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Articles written by elizabeth youngman-westphal


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  • 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

  • Theatre Talk about the new season

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to the Village News|Updated Jan 13, 2022

    NOTE: Proof of Vaccination must be presented before entering any local theatre as well as wearing a mask is required throughout all performances. This year's theatre season is starting off slowly. Even so, a few shows are opening this month. North Coast Repertory kicks off with "Desperate Measures" a musical romp based on Shakespeare's' "Measure for Measure" opened Jan. 12, runs through Feb. 27, at 987 Lomas Santa Fe, Solano Beach, 858-481-1055. Scripps Ranch Theatre in Poway...

  • Kicking It around the bridge table

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Oct 28, 2021

    There is an indomitable truth that two things that can be discussed ad nauseum without repercussion: wine and bridge. It has long been accepted that anyone may comment about wine albeit they are tasting it, sipping it, or merely drinking it, without recourse. Nothing said can be held against them. The same can be said about bridge. Volumes have been written since 1935 about how to play this fascinating game. Every party bridge player knows a few conventions like how to count... Full story

  • "Mamma Mia!" is a hit! Supported by a rock-star cast, each song is performed with heart

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Sep 11, 2021

    When the lights turned on Friday night, Sept. 3, at the beautifully appointed Old Town Temecula Community Theater there was a buzz in the air. Excitement prevailed at the dawning of a new era. Jason Green is heading up a new Board of Directors for the Temecula Valley Players, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) California corporation. It will be up to Green and this Board to drum up community support to pay these performers. It's called community theater to distinguish it from an...

  • Theatre Talk

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jul 17, 2021

    Disney's "Beauty and the Beast, the Musical" opens at Moonlight Amphitheatre July 21 and runs until Aug. 7. The gates open at 6:30 p.m. for picnics, performances being at 8:00 in this outdoor venue under the stars. This much-loved Disney musical is much anticipated with tickets going fast. Bring a blanket in case the weather takes a turn and a seat cushion helps too. Tickets are $17 – $59. Reserve seats early. This could easily be a sell-out show. Up next: You won't want to mi...

  • Kicking It in my car

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to the Village News|Updated Jun 30, 2021

    While my ride is nothing more than a hunk of metal and leather, the old girl is still considered stylish. Maybe it’s her collapsible roof that makes her chic? I don’t remember the exact year my car model was introduced, but I believe it was about 10 years after the brand came to the U.S. in 1990. Still recognized for its quality, this nameplate has remained in fashion as the luxury brand for a well-known Japanese automaker. The reason I sold my former two-seater convertible wa...

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    Theatre Talk reviews 'The Catastrophist'

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 30, 2021

    The topic is current and spellbinding. Presented by San Diego Repertory and streaming through July 25, "The Catastrophist," is about the world's most prominent virologist, Dr. Nathan Wolffe. Playwright Laura Gunderson has first-hand knowledge about the most prominent microbial researcher, she is his wife and mother of their two sons. Gunderson is lauded as the most produced living playwright since 2016, and is the playwright in residence at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley...

  • Theatre Talk on an island and around San Diego

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 24, 2021

    Expectations are always high when attending a performance at Vista's renowned outdoor venue the Moonlight Amphitheatre. Under the stars on a pleasant opening night, the maskless crowd enthusiastically welcomed the first production of its 40th season, "Once on this Island, The Musical." First produced in 1990, originally a 90-minute-one-act play, "Once on this Island, The Musical" opened off-Broadway and ran for 60 performances. Over the years other performances followed...

  • Kicking It while caring for my mouth

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 16, 2021

    A couple of things I notice when meeting someone is their eyes and their smile. Those two features pretty much dictate how a person is feeling. Quoted in Matthew 6:22-24: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” Centuries later, William Shakespeare wrote, “To thee I do commend my watchful soul, ere I let fall the window of mine eyes,” in Richard III. This century we just say, “the eyes are the window to the soul.” Th...

  • Theatre Talk: From Dr. Ruth to Disney stories

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 9, 2021

    North Coast Repertory launched its production of “Becoming Dr. Ruth” June 9. This touching and humorous play is a retelling of how she became known in America. Contact northcoastrep.org for a viewing link. Opening June 12 at the Carlsbad Flower Fields is “Beehive, a 60’s Musical” featuring an all-female cast of some of our best local singers. Show dates and times vary; visit newvillagearts.org or call the box office at 760-433-3245. Dress appropriately and bring a cushion for...

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    Theatre Talk – A summer full of choices

    Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal, Special to The Village News|Updated Jun 2, 2021

    La Jolla Playhouse recently announced a free viewing on their website. "Pick Me Last" is an outreach to #StopAsianHatingCampaign. Visit https://www.pop-tour-lajollaplayhouse.com/ for details. As of press time, no end date has been set. North Coast Repertory announces the upcoming streaming of "Becoming Dr. Ruth," premiering June 9 and streaming through July 14. Tovah Feldshuh, the six-time Tony nominee, "deftly inhabits the warm, wise, and witty persona of the beloved media fi...

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