March 1, 2008

Greetings:

Just a few things to report on!

I was able to take part in an orientation tonight for Central Iowa Shelter Services.   I became interested in their program at the end of last year and made that into a New Year's resolution.   Unfortunately I wasn't able to find an orientation to fit my schedule until tonight.   It was only an hour but really informative.    They are aware that I can only help a few times a month but more frequently in the summer.    Areas that I may be helping with:

• food pantry
• hygiene counter
• clothing closet
• kitchen
• front desk

They are also excited that I'm in Ankeny.    Many restaurants in the area donate their food at the end of the day or when buffets close.   They would like more restaurants in Ankeny to donate their food and I could be someone to transport it to the shelter.   (Another perk of having an SUV)

They still have to run a background check on me and see how I fit into the schedule initially.   They will also let Gavin accompany when I volunteer.   I think having him come and help will give him perspective or could even help him consider some career paths too.    

I did find out some interesting information during the orientation:

• it is the only Central Iowa shelter that allows single women to stay overnight; the other shelters only allow for married women (domestic violence) and women with children
• it is the only shelter that allows people to stay overnight in any condition;  it was started in 1992 when 5 homeless men froze to death in Des Moines after being turned away due to intoxication.  I admit that makes me a little nervous that people could be drunk or high but they always have employees available to deal with issues related to substance use or even mental health concerns.
• They have 150 beds available each night and always have overflow.    People have to spend the night sleeping in chairs in the lounge area or sleep while seated in the dining room.   The number of people they help each day is staggering.   I'm also surprised with how many veterans we'll be helping too.

The other neat thing that has happened recently is that I went through my 'old' clothes again.    The bags have sat in my bedroom since I came back home from Christmas.   I am now wearing a pair of jeans I haven't worn since March 1, 2008.    I know this because I found a ticket stub from a movie in the pocket.    It was a blind date!   A date that wasn't great but I had forgotten about it completely.    I had only one pair of jeans to wear  for the longest time so it's nice to have two now.   I found more dress pants that fit too.    I have other jeans that will fit soon, just need more time.   

I have also received a king sized bed.     It's currently lying on the floor in my dining room.    I need to re-organize my storage locker to see if I can get my full-sized bed to fit in there.   I'm not sure if it will fit in their even if I rearrange items. I'd like to keep my full-sized bed for a spare bedroom in the future.    Things are just cramped at the moment.   Dan's mom gave me the bedding for it and extra bedding too.   So I have bags of linen sitting around too and the clutter is starting to make me a little nutty.   I am hoping to work on the storage unit Friday night or during the day on Saturday.    Fingers crossed.

My grading tasks at work have sky-rocketed.    I'll be spending Saturday on my computer too but this is normal as midterm is approaching.   One of our head PE professors is moving to Louisiana in June.    I'm less panicked about it as it sounds like the department can adjust.   Just poor timing with other hiring that's taking place right now.

I guess that's it for now!

  

It's Been a Good Week

I am so happy it's Saturday.   It was a very busy week but everything went well.    It was the start to Swim & Gym.    It was the best start I've ever had with the program.   The program is full.   I still have two kids on a waiting list and I'm contemplating whether or not to add them to the program.    All depends if I hire another 1-2 life guards.   At this point I'm happy with the initiative and work ethic of my staff.    I didn't ask a handful of people back from the fall because of their laziness.

I've been very pleased with the amount of energy I've had lately.    This week's busy schedule made that more apparent.    I admit I feel super tired after workouts but usually get a 2nd wind.    I had a very unpleasant experience with working out on Wednesday.   I got through most of the workout but by the end (ab work), I felt awful.   I tried doing the cool down with the group but had to leave after a minute or so.    Totally felt like I was going to hurl.    I put 2 + 2 together though and realized I hadn't eaten enough calories in the morning.   It was my blood sugar that dropped.    I felt rough for awhile and ended up going home.    Eating did help but it took longer than I anticipated to feel better.  

I got a little dizzy yesterday at the end of the workout again but nowhere near as bad as Wednesday.    I have a check-up on Feb 15 so I'll mention the issues to them.   I'm sure they'll just tell me to eat more in the morning but that's tough for me.    I rarely feel hungry in the morning and after I take my supplements, it's hard to eat anymore beyond that.  

A friend of mine from Ankeny invited a bunch of ladies over last weekend for an "English meal".   It was delicious.    We all came over early to help her cook.   It was a roast (but different from the roasts/cuts of meat we typically serve in the US), Yorkshire pudding, mashed rutabagas,  baked/fried potatoes, and a sherry trifle.   She's originally from the UK.   She was actually a past student of mine when I was a grad student and in my first year as a lecturer.   Her husband is related to Scott Nelson's ex wife too which is weird.  I really liked the Yorkshire pudding.    They aren't dessert.   They bake up kind of like a souffle and taste like a biscuit.    I had to be careful with the trifle as it had sherry-soaked ladyfingers in some of the layers.     I'm trying my best to avoid alcohol until May.    Speaking of alcohol, it was very tricky to avoid it last night.  

I went to an Iowa Wild hockey game with the same friend and other acquaintances.    I rarely have cravings but seeing everyone walking around with beer, hard cider, and even strawberry daiquiris got very tempting.    No worries, I stuck to water.    It turned out to be the hockey game that calls attention to heroes so there were police,  EMTs, firefighters, etc. there.    They did a nice job honoring the five police officers that were killed in the metro last year.     There families, spouses, kids, etc. dropped the ceremonial puck for the game.    It was nice to get out on a Friday night and do something for fun.   Of course Dan's ex wouldn't work with us with his custody schedule so he wasn't able to join me.    

I had my taxes prepared this past week too so that's a nice task to have finished.    Dan used  my accountant this year too.    I'm getting the usual back which is always nice since it helps me with my diminished summer budget.    I completed Gavin's taxes for him too but did it online for free through Turbo Tax since he only does a 1040ez.    He already has his federal tax refund in his checking account.  

Gavin starts track on Monday so he'll be working less at Hy-Vee.   We still need to bop down to Des Moines and get his spikes.    I think I'm more excited than him about his running shoes.    He's still going to school early most mornings to lift and/or run.    He and I can now compare our woes about being sore.   Usually my quads and hamstrings are killing me since my flexibility is so poor.    This week my triceps are arms are super sore as I'm doing more upper body lifting.    It's another reminder of how much I talk with my hands when I teach because I'll find myself cringing in class when I'm lecturing and pointing.  

I guess the other big news is that I got my annual evaluation done for last year.    It was pretty lackluster.    I admit my motivation was low because it's fairly apparent that raises won't be happening for the next year or so.    ISU had a lot of money cut.     Either way, I completed it fully, included all my supplemental evidence for performance, and turned it in on time.   I did procrastinate and wait to finish it on the day it was due though.  

Time to return to some laundry and other tasks around the house.  

February Update

Life is getting busier so it's nice to have a weekend where I'm primarily staying at home.    The first part of the semester is always a tease because I have some free time here and there.    Now that courses are underway I'm feeling more swamped.   The main culprit is the start of Swim & Gym on Tuesday.   I need to do some more prep work for the program.   I had the orientation for the employees on Thursday.    

Classes are going OK.   Having 90 students in one of my classes is a bit much.    My PE course has been more fun compared to past years since it's easier for me to exercise with them.    We are doing bowling activities next week so they are prepped to teach bowling if a school offers it.    

DMACC is going OK too.   My Monday night class fortunately is going well and everyone is receptive of the information.   In the fall, I had a student that liked to argue with me almost every time we met about health information.    

I am using the department's Exercise Clinic most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.   It's an interesting set-up.    Students that want a career in exercise science or personal training work with people in the clinic.   One of our graduate students works with myself and one of the secretaries.   She's been my workout partner for about a month.    She and I are younger than a lot of the participants and can handle more strenuous workouts.    He's done a good job challenging us.   We are doing more with plyometrics, medicine balls, kettle bells, etc.    My coworker was injured this past week though.   She's likely going to need an MRI to figure out if it's her patella or her ACL.  Boxes jumps can be dangerous.    I'm being selfish and hoping she can continue to attend the exercise session as having a workout buddy has been very helpful.

I've been somewhat keeping up with Netflix:

Boulevard:  It is Robin William's last or close to last movie he made before he died.    It was about a guy living a boring, married life and is secretly gay.   It was interesting to see him in a serious role again.    His acting was great but the movie itself was meh.

Foxcatcher:  a true story about Olympic wrestling brothers and a nuts guy that tried to coach them.    I didn't realize it was a true story until I started watching the movie and looked up some details online.   It was disturbing to see the "coach's" mother issues and his psychiatric issues too. 

The Divergent Series:  Allegiant:   I'm actually glad I didn't see this third movie of the trilogy in the theater.   I'm told it deviates a lot from the actual book.   It was an OK story but rather predictable from the get-go.

I still have "The Loft" to watch.    It's about guys (married) that have an apartment they use for affairs and a dead woman ends up dead in the loft.    A murder mystery usually turns out pretty decent.

I am starting "American Gothic" as well.   It is a TV series that started in 1995.   I remember liking it a lot as a kid and the early episodes are pretty decent since it touches on horror and the supernatural.  I'll have five more discs in the future to go through all the seasons.  

I guess that's it for now!