its suddenly the last day of my trip out west and im flooded with a zillion stories and memories everytime i try to instarecap. it was an entire month of moments. lots and lots of moments. a month of them. (but, you know, its saturday night, soooooo yeah)
today i hiked with john on mt rainier which was beautiful and cold and sunny and windy and great. and it reminded me of hiking last week on mt seymour in vancouver where you can see all around you from all three peaks and the last one is spiritual and it was also sunny. that was the day a small plane like one from the 60s flew past us and it was yellow and we were so close we could wave at the pilot and he waved back. that was also the day we met colette and christian and spoke french and spanish as they shuttled us down to the busstop before our night out with the couchsurfing hosts and the hungarian busmates we met on a greyhound from seattle.
that was probably just about a week after we sat on a hill, me and tolu, and watched a million or so birds (vaux's swifts aka "the swifts") funnel into an old chimney of an elementary school one at a time over an hour and a half. they filled the sky and some of them got pecked off by hawks and falcons. which reminds me of a million birds that stood on the pacific shore we found at the end of a long day hiking through the redwoods that are so big they could swallow you and really truly understand silence. and we walked through fern canyon with walls so high and covered with ferns you feel as though you are prehistoric. that was the day before we met deb and emma and they made us tea.
2 days ago we drank tea with an old taiwanese woman for 3 hours and learned about tea more than i ever thought was possible. we met a young white guy who was a monk in a past life and dropped everything in this life to drink tea all day and share its peace and wisdom. in a thai restaurant yesterday where you sit so close to the stove that the fire heats your face and makes you sweat, we saw a woman hold up a picture of herself on her phone wearing only lingerie and marveled at technology and (dis)illusions of privacy.
i'm suddenly reminded of the light coming into ted and chris and dereks house in arcata and how that song by bon iver (stacks?) was playing and the sun was hitting the garden just right and it hit the wood floor just right and we felt just right there. which reminds me of pottery and wood tables, and homemade tomato sauce and dairy-free vanilla frozen yogurt and chickens and walking and parks and farmers markets.
like the one oliver and kristyna took us to in arcata our first day where there was so much produce and music and dancing and color that we lost each other and reappeared with delicious things to cook and made an outlandish meal that night. and bread. that we made with them and i just made it again last night and now i want only to make bread and never to buy it because it is so much better that way.
tomorrow im flying to st louis to continue the journey.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
inspired by a post-birthday email from gramps, i'm blogging again, though spottily i imagine...
im back on the go... traveling for a month in the pacific northwest with my friend tolu.
so far this trip has been great... tolu and i met up in san fran last saturday and ran around the city for a week with aida for almost the whole time. we saw many an old friend, ate many a cheap delicious meal, and saw many a sight on the twenty-something budget! san francisco is an amazing city... super vibrant and diverse. it feels like every few blocks you walk you're in a completely different place. china town feels like the closest you can get to asia without leaving the continental US, hippy hill in golden gate park (and haight ashbury for that matter) is pretty much the closest you can get to the 60s without leaving 2009, and the mission feels like some mix of brooklyn and a city in mexico (keith is making a list of reasons why the mission is like a third world country, although we've decided not to call it third world because that is so on the out).
there are too many stories from sf to try to fit in the blog right now... but i will say that some real highlights were seeing old friends from st louis -- staying at kacie's amaaazing house in orinda, crashing with jake in the filmore, spending a day with colin, kacie, deb, and stephen, and a night at colin and stephen's warehouse in an old cookie factory (those really good pink cookies with rainbow sprinkles!), and of course, a cozy night at keith's new home in the mission.
yesterday we split on a greyhound bus, saying our farewells to aida who is off to korea. the bus was full of characters, and a few fights may or may not have broken out, but overall it was pretty beautiful despite getting in 3 hours late. now we're in eureka, ca with kristyna and oliver. this town is great -- the perfect combination of a small community and a place with lots to do. we went to the farmers market in arcata (aka. hippy heaven) this morning, took a long walk on the dunes by the ocean... and then played in the ocean!, made hot cocoa, explored a few used book stores, and went to the local co-op to get some last ingredients for the big meal we're making tonight. speaking of which, it's time to cook.
mrf
im back on the go... traveling for a month in the pacific northwest with my friend tolu.
so far this trip has been great... tolu and i met up in san fran last saturday and ran around the city for a week with aida for almost the whole time. we saw many an old friend, ate many a cheap delicious meal, and saw many a sight on the twenty-something budget! san francisco is an amazing city... super vibrant and diverse. it feels like every few blocks you walk you're in a completely different place. china town feels like the closest you can get to asia without leaving the continental US, hippy hill in golden gate park (and haight ashbury for that matter) is pretty much the closest you can get to the 60s without leaving 2009, and the mission feels like some mix of brooklyn and a city in mexico (keith is making a list of reasons why the mission is like a third world country, although we've decided not to call it third world because that is so on the out).
there are too many stories from sf to try to fit in the blog right now... but i will say that some real highlights were seeing old friends from st louis -- staying at kacie's amaaazing house in orinda, crashing with jake in the filmore, spending a day with colin, kacie, deb, and stephen, and a night at colin and stephen's warehouse in an old cookie factory (those really good pink cookies with rainbow sprinkles!), and of course, a cozy night at keith's new home in the mission.
yesterday we split on a greyhound bus, saying our farewells to aida who is off to korea. the bus was full of characters, and a few fights may or may not have broken out, but overall it was pretty beautiful despite getting in 3 hours late. now we're in eureka, ca with kristyna and oliver. this town is great -- the perfect combination of a small community and a place with lots to do. we went to the farmers market in arcata (aka. hippy heaven) this morning, took a long walk on the dunes by the ocean... and then played in the ocean!, made hot cocoa, explored a few used book stores, and went to the local co-op to get some last ingredients for the big meal we're making tonight. speaking of which, it's time to cook.
mrf
Monday, August 10, 2009
shweet...
I don't really have time to post now. In fact, I'm at work. But as this is work-related, I think I can justify it...
I want to share with you a few of the exciting things I've been involved with at Ashoka (where I'm interning)...
Check out:
tech.ashoka.org and
www. changemakers.com
Then let me know what you think!
Paix
I want to share with you a few of the exciting things I've been involved with at Ashoka (where I'm interning)...
Check out:
tech.ashoka.org and
www. changemakers.com
Then let me know what you think!
Paix
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Backtotheblog
I moved to DC yesterday, thus officially starting "the next chapter" -- and I think it might be time to revive the blog. Bref, DC is great. I moved in last night to my cute little row house in Mt Pleasant, a tree-lined neighborhood just a short walk from a bunch of great areas like Adams Morgan. The first thing I did upon arrival? I got a bike! Yep, it's a pretty great little road bike. It doesn't have a name yet, though the frame says "Zebra" (that's the brand). I got it from this guy in Arlington that restores old bikes as a sort of "greening" project... he was really funny, had great Einstein hair, and told just a few too many stories about his politics days in the 80s. When I got back, one of my roommates, her boyfriend, and his friend were having a beer out on the front porch and I ended up hanging out and chatting with them until 2 in the morning. Very cool people.
I got really lucky finding this place on craigslist. The roommates are all in their mid-20s, working interesting jobs, very multi-cultural, very friendly. Everyone says Mt Pleasant is the best neighborhood to live in and so far I believe it. My room is small with hardwood floors and a huge window that takes up almost a whole wall and faces east so I get the lovely morning sun right on my face when I wake up. There's a big tree right outside and if I climb out my window, theres a big ol' roof!
So todayI got up and hit the road with my new bike... and just 2 blocks into my "adventure" (in my neighborhood!) I collided with a Saturday farmer's market which is so amazing because it has (1) free bike tune-ups every Saturday, (2) lots of fresh produce (veggies, meat, cheese, etc), and (3) a guy that runs a community garden in my neighborhood that says he can hook me up with a plot!!! Woo! So that was a good first stop. From there, I wandered around, got lost a bit, and then met up with Lucy's mom and stepdad at the Library of Congress to exchange some items that I left at school for some stuff that Lucy left in my car. We went into the Lib and saw some amazing stuff... the whole building is beautiful. After Anne and Steve left, I made a personal goal to get myself access to the library and, after a labyrinth of ("secret") underground tunnels and a few forms, I was successful! Turns out pretty much anyone can get one to the main room with just a wee bit of determination. PS - the hallways down there make you feel like you're in a hospital!
From there I hit up U-Street since I was hunnngry... got some coffee and a sandwich at the Love Cafe and then met up with Landen from Wash U! She's been living in DC since she graduated (a year before me) and recommended we go on a biking adventure -- Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Obama's pad, all the good stuff. It's grand being among so many monuments. She was a glorious tour guide.
After doing a wee bit of reading in Dupont Circle, I biked back home to figure out dinner, and ended up doing a semi big grocercy shop (on foot) and getting lots of stuff. When I got back, one of my roommates had a bunch of people over (20 or so) for a cookout! I love how there are always so many people around here. Most (all?) of the people here for the cookout are Ghanaian so a little Ghanaian dance party developed in the kitchen which was so funny. Now, as I sit in my room, laughter and conversation resonate through the house in some language I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce (so I won't try to spell it). How did I end up here?
come visit, friends!
I got really lucky finding this place on craigslist. The roommates are all in their mid-20s, working interesting jobs, very multi-cultural, very friendly. Everyone says Mt Pleasant is the best neighborhood to live in and so far I believe it. My room is small with hardwood floors and a huge window that takes up almost a whole wall and faces east so I get the lovely morning sun right on my face when I wake up. There's a big tree right outside and if I climb out my window, theres a big ol' roof!
So todayI got up and hit the road with my new bike... and just 2 blocks into my "adventure" (in my neighborhood!) I collided with a Saturday farmer's market which is so amazing because it has (1) free bike tune-ups every Saturday, (2) lots of fresh produce (veggies, meat, cheese, etc), and (3) a guy that runs a community garden in my neighborhood that says he can hook me up with a plot!!! Woo! So that was a good first stop. From there, I wandered around, got lost a bit, and then met up with Lucy's mom and stepdad at the Library of Congress to exchange some items that I left at school for some stuff that Lucy left in my car. We went into the Lib and saw some amazing stuff... the whole building is beautiful. After Anne and Steve left, I made a personal goal to get myself access to the library and, after a labyrinth of ("secret") underground tunnels and a few forms, I was successful! Turns out pretty much anyone can get one to the main room with just a wee bit of determination. PS - the hallways down there make you feel like you're in a hospital!
From there I hit up U-Street since I was hunnngry... got some coffee and a sandwich at the Love Cafe and then met up with Landen from Wash U! She's been living in DC since she graduated (a year before me) and recommended we go on a biking adventure -- Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Obama's pad, all the good stuff. It's grand being among so many monuments. She was a glorious tour guide.
After doing a wee bit of reading in Dupont Circle, I biked back home to figure out dinner, and ended up doing a semi big grocercy shop (on foot) and getting lots of stuff. When I got back, one of my roommates had a bunch of people over (20 or so) for a cookout! I love how there are always so many people around here. Most (all?) of the people here for the cookout are Ghanaian so a little Ghanaian dance party developed in the kitchen which was so funny. Now, as I sit in my room, laughter and conversation resonate through the house in some language I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce (so I won't try to spell it). How did I end up here?
come visit, friends!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
vote vote vote!
do you know where your polling place is on tuesday?
Take a minute to look up your polling place on our voting website, VoteForChange.com.
cool.
Take a minute to look up your polling place on our voting website, VoteForChange.com.
cool.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
first of all, theres a cat downstairs named troubador that weighs 30 pounds. im just putting that out there. apparently troubador is not just french but like literally, from france and rumor has it, troubador is blue. troubador lives with francois and francois. our neighbors on the 2nd floor are this surgeon and his mother. the surgeon is kind of awesome and heres why. yesterday we got a letter in our mailbox that, in 3 to 4 paragraphs, outlined his thought process on the idea of potentially buying a drum set: pros, cons, ways to reduce noise, the potential for building quiet hours, etc. we think its pretty awesome and are going to send him a letter back that says DRUM ON BROTHER! or something like that. would it be weird if we started an apartment-wide band? ill take guitar and that cool baobab fruit i got in mali. lucy's got keyboard and violin, and annemarie can play triangle! she can also sing the "dum dum dum" from that one regina spektor song AND she got this cool instrument in chile that might work too.
there was a huge neighborhood wide yard sale yesterday and i put all my junk out in the front yard for an hour or two and sat out there with a book. it was a nice day and i met a bunch of really awesome neighbors. this one lady bought my old moneybelt from when i waitressed at brandt's and one of my tshirts and the next time i saw her she was wearing both! we also have a bunch of kids in our neighborhood which is cool. i sold like 8 bucks worth of stuff and then just took a heap of clothes to rag-o-rama and they gave me 21 bucks and then i brought the rest to the clothing drive and counsel for the blind. point is, i got rid of a lot of shit! woo!
then last night we had our first potluck of the year in the mothership. the theme was that everyone had to bring something with a face. thing is, its mostly vegetarians. the faces were pretty awesome and thoroughly documented. the weirdest thing anyone brought was keith and alex who brought cow tongue. only, believe it or not, they made a face and didn't use the tongue to represent a tongue! very creative. lots and lots of people came which was great and lively. around 11:30 a bunch of us went outside and played KUB, this swedish game that i played like 10000 years ago! turns out keith and aLo have a set. that game is amazing. there were more games when we came inside too - that game where everyone puts a bunch of names in a hat and then you have to draw and describe the person without saying their name and see how many you can get through in a minute.
today was workwork worky but i did run like 5 miles when i woke up and i made new pants (snip snip). kaletomatogoatcheesequesadillas?! phishfoodwithannemarieandROOshy?! homework?!
LAFIA
there was a huge neighborhood wide yard sale yesterday and i put all my junk out in the front yard for an hour or two and sat out there with a book. it was a nice day and i met a bunch of really awesome neighbors. this one lady bought my old moneybelt from when i waitressed at brandt's and one of my tshirts and the next time i saw her she was wearing both! we also have a bunch of kids in our neighborhood which is cool. i sold like 8 bucks worth of stuff and then just took a heap of clothes to rag-o-rama and they gave me 21 bucks and then i brought the rest to the clothing drive and counsel for the blind. point is, i got rid of a lot of shit! woo!
then last night we had our first potluck of the year in the mothership. the theme was that everyone had to bring something with a face. thing is, its mostly vegetarians. the faces were pretty awesome and thoroughly documented. the weirdest thing anyone brought was keith and alex who brought cow tongue. only, believe it or not, they made a face and didn't use the tongue to represent a tongue! very creative. lots and lots of people came which was great and lively. around 11:30 a bunch of us went outside and played KUB, this swedish game that i played like 10000 years ago! turns out keith and aLo have a set. that game is amazing. there were more games when we came inside too - that game where everyone puts a bunch of names in a hat and then you have to draw and describe the person without saying their name and see how many you can get through in a minute.
today was workwork worky but i did run like 5 miles when i woke up and i made new pants (snip snip). kaletomatogoatcheesequesadillas?! phishfoodwithannemarieandROOshy?! homework?!
LAFIA
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