DON BARTLETTI'S PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY

Buzzards and children compete for scraps at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras, landfill. Boys scavenge for anything they can eat or sell. Northbound freight trains through Mexico are crowded with Hondurans fleeing poverty and in search of work or a relative in the U.S.


I attended an opening of a photo exhibit which explored the plight of immigrant border crossers from various parts of Latin America. This photographer took two months to travel with these immigrants as he chronicled their journey through his lenses. What he captured was a sensitive yet shocking depiction of the harsh realities that these immigrants face everyday as they try to cross the U.S. border to realize their dreams. It's such a topical issue now, but the bottom line is there has to be a HUMANE approach in dealing with this issue. There aren't any easy answers....



Bartletti won the 2003 Pulitzer for feature photography for documenting the lives of Central American immigrants finding their way to the United States.

FINGER ROCK TRAIL

This hike ain't no Fraggle Rock experience! It was a beautiful sunset and as I ascended the trail, I was met with friendly palm sized grasshoppers, jack rabbits, and obscure little ground squirrels. Didn't meet a rattlesnake. It was so quiet and peaceful up there. I jogged 30 minutes up then stopped to rest for about 15 minutes. It was so quiet. If I was Jesus Christ, I would have stayed another 39 days.

DEATH AND THE REALMS OF EXISTENCE

I attended a free three hour course on Tibetan Meditation lead by an ordained monk in the Gelukpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It was interesting to say the least. I have never before meditated for 30 minutes straight. He guided us through a meditation on death that was full of imagery and insightful and pragmatic views on death. He then lectured on other topics like "why we suffer" and the usefulness of death awareness.
Here's his Biography:
Venerable Brian K. Smith (Lama Sumati Marut) is a founding Director of the Yoga Studies Institute. He has been teaching Asian Classics Institute courses, guided meditations, and informal Dharma talks in Los Angeles since 2000, in addition to teaching in New York, South Lake Tahoe, and Ireland. He is on the faculty of Diamond Mountain University in Arizona (www.diamondmtn.org) as a professor of Sanskrit. Brian is a member of the Board of Directors of the Yoga Studies Institute, and is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author of several scholarly books and translations based on Sanskrit materials.

THE FAITHFUL SAMURAI

I went to an art opening of an exhibit titled, "The Faithful Samurai". It is currently showing at The Museum Of Art on the U. Of A. campus. The art work is Japanese wood block painting exploring the history of The Samurai. The art work is very impressive, with rich detail and bold colors. They served free sushi and had a Kendo demonstration outside of the museum (see below.)

LULEE!

We are deep in rehearsals for the film, "Lulee". I've been learning to speak Japanese. Above are my cast members. Below is my Japanese tutor, Steve Purcell. Sorry, his picture is blurry.

IN HONOR OF THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS:

THE HUMAN SPECIES AS A WALKING CONTRADICTION

The Oxford English Dictionary defines CONTRADICTION as,
"A state or condition of opposition in things compared; variance; inconsistency, contrariety." (i.e. "The contradiction between men's lives and their professed beliefs had pressed upon him.")

I am a walking contradiction. I observe this in myself with empathy and humour. I can be a champion for peace and spiritual practice yet I can debase a man's character behind his back. I can aspire to seek a spiritual partner yet objectify and lust after an unsuspecting innocence. I can tout a respect and patience for all things human yet judge those who do not share my views to the marrow. I strive to have humility yet can be seduced to self aggrandizing display to esteem myself over others. Tonight I displayed myself in contradictory colors.

As an actor, it's fun to explore these contradictions within all characters I play, yet in life I strive to prioritize a sense of balance, itegrity and compassion, but sometimes I fail miserably.....don't worry, I'm not going to allow myself to turn into a one-eyed green monster.

"OUT OF THE ASHES"

"I'm not looking back.
The pain is different now.
It is my companion.
Ready to remind me of where I've come from.
I've made peace with this new friend.
It has no easy answers, no quick fixes.
I'm no longer it's servant.
It underestimated my strength.
The strength it gave me when it disguised itself as "happiness".
It stands even more profound the saying that,
"Hapiness is in "Things."
"Joy is Within...."

MY HAIR'S ALL GROWED UP!

I thought it would take longer. But welcome back mop! Gone is the bald head. On to bigger and better hair! (No, I don't wear yellow make-up.)

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT CATHEDRALS....

I don't consider myself a practicing Catholic, but I happen to love Cathedrals! This is a picture of Phoenix's very first Catholic Church: St. Mary's Basilica.

A WORTHY ALTERNATIVE....

I thought the above Restaurant philosophy is very interesting. A vegan restaurant with a social conscience. I'm not going vegetarian anytime soon, but kudos for Govindas Restaurant!

TUCSON HAS COFFEE TOO...

Here's a picture of one of the many coffee shops I frequent. This particular one has a Seattle ambience inside. Very progressive and they serve really good breakfast burritos and it's only a few blocks from the Tucson Yoga Studio.

A NIGHT IN PHOENIX....

I visited a Melody Butiu who was rehearsing at The Herberger Theatre Center .(pictured.). Then we went to "Los Dos Romidios" Mexican Restaurant and bought a pitcher of Margarita! Slightly intoxicated, we worked our way to an outdoor wedding and proceeded to crash it. We ended the night with a movie: "The Prestige." (it was alright.) It was the most fun I've had since I got to Arizona!

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS...

I passed through a local Tucson event at a Vegan Restaurant called, "Govinda's". The event had folk dancing from India, and a free Vegetarian Feast. The restaurant was celebrating The DIWALI FESTIVAL which is a Hindu Festival of Lights. I'm sad I couldn't stay because I had to wash my car.

THE GREAT RICHARD AVEDON

I just saw an amazing art exhibit of Richard Avedon's "The American West" at The Center For Creative Photography. It was an amazing and touching display of skill and talent. In seeing each black and white portraits, I believe he succeeded in de-mystifying my perceptions of The American West. He truly captured the shared soul of humanity in each of the portraits....

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY....

I was just informed at the School Of Theatre Arts Division meeting that I will be directing one of Israel Horovitz's new short plays. I will have a hand at casting and directing BFA actors AND, Israel HIMSELF will be flown in to give feedback on the process. Israel is one of the most celebrated American Playwrights. He is also an accomplished film maker. I'm so excited for this opportunity! This will happen next semester and will show to a paying audience!

REBIRTH....

I've been in a cycle of psycho-babble inside my head for the last 25 years of my life and today I've decided to break free from limited thinking. I did something today which lifted a great weight off my skinny shoulders. I'm not going to say what. That satisfaction is for me only. I'm a new man as of today. I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND ANYMORE....I CHOSE LIFE NOW!

PHOENIX BOUND THIS WEEKEND

Going to visit a friend (see picture) who is doing a show in Phoenix called, "The Intelligent Design Of Jenny Chow". Melody is a good colleague who graduated from the distinguished Actor Training Program, UCSD with an M.F.A. (that's Mother Fucking Actor.). We are going to explore the Phoenix nightlife and maybe debate which famous Arizonan is the most handsome: Geronimo or Geraldo Rivera.

A PROPOSAL TO DAVID SHORT (my best friend & avid Seahawks Football fan!)

Dave,
I'd like us to hit the bars and watch some Seahawks play-offs when I make that trip to Seatle! I gotta warn you though, I'm a fair-weather fan! Here's to Holmgren:

QUANTUM PHYSICS & SPIRITUALITY

On Sunday after my rehearsal (for a film I'm in: I play a Japanese father and I have to speak Japanese, yippee!), I attended a free lecture entitled, "A Physicist's Guide to Enlightenment." with Dr. Amit Goswami. (handsome dude, eh? You should see his wife...) A world renowed physicist, he described how the new physics reconciles science and spirituality. He offered some tools for achieving higher realms of consciousness. He was actually in the movie, "What the Bleep*%!"? His wife a yoga psychologist spoke about how yoga contributes to emotional transformation. Very inspiring. She then went into a Southeastern dance for about 30 minutes. Engaging. Her sutras were very sensual....Here's my plug for Dr. Amit:
http://www.dramitgoswami.com

The Visionary Window
by Amit Goswami, PhD
There is a revolution going on in science right now, a genuine paradigm shift. While mainstream science remains materialist, a substantial number of scientists are supporting and developing a paradigm based on the primacy of consciousness.

Goswami will show how science can be built on the new metaphysics to include "downward causation" and subtle interior phenomena making room for an integration of science and spirituality. He will show how consciousness creates life and guides its evolution in the process resolving the intelligent design/neo-Darwinism controversy. He will demonstrate how the new science resolves the neurophysiologist's so-called mind-body problem and the paradox of perception. In this new view, the duality of unconscious/conscious, outer/inner, mind/body, subject/person, all are resolved.

YET ANOTHER ART MUSEUM!

On Sunday, the 15th, I strolled into The Tucson Art Museum. Saw some great artwork, some of which truly moved me. Across the street there was a sprawling plaza which was holding an event called, "Tucson: Meet Yourself", which is an equvalent to a "Bite Of Seattle." It smelled so good! Ethnic foods galore!

Below is a mural outside the Museum...this image doesn't even begin to give it justice. Why do I try? (I really should get a digital camera...

THE GREASY SPOON!

On Saturday October 14th 2006, Karole Spangler (my teaching colleague at the University) and I went to THE GRILLE in the heart of downtown Tucson baby! It was late and we both had steak & eggs and baby was it greaaazzzzy! I chased my late night breakfast with Irish Whiskey! It was nice to let our "hair down" after a long week....

Meditate on this....

I've been doing lots of meditation in various places. Including churches. This church is St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. I don't consider myself a practicing Catholic, yet there is something about going to an empty church and just communing with Spirit. Tomorrow I'm going to a Tibetan meditation session...

Oh yeah....

So what am I doing in Tucson Arizona? Well I'm a visiting teaching artist with The School of Theatre Arts at The University of Arizona. I'll be here until mid-May of 2007.

What's my favorite thing about Tucson so far? The lightning displays!

A DAY OF GIVING: DAMN IT! THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT YOU!

I put in 3 hours at The Community Food Bank. I met some wonderful people. I figure, I'm not a celebrity actor type who can just adopt an infant from Africa in a drop of a hat, so this is my way of staying away from the mental trap of "tortured, self-obsessed, selfish, egomaniacal, temperamental, difficult, victim, poor-me" stigma that most actors are stereotyped as.
Here's Justine Collins, my colleague registering the volunteers. (She was also very instrumental in getting me settled with The School Of Theatre Arts when I first arrived here.) Justine you're the best!
I painted indoors for most of it. Here's me next to one of my many purple murals.
After my delicious lunch, I came around and congratulated the kitchen crew on their "fabulous meatawbawls!"
After my shift, I stepped outside and chatted up with some other volunteers. Below is a picture of a father and son team having just finished painting bird houses for the local park adjacent to the food bank...

A TRIP INTO THE MIND OF A CONSUMATE ARTIST:

I visited this site which was inspiring due to many reasons: First, De Grazia was a man dedicated to his craft and used the earth and his immediate surroundings to create his art. Secondly, he understood the history of his subjects and researched them with immense detail. Thirdly, He loved children and mothers....take a peek at his art and you'll glimpse why: http://degrazia.org/Splash.aspx

3 HOUR CHAKRA WORKSHOP

Yesterday I attended a three hour workshop that was very engaging. The workshop included yoga, chanting, spiritual readings and calisthenics. We explored all Chakra levels. Something miraculous happened: We were instructed to chant a particular mantra and we had to keep chanting....there was no particular time that we had to stop. The teacher, a fabulous Michelle Marks just said, "You'll know when to stop." So we chanted and chanted and chanted for what seemed like 20 minutes with our eyes closed. Then all of the sudden, we ALL AS A GROUP STOPPED CHANTING AT THE SAME TIME. I mean a complete dead stop as if someone had pressed stop on the CD player. It was THAT unison. No one agreed as to when we should stop. It just happened on its own. At that moment, I felt an emotional release because I was so overwhelmed at the beauty of how 26 people could be in harmonious convergence. It just affirmed to me that with positive focus, patience and willingness to surrender, we as a human race can truly tap into something bigger than ourselves....
Namaste...

Salsa Dancing at El Parador Mexican Restaurant!

Now for something really different: I'm going to be making a couple of visits to this restaurant with some new friends and try my hand at Salsa Dancing! I've done a little of this type of dancing, but I'm by no means an expert. Maybe drinking a couple shots of Cuervo will help with my flexibility. Maybe I should watch a couple episodes of "Dancing With The Stars." At any rate, it's all in the hips...

Ahhh Musical Comedy....

I'm playing the part of Wally Womper, the Chairman of The Board. I'm featured in the climactic 11th hour "show-stopper" and finale of the musical, "HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING". We are currently in rehearsals at Arizona Repertory Theatre. I'm really enjoying the company members. Bright, young, positive and talented. Full of youthful exuberance. Some of these folks are going to be on Broadway someday....

SPIRITUAL PARTNERS

"Spiritual Partners V: Deeper Than Love" was a four hour workshop I attended this past weekend.

It was presented by Geshe Michael Roach & Christie McNally
The workshop delved into secrets of Sacred Relationships based on Letter to a Friend, an ancient text by Buddhist Master Nagarjuna.
The course was offered by Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally, who are themselves spiritual partners. Geshe Michael is the first American ever to finish the entire 20-year course of training at a Tibetan monastery and be recognized as a master of Buddhism. Christie McNally is one of America's most popular teachers of yoga and meditation. Their latest book, The Essential Yoga Sutra, was released by Doubleday earlier this year.

The thing that resonated for me strongly was the notion that whatever opinions, criticisms or views we have about people are a by-product of our conditioning and history. To deepen our relationship with people is to acknowledge that who we are at our core is Love. That this love is more powerful than any social or environmental conditioning. I mean, isn't this what forms our filters? (ie prejudices, belief structures?) Couldn't it be said that these are all ego based and have nothing whatsoever to do with Love? I don't profess to have arrived at enlightenment here....I'm just posing the questions and living them at the same time....

Approaching the historic sight....Mission San Xavier Del Bac: enjoy the collage!

There are a lot of these random small staircases leading to secret areas...

The Altar

The Sunlight streaming in from the outside....

THE MISSION...

Yesterday I visited the San Xavier Mission located just six miles from Tucson on the San Xavier Indian Reservation. Work on the present structure began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. Its mission was to propogate and "civilize" the Pima Indians; it boasts itself as the Sistine Chapel of Tucson. I drove up to the parking lot smelling the tasty aroma of fry breads being served by the local Pima Indian merchants. As I sat in the Cathedral I was struck by the detailed rock or clay carvings of patron saints. There were people in deep worship and I was humbled by the sacred healing energy in the space. I was especially struck by how deeply the people surrendered to the clay statues. I'm not into symbol worship by any means, but I truly believed that these people had faith that by touching the statues, they would be touched by a miracle of sorts. Truly a deep belief in something much more powerful than the human condition. I couldn't help but admire the tenacity of these individuals willing to believe in something bigger than themselves. This is far more respectable than believing in celebrity, fame and how one's face lift will improve their outlook on life.