A Newspaper Delivery Bag is NOT a Doggie Doo-Doo Bag
We’re in HOA hot water again! As you may recall, we have incurred the wrath of our neighborhood Homeowners’ Association three times. First, the HOA rejected our bid to erect a neighborhood Little Library because people “don’t read.” Then, there was the foul Battle of the Port-a-Potty and, most recently, a multi-month flare-up over our solar panel installation. Well, they’re backkkkk! Yes, indeed, the HOA strikes again. Read more
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When a beloved children’s author unleashes a brutish antisemitic screed, his career is threatened. His publisher and wife scramble into damage control mode. Will the author back down? Will he apologize?
The play is based on true events. In 1983, prolific writer Roald Dahl, who was a giant in the publishing world and towered at 6-feet, 6-inches, reviewed a book about the siege of western Beirut by the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War. His review was widely regarded as antisemitic.
In the play, Dahl’s longtime British publisher descends on his home, along with a representative of his New York publisher, a Jewish American woman. They plead with him to issue a statement explaining, softening or retracting his remarks — anything to offset the damage to his career, the upcoming publication of his next book and his pending knighthood.
Written by Mark Rosenblatt, “Giant” premiered in 2024 at London’s Royal Court Theatre with John Lithgow starring as Dahl. It won three Laurence Olivier Awards, including best new play.
The show has a Bay Area Jewish connection: Aya Cash, who stars as the Jewish American visitor, was born and raised in San Francisco and graduated from the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.
Provocative at the best of times, “Giant” premiered during a terrible time: the Israel-Hamas war. When my husband and I saw the play in London last June, Israel and the U.S. had also just bombed the Iranian regime, including its nuclear facilities. So the issue of military action was more than timely, as was (and is) the problem of antisemitism.
For me, the most moving moments were the onstage debates about Jews loving Israel even if they disagree with specific actions taken by the government.
I won’t give away the play’s resolution, though it’s easy enough to find out on your own. Suffice it to say, Dahl was no angel.
The play is disturbing. Both my husband and I got little sleep that night. Few productions I’ve seen have so deeply affected me. To sit there and have hate spewed forth felt so personal, frightening and immediate.
“Giant” challenges viewers to think not only about antisemitism and the State of Israel, but also how we regard flawed cultural and political heroes. Can we admire their work while acknowledging their moral failings?
Great art, music and literature is sometimes created by people whose personal behavior is morally complex or problematic. Do we stop reading and watching Dahl’s classics — “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda” or “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) — with our children or grandchildren? Likewise, should we dismiss Picasso’s paintings because of his mistreatment of women? Do we avoid works by authors like Virginia Woolf, whose writings contained antisemitic bias? And what about the artwork of Caravaggio, who committed murder?
I don’t know the answers, but “Giant” raises the right questions. I absolutely recommend you see the play when it opens in New York City in March, but be prepared to squirm and think.
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pin-up-girl-retro-vintage-swimsuit-preview-2.jpg399325Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2026-01-07 08:57:282026-01-07 08:55:35My Days as a Swimsuit Model are Over!
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Plain-MMs-Pile-2.jpg341450Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-07-23 07:52:242025-07-23 09:48:35Save the M&M’s! Don’t Make America Healthy!
I, an Imperfect Person, Have Something to Say about the Word "Perfect:
Older people are a jaded lot. We complain about the state of the world. We complain about our children, and we complain about our health. Not young people. They — judging by their conversations — live in a perfect world. Read more
I’m still decompressing from our 18-day trip to Spain and London, but I wanted to provide this brief trip report of mosques, museums, and some general impressions.
I don’t know why this trip took so much out of me, but it did. The laundry’s done. I’m mostly over jet lag, and the houseplants have forgiven me for abandoning them. All but one survived, and the rest have revived. So, why haven’t I?
How I feel on post-trip laundry day!
I’m still lagging and dragging. Still have swollen feet. And I’m still wishing for room service and somebody to make my bed every morning. Most of all, I’m still yearning to go to the theater every night as I did in London.
Oh, well. Back to reality!
Trip Report
The vacation was lovely, but a lot. Spain was hotter than Hades, and the tourist crowds swarmed like salmon going upstream. (Yes, I know. I was one of the pack.)
When I was little, world travel was something for the rich, the elite. Except for a few Caribbean casino-based trips, fueled by my gambling father’s gambling bug, my parents never traveled abroad. When my mother’s swanky Park Avenue friends bragged about trips to Paris or Rome, she pointed proudly to my siblings’ and my college and graduate school diplomas, all extravagantly framed on the walls.
Today, travel and tourism are for the masses. The result: Overtourism is a problem, and multiple international destinations are pushing back.
The Rain in Spain was … Squirt Guns!
In Barcelona, citizens recently marched with squirt guns. In Genoa, angry activists rolled suitcases along the streets and blocked tour buses. And in jam-packed Venice, officials now charge the hordes of day trippers a 5- or 10-euro daily fee.
Still, for all the congestion, the historic sights and sites remain irresistible.
We spent the bulk of our time in southern Spain. There we learned about the history of the Iberian Peninsula and the Muslim conquest in the 8th Century, which lasted until the Catholics conquered the region centuries later. One symbol of that transition of power and religion is the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, once a mosque for thousands, now a working cathedral and historic site.
The demand to see this and other attractions is so enormous that authorities limit the number of tickets. To enter, you must show your passport. This is not a security measure, but is designed to prevent ticket scams and prove that you are the true ticket purchaser.
Modern Day Conquistadors
Yes, ironically, we noisy tourists are the modern-day invaders, bearing not weapons but sunscreen, fanny packs, and trash.
As a result of our invasion, housing costs for locals have skyrocketed. Foreigners have taken over rentals. Police and health care costs have increased. Yes, we’re good for countries’ bottom line, but we’re bad for it, too.
Trip Report Blues
Meanwhile, for me, touring hit a couple of bittersweet notes.
First, the heat zapped me big time! Now, remember, I grew up in Las Vegas. I know hot weather. Yet, I was huffing and puffing like nobody’s business. I was red-faced and exhausted. Am I simply no longer “used” to hot weather, or, shudders, am I old? I fear the latter! It’s a disturbing thought.
Second, I had a ridiculous amount of trouble walking/hiking around. I have a bad back. That’s not news, but we had a lot of stairs to climb, and midday each day, I struggled. Moved slowly. In pain. Stopping frequently. Is my back worse? Or again, am I O.L.D.?
Finally, as we toured beautiful new sights, I felt waves of nostalgia “in advance.” I kept thinking, “Would I see these lovely places again?”
What a ridiculous reaction! I should have been thrilled at the sight of stunning architecture and art. I should have felt joy. Gratitude. Intellectual stimulation. And yes, I did have those feelings, but still, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of sadness. Silly, but true.
London sign.
Home on the Reno Range, but Ready to Roam
Meanwhile, for all the aches and tiredness, trip organizer extraordinaire Handsome Hubby and I are already planning our next adventure. We weren’t even unpacked when my sweetie made me a lovely offer: How would I like to take a month, live in some exotic setting, and use it as a base for a series of mini-exotic side trips? It sounds great EXCEPT I hope we won’t get squirted with water pistols or be met with roller-bag protestors!
🏴 🛂 🇪🇸
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With apologies to Ponce de Leon and plastic surgeons, I have discovered the real Fountain of Youth. It’s spending time with young people.
I made this fortuitous discovery just the other day as I peered into the glowing, unlined face of a student I was working with. Actually, two things hit me. The first was that I was 50 years her senior! Five-zero. Half a century. Yikes! Read more
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They Come in All Shapes and Sizes and for all Reasons
Lucky me! I met a rock star this week. No. Not Taylor Swift. Not Ringo Starr. Not anyone you’d know by name. You won’t recognize her face. She doesn’t even sing or play with a band. But still, unquestionably, the woman is a rock star. Read more
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Slim Jims, Cannibis College Courses, and Handsome Hubby
I’ve got a lot on my mind! Fortunately, none of it is serious or consequential. More random and scattered … like pollen … without the sneezing or itchy eyes! It’s a grab bag of assorted silly tidbits. I’m ready to share. Here goes … Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pexels-photo-7525037-copy-scaled.jpeg17032560Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-04-23 08:01:112025-04-22 14:17:02A Spring Grab Bag of Silly Tidbits
