<3

Art: Max Ernst

[Rind by M.C Escher]

Why hello good friend! How do you do?

Well, well, well, I cannot grasp your idea between my hands,

yet I can somehow decipher it in my head.

How does that work?

I step foot into a dark room. All the lights are off. I sit there in darkness.

Complete and utter darkness...

Soon, one light flickers from beneath the floor board.

Wait! A transparent floor board?

Never mind that, never mind anything at that - I still sit here, in complete darkness except for the luminous light emitting from the [transparent] floor board.

One deep breath and things make sense. I begin to wonder how a room can seem so dark, yet can seem so bright.

I died that day... yet I am still here today. Jost Burgi, good fellow, can you please tell your project to slow down? Freeze it! Court it! Do something with that maddening thing, as I sit here and live.

Or die?

Oh Max, you know what I mean, don't you? You died once and you will die again. Well, you

actually did die again.

Regardless, sir, your ideas are uncanny. My heart is sold or stolen - you choose.

[Oedipus Rex]

[Ubu Imperator]

[The Blessed Virgin Chastises the Infant Jesus Before Three Witnesses] <3

[The Celestial Army]

[L'Ange du Foyer]

[The Elephant Celebes] <3

*Photos above are of Max Ernst's work, a surrealist of the 1900's. I first learned about his work during an art history course a few years ago and have always held a special place in my heart for his absurdity.

Where would we be in life without absurdity? From the words of a great man (which rightfully adorn my laptop screen), "The thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous..." -Salvador Dalí

Over and out,

Mon

Activities: Santa Susana Pass Hike

Head west on Devonshire St. until Larwin Ave.

Make a left and park on the side street

Heading farther south on Larwin you will see an opening in the fence

Say hello?

The beauty was incomprehensible that day.

A need for an escape, a breath,

inhale; exhale...

My state of mind?

Analytical, cynical, all of the above.

Falling upwards and running downwards.

Reading backwards and thinking... forward?

The mountains are calling - calling my name and yours.

Can you hear them?

Listen... listen...

[Clear blue skies; thank you, weather karma]

[Rocks north of entrance]

[Rocks north of entrance]

[Trail northwest of rocks]

Rant: Reality vs. Fiction

When reality and fiction spar we're left to decipher one from the other;
our hearts race, minds flutter, and we, simultaneously, drive to weed the real from the "fake."

What happens when the fictitious is real; when the real fictitious?
I look up into the sky - what is real?
What we touch...
What we smell...
What we speak...

Human beings thrive in the worlds of unknown.
Unknown to you. Unknown to me.

What is real?

Is it you; is it I?

No. No. We are all figments of imagination (with beating hearts/functioning minds).

I am the unknown.

Até mais!
-Monica

*Photo credit: Flickr

Rant: Last Months in LA

Finally, the countdown has begun when I can [almost] taste the bittersweet feeling of independence. As this last month dwindles to the last weeks to the last days to the last hours we will all be granted the opportunity [by sheer force, mind you] to greet a new year! Excitement is an understatement, for me at least.
As I took a look at my cell phone bill last night [ahem, 236 dollars], I have come to realize I need to a) control my cell phone usage and b) stop hating on Los Angeles. Can anyone say New Year's Resolutions? I think I might have the potential to keep these as well!

Time to address point a. Good afternoon, Credo mobile! Now, what wonderful of an idea to use the $$ you spend on a monthly basis to support non profit organizations. Check out this website for more details

Point b: my ambivalence has led me to exploring the wonders [and woes] of Los Angeles. The first enjoyable experience? Climbing at Stoney Point at Chatsworth Park! The rocks were pleasant, with plenty of grip and pockets. My brother, an avid climber, also had nothing but positive comments about the spot. I highly recommend checking the space out - it's great for youngsters as well as the middle-aged.

[Meet my other half!]

[Before the climb]

[Great lookout after climbing a boulder 1/4 up Stoney Point]

[3/4 up Stoney Point]

[3/4 up Stoney Point]

[3/4 up Stoney Point]
[ :) ]

[Fin!]

Hello, hello, hello! Caffeine addict is over and out; enjoi!