It's Sunday and I have been a lazy thing all day, I took a nap upstairs, I took a nap on the couch. It's not the heat, it's the humidity. ugh. I am wiped out for no good reason. Thinking about making an iced coffee so I can get some much needed work done.
I'll try to muster the energy.
In the meantime, a few thoughts on nothing in particular.
Recently I have been reminded of the old adage that you should sleep on a letter for twentyfour hours before sending it. In this day of instant everything, people seem to forget that you should still wait to cool down before posting that angry rant on Facebook, or sending that vitriolic email out. It can only come to no good. Recently I had a conversation with one friend in a group who said she was angry and would be sending a "sternly worded" email to the group. I encouraged her not to, thought she would think my words over and was sadly surprised when I got the email from her, not FOUR MINUTES later. Sigh. I also "lost" a friend who sent many a misguided post and email and then seemed surprised that the outcome was not in his favor. I tried to explain, but my email, I fear, was deleted or not taken to heart. It's frustrating!
I tried to read J.K. Rowling's book, "The Casual Vacancy" The book is, in a word, depressing. Not one character in it is not in some way dysfunctional. Despair seems to cling to every surface. There is very little hope in the resolution. I wonder if the book would have been published at all without her name attached to it. She must have wondered the same thing, as her next book was published under a nom de plume. There is only one semi-likeable character in the whole book. There are a LOT of characters. I was having a bit of trouble tracking them and had to keep going back as the relationships are fuzzy in spots. I am also reading "City of Saints' about a grizzly murder of a socialite in Salt Lake City in the 1930's It's got good pacing and is supposed to be based on real life events. I promise a full review when I finish it.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Late night ( for me) posting.
I realize it's been a week since I posted anything. I've been super busy, doing something close to nothing, as the song goes. But things on my mind this week are:
Today is the 9th anniversary of my Mom's death. I didn't realize it until I got to work and went to change my voicemail message ( something I got into the habit of doing every day when I was in an out of my office a lot) If you hear today's message, I think you can hear me breaking up a bit. It didn't help that I haven't had a good night's sleep in about two weeks ( new meds, I suspect and I am going to give them one more week to kick in before I call my doctor- again- to talk about dosage.) But today, I sat at my desk and sobbed. Going through some changes and I really wish she were here to bounce stuff off of. My mom died of Alzheimer's. I know she would not have wanted to continue to live that way, but letting go was not easy. I am glad she is not in that condition any more, but I do miss her. My daughter got married recently and she carried the engagement photo of my parents in her bag. She had wanted my father to walk her down the aisle, so that was the best we could do. I also wish my mother had met my husband; I am sure she would have loved him!
This week marks 50 years since MLK's "I have a Dream" speech. The part of the speech that resonates most is when he talks about judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. I wonder if people realize that it goes both ways. I am personally tired of those people who look at my white skin and make a false judgement about who I am and what I believe, simply because of the color of MY skin. I am tired of people trying to make me feel guilty for deeds done by people who share my ethnic background . I cannot be responsible for what happened that I had nothing to do with, but somehow, people seem to hold us responsible for historic misdeeds. I can only be responsible for my behavior and how I act to make change happen in my community and in the world. We have come a long way down the road to civil rights, but we must recognize that we are by no means finished with the journey.
Today is the 9th anniversary of my Mom's death. I didn't realize it until I got to work and went to change my voicemail message ( something I got into the habit of doing every day when I was in an out of my office a lot) If you hear today's message, I think you can hear me breaking up a bit. It didn't help that I haven't had a good night's sleep in about two weeks ( new meds, I suspect and I am going to give them one more week to kick in before I call my doctor- again- to talk about dosage.) But today, I sat at my desk and sobbed. Going through some changes and I really wish she were here to bounce stuff off of. My mom died of Alzheimer's. I know she would not have wanted to continue to live that way, but letting go was not easy. I am glad she is not in that condition any more, but I do miss her. My daughter got married recently and she carried the engagement photo of my parents in her bag. She had wanted my father to walk her down the aisle, so that was the best we could do. I also wish my mother had met my husband; I am sure she would have loved him!
This week marks 50 years since MLK's "I have a Dream" speech. The part of the speech that resonates most is when he talks about judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. I wonder if people realize that it goes both ways. I am personally tired of those people who look at my white skin and make a false judgement about who I am and what I believe, simply because of the color of MY skin. I am tired of people trying to make me feel guilty for deeds done by people who share my ethnic background . I cannot be responsible for what happened that I had nothing to do with, but somehow, people seem to hold us responsible for historic misdeeds. I can only be responsible for my behavior and how I act to make change happen in my community and in the world. We have come a long way down the road to civil rights, but we must recognize that we are by no means finished with the journey.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Entitlement?
I have given up taking the subway. I know, I know driving is not environmentally friendly and all of that BUT I took a hard look at a few key factors. It is one mile LESS to the train station than it is to work. It was taking me an hour and a half to get home at night. I was coming home around 7 pm, too late for dinner, surely but I was eating and going to bed about an hour later. Not good, not good at all. It just stopped making sense to do that. There IS a commuter bus from up here, but I hate it. It stresses me out to try to make the bus every evening. So, I am back in my car. I have noticed that people drive like they are the only ones on the road, or that they feel they are entitled to be rude. Yesterday, a cab tried to bypass a long line of cars turning right and cut in front of me. Now, call me a "B", but I was having NONE of it and wouldn't let him in. He wasn't doing anything like waving a request or even trying to make eye contact. Nope. He was just moving over into the lane ; I don't think he even had his SIGNAL on. So it was a no-go for me and he got in behind me. He THEN proceeded to try and cow me by driving erratically , first behind me, then alongside me. My car is bigger, thank you very much and it didn't freak me out. THEN he zoomed around me and cut off a bunch of other cars by making a right turn from the middle lane. Nice. Too bad I couldn't catch him. I would have placed a call to his company. They need to know, for their insurance, if their drivers are diving like morons. I like to think he was late for an accident, and was glad I wasn't involved.
People these days seem to be ME ME ME much more than they used to be. I was doing laundry on Saturday and when I went into our laundry room, my newish neighbor was there. I told him I only had one load and he proceeded to use BOTH machines, saying he had a LOT of laundry to do. I plunked my basket down in the room, the traditional "holding the next machine" placement, but I thought to myself," when a neighbor comes in the room, if I have not started on both machines, I SHARE one." I was taught to share. I wonder if we raised a generation that thinks only of themselves. I taught my "only" to share; something siblings will do, but since she didn't have any I did it this way. I would ask for a bite of what she had, when she said no I grabbed it away. Only did that once, she knew to share, probably because I shared with her. She got it. It used to drive me batty, how games were never won or lost- everyone won and everyone got a prize. Did we not teach our children that in life you don't always get what you want? Winning and losing is part of it, it is how you share your victory or your defeat that makes your character. Gracious winners and losers are becoming a rarity. There is no "I" in team, they say, but there is ME! In teaching our children that they are worthwhile and that they matter, did we forget to include that other people matter as well?
People these days seem to be ME ME ME much more than they used to be. I was doing laundry on Saturday and when I went into our laundry room, my newish neighbor was there. I told him I only had one load and he proceeded to use BOTH machines, saying he had a LOT of laundry to do. I plunked my basket down in the room, the traditional "holding the next machine" placement, but I thought to myself," when a neighbor comes in the room, if I have not started on both machines, I SHARE one." I was taught to share. I wonder if we raised a generation that thinks only of themselves. I taught my "only" to share; something siblings will do, but since she didn't have any I did it this way. I would ask for a bite of what she had, when she said no I grabbed it away. Only did that once, she knew to share, probably because I shared with her. She got it. It used to drive me batty, how games were never won or lost- everyone won and everyone got a prize. Did we not teach our children that in life you don't always get what you want? Winning and losing is part of it, it is how you share your victory or your defeat that makes your character. Gracious winners and losers are becoming a rarity. There is no "I" in team, they say, but there is ME! In teaching our children that they are worthwhile and that they matter, did we forget to include that other people matter as well?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tribute bands and "Which One's Pink" Roxy August 19
I had heard of this band , first from a friend who raved about them. Now I have to admit this ( don't shoot me) I am NOT a real big Pink Floyd fan. Maybe because some of the music on Dark Side of the Moon makes me, well, edgy. But they are one of the bands my husband truly loves, so when we got the opportunity to see "Which One's Pink" at the Roxy last night, I said "sure, why not?"
The funny part of this is that I know one of the members. Back in the day, bass player Scott Richards was in the band Manakin; a band I worked for and hung out with. I always liked Scott, so it would be a bonus to me to see an old friend performing as well.
This was going to be a live broadcast and the place was packed with fans. This band SELLS OUT houses, so it was a no-brainier that giving away tickets would pack the house. Chris and his boss, Ellen, got there before me and scored a place in line that was about twenty people from the front door. We scooted in and I half dragged Ellen over to what used to be the service bar area, so we could see above the crowd ( Ellen is even more "petite" than me!) and we could lean on the bar ( yeah, my stupid toe is still bothering me and the thought of standing for two hours did not make me all warm and fuzzy.) It worked out well. We ordered drinks and some food; NEVER order food there, BTW, the "grilled cheese" were cold and not all that tasty, I wolfed down a half a sandwich and gave the other half to Chris, as this qualified for my "dinner" They also ONLY had Jamison's, no Bushmill's :( Oh well.
The band came on to the cheers of the crowd. The host of the program had been instructing the crowd, but her voice was so squeaky and muffled where we were she could have been telling us how to dance the Watusi for all I knew. I love how the Roxy starts with the curtain down and raises it, rather theatrically, when the band is in place. It was a real treat to watch good musicians having FUN while playing; most of the band was smiling ear-to-ear at some point. The place was packed and the crowd roared and sang along to every song. I thought it was funny that the American crowd sung the chorus to "The Wall" in a decidedly British accent! They did all the songs you would expect, including my favorite "Wish you were here" I love the lyrics of that song. It always makes me think.
I don't really like crowds. Being short in stature, people tend to think they can push me around. I have a very aggressive stance that I have developed over the years and it usually works well for me. Some Bozo decided to stand almost on top of Ellen. She was able to get him to move, I was glaring at him as he tried to give her some lip. Otherwise, my "getting big" technique seemed to work and we had a nice vantage point to see the band and to get out of the club quickly after the show. The Service bar is right by the back door.
While I was watching the show, I ruminated on the popularity of "Tribute Bands" ( should I make a crack that I think the current lineup of "Journey" IS a tribute band?) I thought about it. I suppose seeing GOOD musicians playing GOOD music, familiar music is the draw. You will never be able to see some of these bands and hear the music is such an intimate setting. I have enjoyed other "tribute" bands like Dread Zeppelin and Metalachi, both of whom put on a lively, if irreverent "tribute" It's a treat to watch good player play. I even enjoy some cover bands , an old friend plays in a band called "the Retreads" which just seems like a group of guys playing music they love, a "tribute" band of sorts. I always have fun when I go out to see them as well.
The night was over early enough for me to get home and NOT be a total Zombie today. I am getting too old to go out and stay up all night and try to go to work the next day.
The funny part of this is that I know one of the members. Back in the day, bass player Scott Richards was in the band Manakin; a band I worked for and hung out with. I always liked Scott, so it would be a bonus to me to see an old friend performing as well.
This was going to be a live broadcast and the place was packed with fans. This band SELLS OUT houses, so it was a no-brainier that giving away tickets would pack the house. Chris and his boss, Ellen, got there before me and scored a place in line that was about twenty people from the front door. We scooted in and I half dragged Ellen over to what used to be the service bar area, so we could see above the crowd ( Ellen is even more "petite" than me!) and we could lean on the bar ( yeah, my stupid toe is still bothering me and the thought of standing for two hours did not make me all warm and fuzzy.) It worked out well. We ordered drinks and some food; NEVER order food there, BTW, the "grilled cheese" were cold and not all that tasty, I wolfed down a half a sandwich and gave the other half to Chris, as this qualified for my "dinner" They also ONLY had Jamison's, no Bushmill's :( Oh well.
The band came on to the cheers of the crowd. The host of the program had been instructing the crowd, but her voice was so squeaky and muffled where we were she could have been telling us how to dance the Watusi for all I knew. I love how the Roxy starts with the curtain down and raises it, rather theatrically, when the band is in place. It was a real treat to watch good musicians having FUN while playing; most of the band was smiling ear-to-ear at some point. The place was packed and the crowd roared and sang along to every song. I thought it was funny that the American crowd sung the chorus to "The Wall" in a decidedly British accent! They did all the songs you would expect, including my favorite "Wish you were here" I love the lyrics of that song. It always makes me think.
I don't really like crowds. Being short in stature, people tend to think they can push me around. I have a very aggressive stance that I have developed over the years and it usually works well for me. Some Bozo decided to stand almost on top of Ellen. She was able to get him to move, I was glaring at him as he tried to give her some lip. Otherwise, my "getting big" technique seemed to work and we had a nice vantage point to see the band and to get out of the club quickly after the show. The Service bar is right by the back door.
While I was watching the show, I ruminated on the popularity of "Tribute Bands" ( should I make a crack that I think the current lineup of "Journey" IS a tribute band?) I thought about it. I suppose seeing GOOD musicians playing GOOD music, familiar music is the draw. You will never be able to see some of these bands and hear the music is such an intimate setting. I have enjoyed other "tribute" bands like Dread Zeppelin and Metalachi, both of whom put on a lively, if irreverent "tribute" It's a treat to watch good player play. I even enjoy some cover bands , an old friend plays in a band called "the Retreads" which just seems like a group of guys playing music they love, a "tribute" band of sorts. I always have fun when I go out to see them as well.
The night was over early enough for me to get home and NOT be a total Zombie today. I am getting too old to go out and stay up all night and try to go to work the next day.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Fandom
I am an unabashed fan of the band America. I have been since 1972, when I first heard "Horse with no name" ( or as fans call it HWNN) I was thirteen, or thereabouts and I fell in love with this band. What thirteen year old girl wouldn't have? Three really cute guys who played guitars and sang? Heck yeah. As I grew up and away from the puppy-dog phase of my musical tastes, my love for America grew into an appreciation of the music. I have always been a sucker for close harmony and lyrics that make you think. Now admittedly, some of Dewey Bunnells lyrics make me scratch my head and say "what the heck does THAT mean? but as usual, I digress. I have stayed a fan all these years, admittedly they lost me in the 80's with the unfortunate foray into techno pop that left me cold. It was a guy playing an America song in the subway that led me back to discover the music all over again, this time via the fanbase on the internet. There I found like minded souls whose love for the band formed a community of caring. We supported each other through some pretty trying personal crises , and laughed and celebrated triumphs, new jobs, new babies ( whom we automatically assume will be a future generation of fans) I have found some of my dearest friends there. Through America, I have found many wonderful musicians who started as "opening acts" and became part of my musical "family". I cannot say how many concerts I have seen since that first one at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in March of 1973, but there have been quite a few. The most notable one for me was in June 2009 at the Cherry Festival in Hemet CA. It was my then-boyfriend Christopher's first America show. Before the show, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes. Could he have chosen a more perfect venue to propose?
I have a signed "Harbor" poster on my wall. Sometimes one of my husband's metal loving friends will make some disparaging remark, but I don't care. One day I would like to get the REST of the guys to sign it, if I remember to take it with me to a show, I hope they will. This music has been the "soundtrack" of my life. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it soothes me, it energizes me. They are currently holding a "contest" to get tickets to a show in Colorado. "Are you America's biggest fan?" I don't think I am their biggest fan, and I think there are people who have not had the chance to see them who will be entering this contest ( if I read some of the comments people are making on their fanpage correctly); but the contest gave me a reason to write this long overdue love-letter/thank you note to a band whose music has meant so much to me. It will continue to be part of my life.
I have a signed "Harbor" poster on my wall. Sometimes one of my husband's metal loving friends will make some disparaging remark, but I don't care. One day I would like to get the REST of the guys to sign it, if I remember to take it with me to a show, I hope they will. This music has been the "soundtrack" of my life. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry, it soothes me, it energizes me. They are currently holding a "contest" to get tickets to a show in Colorado. "Are you America's biggest fan?" I don't think I am their biggest fan, and I think there are people who have not had the chance to see them who will be entering this contest ( if I read some of the comments people are making on their fanpage correctly); but the contest gave me a reason to write this long overdue love-letter/thank you note to a band whose music has meant so much to me. It will continue to be part of my life.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Herman Melville?
I see that LAPL has decided to focus a "One City one book" type of blitz on the Classic tale of a megalomaniac and a large white whale. I will NOT be participating in the event. Why? you ask. Simple. For me, Moby Dick is a soporific. Yep. Many nights, when insomnia is my closest companion, I pad downstairs to the couch clutching a copy of Melville's magnum opus. I get to about "Call me Ishmael. Several years ago, never mind how many" and I am off in dreamland ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Seriously. I call it "the Moby Dick cure" . I had to laugh, I cannot recall the name of the book, but another author mentioned in a novel I was reading that the book had the same effect. I liked the film with Richard Basehardt and Gregory Peck. The month-long exploration of the novel and it's impact and relationship to Los Angeles should be fun. To me the thing MOST Moby I see is on almost every street corner in LA. A tribute, if you will, to a minor character in the book. The first mate of the Pequod named ( wait for it) STARBUCK!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Stress and stressors
So, Kaiser is sending me to classes to identify and relieve some of my stress. The classes begin with a "relaxation" exercise, designed to help you, well, relax. WHY am I always super stressed at the end of the exercise? Because the instructor/therapist always starts out with "Put your feet flat on the floor and your back against the seat back." Pick ONE, I can't do both! Either my feet are on the floor and I am perched at the edge of the chair, or my back is against the seat-back and my feet are about a foot off the floor. Stupid non-adjustable chairs. NOT EVERYONE is "average" height 5'5" or above. I prefer to think I am petite, not in breadth, but certainly in height. Then he guides you through the tensing of your muscles and you should "feel the relaxation" Mostly I am feeling Charley-horses. I suppose I am doing it wrong. All my fellow attendees look beatific and relaxed, I just feel vaguely miffed, which is NOT the point of this class. I am getting good advice on how to identify stressors and how to cope, like...
I started getting a lot of old flags in the delivery at work. Not a big deal, as it's part of my job, what WAS confusing me was that my name was misspelled on EACH package. Now one person misspelling "Myers" I can understand, maybe even TWO, but the last SIX packages had it wrong. I am NOT new to the department, people should know how to spell my name by now. I tracked down the memo that was sent, instructing people where to send the former flags. You guessed it. My name was misspelled . Not just my last name, but my first name as well. Sigh. I sent out a gentle correcting memo.
I also asked people to send me one or two photos of their landscaping to have on hand for a meeting to discuss landscaping issues. Mind you, I have SEVENTY-TWO buildings under my care. I figured most people would send between two and six. NOPE, some people sent as many as twenty and one champion sent me a whopping thirty four pictures; and this branch isn't one of my larger ones! Do you see why I am doing the nine-minute tai chi in my cube several times a day?
I started getting a lot of old flags in the delivery at work. Not a big deal, as it's part of my job, what WAS confusing me was that my name was misspelled on EACH package. Now one person misspelling "Myers" I can understand, maybe even TWO, but the last SIX packages had it wrong. I am NOT new to the department, people should know how to spell my name by now. I tracked down the memo that was sent, instructing people where to send the former flags. You guessed it. My name was misspelled . Not just my last name, but my first name as well. Sigh. I sent out a gentle correcting memo.
I also asked people to send me one or two photos of their landscaping to have on hand for a meeting to discuss landscaping issues. Mind you, I have SEVENTY-TWO buildings under my care. I figured most people would send between two and six. NOPE, some people sent as many as twenty and one champion sent me a whopping thirty four pictures; and this branch isn't one of my larger ones! Do you see why I am doing the nine-minute tai chi in my cube several times a day?
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