Dia De Los Muertos ...

The Hall family has been making lots of cool stuff for this upcoming weekend's festivities. I've been really fascinated with this holiday ever since moving to San Diego. I suppose the closeness to the border and the cultural immersion I've experienced since moving here has inspired me to understand more about my heritage and the "Day of The Dead" celebration.

In case you don't know what the holiday is about, I'll give you a quick little history lesson;

The observance of El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) dates from Pre-Columbian times. It is believed by many that this is the time when those who have passed away are allowed to return to earth to visit with their families and friends. This occasion, on November 1 and 2, ceremonially honors those who have died.

El Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico by decorating shop windows, cleaning and decorating the cemetery, creating special flower wreaths, making small and large toys and figurines featuring the calaveras (skulls and skeletons). Zempasuchitl, a type of marigold, is the traditional flower of the occasion and altars are often covered with the bright orange petals. It's no wonder that the baker, cook, florist and artist are essential to the celebration of Los Dias De Los Muertos.

The objects and symbols used in the rememberance of loved ones during the Day of the Dead are usually hand made and sold in local markets by individual vendors. The items are typically made of natural products, which makes so much sense to me.

And, if you know me well, you've probably seen me in a skull shirt more than once. I've always loved them. So it's probably no surprise that this holiday is fast becoming one of my favorites!

I also wanted to share this great quote by Bobbi Salinas-Norman that sums up my feelings on the holiday;

"What is the difference between Halloween and the Day of the Dead? Halloween is based on a medieval European concept of death, and is populated by demons, witches (usually women) and other images of terror -- all of them negative. The Day of the Dead, in contrast, is distinctly different. It is a uniquely Indo-Hispanic custom that demonstrates strong sense of love and respect for one’s ancestors; celebrates the continuance of life, family relationships, community solidarity and even finds humor after death -- all positive concepts!"

And in related news, I've been in a crafty mood getting stuff made for my new little boutique shop that I'll be sharing with my friends. It's located inside Citizen Video in South Park. I hope you can stop by this Sunday, anytime between 4 - 9 pm. We'll be serving Sangria and Pan Dulce .... and having too much fun with a Day of The Dead Theme. Hope you can stop on by!

Speaking The Truth ...

I just read a great blog post by my husband, Jon. Sometimes he makes me so proud! It's great to see how he's listening and learning about something near and dear to both our hearts. Great job Jon!

You can check it out yourself by clicking here.

Pretty cool teacher tip ...

Stefani loves tracing and practicing letters and I found this great site that allows you to write a short phrase and generate a practice worksheet instantly. Enjoy!

Love Someone ...

This is a pretty cool beat box video by Dub FX performing "Love Someone" on the streets of Bristol, UK back in the fall of '08.

The whole song is created live using just his voice with a Roland Effects & loop pedal. The main song starts in at about 2 minute mark but if you watch it from the beginning you’ll see him gradually build the layers.

Here's some of my favorite lyrics in the song; ENJOY!



Partial Lyrics for "Love Someone" by Dub FX

“It’s possible to change this world
revolutionize the boys and girls ...

…creating a world for the open minded
a unique perception a truth decided
I know we can find it
its a matter of where and when we collectively decide it

the world is not a vicious place
its just the way we’ve been raised
discovering time and space
I know we that could make a change
rearrange the way that we appreciate the world today…

… we’re here, we don’t come equipped with it all
half the fun is learning, I’m having a ball

the world keeps turning
my road is small but I make a change
I hope you’re feeling the same way
I’ll be sayin’ what I say”

It’s possible to love someone
And not treat them in the way that you want

*** IF you are watching this via Facebook, click here to watch the video on my blog ***

Sometimes we just need a hand ...

I took this picture with my cell phone just a few mornings ago. It's a picture of my husband Jon, (he didn't know I took this picture with my cellphone, but I wanted to remember the moment). I'm so proud of him for so many things, but on this day it was because he's the kind of guy who's not afraid to care about someone that most people would avoid.

The day started out as a typical morning for Jon and I. It was early and we had walked to our favorite market & coffee shop in town, we were sitting out on the patio, when the lady behind us started having trouble. She was moaning and calling for someone to help her. So Jon went inside and alerted an employee of the store to call 911, and as we waited for the ambulance to arrive, Jon started to ask some questions and wait with her. She wanted Jon to hold her hand. Turns out her name is Jeanine, she is 42, has no family nearby, she has seizures and she doesn't have a place to live.

It seemed like the paramedics already knew Jeanine. She's probably been taken to the hospital more than once by them. We don't really know what was wrong with her except that she was embarrassed that she had to ask for help. Perhaps it was a medical problem, maybe it was something else involving some type of substance - not sure what it was, but what I do know is that it was an opportunity to show compassion to someone who probably doesn't receive much kindness, if any.

Every day, I pass people with nowhere to call home. Sometimes I notice them, most of the time I don't. But probably, every one of them has a story of how they got there.

In 2004, St. Mungo's, a homeless shelter in London conducted a survey on 1,534 people without homes. What they found helped explain the circumstances that send most homeless people to the streets.

The saddest & most common reason has to do with broken relationships that were destroyed by drug and alcohol abuse, behavioral problems, physical or mental illness.

One story I found online was about Ed Mitchell a 54 yr old business and finance TV journalist. Ed had been bringing home a salary of 100,000 pounds (about $200,000 US Dollars) a year. He had a family, a well paying job, and a great home. He's homeless now after his credit card debt went out of his control and he turned to alcohol. He got divorced, lost his job and home and now he lives on a bench. I guess you could call it a riches to rags story, not a happy ending.

I'll try and think about that the next time I see a man lying in the street with no shoes on. I'll remind myself that he has feelings. He was probably loved at one point in his life, maybe he even had dreams. For sure, he has memories.

I was thinking today about seeing Jeanine loaded into the back of the ambulance, and how life can be so hard for some people. I want to remember how alone she was. So in the future, instead of thinking that I know how a person like Jeanine ended up this way, I think I owe them the opportunity to let them tell their story before I pass judgment. And if I don't know the story, I'll remind myself that there is one and if I took the time to ask and listen it could be part of my story too.

I love stories like this ...

When William Kamkwamba’s parents couldn’t afford the $80 yearly tuition for his school he sneaked into the classroom anyway, until his teachers found out about it a few weeks later. Without hope of being able to go back to school, William continued his education by teaching himself, borrowing books from the small library at the elementary school in his village. One day, when he was 14, he went to the library and came across a fifth-grade science book called Using Energy. In his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (co-written with Bryan Mealer), William wrote, “The book has since changed my life.”

After reading the book, William figured out how to make a windmill out of found objects and how to harness the wind for energy. This changed everything for him and his family.

The fact that William overcame his extreme circumstances; starvation, a lack of education, life in a country plagued with drought, famine, poverty, disease, a corrupt government and low expectations gives me so much hope for people that can think creatively - this is so inspiring!

Forget the Stereotypes ...

Coming up quick, on the first weekend of October, Tijuana will celebrate the arts, culture and music of it's artists at an event called Entijuanarte at the Centro Cultural. One of the goals of the event is to demonstrate another face of the city of Tijuana and to be a meeting point for the cultural and artistic diversity of the Baja California and the Southern California region.

By the way, I love the tagline they are using in their advertising;

Discover a new world of art and culture at your doorstep, but be warned; You will never think of this city in the same way.

"Arte es Poder" translates to "Art is Power". I think art has to power to give sight to the blind. What I mean by this, is I took a tour of the videos on youtube and more than 90% paint a picture that TJ is all about beer, hookers, drugs, violence and quite an ugly place. I don't agree with that picture. Sure it's dirty, yes it's a poor country, yes there's some violence, but name a place in the U.S. that doesn't have violence too. I think we need to be looking to see the beauty that is just beneath the surface. It's starting to boil up to the top now and I'm so happy to see events like Entijuanarte, that expose us to the emerging cultural revolution happening in Tijuana, Mexico. I'm hoping that Jon and I can make it down with the girls that weekend, I'll let you know how it goes.

And for the topping this little piece o' mexican pie, I have a wonderful little interview with Tanya Aguiniga. She's a Los Angeles based furniture designer/maker raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Tanya’s work is informed by border experiences: the interconnectedness of societies, the beauty in struggle and the celebration of culture.



I say "You Go Chica!"

** If you can't see the video from within Facebook, you can watch it on my blog at www.sophiacarolina.blogspot.com or you can just click here **

if you need a link to get more info;
Si hables español, click here
OR if you need an English synopsis click here to check it out **