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The first day of June fell on a Saturday.
Not much was planned for the weekend. Zyla had homework to do, service hours to work. Ed was busy finalizing his
speech about his life including a slide show of pictures for his upcoming trip with his school on the spiritual week retreat
in Santa Barbara called Kairos. He had not attended one since 2010 so he was excited to be going again. On Sunday,
I went for a rosary hike at Stough early in the morning. When I got home, Ed received an email saying he had been accepted
to the Journalism Institute Fellowship at Kent State University in Ohio! Last month he had been told he was overqualified
and that he was on an alternate list if someone dropped out. Though Ed's main job was teaching Media Arts, all aspects
of television and film production as well as running jumbo trons for all major school events, he had also been teaching Journalism
at Crespi for the past 5 years without any prior experience or education in the subject from an accredited college.
He was thrilled to be invited to this two-week summer intensive course and looked forward to what he might learn to improve
his classes in that subject. He wrote out his acceptance letter securing his spot for the fellowship. Ed and I
started watching a new show on Netflix instant called The L Word from Showtime. I had heard about it for years, but
never seen it. What an amazing show! We instantly fell in love with the acting, story line and characters.
I was so happy Netflix had all 6 seasons for our viewing pleasure! Monday morning, Ed packed up for his retreat and headed off to work. Zyla and I would not see him for a whole
week. I went online to check my bank statements, something I did every day and was shocked to find a fraudulent charge
to the account. When I called up the bank they said it had been my card that had been used, yet I had my card in my
wallet. I guess the new scam of skimming account numbers from gas pumps or even your restaurant waiter using a device
you can buy online is the new trend in theft. Thieves then use account numbers to make fake cards that are used to go
shopping. Whoever stole my bank number went to Champs sporting goods store in Northridge spending $350! Because
I reported it in less than 24 hours of the occurrence, the bank said I would not be penalized, but it could take up to a week
to get my money back. I had to cancel my cards and have new ones issued as well as fill out a fraud report.
Tuesday, I went for an early morning rosary hike at Stough. The
weather was overcast and cool, with a slight mist to the air. I saw a couple of baby bunnies on the trail, which cheered
me up. As I drove out of the nature center parking lot, I saw a coyote jogging down the street and drove up to it.
It then dashed into the underbrush and made its way up the side of the mountain. I stopped my car to watch, which prompted
it to stop and turn around to look at me. Then it went higher where I couldn't see it so I drove home. I showered
to get ready for my new picture update at Central. It had been two years since I had been in the office to update.
Things had changed a bit with the procedure and they did not want me to re-register until it was closer to my 3-year anniversary
for paperwork, meaning I would have to go back again, probably next February. I am never really thrilled with the picture
they take of me and this time was no different. The lighting feels harsh, and they like to tell you how to pose and
tilt your head, not usually the way I would like, but I was hoping they knew best and I would be booking a new regular stand
in gig soon! Romeo + Juliet came from Netflix. Zyla and I enjoyed this amazing version of Shakespeare starring
Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Zyla was excited for her Shakespeare performance coming up on Thursday, but found
the famous love story tragic. I got Breaking Bad from Netflix and watched the first three episodes, including the one
with my goddaughter Lillian's guest star role! She was amazing, great little actress, I was very proud of her performance.
Wednesday, I got Zyla to school, then decided to check up on the payroll
company of my Industrial Voices of Midway to see if my check had been mailed and if for the correct amount. I was told
it was being cut and mail today and I had been upgraded to the day player rate, hooray! My friend Jason, the props master
workaholic, asked me to give his wife some adult time, so I headed over to their house to hang with Jen and baby Teagan.
Jen had left work and become a full time stay at home mom. Teagan was 18 months old and they were both adjusting to
the move from Orange County. I tried to work in adult topics but we mostly talked about the baby who was being so adorable!
After getting Zyla from school, she thankfully did not have much homework, so we drove all the way across The Valley, to Encino
to meet Shanna at her favorite Thailand House. The food was really good. Shanna gave me some movies to borrow.
I started to watch the first one before going to bed. Lie With Me, the Canadian drama based off the novel, was a very
sexy film, on the X-rated side though technically unrated. Lauren Lee Smith's performance was amazing and I found myself
laughing at many moments that reminded me of myself. Thursday,
I got Zyla up so she could get ready for her Oratorical Faire! I brought the video camera and filmed the entire show
that her class put on about Shakespeare. They all did an amazing job memorizing the awkward English of the old master
playwright. I went home to finish watching Lie With Me, then started the other movie Shanna gave me Better Than Chocolate
another Canadian classic. Wow I just loved this movie, the art direction, the acting, the story line were brilliant.
I wouldn't mind having my own artsy cool loft with Christina Cox as a roomy. And a shout out to Peter Outerbridge I
loved his performance especially singing I'm Not a Fucking Drag Queen. Brilliant.
Friday, I dropped Zyla to school then headed to Stough where I met up with Maureen for a hike. June
gloom weather was perfect for hiking. The fog was so thick you couldn't see anything over the edge but misty gray clouds
rolling in. Maureen pointed out the many Our Lord's Candles, the magical yucca plant that only blooms once a year, which
were scattered about the mountainside. I went home to relax before picking up Zyla from school. Eventually the
early morning cloud cover burned off and the day warmed up. Ed came home around midnight from his Kairos retreat, we
were happy to welcome him home. The weekend was mellow.
Zyla found out her favorite gymnastics coach Jane of the past 4 years was leaving the gym to pursue her marriage and English
teaching career. With this news, we all agreed it was time for Zyla to move onto a new chapter in her life, exploring
other sports and interests. She had been frustrated being stuck in level 3 for the past 3 years but did not want to
leave her favorite teacher. This would be her last month at Golden State Gym. On Sunday, Joleen was starring in
one of the acting scenes of Worlds Collide. She invited us to see her at the Lifebook Playhouse, so we all drove over
to the last performance of the show. The show itself was hosted by two actors who introduce each of the seven short
skits performed by two players. The theatre was packed beyond capacity. My favorite was seeing Joleen in ‘The
Day Before'. Her skit went from fun, laughter and singing to dark tragedy. It brought tears to Ed's eyes.
I also really loved Bri Giger's performance in ‘Bottlez'. When we first arrived, we got there early and sat in
the lobby. When the door opened for seating, the usher stopped Ed to let him know the show might be inappropriate for
Zyla. I knew Joleen invited us all, so it could not be as bad as this guy made it seem. When we asked whether
it was R rated, or if there was nudity, sex or rape, he said no but that there were two girls kissing in one scene, some sexual
talk and situations that only got down to underwear and language. We decided it would be fine for Zyla. If I had
to rate it after seeing it, I would say it could be rated PG 13, except for the F word thrown in that would make it an R rating.
But honestly it was nothing Zyla hadn't seen before on TV shows like Glee.
Monday I was excited to get Zyla to school so Ed and I could start our date days week! Our first date
was going to be to Switzer Falls. We hadn't been since last June when we took the French artsy lingerie pictures, then
ran into that rattlesnake that started Ed on his search for the rattlesnake head necklace he now always wore. After
obtaining a new forest pass, Ed and I drove up the Angeles Crest Hwy to Switzer Falls. The fog was thick, making the
drive spooky magical. All along the ridge of the San Gabriel Mountain Our Lord's Candles alit the way. Only one
other car was in the parking lot, so we pretty much had the forest to ourselves. It was chilly as we crossed the bridge
entering the trail. Memories poured into my mind with every step we took, from the many years I had spent in these woods.
When we reached the old ruins of the Switzer-Land Chapel we took some pictures with Our Lords Candles blooming around us.
Laying down on the hard cement foundation I tried to soak up the energy of this timeless holy site. Humming birds vibrated
the air around my mind. Below the chapel grounds is the look out over the waterfall where Ed proposed to me over 14
years ago. We took our breath there having some snacks I had brought. On the walk back, the air started to warm
as sunlight flitted through the treetops. We took some more fun, flirty shots before exiting our fantasyland.
Praying the rosary driving down the mountain we ended up at Los Gringos Locos bar having peach margaritas and tableside fresh
guacamole and chips. Tuesday, I checked the weather
and found it soaring into the 80's. Ed and I opted for Malibu where the cool ocean breeze brought a briny salt tang
to my lips. We parked at Solstice Canyon, hiking our way back to the haunted mansion. I was in the mood for some
artistic alternate takes on reality which Ed photographed. I splashed under the waterfall before we made our way to
Mary's grotto. For lunch we drove to The Elephant Bar in Burbank. Sitting at the bar, I insisted on getting the
St. Germain's Passion. A mix of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, passion fruit puree, lemon ice and champagne.
It was very tasty, but I did not like the tall glass or all the ice cubes. I preferred it in a champagne glass like
I usually got it at Carthay Circle Lounge or Mexicali Cocina Cantina. Later that afternoon, I was inspired to finish
making the second collage collaboration with Shanna's Corpse Bride and Rag Doll Tim Burton drawings. I posted it to
Ed's FB page to share my artistic vision with everyone. Oz The Great and Powerful came from Netflix. It brought
me back to my childhood love of L. Frank Baum classic storytelling. I enjoyed this new colorful chapter on how the great
wizard gained his throne. James Franco did an amazing job and the make-up, costumes and postproduction of bringing the
Land of Oz to life from green screen, beautifully done. Wednesday,
the June gloom was back. I took Zyla to school then picked up Ed to head north up the I-5 to Santa Clarita. We
parked at Placerita Canyon Nature Center and headed down the trail leading to the Walker Ranch. The trail was crowded
at 8:30am, more so than I had ever seen it at that time of day. Ed wanted to go check out the waterfall, which we hadn't
been to since Zyla was in 2nd grade. It was an extended private trail that we found no one on. There
was only a trickle flowing down the rock. We took some pictures as a friendly humming bird swooped by before heading
back. The weather started to warm up, but thankfully an occasional cool gusting breeze would enliven us as we made our
way through the woods. Sushi Dan's beckoned us to a tasty lunch before we got home. Afterward, I was exhausted
from the 5+ mi hike and took a shower then a short nap before picking up Zyla from school. My next disc came from
Netflix, leaving Ed and I to watch three more episodes of True Blood. It was funny because in some moments I would get
so caught up in the story forgetting I had seen it last summer, wondering why I had thought this had already happened.
Thursday, Ed and I dropped Zyla to school then headed into Hollywood
to join Joleen on a hike through Runyon Canyon. It was Ed's first time and he enjoyed the rugged terrain and different
views the diverse trail offered. Taking some cute pics at the top of the mountain, we headed back down to Joleen's place
to watch the pilot of the web series Breezy starring Bri Giger from the Worlds Collide theatre show we had just seen last
weekend. Joleen had a guest star role in it as well. We all lunched at Bossa Nova talking about a thriller pilot
we should produce before heading back to get Zyla from school. Jessica's called saying they had to charge my new bankcard
an extra $5 because of the bounced transaction when my card had to be cancelled the week before for the fraud activity.
I said ok I understood. Before taking Zyla to gym, I got another call from one of Jessica's List employees saying they
had booked me to do BG for the following day. I immediately called back saying it was in my file, no BG this month.
I was told that was not in my file. They said I never left that on my message and that I must take the job for the following
day and another job they had me on hold for Monday or be cancelled from their service. I was really upset. I had
been dealing with issues with Jessica's List for years, but this was the final straw. I knew I had done the right thing.
I was paying them to find me the work I wanted. I would not be bullied into taking jobs I did not want because of their
mistake. They were not working with me to resolve the issue, just blaming me, the client, for their mistake; it was
a pattern I had observed for the past few years. I paid them a lot of money every year, and did not deserve to be treated
this way. In fact as a regular stand in, a job I got myself, not through Jessica's List, I still paid them every month,
even though they were doing nothing for me. It was time to move on. I had asked to speak to Jessica, to see if
this was the final word from their service, but was told she was not in the office. I sent her an email, asking for
confirmation in writing that I was indeed cancelled. One of the nicer girls in the office emailed back saying Jessica
was out of the office for the day but would email me back the following day when she was in. I had a hard time falling
asleep that night. The situation with Jessica's had given me a lot of anxiety. I knew I would be fine, God would
provide. I had always managed to find work, before Jessica's List came into my life. I just had never had someone
I was working for mad at me, but then again, I did not work for them, Jessica's List worked for me. Yet the way they
twisted the relationship, they made you feel like they were the ones in control. They had told me the casting agents
at Central would be really upset I had turned down the jobs and cancelled my bookings and it would reflect poorly in my file
there. I felt like Jessica's List was trying to sabotage my name at Central, all to save face for themselves so they
wouldn't look bad to Central for making the mistake of booking me when I was booked out of all BG work and had been for months.
I texted my friend Christiane who told me about the fabulous new call-in service she joined last year after leaving Joey's.
She said she would refer me to her service. So I knew I had options, I could even go back to calling into the hotline.
All I really wanted was a regular stand in job, and that usually just came to me every fall. I felt I should trust God
and let Jessica's List go. Everything would work out. Friday
morning I woke up at 5am, having barely slept. I got Zyla to school then went for a hike at Stough with Ed. Praying
the rosary all the way up, I really focused on what I should do about the Jessica situation. I felt the best thing for
me was to write my own formal cancellation notification to their service and leave them. I kept it short and thanked
them for all the work they had gotten me over the years. I felt a calm come over me once I took back control of my life,
not waiting on them to let me know what was going on over there. In all honesty, I wasn't sure I could trust them with
my career. I did not feel they had my best intensions at heart. Since they spoke to casting directors directly
and cut me out, who knows what they were saying, or what else they might try to do. I felt I had to take the power back
and get back to speaking to casting directors myself, like I had always done back before I ever had call in services.
I emailed the two casting directors whom I had been told by Jessica's List I had cancelled on, to apologize for Jessica's
List mistakenly booking me on their projects when I was not available. I told them I had formally dropped Jessica's
List and they should call me directly with future bookings. I informed them I would be available Aug. 3 for full time
stand in work on any fall shows starting up then. I called up Central to let them know I was no longer with Jessica's
and to take them off my profile page as my call in service. Now all calls for booking would come directly to me.
Jessica's never emailed me back any response, pretty unprofessional, but I was not surprised.
Father's Day Weekend! Zyla was scheduled to attend her first High Flying Trapeze class at Hollywood
Aerial Arts. It was amazing watching my little girl fly through the air, quickly picking up the direction and tricks.
Ed filmed the entire show, consisting of her going 6 times on the trapeze and put it up on youtube. Zyla had one last
service hour to perform for her Religion class and wanted to go to the park across the street to help clean it up. On
Sunday we all went to Ed's favorite Byzantine Catholic Church Proto-Cathedral of Saint Mary, where Fr. Mel was presiding.
It was nice to see him again. Afterwards we stuffed ourselves at Outback Steakhouse, then came home to nap it off.
Ed and I finished watching True Blood so I was all prepped and ready to start season 6 at Jodi's house the following week.
Monday, I took Zyla to school, then Ed and I went to Mimi's
for a tasty breakfast of Mimosa's and Pain Perdu, a gypsy French toast filled with cream cheese and orange marmalade.
I was done with hiking since the overcast June gloom was gone and the weather was warm with an occasional breeze. On
Tuesday, Ed and I watched our footage from last year when we had all our date days in the woods filming our flirty fun movie.
We went to the library because I wanted the autobio of Donovan, since the movie about his life was coming from Netflix on
Wednesday. Ed picked up a bunch of CD's including some Queen and Led Zeppelin so Zyla would be prepared for the concert
we would be going to in August. Zyla finished up the last homework assignment of 6th grade before we headed
over to Granada's for dinner. I ordered our Membership passes online for Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor that we
would activate at the park on Friday! Wednesday was Ed
and I last full day to ourselves before Zyla would be joining us for summer break. I received a text from Alex, saying
her dad wanted me for his new show Aug. 7th. I was excited. I texted her back that yes I was available,
then emailed her dad, Joe, to get the details. He was working Sean Saves the World, a sitcom for NBC that had a good
chance of getting a back 9! It was funny because at the same time, my friend Maureen had emailed suggesting I ask Joe
about this show, after she heard that I was no longer with Jessica's. I felt confirmed this was my job. God had
been listening to my prayers. Ed and I went to celebrate at The Castaways, a restaurant atop the Burbank mountains overlooking
the valley. We had drinks out on the terrace, sipping champagne while enjoying the view with a gentle breeze.
Ed's nutty pear martini was amazing. We shared some chicken lettuce wraps before heading home. Sunshine Superman:
The Journey of Donovan arrived from Netflix. I loved learning more about the man behind the music I had heard throughout
my life and always brought me back to the simpler times of childhood. It took us over an hour and a half to finally
hear about our favorite song Season of the Witch. I thought it was cool Led Zeppelin would use that song to warm up
for shows. The movie was three hours long, so we paused it after two so Zyla could watch her Ugly Betty show.
The top news online was that James Gandolfini died. He was only 51 years old! I remembered working with him on
his Sopranos show from my New York days. He died in Sicily from a heart attack. My friend Megan was in Sicily
at the same time, so weird. Life with its many twists and turns all flowing in and through each other.
Thursday, I finished signing all of Zyla's paperwork for the camp she
would be attending in July on Catalina Island with the Girl Scout troupe from her school. I helped line up a party for
her friend Rachel who was coming into town from New Jersey to see all her old school friends. Zyla was excited to see
Rachel and I even pushed our trip to Big Bear a day so Zyla would be able to go. Took Zyla to school for her last day
of 6th grade. She had worked so hard this year and we were all looking forward to some down time for fun
in the sun. Ed and I finished Donovan's movie. Wow, I just loved this Hurdy Gurdy man, his bohemian beat generation,
Scottish Celtic poetic blend of folk, jazz, pop psychedelic music moved me to happiness. We went to pick up Zyla from
her last day of school and she surprised us with her report card of straight A's again!! Her goal was straight A's on
all her report cards of 6th grade and she DID IT!! We took her out to Sushi Dan's for some Rock ‘n
Roll sushi to celebrate. That evening Zyla went to her gymnastic class with the new teacher. Only three more gymnastic
classes until she would wrap up this part of her life she had been pursuing since 1st grade. She was ready
to move on to new things. Ed and I finished watching the first season of Enlightened. We enjoyed the show, but
it seemed a little tame for HBO standards. Happy Summer
Solstice! Happy 12-½ birthday for Zyla! On Friday, we got ready and headed out to Magic Mountain to register
our membership passes and have our pictures put on our new annual passes. The weather was not too bad, high of 86 degrees
on our first day of summer. We got to the park early and did not have to wait long to process our passes and even made
it into the park early with the new Gold member entrance. Since most were there to get wet in Hurricane Harbor, the
lines were short on the Magic Mountain side. We rode Tatsu first. I thought I had remembered liking the ride,
but after sitting front row, I almost had a heart attack, I felt like I was going to die, that the ride would plummet right
off the track and it would all be over. That did not happen. Next we rode Roarin Rapids, didn't get too wet.
Fireworks went off and glitter sprinkled down through the air twinkling in the sunlight. A big media party was being
held in front of the new roller coast Full Throttle which would not be open to the public until the following day. It
looked really cool and we were happy we had annual passes so we could come back to ride it next time. X2 was the only
ride that was seriously crowded, 90 minute wait so we postponed doing that one. Goliath was amazing, I kept my hands
up the entire time, very freeing fun ride. Lex Luther: Drop of Doom, which rides along the sides of the Superman ride,
just takes you straight up slowly then drops you. It was similar to Tower of Terror except no up and down elevator motion,
just one drop. It was our first time on it, and I enjoyed it. The view was amazing and the fall felt like sky
diving. Of course we went on Colossus my childhood favorite. Zyla found it scary because the whole ride, made
out of wood, looked really old and rickety like it might fall apart at any moment. Next we rode Scream, then had some
lunch before heading back to our car to change into our bath suits and enjoy some waterslides at the Hurricane Harbor side!
The lines there were long. We probably waited at least 45 minutes to get the four man inner tube for Tornado, but it
was worth it. The ride was more amazing than I remembered. I ended up going down backwards into the eye of the
storm which shot us up higher than we had ever been. Black Snake Summit's inner tube slides had a long wait as well,
but so much fun riding through the pitch-black tunnels with bursts of light along the way. We jumped in the lazy river
bouncing our way against the current for a bit of a workout before exiting to Lost Temple Rapids, another fun waterslide with
a family size inner tube. Zyla and I ended the day in the Forgotten Sea Wave Pool jumping with the waves in the deep
end, while Ed took a break to relax in the sun on a lounge chair. Fun good time had by all, the annual passes were a
success! Saturday, I went shopping for some wine to bring
to Patti's Beach Pad Party. Zyla went to her gymnastics class before we headed out to Ventura for some fun in the sun
at the beach. It was so great to see Patti again and a lot of the Whitney crew. I felt right at home with my Whitney
family. A lot more people showed up this time bringing more of their family with them. After some tasty BBQ, Ed,
Zyla and I all headed to the beach to take some cute pictures and enjoy the water. Zyla found half of a sand dollar
and later I found a half that I insisted was the other half to her sand dollar, but she said they did not quite fit right.
Back at Patti's, more people arrived. Antar, Rocky, Huston, Cary, Wendell, Yu, all the camera crew, Brian, Heather,
everyone was there. It seemed a lot of us had been asked to work on Sean Saves the World. Someone jokingly said
it should be renamed Sean Saves the Whitney Crew. I was looking forward to getting back to work in the fall with all
my friends. Sunday, I was excited to be going to
Jodi's for True Blood. But before that, Zyla had her first Aerial Tissu/Silks class that she had been looking forward
to forever! We headed back down to the Hollywood Aerial Arts for more circus fun. Zyla did amazing on her first day
of class, learning out how to climb the fabric and move within it.
Monday, Zyla went to Rachel's park party, while Ed and I went to lunch at a new place Angleino Pizzeria.
The bread was so good I felt bad Zyla could not be there to experience it with us. We all went to bed somewhat early
since we were leaving for Big Bear at 6am the next morning. Ed set the alarm for 4:30am. We got up to pack the car for our trip. I was looking forward to finding
Artic Canyon. I had been searching for it in Holcomb Valley for 17 years. It was a huge childhood memory place
for me, where I had spent so much time with my family, hiking there with my dad, using a video recorder for the first time.
I had been watching the footage from my childhood and pouring over topographical maps trying to figure out where the exact
location was. I had been taking Ed and Zyla on my search for it a number of times without success, and this time I felt
I really knew where it would be. The reason it was hard to find, is because I don't think my family was every really
at the exact location of Artic Canyon, but maybe my dad just said we were. We arrived in Big Bear fairly fast, no traffic
at about 8:30am. Everyone was hungry so we ate before heading into the outback. Thankfully it was not too hot,
yet. The roads back into Holcomb Valley were empty. Dry, dusty, dirt roads, made driving slow as we wound our
way to the back. This time, I knew the road we had to take would dead end and that should be the spot where my childhood
memories would come to life. I drove down Polique Canyon Road (2N09) until I got to the sign for Wilbur's Grave and
Artic Canyon. I made the left onto 3N07, like I always did, drove past Wilbur's Grave, then curved to the right following
the fence. Last time we had to walk this whole way because the road was flooded out in one spot. It is a little
over 2 miles and I kept exploring random rock outcroppings along the way thinking that it was the place, only to discover
it was not. Everything looked vaguely familiar so I kept thinking I was there. As we drove, I wanted to stop where
it looked like the right place. Ed reminded me we were to go to the end of the road. I got out of the car and
ran into the woods, only to discover it was a place I had already check out last time and not the right spot. We drove
further, and I wanted to stop again, but Ed encouraged me to just take the road to the end. The road finally ended and
the place did not look that familiar. I got out of the car and ran into the boulders, climbing through to the specific
place I was searching for, a hollowed out rock that was a tunnel up to an overlook. I found it! I ran back all
excited and brought Ed and Zyla to climb up through the rock tunnel with me. I was so happy! I had not been here
in 25 years! Memories of my dad filled my mind. I remembered all the fun I used to have here with him and my sister,
climbing all these rocks, filming our experiences. Now I was sharing the moment with my family and felt complete full
circle. The remainder of the day we spent going on a hike at Cougar Crest Trail, then on the bridges along the waters
edge with some Starbuck's frappuccinos. We all road the chairlift up to the top of the mountain then raced down the
bobsleds of the Alpine Slide before heading to our hotel. We checked in at the Big Bear Chateau. A Cinderella
type castle nestled into the forest, very luxurious. Beautiful chandeliers, paintings gave it a vintage European vibe.
The pool was quiet and private amid the tall trees. I loved everything about it, birds chirping, soft sunlight filtering
through. For dinner we ate on the deck overlooking the lake at Cowboy Express Steakhouse. Then a sunset walk along
the north shore to end our magical day. While Ed
and I were watching The L Word, the character Alice played by Leisha Hailey reminded me of the song White Rabbit by Jefferson
Airplane. I started singing it and was surprised Ed had no idea what I was singing and had never heard it! The
lyrics, "Go Ask Alice" are what started me singing when the character Alice was interviewing for her own talk show.
‘Go Ask Alice' also reminded me of the book by the same title which I read in high school. I found out the author
died last year and had written more books. This was strange to me, because the book is supposedly written anonymously
by a troubled teen in the 70's. I found out the author Beatrice Sparks wrote quite a few anonymous books in a diary-esk
style about troubled teens based off her counseling work with them. But her next book after ‘Alice' was called
Jay's Journal. Supposedly the parents of a suicidal teen boy discovered
the author and wanted Beatrice to convert their son's diary into a book form style like she had done with ‘Alice'.
Then they were horrified with her interpretation of what was published. I was curious to find out what she wrote.
Netflix sent Mama, the supernatural thriller by produced by Guillermo del Toro. Chilling, spooky just like Pan's Labyrinth,
but not in Spanish with subtitles and Guillermo did not write and direct Mama, Andres Muschietti did. The visuals and
effects were darkly beautiful, it freaked me out a bit, but Zyla watched a little of it and could not take the fear/panic
it instilled. She ended up sleep talking in the middle of the night and I thought a ghost was in the house, meant time
to a take a break from the horror movies. As the
temperatures of summer soared into triple digits, Ed, Zyla and I went down to Manhattan Beach to spend time walking along
the water with my sister and her family. So much cooler down there, the gentle waves lapping at the sand, embraced by
my childhood home brought me fond memories as well as creating new ones. Sunday, I was back at Jodi's for another round
of True Blood. We made plans for the weekend I would be alone, when Zyla and Ed would be out of town.
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