My mind runs faster than the wind can carry me which translates to getting bored quickly by repetition. Because of this inherent trait, I crave new experiences and love to explore. But today I will post on my re-discoveries.
A list of restaurants will not be included since we all have to eat, so that’s not very exciting. And once I’m satiated I rarely remember what I’ve eaten but I always remember where I went, especially for the first time.
Having been everywhere imaginable in L.A., there are some places I haven’t been to in quite a while so here goes.
A few months ago I went to Temecula. I had been to Murrieta Hot Springs but never to Temecula. It was like taking a step back in time, a spring day with a rustic setting. The space and ruggedness of the countryside terrain. Because it is home to the wineries it has been built up but rather than have a wine day I witnessed the ambiance. In the evening visiting the old town was like being on the set of Bonanza, an old western town with a quaint feel.
A friend introduced me to Shumei, (https://shumeiarts.org ) a Shinto temple in Pasadena that I had driven by and wondered about. I wasn’t drawn to the speaker who spoke on sounds because I didn’t learn anything new. However, the following day there was a Jazz concert and the acoustics were wonderful. I also spent this last Sunday at their service and loved the chants and music. An inviting vegetarian lunch and fellowship followed the service.
I saw the film Zone of Interest, (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7160372/) a story about how a German woman has her dream life and in her self-interest is oblivious to what is happening next door in a concentration camp. It's entirely filmed without close-ups as a metaphor for keeping a distance.
I was at the Aero Theater last week and hadn’t been there in ages, since the days a friend and I would pet sit in Santa Monica, in the home of Stephen Spielberg’s ex-wife’s mother. The best part was that I had been watching a Hulu series (We Were the Lucky Ones) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqzJORBd5zw a true story about a Polish family who got separated and survived the Holocaust. The finale was shown at the Aero and there was a Q&A with the cast members that followed.
Sometimes it’s nice to revisit a time from the past with the full meaning of today.
On that note, I was at the Pasadena Playhouse on the last weekend of One of the Good Ones. (https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Review-ONE-OF-THE-GOOD-ONES-at-Pasadena-Playhouse-20240329 A hilarious comedy about a Latina who brings home a non-Hispanic boy to meet her upwardly mobile parents and the awkwardness that ensues between the culture and generation gap.
Last week I returned to Disney Hall after hearing that Conductor Gustavo Dudamel will be leaving Los Angeles for New York. He led a Beethoven piano concerto and Don Quixote by R. Strauss. His dynamic presence at the podium is tireless and he is a rare classical artist that has crossed into pop celebrity culture without a hint of arrogance. I'll see him again this Saturday for a Dvorak Symphony. I will miss him.
On my reading table, is In True Face (https://www.amazon.com/True-Face-Womans-Life-Unmasked/dp/154170312X) I heard the author speak at Vroman's and was fascinated by how she wound up in Germany on a lark and got a job as a secretary. Marrying for love she was the wife of a CIA Agent. She began her professional life by taking on typing assignments, and eventually performed espionage by making masks used in undercover operations.
I’ve also been reading Neuroscience for Dummies. A fascinating read of the complexity of how the dots between the brain, body, and mind work to process motor systems and what gives rise to conscious thought.
So with my summary, I’ll leave with two chuckles I found on YouTube. I haven't laughed this much since I found Pluto the talking mini-schnauzer. I've been enjoying Laura Ramoso, a Canadian comedienne born to a German mother and Italian father, who pokes at her upbringing, I wasn't able to upload her shorts but type in her name and go to "My German Mother when we play any board game."
And a line by actor Ryan Gosling that had me in stitches. I had no idea he was a comedian!
Until next time. Do whatever you do to keep laughing.
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