Results of Community Night on February 21, 2011!!!

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FINALLY!!!!!

So I finally cracked down and decided to post again. It's been quite a while since I have posted anything of substance on this blog, so I figured I'd give you updates on what's been going on in my life, and what better way to do this than by PICTURES!!!

N.B. Captions are UNDER the pictures

As volunteers, you can imagine free stuff is something that is cherished (moreso than a free t-shirt in college, if that's possible), and even better than free stuff is GOOD free stuff. So WAAAYYY back on September 25 of the year 2010 (yes, it has been that long since I've posted anything more than broken promises), several members of Casa Thea Bowman traveled across The Bay for "Opera at the Ballpark" at AT&T Park. This was a free event where anyone could show up and sit on the field or in the stands and they simulcast-ed a live performance of Aida onto the Jumbotron. This satisfied two of my pleasures: I love free stuff and the baseball fan in me got to roam about the field (of course I didn't realize the horrors that would occur on this field in the near future, ever bruising my memory of the Phillies while I am a JV).

I went right from work to the Opera to hold a spot for us. The woman with the mic is the weather lady for some news station and did the weather right next to me. She's holding garlic fries, which I have heard are really good, and recently read from some anonymous person on a blog that they're better than Crab Fries...I'll have to taste them to believe it.

Speaking of steroids...




Lots of people attended!

MCCOVEY COVE!!


Bad picture of this women singing the National Anthem, but the reason I took it is because I'm the one on the far left of the screen with the red sweatshirt on (my Phillies WFC sweatshirt).



Next on my picture journal is an A's game I went to on September 27. With the free theme, it was a bobblehead giveaway celebrating Dallas Braden's perfect game. They played the Rangers who won easily.
Free stuff during this upcoming season includes a Ricky Henderson bobblehead and (you probably should sit down before reading this) a MC Hammer bobblehead (mind-blowing, I know)



More baseball history...right across the bay!



Continuing on our journey through my blog-less months: another expedition into San Francisco with other JV's who came up from LA (because we are so freakin' cool!).


Ain't the sea lions...err...cute?!

Happy 20th Anniversary (one sea lion celebrated by throwing up; apparently his/her way of getting more room for him/herself--I should try that sometime on BART)


mmm...delicious (FREE!!!!!) Ghiradelli chocolate.


Sourdough bread at Bodin Bakery along the Bay. We went on the day of the first game of the NLCS, Phillies vs. Giants. I wore some Phillies gear, and got gently ribbed throughout the day, and went to watch the game at a hotel sports bar with one guy from the LA house. My luck, he is actually a pretty intense Giants fan (he said he was rooting for the Giants, but I knew/thought his full allegiance was to the Orioles) who ended up being the most vocal Giants supporter in the bar and almost got kicked out for arguing quite loudly with another Phillies fan. We watched at a place called Knuckles, so I guess that's what you get. I sent a picture text of the bread to my brother and Dad saying something along the lines of, "Roy is going to eat the Giants up;" karma's a b****.

Document your lunch (I really hope that line's not copyrighted). 10 JVC points to those who get this reference.

Silly people taking pictures of Lombard Street--clearly they're tourists

I live in the Bay area, so I'm NOT a tourist

Just one more of the Golden Gate, aptly named on this typical foggy day.


A few of Casa T-Bow had a little hike in Tilden Park. Not many pictures taken, but the hills of Berkeley and Oakland add many scenic views.


Deer on the trail, kind of too close for comfort

A new species...some large bull/cow-like creature, and large is an understatement: it was so far away and so BIG; this is 15x zoom on my camera.




Being so near Cal Berkeley, I/we had to take advantage of their athletics. Conveniently, they played #1 Oregon at home, and, conveniently, they have a hill (Tightwad Hill) where you can watch the game, mostly unobstructed, for FREE (see a theme?). Cal lost (obviously), but it was a really close game, a game Cal theoretically could/should have won.


It's a fun climb to the viewing spot...
...but the view of the game and the Bay is worth it. It was really cool being around the game-day experience of a real football school; but I'll take my basketball experiences at Georgetown quite happily.






Time for a little community talk (quickly, I promise): we had a great idea of doing one-on-ones with each housemate. Well, we partially got through one round, and then stopped. But before stopping, me and my one-on-one biked to Emeryville, to see the Pixar gate and parking lot (can't do any more, since there are no tours), but it was still kind of cool.


That's it for now, I hope you all enjoy. Another picture update comes when I have enough motivation to upload other pictures. I promise it will be soon, and I really hope to continue updating more often for the rest of the year (we had our re-orientation at the end of January, and this was a promise I made to myself...follow-through)

Stay tuned for redwoods, wine country and Christmas around the Bay!

Broken Promises...

To satisfy those who care about me and want to know about my lives, specifically one friend who is currently bugging me about my broken promise from last post, let's just call him "Brian", I'll try to get a close-to-midyear-update this week.

We have a retreat this upcoming weekend, our Re-Orientation, so if I don't post before then, I'll give an update after that.

So stay tuned, and I publicly send my apologies to "Brian"

OOPS!!!!

So I realized I haven't updated in an obnoxiously long time, and so give my promise to anyone who might be bored one day and happen upon my blog again that I will post by the end of this year...2010, so the end of this month.

But in the mean time: CLIFF LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One month down...much more fun to go

So blogging on blogspot.com is really cool. No really, while trying to think of something legitimate on which I could waste my time writing on, I was perusing the "stats" section of my profile, which gives some details on number of page-views and where people are viewing from. Now I know I've looked at my page often (hoping desperately for comments or more followers), but apparently there have been 250 total page views, 223 of them are from the US, but I also have had 5 each from the United Kingdom and Mexico (gracias!), 4 from Canada, 3 from Germany (danke!), 2 each from China, Italy and Lebanon, and 1 each from Australia and Brazil. 30% of my page-views have come from people using Firefox (like me!) and 30% have come from people using Internet Explorer. 52% of page-views have come from people using Windows (get a Mac), while 41% comes from Mac users (good choice), with 2% from iPhone users and 1% from Blackberry users. 70 of my page-views have come from my link on Facebook, while I have gotten 21 pageviews from people who viewed a website: Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit (here's the specific link of my post (use the "Listen Now" feature, very creepy): What I miss about Georgetown). I do apologize for throwing these numbers out at you (blame it on the Math major in me), but I find it both fascinating and frightening at the same time that the web can keep track of so much information. But given the number of page views, I still only have 6 followers...come on people!

So as this post's title indicates, I have been here for over a month now. I am still not sure how much of my work experience I will post on this blog. I doubt I will give many stories about my job especially when they involve the clients, since, one, I've signed a confidentiality agreement and two, I wouldn't want my life and troubles plastered all over the internet (and clearly information goes pretty far even on a small blog like mine). So I will let you know now that I wouldn't expect to hear intimate stories about my job over the course of this year; I just don't feel comfortable giving out that information. I'll definitely write things I've learned through the year, but I feel like it will be more general topics rather than specifics.

On that note, I'll switch topics to living in community and relating to the 4 values of JVC (spirituality, social justice, simple living and community). So far we ('we' as in my house community) have been living without internet and we do not have cable (although our television does work and gets several stations like Fox, CBS and ION). This is something I expected coming into this year: living on a small monthly stipend means that every decision regarding money and expenses becomes so much more important; I simply cannot afford to do things without thinking that spending money now, means less spending later. And going without internet was going to be a real test: I spent countless hours in college on the internet just passing time (thank you very much Facebook); I don't know how life went on before the internet. We've all heard the argument of the internet being a blessing and a curse countless times before, so I won't go into that. I get access to the internet at work, so I can check my gmail on a regular basis. And when I have time on the weekends, I can go to the Berkeley Public Library and get internet (like right now). But there are times when having internet at home would be easier. And there are some people who don't use the internet regularly at work or don't get it at all. With this in mind, we had a internet discussion this week on whether or not to invest in internet. Given that we have 8 people, the money was not a large factor in our decision making process and could not be a scape goat (it should come out to no more than $5 a person per month, very reasonable even on a limited budget). But the large decision was how does internet usage fit in with these values of living simply and living in community. I fear that great evil of the internet-that it will become a distraction to our living in an intentional community, and it seems like having internet would go beyond living simply (for me at least). But we had a conversation about the internet. I had been going back in forth in my head thinking I want it at some point and not want it at others. Mostly I want it for reasons of being able to try and find streaming websites to watch Phillies game, Eagles games and Hoyas games, and to stay current with a few tv shows (House, White Collar, etc), and so I came to a vote of yes. Of course when we sat down and started discussing the internet, I went back to my fear of a breaking down of community and of it not allowing us to live simply, and started going back to thinking maybe we shouldn't get the internet. It was quite interesting that during our conversation we focused a lot on living simply, and finding alternative ways to living simply. With 8 different people in the room, there were 8 different definitions of living simply in the room. And I think that's the beauty of living in intentional community; that, while having 8 different people living together can cause tension and conflict at times, so much else is brought to the table that it counteracts any tensions. We are lucky that there aren't extremely strong personalities in the house, and so dialogue can occur and I think it brings us that much closer and builds our community more. We've been here for one month and known each other for about a month and a half, but I definitely feel like our community has grown stronger each passing week. I finally ended up voting in favor of the internet (which we'll get in our home soon) and I still fear that people will wind up on their computers more, especially on work days, when most people have been relaxing in our common room either reading, watching a movie or talking after dinner, but given the attitudes of our community, I will feel comfortable bringing this issue up again if the internet comes between us...and I'm pretty sure this means our community is heading in the right direction.

I'll be keeping you updated on community life a lot through the year, but until I decide to post next time, go Phillies!!!!

(p.s. The internet discussion paragraph was more a stream of consciousness writing, so I apologize for the lack of fluidity in the paragraph)

Georgetown, JVC and The Shawshank Redemption

Happy September!

So, two and a half weeks of work have passed and I am still enjoying myself. Maybe it’s because my whole life up to May 22, 2010 had consisted primarily of class and homework, and now my life consists of 8:30 am to 5 pm weekdays of work and I can come home and not have to worry about any assignments due the next day. I am not implying that it is easier, since I come home exhausted and am usually in bed by 11 or 11:30 (a far cry from my normal 2 or 3 am bedtime at Georgetown). Also, while I always tried to stay attentive, some class lectures were not important and I did not need to be “on my game,” whereas at work I need to be always attentive and ready for whatever comes up. But I like being busy and having things to do; there have been a few days when I have an hour to kill and end up doing nothing, which is a complete bore, but I’ll probably end up eating my words on those days when I feel like I’m way too busy. This week is going good so far. I am on my own now since my FBI background check cleared; the guy I have been shadowing the first two weeks is back on the floor and I have the ability to be alone with the clients. Between Monday and Tuesday I had a doctor’s appointment and 3 dental appointments (totaling at least 12 cavity fillings). I accompany the clients into their appointments, which is interesting since I can see and hear how the examination goes, but also boring since cavities take a while to drill and I hate the sound of the drill. On the plus side, I’ll be able to read a lot of Sports Illustrated when I take clients to their appointments! (I got through the whole summer double issue yesterday, even the articles I wouldn’t usually read)

It’s really weird to be writing this when I know today is the first day of classes at Georgetown. Even though this is the first time since before my Senior Year at The Prep I did not move in to Georgetown, I am more than happy with my current situation. The Bay Area is a great place to live, the people I work with are nice, I am enjoying serving the population I am serving, and my housemates are awesome (they know about this blog, so I pretty much have to say something positive about them…at least for now, since we’ve only lived in our house for almost 3 weeks). I still miss my weekly traditions at Georgetown, like the $1 Vanilla Coke from Vittles or Snaxa (maybe because soda is a luxury that I can only afford with 3 gallon bottles of non-name brand soda at the dollar store), GUGS burgers (maybe because of the 8 people in our house, 3 are vegetarians, and meat is expensive, so we’ve been going sans meat for most of our dinners. Fortunately, I get lunch at work and they don’t go light on meat :) ), GPB events (Ace of Cakes at Georgetown really makes me jealous), and Steck’s Mass and the 7:30/8pm Mass (I’ll leave Pep Band off this list for the moment, since it’s not basketball season yet). I get a little taste of the 8pm Mass at the Church I’ve been going to, since they use the same Gloria, only they do not do it nearly as well as at Georgetown.

When we moved into our house we found a large selection of VHS movies that has accumulated through the years. While there are some movies that leave much to be desired (Circle of Friends probably tops this list…if you don’t know what it is, don’t waste your time finding out), there are some treasures in the pile, like Field of Dreams and The Shawshank Redemption. We’ve watched a few movies so far, and watched The Shawshank Redemption last week. (WARNING: This is where I am throwing spirituality in) If you’ve seen it, you know it is a great movie, and I highly advise anyone to watch it if you haven’t yet already. One of the key facets of the movie is hope versus fear (the movie posters note that “Fear can hold you prisoner; Hope can set you free”), and, with a touching ending, hope wins out. But it really makes me realize how important hope is in my life. For as much as I tell myself otherwise, I don’t like change. Anytime I arrive at a new situation, I always get nervous because of fear of the unknown. I get comfortable in my life and usually don’t want things to change. That’s not to say that I don’t like variety in my life; I like unexpected things happening, just as long as their in the framework of a normal life. I don’t know if this clarifies what I mean or just makes it more confusing, but I like spontaneous normalcy. One quote from Morgan Freeman’s character in The Shawshank Redemption, Red, drives my point home: “Terrible thing, to live in fear. Brooks Hatlen knew it. Knew it all too well. All I want is to be back where things make sense.” I like when things make sense. I was a wreck the night before I moved into New South at Georgetown back in August of 2006. I was so afraid of beginning college and changing my life that I kept tossing and turning in bed and got very little sleep that night. Similarly before I left for JVC, I was down Cape May for my family’s annual week down the shore. That was normal and I always look forward to that vacation. But this year I had to leave halfway through to begin my life in the “real world.” I got back home after 1 am and had a flight in a few hours. I didn’t get any sleep at home, one, because I had to finish packing, but two, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep because I was nervous and afraid. In both instances, what I was afraid of. I couldn’t tell you; I just was afraid of change. But in both instances, and throughout my life, change has never been a bad thing. I could probably have done better (and gotten more sleep) had I hoped instead of feared. I was so nervous of things going wrong (not like other people either at Georgetown or JVC, not enjoying myself, etc) that I never could see the positives that could come (and hope for good things to happen). One of my favorite lines from the movie (it’s one of several on my Facebook favorite quotes) is, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” I remember my Mom telling me before we left for the airport that all I could do was trust in the Lord (see I told you spirituality was coming). And for me, looking in hindsight, that is so true. Whether you want to call it trusting in the Lord, or hope, or any other way you may put it, it is essential for human life. If we didn’t hope that life would be worth living, that we get something out of waking up every morning, then we would all be living in fear, either fearing inevitable death or some other fear that would consume our lives. For me, placing my trust in Jesus that I will be taken care of is comforting and soothing; and it’s that same thing with hope: hoping that all will be well in the unknown future is comforting. And just like at Georgetown, I have been taken care of for my first month as a Jesuit Volunteer in Berkeley.

I don’t know if this is something I’ll continue doing, but I liked adding pictures to my last blog post. So I’ll do it again: my casa went into San Francisco on Saturday and just walked, but saw many iconic landmarks:

The Beginning: Orientation

I apologize for not updating this blog for months, but here is a new post. Here are the basics: I am living in Berkeley, CA (but will be working in Oakland, so technically my blog title is still somewhat correct) with 8 people total: 6 girls, 2 guys. If you want my address for whatever reason, you can email me or ask for it in the comments section and I'll be happy to send it to you (I just don't want to publicize the address all over the web).

We got to Berkeley on Thursday, after a 5 day orientation at a retreat camp on Aptos, CA. It was right on the Pacific Ocean and the beach, so needless to say it was incredible. It was even better by the fact that I left my vacation down the shore in Jersey on Friday, and then was on the opposite coast's beach on Saturday. Overall, orientation was alright, plently of meeting the 70-80 Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) who are working in the Southwest region (Arizona and California). The days seemed long, as the anticipation of getting to our house and getting started with our new lives was palpable. After talks about boundaries, relationships, spirituality, and community, and after having a week of delicious (mostly vegetarian) food, we finally got to leave and go to our house. We (when I refer to 'we' I most likely mean my house: Casa Thea Bowman...look her up) were driven in a van by a supervisor at one of our JV placements, and we were accompanied by 4 other JVs that are living in the Oakland house (Casa Dorothy Day...again, look her up). While you can tell that our house has been occupied by JVs for many years in the past, the house is great and we were surprised with a plethora of food items that the old house left for us.

I start work on Monday, although half of our house had orientations on Friday. Needless to say, I am excited and anxious to start work and actually know what I am doing. Overall, I want to get into some sort of routine for this year, which, for me, will make life much more comfortable.

I know that I'm not the best "blogger", so I apologize for lack of order, but from time to time I'll probably be writing about things relating to my spiritual and religious life, most of which will probably have a Jesuit bias towards them. One of my favorite quotes is from the Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins who wrote: "The world is charged with the grandeur of God." (It is the first line of a short poem he wrote). I had two examples of this at orientation.

The first came during a time of silence. I was on the beach praying the rosary when I saw a mass of black moving across the ocean; it was a whole array of birds flying across the ocean. Now I'm not great with the English language, so it will be hard to relate what I actually saw and make a good visual for you, but there were THOUSANDS of birds flying. They flew a short way and then stopped over the ocean and were flying around in a large circle; some birds were on the water while others were flying low but over the ocean. Each time I would look behind me, I would see about 5 or 6 more flying towards the group. I don't know what they were doing (I would guess feeding), but it was a humbling sight. They remained in the one area for a long time, and eventually flew further out over the ocean, remaining in a large group. It was utterly astounding, I had never seen that many birds in one place at one time, it was something I would expect to see on Planet Earth or a similar Discovery Channel show. I just took it all in: the birds were in nature and were uninterrupted by anything I was doing. I apologize, because I know I am not doing this scene justice, but all I could think about was God and how the sand beneath my feet was from God and because of God, and it filled me with a sense of being that humbled me and reminded me that it's not just me in this world, nor just people in this world; and it was just beautiful.

I am not going to explain the second example, but just give you 2 pictures, both taken on the last night of Orientation after our Missioning Mass. Think of the quote while viewing these pictures; I believe there's nothing more to be said or could be said about them: