End o' week musings

And so another week is fizzling away as yet another weekend looms. Will I have time to dust and vacuum? Will I clean my bathroom? Is there any kind of science experiment going on in my refrigerator? These and more questions will all be answered on Sunday, my only quiet day in ages!

When we parted last week, I was looking forward to my band rehearsal. It went well. Our drummer was there to help get the songs more together and we learned that our big gig will most likely be in mid-September.

Saturday evening I went to Irwindale Speedway and there were several races. My brother is a fan of just about anything on wheels, but unfortunately he was ill, so I went down to the track and got as many racers' autographs as I could for him. Then I watched the stockcars, the mini cars, the trucks and other cars vie for the trophies on the oval. It was pretty fun and the shaved ice treats were perfect for the warm evening.

Sunday I had planned to go see the surfing competition in Huntington Beach, but my friend called and said that the traffic was soooo bad that I would be wasting my time. I decided to go to this really great fabric store across from the Citadel outlet shopping center down toward Los Angeles instead. The store has been open all weekend every time I've been. I drove up and saw the neon "Open 7 Days" sign and the gate drawn across the door with a tiny cardboard "We're Closed" sign. Hmmmm.... The store was definitely closed.

Not one to waste a journey, I decided to wander through the Citadel. There were a few decent sales, but the one that caught my eye was the $9.99 and $19.99 sale at Torrid. Most of the clothes in Torrid are too large for me, still I can sometimes find a nice dress there and, sure enough, today was my day! I grabbed up a cute black frock with red cherries imprinted all over it. The dress has a soft square neckline, puffy sleeves, flared skirt, empire waist and a ribbon tie- very 1940s. I paired in with my red pumps for work on Thursday and I must have picked right, because even the sports writers looked up from their work to compliment me! And one cute co-worker, who barely grunts hello when he sees me, cornered me for 10 minutes on our lunch patio to chat about music. I think I need to wear this dress more often!

Monday I went to the doctor to review my lab work and came out smiling. Yes, he said I'm doing well, which is very comforting after my tiny bout with cancer last year and my big cancer scare earlier this year. I've been taking better care of myself and it's paying off.

Yesterday (Thursday) I had a pleasant surprise~ my friends Kenny and Maureen invited me and my friend, Andrew, to the Hollywood Bowl last minute. We had box seats and enjoyed a spread of cheese, apples, hummus, pita bread, crackers, cookies and other yummy things, along with some nice wine. The concert was the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing selections from Bernstein's "West Side Story," Copland's "Old American Songs" and Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

Baritone Thomas Hampson provided the vocals for Copland's tunes. He began a little stiff and a tad off-tempo, but as the songs went on, he relaxed and started to have fun. The more he seemed to enjoy what he was singing, the more the audience enjoyed him. We even drew him back for an encore!

Another treat was Gore Vidal reading the narrative for Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." His voice was perfect. He caught the emotions just right and spoke very clearly, not rushing and not dragging, as he worked his way through the text. Wrapped in the orchestra's movements, the piece made you proud to be an American.

The L.A. Phil, under the direction of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, did a beautiful job with all the works. One of the best things, though, was the sound. Unlike many concerts I attend, the volume was perfect- no earplugs needed and no too-quiet notes lost. I couldn't have asked for a better evening than being under the stars with my friends relaxing to timeless music! Thank you Kenny and Maureen!!

Tomorrow I'm off to Sounds of the Underground in Irvine. If you see me, don't be afraid to come up and say hello. It's going to be a great show.

I've got photos! I'm sure you've noticed the plethora of photos I've posted today. There's ones of me and Zaynah at the Body Art Expo taken by my friend Keith Durflinger and one of my friend Ken Kvammen celebrating his 80th birthday by skydiving. The animals are just good fun! But tell me... I love garden gnomes... a lot, still I think this cat gnome is pushing things a little too far! ha ha ha!

In rotation this week: Joan Baez, Tim Curry, Orange Sky, the Offspring, Tribe of Gypsies, Gwar, Lacuna Coil, Five Finger Death Punch, Poison and Slayer.

Take time this week to review your life. What is good, what's bad and what you want to change. If you need to, make a list of pros and cons. Don't be selfish either and just look at the things that affect you- also consider how you and your actions affect others. Then write down what you are going to change and how, as well as your goals. It can be a private list, you don't have to post on the fridge, but put it somewhere you can look at it often so it sinks in. ...

... and keep on rockin'

Mickie