors from my early years to my later years...how they became a piece of my heart. Read More

I really need to start writing this. But first ... gotta to check facebook ... play a move in 18 WWF games ... plan dinner. Read More