Once again, I've failed at updating. I reckon that's a good sign, as it means I've been staying busy.
The Ranch is definitely more lively during the summer than other seasons. There are tons of volunteers here- around 50- so we never really stay bored. There are soccer games, ultimate frisbee games, power walking clubs(er. . .Mei and I power walk after work sometimes), reading groups, theme parties, swimming trips, movie nights, etc. You name it, we do it. I feel like when I got to the ranch, my expectations of the pace were met- it was laid back and slow. Although it still remains laid back, it is definitely not slow. If I wanted to, I could be on the go at all times. Luckily my house is full of wonderful people and fun activities, so I mostly stick around Nearside. The end of the season has made things even more chaotic; as people leave, the parties and goodbyes grow more frequent. It reminds me of graduation season, since everybody is having a potluck or get together before they head off on their next journey.
My house has changed even more since my last update. William is gone on an adventure across New England. We now have Michal from Poland living in the Suite. We were all nervous that he would change the dynamic, but he blends in perfectly. It's really neat to hear his insights on American culture and the Ranch. I've often talked to Josh, one of the volunteers from Germany, about the differences in culture, but I feel like Michal's comparisons are a little more drastic. He's awesome, though. When we picked him up from the airport, he said "Oh, what's up? Listen to me, I sound so American." I just love him. Chance has also moved out of 'The Otherside' (or the shed) and is now sleeping indoors. I seriously hit the roommate jackpot, and can only hope that I am this lucky in New York.
I flitted off to New Jersey for a week to escape the 100-degree weather. I was able to see some old friends from the campaign, and also meet some new ones. When I got back I expected to be greeted by the same intense humidity I left. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked off the plane on the 5th of July to 80-degree weather. It has been steadily cool since then, too, and for that I am thankful. My friend Adam (who came to visit last weekend) claims he put in some favors to get the nice weather, but I really think Mother Nature knew we needed a break from the intense heat.
Not only did I get a visit from a good friend last weekend, but I was able to visit my brother and new sister in Nashville. I really needed some family time, so the trip was really fun. It was neat to learn about their new life together while seeing some sights. I did not eat BBQ in Memphis on the drive back though, which I sorely regret.
It seems that I'm really bad at staying in one place this summer. I'm rarely on the Ranch during my days off anymore- I'm off traveling the country visiting friends while I have the chance. That restlessness may be contributing to my bizarre emotions lately. I've always been a sap, but lately I can't cry. Not in my favorite movie, not while reading my favorite book, not for anything. I would say that I'm dead inside, but that is simply not the case. I've been feeling the need to cry, and I'll even tear up a little, but the tears will never actually fall. It's a terrible, terrible feeling to not be able to cry. I think it may be due to the fact that I haven't really had any roots this past year. It's fun to go off on new adventures and meet new people, but it's also very nice to have familiarity mixed in with that adventure. The phone and visits can only do so much, but I feel like my next year-long stint will be good for me. I'll be able to settle down a bit while meeting new people every day.
This Sunday was my first day off in quite some time that I just vegged. I got up, changed into a more comfy set of pajamas, and watched cartoons all day. It was pleasant, and I savored every moment of it. Unfortunately it was mostly due to an injury to the knee that occurred Saturday night while on a bike ride. The abrasion has finally scabbed over, but now it is swollen and extremely sore. I'm getting ancy, as I haven't really been able to walk in the past few days, and am hoping that it gets better soon. I'm heading home this weekend, and a six-hour drive with a bum knee does not sound pleasant.
I feel kind of weird preparing to leave. I have a few bags packed already, and am starting to say all of my goodbyes. This has been my home for half of one year. I know the ins and outs of Nearside, of the Ranch, of central Arkansas. I've just now established myself as a member of this community, and it is weird to leave that all behind. I would like to say that it was more difficult leaving my home in Missouri the last few times this year, but I'm not so sure. I have set up my own network, my own room, my own life here. When you work hard to do something for yourself, it really is more difficult to let it go.
Enough of that sappy hog-wash. I still have a few more weeks here, and I plan on living it up while I can. I hope to be taking Arkansas, and the Ranch, for a crazy ride.
July 15, 2009
As I See It (or whoever has my camera.)
The past month:
Masquerade Ball
Little Rock Central High School
Around the Ranch
4th of July in New Jersey
Pirates and Port Whores: Annual Boat Race
Max's Going Away Party
June 14, 2009
Make up your mind slowly; Think on your feet
I'm sorry for being a terrible, terrible blogger. I never claimed that I would adhere to any schedule, though, so I don't feel too terrible.
Major changes have taken place since my last update. I have house full of completely different people- wonderful people. My roommate is Kelsey from Florida, and she is awesome. We both clean together, and last night I cooked her a delicious dinner. (It actually was delicious- honey and lemon chicken with broccoli, shells, and Alfredo sauce. Mmmmm) She's laid back, and oh-so-easy to live with. I also live with three other boys.
One is Stephan, the unlucky one. He turned 21 right before moving here, and mistakenly got stuck in the underage house. Even though he is 21, he's not allowed to drink in the house because underage people live here. He's really neat though- I swear there is not one thing he doesn't do. He's a massage therapist, is going to study marine biology, is scuba certified, runs the challenge course, and is half French. What girl can say no to that combination?
There's also William, who lives like a King across the hall from me. He's a really sweet lad from Chapel Hill, although he's spent the past 6 years or so going to school in Virginia. He is definitely quite the character. He talks really slow, and has a lovely drawl. He can making anything out of anything. Right now he's crocheting plastic bags into a reusable shopping bag. He wears tall socks, and currently has two turtles living in his room. He claims that he is going to kill them and make turtle jerky with my housemate Chance, who you will soon learn about, but I doubt it. We're not allowed to have pets on the ranch, so he says they are "livestock." One of them broke into my cabinet and ate some food (or at least that's the story I prefer) and they currently are either in his closet or under his bed. Turtles aside, he's a great guy. He's extremely laid back, and is great to just stand out on the front porch with.
Last, but certainly not least, is Chance. I had heard tons of stories about Chance during Spring, and was a little weary when I learned that I would be living with him. He got dropped off by his father and had a military-style pack and a cigarette behind his ear, and another hanging out of the corner of his mouth. This frightened me more than the stories did, as I thought they might be true. But I soon found out that Chance is great. He has a THICK Arkansan accent, and despite his small frame has a very large presence. He's wiry and seems to never stop- but when he does, he crashes hard. The first day he was here he completely rearranged his room (which he shares with Stephan) so that his head was in the closet. He claimed that he couldn't sleep in the same room as someone else: he would spend the entire night awake staring at the other person defensively. Soon he realize that his arrangement would just not do, and called for a house meeting. I was a little weary, since previous house meetings had brought up ideas such as Naked Thursday, but this one turned out to be harmless. He simply wanted permission from our house to move into the storage shed in the back yard. So yes, now Chance lives in the shed. He's kind of like our friendly neighbor now, and there are far fewer awkward instances where he forgets to put on pants to head to the kitchen (I did mention he brought up the idea of naked Thursdays, yes? He seems to be a bit of an exhibitionist.) I could write volumes about this chap, though. He has a really kind heart and the can-do attitude that I would expect of an Arkansas gentleman.
Really, I think I hit the jackpot with my living arrangement this season. We're an interesting dynamic, and seem to get along. We all pile onto a love seat and chit chat sometimes. There's nothing like cuddling and conversation.
Besides that, not a whole lot has changed except for the weather. While there are monsoons up north, the thermometer reaches above ninety here. Monday there was a heat index of 104- and it's not even July! Gah! I know that it will just continue to get more hot and more humid, so I should stop complaining, but man. 104!
I did have my first friend visit a few weeks ago, though. My friend Jared whom I vaguely knew from UMKC decided to spend part of his vacation here on the ranch. He brought his friend Mike and we enjoyed all that the Natural State has to offer. It was really one of the best weekends I've had since coming here, and I was really thankful that he came to visit.
This past weekend was quite eventful, too, but for different reasons. A severe electrical storm ripped through the area Friday afternoon, and our electricity went out. At first we thought "no big deal, it will be back on soon." But no, it was a big deal. It wasn't until Sunday evening that our power went back on. It was interesting to see how people reacted to the lack of electricity. On the ranch we pride ourselves of being one with the land, and doing with the excess. Yet when people were without their a/c, refrigerators, and computers blood came out. I've begun to develop a strange relationship with technology lately, and that incident seemed to strengthen my confusion. I love, love, love technology for all that it does, but am beginning to realize that although it does keep old friends in touch across the distances, it creates such a divide with the ones who are right here. In fact, William is sitting on the couch across from me right now, and we haven't even spoken. I'm too busy typing away here, off in another world. He's curled up, pondering whatever thoughts he has in that wonderful brain of his, and I'm staring into a screen. At least I'm providing a good playlist to his thoughts.
I have exciting news about my future endeavors. I have signed a lease, and will be living in Harlem come August. Not only do I have a signed lease, but I also have a one way ticket to New York, New York. You have no idea how lovely that feels to say.
I was talking to a very, very dear friend last weekend about the upcoming transition. I've been feeling slightly detached from my current situation. I feel as if my time here is winding down quickly, and I'm trying to prepare myself for my new life. I realize that this is a terrible practice, as I'm not fully appreciating the beauty that is surrounding me. But I also know that I need to start preparing myself or else the change will be completely overwhelming at first. I'm going to visit my friend John in New Jersey over the fourth of July, and was saying how I'm glad I get to head to the East Coast once before making the move. He came to the conclusion that, much like you would an egg, I am tempering myself. I think that it was this entire ranch experience has been- The move from Rolla to NYC would probably have been harder. Here I've been able to be independent in a very supportive community. I've been able to figure out what matters most to me at the moment, and have set forth some goals to strive towards. If I reach them is an entirely different matter, but at least I have them now. The Ranch was serving its original fucntion: much like with the animals, it was a holding place for me; I received immunizations to doubts and anxieties and was quarantined from the naysayers as I prepared for my journey afar.
Speaking of goals, I completed the ACT test last weekend. Having not been in a classroom since September, it was pretty difficult to sit through a five hour test. I feel like I did well, and hopefully the scores reflect that. They are pretty crucial to the goals I have.
There is so much more to be told. I've caught a snake, experimented with food, fixed a toilet, killed a rabbit, organized political forums, married off a brother, put together a boat team, and cut down on my Mountain Dew consumption. Really, I've been fairly busy. So please do not think I've neglected you, I haven't. I've just been out making memories. I now suggest you do the same.
Major changes have taken place since my last update. I have house full of completely different people- wonderful people. My roommate is Kelsey from Florida, and she is awesome. We both clean together, and last night I cooked her a delicious dinner. (It actually was delicious- honey and lemon chicken with broccoli, shells, and Alfredo sauce. Mmmmm) She's laid back, and oh-so-easy to live with. I also live with three other boys.
One is Stephan, the unlucky one. He turned 21 right before moving here, and mistakenly got stuck in the underage house. Even though he is 21, he's not allowed to drink in the house because underage people live here. He's really neat though- I swear there is not one thing he doesn't do. He's a massage therapist, is going to study marine biology, is scuba certified, runs the challenge course, and is half French. What girl can say no to that combination?
There's also William, who lives like a King across the hall from me. He's a really sweet lad from Chapel Hill, although he's spent the past 6 years or so going to school in Virginia. He is definitely quite the character. He talks really slow, and has a lovely drawl. He can making anything out of anything. Right now he's crocheting plastic bags into a reusable shopping bag. He wears tall socks, and currently has two turtles living in his room. He claims that he is going to kill them and make turtle jerky with my housemate Chance, who you will soon learn about, but I doubt it. We're not allowed to have pets on the ranch, so he says they are "livestock." One of them broke into my cabinet and ate some food (or at least that's the story I prefer) and they currently are either in his closet or under his bed. Turtles aside, he's a great guy. He's extremely laid back, and is great to just stand out on the front porch with.
Last, but certainly not least, is Chance. I had heard tons of stories about Chance during Spring, and was a little weary when I learned that I would be living with him. He got dropped off by his father and had a military-style pack and a cigarette behind his ear, and another hanging out of the corner of his mouth. This frightened me more than the stories did, as I thought they might be true. But I soon found out that Chance is great. He has a THICK Arkansan accent, and despite his small frame has a very large presence. He's wiry and seems to never stop- but when he does, he crashes hard. The first day he was here he completely rearranged his room (which he shares with Stephan) so that his head was in the closet. He claimed that he couldn't sleep in the same room as someone else: he would spend the entire night awake staring at the other person defensively. Soon he realize that his arrangement would just not do, and called for a house meeting. I was a little weary, since previous house meetings had brought up ideas such as Naked Thursday, but this one turned out to be harmless. He simply wanted permission from our house to move into the storage shed in the back yard. So yes, now Chance lives in the shed. He's kind of like our friendly neighbor now, and there are far fewer awkward instances where he forgets to put on pants to head to the kitchen (I did mention he brought up the idea of naked Thursdays, yes? He seems to be a bit of an exhibitionist.) I could write volumes about this chap, though. He has a really kind heart and the can-do attitude that I would expect of an Arkansas gentleman.
Really, I think I hit the jackpot with my living arrangement this season. We're an interesting dynamic, and seem to get along. We all pile onto a love seat and chit chat sometimes. There's nothing like cuddling and conversation.
Besides that, not a whole lot has changed except for the weather. While there are monsoons up north, the thermometer reaches above ninety here. Monday there was a heat index of 104- and it's not even July! Gah! I know that it will just continue to get more hot and more humid, so I should stop complaining, but man. 104!
I did have my first friend visit a few weeks ago, though. My friend Jared whom I vaguely knew from UMKC decided to spend part of his vacation here on the ranch. He brought his friend Mike and we enjoyed all that the Natural State has to offer. It was really one of the best weekends I've had since coming here, and I was really thankful that he came to visit.
This past weekend was quite eventful, too, but for different reasons. A severe electrical storm ripped through the area Friday afternoon, and our electricity went out. At first we thought "no big deal, it will be back on soon." But no, it was a big deal. It wasn't until Sunday evening that our power went back on. It was interesting to see how people reacted to the lack of electricity. On the ranch we pride ourselves of being one with the land, and doing with the excess. Yet when people were without their a/c, refrigerators, and computers blood came out. I've begun to develop a strange relationship with technology lately, and that incident seemed to strengthen my confusion. I love, love, love technology for all that it does, but am beginning to realize that although it does keep old friends in touch across the distances, it creates such a divide with the ones who are right here. In fact, William is sitting on the couch across from me right now, and we haven't even spoken. I'm too busy typing away here, off in another world. He's curled up, pondering whatever thoughts he has in that wonderful brain of his, and I'm staring into a screen. At least I'm providing a good playlist to his thoughts.
I have exciting news about my future endeavors. I have signed a lease, and will be living in Harlem come August. Not only do I have a signed lease, but I also have a one way ticket to New York, New York. You have no idea how lovely that feels to say.
I was talking to a very, very dear friend last weekend about the upcoming transition. I've been feeling slightly detached from my current situation. I feel as if my time here is winding down quickly, and I'm trying to prepare myself for my new life. I realize that this is a terrible practice, as I'm not fully appreciating the beauty that is surrounding me. But I also know that I need to start preparing myself or else the change will be completely overwhelming at first. I'm going to visit my friend John in New Jersey over the fourth of July, and was saying how I'm glad I get to head to the East Coast once before making the move. He came to the conclusion that, much like you would an egg, I am tempering myself. I think that it was this entire ranch experience has been- The move from Rolla to NYC would probably have been harder. Here I've been able to be independent in a very supportive community. I've been able to figure out what matters most to me at the moment, and have set forth some goals to strive towards. If I reach them is an entirely different matter, but at least I have them now. The Ranch was serving its original fucntion: much like with the animals, it was a holding place for me; I received immunizations to doubts and anxieties and was quarantined from the naysayers as I prepared for my journey afar.
Speaking of goals, I completed the ACT test last weekend. Having not been in a classroom since September, it was pretty difficult to sit through a five hour test. I feel like I did well, and hopefully the scores reflect that. They are pretty crucial to the goals I have.
There is so much more to be told. I've caught a snake, experimented with food, fixed a toilet, killed a rabbit, organized political forums, married off a brother, put together a boat team, and cut down on my Mountain Dew consumption. Really, I've been fairly busy. So please do not think I've neglected you, I haven't. I've just been out making memories. I now suggest you do the same.
April 29, 2009
100 Days
"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America- they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."It seems like all I've heard about for the past month is "Obama's First 100 Days." Everyone wants to know how he measures up to other presidents and what he's accomplished. Most evaluation periods are long enough that I pay no mind to them, but this one hits a little close to home. Not only do I feel invested in the Obama administration, but the time since Barack has taken office is extremely relevant to my life.
- Barack Obama, 1/20/09
In 100 days I've moved away from home. I've changed occupations. I've made new friends (while burning a few bridges.) I've acquired new music (yes, it really is that important) and learned how to really cook. I've lost a cat. :( I've started making a viable plan for my future. In the past 100 days I've attended church on my own accord, participated in a Seder, and taken a road trip (or two . . . cough.) I've met some of the most influential people in the nation, learned how to milk a goat, and have grown a few shades darker. In the past 100 days I have gone from an unsure, sad girl to a (fairly) confident, happy young lady. The first month was more of the same- shame, lies, monotony. Then came the big move- excitement, uncertainty, knowledge. And now there's, well, now. A friend of mine said something very wise tonight: "The ones who plan for the moments down the road are ultimately the ones who control the moments we're in." This was said in a political context, but I feel that it suits my situation. I have hope for the future, so I have hope for
now. I think I'll be happy next year, so I'm happy now. I've grown to look at everything as an opportunity or an experience. Need to shovel poop? It's exercise! Unruly group? Simply practice for meetings in the future! My cynical side is still very much alive, but the Optimist in me is starting to shine. Right now I truly feel like the world is at my disposal. I may not have the most money, the most friends, the hottest body, or the brightest mind but I have a big smile and a little thing called hope. Although that may not be enough, it's a damn good start.
"So I think we're off to a good start, but it's just a start. I'm proud of what we've achieved, but I'm not content. I'm pleased with our progress, but I'm not satisfied." -Barack Obama, 4/29/09
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