End o' Week Musings

Were snails running things this week?! It went by soooo slowly.

Last Saturday was fun, though. I performed with Ad Hoc Consort at Christ Church in Ontario for its anniversary party. They placed our chairs quite close to the barbecues, so I imagine and the musicians with dogs were quite interesting when they got home. There was also a full bar and when I went up for a glass of 7-Up the bartender encouraged me to try something stronger. I laughed because I was dancing with my swords, so you know I wasn't about to drink.

We played several sets and were invited to enjoy the appetizers - shrimp, Swedish meatballs, fruit and more - dinner - tri tip, chicken, veggies - and dessert - carrot, chocolate or almond cake. Plus they gave us a little jingle. It was a nice evening all in all.

Sunday I went to the LA County Fair, as it was the last day. I checked out all the animals and got my courage up to hold a scorpion. It was weird, as the creature was very calm and I could barely feel it sitting on my hand. I conquered a fear that day!

The rest of the week, quite honestly, was on the dull side. Perhaps that's a good thing for a change, as the next few weeks are getting busy! Polynesian/Tahitian dance class last night was a bit challenging, though, as we're learning two choreographies this session- a very slow and pretty hula and a very quick and fun Tahitian number. It's a lot to remember, plus you have to get everything coordinated. I'm really enjoyed the challenge!

Some time tomorrow afternoon I'm going to try to get out to Pasadena to catch the opening of the Folk Tree's Day of the Dead exhibit. I was totally intrigued after writing the story and seeing the photos. There's art in a range of media by local and international artists and everything is so colorful! For the opening, the sugar skull artist will be on site to personalize purchases and there will be a book signing, plus other surprises.

I like the Folk Tree very much. It's a great place to find gifts for others, as well as yourself. The front half of the store features similar items much of the time- jewelry, home decor, art, etc. and the back has a gallery, which features new exhibits throughout the year. If you visit, plan to take your time because there's so much to see! http://www.folktree.com/

Next week is interview city for me. I'll be talking with a JPL engineer who also plays fiddle and getting a peek at the Art Center College of Design's Williiamson Gallery's new show, "Worlds." Both places are always cool to visit. I love the mix of technology and art!

In rotation this week: David Serby, Samiam, McGuffy Lane, The 69 Eyes and Terrible Things.

Photos we got 'em: I hope to make you smile with some animal photos I found on the web- enjoy!

Thought o' the week: Be flexible. My friend Linda and I have been trying to plan and outing and it's not working out as we like. We picked the event, day, time, etc. and then it turned out I have to work that day. We shuffled things to make so all was good. Then Linda ended up having to help her mom with something so we're shuffling again.

The part to remember in all this is not to get upset. Thankfully what we want to do isn't a one-day, one-time thing, so we can flex. We've also agreed to keep things loose and go separate so we can meet up accordingly- arriving or leaving at different times if needed. Gosh, remember when life was easy?! The important thing is we're allowing flex so we will make our outing work.

The idea of flex can be applied to lots of things. For me, ha ha, it's usually housework. I'll plan to vacuum on Monday, but then I get an opportunity to do something much more fun, so I'll put off the chore until later in the week. Enjoying life and friends is more important than some dust bunnies. Don't stress and be so rigid, but don't be a slacker either. Find your balance and be flexible.

Keep on rockin'

Mickie