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‘Tis the Season
for Insanity.

Weird citings of winter wannafreezes!

It’s 55, maybe even 60 degrees.  But there she strolls, a fashionable twenty something, bundled up in matching plushy scarf, hat, mittens, coat and frosty pink lip gloss. Is she not boiling under all that fleece?   We didn’t even dig out the hat or gloves until it dropped below 20 degrees in Chicago.  Could this be a displaced East coaster or Midwesterner who simply craves the fashion opportunities presented by real winter?  Or a spoiled southern Californian who really is cold up here?   As I pass her by in my jeans and sandals, topped by a tee shirt and light jacket,  I can’t bring myself to ask her if she really is cold or just likes looking like she is. Her cheeks sure are suspiciously rosey!

Sean Penn luvin’ Larkspur?

He may live in Ross, but Sean Penn is kicking back in Larkspur lately.  He ordered Coq a Vin and Zinfandel at the Left Bank the other night with a group of his buddies, several of whom looked familiar, and one was Earl __________ of Metallica, according to a woman seated nearby who seemed to know her stuff.  Sean, who was dressed more nicely than his jean-clad buddies, in a sharp dark suit and white shirt, stepped outside twice for a chat or a smoke; we weren’t quite sure which.  There was enough hair gel at that table to open a salon.   Yet were the buddies were actually celebs, or did they just look like them? Such is the power of association.  It reminded me of the time one of my girls got terribly excited seeing a cute young man on the street:  “Look, Mom, that guy, he’s famous, he’s in the movies,  I know him,”  Yes, honey, he is the clerk at Video Kamron who regularly rents DVDs to us.  In the movies indeed.

The cutest part of the whole Left Bank experience was the group of four young girls, about ten or eleven years old, in fancy velvet and taffeta Christmas dresses, hiding behind the French doors next to the celebs’ table (in the very back of course!) to get a close-up peak of the actor.   These “Future Stalkers of America” never did get up the courage to approach, but they sure had fun egging each other on.  

“SP” has also been spotted in Larkspur with his wife Robin in front of King of the Roll, and in other places along Magnolia. But let’s all agree to leave him alone so he’ll keep coming to town.  Pretend like you don’t even recognize him. He’ll love it.

Family gift giving getting insane.

A phone call from an out-of-state family member, whose son’s name we had drawn in the annual family gift exchange:  “Hi guys,” Nick’s mom said, “We’re at K-mart and just found this really cool game Nick wants, so we’re just going to buy it and if you’ll send us a check for $30, we’ll be all set!”  Yippee.  That’s the spirit of giving… an invoice that is.  I know she meant well, and maybe they are on a tight budget, but what exactly is the point?  I also had a call from an even closer relative of mine who left a message agonizing about what she was going to send us, apparently wanting to figure out how much she would need to send us to balance out what I was going to send her.  My first thought was to send nothing, but I am going to instead make a donation in her family’s name, and I’m going to be totally radical by not asking her permission first.  Afterall, her Christmas letter bragged about how successful they are these days, so I can’t imagine there is anything they need,  except possibly a tad more humility, and what better way to give them that? 

It’s said that some people choose harmony over truth, that others put truth first.  I was always a truth first person (at least I thought I was speaking the truth!) but I believe that “harmony” is empty and false unless it is actually built on truth.

A random parting thought for the week:  I’ve been dealing with several older clients lately who are selling their homes to downsize to a condo or move into retirement homes.  I’m learning so much from these wise and wonderful people!  For example, I’ve learned that by the time you have slowed down enough to go through all the sentimental things you have saved over the years, you don’t seem to need or want them anymore.  So save some photos, but do yourself a favor and travel light in this life. Get rid of all that unnecessary stuff and clutter.  (Then again, if you could see where I am sitting right now, you would know that I am talking to myself… again!)

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Kickin’ Kwanza!

Neighbor Pat

pravasio@fhallen.com

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