End o' week musings

Yesterday was so busy that I didn't have time to bring you up to date, so here goes!

Last Saturday I ran a ton of errands with my mother. We went to A&J Cake and Candy Supplies for chocolate and some new molds. I bought white, yellow, peanut butter and milk chocolate and found some great molds for summer- cute little hula girls and small seashells. I also picked up a mold with egg shapes... more on that later.

We went to Payless, where I bought dressy sandals and my mum bought sneakers. Then to Kmart for a look at the camping supplies, etc. I bought another latern, while mum bought a canopy with screening so we can get shade and keep the bugs off when we camp out this year. I also bought some new sneakers for my long walks. There was a sale for buy one get one half-off shoes, but my mum couldn't find any shoes she liked so I ended up buying another pair of dressy sandals. Of course this week the weather has turned cold lol!

Sunday I drove out to Lake Elsinore to jam with CFI (Call For Information), a blues band. The musicians (including guitarists Dan Grigor and Frank Butler) were quite good and could pick up and follow each other with ease even on a song they hadn't heard before. On the other hand, I had to work, as I really haven't sung blues before aside from some Janis Joplin.

The guys were very nice and took time to explain how to fit the vocals in with the music and how the basic 12-bar blues worked versus rock or other genres of music. I did some backups and some leads. I had a good time and would jam with them again and I definitely want to see one of their shows. You can learn more about these players at http://www.barefootmusicnews.com/ and http://www.dangrigor.com/

Monday it was back to work, but I was looking forward to the evening when mum and I were going to make our chocolates. OK, remember the egg mold? Well I used the white and yellow chocolate to make "deviled eggs" with a splash of red sugar for paprika. They turned out soooo cute! I also made peanut butter farm animals, bird houses and birds and purple roses. Then we dipped a ton of marshmallow bunnies into milk chocolate and topped them with sprinkles. Yummy!

"26 miles to Catalina!" so the song goes and Tuesday I joined Carin and Meaghan for a trip. The day began cold with sprinkles, yet we forged ahead and by the time the boat departed, the sun had come through. Catalina was gorgeous. We wandered the shops and then met Joe D'Albero at Island Chariots (http://www.catalinasegways.com/ ) for a Segway tour.

Carin and I asked if he could take us somewhere different than last time and he obliged, leading us through the windy roads in the hills above Avalon. He gave us a customized tour with awesome views and lots of pretty flowers too. It was wonderful!

Back to base, we wandered the streets some more and then I put my toes in the water for a little while before heading for the boat home. Back at Carin's we relaxed in the hot tub. Tom made his famous martinis and we even smoked cigars. What a day!!

The rest of my week was pretty quiet, as this weekend will be. I will be working for a while today (Saturday) and on Sunday I plan to sew my dress for the Doo Dah Parade. I need to take my finished creation with me when I go to Mother Plucker Feather Company (http://www.motherplucker.com/ ) to get some feathers to complete it.

'Nuff for now....

In rotation this week: Age of Evil (visit http://www.dabelly.com/ to win tickets to catch them live at the Viper Room April 10), HIM, Janis Joplin, Andrew's Bad Stuff and Orange Sky.

Photos we got 'em: Easter and kitty fun from the Web and a photo of me and Atticus during my special day as 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade Queen that I just stumbled across on the Internet this week!

Thought o' the week: Get fresh. I don't mean it that way-- gee whiz, you readers can be sooo bad sometimes! I mean as in renew yourself and your life.

Easter and spring is all about making a new start. Flowers are blooming, baby animals are being born, nature is making the world all sunny again. This makes it the perfect time to embrace this idea and apply it to your own life.

Forget those new year resolutions and make a change now, today, for the better. Try to smile more, be more positive, spread the joy. Oh, and yeah, you can do some deep cleaning at home too, but start with yourself. Dig out all that negativity and toss it away; breathe in happiness and all the good things that make everything right in your world.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie