What does today mark?
June 1st (thanks Wikipedia) ^_^
--a day that marks admitting 2 into the U.S., Kentucky (15th state, 1792) and Tennessee (16th, 1794).
--1963 – Kenya gains internal self-rule (Madaraka Day).
--1967 – The groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album by The Beatles is released
--1974 – The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine
--1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
Today is also:
--International Children's Day in many places around the world.
--National Tree Planting Day in Cambodia
--National Day Against Homophobia in Canada
But most notably--here in the North Atlantic, June 1st marks the opening of the hurricane season.
Communities are gearing up. NEMO (National Emergency Management Organization) will soon be conducting sessions in various communities and disaster preparation jingles will take the airwaves. And what a better way to begin the first day of hurricane season that plenty of pouring rain.
I woke up to the sound of the rain coming down, of course it was 5 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Don't ya hate waking up before the alarm? The rain has been on and off all day and is closing out the day with another symphony of droplets on rooftops. I got to hear thunder this morning. Sure we get plenty of rain depending on the season, but thunder is something I don't often hear in SVG. Dunno, perhaps it is just me missing it, but given the volume of rain we get--I can probably count the thunder one one hand since I've been here. I don't usually think about it until I hear that rare moment and just enjoy it. Thunder is something I've always enjoyed, coming from Chicagoland where the thunder rolls loudly and crashes like an overzealous timpani drummer. I'll admit a bit of nostalgia and why not. For some it's Starbucks, but for me it's nature's orchestra of thunderstorms and lightning showers that streak the sky.
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Ok before the worry worts back home get ready to unleash themselves--let me say that I've been eating plenty of food and trying to make sure I've got a fairly balanced diet. I even snack quite a bit on crackers/biscuits, banana bread, and was apples (recent addiction). I even started to get a little of what I call my rice pocket belly; alright so it isn't a gut but just my name for it. lol. However, I've still dropped a few more pounds. I was holding steady at 161.4ish for awhile and as of Friday I'm down to 156.7. I haven't weighed so little in a LONG time; I can't even remember how long ago that was. Even in some of my peak training back in high school, I never dropped below 160 and usually sat around 165. I know we are expected to lose some weight.....but I'm going to need to start adjusting my cloth sizes soon.
Voice update--still hoarse, although I can croak out sounds here and there at audible levels. I'm still supposed to keep silent, but have come to the realization that I can't really be an effective volunteer and remain silent. I tried to use my dry-erase board and carry it with me everywhere, but either many people were having difficulty reading what I wrote or noticed I could talk and insisted I do so. Also, I still teach and work alongside community groups that require some level of vocal participation.
My doc on St Lucia (who overseas our med care here) called and told me after consulting with the PC med team in Washington D.C. that I am to go on an inhaler. Not sure what I'll be inhaling or for how long....first time going on one. Supposedly it will take a couple weeks to get here, so more info on that as it comes. I'm told to take it easy on the voice, even with the inhaler, for another 6 weeks and see how we go. If it doesn't get better, more drastic measures will be investigated.
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Got contacted recently from a person on Barbados affiliated with UNIFEM/FAO. She wants my help kick-starting a dormant (but shouldn't be dormant) women's group here in Spring Village. This group started a few years ago, but for reasons I don't know yet have simply stopped meeting altogether. I've been here 9 months now and didn't even know they had existed.
So, now I'm equipped with a list of names and I've been talking to a few of them. They seem interested in regrouping which will make my efforts easier. However, if it's one thing I've been learning--people here love to start and meet for a bit, but the longer efforts/groups last the more the people participating become like magnets with matching polarity.
I'm also prepping to start doing some workshops on organizational strengthening. They will start as a supplement to some communication/leadership training our local tourism has been doing. I'll be testing it out with a fun activity--personality tests and emotional intelligence & how they can affect the work environment communication. If that goes well, I'll be continuing with organization ethics and conflict of interest. I'll be trying to get the Adult and Continuing Education Unit & Community Development Units involved as well--but I'm not holding my breath on that. With proper mobilization, I'll continue the workshops into a series for most major aspects of business/CSO management. I haven't taught these courses, but did rather well on them back in college. Armed with the internet--there is plenty of research material. Now I just need to dig out the time to create my handouts and workshop plans.
In fact, I should be doing that now. hehehehe
Alas, I've been munching on Crix multi-grain crackers...another local weakness...and am starting to slip in my well know food comas.
Stay safe and happy,
ciao tutti,
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
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