Looks like my life is going to get a lot busier now with my second job. More on that later. It was a pretty fast but good week. On Tuesday, I went to the musical “Camelot” which is a remake of the classic musical that came out some years ago. I really went to it not knowing what to expect and overall it was an OK musical. Lou Diamond Phillip played the role of King Arthur and unbeknownst to me, before becoming an actor his background was in theater and I have to say that he did a mighty fine job as the lead and he has a good singing voice. I also did not expect the musical to have some humorous dialogues. The acts that took place after the intermission went by really fast and I thought that was a little disappointing because it just seemed rushed. I’m glad I saw it and I’ll be looking forward to the other musicals that will be coming.
Joel and I went to a concert by this baritone named Nathan Gunn who is reputed to be one of the premier baritones in the country. Now, I’m not an opera fan and I think a lot of it boils down to me not being exposed to it, but I do appreciate someone who has an amazing singing voice and let me tell you, his was remarkable. The first part of his concert was songs from different German operas and he did a marvelous job. The second part was songs from different English operas and I should say that he was out of this world amazing. I have been told that I should at the very least make it to an opera and I probably will. The one thing that really struck me while listening to Nathan sing in German was the fact that I had no idea what he was singing about, yet you could feel and see his passion in the songs. Talk about a way to captivate the audience. I’m really glad I went.
So, the big question on your mind is probably where is my second job and what does my job entail. Well, I’m working at Westminster House which is a residential facility for adults with psychological disorders. The goal is to teach these adults life skills with the hope that they will be able to “graduate” and live on their own. Alas, I found out that with some of the residents, that will never be the case which is sad in so many ways. There are classes during the day for them taught by people who work in the agency and one person has a job mowing lawns and removing snow. All in all there are fifteen residents at the house where I worked over the weekend which is not going to be my regular location. There are two houses in total and the one where I’ll be working is a coed facility. So much can be said about the residents, but overall they are a really neat bunch of guys. My orientation was over the weekend, and trust me there’s a lot to be oriented specifically because of the population that we’re dealing with. Because I worked two days in a row, I got to know some of the residents pretty well and I have to say that I’ll be missing them when I start at the other house. I won’t be surprise if I have one or two shifts at this house which will be fine by me. It takes a special someone to work with these residents and overall, I got the feeling that they will treat and respect you the way you treat and respect them. Eight hours go by pretty fast especially when you have to go through the different duties while you’re there. Part of my job is to prepare meals for them and I made a pork roast last night which was pretty good. Each facility has a huge menu book with menus that are prepared by the nutritionist, and that’s how you figure out what they are eating. I get to eat with them if I so choose, but I did not over the weekend. Once I’ve gotten my feet on the ground, I truly believe that this will be a very enriching experience for me and the residents and I’m definitely looking forward to starting at the my regular house. As I get more accustomed to my job and the residents I’m almost certain and that I’ll have stories to share with you.
That’s pretty much how the week and weekend went. It was a fast one, but a very good one for sure.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Green Card Party
Well, on Thursday evening, I had my Green Card Party. I was actually the guest of honor and Joel and Kathy organized it. It was a fun, relaxing and just amazing evening spent with close and dear friends. In addition to Joel and Kathy, John, Steve, Kevin and Charlene were there. It was an intimate group but these are the people who mean the world to me and who definitely walked with me every step of the way throughout the whole green card process. If not for their love and support of these years, I'm not sure where I would be. Joel made this amazing tenderloin and I brought the wine. Since it was a special occasion, I brought a special bottle of wine which I got from Chicago and it was very well received. Charlene and Kevin brought salad and coleslaw respectively. Kathy baked her famous derby pie and I so hoping she would. Joel had asked me if there was a special dessert I was craving and I said nothing in particular, but I was secretly hoping that Kathy would make her derby pie. It was such a memorable evening and I took photos of those in attendance.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Monday, I went for an interview as a human service counselor where I would be working as a direct care worker at a 24 hour live in facility where the residents are adult with some psychological disorder. If I get the job, I'll be working mostly evening and weekend hours. I should hear back by Monday if I got the job. I actually know the CEO of the agency and he referred me to the administrator. It will be a neat job if I get it.
Friday evening, Kevin and I went out for dinner and a movie. Martha is visiting her sister in NY so Kevin is home alone. It's been some time since we spent time together so it was nice to just hang out with him. We had dinner at India Star which is a restaurant I've not been to for a very long time as I tend to frequent Tandoor. The food was good and it was close to where the theater is located. We ended up watching the movie "Final Season" which is based on a true story of an Iowa high school baseball team that dealt with the issue of merging with another high school and impact it had on the team and the community. It was a very good independent movie that was filled entirely in Iowa.
I got up early on Saturday morning to watch Liverpool vs. Everton and talk about an exciting game. It was a good game played in true derby fashion and at the end of the day, I was a very happy camper because Liverpool got all three points. Later that day, a number of us from the singing group sang at the jubilee celebration of two religious sisters who are members of the parish. One has been a sister for fifty years and the other fifty one years. Amazing isn't it?! We were more than honored to sing at their Mass of Thanksgiving. It was the least we could have done for all their years of service. Talk about a nice way to spend an afternoon filled with celebration. After Mass, Scott (the leader of the group) and I had dinner at Continental since I had a buy one-get one free coupon. I've not been to Continental in a very long time because I thought the food was definitely over priced. In many ways, it still is but the coupon made a difference. More than anything else, it was good to chat with Scott to find out stuff about the group and where we're headed in the future. Later that evening, I went to the DM Symphony with Sr. Carola and by golly talk about an amazing concert. They did a splendid job especially with "Pictures at an Exhibition" which is a very well known piece for people who are familiar with classical music. They nailed that piece big time. After the performance, the maestro said that if people wanted to stay and ask him questions, he would be more than happy to answer them. Carola and I stayed and they were some very good questions asked by the audience.
Today, we did not have Mass but a Communion Service. Jim and a number of people from the parish are in El Salvador for a week so Sr. JoAnne was the presider. It was a very nice service and it got me thinking that is this what's going to happen in the not too distant future with the priest shortage? I guess time will tell. Oh, we now have Sunday bus service and I took the bus to Mass and back to my apartment. It's great that they have the Sunday service. Not quite sure what I'll be doing later today as Kristi bailed out on me for dinner - she had softball. We actually had dinner on Wednesday as it's been a very long time since we caught up with one another.
Well, I guess that's all the news from me. Until next week!
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Monday, I went for an interview as a human service counselor where I would be working as a direct care worker at a 24 hour live in facility where the residents are adult with some psychological disorder. If I get the job, I'll be working mostly evening and weekend hours. I should hear back by Monday if I got the job. I actually know the CEO of the agency and he referred me to the administrator. It will be a neat job if I get it.
Friday evening, Kevin and I went out for dinner and a movie. Martha is visiting her sister in NY so Kevin is home alone. It's been some time since we spent time together so it was nice to just hang out with him. We had dinner at India Star which is a restaurant I've not been to for a very long time as I tend to frequent Tandoor. The food was good and it was close to where the theater is located. We ended up watching the movie "Final Season" which is based on a true story of an Iowa high school baseball team that dealt with the issue of merging with another high school and impact it had on the team and the community. It was a very good independent movie that was filled entirely in Iowa.
I got up early on Saturday morning to watch Liverpool vs. Everton and talk about an exciting game. It was a good game played in true derby fashion and at the end of the day, I was a very happy camper because Liverpool got all three points. Later that day, a number of us from the singing group sang at the jubilee celebration of two religious sisters who are members of the parish. One has been a sister for fifty years and the other fifty one years. Amazing isn't it?! We were more than honored to sing at their Mass of Thanksgiving. It was the least we could have done for all their years of service. Talk about a nice way to spend an afternoon filled with celebration. After Mass, Scott (the leader of the group) and I had dinner at Continental since I had a buy one-get one free coupon. I've not been to Continental in a very long time because I thought the food was definitely over priced. In many ways, it still is but the coupon made a difference. More than anything else, it was good to chat with Scott to find out stuff about the group and where we're headed in the future. Later that evening, I went to the DM Symphony with Sr. Carola and by golly talk about an amazing concert. They did a splendid job especially with "Pictures at an Exhibition" which is a very well known piece for people who are familiar with classical music. They nailed that piece big time. After the performance, the maestro said that if people wanted to stay and ask him questions, he would be more than happy to answer them. Carola and I stayed and they were some very good questions asked by the audience.
Today, we did not have Mass but a Communion Service. Jim and a number of people from the parish are in El Salvador for a week so Sr. JoAnne was the presider. It was a very nice service and it got me thinking that is this what's going to happen in the not too distant future with the priest shortage? I guess time will tell. Oh, we now have Sunday bus service and I took the bus to Mass and back to my apartment. It's great that they have the Sunday service. Not quite sure what I'll be doing later today as Kristi bailed out on me for dinner - she had softball. We actually had dinner on Wednesday as it's been a very long time since we caught up with one another.
Well, I guess that's all the news from me. Until next week!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Ten Year Anniversary.
Today was an extremely special day because St. Catherine Of Siena Catholic Student Center celebrated its ten year anniversary. Our group sang and during one of the songs entitled "In This Place", I almost broke down and cried. I started thinking about stuff from ten years ago when I arrived as a transfer student at Drake. So much has happened over the years - many ups and downs yet here I am and I would not be anywhere else. The culmination of my ten years was the approval of my green card. I should just tell myself that I should not let my mind wander off too much when I'm singing because some people in the congregation may wonder what in the world is Anthony up to this time! It was just a very emotional experience.
I had quite a lot going on this past week/weekend. On Friday evening, I headed up to Ames for the MOMIX (www.momix.com) performance. The best way to describe the performance which in so many ways is indescribable would be to say it was modern dancing incorporated with optical illusions. There were a number of acts in the performance where I was downright speechless, in a trance and in awe of what they were doing. If you even get to see it, don't bat an eye and go see it. It's definitely one of the most memorable experiences ever and in so many ways, words can't really describe it. You just have to experience it for yourself.
On Saturday morning, Dan Schutte led a workshop. As part of the ten year anniversary celebration, we invited Dan to present a workshop and have a concert. I could not attend the concert because I was at MOMIX, but I did make it to the workshop and it was a very good workshop. We talked about the different types of people who make up the congregation and how we could best accommodate them. Needless to say, we can't accommodate everyone, but the goal is to be hospitable to as many people as possible. I even spoke to Dan and told him how his most famous song, "Here I Am" was a theme song at a youth conference attended by close to 3500 in Malaysia. One can't fathom 3500 Catholic youth singing "Here I Am" at the top of their lungs! The thought still brings chills to me.
Later that evening, Maria and Susan - a friend from St. Kate's accompanied me to the second On Stage Classical concert. This time they performers were Jacque Thibaud String Trio and they are from Germany. Talk about an accomplished group. The pieces they played were technically difficult and they nailed all of it beautifully. It was such a wonderful evening and all three of us were glad we made it.
I'll be heading to Ann's place for dinner later this evening and am definitely looking forward to it. It's been quite some time since we both touched base with one another. She and Harley spent last weekend with the grandkids up in Minnesota and it sounded like they had a blast. I can't wait to see the photos.
That's pretty much all the news from me for this week. I have a couple of stuff going on this week/weekend so I'll write more next week.
I had quite a lot going on this past week/weekend. On Friday evening, I headed up to Ames for the MOMIX (www.momix.com) performance. The best way to describe the performance which in so many ways is indescribable would be to say it was modern dancing incorporated with optical illusions. There were a number of acts in the performance where I was downright speechless, in a trance and in awe of what they were doing. If you even get to see it, don't bat an eye and go see it. It's definitely one of the most memorable experiences ever and in so many ways, words can't really describe it. You just have to experience it for yourself.
On Saturday morning, Dan Schutte led a workshop. As part of the ten year anniversary celebration, we invited Dan to present a workshop and have a concert. I could not attend the concert because I was at MOMIX, but I did make it to the workshop and it was a very good workshop. We talked about the different types of people who make up the congregation and how we could best accommodate them. Needless to say, we can't accommodate everyone, but the goal is to be hospitable to as many people as possible. I even spoke to Dan and told him how his most famous song, "Here I Am" was a theme song at a youth conference attended by close to 3500 in Malaysia. One can't fathom 3500 Catholic youth singing "Here I Am" at the top of their lungs! The thought still brings chills to me.
Later that evening, Maria and Susan - a friend from St. Kate's accompanied me to the second On Stage Classical concert. This time they performers were Jacque Thibaud String Trio and they are from Germany. Talk about an accomplished group. The pieces they played were technically difficult and they nailed all of it beautifully. It was such a wonderful evening and all three of us were glad we made it.
I'll be heading to Ann's place for dinner later this evening and am definitely looking forward to it. It's been quite some time since we both touched base with one another. She and Harley spent last weekend with the grandkids up in Minnesota and it sounded like they had a blast. I can't wait to see the photos.
That's pretty much all the news from me for this week. I have a couple of stuff going on this week/weekend so I'll write more next week.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Another week, more activities.
After all the festivities from last week/weekend, it was just nice to not do anything this week/weekend. On Tuesday, John and I went to the DM Symphone opening night gala and Joshua Bell was the soloist. If you remember, I was most impressed with him last year when I saw him up in Ames and I have to say that he did not disappoint one bit. I've yet to see anyone who is as technically gifted as he is. Perlman comes to mind, but he's in a world of his own. I was very family with the piece that Bell played and he made it sound so alive. He played a piece from the Red Violin soundtrack and it was a short, yet mesmerizing piece. Needless to say, he earned and deserved his standing ovation. What a great way to get the year started!
On Friday, Maria and I went to the World Food Festival that took place at the East Village. I went there two years ago and it was a good festival. This year I dragged Maria along with me. We went at a time when most people were still at work so there was not a big crowd which was fine by me. I had some Bosian, Ecuadorian and Greek food. I was surprised there weren't that many food vendors there. One would think that a food festival should have a plethora of food vendors but that was not the case. A would say half the vendors had shops in the greater DM area and I did not patronize them since I would much rather go to their restaurant. After the food festival, we had gelato. Can you believe that it's pretty much fall and this is the first time I had gelato? I normally have gelato when it's the summer season, but for some reason or another, I've not had any.
Saturday was a pretty mellow day. I watched two dvds then was off to the library to return them. I borrowed more dvds then spent some time in the library. I also went window shopping for a grill for the church. The grill we have it pretty much dead so I offered to do some research and price shop for our new grill. Now's kind of the season to buy grills since it's not in season and most places are looking for get rid of whatever grills they have onsite. I looked in the consumer report guide and found a couple that were ranked pretty high and were within the price range.
Sunday was a nice day because after Mass, I went out for brunch with Ginny Pearson. Ginny moved back to DM after spending some time in Kansas City and realized that she missed DM so she moved back here. Ginny has been a widow some years now and I've always liked Ginny so whenever I get to spend time with her, it's always nice. She showed me her new condo where she's living and it's a nice condo. I got a haircut after that and watched my Broncos play. I've yet to see them play this whole year so it was a good was to spend the day.
That's pretty much how the week/weekend went. Next weekend will be a busy one too because St. Kate's has its 10 year anniversary celebration and as much as I would like to be present at all of the festivities, I won't be able to do that. I'm headed up to Ames for a performance on Friday and on Saturday night there's a classical performance. I will however be able to make it to a Dan Schutte workshop next Saturday morning and it should be a very good worshop. Schutte is the famous composer for many familiar songs that are sung at church.
On Friday, Maria and I went to the World Food Festival that took place at the East Village. I went there two years ago and it was a good festival. This year I dragged Maria along with me. We went at a time when most people were still at work so there was not a big crowd which was fine by me. I had some Bosian, Ecuadorian and Greek food. I was surprised there weren't that many food vendors there. One would think that a food festival should have a plethora of food vendors but that was not the case. A would say half the vendors had shops in the greater DM area and I did not patronize them since I would much rather go to their restaurant. After the food festival, we had gelato. Can you believe that it's pretty much fall and this is the first time I had gelato? I normally have gelato when it's the summer season, but for some reason or another, I've not had any.
Saturday was a pretty mellow day. I watched two dvds then was off to the library to return them. I borrowed more dvds then spent some time in the library. I also went window shopping for a grill for the church. The grill we have it pretty much dead so I offered to do some research and price shop for our new grill. Now's kind of the season to buy grills since it's not in season and most places are looking for get rid of whatever grills they have onsite. I looked in the consumer report guide and found a couple that were ranked pretty high and were within the price range.
Sunday was a nice day because after Mass, I went out for brunch with Ginny Pearson. Ginny moved back to DM after spending some time in Kansas City and realized that she missed DM so she moved back here. Ginny has been a widow some years now and I've always liked Ginny so whenever I get to spend time with her, it's always nice. She showed me her new condo where she's living and it's a nice condo. I got a haircut after that and watched my Broncos play. I've yet to see them play this whole year so it was a good was to spend the day.
That's pretty much how the week/weekend went. Next weekend will be a busy one too because St. Kate's has its 10 year anniversary celebration and as much as I would like to be present at all of the festivities, I won't be able to do that. I'm headed up to Ames for a performance on Friday and on Saturday night there's a classical performance. I will however be able to make it to a Dan Schutte workshop next Saturday morning and it should be a very good worshop. Schutte is the famous composer for many familiar songs that are sung at church.
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