Oil Spill (Kids' Edition)

Tonight, while serving dinner at the homeless shelter, one of the kids came up to me and asked me my name. "I'm Ashley," I said. "What's your name?" He told me he was Caleb, that he was 7 and that his birthday is August 8, 2003. Charming, right?

Five minutes later he ran up to me, his hands cupped around an imaginary substance. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"No," I said. "What is it?"

"It's oil," he shouted. And then he proceeded to throw it on me, pull his invisible flame-thrower off his back and shower me with fire. "I just set you on fire!" he declared gleefully. "You're burning!"

Um, are you seven? Yes. Yes, you are. Am I disturbed? Yes. Yes, I am.

FAIL

* Blogging

* Reading the novels sent to me by Kim Shable and Susan

* Leaving the bar at Smartini

* Seeing Reese and Dillon

* Contact with the outside world

* House-hunting

* Being productive at work

* Writing (in a way that uses that MFA thing I've got)

* Finances - surprise - $270 for car servicing! Taxes not back yet. Yelch.

* Sending back the merchandise that Amazon sent me incorrectly

* March project for volunteer group (although, I will have to partially blame it on the rain that is falling, falling.)

* Putting a picture of The Barrister on my desk at work

* Life, generally speaking

I Have a Dream

Almost 50 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Almost six months ago, I started to dream about starting a volunteer group in the ATown for me and other singletons as a way to make friends and do something productive, make a difference. And today, my dream became a realization...so it was on a playground and not the Lincoln Memorial, but, all the same...

It's fairly lofty to compare my small town volunteer group to one of the greatest visionaries of the modern age, but I like to think that Dr. King would've been proud today. I hope he would've been proud of the group that spent the morning at an elementary school clearing a nature trail of debris so that the outdoor classroom teacher can use the space. I hope he would've been proud of the group that worked together for three hours on the service project in his honor. I hope he would've been proud of the group that included men and women, a myriad of ethnicities, and a hodge-podge of religions. I hope he would've been proud that we all labored in the cold, smiling and laughing, because the selflessness of it felt so good.

I hope he would've been proud that I had a dream that shared some of the same visions he had.

I hope he would've been proud. I like to think so.

Midnight Miscellany

* I am on Facebook, the seventh time-suckage wonder of the world. This has led to the good, the bad, and the ugly: reunited with a long-silent friend who lives in the ATown; found Chad D., love of my 15-year-old life; and a guy I went to high school with wearing a cowboy hat and a very curly blonde wig, making him just about the ugliest girl I've ever seen.

* Tomorrow is the Come-to-Jesus Part 2: Status Redux. I'll be heading to his house with pizza and indigestion following work tomorrow. Stay tuned.

* Yesterday, my client sent my boss a note about what a great writer I am. I mean, I know it's Writing for The Man, but still, it warms my heart.

* Dillon now says my whole name - although he finds the "l" a bit tricky. But I'll take "Ashey" anyday - even when it's followed by the demand, "Socks off!"

* I am getting the ball rolling with my own volunteer group. I'm both nervous and excited. It's thrilling to think that it could work and be great, and terrifying to think I will be a singles volunteer group with a single volunteer - me.

* The weekend will be partially devoted to a Thanksgiving party with friends - and partly to finishing Breaking Dawn.

* Good night.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

* Yes, Penelope, it's time for a AshCentric ProRun roundup. I have to say, so far, this season's stylist have me a little baffled. Holla!

* An explanation of TTLY Syndrome and why it's killing me.

* A post of a hilarious Potter-themed letter sent to me by Jenn's husband Dan

* A little bit more about the volunteer group that I've undertaken - which I think is seriously happening since I met with my boss about it today (*gulp*)

* In the meantime, please enjoy this graphic from TagCrowd. It gives you a picture of what your blog says about you - it's kind of like a variation on magnetic poetry.

age almost around ash ashley birthday blog calls cat dillon dream eva fall feeling felt gas going gonna harry hotel john jungle least leave life looking love mayer mind myself office places pm posted potter really room sadness something sometimes stay stop things thoughts today waiting week work year yesterday

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