Sorry I haven't written in a while. I haven't been doing much modeling, honestly, and I don't have much to say relevant to that. But I may as well fill you in a little anyway...
I went to a festival in SE Oregon, then to Portland where I hung out for about a week and then I met these nice folks on the bus who told me about riding public transit all the way to Seattle. I needed to get to Tacoma to visit my friend in Northwest Detention Center and also to Olympia to visit another friend. I tried hitching, but it only got us to Vancouver where we squatted for a night and then were able to hitch back from downtown. So, the next day we took buses to Oly and stayed with our friend, then I went by myself to Tacoma. Visiting my friend in the ICE Detention Center was one of the most bittersweet and sickening moments of my life.
I felt I was staying at the house I was at in Tacoma for too long so I took a few days to go to Seattle, where I hung out with Nicole/Candyposes. She is very sweet. I'm really happy I got to meet her!
I then went back to Tacoma for the anarchist bookfair here and to see my friend more. There were so many people in town at that point, it was crazy. There's not much going on in Tacoma, but a small group of people are doing a lot...
I went to Olympia after that and ran into these awesome crust folk bands, their friend who's a photographer and makes patches for them, and their dogs from Winnipeg who I'd met briefly when they played a show in Tacoma. They ended up giving me a ride back to Portland where I ran into the kids I'd met on the bus who told me about transit.. Those guys immediately hooked me up with a loaner bike!! And I ran into some other people I didn't know were in town...
I rode bikes a lot, stretched, worked on my upper body strength, dumpstered delicious tea and veggies, wrote a new zine, read a book about the prison revolts in France in the 1980s and made a lot of new friends. I also went to the clinic and was diagnosed with something I need to receive treatment for, which is going to set my travels back a little... I don't know how long it will take.
About a week ago, my friend in the Northwest Detention Center was bailed out by our heroine friend Betsy, whose parents have a trustfund for. $10,000. Wow.
So I stayed in Portland on Friday night so I could be in this Zombie Rock Opera my friend put on. It was so much fun! [I think there may be photos or video online, but I don't have a link at the moment...] Then on Saturday night I hopped out of Portland to Tacoma.
It was my first time riding trains alone: A huge accomplishment for me. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. The people who let me borrow a bike like to camp out where a good hop out spot it sometimes, so they sat there with me while I waited.. My train came and stopped, I got on and we hung out until it started pulling away. They ran along side for a moment and off I was! What great new friends.
Riding a train alone was one of my goals for the summer! The sunrise took place as soon as I got on. As soon as it got good and fast and noisy, I screamed at the top of my lungs like I never have before, with people around, or even with the fear that people may be able to hear. No one could hear this, surely. And I sang. And peed in a bottle. And got cramps because I was riding in a grainer...
But the train was going very fast. I got to Tacoma in like five hours.
It stopped in the yard but I didn't want to get off because there is an Amtrak station and there were a lot of people, so I waited until it stopped again a couple miles NE. It took me about 3.5 hours to walk to this house from where I got off. But it was a nice walk.
When I got to the house I'm staying at, my friend wasn't here. He was in Seattle. If I had just stayed on the train I would have made it to Seattle. But he was on his way. I took a long nap in the park [I hadn't slept at night] and when I came back, he was here!! It was so great to see him without thick plexiglass between us and metallic extensions of our vocal chords, delayed..
We have been eating so many burritos. You have no idea. Oh, and listening to Black Metal. And drinking Kombucha. And soy yogurt.
I'm going back to Portland soon and I think he's coming with me. I want to catch the last couple days of the Climate Convergence nearby. And of course I have to get treatment for this thing...
So my plans are:
Portland!
Chicago [Probably mid-late August, but it depends on my treatment.]
NYC
Boston/Northampton
Philly
Pittsburgh [By September 16, my mom's birthday.. So I may have to blow through those other cities.]
Savannah [Early Oct.]
NOLA [Late Oct - Early Nov.]
Austin/Houston [Late Nov. - Late Dec.]
