Global Night Commute

• wrong turn, 3 extra miles, 4 hours of beautiful scenery, heavy backpack, discovered the marina, fresh smell of fish, bonding with the homes
• feeling as if we will never arrive, getting there, and feeling so wonderful that we didn't decide we would never arrive
• writting impassioned letters to president bush, listening to people sing, play guitar and drums, talk about peace and share vegan snacks
• sleep under the stars through the cold night under a palm tree in front of Santa Monica City Council, hearing the hum of traffic wizz by on the free way and feeling good about not being in my own bed.
• waking up at 5:30 in the morning, meeting more cool people, not caring that I hadnt brushed my teeth in 48 hours and then using the port-apoty to take care of business
• walking away from the 400 odd individuals, ready to take on 10 more miles with 4 beautiful women
• stopping at a coffe shop and explaining to many people about the war and what it means for kids like us in Uganda
• drinking a wonderful americano without guilt
• casually talking with a man who ended up being Braddigan from Dispath and his friend tyrone wells, recieving much applause, friendly hug, 3 CD's, phone number and email and a photograph (and feeling very blessed to have met such a cool guy)
• walking all the way to venice beach and choosing the sceanic route
• noticing its nearly 8am and meeting the faces of the other people who slept on the streets, but not in protest
• hearing a nice homeless man speak his poetry, buy him his breakfast, and talk about def jams
• almost peeing my pants and being let into a liquor store just so i could use the bathroom that was for "employees only" by the nice arab man who explained to me how america worked because he figured (due to my oversized backpack) that I was from Europe
• walking that final stretch up the hill to my little haven that looks over los angeles
• collapsing onto the floor, flooded in my own sweet and looking at the clock, deciding that this time last week, I was just getting out of bed

www.invisiblechildren.com

  ¶ 9:57 PM 5 Comments

  Kills Arizona There I was, about to sign another internet petition for a less polluted tomorrow when I began to make my normal treck through research land so I could find out the details of what I was supporting. It was a group suggesting once an individual signs the contract, he or she will request from her power company that only clean, renewable energy will be used to supply her home if possible. The logic goes that if everyone signed on, the need would be great enough and large powerful oil companies would crumble under the devastating prosperity of solar power and wind power and blah blah blah......people can dream right? So in light of the current steps taken (or rather, not taken) by the Bush administration regarding fossil fuels, I decided I needed to take a step. Back to my story; I remember hearing that windmills (although an incredibly clean source of energy) posed some great threat to the creatures of the air, killing thousands of birds on their way to produce an oil-independent America. AFter a few googles here and there, I came to the most fascinating site that gave me an answer. The name of the site: what kills birds. Now, it sounds very morbid of me, but I had to laugh while reading the pie charts because i soon discovered that while windmills do indeed kill birds, the number one culprit is far from an energy conserver. Its windows. Dr. Daniel Klem of Muhlenberg College has done studies over a period of 20 years, looking at bird collisions with windows. His conclusion: glass kills more birds than any other human related factor. Between 100-900 million bird deaths are attributed to window runins per year. Now i've seen birds hit by cars, i've seen em eaten by cats, electricuted on fences and shot by people, but running into windows? Does that seem odd to anyone else?

Continuing on, the days seem to be getting longer and the load heavier until I can finish this tedious process called finals. My health is giving up on me so I am now relying on sheer willpower (which is also on low). I just hope that saying goodbye to everyone I love here for the summer won't be nearly as hard as saying hello to them for the year was....ha. Love and stuff

ps. Watch the video at http://www.renewus.org/index.html . Its what began all this insanity  ¶ 4:46 PM 2 Comments

  Make us Older Each day beautiful, each future so so foggy, each night a wonder, each word a poem, each look a mystery, each journey an eternity, each goodbye a pain, each hello just the same.


I have some very beautiful flowers on my desk right now; a present from people who show their love in acts, gifts, words, and offerings. Everything happens so that one person may grow and prosper, and thank goodness these flowers happened so that I can smile and know with certainty that there will always be beauty on this earth.

I've got nothing, but everything is clogging my head. Call Ryan via Lenny to say goodbye for 3 months. Rough times ahead but hopefully even better ones ahead of that.  ¶ 9:16 PM 0 Comments

  Simple "The realities of nature surpass our most ambitious dreams."

~Francois Rodin



Each day is such a miracle, yet each day is just existence.....there is so much magic in the simple. Who needs anything more?

I am just astouded and flabergasted right now. Try me some other time  ¶ 9:54 PM 2 Comments

  Planner Bound Thinking about the future, recovering the past and trying to inhabit the present so that I might determine something to study for. Currently dance is filling my world with a love of movement unavailable to most beings; to be lucky enough to have that joy permeate the very ends of my life as I age gracefully into my geriatrics would be more than perfect. But unlike a business plan, engineering core or even a literary masterpeiece, I can't expect the world of fine-paying art will take me with open arms and offer comfort in the form of monitary support. So in an attempt to crystalize something ( and perhaps get some of my who-knows-how-many-thousands of dollars back) I am looking for another additional major. On the horizon; philosophy, spanish, math, humanities, and studio art. My brother says philosophy wouldnt get me anywhere but he does know that I like to write alot about nothing (hence my blog). Daddy says i have a nack for math and that it always helps to understand numbers. Mama says follow your heart (and one day I'll become a waitress). I say that spanish would help me one day reach more people than the one limited language I have right now can. All I want to do is save the world...is that so wrong?

Speaking of which, Beth and I were discussing the other day how we are mocked for holding such an ideal. People think one is ignorant, sheltered, nieve and in Never Never Land if one sees one of their primary goals as helping others....When did that become such a bad thing? Is it not a possibility that maybe us optimist are really truly the deepest pesimists about existence and that it why we see no other hope than to put all the energy we possess into fixing the greater whole? Why is it ignorant to openly look at issues and strategies ways to make all involved happier, healthier, and more able to enjoy life? Who damned those who want to save instead of dig a personal grave of wealth to lie ina? Ok ok, that was a little harsh but none the less, stop laughing at the brave who still embrace hope and join the ranks for a fulfilling tomorrow. After all, we just all want to be happy and this is my way.

This weekend was wonderful. I watched Thankyou for Smoking with my lovely roommate, went out to dinner at Casa Escobar and witness and participated in some amazing flamenco dancing, I walks dogs at a local shelter in Beverly Hills ( and never wanted to leave), I spent time out on the nook enjoying what little wilderness remains here in LA, watched an outdoor concert put on by Pepper and Slightly Stoopid, met up with old friends, and sunbathed by the ocean. If only those of you I miss so much could be here to join in the festivities. I miss you  ¶ 4:58 PM 1 Comments