What lengths would you go to pretend you remembered someone’s name? Would you lie? Would you hug a stranger? Last year, I was at a talk that Alex Neve was giving. He was delivering his first of five Massey Lectures. Pat, Alex’s wife, is Deb’s best friend. Deb and I got married a couple of…
I remember when the book The Creative Act by Rick Rubin came out a few years ago. I didn’t read it then, but I was aware of it. I considered buying the book because I’m fascinated with creativity. I decided to take it out of the library instead of buying it. It wasn’t available at…
Sometimes I choose pain over comfort. That’s why I’m running the Around the Bay race again this year. Running 30 km is a great way to test your will and stamina. I’m a bit behind in my training. As usual. The race is a little later this year, so I have a buffer. It’s in…
Sometimes I get mad at myself because I don’t write as much as I think I should. I don’t reach out to the people I want to touch base with. I don’t read the books I buy or take out from the library. I don’t exercise when I know I should. So many things I…
Last month Deb and I joined a gym. Again. We belonged to one before COVID. And after COVID, we never went back. But we’re getting to an age where we need to be in shape so that we can stay healthy. Not only for our kids, but for our grandkids. Deb has a trainer to…
Sometimes I talk myself out of doing something before trying. A bit of writing. Or something else creative. I’m talking myself out of doing it because I’m trying to save effort. Why do something if it isn’t going to work, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Other times, I do it and see if it works. Last…
I’ve just finished my first week of being 63. The body is getting older but my spirit still feels young. It continues to be strange reconciling my mental image with my physical reality. This week, a cashier gave me the senior discount without even asking. They looked at me and applied it. I’m not sixty-five…
Hard to believe that it’s the last day of my year. Tomorrow, I turn 63. A lot of milestones for me in Groon 62. (Groon 62 = Feb. 22, 2025 to Feb. 21, 2026) The best one? Our first grandchildren were born in Groon 62. Both were in December. Atlas and Helena. About three weeks…
My last post about my weight-loss journey was about doing the WildFit challenge. Following the program helped the pounds fall off. Within 3 months, I lost over 10 lbs. And I was eating more food. I wasn’t fasting. But, of course, once I stopped following the WildFit way, the pounds came back. It’s not that…
I’ve had a real problem finishing books that I’ve started reading in the last year. I’m not sure if this is an age issue or an “interest” issue. But I find it weird. I’m usually a voracious reader. Last year, I planned on reading 26 books. I even listed a few of the books I…
My year, the Groon Year, ends in late February. But it’s hard not to reflect on the calendar year as December comes to an end. And I realized that I haven’t posted about a milestone that I reached in the late summer. I became an International Playwright! Yes, one of my plays had a staged…
My son sent us a message at 6:37 a.m. MST on Messenger. They’re two hours behind us, so it was 8:37 a.m. for us. The message? “It’s go time!” Keaton and Kate’s due date was December 13, but their baby decided December 3 was the day. Three hours later, at 9:29 a.m. MST, Atlas was…
I discovered that being creative is like exercise. If you stop doing it regularly, you’ll soon stop doing it at all. Last year, I was shooting to write 365 blog posts. After reaching that goal, I decided to cut back and write 52 posts for the rest of this year. Guess how many posts I’ve…
I found out last night that I won’t be playing Vanya in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. At least not any time soon. Not only did I not get the part — I didn’t even get a callback. Talk about adding insult to injury. Oh well. I’ll be honest. It stung. It always…
I auditioned for a role yesterday. It was to play Vanya in the play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang. Deb and I saw the original production in New York with Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce in 2013. It was great. And I’ve wanted to play Vanya since then. I…
peter gruner 