don't fall out

the window was cracked wide

and the screen removed

i was leaning

arched over the sill

exhaling

a lit cigarette glowing orange in my face

illuminating the knuckles of my fingers

but i looked down

and dew reflected the patches of light

collected from basement windows and guttering street lamps

they looked like stars of the earth

there were constellations

not a replica of the sky's, of course

no belts, no dippers

but images of those passed

strewn throughout the leaves and blades

old life gazed up

forgotten apologies

and grudges never let go

lessons learned, although too late

those that once were, reminding me

to scribble

scribe

scrawl

before my fingers go limp like the wet grass

clinging to the stars

Food Rules

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/8/michael_pollan_on_food_rules_an

^^this is a great interview with michael Pollan about the current state of our food system. The Food Industry and even the government are not out to ensure our health. It's in our hands and Michael Pollan outlines important information any eater should know.

(DeomcracyNow! is a great independent news site that provides the audience with people and perspectives rarely heard from corporate-driven news sources. Progressive and diverse. Two thumbs up.)

busting a move

so, it's clear that i cannot commit to anything, as i haven't posted anything since I first made this dang thing.

but anyways, 5 months later (and oddly close to 200 days) i've saved up some cash and bought a ticket to seattle, washington. My westward expansion, my lewis and clark expedition. I'm taking the Empire Builder route, which according to amtrak "the Empire Builder offers one of the most majestic routes in the Amtrak system." hell yeah. i like the sound of majestic.

so, it's clear that i cannot commit to anything, as i haven't posted anything since I first made this dang thing.

but anyways, 5 months later (and oddly close to 200 days) i've saved up some cash and bought a ticket to seattle, washington. My westward expansion, my lewis and clark expedition. I'm taking the Empire Builder route, which according to amtrak "the Empire Builder offers one of the most majestic routes in the Amtrak system." hell yeah. i like the sound of majestic.

It's a 55 hour train ride which means it's a 75 hour train ride which means lots of majestic scenery which means photographs galore. Hopefully I'll be meeting some funky, quirky, interesting, colorful people along the way. And clearly, since they're taking a 5 day train ride over a 3 hour plane ride, they're in no rush. Who could really be silent for 5 days? With that being said, I'll think i'll run a marathon when i hop off the train.

so far, this is only thing i've got. What shall i do? where shall i go?

well, i've got several things up both my sleeves. I'm starting in Seattle and most likely ending in San Francisco, where I'll fly home. And in between these two places I'm planning WWOOF-ing someplace or several places. I definitely am making a point to see the Redwoods. I cannot depict the monstrous beauty from photos in a National Geographic. Oh! and the Pacific. I've never seen that ocean.

But who knows, I could end up in Canada smoking pot with some old hippy in Vancouver. It's all an experience right? (This statement is not said with complete seriousness. You've got to give me some credit people.)

Anyways, more travels plans as they develop (or fail to develop)

a friend told me

love is cosmic collisions of the soul

or

bowls of spaghetti shared

beneath a homemade quilt

a mama original

or

shared drags of a cigarette

in a sunday bed till noon

oh the buttsores come too soon

mood: adventurously anxious (and being 11:30 and sick, pooped)

music: Lablogotheque

got goats?

i've become addicted to VPR. While painting countless windows at Becky's, VPR is the background sound that keeps my mind busy.

Today on "On Point" Tom interviews the author of a book called "Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, A Short History of Herding, and The Art of Making Cheese"


explores the connections between pasturialism/herding and sacred texts/religion/historty of humans
explores the origins of several words in relation to herding

Good Morning, Morning.

well, well, well. Moves have been made.

Broke the news to the parents yesterday and reactions expected and unexpected. My father, or course, just wants me to be happy, but also wants me to go back to school in a year (most likely, but we'll see). Now my mother, I fully prepared for a telephone brawl. I figured she would be upset, try to talk me out of it, make me feel like I was making the wrong decision, etc... But, she was speechless. I gave the whole speech on why I'm doing this, and had mentioned that other adults that I admire up here support my decision. Mom: "well, are they going to support you when you run out of money?" ouch, but not so invalid. That was the only comment she made aside from a mumbling, "i'll talk to you later." Not what I wanted, but better than I expected. I'll take it.

Now, leaving UVM? Wayyyy to easy. I e-mailed a woman yesterday morning requesting to take a leave of absence this year and wondering what the process is. Her response:

Brittany, I can use this e-mail as your written request to take a leave of absence. I
will process the paperwork today August 6th. When you are ready to return to UVM, you
will need to contact me directly at 656-0289 to get the process needed to come back. You
will not need to go through admission to return. Rose

After all the trouble it was getting into UVM, you'd think it would be slightly more difficult getting away for a little while.

BIG decisions

i finally did it. (almost)
I'm freaked out, nervous, scared, but never been more happy.

I'm leaving school, for at least a year, working and traveling and seeing where it takes me. I have no more than a one year plan nor do I want to have more than a one year plan.(why should I?)

So here I am, day 1-ish of this initial life adventure and I have never felt so liberated and unattached, it's wonderful. I'm sitting at Muddy Water's and finding myself shaky with butterflies in my stomach. No, not butterflies, bees. Butterflies are too fluffy for this moment. Plus bees are cooler.

The initial exploration has led me to searching for WWOOF farms in Arizona and out west, which may be the first destination on my travels for at least a month. Then hopefully I'll head out to another country. (Central America, New Zealand, Europe...thoughts?) That decision doesn't need to be made just yet.

Finding a job is task one. Folks foods and market is going till October, but that isn't enough to even make rent. I applied to City Market last week online and popped my head in today just to show my face. I fortunately talked to Maryanne, who apparently was the perfect person to talk to. She is one of three people who are hiring the part time cashier and seemed really impressed that I had taken the initiative to come and introduce myself. cha-ching! (no pun intended) We'll see what happens in the next week, but I'm pretty confident that I'll at least get an interview. I'm finally putting together my resume. and going to apply to a part-time cheesemaker position and Shelburne farms. I also talked to Jason and Mark from Jericho settlers and he suggested I create a classified ad to post on NOFA and send out to the market listserv. Plus working for Becky and Chapin's wedding and other odd jobs will bring me some extra cash as well. I'm not too worried about money. I virtually have until the end of September to find a full time gig.


So this here blog is going to serve many purposes. To document this turning point in my life, to track my thoughts, feelings, and ideas (I have the memory of a goldfish), and to give my writing bug a kick. I haven't really written much since high school and have lost track of so many of my thoughts. Hopefully some creative writing will pop up here and there as I haven't done much of that since high school either.

I'll kick it off with lame limerick:

There once was a girl who liked food,
but unfortunately didn't like school
she left that smart place
to find a new face
we'll see where she is in 200 days.


Shit, I need a shot of something to calm these nerves. The resume is going to have to be put on hold. I need to garden in the sun. Off to Slade, peace!







current music: muddy's reggae
mood: picture a chimp on happy pills
link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?pagewanted=all