More Pictures from Desert Hot Springs

A Little Indulgence In the Desert

Outside of a quick and very entertaining camel safari in the Thar desert and a van break down in Death Valley while moving to California, I've not spent much time in the desert. After a very serious bout with the Flu recently, I decided I needed to seek out the healing waters. Only 2 hours east of L.A. are the many mineral spas of Desert Hot Springs California.
With only a days notice, we were able to find a great place that accepted dogs. I wasn't sure what to expect, as the last time I went to a sauna was in San Francisco with my friend Annie. The place was really just a couple of capsule like saunas, packed with people whom you couldn't avoid touching. I won't go into the details....but the conditions were a little sickening...really.
The Hacienda Inn was perfect! We spent almost every minute there in warmth, looking out into a very clear desert sky. There were few guests there, so it was very peaceful and Rufus loved the two dogs, Gracie and Shanti, who wandered the property and played with him.
To top it off it wasn't expensive. Less expensive than going to the doctor and much more therapeutic.

Why I love Florida

When I tell people I am from Florida I usually get one of two reactions. Either they think I was lucky to have grown up near the beach and Micky Mouse, as if everybody there is just sunning in a bikini with Mickey serving them Pinacoladas. The other reaction is one of surprise. To the latter folk, Florida is a plastic wast land of cigar smoking developers and their bleach blond redneck wives. Or perhaps they think of the despotic, airbrushed sunsets of hard partying meccas like Datona beach or the aggressively augmented perfection of the bodies gliding down Miami's South beach.
I won't try to deny that there isn't a certain unpredictable quality in the air in Florida. Both the ocean air and the people of Florida can shift quickly without warning. And it seems that the pain threshold of most of the people I grew up with is higher than normal making for some crazy decisions on ATVs and the like. But there is a different Florida that to my surprise I sometimes miss.
It is probably the flatness of Florida that drew people to race everything from horses to cars there. That same flatness allows you to see for miles and miles. It can be overwhelming, like looking into the vastness of the ocean. Only in the country, where I used to sit under huge oak trees, threaded with Spanish Moss it feels like possibility.

Up The PCH

This was the second time I've gotten to see these napping Elephant Seals along the PCH.

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Christmas Tree Delima

Though I've never been a Christmas enthusist, I have warmed to the idea over the years. So much so that for the past few years I have taken the time to eke out a little space for my annual dolled up tree branch, ala Charlie Brown Christmas. This little symbol of Christmas has been enough for me to hang a few homemade decorations and lite up a corner of the room with as much Christmas as I need or want.
This year however, I scoured the well manicured streets and parks of Los Angeles to no avail. I couldn't find ONE tree branch. I got on line to find out the truth about christmas trees...artificial and real. It seems real trees are bad because they use fertilizers that go into the water supply, gas to transport them, and when they break down they release co2. Artificial aren't better since they utilize chemicals to produce, are often made in China which means a lot of resources to get them here etc. etc.
I had resigned myself to not having a tree when I found the perfect little live tree at the grocery store. It was perfect! And the best part....I can use it next year. If I don't kill it.

But What do you EAT?!!!

Since moving to a more "progressive" state, I have marveled and cooed at the refreshingly expansive options I have as a vegetarian. In the south I had all but excepted my fate as a salad or even salad bar regular. Most of my friends and family are not of the animal rights persuasion. This doesn't mean they are not accommodating, but one can only go to one of the two Thai restaurants with you before they get bored.
Though I still have few if any vegetarian friends, I am surrounded by incredible vegetarian restaurants! What is important to note is that these are HEALTHY vegetarian spots. One can enjoy organic, possibly locally grown juicy veggies cooked to vital perfection infused with just the right amount of flavor. Instead of the trans fat fried, cheese soaked mess that I'm used to.
The best part, is that it has become an adventure! There are cafes and full fledged restaurants scattered across L.A. in every economic and social bracket. There is the soul veg place in the USC area, the chic chic, though casual place in Santa Monica, the raw places...be careful here some bodies can't take the "purity", and the old Thai stand bye.
So, traffic sucks and the people here are a little less than friendly, but at least there are folks here who care about animals and the planet, and make it easy for me to do it too.

Help is Always There

I have always been amazed at how people have magically shown up to help me when I have found myself stranded or otherwise lost in a foreign country. Once in Hungary, my sister and I got off at the wrong stop at four in the morning. We were trying to go to Budapest and ended up two stops beyond it, in the middle of no where. I do mean the middle of nowhere. There wasn't even a platform. We just followed the train tracks through a field, to the "station", that seemed to have housed livestock at some point in the recent past. We discovered quickly that we would have to wait until 8:00 a.m. for the banks to open in order to exchange currency and buy a ticket back to Budapest. I closed my eyes and said "God, whatever, where ever, who ever you are....we need help." When I opened my eyes there was a bearded man with a backpack asking me if I needed help. Could this be real? I explained the situation and thought maybe he could at least translate for us. He walked away and when he returned, produced two tickets back to Budapest! This kind of thing happened so often that I felt a bit guilty that I was always on the receiving end. All I had to do was ask in earnest and somehow, somebody heard me. Someone was listening...
Recently though, I had stayed at work quite late and decided to take an alternate route home. This was such an alternate route that I had begun vibbing it. I was going down streets I'd never seen before just to see if they connected. At a stop light I happened to look over to see sone of the foreign students from my class. I almost didn't recognize them. I waved and they waved back with both arms yelling "HELP", feigning desperation. I turned around and found that they had misread the bus schedule and now it was too late to get back to the west side without being on the bus for a couple of hours. It was great to finally be on the other side of the equation. Finally I was in a position to even the scales a bit.
When I saw them the next day, we all marveled at the absolute serendipity of me being there at that particular time. It was as if they had asked me to come. Thankfully, I heard them.

Two Things I Love In The California Evening Sun

Treasures in a Moving Box

Everyone told me it will be like Christmas when you open up the boxes of stuff you move to your new home. I still haven't found my knives, but opening up the box of little devil faces from Jamie made me forget about any practical stuff I might need to find. I can cut onions with a butter knife, but I could never find anything like these anywhere else in the world.

People With Something To Say

Home for a Birthday

I know that many people over age 21 don't care to celebrate birthdays. Once you have passed the threshold of legal inebriation there is nothing left to hold your breath for right? But what better way to tell your friend that you're glad they were around for another year than to have a party in their honor?
Since a certain someone came into my life, I've had my fare share of great birthdays spent with my closest friends. I thought this year would be the exception, but there I was surrounded by the greatest people.
It was a joint party, with my birthday twin, Mr. Adams. Cakes made by Ms. White and the other Athens Ms. Wooten. And party thrown and thrown down by Mr. and Ms. McMaken. A blast!! I couldn't be a luckier person.

Korean Scrub a Dub Dub

As a native of Florida I know a thing or two about saunas. In fact, I used to get under a velour blanket in the back seat of our huge Mercury Marque, in the dead of summer just to have the cooling experience when I came out coming out. Maybe I was just trying to detox from all of those hand fulls of whipped cream I sneaked while everyone else was doing yard work. Or maybe it was some kind of masochistic experiment akin to the practice of trying to see how long you can go without scratching an itch.
I didn't know a real sauna though until I went to a Russian bath house in N.Y.C. The idea that you are cleaning from the inside out was incredible not to mention the absolute relaxation possible when you surrender to the heat.
Since moving to L.A. I've wanted to try the Korean saunas but hadn't been able to justify it yet. So, when my little sister came for a visit I decided to schedule the full treatment for us.
We arrived about an hour early to soak and soften as the people at the spa had suggested. It was a dark peaceful place with several rooms and pools to "process" your body in. We melted into the red colored hot tea pool. Then tiptoed into the freezing green tea pool our eyes bulging and personal bits standing at attention. There was even a "jade room" to relax in on grass rugs. This room actually has huge nets full of jade hanging in each corner.
Before we had time to do another round our numbers were called and we proceeded to the massage center. This is when I realized we were not getting private massages. Like a scene from the movie "Coma", there were supine bodies from wall to wall with bikini clad women scrubbing and rubbing every part of them.
My sister and I looked at each other and almost reluctantly went to our respective tables. The massause was very instructive in her broken English. One word commands can be confusing though. For example, I almost didn't fit on the table so she kept telling me "up" which I figured out meant move up on the table not sit up. She also knew how to say "ober", which I realized meant turn over not that the massage is over.
The service began with a scrub. My god was it a scrub. I felt like an old piece of furniture being sandpapered by a professional. When she came to certain imperfections on my skin it was as if she became Lady McBeth trying to get rid of the blood she hath spilled.
Then came the private spots. As she swooped in with the loofah, I thought to myself no she is not scrubbing there! But I let it all happen. Just surrender, right?
There were spots however that were just too ticklish. I let out a giggle as she loofahed my stomach. Then I heard my sister giggling from across the room. I started to laugh even more. My therapist reprimanded me with a curt "SSShhht". I laughed again. "Ssshht" and then "First time?", she asked, trying to show sympathy I suppose.
Once the massage was over and we were worked over, I went home and compared notes, and got the best nights sleep I've gotten in a long time.

Car Culture Part 1

I knew before I moved to L.A. that I would be spending a lot of time in the car. A lot....Hmmm maybe that's not quit the right word. In any case, I have made a point of not indulging in truly complaining about the traffic since let's face it.. it doesn't help.
So I've taken to looking at all of the maudlin challenges of being in the car as little lessons. Up until recently the only thing I had really learned was how to drive like a South Indian... This can be loosely condensed into a few guildlines. 1. Pay close attention 2. Do not react emotionally to the asshole in the S.U.V. Mercedes who is running you of the road while talking to his banker on his cell phone....(as Darell Allen once said.."He can't hep it") 3. Think about all of the things that really matter to you. 4. Swerve baby swerve.
Everything changed last week when I learned a new very helpful skill. If you are easily grossed out stop reading now! (that means you Aarron). Working through several days of a sour stomach, the drive home had become the worst part. I thought if I could just get home I would be o.k.
On one particular day the stop and go had pushed me toooo far. I couldn't believe it! I had to vomit and through that sweaty pre vomit phase I couldn't manage to bully anyone into letting me pull over. The talk radio that was so interesting a few minutes before had become like a wet wool blanket smothering and scratching me. I realized I would have to get this thing done in the car. I turned off the radio, quickly positioned a plastic bag over the steering wheel and waited for the launch. Now that is some multitasking! Yes, I know this is gross, but I was amazed that this feet was even possible!
When it was done I simply tied the bag up and continued my journey home. Now I always carry a bag in the car and listen to talk radio a little less.