The Hazel Project

I’ve been thinking, as I hold at arms length the main task I have for today,

One aspect of navigating my own path I have been resisting to visit here and talk about is my own search for a new gig. It’s definitely part of the path though. Maybe, just now, I’m getting the vibe I can meet it with the kindness and compassion it deserves. And write about it more observantly instead of from the perspective of,
“life happening TO me”

That intricate balance is slippery to be sure but I’m becoming more willing to let you in on it a bit.

The search for another gig is interesting. Writing a resume, bragging about oneself is something that I resist. Sending cover letters seem to be an excercise of the most unauthentic sort. I guess its to discover the difference between people who are suited for the atmosphere of the gig and separate them from everyone else.

More separateness.

When I worked at Mars Music I came across many resumes that may have actually been suited for the gig. However, due to one phrase or the wrong ‘buzzword’, it would keep them out of the running. And that was to sell drum equipment at a music store!

I forget how to put myself in the hiring persons shoes. It’s strange. Lots of edges here. lots of resistance.

Upon reflection this is probably better suited for a journal entry than a post. But some have encouraged me to post something daily. The innerworkings of my mind put me in a very vulnerable position, because then you know my attachments, the thought process. Alas my own humanness, mired in it. A bewildering series of neuuron connection, peptide release, and how I choose to filter thought. Wow, theres some fear in there for sure. I guess this is all part of that larger picture I spoke of earlier. That search for common thread. The difference is instead of shining the light on an experience here in echo park. I shine the light on myself, see what’s in there, what to learn from it.

So on tap for today:

I plan to send out resumes for 3 hours. Then go for a walk. Then grab a taco. (probably walk to retrieve a taco)
Then go meet George Noory, the host of Coast to Coast, at the Barnes & Noble in Pasadena. Some of you know about my fascination with this program. It’s a free radio show that lasts 6 hours nightly starting at 10 pm. I bought a special radio at target for the ‘red tag’ price of $9.97 just for this.

Have a good one everyone

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

WHAT I”VE SEEN:

GENTRIFICATION:
Echo Park is in a state of gentrification. It’s a city neighborhood largely of Mexican and Asian culture. People doing their gig. People on top of people.

It’s a city neighborhood that looks as expected in that situation. Building’s going up and being torn down. Buildings being closed in order to be torn down to put up taller yet more efficient buildings.

EXAMPLE #1:
The street Tim lives on two rows of apartments are being built. The people on the bottom get a view of sunset blvd. The people on the top get a view of the back door of the people on the bottom. With about 5 feet of space in between.

EXAMPLE #2
1/4 mile down sunset there are condos going up starting at $500,000.

EXAMPLE #3- the cold hard truth:
A caucasion is a minority in Echo Park. I look like the guy who’s making the gentrification happen. The cat encroaching on the people who have lived here years and years. This was a recent realization btw.

I understand that they don’t know what I do.
I understand that perception is reality.
I’m just now beginning to understand why sometimes I receive wary looks.

I’d look twice too if I came across someone who ‘looked like’ a participant in past gentrifications. The truth is that I’m just like they are. Soaking up a piece of this big city in order to find a niche. So I can pay rent and buy groceries at Trader Joes; Oh and get the VW washed!

There’s some grit here, definitely some shadow.

Honestly, I like that. It keeps me engaged and less fearful of whatever my mind conjures up to worry about.

It lets me have a glimpse into other cultures that exist and contribute despite what radio and TV programs say. I think it’s important for me to see since my upbringing in the South was so suburban & idyllic.

That said, the grit and shadow lets me in on a larger picture. Larger oneness. I’m able to see how separateness breeds fear.

RECOGNIZING ECHO PARK:

things I’ve noticed:

The local flowershop for Quincenera(sp) ceremonies. A Catholic girl’s 15th birthday celebration is a very big deal here.

El compadre specials on Margaritas before a Dodger’s game that’s a 10 minute walk away. (free chips & salsa).

Getting a car hand washed on the corner of Sunset and Alvarado. The ritual of Car care here seems to be as important as caring for one’s yard in the South.

Then there’s the consistent characters. The homeless guy; who tries to catch rush hour traffic coming from downtown. He holds a cardboard sign that says:

“I need a beer, why lie about it”

And one of my personal favorites; The Coconut Man on Glendale ave. He’s always smiling & wears a large cowboy hat. He walks bow legged up and down the median during rush hour with a soft ball looking thing that has a straw coming out of it. It took me a month to figure out what he was selling.
They’re chilled & peeled coconuts. With a fresh straw poking in a tiny hole.

These tiny oberservations are about the Echo Park I witness on a consistent basis. They are what gives a sense of community to this VAST city.

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

Now that I’ve been here 3 months. I thought you might dig a quarterly report.

What I’ve learned about L.A. is this.

At best, I practice keeping all my judgments about this city in check, and if possible, let go of ALL of them on a minute by minute basis.

Let L.A. be L.A.

-Because there’s so many different kinds of people and neighborhoods and work; whenever I try to pin down a generalization about the city: how it works or the vibe or the culture, I’m quick to learn, how off I am. How wrong I am. That L.A. should be allowed to be a paradox and a dichotomy to the point of being schitzophrenic. The more this is practiced the better prepared I am to venture out into rush hour traffic, and find ‘large tracts’ of space in claustrophobic dwelling conditions. And find abundance in self employment.

HISTORICAL VIBE:
I’m taken with the history of Los Angeles. How city leaders had to make it a destination hot spot for the rest of America to visit. THey did so by planting Palm trees and haging neon everywhere. The Hollywood sign was an advertisement for Real Estate development in the early 20th century.
How the city voted on building roads in the early 20’s for the then “new” automobile; instead of having mass transit.

“We didn’t move all the way from New York City to reamake New York City,” I read in one book.

The Americans who created the idea for Los Angeles were very forward thinking for sure.

Now, there are pockets of L.A. with that left over vibe of neon and Art-Deco. Places that have seen their day, went out of style, still persevered, and have become kitcshe characterizations of themselves. Places like the “Dresden” or “El Cid”, come to mind. Places of entertainment you might find in a James Coburn or Steve Mcqueen movie.

I’m amazed at the spirit these people still have generations later. How early on they had a great idea with no-limits and attracted a lot of people with very large world views. Very outgoing people.
A lot of good fresh creative ideas and work stems from that. A lot of over the top self-help-guru-sheister’s come from that too.

But it’s that openness that allows for a story like Hustle & Body repair to exist. Can you imagine that happening at Kroger or Harris Teeter? We’d have a person like that arrested in the South.

THE L.A. EXPORT:
I remember in the early 90’s, in my communications class, Dr. Fortenberry said, “America’s greatest export was the entertainment industry.” His statement resonated with me deeply. This was before you could sell pirated DVD’s for $1 in Bangkok.

I admit I grew up with a distorted fantasy regarding L.A.’s entertainment export. Perpetuated in my own mind by devouring media; shiny magazines about musicians & equipment and fluffy TV programs, Lp’s, mix tapes & Top 40 radio. Not only did I believe to be the real L.A. I also believed my view was shared across America and the world!

But it’s all veneer. It’s played up to be a good story. To make life seem larger than life itself. Just like the 60’s post cards of Planted palm trees and hanging neon, and drinking rum out of coconut shells.

Or in my case, 80’s post cards of untouched Malibu beachfront, & girls that look like they just auditioned for Top Gun.

The export really is exemplefied by the Steely Dan song  “Glamour Profession” now that I think about it.

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen A. Thomas

I just read on the LA times online that there was a big Chemical fire in Apex, NC

yesterday. That it covered downtown Raleigh with a funky yellow smoke.

That people were taken to nearby hospitals for breathing problems.

How is everybody?

What’s going on now?

Does it smell?

How far away can you see it?

Steve

This piece is actually called …like tears in rain. Although I just now realize where it came from and I did so accidentally; the title comes from the end of the movie “Blade Runner”.

It’s about memories. How I sometimes experience deep moving moments that are crystalizing events. I only realize it much later.

So this piece in particular is long and improvised in a way. It starts out with a dulcimer sound. An invitation for reflection. Anchored by a drone. Then what sounds like a waterfall is the arpeggiator playing by itself. Then there’s a “discovery of overtones” to the sound firing off, a little hint of depth, revealing soul. The drone is gone, the anchor is gone. The music becomes random, based on a chord that is rooted with a second in the bottom and the tonic in the top. (it just seemed to work this way)

So this is the jumping off point for the piece.

Slowly the drone turns into a bass line that anchors and structures the piece.
A lead synth comes in augmented by string parts that tend to swell over the mix. It builds with a bit of percussion and then the bass line changes. That’s when the ‘close to home’ theme comes in. A small synth riff is played as everything tapers down removing each part one by one. That melody is borrowed from Tony Banks. The mix thins out leaving the dulcimer sound and the feeling of being adrift. The drone comes back in and a “thanks for the reflection” melody returns that’s the same as the invitation.

The sound effect at the end is a reminder to me how fleeting memories, thoughts, experiences are; how they tend to evaporate after they’ve served their purpose.

Kinda like fireflies. Maybe I should rename it.

“…like tears in rain (headphone mix)

Thanks everyone for your patience while I finished this music and learned how this stuff worked.

Thanks for listening.

Stephen A. Thomas