here in chicago the old rules of spring just didn't seem to apply this year: march came in like a lion and went out like a tiger, april showers brought may torrential downpours, you know.

but chicagoans, we've made it! SUMMER is finally here and i kicked off the weekend shaking my tambourine and my arms and my booty etc. with dear friends at foster beach at the full moon fire jam. best vibes in the city and the most liberating way to get over my long week of studying.

and p.s. i'm totally going to learn to spin poi, it's not even a question. oh, and to play the didgeridoo. obviously.

in honor of mother's day (albeit a little late! i know) i wanted to show you some old photos of my mom that i found digging around my grandma's house, which happens to be the same house my mom lived in when she was my age.


it's strange to think of her studying at the same kitchen table, laying out to read in the same backyard, making her morning tea on the same old stove.


it's strange to think of her before the weight of maternal responsibility dropped on her shoulders, to see her a little wild and free and with friends who were out of her life before even the idea of me came into the picture.


it's strange to see that she looks just like me! and that she once spent her time musing over music and sat on the floor and probably even sang just like me (these days, we love harmonizing to the radio on car trips).

makes me want to leave a great legacy of coolness for my unborn daughter, makes me want to dig through the old wardrobes next!

was reminded of the crazy porteña nights thanks to stephy and these videos she took when she came to stay in the san telmo loft back in november.
enjoy! but be forewarned: i am an ANIMAL on the dance floor.

these days, on any afternoon that it's even remotely sunny enough, you can find me lazing about at my favorite place in chi: oak street beach!

i've been told that soon the chicago beaches will be crowded and spoiled, but on these beautiful spring weekdays there's hardly anyone there to disrupt a perfect afternoon in the sun. this week luke joined me after class :D

came across this magic corner on my daily romp around lincoln park, and it reminded me of some of my favorite nooks around san telmo. in fact, i'm starting to get the feeling that buenos aires and chicago are enchanted under similar charms...

finished my school week off right...
by the way, it's TEA shisha! contains no tobacco- who knew? tea, why aren't all plants as miraculous as you?

AGLOW CONFERENCE: MY FIELD NOTES
make of this exactly what you will. i just want to share with you this crazy-ass saturday

10:30: in the car
-"you know, a woman at aglow was legally blind her whole adult life and with our prayers, jesus cured her. four years later, she died of cancer, but you know, jesus had done her such a huge favor."
-"here at aglow we pray especially for israel, and the muslims."
-the hotel, located in a jewish neighborhood, has recently fallen under management by pakistanis
-"ok god, show us where to park the car."

11:00: the holiday inn, pre-aglow conference
-"those democrats get away with everything, but they will be judged under the jurisdiction of the lord."
-very international group- filipinos, jamaicans, colombians, polish
-aglow regional chapters are called "lighthouses"
-everyone knows exactly who i am. "you're the one who's been all around the world, right? oh, i do hope you'll testify to the group and to the lord about your experiences!"
-"i can see the pure light in you, child, i can see you follwing your grandma's good path"

11:30: the conference begins
-promoting campaign "save christian america"
-"god is not uplifted in the u.s.a. as he deserves, and we are a christian nation! and the end is near us, people! the lord told me in '95 that the end is so near, that people will be saved or not, but we will be one nation under god! so make sure your family and freinds are all saved, because if they're not, they're going to hell. and i'm telling you, jesus is coming back soon."
-"we need to stand up for what we believe, for the kids who are going to hell! they don't want us to talk in the schools or in the market, but we have freedom of speech too and if i want to spread the word of jesus, i will. at football games they scream and act like idiots for their teams. we are on god's team, and we need to shout it to the heavens."
-"walk in fear of god, not of man"

12:00: i am introduced
-"we have a very special young lady, a world-traveling missionary here with us today" (?!?!?!)
-i am asked to speak but i simply can't. i am clearly the only one here faking faith and the risk of losing face in front of my grandma is too daunting

12:30: music and prayer
-one jamaican woman leads the whole group in prayer. it starts structured, with only her speaking, though soon everyone begins calling out
-music fades in, all structure is lost and people continue to pray and plead and shout individually
-one filipino woman kneels and cries over and over "forgive us lord! forgive us!"
-i am the only person in the room not speaking or singing

1:00: the prophet speaks
-her name is mary phillips
-nursing major from u. illinois, lated ordained as a prophet by.......??? god i guess??
-she is tight-lipped, small-eyed, wearing a pink suit
-"god has been in pursuit of you, has had plans for you since before he laid down the ground of the earth"
-everyone turns their chairs toward the prophet
-he is a "relational" god (real word?)
-"if a prophecy is negative, it's not a true prophecy" grandma
-"he knew the end since the beginning, and he plans according to the council of his will and wisdom"
-now several others are taking notes just like me

1:30: personal prophecies
-everyone gets a personal prophecy
-prophecies are recorded live so that each person can take home a cassette tape of their's
-"i have my last one at home but i don't even know where it is! ha!"
-"i keep all my prophecies in one place. i have like ten since 1952."
-there are different schools for the prophetic
-"i went to see a mexican prophet in new mexico, and now, i don't talk spanish or anything, but i swear i could understand the prophecy, that god led it to my ears in english. when i was working with the navajos, too."
-during the personal prophecies, an elderly filipino woman kneels between my grandma and i, takes our hands, and begins to talk lowly. she tells us that her married son has begun dating his boss's married daughter, and is terrified that he will lose his job. she begins crying quietly, asking my grandmother what to do. grandma says to give the problem to jesus, and begins to pray for her. the woman sobs. she asks, "what about fasting? should i fast?" "absolutely." my grandma proceeds to heal her pain with her hands and lift her up to the lord.
-before leaving, the daughter of the elderly filipino woman approaches us and thanks my grandma, that she was the only one who her mother would trust to help her heal.
-and i receive my prophecy. this is my business.

.......................................................

so yeaaaaaaaa.................

i think i need a nap and a drink

this morning i'm going with my grandma to an event for her christian women's group, aglow.

i am not religiously affiliated with anything and so going to christian events with grandma (who affiliates everything with religion) can be rather eye-opening for me, like taking a tiny trip to another world and experiencing a foreign culture.

truthfully, i tried to get out of going (don't tell jesus), but my grandmother is quite good at reeling people into occasions like this and once she's got you in her clutches, all bets are off. plus, these women have apparently been praying for me for years, guiding god's hand to carry me safely through my travels, which is really bizarre but appreciated, i suppose!

and so i've decided to take this as an anthropological opportunity to experience and observe this branch of society that is, at least for a new englander, unnervingly prevalent in midwestern american life (plus i heard that the guest speaker is a real live prophet, so that oughtta be good)... i'll post my field notes later!

yo i was just wondering:

HOW is brazilian music SO good?!?!

i'm digging so hard on a couple different grupos brasileiros, each with a distinct sound but all with these common threads of sexy other-worldiness... makes me want to learn portuguese stat, just so i can make such lush sounds with my mouth.

anyway, i wanted to share some favorite songs from beautiful brazil! some of the videos are kind of bogus, esp. the one with the spanish flag...?

averaging like 500 pages of reading per week for these classes, may as well multitask and get a little brown!!