Ken, Ben, Richard, Carl, me, Josh, Mick
This lunch we had some great AI fun. Ken loaded his voice into an app that allowed the system to say anything and have it sound exactly (exactly!) like Ken. Then Richard had an example of AI music where AI wrote the words and music and created the singer, and it was great. Believe nothing!
In a week I’m leaving for Barcelona. Ingalill and I are flying first to Copenhagen where Marita will take us to her home in Sweden for the night then the three of us will fly on to Barcelona. Barcelona is a jewel of a city and even having been there a few times before, I’m very excited to go again. We’ll also take a day trip to Montserrat where I’ve never been.
Then the working girls will go back to their respective jobs and I’ll take the train on to Madrid, where I’ve never been, by myself. I’ll probably make a day trip to Toledo. I’ve been hoping to go to Madrid for decades just to see Guernica.
Let’s see how I hold up considering that for ages now, if I’m home, I sleep from 4pm-7. Sigh…
The text is going to be a while in coming.
China made these parting gifts of Sandy’s art recreated below.
I wanted to appear, just to be counted, and then I hurried off to Sandy’s memorial. Parking being what it is, I had to walk and walk to find my first protester.
I was hurrying along and caught just a couple of shots for the signs.
I wanted to take Merlyn on a photo outing for his birthday and it turned out he took me – had the idea and did all the driving. Thanks Merlyn for your birthday! We went to the La Brea Tar Pits, the Page Museum, and Fanny’s for lunch.
We parked by the Page and walked across the campus to Fanny’s meaning we got to see how far along the construction is to opening the new LACMA building. The Calder fountain is BACK, and I’m so happy for that. Also the new sculpture, Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker (2000) is going up on the south side of Wilshire.
You have to pass through LACMA to get to Fanny’s at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Back at the Page, Merlyn is 6’2″.
A little diorama.
Merlyn’s car, a big Tesla with the huge windshield and the gull wing back doors. We went on self-driving almost the entire way.
Lilly’s Theater program this Spring was a massive production of the Broadway hit Something Rotten! She was the Assistant Lead of the Lighting Crew. Yes, the lighting was wonderful. It was a great show with an astounding number of massive costume changes. The singers were as good as I’ve heard at these productions, and the dance numbers were bright, lively, and very well rehearsed.
And they had an 18 piece orchestra in the pit who played wonderfully.
Marsha and Becky are singing with this group and they had a great concert in a beautiful church in Koreatown.
Here’s outside the church.
And as is tradition, we have to have our post concert meal. We went to Oh My Crab Louisiana Seafood and it was a lot of fun. You pick what you want from a not-too-extensive menu and they serve it all juiced up in a bag, really. We got shrimp, sausage, corn, and potato in lemon butter sauce. We had eaten about half of it before I took this picture. They serve it with plastic gloves and you eat it with your hands.
There were six guys at a table nearby, all of them having ordered the $39 all-you-can-eat special. Here’s a view of their table.
And here is one guys rubble. He got his money’s worth.
Bonnie has recently finished many months living through cancer treatments – surgery then six rounds of chemo each three weeks apart. What an exhausting ordeal and every day she imagined enjoying the beach with her feet in the sand. And here we are!
It was bright, sunny, and breezy when we got there and then the fog rolled in and we still loved it.
Bonnie is giving herself a foot massage in the sand.
Sharon and I had a lovely lunch, tasty, and in a very pleasant venue. We got a seat just inside the closed area so it was quiet.
Next comes two pictures from my house. The kitchen crystals only splash on the walls for a couple months. It is such a joy while it happens.
I was cleaning under the rug. This faded part gets a lot of window sun. I only notice the fading in comparison.
My last round of tests, a PET scan, blood work, and a doctor’s appointment, produced very welcome results. All the tests showed my bone lesions were better than in December and December’s results were better than in September. Now instead of seeing the doctor every month I’ll be going every three months. Better is Great!
There are side effects though, most particularly fatigue and achy hips. If the fatigue or any of the other side effects were so bad as to crush my quality of life, the doctor would change the medications but I’m ok, I might wear out but I can basically do what I need to do. And since what I’ve been doing is working well re the cancer, I’m sticking with the current regime.
Are you following the budget cuts to medical research btw, both proposed and implemented by the Trump administration? Cancer research particularly, women’s health issues particularly.
FROM THE INTERNET (questionably true but you get it):
“I think my favorite thing that’s ever happened to me on the internet is the time a guy said “people change their minds when you show them facts” and I said “actually studies show that’s not true” and I linked Two sources and he said “yea well I still think it works”.
My much older sister is 85. 85. Her plan for her birthday was to walk 8.5 miles down the coast with family and friends. I, although yes I am family, was not among those walking 8.5 miles, nor was my little sister Windy, but we all met up for lunch at a very splendid place called Oceans Cafe and Grill.
Christa and Zack. Awww.
For fun I got these pictures from Christa, of Lona’s GREAT Grandchildren. Caleb and Hannah’s Elliot making himself useful, and Peyton and Charis’s William. That’s Peyton’s baby picture next to William which is so crazy cute.
I got hearing aids today! I’m going to keep track, for the next 2 weeks, of how often I say “I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?”.
We had a nice stroll around Main Street stopping for snacks along the way.
This is part of a large fully mozaiced arch leading from one of the parking lots on to Main Street.
A new mural in the making.
Rick, me, Jim
Rick and Jim got the tickets and invited me to join them to see the current headliner show Robert Therrien: This is a Story (November 22, 2025 to April 5, 2026). Thanks guys, I would have missed it!
If you can make it to The Broad in time you won’t be sorry.
(on a different floor)
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Pieces from around the museum.
Dean, Sam, Char, me, Steve, Burt, Celina (unfortunately Gideon couldn’t make it)
We gathered here at Freda’s on Sunday to enjoy good friends, good food, and a bright windy day.
On Saturday I spent the night with Steve and Celina in Camarillo which means Feast-O-Rama for me because Celina cooks. Look what we have here! Homemade chili rellenos, homemade refried beans, homemade Mexican-style rice, a scrumptious salad, and chips and guacamole. And then homemade heavenly flan.
Dean loves to eat at his Abuela’s and eagerly points for More .. one of his first words = More!
Maxine puts on a St Patrick’s Day Feast.
Look what Marsha did. It was hydroplaning Camaro vs highway pole. Marsha was totally fine and now she’s drive “a red car”.
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Ann and I just had our hard-to-schedule New Year’s Sushi but I forgot to take a picture so here she is, back from a couple weeks in Hawaii. This is her daughter-in-law Ashley holding grandkids Isla and Keanu, then Ann, son Noah, and Kat, her college friend.
Here are the usual suspects gathered at the Chez Bacchus Chef’s Table in celebration of Merlyn’s 75th birthday.
Happy Birthday Merlyn! Thank you for the party Hilda!
Carol, Alex, Mo, Debbie, Karen, Jim, Merlyn, Hilda, Mehzad, Sheri, Kevin
YUM!
Karen made the cake and it was delicious.
Cardboard Merlyn got to enjoy the party too. I’ve got to find out how Karen did this.
So many beverages on offer.
Carol, Kevin, Alex, Merlyn, Hilda, Mehzad, Sheri, me, Mo, Debbie, Karen, Jim
Chef Danny, Hilda, Merlyn
This squirrel followed me down the street for a block. Urban squirrels can be quite domesticated.
This was Marsha’s centerpiece for Monday lunch.
