AFRONAUTS! How you be? Habari Gani? Kuumba, that's what? Today is creativity to take it higher day in that mysterous "holiday" of Kwanzaa, and how fitting that it lands on new Year's Eve! I have been thinking about what I would go and do, and I realized that I am still in love with a New Year's Eve at home setting intentions, clearing the energetic deadwood, and celebrating my best poems ever--my kids. Right about now, however, they are feeling all elegiac as I have both of them cleaning their rooms--disaster! What to say about this final week of 2010? It was telling that Christmas sells were up beyond industry expectations: how else could we force ourselves to ignore the obvious? I am using "we," because even I rolled into the 99cent store and temporarily lost my mind. As Reverend Billy will tell you, we shop too much. We are addicted to shopping. It is our national drug of choice, along with TV consumption. I long ago threw out the TV, but as it invades the smaller screen of my laptop, I am confronted with ever encroaching psychic slop. Cue Parliment Funkadelic!
So we went shopping because of the embarrassment of the Wikileaked cables. Those embarassments are MULTIPLE, large among them is pure and simple mismanagement. How on earth did that many people need access to those files? Why were they never properly archived? Next among them, why are our diplomats so damn snarky? Can't they be nice? And this of course lead to the realization that most of us are not nice in our daily dealings at work either. In fact, if you are "in it to win it" in the small-minded game of office politics, you are NEVER nice, only polite for selfish motivation. Where is that credit card?! Oh wait, I have no card? Okay, I'll just use all the cash from my check I have not received yet! Right. There are the lies told to maintain de facto slavery on the continent of Africa which are revealed in those cables. There are lies to maintain a lot of things, especially the thought, the feeling, the zeitgeist that we are a supreme nation. Kinda clear that ain't true now. Shopping feels like we still have choices (have you been following the debate over an open internet), that we live in a free society (remember those new airport rules), where every one has a chance to make something of themselves (how about that college debt that you can't shake and a degree for a non-existent job), be of service just by clicking a box (remember Haiti) and express themselves without repercussion (have you tried being an artist or gay or both or Latino in Arizona). Keep playing this game if you like. The close of 2010 is turning the wheel AND the cart. If you look just beyond all the crushed, shiny, phony stuff scattered on your metaphorical ground, you will notice a road you have never seen before. Take it. Walk into the second decade of the new millennium daring to take responsibility for your own happiness.
BLOWIN' BACK DA FRO : deadlines! Discounted tickets for an array of items and a few fundraising campaigns are coming to a close at midnight.
Celebrate Dance Festival had a sale on for this extravaganza in Glendale. Here is the link to the regular box office, then use the following info TODAY tog et the discount: 30% off tickets Use promo code: DANCE11 - on line at - the box office or by phone 818-243-2539 don't wait there will not be tickets on Gold Star this year - Promo Expires 12/31/10
LA Idea Project also has a discount going for this brain-food-more-than-you-can-fathom buffet: Check out their website for the link to the discount for the conference on November 5 & 6 and for an upcoming dinner on Jan 15th! I'll be at both. Holla!
The A.W.A.R.D. Show at the REDCAT is close to selling out! Unfortunately, there is no block ticket for each night, so throw fiscal responsibility to the wind (um, or not) and go to all 4 nights. If you are of this world of dance, sorry, your buddies are scattered across all four days, so suck it up and go. Conversely, write a scathing blog ont he role of competition and send it to itch dance journal!
Viver Brasil is needing to stock up on their 100 @ $100 donors before 2010 is gone! DONATE!
LOVELY!
Well, if you have plans that are not really making you feel festive or you have no plans, I have the desire to dance without music, dance to ambient sounds in a parking lot or a park, in my dance whites, in silence, to ring in the New Year. Who wanna ride in this possee?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Get ready for the rest: 1.1.11
The International Year of People of African Descent
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