9/20: Linden to Princeton Part 2

9/20: Linden to Princeton: Part 2

As we walked we talked, I was almost disturbed about how different Princeton was from any other place I'd been. It seemed as if there was a bubble of well being around the town. Even when we'd been smoking a spliff on her back porch, there was no fear that anyone would take notice. Strange considering any other place I'd been in New Jersey, if you stopped more than a couple of seconds someone official would show up and tell me to "move along move along."  I kept saying "this is so weird" unable to shake the disturbing feeling that I'd just stepped into some kind of Stepford scenario.  Shaking it off as we arrived at the Seminary School, the gothic tower standing dark, an ominous finger only noticeable by the void of stars.

9/20: Linden to Princeton: Part 1

9/20/2012:  Linden, NJ to Princeton, NJ Part One.
I woke with a start. Having forgotten to set my alarm the night before I knew I'd woken up late before checking my phone for the time. This was going to be a problem, it was a 31 mile run to Princeton, and even if I caught the train at Princeton Junction into the Borough, I'd needed to be up at 6AM to start. I fumbled with my backpack, shoving items in willy nilly. By the end it looked more like a tinkers bundle than the neatly packed rucksack I'd started out with. I listened at the door, knowing that the viewing was over given the late hour (10:00AM). Heading downstairs, I heard a voice call up.

9/19: Montclair, NJ to Linden, NJ Part 2: Say goodbye to A&P

9/19/2012: Montclair to Linden, NJ
I had a place to stay in Linden, I knew it wasn't going to be easy getting there. I'd been advised to stay off of Route 1, as it would have taken me through the heart of Newark. Once I'd passed through East Orange, (essentially the West Side of Newark) I figured I could pop back over to '1 and make up some time getting to Linden. Stopping at a bus stop to get some rest, a woman and her son were waiting on public transportation.  Curious about my pack he asked me if I'd been in the military. Giving the same answer I do every time I said 

9/19: Montclair, NJ - Linden, NJ Part 1 "We'll have to close it down..."

9/19/2012: Montclair to Linden: Part 1
I got started relatively early in the morning after a hearty breakfast of beans, rice and eggs. Cookie and I wasted some time, delaying my inevitable departure. It's hard enough saying "goodbye" to strangers along the way, it's doubly hard to walk away from friends. Especially friends that I see so rarely. I think both of us had tears in our eyes as we hugged, I posed for a picture, then headed South.

9/18: Montclair, New Jersey

Montclair, NJ: After my weekend in New York City I was ready chill for a minute with my homie Cookie.  As one of the most generous souls I've ever met, she went through the trouble of picking up supplies for my feet.  She tried to insist that I leave the housework to the professionals, namely her, but I told her to go screw and started doing the dishes.

9/17 New York City: Occupied Part 3

9/17/2012 12:00PM - End of Day
Huzzah! I'd heard from my friend from the station and made my way to the back of the park. We were to meet at the Statue of Liberty Cruise terminal, which as it turns out I'd wandered past earlier and completely ignored.

By the time we'd met up the Occupy folks had cleared out for the second half of the days actions. I gave my buddy a heads up about how to keep track of the days events and we settled on posting up somewhere in the financial district so he could keep a weather eye out.

9/17: New York City; Occupied Part 2

9/17/2012 10:00AM - 12:00PM
I'd gotten word from my UNregular friend that he'd be in town shortly before noon. That gave me plenty of time to wander Battery Park and surrounding areas, so I hit a grocery store to grab a bite and set up across the street from the park. 

9/17: New York City: Occupied; Part 1

9/17/12 7:00AM - 10:00AM

I woke in the tiniest room imaginable. Birds were chirping, a plus considering the past two mornings I'd woken to snores. Regardless of how harmonious or gentle birds were a nice change of pace. I'd heard a fellow UNregular staffer was on his way down, and last word put him on the Chinatown bus at 2:00AM. My ass needed to get across the bridge to meet him near the Chinatown stop.

I ate a fast breakfast, bolting my food and getting my pack together. I wasn't sure if I'd be back to the house that day so I had to hump my pack about with me.  Stopping by a street vendor I grabbed a cup of coffee and set myself up near a fountain to eat a granola bar and get my bearings. It was only two blocks to the nearest train station, so I shouldered my pack and headed North, stopping at a second street vendor for another cuppa.

9/16 New York, NY: Please Don't Go...

My eyes popped open to a choir of snores. Every third or fourth breath they would sync in harmony. The exhaustion of the past couple days hit me like a bag of hammers. Five hours of sleep on a cement floor did fuck all to do anything other than make me want to sleep more. Walking from Stamford, CT to New Rochelle, NY while wandering around points in between had done me in. I knew if I didn't get some kind of quality rest between now and when I left New York, I'd be destroyed by Philadelphia.

9/15 Brooklyn, NY - Sunset Park #opwalkabout

I woke Saturday morning with a start to three snoring Slovenians. 

I wasn't sure where the fourth had gone, I was assuming he was asleep on the porch or on whatever floor space he could nab in the mad rush to pass out the evening before. Hoping to keep from waking them I tiptoed around the tiny apartment, I'd been brusque at best the evening before and I wanted to make a clean getaway. I packed the top third of my bag putting things away quietly and stepped onto the porch for the mornings first cigarette.  Taking in the early morning air from the 9th floor, the suburb of New York I was staying in had just started to wake up.

9/13 - 9/14 Stamford, CT - New Rochelle, NY "You can't sleep here"

Stamford and points South stood to be a challenge. I hadn't had a chance to hop on a computer for a couple of days, and with my increasingly dodgy connection in Port Chester it looked as if I was sleeping out that night.

The stretch of road between Stamford and Greenwich, CT reminded me of much of my journey. Gas stations and chain grocery stores, still to early in the morning for attendants to be anything other that surly. I stepped into a station about a mile outside of the city to purchase a map, seeing that they were all for CT or New England, it wouldn't have done me much good. I thanked the proprietor and headed out.

9/12 Fairhaven to Stamford, CT "The Calm Before the Storm"

After parting ways with Cassie and Joe, I knew I needed to beat feet South and quickly. 

I only had so much time to get to New York and (hopefully) post up far enough away from the Occupy Wall Street madness to stay out of it. My contact in Port Chester hadn't been picking up his phone so I wasn't holding my breath for a soft place to sleep in the next couple of days.  As I travelled South on Rt. 1 I was constantly having to over compensate for shitty Connecticut drivers. It seems that they weren't in the habit of looking ahead while operating their vehicles, for some reason they'd notice me on the side of the road and practically swerve into the other lane to "avoid" me.

9/11 Resting in Newtown, CT #opwalkabout

I hadn't realize how homesick I was until Cassie pulled up to the Mental Health ward at Bridgeport Hospital. I'd been running on emotional empty for a few days. The support I was getting from home seemed increasingly distant, so having a loved one right there to give me a hug and hold my hand while spewing my fears was necessary. We spent the day in thrift stores, played with her dogs and talked about food, hitting the hay early to start off fresh the next day.

I love my friends.

9/8 - 9/9 Old Saybrook, CT to Wallingford, CT #opwalkabout

I set out from Old Saybrook, CT with the road stretching South and West before me.

My goal was to make Guilford, CT by night fall, the weather looked ominous, but at least the wind was a nice change from the previous days retarding humidity. Spotting the difference between townie and tourist in coastal Connecticut towns is like playing "Old or Asian" in Quincy, I sort of wished I had a walking buddy at that point to keep me company and make guesses along with me as I picked folks out during the morning commute.

9/7: #opwalkabout Old Saybrook, CT via New London

I got off the bus in New London, CT at around 9PM, hoping that the hotel wasn't booked up.  

When I called a few hours before they still had rooms available, albeit for on-season prices. I walked up to the hotel, a respectable four miles out, landing at the Red Roof inn at around 10:30PM and checking into their cheapest available room. I showered and unpacked my bag, hanging my pants still wet from the downpour in Providence.

9/4 - 9/5 Providence, RI With New Friends

http://smallbitesrhodeisland.blogspot.com

Once the rain stopped I got a chance to dry my feet out, fruitless endeavor though it was. 

The foot powder I'd put in my shoes the night before was caked between my toes and ground into what was left of the blister on my right foot. 

9/6 #opwalkabout on compromise and Coventry, RI

As soon as I heard the news, the only thing I could think was "I need food."

Spotting a sign for the Old Theater Diner, I hoofed it off the road and through the busy parking lot. Slow for lunch time, the attending demographic seemed to be in the 60 - 75 bracket, some wheeling oxygen tanks.  A quiet spot to digest more than the fact that my camping leg in Northern CT was axed. I needed to have a good hard think, and there's no better way to do it than over a good hash omelet.

9/10 #opwalkabout: Bridgeport, CT and Neon Hightops

"Are you sure you want to go through Bridgeport? It's pretty rough"

Thus far I've been through the "South Side" of most cities and towns between Boston and New Haven. That's not saying much. Elmwood Ave. and surrounding areas in Providence, RI remind me of Roslindale/ Roxbury. If you'll pardon the turn of phrase, it's pussy shit in comparison to Bridgeport. 

9/1 #opwalkabout takes $%&*# Fest

To backtrack a bit (har har), Brittany, my Providence host, was a find on couchsurfing.org, or rather she found me. I'd posted a request on my itinerary for Providence, it seemed like moments later when I got a hit.

9/1 - 9/3 #opwalkabout Providence layover and precipitation

The extended stop in Rhode Island put the brakes on my go-go-go attitude. The mentality has served for sheer volume of work, but in the case of traveling distance it's been necessary to set a pace as aggravating as it's been.

9/3 Greenside Up Gallery now open in Providence

Get your ass to Greenside Up Functional Glass and Art Gallery on Thayer St in Providence, RI. The official opening is next month, keep your peepers on their Facebook page for details.

8/31 #opwalkabout Walpole to Plaineville, and the skin I left behind

It was disheartening to watch the miles I'd just covered roll by the bus window. Knowing that I'd be back at Chestnut and Washington the next morning didn't help. 

Still, heading back to Boston even at this late hour was smarter than posting up under a bush in Walpole. I made the connection at Forest Hills and made my way back to my old apartment in Brighton.  I'd called earlier to confirm a hot shower and a dark room with a couch awaited me. Six hours later I made the commute in reverse back to the intersection of Chestnut and Washington.

8/31 Providence run cut short

This is one of those times when prudence is best. With both feet now bleeding, it isn't the pain that's stopping me but further damage to my feet. I made four miles today. Taking the day to heal a bit, then back to the super 8 on S. Washington in N. Attleboro for more walking.

8/30 #opwalkabout Walpole to Plainville

It was disheartening to watch the mileage I'd just passed through roll by the bus window. Knowing that I'd be back at Chestnut and Washington the next morning didn't help. When I arrived at the bus stop and prepared to spend some time on my feet, I was greeted by Grace.

8/30 #worldpodview Walpole MA

Stopped by Ever so Humble Pie and talked with Andrea for a couple of minutes, only to walk outside and see this.

8/29: Magic scissors hair salon

If your near East Walpole check Magic Scissors Hair Salon on Union St. Probably the nicest bunch of folks this side of anywhere. They were kind enough yo let me use their restroom, and talk for a minute.
They've been getting through these tough times my keeping a positive attitude working together. Many blessings on you friends, I hope your business flourishes.

#opwalkabout departing Wednesday (tomorrow)

Final Weekend in Boston before heading out to DC!

I spent some quality time out with #chalkupyboston on Sunday

I had a chance to close up shop here in Boston over the past few days, spending time with friends and getting all my stuff together. Here's a quick photo blog of the past couple days. 

If you get a chance get down to Copley Square on Sundays for #chalkupyboston.  These cats set up around the city, talk local issues, and chalk sidewalks! It's fun for the whole family! The four weeks I've been going down I spend most of my time teaching kids how to use sidewalk chalk, it's a grand ol' time.

#opwalkabout Going Away Party! Tonight!

I'll be saying goodbye to friends and loved ones at UNregular Radio Presents: The Pink Parts, Grimewave, MANandMOUNTAIN, and Roman Numeral III at Rosebud Bar & Grill in Davis Sq Thursday night! 

Come on down tomorrow night at 8:30PM for a cheap show, good beer, and great people!  Purchase tickets in advance and save a couple bucks.

Occupy the Economy

The Sustainable Economy team is surveying farms to determine which are "sustainable enough" to meet with its seal of approval...and to start the list of companies that the mapping tool will encourage people to "vote with their bucks" to "Occupy the Economy".

#opdev: Citizen Journalism 101

Learning about journalism, and setting my own personal standards and practices for writing has led me on a fun research journey that I've yet to be able to verbalize.  I'd hate to sit on the information while I'm away, this isn't pretty but here's a list of links having to do with journalism, ethics, standards, and media/ government/ citizen interaction.

#opwalkabout Makes BostInno!

"[Kristen] Hoye is fed up with what continues to happen in this country.

After realizing that problems people face today mirror those that previous generations dealt with, including sexism and racial profiling, she has decided it’s time to do something different...."

#opwalkabout Media Rundown 12 days and counting

Parkman Bandstand; Boston Common: Boston, MA

Media Rundown: 8/16/2012 #opwalkabout

"I'm walking because I'm ignorant. I'd thought that I was ready to teach, only to find as I'm preparing for this journey, that I have so much more to learn."

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 8:00AM I am departing from Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common, and starting a 462 mile trek to 100 Congress St. SW in Washington, D.C.

*********************************************************************************
Press Release and follow up (See release below pagebreak)

Boston Metro Coverage (Page one inside cover left column)
http://issuu.com/metro_us/docs/20120815_us_boston

Had an interview with Boston Innovation today!  Should be up on Saturday.

*********************************************************************************

An Evening of Folk Music and History 9/22/2012

Charlie King and Karen Brandow present... 

Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 7 pm.
"Occupy Lawrence 1912" a multi-media performance about the Bread and Roses textile strike that took place in Lawrence, Massachusetts 100 years ago.

Sponsored by Arlington United for Justice with Peace, Jobs with Justice, Occupy Arlington, the 25% Solution (Arlington), with thanks to New England War Tax Resistance for a grant.

Chris Nauman and Kenny Selcer open.

Steve Early discusses unions – then and now.

Event: Unfolding Changes at Center for Marxist Education 8/18/2012

8/18 Unfolding Changes in Cuba's Economic Organization and Food Production

"Cuba is undergoing significant changes in its economic organization and food production. Two of the speakers, Duncan McFarland and Cristina Martinez, participated in a week-long conference in July co-sponsored by the University of Havana and the US-based Radical Philosophy Association. 

Boston Metro: 460

#opwalkabout get's page one Boston Metro love!

"A Boston woman said she plans to walk 460 miles - all the way to Washington, D.C. -- 

...to personally hand political leaders a letter about "human suffering."  Kristen Hoye (that's me) said she will depart from Parkman Bandstand on the morning of Aug. 29.

Hoye asks in the letter, which was posted yesterday in the State House News Service, "Why is the suffering others, so that we may live, systemic?" and writes "I am afraid for the future, I am afraid for my future children".

Click the "Boston Metro" link and hop over to page one in the left hand column to check it out!

15 Days and Counting: 22 Days of Walking

Now would be a hell of a time for me to get writers block...

The update is short and sweet today.  I stayed in JP on Sunday night after a stacked set of closing shifts last week.  The combination of tasty food, dodgy wi-fi, and quite possibly the most comfortable futon mattress on the planet scored that particular host a five out of five knapsacks.

Last night saw your intrepid explorer back in Brighton on the tiny couch, this time (thankfully) no dog. The letter to the press is out, we'll see what floats out of that log jam, in the mean time? Back to work.

-KC

Burning the Future: Coal in America; AUG 16, 2012

Burning the Future: Coal in America Thursday, August 16, in Cambridge [please download & distribute flyer] Coal provides half of America’s electricity, but at what cost? Though rhetoric about “clean coal” abounds, 36% of US global warming emissions comes from our coal-burning plants. Every 11-1/2 days, the explosive equivalent of the Hiroshima atomic bomb is unleashed on the mountains of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky—for coal. Burning the Future: Coal in America examines the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by a global reliance on coal-generated electricity, local activists watch the world praise coal without regard to the devastation caused by its extraction.

Operation Backpack

Posted on August 9, 2012

Operation Backpack

Scope Urban Apparel is proud to be working with United Sisters of Color, Voices of Liberation, Brothers for Boston, Occupy the Hood Boston, the Blackstonian, 617 Live and FITT Body Bootcamp on Operation Backpack, an effort to supply underserved students with school supplies for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

Communities say NO to bank evictions...

Anti-eviction rallies to support Metro-Boston residents fighting Fannie Mae

Communities say NO to bank evictions funded with tax dollars – Two simultaneous courthouse rallies for occupants of Fannie Mae-owned properties, responding to FHFA principal reduction refusal announcement

21 Days and Counting, 22 Days of Walking

Fuckin' Trumpet Kehd

I woke this morning to the sound of trumpets, or rather a trumpet. 

"My head hit the pillow at 5:30AM this morning, only to wake promptly at 10:00AM to the sound of intern Tyler practicing his trumpet."  

Three Weeks to Departure: 22 Days and Counting 22 Days of Walking

Wireless, Slightly-too-short couch, clean laundry. Rating: 4 out of 5 knapsacks

An update from your foot-loose couch-surfing activist in training. 8/6/2012

"I realized early on there would be a correlation between when I fell asleep and when the next performer would go into the studio to make magic." 

“GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK!”

Regional Economists and other fiscal experts gather to strategize on how to get corporations to:

“GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK!”
Thursday 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge

That’s what a group of economists think stockholders should be saying. And they don’t mean just large stockholders. Over 50% of stock is held by “regular people”, like nurses and teachers and vets and union workers.

Three Weeks and Change: 24 Days to Departure

With just over three weeks 'til I make my way South I'm still prepping, but overall, I'm ready to roll. 

24 days and counting, 22 days of walking.  

My mind has been set on taking this journey for nearly a year. October 1st 2011 at 12:30AM I walked among the tents at Dewey Square. I saw folks huddled under tarps on the soaking ground in the pouring rain.  Maybe it's the rain, on a night just like tonight just under a year ago, my world abruptly shifted, and expanded. 

Sponsors! Saucy Entertainment and Gym Flow 100

A huge "THANK YOU!" to Saucy Entertainment and Gym Flow 100 for signing on as my first sponsor for the walk to DC!  

I honored that the folks at Saucy Entertainment and Gym Flow 100 have chosen to sponsor me on this journey.  With the support of the fine folks at the aforementioned establishments I will be able to purchase crazy awesome boots that will prevent my knees from blowing out halfway to North Stonington, CT. 

Donating my hair to Children With Hairloss...

Donate Your Hair!

I'm walking from Boston to Washington DC, this entire process has been about shedding. Preconceptions, possessions, and now my hair. 

I recently moved out of my apartment, gave away or threw out most of my possessions, and am couch surfing until I roll out on this fantastic journey.

During your long reign as Mayor...

AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR THOMAS M. MENINO

Dear Mayor Menino,
In an article in the Boston Herald dated July 20, 2012, you are quoted as saying, “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population.  We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s in the forefront of inclusion”.

We agree that any kind of discrimination should  be unwelcome in the City of Boston We, the undersigned, would like to commend you for the strong statements that you made regarding “Chick-Fil-A” because you felt that its practices were discriminatory.  Although we applaud the ideals you espouse, the facts don’t comply with the rhetoric.  If you feel so strongly that discrimination is wrong, you should look to all of the discriminatory practices that you have allowed to exist in the City during your reign.

20 Activists Arrested during RAMPS Protest of Mountain Top Removal

RAMPS Activists Arrested During Protest of Mountain Top Removal Mining Project

From RAMPS (the organizers):
"More than 50 protesters affiliated with the R.A.M.P.S. Campaign have walked onto Patriot Coal’s Hobet mine and shut it down.  Ten people locked to a rock truck, boarded it and dropped banners: ”Coal Leaves, Cancer Stays.”  At least three have been arrested, with another in a tree being threatened by miners with a chain saw.  Earlier in the day, two people were arrested at Kanawha State Forest before a group of protesters headed to the state capitol.

With All Due Respect: Go Fuck Yourself Menino

See!! My shit's official! All Hail King Menino!
Supporter of Homophobes Hater of Chicken!

Fuck Censorship And Other Such Type Things

Great, I'm glad Mayor Menino has a fucking opinion. Even if I agree with his opinion, it has no business on official City of Boston stationary.  Mayor Menino is not the "voice" of the City of Boston, unless there was a vote that I missed, and his opinion is no more valid because of said office.  In my humble fucking opinion, using his office as a weapon of intimidation in a democratic free market is criminal.

The Route: Walking from Boston to Washington, DC

Departure Date: Wednesday 8.29.2012 8:00AM gather at the Parkman Bandstand, 9:00AM departure.

View Walkabout - Walking directions From Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, Boston, MA to 100 Congress Street Southeast, Washington, DC in a larger map

Two Hotheads: Where Activism Happens

Saturday was a hell of a day for radio...

...although more-so for me. The fine folks at Two Hotheads: Where Activism Happens were kind enough to have me on air to "talk the walk" for a bit on Saturday 7/21.

Not one, but TWO radio shows!

Howdy folks! Here's a quick update on what's up in walkabout land.

I'll be live today on Nothing Like Them Radio, their show starts at 4:45PM and I'll be kicking it with Steelo, Stix and Twigz.  NLT is a two hour block of Boston's best hip hop and ranges from hilarious to outrageous when these cats start jawing on the scene. 

Dear friends, much to my chagrin...

It been a hell of a month...

I've got hands, feet, and 2.5 pounds of grey matter that I am applying to this walkabout conundrum. And a conundrum it is. I've always been one to bite off more than I can chew, and I can say for sure that's the case with this one.  My motivation for walking 462 miles remains the same. However the hubris of thinking I could arrange a project including curriculum in such a short period of time is just plain silly. 

Free School University Thank you and Community Outreach report back

THANK YOU for making the Occupy Boston Open House –IMMIGRATION – Community Gathering, 6/25/12 such a success!!!

Our evening began with great food brought from East Boston by David, who invited and coordinated our exceptional collective of community organizers and educators.

Lydia Edwards of BIC spoke started us off with a discussion focused on people who service our society: domestic workers: people, who clean, raise children. This sector also includes the people who create our food and electrical energy.

The GA Remodel

Circumventing derp and top-heavy logistics process in GA.

This is an open discussion on how to circumvent the top heavy logistics process in GA. While the working group model and affinity group model has gone some ways to alleviating the pressure, little outreach and action has taken place.  Please feel free to add to the discussion in the comments section, here's the first sally from Not Me.

There are comments at the bottom of this initial proposal post. Please read through the comments and ring in where you feel it is appropriate. Several other posts will be generated out of this and linked back to this GA remodel post. If necessary, I will generate a page for this conversation.