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Articles written by elizabeth youngman-westphal


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  • It Must Be Tuesday

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated May 23, 2024

    It snowed again this morning! Even so by 10:00 AM, the sun was out and that's when we took a brisk walk back to the Museum of Art after being told yesterday by security guard Mike Saiz that all government-run museums are closed on Mondays. With limited time in town, we could only explore around the plaza in the heart of downtown. Santa Fe maintains its charm because of their strict building code which mandates that all structures be made in the Adobe style. Which no doubt is...

  • All aboard to Santa Fe, Part 2 of 4

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated May 9, 2024

    Easter Sunday, we took a Muni-bus ride to explore the city. I don't recall when we started doing this, if it was Chicago or Paris, but a senior pass is a bargain in any currency. We bounced down Galisteo Street over the Santa Fe River past the Rail Yard Arts District, the train depot, and all of the way down to the end of the line circling back to the downtown plaza. It took just over an hour to see the rest of the city at the senior bargain price of $1.00 each. Back in the...

  • 'Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812' is at The Cygnet Theater

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated May 2, 2024

    Dave Malloy set his musical career in motion by turning great literature into operettas. Stories like Moby Dick, the epic poem Beowulf and, now playing at The Cygnet Theater in Old Town, his 2012 award winning Off-Broadway play "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812." A larger-than-life vignette extracted from the middle of Tolstoy's dynamic work "War and Peace" Malloy has set Part 8 to music. To enjoy the full magnitude of this musical, rereading these 70-pages (chapters...

  • All Aboard to Santa Fe

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    A few weeks ago, PBS aired a 60-minute program about the Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The program was so intriguing, it lured me to the oldest state capital in the country. We started our adventure in Oceanside by boarding Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner to Fullerton. After waiting a bit for the delayed train, we met our attendant on the platform outside car number 432 of the Southwest Chief. The attendant helped us store the suitcases and herded us up the narrow sta... Full story

  • Theatre Talk: 'The 39 Steps'

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    If you wish to be in on the joke, watch Alfred Hitchcock's 1926 "The 39 Steps" first. Then see the new play at New Village Arts in Carlsbad. If you don't watch it, you may fall into the same chasm I did wondering what the blazes was A.J. Knox up to? And why? All was revealed after I watched Hitchcock's film noir on YouTube this morning. That's when I got it! The play is absolutely brilliant. It went from, "oh, golly, will I be banned from another playhouse for telling the trut...

  • Kicking It – In the teeth

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Apr 12, 2024

    First of all, I am a lazy person. And let me assure you, retirement hasn’t made me any less lazy. As it turns out, I have actually developed it into a skill set. And it seems, I am very good at it! This doing nothing. Which has given me way too much time to watch TV. Which leads me to the second most glaring truth. Why does every person from news anchors to game show contestants sport Dudley-Do-Right-Dazzling-Hollywood-White smiles? It seems sparkly-white choppers are the n... Full story

  • Theatre Talk:What's coming up on stage

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Mar 28, 2024

    Willy Nelson will play at the Rady Shell in Jacobs Park. Wow! Read on because here is something for everybody. Broadway San Diego will hit the season running with "Disney's Aladdin" April 3 – 9, followed in June by "Mrs. Doubtfire" opening on the 4th, with "Peter Pan" flying in July 30. The theater is at 3651 Fourth Ave. For tickets, call 619-564-3000 or visit www.broadwaysd.com. California Center for the Arts has something going on several times a week including ballet. Y...

  • Kicking It

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Mar 27, 2024

    Retirement has caused me to lose focus. Now it seems my thoughts ramble throughout the day. Here is what usually happens. I’ll head out to add nectar to the hummingbird feeder and the next thing ya know, before I even get to the task at hand, I’m reminding myself when I come back in the house to send a birthday card to my girlfriend. But. Quite often by the time I walk back into my office after retracing my steps to find my cup of coffee, I have forgotten what I was sup... Full story

  • Kicking It - What to wear?

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Mar 14, 2024

    Much to my delight, the March edition of a famous lady’s fashion magazine arrived recently. Although, just like in times past, the anticipation proved greater than the issue to my disappointment. My question is who wears this pricey stuff? For instance, this particular issue discusses the increased cost of luxury goods like the iconic Chanel quilted-flap- bag with shoulder chain. It has doubled in price since this presidency selling now for $10,000 per. Not that it was in m... Full story

  • Kicking It – Who's Counting?

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Feb 29, 2024

    The results are in. I mailed 20 Christmas cards last December and got six back. Even so, I was about to give up when my Las Vegas niece sent me my only Happy New Year’s greeting. The picture of her family is on one side and a hand-written personal message on the other. Score points for Kristi. Two days later, I got a Christmas card returned by the postal service as undeliverable because I failed to put the unit number next to the street name. I just resent that. Another 66 c... Full story

  • Kicking It – Valentines 2024

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Feb 9, 2024

    It’s Valentine’s Day! Again, this year, I am amongst the lucky ones. I have a sweetheart. That was not always the case. No one knows better than I because for more than 25 years I dated lots and lots and lots of guys until finally at 59 I decided it was time to remarry. That’s when on that fine day I looked squarely in the mirror and had a one-on-one conversation with myself. With my experience in sales, I knew if I wanted a different result, I had to change what I was doing... Full story

  • Theatre Talk through February

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jan 25, 2024

    Keep an eye out for these interesting options. Like Broadway San Diego is getting ready for "Bluey's Big Play" Feb. 9-11, followed by "Chicago" in time for Valentine's Day the Feb. 13-18. Tickets will go fast at 3651 Fourth Ave, call 619-564-3000, visit https://www.broadwaysd.com/ or email [email protected]. Nearby, the California Center for the Arts in Escondido at 340 N. Escondido Blvd. continues to delight, bringing the renowned Tony Award winning play, "Curious Incident... Full story

  • Kicking It without high heels

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jan 25, 2024

    It has finally happened. Alas, it’s time to pay the Piper and just live with the consequence of my actions. After 30 years in sales, my legs and feet are racked with pain. In my defense, Sales is all about having a leg up (no pun intended) on the consumer. It starts with first impressions. What I call the “10-second rule.” It’s simple. Everyone is judged by the people we meet. And when selling a product, one needs to have an advantage, real or imagined, to write-t... Full story

  • Kicking It in winter

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jan 11, 2024

    Winter is here and here are some clues. Well, for one thing, the best persimmon crop we’ve ever had ripened. Which explains why there is a murder of crows hovering near her treetop for two. And three, her leaves have turned to a rich jewel tone as they lay at her feet like an Arabian carpet. Similar to other world class locales, this village is situated a few balmy degrees above the 30th parallel. Or in sailor speak, due west and south of Gibraltar and the Spanish border, n... Full story

  • Kicking It while exploring new places

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Sep 20, 2023

    Besides the joy of spending time with the grandkids, additionally, I get a special reward every time they burst through the front door. You see, from where I sit on the far sofa, I get to enjoy a perfectly framed picture of one branch of our blooming Jacaranda tree in the front yard. Speaking of wondrous views, we have another one from the kitchen window. Throughout the day from sunup to sunset, we watch Oriole families chow down the nectar in the onetime hummingbird feeder. N... Full story

  • Theatre Talk for September

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Aug 31, 2023

    Downtown at the Civic Theatre on 3rd Ave. and B streets, Broadway San Diego is bringing back one of its biggest sell outs, "The Book of Mormon." It arrives Sept. 19 and plays to the 24th. Parking can be purchased at the WFB garage just a few blocks away. For tickets, go to https://www.broadwaysd.com/. When a free weekend presents itself, check out the California Center for the Arts at 340 N. Escondido Blvd. in Escondido. Coming up is the sparking duo of Paul Tseng and Dan Yu f...

  • Kicking It

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jul 14, 2023

    Here is what has been rolling around between my ears. It’s the 4th of July. “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” You’ll recall this famous excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. My fellow Americans, for me, that plea rings truer today than in 1961. As for now, let’s all settle back and enjoy these next few months of summer and the bounty it provides like sweet watermelons, lush strawberrie... Full story

  • Theatre Talk for June

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 14, 2023

    Grab your phone to book the hottest shows as they hit the area. Starting June 27 for one week only, Broadway San Diego is bringing “Six, the Musical” to the Civic Theatre. For your tickets, go to https://www.broadwaysd.com/. Closer to home at the California Center for the Arts, June 24 and 25, is the perfect show for a nostalgic review: “’S Wonderful, ‘S Marvelous, The Songs of Gershwin.” It should be S’Well at 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido 92025, 760-839-4149,... Full story

  • Kicking It: Too much stuff

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Feb 9, 2023

    The fact of the matter is I (may) have too much stuff. Indicators being? My closets are crowded and my dresser drawers are bulging. Truth be told, I have a collection of treasures that will be to my inheritors classified as “so much crap!” To that end, because these select items are too dear to donate, I’ve decided to turn my treasures into ca$h. But. Here is the rub. One can quietly hold a garage sale filled with all sorts of happy trash and avoid the tax man. (And, once... Full story

  • Theatre Talk visits Theatre Talk 'Extreme Home Makeover'

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Nov 25, 2022

    At first it seemed like a really fun idea to see a play about a family making a home video to send in to the ABC network show "Extreme Makeover." You remember, it was one of the first home-makeover shows aired. Neighbors and community volunteers were enlisted to help the celebrity host remodel a home for one lucky family. After 50 minutes of remodeling and styling the home, the reveal always came at the very end of the show when the host and volunteers chanted into the...

  • Kicking It with my stuff

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Nov 17, 2022

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal Special to The Village News George Carlin said it best in his bit about “Stuff.” Paraphrasing him, we’d all agree that my stuff is good, while your stuff isn’t. Which is why I wondered when driving past a neighbor’s house, if they were having a party? I mean, the drive was lined with newish cars while the open- garage door revealed it to be overflowing with a lot of stuff. I cannot help but wonder why anyone can justify parking a $40,000, $50,000,... Full story

  • Kicking It and getting old

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Aug 24, 2022

    Here is the thing, you are old if you still clean your ears with a bobby pin. It’s not my fault. When I was a kid, my mother would press my head onto her lap, remove a bobby pin from her hair, and proceed to dig out the gobs of wax I’d collected since the last cleaning. It always felt good even while it tickled a bit. Naturally, I have been chastised repeatedly for my flagrant disregard for putting something so small into the ear canal. Even so, when there is an itch I gotta g... Full story

  • Kicking It: April showers

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Apr 7, 2022

    Today it’s raining. You know, the civilized way it does here in California. It would be called a drizzle in Kansas or any other place in the middle west where every drop of precipitation is accompanied by ear-racketing thunder, hair-straightening lightning, followed by torrents of liquid cascading to the earth. Now that’s rain. Here in North County, nature is a bit more polite. She just mucks up our last carwash and streaks the kitchen window, all the while, “the rain... Full story

  • Kicking it: Birthday Salute

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Feb 24, 2022

    In just four weeks and four days, I will celebrate another birthday. Yes. I am relieved to have another one knowing that not having one isn't good, which is why I was relieved when I didn’t see my name in the obituaries last week. Need I say what you’re thinking? “Obviously, if you are reading the paper then you must be alive.” Or so I would have thought too. After rewatching “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” last night, it makes me wonder, do we really know when we’re dead? Doctors... Full story

  • Kicking It: Beauty or the Beast?

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jan 21, 2022

    You may recall I mentioned a recent trip to Texas in a previous column. No? Well, it really doesn’t matter either way, I was just looking for a transition from that column to this one. Here is what happened while I was in Austin. I had an allergy attack and both eyes started itching. Crazy itchy. Lucky for me I was with my bridge partner who was staying with his friends and before we left for a Tex-Mex dinner, I asked our hostess if she could provide me with some eye m... Full story

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