JANUARY GONE... WTF?

I just realized that it's now the 1st of February... Where the fuck did January go? 2010 seems to be flying by at lightening speed - which means that it must be shaping up to be a great 2010... 

And weird... I've actually accomplished quite a bit...

-I made some $$$ to pay a few months worth of bills... 

-Plans are pretty good for conventions, thus far...

-I've met a good amount of people already - with a majority of them being pretty cool...

-Looking at my new sketchbook, I realized that I have gotten 100 doodles/sketches already... 

-There have been some pretty AMAZING art shows already...

-Giant Robot has already had a good event: A HUGE SALE!!

But bad habits are easy to fall back into... my sleeping schedule is a bit whack...

TWENTY-TEN, REFLECT ON NOW AND NOT THEN...

It's been exactly one month since Christmas... and lots has happened, little has happened... I guess it all depends on how one looks at it... I'm an insomniac so I decided to do some late-night blogging... which none of you will read... but that's OK. Because for those that do, there'll be some juicy venting here... LOL.

YEAR TO RESIST THE URGE, AND PURGE...

I'm one of those people that falls into everything... and gets bore easily. I'll be the first to admit it... and I've decided to focus more on those that truly deserve my admiration... and drop those that don't. Especially now that I have a home/house and am slowly working on bringing all my stuff together and consolidating my shit so that I won't come off as one of those crazy "HOARDERS" from TV...

So on the list of PURGE:

-Vinyl Toys: Having little funds to spend on fun things forces me to cut back severely on toys. COARSE, some KO, and Sam Flores are on the menu. Naturally, I tend to veer towards the more pricier stuff... but can't complain - the stuff is worth every penny... Only a few Dunnys are on my radar now... And some people in the toy crowd can be outright thuggish and annoying - on and offline. I don't have much "rare" stuff that I can part with but I'm sure that I'll find something.

-GUESS WHO?: What a douche bag. He was nice the first time I met him, then not so much a few times after... Nice again when I was hanging out with someone that he probably wanted to fuck, and then he completely snubbed me at the closing party for the GR Beniale last Thursday. What a hack. And now he wants to "write on some walls"... LOL. Also, I am mildly happy at the fact this his "BLACK LINE for KR vinyl figurine" has yet to sell out. Then he had the nerve to publicly post how he felt that galleries and artists should donate 100% from charity shows/events. I guess that he had another self-righteous moment and forgot some some of these artists and galleries still have to pay rent/bills at the end of the day. Must be nice being Mr. B_______ - NOT. Sorry man, but you get no love here. I'll admit that I'm not cool enough for you. I've rid every book, print, and toy (except a 3' Dunny) that I owned since I no longer wish to support you. I'm keeping the sketches though... every time I see them I am reminded how kind you were for 1st time but how pretentious you were the 2nd time. I was also surprised to meet many that also share my opinion of you. And it sucks because I used to admire you.

-Prints: I've got over 40+ that are still waiting to be framed. So unless I love the artist or they are friends and/or people that I want to support, then no more. But I think that I may have found the solution by getting a print rack like they have in galleries to show off print offerings... and luckily, I've bought only what I have truly wanted (not hyped about) and have been given some pretty sweet posters, to boot...

-Mementos from traveling: I GOTTA DO IT. So much stuff. Years of traveling, years of being a rat pack have lead me to envy those that can literally live out of a duffle bag - like my dad. But let's face it, most of these people are either in the WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM or they are criminals on the run.

-Obsession with celebrity figures: Luckily I've already kicked the "Inquiring minds want to know"... especially when the world starting to care about those not truly worthy of our time. Like these "reality TV stars", the Kardashians, Octo Mom, and that stupid couple that had 8 kids and are now going through some crazy drama. I'll save my respect and admiration for real stars that truly shine... and those that I truly respect in Hollyweird.

-My beauty product addiction: It wasn't severe, but I saw how it could become so as I begin to show signs of aging. I just don't care anymore.

-Cigarettes: Gotta cut down. The good news is that I have began to do so... drastically. 

-DVDs: Why bother? I don't have enough time to watch them, anyway...

Now onto URGES:

-Collecting sketches: YES, from EVERYONE. I got 1 from KANO in 2008. Over 400 in 2009. Aiming for +/- 1000 in 2010. And from kids that I have babysat to Fine Artists, I don't care. I just love art.

-Comics: Luckily, not as $$$ as toys. But it can still get out of hand if I'm not careful.

-Art: I wish that I could buy more, but I can't. But I just purchased some inexpensive pieces from Philip Lumbang III and Eleanor Davis. Ironically, they were purchased at Giant Robot in SF, and GR2 on Sawtelle. I also score heaps of Post-Its, as well from: Bob Dob, Deth P. Sun, 2 from Rama Hughes, Ana Bagayan, Eleanor Davis, and Jeffrey Brown. I want this piece from Andrew Hem, but I doubt that it'll happen. I REFUSE to go into more debt over art.

-Writing more letters.

WHY YOU NEED TO GET OUT TO ALHAMBRA... LIFT OFF!!!

GALLERY NUCLEUS... but I'll get to this place towards the end of this blog post...

So aside from the AMAZING Chinese food that makes Chinatown taste like Panda Express, there are a few reasons that I like to hit up this bit off the I-10...

Walk down Main Street and you'll get a sense of weird nostalgia... there's this small-town feel that kind of makes me feel as if I am re-living life in "Smallville"... even a cool-looking movie theater...

Here are some spots that I recommend:

-TEA STATION: THIS IS MY SPOT. BEEF STEW WITH RICE FTW.

-CHA FOR TEA: Even though (recently) a waitress was rude to me... 

-NOODLE KING: Went here with a few people after the Dr. Sketchy Marathon... If you missed it, looks like you'll have to wait until this year... Housed in a former BIG BOY location...

And last, but not least:

-GALLERY NUCLEUS-ONE OF MY TOP FIVE GALLERIES IN LA. And let me tell you why:

-They have cool art shows almost every month

-They host even cooler events

-The staff pretty much rock, for the most part

-It's AMAZING inventory of art books, graphic novels, uncommon tees/totes, toys, lifestyle items, etc...

-They have a $1 bin... 

-They have a $3/$5/$10 rack

-They have stuff that you never thought would exist

-And the space is pretty rad...

So this SAT on the 9th of January from 7-11pm, CHECK IT OUT. ART. BOOKS. LIFESTYLE. CHANCE TO WIN A HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE (FOR REAL!). And if these reasons weren't good enough, FREE DR. SKETCHY'S SESSION!!! (click link below for details)

http://www.gallerynucleus.com/gallery/exhibition/218

A DECADE COME, A DECADE GONE...

So thinking back to the last 10 years, I got a bit of a laugh when re-hashing what was going down in NYE of 1999/2000:

-I was working for THE GAP...

-I listened to a lot of House and Trance... obsessed w/ Ibiza...

-I was living with my roomate Kalvin in Vancouver, BC on Barclay St.

-But I was actually w/ my mother in Crescent City, CA... where we had hit up a Safeway to grab a few things and I had passed out in the middle of the bread aisle...

-A woman whom I had never met had given me $10,000 USD.

-I had been to only 10 countries (more or less) at that very time

-I was 22

-We had just adapted to a transient lifestyle, once again...

It's amazing how much can happen in 10 years... how fast time flies...

-I work as a recruitment consultant for Bombardier, for the time being...

-I am now rediscovering my love of '80's and '90's music - simply because most of what is put out today sucks...

-My roomate is a bear named Annie (Wait! That didn't change...)

-We finally got ourselves a house in Granada Hills, CA (come visit!)

-I'll be spending NYE here with the so-called family

-I wouldn't mind another "donor" since my scholarship didn't cover everything, and I partied a little too hard with my loans, and decided to not work right out of uni and travel...

-I do not know how many countries I have actually visited because I stopped counting between 60-70...

-I am 32, yet I still get carded when buying cigarettes and/or alcohol... YAY!

-And now we are adapting to having a "real home"...

Funny how life works?

A FEEL-GOOD CONVERSATION...

So L-to-the-motherfuckin'-A... eh...

I had a great conversation with someone that took the time out (at an insanely huge event) to let me vent about what's been bringing me down, lately... certain so-called friends, artists that choose to feel their egos and not their souls...

And I'm still kind of stung by the comment made weeks ago... who knew that it would really fuck with my head... and my self-image...

As of working in Hollywood hasn't done enough already... LOL.

I wish that my situation was not what it was... but it is what it is...

But random acts of kindness keep me going...

I don't blame LA. That would be moronic of me. In fact, the people that have hurt me most aren't even from here...

FUCK. I blame the hormones.

NO ONE READS THIS, ANYWAY... LOL...

So far, October of 2009 has been strange for me. It was supposed to be a great month - epic, even. But as usual, shit happens. 

So I went to the event in Riverside, CA called BABY TATTOOVILLE. If you are unfamiliar, check it out. www.babytattooville.com. And before you ask, NO I WASN'T A PAYING ATTENDEE. I was simply a guest there to enjoy the surprises that were to be had...

To sum up this crazy weekend:

-I survived on little sleep

-I lost respect for certain artists...

-Yet, I gained respect for others...

-I met some new people

-Oregon seemed to own it this year... hahaha... ALL OF YOU RULE!

-With the exception of one hack, all of this year's invited attendees were super rad...

-But even the "hack" warmed up to me...

-I realized what it was like to be used and tossed aside, more or less...

-I had a moment were someone accidently reminded me of how "not hot" I am...

-So I had a few drinks...

-Explored some of the crazy crooks and crannies of The Mission Inn...

-Found "Alice"...

-Had someone save me from feeling like a complete loser, after that "ugly" moment... 

-I saved that voice mail to remind myself that I am not the loser in the situation...

-Got so many AMAZING sketches... THANK YOU ARTISTS!!!

-I want to be born as a world-renowned, temper-mental artist in my next life...

-Had amazing food...

-But I preferred TIO'S TACOS

-Finally got a set of Audrey Kawasaki prints for myself...

-I never thought that I would get sick of seeing naked girls lying around...

But that following Monday morning I couldn't even bring myself to drop off my friend at LAX, as I was puking violently in the wee hours... so he had to take the shuttle...

I got some sleep before I had to wake up and work on this project for a hack...

Shit, he's too much of a narcissist to read this shit, anyway...

I've been getting a lot of cold shoulders, lately...

I think that people are thinking that I am not very useful to them these days... but then they need help and my phone rings... or my inbox gets full.

Awesome.

I like helping people out, but it's now time to get selective.

But that's OK. I have Annie. I have my secret identity.

And the truth is, some people just plain suck.

Oh, and it was my birthday a few days ago. Thanks to those that greeted me. For those that didn't, it's OK. But to the person that knew that it was and blatantly didn't "bother" with even a standard greeting... FUCK YOU. And don't bother with your lame ass excuses because I KNOW that you were able to greet someone else. LOSER. And this bothers me because it was YOU. Someone that I thought that I was cool with. 

But then there were moments when strangers redeemed themselves...

and I discovered a great artist named YELLENA JAMES.

So all is good with the world...

Maybe I just need to get the fuck out of LA for a bit... 

NYC is a calling...

I LOVE YOU, MAN.

Thinking back, I feel as if I have lived several lives. There was the part when I was young. Then there was the part where I almost became old. There is the past, the present, and what will become the future. I sometimes find myself haunted by the past... struggling with the present... and not caring for the future... Many take one look at me and think that they can somehow sum me up just by my appearance... REALLY? Then they find out stuff about me... see me talking to so-and-so... some even have the balls to ask me "WHO ARE YOU?" w/o really caring about how I was as a person... but rather whom I know or knows ME. All I can reply with is a simple "NOBODY". And walk away. Because it's true. But hey, my mom thinks I am special... hehehe...

My friends aren't POKEMON cards... I don't see some as being more valuable than others... I value them more than my relationship with most of my family. In fact, MY FRIENDS ARE MY FAMILY.

I get asked a lot of questions about my previous lives, but the truth is that more than half of the time I suspect that the people that ask don't really give a shit. And I'm OK with this. So I say: "I'm Kat" and leave it at that. "I am in LA because I got tired (and broke) from traveling for 3 years... STRAIGHT."

But today as I was sorting out some stuff and came across this photo I had taken a few years ago... and then this question popped into my head that a friend (who recently passed away) had asked me... WHERE WERE YOU MOST HAPPY?

I remember me telling him about this image as we slurped our SLURPEES... I even made a copy for him at a LONDON DRUGS because he asked... I wrote a message on the back... just for him. Never realized how much this moment would affect me... 

Thanks for saving me. Thanks for making me remember.

I MISS YOU. I LOVE YOU. THIS IS FOR YOU.