Tumblr Brunch ☀
Naum, better known as Tumblr star AZSPOT, agreed to have lunch with me at the Matador.……
…2. Quick Q: when you hear “He’s a Christian against abortion,” what do you assume? If you’re me, your brain goes to: “Fan of Fox News, Sarah Palin, and Glenn Beck.” Oh, how narrow-minded I was about Naum, of AZSPOT fame! He is in fact, a Christian computer programmer but he’s also supportive of Obama, fiscally liberal, and concerned about immigration reform. It made me realize how shallow my thinking is about Christians. And therefore, probably a lot. I know I’m WAYYYY too old to be saying “don’t label people” but I didn’t realize I still do.
3. The Grand Canyon is just glorified erosion. Not my line. Naum’s. But hilarious.
Likewise, I was quite honored to meet with citizenkerry — I receive a bit of email from fellow Tumblrs, applauding or challenging some content I’ve posted. Or considerate, thoughtful thank-you notes for all the goodies procured at this here online adobe. And with some of you, I’ve engaged in fruitful back and forth message exchanges. But this is the first time somebody traveled many miles to meet with the humble AZspot ranch keeper. In fact, Kerry hails from the home of our Tumblr overlords, New York’s New York.
We enjoyed a delightful brunch (except for those moments when the Mariachi band dampened my ability to hear) at this landmark downtown Phoenix Mexican restaurant. I believe I might have tossed more questions at Kerry than she had for me, as I was rather inquisitive about her quest to have a brunch in all 50 states. She expressed her desire to step out of her “bubble of friends” and endeavor to understand how people around the country view matters. I encouraged her in this mission, thinking it laudatory for someone to go and simply listen to others. Also, I advised her to bring along audio recording gear (and camera) to capture future sessions — that might aid even in generating captivating writing about what she learned.
I don’t know how representative of “Arizona” I am, being a self described Anarcho-Christian Libertarian Transnational Progressive Conservative — though I’ve lived here for 20+ years now. Arizona is an amalgamation of old school Arizona natives who lament the inbound flooding of people from other regions, cowboys, wannabe cowboys, home developers, realtors, retirement communities, Latino Americans, immigrants, and Americans migrating mostly from California and the Midwest. It would be tough to get a sample of all of that brew in a weekend, but certainly, one could map out the sociological territory, and begin to recognize the disparate threads.
So, if you haven’t already, add citizenkerry to your Tumblr /following list. And stay abreast of her “journey to no longer be a mind-blowing waste of citizenship”.
Oh, incidentally, let the record show that my Grand Canyon remark was in the context of declaring Oak Creek Canyon to be much more spectacular in scenery, also including the breathtaking Route 89A journey from Sedona to Flagstaff, where in a short distance, you rise in elevation from 4,500 feet in Sedona to 7,000 feet, as you wind through the canyon (I believe I mistakenly said “9,000 feet”, although there are peaks in the area that rise over 12,000 feet) in Flagstaff.
