Shake Hands with Castro

"Our friend Cuba which helped us in training our people, gave us resources to get on with our struggle."

Nelson Mandela, 1991

"Don't bite the apple Eve," rapper Jay Z warns us in his ballad to New York.  But we know forbidden fruit is always juicier and Americans are forever curious.  

Cuba, a country ripe with arts, culture, and a bad ass reputation, has captured the imagination of many US citizens.  But did you know you can now travel legally? 

Despite all the huffing and puffing about President Obama's hand shake with Raúl Castro, the floodgates are cracked open, ever so  slightly, and Havana is yours to experience!

Check out Time Out Travel's 20 Great Things to Do in Havana.

While you're there, extend a hand of reconciliation to your island brethren.  If one of them happens to be Raúl, even better.

Don't forget to send me pics!

Art, Chains & Freedom

I hate Twitter. I don't get it. And when I don't get it, I feel like a dumb ass. I hate feeling like a dumb ass.

I can't deny its power. There is evidence of the ability of this platform to draw world wide attention to the social, political, and democratic concerns of a people. I love that.  

The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei reportedly spends eight hours a day on Twitter, cleverly calling for dissidence and celebrating the wonders of individualism under the watchful eye of a regime with a very different agenda.

The role of social media in the Arab spring is still being debated. What can't be denied is that when Egyptian authorities shut off the Internet, the people flocked to the streets. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they overturned a government. The struggle continues, but the thought of a little blue bird helping to topple a thirty-year-president is pretty intriguing.

I had planned to spend the whole month of December chatting you up about artful living in your home spaces. Then Nelson Mandela died. And I began to think instead about the role artists have played in political protest.  

I thought first to look to history, but we would be here forever, and it's too easy to romanticize the past.

Change is brutal. It requires sacrifice. And when Russian protest band PUSSY RIOT showed up uninvited at the national cathedral, asking through song, for the mother of God to become a feminist and get rid of Putin, they landed in prison - Russian prison. Twitter is still not happy.

These women captured my attention on Facebook - the social media site that makes me feel like a super smart ass. Their colorful balaclavas and girly girl brand of feminism had me cheering from across the seas. They smiled for the cameras, spoke brilliantly about their beliefs, and were sent away for it too. Pussy Riot's protest song lasted less than one minute, but it made Vladimir Putin shake in his boots. A song did this. A song sang only last year.

At the beginning of the documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, a quote by Bertolt Brecht reads:

"Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it."

How does your work redefine our world?

Follow @freepussyriot on Twitter to learn how you can take action in the global fight for gender equality and freedom of expression.

Image Source: http://www.notevenpast.org/listen/pussy-riot

Erecting a Man Cave

My husband and I are very different beings.  When we decided to buy a new set of wheels, he obsessed over safety ratings. My only want was for the car to match the color of the house.  And it does!

When we searched for our first home, I looked for a secluded little bungalow, the kind that suggests a writer works inside. Instead he wanted space and lots of it.  He got his wish.

Brian is a collector of things - childhood memorabilia to be exact.  If you want to relive the 80's, visit our garage.  You'll find E.T., Pee Wee, The Muppets, and a lot of Chebawchy*. We had to make room for these things.  And we did.

I never let go of the bungalow mentality.  I'm guilty of ignoring the fact that our home even has a first floor.  I'd left it up to the two teenagers and their dad to maintain this space. As you can probably imagine, downstairs is a disaster.

With December upon us and no travel plans, the whole tribe will be stuck in LA.  Winter vacation is the perfect time to get it together. 

First up is the super fun task of transforming our kid's old room into a cool, new industrial man cave.  Don't let anybody sell you on the silly notion that a child's vacant room needs to become an alter to his or her youth.  We grow into adults and our living arrangements change - period. 

Here are select inspirations for Brian's up & coming live/work space:

Furniture for Storing Collectibles.

Caves Need Light Too.

A Pop of Color. 

Chairs That Promote Good Posture & Style.

Statement Art.

Plants Add Oxygen to Stuffy Spaces.

A Corner for Our Kid to Hang Out.

Did I miss any essential Man Cave items?  Let me know in the Comments section.  

Photo Sources Top to Bottom: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

*Chewbachy is code for all things Epic Space Opera/Star Wars.