End o' Week Musings

This was one of those fast/slow weeks. Some days dragged, while others flew by and it had absolutely nothing to do with what I was doing!

Saturday I went to the Fret House in Covina and saw Rick Shea and Rita Hosking. It was a wonderful show. Rick played both originals and a few covers, all with his warm voice and graceful guitarwork. My mother liked him so much, she bought one of his CDs at the show!

Rita was a treat. After our interview, I really wanted to hear her live and she didn't disappoint. Her songs were all from the heart with a voice full of feeling and music to match. Her hubby, Sean Feder, back her guitar with banjo and dobro. They even brought Rick up on mandolin for a few numbers.

It was a great night, but that's how it is at the Fret House-- always good music!

Sunday I celebrated SGVN and DaBelly.com movie reviewer Vernor Rodgers' birthday by treating him to a movie and lunch. We saw "Gnomeo and Juliet," which we both liked. It's a fun movie providing you're not scared of gnomes (I can think of a few of my friends who find gnomes very creepy!) and are ready to just sit back and be entertained. I particularly liked the "hidden" Shakespeare references and the many levels of the film, from tot to adult. We went to BJs for lunch, selecting healthy salads and then spilling a Pizookie- yummy!

In the evening, I took my mother to Pasadena Playhouse to see "Dangerous Beauty." It was a stunning musical with an amazing set, terrific costumes, good voices, dancing, acting and more. It's not totally true to the story of Veronica Franco, but I understand the departure because it would have to be another hour or more long to explain things easily. The theatrical contrivances worked well and left the audience satisfied. The songs moved the story forward and it never got dull. Plus there's plenty of things for guys to like- the costumes, the pretty women, a swordfight...

Monday was Valentine's Day, but a quiet one for me, which was OK as I was worn out from my weekend. Tuesday I interviewed Kristi Yamaguchi during the day and had Danse Macabre rehearsal in the evening. Wednesday my special guy wowed me with a gift for Valentine's Day-- a little shopping spree for me to splurge on Renaissance Faire needs, OK jewelry, but a grrrl needs some sparkle.

Last night was dance night. We tackled another section of choreography for our Tahitian dance and reviewed our Samoan and Hawaiian numbers. It was good for my brain and my body!

Saturday I am planning to go to Brixton in Redondo Beach to see Dramarama. I have never seen my friend Mike Davis play with them, so it will be fun. Mike is a good bass player, an excellect chef and an all-around great guy. I'm happy to see him doing something he likes and support his band.

Monday I will be away from the computer, so no blog updates... sorry!

Oh and good news! I have a taker for my Triumph motorcycle. A friend of mine wants to fix it all up and get it on the road by summer. I know it will be going to a good home, so I feel a bit better now.

In rotation this week: "The Music Inside"-- a Waylon Jennings tribute album, Misery, Darren Kozelsky, Arlene Kole, Dirty Dave Osti (terrific rocking blues!) and Joan Baez.

Photos we got 'em: Cute animal pics off the Internet- smile!

Thought o' the week: Steady your course. When life gets crazy, so do many of us. It's been a strange ride these last few weeks in my life. I've been tossed a big bag of change, as you know, and it's not the jingly kind.

Some of my friends are in similar situations and not all of them cope well. One tends to hide out at home, not answering the phone or even going on the computer for days at a time. Another makes a point of telling everyone his problems LOUDLY, in person, on the phone and on Facebook, which could come back to haunt him. And others tend to freak out, letting stress take over so much that it makes them physically sick or they become so disorganized that what they can control in their lives starts falling to pieces as well.

I'm taking the little steps approach. Chunking out solutions to everything slowly and methodically. Looking over all my resources and poking around to see what might work best before proceeding. Hey, I found my bike a home, so there's one problem solved! I think my style is on the right path.

You need to approach and tackle problems in your life the way that works best for you- a little at a time, from largest to smallest, whatever. Just don't allow yourself to get ruffled and maintain a steady course, then you'll be successful.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie