dear kiki...

Sometimes I have to remember...

My friends are my real family, the family I have chosen, the family that has chosen me, the family that won't hurt me or make me feel guilty or bad about myself.  Last night I looked so pathetic a stranger bought my dinner and gave me a flower, that made me smile briefly.  A stranger can be more caring and selfless than your own flesh and blood. I have to remember I know these things, to expect very little outside my circle of friends.  I have to remember not to give these people power over me, the power to hurt and upset me.  They have never been there for me before, I know not to expect anything different now.  I refuse to apologize for who I am or censor myself, I spent far too long in a household where everything was a secret.  I have nothing to be ashamed of.

xoxo

I made my...

Dirty Thirty Tattoo appointment last week...I lagged so first slot I could get won't be till August 19th...bummer but my own damn fault.  Plus this is a large, complicated watercolor piece for my ribcage/torso area so worth it for the wait! I'm going to Black Heart Tattoo and getting inked by Scott Sylvia...pretty excited! I'll just have to get me a little tatt in the meantime to help in the bday celebration!

Very excited to have a week of normalcy after the super stressful work-fest that has preceded! I had an AWESOME weekend! Maybe a little too awesome in retrospect but hey I deserved to play hard after working so hard! Got to see my buddy Francis play hard on Friday night at Bottom of the Hill with his band From Monument to Masses sold out crazy packed show!!! So proud...so blown away...love their new stuff...can't wait for more!!  Got to see lots of old friends on Friday which was amazing! It rained on Saturday...booooo! I went out and got down and crazy anyway with my friends...way too much fun...Sunday went to APE which I will blog more about tomorrow with some pics...had a picnic at the park...went on a bike ride...had dinner and watched a ridiculous french Lesbian movie with a friend...cracked up...passed out...done...

...why is it Monday???

P.S. I seriously heart my hood...seriously...

xoxo

Digital Scrapbooking Magazine Article...

Well I have been completely swamped at work for the past 3 weeks, this week and last week were the worst.  No dance...no leaving my desk till 7pm...getting in between 7:30am and 8:30am...yucky! I feel gross from not dancing and I can't wait to get back to normal next week! I have been working on this huge project and it's FINALLY almost over because I'm exhausted!!! I'm happy with it, accomplished something...worked it out...now please normal work hours!  Anyway I have a feature article up on the Digital Scrapbooking Magazine website...under feature articles...can't miss it...check it out when you get the chance! I can't wait for the next issue to come out...fun stuff in that one too! Kinda cool...more interesting blogs to come with sleep and less work ;)

xoxo

My new girl hero...

Blog readers meet my new girl hero...Jill Weiss and her doggie sidekick ;) Jill is riding from SF to LA with the A.I.D.S. Lifecycle which is freaking AMAZING!!!! I'm soooo inspired by her! I can't even imagine doing a ride like that...I would love to do it but I think I would pass out after leaving SF! Maybe...next year...it would be awesome! She is training her butt off for this and needs sponsorship support for the cause! PLEASE go check out her site Jill Weiss and make a donation...anything you can and it's TAX DEDUCTIBLE!   

AIDS/LifeCycle ...

... will take place June 3-9, 2007, as cyclists and volunteers will travel 545 miles through beautiful California from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

is about HIV/AIDS and raising money to help the beneficiaries continue to provide the critical services and education needed to meet the growing needs of our community.

... increases awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS among participants, their donors and the general public.

... addresses the widespread misperception that HIV and AIDS are no longer a problem -- in fact more people are living with HIV & AIDS today than ever before, which means a much greater need for services.

... provides a reminder that the rate of HIV infection is increasing, particularly in communities of color and in individuals under the age of 25. In California alone there are 60,000 people living with AIDS, and another estimated 91,000 living with HIV, many unaware of their infection.

... requires each cyclist to raise a minimum of $2,500. Each cyclist is assigned to a personal "Cycle Buddy" for assistance with training, fundraising, and emotional & practical support from the moment they register through the event's completion.

What are you waiting for??? Support Jill, support the fight against A.I.D.S and make a donation because you KNOW you couldn't do this!!!

Seriously Jill is a rock star, shero, girl hero, superstar! Thanks for rocking my world big time Jill!!!

xoxo

Hunky Jesus...

Yeah you read that right...hunky Jesus...sigh...I had such a freaking awesome weekend...one of those weekends that felt like it was 4 or 5 days...sooooo needed that! These pics are from easter at dolores park..there was a hunky Jesus contest...it was rad! I really love the green bunny though...unfortunately I was at the park with a friend and there was tons going on so I didn't get any work done...but I had a blast and I needed it so it works out. This is why I love SF, I love living in the city, where else can you celebrate easter like this? It was such a beautiful day...I got a little sunburn though...I missed some spots on my back with the sunscreen...oopsy...oh well it's not toooo tooo bad...I've had worse...trust me! The other event I wanted to go to was a big wheel race down Lombard street...but I don't have a big wheel... boo !        :( that would have rocked! Oh well...hunky Jesus was pretty amazing!

Here are some pics from my Friday night...I had soooo much fun...this is me and Scott (roommie) being ridiculous at the photo booth at pops a bar right around the corner from my house. I am obsessed with photo booths, a lot of the bars here have them and I LOVE to take photos in them, my goal is to take as many as possible in every single one of them...I know where most of them are...so much fun...I love how gritty photo booth pictures are and there is just something about the series of pics and telling a story...sigh...I thought about doing a weekly photo booth pic as an experiment...I'm just distracted and forgetful ;) Friday was a freaking blast! I heart my hood!

I think I'm molesting Scott here...not sure what happened...

Yeah baby...grrrrrr.....

loner....

I finished a page this weekend...pretty happy with it and I'm sharing because I seriously doubt this would get published...I think that will be the case for a lot of my newer pages...subject matter...not so mainstream...but I don't do it to get published, I do it to express myself and because I love it. So this page is kind of about how I don't like labels or categories or being put in a box and I know I look like a certain type of girl but what I look like and who I am are different. Sometimes I get frustrated with the assumptions people make, I think being blond adds to that...which is why I have a hate/hate relationship with my natural hair color. In fact I love and adore dark hair, I covet it, I loved having dark hair...what I didn't love was the fact that it grew out in 4 weeks and I would have to do it again! Which sucks for 2 reasons...1) that's a pain in my ass...I'm lazy when it comes to any kind of beauty upkeep! 2) I'm cheap and that's a lot of freaking $$ to spend on your hair...why not do it myself??? Yeah tried that once...didn't really work out for me...I have a hard enough time going in for regular haircuts...maintenance of any kind irritates me...I'm busy, I have stuff to do man! So I'm currently trying for dark blond, which is far easier and cheaper to maintain...but damn I love that dark hair and am thinking of going back...ok I just blogged about hair for way too long...that's just freaking sad!

Anyways...damn it! I had a point here somewhere, I swear...so...yes also being a queer girl...there are a lot of categories and labels and because I look a certain way I get stamped "femme" which annoys me because I'm just not really, ask my mom, I dressed like a boy for years, it used to drive her crazy! I just have longer hair and wear makeup but not a ton and I do not take a long time to get ready. You would be surprised how long it takes some andro/soft butch girls to get ready...I'm like seriously? Come on...you've been picking out an outfit for an hour...AN HOUR!!!! Mostly I just don't give a damn anymore, I never did that much to begin with and now I'm gonna be 30, I know what I like and I don't care to obsess about what I'm wearing etc. I try not to obsess about what people think...because I don't really care...I'm simply perpetually irritated by labels...always have been...infuriates me. Plus as a woman in general I think you grow up constantly fighting those roles and societal expectations placed on you at such a young age. Underestimated. Yep so this page is a little expression of my frustration...it was fun...hope ya like it...

Monday's suck...wish I was at home creating but alas I have to pay the bills...Weekend rocked my world...hard! Picked up some Fart Party comics from needles+pens on Saturday and finally sold my clothes and got some $$! Proceeded to laugh my ass off whilst reading said comics! Good stuff...good times...Inspired me to possibly go back to my mini comic roots...yeah I used to write/draw a mini comic anthology with my friends a million years ago. Plus I'm excited about APE coming up...I really love finding new awesome comics! My Party on Saturday ended up being freaking amazing! I love it when you go to a party and it just ends up being really RAD! Today I'm really, really, pumped about going to Sister Spit tonight, it's going to be soooo awesome!

xo

birdstand...

Wooohoooo Amazing roommie Scott Barry, birdstand brings you eye candy of all sorts today! I'm really excited too because I had a brilliant idea yesterday involving myself and the entire household and the creation of a new design venture that I will begin implementing this weekend...super pumped...hopefully I will have something to show you on Monday and will be able to give more details....heee heee totally giddy with creative vibes right now! If only I didn't have to be at work today and could put my mojo into action, but alas it will have to wait until 5pm. That's right I'm freaking leaving my desk at 5 if it kills me today...been chained to my desk until nearly 7pm everyday this week...do you know how much that sucks???

Anyways...who cares...it's the weekend...TGIF baby! Checks out the art baby...

   

Local Rock show poster...dude...Tartufi...awesome...Scott = Katie's hero...

...oh yes...please...

   

Spirit Laser
Limited Edition Book 5"x7" 21 Pages
December 2007

Spirit Laser is a collection of recent drawings. The books focus "creation and reflection"
is a series of drawings created under extreme spiritual creation. Much like "directed spirituality" extreme spiritual creation is a two-part process. ESC ( extreme spiritual creation ) consits of two equal parts creation/reflection. Inversely from most spiritual practices, the reflection, or internal manifestation, is secondary to the physical manifestations. Spiritual development the core goal of ESC, is enriched through three main concepts: meaning, value transcendence. These are all obtained through experience awareness, and significance.

mmmm...noodles...this makes me really hungry....

 
A Wolf Who Never Sleeps
Poster 11 x 17
October 2006

In the my neighborhood the local latin dance clubs put up these crazy bright posters
all over town. I called the company in LA that prints them and tried to get some blank
ones to print these on. I guess they have a patent on this color and I had to convince
the owner that I was using them for an art project. The color is so bright it makes
me wanna puke when I look at it. A compilation of various graphics from 2006.

I just love this one...

Did you read the part about the puking for a wolf that never sleeps??? I'm still cracking up about that! Go check out birdstand to see full size images and many, many more inspiring pieces! Seriously Scott=rad!

So...yeah I'm really pumped about this weekend...Guess what I'm going to tonight??? Miami Vice Boom Box Bass at one of my neighborhood bars...yeah baby...you read that right...oooohhhh yeah...hoping to rip up the pool tables too...Saturday I have a housewarming/birthday/easter party from which I will be going to Rebel Girl to meet up with some peeps for some queer girl rock and roll dancing! Wow I'm sooooo excited...add in some scrapping...some secret project creation (see note above)...keep your fingers crossed for a sunny Sunday at Dolores Park for reading...and short story writing (I've already been writing it in my head this week) and I have myself a kicki'n weekend...

xoxo

Green eyes...

Hey there...my eyes look really green in these pictures...guess it was a green day, plus the green shirt and green eyeshadow ;) I think it's funny that I can change my eye color based on my clothing and makeup...here are some photos from this past weekend, better photos of the new hair than the other one I posted. I have been too sick to dance still, it's almost over but still hard to breath and I'm coughing a bit so thought it was best to wait until I'm 100% again. Man is that gonna hurt next week!!! Anyway, so instead I thought I would work, create last night, I was exhausted by 10pm...I didn't even do any pages, I edited photos, added art or updated the my art section on the blog because there are tons of pages that were not posted, watched LOST while working and was drained! Yeah so check out the new stuff in the My Art section. I just read and fell asleep after that...bummed I didn't get more done but I have the weekend free to create, during the day at least. I wanted to create a layout or two but I guess that will be my goal for the weekend...create at least 2 layouts...start writing a new short story which will hopefully happen at the park if the weather cooperates...Sunday perhaps...which is Easter...weird.

Don't really celebrate Easter anymore, not the religious type, though I was raised Catholic so it's in the background, I'm more a spiritual being I suppose. I practically forgot Sunday was Easter and man that used to be a big deal when I was a kid, though mostly for the candy and egg hunt! When you don't have kids in your life you forget how important little things like that used to be. When my sister was younger it was still important, now we are all grown up and it doesn't matter. Although I still get excited about other silly holiday's or International Pirate day...sooooo I'm not sure which is less mature or stupid...probably the latter...

Regardless...I am looking forward to the weekend, there is a lot going on, my weekend is packed starting tonight! It's been a stressful work week so very excited to have a break and some fun! Excited to actually have fun without being sick!!! Still waiting for Scott to send me pics, as soon as I get them I'll post em up! In the mean time here is some of Hannah Stouffer's incredible work grand array that she designed for the awesome Poketo people! Unfortunately the wallets are out of print but damn they are kicki'n! Eye candy...droooool!  Oh and a little pic of the lovely Hannah herself...sooooo cute!!

xoxo

This one is my favorite...It's pink...it has bikes...droooool....

soooo freaking HOT!

de-lovely and de-licious....

Yummmy!

Naked grrrls, cars and mustangs or wait mustangs are cars...what more could you ask for???

I ♥ skulls!

 

Adorable Hannah Stouffer!

electric heart, baby...

Hello there...

Wow posting 2 days in a row...haven't seen that kind of activity on the blog in a while...trying to get back into it...make a habit of it again! Plus I promised more exciting roommie goodies!  Hopefully I'll have some Scott images to share with ya tomorrow but in the meantime meet my other super talented roommie Natalie Sanchez and her work at electric heart. Natalie is an all around creative maven, she does graphic design, website design, knitting, sewing, clothing design, mixed media/collage and hand bag and accessory design. You can find some of her creations at Needles + Pens an awesome local store that supports local designers, artists and crafters. Natalie has inspired me to try collage again with real paper and objects instead of my computer (gasp)! Her bags are sooooo freaking cute, stop by the store and snatch them up before they are all gone. Not only are they cute but their practical too! Check out some of her stuff, from the pictures I'm posting that I stole from her website, it's ok we are roommies I'm just borrowing them...lol!

mixed media CD covers

uber adorable bag design

super cute hipster bag available at Needles + Pens

See I told you my roommates rock! Seriously how lucky am I?? How did I find them? Trusty ole craigslist sometimes you strike gold with that sucker! I did, I found a kick ass apartment in the mission for cheap with 2 of the coolest people in SF!! SCORE!!! I have stainless steel counter-tops and a dishwasher oh and even better...a beautiful deck with a big grassy backyard...that is a FIND in SF! I think it's getting to be BBQ time maybe we should have an arts and crafts BBQ party...hmmmm...I digress...Anyway check it out, I'll post some stuff of Scott's tomorrow hopefully, support indie artists/designers!!! Inspiration and eye candy...CHECK!!!!

xoxo

Chop, chop...

Hello there...yeah I cut my hair again, shortest it's been in a while and you know what? I could go shorter...maybe it's the spring like weather, maybe it's because I have the urge to purge anything and everything in my life right now...who knows. I'll have fun with my new do for a while first though ;) I love it lots, this isn't the best picture, I'll take another one soon and share. Thanks to Miss Gretel at Cinta Salon in downtown SF! She rocks my hair...hard! Thanks Gretel xoxo!

Wow...I have been soooo busy and soooo sick...again...it's sooo freaking depressing I don't even want to talk about it. Seriously...I'm super bitter...do you think I could get sick one more time this year? Because I'm not sure I've suffered quite enough yet! Great timing with the beautiful SF weather this weekend too!!! Deep breath...trying not to scream...Anyways even with my current affliction I forced myself out of bed and into the park to do some sunny-side reading and writing. I have been on a deadline...of course because I'm sick right? Ugh...so anyway needed to work on that and I've been writing some short stories as well which seem to pour out of me whenever I'm in the delightful setting of Dolores Park. There is something about being at the park by yourself surrounded by groups of crunchy kids, hipsters, dyke hipsters and hipsters with dogs that sparks the imagination. Perhaps its the personal isolation of sitting there amongst predetermined friend groups, invitation only gatherings, maybe it's the people watching. Entrepreneurs running around selling pre-mixed screwdrivers, ice cream, pot truffles and pot brownies, shirtless boys and girls dancing in unrecognizable rhythms, bizarre group yoga experiments, hipster games of catch while sipping Pabst, bikes splayed out on the grass, 40's in paper bags, boys and girls cruising the piles of adorable urbanites and the metropolitan line of bathing suit clad bodies covered in tattoos. I can't get enough of it and I can't seem to stop writing when I'm surrounded by it.

I picked up the latest issue of bitch magazine a favorite of mine and local (although not for long) and to my delight as I flipped through the pages I recognized some of the illustrations in the magazine! Yes I haven't talked too much about my super amazing roommies but now is a good time to mention that I happen to live with two extremely talented and inspiring artists! Mr. Scott Barry's original illustrations appear in the current issue of the mag as do house comrade but not roommie Hannah Stouffer's.  Please check out Scott's work at birdstand it's amazing and super inspiring. I feel so lucky to have such talented, passionate and driven roommies! I got so excited when I flipped to his illustrations in Bitch, I was yelling hey this is Scott, look it's Scott, wow this is sooo cool!!! I'm sure people thought I was crazy! Then I realized the next page was Hannah...crazy cool! You can see more of Hannah's work at grand array she is one talented chick, love her stuff, freaking love it!!! I seriously can't believe I know these people and live with one of them, I love being surrounded by inspiring peeps and these two never fail in that department! So yeah my roommie is famous! I'm going to try and post some of his stuff up here tomorrow and I will then talk about my other super talented roomie Natalie Sanchez and her beautiful designs!

xoxo