politics of volunteering

Who thought it would be so hard to volunteer?  This month didn't quite go as planned.  I applied to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald house...no reply.  I scoured the University of Kentucky's website for causes to help out with...nothing available at night/weekends.  I sent emails to environmental groups for weekend clean ups and signed up for a local organic farms volunteer list...nada.

I did get to help out at my good friend Lego's camp one weekend.  It was awesome.  It was at a camp with adults and kids with disabilities.  I met a camper who really opened my eyes to the importance of not judging a book by its cover.  There was a man who was in his 50's (he told me his age, but I forgot it...so much for being a good listener).  The first time I saw him he seemed very quiet/shy, but super sweet.  I tried talking to him the first night of camp, but really didn't get much of a response.  No big deal, it's not out of the ordinary for someone at camp to be shy or not communicate much.  I just assumed he might be nonverbal, gave him a wave, and walked away.

I tried again the next morning, but more of the same.  A sweet nod of the head, and a smile, but nothing else.  Luckily one of the other volunteers knew him and informed me that he was deaf, but could communicate through sign language.  I know how to sign a little, and the how to spell, so I started talking with him.  This guy was awesome.  He taught me a lot about sign language, helped me brush up on my skills, and was one of the nicest guys I met at camp.  I'll never forget how patient he was with me.  Anytime I couldn't remember a word, he would teach me.  Anytime I didn't make sense, he would pull out a sticky note pad and we would write notes back and forth.  Besides my buddy Lego, he was my favorite person to hang out with that weekend.

Thinking back, he made me realize how quickly I judge people.  I have spent many hours hanging out with amazing people at camp.  I really feel like I'm ahead of the curve as far as respecting peoples differences and disabilities, but here I was, judging someone on looks and a quiet first encounter.  What I almost missed out on was meeting a really awesome guy who taught me a lot about sign language, and pointed out one of my character flaws.  I'm judgemental as ten dudes, but I'm going to work on it.

All in all things didn't go as planned. The best unplanned part of the month was when Nicki went into labor  a week early.   The fact that we have a healthy baby boy is the best way I can think of ending a rather uneventful month.

I really don't have anything else to say about this month.  So here are some updates on previous and future months.

January
I weighed myself today and topped off at 166.5 pounds.  That's a 20+ pound loss since the beginning of the year.  We are only buying organic food for the home (I should say mostly...I didn't argue when the Mrs. bought food during the pregnancy), but still enjoy the occasional restaurant trip.   It's crazy how my food habits have completely changed.  I now enjoy eating vegetables, I can now eat tomatoes and cucumbers without gagging, and I have fully made the switch from Qdoba to Chipotle.  Not only does Chipotle have a more eco-friendly menu, but I think Qdoba tastes "cheaper".  I didn't think it would happen, but I'm starting to become a food snob. Organic oranges are in a league of their own compared to any other oranges I have eaten. Organic juices are ridiculously good (J.W. Knudsen brand juices rule my face) whereas other store brand juices seem to have a fake artificial taste.  It's hard to explain, but I feel really good after eating a nice organic meal.  On the other hand, if we go out and I eat something highly processed, I feel like shit for a while.

February
We are both using Lush shampoo, conditioner, and a natural soap.  I'm still making my own toothpaste, but have tweaked the recipe...adding hydrogen peroxide really dampens the salty taste, and gives me a more clean mouth feeling.  I have given up on the notion of completely stopping the consumption of plastic, but now I get a guilty feeling if I find myself buying something in plastic, keeping the consumption low.

March
The fruit flies had a baby boom while we were at the hospital, but I am slowly killing those suckers off.
I think we have a full bin of ready to use compost now, and our worms must have gotten the memo about the baby boom also.  We should be up to about 2000 worms now, but I'm too lazy to count.