Author Archives: sheilawill

Go Barack! Thank you Gabby!

Distant, standoffish, that’s how Barack Obama is often described. Not true. He doesn’t bawl or scream but why does that make him unemotional? Did you see the way he hugged Gabby last night before the State of the Union address? … Continue reading

Posted in politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Out The Window”

Stunned to find a typo in a Donald Hall piece in the New Yorker, I was also stunned to imagine myself really old.  “Out The Window,” a personal history of the former poet laureate’s winter at age 83, reminds me of … Continue reading

Posted in Baby Boomers, Family Matters, Mount Desert Island/Maine | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Another Tempest in Arizona

My East Coast friends often ask how I can live in Arizona. Good question. Sunshine helps a lot. Here’s the latest controversy — ethnic studies/book censorship. In the wake of this uproar there’s actually a Tucson Republican lawmaker who wants … Continue reading

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, Fight wimpiness, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Empathy is the key: Obama will win

Give the prez a second term! I contend there may be a silver lining in his numerous attempts at compromise. If we look closely enough he’s a guy who can empathize. He doesn’t have the stomach for the mean-spirited politics … Continue reading

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Houston is so big and the world is so small

Sitting across from my 31-year-old son in Agora, his local coffee shop in the hip Montrose section of Houston, sipping Texas country pecan coffee, all is right with the world. At least in this little part of Houston. It’s my … Continue reading

Posted in The Rest of the World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“The Joy of Quiet” in the desert

I keep forgetting how much I love hiking in the desert. Every new year I vow to get out there at least once a week. But I don’t. I forget. My favorite part of hiking — houses out of view, … Continue reading

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The year I went gray but still wore sequins

On the eve of 2012 it’s okay to eat as much chocolate as I want. Alternating between the raspberry and ginger dark chocolate that Dan presented me with on Christmas morning, that’s how the day is — one bite in … Continue reading

Posted in Baby Boomers, For Love of History | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stephen King is a good guy

I’m reading my first Stephen King novel, 11/22/63. With my holiday gift certificate “burning a hole” in my sequined backpack, I biked to Antigone Books today as soon I found out they were open. After years of avoiding King’s scary stuff, … Continue reading

Posted in Baby Boomers, For Love of History, Tucson Festival of Books/good books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Calling bullshit on the small-minded newt

Oh please, what is it with the American Family Association? How could they possibly endorse Newt Gingrich in the Iowa Republican caucus? What happened to family values? newt, a noun — a small rough-skinned amphibian with lungs and a well-developed … Continue reading

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Neshama Carlebach: Soul-singing rock ‘n’ roll

This week I read that Neshama Carlebach is one of the world’s leading Jewish entertainers. I never heard of her before she came to Tucson. I may have thought of Woody Allen as a Jewish entertainer; his primarily Jewish humor often … Continue reading

Posted in It's only rock 'n' roll | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment