Yes, I’m Gullible

Daphne Psaledakis1 Comment

This past weekend I couldn’t get a hold of my dad. I called him a ton, trying to find him so he could ship me a tent for our class camping trip this weekend. He finally called me back on Sunday, but couldn’t talk for long, as he was hiking up a mountain.

Naturally, I assumed he was hiking up a mountain at home in Aspen.

On Sunday night, I got a text from him telling me not to eat dinner, because his girlfriend’s daughter might swing by at school to visit me on her way to Santa Barbara. I love Sarah, so I was really excited. He texted me again letting me know that they were in Calabasas, and then Sarah sent a friend of mine to tell me when she was in the girls’ dorm lounge.

Only when I walked into the lounge, it was my dad and his girlfriend waiting for me, not Sarah and her boyfriend.

I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know he had been in Santa Monica visiting his girlfriend.

A couple of the teachers had been in on his surprise, so he was able to take me off campus for dinner. We went to this really nice restaurant called Suzanne’s, which was absolutely delicious.

It was so nice to see him. I’ve been at school for about a month, and it’s about this time that everyone realizes how long the stretch before the first break is. It was perfect timing, the food was delicious, and it was so nice to see my dad.

And yes, I am very gullible, as my friends pointed out afterwards.

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The Monkees.

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VH1 documentary Behind the Music featured a 1960s band, “The Monkees” in the year 2000.

The show portrayed a profile of the Monkees starting with interviews with band members to tell the story of their rise from “pretend” band to bona fide pop stars, ones who sold 35 million records in 1967 alone.

The story began with the excitement of Monkees’ fans. They were screaming and so eager to break a fence to hug their stars.

Then following with archival footage and some stills, the story went back to the fall of 1965, when Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, a pair of producers from Columbia Pictures, came up with an idea for a television series about a rock group.

Inspired by Richard Lester‘s groundbreaking comedies with the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, Rafelson and Schneider imagined a situation comedy in which a four-piece band had wacky adventures every week and occasionally burst into song.

The production began with The Monkees in early 1966 on NBC with fairly high popularity. The group contained four members – Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and each of them was unique.

Later on they decided to form a real band instead of the comic actor-musicians. At their peak in 1967, the band outsold both the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

The show ended with each member’s life after the era of “Monkees” and their high point revival in 1986 in L.A.

The whole story brought the audience back to the 1960s which would be mostly favored by elder people, but it also provided the younger a sense of older generation’s life.

It could not be more comfortable to sit down and enjoy the past glory through the Monkees’ music.

Legless Legolas

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There are snakes, and there are legless lizards.

Legless lizards are not snakes, they are legless lizards.

Legless lizards have eyelids while snakes do not. Snakes can unlock their jaw while legless lizards can not.

Snakes can use their belly scales to move around while legless lizards can only move with a side-to-side motion while also pushing up against something.

Russian Glass Lizard

Legolas was said to be one of the most vicious animals in our Reptile Room. The stories told was that the second you opened up his enclosure he would shoot out and bite your face.

I was not told of this little issue when I asked to take Legolas out, and neither did the current counselor in the room. I picked Legolas up with no problem at all and sat down onto the ground. Legolas simply laid there in my arms flicking his eyes back and forth to look at the many other reptiles occupying the room. His body was also much more leathery and stiff than a snake’s, as legless lizards’ bodies are much more muscled and has less movement dexterity.

The next day I asked to hold Legolas, but as this counselor had heard of his little antics I was not granted permission until I convinced her that I have held him before with no problems at all.

Legolas was a Russian Glass Lizard and had a very distinct slit starting from the neck and leading to the tail. When they get agitated they inhale deeply and puff up their scaly little bodies to scare away any potential enemies.

The counselor next to me seemed to be an enemy to Legolas so he puffed up and made a peculiar wheezing noise. I quickly scooted away from her and he relaxed instantly, laying quietly on my lap and continuing to eye the other animals in the room.

Legolas

Something about Legolas’s stiff body and behavior and such judgeful eyes made him one of my favorite creatures in that Reptile Room, also because not many other campers would like to handle such a ferocious creature.

Cape Point

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

I was in South Africa for five weeks, and every time I called my dad he would ask if I had been to Cape Point yet. I would tell him no, not yet, but that it was on our list of things to do. I couldn’t understand why he thought it was so important for me to go.

Finally, the day before I was supposed to leave, we found the time to drive out to Cape Point. We left the kids behind, and I went with the person who I was staying with. On the drive out we ate chocolate and listened to music, and stopped to take lots of pictures of the different coastal views.

When we got to the national park, we ran into some baboons who didn’t seem to know that sitting in the middle of the road was not a good idea.

Finally we got past the baboons, after taking pictures of course, and continued on our way to Cape Point. When we got to the parking lot, we got out of the car and began to hike up to Cape Point, which let me tell you, is not an easy walk.

First of all, it’s uphill. And then there are the stairs, which seem to never end. But once you get to the top, boy is it worth it.

There’s a view every direction you look, and a huge boulder with what must be thousands of different names from all around the world inscribed on it. The drop from where you stand down to the water makes your stomach drop just looking at it, but even from far away, you can see the transparency of the water.

Standing on the tip of Africa takes your breath away. It’s amazingly beautiful, and hearing the history of the sailors who would come around the Cape of Good Hope to finally see Cape Point, and know that they are finally there was amazing.

It’s an amazing place filled with history and beauty. After going, I finally understood why my dad had been so insistent that I must go see Cape Point. It’s hard to explain how powerful it is. But if you’re ever in Africa, you have to go.

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The death of trusting

frog32 Comments

ff4

A man who is trusted, has nothing to fear.

He can lie and betray all without threat of punishment.

This man’s friend belongs to a different tribe.

That tribe made sure of his brothers’ downfall.

The trusted man began a plot.

The trusting man was lured into the desert embrace.

Talking and speaking began between the trusted and trusting man.

Then it happened.

A shout, a bang, and one hit.

The trusting man was dead , the trusted left the gruesome scene.

The trusting had fallen.

Half Mast

callmemaybe321 Comment

It wasn’t always been this way, or at least so I hear.

It has become semi-normal to see the red, white, and blue flag the represents freedom to be halfway down the pole.

September seems like there has been an unusual amount of days to have the flag be lowered.

We started the month of with 9/11.

That was the only day that made sense for the flag to be at half-mast. Not to say that 9/11 should have happened, but it’s been 12 years, the wounds have healed, but to see it down two other days this month, that was unexpected.

First we start off with the Navy shooting.

I don’t even really know what happened, but that’s the issue.

I don’t read into these things, it’s just like oh, there’s another shooting, and I move on.

I see 12 people dead and while yes I get sad, at the same time we have been trained to go, “oh 12.  That’s a lot less than that other one.”

Excuse me, but for the children, teens, and even adults to just expect that is really f****d up.

It is common talk to just be like, “hey, did you hear about that shooting?…Oh yeah some guy went crazy and just shot some people.”

Usually the response to that would be tears and cries and millions of questions why.

I literally had that exact conversation on the way to football practice the other day. I talked about 12 people dying for no reason, and then just strapped on my helmet and went on with my day.

And then again a few days later I look up, and there the flag is, just hanging halfway down the pole. I was like somebody must’ve gotten lazy and forgotten to put it up, but nope, another shooting.

I just saw that on the TV the other day and I was like you’ve got to be kidding me, another one. 

IT IS JUST SO NORMAL!!!! Why is it normal for 3 year olds to be shot in a park having a good time? IT’S NOT!!

A 3-year-old was shot in the head while having a fun day in the park, and the world just moves on. #wtf

I was sitting at breakfast with my grandparents and I brought up the latest shooting.  This time it wasn’t in the U.S., but still, any shooting is crazy.

My grandma said, “I feel so bad that you guys have to grow up in this time, it wasn’t like this when I was young.”

That got me thinking. Is it just going to keep getting worse? By the time I have kids I’m going to have to put them in bullet proof vests to walk out of the house.

Now, this isn’t a lobby for gun control. This is a lobby for the crazy people in this country.

If you are crazy and reading this…. please don’t shoot people.

For everyone else. I don’t care if you have a gun. Shoot targets, go hunting, but not for people.

But, do you really need an AR-15 hanging around your house. Are you really gonna go shoot a dove with a gun used to kill enemy forces overseas. If so, more power to you, but I think there are some more sensible gun options for you.

There’s not really much that I can do to control the crazy effed up people in this world, but I’m just a little sick of that flag not flying at the top is all I’m saying. I want to see good ol’ red, white, and blue, flying at the top of the pole, majestically flapping in the wind.

A snake bites a tiger

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4g4g

The nation that rides the East and the West is a serpent to all.

It is large, powerful, and not easily defeated.

Not even the western tiger can hope to quell its fang.

Kindness, grace, or even hope for the future does not calm the serpent’s fury.

It must bite and poison all of mankind to be satisfied.

No law is strong enough, no punishment is harsh enough.

The western tiger claws at its elongated body, the serpent squeezes tighter.

The western tiger loses breath, and begins to fall.

The tiger pleads for compromise, the serpent’s squeezing stops.

They return to their lands and the cycle begins again.

Spirits of music.

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During this summer, I met a subway musician at the Times Square Station, NYC.
It was a really, really hot afternoon and the air was just sticky and burning beneath the ground, especially in the subway.

His name was Peter Joseph Paul, a one-man-band, who played in the subway station with his music despite of the heat.


As a New york born musician, Peter formed his high-tech one-man-band and began performing in the Times Square subway station in 2007. And since then, he began to play at the station every Sunday evening from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Using the latest technology and electronics, Peter plays complex drum beats with his two feet, sings and plays guitar, all at the same time.

Sponsored by MUNY(Music Under New York), Peter is also an accomplished audio engineer, arranger, producer and songwriter. And his musical career started when he was 12.

(Picture from starnow.com)

“I write approximately 1-5 songs daily,” Peter said. “I have been writing for over 30 years.”

So far Peter has published two CDs  with his own songs – “Energy” and “Sum Night.” And the  next CD will be a masterpiece composed of many new styles of songs and more instrumentation, according to Peter.

“I don’t push my CDs on people,” Peter said. “If people like you, they will come up and ask you.”

During my visit, I met lots of underground musicians from all over the world and played various instruments. All of performances were exciting and enjoyable.

They are just the spirits of music who fill the subway stations with joy.

Small room, big art.

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(Over the summer, I visited a small art studio called “Mascot” at the East Village in New York City. Within a small room, the artist was creating great art.)

The compelling window display is only an intro of this remarkable studio.

The real beauty is revealed behind the door, inside a small room of 250 square ft. with colorful portraits of animals and natural landscapes hanging on the walls.

Since 1982, Mascot Studio has been a landmark in the East Village, which was originally a painting space, and is now established at its present storefront location at 328 East Ninth Street.

For the past 25 years, the studio has continued to offer the variety of artworks from different artists and also personal service to the custom framing.

Peter McCaffrey, the owner of the studio, made the ambience of the room even more like home. The works speak out that McCaffrey was born to be an artist.

He demonstrates the insight of art through his own life experience.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1956, Peter McCaffrey studied at the State Universities of New York at Buffalo and Farmingdale, and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1979.

Unlike other galleries or studios, Mascot is particularly known for its eye-catching window displays which invite the passerby to enter the store’s charming ambience.

The studio not only exhibits and sells paintings, but also provides an unusual selection of custom moldings, vintage frames and mirrors, prints and photography.

The theme of nature and the animal world becomes one of the attractive highlights of the studio, which embodies original drawings and paintings by McCaffrey and other artists, mostly from the neighborhood.

The spiritual works of animals, however, became one of the most essential parts of the studio.

Something special about Mascot is its unique “Annual Dog Show.”
Starting in 1999, Peter McCaffrey has curated the “Annual Dog Show” in honor of our canine friends, and opens during the week of the Westminster Kennel Club Show here in New York in February.

The idea was inspired by Anne Watkins, a watercolor painter whose works were posted in the magazine “The Bark – Dog is My Co-Pilot.”

Watkins’ works focus on animals, especially dogs’ portraits. She works from life, using watercolor to capture and represent animals’ daily moments.

Within such a small space, people come in and visit the works including paintings, photographs and sometimes sculptures, a full collection of artists’ visions on dogs.

The last Dog Show was held at Madison Square Garden on Valentine’s Day. The show was opened to everyone and there were also works for sale.

Mascot Studio has remained unique as an artist-run business settled in the Big Apple.
Summer days are quiet for the studio, but it never slows down for McCaffrey.

“It is not easy being an artist in NY these days,” McCaffrey said. “The cost of living is high here, so many artists have moved to the outer boroughs.”

The East Village is still a very diverse neighborhood with rare and expensive studio spaces.

“Commercial rents like my studio/store are not regulated so I feel my days are numbered,” said McCaffrey. “Making a living only on one’s work is difficult.”

However, this artistic heart would will be knocked down from of the tough conditions.

“It is part of my nature to want to keep making art,” McCaffrey said. “And it is very satisfying when I am in that ‘zone’ of creativity, It is like meditation which takes practice and discipline.”

Now I See You.

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“One-two-three, turn; One-two-three turn.”

Following the beat, I watched myself in the mirror as someone else.

She turned slowly with caution and every movement she did seemed so fragile. She stepped forwards and then backwards so skillfully, as if nobody could trace her pace. Her face, however, was a little nervous. Everything was perfect except one thing – confidence.

Then the music ceased.

I walked closer to the mirror and tried to touch the person in it. But I couldn’t see her anymore. She faded away with my curiosity and hope. At that moment, I assured myself that one day I would find her back. And since then, she became my dream.

I was six.

A year later I went back to that dance studio with a group of kids who were much older than me.

I gripped my mother’s hands and I could clearly feel myself shaking with fear.

The first dancing class of my life was vividly impressed in my mind. I was the youngest dancer in my class, but the most talented, my teacher Ms. Li told me. I hurt so bad when the teacher stood on my both knees in order to stretch my legs. I hated Li.

Since then, my spare time was filled with dancing and Saturday’s schedules changed into a regular pattern with two hours dancing class in the afternoon.

I cried every single time before I stepped into the classroom to see Ms. Li. I was frightened by her serious face and the intolerable pain she gave me. But I would always dry my eyes completely and then turned to the studio happily like nothing had happened.

I endured all the pain and after class, I would always spent some extra hours practicing at home.

God, I wish I could be a dancer in the future. I did love dancing.

Two years later, I was surprised to see my great improvement.

“Thank you all for these unforgettable three years. You are all wonderful dancers. Now it’s time for you to put on these ballet shoes and be a beautiful swan. Don’t forget to think about yourself when you dance. Use your heart to dance, not your body. ”

Ms. Li sobbed a little when she left and gave me a smile and I swear that was the warmest smile I had ever seen. I didn’t hate her anymore.

I put on my pink ballet shoes. It took me half an hour to tie them well before I could actually stand up with them.

I was shocked. The person in the mirror was incredibly gorgeous. It hurt a little bit when I stood with my toes but all the pain vanished as I started to dance.

The music pushed me into a fantasy in which I was able to touch my dream. I spun around like an innocent swan.

I danced and danced, for a long time.

That was the most beautiful eight years in my life.

After attending high school, I could not dance as much as I did before. But the joy of dancing has never disappeared.

I am not going to be a professional dancer anyways, but dancing is still my dream.

Dancing was the only way I can communicate with my soul and whenever I feel upset, dancing would comfort me and helped me to forget the pain.

I learned a lot from my experience of dancing. I challenged myself and struggled to present perfection.

Dancing taught me about life. Dancing provided me confidence and leads me to realize that dream was not always unreachable.

Putting on my pink ballet shoes, I took a deep breath and said to myself,

“One-two-three, turn; One-two-three turn.”

Following the beat, I am trying to find myself in the mirror and suddenly a confident smile emerged.

Now I see you.