sultry nights

rum, rum wherever you are. rum away from all your fears and cares.

languid meals lit by candles. slow motion camera as he lifts his wine glass from table to lips.

pinot noir smiling out the corners of his mouth.

pinot noir kisses when the waiter isn't looking.

legs curled under my hips fashion a sofa into a love seat.

how silly of us not to eat with toothpicks at home.

here, can i offer you another plantain dunked in honey, honey?

misty rain calls for bare feet; no matter how pretty your party dress may be.

the wet tiles are still warm the day's sweltering heat in the shade.

off to dream under a swirling fan, in a pitch black room, listening to thunder and waves bowl for strikes.

sublime.

alex owens goes to rica

this is how i appear to hh after 3 mojitos.

i, on the other hand, am having a grand time with apricot ice teas. no sweetener.

it's raining today. loud, hot, aquamarine rain.

costa rica doesn't have a military. they have rain. rain commands presence and pomp.

it's a rain which beckons my hands overhead, and ignites me into a prance fest. i prance round, round and round in circles; my stringy, long, black hair whipping me in the mouth and face trying to catch the wet, disco beat.

bystanders and patrons watching, mouths ajar at my audacity and ability to shimmy shoulders so saucily right and left. a writhe that can only come from japanese/irish genetics.

it's my way of thanking the rain gods for the welcome pour.

tomorrow i plan to make good on my promise of a poolside interpretation of jennifer beals' "what a feelin".

anything to keep the gods happy. it's just my way. nothing says pleasing your creator like crawling on fours in a bikini.

happy monday.

moody monkey

bottoms up

yes, that is a banana daiquiri, and  yes, i have the palate of a 16 year old trapped in the body of a 34 year old.

{they apparently don't carry fuzzy navel wine coolers at this hotel} losers.

i'm trying to move into the art of devil may care for the next seven days.

one thing about costa rica, as peaceful and serene as it is, it's also louder than rock-a-billy concert.

birds don't chirp, they lady gaga each other from nest to nest; traipsing their dance party from dawn to dusk amassing more participants as the hours progress. the birds of costa rica remind me of the club kids in ibiza: moving from one foam party to the next; high on sunshine and blue sky.

the insects i cannot see, but i'm sure if i could they'd be wearing oliver peoples shades and wicked cool tokyo black vests. they provide a techno base so strong and pulse rockin, the flower beds beat in steady unison across the property. palm fronds and birds of paradise bang their stalks to the left...to the right. every so often i can make out "comfortably numb" in their buzz.

lest we forget the belles of the ball: the monkeys. ballgown shaped tree tops shake and shimmy across the skyline, as the playful primates swing and sing from branch to branch announcing their arrival. always crash landing, breaking shit (vines), but rebounding the fun with a little hands in the air, two-legged hop hop to get to party re-started.

my toe taps in participation. a little head bob side to side, maybe some shoulder swagger once the rum sets in.

breathing in, breathing out.

this crazy, sick, lovely, lucky life.

how dare i?

off to get high on some mango scented air.

rockin rica

hallelujah for wifi!

it's 2:46am in atlanta, and we have a 4 hour lay over. this is what happens when i ask to stay out of travel planning.

thought i'd share with m'loves the inspiration whence packing for my poolside party fun:

an overall attempt to channel my inner glamour-puss/surf girl with 13 ft long legs.

there's just something about a platform, a stiletto, and a rash guard that just screams razzle-dazzle!

now if i only fucking surfed......

images

au revoir

bags packed. passport found (aaaaaaaaaaah!!)

gone is the giddy i usually feel with such a leave of absence.

a grouchy winter morphed into a rancorous spring.

we all need some respite.

i feel like i'm running away, abandoning my family.

how do i keep them safe when i'm a continent away?

my heart is set on vibrate, my cell phone set to high.

pleading for silence.

art of travel, vogue 1951

sunshine on my shoulders

we have a new sun today. a mirthful, waggish, tender sun.

a sun who will guide us away from the grime and gloom of months passed.

this morning i felt her even before i saw her.

she played a little hide and seek through my bedroom window for a bit; thoughtfully pre-warming the wood floors for slipperless feet.

i look outside and see song notes in sunbeams; beckoning me to cavort and conga amongst the backyard lavender.

this is the last time i'll  wake with california morning sun for a while. i've got 2am wake up calls for the next couple of days, and then it's honeymoon #2 with hh.

costa rica.

i'm bringing my kindle, tamra the camera, and my coffee mug.

that's it.

i don't surf, i don't sun, i don't hike, and i don't fish.

i eat, sleep, drink coffee, and read.

and i will do all of those favorite things in a beautiful place.

i've been told there are very cool jungles. with monkeys.

as long as one of those monkeys can bring me a cup of coffee, i'm game.

happy monday dears.

click image for source

beasts

here's another scene from my weekend away. i had coffee with this monk(?), and his charge every morning.

i recalled my favorite quote; from the wisest of men.....

"i care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it." ...abraham lincoln

night reading

my hopskotch across the northeast entailed a 7 hour stay in an albany marriott.

with my kindle out of battery, and informercials as my only television option, i was desperate for other reading material:

hmmmm?

the bible, the book of mormon, and the spirit to serve (the story of marriott).

that bill marriott has quite the high opinion of himself

{depending on one's own attitude toward jesus christ and joseph smith}.

did the job though.

fell right to sleep.

happy weekend

i think i've found my 2 buddies for the weekend.

a sturdy, seen it all, been there before bench to shoulder my frantic body and brain.

a tree. an elder on property. she drapes her gauzy branches low and thick, concealing me from camp share.

for now we just sit.

{they weren't keen on my idea of t.v. tag}

namaste'

bags are packed

off i go.

fingers, toes, eyes crossed their coffee's strong.

otherwise....

i'm not responsible for playing nicely with the other yogis.

keep your cell phones on dears,

lest i need a break out.

click image for source

spring rain

more rain? didn't we already have this conversation?

silly busy bee i am. i can't afford wet wings.

tomorrow i crisscross the country for dorm living and cafeteria food service.

{pausing for self-cognizance}

i'm doing what?!

have i forgotten those first freshman months in rieber hall?

i jack rabbited myself into an apartment so quickly my stuff was gone by the time my roommate came back from taking her shower.

i have always been

a loner.

courage rabbit.

image

my valentine to all mothers

babies cry.

shocker.

sometimes babies cry on airplanes.

they are not doing this on purpose. they are not evil spawn trying to make your life impossible. they are BABIES. deal with it.

stop being such a donkey with your dirty looks, snarky eye rolls, and nasty comments to the poor mother breaking her back trying to smother said crying baby with bottles, goldfish and stuffed animals.

do you REALLY think she doesn't notice her own child's cry?

i'll bet you 10 MILLION DOLLARS she wants it to stop more than all of us here on this plane.

so cut her a little slack please. this isn't about YOU!

maybe even offer her a hand? make funny faces at the baby, or play hide n seek to make the baby feel more comfortable. it's no wonder a baby cries on airplanes, i've seen how hostile the atmosphere becomes when a mother and young baby enter the cabin.

i doubt you'll read this, but to the sweet, poor mom on flight 6061 to san francisco last thursday afternoon; i want to apologize for the gross and buffoon behavior of the cabin and crew. you did all you could to stifle your precious babe's wails. he wasn't a bad boy, he was tired and scared. your seatmates were the real infants.

in my skin

i've checked my birth certificate; it says orange county. i've been to therapy searching for possible memory repression; nope, i've lived in southern california my entire life. then, why tell me why, is san francisco the only city in the world where i feel like i'm in my own skin?

hh and i took off for the weekend. and as always i felt like i had come home.

home to cooler temps, higher buildings.

art in every cranny.

sunlight glistening all things glossy and brilliant.

people embracing all religions and faiths.

our favorite hotel, understated and elegant.

with a spa tranquil enough to tame your toughest tension.

i think i used up all three canisters of that green tea shampoo and body wash....sorry.

goji berries, walnuts, and a tonic prepped me my go to therapist, gary reyes. i see this foot master every time i'm in the city.

this is where i fell asleep post massage. i'd like to think i reposed like a fairy princess (think aurora): lips pursed, forehead smooth, ankles crossed, toes pointed. but let's face the facts. it was a 90 minute massage. i was most likely snoring; i woke up with drool on my pretty frette robe, my face had massage table ring around it, and my hair resembled tumbleweeds from gary's fantastic grand finale scalp rub.

i did manage to pull it all together for a dreamy vietnamese meal with hh, where we shared bo bia and cassava corn ravioli. super romantic. i cried i was so happy.

we always talk about moving. but we've got such a wonderful life where we ARE. full of the BEST friends and family. if only we could transport them all up north.

happy weekend

hh and i are in the city for a little bid'ness and family-ness.

i'm not about to let the rain and wind damper my inner tatianna sorokko. i'm embracing street glamour, even if i freeze.

these are inspiring me.

here's to you having a glossy weekend.

images here here

alfresco daydream

we're having 'storm-watch' 2010 here in so-cal (insert eye roll). i do love a nice (rare) spritz here in sunny-ville, but these photographs do have me longing for skies of blue and cocktails with sand between my toes.

i read about this company in vogue. literally "a restaurant without walls," they ramble the country making meals in open fields, sandy beaches, or in forests made for fairy-tales.

join me for a daydream?

images

Weigh in please

So HH and I are planning our next honeymoon, and we need your help. We can't decide whether to go on a relaxing vacation: think lounging by the pool somewhere tropical (Bali, Costa Rica, Belize.)

Or do we go on a "trip" where we actually learn something, see new things, smell new scents, etc; thinking along the lines of Egypt, Russia, or New Zealand.

So what do you think? Rest, relaxation and foo-foo drinks under an umbrella? Or the camels and I comparing toes in the desert?For the record, our first honeymoon was both a vacation AND a trip. We Eva & Juan Peron'd our way all over Buenos Aires for the first five days, and then rejuvenated in Carmelo, Uruguay for the last five. The perfect honeymoon combo bite.*photos: aman resorts, www.mythicalireland.com