So I attended a sort of “séance” last night that blew me away. It was pretty intense and there were quite a bit of things that went on that were kind of unsettling. It was not the weird, we-are-all-in-the-dark-and-the-table-levitates kind of séance, it was more of an updated version, where the medium is facing the gallery and delivers messages from heaven. I am kind of a skeptic but I have to admit, the guy was pretty good. So listen in on Monday night at 10:00 and hear us discuss this very u... Read Full Story

With the release of the movie “Where the Wild Things Are” I can’t help but think of the book “Why the Wild Things Are”, a book by Gail Melson that discusses just why a relationship with animals is such an important part of the lives of children. Children learn to be compassionate with animals, they learn to be sympathetic and nurturing, but only in the right environment. Children should be encouraged to love the wild things as much as we ask them to love companion animals, or even oursel... Read Full Story

Michael Jackson, by Michelle RiveraI have always loved Michael Jackson. His music meant the world to me.As a battered wife living overseas, I was miserable, and it was Michael Jackson’s music that helped me survive that awful time. I danced wildly and with abandon to his music every day resulting in a weight loss of 80 pounds. I used to think, “I wonder if that little black kid from Gary Indiana knows that there is a terribly unhappy military housewife living far from home and family who is ... Read Full Story

Alien By Michelle A. Rivera I am an alien An outsider in an unfamiliar world But I am not alone And sometimes We find one another And when we meet Oh, such Joy Such symmetry “Are we the only ones?” we ask But no, there are many more They’re everywhere, really Some still waiting for enlightenment, revelation, certitude Arriving not as a thunderclap But incessant and soft, A purr And there will be one more In the world Until soon ... Read Full Story

So my friend Mary Jane and I are going to open a new chapter in our lives. For months, years, really, we have been discussing running away to New York City to become writers and actors. I want to live and work in Manhattan as a writer or editor and she wants to live and work in Manhattan as an actor and we dream about it all the time. But the closest we are getting to this dream is a radio gig. It’s going to be fun, really. It’s a comedy show about women and for women and of course by ... Read Full Story

It’s my belief that we’re all crazy—Trudy, the bag lady Still crazy after all these years-Paul Simon If we weren’t all crazy we would go insane—Jimmy Buffet I think it’s safe to say that we’re crazy. And I don’t mean in that nutsy, fruity, flaky kind of way. I mean we’re crazy in that dangerous, weirdo, Glady’s grab the gun and hide the cats kind of way. We’re crazy in ways that have not even been discovered yet. They haven’t come up with a name or a diagnosis for the kind of crazy we are. ... Read Full Story

I am in my backyard and I notice that the squirrels are waiting for me to leave. I will leave, eventually, but not before I am absolutely sure that they have everything that they need. I toss some peanuts, raw, unsalted, that I purchased at the grocery store. When I bought the bag, the cashier asked me if I was buying them to eat, to cook with, or for squirrels. I told her that they were for the squirrels who live in my backyard. She grinned, and said, “I ask everyone that and I have to say... Read Full Story

The job was both a blessing and a curse. At once, I was fortunate that I was able to work in an environment where I could help animals; yet unfortunate enough to be faced with the day to day consequences of humanity’s inhumanity towards our best friends, dogs and cats. I was getting paid to go into schools and teach children about animals. It was important work and certainly work I would be more than happy to do whether I was getting paid or not. Then again, I had to report each day to a s... Read Full Story

Meanwhile, back at the writing exercizes, today's challenge is 'You Picked Up A Hitchhiker" so here goes:I was driving to the beach the other day when I came upon the most distressing sight. The cars in front of me slowed down, but didn't stop. Some of them swerved to avoid the nuisance, some honked, and some just stepped a little harder on the gas pedal and just sailed on by. But of course, I couldn't do any of those things. I had to stop.It has long been my unhappy faculty in life to be The... Read Full Story

The television was on low in the background this morning as I sipped my coffee and pored over Ric O’Barry’s To Free A Dolphin in an effort to extrapolate some information for a new project on which I am working. It may have been divine providence that I was multi-tasking in this way when I saw the “Breaking News” from Jupiter on the TV and reached for the remote to turn up the sound. The video was obviously being shot from a helicopter and it was transmitting a picture of a small whale who ha... Read Full Story