End o' week musings

As another week draws to a close, instead of looking forward to a music-filled evening, I am more interested in plunking my head on my pillow, bringing my covers up to my chin and drifting off to dreamland.... zzzz... But wait, I have a blog! I have readers who might actually want to hear about my adventures! Oh my!!

When we last chatted, I was off to try out some new guys for my new band. The drummer and I are set, but we need a guitarist and bass player. Both of the musicians who showed up were pretty good and seemed very nice, but unfortunately the bass player has different goals with his music. He and we decided that it would be best that he look elsewhere because he would probably be happier. I wish him well and hope he finds the right fit.

Now with three of us ready to work, I scanned my brain- who do I know that would like to play with us? Aha! I came up with an idea and after a few phone calls we now are planning to get together on Monday with an old friend of mine to see if perhaps we can make this work. If you have any ideas for good band names, please swing them my way...

And in other music news. If you would like to see me performing with an all-star band (real pro musicians like "Skunk" Baxter, Mark Slaughter and Bruce Kulick), you should check out my video. Log onto http://www.sgvn.com/, pick any newspaper and scroll down the page until you find the Audio/Video box. Look in the box for Rock and Roll Camp, select it and get rockin'!

Saturday was a treat- my friend Linda takes yoga over at Citrus College in Glendora, which means she gets student discounts, so she grabbed up some tickets for the school's production of "Rocky Horror Show." My friend Andrew joined us. We had dinner at Marie Callendars- they opted for the French onion soup, while I ate my old favorite there- chili and cornbread.

The theater was packed and the performance was terrific. The floor was filled with singers and dancers, the leads were strong and the audience was welcome to yell out comments. Frankenfurter was very good, he never lost character no matter what anyone said or did and sang and moved well. I was also impressed with the narrator who had some great comeback lines to the audience's remarks. It was a fun evening.

On Sunday I ventured to Whittier to catch the Rio Hondo Symphony concert. The program was "Everyone's Favorites" and it featured many songs that were just that. I will admit, however, that their choice of the "Pines" quartet was... well.. about two forests too long. But their "1812 Overture" was good, as it made me hungry. OK... I know that's weird, so let me explain. When I was little, my mother would play the "1812 Overture" every morning for me during breakfast and to this day, when I hear it, my stomach begins to growl!

The rest of my week has been filled with busy days- interviews with Ben McGinty, the owner of McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World in Altadena, Tom Landes, the director of the Arcadia Apache Marching Band and a local man in Altadena who has an inspiring recycling and composting setup at his home. My nights have been quieter with a dance rehearsal and my usual odds and ends around the house, etc.

This week has been filling up. I am going on another Esotouric bus tour Saturday. This time, I will be writing about it for my newspapers. Also on Saturday, I will be making an appearance at the press conference about the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade Queen Try-Outs, which are set for Nov. 18 (for info, call (626) 205-4029. I have band practice Monday, "mom time" Wednesday, plus dancing and well, let's see what else life brings me.

Photos, we got 'em! Today I'll treat you one of my photos from Doo Dah last year, as well as a cool pup and my friend Joanne's buddy's ever-angry kitty- wet and dry. Enjoy!

In rotation this week: Luna Halo, Sleeze Freak, DJ Krush, Britney Spears, Sarah McLaughlin, Tribe of Gypsies, Janis Joplin and Cowboy Junkies.

This week my thought is about adjusting your life and adapting to change. I had two choices since my work schedule has changed- keep my healthy routine or blow it off. I decided to make myself get up an hour earlier and do my workout. I have even added a few exercises! I've been packing super healthy food for lunch and snacks in a cooler I can take with me. And I've been resisting the munchies at night and drinking a nice big cup of tea - no milk or sugar - instead. Today I'm a tad tired, but I feel good physically and I've even dropped a few pounds. So when you are faced with an obstacle in your life, don't let it get you off track of your goals. Mine are to be healthier, and yours???

Keep on rockin'

Mickie