I had lunch with Kat - Kat Brown, who's not a cat but has them. So, she and her boyfriend (who's also not a cat) together are in the cat Brady Bunch mode... each have a couple and together they are growing into a grand catfamily. I love the stories she told me about her kitties and the things they do. Most of all, however, I was touched hearing about her strong cat, Miss Bugaboo, who has survived cancer, thanks to Kat's amazing persistence and compassion. Its a great story to hear about a pet-mommy who really cared and worked hard to make her cat outlive this rampant platform non-specific disease. More about Miss Bugaboo on her site: http://www.missbugaboo.com/

 

 

It reminded me of the nurturing and compassion I learned from my human Miss Bugaboo, Tracey (I have a new name for you, Angel-girl) who spent ooples of energy taking care of the late and amazing Greyhound, Atticus, who we all miss soooo much. Tracey herself battled cancer for so many years, surviving waves of chemo and even a double mastectomy, and she did it with grace, deriving so much of her strength from the beloved Atticus. Atticus had ailments, thorns in the paws, all kinds of trouble, even a little doggy wheelchair at one point, but Tracey never let up on the care.

 

These two pet-people speak strongly of a natural relationship between animals and humans, which allow for powerful energies to coalesce and bring positivity into our worlds. We have a lot to learn from our pets - loyalty, trust, patience, independence, protectiveness for those we love. They can potentially gain a lot more than shelter and food from us, if we let them.

 

On to the topic of mice. (bad transition, but oh, well...) I don't have mice in my house anymore. Thanks G! I know he wanted to keep the mouse as his pet, but maybe he can do better with a Chihuahua.

 

Games -- so in my travels, I came across an amazing little shop in Redmond, which is a chain, but this one had cool people in it... so this is the one I will go back to. So, I met Jodie at Uncle's Games, who not only introduced me to emoticon dice and the Pirates Game... but also got me into Perplexcity. Perplexcity is a collectible card game that has an incredible range of puzzles and if you keep solving them, you are on your way in the treasure hunt (which is in a physical city location, I believe) to finding a mystery cube which will yield you $200,000!! Jodie was so awesome, I spent a couple of hours at the shop watching adults and kids play little games, and looking at the huge assortment of chess sets... then I began helping with some of the cards that Jodie has compiled with her boss, as they attempt to find the cube too! It was so much fun. One card and I was hooked. You can be too... they have online cards -- check out www.perplexcity.com. Its natural for MS people to gravitate to such treacherous frivolity in the throws of passionate thinking -- so come by and join my game.

 

Vidya

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suppose if Dabby were still alive, this would be his favorite weekend ever, with me. I have been roaming about, staying on the water as much as possible. Took a boat into Puget Sound yesterday, which was totally fun and relaxing... the night before I hung out on the beach at Lake Washington at twilight. It feels a lot like Upper Michigan here... people are sweet, strangers are helpful and endearing, and the beer is very good.

So yesterday, I did finally go to the Sci Fi Museum and the Experience Music Project under the Space Needle in Seattle. The EMP has a really cool guitar tree and a nice old skool hip-hop historical display room. There's also a very, very cool guitar museum within... with like really old steel guitars and some of the earliest inventions of the big names we are all familiar with today. It was pretty interesting, but the exhibits that took my breath away were the Rock Poster collection... and the Jimi Hendrix experience. What a dramatic life... he died so young after opening our eyes to the potential of electric guitar. I wonder "what if?"

 

Which brings me to the coolest place of all (I could just live there)... the Sci Fi Museum. OK, so there are amazing displays including one called What If? which is about the basic science fiction premise. Every writer has to begin with answers to a question they build beginning with What If? In addition to this display, are displays of the history of sci-fi, highlighting some achievements in science, made possible by the visionary fantasies of a writer engaging real scientists. There's an interesting Nanotech study, Gender study, Apocalyptic Sci Fi  (my face)display, and a display celebrating Sci Fi Fans... unlike any other genre. There are even more luscious collections presenting costumes, weapons, transportation, robots, and aliens. I had the most fun ever... and then serendipity brought me to a room where author Neil Gaiman was hanging out with this year's Hall of Fame inductees! I met the engaging Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, who signed my Cleopatra 7.2 and Neil Gaiman signed my American Gods -- with the following: "Vidya -- Dream Dangerously." Don't worry, Mr. Gaiman... I do dream dangerously. Anne McCafferty and Kevin J. Anderson were also in attendance among others. Yup, my dad would have loved this whole weekend. I really needed the unwinding, so I thank the universe for Microsoft (the greatest company ever) and its emphasis on Work-Life balance. I think I get it now.... finally.

I am off to the Center for Wooden Boats which boasts a fun Maritime museum. Let's see if I can squeeze more water in before my flight tonight.

 

XOXO to all.. Happy father's day to alll you dads out there and to mine who is above us, but always with me.

 

VS

 

So, after the most back-to-back meetingest day ever, much beer was in order. However, Mr. Rogers clued my compatriot Leo and myself into a Radio Shack decomm. Well, of course each of us determined it was fairly critical to pillage what loot was left from the significant price dives.

 

While there, i saw some mic cords and XLR adapters, called G, called Bhaiyya, but looks like they were both stocked up well and ... things are just cheaper in Detroit. (Lord, please rescue my hometown. They need jobs so our price points can increase too..)

 

Radio Shack sufficiently scoped out, we turned our attention to a MS frequented bar called Daman's. Of course, Leo is a whiteboard fanatic, who plans to take over the world, one whiteboard at a time. So while I was eyeing the menu, Leo was thinking where are the eraser and markers for this thing? (see photo of whiteboard Menu and Leo wishing he had markers.)

 

We gossiped and then Dan joined us for a very robust conversation about many detailed nothings, quite Seinfeldesque, indeed. It was both entertaining and educational, though I think I might have poked him too much. But that's the price of comedy. And he's a terrific sport about it.

 

So then I sang. Yes.... Nunni!!! I drafted myself with no prodding to hit the mike with a local guitarist there, who played wonderfuilly. I did one of my own songs... Come With Me.... in A minor, and this one guy with lovely dreds then came up to kunnukol/beatbox and we got some of the crowd clapping to the song... it was so nice to be doing that again. I had forgotten how much fun it was to sing to strangers where no one knows you and see how they receive your work. I never explained the theory of the kharaharapriya ragam or the random pa dha ni dha pa ma pa ga re ga ma... work, but this serves as proof that music touches the soul and crosses boundaries.

 

Anyway, then some others were miking at it was cool, as there were two Doors songs... and we were all pleased.. they played Riders on the Storm.. which reminded me of Rajan and Light My Fire, which Dan keyed out on the table.  You could tell that he has the seasoned fingers of a former pro keyboardist. It would be great to get him up someday and hear his work.

 

So yes, looks like I may be up and running again soon. First it was Karaoke with Lisette, and now Open Mic Night is breaking me through. Maybe I have to start adding some of this unplanned singing stuff to my Wok-Life balance plan. Looks like I might just be starting to get a Life again.

 

In other news, I am taking the weekend off. No cross-time-zone flights. Just sleeping and touring is planned. I will update you.

 

Hey... Is Megha OK?

 

V

Maybe for Friday the 13th to be a lucky day, it has to be a Friday. Maybe the observer has to be lucky. Maybe the 13th is just lucky for the 12th and the 14th because they aren't the 13th. Maybe if I blow with all my might at the sky, the clouds will float away.

Shoes start off tight. Its a tough painful episode, which like a new shoe, just feels like it doesn't fit. It hurts, we struggle against it, it blisters, and sometimes breaks and scars. But if we keep our vigil and wear it through the adjustment period, we learn to bend and the shoe also softens to our step. We learn together to navigate the long journey ahead.

 

Hmmmm. sounds a lot like some of the situations and people we face in life, doesn't it? Maybe there's more to the female shoe-addiction than meets the eye. Or maybe there isn't.

 

:)

 

VS