Friday, May 29, 2009

Viva Las Vegas


My husband and I went to Vegas for our 15 year anniversary. I've been to Vegas a few times before but I've never gone to a show there. Since I don't gamble or drink, Vegas hasn't been that appealing to me in the past.

But this year, we saw a couple of shows. And one was the Cirque LOVE Beatles show. I really don't even have the words to describe how much I loved it. It was my favorite show of any kind that I have ever been to. I'm ready to go back next month and see it again for my birthday. I doubt we'll go back quite that soon, oh, but we are going back!

The trip started off fabulously when we got bumped to first class on the flight because it had been oversold. Yay! I was having so much comfortable fun, I didn't even want to get off the plane when it landed . We got to have drinks, snacks and blankets while we watched "The Office". And that didn't suck at all!

Then, at the airport for our return flight, Air Force One (and Obama!) flew into our gate area so we got to see it land, and then see all the limos and security SUVs drive away. It was all very cool and everyone in the airport was pretty excited. And no one cared or complained that our flights were slightly delayed because of it. Our president is a rock star!

And between the exciting beginning and ending of our little trip was loads and loads of fun. Vegas is the city of excess. Or as the minister who married us a little over 15 years ago had said (because he came from Vegas), "It's the city of sin, and I love it!"

Friday, May 22, 2009

Cheers


Today is Fermin's and my 15 year wedding anniversary. It feels like a significant number and although I'm not saying we have it all figured out,we must be doing something right.

We met when we were so young. We actually had our first "date" our junior year of high school. And then we started really dating 2 or 3 years after that. I was 19.

When we married at the ripe old age of 24, I thought we had waited so long that it was getting ridiculous. Ahhh. The impatience of youth!

It amazes and impresses me that I've been in this relationship with Fermin half my life, and almost all of my adult life. We have our ups and downs, but he'd my first call if I were stuck in a ditch, or if I had just won the lottery (and I would even share the $ with him!). He's who I chose day after day, and year after year, to share all of it with.

Life hasn't turned out how either of us thought it would- other than we hoped for happiness, and I think on a day to day basis, that's what we've both got.

Right across the street, live our favorite neighbors, Alice and Rex. They've been married 63 years. 63 years, I said! They are my idols when it comes to marriage. When they were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, I asked Alice what the secret to such a long marriage is and she said that there wasn't a secret. She said she just couldn't live without him. When I compare our little number of 15 to theirs, ours is just peanuts. But it's a start. 48 years to go and we'll be caught up. I'll only be 87 years old, and Fermin will be 88. And maybe we'll have a little couple across the street that we can inspire...

So today, I am grateful for love, luck and whatever else brought and has kept me and Fermin together all these years. I look forward to the next 15, and the next 15 after that and if we are as lucky as Rex and Alice, we'll still have even more than 15 after that! Like I said, we're just getting started.

We're off to Vegas to see the Cirque show, Beatles LOVE show to celebrate~ Cheers!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Practice

The other day, when I was playing at Awakening Heart, the topic of discussion was Daily Practice. And on that day, we were referring to the daily practice of meditation.

This subject keeps coming up for me- in a book I'm currently reading, in an article in Yoga Journal, and in a few conversations I've had with friends. Not just daily practice, but commitment and dedication. Coincidentally, my 15 year wedding anniversary is in just a couple of days. Marriage takes a lot of commitment, dedication and daily practice- if you’re wanting a good marriage, that is. And well, of course I am!

It's easy to practice anything when you're in the mood. But what is truly inspiring is showing up for practice and keeping your commitment even when you don't feel like it. I have lots of "practices" in my life, but I think running is the only one I show up for consistently- whether I'm in the mood or not. And what I know for sure is that I've never thought, "That was a waste of time! I should've just watched T.V. instead of getting out for my run today." Never. Not once. Even on my hottest and hardest of runs.

One of the teachers who led the discussion at Awakening Heart told me to think of my practice as something that isn't optional. I've always felt that way about my workouts. Like Nike's tagline says- "Just Do It." Just do it, and don't have a discussion with yourself about it. Just get out the damn door!

So I'm making a list of what I want my daily practices to be. And once I make that list, I'm committing to it.

None of my practices will have an end in site, or some goal that I’m after. I’m only concerning myself with the process. All I have to do is show up. That phrase, “Practice Makes Perfect” is such a turn off for me. I’m not a person that works well under pressure. Trying to make something perfect sounds like a whole lotta pressure to me!

So I’m making my list, I’m checking it twice, and then I’m showing up!
What’s on your list?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Lovin' You...

When I was a kid, the song by Minnie Riperton, Lovin' You, was on the radio all the time. I remember buying either the single, or the album- I don't remember which- and on the cover Minnie is pictured eating an ice cream and it's melting down her hand.

Me and Mom loved Minnie and that song. And we were all amazed at that high note she sang. She had a 5 1/2 vocal octave range. We always tried singing along with that part of the song, but no one could do it like Minnie.

I thought of Minnie because Maya Rudolph from SNL was on The View today. She made reference to her mom- saying that, yes, she sings but not anything like her mom. I had no idea Minnie was her mom. I do remember that when I was a kid, I found out Minnie had died of cancer. I remember it seemed especially tragic because she was so very young. Only 31. And Maya was only 6.

Here is the video below. If you listen until the end of the song, you'll her sing, "Maya, Maya, Maya, Maya...." It was written as a lullaby for Maya. It's really beautiful and has a whole new meaning for me now.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Deleting a Friend

Facebook, overall, has been a pretty cool thing in my life. I've reconnected with some friends of ole, I get to touch base pretty regularly with some other friends I wouldn't otherwise, and even made some "friends" through other friends. So that's all pretty cool, right?

Then occasionally, I'll have someone that I sorta know make a friend request. It seems mean to say no, so if I know who they are, I usually accept.

Some of those people end up being pretty funny and I like reading what they have to say. Others, well, not so much. They either never post anything, or never even bother to say hi to me and I wonder why they made a friend request in the first place. Or they post excessively and seem to take over my page with announcements about themselves.

Earlier tonight I had posted something up, and one of the FB friends I had forgotten about, one of those that had never done anything but send the friend request months ago, made some snarky comment that really rubbed me the wrong way. First I responded to her comment with my own snarky comment. Then I got so ticked off just thinking about the snarky-isms that I thought, "Why don't I just delete her?"

I not only deleted her, but her comment that set me off in the first place, and the rude one I fired back at her. And it felt so satisfying. To know that she is off my list. Done. To her I say, "You are not my friend anymore. You don't get to get up in my business for one more minute. (Unless you happen to read my blog!) I don't have to hear anything you've got to say again. And my Facebook page, by the way, is no longer a means for you to advertise yourself."

In lots of ways, Facebook is easier than the real world. We can connect with people, but from the privacy of our own home while in our pajamas. We can flip through our friends vacation as fast as we want without the risk of hurting their feelings. We can talk with our friends during the wee hours of the night when we just can't sleep. And perhaps best of all, you can delete a friend with the simple push of a button.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Breakfast Clubbers

Finally, finally, FINALLY I got to see a movie at the Inwood in the downstairs theater room with big fluffy chairs, ottomans, and even bean bags! It seems every time I see a movie there it's in one of the upstairs theaters (which have the seats you'd expect when you go to the movies). I had yet to experience the "Screening Lounge" I had heard so much about. (It was great, by the way. Almost too comfortable. Except that the A/C was cranked way too low.)

Additionally, it was not just any movie. It was The Breakfast Club. It was this weekend's "Midnight Movie"- which actually started at 12:30 by the way.

I saw that movie way back when it came out- when I was even younger than the kids starring in the movie. I am not a die hard fan of the movie like many are. But I knew it would be worth seeing a second time, 25 years later.

I wondered what age bracket would be seeing the movie with me. I thought it'd probably be people around my age, nostalgic for the good old days.

But, even tho there were people my age and (thank god!) older, there were LOTS of teenagers there too. Apparently, The Breakfast Club transcends over time. I asked a few of them how they knew of the movie and if they had seen the movie before. They all said-yes. As in "Yes. Of course. It's a classic."

It was almost like seeing a brand new movie for me. I barely remembered much of it. Altho, oddly there were certain parts I remembered very clearly, even tho I had only seen it a time or two 25 years ago. I didn't really love it back then, and I didn't really love it now. But I had fun watching it. I liked the last little part of the movie when the letter written by the nerdy kid was read, about how we are all the brain, the jock, the outcast, the princess, and the freak all rolled into one. Maybe that is the message that transcends and makes it popular still today.

Thumbs for the movie, and way up for the Inwood Theatre.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

90 Days

Based on a few comments I've received, I think I need to clarify.
The title of this blog is 90 Days, and it is, as of now, also the title of my upcoming CD. But I have no ambition to complete it in 90 days.

I was a part of an online challenge during 2008 called "50 Songs in 90 Days". And I did it! I wrote 50 songs in 90 days. Not 50 good songs, but 50 songs. And I think some of them are pretty good! Of course, they need some work- but there's lots of great ideas there. So now, I'm beginning to work thru them, and I feel confident I'll have just the right amount for my next CD.

I recorded each song in one of 3 songwriting journals, and on a digital recorder. The other day, I took all of the songs, and converted them over to MP3 format and put them on my iPod. So the last few days, I've been taking walks and listening to these songs. Some I haven't heard once since they day they were written-- which has been well over half a year.
It's interesting to hear these songs now. Many of them, I've completely forgotten about and so they sound almost like someone else's songs to me. I'm not even sure what some of them are about. The editing process is going to be quite different than what I'm used to.

Typically, when I'm writing, I stick with a song until it's truly finished. I go back to it day after day, and play it and make sure it still feels complete. I make subtle changes here and there. But with a pace like "50 Songs in 90 Days", there's no time for that.

At this point, I'm hunting and gathering. Just listening to the songs. Seeing which ones stick, and which ones I want to just throw out. Pretty soon, it will be time to start preparing and cooking!

More

There's a magazine I like that I refuse to buy. Until I'm 40. It's called More. I can remember once seeing a tagline on the magazine that said something like "The Magazine for Women Over 40". Once I saw that, I put it down and walked away.

I'm still in my 30s, for crying out loud! I can't be reading some "older lady" magazine!!

But I really like it. It has women on the cover that I like. They're older than me, of course, and I like them. Maybe that is why I like them, in fact. So when I'm at the library, I sometimes look at the latest issue. This month, Brooke Shields was on the cover. Now that I know she's older than me, I like her a little more.

Inside, there was a spread I thumbed thru of women pictured at their current age- somewhere in their 40s. On the opposing page there was a picture of their mother at that age. It was cool to look at them side by side.

It got me to thinking... I'd really love a picture of Mom at 39. Or 40. I'd love to see what she looked like when she was the age I am now. I had to do a little calculating to figure out what year that would have been. 1976. I was 7. I was in 2nd grade. My brother was 13, and my sister was 14. And Mom was 40! Her life was quite different than mine, obviously.

It also got me to thinking that Mom was just Mom to me. She wasn't an age. I never looked at her and thought, "Whoa. She's getting more wrinkles. She's looking older." Ever. Instead I just remember when we'd look back at old pictures, we'd just laugh at the styles and I always thought everyone was looking better as time went on.

I wish I could talk to Mom about this aging stuff. About this soon to be turning 40 stuff. She'd be 72 now. But I wouldn't see her age. She'd look better to me than ever!