Man, life just doesn't let up, does it?

The good news over the last few days is the weekend at my sister's in Philly. Her younger son -- the youngest of the Four Fabulous Nephews -- had his Bar Mitzvah on Monday. Yes, that's kosher. And it was Martin Luther King Day, a nice resonance. The Bar Mitzvah was at home, friends and relations crammed into the living and dining rooms, about 60 people all together. Some of us went down the night before and hung out, talked, ate, cracked up, a big pajama party. It was great.

The bad news is three deaths: a friend, Archie Spencer; an editor, Laura Hruska; and of course the great Robert B. Parker. I didn't know any of them as well as I'd have liked but I'm grateful to have known them all. They had in common a kindness and decency (though Parker denied that; but he lied) and it's odd and sad to lose each of them, and especially to lose them all at once.