Happy Halloween 

Total Lunar Eclipse happening now ...

Did you catch the total lunar eclipse today? I tried to capture it on film to share with you but it didn't turn out very well.


"The full moon occurs at approximately 8:00PM Mountain
Standard Time on October 27th (in other time zones it may be on the
28th.)There is a total lunar eclipse during this time, beginning at
approximately 3:00PM MST on the 27th and ending at approximately
10:30PM MST on the 27th. There is also a powerful astrological
configuration on the 28th forming a five-pointed star.
These events punctuate a time of eccentricity, magic and an
increase in intensity. Pay attention at this time to what is
happening in your life. Be very very present and watch your thoughts
as they carry much weight. It is possible to make great magical
changes in your life as you wish."
Blessings,
Jose and Lena
www.powerpathseminars.com

finally the weekend is here ... and gone

After a long week that felt like 3, I had the Geffen Playhouse to look forward to on Friday night. The new season kicked off with the award-winning play "TAKE ME OUT". I didn't have time to check it out, just knew it was about baseball. I almost didn't sign on to work this season because the last couple of years their roster was less than wonderful with the exception of the last play of last season -- "COOKIN' AT THE COOKERY", which was extraordinary. It was about the life of Alberta Hunter, one of the all time great blues singers who was rediscovered late in life when performing at The Cookery in New York. The woman who played Alberta sang the tunes leaving the audience begging for more. The other actress (a 2 women play) performed as all the other characters with such energy and amazing talent you couldn't help but get caught up in it. It was held over for another 3 weeks and I was lucky enough to see it twice. If it comes to your town, don't miss it. After that play and with the new season looking promising, I thought what the heck, one more season. So back to Friday night where I was greeted with a warm welcome from the house manager and my pal, Abdullaha who is an amazing person. He's fluent in 6 languages, lived all over the world, and a successful actor. In fact, he shot an American Express commercial with Ellen DeGeneres on Saturday. You can also see him on last season episodes of ER and West Wing and in the George of the Jungle movies. His wife is a professor at UCLA, in the Musicology dept. . . wish that was an option to study when I was in college. Anyway, he gave me the scoop on the play. It takes place in a baseball team's locker room, which means, yep, you guessed it, the usual locker room stuff. The show has been selling out and men in the gay community have been buying up rows of seats, coming out en mass to catch a glimpse ... well more than a glimpse of these 11 actors in the buff. (some you've recognized on TV/in movies). Oh yeah, and the play itself was great too!
Saturday was busy too ... took another bookbinding class with my good friend, Wendy teaching 3 new books at my favorite bookstore - Vroman's. Fun to run into people from some of her other classes and laughed a lot. This was a good motivator for the upcoming art faire in November. Will make a variety of journals, some new jewelry designs and my healing mandalas. If you go to an earlier blog, there is a photo of a Tibetan mandala that was assembled/disassembled at LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) last January. Mine are not made from sand but on black art paper with white pencil then filled in with the appropriate healing colors for the individual it's being made for.
Speaking of LACMA, for the past month they've been doing The Magnificent Mirisches retrospect including one of my all time favorite westerns, The Magnificent 7, which just happening to be screening Saturday. Love that theme song, the actors, dialogue, story -- I'm a sucker for stories about the little guy overcoming major obstacles...and for westerns. I sat in the dark with a smile on my face. Ever watch the TV series of the same name? They did an excellent job casting it and Pen Densham co-creator/writer told stories worth telling. Looking forward to MGM releasing it on DVD.
When Sunday came around, I think pushing myself all week caught up with me. Got out of bed only to meet someone for coffee then went back to bed for the day. I just couldn't move and finally I stopped trying.
Monday, rested and sitting in traffic on my way to work, it was like I'd never had a vacation.

back to every day life

8:30am Monday, I arrived to work with 300 e-mails, 10 pages of "TO DO"s from my boss, a dozen phone messages and the work I didn't get to before I left were waiting for me. By 10:30 I felt like I had put in a full day. My phone rang non-stop with "need it now"s and my boss welcoming me back with several more "to do"s to add to the pile. By 12:30 in spite of all the craziness, I realized how calm I was and unstressed I felt -- of course, owing it all to the amazing two weeks I had away from my every day life. About the same time, jet lag kicked in big time. At the end of the day, with the emergencies handled and the first 200 e-mails printed, I left work later than I wanted. Once home I sent myself to bed without dinner. When Thursday came around, I sent my boss off with his travel booklet to Pasadena for an afternoon of meetings then off to catch a flight for home the next morning (he lives in Virginia). Whew. Welcome back to the real world, Nancy.

Reflections

I can't tell you what this trip has meant to me. Having a dream come true can be hard to handle sometimes. At first you're waiting for something to go wrong to keep it from happening. Then the dream actually begins to take shape as reality and you're kind of in shock. This puts you in a not fully coherent position to enjoy the ride, so to speak. When you arrive, like a robot, you follow the other passengers to the baggage claim trying to get your brain to grasp the fact that it's actually happening and you need to figure out what to do next. But in a fog, straining to find the light, you blindly find your way ... somehow. For a good part of the trip, I had periods of feeling overwhelmed trying to squeeze in everything I planned that really could not fit in the time frame. Then I scolded myself for not enjoying what was happening when it was happening. But that wasn't so. Now I see that I did so much, I just didn't have time to reflect, I was too busy living it . . . and enjoying it. Now I can look back and know it was everything I hoped it would be and I'll just have to return to do the rest. Now it's time to build a new dream . . .

Return to LA

I arrived last night in LA to rain. The driver who picked me up (a birthday present from my boss) told me I must have brought it with me because it had just started and when I left Paris, it was raining. The rain was a perfect fit for my mood. LA looked different. Even my apartment building seems somehow foreign to me. Immediately I unpacked to reconnect to France, and especially the Paris I left behind. This included savouring a vanilla flavored macaroon from the Laduree tea room where I purchased a large box to share upon my return. What makes them so famous is their decadent, dreamy fillings like cassis, rose, cafe, framboise ...sandwiched between two cloud-like cookies so light and airy they practically melt the moment they touch your tongue. Around 8am today, I awoke to silence. Much different from these last two weeks. To stay in the experience of my French dream come true, I set out St. Marbillon fromage (cheese) to let sit at room temperature (the proper way to eat cheese) that I had bought at the street market my last day in Paris and brewed a pot of tea -- French Breakfast Tea purchased at Mariage Freres (oldest tea store in Paris - 1854). When ready, I sipped tea and savoured the cheese on a roll from Poilane, the most respected boulangerie (bakery) in all of Paris. Trying to hang on a little longer

Favorite writing spot . . .Cafe Les Deux Magots; blvd. St. Germain (6th district) 

Evening concert at St. Chapelle . . . stained glass windows too 

Cooking Class in Paris; 10-12-04 

Today was the best so far...

I'm just now getting the hang of things and I must make the most of my last three days. Today I got up early to go to a non-tourist spot to meet for a cooking class. Took the right metro stops and arrived on time. Paule (our cooking instructor) first took us to the market to buy some of the ingredients for our meal. There were 6 of us -- all Americans. After the market, the wine shop for the perfect wine. The class was at her home which was at one time a jewelers workshop. We all worked together making all aspects of the meal -- mushrooms as appetizer, a cheese and leek pouch which was divine, a special bread (the call cake), chicken in an amazing sauce and for dessert - a fig tartine. Lots of fun and learning going on. I have pictures but will have to wait until I return home to post them . . . and others. Afterward I walked with a couple from class through an area I hoped to explore then on to St. Chapelle to see the gorgeous stained glass windows just as the sun was going down, shining through the windows that sparkled like jewels. Walked around the area and stopped at a fountain and began writing for the first time. It was starting to get dark so went on to a cafe across from St. Chapelle for a cafe au lait and continued to write until about 6:45 when I returned to St. Chapelle for an evening concert. It was a religious experience. I will grab a crepe on the St. Germain Blvd near here then walk on to the most famous cafe in all of Paris for a coffee and more writing (following in the footsteps of Hemingway and many other writers and artists. Tomorrow another early day for a tour of Van Gogh's last place of residence and burial site. We will lunch at the same cafe he did then go on to Giverny to see the real life inspirations for Monet's paintings. Life is good! Hope you are all well too.

a Paris

Today I took the Metro for the first time. I have been walking everywhere so I haven't done that much. Just came back from an all day tour of Versaille. Amazing. On the way here heard a street band playing the blues. I felt like I went back in time, the music was great. There is so much to do here I sometimes feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin so I just start walking and see where it leads me. Took an evening cruise down the Seine last night which started at the Eiffel Tower. It was all lit up. Last time I only saw it in the day time. Also took an "Illuminations" tour afterwards throughout the city which helped to orient me better. I think I chose a great area to stay in. It seems to be close to everything. People sometimes ask me things in French and sometimes I can reply. Last time I gave this guy directions in French properly then he asked another question and instead of saying "I dont't know." I said "I don't like" (you, implied). Not surprising he looked at me funny and walked away. Must practice how to say "I don't know" before offending someone else!

Angers encore

Bonjour, I am finding it hard to write in English while trying to figure out how to speak French. It's been wonderful except for getting lost in the rental car for 3 hours. I gave up, returned the rental car and hired a taxi to take me to the chateau. Am having a wonderful time there. The cuisine is superb. Last night we shared the evening with the owner of the Cointreau Distilleries, The Cordon Bleu Cooking Schools and a large department store chain (forgot the name). She was quite charming and we had a lovely conversation in two languages as we sat by the fire and drank coffee. The owner of the chateau drove me into town today but I will return by bus. He loved the guest book I made and told me he needed a new one. He shows it to everyone and some of the guests have already signed it. In his library I found an old guest book and my name was in it from the last time I was there -- 7/17/90!!! It rained yesterday but walked around the chateau in the rain anyway -- heaven. Jet lag caught up with me in the afternoon so I slept for a few hours then worked on some small journals I am making for gifts to give while here. I will work on my script tonight before dinner. Today I will buy blue chocolates (quernons d'ardoise) for gifts, visit some museums and buy an umbrella (forgot to take one. Hope you are all well in the states. The gossip magazines say Jennifer Lopez is pregnant -- the news is everywhere. Have you heard it there? Au revoir for today . . . . . . .

Chateau des Briottieres; Champigne 

Chateau D'Anger; Western Loire Valley 

in Angers

I have 12 minutes to do this. The keyboard is different here so I am much slower. I am currently in Angers in the Western Loire Valley. I will be picking up my rental car soon and driving to Chateau des Briottieres. My flight was excellent. During my layover in Detroit, I went to a spa for a chair massage and oxygen. It helped me to relax. Once I landed in Paris it was slow getting my luggage because half of the airport was shut down for a while. I was worried I wouldn't get to my train in time but by some miracle I just made it -- taking me 2 1/2 hours to get my baggage, take a shuttle to another terminal and actually find the train station. Been using my French a lot. Tres bon. More later ...

Traveling to Paris

The night before leaving, my friend Alicia came over and aligned my chakras. I felt soooo relaxed after that I did nothing. It was wonderful. But the next day I had last minute errands to run and also decided to take a smaller suitcase which meant packing and repacking to fit it all in. When 2am rolled around I knew I couldn't go to sleep because I'd never hear the alarm go off for my 5:30am drive to the airport. You know I am NOT a morning person.

It was also obvious by now that my plans were far too grandiose to be able to do everything I'd hoped to do. I wrote lists of things I wanted to do in Angers, at the chateau and in Paris. The Paris list was so big that when I tried to condense it, I gave up and decided to rethink my plan while I was on the plane. But since I didn't sleep the night before, during my flight from LA to Detroit, I slept -- very nicely.

The flight from Detroit to Paris was longer and I could get more done. I remember the last time I flew to Paris it seems forever and they kept coming by feeding us meals, hot baked cookies and bringing us warm, wet washclothes. Post 9/11, that just wasn't happening. I did sit next to a woman who had signed up for the Rick Steve's tour I was on the waiting list for until I decided to go it alone. She was going for the same reason I was, to celebrate her 50th birthday. I pretty much slept most of the trip and all those revised plans would have to wait.

Once we landed, all but about 12 of us got their luggage. We wondered what was going on. Then this guy came over and ceremoniously removed a piece of luggage that was directly in front of me. Finally, 45 minutes later our luggage came out and I had to rush to board the shuttle to Terminal 2 and catch the train to Angers in 45 minutes. The shuttle took forever and when it finally arrived, just as I stepped forward to board, I was pushed back and told to wait for the next one. Finally, in Terminal 2, I cannot find any signs directing me to the train station so it was time to use my French. Luckily the phrase "where is the train station" was one of the first things I learned to say. And I said it a lot. A stewardess was helpful and explain it was at the other end of the terminal. After thanking her I turned to see 2 military guys in fatigues and holding rifles with their hands on the trigger looking straight at me. I mustered a smile and rushed toward the other end of the terminal. 2A, 2B, 2C was endless and I had 15 minutes to get to the train. 2D finally showed up, 2E and finally 2F. I looked everywhere but couldn't find the train station. I figured I was going to miss the train and gave up. Saw some escalators to the side and checked. Sure enough there were train tracks down there. The train was coming in 3 minutes and an older couple was blocking the escalator as they loaded 5 pieces of luggage separately onto the escalator. The track I needed to take was at the bottom of the escalator. Within a minute it had arrived.

I got on at the nearest entrance and loaded my bags in the baggage compartment then looked for my seat. In my haste, I boarded the wrong train car but hot, sweaty, and tired, I plopped into a seat and figured I'd worry about it later. When the train conductor came by I explained in my broken French -- my luggage that way, my reserved seat was the other way. He was very kind and let me stay where I was.

The 1 1/2 hours went by fast and there I was in Angers. Once out of the train station, I could see my hotel directly across the street. The people in the hotel were gracious and it was nice to settle in to the room. But I knew if I stayed there I would be asleep within 5 minutes so I washed up and walk around to see what I could see until it was time for dinner. The weather was warm and sunny with a slight breeze -- perfect. My hotel was next to a boulangerie bustling with shoppers. You could smell the bread and the pastries were beautiful. Being hypoglycemic, I knew not to try them on an empty stomach. I had to wait until 7pm to eat and it was only 5pm so I toured the streets of Angers, window shopping and oh so happy to be there.

Returned to the hotel for dinner at their bistro -- my first real French meal in a very long time. I ordered a prix-fixe meal that includes usually 3 courses at one simple price which makes it easy to figure what you owe and hard to be overcharged -- something that is warned about in every tour book. Started with a salad, which was a meal in itself -- lettuce greens (not a piece of iceberg in site), lots of tomatoes, diced ham and warm goat cheese; perfection. The main course was a beef brochette with carrots, green beans, scalloped potatoes and roasted tomato with garlic and basil. Superb. Dessert was a vanilla creme brulee which is my all time favorite dessert and this time it was the real thing. All of this for 18 euro. Not bad at all -- oh yeah, and don't forget the bread.

Forced myself to stay awake until it was a normal bedtime by watching ER in French. Not bad for the first day.