“Hey dear, I have some news for you,” I told Ming. We were driving somewhere in town, and I was chowing down on a bowl of brown rice and kale for my breakfast. “You did it. I changed. I prefer brown rice now.” A doctor back in Las Vegas told Ming to switch to brown… Read More »
Hello, reader. How are you? Do you like talking about race? I like talking about race for real. Ming and I talk about race often–it’s a normal topic for our day. Many people get angry, defensive, scared, uncomfortable, annoyed, irritable, mean, and otherwise hard to be around, talking about race. I know it can have… Read More »
Hello, how are you doing? I’ve been thinking about content warnings as a way to help people navigate conversations and social connections. helpful Do you like content warnings? I find them very helpful. They help me know what I should / should not engage. They seem respectful. They’ve given me a useful heads up, about… Read More »
Hello–how are you doing? I’ve been thinking about identity politics, stage hogging, and white guilt. What is identity politics? I’ve wondered for decades. My identity is central to how I feel, what I experience, what I need, and what’s most important to me. How I’m treated by others is different depending on my demographics and… Read More »
Hello, I have been wearing this flower crown sometimes. People seem nicer when I wear it. Sometimes they smile at me or give me a thumbs up. Maybe I will wear it more often? I was wearing it that day at a food giveaway when I was singing the Bob Dylan song. We ate all… Read More »
Hello, how are you doing? I’ve been thinking about music my mom liked. I’ve had a playlist of music I associate with my dad and his death for a long time. When I feel my grief for my dad stuck inside me, I can hear these tunes and cry. It’s helpful. But I finally started… Read More »
Hello, how are you doing? I’ve been thinking about racism while traveling. Have you experienced it? Were you scared? My mom was Mexican-American, and my dad was white. I appear white. We had a tense moment or two when I was in jr high and my family visited Missouri, where my dad’s side of the… Read More »
Hello, how are you doing? Thinking a lot about racism lately. Racism in everyday life, disability, and in community. medication Recently Ming needed some medication picked up for him in Las Vegas while we were traveling. The medication has little to no street value. But it’s a controlled substance because of repressive Drug War laws… Read More »
A while back Ming asked what I meant about Bill Cosby in a post called psychedelics. I mentioned him when I was talking about self-sufficiency, racism, and justice. Years ago I associated Bill Cosby with conservative Black people. He said some things like “Pull up your pants” telling Black young people to work hard, as… Read More »
“Do you read any kind of scriptures?” my friend in Montana asked. Wow, scriptures. Like the Bible. The Gita? Sutras? I sing a song Ya Devi often which has lyrics from a holy book called the Chandi. “No, not lately,” I said. “But I pray, do ritual, dance, sing. I listen to Mother Earth and… Read More »