A French Open Hat

I like hats. Well I love hats. Not that I look stunning or handsome or pretty in them. They just lend so much character to a person. Sure it's a prop but so what's wrong with props? For me hats are playful and with the right hat you can become anything (at first sight!) But really we all need the sun protection so we might as well have fun with what might become a necessity soon.

My current hat I got in LA at the Grove. I was looking for a copy of all those hats the spectators at the French Open (tennis) had worn. The hats were off white, had a band of ribbon, were wide brimmed and made out of straw. And of course these hats when cocked at the right angle were quite dapper. I didn't get an exact copy but close enough. I guess I felt like I was following Parisian fashion even though I got it at the world's center of make-believe.

And you know this French Open hat thing is taking off. I've seen the hats in all different kinds of colors and on all different kinds of people: men, women, young and older. People seem to want to play again with hats.

So get yourself a hat and come out and play. We'll all be so dapper...

Inbetweens

I've got a case of the inbetweens. I'm inbetween projects whether it be writing or painting. I'm inbetween finding a piano teacher---I got one and then decided she sounded weird on the phone. Jitters I guess. But I let her go even before we started. Today's prospective piano teacher is a former music teacher and a neighbor--- hope it works out otherwise I've got to start from scratch again. So you see I'm inbetween.

I'm inbetween being a middle-age or older person. Even my therapist was surprised that I wanted to start something new like learn to play the piano. "It's always something new with you!", she says. Guess so, I mean I'm not brain dead, I'm still taking in nourishment and breathing on a regular basis. Yup, I'm still alive. Just because I don't have a paying job or a career anymore doesn't mean I disappear, you know...

Despite my limitations I've always been a passionate person. And being inbetween life purposes is hard to bear at times. But I've taken it upon myself to make it my purpose to enjoy this beautiful month of May. Sounds kinda light, don't cha think? Well actually, this is the first time in my life that I've been in a spiritual place to really enjoy May. Before I wasn't calm or still enough to appreciate how beautiful May is.

So you've got a couple of weeks left to enjoy May. Heck, you've even got a three-day weekend. Catch the beauty while you can because it truly is fleeting...

Saturday Nights Then and Now

Saturday night is the one night where we are usually free from work and still have Sunday to recover from our foolishness on Saturday. When I was young I engaged in a lot of foolishness on Saturday nights. I loved the discos in my youth. Gay discos that were wild, sensual and crowded. I remember the press of sweaty bodies on the dance floor. We didn't really dance; we swayed to the beat like some underwater creature swimming in the ocean depths. Well I had fun. Sure I drank too much and well did too much of everything too. But we were young and it was "Saturday Night!"

Now I'm over 50 and settled down with my partner of 17 years. What do we do on Saturday nights? When we're "up for it", we go out for sushi and then come home to jazz on my iPhone while we play Words With Friends and Farmville 2 on our respective laptops. Kathleen, my partner, may also be knitting and I'll be wondering whatever will my writers group think of my screenplay treatment.

When I was young I was hot. Now I'm cooler than the jazz we listen to. But all of this is ok. For a while I wanted my youthful Saturday nights back. But I'm okay now with those days being pleasant memories. Nowadays I'm content, calm and peaceful. Just right. Oh, the jazz we listen to is from an app called Jazzbird. It's free and cool too. Check it out some Saturday night...

I Love May

I just love the month of May, don't you? It's just so beautiful. The weather is mostly perfect and everything is in bloom. Just perfect.

I even have fond memories of my Ex's birthday on the 27th. And my birthday is almost only a week away from hers. It's just a good month to be alive.

I especially like all the spring greenery and we can't forget the outdoor patio seating that opens up in restaurants. Food just tastes better outdoors. I know you think I'm being silly but food really does taste better outdoors. Why else would people do picnics?

And then everyone looks a lot more healthy in May than in February. The improvement is almost shocking. Sure we are all just starting to eat salad again and talk about losing weight. And we are also getting out of the chair or off of the couch. We might even start exercising again like we did when we were younger. I mean Kathleen almost had us buying a recumbent bike off the street from a yard sale today. I'm really not ready for more exercise equipment but this is definitely progress, don't cha think?

And for Kathleen and I the tennis season begins soon and that means we're booked for the summer. First we'll watch the French Open in late May. Next Wimbledon in late June. And finally the US Open around Labor Day.

May is absolutely the beginning of the glorious summer months. Lots of warmth and sunshine. What's not to love?