my other writing

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19
Mar 12

i was on the radio!

You might recall the recent three-part series I did on graffiti in South Los Angeles for OnCentral, a blog run by KPCC. I have one last update and then I won’t talk about this anymore, I promise: I got to do it for the radio too! So not only did I get the pleasure of explaining what this swan with the hook through its head meant in writing –

Quack.

– but I also got to explain some of the intricacies of tagging with my own voice that I hope one day will be described as “pure velvet.” Right now I think it’s somewhere around “balsa wood that needs sanding.”

You can listen to the five-minute segment that originally aired this past Sunday on FM 89.3 (in L.A.) by clicking this link:

Graffiti in South LA: The story behind the spray

The segment is also posted with a write-up at KPCC’s Off-Ramp page. There you’ll be able to access the original three-part series, should you so desire.

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7
Mar 12

re: the scrawl on the wall

I did this really cool feature for OnCentral where I went on patrol with a couple of officers from the gang unit in Newton Division of the LAPD. They showed me all the different kinds of graffiti you’ll find down in South Los Angeles, ranging from the purely artistic to the gang-war variety. It was a lot of fun to write and really fascinating – and it involves the Mexican Mafia. You can read each segment of the three-part series by clicking on one of the photos below.

Know Your Graffiti Part 1: In which I discuss the gangs behind the graffiti.

Know Your Graffiti Part 2: In which I discuss the different types of graffiti – art, vandalism and gang-related.

Know Your Graffiti Part 3: In which I discuss gang disses, threats and ties to the Mexican Mafia.

Thanks for reading my stuff – and happy tagging! Just kidding, officers.

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26
Dec 11

advent busted halo blog: the end

The arrival of Christmas means the end of “Alternative Advent,” the Advent series I’m writing over at Busted Halo. Here are the final posts – if you’ve been keeping up with it, I thank you, and would hug you if I could. Probably. Merry Christmas!

Part 7: I’ve Learned Not to Mess with My Grandma’s Nativity Scene

[Some] years my dad will put lights on our house; other years he’ll refrain and then try to get me to put them up when I complainbut I’m not falling for that. Sometimes, being San Diegans who are accustomed to temperatures that never go below 63°, we’ll drive out to the mountains where it snows and have a good laugh at how priceless my younger brother’s reaction is when getting pelted by a snowball with a nice rock nestled inside. My mom is actually the only one who is completely consistent with her Christmas tradition — every year, she’ll put out all 15 of her nutcrackers and arrange them in such a way so that they stare at me, ready to strike, while I’m watching TV. Full post

Part 8: Reflections on an Advent Lived Intentionally (and Siberian Huskies)

The Christmas season, after you take away the gifts and the shopping and the music and the cookies (and the Siberian husky you smuggled into your basement so you could try and make it look like a baby polar bear) can feel really empty. That’s because there’s pressure from all sides to skip Advent, to skip the preparation for what’s a hugely meaningful, hope-filled day. When you do that, Christmas stops being a joyful remembrance of one of the most concrete gestures of love this world has ever seen. Instead, it’s just incredibly stressful, because you have no idea how where to even begin with that Siberian husky. Full post

Grand Finale: It’s Not Just Christmas

The relief you feel at being able to say “Merry Christmas” when Advent is over is akin to what you feel after Lent’s over and you can say “Alleluia!” (Or “Hallelujah,” if you’re Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainwright or pretty much any artist because everyone covers that song.) Now we’re in the celebratory season, and why wouldn’t we be? God delivered a baby – in circumstances that even the most faithful of believers would call “fairly miraculous” and “otherwise impossible” – to the world so that God could fulfill on a promise of eternal life. After the reflective season of Advent, which is focused on difficult things like being present and being grateful and cultivating a greater awareness of what we already have, the temptation – at least for me – is to take the advice of Taio Cruz: throw my hands up in the air (sometimes), say “Heyo,” and let go of all those good but not-easy-to-maintain habits for which Advent is so conducive. Full post

All Alternative Advent posts

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16
Dec 11

advent busted halo blog, pts. 4, 5 and 6

I’ve decided to put my posts over at my Busted Halo Advent blog into a digest, rather than posting each one individually. After all, I wouldn’t want you hate me with every fiber of your being for flooding your inbox with post notifications you might not be interested in.

Part 4: The Importance of Unplugging

We’re in a season of waiting, and it’s a season of questions without answers. Dealing with that requires a lot of hope, and it’s hard to cultivate that hope when you’re thinking about all the shopping you haven’t done or about all the jewelry or cars you’re not going to be getting your significant other this season. We can only hope there are some kisses that don’t begin with Kay. Full post

Part 5: Who Are Your Prophets?

I like to think that when Jesus went out to the desert to see who exactly God had sent to stir up the crowds for his arrival, he saw John and, at least at first, kind of looked up to the sky as if to say, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” For those unfamiliar with John the Baptist, a few points: he snacked on locusts and honey, was generally unkempt and probably didn’t have the most refined preaching method. Also he wore shirts made of hair, something which made contemporary Palestinian fashionistas sneer (citation needed). Full post

Part 6: ‘Microchallenge? More Like ‘Soul-Searching’

As many recent graduates who were successful in college will tell you, not having a job is not easy. College is a womb where you’re supported and you have incredible resources to become the person you want to be; the real world is the delivery room where your mother is forcing you out and the doctor is holding you by your ankles and slapping your rear to get the circulation going. Also, you’re screaming. But for many people, including myself, success and fulfillment in the real world don’t come as easy in the world as they did in college. That means I’ll be rejected, probably more than one or two or 12 times, and will need to be persistent before I find a job that will take me, and it means that I’ll need even more persistence if I want to find that place where I’m truly happy. It does not mean that I am unsuccessful or that I’m missing something huge. It means I’m 22, the economy is struggling and these things take time. Full post

Previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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5
Dec 11

advent busted halo blog, pt. 3

My latest installment on my Advent blog over at Busted Halo is up. This one’s about the grittier side of Advent.

Maybe instead of glazing over the Nativity story, think about how you would react today if you found out you were pregnant even though you’ve never had sex. Now think about how you’d react if an angel, who we have to assume appeared in a fiery burst of awesome after kicking down Mary’s door, was the one who told you. Or maybe put yourself in Mary and Joseph’s shoes as they’re trekking around Jerusalem looking for shelter — Mary’s very pregnant and pretty grouchy, and Joseph’s exhausted and also grouchy because Mary’s been on the donkey all day and he hasn’t gotten a turn. Or imagine how you’d feel if the worst-case scenario played out, and instead of a room becoming available at the last minute, you had to go to a stable and sleep surrounded by a bunch of filthy animals — and then your water broke. Maybe you’re one of the Magi, who helps Jesus and his family evade King Herod — and in those days, nobody pulled that kind of wool over King H’s eyes. That’s terrifying stuff.

Full post

Previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2

 

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