OK, it's not really an ode, and it's not really Tupperware (I bought a 50-pak for $9.99 at some discount store, and most of the containers are tiny, which is great actually), but I just needed to share how much I love those little plastic containers.
What did I just eat? Soup that I made three weeks ago. I froze a portion of it and just enjoyed it again. How incredible is that? How awesome? And all the vegan cooking I've been doing lately, I save portions for Tami the next time I see her. And portions for me. Sometimes I just want some African stew and don't have - or want to spend - the time making it. Or, more likely, I don't want to eat it for the next week.
What solves my every problem? Tupperware! Yay, Tupperware!
(I just had a flashback to the last time I assigned students write odes ... and how many there were written in my honor, but the best was an anti-ode to me ... and that kid and I are still in communication, three years later. I like the ones that fight back.)
Thursday, August 31, 2006
shameless
I just sucked up to the Lexis Nexis rep, and what good did it do me?
Unlimited access to The Economist, a red pen, a book on tips to suceed in law school, and a promise to check if she has some of the books I was eyeing at the bookstore that she'll give me for free.
I am shameless.
In my justification, I just tried to ask her what her name was again, and she thought I had a real question so I had to make something up real fast, and that made her feel important and that I'm becoming a Lexis Nexis ho.
Hospitals get pharm reps - I should get something!
Unlimited access to The Economist, a red pen, a book on tips to suceed in law school, and a promise to check if she has some of the books I was eyeing at the bookstore that she'll give me for free.
I am shameless.
In my justification, I just tried to ask her what her name was again, and she thought I had a real question so I had to make something up real fast, and that made her feel important and that I'm becoming a Lexis Nexis ho.
Hospitals get pharm reps - I should get something!
why the world should require I be busy at all times
I know it's trouble when I'm not extremely busy, but I was trying to remember exactly how.
Now I remember, and because of it, I'm going to Dallas for the weekend.
Why? Because I can. Because I don't have any more homework that I can't finish before Tuesday class. Because I was sitting here in the computer lab, ostensibly typing up my notes from today, and I just happened to look at travelocity, and well, now it's a done deal.
In the interests of frugality, I should be kept busy at all times. I got a great plane ticket for $175 (cheaper than the gas of driving there), but still - that's $175 that I shouldn't be spending, plus all that I will buy at Ikea.
But I should also be kept busy in the interests of keeping innocents safe. Karen's first question? Whom we will stalk. I vote for Molly Ivins and Lyle Lovett, but they are in Austin and Houstin respectively, and Texas is a big state after all. We have certainly done the insane roadtrip on more than one occasion (driving as deep into Mexico as we could before we passed out with exhaustion or tequila was one memorable trip; or the time we drove up to Illinois to play catch in the street for half and hour with a boy from our pasts), but am I not supposed to be an adult now?
Jenny says I'm not allowed to have Imaginary Boyfriends anymore (such as Joseph Kabila, who married some woman who isn't me, that traitorous man-whore).
My first public foray this morning was to the Dean's office, where I begged him for more reading work. He was actually quite nice about it, and I have two tomes I will lug home to keep me more occupied. And after some creativity with the truth, I somehow got into an Admiralty Law Symposium tomorrow (after which, I will go over to a little sports expo and sign up for a women's soccer team with women half my age who actually know how to manage a ball with their feet).
I was supposed to volunteer with Second Harvest on Saturday, but I think I won't be missed. And The Roommate has two guests visiting, so I don't mind ducking out on that although I'm sure she'll have some problem with it. Whatever.
Watch out, innocents - I've got free time!
Now I remember, and because of it, I'm going to Dallas for the weekend.
Why? Because I can. Because I don't have any more homework that I can't finish before Tuesday class. Because I was sitting here in the computer lab, ostensibly typing up my notes from today, and I just happened to look at travelocity, and well, now it's a done deal.
In the interests of frugality, I should be kept busy at all times. I got a great plane ticket for $175 (cheaper than the gas of driving there), but still - that's $175 that I shouldn't be spending, plus all that I will buy at Ikea.
But I should also be kept busy in the interests of keeping innocents safe. Karen's first question? Whom we will stalk. I vote for Molly Ivins and Lyle Lovett, but they are in Austin and Houstin respectively, and Texas is a big state after all. We have certainly done the insane roadtrip on more than one occasion (driving as deep into Mexico as we could before we passed out with exhaustion or tequila was one memorable trip; or the time we drove up to Illinois to play catch in the street for half and hour with a boy from our pasts), but am I not supposed to be an adult now?
Jenny says I'm not allowed to have Imaginary Boyfriends anymore (such as Joseph Kabila, who married some woman who isn't me, that traitorous man-whore).
My first public foray this morning was to the Dean's office, where I begged him for more reading work. He was actually quite nice about it, and I have two tomes I will lug home to keep me more occupied. And after some creativity with the truth, I somehow got into an Admiralty Law Symposium tomorrow (after which, I will go over to a little sports expo and sign up for a women's soccer team with women half my age who actually know how to manage a ball with their feet).
I was supposed to volunteer with Second Harvest on Saturday, but I think I won't be missed. And The Roommate has two guests visiting, so I don't mind ducking out on that although I'm sure she'll have some problem with it. Whatever.
Watch out, innocents - I've got free time!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
and now, a $340 gas & electric bill
I give up. I am hemorrhaging money and there's no triage.
And yes, Michele, a CCF is a therm.
So, I just went straight from my getting my bill and marched into the financial aid office and told them to lend me the full amount. Forget frugality.
It's not the great clubs or drinks or eats in NOLA that are destroying my budget - it's car licensing and natural gas.
Sucks to be an adult.
And yes, Michele, a CCF is a therm.
So, I just went straight from my getting my bill and marched into the financial aid office and told them to lend me the full amount. Forget frugality.
It's not the great clubs or drinks or eats in NOLA that are destroying my budget - it's car licensing and natural gas.
Sucks to be an adult.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Why it's just easier to marry an American
1. Because while occasional weekend booty calls are quite nice, there's no real dating possible to get to know each other.
2. When Moneygram rejects the money I send to Dayton to pay for CeCe's school fees and I have to call them to sort it out, I have to endure this person asking who he is to me and why I'm sending it. It's none of their damn business.
3. When applying for a visa, we have to prove intent to marry and the reality of the relationship. I am not sending copies of my personal emails to them. It's none of their damn business.
4. Then I will have to fill out more and more forms. The one I dread most is the statement of support. I have to prove I can support them. How? I can afford to bring them here, but then he's working to support US. And if things get tight, I'll be floating on credit cards for a short while - but I have no doubt he'll be able to find work quickly that can support us in at least a minimal lifestyle. Hey, it's not a refugee camp, so nobody should be complaining. So, anyway, I may be begging somebody to sign a statement of support for him, just as a formality.
5. This will be the story of my life for the next 2.5 years, minimum. And then for the rest of my life there will be the questions about why I would marry an African anyway, when, in the wise words of Jenny's mom, "There must be plenty of nice boys in New Orleans." Yeah, but they're not him.
When I was younger, I scoffed at the idea of soulmates. "But what if that one person for me is somewhere in a Buddhist temple is Laos? Or in the Sahara Desert? So, I'll be alone forever because I'll never know him?"
Well, or I'll happen to run into him in a West African refugee camp.
Life's funny. I'm just not laughing too hard right now - I'm more holding my breath and crossing my fingers.
2. When Moneygram rejects the money I send to Dayton to pay for CeCe's school fees and I have to call them to sort it out, I have to endure this person asking who he is to me and why I'm sending it. It's none of their damn business.
3. When applying for a visa, we have to prove intent to marry and the reality of the relationship. I am not sending copies of my personal emails to them. It's none of their damn business.
4. Then I will have to fill out more and more forms. The one I dread most is the statement of support. I have to prove I can support them. How? I can afford to bring them here, but then he's working to support US. And if things get tight, I'll be floating on credit cards for a short while - but I have no doubt he'll be able to find work quickly that can support us in at least a minimal lifestyle. Hey, it's not a refugee camp, so nobody should be complaining. So, anyway, I may be begging somebody to sign a statement of support for him, just as a formality.
5. This will be the story of my life for the next 2.5 years, minimum. And then for the rest of my life there will be the questions about why I would marry an African anyway, when, in the wise words of Jenny's mom, "There must be plenty of nice boys in New Orleans." Yeah, but they're not him.
When I was younger, I scoffed at the idea of soulmates. "But what if that one person for me is somewhere in a Buddhist temple is Laos? Or in the Sahara Desert? So, I'll be alone forever because I'll never know him?"
Well, or I'll happen to run into him in a West African refugee camp.
Life's funny. I'm just not laughing too hard right now - I'm more holding my breath and crossing my fingers.
decision
We are a Peaches and Herb song.
So, Jen, the movie is still playing.
And now I'm trying to get all the info I need to get them here. Do I hire a lawyer or is that a waste of money?
OK, and off to Contracts I go. It's funny - I hear the prof's voice in my head when I'm reading now. I guess that's good, except he's LOUD. And I keep reading all this stuff and applying it to the "contract" with Dayton. Poor guy. I'm not sure he knows what he's getting into. I was unbearable before, but now as a lawyer? Sheesh.
So, Jen, the movie is still playing.
And now I'm trying to get all the info I need to get them here. Do I hire a lawyer or is that a waste of money?
OK, and off to Contracts I go. It's funny - I hear the prof's voice in my head when I'm reading now. I guess that's good, except he's LOUD. And I keep reading all this stuff and applying it to the "contract" with Dayton. Poor guy. I'm not sure he knows what he's getting into. I was unbearable before, but now as a lawyer? Sheesh.
Friday, August 25, 2006
DMV
I took 6 crisp new $20 bills with me to DMV today. Tami warned me they only take cash, and I was prepared for all fees to get things squared away and be here legally.
What I did not expect was a bill for "Highway User Fee" of $688.65. Oh, that includes my license plate, but not my driver's license, which I did have to pay $21.50 in cash.
So, I dropped over $700 today at the DMV, when I expected maybe $80.
I love New Orleans, I love New Orleans, I love New Orleans.
Sigh.
Dayton voting:
Three - firm yes (Jen, Gail, Charan)
Two - no (for now - Susan and Michele had the exact same logic)
Not yet voting - I know Lalo would say NO, Karen yes (because it would be entertaining stories), Sabine no (because of her own marriage issues), Amy probably yes, Gomez probably yes ("whatever makes you happy" would be his exact words), Fred a HUGE yes, Lara probably yes (Toby can always use more cousins) ... hm, whom else do I hound for advice?
What I did not expect was a bill for "Highway User Fee" of $688.65. Oh, that includes my license plate, but not my driver's license, which I did have to pay $21.50 in cash.
So, I dropped over $700 today at the DMV, when I expected maybe $80.
I love New Orleans, I love New Orleans, I love New Orleans.
Sigh.
Dayton voting:
Three - firm yes (Jen, Gail, Charan)
Two - no (for now - Susan and Michele had the exact same logic)
Not yet voting - I know Lalo would say NO, Karen yes (because it would be entertaining stories), Sabine no (because of her own marriage issues), Amy probably yes, Gomez probably yes ("whatever makes you happy" would be his exact words), Fred a HUGE yes, Lara probably yes (Toby can always use more cousins) ... hm, whom else do I hound for advice?
Thursday, August 24, 2006
the verdict - for Jenny
In Commonwealth v. Mochan (1955), the majority of the court ruled that he was indeed guilty of a common law misdemeanor which "injures the public" (thinking of the people on the party line, or operator, who could pick up the phone and be injured by suggestions of sodomy).
I have to side with the dissenting opinion, though (by Justice Woodside): "This is an unwarranted invasion of the legislative field by arrogating the responsibility by declaring that certain acts are a crime during a trial."
It's ex post facto and is not due process, and the judiciary are trying to make laws rather than interpret the actual laws - all because they're afraid of getting fucked up the ass (or more afraid that their wives will be by some stranger?).
I have to side with the dissenting opinion, though (by Justice Woodside): "This is an unwarranted invasion of the legislative field by arrogating the responsibility by declaring that certain acts are a crime during a trial."
It's ex post facto and is not due process, and the judiciary are trying to make laws rather than interpret the actual laws - all because they're afraid of getting fucked up the ass (or more afraid that their wives will be by some stranger?).
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
silence is golden
“We really need to get you a bike,” The Roommate said. I’m not sure who “we” is, but “I” looked in two different places yesterday spending most of my afternoon and not finding anything. “It’s such a waste of time to walk to the gym.”
“You do realize it sounds funny to resent walking to workout?”
“Walking isn’t exercise, it’s just going there.”
“Walking is the best exercise.”
“Says who?”
“Exercise experts. Look, just go with your bike and I’ll walk. Don’t wait for me.”
“I just don’t always want you to get the last word. I can be right.”
“Maybe you can. But I’m just so tired of all your complaining.”
And those were the last words we spoke. I think she’s giving me the silent treatment, but it’s just so blissfully void of all her whining and complaining and judgmentalism. She seriously complains about EVERYTHING and NONSTOP.
She’s not a bad person really, but I’m tired of her expecting me to be her mommy and fix everything for her, and then she resents it. And I’m tired of her being wrong when she talks and getting pissed off when corrected – like the insistence that the U.S. is 80% rural. Now, I ignore her a lot of the time when she talks, but I can’t always ignore her.
And here I am, complaining about her. I’m not better. I’m just aggravated. And I don’t know what will happen, but I’m glad I finally said something.
“You do realize it sounds funny to resent walking to workout?”
“Walking isn’t exercise, it’s just going there.”
“Walking is the best exercise.”
“Says who?”
“Exercise experts. Look, just go with your bike and I’ll walk. Don’t wait for me.”
“I just don’t always want you to get the last word. I can be right.”
“Maybe you can. But I’m just so tired of all your complaining.”
And those were the last words we spoke. I think she’s giving me the silent treatment, but it’s just so blissfully void of all her whining and complaining and judgmentalism. She seriously complains about EVERYTHING and NONSTOP.
She’s not a bad person really, but I’m tired of her expecting me to be her mommy and fix everything for her, and then she resents it. And I’m tired of her being wrong when she talks and getting pissed off when corrected – like the insistence that the U.S. is 80% rural. Now, I ignore her a lot of the time when she talks, but I can’t always ignore her.
And here I am, complaining about her. I’m not better. I’m just aggravated. And I don’t know what will happen, but I’m glad I finally said something.
you want to go to law school too
Because there are such GREAT cases to read and enjoy.
For example, here's the gist of Commonwealth v. Mochan (Pennsylvania, 1955):
"Mochan was charged in separate indictments with intending 'to debauch and corrupt, and further devising and intending to harass, embarrass and villify [sic] one Louise Zivkovich' ... by telephoning her various times, during which he did wickedly and maliciously refer to the said Louise Zivkovich as a lewd, immoral and lascivious woman of an indecent and lewd character, and [made] other scurrilous, opprobrious, filthy, disgusting, and indecent [comments] ... It is established ... that the defendant on numerous occasions ... telephoned one Louise Zivkovich, a stranger to him and a married woman of the highest character and repute. He called as often as three times each week and at any hour of the day or night. His language on these calls was obscene, lewd, and filthy. he not only suggested intercourse with her but talked of sodomy as well, in the loathsome language of that criminal act, on a number of occasions."
Scurrilous? Opprobrious? Lascivous? I thought I was leaving all the fun words behind! Woo hoo!
For example, here's the gist of Commonwealth v. Mochan (Pennsylvania, 1955):
"Mochan was charged in separate indictments with intending 'to debauch and corrupt, and further devising and intending to harass, embarrass and villify [sic] one Louise Zivkovich' ... by telephoning her various times, during which he did wickedly and maliciously refer to the said Louise Zivkovich as a lewd, immoral and lascivious woman of an indecent and lewd character, and [made] other scurrilous, opprobrious, filthy, disgusting, and indecent [comments] ... It is established ... that the defendant on numerous occasions ... telephoned one Louise Zivkovich, a stranger to him and a married woman of the highest character and repute. He called as often as three times each week and at any hour of the day or night. His language on these calls was obscene, lewd, and filthy. he not only suggested intercourse with her but talked of sodomy as well, in the loathsome language of that criminal act, on a number of occasions."
Scurrilous? Opprobrious? Lascivous? I thought I was leaving all the fun words behind! Woo hoo!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
reunited?
Hm ... are the pre-marital bliss of Gail and Shelton rubbing off on me, making me need a Leo for my Virgo? And who better than the man whom I have never stopped thinking about?
So, I wouldn't exactly say that Dayton and I are back together right now. But I wouldn't exactly say that we're not. It's all so darned complicated. Yesterday I got email from the Sikh who said he wanted to speak to me on Dayton's behalf ... and he attached a picture (he's quite vain, so the picture is of them both, but I cropped to just Dayton in this pic above).
And what it made me realize is that in all the pictures I've ever seen of Dayton, he looks like this one. Not smiling. A little ferocious. But in every picture taken with me or by me, it's different - he's smiling or just relaxed in a way that he has not ever been in other situations. And I feel this territorialism when I see him - that's MY man!
So I called him - today is the anniversary of us first meeting.
It's not like the problems between us have gone away. I'm just still not sure that they're more important than the love we have for each other.
So, Jenny votes we reunite. Any other votes?
I've completed two days of law school. Let's see ... 30 weeks of classes for three years is 90 weeks, five days a week is 450 days ... so, only 448 to go, plus exams!
And lots more homework to muddle through, and I haven't been sleeping well at all. Yawn.
Monday, August 21, 2006
surviving my first day of law school
OK, I've so far only survived my first class. But it was pretty painless, though maybe that's because he didn't call on me.
Law school really is unlike anything I've ever done before. Certainly it's nothing like the coddled education program I was in at Just Shoot Me University. He calls on people and expects brilliance right on the spot and right in the first five minutes of class. I think of myself as rather bold and a quick thinker, but I was trying to blend right into the woodwork. It was intense. But now I know how to better prepare. I really will be a much better thinker after this year, and certainly after three years.
So, maybe it's a good thing I wasn't excited before it began - I couldn't lose the thrill of anticipation by having to wait too long.
Would I rather be swinging a hammer with my peeps? Sure, but Team 'Wood is all disbanded already anyway.
So, now I'm off to type up class notes and then do Wednesday's reading for this class. There's almost five hours between my first and second class, so I can lots of work done. Then there's an informational meeting about several 'societies' I think I'll participate in.
And so it goes, and I hit the ground running.
Law school really is unlike anything I've ever done before. Certainly it's nothing like the coddled education program I was in at Just Shoot Me University. He calls on people and expects brilliance right on the spot and right in the first five minutes of class. I think of myself as rather bold and a quick thinker, but I was trying to blend right into the woodwork. It was intense. But now I know how to better prepare. I really will be a much better thinker after this year, and certainly after three years.
So, maybe it's a good thing I wasn't excited before it began - I couldn't lose the thrill of anticipation by having to wait too long.
Would I rather be swinging a hammer with my peeps? Sure, but Team 'Wood is all disbanded already anyway.
So, now I'm off to type up class notes and then do Wednesday's reading for this class. There's almost five hours between my first and second class, so I can lots of work done. Then there's an informational meeting about several 'societies' I think I'll participate in.
And so it goes, and I hit the ground running.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Saturday night in New Orleans
Habitat for Humanity house dedication with some live music after.
Dinner at Bennachin's African restaurant.
Fortunes told by a palm reader. (It was good for the others, but mine was total and complete bullshit.)
Pecan pie from Gumbo Shop and Haagan-Dazs vanilla ice cream eaten in Nancy's hotel courtyard with beautiful yet woman-eating ferns and trees.
Drive-through daiquiris at Daiquiris and Creams. (Yeah, yeah - we were in the French Quarter and getting daiquiris ANYWHERE would have been soooo easy. But I had to do that drive-through thing once, and we had the designated driver.)
Picking up the pediatrician to join us while Carolin sipped on her "Child Abuse" daiquiri (I went with the "Attitude Adjustment").
Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sun Spots at Chickie WaWa's. This was a highlight, definitely. Lots of zydeco and blues and all sorts of other stuff.
And what else? Oh yeah, laundry not done and reading not done and briefings not done and a promised phone call not made. Oh well, it was a good eve.
Dinner at Bennachin's African restaurant.
Fortunes told by a palm reader. (It was good for the others, but mine was total and complete bullshit.)
Pecan pie from Gumbo Shop and Haagan-Dazs vanilla ice cream eaten in Nancy's hotel courtyard with beautiful yet woman-eating ferns and trees.
Drive-through daiquiris at Daiquiris and Creams. (Yeah, yeah - we were in the French Quarter and getting daiquiris ANYWHERE would have been soooo easy. But I had to do that drive-through thing once, and we had the designated driver.)
Picking up the pediatrician to join us while Carolin sipped on her "Child Abuse" daiquiri (I went with the "Attitude Adjustment").
Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sun Spots at Chickie WaWa's. This was a highlight, definitely. Lots of zydeco and blues and all sorts of other stuff.
And what else? Oh yeah, laundry not done and reading not done and briefings not done and a promised phone call not made. Oh well, it was a good eve.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
shrimp po' boys
This one's for Gail - shrimp po' boys. Fried shrimp on a french roll with lots of yummy stuff like lettuce & tomato & hot sauce.
Me, I'm going back to my fish po' boy. Going so many years without eating shrimp, now I realize I don't even like it, and my stomach doesn't.
I love this place (Zimmer's) though - and they're keeping a piece of bread pudding for me once it finishes this afternoon. Three hours they bake it! Sheesh! It's SO GOOD!!
Last night I went out with The Roommate and The Blonde German (who slept again on our couch) and tonight I'll go out with another Habitat 'Ho, because I need to enjoy my last days of freedom from studying (though honestly, I already have LOTS of studying to do!).
OK, time to clean up and head back for a Habitat "dedication" where I'll say my final farewells to lots of cool peeps. Sigh.
Me, I'm going back to my fish po' boy. Going so many years without eating shrimp, now I realize I don't even like it, and my stomach doesn't.
I love this place (Zimmer's) though - and they're keeping a piece of bread pudding for me once it finishes this afternoon. Three hours they bake it! Sheesh! It's SO GOOD!!
Last night I went out with The Roommate and The Blonde German (who slept again on our couch) and tonight I'll go out with another Habitat 'Ho, because I need to enjoy my last days of freedom from studying (though honestly, I already have LOTS of studying to do!).
OK, time to clean up and head back for a Habitat "dedication" where I'll say my final farewells to lots of cool peeps. Sigh.
seersucker galley
Yesterday our culminating orientation experience was chats with the State Bar Association. There was a short lecture and then we broke into smaller groups with practicing lawyers to discuss some hypothetical situations to examine our ethics and professionalism.
Two were dressed in seersucker, one was in a Miami Vice look with slicked back hair and no socks. All four were white men. Of course every cell of my body screamed, "Good Old Boys!"
But I'm glad I actually listened to them and didn't just dismiss them based on my prejudices. They are all great guys who believe strongly in professional conduct, including pro bono work and the like. Because of Katrina, hundreds of people accused only of misdemeanors have been languishing in the jails for over a year! 90% are indigent and have nobody to represent them.
Miami Vice Lawyer I really liked in particular, and when he said in the talk that he would be happy to have our help (after the first term) with his pro bono work, I followed up. There was a reception afterwards, and I ended up with his card and an excitement about it. He would send me in to interview people, especially. How exciting is that?! That kind of hands-on stuff, that's what appeals to me especially now. Helping innocent people whose lives have been totally effed up by the storms - that's what really appeals to me. As for the guilty people? Well, I haven't really come to terms with the idea of helping guilty people free. I know that it's not reasonable to expect them all to plead out - or even tell me the truth in interviews - but I'll deal with it when I have to. I do not plan to be a criminal defense lawyer or trial lawyer or any of that (I just want to travel and have meetings in exotic locations and work up contracts or something similarly boring), but I will do whatever is helpful now - and it would be great experience for me. Boston Legal - here I come! I guess I better get some suits soon.
I dunno - maybe everybody isn't full of crap, maybe first year is actually hard (Miami Vice Lawyer says we have just too much going on). I haven't really considered that possibility that I may actually get stressed. At most, 65% of students can get an A or B in the classes, and that's a stress I've never had before. Oh well, I'll do my best and see.
Well, off to Habitat now.
Two were dressed in seersucker, one was in a Miami Vice look with slicked back hair and no socks. All four were white men. Of course every cell of my body screamed, "Good Old Boys!"
But I'm glad I actually listened to them and didn't just dismiss them based on my prejudices. They are all great guys who believe strongly in professional conduct, including pro bono work and the like. Because of Katrina, hundreds of people accused only of misdemeanors have been languishing in the jails for over a year! 90% are indigent and have nobody to represent them.
Miami Vice Lawyer I really liked in particular, and when he said in the talk that he would be happy to have our help (after the first term) with his pro bono work, I followed up. There was a reception afterwards, and I ended up with his card and an excitement about it. He would send me in to interview people, especially. How exciting is that?! That kind of hands-on stuff, that's what appeals to me especially now. Helping innocent people whose lives have been totally effed up by the storms - that's what really appeals to me. As for the guilty people? Well, I haven't really come to terms with the idea of helping guilty people free. I know that it's not reasonable to expect them all to plead out - or even tell me the truth in interviews - but I'll deal with it when I have to. I do not plan to be a criminal defense lawyer or trial lawyer or any of that (I just want to travel and have meetings in exotic locations and work up contracts or something similarly boring), but I will do whatever is helpful now - and it would be great experience for me. Boston Legal - here I come! I guess I better get some suits soon.
I dunno - maybe everybody isn't full of crap, maybe first year is actually hard (Miami Vice Lawyer says we have just too much going on). I haven't really considered that possibility that I may actually get stressed. At most, 65% of students can get an A or B in the classes, and that's a stress I've never had before. Oh well, I'll do my best and see.
Well, off to Habitat now.
Friday, August 18, 2006
colonial fondness
There's a blonde asleep on my couch.
The reason that's so funny to me is that when Amy and I were becoming friends, she crashed on our couch several times. Susan said, "There's a blonde asleep on my couch!" long before she ever actually met her.
Yesterday's orientation was fine - it's well-organized and generally time-efficient.
I met some interesting people. First was Louisiana Boy who is NOTHING like how I conceive of a Louisiana Boy being. He sort of followed me around, peppering me with questions about education and the like. He was actually sort of interesting (he studied peace and conflict with an economics twist in Northern Ireland) but I wasn't in the mood for a Staunch Republican (his words).
Then at lunch I met World Travelling Gay Guy who said at one point (and I told him I would blog it) that he loves colonialism. That was the funniest thing I'd ever heard, and the lack of political correctness was invigorating. What he means by it is that when traveling someplace such as VietNam, locals take care of the foreigner in need. And while he won't avoid an experience just because there's a level of discomfort, he will always choose a shower and A/C over not when it's available. I liked him a lot, because he's pretty sane compared to my inexplicable need to suffer.
Then we had an information fair where I signed up for all sorts of things. Because 1st year law students (1L) are not allowed to work or serve on journals or start career preparations before December, I was worred I would be bored without enough to do. Fortunately there actually are tons of things to do, and I may volunteer in schools and with a local legal aid, and on all sorts of "societies."
I really liked the guy from one of the groups and we started up a really nice conversation. He was 1L last year and we talked about that - the majority of them had a whole year of law school in six months (because of Katrina) - meeting all day long, six days a week. Crazy. And we talked about the coolness and the frustrations of this city. "Always something blogworthy," I said. He wanted my blog url and I was like no way dude! So any of you that stumbled upon it here, you're a step ahead of that guy (whose name I forgot, but I wouldn't use his real name anyway).
I'm staying out of the intense hobnobbing and getting to know you crap. I figure I'll get to know people just fine on my own time. I like to check 'em out first.
Today is a brutal long day - I have to be there at 8:15 and it's not really over until 7 pm. And then I have bucketloads of homework and classes start Monday. The professors I've met or seen so far, they do seem really, really good.
OK, one bathroom for three women - not enough.
We went to the student rec center yesterday and they wanted my social security number as my ID number. I basically said there is no fucking way in hell that I will give you my social security number, so figure out another way. How crazy is that? They want my most private tax id number, the basis of identity theft, so that I can get on the ellipticals? So I shot off an email to our Dean of Students asking WTF?! We'll see what she says, but if they think they are going to use my SS# as my ID# at this university, then I have something to say about that.
The reason that's so funny to me is that when Amy and I were becoming friends, she crashed on our couch several times. Susan said, "There's a blonde asleep on my couch!" long before she ever actually met her.
Yesterday's orientation was fine - it's well-organized and generally time-efficient.
I met some interesting people. First was Louisiana Boy who is NOTHING like how I conceive of a Louisiana Boy being. He sort of followed me around, peppering me with questions about education and the like. He was actually sort of interesting (he studied peace and conflict with an economics twist in Northern Ireland) but I wasn't in the mood for a Staunch Republican (his words).
Then at lunch I met World Travelling Gay Guy who said at one point (and I told him I would blog it) that he loves colonialism. That was the funniest thing I'd ever heard, and the lack of political correctness was invigorating. What he means by it is that when traveling someplace such as VietNam, locals take care of the foreigner in need. And while he won't avoid an experience just because there's a level of discomfort, he will always choose a shower and A/C over not when it's available. I liked him a lot, because he's pretty sane compared to my inexplicable need to suffer.
Then we had an information fair where I signed up for all sorts of things. Because 1st year law students (1L) are not allowed to work or serve on journals or start career preparations before December, I was worred I would be bored without enough to do. Fortunately there actually are tons of things to do, and I may volunteer in schools and with a local legal aid, and on all sorts of "societies."
I really liked the guy from one of the groups and we started up a really nice conversation. He was 1L last year and we talked about that - the majority of them had a whole year of law school in six months (because of Katrina) - meeting all day long, six days a week. Crazy. And we talked about the coolness and the frustrations of this city. "Always something blogworthy," I said. He wanted my blog url and I was like no way dude! So any of you that stumbled upon it here, you're a step ahead of that guy (whose name I forgot, but I wouldn't use his real name anyway).
I'm staying out of the intense hobnobbing and getting to know you crap. I figure I'll get to know people just fine on my own time. I like to check 'em out first.
Today is a brutal long day - I have to be there at 8:15 and it's not really over until 7 pm. And then I have bucketloads of homework and classes start Monday. The professors I've met or seen so far, they do seem really, really good.
OK, one bathroom for three women - not enough.
We went to the student rec center yesterday and they wanted my social security number as my ID number. I basically said there is no fucking way in hell that I will give you my social security number, so figure out another way. How crazy is that? They want my most private tax id number, the basis of identity theft, so that I can get on the ellipticals? So I shot off an email to our Dean of Students asking WTF?! We'll see what she says, but if they think they are going to use my SS# as my ID# at this university, then I have something to say about that.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
universal precautions
I went to Habitat today and got set to work with a great group of folks. Met the hottest man I've ever seen around these parts (and I forgot to write down where he plays regularly, dammit, though I'm sure he wouldn't recognize me out of Habitat gear), and spent some time sorting nails with my favorite Americorps peeps. There was just one guy I didn't feel drawn to. So did I avoid him? Of course the universe would not allow that. Oh, no, I had to spend the day in the emergency room with him.
We'd been at site maybe three hours when I was getting ready to take off for a long lunch to register at law school and get my books; then I planned to come back and finish the day and say good-byes to the weekday people. (Michigan Leader was so happy to see me today it was touching.) We were carrying a floor beam over when Scruffy Sliced Guy ripped out a big chunk of his elbow and blood poured. The only vehicle around was mine and of course I jumped up to take him, and we quickly and quietly headed out. I cleaned up the elbow a little with my everpresent wipes and he held McDonald's napkins on it.
Unfortunately, Habitat was a disaster when it came to knowing what to do. The "medic" doesn't know anything about medicine. He said he could clean it, but I was not thrilled about the unsanitary environment (when I saw him pick up the tweezers from the ground and pull back the skin without any cleansing) and he needed stitches. I went searching for leaders to talk to about taking Scruffy Sliced Guy to the emergency room, but it was chaos. Nobody knew ANYTHING and one guy (who really bugs me, though he did save me from certain death on the ladder on Saturday) said some bullshit about how they couldn't take him for liability reasons if something happened on the way. I was like, "What?! We travel in the backs of Habitat pickups and do extremely dangerous things every day. And nobody can take him to the flaming hospital?!" Pepe Le Pew was quite helpful during this time (I can tell he's finally warming up to me), and I snuck off to rinse and sanitize my hands which were still covered with Scruffy Sliced Guy's blood.
I had registration to hit and only an hour window to do it, and I was feeling a little stressed but unwilling to leave Scruffy Sliced Guy to this chaos.
Some random person handed me a map to a hospital - on a piece of siding! It was a beautiful map and I loaded up The Bleeder and off we went. I dropped him off then headed to First Choice Law School where some other law student chatted up my license plates and led me straight to registration, then dropped $697 on textbooks (OUCH!), then headed back to the emergency room where we sat about three hours. Which really isn't that bad, and I had orientation materials to read. When we finally did see the doctor, he was way cool and has an interesting way to handle New Orleans - remove all people from the lowest land around here and flood it every few years and pay tourists to see. He had been through the worst of the worst - while he treated people through the storm and its aftermath, his house flooded AND burned. Our brief little chat was entertaining enough to make the whole day worthwhile and I hope I see him again sometime.
So, if this is the price I pay for all the really great things that come my way that people do for me, then of course it is such a minor one and I was happy to do it. Scruffy Sliced Guy was so grateful and it really was not a big deal at all. He's of course a very nice guy and his family sounds so sweet, and by taking him clear back to Saint Bernard Parish I got to see how things have changed there since April.
So now I know where a nearby hospital is, and I have lots of reading to do. In all, a successful day I'd say.
Next two days are orientation for the full day, so that was my last weekday Habitat day for the foreseeable future, and that has me way sad.
Fortunately I got one of the last pieces of bread pudding at Zimmer's, so I can sublimate.
We'd been at site maybe three hours when I was getting ready to take off for a long lunch to register at law school and get my books; then I planned to come back and finish the day and say good-byes to the weekday people. (Michigan Leader was so happy to see me today it was touching.) We were carrying a floor beam over when Scruffy Sliced Guy ripped out a big chunk of his elbow and blood poured. The only vehicle around was mine and of course I jumped up to take him, and we quickly and quietly headed out. I cleaned up the elbow a little with my everpresent wipes and he held McDonald's napkins on it.
Unfortunately, Habitat was a disaster when it came to knowing what to do. The "medic" doesn't know anything about medicine. He said he could clean it, but I was not thrilled about the unsanitary environment (when I saw him pick up the tweezers from the ground and pull back the skin without any cleansing) and he needed stitches. I went searching for leaders to talk to about taking Scruffy Sliced Guy to the emergency room, but it was chaos. Nobody knew ANYTHING and one guy (who really bugs me, though he did save me from certain death on the ladder on Saturday) said some bullshit about how they couldn't take him for liability reasons if something happened on the way. I was like, "What?! We travel in the backs of Habitat pickups and do extremely dangerous things every day. And nobody can take him to the flaming hospital?!" Pepe Le Pew was quite helpful during this time (I can tell he's finally warming up to me), and I snuck off to rinse and sanitize my hands which were still covered with Scruffy Sliced Guy's blood.
I had registration to hit and only an hour window to do it, and I was feeling a little stressed but unwilling to leave Scruffy Sliced Guy to this chaos.
Some random person handed me a map to a hospital - on a piece of siding! It was a beautiful map and I loaded up The Bleeder and off we went. I dropped him off then headed to First Choice Law School where some other law student chatted up my license plates and led me straight to registration, then dropped $697 on textbooks (OUCH!), then headed back to the emergency room where we sat about three hours. Which really isn't that bad, and I had orientation materials to read. When we finally did see the doctor, he was way cool and has an interesting way to handle New Orleans - remove all people from the lowest land around here and flood it every few years and pay tourists to see. He had been through the worst of the worst - while he treated people through the storm and its aftermath, his house flooded AND burned. Our brief little chat was entertaining enough to make the whole day worthwhile and I hope I see him again sometime.
So, if this is the price I pay for all the really great things that come my way that people do for me, then of course it is such a minor one and I was happy to do it. Scruffy Sliced Guy was so grateful and it really was not a big deal at all. He's of course a very nice guy and his family sounds so sweet, and by taking him clear back to Saint Bernard Parish I got to see how things have changed there since April.
So now I know where a nearby hospital is, and I have lots of reading to do. In all, a successful day I'd say.
Next two days are orientation for the full day, so that was my last weekday Habitat day for the foreseeable future, and that has me way sad.
Fortunately I got one of the last pieces of bread pudding at Zimmer's, so I can sublimate.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
the good, the bad, and the nice breasts
The very good: Gail and Shelton are officially engaged! Woo hoo!
Good: Keith at DMV telling me to get a Louisiana license I just need my old license really - that if I don't have official proof of residence they'll take my word for it, and they only need my birth certificate if I can find it easily. I just cannot force myself to deal with landlord for proof of residence. We *still* do not have a lease, which I need for proof of residence - and at this point, we've decided not to sign it. We may find someplace better. Our location is perfect and all, but if we found something better, we'd take it.
Bad: Driving around for an hour and two tanks worth of gas looking for the DMV. The one I was told to go to by the website doesn't issue new licenses, and it was SO hard to find. Then, the address they gave me to go to doesn't appear to exist. Tomorrow I'll try again at the one over near Target and pupusas - which I would have gone to first anyway, but I was told I had to go to the one in the parish where I live. Sigh. Well, at least I saw more of the city.
Good: Hearing BBC Africa here on the internet (my connection at home is pirated and not stable enough).
Bad: The third Nigerian official murdered in the past three months. I really worry about when Nigeria the tinderbox gets fully alight.
Good: The taste of this blended mocha. After the major stress of the driving around, I needed the chocolate and chillaxing here at the cafe a couple blocks from home. Plus, the A/C is on their dime, not mine.
Bad: The extreme sugar and caffeine will not allow me to sleep tonight.
Good: Today's orientation was actually really good. That's probably the first time I've ever said that about any of the many schools and events I've attended. They had good info about the Career Development Office, then a panel of third-year students, then a panel of alumni (a judge, a domestic violence advocate, a founding partner of a major law firm here, and the highest-ranking state attorney in the area). Basically I just have to focus on my studies until November, because every law school in the country forbids discussing careers with students until then. But then I can do full-force networking.
As of today, here's my three-year plan.
Fall 2006, Spring 2007: Attend First Choice Law School. Work on languages as possible, get good grades.
Summer 2007: Attend War Crimes Tribunal summer school at the Hague, Maritime Law summer school in Greek Isles, and find a month-long internship in West Africa or Middle East.
Fall 2007: Attend FCLS and interview with large firms. Hope for clerkship or other law-oriented part-time employment.
Spring 2008: Study abroad. Maybe somewhere in Europe or Latin America - or maybe South Africa.
Summer 2008: Paid internship with large multinational corporation in maritime department, doing humble grunt work without complaint.
Fall 2008, Spring 2009: Finish up law school, intense legal volunteer and/or clerkships.
May 15, 2009: GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT
Bad: In the orientation, they had us do a group activity where we determine our values and then they are auctioned off. My group? We spent all our cash, using tactical strategizing, on High Income, overriding Helping Others, Creativity, Independence, Quality of Life, etc. Now, that's not all bad - it was a fairly painless activity and we laughed throughout. But that those are the values I now am a part of? That's pretty embarrassing. But, just long enough to pay off the student loans and buy a house. Then I'm back to helping others, using my law degree as a catalyst for social change.
And then?
Well, I've been doing a lot of internet searching about medical schools in the Caribbean. It would be especially great if it were in Spanish. Why there? Well, it'd be less stressful and I'd get to live in a pleasant place and I'm really interested in tropical diseases and health education and emergency care.
Good: Tomorrow I get to stop by the law school and get my schedule for the fall, so then I can go get my books.
Bad: I will cry when it comes time to actually pay for the books. I'm sure they will cost me a fortune.
Good: They gave us lunch at orientation, and it was actually good (jambalaya, rice & beans, and spinach salad). My tablemates were quite nice, and one had very lovely breasts. Now, I may be straight and all that, but I can appreciate nice breasts as much as the next person. And, the person attached to them seems quite nice.
Bad: Now I am no longer anonymous. I will have to try to remember people whom I've met and not do anything disreputable in public. Being a "nontraditional student," it is easier for them to notice me than vice versa - all those Southern white boys do quite honestly look exactly alike. I'll eventually be able to distinguish, but it will be tough at first.
Good: Keith at DMV telling me to get a Louisiana license I just need my old license really - that if I don't have official proof of residence they'll take my word for it, and they only need my birth certificate if I can find it easily. I just cannot force myself to deal with landlord for proof of residence. We *still* do not have a lease, which I need for proof of residence - and at this point, we've decided not to sign it. We may find someplace better. Our location is perfect and all, but if we found something better, we'd take it.
Bad: Driving around for an hour and two tanks worth of gas looking for the DMV. The one I was told to go to by the website doesn't issue new licenses, and it was SO hard to find. Then, the address they gave me to go to doesn't appear to exist. Tomorrow I'll try again at the one over near Target and pupusas - which I would have gone to first anyway, but I was told I had to go to the one in the parish where I live. Sigh. Well, at least I saw more of the city.
Good: Hearing BBC Africa here on the internet (my connection at home is pirated and not stable enough).
Bad: The third Nigerian official murdered in the past three months. I really worry about when Nigeria the tinderbox gets fully alight.
Good: The taste of this blended mocha. After the major stress of the driving around, I needed the chocolate and chillaxing here at the cafe a couple blocks from home. Plus, the A/C is on their dime, not mine.
Bad: The extreme sugar and caffeine will not allow me to sleep tonight.
Good: Today's orientation was actually really good. That's probably the first time I've ever said that about any of the many schools and events I've attended. They had good info about the Career Development Office, then a panel of third-year students, then a panel of alumni (a judge, a domestic violence advocate, a founding partner of a major law firm here, and the highest-ranking state attorney in the area). Basically I just have to focus on my studies until November, because every law school in the country forbids discussing careers with students until then. But then I can do full-force networking.
As of today, here's my three-year plan.
Fall 2006, Spring 2007: Attend First Choice Law School. Work on languages as possible, get good grades.
Summer 2007: Attend War Crimes Tribunal summer school at the Hague, Maritime Law summer school in Greek Isles, and find a month-long internship in West Africa or Middle East.
Fall 2007: Attend FCLS and interview with large firms. Hope for clerkship or other law-oriented part-time employment.
Spring 2008: Study abroad. Maybe somewhere in Europe or Latin America - or maybe South Africa.
Summer 2008: Paid internship with large multinational corporation in maritime department, doing humble grunt work without complaint.
Fall 2008, Spring 2009: Finish up law school, intense legal volunteer and/or clerkships.
May 15, 2009: GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT
Bad: In the orientation, they had us do a group activity where we determine our values and then they are auctioned off. My group? We spent all our cash, using tactical strategizing, on High Income, overriding Helping Others, Creativity, Independence, Quality of Life, etc. Now, that's not all bad - it was a fairly painless activity and we laughed throughout. But that those are the values I now am a part of? That's pretty embarrassing. But, just long enough to pay off the student loans and buy a house. Then I'm back to helping others, using my law degree as a catalyst for social change.
And then?
Well, I've been doing a lot of internet searching about medical schools in the Caribbean. It would be especially great if it were in Spanish. Why there? Well, it'd be less stressful and I'd get to live in a pleasant place and I'm really interested in tropical diseases and health education and emergency care.
Good: Tomorrow I get to stop by the law school and get my schedule for the fall, so then I can go get my books.
Bad: I will cry when it comes time to actually pay for the books. I'm sure they will cost me a fortune.
Good: They gave us lunch at orientation, and it was actually good (jambalaya, rice & beans, and spinach salad). My tablemates were quite nice, and one had very lovely breasts. Now, I may be straight and all that, but I can appreciate nice breasts as much as the next person. And, the person attached to them seems quite nice.
Bad: Now I am no longer anonymous. I will have to try to remember people whom I've met and not do anything disreputable in public. Being a "nontraditional student," it is easier for them to notice me than vice versa - all those Southern white boys do quite honestly look exactly alike. I'll eventually be able to distinguish, but it will be tough at first.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
love, kindness, patience, charity
It was a disappointing Meeting.
First, when I looked around at everyone's faces, I saw no trace of gentle humor. Being Mindful is so important of course, but so is keeping perspective. My hunches of uptight self-righteousness rang true during introductions when a squabble erupted about whether to hold Business Meeting. It was a stupid squabble.
Even more stupid was a squabble about whether Mona's or Lebanon's Cafe is better. When a visitor asked a good place to find vegan food, I suggested Mona's and said there is also Lebanon's two blocks down, but I prefer Mona's. Personal preference, that's all. What happened next would be most appropriate (though still inexcusable) in an all-girl's 8th grade classroom. Two of the members argued about which was better, "proving" it to each other.
I'll go back, hoping that was a fluke and a bad day for all involved rather than a regular occurrence. I have nothing to lose right now, so I may well say something the next time. It was completely inappropriate behavior by anybody professing Quaker beliefs, much less at a Quaker Meeting! And then the one who "lost" the argument about whether to hold business meeting actually subverted it happening during its time by engaging in private conversations.
I was also disturbed by the frequent allusion to people as "Birthright Quakers" or not. Who cares?!
The Meeting is very small, now more than ever. Perhaps there is a leadership vacuum which encourages these types of occurrences. I'll see, and give it another chance or two.
First, when I looked around at everyone's faces, I saw no trace of gentle humor. Being Mindful is so important of course, but so is keeping perspective. My hunches of uptight self-righteousness rang true during introductions when a squabble erupted about whether to hold Business Meeting. It was a stupid squabble.
Even more stupid was a squabble about whether Mona's or Lebanon's Cafe is better. When a visitor asked a good place to find vegan food, I suggested Mona's and said there is also Lebanon's two blocks down, but I prefer Mona's. Personal preference, that's all. What happened next would be most appropriate (though still inexcusable) in an all-girl's 8th grade classroom. Two of the members argued about which was better, "proving" it to each other.
I'll go back, hoping that was a fluke and a bad day for all involved rather than a regular occurrence. I have nothing to lose right now, so I may well say something the next time. It was completely inappropriate behavior by anybody professing Quaker beliefs, much less at a Quaker Meeting! And then the one who "lost" the argument about whether to hold business meeting actually subverted it happening during its time by engaging in private conversations.
I was also disturbed by the frequent allusion to people as "Birthright Quakers" or not. Who cares?!
The Meeting is very small, now more than ever. Perhaps there is a leadership vacuum which encourages these types of occurrences. I'll see, and give it another chance or two.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Mama
This evening, I was quietly eating my steamed green beans, my sauteed zucchini, my cheese-jalapeno ciabbata.
The Roommate Maelstrom swept in.
Next thing I knew I was taking another German to the supermarket, helping her break into her bedroom with a credit card, transporting bicycles, threatening sadistic Belorussian roommates.
When I returned, having left The Roommate to put away the groceries, she met me with cries of how there was no electricity in her room. So, I figured out where the fuse box is and finally was able to throw the circuit breaker back.
But the thing is that I TOLD HER days ago NOT to put all these other gadgets on the same outlet as her A/C. I told her to get an extension cord and run it from the other wall. I told her, I told her.
Sigh.
This after yesterday I gave her a lesson on how to flush a toilet. Oh, she knows how - but this one is a little funky. A little jiggle is all, but she couldn't figure it out on her own.
Of course, there is a good side to this I guess. For example, she's very appreciative of my cooking and helps with prep and clean-up. And the other girl is very sweet (she says my German is perfect, without accent) and I don't begrudge helping her at all - she's going through some very rough times through no fault of her own.
I just feel weary. I feel like a mother lion. I feel like Adam Sandler's character in Spanglish when he just wanted to eat his sandwich. I just wanted to finish my green vegetables and move on to some canteloupe with vanilla yogurt. I just wanted quiet and peace and antioxidants.
So, Target Parking Lot boy is meeting me on Monday to build houses, he says. It'll be a hot date - heat index expectation is 110 again.
And The Ex-Fiance might be back in the picture. My heart and head are in too much conflict, so I say nothing. If he will wait until the end of time for me because he's so sure we are meant to be together, then why didn't he call me more often? Tell me things I needed to hear? GET DIVORCED? Too much water under the bridge, but also not enough. I would love to be sharing life here with him and the girls. Hell, if I'm gonna play mama, it may as well be to pre-teen stepdaughters rather than mid-20's Germans.
The Roommate Maelstrom swept in.
Next thing I knew I was taking another German to the supermarket, helping her break into her bedroom with a credit card, transporting bicycles, threatening sadistic Belorussian roommates.
When I returned, having left The Roommate to put away the groceries, she met me with cries of how there was no electricity in her room. So, I figured out where the fuse box is and finally was able to throw the circuit breaker back.
But the thing is that I TOLD HER days ago NOT to put all these other gadgets on the same outlet as her A/C. I told her to get an extension cord and run it from the other wall. I told her, I told her.
Sigh.
This after yesterday I gave her a lesson on how to flush a toilet. Oh, she knows how - but this one is a little funky. A little jiggle is all, but she couldn't figure it out on her own.
Of course, there is a good side to this I guess. For example, she's very appreciative of my cooking and helps with prep and clean-up. And the other girl is very sweet (she says my German is perfect, without accent) and I don't begrudge helping her at all - she's going through some very rough times through no fault of her own.
I just feel weary. I feel like a mother lion. I feel like Adam Sandler's character in Spanglish when he just wanted to eat his sandwich. I just wanted to finish my green vegetables and move on to some canteloupe with vanilla yogurt. I just wanted quiet and peace and antioxidants.
So, Target Parking Lot boy is meeting me on Monday to build houses, he says. It'll be a hot date - heat index expectation is 110 again.
And The Ex-Fiance might be back in the picture. My heart and head are in too much conflict, so I say nothing. If he will wait until the end of time for me because he's so sure we are meant to be together, then why didn't he call me more often? Tell me things I needed to hear? GET DIVORCED? Too much water under the bridge, but also not enough. I would love to be sharing life here with him and the girls. Hell, if I'm gonna play mama, it may as well be to pre-teen stepdaughters rather than mid-20's Germans.
eat at Texas Roadhouse
Why? Because they support Habitat for Humanity in a huge way - they build houses, get their staff to help, do major fundraising, etc.
Today I was Wrapper Girl. Me and Protecta-Wrap, we are tight. When you peel it back, it's stickiness is a tar-like substance, so I have brown spots all over my hands. It's all good, it'll all eventually come off - but it was a little embarrassing when I went to lunch. At Zimmer's, which Kim recommended - great sandwich, but they were out of bread pudding. It's famous - people come from far and wide for that bread pudding. I can't wait until I actually get some next week.
So, the wrap goes around the windows in a particular pattern. The only real challenge is getting on the damn ladders and going up so high. At one point my ladder slid back and I let out a little shriek and one of the Habitat guys was able to help me. Somebody working inside said she saw me and then I slowly sunk down and she couldn't see me - fortunately she came out to check on me, too. It was a little scary because I didn't have a spotter - I was up 20' on ladders in sand, wrestling with tar. But, I'm happy to report, I'm all good.
I started off the day with a Texas Roadhouse team, but they left about 9:30 (and my partner spent the last hour of that flirting with the National Guard Military Police who patrols the neighborhood in tanks). I'm trying to be patient with people who feel the need to take pictures of everything. I know if you only come for a few days that it's nice to document and all that, but I always want to shout, "Hey! Grab a hammer!"
So then I tried to find another team. Pepe Le Pew's team (OK, I may sound like a real anti-French here, but his accent is JUST like Pepe Le Pew's, except I really can't understand him well, but I'll probably get used to it because we'll be working together extensively on Jazz Leader's house hopefully - once it's actually squared) was overfull (that's where Jazz Leader was, the only person on the whole site today whom I knew) so I wandered around until I found a team where a lot of people weren't standing around. There was a kid sitting on the ground - he's the one on Wednesday who got a super-deep cut when I was in the medical tent with sting-in-eye-boy. So I asked him what was up, and his dad was the supervisor, and this leader was awesome. Such incredible patience - and he has such great kids who really love and respect him. He's one of those people who just exudes love, and being around him is a real gift. So I joined up and all alone I wrapped almost every window (until the Navy folks took my ladders away, trying to clean up).
It's rewarding working on a task like that, and I think Habitat work will continue to get even more rewarding for me the more accustomed to the work I am. Already I can do subflooring without much supervision, and some other tasks as well. The less I have to wait around to ask a leader what to do or if I'm doing it right, the better for everybody - plus, then I can help others more.
But I will never be as great a leader as the ones I've worked with, especially Michigan Leader, Jazz Leader, and today's Patient Leader. Patient Leader today said, as I teetered up to my fifth window, "You have an amazing spirit - how you can take a task and just run with it." When we said good bye, he said, "You're special." "Likewise," was my response. Knowing him only briefly was a gift.
And that's what's so great is that I'm meeting so many people like that through Habitat.
Like the Cincinnati girls last night said, working here with Habitat far exceeded their wildest expectations. For both, it was one of the best experiences of their lives, and they cried to leave (though, one also cried last night on Bourbon Street when one of the police horses bit her HARD - breaking skin and all that).
I am so over Bourbon Street. My ears are still ringing from all the noise. Maybe it's more fun if I'm not driving, so I can drink. Cincinnati Jennifer hopes to come back to work more, and I offered her my couch anytime.
I've always thought of myself as a pretty strong person, but now I have a real reason to increase my strength - to be able to lift 80-pound bags of concrete and huge extension ladders and piles of concrete blocks by myself. Michigan Leader said the guys he used to work with used to say, "If it was easy, they'd have girls do it," ... so I have to prove that wrong for sure.
Today I was Wrapper Girl. Me and Protecta-Wrap, we are tight. When you peel it back, it's stickiness is a tar-like substance, so I have brown spots all over my hands. It's all good, it'll all eventually come off - but it was a little embarrassing when I went to lunch. At Zimmer's, which Kim recommended - great sandwich, but they were out of bread pudding. It's famous - people come from far and wide for that bread pudding. I can't wait until I actually get some next week.
So, the wrap goes around the windows in a particular pattern. The only real challenge is getting on the damn ladders and going up so high. At one point my ladder slid back and I let out a little shriek and one of the Habitat guys was able to help me. Somebody working inside said she saw me and then I slowly sunk down and she couldn't see me - fortunately she came out to check on me, too. It was a little scary because I didn't have a spotter - I was up 20' on ladders in sand, wrestling with tar. But, I'm happy to report, I'm all good.
I started off the day with a Texas Roadhouse team, but they left about 9:30 (and my partner spent the last hour of that flirting with the National Guard Military Police who patrols the neighborhood in tanks). I'm trying to be patient with people who feel the need to take pictures of everything. I know if you only come for a few days that it's nice to document and all that, but I always want to shout, "Hey! Grab a hammer!"
So then I tried to find another team. Pepe Le Pew's team (OK, I may sound like a real anti-French here, but his accent is JUST like Pepe Le Pew's, except I really can't understand him well, but I'll probably get used to it because we'll be working together extensively on Jazz Leader's house hopefully - once it's actually squared) was overfull (that's where Jazz Leader was, the only person on the whole site today whom I knew) so I wandered around until I found a team where a lot of people weren't standing around. There was a kid sitting on the ground - he's the one on Wednesday who got a super-deep cut when I was in the medical tent with sting-in-eye-boy. So I asked him what was up, and his dad was the supervisor, and this leader was awesome. Such incredible patience - and he has such great kids who really love and respect him. He's one of those people who just exudes love, and being around him is a real gift. So I joined up and all alone I wrapped almost every window (until the Navy folks took my ladders away, trying to clean up).
It's rewarding working on a task like that, and I think Habitat work will continue to get even more rewarding for me the more accustomed to the work I am. Already I can do subflooring without much supervision, and some other tasks as well. The less I have to wait around to ask a leader what to do or if I'm doing it right, the better for everybody - plus, then I can help others more.
But I will never be as great a leader as the ones I've worked with, especially Michigan Leader, Jazz Leader, and today's Patient Leader. Patient Leader today said, as I teetered up to my fifth window, "You have an amazing spirit - how you can take a task and just run with it." When we said good bye, he said, "You're special." "Likewise," was my response. Knowing him only briefly was a gift.
And that's what's so great is that I'm meeting so many people like that through Habitat.
Like the Cincinnati girls last night said, working here with Habitat far exceeded their wildest expectations. For both, it was one of the best experiences of their lives, and they cried to leave (though, one also cried last night on Bourbon Street when one of the police horses bit her HARD - breaking skin and all that).
I am so over Bourbon Street. My ears are still ringing from all the noise. Maybe it's more fun if I'm not driving, so I can drink. Cincinnati Jennifer hopes to come back to work more, and I offered her my couch anytime.
I've always thought of myself as a pretty strong person, but now I have a real reason to increase my strength - to be able to lift 80-pound bags of concrete and huge extension ladders and piles of concrete blocks by myself. Michigan Leader said the guys he used to work with used to say, "If it was easy, they'd have girls do it," ... so I have to prove that wrong for sure.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Habitat 'Ho
Here's why I love Team 'Wood (which is disbanded now, sadly):
-I went late today, lots of stuff to do first. When I walked on-site, I saw Blond North Carolina Boy (he's about 17, he's here this summer staying with his brother who attends my law school) and he filled me in on the team's happenings. When I asked if there were too many people at that house, he said, "There are a lot, but we would love to have you." Now, that's just nice as can be. And I find over and over, that's what Kids These Days are like.
-Cincinnati Girls invited me out tonight, which will be very fun.
-We were on scaffolding to put up siding and the sawhorse broke and Blond North Carolina Boy fell off backwards. He was ok, just some bleeding and scrapes. He got back up and kept on working on. When Preacher Billy walked past, I said, "Hey! BNCB just laid down his life, just like you tell us to do every morning!" Poor Billy was not in best shape, he was tired or something, and he took it seriously and was concerned about injury and liability and all that (we do insanely dangerous things regularly). But later BNCB said slyly, "I liked your joke about the laying down the life. I got it." I don't want to be mean to Preacher Billy; I just get tired of hearing the same sermons over and over.
So, it was a good but short Habitat day. I will go in tomorrow and Monday and part of Wednesday hopefully, but then I'm not able to go in every day, and I will really, really miss it. I will miss learning and I will miss people and I will miss serving meaningfully.
-I went late today, lots of stuff to do first. When I walked on-site, I saw Blond North Carolina Boy (he's about 17, he's here this summer staying with his brother who attends my law school) and he filled me in on the team's happenings. When I asked if there were too many people at that house, he said, "There are a lot, but we would love to have you." Now, that's just nice as can be. And I find over and over, that's what Kids These Days are like.
-Cincinnati Girls invited me out tonight, which will be very fun.
-We were on scaffolding to put up siding and the sawhorse broke and Blond North Carolina Boy fell off backwards. He was ok, just some bleeding and scrapes. He got back up and kept on working on. When Preacher Billy walked past, I said, "Hey! BNCB just laid down his life, just like you tell us to do every morning!" Poor Billy was not in best shape, he was tired or something, and he took it seriously and was concerned about injury and liability and all that (we do insanely dangerous things regularly). But later BNCB said slyly, "I liked your joke about the laying down the life. I got it." I don't want to be mean to Preacher Billy; I just get tired of hearing the same sermons over and over.
So, it was a good but short Habitat day. I will go in tomorrow and Monday and part of Wednesday hopefully, but then I'm not able to go in every day, and I will really, really miss it. I will miss learning and I will miss people and I will miss serving meaningfully.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
a vent
I've tried everything to post pics here, but to no avail.
Sigh.
It was a very tiring day as a Habitat 'Ho, lots of hard work. We got lots of things done (finished laying all the subflooring), but every muscle hurts. There was lots of heavy lifting and lots of hammering (nail guns are not allowed). It was Kim's last day, which was very sad - now she's returning to Alabama to finish up her RN. We got some good girl time, and I have her in my phone book to call with, "Kim! I'm making red beans and rice! What do I do now!?"
I broke all protocol by engaging in a heated argument with Michigan Leader about politics. I just don't understand how people believe some of the things he said - about how it was our moral obligation to invade Iraq because "they" didn't "keep treaties." About how all Arabs hate all Americans and the only thing that can happen is things will get much worse until we decide to bomb them.
Now, those things were said after I provoked him - not angrily or anything, but probing questions. But finally I understand the obsession with coverage about Lebanon. There's a concept here that Israel and us are against the rest of the world (sometimes Europe, but they're unreliable). How did that happen? I used to be all pro-Israel, loving the underdog and all that, but my views have definitely changed into an uneasy, "I dunnnoooo ..."
Anyway, then I came home to The Roommate and I had very little patience for her judgmentalism and sweeping generalizations - especially when her facts are wrong. When I pointed out that this country is far more diverse than any other and therefore statements about Americans in general will be generally incorrect, she tried to convince me of the "fact" that the US is 80% rural and 20% urban. What? Of course I knew that was incorrect, but she was really uninterested in looking at actual US Census data (she had it reversed - it's nearly the opposite, about 79% urban). Then she tried to explain that our urban definitions are wrong here (?!) and that New Orleans doesn't even really count as urban. What?!
In Germany this frequent arrogance and judgmentalism and all that - I could take it because I was in their country. And the flashes I've seen it of my German friends in America, I could usually take it ok. But I'm already really annoyed with it in her, and I pointed out today that in the US people are much more concerned about manners, something she doesn't understand. She says people here don't argue about politics because they are ignorant, but she is wrong - it's that arguing about politics or religion is considered impolite (and there are other reasons too, of course, but especially here in the South, that's a major one).
I cannot imagine going to another country and constantly bitching about how things are to its residents. That is just poor form. She has a class of international students that she should complain to, not to me.
Now, I need to be fair, she is a nice person and generally means well - there's just a personality thing that bugs me. An inability to see other sides. A black and white world where she is always right, even when things just are and there is no right or wrong. Today she went off on everything wrong with our Constitution, yesterday it was how stupid common law is because we follow case precedent, etc. ... and each time I say, "You like yours because it's what you know. Ours serves us well and it's what I like." The thing is that she doesn't see herself - she was complaining about another German student being clingy, but she is totally clingy - she has to be with me constantly, and while that's ok sometimes, a lot of the time I just want to be alone and not hear her unfounded opinions.
In Germany, people study law for five years - straight from high school. There is no general course of study there for lawyers. And I understand the value of that, and I understand the bitching of students here who have to take all sorts of required courses not in their field of study, but I think it is really valuable to have at least a generalist exposure. I'm very glad I've had the varied life and educational experiences that I have. So when somebody who has not tries to tell me that she is right about things she does not know, I have little patience. And I feel like a mother lion hitting down a disobedient cub which is most definitely NOT what I wanted to experience. I don't want to live in a qualitative study of cross-cultural lack of awareness.
When I argued with Michigan Leader, I still liked him after. I like him a lot - he's a really good guy and we disagree. That's how I like things to be - that we can agree to disagree, or think about each others' points. But today I had to tell The Roommate clearly that I'm offended when she keeps going off on stereotyping Indians. Every day she feels the need to talk about Indians in a way that shows she really doesn't understand manners (she insists they are devious and lie, rather than seeing issues of saving face and keeping peace) - and I find it offensive because it's simply untrue of the Indians I know, and it's racist. She prefaces her comments with, "I may be stereotyping up to my neck, but ..." and today I said, "Yes, you are. I find no difference between you saying these things and The Landlord going off on "low-income African-Americans" that he discriminates against. It troubles me." And I realize that she has not studied these things as I have, but that's not my fault.
And the thing is that I know I was the same way in my 20's (though never racist, I hope), and I can still get that imperious tone. It's fine to work through that - but I didn't expect it in somebody nearly 30, and it wasn't clear in our communications. I don't see this in my other friends who are younger though - I think of Lalo, Jenny, Gail, Shelton, and others. It's nice to have a drinking buddy handy, and we get along swimmingly when we're drunk. But I don't want to be drunk all the time. And she really doesn't get the point of seeing other points of view. Today she got really agitated when I said one person voting makes no difference, and she went off on how I shouldn't study law if I think I can't make a positive change.
Me make a positive change? Hm. OK. She has gone to college and studied her entire adult life and never volunteered or done anything except live off the German state. I've done more positive change in the past week than she has in her entire life. But that doesn't matter, what raised my hackles was the concept that there's only one reason to do anything. "Look, I'm an adult. I know well the limitations of law. There are no scales to fall from my eyes. I'm not an idealist, and that's a good thing." But the point is really that I was pointing out how others see things - I know many people who are really, really different than me, and sometimes I understand them pretty well. I vote religiously, and I agitate my friends to do the same, but if somebody doesn't then I don't point at them and scream that they are an evil person.
This is tedious and repetitive, and I frequently just don't listen to her. But I also think she needs to be told when she's out of line - because she won't learn any other way.
On another note, Target Parking Lot Boy has been calling me frequently. Yes, I gave him my nunber. Don't ask me why. Maybe because I thought it would be interesting to chill with somebody not self-righteous.
So here's my brilliant idea. Our first "date" will be a Habitat day. He doesn't know it yet, he just knows I agreed to see him on Monday.
And yeah, he's annoying too already. Looks like the only people who don't annoy me are Team 'Wood. But by the end of the day, I'm just too worn out to be civil to others. We have a group of Cincinnati people - involved with an organization there called Give Back, Cincinnati. I like them a lot - they are fun and work hard and genuinely care. Today we were a team of just 10, and we accomplished more than we did as 25 yesterday. We were in the zone - and I think we were all feeling it at the end of the day, especially as the sun started to beat down really mercilessly. I come home and can barely move. Then The Roommate comes in and says, "YOU are tired?! I'm the one who's tired! I've been sitting in lectures for the past 5 hours!" Um, yeah. Hard manual labor for 7 hours or sitting on my ass for 5.
I'm going to invite Michigan Leader and his wife over to dinner, and I'll just let him and The Roommate go at it. The problem is that he is a sweet guy who will not attack, and she will mistake that for ignorance. I really want to invite him over to meet with Tami and Ahmed - I think that would be a great experience.
I need to start figuring out menus for all these people I want to invite over for dinner, and then I need to get more chairs, and then I need to just do it. The problem I have with menus is the people who love meat, who are vegan, who are vegetarian, who are allergic - it's all a crazy mix. Tami's mom doesn't eat meat but loves cheese, and her dad doesn't eat cheese but loves meat, and Tami doesn't eat either. How do I make completely vegan meals that satisfy everybody and are extremely tasty?
Anyway, I'll be happy when Tami and Ahmed are back. We probably won't see each other much since they live far away, but it's still nice to know they're in the vicinity.
Sigh.
It was a very tiring day as a Habitat 'Ho, lots of hard work. We got lots of things done (finished laying all the subflooring), but every muscle hurts. There was lots of heavy lifting and lots of hammering (nail guns are not allowed). It was Kim's last day, which was very sad - now she's returning to Alabama to finish up her RN. We got some good girl time, and I have her in my phone book to call with, "Kim! I'm making red beans and rice! What do I do now!?"
I broke all protocol by engaging in a heated argument with Michigan Leader about politics. I just don't understand how people believe some of the things he said - about how it was our moral obligation to invade Iraq because "they" didn't "keep treaties." About how all Arabs hate all Americans and the only thing that can happen is things will get much worse until we decide to bomb them.
Now, those things were said after I provoked him - not angrily or anything, but probing questions. But finally I understand the obsession with coverage about Lebanon. There's a concept here that Israel and us are against the rest of the world (sometimes Europe, but they're unreliable). How did that happen? I used to be all pro-Israel, loving the underdog and all that, but my views have definitely changed into an uneasy, "I dunnnoooo ..."
Anyway, then I came home to The Roommate and I had very little patience for her judgmentalism and sweeping generalizations - especially when her facts are wrong. When I pointed out that this country is far more diverse than any other and therefore statements about Americans in general will be generally incorrect, she tried to convince me of the "fact" that the US is 80% rural and 20% urban. What? Of course I knew that was incorrect, but she was really uninterested in looking at actual US Census data (she had it reversed - it's nearly the opposite, about 79% urban). Then she tried to explain that our urban definitions are wrong here (?!) and that New Orleans doesn't even really count as urban. What?!
In Germany this frequent arrogance and judgmentalism and all that - I could take it because I was in their country. And the flashes I've seen it of my German friends in America, I could usually take it ok. But I'm already really annoyed with it in her, and I pointed out today that in the US people are much more concerned about manners, something she doesn't understand. She says people here don't argue about politics because they are ignorant, but she is wrong - it's that arguing about politics or religion is considered impolite (and there are other reasons too, of course, but especially here in the South, that's a major one).
I cannot imagine going to another country and constantly bitching about how things are to its residents. That is just poor form. She has a class of international students that she should complain to, not to me.
Now, I need to be fair, she is a nice person and generally means well - there's just a personality thing that bugs me. An inability to see other sides. A black and white world where she is always right, even when things just are and there is no right or wrong. Today she went off on everything wrong with our Constitution, yesterday it was how stupid common law is because we follow case precedent, etc. ... and each time I say, "You like yours because it's what you know. Ours serves us well and it's what I like." The thing is that she doesn't see herself - she was complaining about another German student being clingy, but she is totally clingy - she has to be with me constantly, and while that's ok sometimes, a lot of the time I just want to be alone and not hear her unfounded opinions.
In Germany, people study law for five years - straight from high school. There is no general course of study there for lawyers. And I understand the value of that, and I understand the bitching of students here who have to take all sorts of required courses not in their field of study, but I think it is really valuable to have at least a generalist exposure. I'm very glad I've had the varied life and educational experiences that I have. So when somebody who has not tries to tell me that she is right about things she does not know, I have little patience. And I feel like a mother lion hitting down a disobedient cub which is most definitely NOT what I wanted to experience. I don't want to live in a qualitative study of cross-cultural lack of awareness.
When I argued with Michigan Leader, I still liked him after. I like him a lot - he's a really good guy and we disagree. That's how I like things to be - that we can agree to disagree, or think about each others' points. But today I had to tell The Roommate clearly that I'm offended when she keeps going off on stereotyping Indians. Every day she feels the need to talk about Indians in a way that shows she really doesn't understand manners (she insists they are devious and lie, rather than seeing issues of saving face and keeping peace) - and I find it offensive because it's simply untrue of the Indians I know, and it's racist. She prefaces her comments with, "I may be stereotyping up to my neck, but ..." and today I said, "Yes, you are. I find no difference between you saying these things and The Landlord going off on "low-income African-Americans" that he discriminates against. It troubles me." And I realize that she has not studied these things as I have, but that's not my fault.
And the thing is that I know I was the same way in my 20's (though never racist, I hope), and I can still get that imperious tone. It's fine to work through that - but I didn't expect it in somebody nearly 30, and it wasn't clear in our communications. I don't see this in my other friends who are younger though - I think of Lalo, Jenny, Gail, Shelton, and others. It's nice to have a drinking buddy handy, and we get along swimmingly when we're drunk. But I don't want to be drunk all the time. And she really doesn't get the point of seeing other points of view. Today she got really agitated when I said one person voting makes no difference, and she went off on how I shouldn't study law if I think I can't make a positive change.
Me make a positive change? Hm. OK. She has gone to college and studied her entire adult life and never volunteered or done anything except live off the German state. I've done more positive change in the past week than she has in her entire life. But that doesn't matter, what raised my hackles was the concept that there's only one reason to do anything. "Look, I'm an adult. I know well the limitations of law. There are no scales to fall from my eyes. I'm not an idealist, and that's a good thing." But the point is really that I was pointing out how others see things - I know many people who are really, really different than me, and sometimes I understand them pretty well. I vote religiously, and I agitate my friends to do the same, but if somebody doesn't then I don't point at them and scream that they are an evil person.
This is tedious and repetitive, and I frequently just don't listen to her. But I also think she needs to be told when she's out of line - because she won't learn any other way.
On another note, Target Parking Lot Boy has been calling me frequently. Yes, I gave him my nunber. Don't ask me why. Maybe because I thought it would be interesting to chill with somebody not self-righteous.
So here's my brilliant idea. Our first "date" will be a Habitat day. He doesn't know it yet, he just knows I agreed to see him on Monday.
And yeah, he's annoying too already. Looks like the only people who don't annoy me are Team 'Wood. But by the end of the day, I'm just too worn out to be civil to others. We have a group of Cincinnati people - involved with an organization there called Give Back, Cincinnati. I like them a lot - they are fun and work hard and genuinely care. Today we were a team of just 10, and we accomplished more than we did as 25 yesterday. We were in the zone - and I think we were all feeling it at the end of the day, especially as the sun started to beat down really mercilessly. I come home and can barely move. Then The Roommate comes in and says, "YOU are tired?! I'm the one who's tired! I've been sitting in lectures for the past 5 hours!" Um, yeah. Hard manual labor for 7 hours or sitting on my ass for 5.
I'm going to invite Michigan Leader and his wife over to dinner, and I'll just let him and The Roommate go at it. The problem is that he is a sweet guy who will not attack, and she will mistake that for ignorance. I really want to invite him over to meet with Tami and Ahmed - I think that would be a great experience.
I need to start figuring out menus for all these people I want to invite over for dinner, and then I need to get more chairs, and then I need to just do it. The problem I have with menus is the people who love meat, who are vegan, who are vegetarian, who are allergic - it's all a crazy mix. Tami's mom doesn't eat meat but loves cheese, and her dad doesn't eat cheese but loves meat, and Tami doesn't eat either. How do I make completely vegan meals that satisfy everybody and are extremely tasty?
Anyway, I'll be happy when Tami and Ahmed are back. We probably won't see each other much since they live far away, but it's still nice to know they're in the vicinity.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
potholes
Today I went off-site to another place where we were clearing land to build. Actually the blocks had been mortared and the floor joists laid, so it was a step ahead.
However, it was a jungle, so we spent quite some time pulling and hacking weeds before starting in on finishing spacers and then the subflooring.
But I get ahead of myself. The ride there was in a bright pink bus with a Gulf Coast Casino's name on the side. The windshields were cracked, no A/C - no problem, we're tough.
But then we hit a pothole the size of Detroit and the right side of the windshield started to actually remove from its space. Michigan Leader had duct tape, which always works wonders.
Returning to the site after lunch, we reached the pothole and there was a white car stuck in it. Keith pulled over and we jumped out without question. We were going to lift that damn car if we had to, dammit! The people riding in the pickup which had stopped behind the car said we looked like slow-motion action heroes, walking out the bus toward the car. We actually didn't have to pull it out, though we were all in position, because a tow-truck driver pulled up, pulled it out, and drove away without even a handshake thanks.
Which is what it's all about.
I just got this group e-mail from one of the folks last week:
"Hello! It was a pleasure to have met you all. While I truly enjoyed the building aspect of the week, there is something very powerful about being surrounded by such kind, generous individuals. It really affected me in a way that I hadn't predicted...so thank you!"
*That* is why I show up each day. Preacher Billy each day starts us off with too much prayer, but some of his preaching isn't bullshit - this, what we do, it's about loving people. Putting nails back in the right bin, refilling the water jug and helping carry it, holding a board, letting somebody else cut, never complaining and being kind and patient, all that and overall building the house - it's all about loving people.
We had a busload full of folks here for a convention, here for just one day. One of them got stung on his eye. Anything around the eye freaks me out, so despite his protestations that he was fine with the pain, I bustled him right back to the main site and made him sit in the medical tent. The "medic" didn't know anything about stings, so I walked over to where my friend Kim was working and asked for her help - she's from the area, and a mom, and a nurse. And she was awesome, and he is fine.
I spent a lot of time riding in the truck today, back and forth from site to site, hauling wounded Kansans and more boards, but I'm still tired. Good tired.
Last night I went out with The Roommate and we got completely and totally drunk (as Michele well knows). Then I got four phone calls after 12:00 pm, when I finally got to sleep. Despite all that, I'm fine today. Now I'm off to make me a yummy African stew and curl up to finish Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It's a good day.
Oh, and I found that the Quaker meeting is actually only two blocks from my house! What are the chances of that??
However, it was a jungle, so we spent quite some time pulling and hacking weeds before starting in on finishing spacers and then the subflooring.
But I get ahead of myself. The ride there was in a bright pink bus with a Gulf Coast Casino's name on the side. The windshields were cracked, no A/C - no problem, we're tough.
But then we hit a pothole the size of Detroit and the right side of the windshield started to actually remove from its space. Michigan Leader had duct tape, which always works wonders.
Returning to the site after lunch, we reached the pothole and there was a white car stuck in it. Keith pulled over and we jumped out without question. We were going to lift that damn car if we had to, dammit! The people riding in the pickup which had stopped behind the car said we looked like slow-motion action heroes, walking out the bus toward the car. We actually didn't have to pull it out, though we were all in position, because a tow-truck driver pulled up, pulled it out, and drove away without even a handshake thanks.
Which is what it's all about.
I just got this group e-mail from one of the folks last week:
"Hello! It was a pleasure to have met you all. While I truly enjoyed the building aspect of the week, there is something very powerful about being surrounded by such kind, generous individuals. It really affected me in a way that I hadn't predicted...so thank you!"
*That* is why I show up each day. Preacher Billy each day starts us off with too much prayer, but some of his preaching isn't bullshit - this, what we do, it's about loving people. Putting nails back in the right bin, refilling the water jug and helping carry it, holding a board, letting somebody else cut, never complaining and being kind and patient, all that and overall building the house - it's all about loving people.
We had a busload full of folks here for a convention, here for just one day. One of them got stung on his eye. Anything around the eye freaks me out, so despite his protestations that he was fine with the pain, I bustled him right back to the main site and made him sit in the medical tent. The "medic" didn't know anything about stings, so I walked over to where my friend Kim was working and asked for her help - she's from the area, and a mom, and a nurse. And she was awesome, and he is fine.
I spent a lot of time riding in the truck today, back and forth from site to site, hauling wounded Kansans and more boards, but I'm still tired. Good tired.
Last night I went out with The Roommate and we got completely and totally drunk (as Michele well knows). Then I got four phone calls after 12:00 pm, when I finally got to sleep. Despite all that, I'm fine today. Now I'm off to make me a yummy African stew and curl up to finish Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It's a good day.
Oh, and I found that the Quaker meeting is actually only two blocks from my house! What are the chances of that??
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Team 'Wood
I went back to the volunteering today, which was much fun. Most of Team 'Wood was there (we're donating our volunteer hours to our friend whose nickname is Wood) and he took us out to lunch and I FINALLY got my red beans & rice. We are totally rocking on the house - it went from last week of putting up blocks and then filling in the foundation and finally the flooring and then the walls - now we're actually putting up roof trusses and tomorrow we are actually roofing and putting on the patio. The guy who is getting the house was there today working, so that was fun. He's a jazz saxophonist and seems to be a nice guy.
I took an afternoon break and stopped by Jazz Leader's house when I saw he was home, and I'm glad I did because he was a little down about student teaching - and if there's anything I know about, it's that. And everybody was so happy there to see me, his sons jumping up to throw their arms around me. They are all so welcoming. [And it makes it difficult for me to have much patience of the people who bitch and moan about little stupid things when people who have lost everything can be so kind and generous. I'm becoming a no-complaint zone.]
When I looked in the mirror at the lunchtime restaurant, I thought, "Oh my soul, how are these people willing to be seen with me in public?" Let's just say, that when I felt chafing under my arms and worried about sunburn or a rough sleeve - nope, it was a bunch of dirt! Yuck! No holds barred when I'm building!
So, I went to Target and when I was leaving I noticed this guy walking near me, and when I got to my truck I got a whole pick-up routine. I was like, "Dude, I look completely filthy from building houses all day, and you keep calling me pretty and want my phone number?!" Then I went to the grocery store and some guy chatted me up in the produce department, and on the drive home all sorts of people were smiling and waving at me.
WTF?! So, apparently the tired dirty construction look suits me. Almost makes me not want to shower.
Almost.
I took an afternoon break and stopped by Jazz Leader's house when I saw he was home, and I'm glad I did because he was a little down about student teaching - and if there's anything I know about, it's that. And everybody was so happy there to see me, his sons jumping up to throw their arms around me. They are all so welcoming. [And it makes it difficult for me to have much patience of the people who bitch and moan about little stupid things when people who have lost everything can be so kind and generous. I'm becoming a no-complaint zone.]
When I looked in the mirror at the lunchtime restaurant, I thought, "Oh my soul, how are these people willing to be seen with me in public?" Let's just say, that when I felt chafing under my arms and worried about sunburn or a rough sleeve - nope, it was a bunch of dirt! Yuck! No holds barred when I'm building!
So, I went to Target and when I was leaving I noticed this guy walking near me, and when I got to my truck I got a whole pick-up routine. I was like, "Dude, I look completely filthy from building houses all day, and you keep calling me pretty and want my phone number?!" Then I went to the grocery store and some guy chatted me up in the produce department, and on the drive home all sorts of people were smiling and waving at me.
WTF?! So, apparently the tired dirty construction look suits me. Almost makes me not want to shower.
Almost.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Night two in The Apartment
Air conditioners? Loud.
Cockroaches? Only seen one, and The Roommate crushed it dead and I disposed of it. Ah, division of labor.
Internet? Um, I'm getting some wireless signal - don't know where from or anything, but hopefully it's ok that I'm tagging on. The city says this area and many others will have free internet access by September 1 anyway.
Unpacking? Sucks. I really want to paint my bedroom, but needed to wait until I had light to see better - and now there's a piece of glass there (yeah, I'll get a real window soon) but I had to start unpacking simultaneously so there's crap everywhere. Sigh. I still don't know what color.
Building? I blew off Habitat today because they weren't expecting me, and I have plenty to do. Plus, I'm going over at 3:00 to help Jazz Leader.
Mimosas? Two dollar Sundays at Fiesta Bistro down the way, but their alcohol is all we're going back for - their food, not so great and overpriced.
Eating out? Expensive and time to cut it out, now that I have a place to live. Despite the disappointment of Fiesta Bistro yesterday, we did still manage to find a really cool cafe (in an old bank) and there was the joy of Waffle House. I'm a forward girl, I realized yesterday at WH. We sat down at the bar and I turned to the total stranger next to me and asked to look at the ads in her Sunday paper.
Milk? Way gross, thanks a lot to Tami's lectures. I'm an odd duck, drinking soy milk and eating turkey sausage.
Furniture? Well, we're mostly furnished now, thanks to a harrowing drive with The Couch yesterday from Tami's. Huge-ass thing, but it fit through the doorway here and didn't get rained on. I'm still proud of the table I scored, and look forward to dinner parties, though I need more chairs.
Today? Finish unpacking, feel like I'm situated, harangue landlord for evidence I live here so I can go get my driver's license, hook up printer and do some reading for my orientation next week, then go run some power tools (ar ar AR!) and try to appear helpful.
Cockroaches? Only seen one, and The Roommate crushed it dead and I disposed of it. Ah, division of labor.
Internet? Um, I'm getting some wireless signal - don't know where from or anything, but hopefully it's ok that I'm tagging on. The city says this area and many others will have free internet access by September 1 anyway.
Unpacking? Sucks. I really want to paint my bedroom, but needed to wait until I had light to see better - and now there's a piece of glass there (yeah, I'll get a real window soon) but I had to start unpacking simultaneously so there's crap everywhere. Sigh. I still don't know what color.
Building? I blew off Habitat today because they weren't expecting me, and I have plenty to do. Plus, I'm going over at 3:00 to help Jazz Leader.
Mimosas? Two dollar Sundays at Fiesta Bistro down the way, but their alcohol is all we're going back for - their food, not so great and overpriced.
Eating out? Expensive and time to cut it out, now that I have a place to live. Despite the disappointment of Fiesta Bistro yesterday, we did still manage to find a really cool cafe (in an old bank) and there was the joy of Waffle House. I'm a forward girl, I realized yesterday at WH. We sat down at the bar and I turned to the total stranger next to me and asked to look at the ads in her Sunday paper.
Milk? Way gross, thanks a lot to Tami's lectures. I'm an odd duck, drinking soy milk and eating turkey sausage.
Furniture? Well, we're mostly furnished now, thanks to a harrowing drive with The Couch yesterday from Tami's. Huge-ass thing, but it fit through the doorway here and didn't get rained on. I'm still proud of the table I scored, and look forward to dinner parties, though I need more chairs.
Today? Finish unpacking, feel like I'm situated, harangue landlord for evidence I live here so I can go get my driver's license, hook up printer and do some reading for my orientation next week, then go run some power tools (ar ar AR!) and try to appear helpful.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
washing dishes in a FEMA trailer
It's been busy days. I'm sitting in Slidell's CC's for what may be the last time, and it makes me a little sad.
Our house has walls! We went from foundation up to there in a week! We were actually really fortunate about getting to put up walls - both of our leaders have never done it before, but because the Habitat powers that be saw what a good group we were, we got to do interesting things, and I was Blueprint Girl. My companeros seemed to think me quite knowledgeable about things so I got nominated for all sorts of interesting tasks. It was fun to see people learning to do new things - like use a circular saw for the first time (a Skilsaw here, like a reciprocating saw is a Sawsaw).
Yesterday when four of us "middle-aged ladies" (what one of the young guys called the others when I was sitting with the young guys) were carrying heavy wood frames across a mud field, Michigan Leader came over with his cigarillo and said, "You core people have done all the hard work to get this far, and then new people come in and you let them do the glamorous stuff (nailing up walls and nailing on sheeting) while you're out here doing the grunt work without complaint. You are really good people." We had never thought of complaining - we were just happy to be working. That's the kind of week I had, and it was good.
Then after work each day I'd drive over to the new apartment and drive The Roommate around town (after a shower in her dorm room, since our bathtub was inoperable). About 4:30 I would start to fade hard, but food always helps. I was able to keep the grumpy factor pretty minimal.
One day I stayed and helped Jazz Leader with his house - he's just now working on foundational things. He's good people and I'll be over there helping as much as my schedule allows - and as much as I'm actually help to him. While I don't know how to do a lot of things, I'm really good at measuring, we've discovered, and when I'm in charge of the tape measure everything lines up perfectly. We had a little conflict one day when I stubbornly insisted that he SHOW me how to do something instead of just telling me and trusting me, but we're good.
So I was over there helping and Jazz Leader had to go get some more things from Home Depot with Pepe Le Pew (a Parisian guy helping out), and Brazilian Banker and Marathon Teacher didn't much need my help (BB doesn't communicate well and MT was frustrated - they've been friends for years, building Habitat houses together - but I didn't need in on that) so I went into the FEMA trailer to chill with Wife of Jazz Leader. (I call her this because that's how she identifies herself - "he's the man, and I will follow his decisions," she has said - and she attends all his events and sees her role as support.) She's cool, and their two boys (her stepchildren) are sweet and polite and energetic. Earlier I was sitting on the porch of an abandoned house across the street with the boys while Marathon Teacher blew out all their gender misconceptions with some football practice (they said, "She be falling over when he throw hard," which became, "Dang! She can sure catch and Dang! Watch her throw! She real good!"), and a few people drove past rubbernecking, wondering about this white woman sitting there. Happy to subvert any dominant paradigm. I do like the neighborhood, and Jazz Leader gave me the grand tour and I met cool people.
Somehow while sitting in the FEMA trailer, through my wiles and charms, Wife of Jazz Leader made a yummy African stew for me. It fueled me so well, and I was like Popeye with a can of spinach. I love greens, and she does 'em right. I went back out and drilled some holes, and when we finished the day's tasks I told her to come see - and then I stayed in the trailer and washed the dishes.
What a symbol of how at home I felt with them all. And trust me y'all, those FEMA trailers are TINY.
Mississippi's slogan is "It's like coming home." This whole region, that's what it feels like. People talk to me like I'm their long-lost cousin. They feed me grits and stew, and they tell me their evacuation stories and about their faith. They're happy to see me. Their welcome is genuine.
And in turn, I can be a little more patient and a little kinder. Our apartment is now habitable because the carpenter stayed until 8:30 pm finishing up things despite refusing to ever work with our landlord again. He did it for us because I was nice to his granddaughter and treated him with respect. Who doesn't want to be treated that way?
So today I guess I'm moving. Tomorrow I'll go help Jazz Leader on his house along with Dewrag Americorps Volunteer. Yesterday when DAV had draped himself across me, I had to wonder why very good-looking 20-year-olds waited to hug and love on me until now, when I'm old enough to be their mother. Ah, maybe that's exactly why. DAV is one of those fun, positive people that makes me happier to be around, so tomorrow should be fun. And I do have a thing for floor joists now.
Last night we went to Cafe du Monde and walked down Bourbon Street. It wasn't comfortable - there were far too many tourists - until we reached Canal and there was a group of kids playing some Dixieland and locals dancing around. I wanted to dance around too, but it was so late and I had an hour-long drive ahead of me. Some man leaned into me and said something with a smile, but I couldn't hear what it was. But I keep coming back to thinking about it because it was a "rich point" (from qualitative research) - like doing dishes in the FEMA trailer. The way he leaned into me, it was like he knew me. In most places I go people treat me well and openly - I've had to adapt to so many new places that getting people to feel comfortable with me is a valuable skill. But there's something different about it here ... I'll have to think about it to figure it out.
Our house has walls! We went from foundation up to there in a week! We were actually really fortunate about getting to put up walls - both of our leaders have never done it before, but because the Habitat powers that be saw what a good group we were, we got to do interesting things, and I was Blueprint Girl. My companeros seemed to think me quite knowledgeable about things so I got nominated for all sorts of interesting tasks. It was fun to see people learning to do new things - like use a circular saw for the first time (a Skilsaw here, like a reciprocating saw is a Sawsaw).
Yesterday when four of us "middle-aged ladies" (what one of the young guys called the others when I was sitting with the young guys) were carrying heavy wood frames across a mud field, Michigan Leader came over with his cigarillo and said, "You core people have done all the hard work to get this far, and then new people come in and you let them do the glamorous stuff (nailing up walls and nailing on sheeting) while you're out here doing the grunt work without complaint. You are really good people." We had never thought of complaining - we were just happy to be working. That's the kind of week I had, and it was good.
Then after work each day I'd drive over to the new apartment and drive The Roommate around town (after a shower in her dorm room, since our bathtub was inoperable). About 4:30 I would start to fade hard, but food always helps. I was able to keep the grumpy factor pretty minimal.
One day I stayed and helped Jazz Leader with his house - he's just now working on foundational things. He's good people and I'll be over there helping as much as my schedule allows - and as much as I'm actually help to him. While I don't know how to do a lot of things, I'm really good at measuring, we've discovered, and when I'm in charge of the tape measure everything lines up perfectly. We had a little conflict one day when I stubbornly insisted that he SHOW me how to do something instead of just telling me and trusting me, but we're good.
So I was over there helping and Jazz Leader had to go get some more things from Home Depot with Pepe Le Pew (a Parisian guy helping out), and Brazilian Banker and Marathon Teacher didn't much need my help (BB doesn't communicate well and MT was frustrated - they've been friends for years, building Habitat houses together - but I didn't need in on that) so I went into the FEMA trailer to chill with Wife of Jazz Leader. (I call her this because that's how she identifies herself - "he's the man, and I will follow his decisions," she has said - and she attends all his events and sees her role as support.) She's cool, and their two boys (her stepchildren) are sweet and polite and energetic. Earlier I was sitting on the porch of an abandoned house across the street with the boys while Marathon Teacher blew out all their gender misconceptions with some football practice (they said, "She be falling over when he throw hard," which became, "Dang! She can sure catch and Dang! Watch her throw! She real good!"), and a few people drove past rubbernecking, wondering about this white woman sitting there. Happy to subvert any dominant paradigm. I do like the neighborhood, and Jazz Leader gave me the grand tour and I met cool people.
Somehow while sitting in the FEMA trailer, through my wiles and charms, Wife of Jazz Leader made a yummy African stew for me. It fueled me so well, and I was like Popeye with a can of spinach. I love greens, and she does 'em right. I went back out and drilled some holes, and when we finished the day's tasks I told her to come see - and then I stayed in the trailer and washed the dishes.
What a symbol of how at home I felt with them all. And trust me y'all, those FEMA trailers are TINY.
Mississippi's slogan is "It's like coming home." This whole region, that's what it feels like. People talk to me like I'm their long-lost cousin. They feed me grits and stew, and they tell me their evacuation stories and about their faith. They're happy to see me. Their welcome is genuine.
And in turn, I can be a little more patient and a little kinder. Our apartment is now habitable because the carpenter stayed until 8:30 pm finishing up things despite refusing to ever work with our landlord again. He did it for us because I was nice to his granddaughter and treated him with respect. Who doesn't want to be treated that way?
So today I guess I'm moving. Tomorrow I'll go help Jazz Leader on his house along with Dewrag Americorps Volunteer. Yesterday when DAV had draped himself across me, I had to wonder why very good-looking 20-year-olds waited to hug and love on me until now, when I'm old enough to be their mother. Ah, maybe that's exactly why. DAV is one of those fun, positive people that makes me happier to be around, so tomorrow should be fun. And I do have a thing for floor joists now.
Last night we went to Cafe du Monde and walked down Bourbon Street. It wasn't comfortable - there were far too many tourists - until we reached Canal and there was a group of kids playing some Dixieland and locals dancing around. I wanted to dance around too, but it was so late and I had an hour-long drive ahead of me. Some man leaned into me and said something with a smile, but I couldn't hear what it was. But I keep coming back to thinking about it because it was a "rich point" (from qualitative research) - like doing dishes in the FEMA trailer. The way he leaned into me, it was like he knew me. In most places I go people treat me well and openly - I've had to adapt to so many new places that getting people to feel comfortable with me is a valuable skill. But there's something different about it here ... I'll have to think about it to figure it out.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
16 on-center, babe
Cake decorator boy stayed far away from me today. It was all good, and I didn't have to apologize for doing everything better than him.
We had another leader today, with the same name as leader yesterday. It actually is easy when they're both there - just call out the name and one of them is bound to respond. They are both so patient and helpful and encouraging, and I am with a really nice group of volunteers, so it's quite a joy to work with. I'm learning lots, working hard, and my pores are cleansed from the excessive sweating. (Though I did note that there's a yoga studio only five blocks from my place that has Bikram yoga!)
"Are all the men in New Orleans hot?" I asked Kim (who evacuated from Katrina and is now finishing up RN training in Atlanta, and who grew up in the rough part of the neighborhood where I live). I had looked up to see jazz leader (the one who came today, who is a musician) talking to a neighborhood Rasta man. She agrees. I sort of said it too in order to gauge how black women here are about white women hitting on and hooking up with black men (though Jazz Leader is married). I didn't get a full answer, but if I keep charming her she'll be introducing me to her brothers and cousins in no time.
Today we laid floor joists which involved a lot of measuring and a lot of "babe." They say it funny here, the second 'b' is almost silent but it's still a full stop. I can't say it right, though I'm getting accustomed to being called it. I would think Jazz Leader doesn't know my name, except he always says it before saying the babe or sweetie or honey, which was a lot because I was his right-hand today (and not just because he's hot). Michigan Leader is, well, from Michigan, so he never calls me babe. Sometimes young waitresses get confused and switch between ma'am and babe. Somehow it's endearing, and it won't be long before I pick it up myself probably. I'm already doing more drawl than I should. It's just too hard to resist.
Just took Tami to the airport; she's off for two weeks to meet up with her son and husband in Jordan.
When I called Landlord Man today he was curt with me, citing his 500 things to take care of. That's all good and well, but it doesn't change that I need him to move the garbage from the front of the house and to install the washer and dryer.
So how do I know I'm turning Southern, in addition to the grits this morning? Because I'm killing with kindness. No blood pressure rising, just a kind reminder until it's done. He can go off if he needs, because he's not Southern (Bangladeshi, though he's lived here 30 years), but I will smile and thank him for taking care of things. Yeah, I watched some of The Closer at Michele's house and at Susan's house. (Somebody just asked me to watch their laptop here for a few minutes ... so I really look that trustworthy? Or maybe she's a terrorist and it's a bomb -well, that would take care of the garbage and appliances!)
OK, off to meet the carpenter and then to pick up The German Roommate from the airport and then drive clear back to Slidell to sleep in order to get up at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow to start it all over again. Hopefully I'll be able to move in soon - I'm tired of filling up my gas tank every three days.
We had another leader today, with the same name as leader yesterday. It actually is easy when they're both there - just call out the name and one of them is bound to respond. They are both so patient and helpful and encouraging, and I am with a really nice group of volunteers, so it's quite a joy to work with. I'm learning lots, working hard, and my pores are cleansed from the excessive sweating. (Though I did note that there's a yoga studio only five blocks from my place that has Bikram yoga!)
"Are all the men in New Orleans hot?" I asked Kim (who evacuated from Katrina and is now finishing up RN training in Atlanta, and who grew up in the rough part of the neighborhood where I live). I had looked up to see jazz leader (the one who came today, who is a musician) talking to a neighborhood Rasta man. She agrees. I sort of said it too in order to gauge how black women here are about white women hitting on and hooking up with black men (though Jazz Leader is married). I didn't get a full answer, but if I keep charming her she'll be introducing me to her brothers and cousins in no time.
Today we laid floor joists which involved a lot of measuring and a lot of "babe." They say it funny here, the second 'b' is almost silent but it's still a full stop. I can't say it right, though I'm getting accustomed to being called it. I would think Jazz Leader doesn't know my name, except he always says it before saying the babe or sweetie or honey, which was a lot because I was his right-hand today (and not just because he's hot). Michigan Leader is, well, from Michigan, so he never calls me babe. Sometimes young waitresses get confused and switch between ma'am and babe. Somehow it's endearing, and it won't be long before I pick it up myself probably. I'm already doing more drawl than I should. It's just too hard to resist.
Just took Tami to the airport; she's off for two weeks to meet up with her son and husband in Jordan.
When I called Landlord Man today he was curt with me, citing his 500 things to take care of. That's all good and well, but it doesn't change that I need him to move the garbage from the front of the house and to install the washer and dryer.
So how do I know I'm turning Southern, in addition to the grits this morning? Because I'm killing with kindness. No blood pressure rising, just a kind reminder until it's done. He can go off if he needs, because he's not Southern (Bangladeshi, though he's lived here 30 years), but I will smile and thank him for taking care of things. Yeah, I watched some of The Closer at Michele's house and at Susan's house. (Somebody just asked me to watch their laptop here for a few minutes ... so I really look that trustworthy? Or maybe she's a terrorist and it's a bomb -well, that would take care of the garbage and appliances!)
OK, off to meet the carpenter and then to pick up The German Roommate from the airport and then drive clear back to Slidell to sleep in order to get up at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow to start it all over again. Hopefully I'll be able to move in soon - I'm tired of filling up my gas tank every three days.
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