heathervescent

Returning to Theory Radio

Well, the hiatus is officially over - tomorrow night I am resuming my radio show on Theory Radio. So if you need your fix of electropop, mash-up, ethereal-trance-electronica with a little guns n roses or twisted sister or journey thrown in for good measure, then tune in. Show starts at 7 (I think) and goes until 10 pm - pacific time. Click this link to tune into the stream. Having trouble connecting? Check out the troubleshooting page.

And Performing Live this Saturday...

Susanna and I am returning to the Echo to perform live on stage for the Midnight show at BootieLA. I'm looking for a lot of support this time, so please come on out. We're mashing up Madonna and Tony Basil with a sprinkle of Mickey Mouse. If you have a tux jacket, please wear it.

The Deets:
THE ECHO
1822 Sunset Blvd.
Echo Park, Los Angeles
9 pm–2am . 21+
$5 cover before 10:30 PM
$10 cover

xxx,

-Heather

Burned Joshua Tree

Burned Joshua Tree
Originally uploaded by heathervescent.

Fire burns, but sometimes it's so pretty. This photo taken from Josha Tree National Park.

A Poem on InotI

I am not I.
                 I am this one
      Walking beside me whom I do not see.
      Whom at times I manage to visit,
      And at other times I forget.
      The one who remains silent when I talk,
      The one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
      The one who takes a walk when I am indoors,
      The one who will remain standing when I die.

- Juan Ramón Gimenez
(Translated by Robert Bly)
via Pita

g33k dinner / minibar = LA tech community

We had a great turnout at the g33k dinner last night. At each dinner there are a few new faces, but more and more it's a group of people who have been to a couple geek dinners or barcamp. It's really starting to feel like a community. Lot of friendly familiar faces: Michael, Crystal, Lucas, Bino, Mark, Dan, Jennifer, Zach and Danah was even in town.

Crystal showed up with some geek dinner t-shirt designs. She shared the ideas and by the end of dinner we had agreed on one.  It's so exciting to be getting geek dinner t-shirts. They look totally awesome too.

Jennifer pimped a contest one of her clients - Dare Junkies - is having. You pick a challenge (that is submitted by the users) and film yourself doing it. If you missed out on getting one of the t-shirts, I still have some. They are S, M and L.

I also got to talk with Tim from French Maid TV. I had met him at the Pulver event (I still need to write that one up). We quipped about the upcoming LA pillowfight and I suggested that some french maids might need to show up to clean up the place.

Food was good, but the margaritas needed to be stronger and we closed the place out. We're off to Santa Monica next month.

Registration for Barcamp #3 is open

Yup, we're at it again. Barcamp is happening in Los Angeles again and back at Little Radio. Want all the details? Then head over to the wiki.

Barcamp LA Featured

Photos from LA Barcamp #2 and Barney's G33k dinner are featured in this story. Kinda cool.

Pillowfight in LA

It's coming! Yay! Finally. I am so there!!!

Sassy Enlightenment

Yo, go check out my blog Daily Mantra for some sassy enlightenment. We've got a review of a psychic penis reader, reasons to pack a gun and Justin Timberlake's Fiery Karma Video. There's a list of the most recent posts over there on the right side. Share the love, check out some posts and leave a comment.

Friday Videos - Daft Punk!

Seems that Friday mornings are full of YouTube Video searching. Here's a great one by Daft Punk.

This life, this dream

All Tied Up

Art Car Fest 2006 - 21.jpg
Originally uploaded by L. Marie.

This is inspirational to another one of my secret projects! Thanks Evil Mad Scientist Labs for capturing it!

Kamikaze Girls - Wooo

Kamikaze Girls finally arrived via NetFlix. I sorely missed it when it was at the NuArt last year. This movie is definitely in my top 5. If you like motorcycles, girly girls, a good story, fighting and Japaneses culture - you need to see this movie NOW. It's fabulous. Check:

Momoko yearns to live in 18-century Versailles than in her back-country hometown of Shimotsuma, heartland of the yakuza. To escape, she loses herself in the dreamy, doll-like fashions of the "Lolita” scene. Her idol is Akinori Isobe, chief designer of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright—her favorite Lolita design hose. She travels all the way to Tokyo to shop at their store.

One languid summer, to help fund her expensive hobby, Momoko runs a classified ad of brand-name knock-off clothes (produced by her dad) for sale. She encounters a buyer named Ichiko (the real name is Ichigo), who happens to live in her neighborhood.

Super-rebel Ichiko, is a “Yankee”-style member of the Ponytails motorbike gang, one of Ibaraki's "Wild speed tribes,” whose teeth-rattling customized bikes are decked out with fiberglass shields and bannered backrests.

Somewhat against Momoko’s will, she and Ichigo slowly develop a strong friendship as they share their feelings on the odd goings-ons around them.

Because of the movie, I also found this blog, which has started my obsession with Nampa. Now I understand so much more - especially in Babel.

Date Night at the Shooting Range

Last night, the boyfriend and I met up with two other couples at the shooting range. We were celebrating Valentine's in style with heart shaped targets. As we looked around at the other lanes, we noticed a fair number of couples. And later as we were leaving we saw 3 couples come in. Who would have thought that shooting would be a sexy Valentines date?

A little bondage for me please...

This just in from Kathasaurus:

Rope, Knots & More; Bondage 101 for novices
So if you don't get who you want for valentines today ...you can always learn to tie em down so next time they cant escape! Bwahahahha.

February 21, 2007 7pm

A class for adventurous (open-minded) singles & couples who are new to bondage and want to learn how to use various types of restraints in a way that is safe and in a way that it enhances erotic passion.

Shelly & Peter, together for ten years and very experienced in the use of power and restraint in sexual play, will be presenting this topic in a hands-on workshop on February 21st from 7:30m - 9:00 pm at a secret Venice location.

BYOR ...Bring your own restraints! The presenters will bring some material for the audience to use but if you have always wanted to use a certain type of restraint, then bring it and they will teach you how to use it safely.

Bondage has brought adventure, passion and endless creativity to sexual play for countless couples involved in the BDSM community. This workshop will bring information to those of you who want to explore this area of sexuality in a safe light-hearted and normal environment.

$15.00 per person, $25.00 per couple, BYOR (Bring your own restraint if you desire)

The class is in Venice and you can register/get more info here: [email protected] or (310) 915-0380

I am unfortunately going to have to miss this class. I'm not really a novice (but hey, you can usually learn something anyway) and I'm meeting with the bloggers that night. So I'll leave my ropes at home. But if you are interested in exploring rope - this sounds like a great intro. BDSM is not about sex - it's about who is in control - or who is not in control. And I find it impacts your life more non-sexually.

All Hail CdJ!

I think I met Carmen on Ryze. We circulated around similar circles, but missed connecting time and time again. We were ghosts in each others lives and then lost connection.

Fast forward several years. I moved to Santa Monica and somehow came to know that Carmen was living in the LA area. We met up a few times, saw each other at a party or two and then we started becoming friends. The more time we hung out together, the more we realized our current tracks were going the same direction-  parallel it seemed. Two years later those tracks still parallel each other. And we continue to share stories, best practices, ideas and collaboration between the train windows, inciting and speeding the engines.

Today is her birthday.

So I send this shout out to you Carmen. Thank you for being my collaborator. Thank you for kicking my ass when I need it. Thank you for egging me on. Thank you for making me realize all my dreams are belong to my reality. May 007 be a year of success, passion, quietude, discovery and delight for you. Here's to many more! xxx

* Photo of Carmen stolen from her flickr feed.

3 years here

I never, ever, ever thought I would stay here blogging for 3 years. But it's true. I'm also coming up on the 1 year anniversary over at Daily Mantra.

Some light Sunday Reading

It's a gorgeous day today, and after Romeo and I sat at squirrel watch for hours on the patio I decided to pick up a couple books I am reading. I am usually a speed reader, but these two books are making me slow down, because in addition to making me think, they each deliver pallet after pallet of wood/explosive material to this bonfire from which a phoenix will one day emerge. For now, we're cooking with gas!

First off is Philosophical Explanations by Robert Nozick.
This book is absolutely amazing. It's exactly how I think about philosophy. Well, I'm not really sure yet, as I'm just into the introduction at the moment. But my current mental ponderings about skepticism are right in line with his thinking. I can't wait to wade in deeper.

Second off is Stanislav Grof's Psychology of the Future.
I saw/heard him speak yesterday and it was a lot of good food for thought. Most interesting is the redefinition of emergency to "emerge"-ncy. As in, spiritual emergency. Of course, I couldn't help thinking about the art of bleeding and true safety consciousness.

Mix these two books with my results from the perception of perceptions conference a few weeks ago, add a dash of quetzalcoatl and you might get a feel for what I've got brewing up in my brain.

Romeo on Squirrel Watch

Romeo on Squirrel Watch
Originally uploaded by heathervescent.

Romeo on SquirrelWatch 007! We had three out on the patio this morning and ran them all the way up the tree!

The Prankser "S"

I had dinner with my Dad on Friday. He was surprise in town for the weekend and so we went to his old haunt of 32 years ago - Taix. I'll dis on the Taix service in a moment, but for now, I want to reminiscence positive.

One of my Dad's biggest traits is his trickster, pranking nature. I hadn't realized this until Friday. My Dad was always joking around. To this day, he still calls me, disguising his voice. (Last time he called me, he was an Indian from a Dell call center.) This was a normal, everyday occurrence for me, and I braced myself every time he got started.  My brother quickly picked up his skill and the two of them would tease me incessantly. Trying to see how far they could get me to believe them. I hated this, for several reasons. Of course I didn't like being teased, but even more than that, I was appalled that they would "lie" and then deny the lie b/c it was a story/prank/trick. What happened to the truth uber alles? It was more like trickster uber alles. I couldn't believe/trust anyone to tell the truth. 

I always wondered why I didn't get the pranking skill. I am way too honest for my own good. Why couldn't I spin huge stories and trick my dad and brother? I thought, I'm just not a prankster. (Although I identify with many trickster archetypes.) Friday at dinner, I saw differently. Whereas my Dad and brother prank individuals, my pranks/tricks/mobius flips are on concepts, ideas. I like to prank societal norms. I prank to make people question, think - not to belittle or make fun of or take power from people. I stir the pot. My pranks don't leave pie on your face, but instead (I hope) twist from your brain, a small spark, that had been previously dark.

Melted Cheese

I sure do love me a fresh grilled cheese sandwich. And I'm not the only one!

Tuxedo Travels

Most of the time, you don't have a reason to wear a tux. And what a shame that is, because I am a fan of formal wear. And men look so hot in tuxes.

And then what happened to dressing your best for travel?

I once went on a trip to the south pacific donning a spanking new tropical weather khaki suit. I wore that suit from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Fiji arriving late at night to moist air. Our bus was waiting and we proceeded to ride another 6 hours into dawn, just in time to catch the 1 hour ferry ride out to the island. The island had no dock or landing area, so guess what? I rolled up those suit pants and took off my traveling shoes. It was wading time. That suit went on with me to Vanuatu and Australia. And after I returned to the states, I sold it on eBay to someone in Wisconsin.

I'd bet about anything that these tuxes are going to have similar adventures. You see they are being worn by my friend Dougie Fresh and his intrepid companion. Their quest: to travel from Asia to England wearing only what they have on in the picture. Introducing, the Tuxedo Travels!

Their site is a bit spare for now, but you can join their mailing list and soon you'll be able to read updates, see pictures and watch their overland route. They even have some videos of their adventures so far. They start their actual route on April 1st (April Fools Day?!). I can't wait to hear what adventures they have. I'm so excited for them, that I'm planning to meet up with them somewhere in Europe - wearing my own tux.

Yay for travel formal wear!

Birthday photos

Here are a couple pictures from my Naked Sushi Party, celebrating the 33rd year of Heather. It was a lot of fun. Thanks everyone! All photos by Kmo. More photos available on request.

Not so Immaterial

Suz and I are busting out the moves again next month. Just saying you might want to be at Bootie March 3rd, it you enjoyed the Zombie Cheerleaders.

Just sayin.

On Money

I ended up over at Caterina's blog while researching previous post entries belief set and came across this quote.

Evolutionary psychologist Nigel Barber cites a study where kids were given pens to play with. Surprisingly, those who were rewarded for doing so were less inclined to continue. "The underlying explanation for psychologists is that when you pay somebody to do something ... they get the feeling that they're not doing it because they enjoy it," Barber said.

I guess that explains why I enjoy working on the things that don't pay me more than the things that do pay me. Well, actually that ebbs and flows. But damn this american socialization. Some day, this american ideal will go away.

The Container House

I was never a fan of prefab housing, but this one made of 6 shipping containers looks pretty cool. My only question is, how cool will it be in the desert?

It's called a quik house and it's designed by Adam Kalkin, who appears to be obsessed with the container as a building material. The plans look fabulous and I 'm totally down with the style.

Then again, this house, which is a house inside a warehouse is pretty amazing.

the weekend

By Snake Jagger. More here. This one is my favorite.

 

I put this painting here, because I don't know what or how to write what happened this weekend. This is partly the sentiment and it is partly the opposite.

More 80s hair videos

Ok. I have totally gotten sucked into 80s rock videos. This one is for you Mom.

I have to also admit, that one of my current favorite songs is We're not going to take it. You can watch the video here:

OMG I am totally dying. I totally remember this.

What do you want to do with your life?!!!

80's Ballads good for karaoke

OMG - what a fabulous duet. I love my peoples. I never in a million years thought I would sing this, but it seemed like a good idea last night. And well, everyone was singing along to it as well, so I guess it was a good idea.

And while I'm posting cheezy videos I like to sing - here is a classic. Really, this blasting on the playa drowing out the technoelectronica blip blip was the best ever.

PnP: Napster's Free Service

Ok, so I am not going to get in the habit of pimping companies, but I have been listening to Napster's free service the past couple days and it is GREAT! I was wanting to find some new electronica music and check out some Orb and Orbital albums to see if I wanted to buy them and I can listen to entire albums all day long on the free service! Ok, yes, you're right, the quality is not so great, but I love being able to listen to the music. And I'm def hooked. I'm even thinking about getting the subscription service - hell, I probably will. It's just so weird not to own all my music. But whatever.

[Disclaimer: the boyfriend writes code for N. But he did not put me up to this post. Nor did/does he make me use it. And I can't even get a free girlfriend account. So much for corporate perks.]

Go check it out. Go here for the free service. Search on an artist. If you click the song, it will launch the external player (in a sep browser window), same thing if you click the album. I just wish I could rate the songs I am listening to and remember them. And add them to playlists that would play them when I subscribe. Oh and you do have to create an account - but it's not too bad. And good when you forget your password. Plus you can embed songs on your webpage/blog. Like this one I am listening to right now from the Orb.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hi Mom,

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great day today!

xxx

-Heather