Suprise Me

Truth be told, I was always slender, but my weight varied by a few pounds in college. Then, along with my friends, I’d go on the Atkins Diet…no carbs, only protein and 8 big glasses of water a day. The weight would fall off me. I’d eat eggs, hamburger (you couldn’t get good meat at… Read More

Leap Day is a once-every-four-years astronomical anomaly in the calendar, meant to sweep up the few extra minutes accumulated over the intervening years and set the calendar straight again. It happens to coincide with our presidential election years and I’m sure is a pain for people born on this particular day. When do they celebrate?… Read More

I’m not much for magic, although I love “believing” the magician, probably out of sympathy for the performer. I don’t try to figure out his or her tricks, and I don’t feel cheated. I tried to watch Guillermo Del Toro’s adaption of Nightmare Alley, an epic novel about the rise and fall from grace of… Read More

Do I dare to gift myself with my true name of Lauren? Probably too late, and after all, no one calls me “Big Laurie” anymore. Mostly, I go by Gramma. Read More

This is a tribute to Pussy Riot, Artists as Activists, who believe their punk performances are civic and moral responsibilities to fight all oppressors of freedom today (particularly Putin and Trump) https://youtu.be/C7SuYxA24PI Read More

While prejudice takes different forms in different eras, I fear it never really leaves us. Read More

Lydia Before tattooing became as commonplace as it is today –  especially for women  – there was Lydia. And here’s Groucho to tell us all about her! – Dana Susan Lehrman Read More

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Resistance takes courage and commitment, two things I often find that I have a short supply of. But sometimes….even I have limits.   Read More

My Aunt,  Dede Allen I’ve always been very proud of my aunt Dede Allen.  Movie buffs may know her as a stellar film editor and a pioneer in what had been a male-dominated craft. Dede worked her way up in the film business,  starting as a production runner at Columbia Pictures,  then editing commercial and… Read More