Kinda Perfect Day.

No more rants right now. I'm just tired of being angry.

I love the protests going on all over the country. I love the "Occupy Wall Street." I think we are finally seeing a "grass-roots" response to what has been going on in our country. The Tea-Party was never grass-roots, as we've all finally discovered. (Though some members may still believe that so.)

I had a beautiful day. My husband can no longer walk any real distance at all. He has always taken himself to a particularly good dentist in West L.A. by himself. (He's been seeing this dentist for a very long time and when we moved was not willing to change dentists.) Parking in West L.A. and very adjacent Brentwood is expensive. In the past, he'd find a meter on the street and could use his handicapped placard and his cane. (The dentist is in a medical building that provides handicapped spaces, but they are always in use and are always VERY expensive.) He can't walk from "up the street" anymore. I drove him today. I let him off and we agreed I'd come back when he was finished with his appointment.

Well. We were very far from our home. But. We were very close to to my first school. Down the block and on the same street as Phil's dentist, St. Sebastian's School where I started kindergarten 52 years ago last month. I was 4. My mother was in labor with my sister so my older brother and my Dad had to take me to school. I didn't know it then, but my brother hung outside the kindergarten room and watched me thru the window until he was sure I was ok. Yeah! Brothers are good!

I walked around a neighborhood I hadn't walked since I was about 6. I parked near the apartment my mother rented for us all on Ohio St. I gazed up at the 2nd floor apt. and made the walk to the school as I'd done many times in 1958-1959. I remembered there was a field we crossed as a short cut. The field is long gone, all apartments now. I once lost a precious piece of jewelry my mother let me wear to school one day. A crucifix. I lost it in that field. I looked for it yet again, today.. over the paved parking lots and outside the new buildings. How could I not?

When I started school St. Sebastian's had a small wooden church across the street from the school. The parish tore it down and built a larger church. I remember, at 6 years old, "Oh, no! My Church will be too big!" I was sad. I'd had my first communion in the old church. When the new rebuilt one opened it seemed overwhelmingly large and too new. Right at that time Vatican II came in. Everything about the church was less magical. I can't explain it right now. But, at 6 years old, it all felt different, foreign and ultimately less.

I went into the church today. You know? It is still a tiny little church. It smelled right. It was open to all, in the middle of the day. I looked for someone to talk to... to say, "I've not been here in 50 years.." and there was no one. The church was wide open. I was astounded by the trust, as I trusted when I was young, that no one would dare defame a church left open. I felt welcome and safe. Hm. Hope.

Thinking I still had time I walked up the very long hill to the Dentist's Office hoping to use the restroom. By the time I'd walked a much longer distance than I'd expected, Phil was done with his appointment and ready to leave. Oh, great. The car is 1/2 a mile away. Uh. Sorry, honey, wait right here!  (I walked very quickly back to the car.)

We decided to get off the freeway early to stop at Forensis Farms. (My dad knows the farmer... his name is John, so we call it: Farmer John's!) Phil and I bought the always amazingly good corn and the most beautiful and tasteful tomatoes ever grown. We bought a huge green/red/yellow/orange pepper so perfect I want to display it and never eat it. Then, encouraged, we went to Trader Joe's. Phil was feeling up to it.

Back again to home. I made some necessary calls to our insurance company and arranged for another round of meds for my dear husband. Then, both of us sat and played online on our separate computers until dinner. (I made BLT's with those beautiful tomatoes and cooked some of the luscious corn.) We watched a little Keith, we watched Ken Burn's Prohibition, we watched a little Netflix.

Right now I'm listening to coyotes howl.

Kinda perfect day.

My New Rant.

My disbelief in what Americans will buy these days is stretched to its limit. When did we become a country that was more religious and less rational? I did not grow up this way and I was raised Catholic! We, my family and I, have always believed in the separation of Church and State. When did this become an issue?

Who are these people who want to put religion back into the constitution? Why do they want to take away rights all the time saying they want the government to have less power? Do they have an inkling of understanding that to enforce what they want, they need the government? When they say, "Cut taxes, not defense" it is an oxymoron. Do they even understand the word "oxymoron."?

No, because they are "morons." I may not know where to put the period in my piece, but I know the difference between piece and peace. I know that there and their and they're are different words and mean different things. I know its and it's have very different meanings. I know were, where, we're are in fact different words and board and bored do not mean the same thing.  Your, you're communicate different meanings.  What the fuck.

I'm listening and reading people who can't communicate in their own language. They are  running for President! Doesn't that disturb you on some level?  Really? It doesn't? Is it because you don't know how to use your own language? So.. you want everyone to be as dumb as you are?  Really? The President? You want to have a beer with him? Wouldn't you rather he/she make the choices you can't make? Wouldn't you rather have someone smarter than you who could lead the planet to new beginnings?

Really. Grow up. Listen. Look. Who is smarter. We want the smartest person to be President. NOT the guy we want to hang with. He's okay. But, can he talk to the world?

WAKE UP! We cannot have the religious right take over the country. I'm honestly worried about this. We need clear thinkers. We need to pay attention to our Nobel Laurate Economists. We need to listen to our scientists. We need to be smart.

Ok.
My Rant.
Done.
xo.

More About California.

I told my father about my husband and my attempts to have day vacations. Local things where I could get us back in time to have dinner at home.

So, my Dad said, "How about San Francisquito Canyon?" (Think: San Francis Quito. Then you can pronounce it.) My dear husband and I traveled the complicated route off the Golden State Freeway into Saugus, some strange directions through very populated areas and made a left. My goodness. Such a wilderness! Thanks Dad! We traveled up and up over a very circuitous route and then up and over the San Andreas Fault and back again.  We saw desert wildness and calmer woodlands. We found a pasture with American Buffalo! I've never seen them in California before! Llamas, yes, Ostriches, yes. But Buffalo? Too cool and new.

The adventure was completely new and took us 3 hours from home.. round trip!

It stuns me how much is right here.

My mother traveled to Italy once, and the Italians asked her, "Why would you come here when you are from California? We want to go there!"

She also told me, "There is a no more beautiful place than California." She showed me the state when I was a child. She took me to Yosemite, to the Muir Woods, to San Francisco. She showed me Tahoe and the High Desert, the Sierras, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur and San Diego. She took me to every mission in the state.  I have to agree with her. What a GREAT place to live and learn and continually discover. I am constantly discovering and re-discovering new dimensions to this wondrous place. I think California might be heaven.

Phil and I can walk out our door and within 5 blocks be in the wilderness. Within 2 miles we are in the Angeles National Forest. In the car we can be at 5000 feet in about 18 minutes. Oh! What a gift.

I miss the ocean, but he does not. I drag him to the sea every now and again. It is a little farther. But, Oh! the Ocean! And there it is, about 45 minutes away.

My home. My California. My big open spaces.

What I've Been Doing.

I miss talking to my best friends. I love spending time with my husband. And... I miss my friends. I have one friend who has become a pen-pal. How wonderful is that? And how cool. We are intimate in letters, albeit, email letters. It doesn't matter, the communication comes from talking with written words. I love that.

I have another dear friend I need to call. Oh, Nansi, I miss you so. Our timing is just off right now. I will call.. soon.

I got back from 7 weeks away. I'm spending a lot of time with my husband. We miss each other so when we are apart and my work has always kept us away from each other too often. Now is the time to spend time.. together.

We've taken day trips. Day-tripper. He is really not well enough to go overnight anywhere. We've traveled up to a stream in the San Gabriel Mountains. We've taken the back roads to Free Zuma Beach, we've taken a day trip up to Mt. Pinos near Frasier Park. Ah. So Beautiful and so cool and we are back by 5pm.

I need new directions and new destinations. We are never looking for the city thing. We are looking for a little bit of wilderness and isolation. Next time, I think we'll try east. (And into the desert.)

Not going south. Done that too often, and too recently. By the way, it is almost solid city from LA to San Diego.

Almost.

Yeah, East is next. Joshua Tree National Forest. Yeah. East. Out the 210 (Foothill Fwy) to the 10 (Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Hwy.) Out towards the desert.

And back again.

Sorghum And Other Disconnected Observations.

Outside the Dept. of Agriculture the "powers that be" are growing sunflowers, corn and sorghum. I looked at the sorghum and thought, "Hmm, that must be sorghum." I have no idea why I thought that. I don't remember ever seeing sorghum before in my life, can't imagine what it is used for, but I just knew. Sorghum. I later looked it up on Google. Yep. Sorghum. What a word. Sorghum.

Why are there windows on subway trains? Not really much to see. I'm just saying.

Not smart to go out in a Hurricane. Pretty dumb, actually. (I speak from personal experience.)

To my dear East Coast friends: When an earthquake happens "duck and cover." Cover your head with your hands. Duck under a desk or table. Wait until the shaking stops and assess. Do not run around the room in a panic. Do not crowd into an elevator. Do not run outside! Things like bricks are falling from the sky.

Just after one has packed the umbrella and sealed up the box, it starts to rain.

I think as I get older I just don't want to hold my stomach in anymore. Also, my pants tend to fall down.

Off into the late afternoon on a quest for dinner.

Later.

Sorghum...hmmm.

Irene.

The hurricane was horrible. I don't care that they called it a "tropical storm" in D.C. It was horrible. My theatre company cancelled the performance 25 minutes after I'd left for the theatre. I must have been out of my mind to go out in that wind/rain storm! I did. I left at 10 minutes to 5pm. I got the call in the metro... about 5:15, underground, just before I made my connection. I turned around and went back. I met several of my actors traveling back to our apartments. We were all a little leery about going back out in ALL THAT WEATHER! 


I'd heard from my assistants that they'd emailed everyone, but I knew many actors (per my instruction) had left very early to get to the theatre and wouldn't see an email. I'd already received several voice mails and texts asking me if the show was on. Many had seen the show was cancelled on twitter or facebook wanting confirmation before I could get to them. Really, they saw twitter and facebook before I knew. 
I realized I needed to tell each of them, from me, the show was indeed cancelled. I stood in the Eastern Market Metro Station and did just that. I texted them all. Some told me later it was the only message they received. Glad I spent the time and didn't depend on anyone else.


As I made my way back the storm increased. It was about 6pm at this point. The worst of the storm was supposed to hit at 8pm and last until 4am. It was DAMN scary at 6pm. Debris was flying all around. My umbrella was doing that weird back and forth thing, wind one way, then the other. I was soaked, thru my raincoat. I had slipped earlier and didn't realize I'd torn a seam on my shoe and wrenched my knee. My feet were cold and wet. I'd packed my backpack just as a stage manager would.. with matches in a plastic baggy, with an am/fm radio, again in a baggy, clean dry socks, clean underwear, a new shirt, travel toothbrush and toothpaste, all my medications, deodorant... You get the idea. I was ready! But I was on my way back to my apartment, thank goodness! (All was soaked thru except the items in baggies. My backpack provided zero protection.)

I got to the apartment and the key was very stiff. Hard to get the door open. Finally, success and I was in. Had more than a few cocktails, yelled to a couple of people, drank with my neighbor (one of my actors) and went to bed.

The key to the front door did not work at all the next day. A locksmith came later and replaced the locks. They had just worn out! What timing! What if I couldn't get in that one hurricane night?

My fear was real. The danger was real. All who "poo pooed" this should be ashamed. This was a scary and dangerous event. People DIED! Some of my friends have sustained major damage. I have my own pictures. A few feet from the apartment:

Over the Playground fence.

Half a Tree!

More.

And More.

Marines And Buildings And Boats.

If one gets up early enough, one can enjoy the sight of young marines drilling with rifles. They wear shorts and t-shirts; all looking very handsome and very young. They are children after all. I am so proud of each and every one.

Each morning before 9am they wander out to the playground across the street from my apartment and toss rifles back and forth. They twirl and shoulder. They march. Love it! Sometimes they dress up!

Handsome Gentlemen

Fascinating to be in the nation’s capitol. Tourists everywhere. I went to the waterfront yesterday and a tour boat was leaving in 10 minutes. I jumped on! (Love my boat rides!) I saw all the monuments from the Potomac. Oddly, I have trouble pronouncing “Potomac.” Don’t know why.

The history here is a little overwhelming and after all I’m more interested in nature than man-made artifacts. I enjoy the occasional museum or two but would rather discover the natural world. I’m on a never ending quest looking for the trees and the grasslands in every place I find myself. My heart is then soothed.  Ultimately, I wish theatrical events were done in a forest. (Preferably Arden or The Redwoods.)

Hurricane coming Saturday. Earthquake day before yesterday. Odd to be away from home. Oh and home in 11 days! 

I dance to my own music. And to ITunes.

I have some pictures to share.  In no particular order.

The White House.

The Capitol

The Boat I Took Yesterday!

Hair in my face...

Kennedy Center

The Potomac

The Smithsonian

I Like This One Better.

Rehearsal.

Peeking!

I pointed my camera to the sky... This is the correct angle...

My Little Yard.

The Lincoln Memorial

You Know What This Is!

The FBI

Watergate

View From The Boat.

Always I have to take pictures of flowers!

Hello Cupcake!