Spoiler alert: In Itamar Moses’ brilliant intellectual farce, “Bach at Leipzig,” Bach does not appear. But his music does! Set in 1722, Moses’ witty comedy is based on an actual event: the gathering of eight of the major organists of the time in a competition to succeed the recently deceased organ master of... Read more →

“Alex,” my mother said, ”don’t get involved again.” “Mom, I have no desire to get involved. Only if it’s pretend and I get paid a lot of money for it.” The second adventure of Alexis Peterson, amateur sleuth and soap opera actress, finds her once again entangled in a murder. In the first book in... Read more →

For much of my working life I have called in sick to work on more occasions than I care to admit. There were times I was flat on my back with a raging fever from some flu going around, but most times I was just severely nauseated. Little did I know that my “illnesses” were caused by an intolerance to some of my favorite foods.... Read more →

VENICE — We often think of art and music as two mediums that fit nicely together. Just think about the Dutch masters and baroque music, jazz evokes images of brightly colored Deco prints, the Grateful Dead calls up psychedelic Fillmore posters. But what happens when the musician is also the painter? You get a combination art... Read more →

As you progress through your job search you may be feeling as though there is a secret strategy you’re missing out on. Well, in fact, you may be! Networking is the most effective job search strategy. So now that you’re in on the secret, you’re probably thinking the same thing a lot of my clients and students wonder about... Read more →

All the ugly racist clichés about African-Americans that used to be tossed around with impunity during World War II are present in Paul Leaf’s new play “Mutiny at Port Chicago,” now having its world premiere at Santa Monica’s Ruskin Theatre. There’s even a slur about a “little Jew-boy lawyer”... Read more →

My son just turned 3. For most, this simply means a party and presents. And for Benjamin, he had all that and then some. But turning 3 for him, for us, is bigger than just the train table his grandma sent him, bigger than the party at Travel Town. Turning 3 for Benjamin means he has aged out of the Early Start program at Regional Center. Now... Read more →

WILSHIRE BLVD. — If there’s proof that wine has transitioned from a drink for the pretentious to a drink for the people, it’s Ian Blackburn. The founder of LearnAboutWine.com and former Santa Monica resident, Blackburn has turned his passion for wine into a full-time career, holding everything from introductory wine... Read more →

Je me sens très excite! Because “Julie & Julia” is premiering this week! In 2005, while strolling through a gardening store in the San Francisco Ferry building, I stumbled upon this enchanting story. The book caught my eye with its beautiful seafoam green cover displaying a bowl containing something white and whipped.... Read more →

Q: I am hoping you can help me. Over the past few months I have been feeling very tired, pretty much all the time. I have a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning and during the day do not have much energy. Recently I canceled plans with friends only to spend the entire weekend in my bed with no motivation to do anything. No matter... Read more →