Lifestyles of the Not-So-Rich and Unemployed
Welcome to my life...
Not much.
I mean, I've done things. I've explored my skills with a shovel and moving dirt from one location (usually in a hole) to another spot (somewhere just outside of that hole.) I've picked up sticks, and moved them off a trail. I've even split a fair-share of wood, and stacked it nicely.
And, that is about it for earning money. I took a bit of a gamble that I was sure would pay off, and I'm afraid it won't come to fruition after all. I bagged the job in NOLA working with the St. Bernard Project, which rocks for a few reasons. I'll get back to them. A nice trait of this job was the flexible start date presented to me. I could start on September 15th or December 1st. At the time, the 15th was only a week out or so. I decided with the December start date because I could drive my car down to NOLA (and not be stranded) as well as have a chance to save up some money for the trip.
Granted, I'll be getting paid more working with the SBP than the NCCC, but you certainly aren't going to be rollin' in the dolla dolla billz working with a non-profit. It was settled then. Two and a half extra months to rake in the dough before living the life of a pauper. Time to pound the pavement.
Prior to this decision, I was working for my friend's dad doing any general contracting work that came our way. Mostly, this was digging holes. The work usually sucked, but I was in good company so the days went by pretty quickly. The common theme of life, that nothing is permanent, held true for our jobs. We ran out of work and decided to go our separate ways in hopes of working for Mr. George Washingtons.
I had several job leads and managed to burn every one of those bridges with a single, honest statement: "I'll be leaving for Louisiana." I even torched my chances at the temp-agency. How is that possible? "Well, we are a contract-to-hire firm, and you already said that you will be leaving." Can I take it back? Honesty was the wrong road here. At least I sleep better at night.
A little free time and Jack-in-the-Box trash
Things continue, and you become lazier and lazier. I was still working (in vain) to find a job, but I was letting myself slip. Even my mind was beginning to dull. In an attempt to keep a few cells firing, I decided tonight to give everyone my best foot forward and deliver a blog update. Though still stricken with sloth, and probably falling victim of muscle atrophy, I can still write. I have also been madly working on planning my journey to the dirty, dirty South. I've worked out tons of logistics and carved out a very pretty Google map. I've reformatted a couple of computers, created some new stencils, and finished reading a few books.
There you have it. An update on what I haven't been doing. Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy about yourself now?
Rebirth and Funky-Fresh Posts!
Hakuna Matata, friends! I've swept the cobwebs off from my blog and hooked up the AED. You are all long overdue for a heartfelt post. I may not have the heart, but unemployment has given me the time.
I will make my wrap-up from the last year as easy to follow... the last I posted, I was probably in Winnie, Texas with AmeriCorps NCCC. We left Texas around Christmas, and I had a break to visit the Fam in Idaho. I flew back to Sacramento, then drove to Longbeach, Mississippi. We worked with Lutheran-Episcopal Services in Mississippi rebuilding homes that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
We only stayed there around 2 weeks before we were deployed to St. Bernard Perish in Louisiana right next to New Orleans. Here, we worked with the St. Bernard Project. Trained as site supervisors, we oversaw rebuilding projects and taught volunteers how to rebuild homes. I took to this job very well. Mardi Gras wasn't too bad, either... ... ...
We left NOLA for Sacramento again, but this time we would be volunteering in the schools there for a longer period of time. Working with the Larchmont Elementary School, I got the chance to do everything from teach 1st graders science to chaperon 6th graders for a week on an outdoor education field trip. 1st graders rock. 6th graders suck. There. I said it.
California behind us, our last spike project was in Virginia City, Montana working with the Montana Heritage Commission. Here, we worked with the city to do everything from cleaning, restoring, and cataloging artifact, preserving foundations, and throwing away tons (literally) of rotten wood. A personal high of this project was my work on the wagon barn, jacking up 150-year-old wagons and taking the weight off their original wheels and axles. I've played Oregon Trail. I know how important axles are... and ammo.
All said and done, I graduated from the NCCC no worse for the wear. Actually, with the connections I made, I landed another job at the St. Bernard Project as an AmeriCorps State spending 10 months site supervising. Super-sweet.
That mostly catches you up. I few hitches: I am broke. I don't start work until December 1st. I have no money. Moving is expensive. I am broke. The economy sucks. And no one will pay me to be awesome. This saga will continue to unfold, no doubt, but for now, the job-hunt is in progress.
(something just slid off my desk and scared the crap out of me. Drink less Denny's cofffee.....)
If you are reading this anywhere other than my actual blog or mirror, I feel like I should let you know that you are being cheated, just a little. I use RSS to export these posts to Facebook and other social media sites. A great way to reach an audience, but for all of your stalker needs, you should really check out my site. 
Hello!
Nope... not dreaming... you are actually reading an update from me. But not a real update, just a little fake one. Working on some maintenance things. I might give you a real post soon, but until then, follow my twitter. =)
A Farewell to Winnie, SVdP, and Mopping after Showering
We made it to day 0 of our first spike project! Today, after some confusing van swapping, we will be leaving for Austin to the FEMA Joint Field Office for out-processing. Pretty much, I think they just want their computer back.
Forgive my scattered train of thought today. My mind is in that bizarre state where there is so much to think about that you ultimately don't think about anything. Yeah, there is packing to do, and some cleaning, and reflecting, and some paperwork I haven't touched, and I should eat something today, or something.
I'm still taking pictures. I will post well over 300 (probably not) when I get a chance over Christmas. Deal.
I will also try to post from the road as internet connectivity permits. I need to eat.
Merry Christmas from Texas
Merry Christmas, from all of us in Silver 2, AmeriCorps NCCC. (Except for Andy. He wasn't cool enough to look at the camera like the rest of us)
Baseline and Weather Advisory
Hello all. I'm sad because I haven't actually been able to post any of my pictures the entire time I've been in Texas, and I'm sure that makes you sad too. I'm sorry, and I'll do what I can. At the very least, I'll upload more when I go home.
We are on our final week in Winnie, Texas. Our work is wrapping up, and our project is winding down. We have visited 579 homes in the last few weeks. We've been in contact with hundreds, and added nearly 50 new families to our database. Now that they are on the grid, they can get help. That isn't even considering all the small things we've done like connecting them to the food bank and the Vine (clothing thrift store), as well as utility assistance and general help. Our work here has been strange, but our project sponsor has been vehement that we have helped out in a huge way. St. Vincent DePaul has decided to apply for another AmeriCorps NCCC team. In my eyes, that is a success for us.
In other news, the weather is frigid. Right now, it is 37 degrees with the "real-feel" around 27. We did a nice, brisk, 10 minute run at 6:45, then half of our baseline test. My sit-ups improved (64) and my push-ups (42) were ok. More importantly, my form has improved. We'll see how my mile and a half time pans out.
Our next project is going to be in Long Beach, Mississippi gutting houses and doing finishing work (cabinets, counters). We will drive down there after Christmas break, but only spend 2 weeks there. We will be in the area for the entire second phase of the corps year, but have no idea what happens after those 2 weeks. AmeriFlexibility!
It is cold. I'm violating policy right now by wearing my hat indoors, but when you can see your breath indoors... Welcome to Texas!
No Title, Except This One
"I'm going to go get some tortilla chips."
"Good thing the salsa is in the refrigerator."
"But my mouth can't handle that."
"We could have gotten the medium one."
"Is this conversation being..."
"I think so..."
I have nothing I wish to write tonight. I'm tired, and really just wanted to stare at the computer screen, letting my heart mimic the rhythm of the blinking cursor. Then I ask my team to talk so I had something to talk about in my blog.
I'm compressing Love Actually so it will fit on my iPod Touch. Then I can cry anywhere, so long as my battery is charged.
A Long Weekend and Taxi Driver Potential
I had 4 days off in a row, which really just means that I didn't have an excuse to neglect my blog any longer. Thanksgiving was spectacular. We all chipped in in what ways we could, some teammates took the reigns, and we ended up with enough food for 30 or 40 people to eat until they felt sick. 3 stuffings later, we were ready for our team nap.
I'm pretty stoked to spend some time with family and friends during Christmas. I love my team and all, but some time away from them will be nice too. We are just all pretty stressed and burnt out on this project we're working on right now. We are doing needs assessment going door to door, and it is tough work. The hardest part is that there is really no way to see our progress or impact. We are constantly reassured that this is exactly what the county needs to be done, and that what we are learning is a great help, but it definitely feels like we are spinning our wheels a little. Either way, it is a good way to test our patience.
A handful of us went to Houston yesterday to volunteer at a farmer's market. The drive was early and long, but the market itself was pretty amazing. We helped set up in the morning, then ran a booth doing face painting for free. First kid: I ask him what he wants. He says picachu. :/ I had him draw me one first, just to make sure I was doing it correctly. All things considered, I was pretty content with myself. (sidenote: I still have glitter all over. It will never wash out) To entertain some of the children (and adults), I started to juggle and incorporate others into the fun. The head guy was excited, came up to me, and asked if I would be a regular and teach people to juggle every Saturday. I had to break it to him softly that we would only be in Texas for another 2 weeks, but I still took it as a huge compliment.
Today, I think I'm playing Taxi driver again. Ryan and Kristin need to be picked up from Beaumont, and Andy and Amanda need to be picked up from the ferry from Galveston in the opposite direction. Maybe I'll work out this morning...
Coffee coffee coffee…
Good Monday Morning! First of all, I'm sorry the last post had broken images. I was trying to be lazy and not re-upload them to my server. It did not pay off. They should be better now, but thank you for the heads up. 
We have a 3-day week this week because of Thanksgiving, which is pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, it feels like we have yet to get momentum with our canvassing duties. Chances are, this week is going to be a little disjointed. We compiled a list of Thanksgiving meal favorites, and we're trying to accommodate them all. My 2 requests were fruit salad and sparkling cider.
AH! Meeting time. Peace.
Lazy like Sunday Morning
I haven't posted in a while. It wasn't for a lack of free time or internet connectivity, but purely because I am lazy and wallow around in my laziness pretty much every chance I get. Also, I had some technical difficulties with my ipod touch turning into a brick. Bricks don't communicate very well with the internet. Either way, ipod is fixed and all my music on it is gone. Left a ton of open space for things like the first mummy movie and the Jimmi Hendrix Experience.
So, welcome to Winnie Texas. The rumor was true, and we have internet. We are staying in the St. Vincent DePaul warehouse, of sorts. There are 11 of us sleeping in a waiting room, so we are nice an cozy. Our kitchen is pretty large and stocked somewhat frequently. We are pretty far away from people, which makes the night sky stand out spectacularly.
I lost the drive to keep posting. We are going to the youth barrel races today. We met a young girl that will be competing. I'll write more when my head is no longer on the keyboard.
Quick Details
I have a few minutes, so this is what I know. We are still working with St. Vincent Depaul in winnie, Tx. It was considered one of the hardest hit cities by Ike but has had very little aid. We will be working on needs assessment. Half of us will be in the field gathering data and the other half of the team will be working on data entry. We will be rotating between the eleven of us. We will be living in two classrooms in the St Vinnies building. I'll let you know more when I can. Rumor has it that we will have Internet.
Needs Assessment Training has Awesome Internet
We made it to Galveston! We have Internet in our 500 person tent, but it is dialup at best. Thus I take this opportunity to update you from the Texas A&M Galveston campus where we are getting trained in needs assessment and data entry. Go figure though, we still don't really know what we will be doing here or where we will be. Rumor has it that we are still going to Winnie, but saturday at the earliest. We're just floating on.
It has been two months to the day since Ike struck.
My thumbs are getting quicker at typing blog entries on my iPod.
I am still taking picture but won't have a way to upload them for a while. Hang in there. I promise they are coming.
Yeehaw! Texas!
Just a quick update: we made it to Texas! I'm in the hotel in Austin updating from my iPod again. Not too bad really if I can just keep an Internet signal long enough.
As expected, it was a long day of travel. We left New Mexico and entered Texas following the Mexican boarder much of the way. Hooray highway 10. When we made it here, we found a BBQ place that had amazing brisket. It started to sink in a little.
After that, we walked some of downtown Austin. It is actually a really cool city with some great nightlife and live music. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised. Tomorrow we have our big meeting with the head office where we may or may not figure out where we are going. I do know(I think) that we are going to be here another night, so I should be able to give you all more info when I get it. Sleep well world!
From the hotel and my ipod
So this is my attempt to try and blog on the road from my iPod. So far, so good. We are on the road to Texas. We stayed last night in Kingman Arizona. We got in pretty late, but still had time for some swimming and watch the presidential victory. It was pretty spectacular.
I've spent the majority of the trip driving or riding in our cargo van. I don't mind much. It gives me some space and time away from the group. There is going to be very little alone time this year. I don't think I realized how hard it is going to be, constantly surrounded by people. After college, I've pretty much been alone. Graveyard gas station. Parents' basement. I was always alone. That has rapidly changed. Now I get to practice patience.
We have heard from the first teams to make it to camp Tarmac. It sounds pretty sweet, but we are trying not to get our hopes up. Things change daily. There is a good chance things have already changed.
There have been a lot of firsts this trip. For one, I've never before written an entire blog post with my thumbs before. I've sort adopted a strange challenge. I've been trying to do push-ups on strange things or at important places. I've done push-ups on the Golden Gate Bridge and in every state we've traveled through. I've done them at every stop along the way, on fire hydrants and stone retaining walls. It is silly, but it keeps the blood flowing between hours in the van. I also bought a patch in San Fransisco and plan on sewing it onto my bag. Little things.
Well, if you are reading this, I succeeded. I didn't spend any time editting this entry and would have no idea how to if I could. Frgv my bed spilling
Calm before the Storm
Hello adoring public. I know I've been neglecting you all very much lately, but I've had some pretty good excuses. But I don't have time for excuses, so I'll just let you know what is going on.
We finished CTI, and learned where we are heading for our first spike. We will be working with FEMA at Camp Tarmac at the airport in Galveston, TX. We still don't know what we will be doing, but we're getting kind of used to that. We leave for Arizona tomorrow, then New Mexico the day after that. We are making the entire trip in 3 days. Hooray for being a van driver. 
We went to San Fransisco this last Saturday and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge in the rain. It took a little over 2 hours, and we were soaked. It was also impossible to resist the urge to see how many push-ups we could do in the middle.
I'm sorry this is so short and relatively boring. I'm pretty fried right now. (We spent the day working on rebuilding a playground that has been burnt to the ground twice. They aren't building it out of wood this time) Also, I'm not bringing my laptop on this spike. It sounds like we are in a tent on cots with 300 other people. I'll let you all know how that goes.
