Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—There they are again with that rustling, crackling energy on the streets. They travel in packs, little islands of smugness among us old timers; there they are shielded by a sense goofy camaraderie in the implacable gulf that springs between them and us who were here first. It would be breaking an unwritten law to hail them in...

UNITED STATES—Timing is very important in gardening. Even when the weather in autumn still seems like summer, spring blooming bulbs must be planted on time. Bare root fruit trees will become available while they are dormant, and will need to be planted before they wake up. Roses need to be pruned before buds for new canes swell later in...

UNITED STATES—I’m taking DeVille out for a walk or he’s taking me. I cannot tell which. We go up Cahuenga to the dog friendly market (my Jack Russell terrier/chihuahua can go in and smell where he was last time and pee). It’s kind of gross but still lovely to go to a store in comfort instead of trying to...

UNITED STATES—There should be no guilt associated with a cut Christmas tree. They were stigmatized many years ago, when some people believed that they were harvested from forests, and more of them likely were back then. However, most of us now know that, except for a few that actually are harvested from the wild, Christmas trees are grown on...

UNITED STATES—"Star Wars: Battlefront II" has a very high bar set before it; it is a "Star Wars" game, so it must appeal to the growing fanbase, it is a sequel to the popular "Battlefront I" and a continuation of the beloved 'Battlefront' series, and it is designed to fill plot holes for the Star Wars saga. It does...

MALIBU—As seen on PBS! It is the perfect family event! World Champion Dancers: Scott Doherty & Tyler Schwartz star in “An Irish Christmas!” Take a journey through Christmas in Ireland with superb dancing, singing and Irish traditional music celebrating the international spirit of the holiday season. “An Irish Christmas,” features an award-winning cast of Irish dancers led by World Champion Dancers...

UNITED STATES—Looking across a sea of white-enamel washers in the laundromat, Brendan watch the receding back of Radcovich. Brendan felt a pang at his candor in telling Radcovich about his marriage in Denmark. To his boyfriend. Why did he have to go and say that? But it was essential and true; of course he had to say it. Radcovich took...

UNITED STATES—Now that winter is only two weeks away, and many deciduous plants are defoliating and dormant, it may seem as if there will be less work to do in the garden. After all, not much is growing. The funny thing is that this is the best time to sneak up on some of them, and prune them while...

UNITED STATES—Eric Radcovich fit in, and Brendan didn't. That was how it was in college. Eric was into fitness and brought to the apartment a device that imprisoned your ankles and then you could hang upside down and develop a six-pack. Eric owned heat. That was how he came from the other apartment to live where Brendan had been...

UNITED STATES—Most of us Californians are probably wondering what that means. Sugaring season is more familiar to horticultural enthusiasts in New England, Canada, and more recently, in Alaska. It is the time of year that sugary sap get harvested from maples, and in Alaska, from birches. Maple sap gets refined into maple syrup and sugar. Birch sap makes birch...