TWO MONTH HIATUS ANNIVERSARY!

And so much has changed.
A and I are married.
We are back in Brooklyn.
We have a new president elect (paragraph to come about that below).
Our wedding was a totally amazing moment in time where so many people we know and love came from all over the world to witness our union. It ended with a two night stay on Catalina Island, which, if you've never been there, I implore you to go. It's a magical little island. And right off the coast of Los Angeles.
Speaking of LA, and speaking as a newly married person (married IN California), I am disgusted at California's passing of Prop (H)8.
And I officially declare this two month hiatus over, from the East Coast. Realign yourselves, repeal Prop 8 my California friends, and enjoy the blog.
And here is a post from my new husband regarding his reaction to the election, and who doesn't have a blog but wanted me to post this on mine. We share a lot of things. (And for those who don't know, Fort Greene is in Brooklyn, where we live. And love.)

"I'm so amazed this morning. So, so amazed. Fort Greene was so noisy last night, and I could have cared less. I keep thinking about the joke people made about the movie "Deep Impact" years ago, saying it was so unrealistic, not because of a meteor destroys New York City by causing a tidal wave, but because Morgan Freeman played the president. It didn't seem possible to me that this could happen five years ago, let alone the scores of voters and, more to the point, voting rights activists in Birmingham and Selma I saw interviewed last night, who never thought they would see it in their lifetime. After this scourge of eight years of an administration that spoke of elections in terms of "winner takes all," reducing any legitimate voter mandate to "political capital" to push through policies in the interest of no one but them, I find myself hesitant to call this a victory. It sounds as if I'm just happy because my side won. But it's not a race, it's not a contest to me. As much of a t-shirt slogan as this sounds, it's a dream fulfilled, one realized despite the irony and cynicism. I've felt an inertia through my whole voting life, a sense of being weighed down by the "Yeah, it'd be nice, but it'll never happen," and to me this really does feel, after years of being told that anyone can be president but never seeing the proof, a tremendous validation and, more importantly, a renewed responsibility. THIS, not war, not building walls to keep our neighbors out, not dividing our citizenry into camps worthy of assistance and not worthy, this makes me feel patriotic. This is us finally ratifying the constitution, finally bringing our country into the new century, bringing on the future we'd hoped for more than two centuries ago. It's not short of amazing, it is amazing. Absolutely."

more beautiful los angeles pics and a hiatus

Here are some photos from the last few days.
I am off to the East Coast for a bridal shower and a wedding to attend. I'll update the blog as soon as I return.
Peace,
JJ

Sometimes, random acts of random kindness are just that. Random. And kind.

The following is a plea from my good friend and filmmaker, Nara Garber. She supported her friend Osekre for two semesters at Columbia University. Please check out more information at www.keeposekreinschool.com.
The deadline is September 14.
________________________________________




I'm sending out a final, desperate email blast on behalf of my friend Osekre, a Ghanaian undergraduate who has been left high and dry by Columbia University. Osekre has begun his senior year at Columbia as a sociology major, but since he's a foreign student with no access to the kind of financial aid available to American citizens, he will be asked to withdraw unless he can raise the rest of his tuition for the fall semester by September 14th. Since the 14th is a Sunday, we almost certainly have until Monday, the 15th, but the point is the same: we have almost no time left to raise the tidy sum of $14K. Donations thus far have run the gamut from $5 to $2,000, so clearly anything goes. We are hoping at the very least that a high number of donations will demonstrate effort on our part and might persuade Columbia to grant us an extension if we come up short.

I know this must sound crazy, but crazier things have kept Osekre in school thus far. You can get more information -- including details on how to donate by check or PayPal -- at the website I set up for this purpose: www.keeposekreinschool.com. If you or anyone you know feels like "investing" in the future of a young man from Ghana who will almost certainly go on to do admirable things upon returning home, I will be incredibly grateful. (Also, if you can think of any PR stunts likely to generate coverage in the local news, your input would be more than welcome!)

Thanks in advance for your patience and insights.

Nara
www.keeposekreinschool.com

can you forgive the lag, dear readers?

I have been away from my blog for numerous days.
I sincerely apologize to the blogging gods, and I hope that I have not lost you, my readers.
For about 5 days, I was listless as I tried to recover from what can only be described as "intestinal distress." I had it since I left Ventura. My sister thought it might be salmonella. My theories ranged from the funny tasting water I've been drinking to unwashed strawberries to way too much yoga. Regardless, it is gone now.
I also went through a mild climate change depression, where everything was so hunky dory, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. That's how good my life has been lately.
Conversely, if anyone knows what I should do with my life, let me know. I'm open to any and all comments.
Meanwhile, here are some pics of the last week.

This set is of me and friend A. trolling Griffith Park.
We were initially greeted by a "colorful" (read: drugged out) man who said he would take us to Baskin Robbins for an ice cream.


Here is A. imitating him.


The hike up to the Griffith Observatory.


A statue of great astronomers and scientists.


I have to say, I never tire of this iconic view.


The exploration of space really puts the idea of God as many people know and understand it, him, her, whatever, into question.

Here's the pendulum as you enter Griffith Observatory, showing the rotation of Earth.


Here's what you see when you look up.


The doorway into the observatory. Give me this architecture ANY day.


Next to the live and satellite images of the sun which literally blew my mind into orbit, the camera obscura was my favorite thing. A mirror, a surface, the sun. What more do you need?


As we came off of the hike, we happened upon this home health store. If ever there was an advertisment for prosthetics, this was it.


I love graffiti. I don't know if you know this about me, but I love graffiti. It's probably why I have a tattoo.




This is me walking down Sunset Boulevard. I really do like walking in Los Angeles. I think it is a very healthy pastime.


Did you know this existed? Right across the street from Kaiser Permanente Hospital.


Hands down, for me, a favorite part of Los Angeles is looking at the old-timey signs.

a visit north

My last three days were spent north of Los Angeles, with my friends and their daughters, who refer to me as "auntie" and who will soon be the flower girls in my wedding. As I am without nieces and nephews, this makes me very happy.
This photo makes me extremely happy.

To reach them, I took the Amtrak train north from LA, and witnessed yet another extraordinary sunset.

During the day while my friends worked and the children were at school, I wandered around town and took photos.


I had the fortune of being able to pick up R. from pre-K and we had a little one-on-one time where we colored.
R. thought up the entire layout of the drawing.


This is M. getting her groove on in Trader Joe's.

And here we have Mommy, M. and R. doing a little pose while we made Eggplant Parmesan.

R. took this photo.

Here's the lovely family after a successful bike ride. Neither of the girls is using training wheels.

Whenever life seems too overwhelming, I suggest visiting a family like this one. You might find yourself watering seeds or looking at a praying mantis when you first wake up. Someone might throw a huge smile and hug your way because they're happy to see you, or they might point out flowers you miss because you're too tall. Or perhaps, just perhaps, you'll be given your very own dance recital.

Today I took the beautiful LA Metro train. Why don't people take this more often?? It is a small line for a large sprawling city, but it is a very respectable train.
I went on a gameshow audition to become a contestant for "Green's Got Game" - some sort of eco-friendly gameshow on the Discovery Channel which apparently pits recycling/composting freaks like me against each other. We were filmed for our reactions and to see how excited we could get by winning and losing. I had no idea I would end up on a massive movie lot to do this. And not just any movie lot - Sunset Gower Independent Studios, which in the old days was Columbia Pictures. It was so exciting I could barely contain myself. I then walked around Hollywood, which apparently sells fame. At least, they have a market for it.