Google Eyes, Bacon & North Korea!

The Ukulady's Cute Craft Owls!

Dear Blob,

1. Googly Eyes are the Bacon of Crafting: Bacon makes almost every dish More Delicious and Googly Eyes make every crafting item More Cute, also known as Cuter.

2. I'm deeply over The News on NPR in the mornings. Nothing is more uninteresting and repulsive than America's money-pit of political-campaigns. I yearn for a radio news station that tells interesting news, like frogs falling from the sky, UFO sightings and Yeti theory.

3. This week, on a me-time hike, I recently (briefly) considered throwing in the entertainment/artist towel, getting an MBA and becoming an investment banker so I can have things like healthcare, steady income and move from my studio into a 1-bedroom.

That evening I researched MBA programs before dismissing the fancy due to the cost (and the reality of number-crunching, standardized tests and giving up on my dreams) and then in attempt to feel better, I watched a riveting documentary about an American defector to North Korea.

While the North Koreans do not have freedom to travel (or speak their minds publicly), move forward in their careers or imagine their Big Dreams are a possibility, they do have free healthcare whenever they want, a job, an apartment and usually, food.

These days in America, it's challenging for most people to attain human basics: job (which equals tangible-purpose-for-the-day), shelter, healthcare & food. An aesthetically-pleasing 1 bedroom place in LA averages $1200 - $1800 rent. What single person can pay this much a month?

What's the point of capitalism if it's spoils are out of reach for most citizens?

4. The good news is I've recommitted to Sandwiches! 2012 is the Year of the Sandwich! Too often the UkuFridge was sandwich-fixin'-free, a deep fridge-flaw the Ukulad and I pledged to correct this year. It felt good to fill our grocery basket with potential Sandwich fixin's!

Love The Ukulady

Eye Candy!

Dear Blob,
I've discovered the magic of music sharing via the futuristic interweb! Click below to hear Eye Candy, by The Ukulady! A song about Pioneers, love and long-distance.

Eye Candy

Love The Ukulady
ps: Ukulele & Omnichord! Featuring Jessica Grant on Omnichord!

We Go Together!

Dear Blob,
I am a Valentine & Nature Enthusiast! This song was written in Barra De Navidad, Mexico and videoed in Joshua Tree, CA.

Love The Ukulady

UkuAdventures in Mexico: Mexican Tourists, Illegal Immigrants & Dead Gecko

Dear Blob,
As Kool & The Gang says, CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES! Heroic Burbank Larry has struck again: He took Baby OC! We celebrated with fresh Lenguada fish, a sack-o-crunchyHot churros & the discovery of Fleas in the house! Clearly, I'm feeling better.

In other news, extraordinarily rude hordes of wealthy Mexican tourists have descended upon the coastal region and are equally as irritating as Baby OC.

They come in busloads and their children wear long-sleeved scuba shirts, I assume to keep them light-skinned. They are far and away the Worst Litterers I've ever encountered, guzzling cases of beer and leaving every bit of garbage they generate, on the ground and beach.

I encountered a busload at the Oxxo and they blew me away with their rudeness; at least 3 tried to cut me in line, with their armfuls of beer, oreos and sodas; even the babies were clutching packages of oreos. They feed the babies oreos, snack cakes and soda. Every item demanded it's own plastic bag. Each tourist must have been responsible for 4 - 5 plastic bags each. It's painful to know their trash is going to be left on the beaches.

The other day on the Malecon (Barra's charming walkway that juts into the water), an older lady Mexican tourist approached me and asked me something. I politely told her, "No Habla espanol." and like a child, she snidely mimicked me, "Noooo Habla Espaaanooooool!" She was in her 50's. I was amazed at the rudeness.

I know American tourists can be pushy, loud and rude, but generally Americans have been eco-educated on garbage disposal, which puts them ahead of of the Mexican tourists on The Ukulady's Popularity Graph.

On the Joyous Celebrate Good Times side, we enjoyed Sunset with Fernando, the local Meep supplier. Fernando speaks excellent English and, as expected, is a mellow, laid-back fellow. It's fascinating to learn the local's backstories; Fernando ran away from Barra at 16, sneaked into LA, where for 2 years, he crashed at a coyote house and dabbled in petty crime, which he disliked. He then headed to Fresno, where for 20 years he worked in the fields, which is where he learned English. He often traveled back and forth and eventually was deported. Now he's a fisherman and meep dealer in a far more beautiful place than LA or Fresno. I'm curious what the standard, daily wage is here.

Being from California, passing immigrant workers all the time on the highways or at the Home Depot, it's very interesting to meet them on their turf, in their home town and hear their stories. I didn't realize it's so easy to travel back and forth across the border.

Love The Ukulady
ps: We found an extremely tiny, shriveled gecko carcass on the bathroom floor last night. Horrifyingly, it looked like a gecko abortion. Sorry Reader.
pps: It's a major work-week around here. Yesterday I recorded 2 Old songs for my Heart-on-a-Sleeve album, U.....