Catching Up

Hi folks, sorry for the extended absence. I’ve been feeling more introspective than usual lately, which means a lot of fast and furious scribbling in my written journal but not much on the blog. I also managed to catch a yucky cold last week, and that has slowed down the mental progress a wee bit While I go sip on some homemade chicken soup, here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on:

• During a visit to my advisor’s office a few weeks ago, we concluded that I can graduate in December!!! Woo hoo! I’m really excited and much of my attention has been absorbed with what comes next. My future prospects seem limitless, as deciding on what to do is both liberating and daunting. Being about the business of a having a career that has meaning and purpose is important to me. This begs the question, what exactly do I want? And how do I fit that into a reasonable goal? All circumstances point towards being absolutely clear on the answer and not being afraid of going after it. I predict more entries on this subject will follow.
• In my last entry I wrote about big plans for volunteering at the local hospital, but so far nothing has happened on that front. I had an interview last week Friday with the volunteer coordinator, but wrote it into my calendar as happening THIS Friday (doh!). I didn’t realize the discrepency until last Friday when I was in an airplane cruising at about 35,000+ feet above and a couple thousand miles east of Denver. Oops. Fortunately for me, the coordinator was very understanding and has re-scheduled my interview for two weeks hence. Whew.
• I’ve broken down and decided to purchase a car. I’ve been in Colorado for a little over 4 years without one, but the time has come. My schedule is so tight nowadays that the additional 4 or 5 hours I’ll save by driving to work/school a few days a week instead of riding the bus will be wonderful. This means more time at the gym, playing the cello or doing whatever else makes me happy and sane Ahhhh, sigh of soothing relief.
• A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Stiles African-American Heritage Center in the Four Points area of Denver. It was an amazing visit, and I am eager to return and foster a closer relationship with its founder, Ms. Grace Stiles, and her community. I also made a quick tour of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library just 2 blocks away and was blown away by the rich history of the Four Points area. I regret that I’ve lived in the area for so long and have not connected with the community–and now, I’m preparing to leave it! I have the wild idea of interviewing several members of the Four Points business community and making a documentary as a testament to their acheivements and as a record of my experience there.
• Another tip of the hat goes to Denver for a wonderful spot in town called the Mercury Cafe (thanks Micah!). The decor, wine and food were awesome! I highly recommend the place to anyone who is looking for an eclectic, subdued dining atmosphere.
• Due to popular demand…well, okay, just one person’s comments (smile)…I’m working on adding a book review page to this blog. I’ve had the pleasure of reading several really good books lately, many as selections from a couple of book clubs I belong to. Stay tuned for that.

That’s it for now. I’m so happy to see the sun shining bright in Colorado again, so I’m gonna go out to get some fresh air. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

A Little More Community Involvement

With all the blizzard-like conditions going ’round in the last several weeks, I got it into my head at some point that I need to spend more time involved in the community than I do at present. During the few days I was snowed in my house last month, I called down to the hospital closest to my home to see if they were in need of any local assistance such as food, water, help with paperwork, etc. You see, while most of us have the luxury of bunkering down during a storm (and, I dare say, enjoying the time away from a scheduled life for a while), those who work in urgent service industries (hospitals, energy companies, city workers, etc. ) stay hard at work to keep us warm and safe while we do. I found out that, during the most difficult bouts of weather, much of the medical staff in the hospital were stranded without food and transportation to get home, some of them sleeping at the hospital for several days. They were also in need of drivers (with trucks, vans, SUV’s) to pick up staff to come in and cover shifts and others who were willing to share their food or time.

I signed up to be an official hospital volunteer a little over a week ago. During my volunteer training the other day, the facilitator emphasized how dependent many hospitals are on volunteers, especially in emergency situations. Given that I’ll only be volunteering, at most, 3 or 4 hours of my time per week (I spend way more than that surfing the web in a day!), I felt assured that my small contribution would be useful and appreciated.

I haven’t been assigned to a department yet, but I’ll be sure to write more after I get started. This is sure to be an interesting experience!