how to give

• 2012-05-28 0 notes

  cinemagr.am

  

  
  

  (Taken with http://cinemagr.am)

• 2012-05-24 0 notes

  Since blogs are an exercise in vainglory anyway, I will assume you all have been dying to know what I’ve been up to and why blogging has been sparse. Here’s why:

  • My sister got married! I’ve never been a fan of weddings, but this one was awesome. I think maybe it’s because I got false eyelashes for the first time.
  • My garden is KILLING IT. I have huge, infant-sized zucchini and hundreds of small tomatoes. 
  • I went to LA for work — we’re planning a new gardening initiative. We are also, as a foundation, investing in some super cool projects here in Austin that I can’t wait to share when it’s appropriate. Being a philanthropist is every bit as cool as you think it will be. 
  • I turned 29. 29 is, let’s say, sadder than 28, but wayyy better than 22.
  • The Village Center is closing. I’ve been going there every week for over a year now and it’s really sad to see so many families moving and relationships changing, but it’s the nature of refugee life. I will miss the group of kids so so so much. 
  • I had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Salai’s wife to America. My 84 year-old Burmese friend is an eloquent champion of peace in Burma; I have never met anyone so hopeful and determined for their country. He hadn’t seen his wife in 4 years, and now they will live together in America. 
  • Freddie Mercury is still around. I almost released him into the wild when he ate my eye glasses, but we’ve worked things out. 
  • We’re moving. I’m sad to leave our first house and our garden, but we’re moving near my best friend and a Mexican bakery. It’s a lose-win situation. 
  • Phillip and I are both going to Thailand for a month this summer! I’m beyond thrilled to be going back to visit friends and students and to eat som tam and chili crabs and go to the beach and. Oh man. It’s going to be awesome. 

• 0 notes

• 2012-05-02 0 notes

  

  I read one measly book in April. The subject matter of the book was so intense, I couldn’t read a lot at one time. I’d read half of it before and just now picked it back up. It’s rough, no need to make it more palatable.

  War is Not Over When It’s Over is a collection of women’s stories from post-conflict zones. As you can expect, war demolishes more than just the physical landscape of a place. So many tales of rape, brutality and injustice go unreported after a war is supposedly over. Really hard to read but really worthwhile. It’s bad enough that sexual violence exists; we shouldn’t make it worse by ignoring the problem.  

• 2012-04-15 0 notes

  This is the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. Just this video spawned a scholarship fund and a foundation to support creativity and entrepreneurship in kids. Love. 

• 2012-04-13 0 notes

  

  Happy birthday to my boss and world-changer John Paul Dejoria.