six months.

Hi there! It's so good to be back.

So, this has been one of those times when real-life, non-virtual things come up and I lose sight of the blog for a bit. Like, I started a post and (as is often the case) by the time I got around to finishing, it didn't feel relevant anymore.

But something else has happened along with the surgery from which I'm recovering. I wasn't sure whether to address it on the blog, but I've decided to do it. So here it goes: I've been diagnosed with cancer--Stage III Ovarian Cancer, to be exact.

Needless to say, having cancer and adjusting to chemotherapy puts a damper on blogging. But there's no way I'm letting it go. Nothing stops the blog. I also thought this might be a good place to add some thoughts about what I'm going through...you know--write about it--like everyone keeps telling me to.

Here's the deal. I have six months of chemotherapy--the title of this post--18 sessions, of which I have completed five. I'm not going to lie to you, readers. The past two months have been rough. The side effects have left me exhausted, nauseous and bald.

But I also want you to know life hasn't stopped. I've managed to get out and about (a little) since my diagnosis, and I would like to share some of it with you in this post. Let's take a look.

I finally got to attend a concert of the Da Camera Society's Chamber Music in Historic Sites. Courtesy of my lovely friend Vivian, we were treated to a special night at L.A.'s super private, members-only California Club. As Curbed L.A. noted in a recent post, "there is an old adage that goes 'The people who run Los Angeles belong to the Jonathan Club; the people who own Los Angeles belong to the California Club.'"

The night included a delicious supper followed by a concert of "Thomas Bloch and Friends," featuring a rarely-played instrument called the Glass Harmonica. Created by Benjamin Franklin, the glass harmonica features a series of glasses attached by a metal rod. Slightly similar to a harpsichord, the glasses are operated by water-moistened fingers and pedals, creating ethereal, merry-go-round-like sounds. 

The concert included works by Benjamin Franklin(!), Mozart, Debussy and more. The star of the show (in my less-than-humble, totally-violin-biased opinion) was violinist/violist Cindy Wu, who blew me away with Saint-Saëns' "Fantasie for Violin and Harp."

Another treat was a visit from my best friend Dan, who flew in from NYC a couple of weekends ago. We hooked up with our other high-school bestie (also named Dan) and had quite a time--we always do. After a month and a half of being housebound, it was wonderful to enjoy dinners at two of my fave restaurants: A.O.C. and Crossroads...

Wow. Look at all that hair I had a couple of weeks ago. 

No wonder I was surrounded by cute guys.

...plus an amazing concert by the Jacaranda Music Series in Santa Monica. As part of the L.A. Phil's Minimalist Jukebox program, the night featured my two favorite chamber groups, the Calder and Lyris Quartets, joining forces on Philip Glass's score for Mishima, a film by Paul Schrader. The second half of the show included actor Franz Hans, backed by a horn band, narrating David Byrne's The Knee Plays, 14 pieces that were composed as interludes between the acts of Robert Wilson's opera Civil Wars.

And just a few more fun things to share with you: I discovered (and became a bit obsessed with) the Waterlogue app, which transforms this stunning photo...

...into this beautiful watercolor...

...and this little mutt into...

Isabel Archer, Downton Abbey style.

I binged watched a TV series--eight episodes of Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and the WONDERFUL Olivia Colman. Man, I love this lady.

I got lost in a new book. Congratulations on the Pulitzer, Ms. Tartt. Even if not everyone agrees.

 I developed a mad girl crush....

...on the gorgeous Rosamund Pike, who wowed me as Paul Giamatti's wife in Barney's Version.

...and will soon be seen in David Fincher's Gone Girl. EXCITED! EXCITED! SO EXCITED!

I know Ben Affleck is in this, but still, I am shaking with excitement.

I attended a fascinating art exhibit at 11:11 A Creative Collective  in Tarzana...

...and fell head over heels for the photography of Erin Stone...

From "Returning" by Erin Stone.

...and just enjoyed my beautiful, Mid-Century Modern neighborhood.

Now I'm off to do a little wig shopping. See you soon--and I promise it won't be long.

double feature #1.

If I could be anywhere right now, it would be here.

Dreaming of Malibu.

Alas, I am couch bound for the next few weeks, and can't stray too far from...my couch. Since I have a lot of time on the couch, I thought I would start a new feature called "Double Feature." So, let's all settle into couch potato mode and catch up on some of the films I've wanted to see.

First up: The Awakening and The Woman in Black.

I'm a sucker for good old fashioned, Gothic ghost stories. Throw in some English accents, and I'm an even bigger sucker. I just can't resist.

Luckily, I found two recent entries into the genre: The Awakening, starring the wonderful Rebecca Hall and The Woman in Black with a post-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe.

The movies feature similar plots-- small, English countryside towns terrorized by ghosts. They both feature the amazing British character actors I love--Dominic West and Imelda Staunton in The Awakening, Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer in The Woman in Black.

The Awakening is the superior film, with a far more complex story, where the haunting arises from buried guilt and emotions of the protagonist, and a nifty double twist at the end. The Woman in Black, while gorgeously shot (reminding a lot of True Detective), features a deathly slow, hackneyed plot--the revenge of The Mother--that's rife with empty scares.

So, see The Awakening--a stunningly-acted ghost story for adults, but pass on The Woman in Black.

While I'm a little bummed that I'm housebound and not operating at full capacity, it doesn't mean I can't do and find fabulous--on the internet and out in the world. Here are a few I would like to share with you.

M Café's Macro Meal

I've been really wanting to step up my diet--go seriously vegan, at least during the week. And there's no better place to kick off that resolution than M Café in Hollywood. On the way back from the hospital, I stopped in for their Macrobiotic Bowl, filled with veggies, adzuki beans, seaweed and brown rice. My commitment has to a new way of living has begun.

I also picked up a couple of new items at Trader Joe's--the Melodious Blend of green garbanzos, red and green lentils, in the freezer section and a bag of the new black rice. WARNING: the black rice is a bit messy. But put these two together with some lemon and herbs, and you've got yourself a satisfying weekday lunch.

I also came upon this great, new blog: Running with Tweezers. Check out these recipes for green gazpacho and a roasted eggplant and white bean dip. I will be whipping these up in the near future.

I don't generally like to use this blog to post what's wildly popular on the internet. I prefer the undiscovered, the gems yet to be mined. However, I couldn't resist this one: photographer Andrew Knapp travels everywhere, placing his border collie Momo in "Where's Waldo" type scenarios and then Instagrams it all. Bonus: it's a book, Find Momo.

So much fun, and I haven't even gotten them all yet.

Photos via @AndrewKnapp

So, if I were able to get out and about, here's what I would be doing:

The L.A. Chamber Orchestra is throwing a Strad Fest! Why didn't somebody think of this sooner? It's a two-night extravaganza featuring more Strads than you can shake a horsehair bow at. The Stradosphere gala takes place on March 29th at the very exclusive California Club and tickets are a cool $750. But on the night before, there's the Strad Fiddlefest at the Broad Stage, and the program looks pretty incredible.

  The Da Vinci Stradivarius, 1725

Another not-to-be-missed music series that kicked off this weekend is Minimalist Jukebox, hosted by L.A. Philharmonic and Disney Hall, but also featuring artists and chamber groups from around the city.

The stars of the program are the Kraftwerk 3-D concerts, and tickets are going fast. But if I had my choice, I would opt to see the incredible Calder Quartet perform in the Green Umbrella Series, the equally awesome Lyris Quartet perform Philip Glass in the Jacaranda Series and John Adams conduct the Colburn School Orchestra in his own pieces, Hallelujah Junction and Gnarly Buttons.

AND there's a good chance that I'll be recovered enough to attend these events, so I just may report back to you on them.

I'm also playing with Mextures these days, the next wave in filtered photos. It's pretty sophisticated, a step up from Instagram, Pixlromatic, Picstitch and the like. The effects are more refined, and to blend the right ones together is a bit of a learning process. But I am having fun with it.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for my next Double Feature.