Weekend Warrior

Guillermo and I by the "Squeeze Inn"

The past 40 hrs have been crazy. Friday night the backpacking class fit ourselves into the school van and drove to Potter Country. After being lost in a State Forest for a while the ever-confident Hibb found the trail head. The hours that followed made me feel like I was living a Backpacker Magazine article: first timers setting up a tent, the “oh, I forgot my toothbrush”, and the scary stories around the fire. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer trail to hike. It was a slight downgrade that followed a mountain creek for miles on end. No wonder they call it “God’s country.”

The "Global Night Commute"

We got back just in time for me to leave for Rochester. I’ve never gone to any kind of political activism event. I’m not sure how much Invisible Children is into activism, but camping with 200 other people in downtown Rochester was cool. By “cool” I mean that the night was a swirl of people talking, cars going by, city lights glaring, and strangers offering to buy donuts and coffee. I took my prayer shift at 5:30 am and we started the 3 mile commute to our van by 6:30.

At the moment I’m pretty worn out, but the weekend was just the break I needed from assignments.

You see crazy stuff driving...

Story #1

Some knuckle head decided to crash into a restaurant in Lewistown, so my return trip to school became a little longer. Two lanes of cars were fitting themselves into one. I was giving the two flatbeds in front of me some space when an 1970s RV with a grandpa at the controls made a decision he now regrets. Following a dump truck in the right lane wasn’t good enough for him, he wanted that spot in front of me and he wanted it bad. I started to blow my horn as I saw he was going to cut me off, but the tin box on wheels never got that far. In his excitement he gunned the engine and swerved, just not well enough to avoid the dump truck. Seeing the awning being ripped off the side of his RV at 10mph was about the funniest thing I’ve seen. It reminded me of bulldozer smashing the slums of Nairobi, a shattering sound from cheap metals and plastics. I couldn’t help but smirk at Grandpa as we coasted by.

Story #2

I was about 3 miles from home when an older blue car darted backwards down a driveway and across the road in front of me-half burying itself in the bank. It was on a dangerous corner so I decided to assist the situation. If the car had keys or a driver the extraction would have been quicker. After knocking on a door I gave the half dressed homeowner the classic “is that ther yer car settin in bank?” I heard a women’s voice from inside “I told you that #@!$er’s e-brake didn’t work.” Five minuets and a lot of cussing later the car was back on the driveway.

Therapy: the cure for spring fever

Spring fever is setting in. In High School and Rosedale it was the kind of feeling that made you want to take off your shoes and lie in the shade of leafy maples. But no, that kind of spring fever doesn't happen here. There are no leafy maples, and taking off your shoes could be risking frost bite. I don't have that kind of spring fever.

I have the "I don't feel like doing anything" kind of spring fever. Its the kind of mood that lures you into playing Halo for hours on end. I really think it is a defense mechanism of the mind. Like your body, the mind will simply slow down or refuse to behave if you overwork it.

But there is hope and I think I've found the cure.

I've been going to therapy regularly and appear to be improving. Twice this past week I went therapying, usually for 7-8hrs. Tuesday was an "under the stars" session and it got a little cold around 4am. Sunday night's session was particularly renewing. I staked out my portable rehabilitation center and slid into my mummy bag, letting the sound of the rain rehabilitate me. My backpacking class has a required group therapy session this weekend, but I'll be back in time to go to Rochester for a Saturday night massive group session to help the children in Uganda. Details at http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMovement/globalNightCommute/

Three adventures with "29537"

When I spend time with Adventurer 29537 I never know what might happen. We did several things worthy of mention in the past week.

First, we went to Goodwill. The “Bargain Bin” scored me a sweet costume. For 50 cents I BECAME BATMAN. What could be cooler than a Batman costume? How about standing up out of the sun roof of a gold Honda civic while your cape flaps in the wind! (Children remember; don’t try this at home. Unlike Batman, you are not a superhero and can’t stand up in a gold Honda civic just because you have a costume.)

Secondly, we are driving through Lancaster and Adventurer 29537 remembers that he knows a Muslim guy who works at a fitness club and that he will give us free smoothies if we come in. We never found the Muslim guy (Remade?) and we certainly did not get free smoothies, but we did get a tour of the place. A woman showed us all around with a very fabulous narration: “this is the free weight area, we have 14 benches and 2,700 pounds of weight…" Each bench had some buff 25 year-old on it lifting more weight than Rosedale has in their weight room. And the whole time I’m thinking: “smoothie.” We left an hour latter without smoothies but with an offer to “come back tomorrow and try a free work out.” The hot tub looked pretty tempting.

Lastly, Adventurer 29537 had to stop at the store to do some shopping. I needed some stuff for my lunches so I headed around back. I have never in my life seen such an enormous pile of snack food! About a case of chips had been opened and dumped out, so I waded in with my chacos. I was surrounded by about 40,000 calories of junk food! It was awesome. I only wanted a few goodies so I was in and out in about a minuet and back to the Bat mobile in time to see Adventurer 29537 come out $10 poorer.

I have cold toes today

There isn’t supposed to be snow on the ground. It isn’t supposed to be 20 degrees out. It’s supposed to be sunny, with green grass, fresh air, and flowers. But it doesn’t know any better. For the time being I’ll stay chained in the dorm so I don’t give my chacos frost bite.

And while I’m chained I’ll be reading my maps. I’ve developed an odd obsession with maps recently. I think it started when I got an atlas of the US for Christmas. Then I spent money on an atlas of New York State. But knowing every road in the state wasn’t enough. I need to know every building, stream, elevation change, dirt road, and marsh! So convinced the United States Geological Survey to sell me a Topo map of my area. But there is so much more to know. I’m making a birthday list for all three of you who get me gifts (this excludes Sarah, but includes Boni and Anita). This list will include: world maps, a GPS unit, a PA state atlas, and a personal cartographer.