pee wee

We saw Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure on the big screen this weekend. It's over 25 years old, but still awesome! I want to emulate Pee Wee's joie-de-vivre. If you like filling your yard with plastic deer and flamingos, do it! If you like wearing funny suits and red bow ties, do it! If your dream is to find your beloved red bike, do it! He's so content and confident in his eccentricity. It's a beautiful thing, really. But of course, there's always the dark side. "There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand."

buffalo

My totem animal for the year is the white buffalo, or bison. What's the difference anyway, you may well ask. Basic geography. Bison live in the Americas. Buffalo live in Africa and Asia. You're probably actually envisioning bison in your brain when you think of buffalo. Like this guy. Sacred to the plains Indians of North America. Systematically wiped out by the white man. Now existing only in our national parks.

Honestly, they've never been one of my favorite animals. I don't understand how they don't tip over on their noses with all that weight in their hump, shoulders and heads, and those comparatively narrow little flanks. But I admit I was quite impressed with the few I encountered in Yellowstone Park many years ago: their big, shaggy bodies; their steamy breath in the snow; their cute little babies and they way they're so protective of them; that attitude of impatience that you sometimes sense in a wild animal (okay, I'll let you admire me for a moment, but I'm getting annoyed, and you should probably move on and leave me in peace before I gore the side of your car). Like all animals, they are in fact awesome if you stop to think about it for a minute.

The white buffalo (bison!) is especially sacred to the Lakota people because it plays an important role in one of their origin myths. Each time a white calf is born, it's believed to have special significance, and indicates the presence of the White Buffalo Calf Woman. The bison is a link between the earthly and the unearthly. Wasn't there an X-Files episode about this? She symbolizes rebirth, and a return to harmony, balance, spirituality, and feminine energy. The bison is a reminder of the greater whole, and the interconnectedness of all life. Of course the bison also symbolizes provision, gratitude, abundance, strength, blessing, prosperity, which all makes sense given how much the Native Americans relied on these creatures, and how much these creatures gave to them. So in that way, the bison is also a reminder that we should be grateful for what we have, and that we should be receptive and accepting of what is given to us in this life.

Much of this feels very relevant to me at this point in my life. Especially in conjunction with the other information and insights that came out of my tarot reading today (interpreted and guided so sensitively by the divine Ms. S.), and things I learned during my Spirit Springs retreat. So I'm embracing the white buffalo as my guide for now, and will try to remain open and receptive to whatever it has to show me.

evolution becomes revolution

I cannot even describe how excited I am about this movie! Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes out in August. I just watched a bunch of trailers, and if the movie is even HALF as awesome as the trailers, I will be on cloud NINE! What is it about this subject that drives me so crazy? I'm covered in goose bumps, my heart is racing, and tears are welling up in my eyes. It elicits such strong emotions in me -- happiness, excitement, awe, fear, hope. I know it's only a movie, and I know the Burton remake of the original Planet of the Apes was absolutely horrible, but this one looks so promising! It seems to be tackling bigger and bolder ideas about what it means to be human.

Hail Caesar! Let the Revolution begin! I can't wait until August 5, damn it. I want to see it NOW! I want to LIVE it now!

tim burton

The much anticipated Tim Burton exhibition opened at LACMA this weekend. I've always been a fan, although perhaps not die-hard enough to wait in line for hours for a chance to have him sign my exhibition catalogue (although I did consider it). I loved Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and of course Vincent and Frankenweenie. I enjoyed Batman, Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, and Corpse Bride. He's got a unique aesthetic -- even if it does get a bit repetitive sometimes -- a nice mix of ghoulishness and sensitivity.

Although it wasn't easy for anyone, I think the LACMA presentation is quite wonderful. Yes, it's incredibly dense with over 700 objects, but you can take what you like and ignore the rest. If you're deeply fascinated by Burton and his artistic process and influences, the exhibition demands many repeat visits. If you're a more casual fan, you can move through more quickly, but how can you not love the black-light carousel room with all its quirky creatures dancing around an electrical glass orb?

And how can you not love a whole case full of Jack Skellington heads that help visualize how grueling and time consuming the whole stop-motion animation process really is? Never mind another case full of various sized eyeballs, and the myriad skeletons, martians, and other bizarre characters that have appeared in Burton's movies, short films, and writings?

The LA Times (Christopher Knight) gave the exhibition a scathing review. Brutal. Yes, it's a money-maker, especially in this town. And yes, maybe the MoMA curators could have made a bigger impact by being more selective in the works they chose to exhibit. But I still think it's pretty fabulous that we're able to showcase the career of a local-boy-made-good while he's still relatively young. And I know there are tons of people who will love the exhibition, and will thoroughly enjoy soaking up all the imagery and history that's showcased there. Furthermore, I think it's potentially an inspiration to young aspiring artists to be able to study the career of a boy who was able to put his creative imagination to such prolific and successful use. Plus, it's FUN!

That being said, some of my favorite pieces are outside the main gallery walls. Check out Balloon Boy, the Topiary, and the crazy dancers:


































And of course, there was the opening party. Please, could we be more L.A.? I was disappointed that people didn't really dress up in Burtonesque attire, but there were plenty of celebrity sightings, including Mr. Burton himself of course, Danny Elfman, Martin Landau, Crispin Glover, Johnny Knoxville, Slash, and the glorious Jane's Addiction performing live to top off the evening with a bang. So LACMA. So not the Getty. And honestly, that's the last time I'll ever compare the two institutions.

support a good cause

I support a variety of what I consider good causes through modest financial contributions and volunteer work, but I've never done a walk-a-thon or any other charitable/fundraising event associated with a disease or illness. I've supported many others in their walks for breast cancer, AIDS, and other equally just causes, but I've never felt enough of a personal attachment to these causes to participate myself. Of course now that has changed.

For a while, even after my parents died, I didn't want to be associated with heart disease and leukemia. I mean, really, who does? They're nasty things. But alas, they do exist and they do impact many people. Of course we can't support every worthy cause that exists, and so we must be selective in the charities and activities that we do support. I don't think I'll ever become a rabid advocate for heart disease or leukemia research/prevention, but this year I've decided to participate in walks for both causes, in honor of my parents. I was lucky that neither of my parents suffered very long from either of these ailments, so I don't really have any direct experience with the actual diseases, but I certainly know that the end results can be devastating, so participating in these walks just seems like a good thing to do this year.

For Mom, I'm walking in the American Heart Association's Heart Walk 2011-2012 in San Diego on September 17. If you'd like to support me in this effort, please visit the website below:


http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=447197&supid=327814077.

For Dad, I'm walking in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk in Hollywood on October 1. If you'd like to support me in this effort, please visit the website below:


http://pages.lightthenight.org/los/UCLA11/EAndres.

Like I said, I've never participated in one of these before, but I think I can do it. They're just WALK-a-thons, right? Not marathons. So all I need is a good pair of walking shoes, appropriate attire, and a water bottle (all of which I already own), and the right attitude, and I can do it. And hopefully I can raise some money for these worthy causes, and enjoy the feeling of being with other people who understand loss and are willing to spend the time and energy coming together to build a happier and healthier future for all of us.

bunny torture

I brought home a little blue Easter bunny that I found at Mom's place last month. It was tucked away in a box with some other stuffed creatures, and it just called to me, so I thought I'd bring it home. It actually may have been a bunny that I gave to her one Easter (we used to send each other Easter boxes with silly little gifts and candies inside). At any rate, this poor innocent bunny has been co-opted by Marzipan.

No matter where I put the bunny, it always appears in strange new places. She never fails to find it, grab it by the ears and fling it across the room, and shake it until it's dead. Several times I've come home only to rescue it from the cat food bowls, sitting casually, or occasionally, face down in kitty crunchies. Most recently, I found it in this compromising, and no doubt uncomfortable, situation among the cacti on the hearth. Yes, he's impaled on a cactus spine!

Tonight I found her digging through one of Mr. G's bags by the armchair. She's not usually so nosy, but upon further investigation, she wasn't taking anything out of his bag, but rather she was hiding the blue bunny IN his bag. A little gift for the man she loves?

return

I will slowly be reentering the earth's atmosphere in the coming weeks. Except I don't know if it's possible to do such a thing slowly. And I hope I don't burn up on the way down, and end up as just a crumbly chunk of black rock by the time I reach terra firma. I'm actually hoping to land in the middle of the ocean somewhere so I can bob around quietly while I get my bearings, and then maybe gradually start swimming toward shore when the time is right. Gravity sucks.