Will's New Car

I recently bought a new car. No, not a new new car, more like a campy, spirited, experienced car. Yes, it's more than a little used, and yes it was cheaper than most worthwhile DSLR digital cameras, but now I finally have some wheels.

Some of you may remember my last car, a 1996 Toyota Corolla, which I had my parents sell while I was backpacking through the Balkans. I now fully realize how nice of a car that really was... I never even gave it a name. :'(

Anyway, it's been a year and a half (is that all??) since I've had some wheels, and now I'm finally back on the road. Time to unveil the spoils: I bought a 1990 Toyota Camry Station Wagon. It's a little creaky and it has a few rust spots, but the interior is immaculate and it gets great gas mileage. PLUS it came with free new(ish) studded snow tires, a huge bonus for the upcoming Spokane winter. I used to own a station wagon in high school, which I lovingly named the Speed Wagon. The Camry is Speed Wagon 2.0.

I haven't used the wagon portion yet, but I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can stuff a couch or coffee table in the back of my car. Any station wagon owner will tell you, the greatest joy in life is being able to cram your car full of junk just to see how much can fit. I proudly crammed three sousaphones and a concert tuba in the back of Speed Wagon 1.0 (which my band director annoyingly dubbed the Tuba Wagon for the remainder of the marching season).

My sister Anne is moving up to Spokane this week (excited), so I should soon be having plenty of fun cramming and hauling assorted Good Will items all over town. Time for SW2.0 to shine.

So about that... and Will's new home

It's been a little while since my last update... even though I promised to update frequently. What can I say, transitioning to a new place can be time consuming. Well, let me catch you all up to speed. I'll start with my living situation.

Will's new home
I live in a quaint brick building located in Browne's Addition, an offshoot neighborhood within walking distance of downtown Spokane. My tiny studio apartment includes one larger room with a bathroom, an enormous closet, and a crammed-but-cozy kitchen.  It's small but homey, and I have a great stereo system (which can make any living situation bearable.)

I try to keep my apartment fairly neat, though I have an abundance of dishes that seem to refuse to stay clean. I find I feel less cluttered and less stressed when things are orderly, so I routinely try to pick things up. However, on busy weeks, neatness takes a backseat to napping, and clutter reigns.

I'm two blocks away from a neighborhood pizza place with $1 pints every night from 8-9, the grocery store is 3 blocks away where I can use my foodstamps on just about anything edible, and Jessica's apartment is in between the two. It's been a great fit so far.

Pictures!

Boise Beerfest, Salmon Feed, and the Last Weekend in Idaho

The time is currently 8:13 am and I am feeling more than a little groggy from residual day-after-beerfest effects. Yesterday I enjoyed countless beers in Ann Morrison Park with Anne, David, and Dad at the second annual Boise Beerfest shortly after devouring the Seil Pie (mushrooms, shrimp, and oyster on a sourdough crust – phenomenal) at Flying Pie Pizza. I have never had such a perfect day.

Winning Brews: Beliver Double Red Ale by Ninkasi Brewing Co. and Robodog Rye IPA by Laughing Dog Brewing

Anne’s pick: Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer by 21st Amendment Brewery

Dad’s pick: Believer Double Red Ale by Ninkasi

On Friday, I also joined my parents, Anne and Grandma Henry at the Meridian Salmon Feed. It was a Meridian Fire Department fundraiser for families who have lost their homes in fire. Good cause, free grilled salmon. It was nice.

Recovering  from these events will cap off my final weekend in Idaho. My apartment situation is almost settled (I’ll be providing updates soon) and should be ready for the move to Spokane on Friday.

Okay. Bye now.

The Last Dropout

By complete coincidence, I stumbled onto a book at Powell’s bookstore before I left Portland this summer. The book is titled The Last Dropout and is written by Bill Milliken, who founded the Communities in Schools organization. CiS targets urban areas and implements their expansive methodology to decrease the dropout rate. I’ll be working for a regional branch of Communities in Schools in Spokane in a few weeks that employs the approach described in this book. I bought the book and I’ve been able to get a sneak preview of what kind of work I’ll be doing this next year, and I’m getting very excited. An excerpt from the book, on the organization’s essential principles to reverse the dropout crisis:

1. Programs don’t change kids —Relationships do.

2. The dropout crisis isn’t just an education issue.

3. Young people need the five real basics, not just the three R’s: a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult; a safe place to learn and grow; a healthy start and a healthy future; a marketable skill to use upon graduation; and a chance to give back to peers and community.

4. The community must weave a safety net around its children in a manner that’s personal, accountable, and coordinated.

5. Every community needs a “Champion for Children”: a neutral third party with “magical eyes” to see things — and people — differently, and coordinate and broker the diverse community resources into the schools on behalf of young people and families.

6. Educators and policy makers can’t do it alone… and they’ll welcome your help.

7. Curing the dropout epidemic will demand change, not just charity.

8. Scalability, sustainability, and evidence-based strategies are essential to creating permanent change in the way our education system combats the dropout epidemic.

9. Our children need three things from you: your awareness, your advocacy, and youraction.

It makes sense. It’s great to see an organization employing the sociological imagination — we can’t view social problems at face value because we are integrated into the system and are influenced by a myriad of things, many that are not observable at first glance. The dropout crisis is not a problem of failed responsibility, but is the result of our economic, political, and social systems disenfranchising and limiting the success of these youths. Communities in Schools attempts to counter these barriers from all directions in a holistic approach to ensure the most effective treatment possible. The book totes “there is no silver bullet” and no easy fix. These 9 steps must be taken together in its entirety, and its that comprehensive attitude that really excites me.

Prepping for Spokane...

Well, here we go again…

Another adventure, another blog. I landed a 12 month AmeriCorps VISTA position with a non-profit in Spokane, Washington called Communities in Schools. I’ll be helping design after-school programming for an urban high school to engage students and lower the dropout rate (currently sitting around 33% in Spokane County). The job starts the 23rd of this month, but I need some extra time to get settled so I’m heading up on the 13th. This week I’m searching for apartments, hoping that something lovely and cheap reveals itself to me.

I’m really looking forward to living in Spokane. My sister and brother in law Molly and Dan live there, along with their adorable son Henry. It’s a relatively unfamiliar city, near the size of Boise, that is ready to be explored to reveal its cafes, bars, and hang-outs. My transportation this next year will be only a bicycle, so I’m sure to become intimate with the city’s best from the sidewalk. Plus, my girlfriend, Jessica, also landed a job in Spokane with the same organization (coincidence? not really). Fun!

So here I am, at the beginning of another journey, beginning another blog. I hope this one to be more permanent than the last — although, in my defense, traveling Europe was way too much fun to be slaving over the internet. In any case, I’ll do my best to update with news, photographs, and anecdotes from my coming adventures. Stay tuned!

P.S.

I graduated from college! Pacific University class of 2010, Sociology major and Psychology minor. Thanks to everyone who gave me support over the past four years and sent their love (and money) following graduation. These opportunities I’ve been given are largely due to you, and I can’t begin to express enough appreciation and gratitude.

Will