Hello. I just have little thoughts to share today. Maybe I will have big ones later, but I need to learn to let myself say things in little chunks too. That's what this whole kooky blogging thing is about, right? Right.
~ Garage Sale is coming up, as Christine already mentioned. Pretty incredible how hard it is to part with possessions even if they're 'junk'. It's so hard not to think "But what if I need that..." or the even more insidious "But I've had that for years!" Such strange attachments we form to our stuff. I know very few people who do not idealize a exceedingly simplified, borderline ascetic lifestyle in some capacity, and yet the process of letting go of the things that you don't actually want still seems nigh on impossible. Silly humans. Well, a good old fashioned possession purge is in my near future. Wish me luck.
~ National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) is November, and Christine and I and a handful of other friends are going to give it a shot. The notion is to slap down a 50,000 word story in the thirty days. I am setting a personal goal of 2000 words a day so that I have a little buffer if I can't get enough down in one day, or maybe even have some time to do a little editing at the end. Who knows. As I was telling a friend last night, I think the practice of forcing yourself to write a certain number of words everyday is an excellent goal for anyone - it doesn't have to all be one story, or even a story at all. Give it a shot, even for a day. And if that goes well, try another.
~ I feel like it is becoming more and more of a rare blessing these days for people to live in an actual home rather than just a house. I feel awed and honored and privileged that I can count myself among that number.
~ Also? Peanut butter is awesome.
-Ian
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Burundi or Bust!
Hello Friends! It's been a crazy month or so. Fall has come everywhere but Phoenix, though it has cooled off a bit. Ian and I have settled in out very own apartment and into the daily grind of school, work, rest.
So now that we're all comfortable and settled, our next project is a community garage sale to benefit the Global Citizen Journey Burundi trip that Ian and I are going on in June. We are currently collecting any garage saleing items from people around the phoenix area and we will sell them off in mid-late November. All proceeds will go to the project.
If you're not in Phoenix how can you help, you ask? or if you are in phoenix and want to help in other ways? What thoughtful questions! Here are some ideas:
If someone is outside of the phoenix area they could do as follows: If they wish to send money to GCJ they can go to the GCJ website: globalcitizenjourney.org, They can put either my name or Ian's on the donation and the money will go toward our part of the funds--also their contribution will be tax deductible.
If they would like to have their own garage sale and donate the proceeds to GCJ they can do so and write a check and send it along to GCJ as per the address on their website or they can send it to us 2855 E. Broadway #240 Mesa, AZ 85204.
Other ideas would be to invite folks over to their house for a dinner party and ask for a 10 dollar donation per person. They could have a movie night, again asking for donations to benefit the trip and show Hotel Rwanda and have discussion afterward--it is important to note that Rwanda is Burundi's neighboring country and shared in this race war. The same groups of people were effected. Burundi simply didn't get the publicity. It is a question of global citizenship. Burundi is poor and small and so doesn't get the face time that its neighboring countries do.
Anyone here in the phoenix area can again, send money for the project directly to GCJ or to us. Also they can volunteer to help us with the garage sale, they could have a dinner party with us over to talk to their friends about Burundi and explain a little more about the project, show Hotel Rwanda and have conversation etc.
To recap from previous entries: This trip is through a federally recognized 501c3. Please check out their website: www.globalcitizenjourney.org. They have done other trips, one to Ghana, and another to Nigeria. Our trip to Burundi will be to do a couple of things: we will be working with a Farming Co-op that is opporated by several widows whose husbands', the fathers of their children, were killed in the war. We will also be meeting with civil and community leaders to discuss subjects such as Burundi's place in the world community, racial and gender prejudice, global citizenship, etc.
Have any questions about the project or how to help out? Please Please contact us. We could really use your help! And part of this project is educating the masses :)
We have until June to raise the money necessary to get this project off the ground. Thanks for all who have already helped.
-Love, Christine
So now that we're all comfortable and settled, our next project is a community garage sale to benefit the Global Citizen Journey Burundi trip that Ian and I are going on in June. We are currently collecting any garage saleing items from people around the phoenix area and we will sell them off in mid-late November. All proceeds will go to the project.
If you're not in Phoenix how can you help, you ask? or if you are in phoenix and want to help in other ways? What thoughtful questions! Here are some ideas:
If someone is outside of the phoenix area they could do as follows: If they wish to send money to GCJ they can go to the GCJ website: globalcitizenjourney.org, They can put either my name or Ian's on the donation and the money will go toward our part of the funds--also their contribution will be tax deductible.
If they would like to have their own garage sale and donate the proceeds to GCJ they can do so and write a check and send it along to GCJ as per the address on their website or they can send it to us 2855 E. Broadway #240 Mesa, AZ 85204.
Other ideas would be to invite folks over to their house for a dinner party and ask for a 10 dollar donation per person. They could have a movie night, again asking for donations to benefit the trip and show Hotel Rwanda and have discussion afterward--it is important to note that Rwanda is Burundi's neighboring country and shared in this race war. The same groups of people were effected. Burundi simply didn't get the publicity. It is a question of global citizenship. Burundi is poor and small and so doesn't get the face time that its neighboring countries do.
Anyone here in the phoenix area can again, send money for the project directly to GCJ or to us. Also they can volunteer to help us with the garage sale, they could have a dinner party with us over to talk to their friends about Burundi and explain a little more about the project, show Hotel Rwanda and have conversation etc.
To recap from previous entries: This trip is through a federally recognized 501c3. Please check out their website: www.globalcitizenjourney.org. They have done other trips, one to Ghana, and another to Nigeria. Our trip to Burundi will be to do a couple of things: we will be working with a Farming Co-op that is opporated by several widows whose husbands', the fathers of their children, were killed in the war. We will also be meeting with civil and community leaders to discuss subjects such as Burundi's place in the world community, racial and gender prejudice, global citizenship, etc.
Have any questions about the project or how to help out? Please Please contact us. We could really use your help! And part of this project is educating the masses :)
We have until June to raise the money necessary to get this project off the ground. Thanks for all who have already helped.
-Love, Christine
Sunday, August 31, 2008
beauty in contentment
Today I've been thinking about contentment.
I remember one day when I was getting ready to move off to Seattle for school my mother said to me, "I don't think you'd be happy no matter where you were."
At the time the statement (which I'm sure was made in reaction to some emotionally charged comment I made or was said in the pain of her last child leaving home) felt very hurtful. Unfortunately, today as I was thinking about my own tendencies to not "count my blessings", or my frequent feelings of worry and stress I realized that she may have been right. Is this the human condition?? The inability to hold oneself together and really appreciate all we have? I know that I spend a lot of my time and energy trying to feel positive for friends and family because often they have a hard time harnessing that for themselves. I also have a hard time maintaning a healthy respect for just how wonderful my life is. But this last year or so something's been floating around in my brain that was put there years ago--something that my Grandma said, "You just have to wake up and decide that you're gonna be happy. Not everyday is gonna smell like roses.". Now maybe it shouldn't be hard to see how a kid like me, who really did have a rough time of it in so many ways just heard that statement in bitterness, but roughly 16 years later it's starting to seem like that attitude should really just be second nature. (i'm not there yet!)
Not every day is gonna "smell like roses," or creosote after a good storm if you're a desert dweller, but maybe you and I should pick a little bit of the metaphorical flower and rub it between our fingers and bring out the smell ourselves. Maybe reminding ourselves, counting our blessings, is exactly what we have to do. At 8 when my grandma said that to me I dreamed of so many things, big aspirations; now my biggest aspiration is to become an elegant and contented woman content in love and life, but unwilling to rest until all those around her can feel as contented as she. I feel like having that aspiration is a wonderful blessing in itself. so count: 1.
AND here's a little mixed media of counted blessings in no particular order and perhaps a little abstracted:
I feel my bones. They are small and concentrated within my body, making up a frame that only I am privy to. The delicacy of my own constitution starts here—erect in a strait back and long neck—the features of something elegant, smooth as pearl or bone.
There is a picture of me on the eastern coast with my mother, my four year old body crouched close to the sand. We are looking for the skeletons of dead sea creatures, the shells that were their homes. My baby suit hugs my body tightly, slippery, salty-wet. It moves with me and my little girl eagerness. I remember the freedom of my bones then. They were not so hidden. In that picture you can see my small shoulder blades pointing out to openness as I lean to point to something in the sand. My ribs line my core, openly protecting the vitality of youth, life. From such a picture a mother might gawk at the potential of such a child. Long legs, smooth elongated lines. I might do the same or feel regret. But I still know those bones. I still feel their fine construction and careful movements. These days they rarely reveal themselves. They coil and compress. But I still see myself stretching and contracting wryly, elegant in the freedom of movement.
just to name a few...
peace and love-christine
Friday, August 29, 2008
Storm watch
So lightning struck the city of Phoenix 6,500 times in one hour last night. Now, that's the kind of storm that I was missing while I lived up in Seattle. The kind of storm that grabs you by the lapels and demands that you sit down and respect it for a little while. It's very easy to get comfortable with our SUV and latte existence and every once in a while it is exceedingly refreshing to have your day to day, neat and tidy little life shaken up by something so massive and primal and wondrous and scary - and it to get it in your own home to boot! Usually for that kind of experience you need a roadtrip or a good hike or to travel to a different country, but when nature brings it's A-game directly to your living room you have an immense sense of perspective forced on you. We are not so different from our ancestors who believed that God was in the storm. We are not so far from our dependence on capricious weather cycles to prevent us from flood or famine. We with our gizmos and trinkets have not in fact advanced humanity in any particularly meaningful way. It is only blinding arrogance that prevents us from being moved by compassion to action to improve the lot of our fellow man, who have not even the security of our meager defences.
While may have learned to make our small crafts more stable, we still have no control over the waves that rock our lives. And it doesn't actually matter how protected the individual is, beacuse the only true measure of security we have is provided by lashing ourselves to one another and being committed to each other's wellbeing. Knowledge and technology and luxuries be damned, humanity's greatest asset is still humanity.
-Ian
While may have learned to make our small crafts more stable, we still have no control over the waves that rock our lives. And it doesn't actually matter how protected the individual is, beacuse the only true measure of security we have is provided by lashing ourselves to one another and being committed to each other's wellbeing. Knowledge and technology and luxuries be damned, humanity's greatest asset is still humanity.
-Ian
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Life, Love, and the pursuit of growing up.
Hello all, just a quick note before I finish packing for our four day trip to Seattle and then find the peace to settle down and sleep for a few hours before we catch a jet plane to cooler weather.
Things are panning out. We're finding ourselves penny-picking-poor but there is hope. And I've been more destitute; I'm sure. But our finances are not what have been on my mind lately (thank god for a time in my life where financial stress doesn't steal my sleep!). I've been mulling over, and stressing about, and talking about growing up lately.
It's a new and fabulous thing, living with Ian's folks. They're amazing people who have such wonderful stories and ideas and dreams and opinions, and listening to all of theirs challenges all of mine. Everything from politics, gardening, family, community, personal growth, pacifism--have popped up and I'm starting to realize that all of those loud opinions I formed before, during, and after college were so often based on the need to have an opinion. Does that make sense? "I'm a pacifist!" is much easier to say than to think and wonder and ponder weather or not pacifism is the right answer--or even a possible answer at all. And just to add a disclaimer to that--I have no idea! Isn't that wonderful and awful all at once? The point is I thought about them, but just long enough to convince myself that I had. I never realized how much time and energy--emotional energy it takes to really consider these huge life problems. And I have to tell you friends, thinking about these things is hard work. If you know me well at all you will know that I'm a huge fan of people thinking before they believe--researching, reading, challenging and i have tried to do this. But something I never took into account is experience, probably because none of these big life issues had ever been challenged until recently. It's a hard lesson to learn when you find yourself desperately wanting something that you were sure you found and believed to be morally wrong. "Who am" you ask yourself--and those around you, who love you ask the same--"Who are you?". But something I have pledged to myself is to watch and learn and let life cut away at me, and to allow myself (in spite of my self) to find my soul and mind as beautiful and friendly. Intentionality is necessary, but realizing that as we form opinions there must be much room left for real life to happen. Books are not always enough. Love and life get in the way.
I'm currently living off of the high that Ian and I will challenge each other and grow. And I think that love might just be embracing that in each other--watching each other form opinions and reform opinions.
-Christine
Things are panning out. We're finding ourselves penny-picking-poor but there is hope. And I've been more destitute; I'm sure. But our finances are not what have been on my mind lately (thank god for a time in my life where financial stress doesn't steal my sleep!). I've been mulling over, and stressing about, and talking about growing up lately.
It's a new and fabulous thing, living with Ian's folks. They're amazing people who have such wonderful stories and ideas and dreams and opinions, and listening to all of theirs challenges all of mine. Everything from politics, gardening, family, community, personal growth, pacifism--have popped up and I'm starting to realize that all of those loud opinions I formed before, during, and after college were so often based on the need to have an opinion. Does that make sense? "I'm a pacifist!" is much easier to say than to think and wonder and ponder weather or not pacifism is the right answer--or even a possible answer at all. And just to add a disclaimer to that--I have no idea! Isn't that wonderful and awful all at once? The point is I thought about them, but just long enough to convince myself that I had. I never realized how much time and energy--emotional energy it takes to really consider these huge life problems. And I have to tell you friends, thinking about these things is hard work. If you know me well at all you will know that I'm a huge fan of people thinking before they believe--researching, reading, challenging and i have tried to do this. But something I never took into account is experience, probably because none of these big life issues had ever been challenged until recently. It's a hard lesson to learn when you find yourself desperately wanting something that you were sure you found and believed to be morally wrong. "Who am" you ask yourself--and those around you, who love you ask the same--"Who are you?". But something I have pledged to myself is to watch and learn and let life cut away at me, and to allow myself (in spite of my self) to find my soul and mind as beautiful and friendly. Intentionality is necessary, but realizing that as we form opinions there must be much room left for real life to happen. Books are not always enough. Love and life get in the way.
I'm currently living off of the high that Ian and I will challenge each other and grow. And I think that love might just be embracing that in each other--watching each other form opinions and reform opinions.
-Christine
Monday, August 11, 2008
Getting behind, Coming around
We have been here, in AZ, since July 16th. It's been a while since I've written so there's lots of updating to do. We've made some changes in our master plan. (changes seem to come around every few days :)).
Ian and I are both working. He's gone back to Outback steakhouse where he worked prior to moving to Seattle, and I got a job at the Starbucks up the street (perhaps not the evil empire after all? At least not from an employee's perspective. They treat their staff amazingly well) but only half time as I'll be starting school soon.
Originally the plan was to work with Americorps, and I had some interviews lined up, but as Ian and I drove the 30 some hours from Seattle to Mesa we decided that perhaps it would be better to go ahead and start with the nursing program at MCC so that life could get on it's way (diagram that sentence ;)). As much as I would really love to work with Americorps (there are some invaluable opportunities out there!) at my core I want to get into school, learn how to help people in a lasting way that I can turn into a vocation. After I'm through the 2 year program (that will probably take more like 3 years because of pre-recs and waiting lists) I will work full time so Ian can have his turn at school.
For now, though, I start school on August 26th with the first Math class I've taken in some time as well as a Biology refresher. It will be interesting to go from being a creative writing major to dissecting a cat.
{For many of you who do not know and are still startled to hear that I am going into nursing--I wanted to be either a nurse or a pediatrician since I was 6 or 7 and got thrown off by a chemistry class in high school, it took me this long to climb back on that horse. I pursued creative writing and literature as a BA and still write as often as I can face the big bad blank white paper/screen. Depending on when you knew me best I contemplated teaching but in the end couldn't face the education system, thought about counseling but it felt too passive and though I firmly believe in psychological therapy, I need a career where I move around and where I can see both
emotional and physical results. So. back to square one and it really feels good.}
As far as our Burundi trip coming up summer 2009, there have been a few changes made. The "away team" has gone and come back to scout out Carama (the region of Burundi we are trying to aid) if you go here you can read the very engaging journal posts by our brilliant and indefatigable program director, Brock. Start from the bottom of the page and work your way up. It sounds like they had a very productive trip. I had a phone conference with the crew last week and there will be a GCJ picnic and meeting when we are in Seattle: August 20th-24th. I'll be able to post more concretely about the project then, but it looks like our water project is changing into an agriculture project. And as always if you go to the GCJ website you can donate to help Ian and myself get to burundi. any money at all is useful. More to come!
-Christine
Ian and I are both working. He's gone back to Outback steakhouse where he worked prior to moving to Seattle, and I got a job at the Starbucks up the street (perhaps not the evil empire after all? At least not from an employee's perspective. They treat their staff amazingly well) but only half time as I'll be starting school soon.
Originally the plan was to work with Americorps, and I had some interviews lined up, but as Ian and I drove the 30 some hours from Seattle to Mesa we decided that perhaps it would be better to go ahead and start with the nursing program at MCC so that life could get on it's way (diagram that sentence ;)). As much as I would really love to work with Americorps (there are some invaluable opportunities out there!) at my core I want to get into school, learn how to help people in a lasting way that I can turn into a vocation. After I'm through the 2 year program (that will probably take more like 3 years because of pre-recs and waiting lists) I will work full time so Ian can have his turn at school.
For now, though, I start school on August 26th with the first Math class I've taken in some time as well as a Biology refresher. It will be interesting to go from being a creative writing major to dissecting a cat.
{For many of you who do not know and are still startled to hear that I am going into nursing--I wanted to be either a nurse or a pediatrician since I was 6 or 7 and got thrown off by a chemistry class in high school, it took me this long to climb back on that horse. I pursued creative writing and literature as a BA and still write as often as I can face the big bad blank white paper/screen. Depending on when you knew me best I contemplated teaching but in the end couldn't face the education system, thought about counseling but it felt too passive and though I firmly believe in psychological therapy, I need a career where I move around and where I can see both
emotional and physical results. So. back to square one and it really feels good.}
As far as our Burundi trip coming up summer 2009, there have been a few changes made. The "away team" has gone and come back to scout out Carama (the region of Burundi we are trying to aid) if you go here you can read the very engaging journal posts by our brilliant and indefatigable program director, Brock. Start from the bottom of the page and work your way up. It sounds like they had a very productive trip. I had a phone conference with the crew last week and there will be a GCJ picnic and meeting when we are in Seattle: August 20th-24th. I'll be able to post more concretely about the project then, but it looks like our water project is changing into an agriculture project. And as always if you go to the GCJ website you can donate to help Ian and myself get to burundi. any money at all is useful. More to come!
-Christine
Friday, July 25, 2008
Touchdown
Oh, moving. It is so humbling to constrain your life within cardboard, so frustrating to realize how much junk you own, so scary, in it's way to scuttle like a hermit crab between shells. In packing up our belongings I was rather gratified to learn that by volume we own more books than anything else, though kitchen implements and clothing were jockeying for a close second.
Needs are needs and I can't really gainsay that, but there are so few material belongings that I actually care about when the chips are down - it makes me wonder at the fact that we haul all of this other nonsense through life with us. There are days I really yearn for a simple and somewhat ascetic life - I think my ideal retirement would be setting up a secular "monastery" with simple furnishings and a sustainable farm and a really good library and some excuse for communal singing. You know, we're all so used to putting in eight hour days for our livelihood already, I wonder if that wouldn't cover the chores are work necessary to meet the needs of a small group of people. Because having eight hours to sleep and eight hours to read and discuss and break bread and make music sounds pretty ideal. Maybe that'll be the next next project.
All this to say we've arrived safely in Arizona, are settling in, and have managed to avoid both melting and spontaneously combusting so far.
After loitering around for three hours waiting for our number to come up, Christine and I were both informed by our respective academic advisors that we had been hopeless optimistic about our educational timetables. We're gonna be here a while. But it's good. I miss Seattle, but I feel being here really brings a sharper focus to our goals. And it is so wonderful watch Christine interact with my family, I am a heartily blessed man.
Postings should become more regular as a routine (Ha!) is established. Thanks all for reading, and I'll blather at you again soon.
-Ian
Needs are needs and I can't really gainsay that, but there are so few material belongings that I actually care about when the chips are down - it makes me wonder at the fact that we haul all of this other nonsense through life with us. There are days I really yearn for a simple and somewhat ascetic life - I think my ideal retirement would be setting up a secular "monastery" with simple furnishings and a sustainable farm and a really good library and some excuse for communal singing. You know, we're all so used to putting in eight hour days for our livelihood already, I wonder if that wouldn't cover the chores are work necessary to meet the needs of a small group of people. Because having eight hours to sleep and eight hours to read and discuss and break bread and make music sounds pretty ideal. Maybe that'll be the next next project.
All this to say we've arrived safely in Arizona, are settling in, and have managed to avoid both melting and spontaneously combusting so far.
After loitering around for three hours waiting for our number to come up, Christine and I were both informed by our respective academic advisors that we had been hopeless optimistic about our educational timetables. We're gonna be here a while. But it's good. I miss Seattle, but I feel being here really brings a sharper focus to our goals. And it is so wonderful watch Christine interact with my family, I am a heartily blessed man.
Postings should become more regular as a routine (Ha!) is established. Thanks all for reading, and I'll blather at you again soon.
-Ian
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Well, to catch things up a bit: We have less than a week now before we head out to Arizona. I have had a few phone interviews and have some face to face interviews coming up when we get there. Ian's been pretty much guaranteed a job at the restaurant he used to work at.
Packing is most certainly not my favorite past time. We have way more meaningless belongings than I thought we had, not to mention the amount of clothing that people have given to me that i just never say no to--even though it doesn't fit! But this is why i love moving. I love to purge. (not to mention my nomadic tendencies) We never really realize how much useless stuff we keep around until we have to fit it all neatly into boxes.
So next on the agenda is a goodwill run. Which brings me to a little rant. Thrift stores. Around Seattle we have two main options in thrift stores: Good Will and Value Village. There are a few others but more or less these are the two that the masses frequent. I will be taking our no-longer-needed belongings to Good Will because Value Village, though marketed like a non-profit is just the opposite. You take your clothes there, they sell them for their own profit. You take your clothes to Good Will, and they are sold so the company can offer education, occupation and training to people who are: welfare dependant, homeless, and who lack the education or work experience needed to find a job, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities (directly quoted from goodwill.org). So friends, take a second, wherever you are, and look up the info on your local thrift store. If it's not a non-profit please find one that is. It's really an easy way to help out the community.
-Christine
Packing is most certainly not my favorite past time. We have way more meaningless belongings than I thought we had, not to mention the amount of clothing that people have given to me that i just never say no to--even though it doesn't fit! But this is why i love moving. I love to purge. (not to mention my nomadic tendencies) We never really realize how much useless stuff we keep around until we have to fit it all neatly into boxes.
So next on the agenda is a goodwill run. Which brings me to a little rant. Thrift stores. Around Seattle we have two main options in thrift stores: Good Will and Value Village. There are a few others but more or less these are the two that the masses frequent. I will be taking our no-longer-needed belongings to Good Will because Value Village, though marketed like a non-profit is just the opposite. You take your clothes there, they sell them for their own profit. You take your clothes to Good Will, and they are sold so the company can offer education, occupation and training to people who are: welfare dependant, homeless, and who lack the education or work experience needed to find a job, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities (directly quoted from goodwill.org). So friends, take a second, wherever you are, and look up the info on your local thrift store. If it's not a non-profit please find one that is. It's really an easy way to help out the community.
-Christine
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
First Things First
Aqua vitae
n. Strong distilled alcohol, especially a strong liquor such as whiskey or brandy. [Medieval Latin: water of life]
Hello, Ian here. The first steps into anything tend to be rather intimidating, and I'm slowly discovering that first blog posts are no exception (especially when you already have something like a ten year plan for the blog - oy vey!). But after much hemming and hawing Christine has convinced me that getting something down is the important thing, journey of a thousand miles etc. etc. so here we are.
To distract myself from the beginning of this voyage, why don't we concentrate on the eventual goal for a moment? After all our various preparations and diversions are completed, it is our hope to be able to open a nonprofit bar that benefits humanitarian organizations. The guiding theory behind this is that improving other people's lives should be as easy and accessible as possible. I believe that there is a vast and largely untapped demographic in America of people who would be happy to contribute to worthy causes if they were presented the opportunity in the course of their everyday lives. People who might get behind the idea of the profits of their happy hour cocktails being used to produce clean water halfway across the world. And for the people who make a lifestyle out of charity already, this is just one more avenue for them to contribute. Not only is there the direct monetary donation, there is also the added bonus of gathering local humanitarian minded people in one place - and plying them with alcohol! Who knows what corollary consequences could result from that kind of community!
In future posts I'll share more particulars and a bit of the history, but for the time being I humbly submit to you the premise of Aqua Vitae, a Humanitarian Bar. Here's hoping.
Thanks for being here with us (or reading through the archives if that's the case :D) for our first steps towards this goal.
-Ian
n. Strong distilled alcohol, especially a strong liquor such as whiskey or brandy. [Medieval Latin: water of life]
Hello, Ian here. The first steps into anything tend to be rather intimidating, and I'm slowly discovering that first blog posts are no exception (especially when you already have something like a ten year plan for the blog - oy vey!). But after much hemming and hawing Christine has convinced me that getting something down is the important thing, journey of a thousand miles etc. etc. so here we are.
To distract myself from the beginning of this voyage, why don't we concentrate on the eventual goal for a moment? After all our various preparations and diversions are completed, it is our hope to be able to open a nonprofit bar that benefits humanitarian organizations. The guiding theory behind this is that improving other people's lives should be as easy and accessible as possible. I believe that there is a vast and largely untapped demographic in America of people who would be happy to contribute to worthy causes if they were presented the opportunity in the course of their everyday lives. People who might get behind the idea of the profits of their happy hour cocktails being used to produce clean water halfway across the world. And for the people who make a lifestyle out of charity already, this is just one more avenue for them to contribute. Not only is there the direct monetary donation, there is also the added bonus of gathering local humanitarian minded people in one place - and plying them with alcohol! Who knows what corollary consequences could result from that kind of community!
In future posts I'll share more particulars and a bit of the history, but for the time being I humbly submit to you the premise of Aqua Vitae, a Humanitarian Bar. Here's hoping.
Thanks for being here with us (or reading through the archives if that's the case :D) for our first steps towards this goal.
-Ian
Monday, June 16, 2008
Ch-ch-ch-changes: The beginning of the beginning.
Ian and I have slightly less than one month before we throw all of our belongings into a gas guzzler of a truck and move to sunny, not to mention sweaty, Arizona. Seattle has been all winter in preperation for our big change and I have to ask myself if this is the universe, or god/God?, telling us to soak up the chill while we have the chance. But as Ian remarked, "this higher power is a bit melodramatic, 42 degrees in june is over-kill."
I set up this blog about 6 months ago in hopes of documenting our journey from here to there, present to future. This move feels like the kick off to the rest of whatever. Seattle is where our hearts lie; it's just a little too comfortable to get us moving. So we are moving. From family and friends to family and friends and school.
The plan
is to move to Arizona from Seattle, get our first apartment, a place for just the two of us--and the cats, of course. Ian will go to school to get a small business degree and will continue to work as a server in hopes of moving up to bartending. I will (hopefully) be spending my first year in the desert working with Americorps and then using that education stipend that they give you in the end to fund nursing school. Once we're both done with our degrees it's off to Peace Corps. Then after we travel a bit back to Seattle for Aqua Vitae and The Grill Next Door, and maybe some traveling nursing in between.
But for now Ian is finishing up work at PF Changs and will be done on the 3rd of July. I'll be done with the mailroom at Deloitte on July 2nd. July will be spent saying goodbye to our city and the loved ones we will miss so much, if we're lucky we'll get another http://www.myspace.com/thetailenders (tailenders) show before we leave. I have lived here for 7 years. and Ian's heart has been here for 6. It'll be a bittersweet farewell.
As Far as Logistics Go:
I've packed 3 boxes to date which i count as totally ahead of the game seeing as i've got a month to go. We have 2 hotels reserved for the drive which i got rockin deals on through priceline! And a truck reserved with Budget for the drive. We are trying to diligently save our pennies and nickles (along with green monies) for the ever skyrocketing gas prices. We pretty much have the kittens decked out for the drive. (not looking forward to driving 28 hours with 2 cats in the small cab of a great big truck!) Our lovely roomate (vet-tech) Kelly suggested using Benadryl to sedate them; we got them a large crate to hang out in and some treats and good food for the road. Hopefully they won't be in hell the whole time. Still trying to find creative ways to make this move as cheap and easy as at all possible. Have any ideas? drop us an email or a comment. It will be most appreciated.
I'm hoping to update every other monday, and maybe I can gouge Ian into updating every other monday. Until next time...
-Christine
I set up this blog about 6 months ago in hopes of documenting our journey from here to there, present to future. This move feels like the kick off to the rest of whatever. Seattle is where our hearts lie; it's just a little too comfortable to get us moving. So we are moving. From family and friends to family and friends and school.
The plan
is to move to Arizona from Seattle, get our first apartment, a place for just the two of us--and the cats, of course. Ian will go to school to get a small business degree and will continue to work as a server in hopes of moving up to bartending. I will (hopefully) be spending my first year in the desert working with Americorps and then using that education stipend that they give you in the end to fund nursing school. Once we're both done with our degrees it's off to Peace Corps. Then after we travel a bit back to Seattle for Aqua Vitae and The Grill Next Door, and maybe some traveling nursing in between.
But for now Ian is finishing up work at PF Changs and will be done on the 3rd of July. I'll be done with the mailroom at Deloitte on July 2nd. July will be spent saying goodbye to our city and the loved ones we will miss so much, if we're lucky we'll get another http://www.myspace.com/thetailenders (tailenders) show before we leave. I have lived here for 7 years. and Ian's heart has been here for 6. It'll be a bittersweet farewell.
As Far as Logistics Go:
I've packed 3 boxes to date which i count as totally ahead of the game seeing as i've got a month to go. We have 2 hotels reserved for the drive which i got rockin deals on through priceline! And a truck reserved with Budget for the drive. We are trying to diligently save our pennies and nickles (along with green monies) for the ever skyrocketing gas prices. We pretty much have the kittens decked out for the drive. (not looking forward to driving 28 hours with 2 cats in the small cab of a great big truck!) Our lovely roomate (vet-tech) Kelly suggested using Benadryl to sedate them; we got them a large crate to hang out in and some treats and good food for the road. Hopefully they won't be in hell the whole time. Still trying to find creative ways to make this move as cheap and easy as at all possible. Have any ideas? drop us an email or a comment. It will be most appreciated.
I'm hoping to update every other monday, and maybe I can gouge Ian into updating every other monday. Until next time...
-Christine
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