Recital! June 20th, 2008!!

It's the moment I know you've all been waiting for... it's time for another recital! This time however my friend Ken Ryals, a terribly talented baritone will join me and help redeem the experience! It'll be at the First UU Church again, and there will be more details to follow in a later posting. Just mark your calendar!

*nishi

Small town girl makes good in the big city!

Hey ya'll!

Just got back from Chicago... such a great city! Holy sheise! There was SO much to do, SO much to see and SO many good times to be had... needless to say, I did as many of those things as I could and came back simultaneously exhausted and refreshed (if that makes any kind of sense).

Here a few pictures from my adventures, a big thank you to Lauren and Joachim for hosting me... they have a lovely apartment on the northwest side, and it was a great place to come home to after a long day of sightseeing.

Peace 'n Hair Grease,

*nishi

P.S.- Despite Chicago being on a grid, my ass got lost so many times... it took me a while to figure it out, but I think it's a flatness issue! I've never been somewhere so flat... can I get a mountain range or something? That would be rad, thanks.

Laurnish at a bar... imagine that.

Saw some high art at the art museum... and I thought she had a cool face.

Crazy reflections from 'The Bean'!

'The Bean' from another angle, this time with the Chicago skyline in the background.

My Chicago family, Mary and cousin Charlie!

Joachim!!!

My great-aunt Nora... also a singer!

Hmmmmm... Chicago deep dish. ONE piece, that's all it takes!

Millennium Park, a beautiful urban oasis... and rad ass concert venue.

Lauren living the good life in Greek town.

Some of my all time favorite buildings in Chicago.

Random musings. Wazzup ya'll.

So it's been a hot minute, and I thought I would contribute to the world of blogging once again. This time to tell the joys of 'walktailing'. What is walktailing, you ask? Well, it's quite simple. It's a little walking and a little cocktailing. All it takes is a couple of road sodas, a pair of comfy walking shoes and your best friend! Admittedly we live in an amazingly beautiful city, with plenty of lovely walktail worthy evenings, a beautiful bay and balmy weather... but really, one can walktail almost anywhere. Anyone interested? I'll be taking reservations through August... and then time for a change of scenery. I wonder how Lake Michigan is for walktailing... Lauren?

*nishi

What happens when a walktail meets a carousel...


La huera in action!

Julia demonstrating terrific multitasking skills.

What your face looks like after a good walktail.

Ciao 2007, hola 2008!!

Okay, so for a bunch of reasons that I don't feel like dwelling on, 2007 sucked ass. Yes, there was much I enjoyed about this past year but for the most part I am more than happy to see it go away.

2008, such a lovely round number... like some lovely ladies I know, full of promise and change. I feel good about 2008. I know I said that about 2007, but this is different. Much of what I set out for myself to accomplish in this last year I have, however there is much further to go!

For example, I must keep in better contact with my friends far, far away. More phone conversations, more visits, more drunk dials... I don't care, just more! Also, more time out doors in nature. I know this sounds sooo cliche, but I mean it! On New Years day I went on hike up in the mountains and it felt great. There is something truly different about being in nature that totally feeds my soul and helps to keep me sane (this is a good thing).

So yeah, how the hell are you all? Any New Years resolutions? I hope everyone is well, that you all survived and maybe even enjoyed the holidays and that 2008 is looking good for you too!


Random Holiday Selections:

Our tree, expertly trimmed by the ladies of the Ranch (ma, Juju and myself).

Crown Royal, Chocolate Pecan Pie. Commonly referred to as "heaven".

Pancho, and his most favoritest thing in the world; an empty dog food can. Oh yeah.

New Years Festivities!!

Just in case you were wondering, yes we're all wearing hats and aprons. Nothing says happy new year quite like hats and aprons!

How we ended up in those hats and aprons...

Whoops, forgot some!

Sammie contemplating the snow on Mt Laguna, "really?".

Kool Mo' Julia, and the prettiness behind her. On top of the world!!

Manzanita. A crazy beautiful shrub, unique to SoCal.

Lovely ladies, on top of the world!!

Wait, which way? Oh that's right, that way!

Happy New Year Everyone!!
Mad love,

*nishi

Nothing more like SoCal...

...than a freeway opening! Last weekend for the first time in my life I attended a freeway opening. So much fun! You know, I've heard of freeway "grand openings" but never been... so when they opened the new toll road to the south bay, through Otay Lakes, it was time to go. The freeway itself opened Monday, the 19th, but on Saturday, the 17th the bikes got to take over! No cars allowed! Just bikes! It was fabulous! The ride itself was quite lovely, it was a cold and foggy morning which I love because it reminds me of Pathetica, and there were no cars! We just cruised for ten miles, hardly even noticing how far we had gone... awesome.

So here are some pics from the adventure. Don't forget, recital December 8th! Be there or be square!

Love,

*nishi

The on ramp... fast track anyone?

Mom cuts a deal with the toll machine.

Oh excuse me, not freeway opening, but rather expressway opening.

Veritable speed daemon.

Helmet hair!!!

Recital! December 8th, 2007!!

This time it's actually going to happen. Mark your calendars, start holding your breath... it's going to be amazing! It's time to get some performing back in my life, and this is a great opportunity. I'm excited to be performing some random holiday stuff, some cool ass spirituals and of course a few holiday favorites. I promise it'll be good times. More details to come...

Help Me Out Here.

So... the time has come for me to retire the ol' head shot and get a new one. However, since I am not independently wealthy I 'hired' my mom to take a few pics and see if we got any that would work. Here's what we got, and I'm hoping that with your votes I can select the best one to be used as my 'head shot' this season...

R.I.P. my old head shot... wow, that was a hot minute ago.

1) My head is cut off, but I like my smile.

2) Very Deborah Voigt...

3) Maybe...

4) Is that really me!?!?

5) Hmmmm...

6) What do you think? yes/no?

Okay, so let me know. Either via email, or make a comment on this page, or call me, or whatever floats your boat. I'll probably have to make my decision pretty soon, so be sure to let me know! Thanks for your help with this, I'm really not a big fan of this type of decision.

*nishi