I guess almost everyone goes to Westwood Village from time to time. Years ago, we went to the Hamburger Hamlet, after its demise, we switched to its successor, the Hamlet Gardens. And now that it’s also closed, we’ve switched yet again, this time to the Napa Valley Grille, one of the last upscale restaurants in Westwood (there is... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, Like many others, the current job climate in California has put a damper on my own career prospects. My organization has implemented several cost cutting measures including downsizing salaried staff and reducing our take-home pay by forcing mandatory closures. I have been considering going back to school as a result of the... Read more →

I have been sleeping a lot. Being pregnant, it is part of the deal. My main symptom in my pregnancies has never been morning sickness, but extreme fatigue. And so, I sleep. My husband gets up with our 3-year-old son so I can sleep in. He takes him to the park so I can nap. He’s a doll. But in addition to actually sleeping, I have been... Read more →

Ever since man has known to write he has put his knowledge in some form to preserve it. The cave men chiseled out the story on rocks. Writing may have begun, according to Wikipedia, as a consequence of political expansion in ancient cultures. Early writing done on clay tablets were pictographs, a picture used to symbolize a word or a phrase.... Read more →

Several stores around town offer free craft sessions for kids in hopes that parents will do a little shopping. We hammered, glued, and glittered so we could report on the activities, and picked up some light bulbs and magnetic letters at the same time. Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) offers a new wooden craft project the first Saturday of the... Read more →

During a recent trip to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, I was flabbergasted when I cheerfully walked up to my favorite carrot purveyor, Weiser Family Farms, only to be told that, “Carrots are out of season.” Really? I truly had no idea. I don’t buy carrots every week, but I honestly don’t recall there being a... Read more →

In 1965, Polish-Jewish novelist Jerzy Kosinski wrote “The Painted Bird,” a novel widely seen as an autobiography of his own tragic experiences during the Holocaust. Except, it was later learned, none of the dates corresponded with the reports of his countrymen who had known him as a boy. Besieged by charges of having created... Read more →

Let’s face it … in Santa Monica you have to be thin to attract a good-looking guy. And we’re not just talking “thin,” but “in-shape thin.” That means no flabby arms, no sagging butt and no cellulite — anywhere. All this of course, should be coupled with great muscle tone, evenly tanned skin and... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, Why are so many smart women so dumb when it comes to men? I have a friend who is smart and successful and I think most people would agree, is also beautiful. But unfortunately, she seems out of touch when it comes to men. She doesn’t seem to be able to discern sincerity from bologna. And she seems to get hopeful when... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Scott Anderson still remembers the first surfboard he shaped. It was his first year in high school, and he and a friend had purchased a surfboard “blank” from ET Surf in Hermosa Beach. Problem was they had little idea what they were doing. The finished product wasn’t just bad. “Horrible,”... Read more →

MONTANA AVE — The Santa Monica High School baseball team’s season may be over, but senior first baseman Ethan Corn still has some performing left to do. This time, however, he won’t be fielding groundballs or tagging out opposing runners. Instead, Corn will look on as “Barnabus & Bella” — a... Read more →

Dear New Shrink, I am a recent college graduate and have come to realize that most positions require experience. Seeing this in the job description has stopped me from applying to several positions that I feel I am qualified for. How do you get experience if they require experience just to get the job? Perhaps I am missing something but this... Read more →

Things aren’t going as you planned. You are down. “Often in life the what, when, and where are not going to turn out the way you want them to turn out. You don’t always get to choose those things, but you do get to choose the way” When this happens we blame God, if we believe. Or if we don’t believe, we take... Read more →

I am sitting in a bustling Coffee Bean in Montecito, Calif. My husband, son, mother-in-law and step father-in-law have all gone exploring Santa Barbara. But I am here alone, writing. And I love it. I have never been able to write where it is quiet. I need sound and other people’s energy. Perhaps it is a by-product of the school I went... Read more →

Five women sit in a row onstage and talk about being women. Their subjects range from buying a bra to their obsession with boots to the enduring chic of the color black. They talk about marriage and divorce and the death of a child. And most of all, they talk about their mothers. It’s a hilarious, poignant, and passionate exposition of... Read more →