”The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure-
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure” - William Wordsworth
Happy Holidays from Hermosa Beach
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve never felt a pain that didn’t bear a blessing.
Tabouleh with Quinoa, Corn, Scallion, and Goat Cheese
Who’s bringing the ‘47 Cheval Blanc?
Franklin Conservatory, Columbus Ohio
In 2008 I found myself in DC, with 15 minutes left in the day to see Richard Misrach’s On the Beach exhibit. To view the exhibit I was power walking through the rooms, avoiding the guards who were waiting to shout “no running!”. The prints were larger than life, about 6’ x 10’ with such detail you can see footprints in the sand. I was so enamoured by the prints that I called his gallery in SF once I returned home. The curator asked “is this for you or a collection?” It just so happens they start around $50,000…
For years I’ve been trolling for a copy of the book. Only 4,000 were printed, and they’ve been hoarded by galleries, fans and greedy ebay sellers. I finally got a copy this week. You can read about the images and exhibit by clicking here.
The look of the cake, It ain’t always the taste
Next Girl, The Black Keys
26th, Hermosa
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Lu Coll
I purchased Live at Luther College in March of 1999. I was killing time at Fred Meyers and wanted a cd for my drive home. I had just purchased the new Kenwood Excelon system for my old Toyota Celica. (Blue neon dolphins would swim across the face when a cd played). I had heard The Dave Matthews Band perform Ants Marching on a New Years Eve show. I thought they were cool: a violin (which I played) a guitar, bass, clear lyrics with deeper meaning plus a chill frontman. I liked how they jammed the song out and how their energy seemed completely organic. I had grown tired of listening to Legend and 40 ounces of Freedom with rest of the class of ’99. I’ve been teased on occasion for my love of Dave and specifically, guitar playing guys. If your “first time” was listening to Dave open that album with One Sweet World, followed by#41, you too would be hooked. The last song on the first disc is Dancing Nancies, which resonated with me greatly at that time of my life. I was graduating from a small town and going to a slightly larger town, and living in Oregon. I had spent my Junior and Senior years passing on debauchery and parties in the woods so that I could get straight A’s and fine tune the 30 different scholarship applications that I submitted. It was about this time that I was harvesting the fruits of my labor. There was a newfound confidence, a presence of stillness, and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for being no one other than myself. I began carrying the two-disc album with me wherever I went. In the car, back at the house, at the restaurant for closing or over at Dustin’s house – It became the soundtrack of my life. Dustin bought us concert tickets to see DMB. I looked forward to the show for a good four months. I passed the time listening to their other albums (Under the Table, Crash and Red Rocks). The date of the show was July 15th, 1999. We drove to Portland Meadows, experienced the sun set, the haze over the crowd, and perched on the shoulders of Dustin Vandehey – I became addicted to Dave. Dave opened withTripping Billies (“eat drink and beee merry….”) followed by One Sweet World, followed by #41. I couldn’t sleep the night before, or the night after. When asked what album I would take with me if stranded on an island, it’s an easy response “Lu Coll”. Don’t make me choose between the blue and yellow discs… This Friday I will experience my 26th live show in Seattle. Cari will join me, and Tim Reynolds will join Dave. The Dalai Lama will also join on stage to talk about the Seeds of Compassion Conference. We’ll be in section 111, row 16… I am more excited about this than I ever was about those damn dolphins.
Cinderella Ride 2008
I haven’t been riding my bike “a whole lot”. When I lived in Santa Cruz, I averaged 25 miles a day. The most recent ride I embarked upon was 2 miles along Crissy Field last Sunday. I was hung over and Mary was helmet-less and it was ridiculously cold. I did not deserve the right to claim my Orbea all-carbon beauty my own that day. As a former coach for Team in Training, this would be classified as a “poor preparation plan”. Yet, the idea of riding 65 miles with 2,500 women through vineyards was greatly appealing. I agreed to do the Cinderella ride a few weeks ago via text with my friend Gina. We’re tough girls, training shmaining. Let’s roll. And roll we did. Right pass a whole lot of “nancies”. If they tried to pass us, they probably couldn’t. If they tried to school us, we had another lesson in mind. Together Gina, myself and Sophia sang many classics (Proud Mary aka “Big Wheels Keep on Turnin”, Still Not a Player aka “I’m not a player/I just crush a lot”, Billy Jean, Wanted Dead or Alive aka “On a Steel Horse I ride”). I probably crossed the double line about 180 times. We finished the ride quickly. Our sides hurt from laughing. We embraced the idea of being “biker bitches” rather than “princesses”. It was 65 miles of pure goodness. My recipe for success was: a Peet’s latte
one Aleve
two bananas
pink and white animal cookies
one turkey sandwich
a vicodin
m&m’s
GU
another vicodin
water, water, water
8oz of V8
a lemon drop (the candy people, not the drink!)
one packet of fruit snacks
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