San Francisco: The Adventures of Businesslady Aliya and Hampshire Alum Aliya in the same city

welcome to san francisco!
i loved all the rail systems. i coulda ridden the air tram for days.

First stop: meeting up with Adrienne from Elsewhere! Terrible Documentation Faux Paux, I didn’t get any pictures of us together. but the important thing was that we got to “stare into each other’s eyes” over delicious vietnamese lunch specials at Sunflower Cafe. So much to say, and so much future to plan. Philly 2011, look out baby.
Some shoe shopping for her parent’s re-marriage back to each other coming up this week (the dress she is wearing “demands a simple black pump”) took us to various delightful thrift stores. I particularly enjoyed the combo of flannel next to short shorts:

BUT, then it was time to go. A combination of my conference schedule and her wedding and “Girls Together Only” time (bachelorette party? with your mom? sorta?) schedule meant this would probably be our last meeting for now. with lots of hope for the future we parted ways.

And more transit rail systems! I loved all the escalators.

AND then off to the most magical Team Management Leadership Weekend. I completed my first year of the program and oh my goodness it was so lovely. All my hard work was acknowledged and looking back on the year, I realized that I really am unrecognizable to myself from where I started. I was in a situation where I felt no power, no freedom, and no self expression. Now I am in a total open space, ready to take on what’s next and even powerfully create whatever it is that’s next — not just wait around for it to happen to me. I could even declare myself now as a Community Artist in the World, making a difference now — really, me . yikes this still scares me. Over the course of the weekend anyone I was frustrated with, mad at, incomplete with, or had felt like I had been banging my head against a wall with for the past 3 months (or more even) completed with me so that we were both freed up from whatever was there that made it so frustrating before. I saw that I had really really made a difference for everyone around me, even when I thought I had been doing nothing right. I just fell in love with everyone I saw. Everyone looked so beautiful. I don’t know how else to say it but I just feel so empowered and ready to take on the world.
On the last night of the weekend we all went to dinner at this moroccan restaurant. I was surrounded by about 20 of my favorite people, all seated on these low couches and eating delicious things. They told me amazing stories, created collaborative futures with me, shared what they were grateful for, and danced. I had the priviledge of dancing with some of the most talented salsa dancers I know (thank you miami), and then letting it rip, being totally free and myself.
Businesslady Aliya Rocks AND gets down, basically.

Over the weekend I also got to meet in the flesh a lot of people I’d been talking to on the phone every week for the past 3 months: Here are some of my favorite Team Leaders from across the eastern region — Ritajean from Philladelphia, Joshua from Baltimore, Morganlea from NJ, and Brad from Indianna.

On monday morning Ritajean and I took a walk up the crazy crazy hills in san fran. look! such a huge hill!

And here are some of my favorite people from my Florida Team: Debbie, Fernanda, Lynn, Brandy, my brilliant coach Gladys, and Henry

From one life to another: After the TMLP weekend, Businesslady Aliya turned into Hampshire Alum Aliya and met up with some favorites from college: Kate, Julia, and a new friend Maureen

(in the shade)

(in the light!)

Oakland living (you can tell we’re in Oakland because of all the bikes)!  Thrift stores, walking through adorable neighborhoods, coffee shops, cuties.

Beautiful bathingsuit:

way too adorable/involved chalk drawings. you crazy californian kids.

Really complicated hopscotching:

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to have 4 feet for this square…
The Salami and Ravioli Factory! ……

…… is protected by both a barbed wire fence AND a series of cacti!!

maybe there’s more than salami and ravioli in there.

beautiful car installation art. grade: B – (high marks for ambition in utilizing an outdoor installation and indoor/outdoor coordination, low marks for not fully utillizing the rest of the coat hanger wire diamond)

Guerrilla “MaRia R” Installation Art: grade C (high marks for effort but low for production quality)
Sculents I love you.

Further Research and Investigation into the Pregnancy Romance Novel Genre continues (domestic research) (note, there is a whole sub-series of these novels called “Texas Maternity” and “Texas Paternity”

While Kate’s at her super-important grown up GRAD SCHOOL orientation, A day with Julia!!
Self Portrait with Birds.

No Karate Parking.

Post-Grad School Orientation Reunion (and photoshoot): (note Kate’s very profesh yet Mad Cute outfit choice definitely not deliberated over for and hour plus)

Marriage: A tough financial decision either way

After an evening and morning of watching Ke$ha, Miley, Beyonce and other variations of their music videos, we had to close our visit with a diva-licious photoshoot (i.e. add awesome boots to current outfit — which for many was choice pajamas):

another ride on the rail transit system reminds me I am not in Florida:

me & my trusty luggage: like old married people we know how to travel together.

someday i'll sew the "courage" onto "urge"

good bye west coast. you were fun.

still definitely not florida:

oh houston airport.

And, Home.

back to “normal” life. my intention is to move out of florida (or at least into a job I love that is a total self expression, which may involve florida) by the end of September. I’m not sure at all what that looks like. My upcoming weeks I am envisioining lots of catch-up sewing, working on my new website, packing crap that has sat around since I graduated, writing/photographing for my culminating “Bonar Family Residency” publication “Florida is a Feeling”, watching movies, making friends, calling back old friends I’ve missed.

OK south florida, show me what you got.

I love you all so much, near and far. You are so incredibly beautiful. Let me see your face soon.

LOVE
ALIYA

goin travellin

hello!
aliya here again, with an update as i head west, again.
(I’m like Travel Career Barbie! with all her accesories and outfits fitting into her cute carry-on suitcase!)

this time its for another residency at the West Coast Bonar Family Satellite Residency Program. Special occasion: Bubbie and Zaydie’s 60th anniversary!!! wow!! In honor of this special event, my whole (dad’s side) family is getting together – all families, cousins, great uncles, partners, everyone. Those who were not there before, are now coming. Those who did not want to see each other are now willing to be together.

I am so excited to honor and celebrate what my grandparents have created and made possible that has us all being such great people contributing so much to our worlds!

AND NOW, the (illustrated) ALIYA TRAVEL CHRONICLES!

ft. lauderdale airport! look how FLORIDIAN this architecture is! This is part of my investigation into “Florida Architecture” — I know it when I see it, but I’m trying to figure out why. I think this shows how big everything built is in FL (many public buildings/highways I mean); the land is very open and flat so we build things big? Also, we like to drive around in airconditioned big cars? and there aren’t old little streets in the way that we have to build around, so why not make gigantic 6 lane highways? Also note, palm trees. obvi.

parking lot at work: is this a hint? whatevs– obvi i do my own detailing!! (also, sadly note how
COMPLETELY FADED! the lightning bolts/stripes have become in just 6 months! ridiculous.)

THE BEST DRESS EVER! but not in my size. or price range. at the vintage shop downtown! it’s like the cupcake dress, but upside-down and RED!!! next step: make my own.Taking care of the house before we leave: watering all the plants. I forgot how amazing our backyard smells. Kinda humid (yes it has a smell), kinda almost-rotting-fruit, and then lots of fresh leaves smell. Living in a tropical wonderland is really kinda amazing.
Most amazing, is our mango trees which are blooming now!! Starfruit in the winter, mangoes in the summer!! and in about a month… the pineapples will be ready! yes. really. (come visit)

delish! definitely not transporting these tropical fruits across state lines.

packing: usually my worst enemy. BUT i’m actually getting pretty good at it! I packed with only one slightly pathetic meltdown about what is appropriate shabbat wear. ended up only packing 1 last minute thrown in extra just-in-case outfit.
And look who’s moving west!! I realized too late that OF COURSE i shoulda brought TWO animals for an ANNIVERSARY GIFT, but oh well. i’ll have to send her partner in the mail after I get home.

A LIST: for plane and pre-departure things to remember and do and call.  (you know you were anxiously waiting to see it)

AND THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART OF FLYING OUT OF FLORIDA!! seeing my home state so brilliantly laid out in front of me!! no where else do you have the water and the coast as such a great reference tool!

I THINK THIS IS WHERE I LIVE.

LOOK AT THESE FREAKING CLOUDS (yes — that is the cloud’s shadow over the water)! beautiful.

the everglades are also my favorite part. i mean, i guess this isn’t my favorite part really, but it’s really interesting/weird/gross. I like the apparent control over nature — how we just drew a line and bam, people on this side, everglades on the other. heh heh heh, says nature. Just wait for some hurricanes.

OK, well, when I get to publish this I will be on my way to my cousins house for Shabbat! and then sam’s gonna join us later! I’m so excited to see them and hang out and do some jewish learning and but most excited for family time. in the past i’ve always gotten a little weird about being the only girl and feeling like I don’t know how to do it right or I don’t know all the rules or maybe I’m wearing the wrong thing. but! I’m just going to have fun and be a self assured young woman who knows exactly what to do and say –with some great things to contribute! Also probably upcoming: lots of questions about what I’m doing and do I have a job yet! yep! super fun!

have a good saturday!

traveling travelling travelllllllling

i feel like a bizarre world traveler lately. Like I should be staying at home and staying still and doing the logical and predictable recent graduate thing of working really hard at a job that is lame and feeling really confused about my life.
But instead I get this opportunity to travel around and go visit all these amazing people and conferences and places. I am collecting and gathering and trying to understand it all more. and, feeling rather privileged about it and trying to justify that, which isn’t terribly useful or productive.

leaving greensboro, nc. i’m not sure when i’ll see this place again, although I definitely said that last november. As i was leaving (wishing there was an ocean on one side so that I could orient myself, figure out which tree is which, which street is one I know or could know, where my friends are, where I fit within that vague abstract landscape shape) I was really mad at that place, at somewhere that I could put so much energy, love, friendship, time into and yet i still can just leave. How can a place a tree a house a sofa a cd you’ve listened to on end since last may not remember how much you’ve loved it? how can it just keep existing and housing new people and holding up other people’s butts playing songs over and over without knowing you have left?

anyways, before this gets too dramatic, this post is reporting that i’ve made it here to the westest of all west coasts, about as far away from lovely south florida as I could manage within the continental United States, in Portland OR. I’m in someone’s house, and they all seem very friendly and nice and my friends both in the other room (traveled from Boise, ID and Montreal, CA) and somewhere nearby apparently but basically I’m just very happy that I trucked my sleeping bag 3,298 miles across the country and that I get to sleep in it tonight.

Goodnight universe. Tomorrow is going to be so incredible. Tonight will be sweet dreams about art and friends and west coast hotties.

February 27, 2010

Special Mail-Art Surprise
february 27
5 flowers, mail, mailbox
21 Narcissa Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
West Coast Satellite Bonar Family Residency Program
collaboration with Kirsten’s Nana’s garden

February 26, 2010

Breakfast

a performance and installation (in our bellies)

february 26

yogurt, blueberries, omlet, pineapple juice, challah, peanut butter, jelly, coffee

kitchen table

collaboration with Sandra, Merrill, and Jeff Bonar

“Would you and your father please throw away your phones and come sit down for breakfast? We’re having breakfast now.”

February 25, 2010

I Feel Great Today

february 25, 2010

8.5″x11″ piece white computer paper, sharpie, scotch tape, multiple layers of “white” paint (previously installed)

back alley, concrete wall, West Coast Satellite Bonar Family Residency Site