I'm in love.
With my fireplace. Pouring rain, sitting in the dark, with a roaring albeit fragrant fire. This wood is sooooooooo dry that with only two pieces it's burning 3ft tall.
Still, heaven. I never would have had this had I settled for a condo or loft. Thus, I'll plug my realtor again: Sara G..
I, above and beyond all, am tired.
But thankfully, Saturday's event went like magic. I served as Volunteer Coordinator - handling scheduling for a total of 90 volunteers. Everything I was concerned over -- like having volunteers arrive at 6:30 with tasks for them (very very important tasks) starting at 6:45.... well, it all worked out. The event ran rather late, solving that one worry. Hopefully I didn't come across as mean -- I was so short with time, I know my answers to many queries was rather short. Because I also work at Pixar (where the event was held), I was the answer girl for everything from "Where can we get trash bags?" to "Where is Brad Bird and can you tell him he needs to pose with the cake?" Several Pixar employees helped me keep my sanity, pursuing mundane tasks with enthusiasm. It amazes me how wonderful all the volunteers were! I can't thank them enough.
I always hated when I volunteered and felt "not needed". Working the event from the other side, I now understand how difficult it is to keep people booked with tasks. As the event ebbs and flows so does the need for volunteers. I guess my take home lessons are:
1. Advise in advance that there will be downtime. Never let volunteers feel like they are overstaffed (they weren't!).
2. Remind remind remind of the rules. I guess I didn't make it clear enough - I didn't want to sound rude - that volunteers were NOT to view the screening. The person who did knew the rules though, making it even more frustrating.
3. Let go of things like #2 ;)
We raised so much money it's almost unfathomable. We raised (I'm waiting on final numbers before I send out a thank you) at least 773k dollars!!! All targeted for stem cell research for a cure for diabetes.
Leading me to my next point. Being a sufferer of both diabetes and arthritis, I can't turn my back on the possibilities of stem cell research. I have relatives voting for Bush, but I just can't do it. Stem cell research is not the only issue of course, but it is rather an important one.
I know I am a weird Christian: I support stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, and gay marriage. I guess to me, freedom means everything. I am only free to BE a christian, and worship MY GOD, because of these freedoms. Therefore, how can I deny others that same right?
Chinese class is suddenly abruptly very very hard. I know my mom had to diagram sentences when a child - WHY WHY don't we do this anymore? Our teacher says "particle" or "past perfect tense" and we have nooooo idea what that means in english.
The class is much harder than I ever anticipated. I'm sure it varies from college to college, but community college ain't no picnic.
One frustrating thing is the lack of interaction with the professor - and how I miss that! At Georgia Tech, professors were always readily available for questions. Homeworks were assigned to help you learn.
Community college often attracts those that need more preparation for a 4 year program. What a shock it is then that no assistance is provided! No homework assignments. No printed handouts from the professor. Nary a word printed on the chalkboard. For a visual learner, wow that makes life difficult!
I guess that's where I'll leave off for now.... contented tired.
nice political posting. But so what? You live in a non-swing state! My vote counts more! All hail the power of the electoral college.
no worries, I'm voting kerry-edwards... and not because Chaney's caravan did an abrupt turn through gainesville making me have to wait for 30 minutes at a stop light.
Here are 3 3 phrase reasons to note keep Bush in office. I know it isn't a haiku, but there must be some thing that this is:
One word phrases: Economy, Environment, Halliburton
Two word phrases: Patriot Act, Foriegn Policy ("G.B. is not a 'world-wide alliance'), Preemptive War
Three word phrases: Weapons of Mass Destruction, Gay Marraige Rights, Stem-Cell Research
Move to Florida, Penn, Wisconsin, or Ohio and then your vote will be worth more. It almost correlates to your opinion matters more, and thus you are more important in general. I like this line of thinking.
Almost $780,000? That's wonderful! Congratulations on such a successful event. I can't even begin to imagine how much planning was involved. You amaze me.
I can imagine how hard Chinese classes are. Did I tell you I'm trying to learn Korean with the Rosetta Stone program? You might want to check out the Chinese version as a supplement to the classes. As a visual learner, I like the pictures :) I'm not even attempting writing and reading yet, though. Learning how to speak and understand the language would be more than enough for me!
Posted by: Kim at November 17, 2004 02:00 PMKim! Yeah, my best buddy blogged.
No, I did NOT know you were trying to learn Korean.
I did end up having to drop the Chinese class... next week is my 'final' tho - meeting Julian's mom!
I think an at home program - like Pimsleur or Rosetta is great, but I can suck at self-motivation at times. Schedule wise, it'd work much better tho :D
Zaijian!