you can't really tell but.....

WE GOT OUR NOSES PIERCED!?!

I have to say that I completely second (third, fourth!) Megan's post about how awesome it was to see many of you this past weekend! Living in SD, land of the teenage marriage, I forget what it's like sometimes to be around a group of opinionated, thoughtful and FIERCE WOMEN! I wish that at Amherst I had gotten to know more of you on a deeper level, but I enjoy being an honorary Chapmanite if you will and hearing about everyone's latest adventures. Rose's stealthy walk was hilarious, and seeing Carmella zip zip around made it seem like we were all back in school and nothing had changed. OOh and Selena's cowboy boots made me remember that now that I'm living in SD I need to find my own pair...although I know I won't be able to get as good as deal she did, being the master thrifter/cheap ass that she is:)

But the moral of the story is....it was great to see those of you that were there and I'm excited to keep reading your news/thoughts/rants!/assorted ramblings!

Love!

Ahhhh So Wonderful!

Hi Sweet Pumpkins --

I seriously can't express how wonderfulawesomefunfulfillingsweetlovefilled of a weekend that was! I felt high all weekend and am still reeling from just how great it was. Best weekend in a long long time. Meh, don't really know how to express it. Just that I love you all, and I now more than ever crave seeing those of you who have been eluding me! You know who you are, you globe trotters. :) :)

You all leave me bursting...
Megan

i did a bad bad thing

Hi loves!
I saw so many of you just this weekend, and I needn't really recap the frolicking and the rolfing (not frolfing) and the recovering and the dancing and the fresh side and the grass and val and hardly spending a dime and the bug-in-the-ear and the hilarious interactions with t.marx and the wings and the hampshire reservoir and the bird sanctuary and the moan and dove and the massive bed party. before we hit the bus to amherst, selena was also with me in boston and jenny came up from new york with a kilo of chocolate which we have now completely consumed (thank you all for you assistance!). we became regulars at deep ellum and i basically convinced all involved that boston does not suck any balls, not even one.
However, nothing beats the green explosion of hiking ponding delicious of amherst and our little zu house, which put us up for free in a room that we found unoccupied (..we put ourselves up). saw a lot of friends, bartended at tent parties that were not mine, became moving art, and graduated twice yes TWICE from amherst college. Once, last year, as myself, and again this year as Rachel Anne Meketon (congrats honey bunches) who is hiking the trail and laughs in the face of authority. I successfully impersonated this little minx, convinced president tony that it was hilarious rather than illegal, commandeered a cap n' gown (with my crazy ninja moves....or amherst's complete trust of almost anyone), and walked. not a hitch. even i'm surprised. many photo evidences but here's a quick one from the amherst flickr forwarded to me by way of moin and trask and waskom.

valley news

Hiya sweets! So as many of you know, I returned from Europe one week ago (exactly!) after a long long journey of approximately 30 hours (flights delays, volcanic ash, sleeping in airports... the whole shebang). Then I was home in Miami for a short but glorious 3 days in which I got much accomplished - saw old friends, had a doctor's appt, went to the beach, and planned a surprise party for my mom! (her bday is today!!) The party was a success and everyone had fun and ate lotsa paella! It was an awesome couple of days... then Saturday morning my leetle sister and I flew up here to the valley, and we've been basking in valley love ever since. We're staying in the zu, spending much time in our beloved kitchen or out on the trails in the bird sanctuary and such. We've had barts ice cream, antonio's pizza, and we spent an afternoon at the bookmill. The other night we even had a bonfire at an awesome spot in the woods! I've also been getting lots of shots (vaccines, in anticipation for my Ecuador return in november!) and catching up on movies - gabs and i saw "babies" at amherst cinema and then we watched this indie flic, "bella", with jess last night. i give them both a thumbs up! Selena and Rosie get here tonight (CHAPMAN REUNION) and I think I'll break out my bottle of limoncello for the occasion! family will be arriving soon, i have some new dresses to show off, life is good.

can't wait to see all you babies soon! missing those who aren't around but i know you're all having fun and and being beautiful wherever you are !

lots of looooove, carms

Norwegian Constitution Day!

So it's May 17th or Syttende Mai...which as a child meant we ate lefse and my neighbors made lutefisk that you could smell from our driveway 1.5 miles away. For those of you who haven't enjoyed the smell of rotting fish and called it "culture"...enjoy being honorary Norweigians for the day! Bask in the whiteness!

And Carmella especially....go eat some BUTTER! :)

hi loves!

so sad that i don't have time right now to read all of your posts! waited in a long line to get just thirty minutes of internet time at the library in damascus, va.

but i do have time to give you a little update!

returned to the trail three weeks ago. ran through the smokies. beautiful. wildflowers everywhere, pine-spruce forests, sharp peaks and crazy ridgelines. ended up in hot springs, nc, at a hostel / organic farm where i met dylan bianchi. we hiked north from hot springs this past week. on wednesday we got a ride from a famous "trail angel" named miss janet up to TRAIL DAYS which is a huge hiker/hippie festival held annually here in damascus.

i haven't slept the past two nights. just loads of drinking smoking eating and general revelry / dishevelment . calling all single ladies to damascus. the ratio of attractive fit bearded mountain men to attractive wilderness women is unbelievable. almost 10:1. dangerous. but i've kept it together so far.

i was reunited w my dear trail friend kumquat last night! dylan and i will be following her up to middle virginia on sunday - hike with her for two or three weeks. then my parents are going to pick us up (hopefully by then we'll be near the border w pa) and drive us up to ct so that dylan can go to a buddhist retreat and i can start hiking in new england!

i hope you all will come out and walk with me / feed me when i get up there!!!

so much love, rach

ps hiking w dylan is wonderful! he's such a sweetheart. oy

SO LONG

It's been since I posted, but I think about everyone almost daily and have a mental list of things I want to post. Anyway here's a snap shot of a few days, in the life of:

Two weekends ago, I went to my friend's uncle's birthday party out in hill country and it was as sparsely beautiful as it should be. Forests full of knotty trees gave way to dusty patches with bursts of yellow flowers. Their land is about 10 acres short of what it used to be because Samuel Beam bought half of it! Sam Beam is Iron and Wine (a Chapman fav) and apparently he hangs out with them a lot. My friend and I poked around and got a peak of his recording gazebo. And then later that night I saw Tallest Man on Earth which Carmella introduced me to.

This weekend was fun! My friend and I snuck into a closed, 'haunted' insane asylum. The cops found our illegally parked car so we meandered around until we found the highway to go back to our car which had been searched, but they let us off. Scary! On Saturday night, I had my birthday picnic/watch Shakespeare in the park. I don't know how many people go from almost getting arrested for trespassing to watching a Shakespeare play the next day. After that, I went back to my friend's co-op and my roommate's band was playing for some fundraiser and they dedicated a few songs to me and the whole party sang happy birthday. And then on my actual birthday, I was too hung over to do much so I farmer's marketed it and jammed out on my autoharp with some friends and went to dinner with Jake Maguire! Life is good, but it'll be better in a week when I get to see all your lovely faces!!

I made a new post but somehow it dated itself April 24 or something. Whatever, it's down there somewhere.

PS

Like Julian, my new place will also feature a very comfortable couch for visitors. I know how often you all travel through SD...but just in case:)

Changes

So I haven't posted in a while, and I thought I should give an update at the very least. I have been working a lot lately, and recently got a raise! Very exciting although not that big of a difference pay-wise, but it's nice to be appreciated and whatnot.

Working with these "advocacy groups" in SD has been a giant pain in the ass, mainly because none of them actually want to advocate for any of the people they are supposed to be supporting. On the western side of the state, where there are cops on every corner, the local gay rights groups are content just to have their meetings supervised by a patrolman for safety. There is no thought, "perhaps if this was truly a safe environment, then we wouldn't need cops". Also they have come to the defense of the police department and city council even though the town has repeatedly refused to change their non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation and we are about to file a lawsuit because of their discriminatory actions against a lesbian woman. Yet the PD and the mayor are just GREAT because of their willingness to provide extra patrols around their building. In other words, because they are doing THEIR JOB which they get paid for what do we care if they are actually targeting LGBT people the other 99% of the time? It's just sad to think that these people are already so much in the minority and already face so much discrimination in these hick areas, and then they also have to deal with these "advocates" who are really after their own grant money and would gladly throw them under the bus. But my boss is young and fiery and comes from a very strong organizing background, and we have decided to try to radicalize some of the LGBT youth in these rural communities. We ordered a bunch of books on organizing and essentially socialist theory (way to spend those ACLU membership dues!) so hopefully we will get some good ideas on how to deal with the majority that has no intention of changing and these groups which we have labeled "counter-revolutionaries". It feels very on the ground which is exciting for me, and I do believe that as corny as it sounds, I can help to make SD a better place, or at the very least, bring it into this century.

In other news, I've decided to get my own apartment (with my new raise!). I just want some independence and a space that is only my own. (For those of you who don't know, I had been living with Austin and his stepbrother in a 2 bedroom apartment.) I don't know really "what this means" so to speak for the future of my relationship, but I feel good about it. I feel like I'm in a rut, and I just want to do something...and as an adult, I can! I have power over my own life! (It's amazing how you can almost lose sight of this seemingly obvious fact) I had felt this way for a few months, and I had passed it off as not really liking SD and missing having friends, but I think that's just kind of a cop-out on my part. It's hard accepting that I will probably never be in a place like Amherst again where I constantly had interesting and lovely people around me who I wanted to get to know. Most people here I feel like I could take or leave...no big deal. But that's no excuse for accepting that level of mediocrity in all areas of my life. So I'm making a change! Moving out and making an active effort to get to know the one or two people here who I do find moderately interesting. I feel very bright and cheery about these developments. Also, I think the fact that it's spring and I'm coming to Amherst soon is just making everything seem better...
Love!