Berlin and Naked Eyes

Our friend Jeff (who works at Family Guy with Mark) invited us to go to the Starlight Bowl here in Burbank to see Berlin ('The Metro')and Naked Eyes ('Always Something There To Remind Me') perform the other weekend. It was a beautiful 80's flashback night. I was actually very psyched to go! Everyone brought amazing food and wine to share, and we felt like teenagers again. Except we had wine and gourmet food instead of Mountain Dew, Ruffles and French's onion dip.
The Starlight Bowl is this amazing natural ampitheatre up in the mountain. Back in the day, all the greats played there. It was a very family styles atmosphere. (Actually I heard that the Bowl asked Berlin to censor the song 'Sex', and they refused to.) The kids were not even paying attention anyway.
Here are some pics of the night. Some blurry ones of the bands playing, and some of the fabulous spread of food and fun folks we went with. That's Jeff and his partner Rich in the closeup.
Gee, I miss being able to be outside.

Heat

What am I doing on this long holiday weekend?

Nothing.
Nothing but seeking out air conditioning and eating anything frozen and fruity.

Chicken Studies

Had a fun time doing these chicken sketches! Yes, the frizzly one is actually a real kind of chicken, called a Frizzle (go figure). When they are mature, they are gorgeous, but when they are immature, like this one, they look so pathetic. This guy was nicknamed 'Skeletor'.

A Sampling of Paintings from Monhegan 2007

It's HOT

Well, I am back from my time on the East Coast. And I apologize because all I am going to do is complain. Along with the post-vacation blahs, it is so hot here that I want to become unconscious or sleep until the temperature drops below 90 again. Don't know when that will be. Can't sleep, can't do anything which requires more than 4 minutes outside, and I am generally sleepy and cranky.
Being outside constantly in Maine was such a huge blessing. I appreciate it even more now. The only time I was indoors was to sleep and go to the bathroom. It's the way life should be.

Checkin' Out

I'll be here.


Hello Friends!
Mark and I are getting on a plane today to fly to the East Coast. After visiting family and loved ones, I am off to Monhegan to paint. Goodbye traffic and smog! Hello ocean breeze and lobster!

Gratuitous Kitty Pics

Fun with my new camera.

Object of My Desire

I made a tiiinnny bit of money in Florida. I was faced with a decision: Pay off some debt, or.... buy something I have desperately wanted for a long, long time. I am very proud to say that I have only a very small amount of naughty debt left. It used to be monstrously huge.
So I went with the buying something. This is the object of my obsessive desire. I am in love. And I have taken a kajillion pictures of the cats.

Ayurveda, Yoga, and the Gita

I wrote about my New Years Resolutions. Now that the year is half over, a little assessment is due.
(This is a long post, so I give you some more cat pictures, which have nothing to do with the post, but so what.)

1. Make friends.

Well, I have made many acquaintences. And there are a few women I have met at yoga with whom I really click and plan to go to get coffee. My friend Laurel is coming back from Italy soon, and that will be a great help. Just being in yoga class and being on a first name basis with people has lifted me out of my funk a bit. And I have been painting with my friend Frank Serrano. He is one of the best painters in the country and a great person.

I have realized that just being in social situations is so important to my mental health. Mark has been working all night lately to meet a deadline, and after being alone all day, I find myself walking to Trader Joes just to be around nice people. Even just to talk to someone about coffee or cereal. I hope that doesn't seem too pathetic.

2. Be Happy.

This has been a big change. The combination of practicing yoga, meditating, and socializing has had a big effect. I haven't had a relapse of the blues at all.

3. Become a Yogi.

Finding yoga has been life changing. I mean, I plan to make it a lifelong habit. Yoga is a journey. There is always more. More to learn, more that it can give me, more that I can give back, more I can explore my limits. There are people of all shapes and sizes doing amazing things in the classes. Even a 60 year old woman who can go up into a handstand and do a split no problem. I am doing things that I never thought I could. Poses that six months ago I thought were impossible, I can now do well. I had a breakthrough the other day where I was able to drop back to a backbend and then stand back up from it. I was thrilled. It is very good for the self esteem.
Yoga combines the mind, spirit, and body. All three have to work very hard together. It is so exhilarating and peaceful. I usually have a big smile on my face the whole time.

And it has introduced me to wonderful philosophies and ideas. Like Tantric philosophies and Ayurvedic studies. I like the Tantric ideas because they seem very human and real to me. Unlike some aspects of Buddhism or Christian ideas, where attaining enlightenment means painful self sacrifice or the renunciation of all things pleasurable. Tantric ideas celebrate the idea that we are manifestations of divine energy put here to experience it's own divinity through the physical body, through giving, sharing, and finding your purpose or dharma. I like that.

Ayurveda is a 5000 year old 'science of life', which is it's literal translation. It is based on the idea that everything in the world is made up of 5 elements: Ether, Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. In the aspect of humans, we are composed of these elements in terms of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata is Ether and Air. Pitta is Fire and a little Water. Kapha is Water and Earth. Depending upon how much of each of these doshas we have, our constitution or Pakruti, is determined. Ayurveda is concerned with every aspect of life. It bases happiness and health on three things: sleep, sex, and food. Ahhh, yes. So true. But it encompasses all aspects of life: aromatherapy, color therapy , massage, herbs, food combining, and daily rituals. It sees all those things, including food, as an aspect of gaining and keeping your ideal balance, which is different for everyone.
I have been applying many of these ideas into my habits, which I learned from going to an Ayurvedic master, Mary Alice Quinn.
And I have been enjoying the benefits. I learned from Mary Alice that I am 55% Pitta, 30%Kapha, and 15% Vata. Which means I have a lot of Fire. That explains why I love cool dry days. And that I have a lot of Water and Earth, which is why I am thick and sturdy. Ha.

So I feel I have made good progress on the resolutions. I need to work on the make friends a bit more. Did anyone else make any resolutions? How did you do?

Celebrity Sighting

Last night Mark, a few of his fun Family Guy pals, and I went to see Live Free or Die Hard. Yes, not my first choice. I am just not that aggressive into going to see movies. That, and there just isn't that many that I usually want to see. So, Mark, who is way more into seeing movies than I am, usually (drags) takes me to a movie he is very excited about.
It was a very fun, completely over the top movie, and the guys were so into it that it was even more fun. At the opening credits, Mark's friend Dom shouted, 'John McClane!!!'. And everyone in the theatre cheered and applauded. Geeks.
The very best part was after the movie in the lobby. We were just standing around waiting for the bathrooms, when Geena Davis walks into the bathroom. She looked awesome. I think she is 50 years old, and still looks like she is 30. So I followed her into the bathroom. Don't worry, I didn't knock on her stall for an autograph. She was with a friend and her friends kid. When they came out they met up with a guy and walked out. Don't know who the guy was.

It is so fun to live where the celebrities do.

Cato as Superman

Here is Cato in his Superman pose.

Extreme Oil

Mark and I stayed up WAY too late Saturday night. Not because we were out drinking or dancing. Nope, we couldn't stop watching PBS. That's right, we are animals.

Extreme Oil was on, and it was fascinating. The show inspired us to want to know about what the oil companies are doing. They are so powerful, and pretty much everything we use in our daily lives is made from oil. The very structure of society is based upon our consumption of it. Amazing, considering it has only been a little over 100 years since the industrial revolution.

After watching a few episodes, I am frightened, angry, and feeling pretty powerless. But I recommend watching it anyway.

More Florida Paintings

Cats, Wedding, Lisa Gerrard

While on the plane Sunday, Mark and I had fun passing time by looking through the thousands of pictures we have taken of our cats. I don't care how pathetic it seems that
1. we have thousands of pictures of our cats, or
2. that we look through them for fun.
We noticed that Clouseau started very early in perfecting his lounging poses. This cat is way more comfortable reclining than any other position.

We went to Mark's step-brother Ken's wedding in Orlando this past weekend. (yes, I just returned from Florida a week and a half ago)
The wedding was the usual array of beautiful bride, handsome groom, drunk groomsmen, yummy food, corny DJ, etc. Mark and I enjoyed seeing family that we rarely get to see. And I met many members of my new family for the first time. And we pretty much stayed in the hotel the whole 36 hours we were there. And we spent a total of 20 hours travelling. And I don't really like being on airplanes much. *sigh*

And last week Mark and I went to see Lisa Gerrard in concert at the Orpheum Theatre, an old opera house. The LA Times reviewed the show here. Thanks to Dez, I found out about it in time to buy tickets. Thank you, Dez! I basically sobbed with emotion the whole time. I was still floating the next day. The most beautiful sounds ever made by a human being, weaved into compositions of music. I can die more satisfied now.

Paintings of The Forgotten Coast

Greetings!
I wouldn't be surprised if there is absolutely nobody checking my blog anymore. It has been so long since my last post, I know you have become weary of hopefully checking and then disappointed when there is nothing, nothing, nothing. And you gave up on me. Don't blame you.
But I am back! Come back! This is what I have been up to. All these paintings are of Apalachicola, Florida. An incredible old oyster, sponge, and shrimp harvesting town, with a rich history and with the friendliest people you could hope to meet.

Premature Escrowization

We changed our minds. And the bank declined our offer. In that order. Sorry, folks. I know we got everyones hopes up, and now I am eating my hat because of all complaining I did about the annoyances of apartment living in the last post. We are still looking and open, but a monthly payment quote from the lender was so shocking that we had to sit down and really think. With condo association fees($315!), property taxes, mortgage insurance, homeowners insurance, and the actual mortgage, the payments would be $3200 a month. And this is on the cheapest, littlest, beat up old condos in foreclosure. Most nice new condos are starting at $600,000, and houses start at $750,000. We could do the $3200, but we would have not much money left over each month. No trips, no dinners out, no new shoes, no art supplies, no yoga classes, no funky neighborhood. Jeesh, why is it all so difficult? Why can't I be making more money?
So we will wait and hold out for a place that we can't live without. And hopefully prices will go down to at least $300K (please!), and in the mean time we will save all that extra dough that we would have been spending on the condo, and in 5 years we will have over $120,000, which will be a small downpayment for something then. So we are very happy either way.
What would you do in this situation?

Make Me An Offer

We made an offer on this condo, which was very scary and fun at the same time. The pictures are not all that great, I apologize. For some reason all the blinds were closed when we were there.

So far this has been the nicest one. All the others had one or more things with which we decided we could not live. Like a bedroom with no windows. Or a labyrinth of hallways to reach the door, or someone living above you. I mean, seriously, you would think that $400,000 would at least buy you the privilege of quiet ceilings.

This one had two floors, like a real house. A private entrance, like a real house. And it is a lot bigger than most condos. 2 1/2 baths, 2 bedrooms, a seperate dining area, walk in closets (2!) with a private bath off the main bedroom. It is close to bakeries, groceries, and liquor stores, and a very short drive to Whole Foods! And the kitchen is an actual room, where more than one person may fit. All for about $40,000 less than all the others we looked at. (foreclosure)

All of a sudden, though, the things we will miss about our current neighborhood seem so nice to us. We will miss the funky coffee house around the corner, the walks to Trader Joe's, walks to Thai, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, the best bagels, or the best soup and sandwich cafe, a quick walk to the bank, our fantastic, awesome neighbors, and so many trees.

But we absolutely will NOT miss the dreaded trips to the laundromat that smells like sewer, the complete lack of hot water pressure, our next door neighbor with the extra loud motorcycle that he like to take out on Sunday mornings, the arranging of our lives and days around parking nightmares, having to run out first thing in the morning in your jammies to move the car because you forgot it was streetsweeping day, carrying groceries or laundry across the busy street, coming home to find NO parking anywhere, so you get a $50 ticket because you HAD to park on the next street.

Most of all, we will be so happy to not send our landlord any more of our money. He has enough of it already.

What My Cats Do All Day

They lounge and give you annoyed looks when you take their picture.

Condo Hunting

Well, maybe it's Christy and Amy, who are both looking for houses, that really got us started. Mark and I spent last weekend looking at condos. Yes, we are tired of sending our lousy landlord money every month and seeing nothing in return. We have lived here 2 and 1/2 years and the only thing that has been done is a termite bombing. I am pretty sure it is the only thing that has been done since the building was built in 1938.
It is a tough to get over the fact that our only option is a condo. My lovely friends have the sweet fortune of actually looking at houses. I have lived in a house a total of maybe 3 out of my 35 years, so maybe that's why I yearn for one so much. That and the fact that now I can't have one. Most of the condos here are apartment buildings from the 70's or 80's that are termed 'condos' because they are for sale. Here are some pics of one we saw. It was about 700 sq. ft. It had one window total on the bottom floor with the world's tiniest kitchen. There wasn't even a space for a couch or a TV, but there was an ugly fireplace with Three's Company mirrors and fake brick. It can be yours for $400,000. That's $3200 a month with all the fees, etc. Actually, if it was bigger we might have considered it. The horrible carpets, windows, and fireplace could be remedied. (We are thinking that we should just wait for an earthquake; They bring down costs.)

In spite of this, I am very cheerful and hopeful! With patience, we will find a great place, in a nice neighborhood, on a quiet street, with many windows, and a patio! Wish us luck!