The Day MJ Passed...

On Thursday, June 25th, a momentous thing happened here in Hollywood. I'm not referring to Michael Jackson's death, either, although it has been crazy to be living in the city he was living in while he died...

I'm talking about Project Connect, a nation-wide program of services available for the homeless. Here in Hollywood, we call it the Y!MBY, meaning Yes! in my backyard. Many people today have the opposite, or N!MBY (Not! in my backyard!) mindset and for that reason each year it becomes more and more challenging to provide low cost, permanent affordable housing, and to build shelters and other service centers to help the homeless and other high needs populations. When I was in high school and living in Michigan, there was talk of a new county jail being built in a residential neighborhood. Many residents of that neighborhood combatted the jail being built there. They said they did not want a jail in their backyards.

This illustrates the idea of N!MBYism, the current attitude that yes, the homeless should be helped, but let's send them on a bus away from our community to get them help somewhere else.

Project Connect Day's goal was to assist our clients who are homeless in Hollywood, actually in Hollywood. It took place on Thursday, June 25th, and we saw 518 homeless people that day. Everyone completed an intake and was seen in an orderly fashion. There were representatives from many agencies, a church group was doing foot washing, there were free haircuts, and many persons were placed into shelter. All in all, it was a very successful day. To give you a picture of what the day was like, I've included this link:

http://www.epath.org/yimby/Connectday2009report.html

At this site, you can view a video of the day. Although I'm really not so sure that it complies with HIPAA, since the clients signed a consent form when they came in but I can't remember if it said anything about putting their pictures in the media.

Whatever the case may be, the same day that Michael Jackson died, 518 people in Hollywood were given a meal, some were given a place to stay for the next 3-6 months, and much much more.

Gym Saga Continues

(Warning: you will need to read my past blog called spirited aerobic to understand who I'm talking about in this blog...)

The week after my gym friend gave me the Bible tract, I approached her after class and told her that I was a Christian. She was happy to hear it, but she couldn't speak at all. When I asked her what her name was, she had to write it for me on a napkin! But, nonetheless, I told her my name and why I was here in Hollywood (a little bit about DOOR, PATH, etc...) and that I was going to Hollywood Presbyterian Church. I asked her if she had a church to go to, and she said she did. But I invited her to Hollywood Pres anyway.

Fast forward to Sunday morning. I had let Brian drive my car home since it was late Saturday when he left, so I was walking to church and he was going to meet me there with the car. As I turned onto Hollywood Blvd, I happened upon my gym friend! I said, "Carole, hello, it's so good to see you! I'm actually just going to church right now. Would you want to come with me?" And she nodded! So then we walked to Hollywood Pres the rest of the way and she came inside with me. I showed her where Brian and I were going to sit, and asked if she wanted to sit with us, but she felt more comfortable sitting in the back. But I looked at the end of the service, and she stayed through the whole thing! So she must have enjoyed worshipping there.

Now whenever I go to gym class I say Hi to her! Yay! I have made a new friend!

Music of the Night

I live off of Santa Monica Blvd, one of the busiest streets in Hollywood, and maybe also the US. Those of you who have talked to me before know that I struggle sometimes with the noise in trying to get to sleep at night, but for the most part I enjoy the proximity to being close to the "action."

Often there will be some events in our neighborhood that remind me of what a wonderful community I live in, and Sunday night was no exception. I had just gotten back from playing clarinet in the orchestra concert, and I was pretty tuckered out. Maybe it was the 1.5 hour rehearsal before the 2 hour actual concert, but I was exhausted...

I parked my car, only to be greeted with: Mariachi music! That's right, friends, there was a real live Mariachi band playing at the house kitty corner to me. I mean, it doesn't get any better than this! Costumes and all. I think that someone over there was celebrating their birthday, because they were playing this song called, "Las Mananitas" which I remember learning in Spanish I my sophomore year in high school. It's a traditional birthday song that people normally sing as the birthday boy/girl is waking up. Thank you Lord for the wonderful blessing of this neighborhood! When I start questioning why I am in Hollywood, may I look back and read this blog...

Next year's Holloween costume...

Yesterday, as I was walking home from work there were these three men a few apartments down from mine, obviously had had a little too much to drink, but I had to walk by them anyway, so I pressed on... and as I passed by them, one of them said in slurred speech to me, "Hey, can I borrow that pink shirt you're wearing for Holloween next year?" I frowned my Miss Stephanie doesn't think you should be talking to her frown that I sometimes have to wear here in Hollywood and firmly replied, "No!"

Seriously, though, how random is that? Holloween? I don't know... the best part of living in LA sometimes is how random it is.

Will we really find each other on Facebook?

A few years ago as a college student, if I met someone that I really enjoyed hanging out with, all we had to do to ensure that we would meet up again would be to make sure we had each other's phone numbers. Fast forward a few years to life in LA (and maybe everywhere else on this earth that has unlimited internet access), and the response at the end of a great event or party is, "I'll find you on Facebook." There is not a sentence more disgusting than this one. There could not be a more passive way to communicate with the world at large. And will I really find whoI'm looking on Facebook? Access to Facebook is blocked at work, and I am a limited Facebooker, mainly keeping up with friends who are out of town. Let's face it, I don't have time to track down a person I barely know whose last name I don't recall.

In my opnion, telling someone that you will find them on Facebook is another way of saying that they are either a)not worthy enough b)didn't catch your attention enough or c) they're too creepy to give them your cell phone number. What has happened to our culture?! Instead of relating to people, we're stalking them! Like we have to know their religious, political and sociological beliefs before we will actually decide to communicate with them in an active way. Maybe it's self preservation. We want to be liked by others and, in turn, want them to like us, so we hide ourselves behind our internet persona and then decide, after a few I Chats, whether or not the real us will come out.

I have had an increasingly difficult time making meaningful friendships here in Los Angeles. The population itself is so transitory, and at times fake, that there have been some lonely moments. Also some really great ones. But this whole Facebook phenomena, I have to admit, makes it seem even more difficult at times.

I press onward. I actually added someone as a friend on facebook today! It's fun to connect with people, even if it is only via the internet. And I challenge anyone reading this to try to find me; you might be hard-pressed to succeed because my privacy settings are way up high. Anyone who knows me well knows the best way to get to me is calling me up and planning quality time!

Found: one dentist!

Praise the Lord, huge answer to prayers! I found an amazing dentist here in LA who accepts my insurance and who does not think that anything is wrong with my mouth, namely, that I do not need a nightguard. He even gave me a free toothbrush and floss, just like my dentist in Michigan. And he gave me a little calendar to keep track of my next appointment with him in six months. I found a winner, yes indeed. This just goes to show that we as consumers have an amazing freedom of choice- and that if I don't like the dentist I'm with or uncomfortable with the way he's treating me, I don't have to stay. But for now, I have found a great dentist and I'm so happy! Now I just have to check off eye exams on the list and I will be a walking picture of health.

A Day at the Zoo

Rudy and I at the zoo. He loved the flamingoes!

Brian and I, through a wonderful gift of some friends of mine, were able to take a crew over to the Los Angeles Zoo! We loaded up into two cars. We had five adults, a 7 yr old, 4-yr old, 2.5 yr old,1.5 yr old, 9 month old, and a high school freshman. Whew! What a day! We packed bag lunches and set out for the zoo. We got to bypass the incredibly long line because we already had our tickets, and the day went splendidly. Looking after that many moving children at one time was at times difficult. But the adult:child ratio was pretty good itself. I had many favorite memories of the day, but my favorite one is when I got to hold Rudy, pictured above, as he was looking at the flamingoes. He was so happy, he loved it! He wouldn't stop pointing at them, it was so great. I think I saw a little bit of Heaven that day in his excitement.