it's my party and so i sent maz to myself!

from Big Shelly and Miss K

from the ever delightful MJ

almost here!

you know i'm talking about my birthday, right?

big party here tomorrow with an italian theme! (think Big Night) it's funny, but this will be a small family party which means 30+ people. party time usually starts when i wake up and ends at the stroke of midnight. this year, it started TODAY with brunch with mr. moose (miss nan has a cold and wants to be well for tomorrow, so she stayed in bed) and is continuing tonight with raw oysters at the captain and Stretch's house.  there will be photos, but no posting on facebook! 

the neat thing about being in old haunts is running into friends you haven't seen in ages and having it feel as if we'd just seen each other last week. that's what i miss about not living here anymore, old friends and favorite neighborhood places;
wandering around larchmont village,
eating cookies from canter's deli (http://www.cantersdeli.com)*
and the fact that the l.a. county art museum (http://www.lacma.org)*  is around the corner from super nana's house! and that's just the stuff we did recently..
then there's one of my foodie favorites here in town, the captain always serves up some pete's hot sausage when i'm here.

but it always comes down to the people, doesn't it? it's the coconut krewe and the grandkids and running into old friends. it's los angeles after the rain when the sky is a brilliant blue and the air is fresh again...i miss it, but...

i'm going home on wednesday.

*links wouldn't post for some reason.

today's baby picture

did you get your precious photos? why, yes, i did! (apologies to bladerunner)

BBC and his motorcycle and it plays MUSIC! *cackling*

ace aka the Kid & BBC

the MITM & BGM

BGM, the MITM & BBC

guess who?

BGM and harold

BGM feet

something for a saturday in los angeles

the house is quiet and i'm the only one awake. it's still early here, but thanks to our pal, andrew keogh, it's never too early for beautiful music!

it's supposed to rain today, so we're staying in and probably just cooking and eating and baking and eating and maybe just a little wine sipping...

i'll be back later...

the babies do christmas!

there will be more photos later!! the internet is working!

this is what we do 2 days after christmas

eat.
eat.
eat.
eat.
eat.

and did i mention eat?

internet has been wacko today. at&t has promised it will be working within 24 hours. we do have pictures to share.

the day after

family.

food.

feasting.

fun.

we hope all y'all had a great day!

back later with photos.

This song is for you...

the dancing lady & the doc's charlie brown christmas tree

December 24th

Baby Girl Matrix in her first Christmas traveling outfit

Happy Holidays to all our friends here and around the world! 

We follow many different creeds, but in the end we all want the same thing for ourselves and each other - 

Peace, Joy, Love and Happiness for all, now and always!

another day, another flight

it's sunday morning at some insane hour and i'm not sure, other than thirst, why i'm awake!  it might be a good idea to check the itinerary at some point. 

we're going home today. the MITM has already been on the phone for an hour working. another reminder this was NOT a vacation, for him anyway! you already know my attitude about all of this. i didn't even have to drive, just pack, make dinner decisions and generally, just function as a personal assistant on this trip. (fine by me, boss!)  we did get a chance to wander around yesterday and stop at 
cafe du monde and listen to street musicians which in NOLA is always a treat! 

we had an opportunity to hear the roots of music marching band. click on the link for program information and why the group was formed! they'll be marching in the annual tournament of roses parade to be held on january 1, 2013!

window shopping and people watching filled the rest of our afternoon. i had a chance to visit one of my favorite shops in person (we've only done online purchases in the past)! check out dirtycoast.com (link won't post for some reason) for some fun and a glimpse at local color! 

so, there it is! if you have to take a business trip to NOLA, be ready to work hard and play hard, baby! this city will take care of you!

no more food, no more food, unless it's oysters on the half shell

on the road again with the MITM.

we're going back to
NOLA.
NOLA.
NOLA.

yes, the land of first, you make a rue, except, i think i will just fall into an oyster raw bar and let the good times roll until we get on a plane tomorrow.

xoxo 

Friday, 21DEC2012

the world is not ending today. we're moving right along and heading to orange, texas. the best thing about that is that on saturday, we're heading back to NOLA!

more later...

AND NOW IT'S LATER:

the MITM is at a meeting that i did not have to attend. i am in yet another hampton inn in not only another city, but another state! regional differences are not all that noticeable anywhere near interstates, except, of course, for regional accents and pronunciation. it really does come down to, "i don't care how y'all say it up north, but down heah..." now, fortunately, southerners are kind and very courteous to strangers, even those of us from georgia, so my mispronunciation of the town name was forgiven and gently corrected. (sorry, kids, slight embargo on information for this part of the trip) i take it for granted, but friends from overseas, especially those from, shall we say, less democratic societies, have a difficult time understanding that no matter what city/county/state/region a person may live in, we are all americans. now, we may be hypenated-americans, practice different religions, have different cultural awarenesses, but bottomline, we are one country. yes, i know, i'm doing some broad-stroke painting right now, but for me, traveling around this region is always refreshing because i know, no matter what i see on the news or read online, we may be screwed up, we may lose sight of the prize at times, we may absolutely do the wrong thing, but dammit, as a people, when stuff goes down the wrong way here, we do the right thing. we stand together. we are better than most people give us credit for to my mind.  at some point even the extremes elements, right and left, in our society must agree because i ain't seen no mass exodus outta heah!

OK, i have stuff to work on...

if it's thursday, it must be thibodaux

yesterday we flew into NOLA (and yes, my arms are tired! really, did you think i'd past up a chance at a cheap joke?) ahead of what was supposed to be a tornado watch/event. it did get a big windy last night and there was some rain, but nothing we haven't dealt with at home. we were fortunate. living in the south, you have to be prepared. (tornados are serious events and we did see some damage on the way out of town.)

this was the first time we'd been back to NOLA since katrina. been nearby on the way to houston, but not into new orleans. driving into the city from the airport brings a mounting sense of excitement no matter how tired or grumpy i am. NOLA is not my birthplace, but it is a place that speaks to me as if it were. perhaps, it's because it is the northernmost caribbean city and we share a genetic imprint. or maybe it's because so much of my life has been touched by all things creole/cajun. no matter what, it is a place that i love being in.  i could live in NOLA! GEAUX SAINTS!
 
dinner was at cafe adelaide's. 
here's the  dinner we had!

now, this ain't a vacation and i gotz to drive the MITM around work! i'll be back later.

xoxo 

UPDATE:

15:25h back at the inn 

one of the best parts of working with the MITM is the lagniappe that always comes after a job well done! today that was lunch here in the inn from rouses market.

tonight should be or might be at fremin's. 

outside of NOLA is a very different world. once you drive over the mississippi river into bayou country with names like vacherie, raceland, houma and thibodaux, well, you ain't in the french quarters anymore. the landscape is covered by waterways, lazy quiet ranches, busy cane fields and little surprises. we found cemetaries glistening in the sun right off the highway.  rookeries with flying pigs and horses in quiet meadows in front of huge homes, all within an afternoon drive.

the MITM has a meeting to attend, so i think i'll just have an afternoon coffee and a little piece of king cake!

on the road again

there will be reports.

later.

BUT, bags are packed and in two minutes...

so will this MAC.

(there will be pictures later, too.)

tuesday and work started early

it is the nature of his work and the time difference between the plantation and deepestdarkestafrica that makes for an early start, BUT, as you know already, means an early end to the work day around here.  you also get to work in your pj's, drink fresh coffee all day and when you feel like it, watch movies!



but, the best part about starting work in the damndarkmorning is looking across the desk and seeing the MITM, instead of just exchanging emails and texts!

waiting (and yes, there will be updates all day long!)

 the MITM had to spend an overnight in an airport. this is how we seem to be flying this season. delayed. BUT, he got to spend his time in a far plusher location than i did! (yes, i went for the cheap shot and reminded him how i had to sleep on a floor) as i write this, his plane should be in flight. 

it's too early to start checking flight times, so, i'm going to run some last minute errands because i have

hours,

yes, hours,

before he lands in our little town.

UPDATE:

of course, as soon as i wrote the above, i checked on the status of his flight! (yeah, delta.com)  he is in flight after a delayed departure, BUT, that won't affect his arrival here because he has a slightly longer layover in ATL this trip. 

yes, darlings, today is going to be one of those days around here. 

UPDATE 2:   

no chopping wood or ironing hankerchiefs or shampooing my hair, but, there has been a sip of courage after mopping the kitchen floor.

UPDATE 3: 

it's a sign! yes, loverlies, the MITM's mobile has decided it no longer wants to read his SIM card. (gotta love the south, a gentleman let him call me from ATL, so that i knew he was almost home.) we have got to finally do it and do the right thing. (but, not until we've had time to do some serious R&D re the right mobiles for both of us.  

so, he's boarding his flight home now (i do love that you can check status online) and i'll be leaving for the airport in a few minutes.

thank you all for keeping me company today! 

xoxox
 

Sunday

The news has slipped into its now standard operating procedure: saturation broadcasting, conjecture on motive, events and even worse, graphic detail. So, I've turned it off.

The MITM is in transit and unreachable, so I'll do what I always do right before he gets home.

Manic panic housekeeping! 

I'm joking (a little bit). Things are neat and tidy-ish. I'm just not good at waiting. But, long time readers already know that about me, right?  If only I could figure out how to make a career out of this well honed trait.

********

Last week I was given my first birthday gift this year! My BFF and sister-from-another-mother, Miss K, took me to lunch and surprised me with a gorgeous scarf and very cool earrings! (pictures later) The early start in festivities was because for the first time, in a long time, we won't be celebrating together on New Year's Eve. Miss K and Big Shel have partied with us in Paris, our house, their house, downtown, uptown, I think you get the picture. We spend the evening together celebrating my birthday and bring in the New Year together because that's what you do with your best pals! This year, we'll take advantage of technology and use facetime to celebrate. And when we get back, we'll have another party!

*********

Another Sunday. Another week. Another chance to do it right. Another opportunity to say I Love You and mean it! I think we've all been given a reminder that we aren't guaranteed a tomorrow.

************

Some Sunday sweetness:

BGM and Moxie reading a book with Mr Matrix yesterday. It's their quiet time together.

***********

There might be more today. We'll see. But, it will be here and not facebook. I'm starting to think this is where I belong. 

I love all y'all! xoxoxo

 

 

I have no words today.

Today in America

Today a 24 year old man, for whatever reason, decided that the best way to solve his problem was to go to an elementary school and kill as many people he could could. At this writing, 27 people are dead, most of them are children. I can only send my silent prayer of strength and support to the families that are suffering now. 

At some point, we as a nation are going to have to face the problem of the proliferation of guns in our society. There is absolutely no reason for anyone, outside of the military, to have assault weapons. Banning this type of weapon has NO impact at ALL on the freedom of everyday citizens to legally own a gun. I have no idea how to get this type of gun off the streets. I can only hope that we find a way to end this violence that permeates so much of our society.  We have to talk about this, we have to do something about this, we can not just express sorrow today and do nothing tomorrow.

I'm not talking about political opinion or party affiliation. I'm talking about what we must do, what we have to do, and what I hope we will do, to protect our children and ourselves from the insanity we have visited upon ourselves.

MY Friday contribution to the seasonal madness

Oh why not?

Last night I watched the Rolling Stones perform at the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief.  Great show, of course, wonderful musicians sharing what they do best to help others. I loved Mick Jagger's comment that it was the largest gathering of old English rockers ever on Madison Square Garden's stage! He would know, that's for sure! (catty aside: I have more grey hair than he does and he's older than me!) So many people doing what they can to help. Volunteering, donating, people just doing what they can once again. It seems that this just might be the beginning of annual relief events. Remember Comic Relief and Farm-Aid? I hope I'm wrong. But, on a positive note, I believe we are at our best when we are helping one another.  

Keeping smiling and remember to say, I love you. 

*************

It's time for a picture because I haven't posted any in a few days.

The Kid and BBC

 

mid-week madness or the countdown has begun

As UB said, Ginger did it backwards. Watching old Fred Astaire movies was part of my childhood in Los Angeles. After homework was done waiting for dinner to be ready, I'd be on the floor in front of the TV watching Fred and Ginger. Sick days were even better because that meant I got to rest on the sofa all day watching movies; Busby Berkeley and all of his musical production numbers using complex geometric patterns. The man had to be the inspiration for synchronized swimming! Check out the number below done to the tune, Stardust



Today is going to be a movie day for me. It's raining outside and not exactly gorgeous and I have the beginning of a cold. The house is neat and tidy. The movies have been selected. I have a ready supply of tea and toast. 

Now where is my faux fur throw?



Oh, and the countdown? The MITM will be home on Sunday Monday.*




(I'll bet y'all thought I was talking about my birthday, right?) 

*Sunday is the day he leaves the ShoresoftheMed, but he arrives here on Monday.

The hard part about playing chicken is knowin' when to flinch.

this post has nothing to do with playing chicken or being a daredevil. i just liked the way scott glenn sounded when he said it. you know which movie i watched. if i am anything, it is predictable about what i watch when i'm feeling alone. movies, like books, speak as friends and offer comfort in the deepestdarkestpartofthenight. yikes, i am starting to sound a tiny bit unhinged! not to worry, dear friends, this is a transitory feeling/state/moment.

i should learn how to knit. at least, i'd be a bit more actively involved in my dark night sojourns. i think i'm too impatient, but who knows until they try. i did look at directions and even bought a book, but damn, that stuff looks so complicated. or maybe it is seems that way when you're reading directions instead of watching someone doing it. i've been thinking about learning this skill for a long time...makes you (ok, it makes me) wonder what a shrink would say about that.

so where am i going with all of this? who knows, i don't anymore. i used to write these things down in a moleskin notebook that only i saw. i still have it. i still carry it in my purse. it's stuffed with cards, notes, photos that were trimmed to fit a page, drawings from another time/another place. (the fact that it comes with an elastic band attached just makes it a natural traveling file cabinet.)

and yet

there are many empty pages. 

it seems i have been my own strict editor for a long time or would it be i'm just self-censoring more now? but again, i don't know. 

do we all do that when we blog?
the questions...
how much is too much?
maybe i should explain more?
maybe it's boring?
am i turning into paula deen?

what do you think?  
(i mean the overall questions, not me turning into paula deen!)

you know, now that i think of it, the title is perfect.

it happened last night on the street where i live

luminarias photo courtesy of pat prokop

every year on the second sunday night in december, all the neighbors here on the plantation decorate the edge of their lawns with lights. last night we were one community sharing the quiet peace of flickering lights and a beautiful night under the stars.

landfill harmonic

Landfill Harmonic film teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.



check out the video.  

here's their story:

"Landfill Harmonic is an upcoming feature-length documentary about a remarkable musical orchestra in Paraguay, where the musicians play instruments made from trash.

Description

Cateura, Paraguay is a town essentially built on top of a landfill. Garbage collectors browse the trash for sellable goods, and children are often at risk of getting involved with drugs and gangs. When orchestra director Szaran and music teacher Fabio set up a music program for the kids of Cateura, they soon have more students than they have instruments.

That changed when Szaran and Fabio were brought something they had never seen before: a violin made out of garbage. Today, there’s an entire orchestra of assembled instruments, now called The Recycled Orchestra.

Our film shows how trash and recycled materials can be transformed into beautiful sounding musical instruments, but more importantly, it brings witness to the transformation of precious human beings."

this video was shared on facebook.  (the group also has a page there - use the search feature to find them) by last friday, they'd received over 100,000 views of this trailer and in one day, received 1,000 likes of their page.  i'm doing my best to share The Recycled Orchestra with as many of my friends as possible!

the inventiveness and resiliency of the human spirit always amazes and sustains me when i'm feeling helpless or hopeless or just plain down.  i am reminded that we have so much more potential as a species than we even know. 

so, today is my "don't give up day."

we do what we can and hope for the best.

saturday, but not in the park

the car of my dreams

all that car talk yesterday reminded me of the one and only car i have ever desired since the first time i saw it. i was riding a city bus home from school, barely awake, wondering why 14 year olds couldn't drive legally. i knew how to drive. ok, yes, it was just up and down the driveway, but to a young kid how different could street driving be, right? i will never forget looking out the bus window and seeing those two young women seated in that car. my car. they looked so sharp and so sophisticated. everything i wasn't. and everything i wanted to be. i don't remember anything else about them, but i will always remember that car.

the closest i ever came to having that roadster was a triumph spitfire we owned for a little while after we got married. unfortunately, i didn't know how to drive a stick then, so i was always just a passenger, but that was ok, because it wasn't the car. it wasn't my car. i mean, it wasn't even british racing green!

the coconut krewe surprised me one year by giving me a midget model car for my birthday, but that's it. now, every once and a while, i'll look at hemmings.com and dream...

i think i'll clean the garage today.

it's friday and i have things to do!

 today my goal is to figure what in the sam hill is smellin' up my garage! i think it might be a leaky battery in the second car that hasn't been driven in over a month and yes, i know the battery is dead and yes, i'm calling AAA for a jump. i'm starting to think i should get some cables of my own.  or maybe, just drive the damn car once a week, instead of once a month. 

i hate stuff like this because i really feel so damn stupid. *note to self: look into car repair for dummies* my grandpa would be so disappointed. when i was a teenager he taught me how to change the oil in the car, replace filters, check hoses, all those car maintenance things people used to do on saturdays. his feeling was that girls should know how to take care of a car and never have to depend on someone else. (or maybe he just wanted to have somebody to hang out with who wasn't always telling him what to do.) anyway, he showed me how to change a tire,  just in case,  i was ever out on a date and that ever happened. (after he met the MITM, he knew he could stop worrying about that.)* i stopped dealing with our cars when it stopped being easy. when you HAD to go to the dealer or mechanic because everything was computerized and beyond my meager skillset.  anyway, we'll see what the guy says about the car. i know, i'm going to watch and learn. and then i'm going to clean the garage out.  (i know, right? i must have inhaled too many fumes.)

i'll fill you in later.
it's now 12:41 and i need to go to sleep.
hopefully, that whole cleaning of the garage insanity will pass by morning time!

UPDATE:

AAA came and charged the battery. the battery wasn't leaking, so that was a good thing. garage is all aired out. who knows what the smell was, but the bottomline is it's gone now and ashley (super nana's name for the car, don't ask) is parked in the driveway next to the garage, and no, in case you're wondering, i did not clean the garage up. that's a saturday job. 

i did get a surprise email to share:

  
it's cold out in lalaland today and BBC is dressed appropriately! 

*yeah, we were childhood sweethearts. everybody was happy when we finally got married.

somebody has a cold...

captain chaos sent me these pictures of BBC who isn't feeling well. the first photo says "poor baby." the second says "poor daddy!" The cap't said you'd never know BBC was sick because he was "stupid active. help!" as a mother, all i can say is good times, good times and laugh because that's what my mama did the first time i said those very words to her about HIM! (hat tip to miss lizzie!)

i had to share these pics because BBC is just so cute and he needed equal time with his cousin! and i so wanted a bigger audience for my opportunity to laugh!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

yesterday, i mentioned the i'm going to read all these books this year  challenge that mr moose and i started. well, i didn't read them all, in fact, i only read 3 of them! i started more, but tossed them aside and wondered what the hell was i thinking when i bought them. the MITM took a couple to read and brought them back with quick reviews. i remembered what dear Charlie had to say about reading for pleasure and not to a calendar, so having my books still in a pile is ok with me. mr moose pretty much did the same thing. i'm glad we didn't go crazy trying to finish the list, but i'm even happier we put our lists together and shared the books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fountain pens. i love fountain pens. i've been using mine a lot recently for everything, not just signatures. it's a bit difficult in the market crossing things off my list, but i like the feel of one in my hand. i should write letters. or postcards! yeah, another thing i forgot to do...

some of the things on my desktop

yes, it's true, my darlin's, i am addicted to sherlock! well, maybe addicted is too strong. i enjoy the series. i own season 1 and 2. i've read all of the sherlock holmes stories more times than i can remember. i am a big fan of the mystery genre, if y'all didn't know that already. (remember the i will read all of these books in one year challenge? half were mysteries.) 

*note to self: remember to do a follow-up on that topic*

regional writers are another favorite. i like the sense of place as another character in the story. so when the two are combined, well, i'm just happier than a boar in a peach orchard!  (i'll just let all y'all ponder on that one for a minute.)

but now, i'm just babbling. not enough coffee. i may add to this later or not. that's really half the fun of this now. just do it is always followed by a slight pause and then...

or not.

from mr matrix:

xoxoxoox