Friday, March 16, 2012

End o' week musings


















"Slacker!" You say, giving me grief over no End o' week musings last week. Well, I never made it to a computer to check my email, let alone work.. gasp! But I'll make it up to you now.








On the 3rd, I went with my movie critic friend Vernor www.twitter.com/vernorsticket to see "The Lorax," which was actually pretty good. I am a huge fan of the original Lorax film that showed on TV when I was a kid and it's my favorie Dr. Seuss story, so I was a little nervous about the new treatment. But it was good, a new story woven in with the old and filled with plenty of Humming-fish, Bar-ba-loots and Swamie-swans.







In the evening I went to my Danse Macabre meeting/party that gets our group revved up for the Renaissance Faire (http://www.renfair.com/ ). We had a good spread, which was enjoyed by all and ended our meetup with a great jam.





The week followed with lots of interviews, from learning about the art market at Majestical Roof in Pasadena and the upcoming kimono exhibit at Pacific Asia Museum, also in Pasadena, to watching Luis "El Barber" Martinez create awesome designs with his client's hair at Razor Shapr in Glendora.




Friday I was out of the office. I had breakfast with a friend, sewed, then caught the Elton John and Billy Joel tribute show at the La Mirada Performing Arts Center with my friend Roc. The show was really, really good. Both performers did excellent renditions of their characters and the band was superb.







Saturday I had the first of my Ren Faire workshops, with more on Sunday. And in the afternoon on Sunday I danced for my friends Carin and Tom at their birthday party. I had fun doing a little choreography with my veil and then bringing out all 3 (count 'em) swords for a little show-off of my talent.





Tuesday was up there in the most awesome interviews category, as I got to visit singer/songwriter Severin Browne http://www.severinbrowne.com/ at his historic home. Severin is Jackson Browne's brother if you're playing "Jeopardy" and he's just as talented. He writes some really amazing songs-- expert construction and moving lyrics. He lives in the home built by his grandfather than is a mix of California missions and European castles-- it even has a dungeon! If you want to get a peek, visit http://www.sgvn.com/ and go to one of the papers' video galleries.



Our chat was nice, like old friends catching up and - best of all - Severin played some of his songs for me. I had to comment that, although I like his new album, "Lucky Man," I really enjoyed hearing him live. Severin plays all over SoCal, including a monthly show at Kulak's Woodshed, so if you want to take in some good tuneage, find a gig to attend.




Last night I got a good workout in my hula class. We finished up one choreography, practiced a couple of others and began learning a dance that you do with long sticks. I can't remember the correct name of the tool, I just know it makes noise too, which is part of the dance. We didn't have the props, so we clapped at the appropriate parts and ducked under and jumped over imaginary sticks swung by our fellow dancers. It was quite athletic and a good challenge. And yes, challenge for me equals fun.




I'll be talking with Xander Demos http://www.xanderdemos.com/ today about his new management deal. If you recall, he's a cool and amazing guitarist out of Philadelphia and he's finally starting to get some of the recognition he deserves. My story should be posted at http://www.dabelly.com/ in April.






And speaking of DaBelly, there's two bits of news: 1. DaBelly now has a Twitter feed www.twitter.com/dabellynews 2. DaBelly currently is seeking new columnists and staff writers for features and reviews. If you like music and entertainment and feel you have something to say about it that worth sharing, please contact the ezine at dabellynews@cox.net or message through Twitter for details.













Rain is on the way for the weekend, so my Ren Faire workshops have been canceled. I am still hoping to see Cheryl Wheeler http://www.cherylwheeler.com/ at Caltech Saturday unless the freeway is flooded out. She's a wonderful humorous singer/songwriter, whose shows regularly sell out, so I just can't miss this opportunity.




On Sunday, my drummer Ric Sarabia - otherwise known as Mr. Sandman of the Kia commercials- will be joining me to perform at Catherae's Hafla in La Verne. It's a big belly dance event with a pot luck, vendors and lots of pretty dancers.. plus a few nice guys lol! If you're interested in catching me with my swords, I'll be doing 2 numbers, here's a link for the flyer http://www.catharae.com/



Whew! Are you OK now?! That's more than enough adventures for two weeks.. I can't wait to see what the future holds!



In rotation this week: Severin Browne, Black Sabbath (Dio years), Elton John and Leon Russell, Lamb of God and Cheryl Wheeler.




Photos we got 'em: Some cute pet pictures from the web and a shot of me reclining on the couch in the Casbah patio after my birthday party performance.




Thought o' the week: This morning on my drive to the office I was thinking about that old question: Is there anyone/anything you would be willing to die for? And, surprisingly, I realized that I would be more willing to give my life for the greater good than I thought.



Maybe it's age or all the experiences and opportunities I have had, but I'm at peace with my life now. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a death wish, in fact, there's still a lot of things I want - and must - do, but if it came down to giving my own life so someone worthy could carry on, I could.




It's scary in a way, being willing to walk away from everything-- the beauty of nature, the solace of a hug from a friend, the joy of dancing, but I'm at a good place right now. I feel like I've done a lot in my years... a lot more than a lot of people is what I've learned. I have embraced the idea of living like there's tomorrow and making sure that you have no regrets at having missed out on anything and perhaps that is the biggest part of my peace.







So what if it all ended tomorrow? What if you had to make a quick decision to step up and save someone else? Could you do it? Spring is on our doorstep, making this a perfect time for you to look over your life and see what you need to change to bring about inner peace. No fear, just comfort in things being right in your world.



Keep on rockin'

Mickie

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