Mixed Blessing

It's been raining record amounts here in the "City of Angels" during the season of Christmas. The Oregonian part of me rejoices in the life-giving waters. The humanitarian part of me aches with every thought of the "unwanted ones" who come to eat at our Hippie Kitchen, many without shelter, proper rain gear, or some even without shoes. We do what we can, but still people suffer in the rain. How can we face that?

Freeganism as Civil Disobedience

Dumpster diving is a great way to get free food and to shock people into awareness of waste, but I see a lot more to it. It is true that the activity is mildly illegal, because it is often seen as a form of trespassing or even stealing (which is ridiculous to me, but that's beside the point). People shouldn't be fooled; even though it is rare to be arrested or prosecuted for bin raiding, there is a risk of that (and the risk that goes with the stigma associated with such activities). And because of the risk, people who dumpster dive should believe that it's worth getting in trouble for. I think that's where the principles of  Freeganism come in.

I personally see dumpster diving as a form of civil disobedience. I am violating the petty laws that protect trash (which is a representation of a wasteful society) in order to make a statement about the system that creates trash. Another part of freeganism is finding ways to reduce my own participation in that system. Dumpster diving provides a strategy for stepping out of consumer habits.

This topic came to my mind because of a recent police encounter. At our last dumpster ride event, we were confronted by the same officers who stopped us on our May dumpster ride (check the link for a recounting of that incident). During the first stop on our October ride, we where cornered by the police while we were behind the fence and in the dumpsters. We were caught red handed, trespassing! I have a problem with the way that authority holds the words of the law above the ideas that motivate people to break or keep the laws. The cops were also verbally abusive with us, assuming that we were less than them, merely because we were "breaking a law". How can they expect us to cooperate and keep our cool when they approach us with guns and sharpened words?

Even when stopped by authorities, it is rare to be prosecuted for such a "crime" as dumpster diving. We have not been contacted since the incident.

A Little Burnt Out

I've still been rescuing food almost every night, serving on Skid Row nearly every day, living communally (that means having lots of meetings) and keeping a busy social schedule. When the weekend came, my body told me it had had enough of the late nights and early mornings. We all need balance, even the most energetic and idealistic of us. I tried to sleep in this morning... of course I only made it to 9:30 (after a bedtime some time after 1 AM). Let's try this tomorrow...

Make no mistake; I am not complaining. I choose this life and I love every minute of it. But sometimes we're just tired...

"That Money Thing"

Change of address: the URL for this blog is now http://funkyfreeganjournal.blogspot.com. I thought that it would make more sense that way.


The other day, Celina (my boyfriend's ten year old daughter), and Eric and I were talking together. She was sharing with us about the house she last lived in with her mom. Celina missed the old house, and knew that the rest of her family did too. "We were happier there", she said, "but we had to move because of that money thing. I don't get it". Her dad then tried to explain the difference in price between the houses they rent, and the necessity of moving out of the expensive place because of changes in the economy and their income. Celina was hanging on to her memories.
"Don't they want us to be content?"
Eric replied, "No, they want to make more money."

Isn't it the truth? Why does human society make things so complicated? I imagine a world in which people did care whether or not others (especially families) were content.

I just finished reading a book (called "Life is So Good") about the life of a Southern man (George Dawson) who lived for the entire 20th century. He didn't learn to read until he was 98 years old, as he had been forced by circumstance to work from age 12 to support his family. In his later years, while writing the book, he reviewed history (now being able to read it) with the young white man (Richard Glaubman) who helped him to write the memoir. In this passage I want to quote, they were discussing the Great Depression of the 1930's and the raised rate of suicides during that time.

I still didn't get it. I asked Richard, "Why did they have to kill themselves?"  

Richard said "They didn't have to, it's just what some people did when they lost all their money". 

"So they was rich to start with?" I asked. 

"Some of them were very wealthy on paper, but when their stock value fell they couldn't pay their debts."

"Wealthy on paper, huh. Yeah, back in those days, when you could get em, I would always take a silver dollar over a paper dollar even though they was heavier to carry."

Richard said, "Well,  I don't know how to explain it. Their paper wasn't even paper dollars. It was just pieces of paper that represented money. Their huge capital losses were really about losing money they never had."

I just looked at him.

"The more I think about it, I'm not sure I understand it so well my self."

I couldn't help myself from saying, "Tell me again how many years of schooling you've had."

Richard threw up his hands, "I never even took Economics 101".

"Well, I never did neither, but I wouldn't go killing myself about losing some money that I never had in the first place".

Richard asked me what I remembered of the '30's. I was there in the thirties alright, but I didn't know too much about a depression. Times was tough, but that's just how it was.

 

Greetings from The Farm (Eating Right)

For the last few days, I have been on vacation from LA and that it entails. It's been a good time to slow down, to think and to recharge. My weekends are never times of rest when I'm at home because we're always busy doing something, whether it's community duty or "fun time" or dumpster meetup related.

I've been taking my time off in an organic farming community in Camarillo, CA called the "Abundant Table Project" or "Join the Farm!". There's a small group of girls ("interns") who live here to tend the farm and grow in community. They're very welcoming and friendly folks. I've really been enjoying my time here.

Something that I particularly love about this place is how well we eat here. We have full reign of the goodies that we harvest from the fields (they have roughly four acres of organic veggies) and the produce that the girls trade for at the local framers' markets. Since I have been here, I have been eating raw kale salads, fresh fruits, Swiss chard cooked with tomatoes and chili and fresh eggs from their friendly backyard hens. I have a deep-rooted feeling that this is how humans beings are really meant to eat. I'm sick of these over-processed foods that are shoved down our throats through aggressive advertising. How can anyone think of selling such unhealthy things to people? How many of our health problems could be reduced if we ate more healthily? How much easier would it be to eat right if we were sold the right foods (or if we grew them ourselves)?

I go home tonight, to a community in transition. It will be straight into the summer program, with two new interns to meet and instruct. 

                                     

Until next time, 

greetings from the chicken. ^

"You People Don't Look Like Criminals"

As many of you may know, we hosted our 7th monthly "Dumpster Ride and Freegan Meal" event on Saturday. We rescued a lot of food, as usual. In fact, we filled up most of our cargo capacity (including the space in two accompanying cars) at our very first stop. The event was a success in all aspects. After the ride, we had a party at our gracious friend Eric Michael's house and enjoyed the bounty of our harvest (and the company of his pet boa, René). (more pics here)

But we had an extra element of excitement in our event this month. As we were leaving our first supermarket stop, some of us noticed that a helicopter seemed to be following our small band of about 8 cyclists. Less than a mile down the road, we paused at a stoplight and were surrounded by police cars! The issue was that an employee of the store was there when we were and he called 911 to report theft. He thought that we were stealing the stock that they keep behind the fence next to the dumpsters. We never met the employee, but the cops we talked to made sure he knew that we were not stealing.

The officer who confronted us asked one of our friends to open a wine box that was mounted on his bike ("That box looks familiar", the cop said). It was a classic moment when the opened box revealed not bottles of wine, but dirty potatoes and lemons. The encounter was a little tense at first, but it relaxed quickly after the cop shared our disgust in the amount of food that goes to waste. He told us that his brother, who works for a large food warehouse company, tried to start an organization to redirect his company's food waste to needy people. The effort crumbled because of tough legal requirements and food standards. Millions of tons of edible food are still wasted every day. In that light, the officer said he could understand why we were dumpster diving. He had to remind us, though, that trespassing is illegal (which I am sure we all knew). At the store we first stopped at, the dumpsters are locked behind a fence near the loading dock, where new stock is also kept. When we climb under or over that razor topped fence, we are incurring the law and suspicion of theft, even though we are careful to never take anything but trash.

One of the first things our officer friend told us was that "You people don't look like criminals". My haughty mumbled response was, "That's because we're not". (To which he replied with a lecture on trespassing laws). The scenario reminded me of a video in which my friend Ashwyn encounters a security guard while dumpster diving. The guard is telling Ash to leave, saying, "It's illegal". Ash counters with, "It should be illegal to throw some of this stuff out". Seriously, who are the real criminals here? The people who break laws about private property in order to make good use of edible waste? Or perhaps it's the corporations who are breaking laws of humanity by denying people food. The huge amount of waste has a negative effect on the environment, and keeps millions of people hungry.

On another note... What exactly did the cop mean when he said that we didn't "look like criminals"? Was he referring to the fact that we weren't hiding (since we don't feel that we do anything wrong, we allow ourselves to stick out like sore thumbs)? Or did he say that because we were a group of white people on mediocre or nice bikes? Just some food for thought...

Why Cars?

Last week when we were doing our weekly anti-war vigil procession around the downtown federal building complex, I decied to count cars. I counted for about 10 or 15 minutes while we were walking. My estimated tally of cars driving down Alameda Blvd in that period is 300. I counted around a dozen buses, 6 Metro trains and 3 bicycles. That's 1 cyclist for every 100 motorists. Most of the cars held only the driver. It made me hope for a day when cyclists outnumber cars. Motor vehicles are so big and need so much more fuel to power than a bicycle does. Why do we need cars anyway? They take so many more resources to create and to function.

I am reminded of Cuba in the 90's, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Cuba's source of fossil fuels was drastically cut off, and so they had to adapt. The country's agriculture changed significantly to reduce the use of petroleum products. Cars were forsaken and traded for bicycles. The face of transportation was transformed simply because there was no longer a source of cheap fuel. Check out the documentary "The Power of Community" for more info about that page of Cuba's history.

Someday the rest of the nations will have to face that same situation. I say we adjust now, before we are forced into an unfamiliar lifestyle by circumstance instead of choice.

On Equality

I'm a feisty kind of girl, the type that can't stand to be underestimated or objectified. I'm easily ticked off if people display disbelief when I go to lift a 50 pound bag of oats or use a hacksaw. The phrase "you're doing a man's job" is a derogatory one to me and the ultimate insult is being ogled and heckled on my way home from the kitchen. In my mind, these things show a lack of respect for women.

However, I have recently started to feel guilty about my possible overreactions. After all, I did just read "A Woman Among Warlords", a book about the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan. My experience of "inequality" is nothing compared to what these sisters have gone through and continue to face. I can walk home alone without threat of Taliban or fundamentalist punishment or the possibility of being raped as a strategy of war. The way I dress is mine to choose, though I know those choices will determine the amount of hassling I get on my walk.

I really should be aware of the freedoms I have rather than complain about the small things I encounter.

Flowers and a Lack of Respect

I've been making an effort to reduce my time on the computer, and have succeeded in not using the internet for almost a week. It has been great for my reading, my relationships and my self-esteem, but not so good for making regular blog posts. :)

Two days after the big "day of love", Eric and I hit a local grocery store dumpster and it was full of flowers (what else would it be?). I was very saddened to see these beautiful bouquets, all in fantastic shape, just discarded so easily. There were many dozens of the traditional long-stemmed roses, along with other vivid, colorful varieties of flowers. As I always lament, I wish that our camera was working that day so that we could have taken pictures to post. With or without photos, I think you can get the point that it is such a waste of resources, including the time and energy it takes to grow, harvest and transport the flowers. Flowers can be such a joy, but no one will get to enjoy the tons of  plants that will have been tossed into landfills just because they did not sell in the Valentine's Day sales. What a shame.

The canning of all these flowers is not just an issue of waste. It is a lack of respect for the earth, and for life itself. Each plant has within it the same breath of life that we do, causing it to grow just as we do. We have lost our "sense of awe" in regard to the very existence of life itself in our world.

"Forfeit your sense of awe, let your conceit diminish your ability to revere, and the universe becomes a marketplace for you." - Abraham Joshua Heschel  

Human beings have wrested control of this planet out of the hands of the once-balanced ecosystem and turned it into a marketplace. If there is ever an opportunity to turn a piece of nature into product and profit, we find it. We have manipulated every inch of our world to suit our fantasy economy and fabricated needs.

But not for long. Mother Earth will fight back. When we have taken all that we can take, we will be forced to change our way of life. Nature will just move on without us. Someday, humanity will lose.

In the meantime, I took as many of those flowers as I could and redistributed them. For free, of course.

A "Prayer Request" or Two

There are many people who need our positive thoughts, or prayers (whichever term you prefer). My evangelical background is still in me deep down and so is prayer.

In particular need of prayer in my life right now is a friend, only 42 years old, who had a brain anuerism/stroke last Tuesday and has had several surgeries to counter it. She is still in ICU and her partner also needs mental/spiritual support.

Also, never lose mental sight of those in Haiti and those here in our very city of LA who will be affected by the heavy storms coming our way. I was down at the Hippie Kitchen today and so was reminded of the people who have no place to go when the rain and wind start their bickering. Tarps and disposable ponchos only do so much. I often feel like we're just a band-aid, and an ineffective one at that.

Correction and Confession

Ok, so January has turned out to be less of a "slump" than I had hoped, as evidenced by my lack of posting. One of my "resolutions" (not specifically aligned with New Year's) was to keep up my blog better than I have been. :) Who can actually do all the things they wish they would really do? Some people like to think that I do just go for whatever I wish to in life, but I find myself to be a little disappointing sometimes. I may live alternatively like I want to, but there is so much about how I do things personally that I would like to change.

That leads me to a recent article published about me on the blog of an international journalism student in the UK. She paints a very rosy, "pedestalizing" picture of me and of Freeganism. I don't know how she got the idea that Freegans don't use money, or at least that I don't use money. It does seem to be a common misconception. Some freegans have reached that point in their application of the freegan ideals, and I aspire to be that strong. In the community I live in, however, members of the house receive a $15/week stipend, which doesn't seem like much to some people. But when your needs are provided for just by definition of living communally (mutual giving and sharing of our time and resources includes food and a space in the huge house the 20 of us share), any extra money is just that - extra. And when you have extra money in your pocket, you're probably going to end up spending it, even if your ideals are against the spending of money on yourself. Well, that's how I have a cellphone and go out drinking occasionally (now you know).

There are valid arguements in favor of using money in order to do good. I do happen to agree with that, as long as the money comes from a valid source. I mean, that's how the Catholic Worker and the JCs operate at all. In order to do humanitarian or educational work, there is some level of compromise with the system that goes on. It's rather unfortunate and drives me crazy, but it's true. I don't know that one could live entirely on the outside of the economy and still provide for needs on the large scale that the CW does. However, they do what they can to minimize thier involvement with the structures of power, such as not taking any money from the governments to fund their work. The LACW is not a 501(c)3 tax-exempt cooperation and doesn't ever want to be. It means a little inconvience for us and our donors sometimes, but it's a way to express the beliefs of the group.

From freegan.info's "philosophy" page: Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which we may never even consider. Thus, instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest degree we are able.

And even if I did not spend my stipend and lived completely without using money, it would not be that great of a feat. I get my food for free quite easily (if not from the dumpsters, then from the shared donated food we eat at the house), have clothes given to me by friends and my younger sisters and have a free place to stay, in return for my time doing something I want to do anyway. It seems like much too easy a life. Sigh.

EDIT: another correction to another common misconception - the community (Los Angeles Catholic Worker) is not a freegan organization, nor do any members besides myself claim to be freegan. I know other freegans just like me, though, who live in communities of alternative lifestyles and still use money, hesistantly or not. 

Christmas "Blah"gging

It's been too long since my last post, once again. I can't decide whether I should blog about my latest Freegan outings or rant about the materialism of the Christmas season. At this moment, I am waiting here in LA at my computer to video chat with my family in Oregon for their Christmas dinner. However, it's 8:30PM and they're still in a Wal-Mart, shopping. People like to say that Christmastime is about family values rather than expensive gifts, but I sure don't see that happening in the US.

As any reader should know by now, Freeganism is pretty darned opposed to the consumerist drive of the holiday season. People of religious tradition (and me just 2 years ago) would argue that point by saying that capitlaism has "taken the 'Christ' out of "Christmas", but now I would even go as far as to say that the modern American Christmas tradition was created solely for market and not in recognition of Christ at all. I am not opposed to people giving one another gifts (I have even bought [gasp] a couple for close friends this year myself), nor do I oppose the celebration of the birth of a manifestation of the Divine. But I do oppose the system's tactics of "brainwashing" through the advertising media and the destruction of the Earth through needless consumption.

Well, I just got a call from my family, saying that I won't be able to chat with them tonight, even though we had made this apointmet over the weekend. And all because they got stuck in Wal-Mart. ARGGH!

No Peace, No Prize

I wrote this poem this morning, inspired by the signs my friends were holding and the chant we voiced as they were being arrested for merely standing on federal property. 

No Peace, No Prize

Last week you vowed to send more troops in our name
No peace, no prize
We can see through your "hope and change" game
No peace, no prize
Acting is not enough, though the world be a stage
No peace, no prize
A prize called "peace", while two wars yet rage?
No peace, no prize
You may be a diplomat, but you're no hero
No peace, no prize
Next to King and Theresa, your numbers mean zero!
No peace, no prize
Do us a favor and be "humbled" indeed
No peace, no prize
Detach yourself from these wars led by greed!
No peace, no prize


No peace, no prize
End the lies
No peace, no prize
open your eyes
No peace, No prize
lose the guise
No peace, no prize
hear the cries
No peace, no prize
while people die

No peace.
No prize.
 

In Solidarity

I slept more comfortably last night than any other time that I had slept on the streets before that. Of course, I had never had the luxuries of an open sleeping bag and a camping mat (nor the warmth of a body next to me) any other night out on the sidewalks, either.

Yesterday was the third anniversary of Los Angeles' "Safer Cities Initiative", a program set in place by the city with the goal of "cleaning up Skid Row"(links lead to articles relating to the subject). It's a highly controversial initiative that has poured 50 more police officers (over 100, if you count undercover narcotics officers sent in to falsely arrest afflicted drug users under charges of dealing) into the 50 blocks of the Skid Row community of Downtown Los Angeles. It has led to sky-high numbers of arrests and complaints of police brutality. In the opinon of the resisdents of Skid Row, and the minds of friends of the homeless (such as the LACW and myself), it is an unfair shift in policing that has led to the ciminalization of the poorest of LA.

(The picture is from a different protest, same issue. I hope that pictures from Monday night's protest should be available soon).

The Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) held a protest that evening on the steps of the Central Division Police Station (the station that is in Skid Row) to show opposition to the SCI. Eric and I joined the LA Catholic Worker, many homeless people, and other supporters/activists (including attorney Jim Lafferty) in a rally and the following sleep-in on the sidewalk in front of the police station with banners that read things like "Still no room at the inn: LAPD stop persecuting the Homeless", "LA must repent for criminalization of the homeless", "Lofts for the rich, cells for the poor" and so on and so forth. It was a lively action with good energy.

(they also went on to protest at the city council meeting the next morning, which I missed due to kitchen duties, but you can read a blurb about it here)

For me, it was about solidarity. I have slept away from shelter before, just as voluntarily, and always with a mind on those for whom such action is not an option, but a necessity. Twice it was for a week-long "faith outreach" with the JCs and once it was a two month journey with the JCs and our moneyless friend Suelo. Those times, we started with nothing but the clothes on our backs, as a time of trusting in a God who "works things out" and as a measure of identifying with the poorer half of our global neighbors. Those times were adventures in themselves and probably need to be written about.

In the meantime, let us ponder on our treatment of the less fortunate and to remember that the system's broken; how are we going to fix it?

It's up to us.

An Accepted Collective Insanity

Last night, Eric and I decided to try some new territory in our dumpster diving adventures; we went for a couple of spots that had been mentioned to us as having a tendency to be locked. It turns out that these two stores had locked fences, but open dumpsters. And thankfully, they were an easy hop, at least for an enthusiastic Freegan couple with a penchant for climbing things.

The resulting haul was huge (click the pics for a huge-er peek), and mostly from one of the two grocery retailers we checked out. The abundance was overwhelming; my first tendency is to yell, "Score!!!". But I soon realized how the whole thing was equal parts exciting and mentally devastating. The whole time we were cleaning, arranging and photographing the food, I kept saying, "This is insane."

For me, just the sheer waste was a sign of the craziness of our society and the ineffectiveness of our economic system. There was probably around 80 pounds (if not more) of perfectly edible meat (as well as a lot of of beautiful fruit and chesses): well packaged and still-cold packs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fully cooked smoked salmon, thinly sliced beef sirloin and two whole chickens. Each little pack (usually around a pound or two or three of meat, my guess) was priced around $10. Their "crime"? (As my mother would say.) They were expiring that day or the next. Now, an expiration date is a suggestion, not a ticking clock on a rotting time-bomb. Why throw away perfectly good meat that could have been given away (and which will now, thankfully, be given away) ? It is likely that this particular store was overstocked and/or that meat sales are particularly down at this point in time. Meat that is close to the "suggestion date" is not likely to be bought by picky consumers and therefore, is not profitable. Better make room for fresher, more "in-demand" product!

The second insanity is the state of mind promoted by a consumer- (and profit-) driven system. A state of mind that says the locking up of and barbed-wire protection of trash (albeit perfectly edible trash) is an acceptable practice just doesn't make sense! It is such an unhealthy sign of the state of things that we have to sneak around like little kids breaking into a toy store just to liberate food that belongs to the people of this planet. I have literally had management tell me before (not anytime recently, thankfully) that I was "stealing [their] garbage". What?!? 1. You've thrown it away as an unwanted possession; 2. Food is a shared necessity that should be freely available to those with the need for it; 3. Waste is a costly, dangerous and pointless thing! We should make use of it as best we can. Try telling that to well-trained employee of a mega-corporation. You'd be better off cooperating and moving on to try your luck somewhere else. Some people don't want to change their minds.

Enjoy this well done video of my friend Ashwyn showing off the insanity to an Australian nightly news reporter.

Easily Amused?

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend Eric and I were interviewed together about about dumpster diving for a radio program on KFI, an AM radio station. For those of you who don't know of KFI Los Angeles (whose slogan is "more stimulating talk radio"), they have a bit of a reputation for being of the conservative slant. So much so that when I mentioned the show Eric and I would be on to my friend Jeff, his loud reaction ("No way! They're gonna tear you up!") threw me off guard.

But the interview wasn't too bad, and we were not ridiculed as much as Jeff (or Eric for that matter) had expected.

You can download the program here (click on John and Ken Saturday 7/25), or just listen here. The bit about dumpster diving is around 45 minutes into the program (you can fast forward to it). It's nothing all that remarkable, but we did have at least one individual join the Los Angeles Dumpster Diving Meetup because of the show.

The one thing that stands out in my memory from the interview was that after I shared a story in response to the question about favorite dives, one of the hosts said, "It doesn't take much to amuse you guys, does it?"

At first, that response bothered me (it was obviously not a favorable comment), but after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it's ok. Being content with what we have is an important concept in Freeganism. I guess you could even say that we are "easily amused" and proud of it. I am going to be happy when I am surprised by an unexpected treat in the dumpster, and, well, most people wouldn't be. Their amusements come from expensive gadgets, whereas I am more entertained by the simple things in life.

In case you're wondering, the story I shared was this:
Not too long ago, Eric and I were dumpstering with a friend, and our flashlight was running out of battery. Shortly after we commented to ech other on that, I came across a new flashlight in the bin. It was empty (without batteries), and I expected that it didn't work (I mean, it was thrown away). Less than a minute later, my friend found a pack of size C batteries (tossed because of damaged packaging). They just happened to be the right size for the flashlight, and, get this, it worked! Now, for me, that's a pretty cool story. But John and Ken were not impressed. Oh well.

"And it's on the Table..."

"I don't mind stealing bread /From the mouths of decadence /But I can't feed on the powerless/ When my cup's already overfilled" -Temple of the Dog, "Hunger Strike"

It's very sad to me that we can find such amazing amounts of food thrown away while our brothers and sisters in other locales are starving from lack of supplies.
Below, we have transferred eggs we found into flats that we brought. A full carton of eggs will be thrown away if even just one egg is cracked in the collection. Often these eggs are more than two weeks before their expiry date.

Next picture is of one couple's share of the haul, after it was taken home and cleaned. Thirteen people showed up to that meetup. I was taking extra food for my intentional community of twenty housemates, and another lady was taking extra to donate to a food pantry. Yet, even still, we did not take all that was in just one of the three dumpsters of that particular store. Incredible.

Technological Advancements in the Area of Timewasting

I have now broken the pattern of "post, poem, post, poem." Oh well. You can read a full collection of my recent poetry by clicking here.

For such a staunch freegan, I sure do waste a lot - of time. Have you noticed that things that are meant to make our lives simpler have taken us over? The huge machine-powered industries that produce our food (and destroy our planet) make human lives no longer centered around the gathering and preparation of sustenance. And so then we need something else with which to fill our time, so why not make more machines? And it goes on and on, until each gadget we had to help us morphs into an entertainment piece, like computers and cellphones. Not to mention the time-filling machines with no other helpful purpose, such as video game consoles and the television (though, of course, it can be rightly argued that they do have another purpose - that of enslaving the minds of the masses to a certain veiwpoint).

We've even gotten to the point that we'll talk on our cellphones while in the bathroom or in a dumpster. :P

Free time is a valuable resource, and now that people have so much of it (thanks to technology), there is so much we can do with our lives! And for people freed of the "rat race", like myself, that's even more time that can be used in a positive way (like to help others or share time/life with friends). But I have found myself sucked into the vortex of cyberspace time and time again, wondering, where did the hours go? While I was at the Rainbow Gathering, I imagined all the great things I was going to do when I got home, like focusing on learning more on the guitar, or in Spanish, or even just to read more books. But then I get on the computer to "check my email" and find time just slipping out the window. It's easy to justify myself, to say that I spend half of my time volunteering at the soup kitchen and the house, so how I spend the rest of my time is my business. Sure, it is. And it's also my life slipping away. Well, perhaps next time I write, I'll speak a little more of the language I want to learn. What, tu no me crees???

Blogging Blues

Another thing I spend valuble time on is the reading of other blogs. Sometimes it makes me sad, wishing I could write more wittily, like my favorite cartoonist, Dan Pirarro. Or I wish I had a lot of followers, like my good friend Suelo. I think, "I'll try to be more personal and frequent, instead of writing like the informative, but only monthly, JC Newsletter." But then I think to myself again, heck, I write the same stuff in my paper journal and ask people not to read it, so why does it matter if I get read online?!?

Back to a philisophical viewpoint - The whole above paragraph is another indication of the need to release any attachments I have... Particularly the attachment to my ego, pride and the wish to be read.

If you haven't noticed, I have found a name I thought might work, but I am still open to more suggestions!!!