obama

I can't really describe what I'm feeling right now. For the first time in my life I think I'm proud to be an American. We had a major victory in this country last night and we still have battles to fight. Prop 8 passed in California. Inequality still exists. I believe Obama is going to help change things and in the future all people will be treated equally across this country.

Counted

This salty little heart of mine is rarely moved by presidential elections. With each go around, I simply fear that more of the life that I love will be chipped away from me and my tribe. So it caught me off guard that on my way from the Valley into the Rampart Division, to my polling place, I wept on hearing the news of record turnouts, long lines, expectant first time voters and the general excitement around the election.

I cried when I arrived at the charter school and saw the proud, excited, waddling people of many races who were eager to check in and vote, or who were strutting away bearing the I Voted sticker . I am always awed by the volunteers who thanklessly and dutifully staff these "democracy" stations, but tonight in particular, the poll workers made sure that anyone who could vote would vote. A Filipino couple gratefully and happily accepted a provisional ballot. A Chinese mother, barely able to speak English, was shepherded through the process by her 7 year old son. A first time voter expressed her nervousness about the process.

We are raised to know that he who has the most money, not only wins, but also has the loudest voice. I choked back many many tears at the polling place, bearing witness to something I probably will not see again in my life time. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who decided that, whether their team wins or loses; whether or not the electric bill gets paid; whether or not they will be among those who will keep their jobs; just for today, because it is their right, they will be heard, and they will be counted.

Change in LA!

A's post was super sweet and I'm feeling the same energy right now. Me and my significant other, Kate, headed to the polls at 7am. When we were on our way there we saw a guy across the street from us kind of talking/kind of freaking out about Prop 8 and Kate yelled out "No on 8!" and he gave us a wave and we waved to him. At that point I almost started crying. It just really hit me that I was going to vote. In the past I just didn't feel connected to our political system. I maybe glanced over any ballot measures and basically I didn't care. Now I really feel a part of what's happening today. I want a new president, I am voting for equality, I am voting because, I care.

So we waited in line for an hour and then voted. Afterwards Kate and I were in similar places with what just happened, except I was hiding it more. It probably also helped that I had my "I Voted" sticker on my forehead. She was really nervous and so was I. We just have to wait now. On our way home we saw a "No On Prop 8" guy and Kate asked for a sticker. When I got home I made a sign to have on my backpack during my ride to and from work.

It rained last night in LA so everything is super clear and clean here. The sun is shining and it feels like a perfect day. A new day!

Change is afoot!

I got caught up in all of the electoral excitement when I voted first thing this morning. My roommate and I left the apartment at 6:15 am, armed with our cheat sheets from the Political Potluck and stopped for coffee at Intelligentsia. The sky was cloudy, but the moisture in the air made it refreshing. When we arrived at our polling place, I snapped a great shot of the sign out front, which was in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. After several minutes of sitting in the chairs at the elementary school gym, where it smelled like kids -- crayons, laundry soap and a hint of hot lunch pizza -- the poll workers announced that the polls were open.
As the lines moved, I chatted with a couple fellows next to me who I learned live on my street. We chatted about the neighborhood, about one street where there used to be a crack hotel and how it's likely it will be turned into a Grove-like outdoor shopping area. When it was my turn to enter the booth I was so excited that I almost forgot to grab a ballot.
After marking my votes, I double checked all of my selections and saw my roommate was taking pictures of her ballot to text to her brother. I lingered in the booth to let the ink dry and take in the moment.
When we walked outside it was like a new day. A man stood on the other side of the "No Electioneering" notice with a sign that said "Neighbors please! VOTE NO ON PROP 8." We waved at him to affirm we had and he gave us a thumbs up. My roomie called her mom to relay the excitement. The clouds had cleared and a warm light was now flooding the streets; the street signs, restaurants, storefronts, posters and billboards all seemed brighter than they had before we went in. As I walked down Sunset, I could see the Hollywood sign -- the sky was so clear. I walked up to the bus stop to wait, enjoying the sunshine -- and the hope that it symbolized.

Political Potluck

Saturday morning we had a Political Potluck, A was there and Yirko showed up later with some cake that I’m sure he’s going blog about. You might be wondering what a Political Potluck is? Well, it’s a chance for people to gather together and share their views and research on issues that are going to be on the ballot on November 4. Oh yhea, and everyone is supposed to bring something to either eat or drink so it’s a really yummy political experience. In California there are 12 propositions on the ballot for the entire state and then local measures for LA County. Some of the propositions aren’t as easy to digest as chocolate covered glazed donuts, as we learned during the potluck. Many things get put on the ballot that are there to trick and fool the people. It was really exciting and at the same time depressing thinking about all these propositions and all of the dialogue and research we were having and how millions Californians aren’t going to know anything when they go to vote and just read a blurb and think that’s good, and vote yes.

Some of the propositions are: A high speed commuter train from LA to SF (I assume like the ones in Japan, awesome!), parental notification on under-age abortions, ban on gay marriage, 2 “green” measures that aren’t really “green” and benefit big companies further ravaging of the environment, police and law enforcement funding (which is a super crazy unbelievable proposition that’s around 16 pages long and some highlights are changes to over 30 state laws and giving the police an unbelievable amount of power and almost an extra billion dollars annual.)

So we’ve got a lot to think about on November 4. Not just the election of a President but, also decisions on our way of life in California. I know this election is the most important one in my life. Listening to the radio and seeing people out on the streets, you can feel the collective energy that’s out there. It felt so good to sit around with other caring Americans and one English woman and share our thoughts and views collectively. Unravel the bureaucratic nightmare of the propositions and look forward to a new President on November 4 and hopefully have some propositions pass and others fail. We’ll just have to wait and see. . .

Under $10

A and I embarked on an adventure on Saturday night asking the question, how do you have fun in LA for under $10? The answer - get food poisoning, or something like it.

After the political potluck, A met me at our house for a guerilla expedition to enjoy the world's best espresso machine happily situated in the break room of her office. The night was full of many snags to begin with. When she arrived, she realized that she forgot her keys, and I was a little cranky from the pirates of the caribbean battle raging inside me. We got as far as a block when I asked her to return to my house for a poopy pit stop.

We got to her building in Century City - the City of the Future, but were not allowed access to the office, unless she was willing to pay $280 for a locksmith to let us in. The guy with the big key ring wasn't in on weekends we found out. That was a huge disappointment for me because I was planning on using that toilet and now I had to wrap my mind around clenching my sphincter for a much longer, unimaginable stretch. We went somewhere else to have our $10 adventure to find it was closed. More extended length clenching for me. We augmented our adventure to Kombucha at Whole Foods Fairfax then compulsive shopping at The Grove across the street. I felt shocked and frankly a little paralyzed by the sign at the Whole Foods restroom - Closed Until Further Notice.

Ben noted in his post that I might be blogging about the cake I brought to political potluck. He was right. As I stood there, nearly in tears at the restroom closed sign, some mental images of the day came feeding back to me with HD clarity and it was the cake. The cake, I reasoned is the cause of all my woes. That cake is still sitting at Ben and his Public Defender girlfriend's house for them to enjoy and stuff more e.coli down their cake holes. I alerted Ana to this, I alerted Ben's Public Defender girlfriend to this by voicemail and Ana drove me home immediately so I could puke up the pizza that A, my boyfriend and I enjoyed earlier in the day at Hard Times Pizza, and then later I'd be spending the entire night, ass suctioned to the toilet seat, somehow, strangely feeling grateful for this life, these friends, this boyfriend, this city, and this sad and misguided adventure.

And that is how you can have fun in L.A. for under $10.

22 hours, part II

6 am: Alarm goes off, hit snooze twice.

7:20 am: Walk past police cleaning up a nasty car crash on my way to bus stop.

7:35 am: Board 740 bus heading west.
Costumes on the bus:
1 vampire
1 Broadway dancer (in a dry cleaning bag)

8:23 am: Step off bus in West LA.

8:37 am: In a doctor’s costume at my desk with Aireborne in a cup of hot water.

11:10 am: Receive an email that says my paper’s accepted to a conference in Phoenix in February.

12:37 pm: Serve my favorite kale salad at office Halloween party luncheon.

6:07 pm: Say goodbye to colleagues and stop in kitchen to grab my leftover kale and chat in Spanish with the cleaning woman who insists I'm blonde. I think about what I’ll be wearing later.

6:18 pm: Run to catch 704 heading east. Because of the West Hollywood street fair, the bus has to take a detour down Robertson to Beverly and then back up to Santa Monica via Fairfax.
Costumes on the bus:
1 gypsy
2 devils
1 unidentified bat antenna person
1 rabbit
1 Earl Hickey
1 green bean
1 Marx glasses with non costume mullet
1 pumpkin
1 fake eyebrows and moustache
1 Bob Dylan
1 Joan Baez
1 Carebear
1 Dorothy Gale

7:10 pm: I help one of the devils find her stop. She complains about how rude LA people are and disembarks at Santa Monica and Vermont.

7:14 pm: Step off the bus and walk home, past some teenagers dressed as witches and goblins. No sign of the crash at that intersection; it's as if nothing ever happened.

8:16 pm: My costume transformation into Dr. Barbie is complete, including blonde wig, white lab coat, pink stethoscope and surgical mask.





9:18 pm: Enter El Rey in costume. There’s a Jimi Hendrix standing outside near the ropes. I planned ahead and took the expensive pen I usually carry out of my purse so that it’s not taken away from me at security as it always is at this place. Head into the theatre and the Black Angels are already playing. I affirm this is one of my favorite bands. I stand next to two guys also in doctor costumes. They say they’re plastic surgeons and I point to the Barbie nametag on my coat. They laugh. As Roky Erickson is playing a short woman standing beside me grabs me around the waist and rubs the top of my head affectionately. After the encore, I split as fast as I can to beat traffic.

12:19 am: Enter party up in Nichols Canyon. There’s a guy sitting outside on a retaining wall vomiting and a Dial-a-Ride in the street out front. The invite had said no one would be let in after midnight, but another guy in a doctor’s costume at the gate tells me he doesn’t live there and welcomes me into the garden area. The place is crowded, with many girls in skimpy costumes. I find my friend who’s gotten her beaded purse stuck in her fishnets. A guy dressed as Michael Phelps untangles it. A man with fake breasts asks me for a mammogram.

1:02 am: I see Lance Bass in the crowd in the outdoor area. He’s dressed in a graduation cap and gown. Not sure it’s him but the sighting is later confirmed.

1:46 am: Against my better judgment, I play a game of Twister and then sing Pat Benatar karaoke.

2:28 am: Leave the party, heading east. Get stuck in traffic on Hollywood boulevard.

3:30 am: Arrive home and snack on leftover kale salad. Put my wig back into the closet until next year.

4:14 am: Glance at the clock as I turn off the lamp on my bedside table. I think about my morning yoga class, the farmer’s market and the potluck I’m going to tomorrow – and look forward to another full day in LA.