Grateful for the Week that Was

~ Two young ladies on the streetcar let me pet their two-month old boxer puppy. Not even my ultra-suede fabric samples were as soft as those velvety ears.

~ None of my blog readers pointed out that the weight-loss project seems to be on hold. Sigh. It is. I'm struggling with a plateau.

~ On meeting my parents for the first time, a friend of mine waxed enthusiastically about them in two different conversations. I was reminded how special my folks are and passed on the compliments.



~ The tub of Soma's dark Venezuelan chocolate gelato that I keep in the freezer.



~ A friend and I decided to form a two-person-only book group and read occasional books together.

~ José Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel and the massive Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Read here. Be grateful. I am.

~ A wonderful book on meditation inspired me to think this thought on waking each day: "Today might be the day I die. Today is a good day to be alive."

~ An early evening of jazz and Guinness at the wonderful and divey Rex Blues and Jazz Bar ended with a night at the opera at the wonderful and glamorous Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Have I mentioned how I like to mix up my music? Anyway. I sat in front of someone obviously new to opera and who was clearly very caught up in the action of Madama Butterfly (yes, I was seeing it again, in Noah and Hymel's final performance). In the last act, when it became obvious that Pinkerton has taken another wife, this new audience member seethed under her breath, "Son of a BITCH!"... and I was grateful for art and music and witnessing someone swept away by it for the first time.



~ An old, sweet, seemingly-psychic, pot-smoking musician friend called up from Los Angeles because he'd "sensed that I was not in a good place." He was right and I hadn't been aware of it myself. He played me a song over the phone that he'd written and I fell asleep feeling very fortunate.

~ Lunch out with a girlfriend reminded me that we are not alone in what we endure, and that we can - with our friends - find the strength to get on with what has to be done.

~ On the recommendation of two workmates I tried the quattro-formaggi pizza from the new pizza place around the corner. It didn't help the plateau, but DAMN IT WAS GOOD!

~ It had been 10 days straight of work and too much play and this stretch of over-exersion ended last Sunday morning. After gaining an hour on the clock, I was sitting in my dressing gown on the sofa with some tea at 8:30 in the morning when I decided to spend the day in that condition and it was an excellent idea. The morning was spent watching Moonfleet (1951), a costume drama with Stewart Granger, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. As for the rest of the day, I have no memory of it but I know it did me a world of good.