1 day

Yesterday was a very interesting day…so I wanted to share it with you all.

It began as a nice, normal day. I made rice pudding for breakfast, which was a delicious treat.
Soon I headed out to work, meeting a colleague to do some trafficking outreach together. He wanted to go check on an 18-year-old Central American he’d met before the holidays who had said that he just wants to go back home. He had got into the US illegally and is finding that work is hard to come by. The worker center at Home Depot said only about 5% of the guys who show up get work these days. Some guys show up every day, all day and don’t get work for weeks.

This young Central American led us to an appointment at the his consulate, where we actually got a meeting with the Consulate General. I had no idea we were meeting with someone of her position, and was fumbling around to use my Spanish properly. She was a lovely woman however, and I think possibly may be able to help our young friend somehow. It was very interesting to hear her viewpoints on things such as immigration and human trafficking.

From there we dropped our young friend off and began making some rounds of lofts around downtown. Over the past 5 or so years, downtown has been going under mass revitalization and is now quite the place to be. In fact, there’s a huge Ritz-Carlton residence building going in right now (that looks quite odd if you ask me.) From the neighborhoods I dwell in, the world of luxury loft buildings is quite an odd one. For the most part, concierges seemed quite interested that we wanted to offer training on human trafficking to their occupants. I say give me the color of my neighborhood over the fabricated hipness of luxury loft living any day.

Some more errands and work occupied the rest of the afternoon until it was time to run out to Little Tokyo to pick up some miso paste. I’m planning on making miso soup from scratch tonight – something I’ve always wanted to do. Going into a Japanese grocery is such a shock! I know there’s every little ethnic neighborhood in this town – and I’m in them often – but there’s just something about going into the Japanese and Korean grocery stores that gives me the jeebies. I’m the only non-Asian person in there, everything is so clean and stark, labeling is all in letters I can’t read, and people look at me weird! Globetrotting all within 5 miles of my house!

Anyhow – I found the miso, which was very exciting. And I also enjoyed taking out the Stude. The transmission is going awry and I haven’t driven her since Christmas. It felt very nice to chug down the road again makin some noise!

To end the night off, Kacie, an in-town friend who lives out-of-town currently was in-town. She’s one of the few swing dancers I’m friends with – so of course, we went out dancing together. We drove the Stude up to Joe’s, a little pub sort of place with a live band and swing night on Tuesdays. This place has one of the most interesting mix of characters. From the older guy, who looks very Irish and must be a bar regular, walking in a sitting down at a table alone all night, with no drink, just taking in the sights. To David, a theatre writer who is very…theatrical. To a host of different swing dance characters, old skool and not, good and not, funny and not. The music was good, the people were good, the dancing was good. Great.

The day isn’t over quite yet. After Joes we hear Skinny’s is the place to go. Skinny’s has a West Coast Swing lesson earlier in the evening and people dance there until 2am. (For those who aren’t hep to swing…I dance East Coast/Lindy Hop which is very different then West Coast. Technically Lindy is the same steps as West Coast, but just arranged very differently). So we pull up to Skinnys, the Stude get’s a front door parking spot (which I love…and even more so when I glide on in parallel parking like a pro!) Skinny’s is an upscale, club-ish atmosphere. Club music is thumping through their fancy sound system. There are West Coast dancers on the floor getting their groove on. Same steps as I dance…completely different vibe. Kacie and I likened it to what “parents did in the early 90s when they went out.” It was like they were out dancing at a club but were doing crazy complex dance steps. As sexy as Salsa but with a different vibe.

Very interesting. That was my day. One interesting of many. I’m rarely in want of wonder, which I’m thankful for.

"mantrap"

Recently I've been doing some teaching at a couple of schools down in Watts. Each week as I leave one, I see on the corner "MANTRAP NAILS". I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it - brilliant name. And what I imagined must be inside was a very 70s chic interior plastered with mirrors and laminate with lots of up-do'ed women getting very gawdy nails done.

Today was my second to last class at that school....and as a treat and for a laugh, I decided to venture into Mantrap Nails myself. I was under-whelmed by the empty-ness and bleak interior, I must admit. But for all of my under-whelmedness...I have to say it was partially overcome with an amusing and very nice fellow who did my nails as well as getting told from both he and a customer that I looked like a 50s model :) Hehe...it's amazing what a complement can do!

Since I was at Mantrap I decided that I had to diverge from my strict rule of only painting my nails red. I mostly let my nail-man pick the color and design. I was thinking even a more striking design...on all of my fingers...like many of my students do...but what came to be was this. A very hot metallic pink with a tasteful stripping on my ring-fingers. It's quite nice. But I think it would be a brilliant project to overhaul the Mantrap Nail Salon into what could be its full glory!

"Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a car."

I've been spending alot of time in garage's lately...and I'm not a car yet. But I am getting to know them better! About a month ago I had stopped by my Studebaker shop and the guys and I were shooting the breeze when Bill pipes up and says why don't I come work at the shop. I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not - but I told him I'd be really excited to do that 1 day a week. He was serious - and thought they'd have lots there for me to help with.

I don't think I could do it 5 days a week, but 1 is fantastic! It's the perfect mix of physical, artistic, and problem-solving! The way my 4-5 different jobs have pieced themselves together in my life blows me away. It's pretty amazing that a number of months back I was thinking of switching jobs. I'm really happy in ALL of my jobs right now - and never could have imagined piecing this together on my own. It's pretty rad how things work out sometimes!

So far I've done a number of little odd jobs. Some re-wiring. And today I learned how to take off/take apart drum brakes (and then wire-brushed them nice and clean). I'm learning much and having fun. Most people who come through the shop I've already met, because they drop in on a regular basis. However there has been a couple people who were really surprised by a girl working there. Like the two young ladies who came in and exclaimed "A girl works here!...cooool!" or the weird guy missing his front tooth who just sort of oogled at me. It makes me chuckle. Just like I can't help but chuckle when I roll down my block and the rumble of my Stude's engine sets off a car alarm - I loooove that. Ahhh...simple pleasures.

Which reminds me of Thanksgiving (simple pleasures that is!) I was quite worried to drive the Stude to Bakersfield where I was meeting my parents on our way to Sacramento. (Stude is having some transmission issues). But she made it. The drive was very nice - being in an old car just slows down the pace a bit. Arriving in the country felt really good - the slight fogginess, the cold, the fields....I kinda just wanted to keep driving around as it makes for good reflection time. But...as it ends up, I met up with a friend, and then with my parents and Blaise, and from there we safely got to Sacramento and enjoyed the weekend with family. The kids are at crazy ages (2,3,4) so you can imagine it wasn't exactly a relaxing weekend. But was wonderful to be with family. Enjoy the pictures...which for the most part were taken by Trey(also included are a few Christmas tree ones :) )

sundays are nice

I recognize it's been a long time since my last post...the 30s are busy! While I can't sit down and catch you all up on the last month - I thought I'd start with today.

Waking up late to an empty house (a treat when one lives with 6 others) I decided to make delicously bread-like non-gluten blueberry pancakes. Although I was worried that I'd used a bad egg in the batter, everything turned out fine and I even had hot maple syrup - yum. I stuffed myself while enjoying the Christmas tree and a really good book. (The Razor's Edge by Someset Maugham...a regular at the cafe recommended this writer based on my other likings...and as I've found it hard recently to find good fiction its been great finding some.)
Skipping some things in between...I met a friend for a drink before heading off together to an Over The Rhine concert. My friend had seen them about a dozen times, and I never have although I have multiple CDs. It was such a good show. Really fabulous music and really fabulous lyrics. Leaving the show my friend and I were both really reflective and split. I enjoyed a short walk and the park while writing the following poem...

The lights are low
music and beauty around the room
I sit comfortable in my chair
my arms hugging my bent leg.
One quick moment I'm struck
by my ease and routine
of providing my own needs
this both pleases and distresses me
full, I don't look for food
but who wants to be hungry?

I know, nothing like OTR's songwriting. Lyrics sticking out to me from tonight are from Drunkard's Prayer..."you're my water, you're my wine, you're my whiskey from time to time."

I must end my weekend - for tomorrow morning I must be at the Studebaker Shop bright and early...perhaps I can write about that tomorrow...

thirty years old!

I'm just finishing the celebration of my birthday weekend- the big 3-0! I've been nothing but excited to turn 30, and was a little put off by the Maitre'D commenting on how now I'll have to lie that I'm 29...as if that's where a woman would want to stay - hah! As fabulous as the 20s were, I am looking forward to my 30s. Whatever is in store for the next 10 years!?!

The first half of Saturday I spent doing things I like to do around the house (reading the FT, lollygagging, crafting) and then I went up to the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park. This had been closed down for 4 years undergoing renovation, but has been re-opened for nearly 2 and I hadn't make a trip up there yet. I instantly fell in love with it. From the fantastic drive up there to the views to the old-school-ness of it. A really fabulous place to hang out for awhile. I appreciated the perspective it gave me of my own incredible smallness in this vast universe of ours.

In the evening I celebrated with dinner and frivolity at The Dresden I hadn't had a "party" in years and years, and it was really fun to have so many people I know and love gathered in one place! It was a truely fabulous time and I'm thankful to have so many great people in my life.

On Sunday I didn't feel like doing anything too spectacular...just things I liked. So Kim and I moseyed on down to the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Where there happened to be 2 guys by the name of The Petrojvic Blasting Co. playing music that really did help make my day. They basically were most always playing 2 instruments at a time, some combination of drums, accordian, trumpet, trombone, tamborine, and singing of course. Their music was delightful and cemented the day early on as fantastic. After that we spent some time combing the music archives of Amoeba (where Kim bought her 1st CD ever and I bought a 45 record whose song title will be my mantra this year..."ace in the hole"). Then came back home for hanging out, making non-wheat chocolate chip cookies, and so forth.

All-in-all a very successful birthday weekend. Thanks to all of those in my life that make me feel so loved! Mmmuuuuuaaaaaahhhhh!

For a complete look at photos...click here for my facebook birthday album