Feeling strong after moving a piano across town with one hired handyman on Taskrabbit. It’s nice to have a piano to practice on, even though I mostly play by ear. At first I wasn’t going to take the sheet music that came with it, but I’m so glad I did because one of them was Barbra Streisand!
From our hotel room and walking along the strip…
We stopped by the Venetian, so Shando got to see the FAKE Rialto bridge in Vegas a few months before seeing the real one in Venice!
We also went to Fremont Street (found a terrific vegetarian restaurant nearby called Vegnation).
Pink Panther Theme at the Bellagio
We got to see Christina Aguilera in concert, although ironically it was Celine Dion’s last weekend during her residency there.
Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
She did a Walnut Creek performance right by my office. John Muir Health, my employer of four years, was a primary corporate contributor to the charity event.
Some sites from the Castro, including a shrine to Donna Summer, RIP.
It was also the weekend of the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate, and we caught them testing the lights for the fireworks show to happen the next night.
Let me tell you that while the poignant story of her discovery was amazing, the woman is a POWERHOUSE. Don’t be fooled for a moment that she is not a talent to be reckoned with as she approaches fifty and was only discovered within the last few years. Her voice is unstoppable and there is absolutely nothing that could be done in a studio that could make her voice do the things that they do on her latest album. Take a careful listen to “Return” on her latest album called “Someone to Watch Over Me”. I also find that the song choice in this third full album of hers is quite deliberate and appropriate. She continues to move people, and I think that’s what makes the difference between her and the fly-by-night dance troop that actually won the reality TV show she first appeared on.
Video coming soon.
How often do you get to see the likes of Chaka Khan and Martha Wash for $5!? I’m so glad we went. My daughter and I took BART to 19th Street in Oakland. She overheard some guys say “follow the bear”. I met a few friends there and ran into a bunch of people I knew. I’m glad I didn’t bring my dog, because the music too loud for me. I can only imagine how hard it would have been for him.
