R N
[ 4.28
Wake up later than usual bc of the night before, go for a quick run around the dog bowl, shower, so warm out. Make some matcha, lay in bed and listen to demos of Johan’s songs for practice later. Try unsuccessfully to deduce from Isaak where this event I heard about from the girl on the fire escape last night might be but they don’t have any idea, resolve to simply go over where my guess is and ask someone. Supposed to go hoop in kingsessing at noon but friends decide to go over to the encampment instead so more free time than I expected til the time she told me, eat some toast on the porch, fret over my fig tree cuttings.
Early afternoon go park near where my guess is then walk down the pavement in the hot hot sun until I pass some punks I think I saw the night before, ask them if they’re going to the workshops, they point behind them and say go down that way until, I nod, they say you know I’m like yeah. Lying but don’t want to seem like a nerd. Go that way for a while and find it, whole bunch of punks in various groupings there, few I’ve met (including my crush!! I avoid eye contact but make sure I am seen) but no one I really know. I join the workshop area for the talk on coalition organizing, pretty decent presentation and conversation. One person talks about concept of especifismo which I hadn’t heard of want to read about more; a Canadian intervenes after one person is bemoaning how the USA has no militarism, how the student encampments are useless because they’re just occupying lawns etc, Canadian says you americans forget that you have the privilege of the whole world watching your news, you have a very broad reach that way, your protests can inspire people across the globe and they do. Anway, stay til end of discussion but just observe. Consider staying and talking to people but too shy, stroll off, pass two people playing baseball with a bat and an expired bagel, cross through the fence and over the tracks, deeply drastically dehydrated seeing stars oops, drive home drink a weird little beverage of iced ginger tea with apple cider vinegar in it, sounded hydrating idk, put some lotion on and lay down to rest.
Have about 30 minutes to actually practice the songs before I have to go scoop Johan and Nico, meet Isaak and Thalia and Ina at the warehouse for practice. First time filling in for them, so easy and fun!! More smooth than anyone else I play with, vibes supportive and chill, I catch on quick with the ones I didn’t prep for. Nico offers some strawberries I’m like thank god realize I’m so hungry. We cover Sleater Kinney Modern Girl, sounds so good!! Makes me feel inspired and less haterly about music than I have been lately. Isaak draws a picture of all of us in the corner. In last half hour of practice public call goes out to flood the Penn encampment, half of us are itching to leave so we can join, finish the two hour block at 8 and us who want to go come in my car, we stop at Isaak’s, Thalia has the hiccups and throws up out the car window, we all eat some bread with hummus inside, grab a layer, fill out jail support, head over.
Join some sunday sports friends sitting on a tarp they say arrests may still be imminent but it’s possible there’s enough people there. Sweet convo with student who asks me if I’ve ever done an action before, I smile warmly back at him unsure what to say, like baby I am old!! We eat some delicious free dinner and have a pretty jubilant time on the lawn, all join together in the center for chants. Finally talk with coworker I saw in the last action and catch up with new friend I did wheatpasting with last week, get to know Rachel and Asa whose band I’ve met before, talk about growing up in the south. Word from the organizers is we brought out enough people and arrests unlikely. Finally pitch tent and go to bed, Isaak and Thalia crash in my tent and I sleep out on a mat, looking up at a hickory (?) tree and purplish sky ]
R N is a person in west philly. You can find them jumping in the crowd at DIY shows, planting plants in the neighborhood, or playing basketball in the Kingsessing rec center.
