vista

I’ve had late community meetings two nights in a row, meaning two 11 hour days.  I know; some folks do this regularly.  Heck, a good number of us were at both night meetings, a few yesterday and then more today and tomorrow.  But all these meetings wear me out!  I’m exhausted.  But the thought that there is a greater good to this work is well worth all the late meetings in church basements and all the feelings you have to smooth over and consider in getting people to work together.  At least I’m not stuck making rich people richer or anything.

Well, as much as one can at a catered event when the speaker is nicely dressed and using multiple expensive technologies to express her wisdom.  I know there are a lot of assumptions we all make (yes, you and I, too!) about poverty and about those living in it.  But in talking about avoiding stereotypes and generalizations about class, we keep reminding ourselves that these generalizations are false.  But then we use them and act like they are hard-and-fast.  This happened repeatedly.  And some of them really strike me as not only unreliable but also false.

For instance, in talking about humor, we were told that members of lower economic classes use it to defuse negative situations but that anyone in the middle class doing it might be seen as disrespectful.  Pile this on top of the statement that “business” procedures and customs are based on middle class ways of thinking and doing, which we were also told.  Unless I’m more of a dreamer than I thought, I can swear I have seldom seen middle class people show signs of feeling disrespected by people using humor to lighten the mood.  And when I have, it seemed more of a personal issue than a class issue.  Maybe humor is universal?  Or, at least, class-less?

I don’t know where I’m going with this.  It just makes me sad and makes me think about what I spend money on.

And thankful for my full belly tonight.

Back from a week for training in Philly.  I slept for almost eight hours last night like, well, like a stone at the bottom of Walden Pond.  I actually had a lot of fun, learned a lot, met some nice people, got charged up for my “year of service” and got to explore Philly a bit.  Among my other adventures, I broke a Teva, rather than my foot, walking to a cool bookstore in the dark with my mind on musty volumes.  I have to get new sandals before reporting to my office Monday.  But it beats, you know, having a broken foot or toe[s].  And I have to get my bike all commuter-ready this weekend.  I think I might finally put that milkcrate on.  I don’t know.  It would make changing a tire harder.  But that stinky Slime did last week.  I’ll write about that on the bike blog.

Don’t have a whole lot I have to do this weekend, which is awesome. You should see the stack of books we bought on our travels. Or how much coffee I drank in Philly. I was so dehydrated that I drank a wine bottle of water before bed last night and didn’t have to pee this morning. I know you want to hear about my urinary tract. Right.  I haven’t had spicy food since Monday!  Need.  Peppers.  You should also see my pepper crop.  Holy hot sauce!  I am getting a new camera for my birthday, if heads have to roll.  Too many of the photos from our trips didn’t turn out.  Thank you, and good day to you.

Also for Photo Friday: Garden.

For training until Friday around dinner time.  I know that’s New York in the photo.  I didn’t go to Philly yet.  I was asleep on the train both times we passed through last week, too.  Turns out I didn’t have much time to format and post photos from our traveling last week.  I will, though my “year of service” starts the Monday after I get back (one week from today, that is) and though I really don’t fancy spending that weekend on the computer.

There’s an issue with my tickets, that being that they were delivered but disappeared, all while I was away, despite providing another address and despite the fact that said carrier was supposed to get my frikkin signature and obviously didn’t.  There’s another reservation for me, but I’m nervous that there will be crap about it.  So I’m getting to the train station with more time to kill than my trip will actually take.  I have a lot of good books to read and haven’t had time to read lately.  So I’m very Okay with this.

I was told by three people today that my hair has gotten too wild and needs to be cut.  I think this is funny.

I wonder what the reaction of my assigned roommate this week will be to the idea that I don’t use deodorant or toothpaste in the usual sense.  I wonder if he will want to try my peppermint soap or my baking soda.

I get to put some miles on my Klean Kanteen that someone who is very nice bought me two weeks ago.  I like to take tap water from one city to another.  I once had a canteen of grotto water that I kept for a year or two, taking sips of the sweet stuff from time to time.  I still have this canteen, though it’s plastic and has seen better days.  I like the water in Baltimore city.  It is a grotto in its own right.  The water fountain at Druid Hill Lake is my favorite in the world.  Right now.

I am tired and stressed out.  This VISTA thing requires a hell of a lot of paperwork, online paperwork and a lot of rules.  They make sense and all.  It’s just a lot to remember.  I will not convert anyone to my religion (whatever that is) or campaign.  Okay.  I can handle this.

I think the coffee I just drank is putting me to sleep.

Be back Friday, if there is no peep tomorrow before I leave.

I’m not used to getting up in the morning without having to spend hours job-hunting. I still wake up with that sour taste in my mouth, soon so be replaced with the taste of a purpose and a nice bike ride every morning to get there.  And lots of coffee.

So, my job.  I can’t say too much because I’m excessively paranoid and would prefer that anyone I know at “work” not find this here blog.  Let’s just say that I am going to be spending a year in the “domestic Peace Corps” that is VISTA.  I am assigned to a local university/college, where it’s like I’m an employee while I’m really a government employee.  Makes a lot of sense, huh?

I am going to be working with community groups and local schools to pool resources and foster a sort of service relationship between the two.  You know, schools often float in their surroundings.  I know this from the famous “Goucher Bubble” we used to live in, prior to it’s…bursting.  There’s a lot of work there to be done.  While my relationship with academic philosophy is likely over for good, my relationship with higher education might not be.  I don’t think it’s useless, not at all.  [Not that I think academic philosophy is useless.  I think I got a hell of a lot out of it.]

So I get a nice 4.something ride every morning, and another on the way home, which can be dallied on by taking a few laps around Druid Hill.  The pay is terrible, but Mrs. P. says we can afford it, and she knows.  I don’t.  I don’t know anything about money.  I just try not to waste it.

It’s a good deal.

I am going to Philly next month for  week of training, which is weird.  I don’t like time away from my other half, and I’m very shy about meeting new people.  But I think it will be productive, maybe even fun.  And I get to spend a week in downtown Philly.  Poor me.

The week before that, we are going to do a little travelling.  Hit New York, likely Washington.  Going to a sweet 90s concert in Baltimore.  Gonna be a nice summer.

I suppose I should edit that dissertation draft I wrote nearly a year ago and send that puppy in.  You know, finish my doctorate and all that.

And dude, I get business cards!