End o' week musings

It's been a tougher week than most for me, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Friday - believe it or not - I was feeling really tired, so I decided to stay in and laze. But on Saturday, my friend Louise came over and we enjoyed pizza, pasta and salad from Dalia's and I won't say how much wine. It was a very nice time and nobody drove drunk, as Louise had made arrangements for her roommate to pick her up.

Sunday I went to Ronnie James Dio's memorial at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills. The protestors were there as promised, but forced to wage their sign war on the corner by the entrance gates of the cemetery. There was only about 10 of them telling everyone we were all doomed to burn in hell for enjoying rock and roll.

On the other hand, there was almost 2,000 people by my best guess who had turned out to honor one of the best vocalists ever - in metal or otherwise. The memorial was very moving and lasted four hours. There were numerous acoustic musical performances by a range of artists, including Geoff Tate, Glenn Hughes and Joey Belladonna. The talks were kept to a minimum, as the focus was on letting the fans celebrate Dio's life. I think he would have been pleased.

At the end, everyone had an opportunity to go to Dio's casket to pay their respects. It was tasteful and beautiful- simple shiny wood graced by an overflowing arrangement of red and white roses.

I have to give Forest Lawn kudos for making the parking easy and providing plenty of outdoor seating with big screens showing the memorial for the overflow of fans who were unable to get inside Liberty Hall. There was also free water, full-color memorial books and Dio pins. I was also very impressed that even those outside could come in to pay their respects after the service and the ushers were very polite with the crowd.

My friend Andrew (Andrew's Bad Stuff) went with me, which was a good thing, as Dio's passing finally hit me hard. We grabbed dinner and some wine coolers and went back to his place to relax and destress.

Monday was a holiday, but not for me, as I had lots to do. Mom and I went to the grocery store and other errands in the morning, then I took a short nap. I got up and did laundry and noticed that my back was bothering me a bit (I have two slipped discs that flare up occasionally). By the time I got home I was really in pain- I couldn't even finish folding! I rested a while and then sat on my bed to complete the laundry tasks, leaving piles on my chest to put away later. Things went from bad to worse and I wasn't even able to stand up straight, so I began my hot/cold therapy and did what I could of my back exercises to try to keep it loose.

Tuesday I could stand and walk, but still felt awful so I worked a half day and went home for more therapy. I had tried calling the doctor, but couldn't get in and wasn't going to sit in urgent care or emergency for four painful hours. Sitting was way worse that standing or laying down!

Maggie's "cheap bastard night" (free buffet with drinks) was Wednesday and I was feeling a bit better. I met Carin and Tom there and then went to their place to soak in the hot tub for the remainder of the evening and yesterday I was able to bend fairly comfortably! I went for my walk and continued the rest of the back therapy last night.

Yesterday I also interviewed Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater to preview their upcoming tour with Iron Maiden. Mike always charming and funny- what a great guy!

I'm supposed to dance at McGinty's Gallery at the End of the World (http://www.galleryattheendoftheworld.com/ ) in Altadena tonight, but I'm going to have to pass. My back still isn't 100% and I don't want to lose any ground in its healing. You should still come out for 1st Friday Art Club, as the Sundowners are playing and my drummer Ric will be doing his thing, which is super cool. If you come out say hello.

I may not go to the gallery on Saturday because I'm going to the premiere of "Max Neptune & the Menacing Squid" (www.maxneptune.com ) in Whittier. I plan to dress up fancy and have a great evening. Resident movie critic for my papers (http://www.sgvn.com/ ) and DaBelly.com (http://www.dabelly.com/ ), Vernor Rodgers will be my escort -- I hope I don't embarrass him!! Or maybe I should, as that would be much more fun!

Sunday I will be hanging at the gallery again~ I just love the vibe on Sundays, not to mention the bloody marys and mimosas.

Next week I will be keeping busy interviewing and writing....

In rotation this week: DJ Cheb & Sabbah, Tom Petty and a few other assorted things, but no Dio- I'm still not ready.

Photos we got 'em: Just a few things from the Web that made me laugh~ enjoy!

Thought o' the week: Perservere. That's sort of been my mantra this week. I haven't babied my back more than necessary, as I know I have to keep it moving so it doesn't get all stiff. I have been doing what I can of my workout and taking each step slowly. I've also not succumbed to eating a bunch of comfort foods to sate my spirit because I've lost a few pounds and need to keep up on my health.

It's been tough. It's hard to push through the pain as I stretch and work my back. My reward, though, has ultimately been a reduction in pain and a steady increase in flexibility. The other hard part is hearing ice cream, chocolate, bread and all those other yummies yelling at me and ignoring them. I know they'll make me feel better... for the moment... and then worse later. So it's been a very long week.

I'm sure there's something in your life that you need to work through despite distractions. Perhaps you should try making "persevere" your mantra for a week and see what rewards you reap.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie