Al Martinez

Biography: Al Martinez, Pultizer Prize-winning journalist, author and recently
annointed "Bard of L.A.," brings humor, wisdom and a sometimes quirky, perspective on life to his weekly AARP blog. The former Los Angeles Times columnist riffs about aging, current events, who he is, who we are and everything else. At 82, he's got more than a few things to say.

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Al Martinez 'sPosts

Days of Laughter, Days of Grief

Posted on 03/27/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Personal Health | Relationships | Your LifeA lifelong friend received the worst kind of news not long ago when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and given a matter of a few months to live. It had spread to his liver and lungs, and because of its total involvement with his liver it was considered inoperable. They gave him chemo and test trials of various possible cures but nothing worked. The “Big C,” as he put it, could not be stopped. “I am being …

Magic and Struggle in Ultima’s World

Posted on 03/19/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Your Life It isn’t the best movie ever made and it wasn’t the best book ever written, but there is something about “Bless Me, Ultima” that makes the story of a boy’s journey through the magical time of his youth a rich and compelling tale. Underlying the dark and spiritual nature of this odyssey of the soul dwell the conflicting realities of good and evil, told against the somber background that characterized the era of little Antonio Marez y Luna and …

Saga of a Wounded Heart

Posted on 03/12/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Personal Health | Your Life Welcome to the land of bad news and statistical misery and to the prospect that you might drop dead of a heart attack at any moment if you are fat, old, smoke cigarettes, drink too many martinis or refuse to eat your broccoli and your collard greens. I mention that today because I fit into just about every one of those categories and am a good bet to becoming one of the Americans who die every 40 seconds from …

Today’s Woman, Hopping Around the World

Posted on 02/28/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Your LifeI was talking to a friend the other day about opportunities for women in today’s America. We were heaping praise on all those we knew of in politics, diplomacy, industry, entertainment, sports and space who are making their mark on the world stage and beyond. Bunny girls were not included. The friend is Wini Hammond. A retired hotel concierge, she was a bunny girl in a Los Angeles Playboy club half a century ago, not because she liked to prance …

Surviving Love and Marriage

Posted on 02/22/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Home & Family | Your LifeLet’s hear it for Norman and Norma Burmah of Marksville, La., who, after 82 years, have just achieved a milestone of being the longest living married couple in the United States. While that’s a big deal in Marksville, it may not be a reason to party in L.A. We’re more inclined out here to celebrate the 72-day marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries as one of America’s shortest marital unions. That still allows plenty of time before and after the wedding for foreplay, dancing, conception and shopping. …

Top Hat, White Tie and T-Shirts

Posted on 02/13/2013 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Beauty & Fashion | Personal Health | Your LifeThe only obvious trait I inherited from my mother, in addition to short legs and a pot belly, was a tendency to worry about my health. The difference between us lay in her unique approach to staying healthy. She dressed up. I can still see her at 4 o’clock in the morning with no place to go, wearing a dark dress, heels and a box hat with a veil, wandering our house, humming and waiting for the sun to come …