Estella Ramirez

Hello,

I appreciate the careful analysis and all the hard work that goes into instating traffic signals for the safety of our communities. For that I thank you. However, in the case of the traffic signal mentioned in the link below, placed directly in front of the Neutra VDL House, the placement represents a mistake. It has overlooked something that you can’t be fully blamed for and left many people, who admire the architectural, historical, and aesthetic significance of this house pretty upset. Architectural students and enthusiasts visit the house daily to learn from Neutra’s innovations, which have influenced modern architecture and aesthetics to this day. Part of the genius of the design transcends what materials Neutra used, and how he made it functional inside into the way in which the design of the house brings the outside view in. The view from inside I’m sure is now obstructed, and the view of the house for passerby outside is now grossly marred. My husband and I have visited twice and are saddened to hear that changes in the natural topography have already negatively affected the original design. We’re told the lake used to be closer to the house and had a stunning relationship with the design. Sad but not easy to fix. To put the traffic signal right in front of the house goes a step too far, and I believe there is a solution.

Please reconsider the traffic signal placement, in favor of one that will be safe for the community, but also be considerate of its history.

“Oh Nooo! Neutra Photograph of the Day”

Many thanks,
Estella Ramirez

The vet told us that Vash is obese!

When we first found him, nearly three years ago, he was emaciated and got fevers all the time. He smelled funny, like he’d been eating out of the trash. His teeth were not pretty…

Now he’s made up for lost time: he has a big beautiful Buddha belly, a sweet baby smell, and squeaky clean teeth.

Our vet also said REM was, not obese, but over-weight. See REM below, pictured in a shoe box a size too small.

After watching their food intake for a few weeks, we’ve noticed they don’t even finish their allotted calories. Maybe they just need to be more active. Do they make kitty treadmills?

“Reinvent America and the world.”
–Lawrence Ferlinghetti

I like reading this imperative. It doesn’t mean we should all reach international stardom like the Beats did or like Barack Obama has. We do, each of us, have the potential to reinvent ourselves, our communities, even our country and our world, but I don’t, not at this moment anyway, feel the pressure to reach every ear in the universe. Right now I can let go of old perceptions and create new ones. I can, in the world of my poetry, change anything I want.

This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: 7 September 2008
Many apologies to the people of Yoga Works! I assumed that because the people streaming out of Yoga Works were all aglow, and in some cases, drenched in sweat, and because when I went into Yoga Works to get a schedule, the place was like a sauna, that the Tuesday night class was a Hot Yoga class (a Hot Yoga class is one in which the room temperature is brought up to something like 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit). It turns out that the class gets steamy because of its great energy alone. Can’t wait to try it, and thanks to Terri of Yoga Works for the information!

My mom is really nice. She posted an announcement of my engagement to Carlos in the Laredo Morning Times. Here’s the link:

Engagement Announcement

A special note: let it be known that, as of yet, I have never published a poem on the internet…

It was recently brought to my attention that a person named Estella Ramirez has submitted a poem to poetry.com. The site is questionable, at best (the site is a scam), so I would never submit to it. And let’s be honest, I’ve written some bad poems in my life, and will probably continue to write bad poems into the future, but I’d like the burden of only those bad poems I write myself, and not those of others who submit poems online under my name, even though it is, of course, their name too.

This is the problem with my namesake. If this other Estella Ramirez had been a mechanic, or a painter, well then, I’d be just fine; what an interesting story to tell about the “other” Estella Ramirez…but what happens when both of us are aspiring poets? How to distinguish?

I would like to believe that my work would be my signature in the universe; surely no one could read my work and then read hers and believe they are from the same author? But what if I am wrong, and both mine and hers get lost in the fray of poetry’s mediocrity, neither of us distinguished from even each other–what a sad fate for our poems.

And what if someone I know runs into this person’s poetry, and believes (humiliatingly enough for me) that I had written these? Friends, acquaintances, you have been alerted.

But I can’t help but imagine what would happen if one or the other of us did gain some recognition for our poems, or even reach large audience even hundreds of years from now. What would Estella Ramirez-ians make of the “other” Estella Ramirez? Her or me?

I was interested in finding out more about the band that opened for Radiohead in Houston this month. They were entertaining and good, but during the show there was no mention of who they were. To be honest, at times they were unimpressive because their songs didn’t feel developed, but rather repetitive. Their strengths, on the other hand, included two drum sets for two great drummers, and a great front man in Angus Andrew, with a chameleon voice that ranges from the almost pubescent-sounding and at once urgent and cool style of Blur’s Damon Albarn, to the dark, rich, but deadpan style of say Joy Division’s Ian Curtis or Interpol’s Paul Banks. Andrew was also not a bad dancer. Like I said, they were interesting (hey, if they’re good enough for Radiohead…), and I was intrigued that I couldn’t figure out who they were. So, I found out. They are called Liars.

I went to their website and found this fantastic commentary on their experience with Radiohead.

I knew from Thom Yorke’s solo album, The Eraser, and from what little I know about him in general, that he is concerned for the environment and governments’ lack of action over the matter. So, it really reaffirmed my admiration of Radiohead to read that they are taking action themselves, that they are “purveyors of truth, beauty and a moral responsibility to the planet.”

I too am continuing to reduce my waste or “footprint,” as it is so commonly called. And I have found not so much an inconvenience, but a great relief and freedom. No one can force me to contribute to the frighteningly humongous dumps of the world.

An ultra-busy and enormously famous group might have a great big excuse not to make an effort like this, but I believe that what such a group, with their world-wide tours and blindingly wonderful productions, actually has is a big impact on the environment, and therefore, an equally large responsibility. I’m really glad to hear Radiohead takes on their responsibility so nobly. And I’m grateful to the Liars for their eloquent commentary on this subject.