I received this graphic novel as a belated birthday gift from a college friend of mine, Mike Rosen, who happens to be the editor of the book. It tells the story of a group of Oregonians (Mike included) who embarked on a 10-day trip to the Gulf Coast, to assess the environmental and sociological impact of the BP oil spill…
After spending my entire adult working life immersed in the sciences (I’m a veterinarian), I now find myself pursuing the arts in retirement. I’ve always had an appreciation for photography. In fact, a few years ago, after purchasing a Sony DSLR camera, I took a class on digital photography at PhotoManhattan here in New York City. My instructor, Stephanie, was…
This book first came out in 1988. A revised second edition was published in 2003, and this third edition was updated in 2015. Peterson’s photography books are very popular, and after reading this one, I understand why. He has a very down-to-earth style, and he supports his lessons and recommendations with many excellent photographic examples. I still consider myself a…
JOIN CFA EVERY WEDNESDAY ONLINE FOR MEOWY HOUR AT 6PM EDT/3PM PDT JULY 29, 2020Dr. Arnold Plotnick Shares His Tales About Cats Around the World 𝐓𝐎 𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐍, 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82809871152Or, watch live here on Facebook. <- This is also where all the shows are saved, so you can watch the recorded show any time. 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠Arden Moore, Casey the Pet Safety…
I read a lot of these rock and roll books, the ones that focus on one particular year or era. I tend to like the ones that evaluate the music within the context of the culture at the time. This book doesn’t do that as well as others that I’ve read, and when it does, I couldn’t relate as much…
In an issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery there was a pretty interesting article about the effect of various genres of music on a few parameters of feline anesthesia. Being a big music fan myself, I was intrigued. The aim of the study was to determine if cats were able to process auditory stimuli even though they…
Alan Hollinghurst likes to come out with novels every 7 or 8 years. His previous one, The Stranger’s Child, was excellent, so I was excited about this new one. (It’s not very new, actually. It came out in 2017. I’m just getting around to it now.) The story is broken into five parts, in chronological order, all several years apart,…
I’ve been a fan of Woody Allen’s films, books, plays, and stand-up comedy for years. He’s led an interesting life, and I was looking forward to reading his book. Then it was announced that his publisher was pulling out of publishing it, bowing to pressure from the #MeToo movement and others, like Ronan Farrow. I’m a rebellious person by nature,…
Three years ago, I made the decision to retire from clinical veterinary practice. I slowly let most of my regular clients know that I was retiring, and a few of them gave me little gifts, which was very kind of them. One client, Amy Cohen, gave me a book: Robert Frank’s “The Americans”, a book of black-and-white photographs. She knew…
Manson’s first book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, was a huge seller that everyone was talking about, so I jumped on the bandwagon and read it. The sentences in the book made great sense when I read them, and I do remember enjoying reading it, but I retained absolutely nothing afterward. Earlier this year, I saw a…
Here in New York City, it seems as if everyone hails from somewhere else. In my social circle, native New Yorkers are a rare breed, but I’m proud to say that I’m the real thing. A Brooklynite, born and raised. I entered the world at Caledonian Hospital, in 1960. (Caledonian Hospital closed in 2003. It’s now a bunch of luxury…
I’m a big fan of Banana Yoshimoto. Her first book, Kitchen, is on my top ten all-time favorite books. This book, from 2002, has been out of print and is difficult to find, but I managed to find a copy on eBay, a special edition in both Japanese and English, with photographs and drawings by an artist, Yoshitomo Nara. …