This is what ___________ looks like....

Here is a new game that I just thought up in my head.  It involves looking at the pictures that I have aquired on my phone (you know how those always tend to be an odd assortment)... well I thought I'd share what has been captured in recent times.


This is what my family looks like when we are laughing...

This is what my brother looks like  when he is laughing (and in the height of participating in Movember [a time in which he didn't shave])...

This is what my Christmas tree looks like at home!... wow...

This is what the dustbowl at Boston College looks like (thanks Molly Kammiem for sending this my way) sadly, it will no longer be as I remember... as they are putting up a new building... may it rest in peace...

This is what a funny sign in Hermann Park has on it... It is leading towards the zoo... and it also happens to be a favorite animal of BOTH Emily and I!

This is what the Niemer Family Elf on the Shelf looks like...

This is what my dad looks like when he watches football.. He stands the entire game (something I was terrible at in college) AND is super superstitious (you know someone is seriously superstitious when there is an EXTRA super in front of it!) ...

Well now you know what my life looks like (or at least some glimpses!)

a sneak peak at our Christmas Card!

Wishing y'all peace, love and joy from Houston.

Happy Holidays from our ranch to yours!

Merry Christmas!

Cara, Maggie, Alex, Tess

Emily and Kate

Quote for the week...

A bunch of us ventured out this past weekend to see the sites of Brazos Bend... for some good old fashioned camping.

(this is from one of my favorite games to play... choose the first item on google image... this is the first image that comes up.)

(this is the second, it gave me a chuckle)

If my mom were here she would start singing the Quinn (our family) classic ... "Put another log on the fire." 

Now you may recall that I went camping a few weekends previous (did I tell ya about that) but this one was very a different trip... involving fewer (none) high schoolers and many more (17.5 if you are alex,emily or tomas) alligators and beverages (teverages).

We hassled one of our friends, Tomas (congratulations on your first blog shout out [even though I don't think you've ever read the blog])... into coming with 4 of the Wichita (that is the street we live on) women (you know how you know he went to ND...) and following work on Friday we got in his car locked all the doors (well not all) and drove away from the city for about an hour.  

After some not so good directions (read: me almost leading us to 59 North instead of 59 South) we were on the road... listening to some good jams (name of the CD: cAMPing [ note: the naming had an additional influence beyond camping, that being, cyclic AMP for those  bio freaks out there]) and eating some sandwiches (Joey's favorite food [both from f.r.i.e.n.d.s and the Joe in the other house])

We got there and began to pitch our tent.  Emily (emmy... but dont ever really call her that... [softball]) came up with this rule in which we could only use one hand.  It made the game quite interesting. Then came building the fire.... did you know eagle scouts have to learn how to start a fire in two matches... well the eagle scout I know (Tomas) had forgotten this skill... but don't worry 63 matches later we had heat and warmth.  We spent the evening relaxing, "alex-ing," talking stupid (a term my mom uses for story telling), getting blisters on our fingers (well that was just Tomas), utilizing the camping "bathrooms," being cold, and all those other great things that arise when friends come together in the company of each other and nature (and teers [code word]).

The next day began with an early rise as the sun was up and shining on our tent.  Alex did not want to go running in the morning (in fact she threated to hi-jack Tomas' car)... after some explaining (about the night previous) we all went for a walk around Brazos bend.  We got to do some more "talking stupid, " enjoying nature, climbing trees (thanks for the help alex), eating smarties (well that was just Tomas) and eating more sandwiches.  The afternoon we all split up... Cara went to the observatory... Alex, Emily and Tomas went on another hiking adventure... and I stayed back to read my book (learning more and more about Aspergers everyday)...

We came back together and had to make a run to "re-supply" We met some friends at the local convience store/gas station... where they informed Alex and I that we were sitting at the "table of knowledge" to be honest... talking to them didnt really feel like it was filled with "knowledge" (but who am I to judge [ESFJ]).

We returned to good old LOT #115 for some more campfire time... this time the fire went up much quicker... (Tomas did NOT get burned but DID use a fire log).  More camp fire activities ensued including the mandatory s'mores! At some point I also shared the story of when I went camping with my family as a child (Elroy/Sparta trail!) and all my pretzels fell out of my basket (that is not even a metaphor).

All in all it was a successful weekend... probably more successful for me and the MOST successful for emily.. as we had some personal gains in terms of our intelligence/mental capacity (memory).

So (in the end) I leave you with the quote of the week... said by one of my roommate's (Cara) friend (not a real friend... a metaphorical friend) ...

“In the end we will conserve only what we love.

We will love only what we understand. 

We will understand only what we are taught.”

-Baba Dioum

NB

When I was re-reading this blog I realize that I used parenthesis a lot (like more than the average post). So then I got inspired... and went back and added more in (I am sorry if you find it annoying, but the devil is in the detials).

ps... emily... this is the first thing that comes up when I google image your name (surprised you didn't know that)... 

that image is CRAZY... crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy! crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy! crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy! crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy! crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy! crazy? I was crazy once, they locked me in a (padded) room. With Rats! Rubber rats... They drove me crazy!

two posts... one day.... NO WAY

did you catch that.... the title rhymes (which is another thing i am thankful for... rhyming words!)



so here is the scoop.  yesterday i had the honor and pleasure of going wedding dress shopping for my friend (and co-worker... "fro-worker" [friend/co-worker])... irregardless we had a blast and went to this super cutesy consignment shop.

first we looked at dresses in her size range (where i found out that wedding dresses are two sizes bigger than your actual size.... sounds like a big ego deflation activity if you ask me... but stephanie said she didnt mind)

then we picked out a bunch we liked

THEN she got to try them on... and on... and on...

she tried on maybe six dresses


but then BINGO

we had found the ONE! who knew in just under an hour... a dress that had been dropped off that day... would be so fantastic.  Stephanie looked incredible... it fit her great... and her mom AND dad liked it too.

you know having this experience just made me think about how cool it was to be a part of this...

it was JUST like the time in my "advanced nude drawing" class last year where our model was walking on his platform and almost fell off....and right in that moment everyone in the class was thinking the same thing... "is this really going to happen... is this naked man going to fall off this 2 foot ledge he has been gallivanting on.. and potentially fall on my table/drawing/me "

only its a bit more different in that this time i was hoping Stephanie would buy the dress (WIN) and not for this man to fall in all his nakedness (LOSE).

and right in that cusp of decision (will he fall/will she buy dress) i couldn't help but think... this is really nothing like my drawing class at all.

needless to say... she bought the dress. woot woot.


she told me to keep it a secret. but no one reads this anyway so i thought id just post it here.

just kidding... i am better at keeping secrets than that!

choice blessings await those who live in thanksgiving daily..

well, i know thanksgiving has come and gone...

but that doesn't mean that i should stop being thankful!

things i am thankful for...

• a thanksgiving break filled with laughter, giggles, food and love
• hearing my mom's life
• being welcomed back to work from a great thanksgiving break
• my mother's empathy for elf culture (her musings on what it must have been like for buddy to realize he was a human and not an elf). 
• cookie cutters
• new music that is fun to listen to
• a blank canvas
• a good book... im reading "house rules" by jodi piccult and i would highly recommend it
• reuniting with old friends
• oh my gosh. i just forgot... i remembered I LOVE THE BLUE MAN GROUP!
• the celtics victory.
• our after-school security gaurd, who is so funny... and reminded me the other day to slow down, which i know i should do.... side note, it was hilarious that he said this to me politely via a bible passage... ha!
• i am watching this great documentary called "Tapped" ( http://www.hulu.com/tapped )
• i love how my office now incessantly uses the phrase "nip that in the bud" (which i can't remember if i posted this before but i just recently found out that that phrase is NOT "nip it in the BUTT")
• stay tuned for a blog post about a shopping adventure i had with one of my friends for her wedding dress!

the book of awesome...

My friend Julie has this as her gchat status a while back.. it's a blog I certainly love.  Going off the idea of Thanksgiving/ being thankful etc.  I thought I might start my own list of things that are awesome... (which probably means they are things that I am grateful for too).

• The sound of rain from inside a tent.
• this weekend I went camping with 10 Cristo Rey Jesuit Students! It was fantastic and pictures are sure to come (whenever I get my act together) ... but it rained on Friday night and I certainly enjoyed the sound of the pitter patter on my tent.
• MOVEMBER
• kudos to Richie and his whole Movember Crew.. What is more impressive than the fact that these "men" have chosen to grow out their staches... is the hilarious chain of emails they send!
• intergenerational dancing
• this one is taken straight for the Book of Awesome blog but it is something I truly love.  I don't know if there is anything better than busting a move with my mom.  
• Little Flashback: I'm at my cousin Mariah's wedding... this is probably my first experience with "screwdrivers"  
• 
• Anywho... next thing I know my dad is making BOTH my mother and I have a "time out" since we clonked heads on the dance floor. 
• The 5 second rule
• The other day a two waffles fell on the floor from our freezer (sorry tess) my immediate response was to start counting down from 5 and I dove to the floor.  As I did this another waffle fell to the floor.  Emily's response was to dive for it... but her attempt was unsuccessful. But don't worry I was able to pick it up! All thanks to the 5 second rule... tess can still have her waffles.
• "I am human, raised by humans" 
• This is one of my favorite quotes from the CHRISTMAS movie Elf... but it reminds me of some great advice that I got from a mentor of mine..  we are humans... and we can make mistakes!
•  Asking questions you don't want to hear the answers to.... but you secretly do.
• This weekend I was asked our van full of adventure campers "Who is having the most fun"... I was assuming that the students would all compete for it to be then... but I had to laugh at myself when I heard a resounding... "YOU! Miss Niemer!"

Let me keep thinking on this list... more certainly is to come!

Tanksgiving!...

Yes, I know I spelled it wrong... but it brings me back to my high school days where for some reason we never said thank you, we always said "tanky" .... ahhh the minds of high schoolers... the overwhelming dose of nostalgia that I come across on a regular basis is quite intimidating....

but enough about my trips down memory lane...

I was thinking that being thankful is the reason for the season... so some of the format for the month of November ( or Movember if you are my brother/emily participating in the monthly challenge)


I am thankful for....
- a great spirituality night last night lead by Tess! who encouraged us to make prayer blankets for women and children at a shelter in the area. We sat in the comfort of our couch-filled common room and made those fleece tie blankets that are so fun to make.... it was a great time filled with much laughter

- for coworkers.... who stumble upon said blog... and leave me funny voice mails in response... should I be embarrassed or excited... I'll go the latter.

- my pandora mumford and sons station

- DC (diet coke) and/or DDP (diet doctor pepper)

- post it notes.... seriously they save my life on a daily basis. they help me keep my head on!

-finding pictures on your phone that you didnt know were there


- my plant.... steven. ha!

Ok... well I know I have a litany more... but thats all I shall do for now...

that's all she wrote, more latter.

-Kate

Hungry... Why wait....

Eat some of this Peanut Sauce Pasta...

A week or so ago I made a dish for my community and now weeks later I can finally say that I didnt kill anyone with my cooking... we did have some upset stomach issues (including me picking up a vomiting roommate from work) but it was all attributed to other causes.

phew false alarm.

Alas... I thought Id share this gem of a  recipe with my viewing community.. (yes, all three of you who I could have just emailed but some day when there is like big Vesuvius-like volcano that wipes out a majority of the population someone will stumble upon my blog years and have a testimony of what it is like to be me and can make this dish).

And bonus... it is vegetarian! 

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  fat-free, vegetable broth
• 1/4  cup  chunky peanut butter
• 1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  chile paste with garlic
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 8  ounces  uncooked fettuccine (I used penne pasta but any kind will do!)
• 1  pound  firm tofu, drained and cubed ( I like to cut it into very small cubes... but then you should make extra sauce so that it can be absorbed by all the Tofu surface area!)
• 1  cup  (2-inch) sliced green onions
• 1  cup  shredded carrot

You can also add in other vegetables... my favorite is SNAP PEAS!

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently.  Add in Tofu just before removing from heat.  Stir in so the tofu is coated in the sauce. Remove from heat.
Cook pasta in boiling water as directed.  Add vegetables drain (I add the vegetables later so that they are firm). Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Add peanut butter mixture; toss gently.



Nom Nom... as Cara, one of my casa mates, would say. 

guess what i wear as a hat...

a lentil...

some things that have happened in my life

-i got to be a part of a biohazard scene... well not really but i did sit with a student who had a MASSIVE nose bleed. im talking like two cups of vampire juice!
- the Halloween leprechaun came and visited our house!
- i think i am going to be a houston dynamo fan
- the SBARR (situation/background/assessment/recommendation/response) method works
- it is difficult to try to explain the car horns are used as a greeting in the midwest
- peer pressure can cause someone to buy a plant... and a holder... and a table.
- no nook is better than another. just different. the same but different.
-i made family dinner for all our friends AND some guests! (the recipe to follow in a latter post) it was like a thai pasta dish things went seemingly smoothly thanks to a confidedance both from john the fiance of one of the teachers at my school... but i was a bit worried when i got a call from my roommate the next morning who needed to be picked up from work as she had already gotten sick... needless to say.. she seemed to have caught it from one of the kids she works with.. NOT my food. phewwwwwww.




advice:

• dont get the denny's sandwich with the mozzarella sticks in the middle
• if you thought the thriller dance was cool, try learning it with a bunch of middle aged women
• dont drive a giant van into an exit... each of the 11 students in the van will notice and give you a hard time about it

this is terribly embarassing that i have NOT posted in a while.

alas... i dont have much time either... but id like to share with the world... this little gem that was shared with my by a sweet friend of mine, cynthia...


MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

I like... (well I won't give it away).

Isn't it fantastical when two very funny things in your world collide.

Or maybe let me better rephrase this... life has a funny way of merging ...... reality and.... youtube.

For starters this YouTube hit is certainly going to be one of my favorites for years to come...

 

 So this weekend one of my roommates and I went to the Zoo (three cheers for supervisors who have zoo memberships that discount the rest of us!). FYI... the Zoo is located in Hermann (or spelled Herman if your Emily) Park which is just a short jaunt from our beautiful house (find address on Emily's facebook) in the museum district. 

We were enjoying our time.. saw a baby elephant, ate french fries, met a boy who thought the rock he was standing on was a pirate ship, saw the plethora of tattoos that the houston people have to visually offer, watched said boy get excited about baby elephant, tried to fight off our hangovers etc. 

We stumbled upon on a scenic display of animals that seemed to be causing quite the commotion.  And by commotion I mean cameras, laughter, parent giggles, video cameras.. all leading up to a potential birds and the bees talk.

ok want to see what all the commotion was all about?

seriously. these turtles could have used some privacy. to be honest I took a video... but I don't want to get in trouble for like animal exploitation (i am a vegetarian).

gee wiz. what  a day. and if that wasn't enough to make that october 2nd go down in history (happy birthday mom)..... 

also while at the zoo...

i

  got 

     pooped 

               on

                  by 

                     a 

                       bird

let me replay the scene for you...

me: ummm emily did something just fall on my head.

emily: ah yeah. actually a bird just pooped on you.

me: eww... what does it look like.

emily: (emily when you read my blog can you remind me what you said here).

me: well can you get a NAPKIN!

and that is just one of the many reasons why I love my roommates.

questions i have for myself...

• why did i think it would be a good idea to eat one of those green peppers in the teachers lounge? 
• this reminds me of the time Richie, my brother, offered me a nickel if i could eat a green pepper from the papa john's pizza box.  only this morning was different because 
• i didn't get a nickel for eating this one
• i was all alone laughing at myself when my mouth was on fire
• what would the world be life if we could see inside people's dreams?
• i don't usually remember my dreams but if people could see my one from last night, i think i'd be in trouble
• why is my supervisor SO good at talking in a quiet voice?
• seriously the three of us share an open office and she is incredible at talking at such a low volume yet still being audible. she can call me and tell me secrets and no one else would know! maybe it is her secret power.
• how come i cannot figure out the proper route to drive to work?
• i have driven to and from work three days now.  however, i have yet to take the same route. i need to pay better attention of my course. and maybe stop listening to ke$ha so intently. 
• is it bad that i pre-gamed in college to the same music i now listen to on the way to work?
• answer: no.
• does your chewing gum lose it's flavor on the bed post overnight?
• this isn't a questions i have for myself rather the song that is stuck in my head at the current moment. "can you catch it on your tonsils, can you heave it left or right, does your chewing gum lose it's flavor on the bed post overnight"

may the road rise to meet you...

the roads of Texas will now have a new car in town! as my parents brought in my little red car to aid in my adventures in Houston.. 

• practical jokes are weird/ineffective when EVERYONE is in on it. 
• so my mom spent all of Saturday looking around her brother's house in Austin for the car keys (of the car they had just brought down for me). She looked everywhere and spent a good part of the day doing so.  My dad started to retrace her steps and serve as a second set of eyes for the keys... no such luck.... until hours later my dad find the keys in.... his pockets! my uncle steve pointed out that it wasn't a very effective practical joke if it had my dad crawling around in search of the keys.
• Where does one find the best pizza in Houston? 
• With my parents in town and NOT on the JVC stipend/simple living, they were able to treat me and my roommates to Pizza... but having lived here a month on a budget where going out for pizza doesn't rank high on the list, I had no clue where to order from.  The solution... I walked into a gas station and asked the clerk where I could find the best pizza.... well he was REALLY confused my by question... BUT a friendly fellow costumer chimed in and sent us to Gotham Pizza.... it was great (but to be honest any Pizza would have ranked highly on my list since I hadn't had it in so long)!
• Arguments with furniture are rarely productive
• this morning as I walk about our house in pitch black circa 5:45, I hit my leg into our hallway cupboard.  This is a daily occurrence in which I am reminded that though arguments with furniture are rarely productive, they can produce bruises.
• And I leave you today with some office ongoings/ shenanigans.... following, let's just say an incident, that happened this morning, I sent out the following email...

"I wanted to bring to everyone's attention an urgent facilities matter.

It appears that sometime during this morning someone came into the Corporate Work Study office and littered my desk and trashed my computer.  I am appalled that this would happened at such a fine institution. 

I have cleaned up the garbage but please see the attached image as a record of the event."

ruminations...

A lazy days weekend went by (with no complaints from me as I certainly needed a break)... Some updates and thoughts are as follows....

-back seat drivers are greatly appreciated when driving for the first time in a new city.... in a GIANT 15 person van

-JVC loves to BBQ
-a corner couch (you know one with two sides that you put in a tv) can be converted into a super long couch!
-the butt of that corner couch can turn into the perfect addition to a room as a reading chair

-the people of houston really love vince flynn (this is in reference to the author of the book that was purchased for me at half priced books) I had a training on Sunday and TWO different people commented on how great an author he is
- the only thing more fantastic than southwest airlines is my PARENTS... I LOVE southwest's cheap airfare (cough cough friends in Boston, Milwaukee elsewhere who want to visit me) and I love that it is enabling my parents to come down THIS WEEKEND for a visit. They are the best. In an effort to make my work hours/transportation either they are driving down my car! and then flying out of Austin (following what will be a GREAT visit with family there). I cannot wait to see them and show them toe wonders of Houston!
- the students always ask me if I play video games... do I come off as a gamer? Please let me know what I can change as this is certainly not my intention. 

My final rumination is a comment a student randomly made to me when I was chaperoning the bus on Monday....


"you are only as old as you think"

wise words.

good things come in threes...

or maybe I should rewrite that as "free things come in threes"... as this weekend has been speckled with some FREE blessings

1. I really wanted to go on this adventure to this place I had heard of called "Texas Junk Company" known for their vast selection of cowboy boots and only open on Saturdays... naturally not the Saturday that my roommate Alex and I attempted to go but our 5 mile walk (2.5 there and back) in the blazing heat was not done without reward. On our return we stopped in a shoe and accessory shop... where we were greeted with not only air conditioning but also MIMOSAS! I don't totally understand why they had a pitcher of the delicious drank but I wasn't going to question. Cheers to Karen and Yolanda for being so generous with your Saturday merriment.

2. coming from the city of festivals (milwaukee!) the Houston Oktoberfest hosted by the Muesuem of Fine Arts pales in comparison to the vast Summerfest grounds of Milwaukee's lakefront... however watch out Milwaukee, this tiny festival located in the outside walkway to the museum has got you beat in terms of free beverages.  All the free beer and wine you can drink from tiny cups that you are willing to wait in line for... Needless to say the afternoon ended in my roommate Emily and I dancing an Australian dance with 5-9 year olds. 

 This is my roommate Emily and I with our tiny glasses of champagne (pre-dancing with the children).

3. Ok so now for a free thing that does NOT involved alcohol... and this one is the goofiest of the three...So on Sunday I went on another sweaty adventure this time to Half Priced Books... where the most colorful of people are often present.. I was searching around the bookshelves (definitely not looking for the last book in the Twilight series) when I came across a man (lets say in his late 50s) who was sitting on the floor looking through a shelf of books.  I chuckled as I overheard him talking to himself as he was trying to find a novel. He responded asking my if I was laughing at him because a grown man was sitting on the ground (well, really I was laughing at him because he was talking to himself). He went on to explain he was trying to determine the book of this favorite mystery author of his he had yet to read.  We talked about mysteries (which I explained I do not usually read) and then I went along my search (certainly not for Breaking Dawn) Maybe ten minutes later, my old friend joins me once again with a proposition... He said he would buy me a book if in exchange I would email him and tell him what I thought. I gladly accepted.


Alas, I am one happy (mimosa, beer and wine drinking, Vince Flynn novel reading) girl.

That's all she wrote.

(until I send my book review).

are we there yet?

Today I find myself riding along with 20 of Cristo Rey Jesuits finest as we transport them by big yellow school bus to their work placements. As I sit for a total of two hours bumping around and weaving through the streets of downtown Houston I am surprised that the 14 and 15 year old students still feel the need to ask the nagging car trip question "Are we there yet."  Inevitably we are not... such is the day in life of me. Please note I would love additional witty responses beyond my current "what do you think" "yes we are" (when we clearly are no where near their destination)...

with that I realize I may have never explained my school slash placement...

I work at Cristo Rey Jesuit of Houston which is part of the whole Cristo Rey Network.  We are the youngest/ most recent school and are only in our second year. Thus we only have freshman and sophomores.

Our students come from various backgrounds which inhibit them to afford private/catholic high school but the Cristo Rey model solves this with a unique approach of integrating class room learning and real life job experience.  Thus the students attend school 4 days a week and work 1 day a week.  Each job or sponsor holds one full time job for our students and each day a new student comes into work.  Thus there is a Monday work crew, Tuesday work crew etc... (the students rotate who works on Friday and thus one week a month the students work two days).

I work in the office that coordinates the job placements/ transporation/ billing etc. Our office is basically its own temp agency for our students who do basic jobs at white collar placements such as filing, coping, faxing and answering the phones etc.

As this was our first week of actual classes and work our office has spent its time fine tuning our transportation (hence me riding to the bus to both supervise and time how long it takes us to get from job to job). 

It really is a pretty exciting (and busy) place. But a lot of cool things happen here and it's awesome to hear about the work lives of our students.

Working in a high school isn't too bad either! It brings me back to my good old days at DSHA. The dicotomy of my days is quite funny to me, I spent part of my day in contact with one of our sponsors in the Energy Sector smoothing out a new student who will be working there (ah the corporate world) and later I gave my first "pep" talk to a student who was frustrated about his soccer practice. Board room to soccer field this place is quite interesting. 

Happiness only real when shared..

This is a phrase I always love and think of and it's funny the way its relevance has changed since I have moved from my two different homes of Boston and Milwaukee to this brand new, blisteringly hot, devoutly southern place known as Houston.

In moving to a new city I find that I obviously know less people. So who am I supposed to "share" in this "happiness" with.  My world at this time is a bit smaller than it used to be.  I live with 5 other people (ah I miss the 12 of Edmonds 2nd floor) and I work in an office in which I spend most my times with 2 other people!

But though my world might be smaller I find that happiness is still only found when shared (even if it's with the same people or strangers/ acquaintances).  I find I participate more fully in conversations and interactions with all people I meet from bus drivers, to principal, to student running late (which today the dean of students told me that I have a great "mean" voice).  At times I miss the depth of my relationships from the people I would see every day (my longest friend here I have known for 28 days) but it's a fun adventure I am embarking upon.  Sharing in happiness with the beautiful people who cross my path in Houston!

  I find  that there is a special beauty in being removed from my closest most important people and jumping into a new place with so much potential for new friends.

Houston... the city the never sleeps... (isn't that what they call it)

Well, this is where I sleep!

We were originally told that our house had 4 bedrooms for the 6 people.  But when we got here there was an extra room to the side of the house that the air conditioning does not reach. Last year the house used it to hang dry their laundry so it was a big muggy/hot but with a few fans and some candle it became my room. It must have been an addition to the house or an old porch that was remodeled so I have tile floor and a brick on one side! And the room gets a ton of natural light which I think is pretty cool.

Here is a view of where all the magic happens... well actually just where the small amount of sleep I do get happens.

Above is my bed with my Boston College T-Shirt Blanket! We had to move the bed in from a different room since this wasn't originally a bedroom.  Thus all my furniture is a bit goofy.

Goofy furniture= I use a filing cabinet and bookshelf to store my clothing! 

In for a penny... in for a pound....

Idiom: In for a penny, in for a pound

---

If something is worth doing then it is a case of in for a penny, in for a pound, which means that when gambling or taking a chance, you might as well go the whole way and take all the risks, not just some.

 

 

Now.... I was just told I embody this expression? Yet, I dont fully understand what it means.... and Im wishing it meant something more along the lines of... "Gee Kate, We'd like to give you some time off"  But for some reason. And while I don't fully understand what it means.... Im guessing my latter hope is not the case. 

Alas, that's all she wrote as I await our "Mass of the Holy Spirit"... I hope I don't fall asleep!

I did not sign up for this...

Gee wiz... as stated earlier its is hotter than the hinges of hell. all our days are in the nineties some in the triple digits and all our lows are in the 80s.

Speaking of lows in the 80s. I hit the "low 80" hour mark on Sunday which has put me in a bit of a funk. Bythat I mean from last Mondayto this past Sunday I worked 82 hours.  That included my 15 hour day with a trip to Texas A and M, along with a bunch of double digit days and working both Saturday and Sunday. 


I am exhausted to say the least.

As I write this I am at the 13 almost 14th hour of being here. Just waiting for a file to upload so that I can continue on through with my work.

I haven't had much time to sleep and no time to relax. I think what frustrates me most is that I feel as though I am being taken advantage of a bit. I know everyone has well intentions but I signed a contract to only work 40 hours.

I am at quite a tricky spot in terms of remedying the situation as I work in an office that has 3 people but should normally have 5. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Also another big factor to my situation is the fact that transportation is tricky. My commute, if I were to take the public transportation would be an hour and fifteen minutes (one way). It includes 2 bus rides and 2 walks that total about a mile.  This all done in the Houston heat and in business professional clothes mind you!

My work sees the annoyance in the situation and in addition to that they worry about the walking part (which comes closer to the school as we are in a rougher neighborhood). A teacher last year said I should carry pepper spray. She said that if I would ever have to use it should would hope that it would only be for "the dogs that run around our neighborhood."  As a result I get picked up and dropped off by my supervisors which is also one of the reasons why I work insane hours.

My file is uploaded. Of to the presses I go... wishing for sleep and normalcy.

baptism by fire..

Isn't that what they call it... well at least that is what it feels like!
I am on my fourth day at my placement and starting my first full week and life is hectic to say the least. My position for JVC is new this year and the office I now work in, the Corporate Work Study Office, just had two people leave and I am replacing them. Thus things are all the more hectic as I am doing the work of two people AND I'm brand new to all this stuff. 

Some updates and ruminations on life thus far....

• having a ton of extra beds in your house is fantastic when the only people you know in a city are a whole house full of new JVCs as well.. after a great friday night we had a massive double house sleepover followed by a brunch! The pancakes really brought me back to "Pancakes and Pregames" prior to BC football games
• people are really welcoming in houston... thank you random people at Bar 5015... for letting us know that we are going to be "ok" with our new transition to living in TX
• bunt cakes... rarely go over well (should have known this from my big fat greek wedding) our JVC sponsor parent who helps us if we need anything brought over a bunt cake on our first day which was 8 days ago... and we still have it. however over the weekend one of the other houston house members simply put her whole hand in it and grabbed out a bunch during our festivities.  what remains of the bunt cake sits on top of our refrigerator. 
• after having a lazy weekend of hanging out and relaxing i decided to go for a run on sunday. at 1pm. during the heat advisory. lets just say lesson learned. I thought I was going to die.
• I am still certainly not used to be called "Ms. Niemer" 
• and Ill leave you with this scary fact.... tomorrow I am chaperoning... (read: responsible for students!?!?!) a trip to Texas A&M for the students to check out the college
• this day will also be a hell day as the buses leave at 6 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. and then starting at 7 p.m. we have meet the parents meeting till who knows when... AHHH

that's all she wrote.

it's hotter than the hinges of hell

it really is hot here. there are no doubts about that. currently it is 95... and its a pretty cloudy day.

here are some updates on my interestingly transitional life these days.

following my last post... i started orientation... which surprisingly wasnt as bad as i thought. not as many ice breakers and plenty of time to meet some really incredible and awesome people... including some rather interesting characters (including but not limited to my housemates)!

each day of orientation covered a different component of the JVC program. here is an overview
tuesday: we settled in
wednesday: social justice
thursday: simplicity
friday: community
saturday: spirituality
sunday: settling into my new home.

then we had local orientation which included
monday: seeing all the placements of my five other roommates
tuesday: going to the bank and doing adult things like opening a bank account

which brings me to wednesday and today which have been my first few days at my new placement... to say i love it here at Cristo Rey Jesuit is an understatement... The first day was a bit of "baptism by fire" and today has been great.... i am learning a lot.

while i realize im missing the nitty gritty details of my days.. ill leave for you a few ruminations i have found doing my transitional period

• if there is a switch in a room in a house you have just recently moved into... be cautious about flipping it. while it may look like a normal light switch, in actuality it may turn on the entire house alarm system
• an un-airconditioned / slightly moldy/ and unused for a year room might not be the worst thing... (read: with a little love and creativity i now have my own room).
• i dont know if i will ever get used to being called "ms. niemer"
• everyone sweats in texas

that's all she wrote!

Houston, I arrived with no problem.

Oh the places you go.... And now I am really here in Houston. I thought I'd do a quick update before reality sets in and I meet up with all the other JVs.

So where am I right now... In Houston IAH near the baggage claim and where people get picked up.

Where am I supposed to be... The level below me where all the Jesuit volunteers (JVs) are slowly gathering or at least i think but since I am hiding up here I cannot be sure.

Our bus doesn't leave for another three hours so I thought I'd take advantage of these simple moments and be on my own before I jump right into community, service, social justice and simple living.

My day started at 4am when my body decided it was going to awake from all the none sleeping it had done. By 5 my mom and dad were up and we headed to the Milwaukee airport for my 7:25 flight. I annoyingly waited for 45 mintues to just check in and made two friends... One who was nervous as she had never flown before and had a lot of questions and the other who helped console and yelled at the Midwest agents for only helping certain lines check in.. Naturally these were the lines we weren't in. Eventually the nervous Nancy saved the day as she snuck into a VIP line and then let me skip her. Ah what a beautiful blessing.

I ran to my gate and was the last person in the plane and was in Dallas by ten. Three hours of layoverness was awfully boring but we boarded at 1 and after a 56 minutes of flight I landed in Houston.

Here I met a drunk fellow by the name of Neil. He asked me where I was flying to and from and when I answered I chuckled as I said this is my new "home"... Weird.

Once I come out of hiding I'll be off to orientation in pine hurst tx till the 15 and will then be back in Houston to get familiar with the city and I start my placement on the 18th.

More to come when things settle down...

That's all she wrote.

oh, the places you'll go

(posted originally from jvc blog... http://insidejvc.blogspot.com/2010/06/reflections-from-incoming-jv.html#more)
I recently turned twenty-two and am a proud college graduate with my Bachelor of Science in biology from Boston College. Yet, one of my graduations presents was a children’s book?

The wise words of Dr. Seuss still suite me well beyond my times of rhyming with green eggs and ham. Our dear friend starts out...

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!



I certainly feel this way. The world appears at my fingertips and I don’t think I could have made a better choice than the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I will be off and away headed to Houston, TX - a great place that I have never been but have high hopes for in the coming year. I will be volunteering at Cristo Rey Jesuit of Houston helping out with the Corporate Work Study Program, which helps fund the education of high school students!

The year will most certainly be filled with hopes and challenges. I hope that this is a year of discernment into what direction my life will head. I also hope to be stimulated in my placement and to absorb as much as I can from the world around me. I have high hopes for building lasting relationships with my housemates and while I know this will not always be easy, I expect it to be a very rewarding part of the program. Other challenges I anticipate include… transitioning to the weather (being from Milwaukee, WI and going to school in Boston, MA doesn’t really warrant humid preparedness), living in the south (what can I say, I am a Midwestern girl) and working in a totally new environment (I am a biology major working and learning about high-school work study placements).

In thinking about this position, Seuss inspires and challenges me…

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Boston College has prepared me as much as it can and now I must start the next journey in my life. I am confident that with a positive attitude, zest for life, an appreciation for this experience, and an open mind that this will be a wonderful next place.

It’s a funny thing being young and college educated. I really feel as though this next direction was one of the first major choices that I made totally on my own. This was a choice made through discernment and, most importantly, through reflection on my faith.

In anticipation of what will most certainly be a beautifully challenging year, I think Dr. Seuss is speaking directly to the JVs of 2010-2011…

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.