reflections in focus

lobstah

2009-08-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mike left for a canoe trip and we finally had lobster!

Lowering it to it's death...

Dead, delicious, dinner.

yum.

popham beach and a birthday

2009-08-03T17:52:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Martha's birthday with a trip to Popham Beach. It was absolutely stunning!

A most fantastic maine weekend!

why I love this office

2009-07-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

We're all sitting on our computers in relative quiet today - there are few people in the office and we've got lots to do.

Genet zones out staring out the window and then mutters "Oh, Samuel Adams is out there"

Tracy and I looked up at her. "What?"

"Samuel Adams, out there, unloading some beer." She said, standing and staring at the truck across the street like it was along lost friend.

hahaha. Is it friday yet? We need it.

Health Care '09...we can't wait!

2009-07-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday was SEIU's Change that Works Rally for Health and Justice. It wasn't something ROC is directly connected with, but we work in the office with the crew that's been putting it all together and it was great going to support them!

It started with a rally in Monument square. There were tons of people there from all over the state!

There was a march around the old port and downtown.

Denva was in his prime!

As for me, it was good to see the span of opinions and beliefs on what should change in our health care system. I'm still struggling to discern how I can and should respond as a christian in a society of affluence that regularly disenfranchises the poor by our institutions and culture - but at the same time one where the government can't be the eternal solution considering it too is made up of greedy, sinful people like the rest of us. It's good to struggle, but I wish for some answers.

friday excitement: gearing up for the health care rally!

2009-07-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Friday morning was interrupted by the challenge of helping Alec hang a giant banner advertising Saturdays' rally, outside our windows...

We had no ladder.

But we had 4 incredibly resourceful, er rather three incredibly resourceful (I just took pictures) women who strung it up from the windows!

Mackenzie and Genet went out one side

And threw it down to Alec below (a much better plan than his original...to stand on the decomposing ledge and staple it up!)

And Tracy brought it back up the other!

Success! Health and Justice here we come!

some weeks in review...

2009-07-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have no excuse for not posting anything over the last 10 days. It was depressing weather and I was mopey and then it got sunny and I just enjoyed it and didn't take any pictures. So. There you have it.

Here are some brief highlights of random events over the course of these last two weeks!

Mackenzie and I went on a date to the park on Friday. It was gorgeous out. This pizza was delicious.

On Saturday our other favorite family in Portland took us biking on Peaks Island.

It was gorgeous.

and windy

Jesus met me here on Sunday afternoon. It was really great.

I needed a picture of myself and my supervisors for IWJ... woo ROC-Maine!

And finally, tonight was the last night of the ESL class I've been helping with, and these are the girls I've been working with. They're all from Cambodia and are just the sweetest bunch ever!

a lovely long weekend

2009-07-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

If only all weekends could be three days long and include a visit to somewhere as lovely as Cape Cod!

I spent the 4th with Lauren and her friend Sheena's grandmother's home where we slept, ate, window shopped, ate, napped, swam, burned, ate, slept, chatted and so on

it was perfect.

lauren's house in Boston

Our Hostesses!

the boat parade!

lauren and I got so burned, but it was so worth it!

a little swimming at ice cream beach

happy pre-4th!

2009-07-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering how a place as politically atypical as Portland celebrates the day our our nation's independance.

Well for starters, they decorated.

I'm going to miss out on the festivities though...Mackenzie and I are going to Boston!! What better way to celebrate our nation than in the home city of my Patriots!

T is for teamster, teamwork, and tired!

2009-07-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been missing out on really exciting things lately because of interviews and back pain...but tonight I got to attend both a board meeting for the southern maine workers center and a membership meeting for the labor council. I felt pretty official. And I learned a whole lot about health care options, heard updates about union stuff going down in Portland, listened to some terrible stories of injustices involving workers in the community here, and was encouraged by the many testimonies and triumphs of this community. It is one fully invested in serving one another as a labor family. These people largely seem to use the labor movement as their religion and though I can see how broken and incomplete such a trade off is, it certainly is a model of honest and invested community that, as a christian claiming to be invested in the whole body, I certainly have much to learn from.

If anyone would like to offer me their informed opinion on health care, I'd love to hear it. My own opinion needs much informing. But maybe not tonight, I'm exhausted. Sounds like great 4th of july conversation though...

911

2009-07-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've only dialed 911 once before. I think I was 8 or 9 and I did it on a dare and still carry a pretty significant amount of guilt for that clear waste of taxpayer resources (although honestly, I can't remember what exactly happened).

So last night when, after a lovely evening with new friends wandering around old port, a guy decided to grab my friend Cori's wallet and take off running with 4 screaming girls and two larger gentleman tearing after him; I found myself in the position to make such a phone call. Actually, I found myself stammering to explain to my dad, who I was on the phone with, what was happening. After hanging up and running around the block the opposite direction, I found another burly gentleman to help in the chase and he told me to call. So I did. And after 30 minutes, the portland police made an appearance. (I found out today that they've had to make serious cutbacks in the police force because of budget cuts...sorry for my prank call america, I'm a jerk) Still no wallet found, but luckily not much was lost, apart from an old cell phone and a few dollars in cash. I'm thankful to have been with these girls when it happened, I can't imagine what I would have done if I'd been all alone! I'm also really impressed and encouraged by the kindness of strangers to help - one guy even ran out of his apartment in his pj's to ask what was wrong and how he could help - pretty impressive!

so long june!

2009-07-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

fun fact: We've just made it through Maine's fifth rainiest June on record. That's over 8 inches folks.

best remedy for a rainy afternoon? Pumpkin bread.

mmm. tastes like home.

and now we dream for a sunny july! (so far that's a no-go... but I won't lose hope!)

community.

2009-06-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

I took lots of photos of our downtown adventure today, but I'd like to post just one. The word 'community' just continues to come to mind when I think about this church. I'm not sure how they manage to incorporate each of these cultures into their Baptist community of worship, but I'm intrigued and encouraged to see the body of Christ dwelling with one another and reaching into the larger community through common traditions of language and culture.

first full week friday. read: tired.

2009-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've always thought it would be really interesting job to be a window washer. Not only do you have the risk factor of scaling tall buildings with minimal support, but you also have the built in opportunity to observe the lives of people who are really only separated from you by a pane of glass. Fascinating. These are the things I think about while I wait to interview Portland's finest restaurant owners.

I also sometimes pretend to be a tourist and sit in the square and take pictures.

It was our first well earned friday!!

So we went downtown to Old Port and finally saw a bit of the ocean.

We got the most decadent chocolate desserts. We also realized we cannot afford to live like this anymore. But, it was fun while it lasted!

good humor.

2009-06-25T19:54:00.001-07:00

Good news! The sun returned today!

This sums up my attitude.

I had a great first solo interview and took a few pictures on the way back to the office. The tourists were out in full force and the traffic was nutso. I'm becoming more and more thankful for my pedestrian status in this city. Although, this morning I was on a different bus than normal and the route comes up on the city skyline at an angle that made me think I was back in chi-town. for a split second. :( . but. I love sunny portland a whole lot!

After an exhausting day of running around Portland for more interviews...Mackenzie and I went to help out at this christian community center called the root cellar. It was awesome!

We met these great girls our age who are serving as interns for high school mission groups that come through to serve at the center in the summer. Hurray for new friends!

We got done early so we went in search of ice cream.

We like this place. "As far as we can discern, the universe is a very silly place"

I love sun.

I got coffee ice cream on accident. With chocolate covered espresso beans. So I'm still up and quite alert even though sleeping would be real nice...

Mackenzie dripped ice cream on her pants all the way back to the bus.

bus stop.

squares.

fog schmog

2009-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

This was lunch today. The deliciousness Mackenzie and I cooked up last night! Notice the awful fog outside and the fantastic invisible children video watching extravaganza! ish.

This is a woman pushing a whole pizza on her walker. She was moving super slow through the intersection and people were honking up a storm. It takes a lot to get a Mainer irritated enough to honk. I think the fog is getting to them.

Here's a few photos from downtown portland where I work. I can't post pictures of the places I've been doing my research at, but I figured out I walked at least 2.5 miles today just going up and down main street trying to track down my interviews!

this is our office! smack between wild burritos and strange maine. the big bay window on the left is all mine!

looking east

and west. oh you miserable fog. see how it comes to like the 8th story of buildings? ridiculous!

hi mom.

this is an awesome ongoing art show of collage work at one of the art institutes on our street. pretty sweet.

tonight I got to help out with an ESL class that meets in an elementary school. It's so silly, but I still get butterflies whenever I have to take public transit somewhere new. I ended up getting off too early and walking a whole lot further...but I made it! I got to work with a really sweet girl from Cambodia and this hilarious guy from Iraq. such a great night!

beautiful

2009-06-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I was listening to Phil Wickham's album Singalong and his song Beautiful was playing just as I walked up to the bus stop. There's a verse that goes:

I see your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes

The world awakens in the light of the day

I look up to the sky and say

You're beautiful

Now, there hasn't been sun in Portland since last wednesday afternoon, so there's no sunrise or morning light stretching across the sky. Just dreary clouds. BUT

I looked up and saw that there's a Lutheran church across the street. I don't know how I haven't noticed it yet, or at least not noticed it like I did today.

But today the simple cross at the top just struck me as such a simple and graceful reminder of the beauty of the life and death of our Savior. I've heard a number of times the argument that having a cross as a christian symbol is one of the most gruesome we could choose...much like choosing to put an electric chair or noose on top of our churches. Still, the simple symbol serves to remind me of the Jesus that I serve and who loves me more than I could know.

Then I spent all day running around Portland talking to restaurant owners about our research project and trying to get them to sit down for an interview. It was exhausting, but exhilirating. I have 5 interviews set for the next week and about 9 follow up meetings to plan!

By the end of the day, Mackenzie and I needed a pick me up, so we headed to this great bakery/pastry place Geo's.

And got a chocolate and peanut whoopie pie!

It was Mackenzie's first ever!

And well, I just found it delicious. Delicious enough to awkwardly half pose for a photo.

Tonight we cooked up some pasta, chicken and veggies to make enough for lunches for probably the next week or two for less than 7 bucks! Cooking + organizing a fridge + Dave Matthews = one fantastic evening.

one swell saturday

2009-06-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I got to try out the famed Rosemont Bakery!

This nectarine was the best I've ever had. seriously. I might be buying one every morning before I catch the bus from now on. I also got a delicious blueberry and granola muffin but I ate it before I remembered to take a picture. sorry.

I had such a lazy afternoon doing laundry, reading, writing notes. It got sunny for a bit and I took a walk to the library...these are some of Martha's gorgeous flowers!

I got my own Portland library card!

I also got some books.

I have a bit of a problem. But it's a problem I can live with quite happily!

Best part of today...a package from Mom and Dad and a card and bracelet from Kendra!!

portland in transit

2009-06-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

We successfully navigated the portland bus system this morning...and arrived at work early...even in the rain!

It was a bit slow in the office, so I watched a lot of rain fall and a lot of wet people walk around.

Paul loves SMWC and so do we! (this is our main office area)

Sometimes we have to create drama when things are slow. So Mackenzie and Denver fought about the merits of EFCA and Walmart CEOs.

After work, we wandered around Old Port for a while, looked in a few fun shops, and found a fantastic place to eat dinner.

O' Natural!

and they had live tunes

I was a little hungry and it was so delicious!

Then we tried unsuccessfully to catch a bus...at two different stops. lame. we weren't happy

but then I saw my first pats flag

and we made cookies

and everything is better with good football and great cookies

drug stores, groceries and a full day on the job!

2009-06-18T19:55:00.001-07:00

This morning Tracy picked us up because we still hadn't gotten our bus passes.

We made a quick stop at CVS (mom...it took me back! I haven't been to one since we moved!) so I could drug up

Attempted to get bus passes at the Metro. Tracy got into a fistfight with the attendant who told her it was cash only. She told him it was "just silly" not to take cards. He told her it was "just silly" she didn't have any cash. We left.

We got settled in at the office today, worked on more detailed work plans, and organized this messy desk. My desk overlooks the street which so far as proven pretty distracting but makes for great people watching!

It's a pretty sweet place to work. These are from a protest about workers who have a tipped wage of only $2.13/hr. Now they make $3.63!

After successfully navigating the Portland Bus system, we relaxed at home for a bit and then headed out with Martha and Elin to do some grocery shopping at Hannaford's. I think it's beat out both jewel and dominicks as my new favorite place, which is no small feat.

We bought enough food to feed a small army. mmm fluff. They even had the raspberry kind at the store...another thing I've been missing since Londonderry!

All in all, a pretty successful day. Tomorrow we get the afternoon off, and provided that the rain holds off, Mackenzie and I are hoping to do some exploring downtown!

Portland!

2009-06-17T20:38:00.001-07:00

Portland is like a life size Gilmore Girls. The homes are all cute and unique with great architecture and beautiful flowers. Everybody has bumper stickers and posters and signs supporting their various political/environmental/social concerns plastered on cars, bikes, windows, doors, siding, sidewalks... etc etc. All the stores are little family owned businesses, from Maine Hardware to Paul's food to Yarn on the Brain to the burrito place underneath my worker's center. You see the same people all over the place and they all know each other. The local papers are full of neighborly gossip and there are fun local events in the parks and squares almost every evening. It's fantastic!

So I created this blog to depart from so much writing and be a bit of a visual of my experiences...a summer in pictures!

Day one: We arrived in Portland after 12 hours of traveling and spent the night with a board member, who is probably the sweetest woman ever, in her wicked awesome house.

From the loft above their living room...with a woodburning stove!

This picture doesn't do it justice...they've remodeled most of the inside and it was just so cute! Also, they had chickens in the backyard. fantastic? yes.

That night we got dinner at a great little place called Silly's. Our meals were enormous and delicious and we're planning to go back to try their famous shakes...though probably not the signature peanut butter and bacon. yuck. It was a great intro into the wealth of restaurants in Portland (particularly since my whole job is to be aware of restaurant worker issues!) and Mackenzie and I got to go running in the fabulous sunny weather the next morning before heading into our first day of work!

Day 2: We took a quick tour of Portland.

View from the Casco Bay Bridge.

The Portland Medical Center and Downtown.

Then dropped our bags at our new home! Aren't the flowers just gorgeous?

And met up with our supervisors Genet, Paul, and Tracy. We walked through the farmers market and got lunch at a cute cafe called Mousse.

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing a little training and then left for a grant dinner with Maine's finest non-profits!

We met up with Ali again and she and Mackenzie discussed the finer points of solving worker injustice and the Employee Free Choice Act.

The cutest couple in the world! They were being recognized for their organizing efforts around healthcare for low income workers in the Portland Area. A dynamic Duo. I hope I'm still so passionate when I'm in my 80s!

A terrible shot of our crew...getting recognized for their work for Southern Maine Workers!

These Mainers...they're serious about being eco-friendly. (that's 'up for liquid waste and down for solids', in case you were wondering)

Finally, we got 'home' and got to unpacking. Our room is pretty cozy, but fits just right for the two of us. We've even got a little bathroom to ourselves!

My bed.

Mackenzie's bed.

The bathroom.

Our desk. Notice all the books I lugged from Denver...to Tennessee...to New Orleans....to Atlanta...to Portland. In my carry on. stupid.

A busy, full day!