The Weird People

You probably have a few in your life. They're usually artistic and creative in some way. Often they're hobbyists. But nevertheless they're artists or crafters. They're the poets, the painters, the writers, the musicians or the arts and crafts people (who get their start at stores like Michaels.) They're the weird people.

When you are reading, looking at, or hearing their work, you almost believe in possession again. These artists must have a muse or some connection to a higher power because their work is the outcome of apparent channelling. Sometimes the channelling is clear, bright and strong and other times it's like a backed-up drain. But you know when the artist has got the power in addition to the skill and technique.

I've felt the power a few times when I've been painting or writing. But unfortunately I couldn't channel it like I wanted to. One needs to be trained and have skills and a technique to convert the power.

So like playing scales on the piano every day, I write as much as I can so I'm ready for the flow when it happens. Because we weird people are connected to something...dare I say that comes and goes... and is sometimes even spiritual?!?!

Losing Weight Without Losing My Mind

I've got to give credit to my Grandma Fay. She was a pioneer in eating healthy in the days when you were considered a "nut case" for juicing fruits and vegetables. Well, she taught me how to eat healthy; she made me juices and salads both fruit and vegetable. We even walked to the grocery store. Grandma Fay lived to 93; I'd just like to lose some weight.

And as many of you know it's not easy to lose weight. I've got myself an ideal situation. I can make losing weight my main purpose in life. I'll shop for groceries, eat healthy and exercise on the treadmill. And go to weekly meetings at Weight Watchers. Kinda of a narrow and a bit repetitive. But so necessary for my health. I'm diving into this after years of denial. It's a problem that you can't hide. And I FINALLY am doing something about it.

I take it on one day at a time. 1500 calories a day. Sometime a meal at a time. Counting calories. Finding ways to fill full without stuffing myself like a glutton.

I drink a lot of water. The fancy Italian type that has bubbles. About 64 ounces a day. It sure beats diet coke and I actually feel hydrated. It tastes better than tap water too. It's expensive but so was 8 cans of diet coke a day.

We even got a talking scale. So there's no fudging it.

So away we go...I hope I'll work out how to eat on this diet and I won't be so obsessed with dieting and losing weight because, you know, I've got so much more to do with my life.

Taking Lessons

As many of you know I have begun taking piano (or keyboard) lessons. I have employed an excellent teacher who has taught piano and vocal music at prestigious private schools in the DC area. He is in between school teaching gigs and so I'm lucky to have gotten him.

I've only had five lessons so far. I'm learning about scales, chords, intervals, harmonics and melodies. But mostly I learning to dive into this ocean known as music and to swim. Sometimes my feeble brain doesn't work and my hands don't seem connected to what my eyes are reading. Oh, that's right I'm learning to read music. It's a language all of its own.

I find this all very fascinating. And I'm in love with playing on my keyboard. My keyboard is no baby grand piano but she's perfect for me right now. She sits on a stand that Kathleen got for me and put together for me too. My keyboard is only a step or two away from my chair that I spend most of my time sitting in. So my keyboard is close to me and definitely within eyeshot.

The funny thing about taking music lessons is that all of a sudden you start hearing music differently. You start to get inside the music. And it becomes so much richer when you discover that there is something called music theory.

Right now I can barely tell you which note is which. But I'm learning and my brain is re-wiring itself too. I've got some rhythm but mostly the beat goes on without me. Tempo can be the hardest thing to learn and internalize.

But I love learning to play the piano. I can't remember why I ever stopped when I was young. I guess I didn't have to work that hard to get the lessons. This time around I convinced everyone in my life that taking lessons was what I wanted to do. Well, I think I convinced everyone else and myself too!!! 

It's the Hot Part of the Day

Everyone but me is laying down now. It's Sunday afternoon and 2 ish. I just went over to a friend's for brunch and got an introduction to her new cat. Truman is his name. He's quite handsome and playful. He'll fill out his presidential name in no time. He's smart too. He knows his name which is unusual in cats. Any which way he's a love.

Cats have preoccupied me for some time now. I blame Kathleen and her love of cats for this. What else does one do when you live with a cat goddess and in a cat shrine. I've gone with the flow and am now a bewitched member of the staff (to the cats only.) I don't feel very alone since Facebook is filled with cats and kittens on every other page. Cats are definitely in fashion (for the moment at least.)

Here in the Capitol where our celebs are presidents and our causes are political, most of my friends have given their cats names of this locale. One friend I know named her pair of cats Bill and Hilary. Another friend Truman and we in protest to a boycott on French imports and the Iraq war named ours Perrier and Evian. I tell you even the cats are political here in DC.

I can't tell you when exactly I became a crazy cat lady. I think I "came out" as one at my father's funeral. My cousin asked me what I know about and in my crazy grief-stricken state i said "CATS!!!" I do spend a lot of time in the care and bonding of our cats, but I'm no expert. Just crazy about them, don't cha think?

A Fabulous 4th of July

Early this afternoon when the skies were clear (for a moment) I looked out my glass screen door and saw two little boys putting mini American flags on everyone's front lawn. I looked up my street and saw flapping flags and thought that I'm now a part of this America not just some disenfranchised minority without rights and who is barely tolerated to exist.

Things have now changed. I have the right to openly serve my country and to marry whom I love. Progress indeed. Now if the rest of the country will only grant the right to marry for everyone, our country will be even a better place to be a citizen. Momentum is with us LGBT. The future is ours if not only a little way in the distance. So in the meanwhile have yourself a FABULOUS and HAPPY 4th!!! Because we earned it.

A Puzzling Process

For my birthday present to myself I got a membership for myself and Kathleen to the Phillips Collection which is the first modern art museum. The Phillips Collection is located in DC and is both housed in a lovely and intimate setting for a museum.

The Collection has many wonderful paintings. Their prize painting is Renoir's Luncheon for a Boat Party which I have seen several times. It's the kind of painting that makes a visual imprint in one's memory. While I may not remember this painting in all of its glorious detail, I definitely remember its feel. So one night when I was casting about to buy a jigsaw puzzle, I came upon this painting as one. I purchased it immediately and it has arrived via UPS. It's produced by Pigment and Hue and sold by WonderCat Inc. Perfect for me.

I've wanted to do something quiet and meditative like a puzzle for a long time. Now that my studio is more or less in order, I can devote my drafting table to the puzzle. Yet I have paused. I have not opened the shipping box the puzzle was shipped in and I've lost momentum. Can I not do a puzzle and piano lessons at the same time?

That's what happens when you have too much time, sometimes you get less done than if you were busy. You know the saying "If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person!"

So considering that maybe I'll open the box today...

Recycling Computers for a Better Planet

Tomorrow a company is coming to our house to pick up our old computers and their parts. We put off doing this even though the computers are beyond use as computers (they're pre internet and broken down laptops) It's amazing how much space they have taken up. But I've made the call and Turtlewings is coming tomorrow (for a fee of course.)

I also have my sights on our bookshelves. We have three in the living room which contain fiction, reference, art, and cookbooks. Only keeping the reference, art and cookbooks. The fiction goes because nowadays we do e-books. I'm keeping some of the books so that music doesn't bounce around off the walls but mostly the books are going to a used bookstore, Friends of the Library.

Next we are going through our drawers and closets. I figure it won't be too hard to part with winter clothes.

All of this is about lightening our load and de-cluttering our home. Our house presently is stuffed after living in it for 13 years. It's time to unload a little. Cause have you ever noticed that more comes in than goes out?

A Couple's Table Talk

Well, Kathleen and I had some fun freaking out a young straight couple who were sitting next to us at brunch this afternoon. We ordered and then talked about what we were going to do with our house. Things like gable repairs, buying a new TV, upholstery the living room furniture. You know stuff "couples" talk about before launching into their next purchases. Well the couple next to us looked aghast and went silent.

Guess they had never been that close to two out, open lesbian old biddies before. You know, you all better get use to it. We're no longer going to keep a low-profile for your comfort zone or illusions that we live in an exclusive straight society. As we chanted at rallies at UCLA in my day, "We're gay and we're here to stay!"

It's a Birthday Month

I always liked the month of June. It's a little warmer than May but not yet the blazing heat of July or August. Then there's summer solstice or Midsummer's Night for the Shakespeare buffs. And yes, there's my birthday too.

Usually we party for the entire week that my birthday falls in. This year we started in May while vacationing in LA. And now this week I've been gifted with a piano bench and keyboard stand which I love!!!

I'm a lucky girl indeed!!! I even got my house cleaned. But the best gifts I got are the ones I gave myself. I am now a member with Kathleen to the Phillips Collection, the first modern art museum. And I also got some Tibetan Prayer Wind Chimes for our cherry tree. (Something melodious to listen to when I'm resting my mind...)

Seems like there are a lot of June babies out there. As far as it goes, just more good people to party with. And I can't say how the rest of the month is going to go but I guess the month of June is just going to be one big long party!!!

I guess I've graduated to the birthday month club. Only took me 52 years.

Limbo Land

We are slowly re-entering our lives here in Silver Spring after our vacation to LA. We slept like rocks last night and I woke up to make coffee at 10 am EST. I'm somewhere between West Coast and East Coast time. Maybe I'm somewhere in Chicago. Anyway the clock is really meaningless. We're in limbo land. I feel for Kathleen; she's planning on going to work tomorrow. This coming east is just so much more difficult and in so many ways too.

I've only stuck my head out the door to accept the chinese food that was delivered for lunch. We ate a little. Dinner will be easy.

Sorry this all isn't as exciting as the vacation. Limbo Land rarely is thrilling. And I feel a little spacey too. Maybe we'll both be a bit more focused and active tomorrow. See ya then.