NEW BEGINNINGS

It is a time of new beginnings and change for me. Change is something I do my best to resist but always always always feel so much better once I am on the other side of it and wonder why I resisted to begin with.

Change is a "GOOD THING" as Martha might say.

I learned that my cat is much the same as I, so I know I am not alone on this adventure of changing my life and surroundings completely. Resistant though I am, I am chipping away at this major task each day. There is still much work ahead of me as I put beads with beads, leather with leather, dye with dye.....you get my drift.

For now I have accomplished a new living area that still needs artwork and some things eliminated but it is beginning to come together. This was the first transformation that occurred and the cat when bonkers! I am including a video of him fighting it all and photos of him giving in and falling in love with his new furniture and fancy mod wool rug.

Being a big fan of BOB FOSSE and Gwen Verdon....

This brought a smile to my face:

FAVORITE THINGS & NEW DISCOVERIES

So, I head over the hill to visit one of my favorite people, Suzi Finer, to check out her new digs on Martel at Melrose and hang with THE DIVA herself. When leaving, I knew I was close to Dick Blick, a fave place when I'm in need of Golden Acrylic paint, Fabriano Medioevalis blank deckled edge cards and other favorite things I can't live without. I just got a new couch and where I have placed it, I have a big, blank wall above it and it desperately needs some wall art of some sort. Since I have a gift card to Dick Blick AND they are currently having a canvas sale, I decided why not make my own art…..
so I jet down Poinsettia to Beverly and parked my car and shopped. Having a rumbly in my tumbly I glance right and left there at the corner and just across the street…………MY new discovery………….MILK! At first glance at dusk, it looked a bit like a corner convenience store but intuitively I knew better.As I got my new blank canvas’s rung up at Dick Blick, I asked the girl ringing me up what MILK was and she said it was a great place to eat and that it was becoming quite the hot spot. She gave it a big thumbs up. Since I was starving, even if she gave it a thumbs down, I think I would have tried it out just due to logistics to my growling stomach.

When I walked in all I could smell was something chocolatey delicious baking….my mouth immediately started watering but I had to remember I needed to eat real food first….not that dessert isn’t real food. One of my dearest friends loves to eat dessert first but I had not eaten all day and it was 6pm….bad Kelley. I just went for the first sandwich on the board which sounded heavenly. Herb Roasted Chicken Breast-with fresh mozzarella, Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes and pesto sauce!mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I wanted to sample something else and decided to take whatever salad the girl behind the counter suggested and have brought home a Chopped Cobb salad that looks like a colorful healthy treat for tomorrow. I took her up on her suggested dessert which were their Oooey Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies….just ate one as I was typing this and they are deadly delicious. It’s almost ALL gooey good chocolate. I got one other dessert for later and that is the chocolate pudding...just took the lid off to take a photo and the smell of rich chocolate wafted right out of the container. It was all I could to not to steal a spoonful but I was good and resisted until tomorrow. I got everything “to–go” with the intent of eating when I got home but home is in the Valley and traffic was thick and it smelled so good that by the time I hit Crescent Heights/Laurel Cyn., I had to dive into the sandwich. It is served panini style and the chicken was so moist. The mushrooms are clearly lightly marinated just enough of something that it is a nice accent to the roasted chicken . It was such a great mix of flavors. detected some rosemary I believe among other wonderful flavors. Not too overpowering, though which was nice. As for the salad, it is in my fridge for lunch tomorrow.



MILK
7290 Beverly Blvd. (at Poinsettia)
Los Angeles 90036
323-939-6455
open 7 days from 7am - 10/11pm

FreeCycle ROCKS!!!

So, today I got my first experience with how "FreeCycle" works. It was "almost" fun. I say "almost" because some folk send you an e-mail telling you to forget everyone else cuz they are a "sure thing" but then they have to go to a sudden doctor's appt., yet oddly the girl who came through and picked up my sofa (to make room for a new one) was at a physical therapy appt. when I e-mailed her and promised her the couch but gave her a time limit of later tonight.....she showed up with friends and her wrist wrapped in bandages.....but showed which gives me this fine wonderful empty space to put my new couch and chair that I ordered many months ago.

These girls really seemed thrilled to get my old couch but what a wonderful thing....FreeCycle...UPCYCLE.....someone gets use out of something that truly has more use. Salvation Army was even being picky saying if it had any stains they might refuse it...this couch was in fantastic condition...new covers.....but on one of the arms I had to clean a natural stain and since it was a brushed cotton , it made the material lighter where I cleaned. Salvation Army was going to turn it down because they might not be able to "sell" it but this way, it goes into some other home full of aspiring actors who will stain the thing anyway....I KNOW....I was one...but I paid 900.00 for the thing but these girls got it free so they won't worry about the stains as much....

Say goodbye...my poor Pampas Pier 1 couch....gone forever....on to a new home full of creative people!

Check FreeCycle out at :
http://www.freecycle.org/

BE CAREFUL!

I am not accident prone but I do get various cuts and blisters along the way of life and working retail for a day job and an artist by night, I have become addicted to the various wonderful bandages that Band Aid makes...some are "tough"...some are "waterproof" and some have anti-biotics in the bandage. Anyway, I stock up once a year on my stash of various Band Aids that will be necessary through the year of cuts and bruises. I only bought 4 packs along with a 6 pack of water, gum and some toilet reading of "Star" magazine....stars before they got stylists...can't wait for my next bathroom break. I get rung through and then the clerk says...very earnestly, "BE CAREFUL." I should have explained that it was stock up time and not that I plan on cutting myself alot. Poor guy.