Posts by hamblog
a small role made large
Elizabeth Wilson as Benjamin’s mother in The Graduate. Hilarious and weird take on a role that could have been overshadowed by all the others, but she makes it so great. Her character, as well as Anne Bancroft’s Mrs. Robinson in the same movie, are huge inspirations to me in my improv life. And that shirt.…
Read Morethings that have improved things greatly
Things that have put me into the — well, I hesitate to say “holiday spirit”, so let’s just say: things that have put me in a festive and/or appreciative mood. Nice take on an AIDS ribbon, no? It’s of African design and the wearer has owned it for 20 years. Bittersweet, yes? Stopping by a…
Read Morebutter me up and all over
I had a Groupon for a face treatment — facial, peel, sandpaper scrub, you know — the works. I had put it off till the last minute — past the last minute, in fact. It was only by the grace of (Skin By) Maria that I could use my expired Groupon. The reason for the…
Read Moregone, not forgotten
I am participating in several World AIDS Day commemorations at the end of this week. I’m attending in the course of my job, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to reflect on all the deep complexity of HIV/AIDS and its impact on the world, and on my life. It’s an issue way, way too…
Read Moresister trip
I mentioned my sister Ann’s trip and accompanying blog briefly a few months ago, but the time has come to revisit this singular bit of beautiful cyberspace. She recently completed posting the journals, and I highly recommend taking a look. It’s a relatively swift read from beginning to end, and is just wonderful. It’s called…
Read Moreapp talk
My dear friend and crafty queen Polly recently got an iPhone and asked around as to people’s favorite apps. First off, welcome to the vortex, cowgirl … it’s inevitable that we all become pod people, so embrace it! I’ll list my essential apps, though it is a surprisingly meager list. I caught a quick look…
Read Morework it out there, subconscious
Two real-life friends who are also improvisers sat me down and told me “for my own good” that the audiences have not been liking my performances lately. Two helpful criticisms: I’m getting old, and no one cares what I’m talking about. I caught a ride to San Diego in a friend’s friend’s SUV. She worked…
Read Moregratitude access denied
It’s the Fourth Friday Challenge for November. My friend Paul and I, both posting daily in 2011, decided to give each other a job once a month to keep things spicy. In his words, “we want to push ourselves to do something more interesting than we might otherwise.” And here is his challenge to me:…
Read Morethank you, food
I’m preloading this post on Wednesday night, after a surprisingly ambitious and well-executed pre-attack on Thanksgiving. I made these things: Carrot-ginger soup, my famous recipe Yam salad that did not come out at all the way my mouth wanted it to Mashed yams that are incredibly tasty and I should’ve made all the yams into…
Read Morealready a warm holiday memory
After the DMV I decided to head to the Police Department because I just needed my fill of bureaucratic nonsense today. I was doing some business at the PD, which sounds a little shady, but I work with the police in the course of my job, really I do. While I was waiting to get…
Read More