Zestyverse

Happy Marmite Day!

2012-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

Oops - I meant Valentine's.

Here's a link to a free EP download - Live At Folk-A-Dot!

4 tracks recorded at The Green Note:

Looking for Vegas
Heart Like Prayer Wheel
American History Y
The Full English

Goes best with wine and chocolate.

Quote of the Week - Alvarez Bravo

2012-02-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

- Manuel Alvarez Bravo

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes words don't do it.

Feel free to use the above as a writing prompt. One of my favorite images of all time.

UPDATE: I'm feeling more verbal now. Found this lustrous quote on Alvarez Bravo's website:

When I work it´s by impulse. Not in the sense of planning a photograph in advance. I work by impulse. No philosophy. No ideas. Not by the head but by the eyes. Eventually inspiration comes. Instinct is the same as inspiration, and eventually it comes.

Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Follow Up

2012-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Just after posting the Sitting Down Like Bukowski blog, a couple of things floated up that seemed serendipitous. One, shared on FB by a friend, was an account of Henry Miller's "Commandments:"

This is a good list. It's personal, but it's useful to writers at large. It's clear he was battling some personal issues he had with writing - I think #1 and #2 and #10 seem to be specifically targeted at some battle he was hacing - I like to work on multiple things in different stages, it allows me less burnout (assuming I'm not on deadline pressure). Still, these are all strong, clear, and point to a very serious process. Mix and match - write your own. Keep what works; throw away the rest. Most of all, remember that prolific, published, and consumed writers need reminders, too. You are not alone.

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Catch Up!

2012-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Some of you have started the series in the middle.

Here are links to all the blogs so far, in order!

Writing Is Not A Mystery

Sit Down, John

Sit Down With Julia Cameron

Sitting Down Like Bukowski

Creating A Safe Space

The Myth of Writer's Block (Part 1)

More coming next week!

Writing Is Not A Mystery - The Myth of Writer's Block (Part 1)

2012-02-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

Anxiety.

Number 1 reason people do not sit down.

Writer's Block - capital W, capital B - does not exist. Writer's Block is an aggregate name for a combination of symptoms existing in people who would like to write, but feel stuck. You get rid of it by creating a process. The first step in the process is sitting down (see previous blogs ad nauseum).

Writer's Block often manifests as the refusal to sit down.

The refusal to sit down is coming from somewhere inside the person who would be writing. Often it is a reflection of one or more anxieties about sitting down. Anxieties come from anywhere and everywhere. They may be idiosyncratic, but more often, take heart, they are fairly universal.

Most common are the extremes - a paucity of things to say, or too many things to say. These both manifest as the dreaded Writer's Block, yet neither has anything to do with that.

For our purposes the would-be writer is a funnel.

You put a funnel over an empty jar. If you don't pour anything into the funnel from somewhere else - still empty jar.

This is a paucity of things to say. If the original vessel is running on empty, nothing is going to come out and go into the new jar. You are just the funnel when you are writing. Your brain, your life, your heart, your experience, your everything is the original vessel. Your job as a writer is to give a path to the contents of that vessel into a new one - metaphorically a jar, but in reality a poem, a story, a screenplay, a book, or any other plastic art you choose.

Emptiness, in a Zen sense, can be a very good place to begin. It denotes clarity, openness, and willingness to receive. We're not talking about a Zen sense here, unless your ability to receive is highly skilled and you are a channel for filling vessels and then very lucky you - you won't have Writer's Block at all (and that's another blog).

Emptiness in this sense is something else. Like a car run out of fuel. A car with an empty gas tank does not require inspiration; it requires gas. What is gas for an artist? Everything in life. When does an artist run out of gas? In multiple situations. Life gets too stressful, people around the artist are draining, the drone of daily life has kicked over the ability to experience with sensitivity. Exhaustion, illness, completion of a very large project or work of art - all of these can cause an emptiness.

You need to put in some gas. Recharge, refuel in ways that are meaningful for you. Julia Cameron's Artist's Dates are meant to do just this - keep the gas tank full. Yes - go to a museum, a movie, a show, take a walk on a new path, get off the subway at a different stop, hike, play tennis, take a trip. Those are all great. They may not be what you need. You may need to talk to your best friend, or take a nap, or help someone less fortunate than you, or teach a child how to play a game. But you need to put gas in the tank.

Frustration over this empty vessel and empty jar is just what gets people talking about inspiration and ascribing it mystical, magical, and elusive properties. It must be all these things if you can't find it when you need it, right? Let's debunk this here and now. Just because something has the feeling of magic when it occurs does not necessarily make it random or infrequent, or even difficult. We've all read the Harry Potter books - magic is clearly the culmination of tradition, learning, practise, and skill! Even magic isn't really magic, is it? Yes - you want that tingly feeling, that pierce of synchronicity, that pin prick of the collective unconscious, but its presence is not accidental and its absence does not constitute Writer's Block. (And when it comes to sitting down, Rowling is clearly Queen - how many thousands of hours of sitting must it have taken to create that series? Which brings us back to doe...I mean...Zen.)

Inspiration is not just what appears out of thin air - it is - almost literally - a breath of fresh air you take in. You don't wait for it to descend. There's no need. You know where to find it. Give up being bored. It's a nasty habit and it won't help you create anything. Get to wonder. Get to curiosity. Ideas will start flooding (ah - our other potential problem).

Modern life makes it easy to tune out and turn off. So let's take Timothy Leary's advice (just this once, he may not be the best role model) and tune in and turn on. Just be present - cultivate that Zen emptiness and freshen your eyes and your mind into living again. Inspiration is everywhere, but when you start snatching at it like the hem of a cute girl's skirt in a bar, it's just going to sashay away. Then you're going to start calling it fickle and treat it like a woman who's just not that into you. You see where this analogy is going? Good.

Cultivate relationships and they will reward you. That relationship could be with a person, with wonder, with fly fishing, with anything. Your relationship with writing is inherently going to be about your relationships with other things - because, unlike fly fishing, writing is not really a thing unto itself - it is a tool to communicate with people about other things. It is the offshoot of language and is only interesting when you have something to say. That something - that's what needs to be cultivated. If you keep running your tank on empty, you will be standing on the side of the road with your thumb out. Ah! And that is precisely when you are desperate enough to get into the next car willing to take you. And I bet there's a story in that ride.

OMG - the frakkin hills are alive! Joy, wonder, reverence, breathing - cultivate these!

More on Writer's Block next week. In the meantime, go out and fill up!

(This blog is part of a series - you can look the others up on the side, or go to the blog search and type "writing is not a Mystery" - either should work.)

Quote of the Week - Gazzara

2012-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

“You go where they love you.”

-Ben Gazzara

This is such an important message to artists. Gazzara was interviewed about why he was doing so much work in Italy. Very few artists and creatives do well without appreciation. Truly, I think very few people do. Go where you are appreciated, where you and your work are understood, and where you are given opportunity to do more and better work. (This doesn't mean don't challenge yourself -- but there are other wasy of doing that than facing the wrong types of adversity.)

Find your community.

RIP Ben Gazzara.

Practivist of the Week - YOU Helping Ingrid

2012-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Ingrid

The campaign for Tara Hardy's health care was fulfilled with a speed and intensity that made many of us feel reinvested in the values of our community.

Health and wellness seem to be recurring themes. Our health care infrastructure needs attention, and has begun demanding it.

This week I'm hoping you can help contribute to making a short life a happier one, and one with precious memories for her family. Baby Ingrid was diagnosed with brain cancer about 6 months ago. Currently she is 20 months. Her cancer has returned and the doctors do not feel that further treatment will not impede the progress of the disease. They have given her a prognosis of only 3-5 months to live. This means she might not see her second birthday.

Her parents would like to make the rest of her time with her family sweet and memorable.

Ingrid is too young to be considered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation program, so they are dedicating themselves to fundraising to make her wishes come true.

To donate to Ingrid's Travel Fund, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE!!!!! Baby Ingrid's Travel Fund has now surpassed its goal! But please feel free to keep on giving!

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Creating A Safe Space

2012-02-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

"You can write anything.

Just don't show it to anybody."*

- Allen Ginsberg

This is so simple and so important. And so often forgotten. The writing is yours - of you, from you, and first for you. If it's not good (by your standards and yours alone), if it makes you uncomfortable, if it scares you, put it in a drawer. Forget about it. Move on.

Somewhere I read that Bukowski said that when you wrote a poem, you should put it away for 18 days and then come back to it. I don't know if this attribution was correct, I don't know what it might be about 18 days, but sometimes putting things away for 18 days - or forever - is a great idea. A little distance can help.

We are starting to get into the realm of editing and rewriting here, just a bit, which we're not quite ready for. However, I do want to stress how incredibly important it is to create a safe space for you and your writing.

Visceral, go-for-the-jugular Rachel McKibbens pointed this out in a workshop she ran at WOWps - and no one would say her work lacks courage and candor on the stage. Being safe is a different principle.

As a poet/performer, there are poems you write and immediately want to jump on stage and read before an audience. You are burning to share, you are burning to see if it works for other people like it does for you. There are also things you write that make you cringe in parts, that feel too fleshy and raw. Feel free not to jump up on a stage and read them. Feel free not to blog them, tweet them, FB them, tumblr them, or share them in any way, until and unless you are comfortable doing so.

This is permission to hide some of the things that you write. This is therefore permission to write anything and everything that you want. Are you a mom with 4 kids longing to be the next Anais Nin? Go ahead. Write it. If it makes you uncomfortable, put it in a drawer, or an encrypted file, or a locked folder when you're done.

I'm not suggesting you all go out and become Henry Dargers - working in private secrecy your whole life and revealing a treasure trove of wondrous oddities upon your death. If you find you're hiding more than you are exposing, it may be that you need to realign some things in your life, or tackle some issues in a different forum, with guidance.

Detail from a larger work by Henry Darger

What I'm saying is that there's no need to block the creative impulses you feel in order to appease a hypothetical, perceived future audience. So you give yourself permission to never show them while you're writing, and even after you've written it.

There are times you have to write through something to get to something else. This is true in relationships, too - you have to work through some knots in order to be able to grow. By blocking the impulse out of fear of exposure (a huge universal fear), you may block yourself from getting through that difficult bit of writing in order to find the juicy writing you have been seeking.

Ginsberg was arguably one of the most open writers and people ever. Just look at his eyes in the picture above - it's like he's living right there in the lens. But he still knew about creating safety for yourself. Writing can be an emotional maelstrom. The subjects you want to tackle are the ones with the most energy and may also be the ones most fraught with peril. Give yourself permission to back off.

I evolved a rule a while back - anything that makes me cringe in any way, any where, for any reason gets cut. It could be too personal - or personal in an incorrect way for sharing. It could just be bad writing. If it makes me cringe, I cut it. Simple. Useful. Effective.

Find your own healthy boundaries that allow you to express yourself fully, while allowing you to present your best work publicly. Find or create a comfortable nurturing area in your life for your writing - whether it's writing in your favorite cafe, or an easy chair that was your grandmother's, or working in a writers' group - find your spot and cultivate it.

*I haven't been able to verify this quote before posting, however, I've had it written down long enough that I believe I've memorized it correctly. However - it may be a paraphrase.

(This blog is part of a series - you can look the others up on the side, or go to the blog search and type "writing is not a Mystery" - either should work.)

Quote of the Week - Rumi

2012-01-30T00:21:00.000-08:00

"Be patient.
Respond to every call
that excites your spirit.

Ignore those that make you fearful
and sad, that degrade you
back toward disease and death."

- Rumi translated by Coleman Barks

excerpt from "Cry Out in Your Weakness"

I could just really do a Rumi quote every week. Or Hafiz. Still - I try to spread it around.

Practivist of the Week - Update!!!!

2012-01-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

In 9 hours, the goal of $10,000 was reached. Donations will continue to be accepted for further health care costs.

There aren't words for how amazing this is.

Practivist of the Week - YOU helping Tara Hardy

2012-01-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

I saw this woman on stage once. Once. And she wrung out every drop of salt and water inside me. We couldn't even stay for the rest of the readers -- we were exhausted and exhilarated from seeing her. She is at once fierce and elegant, a writer who spares her audience nothing, yet refines each turn of phrase to release maximum meaning.

She is a no holds barred as a writer and a performer. She is a veteran of the grind that is writing, stages, touring, and our particular kind of freelance lifestyle where money comes when it comes and health insurance is a rare commodity.

She is in trouble. You can help. The goal is $10,000 and they are more than halfway there. Please donate. CLICK HERE. Thank you.

I'll let you see for yourself:

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Sitting Down Like Bukowski

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

Right. So we've already learned I'm New Age peripheral. I'm also smut-adjacent. If honesty is the best policy (it is), then you kind of have to tell it all. I'm a big fan of artists who give us the whole truth, and those who know how to make ugly beautiful.

One of my favorite things is when a scruffy hipster writer comes on the scene trying to get all Bukowski all over the place. Translation: drink, spew some words, and lay anything that will have you.

Sure.

Thing is, if that was how Bukowski had proceeded, I doubt he'd have the canon of published books he has. Have you noticed just how many books he authored in his lifetime? Lemme tell you - books do not write themselves.

We also know that Bukowski held a job at the United States Post Office for decades. (I'm a big fan of the Post Office. Buy some stamps or something. Keep post alive!) One of those dying jobs that lets you work your 8 hours and go home unburdened while still having enough money for a crappy room, some booze, and boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

So here you are - hipster writer - on the dole, sleeping all day, drinking every night, out at pubs working your best lines, spitting the same 3 poems you wrote at Uni, professing your love for all things Bukowski, Miller, and Hemingway.

What's wrong with this picture?

Well, mon cher hipster writer - you are not doing the work. Writing is work. Like anything. Work, work, work. I sit typing this and I have been writing for HOURS today and barely gotten through morning pages, 2 blogs and an email. A book - A WHOLE BOOK - that sh*t takes TIME.

Bukowski didn't get chicks cause he was so hot - he got chicks cause, well, I don't really know how he got chicks. I do know that one particular female gives him credit for helping her to become the writer she was. And that was both through him being and sharing the writer he was, and through being supportive of someone else's art and vision.

What Bukowski did, what Henry Miller did, was write everything. I'm often confounded at how Miller could have written Tropic of Capricorn while actually living Tropic of Capricorn. But he did it. Somehow, he found the will, ability, clarity, focus, and time to write those tens of thousands of words.

Truth is - Bukowski sat down at that typewriter for hours every day. While working at the Post Office, while binge drinking, while living the tales he told. It's not an easy thing to do. Not at all. It's true he was no Soccer Mom shuffling kids all over town in a minivan, but life is life, and work is work, and a bad habit is a bad habit and they all take time.

Bukowski wasn't a lady who lunched, a guy given to long workouts at the gym, and I don't think he spent a whole lot of time at the mall. It may be that you have to give up something to get something. Poverty and isolation has its upside for creatives - you don't have to spend time and energy on things like keeping up appearances, a social calendar, and shopping for endless hostess gifts. (Okay, they have their time-consuming downsides, too, but that's another blog.)

You may not be able to hold onto everything in your life if you are planning to devote real time to your art.

The original On The Road scroll

Mixing life and art - it's a fine trick. Kerouac and On The Road is a great example - if he'd had his head down writing the whole time on that east to west extravaganza, well, there'd be no story - he wouldn't have lived anything worth telling. But if he didn't manage to have his head down writing, at least some of the time, the stories would be cocktail party anecdotes instead of a groundbreaking, defining, and now classic novel.

That's what's at stake when you don't sit down. The loss of the very material and insight you are aching to share. The potential loss of connection on a grand scale. The disappearance of the potential to reach across any and all boundaries of time, space, geography, and culture to midwife something profound.

After these last three blogs, you've realized that sitting down is hyper-important to me as a writing tool. It is. In fact, it could be the only tool you need. It's simple and clear.

You must sit still and write to produce any writing.

Maybe this is what they mean by the Laws of Attraction - you can only attract the writing by giving it space and time and focus and will. But that's pretty true of anything in life.

Happy sitting!

(This blog is part of a series - you can look the others up on the side, or go to the blog search and type "writing is not a Mystery" - either should work.)

The Other 50% - New Developments

2012-01-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

The latest figures on percentages of women working in features are out. Women make up 5% of the directors of the top 250 box office grossing films of 2011 - up 2% from 2012, but down 4% from 1998 numbers.

And Sundance announces a new partnership with Women in Film to track the progress of women directors. The headline on that one is a bit misleading.

Is Bridesmaids the reason for the sudden interest? Or is this just (another) watershed moment?

Quote of the Week - Hockney

2012-01-23T00:33:00.000-08:00

"I don't value prizes of any sort. I value my friends."

- David Hockney

If you know me, then you know...

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Sit Down With Julia Cameron

2012-01-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm inherently skeptical, leading ever so slightly toward cynical, so I overcompensate with optimism wherever possible.

When I see people getting into the next New Age thing - I'm the one who starts asking the questions no one wants to hear.

From The Secret to Dr. Emoto and his water molecules to What the Bleep Do We Know? I'm the one saying, yes, but if you follow the Law of Attraction to its natural conclusion, or so who is this doctor and just how were these experiments done or did you not take high school physics?

That's me.

Imagine my skepticism, back when I was a real New Yorker (no - not a Carrie Bradshaw fake New Yorker), about The Artist's Way.

In truth, I wanted nothing to do with it. Who is this Cameron woman? What could she possibly have to say? How can she be qualified to write this -- how can anybody?

I'm not sure where I first heard about it. Maybe in CineWomen NY. As writer's block (which I don't believe in, and I'm sure we'll get to a blog on that in this series) slipped it's ever-creeping hold over me, well, I had to try something.

So I bought a copy of The Artist's Way.

I opened it and read the Introduction. There was a lot of God stuff and a slightly New Age approach. There was also a caveat - a way out - a believe what works for you about it. I liked the quotes (in fact - that is when I started collecting and sharing quotes). I kept reading.

I committed to the 12-week program. I knew I had a lot of traveling to do, so I gave myself permission to miss a week, or do a week twice if the schedule got too hectic, or just stay on a week until I made it through.

A lot of stuff comes up, and for once, I promised myself I wouldn't push through like a bulldozer, but I wouldn't give up, either. I did my morning pages during my first ever Sundance - which involved very little sleep. In fact, after seeing Slam, I wrote my first ever flow! In about 16 weeks, I finished The Artist's Way.

I've been doing morning pages (and artist's dates) ever since. I must recommend this book as a tool to individuals 4 or 5 times a week. Part of the reason for writing this blog is to have a quick place to point people who ask me what they should be doing.

So. If you are terribly unsure of how to proceed as a writer, or any other type of creative, get yourself a copy of The Artist's Way. You can find one anywhere - new, used, at a library. Sit down with it and decide if it is for you.

But sit down with it.

It may not work for you, but I bet it does. I picked it up because I was stuck in a screenplay; by the time I put it down, I was well on my way (unbeknownst to me) to being a poet and spoken word artist. The results may not be what you expected, but there will be results. You will clear some things out of the way and be able to see new things - ideas, predilections, a path. Hope.

And the very sneaky thing about The Artist's Way is that it gives you the beginnings of a process. The most important thing you could have as an artist. Cameron makes sure that you sit down daily, and that you have a purpose in doing so. It gives you a place to start - every single day and every week. Morning pages, Artist Dates, Walks. Start there and you cannot possibly fail.

(This blog is part of a series - you can look the others up on the side, or go to the blog search and type "writing is not a Mystery" - either should work.)

Quote of the Week - Chloubier

2012-01-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

"Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone."

- Ken Chlouber

I found this as a pre-chapter quote in a book I'm reading. Have to say, it earned a laugh from me. It's true in all its dimensions.

Sometimes, befriending your worst enemy is the best thing you can do.


Image copyright Celeste Potter

(Cool image above copped from Celeste Potter's website.)

Writing Is Not A Mystery - Sit Down, John

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

(Second in a series. If you missed the first one, click here.)

There is this moment in 1776, when John Adams is being a particular a**hole.

Normally, he's annoying, a pain, a cynic, a devil's advocate, a blowhard, stubborn, and many more words, not as diplomatic, but in this moment, he's being an a**hole.

This being a musical - the other members of the Continental Congress decide that the thing to do here, of course, would be to sing about it. What else would a bunch of middle-aged, powdered-wig-wearing men of property do in this situation?

Lucky for us -- the whole song is on YouTube. Please watch:

Writers can be a particular kind of a**hole, too, sometimes. Sometimes, they think the thing will write itself. (It won't.) Sometimes, they think they'll write it later. (They might.) Sometimes, they think the laundry is more important. (Usually not.) Sometimes, they run out of sometimes and make more sometimes up.

But eventually, time runs out, and the thing is not written, nor the other things that might have flowed from it. There is no finished script, no body of work, just a shoulderful of bad feelings about writing.

If you are a writer, you need to take the advice of the Second Continental Congress and SIT DOWN.

What did Adams write when he finally sat down? Thoughts on Government which formed the basis of the framework for many state constitutions. He wrote the Massachusetts State Constitution. Rich letters to his wife, Abigail, to Jefferson and to George Washington. Not to mention essays, treatises, and speeches.

But Adams isn't the point here; sitting down is the point.

You gotta sit down. Now and often hereafter. Whenever you want to get up - think of the song.

And sit down!

(More on sitting down in the next installment. Also, there's a resource list of recommended books on the Coaching/Consulting page.)

Quote of the Week - James

2012-01-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

"Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never pushed through the obstruction."

- William James

What do you think? It's a new year. Wanna push through?

Growing Pains

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

Last week The Bodhi Tree.

Next week Angeli.

Pioneers on Melrose that came to be iconic.

When I first first came out to LA from NY (oh, you know this is a long-term wrestling match), The Bodhi Tree was the place I felt at home. The only place I could breathe.

I don't remember how I found it, but I went often. I went to see people. I went because they always had tea in a thermos with little paper cups. I went because you could pull a scholarly book on Eastern religion out of the shelf and sit and read it in a chair. I went because it smelled good, because they had trinkets, and because it was soulful in a city severely lacking soul.

I don't know who told me I had to try Angeli. Melrose was like part tourist trap, part Camden town, part 8th Street and a good place to get boots. In a world of In N Out Burger I was looking for some food. My first trip to Angeli - well, I don't remember who it was with, either. I remember the hot fresh baked breads they put on the table. I remember perfect marinara sauce. I can still taste it. I was surprised by the space - the colors and angles, the closeness of the tables - so un-LA - but as soon as the food arrived, you were in your own world.

Why do I think these institutions are closing? Because, I think, they succeeded too well. What was radical when The Bodhi Tree opened forty years ago is mainstream now. The Bodhi Tree went from having to get people interested in alternative philosophies and spirituality, to finding a niche, to - well, The Secret. There isn't a bookstore you can walk into now (assuming you can find one) that doesn't have an Eastern Religion or Philosophy section.

The New Age and Self-Help books that used to be the province of The Bodhi Tree are everywhere. No one replicates the environment they created - the places to get lost in the store, the old wooden caess, the seats, the art - and certainly you won't find another bookstore that will carry Henry Miller, Bukowski (yes, i think I got all those there first), and everything you ever wanted to know about every religion. The Bodhi Tree never succumbed to political correctness - it was a place for exploration and curious minds. There was always something to find there. Like the Traveler 99 CD I picked up there that is long gone to Amoeba, but I can still here every track in my head.

Angeli staked its claim in LA food culture early on. It held it's spot on Melrose, anchored a few equally good places that have come and gone, and kept doing what it did best - serving impeccably prepared simple foods at unbelievably reasonable prices. I took one of my youth poets there for a grown-up dinner, and I expect she will remember that for a long time.

Like Bodhi Tree, Angeli made LA safe for other places like Angeli - which led to a trend, which led to the emerging foodie culture LA is embracing now. (Yes, LA, you are emerging. Seriously, if you doubt it, go to the Bay, or Seattle or New York, or anywhere else.) I think their closures are natural in the cycle. It's a different Melrose; a different Los Angeles.

There are those of us who've staked our claim in burgeoning LA culture - with words, with beats, with rhymes, with music, with paint - and I feel our time will come soon, too. We made LA safe for art and culture, we gave it homes and voice, and we created an audience. The ones we've been mentoring come at it fresh, with new opportunities, new agendas, and a demand to be taken seriously, and not left on the fringes of pop culture.

And that's okay, too. It means we did our jobs well.

LA - you might just be growing up.

Writing Is Not A Mystery

2012-01-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Writing is not a mystery. It's not. It's an activity, a craft, occasionally an art, a skill, and a process. As with any art, craft, skill, process, or sport, mystery can enter into it when there is a confluence of agility, personal qualities, and circumstance.

In and of itself, however, I wouldn't call it a mystery.

Demystifying the process is not too tough. Writers create mystery around themselves to make the task at hand seem more difficult (it's actually difficult enough already). Writers ascribe mystery to make themselves feel better when it's not going well or when they are scared to approach it. Writers call it a mystery when they are not yet writers, feel that they should be, yet have no idea how to begin.

When it comes to writing, people sit down to type the great American novel or screenplay as if no preparation is needed or even exists. This soon lands most in a whole lot of trouble, the kind that usually leads to defining writing as indefinable - a mystery.

Why do so many treat writing as if it were different from other disciplines?

As a writer and a coach, my observations lead me to believe that, in part, it is because both the essential skills and tools are readily available, and taught to almost everyone at some time in their youth. We learn the alphabet as toddlers, to write letters in pre-school or kindergarten, to read in elementary school, grammar in middle or high school. We have pens and pencils and paper and computers and printers all around us.

Unlike other crafts and arts, the tools themselves are secondary. It's not a big investment to become a writer - you can steal office supplies from your temp job if you must. You don't need $100 running shoes (actually, you don't need $100 running shoes), a Yonex racquet, 5 pairs of toe shoes, a drum kit, no - just paper and pencil are good for a start. It doesn't matter if you're using a fountain pen or a MacBook Pro - you can still write at a high level.

So -- that means everyone can write, right?

(Insert skeptical face here.)

One would not attempt a Swan Lake pas de deux without ever having set foot in ballet class, practicing, stretching, toning, learning the choreography, but only from seeing productions of the ballet.

After being a tennis fan for years, one would not step onto the court to battle Roger Federer, having never taken a lesson, or played, or done strength training.

Anyone can write, but not everyone can.

It doesn't work that way. It works the way being a prima ballerina or Roger Federer works -- you have to actively cultivate the skills to approach the craft as an art. You have to show up consistently. You have to practice. If you want to be better than the pro at the club, you have to put in your 10,000 hours.

In the way that talking doesn't always mean communicating, knowing how to write sentences does not always translate into the craft of writing.

Most of all, you have to start simply. Build your muscles up, and your stamina. No marathon Crime & Punishments until you've done your scales. (Yes - mixed metaphor - well done for spotting it.)

(First in a series on Demystifying the Writing Process. Next up: Where to Begin.)

Quote of the Week - Day

2012-01-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

"The more you look and get frantic, the more you don't get."

- Doris Day

Everybody needs to hear this. Everybody who wants anything needs to hear this. And that's everyone.

(This comes from a great interview in The Hollywood Reporter.)

Happy 2012!

Tip For Hosting! AKA The Things We Wish We Knew Sooner!

2011-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

This is part 2 of a blog about hosting/guesting that came out of a discussion with my friend C. Here's Part 1, if you missed it.

So...here are some ways we find ourselves in a rut when we host and here are some great ways out of them!

#1 - OMG - you're not ready when the guests arrive! This has happened to you. The doorbell rings and you are in your pi's or your sweats. Oops. Now what? Right. So - RULE: one hour before the party is called to start you go in the shower NO MATTER WHAT. No matter what you are doing, stop and go get ready. No matter what. No matter what. Seriously. You will come back to it. If people are coming at 7, stop at 6 and get in the shower. You may not be 100% when the first guest arrives, but you will be at last 90%. Now, if you can pull it together sooner, do. But don't leave it for later. If you are co-hosting and can tag team - leaving one person to greet the first guests, that's great. If not, be sure you are wearing clothes and not a towel with wet hair when the guests arrive. Don't lie - it's happened.

#2 - Make a playlist (and check it twice)! I'm a big believer in making playlists for each event I do. It allows me to set the mood and not worry about music all night. With an iPod or a computer's iTunes, you can pre-program the party from quiet to it's peak to quiet again. I am also a big fan of letting a good playlist run on shuffle. I usually do one-two hours more music than the actual event to allow for skipping songs that seem to come on at inopportune moments! Do a pre-party test to make sure that it's all working!

#3 - Do a party rundown. I'm a schedule person. I like to be realistic about what I can accomplish in a given time period. (Well, within reason - I'm a bit of a chronic over-reacher, but I self-monitor!) A list is great, but it doesn't tell you when you're going to do things, and usually at some point, you abandon the list, or it splits off into different lists, or you've just run out of time! I like to do a rundown of whatever event I'm doing, that includes mine, and other's (if any) tasks at specific times - when to pick up pre-ordered items, when to put what in the oven, when to cook what, when to take the cheese out of the fridge, when to put the beverages in the fridge, when to start the music. Start from the party time and work backwards. It helps me stay organized without panicking. (I generally expect to run 15-30 minutes behind schedule - if I'm running on or ahead of schedule, I check everything again to make sure I've not forgotten anything.)

#4 - Leave the easiest stuff for last, whenever possible. Final touches on decorations, place settings or buffets, putting out ice, prepping lemons and limes, garnishing platters are awesome things to do at the last minute. Not awesome things to do at the last minute: major cooking (messy!), cheese plates (cheese wants to be room temperature when you serve - not refrigerator temperature), last-minute supermarket runs (being home when the guests come is a pretty good thing!). Like everything in life - you'll feel best if you do the hard stuff first!

#5 - Include options. Lots of people are gluten free, meat free, wheat free, alcohol free and many people have food allergies. Make sure to have some foods that don't have meat or dairy, and don't rely exclusively on bread products (pizza, crackers, bread, pot pies, pigs in blankets, sandwiches). Have some sparkling water for people who don't drink alcohol, or stay away from sugars. It doesn't have to be harder, or more expensive if you plan in advance. One option is to separate foods so people can combine them in a way that works for them. I also love using fruits or vegetables instead of bread or crackers with cheese - pear slices, cucumber slices, roasted tomatoes, sliced cooked potatoes - all can be an alternative. Non-dairy alternative spreads can be as easy as hummus, tapenade, caponata, pesto (w/o parmesan!). I like to be sure I have at least one thing that everyone can eat or drink on hand. Don't go crazy - if someone can only drink sulfite-free wine, they should probably bring it themselves. You don't have to make the party perfect for everyone, but it's always good if you can not make it unpleasant for anyone!

#6 - Check the fridge and the oven one last time as the guests arrive. I find there is always one item I am about to forget to serve. (Previous to implementing the double-check, I'd usually find the item after the party or the next day.)

#7 - Don't start drinking until your guests do - at the earliest. For obvious reasons.

#8 - The art of the disengage - You know the guest - the let's catch up right now I haven't seen you in 2 years cause I can't make plans but now that I'm here I want to hang out with you, you, only you and besides I don't know anybody else while you're trying to host a room full of people. Yeah. That person. What to do? As a host/hostess, you will eventually be saved by the bell -- the doorbell, the phone ringing, or some other necessary task to attend to. However, sometimes that is not soon enough. You are standing there holding two coats to put away, 3 drinks to distribute and your friend is now telling you about having to put down her sick cat. There are some moments you just have to stay present to - if the guest is oversharing (for the situation), dampening the general party mood, or just super-needy, you may have to ride it out. If the guest is socialy clingy, not a great party person, or otherwise uncomfortable, there are ways out.

Introducing guests to each other is always the best strategy. As soon as a guest comes in, I like to make sure they have at least 1 other person to talk to. Throughout the event, it's great to keep introducing people to each other. This makes for a great partier, easier entertaining in the future, and sometimes some interesting things occur. If another guest comes up to you while the monopolizing guest is monologuing, it's a great opportunity to introduce them, and after a conversation takes hold, excuse yourself to attend to your hosting duties. If not, then it's really okay to say, "I'm so sorry - I would love to hear about this, and talk to you more, but I've got to (check the oven, chill the champagne, run away to Fiji)..." You may also try things like, "May I freshen your drink?" - which will change the mood and possibly your location - or "I would love to hear about this - I've got to do something in the kitchen, feel free to join me if you don't mind that I'm going to work while you talk" -- usually they will get the message, and if not, at least you can continue being a host!

#9 - How to make the party over - so...if you're like me, people don't want to leave your parties. The subtle hints don't seem to work. You get up and start clearing things, or doing dishes (which seems rude, but oh well). Your roommate/co-host/partner goes to sleep. Still, there are stragglers. A secret I learned way too late - make coffee. Apparently, coffee is the international symbol for 'the party is basically over,' everything after this is just you having coffee, tea, an after-dinner drink and leaving. Yup. The amazing thing is - it works. Even for a cocktail party, one where you didn't serve dinner. Even if no one actually wants coffee. (Hint: make it anyway, it's the making of it that seems to do the trick.) This means you need coffee, some kinds of creamer and sweeteners, decaf something, and tea on hand. But it's worth it. You'll never need enough for everyone, so don't sweat it too much.

#10 - Lastly - have fun yourself! The best way to make a party great is to enjoy it - the people, the food, the drinks, the entertainment. Laugh a lot and enjoy the energy you've created.

Feel free to leave your tips below!

Quote of the Week - Chopra

2011-12-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

"The shadow exerts its power by making the darkness seem like the light."

- Deepak Chopra

Found this one to be interesting. It is certainly true of a kind of movie villain that we fall for - say Jack Nicholson's and Heath Ledger's Jokers. We know they are bad, but they are so much more interesting than the good guys. I mean who do you want to hang out with -- fake gravelly-voiced Christian Bale or Michael Keaton, or somebody who knows how to make you laugh? Bruce Wayne is sure rich, but b-o-r-i-n-g. As was the 6-minute Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer. But that's just me. The boys all seemed to like it.

Don't Be That Guest! A Hostesses' Guide To Being A Great Guest!

2011-12-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Oh - I was so meant to do this blog weeks ago, after a conversation with C about hosting and guesting, but I forgot. It's holiday time, and honestly -- these are things you need to know!

You may think you don't do these things, but probably you do. I even do some of them when I'm the guest and not the host. I don't mean to, but there it is.

Add caption

Okay...here we go...there's an invisible "please" before each of these -- we are, after all, here to serve you.

#1 - DON'T call/text/email/otherwise HARASS (yes - that's what it is!) the host/hostess an hour before the party call time. "I'm on my way!" "oooh - left directions at home - can you text me?" "I'm not feeling well - so sorry can't make it." We. Don't. Care. We have 20 (10, 30, whatever) people who are going to come, who did bring their directions, who are descending within an hour and we probably have an hour and a half's worth of stuff left to do and are probably not showered or dressed. Stopping to talk, text, or whatever with you, right before the party uses up valuable time. Most likely, our hands are full of whatever we're making and we can't even grab the phone. Please - just be on your own recognizance! If you can't make it, send an apologetic email or text or pick up the phone TOMORROW! We'll be much happier to talk to you then. If you've got mad pre-party issues - try calling a few hours ahead. Please. (You think you don't do this? You do. I myself did it to someone yesterday.)

#2 - DON'T be the early guest! If the party is at 7 and you show up at 6:30 - you have just cost the host/hostess half an hour of prep time! Talk about panic-making! Now she/he has to talk to you, get you a beverage, make you feel comfortable, instead of, oh, say, getting dressed for the party? You can be the early guest if you are the bestie of the host/hostess, if you are co-hosting or willing to do so or if you are there to help. If you are going to be one of those things, it's nice to say that you are coming early, or need to come early, or ask if it's ok.

#3 - DON'T need to use the oven and other kitchen space and items without clearing it beforehand! If you need to use the oven - a crucial item there is usually only one of and only able to be at one temperature at a time - let the host/hostess know in advance! He/she is busy roasting vegetables and you've brought an unbaked quiche! Oven planning can happen, but not if the host/hostess does not know. Likewise if you are not bringing the salad, but the ingredients to the salad, and - oh by the way - do you have a salad bowl, or if you are planning to concoct your special drink on the spot. It's so difficult trying to accommodate a guest cook in the kitchen when you are already using every possible item and spot. (If you do need to cook/assemble at the party venue, try to bring the items you need with you - mixer, bowls, etc.)

#4 - DON'T hover in the kitchen (especially early in the party). This is a bit of a grey area. If you are the first one there and the host/hostess is in the kitchen, well, where else should you be? If you are also cooking/assembling, you need to be there. Don't get underfoot, and don't talk so much that the host/hostess gets distracted from their task. Or talk so much that they can tune you out! JK. Feel free to offer help, but don't expect them to have any idea how to make you helpful. If there are lots of people in the kitchen, and the host/hostess can just get on with what they need to do (and are not super-crowded in), then it's all okay. I mean, if everyone is doing it...

#5 - DON'T bring just a bottle of your favorite soda to a pot luck. Or whatever an alternative equivalent might be. This happened at a party where many people came together to create an event for someone, and it looked and felt as though the person bringing it just didn't care at all. If it's a pot luck, chances are the host/hostess will provide basics - or assign them out - and is expecting people to bring something a little more substantial. Some people really want their drink at a party and need to own that and bring it. That's great - but the idea of a party where everyone contributes is diversity and sharing. Now, if your wallet feels empty and this is all you feel you can bring, you know, that is what it is. You can tell the host/hostess in advance, you can ask if there's something they really need - ice , lemons, limes (all so cheap - around a dollar - less than the soda) - that saves them remembering or a trip to the market. If you just don't cook and have no food sense, the previous list is also a great one. Not trying to sound judgmental about what people want to bring, but it felt like an opt-out, or a what's the absolute least I can do choice.

#6 - DON'T monopolize your host/hostess! They know you like them and want to talk to them, or you probably wouldn't have come (unless you need an introduction to that producer, are stalking one of their friends, or need a free meal.) Here's how it works - you walk in, they take your coat (if you have one) or tell you where to put it and ask you if you want something to drink. They chat with you for 35 seconds and then they go get your drink (or try to). Meantime, someone else has arrived and the host/hostess needs to do this whole thing again. So, if you want to download your whole day, week, year on them, it means 1) you're standing in the doorway holding your coat and anything you brought to the party (hostess gift, regular gift, bottle of wine food) 2) you're not getting your drink anytime soon 3) a traffic jam is soon forming 4) you are stressing out your host/hostess. A good host/hostess will get each guest situated and introduce (or re-introduce) them early to at least one other guest - you should have a starter conversation to work from. You can go back to your host/hostess later in the party, but again, keep it short. A good host/hostess is all about making everyone happy - not themselves, and not just you. There are drinks to be refilled, dirty things to clear. Of course, if they have a staff, well, that is different - they have a lot more freedom to socialize. But it's still their job to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable.

#7 - DON'T be the last guest at the party! Most events have a 4-5 hour life span (maybe not open houses - those can be much longer, or summer bbq/pool parties). If the event was called for 8pm and it's 2am and you are still there, and everyone else has gone home...GO HOME! The host/hostess is probably exhausted from shopping, cooking, hosting, chatting. There is probably tons of clean up to do. They are probably thinking about their bed while you ask for another scotch. So...if you're not trying to get with the host or hostess, GO HOME. If you are trying to get with the host or hostess, well, you really do need to make sure that they are reciprocating. If you are the last one there and the host/hostess starts cleaning up, either TAKE THE HINT AND GO HOME, or at least, help! The last guest who won't go, who watches me clean up is always also on my last nerve. No matter how much I may love you other times, I want you to leave now. Remember, always leave them wanting more.

That's the list, thanks to me and C, if I didn't forget anything. While I don't usually use words like "don't" around here, well, it's meant to be helpful.

We also have a list of host/hostess tips. I'll do that one...soon...if you remind me.

If you've got any tips to add, please put them in the comments!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Co-featuring with Brenda Petrakos Tuesday!

2011-12-23T10:25:00.001-08:00

Last minute gig at Redondo Poets -- click for details.

Practivist of the Week - Queen Sheba

2011-12-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: It's true - we've been sadly devoid of our weekly practivist features for a while. Maybe it's cause all those practivists are working too hard to take the time to answer some silly questions. So, yay to Sheba, who answered the questionnaire I sent her, oh, ages ago. She's so focused on her practivism, she hasn't at all let you in on how incredibly cool, talented, and hard-working she is, but if you click on her name, you can get to her website. Then you'll wonder how she even has time for this running stuff. P.S. If you know a practivist - or are a practivist - get in touch!

There she is! Waving and smiling!

Queen Sheba

How old are you, if you don’t mind?

I mind.

What is the main focus of your practivism at this time and how does that manifest?

Hmmmmm...I've been getting everyone I can think of into running. Losing weight, getting back, or into, shape. Fighting. Diabetes and obesity in the African-American community. I belong to a great national organization called Black Girls Run!

I do NOT own, run, control or manage this organization. I DO volunteer several hours a week as a Speed Training Run Leader and spread the Good Word as an enthusiastic BGR Ambassador.

What route did you take to get here?

I used to run as a child and young adult. Then, every now and then as an adult, when I would start to gain weight. But, never long enough to make it a habit.

This time last year (October-ish 2010), I was 45lbs. overweight, drinking every night in poetry clubs, eating late night and oversleeping. (Yes.) I wasn't exercising at all.

A new friend introduced me to one of their friends that runs ONE race a year: the Publix Half-Marathon in Atlanta and asked me to join her. I snapped my fingers, literally, and changed my mind on all those self-abusive behaviors.

We started training a few days later.

I changed my eating habits and stopped drinking completely through June 2011 and dropped 30lbs. No crash diets. I wanted to teach myself, learn how to eat this time.

I didn't meet BGR until late June and have been reppin' us all over the country.

I enjoy being an athlete again and I'm telling everyone about running.

Get in shape. For YOUR life. For the rest of your life.

Quote of the Week - Hitchens

2011-12-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

"The four most over-rated things in life are champagne, lobster, anal sex and picnics."

- Christopher Hitchens (1949 - 2011)

I'm not at all sure I can disagree with him; I think I'd add caviar to the list. There's a pithier list of quotes where this came from, if you think this one is too flip. His combination of humour and critique, though, is what I find most compelling about him. Being able to say what you mean so well, while angering others, and at the same time, entertaining, in some cases dazzling, them with intellect - that is a rare ability. He had it, and he flaunted it. The point of Hitchens' writing was never to agree with it, but to discuss it - vehemently, if possible, and with a great deal of humour.

I see people maligning him for who he was and what he believed, but what I don't see is those same people taking themselves to rigourous task to counter his arguments. In a flabby politically correct environment, Hitchens brought muscle back to thinking, and integrity back to evaluating the world for yourself. We are indebted, and we are grateful that the words live on in so many forms.

The 50% - Another Update

2011-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

So...I wish this were surprising in any way. However, it is a great example of how production gets away with behaviour that would be prosecutable in the corporate world.

From Women in Holllywood - cross post written by Neely Swanson.

Quote of the Week - Dennen

2011-12-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

"Heaven ain't got no prisons
No government no business
No banks or politicians
No armies and no police

Castles and cathedrals crumble
Pyramids and pipelines tumble
The failure keeps you humble
Leads us closer to peace"

- Heaven
Brett Dennen

The 50% - Another Logline For Your Consideration

2011-12-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

"When a new attack ship disables America’s all-droid army in 2035, two veterans who have stuck to the old ways must save the day one last time."

The 50% - Unexpected Follow Up

2011-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well, had I realized, I could have held yesterday's post for today's news!

Here's The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment 2011: The Top 100. This is not a sexy list per se - this list is tracking the money, power, initiative and results, and is therefore executive-heavy. So there are women in Hollywood, after all - just wearing suits and behind closed doors.

The 50%

2011-12-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

I've been voraciously - almost vindictively - reading the daily Women In Hollywood column in IndieWire for months. FINALLY someone is willing to put in numbers what has been so glaringly obvious - women are ridiculously under-represented in entertainment, from script to screen.


It was hard to find a picture

The figures are staggering - from a 2 to 1 ratio of males on screen, to the latest figures on nominees and Sundance selections, if you do the math, it's decidedly unpretty. Here's a sad list of all the facts and figures.

It's got to be more than end-user under-representation, though. Something is wrong with the pipeline. Women are simply not making enough projects for some of those projects to be great enough to dazzle the festival circuit and awards season. It certainly appears that enough women are trying to make projects, but those projects seem to have no support to get off the ground. It's not because women don't go to the movies or watch television. It's not because there's not a potentially lucrative market out there for this work.

Lately my inbox seems to be flooded with Screenplay Competition ads. Occasionally, I actually look at some. The judges - usually perceived to be industry heavyweights, are almost always exclusively male. Sometimes, there is a token female in a group of 4, 5, or 6 judges. The winners are also usually all male, sometimes with a token female.

Now, screenplay competitions tend to be blind reads, so this is not discrimination per se. It is more representative of the fact that, perhaps, men and women gravitate toward different things. In a competition where 80% of what judges read is terrible, 10% passable, and the remaining 10% represent the possible prizewinners, a lot will depend on taste. That male judges pick male stories is not a big stretch. But since women are dropping $50 or $75 to get noticed in these competitions, it seems more than a little unfair.

Even when you pay to play, you still can't get in the game.

There is one competition that has struck me as so weighted against women, I want to throw a tantrum. A "top Hollywood screenwriter" comes up with a log line (actually this time, it's a producer). You write the first 15 pages of a script for that log line, and the "top Hollywood screenwriter" will judge the entries.

Okay.

Here's the log line:

“A father and son find themselves trapped in the Bermuda Triangle after embarking on a quest to discover what happened to the father’s missing parents."

This competition has come around several times, and there is always a male protagonist, in a decidely male situation. Writers, male and female, must know how to write characters of both sexes, surely, but how rare must it be for a woman ever to have an edge in a competition that deals expressly with the province of masculinity? (Unless, of course, the Bermuda Triangle is some kind of euphemism.)

The scary thing is, the people (men) running the competition probably do not even know they are discriminating. They take their point of view, the dominant one, as baseline -- normal. Or maybe I'm being too nice. Maybe they do know.

Either way, the results are always the same. We need a new normal. One that includes women.

Kudos to Melissa Silverstein for keeping track of the facts and figures of our discontent.

P.S. If you haven't read Molly Haskell's seminal work From Reverance to Rape, you might want to.

Quote of the Week - Ailey

2011-12-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

"In this business, life is one long fund-raising effort."

- Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre has just opened its latest season in New York, with only its 3rd Artistic Director in an over 50-year history. I think I was 7 when we went on a class field trip to see the Ailey company. It was the first time I had been truly transported to another place by art. In what has become a lifelong relationship with that choreography, I have seen the company over 30 times, taken classes with its dancers, and read both Judith Jamison's Dancing Spirit, and Mr. Ailey's, Revelations. (Along with Martha Graham's Blood Memory, and Agnes De Mille's biography of Martha Graham, these are among the most profound books I have ever read. I have yet to figure out the connection between these powerful dancer/choreographers and writing, but it is a visceral and vibrant one. )

That gaze alone could make you a better dancer.

As we have just passed World AIDS Day, it seems fitting to feature someone who was taken too soon from this disease. As it is also officially the giving season, it seems alright with me to point out that artists, despite the instances of uber-wealthy celebrities, are often woefully underfunded.

Think about supporting an artist, a project, or an arts-related business in memory of the legacy of Alvin Ailey. Maybe I'll even make you a list.

World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

On this day we remember

SILENCE = DEATH

so we speak.

For those we lost

we still miss you.

For those living with HIV+ status

you are heroes.

Quote of the Week - Burroughs

2011-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

"The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are."

- John Burroughs

Well, I don't mind saying, this is a tough one. The concept keeps arriving in different forms lately, this one being the most succinct and eloquent version. Being grounded, or seated, where you are, wrestling with the particular challenges of that, is not always so sexy. As Mercury goes retrograde, though, it is exactly where we are that demands attention.

Working on it.

The Alternative to Corporate Black Friday Shopping Guide (Part 3 - Stuff))

2011-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't need Robot Couple Cards?

STUFF

Well, if you must have or give stuff - make it good stuff!

MILLENIUM GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Jewelry and bits! Hand-crafted pieces made from vintage and antique ingredients! Yum.

ETSY - You must know about etsy - the place where crafty types come together to show and sell their adorable to luscious wares. Some of my recent favorites include The Hyper Bunny, Heartfelt By Aviva, and Weather and Noise - all encountered at the hyper-local The Girlie Show in OKC!

BRAT - Get off the internet! If you're lucky enough to be near Santa Monica, you can shop at Brat! If it weren't for my old roommate, I wouldn't know about this awesome spot for fun clothing and accessories at prices so great you can get 3 outfits instead of 1!

ART FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY - A4DS is an activist organization of artists - they have cool stuff you can purchase to help accessorize your artivist lifestyle! My fave: the "What Would Malcolm Do? button.

Bourbon Pecan Smashed! What's more seasonal and beautiful than these?

FOOD

BANGERS & SMASHED - A company dedicated to mashed potatoes? You got it! Local LA potato-maven J. Flo makes mashed potatoes in tons of flavors! Order by the pint! Special arrangements can be made for non-LA orders!

RAW BITES - Vegan, raw foods made locally in LA! Truffles, energy snacks, tapas! Made to order! If you mention that you saw this on the Zestyverse, you get 25% off your first order!

LACMA at night

EPHEMERA

There are so many ways to keep your money local and positive. Some of the best gifts you can ever give or receive are memberships to museums, or local arts and culture organizations. By gifting memberships, you are supporting the community and culture and giving the gift of time well spent!

Especially if I'm not super-close with people, I like to give gifts that can get used up. If you give someone a permanent gift (like, say, a vase), they sort of have to keep it in their home, whether they like it, or not.

As an alternative, think of giving fragrant soaps (unless they are allergic to fragrances!), candles, great chocolate (like Theo's), bath salts, flowers, flowering plants, stationery, a great bottle of wine, port, or scotch, a gift certificate to a fantastic cheese store - anything that can be used up (or pretty easily regifted if necessary - and don't let your feelings be hurt - regifting is a form of recycling!). These don't have to be impersonal if they are well-chosen, decadent, local, and lovely.

The Alternative to Corporate Black Friday Shopping Guide (Part 2 - Sounds)

2011-11-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Wondering how to avoid the machine on Black Friday weekend?

Go indie.

SOUNDS

Soundcloud. Bandcamp. LastFm. All of these and, yes, even iTunes, will get you plugged in to distinctly un-corporate music. It's great to listen to up and coming acts on Spotify or Pandora, but take the extra step and support the artists by putting money in their wallets! Some of my favorites...

KAL LAVELLE - Fantastic voice and songwriting, the aptly-named Shivers EP gives a hint of things to come from the wonderful Kal.

ELEVATERS - I. Just. Love. This. Band.

KEVIN SANDBLOOM - The tireless troubadour has just recreated Joni Mitchell's Blue album - cover to cover - for its 40th anniversary.

ALI WHITTON - Ali's gorgeous new EP Ruapehu is available now. Here's a sneak peak:

DEF SOUND - Don't sleep on Def Sound. You may wake up wondering what happened.

KCRW is just perfect. LA's local NPR station has an awesome line-up of DJ's, as well as provocative and fun cultural programming. Membership is inexpensive, comes with a load of levels and benefits, and even if you're not an Angeleno, you can get everything KCRW has to offer live streaming and archived on their website! Not to mention Eclectic 24 a separate 24-hour streaming music channel! G'won!

(Un)Occupy Black Friday + Shopping Guide (Part 1)

2011-11-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Though I think applying "Occupy" to things as a cultural trend has jumped the shark (already? yup, already), I'm gonna use it here just this one more time.

What if you don't go shopping for the sales the day after Thanksgiving (thus the Un- prefix)? What if you don't put more money into the accounts of the 1%? Just a thought.

What would that look like? Not buying electronics made overseas by people getting paid less than our hourly minimum wage for a day's work. Not lining up for more STUFF that you probably don't need and don't have room for (see my blog on decluttering if you need to). Not buying presents that are easily interchangeable with the next thing on the shelf.

The sale myth is a tough one. Spend money you weren't going to spend because it's on sale. Right. Or you could just buy what you love or what you really need, or gift something to someone that they will truly appreciate.

Wait - you want IDEAS?

Oh, alright.

The Alternative to Corporate Black Friday Shopping Guide.

BOOKS

Okay - fair warning, I might just be associated with the following books in some manner...

THE NIGHT GOES ON ALL NIGHT - "Just released from Ain’t Got No Press is “The Night Goes On All Night”…an anthology of noir-inspired poems, edited by Rick Lupert and published in conjunction with the Los Angeles Poetry Festival’s “Night and the City” Noir Festival. " - Poetry Superhighway P.S. There are lots of other great books by independent authors in the PSH Bookstore!

FROSTBITTEN - Mark Walton's collection of beautifully crafted poems is insightful and affecting.

SWIMMING THROUGH AMBER - E. Amato's first collection of poetry - oh, yeah, you know already.

WHAT LANGUAGE IS - John McWhorter's latest book lets us peek into the form, function and evolution of language in ways that give us a look at ourselves and how we function in society.

BEYOND BAROQUE has a bookstore! How amazing is that? A 501C3 not-for-profit, BB is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting Los Angeles poetry and supporting the community. Not only can you shop in the bookstore, but you could purchase a membership for yourself or someone else. The benefits are fantastic!

(Some of the links are via Amazon. That's gonna have to be okay.)

Quote of the Week - Kornfield

2011-11-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

"You are worthy of wishing yourself well."

-Jack Kornfield (via LA YOGA)

It's Monday morning, and I'm listening to Stevie Wonder. Stevie is masterful at balancing love with righteous anger. Sometimes you just need to check in with someone, somewhere, who seems to make sense of the world.

This is a tall order these days. It is hard for me to keep in mind that my personal wellbeing is important compared to the safety of protestors in Tahrir Square or to those in Burma fighting for any kind of representation. I am deeply saddened by the actions of the Berkeley police, and the administration of UC Berkeley, who called them in and allowed them to beat students. That they inadvertently beat wonderful poet, translator, and teacher Robert Hass is almost beside the point - he could have been any 70 year old man - they were completely indiscriminate. We are well on our way to another Kent State.

As we stare down the barrel of the tactics used by police forces around the country to evict peaceful protestors, as our psyches try to process the awfulness allowed to occur and continue at Penn State, it is clear we are in the process of discovering and shining light on a kind of baseline violence that is pervasive.

Truth can be very unsettling. The only balance to this is peace. A very vigilant daily practise of peace.

Twin Peaks Redux

2011-11-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've finished rewatching all the episodes of Twin Peaks which is streaming on Netflix.

I find it more compelling than when I originally watched it, and much much more fun. The first season is full of cinematic mastery. The second season falters and is uneven, but still has brilliance.

David Lynch seems to have bestowed Agent Cooper with all of his predilections, which shake down as coffee, pie, and eastern philosophy. Watching the show makes me want coffee at odd hours and makes hungry for pie (I don't like pie).

Lynch offers a profound exploration of the male heart and psyche through his dark detour in the evil that men do. It is a gift, really, to have this range of characters to follow through the strange journeys he sets up for them.

It was nice to see that many episodes were directed by women.

Tim Hunter also directed several episodes. The image of Laura Palmer by the river wrapped in plastic has always made me think of his great movie River's Edge.

The Night Goes on All Night!

2011-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to be included in this new anthology of Noir-inspired poems! Thanks to Rick Lupert for putting it together!

Available on Poetry Superhighway and at Amazon.com

Quote of the Week - Gaiman

2011-11-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."

- Neil Gaiman

A lot of us seem to be living in this world lately.

Image courtesy Daniel Colvin

I was connected to Daniel Colvin and his art by a mutual friend. His images bring out the mysticism in nature for me, and many put me in mind of Joseph Cornell. I sense his film background in his art, as each one seems to represent just one moment in an ongoing story.

For a bigger view of this amazing image and more of Daniel Colvin's work, you can CLICK HERE.

The New Season

2011-11-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

I always try to watch at least one episode of every new show. That said, this year was a challenge.

Shows I did not make it through even one episode:

Pan Am (she's a stewardess - no she's a spy! yeah, no.)
Charlie's Angels (oops - bye bye)
New Girl (yeah, I know it's a hit, but it's just so earnestly quirky, yet falling into an exact formula)

Shows I didn't care about but watched all the way through:

Person of Interest (disappointed, might try it again)
Prime Suspect (disappointed, won't try it again)

Shows I watched and might watch again:

Once Upon A Time - In typical ABC fashion, this one's by the book. In every way. A little flat, a little silly, some excellent actors wasted so far, some cheesy effects (some good ones). Hovering somewhere between Disney and not Disney, it has a lot of options, but isn't choosing them.

Have been rewatching Twin Peaks - Ginnifer Goodwin and Sherilyn Fenn - separated at birth?

Shows I so far like:

Revenge - I know - nighttime soap opera, but hello, Madeline Stowe? Can't not watch.

Grimm - Yes. They get this one right. Very promising. (Have since watched second episode. Not as good, starting to feel like a procedural, but think they will pull it back from the brink.)

Boss - Wow. Am I gonna have to subscribe to Starz to get this? This show - from opening credits to last image is a watcher. Gus Van Sant seems to bring a base level of truth telling to this show, Kelsey Grammar has found a part he can use all his best instincts to play, and the twists are good. It's threatening Wire territory - as much as any non-HBO show could.

American Horror Story - Pilot was fantastic, dipped in episode 2, and back in episode 3. Episode 4 was solid, though I feel like they are already losing pieces of their story having thrown too much in the mix. Killer casting. Scary, sexy, and fun. Has Dylan McDermott finally found the right series? Will the show stay on track or derail (like Nip/Tuck, and Glee)? Tune in next week for more goth goofiness and fantastic scenery-chewing battles between Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy.

Alphas lost me around episode 4, I think. Still, I have hope the writers might bring it back. It's a great concept. (I don't know if that really counts as this season - SyFy's seasons seem to run a bit counter to network, but it's new to me!)

If I watched more than this, then, well, I forgot them completely (like Unforgettable, which was, um, not). So either they weren't really bad, or notable in any way. Those are probably the ones that'll run the most seasons.

I'm still in love with Community and think it's the most under-rated show out there. I gave Glee another try, but lost interest, as I did mid-last season. Still, I'm glad it's there to tune into when I feel like it.

Anyway, don't take my word - here's a second opinion on the season.

Quote of the Week - Cocteau

2011-11-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

"You have to know how far to go too far."

-Jean Cocteau (via Rob Brezsny)

Ah...this is blessed, no?

The answer to everything, right here.

Take it. Run with it. Not too far.


Jean Cocteau: artist, filmmaker, poet, human

Occupy The Rum Diary

2011-11-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Went to see The Rum Diary with a friend. Wasn't expecting to head to the theatre for it; wasn't expecting to like it. Some of the dialogue is wickedly funny. The references are fast and furious, and the cynicism refreshing.


And...this is the car I want - Fiat 500 - with Johnny Depp driving, of course!

What suprised me most about it, though, was how timely it is. Kemp's (Hunter S. Thompson's alter-ego played by Johnny Depp) crusade to expose entrenched corporate greed in Puerto Rico in 1960 is a screeching echo of the rage (no, not frustration) people are feeling right now in 2011. The crisis is tailor-made for our lifetime - a few greedy men conspire to ruin beautiful beachfront property with massive hotels - stealing the landscape to make money. Kemp is enlisted to help them sell it to the public. His willingness to fight this corruption, bite the hand, and name it rage is not noble; it's necessary.

Hunter S. Thompson's social commentary and x-ray vision to ferret out hypocrisy is all over the script and the chewy dialogue. The actors seem to have a good time delivering these lines and playing with each other.

Go see it. Remind yourself that this particular struggle has been going on for decades, really centuries. There is a legacy, and we can learn from our losses.

Quote of the Week - Safran Foer

2011-10-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living. "

- Jonathan Safran Foer via Goodreads

Happy Halloween!

Watch out for the 2D 3D

2011-10-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

A day after marching with Occupy Wall Street and not too far from Occupy DC, we visited the Sculpture Garden at The National Mall. There had been a lot of FB and Twitter debate about violence at the protests - police brutality and over-use of force. Since we were there - we chimed in - and were told by people hundreds and thousands of miles away, that we were wrong. A picture is worth a thousand words, but nobody ever said those thousand words had to be true. Beware extrapolating the whole story from one frame.

As we walked through the garden, there was this house sculpture by Lichtenstein.

When you walk, the perspective changes before your eyes - going from an inverted L-shape to a V-shape which looks like a real house. It's a trompe l'oeil effect, very cleverly and beautifully used - also super-fun. I decided to shoot it - from different angles, as if I were walking along. Of course, and I should have realized, the effect is totally lost in a two-dimensional image.

It is clear from my photos that I have changed perspective in relation to the sculpture, but the sculpture, effectively, remains a little house.

I turned to Mark and showed him the pictures. "See," I said, "this is what happens when you try to interpret lfe from a picture." "You get it all wrong," he said. "You get it all wrong. And that's the blog," I said. "And that's the blog," he replied.

Always beware the 2-D 3-D. Check your perspective.

There's Something About Bill Moyers

2011-10-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

There is something about Bill Moyers. That simple and direct manner, that drawl and unhurried speech, hiding sharp intellect and keen insight. It's easy to forget he's spent most of his life living in Manhattan, quietly changing journalism and the world - he seems like your nicest neighbor or a country doctor who prescribes good sense instead of pills. In the world of progressive, liberal thinkers, he's the one who will always bring it back to faith and God and spirit.

I was privileged to be in the room last night to hear him speak to an audience of hundreds, maybe a thousand people for well over an hour. Plain talk. Unafraid to tell his own truth. It was like taking a bath in value and clarity.

To hear someone bring America full circle - back to our founding documents - to hold us accountable to the tenets we set up - leaving rhetoric, ideology, sensationalism, cynicism and frustration behind - was a clear bell ringing, resonating beyond the stretch of chaos we inhabit. (Spoken word artists take note - herein lies the difference between just another rant and truly affecting speech.)

He opened his talk with some meditations on violence (this being Oklahoma City and the site of the devastating bombing in 1995) and spoke of the America's "culture of cruelty." He asked when we had become "the Walmart of weaponry," a question that sliced through the audience.

Moyers came out firmly for the Occupy movement, saying that what the Occupy movement knows is that,"Wall Street has occupyied America," as well as putting it in historical perspective. He reminded that all movements have started in this way - from the Suffragette movement to the Civil Rights movement, and that is perhaps not yet right to condemn the protesters for not having a platform. However, he said that they must politicize in order to achieve any goals. He called upon us to exercise our right to Democracy repeatedly, and also said he supports the Dream Act.

Moyers straight talk moved the audience to several standing ovations. The 99% were in full effect (I'm not kidding - some people brought signs!) and they are not who you think they are The audience was over 50, truly over 60 and 70 all the way up to 89. There was a lot of white and grey hair in evidence. The few students in the crowd stood out. Mostly couples, primarily middle class, sensible and church-going people sat in the chairs watching him and supporting every word and, I think, wishing he'd run for president.

His words for the 1%? "Money is a dagger aimed at the heart of democracy." While Moyers believes that wealthy people should be allowed to buy more homes, cars, boats, "gizmos," and other comforts, he does not believe that wealth should allow people to, "buy more democracy."


I am your father

It's easy to forget, with his modest manner, that this man in front of you has changed television, journalism and the world several times over, but his reach is not to be underestimate. If he had only made The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell - only that and none of his other work - he could be said to have changed the face of Western culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. Putting Campbell's work out in front of such a broad audience has not only changed our language and dialogue, it has changed and informed the way we make art and discuss it. American movies and culture have invaded the world with its hero's journey principles and these insights on story and structure throughout the ages came from Campbell, and it was Moyers who gave him the platform to speak. Arguably, one could pin the New Age movement at least partially on Moyers, but I won't go that far. He certainly changed the face and reach of public television, or perhaps, more accurately, helped create its credibility, scope and formats.

Moyers has quietly carved out his own brand of journalism, infused it with faith, the idea of healing and proactive motion. He has imposed intellectual rigour on religious and creative discussions and demanded that intellectual and analytical discussions do not discount spirit. His Language of Life series put poetry out in front of American audiences in a new way (if you think this didn't help jump-start the spoken word world, think again). His Genesis series was a revelation (pun intended) and a breakhrough multi-denominatonal exploration of the sacred text. Looking back at his prolific body of work over time, it is clear that he has used his power to create the purest expression of his intentions.

From Obama to finals stages at NPS and WOW and IWPS, we get inspired. So what. The question is: what happens next? If we just go home and look at the piles of our life and feel helpless again, or overwhelmed or frustrated, then what good was all that sweet talking? Like a sexy drifter looking for a bed for the night, the orator in question seduced us pretty and we fell for it. Then he or she left town, leaving us with a hangover and dirty sheets.

If Moyers spoke to anything last night, he spoke to process and continual involvement -- in life, in community, in government.

We've forgotten somewhere along the line that hope and inspiration are only the first step in a chain of actions to be taken. There is a process to betterment of self and community that requires critical thinking and analysis, collaboration and action. We have radicalized our reactions - inspiration versus dejection, hope versus fear, status quo versus revolution - because somewhere along the line we have let go of the tools of building - we are leaving out all the steps in the middle. You don't necessarily have to tear down a system to fix it. You have to break it down analytically, thoughtfully, critically; hopefully in a room full of people with good minds. The colonists didn't destroy England to create America. They locked representatives in a room to debate the idea, structure, and form of government and came out with the Declaration of Independence, and later the Bill of Rights and the Articles of the Constitution (yeah - they're hyperlinked - go ahead and read them - when was the last time you did?). England and her charters still stand. They formed a new system from thought and debate and then built it to inhabit it. As we discover cracks in the foundation, as our family expands, is the solution always to tear the house down? When did we stop fixing the cracks and leaks, repairing damage from weather and time, and adding new rooms to accommodate new occupants?

Moyers fears we have abandoned "We the People" in favour of "me, myself, and I," and wonders if we have already gone too far, creating problems beyond our ability to fix. He cited other times in our history when this was the case - most potently the Civil War, when we could not resolve the issue of slavery. (Like now, the pre-Civil War period was indicative of social and economic conditions becoming entwined in ways that required the dismantling of a system and the jeopardization of a privileged way of life to move forward.)

I cannot think that we want to create internal strife and violence in order to solve the problems we have created in our financial and social systems. I have to think that we can do better than that. Yet we cannot fix these things sitting on our couches.

We must go discover our own truths and live them intentionally, but we must also create balance between personal, political, and communal. We must dance with what Moyers calls "the animal spirits of money and power," - there is truth in his assessment - these forces are primal and hiding from their reality only increases their strength. We cannot keep anesthetizing, hate-mongering and name-calling. It's just too silly and no way to spend a life, let alone the millions of lives being spent this way.

Most importantly, I think, we must listen to voices of reason and experience when and where we can find them. They are there, hiding behind and between the endless drone of Fox News and the Father Coughlin-replicants spewing hate rhetoric, like an SOS on a low-end frequency they are there. Listen.

Quote of the Week - Morrison

2011-10-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.

- Toni Morrison (via Goodreads)

Pretty much devoting today to beauty. Sometimes that means a whole lot of housecleaning! Enjoy this week before things start to want to feel like winter.

P.S. Do you like the new look?

P.P.S. It's totally awesome if you leave comments ON THE BLOG! I would LOVE that! I like hearing about how you read it when I see you or talk to you, but it'd be cool if you commented on the blog - then you could talk to each other, too!

Quote of the Week - Roy

2011-10-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

"That's what careless words do. They make people love you a little less."

- Arundhati Roy via Goodreads

It is so extremely important to use our words properly right now. We are at a crossroads with the Occupy movements, with foreign policy, with our humanity. Let's care more and tread slowly.

Nashville Is Sooooooo BRATTY!

2011-10-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Brat in Santa Monica is my fave place to shop. They have the coolest clothes at the best prices, and their own bratty style. Owner Nancy is a style icon and the nicest Midwest Gal hanging out in LA ever! She's been dressing punks, poets, and derby chicks in LA for 30 years (for those who remember NaNa in LA - I always went to the NY one).

With her red hair, big smile, and fun style, Nancy is the heart of Brat. It's her birthday this week - so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you for giving us full closets on empty bank accounts!

My first time in Nashville and boy is it BRATTY! Here's a pic of the first clothing store I stumbled upon. I made my friend stop the mini-van so I could get out:

These Cowgirls don't get the blues - they sing them!

Clearly anyone who can subtitle themselves "Ranch Dressing" is my kinda chick. Inside was a mix of Vintage and new - they have a seamstress on site to tailor or do custom orders. I wanted the black, red and white cowboy boots with hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs on them, a slim, pencil skirt dress with a faux fur leopard collar, all the crinolines, and a red plaid (I mean tartan) jumper (I mean a dress you where oversomething else, not a sweater) mini-dress.

Nashville is a city that knows itself and is comfortable with what it is. This is not so easy as you think. It means it doesn't fake swagger, it just is.

Crossing the border into Tennessee, you quickly realize that this is where music lives. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in this whole city who can't play a guitar. They are serious about guitars and Jesus here. They seem to take everything else in stride.

I'd no idea the Americana Music Festival was on - OMG - we were too late for passes and wristbands, but might try to wrestle our way into a venue tonight. Also happening this weekend is the Southern Festival of Books which we hope to check out Sunday. Have hung out at the Scarritt-Bennett Gallery and Cafe which brings together artists, performance artists, writers with a focus on women, spirituality and confronting racism.

So far the coffee is good, the weather is fine and we're feeling awlright.

The Little Neutrino That Could

2011-10-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

(OMG - totally forgot to post this when it was current. Oh well.)

Okay - hullaballoo! Einstein was wrong! We've misinterpreted EVERYTHING. The Skylab is falling...OHNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Right. Well, I keep having a problem with the reactions to this news that some particles (neutrinos and muons and taus ohmy!) managed to go 60 billionths of a second faster than the speed of light.

This has been widely reported, but in case you missed it ---- GO HERE. (Or if you're feeling extra-fancy, GO HERE.)

Now, barring any errors - which is still up for grabs - this is awesomely fun news. It means, well, what does it mean?

Is time travel now possible or at least conceivable?

Is light not the high bar of speed?

Do we need to revise and update all textbooks much to the happiness of the fading book publishing industry?

What if Einstein wasn't wrong?
What if Darwin wasn't wrong?

What if our paradigm for the universe - or more to the point The Universe - is what needs a shift.

Why have we decided that universal laws are all constant and never-shifting, staying exactly in place until we catch up to them figure them out, quantify them, solidify them and move on to the next mystery?

What in the actual universe does not shift and change over time?

What if this pack of neutrinos were the Roger Bannister of neutrinos - the ones that vibrated higher, and moved faster?

Why, like a Tea Party Soccer Mom, do we refuse to let the universe evolve?

Maybe we can't isolate Dark Matter cause it's just too tricky for us - it evolves faster than we can think.

The scientists who did the CERN experiment may be proven wrong.

I am not a scientist, if anything I'm a conjecturist, so it would probably take a scientist less than a billionth of a second to prove me wrong.

Maybe I'm the Lietuenant Columbo of philosophers - poised at the doorway, about to leave, before I turn my head and say,...."just one more thing." So - one last question:

If species evolve, plates shift, oceans rise and fall, polar caps melt, orbits vary, black holes fluctuate, stars die, space expands, if everything we can know by our senses has some type of life cycle to it, then what part of the universe itself is immutable over time?

Is it not at all possible that what we are now recording is a change or a shift - and not the end of all theory and data that came before it? Is it not possible that we and the universe are locked in a dance - where we - the observers - over time by our presence shift the outcome?

The only constant is change. Everyone knows this in their heart to be true, whether they like the truth of it or not. Yet, we have decided that there are constants that never change. Do we know this empirically, statistically, experimentally, or do we simply need it to be true? Can any statistical or experimental evidence we have be enough, quantifiably, in the face of the entire universe over all of time, prove effectively that anything is an immutable law?

We make assumptions. We do. We are told not to, but we do. Many of our systems are based on mutually-agreed upon assumptions. Mathematics, the Stock Market, the Billboard charts. We do need building blocks - we need to start somewhere. But maybe we've just jumped up a level. Maybe we have the opportunity to think differently now - to let the universe breathe - let it up for some air. We've been holding it down underwater like the mystical Loch Ness monster trying to parse it without experiencing it for too long now.

Do all humans behave in the same way? All trees? We have a set of possible reactions, but even those shift with time and place. As we learn and teach ourselves, we get more abilities - personally and generationally. Does the universe not have generations within it - are subatomic particles immune from change? Is anything?

We want very badly for Einstein's theories to be not only true, but perpetual. We want something to lean on that won't break - Genesis (the book, not the band), the Theory of Relativity, the Declaration of Independence, new episodes of The Simpsons - but just because we want it, does that make it possible?

Or does everything we can conceive of at all, have a growth - and death - cycle? Including the speed of particles.

Quote of the Week - Krugman

2011-10-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

"They’re not John Galt; they’re not even Steve Jobs. They’re people who got rich by peddling complex financial schemes that, far from delivering clear benefits to the American people, helped push us into a crisis whose aftereffects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions of their fellow citizens"

- Paul Krugman

Well, if he's gonna do the segue for me - Ayn Rand and Steve Jobs - how can I not put up another quote this week?

Read the article here.



2011-10-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

“There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love: ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning."

-Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

Visionary. Insanely Great. Thought Different.

I'm not sure I want to live in a post-Jobs world. Genius leaves a vacuum. Maybe that's where black holes come from - the emptiness created by the deaths of those carrying true genius. Thus, they will ever increase, yet the universe expands accordingly, and we keep trying to fill the hole.

Don't rest in peace. Vibrate at an exceedingly high frequency on a parallel plane stirring creative energy in such a way that you make the destined seem to be a series of random and serendipitous miracles.

Democracy Is Dull

2011-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00


Pretty Highline

Ok, went to the March today. Occupy Wall St. and all that. Was with Practivist Mark Walton - visiting NYC and Keith, and Carlos.

After a trip to the Highline, and my failed few attempts to begin operation "Occupy the Highline!" - we set off. (Okay, just what is so wrong with occupying the Highline? It's light and airy, has awesome seating, green space, great views. Wall St. - dingy, sleazy, dirty, icky.)

We were fashionably late, but popped into the march right off the City Hall subway stop.

Confessions of a Bad Blogger/Liberal #1 - Forgot the camera. For real. So used to using my iPod, which was dead, and which I left behind, I didn't even bother to grab the camera. (Uh-oh, dead iPod - sad symbol of today.) Right - so no first-hand pictures.

Confessions of a Bad Blogger/Liberal #2 - I hate protests. Rallies. Marches. I hate them. Every time I'm persuaded to go, or that I should go, and then I go, I spend most of the time wondering what I am doing there. I believe in activism, engagement, and the importance of participation in your own governance, but I've never understood the use of walking down the street, holding a sign, chanting something silly, and generally being in a bundle of people.

I was reminded of francEyE several times today. She demonstrated as long as she was still in LA. She went downtown for an immigration protest one time. We were in the car together sometime later and she was telling me about it. She was most upset. Most upset that she had NOT been arrested. She felt quite strongly that she hadn't done her job at the protest if she hadn't been arrested. She even worried that maybe the police were being nice to her because she was old, and might have arrested her were she younger. I thought of that today, because, truth be told, I didn't want to be arrested, and truth be told, I'm not sure a protest is effective if it doesn't include that type of risk. I loved francEyE for a lot of things - including beliefs she had that were very different from mine. I loved her for showing up decade after decade for something I thought of as most likely futile.

Best sign of the day=amazing metal work- can't make that at home!

Confessions of a Bad Blogger/Liberal #3 - I still don't know what the Occupation is about. I get the idea of creating a movement and the 99%. I understand amped up frustration levels; I totally get that as a people we feel our leadership has left us adrift in a very leaky boat with no life jackets. I see people of all ages and genres here, and it's a bit surprising.

The march ended abruptly and without fanfare - dumped us into the square that has been occupied since September 17th by activists. We started talking to a girl there. She's been there 5 nights - came up from Florida in order to be part of this. She talked of food given out - mostly cold food - and work details - she didn't have one, but she helped. We saw generators powering bloggers and tarps covering mini-campsites. A couple of guys played and sang a little ditty about the 99% and I thought for sure I'd stumbled into the middle of an episode of Flight of the Conchords where they decide they can get chicks if they go to the protest march. I feel like a tourist and in a way I am. I'm looking for some answers and some energy flow that I'm just not feeling. Overall, the energy is low, diffuse, comes in waves and is not common to the crowd as a whole, but lives in small pockets or groups of marchers. This is good in some ways. It makes us safer - too much energy scares cops and might make people do stupid things. It is also sad - this should be all about energy. Where is the tide?

Confessions of a Bad Blogger/Liberal #4 - I was bored. Bored bored bored. Walking in little shuffling steps - the 7 or 8 blocks took an hour. In the same batch of people with the same signs and chants. On the dull downtown streets. I goaded Keith with Century 21 and almost succeeded in getting him to shop! We made fun of ourselves for that while Mark took crowd video. I pretend-interviewed Mark and Keith with a pretend-microphone asking them what their sign woudl read if they had one. Mark's was "About f**king time." My sign: "Dear Police Officer: Please don't beat me up. I have no health insurance."

Here's the truth: participation in your own representation can be incredibly slow-paced and tedious. Vigilance is like a soccer match - you sit there for 3 hours watching carefully and closely and hope that someone does something interesting before time is called. It's no wonder we hire other people (like Congressman and Senators) to represent us in this process --- and perhaps no wonder that they try to make it more interesting for themselves at our expense.

Yes - democracy and its siblings are filled with long, boring patches. Spurts of time we are used to being entertained out of. Watching The Daily Show is not actually activism. It's awesome, fun, life-affirming, but not activism. Marching might not be either, per se, but it is putting your time, energy, effort, and safety on the line for the sake of being counted. Voting is another one of these acts - perhaps time-consuming, perhaps futile - but another place we can show up to our own representation. There are plenty more ways to do this - that's why I promote practivism and practivists here as much as possible.

I don't have a stake in how the occupiers spend their time. A leaderless movement can be a beautiful thing, but it can also go around in slow circles and burn everyone out. Leaders emerge - sometimes they are proactive and sincere, sometimes they are nascent fascists, sometimes they are a combination. Charismatic and fervent leaders can be dangerous. So can aimlessness. I don't have an answer. I didn't get any today. Only more questions.

I came back to find out that Steve Jobs had died. The truth is life is short. The truth is finding your passion is the only thing that makes life longer, nurutring it is what makes life liveable and following it purposefully is the only thing that makes life remarkable.

The truth is that anesthetizing comes in many forms and disguises and is insidious. Holding up signs threatening billionaires might be your passion - follow it. Or, it might also be your anesthesia. Beware.

P.S. We didn't see any violence. We got the sense it might occur just as darkness was falling. Police seemed to triple in number; police vehicles were in evidence, as were plastic cuffs. We took the change in tone as our .cue to move on, and find Carlos, who'd been waiting for us and watching it all go by with a much more interesting view. Judging from my googling, there were some incidents of violent interaction between the police and the crowd shortly after we decided to leave.

The Other 99% (A Too-Long Blog)

2011-10-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've suffered a great deal of confusion in the days of this Occupy Wall St. campaign. I want to support it, in theory, but I don't truly know what it is. I don't know what to call it - protest, rally, sit-in, community action - and I don't know what it's for.

I could have saved myself a lot of confusion had I just said the last phrase aloud.

In our personal lives, we strain for positivity (not always the best way to achieve it) We lip service gratitude, abundance, goal-setting, self-esteem, growth. We clutch The Secret like a new bible book discovered in a long-forgotten cave. We prayed to Oprah at 3pm daily.

We have taught ourselves that we must focus on the positive in order to achieve it. We have demonstrated this with our lives. Eyes on the prize.

So where does this go when we take up a "cause"?

Occupy Wall St. feels very much like a fighting against. I do not know what they are spending their very valuable time, energy and intellect on. I know that they are frustrated and angry (although they seem to be the mellowest frustrated and angry people ever). I just don't know what a positive outcome would be in the situation they are provoking.

What are they fighting FOR?

Nicholas Kristof has made some suggestions here, and they are good ones, pragmatic ones, yet I've no idea if he's putting words into the mouth of this movement. Zestyverse has championed Practivism (pragmatic, proactive, promotable activism) and Occupy Wall St. as yet does not qualify. They are not getting coverage (though they are, truthfully) becuase they simply don't have a message. As street theatre, they are quite unremarkable in a city where every street is a stage, in a world where natural disasters sweep away houses in the Phillipines and ice caps melt and break off, where nations are fighting each other and themselves to create some kind of structure.

I'm not a fan of Wall Street or the stock market. However, as the largest collective delusion we share, and the one most capable of creating abundance from absolutely nothing but belief, it bears serious study. Wall Street is home to some of the most amazing conjurers since He Who Shall Not Be Named. They create millions of dollars from the idea of value. That's powerful.

The markets have been as volatile as the American psyche in the last month. Yet, we can't eradicate them. Sadly, much, if not all, of the Western economy is based upon them. Can we make the system more fair? Make CEO's take lesser rewards, stop bailing them out? Can we empower our government not to be held hostage by the market?

Maybe. But the movements I know about that were truly successful were those that were for a specific change - every pro-Democracy movement, the Civil Rights movement, the end Apartheid movement.

Maybe this is a groundswell, an unplanned uprising (that seems to be very well-planned). Maybe it will be the spark that ignites other passions and discussion, and eventually, change.

I hope so. Yet I fear that this is just making angry citizens angrier, people who feel powerless less empowered, and frustrated people more frustrated. I fear that the protesters look absurd in the face of the enemy they've chosen.

If Occupy Wall St. achieves only motivating the already disenfranchised, it runs the tremendous risk of souring those who might join in a struggle for true social and economic change. For the movement to reach a tipping point, it must offer something to those who are complacent, but uneasy. It cannot alienate its potential base. What made the Arab Spring so resonant is that the youth rose up to give voice and legs to the unexpressed thoughts and desires of the generations who came before them, and that energy spread to people who would not normally take these kinds of risks - it was their involvement that created something that could not be ignored.

Watching the new PBS documentary Prohibition and listening to the arugments of Carrie Nation and her cohorts actually made me want to go out and get a drink. The proselytizing, the demonizing, the grandiose presumptions seem absolutely ridiculous 100 years on. And yet - Prohibition was enacted, much to the detriment of the American people, creating a black market, violent crime, being responsible for the income tax law being passed, and much much more. Over-zealousness seems to be a hallmark of American activism, and it often has dangerous possible outcomes.

As activists, it is far too easy to forget our gratitude. Let us remember, that despite its tremendous flaws, we live in a republic, with representation, and recourse. There are people around the globe today who are risking life and limb to bring this type of government to their country. Can we apply gratitude to our goals and our processes for change? Can we be leaders in the next step for those who may win some form of democracy or increased rights in their own countries?

Occupy Yourself is something I have seen floating around on Facebook. This is an interesting place to begin. Become seated in yourself, bigger inside yourself, until you are truly ready to engage with others. If we approach Wall St. as something bigger than us, then we will be small. It is not bigger than us, it is from us, of us, it is a collective belief made real by the human beings inhabiting this earth. If we approach it as ants, we will be crushed underfoot, absent-mindedly by those sipping champagne.

There are things here we need to know and learn - chief among them - that there are, and have always been, more of Us than there are of Them. If we rise up in solidarity, then, yes, we can triumph. However, there must by nature be more leaders than followers, and the masses are always made up of individuals - very hard to galvanize behind anything but a very specific cause.

If we believe we are the 99%, then we must believe that we are in charge. If we don''t believe we are in charge, then we must protest mathematics, as some of its axioms are clearly untrue, or we must tussle with ourselves until we grow into this power. But if we are the 99% then yes we can hire a lobbyist - just by pooling resources - we can hire lawyers to sift through the thousands of pages of legislation that gives corporations loopholes and tax breaks and looks at ways to change the situation. We have that option. But if we have that option, we also have so many more - like creating a serious mandate that our elected officials do this work themselves, as it is what they were elected to do.

Yelling about something, as any adolescent with a mother can tell you, is the quickest way to turn off your audience. What seems largely missing from the American public forum is dialogue. There are great spaces for speechifying, and the mutual masturbation of discourse - alternating monologue. However, what is absent here is listening. Our vehement belief - ingrained somehow in all Americans whenever they got there, wherever they came from as if the rocks themselves held these Puritanical beliefs - is that there is one right answer.

Maybe it is our youth as a nation, but we seem so invested in how other people live their lives, and want to make demands that they live as we think is correct. While we swear by our melting pot status, we also have no interest in anyone else's opinion. If this movement, such as it is, can inspire true dialogue, then that would be a victory.

As a nation, we need to learn listening, and then deep listening, if we are to progress. There is, in fact, room for all of us, with our differing backgrounds and lifestyles, if we would only stop trying to legislate each other into one small way of being. It may even be true that there is enough wealth for all of us, yet, I think we will never know it if we just keep shouting at each other.

I can't help having the sneaking feeling that we are fighting wrong. That we have chosen wrong methods, lack discipline and vision. That we are creating friction instead of opening passageways. Every cliche about fighting fire with fire leaps to mind, as does every quote from Bruce Lee I've ever held close. Somewhere out there or deep inside, the other 99% exists - proactive, positive, practical - and most importantly, effective in non-violent ways.

I plan to go visit Occupy Wall St. I'm hoping to be surprised and excited. I'm hoping it's not just a collective longing for some kind of positive community choosing to demonize another community in order to achieve cohesion.

This blog post is already too long, and I keep coming up with more to say. Maybe there'll be a follow-up. Maybe you'll tell me what you think. Maybe I'll see you there.

Quote of the Week - Seneca

2011-10-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

"I never come back home with the same moral character I went out with; something or other becomes unsettled where I had achieved internal peace; some one or other of the things I had put to flight reappears on the scene."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I love this. It shows an open and growing approach to life, and an embrace to new cultures and places. I suppose you could make the argument that you should stay at home and remain undisturbed. But we know where that leads.

Practivist of the Week - Update on Mark Walton

2011-09-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

It was exactly eleven months ago when I started featuring Practivists on my blog. I have pretty much taken the summer off, but decided I really missed this feature. What better way to start it back up than by going back to our first ever Practivist - Mark Walton? He's had quite an amazing time of it...

Mark at POPse!

I"ve asked him a new set of questions - here's a link to his original interview if you want to catch up!

In the time since you filled out your Practivist Questionnaire, what goals have you reached or surpassed?

The first phase of The Waterways Project was completed in May 2011 when we submitted our response to the government’s public consultation on the new waterways charity.

Whilst many aspects of the original project plan were changed I think we can say that we achieved our primary objectives. These were: to rapidly establish The Waterways Project as a key player in the consultation with the ability to influence both British Waterways and the government and, to ensure that the voices of social enterprises and community organisations were brought into the consultation process.

We have now seen the Government’s response to the consultation and there have been some significant changes, including the explicit recognition of the need for the new charity to deliver benefits to the communities that live on and around the waterways. We have also seen the first moves by British Waterways to explore the possibility of supporting the development of a new social enterprise to manage and develop some of their assets.

The project has attracted significant interest from other public bodies, charities and community organisations who are interested in increasing community use of other environmental assets such as woodlands and green spaces.

What obstacles - expected or unexpected - did you encounter and overcome to get here?

For various reasons outside of our control the work took longer than our funding would cover so the last couple of months were undertaken on a wing a prayer. Other than that, however, there were no real obstacles. Ben and I decided early on that we would take an emergent approach to the work – never trying to see beyond the next step and meeting regularly to reflect and assess our progress and decide our next move. This was not always a comfortable way to work – the temptation is to try and plan ahead – but it worked well for us and enabled us to use our limited resources to best effect.

A totally unexpected development was that during the course of this work British Waterways proposed a change to the rules relating to where residential boats could moor in London and for how long. As I live on a boat in the area this impacted on me directly and posed a significant threat to the community that I live in. In addition to my role as a ‘practivist’, working alongside British Waterways, I also became a community activist campaigning against one of their policies. This obviously created tensions both in my professional relationship with them and with other members of my community. Whilst this was deeply uncomfortable at times I think it is significant that not only did organised opposition force British Waterways to withdraw their proposals but they are now discussing with the London boating community how they can set up a social enterprise in order to manage and develop new moorings and facilities.

How have you been surprised or delighted in the process of pursuing your Practivism?

I have been surprised at how quickly The Waterways Project gained real traction, not only with British Waterways and the Government but with local community organisations and with other organisations managing environmental assets.

I’ve been delighted by the fact that the work has been picked up by other people working on other environmental assets and is seen by them as exciting and transferable to their situation. In May I took part in POPse!, the world’s first pop-up social enterprise think tank, and had an exhilarating week of really testing and discussing our ideas with others in the wider social enterprise sector. I emerged from POPse! certain that our work has the potential to deliver significant social change.

What's next?

We are in the process of applying for further funding for The Waterways Project and have the full commitment of British Waterways and the emerging new waterways charity. Our proposals are for a two year project to support the development of three new community led social enterprise activities on the waterways.

We are also in the process of founding a new non-profit organisation, Shared Assets. Shared Assets will share the learning from The Waterways Project and start to work with others undertaking similar work in relation to woodlands and other environmental assets. Our vision is the creation of a 21st century commons, ensuring that communities have the right to use land and waterways, whoever may own them, in order to deliver sustainable public benefits such as food, low impact housing and renewable energy.

Quote of the Week - Rand

2011-09-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

-Ayn Rand via Goodreads

I'm not always sure how I feel about Ms. Rand. She is problematic as an author and as a thinker. However, in limited doses, and circumstances, often energizing. It's great for us to remember on a Monday that we don't need permission to be who we are or to live how we like.

Buy Your Life Back

2011-09-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Cat on Hot Tin Roof is streaming on Netflix. If you haven't canceled your account yet, you should run to see it. I don't know how I missed seeing this movie - I love Tennessee Williams. I've seen the play, but this movie is so fully realized as both a piece of writing and as a film, it's astonishing.

The opening scene with Brick and Maggie (the scary gorgeous pairing of Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor) is textbook theatre, yet so riveting that after watching for a bit, I was tempted to se how long it had been running. When I checked it was 12 minutes in -- 12 minutes in to 2 actors in one room talking to each other, and still I was fascinated.

The scenes are long, but the transitions are smooth, and the acting is stunning. There's no question that Burl Ives has lived a life as Big Daddy beyond the confines of the film's script, or that Judith Anderson's Ida's been keeping quiet for 40 years and is going to have her say.

Paul Newman holds a close-up with a death grip, unafraid of the camera climbing into the soul of his character. Elizabeth Taylor manages to avoid the shrewishness inherent in Maggie completely by making every deep emotional choice about subtext from a place of absolute love and longing. Their last scene is a lesson in eyelines and why some actors are stars - the look the give each other across the room - skillfully played in separate long shots first by director Richard Brooks - connects them inextricably in the edit, in the frame and in the scene.

The script is full of memorable lines, but here's one from Brick and Big Daddy's scene together:

Big Daddy:
There's one thing you can't buy at any European fire sale, or any other market on Earth. That's your life. You can't buy back your life when it's finished.

Maybe what we've so clearly lost since this script was written is the inextricable intimacy of certain relationships. All the drama here comes out of this, but in our fluid society - you could say we've got too much chi - way too much chi flowing too fast - it's so easy to cast off people and place that sometimes we miss getting called out on the big questions.

Still, I think you can buy your life back, you just have to do it now - make sure you're actually living your life while it's happening.

Quote of the Week - Camus

2011-09-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders."

-Albert Camus

Quote of the Week - Vreeland

2011-09-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

“It’s not about the dress, it’s about the woman in the dress, and where she’s going, and what she’s going to do there”

- Diana Vreeland (via Head Butler)

Fashion week in NY - what better time to hear from a style icon! This quote is as much about what to wear and how to wear it, as it is about story. You can use this as a writing prompt if you like. Find a great picture of a woman in a dress and write on...