In Memory Of

Last week while I was watering dirt (yes, really), I looked down at my left black leather boot and noticed it was torn. As my boot tore, so did my heart. These boots have been with me for a long time. We have had some good times and have been to many great cities. Nothing lasts forever, I left them in my nieces bedroom and told her to trash them for me when I left. I couldn't bear to do it myself. Nothing lasts forever, halloween candy, hair color, relationships, carbon, pain. Everything is finite, enjoy it while it lasts. I may be here today and gone tomorrow, gone till November, on and on it seems to go, you don't know what you got till its gone. Tell the people you love you love them, and wear the clothes you love and photograph yourself in them. I may be as vain as Demi Lovato's right wrist, and just as torn too.

Here we are together, poetry in motion, as my feet skim the waters of Xochilmilco. 

With my ex's nice family. They really showed me a good time.

Im on a trajinera b*tch!

I remember hating you for sleeping next to me, Riding on the Metro-o-o. Mexico City, safest place in the world besides my mother's arms.

MOMA D.F. Cabrones!

Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Guadalajara!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me in "Emo Park" aka Parque Revolucion in Guadalajara. "Estas con tu gente?" Are you with your people? my ex-boyfriend once said when he called me and I was there waiting for him. 

Look! I have friends! Me with my favorite people I dont get enough of these days in San Francisco, CA.

I have a habit of climbing on statues. oops.

Old Skool San Fran, me with red long hair and Dean M.A.P.

Valentine's Day 2010. Olvera St. Los Angeles, CA

Sanrio's 35th Anniversary Xhibit in Culver City, CA with my nieces. U cant really see my boots but Im trying to prove a point here that: "Aw yeah, I get around, still clown with the underground" -2pac.

My first time in Seattle, WA! Loving it!

With my big sister in Burien, WA. Im holding a baby racoon and she is tending to the dog.

Getting high in my black boots with Mariana G. 

My Little Burlesque Monsters

Last night my sister, nieces, mom, and I went to see Burlesque. We had to see it because "For Colored Girls" was rated R and probably too heavy for my 13 year old niece. The best part of Burlesque was coming home from it to do Burlesque inspired hair and makeup. Icouldnt wait for the movie to end so I could go get me a candy apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and get the show started. [My feelings on Xtina: I have never, in all my life been an Xtina Aguilera fan. I think she has a good strong voice, but I dont feel like its ever been put to good use. There is no song of hers that I'd like to play over and over or that moves me in any way. But thats just me.] I did my eldest niece, Cierra, first and thing just kept escalating from curled hair, to gwen stefani updos to me taking the flannel off my own back for her shoot. Autumn Bailey was next, she got a pink and purple look and ended up looking more Nicki Minajesque. My sister said she would maybe let me do her makeup after a few beers, but it never happened. Im supposed to do her a cat eye today before work.  P.S. Ive bit my lip 4 times in the same place while eating since Thanksgiving. Grandmother Willow, is there hope for a little colored girl like me?

 

 

 

 

 

 Time for some sisterly action

 

 

 Knuckleheads

 

 

 

 

So tired after all that hard work. Went straight to bed. Cierra was ready for the hookah bar. Loca.

 

Desert Hot Springs

Yesterday, a gypsy saved my life. Rolling into Desert Hot Springs, CA I saw a store called "Gypsy Land". By the rack outside and what I could see from the back seat of my dad's car going at least 45 mph, I knew it was a vintage store. I had been away from home a week and had not created anything, blogged, thrifted, danced, or exercised. After a rough night in a hotel room with my parents trying to drown out my dad's snoring with Drake, Kanye, and Santogold on my ipod till 3am, I awoke in a bad mood at this mineral spa springs resort while all my nieces and nephew giggled with glee and swam in the springs. I decided I would jog to Gypsy Land and save myself from more conspicuous caloric consumption. "There is a lot of riff raff walking the streets," said my sister after she came back with breakfast from McDonalds. Jog out the window, I ate a sausage biscuit and let them drive me. 2 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 leotard, 3 bows, 2 t-shirts, and 31 dollars later, I walked back to the hotel, bags of clothes in my hands, shooting pictures with my camera, and sipping my VOSS water. A true gypsy. Nothing I love more than shopping alone and walking alone, exploring on my own time.

When I showed my family this dress they said that I already had one like this before when I was little and they have a picture of me in it with white stockings. I know which one they are talking about.

If you go to a hotel and the hallways aren't green turf, run the other way. we some fancy folk.

"You look like you are going to serve us up some margaritas," my sister.

If you like hot mineral springs, this is the place for you.

I will be going back to this place one day. The lady said next time I come tell her and she will turn off the incense since I'm allergic to it. Such a sweet gypsy. Even gave me a free bow cause Im her kind!

Somewhere, over the knee boots, way up high. Rosie and I finally ended our search for over the knee boots at JC Penneys Sat night. I tricked her into taking me there. 50% off. 50 dollas black suede baybay!

This had an "Andy Warhol" tag on it which meant it was 50% off. $7.50 cents later....

Dont act like you dont fodel in the desert in your new digs. I do it, Rihanna does it.. This pic is photographer's choice: Cierra Garcia she's my dope niece who puts up with all my shenanigans.

Hotel we didn't stay at.

So these hobos thought I was taking their pic! haha, I didnt even see them, I was taking my mom and niece's pic on my walk home from Gypsy Land. They were on the balcony. They were like, "Why were you taking our picture?" haha. Riff raff, shmiff raff, they were homies.

Midtown Bazaar

 

This picture is symbolic of my life in the 916 on so many levels, I cant even begin to write a poem about it because it would turn voluminous real quick. Meet me in the parking lot, its going down.

First I can start with thanking all zero of my friends for coming out this day. Ok, thats too wicked of me, Im in a wicked mood and I mean that in every American sense of the word. I was rescued at the last half hour by Lisa and Alicia, and her 14 year old posse. "I'm going to pack up my car, you guys go and find me a baby daddy and we will meet up later." Thirty minutes later they had decided to hook me up with one of the girls brothers who "has gages, nipple rings, used to have dreads, is half mexican, has a mexican ex-girlfriend, lives in sac, draws, and is going to Utah on Tuesday." I never met him though, although we did spend a good minute cruising the streets of Sac looking for him on a bike with a blinker,  "This is what you get when you let 14 year olds run your love life," said Lisa to me.

This blog is not about that though, oh how my mind sways like the curves of Beyonce's rumored to be pregnant body. I'm glad I did midtown bazaar, since park your art is over, this is now Sac's biggest market so I was there, I did mah thang and I gained a lot of new friends and new knowledge. Still trying to find my clientele though. I sold nothing but Rosie did drop a few 20's on some dipping oils from the lady next to my booth. They are delicious. 

My outfit aka "diva attire" bit me in the ass later, as I was freezing the entire day. The 4cast was mid 70's with some wind. Not in the parking garage I was shacked up in for 12 hours with no sunlight. I dont know where my bachelors brain got to thinking that wearing fetch fishnets would keep me warm. They are just thread, its like wearing thread with holes on your legs. Felt like I was wearing lace panties in a Norwegian winter. SUCKED! Luckily, dipping oil lady also sold blankets (who wudda thunk) and by 630pm, I could take it no longer, I was wrapped up in some fleece giraffe covered baby blanket. Fashion buzz kill FML. I hope someone gets some LOLz outta this. IF one person laughs, I have done my job. I sound like Anahi preaching about her bulimia, but really, sincerely. enjoy. 

"Sophia, no one is going to buy anything from you if you make that face," my mother. 

They later moved me here. Look at me, making my mama proud.

"Hip hop is culture, and includes 4 elements: breaking, djing, mcing, and graffiti" -Moon Lee.

Well, I brought Tupac on my shirt, posed by this wall, and rapped my ass off to pump myself up for the 12 hrs I was there. "Ima nice girl, with some nice dreams, see these bracelets, see these earrings, eligible bachelorette, thrifted blazer coat, thats whiter than what's spilling down yo throat." I hope Lil' Skateboard P aka Pharrell doesnt mind I switched up the lyrics a lil'. 

Fodeling my CoupedeVille necklace nobody bought. They wouldnt know fetch fashion if it hit em in the face! 

My First Client

I have known Alicia since she was 4, although neither one of us recognized each other when I reunited with her and her mother a few weeks back. Alicia and her siblings used to play underneath my stairs as her mom lead Jay-nessa and I in a bible study group in my living room, my senior year of hi-school. Now I'm her official stylist. It started with her borrowing my shoes for homecoming and somehow (with my confident encouragement) escalated into me doing her hair and makeup for homecoming. So what if I don't have a hair or makeup degree? I have a B.S. from the University of California which means, I dedicated four years of my life to developing mad research skills. I applied them for the purpose of operation Alicia's first homecoming by consulting my favorite educational source: Youtube, and my fave gurus Kandee  Johnson and Itsjudytime. Kandee for the smokey eye and Judy for the side messy bun updo. Needless to say I was nervous as u know what especially after being threatened by Miss Thang herself, "This is my first homecoming ever, you can't mess this up." I told her not to worry, if it didnt work out, I would give her her money back. hahaha funny funny since I did it pro bono. When I picked her up at her house she was in this fetch nautical little get up. I had given her the "skirt" earlier in the week from my to-sell bin in my hallway. It was a tube top and she straight up turned it into a skirt, throwing a red belt around it and pairing it with red sandals. Que cute! And guess what I was wearing? A red skirt and a blue and white shirt. Wow. The stars were already lining up for us.

  

Before: "I don't pose." Look who I got to drink my REGULAR cherry coke.

  After: Posing away in her BCBG black one shoulder "slinky" dress. *slinky as in the toy she says, not as in form fitting in a sensual female manner.

Her hair, which we couldn't even photograph because she had to peace out to dinner.

We ran into some troubles with Judy and her "ratting" instructions. After Alicia told me to remain calm, we combed the rat out, re-curled some tendrils to fix the damage. I almost pissed myself I was so scared.

With her happy mama/my friend Lisa. We took a secret vow not to tell Lisa what happened with the hair scandal, but since it looked good and was all in the past, I spilled the beans before they left. I love a little healthy homecoming drama. 

Happy Veteran's Day! (said my dad at my outfit). Um would u let someone with crooked skunk bangs do your hair? Don't answer. Alicia and her fylist (fake stylist). Oh and dont think this is my room cause IT AINT! Its my OLD room. I have 2.

Heart Beat Rock

 So remember my 25 cent blue flannel  I got from the crooked torso lady sipping slizzurd at the swap meet? Of course you don't, because only 15 of you read that post "Tianguis La Sophia" where I explained the entire episode. Well, I went to the swap meet last Sunday and she was there again of course, she has one of those stands where you leave your stuff and dont have to take it down. Bad luck had struck her this week as I found her carrying soiled boxes of soiled linens to the next empty spot over. The rain had gotten into her stuff and a lot of it was ruined. She told me she would give me an entire box of vinyl records for 1 dollar. 1 dolla! Since Im always on the hunt for those to make my earrings and other crafts out of I sprung for her deal. Even though the box was heavy as chuck (e cheese, fat ass mouse) I happily carried it away as she screamed, "Help me help you! Vamanos! Pronto!" hoping people would buy her stuff so she didnt have to trash it all. 

I got straight to work that day, sorting the records, trashing the soiled, moldy, covers. Don't worry I didn't cut up any good ones, what do u think I am? Some kind of idiot who drinks soda for 3 days straight and thinks its diet?

 They teach in journalism, as in life I guess, that good news for one person is always bad news for another. So I dedicate this look to her, the flannel that she sold me for a quarter, the records that she sold me for a dollar. Hand cut, beaded, and wire wrapped by moi. I present my Heart Beat Rock earrings. If you want any, get at me. I will sell them at 10 dollars a pair. (wire wrapping is no joke). dulce_sophia@yahoo.com or check out my Etsy store (I added 3 pairs)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaSophia

I learned how to tie a bandana into that cute bow on youtube. 

 

Look Ma, Prince 1999.... yeah right as if I would cut Prince! 

"Sophia! Don't cut that shirt, it's your cousin's" -my mom

It is my cousin's but I dont see him a lot and he lives down south. I respected her wish ne way. Don't know why. I think im scared of her a little.