Step Up; life requires heroes.

As I approach, again, the anniversary of my birth, I always
look for something new learned, some ground covered,
or some measure of progress, no matter how small, that
I have contributed, other than my own wants & pleasures,
by living another year.
It is with that thought that I share these words, spoken
long ago, but still ringing loudly where there are those
willing to listen. 

It does not matter how large an impact that we make, 
but that we reach out to make it, in some small way,
often & without end. 

I give you the words of Robert F. Kennedy;

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief

that human  history is shaped. Each time a man stands up

for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes

out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,

and crossing each other from a million different centers

of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which

can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and

resistance."

~ Robert F. Kennedy, June 6, 1966, "Day Of Affirmation" Speech
 

Buring Man Mural for NOOMOON UNVIERSE

Acrylic paint & stuff on 6x9 foot canvas drop cloth, provided by NOOMOON, for this mural. To be displayed on their Burning Man installation, NOOMOON UNIVERSE, this August. 
In case you were wondering, drop cloth canvas drinks paint like the desert drinks water, even primed. Thanks to Dan The Man for the chance to let my imagination run free. Still, I painted what's in my living room...

Cafe Istanbul; The Hours or the Business?

It occurs to me, after reading endorsements the Healing Center gives itself in their advertising & website, that such a brilliant model of future urbanism should probably be able to draw a crowd whenever it wants.

This should make it easy to do two shows a day, at 8 & 10pm,
and close by midnight.

Snug Harbor's 'performance hall' sells out about 100 seats at
$25 & up, almost every show. Cocktail servers bring drink orders
through out all shows.

Cafe Istanbul should concentrate on the quality of service &
entertainment, as Snug Harbor does, rather than go for the easy
money of another late night drinking hole, in an area that has
enough already, and doesn't really want one there.

I think THAT would more aptly constitute the "American right to
do business" that Sallie Glassman spoke so passionately about.

LD

A Vision of Life; Dream of Healing for Marigny Residents

Just for a minute, let's pretend.

Forget all the politics, the connections &
What Chuck Wants & How Much Smarter  Pres
Kabacoff is....

Imagine that next door, is a Healing Center.
It has affordable child care services
(what happened to that?), adult education,
a food co-op, yoga classes, Reiki & Reiki
training, dance groups, meetings, Live
Jazz performances, plays, readings, poetry
slams, street university, art  galleries,
alternative food places, and herbal shops,
maybe even costume  parties....

You see how very BEAUTIFUL this is?

When the sun goes down, you'd see some low
lighting, and watch people meander in & out,
until 10 or so, and then have a couple of
hours of peace, if you can stay awake, and
then begin again the next day.

I supported this.
I still do.
But somehow, I am faced with a very different dream....

It's 2am.
I have to get up at 6am to try to make the
weekly bills, and come out ahead,  maybe
going out both Friday & Saturday, if I play my cards right.

But there's car doors slamming outside my window.
Even the muffled laughter and  normal excited conversation
is loud, because it's right outside my window. If I  close
the windows, it will get really hot, and I don't want to run
the AC. It's  a waste of both money & resources.

Besides, the breeze is already blocked by heavy curtains so
those 25 foot tall prison spotlights don't light up my room
like Christmas.

The door slamming will go on for another two hours.

It starts when the show ends at 2am (if they don't run late)
and then there's an  hour period to 'cool down'. Of course,
I'm guessing when those people find out they only have an
hour left to drink, they'll start slamming them, like people
everywhere do at last call.
As a bartender, we used to yell "Last Call!" just to get business up.
It's  amazing.

So, anyway, at 3am, when they're done 'cooling down', anywhere from
20 to 200 hundred people are going to "gradually and in small groups"
be allowed to leave. Maybe this will take less than an hour. Maybe not.

Now its almost 4am, and I'm hoping they'll remember to turn off those
ridiculous lights, but what the hell....
I have to get up in 2 hours anyway.

I'll never make it through 6 o'clock tomorrow night, though,
and that's happened already this  week. Less work means less money,
but I'm exhausted. So obviously I won't be going out at all.
In fact, I really don't feel very well at all, as I haven't slept
through the  night yet this week.

Now, tell me about the Healing Center, unifying & healing the
neighborhood.
Or is it Pres & Sallie, knowing full well that the River Front
Development is  coming (I'm surprised they haven't taken credit for it),
and they now have the  first full blown Night Club on St Claude, and
have managed to change the zoning  for any other great ideas they have,
including selling of parking spaces at all  hours, every day.

Maybe even taking their "Its only 153 sq ft" (lie) BAR to 24 hours.
If we couldn't stop them now, what makes you think we can
stop them then?
In fact, I expect one of them to run for office any time now.

Thanks for pretending with me.
It's time to go back to your own peaceful life.
While you still can.

Lord David
Spain & Rampart 

Stolen Cup

 
















Gonna re-write history
wanna make it all about me
My god is perfect, yours is wrong
your salvation takes too long
 On your knees or on your back
I'll absolve you for a Cadillac
 I can solve all life's mysteries
save your cash and give it all to me

From the first time we were taught
the winner only has to throw the biggest rock 
the lesson learned is dog eat dog 
to kill your brother in the name of god
it's a bitter taste that takes its toll
like a stolen cup full of broken souls... 

No cloven hooves or booze allowed
at the drive through window of the Sacred Cow
Those Golden Towers stand so fine
but you only get a cracker and a sip of wine
Some go hungry, some go bad
some take them with you when they go mad
The poor get poorer and children die
say a blessing on the corporate pie

From the first time we were taught
 the winner only has to throw the biggest rock
 the lesson learned is dog eat dog
 to kill your brother in the name of god
 it's a bitter taste that takes its toll
 like a stolen cup full of broken souls...  

Pick your winner, take a stand
 Teacher, Prophet, Son of Man You
put a lot of faith in what they say
 but what if they were here,
today Ain't got no job, ain't got no home
 he got no camera on a telephone
 If he told you to throw it all away 
would you listen to another word he say?

From the first time we were taught
 the winner only has to throw the biggest rock
 the lesson learned is dog eat dog
  to kill your brother in the name of god
 it's a bitter taste that takes its toll
 like a stolen cup full of broken souls...

LD 2011

All I want....

Both Humbled & Honored

I gotta call today from my friend, Sam. She told me I'd been nominated for the Ashley Morris Award.

I am both humbled & honored at this, of course. Ashley was/is a hero to many of us, and I can't think of a more touching compliment than to even have my name mentioned in association with this. It is truly an honor, just as trying to live up to the caliber of commitment & honesty he demonstrated is humbling at best. In the spirit of that honesty, I have to be truthful here: I had no idea people actually read this shit. In fact, I never think about it, including now. Like messages in bottles tossed off a bridge or beach, I try to find & speak the truth, push 'send' and it just goes out there, somewhere, if only to balance out the great many untruths that are tossed asunder every minute of every day. Whether that generates an award or a bullet, I just do it. Somebody has to fucking do it. Or we're all screwed. So I just do it. Join me, won't you? The great thing about honesty is never having to waste a second remembering lies, or worrying about being found out. So come on. You know you want to. Just try it. And yes, I already know that those pants don't make my ass look fat. My ass does. And thanks, Cousin Pat, wherever you are. LD

Surrender

Surrender to the Divinity within yourself and you will know Peace. Surrender to the Peace within yourself and you will know Love. LD - 2011