Image: source.

Fingerspelling Matchbooks (ASL)

Oddly beautiful tattooed teeth....

Adopted Teen Blanca Catt 'Stuck' in Immigration Limbo: "An Oregon high school graduate who was adopted as a young girl has found that she is literally stuck because she entered the country illegally as a toddler and the agency who handled her adoption failed to conclude the paperwork that would have also made her a U.S. citizen." (thanks for sending Magen!)

Image: source.

Ha: Don Draper says "what?" (I'm on the last disc of Season 2 and getting ready to move onto Season 3, even though the show depresses me)

I have a few friends who recently found out they didn't pass the Bar, so I thought this would be a good time to relink to these posts: first, one I wrote right before taking the Bar for the second time, about how I felt, suggestions for people on supporting me, what to say to someone who has failed, etc. Second, the post I wrote recently about how freaking great it felt to finally pass, and how important it is to remember our achievements. To those of you who didn't pass, I know there is very little I can say that will make you feel better, but I can tell you that a year later, I don't regret anything (even, really, having to take it again), I am employed as an attorney doing work I really believe in, and the fact it took me two tries to pass the MA Bar is entirely irrelevant to my day-to-day life. You will make it through, and you will make it through stronger than ever.

Cool: a photographer documents the pre-race meals of marathoners.

Image: source.

“I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

Image: source.

What I'm listening to, Bruce Sprinsteen cover edition: Damien Jurado & Rosie Thomas, "Wages Of Sin"; A.A. Bondy "I'm On Fire"; Deer Tick "Nebraska"; Ted Leo & The Pharmacists "Dancing In The Dark"

And one more cover: Frightened Rabbit and Craig Finn "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John & Kiki Dee cover)"

SFGate: Steve Li, City College student, awaits deportation: "Steve Li was living up to his - and his parents' - American dream until his untold past caught up to him. The 20-year-old City College of San Francisco student was chasing his goal to open a medical clinic serving the immigrant community, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials knocked on the door of his Ingleside apartment more than a month and a half ago."

Image: source.

"my fingers when they’re cold. the feeling of my breath filling up my lungs & the feeling of my ribcage expanding. softness. being observant & kind. being honest. all the curves of my body in all of their places. my nose & my ears that never seem to fail me. my voice, & my voice when it cracks - it’s more honest that way. my own energy, radiating; sometimes sad & quiet but always there & present. my shoulder caps, my arms, the sun on my arm, my neck. the soft part of skin between my collar bones that acts like a sort of cave or place to rest, place to rest your head. determination & accepting defeat. mostly just being really fucking determined. keep on going & stop when you need to sleep. repeat." from You Are Remarkable.

Image: source.

Image: source.

From commandc, Gay a Day: whimsical, beautiful, adorable, powerful: "Even if you feel alone, you aren't. Just look around, we are everywhere."

Beautiful carved dictionary.

Image: source.

"There is goodness in blue skies and flowers, but another force – a wild pain and decay – also accompanies everything." - David Lynch

Court to Weigh Legal Aid for Contempt: "The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether poor people who face incarceration for civil contempt are entitled to court-appointed lawyer." What we need is Civil Gideon!

Carl Kleiner's online "diary" of beautiful photographs.

NYTimes: For Elite Runners, Baby Steps Can Take Precedence: I will certainly never be an elite athlete, but I do hope to be both a marathoner and a mother someday.

“It was November—the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.” - L.M. Montgomery

Image: source.

The Tallest Man on Earth "Love Is All"

via Pitchfork

Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt - marvelous error! -

that I had a beehive

here inside my heart.

And the golden bees

were making white combs

and sweet honey

from my old failures.

- Antonio Machado

Image: source.

Image: source.

"congratulations, you’ve made it.

you’ve made it another second, another minute, another day, another month. go ahead & take a deep breath. breathe in the season. breathe in the colour of the trees. breathe in the sweet smell of the season. breathe in the air. breathe in life. you’re life. it’s your life. you’re living it & it’s wonderful because we need you. you exist because we need you. who is this “we”. we, your friends, your enemies, your family, your new loves & your old ones too. the animals in their burrows, the animals in the trees. everything that is animate & tangible. you exist because they need you to exist. there is a fine balance in everything. the good, the bad. we need the bad so we appreciate the good. you cannot have one without the other. without the awful feelings we wouldn’t know the good feelings. & oh my god those bad feelings can make you want to dig yourself into the ground & not come out till there is promise of summer, something lighter. those bad feelings, we wish we didn’t need them but we do. we need those bad feelings & we need you. we all need to allow ourselves to feel the things we feel. & we need to really feel them. we need to be present in our feelings to be able to identify them. once we can identify them we can start to figure out how to get rid of them. congratulations, you’ve made it.
each second is an accomplishment
& we believe in you."

Image: source.

Image: source.

The name says it all: were you wondering What The F**k Has Obama Done So Far?

Lots of great, inspiring shots of artists studios (and other loveliness) over at the beautiful I Art You. (Also: these photos)

Image: source.

Can't really explain why but I so want this key knife on my key chain (uh, and also a keychain that isn't huge and totally embarrassing).

From Curated mag, liked this Love is a Bird, Love is a Burden Sculpture.

Unbelievable. From Solitary Watch: Prisoner Sent to Solitary for Reporting Rape Takes Her Case to the Supreme Court.

The horror of "Secure Communities" - putting everyone at danger by decreasing trust in cops and victims' ability to report crimes. "The Washington Post profiles Maria Bolanos, an undocumented immigrant affected by the Obama administration's new policy of linking local law enforcement to federal immigration status. In other words, once you get involved in the criminal justice system in any way, whether as a victim or a perpetrator, your status is on the table."

So brave. "A transgender female-to-male basketball player at George Washington University is about to put the NCAA to the test. Kye Allums has been on the school's women's basketball team since 2008, but when the season starts later this month, the 20-year-old is premiering as a man. It will be the first time an openly transgender player has played Division 1 basketball."

Image: from a blog I'm loving, I Art You.