sitting in my new down sleeping bag

hi ho,
there are many lentils in my house right now, and i'm trying to decide what to do with them.  lentil soup, probably.  any lentil recipe suggestions?

i hope everyone is having a good holiday, wherever in the world you may be.
i am in MA currently, had a nice christmas and am so happy there is so much pretty snow!
this thursday, dec 30 i'm heading down to DC with my family, where my parents are meeting up with their college friends.  they have a wonderful tradition of spending new years together (we should do this!)  eli's down there now at his mom's house, so i'll be meeting up with him as well.  anyone in dc area, let me know!

cheers and love,
kate

Holiday update from HS

Me, I'm still in Chappaqua.  But I have a new job as a Research Assistant for the Department of Medicine's Clinical TRials at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. That title sounds real legit, but my job is super boring thus far, which means a lot of time for daydreaming.  BUT it pays so soon I will move out of the beautiful, but jaded suburbs of northern westchester and into NYC.  So, what does this mean.  It means that I will be in NYC area for the indefinite future.

 If you are coming this way or want to meet up definitely let me know. Anyone is welcome to my home anytime of course! I have to work during the week, but weekends are key adventure days so count me in for whatever.

ALSO, Sat Dec 18th get yo butts to NYC cause I want to celebrate my day of birth, which isn't until XMAS but it's hard to share a day with Jesus.  So yeah, email or call me or whatever if you want details- I know none yet except it'll be that day somewhere in NYC.

As for everything else. I am enjoying this cold weather by drinking lots of tea and wearing sweaters.
Miss conversing with you.
hayley

Plea for help!

We have an opportunity to help spread green thinking to a new level! The organization i work for has entered a contest to win a green roof. the only way they can win is if they get the most votes. i know this is a somewhat sucky way to ask for help, but i would really love to see them win.
you can log on using your facebook account, vote, and be out of their in two seconds. here is the link: http://greenroofgiveaway.com/nominees/nominee-detail/?nominee_id=11
please select "Community Mediation Baltimore"  and vote.
Thank you so much and Happy HOLIDAYS!

Meg

Holiday

Hi
Istanbul, Turkey 20th-24/5th 
Thailand (Bangkok to Start) 26th-19th
If any of y'all are in those parts of the world, lets meet up; it would be lovely to see a familiar  face!
Dustin

Winter Holiday Plans

Hey everyone,
 
Below is a space for us to share our plans for the holidays. I'll be traveling back up north and will have the chance to meet up with some of you and see your beautiful faces.
 
I'll let you know when and where I'll be and maybe we'll end up nearby.
 
We could add a ton of separate posts, or we can just add to this one to keep things consolidated.
 
Eli - Any plans to meet up at your cabin in the Adirondacks ?
 
Vince:
Dec 19 - 23 : visiting Meg in the Baltimore area
Dec 24 - 30 : Xmas celebrations with Meg in Connecticut
New Year's Eve: Back in Philly, celebrating my Mom's 40th birthday!
After that: either back in WV, or meeting up with some great people
 
PS Happy Hanukkah! I'll be eating some latkas tonight...

Meg: Ill slip in here because my plans are the same as vinces (if you didnt guess) but i'll be back in MD on january 3rd. i would love to have a nyc area get together at some point and i live only 1 and a half hours from philly if you ever are passing through.


HAPPY HANUKKAH!
Nate here.
I'll be in Rochester until monday, then...
Dec. 6 - January ?: I'll be on Lon Gisland. If anyone makes it to the city, let me know and I'll ship in for the day.
Then January on I'll be back in the R.O.C. (Rochester, NY) for the lovely upstate winter.


Love you all. Be well. You all bring such wonderment to the world.

Hi Everybody

Hey Everybody,
I missed y'all and was wondering how I could get in touch with ya.  I am in the Republic of Georgia, the one near Turkey and Russia and such.  Its fun, the people are really really friendly, and drink too much wine and moonshine.  At weddings they drink wine out of a horn for the toast to the bride and grooms future love.  The horn has between .5-2 litres of wine in it.  Besides the drinking life is wonderful.  I live with a family and they are awesome.  The grandfather just learned the word Hi. He came home after fishing with a big bag of fish, held them over his head and said "Hi!" with a big smile.  Anywho
 Much Love, Come to Georgia whenever you want, and be well,
Dustin

SHENANDOAH!!!! live from the big apple

no, i haven't tried making butternut squash cookies. but they sound delicious! this directly relates to my post.*

hello lovelies,

josh, thank you for your wwoof access - i'll be checking that out tomorrow.
jacob, you definitely have a marvelous view from your front door.  to contrast, i saw piles of snow today.
cerri, travel it up!  follow the streams of happy smells and good sounds.  i look forward to hearing more.
meg, very cool vimeo and keep up the happy farmersmarketing, and empowering medi(t)ating.
hayley, a mom already!  mozel tov!  she's a pretty child.
dawn, your gears are turning! and maybe this online space is some oil for my mindbot too?
*(yours was my favorite title yet).
nate, you speak well on the last post of your blog.  and i too wish of a reunion with friends young and old - plans anyone?
katie, you are adventurous, even in the face of undesired changes.  keep up those great computer doings.
heaven, you are surely vincely.  one day i will travel to the land of manchin-mountain heavens (sorry about the mountain party loss).
hope, i'm glad you found some dirt under those fingernails.  
corey, it's midnight.  go to bed.  i hope the neversleepingcityofbrotherlyapples is treating you the way you deserve.  kick back if need be.
will, you are a building machine.  wanna go to mexico together?
kate, you are magnificient.  i wouldn't want to be unemployed with anyone else.

my mom finished her cancer treatment last week.  i was lucky enough to be down there to celebrate with her.  she is a very strong woman who i respect, love and admire.  this post is for her

(and for all of you lovelies for the words, plans, ideas and inspirings you have posted.)

and one quick thought:  i have tried everything possible short of total desertion to shed my unitedstatesofamerican identity.  i went to the rally to restore sanity.  i don't know what it accomplished on a large scale, or what the real purpose of it was.  but i left feeling, for the first time in my memorable life, okay to be a unitedstatesofamerican.  heres why:

i was standing in back of a group of twentysomething muslim women, to the left of anarchist kids, in front of a black couple, and watched as an elderly white woman picked up litter to properly dispose of.  we stood there for many hours under tiring circumstances.  we laughed together, cheered, oogled the creative signage, and eventually left en masse.

maybe that's what the unitedstatesofamerica is - or can be.  a blob of different people not altogether sure why we're here, but making the most of it until we go home and take a nap.

or maybe it's a greedy empire that continues to gobble up sovereignty and resources, marginalize undesirable members, and evangelize its econopolitics.

i am with you,
eli.

While on the topic of access...

Check out the movie Fresh. Its about the new movement of food and life and all of these things we love. You can download it from that link.

Love ya'll.

WWOOF membership password and username share

Hey folks,
  I paid for a WWOOF (USA) membership a month or so ago.  So y'all can use it too!  [In case you're not familiar with WWOOF, it's an organization to find organic farms ya can work/live/learn at throughout the country]

http://www.wwoofusa.org/

Username:  squashplum
Password:  sublime


Have fun!!

Teeny Tiny Massive Scary Wonderful World

     I must agree that it is absolutely lovely to see this great group of people gathered in a collective sharing space. I miss having all of your sweet faces so readily accessible in our little Northwoods community.  I suppose our village just grew into a more standard world-wide size!

     To begin after graduation, my summer and most of the fall have been spent in a whirlwind of cooking, catering, and serving for three different employers while balancing the chaos of my cousin's monumental wedding.  I worked every hour within my reach and played the dangerous game of seriously overbooking myself.  But it has all paid off because, as of yesterday, my good friend from home and I just bought around the world tickets.  Starting in February, I will be in India for 2 months, Sri Lanka for 2 days, Thailand and Cambodia for 2 weeks, Israel for 2 weeks, Europe for 3 months, and Brazil and Argentina for 2 months.  I'm a little exhausted just thinking about it!

In India, I will be volunteering with the "Tibetan Aid Project" for ten days at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, then off to Delhi and the surrounding area to live in an ashram and volunteer either at a school or an orphanage or some combination thereof.

I don't have specific plans for Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, or Israel except that I'll be staying with family friends and I'll work on practicing the art of being a sponge to sop up as much of those colorful cultures as possible.

For the Europe aspect of the trip, I'll fly into Romania and somehow end up in England to catch the plane to Brazil.  I know I would like to make it to Norway to see the cousins I've never met, but other than that, I'm open to adventure!

In Brazil I plan to WWOOF. I found a farm high up in the mountains that overlooks about 20 different cities, raises goats, and has a large organic vegetable garden.  I'll be a goat cheese expert if I'm lucky!  If I'm still up for traveling I'll head to Argentina for a while and then contemplate whether or not I'm ready to come home/ evaluate how many pennies I have left in my bank account!

My most recent revelation is that I am not responsible for saving the world.  It is an egocentric notion on my part to think such a broad concept to be possible.  This world trip is about listening to and actually hearing other people.

If any of you crazy intellectuals have any ideas for me and this experience let me know! And if you will be in any of the same parts of the world it would be wonderful to see you!

Bear Hugs,
Cerri

PS I'm terrified!

flow

Selemat siang everybody, saya tingal di penestanan, ubud! Me no communicado/live americana

This will officially be my first blog post in my lifetime and probably my final one as well so I will try to predict my present and future perspective accurately (no offense to you people or this online space ~ it just isn’t quite my style/ although I am excited to listen to your stories and also be able to share a little bit of my experience these days). What a great idea! Can all of you post your email sometime soon?

As you all probably remember I left school and went backpacking in Europe for the summer with my brother. We went on too many boats in Stockholm, ate too many weinerschitzels in berlin, spent too many hours in the Budapest baths, got too much sun in Dubrovnik and cinque terre, and exercised my legs too much in the obernese highlands (gimmelwald for all you hiking junkies out there…phenomenal!) I overdosed on techno and have since been listening to very mellow melodies. 

From there I picked up my precious life-bag of gear and flew to bali. I had a two month internship with Reef Artisan Collaborative of Indonesia (www.raciproject.org check us out!) which was very interesting. The mission of the NGO based out of DC is to develop sustainable livelihoods for local Indonesian communities in marine protected areas – in the hopes that these other economic opportunities diversifies income – leads to less coral bombing and overfishing – and therefore preserves present and future coral reef environments. Some of the small business opportunities include local artist studio space for the creation and selling of their crafts, hydroponic loan/share programs as well as a local/international school education program with dormitory to teach about sustainability and coral reef environments.

Since my internship I have been promoted to the internship coordinator and RACI has expanded its focus. We are now setting up a volunteer network for environmental organizations around Indonesia – so I will be acting as a funnel moving volunteers from around the world to 8 of our selected partners doing reef restoration, sustainable livelihood development projects like I had talked about previously, as well as some environmental education – mostly in bali and north/south Sulawesi. Here is a pic of my office:

Since I now have a larger job with lots of uncharted steps to take, I have moved to bali until at least may 2011. I live in a nice wooden house owned by ebu putu, a nice grandmother figure which looks after me in this foreign place – but not to worry, the Balinese are a special people, happy and satisfied with everything they do. Who knows, I might take up the three common past times; kite flying, stoop sitting, and rooster comparison. Here is the view from my house..

If any of you are in a transition period of your life or are simply traveling through se asia, please get in touch with me at jakobschenker@gmail.com and I would love to put you up. Rent is also very affordable and big meals are only $1,  so maybe a long term stay could be for you. This is a good place for thinking, expanding/exploring your interests, spirituality and of course letting yourself flow.

cheers,

jakob

Wow: We Are Amazing People and I Love This Blog

Hey all!


I am so excited that i cant organize my thoughts! 
First: This is a totally cool Poem video that really makes you think about speaking. Also, it is so cool! Check it out               http://vimeo.com/3829682


Second: Thank you Dawn for that awesome recipe. Vince and I made this amazing Famers Market, Cheese optional lasagna that was to die for. I have to draft a more formal recipe for you all soon.


Third: I am definitely going to the Rally in DC this coming Saturday (October 30th) but the friday before Vince and I and some of my new AmeriCorps buddies are going Halloween Contra Dancing in Glen Echo Maryland at the Spanish Ballroom (Spanish Ballroom Events). I heard from Vince that a few people would be in DC for the rally and Glen Echo is only 20 minutes from there so please join us if your up to it!


fourth: I am loving and somewhat reserved about my new job. I am working in Maryland at Community Mediation Maryland (CMM) in Bel Air, MD. I Started October 1st and have been doing training mostly since then. I have to say that mediation is exceptional. Most importantly to me, it is empowering. The point of mediation is to provide the space for people to come together about their conflicts. We do not provide therapy (though it can have similar effects) and we do not pass judgement so that it truly is people solving their own issues. Also, we are all about community and making sure that we not only assist everyone in the community, but our staff reflects the community. By empowering people to solve their own problems and not involving "authorities," we strengthen community bonds and allow for all kinds of growth.
On the other hand, it seems that not for profit organizations have their own issues, particularly when it comes to organization. CMM has largely been established since the 90s so we are in some ways removed from full on chaos, but in other ways, like the details and expectations of my job, not so much.
Still, the community has been do outstanding in helping me move into the position and the state. My boss is amazing and motherly, if a little scatter brained, I am living with a CMM volunteer in exchange for babysitting her two adorable and well behaved kids, and everyone has been so sympathetic to my situation since I am the only AmeriCorps member who has come from outside MD (crazy?). But, ultimately, I love it…OH! and I have a great  network of farmers markets all over the place (though I miss Saratoga's).


and fifth: I just wanted to say again how much I love this Blogg. Also, should anyone be in the area, passing through, or in a state near by, please let me know and come visit!


Meg!


-The enemy of great is good

Me, a Westchester mom.

This is amazing. I am living at my parents' home in Chappaqua, NY, which while considered the exurbs is soo suburban is jumbles my mind most days.  I am working two volunteer internships in New York City right now, which is the last place I thought I'd end up, but I am really enjoying the work.

One is for an organization called CHALK, Choosing Healthy and Active Lifestyles for Kids.  It's a partnership between Columbia University Medical Center and NY-Presbyterian Hospital and their focus is to reduce childhood obesity in the Latino population of Northern Manhattan.  So, I stand at Farmer's Markets and teach kids and parents about eating healthy snacks and free yoga and dancXercise programs in their area.  The work feels mundane on a daily basis, but I truly believe in the cause which keeps me hopeful.

The second voluntinternship as I like to refer to them, is as a research assistant to a shrink at NYU's Center for Brain Health studying the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer's.  While I thought research was the last thing I wanted to do, this project is rejuvenating my view to the medical world.  I get to do little bits of all parts of the project, which keeps me constantly thinking and reassessing the possibility of a job in health care. Also, all of the doctors I work with are international and about 30 so to hear their experiences is truly invaluable and fascinating.

Other than these non-moneymaking jobs, I got a new puppy from the pound, she is 5 months old and named Annie. She's half yellow lab, half deer? and absolutely awesome.  We take small hikes daily and think about what's next.

As for what's next, it'll be something because right now "the social network" (not the movie) is m.i.a. and I sure have missed this space for exploration and all of you.If you find yourself in Northern Westchester or NYC. let me know.

Cheers,
Hayley

Ever tried making butternut squash chocolate chip cookes? They're delicious. This doesn't relate to my post but I didn't have any better ideas as to what to title it.

Wow. Here I am. Talking with all of you. I sat down at this computer intending to write about two sentences, as it's late and I'm tired and I don't have things sorted through in my head as to what I want to say. But having things completely sorted through in my head probably won't happen for quite awhile (let's hope never, I think), so this is what I've got. A combination of a visit to Skidmore to see my sister today (she's a freshman there now) and a surprisingly inspirational short article I just read about the history of the anti-globalization movement made me feel a) a surge of nostalgia for not exactly Skidmore even, but for what went on there for me, i.e., life-changing, and b) re-invigorated to do something about all the things I feel need to have things done about them in the world. And to feel that I want to be doing that now, not just 5 or so years hence, and not just indirectly through my job (which is great and I'm thankful for and I can tell you more about later) but directly, through something that I create, such that it's something I really believe in. So anyway I was intending to write about two sentences. And then I starting reading all of your posts. And then I kept reading them. It makes me feel - assured - I think is the right word, that you have all been leading such good lives in the interim since we last met. And that we're all making our way. And finding our way. As are many of you, I've been starting to do a lot of figuring, figuring out what I want to do, and can do, to make change in the world. I haven't come up with an answer yet. More later. You make me happy. I love you all.

Dawn

How do?

Hey you guys!
     This is great. This whole blog. I love it. I have been meaning to write something here. It is really interesting to see what you are all doing. I'm a bit dismayed at the idea that we all don't live in the same place anymore...and I don't know what to do about it...
     I am in Laurel, NY right now. Lucy and I are living with her parents for a couple months to save up some money after this bike trip. It's actually nice and full of homemade cheese and sourdough bread, and mushrooms and so many things I love, so I'm getting over this whole "living with parents" thing. Anyway, we are leaving our options open for future life-styes and times.
    The bike trip was great. We blogged it here. It was actually everything. All the time. Only everything and nothing else because it was all that was. I think one of the most memorable moments was when I pulled up next to Lucy and she looks at me like she's just had an epiphany and says, "We really have no business here...where are we?". And so, that was much of the trip. Just wondering where on this great Earth we were and how we'd ever gotten there. I'm still struggling to figure it out.
     You know that vagina monologue where she keeps repeating "he made me shave my vagina!"? I kinda feel that way about having made a resume. But I did and I sent it off to different places and shaved for my interviews. This is a scary place. Post-college.
   But most important right now is that I've started some research and proactivity on the changes I want to make in the world. After not being able to find my desired job category on the Career Services website, I realized I should probably write myself a job description and then figure out how to survive at it.
   Also, I know this space for exploration just recently morphed onto the internet, but I'm playing with the idea of coordinating an annual 2-4 week Intensive Exploration ThinkTank in some cabin or house somewhere where we could really get into our ideas and solidify some of our plans as to how to create positively. Essentially, I miss you all deeply and have a storm in my head.

So, I think that's enough for now.

I wish you all the best!

Nate

looking for a good time?

 

Rally to Restore Sanity

welcoming the unexpected in india

hello all -

first wanted to say that the reading's been great so far. it's so cool to see that everyone is having such a different experience post-college, and that everyone is really finding something (even if it's more questions) in this journey.

i am currently writing from Delhi, India - where I will be for only a few more short days. I came to India with a fellowship I recieved from an international development organization based in the US. They support all local, grassroots NGOs working in developing countries and often send volunteers to these organizations - to learn about local development issues, from a local perspective.

So, in late August, after a brief summer flirtation with Saratoga restaurant life followed by an epic cross country trip to LA (where my family moved, just 10 days before I left for India) .. I landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. There, I attended a month long training and orientation with 10 other recent college grads who are also placed in different organizations all around India.

(river near where I stayed...it was beautiful, though somewhat brown)

(rural area, crazy landscape with black rocks)

I felt extremely lucky to be placed in a rural area, where all kinds of new and beautiful plants flourished just outside my window and all around me.

(visit to a village, all the children with their teacher who showed me around)

The landscape was unlike any I'd ever seen, and the community was warm and welcoming - though no one spoke English. Just as I was getting into things there, I had to leave as some problems were caused by some of the NGO staff.

I've come to Delhi now to figure things out but will likely be heading up toward a city called Bhuj, located in the sand deserts of India. There, I will work to organize and train various women's groups, helping them to take control over local issues.

It's been a long and interesting adjustment and I've had to really change the expectations I had of this entire upcoming ten months. Many things will be different now that I am in another part of India, one that is hot (115 degrees in the summer months) and dry - more like a small city than a rural area. And trying to create a life (getting an apartment here, learning to cook, getting into a schedule of working life) in a totally foreign country sometimes feels like a daunting task  - but an exciting one at that!

A few things I have learned for sure
 - the village life is beautiful: so harmonious and peaceful, despite the lack of resource, there is a contentedness that is entirely fulfilling.
- we have a long time to explore, just because we are not able to have one kind of experience right now - it doesnt mean we can't have it later.
- communication doesn't have to happen through language
- writing and yoga are important daily practices to kee

So, I have a lot more things to share, but if you're into it - you can also read my blog - katielivesindia.blogspot.com ! (sorry for the self promotion)

otherwise, if anyone is interesting in exploring my area of India, (beautiful crafts, desert climate, recently rebuilding sustainable structures after an earthquake in 2001) you have a free place to stay and I will most certainly cook you all the indian recipies I am adding to my repetoire. (currently...rice)

hope everyone is well ! looking forward to reading more posts!

Katie

briefs

hello hello,

there are many things to share and for now, these are merely briefs...

1st) please listen to this new venture between mavis staples (legendary soul/gospel/funk singer) and jeff tweedy (talented indie folker). c'est incroyable.

"You Are Not Alone" by Mavis Staples 

item 2) if you are able to/are interested jon stewart is holding his rally in dc on october 30th, called the rally to restore sanity. rallies are sometimes fun to feel that kind of group exhilaration and teems of excitement, and i believe jon stewart is a smart fellow.  kate and i will be there.

numero tres) the leaves are showing color and the squirrels are gathering their stocks.  i hope all of you are flexing your own color and harvesting those necessities for the impending dormancy.  

you are not alone,
i'm with you,
eli.

Almost Heaven

For the next 11 months, I will get the chance to hike, monitor, maintain and GPS trails, put on environmental education programs for tourists and families, create maps and interpretive signs, and even fight forest fires - all in the incredible setting of Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia.

 Somehow, I ended up with this amazing job volunteering for the Forest Service through AmeriCorps. I applied for the position through the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to retaining local culture through conservation, historic preservation and heritage development. When I applied, I was interested only in the conservation aspects. But now that I’m part of the organization I get to learn about and become exposed to these other interesting initiatives. I really appreciate how AFHA combines these seemingly separate goals into a unified force.

 

After a week of general orientation in the big city of Elkins (population: 7,000), I came down to the lovely little town of Marlinton (population: 1,000), the place I now call home. Here, I work out of the Marlinton District Ranger Station. There are two of us AmeriCorps volunteers here in Marlinton, and two an hour away in Richwood, who we will be working with pretty often.

My focus within the Forest Service is on recreation. This fall, I will get outside as much as possible to do trail work and take needed GPS points. In the winter, I will be stuck in the office most of the time doing map work – let’s hope for a short winter! In the spring I will get back on the trail, posting up any signs I worked on over the snow season. In summer, the tourists return and I will get to work on education programs. As part of training for that, I will be camping and taking a Leave No Trace course this week.

 

But I have wonderful flexibility as an AmeriCorps member, and will get to taste as much of the Forest Service as possible. I’ve already helped with a Chestnut GPS project and will get to work on stream monitoring, salamander surveys, and other scientific studies. All told, so far a great introduction into work after college. It’s a shame so many of us recent graduates are unemployed or living with our parents – or both. If anyone wants to come and see this beautiful and rugged country, you are more than welcome to come and drop on by.

-Vince

The Suburbs

So thrilled I was invited to this! And to hear people are as confused and uncomfortable in this transition as I am.
I had kind of a life changing summer. Kate and Lisa had inspired me (unbeknownst to them) to explore the world of organic farming through wwoof. This group knows, farming/growing is really something about which I (and everyone) should be somewhat knowledgeable, these days, so I went to Canada.

this was was our front yard at the first farm in PEI. a farm of 20 goats, and a soap shop. No garden, just goats. The family was miserable and conservative and only ate frozen generic brand food, neglected their kids and pets and treated us like 'the help'. but it was beautiful. we rode our bikes to the beach every day, and hung out with awesome goats. 

Then we drove to the southeast coast of PEI and stayed with a woman who had a small house in the middle of the woods (which meant a horrifying population of mosquitoes and black flies) and an acre-large garden. She was kind of crazy though, very particular about EVERYTHING including the way we cleaned, washed dishes, and weeded. But we ate really good, healthy food, mostly grown on her property. 

The last farm was in Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. If anyone is thinking about wwoofing in Cape Breton, you must stay with the Oland family. They live on a stunning piece of land with a big garden and a barn full of animals. They have three intelligent and entertaining kids, all under age 12, and they're the most generous, down to earth people I've ever met. It gave me a true perspective on my own family and the different ways families (can) live and function. 

view from our bedroom window in Cape Breton

I travelled with my friend Casey from high school. we shared a pull out couch for three weeks.

chickenz

seasoned farmers

So that adventure ended pretty abruptly and I began looking for work in Boston. My original plan was to get a job in Boston, move into Boston, be a moderately happy yuppie and then go back to get my M.F.A. Plans have changed as I realized I didn't know what the fuck I wanted to do. Now I'm living at home, working at an amazingly delicious bakery, beginning yoga teacher training in November, and applying to get an MAT/AE in Art Education for next fall. Yay! In the meantime, I have been lamenting the death of my collegesociallife and listening to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs over and over again. 

-Hope

Noon or Midnight?

I reside at 844 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn NY, 11206.  I can't really say I'm living here though.  My room is in the basement on there are no windows and there is no air ventilation.  I miss the sun.  It's too bad, I wish I had something great to share.  I'm unemployed, but at least my economics education reminds me that this means I'm still technically part of the workforce because I am actively seeking employment.  I guess we share something in common, this Limbo hosts great company.  It's very good to hear from you Eli and Kate.  I think if anyone has sunny days ahead, it's the two of you.

Gung Ho is trying to play as much as we can here in NYC.  Actually we just had our first show in months, in Saratoga!  While there I joined Will and helped dig a foundation.  Thanks man for the job.  Funny that I can't get a job here, but while there I got one within a day.  No worries, I am going to a Temp Agency this week.  Gung Ho has some shows lined up for October, and hopefully many more will come.

I just finished The Books of Modern Rags, a songbook of solo piano music that I have been working on now for two years.  I am satisfied and fulfilled with the fifteen compositions.  Currently I am researching copywrite law and publishing means.  We'll see.  Just something I love doing.

I will let you know when I feel settled again and when I can tell if it's Noon or Midnight.

Sincerely,

Corey

4 years of college later and I'm living in a basement and doing manual labor

Howdy my dandy little comrades, 

Hooray for Kate and Eli for starting the initiative on making this blog happen. I'm not much of a blogger, nor am I much of a computerer, but if there's anyone who is worth operating one of these soul-sucking machines for, it is you guys. I hope this can turn into a venue for sharing resources, plans and ideas in hopes for reconnecting with one another in the future around activities that can both benefit the soil, the people, the non-people and each of us individually. 


My current dwelling is a remodeled basement on Clinton St in Saratoga, just a block away fro the Getty and Price Chopper.  Yes, I'm still here. My former landlord from last year offered me to crash in his basement for free, in exchange for helping him build a root-cellar and a 3-story porch above it on the old brick house that he and his family live in. He's a really cool guy, a Skidmore alumni from '92 actually, who owns a few houses in Toga and knows a crap-ton about building almost anything-- porches, foundations, doors, windows, stairs, art, gardens.  His specialty is converting basements into beautiful, functional spaces that are packed with chalk-board walls, art and light switches. He's been inspiration to become a do-it-yourself type of person, and I am learning all sorts of things from him.. This is a good way to live, both in terms of understanding what you own and manage and saving money. It's also part of a semi-interest of mine: learning how to retrofit old homes and buildings to incorporate more ecological/appropriate technologies into them. It seems less resource-intensive to work with what is already in existence, rather than tearing down the old and building new. 


Anyway, hopefully we will finish the addition by late October, and I will be returning back to western Mass for a few months to reconnect with friends and family for the holidays.  Then, Mexico. My tentative departure date is January 15th.  I desperately want to drive there for the experience of really seeing how far away Oaxaca is and for boycotting of using airplanes. BUT tickets online are like $200 dollars if I buy them nowish, so I'm having an intense economic vs. moral debate with myself on it... and I can't find anyone who wants to drive.  Anyone interested? I envision driving a junker down there and abandoning it or selling it at some point before returning to the States.  
Kate and Eli, your in Limbo, wanna go to Mexico? Learn spanish, work with Gustavo, get your hands dirty, come up with urban agriculturally/ permaculture projects. Farm. Meet up with old friends. Go to the beach. Be Merry.  


If only I had a camera to show you all this basement.  Too bad. You will have to come visit!! Seriously, I'd love to see any and all of you.  It's my first time living alone and it's been a difficult transition.


Best of luck to all of you, get in touch whenever, 413 320 7052
Will Coffey

Sitting here in limbo

Here we are.  Jobless, distressed and mustached.  But how did we get here?

Our plans had assembled themselves last Spring to working through AmeriCorps at a farm-based community that lives and works with people who have developmental disabilities.  On 600 acres of beautiful rural Columbia County, NY, it seemed rather ideal.  Eli and I moved there in early July, only to find, ironically, isolation, and not the peaceful farm life we had imagined.

I suppose within any large group of people there will be messy politics, but this community is also much more religiously involved than they advertise.  Upon expressing my personal discomfort with weekly Bible readings, I was met with contempt and I would say there was even coercion happening.  I could go on, but in short, we were asked to leave the community, against our will, and maybe even against the AmeriCorps policy(!).  We drove away on sweet and sour terms — I loved working on the 2 acre herb garden that produces teas and remedies, and Eli on the animal farm, but we couldn't maintain our health and sanity in a place where we felt disrespected and where our rights were being violated.

So, now that I have returned to ground zero, I am reflecting upon my experiences, and am resettling my goals and aspirations for the next year.  Both of us have decided to apply to other AmeriCorps programs in the Cleveland, OH region, where Eli's dad lives.  But for now, sitting in limbo in Boston.

and...we got a kitten!  She left the farm with us, and we named her Luna.

~Kate