i am freezing. el niño, el niño, where for art thou, el niño......*grumble*

once, i had a bus driver who existed in a terribly mal humor.....irritated and annoyed by his job and the bus-riding populous, he would angrily suck on a cherry-flavoured tootsie pop all during rush hour, grimacing at the rudeness, chewing and licking his lolly into small swirly formations of candy-coated chocolate. every night, without fail, he had a sucker. getting on the bus one evening, i realized what a thankless job he performed, schlepping the public to and fro, listening to complaints and confusion and self-focused diatribes whilst attempting to maneuver between the rush hour traffic, pedestrians, ill-fated construction, the sidewalk, parked cars, and the usual unknown mayhem that seems to strike at the worst possible moment in any given case. the whole ride home i thought about what i could possibly do to let this man know how much i appreciated his efforts to land my silly ass at home each night without a scratch on it. so the next night i got on the bus with a huge bulk-sized bag filled to the brim with cherry flavored tootsie pops.....and he was so happy, he laughed so hard, and said that i was unbelievable. i figured it was time someone felt more than just a paycheck from their job.

so often i find myself marveling at the academic qualities of our society. at times i feel that most of what is attributed meaning is actually quite the opposite, and i'm torn between trying to be successful by the standardized definition of the word, and desiring total simplicity away from the complications inherent in daily american living. this gives me the bitter taste of schizophrenia on my lips.

~DECEMBER 16, 1997~

many happenings as of late.....

firstly, miss ~kat~ had the pleasure of meeting moody-blues-sultry-sista jr last thursday.....and, consequently, has become simply addicted to her lingering sugary cd the vision of the fool ii. as it is a self-released album, i highly encourage alla y'all to support her in her efforts and pick one up.....self-release seems to be the last safe place for musical creativity these days.....

saturday night was spent in the mighty, flighty throes of home alive's molotov cocktail party.....where miss ~kat~ could be found cuttin' a rug with her date of the eve, speakeasy's own, derek danger. i hadn't tangoed in months.....and it was for a good cause. the evening was filled with juicy surprises (furnished, of course, by yours truly *wink*) and i do believe i'm still recovering.

just finished the last touches on miss ~malice~'s works......i highly recommend you check the sista's work out.....as it's strong, tight, and amazingly beautiful as far as imagery goes.....i just received more pieces from her, so keep up and check it out to pick up on tha expansion.

what else?

here in tha mystic bohemian hut space is getting kinda tight, so i'm looking into a move of some sort in the next few. i was actually throwing around the idea of relocating to some loose new city, but i've since abandoned the idea in favour of moving to another area of this city.....i figure it'll be enough of a change of scenery to please my needs. i'm excited about getting into a new space, just because i'm so fucking domestic and love to put mosaics and frescoes all over tha walls.....and a new spot is like a blank canvas.....so many options!!!! aaaaack!

derek danger and i have come to a rather unique understanding as far as undertaking extremely questionable activities and running with them......we've got loads of hi-jinks planned for the new year and i want alla you frigid seattleites to beware the naked man with the clown mask. sometimes, living in technicolour is a job.....but other times, it's the closest thing to heaven on earth.

naysayers and pessimists have been trying to school miss ~kat~ on copyright issues in regards to the pieces of art displayed here at bastet75: Da TeMpLe oV iMaGi NaTiOn .....and i just want to make it clear that i am an avid supporter of artforartssake.....a lost art (oh, fuck the pun) these days......everything's wrapped up in politics and litigation and i say: FUCK IT. i came to live out loud, kids, and if some poor sap wants to pilfer my wares without my permission and pass it off as his/her own, i pity them, i really do.....cuz he/she are really only lying to themselves......here at Da TeMpLe, i appreciate honesty, but i'm not a paranoid, or prone to worrying about conspiracies......cuz i like to save room in mah brain fer sexier thangs. so, as has been stated before, please feel free to contact the individual artist out of respect for their hard work if you wish to reproduce a piece you found here. and, as usual, if you like the design, let miss ~kat~ in on it, and she'll be more than happy to design something for yo' sexy self.

anywayz, speaking of sexy things.....i've a phone call to make. ciao, cherries.....

~DECEMBER 18, 1997~

and here we are, in a new day at imitation leather/imitation lover, and the storm brewing outside my window is tastelessly rearranging the mighty ranita bonita's sense of acute style.....poor grrrl. sentences that mean next to nothing are a specialty here at tha chronicles, so stick around, the bullshit's just about to start.

a few entries ago i brought up the subject of gender roles.....and kinda let it sit there, stankin' up tha room, until now. juxtaposition jason and i have spent a few sad hours bantering back and forth 'bout the intricacies of the matter.....one of the facets of the conversation was about ms. camille paglia, humanities professor and author extraordinare, whose work i became acquainted with during a long, dreary bus ride from waterford to dublin, ireland about two and a half years ago.....i had picked up a snippet excerpt, the first chapter, of sexual personae: art and decadence from nefertiti to emily dickinson. previously, i had only heard of ms. paglia's work in passing, in tabloids, and the brief bit i read inspired me to buy the hefty volume itself, which is one of my most perused books on the shelf. one of the ideas presented is the theory that men conquer and create, thus building this western society as we know it (which is pretty fuckin' whacked, but which has many amazing accomplishments that cannot be ignored).....and that were it to have been left to women, we would still be living in huts. the theory is borne of the plumbing question: are the placement/existence of a certain set of sexual organs implicitly linked to the natural/historical roles of the genders? ms. paglia says yes. her idea is that men feel vulnerability and therefore set about their lives to conquer and create a safe place for their little/big penises......and that women, contained as they are with no extremities exposed to the nasty elements, are happy surviving and creating a comfortable space around their immediate area.....this is an interesting theory to me, because in many ways i think that men look for eternity in the eyes of admiration (ie. they have to create something, build something, whether it be a cathedral, a company, a religion) and women look for eternity in the eyes of their children.

there are, of course, women who find this idea offensive, and if i do recall correctly, ms. gloria steinem was featured on a news program a few years ago venting about the fact that there were no biological differences between the sexes, aside from plumbing, and that the idea that the way we were designed to piss influenced our approach to life was ridiculous. what has always struck me about ms. steinem's approach to feminism is the fact that, from a twenty-two year old gen-xer's perspective, it's not so much as she wants to be an independent woman as she wants to be exactly like a man. i think something that 'the oppressed' (racially, sexually, religiously, etc.) should ponder, is not the lack of 'equality', but perhaps the definition of equality itself. why has the standard been attributed/equated with rich white males......linear in thought and vision? why do we even want to be associated with the power hungry/greed influenced realities of these people? i say that, perhaps throughout history, true freedom has been found in the reworking of the idea and approach.....to create your own reality, en masse or singularly, and not to make a point, and not to impress, and not to prove anything other than what it is to be alive......like so many things in this world, 'equality' needs to be reincepted/rediscovered for the new age. shall we find someone with the time to do it?

sexism, to me, is like any other '-ism', a hasty generalization borne of the desire to classify, define, name.....granted, at times the fervor of my youth gets overwrought and desirous of fireworks, thusly throwing out catch phrase after preconceived notion, and i'm the first to admit i'm guilty of oversimplification in many areas.....the sexes, the races, the classes.....but i think it's important to remain accountable to oneself.....to the ideas that one has thoroughly pondered, explored.....and when one has decided it is the 'correct' or 'right' answer/idea/way of being, not to be afraid of challenging that on a daily basis.....i have often said that the happiest day of my life was when i read socrates saying that a wise man knows he knows nothing.....that was a moment of pure clarity for me, to understand and accept that i can't know everything, and that it's okay. here in the chronicles, i'm sharing my thoughts and ideas.....things that cross my mental evolutions......and please feel free to respond, cuz i'd like to hear your thoughts......

"we carry a new world, here in our hearts." -- buenaventura dirruti

~DECEMBER 21, 1997~

"i wanna go anywhere but here....."

that's right, it's all about miss ~kat~ being addicted to jr's the vision of the fool ii. ariel aria and i have been speculating on the divinity of this fine sista.....she's so.....softspoken, except when there's a guitar in her hands. perhaps that's why i enjoy her music so much, the fleeting chance of glancing into her thoughts......such an intriguing woman.

been up all night again, developing nasty habits for the 21st century.....on top of so many others'. previously, i mentioned the book i'm reading about santeria, and lemme tell you, it is schoolin' mah ass somethin' fierce in regards to my perceptions of religion. i have a penchant for studying religions, anyway, and i'm particularly fond of native religions and their offspring.....that's why voodoo, santeria, candomble and macumba, all having roots in yoruban religions native to nigeria, intrigue me......they have a unique blend of african and catholic influence.....imagine a religion that both celibrates the rawness of humanity and condemns it.....amazing. life-affirming. out loud. the idea of animal sacrifice does strike a few chords with me, but i understand it, i can empathize with the practice, the need for such extreme ritual. in the foreward, michael ventura speaks of how we as westerners have lost our ability to be actively involved in our rituals, for thousands of years we have had someone else do it for us, we've just watched.....and the peculiarity of being faced with the rawness of native religions, the 'savagery' of animal sacrifice, has us running north to cooler climates in hopes of retribution for entertaining such musty, sexy, earthy thoughts.....

but, in essence, isn't that what religion is all about? why it was incepted to begin with? to ease the day to day living out in the elements.....the gods and goddesses get sexier the further south you go, and the warmth of climate and people no doubt influence this.....something that has always bothered me about traditional western religions is the lack of balance inherent to the god in question......all good or all bad......christianity's loving god vs. judaism's wrathful god. it seems strange that, when there were hundreds upon hundreds of earth religions existing on the planet at various times of recorded history, something as truly disgustingly sappy and esoteric as christianity or as cold as judaism has taken such a stronghold in our mindsets.

i have studied many native/earth religions and the similarities are beautiful.....the eternity i will give to my babies is the simplicity found in being human, and relishing that fact.....in reveling in the body, but not to the exclusion of the mind.....balance, as my sweetness has so thoughtfully been teaching me, is the essence of life.

"it's only life after all."

~DECEMBER 22, 1997~

the complications of so much slavery.....

gloom-puss trent reznor once lamented his happiness in such binds, and i think that if i were to write a song about it i would entitle it the ravages of intelligence, and have a chorus something akin to cats caterwhauling on a messy costa rican rooftop......in the eerie shadow of the volcan arenal. so grating you'd feel the angst.

but i'm all about unfulfilled angst.

going through many herbal meditations.....still scrambling for the validity of it all.....still hoping that my sweetness doesn't grow tired.....or stop trusting me.....or give up on my meandering sense of artistic bullshit posturing....i am wallowing in pms induced shittiness and praying for rain......can you imagine?

i feel so overwhelmed sometimes, so naive, so enslaved by my ignorance.....so lost in misunderstanding.....i want to puke up alla this shit and just forget about so-called objectivity.....i want to give into crying and laughing and fucking and being so completely.....and at 4 a.m. on a tuesday morning, it seems like maybe.....just maybe i might.....i might just send my angels and devils to the tavern and live sordidly without a conscience for awhile.....

but then, what would the neighbors think?

p.s.: as usual, miss ~kat~ is lookin' out for all y'all.....and is always tryin' to share the gems found on this wacky wide web with her faithful readers/bemusers.......so if yer lookin' for a meaningful relationship with an extremely well-adjusted english lady..... here ya go! don't thank me, it's nothing.....really.

~DECEMBER 24, 1997~

five thirty on tha nose......christmas eve.....still have a few pressies to wrap.....and i woulda gotten you something this year, i promise.....if that visa platinum card had come through......er.....wait a minute, it did. okay, well, if i didn't have to give the mighty ranita bonita some tender-lovin' care, i woulda......but, uh.....truth be told, i don't hafta do that either......so.....what's my excuse? why did i leave you off that eva-sweet list o' pressies? well, simply, i haven't heard from you, and everytime i try to get in touch with you, you fail to acknowledge or reciprocate my endeavors. so, baby, sorry. you offa mah list. 'course, gettin' back on is uber-easy......just let me know you still care, that's all. fill mah box.

this year i've been mooning extra-especially over my missing lover.....havin' gooey thoughts of gooey goin's-on 'neath tha x-mas tree.....and i find myself staring at his lovely pix.....eyes like mars, lips so luscious and soft, i could disappear in them for weeks and not get bored.....see, i told you i've been mooning.....

i've secured a new space......and i'm really excited about it.....it's in the attic of an old house up in the capitol hill/arboretum area.....a neighborhood which, a few years ago, i'd often dreamed of living in.....admiring it through the shaded view of a bus window......as far as the windows go, i've a great view, which is important to someone who loves to hang out in the dark with only the city lights to illuminate.....i can just imagine the candled surfaces.....the mosaics hanging from the cieling.....i'm so excited to get my itchy li'l hands in there, decorate the heck outta it......so excited to help waxingpoetry wendy with the garden.....i'll be, hopefully, moving in by the tenth, so i'll hafta take a bit of a break from the site around then to pack and shit......and to move in. so jittery to be getting into a new space! enigmatic ed let me in on the goods: "~kat~, i know it's kind of uncomfortable to ask, but i wanted to let you know that, even though i'm a lawyer, i am herb-friendly." i and i be smokin' mi ganja in peace!

all y'all know that miss ~kat~ is learning this website thing......and i'm really trying to expand my functionality, so please bear with as i mess around and mix up.....i'll try not to do much damage.....but i will anyway. tools of the trade, i guess. been getting lotsa feedback on tha site, and keep it comin'......i love to know what's on tha minds of tha kittens that slum 'round these parts......

this is a terribly dull entry. ¡que lastima! i'm cookin' up somethin' good, though......next time i'll tell you a story. and i promise i'll make it saucy. i don't think i couldn't if i tried......the world is filtered to ~kat~'s eyes through sex-tinted glasses......it makes for the best anecdotes.