Categories: uncategorized
Date: 18 December 2006 06:14:44
tonight's desert wasn't that bad. [is it dessert? or desert? i think the water deficient sandy land is desert... and i think the post-evening-meal course is also 'desert'... or does it have two S's? who knows. well, i'm sure some of you do. but for the moment i'm going to pretend that i don't have access to anything spell-check.]
made 6 batches of pumpkin bread today... and a pan of brownies... and chocolate for fondu... and i have a few more things to wash in the kitchen, otherwise it looks good! ...just finished packing a box to take to work tomorrow - filled with mini-loaves of pumpkin bread for coworkers. and for people in the building whom i don't work with directly? they get a small baggie of soft peppermints tied w/ a curly ribbon. yes, i've been busy this weekend.
actually, yesterday was very interesting.
I volunteered to help with the church's Affordable Christmas event... items were dontated and purchased (toys, clothes, tots - teens) and a turkey dinner was given as a gift... there was gift wrapping offered... anyway, the items were offered at affordable costs for families...but the family still had to invest $. For example, it was suggested they budget $10 per child. Coats were $2-3, toys were $1 - $5 at the most. And the dinner was free (frozen turkey + four side items)
After the family registered, before they started to shop, they came to a Welcome Room w/ refreshments and nice people to talk to [i was one of them]. It became apparent early on that there was no detail organization going on here... so I took the lead. i was the Welcome Room Go To Girl.... kind of made the flow happen. (this was the 1st year for Affordable Christmas... we worked out a lot of kinks).
Anyway, i got to practice delegating... being in charge... asking people to do things... and being the point-person on a project. It's a different skill set than the one I use in my job, and I rather liked it. I was even telling men what to do! Actually, by the end of the event, I was very comfortable in my role... and would welcome the opportunity to serve next year. I emailed some feedback and suggestions to the event planner (he's a pastoral intern at the church... this was his pet project this fall)
unfortunately I didn't get to know too many people, however I was able to facilitate communication between families and other volunteers, hopefully helped make families feel welcome, and plugged volunteers in so they could help the project go according to plan.
It was a good day overall.... but I have to say I was bummed when it was over. I helped clean up... and noticed that most people left with others... friends, significant others, husbands/wives. I havne't been there long enough to know many people, so I had a very, very small pity party for myself in my mind... but hopefully next year I'll know more people. I jsut think this time of year is really difficult, for whatever reason, when someone is single.
And I totally get bummed when my friends get married, they start hanging out with other married couples, and then I don't get invited to Game Night because the numbers would be off. Whatever. It's almost like they forget what it's like to be single - and, let's remember, it wasn't that long ago that we were all single together... now it seems as though I'm the token single friend... and interestingly enough the minute they get married they no longer know any more single friends! not that it's their respoinsibility to play Matchmaker... but ...whatever.
I work with women and children... i've said that before. But yesterday's experience was good if for no other reason because I got to interact with a few men. All of whom were attached, but still - that's progress. It's almost as though I need to practice. I can go days at a time without interacting with a guy (with the exception of the janitor whom I greet in the evenings on my way out the door). It's different getting to know a man (non-romatic) than it is getting to know a woman - it's a different skill set, if you will.
After I had been delegating for the past 4 hours to a guy...let's call him Graham... (we were decorating a room w/ ribbons and bows for some other event this weekend) I had asked him to change what he was doing - do it this way? or how about that? ...and then I made fun of myself to him - about how I've been bossing him around all day. Do you know what he said to me? He said that he found me refreshing. ...that's very kind. I was a bit out of my comfort zone, but amazingly enough it didn't totally turn people off, or make me into a b*t*h because I was telling people what to do. (although, I must admit, in those situations - mass volunteer projects - if there is no leader... if someone says something WITHOUT confidence, it's just mass caios and confusion and nothing is efficient... so let's just say I got to practice being bold)
Ah, friends... i just looked at the clock and realize my time with you is over for now... until we meet again - take care, be well, and drink a bit of ale.