a promise
jump in
fool

when you leave
i can talk

it's my own cheating heart that makes me cry.

good times gonna come
one
radio cure
and the boys

flash delirium,
the geese of beverly road

twilight carbon lake
banana slugs
cosmonaut

too late
stars

walk in the park
pomont on my mind

meddle
summertime -
the dog days are over

service bell.
me
nlo
nasir

night time
blood bank.

i discovered genius tonight.

two years ago today i was riding my bike from our hayworth apartment to the sierra bonita house.
i was riding down 6th street, just east of crescent heights when ken called me to offer me a job at the gallery.
i stopped to call lee about the good news and waited to get to my destination to call mom and dad.
he couldn't be any less excited and i couldn't imagine what followed between then and now...

monday.

the light pours into our bedroom by 645.
i'm awake
fighting for two more hours of sleep.

i jump out of bed
have a bowl of cheerios
and jump back in bed.

730 rolls by,
i skip another morning of jogging.
hungover, i couldn't recall
what kept us up til 4.

there was some highfiving somewhere.

the novelty of a stranger
sent a jolt through my sleeping senses.
we shake hands and wish each other good rest.

a bookstore or two follows.
i run into ty and dont say hi.
i run into steven and b and don't say hi.

i eat my croissant and two glasses of water,
a nap and the discovery that
i had just bought an epitaph in the poetry section.

and an old buddy brings me back
with a bit of wild nothing.

we didn't worry about
the delicate exchange of ideas anymore.
we either told it like it was
or didn't speak to each other at all.

intricate was the wordsmith's
attention to cutting detail.
he held a single photograph in his hand
to recount all of the events that would unfold.

i etched the details in my mind
and looped them around
some shitty chorus
of an overplayed love song.

and from the filters between
my ears and my brain,
i stole all the beauty and
discarded the parts that would damage me.

my imagination is not capable
of dealing with the pain
inflicted by man.

i sleep and hope to wake up to something new.

and realize that this passivity
will not save me
this time.

his roommate's alarm beeps at 630am,
the transition from a blackout dream
quickly turns blue with the sunlight
peaking through the venetian blinds.

he rolls out of bed,
a crumbled cigarette in his pocket
leaves a trail of tabacco from his bed
to the floor where his black running shoes await.

he sets the coffee maker
while smoking a joint
and gets his minute of facebook.

mia blasts as he slows down from his run
the old chinese lady in a green jacket
speedwalks from around the corner.

he comes home.
cooks his eggs.
and listens to Naked Kids
for the first time.

with coffee in hand
we writes about
the mundane details of his saturday morning.

salud. first tastings.

bocce monday with christopher. october 11, 2010

chapter 20: creative. considerate. well-travelled professionals seek Home.

i am trying my best
and my best just may be good enough.

someone who inspires me.

and life proposed another change, another goodbye, and another reason to spend a bit of time doing the things we always said we would. and two friends, saying goodbye to each other for an indefinite amount of time, decided to do a little collaboration for a photo assignment. we stayed close to home and i photographed my little muse just around the corner.

funny how much certain friendship come into focus when an end is visible.

playdate after work. fei fei. hancock park, los angeles, june 2010.

morning after lauren and demian's wedding. lake arrowhead.

the morning after lauren and demian's sunny late spring wedding.


Tree Planting Ceremony.

In nature we observe the essential patterns of all living things. Albert Einstein suggested that we can understand everything better by taking a deep look at nature. Today, we take a look at how the patterns of chance, environment, love, and nourishment brought these two lives together.

Today we take a moment to observe what happens when two nuts decide to stand their ground, together.

The trees here at Lake Arrowhead have a special significance, as they created a peaceful retreat for the Akazawa family for the last 16 years – later, too, becoming the meeting place and home for the beginning of Demian and Lauren’s relationship. These two have returned to the origin of their love to plant these seeds as a symbol of their commitment to grow together.

Lauren and Demian, would you please plant the seeds.

Planting - Demian and Lauren have chosen to plant the seeds of a special Jacaranda tree – the tree under which Demian proposed to Lauren a year ago. Just as the shade from that tree marked a milestone in their relationship, the planting of these seeds signify the beginning of their life together. Jacaranda trees are also distinct in their vibrant mauve blossoms. May these seeds represent the bright future you two will share. These May the vivid mauve blossoms will highlight these special grounds with the symbol of your love. And may your love reach for the sky and sing in wildly beautiful colors.

Lauren and Demian, would you now please water the seeds.

Watering text – And just like caring for the seeds of a tree, marriage can only sprout with nourishment and care. In your words and actions towards each other – may you nurture one another with the beauty of both your natures. May you allow your roots to grow deeply, and learn to share the joy love brings both with and within you. In watering these seeds – remember the importance in speaking gently to each other, holding one another carefully through the winds of change, and allowing your love to flourish in the sun.

Loves bears witness to the function and meaning of all living things – luckily, we have nature to demonstrate just what true love can achieve.

Louis de Bernieres once said, “Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other under ground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.”

By planting this tree, we begin to watch the story of two nuts that – by chance - fell into the same place at the same time, and decided to create something beautiful with it. Chance brought them here, and love brings them back to these grounds for all of us to witness the story of how two nuts become one.

when you said that it was all water under the bridge
i didn't realize that i should have brought my floating device.