He is Risible, Indeed

Just in case your Easter isn't shaping up to be oleaginous enough, darlings, herewith a treasurable moment in vintage television.

Friday Frolic, Poolside Edition

Even in these trying times, can it be anything other than a good thing to head into the weekend with a little eye candy?

A Quicker Picker-Upper

When you've been feeling gloomy - crummy, even - sometimes all you need is a little shot of pure adrenaline. Enter Miss Ann Miller, stage right.

Look, Ma - I'm an Artist!

Except I don't think I'm, as the saying goes, an Early Adopter when it comes to feeling crummy. Increasingly, in fact, I think we live in a pretty crummy era.

Beware the Ides

In brighter news than the below, today is Marjorie Merriweather Post's birthday; 

here's the foyer of her modest little home, Hillwood, on my last visit. You know 

it's kind of an iffy day when thinking about Marie Antoinette cheers you up...

This is a peculiar time in Our Nation's Capital, unsettled and tetchy. The weather, after a long stretch of late June last week, turned dank and lowsome, and the trains, as you might have read, have been misbehaving. And, as you may also have noted, the politics aren't helping.

Strictly Grade B

Yup, she's dead. I've been wracking my brains trying to remember something I'd read about the woman that resonated, that really explained the truth about her particular kind of pinchbeck allure. I'm ashamed to admit that it took until this afternoon to remember that it was, predictably enough, from the writings of the marvelous Mr. Leo Lerman.

Birthday Girl: Shine On

The planet spins, and the world goes 'round - and suddenly, Miss Minnelli is 70. Happy birthday, Liza May.

Trip Report: Old Familiar Faces

We're home. The dogs, relieved and more than a little vengeful, have been fetched from their pricey hostelry, I've been back to the office, and today I'm taking advantage of a post-flight sore throat to stay home and try to get rested and organized.*

Evening in One City, Morning in Another

On our last evening in Cairo, we went downtown.