technonerd

I will (hopefully) be exiting mainstream society once again in a year, and have started to ponder the weaning process.  Its fascinating particularly in the techno-realm, because I was still living at Twin Oaks when cell phones, texting, and facebook exploded.  I resisted their tempting pull initially.  And eventually, i sucame.  in a MAJOR way. To the point where I've been known to say things like "why call, when you can text?" and find myself trapped in a technology loop, viewing friends of friends facebook pics.  EEK!!!  Sky insists that the transition back will be smooth and easy, that there's no expectation of instant communication at Twin Oaks.  But I'm wonder if these new neural pathways will take more then a gentle nudging to re-form themselves. At any rate, thank goodness for the intervention. 

you heard it here first

From urban gardening,

small business owner,

bike-powered transport

and music-playing....

after a couple of weeks of consideration and pondering, we've decided to re-apply for membership at twin oaks and if accepted, return in a year or so.  wow!  why?  well, for the past 2 years we've been dreaming and planning with our compadres roberto and marta (currently residing at twin oaks) on creating or finding a new community.  keenan asked me how ours would be different than twin oaks; a dicey question since its still so much in the unresolved-dreamstate.  but, i told him:  there will be a strong inward focus (personal growth, healthy inter-personal dynamics) and a strong outward focus (interacting w/impacting the world or as many people as possible).  "great!" he said.  "twin oaks is neither of those.  and we certainly need more communities." 

back to the land of hippies?!?!?!

the decision feels right and good in many ways.  it gives sky some more focussed family time while willow is still young (he'll be 10 on Validation Day), it gives Hawina and I a better container for continuing to heal our connection, it gives the 4 of us (me sky roberto marta) lots of closeness and access to work and plan, it puts us in close contact w/lots of people interested in community.  and knowledgeable about it.  it facilitates the re-uniting of the vulgar bulgars (currently we are travelling from cville and richmond to practice at twin oaks.  the cites are on opposite sides of the oaks).  it frees us up from "survival" mode of earning enough to pay rent etc. 

and i think we've done a spectacular job in tackling cville.  we've created 2 successful collective businesses, we've made lots of great friends, participated in myriad interesting projects, made it work financially w/o getting jobs we hate (a continual miracle to me).  we live in an awesome collective house that feels like home.   so why leave?  at the root, in these 3 years, despite our many efforts, we still haven't found the people that have the energy and will to create the kind of community that we want.  cville has an intensely transient feel.  folks get into their projects for however long, but there's rarely a sense of putting down roots, of being here for the long haul.  ironically, the 2 people i know here that really HAVE decided to put down roots have extenuating circumstances that prevent them from being able to create a living/working/playing community with us.

so there it is.  happy to hear your thoughts/reflections/feedback..........

Occupy Videos!

Occupy Cville still goin' strong...there's been so much awesome media around this, here are 2 of my current faves...

Outing the Ringers



I am not moving.

Occupy Cville

Things are happening fast around here and i've been meaning to write a post about it.  But Sara's post says it all...plus she quotes me.  so check it out!

love revolution

The love revolution is a radical retaliation to the current unhappy state of affairs in the world: political, economic, social, environmental and spiritual.  it is the sweet song of freedom sung in the face of bulldozers, oil rigs and landmines.   it is a reclamation of our birthright claim to love, happiness, deep satisfaction and  meaningful connections to ourselves,  each other and the planet.

The love revolution is about getting real with ourselves about our own baggage, our own responsibility and our own power to reclaim and transform ourselves, each other and the world. its about breaking down the barriers that capitalist consumerism feeds on; the barriers that create a false sense of  separation from ourselves, each other, the planet.

it is  re-connecting to our tribal roots: the self-sufficiency afforded by small communities providing for themselves while remaining connected to a web of similarly decentralized groups....it is about nourishing ourselves deeply on the love that is abundant within and between us, and using that power and energy to help liberate more and more people and to create a thriving new society in time for the fall of the current status quo.

--my portion of joint blog rokarevolution.wordpress.com

Occupy!

 I am excited about Occupy Wallstreet.  I'll admit it straight out.  Some part of me rejoices at people re-claiming public space, looking to each other to provide for basic needs, carving out space to discuss the power structures and unyielding point a finger at the deep injustice to which we have all become inured.

There's lots of
great links i could post, but the best coverage I've found is on democracy now.  check it out of your at all curious--in particular, there's a great interview with David Graeber.  So is it effective?  What is the point?





As my brilliant housemate Sara Tansey says, if people are having an experience of a different and better way of creating a society, its working!   Perhaps  most compelling is the notion that this is not a protest; it is a demonstration of how to run our society in a more inclusive and equitable way.  The General Assembly Model is a model for inclusion and democratic decision making on a mass scale. 

Many unions have endorsed the action, and the mobilization is spreading to other cities, including Washington, LA, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Portland Maine, Denver...and many more are popping up.  The first Occupy Cville meeting is tomorrow, 6:30 at Random Row Books--stop by if your in the area! 

 

Grannies

Marione

Saturday night, sky and i came home from an invigorating Transition Town potluck just plumb tuckered.  It was a gathering of the folks from Transition Cville Albermarle and a couple folks from Transition Staunton, a fairly well established group.  More in a future post--but here i just want to say:  we arrived home to a kitchen full o' grannies.  Piper and Marione, Twin Oaks' oldest ladies were spending the night at woodfolk.  they were attending MIC50--the conference on the military industrial complex at fifty years old. 

Piper

Both die-hard activists, these adorable biddies were eating their evening yoghurt in our kitchen.  they clucked over us and we got them towels and helped out with some settling-in logistics.  After they went off to bed, i felt such appreciation for what we are able to provide each other across the generations.  As younger folks, our help is more obvious: logistics, help getting around.  But what they offer is also so sweet and invaluable.  There's something about the unconditional love that old people give us young'uns that is unique and special. 

 Its the same when Willow is around; there's something about having a kid that brings out the playful bubblyness in everyone around them.  I want to create and live in communities that bring together the 3 generations to live inter-dependently.  The breadth and richness of connection that is possible feels tantalizingly out of reach in my current life, and having a little injection of grannynes reminds me to keep it in the forefront as a priority.