The Grammys And Other News

"To achieve the mood of a warrior is not a simple matter. It is a revolution. To regard the lion and the water rats and our fellow men as equals is a magnificent act of a warrior's spirit. It takes power to do that."
~Carlos Castaneda

So, on Sunday P. and I participated in one of Hollywood's most famous and star-studded traditions -- we attended the Grammy Awards. It was fun for us to get dressed up in a ball gown and tuxedo (a rarity in this hyper-casual city) and rub elbows with the Who's Who in the music industry. And it was a great show. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Grammy's and there were all sorts of big stars performing ... Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Beyonce, Alicia Keyes, John Maher, Kanye West, Fiest, Little Richard, John Fogerty, etc. In fact it was much more of a variety show than an awards show. There was a pre-telecast awards ceremony where they awarded close to 400 Grammy Awards (for all things from Best Spoken Word Recording to Best Hawaiian Record to Best Album Packaging). The televised portion was limited to the biggest, most prestigious awards. We only went to the televised portion (though P. did know a couple people who won Grammy's in the earlier ceremony). It was a long enough day with just the televised portion ... and undoubtedly we caught the more entertaining show.

In other news... I'm pregnant. I'm in my second trimester, so I suppose its "safe" to share the news. The baby is due on August 14. I don't know if its a girl or a boy, but evidently it is going to be a Rat. The Chinese New Year is upon us and this is the year of the Rat. For those who have followed my blog over time, you may be familiar with my feelings regarding rats. Generally I'm not the biggest fan. Though, during my last sojourn in NYC and even by going to watch Ratatouille, I have softened my stance on the little rodents. My friend Jojo e-mailed me to tell me that I would be having a rat and she sent me the following blurb from Wikipedia about rats: "Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs." She diplomatically, didn't forward the part about Rats being controlling, manipulative, aggressive, and intolerant.

Anyway, I'm not Chinese and don't believe in the Chinese Zodiac, so I'm not going to give any more thought to my child being born in the "Year of the Rat" and what it means to be a Rat. I think it's an interesting lesson in the Law of Attraction though... "what you resist persists" and "you attract what you think about." Most importantly though I feel this is a lesson for me in learning to accept and love all of the earth's creatures, as I will surely love my child.