Beatrice Allen

Do you watch The Pitt? Each season is a real-time account of fifteen hours at a busy emergency room in Pittsburgh. It’s pretty bloody—Bea and I had to overcome a certain amount of squeamishness (the very first trauma in season one makes an intern pass out), but the pacing, realism, and amazing cast hooked us. Season two, which takes place on the fourth of July, felt “a little boring,” according to Bea, who’d enjoyed the longer through-line mysteries of season one.

Thank you for writing this one, Belle. I have loved Jane Goodall since I was a child and watched those National Geographic specials about her work. And I was also privileged to see her at Duke the night you describe. Elegant, gracious, humble. She was all these things besides being one of the most important and influential women in my life. I've always thought if I could have dinner with one person in the world, I would have chosen Jane.

Sometimes I think of the great musicians I’ve seen in person who are gone now. I saw James Brown do the splits onstage in D.C., Prince strutting in block-heeled boots in Raleigh, Leonard Cohen crooning from a wooden stool in Durham. Two summers ago we took the girls to see Willie Nelson so they wouldn’t miss the chance to hear his gentle voice in person.