Hallelujah!
I survived March with minimal scar tissue. What else happened in the past three weeks? We went to war and have "freed" the Iraqi people. Now we have to free them from their oil and then it's a war well spent. Oh what's cheap oil at the expense of the shattered culture of a nation? Too bad most of the people who would have loved that freedom are dead, or are without parents, kids or homes huh?
I almost got arrested with Miles at the Oscars where we were marching peacefully with a group of protesters. It was so dumb. I wish I had donuts to throw at the cops. They let us go, and I went up to a line of CHP officers and sang showtunes until they started to bleed out of their ears.
We did win a small battle though.
Larry won against the bus! And we got articles in Asian Week and the Rafu Shimpo on it! I've been doing the editing all week. A lot is ending up on the cutting room floor since the doc can only be five minutes because of the fellowship I got. I am planning on re-editing it and making it nice, long and fleshed out.
I did an awesome lecture at the Cal Poly Pomona. I was so reved up. Usually I am just a guest in a class, but this time I was on the campus/ department calendar and classes had to come and see me speak if they wanted extra credit. It was me for two freaking hours! I thought I would run out of stuff to talk about and have to pass out baby pictures. It was so cool. Me? An extra credit guest? So awesome! There were like over a hundred students there listening to me talk about how to play pranks on cops and pranks on all sorts of people. I played my favorite clip from Michael Moore's "The Awful Truth" where he sets up the African American Wallet Exchange in Harlem. One girl asked me for my autograph after and said that I gave her some ideas of how to be a non-traditional activist and how it could be effective. Yes! The message is coming through! Then when I went to the student union there were all these flyers up advertising my lecture-- "The Art of Kristina Sheryl Wong"-- talk about feeling validated. I was smiling the whole way home.
Now USC is going to set up a similar night where a faculty member will actually contextualize my work and I will do some performances. This is awesome! This is where I wanted to be and more just a few years ago when I was in college and confused and feeling alienated and like a nothing. Yay!
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And I have a new favorite movie. Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon. The best freaking film I've seen in so long. I so totally recommend seeing it. It's about how after the Cold War, people who were working in the weapons industry had no jobs and then decided to scapegoat Canada and go to war with them so they could boost the economy. And the President is Alan Alda, and to boost his ratings, he goes along with the war. It's awesome and as ridiculous as it is, it is pretty much the story of the war we are in now. And Michael Moore makes Canada out to be so nice. There are so many parallels in that movie to our situation in America today. |
Oh yeah, and while my career and art has hit an unprecedented peak. And I finally feel like I matter and that my life will not be forgotten. It looks like my finances have hit an all time low. A combination of checks not coming on time, not finding a new person to move into my apartment, and just one too many bills. And now I think I need to race a bus. Or I need a sugar daddy. Or sugar mommy.
Also, I will never rent my apartment out without a security deposit or to a himbo from Australia again as I ended last month stiffed by my subletter who took the key and did not leave his share of phone money or a forwarding address. He also seems to be very good at not emailing me back. Anyway, if anybody sees this guy below, you have my permission to punish him, stick him up for his wallet and mail me some of whatever you get. His name is Jonny Richter and he is a big idiot who used to work at Abercrombie and Fitch on the Promenade.(What was I thinking! I should know better than to fratenize with the people who work at Abercrombie!) He also likes to watch car chases and thinks he is a model and doesn't seem to be too fond of Mexicans. He owes me about $50 for the phone. Crocodile hunter--BAAAAD!
Anyway, I know it's not good chi to talk bad of someone on the web like this, especially someone who has my key still. But this is as far as I will go. I swear it was a real test of skill not to do something totally psychotic to this guy. It would be easy to, but I must breathe. When I was in middle school and in high school I used to be so terrible to the people I couldn't stand or who I felt had wronged me. And when this roommate guy totally cut out of town without warning, it was so hard not to take personally. But the key was just to breathe and know that I can stay in control and be the master.
And that is the new age lesson for today.
Exciting two weeks coming up. Lectures up and down all over. One at UC Davis, a show at the Claremont Colleges, and a big lecture/demo at USC. Life is good. I just wish I had more greens in the pockets, and more time to read books. But I am counting my blessings. And taking advantage of these opps to educate new audiences on ways to fight the battle without having to scream and lose your voice.
Peace everyone,
Kristina