Monday, April 07, 2008

going herbivore and other insignificant news

HEALTH & WELLNESS
i have committed to go vegetarian for a one-year trial period. extended contracts to be discussed in fall 2009. at katie's suggestion, i have a 3-step plan to stop eating animals:

1) cut out cows, pigs, and sheep (done. going on 2 weeks...i think);
2) cut out chickens, turkeys, and their undeveloped offspring (starting april 18th - end of nccc project round 1)
3) cut out water-faring creatures (let's be honest - i'm not cutting these out 'til i've experienced a southern crawfish boil)

to answer the number 2 question i've been asked: i expect to eat healthy, well-balanced meals thanks to teammate jess who is an excellent cook and transitioning as well.
to answer the number 2 question i've been asked again
: to any of my herbivore friends, i would love suggestions, articles, websites, or book titles to help educate myself on maintaining a well-balanced diet.

i swam 50 laps at the ymca tonight. this amounted to approximately 0.7 miles. i have been swimming at least once/week for the past 2 months. i dare say i'm getting better; that is, i can keep up with elderly men and adolescents when i go to the pool these days.

ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE
my latest strategy in the war on balance is called a ripstick (featured right). introduced to me by teammates lance and lacey, the two-wheeled wonder has provided hours of entertainment and a new supply of 2008 goals.

wolf-5 (sans danny and chris) ventured to baltimore this weekend for a night of cinema and dining. at the historic charles theatre, we split into small groups to watch the counterfeiters, alice's house, cj7, and miss pettigrew lives for a day. i found the counterfeiters stimulating and thoroughly enjoyed being in an independent/international movie theatre again. we discussed our film-viewing experiences over food and drinks at the adjacent tapas teatro. it was a much-appreciated adventure.

LEGIT NEWS
i applied to be a team leader for the nccc summer of service program
. it is a 3-week composite team (e.g. pulled from all 3 regions) opportunity for nccc members to lead 14-17 year olds in service projects in new orleans. my confidence is still a little shaken from my firefighter failure so i'm not counting on anything. i should know (cross my fingers) by april 20th.

i suspect chris' request that i lead the team for the next two weeks to step up my atl (assistant team leader) experience is somehow related. so...yeah. instead of leading only when the team is split into two workgroups or he is away, i will be running the show until april 18th. it's a little more nerve-wracking than i expected it would be and i figure it'll be a growing experience for me.


as i start week 5/6 of my round 1 project, i have mixed feelings about leaving
. i am looking forward to the next exciting adventure, as dear old dad would say. i am hoping to know by the end of the week what that adventure will be. on the other hand, i really dig the people i have been working with at havre de grace elem and the boys and girls club. i will miss those people and the daily routines of catching up on lunchroom gossip, playing pool, and shooting hoops. i am also sad to leave just as new opportunities are arising - reading sideways stories from wayside school aloud to ms. edwards class, for example. but i guess that is the nccc experience - step into people's lives, try to set up a program for improvement, and step out.

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