dangerous compassions

I call you / from the comet's cradle

Thursday, August 30, 2012

catherdral


Yesterday we visited Reno.  A highlight was St Thomas Aquinas cathedral.  Here are its amazing copper doors.


Here's the stained glass I like best.


And, of course, the holy spigot.

plant life


Did you know I used to have a thing for bricks?  Here is a pretty brick cart.


Here is our garden's yarrow.


Here's a big view of our garden, its riot of life.

malabar spinach

We got some malabar spinach, and I think I love it.  Here's a wikipedia picture.


Ming attached a pot of it onto our screen door, and it's growing so cutely on the screen door, its vine winding around the screen door's metal parts.  

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Doris zine reading

In Berkeley on Sunday night at 7:30 at Pegasus Bookstore there's a Doris zine reading by Cindy Crabb.  Here's a youtube video of her, and I am so excited.  SF Zine Fest is this weekend.  Woo hoo!


Sunday, August 26, 2012

fish letters

This is a small zine of unsent letters. I address a lost cousin, an ex-husband, two friends, and my mom. Text heavy, quarter size, and 12 pages bound with thread.  Get in touch for trades!

well played

Yesterday we went to a strange cafe and ate strange food there.  I had chocolate cherry scones with lavender creme fraiche.  Wow, they were great. 

Today we went to church, bought royal blue embroidery thread for binding fish letters, napped, visited Kitty, and made a delicious vegan peach crisp using peaches given to us by the landlord's dad.  I'd say that's a pretty good day.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Berkeley Bowl

 I love going to Berkeley Bowl for their amazing produce section!  Here are heirloom tomatoes.  All pictures by Ming.



 Here are mass grapes.


Here are some stone fruits.


Mass cherries!


Mass berries!


Mass bananas!


Something exotic!


Much sweet pots!


Cute tomatoes!


Heirloom peppers.


And finally, mega-melons.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Jim Haber's peace walk photos

Here are some very beautiful photos of the Lockheed to Lock Up peace walk, and I hope you'll visit.  There's a super-cute one of me and Ming in there!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimhaber/sets/72157631152959704/with/7820741778/

peace pics

Here are some walkers walking--all pictures by Ming.







peace walking

Yesterday morning we went on a Plowshares peace walk to support Susan Crane, who needed to turn herself in at prison for civil disobedience.  It was called Walk for Nuclear Disarmament: From Lockheed to Lock-Up.  Here's a link where you can read a little about it.

http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com/tag/susan-crane/

We were there for just the last day of the walk.  I saw something about it on my friend's facebook page and brought it up with Ming.  He said we should go, which I was so happy about.  So yesterday morning we woke up at 4 and left here before 5 to get to Pleasanton by 6:45 or so.  We ate some breakfast with our new friends, who were packing up after their stay at a church, and started walking at 7:25 or so and walked on busy streets then to a BART station and through the BART station to a place where we assembled to pray.

I love peace walking because I'm moved and honored to move through space and time with my loved new friends for a beautiful cause.  I love being seen by other walkers and the people in passing cars.  I love being a good example of faith in the future in the form of the desire for peaceful change.  I love praying with my feet and warm conversation with other peace walkers.  I love singing together and hearing drums and rattles as we walk.  I love the colorful peace banners that flutter in the wind that we display for others and ourselves to read.  I love being outdoors together, braving the elements, taking whatever nature gives us.  I love having a dream together, being in a unified group of people who care enough to do something meaningful and good.

On this particular walk, I enjoyed how we sprinkled sunflower seeds that we hoped would germinate and grow.  Sunflowers are a symbol of nuclear disarmament.  

I liked assembling to pray for Susan Crane and for peace.  I liked hearing the prayers of my new friends and the messages of encouragement we gave to her.  My favorite part was when we gathered around Susan to bless her, touching her.  The great activist Father Louis Vitale was there--he sprinkled holy water on her and on all of us.

Then we walked with Susan to the gate.  We were confronted by cops.  They told her she couldn't surrender there--she needed to go to the other gate.  A world flag got caught on the barbed wire, and we used sticks to free it.

Then we went to the other gate, where Susan hugged us goodbye.  Though we'd only met for the first time that morning, I felt true love between us.  When I'd met her that morning at the church where they stayed, she looked into my eyes and asked, "Where do I know you from?"  I shrugged and thought, "Some other life?" but didn't say that.  Ming and I tried to give her a copy of Demonstrators on Roadway: 25 MPH and she was very appreciative, looking it over and wanting to read it, but she told us and that when she turned herself in, they would take everything she had except for her glasses.  So we said we'd send her a copy in the mail.

It was a very good morning.  Here is a different choir singing "Vine and Fig Tree" which we sang when we assembled to pray.



And every one neath their vine and fig tree
Shall live in peace and unafraid
And every one neath their vine and fig tree
Shall live in peace and unafraid

And into plowshares turn their swords
Nations shall learn war no more
And into plowshares turn their swords
Nations shall learn war no more  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

haircut

Today I cut my hair.  I chopped off about five inches.  I'm happy about it.  I did this before, last February, and it grew back.

Today we went to a protest.  I don't really want to talk about it, but I will say there were four of us.  It's good to stand for something even when it's scary.

Monday, August 20, 2012

today's mostly neighborhood pics

What have you been up to lately?  Yesterday we went to a vegetarian society potluck, where we brought solar cooked rice & lentils.  I think they turned out unusually mushy, but the flavor was okay. 

Last night I dreamt I cut my hair.  I think I might do that.  It's driving me nuts again, maybe five inches again.

Night before last we tried to go to a pirate party, but the facebook start time was incorrect, so we got there way too early.

Then we went to this really neat event at the record store Phono Select, on the back patio, where various people were selling their wares.  Ming's ex-roommates's boyfriend was there--he sews.  I had no idea he sews, and the things he makes are beautiful. We talked for a long time with someone who was selling a skateboard with an Animal Chin sticker on it.  Bones Brigade's Search for Animal Chin was my favorite movie when I was a teenager.



Also, we had a vegan chocolate chip lavender cookie.  I had never eaten such a thing.  I was amazed at its deliciousness.


Yesterday morning we went to church, where Ming took a picture of the altar after flower offering.


This morning we went for a walk that was a total of 50 blocks.  Can you believe it?  Here are some beautiful succulents we saw.


Here's a pole I liked, especially the stickers up top.


And finally here's some street art of a Star Wars thing that we saw on the sidewalk.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

clay figure holding a penguin


Did I already show you this picture of the statue my parents gave me years ago which Ming and I put in our garden?  At first I thought it didn't belong, but that only lasted about five minutes.  Let me know if you know any information about it.  What culture does this type of statue come from, for example?  Does it have a name? 

PDX pics


Here is a picture of a super-cool quadruple drinking fountain.


Here are the glitter bricks of Voodoo Donuts.


Here are our donuts!  Note mine, the cock and balls, next to Ming's apple fritter.


The donut box.


I like the electric seal.


Here are the beautiful courtyard massage stones at the Chinese Garden.


Here is our food from the teahouse at the Chinese Garden.  


Here's me at the 24 hour Elvis church.  I put in a quarter and nothing happened.  Is that what religion is all about?


Here's me tabling at Portland Zine Symposium 2012.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

a list

Some trip highlights...

* visiting the Chinese Garden, where we ate special little cookies made of cookie dust, ate exquisitely flavored watermelon seeds, ate horse seeds--we also massaged our feet on courtyard stones, saw bat tiles, and looked at lotuses
* visiting the Japanese Garden--both cost $9.50--where there are a lot of stairs and our friend who walks on crutches had trouble--we saw beautiful views of constructed waterfalls and lush plantlife and those Japanese sand garden things
* visiting the rose garden, which is free and crowded, but the roses are very much in bloom right now
* eating at Voodoo Donuts, where I got a huge delicious chocolate-frosted vegan donut called cock and balls which has creme-filled balls, and Ming got a vegan apple fritter, and our friend we stayed with had three donuts!
* visiting the arcade Ground Kontrol where I played my favorite game, Puzzle Bobble, for a little while, after having a hard time finding it
* attending the Portland Zine Symposium both Saturday and Sunday, where I met mail friends and even tabled the second day, because they had extra tables, and I traded for a bunch of zines
* mole tater tots
* delicious fresh grapes
* long drives, and the tape player in the truck doesn't work, so we brought my boom box with batteries
* visiting with two friends I know from when I was a teenager
* pancakes at Black Bear Diner
* sips of Ming's shakes
* vegan cupcakes from Whole Foods
* olive tasting at The Olive Pit
* cold water and pie from Heaven On Earth
* the Kate Bornstein reading at Powell's

For next time: Reading Frenzy, Small World Buttons, and a diner called Roxie

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

PZS

We are home safe from Portland Zine Symposium 2012!  I hope to blog about our trip tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

block party

I should have taken pictures of the things we drew in chalk on the street at National Night Out.  We walked to Broadway Soul Food, a restaurant.com gift certificate in my list pocket, but it's closed Tuesdays.  So we were thinking about going to Gunther's, but we happened upon a block party.  I met some interesting people.  My favorite moment was when the bike parade arrived to much cheering.  I laughed to see the bike with wings. 

We ate vegetarian baked beans and other good foods.  It was a free dinner.  I had crackers, a mini chocolate cupcake, champagne grapes.

Then I drew a picture of a clock then a glass of red liquid which symbolized time & tomato juice, an important concept of mine, from an important letter someone wrote me 20 years ago. 

Ming drew a person's face, but the eyes looked like breasts and the nose looked like a belly and the mustache looked like a hula skirt.  Just trust me.  Then he added feet and hands, and a new friend handed me a piece of yellow chalk and told me to add hair.  I asked Ming's permission then added hair.  Then Ming added a sign--the drawn person was carrying a drawn sign saying "National Night Out."

Someone explained the event was supposed to show we're not afraid to be outside with our neighbors, that our neighborhoods are okay places to be.

conversation

me: I like your star.
Ming:  Fish.
me:  I like your starfish. 

Monday, August 06, 2012

three signs


I had never seen this sign before.  I think it's so helpful.  


Someone wrote in sidewalk chalk about ancient stuffs.  "Stuffs" is one of my favorite words.


And I thought you might find this funny, Maria.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

something something something something

Dear world,

Good morning.  Yesterday we helped a friend move.  It took 12 hours total, but we weren't carrying stuff all that time.  There was some waiting and rest and dinner.  Then last night we were up late, and I was wide awake this morning at 7, so I'm underslept.  But I wanted to blog before another moment passed so you wouldn't forget about me, world. 

What can I tell you?  That the dishes were dirty and I washed them?  That I've been writing poems?  That part of my tooth fell out or else a filling and now there's an empty space where none should be?  There are so many details of everyday life, and sometimes it's hard to sort through.

So I feel lost, but I know I actually know where I am.  It's just a feeling.  So good morning.

your something,
Laura-Marie

Thursday, August 02, 2012

walk of the day


I think this is a yellow yarrow, which excites me.


Here's a closeup of morning glories, the kind that are covering the neighbor's backyard wall.


Someone decorated their mailbox a lot.  I like the "pick up your trash" sticker best.


What does this mean?  I see money?

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

attack of the killer morning glories

Not our immediate neighbors, our neighbor-friends, the neighbors in our apartment complex, but the house next door--those neighbors have this vine growing all over their backyard, and it's blooming big purple flowers right now.