Iowanna do that - On My Goose Tip

My time in Milwaukee was cut a bit short. Can’t say I’m going to miss the place, but I definitely didn’t mind spending my first spike here (minus the crappy housing situation). Got tons of great food under my belt, realized that people usually act a lot younger than they actually are (interesting life experience to keep with me), and absorbed way more ultraviolet radiation than I’ve ever absorbed in my life. Throughout all the things that Milwaukee has to offer, one thing that I can be grateful for is that it has challenged me as a person. Not on my human-to-human interaction (if you’re managed to convince yourself that I’m actually human), but on a more me-to-me doodad sort of way. Before coming here for an environmental project I hated going outside. Screw becoming one with nature, I didn’t even want her germ-laden vastness to touch my skin. Yet, now I can’t go a day at work without a branch brushing my forehead or dirt flaking off on my mustache; yet, this doesn’t bother me anymore. As if getting over Mother Nature’s scorn wasn’t enough growth, I’ve also shoved my mild distaste for household germs aside. Since the house I’m living in has an equal germ count as a port-o-potty I really didn’t have much of a choice. It was either get over it or cry about it. And since I’m not a baby I didn’t really cry. That one tear was because Mother Nature’s dirt was in my eye. So in the end I’m a better person for being here…but don’t ask me to do it again because I’ll probably never respond.

Thankfully I haven’t gotten a call from any friends informing me that someone is talking behind my back. Either means the talking stopped or the people realized I don’t actually care. Either way it’ll be interesting to see if more comes. Drama definitely hasn’t left my team though. Should be interesting enough to see how much worse or better it gets. I like to look at us as one big elephant on a toothpick platform. We keep pulling out toothpicks and not really adding any so it’s only so long before we tumble down into the anti-elephant goop that waits below. Some things in life only go two ways, and this is one of those things so we’ll see which direction the team takes.

So it’s back to Iowa to be bored for a few days before heading out to Mississippi (that jingle spelling this state comes to mind). If that sounds a bit fishy, your gut is right. I was supposed to go to Perham Minnisota, but all the tornados down in the south called for Americorps to help…and we answered because we have mouths and we don't like tornadoes. We’ll be down in some town I’ve never heard of, and I’m a bit excited. Hopefully I can get some good southern cooking. Don’t know much about this project so just wish me some Stevie Wonder luck (blind luck). A little bummed that I couldn’t see my g/f one last time before leaving the area, but I guess I’ll work something out for the future. Of course they told us we leave on Saturday afternoon and I was supposed to see her Saturday, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Sad face. Guess I'll play goose and fly...well drive south.

Apparently we’ll go to the tiny town in tiny soda a bit later. After three weeks in M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-P-P-I I’ll be going to Perham. If you thought Iowa was bad, Google Earth my town and tell me what I’m supposed to do when I want to leave. I’m oober excited for the work we’ll be doing there though, but we still don’t know what type of housing we’ll have. Probably means I’ll be living in a church basement, but at least I’ll be closer to God. I honestly won’t care where I am as long as I have some room. I’m sure some personal growth will occur in some way or another and I’m all about progression so say a little pray, do a tiny jig, and write me a small letter.