louise on the left (coast)

Thanks to my cyber-hero, Prince, at Bamboo Nation , I've been listening to this great indie rock song, and also, like Prince, feel so much love for it that I need to share it on my blog, too. I LOVE this song. ( Yes, you can actually download it here, for free .) How can you not love a song with lines like "Dementia, be good to me." An indie rock song with a catchy sense of humor that also captures a snapshot of what I feel about life du jour as well as why I still adore classical music or sing with the Orange County Women's Chorus? -- Say, what? -- I love this song. Muchas Gracia, Bamboo Nation, for constantly digging out the cool stuff and raising the bar for the rest of us cyber nerds.

Ever since I can remember I have considered Maurice Sendak's book, Where The Wild Things Are , to be utter perfection. His illustrations so brilliantly capture the freaky way adults can crowd and overwhelm a child on their own personal journeys. One minute appearing to be a loving tribe, then an angry mob, the next. All depending on one's perspective, of course as well as the adults expectations of the hero of the story, Max. Anyhow -- Since I clearly hold Sendak's original classic to be one of the few bibles of great children's literature, I was reluctant to accept that one could improve it by reinventing it into an art that that doesn't, actually, involve reading. However, perhaps I'll be a convert if the entire film is as good as this trailer.

Somehow, while researching who did the music for my FAVORITE version of Alice in Wonderland (for television in 1999) and my remembering how much I love Cocteau -- one link led to another and somehow ended up falling through the Sea Of Holes that is YouTube to discover this musical film gem! Et, viola! Introducing: The Philip Glass Opera for YouTube, Lego Beauty and the Beast "The first part of Beauty and the Beast, or La Bella et La Bete broken up into 3 YouTube friendly acts. ... His original work was intended to be performed as a sound track to the 1949 black and white movie by Jean Cocteau. In keeping with the style of the movie, Lego Beauty and the Beast tries to stay true to the original ideas behind the opera.. with its own unique twists. I hope you enjoy this movie broken up into 3 youtube friendly acts."

So, we all know how much it sucks out there. Nobody has money. Nobody knows if their job (should they still have one) is going to be there next week. Schools are being cut to ribbons. Teachers and parents are sick about all the potential loss for our kids. Our worlds have been turned upside down here in California, especially, by all the education cuts. It's grim, out there, no doubt. The news relentlessly blares bleak statistics at us. Our saturation for learning we've all been that much more screwed over just seems bottomless, sometimes. But, listen, folks. Don't give in to the pity party we all so richly deserve, because -- trust me -- it could be so much worse. Turn off the radio or television and take a deep breath and hug your loved ones that much closer. Things are bad, but never forget to count your blessings. Never. Some of you may know who I'm going to talk about but, in case you don't, it's not me. But, imagine if you learned that even alt

I first saw this film one lonely spring evening in North Carolina. At that time my entire world seemed shot solely in black and white. I remember how this haunting work delivered to me all the color I so needed at that time. I will always associate the arrival of spring with this Cocteau masterpiece.

Wow. Nice to know there may actually some hope on the horizon about this horrific "allergy." I would be happy to sign my child up for any treatments that may lessen the severity of reaction to peanuts, but I don't know if I'd ever really believe they were actually gone for good. In my own life I have come to see that sometimes allergies come and go. Immune responses fluctuate. This is what's maddening about working with allergies and rheumatological issues: They rarely stay the same from year to year. They seem to evolve all the time, so would I let my child ever pig out on Snickers Bars or Chinese food? Nope. But, I'd breathe easier knowing that she has the most current treatments that may help protect her from another life-threatening anaphylaxis episode. Look: I watched how fast, how severe and how worried the ER staff were. I heard the words "we are doing our best, but we may not be able to save her." I saw my tiny daughter reach out for

In lieu of anything profound or pithy, I give you -- Ricky Gervais and Elmo.

Somebody needs to break the news to the Food Channel that one of these days, there'll be no mo' beefsteak for breakfast, let alone "gri-i-its." What does he sing at dinner time?

Oh, gosh. I've been so busy having fun for the past couple of weeks that I actually forgot to blog. For instance, last week I got my first speeding ticket for going 34 in a 25 mph zone. A friendly policeman appeared from behind a dumpster and flashed his lights and I got to pull over to the side of the road next to a park in Rossmoor while "all the other parents" drove past me in the opposite direction I was headed towards. The whole time I'm sweating not just because I was getting my first ticket, but also now my kid, who would soon be patiently waiting for me at school, may also soon be wondering where I was. The efficient, well-groomed police man approached my car with what seemed to me, to be a gleeful spring in his step. I wondered if the word "Ka- ching " actually came out of his mouth as he pulled me over. "License and registration, please?" I lean over to get them from my glove compartment, but fumble with the door so it fell open with