Like when people meet in a movie

Yesterday I went hiking up Runyon Canyon sans expectations of anything. I did people watch the Monday hikers to see what other jobless or independently wealthy people looked like. I noticed when people noticed me. At the first bench, where there is a nice lookout over the city, I saw what a clear day it was-you could literally see out beyond the city and into the blue of the ocean. No smog, no haze, just a perfect day.

While I was at that little pit stop I noticed Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome notice me. It's not unusual to see hotties on the canyon, so I continued on my hike. Pretty much immediately after I began the uphill climb I sensed that Mr. TDH had decided to start his climb too. He was right behind me for much of the hike til I stopped and stared at the view again...this is when he passed me. Then, he stopped to take in the view. At this point I just told myself that it could either go on like a cat and mouse game for the rest of the trail, OR I could say something. Hmmm? What to say...I went with stating a fact, "It's so clear today", I said as I stood right next to him and looked at the Griffith Park Observatory in the distance. I don't remember what he said to that, yet it was the beginning of our spending over four hours together. We walked and talked and we realized that we are neighbors, that we have friends in common, that we both needed to go to Ikea, that neither one of us has life figured out and that that is okay, that we both want to start carrying cameras with us to not miss the opportunities for capturing beauty (and for me to capture the fairy landscapes of Runyon after the rain), that we could talk so freely with each other and that THAT is rare. He came over to see my apartment (that's not code for anything). My flatmate came home and we all talked for an hour then decided to hike the canyon again. We walked and talked again. I confessed that I initiated a conversation with him because I thought he was too shy to talk to me. He confessed that he had "noticed" me. I said I knew it, he didn't believe me. He thought he had been so subtle.
It felt as though we were just kids that met on a playground and decided we were going to be friends from that moment forward. No pretenses, no guards up.

My life changed with one little remark about what a clear day it was, actually it changed with the decision I made to say anything at all. It really made me think about all the opportunities for adventure that I am faced with everyday.

It was like when people meet in a movie and their lives are changed forever.

I'm sensing a pattern...

My recent dreams include finding Puff Daddy behind a building almost in tears...okay, he was crying. He told me that he felt like he was always playing a character and he didn't even know who HE really was anymore. I took him by the hand, told him that I have had those feelings before and that I could help him figure himself out. And, as with any dream, the rest is really fuzzy.

Later in the week I dreamed that Oprah was helping families in a town or village that had been flooded. It was incredibly eerie--there were bodies, cars, and peoples' personal effects floating in the water. While she is OPRAH, she was not immune to the damage that had been done, nor was she above helping save things and people from the water (I know, it's super weird...it was a dream). At some point she wanted to get out of where we were and get a ride out of the town--not too easy with the roads being under water and all. Somehow, we made it out. She confessed to me, as we were both looking in a mirror and talking to the reflection of each other, that she was really unhappy about her weight being always in flux and that the headlines about her hurt her feelings. I didn't know what she was talking about because I don't watch t.v. or read the rag mags. She explained the issue and I told her, as I had Puffy, that everything would be okay and we could work it out/off. I then asked her where her favorite place to live was and she said Santa Barbara (which I guessed at the same time that she answered me). I told her that I used to be her neighbor- well not right next door, but SB is so small that we're all neighbors. And I babysat for a little Lilly did live just around the corner from her mansion. She wasn't all that amused. However, she was receptive to my offer to help her though. She was on the phone quite a bit scheduling interviews and the like. At one point she was on the phone with Brittany Spears. She seemed kinda private, yet she was candid in the same way that Puffy had been the other night...

Maybe my dreams are telling me that I should be in the celebrity self-help line of work?! BTW, if you google images of Oprah, you'll see that she really is beautiful and has a glow to her that only a kind heart and lots of moo-la will give you.

I am you and you are me and...we are the walrus

Chalkboard philosophy...

Gotta love chalkboard communication...The lav at The Sojourner restaurant in Santa Barbara has a chalkboard in it allowing its patrons to leave a message for everyone that uses the loo in the same day. I was the lucky recipient of the message, "All One...Al one [Alone]". And because there was more room on the board I picked up the chalk and jotted down my favorite Confucius quote, "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I might remember. Involve me and I will understand."

Em and I discover that she is me and I am her

Remember to love everyone we are all one.

 

 

I'm bringin poppies back

 

This is me thinking of you...

Never in a million years did I think that I would send self portraits to a guy that I like. Turns out It didn't take that much time. Nor was alcohol necessary to induce such an action on my part. I blame delirium and a smooth talking crush.

He asked for pictures of me...this is as racy as I get (Sorry boys). So, I sent these pictures and never received a response. Ouch. The upside? I learned that I am brave enough to put my heart and self portraits out there. Okay, so I'm a little crushed, but whatever doesn't kill you...