Spam and bread...

...taste like shit, I'd never pay for it, dumpstered/free stuff is supposed to taste better so I can't even how disgusting spam would taste if I PAID for it. Yesterday went to the beach, watched all of Fooly Cooly, which makes no sense, but I apparently have to watch it again to understand anything.
I'm excited to go to Montreal soon.

Thoughts and events since my last post

I'm writing from a hotel room in San Diego, California. I'm here with my dad, he got us here for free with his frequent mile.
Stuff I did so far: Eat large amounts of unhealthy vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
Visit a friend at Occidental (free water bottle)
Dumpster some bread and popcorn
Think about Evasion
Spend large amounts of time in a car
Think about stuff with Ithaca
Think about the year I'm going to spend in Montreal
Watch a lot of Miyazaki anime
Finish the zine "There is a Danger"
Meet family members that live in California
Go to a beach
Visit Tijuana, Mexico
Go volunteer/watch a movie at the Che Cafe at the UCSD
Hang out in downtown San Diego
Explore sexuality
Eat a bit more healthfully
Tomorrow we'll maybe go to the zoo or the beach or ride horses...

thoughts from the dirtiest kid on the bus

I' on a greyhound right now, headed to NYC. When I get there I'll head home a tiny bit then I'm off to Cali later in the day.
I was in spending the weekend with Ithaca, which was bumpier than I imagined it would have been, but overall a good time and definitely a learning experience.
Ithaca feels we're to dissimilar to be in the same type of couple relationship we were in before, I didn't take it well at first, apparently it's been on her mind a bit but she couldn't bring herself to tell me or something along those lines...
We went out with some friends of her's and I felt jealous and sad and anti-social and insecure the whole time. It didn't help that we went to a loud bar to stand around doing nothing. I eventually left and climbed and explored the area on my own, I just couldn't stand it.
Yesterday was much better we watched a movie, hung around the house, went to an anti-fracking social thing. In the night I accidentally fell and broke a stair, Ithaca's criticism affects me so much more than most other people's would and I didn't tell her but still feeling pretty insecure about myself and feeling like I was getting shot down all the time I almost cried just from getting criticized, :(
Things finished on a good note in the end and we've agreed to stay good friends, I definitely need to have some close friends I can count on, I was thinking about it and what I need right now is more core self confidence in the sense that I generally feel good about myself, having spent so much time with Ithaca made that an external thing coming through outside affirmation when originally it was something completely internal in that I could feel great in a room where everyone hated me. The other thing I need is good friends I trust and can talk to about everything, I mean at the moment, besides Ithaca and a few random friends I periodically reach out to, there isn't any one person I can talk to about everything, no person I feel comfortable enough to cry in front of or ask for a long hug from when I feel like shit, I want friends who come to me with their issues if not for advice then at least for support. I can't just make those overnight, but it's def something I'm going to try to develop.

movement

Flo is here still, she's leaving tomorrow morning, I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'm headed up to Ithaca's place for the weekend, then I head back here to catch a plane to Cali for a week. After that week, I'll be back here again and either Ithaca will drive me up to MTL or I'll take a train.
I have a shit ton of zines from printing them at work (fo free!!!) so I'm excited to read them all and show them to peeps. The squat garden got shut down, showed up the other day to find the composter taken apart and half the lot completely cleared, I'd stick around and keep using it and fight for it and all that, but I'm not around here long enough for that, since I'm you know, leaving tomorrow...
All my stuff is packed, I'm not sure what to expect at Ithaca's, I feel that distance and both of us leading busy yet relatively uneventful lives has somewhat deteriorated communications, though we're making an effort, I'd like to think being around each other physically will make things super awesome again.
The free store is blowing up a lot, news stations from other countries wanna do things with it. It's too bad that I met T and got into a bunch of cool anarchist projects only to leave so soon, I'll definitely pick it again when I'm here for the winter. Solidarity.
Oh, also I made a cool bracelet out of an old brown shoelace I had lying around.

Visitors, guests and garbage

V left, he ran his race and came in 3rd in his wave of 250 people, good stuff I think.
Now Flo is here, she called me on my cell while I was at work and asked if she could stay here a bit and told her yea. Nothing too exciting as of yet, went to grub on sunday with V, dumpstered tonight with Flo. and I'll visit Ithaca this weekend which I'm kinda excited for. Montreal soon, which is also exciting, Cali even sooner but I don't really care about Cali that much, dunno why...
Also the squat garden is gonna die methinks, the composter was taken apart, a lot of the weedy areas were cleared and the pallets from the composter were tossed into the garden part of the lot.

running around and dumpstering by accident

Today is pretty fun so far, and we haven't even gone to the party in Greenpoint yet.
On governor's island there was CTF, but not just regular ol' CTF, like zombies vs Commandos CTF. Yea I went and it was fun, if you don't know V is staying here for the weekend to run a race in Brooklyn on Sunday. It was good times, ran around, met cool people and all that.
Came back home, worked on the garden and while removing trash from the lot, found a whole box of unopened and still wrapped reusable shopping bags! Pretty awesome if you ask me, I'm gonna give them out and drop some off at the free store and alla that.
Now though: food and then party and then sleep and then watch V race.

Sharing, do it!

Yea, gift economies, also anarchy in action, like mix them together outside of a dry politico-economics texts book:
Sunday, Food not Bombs, gift economy, share food. Hang out afterward for the meeting and discuss stuff that hasn't happened yet. Later that evening, head over to T's house (T is a guy I met at grub, who is an anarchist, ex squatter, dumpster diver etc...) to help set up the free store, yea yo, and there was a meeting in the news and more people want to know more about us. We're becoming somewhat of a big deal (ok maybe not that big of a deal but still though). It's a tent, with a lot of stuff in it here's the catch, it's all free! It's fun stuff, we talked about press, out reach and events and then just hung out. I talked to a guy who's been riding trains for ten years about trains and talked to TFG (T's roomie, among others) about Montreal and just talked and talked to everyone about everything until, oops 2am.
Yea I went home a bit late.
At work I've been printing a bunch of zines all day. I got a shit ton now and might even print a shit ton more to give out to peeps.

talkin trash

Today was pretty alright I must say. I found out a friend wants to open a squat in NYC, probably Brooklyn, so I'll help him with that if I'm around. I went and watered, pulled weeds, added compost in the garden. Read books at home, ate dumpstered stuff.
At 1PM I was at Bluestockings getting interviewed. Interviewed? about what you ask? Initially just dumpstering, but of course it led to discussion about politics (read: anarchism), economics (read: anti-capitalism/gift economies) subculture (read: subculture) and generally just interesting stuff. When it's all done (it's for a book) I'll get a transcript, and I'll probably try to get my hands on the book it's in as well when it's out. I probably have some time before then. Until then though, I'll just uh, work at the Brooklyn free store, enjoy summer BBQs and do Food not Bombs!
Also yesterday went to see a Books through Bars movie screening/benefit. Brought a bunch of food along; some trash some taken from work, was okay. The fun part was dumpstering on the way home, check the picture.

Trash, food and foreigners

Weekend was pretty super awesome as was tonight.
Sunday, woke up around 11ish and read a bit, Bigs was asleep on a mattress we set out for him. After getting up and eating a tiny breakfast we biked over to ABC no Rio for Food not Bombs. We got there a bit late, but hadn't missed out on much, apparently no one brought food so nothing got cooked. However there were cupcake tops so we each had one and then gave out the rest at Tompkins Square Park. There was a show there but the people in the band that was about to play were fuckers, they were badmouthing homeless people and crust punks and generally being lame and obnoxious, needless to say we quickly left. There was a couple (Change and Burn) from Toronto, we talked about the G20 and punk houses and it turns out they know Green Boots, it also turns out I should check out Death Church in Montreal because it's supposed to be awesome. We parted but only after finding out we'd meet each other at Grub later anyway.
Me and Bigs went to Bluestockings because I wanted to put up a flyer about the squat garden (I'd put one up at ABC no Rio as well). We ended up just chilling there for a bit reading. Went home and napped and felt hungry (cup cake tops just aren't gonna you know, cut it).
post nap: left on the bike, stop at chain pharmacy, buy shoelaces, left hand snack food and chapstick :) Arrive at Grub after only minor confusion. Grub is awesome as usual, meet people, eat food, keep talking to Change and Burn (they're down to host me if I'm ever in Toronto), agree to buy them a band shirt and deliver it somehow when I'm in Montreal. One person I talked to I'm gonna see this Saturday, she wants to interview me about dumpstering and freeganism though I don't like the term.
Today I went to work (bleh), my mom got me a digital camera (expect to start seeing pictures on this blog more often now). We stopped in the Lower East Side to try to find a newspaper, according to Burn I'm in a picture at the Star Fucking Hipster show, but we failed at finding it. It's cool though I saw NinjaSonik hanging out in the street! Got home, read a bit, went and dumpstered at Trader Joe's, returned home with ridiculous amounts of food. Ride Bikes, Eat Trash!
(I should finish making/writing my zine)

Since, Bigs and bad parties

Friday: Went to work, worked, lunch break (left handed a meal), worked more, got off work, biked to Bluestockikngs and worked on my zine, it's not done yet but almost. It's gonna be called "Ride Bikes Eat Trash" and will be about whatever I feel at the moment I'm writing it. After writing (and reading) a bit I looked at the time and decided to head north again. You see my plan was to meet Since (yes I was finally able to get into contact with her) after her work and then hang out and do something. Biked up, met her and we decided to go to a free concert in Brooklyn. Taking the train with my bike always makes me feel strange. The concert was good times, the music was awesome rock with a really intense lead singer/guitar and there was an great great violin. The one thing that bugged me was that I couldn't kiss Since, she wasn't down because sitting behind us was a group of people she know and would have felt weird kissing in front of. Affection, I realize how much I like and desire it while Ithaca was in Colorado.
Anyways, after the concert me Since and her mom went to eat in a dinner which led to interesting conversation in which I you know, made sure I didn't talk about stealing, anarchy and digging through trash so I wouldn't alienate everyone but myself (talking about bikes is okay though). Biked home after food and slept after some internet.
Saturday: Wake up, waste time online, go the work on garden; change list online, water plants, make fliers build a composter out of pallets. Returned home and gathered all the zines I posses (not that many) and bike into Williamsburg for a mini zine fest (even saw some anarchist graffiti on the way, which I of course surrounded with my own anarchist stickers). When I first go to the place I was kinda disheartened by how small it was but quickly started interesting conversations with the zinesters, talked about superheros, art, finding stuff, bad boyfriends alla that. I picked up a(n anarcha-)feminist zine and sat down to read it when the girl behind the table yelled to me that it wasn't free, I reassured her that I just wanted to check it out and that I would return it to her. After skimming for a few minutes I brought her the zine and told her I wouldn't rob her because that's fucked up, she let me keep the zine I was touched, a free zine? for me? aww shucks. I checked out the other tables and not much politics going on, mostly artsy things and personal artsy things. I went back to the feminist zine table and traded a copy of "Fighting for our Lives" for the second and third issues of the zine I got for free (it's called Hoax if you're interested). I left the zine fest shortly afterward.
At home I showed my mom the zines, and we ate Mexican food across the street. During the meal I realized I was late to meet up with Bigs and a few other friends, I finished my meal quickly and biked there fast...
Turns out I was the first on there. I waited around and read Hoax. When everyone convened we walked into the park and sat within hearing range of the music and just chilled on a blanket. Afterward it was food time (oh noes, only $10 and I had planned on using that to get in a party later tonight), we were gonna eat at a Chinese restaurant. Luckily for me one of our friends had to go to a neighbors' of hers and watch a dog, we all agreed to order our stuff take out and eat there. At that point I decided fuck it, I'm still not gonna pay for food, on the way to the neighbors we stopped at a supermarket, I bought a plum and left handed a microwave Indian diner.
Speaking of awesome free stuff, on the way to meet our friend's we found spray paint and acrylic paint in someones trash, gonna have to start writing things on walls soon. Ate and hung out at the neighbors house a bit and then Bigs and I left to go to a party. We had a hard time finding it and were lucky when a person from the neighborhood told us the correct address. We climbed up too roofs before finding the "rooftop party" in the basement of a building, but it's okay, because even though it took forever to find, and kinda really sucked once we got inside, we didn't pay cover since we entered through the back :)
Today is gonna be Food not Bombs and Grub community dinner, woop woop.