Living where it's warm

Yes, I like living where the coldest it's been so far is about 35 degrees during the night. Of course, this house, at least, and perhaps others in the area as well, isn't made to keep out the cold. Chilly drafts whistled through spaces under and around doors and windows. And the house is about 24 inches off the ground, with no particular insulation in the floor, either. Fortunately, so far that's only been a couple of nights, and yesterday and today the daytime temperatures were back into the 70s.

I've been trying to keep busy. Starting last week, I lugged my keyboard over to my favorite eating place, The Starfish Cafe, and I've been playing Christmas music during their lunch shift, 11-1:45. Today, when I left there, I picked up Remy and headed out to do errands. First, we went to The French Knot (knit shop) in nearby Diamondhead (maybe 8-10 miles?). From there, we hurried toward a specialty pet store in Slidell, but it closed at 3:00 today, and we didn't make it. So, I searched locations in New Orleans that carry Stella & Chewy's (my faithful back-up, freeze-dried dog food) and found one in a neighborhood I'd already been in once -- a real plus. Also, it had its own parking lot!

From there, we meandered over to Veteran's Memorial Parkway, another place I've been before, and found a Joann's Fabrics so I could get a particular type of needle that I need for the proper finishing of the knitted items I've been producing. I "yelped" restaurants in the area and found a place where the brisket was highly recommended -- and it was close by. It turned out to be a bar where smoking is obviously allowed, although fortunately it wasn't busy or smoky at the time. I had the brisket tacos, and the corn tortillas came back to haunt me almost immediately, but the meal was delicious.

The piece de resistance of the evening and the reason for going all the way to New Orleans was a workshop/class for voice actors. This is hosted in the home of the instructor where he has his own little recording studio. He (Marc Preston) talked about a lot of different things including emphasis on the acting part of voice work, focusing on a particular area of voice work, and marketing oneself, and the class culminated with each of us having a turn in the booth, practice reading some prepared copy. I felt I did well at my first try in many years. There was a special price offered for 4 classes ($25 per single class, or $85 for four), so on my way over I had to stop at a couple of different Walgreen's and buy small items so I could get cash back.

This means that, for the next 3 weeks, I have a Tuesday meeting in New Orleans. I'm not sure what I want to do with this. I just know that it's something I like and could do for income. First, I guess I need to get back with Social Security one more time and try to understand how this all works. Initially, I was asked how much I expected to earn this year, and I was told that my monthly income from SS would rise or fall based on my other sources of income. I got a form from the SS office a couple of months ago, asking whether I was earning what I expected. I said no. I got back pay from April and May, but the monthly amount didn't go up. When I went to the SS office in Lacombe the middle of last week, the person I talked to said that the amount wouldn't change. She wasn't specifically a retirement agent, but a disability person, but she said she checked with a retirement person. I'm a little confused. If the amount is fixed, then does that mean I can work without it affecting my SS income? If so, I'm off to find work, because this is not (quite) enough to live on. If not, then I need to know the ins and outs of this system.

If anyone out there reading knows anything about this, please fill me in. (The SS I'm getting right now is Spousal Benefits, not my own SS. I won't be eligible for that for a few more years, and I figure to stay on the Spousal Benefits for a while in order that my own SS income will be higher when I finally get to it.)

I'm having an interesting experience of Advent/Christmas this year. I'm far from loved ones. I'm in a warm climate. The UU church I've been attending doesn't really do much with Advent or Christmas. I have no decorations. And I've been playing Christmas music 2-3 times a week at a cafe. I think it's funny that people in this climate hang lighted icicles and snowflakes. I mean, can't Christmas fit into the reality of this climate? People sing about "Winter Wonderland" here as much as they do in Michigan. It seems odd to me.

I may take a pottery class after the first of the year. A place opened just a block from us where they're teaching classes in pot building and casting on the wheel (two separate classes). I have to look into cost. Oh, and I met a florist with a business right on Main Street next to the Starfish Cafe. She offered to do a barter with me where she would teach me to make the floral arrangements for Abby's wedding, if I would teach her some piano lessons. Sounds like a pretty good deal. I'll be talking with her. Now to find a massage therapist who wants to do the same! Oh! And yoga. After seeing Ginny Peterson do a backbend at Thanksgiving, I thought, "I really need to work on my flexibility!"

I miss my friends and family and wish you were here, rather than me there. I don't miss the blizzards ... too much. I actually do like shoveling, but only once or twice a week, not 3 times a day as someone posted on Facebook. Remy and I are doing okay, holed up in the bedroom most of the time. Rick has the living room, where he plays Solitaire, writes short stories, and checks email, while watching TV or listening to a fabulous jazz station out of New Orleans. Ever since Rick nearly tripped over Remy in the kitchen, I try to stay out of there when he's in there. I try to keep Remy in the bedroom as much as possible. Apparently, while I was at the cafe today, Remy must not have been feeling well (I say this because he had been out twice before I left and did everything he needed to do both times) and left "gifts" (as Rick said in a note) for me in the laundry room. I didn't realize I'd left him access to the laundry room. More careful restriction is required.

Shrimping season is upon us, and we've had some delicious, fresh shrimp a couple of times in the past week or so. Both Rick and I have had our turns at cleaning the shrimp. I felt as though I had gotten pretty good at it by the end of the 2.6 pounds I bought. And the bamboo steamer is just the piece of equipment to steam the shrimp to perfection.

I try to assess my reaction to my living situation on a daily basis. It's not quite the companionable situation I had hoped for, but I'm making other friends, so it's okay. I cannot speak for my roommate, except to say that my own impression is that he finds much of what Remy and I do less than ideal, and perhaps even unacceptable. But who knows what we might learn in the next 4 months -- yes, we've already paid rent for the third month! Remy is my good buddy, and I've spent lots of time alone in the past, so I'm doing okay.

Happy Holidays to you all -- anyone who continues to read my blog (and everyone else, of course)!

Trying to make myself "at home"

I haven't been writing as much, because it doesn't seem worth writing about sitting around doing very little. I have been biking at least every other day, weather permitting; and I have played a concert (and two rehearsals) and hymns for church. And I've been reading. Abby suggested that I knit her a hat. I could take up knitting. I could sew the cut up T-shirts I brought with me onto my quilt.

And I could write a couple of sermons.

And I could ... well, lots of things.

At least today held some interest. I thought I'd get to the Social Security Office in Lacombe, LA, on my way to New Orleans today, but when I pulled into the parking lot I realized I didn't have time, because I was on my way to see Alice's (and my) friend, Jessica Rothe (Jess) as she is shooting a movie in New Orleans. I arrived just in time for lunch, an amazing spread with roast beef, carved on the spot, crab legs, asparagus, salad, baked potatoes, and more.

The drive over was educational. When I looked at climate averages before moving down here, I noticed that Bay St Louis averages 9+ inches of rain in the month of December. I wondered whether that meant that it would be rainy and dreary for weeks on end, or if it would come in deluges. Today, I found out. I felt as though I was driving under a waterfall for 30 miles as I drove into New Orleans. There was a little lightning and thunder, but mostly there was an incredible, intense amount of rain.

That's the City of New Orleans in the distance. If you look closely, you can see that the tops of all the buildings are obscured in cloud. This was one of the moments when the rain let up enough to be able to see anything besides the taillights of the car in front of me.

Jess asked if I'd been on a sound stage before. No. But I was involved in quite a few student films a few years back, so I wasn't completely ignorant of what was going on. This particular production has a number of monitors. I couldn't hear what was being said in the shots, but I could see them clearly from where I was seated. The afternoon was both fascinating and boring. The people were all lovely, and I especially enjoyed chatting with a woman about my age named D or Dee. She was one of the hair people.

The overexposed blur on the screen is Jess. The monitors are flanked by two crew members.

Remy stayed in his kennel in Jess's trailer. I got to go out and walk him about halfway through the afternoon when there was a break for a change of costume and hair. Today's shooting finished about 5:00, but Jess had to do an interview and get her make-up off, so we left about 6:00 and went for a drink, and I had a burger. It was just so nice to be with someone I know and love, here in the area. Jess's mom is visiting this weekend, and she invited me to come back. I told her to keep me posted on what she and her mom have planned.

We took this shot before parting after dinner. My hair looks funny.

I've been feeling deeply about the Oakland fire that has killed so many bright, beautiful, beloved young people. I think I would have taken notice of it, even if the dead did not include one of Alice's boyfriend David's dear friends; but knowing that he is deeply saddened by these events makes them even more real to me. Death is a simple reality of life. No matter the age of the person, it simply is. But we feel more regret for those who seem to be just beginning their lives, or at least their adulthood, especially when so many are killed at one fell swoop. Miami. Littleton. etc.

I hope some of you will come and visit. I have a feeling it's going to be a long winter if I don't find constructive and useful things to do. And I also know that I just need to give it a little time. After all, it didn't take long for someone to grab me up to play piano for a Christmas program. Everyone wants to know a decent piano player! And I keep handing out my Sacred Space cards. They feel like seeds I'm sowing that will bring me back to areas I've traveled through.

Something bit me on the foot last night while I was walking Remy. It itched until I took Rick's suggestion and put some ammonia on it. When I went to bed last night, the spot was a very small white dot on the top of my right foot. This morning, the same. For those of you who maybe unnecessarily concerned, here's a picture of it. And ... it doesn't itch anymore.

See the little white spot. That's it. It was a little red around it last night, but not anymore.

I'm going to read and listen to the thunder now. The rain is predicted to stop around 1 or 2 in the morning. I hope to be able to bike in the morning. No plans for tomorrow. Guess I'll  have to come up with something.