talk talk madonna talk

i was up late chatting with madonna. sometimes i get tired holding the phone so i lie down and rest the receiver next to me on the bed. shes really an interesting person when you calm her down. besides the political and spiritual stuff, she really has ideas about art and poetry and community and we enjoy talking to each other. for all her wonderfulness however, i dont think i would trade lives... it seems so attractive to be a star, a mega star, but poor thing has no quiet privacy without a lot of work to get it. i told her she could crash on my couch if she needed to get away ~ downey is a little slice of nowhere! but with these terrible fires, its not good for her throat... but shes not here right now anyway.

and the rush is on.

the holiday season is upon us. and the frenzy has begun. i have always hated the holidays ~ even as a child i didnt like them... the holiday frenzy seemed like an awful lot of ugly work just to get a few gifts. but children can be our healing of the holidays. having a child of my own makes the season wonderful ~ she is excited about the decorations, the events, the foods, the gifts, the gifts, the gifts... she isnt so attached to the gifts... she is more interested in opening them than having them. the holiday season is also made much easier by not giving gifts to adults. the wise men brought presents for the baby jesus (remember all that?) not for mary and joseph (although what a baby was gonna do with a bag of gold and a couple bottles of perfume i dont know...). so treats for the kids and festivities for all. i got elizabeth up off the couch yesterday and we went for a dash to find some kids gifts and did quite well before the crowds arrived in the evening. cowboy jackets and cocktail dresses... toys will have to be another time. maybe madonna has it right ~ she is a kabbalist now and only celebrates the jewish high holidays (less hubbub, small gifts). i wonder how her kids are doing with the switch... but since children are our healing of the holidays, i wonder how madonna is doing with how her kids are doing with the holidays... a grandmother in scotland took her daughter to court because the daughter refused to allow her to see the grandchildren. the grandmother had been giving the children too much candy and soft drinks and sneaked it to them even after the mother disapproved. the court gave the grandmother visitation rights for two hours a month with the prohibition of giving the children sugar. now she will have to think of some other gift. what kind of christmas will they have?

art for arts sake

well im working on a number of art and writing projects and of course i think they are all wonderful. but snoop dog hasnt called. madonna hasnt called. even social d hasnt called. the mark taper forum doesnt yet know to call so they have an excuse... but oprah, well oprah has no excuse. she has so many copies of my books she could start a library! if i had a nickel for every $6 book i sent to a celebrity as promotion, id be a loser in a roomful of nickels! lol! at the moment the room has no nickels but im still here with a big fat L on my forehead. waiting. this week i will make some progress on the button paintings and a small film. im trying to get reasonable estimates for the letterpress printing of a small edition of handmade books. and im checking that the phone and answering machine works. so far it does. but ill check again.

if you want to actually buy my books: http://royanthonyshabla.com

home sweet home

madonna has not called about my new downtown loft, she must be busy at the kaballah center. it is the high holidays, theres kugel to make. but i did dream that snoop dog wanted to produce a bunch of songs with me and a loft was part of the deal. so madonna may have to take a back seat as i rap on. i went to a loft party on saturday for the release of a newly renovated building in downtown la. it is a very community oriented compound designed to make people feel comfortable in the urban environment. but there were a couple of problems: one, the fixtures were cheap. and two, the value of my three bedroom home with antique fixtures and a fantastic garden will buy you something about the size of a car port ~ and with about as much charm. im sure god has kept my home from selling because the price of the lofts will come down and i will be able to get something larger and with a great view. the penthouse on this building had an amazing panorama view of los angeles, definitely a party home. but the cupboards would need to be replaced and the tile of the master bathroom looked like a bus station toilet. so a remodel of the new renovation would be needed... but snoop dog could definitely bring me on home!

merrily merrily merrily

three times now i have had the same dream: madonna is buying me a loft in downtown la in exchange for me writing her three songs. and they are great songs. and the loft is great. and i am happy! what a dream! i have tried to analyze the dream language, such as does "madonna" mean my mother, does "loft" mean coffin in the sky, does "three songs" mean i wont shut up? sometimes a dream is just a dream. i just got back from my trip to san francisco and still need to unpack. everything went well ~ selling antiques wasnt horrible wasnt stupendous, it was ok. it was nice to see friends. now i need to spend the next few days preparing for the trip to hawaii on saturday, a vacation for ten days with my daughter. wonderful. but for today, the car needs to be unpacked, i have a client this afternoon, and maybe yoga this evening. im a little tired ~ i stayed up late writing the lyrics to two songs. maybe ill be moving soon!