Just remember that we are One.
May you all be happy and at peace.
Love,
Sue
Monday, December 25, 2006
Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!!!
Just remember that we are One.
May you all be happy and at peace.
Love,
Sue
Saturday, December 02, 2006
The Who at the Hollywood Bowl Nov. 4,2006
Anjoli and I walked for about 10 minutes to the Hollywood Bowl. You could feel the excitement in the air...people were blasting the Who from their cars...lots of smiling faces (lots of OLD faces!! hee hee not ME!!). Usually there are more kids at Who shows - I would say the age range was from late teens to mid 60s.
We walked to our seats and I was relieved to see that the Pretenders did not open. I would have been beside myself if I missed them! It was Rose Hill Drive - they were finishing their last song. They are not my cup of tea - sorry. It just sounded like noise to me. I did enjoy their acoustic sets on In the Attic though.
I thought our seats would be a bit closer, but we (only!) paid $100 per ticket. Still, the big screens were close on the left so...it was fine. I was just thrilled to be there. Anjoli was a bit reluctant - she thought she'd get BORED! HA! Little did she know what excitement was in store for her.
The Who came out and started, as usual, with I Can't Explain. Anjoli was completely mesmerized - she was blown away by the projections and the lights...which were BEAUTIFUL and hypnotizing. We both danced to every song (with the exception of the slower ones of course). We sat next to an older couple who pretty much sat through the entire show. I have to say that I was the most excited fan in our section - singing every word (but not too loud I know how annoying that can be) including all the new material.
I think the highlight for me was "Fragments." The projections on the screens were surreal and really complemented the song - I can still see Pino against the image of the sea ( I think that was during Fragments). I LOVED how Roger pointed to the audience :"parts of me belong to you (points) and you (points)..."
Roger told the audience that he is the biggest Pete Townshend fan...he loves to celebrate Pete's genius. No one can interpret Pete (well besides Pete) like Roger. Roger looked like he had been WAITING for so long for new material - you could feel his joy and love for the Who and Pete.
PETE was absolutely on fire. I can't tell you how elated it makes me to see Pete so happy. You could tell that he and Roger were not just going through the motions. Their energy, stamina, their raw power, their love for life and music and yes, the fans...it was palpable. I have never felt so connected to any artists as I did at this show. Really.
I didn't take ONE second of that concert for granted. I get teary (I am now) thinking about it. At one point I was thinking, "WHAT have I done to deserve all this?" I kept thinking of the magical ride I have been on with Rachel, Pete, blogging, In the Attic...the wonderful people I have met through Blogger and ITA...in a way it is a sort of realization of Pete's premise that music is a means of bringing people together, a chance to celebrate and forget the day to day hassles...and I do believe Pete's words from "Mirror Door" - that "music makes me strong." I don't know where or who I would be without it.
At one point Anjoli and I went to get dinner. While waiting I was chatting with a man - he was saying how he wished Pete would perform some of his solo work. I asked him if he had ever watched In the Attic. He said he had heard about it, but he hadn't ever watched it. Ok so Sue naturally goes OFF and blabs on and on about it. When he could finally get a word in edgewise, he looked deep into my eyes and said "You are REALLY a Who fan!"
I enjoyed every song, but I especially loved the Tommy medley.. I was zoning out on the visuals when Anjoli said "did you see that Pete jump Mommy? That was the BEST ONE yet!!" I missed it, darn.
I have to say, as Chris Capp did, that Simon adds SO much to the show. I was cheering when the camera caught him - his vocals and "guitaring" (hee hee that's what my husband's Indian friends say) are bleeping fantastic. His contribution is vital, I think. Zak was tremendous, and I could hear Pino better this time around! I forgot who Rabbit's replacement (techie man) was - but he did a bang up job as well. I was sad that Rabbit wasn't there though (still praying for his wife, Sue).
After the show, I heard one aged (!) hippy in a tan fringe jacket lecture his old lady: "people talk about Bono...but Townshend...he's a CREATOR - a revolutionary." {sorry I wrote that on Rachel's blog but it bears repeating!}
Amazingly, we bumped into bloggers MarkT and Jill, whom we had met for the first time the night before. Turns out they had been sitting not too far from us. Well, there you go. THAT'S synchronicity for ya. Out of 20,000 plus people we met again? I don't believe in accidents.
Mark was telling me how he saw the Who in London in the 60s...aw man - how lucky can you get! I always said I was born 10 years too late!
Then...another coincidence...I bumped into the guy I sat next to at Rachel's Barnes and Noble performance the night before! We didn't chat the night before, but we talked for a bit then...he told me he was in a band with a former Jethro Tull member...I forgot the name of his band though. Oh well.
Anjoli's only complaint was - THEY DIDN'T PLAY SUBSTITUTE!!
They DID add it to the next night's playlist though...
Here it is:
Anjoli loves to leap like Pete!
We walked to our seats and I was relieved to see that the Pretenders did not open. I would have been beside myself if I missed them! It was Rose Hill Drive - they were finishing their last song. They are not my cup of tea - sorry. It just sounded like noise to me. I did enjoy their acoustic sets on In the Attic though.
I thought our seats would be a bit closer, but we (only!) paid $100 per ticket. Still, the big screens were close on the left so...it was fine. I was just thrilled to be there. Anjoli was a bit reluctant - she thought she'd get BORED! HA! Little did she know what excitement was in store for her.
The Who came out and started, as usual, with I Can't Explain. Anjoli was completely mesmerized - she was blown away by the projections and the lights...which were BEAUTIFUL and hypnotizing. We both danced to every song (with the exception of the slower ones of course). We sat next to an older couple who pretty much sat through the entire show. I have to say that I was the most excited fan in our section - singing every word (but not too loud I know how annoying that can be) including all the new material.
I think the highlight for me was "Fragments." The projections on the screens were surreal and really complemented the song - I can still see Pino against the image of the sea ( I think that was during Fragments). I LOVED how Roger pointed to the audience :"parts of me belong to you (points) and you (points)..."
Roger told the audience that he is the biggest Pete Townshend fan...he loves to celebrate Pete's genius. No one can interpret Pete (well besides Pete) like Roger. Roger looked like he had been WAITING for so long for new material - you could feel his joy and love for the Who and Pete.
PETE was absolutely on fire. I can't tell you how elated it makes me to see Pete so happy. You could tell that he and Roger were not just going through the motions. Their energy, stamina, their raw power, their love for life and music and yes, the fans...it was palpable. I have never felt so connected to any artists as I did at this show. Really.
I didn't take ONE second of that concert for granted. I get teary (I am now) thinking about it. At one point I was thinking, "WHAT have I done to deserve all this?" I kept thinking of the magical ride I have been on with Rachel, Pete, blogging, In the Attic...the wonderful people I have met through Blogger and ITA...in a way it is a sort of realization of Pete's premise that music is a means of bringing people together, a chance to celebrate and forget the day to day hassles...and I do believe Pete's words from "Mirror Door" - that "music makes me strong." I don't know where or who I would be without it.
At one point Anjoli and I went to get dinner. While waiting I was chatting with a man - he was saying how he wished Pete would perform some of his solo work. I asked him if he had ever watched In the Attic. He said he had heard about it, but he hadn't ever watched it. Ok so Sue naturally goes OFF and blabs on and on about it. When he could finally get a word in edgewise, he looked deep into my eyes and said "You are REALLY a Who fan!"
I enjoyed every song, but I especially loved the Tommy medley.. I was zoning out on the visuals when Anjoli said "did you see that Pete jump Mommy? That was the BEST ONE yet!!" I missed it, darn.
I have to say, as Chris Capp did, that Simon adds SO much to the show. I was cheering when the camera caught him - his vocals and "guitaring" (hee hee that's what my husband's Indian friends say) are bleeping fantastic. His contribution is vital, I think. Zak was tremendous, and I could hear Pino better this time around! I forgot who Rabbit's replacement (techie man) was - but he did a bang up job as well. I was sad that Rabbit wasn't there though (still praying for his wife, Sue).
After the show, I heard one aged (!) hippy in a tan fringe jacket lecture his old lady: "people talk about Bono...but Townshend...he's a CREATOR - a revolutionary." {sorry I wrote that on Rachel's blog but it bears repeating!}
Amazingly, we bumped into bloggers MarkT and Jill, whom we had met for the first time the night before. Turns out they had been sitting not too far from us. Well, there you go. THAT'S synchronicity for ya. Out of 20,000 plus people we met again? I don't believe in accidents.
Mark was telling me how he saw the Who in London in the 60s...aw man - how lucky can you get! I always said I was born 10 years too late!
Then...another coincidence...I bumped into the guy I sat next to at Rachel's Barnes and Noble performance the night before! We didn't chat the night before, but we talked for a bit then...he told me he was in a band with a former Jethro Tull member...I forgot the name of his band though. Oh well.
Anjoli's only complaint was - THEY DIDN'T PLAY SUBSTITUTE!!
They DID add it to the next night's playlist though...
Here it is:
Anjoli loves to leap like Pete!
Friday, December 01, 2006
A Day in L.A.
Ok I won't go into TOO many boring details about what happened AFTER the Barnes and Noble gig. All I can say is THANK YOU to my wonderful pal Laura for picking Anjoli and her blind mother up from the Grove. No mention of just how difficult THAT was for her. (I really do love an LA girl who has absolutely no clue about where LA's best mall is. She's a little indie rocker/ filmmaker...art is what it's all about to Laura. Art and Converse hightops!).
I wish all of you could meet Laura and her roommate, Michelle. They are a total comedy team. So sharp and quick witted...I am amazed every time I visit. They really crack me up. Here's a taste of their dry wit: when one of them leaves the apartment, one will say, "bye, don't die!" (when asked about that their answer was: "who will pay the other half of the rent?") Anjoli was in heaven playing (or rather observing) their gorgeous cat, Judy. Judy is fond of "vanquishing" sundry objects around the apartment, which, after destroying, she drops into her water bowl...ah, just because I guess!
So, having left my car at the Grove...Laura was our chauffeur for the next day.
Laura has been telling me for months about the NIRVANA/MOTHER of ALL record stores...Amoeba Records. I finally made my pilgrimage:
Oh JOY oh RAPTURE. WOW!! I wish all of you lovely people could visit this store. I could have stayed ALL afternoon. It's HUGE and full of bargains galore. It's a mixture of used and new cds, albums, dvds, posters, etc. Here is my damage:
For Anjoli - Nanny McPhee and Harry Potter 2 dvds, Tommy and The Who Isle of Wight on DVD- both were new...Tommy was $9.99 and Isle of Wight was only $15.98, Willy Mason's cd Where the Humans Eat ($5.99) and Joni Mitchell's
Songs of a Prairie Girl for $7.99. I left spending about $75.00!! Unbelievable. I am glad it's in LA and not in San Diego though! Like Laura, I am MUCH more at home in a record store than a mall. We are two peas in a pod that way.
After my little shopping spree, Laura buzzed up a steep hill and showed us...GASP...the house where MORRISSEY lived. (It's in West Hollywood). Sadly Morrissey moved back to (?) London maybe? Anyway, this is where he used to live:
After kissing the "Morrissey Stone" (hee hee), we headed for "Mel's Diner" for lunch. Many of you may remember the movie, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore- this was the diner where Alice worked in that film:
Anjoli's favorite food is diner food...ok I confess it's actually mine too! They served her a cheeseburger in a 50s Chevy:
The clock was ticking, and Anjoli wanted to see Hollywood Boulevard/The Mann Theatre - all the stars in the sidewalk. So Laura took us on a whirlwind tour. Wow - the area is very, very seedy - as we had been warned. LA in general gives me this uneasy feeling - it's a cool place, but I always end up with knots in my stomach for some reason. (Sorry if you live in LA!). I don't mean to rag on LA but the vibe is a little twisted at times. (NOT at Laura's or at shows though - just on the streets). I know, I know not exactly a groundbreaking observation about LA!
As we drove down the Boulevard, I kept hearing Ray Davies' voice in my head: "You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard...some that you recognize, some that you hardly ever heard of...people who worked and struggled and suffered for fame...some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain...everybody's a dreamer, everybody's a star....everyone's in showbiz, it doesn't matter who you are"...and the clincher..."success walks hand in hand with failure, along Hollywood Boulevard."
Wish I had better pics to share...I don't think I even saw the Mann Theatre! Not sure how that happened.
It was a quick tour - we didn't get out of the car,so I couldn't take any pictures of the sidewalk stars. No biggie ...we've all seen them anyway!
After the little tour Laura was so sweet - she took me to LensCrafters so I could get a new pair of glasses. I felt SOOOO bad - it took nearly 3 hours for the exam and to have them made while we waited. It was a badly managed store.
But she put her time to good use planning my dream Taiwan musicfest! Laura is the creative force behind this - my connection to "the kids" and great Indie music.
With new glasses on my mug, we headed BACK to the Grove where Laura dropped us off to retrieve my car. The Grove peeps were so kind - they gave me a pass to leave my car there overnight. The entire 2 day parking fee was only $20. And I will not mention the price of my glasses for the umpteenth time. They are nice DKNY glasses though!
Anjoli and I got to the car...then promptly got LOST again on the way to the Hollywood Bowl to see you know WHO. I stopped at a gas station and then got on the right track...only to sit in concert going traffic for, oh about an hour maybe? I was hoping and praying the Pretenders weren't opening (they didn't).
I paid $40 to park my car in the first lot I could find - one with easy access out. It was worth the $40....
(TO BE CONTINUED!!!)
I wish all of you could meet Laura and her roommate, Michelle. They are a total comedy team. So sharp and quick witted...I am amazed every time I visit. They really crack me up. Here's a taste of their dry wit: when one of them leaves the apartment, one will say, "bye, don't die!" (when asked about that their answer was: "who will pay the other half of the rent?") Anjoli was in heaven playing (or rather observing) their gorgeous cat, Judy. Judy is fond of "vanquishing" sundry objects around the apartment, which, after destroying, she drops into her water bowl...ah, just because I guess!
So, having left my car at the Grove...Laura was our chauffeur for the next day.
Laura has been telling me for months about the NIRVANA/MOTHER of ALL record stores...Amoeba Records. I finally made my pilgrimage:
Oh JOY oh RAPTURE. WOW!! I wish all of you lovely people could visit this store. I could have stayed ALL afternoon. It's HUGE and full of bargains galore. It's a mixture of used and new cds, albums, dvds, posters, etc. Here is my damage:
For Anjoli - Nanny McPhee and Harry Potter 2 dvds, Tommy and The Who Isle of Wight on DVD- both were new...Tommy was $9.99 and Isle of Wight was only $15.98, Willy Mason's cd Where the Humans Eat ($5.99) and Joni Mitchell's
Songs of a Prairie Girl for $7.99. I left spending about $75.00!! Unbelievable. I am glad it's in LA and not in San Diego though! Like Laura, I am MUCH more at home in a record store than a mall. We are two peas in a pod that way.
After my little shopping spree, Laura buzzed up a steep hill and showed us...GASP...the house where MORRISSEY lived. (It's in West Hollywood). Sadly Morrissey moved back to (?) London maybe? Anyway, this is where he used to live:
After kissing the "Morrissey Stone" (hee hee), we headed for "Mel's Diner" for lunch. Many of you may remember the movie, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore- this was the diner where Alice worked in that film:
Anjoli's favorite food is diner food...ok I confess it's actually mine too! They served her a cheeseburger in a 50s Chevy:
The clock was ticking, and Anjoli wanted to see Hollywood Boulevard/The Mann Theatre - all the stars in the sidewalk. So Laura took us on a whirlwind tour. Wow - the area is very, very seedy - as we had been warned. LA in general gives me this uneasy feeling - it's a cool place, but I always end up with knots in my stomach for some reason. (Sorry if you live in LA!). I don't mean to rag on LA but the vibe is a little twisted at times. (NOT at Laura's or at shows though - just on the streets). I know, I know not exactly a groundbreaking observation about LA!
As we drove down the Boulevard, I kept hearing Ray Davies' voice in my head: "You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard...some that you recognize, some that you hardly ever heard of...people who worked and struggled and suffered for fame...some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain...everybody's a dreamer, everybody's a star....everyone's in showbiz, it doesn't matter who you are"...and the clincher..."success walks hand in hand with failure, along Hollywood Boulevard."
Wish I had better pics to share...I don't think I even saw the Mann Theatre! Not sure how that happened.
It was a quick tour - we didn't get out of the car,so I couldn't take any pictures of the sidewalk stars. No biggie ...we've all seen them anyway!
After the little tour Laura was so sweet - she took me to LensCrafters so I could get a new pair of glasses. I felt SOOOO bad - it took nearly 3 hours for the exam and to have them made while we waited. It was a badly managed store.
But she put her time to good use planning my dream Taiwan musicfest! Laura is the creative force behind this - my connection to "the kids" and great Indie music.
With new glasses on my mug, we headed BACK to the Grove where Laura dropped us off to retrieve my car. The Grove peeps were so kind - they gave me a pass to leave my car there overnight. The entire 2 day parking fee was only $20. And I will not mention the price of my glasses for the umpteenth time. They are nice DKNY glasses though!
Anjoli and I got to the car...then promptly got LOST again on the way to the Hollywood Bowl to see you know WHO. I stopped at a gas station and then got on the right track...only to sit in concert going traffic for, oh about an hour maybe? I was hoping and praying the Pretenders weren't opening (they didn't).
I paid $40 to park my car in the first lot I could find - one with easy access out. It was worth the $40....
(TO BE CONTINUED!!!)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Three Wonderful Nights
Part Uno
I still cannot believe how blessed I am.
I must have been a saint in my previous life (but I fear for my next one - uh oh!!!).
I had the incredible fortune to meet the lovely singer Rachel Fuller (who got me into this blogging thing in the first place), her sidekick/In the Attic co-host, Mikey Cuthbert and her partner, Pete Townshend. I met them not once, but twice!
The first night was at the Barnes & Noble in LA at The Grove. Rachel Fuller was there making an in-store appearance. I took my daughter, Anjoli. It took about 4 hours to reach the Grove due to traffic and my inherent knack for getting lost in L.A.
Thanks to the one and only MS. WONDERFUL herself, Molly/Ballerinagurl who advised me AGAINST the directions I had Googled,and then later GUIDED me via cell phone north instead of south...I made it there in time - ah pretty early actually!
I was to meet Blue/Tomoko - a fellow "Rachel blogger" who flew in from Japan to see Rachel and the Who!! Wow - talk about loyalty!! I was late meeting her (of course). But we bumped into eachother at the cafe...
When we first arrived, I went straight up to the area where Rachel was to perform...and who did I see but Mikey from Rachel's webcast show In the Attic.
I was SO psyched to see him - so was Anjoli! We've never missed a show (it was a lifesaver to us while we were living in Taipei last year).
He was SUCH a doll. He gave me a big hug and a copy of his new ep, Invisible (which can be purchased HERE!!) and he signed it for me. He also signed a little postcard for Anjoli. She was really happy with that - it's up on her bedroom door now.
I also met Justin Kreutzmann which was nice...then I bumped into Gary, his lovely dad, his wife Steph (who I can't thank enough...you will see why), Mark T and his wife Jill and of course, Blue. We all got some snacks and headed out to the terrace...we had about an hour and a half until Rachel was to perform.
Soon Mikey joined us which was really cool! He is a trip and a half. I told him he was even sweeter in person.
Here we are! (THANK YOU #1 to Steph!)
It was so nice to hang with other Rachel and Pete bloggers! They're such good peeps. Kindred spirits!
At some point things went a bit south for me though...I lost my freaking glasses! Oh man what a spaz. I was just a bit too excited I think!! So I dragged Anjoli all around the store and the mall to look for them. After giving up, Anju and I headed back to the terrace, and me, in a tizzy and semi- frantic (I can't drive without them) just kind of burst onto the terrace and made a beeline for the table where everone was sitting. I was looking under the table, and noticed that everyone had this weird look on their faces. Then a beautiful woman turned around and looked at me (like I was a loony which I am ha ha ha) and it was RACHEL herself! Ack!!
So I got all excited and gave her a hug! I am sad because I missed chatting at the table with her - she left a few minutes after I came back. Aw...
She is incredibly beautiful - I have never seen eyes that color blue before.
Just stunning. She was really really cool!
I could go on and on about the craziness...Blue had saved a seat for me (I was STILL on the hunt for my specs). I came back to the seating area just before Rachel was to go on...Anju and I went to sit down next to Blue, but a man said,
"ah no that's my wife's seat." Blue insisted it was mine...then I realized it was Eric McCormack (Will from Will and Grace). I told him she saved it for ME!! Then Gary pointed to 2 seats in the second row which MOLLY had saved via a phone call in September to the events coordinator ( I didn't think I was going to get them...but I DID!). The coordinator wasn't going to give it them to me,she said they were saved for Ballerinagurl, but then I did an arabesque for her and she said "ok I see you really ARE a ballerina!" Hee hee. Not really. Anyway WE SAT down...finally, and got psyched for Rachel!
I ended up sitting next to Johanna from Vista - she is the coolest! We are very much alike! It was weird because we ended up hanging out w/Molly in LA a few nights later! Synchronicity...
Rachel performed beautifully...I should have taken notes, but I am pretty sure she sang: Cigarettes and Housework, I Can Fly (which she noted was inspired by Pete Townshend's The Boy Who Heard Music), Shine and, accompanied by Pete himself - Just Breathe. Rachel was encouraging us to buy her cds in sets of six, which, she joked, would make a lovely set of coasters!
THE MAN Waiting in the Wings
After the performance both Rachel and Pete signed autographs and posed for pictures. I waited until most of the line died down. I chatted with Mikey again for awhile - I could talk for hours to him! When we reached Rachel's keyboard, I asked if it would be ok for Anjoli to play it. He said "sure! go ahead." So she played "Ode to (sues's) Joy!" I was THRILLED to learn that Gary's wife Steph actually took a picture of her playing. So AGAIN - THANK YOU (#2) STEPH!!
I had a really nice little chat with Rachel...I guess I can reveal that I am trying very hard to bring her and a few other artists (including Martha Wainwright) to Taiwan. I KNOW that the Taiwanese would adore Rachel. They enjoy classical music and would appreciate how she mixes classical and pop. The female singers in Taiwan are very graceful and have sweet, lovely, gentle voices. I am sure she could get airplay on the radio there. My other reason for getting Rachel and friends to Taiwan is because they are in DIRE need of decent acts! Last year Englebert Humperdink and Paul Anka were the major artists to perform in Taipei.
(No offense but...hmm). So my motives are a bit selfish as well.
Rachel is game to come so...we'll see! I will keep you all updated on my future plans to become a musical ambassador to Taiwan.
Rachel was so wonderful - she said to Anjoli "I've heard ALOT about you!" Anju is shy though... Rachel thought it was great that Anjoli loves to play the piano. She really does- I have to drag her away from it in the morning or else she'd be late for school.
Here is a pic of us with the lovely Rachel:
Don't ask me why Anjoli is posing like a rapper! She said she was cold!
After meeting Rachel, Tomoko and I waited to meet Pete. I was very excited of course! He was speaking to a gentleman for a LONG time, then he turned around and said, "oh- are you waiting for me?" Then he looked down and smiled at Anjoli and said hello to her. First I took a picture of Tomoko and Pete - she is SO adorable. She told Pete that her Blogger name is Blue and her camera is also blue! Pete joked to me, "the Japanese really DO love their cameras!" Yup.
Then it was OUR turn to take a picture - and Pete was SO kind he scooched down and said "Let's ALL get in the picture!" He made a funny face, then smiled pretty, as you can see!
I didn't even bring Endless Wire for Pete to sign! I thought it would be a little rude to do that since it was Rachel's performance. I did tell him how fantastic the new cd was though. He just smiled. I told him I'd see him tomorrow at the Hollywood Bowl and on Tuesday at the Attic Jam. YEAH!!
***SPECIAL THANKS TO BLUE/TOMOKO FOR TAKING AND SHARING HER PICS***
I still cannot believe how blessed I am.
I must have been a saint in my previous life (but I fear for my next one - uh oh!!!).
I had the incredible fortune to meet the lovely singer Rachel Fuller (who got me into this blogging thing in the first place), her sidekick/In the Attic co-host, Mikey Cuthbert and her partner, Pete Townshend. I met them not once, but twice!
The first night was at the Barnes & Noble in LA at The Grove. Rachel Fuller was there making an in-store appearance. I took my daughter, Anjoli. It took about 4 hours to reach the Grove due to traffic and my inherent knack for getting lost in L.A.
Thanks to the one and only MS. WONDERFUL herself, Molly/Ballerinagurl who advised me AGAINST the directions I had Googled,and then later GUIDED me via cell phone north instead of south...I made it there in time - ah pretty early actually!
I was to meet Blue/Tomoko - a fellow "Rachel blogger" who flew in from Japan to see Rachel and the Who!! Wow - talk about loyalty!! I was late meeting her (of course). But we bumped into eachother at the cafe...
When we first arrived, I went straight up to the area where Rachel was to perform...and who did I see but Mikey from Rachel's webcast show In the Attic.
I was SO psyched to see him - so was Anjoli! We've never missed a show (it was a lifesaver to us while we were living in Taipei last year).
He was SUCH a doll. He gave me a big hug and a copy of his new ep, Invisible (which can be purchased HERE!!) and he signed it for me. He also signed a little postcard for Anjoli. She was really happy with that - it's up on her bedroom door now.
I also met Justin Kreutzmann which was nice...then I bumped into Gary, his lovely dad, his wife Steph (who I can't thank enough...you will see why), Mark T and his wife Jill and of course, Blue. We all got some snacks and headed out to the terrace...we had about an hour and a half until Rachel was to perform.
Soon Mikey joined us which was really cool! He is a trip and a half. I told him he was even sweeter in person.
Here we are! (THANK YOU #1 to Steph!)
It was so nice to hang with other Rachel and Pete bloggers! They're such good peeps. Kindred spirits!
At some point things went a bit south for me though...I lost my freaking glasses! Oh man what a spaz. I was just a bit too excited I think!! So I dragged Anjoli all around the store and the mall to look for them. After giving up, Anju and I headed back to the terrace, and me, in a tizzy and semi- frantic (I can't drive without them) just kind of burst onto the terrace and made a beeline for the table where everone was sitting. I was looking under the table, and noticed that everyone had this weird look on their faces. Then a beautiful woman turned around and looked at me (like I was a loony which I am ha ha ha) and it was RACHEL herself! Ack!!
So I got all excited and gave her a hug! I am sad because I missed chatting at the table with her - she left a few minutes after I came back. Aw...
She is incredibly beautiful - I have never seen eyes that color blue before.
Just stunning. She was really really cool!
I could go on and on about the craziness...Blue had saved a seat for me (I was STILL on the hunt for my specs). I came back to the seating area just before Rachel was to go on...Anju and I went to sit down next to Blue, but a man said,
"ah no that's my wife's seat." Blue insisted it was mine...then I realized it was Eric McCormack (Will from Will and Grace). I told him she saved it for ME!! Then Gary pointed to 2 seats in the second row which MOLLY had saved via a phone call in September to the events coordinator ( I didn't think I was going to get them...but I DID!). The coordinator wasn't going to give it them to me,she said they were saved for Ballerinagurl, but then I did an arabesque for her and she said "ok I see you really ARE a ballerina!" Hee hee. Not really. Anyway WE SAT down...finally, and got psyched for Rachel!
I ended up sitting next to Johanna from Vista - she is the coolest! We are very much alike! It was weird because we ended up hanging out w/Molly in LA a few nights later! Synchronicity...
Rachel performed beautifully...I should have taken notes, but I am pretty sure she sang: Cigarettes and Housework, I Can Fly (which she noted was inspired by Pete Townshend's The Boy Who Heard Music), Shine and, accompanied by Pete himself - Just Breathe. Rachel was encouraging us to buy her cds in sets of six, which, she joked, would make a lovely set of coasters!
THE MAN Waiting in the Wings
After the performance both Rachel and Pete signed autographs and posed for pictures. I waited until most of the line died down. I chatted with Mikey again for awhile - I could talk for hours to him! When we reached Rachel's keyboard, I asked if it would be ok for Anjoli to play it. He said "sure! go ahead." So she played "Ode to (sues's) Joy!" I was THRILLED to learn that Gary's wife Steph actually took a picture of her playing. So AGAIN - THANK YOU (#2) STEPH!!
I had a really nice little chat with Rachel...I guess I can reveal that I am trying very hard to bring her and a few other artists (including Martha Wainwright) to Taiwan. I KNOW that the Taiwanese would adore Rachel. They enjoy classical music and would appreciate how she mixes classical and pop. The female singers in Taiwan are very graceful and have sweet, lovely, gentle voices. I am sure she could get airplay on the radio there. My other reason for getting Rachel and friends to Taiwan is because they are in DIRE need of decent acts! Last year Englebert Humperdink and Paul Anka were the major artists to perform in Taipei.
(No offense but...hmm). So my motives are a bit selfish as well.
Rachel is game to come so...we'll see! I will keep you all updated on my future plans to become a musical ambassador to Taiwan.
Rachel was so wonderful - she said to Anjoli "I've heard ALOT about you!" Anju is shy though... Rachel thought it was great that Anjoli loves to play the piano. She really does- I have to drag her away from it in the morning or else she'd be late for school.
Here is a pic of us with the lovely Rachel:
Don't ask me why Anjoli is posing like a rapper! She said she was cold!
After meeting Rachel, Tomoko and I waited to meet Pete. I was very excited of course! He was speaking to a gentleman for a LONG time, then he turned around and said, "oh- are you waiting for me?" Then he looked down and smiled at Anjoli and said hello to her. First I took a picture of Tomoko and Pete - she is SO adorable. She told Pete that her Blogger name is Blue and her camera is also blue! Pete joked to me, "the Japanese really DO love their cameras!" Yup.
Then it was OUR turn to take a picture - and Pete was SO kind he scooched down and said "Let's ALL get in the picture!" He made a funny face, then smiled pretty, as you can see!
I didn't even bring Endless Wire for Pete to sign! I thought it would be a little rude to do that since it was Rachel's performance. I did tell him how fantastic the new cd was though. He just smiled. I told him I'd see him tomorrow at the Hollywood Bowl and on Tuesday at the Attic Jam. YEAH!!
***SPECIAL THANKS TO BLUE/TOMOKO FOR TAKING AND SHARING HER PICS***
Friday, November 03, 2006
Important Info on HEALING
I used to work in the holistic health field - namely for the Gerson Institute in San Diego.
I was in charge of client services and spent countless hours counseling patients who were suffering from degenerative diseases - mostly cancer.
I also was the editor and writer for their newsletter.
I am concerned about the prevalence of cancer and other diseases. I cannot keep my mouth shut, because I feel that the TRUTH about disease is being supressed by the medical machine in this country,which consists of (many) doctors, pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
Don't get me wrong: I have the utmost respect for ALL doctors and medical personnel...but they are missing some key elements in their training about HOW THE BODY, GIVEN PROPER NUTRITION AND A SAFE METHOD OF DETOXIFICATION can and in most cases, WILL HEAL ITSELF.
The Gerson Therapy is very very difficult...those who stick to it REALLY want to survive/heal.
I want to share this article with everyone. It is from an AMAZING site: www.annieappleseedproject.org
(I am having trouble getting the link to work, so best to google annie appleseed project).
Feel free to email me any questions you may have.
I am very knowledgable and willing to help all.
God Bless,
Suesjoy
Click here for more info: The Gerson Institute
You can also google "Prince Charles and the Gerson Therapy." I couldn't get a link to a Guardian article from 2004 to work either...grrr.
The Gerson Miracle
Reviewed by and copyright 2004 Andrew W. Saul
"The cure for cancer has been discovered. In 1928." These are the opening words of the new one-and-a-half hour documentary movie, The Gerson Miracle. No one that views it can possibly misunderstand its uncompromising assertions that cancer is curable, and that Dr. Max Gerson repeatedly proved it.
When Max Gerson, M.D., testified before the U.S. Senate on July 1, 2, and 3, 1946, he likely had high hopes of acceptance of his work. No such luck. In 1958, he published all the how-to-do-it details in A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases. He died the next year, under suspicious circumstances. (More on this in the Newsletter's interview section, below.)
Even today it is necessary for persons seeking Gerson treatment to leave the country to obtain it. As the film's narration says, "Laws in virtually all of the United States prohibit any other treatment of cancer than radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, even though they are usually ineffective at best, and completely ineffective at worst. Chemotherapy, for example, does not cure cancer at all, and usually merely poisons the patient instead of the cancer."
Strong words, those. If Oscar-winning documentarist Michael Moore initially had difficulty obtaining distribution for his "Fahrenheit 9/11" movie, you can be sure there will be some hefty opposition to this one.
And yet, the heart of the Gerson therapy is ecological common sense. I think this is why it makes a good subject for film, and why it appealed so to producer/director Steven Kroschel. Kroschel's previous documentary credits include work for the Learning Channel, National Geographic, PBS, and the BBC, as well as contributions to a number of Hollywood features including "Straight Up," "Vertical Limit," and "I Spy." Not surprisingly, Kroschel personally follows the Gerson diet.
The narration continues:
"The soil, and all that grows in it, is not something distant from us, but must be regarded as our external metabolism, which produces the nutrients for our internal metabolism. Therefore, the soil must be cared for properly. It must not be depleted or poisoned Otherwise, changes will result in serious degenerative diseases in animals and humans."
This sounds much like text from any biology textbook that I've taught from.
"Mass-produced, commercially-grown fruits and vegetables are fertilized with only three minerals: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous," says the narrator. Yet plants "need over 50 more." As a consequence, "the plants are sick, and must be kept on life support with toxic chemicals until market." On the other hand, organic farming methods enable both the plant, and you, to resist disease. This especially includes cancer.
The film states that the two key factors that are "the underlying cause of cancer are deficiency and toxicity." A radical, organic raw vegetable juice-based diet is proposed as the primary remedy. Why juiced? Because "Dr. Gerson discovered early in his research that fruits and vegetables must be juiced to flood the body with nutrients that have been lacking within the human organism for so very long, sometimes for decades. . . When juice is drunk, it can enter the blood stream almost as fast as alcohol. . . Dr. Gerson required his patients to drink one 8 ounce glass of juice 13 times a day." That amounts to some 20 pounds of produce, yielding "an organic medication straight from the table of Mother Nature."
The Gerson therapy calls for an expensive grind and press juicer, such as a Norwalk. On the other hand, the film states, Norman W. Walker, that particular juicer's inventor and namesake, died June 6, 1985 at the age of 117. All of Max Gerson's brothers and sisters died in the Holocaust.
Now for the second aspect of the Gerson therapy. Drinking such enormous quantities of fresh juice every day "dislodges accumulated body poisons, which are absorbed by the liver, somewhat overwhelming it." Therefore, to help out the hard-working liver, the Gerson approach employs an unusual detoxification technique. "Organic body-temperature coffee administered rectally stimulates the liver's bile ducts to then dump those scavenged toxins into the colon for evacuation." This, the film states, ensures that "the immune system will now have the upper hand" and the patient is more likely to recover.
You will not be disappointed to know that the film does indeed provide step by step directions on exactly how to prepare a coffee enema. Boil 1 quart distilled water, add 3 tablespoons drip ground coffee, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and add sufficient water to again have 1 quart. Cool to body temperature, and then introduce eight inches into the colon with an enema kit. Retain the enema for 12 to 15 minutes.
The movie's sound track music chosen to accompany the coffee enema recipe preparation sequence is a performance of Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major by the City of Magenta, Italy Symphony Orchestra. The violin soloist is Francesca Ettorina Dego, Dr. Gerson's great-granddaughter, age 14. Her rendition is excellent.
There is more to the therapy than juices and coffee enemas. "Table salt is a poison," says the narration. Our "unrelenting" use of sodium "causes displacement of potassium found naturally in human cells, leaving them vulnerable to attack by disease." For this reason, debated to this day, Dr. Gerson gave patients on his already very-low-sodium, potassium-rich diet still more supplemental potassium in the form of equal parts of potassium gluconate, potassium acetate, and mono potassium phosphate. Flaxseed oil was the preferred fatty acid source, and was to be "raw and cold" and not to be used for a cooking oil. Pancreatin, acidophilus, and vitamin B-3 (niacin) were also provided supplementally.
The most common criticisms of the Gerson program are that the diet is restrictive and that the coffee enemas are excessive. It is true that the Gerson therapy is an extreme diet, but then cancer is an extreme disease. One extreme may indeed call for another; it takes a lot of water to put out a burning building. Chemical, radiological and surgical extremes are the oncologist's stock in trade. Why not nutrition?
I enjoyed the section of the movie where the camera follows Dr. Gerson's daughter and successor, Charlotte, as she interviews patients under actual treatment at the Gerson facility in Mexico. There, it is said, patients in "as little as two weeks are free from cancer." 35 years after man first walked on the moon, this remains a revolutionary statement, one that may invite either a physician's ridicule or a cancer patient's serious investigation.
Charlotte Gerson, now 82, practices what her father preached. "I cancelled my health insurance when I was 34 years old," she says. "The reason was that I'm not interested in the kind of hospital or medical treatment that might be covered by insurance, because it's toxic." She says she saved money, plus feels good in the bargain. She is outspoken and emphatic. On camera, she states, "I'm always telling women: 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if you never had to worry about finding a lump in your breast?' But if you eat healthy, that's what happens. Living in this manner, you don't risk cancer."
She is in a position to know, having seen her father's work at close range for so many years. I asked Charlotte about this, and she told me, "My earliest childhood memories of helping my father go back to my playing in our sandbox when I was about five years old. My father's medical office was in the same house where we lived and patients would come to see him there. Many of those were from the agricultural area surrounding the city where we lived, Bielefeld (Westphalia), Germany. The farmers who consulted my father could hardly believe that one could survive in good health without meat and animal proteins. So my father would send for me, a little dirty and full of sand, to show me off. I was sturdy, tall for my age, healthy and rosy-cheeked and presented a good picture of the effectiveness of vegetarian nutrition."
She still does. Filmmaker Steven Kroschel says, "Working with Charlotte Gerson touched me deeply, as she reminded me of my German Grandparents and the old fashioned hospitality that went along with it. I have to say that I cannot recall meeting anyone quite as honest, compassionate and giving as she is."
Doctor-vexing patients' testimonials form the backbone of Kroschel's documentary. There are plenty of them. One man with prostate cancer, confirmed by biopsy, decided to go Gerson. After 18 months on the therapy, his PSA was an extraordinarily low 0.06.
Ascites, the abdominal fluid buildup all to commonly accompanying cancer or liver disease, may be reduced by way of the Gerson therapy. One patient interviewed in the film reports a decrease of 8 cm on the first day of the therapy, with 2 cm/day afterwards.
One woman, diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given 6 to 9 months to live, speaks on camera of how she lived not nine months, but nine years and is still in excellent, cancer-free health. Her therapy was the Gerson diet. Three other women she knew, all of whom selected chemotherapy, were, as predicted, dead in nine months or less.
Possibly the most moving testimonial comes from a child, named Stephanie, who was diagnosed with widespread cancer in the kidney, lungs, vena cava and heart before she was even six years old. After conventional treatment had been tried and had failed, she (and her parents as well) embarked on the Gerson program. Asked what she thought of the diet, the girl responded quite frankly: "The food? At first I thought it was kind of weird. But after, like, a week, it started tasting better."
Stephanie, who had been given six months to live, was very much alive over two years later and shown horseback riding. The narration presented her as not fully cured, but "on the road to recovery" to the point that her doctors were "astounded." Stephanie herself described her quality of life improvement as well as it has ever been described: "I've been feeling lots better. I've been having more energy when on the diet. I feel very healthy, and stronger, and much better than I did."
The most skeptical viewer cannot possibly watch the scenes of this lass horseback riding and not be at least a little bit persuaded.
Then there is Pat, a woman with pancreatic cancer which had spread to her liver, gall bladder, and spleen. Throwing up blood, she was diagnosed at age 46, and given 3 months to live. That was in 1986. Pat's bleeding and pain stopped in 10 days of Gerson therapy. After two years of Gerson, a CAT scan showed that the cancer was gone. Pat is now 65.
Hollywood star Michael Landon was similarly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He, too, had been given three months to live, and he likewise tried the Gerson therapy. Landon appeared on the "Tonight" show, looking hale and hearty after only a short time on the Gerson program. Immediately afterwards, the narration says, Landon was warned off of the Gerson diet by his physicians. He abandoned it, and his condition promptly worsened. He later personally telephoned Pat and told her that he "should have stayed with the Gerson therapy." Michael Landon died in 1991.
As a very young man, I made a documentary film about the pollution and proposed reclamation of the Genesee River in Rochester, NY. Excessive camera motion was the byproduct of my limited equipment and poor technique. Although it may be an intentional stylistic tool, I for one would ask that directors of feature documentaries everywhere lose the hand-held camera reality-look and get themselves better tripods than I had.
The Gerson DVD has no menu for chapter selection, and for those wishing to re-study any one of the 30 chapters in this 90 minute feature, a chapter menu would be most helpful.
This film makes no attempt at conciliation nor compromise, with frequent unabashedly in-your-face statements, such as: "The only area of which established orthodox medicine in the US is superlative is in the cost." Another: "The viability of life hinging essentially on what we pour into our cups, and place on our plates, is so simple, and yet profoundly hard to grasp by modern medicine." The film also emphasizes the detrimental effects of all manner of pollution on our internal environment. Mercury-based dental amalgam condemned; Ritalin is ridiculed, as is the Standard American Diet ("SAD"). Even milk-drinking is eschewed by the Gerson approach. "With every meal, we are either digging our own graves with the silverware, or ensuring a healthy and productive life."
There is something in The Gerson Miracle to provoke practically anybody. On the other hand, there is such value in Gerson's therapy to justify the film being seen by everybody.
We have to face the facts: Dr. Gerson's saved lives and his methods still do. Here is the very first movie to offer this essential message to a new and ever-widening audience. To say that such a message is somewhat controversial is understatement akin to saying that the Beatles somewhat influenced popular music, or that Citizen Kane was a pretty good flick. Fact is, the Gerson therapy exists. You can say that it doesn't work, but you can also find living, breathing people who will tell you differently. This documentary does exactly that, and this is what documentaries should be doing.
(The Gerson Miracle. 91 minutes; 2004. VHS: 29.95; DVD: $24.95, from Charlotte Gerson, 355 Greenwood Place, Bonita, CA 91902. lg27win@cox.net . Shipping is $3, CA residents add 7.5% sales tax. On-line ordering: http://www.gerson.org/store/default.asp)
I was in charge of client services and spent countless hours counseling patients who were suffering from degenerative diseases - mostly cancer.
I also was the editor and writer for their newsletter.
I am concerned about the prevalence of cancer and other diseases. I cannot keep my mouth shut, because I feel that the TRUTH about disease is being supressed by the medical machine in this country,which consists of (many) doctors, pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
Don't get me wrong: I have the utmost respect for ALL doctors and medical personnel...but they are missing some key elements in their training about HOW THE BODY, GIVEN PROPER NUTRITION AND A SAFE METHOD OF DETOXIFICATION can and in most cases, WILL HEAL ITSELF.
The Gerson Therapy is very very difficult...those who stick to it REALLY want to survive/heal.
I want to share this article with everyone. It is from an AMAZING site: www.annieappleseedproject.org
(I am having trouble getting the link to work, so best to google annie appleseed project).
Feel free to email me any questions you may have.
I am very knowledgable and willing to help all.
God Bless,
Suesjoy
Click here for more info: The Gerson Institute
You can also google "Prince Charles and the Gerson Therapy." I couldn't get a link to a Guardian article from 2004 to work either...grrr.
The Gerson Miracle
Reviewed by and copyright 2004 Andrew W. Saul
"The cure for cancer has been discovered. In 1928." These are the opening words of the new one-and-a-half hour documentary movie, The Gerson Miracle. No one that views it can possibly misunderstand its uncompromising assertions that cancer is curable, and that Dr. Max Gerson repeatedly proved it.
When Max Gerson, M.D., testified before the U.S. Senate on July 1, 2, and 3, 1946, he likely had high hopes of acceptance of his work. No such luck. In 1958, he published all the how-to-do-it details in A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases. He died the next year, under suspicious circumstances. (More on this in the Newsletter's interview section, below.)
Even today it is necessary for persons seeking Gerson treatment to leave the country to obtain it. As the film's narration says, "Laws in virtually all of the United States prohibit any other treatment of cancer than radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, even though they are usually ineffective at best, and completely ineffective at worst. Chemotherapy, for example, does not cure cancer at all, and usually merely poisons the patient instead of the cancer."
Strong words, those. If Oscar-winning documentarist Michael Moore initially had difficulty obtaining distribution for his "Fahrenheit 9/11" movie, you can be sure there will be some hefty opposition to this one.
And yet, the heart of the Gerson therapy is ecological common sense. I think this is why it makes a good subject for film, and why it appealed so to producer/director Steven Kroschel. Kroschel's previous documentary credits include work for the Learning Channel, National Geographic, PBS, and the BBC, as well as contributions to a number of Hollywood features including "Straight Up," "Vertical Limit," and "I Spy." Not surprisingly, Kroschel personally follows the Gerson diet.
The narration continues:
"The soil, and all that grows in it, is not something distant from us, but must be regarded as our external metabolism, which produces the nutrients for our internal metabolism. Therefore, the soil must be cared for properly. It must not be depleted or poisoned Otherwise, changes will result in serious degenerative diseases in animals and humans."
This sounds much like text from any biology textbook that I've taught from.
"Mass-produced, commercially-grown fruits and vegetables are fertilized with only three minerals: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous," says the narrator. Yet plants "need over 50 more." As a consequence, "the plants are sick, and must be kept on life support with toxic chemicals until market." On the other hand, organic farming methods enable both the plant, and you, to resist disease. This especially includes cancer.
The film states that the two key factors that are "the underlying cause of cancer are deficiency and toxicity." A radical, organic raw vegetable juice-based diet is proposed as the primary remedy. Why juiced? Because "Dr. Gerson discovered early in his research that fruits and vegetables must be juiced to flood the body with nutrients that have been lacking within the human organism for so very long, sometimes for decades. . . When juice is drunk, it can enter the blood stream almost as fast as alcohol. . . Dr. Gerson required his patients to drink one 8 ounce glass of juice 13 times a day." That amounts to some 20 pounds of produce, yielding "an organic medication straight from the table of Mother Nature."
The Gerson therapy calls for an expensive grind and press juicer, such as a Norwalk. On the other hand, the film states, Norman W. Walker, that particular juicer's inventor and namesake, died June 6, 1985 at the age of 117. All of Max Gerson's brothers and sisters died in the Holocaust.
Now for the second aspect of the Gerson therapy. Drinking such enormous quantities of fresh juice every day "dislodges accumulated body poisons, which are absorbed by the liver, somewhat overwhelming it." Therefore, to help out the hard-working liver, the Gerson approach employs an unusual detoxification technique. "Organic body-temperature coffee administered rectally stimulates the liver's bile ducts to then dump those scavenged toxins into the colon for evacuation." This, the film states, ensures that "the immune system will now have the upper hand" and the patient is more likely to recover.
You will not be disappointed to know that the film does indeed provide step by step directions on exactly how to prepare a coffee enema. Boil 1 quart distilled water, add 3 tablespoons drip ground coffee, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and add sufficient water to again have 1 quart. Cool to body temperature, and then introduce eight inches into the colon with an enema kit. Retain the enema for 12 to 15 minutes.
The movie's sound track music chosen to accompany the coffee enema recipe preparation sequence is a performance of Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major by the City of Magenta, Italy Symphony Orchestra. The violin soloist is Francesca Ettorina Dego, Dr. Gerson's great-granddaughter, age 14. Her rendition is excellent.
There is more to the therapy than juices and coffee enemas. "Table salt is a poison," says the narration. Our "unrelenting" use of sodium "causes displacement of potassium found naturally in human cells, leaving them vulnerable to attack by disease." For this reason, debated to this day, Dr. Gerson gave patients on his already very-low-sodium, potassium-rich diet still more supplemental potassium in the form of equal parts of potassium gluconate, potassium acetate, and mono potassium phosphate. Flaxseed oil was the preferred fatty acid source, and was to be "raw and cold" and not to be used for a cooking oil. Pancreatin, acidophilus, and vitamin B-3 (niacin) were also provided supplementally.
The most common criticisms of the Gerson program are that the diet is restrictive and that the coffee enemas are excessive. It is true that the Gerson therapy is an extreme diet, but then cancer is an extreme disease. One extreme may indeed call for another; it takes a lot of water to put out a burning building. Chemical, radiological and surgical extremes are the oncologist's stock in trade. Why not nutrition?
I enjoyed the section of the movie where the camera follows Dr. Gerson's daughter and successor, Charlotte, as she interviews patients under actual treatment at the Gerson facility in Mexico. There, it is said, patients in "as little as two weeks are free from cancer." 35 years after man first walked on the moon, this remains a revolutionary statement, one that may invite either a physician's ridicule or a cancer patient's serious investigation.
Charlotte Gerson, now 82, practices what her father preached. "I cancelled my health insurance when I was 34 years old," she says. "The reason was that I'm not interested in the kind of hospital or medical treatment that might be covered by insurance, because it's toxic." She says she saved money, plus feels good in the bargain. She is outspoken and emphatic. On camera, she states, "I'm always telling women: 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if you never had to worry about finding a lump in your breast?' But if you eat healthy, that's what happens. Living in this manner, you don't risk cancer."
She is in a position to know, having seen her father's work at close range for so many years. I asked Charlotte about this, and she told me, "My earliest childhood memories of helping my father go back to my playing in our sandbox when I was about five years old. My father's medical office was in the same house where we lived and patients would come to see him there. Many of those were from the agricultural area surrounding the city where we lived, Bielefeld (Westphalia), Germany. The farmers who consulted my father could hardly believe that one could survive in good health without meat and animal proteins. So my father would send for me, a little dirty and full of sand, to show me off. I was sturdy, tall for my age, healthy and rosy-cheeked and presented a good picture of the effectiveness of vegetarian nutrition."
She still does. Filmmaker Steven Kroschel says, "Working with Charlotte Gerson touched me deeply, as she reminded me of my German Grandparents and the old fashioned hospitality that went along with it. I have to say that I cannot recall meeting anyone quite as honest, compassionate and giving as she is."
Doctor-vexing patients' testimonials form the backbone of Kroschel's documentary. There are plenty of them. One man with prostate cancer, confirmed by biopsy, decided to go Gerson. After 18 months on the therapy, his PSA was an extraordinarily low 0.06.
Ascites, the abdominal fluid buildup all to commonly accompanying cancer or liver disease, may be reduced by way of the Gerson therapy. One patient interviewed in the film reports a decrease of 8 cm on the first day of the therapy, with 2 cm/day afterwards.
One woman, diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given 6 to 9 months to live, speaks on camera of how she lived not nine months, but nine years and is still in excellent, cancer-free health. Her therapy was the Gerson diet. Three other women she knew, all of whom selected chemotherapy, were, as predicted, dead in nine months or less.
Possibly the most moving testimonial comes from a child, named Stephanie, who was diagnosed with widespread cancer in the kidney, lungs, vena cava and heart before she was even six years old. After conventional treatment had been tried and had failed, she (and her parents as well) embarked on the Gerson program. Asked what she thought of the diet, the girl responded quite frankly: "The food? At first I thought it was kind of weird. But after, like, a week, it started tasting better."
Stephanie, who had been given six months to live, was very much alive over two years later and shown horseback riding. The narration presented her as not fully cured, but "on the road to recovery" to the point that her doctors were "astounded." Stephanie herself described her quality of life improvement as well as it has ever been described: "I've been feeling lots better. I've been having more energy when on the diet. I feel very healthy, and stronger, and much better than I did."
The most skeptical viewer cannot possibly watch the scenes of this lass horseback riding and not be at least a little bit persuaded.
Then there is Pat, a woman with pancreatic cancer which had spread to her liver, gall bladder, and spleen. Throwing up blood, she was diagnosed at age 46, and given 3 months to live. That was in 1986. Pat's bleeding and pain stopped in 10 days of Gerson therapy. After two years of Gerson, a CAT scan showed that the cancer was gone. Pat is now 65.
Hollywood star Michael Landon was similarly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He, too, had been given three months to live, and he likewise tried the Gerson therapy. Landon appeared on the "Tonight" show, looking hale and hearty after only a short time on the Gerson program. Immediately afterwards, the narration says, Landon was warned off of the Gerson diet by his physicians. He abandoned it, and his condition promptly worsened. He later personally telephoned Pat and told her that he "should have stayed with the Gerson therapy." Michael Landon died in 1991.
As a very young man, I made a documentary film about the pollution and proposed reclamation of the Genesee River in Rochester, NY. Excessive camera motion was the byproduct of my limited equipment and poor technique. Although it may be an intentional stylistic tool, I for one would ask that directors of feature documentaries everywhere lose the hand-held camera reality-look and get themselves better tripods than I had.
The Gerson DVD has no menu for chapter selection, and for those wishing to re-study any one of the 30 chapters in this 90 minute feature, a chapter menu would be most helpful.
This film makes no attempt at conciliation nor compromise, with frequent unabashedly in-your-face statements, such as: "The only area of which established orthodox medicine in the US is superlative is in the cost." Another: "The viability of life hinging essentially on what we pour into our cups, and place on our plates, is so simple, and yet profoundly hard to grasp by modern medicine." The film also emphasizes the detrimental effects of all manner of pollution on our internal environment. Mercury-based dental amalgam condemned; Ritalin is ridiculed, as is the Standard American Diet ("SAD"). Even milk-drinking is eschewed by the Gerson approach. "With every meal, we are either digging our own graves with the silverware, or ensuring a healthy and productive life."
There is something in The Gerson Miracle to provoke practically anybody. On the other hand, there is such value in Gerson's therapy to justify the film being seen by everybody.
We have to face the facts: Dr. Gerson's saved lives and his methods still do. Here is the very first movie to offer this essential message to a new and ever-widening audience. To say that such a message is somewhat controversial is understatement akin to saying that the Beatles somewhat influenced popular music, or that Citizen Kane was a pretty good flick. Fact is, the Gerson therapy exists. You can say that it doesn't work, but you can also find living, breathing people who will tell you differently. This documentary does exactly that, and this is what documentaries should be doing.
(The Gerson Miracle. 91 minutes; 2004. VHS: 29.95; DVD: $24.95, from Charlotte Gerson, 355 Greenwood Place, Bonita, CA 91902. lg27win@cox.net . Shipping is $3, CA residents add 7.5% sales tax. On-line ordering: http://www.gerson.org/store/default.asp)
Friday, October 27, 2006
"I Will Respect the Substitute Teacher"
This is my second year working as an elementary sub, but since I lived abroad for most of last year, I haven't really had that many assignments.
For the most part, it hasn't been nearly as traumatic as people would imagine. It's not easy, but I enjoy the challenge of winning the kids over.
Last week I had a very sweet bunch of second graders, but they would not SHUT UP. I nearly lost my voice by the end of the day, constantly shouting to be heard over the din of their constant chatter.
School ends around 3, and by 1:30 I had had it.
"That's IT" I screamed. Take out your notebooks and write 20 times: " 'I will respect the substitute teacher.' "
"Oh GAWD..." I thought to myself..."who is this person teaching this class?" It was really unlike me, but I was at a loss.
Well, it shut 'em up anyway.
I put on some classical music to calm myself down...relieve MY guilt. Of course it was MY fault they were noisy. Everything is my fault, didn't you know that? Actually I was feeling guilty for punishing them.
A few kids shouted, "Oh oh we have a Halloween cd...can we listen to that?"
"NO!" I replied.
"Once you FINISH this assignment, THEN you can listen to the Halloween cd while you make Halloween cards."
I wanted to make sure they followed through...and everyone did!
I felt a little strange asking them to do it, but I was at my wits end! How hokey, I thought.
Some of the sweet kids looked SO sad, I felt badly for them, but it was hard to single out the trouble makers. I rewarded the sweet kids with extra "treasure tickets" though! (They get them for good behavior and save them for prizes).
I slipped the coveted tickets to them when the other kids weren't looking.
All the kids finished, but one little girl, bless her sweet heart wrote me this letter:
"Dear Miss Sue,
I will RESPECT (underlined) our teacher because not everyone was noisy, some of them. We can be a better class. Please don't tell Ms. Laws. Can you forgive us? Now?
Love,
Kathy (circled with a happy faced heart next to her name)
Aw........
SO I DID play the Halloween cd...which of course elicited monstrous behavior.
"Miss Sue, can we make paper airplanes?"
Miss Sue: "NO"
2 mintutes later...a paper airplane flew into my head.
For the most part, it hasn't been nearly as traumatic as people would imagine. It's not easy, but I enjoy the challenge of winning the kids over.
Last week I had a very sweet bunch of second graders, but they would not SHUT UP. I nearly lost my voice by the end of the day, constantly shouting to be heard over the din of their constant chatter.
School ends around 3, and by 1:30 I had had it.
"That's IT" I screamed. Take out your notebooks and write 20 times: " 'I will respect the substitute teacher.' "
"Oh GAWD..." I thought to myself..."who is this person teaching this class?" It was really unlike me, but I was at a loss.
Well, it shut 'em up anyway.
I put on some classical music to calm myself down...relieve MY guilt. Of course it was MY fault they were noisy. Everything is my fault, didn't you know that? Actually I was feeling guilty for punishing them.
A few kids shouted, "Oh oh we have a Halloween cd...can we listen to that?"
"NO!" I replied.
"Once you FINISH this assignment, THEN you can listen to the Halloween cd while you make Halloween cards."
I wanted to make sure they followed through...and everyone did!
I felt a little strange asking them to do it, but I was at my wits end! How hokey, I thought.
Some of the sweet kids looked SO sad, I felt badly for them, but it was hard to single out the trouble makers. I rewarded the sweet kids with extra "treasure tickets" though! (They get them for good behavior and save them for prizes).
I slipped the coveted tickets to them when the other kids weren't looking.
All the kids finished, but one little girl, bless her sweet heart wrote me this letter:
"Dear Miss Sue,
I will RESPECT (underlined) our teacher because not everyone was noisy, some of them. We can be a better class. Please don't tell Ms. Laws. Can you forgive us? Now?
Love,
Kathy (circled with a happy faced heart next to her name)
Aw........
SO I DID play the Halloween cd...which of course elicited monstrous behavior.
"Miss Sue, can we make paper airplanes?"
Miss Sue: "NO"
2 mintutes later...a paper airplane flew into my head.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Don't forget your inner child!!
I could go on and on about how much I relish being a mom. It makes me so happy to see how what a joy monger my daughter is!
I've been meaning to share these pics...Anjoli loves to play "dress up" with her friend Diane. One day they decided to be "Asian" which wasn't that much of a stretch for Diane...who hails from So. Korea! Note the pick-up sticks in their hair!
(Wearing my heels that I can barely walk in...).
One day they said, "let's pretend we're really BAD (as in not very good) designers!"
I'll enjoy the fun of having a daughter while it lasts...she'll be a teenager before I know it. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Payback time is coming.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Playdates at Swho's
Be careful if you leave your child in my hands for a few hours...they just may have some good (clean?) fun!
Last weekend one of our neighbors who has become good friends with my little girl came over for a sleepover. To celebrate the occassion, I bought them a nice big chocolate cream pie, covered in whipped cream.
So MOM, says, "oh wow - you know, I always wanted someone to throw a whipped cream pie in my face (or vice versa)."
COOL! Yeah...
This is what soon transpired...
Last weekend one of our neighbors who has become good friends with my little girl came over for a sleepover. To celebrate the occassion, I bought them a nice big chocolate cream pie, covered in whipped cream.
So MOM, says, "oh wow - you know, I always wanted someone to throw a whipped cream pie in my face (or vice versa)."
COOL! Yeah...
This is what soon transpired...
Thursday, October 05, 2006
When it all comes down to it...
good friends and family are all you need.
Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
Oh and gorgeous scenery helps too.
Late August our family joined a wonderful group of friends for a 5 day camping trip to Yosemite.
[The video above was taken just after reaching the top of Sentinal Dome. You can hear lots of huffing and puffing...Sujoy and I reached the top first! Before all the kids! It was the best hike of my life. I'm ready for Mt. Everest now!].
Our group covered a wide spectrum of people, aged 4 to...54?? I dared not ask our oldest member's age (well he's a former San Diego cop - a detective- and he's much bigger than me...by about, ah roughly 2 feet give or take a few inches!).
I am not the hardiest camper...but honestly, I relished every minute of this trip.
The company could not have been better - they were all so laid back and up for having FUN. No whiners, all good timers. (Honestly I have to shake this rap rhyming thing that's been goin' on lately. Where did I get that???).
I REALLY enjoyed spending time with the teenagers (as I am stuck at age 14...mentally, on a good day).
Most of the group are from Cambodia, originally...but the teens were born here. Melissa, aged 12, cracked me up to no end. She would beckon her family by saying, "My fellow Asian people!!! Come!" She teased her dad for wearing a FOBISH outfit (FOB meaning Fresh Off the Boat).
Hanging around them made me feel proud to be an American. You see, they escaped the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia - perhaps you've seen The Killing Fields? Well, the men in their family were murdered at the hands of Pol Pot.
The older kids and adults (those not born here of course) WALKED from Cambodia to Thailand...stepping over dead bodies along the way.
I could share some harrowing details, but I do not wish to invade their privacy.
When they arrived in the US, they stayed in refugee camps and worked in the farms of Northern California - all of them, including the children.
They eventually moved to San Diego....where they received a decent education and later went onto receive college degrees. My dear friend Sokoun has her Master's degree in Elementary Education and her sister has an Associate's in Nursing.
They are all hard working, good, fun. honest US citizens. It pains me to receive junk email about refugees draining the system here. This has NEVER been the case with any of my friends who have come as either a refugee or student.
BUT I digress.
The absolute highlight of the trip, aside from some sensational hikes...was hanging out in a river, where we spotted a BEAR!! I was beyond elated having experienced a bear sighting.
We were swimming in a river, and spotted what we figured was a "teenage" bear (of course you become an expert in beardom once you camp in Yosemite). He was just hanging out along the river's edge, munching on grass...but he made a (slow) beeline to a sandy beach area, where a family had their cooler and blankets, etc. They hadn't set up the grill yet! hee hee. We screamed at them to get the heck out of there, so they floated their cooler and flew across the river...just in time!
Here are some pics..they're a little blurry but oh well!
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sokoun and Half Dome (in the background)
The Gang
This is the river...and you can see the sandy "beach" in the background
Hanging at the camp
I have to mention that I have never ever had gourmet food on a camping trip before this one! Sokoun and her family LOVE to cook...our (meager) contribution was curried BBQ lamb that we'd marinated for a few days...yum it was really quite delish.
After one of these nights around the fire (well 2 nights actually) most of us took a little night time hike to a huge meadow. We brought our blankets and gazed up at a sumptuous banquet of stars that the heavens had conveniently laid out for us...and lucky us to have shared 2 night's worth of meterorite showers. Watching them fall, I thanked my lucky stars for friends like these...that is, until Khan, in a drunken stupor exclaimed," how come we never see a SHOOTING MOON man?! What's up with that? Why don't we ever see a shooting moon?"
Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
Oh and gorgeous scenery helps too.
Late August our family joined a wonderful group of friends for a 5 day camping trip to Yosemite.
[The video above was taken just after reaching the top of Sentinal Dome. You can hear lots of huffing and puffing...Sujoy and I reached the top first! Before all the kids! It was the best hike of my life. I'm ready for Mt. Everest now!].
Our group covered a wide spectrum of people, aged 4 to...54?? I dared not ask our oldest member's age (well he's a former San Diego cop - a detective- and he's much bigger than me...by about, ah roughly 2 feet give or take a few inches!).
I am not the hardiest camper...but honestly, I relished every minute of this trip.
The company could not have been better - they were all so laid back and up for having FUN. No whiners, all good timers. (Honestly I have to shake this rap rhyming thing that's been goin' on lately. Where did I get that???).
I REALLY enjoyed spending time with the teenagers (as I am stuck at age 14...mentally, on a good day).
Most of the group are from Cambodia, originally...but the teens were born here. Melissa, aged 12, cracked me up to no end. She would beckon her family by saying, "My fellow Asian people!!! Come!" She teased her dad for wearing a FOBISH outfit (FOB meaning Fresh Off the Boat).
Hanging around them made me feel proud to be an American. You see, they escaped the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia - perhaps you've seen The Killing Fields? Well, the men in their family were murdered at the hands of Pol Pot.
The older kids and adults (those not born here of course) WALKED from Cambodia to Thailand...stepping over dead bodies along the way.
I could share some harrowing details, but I do not wish to invade their privacy.
When they arrived in the US, they stayed in refugee camps and worked in the farms of Northern California - all of them, including the children.
They eventually moved to San Diego....where they received a decent education and later went onto receive college degrees. My dear friend Sokoun has her Master's degree in Elementary Education and her sister has an Associate's in Nursing.
They are all hard working, good, fun. honest US citizens. It pains me to receive junk email about refugees draining the system here. This has NEVER been the case with any of my friends who have come as either a refugee or student.
BUT I digress.
The absolute highlight of the trip, aside from some sensational hikes...was hanging out in a river, where we spotted a BEAR!! I was beyond elated having experienced a bear sighting.
We were swimming in a river, and spotted what we figured was a "teenage" bear (of course you become an expert in beardom once you camp in Yosemite). He was just hanging out along the river's edge, munching on grass...but he made a (slow) beeline to a sandy beach area, where a family had their cooler and blankets, etc. They hadn't set up the grill yet! hee hee. We screamed at them to get the heck out of there, so they floated their cooler and flew across the river...just in time!
Here are some pics..they're a little blurry but oh well!
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sokoun and Half Dome (in the background)
The Gang
This is the river...and you can see the sandy "beach" in the background
Hanging at the camp
I have to mention that I have never ever had gourmet food on a camping trip before this one! Sokoun and her family LOVE to cook...our (meager) contribution was curried BBQ lamb that we'd marinated for a few days...yum it was really quite delish.
After one of these nights around the fire (well 2 nights actually) most of us took a little night time hike to a huge meadow. We brought our blankets and gazed up at a sumptuous banquet of stars that the heavens had conveniently laid out for us...and lucky us to have shared 2 night's worth of meterorite showers. Watching them fall, I thanked my lucky stars for friends like these...that is, until Khan, in a drunken stupor exclaimed," how come we never see a SHOOTING MOON man?! What's up with that? Why don't we ever see a shooting moon?"
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Back to School Blues
Here's a picure of Anjoli with her teacher and classmates - it was taken just as they reached the door on the first day of school.
They look like death row prisoners....
They look like death row prisoners....
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Groovin' at the Kava Lounge
Ok I know I'm slow about posting lately.
So sorry.
I wanted to share a few more pictures of me and my "daughters" (ha ha).
So, as I was saying, after a delish Thai dinner we went to my favorite club here in San Diego, the Kava Lounge.
The Kava Lounge is unique - they serve organic beer and wine and yes, kava and other funky, but yummy herby kind of drinks, like Hibiscus Martinis. The girls and I loved their ginger lemonade. Yum. The REALLY cool thing about the Kava Lounge it's a NON-PROFIT club - that's what I love about it. There are no poseurs there, people just go to hang and dance and have a groovy time! It's funny because it was mostly women that night.
I checked ahead of time to see if a good band was playing, and I was PSYCHED to see that Carmen Rizzo and Govinda were performing.
I saw Carmen on Rachel Fuller's show, In the Attic. He produced Rachel's latest cd, Shine. He's been nominated for 2 Grammys and he's worked with Pete Townshend, Coldplay and Alanis Morissette among others. I was really impressed by his brief appearance - there was a certain sparkle there - maybe that's not the right word - he just radiated happiness. So I checked out his music and I really liked it (it's electronica/ambient/loungy). He also has a world beat band called Nyaz which is also very interesting. Anyway, I emailed him and told him that I liked his music and I told him "you should play the Kava Lounge!" Oddly enough, he did!
When we first got there, we watched belly dancers perform (individually) for about 15 minutes. Honestly, it was kind of boring (not to the men I'm sure).
I was commending the tabla player afterwards for not missing a beat and asked him if he got a bit distracted and he said, "no not at all they're my muses!"
(A tabla is an Indian drum - there's one bongo-like drum and one other drum that goes wonka wonk wonk. I'm sure you've seen/heard them many times).
After the belly dancers Carmen and Govinda started to "play" they looked more like djs really - using 2 Apple laptops - but I'm sure it was their own music! They were projecting very cool pictures and graphics on a big screen. Trippy stuff. Govinda accompanied the Apples (!) and sang sometimes and played electric violin. He sang and played beautifully.
Rebecca and Tola and I danced our butts off. It was so much fun. Laura doesn't dance. At all. (I feel a song coming on...Laura doesn't dance. at all. She spent the evening holding up...the wall). KIDDING LAURA. She's such a trooper - just sat and watched us (she did like the music and put Carmen's cd on her "list").
Here are a few pics of the girlz:
From left to right: Rebecca, Tola and Laura
Finally Carmen took a break and I kind of sauntered over and introduced myself and he jumped up and gave me a hug! He remembered me right away. I bought his cds, which he signed of course. We chatted for a little bit. He asked if I was going to the Who's Hollywood Bowl show. I told him that I penciled it in! ha ha
I hope and pray I get tickets...we'll see! He was just an absolute sweetheart really - he thanked me for bringing my friends. Then he gave me another hug and a kiss!
I look severly jet lagged but here we are!
You can check out Carmen's music here!
Govinda is amazing too...
So sorry.
I wanted to share a few more pictures of me and my "daughters" (ha ha).
So, as I was saying, after a delish Thai dinner we went to my favorite club here in San Diego, the Kava Lounge.
The Kava Lounge is unique - they serve organic beer and wine and yes, kava and other funky, but yummy herby kind of drinks, like Hibiscus Martinis. The girls and I loved their ginger lemonade. Yum. The REALLY cool thing about the Kava Lounge it's a NON-PROFIT club - that's what I love about it. There are no poseurs there, people just go to hang and dance and have a groovy time! It's funny because it was mostly women that night.
I checked ahead of time to see if a good band was playing, and I was PSYCHED to see that Carmen Rizzo and Govinda were performing.
I saw Carmen on Rachel Fuller's show, In the Attic. He produced Rachel's latest cd, Shine. He's been nominated for 2 Grammys and he's worked with Pete Townshend, Coldplay and Alanis Morissette among others. I was really impressed by his brief appearance - there was a certain sparkle there - maybe that's not the right word - he just radiated happiness. So I checked out his music and I really liked it (it's electronica/ambient/loungy). He also has a world beat band called Nyaz which is also very interesting. Anyway, I emailed him and told him that I liked his music and I told him "you should play the Kava Lounge!" Oddly enough, he did!
When we first got there, we watched belly dancers perform (individually) for about 15 minutes. Honestly, it was kind of boring (not to the men I'm sure).
I was commending the tabla player afterwards for not missing a beat and asked him if he got a bit distracted and he said, "no not at all they're my muses!"
(A tabla is an Indian drum - there's one bongo-like drum and one other drum that goes wonka wonk wonk. I'm sure you've seen/heard them many times).
After the belly dancers Carmen and Govinda started to "play" they looked more like djs really - using 2 Apple laptops - but I'm sure it was their own music! They were projecting very cool pictures and graphics on a big screen. Trippy stuff. Govinda accompanied the Apples (!) and sang sometimes and played electric violin. He sang and played beautifully.
Rebecca and Tola and I danced our butts off. It was so much fun. Laura doesn't dance. At all. (I feel a song coming on...Laura doesn't dance. at all. She spent the evening holding up...the wall). KIDDING LAURA. She's such a trooper - just sat and watched us (she did like the music and put Carmen's cd on her "list").
Here are a few pics of the girlz:
From left to right: Rebecca, Tola and Laura
Finally Carmen took a break and I kind of sauntered over and introduced myself and he jumped up and gave me a hug! He remembered me right away. I bought his cds, which he signed of course. We chatted for a little bit. He asked if I was going to the Who's Hollywood Bowl show. I told him that I penciled it in! ha ha
I hope and pray I get tickets...we'll see! He was just an absolute sweetheart really - he thanked me for bringing my friends. Then he gave me another hug and a kiss!
I look severly jet lagged but here we are!
You can check out Carmen's music here!
Govinda is amazing too...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Tales of a Suburban Warrior Princess
Ah so now I am rockin' the suburbs...
So as you know I conveniently left my husband Sujoy back in Taipei for 2 weeks so he could slave away for us as he so generously does! Thank you, sweetie pie. kiss kiss...
It was very very strange to be back at first. San Diego looks like a ghost town compared to Taipei. Where is everyone???!!
Driving was a trip. I went through a red light and a stop sign my first day driving. I NEVER do that!!! But these things are optional is Taipei (no joke). I just spaced them.
Anjoli and I spent a few afternoons at the local Y pool. We were loving the gorgeous weather and clear blue sky. (We missed that awful heatwave, but we had our share of hot hot mugginess in Taipei). Happily we met some of Anjoli's friend at the pool and wasted no time making much needed playdates for Anjoli.
She had lots of sleepovers with her friends. During one sleepover she and Diane played "insurance adjusters." Okaaaaaaaaaaay. Diane's mom had just had a fender bender in a parking lot, so they wrote up pretend reports for Allstate.
It cracked me up. This is how it read:
Name: Cynthia
Age: 19
Story: I was at Marshall's at the parking lot, and this guy just smashed into my car. It was like on purpose.
They told me: "tomorrow we're going to pretend we're working for the UN and we're going to supply Africa with water." Sweet, innit?
A few days after we came home, my dear friend Laura came down from L.A. and brought her friends Tola and Rebecca who were visiting from Sweden. We had a blast (Anjoli conveniently stayed with her friends a couple of nights so it was great to be FREE!!). What great girls they are. So sweet, smart and fun.
The first night I brought them to Coronado and we had girlie cocktails beachside at the Hotel Del Coronado. That's always the first place I bring guests who are visiting from out of town. Sadly, I forgot my camera.
They were all gung ho about visiting Tijuana, and this warrior princess aims to please. So, after many many caveats, we arrived in this crazy border city. It was just as (bad) as they expected, and we were all annoyed with the macho men who tried to lure us into their stores, but that comes with the territory. One of them kept trying to get us into a strip joint (he promised that it was a Chippendales show - HA! Fat chance). He kept saying to me: "my mother-in-law gets in free...c'mon bring your DAUGHTERS!!" grrrrrrrr. They're all around 23 years old. Oh well, that's what I get hanging around youngins.
We had a delicious lunch at a Spanish (not Mexican) restaurant:
Later on we found a quiet street off the main drag where we had margaritas:
I bought a few custom, handmade bracelets for Anjoli and Diane that this man made out of wire before our eyes. He wound them into Anjoli's name (he already had made one that spelled Diane). It was quite an amazing feat, he did it in no time and it's really very pretty! Of course I had to bring back the obligatory bottle of good tequila, so later that night we had a few more margaritas...I did manage to save most of the tequila for Sujoy. (phew)
The next day we went to my favorite beach in the world, Torrey Pines, which is in La Jolla. The water was freezing but I think they all enjoyed it.
Later that evening I dropped Anjoli off at Diane's and we went uptown to Hillcrest. It's my favorite part of town (very gay so naturally it's very quaint and filled with cool, fun shops). Rebecca was keen on going to the vintage shops. She found a scarf and Tola found a really cute dress. Unfortunately we got there late and most of them were closed, so I led the way the next day so they could return and shop some more on their way home.
After shopping we had a delicious Thai dinner then we went to dance at my favorite club here in San Diego, The Kava Lounge...We had such a blast, I'll tell you all about it real soon!
So as you know I conveniently left my husband Sujoy back in Taipei for 2 weeks so he could slave away for us as he so generously does! Thank you, sweetie pie. kiss kiss...
It was very very strange to be back at first. San Diego looks like a ghost town compared to Taipei. Where is everyone???!!
Driving was a trip. I went through a red light and a stop sign my first day driving. I NEVER do that!!! But these things are optional is Taipei (no joke). I just spaced them.
Anjoli and I spent a few afternoons at the local Y pool. We were loving the gorgeous weather and clear blue sky. (We missed that awful heatwave, but we had our share of hot hot mugginess in Taipei). Happily we met some of Anjoli's friend at the pool and wasted no time making much needed playdates for Anjoli.
She had lots of sleepovers with her friends. During one sleepover she and Diane played "insurance adjusters." Okaaaaaaaaaaay. Diane's mom had just had a fender bender in a parking lot, so they wrote up pretend reports for Allstate.
It cracked me up. This is how it read:
Name: Cynthia
Age: 19
Story: I was at Marshall's at the parking lot, and this guy just smashed into my car. It was like on purpose.
They told me: "tomorrow we're going to pretend we're working for the UN and we're going to supply Africa with water." Sweet, innit?
A few days after we came home, my dear friend Laura came down from L.A. and brought her friends Tola and Rebecca who were visiting from Sweden. We had a blast (Anjoli conveniently stayed with her friends a couple of nights so it was great to be FREE!!). What great girls they are. So sweet, smart and fun.
The first night I brought them to Coronado and we had girlie cocktails beachside at the Hotel Del Coronado. That's always the first place I bring guests who are visiting from out of town. Sadly, I forgot my camera.
They were all gung ho about visiting Tijuana, and this warrior princess aims to please. So, after many many caveats, we arrived in this crazy border city. It was just as (bad) as they expected, and we were all annoyed with the macho men who tried to lure us into their stores, but that comes with the territory. One of them kept trying to get us into a strip joint (he promised that it was a Chippendales show - HA! Fat chance). He kept saying to me: "my mother-in-law gets in free...c'mon bring your DAUGHTERS!!" grrrrrrrr. They're all around 23 years old. Oh well, that's what I get hanging around youngins.
We had a delicious lunch at a Spanish (not Mexican) restaurant:
Later on we found a quiet street off the main drag where we had margaritas:
I bought a few custom, handmade bracelets for Anjoli and Diane that this man made out of wire before our eyes. He wound them into Anjoli's name (he already had made one that spelled Diane). It was quite an amazing feat, he did it in no time and it's really very pretty! Of course I had to bring back the obligatory bottle of good tequila, so later that night we had a few more margaritas...I did manage to save most of the tequila for Sujoy. (phew)
The next day we went to my favorite beach in the world, Torrey Pines, which is in La Jolla. The water was freezing but I think they all enjoyed it.
Later that evening I dropped Anjoli off at Diane's and we went uptown to Hillcrest. It's my favorite part of town (very gay so naturally it's very quaint and filled with cool, fun shops). Rebecca was keen on going to the vintage shops. She found a scarf and Tola found a really cute dress. Unfortunately we got there late and most of them were closed, so I led the way the next day so they could return and shop some more on their way home.
After shopping we had a delicious Thai dinner then we went to dance at my favorite club here in San Diego, The Kava Lounge...We had such a blast, I'll tell you all about it real soon!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
I'M BACK!!!!!
Hiking in Yosemite - August 2006
Hello all you lovely people.
Yes I'm back - back in the USA and back in Blogland.
I've missed you all very much.
Life has been - ah, a little discombobulated lately - hard to believe I know.
I've been enjoying being back home - it's been nearly a month now - wow!
Time flies here in San Diego - it didn't in Taipei! I've been spending quality time with my friends and it's been really wonderful. I am blessed for sure. I'll get into the details soon.
We'll be here in the US until February '07, then we'll return to Taipei for a good 5 years. It's a little scary - but exciting too.
Anjoli and I had a rude awakening when we landed at LAX though. I didn't sleep on the plane, so I had gone at least 24 hours w/no sleep. Our luggage was delayed, so, after going through customs, I knew we probably wouldn't make the connecting flight to San Diego.
Anjoli and I struggled with our luggage - we had 4 huge suitcases and 2 backpacks. My poor daughter had to push her own cart up this ramp after customs and she was having a really hard time. She's only 8 years old. This (older American) woman looked at her and rather than offer to help, LAUGHED and added: "maybe you have too much luggage!" Of course, I couldn't go into the details about WHY we had so much luggage, shuffling between continents as it were, so I just gave her the meanest "if looks could kill" glare.
THEN - when we get to the exit, I was (mis)directed to take my 2 carts of luggage to terminal 7 - which felt, at that point, like a 10 mile uphill hike. I was running with my cart, yelling at Anjoli to hurry for fear of missing the flight. She breaks down, crying, so I try my best to pull both carts. I asked a couple of TSA guys for help, and they flatly refused. I know it's not their job, but, DO YOU THINK they'd help a mom and her kid out, just spare me a minute or two of their time? Ha!
SO we reach terminal 7 - and it's the WRONG terminal - turns out it's terminal 4.
Now I have reached the breaking point. I frantically looked for SOMEONE, ANYONE to help me wheel Anjoli's cart to Terminal 4. No one would help me. So I started screaming: "I HATE THIS COUNTRY!! WHY DID I COME BACK???!! WHY WON'T ANYONE HELP ME? WHY IS EVERYONE SO SELFISH???"
It's really strange, don't you think that kind of behavior would set off a red flag? Well, maybe not - terrorists tend to be a bit more subtle when they're about to blow up an airport! (This was way before the London terrorist plot was uncovered,btw).
Anyway, after one last futile plea for help from a female American Airlines employee, I figured out where to check in, but right before I did, an ASIAN man came toward me, gesturing that he was willing to help. Can you beat that? I thanked him, and was probably near tears and shaking at that point, but I got to the elevator and we checked in. We WERE too late for the connecting flight, but it was only an hour wait.
I yelled at the poor American Airlines employee at the check-in line, and I feel badly in retrospect. "Nobody will help me - including YOU!!" I said. I win drama queen of the year, I think!
One funny note, and this was a first: on the shuttle to the commuter gate we rode with mostly Asian passengers, and I noticed one Asian woman USING HER VIDEO CAMERA SCREEN as a mirror to fix her hair and make-up. (I'm not being racist, btw! I thought it was very clever actually. I felt more comfortable surrounded by Asians at that point!).
Well, the whole fiasco was a lesson for me. Sujoy called me on my cell twice from Taipei, but I wouldn't talk to him, because I am bull headed and was in a tizzy. BUT if I HAD listened to him, I would have checked my luggage back in at customs, NOT at the terminal (I have no idea why I was told to do that - AND she told me the wrong terminal, but you don't have to bring your luggage to the terminal. I thought that was the case, but wasn't sure about LAX).
The moral is: I shouldn't be so arrogant, I should listen to Sujoy, my darling husband, who is, (gulp) almost always right. URGH!!! He tried to tell me to go to Terminal 4, but I was too mental at the time to believe him.
This is the worst of my return to the US.
Thankfully, it gets better, as you'll see...
Saturday, July 22, 2006
I Was Somewhere Over the Rainbow...
Ok, (drum roll please), not to diss my wonderful sister and Blogger pal Sue, but the REAL reason I traveled 10,000 miles was to attend the:
Rufus Wainwright has a mystical connection to the late, great Judy Garland. On June 14 and 15 he wowed his beloved fans at Carnegie Hall (yes, the majority of them well- off gay men) and sang the entire “Judy Garland Comeback Performance” – the same performance she gave at Carnegie Hall in April of 1961.
Before the show I spotted Antony of Antony and the Johnsons and an old MTV VJ…I forget his name. I ran to the ladies’ room and did a little jig, realizing that the best thing about going to a Rufus concert at Carnegie Hall is: NO LINE IN THE LADIES ROOM! Woo hoo. (Ok the same can be said for a Who show, really).
I had nosebleed seats when my heart really wanted to be closer, but I treated my sister (ok dragged her,kinda) so I had to buy two tix.
Still, I was thankful to be at such a momentous spectacle, and even happier not to be alone, as I often am when I attend Rufus’ shows!
I was very very happy, as you can see (Jen took this pic w/her cell phone so, the resonance isn’t so hot).
I was tearing up during the intro/overture, pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream. And OMG what an orchestra! The sound...mwah. It was heavenly, and that was without Rufus!
Then on he walked and sang "When You're Smiling" and really truly, his voice has never sounded better. Big, velvety, it filled the entire hall, I kept picturing it emanating like a globe - it reached the ceiling. Global, think global. (ok I guess I got that off a bumper sticker).
I thought my heart would burst, I really did. Yeah that sounds over the top, but I was in this blissful state that is very hard for me to describe. At one point in the show, I realized that I forgot where I was (as in Carnegie Hall, NYC, USA, earth).Talk about a Zen experience. It was transcendent, maybe like having a religious experience. I don't know how anyone could have left there not believing in God, because I felt like he was channeling the Divine. I'm not exaggerating.
He even stopped a few numbers because they were too slow. I love that he has the guts to do that and why not? Do it right, right?? He's a perfectionist but I'm glad he is!
Rufus sashayed, shook his booty and even threw in a few knee slides (being a true Divo/Drama Queen, naturally). He even wore a top hat at the beginning of the second half:
Some funny highlights: Rufus introduced his mom, folk singer Kate McGarrigle, and she walked onstage, clad in a gold lame (Elvis-like) suit carrying a banjo. Rufus detests the banjo…and he deadpans: “Deliver us from Deliverance.” She was joking, of course:
Kate accompanied Rufus to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which he sang while sitting on the edge of the stage. It was beautiful, of course:
The encores were a real treat, and Kate returned to accompany Rufus on piano again, and for one song (I forget which one) he said, “Mom! I need more of an introduction that THAT” and then, not missing a beat, she said,” Oh, do you want the Philip Glass version?” hee hee!
Another funny moment was when Rufus returned for an encore ("Get Happy") wearing a Fedora.
After the song, Kate said: "Ah, Rufus, you're supposed to be Judy in that hat, right?"
Rufus: "Yeah..."
Kate: "Oh. I was thinking it was more Michael Jackson."
Rufus’ sister Martha returned for her encore and Rufus embarrassed her by acting like a 5 year old: “Hey sis, it’s like we have our own Judy TV show for Mom! Which song should we play for her?!” Martha covered her face with her hands. I don’t think she was acting! When she had finished one song (she sang a total of 2 encores), Rufus hopped off his stool and said, “Ok! My turn! (Yeah you REALLY have to be a Rufus freakazoid to get all this. Laura, you understand, RIGHT???)
Rufus loves his dear sister Martha:
Of course I love Rufus to death, but can I just say that, besides my two favorite songs If Love Were All and Alone Together, Martha was a major highlight. OMG- her voice, delivery, emotion, heart - I just can't find the words. I think Martha could easily pull off a concert of standards, and I wish she would. Of course she can't do "the Judy Comeback" again, but honestly, her voice and her unique style are made for the interpretation of standards. I love her own songs, but she really shines when she sings songs like Stormy Weather and Someone to Watch Over Me (she performed both that night). The most important aspect of singing is to make the audience believe that you are feeling every word that you are singing, and in that respect, she is closer to Judy than Rufus, BUT I think she has an advantage being a woman. (!)
She never looked (or sounded) more beautiful:
I couldn't believe how quickly the concert went! I was counting the songs at the beginning, saying to myself, "aw, only 23 songs left..."
I was SO excited about meeting other Rufus Wainwright Message Board members. We were having cell phone problems, but miraculously,after the show I finally met Jody and her husband Joh from New Jersey. They are the sweetest, cutest couple on the planet. I hope I can meet up again with them (and drag my husband next time). I envy Jody because Joh likes Rufus as much as Jody. Lucky girl - and she knows it.
After the show we met some other board members (Yasmin, Emilie, Cindy and Jennifer). Rufus has the BEST FANS on the planet. Really wonderful people. (Well, besides Rachel Fuller, of course).
Jody, Joh, Jennifer and her sister along with myself and my sister were waiting by the stage door for awhile after the show. When Rufus didn't surface, that was our cue to head for the bar...my intuition told me that after a drink, he'd appear, so we went back and sure enough he did. My sister is pretty clever and figured out which door he'd come out of (not the main one but one to the side) so we were far from the crowd but close to him!
He signed my beautiful poster, but there was no time to get a word in edge wise. My poor little tiny sister got swept up by the mob that attacked him from the other door (within seconds). It was a little scary for her!
I felt badly because I had been chatting with Rufus’ cousin, Lily Lankin (daughter of Anna McGarrigle), and then Rufus appeared and in a microsecond I was like, poof, right there with my poster in his face! (not really but you know what I mean). After he signed my poster I did go back and apologized to her - she's so sweet I'm sure she understood! She even asked my name and shook my hand. Then I saw her dad, Dane Lankin who was standing next to her, and he introduced himself and shook my hand! They're the nicest people. What a family.
It must be kismet (?) that I waited so long to post this, because a few days back, Jody sent me a picture of all of us that appeared in a Sunday supplement to the Uk newspaper, The Guardian called Observer Music Monthly. It’s a picture of Rufus SIGNING MY POSTER!
Voila:
Me (again!) :
And Jody (in the black cap, holding her camera):
Jen and I before Hurricane Rufus:
Joh got some great shots of Rufus:
THANK YOU RUFUS FOR A NIGHT THAT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
(Please note that photos used here were posted on the rufuswainwright.com message board. Many thanks to those who posted them).
Rufus Wainwright has a mystical connection to the late, great Judy Garland. On June 14 and 15 he wowed his beloved fans at Carnegie Hall (yes, the majority of them well- off gay men) and sang the entire “Judy Garland Comeback Performance” – the same performance she gave at Carnegie Hall in April of 1961.
Before the show I spotted Antony of Antony and the Johnsons and an old MTV VJ…I forget his name. I ran to the ladies’ room and did a little jig, realizing that the best thing about going to a Rufus concert at Carnegie Hall is: NO LINE IN THE LADIES ROOM! Woo hoo. (Ok the same can be said for a Who show, really).
I had nosebleed seats when my heart really wanted to be closer, but I treated my sister (ok dragged her,kinda) so I had to buy two tix.
Still, I was thankful to be at such a momentous spectacle, and even happier not to be alone, as I often am when I attend Rufus’ shows!
I was very very happy, as you can see (Jen took this pic w/her cell phone so, the resonance isn’t so hot).
I was tearing up during the intro/overture, pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream. And OMG what an orchestra! The sound...mwah. It was heavenly, and that was without Rufus!
Then on he walked and sang "When You're Smiling" and really truly, his voice has never sounded better. Big, velvety, it filled the entire hall, I kept picturing it emanating like a globe - it reached the ceiling. Global, think global. (ok I guess I got that off a bumper sticker).
I thought my heart would burst, I really did. Yeah that sounds over the top, but I was in this blissful state that is very hard for me to describe. At one point in the show, I realized that I forgot where I was (as in Carnegie Hall, NYC, USA, earth).Talk about a Zen experience. It was transcendent, maybe like having a religious experience. I don't know how anyone could have left there not believing in God, because I felt like he was channeling the Divine. I'm not exaggerating.
He even stopped a few numbers because they were too slow. I love that he has the guts to do that and why not? Do it right, right?? He's a perfectionist but I'm glad he is!
Rufus sashayed, shook his booty and even threw in a few knee slides (being a true Divo/Drama Queen, naturally). He even wore a top hat at the beginning of the second half:
Some funny highlights: Rufus introduced his mom, folk singer Kate McGarrigle, and she walked onstage, clad in a gold lame (Elvis-like) suit carrying a banjo. Rufus detests the banjo…and he deadpans: “Deliver us from Deliverance.” She was joking, of course:
Kate accompanied Rufus to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which he sang while sitting on the edge of the stage. It was beautiful, of course:
The encores were a real treat, and Kate returned to accompany Rufus on piano again, and for one song (I forget which one) he said, “Mom! I need more of an introduction that THAT” and then, not missing a beat, she said,” Oh, do you want the Philip Glass version?” hee hee!
Another funny moment was when Rufus returned for an encore ("Get Happy") wearing a Fedora.
After the song, Kate said: "Ah, Rufus, you're supposed to be Judy in that hat, right?"
Rufus: "Yeah..."
Kate: "Oh. I was thinking it was more Michael Jackson."
Rufus’ sister Martha returned for her encore and Rufus embarrassed her by acting like a 5 year old: “Hey sis, it’s like we have our own Judy TV show for Mom! Which song should we play for her?!” Martha covered her face with her hands. I don’t think she was acting! When she had finished one song (she sang a total of 2 encores), Rufus hopped off his stool and said, “Ok! My turn! (Yeah you REALLY have to be a Rufus freakazoid to get all this. Laura, you understand, RIGHT???)
Rufus loves his dear sister Martha:
Of course I love Rufus to death, but can I just say that, besides my two favorite songs If Love Were All and Alone Together, Martha was a major highlight. OMG- her voice, delivery, emotion, heart - I just can't find the words. I think Martha could easily pull off a concert of standards, and I wish she would. Of course she can't do "the Judy Comeback" again, but honestly, her voice and her unique style are made for the interpretation of standards. I love her own songs, but she really shines when she sings songs like Stormy Weather and Someone to Watch Over Me (she performed both that night). The most important aspect of singing is to make the audience believe that you are feeling every word that you are singing, and in that respect, she is closer to Judy than Rufus, BUT I think she has an advantage being a woman. (!)
She never looked (or sounded) more beautiful:
I couldn't believe how quickly the concert went! I was counting the songs at the beginning, saying to myself, "aw, only 23 songs left..."
I was SO excited about meeting other Rufus Wainwright Message Board members. We were having cell phone problems, but miraculously,after the show I finally met Jody and her husband Joh from New Jersey. They are the sweetest, cutest couple on the planet. I hope I can meet up again with them (and drag my husband next time). I envy Jody because Joh likes Rufus as much as Jody. Lucky girl - and she knows it.
After the show we met some other board members (Yasmin, Emilie, Cindy and Jennifer). Rufus has the BEST FANS on the planet. Really wonderful people. (Well, besides Rachel Fuller, of course).
Jody, Joh, Jennifer and her sister along with myself and my sister were waiting by the stage door for awhile after the show. When Rufus didn't surface, that was our cue to head for the bar...my intuition told me that after a drink, he'd appear, so we went back and sure enough he did. My sister is pretty clever and figured out which door he'd come out of (not the main one but one to the side) so we were far from the crowd but close to him!
He signed my beautiful poster, but there was no time to get a word in edge wise. My poor little tiny sister got swept up by the mob that attacked him from the other door (within seconds). It was a little scary for her!
I felt badly because I had been chatting with Rufus’ cousin, Lily Lankin (daughter of Anna McGarrigle), and then Rufus appeared and in a microsecond I was like, poof, right there with my poster in his face! (not really but you know what I mean). After he signed my poster I did go back and apologized to her - she's so sweet I'm sure she understood! She even asked my name and shook my hand. Then I saw her dad, Dane Lankin who was standing next to her, and he introduced himself and shook my hand! They're the nicest people. What a family.
It must be kismet (?) that I waited so long to post this, because a few days back, Jody sent me a picture of all of us that appeared in a Sunday supplement to the Uk newspaper, The Guardian called Observer Music Monthly. It’s a picture of Rufus SIGNING MY POSTER!
Voila:
Me (again!) :
And Jody (in the black cap, holding her camera):
Jen and I before Hurricane Rufus:
Joh got some great shots of Rufus:
THANK YOU RUFUS FOR A NIGHT THAT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
(Please note that photos used here were posted on the rufuswainwright.com message board. Many thanks to those who posted them).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
