Sixteen down, more to go

Wow. I just finished what I hope is a successful first draft of the book. I've no idea what will come next, but it feels pretty darn good to get that part out of the way.

The last two chapters were *really* rough, but I sent them along their merry way. I'm spent.

But the timing worked out well. I was at camp all last week for training and didn't expect to be off more than Saturday. As it turns out, the free time during last week was negligible. I'd get an hour and a half here or 20 minutes there. Unfortunately, it takess 20 minutes to get on the WiFi (if you're lucky) so even on the best "fellowship times" I didn't get much done.

But, even though camp officially started today, it was day camp. I'm mostly for overnight, so I unexpectedly got off from Friday night until Thursday sometime.

So with two chapters to go, I got on it. I sent one yesterday and just wrapped up the last one. They're to the editor, not the author, so it's not like I've checked them off but it's something.

The next steps are to add in some more random examples to the existing body of work and then to combine the chapters in groups of four and begin looking at the bigger picture.

I'm just really thrilled the big research part is over. There's more to be done -- way more, I get the impression -- but the whole research paper-like thing is behind me.

I hope.

Last week was nightmarish at camp. I got eaten alive by bugs and had to do a scary drill involving what would happen if a camper goes missing in the spring. I'm OK if I don't get back into that green water again, honestly. It was nerve-wracking.

Inchallah, camp will be all right. I am still concerned about it and have found out more stuff I didn't know, like I will have to work Saturdays on a rotating basis and that there is a camp the week of July 4, which I didn't know. I thought I'd be off that week.

But I am going to honor my commitment. We'll see what happens. It's not like I have been looking for other temporary work or anything, and the permanent jobs are slow to move. I did have an interview for another job last week but I haven't heard anything.

The downer thing about camp is the free time. If I am off an hour and a half a day, that is just not enough time to be able to study and write KSAs and cover letters. I saved up for Saturday this week but by the time I got to the house I was just exhausted. I pretty much spent Saturday doing some errands and then hanging out with Kocur, who's feeling very left out.

The night that the lights went out at Tom Brown

Well, I've finished one of the more hectic weeks of my life and tomorrow embark on what I hope will be a bit calmer.

Last week was trainer training at Camp Indian Springs, but I also had to go back to Tally to work, so I was putting 70-100 miles on my little car every day.

Camp itself is going to be fun, I hope. I learned the wage is terrible, so don't ask. A hint is think minimum, then go well below. I still don't know exactly what I am making, but there are four people in similar positions and two of them told me their rate. It's like PC money, only I am not in a developing country.

So I will eat a lot to make up for it. I hear the food is good, but I bet we don't have couscous on Friday.

Anyway, I met a handful of people this past week and they're all very nice. The director is as nice as she can be and my three counterparts are talented and fun. I look forward to meeting the rest of the staff this evening.

But last week. Man, the training was fine but going back and forth was a nightmare. I worked Wednesday writing, then Thursday had work and a game of my own, and then Friday I had a job interview and work.

Since it was the last week at work, I also had to gather equipment. Fortunately the director met me Friday and collected what I'd gathered since last week and I don't have to lug it all around.

Thursday was ... well, special. Oh, dear God, it was special. I had a fabulous day at camp but then it kind of went downhill. My kids' game was really OK; it was more my own game that started the decline. We lost pretty bad, but after the game, I was just exhausted and ready to get home.

I got in the car around 9 p.m. and started to pull out of Tom Brown Park, when I realized it was darker than it should be. Now, my little car has daytime running lights and I'd used the lights themselves three counties earlier in the morning, when I left a foggy Gadsden County.

But no dice Thursday. My mom, oblivous to the fact the car stopped in the middle of the Tom Brown parking lot was her daughter, sped on by. Not, I guess, that she could have helped but sheesh.

I waffled on what to do, then figured I'd drive with my brights, which worked fine. I started off and then realized it wasn't going to work for the drive back to Havana. I pulled off at the National Guard Armory, where there were men smoking cigars, drinking beer and looking at boats.

Two or three kindly took a look at my fuses (quite a bear trying to find the box -- I have no manual for it) but they were all fine. They suggested it might be a switch, but I couldn't do anything about that. They also said I should just drive home with brights and just hope nothing bad happened.

So I did, hoping that at 9:30 p.m., I'd find an AutoZone or something open, but I didn't. Fortunately, I didn't tick anyone off too badly with my brights, either. I kept shutting them off when I pulled up behind someone at a red light.

Safely back in Havana, they still don't work but I haven't gone anywhere requiring them so I'm not sweating it. My parents are at a wedding in Louisiana, so, after my Red Cross class Saturday morning, it's been me with the howling, vomiting and needy dogs (one of each).

The weekend has been productive. I really feel like I'm going into the Secret Service or something. I've no idea what the WiFi situation is at camp, but Sprint coverage is brutal so I've already changed the message on my cell phone to relay callers might not hear from me in awhile.

I've finished up another chapter and have two remaining on the first drafts. I have more stuff to stick in some other chapters but for the most part, I am holding off on that stuff and just trying to get it done.

Hitting heights and being blue

Tomorrow I start at Camp Indian Springs, so I'm trying to clear house a bit and get packed. This week, let's just say, is a bit stressed.

The weekend was cool, though. The little Quincy Airport had an airshow and my parents, Barry, Mackenzie and I went.

I'd been on a helicopter before but it was so cool I opted to do it again, and my father and Mac went up with me. I really would like to fly one of those things. Barry, on the ground, said he was a little concerned about Mac, but she loved it. She's a daredevil.

We also went up in a little plane and toured downtown Quincy, which was also zuin. Mackenzie went on her own flight with kids and Daddy and I went up in a little four-seater. It was newer than the one I'd taken over the Grand Canyon, so I wasn't as panicked. At least not until they gave the steering to my father. Then, I admit, I was a bit nervous.

But he did fine. He also climbed the rock wall, which was funny. It was just there and some Army guys were running it and also climbing it for fun. This one guy started up and then Daddy got hooked up and started right after him. Previously, Army v. Army had been treated like a race.

Both the climbers plugged along until the Army guy slipped and fell. Daddy kept going and I told the other guy, "You're going to let that 71-year-old man beat you?" And then everyone got into it and ragged the guy, who really had no idea anyone else was even climbing.

But by that point, Daddy was about 2/3 of the way up and had no trouble finishing before Army guy could get a grip. He had a nice round of applause when he finished, and some older Army fella, who'd laughed through the whole thing, chased Daddy down to give him a water bottle.

So it was a hot but fun weekend. I also went to a chiropractor who set up out there and made an appointment to see him this week. I just got back and he confirmed again what I already know: my spine is whacked out. Unfortunately, other than today, I have little time to go out there and get adjusted.

But I do plan on going out today. It's my last day before camp and I am just completely trying to get everything accomplished. I'm not sure of the camp schedule, but at some point I'm going to be out there all day and night.

For the moment, though, I will still commute back and forth, which enables me to finish up my Parks job, which I really do love. It's had its challenges, though. It seems people are ready to wind down. The teams are getting more and more shorthanded in this last week, and last week I had two umpires show up late. Before they arrived, I had to umpire.

Last night, my umpire didn't show at all. He now claims he never knew he was supposed to be there, but I wouldn't know anything about that. What I do know is that I had to get out there and be Ms. Blue, which, believe me, isn't so much fun if you're not prepared.

Now I grew up playing ball so I know all the rules, but it's way different under pressure. It's also strange when you stand in the wrong place, and that's what I did. Since I had no protector or shin guards, I called from between first and second. (Side note: it's also very hard to fight the instinct to go after the ball.)

I think I missed a call here or there and my strike zone varied during the count (several borderline calls on 3-0 pitches, I admit. Swing at the ball, kid!) but I did very well, especially considering I was wearing jeans and Chaco sandals. One of the parents told me I was better than most of the umpires they'd seen this season.

Really, I had to be. I've been trying to get them to be a little louder and more vocal with the situation and pitch counts, so I had to be on top of it.

But there are a lot of things you have to remember in the kids' leagues -- like calling time out, which I kept forgetting to do.

It's tough being Blue.

New directions. Maybe.

So change might be in the air, and change is good.

I've had two interviews this week, both for temporary jobs and both working with kids. I like this direction, so I am hoping something positive will come of it. Or of them, I should say. Both jobs would mesh together nicely on a decent timeline.

First, (lengthwise, but not time-wise) I spoke to PC about a PC Response job. These are "short-term, high-impact" positions that are only offered to RPCVs. I've wanted to do one since oh, about a year BEFORE swearing into PC. I've applied for numerous ones and incredibly felt qualified for two of them but it didn't work out.

This one, however, is essentially written for me. It's a sports volunteer position, essentially working to create an after-school(ish) program in a parish (county). There will be 12 people in these positions and an additional 12 who are teaching SIDA/VIH awareness, so it's a big group.

Anyway, I had an interview and felt it went well. I am made for the job, so it should have. I hope it's officially offered because it's the kind of gig that makes me drool.

It runs from about August to January or so, with either three- or six-month extensions potentially available. It's in Jamaica, which really doesn't sway me one way or the other except it doesn't eliminate me due to language. (There's a similar position in Panama, I think it is, but it calls for fluency in Spanish.)

So I'm hopeful on that, and it leaves me kind of up in the air for summer. My temp job ends about May 22 or so, and I need to find something. I started poking around the Internet looking for stuff and found out Camp Indian Springs, near here, needs people.

I spoke with them today and it sounds like it could be a match, which would be fun but exhausting. It's about two solid months of work with barely a day off in the middle of sessions, but it's working with kids and would be a great build-up to the PCR gig.

Even though I am hopeful about one or both of them, I am proceeding with applying for everything else. Nothing's detering that. I occasionally get a "you're not selected" or a "you have been referred to the selecting official" e-mail but I've really lost track of what I've applied for.