.:My, oh, my, you pretty thing, it's about that time for us to leave:.

About 1.5 hours ago, I walked to the grocery store. On my journey back, I went through a construction area behind my house. My neighborhood is slightly sketchy, and I was watching my back the whole time since it had just gotten dark. This poster struck me, though, and all of a sudden, I felt like the assailant.

The poster reads:

Artists & 'Hipsters' - How are you [something - I'll go look at it again later] to gentrify East Austin? What are you doing to fight it?

This is something I've asked myself since moving to the East side, and I guess I didn't expect to see something so blatant posted right behind my house. It makes me think about my life here even more. Maybe South Austin is the place for me, after all, because it's obvious that some people like the way things are. I cannot blame them for that.

.:Turkey lurkey lee and turkey lurkey loo:.

It is now, officially, Thanksgiving. I'm pretty excited. It's going to be super.

I'm trying to figure out some things about my life right now. I'm not perplexed by anything in particular other than the recent passing of sweet Jonathan Howard. I wrote about that in my previous post. Anyway, I just feel like right now is a good time for me to sit down and try to reorganize, regroup, and revamp, if need be. First things first, cleaning the room. It's been over a month since I've washed my sheets! I can't believe I let them go that long. It has been a very busy time for me lately.

So, as I reorganize, regroup, and revamp these upcoming weeks (and celebrate my 23rd birthday!!!!), I intend to keep in mind where the past year and a half have taken me, what they have shown me, and how I feel a tiny bit wiser. I am surrounded by people who challenge me daily, and that is one thing I have always looked for - not in a competitive way, but in a way to learn and grow.

I sound like a treehugger. I kind of am these days, but alas, I do not care. I am who I am, and I'm very, very much alright with this person I am guaranteed to be with for the rest of my life. . . and the other voices in my head. ;)

.:Put out the fire in your head and lay with me tonight:.

There are so many things I will never understand about this life, and death is the main one. Everyone knows about how much it still hurts me that I lost one of my very best friends, the former love of my life, and that was over 3 years ago. Not a single day goes by that I don't have him in my head. To think that someone else has to go through something even worse than this is absolutely devastating, to lose a love so beautiful and true, to watch the man of her dreams wither away during his last months, days, hours, seconds. . . It kills me to think about it, and I cannot imagine how she must feel right now.

Jenice lived on my freshman hall and I loved how crazy and strange she was. She isn't a very good driver, but she's brilliant and kind and has a laugh like no other. Most people wouldn't see her as conventionally beautiful, but she has this incredible charm about her, one that is all her own. She met Jonathan, and although he was a little shorter than her (this girl is really freakin' tall), it didn't seem to matter. I remember seeing them PDA all over campus, and I know I made fun of them a few times, but I always thought it was beautiful how they found each other, appreciated each other, and weren't afraid to show people how much they were in love.

Jonathan passed away last night, and I'm sure the Earth stopped moving for a moment to mourn the passing of such a kind, gentle person and the love he had for this amazing, quirky lady. They were engaged not too long after he discovered he had Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare cancer, that was the cause of his unfortunate passing. I'm sure the doctors did all that they could do, and so did sweet Jenice. She informed everyone of his progress, his treatments, and his final days. She was there beside him every single step, and I know it has to have been the most painful thing she has ever gone through. And now, he is no longer with us. She is attempting to be happy for him because he is now with God. I hope there is a special Heaven for him, to be honest. In my opinion, people who suffer so much, yet are still so wonderful, deserve a place even better than we could possibly imagine. In his final pictures, he was smiling, but literally dying on the inside. It breaks my heart to even write that.

This weekend, I had tea lights spread throughout Space12 in honor of Jonathan and Jenice, but I feel that wasn't enough. This unfortunate situation, one that seems fictional, more like something in a movie or a book than in real life, I feel it deserves more commemoration, even from someone who barely knew Jonathan and hasn't been very close to Jenice for a few years.

Again, I will say what I have said over and over again. If you love someone, let them know and do not be afraid.

.:And we'll grow kindness in our hearts for all the strangers among us until there are no strangers anymore:.

The past few days have been a whirlwind for me as we have been preparing for the East Austin Studio Tour, and they have definitely been worth it. I was stressed out last week a little bit, but then I calmed down and remained calm until tonight. I lost it a little bit, and Matt called me on it, which I was mad about but realized afterward he was right. It has definitely been a learning experience, but I can gladly say that 98% of the time, I have been extremely excited. I'm not sure I will be able to sleep tonight because of my anticipation for tomorrow. It's going to be huge, I can feel it.

Last night, I was thinking about how this place, Space12, has become this incredible symbol in the lives of those who have enabled its transformation. It once was this place that was filled with illegal activity, dangerous situations, and very unfortunate endings for some. The neighborhood around it was shaped by it in ways. But now, now that it has turned into this great space to have social gatherings, neighborhood meetings, barbeques, birthday parties, swing dance nights, etc., it is truly humbling to see the response of those who were involved in its former state. It is also pretty incredible to see our community at Vox come together, offer our talents to one another, help each other, and put together this wonderful weekend of glistening talent - free to the public. It is truly beautiful. I simply cannot believe I am apart of something this amazing.

I had always hoped I could be some sort of part of something huge one day. I've been told my entire life that I was meant for great things, and I think that I've believed it for the majority of that time, and that notion has driven me to where I am today. I had never expected this, though. It has brought me to tears lately, which really isn't that hard to do, truth be told. However, it moves me that I am but 22 years old and I have a small hand in such an incredible thing that gives back to the community and the art world as a whole. I can only hope that people can be inspired by the things they view this weekend, the artists they speak to about their work, and the transformation of some of the spaces on the East side to art venues and the like.

All I have to say is damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.
And thank you. You know who you are.

.:You never get what you want, do you baby?:.

Before I post anything, I must announce that KGSR said Patty Griffin is recording a gospel album. I almost cried at the mere thought of how beautiful that will be. That woman single-handedly shakes my very soul.


To update the most previous post, I feel I must take back the comment where I said the chemistry overpowers the distance. Distance: 1. Chemistry: 0. Better luck next time, I suppose, but this one surely did throw me for a loop. I guess I need to work on not giving in after I feel it's right, but how is that supposed to work, exactly? Please supply any advice. My skills are obviously lacking in holding out in the heart department (but they're still running strong elsewhere). I am quite exhausted with being let down. Please, Austin. Please generate for me a suitable love interest. These boys just won't do. How about a man this time?


In more upbeat news, I've had an exhausting yet exciting day. I've been preparing Space12 for the East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) all day, and it looks really great. I spaced out the furniture and moved out a lot of unnecessary things that were in the community center. Hopefully, people will get a better feel for the art and be able to mingle a bit. There is one gathering set-up that I was having fun with, and I hope it works the way I intended it to. You'd have to see it to understand, but it's pretty exciting to see everything and everyone come together.

We've already set up the artwork for Ortega Elementary. Those kids are talented! It took me back to etching we would do when I was younger. Etching was my favorite, actually. The teacher is so sweet. I know she really cares about her kids.

I submitted the photos for my printing. It is going to be very expensive, but it will look really nice. I decided to go with a door theme from my Europe photos. I have some really great prints, and I'm excited to see them on the walls! When everything gets put up, I think I will cry. This has been such a great experience for me, and I am overwhelmed by how excited I am in anticipation for this upcoming weekend to be able to talk to people about art, Space12, the east side, etc. It's going to be wonderful, and it makes me a billion times more glad that I live where I live and do what I do.


I've had a few moments lately where I will be driving around or sitting somewhere and I stop and thank God for everything she's done for me. I couldn't ask for a better life, really. Everything in it is so good to me, especially my beautiful friends, near and far. My sweet, sweet Sarah has been so gracious to me throughout our friendship, but especially lately since my heart has been a little sore. I have so many kind people who want to see me happy in my life, and I hope that they know that I tell my "Indian woman" God that I love everyone she's given me.

.:Do they collide? I ask and you smile:.

I met someone really incredible. Maybe I shouldn't be writing this on this blog, but I'm genuinely excited and hopeful and terrified, so I figured I could share. Some things just feel right, you know? The distance does factor in, but the chemistry overpowers that. I guess I get to find out what happens next either way.


Next weekend is huge for me, and I feel like I'm running out of time. I also have no money, so my credit cards are about to be full again. This isn't a good feeling, but I know that things happen for a reason and everything works out. Let's just hope that I can start making some clothes that sell because I'm a little worried, to be honest.

Dear Economy,
Let's be friends again, shall we?
Love,
SavannahRed

.:Papa's got a brand new bag:.

Honestly, I live such an interesting life. Strange things happen to me all the time, along with the random, the unpleasant, the unsettling, and the awesome. Yesterday, I was delighted to find that the song I was singing to myself in the car was actually on the radio just as I turned it on. Those times in my life are what I live for.

Today, I was quite annoyed with some aspects of the world. I got numerous phone calls within minutes of each other from credit card companies wanting to speak to the "owner of SavannahRed." "You've got me," I would reply. Begin schpeel. Enter interruption - "I'm sorry, this is the 5th call I've received in the past hour, and I would like all of you to know I'm not interested and never call me again." I wanted to say things like, "Your company should burn in hell," but I didn't. After I gave part of my interruption speech, one guy said, "Isn't that amazing?" And I said, "No, it's ANNOYING! DON'T CALL ME EVER AGAIN!" Then my head explodes like a fembot.

I don't usually get that angry, but this was absurd.


Today, I made my lettuce wraps for Gina. They were incredible! It has been over a year since I made them, and we didn't skip a beat until they were all gone. Here's the recipe:

Sauce:
2 tbls oil
2.5 tbls red curry paste
3/4 cup crushed peanuts
2.5 tbls sweetener of choice (brown sugar is best, but I used Splenda)
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
salt
fresh limes

Wraps:
green leaf lettuce
chopped carrots
bean sprouts
peanuts/cashews
basil
mint
chicken
fresh limes
soy sauce

For sauce, heat oil first. Throw in the red curry paste and sautee briefly. Put in the coconut milk, sweetener, and peanuts, adding a little bit of salt and lime juice to taste. Let simmer 10-15 minutes. Let it cool down before indulging in its goodness.

Cut the chicken into small pieces and cook it in soy sauce and little bit of fresh lime juice.

To assemble, be creative!

.:Oh Mary Jo, I'm so alone, yeah, and I never wanna feel this way again:.

I was browsing the "Men Looking for Women" section of Craigslist (I do this quite often), and I came across this very intriguing ad. Click here.

Yeah, so, I wasn't exactly sure what to think, so I followed their directions and came across their "Double Date Us" video collection. Here we go. . .




I emailed them. Here was the content of that message:

Double Date in Austin!

Hey guys -

My friend Lilia and I are totally up for a double date with you two. When are you getting to Austin? Let us know!

Rock on,

[SavannahRed] and Lilia
(I used my real name in the email)

They replied tonight! Here's what they said:

[SavannahRed] and Lilia,
We are DOWN. We'll be out there before January hopefully. Send over some pics or add us on facebook/myspace, and we'll party. Our names are David [Last Name Here] and Ethan [Last Name Here]. Be in touch!
-Dave

It's on!

.:The funny thing about money for sex - you might get rich but you die by it:.

SavannahRed is getting political.

Ok, I'll explain why I voted for Obama. I don't talk about politics very much, even when entered into a conversation about it (Gina can attest to that), but I'm ready to explain a little bit as to why I chose him. I won't cover all of his issues because I don't know all of them, honestly, but these are important to me and his choices fit. These are in no particular order.

1) Abortion. I'm pro-choice because I feel like a woman should have the choice to make the very painful decision (most of the time, it is the most painful decision they have ever made and they live with that for the rest of their lives) of whether or not to keep her fetus. I feel that it is a person's right to do what he or she wants to do to his or her body, and I feel that one person's religious views should not have an effect on another's decisions, especially if their religion (or lack thereof) is different than the other's. (Really, though, what happened to separation of church and state? Can we add "church and vagina" in there, too? Yeah. I just said the v-word.)

2) Gay Marriage. Although he isn't a supporter of gay marriage, he does support civil unions. I would prefer the former, but he has stated that he would leave it up to individual states to decide for themselves, and I feel like that's at least fair enough on his part since he doesn't completely support it anyway. He's at least letting them have a chance, in my opinion. I hope that one day, they will be able to have that freedom because, really, what does this even matter to straight people? Do they feel threatened by gay people getting married? Do they not know which side to sit on when they attend the service? What is it?! I've never understood this. I guess it could be a religious issue (and most likely is for the majority), but I think that discrimination needs to change, regardless of what could be distorted from the Bible. Yep. I said that, too.

3) Equality. This man wants us to be united again, to stand and gather together like we're brothers and sisters, to allow each other to live freely and openly, and to treat each other with respect. It's like he's our dad or something, trying to teach us how to grow up and stop hitting each other, but work together, end violence, be a peaceful group of people, and help each other. He wants us to be a community, not just a country. I ache to see this place in harmony, and I feel that he shares in that sentiment.

4) Gun control. This has always been an issue for me, and I agree that we need tighter gun control. Maybe Bobby Mallin would be alive if this had been in place about 2 years ago. It's obvious that he cares more about potentially saving lives than killing animals for fun.

5) War. All I'm going to say about this is that I woke up one morning during this campaign season and said that I will do whatever I can to prevent anyone - parents, siblings, relatives, friends, acquaintences, perfect strangers - from having to go through what I have been through since losing Nathan. No one should ever have to bear that pain, and I know his family has felt it even more so, and although they are strong supporters for McCain, I am still voting for Obama for them, too.

So, that's it in a nutshell.