It Begins...'Round Midnight

Ask the question "What makes a jazz singer," and you will get a multitude of answers.  For me, jazz singing isn't about syncopated rhythms, or endless scatting. For me, a true jazz singer feels the words of the song, and has great sense of rhythm. I have been listening to Karin Allyson for a while now, but until a couple of years ago I never graduated her to be a true jazz singer, who can sing the blues. In her latest album, "'Round Midnight," she even takes herself a notch, giving us a stylized jazz album. The concept of this album is pretty simple, but hard to pull off: imagine yourself seduced by a music coming from a dark alley, and as you follow it, you see a lady on stage singing, and it is midnight. How di you describe the perfect music for midnight? It really difficult to describe it in words, but play this album, and you will get a sense of what it is. Ms. Allyson gives us a splendid selection of tunes: from a languid version of Bill Evans' "Turn Out The Stars," to a slightly lilting "Send In The Clowns," which is a song that is very easy to destroy. I love the quiet, earnest melancholy of "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows." And any version of Anthony Newley's "There's No Such Thing As Love" is fine by me. I get very protective of that song. I don't want every jazzette in the world to tackle it, but I want the best ones to own it.  The version of "Sophisticated Lady" here just seems a hairline out of place, but that is just me perhaps. All in all, there's still a tad bit of effervescence in her voice which doesn't make her the down and dirty blues singer that I most prefer, but I respect her - this is clearly a singer who has paid her due, and knows what she is doing, and feels every word of her songs. We could do much much worse.  

Hoping For Cooperation

I just took some cough syrup with codine (see those two magic words: WITH CODINE) so I feel kinda good right now, as I wait for sleep to come to me.  I am still somewhat struggling with cough so it would be a welcome help to me. Last night I was still awake at 2 a.m. so we want to try and change that tonight. I hope everything cooperates. And my nose is still so clogged that I cannot smell perfume, and that, for me, is such a terrifying thought. Now, as a test, I always lift a cap of any of my scents to see if I could smell anything. I know my cold is still there if I only sense a faint. Oh, I miss jasmine. Another holiday coming, and as of right now, no concrete plans. There are plans of driving to San Diego but I honestly don't know if it will be worthwhile for me to go. And in three weeks or so, I am back in NYC. 

It is not the movements that make a dance beautiful;
it is the emotions that inspired the movements
that make it beautiful.
~ Kristy Nilsson

I Survived!

I survived! I thought I would have a horrid day because of my fever from over the weekend, but as it turns out, I was fine. We called the super in the office building so he could turn down the air conditioning, and by the afternoon it was turned down to a balmy 73 degrees. I thought it was still a little cool, but it could just be my cold which is making me react that way. Right now I just need to take my Tylenols, and hopefully get a good night's sleep, and I should be fine. They keep on telling me I should have stayed home but I would have been so bored that I was better off being productive. Well, at least the Monday blues is over. 

The universe is full of magical things
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
~ Eden Phillpots
 

Pride Away

It feels funny, that on Gay Pride Sunday I am nowhere near the peripheral of a Pride Parade. I have more or less gone every year for the past twenty years. When I say "more or less," though, i means I have at least seen a portion of it.  Honesty, I have only seen the whole parade once, in 1992.  It's terribly long, and a lot of it is boring. And I find later on it's exactly the same thing year after year. For the past couple of years, I have even mocked it, but still I went. My friend Mike and I go to the same exact spot - in front of Manatus Restaurant on Bleecker Street - and there have been years that we stood there for only five to ten minutes. There was even a year we stood in the rain. Actually, there were a couple of years we stood in the rain - weather on the last Sunday of June seem to be pretty erratic. But now I sit here in my room, thousands of miles away, and with a slight fever because of a bad cold, and I kind of wish I was there. I kind of wish I could make fun of the B& T gays, kind of wish I could people watch and roll my eyes at the hot mess queens.  I kind fo wish I could have brunch at Sammy's, although every day nowadays I wish I had brunch at Sammy's. I would imagine that the energy today would be palpable, what with the historic vote on Friday. But am I just romanticizing all this? I hate crowds, and I could see myself getting disgusted by the hot sun and wanting to go home right away. Either way, I think what I really want is the choice to be there. That, in the end, is what I am missing.

Just Another Saturday Night

I am unwell. I have had this cold for a couple of days now - the air at work as at full blast and it finally caught me, and I spent the whole day sleeping, like the whole day. I think I needed it, too - I haven't done this since I moved, the just-staying-in for a whole Saturday. I used to do it all the time. Maybe I just needed the rest. I am feeling just slightly better right now, well enough to enjoy watching the DVD of White Collar, and well enough to appreciate the beauty of Matt Bomer. Well, just another Saturday night for me, I guess. And of course, I was very unproductive today - no chores were done, no reading done, nothing, and just when I thought I could catch up on some of those things, too. Oh well. What is one to do but just accept things as they are. 

"All is well. You did not come here to fix a broken world. The world is not broken. You came here to live a wonderful life. And if you can learn to relax a little and let it all in, you will begin to see the universe present you with all that you have asked for."

- Esther Hicks

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of

History was made tonight in the state of New York when the State Senate approved Marriage Equality Bill, 33/29. I am crying tears of joy as I type this. And I am missing the city so much that it is literally hurts my heart.  Oh, I so wish to have been there, I wish to be there right now. I saw a video of everyone gathered together in Christopher Street, singing "Over The Rainbow," and crowd as I type is getting bigger and bigger. It's this generation's Stonewall, for sure. Millions of times I have walked by Christophe Street, Eighth Avenue, Hellsy...yet when this happens, I am here all alone in the desert. Sometimes the Universe has a wicked sense of humor. But...Congrats New York for showing the country how great you are !

Music In Me

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new iPod Classic 160GB for $100, which was a good deal because it was refurbished. Basically, I already have one 160G that is filled with music, and of course, I have tons more to put in, so I got a second one to store more music into. I have been busy and have not had time to fill the new one until this evening. Needless to say, I spent the whole evening trying to put as much music into it as I can. And something just pissed me off. I have music stored in my old computer, which was the HP that Jeff sold me a couple of years ago. Since I formatted this new iPod on my Mac, I found out that I cannot transfer those files to the new iPod since the Itunes that has it is on Windows. Sounds confusing? No, chuck it to all these systems not being able to talk to each other, although they really should be able to. I had to move those files into a hard drive, and then move the files from the hard drive to the new iPod. It's all so boring and I don't know why I am writing about this but I just seriously needed to vent. It's all good now, I have moved almost all the "new" music to the new iPod, but it took me the whole evening to be able to accomplish it. And now I am kind of wired, and hopefully this will make me go to sleep better. 

"Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can find his way by moonlight, and see the dawn before the rest of the world."

- Oscar Wilde

It's Getting To Be A Habit With Me

Second straight night that I am back to this horrible habit: sleeping at 7 pm, and then waking up right around midnight. It's really messing up my body schedule. But I get so sleepy and tired around early evenings that I just "give in." The air at work is in full blast, and I now have this thing gloop in my throat and I certainly hope I don't get sick. At times I had to go outside in the 112 degree temperature to "warm" my body up, and it almost, almost felt good. But there's no mistaking it, though. The world here and now feels like an oven. Someone commented after I came from outside that my face was red. I didn't realize I was that fair-skinned! Anyway, my nieces went to see H2S today ad I got this message on my voice mail after they saw the show and they were screaming, and they were shouting and thanking me for a most wonderful time they had. They texted me right away to send them mp3s of the cats recording, and I think this is a good world when my teenage nieces ask me for Original Cast Recordings! I have done my duty for the 'Cause." Who cares about Bruno Mars, indeed. I find that their musical taste run around the "misfit," anyway since they seem to abhor most pop music. Good for them for being individual instead of being a "follower." And exposing them to the classics (like H2S) is, as Martha Stewart would say, a good thing.  

Neither intelligence nor judgment are creative.
If a sculptor is nothing but science and intelligence,
his hands will have no talent.
~ Antoine de St. Exupery

Desert Solstice

Summer Solstice in the desert may seem redundant, but the longest day of the year just ended and there's good news and bad news for me. The bad news is that the dog days of summer have just started and it's brutal here. But the good news is that these summer days will dwindle little by little by the day, so... we just have to be optimistic about things. Plus, I get a break a month from now when I visit NYC, and oddly when I talk about it, I always still say I am going back home. Today, I even got an email from Southwest Airlines reminding me of my trip. It was early, but it was welcome. This longest day just ended, and it was my first night not going out in a long time. And I welcomed it. I took a nap earlier and I just hope it will not cause me to be up. I just finished watching Innaritu's "Biutiful" and it took me three days to watch it, but it is powerful, and Javier Bardem is just spellbinding. I don't remember how I never saw this in the theaters.

They will say you are on the wrong road,
if it is your own.
~ Antonio Porchi

Quarter Year

I was awakened this morning by my phone ringing, a 646 number I do not recognize. It was Eric, an old friend from NY. He said he woke up this morning, and for some strange reason thought of me,  so decided to call and see how I was. I really did not make announcements to people about my move, so he was pretty surprised upon hearing that I have gone West. He was even going to ask, he says, if I wanted to go to dinner this evening. And then I told him the reasons why I left, and the first thing he said was, "You are such a good person, and so selfless, to make that big of a sacrifice for your family." And for a second I was taken aback, since I never thought of it that way. It was more I did it because it was the right thing to do, it made the most sense for everyone involved. I guess in the confusion of things, I never really took into consideration how *I* would feel, but what concerned me the most was how things should be. And honestly, that's where my feelings were. Ever since I was young, I was always the mature one, the one who took care of people, the one who they always put in front of things. Eric told me, "God will give you grace, don't worry," and I couldn't help but thinking He has already given me a lot of grace, and a lot of blessings. I don't think i want to ask for anything else. What I don't have.... well, I probably don't need them.  I brought my nieces to the airport this evening and as I look at them I kept on thinking how young they were, and they still have their lives ahead of them. Oh to be young, and carefree, and for a second I was wistful, wishing I was still in their shoes. But I wouldn't. I like where I am in my life just fine.  I have been here three months to the day, and I don't regret it. Of course, there's a lot of things I miss about my old life, but this is what I have now. It's where I am, where God put me. There has to be a good reason for it. 

"I am reminded of the advice of my neighbor. "Never worry about your heart 'til it stops beating."

- E. B. White

Niece Time

Still quite busy...and exhausted. I have been spending time with my nieces and enjoying it. Since I don't normally get to spend time with them, it was nice to discover their personalities. For example, they are as big Sanrio fans as I was when I was their age. When I was in LA, I got some Hello Kitty totes and I figured they would love them, so I became the good uncle and gave the totes to them. I figured it would give them just as much happiness, and I have enough anyway. They will be leaving for New York on Tuesday morning, and are big Harry Potter fans, so I gave both of them tickets to see Dan Radcliffe in "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." I know they would love and appreciate the experience, and it would be fantastic if they become Broadway fans after this - well they have the inclination so it would not be such a far-fetched idea. It would be an added bonus for me to have them be introduced to the magic of Frank Loesser. It was a pricey gift (I could only get full-price tickets) but hey, I don't get to do this for them regularly. I only wish I could be in NYC with them, but them's the breaks. 

"So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key." 

- The Eagles

In August

Well, it's now sealed...our Baltic Cruise in August. Jeff and I made our last payment to NCl today, because Sunday is technically 90 days from our sail date, and this makes us set. This trip starts and ends in Copenhagen, Denmark and stops at Berlin, Germany; Talin, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden.  We were attracted to the very interesting itinerary, and I have never been in any of those places so it should be an eye-opening vacation for me. The ship isn't the newest - Norwegian Sun - but I am sure it's going to be great. Sometimes we are spoiled because for the past couple of years we have only gone to the newest Celebrity ships, but the real deal in this trip for us is the itinerary, and we got the deal of a lifetime, so all systems go. Now on to the plane ticket, but I will just be using miles this time around so I should be fine. I mean, we still have 90 days to go. I cannot wait. I am truly excited.  I really could use a nice vacation just about now, and my back is starting to desperately want a massage. IF I took a holiday, took some time to celebrate, it would be so nice. 

"I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path."

- H.H. the Dalai Lama

Blue Is A Lovely Color

I have been so busy that I haven't had time to read, but I finally finished a book, "Something Blue," by Emily Giffin. This is kind of a sequel to "Something Borrowed," but not really. This one follows the "antagonist" in that story, and at first I thought, why follow up on a character that was unlikeable? But such is the brilliance of Ms. Giffin. Darcy is three-dimensional and real, and like us, makes mistakes, and is confused, and underneath it all, a good person just trying to make sense of the world around us, and how we react to it. She goes through a journey of trying to be a better person, and mostly succeeds. We all aspire to be that which makes this book, and her character, easily relatable. And in the heart of it all, there is even a sweet and believable love story. I loved this book, and Giffin has now shot up as one of my new favorite authors. I can't understand why I never read her before, maybe because I used to see these books everywhere? But now I just want to catch up on everything she has done. I found myself trying to "steal" time so I can finish his book - that's how engrossed I was in reading. I really hope now that they push through with filming this book, even with Kate Hudson (whom I am not a fan of)

BC/20

99 At 9

So, they weren't kidding when they told me that the summers here are going to be hot. If today is any indication, they are really downright scorching. At 9 in the morning, the temperature was 99 degrees, with nowhere to go but up, of course. I am bracing myself - it's going to be a bumpy ride.  Nice to see Jojo back from Manila after a very fruitful trip - he is moving to Arizona in July, which means we will be kind-of neighbors again. Isn't it funny how life turns out? You think you get faraway, but then you go back to being close again. I told him we could easily visit each other now. 

"What saves a man is to take a step.  Then another step.  It is always the same step, but you have to take it." 

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Crossing Over

It's a tricky thing - crossover.  I can't think of Broadway performers who have transitioned successfully to pop music, as much as I cannot think of Pop performers transporting successfully to The Great White Way (I still can't get over The Donny Osmond Joseph) Anyway, I had this in my mind when I was listening to Matthew Morrison's first album, "Matthew Morrison." It's smartly produced, and there are songs with great hooks. Listening to the songs separately, they stand out. "Summer Rain" is a fantastic summer song, although it does remind you of "Hey Soul Sister," or any number of Bruno Mars songs.  I like the soul inflections of "It Don't Matter To the Sun" and find myself humming it after I listen to it. Yet the album, as a whole, doesn't quite jell. The over-all tone is shizophrenic, and we kind of sense that Mr. Morrison himself is still looking for his sound. Truthfully, he does well in pop singing and theater music. You can totally sense the latter with the closing song, "It's Over," which, really could have been culled from any modern musical. He sings it with heart and pathos. And, I do understand his inclusion of the star duets with Elton John and Sting but I thought it distracted, for they felt like karaoke. Well, he is from Glee, after all, the ultimate karaoke musical show. So all in all, don't judge the album as an album, judge the songs by the songs.

Oven Weather

It is finally here - the triple digit temperatures, and that sun is blazing. I walked to work this morning, and at 8 a.m. it was already 78 degrees. But it is truly just the sun that generates the heat, because in the shade it's not bad at all, and somewhere there is even still a breeze. And the no-humidity thing is pretty awesome. Tonight at 10 pm, it was nice and airy, even though ti was 89 degrees. The East Coast humidity just sucks the energy out of you, an here it's just dry, dry, and dry. I don't think I have used lotion and moisturisers as much as I have since I moved. I was having this conversation with a woman at Saks Fifth Avenue the other day as I was testing a face cream, and I was telling her that I have never needed to use a night cream since I moved here. But, I am having fun with trying different thing, and mixing and matching creams and lotions. 

If you are what you should be,
then you will set the world on fire.
~ St. Catherine of Siena

I Get So Emotional

Watching the Tonys became a weep-o-rama for me. Emotional. I think it's because I have such love for the New York Theater community, and also because the whole award show reminded me of the life I led behind - a life I nurtured for 27 years, and now I am here and I cannot even watch the Tonys live as it is happening at the Beacon. maybe because there are times I question my choices, even if I know that I made the best decision I can with the time and circumstance I have dealt with. For the most part, I am happy and contented but there are times when I feel I don' own my life, and maybe the Tony Awards brings me back to a time when I was younger, more free, where decisions were made without major consequences pro and con.... Or maybe I just weep because it was one of the best Tony telecasts I have seen in a long time, and Neil Patrick Harris outdid himself as a host. And maybe because I think this is such a stellar season for shows, where even productions and performances not nominated were just as great. I become so wistful sometimes, I become overly sentimental a lot, but as I grow older, I think I have become better at letting go. When I wake up tomorrow living my new life, my old one, and this reminiscence of it will just be a memory.

"Make more decisions in every day. Because a decision is a summoning of life. That's why a little chaos is good for you, because often you don't make a decision until you get yourself in a jam. And then, in the middle of the jam, you make a decision, but that decision summons Life Force. Have you ever been a place where you couldn't quite make up your mind and you just felt sort of limp? "Oh, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know." And then you decided, and you felt alive again. We want you to know that you'll never get it done. So don't approach this from, "I gotta get on this" because you're not ever going to get it done, anyway. And the other thing we want you to know is, you cannot get it wrong. So, make a decision. Let it flow."

- Esther Abraham-Hicks

Wise

It's been a tiring weekend. My nieces are in town and I have been doing things with them. I am too old for this going out every day thing, even if just to eat out. Yesterday, we spent the whole day at the mall. We went to The Fashion Show Mall, and it is my first time there. and I like it a lot. But I think I have turned into the type of person who knows what he likes, and just zips in and out of stores, for the concept of going in and out of stores just browsing is so boring for me. And I ask myself, when did I turn out to be this kind of person? I used to love shopping! It's funny, for the first time in my life I was called a spendthrift, when in the past I was always the one who spent too much money on shopping. I guess I have become what you call a wise shopper. Ever since I went through the big move and saw all the crap I bought, I now ask myself ten times - is this worth my space - before I buy anything. We were at Bath & Body Works and they were having their clearance sale, and I only bought the 75% off things. I didn't even look at the half-off or other things on sale  just the real dirt-cheap stuff. The best part of the day, though, was discovering the tastes of my nieces - oh this one is the sporty one, this one is the girly girl one - and it does seem like some stuff is genetic. I see my brother's mannerisms in them, and in some instances even mine. 

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry,
the philosophy which does not laugh,
and the greatness which does not bow before children.
~ Kahlil Gibran

Just Visiting

What You Believe

I was just in the middle of watching "The Dilemma," and I was thinking - this has go tot be a bunch of the most unlikeable characters put on film when the screen just froze. I tried rewinding, fast forwarding, even ejecting and reloading the Blu-Ray disc but at 1:15:55 the screen just freezes, so I just ejected it. Maybe this is the Universe's way of telling me that I should not finish watching movies I do not like, a lot of times the anal retentive in me wins out. Besides, this is the movie that caused a ruckus because of its homophobic trailer, and it got on Anderson Cooper's nerves, if I recall correctly. So maybe it's just as well. Speaking of everyone up in arms, Tracy Morgan's homophobic routine in Nashville has caused a firestorm of protests, and Tracy had to apologize after organizations called for a boycott of 30 Rock. Tina Fey herself has apologized and she says that she will make sure any kind of hatred isn't tolerated on her set.  Some people want more - what else can they do? I don't really know how to react because there's a big part of me that is apathetic towards this whole thing. It's not that I am being sensitive, but I do believe that things will all turn out for the best, and sooner or later, people will not choose hate over what is right. 

One must learn to be silent
just as one must learn to talk.
~ Victoria Wolff

In The Name Of Trite

Tonight I went to see "In The Name Of Love" at The Sahara ... and a big yawn. What a disappointment, since I have heard numerous (positive) comments about the movie. What a predictable, trite, and tired excuse of a movie. I wouldn't say that I love every single Star Cinema movie out there, but a good number of them are pretty enjoyable. This one just annoyed me. To top things, off, there was absolutely zilch chemistry between Aga Muhlach and Angel Locsin. They are competent actors, for sure, and they try hard, but they just could not overcome the tired material, plus their age gap didn't help. There were a lot of times that I felt Ms. Locsin disconnected herself from the role, to give way for Mr. Muhlach to have "moments."  After a while, his woe-is-me acting got tiresome. I kept rolling my eyes from the predictable plot "twists" and the unbelievably lame ending.(How can filmmakers still get away from such incredulity?)  And to think we kind of went out of our way to see the movie. I should have just stayed home. 

HHH

If there is one thing I absolutely do not miss from back East, it's the triple Hs: hazy, hot, and humid. I am watching the news and they are reporting that over there it will be over the hundreds with killer humidity. I can just imagine it, and I detested that so much - the humidity just sucks the energy out of you, and you feel woozy. I usually do not watch the network morning shows, opting for the local one but I just had to peek today to see what the NYC weather was like (triple Hs confirmed) and also to see Ann Curry's first day -  she has a kind of cooky character that I like. I had an ok sleep last night (out by 12:30, woke up at around 7ish) but I wonder what time I will hit my pillow this evening. 

Humility, forgiveness, clarity of purpose
and choosing love as a first response -
these are the dynamics of true freedom in life.
~ Michael Rawls

The 2007 Wiener

I have this picture of Congressman Wiener in my Flickr Photostream from the 2007 Pride Parade, and I just found out it has been getting massive hits since his "scandal" broke out. Today alone it got around 33 views. It is such a non-picture - you don't even see his face! 

Non Stop A Go Go

The fun never stops.  I am just a little exhausted from the non-stop activities, starting Friday when I went to California. You can just imagine how we went out every night when I was over there. I don't even remember if I was able to get enough sleep when I was there, but I am pretty sure I wasn't getting eight hours. And I didn't mind, of course. Last night, after I got home, we went out again, this time to take our old neighbor Vina out to dinner. She attended a conference here all the way from Auckland, New Zealand. I haven't seen her for years, and she was my sister's BFF growing up. I got home at around 1 a.m. exhausted. Now this evening, my nieces arrived from Oklahoma, and again we took them out to dinner. And again, still tire, and I don't know if I will be able to sleep early tonight. I need to be totally relaxed to be able to sleep, and as you all very well know, they don't arrive nearly too soon for me. But whatever, I can deal. It is nice to have my nieces here - I havent seen them in probably eight years or so, and they have really grown. One is already in college (and wants to be a doctor!) while the other one is a Sophomore in High School. Time flies, indeed. 

"An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is color- blind."

- Albert Schweitzer

The Smell Of Love

One of the top things I miss about NYC is Aedes , since it was kind of my "place" over there, where everyone there knows me, where I always feel welcome, I always feel at ease. So when I was in Los Angeles over the weekend, I wanted to check out the scent place over there which is "Scent Bar." (I think the company is also called Lucky Scent) As soon as I steped in, i felt right at home. All my favorites were available there: Serge Lutens, L'Artisan Perfumerie, Diptyque, Penhaligon, Carthusia, just to randomly name some houses. I wanted to try the new Limited Edition harvest of Iris Pallida, and it was love at first smell (I will write more about the scent later)  It was a chance also for me to try out some of the newer releases, like Archive 69 from Etat Libre D'Orange (solid but kind of linear) and I also know they stock "White Gardenia Petals" by Illuminium, which was what Kate Middleton was wearing during that wedding (utterly boring). Steve, the manager, and I instantly clicked, of course, since we have a mutual love of scents. I can see myself hanging out there for hours and hours, and I knew I would start crying like a baby if I hadn't gotten the Iris Pallida. Jeff got some goodies, too, like Ambre Sultan and Like This, and Mike got Pipo 06130's Youzu Rouge for his birthday . So they made out like bandits with us. For me, it was just such a perfect time, and I even got invited to a book reading later on in the evening. Since Mike had to pick up his purchase later, we did go back and I met "the" Kate Puckrik of KPS. It was an honor for me to meet her, since i have been following her videos on YouTube for a while now. 

And guess what: she was wearing the same dress from her Le Mimosa video!

"Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart."

- Anon

Regular Now

I am back, from my visit to Los Angeles, and I had a very good time, and I am also kind of missing everyone right now. I am back to "regular life" right now, and I am also welcoming the quiet of it. I don't know if I would be able to keep up with the busy schedule we had if I had to live like that everyday. Yes, I know, a sign of getting old, but I have accepted that by now, and am fine with it. And work was very kind to me, they told me to just rest up today and not bother coming in, because they know I would be a little exhausted from the weekend. So I spent a big part of this afternoon catching up on sleep. Obviously, I have not been getting as much as sleep as I want past couple of night, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It was great to get away, to feel the hustle and bustle and energy of a city. It was great to go out, as I never do anymore. But for me, it feels like a snapshot of a life I only now visit, a different kind fo me. I do miss the friends, and wish they were nearer. Things are never perfect, they are never how we exactly want them, but I always find the bright spots. 

"If we live out of our memory, we're tied to the past and to that which is finite. When we live out of our imagination, we're tied to that which is infinite."

- Stephen R. Covey

Shots In Los Angeles

Happy Birthday Pipo!

from April 2011

Cool Cool Jetting Cool

I just checked the weather in Los Angeles and it looks like it will be...cool?  Reports say that there will be a low of 56, and a high of...70. But isn't Los Angeles sunny? So, will this be a nice and springy 70 degrees, or a cold and dampy 70 degrees? I really do plan on just packing a small bag - it's just a weekend after all - and here's hoping I packed smartly. Better be safe than sick, as they say. I am hoping that since it is Southern California, it will be Sunny Seventies. I was talking to Pipo and  he tells me that his sister Twinkle is also in town so that means this will be an extra bonus for his birthday reunion. It would be really cool if she would join us for his birthday dinner at Fig & Olive tomorrow night, and there is a good chance that she will. Here's hoping....

If you look hard enough,
or from another person's vantage point,
you might discover the extraordinary
in your seemingly ordinary life.
~ Mark Mossa

Hours

I was intrigued about "The Hour Between" because this book was recommended by NPR a while back, and was written by Sebastian Stuart, who is the partner of Stephen Mcauley, one of my favorite writers. Surely, I thought, some of the brilliance may rub off on him.  And this is the kind of book I like: coming-of-age character studies where perhaps nothing much happens, but in the end because of the experience, characters are changed because of how his life is touched by the people he meets, the friends he makes, the life experiences he leads. Set in a Connecticut Boarding School in 1967 (the year I was born) the locale and time frame may not be very close to me, but I could still relate. I had some major problem with the character development, though. Arthur, the narrator, was kicked out of regular school, but we discern that his character is shy, and not really much of a risk taker. So, what gives? The best friend he meets, Katherine Felt, is the daughter of a famous movie star, and you can tell that the author (and the main character) is on love with her: she is vividly portrayed. This was a quick read, and I marginally recommend it, but not to everyone. The quirk of the characters can either be endearing  or annoying. In the beginning, I fell somewhere in the middle, but I found myself missing the characters when I was finishing the book, and after, the book made me think about my life, and the friendships I carried with me. 


(P.S. Isn't the cover beautiful?)

BC/19

Now I Know

I have never ordered anything from Etsy before, and I don't know why. But I was browsing on a weak moment and saw a Kindle case for cheap, dirt cheap, and told myself why the hell not? It was cute, and I could use it for my LA trip this coming Friday. So I went ahead and pushed "buy," and thought nothing more of it. A week passes, and thought maybe the thing is on the way. I haven't heard from them otherwise. Smooth sailing, right? I thought so....until the seller emailed me today, ditzily asking "Hi... I just realized that I never asked you what you wanted to order, and I want to start sewing it..." Then I realized, oh, this is kinda very cottage-industry, which I actually don't mind, but now I know the ways of buying from Etsy. And there's a kind of cute homedown wonder to it all, but I also realize now that I won't be able to use the thing for my trip. Oh well. Speaking of the trip, I am looking forward to it more and more. It is my first trip away since my life-changing move, and I am due for one. There are things I want to do, but I know we will all be busy that I won't be able to fit everything I have in mind. But I will enjoy the moments that we will be creating. 

"When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found."

-Sufi Proverb