My new "Home"

I live in the basement of this house (the bottom windows are the windows to my bedroom)

The kitchen(obviously)

The living room (construction is still being done)

My bed(unmade of course because I have no girlfriend. I'm buying a bigger one tomorrow! yay!)

Plenty of closet and bookshelf space

Well, here I am. Rockin like a hurricane. It took extensive and strenuous work to find a place to lay my head, but it finally worked out. In the last seven days, I learned Washington DC’s real estate law, market prices, the difference between owning a property and co-opting it (don’t ask), and how negotiations work. The one property that I made an offer to buy next to the capitol building received 9 offers in 2 hours and ended up going for $20,000 MORE than the original asking price. If you think California’s market is competitive, come to DC.
So I decided to rent instead, which isn’t any less of a nightmare. Places that I saw would be rented out in a matter of hours (even the ugliest and dirtiest apartments I’ve ever seen) and if renters claimed they would call you back that literally meant they wouldn’t. Somehow though, I got extremely lucky with the place I found. It is spacious, clean, appliances are all new, close to campus, and affordable. I received an O.K. just two nights ago and I moved in yesterday. Considering this, I am doing very well. There is still minor construction on the living room that is being done (as you can see in the picture) and I still need to buy a bed and a futon. But other than that I am completely moved in and living a happy stable life. Today was the first day of any sign of a happy and stable life, but it is officially here. Thank God.

D.C. is a funny place. Actually, the residents of D.C. are what make it funny. Although, I’m not entirely sure if it’s the environment that make the people or the people that make the environment. I guess they are mutually reinforcing. But what I have already found is that people tend to be extremely kind and polite up front to your face, but hold their true feelings inside. In other words, they do not wear their hearts on their sleeve. The only sleeve they wear is button-cuffed and starched, devoid of any flaw. It’s business-like and professional. It’s hard to find a defect in their exterior because they are so conscious of making their impression. They won’t say no to your face, nor will they criticize you in public. The locals here take on the politician’s character: spineless, manipulative, and backstabbing.
I really don’t like to say these things about people. If anything, I will only say it to those individuals who it applies to. But I’ve been amazed that this characteristic seems to be the overriding trend among D.C.-ites. Maybe this is the norm and California is the place that is abnormal. Maybe this is an east coast thing. But I can say with assurance that the majority of Californians will let you know, or you can simply tell by their mannerism, that they like or don’t like you. You can determine with confidence whether you can trust or distrust them. But this formula somehow doesn’t apply here. Perhaps I’m making a hasty proclamation that is devoid of sufficient experience, but from what I remember the last time I lived here, this seems to be true.
Anyway, the truth is I am very happy now that I am settled and I will make the best of things. I already did my first reading for my classes that concerned framing processes for social movements and I’m about to read the sociology of intellectuals. For those of you who don’t know, I’m studying for my masters in church and state relations, or the relationship between religion and politics. It’s a topic that I am extremely interested in so I will keep busy reading and writing about this material (I have 13 books to read and 75 pages to write for this semester!). So I will keep busy with my studies and think fondly back of California and all those whom I called friends. So come visit! Or I will see you in December when my ass gets too frozen to stay any longer!

No Time to Cry

Manhattan Beach

Los Angeles

Palm Springs

Well I’m leaving this beautiful, wonderful, artificial state tomorrow and I’m not really sure what I’m feeling. I’ve been critical of California my whole life and now that I’m leaving I’m not sure if I’m making the right choice. I love the weather. I love the scenery. I love the people. Where else can you find stable 70-80 degree temperature YEAR-ROUND, hundreds of miles of coast line, and liberal-minded people? Maybe a place like that does exist, but that’s certainly not where I’m moving to. No, I’m moving to Washington DC, cold weather, cold people, and sterile landscape. I know that my future lies somewhere other than California. But being born in Hollywood, raised in Palm Springs, and going to college at UCLA, I’ve spent most of my life right here in southern California - which is really unlike any other geographical location. It’s kind of like being on a permanent vacation here. And I want to leave?
I guess everyone needs to grow up at some point. And for me, growing up entails leaving this place behind. It’s not that I’m trying to run away from anything. It’s more like I need to go away to find something. A treasure of some sort. I will always have the memories and experiences of this place with me, which I can thank for my strong beliefs in multiculturalism, liberalism, and tolerance. So I’m treating this departure as a mission. The world needs more of these values and I’m going to teach them. The modern age of globalization requires a strong disposition towards tolerance for diversity. And I feel like I’m a good candidate to show others that. But is it my responsibility? And more importantly, will I be happy at this post?
This is what I’m currently battling. What if I’m just full of myself and taking on a much bigger challenge than I’m suited for. Or worse yet, what if I succeed, but I’m unhappy? That’s something that no one can predict. Which is why I’m not completely devastated about leaving, I’m just apprehensive. Failure is in the back of my mind. Failing others is something I don’t like doing. But what if I fail myself by not caring for my own happiness?
I’m probably overanalyzing all of this. But I’m justified because my plane leaves in exactly 24 hours and it’s better to be confronting these fears now than when I’m there. Because once I’m there, there’ll be no time for worries. No time to cry.
Is there really an appropriate time for everything? Do things happen regardless of whether you want them to or not? Bottom line: is there fate and if so, how prevalent is it in our lives? I am a strong believer in the freedom of choice, meaning I think we do have control over many things in life – above all our own attitude. But I am equally convinced that some things are unavoidable and can’t be simply attributed to coincidence. It’s knowing what things are meant to be and what things you have control over that’s important. Because once you know them, you can have more control when you need to apply it and let go when it’s useless. Right now I think I need to let go. But man it’s hard to do.

"I think weed has been involved in at least 85% of all our music." - RZA

Cuban Linx


Redman


Hieroglyphics


Because I really loved seeing Wu-Tang every time I came to this page, I didn’t really want to write anything to move the pics off the screen. Heh. So I figured I’ll just post the rest of the pics I took from the show because some of those are awesome as well and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be here as well. And since I’ve been busy with my planed departure cross country next week to DC, I’ve decided to share a piece (without permission of course) that I came across during work that I just thought was really good. Working for the UCLA Writing Project, I see lots of people’s writing. So here it is.


“Two Types of Infinity”
Mauricio Sandoval
Polytechnic High School
Sun Valley, CA


A broken nail hanging from the skin
A Picasso painting pulling you in
Infinity does not come in pairs
Unless you count the yin and yang
From where you can’t wait to end it
To the nostalgia of when it began
Let us travel to the future
On the energy of the past
Infinity, what is it to me?
It is the feeling of insignificance
When you approach the starlight sky.
Pulse to pulse.
Take my atoms I don’t need them.
Two types of infinity…
The difference between having your neck under a guillotine
And being an inch from your lover
But being secluded to dreams.
You wait for the collapse of the metal to detach the head from the torso,
As a flower loses a petal
For your lover to slip; lip to lip
Embracing a kiss so sweet
And the collapse is within
Under and vibrating your skin.
Infinity is the unknowing in the stars
And the depth of your lover’s arms.