For Hun, Tats, John, Theresa & Knowles.

this is a long video, albeit moving and very worth the watch. I dedicate this blog post to the five people above as they have supported and helped me in my quest and passion to make peacebuilding and healing in conflict transformation something creative and sprung directly from the heart. words can only say so much, but art is the true expression of the soul specifically in moments of pain, grief, trial and tribulations. we must give time and space for "alternative" more capable ways of expressing pain. and allowing one's self to express in ways beyond words can truly be healing.

this artist was able to recount Germany conquering Ukraine in WWII with sand art in ways i have never seen any one able to recount such tragedies without film. this is amazing. please watch it in its entirety.



a big thank you to towfigh for posting this and letting me see and share it with you all.

why my professor/advisor is the best.

cause he made it on CNN - that's why!

this was shot at my graduate school in Vermont!

here is the external link if the video doesn't work:

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/07/31/snow.iraq.us.camp.cnn?iref=videosearch

oi! REZ BOMB!

PINE RIDGE REZ - taken with my vivitar film cam:

Rez Bomb is one of THE best movies i've seen all year, no joke. and even better because its all filmed in my hometown and the surrounding Pine Ridge Reservation here is sodak. It was so neat to watch this film. The filmmaker is this super rad Scottish filmmaker, Steven Lewis Simpson, who felt inspired to make this film after visiting Pine Ridge a while back (i think 1996 or 1999). here's a pola i took of Wounded Knee this winter:

not only is the story really well written, the movie itself is really cinematically beautiful. Unfortunately, you wont be able to rent this @ your local video store. if you want it, you have to go to www.rezbomb.com and get yerself a copy. it also has like, 1.5 hours of additional features; a tour of the Rez, a look into a local's life, a couple interview's with Russell Means. its truly worth it if you want a glimpse into what life on the Rez might be like, as far as the conditions, the life, etc. i mean, this is definitely an action movie in someways but nonetheless pretty accurate about how the Lakota live on Pine Ridge. It can be pretty devastating. Well, it is. I truly commend Simpson for the work he had done in putting this film out and the dedication to the Native Americans that you can just feel by watching this movie. As you may know, Native American rights is very close to my heart, so Simpson's work really hit a chord with me, in some ways he is small hero to me.

to educate yourself a little bit more on the current state of living on the Indian Reservations here in SD, you can read this article, by CNN. Though its a small article, it is better than nothing; the awareness needs to be far reaching and well known. this is and Rez Bomb are a part:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

it smells

so we're in the market for a used honda element. we really want one. but its not too much of a rush. i mean, its not like rapid city is big. i rarely go over 40 mph here. ha! isn't that funny? i think so.

so anyway, i've been hounding down the honda dealer in town, to no avail. there has been nothing. we found one somewhere else (a jeep dealer). good price. great mileage. BUT. it SMELLS like a mixture between a porta-potty, a wet dog and a horse. its really strange. we've made them do a lot to fix it (the smell) but it isn't going away. that is the only thing holding me back from buying it, well, that and this strange tugging "no" that this little voice inside of me has always said since we and this specific element met.

so i was consulting with my daddio about it today and he was like, "well, it sounds really strange." i told him more details about the whole scenario-which i choose to omit here, as it is boring and pointless. as we talked, i was still going back and forth, unsure and then sure, etc, etc. then he said, "that is really strange, layli, that they can't get that smell out or aren't going to guarantee you to find out what it is...you know, [he says fully serious] it could be that someone died in that car and when that is the case, people have a heck of a time ever getting that smell out. like, its practically impossible..."

that sealed the deal for me. nope. nu-uhhh. hell na, forget that, no way, no how.

thanks daddio.
♥

why my family is the best deux.

hello dear sweet readers. it has been an amazing weekend filled of family love and visits, fluffy clouds, bright cornflower blue skies, running through open spaces, screaming whilst running through open spaces, laughter, good food, exhilarating explorations of sodak and duh, of course, dear readers- great photos.

en route to the badlands, i showed my family one of my favorite little roadside attractions: scenic, sd. it is this little town with NOTHING to it, but for some reason i always come back. this day, there were people selling "indian tacos" and bikers from sturgis rallying around. here are some pretty sweet shots of the whole deal. please click on any photo to view it larger... :

this photo for sure you should enlarge, i am really proud of this shot actually because you can see the bikers posing in the background. its pretty rad. especially the one with one leg up on a stump...not to mention my super cute sister:

we also went to Rushmore (yawn...) :

This trip to the Badlands was one of my favorite days in nature ever. I will never forget that day. we went off the "beaten path" to trailblaze. it was so amazing, i felt God there i such an intense way. I always do everytime i go to the Badlands. there was point when i was so filled with happiness that i just started running on the trail in the wide, open expanse of peace and calm, grace and awesomeness just howling and laughing, dragging my sister along with me.

i was soooo happy to be there with my family that i suppose i felt like it was such a celebration of having my parents and sister on the same continent as us other samimi-moore kiddos, that i was so filled with glee and praise for allowing me to have such an amazing life filled of so many delicious opportunities to celebrate. if you look closely, you can see my parents (i ADORE this shot):

this one is titled: "i have the greatest life". i have so so very much to be thankful for. as i'm getting older, i am not so much attached to a physical locale as i am a feeling. that feeling is being with my family and closest friends. because really, life is all about love and love is all about who you surround yourself with. we must constantly question what it is that makes us happy and content and secure in our life. and at the end of the day, i am happy to say that my family is my home and i can bring their love and comfort with me everywhere. but it makes it soooo much more wonderful when i can be in their presence :

i'd been missing my family so so so very much these last couple of years, so to be able to see them every few months is a SUPER treat. in the photo below, please take note of the fact that dad and bax are wearing the SAME trousers from jcrew. what kewties:

are you as freaked out of your brain as i am with these damn amazing clouds???? holy moley:

and i just have to throw this in. this is one of my all-time fave'rs, bill callahan. i came across this video of him today and i am so impressed with how beautiful the film director made this vid.

No. 6 Bill Callahan - "Vessel in Vain" from Retread Sessions on Vimeo.

isn't it strange that i am so happy and this is still some of my favorite music?? heh heh.

what are you thankful for? how have you decided to make your everyday environment/life super exciting and stimulating for yourself lately??

why my family is the best.

for those of you that haven't already seen my new brother Bobby's wedding video he made for Baktash and I for our wedding reception, it is HILARIOUS. for those of you that have seen it, you know you want to see it again. Bobby also took our post-wedding wedding shots in the Malibu Canyon which are amazing. He is a phenomenal artist and if you ever need anyone to photograph you in a really flattering way, like if you're trying to impress someone, or know someone who wants to impress someone or if you know a wedding that needs to be flattered with a dope a$$ photographer, contact him. here is his website: bobbyaazami.com and you should check his vimeo. this video is SOOO FUNNY and i thank bobby for making it, my sister melinda for the narration and my brudder namo for the voice-overs:

The Curse of the Aazami Boys from Bobby Aazami on Vimeo.

and THIS IS WHY MY NIECE IS CUTEST HUMAN BEAN IN THE WORLD. she brings us so much joy and happiness that we didn't even know we needed. our family is so fortunate to have such a wee firecracker filled with so much love and energy. not to mention, she is HILARIOUS. (whoda thought???). check out this amazing video clip of her and tell me how much you laughed:

i mean, did you hear that big scream from that little body??? definitely a Moore.

♥

Rallying around in wild west ghost towns in sodak with my husband

we had a hell of a time yesterday tramping through old ghost towns, and seeing what we could see, which obvi. was ALOT. a whole hell of a lot. man, sodak is the best. we had such a blast. the ghost town shots were in this little place called Rockerville where there is NO ONE OR ANY THING. it was so neat. i mean, everything was just abandoned. the shops still had chairs and signs up and everything. but it had been abandoned for about 60 years i think. crazy, eh? then of course you wouldn't have the full south dakota experience if you don't experience the Strugis Motorbike Rally. it is INSANE. we go to sleep the annoying loud rattle of Harleys and wake up to it as well. but seriously though, i kinda secretly dig it. its like i am constantly being treated with amazing, weird, strange, HILARIOUS things everyday here. i mean, if you just surrender to the strangeness, it is SUCH a good time. there is no where better to people watch than here, especially right now. it is really weird, the whole biker life-style. i bet a lot of these people are just your ordinary people during the year and they save up all year to come out here and get jacked on leather and bandanas and tattoos and piercings - flames, skulls, barbed wire, BIG A$$ mustaches, big boobs, blond hair, tight jeans, dirty dirty dirty. but sooo freakin' rad. i am sure there will be more photos to come from the Rally, it is going on all week.

NOTE: feel free to see any of these photos larger by clicking on them.

these three photos are taken with my FAVORITE vivitar 35mm:

this one is one of my favorite photos of baktash of ALL time:
This was in Rockerville, across the street from us is ONE bar and there were bikers there spying on me with binoculars...
its was super disgusting. so we snuck into one of the abandoned shops b/c a light leak caught my eye in the roof...
we went to Hill City as well. This was a shirt in one of the stores, look closely, cos it says : "ride it like you stole it". HAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAA! (WHAT THE????):

I am oh so thrilled to be in Hill City:

so was baktash. i am sure atleast 13 bikers called him a "fairy" for this shot. and thats precisely why we took it, to rally them up:

assholes! :

DUDE. this dog was the grossest, saddest, funniest thing. he had a Harley leather vest on him (OMG.) - the other clip is a bunch of bozos cruising. sah-weet:

we are so lucky to be blessed with such a fun, entertaining life that is full of excitement. but i really believe that it is all what you make it. try to be excited no matter where you live and you will find amazing little treasures everywhere once you open your heart and sense of humor to it. we had a blast. come visit.