Soo I guess I'm pretty horrible at keeping this blog thing going. Well to catch you up on the month of February...it was cold. Alright! On to March! Haha just kidding- well the most memorable thing in February as far as the program is concerned was the Winter Retreat at the same Coast Guard house we went to in the beginning of the year. Our first retreat was right when we got here- so it was full of team builders and things to help us get to know each other and everyone felt a little awkward being in a house full of 27 other people you didn't know. This time around, we knew each other! There were fun things planned like trivia and a talent show (I sang with Sam and we did a parody on Disney's "A Whole New World" which Ash and I wrote and titled "A Whole New Tool." It was about doing outdoor service projects in the winter and all the joys that surround it :-P) Overall it was a great time although the morning we left we found a dead seal on the beach that had been killed by a coyote. To be honest it was actually REALLY COOL to be able to trace the fight and it was the closest I had been to a dead animal. Yes of course it was sad, but its all a part of that little thing we call the circle of life. Also in February a group of my friends and I went to the city and stayed with my friend Rya for Valentines/Presidents Day weekend. We went to Serendipity and sat about ten feet away from Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian- Maria's favorite story is when she was waiting for the bathroom and Kim walked up to her and asked her "Are you in line?" to which Maria responded.."Yea"..STAR STRUCK!! haha. All in all February was a fun month (minus that whole stomach flu thing that 20 people in our program passed around- I was NOT one of them (its the OJ mom :-) Just kidding I don't even drink OJ...I should get on that...
So up to March! This month we have had a lot of Herring Run restoration days because its almost that time for the little cute and cuddly herrings to go from ocean to river beds to spawn and their path need not be blocked by overgrowth and trash. We have also done quite a few cut and burns with the Seashore where we..cut..and burn brush and overgrowth in the woods to eliminate or at least reduce the chances of a natural fire causing all sorts of ruckus. We have had a few service days on farms or community gardens on the Cape removing invasives and putting up fencing to keep deer and wabbits out of plots! The fence day was fun because I got to use a sledgehammer- which of course meant I sang that song all day..and people here have not gotten sick of me singing yet so I'll take every chance I get! We also finished up our last wetfest (no more flush the kids!) and that signifies that every service we now do will be outside because ITS SPRING! And even though it doesn't feel like it..we still turned our clocks back and told the sun to stay up later for us and forced ourselves into flip flops on the first day of Spring (Ok..maybe that was just me but I felt it necessary and if mother nature doesn't want my little toes to freeze then make the weather warmer!) It worked because I am currently in flip flops on my front porch basking in the sun while I type this...so you all can thank me for single handily making the weather nicer.
Other than outdoor services I have been teaching middle schools students about the Junior Solar Sprint and just last week I went to an alternative school in New Bedford with students who have either been expelled from their original schools or have other behavioral issues that merit them attending this one. The minute I walked in I was told to lock all of my valuables so I was a little intimidated to say the least, however once the students came in my fears immediately disappeared and it quickly became my favorite school. I taught four separate periods, each one causing my heard to swell more and more- they were so into the Sprint and excited to start! It was a pretty cool feeling bringing something interesting into their lives when you could tell that school was maybe their one escape from a harsh reality they faced outside of those walls. Compared to the other "normal" schools I have been to- I could see how these students did not take it for granted. If I ever decided to teach- I would prefer to teach in a school where I can see that I have improved someone's day just by being there and caring.
That pretty much brings us up to this week- which has been my Spring break. While others in the house have packed up their summer clothes and headed south- I have stayed riiigghhtt here. The thought of having a house to myself was too appealing! My parents came up for the first weekend and I took them out to P-town hiking the sand dunes, showed them my favorite beach (Cahoon Hollow or White Crest as known by the locals), went for a bike ride and all that good stuff. I must say they did pretty well even though half way up the first dune they said short of breath "So the beach is right over this one and then we are done right?!" Um...nope...only four more miles though! On the last day we met up with my cousin Rachel and her hubby Nick in Providence for lunch which was really nice to finally meet up- she's originally from Alabama and I was so pumped she was only going to be an hour away- Life just gets in the way ya know? The rest of the week looks like this- Sleep in, practice guitar, work on songs, write this blog, search for jobs, and food shop before my friends come this weekend! YESS!! It's safe to say this is the best spring break I have had yet because all of these things have been on my to- do list for awhile now- burdening my soul each day I didn't complete them.
Alright time for me to take advantage of this awesome day by biking 20 miles to Woods Hole and back- wish me luck!
Keep on keeping on.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Team Ready? DODGEBALL!
WHOOO!!!! Today was a blast- I was a referee for the West Barnstable Fire Department Dodgeball Tournament. The teams that were- Three firefighter teams, two cop teams, a sheriff officer team, a SWAT team and a Wellfleet house team and a Bourne house team. Naturally my job as a ref was to call all the shots and make sure both teams were kept in line. Normally this would have just been fun- but since the cops were playing (who were pretty big jerks the whole time by the way) I REALLY enjoyed being able to inform them when they were out for breaking the rules such as hitting opponents in the head, stepping over the mid court line and lying about being hit. I just hope I never cross them on the road because they may give me a ticket for no good reason :-P Just kidding- it was all in good spirits (but the cops really were a bit too serious) and the firefighters were great fun. Amanda and I know a few of the guys from the department because they host a "Fitness Friday" thing every week where we go and pretty much get our butts kicked into shape along with firefighters...I'm still sore and its Sunday! BUT back to the tourney- so inspite of all the scary team titles (especially the SWAT Team- I mean who messes with the SWAT TEAM?!) the Wellfleet house won!!! So AmeriCorps Cape Cod showed all those men whose boss 'round here.
Just a quick update from last time- the polar plunge did happen after all- which was actually a serious dose of fun. A lot of the locals do it on New Years because it is said to shock or restart your body (in a good way) so even though it wasn't for the New Year it was still really fun...I mean REALLY REALLY COLD...BUT fun. Everyone should do it at one point in their lives. Just do it! That day our service was beach grass planting and after we put up signs that AmeriCorps made up that say "These dunes aren't made for walking"...yeah..we're clever ;-) Another service project I did that week was called "Call of the Artic Gods" because we were outside in 7 degree weather..not including the windchill. It was myself, Phil, Amanda, Melany and Maria (or otherwise known as 'The Brave', 'The Strong', 'The Fair', 'The Valiant' and 'The Worthy') and we basically loppered invasive species and hauled large logs from old trees out of the woods. We kinda lost a pair of loppers (whoops) in the snow because there was so much but we just plan on going back after the first big melt to find it!
The last big service project we did was for MLK Day (or Martin Luther King day). AmeriCorps basically restored a shelter project in Cataumet by recruiting over 200 volunteers to paint rooms, sew curtains, make bookshelves and benches and supply lamps and compact fluorescent light bulbs to the whole shelter. The program supervisor said that this was the best MLK day this program has seen with respects to the number of volunteers recruited and amount of work completed which is pretty neat. We were all given bracelets for volunteering and I was at the gym a few days after and a lady was staring at me really strangely and she finally goes "You're bracelet- You're in AmeriCorps!" She was a volunteer that day with her family and she said she had a blast doing it and even gave me a few secret beach/kayak spots to use in the spring.
Tonight we had an encounter with a flying squirrel in our basement! He must have gotten in through the chimney and we can't catch him because he is so freaking fast (and kinda scary when he flies at you!) So we decided to devise a trap with peanut butter involved (hopefully not the salmonella kind!) to catch him and release him. Also we named him Clark- and I think I am in love :-P Big beaty eyes! Fluffy little tail! How can you possibly not love it. Diseases you may say? PSSHhhh- we have enough of that going around in the house without a flying squirrel- 4 people have gotten the stomach flu to date!! I have not yet (knock on wood- real or fake) but even if I did get it it seems to only affect people for two days at most so nothing too serious to worry about.
Tomorrow we have our first Life After AmeriCorps day- all about resume writing and job hunting- AHH!!!! DO I have to think about this stuff already?! Craziness- Just put me on a boat somewhere....
Live life.
Just a quick update from last time- the polar plunge did happen after all- which was actually a serious dose of fun. A lot of the locals do it on New Years because it is said to shock or restart your body (in a good way) so even though it wasn't for the New Year it was still really fun...I mean REALLY REALLY COLD...BUT fun. Everyone should do it at one point in their lives. Just do it! That day our service was beach grass planting and after we put up signs that AmeriCorps made up that say "These dunes aren't made for walking"...yeah..we're clever ;-) Another service project I did that week was called "Call of the Artic Gods" because we were outside in 7 degree weather..not including the windchill. It was myself, Phil, Amanda, Melany and Maria (or otherwise known as 'The Brave', 'The Strong', 'The Fair', 'The Valiant' and 'The Worthy') and we basically loppered invasive species and hauled large logs from old trees out of the woods. We kinda lost a pair of loppers (whoops) in the snow because there was so much but we just plan on going back after the first big melt to find it!
The last big service project we did was for MLK Day (or Martin Luther King day). AmeriCorps basically restored a shelter project in Cataumet by recruiting over 200 volunteers to paint rooms, sew curtains, make bookshelves and benches and supply lamps and compact fluorescent light bulbs to the whole shelter. The program supervisor said that this was the best MLK day this program has seen with respects to the number of volunteers recruited and amount of work completed which is pretty neat. We were all given bracelets for volunteering and I was at the gym a few days after and a lady was staring at me really strangely and she finally goes "You're bracelet- You're in AmeriCorps!" She was a volunteer that day with her family and she said she had a blast doing it and even gave me a few secret beach/kayak spots to use in the spring.
Tonight we had an encounter with a flying squirrel in our basement! He must have gotten in through the chimney and we can't catch him because he is so freaking fast (and kinda scary when he flies at you!) So we decided to devise a trap with peanut butter involved (hopefully not the salmonella kind!) to catch him and release him. Also we named him Clark- and I think I am in love :-P Big beaty eyes! Fluffy little tail! How can you possibly not love it. Diseases you may say? PSSHhhh- we have enough of that going around in the house without a flying squirrel- 4 people have gotten the stomach flu to date!! I have not yet (knock on wood- real or fake) but even if I did get it it seems to only affect people for two days at most so nothing too serious to worry about.
Tomorrow we have our first Life After AmeriCorps day- all about resume writing and job hunting- AHH!!!! DO I have to think about this stuff already?! Craziness- Just put me on a boat somewhere....
Live life.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
There's snow way I'm going out there!!
I said BURR- it's cold out there! We have about six inches of freshly fallen snow from last night and tomorrow we are beach grass planting on the sand dunes all day- lets just say I will be using my hand/feet warmers! We are supposed to do the Polar Plunge after service tomorrow but I am hearing from the Wellfleet house that people are backing down because they are afraid- BABIES I TELL YA!!!
My Christmas/New Year break was very good. I was presently surprised with presents and I honestly didn't really need them to be happy this year- I got the Holiday cheer bug real bad. I was getting all giddy at the sight of christmas lights and trees and at the sounds of christmas songs on the radio (it did get A LITTLE old because they started it right after Halloween on Cape Cod- EVERY STATION!) And for whatever reason everyone was being just a little bit nicer, using the reason "Hey..its Christmas!" I wish certain people didn't use that as an excuse to be nice but its better than nothing.
So here I am- back on the Cape- and with a new member! Before the Holidays a member from our house left - Nichole Long (we called her Frannie). She is a great girl, but said that the program was just not her cup of tea (she likes hot tea-- so cold service doesn't really work :-P). So anyway she left and we got a new girl- her name is Melany and she is from Maine. She moved in on Friday and she's great- We have the same sense of humor which is hard to find.
Service is going well- just chug-a-chuging away. We will be doing a big MLK Day projects since we don't have Martin Luther King Jr day off and it will include building bookshelves and benches, painting walls and sewing curtains for a housing shelter in Cataumet. ALSO- we got a grant to build a GREENHOUSE AT THE BOURNE HOUSE!! Meredith, Nicole, Korinda and I are heading this project which is so exciting. So we are in the research stage as of right now to try and figure out where it should go- foundation practices, pricing, etc. Will update as that project comes along.
MKKK...that's enough for now- Happy 2009 to you all
My Christmas/New Year break was very good. I was presently surprised with presents and I honestly didn't really need them to be happy this year- I got the Holiday cheer bug real bad. I was getting all giddy at the sight of christmas lights and trees and at the sounds of christmas songs on the radio (it did get A LITTLE old because they started it right after Halloween on Cape Cod- EVERY STATION!) And for whatever reason everyone was being just a little bit nicer, using the reason "Hey..its Christmas!" I wish certain people didn't use that as an excuse to be nice but its better than nothing.
So here I am- back on the Cape- and with a new member! Before the Holidays a member from our house left - Nichole Long (we called her Frannie). She is a great girl, but said that the program was just not her cup of tea (she likes hot tea-- so cold service doesn't really work :-P). So anyway she left and we got a new girl- her name is Melany and she is from Maine. She moved in on Friday and she's great- We have the same sense of humor which is hard to find.
Service is going well- just chug-a-chuging away. We will be doing a big MLK Day projects since we don't have Martin Luther King Jr day off and it will include building bookshelves and benches, painting walls and sewing curtains for a housing shelter in Cataumet. ALSO- we got a grant to build a GREENHOUSE AT THE BOURNE HOUSE!! Meredith, Nicole, Korinda and I are heading this project which is so exciting. So we are in the research stage as of right now to try and figure out where it should go- foundation practices, pricing, etc. Will update as that project comes along.
MKKK...that's enough for now- Happy 2009 to you all
Sunday, December 14, 2008
My dream is to be free
Wow- sorry it took me so long to write on here again. I hope everyone's holiday season is cheery and bright.
My thanksgiving was a lot of fun- I went to Rya's new apartment on Long Beach! You can see the ocean from her windows and it was amazing being able to run on the boardwalk. Then I obviously stuffed my face with great food, but other than that I got to see all of my Long Island friends which was very necessary! I love this program and the people in it, but there is certainly a stronger bond with those friends who have lasted through the entire "life changing" college experience and I missed them dearly.
After Thanksgiving we just got back to the grind with the program- they gave us our numbers of how many service hours we have each completed and thus far I have about 600 hours in just over 3 months. I only have to complete 1700 for the whole program but I will absolutely go over that - and most people do. The physical Monday/Friday service projects have been getting harder because of the weather. There was one Monday that was so cold I could not feel any fingers or toes, or my nose for the entire day. I used to complain about how cold it was going from class to class, or from the house to the car...but now that I am outside in it for 8 hours those little moments seem like NOTHING :-P All in all it was a good day- we were building stairs in nature trails (which was a little frustrating having to dig many holes into frozen ground) and then we widened a bunch of trails and did more invasive cutting.
Invasive species I officially DESPISE:
-Phragmites
-Honeysuckle
-Multiflora rose (has CRAZY PRICKERS >:-0)
and my "all time hate" award would have to go to Bittersweet- its insanely viney and grabs onto other trees and pulls them down- breaking them and stopping their growth. Their root system is so intricate that intertwines with other tree roots and one bittersweet plant can have an underground root that will take acres and acres of land. I spent so many days digging roots and cutting and pulling them off trees and then last weekend we passed an Inn that was called "Bittersweet Inn" and it had Bittersweet (that the owners planted) EVERYWHERE!! All over the fences and arch ways, there were wreaths made out of it!!!!! The people in my car were like "You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!" One of the members had to talk me out of taking lopers to the entire Inn. But do not dismay because I will go back there one night on a secret mission- dressed in all black with a stocking over my head and lopers in one hand, a handsaw in another. Oh yes...it will happen. Just kidding!! Kinda.
At Self-Reliance I have been working on a Teachers workshop that I did on Thursday!! It was for the Junior Solar Sprint and I had to teach teachers how to teach their students about the program and I had them make their own model solar cars. It was four and a half hours long and fun, but stressful in the beginning because 30 min before it started my supervisor (who was supposed to do a Photovolaics presentation at the workshop- and had the projector for my presentation) called me and said she was on the side of 195 (highway off Cape) because her car had broke down. So I called a teacher at 4 C's (Cape Cod Community College) and asked if he could possibly do it- and he did!! I was so grateful and the night ran smoothly after that. I was a little scared in the beginning that the teachers were going to see how old I was (we had just been corresponding through email and phone) and not really respect me because I am obviously just out of school- but they did and they listened to me like kids!! Ha it was great.
We have also volunteered at the Fire Station to sell Christmas trees (the reusable ones that come in pots- then when you are done using them you can plant them in your yard and you are not killing any trees!! I know I know...you are all really pumped about this too) and we also did a Christmas party for a place called the Children's Cove. This is a center for kids who have been physically or sexually abused by adults in their lives. Their stories are so disturbing and I cried when I heard some of the things that happened to them which I won't repeat here. But somehow they live with what happened to them and they move on- they are so strong I honestly do not know how they do it. But back to the party- we set up about 20 booths that they could make T-shirts, ornaments, raindeer food, candles, decorate cookies, Spin art (that was my booth! :-) ) and the list goes on and on. Then Santa came and gave them all presents. It was a great hit and the kids loved it. Its always nice to have something they can look forward to when they have dealt with so much disappointment from people they were supposed to be able to trust in their lives.
Alright- well I have to cut it short. A few of us are going to Barnes and Noble to wrap christmas presents to raise funds for our MLK Day project in January.
Enjoy your holidays!
:-)
My thanksgiving was a lot of fun- I went to Rya's new apartment on Long Beach! You can see the ocean from her windows and it was amazing being able to run on the boardwalk. Then I obviously stuffed my face with great food, but other than that I got to see all of my Long Island friends which was very necessary! I love this program and the people in it, but there is certainly a stronger bond with those friends who have lasted through the entire "life changing" college experience and I missed them dearly.
After Thanksgiving we just got back to the grind with the program- they gave us our numbers of how many service hours we have each completed and thus far I have about 600 hours in just over 3 months. I only have to complete 1700 for the whole program but I will absolutely go over that - and most people do. The physical Monday/Friday service projects have been getting harder because of the weather. There was one Monday that was so cold I could not feel any fingers or toes, or my nose for the entire day. I used to complain about how cold it was going from class to class, or from the house to the car...but now that I am outside in it for 8 hours those little moments seem like NOTHING :-P All in all it was a good day- we were building stairs in nature trails (which was a little frustrating having to dig many holes into frozen ground) and then we widened a bunch of trails and did more invasive cutting.
Invasive species I officially DESPISE:
-Phragmites
-Honeysuckle
-Multiflora rose (has CRAZY PRICKERS >:-0)
and my "all time hate" award would have to go to Bittersweet- its insanely viney and grabs onto other trees and pulls them down- breaking them and stopping their growth. Their root system is so intricate that intertwines with other tree roots and one bittersweet plant can have an underground root that will take acres and acres of land. I spent so many days digging roots and cutting and pulling them off trees and then last weekend we passed an Inn that was called "Bittersweet Inn" and it had Bittersweet (that the owners planted) EVERYWHERE!! All over the fences and arch ways, there were wreaths made out of it!!!!! The people in my car were like "You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!" One of the members had to talk me out of taking lopers to the entire Inn. But do not dismay because I will go back there one night on a secret mission- dressed in all black with a stocking over my head and lopers in one hand, a handsaw in another. Oh yes...it will happen. Just kidding!! Kinda.
At Self-Reliance I have been working on a Teachers workshop that I did on Thursday!! It was for the Junior Solar Sprint and I had to teach teachers how to teach their students about the program and I had them make their own model solar cars. It was four and a half hours long and fun, but stressful in the beginning because 30 min before it started my supervisor (who was supposed to do a Photovolaics presentation at the workshop- and had the projector for my presentation) called me and said she was on the side of 195 (highway off Cape) because her car had broke down. So I called a teacher at 4 C's (Cape Cod Community College) and asked if he could possibly do it- and he did!! I was so grateful and the night ran smoothly after that. I was a little scared in the beginning that the teachers were going to see how old I was (we had just been corresponding through email and phone) and not really respect me because I am obviously just out of school- but they did and they listened to me like kids!! Ha it was great.
We have also volunteered at the Fire Station to sell Christmas trees (the reusable ones that come in pots- then when you are done using them you can plant them in your yard and you are not killing any trees!! I know I know...you are all really pumped about this too) and we also did a Christmas party for a place called the Children's Cove. This is a center for kids who have been physically or sexually abused by adults in their lives. Their stories are so disturbing and I cried when I heard some of the things that happened to them which I won't repeat here. But somehow they live with what happened to them and they move on- they are so strong I honestly do not know how they do it. But back to the party- we set up about 20 booths that they could make T-shirts, ornaments, raindeer food, candles, decorate cookies, Spin art (that was my booth! :-) ) and the list goes on and on. Then Santa came and gave them all presents. It was a great hit and the kids loved it. Its always nice to have something they can look forward to when they have dealt with so much disappointment from people they were supposed to be able to trust in their lives.
Alright- well I have to cut it short. A few of us are going to Barnes and Noble to wrap christmas presents to raise funds for our MLK Day project in January.
Enjoy your holidays!
:-)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
RM <3
HOKAY SOO...I went to Binghamton this weekend and saw my old a cappella group- Rhythm Method perform their Fall show as well as saw all old college buddies and met some new members! First off...the show was AWESOME...if anyone knows me (which you all should..hopefully...) then they could probably guess that I cried. The first song...tears...then I got pity "Oh Jaci!" looks from Seth and Jen and then decided to dry my tears...but then I cried again at the end. My mom came to see me/the show and I successfully cried more than she did- which is probably a first EVER. I just didn't want it to end. Seriously great and they are going to competition!
Not only was the music great- but being back there was also--I mean, that group is my extended family. The new members- Emily, Alex (Talex), Alex (Slater) and Andrew all pretty much rock hardcore.
When I got back to New England (thanks to Mrs Matthei) I went into Boston and met Amanda and Ashleigh in an Irish Pub for dinner that was like walking into Ireland/a Lord of the Rings scene. Then we went to the Middle East which was a restaurant/bar for a concert by Centro-matic (really cool rock alternative band). I didn't get home until 1 am and had to wake up at 5 because we had service in Provincetown (the tip...an hour and a half away) that morning. So needless to say after a weekend of not going to bed before 4 am both friday and saturday nights--- I am EXHAUSTED! Eh..actually I'm probably just being a baby and should suck it up...good advice...I'll do that.
Moving on (moving on) our service in P-town on monday was BENCH BUILDING!! I think it may be the best service day I have had yet only because we started digging holes in the ground, then took a bunch of timber and made a bench- finished it- and stuck it in the holes and mixed concrete to finish it off. I got to see a project through start to finish and while my arms now hate me for lifting, hammering, digging and lugging so much...I felt so accomplished. AND by the end I was titled the official user of the screw gun because I know how to WORK IT! I am not talking about just literally working the screw gun--I mean work it in the "I make this look good" sense. Just to be clear.
Then TUESDAY! (which is today...oh boy it has been a long day) My COD day group and I did our RECYCLEFEST for Henry T Wing School in Sandwich! Our day started at 7am when we met at the school to set up/rehearse for the fest which started and 9am. Greg and I made a rap called "Recycle Michael" where we used the instrumental music from Chris Brown's "Run it". There were three main characters- Recycle Michael, Landfill Lenny and Soda Pop Pam (that was me!) Basically the rap was about Lenny- who does not know how to recycle and Michael and Pam who teach him how cool it is. The first line is a parody of an MIA Paper plane line by Lenny (as he flies a paper air plane into Michael): "I fly my paper real high like a plane, if the teacher tries to catch me too bad, I erased my name" followed by Michael who says "Hey Landfill Lenny, I'm not trash- I have a better place for your plane to crash (and points to a recycling bin!) It continues and at one point I lead the school in a cheer where Michael break dances while picking up recyclables and putting them in the bin. I'll stop there but I am obviously very excited about it and it went over very well. The kids were chanting "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- Go Michael!" at the end and teachers wanted us to do it in other classrooms. We also did a puppet show which was slightly disastrous on our end but the kids didn't realize so it worked out fine (we had to improv when the recording stopped working!)
Well- we are about to watch Wall-E so I am going to curl up with my crochet and fight for a comfy spot on a couch!
Goodnight all
Not only was the music great- but being back there was also--I mean, that group is my extended family. The new members- Emily, Alex (Talex), Alex (Slater) and Andrew all pretty much rock hardcore.
When I got back to New England (thanks to Mrs Matthei) I went into Boston and met Amanda and Ashleigh in an Irish Pub for dinner that was like walking into Ireland/a Lord of the Rings scene. Then we went to the Middle East which was a restaurant/bar for a concert by Centro-matic (really cool rock alternative band). I didn't get home until 1 am and had to wake up at 5 because we had service in Provincetown (the tip...an hour and a half away) that morning. So needless to say after a weekend of not going to bed before 4 am both friday and saturday nights--- I am EXHAUSTED! Eh..actually I'm probably just being a baby and should suck it up...good advice...I'll do that.
Moving on (moving on) our service in P-town on monday was BENCH BUILDING!! I think it may be the best service day I have had yet only because we started digging holes in the ground, then took a bunch of timber and made a bench- finished it- and stuck it in the holes and mixed concrete to finish it off. I got to see a project through start to finish and while my arms now hate me for lifting, hammering, digging and lugging so much...I felt so accomplished. AND by the end I was titled the official user of the screw gun because I know how to WORK IT! I am not talking about just literally working the screw gun--I mean work it in the "I make this look good" sense. Just to be clear.
Then TUESDAY! (which is today...oh boy it has been a long day) My COD day group and I did our RECYCLEFEST for Henry T Wing School in Sandwich! Our day started at 7am when we met at the school to set up/rehearse for the fest which started and 9am. Greg and I made a rap called "Recycle Michael" where we used the instrumental music from Chris Brown's "Run it". There were three main characters- Recycle Michael, Landfill Lenny and Soda Pop Pam (that was me!) Basically the rap was about Lenny- who does not know how to recycle and Michael and Pam who teach him how cool it is. The first line is a parody of an MIA Paper plane line by Lenny (as he flies a paper air plane into Michael): "I fly my paper real high like a plane, if the teacher tries to catch me too bad, I erased my name" followed by Michael who says "Hey Landfill Lenny, I'm not trash- I have a better place for your plane to crash (and points to a recycling bin!) It continues and at one point I lead the school in a cheer where Michael break dances while picking up recyclables and putting them in the bin. I'll stop there but I am obviously very excited about it and it went over very well. The kids were chanting "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- Go Michael!" at the end and teachers wanted us to do it in other classrooms. We also did a puppet show which was slightly disastrous on our end but the kids didn't realize so it worked out fine (we had to improv when the recording stopped working!)
Well- we are about to watch Wall-E so I am going to curl up with my crochet and fight for a comfy spot on a couch!
Goodnight all
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Yes we can!
Let me just start off by saying GOBAMA! :-) I am very excited for these next four years and I have faith that our President elect will steer us back on the right journey from the crazy scary ride that happened when Bush took hold of the steering wheel.
Moving on...Halloween was great- we all went to Provincetown and I was Greed from the 7 deadly sins so I made a money out of paper dollar bills. Saturday night I stole Alex's costume and was a bee (I'm allergic...its funny!!! Get it!?) I took a pic with my Epi-Pen.
November has been a great month thus far! The weather is great- just today I ran outside (and around the Cranberry bog!) in shorts and a T-shirt and the sky was as blue as could be. Last monday we hauled 3 ton of rock into the Quashnet river and set it up around the bank for river restoration. It was so much fun...until I fell in!! I tripped over a log in the water that I didn't see and WHAM! HELLOOOO WATER! I am still trying to get the inside of my waders and aquaculture gloves dry.
Friday we had an AmeriCorps convention in Boston where all 76 programs in the state of Mass came which comprised of over 2,000 volunteers. It was PACKED and the state Governor Duvall Patrick same and spoke to us. We then got a tour of the State House and in the House of Representatives there was a wooden cod that hung off the ceiling that was 4'11'' and I said to myself...That fish is the same size as Lynsey!!! Then I pictured her hanging above the House of Rep and laughed.
This weekend was pretty relaxing and I had my first MasterSingers by Sea concert. There were professional singers and orchestra members from Boston. It was great and now we are already preparing for the Madrigal feast in December!
Sorry this isn't too detailed---we are all watching Harry Potter right now and I am somewhat distracted :-) But I am SUPER excited for this coming weekend when I go to Binghamton to see Rhythm Method's semester show! I'll be sure to write after that!
Have a lovely week
Moving on...Halloween was great- we all went to Provincetown and I was Greed from the 7 deadly sins so I made a money out of paper dollar bills. Saturday night I stole Alex's costume and was a bee (I'm allergic...its funny!!! Get it!?) I took a pic with my Epi-Pen.
November has been a great month thus far! The weather is great- just today I ran outside (and around the Cranberry bog!) in shorts and a T-shirt and the sky was as blue as could be. Last monday we hauled 3 ton of rock into the Quashnet river and set it up around the bank for river restoration. It was so much fun...until I fell in!! I tripped over a log in the water that I didn't see and WHAM! HELLOOOO WATER! I am still trying to get the inside of my waders and aquaculture gloves dry.
Friday we had an AmeriCorps convention in Boston where all 76 programs in the state of Mass came which comprised of over 2,000 volunteers. It was PACKED and the state Governor Duvall Patrick same and spoke to us. We then got a tour of the State House and in the House of Representatives there was a wooden cod that hung off the ceiling that was 4'11'' and I said to myself...That fish is the same size as Lynsey!!! Then I pictured her hanging above the House of Rep and laughed.
This weekend was pretty relaxing and I had my first MasterSingers by Sea concert. There were professional singers and orchestra members from Boston. It was great and now we are already preparing for the Madrigal feast in December!
Sorry this isn't too detailed---we are all watching Harry Potter right now and I am somewhat distracted :-) But I am SUPER excited for this coming weekend when I go to Binghamton to see Rhythm Method's semester show! I'll be sure to write after that!
Have a lovely week
Monday, October 27, 2008
Are your thoughts results of static cling?
Hey! So the title to this blog is my favorite line in a song on the new Jason Mraz CD...great line. ANYWHO I have a lot of updating to do so let us begin!
My weeks are crazy as usual. I just turned in my weeks timesheet and I put in 58.5 hours last week alone! I have not had a free day since the 18th and I will not have one until the 2nd of November..oh how I am going to enjoy THAT day! The pace is fast but the work rewarding...we did the beach sweep (which I was in the paper for!) and it was so great to talk to kids about issues that they will have to deal with in the future (and that we are dealing with today) and its refreshing because they are so much more involved in environmental change than I ever was when I was their age. My COD day is now planning a recyclefest for a middle school on the Cape and we are going to do a puppet show (its amazing and I play the Sandwitch! Get it..Sand...witch...) I just like it because she has a green ribbon in her hair and I get to use her arm to pet it (being a puppeteer is WAYYY harder than I thought!! I kept closing her mouth when she should be talking and opening it during the other times..its weird. Either that or I am slow....NO COMMENT! :-) The other thing we are planning is a mural made out of recycled paper materials that will be off a clean earth like blue water (and foil to make the water shine!) and trees, birds, fish, the sun, etc.
I then went to a wind power conference in Plymouth that was really eye opening because I never thought that there could be so many opposing views on the side that SUPPORTS wind...I naively figured you were just for or against..but there are many more issues than that that add to the walls these wind people have to break down.
Friday we had another Wet-fest and I worked at a table called "Where Rivers Meet the Sea" and we talked about estuaries and did an experiment with layering water based on their salt content. There were some HYPER kids at the school and some of them just did not know how to keep their hands to themselves (Meredith got sprayed in the face with a water gun by a little boy...HA HA! I laughed at her) BUT there was this sweet little girl, Veronica, who was quiet the whole time and then right before she had to switch groups came up to me and said "I really liked this one, thank you" and it warmed my heart.
In OTHER news--I am learning how to crochet (sp?) from a lady in the senior residence next door and she is AWESOME..there is also a lady there from CORNING!!! Go figure...she lived on Ontario street for all those who know where that is!
We wont first place in trivia this week AGAIN..not that I'm bragging or anything but I had the save the day answer to the question "The word Numismatics referrs to what kind of tangible object?" The answer you ask? COINS! BOO YAH!!! FIRST PLACE HECK YES!
And I am sick..I had a fever of 101.6 yesterday and took Nyquil for the first time EVER last night and it made me dream things in weird technicolor. I'm lying about the technicolor BUT (for comic relief) I did drop my glasses in the toilet this morning because I was still feeling the effects (clean toilet..don't worry mom :-)
Last but not least...yesterday a group of us went to a Bioneers Conference in New Bedford and it was an extremely moving experience. It turned my life upside down in the best way. There were influential speakers there like Van Jones, Majora Carter, John Abrams, Simran Sethi, Lynne Twist, John Perkins etc etc. It was great and so hard to put into words but they all basically spoke about different aspects within the environmental change world and had some really cool quotes such as "If you are alive today, you have a role to play," "Waste is the sign of bad design" or "We cannot have peace on the earth unless we have peace with the earth." The theme of the weekend was a butterfly and the reason why is because the caterpillar (right before it goes into a cocoon) apparently consumes way too much and when this happens a signal inside the caterpillar triggers cells inside to form together that makes the caterpillar begin building a cocoon. They compared this change from a caterpillar to the butterfly to the change that is going to happen in our world and the cells are supposed to be us! It was really cool and I just want to leave you with a part of my favorite quote from the weekend by George Bernard Shaw:
"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have gotten hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations"
Thank you.
My weeks are crazy as usual. I just turned in my weeks timesheet and I put in 58.5 hours last week alone! I have not had a free day since the 18th and I will not have one until the 2nd of November..oh how I am going to enjoy THAT day! The pace is fast but the work rewarding...we did the beach sweep (which I was in the paper for!) and it was so great to talk to kids about issues that they will have to deal with in the future (and that we are dealing with today) and its refreshing because they are so much more involved in environmental change than I ever was when I was their age. My COD day is now planning a recyclefest for a middle school on the Cape and we are going to do a puppet show (its amazing and I play the Sandwitch! Get it..Sand...witch...) I just like it because she has a green ribbon in her hair and I get to use her arm to pet it (being a puppeteer is WAYYY harder than I thought!! I kept closing her mouth when she should be talking and opening it during the other times..its weird. Either that or I am slow....NO COMMENT! :-) The other thing we are planning is a mural made out of recycled paper materials that will be off a clean earth like blue water (and foil to make the water shine!) and trees, birds, fish, the sun, etc.
I then went to a wind power conference in Plymouth that was really eye opening because I never thought that there could be so many opposing views on the side that SUPPORTS wind...I naively figured you were just for or against..but there are many more issues than that that add to the walls these wind people have to break down.
Friday we had another Wet-fest and I worked at a table called "Where Rivers Meet the Sea" and we talked about estuaries and did an experiment with layering water based on their salt content. There were some HYPER kids at the school and some of them just did not know how to keep their hands to themselves (Meredith got sprayed in the face with a water gun by a little boy...HA HA! I laughed at her) BUT there was this sweet little girl, Veronica, who was quiet the whole time and then right before she had to switch groups came up to me and said "I really liked this one, thank you" and it warmed my heart.
In OTHER news--I am learning how to crochet (sp?) from a lady in the senior residence next door and she is AWESOME..there is also a lady there from CORNING!!! Go figure...she lived on Ontario street for all those who know where that is!
We wont first place in trivia this week AGAIN..not that I'm bragging or anything but I had the save the day answer to the question "The word Numismatics referrs to what kind of tangible object?" The answer you ask? COINS! BOO YAH!!! FIRST PLACE HECK YES!
And I am sick..I had a fever of 101.6 yesterday and took Nyquil for the first time EVER last night and it made me dream things in weird technicolor. I'm lying about the technicolor BUT (for comic relief) I did drop my glasses in the toilet this morning because I was still feeling the effects (clean toilet..don't worry mom :-)
Last but not least...yesterday a group of us went to a Bioneers Conference in New Bedford and it was an extremely moving experience. It turned my life upside down in the best way. There were influential speakers there like Van Jones, Majora Carter, John Abrams, Simran Sethi, Lynne Twist, John Perkins etc etc. It was great and so hard to put into words but they all basically spoke about different aspects within the environmental change world and had some really cool quotes such as "If you are alive today, you have a role to play," "Waste is the sign of bad design" or "We cannot have peace on the earth unless we have peace with the earth." The theme of the weekend was a butterfly and the reason why is because the caterpillar (right before it goes into a cocoon) apparently consumes way too much and when this happens a signal inside the caterpillar triggers cells inside to form together that makes the caterpillar begin building a cocoon. They compared this change from a caterpillar to the butterfly to the change that is going to happen in our world and the cells are supposed to be us! It was really cool and I just want to leave you with a part of my favorite quote from the weekend by George Bernard Shaw:
"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have gotten hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations"
Thank you.
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