End o' week musings

While many of you may be whining "rain, rain, go away," I'm fine with this weather except for people who drive crazy in it and the hail coming in through the vent above my stove last night (I was cleaning the kitchen at the time~ could that be some sort of sign?).

The NAMM Show (music industry convention) was good this year. I made a lot of good connections and got some great interviews. You can read my story on Calzone/Anvil Cases online now at http://www.sgvn.com/ under the business section.

I also caught some live performances, including Strung Out. They were very fun and this was the first show I have seen where you really need to be more afraid of the band than the crowd.

There was a rope set up to keep people from the stage and to allow the photographers room to work. Nobody in the audience pushed or got rowdy other than yelling and clapping, but lead vocalist Jason Cruz got a little crazy. When my photographer, Keith Durflinger, bent over to do something with his camera, Jason jumped on his back and sang a few notes and then sprang off. It took a second for Keith to figure out what happened and all was fine. But I sure had a good laugh!

I want to give a shout out to fellow journalists DJ Ken and Frank Butler! Thanks for making the press room more bearable and I promise to get your coffee right next time Frank :-p

Also, I would like to let Joe Walla know that it meant a lot to me that you mentioned me in the thank you section of your promotional CD package. It was a very special surpise and, as always, I wish you the best in your endeavors on the way to your much-deserved rock stardom. Ciao bella!

For other NAMM stories and photos, visit http://www.dabelly.com/ after February 1.

I took Monday off from work to get a little rest, but still had an outing to the Norton Simon Museum (http://www.nortonsimon.org/ ) in Pasadena with my artist friend Johnny Fox. It was interesting going there with Johnny, as he explained the differences between the styles of painting, shared background on the artists and their work and more. It really gave me a new perspective on the works.

We both enjoyed wandering through "Gaze," the current exhibit exploring portraiture. The work is very well arranged and sparks conversation-- at least it did for us.

esday it was back to the ink mines. I'm lucky, as I love my job, but still the rain made me want to stay home curled up with cocoa and a good book. I had some nice interviews, including actress Felicia Taylor E., who will present "Dream a Little Dream" at the Huntington in San Marino in February (visit her cool sites at http://www.feliciataylore.com/ and http://www.groove2art.com/ ), and the hard rockers That Killed Crimson (www.myspace.com/thatkilledcrimson ).

Tonight I will be going to the Pasadena Showcase House empty house party to meet the designers and learn of their plans for the upcoming event. Oooo and I'm planning to go with Vernor to see "Extraordinary Measures" on Sunday! Harrison Ford still makes my heart beat faster!!

Next week is still getting together, but my Hawaiian and Polynesian dance class starts back up so that will be a nice sparkle in my week.

In rotation this week: Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst, Elton John, Ludo, Mumiy Troll, Mandy Patinkin, Strung Out and Age of Evil.

Photos we got 'em: One of Keith Durflinger's cool shots of Strung Out, me and Frank Butler (visit http://www.sharemyguitar.com/ to learn more about the guy with the cool hat and blues style), and a selection of fun pet pics from the Web.

Thought o' the week: Meet someone new. This was definitely the week for it for me and just by saying hello in the press room at NAMM, I met two nice journalists. During my interviews this week I met several people that made my day and were worth the drive in the rain.

Too many of us get preoccupied in our own little world. We either are deep in thought or connected to an iPod, a cell phone or some other distraction and we don't really notice the people around us. All it takes is a warm smile and a few friendly words and you might make a beautiful new friendship. Of course you might only make someone's day, but that's not a bad thing either...

Hello! How are you? What about this weather??? I just love the coffee here.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie