Airplane Survival Kit

Airplane Survival Kit
Originally uploaded by Alison G..

I'm back from Boston. I'll blog all about it later. In the meantime. Tomorrow i have to go make up hours i missed for Merry Corps

Next stop, Georgia State

Next stop, Georgia State
Originally uploaded by Alison G..

So this is home. Home in the 'I'm being present in my life kinda way'. Sometimes I sit and think, I can't believe I'm here. Moments are cosmic- in that way that they cant be recreated. Perhaps thats why i like pictures so much. Of all the places i could be- right now i am here. And thats home.

Alice Walker...and Guy-Sheftalls Hair

IMG_2702
Originally uploaded by Alison G..

yesterday after an especially stressful day at work i got back to find Moyas place surrounded by police cars...Oh shit- i thought-this can't be good. So instead of going back into the aprtment i decided to walk around first to investigate. ON the way i asked the groundskeeper, what happened and he replied that 'they was up there wrestlin and they somebody bout to get arrested. " I said which apartment- he said- the one 2nd floor (the floor MB stays on) I thought oh shit. So i go back to the apartment to check on her and it turns out it was the apartment across the hall. As i walked past there was a woman laying on the floor with a white blanket over her...

Go figure.

I dont know what happenned but im assuming shes alright because i saw a woman later joyfully speaking on the phone. But my grandfather told me that men who beat women are the lowest forms of humans. I feel bad, scared and saddened for her. Because thats some bullshit.

Today i took a mental day off to calm my nerves and decided to go hear Alice Walker speak over at Emory. Alice Walker is my favorite writer. Im not a big Color Purple fan- i dont connect with fiction very well. I do like her short stories and essays a lot. They were comforting to me when as a teenager attending a school that was about 3.8 percent Black and living in a town that was 1.3 % Black, that a Black woman was talking about Spirituality and sexuality in a way that did not have boundaries. I appreciated her freeness and individuality and though i didnt always agree- I loved how she wrote about everyday situations and her appreciation of moments. That being said- I 'm not into meeting people just because i like their books. Neither do i like getting books signed. But i decided why not-it might be nice to get a preview about whats in her next book. So i went and enjoyed it.

Next week im headed up the coast to Boston. I'm not looking forward to the weather nor the 'frozen chosen' Northeastern people of Massachusetts. I am not looking forward to walking past people and not being acknowledged nor the loud screeching of the T. But hey its home.

I am looking forward to hearing the hard accents, the fresh air, the people who i know and havnt seen in ages, my old church, my old town and everything Old. I want to see how a state with a Republican Morman Governor has gay marriage and health care for the entire state. I want to see how that same state thats 6% black just elected its first Black Governor- the second in the country. Such a little state trying to do big things...

Go Boston, go Boston

'Tis the season to be broke

So perhaps this may offend people. And i'm slightly apologetic but not really. Don't take it personally.

The other day I turn on the radio and theyre playing Xmas Carols. mind you, by the other day i mean back in October. The songs made me nauseaus. They were the quintessentioal Xmas songs complete with bells and high excited voices talking about a time when we were dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh. As far as I'm concerned, no one I know has ever dashed through some damn snow with a fuckin horse so stop singing like you've done it...

Christmas gives me a headache. It is my least favorite Holiday of the year. And yes there was a time when it was high on my list (presents and school breaks) but now it has dropped to the bottom- right underneath Columbus Day. I prefer Thanksgiving-even though I hate thanksgiving food- at least I know that just showing up is good enough. During Xmas- I wish I could disappear and wander off to a tropical island where i dont have to be bothered.

In addition to the headaches, excessive retailism, TV commercials, hyper Xmas displays in stores and wild children trying to jump on Santas lap, Xmas is just a sad holiday. It feels forced and desperate. I usually end up poor and destitute after trying to buy everyone a gift and wished i had more money to buy better gifts, then I end up feeling bad that i never had enough to buy them in the first place. Its supposed to be a happy time but I'm too busy scrambling to see everybody and get gifts that its more stressful than relaxing.

It wasnt always this way.

My mom all but stopped celebrating Xmas when we moved to Boston. We started off with big trees and as we got older, the Xmas trees got smaller. I remember when we bought Jr. a 2ft tall Charlie Brown tree that looked more like a branch that fell off a real tree. Every xmas we would drag it up with as much excitment as a traffic jam. We would look at each other and the tree and grudginly wrap some yarn around it. And though we despised it- it became a sort of family pet that sat in the corner far into the next year until someone decided to bring it back down into the basement. My moms gifts were always simple. She made us journals and wrote us lengthy cards that expressed how much she loved us, that she was proud of my sister and I. They were beautiful. I always kept them.
So in my little family (my sis, my mom and I) Christmases were realistic, simple and quick. I miss that.

A few years ago I stopped celebrating xmas and began to give out New Years gifts partly because New Years is my favorite holiday and partly because everything is cheaper after xmas. Its hard not to celebrate xmas in a country that forces you to celebrate it but I'm learning. When i say that I dont celebrate xmas i usually get blank stares and looks of confusion.

"Why" they ask, all concerned or assume that I'm pagan

"Because i dont want to"- I reply. I mean realy- who says I have to?

Bah Humbug

Dems don't vote in the rain, but whats on your sonny- do list?

*I lost my original blog so bear with me as I try to recreate the feeling*

I woke up Tuesday morning(hey some people don't you know) and I looked out the window- damn- its raining. Well shit-thats an excuse not to vote. Especially since the polling place is a mile and a half down a highway with no sidewalks (talk about accessibility). It was cold, dreary and i was not in the mood. I headed to the train station, picked up my daily and on the coverpage theres a huge article that says Democrats less likely to vote in the rain- Damn. I get to work and I see JB's Blog which again worked on my conscience. It didnt help that i just saw American Blackout on Monday. How dare my black ass dont show up to the polls after what your ancestors did for this right...

Okay okay. But who the hell was I gonna vote for? Georgia has a 2 party system, Republican and More Republican. Or maybe it seems that way because I just left a very liberal area of California. the 'Democrat' (and I use that term loosely) didnt seem to have much more to offer me. Well in fact i didnt vote for either- and half my ballot was left blank because I refuse to vote for people I ave never heard of. Evidently Georgia doesnt send out a voters guide that explains whos running and what they what they'll do in the extra time when theyre not having affairs with male prostitutes and teenage pages. I mean I would love to know what issues will finally be addressed in the last 4 monthes of their term. Since i consider my self an educated voter- I tried to go to the AJC Newspaper website and look at their voter guide. Their non partison voter guide asked the hard hitting questions like 'whats your favorite TV character' or 'What recent gadget can't you live without'. Shit that made me really want to go out and vote.

I got home and watched a little local coverage of the election. I saw long lines and stories about broken machines. I was excited. There was gonna be ACTION at the polls. I bought my camera along to capture it all. Well I get the polls around 5 'o clock. I mistook rush hour traffic for people rushing to the polls. I parked far away, anticipating no parking available at the church. Well as i walked to the church- and crossed a 3 street intersection there was hardly any parking. In fact, there were non- handicapped parking right in the front. I walk in- no line. There were 10 poll workers and 6 people voting. There were extra machines. I filled out a voter certificate and i was given a card and it took less than 4 minutes. It was too easy- There were no broken machines- nobody fighting, no one being denied a provisional. This shit was boring.

I left. I'm not political in the sense that I believe politicians make the changes. I don't think my vote really counts and i dont want to hear- 'what if everybody felt their vote didnt count'. I voted libertarian(you can do whatever you want were just not paying for it party) twice because i dont believe in the two party system. I'm not strategic, I vote for people whose views i share, are earnest and sincere even if they have no chance of winning. I usually vote democratic because of the social programs (or to try to get bush out of office) but I really dont think the democrats have done enough to get my vote. But maybe that'll change with them neing the majority.

But the good news is that I voted- and most important, I got a sticker

Pomegranate

Pomegranate
Originally uploaded by Alison G..

Fall is not my favorite season...Summer is. Anybody who has spent time in the Northeast knows that Fall is just another term for Winter. California has Autumn- Indian summers and all that niceness but I have been traumatized one too many times by Fall. Fall Field Hockey practices(in short skirts)- our cleats crunching through the icy grass, Trick or treating with a snowsuit on over your costume and raking every 3 days because the leaves rather commit suicide than subject themselves to a long winter...

But there are some highlights. I love pomegrantes(sp?) They used to remind me of red corn kernels and i loved popping them and feeling the juice squirt in my mouth. The other day at the store, I saw pre cut pomegrantes- i thought- well shit- that takes all the fun away. So i bought one home and peeled it myself, Savoring each kernel and trying not to stain the carpet... not as easy as it looks

WRRC 25 Years 002

WRRC 25 Years 002
Originally uploaded by Alison G..

The Womens Research and Resource Center had its 25th Anniversary last weekend- and I'm late with the blogging (to be late is unacceptable). I had a great time, even if i didnt make half the panels ( i have an extremely short attention span mixed with bad hearing). It didnt help that i was bitter and irritated at my camera that didnt come in time for me to get the good shots, but me and the canon powershot worked it out. Highlights included seeing some friends, seeing some friends, smelling the tailgate, seeing friends. The scholars, especially Leslie Feinberg whose book was hte only book i didnt resale to the bookstore when i took a queer theory course at UC Santa Cruz. Leslie had an amazing presence and actually particiapted in all the events. Bell Hooks- i really like her books...
It was exciting.

I have a few pics up. This one was taken by MoyB. It seems that people have found the flickr account but if not- you can click on the picture and it should take you to the rest of the WRRC 25th.

Until next time,
me