Tango Diva goes back to Red Mountain this October! We all had such a wonderful experience last year – so come back, or join us for the first time. The actual spa facility is newly renovated and we hear superb! The outdoor dining. The morning hikes. The dinner laughter. Don’t miss it this year!
What a whirlwind trip to New York! My book FLY SOLO is starting to feel “real” and my time in the city that never sleeps solidified my confidence. One of my favorite afternoons was spent with Peg from Social Diva. She is a member of the SoHo House and we enjoyed a fabulous lunch on the rooftop during a sunny, warm New York afternoon. One of my favorite Sex and the City episodes was when Samantha snuck into the SoHo House and then found someone’s membership card and used it with the girls on the rooftop. She then fakes a British accent and gets kicked out.
I have to admit, the lunch was a bit meager for the outrageous prices, but it was well worth the view and the adrenaline rush of sitting amongst New York and London’s finest. Unfortunately you can’t take pictures on the rooftop – too many famous people they proclaim – so the only picture I have to share is one outside of the SoHo House.
A long time fan of Rickie Lee Jones – since my late teens – my mind was hunting for her name during the closing titles of Friends with Money. It is Rickie Lee sounding a bit like she is singing with the Rolling Stones, only Mick has a sore throat, so she is doing all the singing. The song is Circles in the Sand – and it takes me back, back in time. Back to sandy feet and foot long rainbow taffy. Back to simpler times and easier money.
Great to hear her – 2 new tracks in the movie: Circles in the Sand and Hillbilly Song. The movie, starring Jennifer Aniston, was generally depressing. But I left upbeat with the echo of Jones lyrics.
I completely enjoy the way music can take you places. No airfare. No luggage. Just quick glimpses of you, your friends, rockin’ out while driving along the beach. In another time. In a familiar place. I can feel the sunshine. I can smell the sea. I can hear the laughter. One song can truly transcend me. Heart racing. Fingers drumming. Eyes inviting others to smile. To share this memory, right here, right now.
If you cannot get away this coming May, pull out your LP’s, CD’s, MP3’s and dig up a song, or a musician and take a free trip on the 70’s.
Question for you. Have you been to a concert outdside of the country you live in? If so – where? What was different about your experience?
The last time I flew American Airlines, prior to my recent trip to NYC, was when the 757 I was riding in from Lima lost engine over the Andes in Peru. One could say that I don’t have the fondest memories of the airline, and after my last trip, nothing has changed.
What I find so disheartening is that airlines (besides Southwest and jetBlue) forgot that there are people flying around in their planes. What ever happened to common courtesy and friendliness? Case in point. I needed to get to New York to meet with my publisher and someone from Penguin’s publicity team to talk about the status of the book and how we are going to market FLY SOLO. Because I own my own business, first class is not an option (maybe when my book is a bestseller, I’ll splurge!). So, to save money I cashed out my frequent flyer miles to get from SFO to JFK.
It seems that every time I use my miles, I get stuck in the back row in some crappy seat in the middle of two fat people. This time I was a bit luckier. I was still in the back of the plane, but I sat next to a fine young gentleman who I’ll call Mr. Miles. Unlike me, he flies for a living, well not really. He is an I.T. guy and is constantly on a plane – an American Airlines plane no less! He too got kicked to the back, even though he has thousands and thousands of miles with American and flies with them weekly. So, we spent the ride over the US chatting and drinking cheap red wine that cost $5 a glass.
Our flight attendant, who I’ll call Ms. Holiday, was a bitch. There I said it. She was perpetually rude, never smiled, and smirked at us when we would ask for another bottle of wine. She was too busy to serve us because she was eating a first class dinner on the last row of the plane. Heaven forbid we would interrupt her meat and potatoes meal – which we could all smell in economy – cruel.
The pinnacle of her bad behavior came when some innocent soul took a picture of himself and his girlfriend in row 30E. Ms. Holiday went off. She started yelling at the poor souls about 9-11 and how it is against the FAA regulations to take pictures in planes. It’s not. It is against the law to take pictures of the cockpit, carry a gun on board, and wear shoes with bombs. So, to prove her wrong, I pulled out my camera, and when the next flight attendant came by, I asked if she could take my picture with my new friend. She happily agreed. I looked at the picture, taking my time and proclaiming that I did not look good and asked if she would take another. She was happy to satisfy my vanity. Next scene, Ms. Holiday yelling at us – mainly the poor, frightened flight attendant from business class, who assured her that no one was committing a federal offence, which Ms. Holiday proclaimed, “Well, we are starting to descend and you need to turn of all electrical devices.”
Memo to the airlines who are hemorrhaging cash. You might want to invest in some Ms. Manner classes for your flight attendants, especially the ones who think we’re not looking or blogging.
Three days ago I was heading north with the car top down and singing at the top of my lungs to Brave & Crazy. Great driving music. To my left sunny skies, to my right fluffy white clouds heading Northeast. Directly ahead, just to the northwest of I-5 a ring of black angry clouds, with a sheath of grey rain hanigng above the earth. A tight little storm moving ever so slowly. The kind you see in scary weather movies.
I estimated and guesstimated and determined I would just clear it. A few sprinkels. Possibly strong winds. I guessed wrong, much to my glee! I drove right thru that storm! Lightening cracked! I ducked instinctively as the thunder rolled over me. And whoosh, it poured. Drenched. Singing. It was thriling, and scary and certainly from the point of view of the other drivers on the road, insane! And I loved it! I broke thru to the otherside of the storm into full sunshine. Soaked thru and thru. It took 30 minutes to dry gong about 85 miles an hour. I highly recommend this – at least once in your life. Preferably in a rental car for you conservatives out there.
Driving back south yesterday – counting the rainbows as I sped by. A delightful double rainbow appeared over Berkeley. Two beautiful arcs. One nearly complete – just the top buried in the clouds and the other, dancing just to the right. Imagining pots of gold and what it would be like if you were standing behind or underneath the end of a rainbow – when someone else took a photo. I picture wearing a white dress and being drenched in fizzy hues of pink, orange, yellow, and purple. Yes, I comprehend that a rainbow is temporary. I understand it is made of light. And yet, I swivel my head back and forth, estimating where it starts and where it ends, and how much time it would take to drive to where it is pouring into the earth. I want to lie underneath the end of the rainbow. I want to feel light and colorful and powerful.
San Francisco, you’ve come a long way, baby. A hundred years ago this month you were on fire, burning for days after a titanic 7.8 magnitude quake shook your very bones for a full minute.
Shake, rattle, roll and burn- that was us Northern Californians a hundred years ago, when San Francisco’s infamous Barbary Coast chugged outrageously along. And on the other side of the trolley tracks, gold panning had panned out for the lucky, who were building massive estates on the city’s hills. Whether you were binging on Barbary Coast pleasures- so bloated on whores and booze that it was easy to shanghai you and throw you in the hull of an outward bound ship. Or whether you were sitting in your counting house counting all your gold nuggets, at exactly 5:12 am on April 18th, your life changed forever.
Sometimes we celebrate bittersweet anniversaries just to see how far we’ve come. A year’s sobriety; five years cancer free… A hundred years without much comment from the San Andreas Fault. These are bittersweet things to remember, like the messages of Passover and Easter- birth from death, freedom from slavery. A new beginning for the pride of the Pacific coast. Survival is cause for celebration, and Tuesday, April 18th is no exception.
Among the many events scheduled, meeting at 4:30 am Tuesday morning, April 18th, at Lotta’s Fountain on Market and Kearny Streets, one of few post-quake structures left standing where many survivors were reunited, will have the most meaning. Centegenarian quake survivors will be on hand along with our handsome mayor Newsom and an anticipated crowd of 40,000, to commemorate the occasion. An aftershock of sorts, we will all be silently praying to the gods of the Earth’s tectonic plates to cool it for another hundred years at least.
For more info:
http://1906centennial.org/, "1906: A Novel," a fantastic and fast-paced novel by James Dalessandro in movie pre-production, "San Francisco," a movie starring the luscious Clark Gable as a Barbary Coast casino owner.
Watching friends wither away because of cancer is horrible. And with the rising cost of healthcare and insurance, getting treated for cancer is getting harder and harder. So, I’ve decided to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – which also funds research for myeloma and Hodgkin’s disease. Why this society? Because these cancers are taking a life every 10 minutes! That’s six people every hour – nonstop.
My goal is to use Tango Diva as a vehicle for change, and I am asking for your spare change and big checks. With each small donation, we can get closer to a cure and end the devastating effects cancer has on families.
Please support this amazing cause because you are helping children like Christopher and Isabelle (in picture). Both of these darling children have been inflicted with blood cancer. Both are in remission – thanks to all the dimes, nickels, dollars, and huge checks that have been sent in by generous folks like you. Remission is possible because of research!
Thanks again for your support! Oh, and the person who donates the most money will be invited to spend the day with me and three of their friends at my home in Half Moon Bay. I’ll host a private writing workshop and I will help you write your book proposal or marketing plan. Breakfast, lunch, and sunset cocktails at the Ritz Carlton are included in this magical day.
For a brief trip into hell – check out this amazing film. At first Daniel is interesting, endearing and incredibly talented. And eerie. He tapes hours and hours of every thought he has. He illustrates continuosly – creating a barter system of his very own. He produces hundreds of songs. But then the descent. Daniel is bipolar and it will take years to determine this. He thrives and yet he is seemingly dying. Each amazing high point of fame brings him within hours of his own death and destruction. Fascinating. Painful. Tortured. Daniel is a genius. I won’t tell you more. Go see it. And then be grateful for your sanity.
Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. Produced by Henry Rosenthal. Opens nationwide tonite.
Just read that Southwest Airlines has started an airfare war – for travel in May. This is good news for me since I prefer United. When one airline starts a sale – the others are soon to follow. Southwest flys out of Oakland Airport in the Bay Area. Major plus for summer travel in California during foggy months. SFO gets backed up. I have been stuck in San Diego several times – unable to get home on United because of bad weather. But the flights to Oakland? Smooth and on time. But I never really learn. I seem to have the path to SFO ingrained in my travel DNA. So take a trip in May. The airfares should be great. The kids are still in school. No crowds. Try Vancouver, Boise, Sante Fe. Someplace you can enjoy for 3 days and 2 nights. Treat yourself. You deserve it!
Some of my favorite things include pink champagne, massages, Gucci shoes, and men. And with this MAN ISSUE, I am happy! I’ve got my bottle of bubbly waiting and I plan on spending my evening strolling through Tango Diva and checking out our gorgeous men from around the world. I adore learning where men love to go and what they find irresistible in us darling women. Ironically, my husband (heh hem, yes I am married) is featured in one of the sections (hint Charming Sophisticates) and it was rousing to read his answers. I learned a few new things about him and it was fascinating the way it made me feel.
After being with someone for seven years, things start to itch. Not that I would ever scratch, but there is a clear and present itchiness. When I read his answers, something stirred in me. His answers caused me to hold my breath, just like when we first met. He’s not the kind of guy to write me letters or poetry, nor will you see him surprising me with a romantic weekend getaway at a spa. That’s why I go to Thailand solo. (See previously entries if you just joined me.)
So I was thinking, maybe couples should send each other random questions every few months to stir up the relationship sediment. You never know what you might learn about someone if you just ask. What do you think?
Tango Diva goes back to Red Mountain this October! We all had such a wonderful experience last year – so come back, or join us for the first time. The actual spa facility is newly renovated and we hear superb! The outdoor dining. The morning hikes. The dinner laughter. Don’t miss it this year!
Three days ago I was heading north with the car top down and singing at the top of my lungs to Brave & Crazy. Great driving music. To my left sunny skies, to my right fluffy white clouds heading Northeast. Directly ahead, just to the northwest of I-5 a ring of black angry clouds, with a sheath of grey rain hanigng above the earth. A tight little storm moving ever so slowly. The kind you see in scary weather movies. 
For a brief trip into hell – check out this amazing film. At first Daniel is interesting, endearing and incredibly talented. And eerie. He tapes hours and hours of every thought he has. He illustrates continuosly – creating a barter system of his very own. He produces hundreds of songs. But then the descent. Daniel is bipolar and it will take years to determine this. He thrives and yet he is seemingly dying. Each amazing high point of fame brings him within hours of his own death and destruction. Fascinating. Painful. Tortured. Daniel is a genius. I won’t tell you more. Go see it. And then be grateful for your sanity. 
Just read that 
