Gokurosama

Check out the Gokurosama Exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown LA.
And then go eat Shabu Shabu House Restaurant in Little Tokyo.

And the Ants shall conquer the Elephants

I was talking to a friend the other day about tough times, and he said, "and the ants shall conquer the elephants..."
When the big picture or goal gets us down, remember that it takes all the little challenges to work together to tackle that huge problem. Don't let the "elephant" stop you. If you use your talents to help someone out, your skills and efforts help in a way that might be hard for someone else. Usually, your efforts get rewarded.
Lend a hand to your fellow ants, and conquer that elephant.

My New Desktop

Los Angeles Landscapes

Nick Colombo Charity Event Bowl-A-Thon

Saturday, March 21, 2009

1 PM - 4 PM


Concourse Entertainment Center

3364 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92806-2814

(91 Fwy, go North on Kraemer, East on La Palma)


Entrance Fee: $15 + $25 in Donations

Includes 3 Games of Bowling, Shoes and Prizes!!


Deadline for bowler registration: March 11, 2009

Send registration fees (payable to Delta Iota) to:
Nikki Hall
209 Orchid Drive, Placentia, CA 92870
(714)357-8851
e-mail: nikki@lodesescrow.com


Deadline for pledges to be collected: March 28, 2009

Entrance fee: $15.00, includes 3 games of bowling, shoes and prizes

A minimum of $25 in pledges per bowler are required.

If you are participating for another chapter of Phi Beta Psi, you will be responsible for your own bowlers pledges. Please have sponsors make checks payable to your chapter.

If you need community service hours, please bring your completed community service form when checking in and it will be signed and given back to you when you leave.

Prizes will be awarded at the end of the bowl-a-thon based on your pledge totals.

Phi Beta Psi Sorority is a National Non-Academic, Charitable, Benevolent and Civic Organization with approximately 1800 members in 100 chapters throughout the United States.

CANCER RESEARCH is Phi Beta Psi’s National Project. Each year the combined chapters contribute thousands of dollars in grants to doctors working in fields of Cancer Research, hoping to find a cure for the dreaded disease. During our last four conventions, 24 grants were awarded to doctors in a combined total amount of over a MILLION dollars in research grants.

To find out more visit HYPERLINK http://www.phibetapsi.org


Phi Beta Psi Sorority, Delta Iota Chapter Presents:

The Nick Colombo Memorial
Bowl-A-Thon

An adventure to The Pantry in the heart of downtown LA.

My friend Eric wanted to go on a photo field trip to downtown Los Angeles. I said I would only go if we went to THE PANTRY, my favorite diner. So we went and I got the buscuits and gravy. I never had them before, and you have NOT LIVED until you have them.

So here are the portraits of the field trip.

Take a break.

Stop what you are doing. (Except reading my blog)
Stand up, look up, lift your hands up, stretch, take a deep breath, and smile.
Try to think of a bad thought. You can't. In fact, you will feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Have a good day.
Remember to break often.

Big Rave Dave

My cousin Big Rave Dave has been making some cool mixx tracks. He made the second one for Nick, called Swimming in Heaven

Dave's Mix

Swimming In Heaven

You can download these songs into your iTunes. They are about 70 minutes.
I have been listening to them constantly.

Sunday. Exercise. Smile

First, I am not against exercising. I know I tell people I am lazy and don't really move. But the truth is I used to be quiet in shape because I would play baseball a few days a week. I got out of the routine about a year ago, and lately I feel sluggish. A few weeks ago, Erica has been making me go to the gym with her. It is very awkward for me to be inside a gym, and working out on an ergonomic machine.
I have been down for a while, and I feel weird and overburdened with grief symptoms. So with the gym and using my brother's "new" vintage road bike, my spirits have been lifted and I feel better. It seems that everywhere I look and hear, the subject of exercise has been popping up. So exercise also helps with putting my body's chemical balances back into place and helps with creativity. So far, it's working for me!

So it is a nice sunday. Exercise & Smile.

The Actual Museum update

I believe photos should be printed and walls should be decorated. My wall is definitely excessive, crammed, and full of colors from around the world. Well, mostly Russia. I had 50 prints from my last photo class, and I finally found some time to fill some frames with my photos. Well...I ran out of frames, and I saw a lot of space in the big frames to squeeze more photos in.

It's my wall, with my photos, and I can do whatever I want!

I am playing Bruce Lee nun-chucks with my duster towel. WOAAA!!!









The girl in the large B&W print was my favorite portrait from the Russian Orphanages. She was not at the orphanage the second time I went, but she still showed up to hang out with us. The color print next to her was the after picture. Yea...red hair!


I bought this "Rappin' Rodney" record for $5. The pictures of Rodney are priceless. And to think he started his comedy career in his 40's. And the Frank Zappa beer that says "kill ugly radio" is classic.

Inauguration Day

Boston Article
Obama calls for unity.
Divided we fall.
United we stand.

Speaking of Dreams

The way I see it, there are two kinds of Americas. Political & Social. Now that I think about it, this goes for pretty much any country.
When I was in Russia, a lot of people I spoke to had no interest to visit America because they disagreed with our political system.
But there is so much more to countries than their political system. U2 spent a year in America to record their Joshua Tree album because of American influences such as Bob Dylan and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Bono said he "...had to 'deal with' the United States and the way it was affecting me, because the United States' having such an effect on the world at the moment. On this record I had to deal with it on a political level for the first time, if in a subtle way." Since Bono was trying to portray the both "mythic idea of America" and the "reality of America" on the album, the working title of the album was "The Two Americas".

Joshua Tree Wikipedia link.

Yes, voting is an important tool to change. But I strongly believe what James Brown said, "Power to the people! HEH!" The underbelly of America has always been it's strength to change for the people, by the people. Through my travels of the majority of America in the last few years, I have experienced and heard so many great stories that keep me 'truckin' to new places to see different faces of America. Our social movements have always been an American backbone to our social idealism. In the 60's, our own African American citizens were not getting the attention and change they deserved, political or socially. In August 1963, MLK rallied the troops and marched to Washington D.C. to tell the world about his dream. 46 years later from King's march and speach, we are going to inaugurate our first Black President.

Power to the People.