Mountains in the Sky

Every so often the sky, particularly around sunset, looks like an extension of the landscape. Today I was driving through Phoenixville on the main drag and rising in front of me between the brick store fronts was a bank of clouds that made me feel like I was in a mountain gold-mining town. It also reminded me of when your are in the ocean, watching a wave growing in front of you; it is so vast and powerful that you're a little scared, but at the same time amazed at its beauty and the joy of participating in its game.
I've recently reconnected with an old friend from my time at Emerson. You could say that what we experienced there glued us together for life in some way, but it's probably more accurate to say we were all glued already and that golden year together was a precious gift that not everyone gets. It fills my heart to overflowing to think of all those dear people, but it also makes me unspeakably sad that I can't see their faces up close or squeeze them tight.

Fan

Last Tuesday tickets went on pre-sale for Jason Mraz's upcoming visit to Philadelphia. They sold out before I even managed to log onto the site. On Friday at noon tickets would become available through the World Cafe Live Box Office. No way was I letting the internets get in my way this time. I arrived at WCL at around 8:20, just as most of its staff was arriving for work and about 2 hours before the box office would open. I sat, I read, when the cafe opened at 11:00 I sat and read at the bar with a cup of tea. The box office staff rewarded my perseverance by reserving my tickets just before the flood of phone calls began. The show sold out faster than any show they've ever had at that venue, I heard someone say, and I HAVE TICKETS!!! Expect a full report of the event! Oh, and by the way, I was the ONLY person to show up at the box office.

Outpost

I am housesitting for a friend who lives in a tiny and cozy cottage. Another friend of mine lived here years ago; we called it the love shack. It is my charge to care for the dog and two cats that she left behind. The animals are all quite sweet, and those who know me well will gasp in disbelief to read that I actually enjoy the kitties curling up in bed with me at night. However, the nocturnal noises are something to behold. The dog is a pug and when she is not making her God-given snurfling sounds she is blissfully snoring at a record-breaking volume and the cats occasionally fell the need to converse and have not yet learned to whisper.
It is lovely here though, and takes me back to my days in The Nest in Grass Valley, though it is not nearly as remote.
I am so excited to move into the new Beehive! I signed the lease last weekend and have been looking on Craigslist for a cheap refrigerator (which I must provide) and dreaming up furniture arrangements and decorative strategies.