T minus approximately 30 hours or so. I spent
part of the late afternoon organizing and packing our donation bags.
This is my 9th trip to Africa and probably somewhere in the hundreds for
number of bags I've packed. I pretty much have it down to a science. I
know just how to fit things in to maximize every book and cranny and to
make sure the luggage come in right at 50 lbs. It took lots of practice
and continues to take lots of patience but it's all worth it in the end.
Now to pack my personal goods. We'll get to that tomorrow!
Today was pretty much perfect. I went to the post office this morning and found three packages waiting for me! Score!!!
One package was my birthday gift from my dad and stepmom--a Timbuk2
messenger bag!!! Yes! Now I can walk and bike to school when we move
down to Chico with getting annoyed at straps sliding off my shoulders or
worrying about my stuff getting all wet or ruined! Thanks papa bear
& Gail!
My second package was some Old Navy stuff I
ordered with a birthday gift card from my sister & a credit I got
from something I had to return that my mom got me for my birthday! Yay
new clothes!!! Thanks mom and sister and BIL!
The third
package was more amazing love from one of my Juniata girls and her
awesome family. More donations for Africa! Thanks Mandy, Brian, Tom
& Math Ruthie!!!
Next I got to my office and there was a
note slipped under my door from a student I had last semester. It said
all sorts of nice things and totally gave me a pep in my step all day.
Thanks Esther!
Finally, someone stuck little encouraging
post-it notes all around the bottom floor of Butte Hall today. They were
so cute and definitely made me smile. They were intended for other
students in the midst of stress about finals I'm sure but I didn't mind
partaking in the love fest too!
Pretty much my life is charmed and amazing.
So
first, a small rant. I get REALLY sick of hearing about how social
media and Facebook in particular is causing the world to be more
superficial and weakening "real friendships." These articles and
comments in my experience come from two places:
1. Older
people who don't actually understand technology all that well or are for
some reason stuck in the "good old days" mentality (that doesn't
actually exist) pre-technology. Basically, natural-born Luddites who
resist innovation "cuz it's soooo scurry."
2. Hipsters who
like to eschew technology because it's the cool anti-conformist thing to
do. Basically, Luddites by choice because "I'm so much better than you
because I don't participate in social media."
To which I call BULLSHIT.
I have several Facebook friends that I have become BETTER friends with
(by many measures) because of Facebook. People that I know from various
places in my past but if not for Facebook would be a distant memory
because I'm probably not going to pick up the phone and chat with them
or make plans to go see them. But because of Facebook they are people
that I actually think about in more than a reminiscing way because we've
built a connection via the web that wouldn't have been there without
it.
And occasionally these people do astounding things that
both amazes me AND fuels my disgust for the articles and comments that I
mentioned above.
I got a quick Facebook message the other day
from a Facebook friend that she'd popped a package in mail that
contained some donation items that I could take with us on our upcoming
African trip. Out of the blue. This person is a former grad student
friend of mine, that again, I enjoy her and always thought she was great
while in grad school, but we were never BFFs and OMG I'm going to miss
you so much let's get matching tattoos! But through Facebook we have
gotten to be much better friends than we have ever been "in real life."
Now this is NOT a diss to my "real life friends" (e.g. the people I do
call on the phone on occasion, I do hang out with, people I do visit on
vacay) because they are awesome and amazing as well, but how many of
them have ever sent me a care package of donations without any prompting
whatsoever? How can someone say that Natalie isn't a "real friend?" Get
out of here with that nonsense. Friends come in a variety of formats
and don't give me any speech about the quality of your friendships.
Cause ALL of my friends rock. No matter how little I see them or how we
conduct our friendship.
Rant aside, how cute is their return address stamp??? I love it!
And seriously, Natalie sent me BBQ Kettle Chips! Swoon! (We've had a
mutual asynchronous conversation going on about the amazingness of
Kettle chips for the past couple of weeks--that little package right
there should be a major indicator of friendship status right there).
Anyway, longest 365 post yet right? But I just needed to put
that out there. You're the bomb Natalie (& Tyler!) and you are
definitely someone I count as a friend.
While
bringing Carmie to the vet this morning I spied a garage sale sign. So
of course I made a mental note to stop on my way back up. I found this
little baby laying on the lawn and the lady sold it to me for $0.50! It
will make a perfect suitcase for hauling donated supplies to The Gambia
next month and someone there will be a proud owner of a vintage suitcase
when we're done with it! Love me some garage sales!
