A first blog post from Arcata
Well, I guess I inadvertently created my own blog in the process of responding to Rebecca's: http://tomatohands.blogspot.com. It must be fate.
Well, here I am in a coffee shop in Arcata, CA putting up Pickathon posters and drinking carrot juice. I've had a really lovely 4 days with my family here. My grandmother, Happie, and her two sisters, Barbra and Maeluise, and their kids. About a dozen of us, which is a huge reunion for my family. We picked blueberries, visited some llamas, went to some gorgeous beaches, ate lots of bagels and lox, and talked about the benefits of internet dating for widowed women in their 80s. This morning I took my second cousin, David, to a yoga/pilates class. He'd never done it before and he wore jeans, but he loved it.
Got word from my cousin Jonah in Cairo that his wife Jessica's family in Beirut is OK. "They can hear the bombs, but they're mostly further south." Still pretty scary and fucked-up. They are there, and my cousin Amir and his wife and three kids live in a Jewish settlement near Tiberias, in Israel. Not far from the northern border, not farther south than Haifa.... I can't even begin to say anything articulate about how I feel about what's going on in Israel right now. Other than that listening to NPR makes me want to cry a lot these days.
So tomorrow I'm going to drive to Mount Shasta and camp somewhere, then drive back up to Portland on Wednesday, just in time to put on a CD release concert for Myshkin's Ruby Warblers on Thursday night. Have I mentioned to all of you that her new EP, Sigh Semaphore, is gorgeous?
OK, I should go back and hang with my family for one last night. Eat more blueberry pie and teach Judi how to burn CDs.
Well, here I am in a coffee shop in Arcata, CA putting up Pickathon posters and drinking carrot juice. I've had a really lovely 4 days with my family here. My grandmother, Happie, and her two sisters, Barbra and Maeluise, and their kids. About a dozen of us, which is a huge reunion for my family. We picked blueberries, visited some llamas, went to some gorgeous beaches, ate lots of bagels and lox, and talked about the benefits of internet dating for widowed women in their 80s. This morning I took my second cousin, David, to a yoga/pilates class. He'd never done it before and he wore jeans, but he loved it.
Got word from my cousin Jonah in Cairo that his wife Jessica's family in Beirut is OK. "They can hear the bombs, but they're mostly further south." Still pretty scary and fucked-up. They are there, and my cousin Amir and his wife and three kids live in a Jewish settlement near Tiberias, in Israel. Not far from the northern border, not farther south than Haifa.... I can't even begin to say anything articulate about how I feel about what's going on in Israel right now. Other than that listening to NPR makes me want to cry a lot these days.
So tomorrow I'm going to drive to Mount Shasta and camp somewhere, then drive back up to Portland on Wednesday, just in time to put on a CD release concert for Myshkin's Ruby Warblers on Thursday night. Have I mentioned to all of you that her new EP, Sigh Semaphore, is gorgeous?
OK, I should go back and hang with my family for one last night. Eat more blueberry pie and teach Judi how to burn CDs.
posted by Jess @ 4:30 PM
6 Comments:
At July 24, 2006 at 5:26 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hey, look at me, the first to comment on your new blog -- and totally "untech" myself. But thanks for letting me know about it, Jess. I just signed up with Zaadz.com (thanks to Marti), and will perhaps start one of my own in time.
So, believe it or not, people actually DO read these things -- especially people who care about you!
Glad you're having a great time with family. sounds lovely. Hope you get to connect with Jake in Shasta. I emailed him to expect a call from you, but he's sometimes difficult to catch.
Anyway, I'd like to come to Myshkin's party but haven't checked to see about tickets (how much and if any are left). Any way I can volunteer so as to get in at discount? Sorry to sound so cheap these days, but . . . . No income for the past 2 months and living on credit. Scary, this walking on water stuff.
Look forward to seeing you again. Remember that there's a bhangra Sat. PM at the Fez. Would LOVE to have you there with us!
Gotta run. but lots to catch up on we see each other again.
--chris
At July 24, 2006 at 5:32 PM,
Anonymous said…
Just realized I shoulda said something "profound" in order to fittingly christen your new blog. After all, others will be reading this as well. So here's a quote I read this morning that resonates for me:
"God alone knows the secret plan
Of the things he will do for the world
Using my hand."
--Toyohiko Kagawa
At July 24, 2006 at 7:58 PM,
Anonymous said…
i want some blueberry pie!!
how's that for profound??
i love it when people i know have blogs. it's fun.
"unbeing dead isn't being alive"
-e.e. cummings
heart
raina
At July 24, 2006 at 11:39 PM,
Anonymous said…
I'm new to blogs, so I don't know whether it's because you write well, or whether it's because I know you and am interested, either way it's a "Goodie"! :-))
I hope your family will remain safe. I have thought about them a lot recently, and how hard it must be for them, in so many ways.
Widowed women in their 80's are just young women carrying themselves around in baggier dresses ;-)
Keep on Blogging!
At July 25, 2006 at 2:58 AM,
Anonymous said…
i too love it when friends...or rather family in this case...have blogs. it is a nice easy way to keep up to date how people are doing.
plus...what you write is definately of interest to me...whether about our cooky family or your life. i am glad j,j and m are safe in cairo...i was thinking about them.
i am in germany now...sorry i missed hanging out with you in arcata...despite the fact that i am very happy to be here i would have loved to see you.
oh and creepy about the benefits of the internet for 80 year olds to date...does that have to do with our grandmothers?
love you!
-alex
At July 25, 2006 at 9:31 AM,
Bucky said…
Hi Jess!
Good job getting a blog! I like the pink. Can't wait to read more about your adventures. Hope you're having a lovely time at Mt. Shasta today.
love,
Buckaroo
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