after all these years

 We saw M. Butterfly years ago and of course it no longer shocks. We have come a long way with gender fluidity and self-identification in our culture. This play was written in 1988, and we loved it then. To see it again yesterday was quite wonderful because of the acting, costumes and beautiful staging. And also we still don't quite understand China and The East and maybe we never will? SF Playhouse deserves a ton of appreciation for putting on this lovely drama. As I recall, B.D. Wong played the Butterfly decades ago. Yesterday it was the gorgeous and very talented Edric Young who studied at Stanford University.

let us celebrate

 March 8th is International Women's Day. I will wear this pin to the theater as I try to catch up with the time change today. Nice to sleep in this morning before fixing the clocks.

back in the Grove

 Pat spoiled me yesterday with coffee and snacks in her "backyard". Such a glorious day with gentle sun and no wind. We talked and talked and I came home refreshed and ready to take on the world. Friends do that for us, don't they?

your tech report

 The Blogmaid gifted me with this wonderful Apple watch maybe three or four years ago? It is a workhorse and I wear it every day. In the dental chair the other day I was fiddling with it and man, it can do way more than I knew. (As usual with all my devices.) Recently a green light has appeared on the back and this morning I asked Co-Pilot what was going on. Her/his reply:

The green light on the back of your Apple Watch is part of its heart‑rate sensor—it uses green LEDs to measure your pulse through a method called photoplethysmography. These lights turn on automatically whenever your watch is checking your heart rate, whether during workouts, background readings, or certain health features.

life in Israel now

 You already know that I hate everything about this war. Trump and Hegseth are such liars and so unconcerned about the loss of human life. I was relieved to hear from my friend Joseph Zitt who now lives in Israel He is a great writer and a very special human being.

Sunday, March 1, 12:11 AM

Update: I'm back upstairs in my apartment after yet another alarm, some sixteen hours later. We've had about twenty. I lost count when, somewhere around number seventeen, we had several in such close succession that I wasn't sure whether to count them as one or more.

The next to last one had the biggest booms that I've heard during the wars so far. A building in Tel Aviv took a direct hit. Media are showing an utterly destroyed building burning. Of course, they aren't saying exactly where it was.

I headed down the stairs to the shelter from my third-floor apartment the first few times, until my knees informed me that they weren't in a mood to do that again. I've been taking the elevator since then.

People in the shelters are tired, but in a generally upbeat mood. We've all been through this before, enough times that we can get down there quickly.

The shelter also serves the neighborhood. There are several new dogs coming in with their families. Each growls when others enter. One young girl repeatedly swings a sort of mermaid Barbie doll around by its hair, lets it fly in an unpredictable direction, then crawls across the floor to retrieve it. Her brother slithers between the legs of chairs as if going through a tunnel.

We've been ordered to stay in the shelters each time until we hear the All Clear announcements. Those rarely happen. People gradually wander out. Most, but not all, of the time, we have time to get back to our apartments before the next alarm sounds.

It's just past midnight now. I hope to get some sleep tonight, but I'll be ready to head downstairs again if needed.

—

Monday, March 2, 12:01 AM

The sirens continue, just about once every two hours, between 8 PM and 2 PM. Residents and neighbors tromp down to the shelter each time. While, in theory, anyone can sit anywhere, people keep landing in the same seats. I choose a white chair directly across from the entrance.

At around 11 PM, I hear the biggest booms ever. Later, I hear that an apartment block in Tel Aviv was hit.

one lovely movie

 Sentimental Value was on my Oscar must-see list and yesterday I rented it on Prime for a very rewarding afternoon with popcorn and complete absorption. I do recommend this film featuring Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Rinse ~ it's in Norwegian, Swedish and English, but with subtitles it is easy to follow. I loved the story line and and sister dynamics. Sweet.

out! at night!

 I met John and Mary (of Ashland fame) down on The Embarcadero for a lively presentation at The Commonwealth Club featuring Dan Hoyle, a local performer and story teller. Then dinner at Perry's and lots of good catch-up conversation. They took the ferry to/fro Oakland and we admired the Bay Bridge which is being re-lit this month. So beautiful! One forgets how nice it is to be out after dark...