MY ANNIVERSARY WITH L.A.

Tomorrow is the date that I arrived in Los Angeles back when I was just a teen-ager. (So, I guess that would be about four years ago.) I have another very timely column planned for tomorrow. (Can any of you guess the topic? My good pals and loyal readers should be able to figure it out!) So, I had to write about my anniversary today.

Last year on July 27, I rushed to New York to help my little mother fight her kidney failure, and what some might consider a horrible time, (sleeping on the floor in her room for a month, and worrying constantly,) turned out to be one I’m so grateful to have had. My presence (and presents, too, I assume,) really made her time there easier, and even a bit of fun, it seemed to the staff. (Knock on wood.)

So, despite the inherent sadness and concern, it turned out to be a blessing, to have that kind of intense time with her. One of the things that made me sad for my mother was the fact that she couldn’t go out to her usual looked-forward-to eateries, but her favorite restaurant owner, Luther Williams from Brooklyn’s Cafe Shane, was kind enough to come visit her in the rehab facility! Spending quality time with him, when he didn’t have to split his attention with the rest of his customers, made her shine even more brightly than usual, so that’s just one more thing I’m grateful for.

You have to click on the link below to understand what this photo means to me.

So, here I am, in my beloved LA for the summer, as I had been for many years before my little mo had to stop traveling several years ago. That means she was stuck in Brooklyn for those months, but as I try to do, too, she made the most of the situation. But, since I would never leave her there alone and unentertained for two months, I threw myself to the lions and spent at least a month for the past nine summers in Brooklyn, and I began a summer love/hate relationship with the place. (Loved Coney Island, every ice cream in the borough, just opening the door and being out of the house in a second; hated the heat, period.) (And I always loved the other three seasons there.)

So, tomorrow, I’ll be doing my usual Los Angeles ritual that got sadly interrupted last year. I wrote about it in this E-zine two years ago, so here’s the link: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/miscellaneous-l-a-and-me.

So, now you all know how I’ll be spending my day tomorrow. And, tomorrow morning, you can find-out what I’ll be doing tomorrow night, if you’re curious. I’ll give you a hint—I’ll be doing it for the following fifteen days. And nights. Any guesses?

And Happy Anniversary to Me and My City!!!