REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Mt. Shasta, Anton Mizerak and Friends

What do you think of when you see this beautiful photo of Mt. Shasta which is on Jack Trout's blog? I think of peace, tranquility, healing, of being one in nature, and tonight I got a dose of Mt. Shasta after an early birthday dinner with my friends Rick and Orma—and then a concert at the Unity Church billed as Anton Mizerak and Friends, an evening of acoustic world music, by Shasta Song.

What an incredible surprise this group was—totally unknown to me, but definitely on my radar screen forever and ever. They’ll return to Southern California in late January, but if you check the tour schedule at Shasta Song, you'll see their whereabouts in the months coming up. They describe themselves as primarily touring on the new thought circuit these days, but each is a performer in his or her own right and records independently of the tour.

There are several musicians on the Shasta Song label and tour and tonight’s concert brought four people together who had not played as a group since the Asilomar Conference last year. Anton Mizerak of Shasta Song, grew up in Palos Verdes and he lives—where else? in Mt. Shasta, CA. Celtic guitarist and Celticstan music inventor Michael Mandrell, hails from Taos, if I remember correctly. Richard Hardy, who toured for 13 years with Carol King and records solo and with several orchestras, is from Oregon. Tracy Rae Clark musician, singer and composer is the youngster of the group hailing from Arizona. Looking at her reminded me of what a genuine flower child looked like back in the 60s.

At Shasta Song’s site, there are MP3 downloads of Anton’s music with various members of his tour group. The music has a deeply spiritual base, but is often very lively and rhythmic including group chanting which gets the crowd really moving.

For the first time in weeks, I sit here typing with a song in my heart and on my CD player. I've been in a yukky emotional place the last few weeks, but this group really jump-started me on "getting over myself." I particularly smiled when Anton recalled a Rainbow Gathering several years ago in Taos where he poked fun of himself over his choice of music. That particularly made me smile because I happened to be in Taos at the time and the new agers were everywhere in tie dye, VW bus campers filled with dogs and kids—an incredibly carefree set of folks. I didn’t go to the Rainbow Gathering, but I understand it still happens the first week in July in various “power” locations.

What a wonderful evening this was reminding me of music I truly love and people who are trying to impact the world in a positive way through music. They were having so darned much fun playing together.

Sicko Hits the Nail on the Head

I've had a tummy bug all day, but went with my friends Rick and Orma to dinner and to see Michael Moore's Sicko tonight--and I actually feel more nauseous. It is the movie making me feel even worse now.

Sicko really hit the core of inequity in our American health and drug industry and Moore laced the dire news of a failing healthcare system with bursts of humor as well. I highly recommend this film, but I don't want to be a spoiler, as IMDB puts it. There was one sequence toward the end that went a little too far, I think, but I don't want to go further in case you haven't seen the film. I have heard Moore interviewed on NPR and seen him on CNN--and he is always controversial. But, he makes us think.

Seeing examples of the Canadian, British and French healthcare systems and hearing the stories of people living in those countries, it is a travesty that the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world doesn't have universal healthcare. Bush's Medicare Part D, which seemed like the best thing he had done in his years in office, has not been beneficial for me because I quickly exceeded the $2,250 (by March) and have been paying out of pocket ever since. When I was in Canada last summer, I took my drug list with me to a pharmacy in Victoria and the drugs were far cheaper than in the U.S. In Washington state, there are whole tours that go into Canada to buy drugs.

I do not belong to an HMO, but I belong to the privileged middle class; I am fortunate to be on Medicare, but I carry a private supplement so I can choose my own doctors and hospitals. But, I know that the critics say that Medicare is running us into financial disaster. (What if we didn't have a war in Iraq?) I am blessed to be able to afford that supplement. I am blessed to be able to pay for my drugs out of pocket now that I'm in the Part D donut hole. It's hard, but not disastrous for me. But, I worked full-time far longer than I had planned specifically to keep medical coverage. As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I have one of those pre-existing conditions that would exclude me from getting a new policy. But, I personally believe we should ALL have health care available, not just those of us who can afford it. But, what in the heck do we do to help start moving toward that? Awareness is the first step, I guess, and Moore is a master at making us aware, whether we agree with his politics or not.

As we left the theater tonight, the California universal health care initiative volunteers were handing out fliers. I'll explore that, too, and as the primaries come closer, I'll explore what each candidate is saying about this issue. If you have seen the film, I'd like to hear your feedback. If you haven't, I highly recommend it.

Memories of Poet Charles Bukowski

Recently I checked out the 2003 documentary about the late Los Angeles poet, Charles Bukowski, called “Born to This,” and I was flooded with memories. Bukowski had a colorful life that seemed largely to revolve around alcohol, but I admired his work even though our lifestyles were light years apart,. He was a local. You could go hear him read. When my eldest son was in college, he introduced me to Bukowski's work and he became one of my favorites at that time, along with Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg. I actually went to hear Ginsberg at a writer’s conference once and I have his autograph on the last collection of his work published while he was alive. Though I personally associated Bukowski with Kerouac, Ginsberg and the other major Beat writers, he was not actually part of that group, though he has long been linked with them.

After watching the documentary, I decided I would stop at Green Hills Cemetery in San Pedro next time I was there and find Bukowski’s grave. The office told me he is actually internationally well-known and about a half dozen people a week seek out his grave and leave mementoes. The day I was there, a small airline bottle of whiskey and some flowers lay on his grave marker. Before Bukowski’s death, my youngest son and a friend went by Bukowski’s San Pedro home to get an autograph on one of his books. His wife Linda was gardening and she took their books and Bukowski later signed them and mailed them back to the young men. He was always remarkably accessible while alive.

If you are unfamiliar with his work, Charles Bukowski was born in 1920 and began writing at a young age; he was first published in the 1940s. Then he gave up writing for the world of work and bars, not publishing, not writing, so the myth goes, for nearly twenty years. Ten of those years were spent roaming from odd job to odd rooming house from the East coast to the West. The other ten years, Bukowski worked for the United States Postal Service in Los Angeles, a job that took no effort except for the strength to show up and the patience to perform mindless operations. During that time, his life bordered on insanity and death, two prevalent themes in his writing. According to his own myth making, Bukowski returned to writing the day that he quit the Postal Service, but his bibliography shows that indeed, he had been publishing several years before that.

In total, there are over forty books in print written by Bukowski. Since his death on March 9, 1994, a growing number of books deal with Bukowski as a critical source and literary legend. As an aging woman, this poem, called “Be Kind” had particular relevance when I read it recently. Tell me what you think.

Be Kind

we are always asked
to understand the other person's
viewpoint
no matter how
out-dated
foolish or
obnoxious.

one is asked
to view
their total error
their life-waste
with
kindliness,
especially if they are
aged.

but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to
see.

not their fault?

whose fault?
mine?

I am asked to hide
my viewpoint
from them
for fear of their
fear.

age is no crime

but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life

among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives

is.

Notes on a Scandal

If it weren’t for my friends Rick and Orma, I would probably see very few movies in the theater. But, because they include me, at least once a month, I see my fair share. Not all married couples feel comfortable hanging out with their single women friends, but Rick and Orma are blind to the fact that I'm "not a couple," for which I am grateful. That topic is a post for another day.

Tonight we went to see Notes of a Scandal with Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. I had not read the reviews and I didn’t know the plot, but this is excerpted from Film Critic:

If you don't already worship at the Church of Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal may be the film that causes your conversion. Dame Judi tears into the meaty role of secretive spinster teacher Barbara Covett with relish. You won't soon forget the look on her shriveled face as she commits outrageous acts of emotional blackmail.

While hunting for the link to Notes of a Scandal, I tripped across an excellent article on older women actresses at Independent.

In a culture so addicted to thin, young, sexy women models and actresses, it is heartening to know that there are roles for older women. Though emotionally disturbing, I highly recommend Notes on a Scandal. Who knows? Maybe Dame Judi will walk away with an Oscar. And if you want to see Dame Judi and Michael Williams’ homepage, go to DJDChronology.

Miss Potter is Enchanting

By default, my friend Betty and I went to see Miss Potter tonight, and what a great piece of synchronicity. Although the film has not been reviewed well and received no Academy Award nominations, I thought it was truly enchanting. The cinematography was masterful and Renee Zellwegger, not a favorite actress of mine, WAS Miss Beatrix Potter.

We were actually supposed to go see Freedom Writers as we were informed via e-mail yesterday that all local teachers, with ID or paycheck stub, would be comped to see it anywhere locally until Thursday. (The film is a true story based on a teacher in Long Beach.) This offer also ran in this morning's local paper. Up to Rolling Hills Regal Theaters we went--only to be told they were not honoring this offer--and no amount of cajoling would change their mind.

But, you know what, bad reviews or not, I am so glad I saw Miss Potter--and I did get the senior rate. That's a chunk of change within itself. When I checked Wikipedia, they listed the inaccuracies of Miss Potter's plot, but I don't care. I still think it was enchanting. And what's more, it is a film I will buy for my own collection--and that I recommend to you. Just seeing the Lake District of England and the period costumes was worth the admission.

Forget Freedom Writers, which also has been reviewed badly, but next I do want to see Pan's Labyrinth. What have you seen lately that you really, really like? I have reached the point in my life when I can't bear to see a violent film, which really limits my choices.

Don't Miss Dreamgirls

If you haven't seen Dreamgirls yet, and you like the R&B and soul music that spun out of the 1960s, I highly recommend it if you like musicals. I saw it tonight and I was mesmerized, but knew little about it going in. I assumed it was a spin-off from Diana Ross and the Supremes, but that would be a very loose definition. I did not see the musical live in the theater, but I'm glad to have seen it on the rainbow screen.

Jennifer Hudson, who apparently came in fourth in American Idol (which I haven't followed), stole the show as far as I was concerned. Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy were cast to a "t", and all the characters, the music, the cinematography, and the magical sets and choreography were mesmerizing. Beyonce is very beautiful and her voice is excellent, too, but Jennifer stole the show as far as I am concerned.

Let me know what you think if you decide to see it. I recently watched Rent on DVD and Dreamgirls reminded me of Rent because the music was the plot. It must have been a ball to work on this film.

Men in Trees Has Potential

On Tuesday night there was a sneak preview for a romantic comedy called Men in Trees which will actually run on Friday nights at 9 p.m. - one of the doomed to fail TV slots. I don't watch TV much, I will admit, but one of my all-time favorite shows was Northern Exposure, I long to visit Alaska, I like Ann Heche, and the trailers seemed uplifting somehow, in spite of the shallowness of being a famous NYC failed relationship coach trying to "get real" in small town Alaska. I watched and I did see some of the down-home qualities of Northern Exposure, but I also saw humor, good acting, beautiful scenery, and it had the potential of being something greater than itself. The characters seemed real and most had basic values (if not morals) and elementary spiritual foundations. You kind of know who is going to end up with who, but who knows? The writer is one of the Sex and the City writers.

I can't stand all the hospital and cop shows any more and I truly hate reality TV except for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Mostly I seem to watch CNN for news, Jon Stewart and other people on the Comedy Channel, Saturday Night Live, and movies. I think it might be time to lighten up and actually find a show I can follow, like I did Northern Exposure, Thirty Something, Seinfeld, Friends, the Sopranos, and Providence--although I'll have to program the TV during the Friday night lights period. I don't have HBO anymore, so that limits a lot of the "good stuff" right there.