End o' week musings

It's kinda funny how things come to me when I least expect them. For example, my Friday last week had been looking dull until a friend invited me to join him for "Spamalot." Wow! What a great show~ I think I laughed the entire time.

We ended our outing with a late dinner at the Del Taco next to the Burbank Airport. It was an interesting spot for both people and plane watching.

Saturday I performed with Zaynah at "Dancing Colors" at Cal State San Bernardino. There wasn't a huge crowd, but they seemed to be into the show and enjoyed our choreography. Photographer Richard Lowe was capturing all the action, which you can see by visiting his Web site http://www.renaissancefaire.net/

Sunday I went into my office. My deadlines are piling up and it's a case of just too much to do and not enough time, so I decided to knock out a few stories before my next one- a didgeridoo lesson at the Folk Music Center in Claremont. I got a little bit of noise from my didg, but you'll have to watch http://www.sgvn.com/ for the full tale.

If you go to http://www.sgvn.com/ right now, you can read my stories about Pasadena Playhouse's "The Night is a Child," Melting Pot Tours walking and tasting outings and artists Nancy and Sonia Romero (Nancy has a show opening at the Folk Tree in Pasadena this weekend).

The highlight of this week's interviews was Joe Dexter of Orange. He has a nice voice and is quite a good songwriter. He is also a very friendly and funny guy. Orange will be releasing a new album and hitting the road. I recommend that you check them out and try to catch them live, as they are great on stage.

This weekend I am planning to take my mom to a dog show Saturday and then catch 3 Generations at the VFW in Industry. Sunday I'm meeting DaBelly and SGVN movie critic Vernor Rodgers for "Taking Woodstock." And wouldja believe that the rest of my week will be quiet until Thursday when the new group exhibit opens at the Gallery of the End of the World in Altadena? Here's the scoop on the fun four-day event and by the way, a certain blogger (me) will be dancing there on Sept. 4 (what a great way to celebrate my birthday eve!):

Group Show featuring more than 25 artists
Noon-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, through Sunday, Sept. 6
Gallery at the End of World, 2475 N. Lake Ave., Altadena
Free
(626) 794-8779
http://www.galleryattheendoftheworld.com/

Also:

Artist's reception 6-9 p.m. Thursday, free.

1st Friday Art Club with entertainment and refreshments 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, $5.

Potluck barbecue noon-6 p.m. Saturday, bring dish to share.

Brunch noon-6 p.m. Sunday, dish to share welcome.

In rotation this week: Jewel, Sacha Sacket, Native Window, Mark Isham & Kate Cebrano, Dredg, Motley Crue and Horrorpops.

Photos we got 'em: Two pet pics from stuffonmycat.com and stuffonmydog.com, a portrait of my new friend, photographer Jeff Sham, who I met during the L.A. Art Walk and two photos by Richard Lowe from the "Dancing Colors" show.

Thought o' the Week: Be creative. All the fires this week have truly dampened my spirits. It's so sad to think of all the wildlife and nature that is being destroyed, as well as the homes and people that are threatened. I have another connection with the devastation of the fires, as I have asthma and it has been very hard to breathe comfortably over the past few days.

I have had to keep my inhalers handy and I have had to close all my windows at home and turn on the A/C and my fans to keep things circulating. I couldn't go on my walks and yesterday I had a mild asthma attack at work and had to cancel the evening's dance practice. The problem is that even though the meds make it easier to breathe, they also make me feel ill. I'm just not myself today after all the treatments I needed to do to avoid ending up in hospital.

Now what does this have to do with creativity? Well, I needed to figure out what else I could do to bide my time and stave off cabin fever. I found a couple of interesting books to read, I did some Web surfing, I made a few phone calls, paid bills, balanced my checkbook, listened to music, reframed a picture and so on.... In general I caught up with all the odd things I usually have to stick in between all the other stuff I do.

Being stuck with a situation you don't really like isn't the end of the world, it just makes you find other options. Be thankful for all you have and can do. Find your own little spot of happiness or zen, if you will~ the more creative, the better!

Keep on rockin'

Mickie