CHICAGO, IL. i’m in chicago just for a moment to pack up my old house and store whatever i decide to keep, which will be most everything. i have a hard time getting rid of things, always seeing the potential in a box of old hardware or a stack of bicycles. i’m moving to a place where i don’t want to keep anything–the gulf coast–where there’s the risk of flood and disaster once again. i wonder how long i will stay to work there. my friend shawnecee reminded me of all the things i was working on in chicago, the community that was building here. she’s saddened by the news of my chicago departure, and now i’m disapointed that i’m leaving, too. no more neighborhood bike project, wood-working coop, collective living, community gardening, etc, etc, etc. i can’t tell anyone i’ll be back, because really i don’t know. and being back now to visit–nine months since i began my travels and never really came back–i see the negative signs of gentrification and homoginization happening clearly in the store fronts and in the new condos. a year ago, i was sick of the social box i lived within. white, young, priviledged, safe. i feel like i am challenging that now, working without pay in a forgotten, flooded town. but i do have a long way to go before i understand my position in this society and what responsibilites i have. i hesitate to let go of the tools (all my belongings i will store) so that others can use them in the future.

i kinda think i’m going off on a rant. i just wanted to say hello, and i’ll be back in Violet again soon. love, nico.