I'm only five hours into my ridiculously wastefully long voyage to Amsterdam. I woke (not sure if you can wake from not sleeping) at 4am, drove to the New Orleans airport at 5am, hopped on a flight to Houston at 7am, found a flight heading for San Francisco at 8am, and am now sitting at Firewood Cafe 2 (yes 2!) at the San Francisco airport enjoying a Pinot Grigio where I will wait for the next two hours until my 4pm flight to Amsterdam. Sunday IS my funday!
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. I decided when I first arrived sleep is not my priority and so not much of it was had. I am tired. In fact, this may be the first time ever that I would prefer to go home to my own bed instead of continue exploring. Two weeks in Amsterdam sounds good only because I know there is a bed there, where I will have an excuse (just traveled a looooong time) to snuggle inside of it early tomorrow afternoon. Yes, I'm dreaming of my next sleep that won't arrive until tomorrow. I'm thinking a 5pm bedtime. If sleep doesn't come right away, a bottle of Jack Daniels has stowed away inside my running shoe just in case.
Sleep. I miss you.
I miss my very comfy bed in Oakland. I miss my bike. I miss 72 degree days where I drink my coffee on the front porch sunning my exceedingly white legs, that because of short dresses and South Louisiana heat are no longer white. I miss open windows and cool breezes. I miss Lake Merritt. I miss going to the gym. I miss my early morning runs. I miss thinking that if only I knew how to build a fire I would totally use my fireplace. I miss staring at the desk I have yet to complete building and thinking fuck I soooo don't want to finish building this desk. I miss my tiny closet that barely fits all my coats, much less dresses, shirts, the dozens of scarfs I've collected over the years, and my shoes. Oh I really miss all my shoes, especially the ones I use for sitting.
But mostly I miss sleep. Restful sleep. I miss my restful Oakland sleep.
Don't get confused when I mention all the things I miss. I happen to be at the very beginning of a deepening loss for New Orleans and Acadiana. I almost did not get on my flight this morning. I paused . . . just for a moment, but I paused and thought of staying.
There are many things I want to share about my trip to New Orleans. Darryl, Cyn, Manhattans, Biloxi, the gobs of oil I grabbed from the bottom of the Gulf, the New Iberia Gumbo Festival, the BP tent at the New Iberia Gumbo Festival, Oaklawn Manor, Franklin lamposts, St. John Elementary, the country of 601 Napolean Ave, that tiny little kid playing the accordian, Centerville Grocery, the PT cruiser, the Bayou, and a number of other fascinating things that I made me pause outside gate D3. But right now, I'm going to finish this second glass of wine, download the latest Rachel Maddow podcast, and get on my very long plane ride to Amsterdam.
au revior,
Renee
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday Quicky
The sun is gone. The swamp-like weather has moved in. And I still can't get a good avacodo in this fucking town. I'm ready to go home, but I won't step foot in the dream house for another three weeks! So I will listen to some jazz on WWOZ and hide out in this little nook I found in the office until it's time to leave. Or maybe it's just the post Lake Como holiday blues I'm feeling today.
Read this article about Detroit's art scene and a particular art collective Soup.
"Soup, as it’s known, is a monthly gathering, held above the MexicanTown Bakery in southwestern Detroit, where guests pay $5 for a homemade bowlful, salad (locally grown, to be sure) and dessert, and sit at tables made of doors laid over milk crates, listening as compatriots propose projects. Creating a pocket park, organizing an artists directory and devising a surveillance-camera video montage were all on this month’s agenda. The guests vote, and the idea deemed most deserving gets the Soup dollars — a neat little way to wiki-finance creativity. Soup, which started seven months ago, has been growing steadily. The last one, on Sunday, was the largest yet."
I'm in search of partner art collectives in South America. If you know of anyone that might know of anyone, please shoot me an email/text/tweet/facebook/call (though I never actually answer my phone) or post-it.
And if you have a couple bucks this month, please consider passing it along to CRP. We are raising funds to receive a matching grant of $3,500. This will help fund the painting of 2 walls in East Oakland, an area full of young artists looking for something positive to do.
Read this article about Detroit's art scene and a particular art collective Soup.
"Soup, as it’s known, is a monthly gathering, held above the MexicanTown Bakery in southwestern Detroit, where guests pay $5 for a homemade bowlful, salad (locally grown, to be sure) and dessert, and sit at tables made of doors laid over milk crates, listening as compatriots propose projects. Creating a pocket park, organizing an artists directory and devising a surveillance-camera video montage were all on this month’s agenda. The guests vote, and the idea deemed most deserving gets the Soup dollars — a neat little way to wiki-finance creativity. Soup, which started seven months ago, has been growing steadily. The last one, on Sunday, was the largest yet."
I'm in search of partner art collectives in South America. If you know of anyone that might know of anyone, please shoot me an email/text/tweet/facebook/call (though I never actually answer my phone) or post-it.
And if you have a couple bucks this month, please consider passing it along to CRP. We are raising funds to receive a matching grant of $3,500. This will help fund the painting of 2 walls in East Oakland, an area full of young artists looking for something positive to do.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Purl. Tink. Fushia. 5.00 mm.
Several years ago while living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, I took up knitting with my roommate. We would drink sangria, smoke Newport Lights, and knit while trying to share the space in front of the one window air con unit we had in our third floor apartment. I wasn't very good and gave it up after almost setting my project (and the apartment) on fire with my Newpy.
Yet, I'm giving it another go. Luckily, I thought this might happen and brought my gear with me to Amsterdam, just in case. You never know when you're going to want to start a new craft. This time around, I am not mixing it with sangria and Newport Lights - I'm so adult like these days!
If you too are thinking of taking up this old lady hobby, use this youtube lesson to help get you started. I really like they there is no talking, just video footage with house music dropped over it. To save time, keep your cursor over the mark :30, you will watch it more than once.
This is as far as I have gotten.
In the last several months several state legislatures have passed bans on BPA (bisphenol-A) and this week we saw one more, Washington. If the governors in Washington, Maryland, and Massachutes sign these bills, coupled with Connecticut and Minnesota, it will make five states limiting BPA. It almost looks like all this happened quickly, but many people have been working for years to help make this happen.
Action likes this is much more complicated than it seems. It is often comprised of public hearings, letters to the editors, public pressure on corporations to show leadership, impacted communities speaking out, industry 'experts' flying in to speak to politicians, rallies, health and environmental reports, product studies, and of course one on one conversations we all have with our families, friends, and co-workers about the issue. Behind all of these activities are people dedicating their time and energy in putting on events, writing articles, and thinking up ways to get the message out over all that noise we are surrounded with everyday.
I realized recently that I traveled 21 countries in the past 10 years. In many of these countries I volunteered for some community organization while in the area. It just helps me to understand where I am and what I am really seeing and experiencing while in the country. Also, I can't sit still and I need to do something with my time besides drink beer and visit museums and volunteering allows me to meet people and learn things you can't at a bar.
But I also spent a good amount volunteering in towns where I live too. I've sang songs with 6 year olds in Washington DC, organized an event with student groups and 8th graders in a park on my college campus, edited a report in Budapest, taught a Burmese boy how to take pictures on my ditigal camera in Thailand, and made phone call after phone call to try to elect the next mayor of Orlando, Fl.
Eliminating toxic chemicals from our homes, bodies, and planet doesn't just happen. It takes a whole bunch of people showing up everyday trying their best. Here is a list of organizations that need your help, money is good, but so are time and skills.
Speaking of time . . . my time in Amsterdam is winding down. Only four more weeks, so I'm taking advantage of having a part time job and trying out new places. I'm hanging out in the main Amsterdam library today and it is pretty amazing. Here are some photos:
And there is a bar on the first floor. I love this place!
Ciao,
Renee Claire
Yet, I'm giving it another go. Luckily, I thought this might happen and brought my gear with me to Amsterdam, just in case. You never know when you're going to want to start a new craft. This time around, I am not mixing it with sangria and Newport Lights - I'm so adult like these days!
If you too are thinking of taking up this old lady hobby, use this youtube lesson to help get you started. I really like they there is no talking, just video footage with house music dropped over it. To save time, keep your cursor over the mark :30, you will watch it more than once.
This is as far as I have gotten.
In the last several months several state legislatures have passed bans on BPA (bisphenol-A) and this week we saw one more, Washington. If the governors in Washington, Maryland, and Massachutes sign these bills, coupled with Connecticut and Minnesota, it will make five states limiting BPA. It almost looks like all this happened quickly, but many people have been working for years to help make this happen.
Action likes this is much more complicated than it seems. It is often comprised of public hearings, letters to the editors, public pressure on corporations to show leadership, impacted communities speaking out, industry 'experts' flying in to speak to politicians, rallies, health and environmental reports, product studies, and of course one on one conversations we all have with our families, friends, and co-workers about the issue. Behind all of these activities are people dedicating their time and energy in putting on events, writing articles, and thinking up ways to get the message out over all that noise we are surrounded with everyday.
I realized recently that I traveled 21 countries in the past 10 years. In many of these countries I volunteered for some community organization while in the area. It just helps me to understand where I am and what I am really seeing and experiencing while in the country. Also, I can't sit still and I need to do something with my time besides drink beer and visit museums and volunteering allows me to meet people and learn things you can't at a bar.
But I also spent a good amount volunteering in towns where I live too. I've sang songs with 6 year olds in Washington DC, organized an event with student groups and 8th graders in a park on my college campus, edited a report in Budapest, taught a Burmese boy how to take pictures on my ditigal camera in Thailand, and made phone call after phone call to try to elect the next mayor of Orlando, Fl.
Eliminating toxic chemicals from our homes, bodies, and planet doesn't just happen. It takes a whole bunch of people showing up everyday trying their best. Here is a list of organizations that need your help, money is good, but so are time and skills.
Speaking of time . . . my time in Amsterdam is winding down. Only four more weeks, so I'm taking advantage of having a part time job and trying out new places. I'm hanging out in the main Amsterdam library today and it is pretty amazing. Here are some photos:
And there is a bar on the first floor. I love this place!
Ciao,
Renee Claire
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