A Miracle on Christmas morning

On December 24 Grace woke up with the worst feeling of being sick...she didn't eat, and slept for most of the day. Stomach problems and a temperature of 101 by 6 pm. Our annual gift exchange and visit with Mina and the Polon/Ching household had to be very brief. My beautiful Christmas Eve dinner of dungeness crab, tamales, and potatoes au gratin was eaten by Betsy and me...Grace couldn't even sit at the table. She went to bed (again). Santa came. She woke up at 5 am on Christmas morning and wanted to eat: canteloupe and pineapple! She was completely revived and well, and the day began, just like it was supposed to.

Grace's sickness/return to health miracle was the second miracle of the holiday season. The first one involved our friend Hannah, who got an iPod for Hanukkah. She brought it over to our house as we went to Marta's Hanukkan party two Saturdays ago. She got home later that night and discovered that her ipod was gone...we all looked high and low, and according to Hannah, "it was the best Hanukkah, and now it is the worst." Late at night we came up with the idea of leaving a note on a couple of cars parked near our house. The next day our neighbors Eric and Lorena called my cell and said, "We have your ipod." Let me tell you, that was a wonderful day for all.

Grace and Luna begin the day with a hug.

Witness the look of joy upon getting her new laptop...now the two of them cannot be separated.

More joy getting plugged in. 2010 will be the year that the Hunt-Kassoff compound goes completely wireless and laptop...no more desktop computers.

Note: on the top right side of this blog is my list of links. I just put a new one up: Best Jazz Tunes of All Time. Check it out. What is it about lists?

Phern's photo show for the cusp of 2009/2010

There was a full moon on December 2, 2009, and there will be a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve, Dec 31, 2009.

Jane Lynch, of Glee and Julie & Julia, and the goddess, Meryl Streep.

I hope you all watched 'Glee', whose season has recently ended. Below is Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach, the ower-abusive, pure evil character that you love to watch. Glee will be back in the Spring.

Photo of two women from the 40s published early this year in the SF Chronicle.

Sign on top of Thrift Town, San Francisco.

Phern at age 17...senior high school photo.

"Tourist Trap" by Thoman Barbey.

Jane Fonda...then and now.

last exit before toll...

Meryl Streep is Magic: this month in Vanity Fair

Here is a taste of the article:

There is no life after 40 for women in Hollywood.

Au contraire!
"It's incredible--I'm 60, and I'm playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies!"

Cover Story Preview: Leslie Bennetts on Meryl Streep: Vanity Fair Vanity Fair

Betsy in New York Times

Married (Happily) With Issues - NYTimes.com

Go to page 9 of this article to find Betsy as the therapist to the author of this article. "Now, high above noisy Franklin Street, in the office of our therapist, Betsy Kassoff, our issues came pouring out."

Here is the funniest line: "Betsy, who had a touch as deft as Bill Clinton at a barbecue, just said, “Wow.”

Email her: BKassoff@aol.com