A wee bit of BS

Is it really Sunday night?! It has been a crazy week. Today was the first uneventful day. But I was a bit emotional as a result of the past six days. I don't know what it was. It felt like I was being attacked at every turn. It started Monday and didn't let up until today. I had more than one person yell at me this week. Really? Am I that horrible? I started to feel like I was. It felt as though I was just making a mess of everything. Then there was the fire in the kitchen at the Cafe. I think that was Wednesday morning. It all happened, was put out and almost cleaned up before we opened at 8. I hate fire. I have a fear of fire (and drowning). But Tony, my head cook, was calm and collected as he dealt with it. I just stood there watching, trying to think if there was anything else I could do. Afterwards he said he was calm because I was calm. I was calm because he was calm. Although, as manager of the Cafe I feel I should always remain calm and professional....

So tomorrow is the first day of my last semester at Providence Theological Seminary. I am a wee bit nervous partly because I am not sure who else will be in the class and I have to drive out there so early in the morning. You would think it was my first time ever walking into a new situation. It is not the newness of school. It is more the newness of another class with people I do not know and probably won't know very well after the course is finished. I am sure they are all great people. I am just never on campus and am so busy between classes even my family hardly sees me. I also tend to think differently than a lot of my fellow students. I have, over the years, had many people disagree strongly with me on things. Fortunately I am right. Although it isn't about being right. It is about a proper view of education. I am not seeking more education so I can be better than others. Nor do I believe it elevates me in society in any way. I am pursing further education because I want ...

Today we had a special dinner at the Ellice Cafe. We treated some of our special customers to a turkey dinner. It went really well!! I am blessed to serve some of the best people in the city. Over many years of living and working in inner cities (both here and in Dublin) I have learned that beggers can be choosers. Most of these people today do not beg. Some do. Yet every single person was thankful for everything we offered. Not one person had any sort of complaint. They were blessed and so was I. As tired as I am I am also refreshed. I also had a wonderful group of volunteers. One of the volunteers is also an employee at the Cafe. I offered to give her a lift home as it can be difficult to get a bus to where she was going late on a Sunday. We were walking to my car, between two buildings, when a young guy ran past us. I thought he must be running from something. I may be a 'square white woman' from a middle class background but I have lived long enough to know guys in hoodies ...

I finished all my assignments for my course last night. That means I am officially free from homework until next week. Wow! It feels great! Of course, tomorrow I am putting on a special dinner at the Cafe for some of our special regular customers (and others from the community who might need an extra blessing). But it is not feeling like work at the moment. I am very relaxed. I have a week to catch up with friends, read, knit and tidy my home. So that is what I did today. I also wasted time on Facebook and had a nap. These are little things I don't have a lot of time for when studying but enjoy when I can. How frivolous! So three more courses and I will graduate with my MA Global Studies from Providence Theological Seminary. There feels like a lot of work is standing between me and graduation so I'm only mildly excited. But when I think about it, it is a major accomplishment, especially for me. I have taken 15 years to complete this degree. Health, travel, living overseas, livi...

I think everyone who lives in the West End should live in a flat at some point. Ok, maybe if you are single. I do not have children so I do not have as many points of connection with people in the community. Well I don't think I do. Yes, I run a local Cafe and know a lot of people who live in the area. I also know a lot of people who come to visit the area. Maybe I'm a bit of a West End Ambassador. Hmm, I never thought of that! I like that! But you truly connect with people when you share some common space with them. That is partly why I sit in the laundry room in my building when doing laundry. This is a much better laundry situation than the building I lived in on Furby. Or I assume it is. I never went into the basement of that building. Having bed bugs in my suite a few months ago also helped me connect with people. It is always the little things that mean the most. I'm not entirely kidding about that. Sometimes I am tired, however, of sharing space. The guy living next ...