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Dangerous Compassions

what really happened on our trip

Hello, reader.  How are you?  Ming and I were house sitting recently for ten days at the coast.  Friends have asked, “How was it?”  This is what really happened on our trip. what really happened on our trip I slept eight hours almost every night of our trip.  Being just me and Ming, my ambient… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

retiring

Hello, reader.  How are you?  I’m thinking of retiring from daily blogging.  It’s been a good run.  About 17 years blogging almost every day?  That’s pretty wild.  Way not to moderate, Laura-Marie.  Yes, I often do something daily or not at all. I’m grateful for what I’ve done–I don’t regret it.  But maybe my energy… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

fun today

“What are we going to do fun today?” I asked Ming. So many things we need to do.  But we’re here on earth for fun too.  What are you on earth for? walk I walked to the nearby park by myself in the morning.  Usually I don’t stray from the yard by myself, so it… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

I’m here for the lesbians

“I’m here for the lesbians,” I told my dear housemate.  “Imma head to the lesbian exhibit.” We had entered the museum, all six of us, and were greeted by a visibly queer worker who wore an anti-TERF button.  They talked to me about museum admission rates, not mentioning the special SNAP rate. “Is there a… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

chickens

Hello, we are caring for the chickens now, at this Ojai permaculture farm.  Ming is the main person.  I think he is the Chicken Monarch.  Some roosters may not agree!  Isn’t this a pretty pic?  He’s glowing in the late afternoon light, having just thrown the compost out of the bucket. We’re doing the thing:… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

direct action

I want to change culture, and direct action is part of my life.  I think about direct action of different kinds–symbolic, performative, solidarity.  Some acts of service can be direct action also. statement Serving food to hungry people is a real way to help, but it can also be a statement.  Food Not Bombs says… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

burnout

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m on earth to do, including radical mental health and the Las Vegas Radical Mental Health collective.  I’d like to help do something meaningful and connective with many people, and radical mental health has been that.  The part that hurts is my own burnout. How do you prevent… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

fiction

Hey, guess what.  I wrote some fiction.  I read it to Ming on a walk–just 500 words. It’s kind of a ghost story.  Ming thought it was amazing and said something really smart about it.  He said it was straightforward, leading the reader by the hand.  He contrasted this fiction with my poetry–he said my… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

how I learned to do less

Last year I knew I needed to cut back on my responsibilities and activities, but I didn’t know how.  Everything I did felt crucially important.  But I needed to give more energy to myself, work on my health, and lower my stress.  It could be a matter of life and death.  I want to tell… Read More »

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Dangerous Compassions

serving

I returned to serving food with the Las Vegas Catholic Worker.  I took about a year off, and my perspective is different now. The whole setup is different now, since covid.  I used to do bread, which I thought was sacred and fun.  Bread of life.  That was a metaphor I enjoyed, for years.  The… Read More »