Making the Most of It

While it has been incredibly humbling to be without steady, full-time employment, I have been taking advantage of the time and, well, making the proverbial lemonade.

I have been volunteering as a summer Book Buddy with the Campagna Center's Wright to Read program, located in the City of Alexandria, VA. I meet once a week with a young reader who needs a little extra help solidifying readings skills. This has been a fun and rewarding way to spend time on a Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday I went for the first time to volunteer my library services at the Ladrey Senior High Rise in the City of Alexandria. They have a great space for the library--lots of light and windows looking out on a courtyard area. The challenge here is to entice the residents to use the library. Right now the library contains a hodgepodge of mostly fiction paperbacks, some periodicals, and a prehistoric desktop computer with access to the Internet, Microsoft Office applications (circa 1999), and my old friend, Mavis Beacon, who teaches typing (that's how I learned back in the day). There are four more newer computers, but they cannot be touched until they are sanctified by the City's Tech God (I'm guessing that the Senior Housing complex is not on the top of the list of priorities....).

Oh, Hello There!

Well, I am back on the grid after a little hiatus during which I spent time without electricity, running water, or communication devices of any kind. I have to say it was pure heaven--hiking, canoeing, making serious headway with Infinite Jest (Yes! I am over halfway!), and spending hours looking at the lake and mountains.

So, I've waded through the mail of various ilk, and am ready to resume my periodic playdates with 23 Things.