June 2004 Archives

I just wanted to let you all know about Soldier's Angels. My friend Toni decided to sponsor a soldier. And because I enjoy peer pressure (just playing) I decided to do the same. So here's how it goes- you sign up or donate money to the website and then you get a soldier who needs your support. Then you may send them letters and care packages to let them know that they aren't forgotten. I may not agree with this war- but I do agree with supporting our soldiers. They are in need of encouragment and deserve respect. So here is to all the soldiers in Iraq. I just hope that I can make someone feel a little bit closer to home through the stuff that I send them.

If you think you can help, check it out cause most of these soldiers are really young (most are 18 and 19) and are far from home.

So my sister knew all the songs, I should have expected that cause she knows me. She never had a choice (until I left for college) to listen to her own music if I was there. You might think that I'm selfish, but I was strict because I had to be. My sister never had a chance- she grew up in South Orange County. I grew up in Orange and Santa Ana. You may not think that there is a difference- but its amazing the crap that people listen to in the Rancho Santa Margarita area. You see the problem is they don't have older kids ready to torment them if they dare listen to KIIS FM. So, in actuality I was being a responsible sister and as a result my sister knows things about music that most of her friends don't. Sure there were some hard times- but it built character. So now she well rounded in the music department- I for one am glad. She is too (I think)- oh well, I'm sure she forgives me.

Now, on to the answers to the of the lyrical quiz.

1. Jesus Walks- Kanye West
2. Ring of Fire- Johnny Cash
3. You Got Me- The Roots feat Erikah Badu and Eve
4. The Seed (2.0)- The Roots and Cody Chestnutt
5. Clint Eastwood- The Gorillaz
6. Burritos- Sublime
7. Tennessee- Arrested Development
8. Push Things Foward- The Streets
9. 4 Women- Talib Kweli
10. Downeaster Alexa- Billy Joel
11. Safety Dance- Men Without Hats
12. I Hate Everything About You- Three Days Grace
13. Guilty Conscience- Eminem and Dr. Dre
14. Scenario- Tribe Called Quest (actual lyric by Busta Rhymes)
15. Down Under- Men at Work
16. When Doves Cry- Prince
17. Dream On- Aerosmith
18. Maps- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
19. Muzik- Knocturnal
20. Today Was a Good Day- Ice Cube

So there you go. First prize goes to my protege- Lauren. Second Place goes to Moe Moe. For reals- they are getting prizes. Dang!- I need to go to the store....

~Sleep~ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................................

Reading Blogs is a highly addictive activity. I just want to thank Moe Moe for her obsession- cause without her I wouldn't be obsessed either (I am still not sure if that is a good or bad thing- Dang Moe!). I was just reading some random blogs- when I noticed a similar topic was being passed around. So I decided to conform with the masses. Yep I copied and pasted this little exercise, and it goes a little something like this:

On your current playlist, hit shuffle and pick the first twenty songs on the list (no matter how cheesy or embarrassing), and write down your favourite line of the song. Try to avoid putting the song title in the line. Then have your friends comment and see if they know the songs...

1. Now hear thee hear thee, wanna see thee more clearly
I know he hear me when my feet get weary
Cuz we're thee almost nearly extinct

20. Called up the homies and I'm askin y'all
Which park, are y'all playin basketball?
Get me on the court and I'm trouble

So, you think you know the answers? Let me know. The person with the most answers correct will get a prize- and you have to win in order to find out what the prize is. Cause if you know all of these songs- then you deserve something. Dang!- I feel like I deserve something just for thinking about this mess. Hmmm... Maybe someone should give me $10,000.

Alirght, I realize that the title of this blog is really corny, but I really do want a Polaroid camera. A Mio instant camera at that. I find it very interesting that it is called a Mio camera- meaning "mine" in Spanish- so I will take that as a sign. It should be mine you know. I mean who doesn't like a camera where the picture comes from the top? That's something that everyone can enjoy.

I am feeling a little materialistic these days. Either I am caving to advertizing ploys or they researched my brain before launching their commercials. Everything has new colors and has fun packaging. I have always been a highly visual person- so new and improved packaging really appeals to me. Let me give you some examples: I picked out an Apple iBook because it was turquoise (hardly a good decision making attribute), I buy the toothpaste that has the most sparkles on the box, and I always pick the jewel cases that have an assortment of colors (even though they cost a couple of dollars extra). So you see its another sickness.

All of this leads to my current problem~ I want too much stuff. I don't even need it. I just want it. You know I have a list in my bag at all times of things that I want. Usually this satiates the urge to go out and buy everything in sight- but for now let me share some of my current obsessions(or wants, whatever you prefer to call it).

- Mio instant camera- of course
- The new Streets CD
- The new Franz Ferdinand CD
- The Canon Powershot A75- digital camera
- T-shirts from Upperplayground, Yellow Rat Bastard, The Giant Peach, or Blue Marlin

So is there anyone out there that wants to buy me a Mio camera ? :)

I borrowed The Big Book of If from Toni quite a few months ago. Needless to say, I have neglected it on my shelf- its not the book's fault. I am a horrible at borrowing things. This is precisely the reason that I don't have a Library card anymore (I think they all have my picture in the window as a warning of what not to do when borrowing books). So because I have neglected this thought provoking book, I think I will dedicate some time to it right now. So I am opening the book as I type (which is extremely difficult- I am very talented) and will pick questions at random to answer. So here I go:

1. If you could choose the very last thing you would see before you die, what would it be?

- Probably the sunrise over Venice Beach before the city is awake.

2. If you had to be represented by an object in your home, what would it be?

- My stereo- cause there are times when I am as scattered as all the station combined.

3. If you could free yourself from one burden in your life, what would it be?

- My guilt complex

4. If you could put anyone in prision, who would you lock up?

- George Bush

5. If you were to be killed by an animal what would it be?

- a grizzly bear

6. If you could read the mind of someone famous, who would it be?

- Andre 3000- no doubt

7. If you could arrange a jam session with any three musicians in history, who would you include?

-The Beatles, Outkast, and Billie Holiday

8. If you won the lotto what is the first thing you would do with the $?

- Buy a monster truck

9. If you had to die in one of history's disasters, which one would you pick?

- I would be the lone Mexican to die on the Titanic

10. If you had to fight a duel tommorow at dawn, and you could determine the type of weapon you both would use, what would they be?

- Just our fists- cause there is honor in that

11. If you were to have two baby sons, what would you name them?

-Roman- after my dad and Esai

12. If you could remove someone's vocal cords for a year, whose would they be?

- George Bush or Britney Spears

13. If you had to sell your soul for one thing, what would it be for?

- To save one of my family member's soul

14. If you could have written one song from this century yourself, which would it be?

- When Doves Cry- Prince- no, seriously Imagine by John Lennon

15. If you could cause one person to change their mind about one thing or on one topic, who would you pick?

- George Bush on the topics of the War and Gay Marriage.

16. If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?

- Hunger

17. If you were given a racehorse what would you name it?

- En Tu Cara

18. If you had to choose the worst song ever composed, which one would you pick?

- Copacabana- Barry Manilow or anything written or even touched by Barry Manilow

19. If you could eliminate one habit that you have, what would it be?

- Holding myself back from doing what I really want to do

20. If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

- I would ride the elephants

Answer some of these and send them to me- you know you want to!

I was going to dedicate this blog to Willie Perdomo, a poet that I love, but in an effort to keep it real I am going to write about my dad. Its hard to write about something that you aren't feeling- and right now I am missing my dad. The picture above is a very Seventies picture of my Dad and my Tio when they were younger. Check out my dad's fro'- it got bigger as the 70s went on.

My dad died in October, yet it seems like one day he is going to call me and say he is on his way from work. Maybe he had a hard day. Maybe the mud blew up and he was short guys, so the slab didn't come out to his liking (he was a cement mason for those of you who have no idea what it means to have the concrete blow up). I miss him every day but today was especially hard. Who knows why? Some days are just harder than others. I wanted to punch the lady who told me to take it one day at a time! But I know what she meant. There are days that I feel like I couldn't be any happier. And then there are days when I wish that God would strike me and allow me to follow to where my Dad is. I wish I could tell him that I would have taken care of him when he got old. I would have climbed any mountain if it would have helped. I would have rather taken his place. But I know that would have broken his heart- like mine feels now. In the beginning, I didn't have the time to cry and mourn. There was too much to do. Too many people coming over, too many arrangements to make, and too many people who were having a hard time. Which is probably why it is coming out now- (sorry to all of you who are reading my blog today).

Some days I spend all of my energy just stifling a scream of anguish because all I can see is my father on the floor of his room without a breath of life in him. I hate that image- so I push it out of my head and remember the funny things he said and did, the music we would talk about and the movies that he could never watch all of because he would start falling asleep as soon as it started. I miss so many things about my dad. But I especially miss being able to hear his voice. In honor of my Dad and my love of lists- I have made a list of things that I really miss about him.

1. I miss asking him what he is doing when it was obvious that he was sleeping.
2. I miss him waking my sister and I up when he went to work at ungodly hours like 4 in the morning.
3. I miss him singing "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fidler on the Roof.
4. I miss his LOUD snoring- that let me know he was resting.
5. I miss planning what we were going to do when we won the lotto with him.
6. I miss his stories that I never understood because he started in the middle of them and not at the beginning.
7. I miss his crazy laugh- especially when you tickled him.
8. I miss listening to Breakfast with the Beatles with him.
9. I miss making him go to the swap meet with me.
10. I miss his lectures about the waste of going to see stupid movies.
11. I miss his "serious" voice when we got in trouble.
12. I miss backtracking with him.
13. I will always miss holidays with him
14. I miss his boring work stories.
15. I miss play-fighting with him (there is no one stronger than my dad was).
16. I miss him just listening to me.
17. I miss the smell of dry concrete that he carried with him when he got off of work.
18. I miss eating "juicies" with him.
19. I miss his jokes that never had a punchline.
20. I miss his musical knowledge.

But most of all- I miss my dad because there will never be anyone who can take his place. He was one of a kind. My dad tried really hard. He thought about everyone else before he thought of himself. He broke his back everyday so that my sister and I could have a good life. He broke his back everyday because he had pride in all that he did and he gave it his all.

I didn't get as much work done this weekend as I had hoped, I did get all the pictures on the suitcase- now I just need to varnish it. In the back of my mind, I knew this would happen. But I remain an optimist. Cause on one hand, I didn't get that much done. But in the other hand, I got a chance to see my cousins and Moe Moe. On a side note- Congratulations April- she graduated from high school.

I also saw two movies this weekend. First up The Chronicles of Riddick. I know the critics hated this movie, but I liked it, but then again I love Vin Diesel. I think its his voice and tough persona. I sometimes trick myself into thinking that I am a tough loner (this couldn't be farther from the truth). But its good to pretend sometimes because its these tough thoughts that get me through rough times. The movie itself was a little complex- you know all the sci-fi kids love futuristic power struggles between good and evil, and thats just what they got. This one just happened to be lead by reluctant Vin or Riddick. I felt bad for him in the end- ultimately he won the war- but he lost those he loved in the process, Poor Riddick- he has no one. But in the end you realize that he never wanted anyone in the beginning.

Next- Napoleon Dynamite. I don't even know what the premise of this movie is or how the screenwriters sold it to a studio. However, this movie was funny as hell. I think we laughed so hard because it was so random. According to this movie, people who live in Idaho are all stuck in an 80s time warp, that and they all just stare at each other. I highly recomend this movie if you want to laugh at innane things rather than contemplating anything. I can't even describe what it is really about besides a nerdy kid who likes tether ball and eventually finds a girl that actually likes him- who happens to be the little girl from Corrina, Corrina. Maybe you guys should just go watch it and then you can be as puzzled as I am.

Song of the Day: Sunday Bloody Sunday- U2

The Birth of Conscious Peoples...

Alright, so Wednesday night's meeting with Valerie was very fruitful. We decided to call our line of t-shirts Conscious Peoples- so as not to be genderist (not sexist- gender is a different thing, baby). The spray can will be part of our logo with the awe-inspiring Conscious Peoples in the mist of paint that is emitted from the can. Hmmm.... I love spray paint.

The good thing about Valerie is she made me set a timeline of things. So now we have concrete deadlines and goals. Novel idea, I know. But its good cause I know that without those deadlines I would do it but not at an accelerated speed. I have a tendency to stare at the wall, the tv, my messy room or whatver else can be deemed as a distraction. Damn ADD!

I have HIGH expectations for this weekend. I need to do a lot of painting. You see, I have a huge vanity in the back room, a stool, a half finished bedside table, a trunk and a suitcase. Ideally, I would be able to do all of this. But realistically I will be happy if I finish one or two items. We'll see cause Moe Moe is coming over and we want to see The Chronicles of Riddick- I don't care what the critics say! Besides Pitch Black was good. And who doesn't like Vin Diesel?

I'll leave you with things that I am digging on right now:

- Singer Keri Noble- "Bartender"- this song is nice and melodic- she reminds me of a happier, but not by much, Fiona Apple (Where did Fiona go?)

- Ask Crafty Chica- This website by Kathy Cano Murillo in AZ- she's an all knowing lady of crafts- and she linked Moe Y Yo on her site- so you know I love her now.

- "The Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash- What can I say? This song just puts me in a good mood- funny stuff.

- I miss Upper Playground- I hope to one day have t-shirts as tight as theirs. I used to go there all the time when I was in SF- I bet they miss my contributions as well- you know I bought too many of their shirts.

- Talking to old friends that I haven't seen in a couple of years- lol, who knew I had so many friends?

Peace to Ray Charles who passed away today.

So I have been procrastinating on all my art projects. I think I secretly like the pressure. I think I purposely sit in my room and watch stupid stuff on tv- while the back room of my house is full of old furniture just waiting to be given a rebirth. I better get on it. -Someone make me get on it!

I am also lagging on what will be called Conscious Girls Clothing. CGC (because I don't want to keep typing it out) will be starting fairly soon with Valerie and I the co-creators under the Moe Y Yo Collective (sounds way more important than it is). The purpose of this line will be to cater to young Latina women who do not have t-shirts that pertain to them. I am constantly disappointed with the selection that women have in hop hop gear- especially Latina women. I don't know about you, but I am tired of seeing J.Lo crap and Baby Phat. Their stuff just seems like filler. I want people to not only like the t-shirts and wear them but I want them to actually think about the designs. I want it to come with random thoughts.

Last night as I was pondering this concept- I had a random thought of linking Carmen Miranda and hip hop- sort of a latin icon (satire) with the four elements of hip hop. We'll see how that goes. I will be contemplating later on tonight because I need to come up with some more random thoughts that will grace the front or the back of the Conscious Girls line of t-shirts. But for you guys- don't worry I will have a couple of designs that are more unisex. That way we can infiltrate the t-shirt world and try to take over like Pinky and the Brain (I miss them).

Song of the Day: Ain't No Sunshine- Bill Withers

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!

I got to see Talib Kweli last night at the House of Blues. And Talib did his thing. Only thing is that standing room only sux for us people that are short. Apparently, last night was giant night- all the tall fools of course have to get up front and block everyone else. Then they start slamming their hands in mock MC fashion. Junior mints always make me laugh (junior mints= high school kids who think they are older but everyone else thinks that they are 12). No shortage of them last night. But it was a good show- I just wish that Talib had done some of his older songs- although I was happy that he did Lonely People from the Beautiful Mix CD. I am anxiously awaiting the release of his new album. But to tide everyone over, here is a short list of my favorite Talib Kweli songs:

1. Four Women- off Reflection Eternal
2. Get By- off Quality
3. The Proud- Quality
4. Touch You- Reflection Eternal
5. Good Mourning- Reflection Eternal
6. Guerilla Monsoon Rap- Quality
7. Yelling Away- Soundbombing III
8. Lonely People- Beatiful Mix CD

On a side note:
So Yesterday was a crazy day. Work was crazy and then I got a call from the grandma- Bella (my mom's puppy) was missing. Apparently Jazz (my dog) and Bella had gotten out of the yard and went on a little Milo and Otis adventure in the river bed near my grandma's house. Well, Jazz came back- she's a big baby and was probably worried about the little creek- stupid creek! So when my grandma got home she was kicking it on the front lawn and Bella wasn't there. My mom went over there and went into Operation Find Bella mode- employing the help of my not so helpful dog- she barks every time other time- but not when we need her too. I came home and went running to find Bella and I took Jazz into the river bed and three miles later we had a scroungy looking Bella. Crazy dog- she even ran from me when I tried to get her. We finally got down and crossed the stupid creek- of course I fell in the nasty slime- and we took them both home. DANG and all I wanted to do was go see Talib Kweli. :)