I’ve been so busy lately that my head spins when I lay down at night, trying to sleep. This is not a bad thing, per se, but just a new thing. It’s feast or famine for me and my business productivity - something to work on for the future. I am grateful for the feasts though, and I make an effort not to complain about having so many ways to make money that I can’t fit them all into a day or week. Other things I am grateful for:
Cool students in my grant writing class
Cookies, practically on demand.
Learning how to evaluate grants.
Long drives through rural Wisconsin with audio books from the public library in the radio and sunshine on the horizon
Getting more article assignments. Interviewing strangers and having it go well.
Another picture used in publication (this one accompanies an article I wrote). The high of seeing my words in print is more of a buzz these days - its really when I see photos I’ve taken published that I get all jazzed up. (See it here: http://fortemadison.com/ The Metal Work in Art photo.)
The beginning of Holiday Party invites
Cute new dress to wear to Bennett College, where I will be speaking on Thursday.
Getting invitedto speak at Bennett on stage and in the classrooms
I spent the day driving around northern Wisconsin, visiting school districts for whom I’ll be writing grants this year. On a drive from Superior to Mellen, I saw three bald eagles. These enormous creatures just perch in the tree branches next to the highway, casually watching me drive by, oblivious to the involuntary patriotic fervor they inspire. When I later confessed to the the superintendent in Glidden that they were the highlight of my trip, he gave me a hot tip: Hwy 77W through the Chequamegon National Forest could reveal elk, bear, wolves, deer. Like the gold miners who moved west with nothing but speculation, I drove 45 minutes out of my way at dusk with a heart full of hope.
The trip through the forest was dull - no wildlife except crows. Then, just as I exited the forest and entered a nameless, unincorporated small town, I crest a hill and have to slam on the brakes. Crossing the road is an albino deer! Pure white! Oh, how it was worth the wait. I am grateful for national funding that preserves habitat for wildlife, and lets me see such beauty. (A good use of our taxes.)
This is cool: you can go to this website and type in as many of the countries you know in Africa in ten minutes. When the time is up, they’ll let you know which ones you’ve missed. I managed to get 32 of them and could’ve gotten at least two more if I was a better speller. I am grateful for ways to get smarter online!
I’m still high on the election. Whenever I feel a down moment, I just remind myself, “Obama won!” and I perk right back up. I have been obsessively watching video clips of influential people’s reactions to the victory, like the Maya Angelou clip below. (Get ready to tear up, folks). The best part is, when I open up my laptop, I find an open website that tells me Diene has been doing the very same thing - googling for speeches by and about Obama. I am grateful for the shared interest we have - one that I think especially admirable for someone who can’t legally vote here.
My dad stopped for dinner yesterday on his way through town and we all went out to dinner. Great fun - and definitely grateful for the suprise visits.
