just a quick note to say that we are still alive and more than well. bush is coming to new orleans tomorrow for a photo op and we're going to be protesting.
we've seen about six alligators.
j
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
We're out of Oklahoma!
After many hours, (days, weeks, months) of car work and other setbacks, we have finally left Oklahoma and arrived in New Orleans. We're currently using the computer setup in St. Mary's of The Angels School, which is the homebase for Common Ground Relief. We pulled up to St. Mary's in the 9th Ward after driving twelve hours straight though Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. We saw so many beautiful bodies of water, trees, and other natural occurances along the way.
After arriving we were given a tour of the grounds. There is a large cafeteria, a vegan kitchen bus, a bike shop, two floors of rooms for slumber, computer lab, cots and lots and lots of food to go around. We are about to attend new volunteer orientation. Tomorrow we will wake at six thirty and work on gutting houses in 9th ward. For such work we are given a place to sleep, free range at the bike shop, and three wonderful meals a day.
On top of volunteering we are going to be interviewing the cofounders and residents for Road Trip Nation PBS for which we will receive some grant money when we send all of our interviews and information in to them. We will be in New Orleans until the third of March then we will make our way (much more slowly than we did here) to Tennessee.
We hope to see you all soon!
Lovely love,
Marshall
After arriving we were given a tour of the grounds. There is a large cafeteria, a vegan kitchen bus, a bike shop, two floors of rooms for slumber, computer lab, cots and lots and lots of food to go around. We are about to attend new volunteer orientation. Tomorrow we will wake at six thirty and work on gutting houses in 9th ward. For such work we are given a place to sleep, free range at the bike shop, and three wonderful meals a day.
On top of volunteering we are going to be interviewing the cofounders and residents for Road Trip Nation PBS for which we will receive some grant money when we send all of our interviews and information in to them. We will be in New Orleans until the third of March then we will make our way (much more slowly than we did here) to Tennessee.
We hope to see you all soon!
Lovely love,
Marshall
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
transmission accomplished!!!
our bags are packed, our car is fixed, and we're leaving tonight!
good-bye, oklahoma!
good-bye, oklahoma!
Monday, February 12, 2007
the transmission mission
we decided on option one. the new transmission won't be in until tomorrow.
for the interim, we hitched a ride to stillwater with this awesome girl named beth (she used to hitch and train hop, too!). we hung out with marshall's family a bit, mostly eating things and watching other things (My neighbor toturo! so cute!), and spent a little while dumpstering goodies ( a game called gnip gnop and a few posters) that we distributed among marshall's siblings. we also saw Bobby Seale speak about the Black Panthers (he founded them). We rented Steal This Movie afterward. It was way tough.
While we were there, i found a link to getting a grant from PBS to help with travel expenses. We applied for a grant, and I am (at this very second) waiting for them to call me back. Check out the link - you apply for a grant, keep a blog, and interview three people of your choice. Total radness.
We'll be interviewing people in New Orleans if we get the grant. We decided to make that the first leg of our trip. Our plan right now is to try and get the transmission in the car by Friday, head out on Saturday, and start volunteering with the Common Ground Collective (also a link) on Sunday.
Things are pretty good. We miss the kitties and are maybe getting a little antsy. But the antsy-ness will pass.
Safe travels to you.
-j and m
hhhoooly crap! our interview just went super well! they're going to review our application tomorrow and then get back to us. yay!!!!!!!!!!
for the interim, we hitched a ride to stillwater with this awesome girl named beth (she used to hitch and train hop, too!). we hung out with marshall's family a bit, mostly eating things and watching other things (My neighbor toturo! so cute!), and spent a little while dumpstering goodies ( a game called gnip gnop and a few posters) that we distributed among marshall's siblings. we also saw Bobby Seale speak about the Black Panthers (he founded them). We rented Steal This Movie afterward. It was way tough.
While we were there, i found a link to getting a grant from PBS to help with travel expenses. We applied for a grant, and I am (at this very second) waiting for them to call me back. Check out the link - you apply for a grant, keep a blog, and interview three people of your choice. Total radness.
We'll be interviewing people in New Orleans if we get the grant. We decided to make that the first leg of our trip. Our plan right now is to try and get the transmission in the car by Friday, head out on Saturday, and start volunteering with the Common Ground Collective (also a link) on Sunday.
Things are pretty good. We miss the kitties and are maybe getting a little antsy. But the antsy-ness will pass.
Safe travels to you.
-j and m
hhhoooly crap! our interview just went super well! they're going to review our application tomorrow and then get back to us. yay!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
in a semi-paralyzing stroke
of misfortune, we are still in norman. the transmission in my car started slipping promptly after the radiator was installed, and we are now currently locked in a three-way debate of our potential options. (options are stated as follows).
one) rebuilt transmission for 550. we can do the work ourselves (with marshall's fabulous uncle who saves us from the car afterlife). pro(s): car and going. con(s): we seem to be cursed. at least a little.
two) hitching. we've picked 'em up, and our friends have been them. pro(s): no more worrying about the car, increased adventure. con(s): not getting where we want to be all the time, no bikes, increased stress. additional circumstances involve the fact that my mom will probably track us down to kill us, just to prove that maniacs exist. i say this due to a very heated argument today today over the 'free floating' road trip plan and my car situation, during which she told me to get a job and that i was stupid for trying to be a gypsy (paraphrase, and obviously lacking some context).
also, that whole amount of time gets a big fat boo in my book.
three) marshall is currently asking his mom if we can borrow a car. this is almost like asking God to admit that he doesn't exist. pro(s): sweet ride for the trip. con(s): worrying about the car all of the time. underline all.
so, today was crappy, but it will work out. at least the weather was nice. and we did a successful radiator fix, no matter what else might have happened.
safe travels to you (and hopefully to us, also).
-jeanie
one) rebuilt transmission for 550. we can do the work ourselves (with marshall's fabulous uncle who saves us from the car afterlife). pro(s): car and going. con(s): we seem to be cursed. at least a little.
two) hitching. we've picked 'em up, and our friends have been them. pro(s): no more worrying about the car, increased adventure. con(s): not getting where we want to be all the time, no bikes, increased stress. additional circumstances involve the fact that my mom will probably track us down to kill us, just to prove that maniacs exist. i say this due to a very heated argument today today over the 'free floating' road trip plan and my car situation, during which she told me to get a job and that i was stupid for trying to be a gypsy (paraphrase, and obviously lacking some context).
also, that whole amount of time gets a big fat boo in my book.
three) marshall is currently asking his mom if we can borrow a car. this is almost like asking God to admit that he doesn't exist. pro(s): sweet ride for the trip. con(s): worrying about the car all of the time. underline all.
so, today was crappy, but it will work out. at least the weather was nice. and we did a successful radiator fix, no matter what else might have happened.
safe travels to you (and hopefully to us, also).
-jeanie
Monday, February 5, 2007
heading out (and back in)
we left to take marshall's car to the lake on saturday, after a wonderful and friend filled lunch at The Earth. we spent the last two nights chilling out, eating cooler commodities, and listening to the waves of lake texoma. We had some awesome plans to ride four wheelers that did not come to fruition, so instead, we decided to do something along similar lines - we built a tower fire (log cabin style) on the beach of that unsuspecting gated community. the fire, it turned out, wanted a sacrifice - it attempted to eat the two tofu dogs we cooked over it. at the end of that ordeal, a really nice dog named Baxter got to eat a lot of popcorn and two fully prepared soy dogs, the fire ate a lot of wood, and we went back into the house to eat spaghetti.
later that evening, we got the car stuck in the sand. thank the woods for making logs, and thank logs for giving us back some traction and marshall for lifting the car out of the sand.
our plan for today was to head up to stillwater, with a short run through norman to pick up bikes and paychecks and etc.. As with the atvs, our plans were again thwarted. a hose broke on my car and we were met with the sweet smell of antifreeze scorching (which is like maple syrup). a nice man stopped to help us and razorbladed off a piece of my car, which didn't solve the problem- but was still very nice of him to stop. soon after, however, we drove hoseless to a gas station nearby that carried clamps, so we clamped our hose tight and set off again only for the radiator to decide that it had had enough of our company and to leave us for the next life.
right now, we're hanging out in norman for the night. we're going to put a new radiator in my car tomorrow and be on the way to stillwater, and as kyle says, after we're done with oklahoma, we'll go on into the world.
safe travels to you.
-jeanie (minor edits from marshall because i thought four by fours were atvs but apparently they are planks of wood)
later that evening, we got the car stuck in the sand. thank the woods for making logs, and thank logs for giving us back some traction and marshall for lifting the car out of the sand.
our plan for today was to head up to stillwater, with a short run through norman to pick up bikes and paychecks and etc.. As with the atvs, our plans were again thwarted. a hose broke on my car and we were met with the sweet smell of antifreeze scorching (which is like maple syrup). a nice man stopped to help us and razorbladed off a piece of my car, which didn't solve the problem- but was still very nice of him to stop. soon after, however, we drove hoseless to a gas station nearby that carried clamps, so we clamped our hose tight and set off again only for the radiator to decide that it had had enough of our company and to leave us for the next life.
right now, we're hanging out in norman for the night. we're going to put a new radiator in my car tomorrow and be on the way to stillwater, and as kyle says, after we're done with oklahoma, we'll go on into the world.
safe travels to you.
-jeanie (minor edits from marshall because i thought four by fours were atvs but apparently they are planks of wood)
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