An Apology to my Friends in California

I know that my last 8 or 9 months in California that I wasn't the nicest person to be around. I wasn't always pleasant.

I guess if I were more Gandhi like I could have focused on my friendships and not let Los Angeles get to me. However, even knowing this I don't think that if I could go back, that I would be able to do things any differently. Sooooo much of Los Angeles affected my soul. I found it hard to be pleasant when I could not stand the air I was breathing, the continuous sounds I were hearing. Those were the two main things. Yes, there are other things that bothered me and they have been written about in this blog.

I felt that I had worn my welcome out in Los Angeles, keep in mind my first day there I knew I only wanted to live there 2o years. I knew I would be happier somewhere else. And I am a lot happier. Every day I feel happier and happier. The energy shift is quiet dramatic and catches me off guard every now and then. At first the feeling of contentment felt strange and I could feel myself pulling back from it. I wondered out loud to my special guy if maybe I was being pulled to the other side... maybe I was going to died and this is what it felt like. His response was, "Go to the doctor." and he began cooking with less salt..lol..lol..

So to any of my Los Angeles friends who read this (and I know 80% of them don't, cause they told me, "I don't read blogs.").... I am sorry for being bitch like, crabby or bent my last few months in Los Angeles. Please don't take it personal... it's had nothing to do with you and was all about me and my internal desires for a different kind of life.

I have talked to a few of my Los Angeles friends on the telephone and they ask "When are you coming back?" And when I tell them that I am not sure I will ever make a trip back to Los Angeles, the phone goes silent. And then I remind them.... the plane flies both ways! They can come to visit me. Anyone and everyone are welcome. Come one and come all! Who knows.. you may inspire me to open up a Bed & Breakfast next year!!!!

Ciao

California, Pennsylvania

Like Wow, I had no idea that there was a town in Pennsylvania called California. How weird is that?

It's home to the California University of Pennsylvania and a few other folks. The demographics on Wikipedia indicate it's a small college town, much like Bloomsburg.

By the way, on the map, on this post, Bloomsburgs is located slightly Southwest from Scranton and slightly northwest from Allentown.

I am taking this time right now, until next spring, to decide if I want to live in the city or on the outskirts. I wrote about this decision a few post ago. While I will not make an affirmative decision until next spring.... the scales are leaning towards the outskirts.

The weather is sooooo beautiful here that most of the year your doors and windows are open. Not only does the fresh air and sunshine come in but also noises that come along with people (i.e. car doors slamming, the recycling trucks picking up bags of bottles at 5am, cars, people talking, dogs barking, blah, blah, blah). You get the picture? And while I agree that these are normal noises unlike the sounds of helicopters and sirens.... I don't want to hear them at all. The older I get the more sensitive I am to the sounds around me. Call me weird or whatever... that's just the way it is.

Right now I am sitting on my bed, on the second floor of my home and I can hear my neighbor Mary talking to the neighbor, Nancy, across the street. I also hear a big truck somewhere off in the distance. The welcoming sound is the sound of the leaves rustling in the tree next to my window and my cat licking his paws.

Ciao

What is it about Shoes?

98% of the women I know have too many pairs of shoes.

I think that most of the purchases are made because they are cool and somehow you have the thoughts that pass through your mind, "I'll wear these someday. An occasion will come up to wear these and I'll be glad I got them today." If you are a female you have definitely had these thoughts at some point in your life.

I have had several "cool shoe" moments in life. Hell, I even won a "Cool Shoe Contest" when there wasn't even one going on... only because the presenter at the convention had a shoe fetish! Go figure. I'll tell that story later on in this blog.

A couple of years ago I was having a stressful day for some stressful reason and I asked my friend, Robyn, to meet me at the mall to do some shoe shopping. Wow, what a day. I went into the first shoe store and found some lavender glittered pumps. I purchased them and immediately put them on and walked to the next shoe store. There I found some fab shoes and purchased them and then put them on and walked to the next shoe store. At the next shoe store I found another fab pair... purchased them and then put them on and walked to the next shoe store. We really had a fun time with lots of laughs and shoes. At the end I had 6 new pairs of shoes and I could actually say they were all worn at least once! That was my day of "Creative Shoe Shopping".

I am now putting the glittered shoes on eBay along with a lot of others. Those wild shoe days are another chapter... one I had a great time writing.

Ciao

Mercury's in Retrograde

It's that time of the year again, when the Universe corrects the things in our life that we haven't.

So if you dislike your job and haven't looked for another one, don't be shocked if you get a pink slip before the end of the month.

If you are in a relationship that you aren't happy in, don't be surprised if it ends, without you having to step-up-to-the plate and end it, before the end of the month.

If you can't afford where you live or dislike where you live, don't be surprised if you are forced to change your living conditions before the end of the month.

Here's the deal about Mercury in Retrograde. It's ruthless and is like the straw that broke the camels back. It doesn't care how much discomfort it causes. It will get you on the right track. When the dust has settled and you look back at the events of the month of September you will realize that it all happened for a good reason and you are in a better place.

The key is to go with the flow and trust that all is happening for your higher good.

Mercury in Retrograde also affects communications, travel and electrical devices. So you should have already made sure your computer was backed up. Double and triple check travel plans this month. Don't start anything new. Revisit old projects or ideas, now is a good time to make something happen. And the most important thing is not to "react". Most of what you think is happening this month... isn't. So just sit back... be amused at the ride... and next month, after the dust has settled... look at what is in front of you and go from there.

Ciao

California's Burnin' Again

Last week there were 8 separate fires in California. Air quality alerts were being issued in Las Vegas because of the smoke blowing in from California. That's wild!

The worst part is that the "official fire season" isn't until October, which is when the warm dry winds of the Santa Ana start blowing.

I have a bunch of friends who live in California and are on FaceBook. Only one of my friends has actually mentioned that the smoke is pretty unpleasant. Everyone else seems to be in some mystical LaLaLand. Who cares if it's all burning ...... We're in California!!!! Yipppeeee

Last weeks Time magazine had an article about the fires. I was surprised when they said that one of the reasons the fires were so bad in California is because "there are more people to start them". Well, as wild as this may sound... it's true. The fires in California ARE NOT a natural, normal occurrence in nature, such as a hurricane or tornado. These are fueled by evil intent. Yea, sounds like just the right kind of place to live.

We'll just keep our fingers crossed and pray for every one's safety.

Ciao

It's Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend marks the end of summer. Most people take that last summer trip before heading back to school or sending kids to school.

For me, it's just another weekend. My intention this weekend is to not sit at my desk until Tuesday. Work has been busy so it is easy to just go sit at my desk and find something to do.

I have been putting a lot of stuff on eBay. My lifestyle is quite different than it was in California. And it will get more different as the years go on. I bet you are thinking, "Humm.... what does she mean by that."

If you know me, then you know that ultimately, in a few years, my time will be divided between here and Europe... mainly... Italy.

Life is much slower in Italy than it is here in the US. Life is slower in Pennsylvania than it is in California. So the transition of being in a slower pace of life for a few years, before moving on to a much slower pace of life makes a lot of sense to me. The idea of moving to Italy directly from California left me with images of me beating my head against the wall.. in a padded cell...lol..lol.. you really got to give your inner self time to adjust to the outer world.

In Italy their is a more quality of life. The freshest of foods and hanging out at the piazza with your friends. A lot of time everyday is spent thinking about food and people. The Slow Food Movement actually began in Italy.

The Slow Food Movement was originally created to combat fast food, however it has expanded over the years and countries to make aware the benefits of local farmers markets, the dangers of pesticides and much more.

At this point in my life, I am eating healthier than I have ever eaten. Tons of fresh foods and vegetables. Straight from the farmers themselves. I saw about a mile and half from where I live there use to be a Wendy's but it is now closed. I really think that the mentality of this small town is to eat healthy. Lots of people hit the Farmers Market 3 days a week.

In Italy fishing is prohibited in the Adriatic Sea for 3 months out of the year. This prevents it from getting over fished.

Meat is not imported into Italy. This is to prevent any Mad Cow Disease from coming into the country.

Ciao

Time is Flying

Friday morning I drove to the Philadelphia airport, which was 2 hours and 37 minutes from my home. I actually drove to the FastTrack parking lot and took a shuttle to the airport. Add another 30 minutes onto the drive time. 3 hours to get from my home to the airport, for a 3 hour flight to Houston. Go figure.

The drive was a bit stressful to say the least. It was my first time finding the parking lot and on top of that I drove in the rain the entire time. I don't really mind driving in the rain but trying to pass an 18-wheeler on the highway is hard to do with a constant sheet of rain in front of you.

My trip was one of the shortest I have ever made to Houston. I arrived at 2:00 pm on Friday and had to be back at the airport at 9:30 am Sunday.

It was great to see my sister and spend time with her. A bonus was that she drove me to Galveston on Saturday to have lunch with my cool friend, Luci. A great time was had by all.

It was hotter than hell in Houston. Upon my arrival back home, the weather had changed. The high has been in the 70's.

I think that with the stress of the weekend trip combined with the weather change is the reason I feel as if I am catching a cold. Today I begin my 5 day regiment of special vitamin cocktail that works like a charm. By day 3 I will feel much better.

The picture was taken at the Topanga Earth Day festival earlier this year. Someones got a very creative idea about how to make tea.

Ciao