haunted # 12 – 17

I apologize for the lack of updates.  But I’m trying to make up for it with different ‘haunting’ moments for each day.  I hope you enjoy.

# 12

Marc Tiesen

Marc Tiesen was one of Han’s best friends in and after high school.  They were in bands together, wrote songs, got into trouble.  Sadly, Marc died 20 years ago from heart failure.  As long as I’ve known Han, I’ve known Marc’s name.  Over the years, I’ve met his mother and his sister.  One of Han’s songs was inspired by Marc.  It was actually the melody and some minimal lyrics that Marc came up that Han then finished after Marc’s death.  The Rock Band actually recorded the song on their CD.

With the advent of Facebook and its scary way of bringing people out of the woodwork, many of Han’s old friends have re-surfaced, some with the intention of putting together a tribute show to Marc.  One of these friends, Eric, came over last weekend.  He had also been in the bands along the way.  With him, he brought some old recordings, including one of the song that Marc improvised during a live show that became the complete song that Han recorded with Rock Band.  Han & Eric were in the other room, talking and reminiscing, then suddenly I heard the song, but it was really just the chorus that I recognized, the lilt and inflection of the melody.  And it was Marc.  I had never heard his voice before and the sensation that I felt was amazing, so I can only imagine how intense it was for Han to relive the moment and contemplate the years that have since passed.  Han explained that it was a live performance in front of a huge crowd and they were improvising and Marc just came up with this melody and these vague words.  I could tell it was really moving for Han to hear it.  Sometimes haunting is not scary, but beautiful.

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# 13

Thirteen great Halloween movies

I tried to make this list be just scary kind of haunting movies, but I couldn’t help throwing in a few funny ones.  These are all great flicks to get in the Halloween spirit.

1. The Others – One of Nicole Kidman’s best, and directed by a Chilean-born but raised in Spain director, his only English-speaking movie.  It is a classic suspense movie and I was not ready for the twist at the end.  Love this movie.

2. The Skeleton Key - I happened upon this one on cable one morning and was intrigued right away.  Old New Orleans, voodoo tales, and another nice twist.  I like Kate Hudson and she does a good job with this one.

3. Poltergeist - Still one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen, and one of the major reasons that clowns scare the crap out of me.  A true classic.

4. The Exorcist - I remember trying to watch this as a kid and just couldn’t get through it.  When I got older, I got through it, and it is scary.  As time has gone on, the effects may not be so magical, but it is the atmosphere and the mood of it all that heightens the fear for me.  I also think Exorcist 3 could be in the list.

5. What Lies Beneath - A suburban tale with Harrison Ford & Michele Pfeifer with that scary bathroom scene.  I will always watch this one when I find it on cable.

6. The Shining – Between scary Jack Nicholson, weird Shelly Duvall, and the haunted hotel, this movie, another classic, mixes the insane with the terrifying.

7. The Omen - I still can’t watch this movie after seeing it just the one time when I was younger.  This movie has always set the bar for me as a story of  pure evil.  Bad Damien.

8. 1408 - I saw this one recently.  It’s not super scary, but it’s a good story and an interesting concept.  I thought John Cusack was good in it.

9. (now the fun ones): Practical Magic - I adore this movie.  Between Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman (again!), you’ve also got Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, plus ghosts, magic and rituals.  Always a great one for Halloween.

10. Hocus Pocus – Another one that I will always watch if it’s on.  The threesome of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as three witchy sisters who come back to Salem after 300 years is just a good time.

11. The Witches of Eastwick - More Jack Nicholson and another Michelle Pfeifer film.  Well, plus Cher & Susan Sarandon.  These ladies conjure ol’ Jack and represent the ideal females, but their wiles work even on the devil.  Who can get over that cherry scene?

12. Beetlejuice - Poor ghosts Geena Davis & Alec Baldwin can’t scare away the family who’s moving into their house.  Winona Ryder can see them, but it takes Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice to make things happen.  Catherine O’ Hara is classic in this one and the “Day-O” scene in the dining room still makes me giggle.

13. Scrooged - A double whammy since this one’s also good for Christmas.  I just saw this one again recently.  All the ghosts of Christmas are great and Bill Murray is great as the mean Frank X. Cross.

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# 14

The Haunted Mansion

I’m pretty sure I’ve confessed my love for this classic Disneyland ride more than once, but it truly is my favorite ride there.   It’s a complete experience even from the line.  I love how you don’t see the people getting off the ride and everything in between.  And I still hold that sometimes, there’s a knock on my doom buggy.

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#15

Lizzie Borden

Because we share the same name, I’ve been curious about this story for a while.  Last year, I did some research about it as I thought I might be her for Halloween.  We all know the rhyme, but as it turns out Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the crimes of killing her father and stepmother, though it was 1892 and the forensic evidence at the time wasn’t the greatest.  She went on to live a quiet life, supporting the arts and allegedly having an affair with an actress.  Her story, though, is still intriguing because the case was never solved and the story is still a mystery.  The house where the murders took place is now a bed and breakfast.  Is it haunted?

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# 16

Oingo Boingo

If you want music for your Halloween party, just throw on “Dead Man’s Party” or really any of the soundtracks Danny Elfman has created, mostly with Tim Burton (who should probably have his own category in my haunted theme).

In 1985, my family moved from Idaho to California.  I began to listen to KROQ and discover my affection for new wave music, including OB.  When I started high school, I met a guy who also liked them.  Oingo Boingo did annual Halloween shows and sometimes New Year’s Eve shows.  I think I saw one of each.  The one I remember was in Long Beach and the Untouchables opened the show.  What a great time, what a great band.  Twisted and loud, horns and angst, soul and ska.  I always think of them and their music around this time of year because their style (t-shirt designs, album artwork) generally had a lot of skulls and Dia de los Muertos kinds of motifs.  They rocked.

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# 17

The Great Pumpkin

Though not a true “haunted” thing, the Great Pumpkin is irrevocably tied to Halloween thanks to the Peanuts gang.  You gotta love Linus.

(p.s. I realize that Jack Skellington or “The Nightmare Before Christmas” should be included somewhere this month, but I’m afraid to admit that I have never seen it, so I don’t feel I have any authority to reference it).

 

catching up

Meanwhile, a week later…

This weekend, my internet has been acting quite temperamental.  Perhaps it’s the heat, because there’s a lot of it.

So, a quick rundown of the past week and the bits of joy I picked up along the way:

Monday: Drove up to Fallbrook for an appointment with a potential house concert host for the Acoustic Duo.  While it was hot, the drive was lovely and a nice variance to the routine.

Tuesday: the best part of the day was watching the All-Star game.  Now, I’m not keeping track or anything, but someone from the Padres has had a hand in each of the last 3 years of National League losses!  Oy!  That’s not good, but you can’t beat watching the game’s very best in a baseball-centric town like St Louis or even get a little choked up at the reception Pujols got from the hometown crowd, or marvel at how cool Obama was to throw out the first pitch.  Nice.

Wednesday: On Wednesdays, I take DK to church.  It lasts from 7-8:30 pm so I use that 90 minutes to just hang out on my own rather than driving back & forth to home.  I found this little random garden cafe, kind of just in this little courtyard between 2 office buildings.  They serve coffee & soda.  Last week, I went there and drank a Coke and read for a while.

Thursday: Han had a gig, but I chose to stay home because I had some work I needed to finish so the joy of that day was getting my work done.

Friday: Friday’s joy was an at-home date night with Han.  We grilled steaks and had some cocktails, lounged in the air-conditioned room and were just mellow.  Very nice.

Saturday: I was kind of worthless yesterday because of the multiple cocktails from the previous evening.  I didn’t do much but watch movies, some new (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Tropic Thunder), some well-known and quite familiar (Enchanted, 27 Dresses).  Our friend, Barbara, was over recording during the day and it’s always good to see her.  She’ll be off to Austin in a few short weeks.

Sunday: Today’s joy so far is just getting stuff done.  I went to the grocery store, planned the menu for the week, and I’m about to start some laundry and do dishes. Another friend of ours, Kristen, is also leaving town and her farewell party is this evening so we’ll stop by to give her our best and then plan to go see the new Harry Potter movie

And now here we are!  Hope you’re having a fine Sunday!

 

the return of Java Joe’s & the rest of what’s happening

I’m behind!

I didn’t post on Thursday because almost as soon as I got home from work, Han & I were out the door to run a couple errands before heading down to the new Java Joe’s.   Earlier in the year, Joe was planning to open up a new spot, but now he is co-opting (so to speak) with an existing place and booking music and running the place 4 nights a week (Thursday thru Sunday).  Han is scheduled to play there every Thursday in August with John, an old friend of ours.  The 2 of them used to play together back in the days of the first Java Joe’s in Poway.

It was cool to hear them play together again.  Han on his drum and John singing and playing guitar.  Han’s talent on the drum is truly remarkable.  The crowd was light but enthusiastic.  Hopefully, as word gets out, it will take on a new life.

Yesterday, I missed posting because I had a busy day at work, then after work, I drove up to LA to my folks’ house as my sister and her son are in town to visit.  Sandy will leave on Monday so I’m spending the weekend up here.  When I arrived last night, we hung around the dining room table and chatte for a while, then watched some TV.  I went to bed around 11 pm.  I was tired!

This morning, after eating a gigantic croissant, Sandy & I went to the movie.  We saw “The Proposal.”  It was better than I thought it would be. I forget how much of a sucker I am for those rom-coms, but they always get to me.  After the movie, we met my mom, dad & T at Puffy Taco, a place that’s been featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”  I had the taco plate (2 puffies, rice & beans).  I selected carne asada to fill my ‘puffies.’  We brought it back home and it was quite tasty.  Tonight, we’ll be going to Panda Inn (Panda Express’s parent).  This visit seems to have quite the gastronomic flair to it, eh?

To catch up on the joy-seeking:

Thursday’s joy: being back in the familiar atmosphere of Java Joe’s and thinking about all the memories I have of each of its incarnations

Friday’s joy: eating In ‘n’ Out Burger and hanging out with the family and the summer night air of this high school town of mine

Saturday’s joy: so far…hanging out with my slim sister and more just overall family time

 

feast or famine

Since I posted almost every day in April, I thought that maybe I could not post at all in May…not really, it’s just nearly turned out that way. Sorry. Things have been a little hectic around here, with very little chance of smoothing out any time soon.

Honestly, this month has been very trying for me. Emotionally, financially, and physically.

All month I have felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do. Having a natural tendency toward laziness while at the same time a vigorous work ethic, I have been at odds with myself, spreading myself very thin and some people in my life have suffered the consequences. What’s worse is that I can’t seem to pull myself out of it. I mean I think I know all the ways that are supposed to work, but finding joy seems like a task unto itself. I am loaded on stress, whether it’s my job, the household, the music stuff, there seems to be very little respite. My mood swings have been dazzling and kind of scary.

The downturn in the economy has touched us and that’s never a good feeling. We are doing our best and have received some much appreciated help. I can only try my best to help get the ship righted a bit. See above re: stress.

And physically…I developed bursitis in my right shoulder. I actually went to the doctor (not my first choice usually) and was prescribed some strong anti-inflammatory medication. It seems to be working quite well.

All of this is not to say that I haven’t had some good days and good news this month:
- I spent some great quality time with my mom & dad at the beginning of the month and then just with my mom on Mother’s Day. That was seriously a fabulous day.
- I randomly headed down to Elevated where I witnessed how the little seed I helped to plant in the poetry scene some ten years ago has blossomed. I must say it was the strangest feeling sitting there, listening to these voices and knowing that I helped make it happen, and knowing that almost no one in the room knew who I was. That may sound sad, but it wasn’t. It was cool. And I did talk with a couple of the organizers (Ant Black and Christopher Wilson) who were very kind. I did read, too, and that is always a thrill.
- We pulled off successful back-to-back performances (as well as a show up in LA) to celebrate the release of the Acoustic Duo’s CD . The CD is being very well-received by the masses. They are traveling to Texas this weekend to perform at a huge festival that’s sure to further fuel the fire.
- DK landed a part in the Junior Theater production of Mulan Jr. which is very exciting. The show opens on June 26 and runs until July 12. We already have our tickets for opening and closing night and we’ll probably go to another show in between.
- I’ve kept up my reading (new books updated on my books page)
- We went to see “Angels & Demons” (I’m in serious need of bulking up my Flicks list)

So there’s good stuff. As my sister said, “You’ve got to punch a fun ticket every now and then.” And she’s right.

But what worries me is not seeming to be able to sustain the good mood, the happy attitude. What worries me is that I seem incapable of relaxing. I mean WTF? I mostly feel tired, jagged, coarse. Even when I try to plan relaxing things, I’m telling myself, “Okay, now is the time scheduled for relaxing.” That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

I usually am not this forthcoming about my personal well-being or state of mind on this blog. But I figure, the people I know who read this with any regularity are people who love me and who would want to know what’s going on with me, right?

So what’s ahead?
- Fast approaching is the release of the Rock Band’s CD (June 21) and there is a flurry of activity that accompanies such a thing. Many details that must be attended to.
- I have a reading on the 24th. A publication party for another anthology I was lucky enough to be selected for. It’s in National City which is kind of a drag, but I’ll get to see some friends (Robt!) who I haven’t seen in forever.
- Continued promotion and planning for Acoustic Duo and Rock Band gigs.
- Hopefully a pedicure if I can get the darn thing scheduled.
- and summer…I don’t know if I’ve looked forward to a season more than I am doing this year. I need the sun to soothe this stress and anxiety I have.

Sorry for the period of famine with regard to my posting. Here’s to more feasting.

 

updates

Books and Flicks pages have been updated.  New post coming soon!

 

birthday eve

Happy day before your birthday, Han!

Keeping a blog can sure remind you of the passage of time.  Lots of other things, too, but when you come back here and you realize your last post was February 12th, you just can’t believe it.  And I was going along so well with my every other day routine.  And I was writing some good stuff (I thought).

I wish I could tell you that after that last post, I had rushed to my desk and written 5 new amazing poems.  But that didn’t happen. So what have I been doing since February 12th?

In two words, cooking & reading.  There’s been other stuff in between, but those are the two things that first come to mind. When Han & I were first living together, he was repeatedly astonished at my lack of culinary skill.  That’s not to say he expected me to be in the kitchen to make sure his supper was ready on time, but in my single days, I just didn’t really cook much.  It was a lot of pasta and real simple stuff.  Stuff that he didn’t love.  He loves to cook but doesn’t have a lot of time for it.  Since we’ve moved in to this house (almost a year ago already!), I’ve made it a goal of mine to take on a lot more of the cooking and meal planning.  With DK a vegetarian again, that throws a curve into it all, too, but it all seems to be going okay.  I rely heavily on the internet, but Han recently had the idea to ask our family and friends to give us 5 recipes each.  So, there it is: if you’re reading this, please send me 5 of your favorite recipes, or recipes from your homeland (Mom, Mia) so we can expand our evening meals.  That said, our friend, John (of the gumbo-making) is in the kitchen right now making his sweet & smothered pork chops.  He told us that he didn’t have recipes written down but that he’d come over and make it and tell us what he was doing as he went along.   Yum.

Here’s a short list of some of the more interesting things I’ve made over the last 3 weeks:
- chicken stroganoff
- cashew chicken
- shrimp burritos
- chicken parmesan
- fish vera cruz

Tomorrow I plan to bake a cake for Han.  A chocolate peanut butter cake.  From scratch.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

On the reading front, I finished two books and will probably finish my other two by Sunday. [I've been keeping my Books page updated.] I try to read every spare minute, even when I’m waiting at traffic lights!  I’ve found it quite easy to keep up with all of the different stories.  This Sunday is my book club meeting (to discuss Away) and we’ll select a new book.  I’ll probably pick up a couple additional ones, too.  I’m loving the library!!

What else?  Han’s Acoustic Duo played a Valentine’s Day house concert, which went very well.   I had a day off for President’s Day.  I was part of a reading to celebrate the publication of an anthology I’m published in (more on that in another post to come).  And my parents celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary!

Speaking of parent, on the 21st, I drove up to LA to and spent the night at my folks house while my sister, her husband and her son were there for the day before they got on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera the next day.  We had a really great time.  We went out to lunch (MT & I had sushi), then my mom, sister & I went to see “He’s Just Not That Into You” (not bad).  I hadn’t planned to spend the night, but they applied heavy family pressure (not usual!) and we were having a great time, so I stayed.  We had In ‘n’ Out for dinner, then Red, Mom & I played Scrabble.  For the first time in quite a while, my mom did not win.  Red won the first game (with really awesome words!) and I somehow managed to win the second game.   In the morning, Dad made chocolate chip waffles (nostalgic!), eggs, bacon and sausage.  We hung out a bit and then I hit the road.  A very awesome visit!

That Sunday was the Oscars and Han & I watched them.  We thought they were great, including Hugh Jackman.  I read some blogs on the Monday following the show that just panned them, but I thought they were lovely.  Hooray for Kate Winslet.  I’d like to drink a pint with her.

From there, it was your basic week, except it was Marcia’s birthday! She was playing a gig with Barbara downtown so we went down to help her celebrate.  Before we arrived though, we made a stop at another place, which I can’t name yet, as it’s not opened.  But it’s the return of an establishment where I spent many many hours and where I met many of the people currently in my life.  The new location is downtown and the owners were working on some demolition to prepare for the opening (they’re shooting for early April).  They even let me do some demo of my own.  It was curiously satisfying to put a hammer through some drywall and do some damage!   After that, we made it to the bar, where we ended up hanging out for a long time.  Han actually sat in with Barbara & her band so it’s not like I could just leave (and not that I wanted to!).  It was a fun evening.  The night after that (the 27th for those keeping track), Han’s Rock Band had a gig which is always a good time.   

And then it was March!  This week marked the official start of the recording for the Acoustic Duo’s next album.  It will be a quick project, they have a mastering date set for the end of the month.  We want to have them ready for a festival they’re on in May in Texas.  I’m really looking forward to the record and all the hoopla that goes with it. 

Also, the Rock Band’s record is also progressing now.  Han is laying down his vocal tracks this week (sandwiched in between his various other projects).  Both these records will be coming out around the same time which should be interesting promotion-wise.  We’ll have to plan our attacks strategically so we don’t cannibalize the projects and the relatively limited availability of promoting avenues.

What else?  Han’s birthday is tomorrow!  The day is starting with a Rock Band photo shoot for the record.  I’ll make the cake and probably some other food.  We’ll have some people over then head to OB to catch our friends playing down at Winston’s.  Later that week, we’ll head to the Belly-Up to catch David Rawlings Machine (and Gillian will be there, too).  I plan to drive up to Tarzana the weekend after to see my old friend, Mindy, at a reading.  My nephew’s birthday is coming up too so I gotta get something in the mail for him.  A few Rock Band gigs.  An Acoustic Duo gig. And then I’m looking at April.  Somewhere in there, I have to also prepare my taxes (easy) and work on the ones for Han and his multiple businesses (hard), schedule my spa session, ship some stuff, set up my external hard drive, catch up on my Late Night with Jimmy Fallon shows as well as the U2 performances on Letterman, upload my photos to flickr, and of course, cook and read

 

what’s in store

I’ve made a couple updates to two of my other pages.  I changed “Reading…” to “Books” and changed “Listening to…” to “Flicks.”   Check ‘em out if you’re so inclined.

I’ve also taken some time to put together a few lists.  Like my sister, I’m a big list-maker.   So I have a 2009 Goals list, a Mondo Beyondo list of sorts and a Mondo Beyondo travel list.

I didn’t make an MB list last year, though I thought about it.  And the one I created this year may be somewhat tame but I can always revise, add, delete etc.  I give myself permission to let it evolve over time : )  I did feel that I had to split it into two lists, one for overall dreams and one for travel.  The travel one incorporates places that Han has expressed interest in visiting too so it’s a combined list. Now that I think about it, I’ll probably make the MB lists have their very own page.

But first for 2009.  These range from the tangible to the ephemeral. Some may overlap here and there. Stay with me.  I’ll try to elaborate somewhat on the ways in which I would consider the less concrete ones to be successful.

1. Be active and healthy.
It’s no secret that getting up and moving your body makes you feel better.  I’m sad to say that my latest bout of inactivity (all of 2008 pretty much) causes the activity I do engage in to be more painful than pleasant and I’m tired of it.  I can make myself more aware of my body and do the things (big & small) to make it feel better:  walk, drink more water, eat more fruits & veggies, minimize portions, reduce sodas & sweets, stretch.  I’m allowing this goal to be far-reaching in its scope without pigeon-holing it into one specific success point (like a weight loss goal or to join a gym).  If those things come about due to this goal, great.  If not, I am counting on myself to find other ways to support it.

2. Focus on self-care.
Here’s the first instance of overlap.  Self-care goes hand in hand with being healthy.  But for me, this is more than just a health point. In the past, I’ve felt guilty if I took time to read some pages from a book.  I would beat myself up because I thought I should be doing something more productive.  My goal is to move beyond that self-criticism and acknowledge that hey, I love to read.  It soothes me, inspires me and can help change my mood. That’s some important shit!  And ultimately, not only helps me but everyone in my world.  If I’m happier overall, I’m much more likely to be pleasant to be around.  So that’s the point of self-care.  And as I referred to in an earlier post, I want to try to make it less about blocking time for “me” time, but simply incorporating the things that make me smile into the course of my day so it feels more natural and not forced.

3. Read 25 books.
Again with the overlap.  But you see how it fits in.  I would also like that list of 25 to include the entire Harry Potter series since I’ve not read any of them and I’m ready to take them on.

4. Travel.
Han will be going to Texas this spring with his Acoustic Duo and I would love to go along.  I’ve also talked with my sister about possibly meeting up somewhere in the US to take in a ballgame.  And who knows what else?  But this goal is always going to be on my list.

5. Get published outside of San Diego.
Here’s one with some specificity but still broad.  This goal will require some research and some discipline.  I’ve been published outside of SD before but I’m interested in organizing myself to a point where I can easily see that publication list and what poems are off the possibility list.  I’m interested in seeing what’s out there right now.  And I will also say that I will submit for both online & print but for me, print still seems more legitimate, as far as poetry standards.  Maybe that’s just me.

6. Find magic in each day.
Right.  What? This is my attempt to re-connect with my power of observation.  Something that once seemed so keen but has dulled.  This one is very subjective obviously.  It’s a reminder to myself to not get all hung up on the routine of daily living and to notice what’s going on around me.

7. Write.
Simple enough, right? Blog.  Journal.  Poems.  Letters.  Songs.  Emails. I’ve got plenty of words at my disposal.  I want to get familiar with them again.

8. Music business management & growth.
The Acoustic Duo, Rock Band and Studio will all need continued attention this year.  The AC and RB are both releasing albums this year so that will entail a lot of PR work.  The Studio will be launching its revamped website soon, too, and we’ll do some PR around that as well.  Should make for an exciting year!

9. New direction for Meeting Grace.
Since I’m no longer hosting house concerts, my website for the series has languished with inactivity since April.  I don’t want to give up the domain name (it’s up for renewal this month), but I’m not sure what to do with the site.  This goal is probably the one that needs the most immediate attention and the one I have the least idea about.  Any suggestions?

10. See 52 movies I’ve never seen before.
Thus the new “Flicks” page.  I love movies.  Especially good ones.  Since I don’t get much opportunity to actually go out to movies, I’ll rely on cable and the DVR for a majority of this one.  I should stipulate that this means that I watch the whole movie, preferably unedited, from start to finish.  That’s one movie a week.  I think I can do it

That’s it for 2009.  I’m excited about it!

And since this post has gotten long, I’ll just link to the new Mondo Beyondo page for you to check out my big dreams!

 

cold toes

Although it’s no 2 below, winter is here in San Diego. There’s been a steady rain all day and chilly temps (for here, people! I know it’s still scores better than most places right now), probably down in the mid-40s. I somehow missed that this was supposed to happen today and my choice in footwear is not conducive to the puddles and overall wetness everywhere.
~~
In other news, I can’t say yet that I’m full of Christmas spirit. It just hasn’t hit me yet. But I want it to. Maybe if I can find a showing of “Love, Actually”… (I just did, it’s on USA on Christmas Eve at 6 am. I will set my DVR!) Maybe this weather will get me there, or finishing up my gift-wrapping tonight. I’m waiting…

 

another relaxing day

I could get used to this!  Got up relatively early to go grocery shopping.  It was a beautiful morning, sun shining but a small bite to the air.  I did realize today that I prefer my local Vons to my local Ralphs, but I had some coupons to Ralphs so that’s why I went there.  Probably won’t do that again though.

After that, I hung out at home and did some of that cleaning I’ve been threatening to do.  Bathroom, kitchen, living room.  Han helped by doing the vacuuming which I don’t love to do.  Then we watched “Fiddler on the Roof” which I had never seen.  I made it through most of it, only dozing a couple times.

And now we are about ready to head out to a gig that Han is playing, not with Acoustic Band or Rock Band but as percussionist and guitarist for another act.  It’ll be fun.  It’s the first of two nights at this same venue, so we’ll be doing the same thing again tomorrow.

But also tomorrow, it’s the return of Book Club!  It’s been quite a while since we last met so I’m excited if only to hang out with Heather and Barb again.

Tomorrow is also the last day of NaBloPoMo.  I’m pretty proud of myself for doing as well as I did!  And there are still several blog posts floating around in my head that I want to get to, so we’ll see how December goes.

 

just a quick note

After a very successful Thanksgiving hosted by great friends, today was family day.  I drove up to LA to spend the day with my mom & dad.  There were yummy snacks, a long nap, a yummy late lunch and lots of chatting in between.  I also scored some of my mom’s clothes, which was a bonus.  Tonight, Han & I are going to a gig with other friends which will be fun.

Yesterday was really nice.  A great group of talented and fun people who all are really good at making food for lots of people.  There was a cheese plate, deviled eggs, chips & dips and plenty of booze.  Then there was a big turkey, pot roast, mashed potatoes, Han’s green bean casserole, various corn dishes, a broccoli rice casserole, bread, and various kinds of stuffing. For dessert, my applesauce chocolate chip cookies, a pecan pie, various pumpkin pies and other little sweets.  After we ate, a Pictionary game broke out and later, I found an empty chair in front of the TV which was showing “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”  Someone threw a blanket over me and I was pretty done for the day.  Excellent.

Hope yours was good, too!