End o' week musings

This week was another milestone in my life, as I had to relinquish my reign as Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade queen. Inside I was a mix of emotions during the event, but outside I tried to keep a big smile on my face. And heck, it was party... I could have cried if I wanted to. For the full story, visit my other blog

www.insidesocal.com/doodah

There's links to photos and video there too.

Stepping backward. I did the smart thing and stayed home Friday night. I nursed my bad knee and finished deciding what I would wear for the Doo Dah Party.

Sunday Angela and I took a trek to see Joe Walla in Pinon Hills. Boy! Were those boyz surprised! The show was very good and the crowd was appreciative. We managed to score a table by the side of the stage so we got some extra attention from Joe- he would stroll over to us for some of his solos and let us watch his guitar prowess.

Sunday you know about, so I'll continue on to the rest of the week. Monday I took my mom with me to the store to buy what we needed for our Thanksgiving feast. Perhaps that doesn't sound all that exciting, but it actually was kinda fun. The cashier and bagboy - both cute and young - teased us about the bottles of liquor we were buying and made us laugh. They also thought I was younger than I am, which made me smile. Yeah, I'll be going back to that store from now on....

Tuesday I received an invitation from my friend Roc to see the Australian Pink Floyd performing "The Wall" at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal. Having endured an afternoon at the dentist, I was a little reluctant, but it seemed too good to miss... and it was! The show was phenomenol!! The musicianship was tremendous, the acting good, the backup singers voices and dancing terrific, the video and light show interesting, but what impressed me most was the timing. All these different aspects had to be coordinated and presented perfectly or the rest of the performance would have been off. It was truly amazing and I would recommend this show to even a minor Pink Floyd fan (like myself).

Turkey Eve I went to Cafe 322 to see Aluminum Marshmallow & the Age of Aquarius Horns and Mercy & the Merkettes. Man, was the club full! The music was so good, that people couldn't resist getting up to dance. The prices at the venue for food and drinks were very reasonable, but this time round I was disappointed with the service.

Usually I have a good experience at Cafe 322, musically this night was there, otherwise it was lacking. There seemed to be plenty of waitstaff and we were even seated quickly despite not having made a reservation. The drinks took a tad long to get, but I was OK with that because of the large crowd. We were asked if we wanted to order food and we said we would a bit later. After about a half-hour of not ordering food (although we weren't asked again), a waiter grabbed our menus off the table as he walked by without saying a word. When we finally got someone's attention, they seemed unable to understand that we wanted the menu again, so we just winged it and described the dish. This guy had to go get another waitress to take our order, which took her a few tries to decipher. Why they couldn't just bring a menu, I don't know.

It took quite a while to get our food and we had to go to the bar to get another drink. Around 10 p.m. the waitstaff went around the venue whisking everything off the tables without any explanation. I believe the kitchen was closing, and if so they should have stopped at each table and told us a few minutes before, as their chosen approach was downright rude. They took a plate off our table and I had to get it back, as we weren't done-- there was food on it still too. They also tried to take our unfinished drinks several times. I have not had this problem before, so I hope it is not becoming the norm for what has previously been a true gem in Sierra Madre.

OK, I guess I should be fair and discuss the sounds too. Aluminum Marshmallow offered up two great sets of classic rock and more with a full group of horns. They turned out many favorites and the crowd didn't want them to leave the stage. Mercy & the Merkettes were tight and hot as always. These girls and their band boyz know how to dish out R&B, Motown and lots more with sass and style.

Thanksgiving, lest we forget, was very nice. My mother and I went to my Carin and Tom's. We began our day by drinking mimosas and playing croquet. My Brit mom claimed that she hadn't played croquet since she was a kid, yet she skunked us at the end. Yeah, we got hustled by my mom! lol! Dinner was steaks, yams, asparagus and warm sourdough bread. We relaxed for a while in the living room before taking a nice long soak in the hot tub complete with martinis and cigars. After we were thoroughly relaxed it was time for homemade key lime pie and eggnog ice cream. Needless to say I slept well last night!

This week my focus is on the upcoming art weekend at McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World. I will be hanging some of Robert "The G-Man" Shields' work as a memorial to him and I'm so honored and excited.

The show will be open noon-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 7. Free admission.

Other events include:

Friday Art Night - 8 p.m. til late Dec. 5 Music by Wreck N Sow and Ric Sarabia and belly dance performances by Almase Arabesque (that's me!). $5 includes refreshments.

Saturday Potluck BBQ - Noon-dusk Dec. 6. Hang out with artists and art lovers. Bring a pot luck dish to share.

Sunday Brunch - Noon-dusk Dec. 7. Hang out with the usual suspects and others. Nibble on delights dished up by Chef Cliff.

McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World

2475 N. Lake Ave.

Altadena

http://www.galleryattheendoftheworld.com/

In rotation this week: Beat Union, HorrorPops, Paddy's Pig, Tom Petty and Dead Trees.

Photos we got 'em: Just a couple of strange - and possibly disturbing - pet pics and a photo I found on the Web to honor my Pink evening.

Thought of the week: Not everything is as you expect. I was a little put out on pre-turkey night, as some of my friends who had promised to come to the show didn't make it and the service (let's not go there again). But, as my usual wont, I made a good time of it anyway. I had other great friends hanging with me and we enjoyed the music and the company. It's up to you to put the right perspective on things and sunshine is where you find it... (I'll be here all day lol!)

Keep on rockin'

Mickie