1. Pasta Dinner Benefit

Ticket to the benefit.

I attended a spaghetti dinner last Friday for Noah McClain, a two year old boy who was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. The dinner was held by the American Legion post that my grandmother belongs to, and so I went to the dinner with my parents and grandmother. What makes Noah’s predicament even more harrowing is the fact that his father lost his job (and with it insurance benefits) just a few days after finding out about his son’s condition, and so the McClain family needs help paying for Noah’s medical expenses.

As a member of the Legion—for McClain’s father served in our military—the fine folks at the Legion organized this event. I’m not sure how much they managed to raise, but given the high turnout, I wouldn’t be surprised if they raised a good deal of money to help!

At the dinner, I was also pleased to interface with some members of the community. One of them was a one of my father’s present clients who praised me on the work I did on the virtual tour of their home, so that certainly made my night.

2. Spending Time with Friends

In the vein of spending time with friends, I’ve been participating in weekly trivia events at the local Hurricane’s Bar and Grill. That is until the owner there canceled it for affecting “season business.” Now, I’m not sure what kind of “seasonal business” two hours on a Monday night is affecting, because Monday is typically the lowest turn-out for sports bars. So… I’m not sure what we’re doing on Monday nights, other than hanging with my friends watching Chuck.

I also attended my friend Andrea’s birthday, from which I was called away from just as we were going to eat cake because my brother needed help prior to his trip up to Tallahassee. None-the-less, good times were had.

3. Staying Positive

I’ve been pretty positive and centered so far this month, which is great. I’m honestly getting to spend more time with myself again, which will be a good thing as once I start up school again in the next few months, I doubt I will.

Between that and a few reality checks, I believe that I’m on the right path.

Which reminds me… I have a poem attached to a wall in my room, right next to the door. Somehow, despite the fact that I walk past it on a daily basis, I haven’t gone back and read it until just recently. It’s just… been there.

I was given this poem by one of the adult aides at a community center where I volunteered my time at during my middle school years, and I had it laminated. It’s been with me for the past decade, and I want to share it with all of you, since I take it quite to whatever heart I have remaining.

Read it here.

Good night, and good luck.

I’m very happy that this is the case. That is all.

I leave 8:30 A.M. ET on Wednesday, and will land at 5:30 P.M. PT in Vancouver.

I also went to see Hellboy 2. It was an OK flick, and I almost fell asleep at the end of it (although I was running on three hours of sleep, so that likely had something to do with it). Otherwise, it was a well-executed time waster. Fun, predictable, and nice to look at. Plot is very linear and the bad guys looked like the freaking Wraith from Stargate Atlantis… I kid you not. I was expecting John Sheppard to come out and start mowing the war-mongering prince down with a FN P-90.

Not something I’d add to my DVD collection, but good enough to put on in the background when it hits HBO, Skinamax, or Showtime.