Our computer lab is crowded. People, people's bags, people's tiredness and anxiety, the fog. Tension is high. Being wet puts everyone on edge. Unlike many of our guests, I have somewhere warm, dry, and happy to go this afternoon, and something to do with my evening that puts me one step ahead of sleepy unhappiness. I am unsettled, but ok. I have already listened to two arguments while leaning over the copier, pulling the forgotten office code from the muscle memories in my right hand. I have rushed back and forth from my office to the copier five times. I am busy. The copy machine smells warm and sour. Our paper cutter could be sharper. And I've finally figured out the fax machine. Wearing a button up shirt helps.

I walk down the hall again. Someone is hissing into the telephone at the corner. He f***ing knows he told her...
There are 10 people hunched over the blue lit computers. Someone else is trying to upload their resume. The computers are so slow. I pause. Right in front of me, the last guest, another damp, steaming man in blue, is on Windows Paint. His screen is blue and green, a picture of an almost-factory, smoke billowing from three slanting blue smokestacks into a green sky. He clicks, etching in white on the blue foundation - "Dig Deep".

Do I need to tie this up with a bow? He clicks off and goes back to gmail. I make another copy and try to burn off the fog with multiple cups of tea and honey and his smoky, cyber-drawing tags along all day.

to be said in one breath

Thank you for your interest in volunteering!

Right now our weekends are full for volunteers. We do have a daily shift, Monday through Friday from 9am-1pm, where we need volunteers. We can use volunteers both in our employment services and our meal service, especially during the week before and the week after Christmas. Unfortunately at this time we don't have any evening or weekend spots available. If you are able to schedule weekends in 2011 we would be happy to set you up with some dates.

Please let me know if any weekdays during our 9-1 shift work for you. If not, we would be glad to schedule you for some 2011 weekends.

Thanks again for your interest in volunteering.

when dreams follow

I am slow, and deep-breathing.
I hold in the rhythm of sleep,
still steeped in strange moments
that had me convinced of their possibility.
Even while walking through these first motions,
a shower, breakfast, tea,
before true daytime arrives,
I feel in the hollow of my chest the ache
of stories that followed me into waking life.

salad inspiration

so...it's chilly today. i've been cooking soups, spicy indian food, and cake. cold weather food. but what about salad? apparently veg new thinks that salads are still a great idea, and after reading their article i am inclinded to believe.

here's a blast from the past.

for more updates on life around here you can check my bloggedy housemate:
http://bloganyann.blogspot.com/

namaste

yesterday i went to this church. The sermon was titled "namaste", and the paster challenged us: what if every time we greeted one another we looked for the god in them, the godliness that was placed there when we were made.
how beautiful.
"the godliness in me greets the godliness in you" - namaste.