What a Z summer looks like...

I have a crazy job. My family and friends demand my time. And I am always seeking adventure.

My summer can never be just ordinary haha
So I selected some snapshots of my lovely summer thus far. 

NATIONAL HARBOR - "The Awakening" J. Seward Johnson Jr. 

FedEx FIELD - the U.S. versus Brazil soccer game 

BIG FREEDIA rocking out at the Rock n' Roll hotel in Washington DC

Straight ahead Capital hill but first make a promise! 

RICHMOND, VA - Went on a Beer hunt with Rachel. 

At home in Alexandria - when I'm stressed I gotta paint! 

A fancy pool in a hotel in southwest DC. I worked on my Mayan tan. 

Kayaking on the Potomac near Georgetown. 

Poolside in DC and sketching strange creatures. 

4th of July barbecue and I wanted this pup. Summer looks good on her. 

Lounging with the Hispanic posse at Tim's Rivershore in Dumfries, VA 

one of the best road trips ever! DC, Baltimore, Philly and this is one of the bridges into Brooklyn.

Bay Ridge - It was an awesome view of the Verrazano bridge from my homie's apt. 

Super classy Brooklyn picnic in Prospect Park with people I love.

Falls Church, VA - I was part of a kickball league this summer. We were ok. haha

I won't lie. I took a picture outside this bar because I liked the lights. DC late night walks. 

Much needed family time with my little sister, my momma and the puppy dogs. 

Commuting. DC to VA. 

One of my art mentors. It was his birthday and it was a hilarious picture of him. 

Umm, I saw a rocket when I turned it this way but it's just my palette. 

Taking a mini break on my homie's couch in Brooklyn. I just laid there drawing. 

Passenger side in Baltimore heading back from a bar. 

In my current existence...

"You look just like mom. Who did your eyebrows?" she said.
"I did. and well yeah duh. I am her first born so of course." I said glancing over at my mother.

I sat on the edge of the bed while my little sister sat across from me and our mother laid down under the covers. It was the three of us together, along with the dogs, sitting on our queen size island. I hadn't spoken to my mother in three weeks. It's not complicated it is just poor communication mixed in with " I do what I wants! You ain't the boss of me!".
She's my mother. The women who gave me life. She's the boss.

The room was lit by a small lamp and the light from the Spanish channel on the televison. Jennifer Lopez's first ex-husband was commenting about her current ex-husband. My mom loves gossip. I won't lie. I was listening too and he was hot to look at.

We don't speak about what happens when we disagree. We're the same person.
She's 57 years old with a lot of life experience and worried about her eldest's latest shenanigans.
I'm 30 years old with a fearless attitude and not care in the world. We butt heads.

"Here." She handed me a black box.
"what is it? I don't need anything." as I grabbed the box from her hands and opened it to see 2 sets of bangle bracelets.  It's our language. We don't talk about it. We just move on and in the end I get a box.
Always a box of sparkling jewelry.

"I'm being stubborn. I'm being selfish. I do what I want! oh shut the fuck up Zoraidita and grow up." My inner dialogue goes off as I look down and put on the bracelets. 


"Thanks Ma. They're awesome. "
Oliver is hiding under the covers and Simon is asking for a belly rub. Simon reminds me of an ewok.
The new bracelets jingle on my newly tanned arm as I play with this pup. I stare at them and know that it will always stay this way until one of us decides to mend things.
It's not complicated it's just a bridge that hasn't been fixed yet. We're at two ends and neither of us wants to fix it.


"I gotta go. I have to be at work in the morning."
"Can't you spend the night? I never get to see you." My sister demands my time and I know she should always be the first one to have it. I get up from the bed and say goodbye to the pups and walk past my half-asleep mother.  No hugs. No kisses.

I grab my things and say goodbye to my little sister and the dogs. I open the front door and stop.
"Do you remember what to do the next time?"
"yeah. yeah. Answer the phone when mom calls."

I yell from the bottom of the stairs. "BYE MA!"
Her door is always open so I'll know she'll hear me.  "OK. MUCHO CUIDADO."


Her last line to me every time I go pay a visit. I have no idea when I'll be around next time. 
Soon I guess but I am not a planner.  I do what I want.

I'm not a writer but I did it anyways.

I stare at the harsh illuminated screen as my eyes move back and forth looking at other artists.
My body is cool from the ceiling fan and my hands move quickly across the keyboard in search of more artistic souls. The internet is my 2am companion. I don't seek hooch. I seek more art.

My head turns to stare at a work in progress and I begin to ponder how many people will get to see it once it's completed. Is my work too light? too immature? too insular for others to connect to?
Is my art not serious enough to make it to a higher level?

All these questions race all over my brain and I youtube "Clair de Lune" to calm myself down.
The cat is not worried like I am. His world is far more simple and exquisite. He lays on my red chair asleep dreaming of catnip I suppose. I turn back to the illuminated screen and I just stare like a moth to the flame. It sucks me in until the wee hours of the morning when my eyes and my body finally give in.

Wait...shit! It's time for work and I'm exhausted. I stretch my legs first, groan at the little time I have to get to work and move like a sloth to the bathroom. Clean face, contacts in, minimal makeup on and covered in a dress and flats.

On the drive there, I can't stop thinking about it. I think of my art, art in general, my life and how I came to choose this as my form of expression. I could have been an accountant like my mutha.
Nay. Art reminds me of more, it reminds me of the infinite layers we exist in. There is no end to my imagination and I want to explore it until my body gives in.

Day in and Day out. In the car riding to a destination or sitting outside in the hot sun. I can't stop thinking about it.  I don't want to know the meaning of life. I just want to figure out mines.

During my brief ride on this mortal coil, I choose to explore. I choose to be a fucking artist.
It's 2:19am. Time for bed.

Stress in Progress...

My job is demanding a lot of my time due to it being our busy season. I'm learning as I go along how to handle all kinds of crazy situations. yay! However, I tend to internalize my stress so my latest work is stress related - a self-portrait at work. I have been spending a lot of quality time with my work computer hahaha. I'm trying my best to stay positive and get through it. I can't always be happy, it does not work that way. All I can do is do my best at work and handle my stress one day at a time.

I made Godzilla my monster of positivity to help squash the bad vibes that want to surface and ruin my day. I painted two black and white paintings and now I'm back to color. BAM! ZAP! POW!