Overdue Update

I've been in DC for two weeks, and I haven't posted! Sorry! It's hard for me to bring myself to the computer after an 8 hour day at my work computer. This week at work was a lot of reading. My boss was gone for a conference, and I had a few assignments. One was to contact all our FGU Grant (From the Ground Up) participants to see when they could meet for an end of season meeting. But I didn't have voicemail set up til Thursday, so they could only call me back during certain times. That was frustrating. I'm also supposed to meet with the head of every department, for them to tell me what they do. (All new hires go through this process.) But most of them were busy, so I only met with two. Basically, I didn't do much this week.

In between my projects, I was supposed to educate myself with a stack of books and some computer files. The days dragggged. I felt like I was sitting down to 8 hours of homework. On the upside, my boss wants me to see as much of the foodbank as I can, so I get to go on lots of little adventures. I went with Kenneth to the food drop at the Ambassador Baptist Church. That was a great morning. I sat at a table collecting personal info from the participants, then gave them a food ticket with a certain number depending on their circumstances. They were so grateful. When things slowed down, I got to sit around with Kenneth, who is an amazing & interesting guy. We talked about politics and the ways of the world... He went to college with Oprah Winfrey, he's from Clarksville (there actually was a "last train to Clarksville" and he was there to witness it!), and a tree fell on his car once, smashing everything but him. That afternoon/evening, I assisted teaching a nutrition class. I do that class for two more Thursdays. I got home at 8 that night, which made for a very long day. On Friday, my boss was back and we went out to the farm. That perked me up after a long week.

I'm still adjusting to life here, outside of work. When I get home, I have energy from sitting around all day. It's too dark or cold to go running, and the pool is closed. I don't want to get on the computer (that'd be just like work), and I don't really have anywhere to go. So I kind of wander around the house, looking for housemates to amuse me, which is tricky because I don't want to do anything sedentary. What I really need is a bike to get some of my energy out. I think it would take about as long to bike to and from work as it would to take the Metro. I was waiting for Thanksgiving in Goshen to get my bike, but someone told me that if I really like my bike, I'd better not bring it to DC. So I looked on Craigslist, and there's nothing under $40. I don't want to pay that much for a bike I won't be keeping. I don't know what to do.

Today I had big plans, but I ended up napping all afternoon. It was rainy and perfect for hibernating. I did make it to the market where I bought lots of fresh produce. I'm cooking on Tuesday for the house, and I'm going to make eggplant and basil stuffed shells with tomato cream sauce. I got a bunch of fresh basil from work, and I looked up recipes to use it in. I also made pesto, which I will serve with homemade bread. Oh, I love food. Tomorrow I still might accomplish some of my other plans: laundry, planting garlic, swimming, grocery shopping, making granola.

I got paid on Friday, which meant I could pay myself back for one week of food. I don't get paid for another two weeks, which will be a stretch. When divvied out, my $60 a month stipend is only $15 a week, and I'm dipping into some of that for food. That means I can buy maybe one croissant a week (I really love/miss pastries). If I can bike to work sometimes, I could use some of my transportation money for other things. It'd be really nice if we had clothespins, more dishrags, and a drying rack. Where are you Goodwill???