Saturday, April 24, 2004

websites

I thought that I got these websites added in but...not!!
Here they are: www.caffelena.com and www.jupitercircle.com.
Don't forget to read the blog below. Blessings....V

Performer X and Teenager A

What a week....X had a shining star moment and A has turned 15!!!
I have been sick with a cold, a chesty one, and I have gurgled my way through many an event this week.
Where to start...Yesterday, our admittedly self involved and most wondrous A turned 15.
Teenager A
Fifteen; one year away from a learners permit. Fifteen; three years away form eighteen. Fifteen; six years away from 21. Wow. I look at her and think that this young woman is the babe that suckled my breast. That bit it too! That this is the toddler who use to dance out in the yard with nothing on but her pink cowboy boots. That this is the little girl who divorced Curtis Dengler on the spot because he cut in front of her in Ian Finneran's birthday cake line. That this is the first grader who came home from school one day and asked never to go back. That this is "The Alternative Classroom" third grader who everyone came to for mediation. That this is the young girl homeschooler who really wasn't interested in much more than playing with Barbies. That this is the same pre-teen who finally was picking up a book and getting involved in it. That this is the same teenager who discovered she has a talent for art. That this is Artie. That this is my Artie. I was afraid that I would give birth to a girl and that we would be as estranged as my mother and myself. Oh, how wrong I was!! A is one of the best friends I have. She is as wondrous and beautiful as her namesake the Aurora Borealis. She is wise, and kind, and thoughtful, and loving, and talented. I am so glad that I gave birth to our girl, Artie. Afraid of what? There was nothing to fear...Artie was here.
We had a nice dinner with her last night. She had her usual dessert of Tri Color Mousse. She got some ear piercing thingies, a Borders Books gift certificate, a gift certificate for glass rods, and other stuff.... good booty. After our guests left we all sat on the couch and watched a movie. I held her hand and gloried in being next to this amazing human who lives in our care.

Performer X
X took up piano lessons last September. It goes well and she likes her teacher, Elizabeth Woodbury, very much. As you all know, we leave for Florida every winter. We left as usual this year. We come back and X resumes her lessons. Before the winter X had written a song. Well to make a long story short and to get to the more exciting details...Elizabeth arranged for X to perform her song at Caffe Lena here in Saratoga Springs.
Elizabeth calls me up a couple of weeks ago and says that X has been on her mind. X is going to miss the recital that would happen in June because we will be at our West Coast home. Elizabeth and X have a great relationship and Elizabeth has been thinking about X's song and how incredible it is. She wants to get X to perform at "Open Mike" at Caffe Lena. The Caffe Lena! Caffe Lena is the oldest Folk Coffee House in the U.S. My daughter X gets to play on the same stage as the likes of Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and hundreds of other legends.
Our little Miss Xan (on piano) performed with Elizabeth (on drums), a guy from Jupiter Circle (on bass), and another guy who works at Caffe Lena (on the percussion eggs). She was introduced as one of Elizabeth's students and that she was soon off to the West Coast. After she was done, the host asked her if she would come back after her West Coast tour. It was great!!! X was great! The song she wrote is amazing!! Elizabeth is a generous and loving human! M shot a video and we bought X a Caffe Lena t-shirt for our little wonder!! X was so vibrant up there playing and singing her own song. Did I mention that she has the voice on an angel?! It was a great evening to be in the company of people being creative.
After all that X says she wants to write more songs. I'm glad to know that she survived her stage fright. May her developing spirit soar!!
Check out these websites: This is the website for the ensemble that Elizabeth started. She is a composer and amazing!!!
This is for Caffe Lena. Check it out and see what's going on there.
Blessings.....V

Sunday, April 18, 2004

M's Humor Weekend

We were set up at the "Humor Project Conference" this weekend. M volunteers there every year. Last year we set up our booth and did quite well so this year we set up again. The Humor Project is one of M's passions. He is very generous to them and designs their bookstore every year. Every year he spends a lot of his time creating something magical for them. One year it was a huge papermaiche smile. One year it was these wire pedestal things. And this year it was giant plugs. He spends the weekend tending the booth and attending the workshops. This girls and I bring him food and booth sit and get to see a keynote speaker.
This year M, X, and I got to see David Hyde Pierce (he plays Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier) on Sat. night. He spoke for about an hour. He is very funny and seems to be a very dear person. David H.P. grew up here in Saratoga Springs and had many funny stories of elementary school. He also shared some personal stuff with us all. He was very human and personable and we had a great time!! Anyway, when he was done there was a 1/2 hour set aside for people to have their picture taken with him. The photo area was set up in the same room that the vendors and bookstore is in. M, X and I went back to our booth to open it up. The line for the photo opps was long, long, long!!! After a while X and I left (the poor kid has a cold and wasn't feeling to good). We left M to work and I took X home for bed.
Apparently, David H.P. had a plane to catch in Albany and needed to keep to his 1/2 hour schedule but pushed the envelope on his time so that they could get everyone in the line done. Toward the end someone told M he should go and get his picture taken. So on impulse he got into line with a new goblet that he made this week. It has a brand new saying on it that he just came up with. M gets to his turn with David H.P. and tells him that after his talk tonight he feels that he needs to give him (D) this goblet that he (M) made. It says on it "laughing anticipates your next adventure". David H.P. looks at it and reads it. Takes a moment. Looks at M and says, "This is some good booty." He thanked him of course.
Pretty Wow...huh? So David Hyde Pierce has flown out of NY state with a goblet that M made. It seems like it was a really sweet moment for them.
You see what I left out was that David H.P. talked a lot about death and humor. He shared his own personal experiences of losing his mother and then his father. And how at odd times in the the middle of such sadness there was some funny something that brought about healing. I think this really touched M because he too has lost a parent. Who knows why he gave it to him. Maybe it had to do with David H.P. talking about how the show "Frasier" was ending and how sad it was and what was to come next. Maybe is was everything he said.. Who cares why...it was a very tender thing to do.
Blessings.....V