End o' Week Musings

I had a quiet week this week, but that's not necessarily a bad thing....

Friday I went to the Empty House party for the Pasadena Showcase House of the Arts. The residence is in La Canada Flintridge and is well-deserving of a makeover. It's a little smaller than some of the previous Showcase houses, but boasts lots of interesting architectural aspects, as well as a huge garden.

I am most intrigued by Joshua Cain of Saxony Designs. He has taken on the stables, which have been unused for quite some time, and is transforming the space into a guest house. I've seen a few before and in-process photos and it is quite an undertaking. I really like Joshua's work, so I'm looking forward to seeing the finished space.

On Saturday I performed with Ad Hoc Consort at the mini-Renaissance Faire in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Director Bob, Steve and I carpooled and were grabbed by tourists to pose for photos as we came off the parking lot escalator. We were all in medieval costumes- Bob was carrying his huge serpent horn, Steve had a bag with flutes and other wind instruments sticking out the top and I was armed with my swords slung over one shoulder.

We went out onto the street and quickly discovered that we were in the area of Hollywood Boulevard where the people in costumes hang out trying to make a few bucks. It was very amusing walking through this area, as no one even blinked at us! But when we crossed the street and were walking the next block up to the theater, a couple of shopkeepers asked us what was with all the Ren Faire costumed people. We explained about the event and that it was free.

Lots of people came into the courtyard to catch our shows. Inside the theater was showing all three "Lord of the Rings" films in extended versions-- that's more than nine hours of sitting on your butt in the dark! There was a half-hour break in between each movie, enough time to visit the bathroom and the concession stand and peek out at the courtyard fun.

We performed twice and I got to dance a little with my swords. But the best part was seeing old friends from Ren Faire and making new ones. A bellydancer, Jill, came over to ask me about my jewelry and introduced me to her two fellow dancers. We had a great chat and I'm looking forward to hanging out with them a bit at Faire. They were lovely dancers- very graceful and working well together - I plan to see their show too.

I also saw my first bellydance teacher Catharae. She was offering Tarot card readings. She very good and quite intuitive, plus she has a nice sense of humor. We caught up on things and hope to get a little time together at Faire as well.

Tuesday I interviewed Rita Hoskings for a story to preview her appearance at the Fret House in Covina in February. What a nice woman and she can sing well too.

Tomorrow I will be performing with Ad Hoc Consort again, this time at a Mason's Lodge in Upland for its office installation. My special guy told me to "look for the cornerstones"-- I'll have to research this before I go... sounds interesting.... I've been teasing our music director Bob about the Masons, asking him if they are going to wear funny hats? No. Is there a secret handshake? Yes. Will you show it to me? No, it's secret. OK, Bob, but remember I'm a journalist so it's my nature to learn about everyone's secrets ha ha ha!

Next week I will be visiting the Arcadia History Museum to find out about its next exhibit and going to Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant in Pasadena to try out its Happy Hour. Then I have a busy Super Bowl weekend-- one that does not involve sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of chip and a glass of beer.... hmmm... is there much that's better than that?! I'll tell you later.

In rotation this week: Bullet For My Valentine, Haarp, Sacred Oath and Manisha Shahane ( I really like Shahane's new CD- it's got world music, jazz, folk and more, plus her pretty voice).

Photos we got 'em: Some cute photos from the usual pet places on the Web.

Thought o' the week: Live life to the fullest. My mom has a friend who is more than 90 years old. She still drives and goes everywhere. She works at the San Dimas Rodeo selling hats and does other things throughout the year. She's a sharp cookie too- when my mom and her went to Target this week, she bought a kindle! My mother kept calling it an electric book (she's not any good with computers, cell phones, etc. and she's way younger than her friend!).

This woman is not letting one precious moment go without making it the best she can. She is a true inspiration to everyone... especially all the young people I hear whining "it hurts," "I'm bored" and all those other excuses for sitting around watching life pass by.

OK, I've given you the poke you need to plan your week-- one off the couch and living life. Get out there... now... and

Keep on rockin'

Mickie