the Nonsense in Between

Chris Conley goes to Hollywood

2008-08-20T00:58:36Z

Over the weekend Dominic and I got to see Chris Conley perform at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Having never been to the Troubadour, or other venues in our new city, we had no clue what to expect. The Troubadour turned out to be a really great little venue, small enough to incite intimacy and just big enough for a little elbow room. It's a place we'd love to go back to so we're keeping an eye on their events calendar. Maybe one day we'll even get to see Chris perform there again. Chris was lovely as usual, meeting and greeting all of his fans as if each of them was at the top of his list that night. Which was farther from the truth than usual because this time he had his wife and daughter with him. It was really special to see them there and even more special was when Chris introduced me to his lovely wife. She's really sweet and I imagine very strong to be able to support a man whose talents pull him away for months at a time. She loves him. He loves her. And they're really beautiful together. You know what else is beautiful? Chris performing our song at the Troubadour... Of course it doesn't top the night Chris opened the show with our story and song (nothing ever will) it was still really special to see him perform it solo. Thank you, Chris, for Saturday's performance. We love you.

shameless(?) self promotion

2008-08-07T19:12:31Z

i've been moved to submit to JPGmag.com again. if you think my photo fits the theme/you love me and you'd vote even if you thought it was a crappy photo click the link below!

time off

2008-08-06T00:20:35Z

Just as soon as I started working I'm off again and I don't go back until school starts up. This time I can actually sit back and relax since I'm not stressing about finding a job, hmm...kind of feels like a vacation. Today, I stayed in and made art. nothing profound just pretty: Yesterday, I added some more photos to flickr. This one is my favorite: Two days down and about 20 to go. If you find yourself in the Los Angeles area and want to do something fun (and relatively free) lets get together! I have a feeling I might get bored.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2008-07-29T20:42:34Z

Some of you have probably already heard the news of today's earthquake in Southern California -- thanks for the calls and text messages, we're okay. The epicenter was in Chino where they recorded a 5.8 magnitude. It was strong enough that we felt it over 40 miles away but not strong enough to cause any damage. Dominic was in his office in West Hollywood where they had pictures fall from the walls and he's happy to report that his first earthquake was actually quite fun. I was on a field trip with the kindergarteners at UCLA. Luckily, we were having lunch outside and the kids were barely phased by it. I, on the otherhand, was pretty "shaken up" by it but happy to report that I survived my first earthquake!! I guess we're officially California residents now!

accidental dream job

2008-07-22T13:02:42Z

When we started the process of moving out to California, I hadn't hoped to find the perfect job right away. We had planned for me to get the first possible job, whether it be nannying again or barrista-ing at an S-bucks, whatever that "first" job was going to be I wasn't planning on loving it. The only real criteria for a job was that it be close by since we're now a one car family (plus a scooter that I'm only brave enough to ride on with my eyes closed and my arms wrapped tightly around my hubby). I applied for the job at the center because it was close -- though I didn't know how amazingly close until they called me for an interview -- and it wasn't retail or coffee, working with infants wasn't at the top of my list either, but it was closer. Then by accident, or luck, or something more divine I landed the kindergarten job and I'd been eagerly waiting to start working. My wait ended yesterday and it was more perfect than I could have imagined! I'm told things are a little tougher during the school year (we're just doing a summer transition camp for the kids coming into kindergarten) but I doubt it will be that bad. The school is on a team teaching model and I will be the third teacher in the classroom which means the student to teacher ratio will be less than 10 students per teacher! To illustrate how amazing that is: public schools run on a 20-30 student per teacher ratio, and when they're kindergarteners that number can seem to double. Aside from the wonderful ratios, all the people I work with are lovely! They let me know that they're here to help me learn and grow as a teacher and not to worry about my future because with this job on my resume I'll be set. I have no idea what the future holds, I'm honestly not even thinking about it. I just know that right now things are perfect and I'm savoring every little bit of it.

The Genuine Star Burns Brightest

2008-07-19T15:51:53Z

One might expect that a world famous photographer, who works only with the most rich and famous, would be as pompous and pretentious as the rest of them. If one expected that of TSP (can't say his full name here) one would be utterly mistaken. The world class photographer I had the extreme pleasure of spending a day with is a genuine and good-hearted man; with an abundance of unmatched artistic talent, I might add. I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated at first but once I got to know him a little the tension cleared and we got to talking, and talking, and talking. We talked about everything-- pets, culture, economics, travel, jurkupa, the changing world, and, of course, photography. He told me this really inspiring story of how he got started in photography and how it had more to do with luck and passion than anything. At the time he was going to school for architecture but half way through he realized he really didn't want to be an architect but it was too late to turn back so he continued school. To pass the time and feed his creative side he picked up a 35mm camera, he'd go to school all day and stay up all night doing photography. At some point someone saw his photos and hired him for his first job but all he had was his little 35mm so the guy loaned him a Hasselblad. He went to the site with his loaner Hasselblad and realized that he didn't even know how to load the film! By chance, the site was just across the street from a camera store so he went there and asked for help. He now shoots effortlessly with a Fujifilm GX680 III. With his permission, I took a photo of his other half: (copyright Nicole Filosa) You would never know by his perfectly composed photos that he was not formally trained, but if you were to watch him work you would see that he is a true artist unfettered by rules, methods, and procedures. He lets the space become its own thing, he talks about what makes the space and about the "personality" of the room that he's trying to capture. The words "strong", "glamorous", "wild", and "unique" came up over and over during shooting. Once while shooting some vases in front of a series of large framed snake pictures TSP used the word "creepy" and moved on quickly -- it's not that he hates snakes, in fact he used to look for them when he was a kid, but these pictures gave him the willies. Most of the time, though, he worked slowly and patiently -- it took us two and a half hours to get the perfect shot of the office! He admits that the condo we were shooting is one of the more difficult spaces he's had to capture and even though it's relatively small it is very complex and every corner has its own story. We found ourselves experiencing the space as more of a modern art museum than a living space, at one time getting caught by the interior designer admiring this very large piece of photographic art in the hallway. We talked not about the artists' clout or extravagant rates, nor did we discuss colors and compositions, our museum tour was all about the feelings and environments captured and created by the artists. It was an experience I won't soon forget, he even let me take one of the polaroids home to remember it all by. I left the Sierra Towers feeling informed, inspired and complete. I also have the strange feeling that it wasn't the last time I'd see my new mentor. Time will tell.

I'm famous

2008-07-18T13:44:01Z

Well not really, but apparently some old footage from a piece CBS did on Dan's energy drink endeavors made it into the spotlight again. We wouldn't even know it had been on again if my brother hadn't seen the morning news. Dominic found the clip on the internet, you can find it here. Thanks to Dan for making us all famous!

only in Los Angeles

2008-07-18T13:23:10Z

Remember what I said about Dominic's job being blogworthy? Well, thanks to connections through his firm I have some blogworthy news! Again because of the confidentiality I can't say any names or anything but today is about to be an amazing day for me. I will be assisting a very talented and well known architectural photographer in capturing the extravagant Beverly Hills condo of one of the world's most famous music icons. I'm not getting paid or anything, but I'm more than happy to fill in for the guy's m.i.a. assistant! I'm really excited! Not because I get to see how the stars live but because I get to see how a real live photographer captures it! I will have so many questions but I think I'll be too afraid to ask. I hope he's not afraid to share something about photography with me. Whether or not he does, I am certain this will be an epic day for me! Dominic says it could be the start of something photographic, we'll see.

when planets align

2008-07-16T23:57:37Z

I've been trying to put into words how amazing life has been as of late but my words fall short every time. The title here actually came from a few different people commenting on our blessed situation and it really does feel like there's some order in the universe, even amidst all the chaos. Life's funny that way, I guess. Our move to California seems to have put us on a path that feels right, perfect even. I know that Dominic deserves all the happiness and blessings he has been receiving and I'm just lucky I get to tag along. He really took a leap of faith by moving us out here and it's really paid off. His job is A-mazing! Its too bad for most of you that his work is so confidential because otherwise it would make for some good blog posts. You know what else would make for a good blog post? Updating you all on my job hunt... My hunt started and ended in one place. I know you're not supposed to put all of your eggs in one basket or whatever but Dominic and I both had a "good feeling" about the job I interviewed for so I went with it. I talked to my mom and told her that I felt like I was going to get the job but I had no proof just a feeling and she told me if I believed it I didn't need to apply anywhere else, so I didn't. The most incredible part is that I ended up with an even better job than I originally interviewed for!! I've been hired as an assistant kindergarten teacher!! It's pretty amazing how it all happened and I have every reason to believe a higher power worked some magic on that one. I am so grateful. I hope you all are finding some good in your lives despite the whirl of fear and madness around.

Things you don't see everyday...unless you live in LA

2008-06-27T17:02:31Z

There's something new to experience everyday here! Yesterday, I was showering and I heard a man screaming in horror or pain outside. My first thought was that it sounded like a crazy person but I peeked out the window just to be sure it wasn't an emergency. Outside, directly below our bathroom window was a man standing in the middle of the street belting out these horrible screams to the sky. Just as I was about to write him off as insane a camera crew came into view. L.A. is neat. Even neater was the grand opening party of a couture handbag store we attended in Beverly Hills last night. I can't say too much because I don't want to get Dominic in trouble with his new firm. But I will say that I've never been so excited to be someplace I don't belong! I'm pretty sure I was the only person in a 5 mile radius wearing a $2.00 Arden B. thrift store top but I felt great in it. I think half the people in there had shoes worth more than our monthly rent and they probably still didn't feel as blessed as did in my thrift store clothes. Oh, and on our way in to the party some kids were sitting outside and one of them mistook me for a celebrity. I have no idea who I could be mistaken for but as Dominic and I walked up one of the boys pointed at me and said "there she is!" but of course as I walked closer he realized I wasn't her, he got a little embarrassed and buried his face in his sister's shoulder. It was cute and maybe even just a little flattering.

as the dust settles...

2008-06-26T20:09:44Z

Wow! What a whirlwind life has been lately! A lovely, dizzying whirlwind that has landed us in Los Angeles, California. I'm still trying to convince my brain that this is our new reality but everyday something fantastic happens that makes me think we're dreaming. Yesterday I had an interview in West Hollywood at an amazing private school. I think the interview went well and the school's philosophies mesh well with mine. Even though they are a private school in one of the wealthiest areas in the nation they work hard to make sure their staff and students are diverse, and at least 1/3 of the students are from low income families that receive financial aid. And because it's private they get away with not having to take those worthless standardized tests and they can focus on more important things like actually TEACHING! Oh, they even do everything they can to tap into students' unique talents! The best part about their school is that they believe in social responsibility and every year each grade level participates in a community service project, even the preschoolers! The position I applied for isn't my ideal job as I'd be working with the infant group (3 months to 2years) but I think it could be the start of something great. I'm really trying to lean on faith here but waiting for the call always kills me. I promise to let you all know what happens. Send good thoughts this way!

Upon Reentry

2008-06-05T21:34:17Z

I've been back on this side of the border for a few days now but my thoughts have been too scattered to create a coherent post, but now I think I've taken enough time to sort through my thoughts and get settled back in (by "settled in" I mean "prepare for a 1,000 mile move"). The first day I was back I thought I couldn't wait to relax in front of the boob tube and make up for all the mass media I had missed out on. So I sat down and as usual there "wasn't anything on" but that didn't stop me from flipping through EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL. Finally, I decided to stop on my regular go-to channel: Home and Garden t.v., and I nearly had a panic attack! They were remodeling some wealthy white couple's bathroom and talking about marble tiles like there was nothing going on in the world around us. My head spun and I got dizzy with thoughts of the people I'd interviewed in Mexico about sanitation. I remembered the conversation I had with a widow whose makeshift toilet is collapsing. And another family with no toilet at all. I remembered everyone talking about the nicest toilet in the village -- the one that is made of dissolving adobe bricks -- and HGTV is talking about marble tiles?! I changed the channel. Something less depressing, like Comedy Central, would take the edge off, right? Nope. The crude humor and racial jokes of whatever idiot stand up was on only made my blood boil more. I turned the tv off. I looked around my house and remembered the insides of the people's homes I saw in Mexico. They were simple. Suddenly I felt so blessed and cursed by the things that fill this tiny space. Walk-in closets filled to the brim. Cabinets full of stuff. Junk drawers full of... junk. I was overwhelmed by all the useless crap in my house. I sorted out my closet. There were things I had worn once and some that I don't think I've ever worn. What a waste of money and space! What's worse is that most of my clothes were probably manufactured by some poor child in a some horrible sweatshop so that I could fill my walk-in closet with useless symbols of consumerism. I filled bag after bag with Goodwill donations. It felt good. I wondered how long it will last. How long will I remember the stories from the villages? How long will it take before I start feel the emptiness of my closet begging to be filled? Today, I realized I'm American to the bone. And I'm ashamed.

a very long post from Mexico

2008-05-23T21:51:26Z

As it turns out, internet access in rural Mexico is almost non-existent. There is, however, one computer with internet access in a teeny tiny library in the “big” town of Rayones, Nuevo Leon, where we are currently staying. Unfortunately, the hours of operation haven’t allowed us to really access the internet but today is probably the last chance I’ll have so here is my very long blog post from Mexico... Currently, we are staying in “big town” Rayones but on Monday we are heading up to the mountain villages where there are no phones or computers and virtually no running water or electricity either. As excited as I am to get to the meat of what we’re doing here I’m a little nervous to be so far from the outside world. Even though we haven’t had much time to use the phone or the internet here in Rayones it has been comforting to know it is there. Since we’ve been here most of our time has been spent on orientation, training, and setting up. Our main focus has been on tourism because the nonprofit we’re working under has been asked by the Governor of Nuevo Leon to give a report on issues and suggestions regarding tourism. Basically, the Governor has decided they ARE going to start advertising and pushing tourism so Fifth Sun has gotten involved to help identify potential issues and suggest possible solutions. Our job has been to go out to potential tourist sites and report back on problems we see both from an American tourist perspective and from an anthropological perspective. I personally wish tourism wouldn’t come here because I fear tourists may cause more culture change and damage than the revenue could ever make up for. Most of the students believe the same but Fifth Sun justifies our involvement by saying that applied anthropology is not going to stop tourism from happening but we can mitigate change. Since being here I have learned so much and am beginning to understand how anthropology can (and can’t) save the world. Since we can’t save the world in three weeks I think I may return home, with a group that is leaving a week early, and come back for the second session at the end of summer. I truly enjoy being in the field and I think I may have found my calling, its just unfortunate that my calling doesn’t pay in dollars, or pesos, or money of any kind. Fifth Sun hopes to be able to pay project leaders in the future so my hope is to stay involved in whatever way I can and maybe one day they’ll be able to hire me. My main focus here is the literacy project and since the organization hadn’t previously done any work with literacy I’m starting with nothing, which is wonderfully frightening. So far I’ve discovered some major barriers to teaching literacy, for example: locals believe that “school” and “classes” are for children only so we have to find a way to teach literacy to adults without asking them to attend a “class”. I have some ideas but we have a ton of research and surveying to do before anything actually happens, which means nothing is going to get off the ground during this session. By this point many of you have stopped reading because I’m breaking Dan’s number one rule of blogging: Don’t make long posts. Sorry Dan-o but I’ve only got one chance to get all this out there. And there’s more… I’ve only been able to talk to my wonderful husband a couple of times in the last week and it hurts. I miss him terribly and every night before I go to bed I think about just quitting the project and running home to his embrace. Then I fall asleep and wake up to morning meetings and get all excited about anthropologizing again. It’s hard to be passionate about things that pull me in different directions but I am extremely fortunate to have such a loving and supportive husband. He has worked so hard in order for me to be able to come here and even though he never wanted me to leave he encouraged me to explore this opportunity and I can’t thank him enough for it. I know that he is in Denver stressing about a million things, including his potential jobs in California. I wish I could be in two places at once but Dominic will just have to accept that I am there in spirit. Dominic, you are an amazing person and incredible husband. Thank you for supporting my trip to Mexico and encouraging me all the way. I know that you are stressed and could really use my help at home but you’re going to be okay without me and you’re going to get the job you deserve. Don’t lose hope. My thoughts are with you and soon I will be too. I love you more than cheese. And even more than anthropology. I’ll be home soon.

Spring Fever with a touch of Senioritis

2008-05-11T19:04:01Z

This is the worst case of spring fever I've ever had. I keep telling myself to "just hang in there, it's almost over" but the sun came out today and all I want is to go out and play. Dominic and Oni went to the park without me and I'm stuck at home "studying", which looks a lot like if you put an ADHD kid in the middle of a video arcade and told him to read Moby Dick. It's torture! Four more days. Just four more days.

A break from freaking out

2008-05-05T20:35:34Z

Not sure how or why I'm making time to post on my blog right now, maybe its the masochist in me? The same masochist that insists on postponing things until the last minute just to see how much it hurts to squeeze it all in to an impossibly short amount of time. Aside from all the pain I've been putting myself through things are actually quite good right now. Just this morning I sneaked in a couple of minutes of quiet under the morning sun -- actually, it wasn't my idea, I stole it from Oni-dog -- it was really peaceful. I took the opportunity to appreciate life and how it's exploding all around us right now. If my brain doesn't implode over the next week I'll be fortunate enough to experience some really great changes in my own life. I'm really looking forward to having my frame of mind overhauled in Mexico. Just the thought of being with the people and living how they live has already affected my perception. Just the other day I made a bean burrito for lunch and found myself in that conundrum where the burrito was full but there were still beans left in the container but not enough for a whole burrito. Usually, I'd end up throwing away the 9 cents worth of beans but on this day I stopped to think about the people in Mexico and what they'd do (they don't throw food away. If you're lucky I might one day share with you what my Abuelo does with food). I just couldn't rationalize throwing it away knowing that in a couple of weeks I'm going to be in a place where food is often scarce and 9 cents worth of beans could satisfy a starving person. I saved it. When I went to make a meal the next day I used a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit out of the container, and you know what? it made the perfect burrito! This might be a practice I'll have to adopt for practical, and not just philosophical, reasons too. As you may have heard/read we're moving to California, Officially! Honestly, I haven't had the time or the energy to put into thinking about it and it just might be a good thing. As disorganized and flighty as I am, I happen to be the "planner" in our relationship, well maybe not the "planner" but the less impulsive one. Dominic, on the other hand, is the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of guy. So this whole pack up our lives and move to LA thing without a plan? That was his idea. And since I'm so busy right now I can't really freak out about it or take the time to convince both of us that it's a bad idea (i'm not saying it is, but i'm sure i could come up with an argument). The good news is that we'll probably move right after I get back from Mexico so if we end up living out of our car for a while it just might feel like luxury to me. And since I now know how far you can stretch 9 cents worth of beans, I don't think we'll go hungry either.