Meet Go Go!

she's my baby and favorite companion
(second only to my '81 ladies schwinn back home)

thanks, marc!

xoxo

Food Not Lawns

read this book. I own it. you can borrow it.

I bought vegetable and herb seeds this week. planting next week. thrilling! I would love to have a seed swap this season. free seed sharing = ideal.

also: chickens would be great. fresh eggs every day. and they're kinda like pets. the yard is big enough... it's perfectly legal. and maybe bees? we'll see how far the landlord lets me go.

have you heard this prediction? it better happen. elected officials need to step it up as role models towards sustainable best practices in their daily lives - for the sake of everyone's daily life.

I firmly believe that many of society's problems are caused by our disconnect from food. food not lawns!

xo
'la

City From Below!

"The city has emerged in recent years as an indispensable concept for many of the struggles for social justice we are all engaged in - it's a place where theory meets practice, where the neighborhood organizes against global capitalism, where unequal divisions based on race and class can be mapped out block by block and contested, where the micropolitics of gender and sexual orientation are subject to metropolitan rearticulation, where every corner is a potential site of resistance and every vacant lot a commons to be reclaimed, and, most importantly, a place where all our diverse struggles and strategies have a chance of coming together into something greater. In cities everywhere, new social movements are coming into being, hidden histories and herstories are being uncovered, and unanticipated futures are being imagined and built - but so much of this knowledge remains, so to speak, at street-level. We need a space to gather and share our stories, our ideas and analysis, a space to come together and rethink the city from below."

THEMES TO BE CONSIDERED

* Gentrification/uneven development
* Policing and incarceration
* Tenants rights/housing as a right
* Public transit
* Urban worker's rights
* Foreclosures/financial crisis
* Public education
* Slots/casinos/regressive taxation
* Cultural gentrification
* Underground economies
* Reclaiming public space
* The right to the city
* Squatting/Contesting Property Rights
* Urban sustainability

Read more - get excited - submit proposals!

Insulting All Umbrellas

Today:

Slept until 10:45am, got up, and showered for the third time in 30 hours. Realized that my OCD has been getting out of hand lately. Fixed a broken couch while wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed my unshaved armpits. Realized why people think I'm a dyke.

Grabbed a cup of coffee and walked past the super cool bicycle messengers on my way to the BART. Jealous of their career, but not of their attitude. Embarassed of my paper Starbucks cup, but not of the holes in my pants.

Headed to Berkeley and scoped out four more bike shops (I've been to 14 shops in 3 days). Only one shop has a bike suitable (and dope enough) for me. It will be purchased tomorrow, thanks to the loving generosity of my big brother. So thankful.

Rain and sun on and off all day - making great rainbows and very soggy sneakers. With nothing better to do, and my mind on my poverty status, I decided to walk the several miles home instead of pay to take the subway and bus. My ipod was tuned to my Cozy Like Cats // Cats Like Cozy playlist. Fresh to death. Regardless, I got chilled to the bone walking the several miles / hours home. It was a typical windy and rainy Bay Area winter day. The kind with sideways rain, insulting all umbrellas.

Chose the most uphill route to my house (health is wealth). Bedroom. My nest. Cozy clothes on. Cancelled a date I was anxious about all day. Reading $pread, Unlikely, and Craigslist Missed Connections (a wonderful weekly ritual) on my tilted couch. Realized that almost everything I have is old, broken, and frayed. Realized that doesn't bother me. Smiling.

My housemate James is listening to great 70s Turkish rock records. Inspires me to eat Armenian food. Yoghurt (<3), eetch (armenian-style tabouleh), hommus, raw vegetables, ak-mak crackers, beer. Half a beer. Realized that poverty has improved my health and helped curb some bad habits. Still smiling.

Snickerdoodle cookies can be made with lard? I want to try one. Instead, I will watch brain-melting videos and read ridiculous articles provided by my favorite gchat / wrestling friend.

Wondering if my insomnia will persevere tonight since I am sober and without spooning companion. Just remembered last night's strange dream in which I was hoarding Snickers and other candy bars in an old plaid makeup bag my mom gave me when I was a little lady. Maybe I should treat myself to a candy bar tomorrow after I go for a much-anticipated bike ride. Undecided.

Thinking of the Sesame Street records I used to listen to religiously as a kid in my old bedroom. Oscar the Grouch has a song about how much he loves the rain. That bedroom was also the laundry room. The tumbling dryer creating pleasant white noise that I could use tonight...

smoke. choke. disease. death.

it's been a month since I quit smoking.

hooray for me!!!

it's really not that hard. all you have to do is not smoke.

I recommend my quitting method: overdosing on the nicotine gum, giving myself an aversion to the drug forever.

also, this super lame video has helped and I think it every time I see or smell cigarette smoke.

Mixed Bizness

I recently went to the Lusty Lady for the first time. $1 a minute to see real live naked ladies dance around. That's what I like to call a "North Beach Night Cap." Mix business with pleasure.

xo
'la

the arts

xo
carlita do parlita

Oh.

Being a New Englander, the natural disasters I'm used to fearing are Hurricanes and Giant Fucking Snowstorms.

Usually, by the time a Hurricane (that's been kicking the Caribbean's ass for a week) gets to us in Li'l Rhody, it's more fun than anything else. Minor damage from wind happens, but we're used to it. No biggie.

Blizzards hit northern NE more than down in The Wee State. We make a mad dash to the grocer and stock up on bread and milk (and scratch tickets) and wait it out. Kids go sledding after they are forced to shovel and drink cocoa. Grownups find other ways to stay warm and entertained...

But now I'm in California - specifically, the San Francisco Bay Area. Quake Country. The earth shakes from two of the biggest tectonic plates dancing around with each other. Tsunamis rage outward from our gnarly epicenter to screw up someone else's day. Gross.

So during tonight's bout of insomnia, I found this government website that has me quaking in my knickers. There is a 62% chance that at least one earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or greater will happen in the Bay Area by 2032. Yikes!

Remember when I said I was going to stay in the Bay for a few years, but not forever? Yeah, I'd rather play in 2 feet of snow with my kids every year than clutch them under the kitchen table while everything falls apart around us. Don't worry. I'm coming home eventually.



Love,
'la

8 Years in 8 Minutes

Is it Tuesday yet?



We've got a mess to clean up, people!

Thanks for sharing, Aaron.

xoxo
Mrs. Olbermann

The Fierce Urgency of Now!

"Now is the time to make real the promises of Democracy!"

Let the good Doctor move you...



remember: today is not a day off, it's a day on!

xoxo
carla

Sex and Candy

new blog added to the blogroll:

Sugar Daddy Blog

very interesting blog from a dating website for you if you are (or want to be):
a sugar daddy, sugar mama, or sugar baby

check it out!

xoxo
carla

Excellent Blogs

These two blogs are my new favorites:

Letters from Johns

Letters from Working Girls

It's been a while since I've posted about the sex industry. One of the main reasons I moved to California was to become more involved in sex workers' rights movements that are kicking ass here in the Bay Area.

I've been making contacts that will hopefully prove valuable. I'm just so broke now that I've had to put the social justice issues on the backburner while I try to find work to pay the bills (without working the red light).

love to love to love ya
'la

Strange Dreams

I've been having very vivid dreams of late, and last night I had two that were especially unsettling.

In the first, I was the worst waitress on earth, completely neglecting my tables and I made no tips. This was probably in response to the fact that I'm totally broke and the serving gig I have now isn't cutting it. I had an interview elsewhere earlier this week. Let's hope for the best.

In the second dream I was sledding and playing in the snow with a close friend and a few other friends and dogs. We were near a library and a school - the area reminded me of the old Marvel Gym on Brown University's campus in my old neighborhood. My close friend was playing with two translucent color wheels, trying to match up the perfect color for me. I started singing Run to the Hills and at that moment he found the right color for me, and realized he cared very deeply for me.

so... that happened.

love,
carla

Providence People

Go to Local 121 tonight to see a documentary about the local food movement!

6:00 speakeasy doors open
6:30 optional dinner for $12 (made with local foods, silly goose!)
7:00 'Tableland' plays on the dope a/v system, discussion following

Tableland is a culinary expedition in search of the people, place and taste of North American small scale, sustainable food production. Director Chris Noble argues for the re-location of North American food systems and a return to fresher, healthier ways of feeding ourselves. From the orchards of British Columbia, the inner city gardens of Chicago to the Napa Highlands and everywhere in between, Tableland celebrates the successful production of tasty, local, and seasonal food from field to plate.

-PDD

Personally, I feel that a lot of unrest and displeasure in this society is caused by how we consume food instead of nourish ourselves. I lot of life change can happen when one begins to eat with (personal and global) mindfulness. When a lot of lives change, we get a community shift, and then a societal trend, no?

Forget having the status symbol of a pristine green lawn... Grow food in that plot of land and cook with the fruits of your labor!

Eat, drink, think local!

<3
Former Local 121 Employee

I <3 Yogurt!

Madzoon (yogurt) is one of my favorite foods on the planet. Being middle eastern means cooking with lots of yogurt - from appetizers, to the main course, to dessert!

I've never made my own yogurt before, but I'm going to start. It's cheaper and more environmentally friendly to make your own than to buy a big plastic tub of it every week at the market (if you eat as much as I do). Wish me luck in my experiment!

Yoghurt was first introduced to the United States by Armenian immigrants Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, who started "Colombo and Sons Creamery" in Andover, Massachusetts in 1929. Colombo Yogurt was originally delivered around New England in a horse-drawn wagon inscribed with the Armenian word "madzoon" which was later changed to "yogurt", the Turkish name of the product, as Turkish was the lingua franca between immigrants of the various Near Eastern ethnicities who were the main consumers at that time. Yoghurt's popularity in the United States was enhanced in the 1950s and 60's when it was presented as a health food. By the late 20th century yoghurt had become a common American food item and Colombo Yogurt was sold to General Mills in 1993.

-wikipedia

Yogurt is tasty and has medicinal uses. Use it to treat infections and an upset tummy. Always use plain yogurt with live and active cultures. Add your own flavors with fresh fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices. For a healthy snack I add uncooked oats or spelt flakes to yogurt with raisins, walnuts, and fruit preserves. So much better than ice cream! Keep the high fructose corn syrup and dyes out of your yogurt!

Love,
Shameless Yogurt Lover

Too $exy for PA

Woman teaches dance classes.
People in charge hate on her sexy moves.
Read on...

“This is in every way a dance studio,” Mr. Walczak said. “The only reason they don’t want her here is the township commissioners just don’t like some of the dances she teaches."...even though the dance instruction did not involve nudity and there would be no audience, the dance styles were “provocative” and involved sexual “innuendo.”

I'm really getting pumped about moving to the Bay Area and working with places like BaySwan, SWOP, and St James.

xoxo
'Lita

Yogurt!

I love yogurt so very much.

Hot, cold, salty, sweet, with dill, with garlic, with honey, strained, or liquidy - I could eat it at every meal. Sometimes I do.

This video is on point and I want you to watch it.



Did I really just blog about yogurt? Inspired by the PDD.

Love,
Yo Yo Ma

Olneyville Needs You!

Every August I send an ask letter for donations to a specific cause. This year I am asking you to donate to English for Action, a 501(c)3 in the neighborhood of Olneyville in Providence, RI. My birthday is coming up, and I'm moving to California in November. If you were thinking of getting me a gift, please donate to EFA instead.

I have worked at EFA for two full years. I was hired as the coordinator of the arts-based child-care mentoring program (Nuestra Escuela / Our School) for the children of adult English learners. My weeknights for the past two years have been spent sharing wisdom, knowledge, and art with amazing youth in my community. I have never worked in a more peace-filled and imagination-inspired child-care program in my 12 years of experience. It's more than work - EFA is family to me now.

It was recently discovered that the organization was in a serious financial crisis. Federal and State budget cuts to education programs have dramatically affected our income, and the income of our major funders.

With the jarring news that EFA might have to lay off the entire staff and possibly close most or all services, the Staff, Board, and Learner community took immediate action. We did some rearranging of positions and roles. We cut our budget by 1/3. We created clearly defined financial goals for the next year. We rallied the support of our grassroots sister organizations in Providence. We have all been volunteering our free time to ensure that the few paid staff members remaining don't burn out. My new position at EFA is the Interim President of the Board of Directors, and my major duty is acting as a pro-bono Development Director to seek grant money.

While we are all busy working nights and weekends for the financial stability of EFA, we are simultaneously planning for another year of high-quality programming, including Participatory-based adult ESOL classes, arts-based child-care, native language literacy, health services, a food bank, free library, the action committee, and other blossoming partnerships with community organizations. The Action Committee (formally recognized by peer organizations as an outstanding group) recently had a very successful grassroots event to raise money, food, and basic supplies for the families of ICE detainees here in Rhode Island.

Our classes operate evenings at a nearby elementary school which has a beautiful saying painted along the entire exterior wall: "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child." We all know that nobody can truly succeed without love and support from a community of friends and family. The same is true for EFA. We cannot continue our necessary and passionate work without your financial support.

I have a personal goal of raising $1,000 through friends and family by September 9th. This money will go directly to the ESOL program expenses, including supplies, books, trainings, and ensuring that it is staffed. Staff members are dedicated lovers of education who come from all walks of life, and strive to apply the holistic mission of EFA to the ESOL program while constantly improving the measurable outcomes of the program.

Our methods are proven to be effective, and our mission is unique. We are a valued and valuable organization and we need your help!

Please donate via this link, or by mailing a check to the address below.

English for Action
PO Box 29405
Providence, RI
02909

cars are for idiots!

Nick is in town from Vienna, where he has his art gallery, INOPERAbLE!

He is hosting a show of some Austrian artists in NYC. I'm having trouble finding a flyer for it, but when I do, I'll let you know.

bikelove,
Cyclocross Carla

P.S. That's him bike-skiing in the video.

P.P.S. The revolution will not be motorized.

The First Step is Admitting You Have a Problem...

I'm completely exhausted today.

Perhaps it's from working between 50-70 hours every week (except for my lovely vacations). But I think it's the lack of sleep I've currently come to accept as part of the serious condition I've diagnosed myself with: The FOMS

Fear
Of
Missing
Something

The FOMS started for me in the summer of 2000, when I worked as a counselor at an overnight summercamp. For 8 weeks of the year for three consecutive summers, I and a group of 50 other people my age lived in close quarters on a gorgeous property in northwestern RI. We were all between the ages of 16 and 22. After the campers were tucked into bed, those who didn't have "night duty" went out and caused mild mischief.

It's a church-camp, after all (disclaimer: it is not at all like this garbage).

Being a counselor is an exhausting job. The days were hot and long. Sometimes you just didn't feel like hanging out with kids and going to chapel, or eating the same old iceberg lettuce and chicken wings for dinner.

Those were the days that turned into the most memorable nights of my life. I should have gone right to bed. I should have slept and gained the much-needed rest for the upcoming day's work.

Nope.

The FOMS kick in around 10pm.

Dress in black as to not be seen. Raid the walk-in fridge for Sysco brand canned pineapple. Beat up an old appliance in the woods with a baseball bat. Send each other on scavenger hunts in the pitch dark. Skinny dipping. Pranks. Visit your lover. Light something on fire (there were contests based on pyromania). Write sweet notes for your coworker who didn't give in to the FOMS and is sleeping peacefully. Stargaze. Watch Orgazmo again and again.

Giving in to the FOMS proved to always be worth it in the past.

Now at age 23, with giant busy days filling my week, I find myself getting home from a 10 or 12 hour workday with a serious itching to go out and have big fun every night.
I barely use my Netflix account anymore (and my queue is kick-ass!). Should I give in to the FOMS or should I resist?

Hi. My name is Carla and I have the FOMS.

Am I alone on this?

xoxo
Restless With The FOMS Right Now