Loving, Remixed

Kennedy Space Center. #florida #nasa #latergram (at Launch Pad...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:38 -0600

Kennedy Space Center. #florida #nasa #latergram (at Launch Pad 39A (LC-39A))

Nathalie Emmanuel at the Game of Thrones Season 3 premiere -...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:40:17 -0600

Nathalie Emmanuel at the Game of Thrones Season 3 premiere - Hollywood, California

Brandi Carlile, of course. #nashville #music

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:55:40 -0600

Brandi Carlile, of course. #nashville #music

"After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: If anyone in the vicinity..."

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:02 -0600

“

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.

Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.

She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,

Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.

Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.

And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.

And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,

With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.

Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.

”

- Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal.” I think this poem may be making the rounds, this week, but that’s as it should be. (via awelltraveledwoman)

Photo

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:21 -0600

lord-kitschener: Tampon/pad packaging and advertising is such a wasted opportunity. It’s all...

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:24 -0600

lord-kitschener:

Tampon/pad packaging and advertising is such a wasted opportunity. It’s all flowery pink shit, when you could instead feature a bunch of explosions and heavy metal music and slogans along the lines of “CAN YOU BLEED FOR DAYS AT A TIME AND NOT DIE? THEN USE METALBADASSBLOODTEX PADS/TAMPONS, ‘CAUSE THEY’RE AS MOTHERFUCKING HARDCORE AS YOU ARE.”

shananaomi: this is what I imagine the 1940s were like. or...

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:20:10 -0600

shananaomi:

this is what I imagine the 1940s were like. or would’ve been, for me.

Photo

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:40:17 -0600

yiduiqie: a) lucy liu b) if you are able to do it (and it can...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:19 -0600

yiduiqie:

a) lucy liu

b) if you are able to do it (and it can be hard, i know), do it. it’s so worth it. to me, ‘rainy day’ money IS fuck you money.

Photo

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:20:13 -0600

ancailleachmuir: garbageandflowers: Just so everyone knows how...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:18 -0600

ancailleachmuir:

garbageandflowers:

Just so everyone knows how much I do not care. Me and all my glory.

WOW

thecouscousqueen: disneybombshell: YOU DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:17 -0600

thecouscousqueen:

disneybombshell:

YOU DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, BLESS YOUR SOUL OP

brown girl power

elizabitchtaylor: Dolly Parton onstage, 1970

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:20:02 -0600

elizabitchtaylor:

Dolly Parton onstage, 1970

faintfamiliarity: Sometimes I just sit and think about how wonderful it is that I sleep with...

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:41:07 -0600

faintfamiliarity:

Sometimes I just sit and think about how wonderful it is that I sleep with women.

teganintraining: hiimjamie: too-stoned-to-remember: Why do dogs go mental when they see another...

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:47:25 -0600

teganintraining:

hiimjamie:

too-stoned-to-remember:

Why do dogs go mental when they see another dog

I imagine that in their heads they’re like

THAT IS DOG

I AM DOG

DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG

i do this with queer people in unfamiliar environments

THAT IS QUEER

I AM QUEER

QUEER QUEER QUEER QUEER QUEER QUEER

Flip on a switch--and everything's fine: So, last night, Britt and I went out to eat. It was a restaurant we go...

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:41:42 -0600

Flip on a switch--and everything's fine: So, last night, Britt and I went out to eat. It was a restaurant we go...:

novelconcepts:

So, last night, Britt and I went out to eat. It was a restaurant we go to pretty frequently, but we must never end up there on a Wednesday evening, because we recognized none of the servers. That was okay; the guys who took care of our table were pretty chill, particularly our main waiter. He was…

#nofilter #heron #amateurbirder #florida #nature...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:27:40 -0600

#nofilter #heron #amateurbirder #florida #nature #hashtaghashtaghashtag

Because this is what happens when you step off the boardwalk....

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:21:53 -0600

Because this is what happens when you step off the boardwalk. #mudmudandmoremud #saltmarsh #florida

Thank goodness for boardwalks in a #saltmarsh. #nature #florida...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:18:26 -0600

Thank goodness for boardwalks in a #saltmarsh. #nature #florida #mangroves

Romalea guttata (nymph stage) is not the newest Star Trek...

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:13:13 -0600

Romalea guttata (nymph stage) is not the newest Star Trek villain, though it may look and sound like one. Also known as black diablo. #insects #florida #nature (at Operations Support Building (OSB))