tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62083732011-04-21T17:11:21.097-05:00A Mississippienne in YankeelandA blog detailing the adventures of one young lady from the Deep South (Mississippi) who finds herself lost in Yankeeland (Maryland) when she joins Americorps.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comBlogger1191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1106386646135172182005-01-22T03:33:00.000-06:002005-11-22T13:07:26.366-06:00No, I didn't drop off the face of the Earth. I've simply chosen to "close the book", so to speak, on this part of my life now that my NCCC tenure has ended. I got everything I ever wanted, or needed, from this experience, and a lot more. If I had it all to do over again, would I? Fuck yeah.In case yer curious (not that ya are) you can follow my further adventures here: Mississippienne@MyspaceJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1100823203400658942004-11-18T18:00:00.000-06:002004-11-18T18:13:23.400-06:00Tuesday night I hung out at the Vous all night with my friends, since it was the last night of Americorps. I got a mean 3 hours of sleep, then got up at 5am to start my last day at the Point. We were taken to the theater to eat breakfast, then began graduation. After some guest speakers, all the teams lined up onstage to receive their certificates. I graduated! I made it through all ten months, IJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1100478737126736662004-11-14T18:28:00.000-06:002004-11-14T18:32:17.126-06:00Things have been pretty quiet and lazy around here for the past few days. Americorps threw a mini-job fair which was kinda interesting. Me and Julien (the French boy from Montreal) have been e-mailing back and forth. Today me, Sarah, and Elisa sat down in the kitchen and made bread for 3 hours.
I can't believe NCCC is ending in 2 days. It's not possible. We're all in serious denial. This has Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1100227954102476932004-11-11T21:53:00.000-06:002004-11-11T21:00:49.240-06:00No, I'm not dead, I just didn't realize how long it'd been since I updated my Blog. Anyway, we left Kingston and returned to the Point for out-processing. I'm still in denial about Americorps ending. It seems like yesterday I was just getting here! It's so painful hanging with my friends, knowing they're going to leave to return to their regularly scheduled lives and, very probably, I won't ever Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1099418888852731792004-11-02T13:03:00.000-06:002004-11-02T12:08:08.853-06:00Habitat has been pretty quiet, not a lot to do, besides putting up a LOT of insulation. I coughed up black bile for days. The team is staying in a 2-bedroom in Woodstock; we're literally living on top of one another. Woodstock is a fun little hippy town, with lots of Tibetan shops and such-like.
I spent my pseudo-birthday in NYC this weekend. Sarah and I went out to Times Square Saturday night, Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1098826251202769432004-10-26T16:23:00.000-05:002004-10-26T16:30:51.203-05:00So I rode into Grand Central Station Saturday with Chris and Sasha. We immediately got lost in the subways of NYC, but somehow made our way to Ground Zero to view the WTC, which looks suspiciously like a gigantic hole in the ground. I then split off and headed to Little Korea for the Dopedinner with several other Straight Dopers -- delicious! Also, a really nice guy there insisted on picking up Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1098394564949041562004-10-21T16:30:00.000-05:002004-10-21T16:36:04.950-05:00I arrived safe and sound in Kingston on Monday night, despite a slight bus mishap. I got on the wrong bus, but the driver kindly went out of his way and dropped me off in Kingston. Yay!
My trip to Montreal was amazing. I toured the city, visited Le Biodome (which looks like a monster that has crawled out of the ocean and is up to no good) and the Basilique de Notre Dame, which was splendid. My Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1098022135529345702004-10-17T09:01:00.000-05:002004-10-17T09:08:55.530-05:00Je suis en Montreal!
I arrived yesterday afternoon on the bus, after a brief and cursory inspection by the disinterested Canadian authorities. I rolled into Montreal and promptly had my first freak-out when I could not get the ATM to work. Uh no. I was stuck in Canada, with only $37 American in cash. Fortunately, I went to the Banque Nationale du Canada and happily withdrew $100 Canadian. I thenJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1097896477703593642004-10-15T22:12:00.000-05:002004-10-15T22:14:37.703-05:00Hiya, peeps! I'm in Plattsburgh, NY right now, staying at the Holiday Inn with Annette (the wife of our site sponsor). She was coming this way for a college home-coming anyway, and offered to take me along. I'm about an hour outside of Montreal, and plan to go into the city tomorrow. I have reservations at the Auberge Maeva hostel. Go me!
Saw the Catskills and the Adirondacks today. Wow.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1097803739900333452004-10-14T20:25:00.000-05:002004-10-14T20:28:59.900-05:00Today was our first day of work on Habitat, no complaints. After work me, Jacque, Alyssa and our host Dave went for a walk along the Ashokan Reservoir. It was absolutely astonishing in it's beauty, the clear lake reflecting the mountains, the trees bursting into autumn reds and golds, the deer so tame they grazed not six feet from us.
Tomorrow I'll head out for Montreal! Wish me luck. I'll be Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1097712100581618212004-10-13T18:55:00.000-05:002004-10-13T19:01:40.580-05:00I've arrived safe and sound in Kingston, NY, though we're staying for the night in Woodstock at the house of one of our Habitat supervisors, Dave. Rock-star David Bowie has a house right down the street! Also, I hope to visit Montreal either this weekend or the next.
During our trip to Philly, Sarah and I decided our song is "All you need is love" by the Beatles. Sasha's and my song is "Can't Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1097641231997070872004-10-12T23:13:00.000-05:002004-10-12T23:20:31.996-05:00So my time in the composite team has ended; The Loading Dock folks took us out for dinner and all was well. Apparently my friend Sarah is the AmeriWhore, which is news to her -- "I wish I was getting half the booty people say I'm getting," she says. She and I took a trip to Philadelphia Sun-Mon. Poor Sarah lost all of her CDs, then almost lost her phone and camera.
We had a good time anyway. Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1097118871819816752004-10-06T22:12:00.000-05:002004-10-06T22:14:31.820-05:00Hi y'all, I'm still in MD, working at The Loading Dock in Baltimore with my composite team. There's me, the two Aarons (Washington State and L.A.), Megan, Stephen, and Amber. I get along pretty well with all of them. Tonight we all went out for dinner with TLD folks and had a little party. Hee.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1096495090220480582004-09-29T16:51:00.000-05:002004-09-29T16:58:10.300-05:00Yesterday me and Stephen (Texas) drove into D.C. and visited the Smithsonian and the Natural History Museum. Very fun, except it rained the whole time and we got soaked running to and from the subways. After we got back to the Point we stayed up late watching "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (surprisingly not crappy) only for a blackout to cut in halfway through. Unfortunate discovery: the Point is Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1096334368618795952004-09-27T20:08:00.000-05:002004-09-27T20:19:28.616-05:00So I'm back at the Point. Flew in Saturday night from Tampa, slept for eleven hours, watched "Love Actually", and had a good cry. My Red Cross stint ended on the 25th, and I opted to come home rather than extend. I did my time, paid my debt to humanity.
Americorps hired a new counselor named Holly. Such a Christmasy name. We talked for a couple of hours today. I told her about how desperately Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1095558941012244412004-09-18T20:51:00.000-05:002004-09-18T20:55:41.013-05:00Red Cross has been really good about helping me get counseling for my depression. I went today to see a psychiatrist and being able to vent my feelings and understand why I feel so sad has helped out a lot. She said, and I agree, that I need continued counseling. Travis and I talked yesterday too which helped sort through my feelings on this new team.
Obviously the strong-and-silent act isn't Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1095363853387710282004-09-16T14:29:00.000-05:002004-09-16T14:44:13.386-05:00Same old Jessica, still in Sarasota, now with all-new stressed out depressed taste! So Ivan's skipped us for the most part and is marching up the MS-AL state line. My whole family's being lashed by a force of nature and no-one on this godforsaken team even cares. I take that back, Wanda and Katie asked me how my family was doing, but everyone else couldn't care less. This whole disaster thing hadJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1095259414317882402004-09-15T09:40:00.000-05:002004-09-15T09:43:34.316-05:00 I'm in Sarasota at the mo', living in a hotel with my new team (Wanda, Adam, Erin Dina, Rebecca, Aaron, Eve, Amanda, Neal, Katie, and me). We're still working at the ARC warehouse and delivering food and supplies to service centers. I'm writing now from a service center in Winter Haven, FL. So far I haven't seen any damage, but Ivan's heading for AL and MS and the Panhandle, so I may be seeing Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1094741631411228482004-09-09T09:52:00.000-05:002004-09-09T09:53:51.410-05:00I'm in Tampa, FL right now, after flying in yesterday. Americorps is assigned to DR 810, cleanup for Hurricane Charley, at least until Hurricane Ivan shows up. We're currently in-processing, I'm supposed to start working later today or tomorrow.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1094578957228206482004-09-07T13:38:00.000-05:002004-09-07T12:42:37.226-05:00I've been assigned to DR #859, Hurricane Frances, Mass Care Technician. Nine members of our super-team were shipped out this morning for Florida, including my roomie Elise. The 859 group won't be leaving for a couple of days. As it is, we're still in Atlanta and sitting tight. Me and Natalie walked 2 miles to the movie theater the other day to see "Hero" (highly recommended, btw). We talked aboutJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1094410565310138442004-09-05T13:49:00.000-05:002004-09-05T13:56:05.310-05:00I'm writing from the Red Cross staging area in Atlanta, Georgia right now. Me and 25 other Americorps peeps flew in yesterday and took up residence at the LaQuinta. We've been attending seminars mostly, waiting to be shipped down to Florida early next week. I'm assigned to Mass Care, Andrea is an ATL (Acting Team Leader). Btw, funny conversation held earlier today between me, Eve, Stephen, and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1094234219621904572004-09-03T13:54:00.000-05:002004-09-03T12:56:59.620-05:00I just got the call 20 minutes ago: I've been selected to go to Florida for Red Cross Disaster Relief. I'll be flying out in the next 24 hours. I'll be staying a max of 3 weeks, maybe less. I'm packing now.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1093907021252655212004-08-30T17:59:00.000-05:002004-08-30T18:03:41.253-05:00I made it safe and sound back to Maryland yesterday, after staying up most of the night before talking to these Hungarian guys at India House. Jacque and me hopped our plane and it was back to the Point for us, with much gleeful reuniting with buddies and sharing of pictures. We got presents for the entire team:
Marcos: a Mardi Gras doll
Alyssa: pink jade cross
Travis: a magic kit
Chris: Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1093755088710038492004-08-28T23:49:00.000-05:002004-08-28T23:51:28.710-05:00Last few days have been craziness. Me, Jacque and Varuni went down to Lafayette on a fruitless search for genuine Cajun cuisine. Instead we found the most beautiful sunset over the cypress-ladden bayou, and took pictures with a giant gator. Then we drove back to Jackson with Varuni on Thursday, spent Friday with my mom, and left this morning on the train to return to New Orleans. We're at India Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1093366786341983592004-08-24T11:53:00.000-05:002004-08-24T11:59:46.340-05:00I'm in New Orleans! Laissez les bons temps roulez! Jacque and me landed on the ground Saturday morning, and were picked up by my brother at the airport. Parrish and Charmae took us to the French Quarter, where I introduced Jacque to the wonders of beignets at Cafe du Monde. We drove up to Jackson (narrowly escaping death on the interstate when a ladder blew off the truck in front of us) and spentJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1093005140605027082004-08-20T07:28:00.000-05:002004-08-20T07:32:20.606-05:00I'm back at the Point, safe and sound. Because our van Frances is still out of commission and Fire 3 only had the six-passenger truck, we sent 4 people (Travis, Rose, Sasha and Chris) home to the Point early. They hitched a ride with another team, and then me, Jacque, Alyssa and Marcos rode back in the truck.
We're having All-Corps today, which means we sit in a theater and get updates from the Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1092501389370199192004-08-14T11:32:00.000-05:002004-08-14T11:36:29.370-05:00The last few days have been crazy. First of all, it's end of the project and we're leaving for Perry Point in a few days. Secondly, me and Jacque are going to New Orleans for MY BROTHER'S WEDDING! Thirdly, Alyssa left on Thursday to catch a flight home for a visit, and on the way to drop her off at the airport Jacque and Sasha got rear-ended. Fortunately no one was injured and Alyssa caught her Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1091978882487665082004-08-08T10:24:00.000-05:002004-08-08T10:28:02.486-05:00Yesterday me and Jacque rode into Boston and had a fabulous time. We toured the Common, went down by Fanueil Hall and saw "The Jim Show" (a juggler), and I bought "Watchmen" at Barnes & Noble. Very exciting. I'm hoping to set up an ISP with the Girl Scouts on Tuesday, we already did one there on Friday.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1091732973343577022004-08-05T14:02:00.000-05:002004-08-05T14:09:33.343-05:00I found God.
The other day, while weeding, I pulled up a monstrous, twisted root. "Oh my God," I gasped. "That's not God, Jessica!" Alyssa said. "Yes it is," I replied, since my root has as much chance of being a deity as any invisible man who lives in the sky.
Yesterday me and Sasha and Jacque went to Red Cross Boston and worked with their programs providing food to homeless, low-income, and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1091228303798526182004-07-30T17:54:00.000-05:002004-07-30T17:58:23.796-05:00The Bix came to visit yesterday and we found out what our next project is gonna be! Fire 3 is heading to Kingston, NY for Habitat for Humanity. This is our 2nd Habitat, but I'm excited about being in New York State. We'll be an hour from NYC and I'm planning on going to Canada while I'm there.
Last night I rode into Boston for the Boston Pops concert with John Williams (of Star Wars fame), Sen. Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1090799047505618742004-07-25T18:36:00.000-05:002004-07-25T18:44:07.506-05:00Eagle 6 came to visit this weekend, which means my buddy Sarah is here! Yay! Me and her went into Boston yesterday to see the town. We bought CDs, ate bagels, and pretended to be lesbians and went shopping for engagement rings. We watched "Much Ado About Nothing" on the Boston Common, but just before Hero and Claudio's wedding it was rained out. Bummer.
Her teammates went to Cheers and were Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1090275364308193902004-07-19T17:12:00.000-05:002004-07-19T17:17:22.620-05:00On Saturday, after an ISP at the Food Bank, me, Alyssa, Chris, Marcos and Sasha all rode into Boston on the subway. We visited the wharfs and saw the place where the Boston Tea Party took place (now closed) and went down to Cheers! for dinner. We also hung out in this gorgeous park and watched the swans and mama ducks with ducklings. Boston is very beautiful, and full of loving couples. I hate Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1090014926649718832004-07-16T16:51:00.000-05:002004-07-19T17:12:23.386-05:00Today we worked at the Greater Boston Food Bank sorting and loading donations. Because the Farm only operates Monday-Thursday, we'll spend our Fridays at it's partnered organizations, like the Food Bank and the Salvation Army.
So the job in France didn't work out due to visa problems, but I'm going to apply to the International Partnership for Service-Learning program in Calcutta, India. I'm Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1089324176433874802004-07-08T17:01:00.000-05:002004-07-11T17:44:23.546-05:00I'm in Boston! We arrived yesterday at the farmhouse we'll be living in. We're working at Waltham Fields Organic Farm, which is located on the campus of University of Massachusetts. Our farmhouse is a huge rangy thing, almost completely empty except for our mattresses and some old chairs.
Today we helped out at a White House Conference for non-profits in Boston. While downstairs at the SheratonJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1089073188861189292004-07-05T19:13:00.000-05:002004-07-05T19:19:48.860-05:00The Fourth was a big day! Americorps NCCC members had been declared Grand Marshals of the Havre de Grace 4th of July parade. We were saluted by the bagpipers who played for us, and then we all loaded up on a float and rode through the town. We threw candy to the little kids, who were all so cute. Two little girls held up their hands in tiny Ozzy Osbourne devil horns, and I repeated the gesture, Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1088814613936721852004-07-02T19:23:00.000-05:002004-07-02T19:30:13.936-05:00We dragged into Perry Point early Sunday morning, after an astonishing 40 hours of no sleep and 8 hours of that spent driving. At least I didn't have to drive, I don't know how Andrea, Robyn and Wanda made it.
We've been doing smaller local projects the past few days, waiting for our next round to begin on July 7, when we leave out for MA. We worked the Promenade again, saw "Spider-man 2", and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1088251997839490972004-06-26T07:07:00.000-05:002004-06-26T07:13:17.840-05:00Okay, so I've stayed awake all night! Me, Wanda and Andrea went out and found 3 marines in Jacksonville who came to the beach with us. Andrea took off with Mike from Albany, New York and totally got her mack on. Wanda disappeared with John from Oxford, Mississippi and we spent most of the morning looking for her, only to find the two of them sleeping in his sports car outside our tent.
As for meJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1088175128046950972004-06-25T09:46:00.000-05:002004-06-26T08:50:59.283-05:00On Wednesday, me and Wanda drove out to Myrtle Beach while Robyn prowled around looking for "Dawson's Creek" sets. After relaxing in the sun, we drove back and went out to some clubs where we partied with some drunk Englishmen who tried to talk us into joining their roadtrip to Florida.
Yesterday we picked up Andrea and hung at the beach all day. Then I went to a performance of "Twelfth Night" Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087913755067304282004-06-22T09:07:00.000-05:002004-06-22T09:15:55.066-05:00After an exhausting 8-hour drive, I'm finally in Wilmington! We started out Sunday evening and made it to Richmond, VA before stopping for the night. We arose bright and early (2:30pm) on Monday and finished the ride, arriving at KOA Wilmington and setting up our tent before hiting the beach. It was so beautiful, just the crash of the waves and the pebbles beneath our feet and the sailboats Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087753486600694342004-06-20T12:41:00.000-05:002004-06-20T12:44:46.600-05:00Yesterday was the big Promenade build, followed by a picnic with the alumni. Later today I'm leaving for North Carolina! Very very excited. Yay me!
My team has some funny nicknames for each other. As follows:
Sasha: Soccer, Salsa (see entry below).
Jessica (me): Sicaja (courtesy of Rose).
Rose: Eyesore (courtesy of me).
Marcos: M-Dawg.
Sara: Sara Bear.
Travis: T-Ravis.
Jacque: Yakkity.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087615213260422082004-06-18T22:14:00.000-05:002004-06-18T22:20:13.260-05:00Baltimore's Thomas Johnson Elementary now has a new playground. I mulched, weeded, and made little tile decorations for the outdoor classroom. I made a flower, an abstract, and wrote the word "JOY" in tile set in concrete; Jacque made a palm tree, and Sasha a turtle.
Today was the first day of the Ten Year Anniversary Celebration. We met with some of the alumni Corps members today at a party Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087397700895535402004-06-16T09:49:00.000-05:002004-06-16T09:55:00.896-05:00I'm back in Perry Point after an exhausting and boring drive from Hartford. I slept on Chris most of the way down and we were both afflicted with an awful case of car butt. Last night was a whirlwind of unpacking, reuniting with friends, and eating. The houses are so hot! Lots of random thoughts and preparing for our trip to North Carolina.
Tomorrow, bright and early at 6:15am, we're heading to Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087232322974412002004-06-14T11:45:00.000-05:002004-06-26T08:51:52.726-05:00Last night me and my teamies visited our Habitat VISTA Debbie's house and watched "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King". Since the movie goes on for approximately 10 hours, we got bored and started riffing on it MST3K-style.
[Legolas slides down the oliphaunt's trunk, looking very clean and well-groomed]
JACQUE: Do you often find yourself battling fierce Orcs in dank caverns? If so, use Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1087072765819861992004-06-12T15:31:00.000-05:002004-06-12T15:39:25.820-05:00I may have a job in FRANCE! In FRANCE! *jumps up and down* Nothing's set yet, but a lady has offered me a position as an au pair for her family. Wow!
Oh, and I completely forgot to talk about my trip to Rhode Island! Okay, so we rode into the beautiful organic farm Urban Edge and met up with Fire 7. I saw my buddies Andrea and Mary and my roommates, California and Carrie. Much squeeing Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-108682196852902362004-06-09T17:52:00.000-05:002004-06-09T20:58:05.710-05:00Yesterday was definitely one of the greatest days of my life! One of our Habitat co-workers, Enzo DeDominicis, invited Fire 3 to a pool party at his house. We arrived, hot and sweaty from a long day's work, to discover Enzo's magnificent pool (and hot tub!) was located behind his million-dollar mansion. He fed us genuine Italian food and the over-21 folks sipped Coronas. We splashed around in theJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1086496145734836662004-06-05T23:23:00.000-05:002004-06-05T23:29:05.733-05:00After work today in Farmington, me and Chris and Jacque and Travis went swinging on vines behind the Habitat House. Tarzan yell! The best part was that we got Enzo to swing with us. :) Tomorrow we're leaving for Rhode Island to visit one of the teams there. I should be seeing Andrea, California and Carrie. Yay!
No one on this damn team knows who anyone else is. Alyssa calls me "Jacque" and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1086292936993079312004-06-03T14:58:00.000-05:002004-06-03T15:02:16.993-05:00Yesterday I rode all over Hartford on the buses, trying to get all my paperwork together for a passport. I think I finally got it all done, though! I'm hoping to get a job in Turkey (Istanbul, preferably) as an au pair, and I'll need a passport.
Today, we discovered someone had broken into our Habitat site on Risley street. The thieves made off with almost an entire stack of pressure-treated Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1086210172548714372004-06-02T15:59:00.000-05:002004-06-02T16:02:52.550-05:00Hi there! So I made it safely home from NYC and have just been chilling out in Hartford. Last night Fire 3 found out what our new project will be -- we're going to work on an organic farm about 20 minutes outside Boston! Not too bad, IMHO.
Central Park was so green and beautiful, despite all the rain. We found this great little fountain overlooking a lake. Rose, Travis and Dogson took off their Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1086059848464097872004-05-31T22:13:00.000-05:002004-05-31T22:17:28.463-05:00I'm blogging now from an apartment in NYC's East Village belonging to Alex (Dogson), Rose's friend. Me, Rose and Travis rode in on the bus and toured the city, from the Empire State Building to the Hudson, where we glimpsed the Statue of Liberty. Times Square quite dazzled our eyes, and Central Park was beauteous if rainy. A man gave me 3 postcards, free of charge, saying "They're a gift from me Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1085868153747139842004-05-29T16:50:00.000-05:002004-05-29T17:02:33.746-05:00It's Memorial Day Weekend, and everyone's got plans. Alyssa has gone to South Dakota for her niece's baptism and Marcos flew into California to visit his family. Jacque's visiting an uncle who lives locally and Sara is off with Megan. I dunno what Sasha and Chris are planning, but me, Rose and Travis went and bought our tickets. New York City, baby, tomorrow morning, bright and early at 9am! Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1085688007828373602004-05-27T14:56:00.000-05:002004-05-27T15:00:07.826-05:00Today was such fun! We got to sleep in because my team was doing Service Learning today, touring Hartford's Capitol, and our tour didn't start until noon.
So we went to the Capitol and camped out on the front lawn, enjoying the gorgeous weather. Chris then suggested rolling down the hill, which we did, and then we began having races to see who could roll down the fastest! After a number of Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1085367532870353142004-05-23T21:51:00.000-05:002004-05-23T21:58:52.870-05:00I'm writing you from Fire 8's holdout in Massachusetts: Camp Norwich, the second oldest camp in the nation. It's run by the YMCA, and today was its first day of operation in 15 years. It was pretty madcap -- I froze in the little AmeriCabins, then helped build a fire-pit, and cooked way too many marshmallows.
It's so beautiful here -- all green and the air smells sweet. The frogs trill all Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1085258411429286802004-05-22T15:38:00.000-05:002004-05-23T21:51:11.596-05:00Today was the last day of Build-A-Thon; I climbed about on the roof and sang "Happy Birthday" in French to one of the home-owners ("Bonne anniversaire a tu...). One of the workers did a little stomp-dance while singing "I'm addicted to... caulk" that was very amusing.
Later (6:00) we're leaving to visit Fire 8 in Massachusettes. Team Wierd meets Team Gay! Will keep you posted.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1084984960154409032004-05-19T11:37:00.000-05:002004-05-19T11:42:40.153-05:00I'm writing now from a computer lab at Quinnipiac University, where me and the teamies are attending a conference for Non-Profits. We've had 2 classes today so far -- mine were "Hypnosis for Stress Relief" and "Identity Theft", and I have one to go, "Public Speaking". This is part of our Service Learning, something Americorps requires so we learn about the communities and organizations we work Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1084916993729254662004-05-18T16:46:00.000-05:002004-05-18T16:49:53.730-05:00Today was the first day of Build-A-Thon, a kind of blitz build for Habitat. Rose and I built a wall, discovered our measurements were off, cut it down and built it again, then were told that wall wasn't needed at all, so we started work on another wall. We were on our fourth or fifth wall (I misremember) when it was time to go home.
Rose has informed me she is keeping a tally of the number of Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1084821302274807452004-05-17T14:04:00.000-05:002004-05-17T14:17:55.586-05:00Yesterday me and Alyssa and Sasha attended the dedication of one of the Habitat houses we've been working on. It was a truly moving experience. Suddenly, the dirt under my fingernails, the aching muscles, the gash above my right knee, all seemed worth it.
We really worked hard on getting that house ready for its new family -- I caulked everything in it that could possibly be caulked, and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1084395318661452282004-05-12T15:51:00.000-05:002004-05-12T15:55:18.660-05:00So yesterday a man stopped me and asked where Oak Street is. Then he asked me out, so I'm not sure if Oak Street is real or just something he made up. Hmm.
So me, Robyn, and Wanda are currently planning a camping trip to one of the Carolinas -- we're thinking either South Carolina (Myrtle Beach) or North Carolina (Wilmington). Will keep you posted on how it goes.
Today, me and Rose cleaned the Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1084205196090495312004-05-10T10:55:00.000-05:002004-05-10T11:06:36.090-05:00I've really been enjoying Hartford -- compared to Baltimore, it's one of the cleanest, friendliest cities I've been to. The library located just a few blocks from the convent doesn't hurt either!
Yesterday, me and Jacque, Chris and Marcos went to see "Van Helsing". Not bad, but I liked Kate Beckinsale's boots better than anything.
Finally found a doctor -- I probably called 20 places and got Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1083443105787539582004-05-01T15:25:00.000-05:002004-05-01T15:29:25.903-05:00Whew! I'm writing from the Hartford Public Library, located just a few blocks from the St. Patrick's-St. Anthony's church where we're staying. Today was my team's first real day of Habitat; we hammered, pulled out nails we'd hammered wrong, then hammered them in again. We were assisted by about 20 teens from the local high school; all I can say is they're all going to heaven, because we CAPed theJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1083107878116050512004-04-27T18:11:00.000-05:002004-04-27T18:22:12.890-05:00I swear, Maryland has some of the horniest people ever. The other day we were working at the Loading Dock when a random man walked up to me and said "How ya doing?"
"Hi!" I replied, as I had never seen him before. "No, no," he scolded, "you're supposed to say I'm fine."
"Oh," I said, somewhat perplexed. "I'm fine."
"I know you are," he said, cocking an eyebrow and nodding. I stared at him Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1083015410286129762004-04-26T16:36:00.000-05:002004-04-26T16:41:03.360-05:00So yesterday I awoke at 8:00 am and joined my friends Andrea and Wanda. Along with some other Americorps folks, we were all set to go to the March for Women's Lives in Washington D.C. At 8:30 sharp we were loading up to leave when we discovered one of the cars had a flat tire. Fortunately, we were able to borrow someone else's car and set out at 9:00. There were 2 cars crammed with Americorps Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1082328003307424132004-04-18T17:40:00.000-05:002004-04-18T17:44:05.373-05:00Yesterday was a service day for the Clean Up Baltimore campaign. Me and some other Americorps folks watched Major O'Malley make a speech (Sara thinks he has a nice ass) and then we drove to a poverty-stricken neighborhood to clean up an alley. We found several hypodermic needles, four dead rats, four live rats, two dead cats, and one live cat. Those Baltimore rats are monstrous, I'm pretty sure Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1081988496933791382004-04-14T19:21:00.000-05:002004-04-15T10:21:52.200-05:00Chris, your Freudian slip is showing!
So while we were driving home today from grocery shopping, Chris and I were arguing over who could eat the most pizza. Chris, who is prone to making grand declarations which he has no hope of backing up, loudly declared, "Jessica, I could eat you out any day of the week!"
I burst into hysterical laughter. Chris was all "Huh? What's so funny?" So Travis, Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1081909274266095712004-04-13T21:21:00.000-05:002004-04-13T21:25:09.920-05:00Okay, so me, Joshue, Rose, and Jacque went Sunday to see "Hellboy", which I thought was terribly cute and a lot of fun. My trip to Baltimore on Monday was a no-go because I woke up an hour too late to catch the only train there.
So onto today's events. A phone call from Sasha punctuated the tedium of taxes for me, Marcos, and Sara. It seems Sasha and Travis, on the way to picking us up, got Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1081701254626306742004-04-11T11:28:00.000-05:002004-04-11T11:38:06.810-05:00Very uneventful week, unless you consider the bacterial infection I got on Wednesday "exciting". I was talking to Rose yesterday and we agreed that there's something psychological that happened when we joined Americorps. Before, when I was living without health insurance, I just did not get sick. Didn't happen. Then I joined and got health insurance, and my body felt free to break. Eurgh!
So Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1081123628530122642004-04-04T19:01:00.000-05:002004-04-11T11:31:43.640-05:00We returned from D.C. on Wednesday. The rest of the week was fairly boring, then Saturday came at last. Yay! Last night I made some totally kicking jambalaya, then me and lots of the other Americorps folks went to a local hotspot's karoake night. I kicked it off with my breathy rendition of the Divinyl's "When I think about you I touch myself" before joining Jacque and Aisha on Metallica's "Turn Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1080690943583734922004-03-30T17:55:00.000-06:002004-03-30T17:59:35.046-06:00I'm writing you now from the library at the Americorps campus in D.C. We drove in today after a very long and boring lecture on Leadership, and are now shacked up in borrowed rooms (mine is said to be haunted). The D.C. campus is an old nursing home that was bought and renovated by Americorps, and boy, can you tell. There's something very "college dorm" about this place that makes our Perry PointJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1080532647968768232004-03-28T21:54:00.000-06:002004-03-28T22:01:01.233-06:00We did an ISP at Jentry-McDonald again today, and dropped off some cups and a vacuum cleaner while we were at it. My team is really loving this place.
Tonight, me and some friends piled up in someone's front yard and gabbed, stared at the stars, and spooned. It was (in order) Lior, me, Ayesha, Joshue, Ambly, and Gabe. Joshue told us all about his experiences in Afghanistan when he was in the Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1080342177552887592004-03-26T17:00:00.000-06:002004-03-26T17:06:28.543-06:00Just got back from Service Learning, during which we helped clean up a local park in Baltimore. At last count, we found 3 syringes, 2 bags of weed, dozens of bottles, and were hit up for money by one pan-handler.
Sasha and I have agreed to run away together to some island paradise if Americorps gets too hard. "We won't need men!" she declared. "We'll have each other!"Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1080268928422176792004-03-25T20:36:00.000-06:002004-03-25T20:45:37.716-06:00Baltimore is kinda trashy. Granted, all big cities are kinda trashy (c.f. New Orleans, which reminds me of nothing so much as a jolly pockmarked whore who stinks of piss and cheap sex) but Baltimore is just tra-SHAY.
The other day while riding shotgun in our van, Bessie (Sasha was driving), the car in front of us slammed on its brakes, forcing us to come to a jerky, sudden stop. Sasha curses theJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1080099356424420922004-03-23T21:26:00.000-06:002004-03-23T21:39:23.140-06:00Yesterday was a blast! I arrived at Union Station and met up with John Quah, and we went on a grand tour of D.C. We got lost trying to find the Capitol and wandered in the back way through a parking lot. Afterwards we went down and checked out the Reflecting Pool, then onto the Smithsonian.
While touring the museum, we saw this sign that said "Library", so we went wandering down this hall Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1079903464921251612004-03-21T15:05:00.000-06:002004-03-21T15:14:28.826-06:00Just got back in from working at the Jentry-McDonald House for foster kids. We played with the children, cooked breakfast, and scrubbed the place from floor to ceiling. The little girls tried to braid my hair, only to announce that such a task was impossible. Chris wanted to smuggle out a five-year-old in his bookbag, but ultimately we had to leave the kidbits behind.
If all goes well tomorrow,Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1079741409619185292004-03-19T18:10:00.000-06:002004-03-19T18:13:30.966-06:00Today was madcap. I awoke, broke my mirror, and we worked with Urban Youth Corps, a volunteer program for Baltimore's teenagers. We planted trees, shoveled dirt, built little stone walls, and I played hand-clap games with Sasha, Rose, and one of the UYC girls. We did some CAPing, too, recruiting UYC folks to Americorps, and then drove home. I arrived to find a big whopping package from my mother.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1079663491791596682004-03-18T20:17:00.000-06:002004-03-18T20:37:54.466-06:00So, wow. It's been awhile. I kept writing entries, but they never appeared...hopefully, whatever the glitch was with Blogspot, it's fixed now. It snowed two days ago, I was awaken by California's cry of "Oh, it's snowing!" and Carrie's rather unimpressed response. Midwesterners, bah. I've still not adjusted to this odd phenomenon of frozen water that falls from the sky.
Speaking of adjustments, Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1079462741826720762004-03-16T12:45:00.000-06:002004-03-16T12:48:58.246-06:00Testing... testing...
Okay. So this blog has been acting funny lately. Hopefully I'll work out the kinks soon. It's been pretty quiet here lately as well, nothing but taxes, laundry, taxes, shopping, taxes, playing on the computer, and more taxes. Thrilling.Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1079061211879087912004-03-11T21:13:00.000-06:002004-03-11T21:16:42.450-06:00On Monday me and the team went on an ISP to Bellevue, a mansion that used to be owned by the Dupont family but is now maintained by the Delaware State Parks comission. Marcos took pictures of me and Sasha in front of the mansion and of me, Sasha, and Rose posing on this little minature train.
Tonight was Potluck night (theme: Mexican) and me and my friend Andrea improvised some "Spanish" rice. Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1078374428550794532004-03-03T22:27:00.000-06:002004-03-05T09:36:42.840-06:00Today me, Sasha and Jaque did outreach, which basically consisted of walking up to Lexington Market, talking to some people at a bus stop, and buying donuts. Me and Jaque talked about the city -- we both agreed that Baltimore smells like a hot glue gun. Jackson smelled like concrete and mud, and Jaque said Bakersfield (her home town) smells like oranges. According to Marcos, Oakland (his home Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1078197092551293192004-03-01T21:11:00.000-06:002004-03-01T22:47:54.543-06:00Today I got muchly done! Mailed lots of letters, got a phone card in the mail from my mother, then walked with my teamies Jaque and Chris to get ice cream. Afterwards, me and Jaque walked 2 miles to an outlet mall where we got some jewelry, then ate dinner at Denny's. Came home, rocked the house at foozball and got kissed on the neck by my friend Adam. Spiffy!
Btw, bought brand-new pair of Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1078026930334452862004-02-28T21:55:00.000-06:002004-02-28T21:58:23.843-06:00Had a rather long and boring day. The weather was beautiful, though, and me and Rose went out and played "photosynthesis" (aka sunbathing). When we got home me and Jaque walked up to the store to buy a present for her roomate's birthday (a glass fish named Lloyd) and then me, Jaque, Rose and our friend Josh had a wild tickle-fest complete with wrasslin, squealing, and flailing limbs. Such an Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1077936121648351292004-02-27T20:33:00.000-06:002004-02-27T20:44:54.060-06:00Today me and Alyssa filed tax returns until my eyes bled. Then we visited this high school, and some kids threw rocks at us. My friend Jeff has offered to teach me how to throw them back, and I'm considering giving them the Finger of Enlightened Love next time.
Alyssa, me, and Rose had an interesting conversation about dreams, personal growth, and religion. I personally think that if I'm wrong Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1077842786654066562004-02-26T18:46:00.000-06:002004-02-26T18:49:17.513-06:00Today me, Chris and Alyssa manned a booth at the Energy Assistance Expo, forced fliers on lots of people who didn't want them, gawked at attractive members of the opposite sex, ate fried chicken, and sang along to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (actually, I sang, Chris lip-synched). We were there supporting Baltimore's CASH Campaign, which hooks low-income families up with free tax preparation.
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1077483040266058602004-02-22T14:42:00.000-06:002004-02-22T14:53:25.200-06:00Yesterday me, Jaque, Rose, Sasha and Marcos went to Operation Give's warehouse again to help finish cleaning it out and loading the last donations. Check out Chief Wiggles' blog for more news on Operation Give's future activities.
Me and California hung out last night, talked, and worked on crossword puzzles. Our house is clearing out -- Elise and Illinois have already left on their SPIKEs, and Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1077222127846762872004-02-19T14:12:00.000-06:002004-02-20T11:00:24.716-06:00Went last night to the Vous with Elise, Carrie, Illinois, and California -- danced my ASS OFF! Much better music than last time, stuff you could actually groove to, as opposed to line dancing. And mad props to my boy Richard, who treated me to a deliciously raunchy good time. I bow down before his mad sk1llz!
It's so funny to watch the guys hug the walls during the dancing. My teamie Sasha and IJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1077061291359115292004-02-17T17:41:00.000-06:002004-02-17T17:44:09.716-06:00Today my team rode into Baltimore to train with the good folks at Baltimore CASH in tax preparation. In just a few hours I've gone from my previous knowledge (nonexistent) of taxes to my current state, barely coherent. We'll be working in Balwmer for the next 8 weeks, assisting low income families in claiming the money rightfully due them from Earned Income Tax Credit. We'll also be doing Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076965588858895012004-02-16T14:59:00.000-06:002004-02-16T15:09:06.200-06:00My team (the team formerly known as Fire 3) got our project last week. We're staying local (unlike Elise's team, which is going to Alabama, or Mari's team, which is going to Pocomoc) and we'll be working in Baltimore with Bon Secours doing tax preparation and community outreach.
Last night me, my friend Andrea, and her friends Mary from Vermont and Malinda walked into Perryville to have dinner Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076817717919105802004-02-14T22:01:00.000-06:002004-02-14T22:04:32.950-06:00Ruminating on Valentine's Day...
First, a confession. There is a certain person on the Americorps campus who I have been butt-crazy over since like the second day we got here. I'm sure he barely knows I exist. When he's around I get so flustered that I can barely look him in the face and I can barely speak his name. I'm such a pathetic idiot that I can't just walk up to him and tell him how I Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076789663076234142004-02-14T14:06:00.000-06:002004-02-14T14:16:57.483-06:00Just got back from an ISP at the Harford Food Bank in Aberdeen, MD. We sorted and stacked food and helped the customers locate what they wanted. It's astonishing how satisfying service is -- while assisting Operation Give last weekend, the first hour was complete drudgery until we started to see the results and how our work was positively affecting the warehouse. When we saw how much we had Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076702633652864822004-02-13T13:57:00.000-06:002004-02-13T22:22:56.390-06:00Tuesday was Open Mike Night at the Pimp House, and Mari played harmonica. Go Mari! Was very impressive, everyone clapped for her. On Wednesday went to bar and grooved with Jennifer, Elise, and Richard (Hi, Richard!). Despite our best efforts, the Vous just did not get swinging. Very disappointed.
Today me, Alyssa, Marcos, Sasha, and Rose drove into Baltimore to hang with 5th graders for the "Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076438544179732612004-02-10T12:42:00.000-06:002004-02-10T14:48:15.826-06:00Last night, me, Elise, and my friend Jennifer walked down to the Vous for Elise's team leader's birthday party. We talked about love, sex, and boys (not neccesarily in that order). Both gals are engaged and hope to see their fiance's over the holidays; I clipped a home pregnancy test coupon just in case it's needed. Anyway, on the walk home we sang patriotic songs, as they were the only ones we Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076367199588104212004-02-09T16:53:00.000-06:002004-02-09T16:55:47.450-06:00Had a lovely potluck yesterday. Me, Elise, and about fifteen people invaded the Shit Box (as its proud owners call it) and we ate, laughed, took pictures, and watched X2.
Sunday is always a tough day for Americorps folks, since all the food's run out and you're reduced to eating radish-and-ketchup sandwiches. We pooled our resources and ate pasta salad, mac & cheese, grilled chicken, cucumber, Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076199736828588652004-02-07T18:13:00.000-06:002004-02-08T12:26:03.013-06:00Just got back from our ISP at the Operation Give warehouse. We arrived bright and early at 9:45, a little early, but hey, prompt service is what you get from Americorps! Our site sponsor, Matt Evans, was very nice and so gracious, though he had to hobble about on crutches due to an injured knee.
I and four others (Heidi, Katie, Jacque, and Elsa) sorted and stacked and loaded donated items to be Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1078700100589301902004-02-06T18:14:00.002-06:002004-03-07T16:58:05.606-06:00Ah, Sunday. How I love thee. Anyway, yesterday was pretty uneventful, though I did file my first tax return -- a doozy too, a married-filing-jointly with about nine W2s and 1099s between them, not to mention unemployment and injured spouse claims. Whew.
If all goes well, my team will be going on an ISP to Bellevue at Delaware State Park tomorrow morning! Bellevue used to be owned by the Dupont Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1078094688800265352004-02-06T18:14:00.001-06:002004-02-29T16:47:43.530-06:00Today me, Josh, Marcos, Rose, Jaque and Nick went to do an ISP at Goodwill of Belair. Actually, only me, Josh and Nick worked, the rest went shopping for a couple of hours. I bought a great pair of black courderoy jeans for $3.15, brand-new, still with tags on them. Go me!
Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076443601825708542004-02-06T18:14:00.000-06:002004-02-10T14:09:10.763-06:00In the Perry Point village, there is a gamehouse set up for Americorps members complete with a TV, DVD player, stereo, VCR, a pool table, and a foozball machine. Except that someone boosted our DVD and VCR on Saturday.
"That's just great," I told Aaron, one of the dudes from the Pimp House, "an Americorps volunteer stole their own free stuff. Perfect. What's next, we'll start stealing from Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1076103028551674632004-02-06T15:30:00.000-06:002004-02-06T18:21:54.373-06:00Have so much diversity training, will not be surprised if I turn rainbow colors. We had an STD workshop today, where we learned all about the wonderful world of syphilis, AIDS, and chlamydia. Americorps is astonishingly frank about the sexual habits of its members -- we're a bunch of good-looking healthy young people in our late teens and early twenties, there will be some lovin' goin' on at thisJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1075948230913887492004-02-02T17:04:00.003-06:002004-02-04T20:32:51.763-06:00Attended Open-Mike Night at the Pimp House yesterday. Some folks read poetry, others sang songs, one told a funny story about his grandma and her encounter with the Hell's Angels. Mari suggested we do a spoken-word performance, using a rap song. We are considering it for next Open-Mike Night.
Btw, there's another house that has been dubbed the Shit House. That makes Sorority House (mine), Pimp Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1075856696655116412004-02-02T17:04:00.002-06:002004-02-03T19:07:16.280-06:00Met Shannon today over at the Pimp House. Go me!
And now for something completely different... Things I Hate.
I hate it when people give for the wrong reasons. You should give from the heart, not from the head. Don't give so that someone will be beholden to you; you should give freely or not at all.
I hate it when someone accuses you of something you're innocent of. This is a messy situation Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1075845035309272212004-02-02T17:04:00.001-06:002004-02-03T15:52:54.106-06:00Just got back from Red Cross First Aid/CPR certification. We practiced on mannequins; mine was named George. Jackie's was Bob, Marcos' was 911, and Katie's was Skip.
Btw, just to clarify, none of the extracurricular activities -- including the trip to Philadelphia, the bar, etc. -- were paid for by Americorps. We have not even been paid yet at all, except for groceries. Americorps is not Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1075763316404544752004-02-02T17:04:00.000-06:002004-02-02T17:10:54.513-06:00Last night we rode into Philly FULL FORCE -- three cars, five people apiece. We stopped at this outdoors restaurant called King of Steaks that's apparently some sort of landmark and me and Heather split a streak sandwich. Then we found a bar and watched the Super Bowl for a while. We were all bored (there was no dancing or anything) so we went on a fruitless search for another, more happening barJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208373.post-1075589528085798132004-01-31T16:41:00.000-06:002004-01-31T16:54:22.810-06:00Yesterday I went with my new team, Fire 3, to tour the Maryland School for the Blind, where we will do a project at a later date. It's really an incredible institution, complete with library, dorms, kitchens, theuraputic pool, everything. We play goball and shared our "awe moments", which were moments of service that stayed with us forever.
Alyssa told us about the time when she was a Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08272081268707725752noreply@blogger.com