Monday, February 28, 2005

ani's hand


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Saturday with Ani DiFranco


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I went to my first Ani concert Saturday night and it was great!
She was at the Auditorium Theatre, a place I use to work at. I'm
glad some things haven't changed, the theatre is still breath-taking.
I don't know if it's just me but my balance is always off when I walk
in there. It's old and never changing.

Back to Ani.
I couldn't have been sitting any higher! We were center but all
the way at the top. To think I could have had some good seats in
the main floor had I not participated in the pre-sale.

Anyway, I like that she played current and old songs including one she
wrote on her way to Chicago. That was cool. She just rocks the guitar,
it's amazing, takes my breath away :) gives me goosebumps. My binoculars worked great, my first time bringing some and I'm glad I did because it brought me closer to her. Her opening act Andrew Bird was great as well. When they were getting ready for "studying stones" he was a little behind so she improvised and jumped into a poem. It was one of my favorite concerts. She is so cute, I love her laugh...she's so charming :)


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Friday, February 25, 2005

Los Horoscopos de Durango


Los Horoscopos de Durango Posted by Hello

I can't believe I can say that I know someone famous :)
My H.S. friend Marisol is out there making it big with her band
Los Horoscopos de Durango. (she's the blonde one in the picture)

Nominated for a grammy in the 2004 Latin Grammys and recently nominated for 3 categories in los Premios Lo Nuestro 2005:
        Album of the Year
        Song of the Year
        Group of the Year
They also performed on stage at the awards last night.

In college she convinced me to miss my Geography class (now you know why I suck with that) and we'd ditch it and go downtown shopping. Ana, Marisol and I used are first credit card together. We all bought some shoes. College tempts you with those credit cards and if you have no sense, you might loose control as did I. I'm sure she is not having trouble paying her bills now! Meanwhile, I'm still paying the price for my heavy spending.
those were the days :)

Congratulations girl :)

official website

Wednesday, February 23, 2005


some afternoon Posted by Hello

Friday, February 18, 2005

i search through a moment

i can't recall off hand how i found this poet, it might have been through Neruda. anyhow, this is a favorite excerpt from 'Piedra de sol'
by Octavio Paz


"I travel along the edge of your thoughts,
and my shadow falls from your white forehead,
my shadow shatters, and I gather the pieces
and go with no body, groping my way,

the endless corridors of memory, the doors
that open into an empty room
where all the summers have come to rot,
jewels of thirst burn at its depths,
the face that vanishes upon recall,
the hand that crumbles at my touch,
the hair spun by a mob of spiders
over the smiles of years ago,

setting out from my forehead, I search,
I search without finding, search through a moment,
a face of storm and lightning-flashes
racing through the trees of night,
a face of rain in a darkened garden,
relentless water that flows by my side,

I search without finding, I write alone,
there's no one here, and the day falls,
the year falls, I fall with the moment,
I fall to the depths, invisible path
over mirrors repeating my shattered image,
I walk through the days, the trampled moments,
I walk through all my thoughts of my shadow,
I walk through my shadow in search of a moment,

I search for an instant alive as a bird,
for the sun of five in the afternoon..."

Thursday, February 17, 2005

take a sip

for those days when people piss you off

you know who i'm talking about, there are many

my recent is

those "yes I can make it but no I can't and yet I could but can't" I'm sorry, was I talking to a 8 yr old or a 28 yr old?

people who are unreliable piss me off and to those I say



 Posted by Hello

luckily i don't care as much that certain people don't keep their word. what i realize now is that my relationships change and for certain friends, it doesn't effect me so much.

and i'm so glad that naturally they have fallen into a place in my heart where their company is not so vital. i like spending time with people who actually show up not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

so this cup is only for those who feel their presence should be good enough. (spare me)

and yet i still give, what can i say i'm a giver, it's a pisces thing :)

the love of one's country

"The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?"

Pablo Casals, 1876-1973
Spanish Cellist, Composer and Conductor

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

if you forget Me

since Neruda's poetry is in mind I wanted to post a favorite of mine. I'm sure we can all relate to this one. I know when I read it, I was amazed at how well he put so nicely what I felt inside.

I'm going to try to memorize this one ;)

~ Pablo Neruda

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists:
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Venice routes

"This is the city of uncertainty, where routes and faces look alike and are not."
~ jeannette winterson

Our trip started in Rome where we were forever looking at our map and trying to find our way. My sense of direction is hopeless. In Venice, we didn't have to worry about it because we didn't have a particular destination, we just walked on and on and before you knew it we were by our hotel. It was right by Piazza San Marco so that helped. stressless, scenic, beautiful Venice strolls.

many paths Posted by Hello

stroll


stroll down whatever street we choose at last minutePosted by Hello

walkway Posted by Hello

pointe de rialto Posted by Hello

doorway Posted by Hello

Monday, February 14, 2005

happy valentine's

~~ ee cummings

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain, has such small hands

Friday, February 11, 2005

tea room


meet me for some tea to talk about love on valentine's day :) Posted by Hello

Thursday, February 10, 2005

art studio


where it all begins. Posted by Hello

star-schmucks coffee

i got this in an email today. it's so funny.
a little fun with Starbucks coffee.

Click here: Star-Schmucks Coffee

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Sculptures in Venice


 Posted by Hello

Found these sculptures in Venice. I apologize for not having the name of the artists or titles. I'm so bad with details. Nonetheless I have the image :)

heart in my hands Posted by Hello

feel small Posted by Hello

man sculpture


missing eyes Posted by Hello

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Monday, February 07, 2005

running in heels

"To be carried by shoes, winged by them. To wear dreams on one's feet is to begin to give reality to one's dreams."
-Roger Vivier


i am not one to wear heels unless I'm going to some fancy place or dancing. either way, i make sure they are as comfortable as can be and that i'm not walking on them for more than 2 hours, mainly because i really can't. i'm not made for heels.

however, you can get your feet trained for any type shoe, unknowingly i did so for high heals, 2 1/2 inches to be exact. actually that is not very high but the heal is thin like that of dancing shoes. i'm talking about my cool boots.

i can't help but want to run in them when i'm wearing them. i immediately feel like sarah jessica parker in Sex In The City; graceful, feminine & free (the free part i'm sure attributed to the running). so anytime i can, i run. maybe there is some appointment that I can't be late too, no one knows if it's true or not accept i ;) or for a more realistic one, its late at night and since i travel by train, my running might ward off any possible evil man near by. either way i'm loving it.

this brings me to a very pivotal moment in a friendship of mine. we were at the botanical gardens Christmas of 2003 on a dark night and we were walking through the garden, taking in the colorful lights, absorbing the Xmas spirit and enjoying each others company. we got to a trail that lead to darkness, we started to take it and decided to turn back a few minutes in, at this point my friend Lissette suggests, "let's run like someone is chasing us, like in a movie!" (not exact words) i looked at her and had this huge smile, i thought, now I know why we are really friends. I mean our love for coffee could have been enough :) but this sealed it. We all started running, now actors in a 3 minute film, pretending to be scared but laughing instead therefore making us less convincing. this running, led me to the days when I was a kid. anytime i can get in touch with the child in me it's great, but to share it with someone else, it's priceless.

"we do not remember days....
we remember moments"
-- cesare pavese

Lissette, we are kindred spirits and it makes me happy that i sat in the last row in math class at college and that you sat next to me. we haven't stopped talking since :) (literally...haha ha j/k remember i did say 'we')

Friday, February 04, 2005

a boat leaves ripples



a boat leaves ripples when it passes by
some deep
     some high
           some beautiful
              some   w  i   d   e

people do the same

deep holes of memories where i crawl and hide
moments i felt so alive, never knew i could reach this high
beautiful face i will never forget
wide is the distance between you and i

and i turn around
and i stare as if in a trance

it's hard to look forward, i mean REALLY LOOK
when what i leave behind
is where i left my heart

what good is seeing when i feel blind?
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005


I love the sun's effect on this photograph. Posted by Hello

someone is having a romantic gondola ride here Posted by Hello

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Reading my Sunday

This past Sunday had in store for me some small surprises. Well, to be more specific, one surprise and many little signs.

My plan was to go see the film "Sideways". I somehow managed to get up early even though I had gone to sleep around 3am the night before. Running close on time, I power walked down State street after deciding that the bus wasn't anywhere in sight, because it wasn't. I guess I don't know what street it comes from but half way down the block the bus appeared and I saw it fly by, literally! Why are these buses so in a hurry to piss me off :) So now I'm thinking, should I take the subway or walk to the next bus stop.....hmmm....I decide on the bus.

Option #3 takes me to the theater s l o w ly, but a lovely surprise waits for me when I get off. Of course I'm not thinking that at the time, I'm thinking how did I manage to choose the slowest route? Why is there someone getting off on every single stop, did they ever hear of walking a block??? I'm crazy when it comes to movies; I like to get there at least 10 minutes before show time. Then I remembered that this place doesn't get packed and finally I decide to relax and listen to my music. I look out the window and watch the streets filled with afternoon shoppers and tourists walk by.

It's finally my stop and I'm behind an older man who of course is slow to walk down the steps. But remember I don't mind, I am no longer obsessing about time. Anyhow, no sooner than I take a few steps on the sidewalk, right before my eyes is a friend of mine that I had not seen for over a year! It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to take of my earphones before I was already in his arms. We made small talk since he had company and I had somewhere to go. It was a nice surprise. I'm sure that to someone watching from the bus, if they happen to follow me off, they might have thought it was someone I was expecting, just another scene of a girl meeting her boyfriend for an afternoon stroll. That's what they will think since the bus will pull away, our scene no longer in there sight. They won't see us go our separate ways. And I can't help but wish they were right, that I'm the type of girl who has someone out there waiting for me, waiting with a great big smile and a hug. This doesn't cross my mind at the time, instead I'm feeling good and I walk away thinking of how I could have missed this encounter had I gone any other route or time. I would have been minus a hug that day.

After the movie, I went for my gloria jeans drink. Anyone who knows me will find this strange...I actually went into the cafe and walked out without getting my gj chiller!!! This is my one addiction. It's so addicting to me and many, many other women that I have seriously considered doing a research paper on it, I'm not kidding. Anyhow, I skipped this drink since it looked like it had been sitting there since they opened shop with no refrigeration and it's a cold milk drink. The place was empty and when the girl asked for my order I did some quick thinking and mentioned that I better finish shopping before I consider walking around with this big drink. I felt bad since it looked like I was the only customer of the hour. I decided to go to starbucks instead.

On my way towards my caffeine high, I stopped at a photo exhibit. The series was on "Chicago: Three Views." It had pictures of the streets of Chicago that I really liked because they made corners, alleys, places often (or always) overlooked into places with their own unique beauty without stripping them of their rough, tough mysteriousness.

Back on track towards my coffee, this large bus stop ad catches my eye. It reads, "Paper beats rock but happiness beats paper." clever idea. Why is happiness hanging around with paper and rocks anyway? :)

I finally arrive at a Starbucks, by finally I mean 5 minutes later since we all know they are located at every other block. I asked for my 'grande vanilla 2% latte' (i feel so picky with such a specific drink) and I see this brochure by the register that reads, "The way I see it." I was going to grab it because I was curious but then I thought it was just a survey thing and I wasn't interested. I sat down with my coffee, enjoyed my drink and then I saw my coffee cup had the words, "The way I see it" on it as well and I thought okay since I was curious let me pull down the coffee sleeve which covers the rest of the message to see what it says and I found a quote!!! Wow, starbucks is writing inspiration on their coffee cups, I love the idea, especially since it was one from Mitch Albom's 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven.' I love that book. I meant to write down the quote but I threw away the cup before I had a chance. I was too busy inside my head. However I do remember the message and it said that if we want to live on long after we are death we can do so by spending time with our friends and family, having moments with them, it is in their hearts where we live on. It also said to practice random acts of kindness. I love finding quotes. You can never have enough inspiration and it's cool when you find it in unexpected places.

Heading towards the train that would bring me home, I saw the same ad again by the bus stop I had gotten on at the beginning of my day. I thought okay since this silly sign is following me all around maybe I should think of what it is trying to say to me. Than I remembered that in my h.s. senior retreat we were all given a rock to hold unto and keep close by to serve as a reminder of the theme of our retreat, that 'we are loveable.' Why a rock, I don't know, I'm sure there was some symbolism more profound but my memory isn't that good. Anyhow, it was nice to revisit that trip in my mind and it did make me feel good, especially when I'm walking all alone.

So in review I got a nice hug, inspiration from a film and photographs, a starbucks cup reminding me to be kind and the bus stop sign reminding me that I am worthy of love. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon :)

I love life's little signs and coincidences and I love that I can see them.

How sad is my world that such small things can mean so much.
How rich it is because it does.

a photo a day

I visit this website often. If you click on it today you'll see a pretty cool one.

http://www.aphotoaday.org/

a dimension of beauty

excerpt from: "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera

"Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us. We read its message as much as gypsies read the images made by coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup. Necessity knows no magic formulae - they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi's shoulders.

Our day-to-day life is bombarded with fortuities or, to be more precise, with accidental meetings of people and events we call coincidences. "Co-incidence" means that two events unexpectedly happen at the same time, they meet. Tomas appears in the hotel restaurant at the same time the radio is playing Beethoven. We do not even notice the great majority of such coincidences. If the seat Tomas occupied had been occupied instead by the local butcher, Tereza never would have noticed that the radio was playing Beethoven (though the meeting of Beethoven and the butcher would also have been an interesting coincidence). But her nascent love inflamed her sense of beauty, and she would never forget the music. Whenever she heard it, she would be touched. Everything going on around her at that moment would be haloed by the music and take on its beauty.

They are composed like music. Guided by his sense of beauty, an individual transforms a fortuitous occurence into a motif, which then assumes a permanent place in the composition of the individual's life. Anna could have chosen another day to take her life. But the motif of death and the railway station, unforgettably bound to the birth of love, enticed her in her hour of despair with its dark beauty. Without realizing it, the individual composes his life according to the laws of beauty even in times of distress.

It is wrong, then, to chide the novel for being fascinated by mysterious coincidences but it is right to chide the man for being blind to such coincidences in his daily life. For he thereby deprives his life of a dimension of beauty."