and now I'm a Soccer Mom...

Yesterday I brought over the last of my stuff to my new apartment, and spent my first night there. It was great. I spent about three hours setting everything up, working late into the night. My roommates from last year are going to laugh if/when they read this, but I just went to town on the cleaning. The apartment was actually pretty clean to begin with. But, I just have this thing where I wanted to make sure it was cleaned, and cleaned to my standards. Here's where the strasma 3 girls will surely be laughing, because they think (allright, they know) cleaning isn't really my thing -- I know exactly what they're thinking: "what standars?". But actually, while picking up clutter (like clothes and papers and such) is not my thing, I'm actually a stickler when it comes to REAL cleaning -- as in kitchens and bathrooms -- and cleaning up REAL messes. (And a real mess does NOT constitue a couple of dishes left in the sink overnight!! Sorry, again a comment for the strasma folk). When I encounter any anything in those areas that I don't know for an absolute fact has been cleaned and sanitized, I want to rectify the situation. So what I'm really trying to say here is I was in the mood for some all-out cleaning, Bay Shore Style. (Cleaning at a summer camp for 3 summers made me like this, I'm sure.) I took all the dishes out of the cupboards and ran them through the dishwasher, wiped down all the furniture in my room, the insides of the drawers, the walls of the closets, etc... As of last night I hadn't quite made it to super-sanitizing the bathroom, yet but it actually wasn't too bad -- and I'll still hit it tonight! And again, it's not that any of these things or places were even noticably dirty, nor do I have some OCD cleaning thing ... it was just that this was my new place, and I wanted to start out with my best foot forward.

So... that meant I had to go to the grocery store for some cleaning surprise. Enter the soccer mom. While I'm in Dallas, working for WRCC, I have this super-sweet, white minivan to drive. A.k.a., I get to cruise around soccer mom style. Which I am cool with. I'm rocking the soccer mom vehicle, I think it's great! I think it's great mostly because I appreciate irony, and I don't think I'm the soccer mom type -- not that there's anything wrong with soccer moms, or that it's uncool to be a soccer mom, or whatever -- I'm just saying it's not me. Therefore it's ironic, in more of the Alanis Morisette than Webster way, but whatever... BUT when I went to the grocer store last night, well... let me just replicate my reciept for you here:

1 cleaning bucket (blue with a nice handle!)
1 bottle of Lysol all purpose cleaner (nothing beats it!)
1 package of sponges (the cheap, flourescent kind!!)
2 fast drying dishclothes (I went for quality on these suckers!!)
1 bottle of laundry detergent (store brand, making up for the dishcloth luxury)
1 box of bandaids (the nice kind, cuz I hate when cheap bandaids don't stick...)
1 box of Qtips (actually, they were "cotton swabs," forgoing the brandname here, again)
1 bottle of Listerine (accepting no substitutes again here!)

and my personal favorite...
2 bottles of Lorreal-for-Kids no tear shampoo (a 2-for-1 deal!)

the shampoo was my favorite, not because of the deal (which still, was choice!) but because I absolutely love that kids shampoo... the delightful smell (I bought 1 mangotango and 1 honeydew) and the way it leaves my hair feeling super soft, and the bottles are this awesome, funky shape, and so colorful!! I hadn't bought any in a while, but I used to use it all the time...

So walking out to my minivan with my bags full of cleaning supplies and kiddie shampoo, heading home to my 3 hour cleaning extravaganza, I truly felt that I was rocking the soccermom lifestyle. But I did made sure to drive home in my oversized, white, rhinestone-studded, rockstar sunglasses, with the radio blaring the new J.Timberlake song, and singing along (naturally) -- just to assuage the ego of whatever's still left of the college-girl in me...

PS -- at the end of the night, my new apartment looked sweet!! I'll post pictures, eventually ... when i recharge my camera battery...

Where did the week go?!

That's the question I'm just lying here, asking myself. I have to get better about this whole blogging thing. There were a couple of times during the week I thought I was composing a blog, or a journal entry, or something of the sort in my head, but it never made it to any kind of print. But that figures ... that's just what I do -- I'm always narrating some kind of story in my head, but when I actually try to write it, I lose it.

But here are some of the week's highlights, or more interesting moments (in no particular order):

- recieving my bound copy of my honor's thesis. I read it for the first time since finishing it in April, and probably for the first time ever just straight through. Yes, there were little things wrong with it, still, I thought ... but overwhelmingly, I felt such an intense pride. It just reminded me of how hard I worked on that, how much I learned in one year, and it was so cool to have it in my hands like that, bound and printed like a real book. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day, I felt like such a dork...

- seeing my apartment for the first time. Granted, the first time I wasn't so excited about it. (A little worried would be the better way to describe how I felt). But the issues where resolved, and now I'm really excited to finished getting moved into it. More on the apartment later...

- tamale making. This probably deserves its own blog entry as well. I'm sure I'll write one later. I mean, we only made tamales one day this week, only finishing about 88 dozen. There's still another 9,800 dozen or so to go ... haha!! I had to laugh at the fact that there was me, the (mostly) vegitarian having my hands in a big tub of meat for 2 or 3 hours ... but it was fun. Well, more the hanging out with the women and working together and such. My back and legs kind of ached after all that time standing, bent over, spreading the matza (sp?) onto the ojas (sp?) and rolling the meat into tamale after tamale ... who knew making food could take so much out of you?!! But really, I enjoyed myself doing it!!

- getting to know more people in Dallas. Self explanitory

- Pete's piano bar on Friday night with Priscilla. I loved that place!! I mean, it was two large pianos on a stage facing each other, two amazing pianists (well, two at one time, four different people played throughout the course of the night) just going to town on those keys, and everyone there singing all these great songs outloud, all night long -- how could I not love it?!!

- lunch (a couple of different times) with Norma. She's the administrative assistent as the center, and one of the nicest people I have ever met. Now she sometimes even brings me food (like the breakfast tacos!) from home sometimes, just because she knows I'd like them! She's also the one that drove me around and helped me find my bank, and is just always looking out for me.

- Olga returned from Louisianna tonight and brought Priscilla and I both back a Mardi Gras mask!! awh ... :D

The Perfect Day

My away message today said this was the perfect day, for the reasons I am about to share:

1) I went to church this morning with the Olga, David, and Priscilla -- and I can actually say I thoroughly enjoyed myself there, which kind of feels wierd for me to think or say. I mean, it's not that I've ever had anything against going to church -- clearly that's not the case, or I wouldn't be where I am today. But for the past number of years, basically since my dad became a pastor, going to church never meant anything special to me. My dad, I'm sure, is a wonderful pastor. But he's not, nor has he ever been, my pastor. He's my dad. And so going to his church, therefore, was nothing special either. Plus those last couple churches he had were so small -- they did nothing for me. The church in Greencastle I think I would have liked more if I spent more time there. I could actually listen to the sermons there, I was just in and out so fast before and afterwards that it never really had a huge effect on me. But today I actually enjoyed myself at church. I liked hearing/reading about all the different mission things the church did, and that 500 of its members are involved in some way in those missions. The church goes to Juarez Mexico a couple times a year to work on and build houses there, has made a number of trips to Louisianna to help out rebuilding after the hurricaine, and they do a plethora of local projects around the Dallas area, like building wheelchair access ramps in homes that need them around the city. I love that kind of stuff, am excited to already have been offered the opportunity to participate. They had a sort of church-activities fair after the service where they had more information about their mission projects, their sunday school classes, music, outreach, and worship opportunities -- some things I was interested in, some things I wasn't, but it was nice to learn about everything they did. The church itself was beautiful, with these amazing modern staind glass windows, good music, and the pastor was really nice when I met her afterwards. She had already heard about me, thanks to the press realease we all had to write, and she told me I had a pastor there, even if I decided to go to church elsewhere when I move into my apartment in West Dallas. The church I went to this morning is in Allen, which would be about a 20 or 30 minute drive from my apartment when I move. But you know what ... Sunday morning drives are relaxing and good times to think, so I think I just might keep going back.

2) Priscilla and I went to the mall after church. I take that back, we went to the mall after the lovely pancake brunch we had back at home ... another reason this day was so good. I found a great wedding gift to mail to Annette and Chris, I found a great pair of shoes for myself (couldn't help it ... they were gold and tied up my ankle, and on SALE), and -- best of all -- discovered that, in Dallas, malls have ICE RINKS!!! Oh wow, amazing!! Today we just watched other people skate, but I can't wait to go back one day when I'm wearing socks (you may think that sounds wierd, but would you want to wear rented ice skates without them?) so I can go iceskating in Dallas, in the middle (or end) or summer, in a mall!!!

3) After the mall, we went to the swimming pool. Ah, perfection. I just stretched out in the sun and read until I couldn't take the sun and the sweat a second longer, then ran to the pool and jumped into the perfectly luke-warm water. I'd swim until I became chilly, then climbed out and returned to the lounge chair on the pool deck (all the while being careful not to stand too long in one place on any part of the concreate, seeing as how that would burn my skin!!) I then would repeat as necessary, until reaching the desired shade of tan. Perfection, perfection, perfection. And no sunburn whatsoever.

4) Tonight we all watched Big Brother again. I'm still trying to figure it all out. Some of those people are just mean ... or tricky ... or strategical geniuses ... or all ... or none ... of the above. Craziness. I'm still not sure if I can say I like the show. But hey, it's fun to watch with the other three. I wonder what kind of Big Brother contestant I'd make...

Deep it the Heart of Texas...

ghtOkay, so maybe it's more like north texas, and not exactly the deep heart, but here I am in Dallas! For the past month or so, ever time I told someone I would be moving to Texas, the response was the same: "Oh, it's going to be hot!" Well clearly those people knew what they were talking about. But honestly, it's not too bad. Sure the grass is a little brown in places, but whatever.

Just to add spice and flair, I will start my Dallas narrative with this news: in the first 10 hours of being here in Dallas, I saw two places where people got shot! Haha, don't anyone worry ... one was the Grassy Knoll -- of course I had to be brought there, and I saw the 6th story window and the X on the road where Kennedy was shot. The other was -- and this is just crazy!! -- well, apparently Bonnie and Clyde and/or their family(ies) were residents of West Dallas, and either lived at or were staying in the house next door to the Wesley-Rankin main building. Actually, the center even owns that house now! Anyway, their gang was confronted by the police, a shootout ensued, and the sheriff was shot right there on the front porch. You can see the bullet holes over the house number from the road!

So I've sort-of started working already at the Wesley-Rankin Community Center. I mean, I really have nothing to do yet, it's just been coming in and going to lunch (meetings) or hanging out and meeting people there. Everyone I've met and/or will be working with is so nice and I love them already. So that's good.

I actually don't have my own apartment yet. Sad day. I saw my apartment, where I'll be living -- it's just not done getting remodeled or refurnished/furbished ... whatever the appropriate term may be. So in the meantime, I'm staying with Priscilla and her family (mom and stepdad) in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas. Actually, it's still the Dallas area, and it's not really that far, but rushhour traffic is a bit of a pill. Hey, I don't have to drive it (yet!). Priscilla and her family are amazing, there house is beautiful, I have the fancy guest bedroom, they have two cute and only slightly yappy little white dogs, and a killer flat screen plasma TV that we watch project runway, rockstar, big brother, and other TiVo'd reality TV shows. I must admit, reality TV (other than project runway, naturally) isn't really my bag, but after 2 or 3 nights already, I'm slowly getting sucked into the crazy, mixed up, anything goes world of reality TV. Ok, not really -- big brother still confuses the crap outta me, but it's kind of fun to watch. Priscilla especially is great, which is good, since I spend so much time with her. She graduated the year before I did, and is originally from Boston, so she has the great Bostonian accent with words ending in "ar," and of course is crazy about the red sox!!

That's about it for now. The story is to be continued...

That man is insane......

It's the first week in August, and as I have done every summer at this time for the last few years, I have been glued to the television every night, watching the XGames with my brothers. (Well, the last few years it has been with my brothers -- this year it's just Joel and I, although I assume Josh is watching as well, in Pigeon.)

Anyway, cray, CRAZY people compete on the XGames, and it is spectacular! haha, I love it!! Well, other than the segments where they show everyone crashing, one after that other. Blah, I cover my eyes when those segments air -- all but a small peekhole through my fingers, and I end up watching anyway. I can't help it. It's like an ambulance parked by the side of a building, or police cars on the side of the road -- you know you're not going to be happy with what you see, but nonetheless you look, and you can't turn away!!

So last night the Moto X best trick competition was on, and the most insane man on the surface of the planet earth was competing -- Travis Pastrana -- and it was rumored this psycho was going to attempt a double back flip, should he need the points to win. He's sitting there in an interview, being questioned about it, and tells the interviewer that she should give his mother a hug, and tell her that should anything happen to him, he's just doing what makes him happy, blah blah blah. I mean, he's sitting right there, readily admitting there's a very good chance his brains are about to be splattered all over the staple center dirt. My heartrate picks up a bit during airplane takeoffs, cuz there's always the thought in the back of my head that maybe, just maybe, although highly unlikely, the plane is going to fall back to earth. It is so much more likely that Travis and his dirt bike were going to fall from the sky as he attempted to flip it twice in the air, so his heart had to be going double time. Well, either that, or he just knows how to make for must-see TV. Really, he probably knew all along that the trick was a cinch, he could nail it perfectly, no matter how utterly insane it sounded, and there was nothing to worry about. I don't know though, he did suit up in the biggest, bulkiest, safety gear I've seen any of these guys wear, before attempting his crazy stunt. He lumbered around after putting it on, kind of like the kid from "Little Giants" whose mom raps him up in foam packing material, cuz the football pads he had "weren't good enough"... but i digress.

Long story short, the crazy, crazy man flips his bike twice, lands it perfectly, makes XGame history again, and wins the gold. Part of my still shudders every time I think about it, the other part of me is in love!! Kidding. Well, maybe not...

the beginning...

I am not really sure how to start this blog. Not really sure where I'll go with it. I guess that's pretty appropriate, all things considered. I move to Dallas in roughly 2 weeks. I'm pretty excited, and ready to go. But I have no idea what's in store for me when I get there. Oh well, C'est la vie, right?

Actually, I do have somewhat of a better idea of what to expect in Dallas than I did in May or June, after having spent the last month training in New York. Now, should I have started this blog about a month ago, this blogsite would(could?) be full of entry after entry, recounting all the crazy, funny, meaningful, beautiful, random ... you get the idea ... moments from life in New York. But I'd get stuck in the past, trying to play catch up if I attempted to right about all of that now. So I'll leave all of that to history and personal memories. I want this blog to be about what I'm experiencing in the present moment. No recaps.

Once/if I can figure out how, maybe I'll post a link to the press release we (the 8 new US-2!s) all had to write. It does a pretty good job of explaining -- to the extent of knowledge I have right now -- what I'll be doing in Dallas for the next two years. And of course, once I get there, even more will hopefully start to make sense, for myself included! But for now, I'm just hanging out in Canton, Michigan, at my parents' new home (small but cute), trying to get things straightened out ...

Hence the title of my blogsite, a line from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot -- my favorite poem ...

"And indeed there will be time/ To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” / Time to turn back and descend the stair, / With a bald spot in the middle of my hair— / [They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”] /My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, /My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin— /[They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”] /Do I dare /Disturb the universe? / In a minute there is time /For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse."

I think I have related more to this poem than any poem I've read before or since. Even though I'm not an aging man, (probably) won't ever go bald, and the like ... But those insecurites ... Am I doing the right thing? What will other people think of me? But I'm not turning back, I'm trying not to care, and maybe, if I'm lucky, I will even "disturb the universe."

So I dare. But those decisions and revisions ... yeah, I can definately still relate...