Seattle

The Tetons

Yeah, I went over those.

 My Teton Pass-climbing buddies, Liz and Brittany, with me on top of the mountain.

We love you, Paige.

 For those of you who haven't heard, here's what's been going on.

One of our leaders, Paige Hicks, passed away this past Tuesday, July 20, as she was struck by a truck carrying an oversized load in South Dakota. Thankfully the other ride who was with her at the time was unharmed.

More information about what happened and about the steps that Bike & Build is taking can be found here.

Thank you so much for keeping our group, and all of Paige's family and friends, in your thoughts and prayers. The outpouring of support we have received is such a blessing. Right now I'm just struggling to make sense of it all - it doesn't seem possible that someone so full of life and presence could have been taken from us so suddenly.

We're currently in Chadron, NE and will be taking a bus to St. Louis, MO for the funeral on Monday. We then plan to skip about a week of our route to get back on schedule in Wyoming. The bonds we have formed as a group are hard to explain in a way that would do them justice, but we are finding strength in one another. I believe that the best way for us to heal is to stay together and continue on this journey as the family that we are.

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure...it's the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."

All my love to everyone. Please stay safe wherever you are.

the other side of the Mississippi

Hello from Mt. Vernon, Iowa! How to summarize the last week...I'm going to do bullet points and no pictures this time, to make sure it gets done.

-To paraphrase Anthony, who has a penchant for getting lost, "Even when you're going the wrong way, you're exactly where you're supposed to be." Being able to experience the country from the seat of a bicycle is an experience unlike any other, and even the toughest miles are worth it because they're all part of the journey. It's amazing to see the landscape change as we go - from rolling hills and even mountains to flatter and flatter fields of corn and soy. We're now on roads that stretch on for miles and a car passes us maybe every ten minutes - perfect for biking side-by-side and having in-depth conversations with fellow riders.

-We got to stay in a dorm at Kenyon College and we had real beds with sheets!! It felt like staying in a hotel. Also, they have a great dining hall. Yum. On the ride that day we passed a horse and buggy and ate lunch at a firehouse where we took pictures with the fire truck because we get excited about the same things as ten-year-olds do.

-The ride to Dayton, Ohio was confusing - we went around in circles trying to get out of Columbus for a while and then had to cross a highway to get to a bike path. We had a fantastic lunch surprise from the parents of someone who had done the Southern US route, and got to enjoy BBQ pulled pork in a veritable oasis - a beautiful old farmhouse in the midst of cornfields and hay bales. Once we got there, Dayton was awesome. We stayed at Sinclair Community College, which is one of the top community colleges in the country and has a crucial impact on those in the area who have been faced with unemployment, as it has allowed them to go back to school and completely change careers. That weekend, there was a folk festival going on, so we went down to the riverfront and walked around for a while. The city was actually a lot of fun to explore, and we found some cool restaurants and shops, including a fantastic used book store called Bonnett's Books where Anthony and I spent about an hour and a half.

-We had a build day in Dayton, where we put up drywall in a Habitat house. I was too short to be of much use on the ceiling, but the walls were fair game. We finished probably about half of the house and got to work alongside the homeowner, Christie. That night, the local Habitat chapter got us awesome seats to the fireworks display, which was a really good show. We ended the night with a euphoric (if off-key) rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

-Best 4th of July OF ALL TIME. Our first century (ended up being about 103 miles) and we passed the 1,000 mile mark of our trip, as well as the Indiana state line (marked by a lovingly hand-painted wooden sign). We started the day with a police escort out of the city at about 6:30 a.m. - someone remarked that we were the first 4th of July parade in the country. We even had a dog escort...in that a dog started running in front of the police for at least a mile. After we were dropped off at a bike path, we burst into another round of the national anthem as Gabe waved the flag. Team Hailey (the affectionate nickname of the group I rode with that day) had a great day of singing and telling stories. It got almost unbearably hot by the afternoon, though, and we had this wonderful moment somewhere in the home stretch where we were just sitting in the middle of a gas station island putting ice in our Camelbaks, in our clothes, anywhere that would help us cool off.

-We finished Indiana in two short days and headed over to Gilman, Illinois. The headwinds have been picking up and it's pretty discouraging to be pedaling as hard as you can and feel like you're not getting anywhere - especially when the roads are straight and flat enough to see the destination from miles away! On the other hand, at one point we caught a tailwind and cruised along at 20 miles per hour with little to no effort, providing a much-needed ego-boost.

-Day off in Pontiac, IL. Honestly, I mostly slept and wandered around the town - it was completely uneventful but exactly what my body needed to recover a bit. Pontiac has some swinging bridges, murals, a Route 66 museum, and a statue of Lincoln outside of the courthouse.

-Yesterday we crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa! Now it really feels like we've gotten far along in our journey. That day was supposed to be a 90-mile day, but I ended up with 99 miles, so I biked loops around a cul-de-sac until I reached 100. I also got an awesome surprise that day - my good friend Marc from the Saxtet, who did the same route in 2006, came down and biked the last bit of the day with us! We've had a few alums bike with us so far; I love the fact that people who have done Bike & Build are still so excited about it and about their friends participating in it. That evening we got completely massacred by a group of kids in dodgeball. No joke. We had about three times as many players, and were bigger than them, and they were absolutely terrifying. Still a lot of fun, even if I am hopeless at throwing and catching. I'm okay at dodging, which is important.

-Now I'm in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Had a funny moment this morning when the group I was riding with realized that a crop duster plane was flying low over the road directly toward us. It looked like it was headed straight for us, so we all freaked out a bit and slowed down. Of course then the plane started ascending again and we could see the pilot laughing at waving. We all laughed for a good five minutes about how we had all just panicked. We also got our second downpour of the entire trip today! It didn't last long but we got good and soaked, which cooled things off quite a bit (and cleaned some of the grime and Gatorade off of my bike).

We're in the midst of a tough week - lots of long mileage days between our last day off and our next build day in Sioux City. My bike and body are both holding up well so far (knock on wood) apart from minor soreness. Hopefully I'll post some more pictures soon! Until then you can check out everyone's pictures on the Bike & Build website under our P2S route tracker.

Build day in Youngstown, OH

Today we had our first build day since Providence. We shuttled over in the van to a street with four beautiful Habitat for Humanity houses - three finished and one unfinished. The unfinished one, which we were scheduled to work on, was the closest to completion I've ever seen; in fact, we were the last volunteer group scheduled to work on the house! All that was left when we were done were finishing touches like blinds and carpet.

I worked with Anthony, Mary, and Gabe, putting up soffit and fascia. Soffit is the underside of the roof overhang and fascia is the trim on the edge of the roof. Mary and I mostly measured and cut while Anthony nailed the stuff up and Gabe contributed his technical expertise. At one point I volunteered to go on the roof to hold up the long pieces of fascia, which was exciting. The four of us had a great time singing songs, from slow jams to Disney tunes, and generally laughing like crazy. I'm proud of the work we did - we were as precise as possible (measure twice, cut once!) and the finished product looked very professional.

Others in the group worked on moulding, painting, caulking, doorknobs, and other details. Monica, the executive director of the local Habitat chapter, was extremely helpful and friendly and had even done a cross-country bike trip several years ago, so it was fun talking to her. It was really satisfying knowing that, when we finished, the house was basically complete except for carpet and landscaping. I wish we could have met the homeowner - apparently she really wanted to be there, but since it was Monday, she had to work. All in all a successful day, despite the brief downpour in which our sneakers (and just about everything else) became caked with mud.

Here are some pictures from the day! Though I managed not to be in any of them...

 Anthony nails up soffit in the rain.

 With the sun out again, Anthony puts the final touches on soffit while Mary holds the ladder.

Justine cuts a piece of moulding.

 

Theise and Noam install a doorknob.

Roof edge before...

...and roof edge after. Look, the sky is even bluer now that we're done!

Here in Youngstown

Brittany demonstrates our favorite sign.

Yesterday we rode into Franklin, PA. The ride was pretty flat and we even got to ride on a bike path for a while! Unfortunately I had a really stupid fall on the bike path, in which I was deeply absorbed in a story I was telling and didn't realize that I was going off the edge of the path. Of course when I tried to get back on the path, I just went down hard. My bike is fine, and so am I - just a little bruised. It was my first fall on my road bike, so I guess it had to happen sometime! We got into Franklin early enough to relax - I lay on the grass in the park for a while and it felt delicious. That night, we all went to a place called the Celtic Cafe, where the awesome owner/bartenders gave us all free t-shirts. We essentially took over the back room and just had a blast hanging out and singing along with the jukebox. Someone else on the trip made a comment about realizing every day how awesome it is that we're doing this. It felt like last night was a celebration of all that - every evening, I'm exhausted, but so happy to be where I am with all of these amazing people and to have made it through another day.

Theise and me at the Ohio state line

As of today, it truly feels like we are on our way. Crossing into Ohio marked the first state I had never been to before, and meant that we were no longer on the East Coast, but in the Midwest. Definitely felt like a milestone. Today was so hot and humid, though, that the ride wasn't as enjoyable as those of the last few days. Nevertheless, having been fortified with double my usual PB&Js at lunch, I made it to Youngstown. The funny thing about PB&Js is that, even though we eat them every single day for lunch, rather than getting sick of them, I actually like them more and more each day. After my body has been working hard all day, they're somehow more satisfying than any other meal could hope to be.

So far Youngstown seems completely deserted - I haven't really seen anyone in town except the wonderful folks from the Youngstown State University Catholic center who fed us dinner. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where we're staying, is a majestic stone building resembling a castle. I got chills when I stepped into the stunning sanctuary, all stone and wood and stained glass. We haven't seen much else of the town, besides the abandoned campus, but it definitely seems like an economically depressed area. I hope to get more of a sense of the place tomorrow at our build day - the first one since Providence! It'll be a relief to have a day off the saddle and a real treat to sleep in till - wait for it - 7:30.

Hello from Warren, PA

Well, I've been on the road with Bike & Build for 10 days now, and we've made it to Warren, PA. It's been a blast so far - definitely physically challenging, but the people in the group are all so fantastic and fun and interesting that it gets me through even the toughest days.

The trip began with a three-day orientation in Providence, in which I learned to change a flat tire and painted the interior of a Habitat house. We headed out on the 15th after dipping our wheels in the "Atlantic Ocean" near the Brown boathouse. It was strange feeling like I was finally leaving Brown and Providence for good this time. There are four of us from Brown on the trip, pictured below in front of some reservoir in Connecticut.

L-R: me, Paige, Chaz, Theise

So what's a typical day on the road like? We wake up at 6 (or earlier if we have a long day) and have our stuff packed and out at the trailer by 6:30. Breakfast and get ready by 7:00. Clean the host site, pump up tires, and leave by 7:30. We head out in small groups (usually two to six riders) and go at our own pace throughout the day. Lunch happens somewhere around halfway - we stop wherever we see the van pulled over. PB&Js have never tasted so good. After lunch, we have until 4:00 to get into the next host location. We average about 70 miles per day - so far the range has been 30 to 85 miles. We've been staying in churches, schools, and YMCAs, and they've all been incredibly hospitable. Most places have provided us with an awesome dinner, often a potluck during which we get a chance to meet members of the community. Between arrival and dinner, we take showers and, time permitting, explore the town. Between dinner and lights out at 11:00, we usually relax and play games.

Chris seems to have gotten taller...

Connecticut was full of rolling hills, which I knew about, because I live there. The day we went to Granby was fun because we passed through a corner of Ellington, my hometown!

New York was, well, pretty tough. The trip to Poughkeepsie was supposed to be a nice short day, but everyone took a wrong turn. Luckily, I had been riding in the last group, so we actually went the least far out of the way and ended up arriving first! That may never happen again...I tend to be among the last to roll in to the host location. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The trip to Roscoe was definitely the most difficult day yet, and perhaps will be the most difficult day of the whole trip. It was a hot, humid day, and I was feeling sluggish, as were the people with whom I was riding. Maddy dubbed us the Struggle Bus - truly an accurate description. Each time I saw a new hill I wasn't sure I would make it, and when we got to the accursed Mulig Road, the steepest hill I have ever seen, I almost cried. Somehow I made it up the hill, and got into this machine-like zone of exhaustion and just wanting to finish the day, and I booked it the rest of the way to the host site. I guess it was a good test of my ability to just push through when I'm hurting and tired. Everyone was in bed and sound asleep by 9:00 that night.

Binghamton was our longest day yet, at 85 miles, yet after Roscoe it didn't seem so bad and ended up being a pleasant journey. We got a day off in Binghamton, as our build day had fallen through. It was just what I needed to recharge from a grueling two days. We found a pool, went to the movies, ate at a great little diner, and just relaxed.

L-R: Ben, me, Maddy

Pennsylvania has been gorgeous so far, with mostly scenic rides past farms, mountains, and lakes. Route 6 was a bit scary because there were so many trucks passing so close to us, but otherwise it's been great. Yesterday, on our ride to Coudersport, we got caught in our first real downpour. Luckily there didn't seem to be much thunder and lightening, but it was raining hard. The four of us who were riding together had fun, though, continuing to shout through the rain, and we were on level ground so we didn't feel unsafe. On the contrary, it was a welcome cooling shower. We made it just fine to the top of the 2424-foot summit.

L-R: Amy, Jake, Brett, Vidya, me

I have a few videos that might be fun to post, but I'm getting pretty tired at this point so it may have to wait till next time. I'll try not to go so long without an update next time! Tomorrow we bike 67 miles to Franklin.

one last drive to Providence

It's finally come. I head back to Providence tomorrow for Bike & Build orientation, and we ride out on Tuesday the 15th. I'm ridiculously excited to meet everyone after a fair amount of Facebook stalking, and to tie up some loose ends in Providence. I wonder if it will finally sink in that I've left.

At one day to departure, I have raised a grand total of...drumroll please...$4,273.69! (The 69 cents comes from a bandie, of course - one Sara Powell.) Special thanks goes to the amazing Adrienne, whose donation tipped me over the edge of the $4,000 minimum. Remember, if you donated but haven't yet requested a postcard, it's not too late! In any case, I couldn't have done this without the help of a whole lot of amazing people. Family, friends, and community members have shown me so much support and given from their hearts to the cause of affordable housing. If you meant to donate but didn't get around to it, there's still time! Just go to www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and find my name.

I would also like to give a big thanks to Landry's Bicycles. If you're in the Boston area, check out Landry's for the best quality bikes, equipment, and expertise. Landry's also happens to be owned by my uncles and aunt, and they are support of bike advocacy and lots of charity causes. In any case, they not only sold me my beautiful Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD a few years ago, but in preparation for Bike & Build, they also gave me a fitting and helped me choose all the equipment I needed. Everyone who works there is wicked friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Without Landry's (and especially my Uncle Peter), I would not have had the same level of confidence and comfort with my bike/equipment that I do. My Uncle Tom even took me on a few training rides last week (see the picture at the top) and completely revolutionized the way I cycle. Seriously. After riding with him, I felt like I could easily go for days without a problem.

If you want to track my progress across the country, the website has a handy route tracker with links to a photo album and other goodies. Speaking of goodies, there will be a number of mail drops along the way if you feel inspired to send me a letter (Grandma, I know you will!). I haven't decided where I am going to post pictures (since not everyone can access Facebook), but I'll let y'all know when I do. Finally, I will intermittently have computer/internet access, so I'll try to update this as often as possible, and emails will reach me eventually. If you'd like a more reliable way of contacting me, however, I'll be available by phone. Unless I'm in the middle of nowhere, in which case I can't always guarantee that Verizon will come through.

That seems to be all of the housekeeping details. I can't wait to get out there and start riding! Portia* and I have been through a lot of good times together and I anticipate many more. Just as soon as I learn to change a tire.





*Fun fact: I chose the name Portia because it sounded supremely elegant (and Porche-like?), and my bike is a stunning creature. I suppose I wouldn't have thought of the name if it hadn't been for Portia de Rossi, also a stunning creature, so I must give her credit. For added adorableness, I later decided to name my other (hybrid) bike Ellen.

The Graduate

As May 30, I am officially a graduate of Brown University.

I'm still kind of in denial about the whole thing. It feels like I'm just on break, like I'll go back to Brown at the end of the summer - even with all the preparations I've been making for next year. Having been to three prior Commencements, a lot of it felt like I was just pretending to graduate. A few moments made it real, however. Standing with the band seniors as we danced along to the band's performance of "Bad Romance." Walking through the Van Wickle Gates with my amazing friend Adrienne, surrounded by rows and rows of cheering friends, professors, and alums. Hearing Ruth Simmons congratulate our class on the grounds of the First Baptist Church in America. Feeling my heart swell with pride at the amazing accomplishments of my friends who had graduated Magna Cum Laude or who had made various honor societies. Trying not to cry as I gave a goodbye hug to my housemate, Masumi, one of my best friends since freshman year.

So here I am, graduated, with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies. It feels like a big accomplishment. Even if we Brown students are, as honorary degree recipient Morgan Freeman put it, "a raucous bunch of miscreants," we've worked hard in school our whole lives and it's come down to this. I'm excited to leave, though. There is much that I will miss about Brown - being able to choose from myriad free concerts, plays, lectures, films, etc. on any given day/night; beautiful College Hill and quirky Providence; the general atmosphere of constant questioning and inquisitive learning; being able to take for granted (most of the time) a certain level of curiosity and understanding about social justice; and most of all, the close proximity to some of the most incredible people I have ever met. The friends I have made at Brown are worth every penny of the student loans I'll be paying off for what seems like eternity. At the same time, I am beyond excited to get out into the world. There is something about the college atmosphere that frustrated me after four years - I'm excited to have more of a work/life balance, to not constantly be at school. Most of all, I can't wait to dig in and get some hands-on experience, to directly affect change after years of intellectualizing it. And I can't wait to get to know a new city - in many ways, the ultimate city.

The day is best captured in pictures.

The band seniors celebrate.

Brown Band and seniors.

 Conductors of past and present!  

(L-R: Eli '08, Bryan '11, Scuzzo '10, D-Wash '07, Matt '05)

 

 Some of my best friends.

(L-R: Adrienne, Baird, me, Masumi)

 

Deodorant was essential.

Always wear sunscreen.

 Heading down the hill amongst cheering crowds.

Posing at the Van Wickle Gates.

My beautiful family.

A toast to the Gender & Sexuality Studies graduates.  
(L-R: Ana Carmen, Alanna, me, Ryan, Daniela. Not pictured: Jini)

And now, for your entertainment, Morgan Freeman.

Long-overdue update!

Wow, so I have completely neglected this blog for an entire semester. Boo. In that time, much has happened. I finished my capstone paper on Christian-based reproductive rights activism. I turned 22. I wore pajamas while playing sax while ice skating. The Huskies won again (love my UConn women). I ran my first ever (two!) 5k races and survived. I went to DC for spring break and saw the cherry blossoms. I started to manage my OCD. I took an amazing (and intense) Malian dance class. I got my bike fitted and upgraded and did a ton of training to prepare for Bike & Build. Which brings me to the three current, most important updates:

Update the first: I had to get my appendix out this weekend. Very unexpected, but mine actually ended up being a bizarre and lucky case. I'd had abdominal pains for about two weeks before anyone realized that it was appendicitis - normally the appendix will burst within 48 hours of the first symptoms, but mine somehow never even perforated! Things certainly could have turned out much worse than they did and I feel incredibly lucky. The surgery happened in Providence (luckily my mom was able to get there by the time I got out of surgery), but I have been home recuperating since Sunday. The plan is to go back to Brown today, though I will still need to take it easy.

It was actually good timing, if having one's appendix out during finals of senior spring can be considered good timing: a week or two later and it would have interfered with graduation. But as it is, I should be able to get all my work done and hopefully will be feeling back to normal by senior week, and it shouldn't affect my biking plans at all (except put a dent in my hard-fought training). Related fun fact: Apparently my heart rate was so low that the nurse wrote "Athlete" on my info sheet so that no one would be alarmed! Looks like all my training really has done me good - I'd never been classified as an athlete before!

Based on the fact that at this time last year I was about to get my tonsils out, I can only conclude that my body is shedding its vestigial organs and making me into a more streamlined, efficient human being. Excellent.

Update the second: I have a job starting in September!! I just got the job offer and accepted it yesterday. It's an AmeriCorps position in New York City, working at a school-based health clinic at a public high school in Manhattan. Students in this school don't get sex education until 12th grade, at which point, as you can imagine, it is often much too late. So my main role will be to teach sex education to 9th and 10th grade classes! I will have a lot of flexibility about the curriculum and the structure of the classes, which is really exciting. I will also be doing some one-on-one counseling in the health clinic as well as potentially coordinating a peer sex ed program. This sounds like the perfect job for me right now and an amazing chance to get a lot of hands-on experience and training in the field. I couldn't be more excited! Next step - find inexpensive housing in NYC!

Update the third: I have now raised $3,606 for Bike & Build - which means I need just $394 more to reach my goal! I'm in the home stretch! As I mentioned, I've been working hard at training (biking, running, spinning, dancing) and have also gone on a build with Habitat for Humanity in Providence, where I put up siding on a house. I also have another build planned for next weekend with some of the other Brown students on my trip. The next step will be working on a presentation that will be shown on the road involving case studies of Habitat and Rebuilding Together homeowners, in conjunction with fellow P2Ser Anthony. I'll do my best to post any relevant and interesting info that I come across!

In conclusion, if you find it in your heart to help me through the home stretch, it would be much appreciated. Simply go to www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and find my name. Any little bit will help make affordable housing a reality across the nation!

Merry Christmas!

I've reached 3.4% of my fundraising goal - help keep it coming!

Okay, now is the time when I begin fundraising in earnest for Bike & Build. I've already gotten a few donations from amazing people. My dear friend Saskia (who did the same B&B route last summer) gets the prize for being first, and most enthusiastic.

As I've mentioned before, between now and June, I have to raise $4,000 for the cause. Most of this money will go toward affordable housing initiatives, including Habitat for Humanity in Providence, with a small amount spent on program costs. This trip is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, for a cause that I feel very strongly about, and I need your help. Your donation, in addition to helping to make this entire trip possible, will go directly toward putting a roof over someone's head. Lots of people giving just a little can make an enormous difference.

As an added incentive, if you donate, you can request a postcard from one of the states I'll be biking through (RI, CT, NY, PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, SD, NE, WY, ID, MT, or WA). I'll also be updating this blog as often as I can, so you can keep up with my progress. And if you're going to be near the route this summer, I'd love to meet up with you. That especially goes for Seattleites!

For more information, or to check out my profile, go to www.bikeandbuild.org - the easiest way to contribute is to do so online by clicking on "Donate" and scrolling down to my name. If that doesn't work, you can send a check to Bike and Build with my name in the memo section (instructions included on the "Donate" page).

Thank you in advance for your support - it really means a lot to me. Feel free to spread the word and let me know if you have any questions! I also hope to do some blog posts very soon about the affordable housing issue.

Next step - START TRAINING!

"His music never stops praying."

From Alex Ross's new (New Yorker-sanctioned) blog, a beautiful quote from contemporary Hungarian composer György Kurtág, upon being asked if he was a believer:

I do not know. I toy with the idea. Consciously, I am certainly an atheist, but I do not say it out loud, because if I look at Bach, I cannot be an atheist. Then I have to accept the way he believed. His music never stops praying. And how can I get closer if I look at him from the outside? I do not believe in the Gospels in a literal fashion, but a Bach fugue has the Crucifixion in it—as the nails are being driven in. In music, I am always looking for the hammering of the nails…. That is a dual vision. My brain rejects it all. But my brain isn’t worth much.

...this is going to be the greatest summer of all time. OF ALL TIME.

I may not know what I'm doing next year, but I do know what I'll be doing for the three months immediately following graduation: riding my bike from Providence to Seattle.

For those of you who haven't heard of Bike & Build, it's a phenomenal organization that raises awareness and money for affordable housing projects by organizing cross-country bike trips. On my particular trip, we will start off building at a Habitat for Humanity site in Providence, before heading west for the next two months. Averaging about 75 miles per day, we will also stop at 7 more build sites on our way to Seattle. At each host location, we will give a presentation about the affordable housing crisis, to raise local awareness for this important issue. When more than 5.1 million Americans live in "worst-case" housing conditions, and more than 13 million Americans are forced to pay over 50% of their income on housing, this needs to be a pressing national issue.

Personally, I have been invested in this issue since the beginning of high school. I was a part of a very active youth group that, on the week-long service trips we took each year, would inevitably be told by the organization with which we were working that we were so efficient at building that they had to scramble to keep up. During my first trip, I helped to rehabilitate houses in Appalachia. I had never seen the effects of economic inequality as dramatically as I did in this Virginia coal-mining town, and the experience stuck with me. I loved the hands-on work of building, the feeling that we were tangibly making a difference in the lives of others, with a product we could see by the end of the week.

If I know you personally, you'll definitely be hearing more from me about this, since I have to raise $4,000 for the cause. But if anyone out there is feeling generous, please don't hesitate to visit my profile on B&B's website and donate!

Throughout the trip I'll be updating this blog as regularly as I can. If you'd like a postcard (from any of these states), give me a donation and then email me your address and which state you'd like.

And like I said - don't worry; you'll be hearing about this again. My level of excitement about this summer is essentially off the chart. Biking + Building = a surefire recipe for success.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

(x-posted to Women@Brown)



One of the things I was working on at NARAL (other than updating pretty much all of their online content) was researching Crisis Pregnancy Centers. During this time, RH Reality Check came out with this great video about the deceptions spread by CPCs.

From NARAL Pro-Choice California's website (i.e. me):

Crisis Pregnancy Centers, also known as CPCs, are fake clinics and counseling centers that often use deception, inaccurate information and intimidation to prevent potentially pregnant women from accessing abortion and/or birth control services. Commonly, their goal is to impose their anti-choice agenda on women especially in so-called “at risk” communities (low income, minority, non-English speaking, etc). Many of these centers also provide sex education services and therefore have received significant funding both at the state and federal levels from abstinence-only education programs. In trying to make an important and constitutionally protected choice, women should have medically accurate information and counseling that is free of political or religious agenda.

It should be a given that women are provided with complete and accurate information before making choices about their bodies and their reproductive health. And yet.

San Francizzle

I am terribly sorry to have abandoned my blog for so long! It's more than a bit ridiculous. There is much to talk about. But for now, I know you've all been waiting for stories from San Francisco...well, I don't want to spend too much time here, so here are a few photos from an amazing summer.

A gayble cable car (but not a real one, shh) decked out for the pride parade.

The lovely Pacific coast.

Posing with my pal Harvey Milk.

Long story short: I had the opportunity to go to an Oscar de la Renta fashion show at Lake Tahoe with the family I was staying with. It was awesome. More importantly, I wore an awesome hat.

Gorgeous Asilomar State Beach, near Monterey.

A sampling of NARAL interns on my last day at the office! (Side note: if you click through that link, you will see how amazingly fantastic the website looks, courtesy of yours truly.)

Alcatraz from the ferry.

Downtown from a distance. And palm trees, which I never did get used to seeing.

Self-explanatory. Unless it's not.

The famous Castro Theatre.

My brother came to visit during my last weekend in San Francisco - definitely one of the highlights of the summer.

The Little Hater

It has been way too long since I last posted. The main reason: my computer pretty much stopped working and had to be rebuilt. No big deal - everything was backed up. But it was a hassle, and meant I didn't always have access to a computer, and most importantly, didn't have access to all the lovely pictures of San Francisco I wanted to post. I've also been meaning to do a post on some of the stuff I'm researching at NARAL, but we'll save that for very soon, I promise.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I love Jay Smooth, but I do. He's incredibly smart (and obviously feminist, anti-racist, and anti-homophobic) and provides great critiques of pop culture, but also seems like a friendly and compassionate guy with whom I'd feel comfortable striking up a conversation. In any case, this video here is a perfect description of what it feels like to be a blogger, a writer, a musician, or anyone who puts out a creative product for others to see. Personally, I feel like that "little hater" is always in the back of my mind. When he said the part about procrastination, I instantly gave him snaps (without considering the fact that no one could see/hear me).




The little hater is pretty much always there, telling me that my work just isn't worthy of being shown to anyone. Sometimes I can acknowledge that what I've done is good - in the case of my writing, it's not till after after I get positive feedback; in the case of music, I usually know when something special has happened (see also: most Saxtet performances). I haven't yet figured out a way to beat procrastination and self-doubt (which I think are inherently related), other than putting things off because I "work better under pressure," which means I either don't get stuff done or I don't sleep. Making detailed schedules helps with the procrastination, but not so much the self-doubt. Any sound advice out there?

In any case, go check out more of Jay's stuff while you're waiting with bated breath for me to post again.

Happy Fourth of July!

(Via Feministe)

Greetings from San Francisco!

The view from my window.

It's been a while since I last updated...but I am currently writing from the city on the hill! I just arrived on Monday and I'm here until the end of August, living with a friend's family in the Sunset District (the trees on the left of the picture mark the edge of Golden Gate Park, which is truly lovely).

The real purpose of my being here, however, is interning at NARAL Pro-Choice California. Unfortunately I won't be able to give a whole lot of details about the experience, as we have to be really careful about confidentiality (because there are a lot of anti-choice crazies out there), but suffice it to say that my first day was awesome and I'm excited to be working there. The people are all incredibly friendly and sweet, and I'm going to get a chance to work on a few different projects, which will be great for figuring out what kinds of areas I enjoy (media, communications, outreach, etc.).

As for San Francisco, I'm already a big fan. We've had great weather so far, though I'm told not to expect this in general - certainly, there has been plenty of fog in the mornings and evenings, but the days have been quite sunny and nice. Proof of the mild climate: there is a lemon tree in the backyard!

Highlight of my wandering around the Financial District (which I have dubbed "Baby Manhattan") alone yesterday: riding a cable car! Definitely an experience that is deserving of the hype.

Oh, and Pride is this weekend! Now I just need to find a friend to go to the parade with me...

Belated Commencement Goodness

Ellen DeGeneres gave an awesome commencement speech at Tulane. Check it out! It's worth watching to the end. Congratulations to all of the high school and college graduates!