End o' Week Musings

Can I have a do-over? I'm having a crazy day-- everything has had some kind of problem today and I am sooo looking forward to crawling into bed and starting fresh. But it wasn't like that all week...

Saturday I went to the American Legion in East Pasadena for the Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade queen tryouts. I was calm, as I was to judge rather than try to impress the judges. There were 22 entries and a big range of talent, so it was quite interesting and, as always, a lot of fun.

The hopefuls included a woman who was hoping to spark our economy and expressed her point of view by stripping down to a black leotard and tights and an Indian princess seeking protection for Hahamonga Park. There were also return appearances by Count Smokula and several local ladies who sang, a belly dancer and Uncle Fester.

I sat next to our Grand Marshall Ron Stiver, who owns Poo Bah Records. He seemed a little surprised by most of the talent, yet kept a good sense of humor. Ron's a great guy, who I have interviewed and would loved to talk music with again over a big cup of coffee.

Oh and the queen you wonder??? The 34.5th Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade Queen is Red Rosy, a perky teen from Sierra Madre. Congrats, cutie! I wish you a wonderful reign!

Sunday was dress rehearsal for the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale. It was quite a day. I had arrived early, so had plenty of time to join Danse Macabre fiddler Judy for a walk through the grounds. We went going along one path and spotted a pair of white alpacas coming towards us with their caretaker. We made room for them and the caretaker invited us to feed them a treat.

I was amazed at how gentle they were! I could barely feel the fuzz from their faces as they nibbled the crunchies I held out. They looked me in the eye - we were about the same height - checking me out. I couldn't get over their Beatle-esque hair-dos!!

My group ran through our paces with ease and it was time to go to our Kids' Kingdom show on a stage by the lake. The guys warmed up their crumhorns with a few good toots and suddenly geese were swimming to us from everywhere, honking back! It was a little scary, but mostly funny. When we played our set, every time they used the crumhorns, the geese would honk from the lake. Geez, everyone's a critic....

I was sooo tired when I got home. I feel asleep early and slept well.

Tuesday I went with Mike to do our dining review of BottleRock in LA. Wow! What a great place! The interior is beautifully designed and the food is terrific, but to learn more, you'll have to read our review. You can read what we thought of Celestino's in Pasadena at http://www.sgvn.com/

Wednesday I had a day off. I slept in, then got up, worked out, ran a few errands and headed over to Carin and Tom's. I had a fairly relaxing day... we sipped on black and tans and nibbled on chips and other goodies as we watched "Dr. Phil" on the balcony/patio. It was a cool day, but the temperature there was just right. Of course, it might have helped that Tuffy cat had made himself comfortable in my lap!

For dinner, we went to Maggie's in Santa Fe Springs for its monthly "cheap bastard night," where you pay for drinks and get the buffet. It was a really good buffet this time with lasagna, stuffed potatoes, lots of cheeses, fresh fruit and more. And it wasn't overly crowded, so we didn't miss a thing. We finished off a perfect day with a soak in the hot tub. It felt so good soaking under the stars... Calgon take me away!

Yesterday my schedule changed and I was able to make my Polynesian/Tahitian dance class. We're learning a new hula about trees blowing gently in the wind around a little hut... very cute and calming.

Today I interviewed artist Susan Dobay who will be exhibiting her work at Shumei in Pasadena in May. I also will be calling Brad Culver to talk about his part in "How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found," opening at Boston Court in Pasadena April 30.

This weekend is the big one~ the Ren Faire is opening! It's going to be a long day tomorrow, but I think I'm ready. It should be lots of fun. It's much better performing for a crowd that for yourselves ha ha ha!

We'll see what other adventures I find...

In rotation this week: Trainwreck, 36 Crazy Fists and Recoil.

Photos we got 'em: A shot of Queen Red Rosie by Terry Miller, Keith Birmingham's "mug" of Mike and I which will run with our stories and a few cute pet pics from the Web.

Thought o' the week: Cherish it all, especially the small stuff. Quite often I think about how fortunate I am to experience many things that others don't. How many times have you been on a walk and been invited to feed alpacas? But it's not only the big things that matter, more often than not, it's the little things that mean the most.

Carin's father, Obie, has Alzheimer's and I try to visit him every time I see her and Tom. I always end our visit with a hug and kiss even if Obie doesn't respond-- it's important for him to know what he means to me. He hasn't hugged me back in a while, but on Wednesday, he put one arm around me and was obviously happy for the hug. That small gesture meant a lot to me because I know he understands and appreciates my visits. It made my week!

There's just something about giving of yourself to make others happy that is sooo special. It's more special than any other opportunity or good thing that comes your way.

No matter how crazy your day gets, you always have time to spread some sunshine. And relish other's happiness, as it's the best reward of all.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie