Dates and Dar

I have a lot of great people in my life, and I am thankful for those people. However, so many of my friends from school are starting to, or have already moved on. And here I am, getting ready to take one last class, waiting with baited breath on pending student loan applications. As I sit and type this, off to the southeast cotton-candy pink clouds reflect the sunrise across the field behind my home. I am starting to meet more and more people, and that's a great thing. Though the first date is an ever-vexing event, games of Scrabble and sharing the planetarium of stars outside my house break the ice fairly easily. Still, I wonder what you all are up to. Working at Urban Outfitters? The Apple store? Getting ready to move to the big, bad city? Will things always feel this way? I have a 10-year plan, but G-d doesn't give a damn for the best laid plans, much less those of mine. Also, if you like folk music, you probably already know Dar Williams. I didn't. Check her on Pandora, you might be surprised.

As much as I love my job...

I adore being a facilitator. There's always room for improvement as a person and employee, I'm with a lot of people who give feedback that is consistently coming from a caring and thoughtful place and given with love, and I can concentrate on the differences I make in the lives of young people instead of the horrors going on in the world. And then here is a big AND (because when you say "but" you are negating what you just said). And despite all those great things, I am dreading going to work a little this morning. I know I'm getting a Memo of Concern on finishing my degree, which just sounds terrifying. Though I was told last week that I am qualified for my job, I still am always worried that I'm about to be sacked. The recent hardship is that I need another Art History class to finish my degree at MICA, and with another one of my co-workers starting grad school, this is not what my employer needed from me; Unlike C's classes, that MICA class is not in the evening or on a weekend, it's smack in the middle of the day and amounts to 12 hours a week just commuting and sitting in Bunting, much less homework or field trips. So, as I prepare to brave the snowy world outside my door, I am sharing my resolution with you all: I resolve to be like the farmer in my understanding of Karma, that I will create good Karma for being thankful for whatever happens to me, as that is the only thing that could have happened in that space and time. And I know that I need to get my degree, and that PBC wants me to do that but, flatteringly, still needs me. Now you all know what that Damn. image was about last month. I made a mistake on my degree plan, I need an art history class, but I am still happy and healthy at my current job, where I intend to be for the next few years.

Video of a house moose.

You tell me this isn't the most amazing thing you've seen. I have so many technical questions about how they keep the moose from tracking in mud...where does he go to the bathroom? How does he get on with the household pets?

My old iPhone wood look even better on your nightstand.

Holy white iPhone for sale on CL! http://tinyurl.com/77zya5 E-mail to bid (or just to be entertained and vote Best of CL) ♥ L. Also, since you watch my blog or are my friend or a friend of a friend I will even mail the thing to you because I'm sweet like that. (Yes, I will make a real post since my ambiguous Damn. post but I'm still working on smithing it just right.)

Damn.

People who I want to give applesauce to:

Kristine Woods Anna Fine Foer Rebecca Nagle Sima Krtalic Jillian Coratti Travis Christine Jody John Pat Afton Dave Heather The Folks Emily Brian The St. Paul Fundakowski's The Miners Aunt Bonny The Steins Nancy Tudorov Christine Ricks & Timothy Mason Angie Ivanova So, I'm going to have to get about two cases of jars when the time comes. Gotta figure out what size jars I'm going to can in, wide-mouth half-pints, I'm thinking? I'm designing my labels right now. Expect these around New Year's, folks!

Accountable for my things? Pssht, yeah right!

I can't for the life of me find my immersion blender attachment for my Braun food processor. How am I supposed to make smooth applesauce without it? So confused!

Home sweet Twins

I went a little out of budget today getting gosh gifts for the folks I love back home. And then bought $30 on apples to make cran-applesauce. Which is what I'm doing right now, listening to Taylor Swift. About JDate...I've been dissapointed. I'm used to getting chased. But I'm in Blairstown, not Baltimore (despite still being the #1 Baltimore hipster on Google). My desires are pretty specific (I'll e-mail you what's on my profile, mama!), and the population of Jews is sparse. However, I'm willing to wait, and seek, and go on dates. And I know the guys must be afraid of rejection, but I find it really easy to say "yes!" Seriously, I'll give almost anyone a first date! Gas is cheap and my hopes are high! Come on, Jews of Jersey, what's taking you?

Visual apparitions

I have an awful lot to write about, about facilitating, and I am going to make that entry later today or tonight. I'm excited to be heading home to Blairstown, though less thrilled that the temperatures have risen once more.

New Layout

Ta-dummm!

NEWS: Anteaters are cute.

This message is brought to you by the letter E and one lazy Sunday afternoon. More adorable images at old trendhunter article here.

Welcome to my new readers!

I've re-done the header and retired the Thur Broder layout I've had for so long. If you're keeping up with my Twitters (at my old LiveJournal), you're undoubtedly aware of the fact that I've caved and joined JDate. Yes, the paid dating site for Jews. I figure, I live in an area without a lot of those folks, and those are the gentlemen I'd like to date. I'm a 22-year-old relative newcomer to the northwest corner of New Jersey. I just graduated from art school in Baltimore with a degree in fiber and am doing something completely unrelated as a residential experiential education facilitator for middle-schoolers through adults. During the summer I work at what was once my prestigious Ivy employers' camp for disadvantaged youth working on character development with the same Primary Service Population. During the spring and fall I travel a lot in Camden, Newark, and Trenton to reach the same population on their own territory. I live at my work in Blairstown, NJ, in a cabin across a dam and next to a lake. I am a Wilderness First Responder and have taken self-defense classes. I am saving up for a seafoam green Bianchi Milano. I like big sunglasses, skinny jeans, rock climbing, identifying birds, hiking, camping and cooking. I've been a vegetarian for fifteen years. I go to the local bar once a week to get birch beer on tap. It is just that good.

Look at all these crabs!

The boldly patterned pom-pom or boxer crab likes to carry live sea anemones in its claws, brandishing them in defense when it feels threatened. —Photograph by Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore More here from National Geographic!

Miracles are happening in Blairstown!

Update on the cross burning in Hardwick Township, just a mile and a quarter down the road from me. There was a Unity March which I got off of work too late to attend in front of the home. I work with a lot of inner-city kids out here in Blairstown, and it's a blessing the story hasn't picked up the coverage it might have. I have moved all my Twitter mini-mobile updates to an old livejournal, so if you are interested in reading those add http://lenablair.livejournal.com to your RSS feed readers. From here on out to the near future, only full-on real-live 'blogging will be happening on this 'blog. Prom promise. Oh, and the miracles I'm speaking of? Upon returning from working in Princeton and Newark this week, my iPhone battery was draining more quickly than it should have last night. And then I realized that my laptop connection was operating at lightening-fast speeds. Three-G has come to Warren County, and it is as awesome as I've always dreamed! I'm recovering very well from my illness that struck on the west coast. I'm processing my experience at the AEE conference. I'm getting my work-outs in, and feeling okay about my body. There's something I've been putting off for FAR TOO LONG, and I'm working up the courage to bite the bullet. Life post-college for me is shaping up to be pretty great, don't worry too much about me. I'd love to do what I can, and if that means being a late-night sounding-board, I'm strong, let me share that load you're shouldering. And if you need a void to send the ether of your thoughts, I will be the best void I can be. Looking forward to being able to walk and ice skate to work this winter. My commute of 3 minutes will be halved when the lake is solid enough.

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

07:03 Actually feeling worse after having slept in my own bed. 07:03 Home sweet twins. 09:37 Sick and sick. 13:51 @lifeofreilly I'm using a sick day today, good luck avoiding getting this illness! It's a doozy! 14:50 Thank you g-d for sporradic absence days. 19:42 This month will be challenging Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

07:53 I love my Trenton kids! Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

23:52 Goodnight fork, goodnight spoon, goodnight moon. 09:07 At the airport getting ready to leave Portland for Newark then Trenton. 10:20 Wall.E in-flight then sleeping and such. 16:52 Is happy to be back in new jersey, for sure. Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

00:38 Working on curriculum with my co's. 00:49 Feeling pretty crummy. 01:05 Is still sick 13:51 Going to hit the exhibition hall soon 13:52 There was a cross-burning in Hardwick Twp apparently. That's my home. 18:09 Ran into the woman who did my WFR workshop. Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

Elle's mini mobile 'blogging for today...

23:52 First session of AEE conference on the post-modern student was a little close to home for comfort. 09:48 Did 25 laps in the pool this am. I will be a zombie later today! 13:31 Blogging! Posted every 24 hours by LoudTwitter

It's 5 AM here in Vancouver, WA

Intrepid readers, I was awoken while sleeping by my coughing, got into the shower to try and loosen some of the shit in my lungs. I tried to go back to bed and just creaked open the laptop and kept coughing. Not really a problem, if I was staying at the Hilton on my own. Instead of keeping my sometimes-supervisor Heather up through the remaining wee hours, I put on my bra and Five Fingers, finger-combed my moist tresses and here I sit in the Hilton lobby. (Digression: They re-sized women's FiveFingers, where the W40 are a little large for me the NEW W40 fit me perfectly at the heel. They also come in blue and leaf-green with grey.) Yesterday was my first day at my first international AEE conference, and the first session I went to was on the postmodern student, to me the solution to the student that wants to smoke on expedition or bring iPods, I would bring that back to the student. How do you think that will change your experience? That of your peers? And you blend it, saying things like, when I have my iPod on, I tend to have a harder time paying attention to others; how does wearing your iPod affect you? Also, my supervisor Dave recently told me that it is valuable to seek to understand, then be understood, to create a healthy repor and relationships. Coming to this conference shows me where my organization is really quite strong (I was well-trained as a facilitator), and where we are lacking (inter-organization communicaton, well-defined positions, poor utilization of resources at times, diversity of staff and recruiting of alumni). This has very little to do with me, being a peon at the front-lines. I work with students in schools and on-property, and I really make change. However you can train people to be in my position. People need to grow and have experience to hold the positions which are currently open, so there's not a lot I can do to help. As far as conferences go, I think this conference is pretty fantastic, and I am thrilled that The Ivy sent 8 individuals to learn and grow from it.