no there there

Oh, now I remember what it's like to be pregnant. The everyday violence of the world is beyond too much. I had to kill my television. Can barely bring myself to get online.

And now I do and I learn that the house I grew up in--the one my grandfather designed and built in 1920 when my step-dad was a little kid--the one I brought my daughter home to when she was just a few months old and we needed shelter--well, the new owners "don't like the Spanish style" and plan to tear it down.

My mom relays this news, saying "When we see the house torn down, we will have more appreciation for the suffering of people who have to see their whole village wiped out."

I guess so, but mostly my disgusted irritation with human beings blooms. I mean, if they "don't like the Spanish style," why the fuck did they buy it? I'm just wondering. Not that I'm going to summon my ancestors to haunt whatever house in whatever style they decide they might like or anything...

It's kinda funny, actually, because just yesterday I sat right here watching out my window--the lavender and the roses and all the crazy green and flowers of spring--and even though I own this little house I understood as I took it all in that there is no settled down, that I would always be a traveler, that in a year or a decade I'll move on.

the courage to stand up against war crimes

My friend Matt Diaz--Lieutenant Commander & Navy lawyer--was acquitted Thursday of trying to “aid the enemy” but convicted on several counts of passing classified information. Harper's called him "the latest in a long line of military martyrs--including James Yee and Ian Fishback--who have suffered persecution for their opposition to the use of torture and other criminal practices in Guantanamo and other detention facilities." His conviction came the same day the House of Representatives, in the face of a veto threat from Resident Bush, voted to close the Guantanamo detention facilities.

On Thursday night, Matt emailed this video clip from a Dallas Morning News interview.

Or you can read the story at Harper's

People like Matt, who have too much integrity to obey orders that violate international humanitarian laws, who dare to tell the truth at risk of personal loss, and who are brave enough to talk about how scary it is to do so, deserve our respect and are examples of great courage.

home again

OK, so I'll admit that the super-pregnant spring tour was a bit much for this super-pregnant someone. I just remember driving and driving and then night would come and we would be somewhere bright and I'd be talking to all these super-cool people for a few minutes and then just...zone...out...

When I got home I crawled into bed and slept for three days. Woke up and the whole trip seemed like a dream. But here are pictures! I found them on Andrea's website! So it must have happened...


Ariel reading


Ariel after the Baltimore show


China signing


Annie reading