A Broad Abroad

Inauguration – Oakland View, originally uploaded by peggydaly.

through my tears…this was how i saw the inauguration.

last night i wanted to make some notes so i went to the bookshelf and grabbed one of my many half-used journals. the one i grabbed (catwoman cartoon cover) has sat unused since 2000, and only the first dozen or so pages were filled. it was mostly filled with random thoughts but i came across this entry:
…………..
while riding BART i was asked by a man if he could create and recite a spoken-word poem for me….on any topic i’d like. I agreed, and having just left work (telecom software) i chose “telephones” as the topic. his creation went something like this:

“I would create a phone, not of plastic, not of the materials commonly associated with phones. I would create a phone made of pink bunny fur. If I were not home this phone would provide a response tailored to the caller. It could tell those I did not wish to hear from exactly how i felt. I could call straight down to the center of the earth. I could call the devil, because I am sure his life is quite mundane”

i wasn’t able to capture it all but that is the gist. i arrived at my station, cutting short his poem, but i felt compelled to tell him i would totally like a phone like that. especially the pink bunny fur.
…………………
i had forgotten this episode but i am glad to have recovered the memory. i enjoyed several other scribblings as well. during a business trip i wrote this while waiting for a cab… “another glass of wine. my cab has not arrived. inefficiency of public transportation has increased my intoxication”. i vaguely remember overhearing this next one at a restaurant, but why i start it out the way i do, i have no idea….”cheeseburger, potato salad. i hear that butchers used to outnumber restaurants 5 to 1. now it’s the opposite”. i bet that is true.

i am going to try to do this again – carry a journal for random thoughts. i found this journal far more interesting than other, more deliberate ones i’ve kept. those become too contrived and less spontaneous. hope you enjoyed the poem!

to keep things “spiced-up” (hehe) i’ll go to the ethiopian or indian market and buy a spice with which i am unfamiliar. with this nifty “interweb” thing you can find out anything! translations are NOT a problem. i did this with methi (it’s fenugreek!) and now it’s part of my repertoire. recently, at the ethiopian mkt (grand ave/perkins) i bought sumac. the name was vaguely familiar but not as anything i’d known in a recipe. now i own it! also – if you are not buying your spices at ethnic markets, you are paying TOO much.

now i’ve found a recipe for a spice-mix to sprinkle on veggies. perfect for a healthier new year AND…it sounds spicy…all the better. i will let you know how it goes, but here is the recipe. if you have sumac-ideas let me know!

Spicy Za’atar – All Purpose Moroccan Seasoning
This is a spicy version of za’atar from Northern Africa. It is great for sprinkling over tagines, vegetables, and pita sandwiches. It looks a bit different from the za’atar that I usually use (Middle Eastern and Mediterranean types), which is heavier with thyme. From the Flavors of Africa Cookbook, by Dave DeWitt (Chile pepper aficionado extraordinaire).

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
* 2 tablespoons ground sumac
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend and store in an airtight container

lastly, i’m so proud of myself for sticking to my random-writing pledge. it’s like when you don’t call a friend for too long – and then you put it off more and more, rather than just doing it and enjoying it.

Ano Nuevo, CA, originally uploaded by peggydaly.

brian using his sammy-view mirror while walking in ano nuevo on our way to see the elephant seals.

to heck with “catching up”. i’m jumpin’ into random-pattern. since late-summer i’ve had a rotating population of ladybugs in my bathroom, a room where the window is always open at least a bit. they gather at the corners of the ceiling and on the chinese-style paper lantern on the ceiling. just when i think they’ve been there too long, and hence died, they move on. i don’t know why they are there or why they leave. there are no plants with typical lady-bug-gruel like aphids. maybe the room is warm and humid and i’m friendly, so they top for while.

i researched this on the interweb 🙂 and came across people wanting to rid their house of lady bugs. i’ve always considered them a bit of a blessing. beyond their pest-consuming benefits, they don’t buzz around and annoy. they fly from resting place to resting place, but they aren’t like a housefly. so why not just let the lady bug hang out? leave the window open a bit. that is what i do and i rarely find a ladybug carcass. did you know that lady bugs are in the Coccinellidae family in North America and there are about 4,000 species worldwide?

yes, i think i have them. i was raised in san antonio, TX, a large but provincial-feeling city. before i moved to oakland, san antonio was the largest city i’d lived in. from there it went like this:

Lubbock, TX – attended texas tech university – home of buddy holly, gettin’ your guns up, prairie-dog town, dust storms and drink specials that launched a thousand alcoholics. it did have a bar that was “gay” one night a week (that would be thursday) but mostly that just meant better music. hair was big and democrats were rare. i was co-chair of the young republican campaign to elect GHW Bush. i openly mocked my one Democratic sorority sister. being dem was not socially acceptable.

Amarillo, TX – my first real job sent me to a string of towns full of “real americans”. I headed north thru a patchwork of pan-flat farms, past plainview and happy to amarillo, home of “the big texas steak ranch” where if you finish their 72 ounce steak (that’s 4 and 1/2 lbs!) it’s FREE.. it’s here that i got serious about droppin’ my g’s. everything you are about to do – you are “fixin'” to do.

Wichita Falls, TX – the two biggest things to happen to wichita falls were “the last picture show” (which was filmed just outside of town) and a 1979 F5 tornado that was so big that people were killed when they emerged, thinking the tornado had past, only to find that it was the eye of the tornado. then the back-side hit. a terrible thing, but some of the guys i worked with at jc penney’s still got a twinkle in their eye 10 years later when they talked about patrolling the parking lot with shotguns to prevent looting (tho they admitted there were no looters). here i learned about stock-car racing and my landlord ate onions like apples. in a red cross blood-drive raffle i won a night with my fiancee at the presidential suite at the wichita falls sheraton – the only thing i’ve ever won in a raffle. sigh.

Enid, OK – a turning point for me and my then-hubby john. the decade that proceeded our arrival was a tough one for enid. the oil bust hit it hard and the local folk were surly. tho they still adhered to the index-finger-steering-wheel wave on the back roads, if you headed out past the carbon-black plant or the genuine sod-house you could find small town antique stores with plenty of genuine nazi paraphernalia. enid is 90% white. fact. here i heard about annual pilgrimages to branson, MO and participated in a cultural-sensitivity training course that would make “The Office” blush. this was the worst 1.5 yrs….of….my….life. i saw unparalleled ignorance and bigotry and i’d had my fill of small-town america. i swore i’d never cross the red river into OK again and i haven’t.

so ms palin, i know of whom you speak. never EVER have i lived among more unconditionally kind, generous and extremely hard-working americans and hopeful immigrants as i live among here in the bay area of california. words cannot even convey my disgust of your ignorant comments. you are pandering to the very lowest common-denominator and if you win, it does not bode well for America.

i don’t know whether to laugh or cry!!

NV4Obama, originally uploaded by peggydaly.

Taken on my road-trip to Nevada to campaign for Obama!

ok – that’s a bait-and-switch title. Nevada is a swing-state in the 2008 presidential election. there has been a biiiig push to swing that state to the blue-side. it has been VERY interesting to observe the methodical approach of registering voters and identifying supporters for GOTV (get out the vote) efforts. i’ve learned that very little phone/foot canvassing is undertaken with the goal of influencing voters. a large part of the mission is identifying supporters, ensuring they are registered, and ensuring they vote (preferably early). there is a big role there for foot-soldiers.

thru friends of friends i’ve received this account of canvassing, on the ground, in NV. i thought it was a marvelous glimpse into what one encounters:

What an interesting time! I just spent the day knocking on the doors
of Nevadans gaining a glimpse into their viewpoints, concerns, and
hopes. As you may know, Nevada is a “swing state,” and with its 5
electoral votes, may play a critical role in the election outcome.

I didn’t really know what to expect driving into a remote rural suburb
of Minden, surrounded by cattle farms on one side and dry, desolate
desert hills on the other. It was a tract of small mini-farms and
horse ranches with a few newer streets of fancy suburban homes.
Everyone had an American flag out front. To my surprise, there was a
broad mix of political preferences and some truly amazing stories.

For sure there were some hardcore conservatives. One grumpy guy
declared “America is not ready to elect a Black president.” Another
undecided pro-life mother thought that Obama is “denying his white
heritage.” Whoa! Another outspoken women described herself as a
“Palin girl,” who thinks Sarah’s the person to “get rid of all those
old white guys in Washington.” Now, there’s some irony.

But then there were the others. I helped 76-year-old Joyce register as
a Democrat. She has osteoporosis, broke her hip, and had to move in
with her daughter. She’s concerned about the future for herself and
her family. She wants to vote! I talked to another disabled woman
fretting about the uncertainties of health care. She’ll vote for
Barack. There were many, many people, even registered Republicans, who
were still undecided. Others eagerly took the Obama literature and
thanked me profusely for walking their neighborhood!

After seven hours and knocking on 60 doors, I had one more house on my
list. A woman answered the door and looked sort of hostile – like
“What do you want!” I explained I was a volunteer for Barack – and she
poured out a long tale. Christy is a single mother with two teenage
sons. She can barely afford to keep her tract house, keep food on the
table and pay for gas. She’s just changed careers, going into teaching
at age 40. She said the school district where she now works just layed
off many older teachers because they don’t want to cover their health
insurance costs. She thinks Obama is our only hope. She’s desperate
and needs hope. And is making sure her 18-year-old son registers and
votes.

The biggest concerns of nearly everyone I talked to are the economy
and the reckless directions the country has taken under Bush. Even the
undecided folks are mostly undecided because they don’t trust anyone
to fix the situation. Only a couple of people were downright rude –
Republicans in very nice, luxury homes. They looked as if the devil
incarnate had arrived on their doorsteps.

I have to say the Obama staffers and volunteers in Minden were
marvelous! What a great group of hardworking, committed, friendly
folks. I have a whole new respect for those who do political work or,
god forbid, “community organizing.” It’s hard work – and after only
one day of it, I’m exhausted. So if an Obama volunteer comes to your
door, give them respect, a helping hand, and some praise. They’re
working for a worthy cause. Our future.

— Phil

thank you, Phil! i hope your experience encourages people to get involved.

did i single-handedly cause the financial crisis? nearly a year ago, when i left my job, i told myself and others “i’m in good shape financially….short of a financial catastrophe…i will be fine”. then i headed south and so did the economy. the 2 things were so synchronized i’ve been left to wonder if some vengeful god is punishing me for pursuit of my idle-travel-dream. if this be the case, i must apologize to you all for taking you down with me. really, it was not my intention. tell me, do you think if i took some sucky-job things might begin to swing the other way? if you have thoughts on the matter, let me know.