Beyond Beyond Well Being

A special day at the Venice Drumming Circle, father's day. The gentleman on the left is accompanied by his lovely wife of 30+ years. This is the first time that I'd ever seen her. Usually, I see this gentleman in the circle looking more like a hippy as seen below:

So, I call him The Mayor. Think you can guess his name? Here are some choices:

• Moon-doggy
• Hizonor
• Guru Arjuna Das
• Steve

Yeah, its Steve. Ha. Always expected something more colorful. But in my mind, he remains The Mayor. He's well connected in the circle, he's sort of the Johnny Grant of the Venice drumming circle. He's a fixture. Always there, always a part of the larger groove. Steve, his honor of the Venice drumming circle.

I'm not 100% sure that I got her name right. It was given to me by her partner, Tom (who'll I'll need to write about soon as I get a decent shot) during a moment between grooves while individual drummers were trying to get a unified rhythm going. So, it can be difficult to hear things right.

She's a great dancer and presence at the Venice drumming circle. Also a regular, I don't have any particular fiction developed about her beyond my sense that she is an artist or performer of some sort.

This sculpture is actually considered to be in West LA, found adjacent to the Los Angeles National Cemetery at the corner of Wilshire and Veteran.

Its inscription quotes Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address which talks about "...care for him who shall have borne the battle and his widow and orphan". It is a touching and fitting memorial to those who have lost their lives so that I might benefit. Nothing short of impressive there and I want to clearly offer my gratitude for such deeds.

Now, on to my point. My god, she's HOT!

Where was Jesse Helms when this sculpture was approved?

She's practically naked to begin with and although this image can't really pick it up, there are fully formed nipple erections and everything. No wonder the soldier's weapons are so erect and ready for action!

Seriously, you gotta check out this sculpture carefully next time you're driving by. I might also suggest that you cover the eyes of your preteen children less they erroneously begin to connect sex and war.

Too late?

There is no end to the props that people can dance with in the drumming circle. Martial arts weapons and provocative or dangerous kicks are prohibited, but now and then when there's room, you can find someone dancing with something that breathes a whole new life into an old toy... such as the hula hoop.