A Monday kind of Tuesday

Last minute lipstick call after a long, long day with the feels like a Monday crowd at the great new neighborhood joint Grassroots. All local and organic-y. Yummy "social hour" menu for the harem.

What happens in Vegas?

Seems like if you're a bunch of beautiful 21-year-olds - lots!!

Topia at DGB

I'm not the biggest ballet fan. I love a good holiday Nutcracker and every now and then something a bit more contemporary will hold my attention, but truthfully, I'm usually just wondering how in the world they stay so perfect - heads high, toes impossibly pointed, ballet buns so tight - without just letting loose for a minute. Tonight, Topia at Desert Botanical Gardens gave me the best of both worlds. An hour long pre-show on a gorgeous cool, breezy night overlooking Papago Buttes with sort of a backstage pass to watch the dancers, in various stages of dress, sweat pants, t-shirts, not a fairy tale princess skirt to be found, jumping around the stage, stretching, working the barre, joking around, relaxing. The fun side. Then, once the show started, along with the stunning performances, total perfection, on stage, we could still see the fun behind-the-scene activity. The waiting dancers, laughing, even slouching. Yes, I saw one slouch. There was no slouching on stage as they gracefully, happily, lovingly, violently moved through some amazing scenes, guys dancing with guys, girls with girls, leaping across into each other's arms. Just beautiful. The desert added so much to the night, mountains turning red then purple behind the stage, Palo Verde trees all lit up in a rainbow of lights. Wow.

Girls on the Rocks

A little of this, then a little of that...

The Girls on the Rocks met at the great Soul Cafe on Pinnacle Peak for some mango, kiwi juicy goodness for a mid-week pow wow while playing a little catch up on the graduations, the summer plans. Then today, wow, what a day. Cold morning in May? Headed up Gateway trail for another laugh-fest trek through the desert.

In The Closet

Just Say No

The other day someone asked what I would do if Shana had a knock down, broken beer bottled, boy-girl, high decibel, probably fifty people blow out at our house without permission. I thought to myself (or maybe out loud) - Shana wouldn't do that. The dozens of times we had been over that issue came flashing back. All the times she asked and I said no. But, MMmoooommmm, she would whine after each attempt. It was probably at her fourth grade birthday slumber party when I had to separate two characters in a raging girl fight in the middle of the night when I realized, these little people can't be trusted. There were many parties after that at our Kool Aid house, every year getting louder and later. The next mornings we would review. Remember the neighbors? The kids you babysit next door? The older couple across the street? What about the mess in the grass? Go clean it up. A couple of times in high school Shana even realized she needed me home, after it took a mom to clear the big boy trucks with the blaring stereos off the street. Not that the kid gave up. I had to keep the Nos coming even as recently as this Christmas. Exhausting, I know. After years of the "no alcohol in my house unless you're twenty-one" rule (something about worrying about the law, drunk kids' probably drunk parents suing me or, God forbid, losing one of Shana's friends because I was a doormat) she proposed a holiday beer pong party. You and Dad can go to a hotel, she said. Take a break. A little staycation. Isn't she sweet? I said no. But, MMmmmooooom. Everybody's old enough! You're not. Well, I won't drink. Right. So, yes?

No.

A Bitchin' Time

How Grand

Book Club - The Night Circus

The circus arrived without warning.


Sort of like the book club. A bunch of colorful (and some black and white) characters surrounding the bonfire (or Laurel's magical kitchen island), moving from tent to tent to see what the next door holds.

Leslie's Still Remaking America (it's a big country)

If there's no wind...row.

LESLIE GOT A J.O.B.!!!

I don't know how much Yahoo had to do with it, but we all 

circled around her after her first day of work

to do a little YAHOOing of our own!

Leslie's at it again on Remake America. Here's a look at her latest trip to New York when she got a scholarship to a Dale Carnegie course!! (She also had a wild day in the big city with Amy!)

The fifteen minutes of fame just keeps going...with a great piece in the paper and then on TV!!!

This lady is on a roll! Anybody know of good job out there??

Oh, The Places She'll Go!

Somebody's getting exciiiiited!!!

Here with some of the BFFs :)

The Double Wave

Evolution rocks. The gay community, as well as all Americans, got a big, fat wave yesterday from President Obama. He said over time he's come to realize we should all have the right to get married, no matter what all the crazies with four ex-wives preaching about family values have to say.  I hope there's a kid out there today that will now make it through unscathed. Not be teased. Or bullied. Feel like they belong. Not need to pretend anymore. I had that. So many kids don't. They live in fear. Fear of their own parents. Fear of their friends. Fear of the unevolved. I know a little wave from The Prez won't change it all overnight, but it will help.

At high noon today, I got my own personal presidential wave. Shawn spotted some kind of plane with two dots next to it and thought it must be some old military craft. As it came closer, it was clearly Air Force One!.I remembered hearing earlier about a big presidential fundraiser tonight at George Clooney's house in LA, so hoping for a ride to that, I did a quick u-turn on Hayden and parked. We watched in awe as the blue and white plane with two F-16 escorts came in fast and low in an eerily cleared out empty Phoenix sky, heading toward downtown. It tipped one wing slowly to one side, leveled out, then tipped the other, giving us a little wave, too. 

Thanks for flying by. And thanks for all that other stuff, too.

Movie Madness - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Go see this movie.

Now.

Super Moon

Incredible moon tonight - taken with a cell phone through our telescope.

Check out some great photos here.

OOOregano's

The old Oregano's, the first and best of the now big local chain, is going to be missed, but the Bolla Pasta and The Pizzookie are heading south to a new, bigger home where we lucky ones that scored some invites to tonight's open house down the street will check out the new digs where lunches and birthday parties and lipstick calls will be happening in our future.

Go With The Flow

Fun college grad Flowchart

11/6/12

It's going to be a long election season, so let's laugh while we can.

Correspondents' Dinner Speech

B.O.B.

I figured Bob was her boyfriend. Some guy my new friend needed to stash away as her mom came to visit for the upcoming graduation celebration. But as she described putting him in a way-up-high, too high for short mom, cowboy boot in the closet, my face must have given me away. You don't know who Bob is, do you, Lisa? I guess not, I answered. B.O.B. - the battery operated boyfriend. Oohh, that Bob. Small enough to stash in a boot, big enough to cause problems for the relatives. The funny part was, I had just received a frantic email from another friend, also concerning a B.O.B. stashing. Visiting her daughter in Europe, a newly ordered B.O.B. didn't arrive before she left and now was worried the kids at home would get to it first. Tasked with intercepting said package from UPS guy, another Diva and I circled the house time and time again for two days, but with no luck. B.O.B. made it into the house, hopefully still wrapped and taped up tight on the other side of the door, waiting for mom to stash somewhere when she gets home.

May Day May Day

Occupy Wall Street

Too afraid of "the man" to skip work and banking today, I did bump into the Occupiers during a canal walk with a friend tonight. We followed the flashing lights and helicopters to Vidal Sassoon in Old Town and caught a glimpse of the action - Occupy Scottsdale.

While American corporate media has focused on yet another stale election between Wall Street-financed candidates, Occupy has been organizing something extraordinary: the first truly nationwide General Strike in U.S. history. For the first time, workers, students, immigrants, and the unemployed from 135 U.S. cities will stand together for economic justice.