SLATE Real Basics Computer Workshop is Rewarding

Each month, I’ll be sharing a “Great Story” about my service with AmeriCorps St. Louis at SLATE Missouri Career Center. Below is my first story, about the basic computer skills workshops I’ve been teaching.

My first month or so at SLATE has been an eye-opening and rewarding experience. When I think to a time that exemplifies both of these overarching themes, I think to the Real Basics Computer Skills workshop I have taught.

Attendees range in age, sex, race and gender, but all have one thing in common: they know very little about the basic operation of computers. As the students trickle into the workshop room, a small classroom with nine computers, I greet them and tell them to have a seat at one of the computers. I watch as they sit dumbfounded by the machine in front of them. It appears that they are scared to touch it, as if it is an explosive with a lit fuse.

When I begin to deliver the information to them, their eyes widen. Many gaze into the screen, jaws dropped with amazement at the white arrow moving across the screen, along with their movement of the mouse. The mice, by the way, have been the older sets’ most challenging skill to learn. Aged hands, often arthritic from years of labor, have a hard time maneuvering the small, delicate electronic devices. Patience is practiced here on both the student and teacher’s end, especially when it comes to the dreaded double-click!

With a few laughs and practice, by the end of the hour-and-a-half session, about half the class feels comfortable with the materials. Others, still unsure about the new world of technology that has been unleashed upon them, ask if they can come back next week. Many do. In fact, for the three weeks I’ve taught the class, a few students have been to each session. They are slowly improving and arrive with a positive, dedicated demeanor that makes me happy to assist them for as long as it may take.

This experience is eye-opening because, having grown up in a generation that was born double-clicking, I’ve never had the difficulty that some students do. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like for people who have gone more than half a century from not needing or wanting to touch a computer to now relying on the mystery machine to find their next paycheck. I am thankful that this potentially frustrating circumstance has not, at least on the surface, ruined the students’ desire to continue learning and practicing this evolving technology.

Coming up next: I’m still working on finishing Deepak Chopra’s new book…a review and insight on that to come!

Nope…don’t like foam.

I don’t like Styrofoam. Never really realized why until today.

 

I read this article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about using Styrofoam to fill in an underground tunnel in downtown St. Louis. The foam will not expand sideways and crumble antiquated buildings’ basement walls. I wasn’t satisfied with the article’s explanation of environmental concerns and the fact that the paper’s misleading use of the term “green” in the photo accompanying the online story (no image in print).

 

So, I looked into it.

 

Here is just a bit of what I found: 

 

Polystyrene (aka Styrofoam):

Is made of nasty chemicals (aka. bad for the workers making it, the area in which it is made)

It leaches these chemicals that can cause health problems to the consumer

It is not a “closed loop” recyclable product (A foam cup doesn’t become another. It goes into something else, and new foam must be made for more cups.) 

I got all of this from here. Check it out for more info. 

 

I would like to know if the foam will be “recycled,” and if they are doing anything to protect the foam from leaching! Ahhhhh, right into the Mississippi! 

 

On another note, also in this article from the Post, funding for this and other road projects is coming mostly from the stimulus package. There are a ton of bus stops in my neighborhood (most, in fact) that are closed for lack of funding. Why are we relying more and more on the automobile? (Also on the front page today: biofuel.) 

Final irony: the tunnel they are filling in with foam was once used for passenger trains. There was a tunnel under the Mississippi River to Illinois!!!! Runs were suspended in favor of the automobile.

I’m In!

I attempted to get a library card the first week I arrived in St. Louis in a desperate attempt to use their Internet. I was turned away because I didn’t have any proof of my new address . Fortunately, my birthday came and my loved ones sent me cards (proof that I exist in St. Louis)! That was a few weeks ago, and we got Internet soon after…today, I finally got around to going back to get my card. 

I’m in with the in crowd now! Well, me and the bum napping in the periodicals section are! I spent a few hours out of the house working at the library. It was a nice change of pace. 

I also checked out the dvd selection. I’m not about to go to Blockbuster to spend a ton of cash on renting movies and I don’t want to feel obligated to watch movies becaues I have a Netflix subscription, so FREE movies it is! I got a couple yoga dvds and parts of the series Freaks and Geeks! (note: the St. Louis library does NOT rent out whole seasons, each disc is rented seperately…I know, LAME…I was spoiled at the Barrington Library!) 

I’m excited to use my card now and visit the other branches. Hopefully, there’s a branch with a larger dvd selection…I will have to do some exploring! Plus, I’m going to be able to request materials! YIPPIE! I already have a list of books and other things in mind! Catalogue search…here I come!

Romance is in the Air

I just finished my second project for Purple Sheet Publishing. It’s always a relief to hit send and shoot off an assignment into someone else’s hands. For two weeks, the project looms over my head. Then, in an instant, it’s gone. Now, I wait for payment and hopefully, another assignment. 

Romance novels are not something I ever thought I would be writing. In journalism school and in all my time as a magazine writer, I’ve been looking for facts, checking with a source to fill in any blanks. With fiction, I get to make it up as I go along. I have some guidelines, but it’s mostly up to me what my characters look like, do and say. It’s freeing but also trying at times. 

As I continue to write about love and lust, I sometimes wish I could ask these imaginary people what they’re really thinking and feeling. Often times, these characters are in situations I’ve never been in, nor do I ever wish to be in. I get most of my inspiration and ideas from the movies! And, most of the times, I feel like I’m being totally cliche.

I guess I let these feelings role though. After all, this isn’t the type of writing I’d set out for. It’s paying the bills though!

I’ve still got some “real” journalistic projects underway. It’s nice to escape to my fantasy land after writing about health crisis around the world. But, I am conflicted because I find more reward in the true stories.

Still, I’d like to be more sleuthy…get the scoop. For now, though, romance is a money maker, so I’m going with it!

Bell Mountain and Elephant Rocks State Park

This weekend, my friend Katie and I went on an adventure! Saturday, we drove about 2 hours south of St. Louis to the Ozarks. We visited Elephant Rocks State Park and hiked Bell Mountain, Missouri’s second highest peak! 

Before I get to the photos, I want to share this resource with you. It’s a wonderful trip planner to the Ozark Trail system. You can choose what kind of hike you’d like to take and what length and the program suggests paths for you and provides detailed directions and maps. It was a great tool for us and helped us organize a fun 8-mile hike! 

The early settlers stumbled upon this rock formation and named them after the circus elephants the boulders resemble. 

Geology lesson: the granite boulders were once covered with loose sediment. Years of wind and water wore this covering away and eventually carved out the rounded boulders we see today. 

Katie tried to push the boulder. She couldn’t move it…

On top of Bell Mountain, Missouri’s second-highest point! 

 

Me, the mountaineer! 

Inspiration…Move Me Brightly

Hello, blog, remember me…it’s been a while…I know, I know…

I have some good and bad excuses, laziness being at the top, I’m afraid. My creative juices have been tapped and drained by my paying freelance gigs lately, and I’ve been left with little to share with my blog friends (the few following). 

First, let me say HAPPY EARTH DAY! I hope you all figure out something to do today to celebrate MOTHER EARTH! I’m going to a yoga event under The Arch today at noon! 

Back to this blog post…Really, a lot has been going on. I’ve moved to a totally new city…HELLO?! St. Louis, the Gateway to the West ….oooooooooooooooo…….aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah  

Highlights of my life here so far include: MY PLACE! Zach and I live in two-bedroom flat, with an office, living room, dining room, kitchen and SUN ROOM! It’s awesome…a great place to work from home! Here are some pics:

We’re on the second floor. Our neighbor is nice!

The living and dining rooms are filled with SUN in the morning!

Home Office

A nice big kitchen for making delish veggie meals!

The bedroom and sun room…so relaxing!

I’ve been trying not to spend all my time at home…even though last week was soooo rainy! I’ve taken a couple bike rides to Tower Grove Park and Francis Park. Both are very close and so beautiful. The fountains and gardens in both reminded me of the parks in London…so well tended and rich feeling! 

I’ve also started to get involved in the community. Starting May 3, I will be teaching FREE community classes on Sundays at 10 a.m. at Southtown Yoga. I love this studio, the staff and students. Living in the suburbs of Chicago before, I was usually the youngest, most advanced student in the classes I attended outside of my teacher training. Now, I feel a lot more challenged and have more experienced teachers to help me develop my practice more! I’m very excited about this! 

Happy Spring everyone! I hope to update more frequently and take some pictures of the area…I can’t wait until things are blooming at the Missouri Botanical Gardens! 

I Have Arrived

FINALLY got my Internet set up! Fells great to be sitting on my couch checking my email. I finally feel like I’m settled in to  my new place! 

I woke up at 4 a.m. Saturday, April 4, 2009, to move from Cary, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. I got into my car, which I had packed the night before, nearly to the brim, with my most precious belongings: my clothes, yoga stuff, picture frames, decorative items from my room, the quilt my grandmother sewed me and my plants–they got shotgun.

I followed my dad and mom, he in the U-Haul and she in her car, to St. Louis. I had made the trip oh so many times before, and it’s a pretty long trip (between five and six hours), especially by yourself. I think the fact that I knew this trip down I-55 was going to be the last in a while made the time fly. (I didn’t even listen to a book on tape, which is standard for me on these hauls.) 

We arrived at our flat at about 10 a.m. The first 24 hours flew by. It is a blur of moving and unpacking and saying goodbye. I’m an only child leaving the nest, I think it is going to be an interesting transition for all of us–not one we’re not ready for, though.

Things are going great. It’s been 11 days and I’ve got to do and see a lot. Zach got me a new-to-me bike for my birthday! So, on a nice day (there haven’t been many yet…mostly rain), I took a ride to and around Tower Grove Park. It was fun! I love spring! 

I’ve also been to two of the neighborhood eateries. Murdoch Perk and Macklind Avenue Deli. Both had delish food, nice people and free wifi! 

I’m also teaching yoga at a local gym and studio. And, I’ve got some intriguing freelance stuff in the works! I’m very excited. When the weather gets nice, I will take some photos. There’s bound to be some great color with all this water!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This week is a very exciting time for me. I am packing up to move out of my parent’s house and into my first apartment! I’ll be sharing an apartment in St. Louis with my boyfriend, Zach. So, I’m not only growing up and becoming independent of my parents; I’ll also be taking the next step in my relationship. On top of the move, I am going to be working freelance. I’m going to be my own boss at 24! How amazing is that?! 

Oddly enough, I’m not all that nervous. This relaxed feeling is the only unsettling thing about this transition. Shouldn’t I be a wreck?! Maybe it all just hasn’t settled in yet. Perhaps I’ll have a breakdown come Friday, when I’m filling up a U-Haul with all of my belongings and staring at the empty bedroom I’ve had since puberty. 

I think a big reason I’m so calm and collected now is that this move has been a long time coming. Zach (my boyfriend) and I have spent the last two years of our more than four-year relationship long distance. Moving in together has always been the natural thing to do. And, having spent a ridiculous amount of time together in college, I’m prepared for the quirks that living together will bring. I guess I have no reasons to be worried…but that’s what I’m worried about. 

Is it weird to be unsettled by things being settled?

Free weekends…take some getting used to

Now that I’ve finished my yoga teacher training, I have plenty of free time on the weekends for leisure. It’s been pretty great, though by late Sunday I felt a little lazy for some reason. Guess it will take me a while to get back into weekend mode!

Saturday, I met my great friend Dena’s niece Carmela! She was the cutest little thing. Carmie (or Mela) was the first baby I’ve held in years. My discomfort with little squirmy people may be evident in this pic!

After visiting with the next generation, I went to watch my friend Steve brew some beer. I also got to taste some two-year-old mead. It was pretty tasty, but you have to be careful with the stuff–it’s pretty boozey.

In between processes, Steve and I checked out Twice Told Tales in downtown Crystal Lake. I was in search of a book for my boyfriend (can’t tell which in case he’s reading this…it’s a surprise). I was left disappointed because there was only one shelf of “classics.” However, there is no shortage of romance novels, if that is your genre. Half of the store is filled with romance titles.

The volume of these books amazed me. And, their titles made me laugh with astonishment. Here are some examples:
“Jessie’s Child”
“Back in the Bachelor’s Arms”
“At the Millionaire’s Request”
“The Baby Trail”
“Princess in Disguise”
“The Reluctant Cinderella”
“Having Her Boss’s Baby”
“The Secrets Between Them”
“Baby Blues and Wedding Bells”

This title topped them all and summarizes the overriding theme of these books:
I’ve never read one of these romance novels, and I’m not totally trashing them, but I think it is pretty interesting to read the titles, themes and see the huge amount of them in this store.

Sunday night (Oscar night!), my parents and I went to dinner at Chez Pierre Creperie in Crystal Lake for their George Washington’s Birthday dinner. The food was delish! I started with escargot and mushrooms in a garlic-herb sauce, then the house salad, the tilapia with yummy asparagus and finally a fruit tart. The small restaurant is cozy, charming and friendly. I would recommend stopping in for the wonderful crepes!

The Oscars were amazing, as usual! Of course, I fell asleep through the middle (but who really cares about the technical stuff, not me). I’m so happy for Kate and Sean. Both their performances were great. Slumdog was also very deserving of the top prize, and I hope to see more of that excellent cast!

Why I Facebook

I’ve noticed much media attention to facebook lately. There was this article from The Huffington Post, the 25 Things About Me debacle and now there are questions surrounding Facebook’s terms of service.

It’s all gotten me to think about my own Facebook habits. I check my Facebook more times than I would like to admit. I go there when I can’t think of anything better to do, when I have a lull in the day, when I get an email or phone alert, and sometimes, I find myself visiting without making a conscious effort to do so–creepy.

The Creepbook, as some call it, can get awkward. I find myself delving into the lives of people I have not set eyes on, let alone spoken to, in years. I sometimes wonder why I am so compelled to “spy” on my “friends.”

When I think of the interest I take in my Facebook friends’ lives, it makes me think of my celebrity news obsession…yes, I will call it a full-blown obsession. It’s all about the entertainment value. I get a kick out of seeing friends’ vacation photos, employment history, music interests, favorite movies and the self-promoting “about me” sections. It’s all in good fun!

In fact, I like to think that by updating my status and uploading my photos, I am providing a sort of entertainment for them. I am a celebrity to my Facebook friends…and, I don’t even have to deal with the stresses of paparazzi and drug addiction…HOORAY!

Facebook is a marvelous, state-of-the-art communicating tool. How else can I contact potentially hundreds of people at once?

Sometimes, though, I think there is a point of excess. I think that Facebook can contribute to a keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ mentality. It’s impossible not to compare yourself to your friends. Who is getting married? Who got fat? Who has the nice house? Am I more successful that s0-and-so?

This is also the point where I question my Facebook “friends.” It’s fun to see what people are doing, reconnect with people you grew up with and be entertained by your extended family and friends. However, at what point does it turn unhealthy?

I sometimes wonder if I would actually speak with each of my Facebook “friends” in real life. What would I have to say to some of the obscure people, the ones I didn’t even knew knew my name in high school, the ones I’ve met through mutual friends once or twice?

Time will tell where this web-based community takes us. We know the marketing companies are all over it like white on rice, but what about the consumers? How much are we going to put out there and how much time are we going to devote to poking around in each other’s lives?