Friday, May 28, 2010

home. it's a weird concept to me, having moved away from the home i grew up in, permanently, in august. i may not stay where i'm living now but i'm sure never going back to the small town of my childhood in rural southern new jersey. and yet, whenever i go to visit my family, i say i'm going "home", even though i haven't felt truly at home in that house, where i lived from the time i was a few months old, since i went to college at 18. i left and my room became my sister's room, and when i visited i got to stay in the office/guest room. add that to the fact that brooklyn feels increasingly more like home every day, and home is just not really very homey.
today it grew even less so. my mom and stepdad are getting a divorce, and my mom's embarking on a new phase of her life with a new job in a new state (hello, pennsylvania!) and as of today, a new condo. now, without my mom living in the house i grew up in, it's really not home at all. moving my mom out of that house was pretty surreal. i'll definitely still visit, as my sister and stepdad are staying there, but it seems quite empty now.
even though i've moved away and settled into a new place quite happily, my life still hinged on that axis of "home". i still knew i could always go back to the house i grew up in and see my family and have that familiarity. now that all that's rearranged, i feel a little off-kilter. i guess this is growing up, living through the shifts and establishing a new axis away from that old notion of home.

Monday, May 17, 2010

at the reveal conference the other weekend, in sera beak's redvolution workshop, she gave us the idea of asking our divine spark to send us a sign, whether it be in the form of a symbol, a color, or whatever, just to sort of let us know that she's present. i closed my eyes and listened deep and wasn't surprised when the image of a hummingbird came to mind. hummingbirds have become something of a totem for me, and i honored my hummingbird spirit with a tattoo a couple of years ago. as of this morning, i hadn't seen any hummingbirds or heard any mentions of hummingbirds since reveal, but i've definitely felt my divine spark at work, and have been recognizing little winks and nudges from the universe left and right. this morning i was on my way to meet with the supervisor of a possible internship for next year. in MSW school, your second year field placement could lead to a job, and i was less than satisfied by my first-year experience. needless to say, i was hoping this possibility would be a good fit. my bus came late, and i ended up getting to the office about 15 minutes past my appointment, even though i'd left my apartment plenty early. as i waited to cross the street to the office, a cab drove past. not an unusual occurrence, this is new york city after all. but, across the door (in red letters, no less) was the company name - "hummingbird taxi". the internship, of course, is exactly up my alley and i couldn't be more pleased with my new supervisor.

Sunday, May 16, 2010


photo (c) roberto dutesco, found here

today, my roommate tj and i wandered from our brooklyn neighborhood to the brooklyn bridge, across to manhattan, and up to crosby street. we had no real plan, but we were led to some amazing places including a gallery on crosby, one of my absolute favorite streets in new york. through the windows of the gallery i spotted these absolutely stunning photographs of horses. now, i am not a horse lover. i think they're beautiful, and i went on a trail ride once that was pretty cool, but i'm not typically overly excited by horse related stuff. i also know little to nothing about photography. however, i know that these images are amazing. i was completely transfixed and had to go inside. the photographs, by roberto dutesco, are all taken on sable island. it's an island off of nova scotia that is uninhabited by humans, but home to these wild horses. dutesco is using his beautiful images as a vehicle for "awareness through beauty", with the following mission:
Beauty has the power to inspire, to teach and to drive action.

Awareness through beauty is more than a philosophy, it is about taking concrete action to support conservation projects around the world and help protect the handful of sites that remain in a state of true wilderness.

The Wild Horses of Sable Island Mobile Project, aims to inspire tomorrow’s leaders in emerging and developing countries about the importance of natural habitats and conservation. Our goal is to establish a network of Sable Island Kindergartens where children will be introduced the incredible story of the Wild Horses of Sable Island, through film, photography and storytelling.

amazing, am i right? check out their website for more information about the project. the gallery is apparently part of a mobile museum, and i'm not sure how long it will be in new york or where it's headed next. if you're in the new york area, i strongly recommend visiting 13 crosby street while they're there, i'll definitely be heading there soon for a second look.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

good food and a good show.

a couple of days ago, my friend blair and i tried a restaurant called iCi here in my neighborhood, and goodnessssss it was amazing. they use locally sourced ingredients and their menu changes seasonally according to what is most available locally, so i was intrigued by that from the start. the food is creative and completely delicious, and the portions are perfect! the prices were too high for me to be a regular patron, but as an occasional splurge, they're perfect. i want to try the brunch soon.

last night was quite the incredible night. the LRA disarmament and northern uganda recovery act passed through the house of representatives and is en route to obama's desk! YES!!! as soon as i got the news via a tweet from resolve uganda, i started my own personal dance party in times square. i am SO HAPPY and so proud of all my friends who've worked so hard to get this thing through. WE DID IT!!!

also last night, blair and i went to see american idiot on broadway, and it was pretty awesome. when i first heard about the show, i was a little confused as to how green day's music would translate on the broadway stage, but they did an awesome job of keeping it gritty and 100% rock music. it was a broadway show that acted like a rock concert, and i dig that. i also totally love john gallagher, jr and he did a tremendous job. and there was aerial dance! ahh, love.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

i spent yesterday at REVEAL, a conference about spirituality for young women, and it was AH-MAZING. seriously. i am a total junkie for religion and spirituality, and the emphasis on the feminine is soooo up my alley. i also tend to unnecessarily stress myself out about my own spirituality. yesterday i finally realized that i don't have to label my spirituality. really. it may sound like a pretty obvious thing, but this realization is HUGE for me. i have spent a lot of time and energy trying to "decide" my spirituality. uh, hey linds, it's not a decision! it's a journey, a relationship, a lifetime of exploration. this is so exciting!
a highlight of the conference, for me, was hearing from and meeting sera beak, who wrote the red book, a book that totally changed my perception of spirituality when i read it last year. i strongly recommend reading the book (i'm reading it for a second time now) and poking around her website, she's just incredible. the first page of her website introduces her well - "i follow my own red heart. i listen to those who speak from their own. i question, doubt, and dare to know there's always more." yesssssss! love it.
in addition to sera there were so many amazing women in attendance as presenters, volunteers, and participants. i wanted to have a big slumber party afterward with all my sisters. big giant heaping overflowing gratitude from my red heart to those of everyone who made the day possible, it was definitely one i will never forget.