"Study Hard, Party Harder"

Recent headlines and world events have given me a number of excellent reasons to sit down and start writing again. From compounding disasters in Japan, to democratic uprisings in the Middle East, to the GOP's all out war on the United States' middle class, the need to shout out my opinions from the rooftops has been brewing furiously over the past several months. And what is the reason for my kettle finally boiling over and bringing me here to this page? I wish I could say that it was something high-minded and morally righteous, like defending social entitlements or a woman's right to choose, or a vote of support for government employeess and union activists in Wisconsin and Ohio. I wish I could say that it was something even along those lines. But it is not.

Astonishingly, the thing that has ultimately broken my months-long period of blogging silence this time around is... 'Snooki' from the 'Jersey Shore.' I know, I know. I mean, of all of the meaningless media topics to be attracted by... But seriously, who can resist hearing about these people? It's practically impossible if you a.) live in the United States and b.) have had any sort of interaction with the world outside of your bedroom in the last year.

So, I heard about them. And ever since that first faithful time (I'll never forget being at that bar while a friend of mine told me about a girl being punched in the face on T.V.), I have been subject to these irritating tidbits about Snooki, Vinnie, The Sitch, etc. But never before have I actually taken an interest in (or been incensed over) what I heard about them... that is, until today.

As it turns out, Snooki is a published author (and a successful one at that), and something of a public speaker. So much so, Rutgers University recently paid her $32,000 to come speak on their campus. Now, let's put aside the fact that she's a highly inappropriate speaker at a university with an already less-than-savory reputation. What really got to me was learning that Ms. Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize Winner, Pulitzer Prize Winner, and all-around literary hero, also set to speak at Rutgers as the keynote speaker at this year's commencement, is to be paid $2,000 less than a woman half her age and with half the amount of wisdom to offer. Not that Ms. Morrison is in any way put-out by this discrepancy: she's a NYT bestselling author multiple times over, and I'm sure the payout from her speech at Rutgers' commencement is a mere drop in her enormous bucket of success.

What aggrevates me, though, is the context and the appropriateness of Snooki being invited to speak at any academic institution for that price tag. I understand that she is technically "an entertainer," and that non-academic events on campus can provide students with much needed stress-relief from writing papers and studying for finals. I think that is healthy. But to pay the cost of one student's entire tuition for a year just to have a person preach unapologetically about her arrests for public drunkeness and shameful shenanigans is deploreable for an institution which should be enriching students' minds.

While Toni Morrison epitomizes the depth of intelligence, cultural richness, and amazing creative possibility within all of us, offering an inspiration to students as they prepare to enter adulthood; Snooki has become the figurehead of a society completely devoid of any cultural substance. With colleges and universities all over the country crying out about fiscal instability, and with tuition costs rising every year, there is no excuse for a university to shell out that amount of money on a speaker who's advice to students was "study hard, party harder." (Yes, she actually said that to Rutgers students).

9 3/4

Three of my favorite things: street art, harry potter, and the NYC subway!

Pea's Peace is Up and Running [Again]

Blogging is rough. It requires daily commitments, incessant motivation, constant attention, and little bitty pieces of your heart and soul. It reveals a softened, private part of yourself to the enormity of the internet at large, and that can be a pretty daunting encumbrance.

Admittedly, I've struggled with my own focus and dedication to Pea's Peace. It's not that I haven't found enough interesting and inspiring things out there in this great big balanced world... it's just that I started to question my own reasoning and purpose for keeping up this blog. I felt dwarfed by the amount of information available to you all, and intimidated by the thought that there are blogs and bloggers out there who are much more seasoned and professional than I am. After all, I have a full-time job and a full-time life, how serious could I really be about this project?

So after 14 months and 112 blog posts, I took everything down out of sheer fragility of confidence. I systematically went through and removed my writings from public view, though I couldn't quite erase them completely because each word that they contain is a reflection of a little piece of myself... and that's just too valuable to give up.

But now they're back up, and their legitimacy is more personal to me than I need it to be justified. I'll keep on blogging, indifferent to my own impact or ripple in the world of online blogs... because the basic truth is that it's good for me. I enjoy doing it. And that is all that matters. I am going to be braver, and keep on bearing my everything on this humble web page, regardless of what others may think.

So here are all 112 reinstated pieces from Pea's Peace. I'm sorry for the interruption, and I hope that you enjoy :-)

A Lesson in Creative Writing

...from one of my absolute heroes. An inspirational, intelligent, funny, and extremely sensitive soul, on the lessons of creativity and expression:

First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

And I realize some of you may be having trouble deciding whether I am kidding or not. So from now on I will tell you when I'm kidding.

For instance, join the National Guard or the Marines and teach democracy. I'm kidding.

We are about to be attacked by al-Qaida. Wave flags if you have them. That always seems to scare them away. I'm kidding.

If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.

~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. From A Man Without A Country

Music for Your Mind

"Keep your head up, maintain & progress.... "

The Becoming. Awesome new music from the Infamous Few, a group of inspired young artists from the D.C./ Maryland area. The beats are fresh & the lyrics are real- sure to feed your mind and your soul. Check it out!

And for a sweet mixture of spoken word & original composition, check out Adjectives and Expletives- When I first Learned the Truth, featured here with some beautiful photo accompaniments. Check out the audio version here!

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. -Thoreau

I have not written very much on here recently, but rest assured, dear readers, I have been doing a great deal of LIVING! Peas Peace will return soon enough. :-)

Love.

Awareness thru the Ages

A compilation of some of my favorite AIDS prevention posters from as early as 1984, found on avert.org :

Happy [Healthy] Halloween!

What's a better holiday to bring out the childish side of our spirits than Halloween? This time of year has come to represent a good-natured indulgence in folly and imagination for all of those who aren't too proud to play dress up and run through corn mazes. We all throw rationality to the wind as we delight ourselves with spooks and stories which, just for a moment, we decide to believe. And of course, we eat tasty treats and make art work out of pumpkins, and the child inside of us smiles.

But Halloween also has a tendency to promote corn syrup snacks in wasteful wrappers and tons and tons of unnecessary plastic crap. Just walk into any CVS or Walgreens, you'll see it there: the disposable plates and napkins with Halloween-themed images, the packages of plastic and disposable trick-or-treat bags, the cauldrons, the spiderwebs, the tombstones, etc., etc. etc. It's a pretty frightening scene, especially when you consider that these are all things that could be made at home, or substituted with sustainable alternatives. And as for the snacks, well... it's tough to convince a child not to eat candy, sure. But there are so many healthy, tasty treats that would make their tummies just as full! Here are some tips on how to have a happy, healthy Halloween:

Decor

For me, the best aesthetic for a fall-themed holiday would be an array of different colors, sizes, and shapes of pumpkins and gourds bought at a local farmers market. These can be painted, stenciled, carved, and cut, and are thus very versatile- they can become whatever you'd like them to be! And collecting the bountiful, beautifully colored fall leaves is quite opportunistic for DIY craft ideas such as wreathes and collages. These projects are fun and formative for everyone, as they employ the use of our creative sides, and produce a rewarding end result. For some family craft ideas, check here. And if time is really an issue for you, Green Planet Parties sells Halloween decorations made from sustainable and non-harmful materials.

Treats

Now, pumpkins are not exclusively for display. In fact, the rich and tender pulp inside of both pumpkins and gourds are highly nutritious and variant. There is an excellent array of pumpkin recipes on vebweb.com, check them out for some inspiration! Remember that every part of the pumpkin can be used! The seeds can be baked, or given to birds. And once your jack-o-lantern has wilted, the entire shell can be composted! Other seasonal foods, like apples, are also very diverse and tasty and can be used in a variety of ways. To fill up those bags, try nuts, trail mix, honey sticks, and raisins. They are all great [sealed!] treats for the kids, and besides being super tasty, they are really good for you! And if sweets are the only way to go, then try organic chocolate with a high percentage of cacao, organic fruit snacks, or other natural candy options.

Tricks

It's simple and easy enough: reusable bags! And enjoy the time to stroll around your neighborhood from house to house. Walking is incredibly good for your body, and is a pastime that we often take for granted. Trick-or-treating is a great opportunity to take in the beautiful fall weather, explore your neighborhood, and meet your neighbors.

Costumes

Make your own! Be creative! Instead of going for that pre-packaged French Maid costume, or a stinky Obama mask, be the only one at the party with an original and interesting costume idea! If you're not into sewing, try shopping at your local thrift shop, or check out craigslist and freecycle for costume bulk.

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Halloween is a great opportunity to celebrate the fall, and to indulge ourselves in the bizarre, imaginative behavior that we took for granted as kids but that can be so nourishing and entertaining. It is a time for us to be creative and silly, and to express ourselves in ways that we don't normally get to in our daily lives. The costumes, the treats, and the traditions can all be carried out without excessive waste, and can actually prove to be a health way of celebrating! Between eating healthy seasonal foods, having an excuse to walk around the neighborhood, exercizing our minds in different crafty ways, and allowing ourselves to be free and a bit silly... Halloween may actually be quite beneficial to your health! So, Got Halloween? ;-)

Brooklyn Skillshare

Attention NYC Residents! In light of my prolonged internet absence, I would like to offer a recompense: a real-life event that is sure to nourish and enrich your life in such a way that you'll want to forget about the computer screen all together (well... for a while anyhow): The Brooklyn Skillshare. It's an all-day event that is to be held at the Gowanus Studio Space on 8th street in Brooklyn, this Saturday, October 10th.

It's a day of learning, sharing, and celebrating the unique skills that each and all of us possess. The teachers are all community members who have taken interest in a certain activity, like, say, bicycle repair and maintenance, and who come to the skillshare t0 offer up their knowledge to those who are open and willing. The atmosphere here is inclusive and non-judgmental; it is simply a space for people to connect with each other and offer up exchangeable life skills in the mode of sustainable and communal living; in a reciprocal relationship that benefits individuals as both students and teachers simultaneously. Here is the mission statement of the event:

Education is a right, not a commodity. We are all students and teachers, and we believe that everyone has something to teach and learn from each other. The Brooklyn Skillshare is a communal, hands-on learning experience that aims to serve as a jumping off point in the construction of an autonomous, nonexclusive, reciprocal learning community.

If this sounds good to you, and if you are interested in learning about any of the following skills, then the Brooklyn Skillshare is a great opportunity for you to connect your soul to others with purpose and creativity, and to learn something new! Here is a sampling of some of the classes to be offered:

• How to brew kombucha
• Massage Basics: taking care of yourself and others
• Bicycle Mechanics 101
• Screenprinting basics & DIY techniques
• Turning glass bottles into glasses and vases
• Basic raw food preparation: the art of "uncooking"
• DIY electronics

These are only some, there are plenty more! There is also FREE breakfast and lunch to be served, as well as tasty snacks, homemade ginger-ale, and a closing party to celebrate the day. The entrance fee is only a suggested donation of $10, which is wonderfully generous considering all the benefits to be gained from this glorious event.

I'd say see you there, but I'll be participating in another great event that day: the Washington, D.C. Green Festival, a cornucopia of sustainable businesses, innovative technologies, and enlightened speakers all corralled into a large convention center space for a weekend of knowledge to tickle you green!

Two great cities, two awesome events... I'll let you choose which one suits you best :-)

Peace.

Food and Justice for All

The Engaged University is once again making front page headlines, but this time the news is not so good. After almost eight years of linking University of Maryland students with the communities around them and thus creating an enriched atmosphere, the E.U. is facing the chopping block by UMD administrators, who are seeking to cast off financial weights due to recent budget cuts.

Since the University of Maryland is now my alma mater, I feel a close connection to the activites of the school, and the Engaged University was always something I could feel proud of. As the university attempts to project itself as a sustainable, service-oriented campus, this extension was a shining example of the types of programs that could be implemented in hopes of truly achieving substance to reinforce UMD's projected image. Perhaps it was a costly endeavor, but no more so than the university's selection of other superfluous programs, and with the added benefit of providing students with a chance to engage with their community and learn about sustainability in a hands-on manner. This type of learning benefits both the students and the community members they interact with at the E.U. The Master Peace Community Farm is one of the E.U.'s outstanding programs. As my partner stated in The Diamondback, UMD's school newspaper, the farm provides a meeting ground for people who "don't really mingle very much," indicating that it provides a unique opportunity for diversity and understanding that frankly may sometimes be lost on campus. His work, he says, provides "food and justice for all."

The farm, like the fabulous Water Pod Project, is an innovative tool for getting people to connect with one another, as well as with their earth, providing a sense of meaning and purpose in a world where materialism often takes precedent and overshadows our vital relationships. Other programs, such as a biodiesel co-op, a bicycle shop, as well as arts and cultural programs, help to reinforce and integrate ideals of social justice, peace, and environmentalism through youth-centered activities that exist primarily to educate. The University of Maryland's SGA is now fighting to keep the Engaged University as an integral part of the school's mission of achieving sustainability and social service initiatives, and I hope they succeed, as UMD cannot afford to lose such a vital resource for its students as well as its community.

If you would like to make a donation to help to ensure the continued impact of the Engaged University, they are being accepted here: http://engagedu.umd.edu/

Click if you can help!

The Water Pod Project

It is just the kind of innovative creativity and ecological sensibility that our struggling food system and over-wrought welfare system need in this changing world. Part fantastical solution to an overly-populated earth, part urban farm, part artistic ingenuity, the Water Pod Project represents an unprecedented model of sustainable living that had not been seen before on New York City's waterways, or in the city at all, for that matter.

The concept represents a hypothetical example of a maritime lifestyle in the face of explosive population growth and a lack of essential resources on our earth's shores; a fertile lifestyle that is completely self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable. The pod is actually a fully functional farm home, located on a mobile barge which has been docking in and educating each NYC borough one at a time over the course of several months. It is powered by solar panels atop the inhabitant's quarters, nourished by an extensive grey water system which provides for all life on board, sustained by the intensive companion-planting methods of an urban farm, and staffed by some of the friendliest, most impressive examples of progressive thinkers that the area has to offer. On board is also a complete saltwater ecosystem, a kitchen and shower, a composting toilet, and four healthy, beautiful chickens.

The exhibition is open to the public for tours and education. It is currently located in the Bronx, at the Concrete Plant Park, an ironic name for the location of such a project. While it was on display on Staten Island a week ago, I had the sincere pleasure of spending time there, getting to know the crew and basking in the genius design that so optimized the use of a rather small barge to sustain life on board for such an extensive period of time. It is truly a feast for the mind as well as for the soul, as the creative influence of the artist who initiated the project is just as evident as the skill of the farmers who work on board.

I highly recommend a visit to anyone who is in the New York City area. There isn't very much time left, as the pod will only be docked in two more locations in the Bronx through the end of September. After that, the fate of the system is unknown. If it cannot be sold to a supporting organization, the pod will have to be dismantled and consequently recycled. What a shame it would be to lose such a prime and inceptive example of sustainable living, and such an excellent source of education for the city's children! Hopefully it is sold and installed on a permanent basis somewhere in the our waterways, so that we can continue to enjoy the generous beauty of this agricultural and artistic anomaly for years to come.

Peace.