Monday, April 16, 2007

I went to a networking soiree at a posh house in Beverly Hills. My friend TNC invited me, so I went to her place first and we rode to the event in her car. TNC wasn't sure how to dress for it. "It's probably not dressy," she said, "because it's in somebody's home."

As it turned out, it was a bit fancy. When we pulled up in front of the house, TNC panicked a bit when she realized there was valet parking for the event. "Maybe I should dash home and change," she said. "You look beautiful," I assured her. And she did. She's got such a great figure and pretty face that it almost doesn't matter what she wears.

I had on my favorite patchwork leather pants that are falling apart because I've worn them so much. I've been patching them up but I'm afraid they're not long for this world. They were a big hit at the soiree though.

There were all kinds of foods inside, which I loved of course. Sushi, grilled lambchops, chicken shishkabobs, cold noodles with sesame paste, spring rolls and more. I ate and ate and talked and talked.

The networking party was hosted by the Danish government. They paid for ten of the top songwriters in Denmark to come to California and meet with local songwriters to collaborate on new songs. They're going to be here for ten days. I gave my card out and collected some cards.

Easter was pretty uneventful. I started the day giving thanks as always and then had fried eggs for breakfast to celebrate. I was feeling kind of homesick though because when I'm in New York I always go with my friend SGB to her mother's house in White Plains for Easter dinner. Her mother makes the best fried chicken this side of Heaven. I don't even know when the last time was that I ate fried chicken but because it was Easter and I was feeling homesick, I wanted fried chicken, so I went to the local market and bought a free range chicken and called SGB's mother and got her recipe and fried up that chicken. It was so delicious that I ate almost the whole chicken in one sitting. Of course I was awake half the night with a stomach ache but it was worth it!

The owner of the house I'm living in, MHO, was in town for a few days and invited me to a restaurant for dinner the other night. My friend BJG was playing at the Malibu Inn, so we went there with the plan to eat and listen to the band. Unfortunately, two things stopped us from doing that. One was there were no tables set up in the area where the band was playing so we would have had to wait until after the show to eat and we were both starving. The other was the sound system there is pretty bad. I would have stuck it out because BJG's my friend but MHO wasn't feeling the music at all, so we left. I felt kind of bad because there weren't a lot of people there and I knew our absence would be noticed but I also firmly believe that people treat others the way they want to be treated. So I asked myself, knowing BJG as I do, what would he have done? He would have appeased the owner of the house he was living in, I'm sure. He's got his priorities straight. So I left with MHO and we went to a lovely Italian restaurant and had a lovely meal.

I saw on MySpace that Saul Williams was performing at UCLA and decided on a whim to drive in and see him perform live. I'm not a spoken word fan as a general rule but every once in a while I'll come across an artist that's exceptional. Saul Williams is one such artist. There wasn't any information about tickets or anything but I decided to figure it out when I got there. When I finally found the auditorium where the concert was taking place, I saw, to my dismay, that there was a sign posted saying "Please have your student I.D. ready. No one will be admitted without proper I.D." Just as I was approaching the entrance to plead my case, Saul Williams arrived and I overheard him saying to the people manning the entrance, "These are my two friends. Can you give them passes to get in?" I seized the opportunity that good fortune had placed before me, boldly stepped up to Saul Williams and asked, "Can you make that three friends?" He looked at me for a second as if what I was saying was registering and then said, "Sure." So I got a pass to get in to see the concert.

Just as I'd anticipated, he was magnificent! The entire audience, myself included, hung on his every word and gesture as he performed "Said the Shotgun to the Head." I drove home after, totally excited and inspired to write a song based on that piece.

There were other performers as well, but although they were all quite good, none compared to Saul Williams, which is why they saved him for last I suppose. It was a fundraising event for Doctors Without Borders. There was a film clip about what they do. There were a few bands performing as well, all of them quite good. Malalai Joya, the first woman to be admitted to parliament in Afghanistan, also came out onto the stage to talk about the grave situation in her country. Her impassioned speech and plea for America's support brought tears to many eyes, mine included. All in all, I was quite happy that I went. I left the UCLA auditorium with my heart full and even more determined to continue to fight on the side of good.

One of my MySpace friends contacted me and asked me to do a remake of Que Sera Sera for a film trailer. He wanted to use Sly and the Family Stone's version but they wouldn't give him permission. It was challenging to do it the same way and yet add my own daughter of the sun special flavor but I think I accomplished it and the film's producer was very happy with the song. The trailer's going to be shown in a lot of film festivals, which will be great exposure for me.

Thursday I performed at the Westwood Farmers Market again. Last time there were hummingbirds flitting around me as I sang. This time nature was not nearly as welcoming. There was such a fierce wind blowing that the canopies over the vendors' tables were blowing away and the vendors were frantically running to catch them. The table cloths were also blowing away and the trees were being thrashed about. People kept leaving because their food was being blown away. I was positioned under a tree and, as I sang, branches were falling on my head. I was quite happy when three o'clock rolled around and I could pack it in!

I finally got to have dinner at Mr. Chow's restaurant. I'm not clear what all the hoopla is about. I mean, it was a nice enough restaurant but the tables were really close together and it was so noisy that I felt like I was in a cafeteria.

I spent the weekend in San Francisco. My friend CNC came from Paris for a visit and we decided to take a road trip north. (A lot of the wonderful photos in this journal entry were taken by him.) KBD was working at a Burning Man event and we thought it might be fun to go. KBD had to leave early Saturday morning to set up, so CNC and I drove around the city and took lots of photos, had lunch at a French bistro and met up with KBD later. CNC stayed at the Golden Gate Hotel several years ago and wanted to pay them a visit to see if it was still the same after all these years. Apparently it was as CNC seemed quite happy and promised, "I'm going to recommend my family to come." CNC's English is not perfect but better than my french. The proprietor was baking oatmeal cookies when we arrived and CNC and I were disappointed that she didn't offer us any. They smelled and looked delicious!

When we finally made it back to the KBD's place in San Rafael, we were exhausted. KBD had The Incredibles on DVD, so I worked on my laptop while we all vegged out on the sofa and watched the movie.

Sunday morning, the three of us walked to the shopping area and stopped at The Crepevine for brunch. After, we stopped at a refuge for birds that a local woman opened to nurse injured birds back to health. Then CNC and I hit the road and headed back to Los Angeles.

It was a fun weekend but I was very happy to make it safely back to Malibu and take a long, hot bath before falling into bed for the night.

More soon...

© Daughter of the Sun. Reprint by permission only.

March 24, 2007 -I had kind of a surreal moment today. I sometimes keep the television on when I'm working on the computer. Just as sort of background noise so I don't feel so alone. Every once in a while, I'll tune in and listen to what's going on. There was a commercial on for a car dealership. When I heard "Sherman Oaks," I thought they'd made a mistake. For one crazy moment, I thought I was still in New York City! I had a good laugh at myself once I realized what happened. More...

March 12, 2007 - I drove down to Chula Vista to perform at Southwestern College's campus. There was a street painting festival going on and students from the college came and painted beautiful pictures while I sang. I was tempted to drive down to Mexico afterward but one of my MySpace friends was performing in Hollywood and I wanted to get back to see her. More...

February 26, 2007 - Let's see; what have I been up to? I went to a party at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. My friend BGJ was sitting in with a band. It was a birthday party for a girl who's in the television show Scrubs. I danced a lot and gave out some cards of course. More...

January 20, 2007 - It feels like 2006 is just a rapidly fading dream that I had a long time ago. And it's only January. I'm firmly ensconced in Malibu. I have my recording setup up and running and actually finished the vocals and mixed a new song I wrote while in New York, entitled "Whatever." It's one of those fun, singing about nothing songs that the majors seem to like so much. More...

December 27, 2006 - I have much to be thankful for this holiday season. I have my health, a wonderful home in Malibu, a great car to drive around in, food in the fridge, loving family and friends, a new band and my God-given talents. And the stove is finally working at the house, which means I don't have to use the hotplate anymore. More...

November 15, 2006 - What a challenge these past couple of weeks have been. My plan was to go to Santa Barbara last Friday to finalize the details with the transfer of the car. I had to sign the agreement with the previous owner and to go to DMV to register the car, only to discover on Friday that the DMV was closed because Saturday was Veteran’s Day. More...

October 17, 2006 - I was on strike today. I decided that, not only was I not leaving the house today, but I also was not going to take off my pajamas. Fortunately, KBD’s new housemate, RJD, is away for a few days because he likes to have lots of attention and is always strutting around, puffing out his chest, bragging about his latest business conquest. The bad news is, we never got around to going grocery shopping so there weren’t a lot of options food-wise. More...

October 10, 2006 -I went out a few nights ago to hang out again with my new MySpace friend to see her friend perform. I was so proud of myself because I didn’t get lost once on the drive there. By the time I arrived at the Revolution Café, AMS and her friends had already polished off a few bottles of wine. More...

October 3, 2006 - I’ve been in Northern California for nearly two weeks now. I’m staying at KBD’s home once again, in the house overlooking the ocean and the rolling hills. Today I saw two deer grazing right outside the kitchen window. I felt a long way from the overcrowded, noisy streets of New York City. More...

September 10, 2006 - It’s almost midnight and here I sit in front of my computer still. I didn’t go out today. I don’t know if it was cold or hot but I do know that it was sunny because I sat near the window as I worked, so that I could feel the sun on my skin. More...

August 20, 2006 - Friday night was my performance at The Alphabet Lounge. There was a nice turnout, although about one third of the people arrived almost at the end of the performance. More...

July 7, 2006 - Yesterday was my show at The Talking Stick. I thought I’d get some photos of my performance but unfortunately TDJ arrived just as I’d finished my last song. I only performed a few songs. More...

July 3, 2006 - I’m in my own bedroom at TDJ’s apartment. My own little slice of Heaven. I’m sleeping on an air mattress on the floor in what is technically TDJ’s office/recording studio but who cares. I have my own bathroom and I can sleep as late as I like. More...

June 30, 2006 - I think I’ve worn out my welcome with NAP. Fortunately, I spoke with TDJ yesterday and his other houseguests have departed, which means that starting today I can stay in his extra bedroom. He’s my only friend in California that I haven’t met through MySpace. More...

June 24, 2006 - So I’m in Los Angeles, the city of broken dreams and make believe. I’m staying with a wonderful family, thanks again to MySpace. NAP is a singer, a wife and the mother of two absolutely adorable (and exhaustingly rambunctious) children. More...

June 8, 2006 - I am loving life right about now. I’m in Northern California in a little town near Sausalito with a population of about 200. I posted an ad on Craigs List saying I was willing to exchange administrative services for room and board and, lo and behold, I got two responses the very next day. More...

May 3, 2006 - I just got in from playing in the subway station. I like the F line at the 23rd Street station... More...

April 24, 2006 - I found a numerology site and, according to their calculations, I’m at the end of a cycle. I‘ve past the harvest and I’m about to lay down new seeds I guess to prepare for the coming Winter. More...

April 10, 2006 - I’ve been spending a lot of time online, working on my MySpace page, making new friends through MySpace as well. By the time I get to California, I’ll already know lots of folks there. More...

April 2, 2006 - I can’t believe it’s April already. The year is nearly half done, although some more optimistic than I am at this moment in my life would say the year’s barely begun. It just seems that time is marching along faster and faster each year. More...

March 23, 2006 - Not much new to report. Still laid up with my broken toe. More...

March 16, 2006 - What a week it’s been! A broken toe, post-Philly drama, TTT came into town, west coast tour in the works, April concert to plan, new band. More...

March 10, 2006 - It was a pretty smooth drive with almost no traffic even though we left the city at 5 o’clock. We reached Philadelphia at about 8 o’clock. It reminds me of a lot of other small towns I’ve been in, like Troy and Albany. More...

March 8, 2006 - This evening I’m off to New Rochelle to perform at a Habitat for Humanity fundraising event. I’m taking CDs, which I will autograph and sell and donate half the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. They’re going to New Orleans to rebuild some of the homes that were destroyed by Katrina. More...

March 2, 2006 - I am so over the cold and ready for the Spring. It’s hard to believe it’s right around the corner. The groundhog saw his shadow last month, which supposedly means Winter is hanging around a bit longer but I remain ever hopeful. More...

February 25, 2006 - Another late night… What else is new? I performed at Bellizzi’s tonight. Two sets. I ran through my entire arsenal of songs and even threw in a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s song, “True Colors.” I don’t really like doing covers but the woman who hired me for the night asked me to and you have to give the people what they want, especially when they're paying. More...

February 19, 2006 - Another all nighter… My plan was to get into bed by midnight at the latest but I wound up staying up and setting up my page on MySpace. It turns out there’s another artist with my name (Setra) who’s already on MySpace so I couldn’t use my own name. I had to sign up using Daughter of the Sun instead. It took a while to upload the music and the photos, once I figured out how to do it. More...

February 16, 2006 - Hurray! The snow is almost gone! Just the way I like the snow. A lot of it comes down, it stays for a few days and then it melts and is gone; and not a moment too soon. I ate the last of the food today, which means I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I haven't weighed myself but I have a feeling I've gained at least a couple of pounds. More...

Snow - I have about five days’ worth of food, and I’m prepared to hibernate until the snow melts. My car is parked across the street but I don’t know which mound it’s under. It was kind of nice being home alone and doing whatever I wanted to without having to answer to anybody or even speak to another person. I turned off the ringer on the phone and just spent some time with myself. More...

Guero's - I just got in from Guero’s. What a night. First off, it turns out they didn’t have a PA system, an amp, a microphone or microphone stand so I had to pack up all that stuff and take it with me. I lugged it all a block and a half to where I’d parked my car Monday evening and when I got to the parking spot where I’d left my car, my car was nowhere to be found. More...

More Journals

San Rafael Mission

I couldn't resist playing these beauties when we passed this drum shop in San Rafael.