Rocky Mountian High!!

Hey Hey Gang!!

It's been a while since my last post.... Glad to hear that Stevie is on the mend and doing well!!

Whew what a relief!!

I have been in Colorado the past two weeks spending time with my family.... Namely my nephew Ryan!! Tee hee... We've been hangin out doing kid stuff riding the kiddie rides at the park goin to the zoo ya know normal stuff a two year old does...

This past weekend we headed for the hills to our cabin in the woods.. Generations of Lanes have been going to South Fork Colorado. I'll add those pictures of the mountains later... It was nice to hang out with my dad and my brother and his family... As for me it's been so nice just to wind down.... not really having to be anywhere... and just all around hangin out with this little guy..

I'll add more to this post in the next couple of days... I got up way to early this morning and i didn't get a nappy!!

okay gang more later....
~Mel~

Mi Amigo Steve

Okay just a little thought on friendship..

One of my dearest friends, Steve, is currently in the hospital recovering from surgery..

I wanted to pass my love and prayers along to him and my sistah Karen and Pablo's Amigo, Benji as well as his entire family...

I just wanted to wish him a speedy recovery!! We have a whole lot of hell to raise in France and there is a whole bunch more music the we need to unearth!!

My love and prayers to you sweetie!!

~MEL~

Look what we picked up!!

Allright I was asked to put these on my blog.... Hmm it's amazing who will pop in front of your camera when you flash a smile!!!! Mi primos & Mi hermanas!!!! Little fond memories of our Gitano weekend!! Thanks chicas!!!

Back from the Gipsy Fiesta and then some...

Whew what a weekend!!!
Well, it started Thursday night...... Long weekends are pretty cool when you share them with your Amigos and Amigas... Thursday we headed down to Virginia for a concert with the Gipsy Kings... The concert wasn't until the next day but we decided to get the fiesta started a little early... Besides Mi Amiga de NOLA was heading in and I had to get down there muy pronto!!!! Okay I was 45 minutes late picking her up but.. We stopped for lunch and there was trafic.. If you don't know me by now when I give a time add at least a half an hour to the specified time...
At any rate... We picked her up and headed to the hotel.... Got settled and decided that we would take a drive into DC to grab a bite to eat... Well, we get there and there was a Byonce concert tying up all of down town DC and there was no parking to be found anywhere.... Scratch that idear... ooh a little aside.. At first it looked like maybe we had driven by the Hooker's ball or something...
All of the Hoochies with their silver shoes and minnnnnny skirts.. Oh la la... After we got out of the mess of down town we did a little drive by monument seeing... Honestly if you wanna see all of the monuments in DC... Just do a drive by..... Beats the hell out of doing all of that walking...... Anywho... We drove back to the hotel and found a place to eat there... After that we made it back to the hotel and decided that rest was in order...
The next day we spent the morning yakin and doing our nails... oooh how girlie...
Then we headed off to the Mall... oh la la... At the mall we met up with some chicas that i had been yakin with online.. It was good to finally put faces with names I am just bummed that we didn't get to spend more time together... We wondered around for a while then headed back to my room for a little R&R... And we met up with La Amiga De Gypsy Soul... Woo hoo... It was awesome to see each other out of France....
We left for the concert fairly early.. Met up with another bunch of chicas that I had spoken to online... It was pretty cool meeting up with them as well..
Finally the Concert rolled around... I was a litte anxious yet a litttle disapointed.. I knew Pablo wasn't going to be there so... But I went to see the rest of the band.. The show was fun... But the band seemed to be lacking energy? I guess that's how you can put it.... It was hot and muggy first of all thus making it look like a really bad Gitano wet t-shirt contest up there... tee hee. The music was amazing as always.. And Nicolas was in top voice... Besides all of the sound problems... oof one of these days they'll get a friggin sound guy who can actually make them sound good... The show was good... but flat... and i would have to say that 99% of the people there didn't really care but there were those of us who knew better...
After the show we went back to my hotel had a bite to eat, talked with Canut for a little while and hung out with Pacheco and a bunch of other folks in the lobby looking at some of his photographs.. He's a doll...
Finally at about 1:30 in the morning we headed back to my room where the yak fest continued... It's amazing to sit and share things with your friends who have the same passion for this stuff as you do... Finally at about 3 in the morning the fiesta was over... and i fell asleep..
the next morning i packed up my stuff and headed downstairs for a cup of tea..
I met up with three amigas from the night before it was cool.. At least we had a little bit of time to at least get to know each other before we all had to take off again.. Thanks girlies!!
My ride arrived and as I am walking out the door of the hotel the two amigas are chatting it up with Mi Primos de Gipsy Kings... Ale!!! These two broads yakin with Canut and Nicolas.... Hmmm i see how it is... tee hee...
I am glad I caught them, they were on their way to the airport and i didn't want to miss saying hello to Nicolas..
Caught him!! Whew!!
I can't say enough about these guys... when i stepped out of the door the welcome look and the sheer joy i saw in both he and Canut's eyes.. is priceless... oof..... Seeing these guys in a concert situation is iffy at best I never really get to sit and have one on one time with them... But I am used to it...
We catch up on family and make plans for dinner while we are in france and that's really all we have time for but hey it works for me...
After the Gitanos boarded their bus and we all blew kisses and peed our pants laughing at each other.. We took La Amiga De NOLA to the air port... BOOOOOO
Ya know!! Honestly we need to spend more time together other than just these little weekend thingies.. FRANCE ANYONE!!
After we said our hasta prontos and see ya laters... We headed back to DC for the NMAI Nation al Pow Wow
It's a little known fact... I have been so wrapped up with the Gypsies that I have almost neglected this part of my life... I have a great interest in Native People's Art, Music, and Culture... So perfect the National Pow Wow was also this weekend so we decided to check it out.... It was one of the most amazing events I have ever witnessed.. 1000 dancers from all over the Americas and 12 drum groups from through out the country... WOW!! I will post some photographs from the event as soon as I can... It was overwhelming at times to see these people living their culture and expressing it through song and dance...
For me it was the recharge that my soul had needed...
okay that's it for now i'll post pics as soon as I can
~Mel~

Nothing to do with Anything..

Okay here's one for the Wow there's thirty minutes of my life I am never going to get back file.
I was sitting in Union Square park yesterday, trying to recharge tan I got while in the South of France... I was sitting next to a small fountian watching people go by all around me was a market filled with vendors selling everything from "Bush buster" t-shirts to art and I think there were a few American Indian crafts artists there too... Actually the funny thing was this Gitana fortune teller/ Tarot card reader (Aren't they all?) She and her daughter were direct decendents of Roma Royalty... I swear to whatever, that was her shtick.... She sat at a small card table covered in a worn red velvet cloth, while her daughter worked the crowd...
Once in a while she would catch a passer by off guard.. Usually some dude with his I-pod turned up way to loud off in his own little world.... Made me laugh to hear some of the questions people would ask her.. Anywho I digress..
The cool thing about living in NYC is you see everything.. And usually it's right in front of your face.. This day, I felt it necessary to count the crack heads. Hey just when I think there is nothing to do I go out sit in the sun and count the crack heads...
The park is full of loons, crackheads, protesters who protest the air, there was one guy who wore a rather large hat made out of plastic bags... He must have been the poster child for recycling. At any rate the dude made me hot just looking at him... That's not hot in a good way!!!
Ooh where was I? Ah yes Crackheads!! I have gotten to the point were I can almost name them..
There is crazy kung foo crack head who felt the need to chase after something only he saw then he put the Jackie Chan moves on it.... Funny thing is, yeah as if this weren't funny enough, he would run right up to people, stare them in the face then take off.. oof me without my camera!!! I think I am gonna try that the next time I am in Arles and a pack of German tourists walks into the plaza... Mental note to self....
There was the tatoo lady
She had the names of either they were her kids, somehow i doubt that, or her boyfriends tatooed on her back.. I thought maybe she forgot her name.. But upon looking closer at the names they were all guys names. She found it hard to stand up without the aid of Tom, Jerry, or Ed... But whoever he was she loved him dearly... At least that's what she kept saying to him.
And finally there was the cigarette lady. It took her twenty minutes to light a cigarette. She kept missing it. It would either jump from her mouth. This I saw. It sprouted little legs and ran from her mouth. At least that's what she told the guy next to her. He asked her if she needed help and she said "it keeps trying to get away from me." Finally she caught the little bugger and in one of those "evil villan" laughs she anounced to the entire park that she caught the little F*%*#$$*
At that point I felt it necessary to leave.
I had enough fun for one day.. Funny thing is if you come to the same spot at the same time they are all there... It makes for some great blog entries. TEE HEE!!
Well, that was my day. It was hotter than hell out. And I decided to share my day with the crackheads. Ya know someone has to do it.
Now I know you are saying to yourself gee ~Mel~ after reading this there's fifteen minutes of my life I'll never get back...
But I know it made ya laugh..
I'm off..
Next NYC story may be my bus ride from 72nd street in manhattan all the way home..
~Mel~

Concert Season

Well, it's that time of the year again....

The Gipsy Kings are rolling into the States in about a week or so...

WOO HOO!!!!

I personally can't wait.... Yeah yeah it's not like I haven't seen these guys lately... But ya know seeing my friends in France and the Gipsy Kings are two totally different things...

Strange as it may seem... When I am in France they aren't the world famous band that has won over the hearts of millions of people the world over... They are just who they are... It's almost surreal for me, when I see them play... I often times throw myself into fits of hysterical laughter. Simply because they are so serious on stage... Eh I guess it's their job and as that, they have a certian persona that they have to keep... FRIGGIN ROCK STARS!! :-)) Still... Makes me laugh to see them... Actually, hearing their music, is one of the true joys in my life... And it is a treat to see them live.... The only thing that really bugs me about this time of the year are the e-mails and the occasional phone call that I get asking if I can get tickets, backstage passes, or the "do you know where they are staying" question.. Now that one makes me laugh... Those usually come from the "lobby stalkers". Or the ooh well I "know the band" I can get a backstage pass if you can't. All I have to say to that is GOOD LUCK!! BUENA SUERTE!! BON CHANCE!!! I know the band and I don't get backstage passes... Maybe because I actually watch the show and I don't spend my time hunting down management, or plotting my next scheme to see them for a few hours after the show... Oof! But enough about what bugs me... I would much rather talk about how special these guys are. How their music has been a source of inspiration to me. How through their music a whole new world of music has been opened up to me.. I have seen things and been to places that I would have never dreamed of seeing or even going to.. And the friendships I have made through their music are priceless... As I said before I can hardly wait to see them again... Somewhere.. From a little bird, I heard that Pablo is singing in concert.... Now how do I feel about that?? Well, how do you think I feel about that... Poulette is singin!!! I get to hear him sing at my kitchen table when he pops in for a visit... Now the whole world gets to hear him sing... Hmm if I were the posessive type I would have to sit him down and say woah wait a minute "AMIGO" but honestly it's a rare treat to hear Pablo sing and I am glad he has the chance to do it!!! Makes the ole ticker smile!! Well, as I have said the concert season is upon us. I'll catch them at a couple of places this go around... I am looking forward to catching up with friends that I see at these places. Most of all I am looking forward to just hearing them play... Doesn't matter where I sit.. I get the same feeling no matter where I sit, when I listen to their music... Absolute Joy!!!! There ain't no high in the world that can compare to a Gitano High!!

So 8 days until I see them play eh but who's counting??

tee hee