Gia's Wallet - Thursday 10/19/2006T

Gia and I went for tea yesterday, and started work on the book project we’re collaborating on. It was her idea, and it’s a very good one, and I’m pleased that we have made a beginning.

I love that one of the other writing group members—Braveheart? The Elegant E? I can’t remember!—gave this wallet to Gia for her birthday and that she uses it. I must say that this little bunch of five, besides being supportive and inspiring, knows good food and gives good gift!

That’s my fabulous fountain pen there, trying to find the right words to express it’s adoration for the wallet. Love at first sight.

Okay, I promise you... Wednesday 10/18/2006

I am not going to get all obsessed with 76 signs. But we came out of Don Cuco’s in Acton after happy hour, and boing!

There was the sign, and the rim of sundown on the mountains, and me without a photo for the day.

Some might say it was inevitable.

Can You See Her? - Tuesday 10/17/2006 bonus

This is a dancer from Rhythm Village, the act that opened for Joan Baez last night. Wow. The music and dancing was really exciting. None of the photos turned out very well, but at least this one expresses how big and thrilling the movement was. This is like trance-dancing. It was hard to stay in my seat.

Joan Baez was fabulous. So generous. She got us singing along on the very first song, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. There were problems with the sound system, but she handled it with grace.

In fact, the word that kept coming to mind was "graceful," from the way she joined in with Rhthym Village's last song, to the way she handled the sound problems, to her seemingly effortless singing. She did a few acapella songs and even danced to a little bit of Greek-style guitar riffing while one of the techs tried to fix her guitar or the guitar pick-up.

Wonderful evening.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs - Tuesday 10/17/2006

so

It’s Tuesday, right? So this sign on the curb where I always park my car is for tomorrow. Am I right?

I double checked at the newspaper racks before going upstairs to my office. These are today’s papers, yes?

Because I really don’t want to be towed.

Back to Work - Monday 10/16/2006

At least I have the sign over Papoo’s Hot Dog Show to light my way!

Making Tea in the Dark - Sunday 10/15/2006

Hydra went into town to get Starbucks. I started brewing tea and writing by the light of a flashlight in the little dinette. Mom woke up pretty soon and we went outside. It was a hazy morning, nice and cool, but not chilly.

Hydra brought us back a couple of caramel macchiatos. Pretty posh camping.

Doo Doo Doo - Saturday 10/14/2006

Lookin' out my front door.

Well, the door of the trailer, anyway. Mom and I spent most of the afternoon singing songs prompted by the collection of '40s and '50s lyrics I have in a binder.

Camp and Beach - Friday 10/13/2006

These cactus fruits looked so succulent, it was very interesting to see what the insides looked like. I expected it to be fleshy and the same color all the way through.



A view of the usually dry creekbed that runs through the campground we stayed at Thursday through Sunday.



Mom and I left Hyrdra at the campground, and drove over to Ventura. Had lunch in a Thai restaurant, window shopped, and saw this old cookie jar. This one's for TorontoMeridith! I can't believe that this worked, through the window!


We walked down to the beach... Had to cross these railroad tracks. Later, an Amtrack train went by, carrying people who were probably on their way to Santa Barbara for the weekend.


There were dozens of gulls and other birds on a big tide pool behind us as we sat on some driftwood. A few of them started diving into the waves and we figured there must be fish there. Pretty soon, all of them decided to have a look at what was for high tea. I couldn't really see antying through my LED viewfinder, just pointed in the general direction and shot!



My footprint and some random dog's footprint. I think I would like this dog.



"Lonley tern. I'm just a lonely tern..." You know the song.


Okay, face it. If you were a mermaid, you would wear this to the spring formal. And you would be happy about it.

A Cuddle of Crocs - Thursday 10/12/2006

My mom arrived this week wearing her own baby blue Crocs!

This was taken in our camper-trailer after we'd set up camp and gone out to dinner with Hydra and a friend.

Little did I know that by the end of the next day, when we went into Ventura for some window shopping, I'd have a dark sage green pair of Mary Jane style Crocs _and_ a burgundy pair that Mom bought for me when I was wavering between them!

The cuddle continues to grow!

Juicy Memories - Wednesday 10/11/2006

It was a loooong workday. Bad traffic. Worked from about 7:00-5:30, getting things completely caught up before taking the next two days off.

This is a beach bag I bought on vacation in South Carolina a couple of years ago with my mom, sister and niece. It was a great week.

Now the beach bag carries the excess stuff that won’t fit in my regular bag. Sigh.

Currently Making Me Happy - Tuesday 10/10/2006

Le Pop 3! It’s this collection of upbeat French pop tunes that was playing the last time I was in Hear Music in Santa Monica.

I love vocals, but when I’m writing or working I sometimes find them a little too distracting in my own language. So I opt for cds like this or Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge by Charanga Cakewalk.

I think these are happy songs. But you know, they could be talking about stalking each other or serial killings, for all I know.

My undertanding of French is decidedly—sparse. I am fairly certain that one song (“Un Homme a la Mer”) is about a man of the sea. There’s the one that I think has something to do with something small or a bakery. One of the singers seems to be very happy about white wine. And there’s one about—I’m pretty sure—diuretics and aikido.

Those French. So original.

Released 5 more books on Bookcrossing

It gave me a huge rush to go to the coffee house and scatter books around. They are on outside tables and newspaper racks where people will see them.

This makes me happy.

See more progress on: Get rid of things I don't need or love

The Insomnia Must Stop - Monday 10/9/2006

I woke up at 2 a.m. Sunday morning and went and wrote for about an hour. Might have come up with my NaNoWriMo concept. Seemed like a good thing. Went back to sleep until about 7:30.

This morning. Boom. Awake at 2 o'clock again. There will be no sleeping until 7:30 on Monday for this worker bee. Maybe it's just the idea that the alarm is going to go off at 4 o'clock. I want to get back to sleep. So this morning I read, thinking I'd fall asleep. I may have for brief intervals, but the book I'm reading Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson, is really good.

Anyway, I got out of bed in a huff and decided to take matters into my own hands. I showered and got ready, and drove on down to the Bob's Big Boy across the street from where I work. Where a nice man served me oatmeal and coffee, and I worked on the rough draft of an essay or article (yet to be determined) from 5:30-6:30 before ambling across the street to my office.

So I have done my writing for today and can merrily run errands and maybe get to bed early...which may only mean that I wake at 2 a.m. again. Sigh.

Oh. Right. The photo.

This is the wall of photographs of old Burbank scenes and celebs next to where I sat this morning.

My Mountain - Sunday 10/8/2006

Hydra’s is the one behind our house. This one is mine.

We seldom get to the top of it because—ahem—it is taller than Hydra’s.

This shot is taken from the door of the camper, where we store it in a lot on the edge of our neighborhood. I went down to tape the new license plate into the back window, since the plate and the holder went missing at some unknown point. (Also the reason for the DMV visit Friday.)

Took down some extra bedding for Mom, who’ll be joining us camping next time! (Note to self: must remember to take down a towel for her.)

Friday Traffic - 10/6/2006

I even left work early in order to run an errand. Had to go to the DMV.

On the rare occasions that I get through here without waiting, I feel like I’ve had a little memory lapse. Hey, what happened? How’d I get to the 14 so fast?

This one’s for socalifer!

Hydra's Bruise - Thursday 10/5/2006

It’s arguably my fault, since I left the iron on the edge of the washing machine because I didn’t want to put it away hot. Waah.

He knocked into it (cold, a day later) and in trying to catch it, got this nasty bruise on his picking hand. (Guitar picking, that is.)

PAUL SIMON!! - Wednesday 10/4/2006

Sorry, am I shouting? It’s hard to make myself heard over the Graceland CD blasting in my studio.

Yes, that’s Paul Simon down there. Once again, I was so excited about the event that I forgot to change my camera batteries, so didn’t have many opportunities to take pix. It was a cool night at the Greek, which is—of course—open air. He looked a lot like a Songmaker at one of the campouts we go to several times a year.

We had a miserable time getting to the venue, and although we bought the most expensive tickets that TicketMaster had to offer, we were still back fairly far. How do you get those section A tickets at the Greek and do you have to pay double or triple the face value??

But wow. The music was great. And quite a head trip. He played songs from all eras, all the way from his & Garfunkel days to his most recent CD, which I have been listening to for a couple of weeks. I got teared up during “Only Living Boy in New York,” which I knew from my big brother’s LPs, and “Slip Slidin’ Away” from my own treasured moments of teenaged melancholy.

And then I danced as energetically as you can without hurting your row-mates when we were all out of our seats for “Graceland,” etc.

Amazing band, I have to say. Great depth of talent, which is to be expected.

Would have liked it if he had told a couple of stories, but not everyone’s a talker. (Now Arlo, there’s a talker.)

Great way to start out our month of music!

Big Sky - Wednesday 10/4/2006

Taken from the road up to our neighborhood. The sky just looks bigger when clouds are all stretched across it.

Linear Sunset - Tuesday 10/3/2006

On my way to the library, then to my writing group. Sunset over Moorpark Avenue.

You catch the snippets of beauty you can catch, between the lines.

Even Corporate Symbols Can Be Pretty - Monday 10/2/2006

I know, I know. It’s an evil gas station sign shattering the peaceful blue afternoon.

Or, it’s a kind of interesting geometric shape over a more abstract background.

It just caught my eye as I returned to my car from the neighboring grocery store on Sand Canyon. There’s really no defense for it.