20 March 2005 - Today I saw a bug flying around outside! Yes, really I did. This was a fitting sign of� the first day of spring here, along with an afternoon thundershower. Two weeks prior, Suz and I had been in a climatic whirlwind during our stay at a mountainside inn. One day it was 70F, the second it was dumping snow. We had driven a PT Cruiser up and over the Blue Ridge Mountains to reach a remote inn that was empty save for ourselves. The nights were so tranquil I had trouble sleeping the first night. In the morning, the� innkeepers provided a southern style breakfast and set us on our ways. We toured Lexington and stopped where the American Civil War Aggressor Robert E. Lee finished his life and is now buried along with his battle horse.
Upon returning from my "spring break" I have had the rest of my school year to face. ..But I'm really more interested in the fact that I'll soon be able to go through my day here without lugging a jacket! Grilling out, walking through the city, traveling abroad (more about that in the next latest news)... "sun, sun, sun and highs in the 80's all week!"� I know. I'm devoting way too much space to weather, but if you know me, you know that I find this to be a subject of interest.
I have a schedule now. Classes, work at the library, and my internship with the community corrections agency finally started up. Two days a week for the next seven weeks I'll be working directly with ex-offenders on probation and parole to help them obtain the "life skills" of having an education and a job. Life speeds up.
2 March 2005 - The late-February sun provided a shield of warmth against the chill of late winter winds. With the beginning of March, there's promise for more warmth and opportunity. Okay, this is beginning to sound like a horoscope...maybe because today is my 25th birthday and a fortune teller might not be a bad gift for me right now! ...what exactly does my future hold? will I have a JOB this time next year? will I get into graduate school two years after that? what happiness and sadness is in my near-future? Well, hopefully the future won't be a frozen river for the swans..no, the future is mine if I want it. Other than recently acquiring a much appreciated Apple iBook G5 laptop with an endowment from the Andrew and Bonnie Smith foundation, and the fact that my ex-offender internship with CSOSA has yet to get off the ground because a Federal background clearance has taken a month and no one knew it would be after midterms before we got started, there really isn't any significant "news" to report....other than I'm 25 today and now I can rent a car like a real man!
Swans walk over the frozen Potomac River this winter
3 February 2005 - One wouldn't think that a part-time library job shifting books from one bookcase to another would entail learning about life in Jersey or the merits of a "micro CD player" from fellow students. And yet, such a task does come with its rewards. Actually, it is neat to meet a variety of people as I earn a little income, and spend marvellous hours getting acquainted with the library holdings. Let's see...lots of books on music, painters and literature thus far. I'm anxiously awaiting the opportunity to shuffle the policy journals and massive sociological texts.
...Then there's the BIG A. Think of the 3 Cs: CNN, Coca-Cola and commuter hell and you've got Atlanta. At the weekend, I'll be visiting my sister, Claire, who is studying at Emory University. I hear it will be Super Bowl weekend. I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the anticipation for the ads (yeah, and the half-time show). I bet those Atlantans will have the tailgate parties going even when the game is in the "pit stop between Atlanta and Miami," as the Mayor of Big A put it bluntly (but more than somewhat truthfully) to the Mayor of Jacksonville. Talk about Southern political heat, that remark filled the papers for days on end.
I am assured that my participation in a tailgate bash will be nil. But be assured I do plan to raise the roof of Emory student housing. All the RAs should be put on notice at this point that I'm getting senior (pushing 25 years). That's the latest news.
24 January 2005 - It was rewarding to tread through the fresh snowfall, as I made my way to campus today. Then I thought...We have another four years to grumble ...another four years for the world to repeatedly curse Americans for their shortsightedness. After the glitzy Inaugural parties that were oblivious to the dying in Iraq, winter came and buried everything. Now it is peaceful in the city, but doubts about global peace remain. I returned to the university on 10 January for my final year of coursework as an undergraduate student. After having much academic success in the fall (boosting my GPA and achieving the web publication of a term paper), I'm returning with optimism that the high marks will continue. Let's see...courses subjects...constitution, constitution, constitution...oh, and "drugs and behavior."
Additionally, I have cause to anticipate placement in a brand new internship program working with ex-offenders. This 15 hour-per-week internship for academic credit is the result of a partnership between the Justice Programs Office at American University and CSOSA (Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency of the District of Columbia). At CSOSA, I will work directly with inmates who have been released from prison to determine what their basic, educational or vocational needs are in order to successfully reintegrate with society. This information will be gathered through person-to-person interviews and telephone contacts. My responsibilities will include locating employment opportunities, vocational training (ex: computer skills) and educational services (ex: GED classes). I have been told repeatedly that I will have a professional role to play at CSOSA, which is a Federal criminal justice agency that works in coordination with the DC government.
The last few weeks have provided ample opportunities to listen to shortwave radio broadcasts from the BBC and Radio Habana Cuba, catch up on some correspondence and begin planning for my final year as a student. I've got a few things in the air right now that I hope come down in my favor. Best Wishes till next time.