I have an addiction

I have a problem. A serious problem. An addiction.

I want to do everything.

Well maybe not EVERYTHING. Never had any interest in boxing, for example.

I collect hobbies. And they are getting out of hand. I meet people and they introduce me to a new [insert new thing here]. I instantly am curious about it and want to try it. I end up trying it, enjoying it, and then wanting more.

There isn't enough time in the world to do everything I want to. And this makes me sad.

If I ruled America

I used to look at America as a "land of opportunity," as cliche as that sounds. My parents escaped communism in Poland in the 1980s and made a new life for themselves here.

My parents started their own businesses and raised three children. My mother's dream was to put her three children through college (which came true). The rest was up to us.

Fast forward to today and I don't see American as a land of opportunity anymore. Graduating from college doesn't guarantee anything. There are plenty of talented, skilled, and educated people out there living off of unemployment or working a mindless job in an unrelated field.

Oh the irony. My parents now fear for our futures in America.

My brother and I are looking to buy land in Poland to develop at a future time since land (for the moment) is cheap and it'll be a place for us to have just in case shit really hits the fan in the good ol' US of A. And if that doesn't work out, my aunt  (when she dies) is leaving her apartment us since she has no kids.

The older I get, the more I learn how fucked up this world is. Everything is revolved around money. Capitalism doesn't value people, it values money. And it doesn't matter what happens, people will put money above all else.

Money controls things that it shouldn't control: elections, who can get married, education, etc.

If I was dictator, I would change the following things about America.

1. The use of all fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas.)
2. Get rid of the Federal Reserve.
3. Take away personhood from all for-profit corporations (corporations are not people, fuckheads. I still can't believe the Supreme Court passed this shit.)
4. Special-interests, lobbyists, and for-profit corporations control government would be illegal.
5. National internet infrastructure would be available (and free) for all Americans.
6. Eliminate for-profit corporations from all aspects of health care.
7. Let anybody get married to anybody else(sexual orientation is nobody’s business). No benefits of citizenship or law should be related to whether a person is married or not.
8. All religious institutions should be taxed.
9. All elections would be publicly funded (no contributions allowed). And election campaigns would only last a few months.
10. Voting would be mandatory.

Oh it's all just a dream! None of this will ever happen.

Not until we have another American revolution. Which I believe will happen.

I just hope its within my lifetime. I want to be a part of it.

More than meets the eye

My project for my intro to digital media class is called "more than meets the eye."

The world is full of scars left by sometimes mysterious and unexplained events. "To live is to leave traces."

My assignment: Like a detective, seek out these scars, photograph them and try to imagine what event took place to create them.

Are the traces new or old? Was the event constructive, playful or violent? Is the story obvious or ambiguous?

I had to take 25 different photos and print four of them out.

Here are my favorites.

Long overdue

This is long overdue. altSCV has been out for 5 weeks now, but I didn't publish this post I wrote about the launch party because I was waiting for some photos.

Here it is now:

________________________________

In addition to publishing an alternative magazine, another dream of mine recently came true.

I went bowling in prom dress.

Susan and I have been talking about organizing a SCV-Twitter-crew-prom-bowling night for a few months now, and which the launch of an alternative publication, we thought what better way to celebrate than to combine the two?

And thus, the altSCV Launch/SCVTwitter Crew meet up Prom Bowling Night was born.

I've been wanting to go bowling in formal attire since my senior prom in 2003.

I always get nervous about organizing silly events like this becuase I question whether people will actually participate. It's easy to say "I'm down!" but when it comes down to it, people tend to flake.

I shall never doubt my SCV peeps again.

A group of us met at 5 Guys for dinner before bowling, and everyone was dressed up and looking smooth as all hell.

After our delicious meal, we quickly scurried to the bowling alley where four lanes were anxiously waiting for a party of 15 very well dressed people.

There were top hats, gloves and flowing gowns. There were strikes, spares and gutter balls. There were donuts, beer and Jack Daniel's. there was even a SpongeBob Square Pants pinata.

Total #win

Nine months

It's been nine months to the day since I've quit smoking.

I've since smoked a handful of cigarettes, usually while shmammered.

Sometimes I catch myself missing smoking. These moments are rare and they pass by quickly.  In the end, it feels good to not be a slave to an addiction.

Damn good.

Nine months of not buying a pack. Nine months of not smelling like shit. Nine months of happy lungs.

Go me.

Oreos and wine

Proxart hosts monthly mixers for artists to get together and mingle. I've never been to one before, but since altSCV sponsored February's mixer, I figure it would be a good idea to show up.

I'm glad I did. I had a blasty blast.

I only knew a handful of people, mostly Proxart people I've worked with before, but I met a helluva lot of other artistic and talented people.

People from Pasadena and L.A. came, too.

One of my favorite things in the world is to be surrounded with creative minds. There's just something so magical about it. Whether you know a person or not, knowing that he or she has set aside time in this busy thing we like to call life to mingle with others in the name of art makes me happy.

Really happy.

I woke up this morning and I was just stoked. My mother even commented on my unusually perky mood this a.m.

I get stoked when people get together and do something. Something productive. Something  no one has instructed them to do. Something fun and creative.

That's why I've always been a fan of organizations like Proxart. Here is a group of young 20-something-year-olds who banded together to create something. A group. A movement. A voice.

And it isn't a voice that just complains that there isn't anything to do in SCV. They create things to do.

The event was hosted at Romo Studio in Newhall. It was my first time there and as soon as I walked in the door I felt as if I was transported to an artist's loft in downtown L.A. Badass. Paintings hung on the walls, paint brushes skewed all about, photographs, empty frames and even a guitar.

Wine, beer, chips and oreos were served (WIN) and people talked. Talked about art. Talked about altSCV. Talked about Proxart. Talked about Kreativ. Talked about growing up in the SCV.

I was chit-chatting with Nathan Ryan from Proxart and Kreativ and at one point in our conversation, he started to clap. I naturally decided to join and before you knew it, the entire room was clapping. It was a clap-wave. Nathan Ryan and I died laughing.

You can't stage moments like that. Amazing.

The night was a complete success and I can't wait til the next one.

Especially if there will be wine and oreo cookies.