"What would you say you do here!?"

So, everyone is asking me what exactly my new job is. To start off, lets explain VISTA.

VISTA is:
-Volunteers in Service to America
-AmeriCorps branch that tries to eliminate poverty (despite knowing thats impossible)
-the only non-direct branch, which means that we dont swing the hammers, but rather create sustinable programs that enable the hammer to get swung
-the branch that seems to create more policy change than physical "i just did that" change

Now, as a VISTA member, I am working with a Habitat for Humanity Chapter, called Out Towns. Our Towns refers to Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, and Mooresville, now which are all partly mine, apparenetly (yes its true kids, not spelling well doesnt disqualify you from being able to own a town). I have an office at the Out Town office. Acutally, my office used to be split between Manny and Phil, the two contruction guys. Manny is in MS right now, and I moved all his stuff to Phil's desk, and took over his computer (which I actually relocated from the Volunteer area, where Syd mainly used it). My (our) original computer was blue-screening (aka broken).

So what do I do? So far, my main project has been dealing with homeowner warranty issues. I have sorted the mess all out. Many of the issues were already taken care of, dont apply because its been too long (we only service the homes for a year), or were an exageration (homeowners tell lots of fish stories). My next project looks like it will involve me educating everyone the benefits of Microsoft Project and the wonderfull world of the Gantt Chart. Scoot back in your chair before you fall off the edge.

I think today I am going swimming. tommorrow I get to do some direct service...but dont tell VISTA!

--Will DAlen Rice

MS...beautifull MS

I went to MS for the week. It was hot as hell. We framed an entire house. I feel at this point that I could oversee the framing process from the cutting of the plates, to the construction of the walls, to the final process of cap plating. Learning alot is an understatement.

There was also a chance meeting with my old roomy, DJ. He is down there, working it up with an NCCC team for another year. I also managed to catch up with one of my potential life mates, Tori. We went to Wal-mart and just basically hung out and reminisced. It was a short time, but very enjoyable and it seemed like it was just yesterday that we were all together.

Now, I am back here in wonderfull NC. Yesterday we went up to Babel Towers in the Linville Gorge. I jumped a couple times from the cliff. It really put the life back into me. Unfortunately the weather didnt cooperate and some very loud lightning forced us to "oh crap, we should leave." Somehow, the 3 girls i was with got lots of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. It seems that always happens when i get girls to go to water holes with me. Dont know why.

Tommorrow will be the re-start of my job. I dont know what I will be getting into tommorrow, but it should be pretty laid back. Thursday I might go to a concert. Life is easing back into normalcy for me, which means lots of fun here in Charlotte. Sometime this week I'll start training again, hopefully keeping it up for more than a month. Now that I have my UFC poster on the wall, I wake up to inspiration.

I may be getting a cell phone tommorrow. I can almost hear the gasps from everyone reading this now.

be great, be the change
--DAlen

New Spike tommorrow!

Tommorrow morning, I am leaving at 4:30am to drive to MS to help build houses. We will be staying in some type of Red Cross shelter, getting paid very little, but helping to make a difference. Its like an NCCC spike all over again (minus the blue 6 crowd, the longer-than-one-week stay, and everyone wearing the same clothes). I do miss NCCC.

What have I been doing for the past 10 days? Well, I stopped burning the forest, drove to Athens for my annual birthday party at UGA (Alex's b-day, not mine), drove to ATL for 4 days of orientation, met some cool girls, found a cool bar that rotates at the top of a building, came to Mooresville NC, finished a house to live in, moved in, worked 3 days in the office, worked one day framing walls and finishing top plates, and went to a baseball game. Somewhere in there, I also ended up seeing my old roomy eric, started wondering where my old neighbors Robin, Allan, and Chris are, played some Stout Frisbee golf with Cody, and hung out with Jerrod and his girlfriend.

Life is good...as long as you want it to be.

--DAlen