So, I realized only five seconds after I'd shut my car's trunk that I had also locked my car keys within it. There is nothing quite as humbling as having to call AAA from a friend’s cell and asking them to come and unlock your trunk….
After giving a brief synopsis of my error and need, this is how part of the conversation went:
“Yes, Miss Duncan. Can you give us your AAA number?”
A pause. “Um, it’s in my wallet, which is in my trunk. I don’t know it.”
“OK, no problem, we can search by your name. Can you give us a phone number where we can reach you?”
“I don’t know the phone number I am calling from and my phone is locked in my trunk,” is how I respond. I need coffee is what I am thinking.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thoughts Regarding the Weekend
I can't believe that the weekend will be over in a couple of hours! Where did it go? It went by fast and I know it was because it was packed full of good times and people.
On Friday, I got to visit with Priya and her beau, Jeremi. I hadn't seen her for a few months (six maybe?) and it was good to catch up. Thank God for "pick-up friends"- the ones with whom we can just pick-up where we left off last. It's so easy to be Priya's friend, it's a crime. I'm blessed to have her in my life.
Founding Farmers was tasty! The food was delicious and the company was delightful. Priya, Jer, and I met some of their friends there before going dancing. I had met one of the couples before, but it had been a while. The last time I saw them was when we all brought in 2006 together at a New Year's party in Philly. After a delicious dinner, we went to one of my favorite jazz places, 18th Street Lounge. They have a deejay and dance floor on one level and a live jazz band on the upper level of the club. The patrons are typically pretty low key and chill. They can appreciate the music, make suave dance moves, and carry on a conversation. Sometimes even all at once! The night ended with a car trip to DC9, where my friend, Jay, and I met the roomies and other friends.
On Saturday, Marie, Drew and I awoke and went to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. Breezy Point is not too far from DC, so it makes for an easy ride to a not-too-crowded beach. It was nice to darken what was left of my tan from my previous beach trip and hang with Drew and Marie. The beach wasn't as crowded as I'd seen it before and we actually scored a parking spot close to the entrance. It was meant to be! Before rolling out of town, we made our traditional stop at Trader's, a fresh seafood restaurant near the water's edge. It's a bit over-priced, but well worth the cost. Their crab cakes are incredible.
Today was a great end to the weekend. Drew and I went to church, where the message centered around Matthew 25's Parable of the Talents. We were reminded to use our abilities and talents for God's glory. When it's all said and done, we'll be asked how we used them. Did we use them? Do we? At the end of the day it's just as much a crime to not use them. In addition to what the pastor preached, Drew and I also concluded that inaction is just as bad (if not worse) than action. God can use our actions, even if we fail, for His glory as long as our heart is in the right place.
After church, we went to the movie Food, Inc. Everyone should see this movie. The timing of my viewing it was perfect since I am also in the middle of reading Fast Food Nation, a book that came onto the scene a few years ago and began to challenge the way people viewed the fast food industry, among other large industries. I hope that Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc. will do what Sinclair's The Jungle did in the 20th century. The Jungle brought regulations and change to the meat packing industry. It empowered workers and called out the way companies were running their plants.
Food, Inc. is a movie that challenges the viewers to question where their food comes from. Why is it cheaper to buy fast food than quality food in a supermarket? Even deeper... do you know where the supermarket gets its food? Most food travels 1500 miles from "farm" to supermarket. Vegetables are picked before they are ripe and "ripened" with chemicals to make them appealing to the consumer. Four large companies control the meat on our shelves. Four. Cows, chickens, and pigs are fed ground corn because it is cheaper than grass. Animals aren't meant to eat corn, so their bodies can't correctly process the diet they are given. As a result, a strong strain of E. Coli has developed and is quite common in the plants where animals are housed. The hamburgers sold in fast food restaurants are packed with E. Coli killing ammonia, because E. Coli is so rampant on the "farms" where cattle is kept that a patty isn't safe enough to eat without the ammonia. Also, the average package of hamburger meat has meat from over 1000 different cows in it.
Chickens have been genetically coded to grow faster (in 49 days rather than 70) and have larger breasts, making them heavier than chickens in the past. The results are sickening and sad. Their bones can't keep up with the weight so the chickens can only walk a few steps before falling. But no worries... most of them only have the room to walk a step anyway. In most hen houses, they are so tightly packed they couldn't really walk far if they wanted. Forget sunlight. They are kept in the dark because it keeps them subdued so the farmer can go into the cage and easily scoop them when it's time for the slaughter. Perdue and Tyson both refused to grant interviews for Food, Inc. So did Smithfield Farms, which one learns is hardly a farm, but is really a manufacturing plant for cows who spend their life (if you can call it one) five inches deep in their own manure.
The movie also touches on how the companies are putting corn in all our food. Corn syrup is the first or second ingredient in most packaged foods. About 90% of our packaged food has a corn product in it. It's cheap to make, but hurting us in the long run. 1 of 3 children born after 2000 will have diabetes as a child or as an adult. 1 of 2 people in minority populations will. In the long run, this "cheap" food is costing us more.
In Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc. they both touch on what has happened to the American workforce that works in these industries. The farmers are being exploited- squished under laws and thumbs of the large companies that are buying their products. The people who are passing the laws in Washington have had former lives in the very companies who gain from them. Past CEOs, Board members, and VPs of large corporations (like Smithfield) now work for Congress and in other powerful positions. They don't really care about the farmers, employees, and the American people. Their pockets have been padded enough by large corporate money that they turn a blind eye to what their laws are doing.
A law was passed in 1996 to genetically alter the soybean. Farmers were told it would be illegal to keep and replant their best seeds. They had to start using a certain soybean that's been genetically altered to withstand a certain pesticide (Round-Up). The result: in 12 years, 90% of the soybeans are the same. The 10% not genetically altered come from small farmers who could be prosecuted and sued if they are caught not using the genetically altered beans. Why? Because continuing to grow them goes against a patent law nestled in the bill. So, our government now owns the soybean. Does anyone ever stop to think what may happen if a bacteria attacks and begins to kill only these genetically altered beans?
I haven't given away all of the movie, but have only highlighted some of the things I learned. The movie is FULL of great information. It's a spoon-fed version (pun intended) of what Fast Food Nation and similar books contain. Something is seriously wrong with how we're making and packaging food. The challenge is to rethink how you buy it. Buy from local farmers. Buy organic. Demand that animals be treated better so that the food we get is better for us. Resist Genetically Altered Products (be it fattened chickens or milk with hormones in it). Money talks and it's the only thing that these large companies hear. Make your money talk by using it in ways to support quality products from REAL farms and not the farms that are merely painted on glossy cardboard boxes with flashy labels.
On Friday, I got to visit with Priya and her beau, Jeremi. I hadn't seen her for a few months (six maybe?) and it was good to catch up. Thank God for "pick-up friends"- the ones with whom we can just pick-up where we left off last. It's so easy to be Priya's friend, it's a crime. I'm blessed to have her in my life.
Founding Farmers was tasty! The food was delicious and the company was delightful. Priya, Jer, and I met some of their friends there before going dancing. I had met one of the couples before, but it had been a while. The last time I saw them was when we all brought in 2006 together at a New Year's party in Philly. After a delicious dinner, we went to one of my favorite jazz places, 18th Street Lounge. They have a deejay and dance floor on one level and a live jazz band on the upper level of the club. The patrons are typically pretty low key and chill. They can appreciate the music, make suave dance moves, and carry on a conversation. Sometimes even all at once! The night ended with a car trip to DC9, where my friend, Jay, and I met the roomies and other friends.
On Saturday, Marie, Drew and I awoke and went to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. Breezy Point is not too far from DC, so it makes for an easy ride to a not-too-crowded beach. It was nice to darken what was left of my tan from my previous beach trip and hang with Drew and Marie. The beach wasn't as crowded as I'd seen it before and we actually scored a parking spot close to the entrance. It was meant to be! Before rolling out of town, we made our traditional stop at Trader's, a fresh seafood restaurant near the water's edge. It's a bit over-priced, but well worth the cost. Their crab cakes are incredible.
Today was a great end to the weekend. Drew and I went to church, where the message centered around Matthew 25's Parable of the Talents. We were reminded to use our abilities and talents for God's glory. When it's all said and done, we'll be asked how we used them. Did we use them? Do we? At the end of the day it's just as much a crime to not use them. In addition to what the pastor preached, Drew and I also concluded that inaction is just as bad (if not worse) than action. God can use our actions, even if we fail, for His glory as long as our heart is in the right place.
After church, we went to the movie Food, Inc. Everyone should see this movie. The timing of my viewing it was perfect since I am also in the middle of reading Fast Food Nation, a book that came onto the scene a few years ago and began to challenge the way people viewed the fast food industry, among other large industries. I hope that Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc. will do what Sinclair's The Jungle did in the 20th century. The Jungle brought regulations and change to the meat packing industry. It empowered workers and called out the way companies were running their plants.
Food, Inc. is a movie that challenges the viewers to question where their food comes from. Why is it cheaper to buy fast food than quality food in a supermarket? Even deeper... do you know where the supermarket gets its food? Most food travels 1500 miles from "farm" to supermarket. Vegetables are picked before they are ripe and "ripened" with chemicals to make them appealing to the consumer. Four large companies control the meat on our shelves. Four. Cows, chickens, and pigs are fed ground corn because it is cheaper than grass. Animals aren't meant to eat corn, so their bodies can't correctly process the diet they are given. As a result, a strong strain of E. Coli has developed and is quite common in the plants where animals are housed. The hamburgers sold in fast food restaurants are packed with E. Coli killing ammonia, because E. Coli is so rampant on the "farms" where cattle is kept that a patty isn't safe enough to eat without the ammonia. Also, the average package of hamburger meat has meat from over 1000 different cows in it.
Chickens have been genetically coded to grow faster (in 49 days rather than 70) and have larger breasts, making them heavier than chickens in the past. The results are sickening and sad. Their bones can't keep up with the weight so the chickens can only walk a few steps before falling. But no worries... most of them only have the room to walk a step anyway. In most hen houses, they are so tightly packed they couldn't really walk far if they wanted. Forget sunlight. They are kept in the dark because it keeps them subdued so the farmer can go into the cage and easily scoop them when it's time for the slaughter. Perdue and Tyson both refused to grant interviews for Food, Inc. So did Smithfield Farms, which one learns is hardly a farm, but is really a manufacturing plant for cows who spend their life (if you can call it one) five inches deep in their own manure.
The movie also touches on how the companies are putting corn in all our food. Corn syrup is the first or second ingredient in most packaged foods. About 90% of our packaged food has a corn product in it. It's cheap to make, but hurting us in the long run. 1 of 3 children born after 2000 will have diabetes as a child or as an adult. 1 of 2 people in minority populations will. In the long run, this "cheap" food is costing us more.
In Fast Food Nation and Food, Inc. they both touch on what has happened to the American workforce that works in these industries. The farmers are being exploited- squished under laws and thumbs of the large companies that are buying their products. The people who are passing the laws in Washington have had former lives in the very companies who gain from them. Past CEOs, Board members, and VPs of large corporations (like Smithfield) now work for Congress and in other powerful positions. They don't really care about the farmers, employees, and the American people. Their pockets have been padded enough by large corporate money that they turn a blind eye to what their laws are doing.
A law was passed in 1996 to genetically alter the soybean. Farmers were told it would be illegal to keep and replant their best seeds. They had to start using a certain soybean that's been genetically altered to withstand a certain pesticide (Round-Up). The result: in 12 years, 90% of the soybeans are the same. The 10% not genetically altered come from small farmers who could be prosecuted and sued if they are caught not using the genetically altered beans. Why? Because continuing to grow them goes against a patent law nestled in the bill. So, our government now owns the soybean. Does anyone ever stop to think what may happen if a bacteria attacks and begins to kill only these genetically altered beans?
I haven't given away all of the movie, but have only highlighted some of the things I learned. The movie is FULL of great information. It's a spoon-fed version (pun intended) of what Fast Food Nation and similar books contain. Something is seriously wrong with how we're making and packaging food. The challenge is to rethink how you buy it. Buy from local farmers. Buy organic. Demand that animals be treated better so that the food we get is better for us. Resist Genetically Altered Products (be it fattened chickens or milk with hormones in it). Money talks and it's the only thing that these large companies hear. Make your money talk by using it in ways to support quality products from REAL farms and not the farms that are merely painted on glossy cardboard boxes with flashy labels.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Weekend Plans
This weekend has some fun adventures in store. Priya is visiting the DC area and we are getting together tonight. Her beau is fairly new to the area so I anticipate seeing her more than I normally do! This evening a group of us are trying a new (to me) restaurant: Founding Farmers. It's downtown and I've heard great reviews about it. I'm sure there will be some after-dinner activities to follow... it's just a matter of where. Hrm??
Tomorrow promises good memories as well. Drew, Marie and I are going to Chesapeake Beach for some sunning and sharks-teeth hunting. My tan from a few weekends ago is fading and in need of a boost.
I'm not sure what Sunday has in store, but it should probably include some homework. heh.
Tomorrow promises good memories as well. Drew, Marie and I are going to Chesapeake Beach for some sunning and sharks-teeth hunting. My tan from a few weekends ago is fading and in need of a boost.
I'm not sure what Sunday has in store, but it should probably include some homework. heh.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A Morning Chuckle
One of my friends had posted this video on his page. It's pretty hilarious- or at least I thought so. I'm trying to picture Charlotte in kitten mittens. haha! Make sure you watch until the very end, as the last second is the funniest... enjoy!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A Reminder
Sometimes it helps to sing a comforting hymn, that wraps its words around one's soul like a snugly blanket fresh from the dryer. This one has been a great one today. I especially like Chris Rice's version. Also, if you don't know the story behind the following hymn, you should read it. It'll put in perspective any troubles you may be facing.
It Is Well With My Soul
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Horatio Spafford
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A Silent War
My heart broke as I read this story today. The Afghan people are fighting a war of which we don't hear. I don't really have much to add, but wanted to share this story. The media paints Afghans as terrorists, but they are also victims. It's sad to read of how drugs are taking over some of their villages. How heartbreaking to read of such a high rate of addiction and relapsing. In addition, Satan is creeping in and robbing them of their future generations before they are old enough to have a choice.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
KIVA
I was blown away by this organization when I learned about it at Willow Creek's Leadership Summit! The organization was founded four years ago by a group of friends. It is a micro-financing company that establishes loans for entrepreneurs around the globe who can't get loans from banks. Loans are established between the future business owners and someone willing to finance them and their cause.
For example, take a woman in Peru, Maria, who wants to start a bike shop. She needs $2000 dollars to get her business started, but is denied a loan for whatever reason. She applies to Kiva to be an "Entrepreneur" on their site. Kiva gathers her information and approves her after making sure her request is legitimate. On the other end of the spectrum, John Smith is interested in financing a loan request. He knows of Kiva's great reputation and wants to make a difference, empowering someone by helping him to reach his dream and start a business. John creates a profile through Kiva as a "Lender" and peruses the loans. He sees Maria's profile and connects with her dream. He can then click on her profile and lend her money through Kiva.
ANYONE can finance a loan and can do so for as little as $25. Kiva has a 98.5% success rate when it comes to business owners repaying their loans. Kiva's beta-test group began with three lenders needing a total of $3000 in loan money. Today (just four years later) Kiva has facilitated the lending of $85 million dollars. Wow. What a story.
Jessica Jackley, the co-founder of Kiva, was at the Summit and shared about Kiva. The exciting thing about the company, besides their great reputation, is that it doesn't take much to empower someone you don't even know. Plus, with the way Kiva is designed, Entrepreneurs and Lenders are connected and learn about each other. So, Lenders aren't blindly supporting someone, but see the progress being made and feel good about their financial decision. Entrepreneurs feel supported and motivated by the connections made with their Lender(s). They know that people are cheering for them and the success of their business.
It's brilliant and I am so impressed. I walked away from the session excited and pumped about supporting people across the globe in their business ventures. I also thought, how can I work for them?? Hrm...
For example, take a woman in Peru, Maria, who wants to start a bike shop. She needs $2000 dollars to get her business started, but is denied a loan for whatever reason. She applies to Kiva to be an "Entrepreneur" on their site. Kiva gathers her information and approves her after making sure her request is legitimate. On the other end of the spectrum, John Smith is interested in financing a loan request. He knows of Kiva's great reputation and wants to make a difference, empowering someone by helping him to reach his dream and start a business. John creates a profile through Kiva as a "Lender" and peruses the loans. He sees Maria's profile and connects with her dream. He can then click on her profile and lend her money through Kiva.
ANYONE can finance a loan and can do so for as little as $25. Kiva has a 98.5% success rate when it comes to business owners repaying their loans. Kiva's beta-test group began with three lenders needing a total of $3000 in loan money. Today (just four years later) Kiva has facilitated the lending of $85 million dollars. Wow. What a story.
Jessica Jackley, the co-founder of Kiva, was at the Summit and shared about Kiva. The exciting thing about the company, besides their great reputation, is that it doesn't take much to empower someone you don't even know. Plus, with the way Kiva is designed, Entrepreneurs and Lenders are connected and learn about each other. So, Lenders aren't blindly supporting someone, but see the progress being made and feel good about their financial decision. Entrepreneurs feel supported and motivated by the connections made with their Lender(s). They know that people are cheering for them and the success of their business.
It's brilliant and I am so impressed. I walked away from the session excited and pumped about supporting people across the globe in their business ventures. I also thought, how can I work for them?? Hrm...
Leadership
I returned on Friday energized from Willow Creek's Leadership Summit, held near Chicago. What a conference! The theme of the conference was "Lead Where You Are" and it was appropriate. The conference had over 7,000 attendees and featured leaders in the Christian and secular community. Some of the bigger names were Tim Keller, Bono (via video), David Gergen, and Tony Blair (via video). There were others as well, but those were the ones most recognized.
The crowd was massive and Willow Creek put on quite a production. Their stage and lighting were on a professional scale. The sound and video system are to be rivaled. They conference was done very well and I was greatly impressed.
I'll confess that I was not thrilled to be going to the conference. In my mind, a leadership conference hosted at a church whispered of hokeyness. I was attending and expecting the worst. Thankfully, I got the best.
The speakers were experts in their fields. Some are in government, such as David Gergen and Tony Blair. Others are in entertainment, such as Bono. Others lead in the Christian community, like Tim Keller and Bill Hybels (pastor of Willow Creek). There were also leaders in business, such as Jessica Jackley (founder of Kiva) and Wess Stafford (founder of Compassion International).
I can't begin to breakdown all of what I learned, but I will try to offer some highlights:
Here are some pictures taken after then conference while we were in the airport. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my boss, but here are two ladies with whom I work that are both colleagues and friends of mine:
Lisa-Jo and Juliene
Lisa-Jo and I
The crowd was massive and Willow Creek put on quite a production. Their stage and lighting were on a professional scale. The sound and video system are to be rivaled. They conference was done very well and I was greatly impressed.
I'll confess that I was not thrilled to be going to the conference. In my mind, a leadership conference hosted at a church whispered of hokeyness. I was attending and expecting the worst. Thankfully, I got the best.
The speakers were experts in their fields. Some are in government, such as David Gergen and Tony Blair. Others are in entertainment, such as Bono. Others lead in the Christian community, like Tim Keller and Bill Hybels (pastor of Willow Creek). There were also leaders in business, such as Jessica Jackley (founder of Kiva) and Wess Stafford (founder of Compassion International).
I can't begin to breakdown all of what I learned, but I will try to offer some highlights:
- Leaders today must mobilize, connect, and support those who follow them (Gary Hamel)
- Organizations are becoming flat and flexible, rather than institutionalized and hierarchical. We must reinvent how we manage and lead to reflect these changes (Gary Hamel)
- "The main thing separating you from God is not your sins, but your damnable good deeds" (Tim Keller). Too often we focus on the good works we are doing and begin to think of ourselves more high and mighty than we should. What motivates your good deeds? Keep that in check.
- Get out of your huddle and BE the game (Harvey Carey). Carey compared the church to a Superbowl. Imagine you buy tickets and attend the Superbowl. The players come onto the field and get in their huddle, planning for the game. They huddle for five minutes, then ten, then thirty, and eventually for 45 minutes. The crowd watches, getting restless. Finally, the huddle breaks and the players leave the field to go home. That's what many churches are like. The members go to church on Sunday, huddle and pray for their communities and world, but never actually go and play in them. They just huddle. Carey's point was this: stop planning, praying, and talking about making a difference and DO IT.
- "Failure is a success to God" (David Gibbons). Our failures are what the world connects with us on. Most of the world doesn't understand success, but all of it understands failure. Don't let your life failures stop you, because God can use them for higher purposes than we can imagine.
- Listen to peoples' stories (David Gibbons)
- We must advocate TRADE and not AID to Africa (Andrew Rugasira, founder of Good African Coffee in Uganda). What do you think of when you hear the word Africa? More often than not, you think of poverty, disease, and malnutrition. Retrain your brain. Africa is a nation of opportunity, entrepeneurs, consumers, and innovators. If we really want to aid Africa, we must help it change from the inside. No successful country has developed from handouts, so why do we keep trying to do it with Africa? We should buy products from Africa and support businesses from there.
- Believe in the potential of one another (Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva)
- Leadership without passion and integrity isn't leadership. Leadership is a gift, given to a leader everyday (Wess Stafford, founder of Compassion International)
- People don't care what you know until they know why you care. God has given us all a story to be used for Him. We have worth beacuse of who gives us worth, not because of what we do (Wess Stafford)
- "Maturity is coming to grips with your great flaws" (David Gergen)
- "Who the leader is speaks as loudly as what he says" (David Gergen)
- These personal habits were suggested: self-discipline, make time for people you cherish/social relationships, be physically fit, keep regular habits, and make time for reflection (David Gergen)
- If you want to see change, BE THE CHANGE you want to see in the world (Gandhi, quoted by Gergen)
- Change comes about through buy-in. Big problems can be solved through small solutions (Dan and Chip Heath)
- Be honest and lead with a spirit of humility (Bono)
- Leadership is a blessing and a gift (Tony Blair)
- "Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader" (David Gergen, quoting someone else whose name I didn't catch)
- Make time to meet with God everyday
- Commit to reading good books at least 30 minutes a day
- Review your replenishment strategy (Romans 8:6)
- Say "yes" to God every time the spirit prompts you
- Stop complaining about the lack of resources you have and equip with what you do have
- Believe in yourself
Here are some pictures taken after then conference while we were in the airport. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of my boss, but here are two ladies with whom I work that are both colleagues and friends of mine:
Lisa-Jo and Juliene
Lisa-Jo and ITuesday, August 04, 2009
All Quiet on the Eastern Front
It's been a nice evening. The weather was perfect for sitting outside on the porch. Chardonnay in hand, I caught up with a friend. Though the mosquitoes are unforgiving, it's worth the battle to take in the fresh air (minus the lingering bug spray) and enjoy the movement of the city street.
The house is quiet. All of my roomies are gone- involved in their own plans. I enjoy it. I wonder how long I will be living in the group home atmosphere. My heart often longs for solitude and a place to call my own, or at least one to call "ours" without referencing more than two people.
I bid my friend farewell and piddled in the kitchen. Dinner called and I had to answer. I listened to the music as loud as I liked. There was no one else to worry or bother. No one else to worry or bother me either.
The clothes are drying and my suitcase remains empty still. I am leaving for Chicago tomorrow afternoon. There's a conference that my team (from work) and I are attending that will go until Friday evening. I am excited to explore Chicago a bit and hope there is some free time to do so. The conference is from 9-5 during the day, which means our evenings are free. On Thursday night, we'll attend the Blue Man Group. We've already bought the tickets and I am anticipating a memorable performance. From the limited exposure I've seen (on television), it looks like an exceptional show.
I fly home in time to still get a weekend. My flight arrives in DC before midnight on Friday. I'm looking forward to some down time the rest of the weekend.
Next week looks pretty slow at work. We're wrapping up some details on our conference planning before things start jumping again. At the end of the week, I'm looking forward to heading to NC to spend some time at home. I haven't been home since Christmas and am WAY past due. A long weekend with my family will do me some good.
The suitcase is calling. I must answer. Chicago beckons louder.
The house is quiet. All of my roomies are gone- involved in their own plans. I enjoy it. I wonder how long I will be living in the group home atmosphere. My heart often longs for solitude and a place to call my own, or at least one to call "ours" without referencing more than two people.
I bid my friend farewell and piddled in the kitchen. Dinner called and I had to answer. I listened to the music as loud as I liked. There was no one else to worry or bother. No one else to worry or bother me either.
The clothes are drying and my suitcase remains empty still. I am leaving for Chicago tomorrow afternoon. There's a conference that my team (from work) and I are attending that will go until Friday evening. I am excited to explore Chicago a bit and hope there is some free time to do so. The conference is from 9-5 during the day, which means our evenings are free. On Thursday night, we'll attend the Blue Man Group. We've already bought the tickets and I am anticipating a memorable performance. From the limited exposure I've seen (on television), it looks like an exceptional show.
I fly home in time to still get a weekend. My flight arrives in DC before midnight on Friday. I'm looking forward to some down time the rest of the weekend.
Next week looks pretty slow at work. We're wrapping up some details on our conference planning before things start jumping again. At the end of the week, I'm looking forward to heading to NC to spend some time at home. I haven't been home since Christmas and am WAY past due. A long weekend with my family will do me some good.
The suitcase is calling. I must answer. Chicago beckons louder.
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