From its earliest days our fair city of Benicia has been overlooked. One might think that the city, in its amorphasized state, might be angry, embarrassed, paranoid and/or at the least perplexed. Benicia was considered to be the city on the bay because of its great harbor. San Francisco, however, was chosen. Benicia was once […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: What impact does reality TV have on the over 70 crowd?
Somehow, I got caught up in the drama of “The Bachelorette” with JoJo and Jordan several weeks ago. There was no way that I could detach myself from the final choice on Aug. 1, 2016. It was because of the impossibility of any relationship being substantial after so much press, universal scrutiny and absurdity that […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: When it comes to technology, resistance is futile
How can you maintain your resistance to new technology? It is time for me to reveal the truth. I proudly resisted moving along on the technology bandwagon. Perfectly happy I was, with my HP PC and my flip top phone. I spent many years clicking away with my text alphabet: Two taps for B, three […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Not being anyone’s top priority
In The Marriage Crunch published in the US magazine Newsweek in 1986, it was reported that a single 40 year old woman was more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to get married. This pronouncement didn’t sound hopeful then and it was inaccurate because the US census in 1996 showed 40.8 percent of […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Where did all those school bond dollars go?
Where did all those school bonds go? I have been chair of the Benicia Unified School District Bond Oversight Committee since its first meeting on Dec. 9, 2014. In that time the school district has spent $6,229,499.42 and has a balance of $13,905,853.48 of the original $20,000,000 issued. The school district is ready to release […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Brain training
(Note: This article was written by guest columnist Christina Arrostudo) I used to start just about every day at my PC, playing Solitaire by random shuffle, until I either won a game or had to give up._ After hundreds of tries, with a win rate of 13 percent, my goal came to be to reach […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Traveling at a late age
What is the truth about traveling when you are older? The truth about traveling after 75 showed up on the photograph taken by the scanner at customs in San Francisco. After 12 hours on a wonderful flight on Lufthansa air, where all your needs are met cheerfully, the seats are wide enough and there is […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: The search for authenticity
How might our search for authenticity manifest itself? So many articles about The Don, Trump, Donald Trump….We know he is crass, bigoted, brash, nasty, bold, unrestrained, uninhibited and shocking. Yet so many Americans are drawn to the fact that he is real. Did reality TV get us ready for the underbelly of our personality […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Italian opera inspiration
How is it that many operas originate with Italian composers? While on my tour of Italy, the opera muse grabbed hold of me. While humming my favorite arias of Puccini from “Madame Butterfly” and “Tournadot,” I became inspired. Using the rich personages from my Trafalgar tour of Italy, I began to imagine my first (and […]
Mrs. B’s Blather: Why are there movies and TV about the over-70 women?
It has finally happened. Jane Fonda is officially over 70 and appearing in the Netflix streaming series “Grace and Frankie.”_ Along with Lily Tomlin, the two women have a story to tell._ With Lily playing Frankie as a very funny new age woman equipped with multiple strategies for dealing with life’s absurdities, difficulties and worries._ […]