tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410Wed, 16 May 2012 21:28:36 +0000SummerSAHMnectar bunMotherhoodJune GloomMermaidsfull-body Kevlarself-revelationCraigslistNavel GazingmoviesDublinFamilyBrasilLos AngelesFranceWomenCoincidencetime machineThe SourceWhirl-a-whipproduction designkaraoke filmwish fulfillmentCoffeeChick Flick HouseAnais Nin quoteThrift StoreLas VegasFather YodTravelHarry NilssonFoodMakeoverWritingHan SoloConsumerismGrey MaySocial JusticeMagicTVBurt BacharachCookingFacing FearsMae WestOppressive Beauty StandardsBunniWinterDel ScorchoRace and EthnicityDesignmusiccaftansSmall Town USATalismansSanta Ana Wind SurvivalFashionDusty SpringfieldObsessionsbouffant hairdoStar WarssugarNauticaThe JeffersonsRecipesHollywoodDreamsrhinestonesHerb AlpertLong live the happiness revolutionhttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)Blogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-1343048500855990673Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:57:00 +00002012-01-23T12:57:31.699-08:00thank you to shawn clover It's the year of the Water Dragon, y'all!  Things to do on the Lunar New Year*: 1. Clean house (sweep out old ill will & bad luck and make room for the auspicious New)   2. Decorate the house with red: it symbolizes joy and in Mandarin the word for red is homophonous with prosperity. 3. Wear red to scare away bad spirits/luck. According to a Chinese acquaintance of minehttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/2012/01/gung-hay-fat-choy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-7522564521867671332Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:45:00 +00002011-08-28T23:50:46.265-07:00MagicHan SoloDreamsmoviesNavel GazingStar WarsCoincidenceAdvance warning: this is not the clearest or even most interesting post I've ever written. I'm tired, and probably should have held onto this puppy for further elaboration and editing before posting it, but I'm impatient to discover what, if anything it means. Try to be kind. I had a perplexing dream last night. (Brief pause for some Choose Your Own Adventuring. If you're thinking: Who didn't http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/08/may-force-be-with-you-and-also-with-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-5077963535706637544Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:09:00 +00002011-08-14T22:06:21.642-07:00MotherhoodMagicFamilymusicTVCoffeeBunniSAHMAre you a morning person or a night owl? I consider myself a lark; that is, I feel my best self in the morning hours. I guess my daughter is, too, because most mornings she sounds off her toddler-reveille between 6 and 6:45 am. Not an ungodly hour, by any means.  For a non-negotiable wake up time, however, 6-something certainly falls on the earlier side. And so the system we've developed is to http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/08/look-around-you-artmagic-is-everywhere.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-7364963949829942733Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:02:00 +00002011-08-14T22:10:06.221-07:00ObsessionsBrasilmusicFacing FearsRace and EthnicityIf you're just jumping on board VJR for the first time, you'll want to read the two previous installments of this series here.  Ana's class. Brasil Brasil Cultural Center. I have to force myself into the crowded room, onto the uneven floors. Most of the women fall somewhere on the skin tone spectrum between caramel and ebony. I am prepared to flaunt my pretty pretty ButterflyPony dance moves, http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/08/bahia-or-bust-part-three-samba-seeps-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-1386000330805447640Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:26:00 +00002011-08-05T07:48:15.852-07:00ObsessionsBrasilmusicFacing Fearsfull-body KevlarRace and EthnicityIN our last chapter,Bahia or Bust, I explained the genesis of my fascination with Brasil. Here, the fascination takes root. The last place anyone would expect to get bored would be a successful international art and erotica publisher. But circa 2005, that was me. My job was to hunt down world-class celebrities (politicians, spiritual leaders, actors, athletes and rock stars from the 1960's http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/07/bahia-or-bust-part-two-in-which-our.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-4376149396504438572Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:41:00 +00002011-08-14T22:08:42.437-07:00Obsessionswish fulfillmentBrasilmusicTravelRace and EthnicityLots of us, if we are lucky or willing enough to admit it, experience some sort of irrational affection for a place we know nothing about. Just the sound of the name of the place, one photo in an encyclopedia or on a travel poster is like a beacon, a promise. Some put it down to a past life association that manifests in this life in inexplicable ways: Mr. B suffers from a near total lack ofhttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/07/bahia-or-bust-part-one-beats-beauty-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-3806273350681512449Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:29:00 +00002011-07-03T12:29:45.166-07:00Hedonic adjustment: just a fancy way of saying that the things that make you happy right now probably won't 5 minutes, 5 days and especially 5 months from now. I know full well of the theory that humans are wired to acclimate to the highs of new sources of happiness, until they wear off completely and we are forced to go out looking for something else to get us Up. I'm well familiar with it. And http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/07/happiness-its-in-bag.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-2265928318815194145Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:26:00 +00002011-07-07T21:53:34.524-07:00Los AngelesJune GloommoviesGrey MayHollywoodDel ScorchoThe SourceMae WestFather YodSay what you will about Los Angeles, you've got to admit it is the American capital of good weather. People come here from around the globe to bask in our temperate Mediterranean zone and unrivaled 3,000 hours of annual sunshine. In the immortal words of Joe Walsh, however, "I can't complain but sometimes I still do". Though I try not to whine much, somehow I manage to find something to bitch http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/06/day-dreams-of-la.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-6636796562339037925Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:52:00 +00002011-06-22T12:24:34.132-07:00Whirl-a-whipSmall Town USAThe JeffersonsTV Well, it's official, readers; we're movin' on up.  VJR Headquarters has transplanted, relocated, uprooted. You can now get your fill of the contents of my brain here, at my very own site: www.vivajoyriot.com.   Thanks to my cousin J,  I am now the proud owner of my own domain.  He had the brilliant idea to host my site, and only a year and a half later, I've finally taken him up on the offer (http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/06/we-finally-got-piece-of-pie-la-mode.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-5779531741014782334Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:48:00 +00002011-06-12T13:40:53.115-07:00bouffant hairdocaftansnectar bunkaraoke filmHarry NilssonrhinestonesDusty SpringfieldmusicFor your visual and aural consumption today I submit one of the world's best songs, by Harry Nilsson. If you aren't familiar with him, you can find him filed under MUSICAL GENIUS, in the "Woefully Under-appreciated" section, under the subset "Died penniless, way too early".  Beware however, this stellar song is set to possibly the world's worst video, if measured in terms of visual quality and http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/06/how-can-i-be-sure-of-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-6265035517056776261Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:47:00 +00002011-06-12T13:42:10.501-07:00Anais Nin quoteself-revelationFacing Fearsfull-body KevlarWhereas most domestic flights allow each passenger two pieces of checked luggage, and one small carry-on, today my metaphorical baggage feels slightly over the limit.  Something like this, in fact. Sacramento Airport It is a tired cliche that the useless, outgrown thoughts we lug around in our head to no good purpose are called (in pop psychobabble terms, anyway) "baggage". But it is an apthttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/06/beast-of-burden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-5142402147552463184Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:19:00 +00002011-07-07T21:48:12.203-07:00sugarFoodFacing Fears  <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt;http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/06/just-because-i-can-doesnt-mean-i-should.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-1406662084366155745Fri, 27 May 2011 05:46:00 +00002011-06-13T12:42:35.617-07:00ObsessionsTalismans  Every so often an image, idea or thing will sort of sidle itself up to me and take up residence in my brain for awhile. Something about said thing will speak eloquently to me, and I will enlist it as my symbol for a time. My latest such talisman is the glacier. Glaciers are beautiful and massive and overwhelming. Like most human beings I enjoy such an occasional reminder that http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2011/05/tip-of-iceberg.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-6703421911050273706Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:08:00 +00002010-07-19T15:26:03.780-07:00NauticaRecipesTravelDublinWe may have landed in Ireland Wednesday, but it has taken until today --  Monday -- for it that fact to sufficiently sink in. Pity it took me so long to wake up and smell the peat fire burning. I suppose I had to spend most of my time and energy thus far adjusting Bunni to her new surroundings and time zone. I also had to spend a few days mourning the trips to Dublin of yore, when the Mister http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/07/slainte-dublin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-5763940606136137453Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:12:00 +00002010-06-24T15:12:37.056-07:00I was introduced to this song circa 1995/6, by my friend Nate. As was typical in those days, he put it on a mix tape for me. Someone told me Bill Withers was a janitor before he was signed as a recoding artist. I think they were thinking of Kris Kristofferson, but let's not let the truth be the enemy of a good blog post. Little Nate (as we called him, to differentiate him from another http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/mr-clean.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-788020766281116239Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:08:00 +00002011-06-27T13:35:17.004-07:00MotherhoodNavel GazingI've been doing a lot of reading lately about how memories take shape, and how they in turn shape us. Parenting From the Inside Out gets pretty deep into brain mechanics, in an effort to explain how our childhood memories effect how we raise our children. A lot of the brain-talk is a little more scientific than this blog needs to get, but what stood out for me was this fact: the human brain is http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/only-way-out-is-through.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-2059594155363796562Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:05:00 +00002010-06-24T15:05:22.439-07:00Writingwish fulfillmentFamilyTravelOnce upon a time on a small green island there lived a certain young man. The youngest of four black-haired brothers, he grew up surrounded by guitars, pianos and melodies. Music would always be at the tips of his magical fingertips, his grandmother -- herself a concert pianist -- told him. She was right. By the time he was 20 his songs could be heard all over his small green island. This was http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/once-upon-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-570619850595883317Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:52:00 +00002011-06-13T12:48:05.807-07:00WritingNauticaNavel GazingFacing FearsMermaidsIn college I dated a lanky art student who once invited me to the university's art studio. He painted, Pixies playing in the background, while I read on the sidelines -- happy as a fireside-napping tabbycat. We didn't date long. I probably gummed things up by getting overly pre-occupied with him, or maybe I just wasn't his type. In any case, we didn't drop our respective veils enough to let the http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/who-am-i-kidding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-1160894396303971400Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:34:00 +00002010-06-24T14:34:46.576-07:00...this house would be carpeted with road apples. A while back I offered up an arrangement for our living room that requires some new furniture items. I didn't think anyone would much notice my sketch, let alone read it (Hello...hello...hello... Anyone out there?...there?...there?..) But to my surprise, a few did. So I'm following up. Here is my list of new items necessary to complete my idealhttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/if-wishes-were-horses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-6701439679312364822Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:33:00 +00002010-06-24T15:28:42.911-07:00Navel GazingGot your magnifying lenses out?  Good, because today we are navel gazing, after the jump. If you're not bursting with interest in my navel, you may wish to skip this post. But since you've already got your magnifying lense out, why not stare into your own depths for awhile. Go ahead, I give you permission. Go on, its good for you. I am one competitive SOB. It's not so much that I have to be http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/06/few-things-ive-learned-about-myself.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-1589543620412243660Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:38:00 +00002010-06-24T14:18:36.014-07:00BrasilWomenRace and EthnicityDid anyone else find it patronizing that the Oscar orchestra played "I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)" as Kathryn Bigelow walked offstage after accepting her academy award?  And what took so long for a woman director to receive the award, anyway? In honor of International Woman's Day, here is a little song for you. What I'd like to know is, what one thing can you think of that would improve the liveshttp://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/03/but-rich-or-poor-woman-has-to-work-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-787274511435321723Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:51:00 +00002010-03-03T08:51:15.793-08:00I've been AWOL for awhile. This can only mean one thing: La BunBun hasn't been sleeping through the night. Which means, of course, that I haven't been sleeping through the night. Sleep deprivation is the lumberjack, and I, dear reader, am the tree, felled at the knees. Lack of sleep doesn't just make me tired, it sucks me dry -- leaving me a brittle shell of myself; someone stumbling, http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/03/pardon-our-dust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-439855700729964450Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:24:00 +00002010-02-09T14:24:07.313-08:00Social JusticeRace and Ethnicity"It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being [relegated] into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/02/it-amazes-me-when-i-looked-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-6718843717694271974Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:38:00 +00002010-02-05T09:38:33.224-08:00 Monterey Park, CA June 2009 http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/02/photo-finish-friday-all-flutter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125868609963846410.post-7552248851201579542Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:56:00 +00002011-06-13T13:28:44.709-07:00Motherhoodproduction designObsessionstime machinemoviesMakeoverChick Flick HouseDesignSAHMOh, Hollywood. You paint the world in such broad strokes. You would have us believe that estrogen hard-wires the females of our species toward an affinity for the chick flick, that genre of cliche-ridden, tear-stained, make-over montage-featuring, romance-worshipping movie that is your supposed contribution to womenkind. Honestly, Hollywood, I'm insulted. And not that interested in watching http://www.vivajoyriot.com/2010/01/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sarah B)2