toodaloo LA!

i am finally getting the hell out of LA. dont get me wrong, its been a fun little excursion, but im so ready to move on. ive spent most of my time here drunk and i havent accomplished much. the past four months of not drinking and working on art have made me realize how much i need to get back to my adventuring ways. in one month i am moving out of my house to go live with my mom in the worst town ever for a few months. (bite the bullet and sacrifice eh?) i plan on working my butt off and saving up my money until i have enough to move on. from there, i am going on a road trip across the US to stay with all of my friends and family who are conveniently dispersed across the states. this is a time for me to become more independent, and to get some much needed inspiration along the way. i plan on taking so many photos and also a video diary of the whole thing. i am going alone, however, if anyone feels that they would like to join me for a little wedge of it, let me know. id love to have a little company so i can dawdle around in old fucked up hotels without being nervous im going to get my face cut off and reattached to my ass. either way im a little bit terrified. i cant wait to get my hands on all these great stories ill be able to tell when im a rickety old lady. i will most definitely be staying in the chelsea hotel while i am in new york. im getting butterflies just thinking about it.

so ANYWAYS. once i get back from my road trip, i am moving to san francisco to get back into school (finally). this last trip has really made me realize how much i really love it. i am fond of being able to walk everywhere and take bart instead of driving. who knows, maybe ill hate it. but im not going to find out until i try. this year is already turning out to be so bold and exciting. i wasted so much time sitting around on my butt and not getting out to adventure and see new things. 6 months ago, if myself in eighth grade met me, shed be pretty pissed and discouraged. but now, if myself as an eighth grader met me, shed be pretty inspired and enthusiastic about growing up.

spontaneity is the theme of 2008. my ribs hurt :)



i only have the outline and a teeny bit of shading on one side but it will eventually be two chris conn pieces on both sides of my ribs. so happy about it already!

i got to see jimmy gnecco last night at hotel cafe and, as always, his voice make me dizzy. he is the most amazing vocalist i have ever experienced. he sang all my favorite songs (solo and by his band 'ours') and also sang 'cryin' by roy orbison and ave maria. my knees were literally weak. i then got to experience oldies night across the street with my dear friend ricker. im going to miss him when i leave.

i think today i am going to go get my favorite veggie lentil soup at coffee table bistro and then walk around in griffith park for a bit :)

<3 jes

conducting the deviance

photography can be such an aesthetically pleasing experience that we sometimes tend to forget about the narrative behind the photos. sometimes, the story isnt imperative depending on the purpose of the piece of art being shown, however, for those of you who are as interested in the 'tale behind the photograph' as i am, you need to check out simon hoegsberg when you have a few spare minutes. simon starts you out by laying a path to wander forward on. for example...in his project entitled "the low-fat diary", he begins by explaining that he was,

"Equipped with a camera, a pen, a notebook, and a few indispensable items such as my iPod, a tent, and a couple of pots, in the winter 2004 I set out to travel the 1700 kilometers (1050 miles) from Copenhagen to the Mediterranean Sea. I wanted to know if I could cover the distance with only 14 Euros in my pocket."



we roam with him on his trip in copenhagen to the mediterranean sea through a series of photographs. under each, a caption shedding light on the phenomena of that particular day...every one of them containing just enough information to allow the onlookers to feel as if they were right there with him sharing his circumstances. there are only 10 or so photos which keep the whole experience short and sweet; he leaves us wanting more. perhaps enough to go check out his other captivating projects...or even better, enough to go on our own photographic adventures :)

for those of you who are interested in street art, simon hoegsberg also composed a small project which includes a few stories told by shepard fairey, wk interact, HuskMitNavn, Lokiss, and Faile. his projects all widely encompass the many aspects of art in todays culture.

simon hoegsberg

i have started to compile a list of some of my favorite websites on the right. . .

new life plans are beginning to quietly assemble themselves.




<3 jes

san fransilly

here are a few photos from san francisco...ill post more soon.

<3 jes

chelsea hotel

"if i meet you in the night you're free to covet all you like. don't you try and stop me i cling tightly...to this life."

lets see, this past week or so has been exceptionally insane. one of the sushi chefs at work made me erupt in tears in front of the entire restaurant which resulted in me leaving work early. (really? yes i suck.) i then got pretty sick and stressed due to a lot of adorable little matters parading through my existence. in attempts to mend the hiccups of life, i took a little roadtrip to san francisco with my dear friends danny and travis. i can officially say that i wont be playing 20 questions for a long time...i think we played that almost the entire way back to LA. pretty sure all of our brains melted...and FOR THE RECORD steam is made out of water AND air pshhhhh. travis cheats. :) i had the best pizza ever, spent some time taking pictures on the beach, listened to some wonderful music, dawdled around on haight street, enjoyed some delicious apples from the fruit market, hung out in my favorite little book store, chit chatted with the cop who pulled us over, jumped out of the car mid-traffic to take a picture of morrissey (on a sticker but still), stole pocketbooks (not purses you weirdos...books that fit in pockets), hung out in the freezing rain and loved it, bruised my hips from sleeping on a wood floor, saw anton off to a job interview (how did it go?), saw the world through heart-shaped glasses, and drank tons of coffee. i cant wait to go back...i love it there so much. came back to LA and took danny behind the orange curtain to trevors goth castle and to get the best vegan sandwiches EVER. shared some critical videos and watched part of 'the picture of dorian gray'. i think danny and i are somehow related. come back you nutball! next stop...the chelsea hotel and adventuring in new york. excitement comes in many forms.

which brings us to...

ohhhh christmas. i have grown accustomed to being able to go find tons of little treasures for my friends and family in the past years, which i thoroughly enjoy doing. this year, however, has been a very different story. being downright broke has put a bit of a damper on my cooperative shopping system. up until about 36 hours ago i had absolutely no idea how i was going to get presents out to my family. i had a bunch of pieces of wood, random art supplies, and an enormous artistic block that i usually cure pretty easily. ive been ill the past couple weeks which im sure also had something to do with the crater that i couldnt get myself out of. im still not sure why my block ended, but boyyyy did it end. all of a sudden i just started pumping out these little gems. for the first time since i started to resaturate myself in art, i have actually been creating things that i am proud of and excited to share with my loved ones. here is a shitty picture of some of the things ive been working on. ill post better photos later.



my room looks like a tornado hit it. sandpaper, shards of wood, paint, eensy beensy pieces of paper...cleaning it all up is going to rule. i dont know how im getting down to my moms house for christmas tomorrow because the good ol' tank is emptier than a pizza box in my presence but ill work it out somehow. she doesnt even have a christmas tree which totally blows. maybe ill make one out of cardboard for her. i really cant believe its already been a year. complete madness i tell ya. if youre wondering why i keep referencing food, its because im FUCKING HUNGRYYYYY. feed the beast!

i hope everyone has a splendiferous (real word) holiday.



<3 jes

booger rubies

i feel like i found a ruby in a sea of boogers :) no really. is this a dream? i need to stop pinching myself before i rip a gaping hole in my arm.

"the truth of a life really has little to do with its quality. the quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. the capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention..."

recently i have been writing a lot and its been really hard to get comfortable; mentally as well, but i meant more along the lines of physical ease. i havent actually sat down to write in a very long time and i suppose that before, it was mostly because i was in school. most of the time i would be sitting at a desk and my hands were accustomed to the exertion but now....not so much. i have been trying to lay in bed and write, or hunched over my own lap and would always end up contorted in some creepy position trying to get comfortable. so enough of that. i realized that we have two perfectly usable tables with chairs in the backyard...buried in a minefield of leaves, 4th of july trash, and potato bugs. i spent a long time the other day sweeping up all the leaves, hosing it all down, and chit chatting with the neighbors until i finally finished. i even caught a black widow who has been hanging out ever since...if anyone sees it crawling around dont be alarmed...just KIDDING geeeeeez its residing safely in a closed container on the kitchen counter. i sat outside, read my book, and wrote a bit until the sun went down. all in all, i had an awesome day and i am very proud of myself for doing so much yardwork.

on another note...i just got the most amazing letter in the real life snail mail from one of my best friends. there is definitely something very endearing about being able to physically hold a little message in your hands and know that whoever wrote it to you has done the same. i think i am going to follow his lead and start mailing out some letters.

danny, the christmas tree shitter, will be down from seattle by tomorrow night and i cant wait to adventure. crispin glover is going to be in san francisco doing a little film thing and we are trying to make it out there on time.

siphoning gas and stealing food?
most likely.
i am terribly excited.

i was recently reminded of how much i love this movie...


visual and comedic masterpiece!

<3 jes

peppermint marshmallow ooze bubbles

my blood is rushing around my body at unimaginable speeds and i feel like exploding half the time. ive never felt happier in my entire life. i went back to santa monica and took more pictures. we rode on the ferris wheel on the pier and puttered around while the sun was setting. it was one of those days when everything slows down when the sun hits your eyes. hopefully the pictures turned out seeing as how we actually had some idea of what we were doing this time. went to my friend carolines first show ever with her band astronaut on vacation. WOW. that woman has a set of pipes. it was incredible! i cant remember the last time i was so amped after a show. ambre played me a demo of her new music with our friend bay and she blewwwwwwww me away. only two days of recording and they sound phenomenal already. my face hurts from smiling tonight. im all googley inside and i want to jump on my bed and scream like a psychopath hahaha.

this video is probably my favorite thing ever. it is about a father teaching his son how to dream and to forget the cruel world behind. the song is paralyzingly beautiful.



<3 jes

hey lets cross the sea....

yesterday annaliese and i went to a very special meeting at this really cool building in west LA. there were swings built inside the building hanging from beams. im pretty sure our faces were priceless when we saw them. forget about getting kicked out...we jumped on those babies and had a good swing and then made our way to venice beach. just as we arrived, the sun was going down so we scrambled to the beach and shot a few rolls of film before it got too dark. traffic back to the homeland was insane. gotta love LA :) tomas bought me mr. beans holiday and i watched a bit of it last night before bed...rowan atkinson is a strange human.

here are a few photos from the beach...












<3 jes