Monthly Archives: May 2013

The New Routine

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Marion

My new post-retirement routine is to spend two hours first thing every morning* writing on a creative project. This does not mean writing a review, or checking e-mail, or reviewing Facebook. It means working on my novel or a short … Continue reading →

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Random Images from the Neon City

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Marion

The tech-boom poured billions of dollars into San Jose’s downtown area, converting it from a basic South Bay (almost Central Valley) city to a gleaming metropolis. Its beauty is paradoxically heightened (pun intended) by the height restrictions imposed by the … Continue reading →

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The Fantastical Element; Two Stories from F&SF

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Marion

Kate Wilhelm once said that the fantastical or science fictional element in a story had to be integral to the story in order for it to be fantasy or SF. If the story is still intact with that element removed, … Continue reading →

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The Egyptian Museum

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Marion

The Nebula event  offered tours of the Museum of Technology and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. I chose the latter. Growing up in northern California I had heard about this museum. I had always assumed it would be vaguely campy, filled … Continue reading →

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The Winchester Gardens

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Marion

During the time period that Sarah Winchester lived in San Jose, the Santa Clara Valley was a bowl of orchards, famous nationwide for its fruit, particularly apricots and plums. Almonds were a big crop as well.  Winchester managed an orchard … Continue reading →

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The Winchester Mansion; a Beautiful Bait-and-Switch

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Marion

  Lucky Thirteen The good folks who own the Winchester mansion, in San Jose, California, have engaged in a clever bait-and-switch campaign. On the Internet, on half-hour TV shows on the paranormal, and on billboards all along Interstate-80, I-99 and … Continue reading →

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Oz the Great and Powerful: Pretty and Vapid

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Marion

Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco as Oz, Rachel Weisz as Evanora,  Mila Kundis playing Theodora and Michelle Williams as Glinda. That’s a chunk of talent to waste on a pretty movie with a story that moves from … Continue reading →

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DisOrient Film Festival: Heroes and Icons

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Marion

“Heroes and Icons” included three short features. The outstanding documentary of the festival showed in this time-slot, and that is A Flicker in Eternity. This film stands out because of the powerful voice of Stanley Hayami, a Japanese-American youth in … Continue reading →

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DisOrient Film Festival: Family Dramas

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Marion

Linda with the DisOrient Banner Last weekend I saw 19 movies in two and a half days. Before you do the arithmetic and tell me that this is highly unlikely, I should explain that several of those were short films. … Continue reading →

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798 Off Ramps?

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Marion

Interstate 5 Northbound has 798 exits in California. I think — there may have been one more past the town of Hilt, just before the Oregon border. Still, that’s a lot of off-ramps. One of my favorites is somewhere around … Continue reading →

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