Tag Archives: Northampton

March 21, 2013 · 9:07 am

SpringBoard

King Abdullah of Jordan gives a controversially candid interview to Jeffrey Goldberg in April’s the Atlantic. As he trashes his neighbors’ response to the Arab Spring, Abdullah pines for his days at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He has even built a school in Jordan modeled on his happy boarding phase.

Spring edition of MSKCC’s Bridges newsletter compares cancer survivors’ resiliency and the long journey of recovery to the plight of Sandy victims.

New York Magazine’s cover RetroWife captures the current phenomenon. Women choosing to be the modern version of a 50′s wife. I get it. They were brought up by absent moms, the feminists who tried to have it all. It’s a nostalgic nod to June Cleaver and Donna Reed. The ideal misses the reality of women who stay home all day. Mother’s “little helpers” are also back in vogue.

I’ll say it again. Richard Engel’s spellbinding account of his kidnapping in Syria is a must read. VanityFair, April 2013.

Il Papa Francesco will celebrate Holy Thursday at a juvenile prison in Rome. He may be the real deal. Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon comes to mind.

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February 18, 2013 · 8:41 am

Weekend Liaisons

Downton out. Killing off cast faster than General Hospital. Heartwarming liaisons formed. Baby boy born. Happy. And then, poof. No more Matthew. Speaking of silly, GH bringing geezer couples (Luke&Laura) back. Fast-forward.

Woodward smacks down Rove on Fox! Bob looked at Karl and told him he’s writing a book called, Some People Never Go Away. Priceless. McCain and Graham non-stop steaming as Obama and Woods tee off together. Hope Tiger doesn’t take Prez “out” while Michelle and girls are skiing in Aspen. Dangerous.

Sweet to meet the lovely and captivating Lilly Leigh at La Fiorentina.
Another visit to my favorite Bryant barn in winter. Thanks Dr.Photog.

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February 13, 2013 · 10:06 am

LocalColor

Amity Shlaes on Morning Joe recalling many hours spent in Northampton’s Forbes Library researching her new book about former local resident, President Calvin Coolidge. Actress Jane Lynch gleefully gushing to Kelly & Michael about Smith College, where her wife graduated and she received an honorary doctorate, “It’s a training ground for lesbians!” Smith’s P.R. Dept. thrilled.

SOTU watchers remarked Obama’s make-up strangely sallow. He looked whiter than Boehner. Pale showing by Latino GOP. Rubio’s nervous response speech. Ted Cruz bullying senate committee, questioning Hagel’s patriotism.

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October 26, 2012 · 7:43 am

SanFranTreats

Sandoval, St. Francis’ answer to Panda Bears. PacBell moved from Candlestick, now AT&T. Down the street from fave hotel Vitale. Go Giants! Look what Northampton’s Circa duo has created at Ed Moose’s old WashBag where Dirty Harry and Scorpio hung out. Liz Ferro and Dane Boyta’s BottleCap. I miss Herb Caen and his three dots. Le Central’s cold salmon with sauce verte. Wilkes Bashford, Willie Brown. Just a Friday lunch in town. Happy distractions needed.

Election. Stormageddon. Tom Wolfe’s new novel, Back to Blood, very good.

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May 6, 2012 · 7:14 am

ZooBeeZoo Sunday

MadMen’s Megan is taking her ZooBeeZoo on the road to become an actress. It’s never good to leave Don home alone. Pete’s off the rails. Best recap, Matthew Creamer, AdAge. Lady Lazarus, by Sylvia Plath. Another Smith College alum.

Adieu Sarkozy et Bruni. Scary times coming in ‘Yerp’. If things go well for the Chinese dissident, he’ll be going to NYULaw on a Fellowship. NYU established a campus in Shanghai last year. Funny how important these connections can be. Kudos to all whose vision was clear.

Ricky outlasted Rory in the battle of the boys. Wonder why mAdBen chose ‘I’ll Have Another’ in the Derby. Hmm. He won.

Morning Muffin. Sea Scallops Unplugged. RecipeDetours.com.

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April 11, 2012 · 2:50 pm

SpringField

Springfield, Massachusetts is not ‘the’ Simpson’s city. It’s the one in Oregon. Geez. My aunt Marge Simpson was from ‘our’ Springfield, so thought it was us for sure. No Uncle Homer, doh. Springfield, Mass., does have Dr. Suess’ house on Mulberry Street, he grew up here. So is the Basketball Hall of Fame, where Naismith invented the peach-basket game. Joseph’s Clothiers  was founded in 1918 on Ferry & Main.

We have the Connecticut River with its fertile farms and tobacco barns. Four famous colleges are just up the road. Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire. So there, Bart! Herrell’s ice cream is better.

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March 30, 2012 · 7:49 am

FoolishMess

Halloween, April Fool’s snow. Told you so. Nice in between, though. Bye winter.

Rachel Maddow speaking at my alma Mount Holyoke. Her new book depicts the drift of U.S. military’s missions over the past decades. Creeping worldwide warring culture. American Empire? I say yes. The guy who moved next door to Sarah Palin in Alaska, Joe McGinniss, is now stalking Northampton’s courts. He’ll be writing about cases in the Pioneer Valley. Bully movie coming out has local ties. Hampshire College and Amherst High School grads keys of the production.

tablesedge.wordpress.com

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March 6, 2012 · 12:40 pm

SuperSnoozDay

It’s the liberals fault? Yup. That’s what Rush says. His meager mea culpa a joke. As is Santy and Grinch’s lack of apology for their religion that tortured young boys with impunity. Contraception is hardly the Catholics’ most compelling consideration. 60 Minutes story of priest pederasty heart-breaking.

Speaking of which. Broken record alert. Zzzomney will win SuperSnoozDay and the nomination. RomneyCare will then be the catch-word of Obama’s Fall campaign. Too bad. Romney’s robotic run will not be fun.

Another 60 Minutes piece dealt with keeping kids from starting kindergarten until they turn six in elite schools across the country. When SanFran private schools told son Ben he’d have to wait, we moved to public school here. He’s happy to have started his career rather than being a senior in college this year.

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January 5, 2012 · 8:42 pm

ReallyHousewives

The Really Real Housewives of not New York, nor Beverly Hills. They cook dinner, drive their own cars, take busses, entertain without party planners, read books, gain and lose weight without needing to be on TMZ or national TV.

Instead of vacationing on Crete, sleep on Frette sheets. Tho’ no manse in France, drink cafay pressay. ‘Nary a pied a terre in town, but bathe in Molton Brown. Private jet? You bet. Jet Blue. Hot tub in Northampton, not Baden Baden. Lacoste piquay v. St. Tropez. Yacht? Not. Life better? Peut-etre.

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December 15, 2011 · 5:21 pm

KristmasLetter

Dear Friends We Haven’t Seen in Twenty Years:

Zelda and I are so excited to update you all on our family’s meaningful 2011. Little Moonbeam graduated from Middlebury and is off saving babies in the Sudan. It’s so hard not to have him home over Kwanzaa, but we’ll light a candle of harmony for peace in the world instead of buying him a material extravagance. Our trust funds haven’t fared as well this year what with interest rates so low. Moose Lake cabin even lost value and we had to sell the canoe.

We’ll be serving braised short ribs to the homeless in our humble hamlet, of course without the meat. We chopped down a lovely two foot spruce in the woods and dragged it four miles back to the hybrid Prius. There’ll be plenty of sparkling cider, spring water and pine cone cookies at our annual yuletide open house. I’m so proud of Zelda, she cut off her 30-year ponytail to honor the end of the Iraq War. She’s still smarting from the bug bites she got in our OWS tent.

I am sorry to report that Dizzy, Moonbeam’s pet hamster, met a rather violent fate. It seems Mephistopheles, our thirteen year old tabby, still has some zing in her pounce. And, at the risk of boring you with my own gory medical procedures over the year, suffice it to say that scalpels, monitors and screws were involved. Oh dear, it’s hard to believe another year has come and gone.

Happy trails from the Bidrights,
Silent H, Massachusetts

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