Concerned (Trick Or Treat + Love) (a good Halloween)

Good Evening, my Darling,

I wanna say Happy Halloween, and I do of course, but I saw your post a few minutes ago and I'm a little concerned. While I obviously agree wholeheartedly (and even more than that) with the message of the post, I am concerned because it's not the usual kind of thing you post, and you posted it early in the morning, possibly for me to see it right away. (?)

So, all of this means that I hope to God nothing even remotely like that has happened. God please no. I worry anyway, because you are in a foreign country, even though your activities seem to be with a group, and chaperoned. But there are a lot of bad people all over the world. I hope your post doesn't indicate that something awful has happened, and that is why I didn't hear from you earlier in the week. Please let me know if you are okay? Your posts before that, which I saw when I got to Pearl's, seem to suggest that all is well. I surely hope so.

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

3:25pm : Good Evening, my Baby. Happy late Halloween Night as well. I hope you had a fun day, and enjoyed some form of Halloween. :) I am just now back from a long, 3 1/2 mile Halloween Hike from Walker Ranch to Placerita Canyon. It's all the same trail, just goes from one end to the other. Wow, it was really great. Totally overcast, so nice and ghostly, but Placerita and especially Walker has that Friendly Ghost vibe, so it feels really spiritual, too. It's like walking through the California version of Sleepy Hollow.

So, that was my early afternoon. I will head over to Pearl's in just a few minutes, to carve another pumpkin and wait for Trick Or Treaters. Hopefully we will actually get a few this year, lol, and maybe our Halloween lights will do the trick! Also, hopefully it won't rain. Boo on that! I've been checking weather.com, and as of now, it says 0% precipitation until 8pm, then it goes up to 60%.

You can't have rain on Halloween! What kind of deal is that? So, with luck it will hold off until 9 or 10pm, when all the fun is done. I want Pearl and Kobi to have a fun night tonight, so fingers crossed for no rain.

Sweet Baby, I am still unsure about your post this morn. For a minute, I thought maybe it had to do with your song lyrics to "Wreck" (because I had asked the meaning of the song), and that would of course be a shock to me, to learn such a thing, and beyond horrible for you if that had happened in your life. But then, in re-examining the lyrics, the song does not seem to be about that. I could be wrong, of course. I personally think that not only should rape culture be abolished, but these punks at universities and in general society should not only never get away with such a thing, but ought to do decades - at least! - in prison. Scum, they are.

But because I do not know the exact nature of your post, I will refrain from further comment. If you need to post more about it, I am right here. I am right here anyway, at all times. I will assume it's been a good day, though, because of your earlier posts of your friend who is smiling in the picture, and the other Happy Halloween photo of the Pumpkinhead in the Northwoods. Now I am gonna get ready to go to Pearl's. I'll write more later tonight, at the usual time.

I Love You, Elizabeth. Always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

1am : Well, my Girl, it was a very good Halloween overall. We got a fair amount of Trick Or Treaters at Pearl's, Kobi wore his headress and pumpkin harness, and it didn't rain. Many blessings right there. You are now in November, the month of your birth, and I will join you in that month in just a few hours.

Have a great Saturday morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

I'm Here (A Re-set, cause all is well, or should be) :):)

Hi Elizabeth,

I saw your post a few minutes ago. Pearl is at the hair salon, and I have to pick her up at 1pm, so I don't have a lot of time to write, but I wanted to respond right away, and I was gonna write anyhow, even if you hadn't posted, because I heard something this morning that ripped my heart out.

It was your song, "Wrecked". Now, whatever you do, please don't worry, because I did a little checking, and I see that you posted it on August 20, which was right around the time the whole Johan/hacking/FB/Lillian friend request thing was going on, and there were a lot of misunderstandings then, and as far as I knew, they were all cleared up. Anyway, I was not aware of that song, because in the past you have always posted on FB when you have added songs to your Soundcloud. I could see why you might not have wanted to announce that one (though it's an extremely powerful song, even if heartbreaking for me), and so I didn't see and hear it until just a little while ago. The first thing I need to ask, is : is it about me?

I am guessing the answer is yes. There are only a few possibilities. It's either about me, or Stephane, and I don't think it's about him because you guys still seem to be friends, and on good terms, and besides, why would you write and post such a personal song over two years later, if it was about Stephane? I suppose if I really wanted to avoid the issue, I could guess - by wishful thinking - that it was either not autobiographical, or about some fictional character or even some long-gone boyfriend of the past, someone I am not aware of.

But the obvious guess is that it's about me. That's why my heart was ripped out. The saving grace was when I saw that it was posted in the middle of August, when all that intrigue was going on. But what I wonder is, when did you write and record it? At around the same time? I have more to say and ask on the subject, but I'll have to do it later, and in pieces throughout the day, because it's a back and forth day, with movie night tonight.

Elizabeth, even though it hurt to hear it, that is one excellent song, and so very powerful.

However - and this is, in part, what I want to discuss further in oncoming posts - if you have ever thought that I don't love you and care about you with all of my heart , then you are wrong. I have loved you ever since I first told you so, and I do now, and I always will. There is much more to say, and to ask, but right now I have to take a shower and then go pick up Pearl. Then I will be back at 1:45 to 2pm, with time to write a little more. But this is all a good thing, so please, please, please don't worry.

I hope your post means you are back from your trip, and have regular computer access again. I will be back in a little while.

I Love You, Elizabeth. Count on that always.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

2:20pm : Okay, I am back, and I think I need a little bit of a re-set here, on today's post. As I was driving back from Pearl's just now, a thought came to me : "I think I may have heard that song before". "Wreck", that is. Is it, by any chance, and older song, written when you were in Livewire? I could swear I heard either the whole thing, or a snippet of it, way, way back after we first met, when you were still playing with Justin and those guys, and I checked out the band's Soundcloud or some other music posting service. So, now I am thinking that there's a good possibility it is an older song, but re-recorded by you and Tanner and the studio guys. Still, if you posted it on August 20, maybe you posted it because of me, and what was going on at that time.

So, just to re-cap and get caught up, is it an older song from the Livewire days? I tried to check just now, but I couldn't find the older version. Also, I am guessing the new version, from Paul's studio, was recorded back in December 2012, when you first went into the studio to record? Is that correct? I had always wondered why you never posted any material from that session, but maybe because of the nature of the song.

Anyhow, just to dispense with the issue, the fact that the song was posted in August, when all that stuff was going on, seems to indicate that it was a measure of what was going on at that time - in August, when there was a lot of confusion in the air. So maybe that's why you decided to post it then. Just because I didn't hear it until today does not, I hope, mean the lyrics are still pertinent, to me, at the present time. To sum up, perhaps you were mad at me then, out of the confusion and misunderstandings of the issues of August, but I take it, and hope, that you are not mad at me now. After all, we cleared those issues up, right?

So, as far as the song goes, great song - powerful indeed - but posted a while back, and not emotionally pertinent now as far as the lyrics go. Do I have all that correct? I hope so. :)

So, there's the re-set I needed. Now, I just need to interpret the meaning of today's post, of the girl in the rocks. First of all, I take it that you are either back from your trip, or you now have access to post once again, so that's good. :)

As far as the meaning of the post, all I can go by is the title, "Conforming Beauty", and then interpret a general overall picture of a girl looking "trapped" in the rocks. It's a great picture, but what is meant is the message - your message - do I have that right? So, there's the title, "Conforming Beauty". Conforming is a pretty specific word. Do you mean it for yourself, as in you have to "conform", at the present time, to certain rules, maybe Mom's rules? The picture could indicate being "trapped", say, "between a rock and a hard place". So that's what I get, as a message, from the overall post - title and photograph.

If that's what you meant, and if you meant it in response to my blog from last night, and my talking about the need for direct communication, please know, Elizabeth, that it was just a hopeful suggestion. It was an urging for us to head in that general direction, so that we can talk everyday like ordinary couples do. But it was not an ultimatum of any kind, nor a definite, fixed and rigid timetable. It was just me, saying, "let's try for it", and maybe in the New Year.

But nothing fixed or ordered, because that's not me. I will never say to you, about any issue, "it's got to be this way, or else". I don't do that, it's not what I am about. If ever I have an idea, I will always listen to your ideas and suggestions in response. Always. And conversely, I will always be open to any suggestions you have, about any issue. This time, I'm just saying, "Hey girl, let's try for it someday, maybe even soon". Imagine - and that's all I'm saying, just imagine - if we could talk on the phone everyday. That will be pretty awesome, when we can do that. Don't you think? So all I am saying is "let's plant the seed, and give it some intention", and it will happen. Just like all intention-based thoughts eventually do.

So, no worries, no timetables, just good thoughts and something to aim for. Besides, as I have said, I want you to have a good relationship with your Mom, and I will never encourage you to go against her wishes. All I know is that things have a way of working out, when the intent is good, and I have always believed that one day, if your Mom meets me and gives me a chance, she will like me.

So, if that's what you meant by today's post, that you have to "conform" at the moment, to certain rules, then once again I say an emphatic "no worries". :):)

The only trouble this week initially stemmed from not hearing from you for a few days, which led to me going, "what now"? But then I see that you were out with your class again, and maybe now you are back, in which case, the confusion is over. And once again, I hope I have all of that right. :)

Elizabeth, I can tell you something that one day you will find to be very, very true; once we can communicate openly - and it's no problem when that actually happens - but when it does happen, you will never have to wonder what my feelings are for you, or ever doubt them or worry about them. Once you can talk to me, you will hear in my voice how much I love you and care for you. And one day soon, you will see it in my eyes, too. I Love You, Girl!!

So, for now, I will post and just ask that, if I got anything wrong in what I have written, if I have gotten wrong any of my suppositions or guesses, please let me know. If not, then let's say "all is well, and Happy Halloween".  :):)

I Love You, Elizabeth. You are My Darling and I wish you Sweet Dreams. Post when you can.....

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

(here until 4:15, then back tonight after the movie)

A Little After Midnight : Good Morning, Nice Lady. I'm just hanging out on Facebook, talking with Chris about a movie we both love, "Quatermass And The Pit". Scary stuff for Halloween. I hope they are doing Halloween in Italy! Nowdays, with all the blending of culture, I would expect there is some aspect of the holiday. Tonight, I went to the CSUN movie and saw P&P's "The Small Back Room", which was very good as always from those guys. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, hoping we get more Trick Or Treaters than we did last year. Have a blast, whatever you wind up doing, and post if you can.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Hi, just me.

Hi Elizabeth,

I saw your post earlier today, the one with your German photographer friend. I don't know if it was meant as a response to my blog or just an ordinary FB "like", but if you did mean it as a response, all I can make of it is that the guy is standing in the woods. In your only other recent post, from several days before, the pensive looking girl in the photo is also in the woods, so maybe that's your message. Are you back out in the woods with your class?

The last time you were out there, you were still able to make all those posts of canoes and fog, lots of posts in other words, so that I was able to get the message and understand. But this time, just one post since last weekend. So maybe you guys are camping out somewhere, no wifi, no iPhone reception, I dunno.

Anyhow, I am a little tired, just because it stresses me out, all this miscommunication and lack of communication stuff. I don't wanna harp on it all right now, just wanna salvage what's left of the Halloween week, so what I think is best, for now, is that I will just wait until you get back from your camping trip, or whatever, and when you get back, you can post if you want to, and I will respond. I'll be right here. It's just that these surprises (disappearances or whatever you want to call them) constantly put me on the back burner, and then I wonder why I am writing blog after blog after blog. Many times, I can see no one is reading them anyway. Sometimes, though, I get a whole slew of page views from someplace like Poland or France, like 10 or 20 all at once, and that bugs me because it's like back in the Myspace days, when I didn't know who was reading, and if it's a bunch of snoops or idiots.

I just want things to mean something. I've said before - and I know it's true and I like it this way, haha - that I am not the most interesting guy in the world. I'm not trying to be, and what bugs me about the Internet is that it's a barrage, all day long, of people all trying as hard as they can to "outcool" or "outhip" each other.

I am a guy who goes as far as he can in the other direction from that.

Now I am on a tangent again, but I guess what I mean is that if I am gonna write conversational blogs everyday, as I have been doing for almost two years now, then I am gonna need some input. And even then, I am still gonna be the same old me, not Mr. Excitement, perhaps, but whatever I may be for better or worse. I should say that I think, when you get home from Europe, or at least by the beginning of next year, we should have direct conversation. You can let me know what you think about that, and I will listen, and I don't want to make any absolutes or set exact timetables, but there has gotta come a time when we move forward, if you want to do so. Better communication can come even in small increments, nothing drastic at all, but at some point, it's gotta begin.

I just want things to mean something, and I don't want to be part of a crowd.

Anyhow, no worries. Please just listen with your heart to what I am saying, and see what you think, and when you get back from the campsite, you can post if you feel like it. I will be right here, and I will respond like always, and I will write and post just as I always have.

It's just that the stresses inherent in this form of communication have added up, and it's hard to deal with these days-long breaks in communication, which come as surprises to me, with no warning. I have been trying to keep a conversation going (485 blogs attest to that), but sometimes I feel like "just another guy on Facebook".

One thing you can be sure of, Elizabeth, is that I love you. I will also always do my best for you in all ways. It's just that I need things in my life to be on an even keel. I know I've said it before, but it's true. I am gonna be 55 next year, and I have been through my share of stress and misunderstanding, and I just want things to be steady. I want to live my life with good energy and a positive outlook. When sharing those things with another person, in a relationship (if we want this to be more than Facebook) the key, as always, will be communication. With open communication, anything is possible.

That's all for now. Post when you get back, and I will respond.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Hope All Is Well (what's goin' on?) (still trying)

Hi Elizabeth,

I'm writing from Pearl's, just a little worried cause I haven't heard from you for a couple days. I know you have a ton of things to do, but I was just wondering if everything is okay, just because you were sick recently. I will be back and forth for the next hour and a half, we are gonna take the doggie for a walk and then come back and get ready for Golden Agers. After that, at 11am, I will go in search of the usual Tuesday hike. Anyway, I hope you are okay. Post if you get the chance.

I am thinking about you and I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

7:25pm : Hi. I'm just hanging out at home, watching the World Series. I know you wouldn't be awake at this time of night, but I've just gotta say I'm stumped. I can't think of but a few things that could've happened. I mean, even if you were sick you would have posted something by now, right? So the only things I can think of is that you either don't have Internet access for some reason (maybe your computer went out? iPhone?) or whatever is going on has to do with your Mom, and even then, when that has been the issue in the past, it has not totally stopped you from posting something. So, Elizabeth, I am stumped.

It makes me worry, and it's no fun, I've gotta say. I have only this connection with you - the way in which we communicate - and at times like this it seems pretty tenuous. If something happened - God forbid - I would have no way of knowing about it - unless one of your friends was/is aware of me and made an effort to contact me.

So it's hard when I don't hear anything from you for several days. Usually, when that has happened, and I say, "I'm worried" or something to that effect, then you post something to let me know you are okay. But today, nothing. I guess maybe you don't have Internet access at the moment. That's all I can think of.

Anyway, I'm here. I will check back in around 11:30 to Midnight, as always, and by that time it will be morning for you. Maybe if your computer/iPhone isn't working, you could borrow a fellow student's, just for a moment, to post something just so I know you're okay.

Sigh........

I Love You, y'know?  xoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:45pm : Still nothing. Now I am wondering if I misinterpreted your last posts. In the "Nothing More" post, I interpreted it from the text, which is why I wrote that blog on Sunday. But in re-thinking it, that again is a band you have never posted (only once before), and the last time, the reference, at least I thought, was for the name: "Nothing More". So maybe on Saturday, when you posted it, you meant "Nothing More" as in no more posts, lol. I say that in jest, but I don't know what else to say. The only other post you made, three days ago now, was of the photo of your friend, looking downward. Is that to be interpreted in a sad or melancholy way? Please help me here, Elizabeth.

I want to enjoy this Halloween week, it's something I look forward to all year, but now I find myself getting ready to go to bed all worried and stressed out once again. I am not sure I want to communicate this way for much longer, it's just too hard for me when these disappearances happen, and this time - no response no matter even if I say "I am worried". If something terrible had happened, or even if you were just really sick with the flu, I would think there would be some notice of it on Facebook, from you, or one of your friends, or your Mom or brother........

So thank God that's probably not what has happened. Well, I will try again in the morning, and I will be up for about another 30 to 45 minutes now. I really hope you are okay, and I really hope that you can respond. We need to have direct communication, because this isn't working.

Happy Monday :):) (xoxoxoxo)

Good Evening, my Darling,

Just writing from home to say hi. I hope everything is good at school. I will be around til about 3pm or so, then I've gotta make a few stops on the way back to Pearl's, to pick up prescriptions, etc. Maybe stop and get a second pumpkin, too, so we can carve one now and save one for Halloween.

Enjoy the rest of your evening! I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

(back in a bit)

11:45pm : Hey there, girl. Checking in to wish you a good morning. I hope you aren't sick again or anything like that. I also hope all is well back home with your Mom. Probably you are just busy with school, but anyhow, I'm just guessin'.

I'll be up for a little while, 45 minutes or so. I Love You.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Sunday Love :):)

Hey, my Girl,

Just checking in to say hi. Nothing much doing, just Sunday Stuff. A beautiful day here, the Kobester had a blast at CSUN. I may go for part of my walk so I don't have to do it all tonight. I hope all is well at your school. You are probably working on a project, I'll bet. :)

I've gotta get me some more Joe books to read during downtimes in the day when I'm not out hiking or shopping. I haven't had reading material for a couple weeks now - not good! I'll check Amazon later. They don't have Joe at the library.....

That's all for now. I Love You, Sweet Baby!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

(back in a bit)

Saturday Afternoon Love :):) (blessed)

Good Evening, my Darling,

I hope you are having a nice evening and enjoying your weekend. I am at home, just woke up from a nap. All that hiking this week, y'know. ;) Yesterday, I wound up staying fairly close to home and instead of driving to Newhall, I went to O'Melveney Park in Granada Hills. I've been breaking in my new hiking boots, so I went up three of the steeper trails they have there. I love the way these boots grip the trail; huge difference over hiking in near-treadless sneakers as I did all Summer. Today, no hike. Giving my legs a break.

Vickie did not come over, it seems she rarely does anymore, so I may do a little shopping later but will probably save the bulk of it until tomorrow morn, while Pearl is in church. Yesterday at Target (which you know how to pronounce!) I got a string of orange Halloween lights and also some lights in spider web shaped frames, that also have green-lit spiders on them. I put 'em all up on Pearl's front fence and it looks cool! Plus, we will also have our pumpkin, and our real live Black Kitty, so we'll be stylin' on Halloween night.

Last night, I didn't do much. Just watched the World Series and then a really weird movie from my Hammer Icons Of Suspense collection called "These Are The Damned". Damn weird, it was! :)

For now, I will hang out and do some dishes. I may leave a few minutes early to stop at Vons before I go to Pearl's, but I'll be here til at least 3:45pm. Enjoy the rest of your evening!

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:55pm : Good Morning, my Angel. Happy Sunday! I am still doing Saturday night, winding down with Scarlatti, whose birthday it is today/tomorrow, October 26. Scarlatti is one of the first musical artists I can remember hearing, maybe even before my Beatles memories, because my Dad played his music all the time.

I was looking at your post from earlier today, via Nothing More. Maybe you just meant it as a fan, but in reading the text of the post, I see that it could possibly be a message post as well. If you meant it in the sense of "two years ago", and "one guy" (me) who was "cheering you on", well, all I can say - and I've said it before but it's worth saying again - is that something instantaneous happened when I saw you video of "Autre Temps". Whatever that instantaneous thing was, it came to me both overtly and subliminally, but Elizabeth, the thing was, it was very powerful.

I could see, in an instant, that you were very talented, more importantly artistic (a person either has that quality or they don't; it can't be learned), and beyond all of that, I could see you were special. "This girl is different, and".............

Maybe I can get to know her.

The thing is, I didn't actually think that. I just thought, "well, I'll send her a friend request". But then, the thing is that I am not the kind of guy who would ever send a friend request to a much younger lady. But in your case, I couldn't not do so. You know the story. If you go back to early 2012, it's as if there was magic at work.

So, if you mean me, as the "one guy" in the Nothing More post, well, what happened was that a Miracle happened, and we met because we were supposed to. As far as me noticing your artistic qualities in the video, that is just a talent of mine.

But Elizabeth, what I am most pleased by, what has truly made me very happy, is to see that you have followed your talents and your artistry - followed what you love to do, your bliss as they say - and you have now found these things to be a pathway into the life you want to lead. You have found your way through the magic door, into the life you want. Again, I tell you that it's been wonderful to see, from my perch, what you have accomplished in a short time.

And again, I have to say that, if I am the "one guy" in the room who was cheering you on, and perhaps I was, though many can see your abilities, then it is I who is also the winner. I just think back to 2012, and one of the turning points we have been through, and that one point was when you told me about linguistics and wanting to try something different, so I encouraged you to do so. I have written about this recently, but I now repeat : look at where you are now. :)

So, if I am the one guy who saw the Real Elizabeth in that video, and if I encouraged you to go in that direction in your life, then I feel incredibly blessed, because it means I got to help do something good for you.

I really can't tell you how wonderful that has made me feel.

Deep down, you always knew you had it in you, to live the life you really wanted to live. Sometimes, all it takes is a little encouragement to help make that happen.

I am beyond grateful that I was the "one guy" in the audience who had the chance to help.

And, I will keep doing so, because I also just happen to love you like crazy.  

Have a great Sunday morning, my Darling. I will see you in the Northridge morn.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Happy Friday Night :):)

Hey, my Darling,

Happy Friday night! I hope you are having fun and enjoying the start of your weekend. I am at home but I think I am gonna go somewhere, Simi or Corriganville or Newhall or somewhere, just for something to do. It's a beautiful afternoon here and the Fall/Halloween vibe is in the air. I went to Target (pronounced Tar-szhay) a little while ago to get some orange Halloween lights for Pearl's house. Got some Spider lights, too. Last year, the guy across the street had his house all decked out and stole all our Trick-Or-Treaters. Not gonna happen this year, lol!

Do they have anything resembling Halloween in Italy? If not, you can show 'em.  :)

Well, I am off. I'll know where I'm going when I get there, and I'll let you know when I get back to Pearl's at 4:30.

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

A Giant Hug :):) (eclipse) (Red Shoes)

Good Evening, my Beautiful Darling,

I love your post, of the scene from Cinema Paradiso. So wonderful, and I love the caption, too. That is us, of course, and it won't be long until we embrace like that. I can't wait! :):) I Love You So Much, Elizabeth.

I am at home, having taken Pearl to the hair salon. This morn, we did something a little different. We went up to the new Starbucks on the corner of Nordhoff and Reseda in Northridge. It just opened this morning, so we drove up and met my friend Dennis there. Kobi came along, too, and we sat outside drinking Chai Iced Tea. A nice time and a beautiful morning. I hope it is nice in Florence, too, and I bet it is.  :)

That is a crazy story about the Eluveitie concert. You know, I was at a Pink Floyd concert back in 1980 where the same thing happened. It was for "The Wall", and they were playing, and pyrotechnics were going off and a stage curtain caught on fire. For a minute, I even thought it was part of the show, because "The Wall" was such a huge production. But it was a real fire, and they stopped the concert. I can't recall if we were evacuated or not. But the band finished the show, just like Eluveitie.

Well, I am gonna jump in the shower real quick and then go pick Pearl up. I will write more before 4:30.

I am thinking of you. So many things we will share and do together, my Darling. Concerts, etc.

Enjoy your evening....

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:35pm : Hi. my Baby. I'm writing from Pearl's. I went out to Santa Susana after picking her up from the hair salon, because I heard there was gonna be an eclipse. I hadn't heard about it before that, and I thought maybe there might be some good photo ops. As it turned out, it didn't get that dark out here on the West Coast, but it was still kind of neat, the color of the light. So, I hiked around for about an hour. I know all the trails out there pretty well by now. I'll check later tonight to see if I got any good shots.

After Pearl's, I will be going to the Thursday Night Movie at CSUN. Tonight we are gonna see P&P's "The Red Shoes", their most famous film. I haven't seen it, but it's supposed to be one of the greatest color films ever made, about a dancer.........and that's all I know, lol. It's about a dancer.......and Red Shoes. But it's Powell and Pressburger, so I know it's a winner.

I hope you had a nice evening, and I liked the last picture you posted. That's a pretty little street, with the Capitol building in the background.  :):)

I will wish you Sweet Dreams for now, then write more tonight, after the movie.

I Love You, Elizabeth! Wonderful lady.........

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:50pm : Good Morning, Sweet Baby. I am listening to the last few minutes of the Jim Svedja show on KUSC. He is the king of classical djs, and I've discovered a ton of great music over the years as a result of listening to his show and to KUSC in general.

"The Red Shoes" turned out to be an amazing film. It's about a ballet dancer who much choose between love - which distracts her from perfecting her art - and her dancing, to which she is impelled by a jealous producer. The movie is a tad long, 2hrs 15mins, and I would have tightened it up a bit, had it been me, but overall, just for the fantasy dance sequences alone, it is a must-see. They just don't make anything remotely like this anymore, and a guy like Anton Walbrook, who I've seen in three P&P films now, is a fantastic actor and yet he is relatively unheard of now. My goodness......

But thank God for film restoration (thank AFI, and UCLA film archive, and guys like Martin Scorcese, and more), because these films and their directors, and performances by great actors, can now be seen again by anyone looking to discover them.

I send you good energy for another good day, Elizabeth. I'll be up for a little while, and then I'll see you in the Northridgian morning.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Afternoon/Evening Love (more Boris + Sweet Dreams) (good morning)

Good Evening, my Darling,

I'm just hanging out at home, no hikes today. This morning, Pearl, Kobi and I went to the basketball park and I shot hoops for a while. A beautiful morn, we're still doing about 85 degrees here. Took a little nap when I got home at 11am, and now I'm back. That's a strange little creature in the FB post I shared. I had never heard of him before, but I guess he was discovered about 10 years ago. So now we'll have to add the Atacama desert to our places of exploration, along with Puma Punku, et al.

I saw your post for the Blue Velvet club. Did you get to go? I bet it was fun. :) Is it themed after the David Lynch film? If so, then it's really a far out place, lol! You must be feeling better, and I am happy. Yeah, I don't know if you've ever seen "Blue Velvet", but it's one of my all-time favorite movies. There are things in it that aren't for the squeamish, that's for sure, but overall it's an amazing film, if you like David Lynch.

Speaking of movies, my Boris Karloff Collection dvd set just came in the mail, so I may watch one before heading back to Pearl's. I will check in before I go. So glad you are feeling better and having fun exploring the city!

I Love You, Sweet Baby!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4pm : I am gonna leave for Pearl's in a few minutes, so I'll wish you Sweet Dreams before I go. I watched another great Mad Scientist movie with Boris, called "The Man They Couldn't Hang". Gruesome title, I know. I'm glad I watched it in the afternoon instead of at night, or my own dreams might not have been sweet. :)

I hope your day was good, and that school is going well and you are having more interesting and fun experiences. I will see you in your morning when I write more tonight.

I Love You, Elizabeth!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

12:05am : Good Morning, my Baby. I just finished my walk a little while ago, and am winding down now with Chopin. Today I bought tickets for Opeth in December and Eric Johnson in January. Two of my favorites. I wish Opeth was playing with Alcest, like you are gonna get to see them. That is a perfect tour, an All Aries progressive music extravaganza, with one guy born on April 16 and the other guy born on April 17. But, I am just glad to have the chance to see Opeth, and Alcest will come back to L.A. soon anyhow. The guy is a touring machine (both of those guys are). I have seen Eric Johnson about 10 or 11 times since 1990, and most of the shows have been in the last 10 years. He is maybe the best guitar player I've ever seen. This time, he is touring with a guy named Mike Stern, who is a major league jazz player. Jazz is not particularly my thing, but Stern is supposed to be awesome, and Eric is Eric, and I can't miss him, so.........I bought tix for both shows. The EJ show is in January.

I can't wait until we can go to a show together! That will truly be awesome.  :):)

Well, that's all for tonight. Everything is going well at the moment, good days at Pearl's and nice weather. I am grateful for every blessing. I hope you have a good day at school, and I will see you in the morn.

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Love and Pumpkins :):) (Victory Trailhead) (magnetic)

Good Evening, my Darling,

How are you feeling? Better, I hope. Well, just a quick note before I take Pearl to Golden Agers, to tell you that I Love You and I'm thinking about you. I am gonna drive out to the Victory Trailhead and see what I can see, and then I'll be back home around 2:30 - 2:45, after picking Pearl up.

I love the picture this morning, of your friends with the pumpkins. That reminds me to also stop by the Pierce College Farm Center some time before Halloween. They should have a pretty good pumpkin patch there. I really love this time of year, and I know you do, too. It's a good day!

I Love You and will be back in just a while.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

2:50pm : Hi, Nice Lady. I am back from the Victory Trailhead. It was probably my longest hike in a while, maybe ever. I would guess I went from 2 1/2 to 3 miles in, so between 5 and 6 round trip. The reason I was able to go so far is because it's more of a walk than a hike. The trail is dirt, but it's nice and wide and mostly pretty flat. A few rises and drops here and there, but nothing like the other trails I've visited. What it does do, however, is go waaaay back into the boondocks, miles and miles of rolling hillsides that extend, I am guessing, all the way to the ocean. I will do some Googling to find out how long the trail is, but I was three miles in with no end in sight. The only problem was that there wasn't much to photograph, just miles of smooth, barren hillsides. Few trees, no rocks, no formations, no creeks or shadows. Nothing, just hills and a trail. I took a couple pictures, so I'll post one just for the heck of it. But I think Victory Trailhead was a one-time visit, unless I want to hike all the way to the ocean some day.

I am sorry to see your post about the wolves. I wish something could be done to stop the hunting (and to call it a "harvest" is obscene). I know that some ranchers say that wolves kill their sheep, etc., and I would think there would be some legitimate way to lawfully allow them to protect their animals, but just to allow all these hunters in there, many of whom are in it for the power trip of killing something, is just terrible. So again, I am sorry to see that.

I do hope you are feeling better, though, and after another good night's sleep, I'll bet you will be for sure. Since it's close to the time I have to leave for Pearl's, I will say goodnight for now. I am gonna take a short rest myself because of the long hike. But I will be back later tonight, and I don't have to do much walking, if any. So maybe I'll look for another movie to watch.

Sweet Dreams, my Baby. I Love You and will see you in a little while.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:55pm : Good Morning, my Darling. How are you feeling? Much better I hope. Hey, y'know I just discovered, from following the link on your FB, that the xenos arte contemporanea video you posted several days ago, is something you worked on, or were part of? That's super cool! I saw the xenos FB page, and saw that you had taken some photos of the project, or art experiment. Awesome!

When I first saw that post, I thought it was either a straight-up "like" by you, or maybe a message to me, but I couldn't figure it out, lol. But now I see you were part of it, and it's right up my alley - in a way - because it's experimenting with magnetic resonance, via videotape and that is akin to stuff like EVP and other ghost research. I love that kind of stuff and have always wanted to do it.

So there you have it, Super Awesome and Artistic Lady; you are working in the abstract, in addition to your many other works, and that is where Things Normally Unseen are found. The Inbetweens....

Anyway, I am glad to discover the meaning of that post, and that you actually worked on that project. Definitely my kind of thing!

I stayed in mostly this eve, and watched an "Outer Limits" episode called "The Production And Decay Of Strange Particles". Weird, and keeping with the theme.

That was a super-duper hike this morn, I just wish there had been more to see. More to come, however. Always more. That's all I know for tonight. I will see you in the morning. Have a great day!

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Prescription : Love (chicken soup, too) (at home) (let's eat cookies) (Sweet Dreams and medicine) (love to start the day)

Good Evening, my Baby,

I am writing from Pearl's, we just got back from the foot doctor. I saw your post just now, and I take it to mean that you are sick? I say that because it's a band I've never seen you post, and so I take it as more of a message post : "In this moment" + "Sick like me". If so, I am sorry to hear it. I had figured you were just busy, and maybe out in the woods again, as per your post from yesterday. But if you aren't feeling well, just rest up until you get better. I'll sit with you. When I get home in about 45 minutes or so, I'm just gonna hang out, maybe watch a movie. It's a Movie Monday. So, I'll stay with you and bring you chicken soup. :)

If you are sick, I hope it's just a cold and nothing worse. But whatever the case, you'll be feeling better in no time. Don't forget to drink plenty of fluids. Dr. Adam will be on call all day.

I Love You, Elizabeth. I'll be home in a little while.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:35am : Okay, my Darling, I am home. Doing a little vacuuming, then I will watch a movie, something I already own because there is nothing at Redbox or the Libe. Something scary, maybe "Blair Witch Project". The ending to that one is one of the all-time scares. Or maybe "Witchfinder General" with Vincent Price. A nice overall creepiness to that one, and some romance too. I've got more horror movies coming from Amazon, too - a Boris Karloff collection and another from Hammer Films, so I'll be set through Halloween.

I hope you are comfortable and resting. I also hope that whatever bug you have is almost overwith. It's easy to catch something when travelling, or in any group situation. But you'll be better in no time.

I'll be here at home, and then I'll check back in either just before Pearl's or right after I get there, probably before cause I know you'll be sleepy.

I Triple Love You !!!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:55pm : Too cute! Hey, Sweet Baby, do you wanna go eat cookies and ice cream?......

I knew you'd say yes! After that, we can go swimming, too!

From The Strange Man Who Loves You Very Much, lol.  :):)

4pm : Okay, Sweet Baby, I am just about to head to Pearl's. I hope you are feeling better, and I know that a good night's sleep will surely help. So tuck yourself in and have Sweet Dreams and tomorrow will be a new day.

I ended up watching a movie I bought last year called "The Uninvited". It's a ghost story from 1944, very well done, and in black and white of course!

I will write more later tonight. For now, a hug and kiss as medicine......

I Love You, my Angel.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:40pm : Good Morning, Sweet Baby! I hope you are feeling better. At least a little bit, and maybe even a whole lot. Here is another kiss and hug to get you started for the day : XO. I just now saw your post - that is a very nice picture of your friends, and it is also very representative, too. :):) They look like a nice couple, those two, and I can think of another nice couple that comes to mind.....

I have found a new trailhead for tomorrow, out at the end of Victory Boulevard, which is just below Vanowen, where the Cave Of Munits trail is located. I don't know if this one is as scenic, but at least it's new. Hopefully there will be a good photo op in store for me, and then at some point I wanna drive out to the St. Francis Dam site, where the 1928 collapse took place. It's a long drive, almost 30 miles, which wouldn't leave much time for a hike, but I just need to check it out cause I feel it pulling at me. That's what happened with the Nike Missile Base, I was hemming and hawing about going up there, because of the trespassing question, and then finally I said screw it, I've just gotta go. And I did and there was no problem. So now I've gotta do the same thing with St. Francis, at least drive up there, so I will try to do that in the next couple weeks.

I hope you have some exciting and interesting experiences coming up at your school, and I am sure you do! You will be feeling better in no time to enjoy the days ahead. It's really neat the way we can share our days in an instant, despite being halfway around the world from each other.

I Love You, Elizabeth, and today is gonna be a good day.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Sunday Stuff

Hey, my girl,

I just wanted to say hi. I am thinking you are maybe out on another road trip or something. I'm just doing the usual Sunday Stuff : just went to Trader Joe's for a few items (salsa, mostly), and now I will take the Kobester to CSUN. Nothing major to report yesterday.

Hope all is well. I'll be back in a while, after picking Pearl up from church at 1pm.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

You Da Boss! (Sweet Dreams) (beatles)

Good Evening, my Darling,

Happy Friday night. I'm at home, doing dishes & straightening up. Everything is good at Pearl's. My post this morn referred to Kobi, of course, and it was a riot because he's never done that before. I put his morning dog food in the bowl, as always, and set it on the floor. Usually, he starts eating the moment I set it down, but this time, he stared at it for a few seconds, then took a tentative step back and did that move a bull does before charging, where he kicks or sweeps a leg backwards. Then he made some grumbling noises and then started barking at his dog food. Staring right at the bowl and barking. I checked, and there was nothing wrong, no bugs or anything. The food was good. Maybe he's getting a little kooky; he is gonna be 15 in January. It was funny, however....

I like your post about being your own boss. You are gonna be your own boss, too, just like your friend, and most importantly, you will be the boss of your life. Actually, you already are, because you have chosen your own road. You may not be making 100% of the decisions yet, but if you think about it, your Mom has been your ally, too. She never said, "No, I don't want you changing your major", or "I don't want you to study art". At least you've never mentioned any such thing. Plus, I've seen your Mom show support on FB for your photos, videos and music. So even if she still makes a lot of the rules, she is your ally and she is helping you to become your own boss. That's why I always say it's best not to ever rebel or burn bridges in life, against parents or anyone else, just because they are in authority. Of course, if a person is ever a truly negative presence, then you burn a bridge, get that person out of your life and don't look back. But as far as I can tell, you have no such people in your life, and everything is pretty good.

I say all of this because I know certain things may be frustrating, and you can't wait to make all your own decisions and call your own shots, but I've seen people do what I am talking about. I've seen people just plain rebel against their parents, move away and strike out on their own, and then have minimal contact with their folks from then on. And I think that is a tragedy. Now, perhaps the people I'm talking about had rotten home lives growing up, I don't know. But I know you don't, and even if things seem a little restrictive here and there, just remember that your Mom is your ally, and she is looking out for you in the long run, and on top of that, from what I can see, she supports everything you are doing. So it's all good, and you are already your own boss in many ways.

I'll tell you what's really cool, and that's to watch from my perspective, because I can remember just two Summers back, in 2012, when you told me you were a linguistics major but your heart really wasn't in it. You said that your plans had been to get your Masters and then perhaps teach. A great career, perhaps, had you really desired it for yourself. And you'd have been good at it, too. But, you wanted to try something else, to try for what you really wanted, which was art & music, photography in particular.

Well, from my perspective, in just two years, I have seen you go from being a linguistics major (an effort not wasted because your linguistics background will always be useful in many ways, and will enrich your life in any case), to changing your focus, and since then you have produced many excellent photographs (beginning a life's body of work), a great, professional-level vocal on the Vaskula ep, and a professional quality video for Good Morning V.

Not too shabby, I'd say!

And I've had the opportunity to watch, from my perch over here.  :)
And it's been really great to see.

So I think your are well down the road toward becoming your own boss, and you already are in a lot of ways. In all ways, really, except for those decisions your Mom (and Dad, too) are still in charge of. But just keep going, and remember that family is very important in life, and that your folks are your allies. And I am, too, 1000%.

Good things are going to continue to happen!

That's all for the moment, my Baby. I will check in when I get back to Pearl's at 4:30.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:40pm : Writing from Pearl's. I watched a great Mad Scientist movie before coming over here : "The Man With Nine Lives" starring Boris Karloff, about a doctor with a laboratory hidden underground beneath a glacier, where he tests his "frozen therapy"on unwitting patients. Nice n' creepy, and in black and white too. :)

Well, my Baby, with that, I will wish you Sweet Dreams and see you later tonight, in the Italian morning.

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)

11:50pm : Good Morning, my Darling. I was over at Our Lady Of Lourdes until 11pm, watching our local Beatles tribute band Ticket To Ride play at the church's Fall festival. OLL is the Catholic church located just north and across the street from the Northridge Methodist Church, which is next door to me. OLL was my Mom's church. Anyway, Ticket To Ride always plays at their Fall fest, and tonight they played from 8 to 11pm. I have probably seen them 10 or 12 times by now, free each time. They're really good. Grim was there, and our friend Charlie (Charles Ericson in my FB friends). It was fun.

It's getting chilly out, or at least cool enough where I had to wear a light jacket. The horror!  :)

I hope you have a fun Saturday ahead.

That's all I know for tonight. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Feeling Better :):) (socials) (Black Narcissus)

Good Evening, my Darling Elizabeth,

I just wanted to say that I think I get what you are saying with your posts a little while ago. "Nothing more" + "(making) friends". So, "just friends and nothing more"? About you and Keith? If that's correct, it took me a few minutes to get it. And the Sha Rika pic is self explanatory.

With Keith, I knew you guys were just friends, but it's just that some guys (gay or otherwise, I suppose) may want to be, or tend to be, what I will call "overtly expressive", even in friendship. I know that some gay guys, ala Richard Simmons, are that way in the extreme. But then other guys may just be bisexual, or not sure, and may really and truly fall in love with a girl. So, just because he was very expressive, it got me down for a little while there, but it's okay now. I am sorry I didn't post, but I am back. One thing I want you to know is that you can always count on me, and I won't ever let you down in that regard. It is very important to me that you know that. I have to go pick up Pearl in a minute, from the hair salon, but I should be back by 2:30 to 2:45pm, and I will write a little more then if you're still awake, just a few thoughts on stuff, but nothing troublesome.

The bottom line - always - is that I Love You.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

3:15pm : I am back, had to stop at the bank on the way. Anyhow, I think that in my case, I can have a bit of a Pavlovian response to certain things having to do with matters of the heart. It probably began when I was an adolescent, with my parents fighting. It got to the point where, even if they weren't arguing but only having a discussion, that I would automatically assume the worst. I'd be in my room and hear a raised voice (my parents both had theatrical voices) and I'd instantly think, "Oh no, here we go again". Then I'd put some music on, to drown it out. The point is, is that there was so much trouble that I'd automatically assume the worst, even when that wasn't the case.

So that's probably where it all started.

In social situations, I've always been the guy standing off to the side. I was never a guy who went to a lot of parties or to high school football games or functions, or was really that comfortable in a situation where everyone is extroverted or in what I will call "social competition" with one another. You know how sometimes at a party, there may be more than one guy who is trying to be "the life of the party", the guy trying to attract all the attention. Sometimes, there might be several such people. In high school, we called them "soshes" (for "socials"). Back then, I was always intimidated by the Soshes. Everybody thought they were The Coolest, all the girls wanted to hang around them.

But I was only intimidated when I was in their proximity. When by myself I was always confident, or with my own small group of friends, I was very outgoing, talking about the subjects we liked. So I am shy, but only up to a point. It's just that I have never wanted to be "in competiton" with anyone who was trying to impress in any way. I was always the guy who would step aside and say, "Oh, you want the stage? Well, take it, it's yours".

I was never a guy with a fast quip, or who was bubbling over with enthusiasm and charisma. So I avoided the people who were. It's not that I didn't like them (my FB friend Mike B. was a Sosh, and he knew all the Soshes), it's just that I am quiet in a crowd, but talkative and very enthusiastic in a small, likeminded group, or even moreso in a one-on-one situation.

Facebook can be kind of a microcosm of high school, with the Sosh types all trying to "outquip" each other, lol, or to be the squeaky wheel seeking the grease (the attention). I avoid all of that, of course. But for me, because I can have a Pavlovian reaction to certain "triggers", if I see the word "love" in a post to you by a guy (or a picture of a heart), I automatically assume the worst, even when I can see that the guy is gay. It's a reaction to a symbol, by me, and it's also compounded by the fact that I am "the guy standing off to the side" at the Facebook party, and that the guy (Keith, in this case) is a Sosh, and has your attention. I guess it takes me right back to high school, lol (embarassment!), and I feel once again like the quiet guy who was never "quick with a quip", or who was never The Attention Getter.......stupid, I know, because I am much older, and very confident of myself now, and of who I am and what my life is about. That's why I say it's positively Pavlovian, lol. If we were living in a house, you and I, and Keith (or anybody) wanted to come over, I'd have absolutely no problem. I'd be sitting in my chair in the living room, reading my Joe Farrell, while you guys talked about whatever you wanted to talk about. But for some reason, when it's at a distance on FB, I feel like the quiet guy back in high school, who was not one of the Soshes........

Well, my girl, I have got to leave a couple minutes early, to stop at the store. Gotta get some ground turkey to make turkey burgers. I started eating 'em for more protein. Gotta make Kobi a small one, too, or he'll bark at me. Tonight is movie night, so I'll be back and write more later.

Sleep well and Sweet Dreams. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:50pm : We saw a tremendous film tonight, "Black Narcissus" by Powell & Pressburger. Wow, everything about this movie was a 10, from the story to the setting to the acting to the sound design. It's also one of the greatest Technicolor pictures I've seen, a masterpiece of color, which in this case was hyper-real, oversaturated for a phantasmagoric effect. It's the story of a group of nuns who try to establish a convent in the Himalayas, for humanitarian purposes, to help the natives there, but who succumb to madness and repression. This one will go into my all time top 50, and probably higher after I think about it, top 25 perhaps. Deborah Kerr was an absolutely ethereal actress, and she is phenomenal in this film. Like all the P&P films I've seen so far, it fits no category. You start watching it, and you just go with where the story - and more importantly the atmosphere takes you. P&P made personal films, about stories with philosophies and artistic possibilities that were important to them. It's a far cry from today's formulaic digital blockbuster formats, but back then they had the artistic licence to do so. It's a different kind of razzle-dazzle, but boy do these pictures stay with you.

I will see you in the morning, my girl. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Just Me (fashion)

Hi Elizabeth,

I'm just getting back from Pearl's. Today was her crafts day at the Women's Club. No hike again, still pretty tired, in need of new trails, etc. No biggie.

I saw your post a while ago. I don't know if you meant it to pertain to what I wrote about yesterday, but maybe so. I know the issue has been very important to you, and that is awesome, and it's great that you support your friends. So maybe that is the bond that draws you guys together. I don't know if that's what you mean by it, but anyway.....

Like I said yesterday, you just have to take me with a grain of salt sometimes. We have a lot in common, you and I, but we have one area where we are almost polar opposite, and that is in our social natures. I certainly am not anti-social, and in fact I like people just fine - I'm no hermit or anything of the kind - it's just that I have always only desired to have a small core of friends. I am a person who likes to keep things tight, one-on-one, just a few people who "get it" (as I've described before about life), and even then, most of my friends don't fit that bill. I've maybe known four or five people in my life that I've really felt close to - people who "got it" and who got me, and two of those people were my parents. So while I am not anti-social, I do keep things close, and I am not one who is much for small talk. I'm not saying you are, but you have a lot of people who gravitate toward you. I think you probably have more friends, or at least know more people, than all the people I know if you put all their friends and acquaintances together, lol. :) People gravitate to you, and that is a good quality to have, if you have the social personality to accept it and enjoy it, and you do have those things. So it's all good in that respect.

It's just that sometimes, for me, because Facebook is like our telephone line (and our only line at present), it sometimes feels like it becomes a "party line", if you know what that is. Back in the days when everybody used a land line, in some places the operator could patch several people through to a single connection, so they could all talk together. Businesses had (or have) it, too: conference call. I don't know if they still have "party lines" anymore in the cell phone world, and again, I don't keep up with any of that stuff. When you get to know me better, you will see that I'm a pretty old fashioned guy in a lot of ways. Again, it doesn't mean I am reactionary against modernity (because I am always up on all the latest, whether it be news, or technology, or whatever), and it doesn't mean I'm a fuddy-duddy. It's just that I have discovered, over the years, that there's a lot of stuff in this world that I don't need, and which doesn't work for me - doesn't enhance my life. I like to think a lot, so the less that detracts from that, the better. But I digress.

Anyway, if Facebook is our "phone line", it just sometimes feels like it becomes a "party line", and sometimes, with guys like Keith - who I am sure is a good guy - thing get a little exuberant, and then I feel as if I am lost in the shuffle.

But I said all of that yesterday. Hopefully we can get all these communication issues worked out at some point - if you want to, that is. Meanwhile, all I can do is try my best, and I will.

Have a good night and I will talk to you in a while.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

8pm : Good job on the fashion photographs, and congrats on getting into the show. I don't know anything about the fashion biz, except that back in the 70s and 80s, we used to get copies of Andy Warhol's "Interview" magazine, and it would occasionally have pics of Karl Lagerfeld at one of those shows (usually Paris or Milan), or you'd see Mick and Bianca Jagger or, later, Mick and Jerry Hall. David Bowie and Iman. But Karl Lagerfeld was the biggie. He was like a rock star himself in those days.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)  (back in a bit)

My Usual Blathering On The Subject (sorry)

Hi Elizabeth,

Sorry I haven't written much for the past couple of days, but I've just kinda been wiped out. I'm tired from going all the time (no hike today), and emotionally, things have been a little rough as well. If you go back to Sunday (I think it was Sunday) you'll see why. It's just the Usual List Of Tiresome Complaints from Adam, and I really don't have the energy, or right now the time, to write 'em all out again. I have wanted to write my usual long and tedious blog on the subject over the past couple days, but every time I have sat down to do it, I just can't. It takes a lot of emotional energy to rehash the same old thoughts again, and I just don't have it at the moment.

On the surface, it will seem silly or downright stupid, this issue, but it's the same thing again, so I'll just ask you straight out - what's the deal with this boy Keith? I can see that he's gay, that's fine, he looks like a good guy and all. He is very demonstrative in his feelings, however, very extroverted or flamboyant or whatever you want to call it. And, you seem to have a great deal of feeling for him, so I'm just wondering - just asking, plain and simple - what the extent of it is.

When I was a kid, my sister was in love with a gay guy. I don't mean she loved him in a platonic or brother/sisterly way, I mean she was really in love with him. He filled some emotional need in her, and they connected in a very deep way. I was only 8 years old, but I could see that. Bernard may have loved my sister, too, I don't know, but he was over at our house all the time, just like a boyfriend would be. My sister didn't have a boyfriend at the time. The point is, regardless of sexuality, it is of course possible for two people to fall in love, just so long as they love each other. A famous case in Hollywood was Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. She was totally in love with him her whole life, even as she went through eight marriages. Her husband Richard Burton even told Clift one time, "Old boy, she likes me, but she loves you". It was well known in Hollywood. She never married Montgomery Clift, perhaps because he didn't want to get married (and he was very gay), but he was the love of her life, and vice-versa. He loved her as well.

So that's my tedious point, and I make my tedious point because this boy Keith seems to want to express himself quite often, and to send you hearts and flowers so to speak. And from your responses, you seem quite fond of him as well. Are you in love with him, in the way of my sister and Bernard, or Taylor and Clift?

I'm sorry, but I just have to ask. It has ground me down all weekend, or the past couple days or whatever, ever since I read those posts, and also because his posts to you have been ongoing for a little while now. It just makes me feel like a Fifth Wheel yet again, just a guy on Facebook sitting on the sidelines, watching you interact with somebody who is closer in your life. It's getting so that it's not as easy for me to do that anymore, harder for me to blow off.

I realise that you know these people personally, but I have hoped you'd want to get to know me personally as well. I know I am older, and I know that a lot of what I write may be dull or not of interest. I have not been a guy who's been on a lot of dates in my life, in part perhaps because of that. I know I don't have the most exhilarating personality, and in fact, I may cut back a lot of my writing, because I feel like it's not of interest to anyone but me. Same with Facebook. I probably wouldn't be on there very much (if at all) if it weren't for you.

But once again, I don't know where I stand with you, and especially in relation to the place in your life of a guy like Keith, who seems, from what I read anyway, to be pretty near and dear to you. That's the way it feels to me, because I feel like I can write and write (one of my tedious blogs), but then all Keith has to do is write how much he loves you in an FB comment, and then it's all hearts and flowers between you guys, and I feel like I just wasted my time writing whatever I've written. And then I go emotionally into the gutter and lie there for two days, unable to do much of anything.

Elizabeth, as always, take all of this with a grain of salt, and yet, give it some thought as well. What are your feelings for Keith? Does he supply some spark, of humor, emotion, closeness of some type, that you don't feel from me? Only you can answer those things.

As always, none of this would be as tough to deal with if we had real communication, say if we talked on the telephone everyday. But we don't. As such, when a guy like Keith comes along, I feel crowded out, left behind. I'm just a one-way guy on Facebook to whom you can't respond. I know you love me, I know you care about me, but I just wonder where this is all going, if there is gonna be a third party in the mix. With Keith, he is very demonstrative with his feelings, and I know some gay guys are that way naturally, but in your case he really seems to mean his words. I am just wondering what your mutual feelings are for one another, so I can know where I stand. Whatever the answer is, I will accept it.

So there you have it, my girl, the usual tiresome complaints from yours truly. Sorry, I tried for a couple days to let them blow over, but they just wouldn't, so I had to write them out.

I Love You, as always.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Love, Adam

Happy Evening

Hey My Girl,

Happy Monday evening. I hope your week is off to a good start and that school is going well. Nothing much to report here, just back at Pearl's and doing the usual. Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but things just felt a little off. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I was pretty tired, too, with driving all the way out to Glendale and back to take my sister shopping.

Anyway, I am just hanging around the apt. til it's time to head back at 4:15.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Odds & Ends On Day Off, Love Too... (Sweet Dreams) (a good day)

Good Evening, my Darling,

Happy Saturday Night. I hope you had a fun day, and maybe you are still out enjoying it cause it's not that late. I slept in, though not as much as I thought I would, but enough to feel rested. Now I am cleaning and getting ready to take bottles and cans to the recycler down by the 99 Cent Store. Then I may stop at Big 5 across the street for possible new sneakers and hiking boots. The sneakers I have are toast after months of walking and hiking. Those are the only stops I am gonna make, I think. Maybe the Libe, too, to check for movies. I am trying to watch lots of scary movies this month..... :)

My sister once again did not come over, too hot for her, so no grocery shopping today. And that's about it for me, just gonna rest up, then go for my walk as usual, watch a movie later.

Just wanted to say I Love You, and I will check back in a little later.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:50pm : I am back from my errands, and I did go to Big 5 and bought new sneaks and some hiking shoes. So now I'm all set! Went to Northridge Library, too (everything is near the Reseda/Nordhoff intersection), but I didn't find any movies. I've seen everything they have, so maybe I'll try Redbox. And, I still have my X-Files Season 6 episodes to get through. For now, some coffee and a little reading.

Sweet Dreams for my Darling, and a hug and a kiss. Many, in fact.
Sleep well, Beautiful Lady. I Love You!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

1am : Listening to some previously unheard Satie. I love the way he simplifies the music, boils it down to it's essence. That approach wouldn't work for everyone, it's a state of mind he was in - ultra calm. Well, my Sunday Morning Baby, it was a good day. I got a lot done, catching-up wise, and I feel rested too. I get to sleep in again tomorrow, a good blessing.

Enjoy your Sunday, and I will see you when I wake up (but I will still be awake for about 45 minutes or so),

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Happy Friday (Rome = awesome) (Nike Base)

Good Evening, my Darling,

Happy Friday, too. I'm still here at Pearl's. It's a busy morning, but I'll have a chance for a hike, so I think I am gonna head up to the Brown's Canyon area. That's the mountain road with the section that's supposed to be "private", for some ranchers who live there, but it really isn't theirs to determine, from everything I've read. I see that people drive up there all the time, to go to the park at the top of Oat Mountain, so the ranch property may be private, but the road that runs through it is public. I may not drive all the way to the top, where the park and the abandoned Nike Missile Base are located, but there is a trailhead about midway up the road, that I noticed the first time I drove up that way, last Fall. I don't remember if that trailhead has any parking or not, but if it does I can park and do a little exploring. This is a real backwoodser trail, and the whole reason I've never been up there so far is because of the public vs. private question, but it seems it's public, so long as you don't stop on the rancher's property. So, here I go........

When I get back, Grim is gonna meet me at my pad at 2:30. He is just learning how to use the Internet, and he wants me to show him how to put an ad on Craigslist, so I will do that. Then it'll be back to Pearl's, and at 6:30 I'll be off until Sunday afternoon. I'll check back in at 4:30, when I get here.

Enjoy your Friday night! I Love You, my Baby.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:55pm : Hi, Sweet Baby! It's super late, I know, but I love your squinty selfie, so I had to tell you. :) It's really not too squinty, and I am glad you got to go to Rome. That is one of my prime destinations. I hope you got to see Vatican Square as well, and all the other sights. So awesome! Well, I am at Pearl's, so I'd better get back to making dinner, but I just wanted to wish you Sweet Dreams and to tell you that you are beautiful, and that I Love You!

Sleep well, and I will see you when you wake up.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox  :):)

12:50am : Good Morning, my Darling. I am really liking Sir Arnold Bax, so I am listening to a piece called "A Hill Tune", appropriate because today I finally did it. I finally drove up that ranch road in Browns Canyon at the north end of the Valley, and I drove all the way to the top of that road, where the Antonovich Park is located. As it turns out, there isn't anything to see at the park because the land up there is completely barren. No trees, no trails, no creeks - nothing. It's just a big, wide open mountainous space. But there is another road leading up from it, and that road goes to the very top of Oat Mountain, the highest mountain in the Valley. I decided to hike that road, because I had a feeling I knew what was at the end of it.

It was very steep, and about a 3/4 mile hike, but it was on an actual paved (though beat-up) road, and when I got to the top, there it was : The old Nike Missile Base, aka LA-88, where they used to have nuclear weapons sitting in silos during the Cold War years. The Valley could have been a prime target because of the aerospace industries that were here then, hence the nukes at this, and a few other sites. I know it's probably a Guy Thing, the military hardware fascination. I am an anti-war peacenik myself (though decidedly not a hippie, lol), but still, I have been fascinated with military hardware since I was a kid. Probably because my Dad took me to see all those jets at Edwards and all the battleships down in San Diego.

At any rate, I did what I said I was not gonna do : I went into the abandoned site. Now, I didn't go in far, but there was no one up there, and the gate was rusting, thrashed, and probably has been open for years if not a decade or more. The missile site was decomissioned in the early 70s, I believe, so we are talking 40 years it's been empty. Still, I've seen on Youtube that some risk-takers have gotten in trouble with the cops, and I obviously didn't want anything to do with that. I just wanted to see what I could see, and anyway, there weren't any "no trespassing" signs, and the gate was open, and the site is on county park property. I think if you just hike up there, go in for five or ten minutes and get your photos and don't sneak around, or touch anything, then it's probably cool.

I erred on the side of caution since it was my first time up there, and I only went in about 100 yards, just far enough to get a couple photos of some graffitied buildings. I did not see the missile silos I've seen on Youtube. Those must be further in. Next time I go, perhaps I will venture further, but it has to feel right, just like it had to finally feel like the right time to drive up there in the first place. So maybe next year, at some point, I will go back. There's nothing much else to see up there, unless you are gonna hike all the way over the mountains to the Santa Clarita side, and come out at East Canyon, where I've been a few times now. But to cross Oat Mountain would be an all day, probably 8 or 10 mile hike, and that's not in the cards anytime soon. I just do things for the scenery and for the historical and/or the weird/mindblowing factor, and the idea that we had nuclear weapons at the tops of our mountains here in the Valley has blown my mind for a long time. I'm glad they took 'em all down!

I am up late, my body and mind instantly revert to their natural rhythms when I have a day off, as I've said before. I actually am off til Sunday afternoon at 1pm, but nothing planned, just usual stuff.

I look forward to seeing more of your pictures from Rome, and talk about history! Man.....you see, that's a place where I'd not only want to see the historic sites, but also to soak up the vibes. Those feelings that you get at such places are genuine echoes of the past - energies of the past that live on and speak to anyone willing to listen. They speak in feelings, and even those are not overt - mostly subliminal. But they are perceptible, and that is how history is felt, in that way.

We can learn about the Romans, or about the Vatican and the catacombs, or the artists who worked in Rome and other cities. We can learn their history, and the history of the people in general, and that of the cities and country. But we can also feel that history by taking the time to perceive it when it communicates to us, in person when we visit. Because the energies of history persist.

I hope your Saturday is off to a good start. I will join you in having an awesome Saturday in just a while, about 8 hours or so. It's a sleep-in, so I will try to do just that! Maybe even 9 hours for good measure, lol.

That's all for now, my Girl. I Love You and You Rule!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Busy Morning Love (following our dream) (love before sleep)

Good Evening, Sweet Baby,

A busy morning, taking Kobedoggie out to Le Groomer in Chatsworth, then back to Pearl's to take her to the hairdresser. Now I'm home. I will go pick everybody up at about 1pm. That video you posted was a riot, with the camera falling out of the plane. When the pig shows up after it hits the ground, ha! Big-time lol. :) They couldn't have scripted it better. He shows up right on cue.

I hope you are having an awesome day. Man, I have been really tired the last couple days, my goodness. But, two sleep-ins await, starting in two mornings. Tonight is, of course, the CSUN movie. We will be seeing P&P's "A Matter Of Life And Death". As always, I'm excited. Every movie so far by these guys has been stellar. Still on the lookout for old and unseen scary movies, and books about Weird Subjects. It's a good day!

I will check back in at Pearl's, at 4:30, but Sweet Dreams if you go to sleep before then.

I Love You, Elizabeth!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:45pm : Happy Late Night, my Baby. I'm writing from Pearl's. I saw your Emily Tebbetts post, and that is awesome! That's the importance of following your dreams in life. When you do, good things happen, and they will happen for us too.  :):)  And as you can see, they are already happening in your life and my life at the moment, and that is because we are already sharing our lives, even long distance, and we are following our dreams. So, let's keep doing it!

That's all for now, Awesome Lady. I know it's late, so sleep well, have Sweet Dreams, and I will see you in the morning, when I get home from the movie.

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:55pm : Good Morning, my Darling. The movie was another great one from the Powell & Pressburger team, a philosophical fantasy about the triumph of love over death. It's impossible to give a synopsis of a P&P film, though, because they have such a unique personality. I am relaxing now to a sonata by a composer named Sir Arnold Bax. Heard him on KUSC, wonderful stuff.

Tomorrow morn I will take Pearl to her Women's Club meeting, and then try to find a trail and/or photographic location. Fingers crossed for good results.

Have a great day, see you in my version of the morning.

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Painting Again

Hi, my Darling,

I am still here at Pearl's, finishing the touch-up paint work in the kitchen. No road trips or hikes today and none tomorrow, because it's hair salon day, but Friday might be a good one. Pearl has a big Women's Club meeting that morning, from 9:30 til 2pm, so I can probably do something then. I hope your day has been good. Did you get to see the Blood Moon? I did not, because it was at 3:55am, lol. I wish they would do these things a little earlier, haha. But maybe in Italy, it was earlier.

I will probably be painting until about 1pm or so, then clean everything up and put stuff back where it was. After that, maybe I will go to the Libe to look for books and movies. And Amazon, too. So just a quiet afternoon, nothing major.

Nothing major, except I Love You.

Now that's major!

Enjoy your evening and I will be back in a while.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Santa Susana Again (two trees) (scary movie again)

Good Evening, Sweet Baby,

I'm just getting home from Pearl's. While she was at Golden Agers, I went out to Santa Susana. It's close by, and I hadn't been there in a few weeks, so I went out and did the Devil's Slide hike again, just for fun. No pics once again, but when something strikes me, I will shoot more. It's all a matter of either going to different locations or finding something new in the many places I've already visited. As far as new places go, I think what I will do for starters is to just drive to them and see how long it takes, what the round trip time will be, and whether or not it leaves me any time to hike and photograph. The problem with all the beach areas is traffic and freeways. Might be doable, might not. But doggonnit, I will find something! :)

Also, there's no reason I can't take more pics at already visited places. Monet did it, in the garden that he loved so much. Painted it again and again. Same with Ansel Adams and Yosemite. So we'll see. I love the autumn colors in the pictures you've been posting, and I wish we had more color here, but maybe we'll get some rain this Winter, and then the creeks will run and the wildflowers will spring up.

I still had a fun hike, though, and I really love that place. You can feel the Indian spirit there more than any of the other places I go to, and the hike up the Slide - now that I've done it a couple of times - is strenuous but not overly so. I can do the whole thing in 40 minutes. And I love coming down, because it's like stepping stones. It's a rocky trail, so you just kinda bounce from one rock to another. You know how you can go down flights of stairs in a rhythm, like "clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk" (hope I got the sound right)? That's how you go down the Devil's Slide, but just a little more carefully. Just like stepping stones.

And best of all, it was almost 100 degrees outside! Oh boy!  :)

Now I will relax for an hour or so, then head back to Pearl's. I've already got most of my mileage done for the day, so tonight I can take it easy. This morn, I walked over to the Oviatt for their used book sale. Found a Ken Burns World War Two book, with lot of pictures. One of my favorite subjects of study, as you know.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you had a great day, and that things are going well with school and everything you are working on.

I Love You, Elizabeth! Sweet Dreams.........
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:40pm : Happy Late Night, my Darling. I just wanted to say that, the two trees reflecting in the water in the woods, in your post from this morning : that's us again. :):)

I Love You and you can resume your Sweet Dreams now......

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

12:05pm : Just to wish you a Good Morning and me a Good Evening. I didn't do much this eve, but I did watch another classic horror movie from the early 60's, "Burn Witch Burn" from England, once again shot in b&w. I saw it for the first time when I was about 10 years old, on TV late at night while sleeping over at a friend's house, and it made such an impression that I never forgot it. They finally released it on dvd in 2011, and of course I bought a copy.

Listening to Bach now, then sleep soon. I Love You, Elizabeth.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Happy Monday (scary movie) (late night love)

Good Evening, my Darling,

I'm just getting home from Pearl's. 'Tis a lovely day today, took Kobedoggie on a nice walk. Nothing much planned for the afternoon, maybe a movie. Do a bit of cleaning, too. Monday stuff. How's your day going? I'll bet you are really settled in by now, things are more familiar, you have a feel for the school and the town. And the woods, too, if you are still there.  :)

I loved the post from Portraits Of America. That's us! We have many memorable kisses to come.

I Love You, Elizabeth, and it's a great day today.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

(I will check right around 4:30ish, give or take)

4:40pm : Writing from Pearl's. Super late, I know, but as always I want to wish you Sweet Dreams. I watched a scary movie this afternoon, "The Innocents" from 1961, starring Deborah Kerr. It's an adaptation of a famous short story by Henry James, called "The Turn Of The Screw". I've seen it about five times, and it never fails to creep me out. Fantastic b&w cinematography, too.

So that was all for the afternoon. Tonight I will listen to the Dodgers lose their playoff game against St. Louis. Hey, I was right about the Angels! Lol, sports, I know. Our mural was in today's local paper at www.dailynews.com. I wasn't quoted in the article, but it was still pretty cool to have it in the paper.

That's all for now, My Love. I will write more tonight, so sleep tight and I'll see you in a while.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

12:10am : Happy Tuesday Morning, my Baby. I am getting a late start again because I did listen to the Dodgers lose (lol) and then went on my walk, made dinner, etc. I am looking forward to the end of the week, when I will get two sleep-ins. I'm always really tired at the end of a cycle. Tomorrow morn there is a used book sale up at the Oviatt. Wow, remember that place? It was my second home for such a long time, years and years. Now, I hardly set foot in it. But I would like to check out the sale tomorrow, because they often have some very obscure books. So, I will hopefully do that early, before Pearl's Golden Agers meeting. As for Tuesday hikes, it may be the same trails for a while, until I can regroup and form a plan or just wait for the inspiration to hit me, in order to find new stuff. That's the way it all began anyhow, by total spur-of-the-moment inspiration. I went from never hiking in my life, to driving to one or two places, just for photographic opportunity, and then it exploded like it was waiting to happen all my life. That's how things work for me, and I can't force 'em. So tomorrow I'll go to the book sale, then drop Pearl off and drive somewhere, but probably to somewhere I've already been. Still, you never know what will present itself!

I will see you then, my Darling, in my morning, in the middle of your day.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Paradiso :):) (mural) (gooey)

Good Evening, my Angel,

I am in the middle of my Sunday Stuff, doing laundry, taking Kobi to CSUN & Pearl to church, etc., but I wanted to let you know that I loved your posts this morning. Did you see "Cinema Paradiso"? In Italy? Maybe you saw it yesterday, but anyway, not just to see it, but to see it in Italy is beyond incredible. It's so romantic and such a beloved movie, a real gem of foreign cinema. Oh man........I am glad you got to see it!

And that will be me when I see you for the first time, and I can't wait. Just to see you, walking toward me.
To touch you for the first time. To hug you......to hold you. To kiss you. These are things to anticipate.  :):)

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday. I saw your response to the Wisconsin weather report: funny, but not funny, I know. A funny response to unfunny weather. Well, right now you are in Florence, and enjoying - as I see here on weather.com - nice days in the upper 70s to low 80s. It is 70 degrees at the moment, a balmy evening. And here in Northridge it's about 95 or so. So for now we're both staying warm, and we will worry about the cold weather later. In Wisconsin, all we can do is hope for the best and pray for no repeat of last year's deep freeze. And in Northridge, all we can do is pray for a delay of the insufferable L.A. Cold, when the nights get down to the low 40s or even (shudder) the upper 30s, and we freeze to death in our thin SoCal skins and thinly-walled apartments. When that happens, I will join you in raising a finger to the weather report, haha. :) But for now we will enjoy our respective Mediterranean climates. Hurray for the Medium Terrain!

Yeah, I know I'm pretty goofy.  :)

I am gonna go pick up Pearl in a little while, and then at 2pm I will head down to the corner of Reseda & Rayen, in my old neighborhood (1/2 mile from where I am now). That's where they will be unveiling the new Northridge heritage mural, which has been painted on the side of an old brick building that used to be The Liquor House. Don't know what it was before that, and it's now a used CD shop, but the building itself has probably been there for close to 100 years, and when I lived on Rathburn St. nearby, that's where we used to go to get beer, lol. So now they've painted a cultural mural on the side, and our city councilman is gonna be there, etc. So as a 46 year Northridger, I should be there, too. It'll be fun, and it's important to celebrate the rural & agricultural history of The 'Ridge. So, I will check in again, either just before or right when I get back to Pearl's at 4:30.

Sweet Dreams if you go to sleep before then......

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

4:30pm : Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby of Mine. I am just getting to Pearl's, and I wanted to say goodnight before you went to sleep (if you are still awake, that is). I went to the mural ceremony and met my friend Dennis there, with his two kids. We had fun talking and taking pictures, and we even got interviewed by the local newspaper, so if they publish us I'll letcha know.

I hope you had a nice evening, and are looking forward to another interesting week of school. It'll be a fun week, I love this time of year when we head into Halloween. Do they have anything resembling Hallowen in Italy? Ya gotta do something on October 31st regardless......  :)

Well, that's all I know for now. I will go home at 6:30 and listen to the Angels lose their third playoff game in a row, which will end their season. It's guaranteed to happen. Then I will go for my walk. And I will write more at the usual time.

I Love You, my Darling! Sleep well and Sweet Dreams.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

12:15pm : Good Morning, Awesome Lady. I am getting a late start with my writing because, when I was making my brown rice and veggies, I added some flax seeds to the rice. I've had a bag of flax seeds in my refrigerator for a while. I bought 'em cause they're supposed to be good for you, and from time to time I sprinkle some on my oatmeal. Never have cooked 'em before, though, and oh boy!, what a fun surprise I got. A big gooey mess all over the place. It took me a half hour to clean it up just now. I didn't know what the deal was, if the seeds had gone bad, or shouldn't have been boiled, so I Googled "boiled flax seeds" + "gooey mess" (yes, those were my search terms), and a link came back about making flax seed jelly for horses. It's good for them, too, apparently. I read the recipe, and it said to be careful when boiling the flax seeds, because they tend to boil over and create a "gooey mess". Yep, someone else had the same experience.

I am glad to know I won't be poisoning myself when I eat my rice & veggies in a few minutes, but I am swearing off flax seeds. I mean, the viscosity of this stuff......my goodness! You could use it as mortar for laying bricks.......

I hope your day is off to a good start. I liked once again the Wooden Doors photos, and the picture of Varg with the cat. I actually have a few Burzum albums, which I play from time to time. Good old Varg.......not a bad musician, for a psycho.  :)

We should have a good week coming up. I will try to find some interesting hikes. One thing I wanna do at some point is drive in the other direction toward Topanga Canyon and Malibu, and maybe photograph the ocean, but I don't know if I could pull it off in a two or three hour break at Pearl's. So I may have to plan it out and wait til it's possible, but there are a ton of unhiked trails in that area, and the landscape borders out beaches, so that would be different. At the end of the week, I will get two sleep-ins, so that will be good, too.

That's all I know for tonight. I hope you have a great week, and a great Monday. Take tons of pictures, write things down, absorb your experience to the fullest!

I Love You, Sweet Baby.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Painting, But Not A Picture (two walks)

Good Evening, my Beautiful Artistic Baby,

I am on a short break at home. Today I am painting at Pearl's, doing the touch-up work around the new cabinets that I've been putting off. There's some procrastination for you. :) It's taking longer than I though because it's needing a lot of coats, so while the latest coat was drying, I went to the store real quick and then came home to say Hi to My Baby Who I Love Very Much.  :):)

Did you have a good Saturday? I say yes, you did! I like the Wooden Doors pic - he is doing something really cool with these recent images, and that is introducing a subliminal visual suggestion or suggestions. That's what I have been trying to do as well in some shots, to just create a vagueness or suggestion. I don't know if he is using multiple images ala Jerry Uelsmann, or if it's just a single image. My guess is multiple, but he is getting a bit of a Hireonymous Bosch effect, especially in his latest one. Good stuff!

It's superhot, so Vickie didn't come over. I am gonna head back to Pearl's in a couple minutes to finish up my painting for the day. I'll have to do some more during the week in order to finish the job, but no biggie. Tonight I will hang out and either listen to the Dodgers lose another playoff game, or watch a movie or an X-Files. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and let the creative energy flow, even when you sleep!

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Midnight : Good Morning, my Darling. I got a late start tonight because two friends came over for two seperate walks. Ono brought his doggie over for a CSUN walk, and after he went home, Dave F. came over with his daughter, and we went for a second walk, down near the town center of Northridge at Reseda and Nordhoff Streets, to look at a new mural that is being painted in honor of our town's history.

So watcha doing on Sunday morn? Having breakfast, probably. A cappucino? Maybe. It will be a good day for sure. I was glad to finish the section of kitchen I was painting this afternoon. I still have more to do, but it looks good so far. I will get back to my hikes and taking pictures very soon, I just got delayed by the King Crimson concerts, and also the desire to find new locations, which will be a bit difficult I think. But, I will let inspiration lead the way.

That's all for this evening, my Baby. Have a wonderful day!

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Sleep Recovery (surround)

Good Evening, my Baby,

Happy Friday. Boy, I was really tired there, lol. I started to fall asleep sitting in front of the computer last night, and then this morning, after coming home from Pearl's, I fell asleep again from 11:30 til 1pm. Too much go,go,go, I guess. Caught up with me. :)

I feel good now, though. This morning we went to Lake Balboa, saw lots of ducks, gulls and coots. I see by your posts that maybe you are seeing and photographing birds as well? That would mean perhaps that you are still at the cabin with your class? I bet you are getting a ton of great pictures and video, too. I'll be looking forward to seeing your work! I hope you are enjoying the start of your weekend, whether the weekend involves school or not, because it's all part of your artistic Italian experience.

I am chillin' this afternoon. I wanna get my energy back so I can get back out there and enjoy the 100 degree weather while we still have it, haha. :) But today and tonight I am just gonna take it easy, do all the dishes I didn't do for the past few days (gross, I know, but I'm really pretty neat), and generally straighten the pad. So, I'll be home until it's time to head back to Pearl's at 4:15.

I Love You!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

11:50pm : Good Morning, my Darling. I am back from my late walk, and listening to Faure. I got a late start because I was listening to some lousy playoff baseball, in which both of our local teams (Dodgers and Angels) lost. Typical. But it's only sports, I realise........  :)

I hope it is a beautiful morning in Florence, and that you have a fun day ahead of you. You haven't posted about your stay in Florence, but when you get back, you will be able to put together quite a scrapbook. It's fun, as a creative person, to simultaneously have something new to work on, or to think about, in the present time and moving forward, while also studying and pondering past work, especially work of the recent past, so as to relish that experience as well. That way, you move constantly surrounded by your output, and your output is an extension of The Innermost You.

Look at your photos from the night before, the week before, as you get ready to photograph today. Always immerse yourself in your creativity, in whatever manner your intuition directs you. Pick up pen and paper and write as well, if you are moved to do so.

By recording things : photographs, thoughts on paper, drawings, and recording by memory through reviewing recent photographs, you are building a dimensional framework around your creativity, surrounding yourself within it's structure. In this way it is your fortress, from which you will continue to create, with each creation contributing to an ever more substantial structure.

Surround yourself with your work, think about it and let it settle in you and make you think about it. Let it tell you whatever it will, but stay with it. Look at pictures over and over again. Read what you write, if you have written. Do these things and become your biggest fan, not out of adulation but because the work calls for it. It calls you to study it, to go forward into the next project while reviewing the past. In that way, you are in the middle of what you are creating. Your life is in the center of your creativity, and your creativity - which includes your thoughts and simply the way you live - will be the center of your life.

It surrounds you, you surround it. You respond to it, and it builds.

That's all I know for tonight. I hope you are enjoying your course(s), and enjoying your stay.

I will see you in the Northridge version of the morning, and until then, have  a wonderful day!

I Love You, Elizabeth.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)