sabbatical
i'm taking a little-mini-wanna-be-sabbatical at the end of january. i need perspective. and a world one at that. i just sent in my passport renewal because i'm tired of travelling with my maiden name and a marriage license. i'm literally ecstatic to have a new picture to show the customs officials. there's nothing like a lame-ass passport picture to put a damper on your spirit every time you have to flip open the thing. yeah. so paris. it's a city i've been to a few times before, so i'm comfortable there. it's beautiful and i always feel incredibly invigorated and inspired upon my return.
my first time there was in '95. i was travelling alone on a eurail pass and was hanging out in berlin a few hours before my train left for paris. being alone, i was always scoping out other backpacks and talking to folks with red maple leaves and australian flags. fearless, i was. i smoked at the time and my scam was to never have a lighter so i could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. i met this guy named tim that way in the berlin zoo station. turned out he was taking an overnight to paris too and was french canadian to boot! we had different departure times. no biggie, i thought. "hey, let's meet at 10:30 tomorrow morning at the such-and-such hostel..."
my train was the earlier train and i climbed aboard and locked myself into a cabin and settled in for the night. i sat on my pack and wrapped myself tightly in my coat and cracked the window letting in fresh air and the cold to avoid being gassed, which was the trendy way at the time to rob american kids backpacking. the train rattled on and at one point i opened my eyes only to see some young kid slowly opening my coat pocket. i opened both of my eyes and calmly said, "um, you need to leave at once. are you serious?" he muttered 'excuse me' or something and scurried off. as he left, i lept up and realized, holy crap! i was almost robbed! i sat awake the rest of the night with all the lights on.
exhausted and totally sleep deprived, i arrived in paris at 6am, navigating well enough to get some breakfast and arrive at the hostel at the designated 10:30 time. lo and behold, tim was there! we spent 3 days together, visiting all the sites and eating yummy food. i never had a language problem there because he spoke fluent french and always ordered my food and navigated the city for us. trust me when i say the whole thing was terribly g-rated. we were in a hostel and slept on our own bunks, among rows of bunks. when it was time for us to depart the city, we hugged good bye and exchanged addresses. he was off to calais and i was headed to amsterdam, both us alone on our respective journies.
i had one snail mail communication with tim the following summer when i lived in yosemite national park. tenative plans were made for me and a gal-pal to road trip to canada to visit, but it didn't happen. a subsequent trip a few years ago to paris was equally delightful in its own way. i look forward to this one though. i've got a lot on my mind and the escape is welcomed.
Saturday, December 30, 2006 @ 10:10 AM proof that i'm a nerd
philosophical musings on a cold, rainy texas day
it's hard to be made to pay for one's mistakes. and still go on to feel guilty. and worthless. hey, we all have our dirty little secrets. and we all have to find a way to look them in the eye and not be scared. it just sucks when they're not dirty or little anymore and suddenly you're just wishing you hadn't been so honest. so frank. it hurts coming clean, although it's part of our flawed human condition, i suppose.
i'm just commenting on the darker side of being trapped in a human form. and wishing forgiveness came a little easier. redemption is hard to come by these days for some of us. yowza.
there are a few of you with raised eyebrows. don't email or call me later. it's not what you are thinking. i'm making observations, that is all. it's uncanny how the weather is a reflection of my mood today.
Friday, December 29, 2006 @ 04:26 PM proof that i'm a nerd
present
paul is building me a guitar. from scratch. like he designed it, cut it out from raw wood, drilled all the holes and routed out the cubbies for the electronics. then he took the pick guard off a something-or-other and the neck off of a 24 inch mustang. this is it. someday soon it will be shell pink with the antique finish glaze, giving it a yellowish tint. after curing etc, i should have it operational by march at the latest.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 @ 12:10 PM my family
washateria
happy christmas, ya'll.
Saturday, December 23, 2006 @ 02:04 AM
eva and me
carissa shot us yesterday. she's so good. there's so many great ones to choose from, and i hate being photographed! i like the way this one shows the half of my tattoo that says 'eva' while i'm holding her. so sweet. thanks lady!
Monday, December 18, 2006 @ 04:05 PM my family
it's official
i have a VERY interesting life.
that's all!
Thursday, December 14, 2006 @ 09:56 PM
urban street bazaar
my b-fry has a booth at the urban street bazaar that my pal julie organizes. shown above is yvonne and her precious little brother isaac. i'm so proud! check it out 11-6 sunday, dec 10 at the dallas farmer's market. i even bought a few gifts cuz it's always better to sink the moola back into our local art economy than making walmart richer. but then that's my two cents.
Saturday, December 09, 2006 @ 05:19 PM finds
melissa
Saturday, December 09, 2006 @ 05:08 PM
december 2006 fullmoon croquet
Thursday, December 07, 2006 @ 06:03 PM proof that i'm a nerd
art conspiracy
it's over. and i've been mulling for 2 days what my response is and what it should be. they're really the same, i guess. i'm finally rested and fed and sortof back to normal. rather than giving a blow by blow of how thursday and friday went, i'd rather comment on my favorite parts of art conspiracy.
i love when people get together and make art or music. asking an artist for an old/unsold piece of inventory and have a silent auction is one thing.... asking them to come to a random space with crappy lighting in the cold and create a piece in a mere 2.5-3 hours in front of other artists is another altogether.
asking an artist to suspend their belief about what the 'market value' of their work is and simply donate their time and skill for the betterment of the community is an example of generosity on the artist's part. allowing the general population to buy one of these pieces at a virtually unheard of price is revolutionary. and totally what it's all about. anyone can afford orginal art at art conspiracy. anyone.
i love that art conspiracy isn't entirely about the money and yet it's a fundraiser. tons of people have suggested ways to make more money on the art. and that's appreciated, of course. however, that kindof defeats magic of the conspiracy, now doesn't it? it's ok that an awesome piece sells for $20. it really is! and it's equally awesome when people bid up several hundred dollars against each other. the paradox is profound and an artful communication in itself.
i'm pleased with this year and wondering how the hell art con III will top it next year. i guess i don't have too much else to say except i love dallas and think this is totally where it's at. i adore all the bands that played and the artists that participated. i'm grateful for my friends who do this with me and love it that they 'get it' too. i'm entirely committed to la reunion and am looking forward to making it happen over the next couple of years. art con II is making that a reality right now. yay!
Sunday, December 03, 2006 @ 03:19 PM La Reunion
art con recap.
and tonight... i sleep.
