Some More Musical Movements

I can't belive this is the final day of February. I'm enjoying life so much, but cannot belive it's going so quickly. I honestly enjoy each day here, which is fantastic and has really taught me to view each day as important and special in the journey of life I am on.
Now lets not get too deep at this present moment.
Anyway, a few thoughts. I recently watched the movie "The Runaways", which is about the 1970's all-girl-rock-band and a lot about Cherie Curry and Joan Jett. Now even if you haven't heard of The Runaways and Cherie Curry, I'm sure you have all heard of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, or at least know thier famous hit "I Love Rock n' Roll", so you can kind of get the gist of what type of rock we are dealing with here. The Runaways were popular while they were around, but never really stood out to years after they had broken up. Joan Jett was really the only one who became succesful in the muic buisness after The Runaways. She went solo and then formed Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in which she didn't just play lead guitar, like she had before, but sang lead voclas as well.
I didn't like the movie all that much, but the story being told was really one I appriciated and was inspired by. It was amazing to see how much of a stuggle it was even in the late 70's for females to shake their "traditional expectations" and break into the rock n' roll world. When Joan Jett wanted to play electric guitar, a teacher actually said to her "You can't play that. Women don't play the electric guitar; they are only allowed to play the acustic." Well, I bet that guy regreted telling her that. Anyway, it was inspirational to see these young women battle these gender steryotypes that had been laid out and making a name for women in music culture like it hadn't been before.
Below is probably thier most famous hit.


This is probably one of my new favorite songs.

"Let's Do The Time Warp Again!"

Ever since I saw The Rocky Horror Picture show last Halloween, Barrett and I have been really excited to go to a midnight showing in San Francisco. Well, this weekend we found one and were able to make that wish a reality and took Meghan and Becky along with us.
If you don't know what Rocky Horror is, in short, it is a 1970's cult classic and the longest running participatory movie ever. Basically it resembles the structure of a Frankenstein plot with a few twists. Lots of singing, lots of dancing and lots of lingerie. Pretty hysterical. You could get the basic plot by the movie below. If you watch it, let me say this, keep in mind that it is supposed to just be funny and ridiculous, which I think it is. Come on, it was the 70's haha. Oh, and after seeing this, I have a new respect for Tim Curry's acting abilities.



Anyway, Meghan, Becky, Barrett and I all had a blast dressing up (not to worry, we just went for funky, not copying certain styles in the movie haha), going to the midnight showing, doing The Time Warp (a more popular song-check it out) and yelling and throwing things at the screen. It was wild. Some people get very into it. My favorite was one guy that came alone and was dressed exactly like Tim Curry; i guess more power to ya, man.

Becky and I on the bus...

If you are confused about what a midnight screening of Rocky Horror entails, it is basically this- there is a live cast that acts out the movie as it is playing on the screen in the background, and it is interactive, meaning when the "Time Warp" comes on, everyone in the audience stands up and does the dance and sings. We also are supposed to do certain things throughout the move, like throw rolls of toilet paper when one of the characters yells "Great scott!". In addition to this, some people in the theater know the movie so well that they yell things out in the forms of questions and then the next line the character says on screen seems like it pertains to it. I don't think there are any examples I can give that would be appropriate for my blog haha.
It was a blast! Definitely an essential San Francisco experience :)

Visitors!

I had lots of visitors this four day weekend! I picked Amy V. up from the airport on Friday morning and was able to show her a lot of the city. It was so good to see her and be able to share part of my San Francisco experience with her, by taking her all over the different districts and such, seeing many of the crazy, artistic things the Bay Area has to offer. We were able to ride the cable car, go to the Mission District, The Castro, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, The Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square and more. Lots of walking and bus riding! :)

Chinese New Year Parade downtown!

Brent and Amy M. arrived Sunday evening, after driving up. Barrett and I decided on taking them all to the Embarcadero for dinner at a place called Pizza Orgasmica. What? It has delicious pizza. Our waiter was crazy and really was just trying way to hard to be funny. He comes up to our table and asks "What brings you in tonight?"

"We wanted pizza." Barrett replied, bluntly.

"Oh, have you been here before?"

"We have," I said, motioning to myself and Barrett, "they haven't.", indicating Amy, Amy and Brent.

"Oh, well I'm so glad I get to bring you your first orgasmic experience." he said as he danced away, singing to get our waters.

How incredibly awkward.

After dinner the awkward experiences just continued. Brent and I went to find the bathroom before leaving. We were instructed by our crazy waiter to go out the back door, up the stairs, down a hallway and then hit the intercom button on the wall to be buzzed in. We manged to find it and got yelled at by the person over the intercom to "Push the doors!" as we still thought they were locked. It was quite startling. What was even more startling was to find Brent standing right in front of the women's restroom door the second I opened it. He told me that his sink didn't work and he needed to wash his hands. As he washed his hands, I stood holding the door open and a man walked up to be buzzed into the men's restroom. As he waited, he listened to Brent giving me a detailed description of what noises the sink made when he had tried to use it. The guy gave me the weirdest look. You had to be there, but I could not stop laughing.

Anyway, the rest of the weekend continued with Brent's craziness and obsession of picture taking. It was such a blast having these three visit!

Brent and Barrett in the car
Ghiraradelli Square for the second time in two days. Both times the guy that sits outside with a guitar made rhymes about me as I walked by. This is something this guy does. He has become a sort of landmark on the corner of Ghirardelli Square. He just sits out there with his guitar and makes up two line rhymes about all the people that pass by, like "Doin' your dance, in your little brown pants.", which was one of the rhymes he made for me. The best part was that he cracked himself up for like 10 mins after that. Oh, such a character.
It was a really good weekend and some much needed connection with some friends. We also made it up to Twin Peaks to see the view and around to some different places to eat. In a way it was kind of cool to have my three "worlds" merge. Some of back home with Amy, some of Westmont with Amy and Brent and my life in San Francisco. It was a neat blend.

A couple of days after that, my mom came to visit me for the weekend. I had so much fun showing her around the city and just hanging out with her. We made it to The Arc, though it was a Friday so no one that I work with was around.

When we were walking down 11th St., lo and behold we run into Howard. I stopped to say hello and introduce my mom. He was talking with a lady, so my mom and I moved on, but a couple seconds later, I heard Howard's voice calling from behind us. I turned around and he had gathered up his several bags, guitar and his hat of the day (which was a park ranger hat), and was hurrying after us. I asked him if he wanted to walk with us to The Arc if that was where he was going and he replied, "Yes, I want to walk with you; I want to show your mom The Arc.". That just about made my day-his pure excitement and joy to show this person he had just met, a place that is meaningful to him. So, my mom got the ultimate tour from the one and only Howard. She really liked it and told me that she can definitely see why it is such a good fit for me.

The rest of the weekend, I took her to North Beach for an authentic Italian dining experience and we also made it to the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. I need to go back there-it is amazing and huge! I was intrigued by how many of the pieces make bold political statements, but not surprised considering the area. For example, an artist had constructed a replica of a cathedral out of several unique materials; bullet shells, gun metal, human teeth and a human spine. Quite symbolic and a little disturbing.

Anyway, it was very good time spent.

Musical discoveries...

My roommate actually showed me both of these. Both are great songs if you want to check them out :)

A Dance to Remember

It's days like this that make my whole little world tick.
The rain was pouring, the wind was howling and the bus ride and walk to work were soggy, but enjoyable. The morning had passed quickly in dealing with mock ups for the March facebook logo to promote Developmental Disabilities Month and meetings. At about 1:00, Meredith and I heard music playing. The clients had been singing karaoke all morning, but that had stopped a while ago, so Meredith went to find out what was happening. A few seconds later she returned shouting "Danielle, get up! We gotta go to a dance party!" We ran across the back hall and Meredith linked arms with me, do-si-do-ing to The Mocerana song. I was then greeted by familiar faces, like Willie, Sheshanda, Marco, Howard and Wayne, all dancing. Wayne came over and asked me to dance. He grabbed my hands and I spun him around several times, then watching the joy on his face as he spun me. Howard then came over saying "Danielle, do you want to dance with me?"
"I'd love to, Howard!" I replied and he immediately took my hand and began to sway and sing to the beat.
Best dance party I've ever been to. I absolutely LOVE my job!
As I left work, exuding pure joy, I arrived at the bus stop and the at realization that I am going to have to leave this. Going to have to go back to school with no solid plans of returning. At this point, I can say that, that makes me extremely sad. Don't get me wrong, I do have things that I will be happy to go back for it's just that this transition to the city and to The Arc has been so easy and comfortable; it's going to be so difficult to leave. At the start of the semester I couldn't have imagined myself loving my internship as much as I do, but I believe I have really discovered a new passion and possibly my vocation.
But, if this positive experience is representational of anything, it's that new things can sometimes be better than anything you could ever imagine. So, as much as I want to graduate school and then come back to work at The Arc, I must remind myself that there is still a whole big world out there. Who knows what I will find.
Live for today!

Power to the People

Tuesday marks my first ever protest! Meredith sent me out with a group of clients, their staff-Rob and John-and the good ol' camera. The gathering was to protest the proposed budget cuts upon social services. As displayed below, these cuts would violate the Lanterman Act, which was put in place while Regan was Governor to ensure that no one was given government assistance through a "cookie cutter approach", but had their individual needs accounted for.
Here are some pictures I got of the day. Hopefully we did some good :)

There were some pretty strong signs

A Dancing Fail

It's 10pm on a Saturday night and Corinna and I had talked about going dancing. On a whim Barrett, Corinna, Katie and I scrambled to get ready, throwing on some heels and nice shirts and left the house heading towards The Mission and to several dance clubs that were rumored to be 18 and over, since we aren't 21. We got on the 22 bus at Fillmore and were followed on by a musical group dressed in what seemed to be 1920's goth punk rocker style (didn't even think that was possible. It was). It made for an interesting bus ride as one man with black sequined pants and black chaps accidentally sat in vomit that was on one of bus seats and then began screaming about his leather chaps getting dirty.
We arrived at our destination only to discover it was 21 and over. We began walking to our backup plan, but at the address we had for it, was nothing but a closed down building. Somehow we had ended up in what seemed to be the industrial section of the Mission District, where there was nothing going on and no one around except what looked like a rave going on in a boarded up building...pretty sketchy.
By this time our feet were hurting, but we decided to try the third address, which also didn't work out. The doormen were really nice about it and probably would have let us in if we had asked them to put an "X" on our hands, since we weren't interested in drinking anyway. Oh well...
We began walking back, but across a deserted lot we saw some lights outside a building and heard music. On a whim we decided to check it out. The four of us walk up to the doorman and asked if we had to be 21. He smiled and just goes "Go on in." We tentatively walked through the door and found ourselves in a room lit with red-heart shaped lights and heart confetti and heart-shaped deserts on the tables. We were very out of place-everyone there was at least 35 or older and all in couples. One man walked over to us and said in an Australian accent, "Hello, ladies. Come on in. There are drinks and deserts over there. Help yourself and make yourself at home." We had accidentally crashed a corporate valentines day party. We awkwardly walked around the room, trying to sneak out when no one was looking. That would happen to us...
By this time it was close to 1:30am, freezing and our feet were blistered and aching. We decided to call it a night and head home after being turned down by two more places haha.
We waited for the 22 and took it back to Hayes, where we tried to catch the 21 home, but the later it is, the less frequent the buses come and the next one wasn't coming for another 45 mins. We decided to walk it and after getting 1.5 blocks down, Corinna, Barrett and I couldn't take the pain of each step and took off our shoes. The ground was so cold, we desired to touch it as little as possible with our bare feet and ended up running 6 blocks back to the house. What an eventful night haha.

SF MOMA

When I eventually do leave San Francisco, I think I will miss my times of people-filled solitude. I will miss exploring this compact environment by myself, while surrounded with strangers. Wherever I go there are people, but I actually enjoy this; it gives me a certain feeling of empowerment.

Today, my solitude took me to SF MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), where they were hosting an interesting photography exhibit called "Exposed". It encased some pretty powerful things, asking the question "What do e have the right to watch/view?" Interesting thought...

How the exhibit was set up was interesting. It bean with a few different screens of video shots playing continuously. My first thought was "How boring. Who would want to stare at a running film of the same thing for an hour?". But then I realized that I only had that perception because I have a certain view of what "film" is supposed to mean. A running frame is the same thing as a picture, essentially. Both had a very "Big Brother" feel from George Orwell's 1984. The next room contained some pretty typical photos, nothing special. The next one was more interesting with it's content and displayed images that weren't necessarily artistically composed, but hard to look at. Many were of people being tortured, lynched, killed or dead. It was very emotionally moving and did it's job of conveying a statement and challenging the boundaries of art. This was posted on the wall in that room and provides some very interesting points to think about...

Witnessing Violence

A fascination with images of suffering is integral to photography and it's history, as the moral ambiguity that adheres to such pictures. The invasive, almost aggressive looking at violent subsects that photography permits raises numerous questions. Who should look at these pictures? Can we justify intruding upon another's death? Does photography allow us to responsibly bear witness or a victims suffering or does it anesthetize us to it's horror?

The next room contained some even more radical photos that began integrating violence and abuse with sexuality. Also some very difficult images to look at. The final room to the exhibit was a theater that had a slide show running of different images that had been taken of people just hanging out to some very explicit and intimate scenes between men and women, men and men, and women and women. The objective of the exhibit was to really make a statement about voyeurism. An interesting thought on these last photos was the principle of do the boundaries of voyeurism apply when the subjects obviously know they are being photographed? In a sense, no, but as a viewer, even with that knowledge, I felt as if I was intruding upon something that is private and intimate. The camera is a battle of good and evil. We are able to document any visible scene truthfully and publish those images for the world to view. We are able to give the truth in so many colors and pigments. But, can those things also be what scares us about photography? There is no altering, no holding back on what is given to the masses-everything is bold and exposed.

On the Go with The Arc of San Francisco!

Wednesday was another great day at The Arc, though I actually didn't spend a whole lot of time at The Arc. I accompanied a group to the city college computer lab. Celia (the staff person), Marco, Sheshanda, Willie and Noah were all very welcoming. Before we left, Meredith jokingly told Marco to make sure I didn't get lost cause she didn't want to lose her helper. The entire day was pretty non-stop as we first headed to the computer lab. While traveling on the buses and streets, Marco was very attentive, telling me where we were going and making sure I was with the group at all times-it was really sweet.
I took the camera along and took some pictures of the day. While at the computer lab, I met another Arc staff, R.D. He introduced himself and knew I was interning. He then asked me if I knew Meghan, who is interning at St. Anthony's Foundation, where a group from The Arc goes to volunteer every week. I told him I did and we then enjoyed a conversation about San Francisco and his band. He is a pretty cool guy.
After lunch, the group hopped on another bus to head down to the gym. On the walk over from the bus stop, Willie decided he wanted to walk with me and then wouldn't let go of my hand the whole time after. He is such a sweet-heart. They all enjoyed some time to work out, while I again ran around snapping photos and then we headed back to the bus and to The Arc. Willie asked if he could sit next to me on the bus and then fell asleep on my shoulder.
It was a long day, but a very good day. It was incredible to get to sit in on their routine and see how well they know it and it was also a great feeling to be so welcomed into their group for the afternoon.
When I arrived back, Meredith was thrilled at the pictures I took and we put some up, with a short story on our Facebook page.

Slide on up to Twin Peaks!

First off, I'd like to mention that on Sunday, I had the privilege of attending a Baptist Church service. It was very energetic, enthusiastic and participatory; lots of "Thank you, Jesus!" and "Amen"'s going around. The people were all very welcoming, so it was a good experience.
While the weather was still nice, some of us got out and hiked up to Twin Peaks, but first we stopped by some slides we had heard about. Now these are no ordinary slides; they require cardboard boxes and are maybe about 50 ft. long and made out of concrete. They were so fast! and so fun! Barrett and I went tandem! You really do come shooting out of the bottom.

It was quite a hike up to the top of what is known as Twin Peaks (two peaks, side by side that offer two of the highest points and best views in the city...really creative name, I know).

Our phrase for the afternoon was "It'll be even better on the next tier!" and it was true...

Katie, Meghan and Corinna. Still lookin' good!

We were welcomed to the top by a magnificent sun-set.

So, obviously we had to stop and take some pictures...Corinna and I are very ninja like haha

Look how high we can jump!

Cliche, but it had to be done...LOVE

View of the beautiful city from the top of one of the peaks. The bright strip on the left is Market St., which stretches diagonally across almost the entire city.

The Castro

I liked the black and white, but honestly the picture below is a more accurate visual portrayal of this district. Although, you could argue that The Castro has some very black and white views on certain things. So, in case you don't know, this district became known as a sort of "Gay Mecca" in the 1970's. It started becoming a place that was friendly to the gay community, therefore drawing people from this group to it. The 1970's also marked the campaigns for equal rights run by Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man elected to public office. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to see the movie that was made about him. Spectacular film and story; I definitely recommend it. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that being here, in the places that these movements in society took place, is such an impacting experience. I , fairly often, am able to walk past the old location of Harvey Milk's Camera store, where his many campaigns were run out of. Castro Camera is no longer, but the store is now a location for The Human Rights Campaign, which I think is a great thing. They also have a plaque outside dedicated to "The Mayor of Castro Street" and a mural on the wall inside the store honoring what he achieved and symbolized not just for the LGBT community, but for groups everywhere of people that have suffered oppression, exploitation and violence. It is incredible how "in the dark" I was about my views. Not that I didn't have views about this topic before coming here; I now feel as if I have simply solidified them-they may have even shifted a little. Very moving, hopeful and sorrow-filled story.

Anyway, The Castro's history, powerful as it is, isn't the only thing that gives this particular part of town it's lively character. The large sign in the picture is the famous Castro Theater. I saw a showing of Breakfast at Tiffany's there last week. It was great to get out and be able to see a classic on the big screen; and I had never been to a movie by myself before, so that was a surprisingly fun and new experience. In addition to the Theater, there are many interesting shops to be looked at and explored, including a store called Hot Cookie. They have the most delicious cookies and some of the most hilarious advertisements. They have some cookies which are shaped like the human genitalia in addition to their famous "Hot Cookie" underwear, which they show off with people's pictures all over the walls wearing a pair (most of the time, just that). I can't really describe it in a tasteful way, but you have to take it in the right context-it is just funny, I promise.
And, finally, what would this dedication to this district be without sharing a story?
So, last Saturday night, Barrett and I went to a movie at The Roxy Theater, which is an old-style theater that shows more off-beat films. It was their Indie week, so we went to one and it was quite enjoyable. We decided it would be nice to just walk home, since we were on the out-skirts of The Mission. As we came to Market and Castro St., Barrett turns to me, half joking, and asks, "Want to see what the Castro is like on a Saturday night?"
"Sure! Let's do it!" was my reply.
We turned down Castro St. and began walking. We walked to the end without seeing anything too wild. There were just lots of people out, visiting the bars, restaurants and clubs. We crossed the street and began the walk back, passing a man wearing a rather conservative black dress and heels. As we continued walking, we encountered many transvestites, dressed up, hair done, excessive make up. I literally bumped into a man wearing a hot pink, skin tight dress as I tried to walk through a crowd of people who were waiting to enter a bar. As we came to the corner of Castro and Market (the end of the main strip) we spotted one of the most interesting sights I've witnessed in my short life. A man was standing on the corner with a group of friends, completely nude, save for a custom-made gold sock, placed strategically. This is going to sound completely weird, but both Barrett and I agreed that since it was The Castro, it is almost an expected sight. The main problem we had with it was that we didn't' know how to react. You are so taken aback that you want to stare, but you really don't, but if you avert your eyes you don't want others to think it is making you uncomfortable. It was one of the more hysterical experiences I've had in the city.
Can you believe I still want to live here? haha Really though, I don't want to scare you about The Castro. It is a wonderful place-one of my favorite districts in fact. Well, like I said before, I'm gainig a lot of new perspective on the world...

Dedication to some folks at The Arc

So far, working at The Arc has been an absolute blast! Each day, I'm excited to go in and see my supervisor, clients and other staff members.
First, there is Meredith, my supervisor, who has been absolutely awesome to work with. She is such an up-beat person and very easy to talk to. I am also able to learn a lot from her and she always gives me leeway on projects, standing by to help, should I need it. It's been a very positive experience getting to work for and with her.
Second, the clients have been great as well. I have to be honest and say I was a little nervous to work with people who have developmental disabilities, never having done it before. However, it has turned out to be one of the most beneficial and positive experiences of my life. So much to the point that I can definitely see myself in a career that works with this people group.
Among a few of my new friends I've made, are Connie, Howard and Wayne. Connie has been really fun to get to know; she comes in our office a couple time a day or so and jokes around with Meredith and I. She will tease me about different things and last week asked me if Meredith was a slave-driver. Meredith just laughed and said she hopped not. I assured them both that I have found her wonderful to work for.
Howard is a different character entirely; he wanders around The Arc, not afraid to get to know anyone and everyone. He is such a funny guy. I met him when I came in for my interview and from the get go, he was telling me all about how we had been friends for years and we should go to a Giants game. He came in the other day with this excellent green sparkly hat on, requesting his picture be taken (a regular request from him). He does stuff like this all the time, which brings such joy to my day. What a character. Half the time I have no clue what he is talking about, but he enjoys telling me, so I gladly listen.
Wayne is another person I've had the opportunity to get to know better. He is one of the most adorable and happy people I've ever met. He will come in our office to chat and last week, he came in and asked me if I had a lot of work. I said that I did and he proceeded to tell me that I was stressed and just needed a back massage to relieve my stress. He then walked over behind my chair and gave me one, trying to relieve my stress. I thanked him and he gave me the biggest hug before leaving and then asking Meredith if she needed a back massage too to get rid of her stress.
My co-workers have also been very welcoming and great to get to know. Among these people, is Mark, who is simply one of those people who can walk in a room and you immediately know he is an absolutely hilarious person. The second week I was there, he came in the office wanting to tell me about all his encounters with the office ghost. He claims to have heard voices (insists they are not in his head) and footsteps. He also informs me that the ghost is a woman and was angry when they were remodeling the art room, but very happy when Mark was hanging up chandeliers for an event.
In addition to the office ghost, Mark has told me a little about his former career as a drag performer. I was in charge of putting together a flyer for an art event The Arc was having at a Bear Bar (a bear is what a gay man with a more gruff, burly appearance is sometimes called in case you didn't know). Meredith told Mark to come look at the flyer to tell us what he thought, since he had been there before even though he isn't a bear. He thought it was "cute" and then sat down on the floor between our desks and goes. "Do you want to hear a story about the last time I was there and got kicked out? It had to be at least twenty years ago."
"Yes!" was our reply, knowing this would be good.
"Well, it was the 80's so I was in drag, wearing a full Madonna costume and I walk into this place. This guy who had to be over 400 lbs was sitting in the bar, only wearing a pink g-string. He says to me 'Wow, buddy, you have some nerve coming in here dressed like that.' I replied 'Well, apparently you don't own a full length mirror at home.'"
The bar tender heard him and I guess kicked him out for his comment. Hilarious.
Mark left the room, saying he was sorry he didn't have his phone on him, cause he wanted to show me some pictures of him dressed up over the weekend. Then about ten minutes later, he comes running back into our office with his phone. He come over to my desk and begins showing me all these pictures of him in drag; full make up, hair, dress, everything. So great! It has honestly been a fun experience getting to know Mark.
I am definitely having lots of new experiences here in SF and gaining some new perspectives on the world and life...