Many people have fantasized at least once about running into an ex or attending that high school reunion and causing jaws to drop in awe. Last week, Ashley Hylton got her moment. After a year of diets, workouts, and lots of emotional ups and downs, Hylton revealed a svelte new body and a positive mindset […]
It’s all my parents’ fault,” I imagine I’ll say to medics after fainting, 1965 Shea Stadium style, when Paul McCartney sings the first few words of The Beatles’ hit Something. I wouldn’t tell them how I only stopped short of rushing the stage because the thought of a 40-year-old mom of four clamoring toward a […]
I guess if I were an airplane, you’d say I was in a holding pattern. After 20 years in journalism, I was facing a decision to learn a new trade. Entering the wine industry. Not knowing what I wanted to do within the niche—sales, marketing, winemaking—I started working a few days a week at a […]
With so much going on in the world, it’s amazing how we sometimes worry most about the smallest things. I was reminded of this recently. As Ron and I discussed politics and the likelihood of a psycho’s missile trajectory reaching the mainland United States, my kids had more important things on their minds. I’ll change […]
It was one of those days that makes you want to run away from it all and join the circus. Lucky for my family, I have no real interesting skill. Still, it doesn’t mean the thought doesn’t cross my mind from time to time. It started as soon as I awoke to the familiar sound […]
This year, home bakers can become business makers thanks to a new law legalizing home food preparation and sales. The Cottage Foods Act went into effect in January, bringing with it the opportunity for California’s baking enthusiasts to carve out an income for themselves. The law allows individuals to register for a license with county […]
Spring is nearly here, and for many people that means digging out their workout gear and hitting the gym or trail to get in shape for summer. For me, the thought of extra people working out around me means self-conscious dread. The reason being, I don’t look pretty working out. I have friends who look […]
While I was growing up, my mom insisted each Christmas on having a fake tree. She gave the same reason she did for not letting us have a puppy: She was afraid it would give us allergies. In reality, I think she didn’t see the point in spending the money to buy a tree only […]
When you are little, you are taught that lying is bad. Growing up, you realize that it’s sometimes necessary. Then there are times when it’s just plain fun, because sometimes a lie can get you to the happiest place on Earth. Our first trip to Disneyland was thwarted some months ago when my youngest son […]
Spring and early summer are often the preferred times for brides-to-be to hold their weddings. Flowers bloom, and warm weather and an overall theme of newness and beginnings fill the air. Of course, there are also the brides who know the fiery beauty that comes forth in an autumnal wedding—especially if it’s in wine country. […]
Dust swirls around the ceramics room at Allan Hancock College as students busily shape, massage, fire, and paint clay in its various forms. Tall bottles, short vases, plates, bowls, and dishes lie scattered on countertops and shelves in various states of completion. Many of the pieces, when they’re complete, will be contributed to the annual […]
Local author Tony Piazza’s books are Anything Short of Murder, a mystery novel written in the style of the 1940s pulp detective thrillers, and The Curse of the Crimson Dragon, an Ian Fleming-style adventure novel. The stories usher readers into a world of action and adventure. His latest book also features an action hero, but […]
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