Hey!

Catch my latest post at UC-SA for some religious meditations and a cute story from work!  I've been working on a more serious post for this blog, but alas, I am all too readily distracted.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something else interesting to post.

Cheers!

My internship

Hey y'all (yes, my politically correct geek overcame the grammar geek, which means I now use y'all with startling frequency):

If you're interested in learning more about my summer job/internship/, check out the webpage of my employer, Urban Connections:

http://www.urbanconnection-sa.org/

Basically, UC works with the families of Lincoln Heights Courts, a low-income housing project and helps them construct better lives.  My job involves the kids of the Courts, and I gotta tell you, I love them.  I help run summer camp, teach kids how to stand in straight lines, make frequent bathroom trips with kids, and spend way too much time in time-out with unruly children.  But it's great and I love it.

And, if you want to learn more about my coworkers and some of the staff at UC, check out the blog below!

http://urbanconnectionsa.blogspot.com/

Cheers!

In loving memory

Last week, we heard the devastating news that my beautiful, brave cousin, Anna Lee Basso, lost her battle with Ewing's Sarcoma cancer last Tuesday afternoon at the tender age of 18 years.  She entered Christ's eternal arms peacefully and while surrounded by loving family.  She fought her battle nobly, with enduring strength and admirable faith.  She touched over 1 million people in her eighteen years, and her memory will 'float on'.

Tonight was her prayer service and visitation, and the funeral mass begins tomorrow at eleven.  Please continue to pray.

With love through Christ,

Laura

Some thoughts

3) (All 9 seasons of Seinfeld) Last year, I became obsessed with Seinfeld.  Jerry’s whiny voices has not yet started grating on my nerves.  I love to hate George, while still maintaining a glimmer of love somewhere inside me.  Kramer is . . . Kramer.  As for Elaine, at some times she’s a role model for me, at other times I have no choice but to shake my head.  Thanks to my grandparents, I was able to purchase not one, not two, but ALL NINE SEASONS of Seinfeld in one glorious box set. 

I started Season One (NOT that entertaining) before school, but then I watched the remaining eight seasons at school.  Looking back, I have no idea when I did this or how I found the time or why I thought it was a good idea, but now I can relate moments back to Seinfeld on a nauseatingly frequent basis.

I think #4 and my love of arts and crafts warrants their own post, so that will follow shortly, but I do want to start filling you in on my summer job.

I feel blessed and lucky to have this job – I applied not late, or later, but really late, and it turns out someone had pulled out at the last minute and that the non-profit, Urban Connections – San Antonio wanted to offer me that position.  I accepted the offer last Monday, and now, 1.5 weeks later, I’m going through official AmeriCorps training in Dallas.  “AmeriCorps training” is code for corny-yet-still-strangely-effective team building games and listening to people talk.

I also learned much more about AmeriCorps (not challenging since my previous knowledge was nil), and I realized how exciting it is to be part of something big, to feel like am important member of an even more important organization doing good throughout the country.  It made me really excited about non-profits and working with others to benefit a community.  I’ve now met all my team-members, and I’m sure issues will surface throughout the year, but we know we can always return to the basic fact: we’re here because we care and want to make a difference.  That’s the bottom line, and it’s so different from my past.

I’m very goal-oriented, and once I set that goal, I will do everything within my power, and then some, to reach that goal.  We definitely have a goal here, but not only is it broad, but it’s community-based, teamwork-centered, and not self-centered.  I’m excited to dedicate a summer to something other than tennis, piano, or school.  I’ll be exhausted and sun burned (unintentionally!) and frustrated at times, but it won’t be about me.  It will be about approximately 75 kids from a low-income housing development and making their summers memorable.  And I can’t wait to start.  

A semester in (humorous) review

I think it’s time to post a little reflection on my first semester at Grinnell.  The semester flew by incredibly quickly, and as I spent hours packing up my dorm room, I felt like it was far too soon to move out.  I was only just settling in to my crazy routine, joining all the groups I was interested in, getting to know almost the entire campus, and becoming almost capable of keeping track of weekend events without undue help. 

Some surprising but real accomplishments:

     1)   Two all-nighters . . . in one week.

     2)   Under 24 hours in California

     3)   Watch all 9 seasons of Seinfeld

     4)   Renew my crocheting and knitting habits

     5)   Sleep literally all day

     6)   Make pancakes at 2:00 in the morning . . . twice

     7)   Eat more jelly beans than I ever imagined possible

     8)   Get drenched to the skin

Now, these warrant some explanation:

1) The first all-nighter was necessary.  See, earlier that week the tennis team was told we were California bound on Wednesday night, and Tuesday night rolled around and I needed to finish a presentation for Thursday (group presentation – had to help my peeps out).  So, I loaded up on caffeine (it was gross) and I successfully pulled the all-nighter AND accomplished everything.  Then, that Thursday we took a red-eye back from Cali (see below), and, while I slept some, it still counts as an all-nighter.

2) In the fall (aka Grinnell-pre-Laura), our tennis team qualified for nationals.  The first part of nationals is regionals, and for some reason our regional match took us . . . all the way to California!!?!?!  Stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.  This was during Hell Week, too, so we were all swamped with work and feeling very stressed out, so throwing in a crazy trip to California wasn’t exactly what we wanted.  We left Grinnell at 2:30 on Wednesday, arrived in California at 2 a.m. (thanks to SNOW in Denver).  Then we got our butts kicked Thursday afternoon and were back at the airport by 7 p.m.  We made it back to Grinnell around 12.  Really, a special, special trip.  I bonded with my teammates over food, complaints, homework, and crazy pictures, but in the end, it just wasn’t worth it. 

That’s all for now, folks.  Descriptions to follow in the next few days, as well as . . . information about my summer internship!!  Yes, I begin my first real job tomorrow when I go to Dallas for training.  J

WHY!?

Why is it that the moment you’re actually swamped with work that you find it incredibly difficult to focus on said work?  My response to being in full-panic/stress mode is to think of many other, obviously more important things to do.  For instance:

1.        Discuss summer plans with Mom.  And this makes sense why?

2.       Start packing. 

3.       Check Facebook at least once every ten minutes.  At least.  Also, decided it’s definitely time to compile my favorite quotes and put them on FB.

4.       Convince Dad to show my grandparents how to Skype, and then Skype with me.  I literally have no time to Skype, but this is what my mind tells me I should be doing.

5.       Clean.  (Although this could actually be useful, as it could lead to be happily finding papers I need to study for my finals).

6.       Blog.  Granted, I enjoy blogging, but apparently now is the best time, when I had considerably more “free” time about three weeks ago.

7.       Eat.  A lot.  Especially jelly beans and Smarties.

8.       I suddenly feel compelled to take long, warm showers.

9.       Nap.  Every day.  At least once.  (Although this is primarily due to my complete conversion into a night person)

10.   Fly to California for a day.  Yes, it’s true.  We’re flying out Wednesday, playing a match Thursday, and depending on the outcome, we’ll either stay for Friday or take a redeye back Thursday.  Yippee.

Oh, Saturday night :)

Some things I learned last night:

1.        It takes approximately four views of a YouTube video and six tries before two people can successfully tie a tie (I succeeded!)

2.       It is more than slightly painful to walk from North Campus to South Campus . . . in heels

3.       When faced with not one, but TWO chocolate fountains, my lactose intolerance becomes much less of a problem.

4.       I am entirely incapable of slow dancing/waltzing

5.       With enough patience, you can finally get a good picture with your boyfriend.  J