meet the team and other relevant information

i now know which 9 people i will be spending virtually all my time with over the next 10 months...

TEAM WOLF-FIVE
chris: team leader. hails from vancouver, wa. previous nccc member who has put in some time in college, worked as a ski instructor at lake tahoe, and digs the "garden state" soundtrack.
jj: raised in east lansing, mi. recent graduate from the university of chicago, loves rowing, and has a twin brother currently serving in the western region nccc program based out of sacramento, ca.
stacyee: calls mississippi home. she left her 2-year-old son in her family's care in mississippi to participate in nccc and loves running.
danielle: was born in maine, has moved a number of times, but considers herself "raised" in toronto. she was on the rowing team for 2 years of college and is the oldest of 4 in her family.
geoff: at the recommendation of a trusted professor, geoff took some time off from uc-riverside to participate in the nccc program. he has a black belt in karate, loves u2, and digs non-fiction.
lacey: from little rock, arkansas. just graduated from high school, has an 11-year-old brother, and loves music.
jess: from gaylord, mi, spent a year traveling the world solo (makes me think of you, kat!) after graduating from high school. since then, she has been mostly self-educated, loves yoga, and aspires to start a non-profit in a few years.
danny: to be honest, he was very quiet and rode in the front of the van on the way home so i don't know much about him other than that he is from missouri.
felicia: loves horseback riding and didn't volunteer much information about herself. she is from new orleans and i suspect she has some very personal reasons for being here.

FIREFIGHTING PACK TEST
in other news, i set out sunday morning to complete the firefighter pack test (walking 3 miles with a 45lb pack in 45 minutes or less). and complete it i did. in 44:55. what can i say? i like to keep people guessing.

there were 88 attempts, 71 qualifying participants, and are 45 slots. i have no complaints and i'm not holding my breath. they will announce the final selections on wednesday.

A TRIP TO THE LIBRARY
a saturday visit to the newly-renovated perryville library produced a card in my name and a copy of "seven fires: the urban infernos that reshaped america". it is a non-fiction analysis of the following city blazes: boston (1760), pittsburgh (1845), chicago (1871), baltimore (1904), detroit (1967), oakland hills (1991), and manhattan (2001). so far, it's pretty fascinating. then again, fire's been on the brain so we'll see if it holds my interest for 400 pages...

CELL PHONE UPDATE
i feel foolish about this. long story short, i decided to keep my cell phone. BUT i have downgraded my plan significantly so:

1) i can be reached via cell phone;
2) i can only chat on weekends;
3) i cannot send/receive texts.

as compTron might say, i have thoughts. but they're not all sorted out right now. the prevailing one is this: i am grateful for this opportunity and confident that i am exactly where i am supposed to be. i eagerly look forward to all the things i will learn from my team, housemates, and other amerifriends.

'til the next time...