Here's to happiness

That juice I had earlier put a hell of a spring in my step...  I had one of the best walks ever.  It was not too hot and there was a wonderful cool breeze.  In spite of it being the 4th, there wasn't an abundance of traffic. I felt infused with energy and sensitive to all that was around me. From the music in my ipod to the trees swaying in the breeze to the smell of jasmine in the air, I was tuned in to everything.

In my current residence, I occupy the granny unit...which is really a Northern California term.  It basically means a converted space in a house that occupies a standalone unit.  I think my place used to be the garage but don't let that give you the wrong impression.  I have a full kitchen, a nice bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and a washer/dryer... in LA, this place would cost considerably more than what it costs me here.   It's small but it's home.  My neighbors occupy the main house. 

Juiceperimentation

In preparation for the big day, I'm experimenting with veggies I already had in my fridge.  Plus my neighbor just brought me a huge (and I mean HUGE) bag of celery from the garden.  She said I could help myself to the Kale that's ready to harvest.   If that ain't the universe's way of saying, "You go, girl!", then I don't know what is....

I just juiced the following and it's actually pretty good considering it was my own concoction.

A lot of celery (about 20 stalks but the stalks are really tiny and not like typical store-bought celery)
1 large cucumber
3 thin organic carrots
1 organic red apple

I'd say this was comprised mostly of celery.  The apple and carrots help sweeten it up.

I've experimented in the past and was stuck with juice that tasted like ass (or ahem.. what I would imagine ass to taste like, of course).

This concoction did give me a nice little surge of energy.  Got the Dum Dum Girls on my ipod and am heading up to my solitary hill....

G'day (an homage to Joe Cross)...

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

I saw this documentary last night on Netflix.  My yoga teacher had recommended it last year and I just now got around to watching and I'm glad I did...

It inspired me to go on a 7 day juice fast.  While I'm not morbidly obese, I could stand to lose a few pounds and my body could definitely use the detoxing.  I have been juicing for a while now... in fact, I had started juicing in LA over a decade ago.  I had a Juiceman Jr. and I loved making carrot/beet/apple juice before a long bike ride. Back then I was in the best shape of my life.  Today, not so much...

I even got my mom to buy the Juiceman Jr and she was juicing.  When I moved to Florida to care for her, I made her juice daily and she said it made her feel more energetic.  I stopped only because it was expensive and I couldn't afford it.  No wonder people in America are so out of shape and unhealthy.... it's less expensive to eat crap than health food.  They don't call Whole Foods "Whole Paycheck Foods" for nothing...

Made For Radio

This is genius.

Unemployed in Summertime

Unemployed in Summertime by Emiliana Torrini has become my song of choice lately...  I am constantly amazed at the power of music and how a song can trigger a deep emotion.  When I used to perform, I'd use music to get me in the headspace of the character.

This song, in particular, used to trigger a really sad memory for me from when I was my mom's caregiver.  It was the summer of 2008 and the last one i would spend with my mom.  Things were bad because of my siblings.  That summer I did everything I could to maintain my sanity.  I meditated religiously, walked a lot and saw a therapist on a sliding scale at Jewish Family Services.  I love the people at that place.  I really owe them my sanity.

That summer was when my mom really started deteriorating.  I had been caring for her for a year already and my siblings had done NOTHING.  Actually, they did something: created more work for me to do.   They loved to just stop in and leave a mess for me to clean up.  I told my mom that I didn't want my siblings around unless they were going to contribute---either take her to the hospital or one of her many doctors appointments or stay with her for a few days so I could escape (I had friends in Florida that kept telling me I was looking mighty stressed during that time)...

Can you dig it? Yes, I can!

Today it occurred to me that Independence day is a hop, skip and a jump away.  Whatever shall I do?  I have no invitations, no plans, commitments--no nothing.  I think I will drink wine on the deck, gaze blissfully on the horizon while listening to British-invasion music.  Just another day in wine country....

I am a first generation American girl.  Both my parents are from Ecuador.  My dad was a full-blooded Ecuadorian.  He moved to the US w/ my mom in the 50's.  They lived in NYC for a while and then moved to Miami.  That was when he got a job in a bank where he worked for almost 30 years.  My dad was an alcoholic but I'll give him props because he always worked hard in spite of his vices.  When he retired, it was with a pension although his liver was shot....

A Question of Time

The last time I can recall looking at a clock last night before bed, it was around 10:30.  I had just finished brushing my teeth and was dancing with Magic to Marianne Faithfull's, The Mystery of Love....

Shortly after, I went to bed.  I didn't fall asleep but rather dealt with the random thoughts that invaded my psyche.