End o' Week Musings

It's late in the day, yet early for ending my week. I will be entertaining at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale tomorrow (Friday) for its education day. School children will be bussed in from all over to experience living history and it's going to be fun. I can't wait to see how big their eyes get when I dance with my swords!

Last Friday I went to the Scenic Drive Gallery in Monrovia to interview Susan Dobay. She showed me her mixed media work, which includes a wide range of paintings- all very pretty. In many she uses bold colors and patterns to complement her realistic images, it's unique and it works.

Saturday was the opening of the Renaissance Faire. It was an exciting day because we would be performing for real audiences. Things went well, but I was pooped! That hot bath and soft bed felt very, very good.

Sunday, one of my Faire friends invited me to walk around with her during a break. We decided to get henna designs. I opted for an opening lotus on the back of my hand, while she selected an intricate design on hers. Good thing I like it, as it will be there for a few weeks.. ooo, when it fades, I can get something else!

After henna, we went to the petting zoo area to see my new alpaca friends. They weren't there, so I asked about them. The lady told me that their long hair gets full of stickers when they nibble on the grass. The alpacas don't like having their hair combed, so you have to sit down and let them put their head in your lap (they usually try to sit in your lap!) and use your fingers to work the stickers out. The alpacas are supposed to be back this weekend with shorter haircuts to circumvent the entire situation. I don't think it would be that awful to work stickers out of alpacas' hair, but then again, I wouldn't be doing the job every day....

Monday I interviewed Chad, the lead singer of Funeral Party. This week I also spoke with Brian from Ghosts of the Searchlight and Larry of Mr. McZeal & the Late Nights.

On Tuesday I met my friend Kady for pho in San Dimas. I had rare beef, which comes in a bowl of broth with veggies and other things for you to add in. It was yummy, especially with the cold glass of Thai tea. Kady is getting married in October and showed me a picture of her wedding gown and told me about everything else. I'm very happy for her, as her fiance is a great guy.

Wednesday I went to the Arcadia Museum of History to meet photographer William Pink. He will be exhibiting his photographs of minority people in southern China in traditional costumes, along with some of the outfits and headdresses. He showed me photos and videos- it was amazing! I was surprised to see so many bright colors and impressed with the intricate designs and embroidery. Many of the fabrics are made from plant fibers and dyed with natural dyes. It is a long process from plant to "yarn" to loom to fabric and then clothing. The show opens April 30- you should make plans to visit.

Tonight I will be representing the Light Bringer Project, an arts charity in Pasadena, as part of the jury for an arts scholarship competition for high schoolers. I haven't done this before, but I think I can do a good job. I'm excited and honored to be a part of this too. I wish all the participants good luck!

Friday through the weekend it's Faire, Faire and more Faire. I think I'll be a little better this time around, as I know the score. My only stress is my mom might come out Saturday and it's a little unnerving to have someone pointing at you from the audience, saying "that's my kid." Ha ha ha!

Next week is wide open right now, but I know it will change, life always does.

In rotation this week: King Crimson and a compilation disc of rock and punk band playing '70s Saturday morning cartoon show themes. (I used the cartoon disc to get the Elizabethan music out of my head, now if only I could stop humming "Sugar, Sugar"!).

Photos we got 'em: Last week I forgot to share my photo of Tuffy or the "world's biggest lap whore" as my friend calls her cat- he's such a sweetie, a snap of the test run of the Expo light rail by rail expert, my friend, Bob Davis and a couple of cute pet pics from the Web. BTW- can anyone tell me what pet hedgehogs do that makes them so dirty? And do hedgies like baths? Do they get a nice cup of tea after their soak? Hmmmm, this may keep me up at night....

Thought o' the week: Take a deep breath. I've had a few times this past week when I've felt anger or tears brimming, but it just wasn't the right time or place. Instead of letting emotion overtake me, I took a deep breath or three and calmed myself down.

We all end up in situations that we can't control and upset us. It's not what happens to you that's important as much as how you react. I would love to be thought of as grace under pressure, but I know that's not true. I have, however, come quite a long way. It used to be that I didn't hesistate in letting everyone know how I felt, I felt no remorse in lashing out at whoever looked at me wrong. I wasn't a happy person. I finally woke up one day and realized that I would never be happy until I changed because I was the real problem. Instead of looking for a solution or letting the hurt roll off (depending on the situation), I was getting worked up, which made it worse and last longer. I conciously made an effort to react differently, in a more positive-to-me way.

I'm still not even close to what I would like to be, but I am a lot better than I was. When I feel the emotion building, I take a mental step back and try to look at things another way. While doing this, I take as many deep breaths as I need to calm myself. I make the decision on how much it really matters now or in five minutes or five years. Putting things in perspective makes you realize that often it really isn't a big deal. If it still is, I try to keep calm and state my case or keep quiet and figure out how to avoid the situation again in the future.

Why work yourself up? For what? Is it really worth it to be angry or upset? Before you react and do something you can never change, take a deep breath.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie