Sunday, August 30, 2009

Block Nine

I've got to give love to the Elephant Theater company and its subsidiaries. The cast and crew are so dedicated to the craft and aim to impact their audience every time. This in part because the audience could very well be planted with famous producers and directors. I've seen a few shows here - my neighbor is a company member - and have yet to be disappointed. Block Nine, written by Tom Stanczyk, pays homage to film-noir with his 30's gangster script, fraught with love scenes and themes. The clever part of the whole idea is that he has it acted by an all male cast. But wait. There's also an all female cast. I thought this was a really interesting way to present his work ignoring the gratuitous gayness imbedded just because. He had a female direct the "dames" and a male direct the "fellas". It was fascinating to see how the same script was interpreted ever so slightly and played out in such different ways. For the most part both shows - yes it was a 2 night commitment to view it this way - were brilliantly acted. There were some real stand outs in each performance. Unfortunately for the writer, the men accentuated how lousy the script really is. Fortunately for the rest of us, the women are so outstanding that the audience doesn't notice.

Jennifer Crawford

If summer offically begins on Memorial Day weekend we kicked it off with a trip to the mountains. We spent a glorious Memorial weekend with our cousins in Big Bear. Friday night was spent relaxing, cooking and playing American Idol on Xbox. What a hoot. It was a little hard at first to get your bearings AND follow the backup singers AND read the words (if you didn't know every one of them by heart). It took us a while to figure out that I have a loud voice (big surprise) and that I was hearing myself too loudly and getting confused. Turning the mic down was a quick and easy remedy. It was really fun creating our idols and getting just the right funky edge that we all wanted our rock stars to have. We even had a competition and got the same criticisms the judges give contestants on the real idol. I think it was a run off between Damon and Jerry for the title.

Saturday morning we awoke to a cloudless day. The Millers have an east facing wrap-around veranda that looks out into a forest - the San Bernardino mountains as the backdrop - and the morning sun is generous with its warmth. It was so great just to be in a loving and carefree place with nothing to do but take in nature's beauty accompanied by a nice cup of chai tea, a good book, and Jackson. We spent an enjoyable day sitting around laughing, playing pingpong and poker, making cocktails, chasing bunnies in the forest and watching movies. Jerry took us on a wonderful 4X4 summit drive culminating in a hike to the top of the world on Sunday. We thought we'd beat the holiday traffic and drove home Sunday after a lovely lakeside drive.

The most memorable part of June was the trip to Lake Havasu (see earlier post for details). Damon may be going again with a few long lost high school buddies over the labor day weekend for which I was invited but have no interest in tagging along. Another family trip is planned for the following weekend but I have a prior commitment that Saturday.

June was also a very scary (and expensive) month for us where our animals are concerned. I've written extensive play by plays on that topic in real time. The rest of the month was spent in town enjoying Jackson's company, with friends, going to the theater and just savoring the cool weather. We needed the rest to gear up for what was to come in July.

Every weekend in July was booked. Forth of July occupied that first Saturday and we traditionally spend it with friends who have a pool party and fireworks every year. They are some of our favorite company and it's always a great time. The following Saturday we celebrated a friend's 40th birthday and had a bunch of fun. The living room was turned into a disco and we partied till the we hours, dancing and singing. Then the traveling starts.

Who in their right mind would go to Palm Springs in July? It can't be so bad as long as you have a pool and a cocktail, right? WRONG! We drove out Friday afternoon on the hottest weekend of the year. Temperatures soared way above 100 - 116 on the register Saturday. We made the best of it spending the bulk of the day and night in the pool skinny dipping since we basically had the place to ourselves. The main thing that made us all so miserable was the a/c in the condo couldn't keep up with the unbearable heat so we scarcely got any relief but we ate well restaurant hopping, got our drink on and kept entertained by shopping, gambling, and clubbing.

I vowed I would never do it again but I succommed to peer pressure after a couple of glasses of wine at a dinner party. We boarded another booze cruise on Friday afternoon a week after a woman turned up murdered on Carnival's "Fun Ship". I had few expectations but devoted to having a good time anyway. This time around we were a manageable 2 couples intent on relaxation and we did a whole lot of it. We slept when and where we felt like it and partied in the same fashion. Since we had all been up early on Friday morning and nurtured a nice afternoon buzz we collapsed early on Friday night after our formal dinner.

Saturday morning brought 6:30 am alarms about a missing person. For over 2 hours, a staffer with an indiscernible accent called every ten minutes for "wawawa - wawa" to contact the purser's office. Finally around 9am the cruise director intervened to prepare all 3000 passengers for a cabin to cabin physical search for Jennifer Crawford. Within minutes he was back over the airwaves to let us know that wouldn't be necessary as she had just announced her whereabouts. Of course, this starts rumor and innuendo about her morality. We were among the haters that said she had probably passed out drunk in some guy's room who didn't know her name! We later learned that she had been escorted to the California border when we docked in Ensenada for the disruption to ship safety.

We decided not to take a Mexican excursion, instead we would stay aboard and enjoy the pool. After breakfast we thought well maybe we should just walk to the 1st bar off the plank and get a cheap margarita. As it were we had 2 of the most amazing mango margaritas and guacamole for dirt cheap and then sauntered back to ship. I went directly to the pool where I waited for the next feeding. After dinner we caught part of the late night comedy show where the butt of almost all the jokes was Jennifer Crawford. Sunday was a similar day - napping in the sun for the better part of it. Damon and I did dance in the disco on Sunday night just so our muscles didn't atrophy for all the inactivity for 2 days! This cruise turned out to be a very nice and low key experience - one I probably won't be repeating any time soon - but enjoyable and much needed.

We were supposed to go camping with some friends in Yosemite the first weekend of August and I was really looking forward to it since a) we could bring our dog, b) I've never been to the sequoias, and c) I love it and haven't done much camping this year. But our plans were snarled when our friend fell down the stairs, tweaking his knee and faced surgery. Turns out he doesn't need surgery after all but he isn't walking too well.

The change in plans turned out for the best since our niece and nephew were coming into town with their Mom from Oregon. Saturday we hung out at the water park all day - did I mention that this is THE best fun ever? - and Sunday played at the beach followed by an outdoor concert.

August is a month to recuperate and replenish the bank account from an expensive summer. I went on a couple of invigorating local hikes, attended a live polo match, bowled (for real) for the first time since I was a child, wined and dined and had a whole lot of fun. We hosted a very fun weekend with our nephew, which I've previously recounted and had an interesting week of live theater - I'll talk about this in a separate post. Damon has been fly-fishing in Montana for the last 5 days, living like the president, while I man the fort at home and enjoy time with Jackson and the last of my summer reading. I cherish the time I have by myself and use it wisely.

As fall rapidly approaches I prepare for a couple of Autumn trips - Big Sur in Sept. and Chicago in Oct. We usually enjoy an Indian summer in the southland at least through September and often into October. I've been wanting to go to San Diego for a weekend so with luck we'll work that in soon. Sadly, we are currently bogged down by ferocious fires burning all around us a little earlier than usual as we've been in a furnace of a heat wave all week.






Sunday, August 23, 2009

Who says kids have more fun?

Wow. What a weekend! We had the rare privilege of a weekend visit from our 15 year old nephew. Friday night was spent out at the ball game cheering on the Dodgers as they managed to defend against the Cubs in a 2-1 match. It was such a display of athleticism to see Manny whack the ball into the outfield for what should have been out of the park but the Cubbie outfielder leaped and stretched and bounced on the ground with ball in hand. Out! The game went on like that all night. They celebrated afterward with the most incredible fireworks display I've ever seen.

I'm not much for theme parks. I've been to all the local ones more times than I ever cared to so I can easily forgo them and usually do, but, the kid wanted to go to Universal Studios so off we went. I haven't been in about 20 years and it's quite a bit different overall. The back lot tour is virtually unchanged but they've added many new attractions, including a few roller coaster type rides, and refreshed some of the older ones throughout the park. We had a wonderful fun-filled day in the land of make believe. The park closes early so we had plenty of time to roam around the City Walk which is a promenade of shops, restaurants and street performers. Our curiosity was piqued when we saw the Zen Zone. It's a sort of on the spot spa catering to the dog tired and weary following a day of action. We assuaged our sensory longings starting with a water massage. You lie face down in a capsule like a tanning bed and the water starts gently jetting over the plastic lining between you and the water. Afterward we settled in to the oxygen bar. It's an aromatherapy treatment whereby you breathe in essential oils through tubes inserted in your nose. It's Hollywood after all- anything can (and does) happen.

As if we didn't have enough fun already we decided to hang out at the water park on Sunday afternoon. Now this kind of activity is the best fun I've had in memorable history and a great stress relief. It's a great way to cool off and have thrilling rides on tubes, rafts, mats, or very near your birthday suit.

Top it off with a nice Korean BBQ dinner et wallah! another weekend to chalk up as funtastic!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Homeowners Beware

I think I mentioned before that California is busted... flat broke and defunct! And so is the City of Los Angeles. Part of it is because of the economic mess of the state and the nation at large. But much of it has to do with the incompetence of the city council and voter ignorance. I heard about this latest ruse and went hunting for the story. It appeared in Saturday's LA Times August 15th. "Hundreds of thousands" homeowners will have their property taxes increased because LA Unified School district can't pay the interest on bonds issued to build more schools.

In California, to the dismay of every politician who love to spend other people's money, homeowners benefit from proposition 13 passed in the 70's which limits the percentage of property taxes paid to local & state governments. They look for every which way to get around and/or supplement this cap and bilk more money out of homeowners to pay for their pet projects and welfare programs. Thankfully, rescinding this law requires a 2/3 majority and with any luck they'll never get it from the voters. Ironically, the impetus of Prop 13 was born of the inequitable distribution of property tax revenue to support public schools. Schools in affluent areas had more money to spend on schools than did those in inner cities. In the meanwhile, there's no money to pay for schools half built and reimburse bondholders for the capital - new schools or drastic overhauls to schools primarily in inner cities where the high schools graduation rate is roughly 50% anyway.

As my favorite talk show host points out...ballot buzz words are children and green. If either of these words are mentioned we tend to blindly authorize dollars that we don't have without consideration for the consequenes. Heaven forbid we actually inform ourselves before casting a vote that assigns additional liablity to tax payers. It seems that within the language of the bond measures that La Unified can raise tax rates even if they rise above projections if property tax revenue can't repay bondholders. And this is exactly the position we face now. As property values have declined, hence assessment values to which the rate of 1% is tied, there isn't enough money in the coffers to meet the commitment so once again taxpayers are asked to open their wallet in a time where it's already running lean and fork over more.

As pissed off as I am, especially since I don't even have kids and if I did I probably wouldn't send them to a LA Unified school, I feel as though the voters deserve it for not paying attention. They just sign off on millions of dollars as though someone else is paying for it.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

S.O.S.

Save Our State parks!

California is broke and experiencing a budget crisis. The governor has proposed to close some 220 of California's 271 state parks to help close the enormous deficit. This is one of the many inane recommendations on the table to inflict the least amount of pain on Californians during this difficult time. The way I see it is there are consequences to bad governance. And many of the proposals I support like State worker reductions and furloughs. The last thing we need is more lazy state employees sucking off the tit of it's citizenry. California is one of only 2 states in the Union where the legislature is in session full time. Too bad they didn't have work furlough days - like ALL of them. I digress.

One of the draws to California for visitors is our natural beauty and the many gorgeous, accessible and affordable state parks. Closing the parks impacts its surrounding communities in very real ways as often they are remote and far removed from other opportunities to earn a living. Family restaurants, gas stations, recreation shops, etc. could face potentially devastating losses. Besides, it would cost us almost as much to close the parks as it does to keep them open. Unruly brush still needs to be cleared of fire danger, lawns still need to be watered, and buildings maintained. The parks could become a haven for squatters and other riffraff if they are not patrolled.

I encourage you to take a hike. And while you're at it make a donation - any size will do - to keep our parks open. Many of our local parks in LA county are on the chopping block. I read the other day that the public response to the closures has amassed a 30% increase in sum revenue. Visit the California State Parks Foundation to learn how you can intervene to keep our incredible natural lands for all to enjoy. And visit your Ca parks!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Star Gazing

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower takes place tonight with the best viewing time between midnight & 5 am. A couple of years ago we drove out to Joshua Tree National Park with some friends overnight hoping for the best possible observationof the light show. We arrived after a 3 hour drive in the early evening sweltering heat to join a large group who convene there every year for the event. We were able to stake out a spot nearby to set up a tent and haul out food for open coal cooking while it was still light. Joshua Tree is situated in the Mojave desert nor-east of Palm Springs near 29 Palms and is a harsh and unpredictable terrain. Beautiful rock formations dot the landscape as do the protected cactus creating dramatic vistas from atop one of these granite monoliths. We summited one adjacent to our camp that was probably 60 feet high where we watched the sunset over the distant valley. After dinner and little partier we settled in on our chaise loungers with our eyes toward the sky. The fireworks didn't really get rockin' and rollin' until well after midnight with the most consistent part of the showers darting across the sky very near sun up. What a spectacular sight! It was one of the greatest nights in memory. As soon as it was light enough to roll up our belongings we were on the road again for home. We all had to go to work that day but it was well worth the time and effort. Highly recommended if the clouds clear away. I will be setting my alarm for 3 am with the hope of catching a glimpse.

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Brain in Love

I was channel surfing the television when I came across this interesting program on PBS. The Brain in Love is a book written by Dr. Daniel Amen, a clinical psychologist, who through years of research, learned that before we could "fix" behavioral problems and relational troubles examination of the physiology of the brain is critical. Certain assumptions can be made about idiosyncrasies in personality found in the depths of matter in the brain's lobes according to his research.

Realizing that it is not possible for everyone to have a brain scan and subsequent analysis the doctor has developed a questionaire whereby the answers can provide a snapshot of what the brain looks like if it were scanned. From this information you can modify your own behavior to accomodate your brain's deficiencies affecting a better outcome. If one is trying to foster a harmonious relationship this information, and that of your partner's, is of interest in order to understand what work needs to be done and how you may be sabotaging happiness.

I found this a fascinating approach but before giving it credence I'll have to read the book and apply some of his principles to my own life.