ooh-la-la!!!

je suis americaine. most certainly! we are in paris, beaky, fabulosa, & laurie lort & i. having a ball, an adventure. only have a moment to write here, so just a few impressions: i knew the women would be gorgeous, but for heaven's sake, the men are, too! :tall, straight build, dark hair & eyes, strong face, serious mien... they dress nicely, too, tho they don't smell so nice, in general... mon dieu! our "girl gang," specifically fabiola, all have commented something about getting whiplash while here from male-gawking. rick, blasters soundman & fb friend, said, "just be sure to turn from the waist. it's good for the core." ha! :) ok, well, this is our last full day in paree (been here a wk) & i've been cleaning up our apt as well as enjoying the sound & smell of the intermittent showers ("it's paris rain," says becky, meaning, it showers for a few mins, then the sun shines, then more showers, then sun... it's truly lovely)... now i'm off to find the drunk club of paris, & tho i mapped out the metro rt, think i'll walk, just to see a bit more... they have english-speaking meetings... hope to get there. tomorrow we're heading for mont san michel, then back here for a night before out to the avignon area for the rockabilly fest called "blue monday," where we'll play some music as well as listen, meet folks, say hello to memphis mike's friend, rockabilly legend hayden thompson. will write more later. i've been trying to keep a journal of what we're doing lately, as well as take pix w/ipod. last time i went to paris, w/mama, angie, mad, i forgot my camera, which was incredibly lame. this time, when i get home, i will document the trip & hope to to-my-best convey the fun we've been having, 1/2-world away from home... bon journee, mon amis :)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Didn't It Rain

iconoclast rocker chuck e weiss posted this on facebook... good heavens!! truly!!! all i know is that granada television, which also filmed my most favorite tv event of all time, "don't knock the rock," filmed this in 1964 at a train station in chorlton england... don't you love everything?? -- from using train tracks as the stage, her entrance, her lovely face, her outfit, her singing & strutting &, my lord, that guitar playing -- what a prickly, gut-bucket happy rousing sound!!
well, it snowed last night, & i woke to it melting off the eaves in a waterfall & sun shining & air smelling of pine trees & sage & earth, oh how lovely lovely lovely... right now there are no less than 25 birds eating on the table (i shooed off the robber chipmunk who's been trying to abscond w/their food) & in the oak tree in front of me, all puffed up cause now it's raining, hence this incredible historical vid being at this moment, for me, especially apropos... supposed to be packing for france, but heck, my bed's so lovely & the weather's so gorgeous & sleepy & miraculous... thank goodness today sadsack's gone & yesterday i got in a 6 mile run that seemed to shake my seeming-to-be-impending illness & then had a great time w/my friend having salad & then practice w/kind & smart & funny karling & all (wait - that was monday)... oh well. improvement in mood, no improvement in memory... be well, not crappy, but happy, even snappy... bye for now.

oh brother, where art thou?

- today was easter. passover. springtime. sunday. how are you? i can't sleep. horrid headache. monstrous. monstress. sister & niece may've spread to me today their germs. blast. might be, tho, that the squirrel residing in brain for past month, now gone, left behind serious cranial pain. been having bad headaches... yes, i miss that stupid squirrel, who couldn't focus, but who felt so on fire, & tho frequently worn out, didn't care about much & was creative & felt wily & like she was a barrel of monkeys. i thought the scholar'd taken her place, but scholar was only here for two days & looks like sadsack's in residence, instead. hope sadsack doesn't stay long. no fun. no creativity. lots of moping & defensiveness. gets fat. at worst, has suicidal ideation, outbursts, goes to hospitals.
- i argued today w/person who says i am like two separate people & don't remember things i say/do when i'm "that other person." could be true, perhaps. i mean, sometimes what comes out of my mouth is like pea soup from linda blair in the exorcist. and it's true, i don't remember the crap that spews forth; it's all kinda fuzzy. when i was younger, i'd see red & everything'd be bad before i could stop it. it happens less now, but i spose is still kinda scary, if i think about it, so i won't.
- w/another friend am sposed to discuss this kinda stuff which i spose is related to dissociation, etc. i hope it'll be helpful for us both. this friend, troubled & brilliant, operates on a different time frame, tho, so i can't hold my breath. but do hope to get some feedback eventually... (still can't help wondering, even if it's kinda scary @ times, if it's real or merely overreaction from certain people i know/have known... hmmm...)
- anyways, easter generally was solid: ex-hubby blb brought the dogs (our sons) up to the mtns yesterday so we could visit, b, me, & the mcgraws, our sweet friends. b went home after friendly meal & hike; this a.m., bill & i read rumi & earth poems & we all gazed @ the mtns out my windows & were clam-happy. they headed home to SD & i took doggies to bako to feast hosted, as always, by generous, loving mom & dad w/family & extended- & super-extended family (ex: all in one rm, hanging out, are sister; sister's ex-hubby & his girlfriend; daughter's friend, who is living w/sis's ex-hubby & sis; daughter; sis's spouse-to-be; sis's childhood best friend). in eve, went to movies w/ex-bf & saw chronicle, not at all a bad flick. had ok time, tho as usual interaction was kinda odd & sad for both, i think...
- home now at my folks', waiting for tomorrow's practice w/karling & co, gig saturday, & sunday hopping on plane w/becky for france. blowing this pop stand. should be thrilled... will be, i just know it... took train to hanford the other day & met becky & L; we lunched on sandwiches, chips, & immense ice cream scoops at superior dairy, then ultra-fashion-wise becky took me & L to forever 21, a store i've never shopped in, & i found clothes for paris & she helped me start to see how fun the whole trip is gonna be, just us four "girls" in gay paree, footloose & fancy-free... we saw a very cool wall sculpture of a yugo car frame, opened up & splayed flat like a gigantic rusted beetle; then i caught the train home & met the nicest young man, a hiphop singer, & made other friends, as well... this was in the squirrel's last day; it felt like i was one of the "ambassadors of the human race" i'd read about one time in the NYer. it's lovely to feel so warm & happy & inviting toward all people. sadsack just doesn't.
- wisest words read lately: "praise allah, but be sure to tie up your camel." also: "may all the voices you hear be helpful ones." that will be swell, when it happens again. come back, little squirrely. i miss you already.

blablablablablablablablabla, but not at all "blah"

how are you? i am well. now, since on a blog, one writes about one's life/etc, how to describe the last many days? will try.
had fast, smooth ride out to donna's; feeling naturally wired lately seems to make time pass quickly & entertainingly, tho at worst, i am confused & discombobulated due to inability to organize... got to my friend's & we leaped on ea other w/happiness & headed to denny's, where i was rewarded by one of her spontaneously slapstick moments when she somehow stuck the soda straw in her eye... donna can be quite serious & intense, but i also have had some of the funniest moments ever w/her, face hurting from all the laughing we do (actually, another friend of mine, now that i think of it, much reminds me of this; i'd been prepared for him to gig me on april fool's day, convinced he could NEVER do it for a 3rd yr in a row, but dang if he didn't!!)... friends now 20 yrs, donna & i caught up; when i told her about my crazy fun peripatetic life these days, she commented, "everyone wants a piece of jenny. you're popular!" zoinks! i laughed out loud; me? popular? wow!! whether it's true or not don't matter; i was delighted & shocked to hear this - me, who used to cry when teacher'd call on me. :) how life can change people, if we stay open to it, huh? :) i think the comment speaks as much, tho, for my friend's generosity, to compliment me that way :) ... next a.m. brought SPECTACULAR fun running the claremont "mills," this wilderness running/biking course up & down tall mtn paths; oh! what a wonderful time that was! i wish i had places like that, well-traveled, well-defined paths overlooking nature, that i could visit every day... here is all wilderness, of course, but the defined runs are along the stinky highway, or only a mile or so... anyways, onward:
(was just outside & vagabond kitty, who comes to visit, then is on her merry way for another adventure, was sniffing my truck bumper. i wonder what it smelled like that caught her nose?)
ok, we went thrifting & yardsaling, as is donna's & my bargain-hunting m.o., & just after i told my friend i was looking for yard art, an awesome statue appeared at one yardsale, this cambodian or chinese or some east-asian figurine, for THREE BUCKS!!! "wow," said i, "some folks would say we manifested our reality just now." she replied matter-of-factedly, "i always do..." hmmm... she does have the most impeccably decorated house, all super-thrift, but all super elegant-looking, too, truly!, & i've noticed she'll say, for instance, "i think i'm going to change my color scheme to tans," then we'll go out & dang if she doesn't find a whole bunch of linens & decorative stuff in tans for dirt cheap! she got me a lovely skirt that i will wear to france... taking it on train tomorrow to show to becky, who's leading our tour of la belle france (have i mentioned this here? dunno...) & hope she approves. becky wants us to look "elegant" for the blue monday rockabilly fest we're playing. "elegant" is NOT my strong point. i hope i'll get up to snuff...
on a whim, donna said yes, she'd like to go listen to music, so we embarked on a madcap drive on the freeways of lost angeles & wound up in a dark, smoky blues club packed w/revelers & bluesmen & impeccably taut & sexy burlesque dancers... i kept wanting to leave, once i'd heard the acoustic, old-timey wingnut set i was interested in, but she was enjoying the music, so i left her at the barstool & spent much of the eve outside looking for stars in the cloudy sky & smoking, tho i usually don't, & met a fun, crazy gal who told me she makes her boyfriend's stage suits (how cool is THAT?) & riffing & jumping & promenading around w/mad others, then we headed home & got completely lost, but it had to be funny in the end. we must've driven 50 extra miles getting home!! next day we went to the pomona arts colony, where they were having a flea market. yesss!!!!! i got a tiny strutting baby figurine that might be quite old, judging by his little outfit, plus a tiny old-time radio figurine, each for a quarter from a nice old man, & some pretty dresses, one i hope will work for france... i hit the road for points south to, i thought, listen to more music, but my friend who was having the show, i later learned, got hurt & was m.i.a. for the eve. still, oblivious to the extent of things, i ultimately had sufficient fun, walking around a beach town & having a juice & then some miso soup & then some apples & bananas, then, feeling all healthy, a cigarette, & that night saw bridesmaids & a cool cartoon show called "adventure time" & had a pleasant-enough, nice breather... next morning i headed to big's in fullerton for rehearsal w/karling & the atomics in the joint's small conference rm; all were gathered at the table, maybe nursing hangovers, & i got a free plate of grub from the buffet (good stuff!) & we all waited for brian paxton to get there from bakersfield, then set up & had a nice rehearsal... karling has quite a strong, street-corner voice, i think, when she goes unmiked. cool! my old friend manuel (big manny) couldn't make it cause he was recuperating from knee surgery, but i had a nice talk w/him while waiting & will see him on may 7 for the special "gene & eddie" barndance at joe's in burbank... yay!... the opening band, high energy, did some songs we do in dusk devils, like mercy (last week's openers, dead zed's choppers, a band i enjoyed, do blue moon baby), then handsome young michael walley came up & did some bagpipe tunes, like he'd done last week in lompoc, tho sans his kilted garb, & the vibe of the joint immediately went into a sort of mysterious reverie & even reverence when the first drones sounded... then we went up & i got to play facing a table of the cutest little girls! from harsh experience, i know i always, always need to bring my amp (never again will i go thru the house; that just sets me up to have bad sound), so since i could hear, i was able to play some stuff that had me thinking, wow! where's this coming from? it was too cool... the set went really well; karling twirled & twirled, which is always a good sign, & anthony redhorse, guest on doghouse bass, filled in very musically. i thought we sounded really tight, & karling said afterward people told her her band's never sounded so good! :) soundman tim maag, he of the punk rock lineage & sly bedroom eyes, complimented me highly on harmonies & playing. "i soloed you on the buck owens songs," he said. "you sounded really great! like buck owens!" i got some dough, then snuck out to see if my injured friend was ok. if he wasn't gonna be at his sunday jam up in whittier, i would head to echo park to see my stepson & his gal, the latter whom i'd not yet met, & then be able to get home a day earlier. i pulled up to the frog pond & walked on in to compliments from a handsome biker! wow!, & there was my friend, looking ashen & kinda banged up, but vertical... he came over wild-eyed & said, "you got your keys?" i said yes, we went & grabbed them, & i got to play more music w/him & his guitarist, even! wow! these are well-known, accomplished, & beloved musicians... it was so swell! again, having my amp right there, i could play what my mind heard for the most part, & on a lot of it i tried to stick to horn-like stabs, since already there were two guitars on the stage, tho i did rip out some solos they threw me, & some sounded ok-enough, i must say!... they wanted me to sing, but all i could come up w/was "my babe." after, my friend said it hurt to sing cause of his injury & dang, if i'd known that, i would've tried harder to think of more bluesy songs! as-was, others came up & sang & it was fun to back them, see the enjoyment in their faces as they vocalized... the coolest part of this stint was when one little gal was singing & this biker chick to my side lit the cigarette i'd been goofing w/& i smoked & played piano & looked around & people were laughing! my friend, who was watching, later said, "you're really funny. you're like a comic. people dig you a lot!" that was the best of all... also, several people came up at both gigs & quizzed me on how long i'd been playing piano & complimented my technique. one big samoan-looking fellow, who turns out had mutual friends, said, "yeah, i told myself, 'she knows what she's doing; it's just natural to you, you can tell'," & tim maag had said some amazing things, like that i had "economy of energy & motion." wow!! life can be strangely wonderful, don't you think?
i hung out a bit, then hit the road for echo park & greeted my stepson at his bitchin pad off glendale blvd. he had to get to bed for work, & so next morning i got to explore old, hilly, seedy, beautiful, urban but leafy echo park for the 1st time. loved climbing steep, steep streets, right there in los angeles, for pete's sake!; at one particularly cool, large old rock house, an elderly mexican lady in peasant-looking garb was sweeping her porch & as i passed her house, i spied her million-dollar view of los angeles! it made me happy that real folks had these amazing views, not just rich folks... cody's girlfriend kate, a brilliant, science-minded, sweet girl, told me that's what in-part attracted them to the neighborhood, that it was such a mixture socioeconomically & racially... before actually meeting kate, i found her a beautiful blue sparkly dress i thought would look nice on her, & which i was so happy that she loved!, & him a shocking t-shirt w/graphic of gorgeous mummy-woman at out of the closet's $1 rack, plus a t-shirt i'll wear today at practice that announces, "i just don't listen." because it's true. i'm not sure why i don't listen. but i don't... stepson has taken a long time to meet someone to love, but now he has, & they have a lovely life together, i can tell, in the coolest condo overlooking echo park itself & the gorgeous LA skyline, & i'm so happy for him. :) little cody, happy at last. :) everyone deserves to be happy, i say!!
cody treated us to soup plantation, then i hugged them goodbye & hit the road. like always, as soon as i spotted my mountain town, all my stress fell off & i just sighed a big "aaaaaahhhh"... in my house, i felt peace & calm, a different kind of happiness. it had been such a great trip, but how nice it is to be home, lovely, sweet home. :)
if you're still reading, i thank you for your intrepidness, & hope you'll comment. carpe diem, friends. carpe diem! :)
time to pack up & go again! feliz dia, amigos!