US Incarcerations: Our Million Dollar Band-Aid

A recent segment on NPR highlights the "million dollar block"-- quantifiable data on the ineffectiveness of the US Incarceration System. 

A few thoughts:
1)   Nearly half of all prisoners in the US are locked up for nonviolent crimes.  The "war on drugs" is responsible for the exponential growth in our prisons over the last few decades (i.e. possession of marijuana=>slammer time for otherwise harmless individuals).  What an inefficient use of our tax dollars!

2) There's a revolving door for most prisoners. Prisons can be seen as "institutions of higher criminal learning".  Individuals learn how to function in an alternate economy where gang mentality and "us versus them"-isms prevail.  Prison time not only affects the prisoner, but their families as well. 

When I worked with a TX House Rep, the issue of US Prison Reformation was one of my main concerns.  I aided in creating legislation (that would be rejected without much debate) such as giving felons and those on parole the right to vote.  Working for a Left-wing Rep. in a Texas Legislature left me feeling frustrated with formal politics, so I threw everything to the wind and went to take a more hands-on approach working at various wilderness therapy programs (informally known as "hoods in the woods") for juvenile delinquents.

I witnessed some of the most beautiful and also most horrific demonstrations of humanity in various programs where I worked... only to realize that this is not just an isolatable demographic of un-represented people that can be manipulated to function in "we the people"'s economy.  This is a symptom of a much bigger problem... and as long as we attempt to put a name to it and keep it quarantined, it's only going to get worse.

27 years lived!

Birthday Post!!


**First and foremost, I want to honor my momma.  Once a year, I get all the glory, cake and presents, when she was the one who did all the work. **

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Yesterday  my "plans" of hanging out under the sun and playing music at the Springs had been rained on, and I had no idea what to expect.  I met with a varied group of friends (from college, Barton Springs, music-making endeavors, and even some brand new friends from Egypt and France joined the party!)

The following questions were asked
1) How were your last 3 birthdays spent?
2009-- Working at Eckerd in NC (watch the video at the very bottom! so sweet!) then meeting with Michelle in Charleston, SC to see the Avett Brothers
2010- Looking for a job on the North Shore of Hawaii
2011- Sleeping on an overnight bus in Thailand.  Being the only American on the bus, and being sung the birthday song in German and Thai.  Then meeting with Michelle (again! on the other side of the world!) in Railay.

After eating an awesome Thai dinner, he asked me "no matter how unrealistic, what is the one dessert you could have now if you could?"

After eating nothing but Thai food for weeks,  I replied  "that's torture! Because there's no way I can have what I really want... but it'd be a hot fudge brownie sundae"

And then walking home from dinner, lo and behold! We come upon a Burger King with a picture of a hot fudge sundae in the window.  Magic. 

2) What is your wildest realistic fantasy?
Sailing (traveling) around the world to random places.  Picking people up who want to join, dropping people off who want to stay.  Showing up and not knowing how to speak the language at all, but making music and dancing with all kinds of people at any given location.  I want to learn how to adapt to all kinds of music. I want to smile with people I've never smiled with before.  Yep.  I'm a grown ass woman and I still just want everybody around the world to hold hands and sing together... I guess I've got 3 more years to have a heart, according to Winston Churchill...

3) Do you have anxiety over getting old?
Sure. My anxiety is best described through a They Might Be Giants song

"Now it's over, I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want
Or I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do"
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So anyway... I had more thoughts to connect here, but birthdays are exhausting and I just want to post this and sleep.  So here's a snippet of what happened on my birthday. 

Inter-dependence Day thoughts

We mutually pledge our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor

This is the often forgotten last sentence of America's Declaration of Independence.

Yet most of us are most familiar with the 2nd line that declares our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  As Kurt Andersen notes in a recent NY Times article, The Downside of Liberty, these things are a recipe for individualism.  Selfishness, individualism, and competition drive capitalism, but these things will also bring America as a political body of citizens to the ground.

It's frightening to witness the public backlash against universal healthcare in America.  And where did the 1% come from? These are anxiety-ridden people enslaved to their possessions.  We are all inter-connected.  Taking care of each other is taking care of ourselves.

Interbeing- Thich Nhat Hanh 
“To be” is to inter-be. You cannot just be by yourself alone. You have to inter-be with every other thing. 

Thinking about America as a part of a global whole, America never could just be a "City on a Hill".  America is a nation inter-connected with every other nation. "We the people" are free, and don't you forget that! It's a constant struggle and we must remind ourselves every day.  We don't need to exercise our power or exploit others to assure ourselves of our freedom.

Freedom is ours to hold-- it's just a struggle in your mind to keep your soul

 Freedom- The Beautiful Girls

Lunar Gardening in Cancer

Happy Summer Solstice!

As we transition from Gemini into Cancer, this is a great time to learn about the rhythms of the moon. Whether you believe in astrology or not, as gardeners we should be experimental, playful, and observant in trying new things.

As a water sign, Cancer is one of the most fruitful signs in the zodiac. It is ruled by the moon, so just as the moon affects the water in our bodies and in the tides of the ocean, it affects the growth of our plants.  Did you know that direct sow seeds absorb more water during full moons than at any other time?

In this video, I offer a few pointers on how to gauge the moon periods using the "DOC" method, and what to plant during different periods throughout the lunar cycle. 

Finally, as Cancer is a "water" sign, let's focus this month on honoring water conservation.  If you are still watering from the top soil, please consider installing more efficient irrigation systems this month.  Food is Free can help you get started: http://foodisfreeproject.org/
http://www.facebook.com/foodisfree
For those local to Austin, TX, please contact foodisfree@gmail.com to host a free wicking bed workshop in your neighborhood!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

After witnessing a chihuahua race, a bean burrito (not waterballoon) toss, and a pinata contest, I decide to cool off on an inflatable waterslide.  Only in Austin, TX.

Mandy does SXSW

Up until this last week, it brought me to tears when people would ask why I moved to Texas from Hawaii. SXSW reminded me why I love Austin, TX. I was surrounded by friends old and new and a phenomenally diverse music scene. I've lived in the area before, but never attempted to do SXSW. I always thought it was for the rich and those in the industry. Much like what this lady thinks about SXSW. But I got by spending close to nothing this week cruising on my skateboard/ feasting like a queen on free hummus samples and beer. I tackled SXSW this week as best I could, and here's an abbreviated recap via pics and vids:

This is my talented jam buddy Mike, busking on the streets.


So I love Of Montreal. We go way back. But even after all these years, they are still putting on crazy awesome shows.
Of Montreal- "Suffer for Fashion"


I hadn't heard of Kimbra before the day I saw her, but I haven't been able to stop listening to her since then either. This was her opening song and the girl just commands attention
Kimbra- "Open up your heart"


Who don't like Santigold?
Santigold- L.E.S. Artistes


I could have only seen M. Ward at SXSW and been happy. This is one of his new songs and I instantly fell in love. He's so charming live. He's so charming, period. And I kinda feel like a Primitive Girl sometimes... except the difference is that I DO need him...
M. Ward-Primitive Girl


Young Magic
Another band that I stumbled upon but really enjoyed working up a sweaty dance party with.


The Dream- Shawty is the...
Can't lie. <3 the Dream


And, it's over.... *thud*

People as places as people

Modest Mouse "People As Places As People" from A Bruntel on Vimeo.

I'm packing up for another move. Anytime I move from place to place, it feels like a breakup with a lover.

Georgetown, TX

Georgetown was the guy next door. My first kiss. The one who I practiced sharing secrets with. Who I pretended to have a grown-up life with. But it was always Austin, his older and cooler brother, that I kept on my radar-- swearing that one day when I'm ready to settle, we'd commit to each other.

San Diego, CA

San Diego was a hot shot. His radiant energy ignited my ambitions and awakened my ego. He made me aware of my Texan accent, which I consequently worked to hide. I knew he was loved by many, to the point that I questioned whether or not I could ever really have an intimate relationship. There were few quiet and intimate spaces... he wore his heart on his sleeve for transients and their 5-7 night stands. It was like dating somebody who's always the life of the party. And it was fun while it lasted.

I think my parents had hoped all along that I'd settle with Dallas, the son of a wealthy oil tycoon who doesn't believe poverty exists. He would provide for me financially, and that's about it. But he's never been too fond of me either. Not wanting to be enslaved to a mysogynistic future with Dallas, I decide to take steps to initiate a partnership with China. There is very little passion, but I know that this strategic partnership will allow me to maintain my independence. This all makes sense in my head, but my feet move slow, and instead take me in a totally different direction...
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"And the people you love, but you didn't quite know, they're the places that you wanted to go"
If this music video were the story of my life, I'd have brought home a saltwater fish or something from Oceania instead of a pine tree. Something so foreign to my upbringing that it makes my family a little uncomfortable.
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(Independent/Western) Samoa

Samoa was like the former neighbor of a friend of a friend's cousin that I caught eyes with on a walk by the river one day that triggered my infatuation. But somehow he had already been on my radar, and I had heard that he lived out in the woods somewhere. The more I realized how little I knew about this guy, the more my infatuation grew. I saw him as the missing piece to who I wanted to be. Growing up, I felt stifled by gender roles and the idea of impersonal relationships. While I was with Samoa, he taught me how to be human again. For a moment, I felt complete, and I felt like I had found a home. This passed though, as it slowly sank in that my history and context lies in another time and place, and that if I stayed, one puzzle piece would remain, but the rest might fade away.

North Carolina

North Carolina was the quiet and understanding friend that let me cry in his bed all day after I had broken up with Samoa, only to realize it was too late for me to try to go back "home".

Homelessness/Free Love

It was somewhere in between NC and Georgia that I decided it's okay to be "homeless". And then once I'd grasped that, it was like 1960s free love all over the country. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Hampshire, Massachussets, Maine, and then Hawaii.

How I ended up back in the middle of the Pacific, I still don't know. They say that if you don't find closure when ending a relationship, you're bound to look for qualities from the former relationship in a new partner.


But no matter what, I'll always have my fish with me. Because we are the places that we wanted to go...