This past weekend was the first since I began this blog when I did not post anything. I have not missed one weekend (even on my summer vacation I posted a little hello!) since April. But frankly, I ran out of steam. Well, more accurately, what remaining steam I had I used to drive myself and many boxes of cookbooks across three states to a fundraiser at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College on Saturday night. Then on Sunday, with my last little sputters and puffs, I did two media interviews and two book signings.
Last night, I came back from a lovely dinner here in Los Angeles, sat down on the sofa, and was barely able to muster the energy to put myself to bed! Despite all that, I was wide awake at 4AM. All this travel has wreaked havoc with my internal clock. In short, I am pooped!
I have been so enjoying writing the third and final part of Love Story: Camp Vincent, but instead of rushing it out before another busy day here in Southern California, I am going to SAVOR the writing of it all week.
So, in lieu of a written blog post this week, I offer two videos for your (hopefully) viewing enJOYment!
Yesterday morning, I did an extensive interview about all manner of things. It was a Skype interview -- and I am far too vain to ever truly enjoy the prospect of Skyping. But after a bit of internal grumbling, by 8AM, I had on makeup and something other than my pajamas, had found a spot with a good WiFi signal, a blank wall behind me, and decent (read dim!) lighting. Which meant sitting on very cold hardwood floors in the lovely home where I am staying here in Los Angeles. (All of which created a very drippy nose, which is also not much fun on Skype! LOL!)
I was not overly enthusiastic or joyful as I waited for the interview to start. And then, about fifteen seconds before we started, I thought of my dad -- and how he managed to show up to everything he did with full commitment, presence, professionalism, and joy. I had an instantaneous attitude adjustment. . .and proceeded to spend a lovely morning chatting about many interesting things.
Somewhere in the middle of the interview I was struck by just how fortunate I am in so many aspects of my life. I have been a thinker, a contemplator, a student, a teacher, a lifelong learner, an explorer, a journal keeper -- in short, an inveterate idea person. My dream job as a young person was to become a public intellectual . . . not that I had the remotest idea how one did that. There certainly weren't any openings in the classifieds that I could find. And yet, somehow, people have begun to ask me to share my ideas with them, and I get to talk about many of the topics that have fascinated me most over my lifetime -- art, celebrity, spirituality, sexuality, storytelling, people, my beloved dad, travel, design, books, and of course -- the daily practice of joy and the legacy of Yes! WOW!
And so, in lieu of a written blog post this week, I am going to post three videos.
The first is yesterday's Skype interview. The second is a video of my talk about how art saves lives (and our fundraiser) at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College this past Saturday evening. And the third is Peter Fuller's Skype interview about my dad, which he recorded from London on Saturday. THAT should keep you all busy for a while. And I certainly hope there will be something for everyone to enJOY!
Stay tuned as I return to Santa Fe next week and finish the final blog post about Camp Vincent and the London Legacy Tour. And thank you so much again for joining me on this joy-filled journey that has become my life since starting this blog.
Here is my interview:
This is my talk about how art saves lives, as well as lots of fun information about the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College.
This is Peter Fuller's interview about Vincent Price.