Wizard Of Balls: A Night Of Spoken Word

Oh what a night! My fellow Lip Bombers and I are so proud to say that our show was a success! We packed the theater with all our supportive friends, family, and fellow spoken word enthusiasts. I for one cannot stop myself from raving about how expressive and often therapeutic the art of spoken word has been for me, and I know many of my friends would agree. It was so great seeing everyone go up there and do what they do best, which is pretty much be their awesome selves! We had an array of different pieces with everyone displaying their own distinctive style, which I think we've been developing through this amazing process. It was so heartwarming to see how excited and encouraging every member was backstage as each of us walked on stage and emerged from the darkness into the spotlight. I know that it takes a lot of guts to do something like that. You guys are all truly deserving of a standing ovation!

Although we experienced a few challenges prior to the moment of truth, I think we'd all agree that it was very much worth it and that we're oh so thankful that we've got such a determined and enthusiastic team that can pretty much accomplish anything we set our mind to! We definitely got each others' backs, which is probably what I love most about Lip Bomb! Not only do I respect these people as artists, and amazing ones at that, but they're also amongst some of my bestest friends! It's one thing to perform and know how to entertain a crowd, but it's a whole other thing to be able to connect with people who know you deep down inside and with people you've never even met before. I think that's one of the greatest things I've noticed about spoken word, particularly amongst my talented group of friends. They all bare their hearts every time they step on stage, and it's truly beautiful. Kudos Lip Bomb! I'm so proud of us and I love you all!

I can't wait to do it all again for my last spoken word show at UCSB! 

Words With Friends, here we come! Keep a look out ;)

Balls To The Wall

In hopes to spread the word and get the ball rollin', the wonderful members of Lip Bomb and myself engaged in a variety of balltastic tactics to market our spoken word show, Wizard Of Balls! If you're a student at UCSB and are familiar with the between-classes traffic-jammed highway known as The Arbor, then you've probably been approached by a few zealous on-campus enthusiasts handing out flyers for all sorts of things one time or another. And I'm sure you have at some point been one of many eye-contact-avoiding earbud-wearing fast-walkers that stroll through the courtyard strategically weaving through handouts like a game of collegiate dodgeball. Despite these well-known avoidance strategies, we gave theatrically-obnoxious tabling a shot! I mean, why not go balls-out?

Mel the Shy Scarecrow & Alex aka Alfonse aka Oz aka The Wizard

Molly aka Dorothy doing her thang.

In light of our lovely Lion, Roxi's absence, I took on the roll of the meowing Tinman. 

Probably added a lot more confusion than effectiveness with that particular idea. 

You win some, you lose some... balls.

Apparently Wizards meow too... or maybe that's more of a growl.

We got lucky with basically the cutest scarecrow that ever existed. How could a bird possibly fear this little lady?

I may be lacking in the heart-department, but this Tinman has sure got some dancing feet!

Sass for days...

At this point, you can probably infer that we're quite the ball-enthusiasts. So much so, we decided to spell it out for the whole world to see... okay maybe not quite the whole blue & green ball we call earth, but you know what I mean. Another prime spot for UCSB guerrilla marketing is good ol' Pardall Tunnel. It's basically the first thing anyone sees as they leave Isla Vista and enter UCSB's campus on foot, bike, or skateboard. To ensure that we caught the eye of even the hurriest of lecture-goers, we displayed on the tunnel's outer wall the key word of the week... BALLS! But I probably don't have to tell you twice. Special thanks to Roxi the Lion for helping me with this balls to the wall endeavor this morning! 

BALLS!

Oh & some butterfly lovemaking for good measure ;)

Wizard Of Balls

So, if my absence from the e-world is any indication, I've been quite the busy bee this quarter! One of my many recent labors of love include the co-creation of a student run spoken word group at UCSB known as Lip Bomb! Last quarter, a bunch of aspiring writers and performers took Kip Fulbeck's The Art of Spoken Word class on campus and soon fell in love with the art--myself including! With help from our lovely sponsors: Life of the Party (we gaucho back!), UCSB CommUnity Grants, and URC Interfaith Fund, we were able to put on our very first student run show--Wizard Of Balls!

Our title Wizard Of Balls is a playful reference to the Wizard Of Oz, but with a slight twist. Essentially, it describes our group's growth from newcomers to the art spoken word, to becoming members of Lip Bomb. Some of the pieces in the show discuss a desire to acquire "courage fruit", in other words--grow a pair. Along with a few other silly ball-references, we also address topics including gender norms, self-confidence, love and loss, and an artists' biggest fear...writer's block. Come early to grab a seat and some ball-shaped snacks, before they run out!

Lions and Tigers and Balls, OH MY!

We've all been scared before, worried, wondering, "Where are my balls?" Well, we were thinking the exact same thing. Come along on our journey down the yellow brick road in search of our courage fruit.

Come one, come all to Wizard of Balls: A Night Of Spoken Word!

Friday, March 9th at 7:30pm in Theater & Dance 1701.

Performances brought to you by Lip Bomb, the new spoken word student group on campus, who previously brought to you STRICTLY ORAL: A Night of Spoken Word.

Take a Friday night off to attend this FREE event sponsored by Life of the Party, UCSB CommUnity Grants and the URC Interfaith Fund! Come early for FREE food and FREE entertainment.... what else could you ask for (besides a brain, a heart, some courage or a way home)? Take a break from end-of-the-quarter stress and give yourself a much deserved treat!

Featuring performances by:

Alex Sicaud

Chanel Miller

Demi Anter

Desmond Wilder

Gabrielle Dimaranan

Jacks Marie

Mel Rosenberg

Molly Goldman

Roxi Diaz

Ryan Yamamoto

Can you figure out which poster goes with which ballsy character from The Wizard Of Oz?

How To Turn 21 / Baconfest

So recently--January 28, 2012 to be exact--I turned 21! Yup, the big two-one. Now I bet you're thinking I ran out and purchased my first six pack or something like that in light of the celebratory occasion. But, quite the contrary. I personally prefer hitting up the nearest deli and ordering 2 pounds of... wait for it... bacon! Sweet and savory maple bacon. Absurd? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. It's not that I am particularly opposed to frying up the entire batch in one sitting and eating it in its purest form, but I thought I'd whip up something special.

Three-Cheese Bacon Tomato Mushroom Onion & Jalapeño Pizza 

(half marinara / half pesto)

 Quite a mouthful. To say. And to eat.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers w/ Whipped Cream Cheese Filling

And the piece de resistance... Maple Bacon Bars. Bon appetite! 

Now that's how you kick off a birthday!

Two Thousand & Twelve

New year. New blog. New projects. New vibe. New spirit. New IDGAB.