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Captain's Blog :: April 20, 2006

I swear, I'm trying to keep this thing updated better. In any case, no news is no news.

I did just google my name and found another clip, A guide to hunting alligators in the Southwest. Feel free to have a look. At New Frontiers today, I ran into an old step-brother who told me he read my veggie oil diesel article in the Verde Valley, so I've acquired two regional clips in one day. Yay.

Check out my more -ahem- professional site: EricaRyberg.com
and like I don't have enough websites already, there are two more, dreamfactoryink.blogspot.com and the most-recently launched, designed to get me the freelance work that I've always known was the reason I'm on this planet, EricaWriter.com. Clearly, if you need a website, doesn't hurt to talk to me. But I'm a writer first, darn it!

Just so you all know, I'm toying with the idea of switching to my blog account for most of these posts. It will give you all the opportunity to be more interactive. Plus you can get your own blogs and show me pictures of your adorable little cockapoos, etc.

Captain's Blog :: March 28, 2005

I get the sense that some of you all might not understand why Brad, Carol, Gene, Trilight and others stood out for hours on the war anniversary. Truth is, I wasn't even sure. My best friend, Jason, asked that hard question when I had barely begun to recover from that difficult vigil, and I told him the truth. I didn't do it to change minds, I didn't do it to change anything. I did it for myself. It's a vigil I do once a year (and I'm convinced I'll do it next year as well) to mark the anniversary as a difficult tragedy.

Carol, Brad and Angie chill in the early dawn hours.

What, you may ask, do I do the rest of the year? I build bridges. I find similiarites with people whom I should by my political beliefs detest. Everything I do is guided by that. That's why it's easy to be in a loving relationship with a man who's away at sniper school right now. Because our similiarites are greater than our differences. And because I trust that he is a good and loving person of high ethics and integrity. While I myself feel no need to go to sniper school, I don't have a desire to stop him. In fact I said, "Honey, when your peace activist girlfriend tells you to buy a new assault rifle and go to sniper school, it's time to think about it."

Okay, I know this horrifies some of you, but the man, who writes an outdoor (think huntin' fishin' shootin') column, was able to work my vigil into last Friday's edition with a little humor but dead serious intent. He's into building bridges, too.

So why I do it. Because I must. I must mark that day. And will continue to do so until there's no anniversary to mark. And I'll continue to be grateful to Jason and all of my friends who lovingly point out that it seems a little wonky. Because it is. But so's the war.

Carol, Brad and Trilight

Carol incites the masses (it didn't take much)

Gene and Brad. Boy is it cold!

Captain's Blog :: March 21, 2005

Well. So how was your 3rd anniversary of the Iraq war? Mine was cold. And wet.

My friend Brad and I all spent the night out on the Prescott courthouse square trying to convince people to honk for peace. I'm not even sure why we bothered suffering for 25 hours, exactly. No one seems to care even as much as three years ago, before 2300 young men and women in this country had died.

I guess I did it for my own soul, more than anything. Brad and his wife Carol, who was out there for a good chunk of the time, probably did it for the same reason.

I just want to state for the record that the war is ersatz and has been since its inception. The men and women who die, die not protecting our country, not

liberating Iraqis, but serving powerful interests that have nothing to do with them nor with anyone I know.

American women serving in Iraq are under particular pressure, suffering from sexual harassment and the threat of rape, so much so that some have DIED of dehydration rather than drink too much and risk a nocturnal visit to the outhouse.

What our country is doing is an unpatriotic outrage. I for one, stand against it. It's a large problem indeed when the need to appear patriotic is more important than actually engaging in patriotic dissent of policies that do nothing to further the mission of our nation and much to undermine it.

I've listed news sources in the upper right of this site. Visit them. Email me if you know of other sources you think are important to the cause of peace, bridge building, bringing balance or any other sane endeavor.

And above all, whether you're for the war or against it, please LIVE your beliefs. All we have is ourselves. And it's enough.

Captain's Blog :: March, 2005

Hello all,

Sorry about the lapse. Whenever I get busy, I feel guilty about up-dating. Have some good news, though! My friends John and Felicia Zimmerman have a new son, Calvin James born 3:46 a.m. 03/02/06 6 lbs. 13 oz. 20 in.

Don't forget Women in Black meets on the northeast corner of the courthouse square at five p.m. every Friday. Come for five minutes or the full hour. (I personally come for the last 5-15 minutes and then go out for introspective margaritas with Angie, WIB-Prescott's founder and whomever else cares to join.)

Captain's Blog, December 29, 2005 :: Tonight Katie and I are going to go to a memorial concert for Brian Gianelli. I don't know what it will be like, but I'm glad that our community is staying strong for the people who need us. Bill's passing was a shock and I spent several days over Christmas in Death Valley thinking of him, hiking and imagining that he would like seeing what I was seeing. By the way, SupportBill.org is a great place to find out how to help The Catalyst and also a place to see some pictures of Bill. They make me happy because I really love Bill and seeing photos somehow helps. I've posted one below in case you don't get to the site. Also click here to see me and Brad Martin (think Camp Casey and look in blog archives)on the news. They added five letters to my name. Freaky.

Captain's Blog, December 22, 2005 :: My friend Bill Rodgers is dead. Rather than endure a life in prison, he killed himself in his jail cell last night. I found out this evening and I'm still pretty numb. Lots of us are. You can read my blogs to find out more. Basically, he was accused of ecosabotage - burning buildings and such - was taken into custody a couple of weeks ago, and did himself in last night. My prayers are with him, Katie, the community and his family.

Captain's Blog, December 20, 2005 :: The government is reading this. Hi Government!!! Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, as we all know, our beloved Bill was taken into custody and charged with burning USDA buildings in Olympia, WA. If we don't know, we can certainly read it online. I for one am having a hard time having a normal conversation. And it's not just the stammer I've developed recently, no, it's the laser listening devices THEY'VE developed recently. Now, I know that if Bill has committed these crimes, that the government is obligated to go after him, but I also know I am involved with the Catholic Worker, the Catalyst, Women in Black and all sorts of organizations that George Bush has admitted he spies on. So I'm feeling a little KGB'd out right now. And I'm a law-abiding citizen. I pay my parking tickets and the minimum payment on my outsized credit cards and my insurance and my diesel bill and I don't set anything on fire unless I'm trying to keep warm. And yet I keep stumbling over my words. My word.

Captain's Blog, December 10, 2005 :: Last night, music and dance came to downtown Prescott to benefit the Acker foundation. Vendors set up booths, hippy belly dancers filled the banks and retail outfits stayed open to strain revelers through their cash registers like krill. Angie, Samara, and several other Women In Blackers gathered on one corner to sing political Christmas carols. My favorite, set to God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, had the refrain "Oh evil evil doers must die, must die. Oh evil evil doers must die." Sort of a sarcastic sentiment to the suspension of our rights and other little sweet nothings. We sang that one several times, partly because I loved it (I'm just not a dour dignified protester, you see) and partly because the FBI came for my friend Bill the other day.

***

Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I've been reading a book about the New New Journalists, coming up with subjects to write about, but also admitting to myself that I really love marketing things I care about. So I'm gonna do both. Meanwhile, I'm cleaning houses, organizing houses, painting houses, whatever it takes to keep Christmas body and Christmas soul together. You know the drill.

Until next time, you canna change the laws of physics.

-Erica.

Captain's Blog, November 30, 2005 :: Check out my bike tour page! I threw in some pictures. I've also received the following picture and feel I should publish it before anyone can use it as blackmail. By the way, check out the site I'm designing :: www.transformativearts.com

woof

Captain's Blog, November 23, 2005:: Check out my Bike Tour 2003 page. In my newfound complacence, I found time to put a bunch of pictures up. Tell me what you think!

Captain's Blog, Thanksgiving 2005 :: Where have I been?
In the bowels of a dark sweatshop, that's where. And all I have to show for it is a stinking magazine. A magazine with my name on the masthead under the word Editor. Things could be worse. Now, newly gainless, I've got trips planned to Flagstaff for a teaching liscense and to Death Valley for artistic liscense.
The magazine, by the way, is called Transitions. It's the publication of Prescott College, a glossy wonder that bespeaks the accomplishments of hundreds of do-gooders who pass through the College's campus on their way to saving the world. Not a bad place to rustle up stories.
What I need to know now is where to go next. With that in mind, I'm launching a contest called "What should Erica be when she grows up?" To enter, and get a chance to win Yavapai County's largest lintball, click here. Otherwise, rest assured that I already have a pretty good idea of what's next. I'm looking for newspaper internships and plan to grow up to be a hellishly talented feature writer. Of course, my daddy taught me if you can't fly straight and level on a clear day, you don't have a rat's chance of doing it when you're stuck in the clouds. So perhaps I'll try to be more literary as I march toward my goal. Or fly. Metaphorically speaking.

By the way, if you are a Prescottonian, rejoice! We've taken our first steps of breaking up the growth-happy cabal of the Prescott City Council and have passed a slower-growth proposition that said cabal and its backers fought viciously. In two years, progressives and moderates have another shot to take back their town. Until then, stay connected to the Prescott scene through Stand Up Prescott! and the Citizens Water Advocacy Group .

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Those who do not hear the music think the dancers mad.

-unknown

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