my night with steve

anticipation is a good thing.

the "on-edge", almost electric expectation of what's to come can sometimes be just as good as the actual event itself. my bro-in-law, jp, and i made up a party of three orange county 40-somethings who were all looking forward to seeing our favorite comic live & in person at the wilshire theatre. not that steve martin would be performing any of his iconic routines from the 70's; this event was to be a talk with martin and comedienne, carol burnett; focusing on his path to and past years in stand up comedy, which have been captured in steve's memoir, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life.


to get us in the mood on the drizzly drive to L.A., we listened to my CD "Let's Get Small", a famously huge hit of a 70's album of steve doing his thing at the boarding house in san francisco. here's a transcription of the "Let's Get Small" bit:

"I'm on drugs. I'm, uh, I mean, you know what it is. What's the deal, man? I like to get small. It's a wild, wild drug. Very dangerous for kids though, because they get really small. I know I shouldn't get small when I'm drivin', but, uh, I was drivin' around the other day, you know .....and a cop pulls me over. And he goes, ‘Hey, are you small?’ I said, ‘No, I'm tall, I'm tall.’ He said, 'Well, I'm gonna have to measure you.' They've got a little test they give you; it's a balloon, and if you can get inside of it, they know... you're small. And they can't put you in a regular cell either, because you walk right out."

not super funny on paper, but it was the delivery and his physicalization of the concept - miming being so small, his arms reaching high into the air as to barely touch the bottom of the steering wheel. as a teenager, listening to the album was a lesson in using my mental fortitude, imagining how martin got such huge laughs spazzing on stage with happy feet, etc... but i digress.

so, there we were, now middle-aged(?) vice presidents and executive office types laughing and remembering the good ol' days of playing that record over and over while we drove up to L.A. to see the comic genius in the flesh.

was i excited? oh yeah.

we got to LA quite early. around 4 o'clock-ish to see if the tickets at will call could be picked up early. nope. there were already several people standing in line. the very first person was wearing black converse shoes and jeans, exactly what a message board poster at the sm.com web site declared she'd be wearing.
apparently it was not she, as the gal had no idea what i was talking about when i asked if she was "ten4", the poster's message board nickname.

off we went to find food, since the bistro right next door wasn't open yet. we decided upon spending happy hour at a little japanese place around the corner. one sapporo, six spicy tuna rolls and one bowl of edamame later, we headed back to get in line. by that time the next door bistro was open and our spot in line was situated right in front of the bar's door. we played tag team bar games, each taking turns holding our spot in line, while the other two chatted with other theatre goers doing the appetizer/drinkie thing inside.

we were lucky the weather cooperated, only giving us steady rain in off-and-on segments; not enough to get pants legs wet and frozen feet, but just enough to make it a fun winter's night.

at 6:30 we got our tickets and made our way into the theatre. once inside, we staked out perfect seats - six rows back, aisle seats on the left. then i could take time to enjoy looking at the circa-1930 art deco Wilshire Theatre. this was a lovely building with intricate wood carving throughout. being inside any live performance theatre gets my actor's blood pumping and the energy flowing, bringing images of theatre ghosts and ectoplasmic memory imprints of the building's decades of past performances welling up into a vibe that was palatable. i love everything about theatre...being on stage and being in the audience. it's a great experience from any perspective.

(bro-in-law, mckay & jp dreaming up a question for steve prior to the event)

7:45, andrea grossman takes the stage at the podium to introduce the evening's Writers Bloc series by Town Hall, which brings compelling speakers and topics of all sorts to the Los Angeles community. here's where i pondered yet again to myself, "who paired carol burnett, a classic sketch comedy veteran with stand up icon steve martin?" what did they have in common to discuss steve martin's stand up years? in my opinion, the evening called for a johnny carson type role. funny, casual, generous to allow the night to be about steve martin and his book; someone who had been there and experienced steve at his height of stand up fame. his buddy, Bill McEuen, would have been a possible choice, since he was instrumental in managing steve's early comedic path.

do you see what i'm getting at? there was one problem with this evening, and my prior nagging internal question of the odd paring of burnett with martin was prophetic. i thought the evening was to be about martin’s new book, with burnett being able to interject a tad of her 70's memories into the conversation like spice to a recipe, but burnett thought she was the main ingredient. she seemed oblivious of the fact that her role was to be a guide allowing the evening to focus on martin. instead, she let dead silence hang in the air instead asking anything about the book or steve's years of stand up fame. to steve's credit, he made gentle attempts to keep the conversation flowing and focused on comedy. at one point he joked, “I dare you to ask me a question.”

mr. martin and i were simpatico in our shared frustration of being caught in conversation quicksand. perhaps burnett didn't know she was to be in the interviewer role. very odd.

at the very beginning of the evening steve and carol did a bit with steve producing a list of questions to ask. oh, lord, i wish they did use the list. it at least would have provided some structure to the evening. which leads me back to andrea grossman. who produced the evening? who was in charge of setting expectations for the event? somewhere a ball got dropped. yes, burnett was funny, interesting and charming, but i didn't drive to L.A. to see her. i really wanted to listen to steve martin talk about his craft.

now let me take off my producer/director/actor rant hat and remember what i truly enjoyed about the evening. when martin was allowed to talk about comedy, he mentioned the mystifying element that is present in comedy. one of his goals as a comedian was to embrace the undefinable thing that happens when friends get together, banter, joke and reach a frenzied point of laughter where one can't even look at the other without breaking up in gut wrenching laughter. what is that thing? how can a guy analyze that element, capture it, write it down it its various forms and perform it so he and an audience can share an evening of side splitting, thought provoking, existential witticisms? that's what martin did so friggin' fantastically, and in my opinion, why he shot to fame. we, the audience, couldn't get enough of him and his unique way of presenting bits of goofy, quirky comedy. no wonder i adore his brand of humor.

(blurry zoom as my camera batteries started to die. nice socks.)



the book provides the little tidbits that embedded in martin's subconscious - the neurotic co-worker at disneyland who kept saying, "well excuse me for living." - the post card of happy feet behind the magic store counter - his first love, who led him towards a thirst for philosophy and a love of the non sequitur. go read the book. you'll enjoy seeing how all the little pieces of his life take a modest, earnest man and place him in history's book of comedic legends.

go to Simon & Schuster to listen to a couple of excerpts from Born Standing Up.

more pics:

jp expressing his adoration/golden bear question, provoking steve's explosive quip "no adoration!" or something to that effect.

the hand that signed a thousand books... (thanks, freshie, for the editing tips. ;0)


the signing machine. one book every 15 seconds. it must've been a loooong night for mr. martin.


i tried to catch a smile or something other than tired; my camera delay caught him peeking at his watch...


all in all, it was a great night. fun, food, friends and phenomenally talented people on stage. i kinda wish steve would reprise a new brand of his kind of stand up in small venues, but i guess i'll have to settle on listening to my CDs that capture his past.

hey, jp, you still have my Let's Get Small CD in you car. i want it back, mister.

# # # #


i may start adding trivia footnotes of odd connections and such to some of my blogs. here's a few:

1 -my bro-in-law is VP of linda jones enterprises. linda jones is daughter to famous cartoonist, chuck jones [think bugs bunny, daffy, fud, yosemite sam]. my BIL worked with chuck jones for years before jones' death, organizing art shows and promotional events.

2- Bill McEuen, buddy and early manager of steve martin, was also the manager of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. NGDB appeared on Saturday Night Live, and, billed as The Toot Uncommons, provided backing for the song King Tut.

3- i saw the NGDB in concert at a 1976 bicentennial rodeo in cody wyoming, while on vacation with my best friend, marisa, her dad, and his personal secretary, pat stacy. marisa's dad was to be the grand marshall in a little town parade while we were in wyoming for him to open the winchester rifle museum.

stalkers take note

today i'm going here to see her:



read this:

bloggers ROCK!

and write...and read...and apparently knit.

four days in '08

1-4-08
i had a date with .....someone i like. let's call him dave.i don't know if it'll develop...blah, blah, blah.

still, it was nice to have someone pay attention to me, open doors, hold my hand, laugh at my silly comments.


1-5-08
today my dogs killed a humongous rat and left it by the back door. personally, i prefer flowers, but i graciously accepted their gift. even if i did have to wrap it up in plastic and dispose.

this is what they mean by "it's the thought that counts".


1-6-08
today is my mom's birthday. she loved chocolate birthday cake and blowing out the candles.

god bless you, mom. rest in peace.
love,
me



1-07-08
today my new CIO started and he said numerous times how impressed he is with my organizational skills and proactive nature. i think this is going to be a good fit.

i don't know if dave will call again, but in the meantime i'm looking back at my time with him as having finished reading a really good book. does that make sense? i don't need to overthink whether or not anything will come of it, whether or not there will be more dates, hugs, flirting and such. what it was ...was good. and that's enough.

been there, done some of that and will do some of these...

magikat (see "the actress" on the sidebar) posted a fun little list of things to do before 2007 ended. i looked at her list and did some quick new math and figured out i did eleven of them, but i'm not saying which ones.

Take a bubble bath, pay old bills, snuggle with your puppies, stare up at the sky, organize your closet, have fabulous sex, finish a to-do list, daydream, go for a bicycle ride, paint your toenails, call your family, flip through a magazine and sip a glass of wine, get your boogie on, plan a trip, do a cartwheel, think big.



things i have planed for the upcoming month or so...
- possibly go to the movies with friend/potential romantical interest this weekend. woo!

- start Weigh Loss Challenge: Series II on 1/7, with a goal of losing another 10-12 pounds in the next six weeks (did i mention i've lost around 15 pounds so far?

- meet my new CIO (yes another new CIO....long story i couldn't post for fear of losing job) on 1/7

- go see steve martin and carol burnett lecture at the wilshire theatre in bevery hills on 1/24. i'm very excited about this.

- contact local theatre companies to see if they need an awesome yet not modest director.

- buy a bike and ride that sucker!

happy new year!

mck.

looking at the end of the year from outside the cave

so, here we are on the last day of 2007. it's been quite a year. 365 days - 51 blog posts - 1 play - several life lessons learned. am i cured of my cave dwelling ways? not fully, but it's getting better.

agreeing to direct the play for my producer/playwright buddy was a great choice. i got to spend time with talented, creative people and get my own talent in gear. it's a good thing to be able to do something i know i'm good at. i don't consider that bragging. in a world full of things i can't do (surf, scuba, paint a masterpiece, play the cello, etc...) it's a blessing to have a few things i can look at and say, "damn, i'm good".

acting.
directing.
several great home cooking recipes.
kissing.

since i won't be kissing anyone at midnight, i will make do with cooking a meatloaf for dinner.


still, being out of the cave is a good thing.


in 2008 there are things i want to improve upon and/or accomplish:
- healthy activities (buy a good used bike and get out on the bike trails)
- keep losing weight (15 pounds gone so far, give or take a scone...)
- learn to play the guitar that mysteriously arrived at my door during the holidays
- budget my bucks better
- put some elbow grease into my home improvement list
- possibly learn how to knit a scarf
- make a few more new friends
- continue to try to be a good parent (always a challenge no matter what year it is)
- work on developing more producer contacts so i can direct more plays
- plan a vacation (actually hard to do for a cave dwelling homebody)

2007 was a tough year in some respects, a healing year, a year that needed to take place in order for more good things to happen. cheers, 2007. you may have had some bumpy days, but i think we made some advancements, too.

2008, here we come. let's do this up right.




At the sound of the tolling midnight bell
a brand new year will begin.
Let's raise our hopes in a confidant toast,
to the promise it ushers in.

May your battles be few, your pleasure many,
your wishes and dreams fulfilled.
May your confidence stand in the face of loss
and give you the strength to rebuild.

May peace of heart fill all your days
may serenity grace your soul.
May tranquil moments bless your life
and keep your spirit whole.

fondly,
mck.

psych test on a saturday morning

now that i know who i am i will go get coffee.




You are a Visionary
Your imagination, self-assuredness, and knowledge of the world combine to make you a VISIONARY.

You have clear notions of how things could be, and the confidence to try to make them that way.

You enjoy having a routine, and prefer comfort and familiarity to risk and adventure.

Not needing others' approval to forge ahead, you are confident in your designs for the future.

Your imagination allows you to envision the world as a better place.

You're better at thinking of the big picture than you are with details, and you can see wonder in abstract things.

Style and appearances are important to you, and you have a good eye for beauty.

You are somewhat rigid in your beliefs, which comes from both confidence and an aversion to change.

You are good at creating works of art in forms with which you're familiar.

You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.

If you want to be different:

Appreciate the earthly, functional elements of things.

Your clarity of vision sometimes prevents you from being open to new ideas. Try expanding your horizon of experiences, and experimenting with novel ways of doing things.

how you relate to others
You are Encouraging
Your outgoing nature, understanding of others, and directness make you ENCOURAGING.

You want others to do well for themselves, and you generally believe in their abilities.

You often know what's good for people because of your caring nature and your worldview.

When you care about someone, you don't keep it to yourself: you are good at letting people know that you're thinking of them.

Because you trust people, you take violations of that trust very seriously.

You thrive in social situations, and even though you know who you like and who you don't like, you can interact well with many different types of people.

You have a healthy respect for people who have earned what they have, and you strive to be similar to successful others.

You are a loyal friend and a good listener.

If you want to be different:

Sometimes, in the course of being encouraging, you can be a bit judgmental—this can make it more difficult for others to follow your advice.

While you are an expert at getting the most out of the world and taking advantage of many experiences, you might gain some insight by taking the time to be alone, reflect on things, or just observe the goings-on in the world.

show opens!

last night was opening night for our Christmas production entitled Eight Tiny... it's an evening of eight short plays written by local playwrights and produced by New Voices Playwrights Workshop in orange county. i've been lucky enough to have my producer buddy, John, ask me to direct for him. i've gotta tell you, on one level, it went really great! on another level, it sucked eggs.

remember how i was concerned about my actors getting completely off book and ready for performance? well, they pulled through with flying colors, creating funny, full, comedic characters with depth and levels that made the show full, not fluff. i was very proud of them. the thing that sucked eggs? technical issues. every single friggin light cue was wrong and the music was late. grrrr. the tech probs were apparently due to a broken dvd player, which housed the sound cues. the stage manager was so focused on the sound problem, the light cues were out of synch. i gotta feel for her, having problems with hardware in a live situation must have been horrible for her to experience. i'm sure they're working out those bugs this afternoon for tonight's gig.

even though the light cues were messed up, the show still got lots of laughs and i was very proud of my boys. sitting in the dark audience, watching my actors give birth to a brand new show, i was sweating buckets - much more than i ever have as an actress. i even had to go and wash my pits in the bathroom afterward!

i'll try to video tape the show tonight and upload it for you to see. fingers crossed on my own technical ineptitude, which i can't blame of hardware issues, only ignorance. if i do this successfully, it will be a part of Citizen of the Month's Christmahanukwanzaakah Holiday Concert. Many thanks and blessing to blogger Neil Kramer, for creating such a wonderful community forum. his blog is a treat to read. Go there on monday to experience his online holiday extravaganza and return often for more fun and great writing.

# # #
update. it's 11:59 p.m. and i can't find the software or driver to upload my video. can you believe i've never uploaded a video before and don't know where the software is? oy.

in lieu of the video, here's a picture of my actors, the playwright (in red sweater) and yours truly:


a home made ornament:


and our traditional home made poptart cottages:


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Hug the ones you love.

thoughts on the show

tonight is the first tech rehearsal for the christmas show. it's basically a meet and greet with the technical people and then running lights and sound, cue to cue.

my actors have the potential of being fantastic in their short play. the guy with the most experience (in film) seems to be the one holding up any real progress since he hasn't fully gotten off book. he's spread a bit thin doing showcases and background work in a paramount film. i'm assuming he'll be a late bloomer and miraculously be ready by final tech and opening. it just makes it hard to keep giving character notes and intricate bits and not see much progress in the pacing and timing of their argument when the momentum is killed with line problems. yesterday's rehearsal was supposed to be fully in character, but everyone broke character multiple times with dropped lines. i know this is to be expected at least once in a rehearsal period, but we've had very few opportunities to rehearse due to everyone's professional and work schedules.

this is a freebie production (actors are not paid) so i know it might not be their immediate priority, but it's their asses on the line if they screw up on stage. i want to see a clean performance with the nuances i've given them to make the audience laugh. that's my reward...getting the actor to a place where they have the audience engaged, laughing and enjoying their evening.

fingers crossed.

these are my actors. i consider myself very lucky to be directing them in a short play that will open on december 8th. i'm excited to be doing what i love, so i'm basically a very happy camper.

the bulk of my experience is as an actress. i've been one most of my life. not as a career, but in community theatre, college, local theatre houses, and, for a short period of time, as a working professional. i studied various forms of theatre with paul gregory, tom stoppard, marion ross, mac owen, an uta hagen workshop, and briefly studied at south coast rep. acting is where most of my experience lies, but i think directing is what i do best.

these men have talent. each is unique in what he does best and i can use what i know about theatre, life and how comedy fits into both to make these guys even better....to get a point across...to create a moment, a beat, to choreograph the actors in movement, in their gut motivation....to get a punchline right, to create a joke that's not in the script with just a few well timed looks. i want this to go well. not only for me, but for my actors, and the audience, who'll hopefully get to enjoy something we all created together.

thanksgiving approacheth

in just a couple of days it'll be thanksgiving. it's one of my favorite holidays, and i don't know why. well, yeah, i do. my mom hated it, as she wasn't much of a cook. she'd complain about what a hassle it was to spend all day in the kitchen to produce a huge dinner. as a kid, i loved setting the table with the 'good' china, and being trusted to put the pretty crystal glasses at each place setting. i loved sneaking the black olives throughout the day, putting them on each finger and running around the living room pretending i was some black frog creature, then plucking them off one by one and enjoying the salty smooth taste.

sitting around the table was special. my dad always worked late, my mom never really ate a typical dinner, and my older sis was always out and about, so the majority of my childhood dinners were eaten alone. but not on Thanksgiving. my grandma would visit and we all sat around the dining room table and talk. it might not have been the most interesting conversation in the world, but it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling just having us all together. the food wasn't gourmet, but it was yummy, simple traditional thanksgiving food, even if my mom did make the instant mashed potatoes, and served the canned cranberry gelled sauce. i still enjoyed it all.

when i was a young married gal i worked hard trying to figure out how to make standard thanksgiving food that was not out of a box or can. i mashed real potatoes and made real gravy. both were full of lumps and love.

then there was the year i discovered melinda lee. i'm a talk radio junkie and listen to it whenever i'm driving. melinda had a saturday morning radio spot and her show was all about food. oh, joy of joys. i learned how to cook by listening to her exuberant descriptions of how great it was to brine a turkey. i had to try it. then she gave me a gift. the cranberry sauce i crave. this stuff is tasty next to the turkey, awesome on ice cream, and scrumptious when sneaking it out of the fridge with a spoon.

here's my fav cranberry recipe. i doubt you'll make it, but i want to share just because.


amaretto cranberry sauce
makes 1 quart

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 full pound raw cranberries
1/3 cup orange marmalade
juice of two lemons
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds (you can used slivered almonds, too. i've done both)
1/3 cup amaretto liqueur

bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. boil the syrup for 5 minutes. add the (washed and dried) cranberries and cook for about 5 minutes, until most (not all) of the skins have burst. remove pan from heat, then stir in marmalade and lemon juice.

transfer to plastic container. allow sauce to cool, then stir in almonds and amaretto. chill, baby.



I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of friends, family and food so you get that warm and fuzzy feeling.


love,
mck.

morning quickie

sometimes a quickie in the morning is a good thing, so by all means, let's get it started.

* yesterday we weighed in for our coworkers' weight challenge. i made my goal, plus lost an extra 1.8 pounds, for a total of 9 so far. woo!

* yesterday was also the day i had the luck to go to court to discuss visitation rights with my ex and a court appointed mediator. 3 hours sitting in a little room with the biggest liar was a challenge, stressful and gave me the worst tension headache i've had in years. no agreement was reached, even though i offered up what i thought was a pretty generous compromise. so we get to go to court again on the 28th and do it all again in front of a judge. (throw in your favorite cuss words right here).

* did i mention i dig my new boss? he was very sympathetic about me having to miss half the day, and even called me after work to make sure i was okay, as when i returned to work, the stress clearly showed through my mega professional exterior. there are good guys in the world.

* i've purchased several new books. some as gifts and a few for me. me= a cool cookbook, Insomnia by s. king (recommended by a good bud), and Born Standing Up, by steve martin. i adore steve martin. his blend of comedic timing and esoteric intellectuality is quite a blend that mckay enjoys. i've read his other books, Shopgirl, The Pleasure of My Company, and some of his New Yorker essays. i may even drive up to los angeles to hear him speak coming up in the next few months. i don't think it's a book signing, but more of a lecture on his early comedic years. we'll see.


that's all for now. time to wake up mckid and take on the day. i hope yours is wonderful.

love,
mck.

love affair

it's been a long time coming, but it still caught me off guard. isn't that always the way with love? it hits you when you least expect it.

now that i've been out of my cave for awhile, i've begun to take a look around and most naturally, i've also been looking at myself with a fresh perspective. wanna know what i saw? someone who has not been good to herself. i finally realized that i've got to start liking myself more, taking care of me the way i do my loved ones. in fact, i need to love myself. sounds corny, but i need to put myself up on a pedestal and honor all that's worthy. i haven't been doing that.

i'm not 100% sure how to do this, so i'll probably be fumbling around a bit as this romance begins. it's awkward and weird, but right.

# # #

on another note, today i get to do something i've never done before. i get to participate in the great six week coworker lose-a-thon. several coworkers and i are going to weigh in, pool some cold, hard cash and see who is the biggest loser. i'm not going to be an overly competitive diet contest woman, but i think it'll be a good way to jump start my love affair.

here's what i've been having for breakfast for a week or two:


a few weeks ago i went to the vitamin store to get something good for my bod that'll give me some energy. kinda like buying flowers for a lover, but instead of roses i'm getting riboflavin. it's crushed ice, a little juice, some nonfat yogurt smoothie stuff, the vitamin protein powder and flax seed oil into a delish morning beverage. it's not too horrible to drink, and i've felt great each day i've imbibed. losing six pounds since i've started this is a plus, too.


yay me in a love affair.

impulse buy bye bye

i've got to nip this in the bud.

you see, i've caught a bit of a virus - the spending bug. lately i've been attracted to all things shiny & new, leathery & cushy, and just plain awesome. for a girl who hates shopping, i'm sure doing a bang up job of it these days.

it started out innocently enough. i'd been without a camera for almost a year and HAD to take pics of mckid's first day of kindergarten, right? i think you get reported to child protective services if you lapse on this task.

i've been living in my new abode for almost two years now without any normal furniture. by normal i mean, without baby stains, torn corners, green marker drawings and basic cushiony goodness sans sagginess. must i say it? my furniture was hitonious. i waited for the best possible alignment of the universe's mojo (the no tax, free delivery, no interest, take three years to pay and oh, yeah, 30% off sale) and bought not one, but two badly needed couches. woo!

then it was mandatory to upgrade my ancient, but still perfectly working cell phone to the new-fangled qwerty keyboard smartypants phone, WITH music capabilities.....all for the sake of spending quality texting time with mckteen (which, btw, was downright affordable after the corporate slave discount and handy dandy rebate). i'm gonna send her a txt right now....just because i CAN! how cool is that? tech gadgets ROCK!

then i was buying sack lunch fixin's for mckid at the local buy more club and what do i bring home?










a flat screen tv.
with built in dvd player, no less.


now, wait. before you send the spendy spend police to come cut up my smokin' credit card... i had a good reason for this purchase. i was feeling sorry for myself.

this was the first year mckid spent halloween night with his dad. i was to be all alone and not one of the parents perambulating around the neighborhood as the kidlets gathered their candies. poor me.

with this predicament, i wanted to find some way to make the evening semi special and watching my favorite flick while passing out candy seemed the perfect fix. but alas, i had no suitable tv downstairs or mode to watch said favorite flick. hence, the impulse buy.

i know the beautiful little flat screen must go back and it will today. i also know there's a lot more to happiness than stuff. whenever mckid and mckteen are gone there's an empty spot in my heart that can't be filled with electronics or movies or any other thing. i'll go about my business, learn new things, take on new projects and live life with as much vim and vigor as possible. i owe it to myself and my kids to do so. that way they'll always see me with arms open wide and a goofy grin upon their return.

A.Vivaldi-Concerto G Allegro-Andante-Allegro

this is why i bought a guitar. the first piece i want to learn is the second movement of vivaldi's guitar concerto in d major.

in the john wayne movie 'the cowboys", there's a scene where one boy is playing vivaldi's concerto in d. i fell in love with it immediately. i don't know why i didn't bother to learn it then when i actually had a guitar. perhaps i thought classical guitar was beyond my reach. if i can find the movie clip, i'll post it.

another one of my favorite movies is 'a little romance'. the score has this music throughout. beautiful. romantic. entrancing.

i listen to this and my soul flies to the mossy bricked walkways of italy.

100 things... part IV

here are parts one, two and three if you need to play catch up.


31. i love Dove's dark chocolate (the little missives on the inside foil are an extra treat)

32. my car is nicknamed lexi

33. my bad ex's high school sweetheart/wife/ex went on to become a b-move actress and playboy centerfold (not about me, but still an interesting tidbit)

34. i dig the soundtrack to sleepless in seattle

35. i might be directing a play this winter

36. i like gardening, but my backyard is still an embarrassing dump

37. i hate that my parents are both dead

38. i bought a guitar yesterday. it'll arrive in mid november

39. i abhor vacuuming, but enjoy washing dishes

40. i used to be fluent in sign language

my sunday PostSecret ritual

i enjoy my morning coffee and i particularly look forward to my espresso on early sunday mornings while perusing the latest PostSecret blog post.



this morning i saw what could be my postcard, except it's not a secret. last night i chose not to attend a halloween party. rick was probably going to be there and i have no interest in being around him at a party. at the last summer bbq of the year, he was there and he chose to ignore me. awkward turned hurtful, when as he said his goodbyes to people in my immediate group, he gave me an uncomfortable hug and whispered, 'i'll call you."

he never did. that's why i choose not to be around him at a party. ewwwu. i'm so disipointed in his lack of maturity. now i know why he's in his 40's and never married.

the halloween party i AM choosing to attend? mckid's kindergarten classroom party this wednesday. I'll be skipping the corporate bbq and will scoot down the road to mckid's kindergarten. i get to be the classroom mom and bring the cupcakes. my costume? i'll wear a black business casual outfit with a leopard print sweater, kitty ears and tail.

meow and purrr.

sunday through wednesday

i'm the kinda gal who only watches football for three reasons (okay four) - one - if my dad was watching a game, i'd love to sit down and watch with him (this is back in the 60's and i'd ask my dad which color we wanted to win) - two - if i'm married to or dating a football fan then i gotta root for his team. (yay, us!) - three - if i know someone on the team... that's how i became a Rams fan back in the day. my grade school classmate's dad was on the Rams, so of course i showed tons of team spirit - and four - when my new boss has a son who plays college football.

so, i was watching yesterday's ucla-cal game on tivo (woo! love me some tivo) and i thought it odd there was still so much tush touching going on. pats for your teammate, pats for the guy you just sacked, lots and lots of pats.

this doesn't happen in other sports. i've never seen pete sampras give his doubles partner a three patter after a backhand put away. basketball? definitely not.

just a thought that popped into my mind as i watched.


* * *

most of the time i'm fairly computer competent, but tonight i give myself a big fat F. i've completely forgotten my personal info and password for my IM account. i fiddled & faddled and somehow got through via my blogger profile, then proceeded to decline requests when i thought i was accepting. oy. so, fellow blogger buddies, new and old, ignore any declines and resend if you don't mind chatting with a spaz.

* * *

my good friend, cam, came over after a weekend of camping. we had an impromptu dinner of tortellini, shrimp and porterhouse while we shared highlights of our respective weekends.

the santa ana winds are blowing, which has knocked down power lines and started multiple fires throughout southern california. while we were washing dishes tonight the lights flickered several times. we may have a power outage if more lines get knocked down. more serious than a power outage, would be the fire that could start as the lines go down, just like happened in malibu this morning. ..and...the cat is currently freaked out by all the noises outside and tree branches hitting the house.

dang, that last gust of wind shook the whole house!

legend has it when the santa anas blow, all bets are off. anything can happen.



* * *

it's now early wednesday morning. day four of the california fires. over 1,300 homes destroyed, 881,500 people evacuated. the air is hot, stale and smokey. everyone's throats and noses are dry and sore. the sky is a smoggy brown, and as i see the ashes drift onto my car windshield i think of the families who are most affected by this tragedy.

the newscasts talk about only one fatality, but that fatality strikes close to my heart, as a coworker's brother worked with the man who died. i heard about his death on the news radio yesterday morning as i drove to work. the story broke my heart as i listened. the man, who's name i do not know, was described as a very kind and intelligent geologist. He sent his wife and young children off to safety while he and his eldest son stayed behind to defend their home until the fire trucks arrived. the wind grew and changed direction, causing the walls of flame to overtake them in a few short minutes. the father died and the teenaged boy is in critical condition, as well as several firefighters who were rescuing them. a news helicopter pilot said the radio transmissions of the firefighters' frustration was heartbreaking to hear.

he may have been a talented geologist, but my god! what was he thinking? his wife now has not only lost her home and possessions, but her husband. her children have lost their father and the oldest boy is in critical condition.

during our prayers last night, my five year old boy lamented his frustration, "momma, a house is just a house. it's not important. it's just stuff. poor man." he came up with that realization on his own, or perhaps i've taught him this value over time. why didn't that man understand? so sad.

if you've read this blog for some time, you know i don't like my home. hated it soon after i moved in. well, it's slowly growing on me and i'm learning more and more how fortunate i am to live in a nice town and have a roof over my head. i am blessed.

my foot fetish

michele posted a pic of her love-at-first-sight swoon worthy shoes, so i asked her if she wanted to see my current footsie fetish.

here it is.

i've wanted a pair for years. *sigh*

things not worth blogging about

my cat threw up in my bathroom this morning.

i've been sick for several days. phlegm mckphlemerson.

i have free cable movies this weekend and i just watched Stranger than Fiction.

i'm taking mckid to see a 3D version of Nightmare Before Christmas this afternoon.

i finally finished my 2006 taxes. yes, i am a professional procrastinator.

with my hefty tax refund i will be paying my hefty property tax. grrr.

i have an urge to do something nasty to the neighbor who lets her dog pee on my plants every friggin morning...or at the very least put something on my plants to make the little rat dog run away, but that stuff never works as well as it should.

tastes of mckay

i have eclectic tastes. musically, i love punk pop, such as bowling for soup, and italian tenors like Andrea Bocelli. i also dig on greenday or jazz when the moment feels right.

same could be said for my taste in men. since i don't wanna post pics of past loves, i can illustrate the wide range of mckay's fav types of manly men using various celebs as examples:

picture bruce lee without chiseled abs. this is my first ex.


picture steve martin in his wild and crazy stage. this is my bad ex.


picture paul giamantii sideways on a picnic blanket on a summer's day. this is rick.


picture pierce brosnan. sigh. picture him again. and repeat. this is no one i have ever dated, but a girl can dream, damn it.


picture drew carey, a big guy with an equally big personality. this looks vaguely similar to someone on whom i currently have a tiny crush.


now picture colin firth's character in "bridget jone's diary"...not because i've dated anyone who reminds me of him, but because that character captures every single grown woman's heart. he loves bridget 'just as she is'.


this is who i want now. someone who likes me just as i am. all of the above loved me or were attracted to me for various reasons. i was medium hot when i was younger. i took care of all their needs and focused on them so they could pursue their careers, dreams and other women. go figure.

i want mark darcey and i want him now.