partying and partying yeah

birthday parties are the "it" thing at the bonner foundation; we seem to have one every week. the one constant, regardless of the birthday boy or girl, is the quick ten minute intern scramble to gather as many mismatched decorations as possible. today we celebrated bobby's 50th birthday. gathered around dove bars, flashy 4th of July stars, and chili pepper table toppers, bobby told us how he met his wife. sitting there listening, i began to think about how many of these stories i've heard, and how happy it makes both the story teller and the listener to hear them. this somewhat sparked a new project idea (new blog?) when i got home i tried to decide between yoga and running. my legs were sore from yesterday's trek to imani's but i eventually decided to go running again. i hate running. always have and always will, but there's something satisfying about it. this is me circa four minutes ago back in street clothes and ready to walk to the fountain for some reading and writing. sending love from north tulane.

namaste

last wednesday, i left the dismal looking clouds of princeton and headed to the thunderstorm zone of home for my sister's graduation party. the weekend wasn't so spectacular, but i made many memories with family members and true friends; it was a weekend of realizing who and what mattered. on sunday i traveled back to princeton with a train buddy, my friend chris. it was nice to have company for the ride and hold onto home for just a little bit longer. this week at work has been going pretty well. i've begun to see the other interns as a princeton family. we talk, fight, and are open with one another on a level seen only in close friends. yesterday my friend kenny came to visit for lunch on his way home from rutgers. we caught up over mediocre slices of pizza and i realized just how much has changed in the past year, specifically for the two of us. the work day continued and when i came home i decided to go for a run. it felt wonderful to have my legs burn and hit the concrete; it made me feel almost powerful. today work was kind of slow. i was in a bad mood and slumped around for most of it, but after work we had our first yoga session with bobby's wife. honestly i hadn't felt that free and open for a long time. being in touch with my body has made the things i've been going through for a few days seem okay. i have me and that's all i need.

contentment

so i skipped a few days. oops. on friday, my friend lisa visited me (she could tell i was taking awhile to adjust.) we had a fabulous time galavanting through the kid's street fair, dancing in "the fountain of freedom", and stargazing on an unnamed quad in the corner of princeton's campus. by simply having her here i felt a mini homecoming. finally, princeton felt like mine. saturday was awesome. the interns + michael went out to dinner at the princeton sports bar and ate cheesecake in the foundation's backyard. it was nice to talk about non-work related things (especially foreign films and auto-corrected texts.) this week at work has been pretty good, especially since i've taken the time to go back to the fountain of freedom and write. i feel like princeton is starting to rise another layer. i feel myself growing with every day and, for now, i'm happy with where i am.

the world of cleaning supplies

i am supposed to clean the house this weekend. god help me.

i have not been trained to mop floors

and bang out rugs,

to scrape away scum

and polish banisters.

can we make a trade?

i'll perform lyrical dances

with socked feet

and call it sweeping.

june fire

there's a woman sitting next to me

on the hearth of the princeton library's fireplace

mumbling to no one

about chemical castration on black men.

"why are white people concerned with controlling black people's sexuality?"

as soon as she talks herself to a whisper

the sun breaks through.

dia 1

first real day on the job.

things i've learned:

-leaving the house at 8:20 leaves exactly a half an hour of extra time between getting to the foundation and starting work

-don't accidentally freeze carrots. they go bad.

-four-year-old doritos aren't half bad

-glitter is so hot right now

-clean out drawers. you might find an entire disc full of old-school nick shows

-my kitchen is haunted

-blair hall is beautiful around sunset

side-note: a few weeks ago i watched this movie called "please give" and in one part, the lead female character discusses how chairs have history. i feel like the one in my room has a particularly interesting story. i wish i knew what it was.

riding around with mr. wayne

i've been in princeton for far more than one day total, but i'm only giving a collective response for the past day. yesterday john helped me move into my room. i am glad to say that my short

two weeks as a nomad are over. it's amazing what feeling free is

like, open to go anywhere, anytime. it makes you question why you ever wanted freedom to begin with.

upon arriving at my new home yesterday, john and i were greeted by kwan, a twenty-something thai girl who just completed her masters in piano. when we walked into my room, everything seemed perfect. i had more space than my memory recalled, the bed was comfortable, the lighting was awesome and....there was a giant cross burn on the wall?

sweet omen.

not sure where it came from, but right above my desk is an oval shaped coat of black residue surrounding a cross. the fix? cover it up with my own cross. after two hours of unpacking, john and i explored princeton and basked in the familiar business of life and plans that comforts me.

princeton campus

today started off sluggishly. although my room has ac, it was hot and stuffy the entire night, giving me a handful of awesomely vivid dreams. i hesitantly ventured into the bathroom to take on the high-sided tub/shower combo. despite my initial fear, i learned to appreciate the tiny bathroom's quirks, including the light mist from the shower, the two boxes of "take" supplies left by the last housemate, and the rows of cosmetics in foreign languages. we then headed out for a trip to triumph brewery for lunch. the place was surprisingly big and airy, and hosts live bands on the weekends. if only i was twenty-one. : ( our next stop was back home to pick up my paperwork for the bonner foundation. sitting silently in my room for about ten minutes, a woman started screaming frantically outside for help. emerging from the house, john and i saw an infant precariously teetering on the edge of a stroller while his mother helplessly looked on from behind the stroller, her pinkie finger caught in the locking mechanism in the back. luckily, a good samaritan with shaking hands and khakis rushed to pick up the infant while i helped the woman extract herself from the stroller. for someone who hates blood, this was a bit too much for me, but we freed her and made sure she went straight to the hospital.

the rest of the afternoon followed in a similar fashion. our next stop was the bonner foundation where john and i were wisked off by the former president, wayne, in a kidnapping of sorts. leaving the foundation at the same time, wayne and i exchanged "hellos" and the next thing i knew he was jumping into his car, pulling up to us, and telling us to get in. in typical wayne fashion, john and i spent the next fifteen minutes chatting about life en route to drop off some paperwork for wayne's older son abe at princeton high. it was this little thing that made me re-appreciate the chaos of the bonner life and what this summer holds for me. right now i'm writing this for all of you faithful friends out there while i listen to the newest batch of music that anthony ronda has shared with me. (kudos.) until later.