slipping back gently in... shhhhh

its hard for me to stick to things. I am super gung ho for about two weeks of any endeavor. What usually happens is, something becomes a minor pain in my ass and I scrap the whole plan. WEll, apparently I'm getting better. I started using a metal water bottle a few months ago. Since I don't want to even accidentally advertise for them all I will say is they are popular, swiss, made from aluminum and have had some customer relations issues of late. My customaer issues were, my first two had a funny smell/taste, probably related to the plastic BPA lining they used! My last one mysteriously began leaking out the bottom, odd for a steel bottle. So I got it in my head that I needed a whole new bottle, a whole new, unrelated brand (the third bottle I had was under a different name, same company though.) I went online, found a super cute little store not far from my house and ventured there on a field trip.

I didn't expect too much based on my experience with "green" stores. Holy moly, was I ever wrong! This place has everything from beauty products (I got a couple tubes of fabulous vegan lip balm...) to mattresses (I didn't get one of those...). Also, tons of kid lunch stuff that made me wish I was still in the 4th grade! It won't let me steal the photos but trust me...

All that aside, this post is about what I did get. I got the pink Klean Kanteen. I can't believe I bought pepto bismal pink anything either, but it was that or royal blue or plain stainless steel, which experience has taught me, shows finger prints. The other one I bought partially because the pink fairy is waay too big to fit the gym cupholders, ( I know, so L.A.) and partially because I think it's pretty and I really needed to make up for the pink thing. Did I mention I hate most versions of the colour pink? It's from a company called U-Turn 2 Tap (that's a link). There are loads of smaller companies making these bottles now but this one just spoke to me... ( who am I today?!)

To add to my small part of creating less waste I got some BYO Bags, which stop you from having to use the plastic bags for fruits and veg at the market. I used one this morning and felt very self-righteous! Which brings me back round to the point...wait, was there a point? Oh right, I'm really going to make an effort every single day to reduce the amount of waste I create. And don't tell me in some whiny voice that you recycle your plastic bottles, that doesn't count, think of the energy used for recycling! AND! are you really truly able to find recycling facilities everywhere you go? I didn't think so.

What's happening here?

Maybe I've been under a rock but it sure seems like there is a lot more crime round these parts than there has been in a while. A few hours ago I received this email. 

Dear neighbors,

This past Friday January 30, a friend of my was brutally assaulted walking from Blairs on Hyperion to Edendales Bar and Grill on Rowena. It was maybe between 11:30 PM or 12:30 AM near the West Silver Lake Street entrance on Rowena.  He was pulled into the back of a dark driveway, had a gun pressed against his temple and then savagely thrown to the ground and beaten crushing his left cheek; he blacked out and doesn't remember what happened next. He couldn't see both suspects but got a look at one who he describes as a tall, young hispanic male. Larry was rushed to Kaiser on Sunset and when the police came, one exclaimed that this was the 9th such assault by the same suspects in 2 weeks in the Silver Lake area, almost 1 assault a day!!!  The police also said they were just there the night before with another victim who had his face sliced from the corner of his eye to the the corner of his mouth by the same SOB, they also said they (the police) were on it.
 I think if they were truly "on it" we SL residents would have been warned somehow either by fliers or a news blurb.  My friend is puzzled by the attack and thinks it's a hate crime since they didn't take his wallet nor his watch but isn't quite sure.  I am scared but really really pissed at the police for keeping the 9 assaults, one after the other on the down- low so, I'm going to spread the word somehow and someway.  A friend and I are making fliers and going to some of the neighborhood bars, cafes and stores and posting warnings.  If you have any ideas contacting the news, email blasts etc.. let me know or just help spread the warning any way you know how.

PS.  Another female dog owner/friend on Michelterona and Sunset was sexually assaulted 3 weeks ago at 7:30 PM by a tall white male with shoulder length hair.  He didn't care if she had her 140 lbs dog with her, he grabbed her from behind, pushed her up against a wall and began to fondle her and only let go when he saw a family walking towards them down the hill from Micheltorena.

I apologize for all the somber news but I'm sure you rather be safe then sorry.

Not being able to put it out of my mind ( and being shocked when I went immediately to Capt. Pinkpants blog and found nothing) I did a little searching since they seem to keep these things under wraps and I found this  and who could forget this. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I keep hearing about these things and now I'm scared to walk the dog. nevermind how I feel about my best friend riding the bus late at night...

I once tried to write a poem. I was reading a lot of poetry at the time and it seemed like a good idea. It was terrible. I have read it to exactly one person and she picked out one line and said, "That one's not so bad". She was wrong though, it was so bad, it IS so bad. Every time I read it I am embarrassed by the sheer badness of it but yet, it makes me smile. It makes me smile that I tried. It makes me smile that I completed it. So now I think I should try to complete more things. That's probably a good general rule anyway.

Anyone who has happened  upon my long lost blog from years back knows I started this whole thing to keep my fingers busy while not smoking. It didn't go so well. Eventually I picked up the cigs but kept writing anyway. Well, I need to quit again, this time for real. Any tips?

The toothpaste lands in the sink when you spit. You turn off the water and move to walk away. Then you remember. You walk back to the sink and, with one lonely finger under the tap, you wipe away the dot left behind. You stare at the spot that might never have been real. You shake your head. You wonder why it matters anyway. 

You walk into the bedroom where you have traded one set of keys for another. You think back to the spot. You never deserved that first set of keys anyway. The little blue dot. You walk back into the bathroom. You half wish it was still there. It's easier to wipe something clean when you can still see it clearly. You consider brushing again, maybe try to recreate the spot. You shake your head again. You tell yourself to let it go. It's just a spot. it's just a tiny, little spot. Easily removed, easily replaced. At least, that's what you tell yourself.

You go to sleep, in the morning there will be new brushes and teeth and spots to wipe clean.

LIke jesus, only better

The hallway was dark, illuminated only slightly by the red light coming off of a near by neon sign. I was itching to leave. The bugs that crawl under my skin had come alive with a vengeance. I had to leave. It wasn't until I was halfway down the hallway that I saw them. I could feel the cold sweat settling in on their hot upper lips, the red light making the wet beads look like splatters of blood. Before I could cover my ears the grinding of their teeth obliterated my eardrums. These are the kind of people you want to run away from as much as you want to help. I needed to leave.

"Leaving so soon?"

The bugs were really dancing then. I knew I had to answer or he'd keep pushing.

"Yes. Right now."

I grabbed my girl and made a forward motion that can only be called walking if one is feeling particularly generous. It looked more like a fumbling false start in an olympic race. He took advantage of my stumble and blocked our way. When was the last time he had a shower?

"It's so good to see you."

"Do I know you?" was what I wanted to say but I happen to be a fan of propriety.

"Um... yeah. You too."

He looked familiar, but only in a vague, blurry sort of way. Out of nowhere "Somebody That I Used to Know" started playing on a loop inside my brain. The bugs always loved Elliott Smith. He started rubbing his nose and snapping his fingers. This, I could tell, was a problem. Clearly, it meant that he was having a wonderful time and no one was going anywhere. His girlfriend was shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She was so busy trying to pretend that she too was having a wonderful time that she didn't notice the little bit of white powder left on her right nostril. Yes, darling, you are clearly having a wonderful time.

A crowd had gathered in the hallway, a minor traffic pile up. The bugs had spread. Everyone was tired. The night was over. Chattering had given way to yawns and the signing of credit card slips. The angry mob behind us was growing larger. He didn't notice. To him it was a captive audience. He used his considerable girth to block the way out. He smiled his best mayoral smile and started shaking hands. He smelled faintly of baby laxative.

"Where's your boyfriend?" He leered at me.

"I don't have one, but this is my girlfriend."

"I see, no man could compare to me, eh?"

I assumed the elbows he jabbed into my sides were an attempt at camaraderie.

"You know, you're a classic, strong woman. You belong in a different era."

"What?"

The only person he made sense to was himself. He failed to notice that he had sprouted four heads, which was surprising given that he seemed to be checking out his hair in our pupils. The bugs are uncomfortable with multi-headed persons and as such I feared they would burst out of my skin, which is never pleasant, what with the bits of epidermis, pus and blood that tend to get everywhere.

The crowd from the back had had enough. They were pushing to get out, lest their skin burst as well.

The force was enough to push us past him and into the street where it was safe. I saw a blur of moving lips as I rushed by. It wasn't until we had burst into the open and the dull roar had died to a sharp hum that I  heard him talking to his lady.

"You know I'm a teacher. Like Jesus, only better."

I looked back for her reaction, but he wasn't talking to his lady. There was no lady. There was only him. Alone, talking to a brick wall. I wondered how long he would stand there. I wondered if he would die there. I recognized him then. I started to go back in after him, as I had so many times before, but this time it was too late. My only option was to save myself. I turned my back and walked away.

a little update and a warning....

I know I said cremories, but that wasn't true. Posting will commence again tomorrow. new and not so new format and stuff. Stay tuned and check back tomorrow. and a big xo to anyone who still checks this thing.