Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Good Times, Good Times
From right to left: Jim Peacock, PhD., me, Tift Merritt, Tift's dad.
The 2008 Raleigh Medal of Arts was a wonderful event and it was worth it even if it means I get a crappy grade on the paper that was due that week.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Before or After?
For those of you who are not participating in this poll on Facebook, I invite you to play here.
Which do you prefer, before or after? (David did the haircut himself). Oh, and if you're not on Facebook, get on it immediately and friend me. FRIEND ME!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lurking Variables
I miss, you, blog. There are so many lurking and confounding variables (see that, research prof? These terms are finally sinking in) that have affected my blogging these days but I will get back to it when I can. The run down:
1. My hero died last Saturday. Knowing her changed my life and also my ability to deal with her death.
2. I DO seem to have ADD; stimulants DO seem to help; I HAVE lost weight (about 10 lbs); 2 of 3 symptoms are better (the brain fog and the fatigue) but the depression and/or anxiety remain.
Also, in exchange for a healthier mind, my body is compromised. I haven't been to yoga in about 3-4 weeks and when I try poses at home, my once strong, now feeble, legs shake. I'm often jittery, very unstable walking down steps, and the ringing in my left ear has gotten worse. When I lie down at night I can actually hear my heartbeat in my left ear. It's strange but other people have it too. Google it. I did.
3. I love my internship and classes in general. I was born to do this kind of work, and I'm enjoying learning how to do it better.
4. Johnny loves learning too and he tells me that every day. I've been volunteering with his class and will help out at their school's Fall Carnival on Friday. Grace is reading at grade level and is having more sophisticated conversations these days.
5. The other day at a "Women of Western Wake" luncheon, one of the recipients gave some advice to working mothers with young children. She suggested finding ways to blend the different roles we occupy as best we can. I'm trying to figure out how to do that, because I believe that's a good idea. I don't think it's meant just literally, like by taking your kids to work, to classes, etc. To me, it means, having a common denominator in all I'm doing and trying to accomplish. My current paying job helps keep food on the table and allows flexibility for me to go on field trips; My classes get me closer to my degree where I can hopefully gainfully earn and have more time with my kids during the week; they're also teaching me how to become effective in practice; my internship is based on helping children and families become healthier overall; this all affects my mothering and my mothering affects all of it. A lot of my current life seems to be compartmentalized...but I'm trying to find ways to make it less so.
I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize for me, my family, and for those I touch. That prize has become clear: balance, a sense of peace, and wellness of body, mind, and spirit.
1. My hero died last Saturday. Knowing her changed my life and also my ability to deal with her death.
2. I DO seem to have ADD; stimulants DO seem to help; I HAVE lost weight (about 10 lbs); 2 of 3 symptoms are better (the brain fog and the fatigue) but the depression and/or anxiety remain.
Also, in exchange for a healthier mind, my body is compromised. I haven't been to yoga in about 3-4 weeks and when I try poses at home, my once strong, now feeble, legs shake. I'm often jittery, very unstable walking down steps, and the ringing in my left ear has gotten worse. When I lie down at night I can actually hear my heartbeat in my left ear. It's strange but other people have it too. Google it. I did.
3. I love my internship and classes in general. I was born to do this kind of work, and I'm enjoying learning how to do it better.
4. Johnny loves learning too and he tells me that every day. I've been volunteering with his class and will help out at their school's Fall Carnival on Friday. Grace is reading at grade level and is having more sophisticated conversations these days.
5. The other day at a "Women of Western Wake" luncheon, one of the recipients gave some advice to working mothers with young children. She suggested finding ways to blend the different roles we occupy as best we can. I'm trying to figure out how to do that, because I believe that's a good idea. I don't think it's meant just literally, like by taking your kids to work, to classes, etc. To me, it means, having a common denominator in all I'm doing and trying to accomplish. My current paying job helps keep food on the table and allows flexibility for me to go on field trips; My classes get me closer to my degree where I can hopefully gainfully earn and have more time with my kids during the week; they're also teaching me how to become effective in practice; my internship is based on helping children and families become healthier overall; this all affects my mothering and my mothering affects all of it. A lot of my current life seems to be compartmentalized...but I'm trying to find ways to make it less so.
I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize for me, my family, and for those I touch. That prize has become clear: balance, a sense of peace, and wellness of body, mind, and spirit.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Concert to Benefit the Place Where I'm Interning
Hi, all.
I'm doing my first-year social work internship at a dynamic, growing organization called Carolina Outreach, which provides local children and families with a variety of mental health services. The Carolina Outreach Foundation supports the work of CO. This Friday is the 3rd Annual Carolina Outreach Foundation Benefit Concert. I will be "working" at the event while earning field hours doing something I like to do anyway and that is hear new, live music. So, check out the deets below and please come out if you've nothing better to do this Friday.
3rd Annual Benefit for the
Friday, Oct 17th
$10 at the door
Dinner available throughout the evening, with Broad Street Café’s expanded menu: wood-fired pizza, excellent burgers and salads, 15 beers on tap and full bar.
Performers begin at
Magician Josh Lozoff throughout
Door Prize Raffle before and between musical sets!!!
==================Carolina Outreach Foundation====================
The Carolina Outreach Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Durham, NC whose mission is to work with children with behavioral, emotional, and mental health disabilities to provide them opportunities for recreation, vocational internships, and academic support.
Monday, October 06, 2008
I really should be studying...
I'm gonna have to post in short clips. Sorry.
I took the kids to the first-ever Jordan Lake Music Festival on Saturday, an event to raise money to "clean up Jordan Lake." It was a blast at first. We saw a woman singing and playing guitar atop an old-fashioned fire engine and the woman was a gal I went to undergrad with. We'd bumped into each other at a Whole Foods in Raleigh about 9 months ago and did the whole, "Oh my gosh, it's been so long since I've seen you, you haven't changed much, what have you been doing for the last 14 years, we should get together sometime." Sometime was Saturday, and she nodded in recognition as my kids and I waved and clapped.
The festival was great fun and well worth the money, until I lost a bunch of what I had left to spend. It must've fallen out of my pocket while Johnny and I went on this
crazy bike ride that was quite tricky until we landed in the open helicopter field.
Yes, I was bummed about losing about $35 dollars, but I was more disturbed by how an employee of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office lectured me repeatedly about how I should carry money in public places like this, ya know, for the future. I should, according to this guy, walk around at things like this with a fanny pack with my belongings securely zipped in, or even a pouch you wear around your neck that you can wear under your shirt instead of in sight. Gee I wonder how I made it this many years without those very helpful tips from this bored Sheriff's Office employee (who knew good and well the only reason I engaged him in conversation was because he had a uniform on and I'd just lost something).
Speaking of Sheriffs, I spent a couple of hours tooling around in downtown Raleigh today hand-delivering tickets for special seating for tomorrow night's Raleigh Medal of Arts Ceremony, hosted by Tift Merritt!!! Lucy Daniels, for whom I work, is one of this year's recipients, and it's going to be an evening full of celebration, arts, and I actually get to attend and don't think there will be much work involved. So anyway I delivered my second to last ticket and was walking back to my car that was parked by a meter that was pre-paid (yay!) on some street I'm not even familiar with. Next thing I know, there is this sea of black and gray pant suits walking my way, led by a short man with a reddish face, flanked by two women he was holding hands with. My mind raced, "Is this some sort of political statement? Some type of protest?" About 4 journalists were taking pictures of the hand-in-hand lollipop gang that were followed by taller, and grayer men in dark suits. I motioned a young photographer over and said, "What's going on?" She said, "It's the Brunswick County Sheriff. He just got sentenced for embezzlement and stuff like that. He's holding hands with his wife and mother."
Never a dull moment.
I took the kids to the first-ever Jordan Lake Music Festival on Saturday, an event to raise money to "clean up Jordan Lake." It was a blast at first. We saw a woman singing and playing guitar atop an old-fashioned fire engine and the woman was a gal I went to undergrad with. We'd bumped into each other at a Whole Foods in Raleigh about 9 months ago and did the whole, "Oh my gosh, it's been so long since I've seen you, you haven't changed much, what have you been doing for the last 14 years, we should get together sometime." Sometime was Saturday, and she nodded in recognition as my kids and I waved and clapped.
The festival was great fun and well worth the money, until I lost a bunch of what I had left to spend. It must've fallen out of my pocket while Johnny and I went on this
crazy bike ride that was quite tricky until we landed in the open helicopter field.
Yes, I was bummed about losing about $35 dollars, but I was more disturbed by how an employee of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office lectured me repeatedly about how I should carry money in public places like this, ya know, for the future. I should, according to this guy, walk around at things like this with a fanny pack with my belongings securely zipped in, or even a pouch you wear around your neck that you can wear under your shirt instead of in sight. Gee I wonder how I made it this many years without those very helpful tips from this bored Sheriff's Office employee (who knew good and well the only reason I engaged him in conversation was because he had a uniform on and I'd just lost something).Speaking of Sheriffs, I spent a couple of hours tooling around in downtown Raleigh today hand-delivering tickets for special seating for tomorrow night's Raleigh Medal of Arts Ceremony, hosted by Tift Merritt!!! Lucy Daniels, for whom I work, is one of this year's recipients, and it's going to be an evening full of celebration, arts, and I actually get to attend and don't think there will be much work involved. So anyway I delivered my second to last ticket and was walking back to my car that was parked by a meter that was pre-paid (yay!) on some street I'm not even familiar with. Next thing I know, there is this sea of black and gray pant suits walking my way, led by a short man with a reddish face, flanked by two women he was holding hands with. My mind raced, "Is this some sort of political statement? Some type of protest?" About 4 journalists were taking pictures of the hand-in-hand lollipop gang that were followed by taller, and grayer men in dark suits. I motioned a young photographer over and said, "What's going on?" She said, "It's the Brunswick County Sheriff. He just got sentenced for embezzlement and stuff like that. He's holding hands with his wife and mother."
Never a dull moment.
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