Swish! Buzzer! Let's Go!
Item #1. Why I haven't been writing:
Depression. Yup, that's pretty much it. I wrote a long blog post over Thanksgiving as to, well everything, but I don't think the Internets is the place to bare your soul. You do that at a bar over 2 bottles of scotch. It's something I've been dealing with for 2, pushing 3 years now, so it's nothing to be alarmed about. I'm just stating that to explain why, with a lot to talk about, I haven't. Lethargy and apathy my friends.
Item #2. The Protest.
I went to my first protest in the Charleston community. I was apprehensive for 2 reasons: This isn't my town yet, so I'm not connected to the political community, and federal laws prohibit me to engage in political activity if that activity can be linked back to my position in anyway. I can do it in my spare time, which I did, but I had to make sure I was no way identifiable as to what my employment was, whatsoever. With media there and whatnot, I was afraid I would be treading a fine line. Coincidentally, I was in the local paper, but my face was obscured by a sign. I only knew b/c I recognized the people around me, and my shirt.
The protest was against proposition 8 (the ban on Gay Marriage). I really wanted to write a long article about what it meant, both good and bad, and some curious factors about Charleston. I composed it in my head, but never got it onto paper. This is why I need a voice recorder. Items in my essay which will not be nearly poetic in list form:
-It rained before and after, but not during the event. Quite fortuitous.
-There was a cruise ship unloading during the protest, which means all the police were tied up.
-The leader of the protest was a straight woman with no clear ties to the gay community. She just saw an injustice and was compassionate.
-The protest, which ended at City Hall, was across from a church...Where a wedding was in progress. The protestors were quite courteous to the wedding goers, and even ended a bit early so that the bride and groom could enjoy a privilege that many of the protestors could not.
-In the cemetery at the church across from city hall was buried John Rutledge, the second Chief Justice of the United States. Since this issue will probably not be resolved until the Supreme Court rules on it, I thought it very cool that it was in front of the grave of one of the founding members of the Supreme Court. Pictures after the fold.
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Item 3. My Forthcoming Trip to D.C.
One of my big projects for the year, perhaps the biggest, was our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. It has a $30,000 budget, and involves almost 200 individuals. I don't know if you've been paying attention to the economy as of late, but it's not doing so hot. That particular budget was slashed to about $3,000. Due to this, a bit of restructuring had to happen.
The new plan:
We take 50 students, 10 high school students, and an assortment of chaperones to Washington D.C. We stay at a KOA campground in Harpers Ferry, VA, participate in DC's Day of Service feeding the homeless, and then see Obama's inauguration the next day. We then travel home.
Why this sucks:
Those in charge I believe don't truly understand the crowd situation. They have travel times of 1 to 2 hours alloted. We will need 5.
Why it's awesome:
I get to go to DC for incredibly cheap, be there on one of the most historic days in the existence of our country, and certainly in my lifetime thus far, and--get this--I'll get comp time for the weekend I'm doing this.
To tie the last two items together, and simply because it's funny,
Proposition 8, the Musical:
Item 4. Christmas.
I fucking love Christmas. I don't think people realize I love it, but I assure you, it's to the extreme. I love it like rye toast. Or shaving. Unfortunately I'm living in a subtropic state whose coldest temperature is maybe, maybe, 45 degrees. So I've had to be creative. Nay, I've had to force it outright. I've had to force it so hard that it's now it's own verb. I've been Christmasing night and day. Every morning I have a playlist of Christmas music queued up and ready to go while I shower, shave, the works. Pandora's holiday mix (I've made it myself--does anyone know if they already have one?) keeps me going at work. At night, Netflix has been delivering a constant stream of Christmas movies to my doorstep. Tonight is Home Alone. I've also been keeping a fan by my open window to blow in some decently cold air, in hopes that I can at least use a few blankets.
This past week Charleston finally decided to kick it up a notch and get in the spirit. First I received a free (FREE!) ticket to the Vienna Boys Choir. It was fantastic. More than fantastic. It was scrumtralescent.
Then that weekend was the city tree lighting and--get this--Boat Parade. Yeah, you read that right. Boat parade. Living by the ocean is odd sometimes. Pictures below the fold.
So that's pretty much it. This post lacked any attempt at a creative narrative, or even a poetic line, but it felt good to write again. I can't wait to see my friends again in 10 days.
Peace, Love, Happiness.
-Neil
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