Today at the Mission...

It's 1:45pm on Thursday, and I've just come through the front door.  I'm 15 minutes early because I left my house at 1:15, and riding my bike - even when I'm riding slow - just doesn't take that long.  I am directed immediately to go to the chapel so that I can be trained in CPR.  Last year, CPR training was really funny.  This year proved no different, particularly when the President of the Mission started dealing out forceful back blows as we were practicing what to do with a conscious choking adult.  Luckily, no one was hurt.

After training, I took care of some paperwork that needed doing, and my office mate and I had some discussion on what to do with several of our more unruly residents.

We had dinner at 4:30pm, and then I escorted a group of male and female residents to an outside AA meeting.

Upon returning to the Mission, I tackled some more paperwork, and also hid some choice snacks up on the 6th floor that I'll partake of later.  I also sat at the front desk for a while with a resident named Marty, who was working the front desk for our Safe and Healthy Program.  [for a complete description of our programs, please check out the following: http://www.brm.org/index.aspx?sec_id=14&page_id=239&page_url].  While at the front desk, I noticed a Safe and Healthy Guest acting strangely, and so I asked him if he had taken anything or if he was under the influence.  He flatly denied it, and was allowed to remain for the rest of the night.  Unfortunately, I'm so sure that he was under the influence, he will not be allowed to return until further review.

Finally I wrapped up the night, shut down the floors, and headed home around 10:30pm.

Today at the Mission...

August 27, 2008

It’s Wednesday, and I arrived to work at about 5 minutes until 8:00am.  Coming through the front door, I was immediately welcomed by one of my clients stating that he was leaving on a pass, and that he would return later in the morning.  Additionally, a former resident was calling detox at the front desk, and made it very clear that he was interested in returning to the Mission.  As I was carrying my bicycle up one flight of stairs to the chapel floor office, I overheard the following announcement over the loudspeaker:  “Good morning, Kingston House!  Your weather forecast for the morning is clear skies with a high of 77.   Prayer group will begin immediately in the dining room.”  (as a note, announcements made over the P.A. system are typically strictly business, so this was HILARIOUS).  At 9:15am, as is my custom when I work the morning shift, I headed to Deli One (formerly the Kingston Deli) for cornbread and bacon – and you thought Wheaties was the breakfast of champions.  For $3, it can’t be beat. 

At 10am, I led a discussion about sobriety – what is it, how do we get it, how do we keep it – with 14 residents.  It was a co-ed group, and ended up being fairly productive, as far as groups go.

At lunch, there was a conversation revolving around cows pointing towards North and South (2/3 of cattle supposedly do this).  We also discussed the probability of being able to kill a moose with one shot, if the moose was angry and charging.

Today at the Mission...

A note of preface:

I have decided to be more consistent in my blogging efforts, while hopefully cluing folks in on day-to-day happenings - both funny and serious - at the Boston Rescue Mission.  Thus begins my effort to create a daily entry, entitled "Today at the Mission."  I hope you enjoy.

Hiatus

Well, I took a 2 month hiatus from blogging.  After all the stories about Montreal, I felt like I needed a break.  

So I've waited until today to resume a more regular (hopefully!) blogging schedule.  One of the reasons I felt inspired to resume blogging today is because I have yet another funny/ridiculous traveling story.

I have been on vacation since Friday, July 25th (which, incidentally, was also my birthday), and was scheduled to fly to Asheville, NC, to spend the week with my parents at Lake Junaluska.  Tyler dropped me off at the airport around 1:45pm on Sunday afternoon, and I boarded the plane and was ready to lock in for an uneventful trip.  

Unfortunately, there was a band of storms from Virginia to New Hampshire that was blocking all of the departure routes out of Logan.  After 5 hours of sitting in the airport - that's right, 5 hours...feels like Christmas all over again! - I finally decided to get my flight rescheduled for Monday.  

Over the course of my 5-hour visit to Logan, I was able to meet some interesting folks.  I found myself in conversation, first, with a guy that must travel for a living, because he was telling me about other flights he had been on this summer that had been delayed due to weather.  I also overheard these high-school girls talking to different guys on the phone, and laughed a lot at the things they were saying.  The most interesting conversation I had, though, was with a guy and his son from Bristol, Tennessee, who had flown up for not one, but two Red Sox/Yankees games.  There were two things that made this conversation the most interesting.  First, the guy had the most southern accent I have heard in Boston in a long time.  Second, he tried to tell me how expensive his tickets were to the games several times.  I sort of just gave him this "DUH" look, and thought to myself, "OF COURSE THEY WERE EXPENSIVE, IT'S RED SOX/YANKEES!"  We hashed over the improvements the Red Sox should make, how much different Fenway is from other stadiums, and some other various and sundry baseball history.  

All in all, it was a fun time, an adventurous experience, and, of course, one more reason why flying from Logan to anywhere, USA, is always, ALWAYS, exciting.

June?!

I think Massachusetts may be the only place where Spring is forgotten and Summer is launched into in full force.

It's hard to believe it's June already.  It seems like just a few weeks ago it was in the 40's.  Oh wait.  That's because it was.  In my experience in Boston, it seems that the seasons are not exactly in line with the rest of the country.  Here, the weather has jumped directly from wintry mixes to summer scorches.  But hey, it's beautiful, and I love the warm weather.  Bring on the summer time!