So I tracked the guy down outside, hobbling on my injured leg, and literally brayed, “Do you have a COFFEE MAKER!!??” And when he said No, I brayed even louder, “Well then, do you have a CONE????” LIterally like a crazed banshee. Like I even wanted or needed coffee right that minute, or obviously, ever.
TRAVEL
A SHORT WALK
Speaking of travel, I myself am setting off next Tuesday for a two-week jaunt to the East Coast! A bit of a working holiday as I’ll be visiting lots of museums, gardens, and suchnot, but I’d do that anyway.
LOURDES, A DOCUMENTARY
“Lourdes is a place for everyone, not just well-mannered religious people. You have firefighters, gypsies, the motorcyclists’ pilgrimage. The prostitutes of Paris make an annual pilgrimage and it’s the highlight of their year.”
SANTA MARIA NOVELLA: THE WORLD’S OLDEST APOTHECARY
There are deep burgundy bags of potpourri, fragrance diffusers, and cleansing sprays–a different scent and mood for each season of the year. You can buy Iris Toothpaste (20 bucks a tube), Crema de Barba (shaving cream) at 71 dollars a pop, and Sapone allo Zolfo—sulphur soap—with which to scrub off after, say, an exorcism.
MAGELLANICA
Here’s how this week’s arts and culture column begins: Magellanica is a five-part, four-hour audio drama, streaming for free through June 30 on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Sticher and other major podcast platforms. Adapted by the award-winning playwright E.M. Lewis, from her 2018 World Premiere play, the drama is based on an actual expedition: the scientists […]
MONUMENTS, MARVELS AND MIRACLES
Catholic road trips worth taking: and when you visit those monuments, marvels and miracles, don’t forget to hang around for Mass: the biggest marvel and miracle of all
SO MUCH WE DO NOT SEE OR UNDERSTAND
I also learned only recently that pineapples don’t grow on trees. “They’re grown from the center of a leafy plant. They are an aggregate fruit, which is formed from a cluster of flowers, or inflorescence.”
I mean after a lifetime of opening Dole cans, who knew?
THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY HERE
Meanwhile, I am noting with interest and amusement the differences between Tucson and LA.
One: tons of people smoke!
HOMEGIRL
Whoa. Here’s some advice. Do not EVER move. Just kidding! What I really mean is: Do not ever move unless you have as your moving crew Dennis, Tensie, Donald and Alan. I am safely in my new place in Tucson, as of a week ago today, and I am still reeling from the way that […]
NEXT DOOR
As I pack up more and more stuff, it’s also interesting to see what’s left; what’s essential as I more or less camp out for a few days. Six 12-ounce packages of Starbucks French roast (I buy them expired on ebay). A giant container of pure cane sugar. A glass of roses from the garden. My portable prayer box (breviary, Magnificat, candle, incense, matches). A small old wooden crucifix. Three rosaries.
SAINTS ALIVE!
Pasadena native Mary Lea Carroll has written two engaging books on saints. The first, Saint Everywhere: Travels in Search of the Lady Saints, came out in 2019. In it, she travels among other places to Siena (St. Catherine), Prague (Infant Jesus) and Medjugorje (Our Lady of Peace). This year, just in time for Christmas, comes […]
COAST TO COAST
I always laugh when people say “I hope you enjoyed your retreat!” or “your vacation!” I do enjoy it, all of it, but my life and my travel are almost militarily disciplined and at all times retain a pilgrimage aspect. I often fast in my way, I always walk miles. This last trip to NYC […]