Girl Gang, Messin' Stuff Up in Los Angeles...

Playing it safe we ride our broken radiator into the city, scary traffic on all sides and Bethany is braking by shifting gears down --because of the crazy sounds the brakes are making. We get lost on our way to the house of the guy who has the key to our loaned apartment. Once we find him we all really have to pee, so we take turns chatting awkwardly with the three people and one stuffed tiger in the living room. But they give us the key and we find our apartment, lent to us by a stranger who saw us on myspace or something. He's away for a few days so we live here now!

We decide to wait on fixing the car until after our show at a wonderful venue in Highland Park. The venue is whimsically called the Griznar and used to be a) a dentist office, b) a brothel or c) both! Either way it's converted into a very welcoming home for 8 artists and their many bands (and friends).

the Twerks

The Twerks and Avocadería play the first two sets. Fun punk dance music featuring two songs about blow jobs ("my advice to you, no matter what you do don't give him a blow job") and Ganesha-Vonnegut-Latin inspired music respectively. Both were pretty awesome.

Avocadería song inspired by Cat's Cradle!

Then we came out with our little acoustic instrument band and felt really small and silly. But lo and behold! They liked us! We played amidst balloons and smiles feeling successful. Then a wonderful thing happened. B.Y.O.F.F. played. This girl band is a gaggle of amazing females playing a grab bag of instruments and singing in harmonious collective. I was stricken and pleased to be so.

B.Y.O.F.F. Better pictures to come!

On the way home we got crazy lost and all came to the end of all our ropes in various cranky ways, but we did find the apartment and we did sleep. And today we found a place to replace the broken radiator, we fixed the battery with wrenches and patience, we found Bethany's banjo which she forgot at the Griznar, and all just in time to go to our show tonight! Which I gotta get ready for right now!

Dana, Point me in the direction of the Sea, Wouldn't you?

Stef's California family is extremely welcoming, easy going, and well-read, and life here is luxurious. We find ourselves in a world of clean beds, shiny floors, delicious bagel mornings, individual serving coffee machines, ocean views, and better than average wine. (Much better.)


Our first order of business is sticking our desert feet in the Pacific Ocean, and we do, even though it's "cold" outside. The ocean is big crashing wonderful, with hordes of gulls flying towards and away from the sun. A few feet into the sea is a collection of rocks that jam against ankles as the water moves up and down the beach. So we emerge from the sea with salty wet clothes and bleeding ankles.


The ground is full of sea weed treasure piles which we play with as much as possible.









We make our way over to the pier with Stef's cousin Maddy and walk out into the ocean where all the gulls are resting facing the setting sun. The boulders are huge and white with gull droppings. We see a few dead birds couched in crevices between the stones. In zero traction boots I'm afraid of falling into the sea, or worse, into a pile of slippery poo or dead bird. Despite the danger and the smell it's beautiful and real out on the rocks with the sunset horizon and the hundreds and hundreds of birds.

Christmas Eve in Prescott!

Prescott. Arizona's own little Ashland Oregon. But instead of the Shakespeare festival there's Whiskey Row, a street jam packed with pubs that, I've heard, the cowboys visit on their days off. We made ourselves at home in the art district in a tiny info shop that smelled and looked exactly like the Campbell Club and was inhabited by 5 of the nicest humans and 4 of the best dogs anyone could ask for on Christmas eve.



Here is a sample of our lovely song making!

Between mouthfuls of spicy coconut soup and inexpensive wine we played some songs to our tiny audience. All snuggled together with space heaters, do-it-yourself handbooks, fairy dust (that landed in the wine!), accordians, and guitars it was the coziest christmas eve a person could ask for.



After playing our set the whole group decided to make music together. We started making up songs at about 9:30 and kept it up for five hours. There were cake fights in the kitchen, experiments in playing the saw, rounds of coffee made with dumpstered goat milk by a wonderful person named Nobody, and endless improvised lyrics to endless improvised songs. It was joyful joyful joyful, and at the end of the night Todd unfolded the couch that was so full of pennies, dust, and other unknown things that we all shouted with amazement.



Then Todd made a very nice clean sheet appear out of nowhere and the three of us slept like snuggle bugs all in row in our cocoon sleeping bags.



Having had coffee right before bed I got up once to walk outside and see Prescott at night. The stars were exceptionally bright and closer than usual. Then, I snuck back to my place between Bethany and Stef and went to sleep.

Tour Begins: Boys Choir Shenanigins!

With a variety of hip haircuts and beards we left Albuquerque and journeyed to Flagstaff, Arizona. On the way we coined the phrase: "I'll Flag your Staff!" which I'm certain will be very popular here.

Other than that we have sustained a number of very helpful miracles.

1. The windshield is periodically sprayed with bright green coolant reminding us to check the engine every once in a while, and not to mix up the window wash container with the coolant container.

2. We have copied the key to the car (one per person) so that we don't get locked out in the snow a second time!

3. It turned out that the time change in Arizona would make us be on time for our show, then it turned out that Arizona doesn't have a time change, but we were on time anyway (that was a confusing miracle).

4. I made a snow angel and didn't get cold and wet!

5. The virtually empty coffee shop at which we were playing a show magically filled with smiling faces ten minutes before showtime.


All these miracles (and more!) are probably due to the kind thoughts from our wonderful friends and family, but also Stef is wearing her angel necklace, I sewed my lucky buttons to my sweater, and Bethany's praying a lot. Oh, and the magic marble from Eric!

drawings inspired by a dream

1. Where the cloud meets the sky.





2. Where the page meet's it's shadow.





3. Where Bethany meets Christy.




I had a dream where I wrote down the colors of some of the pixels in a photo of a man sitting. The pixels I wrote down were the ones where the man and the chair met.

I could zoom in a lot more in my dream. There were pixels within pixels.

Thanks Thanksgiving!

Dear Blog,

Lately I've been in Oregon. Mostly just the usual. Tea, Knitting, Can-can dancing on stage with a reindeer, Cole, Eric, Paul, Rose, and the man singing Christmas carols to thousands of people. You know, typical Thanksgiving stuff.


It's too bad we didn't get in the Daily Tidings. They put Santa on the front page, and it actually was Santa. His name was listed as Santa in the caption. You can't put a fake name in the newspaper!

I arrived in Portland just in time to enjoy the experience of Pete basting a turkey. I enjoyed it immensely! Then Pete and whiskey made me feel right at home. A few hours later I was whisked away by a guy met on craigslist, Eric, and a (literal) bucket of vegan donuts.

Me and Pete hang out in the hospital! A blast from the past I found while sorting through boxes!

The donuts and I cuddled up in the back and enjoyed the two hour drive to the Shire--I mean, Eugene. But when I was all settled into my hobbit hole-- I mean, Ilana and Kyle's hobbit hole my stomach started hurting and I told the donuts we couldn't be friends anymore.

The next morning was nothing but wispy blue clouds in a wispy blue sky, followed by coffee and two breakfasts (typical of hobbits). Next I revisited my beloved Craft Center. Diane described the new floor as "white and covered with blood!" I replied, "I love it!"

On to Ashland Oregon with Cole as chauffer. He pulled off the highway along lonely stretches and hinted "jokingly" that he was planning to kill us. Nevertheless we all made it to Ashland alive and unmaimed and were able to keep our appointment with destiny.

Destiny? Yes, the moment I mentioned earlier. The moment that will live on and on and on... in all hearts of Ashlanders. The moment we shuffled off our mortal limitations and took to the stage!

Each year Ashland has a day after Thanksgiving parade (about 15 minutes of carolers, trucks, and gingerbread men) in which Santa arrives just in time to turn on all the lights downtown. And he gives a speech. After every sentence of joy and thanks he says: "Hurray!" or "Yay!"

This year his speech worked us into such a frenzy that we were shrieking "hurray" right along with him! And when the man who always sings christmas carols came on stage to sing we danced with abandon.

"On the one hand, [dancing on stage] would be the greatest thing ever, on the other hand we'd ruin Christmas!" -Cole Robinson (aka "Scrooge," and "the Grinch")

Still, in such a heightened state of christmas joy there is only one logical next step. So yes, we found ourselves storming the stage (with the help of one of the reindeer) in order to dance behind the solitary man singing "jingle bell rock" to an audience consisting of... Ashland. I saw myself clearly in that moment, highkicking, one hand on Cole's shoulder, one on Paul's, "this is it" I thought. "This is what it's all about..."

Love,
C

A Group Study in Aunt Beast in New Mexico

Many months ago, after reading A Wrinkle In Time we assigned ourselves this task: draw Aunt Beast. Aunt Beast, that caretaker alien, that motherly, tentacled comfort. Or was she tentacled? The drawings above conflict often.

These sketches are by (from top to bottom) Phil, Allee, Kristen, Stef, and Christy. I have taken the liberty of superimposing the aunts into their natural environments.

Ideas:

On the way to work today, biking in fall with the trees and the moon and such it occured to me, this plan: put the dictionary in rhyming order.  Maybe starting with the pocket dictionary.

Next idea came in the theater at VSA: surrounded by smiling faces, a bunch of emphasis on shoulders and dance:choreograph a dance with verbal audible instructions as a part of the finished performance.  Also, incorporate actions like condensing.  For instance a group of birds condensing the ones in the center.  

Finding Fairies Again!

And for the Shamanic Dancing portion of the evening...

Fits and Starts of
Performance Arts

See this film to experience a little of what I experience every day.

Found Items on Computers Part 3

( Beautiful Photo )

Photo by Stef Graner, found on Stef Graners (public?) computer

Location: La Quinta Inn: Las Cruces, NM

Background Noise: Motel TV

History of today: Learned some shamanic dancing and how to drum my name in morse code.

Part 2: Found Items on a Computer

I found this on my computer, but it was still surprising to me.
Woe! That there are so few public computers in Albuquerque, by me time oh odd bone.

Sounds: sighing, a fan

Found item on a public computer, part 1 of 10

Time: 2:51 pm
Sounds Heard: "swing, swing, swing, swing, swing" and footsteps
Location: Americorps Office, N4th, ABQ, NM

Come Again

Communion, like teachers, took a small summer vacation, but LO and BEHOLD it comes again. This Friday the Park Ave. Family is happy to host the first Communion to take place in September! There will be song, wine, smiles and if it feels chilly a fire in the fire place!

the first thing I noticed on my way home today.

Grand cloud houses moving imperceptibly westward (looking like castles inexplicably floating) over this city, so flat in comparison with their impossible curved and reaching architecture.

One of the giant fairies that's been hanging around my room! I got a picture of him today next to the crystal. Look at those runners legs. That's his bike outside, just his size.

Guests in my room.

Earlier today I noticed that there was a substantial fat fairy landed on a painting my brother made me for christmas (using highlighters, pen, and white out). I eyed it nervously because it was a large, and precariously placed. It seemed like it might fall off and roll out of control on to my toes or knees or something else ticklish.

But I was on the phone so I kind of turned around and ignored it for a while. By the time I hung up the fairy was forgotten. Much later, which happened to be just now, my attention was drawn to a loud clacking outside of my window.

Since the sun has set and I am alone in my house I had another nervous moment looking towards the thin screen separating me from the rest of Albuquerque. And there, on the very screen was another large fairy. Landing awkwardly and somehow managing to make the screen go "clack" every time he settled against it. Seeing this fairy banging around outside reminded me to check on the painting. I looked around to find he'd left.

This is a photo of a fairy I saw last week. Not like today's fairies at all. They were heavy and more like wizened old men.

Take Me to The Sky

Realizando Todo

Given a half
thought
each arm and leg invites you to the show:

Thursday, August 13 at 7pm
VSA N4th Theater ABQ