End o' Week Musings

It's been a wild week of ups and downs, with a little excitement tossed in... in other words, perfect!

I spent last weekend performing at the Renaissance Faire with Ad Hoc Consort and Danse Macabre. My friend Byron was kind enough to bring my mom out for Mother's Day and they had a great time. I hung out with them after my last show of the day and we shopped and saw "Taming of the Shrew." Then we went to Dino's in Azusa for dinner-- my mom's choice. She and I had breakfast, while Byron opted for dinner.

Monday was awesome. I interviewed Debbie Allen-- she's beautiful, talented, smart and sweet, a joy to speak with. Allen is directing and choreographing "Twist," which is opening at Pasadena Playhouse in June. It's a take on "Oliver Twist," set in 1920s New Orleans with kids selling alcohol rather than picking pockets and it has a nice musical score.

Tuesday was my mom's birthday. I gave her the complete Harry Potter series, as she loves the films, but hasn't read the books, and I took her to dinner. I was prepared to take her anywhere, yet she requested our usual-- Millie's. At least I convinced her to eat something different and celebrate with a milkshake.

Last night my Polynesian/Tahitian dance teacher really was tough. She made us go through most of our old choreographies, which was a mind bender for most of us, but we did OK all in all. I have the new dance pretty together and remembered the majority of the old ones.

This morning I interviewed Dred Scott of Finland Station- what a great guy! It always makes me laugh when the players from the hardest bands turn out to be big sweethearts. Finland Station is a punk outfit that specializes in songs about the human condition and politics. They will be at Mr. T's Bowl in Highland Park June 9. I'm planning to catch them live, as I liked what I saw of them on the Internet.

More Faire for the next two weekends. My highlight for next week with be spending part of Wednesday with John Rabe, host of "Off Ramp" on KPCC 89.3 FM. He has been photographing televisions dumped in his neighborhood and will be sharing his finds in the exhibit "Vast Wasteland Project" at Bermudez Projects in Los Angeles in June. John is going to take me on a tour of his shooting locations and the new gallery. Yay!

In rotation this week: Terrible Things and Meat Loaf. - My car has been at the mechanic's a lot, preparing for its smog test, so I haven't listened as much as usual.

Photos we got 'em: Two wonderful creations that won a Peeps' contest that I just had to share, plus cute cat pix. BTW- Piling stuff on a black cat on Friday the 13th can be extremely bad luck...

Thought o' the week: Fortitude. Fortitude is that special unwavering courage that keeps you going towards your goal no matter the obstacles. This week, I think it applies a little bit to me.

I mentioned previously that I've been in a bit more pain that usual, but as you read, it hasn't kept me from anything. Last night was tough because I had to work through the pain during dance class and not be afraid to try every step even if it was a little uncomfortable. I sooo love dancing, so it's frustrating when it's painful to do it. But as I persevered, my body loosened up and the moves became easier.

By the end of class, I was tired and hurt a little, but mostly I felt good and happy. I woke up this morning and can move pretty well, so my hard work paid off. And that's the key to anything-- not being afraid of hard work because it usually leads to success. Is there something area in your life where you could use a little fortitude? Take a deep breath and give it a go and

Keep on rockin'

Mickie