Farewell Madame Varda!

I was sad to hear the news today of the passing of Agnes Varda, widely known as the mother of French New Wave Cinema. She was one of a kind.

I've written stories about her projects in the past, as I found them so moving. First, The Beaches of Agnes, which is filmed partially in Venice, and couldn't be more lovely.

More recently, I was charmed out of my socks by the wonderful Faces/Places ... and I bet you will be too.

Varda saw the humanity in all of us everywhere, and made the viewer feel it too. I hope to touch people even just a little bit as much as she did one day, and thank this legend for her inspiration always. 90 is a great run, but the loss of this marvelous woman is still a tough one. She will be missed by the entire world. 

Vive Varda!

Wish!

I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for the North Country, and so had to go greet the ocean this morning as I'll miss it while I'm home for Christmas. The waves are huge and it's like fireworks watching them, oohing and aahing at the majesty. I do the same thing when it's snowing, so I'm good most anywhere, but they're both their own kind of special. On the way back to get packing, I cut through the canals and crossed the "Wish" bridge, as it had been too dark to really read the wishes on the night of the canal parade.

The idea of putting your best wishes out there to flutter in the wind, in the hopes of them being granted ... I find it lovely. The majority of the hand written wishes were big ideas, like for the world, not the individual and that was nice to see. I'm a big fan of adventures and memories over stuff, so wishing for material things hasn't been my thing for a long time - not when we live in the world we do. Wishes need to be bigger and better ... for the whole humanity picture at this point.

That's why I zeroed in on the wish below ... that "Humanity would realize the beauty they are ... to truly be in their full potential ...  to love freely ... to find the warrior of light within." Man. I couldn't have wished any better myself. Times have gotten so mean and snarky and selfish and greedy ... that it brings you to tears when someone posts a video of someone else doing some sweet, little thing that should just be automatic. We all have it in us to be kind, to be humane ... to be giving of ourselves. There's no material thing out there that can give you the same feeling of kindness without expectation, and knowing that you made someone else feel happier, even if just for a moment. To me, that's what this season is all about. I bet if we all wish for these things together, it will just BE.

I read a great quote from Paul Klee this morning on my word a day page, and it said, "Art should be like a holiday: something to give a (wo)man the opportunity to see things differently, and to change (her) his point of view." Yes. Let us take this opportunity of this beautiful holiday to see things in a new, more humane way, not to just change our point of view, but to change this world. It can be done. With love.

So, I WISH you all a wonderful holiday! I'm going on hiatus for Christmas break back home, but I can't wait to share all of the good stories that are coming in our new year ... in our new world that we wished for. Christmas love to all!

Your Christmas Carol , CJG

A Small Step Forward In The Venice Homeless Crisis

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Pretty much everyone is bustling about getting ready for the big meal with family and friends, celebrating our gratitude and abundance. Except some people have nothing at all, and you can see that on the streets of Venice every single day. Something must be done about the absolute crisis that homelessness is in this entire country ... this country that claims to be great, but looks the other way when it comes to poverty. There is no good excuse for the squalor that is everywhere that you look in a nation that has so very much.

The Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) meeting was held last night in the Westminster School auditorium, with the 720 Rose project up for a vote. The supporters of this affordable housing project from Venice Community Housing (VCH) were out in force, clad in black t-shirts and holding red roses to show their solidarity with this plan. As opposed to the completely disgusting mayhem that was last month's Town Hall meeting on the MTA homeless housing project, this one was very civilized and respectful - thank you all for that. There were 77 speaker cards turned in, and almost all of them that we heard were in support of this project, and almost all know that this Rose project for merely 35 homes is just a drop in the bucket, but that we MUST start somewhere. There was hardly anyone there that opposed the project, as I guess they just want to yell and make a scene when news cameras and the Mayor are there. Also, the ones who oppose homeless housing tend not to offer any solutions, they just complain, so it was a relief that they mostly sat this one out. Come with solutions or zip it. Seriously.

I kind of don't get why these projects for NEW buildings keep getting proposed for millions of dollars, when there are plenty of unused large buildings all over Los Angeles that could be repurposed for affordable and low or zero income housing (In fact, it was just approved that the massive County General Hospital in downtown L.A. will be repurposed into housing for the homeless, and that will help massively. That seems to be the main opposition, the spending of big money when housing can be done for so much less (though some VNC board members were all held up on parking spaces - and how many homeless people really need parking? - and height dimensions and stuff, when really, who cares? There are big ugly houses all over Venice that they approved - and those same board members seem to be very much in cahoots with money grab developers. It's gross.). As one speaker said, "Why do you care at all about parking spaces when people are sleeping on the street?" Exactly. C'mon. We need SOLUTIONS, not just complaints, though board member Jim Murez offered up the solution of the decommissioned USS Enterprise battleship to be stationed at the end of the pier for housing, and the flippancy of it was not well-received by the community in attendance. Because it's not at all a joking matter. People are DYING on the streets. On Thanksgiving.

Several speakers had great things to say, and several mentioned that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and why not try some humanity, for goodness sakes! Most were longtime Venice residents, again as opposed to the awful Town Hall that was mostly all NIMBYs behaving badly. Many mentioned that they want to "Keep Venice, Venice" - meaning welcoming, accepting, and diverse. An eclectic community worthy of its legend and history. My friend, Alice Stek, was there and I thought had the best and truest comment of the night when she said that those board members opposed to the project, "Your opposition is actually opposition to poor people in the community." Which is sad, because Venice has never been an enclave for the wealthy. When I first lived in Los Angeles, I lived in Beverly Hills. I couldn't wait to get out of there and live in Venice, where I hung out every weekend. All of my B.H. friends were opposed, saying it was sketchy and dangerous and a dump. Well, times change, but the people that made Venice great in the first place have not. They're here, they're proud, and they have hearts. At least most of them do.

At meeting's end, VNC Board President, Ira Koslow, said, "Well, that was surprisingly pleasant!", and he was right. People who support affordable and supportive housing are generally civil and polite and want what's best for everyone, and not just out for themselves and their property or resale values. The project passed with a 9-4-1 vote, with the expected people voting as expected. It's a tiny step toward solving this terrible crisis, but at least it's doing SOMETHING. I honestly am still not sure if it's a good or bad project in the long run, but time will tell. I mean, your friend CJ STILL needs affordable housing, so this hits close to home. I'm also working on our documentary 90291: VENICE UNZIPPED, and we shot our homeless family the last couple of weeks, and I know how hard life is for them (but it looks like they're getting housing - THANK YOU ST. JOSEPH'S CENTER!), so this whole issue might mean more to me than someone else, but it SHOULD mean something to us all. Because we're a COMMUNITY. Everything that happens here affects us all, and it really could be you someday. I hope it's not, but don't get too comfortable in this crazy world. I don't have all the answers, or any really, for this ENORMOUS issue, but I do know that SOMETHING must be done.

So, tomorrow we all take a break from that crazy world to gather and give thanks for all of the good stuff in our lives ... but that also means DOING good. Gratitude is the Glory.

Happy Thanksgiving, Venice! Thank you.

Do Good To All!

Thank God it's Friday. For real. It's been a hard week in California, with people picking up the pieces from the wildfires, breathing bad air, and the general feeling of what's next that we'll have to deal with? Then we shot a wonderful, beautiful homeless family for our documentary 90291: VENICE UNZIPPED this week, and I found myself wondering how come there's an outpouring of help and support for the fire victims in the Malibu area (as there should be), but those same people coming out of the woodwork to help the (generally wealthy and insured) folks affected by the fire (when it's trendy) generally just walk on by the thousands of people living on the street with nothing every day. It bothers me. Especially when a call for help went out asking for "Only new, not used" items, like Malibu people could only accept new fashion brands for help, keep your used stuff. Like, really? There are people who would be THRILLED to have ANYTHING, but please, for Malibu, only give new, preferably name brands was the vibe (plus, what a waste in the already super-polluting fashion industry). I believe we are meant to help EVERYONE, with any and every thing we are able to, when and if we can. And we usually can.

DeShawn, Nikol, and their babies, Jade and Diamond live on the streets of Venice. They are college graduates. They are artists. And they are homeless, due to multiple circumstances. The couple met on the Boardwalk, and their devotion to each other, and their children, is tear-jerking, if you weren't already emotional from just the fact that they live in a tent with two daughters under two years old - which I was.

Even with all of their harsh realities, DeShawn and Nikol have the best attitudes and spirits of almost anyone I've ever met. Just wait until you watch our film and hear their beautiful philosophies on life,  and you won't be able to help feeling a little guilty about any little complaint you might have about your own, most likely comfortable, lives. It's truly awe-inspiring that they can move through this world with such grace and calm, when so many are so much less with so much more. I checked myself, as should we all, really.

When the family was tucking in for the night in a tent on the cold sidewalk by public storage, I was a mess inside. I was also freezing, and I wasn't about to sleep on concrete with two babies. Yet once again, DeShawn and Nikol were just practical and doting on their babies, making sure they were warm and cozy far more than themselves. They are not the typical homeless story these days. They are driven in their art, they aren't on drugs, and they are a seemingly far more happy family than many in Los Angeles who have everything they could ever need - and more. Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it does buy you a warm bed and a roof over your head, and that's the only thing this wonderful little family doesn't have. Yet. We're all working on it. (You can help too, by buying some art from them when you see them on the Boardwalk!)

There is so little affordable housing in Venice now (believe me, I know), and I fear that compassion, humanity, and empathy is getting just as scarce. Then, every once in a while, you hear of someone helping just out of the goodness of their heart, and you are encouraged to go on. To stay. To fight. To help.

After all of the beauty and emotion (and art!) of the week, we decided to pile on and experience some more, this time at the excellent Ai Wei Wei exhibit Life Cycle at the Marciano Art Foundation. I love Wei Wei, and his dedication to putting a spotlight on the human condition worldwide. This show (his first in Los Angeles!) is about refugees and freedom of speech, among other hefty topics, but most of all, it's beautiful and inspiring (and free!).

I love a good quote, and there are many surrounding this show, again full of beauty and inspiration, but also majorly thought-provoking.

I believe we can absolutely do good to all who come into our orbit, as even the smallest act of kindness can create change for the better in someone's life, and I'm sure going to try. I hope you will join me. As I often say, we're all in this together. Plus, it's almost Thanksgiving, so let's focus on being grateful - and helpful. Happy Weekend of doing good!

*Happy 168th Birthday to Abbot Kinney (and to dear Vavine, my Ai Wei Wei co-adventurer!)

Faces Places - The Power Of Imagination

When it's May Gray days, you kind of just want to hunker down and watch a movie or something, right? There used to be a section on Netflix (when you got the dvds in the mail) where it said something like "People in Venice, CA are watching:" and it never let me down. It let me know that I was living in the right place, that my community shared my general views and tastes, and it turned me on to several films that I might not have otherwise known about. Like The Beaches Of Agnes.

Agnes Varda is the "Grandmother of the French New Wave", and was a resident of Venice, where our beach was featured in her beautiful film from 2008. The Beaches Of Agnes was so great, that I will watch every other thing she ever does, and last chilly night I snuggled in with a blanket to watch her newest film, Faces Places ... and I loved it just as much - maybe more.

Varda is a tiny little woman, who reminds one of an elderly Rachel Dratch (of SNL fame), but with a Friar Tuck-like  two-toned hair-do, for fun. I adore her. What a font of pure inspiration! She embarks on road trips around rural France with the photographer/muralist JR (a hip, young enthusiastic French dude who never takes off his shades, to Varda's annoyance), and they shoot everyday people doing everyday things, and then make them huge and grand and important looking by pasting them up on the side of giant buildings, bridges, water towers, barns ... and the result is pure beauty.

In one part of the film, Varda says, "The point is the power of imagination." And it is. Their ideas and conversations and art all celebrate both imagination and humanity, in such a lovely way that most likely you will both laugh and cry, like I did. When you see an elderly woman (who is the last person remaining in her village that is going to be torn down) come outside and see her photo on the outside of her house, and be so moved ... you can't help but be moved yourself. It reminds me a bit of the also excellent documentary Wasteland, where you witness the same sheer glory of real people.

I always go back to the Einstein quote that goes, "Remember your humanity and forget the rest", and this film helps you to do exactly that. If you're looking for a wonderful escape from all the ugliness and meanness and sadness all around us in the world today, here you go. An hour and a half where I thought of nothing but the grace and love that remains all around us, if you can just let yourself be open to it. Our own faces and places are still pretty great too, just look around.  It would be awesome if Varda and JR returned to Venice to capture some of our Visages Villages (the original French title - oh, it is in French with sub-titles, but you can do it!) Enjoy!

Thank you, Madame Varga!

Let's Be Better Humans - With The I Have A Name Project

What an excellent morning. I had my gorgeous beach walk, and wound up chatting with a dude on a lifeguard tower all about the ocean and nature and how and if we can save it. He thought that by us even having that chat with each other as strangers was a good start. It was really good to know that there are others out there thinking like you do in these times. Then, on the way back from the sand, I saw this big, magic bus parked on the side of the road, with "Let's Be Better Humans" painted on both sides of it. I had to know more, and luckily for me, the bus driver was there.

Jon Linton, founder of the I Have A Name Project was about to take off to Skid Row to go help the homeless, but invited me aboard the bus to tell me about his organization. Linton started this wonderful campaign after volunteering at a homeless shelter and being told by one of its residents that he was touched, because no one ever asked him his name. "You have no idea how long it's been since someone cared to ask me who I am. We are the forgotten, the walking invisible," said the homeless veteran, Chuck Ridgeway. That gave Linton both the idea to do something to help these people - and the name for it. (I had a similar experience myself while volunteering at PATH in downtown L.A., when a man told me it had been so long since someone had looked him in the eye. It's the little things that bond us together, and that is just basic human respect.)

Linton began photographing the plight of the homeless, which led to feeding and clothing thousands in need, photographic exhibitions, mural projects, and a book. The Let's Be Better Humans revolution began because ... just look around. We need a revolution of love and humanity. We exist for one another, we can make a difference, and we can leave this world a better place than we found it ... but only if we do better.

The Let's Be Better Humans hits the streets twice a month to do just that. They distribute backpacks filled with socks, a rain poncho, snacks, and bottled water. FYI - Backpacks and socks are the most requested items in shelters, and the least donated. There's one way to help right there. Linton had just been in Venice to give out clothes in a little pop-up shop they created on the Boardwalk, and they were cleaned out in no time flat by the grateful houseless residents of Venice.

This is the kind of thing I just love, and I was honored to accept the marker Linton handed me to sign one of the seats of the Let's Be Better Humans bus. People from all over have joined this revolution, and their autographs cover every surface of this fantastic vehicle. My heart was full as I stood on the sidewalk, waving farewell to Linton as he honked and headed off to Skid Row. It does the soul good to know that there are still good people doing good works out there ... but it does it even better to do them yourself.

You can do as Linton says ... "Whether it's advocating for the homeless or the planet, you can make an impact. Don't wait for a hero, become a superhero. Never underestimate the power of ONE. Follow your heart and step into action."

Done. Thank you for an inspiring moment of an already inspiring day, Mr. Linton. And thank you to Venice for still being a place where magical encounters like this are not the exception, but the norm. C'mon, Everybody! Let's be better humans! One Love.

https://www.facebook.com/THEIHAVEANAMEPROJECT

https://twitter.com/_IHaveAName_

https://www.instagram.com/theihaveanameproject/

https://www.ihaveaname.org/contact 

Thanks For Sharing Your Heart

Sometimes just walking around town, you come across the sweetest things. I saw this little sign on a post on Electric Avenue, and my own heart was warmed. Hi, Thanks for sharing your heart.

I gather that it was first just a heart, and then someone came along and thanked them for it. I love this exchange between, I assume, strangers, and just that someone would take the time for either action.

Good job, humanity! Thank you for your hearts.

Smile

I noticed this great shirt by street artist Wrdsmth at the In Heroes We Trust party last week.

It's great because it's so true, and because it's so easy to do.

In a time when social media is making us all more anti-social. Seriously, People. Take a look around you at a show or restaurant or anywhere really, and look at all the droids smiling at their phones instead of the people around them. It's turning into Wall-E around here.

When you're pouring your heart out to someone and realize they haven't heard a word because they're so caught up in their phone, you realize just how detached from real life and real people we're all becoming. When you're at the show of a lifetime and you look around and see that almost everyone there is watching it through their screens instead of soaking up the feeling of rock and roll and freedom and gathering with like-minded cool people ... it's just sad.

I realize it's all here to stay - and most likely get worse - but just try to tear your eyes away from the screen a few times a day, and genuinely look into someone else's. Let's all try our best to stay human.

Smile!

Life Rolls On At The Venice Skatepark

Saturday was a beautiful day to put the spotlight on a beautiful cause, as Life Rolls On took over the Venice Skatepark.

Life Rolls On was founded by Jesse Billauer, after he broke his neck surfing in 1996, and became a quadriplegic. Determined to surf again, Billauer and his friends banded together to make that happen. He joined forces with the Dana and Christopher Reeve Foundation to create Life Rolls On, helping others afflicted with disabilities to make their own dreams of fun and active lives a reality.

Kids and adults missing limbs, stuck in wheelchairs or otherwise physically impaired, filled the Venice Skatepark with laughter, hoots and hollers when someone stuck a trick, and total inspiration.

Seeing these young people - and all the wonderful volunteers helping them - defy their conditions and just GO for it made it all but impossible to ever complain or make excuses not to try something new and possibly scary. Especially if you have all your abilities intact.

Tourists and locals alike surrounded the railings of the Skatepark, yelling their encouragement. Looking around at all the positivity and possibility, it gave you the feeling that together, humanity can make just about anything happen.

So awesome.

Delores Has Come Home!!!

The hills are alive ... with the sound of bike bells! Everybody! You are not going to BELIEVE this! So ... pretty much everyone knows I had my bike stolen last month and that it was very sad for me. Reallly. I'd never had a bike stolen, not even as a kid, so I didn't know how bad it felt, especially for someone who is constantly on hers. I would like to apologize now to anyone who ever told me their bike had been stolen that maybe I didn't give deep enough sympathy to. It sucks.

So then I got mad, and thought, I'm telling everyone about this and I'm getting that bike back. I don't know if I really thought I would, but I was sure going to try. I wrote an article about my loss and the state of crime affairs in Venice (see below) and dear Jim Smith from the Free Venice Beachhead put it on the front page of that beloved local paper. Walking down the streets, people would yell, "Sorry about your bike!" or "I've got my boys looking out for your bike, if she's in Venice, you'll get her back." A friend in Minnesota even wrote me to say he'd looked on LA's Craig's List to see if anything matching her description came up (Thanks, dear John Evans!). It was nice to know that people even still cared about such things, to be honest. But Delores was still gone.

Well ... Blogtown is now THRILLED to report that we have our first neighborhood victory, and that our faith in humanity is RESTORED!!! OK ... so last Saturday I came home and checked my email quick for an address to a party I was attending. At the top of my inbox was a message from Jim Smith with a subject line saying "DELORES ALERT!" WHAT?! I got chills before I even clicked it open. Inside, it said, "A reader called to say he thinks he knows where your bike is. Call Peter at #310.......". I let out a scream with a pitch that drew dogs, and dialed Peter immediately.

A guy answered and I explained who I was and that I'd written the article in the Beachhead and understood he might have info on my stolen bike. He said that about a month ago, a guy came riding up to him and asked if he wanted to buy the bike he was riding for $40 (um ... Delores would hate to know how cheaply she'd been sold for, so let's keep that to ourselves). Peter asked if it was stolen, as he had a feeling it was, but the guy said of COURSE not. Peter and his girlfriend, Nancy, had both recently had THEIR bikes stolen, and were in need, so he bought ol' Delores for the 40 bones. He said the guy was Caucasian, mid to late 30's, salt and peppery hair that was kinda curly, decently/cleanly dressed, and a little jittery, "like he parties a lot". I don't think I know the guy, but look out for him and LOCK your bikes, or better yet, bring them inside. Peter thought he might steal a bike in the Marina, ride it to Venice, sell it to someone there, steal a Venice one and ride it to the Marina and try and sell it to someone he'd just stolen one from, and repeat. Supply and Demand. Quite a racket. Thief.

Then the plot thickened. Peter said he had Delores for a few weeks ("She rides great". I know.), and then this OTHER guy came up and said, "Hey, that's my bike. It got stolen a few weeks ago." LIAR!! But Peter didn't know that, so he said he'd bought her from some guy for $40, and sorry about that. The guy said he'd give him $20 to get her back. When Peter hedged about that, the guy shrugged and had the nerve to say, "Karma"! So they each were out $20, but the bike was back where she belonged. Or so Peter and Nancy thought.

Cut to: Last weekend, Peter and Nancy are enjoying breakfast aboard the boat they live on in the Marina, reading the friendly neighborhood paper, The Beachhead. The title Jim put on "Help! My Bike Has Been Kidnapped!" caught their attention and they read the article. Peter said to Nancy, "I think that was this girl's bike". He noted the stickers, etc ... and was practically sure, so he TOOK THE TIME to track down a number for The Beachhead, where someone passed him on to Jim, who emailed me, who called Peter and jumped around and screamed like a Jonas Brothers fan-girl. I described every detail to him, and he'd been waiting for me to tell him about the seat, which is pretty distinctive, with inlaid black flame etching on it, and when I said that, he said, "It's your bike". There was just one problem ... he hadn't seen the guy who took her in a few days. We talked a bit more, he laughed at my total and absolute glee, took my number and said he'd call as soon as he saw the guy again. We hung up and I called my Mom, who said I sounded exactly like I did when I was excited about something at the age of 5. That whole night I told the story of the almost-return of sweet Delores.

Then three days went by. I left messages for Peter, un-returned. I started to get a sinking feeling, like, "Oh, NO. PLEASE don't let this be a person who was messing with me, because that would be really, really dark." I did not want to believe that would even be possible. Finally, I couldn't take the not knowing anymore, so had my dear friend Nathan call up so it would be a different number calling. Peter answered and explained to Nath that he hadn't seen the guy since we'd spoken and was feeling kind of nervous about it, and having gotten me all excited, but would call the minute he saw him again. I started to feel nervous too, like so close, but no Delores cigar-ette (both her namesakes were red-headed smokers, by the by. No nonsense broads).

Only about an hour or two passed, and my sweet friend Erinn came by to go to lunch with me. As we were getting up to leave, Nathan's phone rang. It was Peter, saying he saw the guy RIGHT NOW, and to come right away. One look at Erinn, who said, "I'm not missing this, I'll drive!" So Nathan, Erinn and I piled into her car and sped to the Marina. Peter said to turn down Mindanao, so we took the right and rolled by slow, like gangstas. All of a sudden, I said, "Oh my gosh, I think that's Delores!" It was like (um, kind of) when you hear of kidnapped kids being returned and they're not sure it's them at first, they look different, but you just KNOW. She was parked next to a scary rusty red van, looking naked and vulnerable. We then saw a guy in one of those sun-hats with the drawstring, waving his arms over his head. We pulled in and pulled up to him, and I said out the window, "Are you Peter?" He was, and he said, "She's right over there", pointing to the van and who I correctly thought was Delores. I had chills all over again. I jumped out and hugged him and his sweet girlfriend, who were all smiles, and could not have been nicer. They didn't want any money, they just wanted to see a little justice, and make someone's day, as they knew how it felt to get a bike stolen themselves. AHHH, the HUMANITY!!! In a good way.

A slightly different story was unfolding on the other side of the van. Nathan is a pretty straight-forward fellow, and he walked directly over there and said to the guy standing there, "Mate, this is my friend's bike, and I'm taking it now." The guy was not having it and said he was owed $20 and she wasn't going anywhere until he got it. Nathan said, "It's not your bike, it's hers standing right over there, and there's an article in the paper to prove it." Basically, SEE YA.

He walked Delores over to me, and sure enough, it was her. Her basket was gone, her lock was gone, her bell was gone, her stickers had been scraped off, except for partial Heal The Bay, and the Obama one was still there, cool and collected, like the Man himself. Oh, and he'd also added some gross pigeon feathers or something to the front, which were immediately stripped away. After a good scrub, new basket, new bell, and lots of love, I am confident she will recover from her traumatic DOUBLE-theft experience.

I was seriously over-joyed, insisting that we get our photo together, and as they wouldn't accept any money, Peter Anston and Nancy D'Aquino will soon be the recipients of one of my Key Lime Pies, which we will eat on their boat and talk about the GOOD in people over. Alan, the one who said it was his bike, will not be getting any pie, but by the end of it all, he wanted in on a photo too. Hilarious. When he came over to keep complaining about his $20, Peter said, "So we both paid $20 to do the right thing", and then turned the tables on ol' Alan, shrugged, and said, "Karma". INDEED.

I hugged Peter and Nancy hard, and said, "You have made a lot of peoples' days with this". But they did more than that ... they helped me to REALLY know that there is still GOOD out there. That lots of people still want to do the right thing. That a sense of COMMUNITY really IS alive and well out here ... and that we truly are all in it together. And that feels so, so great.

I gotta go now ... there is about to be a One Bike (DELORES!!!) Parade, up and down the Venice Boardwalk, smiling and waving to announce her return. Honestly, if this can happen in Venice, ANYTHING can!! ONE LOVE!

*Deep and heartfelt THANKS to Jim Smith & The Free Venice Beachhead, and the wonderfully darling Peter Anston and Nancy D'Aquino!!! Surface and begrudging thanks to that dude Alan.