Imagine shopping small (and handmade)

Happy Holidays, my friends,

Angela Dawn and I are doing well, both working through this day, which ends for her in half an hour, and then we'll pull out the guitar shortly afterwards. WE're grateful for the beautiful gift of life, each other, and the fantastic people we share, in roles great and small.


The gratitude of a homeless man I see most every day warmed my heart, which is glad with friends, hopes, ideas, a modest apartment in a city with the best weather in America, a bed, all the clothes I need, shoes, and a fridge filled with yumminess whenever I pop out to shop. To all who contacted us today, thanks so much; 3,000 miles from our parents and siblings, it's been wonderful to have felt lonely for not half a minute. Thanks especially for the pictures; you know who you are. And what kind I love to see.


I hope you'll think about some of your small business friends, and consider a gift certificate of local services like hair cuts, lawn service, gym memberships and other such American-made efforts. Unless you're reading this overseas, of course. Go ahead and chuckle. I just mean, with all the dollars concentrated on cheap foreign products, you will spend some of your hard-earned holiday dollars with your community.


http://www.etsy.com/listing/87075136/puzzle-girl-t-shirt-by-integr8d-soul




Look at this wealth of handmade items here:






My Kudzu Mt. Friends in Cave Spring, GA make these! They are among other wonderful items you can find in Imagine Hair Salon/ Gallery in Rome, GA!!!





Here's Holly Moore's shop in Rome, at 334 Broad St.:

http://www.imaginehairart.com/Visit-Imagine---Parking-Info.html

she keeps an e-zine, here:

http://imaginehairart.wordpress.com/


If you are near Columbus, OH, or want to order online, there's our friend Maria's PM Gallery: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pm-gallery-columbus
http://pmgallery.com/index.asp?i=13
"We feature the work of over 300 North American artisans and artists. Blown glass, pottery for daily use or decoration, jewelry, kaleidoscopes, wooden boxes and wooden cutting boards, bell, chimes, outdoor whimsies - all made by hand - all made in the US or Canada.

Enjoy!"

Here's Gordon Lee's local comics shop in downtown Rome, with toys, comics, posters, and everything for your imagination-crazy people on your list:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Legends-of-Rome/206099316074888

My friend Michael makes what I call "Book safes": hollow books with room for concealing valuables. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Book-Stash-3000/275982482425210




If you read this and want me to add you, please ask!!!

Sabrina suggested this one: truly unique hand made instruments!!!
Have you EVER seen any instrument like that? Curious?

http://www.terratonz.com/
The TerraTonz team thanks you for purchasing our super sonic sacred steel TerraTonguez, TerraPanz and TapTonz. Our artists create each instrument by hand, so no exact duplicates exist. We then post our creations online as well as send some to galleries and art exhibitions. The online store represents all our creations.
You may know we are a small business, too.




Meanwhile, our remaining t-shirts are available at Convention Special Price, for $12 each plus $3.00 for shipping & handling.









MORE COMIC CON PICS BELOW!!!


AND!! You can use the button provided; the $15 will cover your postage.

D'n'A t-shirt #1

Small $15.00 Medium $15.00 Large $15.00

or

D'n'A t-shirt Puzzle pieces (girl and boy)

Small $15.00 Medium $15.00 Large $15.00

While we prepare demos to go gig-shopping again, we have numerous other ideas in the works. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Integr8d-Soul/108962196641
We offer online home concerts, through Ustream (which is free; please tip through Pay Pal!) and Stageit.com We'd love to play for you, personally, or for your party. If you are NOT on the Pacific coast, adjust for time !! We are three hours behind the East Coast, for example.
http://www.stageit.com/coast_to_coast_integr8d_soul/integr8d_sound/4531 copy and paste this to see tickets! Welcome to our concert site! It's easier than visiting all four hundred or so houses we invited but it's almost as fun!!!

our welcome video, for new people on Stageit.com, for example



We hope you'll consider buying one of our t-shirts; I look forward to trying to get them into shops. I also hope our ever-delayed website can become a hub for artists and small business links, as well as our own goodies!


First: DNA Comics #1 is ONLINE!!!


You can get D'N'A: The Mountain, plus one each of our two promotional t-shirt designs, for just $23.00 plus shipping and handling. Just write us here or at mkthemurl@gmail.com or hit us up through our Facebook Badge on this page. Tell us the size and address; we can take payments by check, money order, or PayPal online, so let us know your preference---and thanks so much!

Our new ideas for D'n'A: Looking For A Sign have given the story a more dramatic tone in keeping with D'n'A: The Mountain's intimate friendships, and Southern Gothic menace. With Amanda's little devil's arc clear to us now, she apparently sifts through numerous confusing states of existence, believing her frenemy the angel's dead and his human charge apparently out of touch with her own motivations. The rest of the story happens in the "real" world, following Dee Cee and Amanda into new phases of their lives in the aftermath of their shocking encounter with...but pick up D'n'A: The Mountain, or download it through MyEbooks! The story's clearly drawn, told with expression and details all too real.

I really hope we can make it available this year; keep your fingers crossed, and let me know what you think of D'n'A: The Mountain!!! The creation process isn't complete without you. Where the story goes for you, what you take with it, is of great interest to all three of us here at Integr8d Soul.

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You and Me on Kudzu Mt.

So, my friend Sabrina liked “Free of the Fallen World” and its gentle tone (it was also improvised from a script’s notes). She suggested I try more children’s songs and lullabies. Well, I remembered that after writing “Soon You’ll Be Eighteen” and when that song seemed complete, I decided to write this one for her. So on one hand you have a song made to make (my) parents hate your rebellious music...and on the other, you have a playtime song for little children. Writing is fun.


Instant live communities by Ustream

You and Me On Kudzu Mountain


Let's run to a place outside

in the brush where a living room hides
And if there’s time, are you ready now?
Let’s cross this big ditch and call out ‘wow’!









For there’s things alive, and some decayed
But never have they minded play
And here they stay




Oh you and me, on Kudzu Mountain
Did I see a fairy’s fountain?

What things look like places other
If we have eyes and then discover
Till the storms say go inside
Sun gives shadow, place to hide
Where do shadows hide when there’s no light?
How is the butterfly so bright?
There’s always somewhere new to be
On Kudzu Mountain, you and me

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Kudzu Mountain Party Time

The afternoon as we walked and came back and played songs on our guitars, Poppa told me about refurbishing his Dad's two guitars. I learned the old house isn't set up for practicing any Pete Townshend-style leaps, though since I stopped after one, I merely listened in on Poppa's strategy to get the house leveled again. He's come up with a lot of things that work, and I've seen him fix a lot of things in day-to-day life. He loves problem solving and be friendly in general. Just classic.



Making things up as they went along, a call to Andy was something I took too seriously. I was sure we'd end up talking a long time, and sure enough we finally did as I watched the nephews and niece play at the park next to their house in Goodyear Village.

I wanted to give him a time and place and really practice and prepared to be prepared. Andy is so easy going, he puts me to shame. He took time to come over; he found CiCi and I in the park as I stayed on the phone with him towards finding us. We got out the instruments but had about an hour to go through messing around on instruments. It became quite fun for everyone: Christina sang a song she's practiced for Angela, the kids all tried out the instruments, and Andy and Poppa hit it off famously.


Boy would that flower of an hour pass away on the stream like a floating petal. Andy liked my songs; we'd even been working on a similar progression and rhythm for one each. Too bad I couldn't catch up with him earlier in the week, but I was sensitive to people not feelin left out. But I'd geared up for a coffeehouse type show over at the Gypsy Cave, and I figured we'd keep taking turns playing stuff and see if, since I was the one wishing to showcase our Integr8d Soul Songs.

I think with three or four practices we would've had a pretty good show together. I liked swapping out playing songs, and of course Sabrina had lots of iTunes on hand, as it is a Cave staple.


In the effort to make it nice for everyone, I got Mom to come down from Rome; she said she'd even take the kids back to Rockmart, so I got an additional wish: the Clark Kids would get to come. We'd get to spend the night! And maybe we could get some other friends to come over.




Well, it turned out we had plenty of people. Mom stayed a little while but had already decided, while driving Angela and CiCi over behind Andy, Me, David and Austin, she would just drive home by herself soon. Poor Angela, she felt pretty sad, and i was up in the car ahead. I actually had to be neutral to fit in, because Andy and the Clark Brothers were on the level together cracking up and making twenty miles of jokes all the way to Cave Spring.



Still, I was so glad the Clark Kids got to visit Gypsy Cave. First, we all had pound cake together and it was a real party atmosphere in a sweet sort of way. You cannot help but find the Cave stimulating! Andy and I talked about how much John Lennon would love to be there.


Well, soon we got Mom backed out and headed to Rome around dark. The children were playing with Finn; they found the house on Kudzu Mountain a wonderful place to run and play games and there was so much energy, riding down the driveway. CiCi visited Darby a little while, and they played dolls. Five minutes later, CiCi told her, "you don't play them right!" Sabrina, upon hearing of this, said Darby used to say the same thing to her sometimes at that age.




I made sure we played Angela's "Double Jeoparme" and "Luck", also the first song I played when invited Monday. "Somethin Not Quite There" evolved when we blew the dust off it for a few days before travelling; it's close to a nice recording.

I got a chance to play as many songs as possible up to about 11:30pm; Anna was glad the Clark young'uns were having a good time and it sounded like we'd make it back at a reasonable time. There was a bit of kicked back, exhausted confession, too, as my bond with Eric just continued to reveal itself. I was actually ready for a day of study and work! Yet how could I begrudge my family and friends this time to bond together, establishing bonds that could echo in meaning and love in times to come?

Before I got to "Times Like These" time and time again, David was on the verge of tears with regret at leaving. That was a really honest reaction. Poor Eric probably feels that way a bit at some point every day, having found all the heaven on Earth necessary for him to continue on. David didn't want this great time to close, for this was uncommonly good. Angela consoled him, and let him know we will make more times together. He felt better. Resiliant David.









Andy drove cool as he could, to avoid us being pulled over without a seat for every child, which we almost had, really, by an half-ass. Three kids and an adult was just a bit more than Andy had come prepared to drive with, but in his good natured way he hung in there and we cut up about half as intently on the way back from a place he dearly loved.


Ron and I ended up in a conversation about our original way of becoming aware of sex in our non-communicative upbringings, and how he'd sat all the kids down of age at once to do an Afterschool Special. Did I mention the Clark kids got to spend the night? They all out lasted me. While Angela and her mom got a rare chance to sit up and talk a couple of hours, I read the very first X-O Manowar story in a trade I'd brought with me and conked out hard, preparing for the big picnic.

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