One thick crew full of bad bitches, new hip-hop

You already know that I have hip-hop ambitions. Last week I got together with the fabulous DJ Lil Elle to record our version of the Kreyashawn hit "Gucci Gucci," (I think ours is wayyyy better than the original). We recorded the track in under an hour using the Garage Band application on Elle's laptop and a microphone from the game Guitar Hero.

Someone had graffito-tagged a garage door in my neighborhood with a cartoon of a bomb-face. I took a photo of it and added a filter to create the album art. The bomb goes along with the lyrics to our hook (and by "bomb" I of course mean a verbal bomb, speaking metaphorically-- I'm non-violent, yo).

My verse is first, followed by Elle's verse, and then we both do a hook at the end of the song along with some hilarious ad libs. We didn't take ourselves too seriously in this song, we're just reppin our crews, being silly, and having fun. I hope you like the song!







Crew Anthem (Gucci Gucci Freestyle) by theTsaritsa
"Cool your jets / have a drink / we've had it with the drama
My crew is thick as thieves and we're quick to come and bomb ya"



Here are the lyrics to my verse, in case you want to sing along:

Throw on some duds copped from the thrift store

bitches give me a look but I know they're all whores

to designers and labels / page six fables

wearin red bottoms but they're still waiting tables

livin at home with mom and dad

and tryin so hard to keep up with the fad

it's real sad

but that's the way that it goes

when your status is clothes

and the bag that you have

Sometimes I go out with unbrushed hair

I don't try to impress / so I really don't care

I still look fly without leaking big doe

you spent 6 gs but you look like a heaux

jus sayin

You seem to think that I'm playin

but I know you're feelin woozy from the bars I've been layin

Got one thick crew / full of bad bitches

step into a room like, yo it's me snitches

got homies on my left / and homies on my right

I know they got my back when I'm drizzy, pickin fights

yo shit's light / flavorless like diet mayo

you haven't brought the fuego

so please step to the side...

What did you think? One of my goals for the future is to make a mixtape of my raps available for free download. Would you cop it?

Ghost town romantic getaway

As you're reading this on Friday morning I am in a car on my way to Bodie, California with Ben. Bodie is a National Park and certified ghost town in Eastern California, near the Nevada state border. I've never been, but the place comes highly recommended by Shalimar, my bestie.

I love decay and dilapidated buildings, I see beauty in them. To record our memories of the trip I bought four rolls of 35 mm film, giving me an excuse to finally use my Holga camera. I'm hoping I'm able to get some awesome snaps of all the old saloons and tumbleweeds that I see. Maybe I'll even see a ghost? I really cannot wait.

Shalimar also recommended us visiting the nearby natural hot springs. It's not a resort and it's not built-up at all, it's just a hot spring in the middle of the desert. So relaxing, and we'll probably have the springs to ourselves.

The whole weekend will be spent relaxing. All Ben ever does is work work work, so I'm putting a moratorium on cell phone and iPad use for the two days that we're on holiday. He needs a break. It's not healthy to work continuously the way he does. I know we have a business to run, but after our little vacation we will both feel refreshed and recharged. Besides, I can't remember the last time we went on a real vacation that wasn't tied in to family or work. This trip is so necessary.

I'll post photos and tell you about our ghostie escapades when we return. Have a great weekend!

Until then, please consider participating in my giveaway. Tell me what makes you happy, what gives your life purpose, and you can win a fantastic one-of-a-kind set of prizes!

Freaky East Coast Earthquake Originated in Eric Cantor's District, Judgment from God

I love it when my dad writes blog posts. We were emailing back and forth after the news of the East Coast earthquake broke and discussed ideas for a humorous blog post on the topic. This is what my dad sent me this morning, please enjoy!

image source

In a clear message from God Almighty, the legislative district of United States House of Representatives Majority Whip, Republican Eric Cantor, was singled out for an earthquake yesterday. Felt as far south as Georgia and as far north as Maine, the 5.8 Magnitude earthquake seemed to be a wake up call to voters.

This clear signal demonstrated the extreme state of pissed-offness of the Deity, who later said in an press conference:

"As an aging black, unemployed, transgendered person, living with chronic medical conditions, no health insurance, and nearly starving on a fixed income, I am very distressed by Cantor's repeated calls, through his rag tag group of Tea Party extortionists, for the especially harsh treatment of downtrodden and forgotten folk, who, like Me, find themselves in this sorry state. By sorry state, I do not mean Virginia, per se, but just a general state of being down in the dumps. And by 'down in the dumps,' I am not singling out dwellers of City Dumps in general. I am speaking metaphorically."



In related news, the top of the National Cathedral displayed some damage to capstones and also to flying buttresses, another clear signal from Above.

The Pentagon reported some water leakage and was evacuated as a safety precaution, as were many downtown District of Columbia offices as well as high rise buildings up and down the East Coast. In addition, the Washington Monument was later reported to have been secretly treated with Viagra as "its firmness was called into question," according to a source who requested anonymity.

As the Right Coast threatened to slide into the sea, Left Coast downers from Oakland to San Diego were reportedly "bummed out."

The ghost who wanted to hold hands-- a summer camp story

This story was originally posted on Saffakate's blog last week as a part of the Twenty-Something Blogger Blog Swap, but I thought I would post it here (as I do with all of my guest posts) so my readers who are too lazy to click on a link can read it. I'm just kidding, you're not lazy, you just hate leaving this site. Separation anxiety is difficult, I get it :)

This is my summertime camp story.

image source

It was the summer of my ninth year and my mom had signed me up for day camp at a Girl Scouts site called Shelly Ridge, just an hour outside of the city. I was a Brownie and I really loved being a Girl Scout. Though I still love being out in nature now, I was more adventurous and carefree back then, I loved hiking and being the one to lead and blaze the trail.

Living in California now has made me more conscious and therefore more paranoid of all the poisonous bugs that bite, the snakes that lurk behind rocks, and the large predators like bears that rule the woods.

But back in the sunny woodlands of Pennsylvania the most I had to worry about was carrying some bug spray, making sure my mom braided my hair before I got on the bus so deer ticks didn't get in my hair, and keeping away from the three leafed poison ivy and the prickly seven-minute itch plants.

Every morning he "blue" bus picked me up a few blocks away from my house and dropped me off every night. The bus wasn't actually painted blue, to my disappointment, but it had a sign in the window that read "BLUE," printed from a computer. The bus rides to and from camp never seemed to take that long-- I was always so excited in the morning and so exhausted at the end of the day.

At Shelly Ridge there was always plenty to do. Besides taking hikes, picking berries, exploring nature, arts and crafts, and playing sports we also had a choice of which special class we wanted to take. At this point in my life I loved swimming so I chose to focus on that. I worked my way up from a yellow cap (beginner) to a green cap (intermediate) and I was very proud. I can't swim for my life anymore, but back then it was something I really wanted to conquer. At least I can still float.

The last day of camp was a sleepover, which I was really thrilled about. I brought my sleeping bag and picked a good spot to pitch our tent, which I shared with a friend I made at camp. We had to assemble the old-fashioned pole and canvas tent by ourselves. It was something I had never done, before but it felt good to get our shelter up and standing on our own.

The whole camp gathered together that night and we feasted on hot dogs and hamburgers from the grill. Later on, as it got darker, we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows to make s'mores. I gave my roasted marshmallow (yuck, who wants to eat a burnt marshmallow skewered with a stick found on the ground?) to a friend while I ate the Hershey bar on its own. I've never really been a fan of marshmallows. Just thinking about them is making my teeth hurt.

After the dessert feeding frenzy finished we sat around on our sit-upons (a newspaper covered with a trash bag or other plastic that you take with you in the woods so you have something dry to sit on) and told each other spooky stories. I've always been a horror fan ever since I was a child (I had a crush on Bela Lugosi's Dracula, for instance, when I was four years old) and I told one of my favorite ghost stories that I knew by heart from the book Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, a favorite series of mine at the time and even now.

Feeling brave despite all the creepy stories I heard that were beginning to stir up my imagination, it was time to head back to our tents and get some sleep. Of course before we would actually go to sleep we would stay up for a bit in the tent and talk about the things nine year olds talk about (Trapper Keepers, the show Family Matters, I don't really remember what else) until we got sleepy.

I quickly passed out, but was awoken when I felt something touch my hand.

It wasn't the hand next to my friend's sleeping bag, but the hand next to the edge of the tent. My hand was actually outside of the tent. I pulled it back in and examined it and it looked normal enough, but I could swear I felt something touch it.

Maybe a lonely ghost in the woods, perhaps even the spirit of a former Girl Scout who wandered too far into the thicket at night and was never to be seen again (woooooooo), heard our fun gathering and wanted to be a part of the youthful excitement, but got sad when all of the campers fell asleep? Maybe it was another camper pulling a prank? To this day, I do not know what actually happened, but it is certainly one of my most memorable summer camp memories.

P.S.-- don't forget to check out my passion-fueled giveaway! Fun prizes for a unique challenge-- it's guaranteed to be fun, so get crackalackin! :)

I wonder what "Can you please tape this shut?" sounds like in Klingon...

Here's a true story that happened to me yesterday...



At a vegetarian restaurant, I'm picking up my take-out order and waiting for the cashier behind the counter, who has been dragging her feet since I first walked in-- I stood there for five minutes while she chatted with a coworker before stopping to acknowledge me. I've worked in customer service before and I know it sucks, but I always tried to give the best service I could no matter how I was feeling. It always surprises me a bit when I experience really poor customer service.

Finally.

"Do you want this in a bag?" the cashier asks.

"No thank you, but can you please tape this shut?" I gesture towards box containing my vegetarian lunch.

She looks at me like I have two heads. "What?"

"Can you tape the top of the box?" I ask again.

"Huh?" She looks very confused.

I'm confused by her response, I'm not asking her to resurrect a dead relative or anything like that.

"I don't want it to open when I'm walking. Can you please tape this?" I am now pointing to roll of scotch tape, which is sitting right next to the cash register.

She stares at me blankly, then shakes her head as if she has no idea what I'm talking about. I'm a little frustrated, because I'm pretty sure I'm speaking English and not Klingon, or Welsh which I've been told sounds strikingly similar.

I lean over the counter, my face a foot away from hers and say slowly, really pronouncing the "p" in tape, "Can you please TAPE this shut?" A lightbulb went off. She takes the roll of tape and cuts a long piece which she sticks to the top of the box.

"Thank you," I say, and before turning to leave I add "have a nice day."

"Yeah, bye-bye," she says. Bye-bye? All righty.

I guess I need to practice my Klingon.

Come on baby, light my fire

Tell me what fuels your fire! What is your PASSION??






This is a fun and unique giveaway. Write a story about what gets you out of bed in the morning and post it on your blog. That's all! The top five most compelling stories will receive an assortment of homemade gifts, including a one-of-a-kind monster doll, Be About It zine, and a collage by yours truly.

Read more about the giveaway here! Deadline is OCTOBER 4, 2011 but feel free to post yours whenever you have it written!

The picture above was drawn in my old insurance notebook, over annuity notes. Obviously, insurance was not my passion.

The Great Giveaway: spill your passion for a pocket monster!

This is something I have been thinking about doing for a while now. I wasn't sure how to approach it at first, but I knew I wanted to involve my zine, Be About It, and also make it fun and unique. I'm talking about a giveaway here, people, and not just any giveaway. This will be a giveaway about passions and will involve a little flowing of the creative juices. Let me explain.

I want you to tell me what your passion is in life. I want to know how you discovered this passion, and how you brought a dream into fruition. I only recently realized and brought my passion into reality, and I am inspired and interested to hear others share their stories. Everyone has a passion, and everyone has a story. Here's a chance to share yours, and get a little something in return.

I'm getting together with my girl, Sugar Pill, who makes the most delightful little creatures. She actually has notebooks full of drawings of characters she's created and given back-stories to-- I've seen them, and they're amazing. She was kind enough to team up with me for this giveaway and is going to make an assortment of cute, pocket-sized monster protectors.

To get one, and a copy of my latest zine, all you have to do is write a blog post about how you discovered your passion and how you went after it. Include a link back to this post in your entry, and be sure to let me know when it's up and posted so I can read it! I will pick the five most inspiring stories and feature them here, and the writers will receive the latest issue of Be About It and an adorable handmade little monster to keep you safe wherever you may travel.

Although the story itself is the determining factor of who the five winners will be, you can still get Brownie Points for liking the Tsaritsa Sez on Facebook and following me on Twitter :)

I hope you decide to participate and I look forward to reading your stories! This will be a fun little way to get creative and share with the awesome people who read this blog. Get writing-- let these tiny creatures get you excited!

**DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 4, 2011 BUT POST YOUR ENTRY WHEN YOU HAVE IT WRITTEN!**

Enter today!!

Summertime 20SB Blog Swap!

Hey guys, it's 20SB's Annual Blog Swap and the theme is "summertime!" Pretty appropriate seeing how it's the middle of August and most of the country (but not where I am) is experiencing scorching hot weather. The following is a guest post by Saffakate, my blog swap partner.

You can read my post about Girl Scouts summer camp and a spooky experience I had during a sleepover at Kate's blog :) Please enjoy!

Hi there 'The Tsaritsa Sez' readers!

My name is Kate and I blog over at Saffakate: A South African
in New York.

How is your Summer going? Are you heading back to school? Or
have you been working (like me) instead of lying on a beach everyday
like you're supposed to?

I grew up on the South Coast of South Africa where we had Summer
weather almost everyday, so it took me a while getting used to
having "seasons" once I left home. 

Once the (sometimes) harsh New York winter is over and we get
through the Spring showers, Summer finally greets us with open
arms like the "Fun Aunt" coming to visit that you wished would stay
just a little bit longer. 

2011 was my 3rd Summer living America and it was a big
one for me since I became a permanent US resident just a few weeks
ago and also celebrated my 6 month wedding anniversary. 

Since Summer always seems to fly by, I compiled a "Summer
Bucket List" to help me keep track of all the fun things that I wanted
to do before it was over. We reached the middle of Summer on Aug 8th
and when I reviewed the list I discovered that I had only scored a 4
(now 5) out of 13! What? But with 38 (yes, I'm still counting) more
days left until Fall, I am more determined then ever to check off a
few more things before the air turns crisp, leaves change color and
Starbucks starts selling pumpkin flavor lattes!

What a terrible and sexist commercial...

Advertisements like this really make me cringe. I saw this last night while watching Hoarders, one of my favorite shows to make me feel better about myself when I haven't vacuumed in three days, and I could feel my face puckering more and more into a distasteful frown as the actress in the commercial kept speaking.

I'll let you watch it for yourself, then we can discuss.



First of all, I thought we were beyond this time. What is wrong with a little girl playing with her building blocks? WHat is wrong with a little girl being interested in automobiles? What is wrong with a little girl choosing to wear green cargo shorts over frilly pink dresses? Absolutely nothing.

I loved playing with Legos when I was little, and although I had a phase in which I wore only dresses, I later had a phase in which I wore only jeans. And my mom didn't make me feel self-conscious or bad about either.

What if this commercial had been a mother complaining about her son: "He just doesn't want to play with his toy trains, he'd rather dress his dollies, but I guess that's fine" in a huff?

Perhaps the mom is dreaming about cleaning out dirt and grass stains from her little boy's clothes, but it's only a fantasy since he's too busy playing Dora the Explorer inside with his stuffed monkey.

It's just as sexist, and I can definitely see people being outraged about that, so why is this commercial any different? What's your take?

Tide, please take this bullsh*t off the air. Really. Fire your sexist marketing team. And if you need some creative help with your next ad, give me a call.

Style Update: fightin Irish, photobombs, and a celebrity fashion victim

Put on your fashion caps because it's time for a new style post, complete with an "ensemblelly challenged" celebrity guest!

Today's Fashion Victim is Jennifer Williams from VH1's Basketball Wives. This is the outfit she wore for her talking head interviews on this week's episode. She's rich and she probably has a stylist, so why is she wearing a sweater that looks like it was designed by a third grader in arts and crafts class? Is that ribbing that's just been looped and tacked on around the collar? Can you say "cupcake liner?" How about "that thing you stick in your bathtub so hair doesn't go down the drain?" Yikes stripes.


Not the best shot because I took it while watching the show on television. I couldn't press pause or the hideous part of her top would've gotten cut off.


Here are some photos that have been sitting around in my Photobucket album, waiting to be edited and pasted into a blog. Please enjoy!

Style shoot on the roof of Ben's building while we waited for the film production crew to set up for the Wonder WoMan promotional video for Alphyn Industries.



Always ready to punch someone's lights out. It's the fightin Irish in me.




Beastie Boys and fishnet tights go together like peas and carrots. You can see how sunburnt my legs were after a day in the park-- fishnets do not protect you from harmful sun rays!




Ben's friend's motorcycle was parked outside his office one day and I decided to use it as a prop for a style shoot. Some nosy passerby chastised me for sitting on the motorcycle, as if it was his bike my butt was on, and my butt was somehow damaging the bike. Uh, why don't you mind your own business, broski? Ben's friend didn't care that I posed on his bike.





Love getting photobombed. This chick is funny, she's really playing up to the camera.






Do you agree with my comments on the celebrity fashion victim, or do you like the sweater she's wearing. Tell me!

Have you hugged your kitty today?

I was going through my Google Reader this morning when I saw my blog friend Angie's post today celebrating World Cat Day! If you don't know by now, I love cats, so I had to jump on this bandwagon!



I am a very proud mommy of a medium-coat black (with tinges of brown) kitty with beautiful green eyes and one of the sweetest personalities (purrrrsonality) you could ever wish to meet.

She can be a feisty one (like her mom) but she mostly likes to kick back, watch the birdies from her window, and get petted by her humans. Her favorite food is dry cat food, with Fancy Feast appetizers or Friskies shredded chicken in sauce.


"I'm just lookin at the tweet-tweets, Ma!"

Sookie is a very good helper. She loves to come and sit in my chair with me when I'm working, or when I have to wash dishes she's right by my side, at my feet, offering mews of encouragement.

The dental surgery (three toofies got pulled) she had last week went well and she's back to her happy self. Even though the cost was astronomical, it was worth it because I don't want to see my little Sook in pain.

I made a short video this morning to celebrate World Cat Day (which, in the video, I refer to as "National Cat Day," oops). It's only a minute long, and it stars my adorable Sook-Sook. Enjoy, and don't forget to hug your cat today!

How To Get A Job in Today's Economy: the step-by-step story of how I found my passion, and work

Today's economy really sucks, which I probably didn't even have to mention as we're all living in it and know first-hand. Well, let me tell you it sucks even more when you're unemployed and just can't seem to find work. I'm going to tell you about my experience in looking for work during tumultuous times and how I finally landed a job, in my chosen field.

Finding my passion and letting my career bloom... a journey in bullet points [list after the jump]



- Felt stuck at my day job. I was working as a personal assistant to two orthopedic surgeons, and even though I was making decent money and I liked my coworkers, I didn't love my work (in fact it made me anxious). I felt stagnated and unsure of what to do. My boyfriend pressured me into looking at the classifieds and sending in resumes, but I didn't want to leave the company high and dry.

- Thought about looking for a new job. I wanted to advance my career (though at the time I was still struggling with what that career would be), but I felt like I owed my employers something. I felt compelled to stay. After all, they had hired me within a few weeks of first moving to San Francisco, and I saw no reason to leave other than the fact that I was not impassioned for my work.

- Got laid off. After nearly two years of working there, however, I was told by my boss that I only had a month left and that I should look into filing for unemployment. The office specialized in Workers' Compensation claims and with fewer and fewer people working, fewer and fewer people were getting injured on the job. To cut costs, I was made redundant. Really, it was the best thing that could have happened to me, complete blessing in disguise.

- Filed for unemployment. I was scared at first about filing for unemployment, but when I went in for my first interview I realized that there were so many other people just like me there for the same reason. I vowed to use my time off from work wisely, to try to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life and how to make it happen. I also decided that in addition to applying for jobs I would read as much as I could, write as much as I could, and make my blog outstanding.

- Started applying for internships. After reading How To Become A Famous Writer Before You're Dead by Ariel Gore I realized what I already should have known: I want to be a writer. Figuring I should start at the bottom and work my way up, I began applying for internships at various publications, including Mother Jones magazine. I fleshed out my writing portfolio and submitted a piece for Examiner.com as a way to get more exposure and show that I was skilled at writing in different formats.

- Got rejected. When employment figures are low it means more competition. More competition means you have to be more creative than the other people applying for the job you want, in order to stand out. The internships I had applied for rejected me, noting in the e-mail reply that there had been so many applicants and only so many available positions and to try again next time.

- Got serious about networking and social media. I realized I would have to start focusing more on networking, on my blog and in other internet realms. I was blogging consistently, several times a week, on diverse subject matter. I followed blogs and left relevant and sincere comments. I took to Twitter, Facebook, and a few networking sites geared around blogging and writing, and got involved in the community.

Twitter is just like any public forum, and it is most useful when you're adding meaningful discussion to the arena. I listened in on what the leaders and trend-setters of the bloggosphere were saying and took notice of the techniques they used. I read dozens of articles by blog gurus about how they steered their conversations. My studying paid off and I started seeing results in my base of readers and followers.

- Started self-publishing. I started my own publication, a zine called Be About It, which I paid for out of my own pocket in order to get my writing, and the work of my friends, out there. Having my own zine has been a dream of mine since high-school and I finally had the time to put it together and the resources to make it work. Owning a blog that people regularly read really helped in getting the word out.

- Sold myself on Craigslist. I had a crazy idea about posting an ad in the jobs wanted section of Craigslist listing my credentials and offering my writing services up for free. I got a lot of spam in response, but I did get a real offer to help an start-up company with their website and white papers. I soon realized that the company was quite disorganized and when none of my work was being used I resigned. It was an experience and a lesson learned. Don't work for free.

- Applied for any old job. Even though I was blogging regularly and had all the time in the world to take long walks and photograph the beautiful works of street art in my neighborhood and read all the books I could take out from the library and basically do whatever I wanted to all day, and even though I had already set my heart on developing my writing career, I got bored and started applying for whichever jobs I saw on Craigslist that I felt capable of doing.

These jobs were mostly administrative positions, and Ben and my parents told me that I should aim higher, but I wanted to get back to work. It was certainly a step in the wrong direction, but I think I needed to realize that the hard way. Luckily, the paper-based law office where I had interviewed to be a file clerk didn't want me, and neither did some other personal assistant job which I interviewed for (and bombed) over the phone. Apparently interviewers don't want to hear that the job you're applying for is only a temporary solution and not a life-long dream. But seriously, is it anyone's life-long dream to be a secretary? (If I just crapped all over your dream, I'm truly sorry, I'm only speaking from experience. Being a secretary, for me, was exhausting and unrewarding).

- Temp work. I wanted to get my work groove back without committing to a job I wasn't crazy about, so I sent my resume to a few staffing agencies. I interviewed and was called later that day and to fill an assignment. It was a last-minute fill, but I showed my flexibility and willingness to help out in a pinch. Doing temp work was a catalyst to getting really serious about putting my career on the right track. I continued looking for work in my desired field.

- Newsletters. The internet is a wonderful resource to finding people who are experts in their field, and who want to share their wealth of knowledge with the rest of the world. Somehow, I stumbled upon a website and newsletter called One Day, One Internship which features a different company or organization every day with open internship opportunities (also, One Day, One Job which features a new entry-level position at a company daily). I applied for a few positions with some of the San Francisco-based companies that were featured, and although I didn't hear back it was good to write cover letters, work on my resume and put myself out there. I knew I was at least trying.

- Responded quick enough. This June I got an email from a moderator of a community of which I am a member about a unique internship opportunity, a chance to be a part of a "community manager bootcamp." The moment I had finished reading the email I applied for the job. I wasn't expecting anything in return, but it sounded like an awesome job, a great addition to my resume and a stepping-stone in my developing career. A few days later I got a call informing me that I had been chosen for the location-independent internship, acting as community manager for a new professional networking application called BeKnown. I was ecstatic (and still am). Even though it's a contract assignment, it is very good experience and should help me in my future pursuits.

- Still looking, advancing. I continue to research hiring companies in my city and apply for jobs that interest me and are enriching. I don't want to be stagnant, so I'm not. I'm advancing.

What about you? How are you dealing in these uncertain times? Did you get out of a rut and find your passion? Tell me about it.

Phillies and Giants start brawling at AT&T Park!

It got gully at AT&T Park in San Francisco tonight. The Giants faced off against their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies (my home team!), and tension was definitely in the air.

Things have been heated between these two teams ever since last year, when the Phillies lost to the Giants in a very close match in the National League Champion Series.

As you remember, the Giants went on to play the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series and took home the title. Incidentally, the Giants haven't been playing as well this year, somewhat losing their mojo after Buster Posey's injury.

But tonight things got really crazy when Ramon Ramirez, pitcher for the Giants, threw a ball at Shane Victorino, hitting him in the back while he was at bat. Victorino became hostile and started approaching Ramierz on the mound, but was intercepted by Giants catcher Eli Whiteside who later got tackled. Before you could blink an eye both teams flooded from their dugouts and swarmed on the field around the ensuing madness. Punches got thrown, people were shoved. It got ugly.

One of the announcers described the event as such:

"Not your typical baseball fight... there was some action."

It doesn't look like anyone got really hurt, but it was intense nonetheless. Watch the fight here:



"Now we got action!"

Whiteside, Victorino, and Ramirez all got thrown from the game, but the mood was still sour when the game continued. The Phillies went on to win the game at 9 to 2. The good part about the scuffle is it pumped some adrenaline into the Giants and they were able to make another run. The bad part about the insanity is that these guys still have several games left in the series to play against each other. Let's hope they can remain civil.

Funny aside: There was a commercial just after the fight showing Giants pitcher Brian Wilson hanging out with a little boy and a little girl, and then an announcer telling parents to bring their children to the ball park to get a free Giants shirt. Yeah, bring your kids to the ball park and have them watch grown men get physical with each other over a game that's supposed to be fun.

Two thumps up for TRIUMPH-- send me your stuff!

UPDATE: Deadline is Monday, November 14th-- turn your work in today!

zine (pronounced "zeen")

noun

1. a print publication in which only a small number of copies (fewer than 5,000 but most commonly fewer than 1,000) are made and distributed.

2. (informal) a magazine or fanzine


It's zine time again!




I've already made this announcement, but I thought I would repeat it again for anyone who might have missed it the first time around.

The theme for the upcoming zine is "triumph." Whatever that word means to you, write an essay about it, draw a picture of it, concoct a haiku or limerick, take a photo...

Whatever you feel inspired to do, do it!

After you've thoroughly stimulated and milked your creativity, send it to me in an email:

zinebeabout.it@gmail.com

The self-titled debut issue, the HORROR issue, and the DREAMS issue were all immensely delightful, so of course I have even higher hopes for TRIUMPH. Help me make this issue spectacular-- only people like you can make it happen!

If you've ever wanted to get your work published and out in the world, this is a good opportunity!

Another excellent opportunity to put yourself out there is to send me a photo of yourself (or your pet, your sleeping brother, et cetera) posing with the zine! I have enough photos for an awesome collage, but I want to make it even more awesome. Help me :)

The Bologna (Baloney) Story-- a comic I made in high-school

My senior year of high-school I took an Independent Study art class, meaning I was to choose what I wanted to study, produce my own curriculum every semester, and present a final project to the teacher and the rest of the Independent Study class at the end of the semester.

We were supposed to pick a subject and stick to it for the duration of the school year, but I changed my field of study every semester. I did sculpture, quilting, videography, and comic drawing. I had a lot of fun with the class, and I really loved getting to decide for myself what I would study. Independent Study courses are perfect for strong-willed contrarians, like myself.

Not long ago my dad emailed me a scanned copy of the comic I worked on that semester, inspired by what I was learning in my social studies class about the political and economical issues surrounding the meat industry. If you can't tell, I was also a staunch vegetarian at the time. Cheers to my dad for saving the comic (he keeps it at his office and shows it off to his coworkers) and taking me on a trip down memory lane. Love you!

Please enjoy :)




The story begins when Rudi's teacher assigns his class with a research project, on any topic of their choosing. Rudi knows exactly what he wants to investigate.




Baloney (or bologna, as I preferred to spell it in 2002) is one of Rudi's favorite foods.




He makes a plan to visit Happy Hog Meat Plant, on Nuclear Road, and take a tour. But only if his mother can give him a ride.




Inside the plant, a friendly tour guide greets Rudi and his mom and offers to show them around the facility. Mrs. Rudi's stomach turns weak as she learns more about how lunch meats are processed.




Ah, so there's a difference between beef baloney and regular baloney? Also, this meat processing plant would never pass inspections. They must really be paying off the Health Department.




Warning: you are about to view a nude cow. This is not how baloney is actually made, but it might as well be. Also, Mrs. Rudi's stomach has met its breaking point.




The tour ends and Rudi gets another bright idea for his project.




Rudi builds his own meat grinder, which he dubs the Bolognameister 5000. He's excited, and decides to try it out right away. All would be well, but poor Mrs. Rudi can't find her cat...




So obviously I was a little biased when I created this comic, being a vegetarian and all, but the conventional meat industry really can be cruel and grisly.

What do you think?

Sidewalk Skeleton, Santa Cruz, Scales and Signs [photo walk]

We went to Santa Cruz on Independence Day to get out of the city and show Ben's visiting brother around. The weather was beautiful and everyone was out on the beach and the boardwalk enjoying the sunshine.

We didn't stay on the boardwalk very long-- it was hot and packed and claustrophobia-inducing-- so got to the end of it and decided to look for a nice restaurant on the water to sit and have lunch.

We decided to cross this railroad trestle (even though there were signs specifically saying not to), which was no problem at first until I realized that there was nothing separating me from falling to my death between the wooden planks.

It was kind of horrifying and my legs started to freeze up, but I made it over without dying. Never again.









Someone taped an "l" over the "m" on this sign on a Muni bus. Clever and cute.



I went on a walk the other day to the post office and luckily I brought along my camera because I saw this weird imprint on the sidewalk that looked like a skull. How creepy is this?



Later on I saw another skull on the sidewalk, this one a stencil:





I saw this work in progress the other day and took a few snaps. I'm anxious to see how it turns out:







Scale at Swanton Berry Farm, which we stopped at on the way to Santa Cruz. We picked up some deliciously ripe red strawberries for my friend Rene, who was hosting us for dinner that night. I had been to Swanton before with my parents when they came to visit and the farm has some of the most exquisite berries I have ever tasted.






Gopher? Rabbit? I'm not really sure what this was, but I found it laying on a trail by Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

Framed historic newspaper at Alameda Antique Flea Market:



Cute thermos containers from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.



Some Get Up art spotted in Berkeley on the side of a newspaper box. I'm supposed to be modeling some t-shirts this week for the Get Up website. Looking forward to it!



More Get Up stencils, same paper box.



Funny sign on a restaurant in Berkeley. They're serious about their studying.



Love over money.



My semi-permanent state of being: