Well, talk about a whirlwind Thanksgiving weekend for me. I’ll start by saying we were supposed to get our reports sent to the state on Wednesday (day before Thanksgiving), but that did not happen. I was a little stressed out about it and before my supervisor left, she told me not to worry about it and we’ll just sent it on Monday which is when the reports were due. She was going to be gone on Monday which is why her goal was to send the reports on Wednesday. Oh well, at least we tried to get it done. Wednesday was also our first snow fall. The weather people predicted very little accumulation, but they were wrong as there were close to five inches of snow. It was really neat looking out the window and seeing the snow fall. I also got fitted for a wedding in May where I’ll be in the wedding party (my first involvement as part of the wedding party and I’m definitely looking forward to it.) I think I’ll look really snazzy that day.
Thanksgiving day, I coordinated meal delivery for thirty two home bound older adults and I managed to deliver one meal as one of the volunteers did not show up. He did however, “chased” me down and caught up with me and delivered the final two meals. Initially I was a little disappointed when he did not show up to pick up the meals for delivery, but when he made the effort to trek me down, that said a lot about him. I’m guessing some other people would have just blown off the delivery, but he did not do it and kudos to him. After that was done, I headed over to Joel and Kathy for the Thanksgiving meal which was scrumptious as usual. Later that day, I worked at the house and brought over pecan pie for the residents and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the guys did manage to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family which made me feel good, but the rest pretty much spent the day at the house. Since it was a pretty quiet night, I invited a number of the guys to join me in playing Monopoly and we had a blast. Even the guys who did not play were watching up play. All in all, it was a fine evening for all involved.
The day after Thanksgiving also known as Black Friday because of the crazy shopping that takes place throughout the day was pretty mundane for me. It dawned on me that if I was a shopping person, I could have gone right from work to the mall because one of the malls opened at 12:01AM. Can you believe that? Sheer insanity in my books. I soon found out that 35,000 made it to the mall during those wee morning hours. Ann’s daughter and grandkids were town and she asked me to call her at 10AM to find out what their plans were and if they did not have too much going on, I could have met up with them. When I called, Ann informed me that the youngest kid was sick and the last thing she wanted was for me to fall sick. So, I did not get to meet up with the kids which was a bummer but there will be other times. I decided to spend some time in the library close to my apartment just catching up on magazines as I figured most people would be out shopping and I was right. I went in to work at the other house and it was a pretty mundane day. Nothing too much happened. I did invite a number of the ladies to join me in a game of Scrabble and two of them did. We had fun, and good times were shared by all involved.
Saturday was another working day again and my plan was to go to the movies after I was done working. I went to the library to check my e mail and find out the scores for Liverpool’s game and found out that Liverpool won and the game would be replayed on the TV later that evening. Movies took a backseat for today, and I went back to my apartment not before buying a couple of DVDs from a DVD rental place. They had three movies I did not see in the theater for sale at $7 a pop which I thought was a good deal. So, with my DVDs in hand, I snuggled up in my apartment and watched the Liverpool game which was a very good game and then proceeded to watch one of the movies (The Shooter) which definitely was action packed. Oh, I forgot to mention that I made tuna casserole for the residents and it turned out much better than I thought it would have turned out. The other staff commented that I can’t really mess up tuna casserole and I guess she was right!
Sunday the young adults were responsible for serving coffee and donuts and it was also Sr. Carola’s farewell. She’ll be retiring from St. Kate’s, and will be going on an Advent retreat then take classes in the spring semester in Minnesota. She’s looking forward to the new stage and challenges in her life and we all wished her nothing but the very best. I told her a number of times that I’ll definitely miss her as she’s a very special person to me. It’s not goodbye but rather until we meet again. The rest of the day was spent working at the house. The women who played Scrabble with me played it again and we once again, we had a good time. Hey, the way I look at it, anything I can do to break the monotony and get them to socialize with one another, I’m up for it.
That’s pretty much how the weekend went. It was a pretty fast one no doubt, and a lot of it had to do with me working those extra shifts. I figured it made more sense for me to work on Thanksgiving and the day after since most people would much rather spend it with family since it is a major American holiday. I really did not have too much going on so I might as well work. Things will quiet down a lot more work wise in December at the houses because I’m not planning on adding any extra days except for Christmas and New Year’s Day. I guess this is it from me for this week.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Avenue Q and Immigration Dialogue.
I'm writing this earlier than usual because after Mass today, I'm planning on spending some time at Barnes and Noble before heading to work. I've not been there for some time and there are a number of magazines I'm looking to catch up on.
The highlight of the week has got to be the musical "Avenue Q" and the best way to describe it would be to say that it's a puppet musical with adult themes. It was hilarious and I had a great time. I now know why it won best musical in 2004. What really drew my attention was the amount of publicity it got letting people know that this is definitely not a musical for kids and I saw the reason why.
Work wise it was a very laid back week. Nothing too much happened. This coming week will be a little busy in a good way because I'll be working on Thanksgiving Day in the afternoon after I volunteer with the coordination of the Thanksgiving meal delivery program for the agency. Joel and Kathy invited me over to their place once I'm done coordinating and that's where I'll have my meal before heading to work. I'm planning on buying a huge pumpkin pie for the residents as most of them will be at the facility because for some reason or another they won't be spending it with family. I think it's kind of sad, so whatever I can do to make them feel better (like eating a nice pumpkin pie!), I'll try to do it.
Tomorrow (Monday), I'll be presenting my capstone paper to the agency and a number of invited guests. It'll be a power point presentation lasting roughly thirty minutes and once that's done, I'll submit my paper to the internship coordinator. After she approves it, I'll finally be done with my Certificate in Gerontology Program. It's taken quite some time to get done with it but no fault of mine for sure.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Tuesday, Kevin and I went to a dialogue where I was invited to be one of the "experts" on immigration issues. The dialogue was organized by the Wallace Foundation and held at the Wallace House here in Des Moines. Kevin told me about the dinner and asked me to contact a lady to see if I was able to make the dinner. As I spoke to her, she figured it would be better for me to be on the panel. That's how it worked out. The talk was very informal and there were different people at the dinner. The best part about it was the fact that I got to meet Lori Chesser who is the head of the immigration department for Davis Brown Law firm - the firm that worked on my Green Card. All these years, I've heard of her and have even e mailed her but never met her face to face so it was pleasure. The other people at the table were tickled silly that it was the first time we met. She is a very bright and articulate individual and very passionate when it comes to immigration issues. All in all, it was a great evening.
That's pretty much the week in a nutshell. Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us. Geez!
The highlight of the week has got to be the musical "Avenue Q" and the best way to describe it would be to say that it's a puppet musical with adult themes. It was hilarious and I had a great time. I now know why it won best musical in 2004. What really drew my attention was the amount of publicity it got letting people know that this is definitely not a musical for kids and I saw the reason why.
Work wise it was a very laid back week. Nothing too much happened. This coming week will be a little busy in a good way because I'll be working on Thanksgiving Day in the afternoon after I volunteer with the coordination of the Thanksgiving meal delivery program for the agency. Joel and Kathy invited me over to their place once I'm done coordinating and that's where I'll have my meal before heading to work. I'm planning on buying a huge pumpkin pie for the residents as most of them will be at the facility because for some reason or another they won't be spending it with family. I think it's kind of sad, so whatever I can do to make them feel better (like eating a nice pumpkin pie!), I'll try to do it.
Tomorrow (Monday), I'll be presenting my capstone paper to the agency and a number of invited guests. It'll be a power point presentation lasting roughly thirty minutes and once that's done, I'll submit my paper to the internship coordinator. After she approves it, I'll finally be done with my Certificate in Gerontology Program. It's taken quite some time to get done with it but no fault of mine for sure.
Oh, I forgot to mention that on Tuesday, Kevin and I went to a dialogue where I was invited to be one of the "experts" on immigration issues. The dialogue was organized by the Wallace Foundation and held at the Wallace House here in Des Moines. Kevin told me about the dinner and asked me to contact a lady to see if I was able to make the dinner. As I spoke to her, she figured it would be better for me to be on the panel. That's how it worked out. The talk was very informal and there were different people at the dinner. The best part about it was the fact that I got to meet Lori Chesser who is the head of the immigration department for Davis Brown Law firm - the firm that worked on my Green Card. All these years, I've heard of her and have even e mailed her but never met her face to face so it was pleasure. The other people at the table were tickled silly that it was the first time we met. She is a very bright and articulate individual and very passionate when it comes to immigration issues. All in all, it was a great evening.
That's pretty much the week in a nutshell. Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us. Geez!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
A busy work week.
Talk about a busy week. I ended up working every day of the week which was a little crazy but I'm surviving it thus far. It'll be nice to have my regular schedule this coming week. There's really not too much to talk about pertaining to work or rather there's so much to talk about I don't even know where to begin. Let's just say there's never a dull moment while I'm working. You just never know what the residents are going to say or act.
One highlight of the week is definitely the annual auction for the student El Salvador trip. As I mentioned last week, I had offered to cook a Malaysian dinner. I honestly did not know how much people were planning to bid on. The bid started at $250 and ended up at $900! Yup, people for some reason or another were willing to pay that much for a Malaysian dinner. I was approached by one of the auction organizer and asked if I would be willing to double the dinner and I said why not. So, two families ended up with Malaysian dinners worth $800 each. Talk about raising some serious dough for the students. I'm definitely excited because I know both the people who won the dinner and we'll have a blast for sure.
After the dinner, I was supposed to meet up with Joel at a concert at Drake. For some reason or another, I thought the concert was at 8PM. It was 7:30PM! So, I missed a good 25 minutes of the concert which kind of bummed me out, BUT it was truly an amazing concert. Talk about one of the most talented string quartet around. Now I know why the group won a Grammy last year. I will most certainly pay to go see the Turtle Island String Quartet play again. Individually, they are accomplished musicians in their own right, but to see them play together was outstanding. Joel and I agreed that it was the best concert of the season so far.
Today (Sunday), I sang with the 2nd Sunday Group and Dan preached as the deacon. We did a fine job singing but I was most impressed with Dan's homily. Dan has always been an engaging individual and it showed in his homily. There was a good mix of humor and theology in his homily. I'm so very happy and proud of Dan after knowing him and seeing him mature all these years. His ordination next year will be a blast for sure. In addition to John and I, Sr. Carola may be joining us. Regardless of who goes to his ordination, we'll all have good time celebrating his ordination.
I guess that's pretty much all the news from me. We'll see what next week holds for me.
One highlight of the week is definitely the annual auction for the student El Salvador trip. As I mentioned last week, I had offered to cook a Malaysian dinner. I honestly did not know how much people were planning to bid on. The bid started at $250 and ended up at $900! Yup, people for some reason or another were willing to pay that much for a Malaysian dinner. I was approached by one of the auction organizer and asked if I would be willing to double the dinner and I said why not. So, two families ended up with Malaysian dinners worth $800 each. Talk about raising some serious dough for the students. I'm definitely excited because I know both the people who won the dinner and we'll have a blast for sure.
After the dinner, I was supposed to meet up with Joel at a concert at Drake. For some reason or another, I thought the concert was at 8PM. It was 7:30PM! So, I missed a good 25 minutes of the concert which kind of bummed me out, BUT it was truly an amazing concert. Talk about one of the most talented string quartet around. Now I know why the group won a Grammy last year. I will most certainly pay to go see the Turtle Island String Quartet play again. Individually, they are accomplished musicians in their own right, but to see them play together was outstanding. Joel and I agreed that it was the best concert of the season so far.
Today (Sunday), I sang with the 2nd Sunday Group and Dan preached as the deacon. We did a fine job singing but I was most impressed with Dan's homily. Dan has always been an engaging individual and it showed in his homily. There was a good mix of humor and theology in his homily. I'm so very happy and proud of Dan after knowing him and seeing him mature all these years. His ordination next year will be a blast for sure. In addition to John and I, Sr. Carola may be joining us. Regardless of who goes to his ordination, we'll all have good time celebrating his ordination.
I guess that's pretty much all the news from me. We'll see what next week holds for me.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Work, Beer & Cookies.
The week has gone by so fast and it tends to be that way especially when one works evenings. Well, my work schedule has been finalized by my supervisor. I'll be working on Wednesday evenings from 4PM-11:30PM, Friday from 4PM-10PM, Saturday from 7AM-3PM and Sunday from 2PM-10PM. In total, I'll be working 29 1/2 hours. Trust me, the work goes by really fast because there's so much to accomplish while you're there.
On Friday, I spent my first day at the regular house and like I mentioned before, it's coed and there are more women than men. In total, there are fourteen residents at this house and each of them has a their own unique personality. The person I work with has been there for a number of years and she has been around the block a few times. It's good that I'll be working with her as she'll be able to give me a many pointers. Since I went back to the house on Saturday morning, the residents are definitely familiarizing themselves with me. I'm so proud of the fact that I've remembered all their names and that says alot. There's nothing more important than calling someone by their name. It tells them thay they are important.
After work on Friday, Brian had his fourth Beer and Cookies party and I told him that I'll be late because of work. I kind of expected more people, but oh well. Those of us who were there had a great time. I'm not a big beer fan, but since it was a Beer and Cookies party, I bought myself a six-pack of German beer which I had before. Instead of buying cookies, I had some leftover Thin Mints girls scout cookies in the freezer and I brought it with me to the party. How was the combination? Splendid! I would have stayed longer, but I had to work in the morning the next day. That's was fine by me.
Ann invited me over for dinner after work on Saturday and there was no way I was going to turn down dinner at the Martin house. I told Ann that she would be sick and tired of seeing me since it would be three weeks in a row I made it to their place! We had a feast and I mean a feast. We started out with salad, green bean casserole and instead of Ann's world famous rolls, we had Texas Toast which was delectable. For the main course, we had hamloaf which was downright amazing. Later that evening for dinner, we had an apple cake which was good although Ann did not care too much for it. It was such a nice evening spending it with Ann just shooting the breeze. Daylight Savings Time ended so the clock was turned back an extra hour which meant an extra hour of sleep.
Next weekend will be a fun weekend because a friend from Drake, Dan Schuster who is currently a deacon studying at Mundelein, will be spending the weekend here. He'll be the deacon at the Sunday Mass and I believe he'll be preaching too. I've not seen Dan in quite some time and I'm sure we'll be able to catch up with one another. There's also a classical concert by the Turtle Island String Quartet that Joel and I will be going to and St. Kate's will be having it's annual fund raiser for the students to go to El Salvador. I've donated a 6-7 course Malaysian dinner for 8-10 people and I'm excited to find out who will be bidding for it and end up winning it.
That's pretty much all the news from me for this week.
On Friday, I spent my first day at the regular house and like I mentioned before, it's coed and there are more women than men. In total, there are fourteen residents at this house and each of them has a their own unique personality. The person I work with has been there for a number of years and she has been around the block a few times. It's good that I'll be working with her as she'll be able to give me a many pointers. Since I went back to the house on Saturday morning, the residents are definitely familiarizing themselves with me. I'm so proud of the fact that I've remembered all their names and that says alot. There's nothing more important than calling someone by their name. It tells them thay they are important.
After work on Friday, Brian had his fourth Beer and Cookies party and I told him that I'll be late because of work. I kind of expected more people, but oh well. Those of us who were there had a great time. I'm not a big beer fan, but since it was a Beer and Cookies party, I bought myself a six-pack of German beer which I had before. Instead of buying cookies, I had some leftover Thin Mints girls scout cookies in the freezer and I brought it with me to the party. How was the combination? Splendid! I would have stayed longer, but I had to work in the morning the next day. That's was fine by me.
Ann invited me over for dinner after work on Saturday and there was no way I was going to turn down dinner at the Martin house. I told Ann that she would be sick and tired of seeing me since it would be three weeks in a row I made it to their place! We had a feast and I mean a feast. We started out with salad, green bean casserole and instead of Ann's world famous rolls, we had Texas Toast which was delectable. For the main course, we had hamloaf which was downright amazing. Later that evening for dinner, we had an apple cake which was good although Ann did not care too much for it. It was such a nice evening spending it with Ann just shooting the breeze. Daylight Savings Time ended so the clock was turned back an extra hour which meant an extra hour of sleep.
Next weekend will be a fun weekend because a friend from Drake, Dan Schuster who is currently a deacon studying at Mundelein, will be spending the weekend here. He'll be the deacon at the Sunday Mass and I believe he'll be preaching too. I've not seen Dan in quite some time and I'm sure we'll be able to catch up with one another. There's also a classical concert by the Turtle Island String Quartet that Joel and I will be going to and St. Kate's will be having it's annual fund raiser for the students to go to El Salvador. I've donated a 6-7 course Malaysian dinner for 8-10 people and I'm excited to find out who will be bidding for it and end up winning it.
That's pretty much all the news from me for this week.
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