As a part of my storytelling class, I attended a live storytelling performance on campus this past weekend. Stories are meant to be heard, which is why recordings and YouTube videos are important, but live is better than recorded when considering the emotional impact of a story.
This monthly event is part open mic and part storytelling performance, which meant I got to hear a variety of traditional tales, personal stories, and the featured teller's program. Hearing (and seeing) how others tell was a great way for me to think about the way I tell - do I remember to pause for drama (or comedy)? How do I stand? Do I have any verbal or physical tics?
Most powerfully, hearing the featured teller - Mama Edie Armstrong - along with several members of the Drum Divas showed me all the ways storytelling can reach an audience. She had us singing and dancing, laughing, sharing, and focused on her tales. Her program was called "Migrations: The Drums are Calling Us Home" and featured stories both personal and traditional, along with songs and educational interludes.
Mama Edie's style is suited for small gatherings (the audience was about 40-50 adults in a small lounge), but could easily translate to a larger performance. It was easy to see how she would work in a school setting or with younger audiences, as she asked for participation and used our reactions as teachable moments.
I was entertained, informed, and surprised at how quickly the time passed as Mama Edie told. The entire program was life-affirming and helped to show how storytelling is a connecting art form. I'm excited to continue my storytelling journey as I develop my librarian toolkit.
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Au Revoir, Summer
Five weddings, one anniversary party, three birthday parties, and several festivals, farmers markets, and beach days later, we made it to fall. This weekend I bid summer adieu with 2014's last wedding and an impromptu visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden (more pics to come!).
The details in this wedding were insane. I would say this was a "Pinterest" wedding, but to be honest--from the frozen margaritas at the bar to the homemade napkins and jam--it was a Mike and Jillian wedding. And a perfect little retreat from the city. Just what I needed before fall starts for real.
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| Pre-wedding car selfie (which was followed by the traditional pre-wedding beer, after we found the church). |
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| Reception at the local train station = genius. And gorgeous. |
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| Oh yeah, we got to play on trains. |
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| He wore that hat all night. |
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| #mike&jilligethitched ...the pencils had our names/tables on them AND they could be used to do the crossword puzzle that served as our placemat. Also: that cupcake had cheesecake inside of it. |
Friday, August 1, 2014
Party Time
Bye bye July, Hello Happiness Month! You guys do remember that August is all about Happiness Happening, right?
This is not to say July isn't happy, because it was! I saw my family again for Wedding #2, celebrated birthdays upon birthdays upon birthdays (mostly from afar, but a few here--including America's!), and biked a marathon. I love July and its Grab Life By The Horns mentality. It flows so well into August, with its Squeeze All The Fun Into Summer Before September Comes frenzy.
I'll be doing plenty of squeezing this year, starting with today/this weekend. It's Wedding #3 of the summer, and my MercyWorks community's second wedding, which means there will also be a reunion. And a celebration of a recent engagement. And a trip town memory lane. And a look forward to the third and fourth community weddings. (You might also remember we planned on having one community wedding per year post-MercyWorks...we missed 2013, but we're making it up with 2 weddings this year, so we're back on track!)
July, you're great. August, come join the party.
This is not to say July isn't happy, because it was! I saw my family again for Wedding #2, celebrated birthdays upon birthdays upon birthdays (mostly from afar, but a few here--including America's!), and biked a marathon. I love July and its Grab Life By The Horns mentality. It flows so well into August, with its Squeeze All The Fun Into Summer Before September Comes frenzy.
I'll be doing plenty of squeezing this year, starting with today/this weekend. It's Wedding #3 of the summer, and my MercyWorks community's second wedding, which means there will also be a reunion. And a celebration of a recent engagement. And a trip town memory lane. And a look forward to the third and fourth community weddings. (You might also remember we planned on having one community wedding per year post-MercyWorks...we missed 2013, but we're making it up with 2 weddings this year, so we're back on track!)
July, you're great. August, come join the party.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Hostel Del Naw
When can you call your apartment a hostel? Probably at about the time you host 7 different people in the span of a week. The Naw has had a revolving door this past week, housing out of towners, homeless friends, and travelers.
Whether they stayed for a night during longer travels, are biding their time until a new apartment opens up, or have full blown moved in until further notice, all of our guests have been wonderful and flexible, sleeping in whatever beds are available at the moment. Still, it's been crazy always having extra people around.
PROS of extra roommates:
Whether they stayed for a night during longer travels, are biding their time until a new apartment opens up, or have full blown moved in until further notice, all of our guests have been wonderful and flexible, sleeping in whatever beds are available at the moment. Still, it's been crazy always having extra people around.
PROS of extra roommates:
- Extra groceries - all of our guests have either brought us food, are willing to run to the grocery store for us, or have pitched in to grocery bills.
- Homemade meals - it's a rare night when someone doesn't make dinner for the apartment, family-style.
- Breakfast buddies - we have a built-in coffee clutch/tea time every morning!
- Spanish practice - the majority of our guests have lived in Spanish-speaking countries or are fluent speakers, yay for me!
- Extended closet - my wardrobe is always growing and changing.
- Gossip - we are staying super in the loop about ourselves and all of our friends.
CONS of extra roommates:
- Cramped bathroom time - we perform an elaborate dance at night between showers, brushing teeth, and bed prep and it starts all over in the morning.
- Little to no privacy - I'm not a private person, per se, but every now and then I need some closed-door-by-myself-room-time.
- Laundry woes - we have a lot of dirty laundry and only one washer/dryer.
- Nothing lasts! - as much as we grocery shop, the bananas we got yesterday are always gone today.
- Gossip - like the privacy issue, everyone who lives here currently knows everyone else's shit. Part of it is our "Full Disclosure" policy, part of it is the thin walls, part of it is we talk loud about everyone we know.
Much like MercyWorks, living at the Naw right now is fun, frustrating, tiring, and awesome. I'm enjoying the change of pace, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't keeping an eye out for quieter times ahead.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Revenge of Konan Castle
"What happens when you mix an Eleventh century haunted Scottish castle, eight greedy Americans, and a two hundred year old family feud?"
So asks the box of the Murder Mystery Party we found at a thrift store several months ago. The answer? You get a great night of solving the murder of Ian Campbell! With a diverse spread of food and a traditional Scottish music Pandora station, 17 of us gathered (in full costume) at the Naw last night to figure out who among us killed the last of the Campbell family while in search of a hidden treasure worth a fortune.
We each had characters to play (the game only has eight characters, so we doubled and tripled up on them--for murder mystery enthusiasts out there, having a character buddy is helpful), clues to reveal, and secrets to keep. I played Ashley Leeds, the beautiful and flirtatious daughter of a wealthy business man. While not appearing very smart, Ashley is actually a manipulative woman who uses others to get her way. The only thing her daddy won't/can't buy for her is the attention/affection of Dr. Andrew Mathieson, the brilliant archaeologist. Ashley is at the castle to find the treasure in hopes of convincing Andy to take her to Egypt with him on his next excavation. Other characters included a wealthy widow, an engineer, a jewelry designer, a football player, a major in the army, and an army nurse.
As our secrets came out little by little (game rule: no lying allowed, unless you are the murderer!), it became clear that we all had motive to kill. Ian was close to finding the treasure we all wanted, and he knew a few too many secrets about some of us. Once we went through all the clues, we made our accusations. Nearly everyone was accused at some point, but only one character had it in him to kill. The mystery solved, we continued eating and drinking the night away.
A murder mystery is the perfect distraction from the cold. There's no football this weekend, no holidays, and the world outside is dreary and frigid. Might as well gather with friends and pretend you are in an old Scottish castle--kids aren't the only ones who get to play pretend.
So asks the box of the Murder Mystery Party we found at a thrift store several months ago. The answer? You get a great night of solving the murder of Ian Campbell! With a diverse spread of food and a traditional Scottish music Pandora station, 17 of us gathered (in full costume) at the Naw last night to figure out who among us killed the last of the Campbell family while in search of a hidden treasure worth a fortune.
We each had characters to play (the game only has eight characters, so we doubled and tripled up on them--for murder mystery enthusiasts out there, having a character buddy is helpful), clues to reveal, and secrets to keep. I played Ashley Leeds, the beautiful and flirtatious daughter of a wealthy business man. While not appearing very smart, Ashley is actually a manipulative woman who uses others to get her way. The only thing her daddy won't/can't buy for her is the attention/affection of Dr. Andrew Mathieson, the brilliant archaeologist. Ashley is at the castle to find the treasure in hopes of convincing Andy to take her to Egypt with him on his next excavation. Other characters included a wealthy widow, an engineer, a jewelry designer, a football player, a major in the army, and an army nurse.
As our secrets came out little by little (game rule: no lying allowed, unless you are the murderer!), it became clear that we all had motive to kill. Ian was close to finding the treasure we all wanted, and he knew a few too many secrets about some of us. Once we went through all the clues, we made our accusations. Nearly everyone was accused at some point, but only one character had it in him to kill. The mystery solved, we continued eating and drinking the night away.
A murder mystery is the perfect distraction from the cold. There's no football this weekend, no holidays, and the world outside is dreary and frigid. Might as well gather with friends and pretend you are in an old Scottish castle--kids aren't the only ones who get to play pretend.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Reunion for a Union
West Coast, East Coast, and Rocky Mountains...my community has traveled from various corners of the States to gather itself here, in Chicago, once again! There's nothing like a wedding to bring people together six months after their volunteer year.
It's surreal seeing everyone in the same room, almost like we didn't spend the last half of 2011 missing each other and wondering when we'd see each other, like we've only been apart for a week. It's also surreal saying "see you tomorrow" and knowing that will actually for real happen.
In a few hours we're headed to Lisle for wedding number one. (Our grand once-a-year-reunion plan: one community member gets married every year. That guarantees us 14 solid years of reunions, right? Well, 13, taking into account current relationships.) I haven't had to dress up for an adult gathering in some time, and we're on the photography list, so I'm glad the models are here in full force to help me out with that situation.
Speaking of which, I promised I would shower today. The things I do for these people.
It's surreal seeing everyone in the same room, almost like we didn't spend the last half of 2011 missing each other and wondering when we'd see each other, like we've only been apart for a week. It's also surreal saying "see you tomorrow" and knowing that will actually for real happen.
In a few hours we're headed to Lisle for wedding number one. (Our grand once-a-year-reunion plan: one community member gets married every year. That guarantees us 14 solid years of reunions, right? Well, 13, taking into account current relationships.) I haven't had to dress up for an adult gathering in some time, and we're on the photography list, so I'm glad the models are here in full force to help me out with that situation.
Speaking of which, I promised I would shower today. The things I do for these people.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Another Blog Post About My Service Year
This past weekend we had a MercyWorkers Unite/Reunite party at Becca, Mikaela, Kate & Shannon's apartment in Bucktown. Between four years of MercyWorks, plus friends of MercyWorks, there were about 40 of us in their 4-bedroom apartment. I thought it was amazing that not that long ago, we were all strangers. Oh, the powers of simple living and community to bring people together.
In honor of that party, and of being out of MercyWorks for a month now, and of the new class' first shadow day in program today, here is yet another reflection. This one I wrote for Mercy Home's website as an adjunct writer on their writing team. I know I've been reflection-heavy lately. A year of service takes a lot of processing. Without further adieu, here are more Post-Service Reflections:
In honor of that party, and of being out of MercyWorks for a month now, and of the new class' first shadow day in program today, here is yet another reflection. This one I wrote for Mercy Home's website as an adjunct writer on their writing team. I know I've been reflection-heavy lately. A year of service takes a lot of processing. Without further adieu, here are more Post-Service Reflections:
Last August, 14 recent college graduates came together in Chicago to support kids in crisis and live in an intentional community. We didn't know each other, and some of us feared we wouldn't even like each other, but one year later, we are family. We know each other's dreams for the future, and we support those dreams with letters of encouragement and practical advice. We share meals and wardrobes, offer hugs and cups of tea after a long day at work, pull pranks on each other, and now that the year is over we've already planned our first reunion.
Through retreats, nights spent cooking dinner and reflecting on MercyWorks' five program values, trips to see Chicago's landmarks, watching marathons of our favorite TV shows, celebrating holidays and birthdays with local friends and families, and comparing work stories, we got to know each other--ups and downs, what drives us, what annoys us, what makes us scream with excitement. We also got to know the youth of the agency in similar ways: sharing meals, helping with chores and homework, playing games, and exploring the city. The similarities of MercyWorks and youth programs were a common discussion topic during community nights.
Other realizations from the work side of a volunteer year were that many times what meant little to me meant a lot to a teenager lacking support in his or her life. Also, not knowing everything or having all the answers can be a good thing--kids like to know that adults need to ask for help too. Finally, just because you grew up in rural Wisconsin doesn’t mean you can’t relate to a teenager growing up in Chicago.
A MercyWorks year is more than living with coworkers or working with roommates. It's late nights making beans and rice because your 13 roommates ate all the "fun food" from last week's grocery shopping already. It's early mornings reading the Chicago-Tribune over coffee and eggs to discuss the best ways to recycle in the city, or just reviewing your horoscope to see what the day holds. It's a full-time job, plus community responsibilities, plus discovering a new neighborhood or city or state. It's a year of personal, spiritual, and professional growth.So there you have it. As if you haven't heard enough about this year from me, I just went and over-clarified it for you. :)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Happy Mercyversary!
This is the one-year anniversary reflection I posted on my community's blog today (thanks to Jillian for coining the term "mercyversary"):
One year ago we embarked on this crazy journey called MercyWorks.
I don't want to say it was weird to see next year's class after the Opening Ceremony last night, because I knew they were coming. But it was still strange knowing some chick named Kathryn is sleeping in my bed with my school house quilt. It's a little unsettling when you think of the 13 of them, wandering around the living room and kitchen, not knowing half the stuff we got ourselves into in those two rooms. I absolutely don't like thinking about these kids using stall one, or the kitchen bathroom.
I know it happens every year, and I'm sure the year before us felt much the same way, but as much as I am glad to be out of that apartment, it doesn't mean I want other people there. It's going to take some time to get used to referring to ourselves as "last year's MercyWorkers" and knowing that we are no longer the apple of Mercy's eye (were we ever? some might ask....).
On this Friday in August, I miss begging people to cook me breakfast, trashy TV on in the background, shower parties, writing notes on the white board, and the way my closet smelled.
I don't want to say it was weird to see next year's class after the Opening Ceremony last night, because I knew they were coming. But it was still strange knowing some chick named Kathryn is sleeping in my bed with my school house quilt. It's a little unsettling when you think of the 13 of them, wandering around the living room and kitchen, not knowing half the stuff we got ourselves into in those two rooms. I absolutely don't like thinking about these kids using stall one, or the kitchen bathroom.
I know it happens every year, and I'm sure the year before us felt much the same way, but as much as I am glad to be out of that apartment, it doesn't mean I want other people there. It's going to take some time to get used to referring to ourselves as "last year's MercyWorkers" and knowing that we are no longer the apple of Mercy's eye (were we ever? some might ask....).
On this Friday in August, I miss begging people to cook me breakfast, trashy TV on in the background, shower parties, writing notes on the white board, and the way my closet smelled.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Last Unofficial Community Night
This Wednesday (yesterday) we were no longer MercyWorkers, but we were still in community and very much wanting to be together, so after several of us finished our first day of paid work, we headed to Pilsen for dinner/drinks/memories/laughter/enjoying company.
It was awesome to spend the night with each other and while being out with 14 people can get hectic, the night somehow managed to go smoothly. It felt like we were really a family going out for dinner, like we had known each other for way more than 11 months, like no matter where we all end up in a few days, we will always have some sort of connection with each other.
It was awesome to spend the night with each other and while being out with 14 people can get hectic, the night somehow managed to go smoothly. It felt like we were really a family going out for dinner, like we had known each other for way more than 11 months, like no matter where we all end up in a few days, we will always have some sort of connection with each other.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Have No Mercy/Worker
My last week of work as a MercyWorker is finished as of last night at 10:07 PM. I will never have a volunteer shift here again. Technically I will work here in the month of August, but as support staff...meaning I'll get paid for it. Crazy.
It was a low key last week of work, I guess. I don't really know what low key means anymore in the world of residential programming. After two youth/family meetings a lot of transitions will be happening in the home, plus there is the transition of me leaving. Now that they know I am leaving soon, a few of them have asked what my life plans are and it's tough not really knowing, but I think it will be a positive thing for them to experience a healthy goodbye.
Tomorrow is our last official day as MercyWorkers. We are spending it doing our last AmeriCorps paperwork so we can get that ed award, then it will be our closing ceremony. My tears started this past weekend...I'm not a big public crier, so hopefully I don't have too many more.
It was a low key last week of work, I guess. I don't really know what low key means anymore in the world of residential programming. After two youth/family meetings a lot of transitions will be happening in the home, plus there is the transition of me leaving. Now that they know I am leaving soon, a few of them have asked what my life plans are and it's tough not really knowing, but I think it will be a positive thing for them to experience a healthy goodbye.
Tomorrow is our last official day as MercyWorkers. We are spending it doing our last AmeriCorps paperwork so we can get that ed award, then it will be our closing ceremony. My tears started this past weekend...I'm not a big public crier, so hopefully I don't have too many more.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Hooky Day
What's better than going on a retreat from work/everyday life? Going on a retreat from retreat. Last Friday, the 14 of us to got away from even Katie and Liz and the relaxed structure of retreat to an even less structured day: a built in Hooky Day. The only requirement was that we spend it together.
A quick drive through Indiana and up to Michigan took us to the lake house we'd spend the day at. Thanks to Mr. McCarthy & Jess, who let us use their space, we enjoyed a day of sunbathing by the pool, sunbathing by the lake, napping, eating, reminiscing, playing, laughing...basically que nostalgic/magical photo and music montage.
A quick drive through Indiana and up to Michigan took us to the lake house we'd spend the day at. Thanks to Mr. McCarthy & Jess, who let us use their space, we enjoyed a day of sunbathing by the pool, sunbathing by the lake, napping, eating, reminiscing, playing, laughing...basically que nostalgic/magical photo and music montage.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Final Retreat/Camp Dewan Part 2
Five retreats is pretty swank for a service program. For our last one, we headed back to Camp Dewan in Burlington, WI. This time we weren't still getting to know one another and discussing how to deal with conflict. We were reminiscing with re-enactments of different phases of the year, playing MercyWorks Jeopardy!, giving affirmations, creating a time capsule, handing out superlative awards, and thinking about transition.
Before we could do that, though, we had to make it to retreat. Our oldest vehicle, the faithful Blue Bomber (2004 Dodge Caravan), has lasted us through many a retreat and group outing. It's held the spare tire from a vehicle we no longer own and shuttled us back and forth from Thursday night outings, Community Night activities, and grocery store runs. We always wondered when it would quit on us, and sure enough, Tuesday was the day. We were barely ten minutes out of the city when something gave and pressing the gas pedal no longer did anything. After a few moments of panic, we maneuvered the van off the highway and up an exit ramp. We coasted into a parking lot and made many a phone call to figure out how we'd get all the way to Wisconsin.
We eventually made it to retreat, no worse for wear. Katie and Liz scheduled some structured time, but also made sure there was plenty of laidback free time to read, sunbathe, and just enjoy one another's company without the stressors of everyday life.
Before we could do that, though, we had to make it to retreat. Our oldest vehicle, the faithful Blue Bomber (2004 Dodge Caravan), has lasted us through many a retreat and group outing. It's held the spare tire from a vehicle we no longer own and shuttled us back and forth from Thursday night outings, Community Night activities, and grocery store runs. We always wondered when it would quit on us, and sure enough, Tuesday was the day. We were barely ten minutes out of the city when something gave and pressing the gas pedal no longer did anything. After a few moments of panic, we maneuvered the van off the highway and up an exit ramp. We coasted into a parking lot and made many a phone call to figure out how we'd get all the way to Wisconsin.
We eventually made it to retreat, no worse for wear. Katie and Liz scheduled some structured time, but also made sure there was plenty of laidback free time to read, sunbathe, and just enjoy one another's company without the stressors of everyday life.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sailing
I knew it was going to be a stellar Community Night before it even happened. Hello, sailing on Lake Michigan with my community AND fireworks off Navy Pier? There's not much can top that, my friends.
Thanks to friends of friends and the extensive network of people MercyWorks accumulates, we got to drive up to Belmont Harbor and board the Whispering Winds. After a crash course (Stay away from the boom when it's about to move.), we set sail down the shore. We stopped just north of Navy Pier for a quick swim in the still chilly water, then cuddled back on the boat as the fireworks exploded overhead.
I think we were all getting nostalgic and sappy by this point--I mean, it was rather romantic. We played the First Impression game and talked about how we barely knew each other just under a year ago. We laughed at inside jokes. A few people got teary-eyed. That's when we knew it was time to order a pizza ready for pick-up once we docked and drove back to the West Loop.
Thanks to friends of friends and the extensive network of people MercyWorks accumulates, we got to drive up to Belmont Harbor and board the Whispering Winds. After a crash course (Stay away from the boom when it's about to move.), we set sail down the shore. We stopped just north of Navy Pier for a quick swim in the still chilly water, then cuddled back on the boat as the fireworks exploded overhead.
I think we were all getting nostalgic and sappy by this point--I mean, it was rather romantic. We played the First Impression game and talked about how we barely knew each other just under a year ago. We laughed at inside jokes. A few people got teary-eyed. That's when we knew it was time to order a pizza ready for pick-up once we docked and drove back to the West Loop.
Freedom
When it comes to Independence Day, Chicago knows what's up.
It all started on a boat for Mercy Day. Back that up, it started in the Soccer Building with continental breakfast at 8 am on Friday the 1st. Fr. Scott gave a State of the Mission address and we applauded some of the pretty awesome stuff Mercy coworkers and youth have accomplished in the past year.
Okay, now the boat: we got on buses and rode down to Navy Pier, where we got on the Anita Dee II: a luxury cruise ship complete with a helicopter pad (aka, a Lake tour boat with a fake helicopter on top for decor). We got lunch and drinks and despite the violent winds, set out on Lake Michigan. The party continued on Navy Pier upon our return, then I took a 2-hour nap at home (8 am is WAY early) before joining some of the MercyWorkers and coworkers at McGhee's for a party.
Independence Day weekend continued Saturday evening as Steph, Shannon, Kevin, and I rode bikes down to the Taste of Chicago to check out Gold Motel, one of my favorite bands. We also had a load of extra Taste tickets to use, so we gluttonously helped ourselves to cheesy fries, crab nuggets, spring rolls, empanadas, chips and guacamole, chocolate-covered cheesecake, Pepsi, toasted ravioli...aka greasy unhealthy foods we rarely get a chance to eat. Except the chips and guac, that's sort of become a luxury staple in my life.
July 3rd was spent at Britney's parents' house, grilling and swimming in the pool. It's always great to get out of the Mercy Home bubble, but still be in and around the city. Getting tan isn't so bad either.
We pulled out all the stops for the Fourth. Not really. We kept it super low-key: beach, back home for dinner/showering, riding bike to the Shedd to watch the fireworks from there. That's Freedom, baby.
It all started on a boat for Mercy Day. Back that up, it started in the Soccer Building with continental breakfast at 8 am on Friday the 1st. Fr. Scott gave a State of the Mission address and we applauded some of the pretty awesome stuff Mercy coworkers and youth have accomplished in the past year.
Okay, now the boat: we got on buses and rode down to Navy Pier, where we got on the Anita Dee II: a luxury cruise ship complete with a helicopter pad (aka, a Lake tour boat with a fake helicopter on top for decor). We got lunch and drinks and despite the violent winds, set out on Lake Michigan. The party continued on Navy Pier upon our return, then I took a 2-hour nap at home (8 am is WAY early) before joining some of the MercyWorkers and coworkers at McGhee's for a party.
Independence Day weekend continued Saturday evening as Steph, Shannon, Kevin, and I rode bikes down to the Taste of Chicago to check out Gold Motel, one of my favorite bands. We also had a load of extra Taste tickets to use, so we gluttonously helped ourselves to cheesy fries, crab nuggets, spring rolls, empanadas, chips and guacamole, chocolate-covered cheesecake, Pepsi, toasted ravioli...aka greasy unhealthy foods we rarely get a chance to eat. Except the chips and guac, that's sort of become a luxury staple in my life.
July 3rd was spent at Britney's parents' house, grilling and swimming in the pool. It's always great to get out of the Mercy Home bubble, but still be in and around the city. Getting tan isn't so bad either.
We pulled out all the stops for the Fourth. Not really. We kept it super low-key: beach, back home for dinner/showering, riding bike to the Shedd to watch the fireworks from there. That's Freedom, baby.
Monday, June 27, 2011
My Life is Ballin Outta Hand
I have to apologize, dear readers.
I've been trying to get on here and post something, but life is really overwhelming right now. I have no idea what happened to June, but I'm going to try and remember a few big events:
Speed Dating: Our Community Night reflection from a week ago. I didn't realize how much I still don't know about my roommates! It ended on a sad note with us listing out everything we think we are going to miss after this year...there are a lot of things to miss.
Ohm: A few of my roommates and I watched a fashion show at this club on Saturday and even got into the VIP party thanks to our neighbor who was part of the show.
Nervous Breakdown: The stress of job searching and this year coming to an end hit me this past Monday. It seems like every day another of my roommates has a job or some sort of plan for next year, and I still feel very unsure of what will happen come July 27th.
New Music Mondays: After my freak out session, I joined Steph, Brit, and Becca for Downtown Sound in Milennium Park. I stepped in some vomit and got hit in the stomach by a soccer ball, but the music was good!
Dinner w/ Father Scott: We ate at 90 Miles, a Cuban restaurant, this past Wednesday before Community Night festivities. The food was awesome, as was the conversation. We are some pretty spoiled volunteers sometimes.
No Impact Man: The documentary was our reflection after Fr. Scott's dinner. I'm so glad I finally got to see it, and I highly recommend watching it along with reading the book. See old posts for my thoughts on the No Impact lifestyle.
Hyde Park: Kate requested a picnic at Promontory Point for her birthday on Thursday. It was a cooler day, and we enjoyed our lunch under a calm, but cloudy sky. Then we explored the lake front and the University of Chicago campus.
Panic Attack: More freaking out about upcoming year. It was a common theme this past week. By Friday night I felt a ton better, thanks to advice from Katie and finding out that I would by random chance have the next day off.
Taste of Chicago: It started this past weekend and goes until next weekend. I had the chance to check it out on Saturday. I didn't get anything to eat (it's not exactly stipend-friendly), but I got in a lot of people watching. There are also bands and lots of random activities, so it was fairly entertaining.
I've been trying to get on here and post something, but life is really overwhelming right now. I have no idea what happened to June, but I'm going to try and remember a few big events:
Speed Dating: Our Community Night reflection from a week ago. I didn't realize how much I still don't know about my roommates! It ended on a sad note with us listing out everything we think we are going to miss after this year...there are a lot of things to miss.
Ohm: A few of my roommates and I watched a fashion show at this club on Saturday and even got into the VIP party thanks to our neighbor who was part of the show.
Nervous Breakdown: The stress of job searching and this year coming to an end hit me this past Monday. It seems like every day another of my roommates has a job or some sort of plan for next year, and I still feel very unsure of what will happen come July 27th.
New Music Mondays: After my freak out session, I joined Steph, Brit, and Becca for Downtown Sound in Milennium Park. I stepped in some vomit and got hit in the stomach by a soccer ball, but the music was good!
Dinner w/ Father Scott: We ate at 90 Miles, a Cuban restaurant, this past Wednesday before Community Night festivities. The food was awesome, as was the conversation. We are some pretty spoiled volunteers sometimes.
No Impact Man: The documentary was our reflection after Fr. Scott's dinner. I'm so glad I finally got to see it, and I highly recommend watching it along with reading the book. See old posts for my thoughts on the No Impact lifestyle.
Hyde Park: Kate requested a picnic at Promontory Point for her birthday on Thursday. It was a cooler day, and we enjoyed our lunch under a calm, but cloudy sky. Then we explored the lake front and the University of Chicago campus.
Panic Attack: More freaking out about upcoming year. It was a common theme this past week. By Friday night I felt a ton better, thanks to advice from Katie and finding out that I would by random chance have the next day off.
Taste of Chicago: It started this past weekend and goes until next weekend. I had the chance to check it out on Saturday. I didn't get anything to eat (it's not exactly stipend-friendly), but I got in a lot of people watching. There are also bands and lots of random activities, so it was fairly entertaining.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Walks, Jobs, Concerts
What do a man in a pink lab coat, a mother carrying not one but three children with her on her bike, and a man and woman riding a motorcycle with a sidecar have in common?
They can all be seen during a walk from the West Loop to Michigan Ave and back. We went for a social justice prayer walk last night during Community Night and those were the things/people I noticed. Chicago can be pretty strange sometimes.
The sun was on its way down when we set out, so the stifling heat became more and more bearable as we walked our separate paths. One of the greatest moments was as I passed Mikaela (we split up into two groups and walked different directions either down Jackson or Adams and back on the other) because we simply smiled at each other, gave each other high fives, and kept walking. I'm sure it was confusing for anyone who saw us, since we didn't talk or anything, but for me it was comforting to have so many roommates spread out in the Loop.
It was also nice to have some alone time while still sort of being with community. I've needed a lot of thinking time lately with the year wrapping up and us MercyWorkers all figuring out our plans for July 27th and beyond. There's a lot of resume revising and cover letter writing going on around here these days, and it can get overwhelming. Quiet walks downtown help take away some of the edge. Other things include taking advantage of the free day at Adler Planetarium, especially with its location right on the lake. From there, the skyline looks small. And we all know I'm a fan of free concerts, so I've also been checking those out at Millennium Park.
This past Monday, The Head and The Heart and Iron & Wine both performed so I went with Kim, who is in the city this week. We got there two hours early and there was already a line for the front seating plus people were already grabbing patches of grass in the yard area. We spread out our blanket and hung out, hoping Becca, Steph, Diego, and his mom would join us later. Unfortunately they got there too late and couldn't get a spot on the lawn since there were so many people. They enjoyed the concert from across the street and we joined them eventually--we couldn't see the stage anyway, so we figured we might as well spend the concert with friends instead of surrounded by strangers.
Today it's rainy and gray outside, which means two things: cooler weather (or humid weather) & mosquitos.
They can all be seen during a walk from the West Loop to Michigan Ave and back. We went for a social justice prayer walk last night during Community Night and those were the things/people I noticed. Chicago can be pretty strange sometimes.
The sun was on its way down when we set out, so the stifling heat became more and more bearable as we walked our separate paths. One of the greatest moments was as I passed Mikaela (we split up into two groups and walked different directions either down Jackson or Adams and back on the other) because we simply smiled at each other, gave each other high fives, and kept walking. I'm sure it was confusing for anyone who saw us, since we didn't talk or anything, but for me it was comforting to have so many roommates spread out in the Loop.
It was also nice to have some alone time while still sort of being with community. I've needed a lot of thinking time lately with the year wrapping up and us MercyWorkers all figuring out our plans for July 27th and beyond. There's a lot of resume revising and cover letter writing going on around here these days, and it can get overwhelming. Quiet walks downtown help take away some of the edge. Other things include taking advantage of the free day at Adler Planetarium, especially with its location right on the lake. From there, the skyline looks small. And we all know I'm a fan of free concerts, so I've also been checking those out at Millennium Park.
This past Monday, The Head and The Heart and Iron & Wine both performed so I went with Kim, who is in the city this week. We got there two hours early and there was already a line for the front seating plus people were already grabbing patches of grass in the yard area. We spread out our blanket and hung out, hoping Becca, Steph, Diego, and his mom would join us later. Unfortunately they got there too late and couldn't get a spot on the lawn since there were so many people. They enjoyed the concert from across the street and we joined them eventually--we couldn't see the stage anyway, so we figured we might as well spend the concert with friends instead of surrounded by strangers.
Today it's rainy and gray outside, which means two things: cooler weather (or humid weather) & mosquitos.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Cascarones
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| The carnage left after cracking 4 dozen confetti-filled eggs on each other. It's an Easter tradition; we're only a little belated. |
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| We still have confetti in our kitchen, living room, and down the hallway |
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ashy
It's what my guys say when their skin is dry and they need lotion. It's also how my forehead looked earlier this evening. My community went to an Ash Wednesday service at Old St. Mary's on Michigan tonight, and then came back to our apartment for a short reflection on Lent.
I never questioned the ashes growing up. For some reason, Fr. Malik's explanation always made sense to me, and I liked how they felt on my forehead. I think it would do a lot of people a lot of good to remember they are dust, and to dust they will return. That's still a solid part of Ash Wednesday for me--remembering we're just breathing dirt. Takes the pressure off.
Recently, I've wondered how I felt about leaving the ashes on, especially when returning to the non-Lenten-focused world. Is it better to leave them on and declare to the world that you are a) Catholic, b) breathing dirt, and/or c) unconcerned about how ridiculous you look, or should you wipe them off so as to not call attention to yourself, ie, look at me, I'm such a great churchy person? The ash cross can be pretty humbling, but then again, the message on Ash Wednesday always includes the part about praying alone, giving alms in private, and not blowing a trumpet anytime you do something holy.
We got back in our vans and drove straight back to our apartments after the service tonight, so I didn't really have to think about that this year. My community has seen me look/act far more ridiculous than any ashy smudge, and when we all had one, it suddenly didn't look so strange. It was more like a symbol we all decided to wear, like how politicians all wear those flag pins. And maybe that was the best part of this year's Ash Wednesday--having a group of people to be ashy with.
I never questioned the ashes growing up. For some reason, Fr. Malik's explanation always made sense to me, and I liked how they felt on my forehead. I think it would do a lot of people a lot of good to remember they are dust, and to dust they will return. That's still a solid part of Ash Wednesday for me--remembering we're just breathing dirt. Takes the pressure off.
Recently, I've wondered how I felt about leaving the ashes on, especially when returning to the non-Lenten-focused world. Is it better to leave them on and declare to the world that you are a) Catholic, b) breathing dirt, and/or c) unconcerned about how ridiculous you look, or should you wipe them off so as to not call attention to yourself, ie, look at me, I'm such a great churchy person? The ash cross can be pretty humbling, but then again, the message on Ash Wednesday always includes the part about praying alone, giving alms in private, and not blowing a trumpet anytime you do something holy.
We got back in our vans and drove straight back to our apartments after the service tonight, so I didn't really have to think about that this year. My community has seen me look/act far more ridiculous than any ashy smudge, and when we all had one, it suddenly didn't look so strange. It was more like a symbol we all decided to wear, like how politicians all wear those flag pins. And maybe that was the best part of this year's Ash Wednesday--having a group of people to be ashy with.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
GTL
Today was a day for miracles. Most Thursdays are around here, though. First, Britney and I took one of our cars in for servicing, and it came back cleaned! We actually didn't recognize it when the guy pulled up. He literally had to tell us it was our car.
The next miracle came in an email telling us we each had items to pick up at the library. This was only miraculous because we both had time to go today and actually wanted to go...I requested my item back in October, which makes the Chicago Public Library interlibrary loan system hugely underwhelming and not miraculous at all, really. We'll still count it.
With those errands out of the way, we were free to clean out both fridges in our apartment. I haven't really been eating from either one lately due to the mysterious smells coming from them. Now the shelves are so clean, you almost don't see them. The best part was cleaning with the windows open for a fresh breeze. Success!
Because our simple living challenge this week is to not use the cars, Shannon and I spent time this afternoon getting groceries and schlepping them the several blocks back to our apartment from Dominick's. Then Britney and I cooked tacos and were surprised by another miracle: Shamrock Shakes! In February! Okay, so maybe we gave Pat less-than-subtle hints about our craving them, but still, the shakes were an awesome appetizer for family dinner.
Really, the night can only get better. I'll be entering food coma status shortly, then before you know it, it'll be Shore Time.
The next miracle came in an email telling us we each had items to pick up at the library. This was only miraculous because we both had time to go today and actually wanted to go...I requested my item back in October, which makes the Chicago Public Library interlibrary loan system hugely underwhelming and not miraculous at all, really. We'll still count it.
With those errands out of the way, we were free to clean out both fridges in our apartment. I haven't really been eating from either one lately due to the mysterious smells coming from them. Now the shelves are so clean, you almost don't see them. The best part was cleaning with the windows open for a fresh breeze. Success!
Because our simple living challenge this week is to not use the cars, Shannon and I spent time this afternoon getting groceries and schlepping them the several blocks back to our apartment from Dominick's. Then Britney and I cooked tacos and were surprised by another miracle: Shamrock Shakes! In February! Okay, so maybe we gave Pat less-than-subtle hints about our craving them, but still, the shakes were an awesome appetizer for family dinner.
Really, the night can only get better. I'll be entering food coma status shortly, then before you know it, it'll be Shore Time.
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