i have a fucked up sleeping schedule
once again. i am a vampire. i sleep hella late. i work hella late. i wake up at noon have lunch at 5pm, dinner at midnight. in fact, i am screwing myself up right now by blogging than going to sleep: i have three freelance gigs tomorrow, two of which is due thursday. so much for basking in the santa monica sun tomorrow.

i feel like pampering myself. allow myself to get a latte (not at starfucks though), get a pedicure, eat a rugala from the bakery down the street, and shop at the promenade. miko's cousin coined the phrase "ghetto fabulous with bougie tendencies."

i do flip it alot. i can wear thrift clothes but drop serious cash on some pumas. i love sushi, but only eat at sushi mac because it is so inexpensive. red wine (back when i did drink) would have been $1.99 from trader joe's.

it's all about balance, people.

"burning sage" - 10.2003
one day, i was feeling pretty anxious and sad. like all around me, is this electricity of negativity, causing the hair in the back of my neck to stand on end and my stomach to be queasy. i normally pray and meditate and burn a wand of sage to burn the negativity and to invite positive spirits/angels and God's love to fill the room. so this is an illustration i drew at the moment of stress. she is a bundle of sage burning the negativity away.
its all about balance
that is what was said at a dialogue held at bohemia books/mama's hot tamales. open mind collective and bohemia books held their first "street dialogue". they start their session with a round of spoken word. then they open up the floor for discussion. being that it is the first one, the topic was as broad as "what is art?" and "how did you feel when hear the poetry?"

there was a heated discussion when one particular young woman talked about how she didn't like most of the poetry. she said she found it very "sad" and that why can't people use art to make that perfect world. why spend time on things that are ugly.

people definitely got slightly heated. some say that they use art for healing. some say they express themselves. i say rather than art being used to put up fascades and make the world pretty, i say it reveals truth.

but as much as i disagree with her, i am so glad she said something. she had the courage to say her piece, forcing other people to back up their beliefs, in a positive way. we are all different people. we should be able to have our own belief in things though we walk the same path. i may not have the same views as a person next to me at a protest. but we are still in the same protest.

wendell had a one and one talk with her outside the venue. he told me some things that help me understand where she is coming from. what she said is a reflection of her and her experiences. still don't agree but i understand where she speaks from

dialogue with open minds and open hearts can help us be in a higher level of understanding. its just finding folks who are ready for it.