THE PAINTED PONY

Day 8

2010-01-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year :D

Well my trip has moved from San Francisco to Sacramento where more of my family reside. Lots of laughter here, staying in the house, cooking, entertaining eachother. My Aunt is the most incredible cook, and she prepares very healthful and delicious food. You actually can see her blog with recipes if you click here: easy2bthin.

My Uncle bought a karaoke set, we we had a karaokathon until midnight. Here's a sample of my dad/uncle/cousin.

At one point, my grandfather came to visit, bringing fresh eggs in his fedora hat. He said something really striking to us all at the table, thought you might like to see this too:

Here's a highlight of my trip:

DAY 7

2009-12-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Morning!

Well My Parents moved on to their next destination (my house in San Francisco) and I got to have a Parent slumber party along with my roommate & his brother. We trekked around San Francisco and got to visit our favorite places It's always interesting to figure out "what would my dad like" which is usually completely different from what my mom and I would like, although in this case we could find some common ground: exotic car dealership. Dad and I posed in front of some Porsches to imagine that they were our own :)

If you haven't discovered Korean Barbecue yet, let me introduce you. You, I'm pleased to introduce you to the MASTERS OF MEAT. They have these carefully crafted marinades that just really work and they cook meat in a way that makes you feel proud and lucky to be a carnivore. Along side any meat that you may order, they will give you a myriad of small side dishes which are a combo of pickled veggies or tiny dried fishes or other marinated items, that taste AMAZING when you eat them with your food.

In Addition to the korean restaurant, my Mom and I found this store that you must visit called "Daiso" which is between SF and Daly City. It's basically a Japanese Dollar store. I will leave the discovering to you. You will thank me.

Succulent Plants by the way are supposedly very easy to manage and survive in many different climates and don't need alot of sun or water. My grandmother is an incredible gardener and has this way of making her patio seem like a magical, well kept wonderland. We took some clippings from her succulent plants (which just means cutting off some healthy shoots from the main plant) and putting them into some soil. They looked kind of sad and floppy at first, but they actually grow a root structure extremely quickly. It's been two days since we planted them, and they are starting to look strong and are beginning to grow upwards. Its really a miracle.

To top it off, my roommate was gifted a Limited Edition Beatles Rockband game for the Wii which is probably one of the most fun things you can do with a group of people. I'm having a really excellent time over this holiday and really truly value my family time. I know it's a common realization, but as I've been getting older I've really started to become aware of how fragile life is and how our family really is so precious.

Day 6 Norman Rockwellesque Vacation

2009-12-28T07:12:00.001-08:00

Good Morning :D

Here was my lovely trip to Carmel (One of the most beautiful places to live)

We met up at my grandmother's house who I have been visiting since I was a wee lass. Carmel is one of those nostalgic places for me, the smells, the little streets, the beach. This is one of the only west coast beaches where you can bring a dog-unleashed, so the beach is always filled with happy pups playing around with each other and their fastidious owners tailing behind with plastic doggie bags.

My family is really excellent. I'm so grateful that they are in my life. I think we've all gone through alot of changing together and working our quirks out, so it's actually really fun and filling to be with eachother. We don't really plan any events, so we just sit around talking, laughing, cooking, eating.

My Grandmother Dop (the unique named coined by me when I was a toddler) makes THE BEST pancakes. Thin and fragile, buttermilky/crepe-ish. They are paired perfectly with butter and her seasonal home-made jam. This time she made a jam out of a fruit I wasn't aware of called a "pluot" which is an Aprico-Plum hybrid. So the jam was ruby apricot colored and tasted like a richer version of apricot with hidden basetones. I grew up with this every time we visit grandma and I love that i can be an adult and still come back to it. It's good every time.

The homes and such are my grandmother's neighboring houses. The town really is filled with incredible custom storybook homes on teeny tiny lots. You should go there just to take a long walk and get home inspiration.

I hope you had a really joyful holiday, whoever you may be.

DAY 5

2009-12-25T07:10:00.001-08:00

Mornin' - Most of you are opening presents right now :D Have a nice time!

I'm on my way to Carmel today to spend some quality time with Family.. Carmel is one of the most beautiful spots on earth by the way, so I'll try to include you on that, as well as some funny dog pictures hopefully. I think one of my favorite pass-times growing up was dressing up animals and my brother.

Here's my finished painting from last night.. I'll be posting a time lapse video of my process shortly (though I need better lighting in the future).. I've only got one electrical outlet in my studio, so things can get a little tricky.

Day 4 Model Label & Letterpress Books

2009-12-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Wakie Wakie Eggs & Bac-ie!

Here's the label for the boxes that I'm packaging the cervixes in - thought it turned out really well:

Also I got to go work in the studio today downtown.. I love this studio, it's filled with old printmaking equiment and huge windows that let in tons of sunlight, overlooking South San Francisco. I went there because they have huge cutting tables for this project I finally have time to work on. It's a letterpressed book called "it's Nice to be Nice" - filled with little memories I have of things my Grandfather used to tell my mom and she used to tell me. Ways to be courteous to other people and to just be "nice" for lack of a better adjective.

I'll show you the finished books soon, the printing for this was the most fun part - My mom came to visit and we were in the studio together working on the press. She was my supreme helper, we got it down to such a rhythm. This little book is infused with good memories and feelings :) Below are some pics of the studio as well as me cutting/folding the pages for my book.

Day 3

2009-12-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

ehhhhh. I'm awake. Feels like pulling a bandaid. Gotta hop out of bed quick.

But here, for your enjoyment:

MEDICAL MODEL PART II

2009-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

Finally I finished these Cervix Medical Models. This was a really long process! It took a very long time to figure out exactly what materials I needed to use for the model itself so that it can be clamped and sewn into like real flesh.. and still be transparent enough to see into the pink "core" area..

The awesome part has been creating the stand for it, which you saw in my previous medical model post. In one of the pictures you see liquid silicone being poured into a mold that I made.. It takes about 1 day for it to "cure" and become its mature, bendy silicone self.

For you DIYers, I figured out how to make custom plastic packaging using sandwich bags and a woodburning kit. There's a picture of it below - but the trick is to pick out a woodburning tip that is somewhat rounded yet pointy (not too sharp) There needs to be enough surface area in contact with the sheets of plastic so that they melt together instead of just being cut. The next important part is that the two pieces of plastic are TOUCHING eachother.. If there is any air between the plastic sheets, it won't melt together, it will just cut. I used a metal chopstick to hold the sheets in place, and I ended up making pretty cool packages for my silicone models (which I wanted to keep very clean in transit). Hope you like! - I'm super proud

Day 2

2009-12-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Gah. I'm awake. It burns.

Here's the new addition from last night though. I added the beginnings of her skin tone. I see that my lighting needs to be fixed in places all around. I don't know if there's an actual term for this, but there's this point you can get to with oil paint where the painting can't take any more white paint. For instance, the paint was so thick and wet last night that I couldn't make a proper highlight on her shoulder any more, if I try to blend the white, it just gets absorbed into the base color. If I decided to blend green into the skin or something, it would have blended just fine. I just need to wait until it dries a little - its so hot in my room it should be ready only after a few hours.

DAILY INSPIRATION Day 1

2009-12-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

Herbert Baglione - Street Artist. I love how he uses black, white and gold.

TODAY'S CREATION day 1

2009-12-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is my current project. It’s about 2.5' x 4' in size.. This has gone through a full spectrum of steps, which is actually quite helpful. This was originally a sketch of mine which I created one morning at a self -improvement seminar. I scanned it and brought it into Photoshop where I used my wacom tablet to choose my colors and create a digital painting. This was a great way to figure out my values & hues – which makes creating my final painting so much easier – I don’t have any guesswork, I just have to copy what I’ve already done. I scored an old-school overhead projector (which needs transparacy sheets). I traced my original sketch and projected it onto my hardboard canvas (prepped with clear gesso). I really love hardboard because I can get some very fine gradients and detailed lines that I just can’t replicate with a textured surface like canvas. I’ll keep you posted.

WHY SAY NO?

2009-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

I created this piece on the letterpress based on a quote that my friend Eli says “why say no when you can say yes” –Briefly after I learned of this quote, I watched the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey and was inspired to create this poster.

It says “Why say no When you can say yes? Life is so much fun when you say yes.” The characters are created on one big lineoleum block that I carved into. I pressed it using a letterpress, then created the type afterwards using wooden block type. I was actually really limited to that particlar typeface.. All the other faces didn’t have enough letters in the size that I needed, but I think it turned out alright anyways.

Recently I got to show it at a small gallery space in San Francisco along with other students/artists in the “bookarts” category. There were some absolutely incredible pieces there, books are a beautiful way to use art to tell a story – artist books don’t necessarily need to be coherent, but they definitely should be captivating.

MURAL FOR MY BROTHER

2009-12-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

My brother recently moved into a house with his roommate. I received the great invitation to be their commissioned muralist. “Paint on any wall you want! Paint whatever you want!” I find that when requested to do just “anything” I tend to resort to familiar concepts from my past. In this case, it was a tribute to Arizona where my brother and I did a lot of our growing up.

I’ve included the process from my thumbnail to completion. I actually finished it in one sitting lasting 6 hours -which is pretty quick for a large scale painting, strangely it looks so much like a part of the house that many people don’t notice it when they walk in. I’m excited to use the space and be a little more adventurous with my next mural there.

Misty mountains repeating into the distance has always been an image that moves me. The differences in color created by the thickness and amount of atmosphere in between the viewer and the mountain. I looked up pictures of cactus flowers on my phone while I was there, creating those on the fly.

Commitment to waking up early

2009-12-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

I’m learning that happiness comes from being in action and being in motion. I’d say the hardest part about being a freelancer is being your own generator of this feeling of motion. It’s very difficult actually to be creative when there is too much time. I hear this assumption many times-“hey I’m sure painting is a great way to get out your frustrations and to zone out into your own little world, free from worry” – This for me couldn’t be further from the truth. I find that in order to paint, I must be in a very good emotional state. Painting/designing for me comes when I am happy or when I’ve experienced something fascinating or particularly beautiful to me - perhaps that shows in my artwork. It is not a release, but more of a manifestation of my present state.

What’s the point?

As of Today I’m officially on a “semester break” from teaching. Which means I have 1 month to fill without a fixed schedule. In the past, its been a little bit of a personal prison (sleeping in.. becoming "lazy.") The feeling of motion greatly comes from the amount of work I’m doing, and I believe I can use this blog as a way to create an expectation of myself for the amount of work I’m going to get done.

Here’s my Daily proposal to myself:

Wake up at 7 on week days (Write a small post to prove it)

Show something creative I’ve worked on for that day.

Show something Inspiring that I have discovered.

Although I don’t know if anyone reads my posts, I feel like the act of publishing my actions will create the right kind of structure that I need in order to push myself and continue the rolling ball of creativity and contentment. By the way, if you’ve got suggestions, let’s hear them! :D Note to self: This outline of action begins NOW.

BAZAAR BIZARRE

2009-12-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

What's it like to take a walk through the inside of Etsy? A friend informed me about this event the day it was happening.. Thought it would be a good place to take a visiting mom and brother in Golden Gate Park. I love how big cities can turn the ordinary into the remarkable - such as this seemingly ordinary Craft Fair with a DJ playing triphop & electronica and featuring inspiring crafts from up and coming artists -many of whom are also etsy sellers consequently. The Space was quite large with a bigger turnout than I would expect for a craft show. There are alot of clever artists out there! Here are some examples of my favorites from the show, I'm a sucker for letterpress and typography. Thanks Karen for the heads up!

Also check out my new friend Willo's site (who was a vendor at this event) - for her most excellent merchandise: Willo Toons

Medical Model Work

2009-11-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share an interesting project for a client that I've been working on. It started with some medical illustrations of a surgical procedure. Now I'm working on a silicone model of that illustration, and I'm going to show you some of the work I've been doing to make the stands.

The pink Acrylic rod was cut to become the "core" piece that will sit inside of the sylicone model that I'll show you in a future post.

Use a tubing bender to bend the aluminum at a 90 degree angle.

Drilled a hole into some 3/4" acrylic and placed the alluminum rod into it. The plastic heats up when you drill it, so when I put the alluminum piece into it, as the materials cooled, they shrunk around eachother creating a pretty tight bond.

Vaccination Education

2009-08-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Educate yourself about vaccinations, it's very relevant to this time and all times:
Vaccines and What's in them
Ingredient List for Swine Flue vaccine

New Oils

2009-04-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a large format oil on panel interpretation of an old watercolor I did back in Germany last year.

And a wee little oil on panel, she's the gardening goddess.

2009-04-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've been letterpressing my little heart out. I feel so lucky to live in a city where I have all of these fabulous resources (like letterpress classes) so readily available. Here's some things I've been doing: There's more coming soon :D

Its Nice to Be Nice

2009-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

There's a wonderful cultural movement happening right now, and if your senses are keen enough, you can pick up on it and notice the small wonders people will present to you. When times become hard or stretched, the acts of human kindness become prevalent. You'll notice that people will go out of their way to make small good deeds for others.

Here's an article by my wonderful Mother who is a practitioner and master of good deeds:

It's NICE to be NICE

I’m amazed at how quickly this year is flying by. It’s already spring and summer is just around the bend, and then it will be fall -- you get the picture. I’m always learning so much about health and wellness; I have to tell you that it all starts with your state of mind. So I just wanted to share my thoughts and observations. Who knows, maybe it will help bring about a new perspective.

The news and media: I can hardly watch it; it’s bleak, and depressing. They keep ramming home “these troubled times.” Advertisements: they are doing a great job constantly talking about how horrible everything is for everyone. You would think this is the worst time the world has ever seen. It’s not! My god! Are we, as a society, incredibly spoiled? Stop listening to the media. I mean really. I know that we are in a significant and temporary down turn. Has this happened before? Yes. Will this happen again? Yes. Is it a natural occurrence? Yes. Just like the push and pull of the tides. Do the media companies want to sell papers and generate news? Yes. Do you want to be a pawn in their game? Hmmm, this is up to each and every one of us individually and as a team. I guess what I’m trying to say is, throughout history there have been some really bad events and we have pivoted out of them.

So let’s start to keep our chins up, and look on the bright side. For example, I have been observing, quite by accident, people being nice to each other with random acts of kindness. It warms my heart. They are always small acts but they generate so much positive energy. They bring joy to the people giving and receiving as well as to any witnesses.

I was in line at the 99 Cent Store and the first person in line was purchasing an item that cost $1.99. The cashier said, “I’m sorry but the minimum purchase with an ATM Card is $5.00.” The customer said, “But this is all I want.” The woman behind him had about 8 items and she said, “I’ll buy that for you, sir.” The two of them went back and forth… oh my goodness, how kind, no problem, yada, yada. The third person in line had 2 items and she was so touched by the second woman’s generosity she said, “Excuse me, I’d like to buy all of the items please.” Everyone in the store started clapping. It filled us all with such joy to witness this small act of generosity. We are still talking about it.

Since that day I decided to open my eyes and see if people are being “nice” -- and do you know what I found? They are. It’s everywhere in the smallest ways. Someone says, “Would you like to get in front of me in line, you only have a few items,” or “You look like you’re in a hurry.” Someone stumbles and falls and people stop and help, with genuine concern. I could go on and on.

You would think that with all of this economic nastiness, people would be more uptight and uncaring in their own little worlds. I am saying that it’s just not the case, if we will only look. Let’s start looking for the kindness in strangers. Not only that, let’s start being kind. My Father’s favorite saying since I was a little girl is, “It’s nice to be nice.”

We have to change this world energetically and what better way to do it than by one kindness at a time. So, let’s follow Dad’s example; he’ll be happy that I told you. What do you know, that’s one more happy person out there. You see it’s already working!

Chine Collé!

2008-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Chine Collé means "chinese collage" and it's a process of running a collage over your printingmaking paper on the press. I'm having alot of fun with it. Here's some examples:

Nostalgic print

2008-11-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here's an update to an older etching of mine. I added shading with aquatint.

Etching: Japanese Paint

2008-10-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is an etching I have made from a drawing I created this year. To me she represents the graceful ideal of femininity as well as the thought of "creating who you are" - because of the way she's painting herself. She is hand- watercolored. You can buy my artwork at my ETSY STORE

New Etching: Girl with Tea

2008-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

This is an etching I have made from a drawing I created this year. She is so beautiful and peaceful, I find her to be an inspiration of femininity and charm. She is hand- watercolored.

This is a pure zinc plate, etched by acid, over a hard ground resist.
Here's some of the process:
After the plate is made (which i'll explain in another post one day)

I spread ink over the surface and use a combination of starched cheesecloth and newsprint to wipe all the ink away from the "un-etched" areas.

I then carefully place the pl registering it on the bed rulers. ate on the press,Then goes the paper which has been soaked in water, then on top of that lay the thick press blankets, then I turn the wheel and watch what comes out the other side!

Its a wonderful process because everything is so tactile - a wonderful change from creating art on a computer. The print you're seeing is hand watercolored, and I do have 25 of those for sale, as well as 200 plain black & white ones (which is a very classic look) If you want to buy, visit my ETSY STORE

LAYERS TUTORIAL

2008-10-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

This tutorial will demonstrate how to add a sun or object behind the white mission building. This is a good lesson in how to make proper selections by using various selection tools, including the illustrious quick mask mode. You will also see the benefit and practicality of using layers.

Original Image: (You can click on it and save this image if you would like to work with me)

Step One, Making an initial selection:

What I would like is to have a sun shining behind my building. The best way to do this is put the building on a new layer of its own, so that I can

place a sun right behind it and move it around if I would like. It might be faster to select this sky in this picture because the sky has a relatively uniform, solid blue color - a perfect reason to use the Magic Wand Tool.

Select the Magic Wand Tool by choosing it on the toolbox, or simply press "W" on your keyboard.

If you click on the blue of the sky, you will notice that it didn't do a perfect job of selecting the sky, the reason is because there is most likely a checkbox at the top called "contiguous" that is currently checked. This is telling photoshop that you only want to select pixels that are touching eachother.

After you UNCHECK CONTIGUOUS, when you click on the sky, you are telling photoshop that you would like to select that blue color all over your image whether the pixels are directly touching each other or not.

If you click on the sky now, it is able to select the areas in the bell windows, as well as to the lower right where the tree branches are. Your selection should now look like mine:

Step Two, Refining Selection with Quick mask:

Quick mask is another way to make selections.

It's more creative and intuitive you just need to know how it works and it might become your favorite way to select.

First of all, I'll show you what happens when I click the quickmask button. It looks like this on your toolbar:

When you activate quick mask mode (either by pressing on the quickmask button shown above or pressing "Q" on your keyboard) photoshop takes your current active selection and turns it red. Your screen should look like mine: If it does not, read further.

If your building is red and not the sky, it's because of a simple setting that you can change. To change the setting: Double click on the quick mask button. You will get the following dialog box. Make sure that Color Indicates "selected areas" and NOT "masked areas."

You will have to click on the quick mask button again after changing this setting to get into that red mode. Just for fun, click the quick mask button on and off just to see that the red area will become your selected area. Now comes the fun part, you can add to and subtract from the red areas NOT WITH THE ERASER, but with a regular paintbrush and some Black & White paint. Wherever you paint black, it will add to your selection - therefore appearing like you are painting more red. Wherever you paint white - what do you think will happen? -It will take away from your selection!

Now let's refine our red areas, select the brush tool ("B" on your keyboard) and start painting with white over the areas we don't want selected (like on the bell tower on my image)

I'm now going to further refine my selection around the tree branches, using small brushes to really get it perfect.

Ok, now that i've refined my selection, it's time to get out of quickmask mode. Simply press Q on your keyboard, and watch what a beautiful selection you have.

Now here's the catch: In order to put a sun Behind the building I need to make a copy of the building and paste it on a new layer. What's the deal - We've pretty much selected everything but the building! That's ok, it's so simple. we simply need to invert our selection, and you access it up in the Selection menu:

Now your selection should look like mine:

Step Three, Duplicating the pixels within your selection

I want to duplicate the building and put it on it's own layer Above the background layer. Why? Because we're going to put another layer sandwiched between those layers and put a little happy sunshine on it, that's why.

How do you do this? Well, make sure the background layer is active (by clicking on the word "background layer" on the layers pallet and pressing "Command J" on your keyboard. Your layers pallet should now look like mine, but nothing will look different about your image.

Step Four, Creating the sun on a new layer:

Click on your background layer to make it active (the layer on the pallet should be highlighted in blue) and click on the New Layer button (down at the bottom of the pallet next to the trash can) You should have a brand new layer called "layer 2" with nothing on it. (If it is not sandwiched between the two existing layers, you can drag it down in the hierarchy of the layers on the pallet itself)

Now with your middle layer active, time to make your sun. Just use the elliptical marquee tool, changing its feather to "10 px" drag a perfect circle by holding down Shift while you drag, fill the selection with your color. Now the magic is that you can then choose your move tool (by pressing "V" on your keyboard) and you can move the sun around to anywhere you like.

That's it! I should let you know that while you're editing in quick mask mode, feel free to lower the opacity of your brush... When you change it into a selection, it will retain the transparent quality that you used when you painted!

- If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to comment.

TYPECAMP

2008-08-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Typecamp = happy fun time.

To recap - There were 15 graphic designers who came from all around the world. We had three instructors who each specialized in typography in their own delightful ways.
The lodge we stayed at - Bodega Ridge Resort was absolutely beautiful. It's like what the Russian River wished it could be. The island was silent. Nothing but trees, and the sounds of my own footsteps. I highly recommend visiting if you ever have that need to "get away from it all." - because you really are away from everything, except yourself that is.

Each day we would talk about design in a little lodge setting. We would pick apart why certain designs were better than others - in newspapers & magazines. Our instructors were definitely knowledgeable. I really enjoyed spending time with all of the people who came, everyone came from a different background, but I believe we all were so similar in the ways that we process information and enjoy the visual in this world.

With the summer camp-like setting I noticed that many of us felt free enough to express ourselves like children. Going back to boys vs. girls and hiding from eachother in the dark. The wonderful thing about the island is the darkness. You can see all the stars at night and some how, every day's temperature was so perfect, I did not even realize I was outside - almost like in a star trek halodeck. Galiano is definitely a place I would create if I ever get the chance to be in a halo deck. :) Here's some nice pictures of typecamp:

TYPECAMP

2008-08-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm off on another well deserved adventure.. I'll be going to Galiano Island right off the coast of Vancouver Island in Canada. To do what you ask? I'll be getting together with about 15 other odd-ball designers from around the world to sit there in a summer camp setting, talking about typography!

I would say typography is the science of choosing which typefaces (fonts) to use in particular circumstances to convey a message as effectively as possible. Fonts can even evoke emotions!

Here's the Link - I can't wait to upload my pictures from Vancouver and Typecamp, here we go, I leave the house at 5am tomorrow morning. www.typecamp.org

Yay!

Extreme Moisture

2008-07-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes..the essence of moisture

Brilliant Advice

2008-07-24T12:32:00.001-07:00

I have a ritual when I paint: I listen to podcasts and self-help tapes.. There's an internet radio show in particular that has helped me immensely with the practical day-to-day activities in my life that sometimes seem overwhelming or un-solvable. I highly recommend listening to Amania Jacobs and Vega Rozenberg as they are some of the wisest people that you will ever hear.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page so you can pick the archived show of your choice.

www.achieveradio.com/universal-affluence

Pony

2008-07-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a finished oil rendition of an old watercolor I did in Europe (You can find the original in some old posts)

New Cupcake Addition

2008-07-23T00:19:00.001-07:00

Well I'm running on this cupcake tangent - it's quite enjoyable...

Golf

2008-07-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, sometimes I do get outside. :)

Girls with power tools

2008-07-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Well I'm full throttle into gardening now... I've officially built my own compost container. I made all the calculations for how much wood I would need, went down to Home Depot and bought the lumber & screws and when I got home, I was a handy girl. Used that cordless power drill i recieved from my parents on some distant birthday and went to town.

So something I learned about composting is that there are 2 kinds of materials you can use for composting: Greens & Browns..
Greens: Any organic "wet" materials (like the scraps you collect from the kitchen)
Browns: Dried, fibrous materials (like dead leaves, papers, dried grass, hay)

When you are filling the composting bin, it is important to use the greens and browns as alternating layers - otherwise the wets will decompose too quickly and the dries will never really decompose at all. -Pretty cool eh?

Square Foot Gardening

2008-06-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

I came to the community garden on Sunday and found the most incredible surprise. There, for me on my little plot of land was a special frame with partitions created just for me and my square foot garden! I would like to thank Chris and Jonathan for all of the work that you put into it, it truly makes me happy.
I filled the frame with my special soil mix and planted in each square foot - what did I plant?
Ichiban Eggplant
Japanese Cucumber
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Bell pepper
heirloom cherry tomato
heirloom carrots
Basil
Strawberries
Japanese Baby Corn
Bok Choy
Chinese Lantern
Sweet Peas
Vanilla sunflowers
WHite cosmos
Romain Lettuce

We will see what comes about, but it's official, my garden has begun! It feels extremely good to turn the mind off and play in the dirt, helping little seeds grow.

Cupcake Pickle

2008-06-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here's my newest addition to the family:

Raw Milk

2008-06-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

I did something cool today - I went to the State capital in Sacramento and helped to fight pass a bill to keep raw milk on the shelves in California - and we won! It was wonderful really to watch the legislative process happen - to watch a representative propose the bill and have witnesses argue for and against it. What a tense moment for people who's businesses are affected by the passing of a bill. I felt a huge sense of purpose and camaraderie when we heard the votes happen before our eyes.

If you were not aware of the benefits of Raw milk, I would love to share with you the flip side of just how nutritionally deficient pasteurized milk is. Milk in its raw, live form is a tremendous whole food that helps our immune system to remain robust.
The following material is just one helpful explanation, taken from the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon & Mary G. Enig, Ph.D:

Some people have a low tolerance to milk because they lack intestinal lactase, an enzyme that digests lactose, or milk sugar. All baby mammals produce lactase but production of the enzyme declines and may even disappear after weaning. In humans, a mutation or recessive gene allows the continued production of lactase in some individuals. In an isolated population that depends on milk products for animal protein, those with this gene would have an advantage. If a gene for the persistence of lactase had a frequency of 5% in such a population, in 400 generations its frequency would have risen ti 60% assuming that hose who possessed it had 1% more children per generation that intolerant individuals. Natural selection is the mechanism for adapting isolated populations to the food available to them. But modern man is highly peripatetic and no society in the western world is composed entirely of people whose ancestors come from the immediate region.
By some estimates, only 30-40% of the world's population produces lactase in adulthood. Overuse of antibiotics also contributes to lactose intolerance. However, most lactose intolerant individuals can consume milk products in small quantities without problems. Asians are said to be lactose intolerant but many of the inhabitants of Japan and China drink milk and eat milk products like cheese, yoghurt and ice cream when they can obtain them
In addition, some people are allergic to a milk protein called casein, which is one of the most difficult proteins for the body to digest. Once again, the process of natural selection will reult in a population more able to digest csein if milk and milk products are part of the traditional diet.
The practive of fermenting or souring milk is found in almost all traditional groups that keep herds. This process partially breaks down lactose and predigests casein. The end products, such as yoghurt, kefir and clabber, are often well tolerated by adults who cannot drink fresh milk. Butter and cream contain little lactose or casein and are usually well tolerated in their natural state, even by those who are lactose intolerant. Even so, fermented or soured butter and cream are more digestible. Those with an extreme intolerance for milk protein can take butter in the form of ghee or clarified butter from which the milk solids have been removed. Cheese, which consists of highly concentrated casein, is well tolerated by some and best completely avoided by others. Cheese made from raw milk contain a full complement of enzymes and are therefore more easily digested than cheese made from pasteurized milk. Natural cheeses, whether from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk, will be more digestible when eaten unheated. Processed cheeses contain emulsifiers, extenders, phosphates and hydrogenated oils; they should be strictly avoided.
While some lucky people are genetically equipped to digest milk in all its forms, the milk sold in your supermarket is bad for everybody, partly because the modern cow is a freak of nature. A century ago cows produced two or three gallons per day; today's Holsteins routinely give three or four times as much. This is accomplished by selective breeding to produce cows with abnormally active pituitary glands and by high-protein feeding The pituitary gland not only produces hormones that stimulate the production of milk, it also produces growth hormones. Recently the FDA approved a genetically engineered growth hormone for cows. These hormones are identical to those produced by the pituitary gland in today's high production cows. This practive will simply add to the high level of bovine growth hormones that have been present in our ilk for decades. These hormones are present in the water fraction of the milk, not in the butterfat. Babies receive growth hormones from their mothers through their mothers' milk. Small amounts of these hormones are necessary and moderate amounts are nnot harmful, but a superfluity can result in growth abnormalities. Excessive pituitary hormones are also associated with tumor formation, and some studies link milk consumption with cancer. The freak-pituitary cow is prone to many diseases. She almost always secretes pus into her milk and needs frequent doses of antibiotics.
Another serious problem with today's darying methods is the feeding of high-protein soybean meal to the cows. This stimulates them to produce large quantities of milk but contributes to a high rate of mastitis and other problems that lead to sterility, liver problems and shortened lives. Little research has been done to determine what these soy feeds do to the kind and quality of protein in cow's milk. Is the current high rate or milk-protein allergies due to the use of inappropriate feed in our dairy herds? The proper food for cows is green plants, especially the rapidly growing green grasses in the early spring and fall. Milk from properly fed cows will contain the Price Factor and cancer-fighting CLA as well as a rich supply of vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, under the current system, farmers have little incentive to pasture-feed their herds nor to follow other practices that result in high quality milk.
Another factor contributing to the degradation of today's milk is pasteurization. We have been taught that pasteurization is beneficial, a method of protecting ourselves against infectious disease, but closer examination reveals that its merits have been highly exaggerated. The modern milking machine and stainless steel tank, along with efficient packaging and distribution, make pasteurization totally unnecessary for the purposes of sanitation. And pasteurization is no guarantee of cleanliness. All outbreaks of salmonella from contaminated milk in recent decades - and there have been many - have occurred in pasteurized milk. This includes a 1985 outbreak in Illinois that struck over 14,000 people causing at least one death. The salmonella strain in that batch of pasteurized milk was found to be genetically resistant to both penicillin and tetracycline. Raw milk contains lactic-acid-producing bacteria that protect against pathogens. Pasteurization destroys these helpful organisms, leaving the finished product devoid of any protective mechanism should undesirable bacteria inadvertently contaminate the supply. Raw milk in times turns pleasantly sour, while pasteurized milk, lacking beneficial bacteria, will putrefy.
But that's not all that pasteurization does to milk. Heat alters milk's amino acids lysine and tyrosine, making the whole complex of proteins less available; it promotes rancidity of unsaturated fatty acids and destruction of vitamins. Vitamin C loss in pasteurization usually exceeds 50%; loss of other water-soluble vitamins can run as high as 80%; the Wulzen or anti-stiffness factor is totally destroyed as is vitamin B12, needed for healthy blood and a properly functioning nervous system. Pasteurization reduces the availability of milk's mineral components, such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur, as well as many trace minerals. There is some evidence that pasteurization alters lactose, making it more readily absorbable. This, and the fact that pasteurized milk puts an unnecessary strain on the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes, may explain why ilk consumption in civilized societies has been linked with diabetes.
Least but not least, pasteurization destroys all the enzymes in milk - in fact, the test for successful pasteurization is absence of enzymes. These enzymes help the body assimilate all bodybuilders, including calcium. That is why those who drink pasteurized milk may suffer from osteoporosis. Lipase in raw milk helps the body digest and utilize butterfat.
After pasteurization, chemicals may be added to suppress odor and restore taste. Synthetic vitamin D2 or D3 is added - the former is toxic and has been linked to heart disease while the latter is difficult to absorb. The final indignity is homogenization, which has also been linked to heart disease.
Powdered skim milk is added to the most popular varieties of commercial milk - one% and two% milk. Commercial dehydration methods oxidize cholesterol in powdered milk, rendering it harmful to the arteries. High temperature drying also creates large quantities of cross-linked proteins and nitrate compounds, which are potent carcinogens, as well as free flutamic acid, which is toxic to the nervous system.
Modern pasteurized milk, devoid of its enzyme content, puts an enormous strain on the body's digestive mechanism. In the elderly, and those with milk intolerance or inherited weaknesses of digestion, this milk passes through not fully digested and can built up around the tiny villi of the small intestine, preventing the absorption of vital nutrients and promoting the uptake of toxic substances. The result is allergies, chronic fatigue and a host of degenerative diseases.
All the healthy milk-drinking populations studied by Dr. Price consumed raw milk, raw cultured milk or raw cheese from normal healthy animals eat fresh grass or fodder It is very difficult to find this kind of milk in America. In California, New Mexico and Connecticut, raw milk is available in health food stores, although such milk often comes from cows raised in confinement.
In many states you can buy raw milk at the farm. If you can find a farmer who will sell you raw milk from old-fashioned Jersey or Guernsey cows, tested free of tuberculosis and brucellosis and allowed to feed on fresh pasturage, then by all means avail yourself of this source.
Some stores now carry pasteurized but not homogenized milk from cows raised on natural feed. Such milk may be used to make cultured milk products such as kefir, yogurt, cultured buttermilk and cultured cream. Traditionally cultured buttermilk, which is low in casein but heigh in lactic acid, is often well tolerated by those with milk allergies and gives excellent results when used to soak whole grain flours for baking. If you cannot find good quality raw milk, you should limit your consumption of milk products to cultured milk, cultured buttermilk, whole milk yoghurt, butter, cream and raw cheeses - all of which are available in all states. Much imported cheese is raw - look for the words "milk" or "fresh milk" on the label - and of very high quality.
See www.Realmilk.com for a listing of raw milk and milk products from pasture-fed animals.

Painting In-Progress

2008-06-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

I've been working on one of my little paintings -it is of a girl pulling a mystical plant out of the ground with her magical powers - symbolically speaking - aside from this painting coinciding with my new desire to grow my own plants, I see a much deeper meaning which is the desire to quickly manifest mystical events into my life. A person that is attracted to this painting (IMO) believes they are a manifestor of the things they want in their life, or finds that idea extremely satisfying.

Don't shit where you eat

2008-06-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that I want to grow my own vegetables. There's a community garden that I've been volunteering at and it has helped me to see just how valuable for the body it is to eat a vegetable that just came out of the ground. I have a tiny outdoor patio at my house and I have been doing some research about gardening in small spaces - I have found something that I really love - called "square foot gardening" - www.squarefootgardening.com and the special thing about it is that you partition your garden space into square foot sections and plant your crop in that space. You never till the soil after the harvest - just add another layer of compost. -Saves alot of water and space and does not deplete the soil like traditional row gardening.

My friend Jonathan took me to a compost workshop today and we learned about the way to go about composting in your own backyard. San Francisco actually has a fantastic composting system - many people have their trash, recycling, and composting taken on the curb - and all of the composting gets taken to a huge industrial composting plant where it gets processed and turned into beautiful (black gold) compost. Another method of waste management was brought to my attention - "humanure" - composting your own feces! Its true it makes a closed-loop circuit of waste - but can you imagine feeding a tomato to your guest that you know was grown in your own dookie? Seems un-kosh. Anyways - here's a picture of a good composting bin and my second most cupcake painting.

If I try to interpret these paintings I would say that cupcakes are the quintessential food of happiness. They serve their purpose by being a sweet dessert that is specifically yours. There's no "sharing a cupcake" - it's personal, its a cake to call your own. I would say a cupcake is the perfect symbol for the way I would like to see the events of my life. Though sometimes the events that come may be seemingly negative or against the grain of what I want, the symbol of a cupcake I believe is something that can transform that moment and make it into something sweet, serving its purpose of creating happiness. It's a symbol of comfort and with it comes additional symbols - Thus far - the button: Such a tiny item that can keep two pieces of fabric together. A master of appearing humble, yet when put to work it does its job well.
And the drinking straw - a symbol of purposefully pulling the essence out of the drink of desire. In this case it is choosing to drink the cupcake of happiness :)

Discoveries & Cupcakes

2008-06-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

My eyes have been opening lately to all it is that the universe has to offer. I've always heard "the world is your mirror" but never really put it into play until recently attending a "level 1" workshop put on by the aspire foundation. I learned that the world really is my mirror and those times when a person really, really bothers me, or really attracts me - it is nothing but a reflection of the way I feel about my self. Oh how many people I have purposefully not spoken to because I had judged them quickly - where the judgment was only a projection of my own reality. I've learned that no one can really hurt me verbally - anything they say to me can only really come from their own dream world - therefore how can they accurately judge my state if they cannot see past their own?
Each one of us is really a brightly shining star that has an infinite amount of energy to give and receive. Many of us are so afraid of being hurt by another that we hide our bright light by creating a game or mask around ourselves in order to prevent any kind of pain. I have learned that it takes being vulnerable and accepting the universe as a perfect matrix for our own creation and expansion.
This all probably sounds just like words with no meaning - I hope to elaborate with new examples. If you have never heard of the aspire foundation, I would highly recommend attending their workshops - it has absolutely brought more beauty and truth into my life - www.aspirefoundation.org

Anyways - I've been painting , here's a new finished piece (yes it's a button on that cupcake) and one that I just drew out and will paint soon. I thought it might be fun for you to watch my process.

Post Europe

2008-06-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

I must say - Leaving your home for 4 months to explore is a life-changing experience (which is a complete understatement). I haven't posted since I returned... There was a part of me that wanted everything to be just so upon my return. I had plans in my mind of how life would be - I would pick work back up right where I left off... Find a place to live quickly in San Francisco and be on my merry way. Eventually all of those plans happened, but they happened in a time line that took much longer than I expected.

During this period after arriving back to the united states I went through many transformations and necessary submission to the wacky ways of the universe. Spent time living with my parents, even my grandmother - the more I would try to control the circumstances in my life, the more resistance I would face. Eventually I just had to give up...allowing the universe to give me whatever it wanted. I found a place to live in San Francisco finally with wonderful roomates in a perfect location, and shortly after I found work - teaching at an Art University in Sacramento.

I drive between the 2 cities, living a weekend life in San Francisco and a working life in Sacramento where I can share my creative inspiration with my students. I have found it to be one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable. To learn information with the intention of teaching it to another is a powerful process. I believe I have increased my knowledge of my industry by at least 40% since I started teaching.

It has been 7 months since my return from Europe and I would say that I have finally adjusted. I am so grateful for having gone on that trip - I feel like it was fundamental in my process as a human and necessary for me to learn to depend solely on myself...not to mention some great photos and paintings. I believe my true essense started to leak out into my paintings during my trip and I found a way to truly let go and not think when I am creating.

New Paintings

2007-10-13T09:44:00.001-07:00

My Mornings

2007-10-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

It is autumn now, and the leaves have turned a hot orange. I wake up in the mornings around 6:30, the conditions are perfect: a fog lovingly lays itself upon the city and I walk with the sun, up many steps to the Marienburg fortress. Everything is mysterious and thought-provoking in the fog. Some of my best moments are during this time. Slowly German words are coming to me.....Slowly, a good amount is understood, but I can barely speak a word - however people tell me that my accent is excellent. Here are a few pictures of my mornings...I'll be posting my paintings in a short while. I have never felt so creative in my life.

Decided to stay

2007-10-03T16:03:00.001-07:00

I have decided to stay here in Wurzburg Germany for one more month. After making the decision, I felt incredibly relieved that I had done something which my heart wanted. I feel deliciously good and relaxed here, and although I still have yet to find a place to stay, I trust that I will find exactly what I need. I'm at a hostel now, last night I was kept awake by a couple who was having sex in the bunk above me. I thought it was pretty silly how they thought no one could hear them. That's hostels for you. But anyways - I've started working again from my computer - so if you know of anyone who needs a freelance graphic designer - send them my way :)

The city divided amongst itself.

2007-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Berlin - Very cool scene. This is the most "Artistic" city that I have seen thus far. The grafiti on the walls is actually beautiful and there are countless galleries and impeccable graphic design spread across the city. I had the chance to meet a couple from Vienna - the husband was the graphic designer for the "art Forum Berlin" which they gave me VIP passes to. It was a collection of fine artists in one building who set up their installations. There must have been at least 300 artists, of which about 100 were extremely inspiring. I have been staying in a lovely hostel next to a forest with a lake, and when I come home from being in the city - it is like medicine to take my bike into the woods and become myself again. There's something about Berlin that weighs to heavy on my head. I can only spend a few hours in the city before I become very tired in my body. I feel so heavy and I just have to be around some nature. -The moment I walk into the forest, I feel like I have breathed my first breath.
A walking tour of Berlin is absolutely a must if you ever visit. This is one of the most historically rich places I have ever seen. I saw Humbolt University where Albert Einstein taught, as well as old Nazi buildings, A Jewish Halocaust memorial and of course - the Berlin Wall. I was surprised when I saw how short the wall was - Its short enough that you believe you can climb it...but just high enough that it would be extremely difficult. There used to be 2 walls succeeding eachother, and the space in between the walls had the alias of "The Death Strip." It was filled with Raked sand so the guards could see if someone crossed, and the watch towers looked right upon the strip, the guards were promoted if they shot anyone crossing the border. I cannot believe such terrible history existed during my lifetime.
Berlin commemorates its victims in a very grand way. There are many memorials placed around the city which evoke thought and curiosity. The Victimizers are left to the dust and barely receives any recognition at all. Hitler's bunker is not labeled, and it is next to a parkinglot of an apartment complex where the apartment tenants take their dogs to relieve themselves in the morning.

West Berlin

2007-09-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

September 25^th

I arrived in Berlin and at first I felt extremely uncomfortable, and the people were very cold and rigid – which is exactly what I expected of a place torn in half by a wall. It was very difficult for me to find my way around, and I decided just to take my time and eat something. I finally found my hostel – which is very far away from the city center, which I am actually very thankful for. The closer I got to the hostel, the better I felt because it lies on the skirt of an incredible forest. It is completely green around me with small trails and the air is moist with a lot of oxygen. The hostel owner is kind, and his son is a ball of energy – he is so cute.

I took a bike and rode over to a piece of historic farmland – which has an organic garden, animals, and little shops of craftsmen – there is a batik print house and a pottery house – all incredible things. I feel very, very special here, and I could see myself staying here at this hostel for quite some time.

Jessica Day

2007-09-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

September 25^th

Peter has notified me that today is “Jessica Day.” I was not aware of this holiday, but I am very lucky that I happened to be in Würzburg on this day. The first thing we did on Jessica day was visit the fresh fruit shop and I had a delicious yogurt with berries.
We walked up many steps to the top of a hill, which was the resting place for a beautiful castle overlooking the entire town. There are so many places to explore and it feels more like a small town than a building.
Do you know what a Smart Car is? Its made by Mercedes and its only big enough to hold 2 people and 1 suitcase – that’s about how big the car is. In a pinch, you could park in horizontally in a vertical parking space – which means that you can park it ANYWHERE! It gets incredible gas mileage and they are quite popular here in Europe. Soon they will come to America and I recommend that you test drive one, because it feels exactly like a regular car, but its so small. The dealership let us have one for a couple hours and we went around, exploring in the smart car. Peter showed me the tiny village where he grew up and the buildings and streets were so lovely. When I describe Germany, one of the only words I can think to use is the word “lovely.”

We’ve been talking about the idea of me staying in Germany for another month, and I must say that I am seriously thinking about it. With my heart I feel so good here, and I know that I would be opening myself up to a world of new possibilities. Although in my head, I know that I might be giving up some good business opportunities in the United States – unless I am talented with my telecommuting skills. I could take an apartment for one month, Start freelancing from here. An amazing day really and I am left feeling very stirred up inside like a small piece of metal is ricocheting off my insides. I need help finding a place to stay for a month – with internet and a comfortable place to sit. I will go to Berlin for a couple days to think about things.

Back In Germany

2007-09-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

September 24^th

It feels good to be back in Germany again. I had the honor of meeting up with my friend Peter who is a homeopath here in Germany. He showed me around by foot in Würzburg – which is an adorable little city. There are no factories in sight – only hills topped with vineyards, a river, a castle, and lovely roofs. The pace is very relaxed and it has a very academic feeling here. Many food shops are organic and I have tasted wonderful fresh fruit juice. The truth is today I don’t feel quite like myself because I am so fatigued. Tomorrow will be much better, I am just so happy I am in such a beautiful place with a good friend.

Yom Kippur

2007-09-28T03:58:00.000-07:00

We stayed indoors all day, I was on the computer…painted a little bit, and at sunset I went to the bet Knesset to hear the shofar -Which was not that impressive when I was standing outside. Everyone was wearing white, and it was quite a beautiful scene to see a Yom Kippur in Israel. Cars are forbidden to be driven on this day and when you stand on the balcony looking over Haifa…there are no noises – only the sounds of people talking- Quite beautiful. If you drive a car in the road, it’s actually legal for people to throw stones at the car. I stayed awake through the night and caught a train at 1:30 in the morning to go to the Tel Aviv airport. In Israel the security is so lengthy that you must arrive to your flight 3 hours before the departure time. My flight left at 6:00am which meant that I was at the airport at 3:00am – ready to receive my questions – which were:

What were you doing in Israel? Where did you learn to speak Hebrew? What were the names of the people you were staying with? Are you a member of any organizations at home? Do you ever meet with a group of people to do anything? What synagogue do you go to? What do you do when you go there? Ok, you’re free to go.

I felt like I could die from Fatigue when I arrived in Athens. I made my way to my hostel, and wondered around half dead for a while until I finally took a nap and a shower. Feeling much, much better but still not quite refreshed, I went to visit Antonis and it was very nice to see him again. I slept for a few hours and caught a 6:00am flight to Germany.

Paintings and Drawings

2007-09-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

A fresh baby

2007-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

September 18^th, 2007

Today was so much fun – I met up with some friends from the United States who were visiting their daughter and son in-law who lives here in Israel. The daughter had just had a baby 8 months ago and the baby was very fun to play with. We ate lunch and looked at photos and I was so pleased at how comfortable we all felt with each other. Amazing that we were all in Israel of all places at the same time. They took me to an incredible Organic grocery store called “Teva” which means “Nature” in Hebrew. It sold all kinds of dried fruits and teas and chocolates, cheeses, ice creams, juices, breads…mmm Then they showed me the Kibbutz that they all grew up on. A kibbutz is a small community of homes with a grocery store, doctor’s office, children’s center, cafeteria and agriculture. The people that live there never really need to leave the kibbutz because they have everything right there. It is especially good for children and the elderly because one would never feel lonesome there.

Kibbutzim used to be very communist. People used to live there for free even with a small salary while they worked during the day either in agriculture or livestock. Each meal was eaten at the main cafeteria and the children ran around all day playing. The only problem with this community was that everyone was paid the same amount – even the lazy people. Which I was told was extremely irritating for the people who worked in the field all day. So the structure changed quite a bit, and now you pay rent to live on a kibbutz – working agriculturally is optional, and most people leave during the day to go to work. But the sense of community is still there, and it is not uncommon for the elderly to live into their late nineties is this environment.

I loved seeing everyone today and it was very special to be around a new person seeing the planet for the very first time. He has so much to see!

MC Tupperware

2007-09-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

September 16^th, 2007

I took a trip to Tel Aviv today. If I didn’t read and speak minimal Hebrew I would have been screwed today. Although the busses do feel safe…You have to know exactly where you are going to take them. There’s no map on the bus shelters and the bus drivers didn’t seem to know where anything was…they just know their own route. I was not the only one either – many Israelis had to ask for help from other people to figure out where to tell the bus driver to go. I don’t have a cell phone here – which is in sharp contrast to everyone else here. If you sit on a train here and look around – about 60% of the people are usually talking on their cell phones. – What’s the point? Finding a payphone is difficult! You don’t know how lucky you are to have a phone and are able to call someone whenever you want!! Any time you go into a building, there is a security guard there to check inside your bag and sometimes send it through an x-ray machine (I’m definitely not complaining about this).

In my opinion, Israel is not the most beautiful place. Its quite grungy and plain and the streets are very dirty and decrepit in most areas. But there’s a overlying quality in the atmosphere that makes this place so special. Any place I go, if I need help at all – Every person is willing to assist. I thank all the people who have lent me their cell phone to call home (About 6 people). I have found myself adapting to the culture and am much more helpful to strangers who need it – Like yesterday I overheard a conversation in Hebrew – one woman was asking the other “I wonder where the bathroom is” and I turned around and told her where it was…Normally I would never have done that because I would think its not any of my business – but that’s the culture here, and she was very thankful.

The food is excellent to the extreme here – due to its simplicity and freshness. I was in a marketplace yesterday and there was a stand which kindly sold to me fresh pressed pomegranate juice with orange and strawberry mixed in. The marketplace is a weekly event and you can find the regular vegetable & spice stands, as well as olives, cheese, kosher meats, fishes, Judaica, Arab tea mixtures, candies and artisan jewelry- which is quite unique. There is an automatic recording of a man yelling “Melons! 20 shekels!” repeating itself over a loudspeaker. Men behind their stands are saying whatever they can to get me to buy their produce “The finest corn for a prettiest girl.” I did not purchase any corn.

I finally made it back to Haifa where Lital picked me up in her car and we met up with some friends, drinking tea – then we took a walk on a main Haifa street. All of the restaurants are open late at night and I could not resist a fresh falafel stand.

Reggae on the Sand

2007-09-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

September 15th, 2007
Suf, Eldad and I went to the sea at night where there was a tent lit up by pink and yellow lights. It was a Reggae concert in the middle of the beach. We all took our shoes off and danced reggae style in the sand to the music arranged by the DJs. If you ever have the chance – go to a reggae concert to feel how everyone is so accepting – and simply enjoying the music. A guy started dancing with me. He said “You’re so hot.” I was like “Thank you.” Then a few minutes later he said “you want to make out?” Classic….I said “no.” then he said “ok.” I could only see the sand illuminated by the moon while I walked with 2 other girls to the sea. We got in – only with our legs, timid to get our bras wet. Mine got wet anyways so my new friend and I decided to just take our tops off completely. I got into the warm sea with no top and felt so free. I said “Ohh! Guys are so lucky!” we laughed and enjoyed the middle eastern stars – returning to the tent – braless and loving it. We ended up sleeping on the beach – our friend had set up a small village of about 5 tents, with an air mattress in between. I did not sleep - but I was happy to be witnessing this moment underneath a canopy made of stars.

Pics of Car and Fire

2007-09-15T00:54:00.000-07:00

Will upload more pictures later

2007-09-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

September 13th, 2007
What a full day. We packed ourselves into a couple cars and drove around trying to find something to do. We ended up in the countryside visiting a friend who has a lot of farm land. Suf and I drove around in between the crops in a little tractor buggy. I had the wind in my face and the bugs flying past me, I watched eucalyptus groves and held onto the roll-cage when we flew over bumps in the dirt road. Hof got his car stuck in the mud- which gave us a couple hours of free entertainment. Trucks couldn’t come through the mud so we brought a little tractor to pull him out. We put our feet in the mud and made the best of the moment – it actually reminded me a lot of home. We ate honeycomb from a local beekeeper – which I think must be a natural anti-depressant (Not that I’m depressed or anythingJ).
I’ve been doing a lot of sitting and enjoying the air. Ofra gave me a canvas and some acrylic paints and I started to make a painting of a girl looking out at the sea. When we go out to do something, it is almost always never planned – at 9:00 us kids got a call from mom & dad that there’s a campfire down at the beach. So we hopped in the car and went to the campfire. It was beautiful to be at the warm sea, looking up at the stars and just being with each other. We threw potatoes wrapped in tin foil into the fire and ate the blackened jewels, singing songs of Rosh Hashanah.

L'Shana Tova!

2007-09-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

September 12th
Well I feel like I’ve made an Aunt & Uncle + 5 new cousins. The lifestyle here is very easy to love. I’ve simply been enjoying being alive. I would have never thought that having 5 children would be fun…but I must say it is an experience filled with energy and life. Instead of looking outside of the home for fun, we all find it with each other. There’s nothing much you need besides each other’s company because it’s like a little community. Everyone is always in communication and we’re either at the house or a restaurant or the beach. Oh the beach – It’s always warm enough to just climb right in.
My new friend Lital took me to the famous Bahai garden here in Haifa and it was so perfectly manicured I could not believe. The Bahai religion is relatively new and was born from the mind of an Iranian looking for peace. The garden is set up on a very steep stretch of hill with steps leading a traveler on the way up to meet the temple in the middle of the hill. The atmosphere feels flecked with Persian spice and it invites quiet reflection and appreciation of the workers tending to its beauty.
If you want the best hummus – you must go to Israel. I sat with a group of friends in a popular bar in Haifa. I’m so content being at home with the boys that I really didn’t feel interested in talking to anyone new.

Shalom Israel

2007-09-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

September 10, 2007
Yoni was there to pick me up at the airport. I have now been awake for 25 hours. We went in the car and drove all the way up to Haifa. I cannot describe to you how good Israel feels to me. I feel completely safe and at home. Ofra welcomed me to the home and I feel asleep for about 6 hours. The food here is incredible – The quality is so fresh and they have new combinations of foods that are uncommon to America and Europe. The season is changing into autumn and the sea is angry with waves about 2 meters high – which didn’t stop me and Goor from throwing ourselves into the sea. The waves were hard and soft, changing with its own moods and we ran back to the car fighting the wind. Tuli drove the car off-road up a rocky hillside, reminding me of home and we watched the sunset through the back window which Tuli claimed he created.

What color are your Socks?

2007-09-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Septermber 9, 2007
I woke up at 5:30 today and started my journey back to Athens. It happened to be Sunday so no commercial stores were open, but the streets were packed with people attending the weekly flee market. In my opinion, it was all junk, but it was cool to be a part of the Athenian culture. After walking around quite a bit with my suit case I made my way over to the Jewelry shop from before and I spent the day sitting and talking in Antonis’s shop. It reminded me of being in my Father’s tool store in Arizona because when a group of customers would come in, I would be the quiet observer – keeping an eye on people’s wandering hands. I got to meet all of the shop employees and in the evening sat outside the store at a restaurant eating small fried fishes and big fresh salads. I was personally driven to the airport to catch my 2:20am flight to Israel and it was a good experience to see Greece from a car – on the freeway, it actually looks just like America. I hopped on the plane and arrived in Israel at 4:20, the passport people took an hour to get to me and they asked me a series of very detailed questions: Why are you here in Israel? Who are you visiting? What is their name? Where will you be staying? Is this your first time in Israel? Then they stamp your passport.

My big fat Greek adventure

2007-09-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

September 7, 2007

What a brilliant journey. Before my trek up the gigantic rocks, I made 2 new friends who were on their way to the same place I was - Roxy and Simon. We walked and talked eachother uphill and into an old Greek Orthodox monastery where skirts are required to be worn by all the females. I lit a candle for the health of my family and went into the small church which was ornate with images of saints painted on gold foil. We visited one more monastery after sitting on a tall precipice and eating our bread and fruit. It is so peaceful to be above all the noises in a town and next to the sky and treetops. I can see how the monks would consider this to be a spiritual place.

Roxy is fantastic because she's like a little forest creature that likes to go around exploring. There were many times that she would look down a hillside covered in tallgrass and say "Oooh! let's go down there!" I was little skeptical and would have rather been comfortable and stayed on the road – but every time she had a hunch about a place, it always let us to the most special, undisturbed areas. We stumbled across some cliff dwellings in the face of the rockside – so we climbed up. We timidly went inside the dark dwelling, using the LCD display of my camera to light our way. In the dark we found 2 other small rooms attached to the main one where it was obvious people had been. I do not know if the people were from ancient or modern times, but I do know that we were the only ones there at that moment. We peeked out through all the holes in the Cliffside staring out at our new front yard made of rocks covered in an ever-growing tangle of green and sky exhaling clouds from its deep lungs.
After leaving our new home and saying goodbye to a bat, we managed to find or way down the hill over ancient rocks and through a mysterious forest guarded by twisting, blackened trees – we even made a friend with a tortoise-although his name we did not catch. The town was filled with people trying to get their last taste of consumerism before it turned into Sunday. We sat, sipping coffee and tea – which is more expensive in Greece because you’re not only buying a drink – you’re renting table space. Te sun whispered to the ears of the pure clouds, leaving a vivid blush on their cheeks.
The Taverna back at home smelled of lamb nestled over the coals in the fireplace and the people were tired after their days – enjoying beer and Tsatziki. We all said our goodbyes and tomorrow morning I leave again to Athens – which is my first step to Israel.

Kalabaka Market and a Happy Butcher

2007-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

September 7, 2007

Today was the big market day and Mara and I went down to see what they had to offer. It was similar to the other markets I have seen, except there were many stands selling bras, underwear, and other clothes. I have no idea how one would purchase a bra without trying it on first, but apparently other women here in Greece have not problem with it. I bought some dried apricots and honey for my friends back in Sweden. Katerina made us some Tomato and bean soup for lunch, and we all watched 300 together on the couch. I am really excited to go take a hike tomorrow and climb up to the top of these huge rock formations to see some ancient monasteries which have been placed there thousands of years ago. Its quite amazing they hauled anything up to the top of these rocks, much less building materials. It’s a very special feeling to have these giant rocks surrounding me. Having them there brings a sense of comfort and if they were suddenly taken away I think the town would feel very exposed like its security blanket has been removed.

Kalambaka at Koka Roka

2007-09-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

September 6, 2007

I have arrived in Kalambaka after a 5 hour train ride. What a gorgeous place. If not for Mara and Arthur’s invitation, I would have never come here and it would have been a complete shame. There are megalithic rocks surrounding the town like father figures and it feels like a tiny village although it has a population of 150,000 people. Arthur and Mara own a hotel/restaurant here and the first thing we did was eat from the restaurant – where the chef…is Arhtur's own mother (Katerina). She made lamb and rice balls in a thick lemon/chicken tasting broth and it felt so good to eat some home cooked food that I had never tasted before.

I ended up taking a nap, watching a movie on the couch and going to sleep. The pace here is a little slower and for me it’s just right. Mara is 5 months pregnant now and I like talking with her about what she’s going through. I admire Mara very much because she had listened to her heart and not her head and within this last year moved to Greece and got married to a man that she had only known for a short time.

I fell asleep looking at a small black scorpion near the ceiling and for some reason it didn’t bother me. I didn’t think of it again.

To spend the day in the night

2007-09-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2007

So after leaving the cruise ship, the three of us left the ship and found a train to Athens together. We all separated in Athens, I gave them each a kiss on the cheek – and that was that…I was on my own. Now for trying to find a place to sleep. Mara had tipped me off on a place earlier on the phone – so I tried to find it – finding nothing but really awesome clothing stores which had just closed – and a sun that was setting much too quickly. I finally found a Hotel – which wanted 80 Euros for a small room, with not even a window. I tried to talk him down, I used every tactic I could think of, but he would not budge…He recommended a street to go down to find another hotel. I left saying “I’m going to tell my father about you.” I tried to find this street that the man said, but could not – then I follwed my intuition about a street and actually found the exact hotel Mara had told me about – I love when things like this happen – because it converts all of the frustration and wasted time into a reward. I got a dormitory room for 15 euros – awesome. I took a shower which I have been anticipating for 3 days and got dressed beautifully. Within 3 minutes of using my intuition and stepping not 20 meters away from the hotel, I found food better than grandmother makes and I’m sitting here now.

I’m sitting with the reflected light of a Greek church bathing my table. There are a handful of lean cats walking around sipping water from a leaky sprinkler. A bar is playing its music near by and occasionally I see a couple walk passed the street – they both look, showing interest in the restaurant – then the man takes his woman’s hand and pushes forward like a caveman through the snow – while the woman turns her head back watching the subject of her curiosity slip by.

I walked into a jewelry shop and spent a couple hours talking with the shop owner who is impassioned with stories of the past and gemology. We’re going out to Coffee now and I really enjoy his company.

Coffee turned into a apricot juice at a cool bar playing great American Indie rock (but way too loud). We then took a stroll down the street and we realized that it was 4:30 in the morning. How did time go so quickly? I told him that I have to catch a train in a few hours – we just decided to stay awake all night. He brought me to a bakery that had just baked these big ring shaped doughnuts and breads – he bought them for me for my breakfast and train ride. Then he showed me all around Athens telling me about the historical sites. By the way – Greek ruins look their best under the moonlight with the stars behind them. We walked and walked until the sun showed its face and then he drove me back to my hotel and waited for me to pack my things, then drove me to the train station. I don't think i've ever stayed awake all night like this - walking. It was a beautiful memory and I'll think of this when I think of Greece.

2007-09-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

September 3, 2007

Today is so challenging I think maybe I’m being overly hormonal/emotional but there are many times when I almost started crying today. I traveled for 6 hours by train this morning to Bridisi Italy, when I arrived the town was dead – I guess it’s Siesta time. I was lucky to have found a restaurant – but the food was shitty. I almost cried there on the spot. Then it turns out that the ferry only leaves to Igomenitsa once a day at 7pm – which means I would arrive there at 2am. There are no hostels even listed in that city and I would be alone at night where I should not be. Called Mara – nobody home. I decided that the best thing would be for me to hop on a ferry to a different location in Greece near Athens – it would drop me off at 10:00am. That way I am getting to where I want to go (not necessarily Mara’s house) but I would also have a place to stay for the night. Maybe there is a bus going from Athens to Kalambaka or something. My only Savior was a good Gelato place. I must be gaining a lot of weight with all this gelato but it temporarily eased my stress.

Decided to explore a little bit – I feel completely unsafe in Italy – due to the men who are like annoying predators. I am unsure as to what means they will use to get what they want. A man honked at me in his car. He turned around and honked at me again – I didn’t think anything of it – Then he kept blatantly following me around stopping the car to talk with me. The Italians know about 10 words in English which gives them the perception that they have something in Common with me – and I know about 8 words in Italian – so together we can speak 18 words to each other which is enough to start a short-term relationship. Because the time did not seem privy to a short term relationship, I used the small amount of Hebrew I can speak to completely restrict communication. The poor Italian did not know what to do and he quickly lost interest. Thank God – but I still felt unsafe so I’ve hid myself well in a peaceful quiet place at the top of some steps behind a wall near some Roman columns. I will have to take a ferry to Greece in a couple hours overnight and I don’t think I even have a bed. Oh I want things to become better, please.

After 20 minutes of writing this – things indeed did get better. I met 2 Argentinean boys who speak English and are traveling on the same ferry as me. They are so cute. I feel a little selfish for taking them both for myself – but very very happy. Because they were with me it was really easy to find the ferry which is like a shitty version of a cruise ship, but I was excited because I had two cute escorts to go with. We all had payed for the cheapest fare – which means that you do not even get a proper seat or place to put your bags – but there are outdoor showers if you like. So the three of us lounged I sewed up a couple holes in my pants. The three of us fell asleep on the floor of the cinema room – where a couple dozen other people were sleeping too. It was really fun to sleep on the floor I actually slept really well –

Wasted Day (a little)

2007-09-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

September 2, 2007

I feel ashamed because today was a little wasted. I arrived in Rome after taking the night train (which surprisingly I actually got some sleep on) – I learned my hostel is actually near a beautiful memory of mine: Ostia Antica. I had to travel for about 40 minutes outside of Rome to get there, but the Hostel is absolutely wonderful. So clean. Right next to the ocean. Free internet, free breakfast. I passed out on my bed for 4 hours and at that point I was ready to re-visit Ostia Antiga. The atmosphere even right off the metro was energetically the same as I remember it. 9 years ago my mom and I came here and felt so special in this place. Unfortunately I had slept so long earlier today that the gates had just clased. It made me feel sad because I could see the beautiful ruins behind the bars. I walked away alleviating my frustration by saying “It’s better that they were closed because it will be dark soon and I will feel unsafe.” So I traveled back to the main staion and bought my ticket for tomorrow (I have to get to Greece to meet with Mara before going to Israel.) My train ride is early at 7:35am tomorrow so I won’t get a chance to see anything here. Its ok I know that being with Mara and her husband Arthur will make up for today. I’m glad that I see the value in a day and how precious it really is. You cannot get it back.

It was completely dark by the time I got back to the hostel station and I missed my mom So I got Chinese food – Asian food reminds me of her. Even the Chinese food is better in Europe. Toorrow is another travel day – I will try to get as close to Mara as I can – I can taste the greek yogurt already. Speaking of yogurt – that was a high point of this day – I found a place selling “Frozen Yogurt” which is different than from in the States because it is literally sweetened plain yogurt that has been frozen. You choose toppings like fresh strawberries, granola, honey – I think this is the perfect treat.

Dad guess what I did

2007-09-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2007

Well I must say I haven’t been doing much for the last few days. There I was sitting on the beach looking around at the fellow people…feeling restrained in my swimsuit. I finally thought “screw it” and I took my top off and closed my eyes. I could feel my heart pounding like I ran up the bleacher steps – after the initial exhilaration, I felt extremely comfortable. Its silly to wear a swimsuit top at all! – so restrictive ;) Less men look at you when you have your top off because they don’t want to be rude. Today is Sunday and most of the shops are closed. I walked along the homes in the tiny village of VilleFranche There are football games being watched behind the weathered shutters and people cooking their suppers. This is a wonderland of architectural curiosities, new color combinations, textures and character than inspired me to go on a exposition de photographie.

There were boys playing Spartans and Indians in the street and old ladies sitting and chatting about how expensive something was. I will hop on a night train to Rome this evening at 10:00pm, I am excited to be on the move again.

You're going to be jealous.

2007-08-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

August 30^th, 2007

Can anyone say Monaco? Jesus I had no idea Southern France is this beautiful. Annie’s house has the most spectacular view I have ever seen, she is on a hill so you must walk many steps to get down to her house. Elton John and Tina Turner live nearby and it is utterly pristine and European here. No tourists. I hurried as fast as I could to get my swimsuit on and I walked down a whole mountain of steps to get to the beach. The Mediterranean water was easy to get into and I was swimming with an idiot’s grin on my face because I was so god damned happy. The sea is the greatest pick-me-up. I laid on the sand, next to an old topless lady who eventually started talking to me. I have retained a surprising amount of French, and within 10 minutes I had a group of 4 people talking with me saying how nice I am and how much French I understand. They want me to come hang out with them tomorrow at the beach at the same time – a very nice complement.

After turning down a cup of coffee on the beach, I climbed all the steps back up to Annie’s house where we had a small dinner party with her neighbors and friends and Gabi and Ulle. We all got a little tipsy from the wine and were laughing quite a bit. Annie taught me how to make a couple traditional salad dressings and we had such a fantastic time together. I have come to really appreciate company – I think people are absolutely wonderful.

2007-08-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

August 29^th, 2007

The highlight of this day was sitting in a gorgeous park with Julian and Antoine with a picnic. We sat around powering ourselves with the sun and drawing in our sketchbooks. It is so good to see other artists’ styles – things come out of them that would never come out of me and its such an intimate experience to see visually what occurs in the mind of another.

The Musee D’Orsee had even more inspiration for me. We saw in exhibit on the influential impressionist painters – Money, Van Gogh, Picasso, Seurat, Degas, Renoir and a few others. They really were gifted painters and I was surprised to learn that each one of these painters was represented by the same visionary art dealer – Vollard – who became a legend for finding the best artworkd that was uncommon to the public taste.

The kitchen in the hostel is so crowded. There are three stove tops and each one is filled by spaghetti makers, Muslim stew makers, and Etheopian rie makers. It smells so good- but there is not enough space to cook. If you listen to the actual noises – there are dishes and pots clinking, people talking in a few languages, a French Sit-com on TV, 2 babies crying, One man yelling while the wife is peeling radishes. An English boy burned all his bread in the Microwave and I asked him if he had anything else to eat – he said “Some cheese and meat” so I gave him and his friend my bread. I got my wish – to give to someone who needed.

When I was in Sweden staying in the countryside with Gabi and Ulle – they gave me their friend Annie’s number in nice. I gave her a call today wondering if she has time to meet up and maybe a place for me to stay it turns out that Gabi and Ulle are coming in today and Annie has room for me to sleep – this will be so fun for us all to be together.

Pikachu at the Eiffel Tower

2007-08-31T04:15:00.000-07:00

August 28^th, 2007

I have heard many people say that French people are not so accepting of foreigners, even from neighboring countries. I am so lucky because of my circumstance – I’m traveling alone so every country I visit, people assume I am a local. I also dress somewhat nice – therefore people always speak to me in their native language. I have actually received much kindness in France from both men and women – and it helps that I can say a couple words in French. A man came up to me on the street yesterday and spoke French to me – he was shocked when I told him je ne comprend pas Francais, he said “You look so French! You have such a skinny face – aren’t all American girls Fat?” So funny what we all think about eachother.

My Roomate at the hostel is from Taiwan and though we can barely sommunicate, I understood she is alone here in France for a few weeks and does not speak anything but Taiwanese. We went together to the Eiffel tower and took photos of eachother. Trying to make conversation – I mentioned Pikachu and a couple words I know in Chinese. She followed me to a hidden street market that I learned about from Rick Steves. While I was pretending tI speak French and tasting the perfect cheeses – my friend I think did not know what to do with herself. I believe she must be very shocked culturally. A cheese that tasted like manna from heaven to me – was completely repulsive to her. After another hour of this I felt bad for dragging her around with me, so we separated – I hope I did not hurt her feelings. Sometimes I feel like the Universe and its people are so generous to me – and I don’t give anything back. I want to share and help more. I made 3 canadian friends and we all went to a Parisian café late at night. I love this so much – sitting and talking. One girl Marilyn told us all the story of how she lived homeless on the streets in the Canadian winter for 3 months. This was a captivating story – too long to re-tell. I have become so relaxed on my trip – nothing is really a problem – I just know how things ebb and flow and how they always get better after being bad.

2007-08-31T03:52:00.000-07:00

August 27^th, 2007

Well, I’m in Paris. Its all so surreal for me – Paris is something I have always seen in the movies and I didn’t really expect for it to feel the way it does in all of its depictions. I walked the Champs de Elyses today, walking into a few clothing shops – They have impeccable style here. You don’t know anything about fashion until you go to Paris. I have to fight the urge to buy a lot of things. The cloths I brough are very un-stylish compared to what the Parisians wear. Thanks fto Rick Steves I knew to go into the massive Sephora store. I think I stayed for 2 hours. I found a beautiful girl with simple make-up and I asked her to help me with my own eye-make up. She was so sweet to me and did exactly what she does to her own eyes to mind. I bought the things she recommended and then I asked her which kind of perfume she likes. I’ve learned to recognize people who have similar features as me – and they almost always like the same exact things I do. I bought my first perfume – Gucci number 2, and she showed me the right way to use it. You myst spray it on your neck about 3 times – then spray over your hair. If you are wearing a skirt, you spray it there as well so it smells when it flutters in the wind. I believe the French people have acquired a natural sex appeal about them. I walked into the park and the benches were occupied by young couples – melting into each other.

What to do now? Kira from Germany had given me a map of her favorite places in Paris and without her I would not have found my way to this special place near the Pompideaux center. The streets are lit by the warm glow of Cafes which have all their doors and windows opened. You feel like you can walk into a restaurant from anywhere because the windows are really doors that reach the ground. I walked and walked past so many open-air cafes, looking at the menu du jour, but not finding exactly what feels right – until I found “Le Pain Guotidien” – The wooden tables are unpolished. There is bread resting on the shelves and French women and men are sitting and talking eating their soups, tartines and dsalads. Yes – this is the perfect place for me. I felt so alone and afraid on the street – but now I feel very cozy and safe. I ordered a vegetable soup which came with big slices of moist, organic bread. I’ m writing in the place now and I can only try to describe how it feels. I feel completely content. Like if my heart stopped at the next moment, I would feel that the time was good. No person is in a rush, and there is so much enjoyment here. Even outside the restaurant I see people simply enjoying themselves. What an incredible environment – to just be surrounded by contentment. I am sitting with my tea and I feel like I’ve fallen in love. The ferfume on my chest is amplifying my mood. I can see why people like it here so much. I asked for magic earlier on the train today and I feel like I got it. We are such sensorial creatures and I think France has mastered indulging us in the most instinctual way – Food, smells, sex. Never forget this.

Ye Olde Blacke Forest

2007-08-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

August 26^th, 2007

My diversion to Stutgart proved to be worth the frustration. Kira and I traveled using our intuitions today and ended up with the modst rewarding adventure. This is the first time on my trip thus far that I feel completely alive – because I planned for none of this. We rented bicycles and made our way to a lake in the middle of the Black Forest which was 2 hours away by train. We found this place because a nice man and woman from the train told us not to go to the first, more-common lake, but instead this one – Schlucksee.

It was – in a word – Perfect. Making our way down to the lake, we sat on rocks took off our pants and ate our butter sandwiches that we made at the breakfast buffet. We felt so lucky to even be breathing the air of that moment. There was only an hour before we had to catch our train home and we spent it by ecxploring a trail in the Black Forest with our bikes. It was cool and dark with the sun peeking through and illuminating small patches of grass that you might not see otherwise – because the forest is so densely grown. There was a mystical and mysterious quality about the forest which is condusive to inspiring stores about witches and wolves and magic…I think in the future I would like to have an entire black forest trip – exciting my imagination. Germany is a very whimsical place and I think it is reflected in the sketches I’ve been drawing here.

3 months to travel is too much – and not enough all at the same time. There are so many places I would like to further explore – but that will be for another time. Now is the time to go to Paris. My whole trip I have had the desire to avoid France completely – and now it is the best place for me to go – we will see what waits for me there.

Change of Events

2007-08-31T03:43:00.000-07:00

August 25^th, 2007

My fate was changed today. My departure to London to meet with my friend Laurel never came to reality because I was unaware that Frankfurt has two airports. The correct airport being 1.5 hours away by taxi from the airport I had arrived at. I felt completely helpless for a moment because I had no way to get in contact with Larel who was picking me up at the airport other than e-mail. I asked the airline companies how much it would be to fly to London form this airport, and the price would be 500 Euro. I started thinking of worst case scenarios in my mind so I could problem solve a little. I realized its ok, I’ll email laurel, she’ll get the message after waiting for me, and I can stay in a hotel or even sleep in the airport if necessary. So I went to Starbucks to calm down and get a tea. I opened my laptop and paid for internet and wrote to Laurel. I remembered that she had given me her London cell phone in a past email, so I found it and immediately called her after checking for a hostel in Frankfurt. Due to a furniture fair, hostels were out of the question, and hotels can only be booked for 2 or more people. I called laurel and by chance she had checked her e-mail before leaving the house – so luckily I did not cause her any inconvenience.

I called Christian (my Mom’s friend Suzie hosted him and his brother a few years ago in California, he happened to live only 40 minutes away from the airport) but his is the second time I’e called him and only received a cold, confused reception – and then we got disconnected, and then when I re-called him the line was busy a few times – so I made the decision he was not the right contact even though it would have been very convenient to stay with him.

I stayed calm because I know that I have a train pass and I have money. So the next thought was to talk to the train ticketing people. Prague was too far away…Brussels doesn’t have a train until tomorrow…but Amsterdam has a speed train that can get me there in 3.5 hours – I’m going to Amsterdam. Funny how fate stepped in today – I wonder what this diversion will lead me to. I have no idea where I will sleep tonight, and I arrive in the evening at 11:00pm.

HAHAHAHHA – On the train I had a funny feelings…which was only amplified when I started talking with my seat mates on the train. It was a nice mother and daughter who lived in Stutgard, which is in the south of Germany….Which is where this train is going to. Its about 1 hour north west of Munich – which is exactly where I left from this morning! When she told me this we started laughing and I felt so silly, but also like fate has changed my day completely. I was not worried in the slightest which must have seemed strange to the woman. She told me she knew of a hostel and she would take me to the information booth at the station to find it. Her husband met us both and they took me in their car eventually finding the hostel. Its really big and modern and nice. There’s a girl in my room from Chicago who k nows a lot about Europe and we’re going to the Black Forest tomorrow. What a funny change of events.

Urban Surfing and Synagogue

2007-08-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

August 24^th, 2007

Today was my last day in Munich. It proved to be a beautiful one – with Chris and Konrad I explored the Greek and RomanAntiquity museum where you could get so close to the statues you could give them a butterfly kiss. I saw Aphrodite and Zeus, pottery and jewelry. We wandered over to the English garden where in the river, the flow was so strong that men were actually taking turns jumping in with their surf boards.

The grass next to the river was populated by pre-teens smoking from Hookahs. This was an awkward sight because their mannerisms were so adult and their bodies were so childish.

I had the good opportunity to go to the new synagogue in Munich for Shabbat service. It was beautiful on the inside. The service was in German and Hebrew so I could really only participate in a few of the songs that I know, but the cantor sang with an incredible, heart shaking voice that made the enviorment of the temple so holy. I had not eaten since a piece of bread in the afternoon – so I was starving by the time I arrived at Veronika’s house. She picked me up from the train station in her 1 year old Volksvagen and brought me into her cute little home. She prepared a salad when I got there and re-heated a zuchinni pie and made me a pot of tea. I was so relieved to be eating and her food tasted so good to me. I kept eating and eating and we talked through my eating about our lives and about men in our lives. She is very intellectual and sweet. One of her passions is archaeology and she showed me a toe of an ancient greek statue that her team had found. She knew from the size of the toe approximately how tall the statue must have been.

The Wall of Rememberance

2007-08-31T03:25:00.000-07:00

August 22^nd, 2007

I met with a very important woman today who by coincidence has made her hobby studying my ancestry on my father’s father’s side for a local museum. She showed me my family tree and took me to the Jewish history museum where 3 names of my ancestors are printed on the wall of remembrance. There were 11 of my ancestors total who were killed in the Holocaust and it was powerful to see their names in front of me. I cannot say that I felt strong feelings about it, but what it did for me was make me feel extremely connected to the generations before me.

Most of my family had been involved with Liquor/Vinegar distillery businesses and before the war as things were getting tense, the Nazis began to restrict their business freedoms because they were not considered to be “German Businesses,” but rather “Jewish Businesses.” Taxes were raised to the extreme and it was forbidden to make trades with Jewish businesses. Eventually they had to sell their distillery in Augsburg to a Local hotel – I saw the chilling statement of the transferring of a Jewish owned business to a German hotel. I can’t believe Veronika knew so much about my family – I was blown away by how much detail she had. She gave me some translated journal entries from my great, great grandfather and my great, great grandfather’s uncle who talked about how they felt about the Arianation of their businesses. We’re going to meet again tomorrow evening.

On this day I also met with a friend of a friend of mine who lives in Los Angeles. The man I met with (Michael) is part owner of an Advertising Agency here in Munich and it was so good to meet up with another creative person. We talked about the Advertising industry with all its quirks and it reminded me of home. I felt very much like a princess because he took me out to dinner and to tea afterwards and I never even had to say a word to the servers. In Europe, when you go out to eat – its not just for the food…Its for the experience, so instead of ordering-chowing-paying-leaving, you sit and enjoy your meal-drinking-smoking-eating-talking-talking until it feels right to leave.

Michael is Italian and he has figured out ways of living life very passionately. We talked of food and motorcycles and special places in Europe until 2am.

Munchen

2007-08-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

August 21^st, 2007

Germany’s modern culture is infused with its own recognition and regret of the evens of WW2. Before the war, the Deutch mark had lost its value completely to the point where families began to eat cannibalistically.

There are discreet memorials placed around Munich’s streets representing the few brace people who stood up for their opposition to Hitler’s force.

Munich is the Beer capital of the world and its is quite common for people to be sitting outside in the Beer gardens with a whole liter of HeiffeWeissen. I found today the best meal on my trip: Chicken soup. It was perfect, and cheap The market place was filled with locals buying their food for the day and I was ecstatic when the cheese shop lady gave me a taste of cheese that fit exactly my desire.

I very much like the European way of shopping – where there is a special store for everything. I think it makes the food experience much more beautiful, I smelled herbs and flowers and fruits in the air and said Danke Sheun like I meant it.

Some new friends and I decided to take an hour train ride to another town near by and we wandered around looking at the architecture and beautiful river. Both of them are history buffs and it was very refreshing to talk about the meanings behind certain symbols on the churches and the way the city feels to us. I am constantly given good friends on my trip who reflect different parts about my own personality. We wandered for hours and missed our train 2 times, but sat talking and meeting strangers on the street.

A home of intentions

2007-08-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

August 21^st, 2007

Lately when I look at someone I have come to know – I feel the desire to weep because when looking at them, I see how beautiful they are. I felt sad to leave Jan today – just as I did when I left Lysette.

He came with me to the train station and bought me a box of these special little sandwiches from the Sprungli Company that have the lightest taste and texture. I hugged him goodbye – feeling like the world has become a little better of a place because two strangers had built a home of trust and respect out of nothing but our intentions.

On the train to Munich there are straps dangling down from the bags of backpackers above my head. There are sweatshirt sleeves and helmet straps all swaying above me. The girls in the group of seats next to me have messy hair and miss matched shoes, laughing about each others flaws and loving it. In the seats facing me there is an old woman watching her crossword puzzle and a younger woman who has decided to live her life looking old.

My hostel is big with nice, clean bed sheets and down comforters. I happen to be the only girl in a room of 5 other men. We all went to a Jazz piano bar and talked for hours.

A little solemn.

2007-08-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

August 20^th, 2007

I’ve been playing Tetris a lot in the higher levels, I noticed a trend – when you do the right things with the pieces given to you, the game is very smooth and it is easy to continue completing rows. When you do one thing wrong with a piece by not thinking about its proper place or being careless, it takes about 10 pieces after that to correct the one mistake. Sometimes after 10 pieces of recovery, the game can even be lost. Today my trip feels a little like I have been careless with the placement of the pieces – I should have gone with Karin to the mountain yesterday and gone to museums the day before that. I have had two days now with nothing much to do but wander around. Hoping to find good food, instead I found something over-priced, but tasty none the less. I found the perfect tea room & patisserie…I love when I do that. I think now I am completely out of Francs. Perhaps it is the gloomy weather – but I am having a very difficult time being happy today. I was invited by a stranger in the restaurant to come to a dance club tonight – Maybe I will go – it is my last night in Zurich. Jan’s house is located right in the middle fo the Orthodox Jewish quarter, and there are many Hassids walking around. I have been told that they have so much influence in this area that on Shabbat, they actually close an entire road to traffic.

I tasted hazelnut oil today – wow that is a treat. It was so special, I can imagine how good it would be on a salad or drizzled on bread. I’m not quite sure what to do now – we’ll see where my adventures take me next. If I could do anything right now, what would I do? Curl up with a good book in Barnes & Noble with my brother, or take a drive from Utah to Northern Arizona through the indian reservation.

The streets are moist and darkened from the rain and I catch my reflection in the jewelry shop windows, noticing how long my hair has become. How much time have I spent away from my home and my family. How will I be different upon my return. I will have lived for 23 years when I come back in October. I have come to see how short life really is. There are so many lifetimes to be lived on this earth and for some, spending it in one place is good enough.

The land is always here and the people will always be the same and the slightest change in environment or emotion can make us feel like the world has shifted.

Thoughts

2007-08-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

8/19/2007

Today Karin and I were to meet at Jan’s house so we could climb the mountain together – but I believe last night we were so tired that we got our meeting place confused. I waited for her until an hour after our meeting time and fell asleep a little on the bed.

I took the bike out (It was a Sunday so there was not much to do) and explored, peddling my way through the town. I found a garden, with a small stream to sit by and write. I found the other side of the lake (which seems to be more residential) and by the time it turned into evening I got the idea to go back to the Orange Cinema to find Karin and maybe watch another film.

By sheer chance, Karin had lent me one of her Orange Cinema employee shirts – so when I arrived at the theatre, I walked past ticketing and VIP completely undetected – it was kind of like wearing the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter.

This time instead of sitting outside, I sat with Karin and the other servers behind the bar, watching “Knocked Up.” I had to avoid the occasional customer who would come to me in German asking for something. I enjoyed free brownies and sparkling water with a big grin on my face.

After the rain had stopped, I took my wet bike back home and while I was riding past the Zurich Lake…I felt intensely lonely. The lake was so beautiful; it was black with the colored lights of the boats and homes reflecting their warmth on its current. The sky was vivid black-blue with clouds still visible underneath the crescent moon. My heart felt like it was being pushed under leagues of water and I knew that at that moment I had no one to share this place with. I didn’t even want to look anymore because I couldn’t understand the value of doing so. I kept pedaling and tightening my stomach to stay warm and thought of how my trip would have been completely different if there was someone there to observe with me. I keep forgetting that there is an important reason for me to be alone at this time: It is so I can appreciate and discover the things that I alone can bring to this world, and also to keep myself open to all the possibilities and directions which might come to me.

You be strait trippin if I aint on da vip list yo

2007-08-20T02:34:00.000-07:00

8/18/07

I woke up this morning to a note from Jan saying that his friend Karin will pick me up this morning at 10:15 to take me to Yoga class. She arrived exactly at 10:15 and she had a kind, friendly face. I rode off with her on Jan’s bike and I enjoyed a full, German-speaking yoga class with her. Thank goodness I’ve been to enough yoga sessions to know what was going on without having to understand. After class, taking our bikes a little further to the pristine Zurich lake, passing a giant purple Ferris wheel – I felt like I was at home and she had been a neighborhood friend from around the block. She introduced me to all of her co-workers and we laid by the lake in the grass, feeling the sun – and talking.

She took me to a botanical garden – which was one of the nicest I’ve seen. There were three domes in the middle of the park, showcasing flora from the other more-extreme climates. There are a particular species of plant called “Living Rocks” which are used to receiving only 10mm of water per year. They actually look like tiny human brains.

The next time I saw Karin that evening was at her job – She works for “Orange Cinema” Which is an outdoor movie theater event sponsored by Orange Mobile. I got in for free and watched their premier of the movie “The Departed.” Orange had set up an entire movie theatre outside overlooking Lake Zurich. Behind the movie screen I could see reflections of boats moving slowly across the water, and occasionally a shooting star. The air was crisp and cool but cozy.

I helped her close up her area at the end of the night and we rode our bikes over to Jan’s work – which is a popular dance club. We walked up to the bouncers amongst stylishly dressed 21 year olds with our hair in pony-tails wearing sweat shirts and tennis shoes. They weren’t about to let us in, but my name of course was on the guest list. The venue was actually very beautiful and with the loud house music, it appeared to be something from a vampire movie. It looked like an old theatre for opera with balconies and long red curtains. I prefer to dance by myself, and I tend to zone out a little bit, and whenever I looked up, there were always a circle of guys watching me – but not approaching.

I rode my bike home around 3am and crashed in bed. The cities to me seem all the same - As my grandfather used to say "A town is a town is a town" – I imagine that each place means something different to each person at different periods of their life. Because I am alone, the things I appreciate are kind people and cheap food. So each town seems a little bit the same – only differentiated by the friends I make.

Wear a Bro

2007-08-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

8/17/2007

I woke up at 7:15 to go have breakfast downstairs with Oliver and his class-mate Christina. They are working together in the library for 8 hours every day, they are also Salsa dance partners and I could sense that they liked eachother.. We had a beautiful breakfast together, I really liked Christa – and then we all went our separate ways. Jan (the guy working at the hotel on the first night) offered a place for me to stay at his house and this morning I got on the tram and made my way there. He was so nice to me and although he was still half-asleep, he told me where to go in town and he even gave me the sim-card from one of his phones for me to use while I’m here. He gave me the key to his house and I feel so trusting of him. Its easy to tell when people have good hearts. Jan is an architecture student who works two jobs, One at the hotel, and the other at a popular dance club here in Zurich. I think I might come to the club tonight.

Feeling free and excited about Zurich, I began walking around. I found the chocolate shop that the woman told me about and I bought her a big bar of dark chocolate (72% cacao). Zurich lake is speckled with swans today and the water looks glassine. There are people walking all around, Swiss people don’t have a certain look about them because if you look on a map, Switzerland is a tiny round country surrounded by Italy, Germany, and France – so the people look like they are from everywhere. I have only been greeted in German. It seems popular to grab something cheap to eat and sit by the lake, watching the boats, red flowers, and people go by – which is exactly what I did. Wanted to share two travel tips about undergarments that I have found:

1. In Pickpocket rich countries, put your money and credit cards in your bra. – You'll definitely notice if someone decides to pick there... and if you're thinking "hey that's not fair...I'm a man, I don't wear a bra!" you can always wear a bro ;)

2. You really only need two pairs of underpants when you travel. at the end of the day, wash your underpants in the shower and wear the other pair the next day.

I was so excited when I went to the supermarket because I found a Mexican food section! I bought tortillas and salsa and at Jan’s house I made us breakfast burritos with rice, eggs, sour cream, salsa and avocado. It turns out that Jan’s parents are from the Czech Republic and Mexico – so I was right on the money by cooking what I did. I love learning about people’s lives and how we all have such different passions and circumstances.

Intimidating English

2007-08-17T10:45:00.002-07:00

8/16/07

I explored the old town today many times and discovered a bakery selling gorgeous pastries. There are so many to choose from and often the contents are unknown…I learned from my Mom that the best way to figure out what to eat in this scenario is to ask the heavier-set clerk behind the counter what their favorite is. The response is almost always a shy giggle and a finger pointing over to something scrumptious. Hannah and I shared pastries that melted away between our fingertips and half-litres of delicious Swiss milk. She is so much fun to travel with because she just goes along with the flow and allows good things to happen.

Perfumeries are everywhere, its fun to spray myself with a new scent each day – it makes me feel really wealthy when I wear perfume. There are also many shops selling beautiful Swiss watches and jewelry, as well as clothing. The men dress very nice there with their blazers and ties. While Hannah was taking a nap, I went out to the old town again to find a market I had seen before. When I arrived, it was closed and I started talking to a woman who I felt I had spoken to earlier in the day – but she did not recognize me. She invited me up to her house so she could show me how to get around Zurich and where to go. This was so sweet and I went with her. It turns out that she was a graphic designer like me, but has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and has not been able to work recently. She told me that she must take every day as it comes and I understood very well what she meant. She showed me some over her paintings and they were mostly deep blue-green with the subject of the painting very hidden, like under layers and layers of depth. This was beautiful to me and I felt like it was a window whose view looked into who she was. She told me about an expensive chocolate shop I must go to and the cool “Industrial quarters” as well as the long street, good for walking and eating. I was touched by her kindness and made a goodbye.

Hannah left in the evening and after making a meal for myself in the kitchen I felt a little bored. I thought to myself that this is part of traveling alone…Some nights might be a little boring because you don’t always have people to go do things with. Then I went downstairs – This night Jan wasn’t working, but his brother Oliver was – and the moment I saw him I knew who he was. I helped him and one of the residents of the hotel set up the breakfast tables for the following morning and then Oliver asked me if I wouldn’t mind looking over the English in his Senior Thesis for College. He brought out his laptop and I started reading over the material. First of all, I had no idea that Oliver was 27, second I did not know this was for a Masters Thesis which is 80 pages long, third I didn’t know anything about political science – which was the topic of the paper. The Thesis was comparing and contrasting the scope for innovation policies in two Czech regions…Other than finding a couple grammatical errors, I felt that I could not have written a thesis in my own language as masterfully as he did. He made me a hot chocolate and I went to bed – happy that I had found something to do.

Internet: the best medicine

2007-08-17T10:45:00.001-07:00

8/15/07

When I was riding on the train from Venice, the moment we hit Switzerland, I felt completely safe and at home. My heart almost broke form the natural green beauty moving by me and I felt an incredible sensation of having “found my place.” Hannah was with me at this time and we found our hotel together. This was a special place because it is a hotel with all the nice amenities, and on the top floor they had kept a sleeping quarters for people who just need a no-frills place to stay. I made friends with the man (Jan) at the counter and I was attached to the internet for a couple hours – which for me was like medicine.

Sick people shouldn't make decisions.

2007-08-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

8/14/07

Still completely sick – went to Venice. I accidentally booked an apartment for 4 people. So I paid 280 Euro. Which is a shit-load of money.

Sick as a Sick, Sick person

2007-08-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

8/13/07

Today I woke up completely sick. I had been feverish and sweating all night – and my body was totally weak. We had planned to go to Verona today and although I was almost dead, we decided to get on the train. We had no Hostel booked, so we found a Best Western and shared the cost of the two rooms. Hanna and I shared a twin sized bed, and I slept for the entire day. If I hugged a snow man, I would have killed him. Hanna was my nurse all day and brought me food and made me drink water. I would have died without her. I feel like if I just sleep it off, I will be better tomorrow.

Vagabonding in Venice

2007-08-13T03:29:00.001-07:00

8/12/07

We found our way to the island of Venice and were immersed in gorgeous old buildings, canals, gondolas, and of course – people. We all agreed that if we got separated, we would just meet up at the hostel later in the evening. Hanna and I were instinctually feeling our way around the labyrinth that Is Venice – while Kelly Anne and Jenn were going by their trusty map. The stores were selling Gelato, Masks, and Venetian Glass – I was surprised at how accurately The Venetian in Las Vegas depicted its mother city. I don’t remember where, but in a certain plaza we did happen to get separated – the mappies together and the wanderers together…which I guess is a logical thing to happen anyways. Hanna and I vagabonded around sitting on quiet dead ends with gondolas floating by and taking artistic pictures. Hanna is a Graphic Designer as well, and today was inspiration for the both of us. We took pictures of textures on the walls and of posters that we thought had great design. We had good food and found the peaceful residential areas with old couples staring outside their little windows at us.

As it became late- because we had no map- we had to feel our way back to the bus…we didn’t worry, and eventually did find it based on landmarks and quirks that we recognized on our journey. We found a little restaurant with only Italians eating inside before we took off and had very, very good food. I had a whole grilled sea bass with salad, and Hanna had some huge noodles with a mushroom and olive-oil sauce. We had wine and bread and were so pleased with the way we had intuited an incredible day together.

Can-do People

2007-08-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

8/08/07

When I got on the train, I realized I had left my first Europe home – with Lysette Life is a mirror and with her – I liked what I saw.

Madrid is just another city. Made for shopping and eating. At first sight, I cannot find the charm – it reminds me of Sacramento. The hostel was filled with abnoxious American Kids and instead of feeling connected with them, I felt driven away. Spending the evening with a few new friends made the new city feel a little more comfortable, and I helped a guy dress a wound on his foot from a run-in with a sea urchin.

The following morning it took a surprising amount of time to make my way to the airport via metro to pick up my cousins. There was a lot of stress involved and when we all found eachother, I felt like crying because it was the first moment I felt completely sure and safe in a few days. We savorted the hospital-looking hostel beds and slep like squirrels in the afternoon. I’ve become quite proficient at making friends and in the kitchen I practiced my Hebrew with a couple Israeli girls and a few brazillian boys. The boys escorted is to a late night dessert hunt in Madrid and we found Peruvian pan-pipe players, us dancing in the street, ice cream, and a game of cards. I noticed that one of the boys was tyring very, very hard to get me to like him, and in the morning after I had not given him any of that kind of attention, he ignored me completely.

Kelly Anne is the best because of her “early bird gets the worm” attitude. We woke up at 8:30 sharp to reap the free breakfast benefits that the hostel had to offer. Traveling with the girls has been very fun because we are all Can-Do people, we each carry our own weight and have been working together as a hive-mind unit, being open and honest about our thoughts and emotions. Both of the girls are on a crea team together at home and I suspect that I am tagging on to a unit which already existed.

We hustled our way over to Barcelona on a train and were pleased to find a large, make love/not war – feeling hostel painted with lime green walls and playing Raggae music. The girls went out to eat with some new people, and Istayed in to cook my own meal (much cheaper). The kitchen was disgusting with dirty dishes piled – so I cleaned it. My cleaning attracted mixed responses – one came in commenting on how I am obsessive compulsive, other dropped in more dishes saying “thank you” then the grumpy front-desk man from Senegal came in and said “oh my god, thank you so much, I’ve worked here for 2 months and I’ve never seen this counter clean, nobody cares, and I always have to clean it.” Then I gave him one of my hard-boiled eggs and he was so thankful. I like making friends.

Valencian Rooftops

2007-08-13T03:27:00.001-07:00

8/07/07

I made such a good friend at this Hostel – Hery name is Lysette from Holland and she speaks a range of languages. There are two kinds of people: open and closed ones, and its very easy to spot the open ones when you arrive at a hostel.

There is a museum here with incredible modern architecture. Its buildings looked like exotic laien insects perching themselves on the ground, waiting or the next millennia to open themselves. There was only enough time to take photographs of the exterior, it was easy to create a good composition in my camera because a master architect had already thought out the perfect angle of every corner.

I met up with Lysette, Diana, and Kain at the beach and I felt like aI had injested a happy pill. Lysette and I played Frisbee, acting like Frisbee performance artists, and then acted like puppies and mermaids together in the warm sea.

I’ve found my favorite part about traveling is how quickly you can make a vest friend without even knowing them before.

Everyone try this Salad:

Get some exotic greens that you like (baby Lettuce, Spinache, Arugula, etc…) toss it with this dressing:

Honey

Olive Oil

Salt

Place halved cherry tomatoes, walnuts and a soft salad cheese like feta on the top.

I ate tapas with my new group of friends and we laughed and ate and drank. I feel so alive. Lysette invited me to stay the night at her house and I shared the living room with Kain and Marcello – who were both good people that I felt comfortable around. We sat on old couch cushions on the balcony drinking tea, overlooking the old roof tops and stars of Valencia. I feel very touched by being invited into someone’s home – I think this is one of the kindest mitzvahs which can be made.

Tiger Nuts.

2007-08-05T02:55:00.001-07:00

8/04/2007

After Siesta, the people slowly started crawling out of their homes and warming the street, shop doors opened and activity was once again resumed. I roamed the old part of the city through the small cobweb roads and found an impressive church open to the public. I can see that Spain was once a very powerful, prideful figure in the world. I could dress myself very well here in Spain – I’ve been just so impressed by the clothes – especially the ones that are too expensive for me. I took a crema filled pastry and tried some Spanish Orxata – Which is different from the Mexican version…Its made with milk and the juice of a “tiger nut” which gives it a beautiful cinnamon/nutty taste – I’ve heard that tiger nuts make good fish bait.

I was invited to go out for a drink with a couple people, and by the end of the evening we had a group of about 7 sitting around a table outside at 11:00p, I met a Japanese guy living in Spain who has also lived in Israel on a kibbutz and now works at a hostel in Valencia. It was so interesting to see a Japanese person speak Spanish, he even spoke some Hebrew. When you travel, the first thing you talk about when meeting a stranger is “where are you going…where have you been…How long have you been here?” So eventually you become aware of everyone’s Itinerary and everyone’s “story.”

Most Europeans speak at least 3 languages, and I think its so beautiful how worldly and open they are.

Elvis lives

2007-08-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

8/04/2007

I am so glad I trusted myself and came to Valencia. I knew I made the right choice the moment I stepped off of the train. The architecture is how I imagined Spain to be, and the colors of the buildings are bright and happy with lots of sunshine and happiness. There are aromatic restaurants and markets, and very kind reception from the people on the street. I found a man who spoke English and he was very good at helping me get to my Hostel. There is so much to see here, and I feel good knowing that I made a correct decision for myself.

My hostel is stunning and the receptionist from Holland is more than accommodating. The welcome felt like one at a 5 star hotel and the place has so much character. I actually have a room to myself, and each room has a different theme – mine happens to be the “Sexy love” room…I have a mirror on my ceiling, and a leopard print bed with an Elvis lamp on the night stand. I took a walk outside the hostel and although the shops were all closing due to Siesta, I managed to find a small chicken shop selling rotisserie pollos with roasted potatoes and Aioli – job well done. Today I had a talent for finding my way back to the hostel in this old labyrinth town with no map. I simply told myself how I’m just going to run into my hostel by chance…and I did. I felt so lucky.

Traveling by yourself takes so much energy…I hope to get this down to an art, the draining part is figuring out where to put your stuff and how to feed yourself and where the hostel is, and trying to do all this without freaking out when no one speaks your language. I have really had to exercise my “stay calm” muscles and just accept each moment with the possibility that it will become better and everything will work out.

Spiritual

2007-08-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

8/03/2007

Today I was in a little bit of a sour mood – I felt tired and angry at the cigarette smoke making my throat even worse. I sound like Barry White…which I guess could be a good thing. I decided this morning that maybe I’m not “feeling” Barcelona, so I should move on – although I did enjoy seeing the night life very much. The streets are very difficult to navigate, and I am very disoriented in this city. I found the train station and booked a train to another Spanish town: Valencia, which I know nothing about – but another girl traveling by herself told me that it was beautiful there. I can only go by my intuition and what feels right.

A Spanish Siesta (from 2:00pm-4:00pm) is actually incredibly therapeutic. I slept like the dead and woke up ready to go out and prance around the city. I took myself and my little walking shoes and decided to get lost for a while. I found a lovely part of town with narrow, mysterious streets that are constantly sparking and rewarding your curiosity. Spain is a donut culture – a typical Spanish breakfast is something sweet like a pastry with a cup of coffee or tea…maybe some yogurt. I have found a treasure trove of small, delicate pastry shops that sell gorgous and rustic looking breakfast pastries. There are a lot of almonds and cinnamon here. The streets are catacomb like and are made up of tall residential flats. There is laundry hanging from the balconies and cracking stucco lining the building bases. There are many directions to go, and it was fun to go where my senses told me to go always rewarded by a beautiful shop, or musician. There is incredible music talent here. A man was playing the Spanish guitar with a mask and singing, while in another quiet area, a man had sat down with a hollow metal drum instrument that he was delicately tapping with his fingers – he made music that sounded…spiritual. There are Goudi buildings everywhere (the architect) and Barcelona is peppered with quirky architectural and sculptural adornments.

Most people I speak with know basically zero English. I find myself having to draw the things I’m looking for and point on maps instead of asking…much quicker. After getting a little bit lost and a little scared at dusk, I found my way back to the hostel which feels like a safe haven, especially when you know a few of the people inside. I’m amazed at when i feel I have no one - a familiar face, can feel like the closest friend.

Whatever happens in Barthelona, Stays in Barthelona

2007-08-03T03:28:00.000-07:00

8/02/2007

My first Hostelling experience. For those that are unfamiliar with the term – a hostel is a cheaper alternative to a hotel. Why cheaper? Because the room you pay for is shared by other fellow travelers. The bathroom and bedroom is communal as well as the kitchen and living areas. I was a little nervous to try this way of sleeping, but surprisingly it was quite comforting to be hibernating with other bears. It was very easy to make friends once I got here and every traveler speaks some English. I instantly became friends with a girl name Eliza who is from Tennessee. This is the first American I had met since I left home. We went out together strolling around town talking, getting lost..eventually following our eyes to a very special gelato store and the Picasso museum.

The Picasso museum was fascinating to me because they showed pieces from his youth when he did not yet have his style which he is recognized for. Although he was a talented painter and could paint landscapes and portraits like any trained artist…there was no life in it. I wouldn’t even have those pieces hanging on my wall, despite the Picasso signature. But then something changed when he became older and he stopped caring about how things look. He just felt with his paint brush – and it was so inspiring to see how creative he had allowed himself to be – by not even trying.

I felt very out of my element yesterday, although I am good at being social and blending in. I have lived such a disciplined life with no smoking, drugs, promiscuity, or drinking and since I have been in Barcelona– I am quite a minority. I think maybe the lesson for me here is to not necessarily give in and do things I don’t feel comfortable doing – but to not judge other people for having their own choices. I think its natural for me to change my mind about a friend based on their habits – which I have no right to do. When I met people at the hostel, I liked all of them…Then I kept hearing more of their stories about how they do drugs and drink and come to Spain to party – and it was harder and harder for me to feel like I am their friend. I wanted to just hide in my room…but I forced myself to go out with everyone in the evening – I actually had a fantastic time and simply didn’t care what other people did…enjoying them just the same as I would without the indulgences. I can see why people love Barcelona – there are so many young people who simply don’t have a problem being social. I went to two dance clubs that night, and they were both packed with people…all dancing, and I had the most fun just dancing by myself with my group from the hostel.

We all went home at 5:00am, I was exhausted – my throat shot because of the cigarette smoke in the air…but loving every moment. I had no sheets on my bed, but was happy just laying on top of my silk sleeping bag…sleeping very soundly knowing that I had enjoyed the evening with a group of people I had never met before, and feeling like one of them even though I had stayed true to my own values. This is much more difficult than I had anticipated and I hope that it will become easier as time goes on…It’s a pain that I am glad to experience.

Train showers>Not for the elderly

2007-08-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

7/30/2007

I would say that paying an extra $30 for the 3 person cabin instead of the 6 person cabin is definitely worth it – there are many more luxuries. For instance, in a 3 cabin there is an actual vanity with a sink and mirror inside the cabin, as well as a shower facility in the same wagon. The shower was surprisingly good – however I think in America the lawyers would have sued the hell out of the train company because there is no traction material on the floor, no handle bars, and the train rocks back and forth unexpectedly. But the shower is spacious and that supplied towels and shampoo. Dispite the added comforts and talkative, kind roommates – I still did not sleep and was very irritated throughout the night due to an air conditioning unit placed directly above my head, blowing air into my face throughout the night. My throat symptoms were definitely exacerbated.

Ulla is a saint and let me take a 3 hour nap on her bed when I arrived in Stockholm. I woke up ravenous and ate enough for 2 people on a winter day. I explored a little at a new train stop and was very pleasantly surprised – there was a magical quality in the air temperature and I made a stop at a homeopathic pharmacy…which is a popular store here in the EU.