Writings by Diane

Ah, Christmastime! My family has many traditions during Christmas. When our son was born, we were excited to add a new one--taking a picture with Santa Claus. We waited until he was 5 years old for his first photo with jolly old St Nick. We wanted him to be aware what was going on. We had seen too many babies bursting into tears as their mothers handed them off to a large, bearded stranger dressed in red. The Christmas our son turned 5, we dashed down to the Boulevard Mall in Las Vegas after picking him up from kindergarten. We stood in the long line with all of the other parents and children. As we edged closer to the front of the line, my husband removed our son's jacket. To his horror, our son's shirt was stained from top to bottom. Obviously, he enjoyed his lunch so much he decided to wear half of it. "Can you believe this?" my husband lamented. "Yes," I said with a deadpan look. "He's five, that's what five year old's do. They are ...

It never ceases to amaze me how perspective can change everything. A few days ago, I was playing Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe video game with my teenage son. Full disclosure—every once in a while I like to play this game and keep the fictitious land of Metropolis safe.  (this time around, I picked the DC side) Also, it’s a healthy way to take out aggression and let loose pummeling the imaginary opponents. However, I can totally see how these fighting games can lead to aggravation. Unfortunately, a person can lose sight to why he/she was playing these games in the first place. I was midst in the final boss fight. As my character of Superman was defeated yet again by Dark Khan, I let out an amused chortle. My son, who takes his video games very seriously, asked me how I can laugh when I lose. I immediately answered because back in my time, we didn't have the luxury of being able to save our video games progress on a console. We had to keep feeding a video game machine quarters...

A few weeks ago, I finished We Were the Mulvaneys and I really didn't want to see it end.  As I drew near the last pages, I purposefully slowed down my reading of the printed words. I wanted to savor the last morsels before turning the very last page. There was a Lifetime movie made of Ms Oates' work, However, I'm upset that the movie version of the mother Corinne doesn't have flaming red long hair. I'm not the only reader to question the casting of a main character. The fans of Fifty Shades of Grey were so vocal in their discontent of the announcement of Charlie Hunnam was going to portray the lead character Mr Grey, they started a petition to recast the role.   Why do readers become so enraged when a character from a book doesn't make the seamless transition to screen? Why should it matter so much? For me, when I thoroughly enjoy a book, the characters take on a life of their own. The personifications on screen should feel authentic. I remember a classmat...

A few days ago, as I was walking through a pharmacy, I became keenly aware of the section named digestive health. I stopped and stood in front of the rows and rows of the different forms of antacids. From liquid to capsules to fast acting tablets, I found it amazing that there is a whole section dedicated to easing sore stomachs.  I remembered a commercial for an antacid that showed food, such as pizza and chicken wings, beating up people trying to eat. After seeing this commercial and these products, it started making me wonder: when did it become acceptable that it was painful to feed ourselves? For the most part, I avoid spicy foods. If a menu item has a flame symbol next to the entree, it's a sure bet they won't make any sale from me. However, every once in a while, my curiosity is piqued and I take a small sample of the latest hot flavor. Unfortunately, the results are usually not in my favor. For instance, when I tried a small habanero chip, I truly believed my mouth wa...

A few days ago, I saw a news report on Amtrak Residency program for writers . I must admit, this program was interesting--being able to ride on a long distance train where all my attention would be on my writing. The story also reminded me of biographical movies where famous, established writers go off on writing vacations. In the movie Hitchcock , his wife, played by Helen Mirren , drove off to a house in Malibu to collaborate on her own movie. In Capote , he jetted off for a year to Morocco and Spain to write the first three chapters of his famous book In Cold Blood. Unfortunately, these excursions are out of my reach for now. On the other hand, all of these destinations would be very distracting to me. My writing would probably take a back seat, as I would find myself looking out the train window constantly, staring at the ocean in Malibu or playing tourist in Morocco and Spain. Even when I was at a coffee shop with my laptop, I became entranced with an interview of a Realtor at...

I have found myself being more conscious of food lately. I am becoming more aware of how I feel after eating: do I feel nourished or just full? I have always thought I ate fairly healthy, but have found there is always room for improvement.  It all started with instant potatoes. They used to be a quick, go-to side at dinnertime. Then, one day as I was washing dishes after supper, there were bits of instant potatoes left on a plate.  As the hot water washed over these potatoes, they turned into a thin liquid almost instantaneously. After witnessing this transformation, I began to question why do I eat these in the first place?  I thought it was for the convenience--the name says it all. It's much easier to tear open a packet and add water than peeling and mashing real potatoes. I couldn't shake the sickening image of the instant potatoes turning this watery slime  running down the drain. My mind was littered with questions: What was it doing in my digestive track? ...

From the moment I heard the song " Where is the Love ?", it became my instant favorite. I was immediately drawn to the different styles of singing--Robert Flack's  smokey vocals paired well with Donny Hathaway's smooth baritone. Throughout the years, I have never grown tired of this song. The singers' voices had a bouncy and cascading quality to them. The instruments play effortlessly in perfect time with a steady, airy beat. I often wondered why this particular song changes my demeanor--I cannot be in a bad mood whenever I hear it! Though the song is about a love triangle, an entirely different association is in my mind. A childhood memory is conjured up: when I was a little girl, we would go to a grocery store when we lived in California. After the shopping was done, we would walk to the side of the building. There was a wind tunnel that was created by the way the neighboring building was positioned. As I put this song as the soundtrack to this memory, it fit...