The movie we saw this morning, "Tinker Bell's Treasure,"  was, well, a movie.   But the movie experience:  WOW!   They really do do it better in LA.   The movie was shown at El Capitan Theater.  This is one of the very old, ornate theaters in Hollywood, right in the middle of the walk of fame..you know,  the sidewalk with all the stars on it.  Ron Howard's star, in fact, was right outside the box office.   Inside, the theater is gorgeous, and the "Mighty Wurlitzer" was being played by an excellent organist.   Just before the movie started, the curtain lit up showing an enormous peacock.  The curtain was raised...and out came Tinker Bell, live and dancing.   I hadn't realized she was Celtic, but probably I should have guessed from the green outfit.  At any rate, she did some Irish step dancing to Celtic music.

We had all been issued 3-D glasses on the way in for the previews.  I haven't seen a 3-D movie since the '50s, but I think I may try one.  Snowflakes seemed to be falling right on us, way out there in the theater.  Magical.

Most of the little girls in attendance were wearing Tinker Bell costumes, or at least were dressed like fairies, as was our girl.   Altogether, a most enjoyable morning, to my shock and delight.

All is quiet in LA. While Aurelia was in school yesterday,  Di and I went to LACMA, the LA art museum.  We had hope to see the Pompeii exhibit, but it had ended last week.  Darn.   We just wandered around this beautiful building instead, taking in the Japanese exhibit first, then the Korean.  The new entrance to the building is interesting.  One walks by a sculpture of old street lights.   There are probably 100 of them, in nice neat rows, tallest in the middle.  I'd like to see it at night all ablaze.

Today there is nothing on my schedule.  I may just read, but probably will run down to the mall and try one more time for a decent pair of black slacks that fit well.   The sales tax out here is 9%, so it's actually better for me to shop at home where it's only 6%.   I'm starting to get a little homesick.  I annoy myself with that because I really like being out here, especially to have the time with Aurelia, who grows and changes right before my eyes.   But then,  I have family in MI, too, and so many friends.   It's a bit schizophrenic, this living two separate lives.   In some ways it's nice, in that I get to have a wider range of experiences, but there is a certain fracturing quality to it, too.  Some people are just never satisfied!!!    But I do try to be, making daily mental adjustments, giving myself constant reminders that we set our mood and our quality of life depends upon that.  

Aurelia and I had a large breakfast together today:  oatmeal AND Rice Krispies, yogurt, toast, and an apple.   Then we raced upstairs to play with the little puppet theater.  This is actually a book, "Fairy Tale Theater, which has small puppets on sticks and pages that pop up into small theaters.  There are three storeis,  "Three Little Pigs,"   "Cinderella,"  and "Little Red Riding Hood."   We take turns being the various characters and have great fun.

On Saturday, Diana, Dave, Aurelia and I drove down to Long Beach for lunch with Annie, Todd, AJ, and Kara, the last of whom is Aurelia's special same-age friend.   Tom and Barb (Annie's mom) were there, too. Annie prepared a wonderful lunch, and we were able to see their beautiful new house, so that was very enjoyable.   Afterwards I went to Tom and Barb's home a few miles away in Seal Beach.  This is a delightful, somewhat old-fashioned beach town.  They live just one block from the business district with all the cute little shops and restaurants, so we walked down for dinner and then again for breakfast, because yes, I spent the night.  This was a special treat as I had thought once Barb moved away, I might not be able to see her again.  Turns out that Seal Beach is only about an hour's drive, sometimes less.  That's not so bad at all. 

Barbara has some health issues, so moving to Orange County where her mother and siblings live, plus two of her three daughters; five of the grandchildren is a thrill for her. She just wants to be surrounded by family, by those who love her most, and the move was with this in mind. 

It was an intensely social time for two days, so I was exhausted when I got back to LA.  Aurelia therapy was just what I needed...and found in the form of a church carnival just down the street.  We had a great time on the rides; finished off with a snow cone, and made it home just as darkness settled in.   I feel totally refreshed.    

Today is day 16 of my visit, and that's the half-way mark.  It's flown by.  Yesterday's opera class was about tenors.  Mr. Schub played a recording of Caruso from 1903, which is the year Caruso made his debut in America.  What a powerful and beautiful voice.  Apparently, before Caruso, tenors sang more in falsetto for the high notes.  Caruso changed all that, and tenors as a group have never looked back.

Aurelia is back to school, although she still has a little bit of a cough.  We have plans to watch a video after school.  It is due back at the library today, so we'll return it afterwards.    I'm preparing for my weekend in Seal Beach.  Can't remember the last time I had a 'sleepover.'   LOL

My friends Pam and Geoff, who now live in NC, will be staying at my house for an indefinite period.   One of their elderly friends just died and they are the people with power-of-attorney, so need to take care of everything.   I like having my house used in my absence.  Houses hate being empty.  So this works out well for them and me.

Noel reports that they are back home from their vacation in Williamsburg.  I haven't heard all the details yet, but it sounds like they had a great time.  Now that Noel is home-schooling, it's a lot easier to plan trips at times when sites are not so crowded.

Today I went for a fairly long walk in Westwood Village, an area right next to the main UCLA campus.  Then I was tired, so I hopped on a Big Blue Bus for the return trip.  As if that were not lazy enough, I just woke up from a short nap!  Yikes,  how old am I ???

Aurelia is still sick with a cold;  Di kept her out of school today, and we missed the dinner Saturday night also.  Di is still coughing,too.   I am keeping my fingers crossed and using lots of disinfectant.  Sigh.

Anyway,  tonight she (Di) and Dave are going out to dinner and I'm babysitting.  Aurelia and I are planning to watch "Sleeping Beauty'........again!  LOL   Then she wants to play with puppets.  Sounds like a plan to me.  She took a long nap this afternoon, and since she rarely naps,  I have a feeling bedtime will be much later than usual.   Works for me....it's not like I have anything better to do!

I walked around the neighborhood today for exercise, then stopped in the Mystery Book Store.  They had a shelf of old books for only $2.00 each, so I bought a couple.   These mysteries are quick reads, so I never seem to have enough books to last the whole visit.  And I really can't buy that many new books, so this was a nice find.

I've had a couple of busy days.  Yesterday was class #2, and we learned about the various soprano voices in opera.  The instructor played many clips from operas, which is a perfect way to illustrate his points.   He played a wonderful performance by Beverly Sills from the Ed Sullivan Show.  I remember seeing that show, waaaay back when.   What a gorgeous person, in every way. 

Today, Diana and I went to a taping of the Craig Ferguson Show.  This just seemed to be a totally Hollywood experience; very enjoyable.   I was surprised by how small the studio is...only 108 seats.   We were put in the front row, and it was pretty exciting to be so close to the star. Of course we had strict instructions about the level of applause and cheering we were to do.  And we did it, just as we were told!   Anyway, it was  lots of fun...and a new experience for me, which I always like.  It's not like I'm ever going to climb the Alps or go skydiving, so I really appreciate these lesser experiences when they come my way.  Keeps the blood circulating.

Tomorrow night we are all going to a party at some of Di's former neighbors'.   I have met these people several times and enjoy their company immensely, so I'm looking forward to the evening with them.

 

If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down.  That is the flushing guide for drought-stricken southern California.   Big adjustment for a midwesterner who rarely experiences even a dry spell, let alone an actual drought.  

Other than that, the visit is a delight.  Aurelia and I have taken the bus twice since my last entry:  once to the bookstore and mall; then today, to the Santa Monica library.   She sang "It's a Small World" the whole way on the bus...what a hoot!

Mostly we have quiet activities here, which suits me very well.  I get out for a long walk every day; I'm reading a lot; and I've actually gone shopping twice...and believe it or not...I bought a sweater and a tee on sale at Talbott's yesterday.  Those of you who have shopped with me know how unusual it is for me to actually buy anything.   My wardrobe, sadly, is inadequate for my social life here.  I had brought some of my LA clothes back for the trip to Paris in May, and then I couldn't remember which ones, so I brought the wrong things back.   Annoying, but i guess there are worst things than shopping.

Tomorrow is class # two, and I can't wait.

      Southwest once again outdid itself on the flight to LA, arriving 35 minutes early!  Di picked Aurelia up early from preschool so they could both be at the airport.   Having seen Aurelia so recently made our transition very easy.   Often it takes us a couple of days to fall back into our comfort zone together, but not this time.  We were about half way home when A asked if I had brought her Alice socks.  As you know, I had, so I pulled them out and she selected her favorites.   And they do look lovely with the new Alice shoes.  I had assumed these were simply "Mary Janes", but they are actually shoes from the Disney store, so quite literally Alice shoes. 
     My "What's so Grand About Opera" class had its first meeting yesterday.  The instructor, Earl Schub, was once with the Lyric Opera in Chicago as artistic director.  You can imagine the stories he has about visiting stars.   Our first class was a detailed description of the differences in voices, including how a pop singer's voice is differently used than an opera singer's.   It was very interesting.   Earl played lots of DVDs of clips from operas, and the class just flew by.
     It is very, very warm in LA.  We'll all be glad when the temps start dropping in the next few days.   In the meantime, it' s nice to jump in the pool in late afternoon.