Tornado watch! Which means no work.

No internet means fewer updates because when I DO get internet I am distracted by all of the magical websites out there that I forget all about this silly blog.

Also I'm lazy.

Quick updates followed my pictures:

Things are super!
I love working with the parks.
I love the team.

I am sick of the team environment though.
I can't tell you how much of a blessing it is going to be, to be the support team leader. God new what he was doing with this one. If I was stuck in a team situation for another 10 months, someone would surely die. Now, I will have a room to myself on a campus mostly to myself, working a steady job, in an office, with the perk of leading a team for one round. Excited.

I built a bridge. I laid mulch on a trail. I haven't cut down trees in a few days though.... I cleared an Indian mound of undergrowth.... I'm living outdoors in nature while I work. It's pretty damn awesome.

I leave for Bay St. Louis on May 5. Construction work for a week.
Then graduation.
Then home.
Then more AmeriCorps.

Bridge building

Aaron and I reconstructed a pillars built by the original CCC

Indian mound we cleared undergrowth off of. Much larger in real life.

Finally measured my 22s

I'm clearly paying attention to the Ranger

We will be friends for many many years to come. 

I'm moving to Tennessee

I am in McDonald’s working on a “paper” or so I told the man sitting across from me so he wouldn’t feel the urge to chat with me. He wants to sit at this table so he can play some stupid game McDonald’s now has at every booth in their restaurant. It’s making annoying noises. He chews with his mouth open. He has a friend who is sitting next to him not doing anything. Why the hell does McDonald’s have 50 different forms of entertainment throughout their place? It’s not enough they’re feeding people shit that makes them feel sluggish and apathetic? Now they have to entice them into staying forever and contribute to their laziness? I’m not exactly happy that McDonald’s is out source for the internet… I’m sitting in a greasy booth, with the smell of fatty food lingering about, listening to the bullshit beeping from the fry cooker and the obnoxious jingling coming from the game of  this… wonderful creature of a human sitting across from me.

I’m grumpy.

I’m exhausted.

…so I’m grumpy.

This program is wearing me out. It’s not even a tough round. It’s an easy round. I’m losing steam… my term is almost finished. And then I start my next term. Woo-wee….

__________

The man across from me keeps dancing in his seat every time he wins his game.

I want to punch him.

Okay, enough complaining.

Jackson Cave - First Day of Work

How’s Nashville you ask? Well, I don’t know. I’ve only been in the city once, for literally 30 minutes, to get my fingerprints done for STL. I live in Cedars of Lebanon which is the State Park in Lebanon, TN. Lebanon, is a small town trying to get bigger. It’s nice enough, a lot of chain restaurants, a big outlet mall, and farms. Living in a State Park though? AWESOME. I have a hiking trail that literally leads up to my back door. I wake up to a view of the forest every morning, I have incredible trails to run daily, I’ve learned enough about the trees and birds in this region I can call them out by sight, and I have my own room in a wonderful little cabin, with a cute little front porch.

Part of the trail in my backyard

It’s been a great location.

The work? Well, I’ve been able to use my chainsaw just about every day on the trail. I’m pretty awesome at felling trees. It’s my favorite thing to do and I get excited when the trees get bigger and bigger. When I’m not sawing I’m lopping branches off of trees and making trails wider. We’ve built 5 animal shelters out of these cut/limbed trees.

Limbing trees

Aaron next to one of the animal shelters

Yesterday I hiked 7 miles and did trail maintenance. It was probably the best day of work so far. Beautiful weather, great trail/view, and we found campsites. Monday we’re building a bridge? Or something awesome like that. Wednesday we’re going to be working in a stream to promote dragonfly populations. I’m supposed to be working in an archaeological park near Indian mounds at some point to. I LOVE THIS PROJECT.

Kari and I on our 7 mile work hike

We have spring break next Friday to Monday. I think I’m going to Memphis with a teammate? He lives there and has invited us to visit his home and family. We just have to get the van approved for the trip.

Then, one final week of work and I’m off to Bay St. Louis for two weeks to work construction. Then I graduate. Then I go home for ten days. Then I go back to Vicksburg, MS for eleven months.

Shit… is getting real.

I'm not grumpy anymore. I just needed to type it out I guess.  

Clinically insane? Probably.

Well hello again, to all my friends....

I've been in Vicksburg, MS for transition since last Monday. Going through more trainings, meetings, debriefs, briefings, the norm. It's been with my new team though, which has been super nice. Kari and Aaron are on the composite team with me, and I have three new friends from River unit, Jon, John, and Colin. Jamison is out Team Leader. We're going to be a kick ass team. Nashville Tennessee to help restore State Parks? Yes, please! We leave on Tuesday and start work on Wednesday.

I've contacted a man in Nashville who works in setting up community gardens and educating locals in healthy eating. I'm hoping to work heavily with him and create some long lasting connections in that area.

Funding. If you aren't following the budget cuts, particularly the one related to CNCS, Obama has extended the deadline until April 8. So we're left in the dark, again, about what will happen with AmeriCorps. Part of me is okay with this toying of my emotions, no set answer, but only because it means we aren't being shut down... yet. The other part wants to kick and scream, "You idiots! Clearly if it's causing this much of a ruckus it's because these programs you're trying to shut down are NEEDED!"

...

As of right now, I will be in this program until April 8. On that day, there will either be a freeze on our funds and we will be sent back to campus, without graduating, to wait... for what? Who bloody knows. I assume we will be sent home. If we are not sent to campus/home on April 8 it will be because the Senate finally came to their senses and realize they should fund something like citizens getting involved in their communities OR Obama signed some other piece of paper to extend the deadline for a few more weeks.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I was called into Brendan's (my unit leader) office last Tuesday. He offered me the position of Support Team Leader for the June class. It took me a couple days of intense back-and-forth emotions, long conversations with the current STLs and Brendan, many many many questions, support from my siblings and parents..... and I finally said yes.

It's not the position I wanted. I wanted Field Team Leader and it took Brendan a little bit of schmoozing to get me to see the perks of the position... It was ultimately my decision and even after just about every current STL I talked to told me it was the most stressful thing ever and if I thought even just a little bit that I might not want it, I should RUN.... I still said yes.

It's going to be hard. It's going to be stressful. It's going to be boring, and lonely, and I'm going to hate it at times. But there is just so much to learn from this position, get my foot in the door for the professional world, learn the behind-the-scenes of a workplace other than at a daycare, network!, and be that leader I've always seen myself becoming one day.

I'm scared, sure, but I know this is where my life is supposed to go next. The South isn't through with me yet. I'm very excited for this next year.

I need to buy a car though...which means more saving, less boozing.