Friday, March 20, 2009

End o' week musings


No rest for the wicked as they say ... and if that's true, I must be pretty bad...


Last Friday I joined my friends Carin and Tom at Maggie's Pub in Santa Fe Springs to celebrate their birthdays. It was extra fun because Cold Duck was playing, so I got to shake my groove thing, have a nice dinner and imbibe in a couple of black and tans.


I kept on the quiet side over the weekend so I could get all the way better, but that didn't mean lounging around. I went to yoga and took my mother grocery shopping (that's a half-day event in itself!), ran a ton of errands, cleaned house, did laundry, worked on my computer, worked out, returned phone calls.... and so on!



Tuesday was my furlough day, which worked out well, as my mom had to have a minor surgery. I spent the bulk of my day at the hospital and then, with my brother's help, brought her home. OK, so ya wanna know where I get all my energy from? Here ya go. Wednesday I called my mother to see how she was doing and she was with my brother shopping at Home Depot! When I dropped by that evening to check on her, she admitted to dusting because she couldn't take sitting around any more! I totally understand her...


Yesterday was busy! First I went to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to learn about its current exhibit on Matisse. It features an art book he did, paring drawing with famous French poems. It was very nice.





Then I went to the Pasadena Museum of Contemporary California Art. Here, I took in an exhibit that blends technology and art which was very cool! I especially loved the little solar drawing robots. They look like little creatures as they turn and roll in the lights, leaving dots and trails of pencil lead behind them.






In the furthest gallery is a show of 3-D photos of Mars taken by the orbiter. 3-D glasses are provided free and when you slip them on -wow!- you can really see the topography of the land. It's not a huge display, but it sure is mighty if you're a space fan and still intriguing if you aren't.



My last stop before heading back to the office was the Pasadena studio and rehearsal space of Old Californio. I like these guys. I like their music too. The band plays rootsy/folky/rock with a lot of Golden State flavor in their lyrics and style. They gave me a tour of their chicken coop garage turned studio/practice space and shared its history with a healthy dose of humor, then we sat under a vine-draped gazebo and chatted. You will be able to read my story at http://www.sgvn.com/ in about two weeks to preview their record release party at the Echo.


Today I went to physical therapy for my knee. My therapist, Sara, put me through all the paces, checking out where my knee hurts, bending my leg in all kinds of positions, watching me walk and step up and down off a step, etc. Then she gave me some exercises to do. Evidently I've been doing some good things so far in my workout routine, so I have been on the right track, but there's even more I can do to get my knee back in shape. ... not to mention the rest of me... I'll see her again in two weeks so we can chart my progress.


Tonight I'm planning to meet with Carin and Tom at Maggie's again. There's another band and this will be the last music night for a while, so you know it's hard for me to resist.



Tomorrow I will be joining my friends Lynn, Cliff and Ben for a foray to Knott's. Lynn is a member of ACE, the rollercoaster club, so you know what we'll be doing. It's an ACE event, so we get early entry and get to stay after the park closes to everyone else too, plus we'll get t-shirts, lunch and more. This should be fun!


On Sunday I will be going to the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena to try its new Chocolate Tea. All of the dishes are supposed to have a link to chocolate. I will be reviewing this epicurean delight of an afternoon and I'll let you know if it's yummy or just too much.


Next week is still up in the air, but I have a few ideas. Atomic Bomb Comedy will be performing in Whittier on the 27th, there's the blogger picnic in Altadena on the 28th and also Rebel Rebel will be taking over Mr. T's in Highland Park that night. And then, whatever other trouble I can find...


In rotation this week: Psychostick (I just can't get enough of their new album), Orange Sky, Johnny Cash Remix, assorted reggae and an odd selection of old rock from all over.




Photos we got 'em: Hope these weird animals photos make you smile, they are from an e-mail sent to me by my friend Shahira and I just had to share them. Also, a photo of my friend Jim Curry on stage with his wife Anne. He does a John Denver tribute show that will knock your socks off! Visit www.jimcurrymusic.com And lastly, a photo of me from the Doo Dah Parade taken by photographer/artist Stephen Berkman. Check out his awesome and thought-provoking work at www.stephenberkman.com.

Thought o' the week: Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. When my mother said that my brother and I could take her to lunch after she got out of surgery I was worried. Didn't she understand the severity of what was going to happen? Didn't she know that it probably wouldn't be that easy? I told her for two weeks to get her place ready and do all her errands so she would be able to stay in bed for a while, as she probably wouldn't be able to get around very well. Finally by last weekend she agreed and began doing things to make life easier for those of us who would be caring for her.

I expected several weeks of her shufflling around and being in pain, but the doctor said everything went well and that she could resume her normal routine, just to take it a little slower and easier as needed. Sure the doc said that... And strangely enough, mom got up out of her bed in the recovery room and was good to go and hasn't looked back. Even though my mother is in excellent shape (she works out, lifts weights, goes to tai chi and yoga, etc.), I was surprised. Now that's the kind of surprise I like! May your week be filled with nice surprises too.

Keep on rockin'
Mickie

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