Pictures!!!!

My flower in the front yard near my lampost is blooming.  Rene says its called a Clematis.  Its pretty sweet and pretty.  

In CO it is snowing.  In NC, we have flower petals on the ground.   

Yes, that is a giant sweet potato.  No, it doesnt get good reception.  Yes, it can power a lightbulb.

Yes, that ceiling is over 40' high.  Yes, that pipe organ is huge.  My most recent presby experience.

Hannah was here.  Everything in CO is epicly beautiful.  

This is happening all over my neighborhood.  That cute house in the back is going to be torn down and the giant mcmansion will be put up in its place.  i must be prematurely old, decrying the loss of our antique homes.  

yes, you CAN buy your electronics from a vending machine.  No, thats doesnt guarantee you wont get the blue screen of death.  

Me and Mom1

Part 4: Final Moments in SI

On Sunday, I got up for one more day of work.  It was going to be my last day working with Sun 1, since on Monday, they were headed to the Rockaways... too far away for me to walk.  I also was supposed to fly out Monday night, so, trying to figure out how to get to the Rockaways, work, and then get to LaGuardia was a daunting thought.  But anyway...

Our work site for the day was a house with a Russian couple.  They had a tile floor they had installed a radiant floor heater over.  The heater had malfunctioned after their houses flooded, so we were there to help remove all the tile so that they could work on the repair needed.  Apparently, in NY, it can get very cold and thermal floor materials are a very good way to cheaply heat a home.  While it wasn't below freezing on this day, the wind sure as heck made it feel awful enough to empathize with this couple.  So...we pounded away and struggled and pulled and pried and generally put in hard labor to conquer the tile and concrete floor. 

Other than feeling like more of a man (I used a mini-sledge most of the day), highlights included:

1) eating lunch outside in the windiest of conditions.  Everyone was super afraid of mold, so we couldn't eat inside.  So, we sat in the small yard, with a chain link fence.  This was important because as the wind gusted, inevitably we would lose something (respirator, hard hat, food item, clothing piece) and it would blow away from us until it got caught by the fence. 

2) working with generous and grateful homeowners.  The man attempted to give Sun 1 a bottle of Vodka that he had brought from his homeland, but due to rules, they were not allowed to accept it.  NCCC is big on not taking things from the people they serve, which makes perfect sense.  I agree for the most part.  When someone has lost everything and they want to give you money or buy you something as a "thank you," it kind of goes against the concept of doing this service as a job.  And it makes me feel like I am helping them less if they spend money on me.  conversely, when someone has something of significance to them they want to share with me, well I'm all for it.  So, it was at this point that I pointed out, "yeah, i know these people, but I don't work for the same company as them.  I'll take that vodka, since you're being so insistent."  He really was happy to give it to me and really was happy to take it. 

3) At some point in the day, it was found out that Sun wasn't going to be working on Monday afteral.  It was one of the greatest pieces of news ever.  Now our heads spun with ideas to travel into NYC and see the city in all its glory.  We wanted to see so much and we would have all day to explore...after sleeping in of course.  It had been awhile since Sun 1 had some down time, so they were very excited. 

4) walking home from work with my girlfriend.  We have this joke about the term "walking distance."  When we say "walking distance," we mean less than 5 miles.  Normal people mean less than 0.5 miles.  But anyway...we walked the couple miles back.  We stopped at McDo for a Shamrock shake and some garbage food.  And just generally we got to be together.  We walk alot, no matter where we are.  It one of the things I love most about us. 

After another team dinner, Hannah again came over to my side of the island for a full size bed and some TV.  We sampled the "Wodka" with some orangeishness from the corner store.  And we basically went to bed and slept.  Exhaustion is the greatest sleep aid.

Monday we got up and made our way into the city.  There was lots of walking.  The cold was bitter.  We alternated between ducking into places to escape the cold and getting out to see the city.  Hannah and I met up with my NCCC roommate DJ for a long lunch of local pizza.  Then we met up with other Sun 1ers in central park.  Saw the statue of Alice in wonderland.  took some good pictures.  We hit up the FAO Schwartz.  Visited Time Square.  Ate at Olive Garden.  And at that point my bag was getting to me.  Carrying it around was dragging me to exhaustion.  My flight was delayed a couple hours, but it didn't matter too much.  So, alas, we parted ways and I went to the airport.  Got home at 2 am instead of 12.  It was an amazing trip to see an amazing woman who amazingly wants to spend as much time with me as I want to with her.  And Sun one was pretty amazing too.  Glad to have met them. 

Stay tuned....I got a bunch of pictures that I have failed to post.  I'll post soon!

In the mean time....check out these two.

 

Part 3: Lets do s'more.

Apologies on the long time, no write.  My time has been occupied by...

1) Hannah came to visit
2) I got sick
3) Soccer season has started back up.  We have games twice a week and practice twice a week.  no rest for the weary.  Gotta keep those middle school boys in check.

But I wont go into any of that...since we were mid-story about the epic journey to NYC/NY.

So, the 2nd morning, Saturday, Hannah and I got up and blearily hustled down to the rail.  As I recall it was still....hmmm...whats the word...COLD!  While it was indeed Saturday, NCCC doesn't really give days off to  Corps Members during disaster times.  So, I had come planning to work.  We rode the rail back to Hannah's housing so she could meet up with her team.  While they all were getting ready, I went ahead and laid on the stage of the auditorium and ate jelly beans.  Anyone ever had starburst beans?  they are so good.  Eventually, Sarge told me where they would be working, and so, I set off on foot in that direction.

the view from the stage

"But why were you walking?  Doesn't NCCC have vans?"  yes...yes they do.  But as with any organization worried about liability, they have a policy against allowing non-members ride in the government vans.  It makes sense to me, especially considering that with it being a federal program, there is likely large amount of money to be had if I were to be injured in a van accident and were to sue.  Luckily for me and my whole "visiting Hannah" experience, I am quite the capable walker.  So, I walked to the address where we were all supposed to meet up.  It began to become torrential, snow which gave me the opportunity to text Vivianna a crazy video of me yelling about snow, but really you couldn't tell how much was coming down.  Anticlimatic.

In life, sometimes you walk, while you're lost, until you see a sign...with your girlfriends  name on it.   And you take a photo of it.  And then you keep walking. 

That day, Sun 1 was working with a group called Occupy Sandy about 2 miles from their housing.  I literally showed up at the meeting place/ church as Sun 1 dismounted from their van.  We all went in, met this cool hippie man turned disaster assistant, and started talking shop about the work that was being done.  There was some discussion about who we were, where we'd been so far, and what would happen that day.  Eventually, the teams were split up and a new address was given.  Off we went again.  Me on foot.  Them in a van.  This time, thanks to one way streets, probably a bit of confusion, and my quick gate, I beat them to the house we were to work on.  We also seemed to have beaten the person who lived there, as they were not home.  We knocked and waited.  The door was locked.  We waited some more.  I began to remember mornings like this, where the work was sort of non-existent.  We waited some more.  I began cursing.  some other people got angry too.  We started playing with debris in the streets.  We made some phone calls back to HQ.  No  help there.  Finally, I talked with some neighbors (much to the embarrassment of Hannah and Vivi, who seemed very scared to talk to strangers).  The guy was staying in a hotel a long way from there and they hadn't seen him in awhile.  Finally, we threw in the towel and all walked back to the church.  Assignment number #2?

Next we were sent to a townhouse that supposedly had mold problems.  Since the van was being used by the other half of the team, everyone was walking now.  This worked better for me.  Not sure if everyone else liked it though.  We got there and were instructed to just go right in.  Everyone cautiously suited up outside while I walked in and looked around.  They all yelled at me and told me I was going to get "CONTAMINATED."  So, I stopped licking the walls...as much.  Kidding.  Apparently though, there was an NCCC training that really instilled a healthy fear of mold into Sun 1.  Understandable.  During my Corps year, a TL died from some kind of unknown toxic exposure.  The mold was 1000 times worse in Katrina houses though.  This house...it was mostly metal frames and I was having trouble finding any mold anywhere.  We sprayed and went through the motions here and there, and then finally threw our hands up and went back to the church again for another assignment.

I don't remember too much more about that day.  There was a bunch more walking.  I saw a beach.  We got a few more assignments.  Then it seemed like we had worked ourselves out of stuff to do.  I proceeded to walk back towards spike housing.  Hannah had to go back with her team for a meeting with the sponsor.  Turned out nothing was really needed to be said.  So, they then proceeded back to housing.  I stopped and got some pie in order to supplement dinner, but also so that I could eat with them without really taking any food out of their mouths.  I enjoyed the eating with Sun 1 experience.  It made me really miss Blue 6 too though.

Before dinner, Hannah, Meaghan and I went and explored the Moravian Cemetery.  The place was gigantic.  Interesting factoid...you can see it from space (i cant actually verify this, but it was dang big).  Strange factoid...the security wire on top of the fence was faced to keep things IN the cemetary.  Creepy.  After dinner, we played Settlers of Catan.  If you know, then you know.  If you don't...well, you're not missing too much.  Its a fun board game though.  I miss the simple AmeriLife a bit.  Work, eat, sleep, and spend the occasional laid back time playing board games or reading.  Good times.

Eventually, I headed back to my own spike housing in preparation for another day of work.  3 nights without robberies.  I was beginning to feel at home on my side of SI.

Part 2: Lets go get some stuff done!

After arriving and successfully making it to my safehouse on Thursday night (see previous post), I woke up Friday morning to sun coming in my window.  Stepping outside though, I realized it was "Holy Cow" cold.  I walked to the corner market and got some food for breakfast and lunch.  I thought it was strange when I spent exactly $15.  I asked the guy if there was no tax around here.  He replied by shaking his head strangely and scoffing at me.  Ahh...northern hospitality.  At some point Hannah called me and gave me the address they would be working at.  Thanks to advances in modern technology, I was able to just put the address in my phone and it showed me a map of how to get there.  After a 20 minute train ride and about a 10 minute walk, I came upon a house in the coastal plain of Staten Island.  Walking up to the gate, I saw a masked figure covered in Tyvek bent over looking in a bucket.  After a moment, I "pssssstt"ed at them, and then came to realize it was Hannah.

The specific house we worked on that day had 2 levels.  The upper level wasn't so bad off, so there was some minor spraying and scrubbing to knock off the outer layers of mold.  Sun 1 had been taught to mix Cascade with Borax to create some kind of home-brew mold treatment.  After spraying, the process involved a little bit of scrubbing..and voila, mold treated.  In theory you could come back in and paint or drywall over it and things would work out.  The biggest problem was that the sprayers kept malfunctioning.  There was one big sprayer, but it kept clogging.  After struggling with hand spray bottles and other methods not working so well, I got angry, took the big sprayer outside, and began to disassemble to find the problem.  Then, I got more angry, and finally just put my mouth on the opening and used my lungs to blow out the clogged hose.  My lips will probably fall off sooner in my old age because of it.  Oh well.  Its not like I was sucking gasoline through a fuel line or anything (i have seen this done in rural Mexico).  Just a little laundry and dishwasher soap.

The other highlight of the day was meeting a local lady who let us into the house next door to get water out of the spigot.  Before we did that, the project sponsor had supplied them with bottled water to fill up the sprayer.  So, getting access to running water was way better.  She also told us all about the problems the area had experienced.  Apparently, they had built the roads up over the years so high that many houses were below the grade of the road...by more than 4'.  So, when the storm surge came in, these houses just filled with water and became two story swimming pools.  She talked a lot.  And then we suited up to get back to work.  And she stayed and talked more.  And more.  And basically, by the time she left, I felt like I had been living in that neighborhood my whole life.  I knew the whole oral history of coastal SI.

Finishing the day out a little early, we decided to head into Manhattan.  The whole team rode the ferry together and then we split a little bit in NYC.  A few of us went to eat at a loud New York pub.  The only difference was that the restaurant was subterranean and the diversity of the clientele was unlike I had ever seen.  NYC is a mixture of the whole world.  After dinner, Hannah and I split away and wandered around a little bit in the area of the ferry.  We saw a really cool potato famine memorial.  We saw a really cool vegetated wall inside a building, but weren't allowed to go in to look at it (angry signs were everywhere).  There were lots of glass fronted buildings with very interesting lobbies.  Manhattan has excellent lobbies.  And then it was back to Staten Island.  There was work to be done the next day.  Saturdays and Sunday and are often work days in NCCC when doing DR.

After hearing I had a real bed that I was sleeping in, Hannah decided to come stay with me instead of sleeping on her army cot.  So, when we got off the ferry, I told her about how we were going to be walking through a possibly shady neighborhood.  No smiling.  No eye contact.  Basically try and look angry and ready to fight at any moment.  that was the tactic I was using.  And it worked.  No being robbed.  Two nights in a row.  Probably because it was too cold out for crime.

NYC: Part 1- Staten Island Glory

I made it through the week...but only barely.  I had a lot of residual exhaustion built up because...


....drum roll...

I went to NYC last weekend.

The plan was to fly up on Thursday to surprise Hannah for Valentines Day.  As soon as she knew she was going to be working and living on Staten Island, I bought a ticket: leaving Thursday after work and coming back late Monday night.  That would give me 4 nights and 4 days to see her.  It was going to be the most epic, Hollywood-esque surprise ever.  I made up this elaborate story about how I was going to get her a package that would arrive late Thursday night.  She had sent me something too.  Our plan was to talk on the phone and open each other's gifts.  I specifically made her block off a time frame on Thursday night late in order to do this.  But really, I was going to show up.  It was all so perfect...in my head.

Then about a week before, while evading Hannah's questions about her gift, she talked about leaving her housing to go get WiFi so maybe we could video chat Thursday night.  I panicked and told her that she had to...really must...be at her housing Thursday night.  It was all downhill from there.  She knew.  And she continued phishing.  And eventually I was clued in that she suspected.  So I began to talk non-stop about plans that I had for the weekend.  Which of course was obvious if you were looking for it.  And of course confirmed what Hannah suspected.

So, then she decides to make me sweat.  I'm in the airport and she is talking about not being home Thursday night.  So, at that point I knew that she knew, and so I let her know that I knew that she knew what I was about to do.  And we laughed via text message at each other.  And then we got excited. 

It actually worked out for the better.  Laguardia is about 1 hour and 5 minutes from the Staten Island Ferry.  So, I had to spend an extra 25 minutes waiting for the next ferry.  And she was staying in a church another 30 minutes from the ferry on Staten Island.  So, all in all, it took me about 2.5 hours to get from train to the arms of my girl.  It was about a 1.5 hour flight, so it seemed funny to take so long to get there after I was already in NYC.  I would have been 30 minutes late for our phone date.  Glad I didnt have to try and cover that up.  Instead, we texted the whole way from Laguardia to SI.  Play by play.  And eventually, I got off the SI rail, walked up the hill, walked up to the church where they were staying, and texted her a picture of the outside.  She ran down the stairs and we hugged and kissed.  Queue the classical music.  Her teammates watched from the window above, giggling.  I went inside for a bit, met everyone, and gave out the gifts I had travelled with.  Most of my packed bag was candy, letters, and PPE for the coming weekend of work.  It was late, so I didn't stay long.

I rode the rail back towards the ferry.  Getting off one stop short, I began to walk up the street I thought was towards my housing.  It was past midnight.  It was a little strange too.  Then I began to think I was in a bad neighborhood.  Then I began to gain ground on some people who appeared to be drunk.  And it was clear I was not in the right neighborhood for someone concerned about safety.  So, I walked slower.  And I started checking the map.  And I put my head on a swivel.  And eventually, I came to the solid waste department.  My room was across the street from where they kept the garbage trucks.  I made it inside, figured out where my key was, and quickly fell asleep in a bed in a new world I had never before visited.  It was going to be a good weekend.

Charlotte Startup Weekend

Two weekends ago (yes, I am a bit behind in my chronology), there was an event that catered towards entrepreneurs and tech-types called Charlotte Startup Weekend.  The premise is that, similar to a hackathon, people come together and experience many of the elements of business creation all in a single 2.5 day period. Now, its hard to really create a full business in that time.  It is hard, but possible, to create some tech product or service in that time period, so the event draws in programmers, developers, and all the tech-based people in between.  But the ideas don't have to be tech-based.

So, Friday night, everyone gets together and pitches their ideas.  They call them fast pitches...because you only get 60 seconds to describe a need, a solution, and the types of people you want to partner with to make it happen.  Quick is an understatement.  Then you vote, form teams, and by sunday night you present a plan.

I pitched my idea.  I want to create a simulator that allows you to preview a presentation you're going to give through the eyes of the audience.  Nothing makes me more annoyed than being at the back of a room and not being able to see projected text.  Even sitting in the front sometimes doesn't fix it if there is too much light and you don't pick the right colors.  So I pitched.  So did 40 other people.  Only 7 got picked.  Mine wasn't one of them.

My friend Rene also came to see how this whole thing worked.  She pitched her idea for a mobile or web-based platform to improve communication and coordination of animals shelters, rescue animals, and potential volunteers.  Apparently the current system is awful.  And she couldn't help thinking..."there has to be a better way."  She didn't get picked either.

So, of the ideas that did get picked, we had to choose what teams we wanted to be on.  The first team I was interested in, and the team that Rene ended up going with, was an idea called The Brush Fairy.  So, imagine you are forgetful.  And imagine you never buy a new toothbrush when you need to.  Well, there is a service that will automagically send you a new brush every three months.  This isn't that service.  This is that service, but for kids!  So, imagine  not only does your kid get a new brush, but he or she also gets a personal story from the older sister of the tooth fairy.  Imagine your kid being excited about a new brush.  imagine your kid being excited about brushing their teeth.  Imagine you sell 3 other brushes to the rest of the family when you are sending the kid their special package.  Genius.  Its no surprise they won the contest.  But they only beat my team on account of the feasibility and the likelihood of coming to fruition.

The most audacious idea went to the team I ended up joining.  Imagine you could create a seamless integration of parental assistance, guidance counseling, and academic recruiting that allowed kids to better know and fulfill the requirements needed to get into their dream school.  Imagine it was a 4-5 year process instead of just a one time application with a win/lose outcome.  Imagine you could help parents better understand the roadmap for experience outside of the classroom their kids needed for experiential education.  Imagine if guidance counselors were able to help more kids finish high school and more kids get into colleges.  Imagine if universities recruited and scouted smart kids from an early age.  This is the big, monster of a business that we studied, designed, and created a plan for in 54 hours.  Audacious is an understatement.  I'll let you know if it works out.  This is the kind of thing that could really be game changing.  Life changing.

Stay warm out there kiddies.

DAlen



 

Addendum

Oh man.  I completely blew that last post.  I missed two of the most important things!

1) Christmas in Spartanburg

After the non-stop fireplace usage Christmas Extravaganza at my place, Hannah and I went down to Spartanburg.  Memorable moments included...

- somehow being really good at Cornhole.  Hannah and I played against her Dad and her "other brother" Brendan.  We did really well.  It seems the less you try, the better you do.  And as with most things, when Hannah is good, i'm bad, so we balance each other out for good consistent progress.

- trying to figure out how to slice those potatoes for Rosemary Potatoes.  The head chef was unfortunately taking a sick day, so the rest of the crew had to try and duplicate her cooking ability.  One of the courses involved potatoes that were to be cut in specific way.  The directions said to cut the potatoes on a spoon, so that they weren't cut all the way through.  It was a cool trick.  And it basically worked.  And they baked up nicely.  and they tasted of rosemary....scrumptious rosemary.

- Party Poppers at Dinner.  Everyone had a party popper on their plate.  When you pulled and they opened, everyone also got a toy and a crown!  ahhhhh...the feeling of royalty.  (see pic above)

- stockings!  I got toothpaste!  and some chocolate!  and deodorant!  and socks!  and misc goodies!  joy!

- secret Santa...Clif Bars!  For secret Santa, I was had by Andy and Beth.  After consultation with Hannah, they got me a box of Clif Bars and an REI gift card (which I will prob buy more bars with!)  I have been eating them a lot lately and they are like nature valley bars, but way better.  Best secret Santa ever!

2) Charleston for New Years

On our way down to Charleston, we stopped at cookout. Hannah had 3 requirements for while she was home for Xmas.  1) BBQ Pork.  2) seafood    3) cookout milkshake.  So, we were on our way to getting her number 2 and we stopped to get number 3.  It was very very good.  Nice and thick. 

Once we were down in Charleston, we met up with my friend Nikki.  I hadn't seen her in ages.  So, we filled each other in.  I met her in AmeriCorps when I worked at Habitat.  Her and her boyfriend Dan are in this really cool duplex just north of the peninsula that is downtown Charleston.  They have a couple dogs and a cat who were friendly enough to let us sleep in their house.  The cat was especially friendly, and it helped me to play the old piano they had in their house. 

Nikki and Dan directed us to go see a really cool old park right near their house.  It was a huge park and sure enough was mostly hidden.  Hannah and I went over there and found a really cool, super old, live oak tree.  Much climbing and playing ensued.  There was a bit of fear in Hannah, but she got over it.  I've got the funniest video ever of her shimmying up this branch 4 feet off the ground.  Ask to see if you're ever at my house. 

The best part about Charleston in my mind is the ability to wander forever and never see the same street twice.  This is what I did when i was in AmeriCorps.  And this is what we did when we were there for Christmas.  Hannah has as much wanderlust as I do apparently, so, we spend a lot of time exploring, getting lost, and just enjoying the newness of coming to a corner you have never been on.  I honestly couldn't tell you where we went.  I know we started at my car, and we made it back.  We ate seafood in between there.  And on New Years we saw some fireworks.  And we stood under a tepee of lights.

Our last night there, we went out to Isle of Palms.  There is something so serene about being on the beach in the winter.  Its possible we were the only people in our hotel.  And that's how we like it.  So peaceful.  So quiet.  And we even got up and saw the sunrise.  It is becoming a recurring thing, that if you put us near water, whether its east or west, we will find a way to see the sun come up or go down over it.  sleep be damned!

Done.  Caught up.  no detailed omitted.

Dalen

And we're back...

Hannah is back into the AmeriCorps (real men don't say the "P").  And somehow...she has begun blogging more than me!  The nerve!

http://hannahmraines.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/everything-is-grand-in-casa-grande/

But anyway...lets talk more about ME...well, actually, i probably am just going to talk about Hannah.  And my house.  That's pretty much all there is going on in my life.  Unless you want to hear about Water and Wastewater technology...which I can, would, and do talk about for days.

1) Christmas and New Years were awesome!

We (Hannah and I) spent the holidays with our mothers.  It was the first time I have had a real holiday type thing in my own home.  My mom flew up from LA and Hannah's mom came over from Tryon.  We call them The Moms...collectively.  There were many fires, many trips here and there in the car, and we finally had a giant meal at the giant table I built.  All in all...a success.

2) And there was much volunteering

Hannah really enjoyed her time off...by working.  She has to get 80 ISP (independent service hours) while she is in NCCC.  Which means even on the weekend, she has to occasionally work.  In her case, she is getting on top of it and knocking out some of the hours during her break. Which actually worked out fine, because I volunteer alot too.  We spent time at:
  - the Men's Shelter...where we cooked for some homeless people
  - Room in the Inn...where we helped check people in to the program, and then went to Holy Comforter to stay with them overnight.  They just need a warm place to sleep and the church has such a warm space.  a really awesome program.
  - The Bird Rescue "Barn Building"....in quotes because we actually worked on a chain link fence.  and a duck bit me.  it was supposed to be a house duck.  Lies!

3) and Hannah returned from whence she came.

She went back to Denver for a week of "training" (which seemed not ultra productive according to the text messages.  They did get to have a trash bag based dance though...which sounded awesome to me.

And then she went on to Casa Grande, AZ.  They have the plant known as cactus there...which we take turns pluralizing as Cactuseses and Cacti! which is always yelled.

She is building trails in the desert.  Apparently it is somewhat enjoyable at this point in time.  I always remembered trail work to be miserable.  But then again...lately I have been envious of her position as I sit at my desk and read her blog.  Grass is always greener on the other side, even if that side is apparently in AZ.

4) Housework is Manwork

So, with my life returning to its much less chaotic timing, i have completed a few projects.

Yes, that is a magic floating shelf of books.  Its magic.  Its hovering.  Magic.

I transplanted this light from my dining room to my kitchen eating area.  Now its super bright.  I love it.  And this is only with 2 bulbs!  If I screwed all 4 in...I would be able to get a tan in there.

Oh yea...I'm getting read for spring!  It was warm, then it got super cold again, but I know its going to heat back up soon and I am going to plan these sweet raised beds I made and voila....eating for free!

Also...not sure if i mentioned it, but i know this girl named Hannah.  She is pretty sweet.  She sent me a bunch of used AmeriCorps shirts.  They smell like hippies.  Mine had finally worn out, so it was great to get "new" ones.  And she sent me an awesome note with it.  She writes nice notes.

Well, except when she forgets to write the note.  sometimes her brain is mushier than it should be.

No worries.  Well, except sometimes she also sits on her Kindle.  and breaks it.

No worries.  I can apparently fix kindles.

Love live THE KINDLE!

DAlen

Let's be honest...we like pictures, right?

The whole point of "creating" a blog was because I though people might like it if they had the opportunity to read what I write.  And let me tell you....at least 5 people have told me they enjoy reading this.  Sure, that may have been over a long period of time (10ish years), but nonetheless, I thought it was important that I continue to write.  That was about 2 years ago.  Actually, I wrote my last piece in June, 2010.  I had pretty much relegated this blog to the basement archives of my Internet footprint, when a few things in my life changed that lead to its re-birth. 

1) I got a girlfriend.  She moved to Denver-  Before she left she started a blog and said I should write on mine and she could write on hers and we could communicate that way.  And while It hasn't completely worked out as a real tool for us to maintain our relationship, it has lead to a renewed for me to communicate with the rest of the world...via me writing, and then crossing my fingers to hope people will read. 



This is Hannah.  And maybe i am a little bit strange, but to me noting is more sexy than a woman on roof that she built herself, while wearing grey and khaki.  Well, ok...maybe if she had a real toolbelt instead of a nail apron, that would be better.  No worries.  that problem will be solved in a few days.

 2) I discovered the page view analytic- So, apparently, blogger is a bit like Santa, in that it knows when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake, and it knows what blogs you are reading and keeps track of that.  So, as a blog writer, I can go to the blogger dashboard and look and see how many people have viewed my page.  And let me tell you...if feels so good to see that graph spike upward when I post something new.  So, tell all your friends.  Make more friends, then tell those friends.  As for me, I will be sitting here, pressing refresh, waiting, and getting immediately excited the moment it goes up (or sinking deep into a malaise if nobody "views" the page.  that's right, you don't even have to read!  just "view."  i wont know the difference....unless....you comment!)

3) I got an iphone-  now I take all these extra pictures and I need to outlet for posting and writing about them.  Facebook is just too short to do that and my pics are just too many.  So, i am going to post them here and answer all the questions that might arise. 

Which leads me to my title.  Maybe y'all just want to see pictures and not have to wade through my prose?  For now, I am going to assume your silence is a yes.  Prepare to be 1000-worded!




This is Jahkeem.  He is my Little Brother.  (make note of the capitalisation)  Every year, Big Brothers Big Sisters hosts a gathering at the Discovery Place.  This year, they gave us these nice white shirts with blue lettering.  Somewhere in the BBBS promo material, there is a picture of ALL of us wearing the same shirt.



Like I said....white shirts....we all got 'em. 





"My girlfriend joined AmeriCorps and all I got was her crockpot..."





"...which I then filled with chicken, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, kale..."



"....and chick peas, red beans, onions, and Siracha.  It was good.  What were we talking about?"



For the month of December, I have taken "off."  This means none of the hard physicality of Jiu-Jitsu.  Yep.  Nothing but laying on the couch, over-eating, drinking egg nog, hot yoga, cycling at least twice a week (road and mountain), and 6 am MMA Circuits that require hand wraps so I can punch harder.  Ah the leisure of December.

 



Its been at least 4.5 minutes since I mentioned Hannah in speech, so let me go ahead and talk a bit about her.  She is just finishing up working with San Antonio Habitat for Humanity...or HFHSA as we call it in the biz.  As a way of showing thanks, they made out engraved plaques for all the Sun 1 team.  Super nice of the HFH crew down there. 



While I of course cant escape thinking about her, she apparently cant get away from me either...since all the world is plumbed with PVC made here in Queen city.

Ahhh...the season is upon us.  Christmas lights are decorated everywhere.  My house projects are all wrapping up.  And we have already celebrated Festivus with its many toiletries and candies.  It wont be long now.  So excited to have a bunch of the people I consider to be family coming to see me.  So excited for warm nights by the fireplace.  So excited to just generally laze about and do whatever comes to mind with people and food and drink. 

I hope this reaches all of you with Happy hearts and warm tidings.  Hold tight to the ones you love.  and get ready for more pictures ending out the year and into the new one.

Will DAlen Rice

XOXOX to everyone

From BoingBoing

Gravity Light

http://boingboing.net/2012/12/12/gravity-powered-lights-cheape.html

This is so cool.  Something along this same concept line was going to be part of the power plant gym, whereby a person would run up a flight of stairs with the weight, deposit it onto the line, which upon descent would crank a generator.  Then, you run back down the stairs, retrieve the weight, and start over.

This idea is way better.  Fund it if you can.

be great

December it is...or as some call it...Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!  yes...it is that time.  The month-long event we call Christmas.  Or, as some of you will be happy to refer to it... NOT Movember.  I have shaved, and now have regained my youthful, non-creepish-ly '70s, face.  Stay tuned for next year, in the 11th month, when my mustache will return!

no mustache!

One last note about the end of November.  I am grateful for thanksgiving, when we are reminded to be thankful.  This time also coincides with the thing I am most thankful for, so, it should be easy for me to remember.  For about 25 years ago, Hannah Raines was born.  And although I didn't meet her until about 21 years after she was born, it has been pretty awesome having her in my life, both as a friend and as the woman i love.  Its been about 3 or 4 years, and I hope it will be many more. 

Also no mustache! (now with a crown!)




Thanks to the internet, I can figure out where there is a local bakery no matter where she goes.  And everyone loves cupcakes...especially on their birthday.



Cake...AmeriCorps Style (from her TL)

So, now, its December.  This means slow times, cold weather, and eating.  I have been eating so much junk.  This would normally be a problem, but I am not training this month.  Which means... friendship bracelet time.  I wouldn't really be able to wear a bracelet while training since it might get caught on someone's finger or something.  And although I have been itching to get it on (Hannah made it for me...twice!), I am not in a hurry to remove a training partners finger.  Imagine the bleeding!

Two of my most important reminders. 

December also means Men's Shelter.  The first Friday of every month, I end up at the Uptown Men's Shelter.  We cook and feed about 300-400 men.  They know when they see Beth walking in, that the food is going to be good.  All the smiling and warm hearts of Holy Comforter Episcopal come out and cook up a storm.  Occasionally, they even get some bonus items when we are around.

Doritoes and TicTacs.  Score!

Not too much longer for Christmas...for real Christmas.  In an effort to make time go by, "Operation Keep Busy" is in full effect.  Justin and I went off to the woods this weekend.  It was nice to be out in the middle of nowhere.  We encountered some rain, some cold, much wind, and a general bleak calm and quietness that really resets the soul.  Now my room smells a bit like a used REI, but no matter.  Everything dries in time. 

In case I don't see you.  Merry New Year, Happy Christmas, and blessings to you in whatever form they may take. 

Some Miscellany:



Yep...L-shaped carrot.  Tastes the same.



Little did I know how important this would be to my relationship



Hannah claims in her most recent blog post that I am "doting."  could have something to do with this little bit of voodoo she has done on me.
http://hannahmraines.wordpress.com/posts-are-here/



I guess i got my own little bit of voodoo too though.  Here is a sewer cleanout cap made in Charlotte...which she came across in San Antonio at her Habitat site.  There's no escaping thought of me.