Delinquent

Hi All,

Forgive my WEEKS and WEEKS of not posting. I just read all that I missed and I am so thrilled to know what you're all doing... What I've been up to:

1. Some of you know, but I was in the Bay Area in California for a weekend in mid-June for my hippy quaker school preschool, elementary school, middle school reunion! It wasn't official, but we decided we wanted one, so we went camping at Memorial Park (where we went every year at Peninsula School) and had a lovely weekend of sitting around the fire, talking about the last 10 years, going on walks, playing in the creek, etc. We then ate fish tacos at Pescadero (beach with beautiful cliffs and dramatic fog) after checking out of our campsite.

2. I finished my first year of nursing school in late July! I loved my last rotation, Community Health -- found it really rewarding to see patients in their homes. I liked how it flipped, well flipped is too strong, disrupted the typical power dynamics inherent to much of medicine. We were invited into patient's homes to provide care -- working with the specifities of THEIR turn and THEIR lifestyles to appropriately treat patients etc. Fun fun.

3. I moved to a new apartment and I love it! Closer to some of my favorite places in New Haven, I am all by myself in the one bedroom, I have a little backyard... and free internet! Yale School of Art is near.

4. Spend NINE fabulous days in Holland with Milo, Malu, Dick, Janice and Oma (grandma) at Oma's house. TONS of biking (upon leaving Holland I swore I would move there) -- including two separate 5 hour long bike rides led by Oma -- she's amazing, approaching 80, but full of spunk, history and an incredible knowledge of her region of Holland. Ate tons of Dutch cheese and fries... walked around, smoked weed... Milo informed his parents ahead of time, dad was WAY excited, pointed out a coffeeshop in Amsterdam, yelled down the stairs "don't forget the papers!", we were planning on a pipe -- neither one of us can roll, Dick responded, "I'll roll them for you!" Which he did, and he taught me how. Milo and I both fail as youth. On the last day biked to Utrecht (lovely student city) and back from Oma's house -- thirty miles in all! ...

5. I GOT A PUPPY!!! I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've had him since Monday! He's 12 week old toy poodle, currently 3.3 lbs, will be 7 or 8, and I took him for his first vet visit yesterday. He's still getting used to things... but we are getting along well! I kind of feel like a proud parent... I've been talking about him to people too much... but, I will bring him to the cabin in September. (Rach, I'll call you. Do we think he's allowed???). He doesn't have a name yet -- in the running right now: Truffle (Truff), Buffalo (Buff, Boo), Theodore (Theo, Teddy)... Any thoughts, suggestions?


6. I start school next week! I have finally decided that I AM looking forward to it. Sort of. I don't know. A small piece of me is dreading it a little bit -- I hear this semester's a killer. But whatever, it's what I want, and so much of it is womany!

Love you all,
Megan

Maine in August, no more needs to be said

Helloooo my fabulous people! I miss you! Here are some things that are happening with me:

1. I got back from the US Social Forum in Detroit at the end of June. It was life-changing! I have so many new ideas about what I want to be doing with my life. These might very well involve me moving to Arizona. Immigration reform, that's scary shit! Gotta fight it! Go to the frontlines! Yeah!

2. My work is dumb. My bosses are jerking me around. It is partially because they know I work hard, partially because I'm young, partially because I'm female, partially because they think they can walk all over me. But they can't! I feel taken advantage of and taken for granted, and I am sick of feeling that way. So... I am asking them to make me the Interim Director of the organization. I am already doing the work of Director, just don't have the title yet. I think they will give me the title (and hopefully more monies), in which case I will feel all-powerful and mighty. (Hah, just kidding. Sort of.) If they say no, goodbye Holyoke.

3. As you all have probably heard by now, I am a single lady. Break-ups are excruciating, and this one was no exception. But, it has been a month, and I am feeling good about the decision. There is no going back. Also, being single is awesome. I highly recommend it.

4. Basically what it comes down to is that I am going through my own mini-feminist revolution. I have been reading a lot of Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks. You all should check them out if you feel like experiencing your own feminist upheaval. It's the greatest.

5. I am in Maine for two weeks!! TWO weeks!! Amazing! Talk about soul-healing. This is pretty much what I'm doing, all the time, over and over. Come visit! There have been bike rides, boat trips, lobster fests, beach visits, mountain hikes. I have even been on a ferris wheel. So good.

I am so excited to see so many of you in September! It's going to be the best.

blind leading the blind

note to self: after you pass a sobriety test on the side of the road at 2 in the morning (cause small town cops have nothing else to do), please don't text selena as you walk up your dark, dark driveway. you just might have a head-on collision with a tree and walk away with a black eye and a scratched up chin. just saying.

for more blind leading the blind stories, go HERE!

hope all are well! photos to come soon!

ps OBAMA'S HERE!

think before you shove things in there

today i was an idiot and put a minicd into my macbookpro. i spent about 10 mintues fishing it out with a credit card with a piece of tape on it. finally got it. new album up on facebook. love, rose

Also I just found this video. Looks like sex and tennis are obviously related to everyone...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFQs7Jcaazw&feature=related

sado island

Hi all. I can't wait to get to boston, rachie! Me and Romain still have to move in (obtain and somehow transport furniture?) and find that pesky third roommate (heh..) but then we'll be sailing the golden seas, or something. i just got back from a lab trip to sado island, which is a bit north of here, on the other side of japan (west siiiiiiide) and full of beautiful lagoons and jungle gyms of artificial rocks on the coastline. with vending machines that pop out any icy cold drink imaginable and rice balls at every convenience store and people handing you free fans on the street to combat the wicked heat. i lit some pretty sweet little fireworks (hanabi), we checked out some cool conservation habitats for the locally extirpated in japan but then imported from china Crested Ibis, and some rice paddies, but we mostly just swam in the ocean. i am still the only woman i have ever seen in japan in a bikini. everyone else was in a full on outfit (like in the 1800s). i saw a few women in one-pieces. modesty sucks, and while i sort of felt like a ho, i also felt like samantha from Sex and the City 2, when she takes on religious fundamentalism by screaming "I am a woman, I have SEX!" I never saw this movie, nor will I ever, but this review is possibly the funniest thing I have ever read, so please have a look: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/burkas-and-birkins/Content?oid=4132715
hugs and kisses from across the ocean xoxoxo

Hi loves,

Sorry about the PostChap truancy. My month at the barn in Colrain, MA, was perfect. Unbelievably beautiful barnloft and house, sweet landlords and fellow renters, a swimming hole across the street and two more down the road, hidden hiking trails everywhere (my last day I found caves!). Mad used bookstores in downtown Greenfield. and delish fresh produce. Perfect, perfect. I saw becky and destry and sara d-z and danK each about once a week (carms, I really like that abbreviation cuz he definitely uses that word in convo ... ). My life was serene except for a few angsty hours interspersed contemplating my future with DanK - for those who don’t know, he left last week for south africa to work for this activist dude named zackie ahmat (who spoke at amherst's commencement). not going to elaborate, I’m sure you can all imagine.. the past couple days have been really rough because he’s been living far in the countryside without internets / possibilities for contact.

last week i lived w my parents at the jersey shore. They spent all their money for the next twenty years on a cottage in margate this summer, fully furnished, so my mom moved right in, she’s ecstatic. Guess it was the right choice! It is nice, and you’re all invited (but especially Carmella, who gets a shout out from my mom). Beachy breezes and soft sand, but stress from my parents, who really wanna know what I’m doing with my life!

Awesome. Moved to boston Saturday evening.. went out that night w mccune and mai and some other guy.. ridiculous. The next day I hung out w rhona and sara d-z (random, random), and then today was my first day of work! Exhausting. This is going to be exhausting – think 8 AM to 6 PM five days a week, working with kids or prepping to work with kids non-stop during that time. And it’s not paying me much money! But I’m excited for the relationships that I know I’m going to cultivate in the school with staff and students and my fellow fellows. Literally on Nichols st in Chelsea the set up is, school (ie, Phoenix Charter Academy), next building is the church, next building is the rectory, which is a big old funny mansion where they’ve housed nine fellows, including me, in my own swank room, so come visit!! / rosie, I can’t wait for you to come back!!

OK, so much love, rach.

a toast to old friends

Hello from Westfield, NY, where I am currently nestled in the woods with my mom and her best friend+family. They have a gorgeous summer home right on Lake Eerie, and they come out every August to celebrate life and love and all things delicious. My mom's been coming out here for many years as well, and this time I decided to join her! It's been so lovely to have a chill weekend (haven't had one of those since summer started!) and just relax on the porch or sail around on their little hobie cat. My favorite time so far, though, has been hanging out in the kitchen with my mom, Lori (her bff), a bottle of wine, and some tunes on the stereo as we cooked up a storm for last night's feast. Reminds me so much of good times with my own set of bosom buddies-- you all! They realized yesterday that they've been friends for THIRTY FIVE YEARS, almost to the day! Craziness. One day we'll be cooking up a storm in someone's beautiful summer home (or in our communal kitchen on our farm?!) with children running at our feet and a sweet breeze blowing, wine glasses in hand, and we'll realize all of a sudden - oh my! Did we really meet that long ago?! We've been friends a hella long time! Craziness!

I just wrote Cait an email about my life as of late, and I was telling her about going to the Newport Folk Festival last weekend and meeting up with Destry, Rach, and DanK. The music was great, I wrote, but the best part of it all was spending time with old friends. I can't wait to recreate it times a million at the cabin in Sept!

Sending ya'll so much love through the cybersphere-
carmsy

i think i'm dead

Hi everyone!

I've been talkin to a few folks about this but we're about to make it official. I'm calling a Chapman reunion for all those who can make it! September 17-19, Rachel is booking us a cabin out in the middle of nowhere (and by nowhere, I mean central Mass of course). If you think you can make it, be in touch with either Rachel or me if you haven't been!

Anyway, this is why I think I'm dead. I picked up a second job. I work at Hai Ky which is a fast food vietnamese restaurant run by old man Hai and a bunch of hipsters. It's basically the best. I get free food. I get to play DJ. I have super cute hipster boys working with me. I'm the next in line to be the art curator of the restaurant (Bill's artwork is going up next!). And they pay me (I'd probably work here for free!)! So I told Destry all this and she said "oh basically, you've died and gone to heaven." Must be true. Anyway, I love it. I love Austin. But most of all, I love you all and hope to see everyone soon!