Okay, if you know me at all, you probably know I am a workaholic, Work to live, live to work, work work work…the whole deal. No sleeping till 10 am, etc. And today, I didn’t do any work. Instead, I rested–along with many others in what I am more and more coming to feel is “my” Oakland community. Here’s how it went:
10 am: Digging in the garden with my most fabulous housemates, pouring out chicken manure and planting pole beans while discussing House of Local, Oakland Local and why the East Bay Express and Oaklandish somehow happened to name their new t-shirt line Lokal (like, should we complain or just say no biggie, huh? Maybe we’ll just started the Oakland Express line–oh, I forgot, we called something Oakland Express a while ago and the Express protested.)
Anyway, we got the garden all set up, at least for now.
Then 12:30 I was in North Oakland, at PLACE on 64th, for a wedding of two friends. Both the leaders of social justice organizations, they had a potluck wedding at a communal space and invited their community to attend. What can I say about such an amazing gathering? It was so lovely to be with so many people working for change in Oakland, come together through shared purpose and transformed into friends and community. The energy and the love was magnetic, so special, and it was easy to spend several hours there, eating the good food, chatting with friends and dancing to the best 80’s funk around.
By 4 PM, I was at my friend Susie’s new house in North Oakland, sitting outside in her yard with a bowl of strawberries and a bevvy of her friends contemplating coconut water vs. procsecco ( I had both, eventually). One of Susie’s friends is a handyman with 3 sons, one of whom plays/played bass, and we had a terrific talk. Another is helping to raise money to transform the 17th street train station, another is an editor…and so on.
Sitting there in the yard, talking and feeling the sun, Oakland felt like such a good place to be.
And then, by 6:30, I was home, and back outside my my own yard, now alot cleaner and more organized than it was this am, playing catch the ball with my dog.
Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch The dog doesn’t tire of this, probably because he thinks he’s doing it to please me.
Thinking about checking out Heart and Soul, a Religious Science congregation many of the folks at the wedding go to, tomorrow am, but also resolved to catch up on all the work I didn’t do today (and go out with a friend tomorrow night).
Ah, Oakland. Today you really feel like my place.
Okay, if you know me at all, you probably know I am a workaholic, Work to live, live to work, work work work…the whole deal. No sleeping till 10 am, etc. And today, I didn’t do any work. Instead, I rested–along with many others in what I am more and more coming to feel is “my” Oakland community. Here’s how it went:
10 am: Digging in the garden with my most fabulous housemates, pouring out chicken manure and planting pole beans while discussing House of Local, Oakland Local and why the East Bay Express and Oaklandish somehow happened to name their new t-shirt line Lokal (like, should we complain or just say no biggie, huh? Maybe we’ll just started the Oakland Express line–oh, I forgot, we called something Oakland Express a while ago and the Express protested.)
Anyway, we got the garden all set up, at least for now.
Then 12:30 I was in North Oakland, at PLACE on 64th, for a wedding of two friends. Both the leaders of social justice organizations, they had a potluck wedding at a communal space and invited their community to attend. What can I say about such an amazing gathering? It was so lovely to be with so many people working for change in Oakland, come together through shared purpose and transformed into friends and community. The energy and the love was magnetic, so special, and it was easy to spend several hours there, eating the good food, chatting with friends and dancing to the best 80’s funk around.
By 4 PM, I was at my friend Susie’s new house in North Oakland, sitting outside in her yard with a bowl of strawberries and a bevvy of her friends contemplating coconut water vs. procsecco ( I had both, eventually). One of Susie’s friends is a handyman with 3 sons, one of whom plays/played bass, and we had a terrific talk. Another is helping to raise money to transform the 17th street train station, another is an editor…and so on.
Sitting there in the yard, talking and feeling the sun, Oakland felt like such a good place to be.
And then, by 6:30, I was home, and back outside my my own yard, now alot cleaner and more organized than it was this am, playing catch the ball with my dog.
Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch Throw Catch The dog doesn’t tire of this, probably because he thinks he’s doing it to please me.
Thinking about checking out Heart and Soul, a Religious Science congregation many of the folks at the wedding go to, tomorrow am, but also resolved to catch up on all the work I didn’t do today (and go out with a friend tomorrow night).
Ah, Oakland. Today you really feel like my place.