TOAST. art. bike. tribeca. film.

i love garfield. minus garfield. especially today.

today it was HOT. and kind of worrisome. now, i am always looking for an excuse to worry, so this should not be surprising. however, if it is 80 degrees in a concrete jungle in april. i am terrified of august. not just the blackouts. but the heat, too. and im from texas. seriously.

i am going to this, this weekend. and on monday there is a lecture on jazz aesthetics that sounds interesting. and free. mostly free. but also a little interesting. oh, how i love the goethe.

(internationally,) the biggest news story today was NOT clintons win in pa- GASP!- but o i l. thats right, oil. i can literally hear bob dylan telling me that times really are a-changin. you & i & everyone we know are going to need to jump on selling drugs. immediately.

but for now, i am going (sparks not included) to go on a sunset walk across the bridge to the burbs.

leave the yellow starbursts alone

ive gotten my share of shit for reading jimmy carters books on the middle east, but it is pretty hard to argue that his recent trip to damascus didnt prove that he is, if nothing else, one of the only western voices that acknowledges that hamas is willing- POST sharon, even. willingness- it is something.

so, i am excited about THIS coming up! i can smell them from my apartment. perk of the park, i suppose. there are some things that are just too exciting to think about, you just have to know that they are coming & know it will be a great experience when it is time. like my future tour of south america, being so old you can steal things without being reprimanded & tapping into my social security. wait- damn!

bright dwight

oh, new york times, you are like the bad music at a coffee shop. the playlist sucks long enough to make me angry and gather my things, but just then, a decent tune comes on. today it was this. and honestly, after last sundays mccaine kissing contest/apology for breaking the affair news, i was ready to give up. my friend ingrid told me once that my obsession with current events was unhealthy; my sister tells me to read more fiction. but i am telling you both, this is my entertainment. the media is so impressively entertaining to watch! the way they dictate "public opinion" & confuse people to the point of successfully maintaining an illusion of democracy, keeps me in hysterics. genius! two thumbs up! no matt damon thriller could have so many twists and pricey action sequences.

personally, i think the big bad m.i.c. is a more appealing episode- i mean, political agenda- than money. but thats just me. im a sucker for good tv.

gay bishops

i love terry gross. i know you do, too, but i love her more. sure, she is kind of a shitty journalist, but all journalists are shitty at this point, so i like to say she is one of the least shitty journalists out there. she may kiss a little too much ass, but she asks good kiss ass questions, does her research (most of the time), and i for one appreciate that. plus, she has the voice of an angel. maybe that is why her fresh air interview with lincoln chafee yesterday made me wish there were more moderate-republicans-turned-independents due to our current dictators own violent nature. but seriously, where are the old chafee-like republicans? not to get back to my rant on moderation, but seriously, i miss the old, non-evangelical conservatives. or maybe they are on their cyclical way back in & im not aware because these damn debates keep distracting me from what is H A P P E N I N G. all legal and/or political action is on hold til january 09, right? i thought so.

so this past week in new york has been UNREASONABLY gorgeous. i am in love with this city! did i just say that out loud? well, im stickin to it. really, it is insane. so nice outside. i have enjoyed walkin the pups ive been sittin on & playing in the park. (note to self: some things are fun to experience in small doses, like wild animals, gelatin & children)

getting back to terry.....she said something interesting in todays interview with that gay bishop whose name escapes me. she asked him the difference between civil & religious rights. of course, the gay bishop "answered" the question based on the very specific issue of gay rights in a civic community vs in a religious one. he went on to ackn0wledge the newly passed new hampshire law that will legally recognize homosexual unions. now, this guy is pretty cool & i respect what he says about gender roles in society, homophobia & the lack of acceptance of questioning theology, philosophy, religion, interpretation & spirituality within religious societies. but he and terry were so entrenched in the specifics that they left this question to be kind of swept under the rug. and while homosexuality in the roman catholic church is interesting, the evolution of religion vs civil & social law is what stumped my thinking & made me ignore the rest of the program. i thought about that question in a broad sense all day. it reminded me of a class i took my junior year, where we were analyzing the fluctuation of power between the us court system & the legislative branch. there is actually some convincing evidence that democracy can work when politicians endorse and create laws that reflect their constituents and when the judicial branch is checked enough to enforce those laws. i can see how people think this system is a great idea. so, in remembering that class & how we went through laws from the 50s to the 90s that were (arguably) created due to a social movement/uprising vs laws that were written but ignored due to a lack of enforcement in the judicial system (because what does a piece of paper really mean?), i started to think about the difference between religious progression (i.e., gay bishop A) that is produced through a civic uprising (after all, a church is a business- unsuccessful if no one shows up- so at some point views must be tweaked to get asses in the seats) vs religious progression that is brought about within the non-secular community. based on what i learned in that class and in my experience with people in a religious community, if the secular community (meaning the mass who creates laws who sends people- religious or not- to jail for illegal acts) is like the us judicial system, then it might be the only check for people in power within religious communities who have no fear bigger than a questioning congregation. in dealing with yet another collision between the secular and the religious worlds (in the middle east or in south williamsburg), how can progression be a win-win situation?



ok....will leave you alone for now. i am house sitting and cant stay away from bret michaels and his search for a rock of love. ive been without tv for long enough to be shocked to find that all tv is trash tv these days. i loooove it. (again, in small doses)

a freelancer's union. take a hike.

obviously, i am a little shaken to hear the news today. it is a sad, sad world when our heroes are taken down over silly misunderstandings. but im trying to keep on keepin on today, despite the devastating news. i know thats what the ice would want.

i read this article today about not-for-profits, sometimes called "charities" in the times & it reminded me of this book i read last summer called the revolution will not be funded. by the way, why is it that i cant underline text in this blog? it wont let me, so everything is italicized. LAME. well, anyway, the book was good- & depressing, as most investigative books are. i recommend for sure.

so i have found a new website that i love. it is funny & informative, well-rounded & 95% written by freelancers. its like, the wave of the future, dudes. i like it because some of the articles are outrageous & some will just leave you thinking all day about how much you agree/disagree with that asshole. check it out HERE.

i am doggy sitting all week & i am so excited. i miss my brutus so much, so it will be good to have some pooch time. i know these people usually sound crazy but there is a lot to be said for pet therapy. ATT, as it is better known as, has proved to be quite the tool for improving quality of life both for the animals & human patients involved. the delta society & company seem to have it down to a science. stay tuned for next weeks report on how benny & lulu helped my crazy.\




i also read an article today about a book i just bought on amazon...i ordered a few books on changing the american landscape, because there is so much online that sometime i get overwhelmed. i love the idea of a bound book- something that has a beginning & an end that i can read in the park. also, books dont include advertisements & links to things like this or this or this, like articles online that suck you into everything that is going on. sometimes, when i read about how i live on a planet where governments will use rockets to ensure good weather so that some steroid poppin atheletes can be human advertisements for patriotism, world peace & massive consumption, i just want to go hide in a tent in the middle of harriman state park.

last night i dreamt i was eaten by a character from a natalie dee comic, but i didnt die. instead, i became tiny. i found myself on a leaf where a

caterpillar strolled up & puked all over me. the puke made me slippery, so i slid off the leaf & into a puddle where willie nelson was giving a lecture on smoking pot under water.

anyway,
i have tmj. well, i think i have tmj. im pretty sure i do, so i dont chew gum. but it is really hard to stay away from such a good thing. so today i buckled. i had some double mint gum & it was good. but my attention span for gum had sharply declined in my time away from the habit. i found myself bored & slightly angry that the flavor was still going strong after the first 100 chews. whatever happened to the juicy fruit chew-it-and-lose-it flavor tactic? those were the days. i like my gum thick, chocked full of sugar & tasteless within a minute & thirty seconds.
so i decided what to do with my life: im goin into the gum-making business! yep, thats what im gonna do.

but then some friends & i walked down to a bench @ the edge of the east river, in between the brooklyn & manhattan bridges for lunch. and as i sat there in the sun (today was the most beautiful day in the entire history of the world) & realized that in my entire life, i have never had a completely satisfactory salad, due to over dressing. why do people seem to think salads need to get all dolled up? greens actually taste delicious when theyre all earthy-like. i learned this when i had a vegetable garden for a season. so then, i switched from the gum business to the salad dressing/prepared salad business. you know, to teach people the goodness of a green.


that idea was really taking me places in my head, which allowed me to daydream during work for a good thirty minutes until i thought about ginger ice cream & what a brilliant idea THAT is. you can get it all over chinatown. amazing. it is almost as good as wasabi gelato. which got me thinking about the wasabi flavored brussel sprouts i had the other night- creative genius. im not quite sure how the next thought came up, but i was shocked to suddenly remember that it has been years since i have seen and/or played with a lite-brite. which is just not ok.

so im gonna bring lite-brites back. but i will have to do that tomorrow, because right now i need to get back to work :)

mediocrity is straight, texas lea with an "A"

sorry for the long pause....i am back and as grammatically incorrect as ever :)
i have been working too much & have not had time for even a ten minute rant about, well, anything. so...i guess i will ramble about work until i think of something else. work is good. i have too much to do all the time. and i have realized that i like things this way. my friends are always asking me why i work so much & there are days when i ask myself the same thing. but i was kind of raised to be add or adhd or whatever, i cant decide. every year, growing up, it was something different. basketball, dance, gymnastics, tennis, golf, ballet, piano....i couldnt commit to a damn thing, because i was constantly busy doing twelve other things. consequently, i am mediocre at all the above mentioned sport. not good, not bad, just ok. i know the rules and how to be decent at it, but i am not going to be winning any awards any time soon. this has been a source of frustration for many years, and a pretty kick ass talent, too. i guess i conform well. dont worry....im not going to continue rambling on about myself this entire post (will save that for tomorrow), i am simply realizing that from scene-to-scene, i am starting to reach my plateau of phases. im not saying im boring yet, i just think that being a work-a-holic suits me. work hard, play hard- best motto e v e r. just so happens that i need and have been good at finding jobs and projects that are a little bit different every day, so that i dont get bored and start to make paper clip sculptures.

so, i am going to TOAST and you should join me. yes, you. it will be fun. i have been attending lectures with my classmates at the goethe institut (mostly on urban design, sustainable living/architecture/design, photography, film-making, literature) and a huge group of us are coordinating a massive bike attack on the new york art scene. face and body painting optional but strongly recommended. (note to sabrina: please make sure your face/body paint is not red, as it would be unfortunate for you to get hit by a car or kicked out of galleries due to accidental patriotism and/or gang confusion)
the painting above is by the guy who painted this piece in 1985:

i remember studying it in a visual art class in college. he has some really bad art, but his politically charged stuff is being copied by tons of marketing genius "artists" these days. we will see what he has to say....

i went to the film forum this week with my friend john, my personal new york city tour guide. they are showing godards contempt. i love the theater, the popcorn, the chocolate chip cookies & especially the jasmine tea (they have good honey, too). the film was slightly disappointing, but only for annoying reasons, like, it is hard for me to not be offended by the sexist behavior of the characters, even after i tell myself that it is unfair to judge 1960s films based on modern feminism. hOWever. it is an insanely gorgeous film. who knew capri is heavenly? and, if you can handle the torture of an upper class couple having a massive breakdown in communication over and over and over and over and over and over again, then you, too, will still love godard. afterwards, at our star-studded discussion session, john and i were saying how avant garde films have not changed much over the last fifty years. it seems like we incestualized ourselves right out of creativity on that one. but after noting what is going on in the world of visual & sound media right now, and after i saw the bartenders video creation at freddys last night, i have decided that experimental film is NOW. muahahahahaha. no, seriously, there is some good stuff out there. as if someone found a godard film, watched it for the first time, realized that no one has done much in the way of creativity in the film industry for decades, and said, wow. now theres a market. oh, and then youtube and digital equipment at low prices happened. oh, and i like this one, too. i swear, bill is not paying me to plug him - i just like his music.

i had a conversation with my dad that left me thinking about this mediocrity that i am soooo good at- flying under the radar & getting along with almost anybody. i realized that what i despise most about people & politics is the extremism. there is no need for it. i think luke warm & passive understanding has gotten a bad rap. hot water is dangerous, expensive & wasteful. it can also kill germs that might make us stronger. and cold water, well, it is just uncomfortable, now isnt it. i hear hypothermia isnt fun. i happen to like my bodys homeostasis maintenance mechanism- a scale, if you will. no need for extreme temps, just a nice balance. so...ive decided im going to work really hard at getting extremely good at being even more mediocre than i already am. yep, i am now officially against being good at stuff. other than mediocrity.

therapy

my missing texas moment today is my family. they are crazy (just like yours). and when i am around them, i get very sick of being the black sheep that i am so comfortable and make habitual efforts to continuously be. but they are MY crazy family. and today i miss them very much.

i was at home the other night thinking about my crazy family as i took a break from my new book WHAT TO EAT by marion nestle and it made me smile to think of all the craziness that has gone on between us (in every possible combination). it has been a long road and i have felt the growing pains for every day of the last twenty five years, as i know they have, too. it is so fitting that moving across the country has given me a hint of the feeling i have always wanted to have for my family. i know i will always be a loner, it is way too comfortable this way and it has been my protection many times. but it is nice to have community, decency, humanity, courtesy, familiarity. that very personal expectation has grown into a rant about how the world should be.