out of town

i will be in san jose for five days visiting martha and steve, flying early on new years day. it is always a delight to visit with them. the body of water project is still progressing, but not completed. it is so much work but going to be wonderful. january and february are busy months ~ i will be on bbsradio.com again january 12, saturday night at 7pm, a fireside chat with the zany mystic. my friend patrick will be in town for ten days staring the 19th and it is art week in los angeles leading up to my birthday. i have feng shui workshops in february, los angeles and berkeley are planned... and am hoping to teach in other places also. before that is the pottery show in pasadena... and after that i am in dallas. each and every thing will be wonderful. what an abundance of wonderfulness! happy new year! and get yourself on my calendar if you want some face time!

the naked poet

charles rosenberg, dj at the standard hotel, nutritionist and gardener, vintage clothing and decorative arts expert, and friend... was perusing a used bookstore when he happened on a copy of the naked poet by gavin dillard and, for obvious reasons, peaked inside. he was greeted by four lines of my poetry. and bought the copy for me. i have not seen or even heard from gavin in years and years. but having once seen him, you have been spoiled to look on anything else. gavin and i met at a reception for exene cervenka (x) back in the eighties... she was reading poetry at an underground los angeles club, henry rollins was there also... it was quite the scene! gavin and i became attractive friends ~ he attracted to my (unclaimed) talent, i attracted to his (undeniable) beauty. we planned several projects together (child harold at the zoo ~ my writing, his drawings ~ was one) but nothing ever manifested ~ his backers were more fronters. he wrote me often from various places but our lives crossed less and less as the years passed. the naked poet was published in 1989 with a dedication to christopher isherwood (who liked one of gavins ditties, but then who didnt?) and four lines from my lost book, flowers of ecstasy, to launch it. he made a spectacular splash (emphasis on spectacle since he always gave his readings in the nude) and brought people who had never read a poem to poetry readings. it may be they have still not read a poem... but they bought his book. and one of those ended up in charles rosenbergs handy hands this many years later. and now into mine. what a walk down amnesia lane! charles rosenberg is one of those people who knows everyone who is cool and knows every cool thing that is happening in town. and he knows me! he is quite a journalistic writer and reviewer and has worked for many respected magazines. we have tried many the vegetarian restaurant together and enjoyed company and conversation. the low point of our relationship happened when he was writing for los angeles magazine and my meditation class was named the chattiest meditation class in la (which it may be). he did not write it ~ his cunt editor did, changing his succint prose about my esoteric class without his knowlege. the high point of our relationship was having cocktails one evening at the standard hotel while he played music. my friend millie was there too. we were all dressed. but it was sheer poetry.

to see my poetry: http://royanthonyshabla.com

peace on earth, peace in heaven

i made bob help me put a new peace poster on the front of the house -- it looks so fresh and clean. the photos of the peace posters on the website date to the end of 2005 and the spring and summer of 2006... and i was posting peace posters as graffiti years before i put them on my own house. so its been over two years that great minds dream alike posters have been on the front of my house, some of the other posters on the side of the house were not documented. and i have been selling the t shirts longer... i do want to make a new set of t shirts soon, 2008 will be an important year.

congresswoman julia carson died today of lung cancer. she was the first woman and the first black to represent indianapolis in congress. she was an outspoken opponent of the iraq war and before the 2003 invasion told a rally of her constituents that the war was an act of aggression to secure oil for american business. but nobody did anything.

when alan greenspan made the same statement this year, there was a little buzz. but once again, nobody did anything.

somtimes i think the american populace is made up of sleepwalkers. if awake, everyones house would be covered with peace posters. and the white house would be covered with stones.

what have you done today to save the world? for peace posters, t-shirts, etc: http://royanthonyshabla.com

art art art

body of water, the handmade book i am currently working on, has been taking up more and more of my time. there are so many aspects to it (letterpress printing, filmmaking, handmade paper, painting) all needing to be coordinated and juggled. i am teaching myself to paint with water colors to do an original cover for each letterpress booklet. it is more difficult than other media. the handmade paper is coming from a couple sources and has been quite a negotiation. special cudos to seth at dick blicks in berkeley. the printer and bookbinder has been silent and tardy... i may need to fly up to berkeley to get things moving. the film editor has been great, doing a better job than i expected... we still need to coordinate the soundtrack... and print artwork on the dvds. and the portfolios for it all have to be made by hand... and the copies are beginning to sell.

until galleRoy.com is available, go to royanthonyshabla.com for info on my art: http://royanthonyshabla.com

peace on earth

my daughter hadley and her best friend mazzy and our family unit planted trees in san pedro along one of the main streets this morning with tree people, one of the most worthwhile groups i know. the volunteers were represented by various ethnic groups, ages, and incomes and city staff as well as tree people all pitched in together. it was hard work and fun and the kids really got into the idea of saving the planet. and they got the experience of saving the planet as a community. each tree is named after it is planted and the last two put into the earth today were called "hadley" and "mazzy". now my daughter has a personal involvement with the future of the planet. and i have a sore body!

the wind and rain has removed the last peace poster from my house. these 5 to 7 foot posters have been on the front and side of my house regularly for almost two years now, ocassionally being replaced. the side of my house faces a church parkinglot so the good word has been given to the needy.

and how we need! in colorado, a young guy shot and killed people at a christian youth mission and a mega church. he is said to have come from a very religious family and hated christians. in baltimore, 9 black teenagers harassed, beat up, and dragged a white woman from a public bus. there is no mention of how the bus driver responded. in california (is this a red state or a blue state?) an episcopal diocese seceded from the episcopal church because of the ordination of a gay bishop. in case you dont know, if you have to have a christian around, let it be an episcopalian. they are like catholics with common sense. they are progressive, tolerant, activists for peace and the environment, and generally more intellectual. they have female priests. they have married priests. they are not fundamentalists. and yet this diocese in california is behaving like a fundamentalist church. even the catholic church allows gay bishops. the legal battles which will ensue may ruin the episcopal church as a whole. if the episcopal church folds, the christian religions will soon be headed by mel gibson. whats a thinking person to do? yahweh sure loves to stir the pot!