Using my noggin to do some bloggin.

The 20 days of orientation.....

2012-01-24T20:33:00.000-06:00

Common questions heard in the office before we leave for 20ish days of orientation:

OK, who left the sour (and now moldy) kitchen towels in a cooler to rot for 4 months?
Can we pitch those towels or just wash em'?
Does tray 2 print duplexly or what?
Can the manual feeder tray print a duplex?
Can you walk me through a mail merge once more?

2012-01-23T19:24:00.002-06:00

Dog walks. Apologizing to the neighbors. Immersion blended soups. Wine with dinner. Fancy chopsticks at Minghin. Collaging 2011 photos for everyone that walks through the dining room.

Peeking

2012-01-05T18:18:00.002-06:00

A peek into 2004 while cooking dinner in Nigeria: Music on. Dicing onions. Tears streaming. Extremely sensitive eyeball membranes. Pot o' mess is slowly coming to a rolling boil. Music is on in the background. The music is coming from a personal cd player, plugged into a currency stabilizer. Tiny computer speakers plugged in. Musical choices: John Denver, Manu Chao, DMB, Patty Griffin.

A peek into 2012 while cooking dinner in the US: Music on. Dicing onions. Tears streaming. Extremely sensitive eyeball membranes. Pot o' mess is slowly coming to a rolling boil. usic is on in the backgroung. The music is coming from my iphone. Musical choices: Ennio Morricone, Gustavo Santaolalla, and Uh Huh Her.

Life is still good 7 years later.

Please remind me next December

2012-01-03T21:39:00.002-06:00

Dear Callie,

Please do more work in December, 2012. Since today was your first day in the office for the new year, you have the following tasks to finish.

2nd mailing. Pastor's mailing. Resource mailing. Retreat mailing. Placing list. Stat sheet. Bingo sheet. Finish session leader scheduling. Make the meal schedule. Make the committees. Make the devotional schedule. Plan workdays. Make thumbnails. Email the newsline blurb. Plan chapel. Plan that thingy for the staff thingy that isn't a retreat.

You need to really get with it.

Sincerely.

xx

A sickly start

2012-01-02T11:45:00.000-06:00

Dec 31: Where were you on January 1, 2011?

Well, I was in Andersonville celebrating at midnight when the ball dropped. We got home around 2am and then I got sick. I landed in a CVS minute-clinic place in Elmhurst because they urgent care places had shoddy websites and misspelled words (really, it made me nervous! if you can spell things on a website correctly, how do I know you won't misdiagnose me?!) So after waiting 90 minutes in line, I got my time with the doctor. We headed home after some soup at the nearby Panera. A sickly start to 2011!

This year, we ushered in 2012 with 3 margaritas and a movie! And no chest infection! Wahooo!

Ehh

2012-01-01T13:25:00.001-06:00

Dec 30: What aspects of your life do you need to work on?

This one is hard. It should have been an early December post I think! I need to do more things with my family. Better communication, too!

Twitterpated Still!

2011-12-29T22:37:00.002-06:00

Dec 29: If 2011 had a hashtag what would it be? Well, I've taken the 25 minutes to condense all of my hashtags from my currygirl twitter account in 2011 right here! My favorite is #twitterpatedstill

#alsocatallergies

#fitnessneverwins

#gettingold

#andlittlehouseontheprairieunofficially

#itshardinthebeginning

#lifeisgreatyeah

#heresyourqi

#workwithmechopsticks

#thanksphilly

#luckyduck

#easyfridays

#justaliladvice

#stopssnoringdogsandcrystal

#sarcasticat6am

#hellovacation

#stayoutoftrouble

#noreallyimeanit!

#weezerchristmasalbum

#homehomehome

#thisisnotstrep

#imnotagoodtrashtalker

#asuccessfulairportrun

#youremyonlyhipstercousin

#helloweekend!

#iwannaknowwhatloveis

#feelingatitchguilty

#sorryeli

#mostlysarcastic

#mennoSunday

#imacrankyoldlady

#readytocookfor15atretreat

#notagrammaticallycorrectsentence

#nocablenosharksjustferrets

#nosharkweekforme

#amibeingframed

#getwithitpandora

#completelythumbsdown

#holymolyweekend

#debtceiling

#forthelowlowpriceof

#imretiringin15years

#letsgoagaininamonth

#lessofarunandmoreahalfheartedtrot

#its1962inmy1983apt

#CoBAC2011

#maybeoct2012

#twitterpatedstill

#worriedsister

#20daystilmydayoff

#girlswithpitbulls

#meeeepmeeeepmeeeeep

#lifeisprettygooddontyouknow

#campingonlakemichiganin30hours

#rejectedchapeltitles

#youhavenothingtoworryaboutyouspoileddog

#goodbyefunfridaynight

#sshhdontyouknowitsalibrary

#dothisbeforetheimpendingrainshower

#pleaseletmein

#whereisspringexactly

#springtimeinmycomplex

#groundupjalapenosalsa

#speechimpedimentsneverreallyimpedemuch

#staywarmfellas

#gladitsdone

#sansalvadoryouvewon

#ihavenoideawhatthismeans

#sansalvadoris1998perfection

#cervezaporfavor

#encantomivida

#ihopemyrenewedpassportisinthemail

#slownightinthecity

#strategicplan

#bestpartswithcrystalistotallyworthsleepdeprivation

#colliesshouldneverbetrusted

#theleinenkugelsaretalking

#beardown

#imasturdymidwesternerapparently

#imagrannyapparently

#everythingisbetterwhentheheatworks

#clinicopensin95minutes

Short but sweet.

2011-12-29T09:24:00.003-06:00

Dec 28: Who was important to you?

In no particular order:
Crystal.

Whereas the author gives up TV

2011-12-28T10:25:00.000-06:00

Dec 27: What did you give up?

TELEVISION. Yep. It's been 5-ish months and it's been pretty ok. I'll watch The Daily Show online here and there, and maybe an NFL game at a wing place if I'm really in a pinch. Overall, it's been pretty nice to have the tv out of the house. I've noticed how I get more done if the tv isn't an option.

Books I've read since:

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
The Particular Sadness of Lemoncake
My Horizontal Life
Mystic River
Bloodroot
The Art of Fielding
Freedom
Unbearable Lightness
(Most of these are from Dana)

I've also started guitar lessons for the first time in my life. Having a tv would have delayed me practicing my scales and nerdy guitar theory stuff. Now I can read a book instead of practicing my scales! Yea!

Strung

2011-12-28T10:16:00.002-06:00

Dec 26: Who surprised you?

Well, we did have that volunteer who strung us along and sent in his travel arrangements prior to orientation. We waited for him at the airport and his mother answered the phone and said, "Oh right, ____ isn't coming. Didn't he tell you?"

Ketchup

2011-12-27T09:39:00.002-06:00

Dec 24: What did you make?
Airport runs. Faith journeys. Campfires. Beans and eggs and tortillas in a big ole' cast iron skillet. Room for a new washer and dryer.

Dec 25: Where did you spend the most time?
Hmm. I feel like i answer these prompts with a hmmm. I spent a lot of time in Schaumburg, Elk Grove and New Windsor. This one was lame!

Blogvomit

2011-12-24T12:15:00.000-06:00

Blogvomit: To hurriedly catch up on prompts at the end of the year!

Dec 19: What was the best decision you've made this year?
I finally gave up Charlela Lane (the worst street name in all of America that sounds just like an old French whore) and took up with John Smith Dr. From a French whore to a syphilitic guy who loved Pocahontas. Yep!

Dec 20: Who came into your life in 2011?

Hmmm this one is a toughy. I don't like to make too many new friends because I'm weird like that. A whole bunch of new volunteers came into my life. And I'm guessing older volunteers who are done probably left my life too. You win some, you lose some.

Dec 21: What did you learn?

I learned a lot of geography. I can drive from home to New Windsor, MD without a map! I memorized all of the interstates and their corresponding names and numbers this year, finally. (The Eisenhower is known as the Ike and as I-290!)

Dec 22: What gifts did you give? What gifts did you receive?

Disney World! My folks took my brother and his family, plus me to Walt Disney World this week. It was my mom's dream for her grandkids to see Disney for the first time. Receiving the gift of family time was a nice way to end 2011!

I gave a few gifts this year, too! A tent light, fancy chocolates, and some other little items were my highlights this!

Dec 23: What sunrise or sunset was most vivid?
Driving home from Champaign-Urbana to Schaumburg at an early hour 2 weeks back. The sun was just coming up over the horizon and it stayed on my right shoulder the whole drive back.

During summer orientation, we did a footwashing on the back side of the property with the sun slowly sinking down. Feet, grass, basin, towel, sunset. Perfect.

SHOES.

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

When were you the angriest?

Funniest you should ask this. I'm on the way to Disney today. How could I ever be angry knowing that Disney was waiting for me in late December? There's a little bit of Zwick anger in my mom and brother. How do I know? A few dents in walls, a few storming off's after broken down lawn mowers in the yard. And for me, I did throw my shoes at the floor last month. One at a time. As hard as I could. One bounced back and hit me in the shin. The other sorta hit a sleeping dog. I'm better now, I promise. But really, have you seen the traffic on Gold Rd lately? Could people just make an attempt at using a turn signal? Ok I'm done.

Working through their shit

2011-12-17T21:39:00.005-06:00

When do I see God at work?

Wow! It seems weird to tell God when and where I saw him/it at work. Like, he's a construction worker and I saw him out on the tollway waving people through the zone safely. Mostly, I saw a lot of groups of people come together* and work through their shit** together for 3 week chunks of time. Giving each other EYES OF COMPASSION, washing feet, talking for hours into the night about the possibilities in life. That's the good stuff that happens regardless of what antics BVS staff has in store.

*together = sleeping, eating, praying, traveling, discussing, complaining, discerning, singing, weeping, complaining, wondering, dropoffdaying
**this may be the first time I've cussed in this blog

Short & Sweet, with a wick

2011-12-16T23:04:00.001-06:00

When was I spontaneous?

Ummm. Barreling down I-70 toward Ohio. Veering off to the Candle Outlet near Richmond. Crystal had a look of shock on her face that I actually stopped for something more than gas and a bathroom break.

If you say struggles enough times, it's a really weird word.

2011-12-15T20:21:00.001-06:00

When did you struggle?

Hmmm. My, what a lovely, happy question! It seems like only yesterday I was writing about taking the easy way. And now I have to ponder the idea of struggle. I looked up the definition. I read the etymology. (I really like to know the stories behind the words.) I used it in a sentence. I repeated it back to myself. I was in my own spelling bee and I was winning! And in those 4 minutes of not writing about a struggle I faced, I've got nothing. I guess one of my struggles is not recognizing the past stuggles I've faced. Power struggles, traffic/commute struggles, work struggles, I've had them this year. And when I think of them, it just sounds complainy.

El Tunco!

2011-12-14T20:09:00.000-06:00

Where did you find the best cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice)?

El Tunco is a tiny little surfing on the Pacific coast of El Salvador. When we visited there in the spring, I had the best liquados! Of course the smoothies at the little place near Sarah's home and school ranked right up there as well! Mmmmmhmmmmm!

BROTHER BEAR

2011-12-13T12:28:00.000-06:00

What cracked you up?

I've never posted video to my blog so let's see if this works. Here's the funniest pitbull in my life, Eli. He can go from snoring and twitching in his sleep to running laps in the condo in about 10 seconds. Eli is about 6 years old but he still acts like a puppy.

Camping Camping

2011-12-12T14:50:00.000-06:00

When did you feel the most relaxed?

Ans. A photo essay for your pleasure.

Grand Rapids

2011-12-11T12:41:00.001-06:00

What rocked your world, changed your life, shifted the ground beneath your feet?

This event definitely left a mark on me. To think that a person like me was being followed, watched, and put in danger because of a biblical difference really made me quite nervous to be at Annual Conference. I found myself thinking a lot more about my safety, about who knows and who doesn't. I'm glad conference is behind me and that I came away from it all pretty wrecked, but loved by my close circle.

Sunrise! Sunset!

2011-12-10T17:00:00.001-06:00

When did I take the easy way?

Hmmmm. Another toughy. I don't get a lot of chances to take the easy way. The best time to take the easy way is during the last day of orientation. This year, I've got to fly home instead of driving 700 miles across the country. It's sort of a sweet delight to get to O'hare and be home and comfy before sunset. It probably won't happen too many times in 2012 (except for Summer! Yippy!), but I'll take that easy way every time.

Can you reach earthly nirvana?

2011-12-09T09:58:00.001-06:00

What was your favorite blog post that you read or wrote?

Recently, I've really loved web comics. I have a certain few that I check on a daily or monthly basis. But the most memorable one I've read lately is from Lucy Knisley. I do a lot of silent time in short bursts during orientation, and this one pretty much explains everyone in the room trying to quiet their mind.

http://comics.lucyknisley.com/2011/10/celestial-vs-terrestrial/

You can't always get what you want....

2011-12-08T13:51:00.001-06:00

Where did you spend your money?

Interesting prompt for today. I've really tried to live way below my means and save a considerable amount of money from each paycheck. The website that's really peaked my interest in personal finance is www.getrichslowly.org. I've topped off my pension designations and also quit using a credit card. Living debt free isn't always 'roller-coaster thrilling,' but I've had a lot of fun doing the things that I plan for, instead of mindless shopping.

So, to better answer the question, I guess I'd rather share where I haven't spent my money.
--No more magazine subscriptions.
--Hardly any music bought on iTunes.
--No fancy car washes anymore.
--No clothes or shoe shopping without a plan and a fistful of coupons.
--No fancy grocery store shopping: No Dominicks, Safeway, or Whole Foods.

And where my money has gone this year:
Tithing. Camping trips. Overnights with the Mexis. Glasses & Contacts. Dentist!

Chicken and Thunder

2011-12-07T13:15:00.001-06:00

What astonished you?

I had to look up astonish this morning. I knew the word's meaning but I was curious about the root of the word.[To strike with lightning] And that got me thinking about camping. Crystal and I camped once a month from May to September this year. Our first camping experience in May was the coldest and rainiest we experienced. Since the word astonish has it's root in lightning, I'd have to say it was the quite astonishing to have a park ranger tell us to evacuate our tents and move to safer spots to ride out a massive storm picking up speed on Lake Michigan (we were about 200 feet from the shore). Alas, we arrived safely at a chicken joint in Wisconsin!

I am, I said

2011-12-06T18:14:00.001-06:00

When did you celebrate?
Back in the day I used to go to Murphy's with my 2 neighbors who lived in my building in Champaign. One was a grad student and one was a singer/actress. We'd go to Murph's for Leinie's and cheap burgers on weekends and throw some dice. Some of my favorite mugs in my place are from Murphy's. We'd also go there for the jukebox. I believe it was the only establishment that had Neil Diamond's hits readily available for play. The last time I was in Murphy's was in the fall of 2001. Fast forward to last night! My friend, the grad student, became my friend, Dr. Hughes! The celebrating that we did last night was a mini-reunion of sorts. We told all the old stories in the beginning that I remembered. Then we got into the minor ones that I sort of remember. Celebrating Dr. Hughes' success was a great reminder to me that friendships can start in all sorts of places, even dingy apartment complexes. Here's to you, Dr. & Mrs. Hughes.

And you ask, what Neil Diamond song did we play the most? This one!

I Am, I Said:

LA's fine, the sun shines most the time
The feeling is laid back
Palm trees grow and the rents are low
But you know I keep thinking about
Making my way back

Well, I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores
LA's fine, but it ain't home
New York's home but it ain't mine no more

I am, I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair
I am, I cried
I am, said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king
And then became one
Well, except for the names and a few other changes
If you talk about me, the story's the same one

But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried but it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I've never cared for the sound of being alone

I am, I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair
I am, I cried
I am, said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why

I am, I said
I am, I cried
I am...

You're a freak.

2011-12-05T09:52:00.001-06:00

MUSIC.
Nothing really sticks out to me this year. Maybe it's because I've made a vapid, dance music station one of my presets in my car. I could sing you a lotta songs, but I haven't really bought any good music lately. With that being said, my favorite music leading into a podcast is from Freakonomics!

Math

2011-12-04T14:16:00.001-06:00

What was the best book you read in 2011?

A math equation that explains my favorite book of the year.

    500 pages minimum
    Baseball
    Fictional Midwestern towns
    Historical facts of Herman Melville
A counter cultural love-story
+ House rehabs
___________________

Ans. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

All my bags are packed...

2011-12-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

Where did you visit this year?

Somerville AL, Gotha FL, Newark IL, San Pedro Sula Honduras, Copan Ruinas Honduras, San Salvador, El Salvador, El Tunco El Salvador, New Windsor MD, Arlington VA, Grand Rapids MI, Saugatuck MI, Minneapolis MN, Eden Prairie MN. Kettle Moraine WI, New Windsor MD, Phoenixville PA, and Philadelphia PA!

Black beans

2011-12-02T16:07:00.001-06:00

What was the most delicious meal you ate?

I'd have to say it was while we all went camping! Fried eggs, a batch of garlicky mashed black beans, and tortillas. Coffee out of the french press helped!

Grateful

2011-12-01T13:48:00.001-06:00

When was I most grateful?

Hmmmm. Hard one. Thanks, Dana. I'd say I was most grateful when I completed orientations. There's such a quiet thrill of being done, of packing up, of giving rushed hugs at the airport and knowing that I'm just coming home. That thrill of being done and sending off people and coming home happened in Florida and Maryland in 2011. I'm grateful for great volunteers (and crazy ones, too), great people at home (and dogs, too), and a quiet little life waiting for me when I come back.

Navel Gazing!

2011-12-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Hello friends! Let's do some mutual navel gazing! I look at yours, you look at mine! We'll take a new prompt each day in December. Here's a sneak peek at them!

When were you most grateful?

What was the most delicious meal you ate?

Where did you visit this year?

What was the best book you read?

What were your favorite songs?

When did you celebrate?

What astonished you?

Where did you spend your money?

What was your favorite blog post...that you read or wrote?

When did you take the easy way?

What rocked your world, changed your life, shifted the ground beneath your feet?

When did you feel the most relaxed?

What cracked you up?

Where'd you find the best cup of coffee (or tea, or wine, or beverage of your choice?)

When did you struggle?

What’s the most whimsical/spontaneous/ridiculous thing you did?

When did you see God at work?

When were you the angriest?

What’s been the best decision you made this year?

Who came into your life in 2011?

What did you learn?

What gifts did you give? What gifts did you receive?

What sunrise/sunset was most vivid?

What did you make?

Where did you spend the most time?

Who surprised you?

What did you give up?

Who was important to you?

If the year 2011 had a hashtag, what would it be?

What aspects of your life need attention in 2012?

Where were you on January 1, 2011?

Looking back!

2011-11-30T16:18:00.001-06:00

Time for the 2011 Reflections in December!

Exhaustion!

2011-10-16T20:18:00.002-05:00

15 orientations are under my belt. I guess I sorta understand my job. Clear indicators that I'm exhausted after an orientation:

1. Falling asleep on the plane before take-off while people are still walking down the aisle to their seats.
2. Sleeping on the way home from the airport.
3. Trying to organize the dogs to listen to announcements before breakfast and dinner.
4. Falling asleep after a half glass of wine.
5. Sleeping during each car ride no matter the distance.
6. Trying to do a head count of all people (dogs) present before going to the grocery store alone.
7. Making lists of how I'm tired.

Orientation Photos!

2011-10-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

61!

2011-09-15T21:23:00.001-05:00

Holy moly! It's my mom's birthday! Highlights of her 61 years include (in no particular order):

Teaching Jetta how to be the family dog.
Playing catch with me from the ages of 5-18!
Playing countless hours of Go Fish! at the kitchen table and rummy in the later years.
Teaching me about the best musicians: Neil Diamond, Journey, Air Supply!
Being in a homecoming skit based on the New Kids on the Block!
Making whoopie pies for my class, Girl Scouts, birthday parties, etc.
Being the watcher of all water skiers and tubers in case we fell or let go of the rope while Dad drove.
The amazing catcher of falling potatoes shot out of the family heirloom potato gun.
Lover of her neighbors (Frannie, The Parks, The Hartsworns, The Rabbits, The Tills, the list goes on and on)
Resilient mower of lawns when I was at Camp: our own, Franny's, and Lois'!
Prompt letter writer, card-sender, thank-you note writer in always consistent handwriting whether I was at camp, sports camp, college, Nigeria!
Survivor of one big romp of pneumonia!

Love you, Mom!

The view from my 12 speed, 1979 Schwinn Varsity

2011-08-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

I've been biking at Busse Woods a lot this summer. It's a 7.7 mile loop plus another 4 miles to and from my apt. As I've become more consistent in my riding so have the types of people I notice using the same path. A quick snapshot of the regulars:

Older guy on a recumbent bike: neon green shirt, messy beard, appears to be sleeping and biking simultaneously.

Mismatched young adult couple: girlfriend is in running shorts and tank top, boyfriend is in khakis, polo shirt, black dress shoes. Neither one is talking. Just staring ahead and walking painfully slow.

Biker gang: 3 very skinny and tan men with skinny butts and huge bulging calves wearing matching shorts and red and black shirts. Their bikes also match. They never make eye contact(shiny sunglasses prevent that) with anyone, they average about 25 mph while dodging the previous mentioned folks, and like to say ON YOUR LEFT with arrogance.

Roller blader: Male: Usually a guy in 3/4 length pants (i call em' capris) a black tank top, and some type of fedora with actual feathers on the side. Female: mid 40's, brown hair, all spandex clothes, usually chewing gum at the pace of her strides.

I'll stop for now. Won't you join me sometime?

List.

2011-08-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

So you wanna go camping! Here's a list of the essentials!

Meals:
Hot dogs, buns, onions, buns, ketchup, mustard, chips, smores, apple, beer.
Eggs, butter, garlic, tortillas, beans, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, coffee, half and half, sugar, beer.
Grits, butter, avocado, lime, salt, garlic, pepper, coffee, half and half, sugar, beer.

Stuff:
Hammock. Rope. Sleeping bag. Air mattress. Pump. Pillows. Fitted sheet. Lawn chairs. Stove. Camping fuel. Aim n' flame. Newspapers. Lantern. Cooler.
Pot. 2 skillets. French press. Camera. Water bottles. Fruit in drawer (see birthday edition). Bug Spray. Aloe vera. Swimsuits. Pjs. Shorts. T-shirt. Flips. Flops.
Tent. Screen house tent. Book. Journal. Camping reservation. Beer.

Best Parts: Vacation edition

2011-07-29T20:48:00.000-05:00

Walker Brothers' Pancake house with 4 cups of resplendent coffee. DANA!'s mix tape (cd) as the background to Chicago traffic.
Hand made garlic naan with my Mexis.
Bubble tea at the AHN.
Biking another 13 miles in flip flops.
Celebrating Alicia's life with a lotta ladies.

Best Parts: Random Tuesday

2011-07-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

A belated birthday dinner complete with a sombrero and tequila poured down my throat in a very quiet and suburban Mexican restaurant.
My Mexis. Always quick-witted with middle fingers flying.
Biking Busse woods unplanned and in flip-flops, all 13 miles there and back with my best friend.
Being handy with tools and a cumbersome fridge that fell on me, slightly.

Best Parts: THE BIRTHDAY EDITION!

2011-07-19T18:24:00.001-05:00

It's my 32nd birthday!

I went camping to celebrate!

We forgot all sorts of things: A Sleeping Bag, A Saucepan, The fruit in the fridge.

Thankfully, we ate a giant cookie at each meal!

Best Parts: Birthday Eve

2011-07-15T09:07:00.000-05:00

Best Parts:

A super quiet office. Writing queries as a spiritual practice! The perfect avocado for lunch. An on-time birthday card from Aunt Linda.

Best Parts: Mid-week

2011-07-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

Best parts:
Strong new tires! Picnic table lunches. A deep sleep on an empty couch. Getting back into the swing of things.

Best Parts.

2011-07-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Cleaning cleaning! A day off. A tiny apartment full of SURBER'S! Mom's snickerdoodles. Eli's retrieving ability. A hearty night of sleep on the couch!

Weekend Edition: Best Parts

2011-07-09T18:47:00.000-05:00

Kayaking the rough waves of Lake Michigan. Shedding sadness and questions for a long paddle and an oversized life jacket. Sleeping in my own bed. Eli snoring. South Indian food for dinner with my Crystal.

Best Parts

2011-07-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

A day off. Even if it meant running errands and plugging my ears with my fingers while a toddle had a fit at the dealership. A big hug right when I got home. Driving through Michigan. Dana's mix tape (cd). Mexitexts to check on me. Living out a lamentation with honesty.

(No titled added. Please do a better job with that, please.)

2011-06-30T10:18:00.001-05:00

Best Parts!

Footwashing at sunset with a dried out wheat field in the background.
DANA! knowing that my best part was a fake-out best part.
Watching people swimming in groups in a muddy lake.
Witnessing vols trying to hide from me as I came down to hang out on their 3rd floor.

Best Parts

2011-06-19T20:59:00.000-05:00

Best Parts:

Ice cream at Baugher's after a day of interviews.
One of my favorite session leaders spending a few days with the group.
Jazzercising to Ken Medema's music with volunteers.
Singing the boring alto line in every boring hymn in a semi-boring congregation.
Calling Dad up for Father's Day. "Your Mom and I sure tried our best. We tried to make the best decisions that we could."

I led a chapel.

2011-05-25T16:40:00.001-05:00

I did a little chapel this week. Wished you, dear reader, could have been there.

Welcome to Chapel: Please stand with me as I offer a prayer from the words of Sister Helen Prejean:

A Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty

by Helen Prejean, CSJ

God of Compassion,
You let your rain fall on the just and the unjust.
Expand and deepen our hearts
so that we may love as You love
even those among us
who have caused the greatest pain by taking life.
For there is in our land a great cry for vengeance
as we fill up death rows and kill the killers
in the name of justice, in the name of peace.

Jesus, our brother,
you suffered execution at the hands of the state
but you did not let hatred overcome you.
Help us to reach out to victims of violence
so that our enduring love may help them heal.

Holy Spirit of God,
You strengthen us in the struggle for justice.
Help us to work tirelessly
for the abolition of state-sanctioned death
and to renew our society in its very heart
so that violence will be no more.
Amen.

Please remain standing and sing hymn #493 I heard the voice of Jesus Say

The scripture I’ve chosen today has kind of set the course for a lot of interactions, ideas, and changes in plans I’ve rarely expected:

Matthew 25:

^31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'

^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

^41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

⁴⁶"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

As I’ve read this scripture at different times in my life, I’ve always been led to do something. The different cases of need: hunger, thirst, homelessness, clothed, and imprisonment have all kind of reached me at different points. In the past I’ve really been taken with the shivering part of the text and I’ve passed out old blankets from the trunk of my car when I lived in Phoenix. Sometimes I’d have a conversation with someone on the street and run back, grab a blanket and hand it over. Sometimes I’d see a person slumped over in the cold night air, and I’d quickly hop out and throw it on the person and dash back in the car.

But lately I’ve been drawn to the whole imprisonment thing. On several of the orientations, we invited SueZann Bosler, to come and tell her story of violence and forgiveness. That struck a chord with me and it added a layer of intentionality that hasn’t been present for me before. The quick version of SueZann’s story is that a person entered their house and fatally stabbed her father, the Brethren pastor, Rev. Bill Bosler. The person also stabbed SueZann repeatedly in the head. She laid silently near to him and pretended to be dead so the intruder would leave. SueZann lived through the attack and throughout the years through a trial and another sentencing re-trial, has asked the courts to sentence him (James Bernard Campbell) to life in prison, instead of a sentence of death. What’s really remarkable about SueZann’s story is that she ultimately forgave James Campell and became a fierce advocate for states and other countries to abolish the death penalty. One of her frequent statements that pokes fun at the absurdity of it all says, Why does the government kill people to show killing people is wrong?

As my friendship with SueZann grew and a few years passed, I realized that I could live up to the words in Matthew 25 in a new way. I got in touch with Rachel Gross who works as the main person for the Death Row Support Project. She and I were in conversation about the faithfulness needed to be a penpal. It’s quite a commitment to write to someone on death row. The odds are great that a person in prison could potentially outlive you, the writer. So in April of 2009 I got my first letter from XX, a 33 year old man, sentenced to death in Illinois for a brutal double murder that he confessed to (also confessed to me during a visit in 2010).

We began exchanging one letter per month. XX is much better at being consistent with sending his letters. Sometime we write each other at the same time and our letters “pass each other” on the way to their destinations. Sometimes we won’t write each other for a spell and then we’ll pick back up.

Quick summary: Met in person. Several times. Sometimes with card games. Sometimes behind glass due to clerical errors. 3^rd visit was his re-telling of his crimes. Through it all it’s been very interesting. Some letters he’s completely coherent and other times he’s an entirely different person.

“Combatants and slaves. Really sooth when creating pariahic artifacts. That’s nomenclature for a sort of esoterical mandala.”

And there’s something else that’s a bit nonsensical about XX that I learned early on, He’s a fan of The Office. I quote, “Dwight is a trip. He can’t help but fall prey to Jim’s antics. Jim and Pam do have a nice storyline. They all work together nicely, filling out their own niches.”

As Illinois and Gov. Quinn abolished the death penalty in Illinois earlier this year, our relationship changed. XX was relocated to a prison in Dixon, Illinois. Strangely, it’s about the same distance as his first prison in Pontiac, Illinois. And through this very quick, unannounced and clandestine move, XX has been through a readjustment phase. His letters are quite incoherent now and he isn’t writing much. I can only surmise that he’s dealing with the new idea that he has his entire life to live in prison and that the death penalty isn’t looming over him as in years past.

What I want you to think about today is the possibility of establishing a relationship (whether in person or by pen and paper) with someone in prison. What is really stopping you from this? I believe that most of the Bible because pretty figurative. In this Matthew 25 passage Jesus really calls us to act. Not to debate. Not to let someone else better suited to do this. But to do something. Let’s get it started…..

Hymn #323 I see a new world coming

May I close with the words that were sent to me in a letter from May 18, 2011

“Shall you realize peace in the midst of calamity.”

Can you commit to a penpal for a year or longer? Check this out and let's get it started:
http://support.brethren.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=3541&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS

Elliot was dreamy

2011-05-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I was riding my old blue bike. At 6pm (Rapture Time!) I was really wanting to be lifted up on my bike just like Elliot in E.T. did. Alas, I'm typing about it now so I didn't get the chance to ride my bike up above the forest.

Landscape Edition

2011-05-14T19:01:00.001-05:00

Let's have a look at more vacation photos! Edition: Landscapes!

This is my favorite: The door that opened directly onto the beach at El Tunco!

Comida!

2011-05-09T09:41:00.000-05:00

After the retreat in Honduras, 6 days were spent in El Salvador. Let's take a look, shall we?

The Food Edition!

Question

2011-04-26T14:37:00.002-05:00

Wouldn't you love to peruse my vacation photos?

Birds!

2011-04-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Things have been busy lately. I haven't written a thing since January. Here are some birds to tie you over. I visited them in Copan Ruinas, Honduras!

A time to brag, a time to feel jealous.

2011-01-30T08:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Reader,
Did you know that I am in Florida? Please let me brag. It's so warm here, I didn't wear a jacket yesterday. At lunch, I had to take my sweatshirt off to cool down. I have a porchswing. It faces east and when you sit just right you can't see the huge, ugly Baptist cross across the lake. I'm wearing flipflops today. I get to live the Florida life for 19 more days.

Best. Yours. Sincerely. Love.
Callie

PS. Wow. My blog has gotten ugly. Can someone design something nice for me.Shabbyblogs designy stuff is sorta shabby and old.

Why my bloggie is called what it's called.

2010-12-22T23:32:00.000-06:00

Prompt: New name. Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

Well hello there! I'm Ledonia, short for Caledonia. Yes, Callie is my official name. It's not short for Callie, Caledonia, California, Calliope, or even Cal. Even Callie isn't just my name. It's also my grandmother's. We had a lot of similiarities besides our names. Mostly, it was our love of pickle juice, raw hot dogs, and marshmallows. My uncles have been calling me Caledonia since I was little. My uncle Bill (one of the few not named Uncle Jim) has great pet names for most family members and I love how they're accurate and portray the person in a great light. (Stink, Wink, Ang, Surbino, Mrs. Surbinowitz, etc.)

I sorta treasure my nickname, and I especially love it when he calls me up and says CalllleeeeDONia! I think I even saved some voicemails for a few years back with him saying my name all long and drawn out. Sometimes if Uncle Bill is in a hurry he'll just say LeDone'. So here's the song that I think must have started it all!

Caldonia by Louis Jordan
Walkin' with my baby she's got great big feet
She's long, lean, and lanky and ain't had nothing to eat
She's my baby and I love her just the same
Crazy 'bout that woman cause Caledonia is her name

Caledonia, Caledonia
What makes your big head so hard?

I love her. I love her just the same
Crazy 'bout that woman cause Caledonia is her name

You know what mama told me? Mama said son...
Keep away from that woman - she's gonna take all your money
Hey, hey, hey boy.... Don't laugh about my mama - you hear that?
Hey man I told you man....
You don't know what you doin' boy - don't laugh about my mama

Caledonia, Caledonia
What makes your big head so hard?

I love her. I love her just the same
Crazy 'bout that woman cause Caledonia is her name.

Ow!

2010-12-20T21:14:00.000-06:00

Tonight I fell down all of my front steps in the snow. I was heading out to my car to clean the snow off and I took one step and WHOOOSH BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP THUD! I think this is my first real fall in my adult life. I'm sure it was quite a sight to see this heap in an ugly green winter jacket lying on the sidewalk wondering what had just happened. So tonight I'm icing a couple bruises and bumps and plotting to burn my shitty boots when the weather thaws!

Nothing for you.

2010-12-16T21:13:00.003-06:00

There will be no blog tonight. I knocked over my gorgeous amarylis and it broke in half. I'm too sad to type anything tonight.

Goodbye, Comcast!

2010-12-15T12:17:00.000-06:00

I've officially become a minority in the US. I've cancelled cable (gasp!), more specifically COMCAST. I'm also not planning on watching it anytime soon (please don't count the times I gaze up at the 300lb one about my head at treadmill #7 in my gym). Since I've just saved myself $468 for the next twelve months, I'm pretty darn happy (please insert a mental image of me doing a lil' jig)! And yes I did have shows that I loved to watch, but I quickly realized that once I stopped watching them, I didn't really miss the plotlines, the commercials, and the sinking suspicions that I was wasting my time night after night and weekend after weekend. What do you think? Should you turn your tv off too? What's stopping you? Would it be too quiet in your home? Would you miss out on polarizing viewpoints on cable 'news'? Would you feel at a loss to lose the stats and storyline of your sports teams? Would sports even matter if you didn't watch them on tv?

Measuring a year in 5 minutes

2010-12-15T09:11:00.001-06:00

Prompt: 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Wow. Five minutes to type and re-cap a year. Hmmm. Driving through all the ice, slush, rain and snow to and from winter orientation. Seeing cars careening into the ditch after speeding on icy bridges in Alabama (and somehow knowing that the orientation van always gets us there in one piece). Being incredibly sick at the re-entry retreat but sticking to the group and weekend because it's all good people and good stories are to be heard and re-told. Sitting in little shaded huts on the Yucutan peninsula with 3 friends and a good book (and also a good drink from our waiter). Meeting the love of my life in my little neighborhood Thai restaurant and her not giving up on me when i casually said, "Yeah, maybe we can go out again." And then having her confront me on the meaning of those words 2 hours into a walk in the woods. Realizing that our relationship is really wholesome, positive and never typical. Seeing a bunch of aboki and hearing/understanding Hausa in the middle of nitty-gritty (but really kinda shiny and neat) Pittsburgh. Kayaking down the Shenandoah river with a rag-tag bunch of volunteers who would never be grouped together in this way, except at orientation. Camping in Wisconsin with friends who had mosquito bite welts bigger than a quarter. Swimming in a dirty brown lake to retreat from the aforementioned skeeters. Living through a sweat lodge even though I was dizzy and out of it. Being hugged by really sweaty volunteers after the sweat lodge and feeling like a part of them, not just a staff person who shouts announcements and waits patiently for them in grocery stores. Eating a fancy lunch with my mom way up in the John Hancock building and having good conversations the entire time she stayed with me. Seeing my nephews grow and change and add about 10,000 words to their vocabularies since I saw them last year. Being in my dad's workshop and admiring all the tools, nuts & bolts, car parts, motorcycle bits, the wood-stove, the nice barstool with orange flames painted on the seat, and all the knick knacks that make his garage cocoon-like and welcoming in any season.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

2010-12-13T15:22:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?

My next step. Hmmm. Next step. Literally, the copier, the filing cabinet, the office supply closet for a new black pen.

Uggggh, I'm not at all excited about this day's prompt. This is getting redundant!

Ditto 12/4/2010

2010-12-13T15:07:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

Please see the bloggy from December 4, 2010. I literally felt like my pulse was resonating within my entire body. Thanks for an easy one, Reverb!

A huge list of me giving up!

2010-12-11T13:22:00.000-06:00

Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

11. No one really needs the Comic Sans font. Seriously. Read this, and yes it's a bit spicy with the f-bombs, so careful with that.

10. TV. Yup I said it. Turn it off. You use more brainwaves in your sleep than trolling through Bravo, Food Network, A&E, ESPN, and E! It's been hard on some of these winter nights to not just veg on the couch with mindless reality shows playing for my entertainment.

9. Coffeemaker. My lil' pretentious French press does the job quite well.

Meh...this prompt for the day sucks as usual. I'm quitting after 3 because I can. It's also naptime.

Have you tried the panang curry?

2010-12-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Eating dinner at 6:30pm at Happy Elephant on April 9, 2010. Best decision of 2010 by a long shot.

The scene of the party: Written as if I was a character in an Encyclopedia Brown novella.

2010-12-09T21:07:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

Hmmmm. Not much of a partier these days. Let's see....

Time: Some Friday in May.
Place: Walnut Street Speakeasy
Volume: So loud I shoved little bits of napkin in my ears, it really does help filter out the noise.
Drinks: Blue Moons, plural
Event: Blackhawks playoff game
Attendees: Mexigals and a few meximouses
2nd location: The casino. Yes, that's right
Attendees: Me + 1
Pay off: $50!
Purchased with $50: 2 bottles of wine
3rd location: A friend's deck
Drinks: Newly purchased wine!

No clever title in mind.

2010-12-08T14:40:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

Hmmmm. Cheesy, yet bland (and really, cheese is never bland in my world) prompt for the day. It seems as though the narcissistic prompt reflects a lot of generational thoughts on being unique, different, exotic, etc at the moment.

Why I am me:
My name is Callie, your's probably isn't.
I have a 70 lb pitbull who looks ferocious, but is really quite the consistent snorer, couch potato type.
I'm left-handed but have adapted to do a lot of right-handed things: basketball, playing the guitar, using scissors, shifting a car into gear.
I like to tuck my pant legs into my socks before i get into bed.

I hope that these simple ideas have wasted enough of your time today. Reverb10, you can do better!

Community is easy, y'all.

2010-12-07T21:13:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

Interesting prompt for the day! Most of my day job pertains to building some form of community for 2-3 week stretches a few times a year. When I'm not working, my lil' community is quite blobby. I have work friends, friends from my apt. complex, church friends, pflag friends, mexigal friends, volunteers living in strange places who chat with me on skype, g-chat, and facebook....the list goes on.
So here's a recap!

Hipster food and contemplation!

2010-12-06T16:21:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

The last thing I made: Quinoa salad/dip/stuffing.

2 c dried, rinsed quinoa
1 c water
2 cans of rinsed black beans
1 jar of hipster-type salsa with peaches and tomatoes, bought from a trendy store such as Whole Foods
a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper.

Cook the quinoa (please pronounce the word as keen-wah, so that your trendy, health-minded-foodie friends know you're to be trusted) add everything else, refrigerate. Eat with some tortilla chips or by itself. Mmmmmhmmmm. Stand in the kitchen with bowl in one hand and chip in the other. Stare out the window(while leaning on the counter, preferably standing like a flamingo) and imagine that there wasn't 6 inches of snow covering the balcony. Imagine lighting the grill on the balcony while big steaks were marinating in the fridge, instead of eating some bland ancient grain that looks like a thousand in-grown hairs!

Enjoy!

Outta sight, outta mind.

2010-12-06T16:09:00.001-06:00

Dec 5, 2010: Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I definitely let go of Facebook this year. During Lent, I gave up Facebook. Yes, I peeked a couple of times because there were work-related messages. It was pretty nice to delete the little icon from my ipod touch. It was also quite nice to delete the icon from the toolbar of my browser. I learned that if you delete those pesky icons, it's the online version of something being out of sight, out of mind.

Sweat

2010-12-04T17:09:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Hmmmmm. Wonder. This could be a toughy. I've thought about this prompt for most of the day and it's been a bit difficult to conjure up places in 2010 that have caused me to wonder. Sitting through a sweat lodge for 2 very intense hours definitely had me wondering about life, the ability of adaptation my body experienced, and the amount of heat my little heart and lungs could deal with. I've thought a lot about that sweat lodge and the amount of perserverance I never knew I had stored inside myself. I wish I could feel that fierce every time I go through something stressful. Hopefully, I'll experience more sweat lodges in my life. The feeling of crawling out of the little structure on my hands and knees into that cool mountain air will never be repeated as it felt like in October.

Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde

2010-12-03T14:11:00.000-06:00

Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

My job definitely keeps me on my toes. There's definitely a Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde quality to my job. Part of the year, I'm an office person. Cubicle, window, standard plant on the window sill, coffee mug(s), inspirational office flair, name on the window, stapler, headset, map on the door, sorta girl.

The other part of the year I'm leading people of all ages through a few weeks of sessions, trips and experiences. In the past year, I've done these orientations in Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and Oregon. I really must admit that I do feel most alive when I'm pulling up to the airport to pick up a whole new batch of people. So cap a great year of travels, tears, stories and sessions, let's take a look back!

Ahh yes, the lovely beach in Florida. Part of orientation, is relaxation (it's a very tiny part).

Listening to a seasoned, organic farmer share her knowledge of edible weeds!

Our classic session of storytelling to help the people get to know one another. Share a story about a scar you have. Describe your mother. What's your ideal project?

And finally, all four of us staff/drivers/cooks/listeners/calling-out writers staying in the basement of a church, beyond delirium telling stories and barely surviving another orientation!

This is SOOOOOOOOO boring.

2010-12-02T14:52:00.001-06:00

Prompt: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing -- and can you eliminate it?

Well, this prompt for today isn't so thrilling. Somehow, committing to a daily blog prompt for a month isn't always exciting when it gets boiled down to writing about writing. I'm not sure I do a certain something everyday that takes away from writing. If anything, I don't feel guilty about not writing enough. I'm much more of an avid reader than a writer. Living abroad for 3 years, with only listening to BBC World, Deutsche Welle, and the always pathetic/propagandic Voice of America, made me hunger to know what was going on outside of my village. Since then I've always read more than I've written. Nowadays I read a lot of news from NY Times, The Trib, and other small newsy places online. Magazines have always been one of my staples as well. I had a Sports Illustrated for Kids subscription for most of my kid life!

Might I suggest a lovely subscription for these great under-the-radar magazines?
Dwell
Afar
Ode

One word

2010-12-01T13:35:00.002-06:00

December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Congrats! You'll get to read little wingdings from me all month! Consider it a Catch-Up with Callie month.

One words that encapsulates 2010: LOVE
Yes, it sounds so boring. As I was cleaning out my ears in the bathroom this morning, I was thinking of what the word would be. And the word LOVE just floated to the top of all my thoughts. I experience a lot of lovin' in my daily life and most days I rarely acknowledge it in public! Love from my volunteers who send me little messages, love from my dog when he races up the stairs ahead of me so he can sit and get his ears scratched, and even love from the people I go to church with.

And even as I go on and on about love and love and love, the real big love of 2010 has been Crystal.

The word for 2011 will hopefully be: Gentleness. I just like the way it sounds.

2010-11-17T10:13:00.000-06:00

I haven't blogged in 2 months. I feel good! I am gearing up for the Best of 2010 blog thingy I did last year, though so don't fret. In other news, I'm giving up tv again.

Goodbye:
Survivor
Parking Wars
NFL
NBA
MLB
The Cooking Channel, not to be confused with Food Network
Food Network
Grey's Anatomy
Frontline on PBS, not the flea and tick guard medicine
The Documentary Channel
The Daily Show
16 & Pregnant
Sesame Street
The Rachel Maddow Show
Check Please!
French Cooking with Julia Child & Jacques Pepin

That is all.

2004

2010-09-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

I went through the album of letters and emails Mom made me for Christmas. I think there's enough details in here for a book! Who knew?! Anyway here are some excerpts for your reading pleasure

3/29/2004

Dear Mom & Dad
Greetings from KBC. It's about 8:15 on Sunday night. It seems as though I will head to Yola tomorrow morning to pick up yet another box someone has sent me in the mail. So I am sitting in the living room typing up a couple of pre-emails on ms word. The weekend was nice and boring just the way I like 'em. It's definitely moved into the hot season. There's no where to really go to cool off except the shower and even that isn't too cold.

I am getting geared up for the Niger trip. Have you done your research yet on the country so you can be properly scared about my safety? I will email you from Kano, the town nearest the border to Niger, before we cross into Niger.

Martin, Nancy, and I went to the next village over this afternoon. We were really bored and hot. So I drove into town with them. We walked down the street for about 45 minutes looking for a chophouse that sells rice and yams...no luck. We settled on hot tea and bread for 35c all together. We people watched for over an hour. It was kinda fun. It was like an airport without the planes. Just people still going somewhere.

I have a big project scheduled for Wednesday. It's the beginning of a 3 day all church conference in my village. My 13 year old helper kid and I are going into business together. We will make about 15 gallons of different kool-aid and them sell them to the conference goers. We'll pour the juice into lil baggies and cool them in the fridge overnight and then the helper kid will sell them. I think we'll make about $20 and split the profits 50/50. This way I can reduce the size of my kool-aid stash. Not many people have access to a fridge so we think have a good piece of the market already cornered. Dad, you would just be so proud of my salesmanship!

So I guess that is all for now. Things are good here. I have been healthy and malaria free since 12/6. I am changing my malaria meds to combat the stronger strains of malaria coming in the rainy season. Don't worry my meds are paid for. My teeth are good...no problems since that double root canal.

Love,
Callie

A break from the river.

2010-09-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

Let's take a lil' break from the river memories k? Old school Mary Chapin Carpenter songs always grab me because they're timeless. Wanna feel like you're rolling through North Carolina? Well here's a song just for you:

I'm a town in Carolina, I'm a detour on a ride
For a phone call and a soda, I'm a blur from the driver's side
I'm the last gas for an hour if you're going twenty-five
I am Texaco and tobacco, I am dust you leave behind

I am peaches in September, and corn from a roadside stall
I'm the language of the natives, I'm a cadence and a drawl
I'm the pines behind the graveyard, and the cool beneath their shade, where the boys have left their beer cans
I am weeds between the graves.

My porches sag and lean with old black men and children
Their sleep is filled with dreams, I never can fulfill them
I am a town.

I am a church beside the highway where the ditches never drain
I'm a Baptist like my daddy, and Jesus knows my name
I am memory and stillness, I am lonely in old age; I am not your destination
I am clinging to my ways
I am a town.

I'm a town in Carolina, I am billboards in the fields
I'm an old truck up on cinder blocks, missing all my wheels
I am Pabst Blue Ribbon, American, and "Southern Serves the South"
I am tucked behind the Jaycees sign, on the rural route
I am a town
I am a town
I am a town
Southbound.

1986: The Mississippi Edition

2010-06-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

Well it's happened, yet again. Summer has actually shown up! I was looking through some old photo albums this weekend and started remembering all the great years I spent at the Mississippi River with my family. So, let's take a trip back to around 1986.
I'm the kid at the beach wearing the yellow life-jacket. This life-jacket is pretty much an extension of me, I wear it the entire time I'm at the river, except at lunchtime when I'm eating my ham sandwich with ketchup and a handful of Bugles.

Musically, it could be the mid 1970s if you listen closely to my dad's 8-track player on the Cobalt. The Beach Boys are the most played selection, and really the best music for the adults to stand around and drink their stubby beers to.

If you hop into the boat and grab that white hot latch to the built-in floor cooler you'd find the kid's drinks: Sunkist Orange pop (bought at the vending machine at the Savanna Marina), Grape pop,and a bunch of Capri Suns with their yellow straws dislodged somewhere down deeper in the ice.

For the adult's drinks, you'd find the styrofoam cooler just at the edge of the river with a little sand and mud anchoring it down into the edge of the water. The contents of the cooler hold about 8 Diet Rite's and about a dozen or so stubby beers. I think they're either the Michelob Stubby's or the Budweiser Stubby's.

Since the stage is set with the food, drinks, and music let's take a look at what the kids are up to (that would be me and my brother and whoever else went boating to the same sandbar we chose). If you peal back the seat on the left side of the boat(my side where I sit right in front of Mom) you'll find a frisbee, a plastic sand castle making set, a red ski-rope (good for skiing and tubing), and a beach ball that needs to be blown up.
If it's a perfectly sunny and hot day, my brother and I are probably floating in the river parallel to the sandbar. We'll walk up to the northern most point in the sand, float out about 10 feet, and then let the lazy current float us back to all of the boats with adults standing around them. We do this for about an hour before taking a break for ham sandwiches, drinks, and chips.
If one of the more daring adults has shown up at the sandbar, there's a good chance that he's strung up a ski rope to a far leaning tree over the river. This is definitely my favorite activity...swiniging out on the rope and then falling into the river. I don't get so many turns on the rope because I'm one of the younger ones. And could you believe that it's actually fun to wait my turn at the rope because my brother and the big kids do fancy flips and turns right before they splash in the water? This is pretty much the only time in my life that waiting my turn is actually entertaining!

I guess I'll stop this lil' memory for tonight. Part II includes the major and minor characters at the sandbar, the restaurants in the area after boating and cleanup, and an insider's look at how to select the right friend to join the crew on the water!

I have no good ideas for a title.

2010-06-03T09:30:00.002-05:00

In the absence of all clean work clothes, I'm wearing a skirt today. Just so you know.

A lame bloggy

2010-04-23T10:20:00.002-05:00

As I've read through old blog posts, it dawned on me that it seems as if I'm writing for an 8th grade English class. I've done poems, repetition, even an acrostic poem. Thanks to all you lurkers for not pointing that out to me! So with keeping in the vein of 8th grade, how about some boring haikus that would garner about a C- for lackluster creativity?

What makes a haiku? Well the first line must have 5 syllables, the 2nd line 7 syllables and the 3rd line 5 syllables.

Orientation
weed walks, food groups, rice rice rice
faith journeys, we go!

Boring breakfast food
soup crackers iced tea thrilling
wishing for crabcakes...

A boring post that sounds like I've written it from a bay window in a nursing home.

2010-04-11T18:00:00.001-05:00

I went walking in the woods today with a friend, my dog, and her dog. It was one of those glorious spring days that just kinda creeps up on ya. The tiny leaves were finally uncurling on new branches, mud was beginning to slink back in to dirt, and old guys on bikes were wheezing past us trying to regain their 'bicycle shape' they once had last fall. I find that spring is one of my favorite times of year because it feels like I've earned it. 5 months of scraping snow off my car, of taking Eli out for a pee in -10f weather, of simply just having to put on a scarf and hat and coat and dry shoes and socks to get ready to go to work..basically spring is the reward we get for living through the winter and I'm pretty happy about that one.

Foreshadowing

2010-04-05T22:44:00.002-05:00

So as you can guess, Facebook and I are back together. We said some things we didn't mean, we both apologized, and are now working at seeing less of each other. In my last post, I wrote that I hadn't seen some of my 'friends' in year or even decades. I guess that was a little bit of a foreshadowing event because I landed in Milledgeville Friday afternoon for a visitation of our beloved Mr. Hefty. And during the time my brother and I stood in line to see the family, a lot of my old facebook 'friends' came to life because they were standing all around, too.

So Mr. Hefty, thanks for bringing the entire town together last weekend.
Thanks for teaching at least 3 generations of jr. high and high school kids.
Thanks for letting me be the screaming Queen of Hearts in 7th grade.
Thanks for honking and waving as you and Mrs. Hefty drove past as I shot hoops behind the house.

Me and facebook are sorta broken up.

2010-03-08T21:01:00.000-06:00

A FACEBOOK FAST.

Not being on facebook is quite nice during this Lenten season.

No updates, group invites, friend requests.

Leaving behind the empty feeling of reading status updates about 'friends.'
Thinking of something clever to write about now lives on inside Twitter where just a few people read what I think.

Forgetting the urge to read about others' lives even though I haven't seen them in
months, days, years, and for the majority of those friends....a decade.

Realizing that the people I want to be connected to are already connected with me whether it's family, co-workers or neighbors. They are in my actual waking life.

An acrostic poem based on my groceries of the week.

2010-02-16T21:57:00.001-06:00

Dropped
Untouched
Missing a price tag
Precious English Muffins!
Snow keeps things fresh
Thoughts of Matthew 6:25
Eclectic mix of fruit, veggies, and bread
Rescued onions from rotting

Discovering the dumpster gate was unlocked
Investigated the state of rotten strawberries-too moldy for me
Valuable food perched on the dumpster just waiting
Iffy expiration dates have never phased me
No need to buy actual food, when free things sit out back.
Going again on Sunday, 3ish. Wanna come?

WIFI

2010-01-29T09:15:00.000-06:00

This morning I find myself at the office for orientation at a camp in central Florida. You may be asking yourself what does an office at orientation actually look like? Well the 2010 office at camp consists of a laptop, and a picnice table nestled close to the camp manager's house to catch a wifi signal. I head here about once a day to check emails and then wak back up toward the block of rooms where everyone stays. I like the fact that the wifi around here has to be earned. I don't automatically wake up and open my laptop. I have to be intentional about walking down the road to the house to check email. The camp life definitely has its perks!

A love letter

2010-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Dear Aldi,

I hate to cross reference my facebook statuses and my blogideas. Tonight I went to the gym for an hour or so and then I felt too lazy to drive across town to my regular store, Aldi's. Instead I drove a block from the gym to Dominick's. I've been doing my shopping at Aldi's for about 10 months. I used to go to Food 4 Less (yes it's a number 4 instead of the word, and yes that type of thing does bother me. But then the management at F4L changed the layout of the store and I really couldn't take it any longer.) 2 blocks south of Aldi's. But one day, I just decided I'd be super frugal gal (notice gal is actually in the word frugal!) and swallow my pride and see what was new with Aldi's.
I'm actually quite familiar with Aldi's. We've gone there a lot for orientations and such. I also went to the store down in Sterling when I was growing up. I tended to feel pretty embarassed about shopping there but I couldn't really figure out why it was like that. Now as an actual adult, I tend to shop at Aldi's once a week. Yes they don't have every single vegetable, but they definitely have the basics I need (potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, red/green/yellow peppers, mushrooms). Their little wine section rivals the $2 chuck from Trader Joe's. My fave of the month is Winking Owl's Chardonnay.

So anyway, as I was strolling the extra wide aisles of Dominick's tonight with the really sad bastasrd music playing in the background, I realized I missed Aldi's. I missed using my quarter to get an extra clean cart from the section near the door. I missed the quietude of my store. Barry Manilow serenading me in Dominick's just about made me choke up in the ethnic section. I told myself that using my shiny little Dominick's savers card would make up the difference, but in the end I still spent $18 more than my weekly trip to Aldi's.

So in the end, you won my heart and debit card back, Aldi's. I'll see you in a few weeks, with my shiny quarter in hand.

Love,

callie

PS I won't forget my giant ikea bag in my car this time. I promise.

Guitars and such.

2010-01-05T15:05:00.001-06:00

Have you wanted to make yourself small again? When I play the guitar when no one is around, I play it with my ear resting on the body. I can hear all the vibrations of the strings together. I can imagine that's what Beethoven did just to feel the vibrations when he was growing deaf. Whenever I hear Sweet Lorraine by Patty Griffin, I can almost feel each strum and rhythm,as if I was a little enough camp inside the guitar!

2010. This decade's gonna be great.

2010-01-04T20:38:00.000-06:00

Did you notice that I didn't finish the Best 09 blog-month-thing? I love not having to follow through with every little minute (my-newt) thing!

Spike 2010

2009-12-27T09:04:00.000-06:00

Social web moment: Many firsts came to me this year, related to online community building. First, in early January, my mother friended me on facebook. It was a big step! Then, this Christmas my entire family got hooked into Skype (my dad calls it Spike). Hello out there to Memphis and Somerville! Wahooooo!

Dean House 2.0

2009-12-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

Insight moment or Epiphany of the Year:

My moment of the year occurred to me in early August in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It came to me while sitting the front porch on an old house. My vision was that BVS moved from Elgin to Harrisonburg. BVS bought an old house and converted certain rooms to offices. Then, when orientations were in session, it was converted over to a meeting area. And when nothing was going on, it was the house that I lived in and took care of while nothing major was going on. Maybe one day it will come to be!

LAME!

2009-12-25T08:48:00.007-06:00

Gift: What's a gift you gave yourself that keeps on giving?

Whoa. This one seems entirely hoaky. Long walks at sunset? A gorgeous morning view from my ugly balcony? Nope. The gift I gave myself that makes my heart swell and soon is my amazing and humble grapefruit knife! I use it daily during the week at lunchtime and it just makes my soul sing....lalalalalala!

Do be do be Do

2009-12-24T06:40:00.003-06:00

Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?

I think B__ would agree that 2009 was the year that I learned how to do my job. It's as short and sweet as that. B__ helped think through logistical issues related to volunteers, housing, transportation, meals, and finances. In the end, I figured out how to do what I do without her prompting! Wahooooo! Independence!

Apps of the Year for Wasting Time

2009-12-23T04:10:00.017-06:00

Web tool: It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

I don't know if I have a certain web tool, but I definitely have some favorite apps for my ipod touch.

Line Up is one that I tend to play in my head before I go to sleep. It has that Tetris effect!

Tap Word is the other app that passes the time for me when I'm traveling or just trying to unwind!

Huck

2009-12-22T16:03:00.000-06:00

Start-up of the Year: What's a business you've found this year that you just adore?

I asked Eli this question today and he had a lot of good businesses to suggest.
I also asked him if he wanted to be a guest blogger for today's post, but he chose to curl up and promptly fall asleep. Eli's top notch choice for business of the year is....drum roll please...
West Paw Design This is the company that supplies the super strong balls that Eli chomps on for hours everyday. I think they're great, personally. I've spent about $35 this year on 2 balls. Some would say that's a bit to pricey but for me and the things in the apt, Eli hasn't chewed a Christmas ornament, a flip flop, or even a plant on the coffee table.

Thanks West Paw Design for keeping Eli occupied and all of my belongings unchewed!

Run Bike Run

2009-12-21T18:49:00.000-06:00

Project! What did you start this year that you're proud of?

I'm a little uncomfortable with how the above sentence ended with a preposition, but I'll let it slide this time. I think the biggest project that I've attempted and have had success at is RUNNING (ok biking, too)! (Please say that sentence as if Forrest Gump was yelling in your ear.) I started running & biking this summer after a really great orientation in Harrisonburg. Running in the morning is quite a drag, I've discovered. I'd have to say that running at sunset in August and September are really the best moments. Most of the best sunsets I've seen of 2009 have been while huffing and puffing around the 14 blocks that make up my never changing route. Besides running, I've been able to get on my old blue bike a few times a week before the seasons changed. My longest ride was 13 miles, but I never did ride out to Elgin and back. There's always next year!

!Personas nuevas!

2009-12-20T05:28:00.021-06:00

New Person of the Year:

Well golly gee, this could be a hard one. I hate to offend anyone. So I'll just list a few:

Larry & Penny: They live downstairs and grew the most fantastic tomatoes this summer. My parking spot is right in front of their apt where the tomatoes grew. I had serious thoughts on how to steal one in the dewy morning, but instead Larry gave me a few before I had to steal any.

Sue: She's the really neat older lady at church who I aspire to be. She's a master knitter, works with refugees, and says really well thought out prayers on the spot. We sometimes wear the same blue sweater to church and I don't feel embarassed at all.

Anna: A colleague at work. My boss Dan says we have similar senses of sarcasm. We're going to Mexico with 2 other colleagues in March! Fiesta ahora!

I wonder who the new folks are I'll meet in 2010!

Easy Peasy.

2009-12-19T12:27:00.007-06:00

Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

January: Chicago to Atlanta, Atlanta to Orlando.
             Orlando to Miami.
             Miami to Orlando.
February: Orlando to Decatur, AL.
               Decatur, AL to Chicago.
May: Chicago to Harrisonburg.
         Harrisonburg to DC.
         DC to Chicago.
July: Chicago to Harrisonburg
        Harrisonburg to DC
        DC to Harrisonburg.
August: Harrisonburg to Chicago.
September: Chicago to Maryland.
                  Maryland to Harrisburg, PA
                  Harrisburg to Maryland.
October: Maryland to Chicago.
November: Chicago to Durham, NC.
                  Durham to Chicago
December: Chicago to Decatur, AL.
                  Decatur to Memphis.
                  Memphis to Decatur.
                  Decatur to Nashville.
                  Nashville to Chicago!

HE should be happy.

2009-12-18T14:24:00.000-06:00

Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of you mad money this year?

This one is sorta interesting. Being all sorts of frugal & brethren kind of makes me not want to answer this question. I think bragging about the money one spends is contrary to the way I intend to live. But I'll give you this, Happy Elephant is doing quite well nowadays. I've bought a lot of panang curries along the way.

Peace of Christ

2009-12-17T16:20:00.001-06:00

Word or Phrase: A word that encapsulates your year.

I've been going to a little church down the road from my place on most Sundays I'm in town. What I like about the place is when we do the passing of the peace. Everyone stands up in the middle of the service and shakes hands or hugs each other and says, "Peace." or "Peace of Christ." Our group just doesn't stand around and do it. Everyone gets into the aisles and this informal clockwise sweeping of peace comes over everyone. It's sorta neato.

Neighbor of the Year!

2009-12-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today's blogging prompt is kinda lame: Tea of the Year. Instead I think I'll write on the best neighbor of the year. Some of you could probably guess the answer. My neighbor of the year award goes to Joe Perez! He's kind of like my divorced husband who takes care of Eli, my dog, when I travel for huge chunks of a month. Joe loves Eli as much as I do and that's hard to find in a divorcee nowadays!

Pernod

2009-12-15T13:02:00.001-06:00

Best packaging of 2009: Have you had Pernod? Chances are you slim that you've had it. It's a strong lil liquor that tastes like a black jelly bean on fire. Pernod is the brand, but the common name would be pastis. It's also the cousin to the Greek version of ouzo or Turkish raki or even the Italian sambucco.The label is of classique French design. The bottle is standard green. So for the record, the packaging isn't so slick, but the label makes me grin every time. Come on over, and I'll pour you a glass!

Rush 09

2009-12-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

Biggest rush of the year:

Well it came today! And what was it:
This place! March 26 here I come!