Tiger Tuesday

This is Edwin Ushiro's piece for the Year of the Tiger show. The show opens just in time for Lunar New Year next Saturday, the 13th. LA Animal Services will be at GR2 again with some critters looking for homes. Bring in any items that you'd like to donate to the shelter. We'll send out a list of items they need. Last year we were able to hook up some pups and kitties with new homes, and we got a nice haul of supplies that the West LA animal shelter was able to put to use!

Edwin's tiger piece reminds me of my cat Iliose who passed away. Iliose was named by a very good friend I had at the time when I rescued her, Rod Coronado. Rod was in a Federal prison, and we spent hours on phone calls overheard by the FBI. One of those was about what I should name my little orange tabby. He came up with Iliose, which he told me meant "little lion" in Yaqui. She could have been a little tiger too - she was brave little one. I miss her.

Anyhow, there are some other fantastic pieces for the show - you can check out some preview images on the GR Flickr page. You'll still have to come to GR2 to see all the good stuff. I've got a mountain of art that came in on Monday. Opening boxes of incoming art is like Christmas, Hannukah, and the best birthday ever all rolled into one. Well.... as long as whoever sent the art packed it well. So far, this show has arrived with zero casualties. I'm knocking some wood now, hoping I didn't just jinx the folks who still have art en route.

It's been a tumultuous month. Lots of shifting, and I'm working hard to get centered. Year of the Tiger indeed...

To gear up for 4708, I met up with Mr. Ushiro for lunch of a Sumatran nature at Simpang Asia. I knew this place was going to be good. Next time I go, I'm fasting for 3 days before I order my entree.



The smell of my food, when the banana leaf it came wrapped in, magically opened itself should be bottled up and sold as a perfume. I'd rub it on myself everyday - essence of garlic and coconut milk... I'd be irresistible.