Election Day – Make it Count

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Jenny

Today we vote. If you have the right to vote, do so. It’s a human right that you should not take for granted. Just like good health, you appreciate it when you don’t have it. It’s only after having a terrible cold that you realize how great it feels to be healthy and not sniffling snot incessantly. So Vote, be healthy, fell good about it.

When it comes to who you vote for, well…who am I to tell you what to do. It is your choice. Obviously. And your choice is totally private, you don’t have to tell anyone who you vote for at all, which is quite nice.

But if you are interested/intrigued/curious…here is some food for thought. (… But because this is my blog and you are curious/intrigued/interested enough to read this far, I will proudly confess that today, I shall vote for Obama.

Here are but a few of my reasons why:

Obama believes that women have a right to choose, and so do I.

Imagine this: a female you care for is raped. It is awful and she becomes pregnant. Imagine the pain and suffering that ensues. It’s a nightmare. Yet, her right to decide about what to do with the unwanted baby is non existent (under Romney). It is the will of God, apparently. Or was it just an awful situation that occurred and that she should not be punished for by having to bring an unwanted child into the world? We as women have a choice – these are our bodies and we have fought for the right of choice for many years. Nobody should be in any position of power that believes that women have no voice when it comes to their very own body. In fact Obama believes women should have the right to free preventative health care. Which sounds more logical to you? Romney’s argument which says women do not have a the right to decide what happens to their body, or Obama’s who grants full rights to our own body – it even sounds so blatantly obvious I don’t understand how this is even an issue.

Oh, and guess what. Even if your personal belief is that a pregnancy, no matter how it was caused, was the will of God, that opinion is no more than just that – a PERSONAL belief. Church and state should be separate, as was envisioned by our founding fathers and as is carried out by our President Obama.

Remember how this country is made up of people of all races and creeds. When voting make sure you pick a candidate who promotes equal rights for all Americans regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality….Equality is tough to protect and we need a President (Obama) who stands up for minorities and is free of archaic judgement.

We do not need any more wars. Obama ended the war in Iraq. He completed the mission of killing Osama bin Laden and has made huge steps towards drawing the Afghanistan war to a close. Romney has expressed a far more aggressive foreign policy – and refers to “the bad guys” ominously in his debates. He has pledged a “tougher stance on China”. Consider this, however, if Romney comes in and takes such a barking tone, China may decide to not buy any more US bonds which would make it quite difficult for the US to service its debt. And wait – wasn’t it Romney who said he would cut the debt drastically and that Obama was doing basically zilch? Ah, I see. Keep an eye out on that Romney fella’ – he is a slippery eel I tell ya.

The economy has been slowly improving. When Obama became President it was worse than it has been in 1929 during the Great Depression. If anybody expected Obama to have completely fixed and improved the economy in less than 4 years – put things in perspective. A huge economical disaster that Obama had thrown into his lap cannot be reversed with a flick of a wand. If it was, it would be no more than a temporary bandaid which is the last thing we would ever want again – another bubble? No thank you. Here’s to change that lasts.

Obama has made health care more affordable. He passed the Affordable Care Act which removes restrictions on pre-existing conditions, raises the age at which children can be under their parents health care (something that small businesses benefit from too) - why would you be against this?

Clean energy jobs – Obama is investing in creating these kinds of jobs. It’s about time that this happened.

And he thinks that the wealthy should pay fair taxes like the rest of us. One word – duh. Think about it, last year Romney paid about 14% of his income in tax. That’s almost certainly less than you did, by a significant amount. Even if you are not making millions, you still pay sales taxes, so chances are your effective tax rate is closer to 30% of all the money you make. The majority of people that have struggled in this economy have paid more income taxes than Romney. Think about it. Is that fair? Is that morally right?

Obama believes in Science, in research for innovation – He believes in a greater future for us all. He is for change and growth and development, learning and re-assessing what has not worked.

If you think Romney will take things back to “how they were” – you should question what that means to you. Is how things were what led us to the greatest financial crisis since 1929? Is how we were in the Clinton era, because then Obama is the clear choice. Is how we were no more than an idea your parents have imposed on you?

It’s your vote. Nobody can tell you where to press your dark pen tomorrow. But do me a favor and vote for the candidate that you honestly feel will continue to grow a unified, fair, peaceful United States of America – so that we may all continue to be proud of this beast of a Nation because this is a serious choice you are making. What you vote for tomorrow will mark the next four years in a very serious manner – what happens tomorrow matters for you, your children, your family, your friends – everyone around you. Tomorrow is the day we have all been waiting for and there won’t be another – so make your voice heard. And make sure that voice has been well thought out – clearly, wisely and with lots of heart.

‘Till tomorrow fellow citizens – may tomorrow be a happy day for us all.

Creativity – No Problem.

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Jenny

Sometimes Wednesday needs some inspiration. Many of you may recognize John Cleese from Fawlty Towers, A Fished Called Wanda, Monty Python etc etc. Epic series and films indeed. Never before have I heard such a beautiful talk about creativity and I wanted to share it. Enjoy.

Baja California

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Jenny

As I was doing research for work I stumbled upon the eco-friendly hotel – Hotel Endemico Resguardo Silvestre in Baja California of world-renowned Grupo Habita. This eco-hotel is the winner of the 2012 Best Small Hotel Award from Travel and Leisure and was designed by Gracia Studio. Twenty independent rooms, or EcoLofts, span over the terrain each elevated above the soil. The minimal box-shaped rooms step out onto a wooden deck which has a clay fireplace. Oh the suffering. At night you stare up at the stars, sip some local wine(s) and breathe. Lets not forget that there is also a pool, winery and yes, a delicious restaurant.

It has not, from what I can understand opened to the public yet, but when it does I shall make it my business to go and review it! It is located in the Valle de Guadalupe and something tells me it is close to the restaurant Laja, a place that everyone should eat at. All the produce is grown in their garden’s – this culinary “mecca” is a must for all you people who like to do the eating of simple good food.

Picture from the Laja website

It’s Wednesday so lets dream about going to Hotel Endemico and eating at Laja, go on, I invite you.

xoxo

Monday Matter of Fact

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Jenny

Afternoon confession – I fell in love with the lovely lady selling me my glasses today. She remembered the style I had liked two months ago (I didn’t). I would have bought anything from her. I am a blatant sucker for good service. Wine me and dine me and I’ll say yes to anything. Seriously. If you feel like falling in love, head to the A. Kinney Court – the best place to buy glasses in LA.

Then I walked home amongst the flowers of Abbot Kinney.

Downstairs I have a juice shop, coffee shop, Indian, Japanese and Peruvian food…the lot. As I went down to get my regular açaí with lots (I mean mounds of granola) I had a chat with one of the locals. As he munched on his breakfast (at 3:13pm) I asked him a random question about the juice stores new Mexican joint across the street. “Yeah, I was looking forward to it too – they were talking about some Mexican Cuban fusion shit but now Monica (lets say that’s her name) got pregnant so…”Oh well, what can you do..” I said in an okay I got to go back to work tone. “Not have sex” he replied.

Yes, true – one could take such a matter of fact stance to life. But the notion of not having sex is, lets face it, not an option. It’s like saying, life got in the way, so stop living. Uh, no. Not an option thank you.

What I liked about this dudes attitude was his pragmatic approach. Don’t fret, just get on with it…

And with that I continue my day, relaxing and shrugging my shoulders….Maybe today’s a “bof” day….the genius expression of the Français, summarizing okay, so so, nah, whatever, regular, boring and bland all into one beautiful three-letter word – BOF -how very French I feel. My third name is Therese, so I am basically French (or so I would say as a child).

All that’s missing is my cigarette (it’s too hot for a burette)… or vice versa.

Monday evening tune (for your evening gimlet, G&T…) – Some Kitty, Daisy & Lewis -They will be at El Rey Theatre on the 6th of April (with the Leftover Cuties)….see you there xoxox

All good things come in 2′s

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Jenny

The wonderful photgrapher Gabriela Kulaif just posted something on facebook which I simply had to share:

The must see surrealist “Miss You” solo show by the Brazilian brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, also knows as “the twins,” or “Os Gêmeos” in Portuguese.

Shelley Leopold writing for LAWeekly interviews the brothers:

Shannon Cottrell

“We know from previous experience that a 10:30 am interview is a lot to ask of artists, even on a weekday. It turns out we’re kept waiting because of another interview with a prestigious national art rag that has only just noticed Os Gêmeos’ bright, yellow-skinned figure paintings recently, now that the work can bring close to six figures.

These happy, colorful, self-styled characters grew out of the foundations of traditional graffiti and developed on the streets with encouragement from a magical 1993 meeting with Barry McGee (aka TWIST), who was there on an artist residency. Otavio and Gustavo’s graffiti folktales have since towered over the streets of Sao Paolo and the world, for some 20 years. Consequently, Os Gêmeos’ retrospective contribution to MOCA’s “Art in the Streets” show was stunning — an installation the equivalent of a boulevard full of faces of houses and houses of faces, hooked up to a drum kit that triggered lights embedded in the paintings when played by museum attendees.

This sense of discovery and subsequent interaction is a very important concept in Os Gêmeos’ work seen in the “Miss You” show, and in general, as they explain when we finally speak. By noon they are tired of talking, but they make clear that their influences and ideas come from an easily understood place — inside their heads, where they admittedly live most of the time.

“Everything we do is a self portrait,” says Otavio. “When you come inside [our show] you come inside what we believe.”

Referencing a featured piece in the show, a big, cute, square female head suspended from the middle of the room, which one can climb inside for a trippy, kaleidoscope experience sans LSD, Gustavo says, “Sometimes our head is like a house. Where you close or open it and allow people to come inside and live.”

This idea is explored in an actual “room” created on site at Prism, with bed, books and personal items. One whole wall is an interactive, brain-like screen littered with moving yellow faces that react to touch.

Courtesy of the gallery’s windows, sunshine and color purposefully bounce off the red walls of the exhibit, highlighting the fragmented subjects of the paintings, occasionally emphasized by well-placed sequins. Perhaps it’s capturing the magic “light” of L.A. that film directors like David Lynch and Werner Herzog wax poetic about. Even at night, light is a theme in “Miss You” as Os Gemeos’ signature faces grow out of the floor in mushroom-like lamps. “Our work is very colorful, happy,” Gustavo offers. Otavio agrees, “Yes, full of color, always. And when you see the sky here, it’s like a message for us. Beautiful. We love the light!”

There are new textiles in the show, showcased upstairs and crafted by their mother, Margarida, a special collaboration for them that sparks an interesting result. It brings a calming influence to the otherwise high fidelity energy of the other work.

Did they go to art school? Gustavo declares with conviction, “There was no need. Our moment is more special. The people that we’ve met, we only know nice people. It’s true! Life is very important.”

Overall Os Gemeos enjoy their time here in L.A., with many friends and good weather. The show at Prism will close March 24 and they return soon to Brazil to prepare for a museum show at the Boston ICA this summer.

Our conversation ends with a reflection of the importance of the MOCA show (“It was good for the art scene — [MOCA director] Jeffrey [Deitch] breaks a lot of rules”), eventually turning to a related topic not even the locals quite understand, the destruction of our murals and the crackdown on artists (there is a not-so-secret new Os Gêmeos piece planted in the surrounding neighborhood). “This [attitude] is kind of stupid,” says Otavio. “But everything changes fast now. So many good artists in the world today, especially here in California, all coming from graffiti, street art, all young and very good.” “Especially here,” adds Gustavo. “It’s part of your culture! Los Angeles’ history and the art history in the U.S. Everything is very easy, but people like to make it complicated, hard. The whole world is like this. That’s why we are here to make people happy.”

I love these brothers – they do indeed make me happy. Let yourself be happy.

See you there.

xoxoxox

Making sense of Meditation

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Jenny

There are a plethora of techniques we adopt in our daily lives to remain relatively “sane” in our western society, which is heavily dressed with stress and societal pressures; one of these techniques being meditation. “Take a few deep breaths.” “Silence your thoughts.” “Try and listen to your gut feeling.” These and many more are the instructions we have all received at some point in our lives and they pertain mostly to the practice of meditation. The popularity of yoga, meditation and growing acceptance of the value of embracing ones “spiritual self” has lead many to adopt meditation as part of their daily routine. A mosaic of meditation techniques exist, you don’t necessarily have to sit cross-legged chanting “ohm”. Some surf, dance, swim, write – meditation is personal and as such each of us finds the method we need to re-connect with ourselves.. No matter how you meditate or whatever you may call it, be it relaxing, getting some alone time, the important part is not the name but the act and taking the time to find the right “meditation” “de-stresser” “re-focusing” technique. Some of us, however, shy away from this. Why? No time? Too busy? These are mere excuses. Recently somebody mentioned to me that when we think of delving within, many of us in the Western philosophy fear the darkness, the cobwebs and the compartmentalized issues we would rather leave untouched. In Eastern philosophy, however, delving within is not associated with darkness but with light and as one learns to transcend ones various levels of consciousness you approach the ultimate light namely a state of enlightenment. How very true. How many of us avoid dealing with matters because we know that the repercussions of doing so will involve dealing with emotions we like to avoid such as sadness, anger or remorse. How many techniques are there for delving within? And most importantly, which one works best?

Transcendental Meditation, or as it is commonly called TM, is a very popular form of meditation. It was formally introduced to me on December 2^nd 2011 at a news briefing held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, which announced the launch of the David Lynch Foundation (DLF) initiative, Operation Warrior Wellness (OWW) in Los Angeles. As part of this launch David Lynch presented a one million dollar cheque for the teaching of TM to veterans. Prior to the news briefing Wikipedia enlightened me with my basic knowledge of TM and the DLF: TM is a form of mantra meditation, which was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the mid-1950s in India. TM is based on Indian philosophy and the teachings of Krishna, the Buddha and Shankara as well as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and is a version of a technique passed down from the Maharishi’s teacher, Brahmananda Saraswati.[1] With TM you are given a mantra and instructed to never speak it to anybody (I fear to even imagine what happens if you do).

David Lynch presenting one million dollar cheque at OWW launch in LA. Courtesy of photographer Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

Millions of people have been trained in the technique of TM. The late John Lennon and George Harrison were devout practitioners and many public figures practice it today including Jerry Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood and of course David Lynch. Mr Lynch was so impressed by the effects of TM that in 2005 he established The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. According to their website this Foundation has been instrumental in spreading the scientifically proven benefits of TM. The DLF has created programs to teach the technique of TM to at risk populations including inner city kids, the homeless, Native Americans as well as veterans and their families suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Operation Warrior Wellness is a DLF initiative which teaches TM to Veterans, active soldiers and their families suffering from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). It started based on a friendship between Jerry Yellin and Ed Schloeman. These two veterans met in March of 2010 on the Island of Iwo Jima to commemorate the battle that was fought there during WWII. Jerry had been a P-51 fighter pilot in WWII and Ed Schloeman had been a Marine in the Vietnam War. It was friendship at first handshake and when the two met again in Florida, Ed discovered that Jerry practised TM. This had been a part of Jerry’s life since the 70’s; he found that TM radically reduced the effects of traumatic stress that were governing his life. Ed was intrigued and started to practice TM himself. Sure enough he too was amazed by the massive improvement TM made on his life. Thus the inspiration to share this technique with other military personnel, veterans and their families was born.

Me at the OWW Launch in LA. Courtesy of photographer Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

I confess I cannot reconcile meditation and the military and as I entered the elaborately carpeted Conference room in the Beverly Hills Hotel I was not sure what to expect. Not sure what was about to occur, clutching my questions for David Lynch in my sweaty paw I was directed by Alan Cruz, the talented photographer who had kindly invited me to the briefing, to take a seat. Obediently I did. The man sitting next to me turned out to be Mr. Jesse Berkowitz, the Director of Marketing of the David Lynch Foundation. We started to talk. This lovely man started to explain TM to me and I slowly began to understand what the hype was all about. As Jesse spoke I couldn’t help but notice his calm and bright personality almost forming a glowing hue around his body. “Is this the effect of TM?” I wondered. “Or…any form of meditation in general?” A friend from high school whom he hadn’t seen in a while sat next to him. She too seemed to glow from deep in her core and I found myself staring at them in awe (and a tad bit of envy).

David Lynch at OWW Launch in LA. Courtesy of photographer: Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

David Lynch then entered the room. In a mad frenzy I was squeezed before Mr. Lynch and directed to ask my one question. I had been calm as a cucumber up until this point but as I stood before this master Director I lost my cool completely. As if suffering from a severe tremor I found my whole body shaking violently as I shook his hand, presented myself and then asked my question – pitiful. It must have been pretty evident that I am no TM meditator. My question was how he reconciled his foundation, which suggests a move towards world peace and an initiative (OWW) that supports the military which some would consider a disruptor of world peace? Mr. Lynch responded, slightly befuddled at first that, “a military doesn’t disrupt world peace. They are trying to get the peace. It’s unfortunate that…it seems…what is happening these days may be the old way.” Mr. Lynch then said, “Real peace. Real peace is within and when that real peace is enlivened it’s like turning on a light and what that light removes is negativity. Real peace removes all negativity. There is no need for war. But the veterans, bless their hearts, they’ve gone off to defend their country, they’ve gone off with the right reasons and they come back and they’re not really being taken care of and it’s very unfortunate and they’re quietly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and we are here to tell them there’s a technique that’ll get their life back and bring great, great, great happiness and freedom. And it’s very, very beautiful and important that they get that.”

Real peace is within and the removal of negativity is pivotal – amen. Saying that the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq went for the “right” reasons, however, assumes the wars were “right” and necessary. There have been many wars and few could be described as necessary. Slightly confused and perplexed by Mr. Lynch’s answer I decided to focus on this idea of finding peace within in order to ensure peace without. Regardless of your political affiliations or opinions about the Afghanistan and Iraq war- wars which have lasted since October 2001 and March 2003 (a total of 18 years cumulatively) – the veterans, active soldiers and families suffering from the psychological damage of PTS that goes hand in hand with war, have a right to be cared for and importantly their pain acknowledged.

David Lynch at the OWW Launch in LA. Courtesy of Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

Sitting on a stage, facing the audience of reporters and fellow meditators sat a panel, which included Jerry Yellin, Ed Schloeman, Col. Brian Rees, M.D. Dr. Norman Rosenthal, OIF Veteran David George, Vietnam Veteran Dan Burks, Dr. Sarina Grosswald, David Lynch, Tara Jones Wise, and Dr. John Hagelin. As the presentation unfolded I heard story after story of how TM had changed these veterans and active soldiers lives. When talking about the research that has been conducted about the effects of TM on the brain renowned psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Norman Rosenthal said, “It occurs to me that as a researcher I look at the data and I say, wouldn’t it be great to have more studies, larger number, more controls, (researchers always say that by the way). But as a clinician, I say you know we just can’t afford to wait for the results of those studies to come out. The situation is too dire. The potential and promise of this technique is too great.”

Tara Jones Wise speaking at the launch of OWW in LA. Courtesy of photographer: Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

Everybody who spoke pledged that TM was going to be part of the solution to deal with PTS. Tara Jones Wise, the founder of the National Military Women Veterans Association of America, in a moving speech finished by saying, “ A year ago this month I felt suicidal. I felt so low that I wanted to just not be here. Today I can say I am a meditator. It’s that simple. TM saved my life.” Such words firmly underline how powerful TM has been in changing the lives of thousands of veterans. It is important to note that you don’t have to suffer from PTS or be a member of the “rich and famous” to benefit from TM. As Clint Eastwood said in a video shown at the briefing, “ It’s a great system to use in life in general. Otherwise why would I have been doing it all these years?” We can all meditate.

Clint Eastwood's recorded speech at the OWW launch in LA. Courtesy of photographer Alan Cruz (the loveriot.com)

So what is it about TM that is making all these people feel so much better? Dr. Fred Travis is the Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. On the Transcendental Meditation Program webpage he explains how TM makes the brain healthier and more “integrated” meaning that it functions together as a whole. The frontal lobes or association cortex of the brain does not get direct information from outside, it puts together what the senses have brought in through touch, hearing etc. “The Frontal lobes are like a conductor who takes the talent from different sections of the orchestra and puts them all together into a whole piece of music”. [2] The brain is constantly changing and that means new brain circuits are always being formed. If you repeat something for a long period of time stronger and stronger brain circuits start to form. Ever wonder why they say practice makes perfect? Stress, however, keeps the frontal lobes from developing and the brain stops working as a whole. Luckily no matter what has happened in the past we can always introduce new experiences and thus new brain circuits in our brain. TM exercises the frontal lobes and as Dr. Travis points out within a few months of practising TM, high levels of integration of frontal brain connectivity can be seen.

The type of meditation you choose is very personal – this is not a one size fits all system. As I saw on December 2^nd, TM has saved the lives of many veterans who suffer from traumatic stress and PTS. From my research TM has enriched the lives of thousands, but so have other forms of meditation. We live in a time in which stress and anxiety play a lead role in our daily lives. Serious health disabilities are on the rise such as depression and obesity. Depression is in fact the No.1 cause of years lost to disability in the western world and it is projected that by 2020 Depression will be the 2^nd most disabling condition in the world for all ages and both sexes (the first being cardiovascular disease).[3] If we have a healthy mind we have a healthy body. Ever notice that when you are very stressed you get a cold? We invest so much time and money in our car, house, trips, apple products – why not invest in our mental health? Mental health lasts far longer than the MacBook Pro no matter what warranty you have.

Meditation, taking the time to really know thyself, knows no boundaries, it connects people to themselves but also each other – it is a unifying force that values individuality and serves as a tool, to improve the lives of thousands of people from every walk of life. Growth and change are inevitable, yet human beings often shy away from challenging ourselves; we are creatures who become easily complacent with the status quo. As we ring in the New Year I think of what Maharishi told Larry King when asked what one needs to have in order to start practicing TM. Maharishi simply said, you need the intention, the desire to become a better person[4]. A principle of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is “water the root to enjoy the fruit.” Perhaps meditation, whichever type that suits us, is the water we need to fully blossom in 2012 and (drum roll please) beyond.

I would love to hear back from you….

What Meditation techniques function for you?

What do you think of “Meditation” per se – what does it mean to you?

Do you find or make time to “meditate” every day/week?

Post News Briefing - inspired. Courtesy of photographer: Alan Cruz (theloveriot.com)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Meditation

[2] Interview with Dr. Fred Travis, Ph.D http://www.tm.org/benefits-brain

[3] http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/ & http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/definition/en/

[4] http://www.tm.org/maharishi#mmy-3

Putting Pen to Paper

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Jenny

Sometimes it is difficult to start to write. With so much going on I have set aside a piece I had intended to have done last week. Oy vey. As I tidy my desk, tend to my e-mails, organize my papers and edit pictures that I am giving away for Christmas I catch myself procrastinating.

Perhaps, however, this procrastination was meant to be – perhaps I was supposed to find a list I wrote a month ago and had completely forgotten about.

Here it is:

Love, is all that matters.Find who you are so that you may attract it. Your must be that which you expect others to be.

Always start from within. When you commence from without you question what lies within.

Never fear failure. When you do, you lose track of success. Both work in tandem and are inseparable. Accept their inevitability as forces of balance in life.

Learn to breathe. It is often the small acts that prove most complicated.

Smile to yourself so that you may smile to the world.

Allow time to pass before answering hurtful comments. If answered quickly, you replicate the unkind energy.

Know yourself and befriend yourself so that you can live happily in harmony with who you are.

Ask so that you may hear. Listen so that you may know.

Listen so that you may be heard. Speak so that you may be seen. Look so that your heart can understand.

Appreciate that knowledge is infinite. That which lies beyond our realm of understanding is real.

Respect your limits, yet form no immovable boundaries. Lines were made to be moved. Nothing is immovable.

Sleep, not as a path to tomorrow but as a means of rest and recuperation.

Acknowledge your efforts and congratulate yourself. Appreciate what you do, so that you may recognize others

Look up and out with one eye, in and down with the other; balance.

Be patient. Apologize when you hurt others.

Say “thank you” more often than “sorry.

Do not judge, for it is wasteful.

What’s in a name?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Jenny

Even Juliet worried about her lovers name. Why oh why did he have to be a Montague? Nevertheless dear ole’ Romeo and Juliet never got to the point of sitting down at the dinner table and having the discussion over wine and candles about names, sadly enough. In Juliet’s state of love induced euphoria she reasons that, “that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Whilst this is poetic and rather charming in theory, she may have changed her tune if she had been given a chance to really think this through, in the 21st Century.

Names do matter.You know how I know? I have posted just about every update and novelty on Facebook. I receive a few comments sometimes but never as many as when I recently posted something about changing my name that challenged the tradition of taking ones future husbands name. I received a plethora of comments, e-mails and even phone calls. People had an opinion. Conclusion: Names matter. Fact.

Names don’t only matter based on the fact that I got feedback on Facebook. When I say people, I mean women. Only two man out of all of my male friends, including my fiancée, commented. One commented on Facebook the other sent me a personal e-mail on the matter.

The question of surnames has arisen for, as you may guess, I am getting married and have been confronted with the question of “are you going to take Carlos’ name?” Simple answer, no. Why? Because I don’t see why a woman must concede her name, a part of her identity, in order to create a unified family. Why does anybody have to concede anything? Why can’t two people marry and each keep their name?

Confession: Taking my future husbands name was something I considered for a brief while. I remember when I would have a crush on boys at school, I would day-dream of myself as “Jenny Smith” or “Jenny Pope” (I am using false names because writing the real ones embarrassed me too much – I actually blushed). That was all I knew of as a little girl, my mother had my father’s name (although originally she kept her maiden name) and people around me seemed to do so as well so I didn’t think of the roots of such a tradition or custom. I soon learnt how until very recently women were considered the property of men, so loosing their own name came along with loosing the few rights they had from before. Imagine my shock. Meanwhile I was learning about the Romans and found it a superb idea to have slaves feed you grapes, whilst you lay reclined on copious amounts of pillows. Go figure.

I find it worrying that so many women of my generation, in their mid-twenties, consider taking their husband’s name a romantic gesture and a means of creating a family. If Lucy Stone, the famous suffragist and the first American woman to keep her own last name in 1855 was here she would put forth her two cents or re-iterated that, “a wife should no more take her husband’s name than he should hers”. Women before us have fought tirelessly for the right to keep their own name and we just sit back and sweetly say “oh what a lovely tradition, lets uphold it.” Rubbish I say! I wonder how many of these women really think about the origin of this tradition. We must pay tribute to those women who dared to shake the paradigm of women being a man’s property thus automatically taking their husband’s name. Why are we taking our rights for granted? We should all, men and women alike, appreciate our rights as women and recognize that there is so much more that must be done for women’s rights (and a number of other human rights that fall by the way side but I shan’t touch upon them just now).

Some of the comments I received on Facebook told me to calm down, to see this as a choice I have, as a woman who has rights now. This method of making it my “choice” to take my husband’s name is to me a fairly weak argument. Okay sure, so what you are telling me is to not see the need for further change and revisit an antiquated tradition from a “novel” perspective that is supposedly “mine”? This presumes that we somehow have not been influenced by society in our decision. Furthermore, it is interesting to me how women adopt the role of having the responsibility to take on their husband’s name so as to create a family. Why is it the woman’s role? Men and women may be biologically different, but we both have the same responsibility, as equals, to create a family together. This is what we have fought for, for so long. Lets own it, don’t you think? And by “lets” I mean men and women. Gone are the times of women fighting for their rights alone.

If we as women automatically take on our husbands names without much thought (or no thought at all) this is a grave situation. It is our duty to question why we do so. Sure, in a few years we may not even have names, maybe we will identity one another by an electronic fingerprint which would at least recognize each and everybody’s individuality. For now, we have names and the remains of a tradition that should haunt us far more than it does.

I am disappointed in my fellow women. Recently I found (in Wikipedia) that in October of 1855 Lucy Stone spoke at the National Women’s Rights’ Convention in Cincinnati for the rights of women. A heckler interrupted the proceeding calling female speakers “a few disappointed women.” Lucy Stone apparantly got up on the platform and retorted that yes, she was indeed a “disappointed woman.” “In education, in marriage, in religion, in everything, dissapointment is the lot of woman. It shall be the business of my life to deepen this disappointment in every woman’s heart until she bows down to it no longer”.

I am no Lucy Stone but I sure as hell won’t become apathetic or abide by traditions that from part of a questionable paradigm. Maybe we all should be more “disappointed” using this as fuel towards positive change.

I welcome opinions and comments for this discussion does not end here, next topic – what do we call our kids? (This one will be relived in a few years)

Un poquito de México at Grand Central Market L.A.

Gallery

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Jenny

This gallery contains 51 photos.

Last weekend I found myself missing Mexico and all of the contrasts that make it such a unique place full of dualities. In an attempt to stifle this form of homesickness, my fiancée and I went to the Grand Central Market … Continue reading →

I love Chase

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jenny

I live in Venice, California. Everyday I wander past murals which remind to do all sorts of wonderful things such as: “Remember who you are” and to “Do what you Love”…. The other day my talented photographer friend Gaby mentioned a street artist by the name of Chase. She informed me that the person making a positive impact on my life, was in fact Chase. The next day as I was standing on the corner of where I live I saw a young fellow spray painting a wall. He was creating a beautiful mural. There was a certain mellow buzz around him as people seemed to recognize him. One of the locals informed me that it was Chase. My heart started to beat fast and I was giddy. I contemplated taking a picture of him and repeatedly decided that would be silly. Just as my fiancée rounded the corner in our car to pick me up I decided to stop being a chicken and ran towards Chase. Gasping for breath I attempted to be cool and ask Chase for a picture of him. He was so incredibly lovely and kind, and immediately obliged. Here he is….

The mural is located in front of the Fruit Gallery (best juices and fresh scrumptious food in L.A.) Zelda’s Corner Deli (delicious sandwiches and mind-blowing home-made donuts) by Lidias Pupuseria (yummy!) and Sushi Okiya (delicious!)…….

The artist/designer Chase is originally Belgian. He left home, however, and ventured over the pond to Los Angeles at the young age of 17, attracted by the weather, California way and of course the skate boarding hot spots….Chase has gained worldwide recognition as a pioneer in street art and as a successful promoter of social change. One of Chase’s many successes has been generated through his vibrant, inspirational and thought-provoking mural installation campaigns. The “Remember who you are“ campaign is a public service offered by Chase to make people stop and think about who they are. How often do you stop and ask yourself this seemingly simple question? Chase’s murals has been widely successful all over the world. The “Awareness Geezers” campaign involves colorful characters who provide hopeful and illuminating messages such as “you can’t until you say you can” and “go without if you don’t go within”. Chase has murals all over the world, high-flying clients such as Adidas, Puma, Levi’s, Bloomingdale’s etc etc….In October 2006, Italian Vogue named Chase one of their favorite artists in the world amongst Banksy, Shephard Fairey and Space Invader. Since then Chase has been featured in more than 40 magazines from over 6 countries.

Despite being famous Chase retains his charming and humble sense of self.

He is a truly an awesome person making a difference in this world.

Go check out more Chase information. Here is his webpage and I recommend this super interview about Chase. Enjoy!

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