A Dream of the Future

In: Journal

20 Dec 2004

Yesterday, I was invited to a spontaneous, early Christmas dinner at a house in the mountains east of San Diego, where I stayed for a few weeks last spring–very clean air, renovated for MCS, HEAVENLY place.

Oh, it was wonderful to sit around a beeswax-candlelit table out on the porch [for the man of the house, who is severely sensitive to electricity] and eat a delicious, HEALTHY meal with fragrance-free people who GET IT. Imagine actually being able to have a non-cyber social life again–who knew? It was a pleasure to be having a real dinner with all the fixings, all healthy, and not have to worry about boring anyone with all things MCS-related. To be able to relax in a group of people is no small thing.

I learned how to make a delicious rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic, I had a taste of sulfite-free wine, and I felt like I belong to a circle of like-minded friends. Now I feel like crying because it’s so sad that so many of us can’t take that kind of thing for granted like “normal” people do.

What a lovely dream for a chemical-free future for all of us.

Anyway, I talked about what I’ve been working on with a few online friends, an underground network of emergency help for MCSers in crisis, and they were all impressed. Housing is the biggest problem for people who are made very ill by chemicals of all kinds.

Nicole, the elderly Belgian woman with MCS and cancer who hosted our little party, said she would donate to our emergency fund. She gives to cancer and MCS every year, so this will be her MCS donation. Craig said he would put me in touch with his MCS activist contacts around the country. I think Craig and his fiancee, Jennifer–both have MCS–will be valuable resources.

I was feeling a bit guilty for having such a good time while my best friend Barb, who was the inspiration for the MCS Underground, is stuck in her car in the Connecticut winter for lack of pesticide- and mold-free housing, but she actually enjoyed hearing about it when we talked on the phone. I thought you might enjoy it too.

Happy, healthy holidays to all.

  • http://bfg.surreally.com BFG

    I do wish I could get you down here, there are places around about that have never had a human footprint ever. There are places to live and work where the air is crisp and clean, with cold winters and stunning hot summers, you won’t ever get rich living there but it would be better.

    In Southland for example the university education is FREE, you just have to live there for three years afterwards. Its a world away from a little flat in south california though, the houses cost about USD$ 22,000.00 and a flat about USD$50,000.00 for three (3) flats to own in Invercargill. Where I live in the north/west the house I’m in, you’ve seen the new kitchen, it cost about USD$120,000.00 five years ago and is now worth about USD $250,000.00 or so, thats called captial growth.

    We still have a couple of bigish city’s Auckland for example has about 1.2Million in the five citys that make up the whole area.

    The standard of living here is quite reasonable too, for example to fly to SYDNEY in Australia costs NZD $185 +tax one way, about USD $110 or so.

    Coffee varies from $2.50 to $15.00 depending how poncy the place is. Food is GM free by law, there is NO Smoking anywhere inside including the CASINO (they do have special smoking ‘balconies’).

    As far as Chemicals is concerned, sure we have used chemicals on food and so on just like everywhere else but we also are getting into organics in a big way too. Our houses are mainly made of local timbers and steel roof’d, although as you got further down the country there is more and more brick veneer and tile houses, due to the cold.

    The biggest problem is the old green card one, we don’t actually call it a green card but the idea is the same, but its not impossible. Our government has taken people suffering with AIDS and other diseases and accepted them in to the medical schemes without problem.

    It can be a bit of a culture shock to some who come here, most Kiwi’s are a friendly bunch who will say Kia Ora, or Hi there, or Ah yeah gidday, depending on where you live. The hardest thing that I’ve seen people grappling with is, we are a bloody nosy lot, and want to know whats going on. And we also want to talk about what bugs us and ask you whats your problem too. It can be hard for people from a solitary nation to take to interest in ones affairs as anything other than snooping. Now the US seems to be a nation of solitary types, who like to keep to themselves. That will never do here, except in the most upperclass areas where you don’t actually give a shit how they are. Even thats not entirely true they will always look out for each other too.

    Last year we had less than 5 murders with a gun, in the whole country of 4.5 million, and about 250 deaths in cars. Good place to live? you
    decide.

    Blessed be BFG

  • http://bornfamous.com lavonne

    I wish you could get me down there too, honeybun. It sounds–and looks–lovely. If I was younger and had money to get to New Zealand, I’d probably do it. But my friends/family are here and so is my work, which is helping other MCSers. Of course, I do most of my work online; you wouldn’t have high-speed internet connections down there, would you? :o]

  • http://bfg.surreally.com BFG

    Well last first, yes we do have high speed internet. And satelite TV, and all the modern things people think we do without.

    I guess I’ve not spoken about it much but I work for an international communication company and look after Nz, Aussie, and a bunch of pacific Islands too. We do TCPIP/AX25/X25/VOIP/VOFR/FR/ATM/etc, I look after the power, airconn, security, installations of new equipment and projects.

    My boys are computer techs, Steve is working for EDS in a helpdesk role, David works for a company that looks after hotels computers, David designed and builds the internet Kiosks for them and they are installed all over Nz and Australia and Fiji, they use high speed internet for those too.

    My dear wife is in a pottery club and they have a website see http://www.titirangipot.co.nz her name is Lorraine. Look in the gallery for pictures of some of her work.

    You ever see that TV show Hercules? Well I was in that for one show for a few seconds, as part of the second crew doing the stunt shoots. Lotr was made here and the Last samurai, and lets see, well a bunch of others too.

    Did you know that jogging was invented here in Nz by a guy called Arthur Lydiard, he just died in the US on a speaking tour actually.

    http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/lydiard-arthur.html

    Anyway I hope I have dispelled the myth that New Zealand is some horrible lost back-water, or even some lost paradise in the south pacific. No we are just a modern society on the verge of revolution, a revolution of social change where equality really means what it says. We are nearly there but still have a few fences to climb.

    Blessed be BFG

  • http://bornfamous.com lavonne

    Just kidding! I know you have all the bells and whistles, and I know it’s beautiful there. I used to love the Hercules TV series and Xena, mainly because of the scenery. LOTR sealed the deal. I wish I could go, I really do.

    Love your wife’s pottery, btw.

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