Day 456, June 16, 2021
The Things That Change Us
Tonight's soundtrack: King Crimson, Japan, 1984
How Northampton looks after some really good sushi and a Froyo. |
I was thinking this morning that the world might just be saved by people like Korean grandmas. My mother is incredibly resourceful and will do things like repurpose a foil lined coffee bean bag as an ice pack, for no reason other than she can. She and my father have been researching edible backyard flora for several years now and their kitchen is stocked with all manner of dried roots and leaves. Through a combination of research and trial and error, they are expanding the knowledge base of what is good for indigestion, sleepless nights, achey joints, or whatever else might ail you.
I'm afraid, like most inherited traits, my parent's resourcefulness seems to have been watered down a bit with my incarnation. While I tend to recycle most of my plastic containers, I do keep the more interesting jam jars, I've been collecting vegetable rubber bands, and I have been known to cut regular size post-its down to page-flag size, but I fall far short of the bar my parents set.
I think some of that resourcefulness must stem from surviving a war and the ethics of conservation and utility that were instilled then. And of course, the austerity of being an immigrant and trying to carve a space to call one's own in this country.
My father contributed to conservation by being our family auto mechanic, plumber, electrician, roofer, and home renovator. My mother contributed by ensuring we utilized everything in the fridge to its fullest potential. I don't ever remember food going bad in the fridge when I was growing up. There was one time when some kind of grub infested our rice bin where we would store 20 lb of rice at a time. She sat me down with my grandfather at the kitchen table, and one scoop of rice at a time, we picked out every grub. I will admit, it was several weeks before I could eat a bowl of rice again without staring at it very closely.
As the world shifts to something that more resembles a pre-pandemic existence, I find myself expressing caution, austerity, and little bit of worry, even as I enjoy the freedom of going out for a night of fantastic sushi (thanks Moshi Moshi). I wonder how much of this winter self, our slightly rounder bellies, will be retained as we transition back to offices, eating out, and weekends at music venues. I wonder if surviving one pandemic is a strong predictor for surviving subsequent pandemics... or if this pandemic will shape us in small but profound ways, from the hand sanitizer as condiment at gatherings of friends, to how we experience travel and congested spaces.
I don't think it will be a perceptively sad thing, just something that changes us, like a high school knee injury, a car accident in college, an old relationship, or the time you had to pick grubs out from grains of rice.
Take care and be well,
Leo
Breakfast. |
From Our Friends:
From UMass:
Wilmore Webley to receive special award at a community Juneteenth event at the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center in Springfield.
Available Online Now!
From the Mass Asian American Commission:
AAPI LGBTQ Activist PanelThursday, June 17 at 6:30pm
Moderator: Ev GilbertPanelists: Max Tang, Le Tran, Teresa Tran, Sara Boxell, and Kaden RushfordShort Description: In celebration of Pride Month, join us for a discussion with our panelists about the multifaceted experiences and identities of queer AAPIs. We hope to create a safe space for education and conversation.
Raffles: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong and one "Protect Trans Kids" tank top by MegEmikoArt
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwod--hqD8pH90L-6uuijDioL_bqKcb2-hB
Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/LcNWOlsO
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwod--hqD8pH90L-6uuijDioL_bqKcb2-hB
From the W. Mass Creative Economy Network:
The Creative Economy Network (CEN) seeks the services of a local graphic design professional to develop a visual brand for a new Western Mass ArtsHub, an online resource portal for the creative community in Western Massachusetts.
All proposals should be in PDF form and e-mailed to Lisa by June 21st.
Please find full RFP here https://www.umass.edu/aes/artshub or ask at Fcc
From the Vermont Studio Center:
VSC's 2021 Online PRIDE ExhibitionAll Vermont Studio Center Visual Artist Alum, who identify as queer, were invited to submit their work for consideration for our 2021 PRIDE Online Exhibition. The jury selected 29 works from 28 queer artists who live throughout the United States, Canada, China, and New Zealand. Take a moment to view the exhibition, and be sure to check out the Alum Feature interviews of three artists from the exhibition.
view exhibition >>
All Vermont Studio Center Visual Artist Alum, who identify as queer, were invited to submit their work for consideration for our 2021 PRIDE Online Exhibition. The jury selected 29 works from 28 queer artists who live throughout the United States, Canada, China, and New Zealand. Take a moment to view the exhibition, and be sure to check out the Alum Feature interviews of three artists from the exhibition.
view exhibition >>From Mass Humanities:
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