Aside from my drowslexia rearing it's nasty head, I've been relatively on the ball lately. It's a good feeling, and it helps me stay positive despite all of life's curveballs. My new job has allowed me to start worrying about things besides rent, which is both a relief and a chore. Some things, like finally sending off the gifts I got for people while I was in Taiwan or finishing up the follow-on report for the Gilman project, have been long looked-forward to. Other things have not. The ever-closer end of the grace period on my student loans is one glaring example.
Luckily, I've been able to focus a lot of my attention on more immediate concerns. I've started volunteering with a really awesome group here in Seattle called Heroes for the Homeless that does monthly homeless outreach missions. We wake up at ridiculous o'clock, prepare multiple carloads of sandwiches and other supplies, and then hand-deliver them to those in need. It's really well-coordinated and supports a lot of people. To give you an idea of how effective - yet personal - the whole thing is, I'll bet that at least an eighth of the people I've met in Seattle are homeless. I know their names and where I can expect to see them again, but the weirdest thing is that I sincerely look forward to seeing them again. That makes it easy. The hard part is learning about the support services here in Seattle. There is a literal mountain of information of absorb, and that's not including the word on the street about these places. Things like bed bugs don't often get talked about on organisation websites, but that can make or brake a service provider's efficacy.
Finally, I've been trying to take advantage of free advocacy training that is provided by the Office for Victims of Crime. It's long, and I'm trying really hard to tough it out through all the reading materials, but it's probably one of the most challenging things to do well that I've been up to lately.
