Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Just get it over with already

Today I stumbled upon the following two poems that I wrote almost two years ago. But, as with most all my poetry, I don't think I ever showed them to anyone. Actually that's not true, I showed them to one person, who also writes poetry. But, I've decided: who cares? If you don't like it, well then I don't like YOU! (not really, but sort of) Also, the passing of time since I wrote them makes me less resistant to share...

I give in to flattery
When I'm otherwise content,
Regretting usually
That I've let down my barriers
For someone I barely know.

Millennia live within me,
I see,
When natural thoughts have me revert
To primal necessity;
A simple statement
'I don't want kids'
Makes me wonder,
Why waste my time?

It frustrates me
Because I've worked so hard
To make callous this palate...
But I give in to flattery.

I wonder what I'm missing
And dually, what could be
If I just knew
A little bit more
About me.

-------------------------------

He shot a peace sign behind her back
To the woman sitting in front of me,
As they entered the building tall.

It makes me wonder
if he thinks he has no reflection,
In the window;
In me, sitting small.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Just a typical Friday night with the gals

C'mon ladies, you know where to find me tonight...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Saturday Night Gallery Outings

I went to two art galleries on Saturday night with Marissa & Karina. I had my camera on me so Marissa suggested I photoblog the outing. Looking at my pictures now, I realize what a novice I am since the majority of my photo snapping commenced in a gallery gift shop. But hey, there was some interesting stuff in there. Below are some highlights, but feel free to check out the rest of my photos here.

First was a Steve Gullick exhibit opening at Found Gallery in Silverlake. The subject of his pieces are primarily musicians, both onstage and off. I didn't get a single closeup of anything, but just to give you an idea of the space and his work...



Next we headed to the Black Maria Gallery in Atwater Village. There we viewed a 3D art exhibit, but not before playing in the gift shop:

(there was just too much eye candy on the walls to pass up)



The exhibit had a few different mediums of 3D, which I didn't know existed. There was also this amazing contraption:


And I just really loved these two numbers from the gift shop. So visceral & whimsical (respectively):


That's all. I hope to frequent more galleries with Marissa, since she's on that shit like white on rice. And Karina, you just make sure you're there too. Or else.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Just some thoughts (acting deep after a few glasses of wine)

Experiences of the past are such a blur to me. Certain movies, songs, or situations remind me of a past that has long since been forgotten. And in that brief association of circumstances, sometimes a memory is triggered. But by that point in your life it feels so far removed that it's almost like deja vu. It's so strange that large chunks of time are just lost like that. As you're watching a movie one night you are reminded of a situation from 4 years prior, and it almost feels like it never happened - you never would have remembered it if it weren't for the particularly accommodating circumstances that you happen to find yourself in at that moment. How is it, that it can almost feel like it never happened? How can it seem that far away? It's part of you and it's part of who you've become, so where did it go?

I've already established that my idea of heaven would be an existence in which a person could go anywhere in the universe, at any juncture, and just silently observe. Or take part, whatever floats your boat. Now, I am establishing (well, I guess it would be implied & encompassed by my prior postulation) that heaven should also be an existence in which you have a perfectly clear memory and understanding of all the occurrences in your life. Only, any shame, guilt, or regret of the negative experiences would cease to exist. It would just be pure understanding and perfect recollection of everything. God, do I hope that's the case.

There was a time, a few years back, when I was exploring the ancient ruins of Tikal, in present day Guatemala. I was wandering along the backside of an overgrown pyramid on a cliff-side, with jaguar/howler monkeys echoing in the background - screaming - a memory that in this point in my life is vivid, but almost in a dream sense. It was eerie and supernormal to anything I have experienced. And that was the first time that I verbalized, to the two people I was with, Allie & Kelly Anne, what my idea of heaven would be. I distinctly remember divulging these fascinations of mine to them, there in the Central American jungle and ancient Mayan ruins, as we marveled at the wonder of what the empire would have looked like back in its hay day. Quite the surreal experience, I tell you what.

And now, I divulge them to you, whoever may be reading. I hope they mean something.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

And This...

This is a random video that Lauren's bro showed me last night. If you love Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, you must watch:

Something Very Much Worth Watching

On Monday night I was introduced to the outrageously hilarious sketch comedy group, "The Whitest Kids U'Know." Jon had told me awhile back to check them out and I never got around to it. But on Monday night I found myself on Lauren's couch with her and her bros, watching, I kid you not, two straight hours of sketch after sketch. Every time one finished we couldn't get to the next one quickly enough. They are GREAT. Season 2 premieres Sunday, February 10, and you can buy Season 1 uncut and uncensored here.

Here are couple of the sketches that had me holding my stomach and trying to catch my breath (No! Because of laughter). But of course, there were so many great ones that you're really just going to have to watch them all for yourself at the Whitest Kids website or the IFC website (note the episode tabs above the embedded video). Oh, and you must have some sort of appreciation for potty humor in order to enjoy some of their sketches, so there's that.

This one is awesome, despite having a silly ending (the 'personal jinx' is my favorite part):



And then there's this one, for dorks like me (definitely watch through the very end):



This one too: watch through the very end



And for the older crowds:



And the best for last:



But, oh my god, how could I even narrow it down to four? You really must devote some free time to this show.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I Love Children (but only if they're related to me)

I babysat my crew of little ones of Sunday night so that my sis and bro-in-law could go see Juno. Apparently, because of the three kids, the last movie they actually got to see in the theatre was Little Miss Sunshine. I can't even remember when that movie was in theatres. Over a year ago maybe? Anyway, I love spending time with my nieces and nephew so I gladly offered up my Sunday.

As it turns out, Oliver is a major mama's boy and carried on in hysterics most of the time I was there. I suppose I can understand - he's barely 13 months old and rarely spends time away from my sis. But as a result, he's not in any of my newest batch of photos; the crying got to be a bit much so I stuffed him in a closet for a taste of the solitary life that he'll have to come to terms with at some point. I think he got the picture. He's a little more prepared now.

Celeste, Elise, and I watched Cinderella, which I was able to drag away from my precious collection of Disney movies for a night. I think it's fair to say that Cinderella was my favorite Disney movie when I was little. That is, before The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King were released (yes, I was nearly 11 years old when the Lion King came out, and I ain't scared to admit it! I will never grow out of my Disney movies). Oh, but I just remembered Peter Pan...

Anyway. Check out how concerned my nieces look with the movie they are watching. Whodduh thunk that Cinderella was so intense and anxiety ridden? They even created a fort with the couch pillows, to hide behind whenever things got sticky for Cinderella...



You can see my entire photo shoot with them here (although they're all pretty similar). I was having fun playing with the settings on my camera... apparently too much fun. When Celeste finally had enough she pried her eyes away from the TV for long enough look me in the eyes and say, "Steph, I don't want you to take anymore pictures." Well okay then, that was that. Yes ma'am!


By the way... I just linked you readers to my Flickr account. I've never done that before - it seems a little too personal. But most of my pics are on private now, so I went ahead with it. Does anyone else use Flickr? I'm new to it...

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Always a good time with this company

I really must share a conversation that my sister relayed to me earlier today, which took place between her and her 3 year old daughter, Elise. Elise in the one on the left in the picture/entry below.

danielle says: do you want to hear a conversation i had with elise earlier? or are you too busy?
Stephanie says: yes i want to hear, never too busy
danielle says: we were talking about family and babies and I said maybe some day mommy and daddy will have another baby...
danielle says: and elise says NO. and i said don't you want another sister or brother and she said "NO, it's not fair! I'm just getting the hang of this!"
and I said the hang of what?
and she said 3 kids
Stephanie says: hahahaha
danielle says: then she said i don't love you anymore, I only love daddy
Stephanie says: hahahahahahahahaha
danielle says: and I said why not?
and she said "you're not following my rule"
and I said what are your rules?
and she said "No more kids!"
daddy is my favorite
Stephanie says: lol
Stephanie says: oh wow. that's classic
danielle says: i especially loved the part when she says "I'm just getting the hang of this"
Stephanie says: it's funny that she's picked up a phrase like that
danielle says: anyway, she did let me know on her way in for a nap that maybe she would like another baby
Stephanie says: well that's sweet
danielle says: she is queen of these phrases. her other big one is "I can't handle this"
Stephanie says: lol
danielle says: and then i had to let her know that IF there is another baby it won't be for a long time
danielle says: well, she's a riot
Stephanie says: yes, i concur
Stephanie says: i intend to blog about this conversation later

...It was then that my sister asked me what a blog is. No joke. I sent her the link to my blog and she was quite pleased to see that much of it is devoted to her children. Throughout a good part of my explanation of what a blog is, she was convinced a blog is the same thing as MySpace, though I don't know for sure that she's ever even seen an actual MySpace page. Danielle, I hope you read this... so that it doesn't sound like I'm straight up making fun of you :-) because I loooove you!

Monday, January 7, 2008


THAT IS ALL.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

My writing could never do this story justice

I had an interesting celebrity look alike comparison on New Years Eve. But you know what? It's a funny story, so instead of cutting to the chase, I'll give you the full recap:

Josh, Red, Jo & I were waiting to be seated at El Coyote for dinner to kick off a night of festivities. What appeared to be an average, mild mannered, middle-aged woman passed us as she was leaving the bar area. Her actions and words, however, proved her to be otherwise. The kooky woman stopped as she passed us and and became unusually excited by our presence, as if she already knew us. "Hiii!" she cheered, "Happy New Year to you guys!!"

We smiled awkwardly and returned the good tidings.

"What do you all have planned tonight?" she continued. "Parties? Well that sounds just fantastic! I hope none of you are driving..." She was suddenly overcome with a stern expression as she looked us square in the eyes and pointed an index finger at each of us.

At this point we could all tell she was either a little mentally off-kilter or, more likely, drunk (although she wasn't slurring her words), so Red decided to have fun with it. "No, no," he chimed in, "we're flying, actually."

"FLYING!!?? How wonderful!! I can't believe this... did you know I'm a flight attendant!! I may be old and fat, but it's no lie!" A perma-grin and wide eyes were now plastered onto my face. She continued, "Which one of you is the pilot?"

Redirecting the attention of this unexpected reaction, Red informed the woman that Josh is our aerial master.

"And what airline do you fly for?"

"Oh, uhm, it's a private plane; I don't fly commercially," Josh rebounded.

"Weeeell!!! Isn't that something! Oh boy, when I was young I used to chase after guys like you..." And then, with a wink and more piss & vinegar than any of us expected, the woman snorted and roared a feline growl, fingers curling towards Josh and everything. In fact, it was more like a bull getting ready to plow through a red cape than a feline ready to pounce.

We all lost it. We laughed uncontrollably. She continued to ask us what airport we would be flying into. "John Wayne," was our matter-of-fact response. The woman wished us a Happy New Year again and danced her way on out of the restaurant. That encounter just might have made my New Years.

Now, for the interesting celebrity comparison. At one point during the conversation the woman turned to me and said, "Oh!! Well now you look just like Jennifer Garner!" What's so interesting about this comparison you ask? Well, did you happen to read this blog entry? Do I really look like Jennifer Garner? Or could this just be another uncanny dual identity reference in my life as a 'Jennifer'. It may be a stretch, but the possibility did cross my mind.