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

Please Don’t Eat the Ivy

Posted on 11/7/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Home & Family | Personal Health | Your LifeA friend said to me once that the ultimate proof of a family’s ability to survive occurs when the dishwashing machine breaks down but someone still remembers how to wash and dry by hand. He was talking about enduring household calamities despite the failure of various parts, and adapting to a more primitive manner of getting by until help arrives. I mention this today not only because our dishwasher actually did break down and not only because our clothes washer …

A Medical Nightmare in Santa Monica

Posted on 10/24/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Personal Health | Your LifeThis is not a good time in the House of Martinez. What began as relatively ordinary hip-replacement surgery for the lady of our dominion, the ebullient Cinelli, has escalated into a nightmare of physical pain and emotional turmoil that has me wondering about the efficacy of the medical community to deal with a simple procedure. It has been six weeks since the surgery at a highly-regarded orthopedic hospital and nothing seems to have gone right. A few days after surgery, …

Endeavour’s Last Crawl

Posted on 10/16/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Your LifeIt crawled through the city like part of a slow-motion scene from a science fiction movie, towering over the southern part of Los Angeles toward the open heart of our history. There were applause, tears, cheers and even a salute as the 170,000-pound space shuttle Endeavour made its way from L.A. International Airport to its new home in the California Science Center just 12 miles away. During its 20-year life span, the gleaming, almost glowing, Endeavour soared through space at …

Notes on an Improbably Happy Marriage

Posted on 10/9/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Relationships | Your LifeMy wife, the unbelievable Cinelli, is smart, really smart. She was a cum laude graduate of the University of California at Northridge, reads constantly, watches BBC World News on television and was told 63 years ago that she probably should not marry me. There was that one little glitch in her incredible sense of good judgment. She married me anyhow. I was a hippie before there were hippies: ragged, bearded, long-haired, sleeping where I could, sometimes standing upright in a …

The Rising Popularity of Latinos

Posted on 10/2/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Politics | Your LifeI was walking down the street the other day, whistling a little tune and minding my own business, when a middle-aged man in a blue serge suit rushed up, gave me a big hug and said it was wonderful having me among them. Then he went on his way. Normally, it would upset and possibly terrify me for someone to invade my space and have the audacity to touch my body. We just don’t do that in L.A. There’s enough …

Home Alone: A Male Survival Guide

Posted on 09/25/2012 by Al Martinez | Latino Life | Comments

Home & Family | Your LifeContrary to today’s illustration, relying on martinis is probably not the best way to survive while one’s wife is temporarily away on (1) business, (2) having surgery, (3) visiting relatives or (4) just getting out of town to be away from your carping, whiny presence. But I don’t know that there is a best way. I am here today to tell you guys how I’m getting along while my own wife, the ebullient Cinelli, is in rehab following hip replacement …