Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Sunday I had brunch with the sisters. "Are you twins?" I asked the first time I saw the two of them together. "We share the same birthday," they said, "let's just leave it at that." I made blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup and salmon croquettes. We started with a lovely Zinfandel, so by the time we were halfway through the meal, the conversation had become quite lively. We shared stories about music, relationships, Paris, New York and dermatology.

One of the sisters is a photographer. I'd seen her work before I met her and was really impressed with it. Her photos are not the typical Colgate smile type. They're moody and sexy in a non-typical kind of way -- exactly what I'm looking for. I was happy to see that she'd brought her camera with her and even more delighted when she whipped it out and began photographing me.

I went to The Other Room in Venice, CA to meet with one of my MySpace friends who was celebrating her birthday. It's a really cool place and I want to go back again. They boast of having sixty different beers so of course I had to try one. I'm not a beer drinker (not much of a drinker in general). I like an occasionjal Guinness Stout but I didn't want to have that since I can have a Guinness pretty much anywhere. I had something else which was pretty good. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was.

I heard back from the licensing company that I submitted the song "Bigger, Badder, Stronger" to. "They really like the song," they said, "but they would have preferred the vocals were done by a man." Why is the rock genre so closed to females doing hard rock. Do they feel that only men are capable of wearing makeup and high heels and sashaying around on stage in tight pants while screaming into the microphone and flinging their hair about? Or is it because that's one arena where they can safely do all of that and not be considered gay?

My friend CDD came for a visit for a few days. He brought his vide equipment and his last night in town we did a video recording for the song In My Room. I still have to have it transferred from tape to a format I can edit on the computer so I don't know how it came out. I hadn't slept in about three days and I'm hoping I don't have huge bags under my eyes and all but I'll find out soon enough.

I went to Austin to visit my friend UDM. She just moved there and is teaching theater at the university. UDM had some errands to run so she gave me a little tour of Austin while I accompanied her on her errands. We stopped at a friend of hers' house to check on it for her while she's out of town. It's one of the most fun houses I've ever seen. It's still being built but I love the way it's coming along so far. After, we went to UDM's new place, which is a very nice 2 bedroom with a little patio, and had dinner outside on the patio. There's a lot of building going on in Ausutin. It'll be interesting to see what it looks like in ten years.

My plane ride back to Los Angles was probably the loudest flight I've ever experienced. I was scheduled to fly out of Austin at 11:50 A.M., which would have put me in Los Angeles at 12:40 P.M. I arrived at the airport a few hours earlier than my flight was scheduled to depart. I figured I'd get a book or magazine and read until it was time to board the plane. I breezed through the gate, unlike my trip to Austin, where they confiscated my jojoba oil and body lotion. While I was looking through magazines, I heard an announcement over the P.A. system that it was the last call on American Airlines for passengers departing on the 8:50 A.M. flight. "What the heck," I thought, "I might as well see if I can get on that flight."

I approached the gate and asked, "Is there any chance I can get on this earlier flight?" "There sure is," the man behind the counter said. "It's not gonna be a great seat though," he warned. "How bad can it be?" I asked, seeing that it was a window seat. Well, I soon found out the answer to that question. I probably had the worst seat on the entire airplane. Yes, I had a window seat, but that unfortunately put me right up against the engine, which droned loudly in my right ear for the entire three hour flight. I only hope there is no permanent damage to my eardrum. I'm considering having a doctor look at it and suing if necessary. I don't know why they would even put a seat so close to the motor.

The three day Memorial Day weekend arrived and I was planning to spend the three days at home, working on music. I slept late Saturday morning, although I was awakened early Saturday morning by a would-be suitor. "I'll call you back when I get up," I said, and hung up the phone. But when I got up a few hours later, I decided to call the two sisters. "What are you folks up to today?" I asked when PSR answered. "We're going to an ayurvedic shop and then to the Beverly Center," she answered. Suddenly, washing the car and working on music didn't seem like such fun. "I want to come with you guys," I said.

So I drove to the two sisters' house and we all piled into their car and drove first to the Grove and then to the Beverly Center, where we shopped until we were ready to drop! Then we went back to their house and I cooked some food. They always have a fridge full of food but neither of them likes to cook. "Help yourself in the kitchen," they say, knowing that I'll go in there and cook up lots of food. This time, since it was late by the time we got back, I made a light dish using some onions, garlic, cherries and apples. It was really good. I got cherry juice all over my hands and they looked like I'd been in a blood bath.

It was quite a chore getting the stains from the cherry juice off of my fingers but I finally got most of it off.

My friend KBD came down from Muir Beach to visit a friend in Redondo Beach, so I drove down to see her.

It was a chilly night, so we sat on the sofa and warmed ourselves in front of the fire.

I was quite sad to say goodbye to Los Angeles, the house in Malibu, the little car that could and the two sisters but I'm off on another adventure, this time to London. I know that wonderful things are in store for me there!

More soon...

© Daughter of the Sun. Reprint by permission only.

May 1, 2007 - CNC's gone back to Paris and I have the place to myself again. I have to admit that, when I heard all the strange noises outside the house at night, it was comforting to know that someone was sleeping in the room across the hall. These days, however, I'm so exhausted by the time I get into bed that I don't even wake up until the morning. More...

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." More...

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...

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