Friday, April 23, 2010

hooray, it's friday!



Sunny friday, how I love thee. The spirit of TGIF is ringing loud and clear round here, and plans are certainly en route! Tomorrow's plans are making me feel quite silly and giddy with delight. A barn concert at one of my very favorite places on earth, Pescadero in Half Moon bay. A dreamy gorgeous little town on the coast is where all the fun will take place. At 4 o'clock the barn concert will have a hippie bus painting session, then music, BYOBBQ, then more music till' the wee hours of the night, under the bright, shiny, coastal stars. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers is the musical act that's making me act so spunky, I'm a big fan and seeing them play "IN" Pescadero(my fav. place ever) is too much happiness to contain. They'll be playing later in the evening. On sunday, I'll be interviewing a very talented artist that I can't wait to meet and ask questions to. I can't imagine how it will go and what to expect but she's from Iceland and is probably the craftiest, friendliest, cutest thing around. So excited. Too excited. Happy friday and then some.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

just another earthling.



Like all other creatures living on earth, today I celebrate "Earth Day" the best way we all know how. We say "happy earth day!" to each other and all the other celebratory terms and things that go along with it. What does today actually mean? Why can't "Earth Day" be everyday? The awareness of being more "earth-friendly" has dramatically increased throughout the years specially now that this place we call "home" has had some serious troubles and are being ever-so-present in our lives. Global warming isn't the only subject that causes worry but it certainly is real and not sure it's getting any better. However, I do believe there is definite acknowledgement throughout but not enough to reverse the already present state we all find ourselves in. We are all in this together good or bad, it's how we manage to make things a bit better step by step or by making huge dramatic steps, anything helps I suppose. I have a list of things that I have changed in my life throughout the years that are completely different from the counter-productive and eco-damaging things I was brought up with unknowingly, of course. Awareness, changes, action, and doing it over and over again as much and as long as we can. Not sure things are irreversible but they can surely be better.

There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all.  -Robert Orben

There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth.  We are all crew.  -Marshall McLuhan, 1964


We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.  
-Native American Proverb


Till now man has been up against Nature; from now on he will be up against his own nature.  -Dennis Gabor, 
Inventing the Future, 1963

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

a kombucha a day...







Kombucha(pronounced kom-BOO-cha) is my secret elixir. Not sure how secret it is as I talk about drinking it all the time and I'm either toting a bottle of it around or drinking from a bottle throughout the day. The list of reasons to drink this fermented elixir is extensive, some being are: supports digestion, the immune system, metabolism, liver function, anti-aging, cell integrity, and healthy skin and hair...wow. These are just some really great selling points, so good that almost daily I make a kombucha purchase. Perhaps kombucha holds a type of placebo effect on me, as I "think" I feel different after drinking it, suppressing my appetite, giving me good-feeling energy and makes my skin soft and clear. It's been about two months of drinking this stuff and perhaps it really is kicking everything into gear....vrooom! At first I really couldn't stand the taste, vinegary and with "live" clouds floating in it I was scared. However, like all things in life you gotta keep at em' if you really want to get used to something. 
The brand I drink is called Synergy and the man who started this company (G.T. Dave) began bottling the super stuff after his mother's success drinking it during her battle with cancer. It's on the bottle along with a description of the wonders of kombucha. The dream team includes: active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols. All which combined together are a kick-ass team to have on your side. Not sure exactly how all this works? Well, a holistic doctor or nutritionalist might have more insight than wikipedia or my personal story-tellings, but if you go and buy a bottle and drink it down, you can give it a shot and "ta-da!" see what it's all about. Meanwhile I have a collection of bottles to give to a friend who makes her own fermented elixirs...yeah, crazy. 

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

tuesday escape exit.


Alas, the weekend came and went like a bat out of hell. Managed to accomplish a multitude of tasks while spending some much needed time at home. Somehow, it's tuesday and I realize that the petty two-day break was hardly enough and I'm seriously dragging myself everywhere. So with these tuesday blues, and the gusty wind I carry myself to a much more fun, exciting, and relaxing rabbit hole/escape exit via some photos. I developed a few rolls of lomo shots this weekend and found some favorites that warm me up inside and keep my spirit cheerful and sustained...keeping things calm and cool while I wait for the weekend. 

Friday, April 16, 2010

hooray, it's friday!

Diana mini...get one
home inspiration by dottieangel
the critters... 2 of 3!


TGIF. Straight up. Even though I don't have any exciting plans, simply not having to be anywhere, nor rushing to get anywhere, and being able to sleep in makes today a fine day indeed. However, this does not mean I haven't a thing to do, because that I have tons of which I plan to tackle one at a time and like a bull. List includes, developing some film (some lomo shots I took with my DIANA mini), laundry, painting, mowing the lawn, cleaning the office, finishing DIY projects, and spending some good quality home time with the critters. Some new recipes I've been dying to try will be added to the list(both food and cocktail ones). If this seems boring, well... maybe it is for a conventional weekend roster, but for me this all sounds divine. It's dream-boat quality as I have not had a spare moment to enjoy the home front activities for some time. Call me mundane, I call this nesting!



paper crane wishes.





I love origami! I'm good at folding certain shapes and even little dogs and cats but lately I've got cranes on my mind. For many reasons, one being that I love birds, the cranes hang nicely and they hold a certain serene effect on me. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish. This belief makes them popular gifts for special friends and family. I really, want to make some in beautifully colored paper and hang then in my office or anywhere I need some uplifting. So get your folding on, make a thousand paper cranes or maybe just a handful. Do it, as hanging these little birds in one's home is thought to be powerfully lucky and awe inspiring as well(the folding of more than a few cranes can be quite a challenge!).

If you're a newbie at origami or simply aren't familiar with folding paper "cranes" click here for instructions and find origami papers at your local craft store. One more thing, make a wish after you've completed folding...one thousand cranes! Getting my wish list ready, this is gonna take a while.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

all the many bus rides...






Public transportation has become a big part of my weekly routine these days as I commute from one side of the bay to another. Transportation in the form of Bart(bay area rapid transit/train) and Muni(buses, trolleys, cable cars/streetcars) have become an everyday experience and "oh!" what an experience it is. Sometimes painful, hysterical, annoying, disturbing, scary, yet always keeping me on my toes and helping me move around without a car or my bike. The use of headphones really help to add a certain sparkle and diffuse some of the otherwise uncomfortable stares, situations, and such. It's almost as if the help of music makes everyone seem interesting who without the soundtrack would not be so inviting to your eyes. I refrain from reading as it causes me to become nauseated beyond belief, but a good tune aids in making the ride a far more exciting one or simply sedates that part of you that wants to...get the heck out! The train offers an array of characters and the stations always seem like you're in purgatory neither here nor there and the station agent's voice often sounds futuristic, cold, mechanical. Bus rides come in all different flavors, the 45 offers an interesting asian flair, with it's elderly pushing, shoving, and sometimes picking fights with another of their(elderly) kind. But in all fairness the torture only lasts a short time, it ends in chinatown. Besides the children on this line are very sweet and curious as I am. The 41 towards downtown is more on the touristy side with very little eye contact, people spread about with no one sitting next to each other unless they have to. The 22 is a moving asylum from hell, or it can be and makes for very good stories over dinner. I can go on but I won't as I have not seen it all in the public transportation area. I'll discover some new soundtracks and images to compliment each other, that I am sure of.






Wednesday, April 14, 2010

caravan happy.





Perhaps someday I'll be a real gypsy and get myself a caravan. You know, the type of thing equipped to live in and is typically towed by a car and used on vacations? I would love for nothing more than to set up camp in some remote gorgeous outdoor setting and enjoy life the slow way. With nothing but fresh air, books, records to listen to, my dog, good ol' sunshine, big puffy clouds and glittery stars to tuck me in at night. Blame it on wanderlust setting in and the urge to fleet which is growing bigger and greater and with the caravan/camp idea embedded in my head, the traveling bug feels warmer and cozier. A home away from home feels like just the right thing for me. So, now I dream and search for this perfect gypsy home to call my own. There are many different caravan inspirations out there, and the great part is, you really can make it your own by adding that very personal touch that you create by being... duh...you. I really wish I had this home-on-wheels for April 24th, when I'll be heading down to Half Moon Bay for a wonderful day of gorgeous nature, awesome music (yes, Nicki Bluhm will be playing) bus painting, and barbecuing at a Pescadero Barn concert. Nothing better than some country fun. I simply cannot wait!