Remembering

I have felt sick all day: headache, nausea, dizziness. I think it's the smoke from forest fires (see Extra of the view from my window with passing crow that looks like a large flake of black ash). There is a thick haze over the city, and we are told the air is unhealthy, that "vulnerable people" should stay inside. Step outside and the world smells like an old fireplace that hasn't been cleaned in years. White ash lies on everything. The world is on fire.

I had important meetings today, so I pushed on. In the morning I met with Aimée Sitarz, the creator of the Bronze Shoes art installation that once hung over the OccupyICE camp and now pops up all over the city. I wanted to talk with her about her life, her art, and her intentions for this art project. I want to write a Medium piece about it. 

Then I had a phone call scheduled at noon, an old friend and colleague at Smith College, someone I haven't seen in years, though we Facetime once a month to keep up.

At 4 I had an appointment with Trevor, a young activist who works with Don't Shoot Portland. We wanted to debrief about what happened with the OccupyICE camp, what's going on now (too much to keep up with), what we both want to commit to.

Finally I wanted to drive up to the Holocaust Memorial to photograph the bronze shoe there, as I'd been talking about it with Aimée and had begun to wonder if I'd dreamed it. The white flakes of ash on it are disturbing.

Now I'm going to take a couple of aspirin, drink a tall glass of water, and zone out for a while, watching Sue Perkins explore the Ganges on TV. If I were able to drink without getting a migraine, this would be a good night for it.