I Can't Drive 55...even if I tried!!!

So the circle of life continues...and here I sit at my favorite coffee shop, the safe haven I've returned to for so many years...ever since I can remember. I can still see Aaron behind the counter or over at the voluminous roasting oven...his bare muscled tattooed arms held out so my young red headed daughter Megan could swing on them and Aaron could yell, "I'm going to sell you to the gypsies!" And Megan would laugh as I sat here perhaps right at this table reading and writing...

How did it happen? How did Megan grow up and the teenagers all became grown ups. And yeah, how did I turn 55? Well, I'm here to tell you that age is relative...and I still can't drive 55!!! or even 65 for that matter...or whenever I get the chance.

This morning I got up early for a Saturday morning...I had to head over the hill to Santa Cruz to play ukulele on the beach with 75 to 100 other crazy people. They were doing my song list this week...the one I'd created...

here's the songlist -- the one I created, realizing that I forgot When I'm 64... but oh well.

so these are the songs we sang this morning... I had invited all of my kids and some of my friends to come on down to the beach...a beautiful beach by the harbor complete with lighthouse...coffee shop and restaurant right there... everything you can possibly imagine, even surfers and sailboats drifting by as we all sang and played ukuleles...the conga drums and dude on upright bass keeping time.. I was amazed that everyone wasn't all excited to get up early and head over... it is just so beautiful...

In the end it was just me by myself who headed over the hill...and in the end, we are all alone on our life journey although we encounter many people along the way, especially those we love family and friends... yes my friend Albert showed up a bit late... and once I got there, I wasn't alone...playing and singing with all of my ukulele playing friends... I've found my "group" a community that I feel as if I totally belong, among these crazy ukulele players... it's wonderful! and I could've easily played longer than 2 hours...this morning I decided to bring my 8-string ukulele...somehow it seemed like the right ukulele to play...

I mean it's not like I went to bed early last night or anything. I am part of several meetup groups, including one called 40 plus singles... they have all kinds of activities and last night there was a free dance class at this dance studio in Mountain View by the movie theater. I don't do much with this group -- mostly I do stuff having to do with the music groups..but thought it would be fun. I even managed to talk my coworker Leslie into going -- it was only fair since she talked me into going to a rock climbing event earlier in the week!!

of course we didn't realize that there was a big concert at the Shoreline and we'd get stuck in traffic just driving across Mountain View...then the trippiest thing happened when I called my good friend Albert up and found out that not only was he also stuck in traffic, but he was coming to this dance event! I was so surprised. I didn't even know he belonged to that group on meetup, nor did I ever believe he would even want to learn how to dance the cha cha and the tango (I was a little nervous about this as well)... and all fees were waived for members of our group, free night of dance lessons! There was salsa too and some sort of swing dancing...

so yes we got there late and I realized how wrong I was to dress comfortably in tennies and comfy pants... Leslie was dressed casually too, although she wanted to go home and change...she is more knowledgeable on these things than I am...I'm used to rock n' roll shows and ukulele singalongs and folk music stuff... what do I know about dance studios?

Most of the chicks in the rather large dance studio filled with several huge rooms and mirrors were dressed like they were getting ready to be on Dancing With the Stars! Seriously! Then I even found out as we signed in with our group that the chick who owns this dance studio was apparently on Dancing With the Stars. That figures.

The dance lessons had already begun began we were late...Leslie said she felt weird because we really dressed for learning these dances...how do these women dance in high heeled shoes like that I wondered? they must've taken lessons just to learn to dance like that? And look at those beautiful dresses. I don't even own attire like that...I do have boots..but I felt kind of weird too as we were wisked into a room where everyone was learning this swing dance that involved triple steps and this instructor guy or whoever he was attempted to show me how to do the dance...I sort of got it. My tennis shoes gripped the floor though, so I couldn't easily slide around or twirl around like all those people dressed to the hilt...

what the heck am I doing here? oh well, might as well go with it. Suddenly we were learning the tango...Leslie caught on faster than me I think tennies and all...I was sort of getting it...but I don't have a clue how to follow another dancer, which is what I'm supposed to do. All I know how to do is get out on the dance floor and boogie down...that's what I DO for heaven's sake!!! but these dancing with the stars people looked cool the way they danced...could I ever dance like that? I doubt it.

Albert showed up and I waved at him...my music playing buddy whom I hung out with at the Reno Ukulele Festival and Burning Uke and various other music-related things..never dancing though. He said he wanted to learn salsa. that looked way harder even than what we were doing, but Leslie and I finally made our way over there where everyone was learning this 1-2-3 move...basic and how to turn around in three steps...and slide and do all this other stuff...then we had partners and we switched partners...I felt sorry for my partners because I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing... one older guy actually went through the moves with me and I was grateful to him.

In the end we had a fabulous time...but I felt like a fish out of water! We then went to downtown Mountain View to my favorite Chinese restaurant which I'd recommended to the gang because I knew it happened to be open until midnight, Kirin...smiling as I walked in through the backdoor, showing Leslie a new place...Albert meeting us there. so many memories of eating here with Megan when she was little, and all of my kids, my family....it's a rather authentic Chinese restaurants with fish tanks (that was what Megan and I first noticed when she was young...look Mom, fish!" and the restaurant was open late... great place...even the gang that was already almost done eating agreed the food was good there.. that it was not Americanized at all... Albert loved the place, the old school ambience. I noticed the same people still worked there just as they had for so many years...they still speak very little English and it's no use going to their website because it's still in Chinese. But the menu has English translations..not always perfect translations, but close enough. I love Kirin Restaurant!

Then we parted ways because, after all, I had a big day ahead with Santa Cruz and all... and that's where I was this morning...and here I sit now on my way back home...

Stevie and Liezl came over and we all ate barbecue when I finally made it home. We sat around and chilled afterwards, and then I remembered the Megatones were playing at Number One Broadway and my friends would be there.

So I got to Number One Broadway late...and I'm so glad I went! we had so much fun!!! I got to dance with cool guys from Korea who had never danced before...now they have something to talk about back home...! and the Megatones...

Me with Phoenix, and the two guys from Korea (who work for Samsung) whom I danced the night away with!

And you can imagine how surprised I was to hear the Megatones play...Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band -- just fo rme! :) FABULOUS!

what a perfect way to end my bday!

Which Direction Do I Go?

Today was filled with so many choices and possibilities...I had no idea which way to turn. I woke up late because I didn't get home until 3:00 a.m. I guess it serves me right for deciding to go to Woodham's, my old hangout place I rarely go to these days. The ukulele has pretty much taken over my life, and definitely will continue to. But today I took a break from the ukulele. Last night, I have to admit there was a ukulele involved. The evening began innocently enough -- with an office party at one of our attorney's homes...it was a lovely party where people serve you drinks at the door, totally catered. We all felt so pampered -- It was like being in one of those surreal TV shows with cocktail parties. A band of four guys who looked kinda of bored played "soft jazz" music out in the yard on the grass behind the "open bar." It wasn't even the good, exciting type of jazz but it almost reminded me of "elevator music." Of course the music added to the ambience -- a little bit. The bartender was much more interesting. He made me a drink he called a "Daisy." He talked about how margaritas back in the day were not like the ones you see now, those huge blended drinks in giant glasses with decorations on them. No, they used to be "light," a shot of good tequila (Petron) with a dash of sweet and sour and grenadine and I think there was something else too, but I don't remember what it was. 

So I sipped on the drinks and socialized, attempting to "mingle" with my coworkers. I love my coworkers, don't get me wrong but mingling with them at parties isn't always easy -- except for my closer friends. I felt "happy" for a while...we ate lovely food and I sat at a table with my friends and ended up having a good time in spite of the band. Then I attended a singalong jam that apparently has been happening for many years at this one guy's house. I had to find the house on a very dark street in Los Altos but the steps were all lit up...walking up the steps was like walking through a light tunnel, but the house and everyone in it was warm and inviting...most people just sang songs reading the lyrics from these songbooks...my friend Bruce played keyboard and guitar...he was the best musician in the room. I met him because he runs a new meetup group called Eat, Drink and Sing -- he had just moved to San Francisco and wanted to start a new group. I played my ukulele! we sang Beatles songs and other cool songs that I liked and then I headed off to my old hangout place I hadn't been to in ages, Woodham's, where I ran into my friends Larry and his band After Sunset...the minute I walked in, Larry and the band started playing Twist and Shout...SOOO COOL!!! I saw people I hadn't seen in ages and at 1am we were all still dancing and singing... 

So yeah I slept in Saturday -- but there was soo much to do and no way to figure out what. I felt almost immobilized as I dragged myself into the shower at noon and attempted to sort it all out in my head... Okay, there's the Beatles "Sing" at the Chit Chat Cafe in Pacifica right by the ocean. That starts at 2pm... I could possibly zip over there, but what about the Los Altos Art & Wine Festival where two of my favorite local bands were playing, Blue House and the Megatones??? that also began at 2pm... 

Not to mention the evening where things really got sticky...the KihnCert at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View promised a good time with the likes of Pat Benetar and Steve Miller Band!! and I could've probably gotten a relatively cheap ticket. An awesome ukulele player, Brittini Paiva, was playing at my beloved strum shop all the way up in Roseville, CA where I won my Nalu ukulele... do I make the trek? THEN, to top everything off, my friends invited me to the Corn Festival in Brentwood to hang out and AC/D-SHE and Pablo Cruise, among others...! I'd never been to the Corn Festival, yet I'd been to plenty of Art & Wine Festivals and knew what they were like. 

the day progressed yet I still sat at home...dealing with daughter Megan who was visiting for a "short time" between her crazy, mixed up dramatic life as an almost 20-year-old... I hung out with Baby Jeremiah for a while thinking, okay if I don't do something, I won't do ANYTHING>..

by 5pm, I knew my choices were becoming more limited -- the Corn Festival it is! So I got in my car and headed towards Brentwood, a town I'd never even been to before driving on a 2 lane road for about 16 miles right past those weird, windmill looking things you only see in the distance from the freeway, but now they were practically right in front of me as I drove over the hill...it was dry and dusty out there, not damp like the coastal drive. I listened to my GPS and also tried to read the piece of paper I'd printed out since I had no idea where the heck I was going and Brentwood seemed like a small town. When I finally found the Corn Fest parking area, I couldn't believe it cost money to park  -- what can you do. It was so dusty and dry out there that at first I wondered if I'd even made the right decision to go out there...reminded me too much of Porterville, that weird, dusty town in the middle of nowhere I'd lived at for one year ten months and five days.

But here I was, and it was a little after 6pm. The AC/D-SHE band probably just started and I'd already missed the Groove Kings. It was hot, but not humid...got my ticket to get into what looked like a giant carnival having to do with corn and walked into the dusty area...had to get tokens just to get cold water, heard a country western band sing a Ringo Starr song..."They're gonna put me in the movies...they're gonna make a big star out of me!" I felt bad because hardly anyone stood in front of the stage...I knew that wasn't the stage I was supposed to meet my friends at -- it was, I was told, on the other end of the festival. I had to walk through a carnival area, almost getting run over by exciting kids a couple of times, and then I could hear the unmistakable AC/DC music played by the all female band, AC-D-she...and wow, they rocked! Found the stage...filled with people all over the place and there were even bleachers filled with more people...how does one find anyone here, I thought? I started rocking to the music with people I didn't know and then my good friend Michael tapped me on the shoulder and pointed up to the very top of one of the bleachers where his wife MoJo waved with her one good hand...she broke her other hand. they were my friends who told me about this event or I'd never have any idea...so I followed Michael up to the very top of the bleachers where it was shady and much cooler...and we had a perfect view of the band playing and the sound was fabulous because we sat right in between the massive speakers on each side of the stage...the dude on the equalizer machine or whatever it's called just a little to the left of us... and we could stand as much as wanted because no one was behind us...it was perfect!

When the band broke into Highway to Hell, the three of us, me, Michael and Mojo, stood up and sang along at the tops of our lungs, soo much fun. Mojo was right...this band was fabulous...playing all of our fave rock AC/DC hits from the earlier days of Bon Scott. In fact, the lead singer introduced herself as "Bonnie Scott!"

It became darker and cooler and the entire festival was alive with lights, so beautiful! Pablo Cruise was cool...ended with their most popular hit. We stood at the top of the bleachers with smells of cotton candy and roasted corn wafting through the air...kids screaming on the rides and all the lights...reminding me of days from the past when my kids would have been the ones running around the carnival...Mojo's 9-year-old grandson Adam was having a blast with their friend's son... some day baby Jeremiah will be that age and everything will happen all over again...

we trudged through the carnival at 10pm and I picked up a huge bag of fresh corn for $2.00...and a band on the other side still played "With a Little Help From My Friends" and a few people milled about... hmm...they didn't sound too bad either.

So I missed the KihnCert, sadly, and I missed some of my bands play...but at least I got to experience the Corn Festival!

Baby Jeremiah Turns a Year Old...

Are we really all grandparents? I thought as I stood in a circle in a lovely shaded area of Lake Elizabeth with my exhusband Steve, father of my three older kids, Jen's Mom Sue and her Dad Tom, whom I had just met in real life for the first time today. He surprised us all by showing up at Baby Jeremiah's birthday party -- traveling all the way from Nashville, Tennessee!! I mean, there we were singing Beatles songs while I played my ukulele, all four of us -- while the younger generation, all of my kids and their friends, and baby Jeremiah and all the other babies watched with wonder... We were definitely the lives of the party!  No way, how did it happen? Just yesterday I was chasing my own babies around the park.

Me, Tom, Steve & Sue (the GRANDPARENTS), and singing and dancing with baby Jenna...
she danced and sang along

The party preparation actually began last night and then at 5:00am this morning -- Jeremy had to drive to Lake Elizabeth to claim a spot. Then what ensued was similar to a sitcom on a TV show when everyone runs around like crazy people. The preparation involved in this party was incredible. My exhusband brought large tables and chairs -- Jen and Liezl chopped food items and prepared beans in the kitchen until late in the night...balloons needed to be picked up, the cake...and all of our cars were filled with "stuff." I watched Baby Jeremiah while everyone ran around and was quite thankful for that, actually, realizing that at one time in my life *I* was the mom with that crazed look on my face -- the one that Jen had when she finally returned from all of her chaotic errands...still forgetting the charcoal needed for the barbecue after all that. Something is always forgotten. That's just the way it is.

So while this was going on, I sat on the couch downstairs with the ceiling fan going watching Yellow Submarine on Jeremy and Jen's big screen TV. It was perfect timing because today, after all, is Ringo Starr's 70th birthday. We were so comfortable on the couch that we actually dozed off for a little while, and there's nothing better than awakening to a lovely Beatles song -- I believe it was Nowhere Man... Apparently Jen's Mom was already out at the picnic site -- there were so many people spending the night at our house last night that she rented a hotel room at Best Western. Not that I blame her, why not? I heard there was a heated pool there.

I showed up a little later because I couldn't get ready until Jen was finally ready to pick up the guest of honor himself, Baby Jeremiah. And, even after we were sure she had everything in the car, including the baby, she still called me frantically to remind me to bring the signs -- the ones that were supposed to be hung up so people could find us at the lake! So I managed to get out the door with my car loaded with the rest of the needed stuff...and drove down to the lake, about four miles away from our house in Union City. I had not forgotten my ukulele or some music, of course. The ukulele goes everywhere, and there's always a time and place...always. Today would prove to be no different. The ukulele is officially immersed into our daily lives, right alongside the Beatles. It's just one of those things.

I was happy to see that they had found a spot in the shade...as it was a warm, sunny day. I could see the lake stretched out not too far away, Canada geese and ducks...and there were a group of my kids' friends and my boys, Jeremy and Stevie. Stevie and his Dad Steve barbecued chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, and there was loads of food...

And what a surprise to meet Jen's Dad, Tom! None of us had any idea he would show up at baby Jeremiah's first birthday party! He had visited right after Baby Jeremiah was born - he came all the way from Nashville, Tennessee! Jen cried because she was so happy to see him, and that was really cool. Then we found out that Tom was staying in the same hotel that Jen's Mom, Susie, was staying at! What a coincidence. Susie also had no idea he was going to be there.

Here we all are -- the Grandparents!!! EPIC! Uber! Baby Jeremiah wasn't sure what to make of all this!!!

Hanging out with the other grandparents, especially my ex, was truly EPIC. (By the way, I was informed my son Jeremy that I was not allowed to ever say the word "epic" again, nor am I allowed to say "uber" and there's one other word I'm not allowed to say as well, but I'll be darned if I can remember it! I was also teased mercilessly by the boys for the yellow shorts I wore. One of their long-time friends Nikki smiled and said, "Did you expect anything else? Of course the boys will do that. They always do!"

Some more of the kids friends showed up -- I was amazed (well not too surprised) that some of Jeremy's friends, Chandel and her boyfriend and Nikki and her boyfriend, now have a bunch of tattoos -- which I was actually relieved about because of my youngest daughter Megan and her tattoos...is this what people do nowadays? Oh yes, and Megan arrived with her sort of boyfriend (who knows???) and her dog, and then Auntie Melissa finally made it as well! I didn't even recognize her because she dyed her hair blonde. I was only sorry that I did NOT get three-generation pictures. No one was as excited about doing these pictures as I was, darn...

Baby Jeremiah got to do all the fun stuff a one-year-old gets to do on his birthday, eat the cake and make a mess and open gifts! And of course Baby Jeremiah did it all in the most adorable way imaginable. And I was thrilled that he LOVED what I got him -- I had fretted over whether to get it for him just yesterday -- a cool combination of guitar, piano and drum...all rolled into one instrument, with songs or the ability to create your own songs...the box said "Ages 3 to 6" and I wondered if it was still okay for baby J to have it, but he LOVED it!!!

Baby Jeremiah with Mommy & Daddy -- his "first" cake...PREDCIOUS! No UBER

It won't be long now before Baby Jeremiah and me will rock out together -- me on uke (and soon enough he will have a ukulele and so will baby Jenna!)...

See, he already wants to make music!!!

My friends Phoenix & Steve joined us for a while...Phoenix and I have been friends for many years. We met in Mike Sult's guitar class back in the 1990s. And, then I got my ukulele out and started to play and sing a Beatles song, "She Loves you." First, tom joined in and next thing I knew, Susie and Steve had joined too! So I played several Beatles songs, the ones I knew off the top of my head...Eight Days a Week, Can't Buy Me Love, Hard Day's Night, Things We Said Today. Some of my kids' friends actually came over and took pictures! Baby Jenna and Baby Jeremiah loved it and Jenna even hummed along...we were dancing and having a great time... 

Is that what Grandparents do?

As the sun slipped into the lake, we all reluctantly knew we had to leave, which involved a huge amount of packing of cars, cleaning up, etc...the hardest part of any party or gathering, the exhausting art where "the party's over." Sue and Tom went back to their respective hotel rooms and we never saw them again this evening. Megan left with her boyfriend and so did everyone out -- leaving me, Jeremy, Jen and my exhusband Steve to pack it all in (including the baby) and head back to the house...but somehow it was okay. It had been a good day after all. I just wish I'd gotten some group family pictures, but Alex, one of the "long time friends," said, "Oh just take the pictures and photoshop everyone together!"