Happy Weekend!

I hope that you've had a great week. Mine has been pretty productive. I had a wonderful reading of my new solo play, Grandma & Me: An Ode to Single Parents, on Monday night at San Francisco Playhouse in front of a packed crowd and it went just great. Lots of laughter and tears. My director and collaborator David Ford and I have a little tweaking to do and then I'll start performing it onstage in the fall. I'm really excited about this show. I think that it's going to be my best play yet!

Here's what else I've been into the last week:

Many of you have written and asked me to include links for the things that I recommend in the blog so, beginning this week I'll do just that!

BOOKS

We lost the great Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison this week and I'm embarrassed to say that I've been remiss in not having read any of her award winning body of work. Please don't tell Oprah!

In her honor, I'm rectifying that oversight by reading her second novel, Sula. It's the story of two girls whose life choices change them in ways that are incompatible with maintaining their deep early friendship. It's about how our decisions affect the people we become. Ms. Morrison's language is rich and complex and I'm hooked on her prose. I'll be reading the rest of her novels in the weeks and months to come.

If you haven't read Sula, I highly recommend it and you can get your copy here.
READ IT.

MOVIES

I caught the movie Brian Banks a few nights ago and I'm still thinking about it. As you may or may not recall, Brian Banks was a 16 year old football star who spent six years in prison after a classmate made a false allegation of rape against him in 2002. He was only able to clear his name after getting the woman to recant while surreptitiously filming her. The movie has a resonance that I think is amplified by its release in the heat of the #MeToo movement. Bottom line is, yes women's accusations should always be taken seriously. However, they should also be thoroughly investigated just as allegations of any other crime would be. In the past, the system has notoriously and repeatedly let victims of sexual abuse down. In this case, the system let Brian Banks down.
SEE IT.

Also caught the spinoff of the Fast and Furious franchise Hobbs and Shaw. Car chases, explosions, espionage, fisticuffs and a lot of fun. It's not gonna win any Oscars, but it's a GREAT popcorn movie!
SEE IT.

GADGET I'M OBSESSED WITH...

Like a lot of you, I'm trying to eat healthier and watch my weight. My biggest downfall has always been portion size. To that end, I've begun weighing my food to make sure that I have five ounces of protein (meat, fish or chicken) with every meal and pairing it with a serving of fresh fruit or a vegetable. I'm also having two snacks of one ounce protein and a fruit or veggie. This week, I bought an Ozeri Food Scale and it's great! I put my empty plate or bowl on the scale and press the TARE button on the scale which resets the weight to zero, eliminating the weight of the dish. I then put my protein in and I get an accurate portion size.

So far this week, I've lost 4 pounds using this system and eating this way!

It's healthy. It's not a diet but a lifestyle change I can live with. The scale is under fifteen bucks and worth every penny. You can get yours here.
BUY IT!

PERFORMANCES

Charlie Varon and I will be doing three big performances of The Great American Shit Show in the coming weeks. GASS is a collection of new monologues on life in the era of Trump. It'll make you laugh but, more importantly, it'll make you think.

AUGUST 15: Tabard Theater, San Jose, 8 PM
AUGUST 17: Castro Valley Performing Arts Center, Castro Valley, 7 PM
AUGUST 18: Marin Center, San Rafael, California 7 PM

Have an awesome weekend and a terrific week!

Copie

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