Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I had a super fun time performing “3 Hats,” my first solo skate dance piece, at the 6th Avenue Skating Place yesterday. I have a lot more to say about why I did this at the end of this blog. But first off, here’s the performance. Special thanks to Kenny Hoff for the amazing videography….
It’s 10:30pm. My friends and I are at a 24 hour donut shop, getting donuts and coffee before heading to a skating rink for a late night skate party. An older Asian woman is behind the counter. We ask her if she has been to Roller King, the rink down the road. She admits that…
I’ve been thinking about Reddit and how many folks use it to be the friend that they don’t have in their lives. There have been many times in my life when I was curious or excited about some activity but didn’t know how to start. Tap dance, playing the harmonica, writing science fiction are ones…
It’s the Summer of 1997 or 1998. I’m in Silver Bay, New York for the annual retreat of New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Basically it’s adult summer camp for Quakers in New York. That’s as exciting as it sounds, complete with lots of meditation, reading, quiet conversation, and contemplative walks…
Home Cooking november 1994 I lay awake under a heavy veilOf mosquito nettingThat defends my sweet American bloodFrom the thirsty insects of my homeland.The early morning lightSteps softly into this upper roomOf my grandmother’s home,Gently warming the slumberingCousins, aunts, and unclesThat lie on the floor all about me. It has been a hard weekThis first…
Hey, it’s International Women’s Day! There are so many influential women who have nurtured and supported me over the years. Today I wanted to uplift my middle school math teacher Ms. Millar. To be honest, I don’t remember much about Ms. Millar, other than she was a kind, sweet, older white lady that taught 6th…
Rink (2008?) We loop round and roundTo fuzzy disco and the chatter of skatesSome somehow danceI stumble in rhythm.
rolling rik panganiban june 1997 Strangers insist on telling me horror storiesabout broken arms, fractured skulls,knees that never healed rightwhen they see me on my rollerblades. “There’s this one fella got draggedfifty feet under a truck, skatingtoo close to traffic. Had two kids.” This is not welcome information. “You’ll never catch me deadOn those silly…
“I have spent many days stringing and unstringing my instrumentwhile the song I came to sing remains unsung.” ― Rabindranath Tagore
There is no such thing as a “safe space” — We exist in the real world. We all carry scars and have caused wounds. This space seeks to turn down the volume of the world outside, and amplify voices that have to fight to be heard elsewhere, This space will not be perfect. It will…