Just before this academic year began, famed novelist and preacher Frederick Buechner died in his sleep while at his farm in Rupert, VT.

I am a self-proclaimed "Buchnerd," one of the legion of admirers who marvel at his piercing insight. A Presbyterian minister by training. Buechner was the "everyday man's" theologian - plainly and poignantly making sense of life's most perplexing questions.

As we take our first nascent steps into this new year, perhaps we can learn from Buechner's example. More introspection. More gratitude. Breathe in the unknown....

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is." - Frederick Buechner

With the arrival of Commencement this morning, the revolving door of enrollment takes one final click.

The seniors move on. Some with jubilation. Some with nostalgia. Some, no doubt, with sadness and regret. A new class of entrants has already been selected. They wait patiently for our whirring carousal to make its pirouette, spinning the open wedge of new challenges and opportunities closer and closer to their own eager feet.

The only thing the revolving door can't do is stop. Just like Commencement, both a beginning and an end...

"Whoever said nothing was impossible never tried slamming a revolving door."

For thirty years (1969-99), LA's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hosted the Academy Awards.

Ducking your head inside, its sleek light-colored wood and swooping curves hint at its early 1960's construction. Massive chandeliers dangle from the ceiling. An olive-green carpet runs up the center staircase. Its 3,197 seats are covered in plush red velvet.

These days the DCP is home to the LA Opera. Verdi's classic "Aida" is currently on the marquee; a story of love, deception, and revenge. You would think, after watching the 3-hour performance last night, I would have had enough. Not so. This morning I woke up thinking about it. Opera has somehow found its way into my heart...

"It is essential to do everything possible to attract young people to the opera so they can see it is not some antiquated art form but a repository of the most glorious music and drama man has ever created." – Bruce Beresford

Yesterday, during a lengthy chat with one of my students, I was told about something called "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows."

This New York Times bestseller is an odd collection of words gathered under six headings; worldview and desire, selfhood and identity, relationships and intimacy, society and alienation, time and memory, and finally, uncertainty and chaos. Even the table of contents left me feeling dizzy. Which is how I came to choose the following word for today's byte:

etterath

n. the feeling of emptiness after a long and arduous process is finally complete -- having finished school, recovered from surgery, or gone home at the end of your wedding -- leaving you feeling relieved it's over but missing the stress that organized your life's mission.

With Commencement just around the corner, it's no wonder this definition struck a chord with me. That's the thing about endings. Always bittersweet........

"Life is our dictionary." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

In 2022, Bazooka Bubble Gum will mark its 75th anniversary.

This commemoration will include a multi-faceted trip down memory lane for fans of Bazooka Joe and the gang. The brand will bring back vestiges of its prior packaging, a set of original comics, even the return of flavor favorite GRAPE!

When summer rolls around, a short documentary film will be released about the iconic brand. Look for a brief cameo by yours truly. That's right. When it comes to Bazooka, there is no bigger fan.

"Bubble gum connotes three essential things: flavor, repetition, and cheap entertainment." - Brett Emilio

Every time I start to feel grouchy about daylight savings time, I think of the cadre of timekeepers who perform the Herculean task of adjusting clock hands bigger than my kitchen.

Spring forward? Ok. Fall back. Absolutely. But rappel off a sheer face by a single rope, just to wrestle the hands back into position so folks like me can glance skyward to double-check the time? Above and beyond.

So whether sunrise comes earlier or sunset falls later, Daylight Savings Time is officially okay by me.

"I don't mind going back to daylight savings time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I've saved all year." - Victor Borge

I think I might be the only person in the state of California who doesn't like avocado.

Give me lemons until my mouth puckers. Shower me with grapefruit, oranges plucked straight from the tree, and of course the ubiquitous grape. But avocado? I think I'll pass.

Something about the texture is a bit too mushy for my palate. The verdant exterior looks a bit prehistoric somehow. I know it has antioxidants. I know it sports more potassium than bananas. And it's a hometown favorite for sure. California is responsible for 90% of the avocado crop grown here in the United States.

And yet, meh. More guacamole for everyone else?

"You can't judge an avocado until you guac-a-mile in its shoes."– Anonymous (for obvious reasons....)

With the recent turn of the calendar's page, we have officially entered Women's History Month.

The roots of this observance harken back to March of 1857, when groups of women came together to protest poor working conditions within NYC factories. Codified by Congress in 1987, Women's History Month has now been part of our cultural landscape and lexicon for decades.

Of the many challenges women face, living authentically and transparently rank high on the list. What's even more difficult? The opposite ...

"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it." – Brene Brown

As I opened my eyes to a new day, my heart remains mired in the sorrow and anguish of the past 48 hours. Thousands of miles away, the landscape of the Ukraine is awash in death and destruction. The seemingly endless cycle of violence continues.

The Ukraine is the latest but not the only ground on which a war is being waged. Indeed the harm we are capable of inflicting on one another can feel both unfathomable and unstoppable.

Despite the improbable odds, strive for peace. Our very existence depends on it.

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi

A few weeks ago, I watched CNN's four-part series on Marilyn Monroe. I already knew many of the story lines; the blonde bombshell, the movie star, the affairs, marriages and divorces, and of course, the tragic and solitary death inside her Brentwood bungalow.

I also learned of nuances and complexities I had not known previously; her business savvy, her unrelenting determination, and her unusual career path both inside and outside the Hollywood studio system.

Marilyn was a fascinating composite. Both fragile and steely, vulnerable and fearless. On the cusp of Valentine's Day, her life is a reminder of just how powerful the craving for love can be.

"I am trying to find myself. Sometimes, that's not easy." – Marilyn Monroe

On June 11, 1965 Pauley Pavilion opened its doors, just in time to host that year's graduation ceremonies.

UCLA's storied venue has seen its fair share of history, acting as the backdrop for visits by presidents, celebrities, and Nobel laureates, as well as providing space for concerts, dances, and the more than 100 national championships won by the Bruins men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball teams.

Perhaps its most famous resident is John Wooden, aka "the Wizard of Westwood," who during his 27 seasons of coaching the UCLA men's basketball team produced 10 national titles. Now tucked inside the main entrance of the Pavillon is an exhibit that heralds Wooden's achievements, including a list of many of his inspirational quotes, words applicable to both athletes and non-athletes alike.

"Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. Don't whine. Don't complain, Don't make excuses." – John Wooden

Yesterday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Many years ago, I was able to visit the haunted emptiness of a former concentration camp just outside of Munich. Although many of the structures and apparatus of the camp had been removed, there remained a stark and biting terror in the air. The pain absorbed by that land felt like it had altered it somehow. It chilled me to the bone.

Perhaps most frightening is my lingering suspicion that we are not so very far removed from this atrocity. Our capacity, as a species, for hatred and cruelty is not to be underestimated.

Never forget. Never again.

"In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit." – Anne Frank

My friends living in the northern reaches of the country are currently enduring a torrent of wild and wintry weather. Snow. Sleet. Wind. You name it. If it's unpleasant, they've got it.

Here in Los Angeles, I carve out 15 minutes every afternoon to sit in the sun. During this sliver of time, I feel the heat warm my chest and tinge my cheeks with color. It is a decadent indulgence, one I am sheepish to admit but secretly relieved to have. After decades of shoveling snow, cutting grass, and trimming bushes, I have become an ardent fan of the desert landscape.

For this girl, cactus is the new black...

"Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration." – Lou Erickson

Tomorrow I'm heading to Pasadena to give out bib numbers to runners competing in the upcoming Rose Bowl Half Marathon. Although not a runner myself, I have long had a love affair with this grueling endeavor. Having been raised in the shadow of Boston's famed "Heartbreak Hill," marathons are in my blood.

26.2 miles. Two sneakers. And a whole lot of heart. That's what marathons require. While the elite competitors race for time, most race against the distance itself. Running, walking, even crawling if that will bring that elusive finish line one inch closer.

"Marathoning. The triumph of desire over reason." – New Balance

Many years ago, Archbishop Desmond Tutu made an appearance at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. He was on a book tour, promoting his latest manuscript titled No Future Without Forgiveness. I went as much for the book as for the chance to meet its extraordinary author.

Archbishop Tutu was a mere imp of a man, standing just over five foot tall. By the time I made my way to the front of the reception line, his eyes still gleamed with mischief. In a lilting voice he spoke with me for a few moments before signing a copy of his book. It remains one of my favorite treasures.

There was a lightness to him, a hopefulness, a holiness that was undeniable. He is now heaven-bound no doubt.

"We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are actually quite low." – Desmond Tutu

Her given name was Gloria Jean Watkins, born in Hopkinsville KY, just north of Nashville. After a substantive and transformational career she returned to Kentucky, ending her career at Berea College. By that time, everyone knew her by another name, the moniker she chose as an homage to her grandmother.

bell hooks.

The loss, as Roxanne Gay wrote on Wednesday after hearing of hooks' death, is "incalculable." hooks was an insistent and powerful literary voice. A truth teller. Unafraid to pull back the curtain and reveal some of the most distasteful aspects of our contemporary culture.

She looked at her pain, at our collective pain, and refused to flinch. She dared us to do better, to be better. She dared us to fight.

"When we face pain in relationships our first response is often to sever bonds rather than to maintain commitment." – bell hooks