dangerous compassions

I call you / from the comet's cradle

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

oatmeal

Gmorning.  Last night we went to our friend's house and spent an hour with him drinking tea.  He needed carrots for his soup, so I brought him some.

Then we went to A's place.  He was eating Mormon beef stew and a grilled cheese sandwich.  He read me two chapters of The Tombs of Atuan.  They were fantastic.

I just ate some oatmeal.  Life is good!

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

A and pinwheel origami




table at the fest


random trip facts

--potato pizza
--pink flowers decorating Laura-Marie
--crispy M&Ms
--the Berkeley Public Library
--getting slightly lost / going the wrong way
--Steampunk Cafe in Tehachapi
--when it snowed for a minute there
--a slumber party atmosphere
--easy of climbing mountains in our new van
--calla lilies
--A's blue plaid pajama bottoms he wore everywhere
--exuberance

zine fest short report

Sorry for the long silence.  The trip was amazing.  The zine fest was maybe the best I've seen.  It was great visiting with friends.  The drives were ok.

A hiccup was when our car broke down in Sacramento.  Turns out the gas gauge is off--we just ran out of gas.  How strange.

So much more I could tell you.  I'm taking it easy today.  We spent so much money.  We need to let the well refill.  I love February.  I need to sleep and write and do some self-care.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

suitcase

Last night we bought harnesses for all three of A's dogs.  They wanted pink.

We also bought burritos only I wanted rice with cheese instead of a burrito.

Then at A's house he was baking cookies.  Chocolate chip oatmeal.  They were so good.  He also made us hot cocoa.

This morning we embark on our journey.  But I guess we're going to stop at a farmers market before we leave town for a bunch of blood oranges.  For some reason A is obsessed with them.

"I think he wants some way to contribute," Ming says about the oranges.

But A is doing all the driving.  Sacramento here we come!

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

journey

Tomorrow morning we leave on our journey.  We still need to pack and finish preparing.  I will make sandwiches.  We're seeing friends and tabling at the perzine zine fest in Oakland on Sunday. 

Monday we'll come home.  It's going to be so fun.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

courtyard aloe about to bloom


new zines!



Monday, February 19, 2018

new sign


Korean breakfast



We went to this small Korean place for breakfast.  "Do the potato pancakes have meat?" I asked.  The lady said no.  But turns out they were fried in animal fat.  So I just ate my rice.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

listen

Last night was radical mental health collective.  There were five of us including a new person.  He's someone we knew but hadn't seen in a couple years because he moved away.  But he's back now, with roots.  His name is K and his mom comes to the Catholic Worker to volunteer sometimes.  With K's two little siblings.  I see her in him.

Afterward we went to Indian food with A.  It was fun.  We talked and enjoyed the food.  Ming got chouchou that was way too hot, but he ordered off menu.  I mean it wasn't on the menu.

At the end I asked if they had ras mali but the server said no, he wished.  We talked about where to get some.

Then A got water--he was basically out of bottled water.  "Does water go bad?" A asked as he rinsed out bottles beforehand.

"Don't listen to me," I said.

"I like listening to you," he said.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

beet lessons


Yesterday we went to the farmers market and a lady gave A four bunches of beets.  But he never made them before and seemed like he'd never really cooked greens...so we went back to his place and I cooked up the greens then roasted the beets.  I gave him beet lessons.  I felt helpful.

strangely

I made myself a smoothie with strawberries, a banana, and frozen blueberries.

My friend was telling me his pineapple smoothie recipe and I was like, damn, I would burn my mouth so badly on that.  I was excited about how he's going off grid, back to the land, etc.  Going to grow "cash crops" in greenhouses.  You know what that means.  Weed.

And if you have that much weed, you need guns right, to protect your weed?  I don't do guns.

My friends on facebook are talking about guns a lot.  How shooters shoot because of their anger, not their crazy.

Speaking of crazy, we have a radical mental health collective meeting this evening.

Today is passing strangely.  Ming's at the movies.  R walked into our house without knocking because he thought no one was home, I guess, because the van is gone.  He was looking for mats.

I'd like a sweet potato with garlic tahini sauce.  Unfortunately I don't think there are any sweet potatoes on our property.  Plenty of oranges though!

Friday, February 16, 2018

love as political resistance

https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/love-time-political-resistance/transform-valentines-day-lessons-audre-lorde-and-octavia

This essay has some great ideas and I like the way it's written.  I would like to have written it, kind of.  I want to read it again and again.

We’re all going to die if we keep loving this way, die from isolation, loneliness, depression, abandoning each other to oppression, from lack of touch, from forgetting we are precious.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Shivaratri report

We were at Shivaratri from midnight to 7.  So we didn't sleep all night.  It was beautiful but I kind of started going crazy at the homa fire when we were chanting a Shiva mantra 108 times.  I was on a chair and it was physically difficult to get the herbs into the fire at all 108 "svaha"s.

We met some nice people, especially a lady who saved my ass by offering me some of the milky drink when I was thirsty and needed energy.  It was delicious too, and we have some in the fridge.

Then we dropped off A at home so he could tend to his dogs.  I had therapy.

Then Ming had a dentist appointment.  Then we went to lunch not registering that it was Valentine's Day, but that was okay.  I had baba ganoush and labneh with pita bread.  It was $8 and I was glad.

Wrote a poem, took a nap.  Today is peace vigil at 9 and we're seeing our friend T for lunch at 11.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Mahashivaratri





Tuesday, February 13, 2018

everything is connected



math book


Shivaratri

This morning Ming left on a hike with friends.  This afternoon is community lunch--I need to cook up some vegan sausages.

Then I need a nap because late at night we head to A's place to pick him up and continue to the Shivaratri party.  We're planning to take the midnight to 3am shift.  It's a 24 hour celebration.

Last night when I called A to talk logistics, he was playing chess with his main neighbor.

I think we have a pretty good life!

Monday, February 12, 2018

mail


There's almost all the mail I generated during our goddess temple retreat.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

no borders

"All houses are migrant houses," said Ming.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

small world

Yesterday afternoon at the Henderson farmers market we ran into Rasta Fam and got invited to their party which is tonight.

Peace vigil at the air force base went well.  Our new sign GOOD PEOPLE BAD PRODUCT was a hit.

Today Ming doesn't know how long the tracking class will last.  I hope it gets out early.

Maybe today I'll tackle Mt Mail.

Oh, bumper stickers came in the mail.  My favorite is Everything is connected.  The Earth flag is pretty cool too but smaller than I'd imagined.

Friday, February 09, 2018

implication

I woke up at 2am from a bad dream, txted till 3 with A who stays up half the night, wrote a poem.  The poem Ming says is hard to understand.  I wrote in on my phone.  Ming doesn't like the abbreviations.

Today is a Creech vigil.  We might go to the farmer's market in Henderson.  At night is political prisoner letter writing.

Tomorrow Ming has a tracking class.

Sunday we go on retreat.  I will sing.

The radio in the van doesn't work and we're trying to think of a workaround.  Maybe we'll bring the boombox.

"Ming's not excited about going to the Creech vigil today.  I don't think anybody is," Ming says.

"Projection?" I ask.

Did I already tell you I'm ready for a new sign?  I think THE ONLY SOLUTION IS LOVE is too hard to read, and I'm ready for a new message.  Was thinking LOVE YOUR ENEMIES which I think Jesus said.  My implication being that killing someone isn't loving.

Thursday, February 08, 2018

cucanandy

Now A is a few pages from finishing reading to me The Others.  What a rich, complex, living book.  I love it.

Last night I heard his ringtone for the first time--it's "Cucanandy," a song I have loved for years.  He was shocked I knew it.  I'm the only one who ever knew it.

I'm also the only one who realized Button's name is Button, not Buttons.

Well, today we vigil then go to Boulder City then prayer thing in the evening.  Love to all.

Wednesday, February 07, 2018

roses

Yesterday lots of things happened, but the most important is that A finished reading to me A Wizard of Earthsea.  It was a good book.  It was the first book I finished in a long time.  When we were done, I felt emotional.

I got a new shirt.  It's crushed dark red velvet.  I wore it for the first time yesterday.  I don't know how long it will last, how many washes till it falls apart.  So I'll gather my roses while I may.

Spring here.  It's supposed to get up to 78 on Friday.

Tuesday, February 06, 2018

A's cupcake pile


Dorothy Day


more

One of our car's belts is making a sound, sometimes.  Ming forgot to call the mechanic and ask him about it.

Last night we went to bed super early and this morning I woke up around five.

We ordered ten mats for people to sleep on during events.  Only two have arrived.

Yesterday we had lunch with our friend T.  I like her more and more.

Monday, February 05, 2018

sermon

The sermon went great.  Then in the afternoon we had two meetings. 

Afterward we went to A's.  He baked bread, made us ginger tea.  The bread was so good.  It had sun dried tomatoes and a lot of garlic in it.  He read to me.  We're almost done with A Wizard of Earthsea.  I got what I needed.

A and I had been arguing over txt in the afternoon so it was nice we didn't let it get us down.  He believes you shouldn't do things you don't feel like doing.  I believe movie night wouldn't have happened if I hadn't shown up, and you have to do the things you say you'll do unless you're dying.

Trader Joe's instant oatmeal packets have little bits of seeds and stuff in them and it's really nice.  I bought them to combine with the sugary kind so it's not as much sugar.

If you'd like to watch the sermon complete with Vera Anderson's song, I think this link will work.

https://www.facebook.com/tinatatertoes/videos/10156002160719876/

Sunday, February 04, 2018

despair

This morning is our sermon at the local Unitarian Universalist church.  I think we'll do great.

Last night was Las Vegas Radical Mental Health Collective movie night.  There were five of us.  I cried, despairing.

Every day is a new day.  Today I want to take a walk and be good to myself.

Saturday, February 03, 2018

dear diary

https://deardiaryzinefest.tumblr.com/post/170427262485/tabler-spotlight-laura-marie-river-victor-peace

I was featured as a tabler at the Dear Diary Zine Fest that's coming up February 25th.

Downwinder's Day pics Ming took




quinoa

Ming and R are moving a fridge into the lounge.  Freedom House got a new fridge, so we're taking the old one.

Last night we were out late and I was up later txting with a friend--till midnight.--as Ming slept beside me.

Then I was up at 5:30 to go serve the hungry.  I trained the bread people then gave out chapstick.  I was interested in the watermelon flavor but didn't take one.

Then we had a meeting, which was great.  Then we had another meeting, also great.

Now I'm full of quinoa and all breakfasted up and ready to face my day.

Friday, February 02, 2018

funniest auto-responses


This is an AI fail.  The auto-responses seem to make a poem of their own, however.  Not bad, google!

Ming with phone-gazing gnome R



LV Zine Library at its new location






Thursday, February 01, 2018

A's pretty peppers