Just something I've been working on.

I've just been working on this for a bit. It's not perfect by any means, but I've really been meaning to get it down in writing. Reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and trying to truly find the purpose in my life.

My Mission Statement

Reason for mission statement:

Because life is precious, and we generally receive one chance to get it right, I want to make sure I focus on getting the most out of it that I can. I want to focus on the things that will impact the big picture rather than getting lost in the minutia. So, I’ve decided to gather my thoughts about who I want to be.

Home Life:

I will focus on leading a fruitful life where love, adventure, respect, and health are the main components. My family will come before all else, they understand unconditional love and will always be my shelter through the storm. I will focus on maintaining my mental health by making sure I stay active and challenged physically. I will not regret any of my choices, rather use them as learning for the future.  

Professional Life:

In the professional realm I will be viewed as reliable, effective, and innovative. I will respect those whose opinion differs from mine, and learn from those differences. I will move forward with unconditional positive regard for those who work with me, for me, and come to me for assistance. Life is a journey and each of us on our own path. The roadmap to my life will not be used to rate others. I seek to foster opportunities to learn, opportunities to teach, and opportunities to improve the environment around me.

So this is an exercise in visualization and affirmation. I keep thinking about the things I want in my life and I realize that I don't really commit to anything because I'm pretty sure that my feelings will change. But, I've realized there are a few things that I want in my life, and they're not anything super empowering, enlightening, or astounding. They're just things that I know will make me feel a little more at peace when I am able to have/do them.

I want a garden. I don't want it to be huge. I like the idea of growing one of everything. Though unrealistic, I'd probably try two. It'd be like one of the ones my mom has in her backyard, and I'd have a compost made from old tires because it was what I had when I grew up, and I think it was awesome.

I want to have a kitchen with natural lighting. I want a house with natural lighting. I love my apartment, but there are too many walls. I love the sunlight. I want to live out of town, but not too far out. I don't want to look at roads out my window.

I want to write a book. A fictional one where people live in far away kingdom and magic exists in a way that no one has fathomed before.

I want to publish articles about social theories and models.

I want to own my own business that is a cafe and a microbrewery. I want it to have maps on the walls, I want big cushy chairs, I want great pastries and unique mugs. I want a place for fun and fellowship. I also want it to be socially responsible and support social entrepreneurship.

I want to backpack in Europe, hike in Colorado, and vacation on an island.

I want to be leave people feeling like I care about them, like I'm there for them.

That's all. :)

I love my cat and other information.

Now, I think most of you who know me might find this to be a surprise (ha! NOT.) But, she's just added so much to my life and really presented me with some teaching opportunities about patience and responsibility.

I absolutely love when I can hear her playing in the other room with Connor and he's just laughing. Or, she'll just hang out in the tub with her ping pong ball and kick it around until she accidentally kicks it out. Then she finds one of us, meows and asks for a little help. Yea, I guess I am a bit of a crazy cat lady, but she's awesome.

Sometimes though, whew. This morning, I was doing some yoga and she really wanted to play instead, so she was laying all over my mat, trying to knead it (she's not declawed). Once we got that all sorted out, I started my yoga without a hair tie because she was playing with the only one I could find (she's stashed most of mine somewhere around the house, she loves to play with them). It was light yoga, so I wasn't worried about it until I was doing a stretch where my head was over my knees and my hair was hanging down. She brushed into my hair, I thought for attention, and then started to claw and bite at it. It's a weird thing she has. I should have seen this as a warning. Later, during "relaxation pose" I was just laying on the ground breathing in and out and she find the perfect opportunity to lose her mind in my hair. Nothing relaxing about that.

Still, she's running around the place looking for attention and doing all of the things she knows she shouldn't do because she wants to play so bad. Gotta love her.

In other news, school starts up again this week. Let's play a broken record. I'm really trying to commit my time wisely. Last semester I did really well, but at the expense of some of my social and physical well-being. Balance seeking, always doing it. But, I had a good chunk of time off to evaluate things and try to prioritize them. So, here's to hoping I've figure some things out.

Excited!

Alright - so the chai will have to wait, I feel like writing about other things right now.

I started working at NIU finally, about 3 weeks ago and know that all of the experience I'm going to gain this year is going to be amazing. I am going to be working until I'm tired, I know that. But, I really believe in all the stuff that I am working toward, so it's a lot easier to show up and just grind it out. This also means that whole "over-comitting" thing didn't really work out. But, it's not because I did any more than I said I was going to do as I moved here. I just didn't anticipate how much work it would be to be doing what I am doing.

That being said, I just got a job working on an organic farm helping with serving at weddings. Pretty cool, the  two people I met seem pretty laid back, and I just go the general feeling that it was a laid back place. I'm very excited. They were talking about needing someone to take an assistant position in the interview and I didn't offer up right away because I wasn't sure of my hours. I'm going to check it out and see what they say today about it.

I may be getting bartender certified, so that's pretty cool. This is just another thing off of the jobs I wanted to do before I die list. I don't know why I want to try everything, but I feel so fortunate that I have had the opportunity to do so. This job is seasonal, so I will be back on the hunt in October, but I am happy with what I have...and it should allow me some time during the week to actually do homework! Yay! :)

Environmentally Friendly Homemade Laundry Soap (Detergent)

I know, I've been neglectful. So much for me having time and really sticking to it. One day, maybe. Likely, probably not. But, I will stick to posting here whenever I can. I can do that. :) Last post, you were eagerly awaiting the result of my chai tea and soap escapade. And, I have come to report to you my success! First, let us start with the homemade soap. I will tell you this, I wish I had made the powder version, so I'm going to tell you how to make it that way, then show you how I made the liquid kind and you can choose which you prefer!

For the powder kind, just grate up the bar of soap, and put 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda in a container of your choice. Much easier, so I'm not sure why I put myself through all of this trouble. Also, if you have someone in your house who loves the smell of fresh washed laundry, you can purchase fabric softener crystals and add them to the mix as well. Voila! Pretty smelling and effective soap! I didn't do it, because I was using all environmental products and that pretty smelling stuff isn't. So, if you're going for all natural, just add essential oil. :)

I suggest using about 1-2 tablespoons of it per load. That is a guess, though since I haven't made it before, but it makes sense to me.

Materials:
(2) 1 Gallon Jug, (or whatever other container you have sitting around)
1 Bar of Soap (any kind - but I went for the all natural)
1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap
1 Box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 Box of Borax
1 Grater
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Funnel
1 Large Pot

So, oddly enough, I just happened to have two Jagermeister bottles laying around the house. I promise, they were collected over time. I used them instead of the 1 gallon containers because I thought it would look neat. I would submit that I was right.

Better remove those labels. We don't wanna confuse anyone, that night would end way differently that you expected. ;) Just put a wet rag on top of the labels while you're making the stuff and they should be ready to peel off by the end of it all. Check about half way through to make sure the rag isn't drying out, otherwise you'll have to start over with that part. No big deal if you do.

Grate 2/3 of your regular bar of soap and 1/3 of the Fels Naptha into a bowl. To be honest, the original recipe called for a plain bar of soap - your choice. I choice to do a little of both because I was aiming for the coconut smell that came with the bar of regular soap. I didn't come through in the end, so Fels Naptha might even be good by itself. I might do that next time.

Put 1 gallon of water in the pot with the soap mixture in it at about medium heat and let warm up until all of the soap is melted. Add 1 c. of borax and 1 c. of washing soda, then bring it to a boil. This should make it congeal, sort of. Mine didn't really congeal, but they say it works fine if it doesn't. Add one more gallon of cold water.

Next, use a funnel to pour the mixture into your bottles. I suggest letting it sit for awhile, because the bottles were hot for a period after. Don't worry if the mix ends up looking weird in the bottle over time. Just shake it up before you use it. I use about half a cup of soap per load.

I was thrilled with this because of the pump on the bottle. It makes it easy to put into the wash. It takes about eight pumps, and I have another whole bottle left over to make more!

Guess what the best part is?!
(aside from being eco-awesome, that is)

It was only $11.52 for all of the ingredients, and I could have made 3 more batches. There are 16 cups in a gallon (32 loads per bottle, 64 per batch). 256 loads (4 batches*64 loads per batch) per $12 ish spent. A box of Gain, which washes 150 loads is 20.47 on walmart.com. Granted, the cost will go up if you decide to add the fabric softener crystals. But, it's worth the saving I think. You pay about have for about 66% (I think) more product. Woot!







And...
  

Also, some handy information about more natural stain remover. I love oxi-clean, but I found out that white vinegar is supposed to be a good substitute and it just about a dollar at the store. Pictured on the left is what I used to compare my s stain remover to.  
As you can see, I put a little spaghetti sauce, coffee, and red wine on a scrap piece of cloth and let it sit for about a week. Then, I poured the stain remover on each and let it sit for about 15 minutes before putting them in the wash with the Gain soap. So, it might be slightly skewed, but I didn't want the stain remover to sit on it in unequal amounts of time.

The results were interesting and sort of inconclusive. White vinegar removed the wine stain WAY better than oxi-clean, however you can tell that the coffee and spaghetti stain stuck around more on the white vinegar piece (which is on the left). Oxi-clean turnt he wine stain a purple blue that would definitely make the shirt unwearable. I've seen that you have to do different things with white vinegar depending on the stain, such as use peroxide. Makes sense to me, for the bubbling action. Maybe one day in the future I will try it!

Terrible picture, I know. But, I was in the middle of my move and trying to get everything put away quickly.

Preconceptions...

For the past two months I have been taking a Managerial Communications class for a Masters degree that I will not complete. I completed it due to financial obligations and very much could have put in minimal effort. Instead, and I'm sure you're all surprised, I've done my best and learned quite a lot from class. I'm actually pretty glad that I took the class. 

It's been a very interesting study in human nature for me in some ways, and caused me to be introspective as some points. Tonight concluded the last "story" that needed to be told to the class. Basically, 3 students per class period had to tell a story about someone who mimics their beliefs or tell a story about someone that would impart a moral to the audience. I decided to do a little exercise on first impressions and described three different people based on what they did in the morning, what they wore to work, and where they lived. I gave the class four options for the people's occupations. I only described three people. The options were professor, engineer, fulbright scholar, and grandpa. Grandpa was the dummy answer, but most people thought the person I was describing was my grandpa when he was really an engineer, professor, AND Fulbright Scholar. The moral: don't judge a book by it's cover. 

I was quite proud of the example. But, imagine my surprise when about half of my classmates began to cry when they told their stories. Before going on, I have to tell you that crying is one of my least favorite activities and is something I see as a sign of weakness. It's a harsh reality of mine, and something I once talked to a counselor about. Apparently my views on weakness came from playing football as a child. It makes sense, if you go into it (but I don't feel like going into, not the point of the story). I really don't like to cry in public, which apparently somehow makes me stronger than others. I'm not sure why that is, I think it's a masculine preconception, which would explain the football reference.

In my mind, the assignment was to impart a moral in three minutes or less (oh, and let me tell you they sure did not meet the time limit and greatly exceeded it).

I suppose my view on weakness, is one of my greatest weaknesses, because really - what's wrong with crying? I couldn't tell you, really. Maybe it makes them stronger than me, being able to let the world see that side of them. I would never dare to do that, if I could help it.

When I felt the situation was inappropriate to cry in (i.e. during a story where you could have consciously chosen to talk about something else), I was  repulsed by it, as I did in class those few times. This is where introspection and study of human nature comes into play. Tonight, one of the women told a story about a close friend who had many horrible things happen in her life but always kept a smile on her face (was a counselor on a reservation, divorcee, son committed suicide in front of her, was committed to the hospital for colon cancer and her new husband died two weeks later, then her mother had a heart attack. She passed soon after that.) A very moving story, and surely one that speaks to resilience and the ultimate optimism we are capable of. I would hope to be that positive one day. My classmate choked through the whole thing.

I just have to consider that sense of  "Oh geez, why is she crying? That's gross," that I immediately felt as a reaction, which brings me back to another part of class where I was reminded of a quote that truly resonates with me. "Above all else, to thine own self be true." And this is where I reaffirm my belief that judgement based off of things such as crying in public are not for me to worry about. Or, more simply, for me to pass judgement is not necessary nor noteworthy. My classmate was to thoust own heart being true. Pardon that horrible reference. But seriously, who am I to make any judgement on her for that? I apologize to any I have offended about the crying thing. Don't take it personal, I don't take notes on who cries in public. This was just such an odd situation for me.

Like my uncle says, these are just thoughts while shaving...

Do-It-Yourself Day.

Sometimes, you just gotta leap before you look. You could land anywhere. A pit full of marshmallows, gummi bears, whip-cream. All great things. But then again, you could land in a pit of snakes. You just never know, unless you look before you leap. In the spirit of this post, let's just not do that. I tried things that I've never done before, nor really watched anyone do.

Today was Do-It-Yourself Day in the life of Liz McAllister. I think this should be a holiday (not celebrated in honor of me, of course). Wouldn't that be a fun little holiday to have for yourself once in awhile? Granted, I'd like to celebrate DIY Day every day, but that's just not always possible.

I'm very tired, but I'm very content. Today I made fried chicken, homemade laundry soap, and homemade instant chai tea. Only one of which I've tried out, and it tasted very good. Let's hope the rest of those endeavors were as successful. I'm going to test my soap escapade throughout the week. I've stained some clothing and will try regular soap versus my homemade soap and also some more natural stain remover versus oxi-clean.

That is an escapade to be shared later, upon completion. Tonight, it was fried chicken and boy was that hard. First, I didn't have a real fryer so we used an electric skillet. Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of boiling grease due to a very scarring incident where my sister burned the crap out of her hand with a pot of hot grease while I was a child? I still have a hard time cooking bacon without a pair of 2-foot long tongs. Oddly enough, my sister bakes her bacon now. Needless to say, neither of us came out on the good side of that experience.

Anyway, I'm new to cooking - so why not just jump in before I know how much skill it really takes to do things? I like a challenge. So, I made my way on over to allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe place thus far), and typed in chicken and father's day. Now, this probably won't work for most people, but allrecipes and I have a psychic link and it pulled up fried chicken recipes because it knew that Randy likes fried chicken. Great recipe with 11 spices, score! The more spices the better, I say! ...Sometimes.

Eh, gross.

It goes like this. Just put a cut up chicken into a bowl, and throw these spices over it. Then, cover with buttermilk. I actually have to share that sometimes I don't pay attention and therefore put a teaspoon of everything except for the two peppers. Yea, good thing I remembered to read before then. I ended up with about half a tsp. of cayenne anyway since I'd overdone the other ones and had a bit more chicken than the recipe called for.

Leave sit for 4-6 hours (they call for 6 in the recipe, I say do it if you have the time).

• 
  

3 1/2 lb. ish chicken
1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Around 2 cups of buttermilk

• 
  

After the alotted period, where I chose to go for a run, make chai tea, and homemade soap, get ready to get real. You can just sit on the couch and read a book, it's probably more relaxing. No matter what you do, after the marinading is completed you must mix the following in a bowl and whisk up (I used the actual measurements this time! Go me!). Coat your chicken. You want to be sure to get it WELL covered because this will be the fried tasty nummy part. 

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 2 1/2 quarts peanut oil for frying

It's getting hot in here!

Throw 'em in the pan for frying. It says about 10-15 minutes to cook thoroughly, and it's much closer to 15 or 20 with an electric frying pan. However, your skin might get dark a little quicker than you like. I suggest turning them every 7 minutes or so to cook evenly and let the skin do a little cool and cook. I don't know if that's actually smart, but I'm guilty of messing too much with my food when I cook it. I say, don't be afraid to turn them often.

They'll look much darker than KFC chicken, but they were really good and the cayenne gives it a very nice flavor. The soak in the buttermilk spice mix was also good because it put flavor throughout the chicken too.

This is what was left!

I bet you all are wondering how I could eat such a calorie-laden meal. Or maybe not. But really, I enjoy knowing exactly what goes into my food and putting all of that work in to get it where it is. The fact that it's edible is a plus and the fact that other people liked it = awesome! The Real Recipe. But, pssshhhh, who needs that? ;)

This is another thing that makes me happy. Food.

Which reminds me, I still must try the chai before I bestow it's wonder upon you.

Let's Develop Something Here.

No real direction as far as theme for this blog. But, maybe I'll just blog about things that make me happy. I think that's what I got out of the suggestions. Being as my mental and physical health are things that I work on to be happy, as well as trying to be positive when stuff sucks, and the same goes for why I volunteer.

It was interesting to me that you all were interested in my interests. Not that I don't think you're interested in what I do. But, sort of interesting that you want to know the why I do it of what I do. 

My mom asked me about being as positive as I am, and I laughed. I didn't realize I was a positive person, but then again I don't think that am negative either. I guess I never really thought about it. I just don't see the point in being crazy obsessed about things that aren't thrilling. Don't get me wrong, I can be as dramatic as the next person (wait, did I just admit it? Crap.) But, in the end, what does being upset or negative do except make your day worse and detract from the quality of your life? It's a terrible waste of energy. You only live once, and no, I'm not into the whole Drake and YOLO shiz. I've been trying to live my life like that for most a good while. I really believe it, and try to live that way, and especially just want to leave this place a little better than when I came in.

Crap happens and you can never go back and change the way you reacted to something, or how long you spent worrying about it. Never. So, I just try to make the best of every situation and move on because someone somewhere has a real problem and the fact that my face hurts, or the doctor was a jerk, or that I stubbed my toe, are trivial things compared to span and size of the world (and really the universe).

I don't know if that makes sense. Summarily, I think I just realize that I'm part of something much bigger than myself and that stuff just doesn't matter, really. 

I like to be happy, that's really just it.

Wisdom Tooth Catastrophe Weight Loss Plan & More.

Well, isn't that title dramatic enough for you? I promise I'm not a dramatic person, ok so maybe I am...a little. But that's as close to an admission you'll ever get from me. I like to live in denial.

I know that what you're really here for is the " & More " section, right? You're probably all wondering, "What could that mean? What could possibly follow the Wisdom Tooth Catastrophe Weight Loss Plan? Certainly, nothing."

Oh, but something does, and you, my friends, are needed to help me to be successful (have I lured your into reading further? I hope so.)

Anyway, small update on what I will not refer to as the WECWLP, Wisdom Tooth Catastrophe Weight Loss Plan. The moral of the story is: Doctors suck. Or, is it that I have no patience? You decide. Anyway, two and a half weeks ago and eight pounds previous, I had five wisdom teeth. Fast forward two and half weeks, and I am now down five, yes five, wisdom teeth and eight pounds. Oh, and I'm up one hole in my sinus cavity, and one infection tasting like death. Looking at the balance there, I'm not sure it equals out.

Currently, I'm somewhere between 'has it really been two and a half weeks with no running' and 'can someone put me into a coma until this is over'. Mind you, I'm being very selfish. There are many more MUCH worse things happening to people out there, and I should just shut up and let things work themselves out. I'm sure they will. However, I think the actual moral of the story is that I have no patience. Surprise, right? So, I'm sunk.

Onward and upward to the point where I need you all. All two of you who read this (thank you!). Some, or all, of you know that I have an over-committing problem (Step One: Admitting you have a problem). And, I've enlisted some of those closest to me to knock me over the head every time I try to over-commit (Step Two: Come to believe that a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity). Ok, maybe I'll never be sane but it's a good goal to strive toward. The rest of the steps don't really pertain. However, now that I have free-time, it makes me sort of sad.

Again, not dramatic. What I mean is that I sit at home and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I have this urgent feeling that instead of being on facebook, I should probably be out saving the world. As I do not have the ability to fly, and I really don't have that great of a vertical (obviously the two most important parts of being a super hero), I think I should focus on something else. Reading books is nice, but they cost money and I don't like to be sedintary all the time.

So, this is my idea.

Wait for it.

Blog! Whoa, surprise (again! what a wonderful post for you to read). But, not just blog about "Today I woke up and I was mad at the world, or my dog wouldn't listen." I'm thinking something with a little more structure that will be fun, and informational for all you's guys. If you know anything about me, it's that I really like to help enrich others lives. Perhaps that's a bit of overconfidence in my ability to have an affect on others, but if any of you try to burst that bubble - I'll slap you. Not really, but just let me live in that little world, eh?

What I need are ideas. Plenty of blogs have themes, like food blogs, or teacher blogs, or research blogs, or running blogs, or whatever. I don't know that I want to stick to one subject, but maybe if it were something like health (I kinda like that), in that it encompasses mental and physical health and you can cover a lot of different topics. It needs to be something that I can learn from and report about. Maybe it forces me to be thrifty, to make something, to research something, to try something new. I'm not sure.

This is my question to you: What would interest you? What would make you come back for more? Do you think this is a terrible idea?

Somehow, I think this will help me to feel like the free time that I use up to do this is well spent, and will expose me to all kinds of new things. And, believe it or not, I like new things. As long as I'm the one that decides to do it... ;)

Thoughts on Life

Hello, blog makeover. Not sure if I like it. It'll probably change from when I post this. So, woo. Anyway, life is pretty good right now. I just got back from a week-long trip to Iowa. I was supervisor/chaperone/van driver to some theater students who were competing for a chance to go on to the next level. It was a pretty big deal, and pretty cool to see what their world is like. Everyone was cool, some were my age, and I think very appreciative to have someone there who would sing along in the car and blast the music, and make sure they got where they needed to go. It was nice to meet people my age. Made a few friends.

I interviewed for a job at the Olive Garden as a hostess. Let them know I wanted to be a server even though I had no experience and they were excited about that. I would get training and to taste all of the dishes/wines. Bonus! Ha. I've always wanted to be a waitress to see if I could do it, and do it well. The woman said she'd call back tomorrow about a second interview. It seemed like she liked me. When people hear that I'm looking for another job, they are very helpful and have all kinds of suggestions. And they're helpful. My professor wants me to ask a woman who is in the Director of Marketing at a local hospital if she's looking for anyone. She is in my class. But, right now I don't want to do that kind of work. I know that I should for the experience, but I just don't want to do it. Is that lazy? I don't think so, and I don't think there is an underlying reason for me not wanting to do it other than that I'm not sure I want to be pushed into this field. All experience is good, but I just am not feeling it right now.

I've always wanted to try being a waitress. I was excited about it. I know I'll stress out, but I can handle it.

My professor today told me that I need to stop working so hard. I bet that made you laugh. But, it's really frustrating to me. I've always had to work hard to be good at what I do. In athletics I had to practice and practice and practice to be as good as I was. In class, I pulled awesome grades but I had to really work at it. Anything I've earned, any recognition I've earned is because I have put my mind to it and worked hard.
Her idea is right. She wants me to be able to write my ideas clearly and quickly. I shouldn't have to take 20 hours to write a 5-page paper. That doesn't fly in the working world. If I didn't have that amount of time available to me to write it, I don't think it would take as long. But, it seems so hard to me to not put all of my effort into doing well at something if I have the time to. She said to go work out or read when I feel like writing and to give myself a time limit. I hate the idea of it. I usually hate change. I usually deal with it. I think this must bother me because it means I'm not good at something. I'm not good at putting my thoughts into writing so that others can understand. A good business professional can.

I also think I hate it because I have a horrible addiction to always being busy. Being idle and unproductive is awful to me.

I know I'm whining, but that's what happens before big changes in my life. I really am a happy kid. Just venting a little of my frustration.

Here's to the New Year!

I haven't posted since I started my new job, so I suppose I should start there. I'm going to make it brief because I have other things to talk about!

I'm happy with the work I'm doing. It is definitely administrative, but I supervise two work-study students and get to talk to them about school and making decisions and developing a work ethic and I really enjoy that. Everyone in the department is nice and very grateful that I am there. I get to help track who we've met with and developed a list with over 3000 names on it for recruiting purposes (that sucked!) and got to coordinate Madrigal Tickets and tables (that was fun!). There really isn't much to report other than that.

I started coursework early because I needed to be able to put my loans into deferment/forebearance. I'm still struggling on that from and am currently trying to pay the interest that accrues during forebearance because I don't qualify for deferment for a few months. I need to find another job (yay!). No one said this would be easy, and it'll build a little character. I don't really anticipate it will be that hard, but I'll be busier than I'm used to. I've grown accustomed to waking up, working out, then going to work. I'll have to squeeze my workouts in at another time.

Anyway, on to the reason for this post.

I'm not really a believer in the New Year's Resolution kind of thing because I think that anything worth doing you should commit to for your own reasons. However, I am interested in creating a list of things that I want to accomplish this year so that I can look back on it and see how successful I was. So here it is.

Run 415 miles this year.
Sew together my T-shirt quilt.
Write 104 pages for my book.
Hit level 85 on World of Warcraft (this one may be a little lofty, and very nerdy).
Develop my ideal business idea into more than just a pipe dream.
Add $1000 to my savings.
Pay $1000 of my loans.
Make a few friends in the area.
Read 10 fiction books.
Find a better way to communicate with my family more regularly.

That's all I've got for now. Maybe I'll add to it as I go. Anyone else care to share some of what they'd like to accomplish this year?

Changes on the Horizon

I think my silence is probably indicative of my unhappiness. Today, I can tell all. Woop woop.

Last time I posted, I had just found out that my boss was resigning. That's one heck of a change. For awhile, I battled whether or not I should go too. I feel that the work I was doing was very valuable. But I don't think that the organization is really ready for that sort of thing. They need to do a lot of work developing strategy with intended outcomes. A lot of the work just seems like a fix to plug up the latest leak. People there were unhappy. We do great work, but none of that is present in the office.

I'm leaving. I have an opportunity to get my MBA while working as a graduate assistant in the Fine Arts department. I'm very excited about it. I'll help some with recruiting, and some with sort of administrative tasks. It's a minimum of 20 hours a work. I receive a stipend, a free education, more free time to help with softball, the ability to hold more than one job, and a little of my sanity back. It's a good trade off for me. I'll still be volunteering in the office for awhile, and definitely down at the Bowden. I've been teaching some of the kids how to read better. I'll have more flexible time to come in and help them too. :)

I wish I could help my work more. But, it's not really a healthy environment. I came home and complained all the time and had nothing to say. I didn't like that about myself and I think that that is one of the major reasons I decided to start looking elsewhere. Maybe I should suck it up and just keep on going, because it's only a year. But, to what end? To say that I did it? Yea, and what's that worth except a strain on my relationships and a mental problem?

Maybe I'm a little bitter, so I'm going to stop talking about it. I've been a lot happier since I made the decision and have heard nothing but wonderful things about people where I'm going to work, and I had good vibes during the interview.

I won't start coursework until January. New job starts next Monday.

Here goes nothing.

Just a little update.

Yup, it's been awhile. I think that if I told you all about what I do at work, you'd be bored to tears. I enjoy it. It gets pretty hectic and office politics are no good. I've got some changes coming on the horizon that'll really throw me off, but that I'm not sure I can really talk about quite yet. But, this year is going to get a bit challenging.

I was able to launch our facebook, but I'm not necessarily happy with it quite yet. I need to build more interest in it and make it more interactive (and to the point where people want to post on the site). I need to sit down and think about that a bit more, but I think it can happen, barring any major obstacles. But, obstacles just exist. I'm pretty frustrated about that because I have to wait on a lot of people to put my ideas together. And sometimes it's just too late, or kind of sloppy because the response took so long to create.

I've also been missing out on my time volunteering, I only got in once last week, which I don't like. I had to work late creating and printing invitations that had input from three different offices that was all conflicting. That was fun. Definitely comes with the turf though.

I'm just very happy I got the Labor Day weekend to help relax and I should be able to help start coaching this week, and that's exciting!

I'll update more when there's more exciting stuff going on, and things I know I can talk about!

Every Day is a New Adventure.

First, every time I title my blog I have a mental mind-freak about which words to capitalize. Irrelevant.

So, I didn't really report back on last week. It was a whirlwind. I'm keeping a log of all of the stuff I do (I started it today). But, I guess I've kind of done a lot in the past two weeks. Crazy. I got a hug and a "You're making a difference." on Thursday from my boss. That was pretty cool. I think that some people have jobs where they never hear anything like that. I feel pretty fortunate. The facebook site still hasn't launched and I'm working on how to handle that. I have a week to get through the upper-level and to try to get it live. I think that I have everything done, I just need the ok. There's lawyers and stuff that have to get involved and a whole social media plan/policy that needs to be written by my boss. Except, I've written one from an example we got from a business in the area. My boss kept saying she'd write it, but I think she's been pretty busy so I did it. I'm just a little too scared to tell her I went ahead and did it. But, she's been gone for a few days so I may just tell her. We'll see.

I've been working in InDesign, which I'm not a professional at but I'm decent. I can work it and do image design. I have a pre-defined color palette which makes things a lot easier. It's kind of fun to see what I can do with that. My work probably isn't all that interesting to talk about. I really enjoy doing it and the days aren't that long, but describing it is kind of boring. It won't be that exciting until I finally get to launch something and upkeep the sites.

Of course, volunteering is a highlight for me. The kids down at the Bowden are pretty good. Some are pretty tough, but they're warming up to me. One kid comes up to me and shows me the progress of his loose tooth each time he sees me. I love it. But, today I got thrown into street outreach (and no mom, not the kind of street outreach that is in the Cross and the switchblade). We just go down to the "banquet" where they serve two meals a day to those who need it. Our job as street outreach is to sit there and make contact with families that have kids from 8-21 years old (or just the kids those age that are there). I was nervous because I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I actually was pretty good at talking to people who weren't in the age range. Ha. I was working with someone though and when I get thrown to do it by myself that will be fun! Imagine, shy Liz doing this stuff. It's crazy.

The people there are really the ones that fit the stereotypical homeless idea. Dirty, holes in their cloth, etc. They all speak with you a little more than you would think. Of course, some people won't but some are fine with talking about where they are in life. Not to say they're happy with it, but they're not angry at people they talk to about it. One man was lamenting his stolen backpack that had everything he managed to gather up. He wondered that anyone who was homeless could steal from other people who were homeless. The first thought that popped into my head was they had the 'survival of the fittest' attitude but I managed to bite my tongue. Sometimes, I have to watch what I say because I find myself referring back to a home or asking about a mom or dad pretty naturally. But, you can't assume that sort of thing really. I've done ok, but I have to be pretty conscious of it.

Then after that I got back with the kids and played for an hour and royally messed up the kickball rules and the kids kept laughing at me and saying. "Liiiiiiiiiz" like I should know better. Woops. I'm still learning!

So all is well. I miss my family, but I'm doing well. Hope y'all are too!

Oh, and I got paid for my first week. $200, about $5 an hour. Woo. Doin' ok though.

Lessons Can Come in the Littlest Packages.

Although I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to enjoy myself this week, I was wrong. From my last post, you can gather that I am learning a lot about the programs and the people involved.

Surprisingly, I found myself looking up at the clock and being surprised that it was already 4 o'clock. As anticipated, I try to get the tasks I'm assigned all done on the the day they've been assigned to me, but that's just not going to be possible. I have to work at being able to understand that. My boss is overwhelmed, and I can see where she's coming from more. It's interesting to learn what her strengths are. Facebook, for example, is not one of them. I anticipate trying to get our facebook to go live, to be a very hard thing to do. Yay for that.

I've made friends in the office though, and that's awesome. I'm actually very surprised by how much I feel comfortable in this office as compared to the last one that I was in. I wonder why that is, and I have a feeling it's because it is predominantly mother-like women and I feel comfortable there. Silly, but true I think. The woman who has a cube adjoining mine and I have started to hang up signs so that the other has a nice message when they get in the office. That's pretty awesome.

I volunteer at the youth center too, and that's interesting. I'm really just in the 'get the kids to trust me' phase and have them know that I won't be there for a short period of time. Volunteering at a place like that is an actual committment but I really enjoy it. It sort of let's me forget my work day (if there were any frustrations) and focus on making sure these kids have a good time. I hope that some day they'll feel comfortable enough to let me know a little bit more about what is going on with them, and I feel like if I asked they would tell me. But, I feel like that's only because kids don't know any better, I'd rather work on a relationship with them than take for granted how well-intentioned they are.

I played basketball with the kids, and they were cool. I'm BAD! They asked me to play and I told 'em I would, but that I was bad (and I really was, the other two staff there had played). But, at the end of it, one of the kids was like "See, you're not bad!" It was so cute, and he's my favorite so far. I was watching him play pool the first day I was there and he was super friendly. What was most interesting to me though was that he was making sure his peers were using their manners. A lot of the time I'm there I make sure the kids say excuse me and thank you and all that cause they tend to just barrel through otherwise. But, this guy, we'll call him Ronnie, wouldn't move until asked nicely. Most of the kids were just aware of each other and would move out of the way or else be run in to. He demands respect and I really like it. Kids are so smart that way.

I'm excited for next week, and think this will be great. The only part I don't enjoy is getting up so early, but you can't win all the time, right?

Whelmed.

I'm pretty sure that isn't a word, but I think it describes me right now. Just not really sure which way to go, over or underwhelmed.

Yesterday was my first day and it didn't consist of much, just did training for awhile and then went to the marketing meeting. I was excited to go to that and even got to speak a little, but nor a whole lot happened.

Today, I went to training in the morning and skipped out on the second half to visit a program site. The particular site I went to houses young men who have been to jail and no long have a home to go to (not because their parents won't let them stay at home, but for other reasons.) The story behind this program is that the department of corrections visited some time ago and deemed it too dirty and unkempt to receive funding for the next year. They get a chance to clean it up and have the dpt. of corrections back on Monday. My boss and I went to the site to walk the tour with them and give any last minute critiques we thought might help.

Honestly, the place was about what I expected it to be. It used to be a prison and now boys lived there, who apparently didn't have much of a rigorous cleaning expectation. Tiles in the ceilings were broken, a door window was busted, a lot of the furniture looked like it might fall over. Carpets were dirty, etc. But here's where I run in to a problem. How much more can we expect out of a program that gets (I think) most of it's funding through grants and charity? I didn't agree with the way the place was run. The kids don't have room inspections and are allowed to leave their basketballs (their own property) out on the basketball court. I personally would take the basketballs until they earned it back, and I would do room inspections. They wouldn't take us into the restrooms. I feel like there should be a higher standard with the chores. So, do we blame the staff and cut the funding or do we not expect much from these programs and let them live the way they do? I don't know.

Also visited a place where developmentally disabled sexual offenders go to find work. The don't do anything too high up in the business world (paint rain barrels, do factory line-work, landscaping). I saw some things in there that let me have a little peek into what they think about and it was what you might imagine, and it was odd for me.

Oh yea, and we met with the development committee. Our company needs funding, just as any other does, but geez we're pushing hard. Hopefully I'll get to sit down tomorrow and actually be productive. We'll see.

I don't really know what to think about it all, I think time will tell.

Liz

Let's Play A Little Catch-Up...

So, I've been a little negligent. But, I didn't really feel there was much that was exciting or enthralling to report on. Now that I look back and see how much time I have to update, maybe I should have posted a boring intermediary blog. :) Hindsight is always 20-20 on that sort of thing.

Anyway, you left me after my last experience at the factory and working temporary jobs. I had decided that $500 was my goal for the summer before I started work and after my work with the temp jobs, I only had $130. Fortunately for me, Carol (Connor's mom) found an opportunity for me to work for her while she was the director of a tournament in Kansas City. I was able to get some great experience working with Social Media to build a fan base and was paid for it. This put me to my goal, so working of the summer was over. Maybe I should have worked more, but I've been pretty busy anyway.

Last week, I went to a retreat in Rapid City, SD, which is about 5.5 hours from where I'm staying right now. This retreat was basically a review on how to interact with co-workers in the workplace and especially with your supervisor. All of the VISTAs in the South Dakota were there, so it was pretty cool to know what else people were doing in the state. I also had to drive across the state with the other VISTA in the Sioux Falls area. He was interesting. Entertaining and a little weird, but I think that people would say that about me too. We had a lot of fun and it made the drive easier than it would have been if we'd had to drive by ourselves.

I met the VISTA Coordinator for SD because she ran the retreat and found out that she is also in the Marketing office in the Rapid City office. One of the more interesting things is that another man who works in the marketing office there as a VISTA had actually served 7 years in prison for theft and other things. I found him pretty interesting because I've only recently learned that people can actually change for the better. I know it sounds shallow to say that, but it's a strange concept to me that people can suppress or get rid of a side of themselves that allowed them to act in ways that were so wrong. In his case, theft isn't so bad. But, he told me he was part of a gang etc. I'm still learning about people and how they change throughout their lives, I suppose.

Anyway, it was cool to be across the state and up in the hills. Saw a mountain lion when I was out running, that was pretty scary. It was kind of surreal, my reaction to it. There was not initial terror or immobilization. Part of me knew that maybe I would want to scream, but part of me thought that I could just walk away quietly and be fine. So, I did the latter and was ok. I think that I was just really lucky that it didn't see me/wasn't hungry/wasn't threatened.

I spent some time with Connor and got to check out Keystone which was  a lot of fun, we got ice-cream. La-de-da, I always have a good time with him.

I got back to Sioux Falls on Sunday, did some laundry, and was headed for Minneapolis by Tuesday for my 'Pre-Service Orientation'. Here, I learned a lot more about how VISTA works within an office, and how to find more information about what my role is supposed to be in the office I am working in. It was really helpful. I'd like to say that it was a really enlightening few days about the way we feel about poverty, etc. But it wasn't and I think that's ok. We talked about what poverty meant to us and when we first recognized it in the world. When you get a group of people like that together, they all want to tell their story in such a meaningful way that I guess the point just passed me by. Not to say that I'm not passionate about helping people alleviate poverty, or to help people themselves get out of it. I'm just to the point where I've recognized the issue and don't need the persuasion anymore.

Needless to say, I'm ready to get started and I start tomorrow! Of course, I'm going to miss being able to just sit around and do what I want all day, but I suppose that's all a part of growing up.

Wish me luck! It's going to be busy, hard, and educational for this entire next year!

But I am le tired...

This promises to be a long post. I've got a bit of reflection and reporting to do. First, I read this book called Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich that I admit, ashamedly, I was supposed to read during the school year along with the other executive members of the Global Poverty Club. I think that I wasn't the only one that didn't read it. That is neither here nor there. Reading it has given me some more food for thought as I continue work for Labor Ready and consider the culture of the group I am working with.

I was going to try to find an online synopsis of the book, but they're pretty long so I'll do my best to explain it. Pretty much, a journalist decides to try life out at the poverty line. She goes to three different states and holds low wage jobs (Florida - Waitress/Housekeeper , Maine - Maid , Minnesota - Wal*Mart). The story is about her struggle with management, working conditions, fellow employees, sticking to the poverty level (since she had a well-paying job and money), and paying rent/buying food. She started off with a little money in her pocket and had a chunk saved for emergencies that she tried not to use, but eventually had to use some of it. It seems that one of her main issues finding a sufficient place to stay because the typical rent was $400 per month for a a place that one of us might consider living in during a time of great need. The parts of the book that most interested me were when she spoke of who she worked with and their living conditions. I was surprised to find that some people were living in hotels at $40-$60 a night. This was because the people didn't have enough money to put a deposit down for an apartment. Or if they did, they wouldn't be able to pay the month's rent on top of medical and food needs. Often, the author would wonder why her co-workers wouldn't band together to demand better working environments. I don't know, but I feel like this is because those people are too afraid to lose their jobs. Reading this book allowed me a little more insight into the life of people who have to work at the minimum wage past their teenage years and made me question the way we view those who work those types of jobs.

My latest escapade at Labor Ready brought me a job working at PBM, graphics. I packaged World of Warcraft cards. I'm not allowed to talk about exactly what kind, or participate in their tournaments for the next year. Pretty serious stuff. They're the primary manufacturer and print the stuff in French and some other languages. Didn't know they were geeky over seas too!

There are two shifts at PBM. The first is from 4AM to 6PM and the second from 6PM to 4AM. Labor Ready opens at 4am and closes at 7:30pm. I think the first shift has to leave Labor Ready at 4:30 because it takes an hour and a half to get to the job site. It takes me about forty-five minutes to get to Sioux Falls, so I'd have to get up around 2:45 to give myself enough time to get ready and get to town with about ten minutes of cushion for whatever might come up. That means I'd have to be in bed by 8pm to get the minimal amount of sleep to function at a cognitive level. I would need to go to bed at 6pm to function on the factory floor for 12 hours without accidentally harming myself or others Not gonna happen.

I opted to do the second shift because I knew I could wake up at a decent time and could probably power through until 4am. With this in mind, I called Labor Ready (LR) to ask what would be the best time to get there to make sure I would be on the night shift. I was told 3 or 3:30, so I arrived at 2:40 figuring that everyone else was operating at the 3-3:30 time and that I would beat them. Turns out, they're smarter than that and most of the spots were filled up before I got there. I'm not sure why the morning lady told me that time. As a side note, the morning lady is the one I don't know that well, and the afternoon lady seems to recognize me already. I think she must just be good with faces.

When I showed up, the afternoon lady told me that she would try to get me on the list but she wasn't sure. Then, she asked if I had a car and would drive. Since I could, I was guaranteed a spot. After realizing that I would be the one to drive I googled the distances and saw that PBM is 45 minutes west of where I live in South Dakota. I drive about 45 minutes to the east to get to Sioux Falls. Not the most efficient way to do things.

This reminds me of a lady who volunteered some information to me while I waited for the group to ship out. She was there looking for a job and had already gone to Command Center (which I found out is another temp company that pays more) and reported that they were too strict and only picked their favorites. I then told her that in order to work at PBM you couldn't have more than two misdemeanors, which I thought was pretty fair. She sort of scoffed and said that she had a felony. She also mentioned that she was six months pregnant but seemed to have enough of a filter to not talk about why she needed the job so much and how the baby related to that but sort of made me feel like the two were related. My main take away was that there was another temp agency that paid more and, I found out later, that I could call in to say I wanted to work and just drive over to PBM if I worked through Command Center, rather then having to drive all that way in to town. Cost of gas, wear on the car, and time not sleeping are all things I would have to consider against the fact that me having a car allowed 4 other people to go to work and that having that car guaranteed my position. I also got $6 each from the people in the car for gas.

Back to the story at hand. I, the girl from a small town who barely knew how to handle herself with a green arrow at the stop light, would be driving other people to work. To be honest, I hate driving other people. For some reason, though, in new situations I like to pretend that I'm really confident at things that I'm not so that other people won't question me. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. There have been no fatalities yet. The good news is, we made it just fine to the site. I had a co-pilot who must have been in his 50s and had been working at PBM since September last year. Once upon a time he was a truck driver with enough experience to decide that I (along with all other Michiganders) always speed. He made sort of a fuss about that, but gave me some great information about what to expect and when the breaks were. We spoke a little bit about the Casey Anthony trial and some of his history during the hour and a half so it wasn't awkward which I was very appreciative of.

After arriving safely at PBM I found out that I was assigned to the "hand line" which meant that we were assembling something by hand. Duh. That something, of course, was the WoW boxes. The whole set up needed 6 people. One to open the box and put it on the line, another to stuff a card box and manual in, one to add a mat, one to add playing cards, another to add come organizational stuff for card collectors, and a final person to check that they were all stacked in right. All positions had a chair at it, so I was stoked because I was under the impression that I wouldn't have to stand for 10 hours. We had a supervisor who showed us what all of the positions were supposed to do and how exactly to stack everything (they way they make sure you can read the brand is kinda neat), and then asked two of us to volunteer for a job she wasn't going to tell us about until after we volunteered. I should have known not to volunteer at this point, but everything about my childhood told me that volunteering earned you brownie points. What I really earned was the job carrying, tearing, and breaking down boxes. I had to make sure that all of the supplies were full and that the line never had to stop because they were waiting for me. I was successful over my ten hours and actually enjoyed the hour it took to figure out the most efficient way to be the most successful at my work.

I'd like to say that the next nine hours that followed filled me with some sort of insight about others through interaction but I can't. I had those nine hours to think and reflect and drive myself crazy. For awhile, I was curious about those around me and even tried to converse with them but no one seemed up for conversation. I understood, since most of them were on day 4 of a terribly mundane shift. I was tired and my feet hurt and I was jealous that I didn't get to sit down until, in the 8th hour, I was offered a sitting position that I gladly took. I then  realized then that the grass is always greener on the other side. While I was happy to be sitting down, the job was not very intensive but was painful because it was repetitive. Imagine that type of pain when you've been sitting in the wrong position at a computer for too long. Doing this new job made me even more tired and knew I wouldn't have been able to survive that position the whole night. I was switched back to supply after the break and was given other random tasks during the night. I don't know if it was because she knew that I could do all of them, or if I was hindering the group enough to need to do the small things. I'd like to think it is the former since I was thrown on the line to help make it move faster. At this time, I found out that the young lady next to me wasn't capable of following a pattern which frustrated me, but she and I worked through it and were able to manage the line.

The last half an hour of the entire shift, I was told to look busy. So, I swept the floor, again. 4am rolls around and I'm free with a 1.5 hour drive back to Sioux Falls and some major concentration to do so that I don't fall asleep and harm the other people in my car. The older gentleman made comments again about my speed and informed me that early after that shift the sheriff typically would camp outside of the factory, pull over people who were speeding, and also hoped to find people with outstanding warrants. Apparently two of the "natives" had been caught like that before, and the older gentleman had been in a car that had been pulled over one time (as the passenger) and was asked for his ID. He refused to give it because he wasn't the one in trouble for speeding. But, this, along with his constant mention about my speed  (which I promise wasn't that bad) and the fact that he no longer had a license led me to wonder if he had a warrant out or not. I'm a little torn about the whole situation because obviously these people are doing their best to work for a living and for the sheriff to pull them over like that just doesn't seem right. But then again, they have a warrant out so I suppose they have done something wrong.

After this drive, I had another 45 minute drive back to Canistota. I got back at 6:15 and woke up at 1. I survived the whole ordeal.

Reflecting back some, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be working at Labor Ready. Or, at least with PBM. I feel like I'm making excuses, but while I worked that night shift I couldn't help but listen to the people on the line and think about their families and my own family growing up. Most of these people work these shifts 4 or more times a week and have a family. I personally had to leave the house at 2:00pm to make sure I got the job, and I know that othesr have to leave earlier to make sure the bus gets them there on time which means that they don't get to see their family that much (especially during the school year) and that breaks my heart. I also remember my dad working those night shifts when I was younger and I absolutely hated it. I couldn't wait for him to have a day off and was ten times more happy when he finally went back to days. I hated night shifts and I remember that although I was pretty young and don't remember a lot about that period of my life. It apparently bothered me enough to make me pretty much promise myself that I would never have to become accustom to a shift like that. It may sound spoiled, but the whole idea feels so against everything that I've been striving for. I guess I figured that if I worked hard enough while I was younger, I would be able to avoid the unpleasantness of not seeing my family and practically becoming a vampire. I respect all of the people who work in those factories a lot because they deal with the physical pain and monotony on a daily basis, but I don't think it's the life for me. It's a really tough thing to swallow about myself, the fact that I can't mentally standa  job like that. The idea that I'm too 'soft' to handle that kind of work makes me feel inadequate in a way. To boot, a large part of me feels that since I don't want to do it, I'm just being a yuppy.

Carol pointed out to me that sometimes this type of work just suits other people and I think that must be true. I guess some people wouldn't enjoy doing the things I do on a daily basis for work, but it's hard for me to understand how anyone could find joy in that type of factory work.

Human GPS

Everyone knows that one of the best things about getting a new GPS is that you get to choose the voice that gives you directions. I suppose it's also kinda cool that you now have directions to where you're going, but that's just a happy coincidence. :) I think my family first chose the Australian accent when we got our GPS, but I know that my father preferred the female voice because it was more soothing and less bark-ish. My softball team had named the GPS that took us through Florida, Margaret and had a good old time when she would tell us that she was recalculating the route, or that we needed to make the next possible U-turn. There were a lot of laughs and "Get it together, Margaret!" coming from the back of the van while coach steamed because she had missed yet another exit.

Needless to say, we all enjoy that little perk of our GPS system. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have a GPS with a French accent (which I don't think is a normal setting). However, after the initial luster and excitement of the exotic accent wore off, I learned to hate it's lack of personality because it was silent and didn't care about much except giving instructions. You might be thinking "Isn't that what a GPS is supposed to do?" You are indeed correct. But you have to realize that my GPS was a person that I spent 13 hours of my day with.

I woke up at about 4:30 yesterday morning, threw an outfit together I thought would be casual enough to look like someone who had picked up temp work, but formal enough to look like someone capable of driving them around for four or five hours, as I had been told I would do (surprise! 13 hours). I wore a plain orange t-shirt and was glad that I had thought to wear a tanktop underneath, since it was the only thing that kept the rest of the world from seeing how much I was sweating. I also wore some pretty thick brown pants and hefty shoes that didn't help anything.

The drive was nothing I could complain about, there's something about a sunrise that makes you think you'd like to wake up that early everyday.

I arrived at Labor Ready at 6am as I had been told to do, received my work ticket at 6:02 and gas up. I arrive at the place where I'm supposed to pick up my rider for the day at 6:20 and wait 25 minutes before calling to tell him I was there. He said he'd be down in ten minutes. Half an hour later, he finally showed up. From there, I was directed to go to a fast food parking lot and park. There, we wait for two hours until his company is actually ready for him. Let me take this two hour break to explain to you what he was doing and how. I was driving a van with only one captain's seat in the back. There were two computers, and quite a lot of wires in the back as well, and about 50 little atennae on top of the van. Apparently his job was to literally drive around the country and test the cell phone reception for all of the carriers (Verizon, Cricket, AT&T, etc.). There are obviously more people like him driving around the country, or he would have a more horrible job than he already does. I think the job takes some skill because he graduated with a degree in computer engineering and had to do some code while the whole process was going on. 

At around 9:30 we finally hit the road and I drove him around Sioux Falls for about and hour and a half until he hasd to go back to the hotel and upload information to his home base. This took about half an hour after which he decides we're going to lunch. This is slightly awkward for two reasons. The first being the comment he made earlier in the day in response to me saying I had interned for a fitness company. "Oh, that explains your body." Which is nice enough, but not something I think you should say to a person you're trapped in a car with, if you want them to be comfortable. Second reason, he went silent after I mentioned that I had a boyfriend. He sort of grunted about it and stopped talking to me. We were seated in a booth and sat diagonally from each other. I did my best to make small talk and  found out that he'd grown up in France and learned English as he attended school here. I couldn't understand what school he said he went to, but I'm sure that it was a good one. I ordered a soup and salad hoping it would be a little better than the turkey and cheese sandwich that had melted and gotten very hot awhile ago that I had been provided by labor ready. I'd managed to eat one while I was waiting for him, but I wasn't sure how well turkey kept in the heat so I didn't want to eat the other one. Which reminds me that I forgot to tell you about my sack lunch. It was two turkey and cheese sandwiches with butter on hamburger buns. Some old Scooby snacks, a fruit cup, a bag of M&Ms, a granola bar, and cheddar cheese crackers. I munched away on the smaller items throughout the day and was very glad to have them since I had such a sporadic eating schedule. I think the best part of the lunch, though, was the little green piece of paper, about half as thin as a fortune from a fortune cookie and twice as long that read, "No great man ever complains of want of opportunities" I thought that it was kind of ironic that they would put that in the lunch sack, but Connor just put in to perspective for me. I was quite the whiner and took my frustration out on the poor guy yesterday. I'm sure a lot of people would be much more appreciative of the experience afterward which is part of the reason I keep this kid around, to keep me in check. :) And I guess I kinda like him. ;)

After lunch we went back to the hotel and because he said that the next upload would take about 20 minutes. Two and half hours later, we were back on the road. Another thing to note, is that every time we went anywhere we had to leave the car running with the air on and I got to sit in it so I was sweating a lot. But, me being the really smart girl I am, didn't think I still needed to drink a lot of water so I got a little dehydrated, which probably didn't help my mood. On this last trip, I drove more than an hour south and had to park at a few places along the way. For these stops, I had a nice little system and was all set up reading a book and playing on my phone so I was fine. I ended up back in town around 8:30 and a little excited because I had 13 hours of work under my belt. However, the guy I worked with decided to cut the first two hours that we had to sit waiting in the car out of it and wouldn't put it back in when I asked about it. I ended up making $70 at $7.25 and hour. Taxes were about $15.

I think that I would have been a little happier about the whole occasion had that not happened, but I guess these things are just another part of life and a good lesson to learn. Life isn't always fair and fortunately enough for me, cutting those two hours doesn't really  hurt me. I just hope this isn't the insight into the treatment of others who aren't lucky enough to have the financial stability that I do.

We'll do a little exploration about wages and hours as I go further in to what I am doing. But, this is what I have been up to!

Labor Ready.

What an interesting morning/afternoon I had.

For those who know me well enough, you all understand that I can be painfully shy when having to ask other people for anything and just about every part of me rebels against the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone. You also know that I kick and scream and whine about it until I approach whatever it is I have to do, then I do it. This may surprise some people, but it's the truth. I think that when I have to do new/uncomfortable things that the poor person who has to listen to me probably wants to box my ears so that I'll actually have something to complain about.

I have been trying to find some sort of temporary employment for the month before I start with AmeriCorps just so that I'll have that extra cash and won't feel bad about spending what I have saved. I applied to a few places for maintenance or work in retail and eventually got a call back from a grocery store native to this area. At first, I decided to keep the information that I could only work for a month to myself and practiced what I would say with Connor on the drive into town. I reasoned that a lot of people in the past had done the same thing. However, when they asked me why I was there I told them about AmeriCorps so naturally they asked when I would start and if I would be able to have an outside job. This was the time to lie or stretch the truth and I couldn't do it. It's just not in my nature. This lead to some tactful sneak around and basically letting me know that they couldn't use me. Not surprised, but still disappointed. That day, I had driven 45 minutes into town to drop Connor off at work and only had one car so I was stuck there.

Luckily for me, Connor let me know about a temp agency called Labor Ready. Apparently you just walk in and they'll send you out on some job that they had called in that day. On the list of things I ever wanted to do in life, showing up at a place at being sent off to do random labor was not very high. I like to be prepared and I like to know what I'm getting myself in to. Realistically though, I need the money and I've owned up to trying to experience what someone in poverty might have to do. I can do this temp thing until I start AmeriCorps and there are no obligations for periods of time which is perfect. So I whined and then I called and found out that I didn't have the proper forms of identification with me. I decided it was a good first step and to attempt to actual show up and work on another day.

Hello, June 28th, 2011. Just under a week from the initial call. I was actually busy most days and Connor had two days off, so we were slugs. Today, I braved Labor Ready, which is a medium sized brick building that looked like it was a laundromat in a past life. As I walked in I was greeted by open floor space measuring somewhere around 30 feet wide by 10 feet long that was covered in black and white linoleum. Following that was a sort of cubicle with a counter on top that made it look like no one was working and in the corner there are white plastic lawn chairs next  to a table. After further inspection, I found that there was someone behind the desk and she greeted me with a mediocre, "Hello," and asked, "What do you need?" I assumed that it would be obvious that I was looking for work but I answered and told her I was new and was looking for work. She took my two forms of identification and began to look me up. There wasn't anything to look up since I wasn't in their database which meant a lot of paperwork and a few safety quizzes.

The first quiz I took was about whether or not I stole things, what drugs I used, and how acceptable it was to fight people and which were the correct situations to hit people. There were a few questions related to what my trade skills were, but it was pretty much a behavioral test. I passed that one. Go figure. I always have to wonder at the people who answer yes to the question "When you strongly disagree with someone, is it ok to hit them?" Seems like an easy answer to me. Either way, on to the next step, which was the safety test. I read through the booklet which has some pretty good safety tips. I basically learned that if Labor Ready tells you that you're doing one job (and they're supposed to be specific), then you have to stop and call the office and let them know when the site is making you do something else. This ranges from working on roofs to cleaning pools at a job they said you would be doing landscaping. The description must match the work done. They also tell you all about how to make sure you're dressed properly for the job you will be doing.

So I took the quiz and filled out some paperwork. While doing this I got a taste of the people who use this service. I ended up filling out my paperwork alongside a gentleman who had been working at a Labor Ready for years in Wisconsin and had moved into SD the day before. Another man shared his opinion about how blonde jokes give blonde people a bad rep. He went on to explain that they are so intelligent and swift that sometimes they don't get the emotional side of things. It was all sort of random but I pretty much felt he had reverse prejudice going on. Meanwhile, a business called in to have someone assigned for a job the next day. The other story I heard gave me a little more insight to the people that the workers at Labor Ready are used to dealing with. The receptionist said that some woman had called and asked a question about what time an application was due. The receptionist said that she told the woman it was due at 2 p.m., to which the woman responded "2 p.m. in the morning or the afternoon?"

Shortly after I turned my forms in and she went over it and was shocked that out of about 25 questions I had only gotten one question wrong and I needed to correct it to be finished. She also pointed some things out to me that I'd forgotten to sign. I did that quickly and came back. Again she was surprised at how quickly I had corrected my error. I could sort of see why after her stories. Apparently she was impressed because she asked me if I wanted to do the job that had come in while I was filling out my application. Tomorrow morning I have to be in town at 6am, so that I will be ready to drive someone around for four to five hours while they take down data. That was as much information as I got. I don't need a CDL and I'll be driving the car they drove up from Virginia. They did require that a copy of my license be sent over and that I filled out a sheet for consent. We'll see how it goes.

Labor Ready opens at 4am every morning and closes at 7:30 p.m. every day. I found out that this is because they work with one company that has a 6am-6pm shift and a 6pm-4am shift almost every day. I guess they package gaming cards. She gave me Pokemon as an example. This clued me in to why the lawn chairs were sitting in the corner. I'm betting that people line them up and sit in them while they wait to be assigned work.

In order to be approved to work for the gaming card company I had to do a drug screening test. The last drug test I did for my internship during school was at an off-campus location so I expected to have to it somewhere else and send the results back.

Apparently, this was not the case. I was to take the test there and bring the sample out for her at the counter when I was done. At this point, I'm optimistic because that means no waiting and I could hopefully start tomorrow. However, when I get out of the restroom I saw that the nice older gentleman was standing at the counter waiting get his paperwork approved. I, being modest as I assume anyone else would have been at this point, looked at her blankly waiting for instructions with the sample close at my side and out of sight and said, "I have the sample." "Well, put it on the counter," she countered, not caring one iota about my self-respect at that time, and then realizing too late why I was hesitant. "Everyone does it!" she blurted and then continued to ramble as I meekly set it on the counter, "It's a natural thing, right?" she asked the gentleman next to me, much to my mortification as he nodded and said yes. Until that point I was able to pretend he wasn't in the room, but she had to go and pull him into the conversation. "Everyone does it, no need to be embarrassed." Yea, ok. Easy for you to say, lady.

Needless to say, not a huge deal, but not the most comfortable situation. And obviously I passed.

So, I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to work in the morning, take a short nap, and take the 6pm-4am shift. It's gonna be tough and I'm very sure that it will be very boring. But, I'll bring some headphones with me and see if I can get away with listening to that while I work. Oh, I get a sack lunch provided to me, too.

Pretty successful, and yet another example of how things can work out even when you hem and haw and really don't want to do it.