End o' week musings

I think I'm finally recovered and I have to do it all over again.... I'm talking about float building, but perhaps I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Last Friday I went to Mr. T's in Highland Park for a big show. There was a jazz band, Trio Ellas mariachi, tango dancers and more. It was quite a good time. I spoke with some interesting people in between things and enjoyed a large dirty martini (just one, I stuck to 7-Up later because I was driving).

Saturday was float day at McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World in Altadena. Artist Dave Lovejoy and I finalized our design for the outgoing Pasadena Doo Dah parade queen float and got busy. Lots of painting, building, etc. We had some help from artist Ngene Mwara and 32nd Doo Dah Queen Skittles, who will be riding on the float. I think it's coming along nicely.

I was sooo exhausted after all that work, but my day was just beginning. I cleaned up and headed out to Hollyweird to catch Age of Evil at the Viper Room. I brought some copies of my story with me to give the band and they spent a little time chatting with me before they were called to get ready for their show.

Age of Evil was really good live. They had energy and style and definitely reproduced their music well. To sum it up, their set was too short-- I could have listened to them for another hour or - even better - the rest of the night! I stayed and caught a couple of the acts that followed, they were OK, but didn't have the energy of AOE....

Sunday I met with Gary, a reporter working on stories for the Doo Dah Parade guide. He wanted to pick my brain for all things Doo Dah. We chatted for about two hours, but describing the parade to someone who has never seen it is akin to describing an elephant to a blind person. It is much easier to let them experience it firsthand...

I had a handful of interviews and a deskful of stories this week and am looking forward to catching Ken Waldman in concert tonight at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts at Whittier College. It will be a relaxing couple of hours of old-time fiddle from an "old-time" friend.

It all starts over tomorrow, as again I will set out to GATOW armed with cardboard boxes, spray glue, fabric and other goodies to continue the float making. We are hoping to get it as close to completion as possible, so we can devote the last Saturday to little details and a test drive.

My big excitement next week is on Tuesday. I am taking off work (yeah, probably no blog that day, sorry) to go to Mother Plucker Feather Co. in L.A. to pick up some final embellishments for my Doo Dah dress. Did I mention that I've been frantically designing and sewing since Easter? It's been a bit-and-piece adventure for me with this dress due to the lack of time in my schedule. Heck, it's been hard to find time to sleep! But then, I always say I'll sleep when I'm dead.

The dress is simple, yet complex and I think it will be fun to wear. No hints- you'll just have to come to the parade to see it!

In rotation this week: Hockey, Elton John, Janis Joplin, Age of Evil and Tom Petty.

Photos we got 'em: A few pet pics from the Internet, plus one of GATOW's Queen of Arts float from last year (inspiration!).

Thought o' the Week: Quiet can be a good thing. I'll come clean~ I've been dealing with a lot of problems over the past few weeks, including some health issues, and I've been feeling very down. I really want to just hide from the world and come out when it's safe again.

Alas, life isn't that way, so I keep forging ahead. But I have given myself one treat- quiet. I have been taking a little time each day to just sit or lay still and just breathe deep, letting my mind go blank. It may not fix everything I know, yet it is very healthy to relax, even if it's only for a short time.

When was the last time you just "were"? In our busy world we rarely take time to be still and quiet, yet we should. It reminds us to take better care of ourselves, to be kinder to others and to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life, as well as to be thankful for them. Try it, you may be surprised at how much more productive and happier you feel.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie