Wednesday, February 25, 2009

another night, another tea, another song

another night
another cup of tea
another photo
another song
(an-other old time favorite track
and now it sounds a little old)

now to click on Publish Futile Post



Monday, February 23, 2009

the 81st Oscars

It was inspiring to watch the 81st Oscars ceremony last night

It was a lovely reminder of the magic that is the film industry, sure there are mainstream cheesy films made in Hollywood, sadly the bulk of them, but amongst them true pieces of art show up now & then, pieces of images, words, sounds, and music that truly change our lives…

Even though, I haven’t seen Slumdog Millionare, I was thrilled to see that the film won the Oscar for the best film, and overall I was happy for Danny Boyle getting an Oscar for best director.



[An early Danny Boyle episode in my life]
It was many years ago, while I was still living in Mexico city, 1996 or 1997 I guess, that I watched his film Trainspotting for the 1st time… I was coming out from 2 weeks of sickness, being trapped on my mother’s home under her cares, with high fever and NO books, NO TV, NO music, I had one of those viral infections that affect you when you are a child, I think was Rubeola (Measles), but me, I guess having not many kids around while growing up, got it at age 28, affecting all my system. After about 2 weeks of letarghy, when one day, I finally felt better, my mom said, knowing how much both love cinema: there’s an international sample of films on the art theater really close… still weak, I accepted her invitation, I was avid to see some movement, to listen to music, to feel again alive!! … and to my surprise the movie in turn was, yes… Trainspotting, not the most cheering or adequate experience for someone recovering, but oh if the film has been since there stuck in my mind… one of the best/worst scenes of the film was when Ewan McGregor relapsed on his old Heroin habit, “just 1 fucking hit” he says, jumping the fence, looking for the obliged fix of the night… the overdose follows, and who else, if not Danny Boyle could’ve come with such surreal scene… Ewan McGregor sinking down in a rug, about to die, being drive to a hospital by fellow junkie, in an cab, all accompanied ironically by Lou Reed’s beautiful song, It’s a Perfect Day, ironic, surreal, and ultimately sad… that was the day I started to admire the wit of mister Danny Boyle.


the video of the scene... I need to visit the Mother Superior, for one hit, one more hit...



Now, if you want to read a great review of Slumdog Millionare
the movie that gave Danny his 1st Oscar
please refer to Id It Is blog’s
http://iditis.blogspot.com/2008/12/slumdog-millionaire-metaphor-for-india.html
He/she/it has a profound and wise voice when it comes to review stuff that matters…
I haven’t figured out who ID IT actually IS,
is he a woman?
or if she is a man?
… unimportant that is ‘cause regardless he/she/it is a complete human being who writes wonderfully!

Also I was thrilled to see mister Sean Penn winning his 2nd Oscar, for his acting in Milk, now this is a film I have seen, what a delightful acting, what a superb film on the life of this activist too. Do not miss it!! You will get inspired too.

And I respect very few Hollywood big actors, but I do respect mister Penn’s social activism, who doesn’t remember his open letter to impeach Bush?… my memories to admire Sean Penn’s acting go back in time as well, his performance and the prisoner in death road on Dead Man Walking captured my heart, I have been a truly admirer of his career since…
And what a great acceptance speech:

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” he said, “You commie-homo-loving sons of a gun…” Hilarious! He also congratulated American people for having elected President “an elegant man”… and here some other rather interesting words of his speech, defending gay rights:

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone."



Another great feature of the Oscars this year, was the main nominees were introduced and greeted each and everyone by a former Oscar winner fellow, it was truly a parade of Oscar winning stars!

Ah, even if they were just the Oscars, and they are rather commercial, it was nice to enjoy the magic and wonder that are films and their stars…

Can’t wait to watch Slumdog Millionaire!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

the Prohibition era

a gray dull Sunday morning in San Diego
dealing here with my own prohibition era

after countless efforts to eradicate migraines
i've decided to follow the endless list prohibitions of
allopaths, and homeopaths,
of nutritionists, gynecologists, and neurologists,
acupuncturists, and chiropractors
warlocks, and even fortune tellers

i am stripped down to nothing...
cutting almost every substance of my diet
that could actually bring me some pleasure

no caffeine
no black nor green tea
no aged cheeses
no red (or any color for that matter) wine
no beer
no colored sodas or drinks
no condiments
no sugar
no salt
no vasoconstrictors
no vasodilators
no hyperventilation
no hypo-zest
no uppers
no downers
no giggles...
and all mostly sounds to me like
NO fun

so what's left of myself?
i am self-confessed smiling lazy hedonist
but my almost 40 years of indulgence
seem to be paying back
with excruciating headaches

and on this dull morning
it seems that all that is left
is to follow the rules of the good humans
of those who are good with rules and hard-working
and don't like to abuse substances or
anything for that matter
back to the world of light
to the world of the clean decent humans
who keep all their lives and pictures
and memories in well-classified little boxes
and that's not me!!
i get high on my little states of mind
i am an obsessive, unordered woman and highly addicted
to coffee, and teas, and to food, oh food!
and all that could bring instant pleasure to my life
hard-work? that's for people who enjoys it and i
mostly don't...

but here today
guess growing afraid of pain
i am controlling my old self
typing instead of inhaling
drawing timid smiles instead
of open laughs

guess, i can still keep two
of my oldest vices
the music, and to photograph

and well, los libros, the books
the words of brilliant authors
that even before the lust of pleasures
have enlighten my little soul

guess, i will have to comfort myself with that
and those

guess one day,
i had to clean-up my act
picking up the mess around...

now smile!
you are in my camera
and if you don't smile
you might get sick and prohibited as well
of this pleasures of life

Friday, February 20, 2009

Greenpeace

today was a good day
today i became member of Greenpeace



of course it would've been much more interesting
and rather defiant of me
to have done it about 20 years ago
when the pro-environmental fighting was a real physical fight
and not a logged-in entry over the internet

oh! nowadays it is so easy to be a 'revolutionary' and a 'fighter'!
it just takes a lousy donation and to sign a couple of online petitions
one can be conveniently seated over one's own overweight ass
typing comfortably eating snacks while
stopping the cruelty and disdain with which we treat this beautiful planet, the amazing animals who inhabit it,
and ultimately our-stupid-selves

of course i'd love to be fighting right now the cold coasts of Alaska
in spite of this cold and cough
stopping US nuclear tests on a drafty boat
as the initials heroes did back on the early 70's

but oh well, one does what one's drive is capable of,
which is not much...

if you are interested and have a light or a heavy ass
and enjoy feeling like a hero and think you are defending
your ideas just 'cause you type a bunch of nonsense in a blog
much like me, then
you can enroll and donate money too!! and ideas, and signatures,
just click the link below
Greenpeace.com
and if by any chance you are less lazy than that
then you can actually volunteer your time and real efforts and
go physically to places where you are required and 'fight',
this beautiful planet that actually feeds you with
precious oxygen about 20,000 times per day
might just thank you back, by feeding you and letting you
still breath...

[my very short-term goals as a Greenpeace member
are to start eco-terrorizing my stupid neighbors
who cannot seem to stop littering around here
rather constructive attitude inspired by
Twilly Spree, a character on Carl Hiaasen's Sick Puppy
]

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Life: fragile, handle with care

It’s been a while since I write here
Life’s been throwing me moods that keep
My head aloof
My heart cold
My hands uncreative
My fingers reluctant to type

My father died this past January
A couple of days later than my fish

And somehow I don’t complain or suffer much anymore
I just hold stronger each day my warm cup of coffee
as I face another morning
Since I’ve been learning lately
that this morning could be my last

Life’s beauty reflects in its fragility
So every morning that I still breathe alive
I am thankful for another day
For the hot coffee
The warm words
And for these 2 stray cats that circa October 2008
Have been visiting the outside of my porch
And sleeping in my laundry room

The presence of the cats
And the attention they require
To be fed, to be warmed during cold rainy days, etc.
Has been keeping me busy from my own lost
train of thought
the busyness at work keeps me off thinking for 8 eights
mindless distraction but a productive one too
and when i come home, having to take care of live animals
brings out the soulful behaviors that core our hearts
compassion and respect for a fellow living creature
are best practices for one's soul, and even without trying
i cannot pretend to not care... is in my nosey nature
to get involved... with plants, animals, and people
sure! why not?
Ich bin neugierig! ja...


cats waiting at my little porch where there are plenty of birds,
hummingbirds... they know eventually i'll give them food,
pets, and their other plenty of catish demands


Life, again, beautiful
Life, again, fragile
These 2 furry creatures so dependable
On this unknown Mexican
To feed them, to cover them
And to share a pet or a smile

and today...
Good day is today!
when i finally come out of my web-shell
To share some of my stubborn words
some bad pictures, and awry notes
With my dear friends online

Hope I can keep this little blog alive
After all, one day, it might be
All, I left behind, along with your comments
and some online virtual smiles


this lovely handsome 'Blond Cat' as i call him
sort of 'felt' from the house next door
he kept on escaping from the 2nd floor window
my neighbor and myself (we take care of him)
agree that he just wasn't happy at his old home
it seem that two older boys used to play 'rough' with him
and he's better off living in the streets, or my porch
and our laundry room for that matter, he's about 2 years old
and he's one large cat!


hanging out by the electric meters is one of his favorite hobbies


the Blond Cat is very fond of heights
he rests on top of the back gate and climbs on roofs
more now than then...



hanging out at the back gate, she's really afraid of my
DSLR camera lens, as it shows here
i have to photographer with the little Canon



and she is the 'black and white kitty'
the veterinary said she's about 9 months old
she arrived to our house complex about 3 months ago
i think she escaped from a home too, since she is spayed
she and Blond Cat don't get along very well, they fight a lot
but they do sleep together in the same laundry room
and fight over who comes first for a couple of minutes into my home


[a personal note on Cats:]
I cannot adopt these cats fully
I am allergic to cats, dogs, dust, etc.
that's why I had a fish on the 1st place
the Blond Cat sleeps many times with my neighbor next door
and the black and white kitty feels the laundry room as her home
they both come in & out of my house for short periods of time
I am not sure what will be of them, but as long as I live there
I will feed them and take care of them, maybe I will find
a home for the b&w kitty and Blond Cat will stay permanently
with my neighbor... in the meantime, they keep me entertained
and away from wondering too much over life or useless thoughts
and in exchange I try to keep them fed, healthy, and warm...
sometimes people ask me why I don't name them, and I guess
it's 'cause I hope they'll find a home permanently somewhere else
maybe with a new neighbor around here... and also 'cause I didn't
really brought them here, they arrived by themselves, so they belong
to me as much as I belong to them, I imagine they call me "the crazy
mexican lady who gives us food"
and I call them the 'Blond Cat' and 'the black and white kitty'...
and we sure understand us fine! [a blink of the eye]


also sharing this our space we have the frequent
and recurrent visit of

1. these family of birds, or what i call
"kitty TV premium cable"
i've been feeding this family of birds
who live on a big bush of the house next door
for months now
every morning i place seeds, the birds come to eat
the cats have a great entertainment
they chuckle and make that noise cats make when they see birds



[also, i placed a long ago a hummingbird feeder
so hummingbirds come around here a lot
i have learned not to try to photograph them
they whoosh when they see my camera or lens
i just contemplate them and let them eat in peace...
]

2. skunks, yes! a real-life Pepé Le Pew!!
i have seen this big one below for a couple of nights
my neighbor says he saw 2 of them fitting outside my door
they don't spray very often, but when they do
my porch and house stink really strong of a couple of hours
they seem like nice fellows to me, and they have never tried
to attack me, they come out very late at night and i just stay
inside my 'safe' screen door and stare...


bad quality photo, but i didn't want to get too close
to mister Le Pew and stink for a while...

3. possums, like this one below
who lived for a couple of nights
in my storage room, during the day he would sleep in the red bucket
and at nights we wondered around the patio
and fed on the cat's dry food at the laundry room
i have stopped the free-feeding though, the cats started
to show bites and sores, and there were fights almost every night
with possums or foreign cats...



San Diego has more wildlife in the city than
one could think... it is the canyons inside the city
but since I grew up in Mexico city, big buildings
an apartment girl with a small white indoors dog
so now I rather enjoy now this
'wilder' life, although it's a lot of work and concern
to try to keep up with outdoor 1/2 time pets...