Radiation Man #1
February 21, 2004
I remember my old friend, Jeff Wicker, who once said, "That song will be a hit on the radio...!" And he is in commercial radio! That blew my mind!!! I need to send him a free trip to Bali with a free snorkel for his enthusiasm!!! Jeff! The guru!
How did he know? Now, of course, the trick would be to get RM on commercial
radio...that would be funny:
"That was J-Lo followed by the odd little hit, "Radiation Man"...next up, Justin Timberlake's new single, "Nipple Star"...
RADIATION MAN has been number 1 for two weeks in a row! And it has been on the charts for fourteen weeks...how can this be? ! Pinch me! No. Wait. Stop.
Now my dream is that Lily's song, LOOK AT ME, moves up to number one. Could you imagine? Over pancakes?
"Lily..." I say.
"Yes, mom?" she responds.
"Well, you know that song you sang, "Look at me"?" as I pour the syrup onto her chocolate chip pansnakes.
"Uh-huh..." she answers with a mouth full of said pancakes.
"Well, honey...Your song is #1 on the radio...all over the country!" I burst into tears. Tears of joy and pride, mind you!
"Oh, cool," she says as she devours a side of bacon, slurping on her juice.
"Isn't it cool?! It IS cool!" I blather as I take empty dishes from the table to the sink. "I'm so proud of you..."
"Mom?" she asks.
"Yes, honey?" I respond.
"I love you," she says. "Can I have more syrup, please?"
"Yes, " I say, "But....I loved you first, " I smile.
"No, I loved YOU first..." she smiles back.
Big hug. Life goes on. My seven year old picks up her back pack and we head to school. Later, she talks about a song on the playground, everyone says "Cool" because no one really understands what it means and then they break into "Let's play bakery" or "Who wants to swing?" and Lily is a happy child in the midst of
childhood.
Except that her mom is at home with her heart the size of Wisconsin...beaming
with love. Happy that good things can come to those who wait.
THANKYOUIAMHUGGINGTHEWORLDWITHGRATITUDE!!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:06 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Thrilled Beyond Words
February 18, 2004
I'm starting to understand the enormity of growing old. It's not just about
creaking joints or regrets. It's about friendship, memories, understanding more about how life ticks, better orgasms, laughing in church when the spirit moves you (even if the spirit is only moving you), collecting leaves on a walk just BECAUSE THEY ARE THERE, leaves everywhere, lying in the road, all these fabulous colors and damn it! They deserve to be laminated, turned into postcards and mailed out to old lovers.
posted by Sara Hickman at 04:18 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Then They Woke Up To The Fact That Every Choice We Make Affects Someone On This Planet
February 10, 2004
The phone rang. Nicole's assistant informed her who was calling, and Nicole said she'd take the call.
"Nicole?" asked the voice.
"Angelina?" asked Nicole.
"Listen, I know you're on set, but I want you to check out an address that's close by. I think you should go today, if possible," said the fellow actor.
Nicole, her assistant and two crew members flagged down a taxi, and headed east, towards the river. It was a muggy, overcast day. Even in the gray, Thailand was busy: streets crowded with vendors, scraggly dogs and barefoot children. The car edged along, occassionally honking, the driver yelling out his window for someone to move.
When they reached the warehouse, a stranger approached. He could speak Thai and English. He had been patiently awaiting Nicole's arrival. Sensing her apprehension, he informed her they would be safe, but what they would see might be upsetting. They needed to go in now, before the manager returned.
Inside, it was hot and crowded. Women of all ages, some young girls, were hunched over small machines, steam rising. Dusty, dirty children were playing
at their feet; some had scraps of cloth, or dishpans, and they were quietly playing games while the women worked away. The windows were filthy, and what little light could seep in was choked by coughing and swirling steam.
"How long will they be here?" Nicole asked the stranger.
"All their lives, miss," said the man. "But as for today, they come in at 5:30 in the morning. Then they walk home at night."
The four heard about the long hours, the little pay (some women received only fifty cents a day); the long walks in the dark, alone, while carrying sleeping children on an empty stomach, or, if they were lucky, a bowl of rice. And the oppression of slavery, day after day, that lead to depression, sickness and, ultimately, a lonely death.
Children in other countries would play with their Happy Meal toys, or wear a
two piece outfit from Wal-Mart. They would never know that these items were
mass-produced at the expense of human lives.
"It is time to go, miss..."
Nicole took one last look around. None of the women raised their heads to look at the newcomers. None of the children were smiling. She felt completely sick and overwhelmed.
It was three months later, in a New York townhome, where the group of women met. Angelina was there with Nicole, Julianne, Susan and Scarlet. They talked about what they had experienced in various parts of the world, and Susan
was angry. She was angry at what little was being done. She was angry
with herself and with others, even others who, like herself, had been speaking out on behalf of human rights for year after year. An idea was born out of sheer frustration and hope.
The idea was to take acting jobs that would pay ridiculous sums of money. And the women would pool their money. And they would take that money and invest it in people. Their plan was to turn around the thinking of the ultra-elite: why buy a $565,000 Porsche when you could save a village of children in the Sudan?
Why waste $8 million on a haute couture dress and diamonds, when a school could be built in Iraq? Or Alabama, for that matter...
Before long, this small idea had grown into a well-spring of compassion. George and Brad and others who were making millions upon millions of dollars were
digging wells and tearing down shacks alongside crews they had hired. Oprah was spear-heading medical facitlites and working with researchers on how to end
diseases that here-to-for had been ignored. Beck was teaching songwriting to
children in South America who had never seen a pencil before. Blind children in Romania were soothed and comforted with music from Jewel and Bono.
It became the norm on Wall Street to hear someone celebrate the turnaround of the percentage of still-births in Croatia. "Great job, Ted, on helping those women in Brazil fight domestic violence!" People formerly afraid of poverty were rising up to do something to end it. People's hands were getting dirty with
love.
Then they woke up to the fact that every choice we make affects someone on this planet. No us and them. No rich or poor. No less or more. Each face deserved a name; each man, woman and child an essential part of a plan we can never truly understand. Each person a part of a global family.
You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.
It just takes one voice to start the choir. One. If you take my hand, I can hear the singing.
PS...Nicole went back to that factory. She bought it with cash. She tore down the site and built a new brick building, complete with restrooms and water fountains, air conditioning and great, big beautiful picture windows. There was a clinic, with a staff, and the women and children could have lunch in the landscaped courtyard, which they had planted themselves. There were herbs, and flowers, and picnic tables.
In the middle of the courtyard was a tree that smelled of honey-suckle year round. The women ran the factory, and Nicole wore their clothes, joyfully, every where she went.
posted by Sara Hickman at 12:58 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Perfectly Perfect Food Day
February 07, 2004
Sara's appearance on "Food 911" will be broadcast on the Food Network, September 21 at 3:00pm ET and September 25 at 7:30am. See you there!
At 8:15 a.m., the lighting guy, John, arrives. We are in the midst of french toast and gathering homework, lunches, the day. John asks, "Am I the first one?" Yep, I say, yep, you are. Come on it. Coffee? No, thanks, he says. He's holding a cup in his hand. I'm a wee bit excited, the kids are curious, stay at the table, I say. Finish your breakfast, sweetie. Are you part of the show, asks Lily. Lance is washing dishes. Yes, says John. I do the lights.
Kids are being driven off to school. When I get back home, there is a house full of wires, cameras, lights, light stands, monitors, twenty people. Everyone is on a tiny cell phone or their lap top. A low buzz of communication is filling every nook and cranny. Coats are piled high. Trucks full of food, props, dishes, who knows what have invaded our driveway.
Annie and Tim, the director and producer:
Annie is a tall, lovely 28ish (maybe younger?) soft spoken brunette with a slight flip at the end of her thick, shoulder length hair. She has a cream colored
Mohair sweater. It makes me trust her instantly. She looks like a cup of cream. How do people have skin like that? Ooh, it's pretty.
Tim is wearing a "Wonka Factory" tee shirt. I call him Willy. I tell him he doesn't look anything like he does in the movie. He is 5' 5", my height, glasses, dark curly hair, olive skin. Everyone calls him PIEMAN. Inside joke. We had spoken on the phone, months back. He, too, is very friendly, laid back.
ABBEY:
She is the prop stylist. As far as I'm concerned, she has the dream job. She has
her own portable collection of E-Bay. Antique cookwear, fabrics, photographs, tiny toys, plates, teapots, platters, you name it: and she is digging around, looking through all my cabinets, finding things I forgot I had that, suddenly, when she places it in JUST THE RIGHT SPOT, I think, "Hey, that's cool! I like that thing!"
My kitchen is transformed into a quaint, funky spot. It has a "new" counter top...They create one out of a wood block and imagination.
KIRSTIE:
She is the food prop stylist. My kitchen counter becomes the Garden of Eden.
Everything is suddenly living green stuff. There are mounds of dill, bowls of parsley, chevral, basil...A water bottle appears every thirty seconds: splish, splish..everything is constantly kept wet so as not to dry out under the lights.
There are twenty six thousand different kinds of bread---cocktail breads, rye breads, supper breads, italian and wheat. Baby carrots with their fine spray of
greenery next to strawberries the size of fists and clumps of radishes and
fresh salmon, turkey, wheels of Brie and Camembert; grapes and onions and tons of fresh, uncut garlic...even an uncut stalk of brussel sprouts, the stalk thick as your wrist, buds of sprouts up and down the entire thing.
She is constantly arranging colorful bowls of salt, moving the pepper mill,
placing a array of kitchen implements here, a bowl of thick butter there.
Prepping what Tyler, the chef, will need, just within his reach.
TYLER
In walks the boy. I say "boy" only because he reminds me of a man that will always be freshly-scrubbed, just in from a night of drinking, happy go lucky,
chooses a red cotton jacket that says "CUBA" over a dinner jacket or
Ivy League vest. He comes in with no fanfare, just part of the clan. There are
twenty people strewn on sofas, prepping food, finding the right camera angle, and Tyler flows through out to the patio, chatting quietly on his cell phone.
He never puts on any tv makeup. In my 16 years of television experience, this is a first. He's so cool! Just down to earth, doing his job, loving every minute of the
creation. Excited about the food: the smells, the mixtures, the folding of the dough. He wants to get started but is never too eager. Asks after every shot,
"How'd that look? Did it look good? Was the food good looking?" It 's as if every
food item is a child he's determined to celebrate. He really cares about how the food is presented, how it tastes, are we happy? You happy? Did you like it?
Are you having a good time? He asks me over and over. Very nice man.
ME
Well, here it is...the big day of adventure. And I have this sinus infection. I sound
like Bullwinkle. I keep running to the bathroom, blowing my nose, shooting warm salt water up into my swollen membranes. Sometimes this helps. Sometimes my face just gets wet. But, I'm having an EXCELLENT time. No one is bothered by my nose. We are laughing. We are making yummy things to eat. We are prepping for a MAD HATTER tea party!
Suddenly, I think, "WASABI!!!" I ask Kirstie if she has any. She has a powder. We mix it with water. I shove a giant spoonful in my mouth. WHAMMO! My head hits the ceiling, my eyes explode, but YES! My nose is clear. Every ten minutes, I am hitting the wasabi.
THE SHOW
It's time. I'm asked if I have a blue shirt. I find one, and get approval. The girls are in school. I think maybe I should have let them stay home to see all this exciting stuff. I know in my mind I did the right thing, keeping their routine, keeping them out of the tangle of people and cords, but you know...it's exciting!
I'm worried about my breath. With the sinus infection comes bad breath. I tell Tyler IHAVEBADBREATHIAMSORRYWORKINGONTHIS pop in a breath mint. He shrugs it off---no biggie. He's my brother. This is gonna rock!
Tyler gets so into what he is doing. He knows his food. I am told I will need to jump in/interrrupt/no problem or Tyler will forget to let me in. So, I jump in. I ask dumb questions. I mix and stir and flip and butter and joke around about flaming the baba cakes. We are swinging! It was such an easy day. We're done?
Get out! You're kidding? We never do re-takes. Maybe four, at the most. The crew likes the spontaneity of our flow. There is laughter, one more shot of me placing the Baba Cakes in the oven.
THE TEA PARTY
The girls are both home from school. Lance has picked them up; they get out at different times. They want the tea party. Almost, I say. What do you want to dress up as? Lily becomes a Pink Silk Chinese Princess with star sparkles by her eyes. io is a blue fairy is a miniature ball gown. Lance is SERPICO, baby, YEA!
I am exchanging my 'day" clothes for a giant sea green with tulle southern belle
gown. I wear my grandmother's flowered hat and crystal necklace. Todd and his Mickey are dressed as 70's funksters, and the Mermaid has arrived. I place a flower in her hair. Tyler puts on 70's SHAFT style sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He is still wearing his five star Cuban jacket, jeans and a cowboy shirt.
Abbey has transformed my orange office into a play to relax for tea. A bowl of limes are behind me on a side table. We have baba cakes, three different kids of open face sandwiches (complete with brie, turkey, pears, salmon, special spreads)...Tea is served! I spill tea from my Astro Boy teapot all over my lap.
We are laughing some more, the camera is rolling, we all start to sing as I play
Lily's toy guitar.
It's a perfect day. Perfectly perfect. Thank you, Food 911. It was a wrap!
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:19 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Booties, Surfing, Ruminations
I just finished surfing, looking at other people's websites. I hardly get to do that,
and it's a surreal way to find out what other musicians/friends/heroes are doing.
Stina Nordenstam is such an unknown singer, which is sad... she is
a rare voice in a noisy world. Her site is like getting to visit the voice in her brain...a quiet entry, slow flashes of memory and color.
I thought I'd peek in on Terri Hendrix, Trish Murphy, Nanci Griffith (not a lot of thought put into the one I saw), Lucinda Williams, Eels, Bjork, Billy Bragg and Jana Stanfield. I also tried to go to visit Bob Schneider...what came up was either a list of odds and ends Bob endorses, or a real estate site. Not sure what that was.
My site is about to undergo some changes. Sort of like rearranging the house, you might say. It must be because I'm turning 41. And I keep cleaning out the closets. Cleaning out the clothes. Throwing out/recycling/re-gifting things that once seemed so important. Moving away from this and leaning towards that. Whittling away at what doesn't fit my soul to finding what feels comfy and real, loose and soft.
I've never really been big into birthdays, but this year I feel a tad melancholy about being closer to 50. Not like I'm dreading it, mind you. 50 sounds fine.
I'm sure when I look down at my hands at 50 I'll like them more than I do now, they'll just be even more wrinkly, beat up, historical documents of what I've been choosing to do with my time.
It's just...where did the time go? At 13, I remember I this big, chunky metal necklace on a disco-like gold chain that was yelling, "1-3-!" The numbers were
HUGE! with yellow enamel paint. I don't think I actually ever wore this ridiculous gift except at the moment it was placed around my neck (with someone smiling down at me as if to say, "Aren't I clever?") I will never forget the feeling of actually FEELING the weight of 13 because of that moment. The weight of it all.
The world seemed vast and unexplored. My ship was something I hadn't gotten a ticket to, yet. Maybe time stopped for me and I'm really still 13, only now I'm out to sea, commanding the mateys and swabbing the poop deck, seeing shore in sight, just not wanting to end the slapping of the waves, the smell of the salt, the
joy of adventure.
My God, what's going to happen next?! I need some Visine. My eyes are all dried up.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:40 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Food 911
February 02, 2004
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:00 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
What a Week
The week was busy, busy, busy. Let's see..after playgroup with the girls on Tuesday, I had volunteer training with Interfaith Care Alliance, a group that brings Care Teams to people living and dying with HIV/AIDs, cancer, or any serious incapacitating illness. Care Teams run errands, clean house, walk pets, give spouses time to rejuvenate or simply just listen to the Care Partner. It's a one year committment with a required one hour a week visit per Care Team volunteer. So, a group of us will be hand selected and matched up with a person with specific needs that our group can meet.
I've decided the amount of time I've volunteered over the last 14 years will be slowing down from benefit concerts to personal one on one time. I grew up with two grandmothers that volunteered, so it must be an integral part of my DNA. But, now with children and family and career and church, I'm finding I miss the part of volunteering that was hands on, and I'd like my personal time to be spiritually rewarding, nourishing and quieter. I also know that spending time with people who are dying is astounding. It brings gifts that no one can really talk about; gifts for the dying and the living.
Wednesday night---got on the Asleep at the Wheel Tour bus with a buncha folks from NARAS (National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences...you know, the Grammy people)...we drove to San Antonio to be a part of the public's voice
in conjunction with the FCC's panel. Ray Benson was a guest panelist, and spoke convincingly about the FCC's recent ruling, in which they will be allowing greater acquisition by large corporations of radio/tv/newspapers. Scary stuff. In other words, it used to be a newspaper was owned by one company (or individual), a tv station by another, radio stations by others still. Nowadays, groups like Belo (in Dallas) or Clear Channel are buying up newspapers/radio/tv and owning
all three outlets in one city. The end result is that your news/programming/music/entertainment can all be owned by one group, so there is no local diversity...no diversity whatsoever. You are being spoonfed as to what to like/believe without the choice of adversity/varying opinions and facts.
My question was: Why is the U.S. fighting oppression in other countries when our liberties here at home are being threatened in the same manner? Sadly, I didn't get to ask that question, nor did any other audience member. Folks were given two minutes to voice their concerns, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people who had lined up at 4 a.m. that morning to speak their minds. It was astounding.
Afterwards, we were all in a variety of moods...got back on the bus and headed home to Austin. The festivities were in the back of the bus, were Reuben Ramos, Ray, me, Matt the Electrician, Deb & Bo Yeager and I were singing away.
Thursday: Girl Scouts! We went to Central Market for a tour of how a grocery store runs. Best part: Watching girls poke their fingers into bread dough until the bread looked like a flattened, lifeless martian from outer space. No. They didn't cook it and no...we didn't eat it. But we did get to make candy badges and stick them on a chocolate cake sash...which we gobbled down with fresh, cold milk.
Mmm.
Then on to more volunteer training. We have a Care Partner come and speak about what having a Care Team has meant for him. We have someone speak on drug/alcohol addiction, and what it is like for people in recovery. We role play, to learn more of what we, as volunteers, would do in different scenarios. The evening comes to a close. We are all bonded. We are excited to get started; ready to serve.
Friday a.m.: While the girls are in school, I have a rehearsal with Austin, a young pianist I will be doing a duet with in church on Sunday. Then, a meeting at my office with a yoga instructor who has just released her first cd and needs advice.
Friday afternoon: Lily and I head over to Pauline's after school. Pauline has lived in Clarksville (Austin) all her life; she says it used to be prarie, and her parents would drive her down 6th street in their Model T Ford. She is a gospel singer,
and we are practicing for Margaret's birthday party...
Friday night: Took the family to the DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation for AIDS) jacket viewing here in Austin. The Dallas headquarters had called and asked if I would mind performing at the satellite function...I also got to play auctioneer and auction off one of the hand made jackets. DIFFA has different designers/celebrities from around the world decorate blue jean jackets, and they auction them off at a huge gala once a year. Proceeds go towards AIDS research.
I think I've created a jacket every year but maybe three over the last 14 years.
Anyhoo, so it came down to auction time, so I was silly, I was fun, I was trying to get the small group of wealthy, dressed up folks to pay attention to the tulle and the lace and the silk of the jacket by Jocelyn White, when I got fed up. The bid was only at $350 (which was, by my account, really ridiculously low)...so, I stood up on top of a chair, mic in hand, and said, "Hey. Put your drinks down. Listen to me. Just for a moment." And I proceeded to talk about AIDS. I proceeded to talk about the death of my friend, David Drane, and how alone he was at the end of his life. How the stigma of AIDS still causes people to suffer emotionally because of the fears and prejudice within our society. I got choked up. I talked about how this jacket wasn't just fabric and thread, but that it represented someone's life.
How each jacket was a chance to raise more money for more research to find a cure. What if your friend or your daughter or your lover caught this disease? I asked. Would this jacket mean more to you? I demanded $1000 for the jacket.
I warned everyone that by the time I reached 30, someone had please please
donated the money. I closed my eyes. I was weepy and tired and I wanted people to realize that this function wasn't just about free wine and fancy food.
All the schmoozing, popping of camera bulbs, loud talking...what were my children seeing? I knew that at least they would see that speaking up is something we should all do...even when our voice is shaking.
Well, the jacket went for $1000 at number 28. I opened my eyes. I had specifically told all the DIFFA volunteers it could NOT be one of them...and, yet,
Gretchen, who is on the DIFFA staff, had bought the jacket. I was bummed.
The jacket had also included a free night's stay at the Adolphus in Dallas, and two free tickets (worth $500) to the DIFFA show. I was so sure someone would buy this lovely one-of-a-kind jacket...and someone had. But not a new face to DIFFA, an Austin face.
Friday night---later---Aunt Kevina comes to stay, and we play KERPLUNK with the girls!!
Saturday a.m.---I get up to make homemade waffles for all. Walnuts, bananas, strawberries, whip cream, melted butter and syrup...cherry noses and chocolate chip eyes on the girls', sausage for all.
Saturday night----My friend, Margaret, is turning 62. My oldest daughter has made her a seashell necklace and sweet lace card. We head to Margaret's peaceful domain; candles light the path. I am singing in honor of Margaret, and also performing with her friend, Pauline...We sing "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
and Pauline's lilting voice brings the room to a hush. We also do "This Little Light of Mine" and "Thank You, Lord". Then, I am singing...and surprise! Lily joins in...on "Look At It This Way", she is singing the chorus with me! And mouthing all the words to the other songs...now she is hand signing and swaying, and Margaret's friends are smiling and nodding their heads to her movements. I am saddened in that Lily is seated behind me on a giant, thronelike chair, so I miss all of her additions to the music. Afterwards, everyone is telling me how wonderful both my children are...and I can only agree. They surprise me with their sweetness and their intelligence beyond anything I could ever have dreamed.
Sunday: Sing in church, sinus infection is starting to set in. I just go for those high notes and hang on!
Sunday afternoon: Hang out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. We go to see "Mystic River", but the film's sound is not working, so we go to the Cheesecake Factory and have fine conversation instead. Then, home to
be with my baby girl while her dad goes out for the evening.
Create a hand-decorated flower pot for the annual Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party. While io is glueing things on her tiny pot, I, too, cram a zillion beads, ornaments, coins, toys, plastic frogs, tiny unicorns, broken bits of mosaic,
stickers, lace, and antique dance cards I took from a deserted, and haunted!, house I once visited. I glue everything down and laugh at my creation. I almost don't want to turn it in...it's so fantastically fun. It's great to be able to make art/music and know that I don't know where it will end up. That it is all temporary and the letting go is the best part. It gets easier and easier with age...or is that just my sinus infection talking?
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:59 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Canoes And Swans
January 22, 2004
rocks. The ones I use are the old fashioned metal kind, so as the water slaps the sides, there is a tin-can sort of sound. Everything seems as if the canoe is bound and determined to throw you into the cold water, but then I reach the seat, I get situated, the sky is blue above, and I am not wet. Canoes. What a great invention.
We go as a family. My husband, the two girls, and me. There is the usual excited banter as we push off, the rocks scraping the bottom, everyone giggling. Then we get out into the middle of the waters, and a sort of reverence settles over us
like clouds on a mountain. A family in awe. Listening to the birds, oohing over fish below.
I like to reach into the water and grab turtles. No one wants to hold them but me because of their scratchy claws and mucky shells. I like how they feel so old. What do they know, these turtles? How many stories could they tell? My short reverie is interrupted with:
"Why do they pee on you when you pick them up. mommy?"
"Because they are scared," I answer. "Wouldn't it be funny if we peed on people when they picked us up?"
I get stares. "No..." they say. "No, mom, that wouldn't be funny. And...we'd get in trouble!"
"You're right, " I say. "I am so silly."
We glide on in the blue-ish/greenish waters. I can see far down to the bottom. I like how my husband and I get the paddles in rhythm. It 's fun to have him at the stern, kids in the middle, me in the back. We are a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We're the bread, the kids are the center.
There are these two glorious swans; they are always together. I am told swans mate for life, like eagles and wolves. And sometimes...people. These swans are fearless, magical, elegant. They appear out of no where, effortlessly gliding to the side of the canoe, peeking in for hand outs. Sometimes we remember to bring bread; if we do, we've already given it all to the crazy ducks and mucky turtles. The funny things about swans is that you have no idea what they are thinking. Their expressions never change. They would make good therapists, I think. Or poker players.
So, today will be canoe day. After doing office work, talking on the phone, catching up on emails and DVD mailings, it's nice to do a little nothing, as Winnie the Pooh might say.
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:41 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Excited
January 16, 2004
As I finished the second successful session, in which we ended the hour with
the kids' original hit single, "The Poo-Poo Matter", a woman approached me about writing children's books. I told her I hadn't had any published, but that it was definately a dream of mine. She told me she was a published children's author, and that RADIATION MAN was a book. She has already contacted Holt Rinehart in New York, and they are eager to hear my songs and stories.
Let me just say this: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWAHOOOOOOOO!
If you could see me, you would know I am grinning a mile wide and jumping up and down. I can already envision RADIATION MAN as a pop-up or 3D book! Wouldn't that be the cat's meow and beyond?! And I can see my LEGEND OF THE RAINSTICK beautifully illustrated by Tomie de Paola...or Chris Babcock illustrating CANTALOUPE.
This enthusiastic woman, Dianna Aston, has a new book out called LOONY LITTLE.
It's really beautiful and the story is based on a Chicken Little type theme, only Loony Little thinks the Polar Ice Cap is melting (which, as we all know, it REALLY IS!!) Check it out if you have kids and support her in her dream! Her site is:
http://www.DiannaAston.com
I will write more here in my journal once I know more. Or maybe I'll just write more because I can. Or maybe I can turn a coffee can into an empty can and make ice cream. Or maybe a can-can is in order to celebrate the Martin Luther King man! What say you, gentle reader?
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:32 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Safe Place
December 05, 2003
The first group of kids I played with were four to seven or eight. We gathered in a art/play area with lots of visual and educational decorations, big bright windows
and a group of happy hearts. These are kids who are coming from domestic violent situations, and are staying in this slice of heaven until their lives can, hopefully, be turned around.
When I first arrived, a little girl came streaking across the room, grabbed me by the legs all the while enthusiastically yelling, " Sara Hickman! Sara Hickman!"; after which she insisted I close my eyes and sit on the bouncy chair ( a chair with a ball on which to sit...verrrry comfy!) When I was told I could open my eyes, there was a line of giggly children who burst into "I Got You, Babe", the version I do with Billy on TODDLER...and it was about the sweetest thing you could imagine. I had big old gloppy tears in my eyes; after the singing was done, we had a giant group hug and much silliness ensued. Singing (for a while), story time (they wanted me to tell the pee-pee story...which one little boy corrected me on several times...he knew it better than I did!)...and then art time...we sat at the table and read their journals and talked about unicorns and castles and how the world has scary things and good things...and I would help one little boy with his fear of not being able to draw clouds while acknowledging another little girl
for adding a ball and lovely colors to a picture of a dog...all while
sitting next to a four year old girl with brain damage and hoping to win her trust
so we could interact.
The moment came when this child decided she could let go...and in that stillness, there was suddenly a song: Pterydactyl. She sang it to the tune of Frere Jacques, a silly rendition her sweet teacher, Skip, had made up to encourage her to sing.
She sang it to me, and then I sang it back with her, and we sang it over and over
and over and then I could touch her arm, softly, oh so softly, without her fearing she was going to be hit or violated...and we touched foreheads and smiled and I showed her how to make snow with a styrofoam cup...and there was love in that room, everywhere...
Then I went next door to play with the pre-schoolers...Wow! What an adorable bunch of children!!! I was immediately asked to sing "Scooby Doo", which I attempted, and I realized I realllllllllly need to watch that show, just once! The kids tried to teach it to me, so I turned it into a bass-thumping rap and off we went...making music, telling stories, hugging and dancing...
I guess the point of this story is that volunteering is just about the best way you can spend an afternoon. It makes the world seem smaller and less overwhelming. It brings to life the thought that we are all connected, if not by time and space, then at least by heart and hope. There is so much to do.
What will you do with your time today? Where will you go and who will you touch?
Enjoy!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:15 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Eyebrows
November 25, 2003
I just have two words about that:
STOP IT.
Your eyebrows are your friends. They help define your face and protect your eyes from dirt and grit.
Maybe I'm just saying this because my eyebrows are hairy. But I like the feel of my eyebrows under my fingertips.
It's just spooky! Stop the spooking! Free the eyebrows of the world from continual plucking.
posted by Sara Hickman at 12:58 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Getting Out of My Own Way
So, I went in the bathroom and said a prayer and smiled big in the mirror and laughed out loud before I went out on Friday and spread the love.
And then...oh my oh my oh my. The moments reflected all the song I have been trying to sing for the last 33 years...although so much of my life has been searching, painfully and honestly, in front of strangers under a spotlight with only my guitar as an anchor...as fear made me sweat or swear or think less of anything I was trying to do...Not of that was in the room with me.
It was as if all those years of touring and questioning and aching and chatting and
pushing and returning, always, to the questions of WHAT AM I DOING?! finally
let get of my hand and it made SENSE that I have been wanting to simply love. Not wanting to be perfect or admired or stroked (although who doesn't like to be stroked? Come on!)...but to just be this guide back into all that is good and wonder filled and the pure energy of LIKING ONE ANOTHER!!!
I can see why the record companies always had to scratch their heads. Why some people enjoyed my talking in between songs, and some people wanted me to just stop. It wasn't making sense to anyone else, either. (Well, no, that's not true. I made sense to those of you who saw what I've been wanting to give, and you have liked the whole, the real, me all along. Thank you for that! )
I can talk and talk and then use a song to support the message, or lift and inspire that message...And it feels so yummy good! Talking is fun! And LISTENING is fun...using the opportunites to hear the audience, and react, and then listen some more...oh, the synergy in the room on Friday was SPECTACULAR. It was as if I was connected with every person in that room...What kind, smart, fun loving
people we have in the state of Texas working on behalf of all these children.
And how they share themselves right back when I share myself, too.
Oh, world. I know you groan under the weight of all the violence that is out there.
But have faith. Have faith that there are people who believe...
JUST LIKE IN THE MATRIX! Yes! I just saw REVOLUTIONS for the second time!
And we have to believe in the goodness of humanity outweighing the ugliness.
Look at me....I'm just a babbling away. Babble, babble, babble. I'll stop.
But thank you to the Texas Department of Regulatory and Protective Services.
I place this experience in the top 5 of lifetime experiences. Thank you
for a wonderful conference, from Clay Roberts (the Thursday morning keynote speaker) to the coffee (what!? like I needed coffee?!) to the friendliness of all the folks to the hotel staff...just a flow of joy everywhere I looked.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!
I'll be laying in my yard tomorrow morning for a wee bit, staring at the clouds and laughing. Join me, wherever you are, and laugh out loud, too!
Goodnight!
posted by Sara Hickman at 12:52 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Texas Department of Regulatory and Protective Services
November 21, 2003
Today is the day.
I am thrilled and deeply honored to be speaking today. I am going to take myself into the women's room when I get to the site of the convention, and I am going to stand in a stall, and be very, very quiet, and get very centered. And, then, after a prayer for confidence and clarity, I am going to smile VERY BIG (not too hard if you've seen my giant mouth!) and I am going to be grateful for all of the blessings in my life...including you, the person reading this entry right now!...and I am gonna walk out there and LOVE THAT AUDIENCE with all my heart and soul!
When the entire program is complete...the very last moment, I will share a candle with the room...and have everyone light their very own candle that I have placed on their tables...and I will bring down the lights...and I will remind each of these social workers that they are a light in the darkness...that they bring hope to each of these neglected and abused children...and then we are all going to sing Chuck Brodsky's "We Are Each Others' Angels"...and then...after we have all
been lifted by the beauty of this human connection...as they leave the conference room, I will be standing outside with a hug... and a blue, aluminum Necessary Angel bracelet for every single person that walks out that door...I want them to leave with a tangible reminder that they are angels in this world. I want them
to leave today knowing that they are AWESOME.
Thank you all for inspiring me to give. I hope today you are reminded by the friends, co-workers, family in your world that you are important to them...and call or write the ones you love, just to take that moment, and connect. It means so much and takes so little for us to say "I love you."
I LOVE YOU!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:13 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Friday
November 16, 2003
My hope is to lift up the social workers who will be attending from all over the state of Texas. There jobs are incredibly hard, stressful, scary and many times they are underpaid and unappreciated by our society. These are the folks who have to go into violent situations and save children from domestic violence, drugs, prostitution, neglect...
I want them to know their efforts are incredibly valuable...that they are loved and valued and I want them to leave on Friday feeling refreshed and hopeful.
If you can, please wish me well. Wish me peace. Wish me the best I can do so that I can give them what they need.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:03 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Homeless Sunrise Service
The first year, there was a mist on the water, and the reading of the names of those who had passed away on the streets haunted me deeply. I believe I heard
28 names.
Last year, there was the reading of 40 names. After the service, I met a homeless gentleman named James, brought him home; Lance left him some clean clothes outside the bathroom door as he showered while I washed the clothes he had appeared in. We made him a huge breakfast, and we all sat down to pray and join in a hot meal. Then we took James to Target and let him pick out whatever he needed---sleeping bag, flashlight, poncho, socks, gloves, hat, sweater...snacks...then we took him to a spot near the woods where he wanted to be dropped off.
This year...I just lost it. Although I have talked about Joy and sung the song I wrote for her many, many times...I couldn't contain my sadness and I was choking through tears. It was a weepy morning overall...the sky was gray, no real sunrise, and the air was full of a light rain...a lone blue heron rose up over the water and flew across and away, calling out it's sad sound...a group of ducks flew in formation as the names were read...So many of us were crying...and kindred spirits consoled me after I sang, allowing me to truly cry; hugs were everywhere. Real hugs...the kind where people hold you up and love you and allow you to grieve. My dear friend, Jon, was there...and he honored me with his
strong arms...a sweet man I do not know came up and told me he had lost his entire family the year before...and he wept his tears in my hair as mine fell on his chest.
There was one man in a hooded sweatshirt. As I sang, as we all sang my second song where I did not cry, I kept trying to catch his eye. He was hidden in there so well. Finally, he raised his head so slightly, and smiled to me. It was the sunrise
I needed. It was quick, and fleeting, and mysterious, but it was the gentle nudge of "go on...I need you here today...and I'm glad you are noticing me, too..."
I feel so blessed that there are people in our community, and in the world community, who do care, who are striving to make a difference. Who grieve over the loss of those we may never know---whether they be homeless, or victims of war or rape or domestic violence or God knows what other calamity---I am just overwhelmed inside with great love for those of you out there working and praying and changing this world one step at a time.
Thank you for being a part of the caring. Thanks to Richard Troxell for creating House the Homeless, and for his brilliant Universal Living Wage (visit his site...learn about how a living wage could change the way so many people live)...
Thanks to all the people who let me really miss Joy this morning...who let me grieve so openly...
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:00 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Life and What that Means Today
November 01, 2003
I am grateful that a mom can stay well and take care of a family. I love being a mom. Thank you, God, for making moms strong.
I am grateful for my front yard. I love my yard. I love the smell of the grass after a mowing. I love how the green of spring turns the front of my house (and the back) into a place to unwind and listen to the birds, especially the buzz of the tiny hummingbirds. I love laying on the grass and watching the clouds roll by in such a lazy, unrushed way. I love being able to breathe and relax in my yard.
I love that mankind has created sparkling lights for holidays. I love how plugging them in makes everything seem to have hope...how can little lights bring so much warmth to a heart? Even at Halloween, a strange, spooky time...these
miniature orange lights (mixed with fake cobwebs) make me feel so lighthearted
and joyous.
I love holding my children's sweet hands. What could be better than holding hands?
I love the enchantment of morning.
I love how iolana is peeking around the corner and giggling, half a face full of a smile..waiting for me to stop typing at the computer so we can hug and play.
Goodbye! Good day!
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:50 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Weapons of Mass Destruction
October 16, 2003
Who watches over us, and makes sure that we stay in check?
Why are there ANY weapons of mass destruction?
And...
How does building a wall keep anyone "safe"? Psychologically, how can
a wall do anything but remind someone of "you're out" and "we're in"...
How does "containing" any group of people not remind us of the slow
concentrated effort to round up a certain group of people and place them in "camps".
When I was a child, I looked up to the adults in my world. My parents, my teachers, the government. I thought they were doing everything in their power to keep me and my family safe.
Now that I am an adult, where did the sense of right and wrong go? How is it that other "adults" run this world with such nonsense and hatred and misunderstandings and confusion and determination...how is it that everything I hold near and dear could be obliterated or tortured or "misplaced" or
polluted or eavesdropped upon....
Who are these people running (add the letter "i" to that word, remove one "n" and we are all a part of it, i suppose) our world? I don't want to be part of the destruction. I want to be a part of the hope and redirection and empathy and patience and rebuilding and extension of support.
I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said:
That's ok. I wasn't using my civil liberties anyway.
This is a downer entry. But it has been on my mind. Since third grade.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:13 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
The Austin Zoo Release Party
September 27, 2003
at the Austin Zoo...lots of new faces, happy families and wonderful friends.
The weather was lovely: sunny and warm. There was a parrot who screeched happily in the background all evening, as Steve (super pal on the bass) and Brad (super pal on the drums) and I played songs from BIG KID and beyond. Everyone was singing, and one girl, ELVIS, was swaying happily in that easy Austin way. There were free strutting peacocks and chickens, and a sweet Assyrian kitty who crawled up inside Brad's kick drum!
We did "Iolana", "It's Fall", "Little Seed", "Pink on the Inside", "Louise" and many others...what a great turnout, and I hope it helped the Austin Zoo! For so long, I've wanted to do a fundraiser for them, and this was the perfect solution! (I'm only sad I didn't get to ride the train or see the albino rat snake!) But I enjoyed singing for Millie, John, Avila, Rebecca, Mia, Moira, Laurel, Josh, Helen, Lizzie, Angela, Carly and all the other kids (and parents!) whose names I'm getting sleepy-headed over! I think my favorite part of making music for families is singing with the children, watching the parents/kids bond, staying around afterwards and drawing creatures for the kids and talking with them...I just LOVE this part of the event...what better way to become an active, healthy community than to have family events, where everyone can hang out, feel safe, and get to know one another in a positive environment? What better way, I ask you?
Everybody dance now!!!
[Click "continue reading" to see super pal pics by super hubby Lance Schriner!]
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:30 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Israeli Pilots
I applaud their courage and their conviction. I know there are Israelis who are trying to stand up to their government and to protest the continuing violence in the Middle East. I know there are Palestinians, too, who are tired of the ceaseless attacks (from their side and the Israeli side)...
Keep praying. Keep believing that there can be an end to the atrocities not only
between these two peoples, but fighting groups around the world.
posted by Sara Hickman at 11:38 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Big Kid is here!
September 23, 2003
posted by Sara Hickman at 04:28 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Jhumpa Lahiri
September 22, 2003
I'm excited that she has released her first novel, "The Namesake." Can't wait to read it!
Today, Gene Cowan comes to Austin, and I can't wait to see him! We are going to paint the town red! (What does that mean, by the way? I believe it is intended as a good thing...that's my intent, anyhoo!)
The Plano Balloon Festival and the Austin City Limits Festival this weekend were AWESOME! I love playing for families...I love seeing the children dance with their parents...I love having the children on stage to sing along. I am so grateful I can make music. Thank you to all the people who support me in my quest to make this world a more loving place...
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:06 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
I love my children so very much
September 19, 2003
The way iolana laughs til the stars sparkle. The way Lily can imitate a guinea pig.
The sound of their singing two seperate songs full voice at the same time...and what should be a cacophony sounding like a brand new symphony of independent joy.
Drawings of dragons and ghosts; fairies, cars, cheetahs, houses, maps to hidden lands, horses and gumdrops and mother cats nursing their young. Raking the leaves and everyone piling inside to jump out and yell "Boo!" to no one. Painting the sidewalk. Chalking the walls. Holding hands and jumping in fresh rain puddles, soaking our feet...making cookies and kleenex ghosts and taking them round to the neighbors, just because it is a September day and we feel like it. Doing "homework" and learning to watch someone learn. Enjoying sparklers, bubble wrap (tape it to your floor and run across it....pop poppopopopop!),
the sunset at the beach, wind in our hair, freshly dried blankets out of the dryer...
hugs and kisses and little souls with tender hands...
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:19 am
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
The Stuff that Won’t Stop!!!
September 17, 2003
Tonight, I unearthed:
A) The NECESSARY ANGELS tour book, Jan 25-Feb19, 1995. Blue Sky paper front
in under slick plastic cover. About 29 pages of travel, performance hall, hotel,
management, media stuff. This is a big one--8 1/2" x 11".
B) LOTS of SARA HICKMAN Necessary Angel Flats...These were put out by Discovery Records...Nice full color 12" x 12" of the Necessary Angel album cover...what an album cover would have looked like if they still made album covers!!! $20 each plus s&h
C) DOMESTIC SCIENCE CLUB Flats...these are the Domestic Science Club cover from the first cd...very pretty...pastels...12" x 12"...$20 each plus s&h
D) NECESSARY ANGELS New Release Flyers 8 1/2" x 11", Full Color Front in miniature of the Necessary Angels poster ("There are miracles...and then there are MIRACLES" with my picture and floating flowers)...back has all the info about the cd, bio, lists musicians and song order, upc codes, etc. $8 each plus $2 s & h
E) APPEARING AT posters from SPIRITUAL APPLIANCES $10 plus $3 s&h...
full color of SA cover
F) APPEARING AT posters from TWO KINDS OF LAUGHTER $10 plus $3 s& h
full color photo of me from inside TKOL booklet
Thanks to everyone who has been writing and supporting my spring cleaning.
God bless you all for helping me continue to make music. Really. I think you should lean into the computer and let me hug you RIGHT NOW. There. How did that feel? Cold and hard? No, no, no! Let's try again...closer...come on! There!
Did you feel it? Did you feel me hugging you with gratitude? Gee. I hope so.
I hope you did. If not, I'll make you breakfast in bed tomorrow.
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:06 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
Memories for Sale
September 15, 2003
So, following is a list of these items...if you are interested in purchasing anything, just leave me a note, and I will respond ASAP. Offer what you think is fair if there isn't a price quoted next to the item(s).
I'm also happy to sign or decorate whatever you buy for whomever you'd like.
(Also, I'll have to find out what postage will be, and then let you know.)
1) 24" x 32" on Canvas, no frame but stretched on woodBeautiful acrylic painting by Jim Jennings (signed) of me from 1990. I'm sitting
in a chair, eyes closed, in the L.A. afternoon sun. This is from the patio of David Kershenbaum, where I was doing additional recording for "Shortstop". I'm wearing a brown hat, a silk long sleeved black dress with flowers, and the Thomas Sutherland bracelet is on my left wrist (along with a black wristband for my watch.)
2) 24" x 32" Glass framed with gray mat pencil illustration of me with my Takemine guitar. I am looking right at the viewer. This is one of my favorite gifts, given to me at Uncle Calvin's in Dallas in 1989 or 90 (?) as a surprise. Signed : James Wood (Moody?) To Sara with a small heart drawn next to my name. Photo realistic illustration.3) 5 SHORTSTOP Posters from Elektra. 20" x 30". Unsigned, but I can sign them. Beautiful photo by Michael Johnson. In sepia. $30 each
4) Phyllis Diller framed photograph with dark charcoal colored mat. The photograph is of Phyllis looking shocked...she's wearing a silk jacket with ENORMOUS buttons, holding her cigarette holder in a gloved hand and incredibly short platinum blonde hair. Signed "With love Phyllis Diller" below on a piece of seperate paper. I'm sure someone out there loves Phyllis! 
5) GIANT POSTER 25" x 37" reads: BILLY BRAGG SARA HICKMAN WED. OCT 25 LONE STAR ROADHOUSE
in capital block print neon green on slick black paper
from New York City, 1989. These were posted all over New York streets to promo the show. Lone Star is now gone, but it was a great place for live music, run by Mort, who wore a hairpiece sewn into his hat. By the way, Mort was from New Jersey, not Texas. One of the nights I played here, the sound board blew up. Legend also has it that Paul Simon overheard Sting and Elton John sitting at a table talking about how square Paul was, and it gave him the motivation to do "Graceland." (One of the only places I ever sang "This is a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown.)
Framed with glass and brown wood: $125
Without frame: $85
7) 13 " x 26 " Black framed w/ glass poster of 17th annual Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration, April 27, 2002, Dallas, Texas. Has an illustration on black by a sixth grader of large, Matisse like shapes (very colorful) and my photograph in black and white on the very left side. 
8) 16 3/4" x 20 3/4" Dark wood frame (no glass) computer illustration pressed on canvas signed by Ray Mel Cornelius on back from 1987. (This was pre- EQUAL SCARY PEOPLE, and Ray Mel went on to illustrate the cover for this album.)Sara's face (extreme close-up) with bowl of fruit in background, guitar, and strange wall paper. Tiny white linear hand holding a beautiful clef note that is growing leaves. Haunting and lovely. Feels like I am peering in on you.
9) Black framed/red mat with glass paper magazine cover of Sara from FM Fashion & Music Magazine, September 1989, Volume XX, Issue 16. Cover has me in GIANT black circular hat, big smile, long blonde hair, wearing a gold and black smoking jacket, holding my yellow hollow body guitar. At the bottom left it reads: SARA HICKMAN plus Kevin Paige Dallas Music Film Art Fashion. In very good condition, starting to yellow slightly.
10) Black frame/purple mat with glass paper magazine cover of Dallas Observer, April 12, 1990. "The Sublime Schizophrenia of Sara Hickman--see Music Awards Section Beginning Page 39". I'm smiling, a BIG SMILE, cute haircut (just below ears), close up of me holding my hollow body guitar. At bottom it reads:Dallas Observer Music Awards/Free tickets to Animation-23/Musicians Directory-68/USA Film Festival Schedule-page 35. Mark Mahan took the cover shot. In very good condition, starting to yellow slightly.
11) Blue jean jacket from 1989, size small. COMPLETELY covered in charms, buttons, bead work, and tiny paintings by Sara. Skeletons hanging on back along with EQUAL SCARY PEOPLE painted along bottom. Plastic fish sewn along bottom of front (they wiggle when you walk.) Very heavy. Makes a lot of jingly sounds when you wear it. You could never wear this to the airport. Great conversation piece, though.If you buy it, I'll send along a written description of all the items, where they came from, why I have them on the jacket, etc. ONE OF A KIND!!! Serious offers only, please.
12) NECESSARY ANGELS vest that I am wearing on the album cover of the same name. Handmade by Cynthia Goodman. Long periwinkle blue vest of heavy jute like material; inside is lavender cotton lining. All hand-dyed. Lime green and blue outlined chair hand sewn on the back. ONE OF A KIND. Serious offers only, please.
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:06 pm
| e-mail this entry | permalink | digg it | discuss this entry at Start The Dialogue
sarahickman.com | Bio | Music | Shows | Press | Store | Community | Zooks
Copyright © 1993-2009 Sara Hickman/Sleeveless, LLC | 501904
Whether you've learned about Sara Hickman through her music, her family, her causes, or her films, you know that her originality, creativity, and enthusiasm bring a fresh meaning to the well-worn phrase "living life to the fullest."
What makes Sara tick? What has she been up to since she first hit the ground running (well, at least crawling in the early years)?
Read a complete bio at sarahickman.com.
Visit Start the Dialogue
Click here to preview!
Click here to Order!
Press Coverage
KUT's Austin Music Minute
Jupiter Index interview
Motherlode Reviews
Sara heads the Austin Chronicle Fortunate 500 Music List once again!
Here's the 2006 list.
Listen and vote for Sara on the American Idol Underground, featuring on-demand streams of popular artists like Sara!
Check out this cool map showing where Sara fans are across the nation -- and add yourself to the map!
Motherlode
Click here to preview!
Click here to order!
Faithful Heart
Click here to preview!
Click here to order!
Big Kid
Click here to preview!
Click here to order!
Featuring "Look At Me" as heard on American Idol!
I Am Going On A Journey: the DVD
Click here to preview!
Click here to order!
