totally hard core

For the last few days a few things have been influencing my decisions and actions: "Is this hardcore?" "Is this punk rock?" "Is this western-Massachusetts?" Not that I validly have any claim to any of these descriptions.

Yesterday I wore a flannel shirt from salvation army which is too big for me but very hardcore. And then on top I wore a red puffy vest, something I picked up in a free pile at the end of my first year and before coming to MA would've never seen myself wearing ever. Then, I drove myself to my favorite neighborhood hardware store, True Value, and picked up some 2 x 4s and wood stain. yep. to build myself a coat rack. When I was looking at the closet hardware, someone asked me, "How late are you open tonight?" and it took me a minute but then I realized, "oh, I don't work here. but I think 5pm." THAT'S how hardcore and authentic I looked yesterday. Also, I think it was the confident swagger. the, yes. I'm going to build something and just do this even though the project is due tomorrow and I have lots of self doubts. Take that, 24-hours-in-a-day.

All this is because it's nearing the end of the semester, and I'm not-so-suddenly realizing that I've spread myself a little thin this semester, and I've done a ton of stuff, but I'm not totally sure what. And so I had a critique today that was three weeks from my last critique, and I wasn't sure what to show! I didn't have anything! why!?!?! It can't have been because of the giant mailbox project I orchestrated, the social justice lunch series I'm trying to organize, the dialogue workshop I attended, the hopscotch board I've been drawing and jumping in the art barn, the Jason Anderson concert I loved, the amazing storefrontART ARThappening event/poetry reading/dance party that I got to be a part of, the letters and birthday cards I've been sending, the free-art-supplies/junk collecting I've been doing, the stupid UMass class I've been attending even though I should have dropped it, or the massive inter-departmental mail assault I've instigated between GE and Merrill house offices.

So I used this as an opportunity to do an "exercise" or a "sketch" -- a one day project: go. I picked from my long list of potential project the TAG SALE. the idea is that I set up an event where people bring clothing that has sentimental value or a story behind it, and then they write that story (in any form they want) on a tag and we sew it into the garment. Then all the garments are hung on the clothes rack (what I previously called a coat rack??) and available for general perusal. A collective archive of memories and stories. Enlivening inanimate clothing by telling the story of the things that have happened to it. Clothing as an object experiencing parts of our real lives.

ANYWAYS. I was really annoyed by my last-minute-ness of it all, but had to just keep giving it up and keep going. I was super crazy last night. I ran around from one commitment to another, and then ran into the woodshop with an hour and a half until Greg, my advisor and shop supervisor, was going to leave for the night. I got my wood and Greg and I built a damn clothes rack. It looked kinda shoddy. It wiggled. We kept having to add extra pieces of wood here and there because of unaccounted for mess-ups. I couldn't put enough force behind some of the screws, and had to have Greg finish some of the joints. In the end it was just bigger than my arm span such that I couldn't carry it myself. I can't describe how funny and comforting it was to have Greg, a tall guy with big boots, carrying this lame coat rack with me in a awkward wobble, cursing at all the first year's projects strewn about in our pathway. With my knees hurting and my pants falling down (because I STILL haven't found any of my belts...), I felt really hardcore.

I stained the wood (partially in an effort to cover up the american flag stamp on the wood -- Greg made fun of me endlessly for that part) which helped a lot. And then I made hangars out of cardboard. It seems ridiculous to make a coat rack, and make hangars, when I could just get regular ones, but in the end, I'm really glad I went to all that work. It's kinda a random and scattered experience I'm trying to set up with the art project, so I think it was important to think about and control all the other aspects of it in order to make it my art piece, or an art piece at all. It makes it more than a random rack of clothing with weird labels on it.

And so my critique in class today was great! I was struck by how grateful I am for all those people, even though I was suspicious of them at the beginning of the year. They were all so excited and interested in the project and wanting to participate or at least see more. It's really so validating to have this idea that I half think is stupid be critiqued and questioned and talked about as if it were real and assuming it's valid, by a group of people I respect. Adrian, a kid who was in my original Tutorial class in my first year and has been in a bunch of art classes since with me, said the "shoddyness" and hand-made ness of it all, even in the places where I didn't do the best job or the most professional seamless construction, were great and added to the personal-ness of the piece. It was inviting, they said, because it was as if a friend invited you to a party, and not just some institution or generic invitation. I like that.

This weekend I was in a dialogue workshop about race. It was really a great experience -- to be in a room and have the space and opportunity to have an honest and open dialogue about uncomfortable issues was really great. I found myself getting uncomfortable, or not sure a lot, but then I could also just think, "ok. I feel like X. That's great. Now I'm going to keep being in this conversation anyway because that's just a thought and this is a tricky issue that is filled up with upsetting and unresolved hooks that could pull me under at any moment." I really appreciate the way everyone in the room was so open to being vulnerable and honest. It felt like a very real dialogue, and something to keep those concerns fresh in my head as I'm working and making collaborative opportunities. How to I be inclusive and conscious in everything I do? How is my race playing a factor into what communities I am working with or what I am making? How can my work look at these differences or engage with them?

Another hardcore thing in my potential horizon: An Imperial TransAntarctic Expedition. Living in a sea-shanty on a frozen lake in Minnesota in January. The midwest! I've never been there! boats! I've never lived in one! Making art while freezing! Never done that really either! Must think about the logical-ness of this all (I know I know, not very punk rock), and update soon.

also, I promise a post of just-photographs to make up for my excessive words soon. Like tomorrow. Or maybe I'll actually do some work tomorrow. but you know, soon.

Tonight we're (me, Elizabeth, Luke, Emily, and James -- modmates) are planning on going dumpster diving. I'm not sure what this really entails, but Luke is an expert, and I trust him on most everything. So hopefully that will round out my hard-core night.

ONE WEEK TILL THANKSGIVING!!! I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT TO SEE MY FAMILY!!!

SPEED POST

OMG SO MANY THINGS!

1. the children's center at my school was throwing away a bunch of stuff today so I acquired SO MANY COOL NEW THINGS. including: a bunch of rubber marine animals, a xylephone-looking set of bells, a child's sleeping bag, a rug (which Elizabeth and I both independently titled our "yoga rug"), a wooden horse head on a stick, baskets, hardware, pullies, a beautiful felt tapestry with llamas on it. We started a band with the bells and squeeky rubber marine animals.
   
2. the art barn mail art project is off it's feet! I hope! 27 mailboxes up!
3. I drew a hopscotch in the art barn hallway the other night, late late late. The next day I go in and everyone is hopping back and forth to get to wherever they're going, or having competitions to hop it the best! And they're even following the ridiculous directions I added, like, "spin 180 degrees!" and "touch your toes!" and "do an awesome dance" at the end. Micah wants to extend it to the entire art barn -- so you can hopscotch everywhere! It's really so great to hear people hopping down the hall.
4. I made breakfast for dinner and it was great.
5. today for class one of my classmates presented her work which was a journey into the woods with candles and into this little structure she built which had her music playing. And it was so fun and lovely and inspired me to make maps of the woods, looking for places to do art pieces or installations and it was also just so fun. I need to go into the woods more often!
6. I took down the listening booth. It was depressing to take it apart after working so hard for so long. but it made so much new space for new work! So, I'm on to new things. new new new.
7. Haley and I are doing an art - i - fact show. with found objects and viewers adding stories to them. More on that later.
   
8. I'm back to work! Off to the barn again! AHHH!!
   

a new week in our new america!

We did it! We elected Barack Obama!!
It was really an amazing night. if you haven't seen this video (which is weird because it seems like the entire world has), then check it out: it's Hampshire College in the best spontaneous community art project ever. I should have just yelled out, right before CNN reported Obama's win, "HEY EVERYONE, LET'S ALL GO OUTSIDE AND BE PART OF A LARGER COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE AND CELEBRATE EACH OTHER AND BE EXCITED ABOUT LIFE" and then when everyone came out and did just that, it would actually have been my idea and part of my Division III. In fact, I'd be done and I could just write about squash recipes for the rest of this blog/year. The down side is that now the whole world knows what I sound like screeching.

In other news, my first community art project didn't go so well. I tried to throw together some election-day-map-related-art and it was disappointing. I first learned some things about the graffiti wall: you must paint whatever you're painting all in one session. None of this planning ahead business. I painted the wall blank the night before, and about an hour later went out and found these kids painting it with lame smiley faces or something. I was visibly and audibly disappointed. And they painted over it for me, and made an official sign asking everyone else to leave it alone for one day too! I felt really great about that. But then the next morning, it had some robots and an umbrella on it. LAME.

And then I was crazy for the whole day -- trying to drive vans to the polls, go to class (which was super lame and I should have skipped), go to my other class, and finish everything for my 50 states project, and get my house ready for our elections party. So, in the end nothing got fully accomplished -- everything just almost there. The 50 States project was going to use my coat-hangar map of the USA and we would paint a map on the graffiti wall, and then people gathered could add stories, memories, things to the map and make it our own. But it just kinda looked lame. Everyone there was trying to be supportive and encouraging, and I really appreciated it and enjoyed making it, but it wasn't what I had imagined. So either I need to be more accepting of whatever happens, or I need to be more intense about planning and setting things up and testing my processes. The map we made looked really small on the big wall, and the delicate edges of the wire were totally lost. so, next time I guess.

I also had a committee meeting on Wednesday. Which was really great because I've been feeling really lame and not wanting to do any work. Mainly because my Listening Booth literally collapsed, and is taking up so much room in my art space that I have no room to not look at it and not see how much I hate it. BUT! My committee said that it's OK TO JUST PUT IT ASIDE, AND START SOMETHING ELSE! I knew this, but it's really gratifying to have someone else tell you that it's really fine to put aside/take apart/stop working on something that you've already put a lot of time and money (and joann's coupons) into, and that it's ok and you can use the parts later and you're still awesome. So I'm going to tackle that tomorrow. wow. how exciting.

Other projects started (which the whole art barn is pumped about which makes me even more pumped!!) is the Art Barn Post Office:


In other news, I get very lonely when I stay up too late. Also, I've been feeling homesick. I'm really excited for Thanksgiving. I really can't wait to see my family. and my brother who's really too cool at school, on the bowling league or the social chair for his house, or the cool physics dudes, and going to grant park the night barack obama is elected... geeze, call a sister once in a while, huh?

But in good news, I'm writing this right now feeling pretty great. I went to an art show tonight at UMass and it featured work of both a family friend from New York who introduced me to the curator, but also an Elsewhere Artist! Someone (angela z.) who was at Elsewhere last summer and I never met, but saw her work and heard about. And it was so great! I saw her piece, a sprawling cardboard cave with kintted eyes peeking out of every corner, and I immediately knew it was her work. I peeked inside the cave and she's in there, knitting with three foot long needles. And she is wearing a costume and embodying the character of the "spacemaker", but she breaks character to talk with me. and it's really just so lovely. So nice to indulge in Elsewhere-speak. And best of all, I saw all these parts of her work, that were like little clues back to Elsewhere, or reminded me of a certain ribbon I saw everywhere, and it made total sense! All those pieces were things she did! It really reinforced how much that place both holds on to pieces of you, but also lets them go. because while the pieces are still there, without people who know you, the pieces don't always make sense and just become part of the mess. (metaphorical/philosophical conclusion approaching:) maybe it represents life; we are messy, and until we can understand or at least glimpse at meaning and stories behind each other's actions and residue, things just look like a heap of junk.

I've been hoping each day since Tuesday was Saturday, and tomorrow I will wake up and it will indeed be Saturday. maybe I will finally fix my bike. And have lunch with the girls. And get started on a new art project.

sweet dreams. lets talk soon, ok?
aliya

going to new haampshhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire (part 2).

*******************************

And then it's time to go! I pull into a drive-in starbucks which is huge (I think it was a denny's previously). I cannot figure out what to get. I want something with the words "pumpkin spice" and "mocha" and "coffee" in it. For some reason, this creates a lot of confusion. also, I dont want milk. but in the end, i say, yeah, a little milk please. The guy on the speaker is unbelievably patient for a saturday night. At the next window, we talk about life, and our futures, and following your passion, not whatever you think will make you a lot of money, and i feel good about life in general, and people who inhabit it.

The roads at night in new england are just as lovely as in the day. I see stars, and trees, and no one is around to flash their headlights in my mirrors, causing me to be jealous of their really shiny and newer headlights that work, as opposed to the kinda-bright lights on my car. I feel protected because the car I am driving first was my grandparents, then went to texas (and is protected by the texas sticker still on it's windshield), then it came to florida where my dad drove it and went to yoga a lot and told us to wipe our hands on our pants, not the car seats. I feel happy to be driving home, and to have friends so many places that love me. I feel happy that I'm not getting lost. I feel happy to make forts and cocoons for my Div 3 because I like making homes. I feel ok that I don't know where "I'm from" because I can make a new home somewhere else. I feel increasingly jittery and silly and smile-y and less-imminently-tired as I drink the coffee concoction, which tastes kinda like pumpkin rinds, really really sweet stuff, and a tiny bit like coffee. it's kinda good actually.

i see roadkill. it's really really big. and steaming. like freshly killed. it scares me, gives me the jitters. I can't believe how sad it makes me feel.

I realize my inner DJ is telling me, "mountain goats" and I'm like, "totes brillz!" So I put on the mountain goats and it is the perfect music for my drive. As I get closer to home, I realize that I really need to listen to "going to georgia" which is the song which first introduced me to the mountain goats, by two high school friends, after high school, at some slightly awkward but awesome reunion, and i realized i really loved them. I can still imagine them singing this song whenever I hear it. So I started getting really into this song, and replaying it. about 14 times in a row. really. that many times. And every time we (me and the mountain goats) got to this part of the song, I had to yell it, not just sing it. yell it:

the most remarkable thing about coming home to you is the feeling of being in motion again.
its the most extraordinary thing in the world.

i have two big hands and heart pumping blood
and a 1967 colt
45
with a busted safety catch.

the world shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiines
as i cross the macon
county line
going to georgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway
IS THAT IT'S YOU.
AND THAT YOU'RE STANDING. IN THE DOORWAY.
and you smile as you ease the gun from my hand
and i'm
frozen with joy
right where i stand
the world throws it's light underneath your hair
40 miles from atlanta
this is
.
nooowhere

goin' to georgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

the world SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINESSSS
as i CROSS THE MACON COUNTY LINE
going to georgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.


I am home. I drop my stuff, grab my painted broken gigantic boom box which is my made up instrument, and head over to my friends mod. He is having a birthday party. yesterday, he let me be in his band for hampshire halloween, a real gig with actual people, even though I do not play a real instrument. I played this pretend instrument. The "gingleschlopperfindlesphiel". Last night no one could hear the instrument (because actually, it doesn't make any noises) Tonight I was going to sing him a birthday song on this instrument.

I get to the house and begin to preform. I organized the antenna, and suddenly, the instrument works! It makes noises very much like me singing and humming! I am so hyped up on no sleep and caffeine I am laughing the whole time and my song is in a very high pitch. It's a really lovely song. about david letting me be in his band, and about his cool mutton-chops, and about how i'm glad we are friends. and how this song was much better when I was thinking about it on my ride home. and david and everyone else loved it.

and so now i'm home. in my bed. about to sleep a full nights sleep for the first time all week. and then i can freak out about work tomorrow. everytime i move i feel queezy from that coffee and sleepy headachey blech. i think my hands are shaking for the same reason and can't really type correctly. but in general i'm shaking from excitement.

I'm sorry this post was so long and ramble-y. you can skip it if you are bored. or just think i'm a lame-o for crying so much today. or just go vote for obama instead of thinking any of those things. i hope you are all having a great night, and that you someday get to preform a song on the gingleschnorperhopensplinkertink while crazy on caffeine.

In conclusion, today was very much about my division three work: i created community all over the freaking place, and interacted with all these people in ways i never would have otherwise.

thank you all for your support everywhere (thank you dad).
aliya

we interrupt this blog post for this bizarre interaction

right now we are in a hostage situation. there is a strange drunk, confused man outside our door, who swears that mod 66 is actually mod 99, and that he just needs to get inside and go to sleep. I opened the door to a knock about 10 minutes ago, because I thought it was one of our locked-out mod-mates and, because I was pissed at our messy mod, I opened the door very forcefully. which hit this very confused person in the face.
HIM:oh man you really fucked up my face. i'm bleeding right now (he wasn't).
{he comes inside rubbing his face, and gently closes the door, not in a predator way, but a "man, i got hit in the face just right now" way}
ME: what are you doing?
HIM: I just don't want to get hit again.
{ELIZABETH enters from upstairs.}
ME: who are you?
HIM: I'm looking for Ben {and then motioned upwards, so either Ben lives in a rocket, or on a higher floor somewhere. but we know it's not in mod 66}
US: but ben doesn't live here
HIM: well, can I just sleep on your floor?
US: um, we don't know you.
HIM: i just need somewhere to sleep.
US: no. i'm sorry.
HIM: should I leave?
US: yes. sorry.
{we close the door and leave him on the porch}
{ALIYA runs to close all window shades and turn out the lights and sit on the couch hissing at elizabeth to sit down.}
{ELIZABETH practically calls public safety and reports the situation.}
{ALIYA thinks about being invaded about alien predators and how elizabeth's room would be the best strong-hold because it has a bolt lock, it's on the second floor, and has only one window. }
{PUBLIC SAFETY ARRIVES}
PUBS: blah blah blah stuff, where are you from, no, what are you doing, where's your id, I'm not trying to be scary, we're just looking for your friend, blah
HIM: i'm just trying to go to bed, i'm really cold, i don't want to be arrested -- i'm just trying to get in this mod,
PUBS: but you don't live here
HIM:i'm just trying to get into 99.
PUBS: but this isn't 99
HIM: I just need to go to sleep.
PUBS: Let's find your friend.
....
PUBS: ok he's gone. he found his friend. the end [note: secret mysterious pubsafety officer that certain friend may know of is part of the pubs posse. however, he looks stupid and borring.]

predatory/skeezy/sad situation averted. elizabeth feels ready to write a novel and solve murder mysteries, aliya still feels queezy in stomach from previous parts of night/day, and previously intended blog post is resumed. also, living room is still messy, but now more-blockade-like.

going to new haaaaampshiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrre.

***a blog post involving non-division three activities. even though i thought this would be a div 3 blog and i was trying to be professional.***

{{{WARNING. IT'S REALLY WAY TOO LONG. SORRY.}}}

today i've felt gittery and shakey and sore/achey for many different reasons, mostly compounded. no, i was not inflicted by rabid beasts or even bad things. I was inflicted by obama pride and inspiration, over-tiredness, a pinch of dissappointment, capoeira, too many sweet things in one day, pms, walking around all day in the cold, mccain supporters, cold cars at night, rocking music, roadkill, and finally, a mocha-pumpkin-pie-syrup-coffee (with a little milk) (but not a latte).

go to bed at 2:45am (because had to work for the halloween event and then prepare for today). wake up at 7:32am. climb down bed-ladder and curse at phone. re-set alarm and pointlessly go back to sleep for 7 minutes. wake up and realize i really do need to shower. shower. get dressed in a somewhat respectable manner. make a sandwich. eat a bowl of cereal. pack my bag. leave hampshire at 8:35am. I am headed for new hampshire, to obama headquarters in keene new hampshire. I am alone because i did not manage to enroll anyone to come with me very early in the morning, the day after hampshire halloween, to new hampshire to walk around in the cold for obama for an undetermined amount of time. I say, f- you everyone. now i get to choose exactly the music i want, and i don't have to listen to any of you with your shitty music tastes.

I am driving and new england is beautiful! trees! leaves! fields! houses! roads! wow! I pass everywhere that is familiar and continue driving north! suddenly, I am in new hampshire and there are about 50 million political signs EVERYWHERE. like, Massachusetts = nothing, New Hampshire = everyone. Maybe MA isn't actually voting this year.

I call my dad and tell him that I am scared about talking to people. we practice. I realize that I actually sound pretty good. i convince him to vote for obama.

I listen to NPR but then it stops talking about politics (i.e. gets borring) so I suddenly think about a single note from a postal service song. so I realize that the radio is telling me to start playing postal service songs. So i oblige, and realize that my head is a genious dj. I am suddenly not scared and pumped and ready to go face mccain supporters (and scary obama supporters).

I get to Keene NH! I go to the headquarters which is a sketchy warehouse down a road! There are billions of people! and signs! and donuts! and no one is paying attention to me. I say, "hello! I am volunteering! i havent done this! i don't know what i'm doing!" they have run out of canvassing packets and so they tell me to hold a sign for "visibility". This seems extremely lame, but I am determined that it is ok! I walk out and suddenly feel extremely alone. I am holding a large sign and all alone. and extremely emotional. I call my dad, and he tells me it's totally fine. I am moved by the idea of obama being president, very tired, and alone. I decide i will find some other people and not be alone. I wipe away my tears (#1), and walk on!

in the middle of the town rotary, there are a billion obama people! i join them! We hold signs and make eye contact and wave and people either honk at us and wave and be happy, or shake their heads, give us the thumbs down, or in one case, give me the finger. awesome! But, I definitely saw more obama stickers than (any) mccain bumperstickers. just sayin.

the people I stood next to were awesome! Rebecca and Kevin were from around here, and she was an ESOL teacher, and then this other lady, Sharon, was a dance teacher for Greenfield Community College. So we LEARNED A DANCE!! I learned how to tap dance WHILE campaigning for obama! Its called the Shim Sham Shuffle. it has 7 parts. that's a lot of parts. We were out there for about 2.5 hours.

Then a van drove up and said they needed people down the road to challenge the mccain people there who had a LOUDSPEAKER. OH NO!! we piled in, even though it was a slightly sketchy situation (but i thought it was ok because i was with my new friends!), and went down to the highway off-ramp intersection. it was crazy! people on all sides! they were saying, "McCain for Freedom!" "McCain for Leadership!" "Live Free -- Vote McCain!" I guess they were appealing to the NH motto: "Live Free or Die". They were like a whole family I guessed. They were very enthusiastic. they were yelling and screaming the whole time, never loosing energy it seemed. But, I started a cheer, one I learned in North carolina, and felt silly at the time, but now proudly sing:
"Oh oh oh, Obama, oh oh BARACK Obama!" It was in our heads all day!

I also really wanted to talk to the McCain family. I said, "HELLO!" really awkwardly. and one turned his head. but then I said, "HOW ARE YOU GUYS TODAY?" and he said, "FINE. AND YOU?" "FINE. THANK YOU." and that was the end of our meaningful talk. I wanted to ask, "I don't want to be combative, but I'd really love to know why you are supporting McCain?" I wanted to have a dialogue. Also, all day I felt vaguely protective of the Mccain supporters we saw. I wanted everyone to play nice.

But instead we all passive agressively yelled out our candidates! Cars driving through that intersection were really confused. They had to point at the person they liked, then wave or yell or honk in their direction. And if they were doing a drive-by-honk, they usually had to change their thumb direction or honking excitement half way through when the line changed from one set of signs to the other. Then it was 2:10 and we were very tired! We walked back to Headquarters. I said bye to my McCain Friends, and he smiled too big. He thinks I was giving up. NO WAY. but I do hope he had a good day.

So we went back to headquarters and ate things. There were many many many baloney sandwiches in little baggies. but I didn't eat those.

And then I wanted to canvass. That's what I was scared about and what i drove all this way to do. I said I had an hour. They said, well, do you want to hold a sign?! (dissappointment) um, no. (walk away lamely) I guessed I'd leave. I said goodbye to Rebecca and Kevin. They were awesome. we hugged.

I walked outside (crying #2). went to a coffee shop and sat in a chair in a ball. I'd driven all this way to hold a sign for 4 hours? Call Dad. we decide I should go back. Yeah! I'm going to do it! On the way I call my brother. I'm pissed he's not listening to me. I get frustrated and start to hang up but then he asks me if I'm ok, and I start crying again (#3) and tell him tired, cold, confused, lame, etc. He says, "Aliya, I think it's really great that you went up to NH and are doing this." I love my brother. I am empowered and head into the headquarters.

We decide I should go to phone bank! I walk with some really great boss-volunteer person, who makes me laugh and acts like a mom in a good way and takes care of me. I end up in the Democratic Campaign office. which is a shitty hole in the wall. with A LOT OF SIGNS EVERYWHERE. I sit down with a list of people who we are identifying as obama supporters or not, and then tuesday we're going to make sure the obama people get to the polls. These people are sick and tired of politics. It was kinda funny.
ME: hi I"m aliya and i'm volunteering to talk to voters about barack obama and jeanne scheehen. How are you today?
THEM: I'm alright. listen, you people need to stop calling me. this is the fifth phone call i've gotten today, and i just had someone at my door too. I'm a registered republican, and my husband is running for a county seat, and you need to stop calling me! this is just rude! please tell your supervisor that!"
ME: i'm very sorry ma'am. I promise not to call you again and thank you for being patient with us.

I catch myself being ageist and assuming things based on the age and gender listed next to the name and phone number on the phone lists. I actually really enjoy talking to these people even when they're mad at me for calling so much. It's kinda like prank calling but for change!

amanda calls! she is my supervisor from when i worked in dakin two years ago. She works in Keene now! We're going to have dinner together! Awesome! I leave the Democratic place, and wish them luck with dragging new hampshire out to the polls on tuesday.

I leave and call dad again, telling him I'm done and he can stop worrying. He is also super proud of me for making a difference, even though it didn't look like what i thought it would look like. I cry again (#4).

I meet up with amanda, see her new place and her and it's great. then she took me out to dinner with her house director coworkers/friends and it's really cool! They talk about their interns (RAs) a lot, and I wonder, "is this what my house directors do all the time too? probably. we're basically awesome."

Then we talk more and she tells me that her new staff has officially challened her old staff (us.) to a big game of Dance Dance Revolution. which means, that she still loves us. Also, she had the name tag I made her on her office door. It had the most glitter and ribbons on it of all the nametags she had. its really nice to see her and remember that i have people who really get me and what I'm about and want to support me in what I'm up to and where I'm going.

******************