tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227384312011-04-21T12:59:31.619-07:00Observing human nature, I seek answers to my life's big questions. This site reflects my stories. When needed, I change names to protect those, who might prefer to remain innocent. I'm beyond innocent. All content here is copyright © 2006 Donna Barnett. WRITTEN PERMISSION needed to reprint or republish any of the material on my site.Donnanoreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1154113471749902792006-07-28T11:55:00.000-07:002006-11-14T11:38:58.343-08:00

You don't always meet people who go the extra mile, without asking them, so I thought I'd tell you about my auto mechanic, Fernando of Crown Auto on Pontius in West Los Angeles. 2101 Pontius Ave, Los Angeles, 90025 - (310) 479-2233 He goes the extra mile servicing my Lexus to make sure it runs smoothly and I'm happy with his service. Some other mechanics take advantage. Especially someone like me

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1150936646788047222006-06-21T17:31:00.000-07:002006-06-21T17:41:07.563-07:00

Walking amongst blossoming violet, pink and orange flowers and trees this evening. Spring is in the air, and so is summer. Changing seasons. I've sneezed and coughed my way into summer, getting over this damn cold. Wish my energy could be what it was. How could a virus have so much power? Almost done. May meet Felice for movie tonight. Cooking now. Got to go.

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1150510455071791462006-06-17T09:15:00.000-07:002006-06-17T09:32:38.210-07:00

I just finished an excellent book my girlfriend wrote with her daughter called Come Back. She and her daughter will sign their book (getting rave reviews including NY Times!) at Book Soup in Hollywood today at 2 p.m. Highly recommend!Come Back is about Claire's struggle to find and reform her teenage runaway daughter, who suffered ill-effects from childhood molestation. The book is written in

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1149439097460516262006-06-15T22:42:00.000-07:002006-06-16T07:10:38.470-07:00

I'm home nursing a cold. When I was a kid grandma nursed it for me.Today is the third anniversary of her passing, or maybe better said, my third year, to the day, living without her.The day I learned she passed on, I wrote a tribute to keep our love alive. In my heart. On the page. To be captured beyond time.In loving memory Help! I’m drowning! Send me a lifeline!“Here honey girl,” Grandma Bernie

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1149571150450405002006-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:002006-06-05T22:19:10.460-07:00

Go see the movie An Inconvenient Truth, and please do something about its message.I walk more places I once drove to. I recycle. Eat little to almost no meat but I gave up vegan diet because I became too low in iron. I became weak. Maybe I didn't do it right but being an athletic woman, I found a plant only diet over a long period of time wasn't enough. More information about An Inconvenient

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1149044818928165142006-05-30T19:41:00.000-07:002006-06-01T01:22:25.100-07:00

It was blue and sunny in Los Angeles on Memorial Day, and I smiled as I turned onto the 405 Freeway Ramp. I cozied up to a toothless, African-American (to be socially-correct, which means I'm a Romanian-American) who stood on the side of the road, leaning on a wooden stick. He had one leg missing. Tattered clothes. He held a white cup into which I placed a dollar. If an American can afford the

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1149018035669243072006-05-30T12:29:00.000-07:002006-05-31T08:02:59.570-07:00

Los Angeles is a rough city to live in. Consider: the left turn. There you are sitting in your car at an intersection, and the city of cars rushes by you. SUV. SUV. Jaguar. SUV. SUV. Jaguar. SUV. SUV. Again and again, cars travel at speeds beyond decency and sign posts because cops are busy chasing hoodlums, speeding in stolen cars. The city is abuzz with motors and horns. Everywhere cars. So you

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1148323284843978672006-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:002006-05-22T11:41:24.866-07:00

If everyone danced, would there still be wars?No matter how I feel going in to dance, I always feel great during and after. Sometimes I can't get over how much fun and joy is in the room, contagious for anyone in need of a lift, a swing, a cha-cha, a smile. Dance is the best anecdote to just about anything.Last night I had good partners, and went from tired to energized in about fifteen minutes

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1148053182218355392006-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:002006-05-19T08:58:47.153-07:00

"I want to kiss you," he blurted in the middle of our second phone conversation. "And hold you close and give you whatever you want."Whatever?I felt surprise at I want to kiss you, for I hadn't thought of him that way, at least not with me. But boldness is a turn-on, and by the time whatever you want floated from his lips, I wondered how gifted those lips might be.Before we hung up, "Good-night,

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1147266636092988282006-05-10T06:06:00.000-07:002006-05-18T20:02:54.656-07:00

Habit rules the unsuspecting herd. William WoodsworthPossessions, outward success, publicity, luxury--to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind. Albert EinsteinIt is my business to manage carefully and dexterously whatever happens. Epictetus

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1147198377692385482006-05-09T11:07:00.000-07:002006-05-09T23:08:56.450-07:00

It is not the critics who count; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or how the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who in the end knows at best the triumph of high

Donnanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1145051496710767882006-04-15T05:00:00.000-07:002006-04-18T18:03:45.500-07:00

At the Passover table, amidst conversations about freedom and matzoh and pass the brisket,"Hey, Donna, see the movie Friends with Money. You'll love it," Lloyd said, and twelve privileged heads turned.I cringed, sitting amongst the privileged born to jewelry, real estate, and first down-payments. Lucky jump starts on the American Dream.I was the black sheep at the table, and, yet, as a long-term

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1144733955036068422006-04-10T22:36:00.000-07:002006-04-10T22:39:15.076-07:00

My posts spiraled me into a new space, where I'll be a contributing writer and editor. Stay tuned.

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1144531396773333172006-04-08T14:19:00.000-07:002006-04-10T22:41:44.043-07:00

In graduate writing school they drummed into us, "I am an artist, I'm here to live out loud." But they didn't tell you how to deal with the discomfort of living out loud when certain people read your writing, which they may use against you, or just use. Today I cut most of my posts to a more comfortable level, and I may stop blogging personal information. I've kept a diary most of my life, and I

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1144514869871604002006-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:002006-04-08T09:47:54.666-07:00

A few people I'd rather not read this, started reading. One of them is my brother, who otherwise, rarely takes interest in me. I'm not sure why I care, but I don't like him reading, and I don't like a few other voyeur-types reading. So I'm re-evaluating what I share and my privacy needs. Whether blogging will be part of my future. What a pity, I'd planned a good post for today.

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143823362620202012006-03-31T08:42:00.000-08:002006-06-28T11:47:02.016-07:00

"Give it to me!"He yanked the blue and coral beads of my bracelet, dangling from my wrist. Aggressively."Stop!"He yanked harder."Stop!"He pulled and pulled.I resisted.Then, I grabbed his hand.We were not evenly matched.His fingers dug into my wrist!Risking dispersement of my bracelet on the floor, I yanked my wrist away, forcing him to let go."What were trying to do?" I asked.The red-headed thief

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143654219485254962006-03-29T09:42:00.000-08:002006-06-28T11:51:34.516-07:00

"I may get a face-lift," she looked around to make sure no one could hear her."Shhh! Don't tell!"She spoke to a platinum blonde running next to her on the gym's treadmill, just as my Sony CD Player's battery ran out. Damn! Bon Jovi skipped, "Have a nice day, day, day....""I don't want anyone to know, but I'm talking to Carolyn's surgeon, he's the best for neck jobs." She wiggled a tiny bit of

Donnanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143421128712794672006-03-28T21:40:00.000-08:002006-03-30T00:11:40.466-08:00

When Evelyn Duboff (a Canadian turned American writer) read her short stories in our PEN Fiction Writers Group, we listened, hearts hooked and engaged for wherever her images would lead us. Evelyn always provides touching, heart-felt, and sexy stories.So the other day, when I saw her play, FOOLS IN LOVE, at The Odyssey Theatre (one of L.A.'s best), I was pleasantly surprised to see the short

Donnanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143485919791699192006-03-27T11:00:00.000-08:002006-03-27T11:37:39.470-08:00

The sun shines, flowers bloom, but not everywhere. The world is in decline.There are many reasons for our decline, most of which trace back to overconsumption by first world societies, and the advent of the third-world societies catching up.According to Jared Diamond, author of the best-selling book, Collapse, "The decline of societies tend to follow swiftly on their peaks. The reason is simple:

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143303204991734302006-03-26T08:30:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:20:36.786-07:00

"L.A. is weird!" I blurted, disgusted by the fake people walking down smoggy boulevards, driving overprized Lamborginis, compensating for small ahems, as if they were really somebody, beyond some schmuck, and like I really cared.Oh, I hated what I saw when I first arrived in L.A.Yogurt shops on every traffic clogged artery. Self-absorbed wannabes concerned with only themselves, and making it,

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143354045383725842006-03-25T21:38:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:29:30.626-07:00

Okay, I gave notice at my apartment of seven years, and my gym of 10 years, where I have a lot of friends, even people I don't know who feel like my friends. We're part of an unspoken family, and more together than the typical American famiily dispersed in the diaspora. I'm thinking about how I'll miss my gym family, as I meander along San Vicente Boulevard toward Carol's home in Santa Monica,

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143310698230159652006-03-25T09:20:00.000-08:002006-06-23T20:58:12.206-07:00

--------------------Study Doubles Estimate of Smog Deaths --------------------USC researchers amass measurements of lethal particulate matter from hundreds of locations in the L.A. Basin. State may raise its official figures.By Janet WilsonTimes Staff WriterMarch 25 2006The number of deaths from breathing sooty smog in California may be more than twice as high as previously estimated, based on a

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143162814350570182006-03-23T17:52:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:30:08.700-07:00

I'm traveling on the tour bus. Our highschool stage band is headed for Reno. A multi-city jazz band contest, which we will hopefully win. I play the string bass. And have for years, starting in second grade. Yes, the upright kind. Heavy. Boys would help me carry it home to practice. Advantages. I'd turn the bass around on its axis. I'm in control. Spinning. Smiling. At high-school basketball

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143097843058785062006-03-22T22:52:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:30:45.360-07:00

In case I get nervous about leaving Los Angeles, my home for more than a decade, I will reread the following articles. You may too. Or you can skip the sad news to my posts below, which are more cheerful.State's Air Is Among Nation's Most ToxicOnly New York has a higher risk of cancer caused by airborne chemicals, the EPA says.By Marla Cone, Times Staff WriterMarch 22, 2006Despite two decades of

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1143040356090061062006-03-22T07:09:00.000-08:002006-06-23T20:59:13.856-07:00

Thank goodness my search for clean air has begun!Top of the news in L.A. this morning: People living in Los Angeles have fifteen times the national average for cancer risk on account of cars, diesel trucks, and factories putting toxins in the air. I'm out of here.

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1142925406881119682006-03-20T23:12:00.001-08:002006-07-07T12:46:17.966-07:00

Close-up on tiny puddle. "Westwood looks like wetwood!" Camera pans across dark puddle to the curb--three inches away. "Visitors to Southern California are wondering how to get a weather refund," the reporter says. Cut-away. Women walk on boulevard. Close-up on their heels. No splashing. No umbrellas. No sloshing. Ground is barely wet. No rain. No drizzle. No... Wait! Cameraman pans up and

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1142905939485983592006-03-20T17:36:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:31:24.026-07:00

To anyone who reads my posts, you know I'm seeking cleaner air in a healthier environment than smoggy Los Angeles. The first step on my journey begins in three weeks. I just bought my ticket and a friend is letting me stay in her guest house.First stop: Santa Fe.I may combine it with Taos, and maybe even parts of Texas like Austin. A lot of people speak highly of Austin.Maui and Oregon may make

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1142788193227291402006-03-19T09:09:00.000-08:002006-03-19T09:29:13.106-08:00

My grandma passed away two-and-a-half years ago. We were very close. My mother travels all the time. Each time her plane takes off, leaving a trail of fumes, poof!, she becomes a whimsical memory again.The men in my family, on the other hand, uncle. uncle. uncle. uncle. brother. father. nephew. nephew, are around. They're good people. Solid. And I'll go out on a limb. Fun.So how'd this happen?"

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1141490506184897762006-03-17T22:52:00.000-08:002006-03-24T01:23:51.656-08:00

"The most important quality I seek in a man?" I started, "It's presence. Someone who is present with me. Looks at me when we speak. Listens to me. Pays attention, and isn't distracted. That's the greatest turn-on."I sat on the blue chair in my home-office, the phone cradled between my ear and shoulder, listening to the man on the other end, who said he was interested in me, interested in courting

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1140465377117535002006-03-16T07:30:00.000-08:002006-03-18T11:01:28.980-08:00

Today I wondered if it was normal to grow black soot on my windowsills.My windows overlook Palm trees and colorful flowers, which means, if I don't look down, I have a great view. But how can I look beyond the soot, and deny that-- agh!-- I'm breathing it! I'm breathing what? In the distance are majestic mountains and the big white Hollywood sign. They're truly beautiful when you can see them.

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1141100239834264292006-03-12T11:45:00.000-08:002006-03-17T11:07:21.396-08:00

Walking to the ladies locker room, I passed my gym's cafe, where an elderly gentleman, with white hair framing a well-worn face, glasses sliding down a small nose, read a New York Times bestseller: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.I quote from Tolle:Notice how often your attention is in the past or future. Ask yourself: is there joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing? If not, then

Donnanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1142099293335629472006-03-11T09:42:00.000-08:002006-03-11T09:48:13.336-08:00

By chance, I caught the tail-end of a religious program. The preacher spoke of dreams, and sticking to your dreams, and not allowing friends or family to judge or squash your dreams. He said even Jesus's family tried to squash his dreams. Jesus wouldn't allow it. Then the preacher went on to tell me that he had a booklet called 7 Keys to Victorious Living, and I could purchase it for the love

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1142045138602239152006-03-08T20:27:00.000-08:002006-06-28T11:46:30.370-07:00

Today I spoke to last Saturday night's date, who told me he still wants to be friends, and what have you, because I'm a quality person, and what have you.When we discussed what what have you means, it turned out what have you means, I still have it.He offered a foot rub later this evening.And flowers delivered on Monday.Will I or will I not accept what have you?

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1141524217868757822006-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:002006-08-01T10:01:05.866-07:00

Wine, flowing wine. Is anything more luscious, delicious, and consistently fun?! Some things, maybe yes, others things, well, no, of course not.I finished a glass of chardonnay in the way others finish milk. 8 ounces.I'm a vegan. Therefore, I don't finish milk.I don't eat meat.I answer questions:Didn't cavemen eat meat and survive?Well, yes, I guess so. And if that's all there was to eat, I

Donnanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1141172993033432202006-03-03T16:30:00.000-08:002006-07-07T12:51:29.526-07:00

Is it normal to know that Iraq is on verge of civil war, its most sacred shrine desecrated, in the bloodiest week since the war began, hundreds of deaths, casualties on all sides, Bush's ratings are at an all time low, and top of the news in Los Angeles begins..."It's drizzling!" The perfectly coiffed TV anchor doesn't blink as she delivers the headlines. "So and so newscaster is standing nearby

Donnanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1141230663428087232006-03-01T10:05:00.000-08:002006-03-06T00:21:18.513-08:00

I'm on my elbows, butt elevated, toes anchored to my bedroom's carpet, as I peer beneath my bed. I hold my breath. The tension in the room is palpable. My neighbor is next to me, elevated in the same position. Should anyone have entered my bedroom, they'd have seen butts.We were looking for our mini Osama Bin Laden -- wanted dead or alive.With the recent rain, critters crawl, side-step, and

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1140894590664009322006-02-27T16:50:00.000-08:002006-06-28T11:49:31.133-07:00

Star Jones Reynold blew me away with her booksigning for Shine!And shine Star did!It was a dateless Friday night, 7 p.m. when I arrived at Border's Bookstore on Westwood Boulevard to return a book. And there at the return counter, was an overweight African American woman, wearing a purple suit, returning one book in order to buy another: Star Jones Reynold's book: Shine!Lucky for me, it turned

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1140727045030527352006-02-27T11:15:00.000-08:002006-03-17T10:41:46.906-08:00

Is it normal to use a friend to further one's creative endeavors? In Los Angeles, yes! Yes! YES! We feed off each other, providing needed inspiration and support.Today, my friend Lloyd drove me to his place in Hollywood, two blocks from Sunset Blvd. and The Comedy Store, in order to compose music.I'm his muse!My job is to sit quietly in the livingroom with my Dell Inspiron laptop, while he

Donnanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22738431.post-1140802243809402972006-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:002006-07-11T23:32:12.786-07:00

Chasing Normal is the theme of my novel, because chasing normal best describes the theme of my life. But I’d prefer to write Being Content.Can one chase after dreams, after ideas, after X, after Y and be content?I think not. What do you think?William Shakespeare had this to say about contentment.My crown is in my heart, not my head.Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones.Nor to be seen: My

Donnanoreply@blogger.com2