Saturday, August 05, 2006

Damn. Hot people are everywhere in SF. Flaunting their saucy style and seemingly glamourous lifestyles. Fashion is less homogenous than seattle but also like it's upped a notch. Based on how many times I checked my outfit in the mirror on my way out the door today, I think I've been trying a little too hard to keep up.

This month has been crazy and good. I got to buy some plane tickets and fly to a few different places and talk to people about what their dope
youth-music-civic-engagment-programs. So much good stuff. For being a taurus, I did surprisingly well away from home. That is the benefit of feeling a little rootless right now--I don't get homesick. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. I didn't feel guilty for being away from the office or my staff. I felt like I could have just kept moving. That I could have moved somewhere else and given it a whirl and it wouldn't really make any difference. I started to concoct a plan to move to nebraska for a year to purposely burst my metropolitan progressive bubble a little. Maybe start going to an evangelical church and taking notes. Then again, I kind of fell in love with the Michigan Summer. And also back in love with New York City. More than ever, I feel the pull to go there. Maybe 6 months Nebraska, 6 months NYC. But the other surprising thing was--it felt good to come back to the bay area. I mean, not like I was "home" but it felt good. This sounds like boring stuff probably, unless you know what it's like to move away from your home of many years to a new place.



My travels culminated at the National Hip Hop Political Convention in Chicago. I was able to take the 18 year old that I've been working with and it was a really good bonding experience. Of course, as a white woman, i got schooled by all the amazing speakers, truth-telling about all that is awry in the world right now, with racism & imperialism at the core. At the same time I had the usual frustration about their being so many dudes on the mic. [Did I mention how many girls are rocking the high high heels and tightass jeans in this coffee shop? work it girls] Anyway, oh the world of community organizing. In the Bay Area, New York and DC I think you get the sense that with all these amazing radical organizations that are working nationally, with strategy and kickass people that the world is changing and the "movement" is a force to reckon with. Then at these convention and trainings there is infighting, a tendency to be hypercritical, and the momentum gets sort of lost in s sea of we "got to figure our own shit out first." Which is great and healthy and important but man, let's just acknowledge the areas for improvement and keep moving, you know. I mean, shit is crazy right now. I really want some of these super savvy smart organizers to start a new political party.

whoa. very cute dog at 3:00. damn, even the dogs.



so much to tell--family visits, seeing alcatraz and getting super inspired by the 1969 indian takeover (hello, how come i didn't learn about that in High School?), having an intense time at work (sigh), going salsa dancing for the first time and having men shorter than me dip me to the floor and whirl me around until I forgot that I didn't even really know how to do it.

this time. . . it's full.

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