Hooray for Hollywood!

There are only two ways to live your life:
One is as though nothing is a miracle;
The other is as though everything is a miracle.

~ Albert Einstein

Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent...

Does that line sound familiar to you? I think of it every Friday when I'm in Los Angeles for grand jury duty. You see, the United States Courthouse sits right next to Los Angeles City Hall, pictured above. So as I'm walking toward the court house, I can't help thinking of the old TV series "Dragnet," and its lead character, Joe Friday.

Da da dum dum. Can't you just hear the opening notes of the theme song? :-)

I live 50 miles outside of LA, in a fairly quiet suburban area. Ventura County is known for its agriculture, not its traffic jams (although we have our share of those, too.) Living this far away from LA is blessing, but it makes for a nasty commute once a week for jury duty. So I've decided to try and look on the bright side of my weekly early morning drive.

First, I'm up and at 'em before the sun comes up, and I get to see it rise as I drive toward the San Fernando Valley. I make sure to play lovely classical music at that point, to help set the tone for welcoming the light. But once that sun is shining, I switch to rock and roll oldies, and away I go!

I've only lived in California for nine years, coming from Salt Lake City, Utah. So I am still dazzled by all things Hollywood. And I see many of them on my drive every Friday morning. There's the exit to Universal Studios on my left, and the exit for the Hollywood Bowl on my right. Then as I round a curve, I can see that famous round Capital Records building on my right, the recording home of many of my favorite groups when I was a kid (like the Beach Boys, and the Beatles. Ah, Paul, I'm so glad you dumped Heather!)

When I exit the 101, I drive by the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Mark Taper Forum. Heck, I can even see the celebrated Hollywood sign when I look out the window of the grand jury room.

Yes, my drive into LA takes a little over an hour, and my drive home takes just as long. I could be an old grouch about it (and sometimes, I am!) but I try to make it enjoyable by getting into a tourist's mindset. It's a small miracle that I am seeing and doing what some people only dream of experiencing.

Now, if I could only get Paul McCartney to call me...

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A big HUG to all of you who sent good wishes for my birthday. I had a great day - thank you! And many grateful thanks to Diana at Healthy You Challenge for giving one of my posts a shout out. You rock, girl!

Until next time...