"you were tracing the lines of a globe with your fingers"

Completely non-scientific predictions..

2009-11-01T01:17:54Z

Looking at past departures and current invites for Peace Corps on the Wiki page, The following countries COULD potentially be on the short list for Jan:

South Africa: Confirmed via a current PCV that they are expecting more Community Dev sector NGO Volunteers Jan 28th.

Zambia: In past years, as many as 75% of all Community Development volunteers served here. It's a fairly modernized country for Africa, so it would be an interesting posting.

Guinea: 57% of Community Development volunteers went here, but I think that program has pulled out due to conflict ( or is that Gambia?).

For those that asked about Kenya or Rwanda.. Kenya already left in November, so that appears to be out unless they specifically request someone with my skills. Rwanda is unlikely because it's still considered a french speaking country and it leaves in February. So far if I was a betting man I would say South Africa, but that's really just a wild speculation on my part.

Well.. we'll see about that.

2009-10-28T17:31:52Z

So med bloodwork charge may be reducable or erased if I fill out some forms for hardship. They are supposed to arrive in the mail, so as soon as they come I will fill them out and send them in. Even knocking off 200 bucks off the bill would be great. I am still outraged that 4 blood tests could cost that much money, but oh well. I've already sacrificed time and energy for all these things, what's more time, energy and money?

No update on whether PCMO actually HAS my forms yet.. if my status doesn't change by Friday I'm calling them up on Monday and asking what the deal is.

Mt. Eerie is simply amazing..

2009-10-24T00:32:25Z

Oh.. also:

2009-10-19T12:17:39Z

Paulo Freire:

2009-10-19T11:24:44Z

Perhaps a bit Socialist/Constructivist in nature, but still very relevant:

Critical and liberating dialogue, which presupposes action, must be carried on with the oppressed at whatever the stage of their struggle for liberation. The content of that dialogue can and should vary in accordance with historical conditions and the level at which the oppressed perceive reality. But to substitute monologue, slogans, and communiques for dialogue is to attempt to liberate the oppressed with the instruments of domestication. Attempting to liberate the oppressed without their reflective participation in the act of liberation is to treat them as objects which must be saved from a burning building; it is to lead them into the populist pitfall and transform them into masses which can be manipulated.

At all stages of their liberation, the oppressed must see themselves as women and men engaged in the ontological and historical vocation of becoming more fully human.

Dreams..

2009-10-09T18:05:32Z

I've had a lot of dreams about traveling lately, which makes sense given the Peace Corps process and everything. Many times I am walking or driving an older car, sometimes with friends but most of the time alone.

It's sort of been a big theme of my life: Jesse goes here, Jesse lives there, Jesse moves again. My friends joke that I never seem to stay put for long, which to some extents is an exaggeration but is also true at times. I've lived or worked in some capacity, since graduating college, in Vermont ( twice) Kenya, North Carolina, and Virginia. Ironically I will be moving back to North Carolina after I've done my stint ( Maybe before but that would be HIGHLY unlikely due to my target org's penchant for keeping hiring to a minimum to boost efficiency.

I'm also starting to redefine what am I willing and unwilling to do in an overseas context as a matter of ethics. If I am given an assignment that does not seem to meet my skills AND targeted needs/goals for an area, regardless of doing a needs assessment, I'm going to think heavily about whether or not I would be a help, or an unnecessary addition. While I understand the well meaning " You should teach English in Peace Corps, or even " You should help those poor orphans at an orphanage", they fail to get at the point: Development is not about "Should", nor is Peace Corps. It's about what is best.. it's about "Can" and "Will". Africa needs education, but what it needs more then teachers with no real certifiable experience are those who can train the next generation of AFRICAN teachers. If we send people over to do everything for instead of "with" then we are missing the point. I caught flack for this argument, but I stand by it.. I will not go overseas to do something an African can do just as well or better, that's pompous and counterproductive. I will seek to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in a capacity of mutuality and teamwork, placing the emphasis not on the "White Guy who will do this for us" but on empowering the people I work with to bring out their own leadership skills. You want to see what Diplomacy looks like? THAT'S diplomacy.

Here ends my sermon..

Anyways, I am eager to see what Peace Corps wants to do with me. I should know by the end of October, beginning of November. In the meantime, I need to find solid work to pay the bills.

This is what strength looks like..

2009-10-04T02:04:13Z

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

Hmm.. the mystery continues.

2009-09-27T17:19:51Z

So.. since I last posted I was nominated to do Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, shipping out in January at some point. I thought maybe I was going to Rwanda, but that was based on misreading the staging date for Rwanda which was January 2009, NOT 2010. Right now there are no staging posts on the PC wiki in regards to anything, so I honestly have no idea where I will be going in Jan. I do have my top 3 preferences though:

1. Kenya: From a professional standpoint, Kenya desperately needs community development in order to heal from the post-election violence. The arrival of fast and cheap broadband internet access provides exciting potential for job-training, networking, and community work. The slums are where this needs to start IMHO, because PC has a rather extreme emphasis on mostly rural areas. Certainly rural areas DO need PCV's, but so do urban slums like Kibera where resources are also scarce. A balanced approach would be to the benefit of PC and the host country. I also have good friends in Kenya, some of whose friends are well connected in the government and with local churches and charities, which helps when you need to get approval for projects (the legal way mind you.. I'm not a fan of bribing).

2. Rwanda: So much is changing in Rwanda that it's incredible. To say the country is being reborn would be accurate. French will no longer be spoken in public schools. Instead students are already learning English and an emphasis to integrate all Kinyarwanda speakers into the English Language is taking place. Peace and Reconciliation is the task at hand, and so far, the results have been amazing. Being a part of this rebuilding would also be incredibly rewarding.

3. Tanzania: Tanzania faces shortages in health and other sectors. There's a whole lot of need here, but also a whole lot of mismanagement on the part of the government. The question here is if there is a need for community development volunteers or whether Health is still the primary mission. From what I gather, Education has also been a strong focus, pulling in ESL volunteers.

I could end up in West Africa ( Ghana, after all, is still a flagship program for PCV), but given the high numbers of volunteers, it's hard to say whether or not these countries need more volunteers then they currently have. I won't know where I end up until I run the gauntlet of medical and dental and get my clearances.

chordoflife @ 2009-09-19T12:39:00

2009-09-19T16:40:37Z

I got nominated for Peace Corps, so barring any medical or legal issues, I'm essentially in! Should know my program and general geographic region very soon!

EXCITING!

Drum Rehab.. Almost finished!

2009-09-17T00:50:51Z

Yesterday I cleaned the shell:

Looks good..But the inside is even better:

Of course, the throwoffs (?) were rusty, so I took a drill with a brushhead and went to work carefully. Didn't get all of the pitting, but it looks so much better, and for a free drum, hell that works for me:

Next step is to get a new REMO Weatherking head, a stand, and brushes/sticks, which will be put on hold until I can get some cash to do all that.

Snare Drum rehab part 1

2009-09-16T03:24:53Z

So.. today I went to Daddy's, used a drum key to take off the head, and cleaned the drum shell and cleaned off the head and batter. Tomorrow I need to get the rust off the rims.

I'll have pics when I can snag my camera.

Ugh..

2009-09-10T00:55:35Z

My allergies are so bad.. I'm stuffed up.

I think I should change my name to Snuffalufagus:

"Im gonna make it through this year, if it kills me"

2009-09-03T16:17:40Z

John Darnelle knows how I feel..

A good week..

2009-08-24T01:13:57Z

Good friends, Good Food, Good Experiences, Good questions for me to ponder.. it's been a really good week overall.What can I say, I week feels long at first, but then it feels too short at the end.

I put a resume in to Duke, may put one in to UNC as well. Met with both head honchos ( CEO and President) of an organization based out of Raleigh over at NCSU Saturday, and the response was very positive. Alot depends on whether or not they will win the USAID grant they are writing a proposal for. It's apparently a huge operating grant and would enable them to vastly expand their operations. The words Development Program was mentioned in relation to me briefly, so it appears they might( MIGHT) be thinking in that direction. It's still possible that they might like me but not hire me at all, so right now it's more of a distant possibility that may or may not happen in the next 3 months onward.

When I get home, it's Sub Teaching to help keep me afloat, and sending out more resumes to NC gigs as things pop up. Hopefully I can pick up a lot of sub gigs, otherwise things are going to be tense money-wise. Luckily the pay is fairly good for schools in the county. FT work would be ideal, but I am just not finding much of it on the NH area Craigslist.

More music..

2009-08-13T22:53:38Z

A sort of project I did out of boredom. And Yes, that slide part is mine.. I need to find out where the cats knocked it off and lost it.

"All Who Labor":

Tracklist:

All Who Labor
Count Your Blessings
Faith.mp3
Good intentions (John's mix)
Good To Be Alive
Humility Is A Tender Lover
I've Got Scars
Match On A Fuse
Pull Together
Soil.mp3
Undertow.mp3
Wrap My Head Around It

Special Thanks to Jeff Nix, who played Dobro on "Humility Is A.." and John Kaplan, who helped with Banjo on "Good Intentions", which for some reason did not upload to the streaming player but can be found via the whole Album ZIP,:

http://www.archive.org/details/JustGettingBy

Building..

2009-07-28T03:02:09Z

It feels like things are starting to build for me.. to the point where I can at least get a PT job and make some contacts in NC to lay a groundwork for moving there in the future. At this point, it looks most likely that I will get a PT job with the start of the school season in CT, have 1-2 informal interviews of a more informational nature in NC in August, and will have a completed Peace Corps application in this week. Peace Corps is more of a fallback at this point, but if it's my fallback, I will certainly take it.

Looking at my Linkedin states produced this:

"Your profile has been viewed by 4 people in the last 3 days. In the last 15 days, you have appeared in search results 11 times".

of those 4 are a french Academy CEO, a Kenyan Transport company,and the elusive "Someone in the Leadership function in the Non-Profit Organization Management industry from Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area"

"Someone"..What is that guy deep throat?

I think if I keep networking and making my presence known, I'll get where I need to go, even if it DOES take me a whole year to get there.

A healthy reminder..

2009-07-20T16:31:20Z

"Change of one sort or another is the essence of life, so there will always be the loneliness and insecurity that come with change. When we refuse to accept that loneliness and insecurity are a part of life,when we refuse to accept that they are the price of change, we close the door on many possibilities for ourselves; our lives become lessened, we are less then fully human"

-Jean Vanier

Well.. there goes Kenya.

2009-07-15T14:53:05Z

Today I got a message from Musyoki over at CMS Nairobi. It turns out that they have taken a loss of about 30% in funding and may not be able to implement some new programs, let alone have me over there, even as they DO need someone to help. In short:

" I say this just so you can see how fluid the situation is for us. It’s not that we are indecisive but it’s like we are on a floating foundation and need to keep shifting our weight just to stay above water"

This is painful to hear. There is so much need in that country right now, and so many great ideas to meet that need, but if the funding is not there, what can you do?

I told Musyoki that I would still be willing to try and help them out in rewriting or formatting program descriptions and reviewing program ideas ( an area he admitted they could use some help in), what little I can do in my spare time, to help them out. I figure it's the least I can do to help them get the ball rolling on the things they DO have funding for. It's just frustrating, because the world around me is screaming out for more help, and yet there is dramatically less help available. It's just sad, and it makes it a bitter dose of reality.

Peace Corps?

2009-07-10T19:23:11Z

So I spoke with a recruiter today, and it's clear I could probably join the peace corps and teach and even go for a Masters degree WHILE doing Peace Corps. It's clearly a huge commitment, and it's obviously not guaranteed that I would be sent where I want to be, but looking at the pros and cons, it seems reasonable:

Pro's:

-Can do a Master's Degree via their Educational partnerships with various institution.

-Loan Deferment ( this could also be a negative as I would like to pay DOWN my loan, but it has a real plus if I am overseas).

-Allows you inside access to Gov't positions and NGO jobs

-Is valued by others

-$6,000 when you finish

Cons:

-Is stipendiary

- Little input on where I am sent ( they take skillset into consideration sometimes more than Geographic Preference).

-2 years is longer then I have been overseas before.

-Often work away from other PCV's, only seeing them at trainings.

That's my pro/con list so far.. I will probably apply and go to an info session in August. The whole process takes about a year, so I would work and generate income in the meantime, and obviously if someone huge came up, or I got a big offer, that could trump doing Peace Corps, but the way this economy is right now, that seems unlikely. Right now it's A CHOICE, but not yet the only option.. a lot can change in a year's time.

Glad someone sent me this..

2009-07-08T02:31:11Z

It took me a while to fully understand this quote, and I'm not a Buddhist, but I can relate to the underlying message:

See demons as demons: that is the danger.
Know that they are powerless: that is the way.
Understand them for what they are: that is deliverance.
Recognize them as your mother and father: that is their end.
Realize that they are the creations of the mind: they become its glory.
When these truths are known, all is liberation.

Milarepa

The Mysterious Case of Benjamin Macbook..

2009-07-08T01:30:02Z

So.. inexplicably, my power issue came back this morning, causing my Macbook to flick on and off like it was something out of Poltergeist II. Called some call center, got some Indian guy, who finally told me after endless minutes listening to Hindi music while on hold, that my Applecare WOULD be honored and that if I sent in my receipt from the now defunct COMPUSA, my computer would be registered. We'll see if the Mac repair guys can fix the problem, since the battery is fine and it's not a hard drive issue.

Ugh.. not what I needed this week.

chordoflife @ 2009-06-23T23:02:00

2009-06-23T23:02:34Z

I really like how the horns and guitar worked out..

Undertow.. by Rusticalia | iCompositions - Music

Posted using ShareThis

I don't like "lulls" in the week..

2009-06-18T14:08:29Z

Earlier this week, Peggy emailed me to tell me that our proposal idea to ask CONNSACS for funding was not going to work because apparently CONNSACS didn't see the value in replacing the current victim tracking software that the Rape Crisis center was using, only looking at improving it. To me this doesn't make too much sense. They can either spend all this money hiring someone to reprogram the software to have a better layout but do basically the same thing, or we can get this new and innovative software that basically makes the old stuff obsolete because of all it's features. So, if CONNSACS doesn't want to jump on this, I told Peggy it's more their loss then ours. There are tons of small human services based funders who would be interested in funding the ALICE software ( Which was created by a father whose daughter was brutally raped and now used by large police departments across the country). I KNOW we can get this grant, so I am pushing Peggy hard not to throw in the towel just because CONNSACS isn't interested.

Why would a easy to use and comprehensive victim services tracking software be a BAD thing??

As the Southwest commercial says " It is SO on!"

"We gonna get ourselves together, we gonna polish up our act"

2009-06-09T18:25:47Z

I think I found my new theme song, thanks to Soultrain:

Now, are you all ready?
Are y'all ready?
Now we gonna do it with the fever
Yeah, Come on

Ain't no stoppin' us now
We're on the move (yeah-ee-a, yeah-ee-a)
Ain't no stoppin' us now
We've got the groove
Spice Girls, check it out

There've been so many things that have held us down
But now it looks like things are finally comin' around, yeah
I know we've got a long long way to go, yeah
And where we'll end up
I don't know
But we won't let nothing hold us back
We gonna get ourselves together
We gonna polish up our act, yeah
And if you've ever been held down before
I know that you refuse to be held down any more, yeah yeah
Don't you let nothing, nothing
Nothing stand in your way
And all we gonna do
I want you to listen, listen (That's right)
To every word I say
Every word I say about it

Ain't no stoppin' us now
We're on the move
(You said it, we've got the groove)
Ain't no stoppin' us now
We've got the groove (Whoo-hoo-oo-oo Whoo-hoo-oo)
Ain't no stoppin' us now
We're on the move
(We've got the groove)
Ain't no stoppin' us now
We've got the groove (Yeah)

Look, Lemme tell you this
I know you know someone who's got a negative vibe (Euhh)
And if you only help it will only keep it alive (Sh-yeah)
They really don't have nowhere to go
Ask 'em where they're going
They don't know
But we won't let nothing hold us back
We gonna get ourselves together, come on
We gonna polish up our act, yeah
And if you've ever been held down before
I know that you refuse to be held down any more, Oh oh oh

Don't you let nothing, nothing
(I won't do it) Stand in your way (No no)
And all we gonna do
I want you to listen, listen
To every word I say
Every word I say about it

Ain't no stoppin' us now (That's right)
We're on the move
(Nothing gonna, nothing gonna)
(Stop us now, stop us now)
Ain't no stoppin' us now, Come on
We've got the groove (Whoo-oo-oo yeah yeah)
Ain't no stoppin' us now (No no no)
We're on the move
(On the move, yeah-ee-a, yeah-ee-a)
Ain't no stoppin' us now
We've got the groove (Yeah)

Now, let's see it
Don't wanna stop
Please don't make me stop (I don't wanna)
Don't wanna stop
Please don't make me stop (No-oh No-oh)
Don't wanna stop
Please don't make me stop (I don't want to)
Don't wanna stop
Please don't make me stop
(Uh, y'all spell it out for me)

S-T-O-P-P-I-N
Ain't no (Doo-oo, Yeah-heh-a)
S-T-O-P- (to the) P- (to the) I-N (You got it)
Ain't no (Ain't no, no-no)
S-T-O-P-P-I-N (Go ahead)
Ain't no (Ain't no, no-oh-no, no-oh-no)
S-T-O-P- (to the) P- (to the) I-N (Come on)
Ain't no (No, yeah-ee-a, yeah-ee-a)

Ain't no stoppin' us now
We're on the move
Don't wanna stop, please don't make me stop (Yeah yeah)
Ain't no stoppin' us now (Yeah)
We've got the groove
Don't wanna stop, please don't make me stop
(Whoo-oo, Come around with me)

Ain't no stoppin' us now
We're on the move

Decisions, Decisions..

2009-06-03T18:17:55Z

So it looks like things are changing a bit for the good. While I am still having issues getting recommended on Linkedin ( some folks are just not comfortable putting their names on an online recommendation) I DO have an "interview" for a PT Grantwriter position with a org that preserves historic lighthouses. In talking with Casey, the head of their CT headquarters, they sound thrilled and eager to have me on their staff, which I would fit into because most of them are barely 30 at youngest and around 45 at oldest.

I also have been getting advice from some HR professionals via Linkedin that it is next to impossible to compete for a job out of state unless you walk on water in a career sense or are looking to get into a field that has SEVERE staffing shortages ( There are a fair amount of us grantwriters out there!).

So, taking their advice, here is what I am thinking:

1. Get going with Beacon Preservation writing grants, saving a small part of what I am paid to go to savings. Attempt to stay with them through to my Birthday in September, putting out feelers in August and maybe making a networking trip down to Chapel Hill again. Look at Kenya again as a possible option, contacting Musyoki.

2. Build up my Linkedin account and try and get references from Eve and from staff at Beacon Preservation and anyone I volunteer for in Milford. The more praise, the better. Continue adding to my portfolio and networking with NC contacts.

3.Set a goal for a January 2010 move at the latest, October at the earliest depending on responsiveness to my trip.

It seems that most people are suggesting waiting it out and then moving when I have some overhead and some key contacts down south. Thoughts?

3.