The Uber Tourist

Some people take leisurely vacations. They arrive at their desired destination and then wing it. I am not that person. Though I often enjoy having a day without a planned itinerary to explore a new city, that is usually the second or third day on any trip. The first day is spent following a must-see list that I have devised ahead of time. This is because I don't want to miss anything that might be of note in a place that I will likely never visit again. Call me crazy, but that's how I operate. An example I like to point out is the 15 hours I once spent in London when I worked at NOVA and was sent to deliver a suitcase of tapes. While there, I was able to explore the British Museum, enjoy a pint of cider and an order of fish and chips, take a 2-hour double decker bus tour around the city, drink a glass of wine in my hotel room while watching weird British TV, and oh yeah, deliver the tapes. I don't mess around, kids. My friend Lisa in Boston is the same way. We are a dynamic duo of vacationers, and it has been a staple of our friendship, taking us to Niagara Falls, Dallas, and Seattle in the last 2 years. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is an Uber Tourist like myself. Case and point, a day trip I made with half of my team and our Support Team Leader, Elana, this past weekend. I thought for sure everyone else would enjoy my detailed itinerary, but I think it actually stressed people out. While I was busy trying to get us to the State Capitol tour, Iowa Historical Museum, International Llama Show, Living History Farm (kind of like Colonial Williumsburg) and Gray's Park, I didn't notice that some of my team was just plum exhausted. So note to self, maybe cut down on the activities next time I go somewhere with the group, or at least leave more wiggle room for wandering. Here are some pics of the weekend:

Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines:


Westward, a mural by Edwin H. Blashfield in the capitol building:

A llama we met named Tippecanoe and his owner Chris, who coincidentally lives in Marquette, Michigan! Looks like we'll be visiting her llama farm when we arrive in the Upper Peninsula next month.


Drinking Sasparillas at the Living History Farms. Turns out this delicious drink (which tastes like a creamy root beer) was brewed at the Amana Colonies, another Iowa tourist site Gaby and I visited a few weeks ago.

Weird sculpture that I took a picture of to send to my friend Ron, an artist in San Francisco:
Asian Heritage Park we happened to drive by on the way out to dinner. Perhaps this subconsciously factored into our choice to have Asian food.

Things That Won’t Sooth Poison Oak

1. Hydrocortisone cream
2. A jump in the pool
3. Antibacterial hand lotion
4. Scratching it with a key
5. Alcohol-based first aid cleansing cloths
6. Hydrogen Peroxide

I know because I tried them all when I acquired poison oak yesterday, which has spread from my forearm to my legs. It itches real bad. And the only thing that seemed to help was a hot shower. I was thinking of posting a photo, but that might be too graphic. It’s not as crazy as some images you might find when you inevitably Google poison oak after reading this post, but it’s definitely uncomfortable.

On a positive note, my team just got their next project assignment! We’ll be in Marquette, Michigan working with kids at a YMCA from July 18th to September 9th. Maple 4 is pretty excited about this, as we’ve all been wanting to work with “shorties” as Greg calls them, for a while. I’m personally excited because my friend Lara spent 6 months working at the local Marquette news station after we graduated from college. Small world! What I didn’t know is that Marquette is in the “Upper Peninsula” whose existence I was oblivious to until NCCC. Lara is thinking of visiting me labor day weekend and whisking me a couple of hours away to Makinaw Island, a vacation town that was featured in one of my fave movies ever, “Somewhere in Time,” featuring Superman and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

In other news, I was caught off-guard at a team meeting this Wednesday that involved my corps members “constructively criticizing” me for 90 minutes. Though I defended myself, about halfway through I had a meltdown and started crying, which was not pretty. I went back to my room, re-evaluated my life, called my unit leader, Jimmy, for some sage advice, and tried to re-group. Thoughts that ran through my mind included “I am the worst team leader ever!” and “Why don’t they appreciate all I do for them?!” Then I got a text message from one of my members to check on me, and 2 other individuals stopped by to talk as well, which helped to put a salve on my wounded ego. In the end, I’m glad that my team was able to come to me with their concerns and critiques of my leadership style, but I’m not sure any of them would have been able to deal with a similar meeting directed at them. Their initial intent was good, and there were definitely some points brought up that I can work on regarding professionalism among other things. I always feel like I have room for improvement, and it was good to address the issues now rather than let them fester and carry into our next round when we’ll be living in 1 room together on cots for 8 weeks. I also know that I’m not alone in this, as other team leaders have been subject to similar meetings with their teams. I really like Maple 4, so for the time being, my solution is to take it with a grain of salt. Work on the things that I think are reasonable complaints, and let the rest go. To dwell on it or over-analyze myself in the normal Darcy fashion will only result in more stress than I am already under, and make me less effective in my job. We’ll see how that works out. In the meantime, I’m going to go run my arms and legs under hot water.

Damn you, poison oak. Damn you to hell.

I'm Too Clumsy for My Chainsaw, Too Clumsy for My Chainsaw. So Clumsy It Hurts.

I am accident prone. This is no secret. Since I have been in AmeriCorps the following incidents have occurred:

• Knocking 1 speaker off of a pool house while atop 7 foot scaffolding
• Power washing a 6 inch hole through a window screen
• Almost flipping a City of Vinton truck down a hill (while inside)
• Incurring a corneal abrasion from exfoliating face wash
• Ripping up my knee while skipping over a bridge into Kentucky
• Breaking 2 cereal bowls, 1 plate & a bottle of teriyaki marinade (on separate occasions)
  

And those are just a few incidents I can name off the top of my head. So today, when the team did some additional chainsaw training with our site supervisor, I decided to take a back seat. Mind you, I enjoy some danger. Ask me to jump out of a plane, bungee jump off a 7 story platform, tour a new city with a fellow I just met at the gym, shoot your 45 caliber handgun, or ride on the back of a motorcycle—and I am down. But the idea of using a chainsaw, a chance I originally jumped at 5 months ago, now seems TOO dangerous, even for me. I'm not sure what brought me to this conclusion exactly, but I think I just recently lost some of my ballsyness in regards to operating handheld mechanical saws. Does that make me a wuss? Perhaps. But a wuss with all 4 extremities in tact. And I'd like to keep it that way for the time being. So I think I'll stick to good old bow saws and loppers for now and leave the chainsaws to my teammates.

Pool-uted

I wonder if these people know how gross this pool was 2 weeks ago?


I have to say, it's rewarding to see so many people enjoying it after we put all that hard work.

Some Things of Note

This past week, the team moved on from the pool to working at the the Hummel Shelter, an outdoor building with about a dozen picnic tables in it that the VPRD rents out for events like family reunions or birthday parties. Our task is to scrape, power wash, and paint the structure. Here's Greg using the power washer to pretend he is in a scene from the movie Scarface.

Sam playing with a baby bird that fell out of it's nest.


Me rockin' some new $5 aviators while weed-eating.


Gaby and Phil digging holes for a new gate. As it happens, Phil's leg fit in the hole.


Hillary and Christina weeding/modeling the Hannah Montana backpacks they recently purchased at Walmart.


After a long day of work Friday a few of us decided to check out the bowling alley on campus. For some reason the TL's hadn't been "trained" on this piece of machinery until now, but I was able to get the how-to this week so we could use it. Turns out it's just operated by one button! Gaby and Drew gave it a shot. Drew's technique? For starters you wear socks with slippers for good traction. Be sure to have your ipod headphones in. Also before bowling, consume a hearty meal of pork and beans with homemade mac and cheese. (I helped with the latter) He said something about the pork being so good, it would be considered "3rd level ham." I'm not sure what this means, but it sounds genius.


I'd also like to give a quick shout-out to my teammate Diana who is sick with mono this week. Bummer. Drew's thoughts on this, you ask? Well, he doesn't know how mono gets transmitted, but if it's anything like pink eye, it's bad. In fact, "If you make eye contact with somebody that's got pink eye, you're ruined, you got it. If somebody got pink eye, you're not supposed to look at them. If you do, your life is ruined. That's the truth." Did I mention that Drew is hilarious? Feel better soon, Diana!

Shout-outs to C.Dogg & My Boo

Dearest brother, Christopher. You turn 20 today. Not 21 like I originally thought because I am a terrible sibling. However, I guess that would have worked in your favor if I was home in NJ. You definitely could have convinced me to buy you booze. lol In honor of your bday here are a few photos of you that I particularly enjoy. Miss you, C. Dogg.

This one is great because it shows the go-to Forlenza facial expression for excitement:

Also this weekend, I'm missing the birfday festivities for my boo Lisa, back in Boston living it up for her 27th. Former roomie in real life, but always a roomie in my heart, this lady can break it down like none other. Here is a good shot of us cutting a rug at one of our Dunboy St Christmas throwdowns.


On stage at a booty shake-off competition graduation weekend:


And of course, keepin' it real on the dance floor at Lara's wedding:


Wish I was there to party with you in Boss-Town but I know your epic dance moves go on without me. Use them for good (not evil) friend. haha!

Maple 4 Goes to the Playground

This is what happens when I can't sleep and start fooling around with Windows Live Movie Maker.