Today seemed to be a tough day for me but I manage to plow through. The Haitian dilemma is quite disturbing and the inability to get supplies in quicker with loaded planes sitting on the tarmac astounds me. It is harrowing how for all practical purposes the bodies are scooped up and lifted like during the holocaust and just dumped without any burial. I hope the people will find the strength to persevere with relentlessness.. I felt a heaviness in my heart today and it was hard to get motivated. I have no reason to complain about anything.

The good people in our lives are very important.

So this afternoon I went out to check out a health club facility ..On the way back at 5pm found myself stopping the truck to get out and take more of those darn bird photos..The light was so beautiful and some blue sky was showing up to create that warm light as it reflected off the objects..Heading home stopped in at Texas Junk and a bunch of Alley Theater folks were in some being from NYC crew as well as a few other new Hou. arrivals. That is the place to hit for used cowboy boots. It was a nice mix and of course I started taking photos. the props are all there. At least that is where a lot of folks go to get props for shoots and theater. Love how everything is very organized by category..I have the best time in there with other photographers. It is totally play time. Since it had been a while since we visited, owner, Bob Novotney and I headed to Dharma Cafe as rumor has it they need some activity. The cafes are struggling and they even hire local musicians to play. So we had to do our part. Ran into people who had been in the shop earlier and the manager of the KPFT Duane Bradley and his lovely wife and son who just returned from Egypt studying film for the last semester and then another who has an artist warehouse on the edge of town. There was a nice mix of different caliber of folks in the cafe instead of the usual all the same kind in many places I go to around Houston's establishments.. It feels good to know the folks who are part of the wheels that make up this communities eccentric colorful characters who actually make a difference in what they do..As we drove around we see how our neighborhoods becoming so gentrified to the point I can not identify where I am at times. I don't mind change if it enhances the area but the developers don't think this way. I can not imagine what the longevity is of some of these structures being put up. Not only is the character of the area disappearing but we are all getting older, more home bodies and in some cases moving away. It is nice to see the "tribe " outside of our venues in others public spaces rather than an event where you know who will be there..all of the same..

Johannes Birringer has been in Houston for a few weeks , some as a house guest in between his 'other' location. Today after two weeks of postponing we had lunch to get caught up before his departure back to UK as a post modern theater director of the company Alien Nation and professor at Brunel University in London. After having several published writings and books on contemporary art and post modern theater, he is writing a beginners hand book for young students as well as translation into Spanish. Some of my artist friends do not see the benefit of Facebook. Usually the ones most critical have never done it nor understand how they can benefit from it..He is one.

Gotta love those women.

Today a woman from India came in and I got a chronological history lesson on Gandhi through out the hair cut. It was wonderfully enriching. I am ready to rent the movie Ghandi with Ben Kingsley. I love that these kinds of conversations. Then an artist who sculpts magnificent bronzes, Margaret Lozinski, came over and we went to lunch at Bowl cafe around the corner. they have a wonderful pasole soup that I have had two days in a row. I forced myself to have the carrot apple soup with corn bits.. It is a lovely unpretentious place to dine quietly and take photos by sitting at the table near the window which casts a soft warm light as it faces north. So the last two times I have been in there with friends we end up having a mini photo session with one another. Margaret spoke about her inherited land in Alberta Canada as she and others in the surrounding area try to stop the govt. letting utility companies come in and tear up trees to put up utility lines that would only cause more harm rather than into the ground.

A few days ago another client came in who is an architect with offices and home in the Herman Park region. Through conversation I decided she best interview French conceptual artist/sculptor Bernar Venet, on Jan 22 kpft.org since it is her neighborhood . So in a few days we will ride the kiddie train with her little boy and scout out the 8 sculptures installed in the surrounding Herman Park area. This has been a 4 yr endeavor between the Texas French Alliance for the Arts with mostly private funding and only less than 5% of special projects fund in the mayor's office. I could not really wrap my head around the concept of the work to do it justice. So it seemed apropos to have Rame Hruska from Intexure.com conduct the interview. I prefer to do things as a collective as it just has more meaning for me and brings more richness to the endeavor.