Change Ain't So Bad // Notebook Saga

Yesterday I finished writing on the very last page of my very last Earthbound Cachet notebook. I was filled with despair each day I came closer and closer to the end. And then I reached the end. And that was it. Nothing exploded. I didn't start crying. I closed the notebook, picked up my coffee mug, and went outside to water my plants. 

I woke up this morning and faced the new notebook I got from the clearance rack at Raw Materials:

Half an inch shorter. Stark white, smooth pages instead of fibrous ones. A slick-textured cover instead of a plain brown one. 

I opened it and started writing. And I remembered how, yes, exhilarating writing in a brand-spankin' new notebook can be. So I'm not facing a wild case of writer's block because of it. And if I had writer's block for morning brain vomit (which is what this notebook is for-- I started the ritual while trying not to go crazy in late 2007), then there's something bigger going on than a case of the wrong notebook. 

[While writing this post, I was reading this one. Ha.]

Pearl Girl at OUTspoken Sessions // Allison Santos

I remember when I first heard about Equal Action and OUTspoken Sessions at Tuesday Night Cafe back in 2009. Skim (who will be at J-Town Summer Sessions) was the inaugural featured performer. I attended for the first time in November of that year, when traci was the featured performer. Until this year, the queer youth open mic was held at the Solidarity Hall on Washington Blvd. It was a cosy, intimate space.

The next OUTspoken Sessions on Friday, July 22 will be at KIWA on 8th Street and is featuring visual artist and Pearl Girls Productions That's What She Said co-conspirator Allison Santos:

She plays "Rae" on TWSS and is one of the most recognizable cast members. Maybe it's the hair. Or her boyish charm. Or her magnetic dance moves. 

For clarification: OUTspoken Sessions' intention is to provide space for queer youth age 19 and under, but older folks are encouraged to show up and support! Inter-generational solidarity, yes, please.

DIY Artist Residency // Kevin Kwong

For the past month, our friend Kevin Kwong lived in our living room, made art, shared his art, and generally had a great time. We had a great time hosting him. New paintings appeared on the wall with incredible frequency. He even made incredibly affordable prints of his paintings ($20 each) which he debuted at the July 5th Tuesday Night Cafe. Here's one of my favorites:

Deeshaun’s Present

Now Kevin is gone, and our living room is no longer a bedroom, our dining area no longer a studio. My roommate Vicky and I are considering opening our living room once again this autumn for an artist-(friend)-in-residence.

Tofu & Cookie at Tuesday Night Cafe // Free Public Art

I help curate the performers for TNC and I'm excited that we were finally able to get Audrey Kuo on the bill! But the fates toy with me, and I'm not sure whether I'll be able to make it. It's going to be such a good show, and with Mista Cookie Jar, it'll be extra kid-friendly, too. 

This is a Cry for Help // Notebook Saga

These 5.5x8.5" recycled-material notebooks have been my staple for morning writing for about a year now. A couple of months ago, the stock of the notebooks at Raw Materials began to dwindle. James, one of the co-shop owners, looked up the notebooks on the distributor's website and they were not available. I didn't think too much of it even though a small voice inside me was already beginning to feel the cold grasp of despair that my beloved notebooks would be discontinued. I began visiting every other week or so, asking James if anything had changed. Nothing had. Except that the stock of notebooks disappeared completely. I bought the last three or four that they had.

I went to the Daler-Rowney website to check out the situation, to find that indeed, they no longer even listed the notebooks. It was as if they never even existed. Stricken, I called the company and left a message about my predicament. I probably sounded half-crazed to whoever listened to it. I haven't gotten a call back. 

And now, alas, I am in the final pages of my last notebook. Just a few more days and it will be over. I'll have to do an online order if I don't find a seller in town that still has these notebooks in stock. Ideally, I'd get some kind of deal and be able to order them in bulk, but considering how desperately I want to acquire them and since they're in limited supply, I should probably resign myself to paying a premium. 

And then, what will I do once those notebooks run out, too? What will I do? 

Well, I'll adapt, of course. Readjust when I must. But I'm trying to put that off for as long as possible. I'm being melodramatic, I know, I know. But these notebooks... they're so beautiful. If you see them anywhere in Los Angeles, let me know. 

Thanks.

WHY, DALER-ROWNEY, WHY???