Darkest before dawn, and all of that....

...and no, it's not dawn yet, either literally or figuratively.  It is 4:30 A.M. and I have been awake for an hour.  There is no point going back to sleep, as I know from much experience.  Once I am up, the tapes start to play, and I can't turn them off except by starting my frenetic day.  So, here is my attempt to start the day...

I have had another little setback.  In the process of trying to replace stolen items, specifically my passport, I have now been told that my birth certificate, which is an original, is not sufficient.  Oh, it is the one given out at the hospital, all right, and, I might add, my only original link to my birth mother.  Nonetheless, I need to get a new, certified copy from back east, and, oh, by the way, it takes 30 working days.  Everything else is okay, though, says the nice little girl behind the counter (is she even old enough to work?) in Beaumont (I couldn't even get an appointment in Palm Springs until April 22 - it's a good thing I decided to explore other options).  As soon as I get the birth certificate, I will be ready to go.....

I had to laugh.  I mean, really, this falls into the "if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong" category.  So I dutifully applied for the birth certificate, and now.....I wait.  I mean, really, no one is sick, no one died, if I am delayed a few weeks getting back to Vancouver, well, the Western world as we know it will not come to an end.  So, why am I so anxious?  Rational it ain't.

So, there's nothing to do about it except go about my week.  I do enjoy my classes (as escape, they are second only to bridge....) and am actually doing some reading in support.  For the Art Theft and Forgery course I just read "The Gardner Heist, by Ulrich Boser, about the 1990 theft of the Rembrandt, Vermeer et al from the wonderful Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston (where I was taken by friend Ray when I was there about 5 years ago).  I do think the instructor is past his "best by" date, but the topic is interesting, and some of the factoids he drops in his ramblings are worth while.  The American exceptionalism course is much, much more focused, and the book I am reading to fill in (my) gaps is called American Exceptionalism: A Double Edged Sword, by Seymour Martin Lipset.  I highly recommend it as an explanation of the American psyche.  (By the way, the term is really used in the sense of neither good nor bad, but  demonstrably different.)  Next up, for Lessons from the Bench, is Courtroom #302, by Steve Bogira. (Still on the go is Doris Kearn Goodwin's latest called The Bully Pulpit, about Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, and muckraking journalism.

And, lest you think that I am all work and no play, I also found a new (to me) mystery/thriller author.  Her name is Louise Penny, and this one was called Still Life. (You all probably knew about her, right?  I'm always the last to know.)  Great page turner, but since I found it at a thrift store, what I want to know is how Amazon knew I might want to read more of her books.  I sometimes find Amazon and Google quite creepy, you know.  (Although I must say, the creepiness factor does not outweigh the ease of ordering and the speed of delivery.))

Anyway.  Tuesday, friend Howard, who had not yet seen the renovations, brought some Danish over after gym (Danish, gym, what is wrong with this picture?) and on cue, appropriately oohed and aahed over the changes.  And later that afternoon, I met friends Geoff and Tom for happy hour at Tropical.  It was jam packed, and, for a change, someone was actually "cruising" me instead of them!  Those of you who know me know that I am not really a bar kind of person.  It is hard to describe the attraction of Tropical.  Part of it is that all the staff know me (and no, I don't go there that often!).  But the other part is that it has all the trappings of a bar, but it is outdoors in the (palm tree stippled) sunshine.  I hadn't seen Geoff and Tom (friends, not partners) for a while, and Tom is heading back to Vancouver shortly, so I was great to chat, and even exchange confidences under the cover of a noisy bar!  Ain't happy hour fun, especially where drinks are $3 and no one measures.

Wednesday, Robin and I played bridge, and came in first overall.  I have got to say, that is such a rush.  We celebrated by going out to dinner. to Trilussa, my new favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant.

(You can tell she's happy, can't you?)   Robin and I have known each other for 38 years, since law school, and we still have a great time together!

And, believe it or not, after all the gym and bridge and classes and socializing, I finally had a perfectly free weekend.  So here's what I did.  Aside from the occasional hour spent chatting with various neighbors on my patio, I spent the weekend at the pool, my first real pool time since December.  It was fabulous, the weather was glorious, in the high 80's, the water was warm to get in but enough to cool off in, and I found that I have maintained my first (and thus far, only) retirement skill, that is, being able to read on my float without getting either book or magazine wet.  (I don't push my luck, though, guys, neither hardback books nor Kindle see poolside!)  Although one or two people joined me over the course of the weekend, mostly I had the place to myself.  And, of course, one of the benefits of living in a 55+ complex is that there are no children!  Hooray for peace and quiet!  So, aside from reading (books, magazines and, of course, the Sunday New York Times), I did absolutely nothing.  It was brilliant!

Phase 2 of the renos started yesterday, but it is much smaller, and more easily contained.  My en suite is getting a makeover; in a week, the new shower installation will be revealed.  Pictures to follow.

And here it is, almost time for breakfast and the gym.  You guys have helped get me through the night, and for that, I am grateful.
  

....and after the rain comes the smell of orange blossoms....

That wonderful, sweet smell is everywhere.  It means there will be lots of oranges next year....

Another week, another Metropolitan Opera in HD, this time Prince Igor by Borodin.  Once again, I dashed across town to meet friend Ken for dinner at Sherman's Deli.  I very much enjoy that time with him, and feel grateful to have made a new friend.  The opera, however, was another matter.  Oh, the music was all right - I love pretty much everything Russian - literature (Chekov excepted), ballet, music, vodka), but the directing, omg, the directing.  Yet another fool Euro-trash director getting in the way of the music.  If the intermission hadn't arrived, I would have run screaming from the room anyway.  Ken left too.  Oh, well, we had heard the best bits earlier in the season in our class, so didn't feel much cheated.  (Yet another benefit of paying $20.00 for the ticket instead of $200.)

Thursday was neighbor Michael's birthday. Instead of dinner, we went out to breakfast this year, to yet another "echt" Palm Springs joint called Mimi's (actually in Palm Desert).

We had a fine old time!

As I think I might have mentioned, I have been feeling just miscellaneously anxious since my purse was stolen.  I didn't like the feeling one bit - it made me feel like I imagine old people feel, and how their world contracts because they are less and less able to do stuff.  Well, a long planned weekend in LA with friend Peter was approaching, and I was feeling anxious about, of all things, driving to and in LA!  Those of you who know me know that I love driving, and I lived in LA for a number of years and am perfectly capable of driving there.  Nonetheless, anxious I was.

Well, I am not quite ready for my world to contract quite yet - too many places to go and things to see - so I girded my loins, filled up the tank, and drove off into the sunrise on Friday morning.  (not literally, of course, as I was heading west, but you get my drift.....).  It all worked out fine of course; it is a big nothing drive of 2+ hours, and I was (as always) in plenty of time to pick Peter up from the airport and drive to......the Ritz Carleton.  (Nice friends I have, eh?   I had to remark about going from the trailer park to the Ritz Carleton; Peter reminded me that where I live is not exactly your grandmother's trailer park, but the thought tickled me anyway!).

What with valet parking and bus boys and other people fussing over us, we were checked in in a flash.  I opted for a rest (Peter went out for a walk) so I would be rested for the upcoming festivities.

The hotel had a town car available to take us wherever we wanted to go.  Which was, on Friday evening, Disney Hall (a wonderful venue, previously described, so I won't bore you with the details).  We ate at Kendall's, the lovely restaurant in the hall, and had time for a leisurely stroll through the gardens.

The concert was great, the first time I have heard Dudamel conducting.  He is the hot new conductor from Venezuela, and he is, indeed hot, in more ways than one.  What a ball of fire.  (James Levine, eat your heart out!!)  The program was great too, a modern piece in the first half, Symphony #1 by Corigliano (which, much to my great surprise, I really liked.  Of note: we heard the first part twice, after a disturbance from off stage - best we could figure out, a disgruntled patron unable to get in late to the performance - caused Dudamel to leave the stage after about 10 minutes, fix the problem, and come back to start over again.)  The second half was Brahms, Symphony #2.  I mean Brahms, what's not to like?  (Apparently, though, Peter is not all that fond of Brahms!!!!  who knew?)  I hadn't heard the LA Phil in years and years; between Dudamel and the great acoustics in Disney Hall, well, altogether, the experience was a treat!

After a quick taxi ride home, we forewent (is that even a word?) a drink in the (apparently) trendy bar for going to bed!!!!After a fabulous breakfast in the hotel the next morning.....

....We were off to the Getty Villa to see the antiquities.  Again, I had not been there since the (somewhat) recent renovations, and of course, the exhibits have always been wonderful, so again, a wonderful treat!

Greek, Roman, Etruscan, it was all good....

After a brief rest back to the hotel, we were off to dinner, this time at a nearby (and well renowned) old-style chop house, Nick and Steff's, where the martinis (Bombay Sapphire straight up with a twist)), the bone-in rib eye, and the creamed spinach were all to die for.

As was the opera, which, after all, was the point of the whole trip.  The LA Opera was doing Benjamin Britten's Billy Bud, an opera not performed all that often and one which Peter and I both love.  Liam Bonner ( a recently new-on-the-scene teno-hunk) was playing the title role, with Richard Croft playing the Captain and Greer Grimsley playing his usual bad-guy role.  All were wonderful, as was the music and - wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles -  even the staging.  Altogether a wonderful night at the opera.

.....followed by another wonderful breakfast....

.....and a lovely morning at the spa for me.  Peter had a $150 spa credit, but he thought I needed it more.  I did, actually, and happily let myself get pampered, something I don't do all that often.

And then we were of to the LA County Museum of Modern Art, or LACMMA, as it is fondly called, a completely different museum experience from the Getty.  I had never been, and it is a lovely facility.  Here's the thing about museums in LA.  There is all sorts of room.  There are no overcrowded buildings with not enough wall space.  I mean, everyone knows I love the New York museums, but LA does have its benefits.

There was a special exhibit in one building devoted solely to Diane von Furstenburg, or as Peter puts it, the only woman in the world who has built an entire career out of one dress!

As you can see, the museum itself is pretty spectacular.....

...as was this little piece of business....

(which I had actually seen a picture of in the winter course called "Why is this Art?" - another instance of puzzle pieces fitting together.  We talked about the Brancusi below in that course as well....)

....after which we piled in the car and drove (uneventfully) back to Palm Springs.

We opted for Mexican for dinner, and after several days of seriously fancy (not to mention expensive), we decided on Las Tablitas, a joint in my neighborhood I hadn't tried yet (although it has been around for longer than I have)...

It was loud and crazy, cantina style, with great beer (Negro Modelo being my currently Mexican beer of choice) and great food.  Definitely a keeper.

Peter "oohed" and 'aahed" admirably about my renovations, and stayed up on my patio in the dark to see the local fauna (as he always does), and, after a final lunch at the Escena Golf Club on Monday (back to the elegant, but not quite so expensive), I took him to the PS Airport for the (short) flight to San Fraancisco.

Time is funny on those"get-away" weekends, isn't it.  It is only three days, after all, but time seems to stand still, and an awful lot gets packed into those three days without it feeling rushed at all.  Oh, and one added benefit: by the end of the weekend, I wasn't feeling at all anxious!!!!

And then it was back to the routine, of gym every morning, bridge on several afternoons with Art and Robin, and the start of the spring semester at the California State University Osher School of Life Long Learning.

I'm taking four courses this time, one on American Exceptionalism, one on Lessons from the Bench (given by a criminal law judge after a long career in LA), one on Art Thefts and Forgeries (given at the Palm Springs Art Gallery) and one on Film Noir, with screenings of six films and discussions afterwards.  Calling them "courses" gives them more gravitas than they deserve; it is only six two-hour sessions for each "course".  In any event they are on interesting topics, and the first week showed that the teachers are knowledgeable and entertaining, and the students - well, who knows, some friendships may develop.  Stay tuned; news at 11.....

As you can imagine, I was pooped by the end of the week, but I had promised Art I would play a few sessions with him at the Coachella Valley Bridge Sectional on the weekend  We played on both Saturday and Sunday, and, despite gaffs by both of us, came in the running (for points, that is) on both days.

And on Saturday night, we had our St. Patrick's day party in the club house here in my complex.  The same old crowd was there, supplemented by some folks who have just moved in.

As always, a good time was had by all.

One more thing before I quit for the day.  I also squeezed a few medical tests in this week  For you worry worts in the crowd, no, nothing is wrong, and I know nothing is wrong, so I am having the tests done to prove nothing is wrong.  So, we can now add bone density and breast cancer to the already tested heart, lungs and circulation to the things that are fine.  So, once again, you are forewarned.  It looks like I will be around to annoy you guys for a little while yet.

But not right now.  After a glorious, sunny, interesting and fun week, I'm off to bed.  But, as they say, I'll be back.....