What a wonderful weekend!

This past weekend was the best – three whole days off for pampering (manicure, facial, and massage inside of two days) and being with people – especially young people whom I love. And the best part is that it started out raining and raining hard. Bob and I fell in love on a rainy night over 40 years ago, and the magic of its power has stayed with me ever since. It’s just too bad that we get so little of it.

First off was lunch with my new adopted daughter, Elizabeth. We’ve known each other such a short time and yet it’s like we’ve always known each other. We can talk about anything and the talking is non-stop. I found it so interesting that we both gravitated to reading at a very young age virtually gobbling up as many books as we could. I can’t say that I learned to read at age three like she did, but once I started there was no stopping me. Our lunch was packed and all too short.
Now, since I’m her Mum in LA, I have to find the perfect conversion to Judaism gift for her. This will be my first conversion ceremony in a Mikvah and my first conversion party, so I’m in a quandary about what to buy. Probably books – Jewish literature, Singer short stories. Well, I’ll take a look. I want to give her something significant and lasting. After all, I’m her Mum in LA. I truly am honored to have that title.

Then on Sunday I went to see the Murakami exhibit at MOCA – actually the Geffen contemporary – with my darling niece, Dara. Even though I found the exhibit lacking in creativity – lots of repetition of images, it proved its point – Murakami’s art is a mix of artistic images and commercialism. Had I not been with Dara, I probably would have passed it off as totally unworthwhile, but she got me thinking about its merits. I especially liked the originality of the sculptures, not only the figures but the materials they were made from. That's what I love about Dara -- she is so smart.

Then we went to the LA Opera to see and hear Don Giovanni. I had seen the same production with the same scenery and costumes three years ago, but it was well worth seeing again. Besides the music is Mozart – how bad could that be? And, it was such fun going with Dara – she had never been inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or eaten lunch on the Music Center patio or had experienced this opera. It’s nice to share. Since Bob chose to play golf instead of go to the opera with me this was a perfect opportunity for Dara and I to bond.

One of the things Dara asked me was when I’m going to quit work. If it could be today I would, but financially I cannot quit until we sell our spec house in the Valley. We bought it and fixed it up expecting to flip it within a month. Now, it’s been on the market almost six months – we conceived of this flipping idea just weeks before the greatest real estate downturn in history – and we’re stuck paying over $5000 per month to keep it all together. So, like I told Dara, my quitting is off the table until the house is sold. And then I plan to do it in stages – work part time for a while if I can arrange it, and then come in as a consultant – if I can arrange that as well. I’m still on the same path. It’s just slow-going right now.

However, still working is not keeping me from experiencing. Having every other Friday off gives me more time and opportunities to get out among 'em and catch up on things and people I've been missing.