Anais Before My Journey

“I should not be using ink but perfume. I should be writing with Narcisse Noir, with Mitsouko, with jasmine, with honeysuckle.”
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“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book, or you take a trip, or you talk with someone and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death) absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it...”
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Its true what she says. Wish me well my friends :) And Callie too! Two little papillons off for an adventure.

A Revolution

An inspiring and moving gift from my friend George. I watched it 7 times in a row.....

Listen to this speech from the great Charlie Chaplin acting as a character who is mistaken to be the leader of a country quite similar to Germany. Words written over 60 years ago. Completely on point with today. And its hard to believe its been 40 years to the day since the debate between Nixon & Kennedy....

Koyaanisqatsi - Cloudscape

Philip Glass.

Autumnal Equinox

Hello friends. Welcome to autumn. Can you feel it? Is there more of a chill in the air at night where you live? I hope so. I love it. I love all the seasons for what they bring to us in nature and in spirit. Change is good.

Last night, I realized it was the autumnal equinox. So as I was driving home, I took a detour and drove up to the top of the mountain here. It was pitch black @ 8PM. I'd been out and about and wasn't dressed for a hike up a windy dirt path in the dark. Oh well, I slipped off my vintage cream satin mules, grabbed a wrap from the backseat, notified a few friends of my whereabouts via text (just in case!), and trekked up the trail. It felt good to be barefoot on the earth in the darkness.

Taken on the phone. Doesn't do much justice in illustrating the actual experience...

Beautiful silence. Nothing. No one. This is what amazes me about Los Angeles. To be in one direction in the "thick of things" and in the other, so quickly far removed. I sat up there alone, on the very edge of the canyon. The twinkling lights of the city far below and away, like a galaxy of its own it seemed. I feel really fortunate to have that silent mountain above me. Its why in part I am addicted to living in this area. Its why Los Angeles is so amazing.

I meditated on this life, on my family, on my friends, and thought positive thoughts for them. I did the same for some who have seriously upset me or let me down in the past year. I only wish that everyone can find peace, health and happiness. To not struggle so hard and to accept love. If we could all find things within ourselves individually it seems that the humanity would indeed be a better as a whole:) I don't think that is at all naive.

I thought of all the time I have spent up there, from the moment I discovered it to sharing it with others. All great memories. Even the memories that were once bittersweet are just fine now. Ah...peace :)

I admit that this little mother earth who is all in tune did start to get a little creeped out after awhile once I heard rustling in the brush below me. (More creeped because I could not see what it might be even after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and it continued to make its way closer....). So I moved back down the mountain a bit, faced east, and spoke my prayers aloud for everyone again. Made my way further down in almost a dance-like walk, so happy, and jumped in the car to be greeted by Janis Joplin singing "Bobby McGee" (Janis passed away less than a mile from here as the crow flies). I drove along, finished the song in my garage singing to the top of my lungs, dancing as wildly as one can in the car, and continued to dance like a fool around my place once inside. Celebrating life!

The City of Angels. Its always been a place of dreams, lost souls, creative minds, love, life, hope, and opportunity. Keep that glass half-full ya'll.

On This Harvest Moon

Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin
We could dream this night away.

But theres a full moon risin
Lets go dancin in the light
We know where the musics playin
Lets go out and feel the night.

Because Im still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because Im still in love with you
On this harvest moon.


If you have some messages for the moon, she still will hear you for the next few days. Go outside and speak to her.

She Always Sees Things As Though For The First Time--Arthur Miller

A beautiful cover story in the October issue of Vanity Fair.

I suppose I am not so special in my interest and connection to Marilyn. Another 17 year old college girl who's first purchase for her dorm room was a big poster of Marilyn. To me, she was/is the embodiment of sexy, feminine, modern (yes, you can be all 3 ladies) American glamour. A strong yet nurturing woman who knew how to truly utilize her sex appeal, her mind, and was always game for a good laugh. Another plus: she could cook ;)

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Miller

Marilyn came from nothing but heartbreak and dysfunction as a child. Being savvy, she realized early on she would be judged by her outer shell so she tried to use that to her advantage. Yet she also countered her outward appearance by very dedicated study to become a great actress. Yes, I think she was a great actress. She created a character type in cinema that is still prolific today though no one ever mastered it the way she did. Don't you imagine it must have been incredibly hard for her to smile and laugh and light up the screen when she was heartbroken and lost? That indeed is great acting. She was soft. She was romantic. A lover. A fragile and sensitive soul. And of course, an icon. How would any of us handle all that she went through in her life and all that came to her, both good and bad. Its astonishing that she was only 36 when she died. So sad and lost and alone. I wish she could have died with someone's arms wrapped lovingly around her.
I visited her grave in Westwood a few weeks ago. I have to say, it was a moving experience. I kept my hand on the marble for the longest time. "Talking" to her. I asked her some advice and left her with a warm kiss on that cool marble.

She's gone but still so very much alive. Click below for a peak at the Vanity Fair story. And do read the article.

La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

Shot in France in 1927 by Danish director Carl Theodore Dreyer, this to me is one of the most beautiful films. I stumbled upon it probably 5 years ago, and after watching Milla Jovovich in The Messenger: Joan of Arc (1999) on HBO recently, I had to go back to my favorite version.

I promise that if you are at all a visual person, a spiritual person, or an empathetic soul, you will be moved if you watch this on an ample-sized screen. The cinematography and intense expressiveness of actress Maria Falconetti makes you forget that it is silent. With such powerful emotion and telling eyes, words do not matter. You have to admire the direction of this film and the talent of the actors especially when you consider this work of film art is 80 years old. I think it is stunning.

It was censored before its release in 1928, and then the original was destroyed by fire. Until a Dutch copy was found in a mental institution in 1981, the only copies that had been seen for 50+ years were "mutilated." Criterion has a great restored DVD which also features a version accompanied by beautiful music.
Try watching the clip from YouTube while also listening to Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares to You." I have to think maybe Sinead or the director of her video were inspired by this film.