Let’s talk about how too much comfort makes you boring, weak and small-minded. Welcome to part two of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. Describe surfing in Humboldt County to someone unfamiliar with the sport and they look at you like you’re bonkers. “First you […]
It’s Personal
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Making Change: Attention
Let’s talk about how we want to show up in — and for — the world. Welcome to part one of Making Change, a six-week series on the hows and whys of personal, social and political change. Oh sure, people have struggled to pay attention for centuries. Each distracting advance in technology has provoked commentary […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Kambing and Kennedy
It was probably early morning but it felt like the middle of the night when we were awakened by the guards. We had only been in bed a few hours because of the vigil for Kambing, the baby goat who had magically joined our household one day, tiny and spindly legged, marked just like our black […]
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Lobster Girl Finds the Beat
For three glorious months in 2019, it seemed like it was finally going to happen for me. I was attending a dance fusion class at the Arcata HealthSport led by an amazing instructor named Jovonne. Once a week I’d stand at the back of the class with my friends and try to keep up. Never […]
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My Grand Uncle Leon
I never met my grand uncle Leon, at least not that I can recall. He died when I was 9 years old and all I remember knowing about the man was that he was a doctor and had married my grandfather’s twin sister, Julie. My great grandfather was a doctor in Coney Island, New York, […]
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One Couple’s Abortion Story, 45 Years Later
Last week’s leak of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion on Roe v Wade took me back more than four decades, when, in the space of six months, I had two abortions. I hope my story will help people understand the right to an abortion isn’t only a political or moral issue, but also one of […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
My Dad
This is my dad, Ricky Smith. He’s been living on the streets of Arcata for over a decade. On Feb. 2, he was murdered just feet away from the same corner he stood on every day and played his guitar and sang for passersby. He gave smiles and kindness. He often held a sign that […]
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Six Strategies for Breaking A Bad Habit
When I decided to give up smoking in my 20s, I resolved to enjoy my last cigarette the night before my birthday and turned my final smoke into a sacrament. I put The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin“ on my tinny record player, turned off the lights and sat in the dark, gazing at […]
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A Week in the Hospital
The specter of COVID-19 is everywhere. It’s the elephant in the room, the new “C word.” But it’s not the reason I’m here. It’s my sixth evening in the hospital. I had a major surgery to prevent paralysis by having a large calcium deposit removed from my thoracic spine. By day six I’ve gotten permission […]
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No-Thanksgiving
When I started writing this piece, I had grand ambitions of opening a conversation for cisgender readers. After several drafts, I decided the internet was offering plenty of organizations, memes, infographics and listicles for cisgender people to use as a resource (see below). And though there were many adorable watercolor comics online giving advice for […]
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Our Affordable Housing Neighbors are the Best
As my husband and I walked over to the boardwalk, a man standing on the balcony of a building opposite our Old Town apartment called over to us. “Who’s that?” I asked. “His name is Jim,” Barry said. “I think he runs the building.” Since 2000, Jim Wolters, 63, has been the manager of the […]
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Across Miles and Borders: Ripple Effect
By Iridian Casarez We had just finished eating our plates of mole Poblano and rice when my abuelita began telling us of her recent month-long trip to Mexico. She began by showing us videos of her house, freshly remodeled and furnished. She told us about the chiles ahogadas and the feast she and three of […]