threefloors

2006-05-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

I'm in Chicago and reading an article from 2004 by Kathleen Yancy called Made Not Only in Words: Composition in a New Key and I am not even three pages past where I stopped early (around mid-way through) and it makes me remember about this show I saw last November when I was visiting Pittsburgh. I decided I should blog about this show now because I don't want to forget it, the artists' name, or where to find the link, so here it is ...

At the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh (a very cool and highly recommended place!) they develop and then show installations). In November, Edie Tsong was one of the artists in show titled "Messages and Communications" and worked on these pieces shown on the MF website. The one that really struck me was the first, the self-portrait figure made of clay.

I went into the room with a group of woman and moved around to the front of the figure (the figure is looking at the window, so you approach her from behind when you get off the elevator. The curator told us a bit about Edie as a person, as an artist, and as a woman who is just recently pregnant with her first child. This self-portrait, I remember thinking was odd. Quite true to life in many ways, but then odd things here and here - a finger out of place, smooth eyes, strange ear, flattened toes. It was not until the curator mentioned that what we were looking at was made with soft clay did I realize that the entire thing was maleable, and had been changed by people since it was installed. This revelation literally floored me ... I found that I drew in breath when I realized and sat down on the window sill that I had been leaning against.

To me, it was one thing to do a self portrait. It was another to do a self portrait, naked and pregnant. It was still yet a whole other thing to allow people to essentially "edit" it, or not, depending on their preference.

As an Internet junkie, I also immediately thought about wikis and how they work as editable text interfaces (I shared this with my geek friends when I got back to work the next day actually too). A friend of mine told me about a show Yoko Ono did where she sat on a stage and allowed people to "do" things to her.

2006-04-24T22:46:00.000-05:00

Wow, three months since my last post. Lots going on I guess.

One thing that is been happening is the renovation of my sister and brother-in-law's house by my sister and brother-in-law. The house is in Austin though, so I follow the adventures on Katie's Renovation Station weblog which has been great for keeping all our families updated on what's going on (and also helped them to wrangle up a few contributions to the cause).

Yesterday I was in San Francisco for work and I ran with some colleagues to the Golden Gate, and back. We started about 4 miles away, near Ghirardelli Square Square, and the total of 8 was a recent record for me. They ran further -- over the bridge in fact -- but that was bit too far for me, so I turned back after taking in the view from the bridge. One colleague, Paul, had his camera and was videotaping, as is usual for him, so we should see some footage from the trip show up on his blog in a day or two. As for me, I signed up to run the Broad Street Run on May 7th. A historic run in Philadelphia that starts where I went to high school (Girls High on Broad Street) and runs past where I currently live, and then further south to the old Navy Yard. Hopefully other members of my family with be running along too, making it all that more historical.

Thursday I take another train trip -- this time on the -- from Emeryville, CA (near Berkeley) to San Diego. Amtrak put together a document that Rich found for me so that I know what I'm looking at as I daydream out the window -- can't wait! Will try to get some decent pictures this time.

2006-02-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

And since I'm on a posting frenzy today ... let me add one more. A link to my friend Will's tribute to Coretta Scott King.

2006-02-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

And, another local event that I meant to share over a month ago now ... here are some pictures from the Philadelphia Mummers Parade on New Year's Day 2006. Enjoy them golden slippers!

2006-02-02T10:26:00.000-05:00

Since I live in Pennsylvania, I thought I would help spread the word ... Six more weeks of winter says Punxsutawney Phil.

2005-11-29T08:15:00.000-05:00

On November 16th, I boarded an Amtrak train in Philadelphia heading towards Pittsburgh for the NWP Annual Meeting. The train, an hour late to begin with, took seven hours to cross the state. As is usual for me, I bought lots of things to read during the trip, but then spent most of the time staring out the window watching the world go by. A very relaxing way to spend the afternoon, in my book. My love of trains must be based on the fact that I grew up next to a regional rail station in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. I remember my grandmother having a hard time sleeping when she came to visit as the trains would come and go before 11 at night and after 5 in the morning, but I think the sound was so firmly part of my growing up experience that I actually found it relaxing, a lullaby made from metal rails and, when we were lucky, a tooting horn. "Honk the horn, Honk the horn" we would yell if we were awake and outside when it came by. And every now and then a conductor would oblige.

It's a beautiful ride across the state, as well as an historically important railroad route, the "Pennsy", Pennsylvania Railroad. Doing a little post-train trip reading, on Wikipedia (a favorite source), I learned that at the turn of the century, the PRR was the gold standard railroad. They build most of their steam locomotives themselves as well as several grand railroad stations that we still know today -- Union Station, Washington; 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, etc. The old station house in Pittsburgh still stands, but is now mostly used as an apartment building (you can see it in this phone-photo taken by my colleague Karen). Amtrak now has the ugly part in the back.

Approximately ten minutes outside of Altoona, Pennsylvania, is the famous Horseshoe Curve, a feat of engineering in its time. It was, unfortunately, dark by the time my train reached the curve, but I sat by the window (south side of the train) with my face pressed up against the window and was able to watch as we went through. They didn't announce it on the train though -- I had to ask where it was. I guess they think it's not so interesting these days, but I think they are wrong. Or just depressed as the Feds continue to systematically dismantle the national railroad system. Or something. But, if they had a good PR head about them, I think they should say something, even if it's dark. It's a dramatic effect and fun to watch as you go through and reminds you what went into the construction of these rails in the first place.

I have some not-so-great pictures, including a rainbow and sunset, to share once Deccember comes and I get my new month of free uploads to Flickr. So keep an eye out for those!

2005-11-09T18:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted recently, just been too damn busy lately (more on that later). But I wanted to stop and acknowledge a few important events/anniversaries.

First, a happy event ...

My father turned 60 this past week. Way to go Dad! Photos from the weekend my sisters and I had with our partners, steps-siblings, Dad and Jeannie in NYC have been posted on my Flickr site.

Then a couple sad notes ...

Jim Gray, founder of the National Writing Project, died on November 1st. The NWP has posted a formal tribute to him on the NWP homepage. A friend of mine who knew Jim out in California posted this personal tribute to him on his own blog.

I also just noticed today (because I'm behind on reading blogs too) that Rich's close friend and a person I quite liked and respected, Sara Weaver, would have turned 36 the other day. He wrote this tribute to her on her birthday. In 2002 she died of Leukemia. A fund has been set up in her memory at the Philadelphia Foundation called the Weave Fund.

2005-10-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

Good for UNICEF!

2005-10-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

I don't personally know this teacher, Doug Noon author of Borderland, but I believe that I did actually meet him at the NWP Annual Meeting one year -- he was handing out a card advertising his weblog. (I remember the card because I liked the design.) I follow his writing from time to time and today I read this interesting post about Kids Voting that I thought might be of interest to others.

2005-10-05T15:14:00.000-05:00

Citizen-viewer recently posted an update on Lt. Josh Rushing who played a leading and important role in the documentary Control Room. I previously mentioned him in this post.

2005-09-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

Searching for alternate visions and possibilities in the world?
Come to Peoplehood -- this Saturday, October 1st in Philadelphia!

2005-09-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure all my many blogging fans have been missing my posts as it has been quite awhile now. I'm sitting at the SFO airport waiting for a flight home to Philadelphia. Not exactly looking forward to the flight, but really happy to get home. It's been a long trip and very very busy.

I was in Berkeley for work. However part of the work was a two-day staff retreat in Bodega Bay which was certainly more of a break than not. Plus, no birds pecked at my eyeballs and I did get to see some pelicans (this is not my picture), so that part of the trip was great!

Actually I realize that I did get another break last weekend when I went to Placerville to meet a writing project teacher with some colleagues, and then stop by to visit my Mom's brother in the San Ramon area. ... San Ramon is on the east bay, near Mount Diablo. Placerville is on the east side of Sacramento and in the foothills of the Sierras, it is a beautiful little town of about 10,000 people. It was a work visit, but a nice visit too, with stops at a winery and an orchard in the hills.

Quick Quiz: What are there 5 of in Placerville that might strike one as surprising?

On another note, one disturbing conversation I was in this past week was with a man from Baton Rouge who was in California for work. He started talking about New Orleans and how really things might be better there now because they can build expensive housing on the waterfront and make the downtown like Orlando. He said "the schools were crappy anyway." He was serious.

Also, this morning, there was apparently a small quake in the east bay. I wasn't conscious of it, but I do remember waking up around that time (my clock said 4:29) and noting that I have another 30 minutes to sleep before I had to get up for my shuttle, so I went back to sleep. I suppose the small shock of the quake did actually wake me up though now that I hear about it.

2005-09-19T19:27:00.000-05:00

SPIRAL Q AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET 5% DAY – GO GROCERY
SHOPPING THIS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st!

Support Spiral Q simply by doing your grocery shopping!
This Wednesday, Whole Foods market at 2001 Pennsylvania
Avenue will generously donate 5% of the store's net sales
to Spiral Q! Stop by and grab a month's worth of grub, a
big sack of organic produce, or even just a pint of your
favorite soy ice cream. Say “Hey!" as we represent Spiral
Q and share our puppets at our info table up front. Spread
the word, tell your friends, every purchase counts!

2005-09-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

Over at Spiral Q, things are starting to gear up for Peoplehood -- the annual all-city parade and pageant that takes place in West Philadelphia. This is probably my sixth year maybe (is that possible?!) participating in Peoplehood -- I was even at the pre-Peoplehood event called Day of the Dead, inspired by the Mexico tradition. This year, Peoplehood is very early on the calendar -- October 1st instead of the last weekend closer to Halloween.

Last night I went to the open build at the studio and worked with a guy who is traveling around the country and has landed in Philly for about a month and came to the Q because it sounded like an interesting project. I wasn't there very long, so I just helped him get shoulder straps set up on these cardboard body forms for puppets that were originally thought to be peacocks. However, by the end of the evening we realized that maybe the peacocks need a different, slightly lighter and more eloquent design, and that these forms are really more for chubby owls. Beth said they looked like owls and she was right. So we are still trying to figure out the peacock costumes.

2005-09-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

Quote from Lani Guinier, a Harvard University law professor in this commentary from the Washington Post.

[Poor black people are] "the canary in the mine. Poor black people are the throwaway people. And we pathologize them in order to justify our disregard."

But, she says, "this is not just about poor black people in New Orleans. This is about a social movement, with an administration that is bent on weakening the capacity of the national government to act. . . . I hope this is a wake-up call to all of America. To see this as the tip of the iceberg, the thin edge of the wedge. We ignored the early warning signals. But this is another early warning that we are ill prepared to function as a society."

2005-09-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

One of the commentators tonight on the political commentary section of "News and Notes," an African American talk radio show on NPR (the only one?), is from Louisiana and she said she thought that it wasn't about race. She knew that would be an unpopular statment within her community (which I am assuming is also African American). She didn't have too much time to say too much more, except that many poor white communities were also left behind in this storm too but we just don't see them on t.v. This is probably true and it would be good to learn more. I'm not sure it would convince me that this isn't about race, but I am sure that this is also hugely about class and privledge.

Just watched the video posted on Truthout from the president of the Jefferson Parrish. Ugh. What the hell has been going on? It's really just amazing and depressing (sorry to keep repeating that, but it's true!).

This morning the women I work with came over to my house for a little birthday party for Marci ... and apparently me too (that was a nice surprise!). The most active conversation was about the reaction to what Kanye West said on t.v. the other day. If you saw it you know that he was very very upset, but maintained his tone and said things the way he saw them. The broadcast turned him off after he made his statement about Bush not caring about black people. So? Agree with him or not, but it's not like he threatened to kill the president or anything. They cut this part about Bush from the West coast broadcast.

2005-09-07T19:02:00.000-05:00

What played out (is still playing out) in New Orleans continues to cause me moments of great despair as I go about my daily life here in Philly. The spin around us is amazing and the content is terrible and it is hard to listen for too long. I am afraid that the consequences of this are going to have reach far and wide and I don't think we really know what is ahead. However, more than the actual hurricane itself, the underlying core of this is rotten and that is what is so disturbing and upsetting. The total lack of leadership from those with the real power here is astounding.

The pieces that I've picked up in the news that give me hope are those from other countries where they share an alternative vision for how to prepare for disaster as a community. These aren't perfect governments by any means either, but there is clearly learning and collective wisdom embedded within the thinking behind these plans.

The first was an interview I heard on the radio show "The World" where a Bangladeshi BBC, Sabit Mustafa, is interviewed and shares what Bangladesh learned from a 1991 hurricane that killed hundreds of thousands. It can be downloaded here: Comparing New Orleans to Bangladesh (4:30) ... The second was an article that was sent to me through a list that I'm on that describes how Cuba dealt with a similar situation last September -- The Two Americas.

I'm interested in following up on this thread about evacuation as time moves along here. How are folks without cars factored into evacuation plans? I am, after all, one of them. Do I know anything about plans for Philadelphia in case of an emergency. Well, no. I don't. ... Here's what it says about evacuation on Philadelphia's Emergency Preparedness and Response plan. Reading this, I'll just say that I'm glad I have neighbors with cars and cash on hand. Reminds me though I should put batteries in this radio I have here just in case they really do announce what corner you should go stand on.

2005-09-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

My sister Kate and her husband Scott live in Austin and last night, after midnight, they went down to the convention center where 5,000+ evacuees [changed from "refugees" upon request] had just arrived. Along with them, reports my sister, were another 1,000+ volunteers, many from the university. She writes: "... it makes me proud of Austin, and mostly of all the young college kids who were there."

And then she reports that she heard that "women's underwear, towels, and sheets are still needed, and that money is needed more than anything."

We had a labor day block party out on Waverly last night and collected a couple hundred dollars that we took to Whole Foods because they are matching. Most of us had already given, so it was good to give more of the cash we had on hand too. The party was fun ... pot luck BBQ followed by summer slide show and movie on the neighbor's wall. People talked about what was happening in New Orleans, but I think also took a somewhat needed break, and didn't talk about it too. We have that luxury here, at this moment at least.

2005-09-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful day here in Philadelphia. My neighbors are outside sweeping the small street we live on to prepare for a labor day BBQ this evening. I'm going to make dandelion salad (sort of like this, with no egg). Rich mentioned his mother went out into the backyard just recently and made a delicious salad, which is what inspired the idea. However, I bought the greens at the market.

Things are still dire in New Orleans. Red Cross is looking for blood donations -- especially type O. That's me. I don't usually give blood because I always pass out and/or it takes me a long time to recover. My father is the same way.

My uncle lives and works in Fort Worth for the housing authority. He said two days ago they were told they had 200 refugees on the way. Yesterday he found out the number was 25,000. ... Talked to my colleague Joye in Oklahoma yesterday and they are paying close attention to this as teachers. The influx of all these news students into the schools, in Texas and probably next, Oklahoma, is going to shift things significantly in those areas.

2005-09-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

From my father:

Go to the Wall Street Jounal, the most conservative paper in the USA, and listen to the audio of the Mayor of New Orleans. The web site is www.wsj.com. He does not "pull any punches". xox Dad

(Direct link to the audio is here.)

2005-09-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

An article from the Washington Post about the mayor of New Orleans. I don't know much about him beyond what I just read here, but it's probably worth learning more.

2005-09-02T08:56:00.000-05:00

An interesting reflection from an American expat who is now living and working for a non-govermental organization in Cambodia. Granted, many people are pulling together in this storm that we do and don't see in the news right now. But it's important to pay attention to the weakest moments here too and see what they say about the times.

2005-09-02T07:11:00.000-05:00

Woke up to a car alarm going off continuously in the parking lot behind our houses. Turned on the news to drown out the sound, and immediately was drawn back into the terrible failure that is currently being played out in New Orleans. I'm glad to see there are many editorials this morning about how unprepared and under-resourced the response is here in a situation that could have been predicted just so we have some documentation once we have time to really look back and figure out what happened here. ... On the radio they are reporting that the folks at the stadium got some food last night. I still personally don't know what to do except to send money from my credit card company that I will pay back later.

Here is a the most comprehensive list I've seen so far of places to donate.

2005-09-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

Rereading my colleague Troy's email re: the power of Flickr (in response to photos posted re: Katrina), I realize that something he said I didn't manage to share in an earlier post, but I think it's really important. He asked us all to think about what a site like Flicker "could do to promote critical literacy and social justice for our students, if we were to harness it in the right way."

Interesting to think about.

2005-09-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

What is going on here?! These stories are outrageous!

2005-09-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Moveon.org is calling for housing for folks displaced by the hurricane.

2005-09-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

This was sent by my colleague Ann Dobie (from the Acadiana Writing Project) via the NWP Rural Sites Network discussion:

Dear Friends--

I have heard from NWP people all over the country expressing their concern for those whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. Many have asked how they can help. Of course the Red Cross and Salvation Army would welcome your contributions, but on the local TV news yesterday I heard an appeal for contributions that really touched my school teacher's heart. They were asking for help to buy school supplies, uniforms (yes, they wear uniforms here), and backpacks for children who have had to leave their homes and schools and enter schools that were not hit. Yesterday alone Lafayette Parish (where I live) registered over 600 homeless children as new students. They hope to have everyone in classrooms by Tuesday of next week. The parents of these children have no access to money to pay for school expenses since their banks are closed and ATMs non-functioning. Even if banks were available, many of the parents could not cover the expenses because they live in poverty. If you want to help these children, you can send a contribution to the Louisiana Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. (I didn't know such an organization existed until yesterday.) I called them this morning, and they say they are desperate for help. They used the word "crisis." Their address is:

LAEHCY
P.O. Box 61112
Lafayette LA 70596

Checks can be made out to LAEHCY with a notation that they are to be used to assist Homeless Children.

Ann

2005-09-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

Information about the storm and its impact are starting to be shared through our national teacher networks.

See my friend Pat's posting of our colleague Joan Anderson's email from Southeastern Louisiana.

Our thoughts are with you all.
Christina

2005-08-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

Apologies. Apparently I had not turn comments back on when I switched layouts here. Now the comments should be on, at least for this post and on all from this point forward.

2005-08-31T19:03:00.000-05:00

An email was being passed around on lists today supposedly by a musican and historian from the New Orleans area (might be this guy mentioned here but that isn't confirmed) that struck me today as I was thinking about the storms down south. He writes about how the evacuation plans are based on car ownership for the most part, so that poor people, those without cars, squatters, homeless, etc. in these situations are left without ways to get out and therefore mostly trapped when the flood waters rush in.

I thought about this last year when hurricanes threatened to hit Miami and my own sister was living down there, on South Beach ... potentially the most vulnerable section if there was a direct hit. Although not poor, she also did not have a car and no rentals were available, and therefore she made the decision to stay put. She found friends who lived in a section of town that was slightly higher inland, and waited it out from there. Luckily it didn't hit. But I'm sure that many of the folks down in the Gulf right now have similar stories. And that's not even thinking about the pets people had to leave behind, the folks who are ill and in bed and need medicine and supplies at home, the folks without friends who live on higher grounds, those in shelters, etc.

I also am inherently suspicious that these are not purely "acts of God" but that humans have a hand in the outcome of these kinds of storms. Another article that was sent to me today looks into this question -- Did New Orleans Catastrophe Have to Happen? 'Times-Picayune' Had Repeatedly Raised Federal Spending Issues by Will Bunch.

Working for a national network, we have many teachers/colleagues who live down in these areas. We have heard from some people and I'm sure more news will continue to trickle in. Mostly I've heard stories of how people got out, but don't know where others are right now. My colleague Karen today sent out a link to a Katrina-tagged-Flickr site that included many pictures of the devastation and another colleague, Troy, responded about the power of this technology to allow us a view in, from afar, and allow others to share their experiences one-to-many ("to share in the common human experience"). The bloggers are testament to this too.

And I believe this. And I also believe that the stories of those without computers, without digital cameras and digital tendecies, those without cars and friends in the right places and money in their pockets, or at least in the bank, are likely to not be heard from for the most part. But I'll keep looking for those stories.

And as I'm looking, my best goes out to all ya'll dealing with this right now.

Christina

2005-08-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's the last day of August, 2005. It's sticky outside and hurricane Katrina down in the Gulf promises rain today here, leaving behind a mess down there.

Finally went to folk dancing last night at the Art Museum. One of those things you see advertised in the paper and you think "oh that would be a good thing to do" but you never go. It was fun, a bit challenging. Beautiful up on the art museum at night. They will move indoors for winter, into Lloyd Hall. ... Most of them were experienced folk dancers, and also older than us. It's not really a young person's thing to folk dance for the most part I guess. But I actually quite like the traditional group dances. And, anyway, I'm not really a young person anymore.

I posted a few updated photos of the bathroom for Hillary if she comes back to this blog to take a look. Now I'm still collecting quotes for additional work on this place. Part of me gets excited about redoing parts of this house like the kitchen, and part of me thinks it's a pain the ass and a waste of materials and time. But then again, in a 200 year old house, I suppose any improvements I make can only help. I'll just add a clause when I sell -- do not change until X date in order to make all this work and the materials worth it!

Oh, and I should make a link to this. Spiral Q is mentioned in Sunday's Inquirer in an article about the impact of nonprofits in the Philadelphia area.

2005-08-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

So the American press officer is actually a Marine and his name is Lt. Josh Rushing and there are many articles about him from 2004 when he was silenced by the Marines and left after a 14 year career. Here's one from Salon.

2005-08-27T07:53:00.000-05:00

I realize that I'm a bit behind, but I watched the documentary "Control Room" last night which is about the Aljazeera news channel in the Middle East. This documentary is situated in 2003 when the US started to drop bombs on Iraq and follows through until the US supposeably "won."

Not that this is particularly helpful or anything, but I cried while watching it. It's utterly depressing, especially two years later.

A few particular things stick with me. Watching the initial air strikes in Baghdad at the beginning of the US attack (as well as later attacks downtown that killed a journalist and wounded many others). I couldn't help but wonder again (but this time more vividly because the strikes were filmed during daytime hours and you could really see what was happening) how did those people feel who were living in the downtown just like I live in downtown Philadelphia? What did they do to protect themselves? How did they spend those hours? ... In the movie, right before the air strikes began, you see men in a barber shop listening to Bush declaring unilateral war and the veins in their necks are pulsing. Now I don't know if they are in Baghdad or not, and I don't know what was going through their heads, but I know what was going through my heads watching them and seeing Bush speaking from where they are sitting. It is profoundly humbling.

Another thing that is amazing to watch is the work and reflections of the Army's press office who is stationed at Central Command. His answers at the beginning are so lame it's sad and you can see the stress on his own brow as he tries to hold his ground. This remains true throughout the film -- he stays in this position as press officer and must therefore uphold the Army's PR line with lesser or greater difficulty at times -- but you get to hear some amazing reflections from him throughout the film. The most telling one is his own notice that he reacted more viserally to seeing American soldiers killed and wounded in combat (on screen) than he did to seeing Iraqi's killed and wounded (again, on screen). A very powerful and deep discovery for him to talk about on film the way that he does here. I wonder where he is today.

Thirdly, there is this quote that you can also see via the IMDB link above (Hassan Ibrahim is a journalist, maybe even a manager?, at Aljazzeera):

Journalist: Who can defeat the Americans? They are so strong.
Hassan Ibrahim: The Americans will defeat the Americans. I have ultimate faith in the American Constitution.

Sigh. And here it is, 2005.

Anyway, the real point of the film I believe, is to show how Aljazeera focuses on the cost of war by showing its impact on human lives. The scenes of wounded children, soldiers (on both sides) and even of interviews of American prisoners are terrifying and despite how you feel about the war, draw you immediately into what is happening on the ground.

Christina

2005-08-25T07:53:00.000-05:00

There was an interview this morning on NPR with the guy who started this place, Tumbleweed Tiny Houses Company. Wow -- makes my little house look like a mansion! They are beautiful actually. Lots of helpful links that might be of use to us as small house owners too.

We should join our trinities into this movement -- advocate for less!

2005-08-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

What a busy week. Took off from work and promptly filled it with lots of things to do. Living rather than blogging week ... need time away from the computer.

Aaaah.

Tomorrow is back to the grind. But before I re-enter, I wanted to post a public thank you to all the folks who came to the vigil at 12th and Pine Streets on Wednesday evening. I sadly can't reach the people who came anymore ... since I organized this through MoveOn, my host privledges for emailing have been turned off (I have requested a change to this however). So hopefully some of you will find this.

Here are the pictures from MoveOn vigils from all over the country, including this one from 12th & Pine.

And here are more photos from 12th & Pine (thanks to the wonderful, supportive and ever-talented Rich Garella).

There was an idea to have a vigil every week until the mothers come home. Not a bad idea. Here's a good website for learning more about what is happening down in Texas that has moved so many people across the country to come out on the streets in support -- Gold Star Families for Peace.

2005-08-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

Went to a free play -- Twelfth Night -- at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival last night and it was great. Apparently all the shows are free. Just get there early, or grab tickets days before because it fills up quickly.

2005-08-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

Everyone should get a Howard Zinn's A People's History for Christmas this year. At least everyone in my family. Shhhh, don't tell.

Speaking of a people's history, the intention of this blog was to really start to collect and document information about this house I live in. I haven't quite done that yet. Part of that work is done already on the website that is linked here. The street that I live on currently, which is named Waverly now, used to be called Ohio Street according to the map found at this site. This site seems to be a research project of a student at Bryn Mawr, and it is linked to a larger project of the Philadelphia Historical Society about the Washington West Neighborhood where I live. The data here was put together based on an African-American census from 1838.

I found it one day by searching simply for my address in Google.

Where I live is a historically important African American neighborhood. Today it is almost entirely white, this side of South Street. But in the mid-1800's it was the hub of the black community and there are signs all along the streets around here that show where important leaders in that community lived and work. The church around the block was the first African-American catholic church in the city (and possibly further ... I have to check on that again).

What I understand from this website is that in 1838, a "Committee to Visit the Colored People" was established by the Abolitionists and Quaker community in town. Apparently at the time there was continuing debate on whether or not freed blacks (men) had the right to vote. This committee was established to document that community and show how African-Americans were contributors to the community, and hence entitled to the vote.

This site is fascinating actually. Click on the map of Ohio Street and you will actually see a contemporary pictures of the courtyard. Click on the documentation to see a transcription of the data that was collected. You can find the names of the people who lived here, how many members there were in the household, what work they did, where they came from, etc.

My neighbors houses, on Eisemenger Street, actually have double basements ... part of the Underground Railroad.

During this next week, when I have time off from work, I might try to find out a bit more about this place. I would love to do a puppet show here with Spiral Q, one that would dig into the history of this place and retell some of its stories. An oral history project seems like just the thing to do, actually.

2005-08-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

Finished a really interesting book over my last trip -- The Gate by Francois Bizot. This is about the author's experience as a young ethnologist in Cambodia in the 1970's during the Khmer Rouge regime. Although I have read stories by survivors of the war, this book was particularly interesting since Bizot actually has candid conversations (which he documents here, apparently from memory) with his captor, the infamous and also young, Douch, during the first time he is taken hostage in Anlong Veng in the early days of fighting. Also lots of things I didn't know about Vietnam's involvement too (not to mention France and America).

Finishing this book brings me to read more about the war generally. Reading through that section of Howard Zinn's A People's History. Amazed by the parallel here with the current war in Iraq -- especially around how the government used media and rhetoric to obscure the real reasons for the US's involvement (ie. resource control and access), I'm wondering again how to fight against this current involvement in Iraq. The headline today is about five local soldiers who were killed yesterday.

I sent money to Iraq Veterans Against the War and display their sticker on my bike so that more people learn that they exist. Also, today, an encampment of mothers who have lost children in Iraq convene in Texas to meet with Bush. MoveOn and True Majority are supporting them now in their campaign. What else should we be doing?

2005-08-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

The Hotel Durant, my home away from home in Berkeley California. High speed internet access in the rooms and wireless in the lobby -- so high tech for a hotel that reminds you of the "bygone era of elegance and luxury."

I actually like the place quite a bit, flaws and all. No a/c at all, just fans in the room and windows that open, which is good for me since the weather here is usually cool. .. On the down side you can definitely hear your neighbors through the walls, Tuesday evenings down in the pub it gets really really noisy with students (over 21 of course), and there are only two, already full, double outlets in every room (always placed in the most awkward places). But as a frequent visitor, along with other fellow NWP travelers, we like to record the constant little improvements which they do in fact make here all the time. The place definitely does have a certain charm as well as many local beers on tap right downstairs, which makes us happy after long days of travel or meetings. Not sure how well it would hold up in an earthquake though (and hoping not to find out).

Probably important to note too that the pub downstairs (Henry's) was unfortunately made famous by an event in 1990 where one deranged/distraught student took a number of others students hostage and killed one person and then died in the stand-off. I would normally link to articles about this event, but when I did a google search I found a couple particularly hateful links, so I'm not longer in the mood.

I'm here visiting an advanced technology institute of the Bay Area Writing Project.

2005-08-06T17:23:00.000-05:00

Here I am at the NWP Writing and Technology Professional Writing Retreat (a mouthful I realize!) in Nebraska City, Nebraska. I'm in our little computer lab on the third floor of the Lied Lodge Retreat Center. It's beautiful outside, but the sun is getting hot and it's hard to see my screen in the glare, so I retreat inside. I thought I would spend most of my time here working on an article I started years ago now, but besides thinking about it, I haven't done much actual work on that. Given that I'm here working (for the NWP), it's nice to even have the reflective space to pay it some attention again actually. ... I also have had time today to finish a marathon of email catch ups, work-related chats, and a phone conference with Paul in Tahoe and I thought I'd take a moment to blog about what's happening here.

Lied Lodge itself is pretty cool. Based on Arbor Day Farms Preserve, the lodge has a commitment to tree planting and environmental sustainability. The a/c we are enjoying comes from the burning of poplar tree "biomass" from their renewal tree farms. The rugs we walk on are made from recycled word chips and the rubber underneath that comes from recycled tires. The hazelnut grove we see outside the window are meant to support experiments in alternative and sustainable farming in the Nebraska plains area. The apple trees contain antique apples, protected and grown to support continued diversity and development. (Unfortunately the apples aren't in bloom right now, but the peaches and apple cider from last year are delicious!).

Despite the great outdoors, there is also lots to tapped into here in the lodge itself. Right now a few of us are connecting our iTunes libraries through the wireless network and listening to each others' music as we work and type. All the folks here from the writing project are working hard on their writing and, as a consequence, the discussions over lunch (once they take a break from composing) are good and fascinating and rich with energy. I really do love the writing project. It's wonderful when I have those moments when I can rise above the work grind and see the wonderful thing I am connected to and through.

And here's my haiku:

No progress on the actual piece
Just lots of thinking
Realizing along the way

And a few pictures that Will posted online at Flickr.

2005-07-29T22:47:00.000-05:00

This evening was topped off from a call from my friend Hillary, calling from Colorado. Hi Hillary! Hope you enjoy the blog, when you get here. ... Love you girl, c

2005-07-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

Back in Philadelphia. Relaxing at home with Sam, sipping a g&t and listening to "The World" on my local public radio station after grilling a zucchini and quorn "naked cutlet" on my little grill outside. Aaaah.

The trip to the Lake Champlain area was great. For fellow bikers and travelers, we have listed here some useful and interesting things we found along the way. Enjoy!

2005-06-25T14:52:00.000-05:00

It's getting hot here again. John, another neighbor in the courtyard, read my previous blog post and says I sound superior about my non-use of the air conditioner. I suppose there is some of that. Rich and my colleagues at work actually take my resistance to a/c as a consequence of my protestant background -- ie. that I think it's good to suffer. Probably true there too. I do have a practical side too though ... the a/c covers one of two windows on my third floor and the place is dark enough! But maybe that's only an excuse for my underlining prejudices.

The bathroom is done! Well, technically anyway. Still painting and such to do. Got to get it cleaned up though as a colleague of mine is staying here during the NECC conference. I'm out of here though -- off to Vermont in a couple days to bike around Lake Champlain -- so you all will have to enjoy the conference without me!

2005-06-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

Grafitti tags were painted last night on five different places within our little neighborhood. Three of them said "evolve" and two had a painting of a crown with (I think) three spikes. Anyone who knows anything about this, please let me know.

Here's a picture of one of the marks (this one doesn't have a crown ... those have already been painted over).

2005-06-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

I need a mason to work on the facade of my house. Any recommendations? I need an assessment of the work and a quote ASAP.

I have been approved for a PHIL Loan from the Redevelopment Authority. It's a pretty good deal -- check it out if you are a home owner in Philly. Apparently they want more people to know about it.

2005-06-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

Lots of news about Philadelphia today since an officer died yesterday of a heart attack during a Biodiversity demonstration. Here's a source of independent media to get another view on what is happening here.

2005-06-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

Here's an email I sent to my fellow Waverly Street garden gardeners tonight. (Write to me if you want a copy of the proposal or to sign the petition.) ...

The garden at Broad and South is in danger. Laurie Fitzpatrick, a neighbor who is a member of that garden, is organizing to save the only precious green space left on the Avenue of the Arts. Last Tuesday, she and some fellow gardeners had planned to present their proposal, a petition and conceptual drawings for the space with the idea of creating a "Garden of the Arts." (I wasn't able to make -- was anyone there who could tell us about it?)

The proposal, as I've read it, is sound and includes various arguments for a non-gardening audience about how and why a green space in that area of town has and will support the surrounding community, businesses, arts venues, etc. That plot was an eyesore for years and I personally really appreciate the work the folks there have done on it and want to support them and thought that some of you might be interested too.

I have also attached a petition that can be passed around for signatures. ... Below, I have copied the vision stated in the document below and attached the full thing here too if you want to take a look at it.

As Laurie wrote "this is truly a grassroots movement!"

:)

Christina

The Garden of the Arts
The 68 gardeners who currently tend their community plots and the common area at the Broad and South Community Arts Garden, want to see this green space preserved as a public garden/sculpture park known as the Garden of the Arts.

This 18,000 square foot park will have necessary elements such as:

As much green space and trees as possible.
Public sculpture in keeping with Avenue of the Arts theme and trash receptacles with sculptural theme.
Seating and pathways to maximize potential for social interaction.
Wireless web access.
Kiosk to sell coffee, snacks, gum, newspapers and magazines to create street life.
Security.
Lighting for security plus beautification of space, lights in pathways, and in trees for the holidays.
Creative delineation of space instead of fencing (beds of plants, low fencing).
Gateway to neighborhood, Broad Street subway entrance treated decoratively as Paris Metro entrance.
Dog run to accommodate the pets of the 1,150+ new residents moving into this area.

Other elements will include:

Succession planting of beds for year round interest.
Nature combined with art and technology theme that promotes the vision of the Avenue of the Arts.
Special events, an annual fundraiser for the park that will generate street life, interest in the park.
Picnic/food tables.
Faux or intermittent water feature (shaded flower bed planted to look like a stream), storm water management demonstration project for this green space (water flows only during and right after a rain event).

2005-06-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

A walk through hidden delights comes right down Waverly Street!

(Map removed so that I don't run into copyright problems ... I'll look for a public version to share.)

2005-06-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

Btw, I just realized that this blog might make it seem like I'm doing this work by myself. In fact, Joe is doing most of it and coordinating the tile and plumbing work by others. ... Now Joe is finishing up and Rich and I are doing the details -- painting, etc.

We did put in the toilet though!

2005-06-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

Spent most of the day painting today. Was supposed to go to my aunt's and help her with my grandmother's things but Janet just got home from being away and has a cold. So I made the best of the time and did some more work on the bathroom.

I don't like the color though. It's too light yellow. And despite what I thought were ample coats of primer, the turquoise blue is still showing through underneath, giving the light yellow a sort of green hue right now. Yuck. Will have to go back to the 10th street hardware and ask them to add a bit more yellow and get the tone closer to what I want.

2005-06-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

Here's my first experiment with Flickr ... the first pictures documenting the work I'm having done or doing on my house. I published the first three tonight showing the bathroom after the old tile and floors were ripped out.

This Flickr tool is amazing actually. I can click on "Tags" and see photos that others have tagged -- ie. I gave these photos "Bathroom Redo" tags. Now I can click on the word "Bathroom" or the word "Redo" and see a world of others photos. Wow.

2005-06-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

Quiet Saturday night here on Waverly Street. It's finally cool out so the roar of my neighbors' air conditioners is on a low intermittent hum tonight, which is a nice change. They can create quite the cacophony of noise in this little courtyard, the only benefit of which is that you can hear less of your neighbors' business which is sometimes the case on cool quiet evenings. But that's just what happens when your windows are only twelve feet away from one another and the sound bounces from wall to wall. Although I noticed living here, that overtime, we do start to develop blinders -- on our eyes and our ears -- in order to just live in such tight quarters with one another.

Our houses, in the summer, are little brick ovens. And one can start to really feel like a pizza. So while the a/c is a source of noise pollution mostly, not to mention the power drain, I realize that in the heat they are quite the relief. ... I have one. In fact I realize I have two (one installed in the kitchen and another in the basement) but I try to use them as a last resort.

I once asked my grandmother, who raised four kids in a small two story row house in the Logan section of Philadelphia, what they used to do before a/c. Several things, she said, including bringing the mattresses downstairs, sleeping on the porch, and putting baby powder on the sheets. And of course fans. I have to say, the fans and baby powder combo really does work! Of course, moving downstairs does too. I don't have a porch though, and I probably wouldn't sleep out on it anymore if I did honestly.

Jean, my next door neighbor to the right, is out of town tonight and I am supposed to walk her dog Tank (he's a chihuahua) and he did not want to be walked, and he gets mean when he doesn't want to do something. So I left him be. Hum ... I better get up in the early morning though and take him for a walk first thing.

2005-06-17T22:34:00.000-05:00

I live in a trinity in a courtyard off of a little street in downtown Philadelphia. I really love living here. It's the perfect balance of living in a close community space with others, without actually having roommates you have to negotiate with on an hour by hour basis. It is also on a scale that makes sense ... not too much land, air or sky is taken up by my little house. And my cat loves to hang outside, and the courtyard is good for that too. I have a little plot of dirt out front, a community garden across the street, and I can walk or bike to work. What could be better?