Movie Madness - Me and Orson Welles

Great flick! Set in the 30's in New York - good look into Orson Welles, amazing acting, wardrobe, fun to walk down Broadway and get caught up behind the scenes

A Night at the Opera (well, sort of)

I've never been to the opera, always thought it was for the older crowd, so a combo mini opera/dinner at one of my faves My Florist Cafe looked like the perfect introduction. The lovely Louise - who is saying yes, yes, yes to anything these days since she just finished her nursing degree, joined me and Shawn - who always says yes, yes, yes to me since it makes life oh so much easier, for a fun night of opera trivia, spine-tingling singing, incredible food and wine, wine, wine. It was so impressive that we will be getting dressed up and going to see Madame Butterfly at The Orpheum on 2/12. Anybody wanna go?

Just say yes, yes, yes....

Phoenix Opera

My Florist Cafe

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Well, at least the President around here...Shawn...he just keeps getting better and better!!

There were lots of little treats throughout the day then din din at Fogo De Chao, pronounced Fogo De show, not Fogo De chow, but it is truly a Show of Chow. Adorable Brazilian guys with their cute accents wearing gaucho pants circle around in a theatrical way displaying their offerings - filet mignon, lamb, chicken, garlic beef, pork ribs, it just keeps coming and coming. My Atkins diet, meat-eating he-man even got dizzy from all the protein fogodechao and although a vegetarian seems pretty out of place in this place, the unbelievable salad bar, Brazilian mojitos and just watching Shawn get all Fred Flintstone made for one big happy, happy birthday show.

Teabaggers

We bagged the tea and headed for the wine bar instead. What a bunch of lushes - traded cucumber sandwhiches and scones for Chardonnay and Bruchetta. Got stuck in a cozy, dark downstairs corner for a little holiday cheer with the Divas, then headed out to the not-so-cold Carefree Christmas wonderland for some shopping and to give Santa the thrill of his life. 

www.carefreechristmasfestival.com

Nine Lives

And to think, I almost offed her.


The death squad was scheduled to come the next day, but suddenly, after one month of not eating and two weeks of needles and IVs and pills and paste getting pushed down her poor little throat, Lotus started to eat. I took it as a sign, along with a night full of hysterical crying and calls to my cat-loving friends and family, that maybe neither one of us was ready. So I canceled. And now she's back. Still skinny and scrawny, but back. For weeks she was out of it, totally disoriented, didn't recognize any of us and even seemed to have a hard time breathing. She didn't respond to her sisters playing with her or the 60 pound Sully walking by or even the vacuum cleaner. She was yellow, too, full of bilirubin which supposedly was clouding her brain and her ability to remember things, like "Where is the litter box, again?"

So, for now, we're looking good. She eats all the time. She cleans her fur and has her old "I deserve it" attitude back. She even likes to sit in the window and watch the birds again. The problem is that with most of the attention going to just one animal, the rest of the zoo is a bit off kilter. LuLu is pissed off all the time instead of her typical every now and then. She knows that Lotus has been getting the good wet food and special high calorie treats with "seafood essence." Lotus dethroned Cali and took her sleeping spot above Shawn's head. Once Cali found an alternative sleeping arrangement, Lotus moved in on LuLu's territory, displacing her as well. Sully got a new bone, due my guilt, even though I knew it would cause him to growl and bark every time anybody gets near it. 


It's been a tough couple of months, but it has brought us all closer together, making "Lotus time" a priority. She had a glorious Thanksgiving week with a five day revolving door of family and friends with nothing else to do than to pet her. She deserves it. Thanks for the sign, kitty. Welcome back.

A little yoga lesson

A little lesson from yoga...


Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. 


To be happy, rest like a great tree in the midst of them all.


Buddha

Monday Movie Madness - Precious

Wow. Incredible film. The other day I heard or read how some people congratulate themselves for getting so far in life, for hitting a home run and accomplishing something great. The only thing is - they leave out the fact that they were born on third base. Precious was born into a miserable life - constant abuse - physical, sexual, emotional, the works. I spent a decade or so of my life as a social worker, stomping around in the same kind of neighborhoods that Precious grew up in, talking to the people with the same mentality, saw the same abuse and the same disgusting cover-ups, no education, no idea how to raise a child, no interest in changing. But Precious (based on a true story) took charge of her own life and started swinging for that home run in a moving, digging as deep as you can get way. The acting was wonderful - even Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz! Thanks, Precious, way to go, girl.

How Cheesy

Ducked into the Melting Pot for a little fireside fondue with the folks.

Generation Health Arizona - Lisa gets PUBLISHED!!!

Generation Health Arizona magazine

Pick up a copy of the December edition - check out the last page! It's ME!!!!

CVS, Fry's and other places FREE around town

Las Noches de las Luminarias

Walked around in the dark with the girls at DBG.  It was a cold, gorgeous winter night in the desert as we snuggled up in our scarves and gloves. The sunset was breathtaking as it changed the Papago Buttes into a postcard. We needed a little hot apple cider (with rum, of course) to keep us warm as we discovered a new surprise around each corner. There were jazz bands and country bands and a very cool guy (who said that he was recently nominated for a Grammy) that played instruments from all over the world. He even had one that sounded exactly like the ocean and depending how fast or slowly you moved it you could hear crashing waves or just a bit of water washing up on the shore. We discovered a tee pee with a Native American singer/storyteller outside and, being the well-trained Miraval ladies that we are, we ducked in to the tee pee for our own mini-sweat lodge, making a circle, saying a little prayer of thanks and finished up our walk singing Jingle Bells in perfect unison with a hundred people, accompanied by a hand bell choir.

Grabbed the last table at the bar at Eddie's House for Happy Hour galore. Can't wait for next year!