from Outside the Belly . . . following Earth instead

Whew! Morphing a bit here. On a whim, while the techno guy is in the next room napping, still suffering from jet lag, I started messing with my Blog layout. I was playing with some pictures Ruth Koenig said I could use -- maybe a slide show above my blog logo. I dropped in the nice one of the Rakaia River where we just spent several days doing ceremony for the Nur with our Winnemem Family and our new Waitaha Mamoe Fisher and Ngai Tahu family. In doing that, much to my scary surprise the whole TBAsian and daruma image completely disappeared. "YIKES! Well, that's that, I guess," I muttered to myself. Will had done a lot of work customizing it for me when I began my blog. But there it goes.

Opportunity for another name, and get rid of the old. TBAsian is no more. I drummed my fingers in thought.

I've fancied the concept we picked up in Cuba, from philosopher and freedom fighter of the first revolution back in the 19th century, Jose Marti. He talked about living in the monster but where one can SEE its belly and not be IN it, digested in complacent acceptance of the runaway nightmare reality brought to us by over-consumption and waste of Earth's gifts. I had just blogged how I felt lucky to be a citizen of the Winnemem Tribe with their long hard struggle for justice. Not an easy life, but as Granny said, and my ancestors would have said, the best life we can live -- following the Earth, working for what is needed for Life to sustain itself rather than accept the nightmare. From where I sit, I think we have no other option.

Will has groggily wakened and opened up his laptop. I tested the big change and asked him to check out something I blogged. He did, and it wasn't too big of a shock for him when the Rakaia River replaced the Daruma dolls, so I hope it is not for you either. Same person. More stories.

I've made the best of my big techno-slip. And I personally like the new blog name. I meet a lot of people "outside the belly" -- many kindred spirits here and everywhere. Now I meet whole countries outside the belly, with my passport in hand, it's so grand to be traveling together with great people somewhere where it feels good and to meet new family, make new alliances -- whether 100 miles off the coast of Florida, but completely a different way of life, or clear across the Globe, and meet people "just like us" as the Maori and we said to one another.

Hope you like the new Blog Name, the new image of the Rakaia, dear to my heart, and now that my techno-slip was not such a disaster, I think I'll work on some fancy slide show or something as part of the blog. If it doesn't work, and I make another slip, who knows what I'll call the blog next! BTW, you all look so pretty against the mustard color!