La Vie Rose et Noir

What a f!king weird ass night, I cannot make this sht up!!

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:30:20 GMT

So Carter and I went to Berkeley to meet up with some friends for dinner at Cafe Gratitude. We figured we would take BART to get there and not have to worry about driving. So we park the car at Glen Park, head out and have a lovely meal and visit. Normal so far, huh? We get on BART to head home, transfer trains in Oakland and the minute we get on the train an announcement is made that the train will not be running past 24th street since there is an incident at Glen Park (the next stop after 24th). All trains were being turned around. OK, first of all, suddenly our 20 minute BART ride has become a nightmare.. When we get to 24th and wander up the street to catch MUNI we are informed at the bus stop that it was a bomb scare and that they have Glen Park BART closed and bomb trucks are there. GREAT. So much for my safe local neighborhood. Friday the corner store owner get robbed and stabbed and now this. I digress. So now we are on the bus home from the Mission, doing good time. Making up for the over hour and a half trip so far. The MUNI driver is driving like a maniac, but hey , I want to get home at this point. We get to the narrowest and steepest part of Noe Valley and there is someone in a huge ass pick-up truck (rental) with a mini mobile home attached trying to parallel park. For over 10 minutes we watch this early returnee from BM try to parallel park his truck jack knifing it every time! Meantime, our bus is overheating, another bus is stuck the other way and someone is on a hill that makes K2 not seem steep. The driver was totally oblivious to the fact that he was holding up all of us. Carter became the super hero at that point; he got off the bus and went and had a little "chat" with the driver. Low and behold he finally gave up and moved so we all could pass. That's my guy! Got home only to have to turn around and drive to Glen Park to get the other car. Luckily we could retrieve our vehicle. Bomb trucks still there when we got our car. I guess BART will not reopen until tomorrow morning. What a weird ass night.

BalsaMan2008

velvetcowgirl — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:26:31 GMT

The BM burn was delayed due to white out conditions. On the other hand, Balsa Man burned beautifully in the clear night sky of Baker Beach! It was a whole lot of fun!!

Ahhh Burning Man week in SF....

velvetcowgirl — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:12:31 GMT

Man this is one of my favorite weeks of the year: 1. Parking everywhere 2. Almost no line at Rainbow or Trader Joe's 3. I don't have to wait an hour for breakfast in the Mission (The only time of the year I go to Boogaloo's) 4. Amazing weather, and I can ride my bike without being hit or cut off by a fixie!! Though, I might go to the BalsaMan burn at Ocean Beach this weekend. I am not against BM at all , I just really love the city during it!!

Vote for Fluevog for best shoe store!

velvetcowgirl — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:30:55 GMT

OK all, I know you all are either at Burning Man or busy with your lives, but for the FIRST time we have been nominated for best shoe store. Would you go vote for us? It wouldn't take long! We would be very grateful! Go to http://baylist.sfgate.com/john-fluevog-shoes/biz/13928 and cast your vote for us! Happy burning man labor day week!

And his name is Dexter....

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:48:54 GMT

So thank god I don't have kids, because you would probably have a new photo every day. Here is Dexter sprawled out. Hadley you're right about breeding....I just want my own puppy and Percy is so friggin cute! Actually we are totally willing to wait. Wait we will.

I'm an auntie again

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:16:11 GMT

Ahhhhh, he is so cute. 7 weeks old . His puppies will be mine! So now I have to wait 8 months or so ! Name options so far; Winston Forest Carter Picco Benjamin Elliot

Nick Cave Tickets

velvetcowgirl — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:27:33 GMT

I am so excited. It has been 16 years since I have seen Nick Cave. The show is going to be great! I'm as giddy as a school girl :)

History in the making

velvetcowgirl — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:39:01 GMT

Carter went into work a little late so that he could witness history in the making! Congrats to all my friends who now can get married if they so darn choose! Yay!

In case you want to see the photos from Hawaii...

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:41:33 GMT

Here is the link to all the photos... with a little description of what they are in case you really want to know! http://picasaweb.google.com/qnofrods/HawaiI2008

Mahalo Pele...Aloha Hawaii

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:46:45 GMT

Ahhhh, the much needed vacation. It was lovely. Waterfalls, yummy fruits and seafood, flowers, snorkeling, and lava...lots and lots of lava. Pele's Island and home is outstanding. The energy vibed so strongly and beautifully the whole time we were there. Carter and I took a slightly illegal tour (OK very illegal tour) to see the lava flow into the ocean at sunrise. We just got up at 3AM to meet our guide. Chris is a native of the island and knew every corner of it like the back of his hand, drove us down blocked off fishing trails (total 4x4 mode) in a zone that was marked no trespassing and DANGER. Signs threatened of arrest if you were found beyond the marked points. Chris pointed out that as a native Hawaiian he has the right to make offerings to Pele and the rules didn't apply to him or his "guests". I really want to believe that was the case. We hiked for 3 or so miles in total darkness over fairly new lava flow to the edge of the water where our ultimate gift was to see lava flowing into the ocean. I cannot tell you how magical this was. There were 4 of us out there. Chris, Carter, myself and a guy named Russel who was fishing! No one was supposed to be out where we were, trust me my shoes got a little melted and sulfur damaged. Lava when it is that shade of orange is about 2600 degrees F. Carter even dared going closer to the flow while I decided to do a sunrise ritual to Pele a little further down. Incense was blown into the active vent right in front of me and without being lit you could smell the lovely sent coming out of her core. Truly an unforgettable morning.

The endlessly amusing pug....

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:02:59 GMT

This is NOT Percy in a wig...this is the pug sticking her head through the sleeve of her owners vest that she has adopted as her bed cover. One very spoiled pug. I love my little part time Vienna sausage. I'll miss her while in Hawaii....

Going to the Big Island of Hawaii- need advice!

velvetcowgirl — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:19:17 GMT

So Carter and I finally bought our tickets to Hawaii for the end of April: a late birthday gift. I am so excited. I haven't been to Hawaii in 24 years! We have never been to the Big Island and I am hoping some of you may share things you LOVED about it. Maybe places you have visited, eaten, things to avoid, etc..... I think we are staying at a B&B that has its own waterfall! Amazingly enough it is only $140 per night. I fear how much gas costs. So PLEASE let me know what we shouldn't miss!

Steam Punk Pug

velvetcowgirl — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:51:33 GMT

I *know* I should have taken the stickers off the doggles before I put them on her...but man, I couldn't resist taking this photo ASAP. Hopefully Percy can now duke it out with the cat over who gets the cat tree. She will probably lose. Salem is older, smaller and has way longer claws!

Another view of the mini topper

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:36:28 GMT

My new hat

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 23:35:18 GMT

Should I wear this to the Ala-Gorey Ball or not??!! Thanks to my hot model who rather not have the recognition of wearing my hat for me :)

Did Bryan Randolph from Sacred Rose/ Everlasting Tattoo/ Adorned (NYC) do your tattoo?

velvetcowgirl — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:19:05 GMT

So Bryan, who on top of being an amazing tattooist is a kind and sweet soul recently had a son who has a rare disease. If you can help him out, please do! I *know* how much such treatments can cost.... Below is a posting from Adorned in NYC. A close friend of mine and colleague Bryan Randolph has a baby boy called Golden, he has a rare and sometimes malignant cancer-like disease called Langerhan's cell histiocytosis (LCH). I am posting this bulletin so that those of you who know him and dont know the situation can find out, Bryan, his wife Jen, and especially Golden need our help, in the coming months myself and the rest of new york adorned will be doing things to raise funds. The first thing we will do will be a t shirt, i will post a bulletin when this gets done. for the meantime please repost this bulletin so that bryans friends can know what is happening, they are also very busy taking care of golden and find it very hard to answer emails so please dont contact him through myspace. please take a moment to read about this at goldens website http://web.mac.com/bryanrandolph/Site/Golden.html and any donations or help will be more than welcome.

Sheila Chandra in concert!!!

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 02:57:01 GMT

The old goth in me has fabulous memories of hearing Sheila cut through the fog in Golden Gate park at the Womad Festival over a decade ago. Her voice gave me chills back then and I get that opportunity again in 10 days!!! Miss Chandra will be playing at Grace Cathedral on the 20th. It will be the most mind blowing show. I cannot wait! Here is a video of one of her songs to see what I am talking about... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgeJsR7iugA&mode=related&search=

I love BM weekend!

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:26:19 GMT

I love Burning Man weekend! Found parking everywhere I wanted to be. The wait at Boogaloo's for breakfast was less than 5 minutes at noon on a Sunday. Valencia cyclery was completely empty and I got the stuff I needed and was on the road in less than 10 minutes. Went to the Metreon to see Stardust...we found parking on the STREET. Can the bridge be closed every year? It is amazing what happens when 30k+ people leave SF and no one can get in :) Ahhh one more day of enjoying the city!

Love

velvetcowgirl — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:31:09 GMT

How could you not love this face?

On the road with the Lotuses....

velvetcowgirl — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:33:41 GMT

After 4 fun filled days in Portland, it is really nice to be home to a blanket of fog, a sweet boy and a cat who hasn't yet found revenge for my abandonment of cat petting/feeding duties. Our set went really well. Even with the bowling alley floor smack down the middle. The audience in Portland was friggin awesome. I loved that they were on pillows on the floor. It just made it more intimate and easy to connect with people. The WhirlyGirlz were out of control ( you just had to be there to see it *drool*) I am one lucky belly dancer. I am in a troupe with women I love. We challenge each other, help each other and have fun together. We are proud of our strengths and honor and work on our weaknesses. Who could ask for more? Thanks to FC for being our teachers and bringing us together so we can share our vision. It was just a belly dance moment and I had to share. I might as well leave my bags packed since we are off to LA in a two weeks..... And now back to Harry Potter....

A surreal day

velvetcowgirl — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:25:59 GMT

Today goes down as one of the oddest days in my life. Readers digest version: As usual for a Saturday afternoon, I head down to Fat Chance for class. On the way I passed the house that my friend Lizette died in over a year ago in a fire: the house was perfect all over again, no sign of fire, no sign of the lives that were lost. Got to the studio, parked, pulled my dance bag out of the trunk, to find a 20 dollar bill had blown onto my ankle. Then another one, and other. Totaling $180 dollars. No one was on the street ANYWHERE. Super windy...there was no way of knowing where the money came from. I considered it a generous offering of spirit to me. Fast forward to after class. I go to the middle eastern store (SamirAmis, yum) to buy some cheese. As I am checking out, I looked at a box of imported cookies from Syria I recently bought for my grandfather, and remembered that even though he was going through chemo, he loved them. It brought a smile to my face. Fast forward again. Walk in the door at home, Carter sits me down...my grandfather died, around the same time I was thinking of him. So GooGoo as he was fondly known, has had leukemia for a few years, passed away in the hospital surrounded by his four daughters and my dad. He was only my step grandfather but he was an amazing man, very much loved by his family,friends, community and the hospital he was head of surgery at for 30+ years. I am really blessed to have met him and spent time with him. I feel horrible for my extended family, and I am going to be as strong as I can for them. Oh and the money will be used to send flowers home and to one of GooGoo's favorite charities. *Sigh* what a day. Ash-ee

When did 40 sneak up on me?!

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 09:13:38 GMT

So the holidays with the family went great, New Years was relaxing and wonderful and then three days later I turned 40. I thought I would breeze through it. Come on, I don't look 40, I definitely don't feel 40,I only have 6 grey hair, what the hell did I have to worry about? Got myself an hour massage at Osento, chilled out with the sick boy at home, had to go to Target to get stuff for Nancy's baby shower and proceeded to break down into tears in the car. How the hell did THAT happen? Suddenly my mind was going a mile a minute with thoughts like ..man you've done NOTHING compared to your parents when they were 40! I thought about it, I cried and then decided I am totally happy NOT being my parents at 40! No kids, a wonderful partner and cat, a fabulous home, damn fine friends and a world that needs to be discovered. What more could I ask for? So the initiation into middle age included some rough spots, but I'm just looking at it as the beginning of a new decade :)

Vegas is such a subtle place

velvetcowgirl — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 04:37:56 GMT

I finally uploaded a selection of photos from Carters and my trip to Vegas to my gallery : All I can say is 115 degrees and fried oreos...what on earth are they thinking?

I got tagged by LOLA ( darn the cute mom)

velvetcowgirl — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 04:26:41 GMT

Thanks to the gorgeous new mom Lola, I have been forced to come up with 8 things about myself you may or may not know. 1. I own more than 2000 books, 1500 records, 100 tarot decks and 70 pairs of shoes. 2. I speak Polish decently and understand it fluently. 3. I've lost nearly 150 pounds. 4. My first boyfriend looked exactly like Christopher Reeve ( who wouldn't want to date superman?) and 2 years into our relationship I outed him. He ended up dating my best friends brother for two years. 5. I'm a DES daughter 6. Love children, but don't want any. I'll live vicariously through my friends who have wonderful little ones. 7. I adore snakes and spiders but scream if I see a cockroach. 8. I'm seriously thinking of leaving the US and going to Australia (or England, or Botswana) with Carter :) So I am supposed to tag 6 people right? Hmmm... 1. Poodles 2. Janet 3. Mallory 4. Lucie 5. Hadley 6. Sardonique Have fun guys :)

Final Death Before Springs Rebirth

velvetcowgirl — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:10:42 GMT

Geesh, I feel like the only time I post anything to my blog is when something tragic happens. Yesterday while at the studio, I receive a call from my co-worker informing me that a good friend of ours had taken his life by hanging himself. As much as it was a shock, it wasn't a total surprise. Don was sick. He was in advanced stages of AIDS and felt that he no longer had anything to live for. We all reached out to him over the last few months, but due to his hermit like nature and his ailing physical form, none of us had actually seen him in over six months. He sent a letter to a friend , telling him in detailed instructions what to do. A organized Capricorn to the very end. I'll miss Don, but I also know now that his suffering is over and that his soul is on to its next journey. I am including a letter he wrote me two years back, when I had lost two dear friends in one week. The letter speaks oceans about him..may his words always be heard. A letter from Don , July 2004...... hi monika. i enjoyed your note. yes, life is quite a mystery isn't it. i am sorry to hear about your losses. of course you know that i am also going through a tremendous amount of shit myself and i have to say the best thing to come out of it all so far is a clarification of many of the questions and doubts i have had about life. suffering and loss is a great motivator for looking inward and avoiding the distractions of life which divert us from the real issues. ultimately, we are all on our own little journeys throught these particular existences and we enter and exit on our own. the good part is the people we meet and the experiences we have....i try to remember that all experience is ultimately good and knowledge is power. i am also confident that life unfolds as it should for our individual ultimate good and prosperity...maybe not so evidently in the present life but in the overall picture. i sincerely believe this is NOT the only chance we get. i have gotten a lot of comfort from coming to the heartfelt conviction that we are all part of "GOD" and are intimate with that power and the love that is flowing over us every second. i have become totally comfortable with the prospect of death as i know look at it as a reunion with the greater whole of myself and everything in the universe including our assorted friends and family who have gone home before us. it will be like going home in the truest sense. i think the great lessons are to love unconditionally, appreciate your body and good health and to always be confident that life is unfolding as it should and to not battle with it for what you perceive are your needs or wants. i hope you don't mind my philisophical babbling, but i have been seeking knowledge all my life and i think i finally have a workable framework for myself. i think you are a rare and beautiful person with tremendous insite and i enjoy your energy and positive outlook on life. it is a pleasure to know you. Love Don May you rest in peace Don.