Happy Belated Birthday/Belated Easter (Beaster?. . . ) !

to you! to me! to my sister! to my three newly hatched neighbors!

I love easter! There are bunnies and chocolate and new things and it's close to my birthday! This year my birthday was in fact on Good Friday. And I kinda love Good Friday. Because it reminds me of me. Allow me to explain.

My sister and I, along with having the same birthday, have the same initials: I.V.S. Her middle name is Vanessa, mine is Veronica. One day we decided to ask our parents who we were named after. Neither were family names, at least not that we recognized. So who were these significant people? Mom turns to my sister first: Well, you're named Vanessa after Vanessa Redgrave. Ah, the illustrious, distinguished, English actress! Wow, that's cool! Especially in light of the fact that my sister's passion in life is acting! Pretty amazing how that worked out. So then I started thinking, wow, I wonder what my name means for my future? Then my Mom turns to me and says, Well, ilvs, we named you Veronica after St. Veronica. Of the Stations of the Cross.

Now, for those of you not raised Catholic, or remotely familiar with this little bit of liturgical lore, the Stations of the Cross is like an illustrated time line of the final day or so of Mr. Jesus Christ. Starting with his condemnation, thru the whole schlepping of the cross bit, and ending with is inevitable crucifixion. Along the way from point A to point B, he falls 3 times. Somewhere between fall number one and fall number two, he meets a kindly, pious woman, who takes pity on his plight and offers him her veil to wipe his face. He does so, returns the veil (pretty sure he said thanks), and on it, left an imprint of his face. That woman is St. Veronica.

Wow, Mom, that's a hell of a story. So, wait, I'm destined to . . what, swab the face of my guru?? Hmmmm. . . So then I turn to my Dad whose standing there, for some kind of something and he just kinda shrugs and points back at my Mom. Thanks, Dad, Mom. Thanks. Really looking forward to that.

***

I told this story to my bff the other day, and after a slight pause she commented, Well, you do clean a yoga studio. Oh. My. God. She's right! I have spent countless hours of my life wiping off yoga mats. Destiny oddly fulfilled! Now how long before I either invent new pants (strauss, levi) or compose a symphonic masterpiece (strauss, richard/johann)? Time will tell, time will tell.

. . . but I ain't got wings. . .

Ok, so I haven't left my house yet, nor crossed off any of the items on my to do list. But I have been watching the craziest thing outside my window.

I just posted about the squirrel that was pushed off the roof of my neighbor's house (ok, so it's two and a half-ish stories, not three). I thought it was a squirrel fight, but oh was I mistaken. I'm watching a mom squirrel teach it's kid to take a fall. Those other squirrels where just showing that it is possible.

Momma squirrel is as we speak, dragging baby squirrel up the tree (holding the not so little one by the leg in her mouth) for round two of 'jump off the roof before I push you off.' Yikes, Mom! I mean, I guess if you're gonna learn to take a fall, you gotta fall, but holy crap that's a jump. I suppose that is a lesson learned in 2 maybe 3 tries. Meanwhile, other baby squirrel, presumed sibling of disinclined descender, has been perched on my neighbor's first-ish floor window sill for the past hour or more, scared motionless. You got way far less to jump my little friend, but, man, I feel ya.

So, lesson for today: learning basic life lessons, like falling and trusting you're gonna be ok, sounds a lot like all hell is breaking loose. And in the end, falling from a roof top and walking away a little stunned is way better than starving on a window sill, wide eyed and petrified. Now if I could just get my neighbor to play Tom Petty's 'Learning to Fly. . . '

animal freakin' planet

I just watched a squirrel fall from the roof of my neighbor's three story house.

There was a whole lot of chirpy commotion outside my window, the tree limbs waving about frantically, my tiny wind chime clamouring for my attention. I jumped to my feet in protective mode: a robin has made her nest right under my window, on the ledge created by the water pipe that runs along the outside the house like an afterthought before feeding into my kitchen. She's tucked in behind the pigeon spikes, which may deter the squirrels, but leaves her totally exposed otherwise, the tree still bare this early in spring.

I noticed her hanging around a few weeks ago but it wasn't until I looked up after parking my bike to the tree one day that I noticed her yellow beak and tail feathers amongst a circle of twigs. Peaking over the sill from inside, she flew away at the sight of my gigantic head, a perturbed magician, revealing three perfect little blue eggs. Babies! My neighbor is having babies! This is awesome! If I had a camera I would set up some kind of webcam, or at least get a still shot of it. Somehow, holding my entire laptop over the next to utilize the 'photo booth' program does not a good idea seem. So for now, use your fertile imagination.

But the squirrels! what the eff? There were two that fell off the roof (pushed?) by one parent squirrel who remained on the roof with a younger squirrel. I saw the first land but turned my eyes when the second one caught air. Both were fine, landed on their feet/bellies with the daintiest of thuds. I suppose they aren't that heavy to begin with*, and nature has probably built in some kind of safety feature in the way of high impact shock absorption, seeing as they live in trees and fall out of them sometimes. But then the two on the roof were joined by a crow who was bullying the youngin'. At which point the robin came back and pushed on the crow in a premature maternal 'don't eff with that baby and don't eff with mine once they are born' kinda way. Basically, all city wildlife hell broke loose on the roof top for about 45 seconds. I'm really hoping they got it all out of their system cuz I'm totally looking forward to baby birds waking me up in the a.m. I just hope they like funk music, cuz my neighbor is gonna give them an earful.

*ok, so adult squirrels are actually pretty heavy, deceptively so. how do I know this? I've picked one up. by the tail. to move out out of the middle of road, for starters. until the time comes that I learn that they increase in density post mortem, I shall remain duly impressed by their agility and strength.

Lift Off in 5. . .4. . .3. . .

Hello!

Welcome to the flyer for my show! It's coming up super quick!

This Friday the 8th, next Friday the 15th and the following Friday the 22nd. All at 8pm, all $8, all all-ages (tho the first show is a little mature in theme towards the end).

Proceeds go towards video documentation so that I may put this on the internet in full view of the world!

And Arabica Lounge is a sweet sweet coffee shop.

Let it be known that parking in that area is atrocious.

I will be performing my Slide Shows, all 8 of them in this order:

8th

SPRING FLOWERS

DANIEL DEMON AND EVIL EVAN

WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I'M AT WORK

(+ Special Guest)

15th

LOUD BREATH

MY EURO VACAY

(+The Old Lily Family ie my band!)

22nd

MARGARINE IN THE DARK

UNTITLED

THE NEXT GENERATION

(+Birthday Cake!)

Tickets at the door, or reserve them thru me!

Hope to see you there.

xo,

ilvs