happenings

Wow, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! Though, I do mean crazy in a good way. We have been very busy but not overwhelmed. So, this is nice. As noted, we participated in a press conference touting the S-CHIP funding with Sen. Durbin and Rep. Emanuel on Saturday at Children's Memorial Hospital. It was pretty surreal. I did manage to get my statement read, with some anxiety, but was able to control my nervousness pretty well. Sadly, I was not quoted in the paper,
but it was still a worthwhile experience.

Yesterday, after church, Graham and I spent the afternoon baking bread and cooking up a pot of vegetarian gumbo. We then took it over to a local homeless shelter for vets. This was our first time doing this, and we are planning to make it a monthly activity. I would love to do it more often, though our finances are tight. So, cooking for a group of people is tricky. We got creative and made a large meal at a minimal cost. We had an absolutely delightful time. Sandra, from our church, joined us for a little while and brought veggies and dessert. This shelter is a transitional, long term shelter - not an emergency shelter. So, the guys there live there for a significant stretch of time. The men we met were fantastic. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and welcomed us with open arms. Admittedly, I did feel quite at home! After dinner, one of the residents took me on a tour of the house and then a few of us played catch in the back and then sat chatting until well after sundown. It was a beautiful night and you couldn't ask for better company. When we left I couldn't think about anything execept how much I wanted to go back. I really treasured our time there, and look forward to going back in a few weeks!

I am going to attempt to make afghans for each of the men at the shelter for Christmas. I may reach out to some family and friends and see about donating some yarn I have chosen for the afghans. The cost adds up, even for one afghan. I have decided to only knit with real fibers, and no more synthetics. I figure if I am going to spend hours on something it should be a pleasant, tactile experience. Plus, it is a more pleasurable item for the recipient. I found a great website that has real fibers at a decent price.....so, I may see if some people may want to pitch in. I spend most of my Metra rides knitting, and use it as a very quiet, meditative time. I love it. I actually look forward to my commute. I wonder how many people can make that claim. :)

Graham and I have been plugging into church. We are now in a small group and I have been doing Doxa Soma classes. We are also trying to link into some peace and justice groups through church and in the area. They are linked anyhow. There is a huge anti-war demonstration on the 27th, which we will be at. So, a lot going on there.

Loyola continues to be a fantastic experience. I love most of my classes, and adore all of my classmates. We are an eclectic, energetic, enthusiastic (wow...a lot of "e" adjecitves) bunch. I really look forward to seeing everyone every week. I think I am enjoying the Behavior and Development: Family Therapy class the most. I adore the theories and methods of Satir and Schwartz and can't seem to get enough. I keep digging for more information. In my methods/theories class I am already digging into texts about Feminist Psychological Theory for my big term paper.....Gilligan, Chodorow, etc......love love love it. As I mentioned before, I love my commute, I love being downtown, I love Loyola and I am even becoming a known face at a specific Starbucks. I wonder if the folks at my old Caribou miss me. ;)

Speaking of Caribou - I am looking to postpone my 3rd MA exam until early January. This way I can concentrate on nothing but prep work over Christmas break. Yeah, a vacation would be nice - but the prep work isn't getting done now, with all of the work I have to do for my program. So, I think this is the best move. I haven't cleared it with my prof, but I hope he is game.

It looks like I do have a shot at going to the SOA protest at Ft. Benning, GA in November after all. I was told by student ministries that they were only taking undergrads. Disheartened, I gave up on the idea. I have wanted to do an SOA protest for years, but thought this would also be a great opportunity to link into the activist community on campus. Then, last Friday, in the IPS newsletter, there was an announcement for IPS students who may be interested in going. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity and am on the list. I am still not sure of the cost, time commitment, etc......but for the time being, it looks like I will be going.

Time to hit the books - I think that's all the news that's fit to print.

Peace.