Well, I'm back.

The great event that was Workfest 2008 is now over and the Perfect Storm has passed into legend like all great heroes do. Parting from the PS and Workfest in general will be sweet sorrow. Sweet because I'm completely exhausted like I haven't been in some time. Sorrowful because it seems a human tragedy to separate such an effective poverty-eliminating machine.

Having the "kids" here has been quite the adventure. They came in on Sunday and by Thursday they were, for the most part, trained on how to perform the basic tasks. These young whippersnappers brought to the work site a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. It sounded cliche' to me by the end of the week, but it really is a great accomplishment for them to forgo the traditional drunken party in south beach for the rain-drenched, clay mud-coated hills of Kentucky for the week.

Ross and I proclaim the Perfect Storm a complete success. We finished one job completely, Shirley's and Buddy's home. We roofed it, sided it, insulated it, did a window, a door and finished a room on the inside. On our second job, Connie and Heather's, we completed about 3/4 of our work. We sided, did 2 huge porches, insulated, did a window and some floor work. Personally, I was somewhat surprised that I was able to lead our groups in construction work. I was always confident in Ross' abilities as he is the "perfect" part of the PS. But, things just happened to work out, as they usually do.

Other highlights from the week included: putting the rooster in Jennie's room, riding around in Ross' outreach truck yelling "Perfect Storm!" out the window, trying to get our kids to say to their friends that leaving the PS would be "like having a part of them amputated", baking breakfast for the students every Friday, introducing the students to the area and showing them why they should care that people here need help, bluegrass every Tuesday night, and of course - our precious guests hosts.

Today, after all the students had left to go back to academia, Ross and I joined some of our friends from the "east side" of CAP to go hiking at Red River Gorge. It was a blessing and a fitting reward to breathe the clean air and hike the mountains. We went for pizza after the hike and drank ALE 8. It was the perfect ending. Will I miss it? Yes. Do I know what job I'm on? No. But, I'll be there doing whatever it is that I do.


So, if you're down with the Perfect Storm, raise your glasses and toast to the men, the myths, the legend that is....The Perfect Storm.

Easter 2008

"Do not be afraid; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here" (Mk 16,6).


This is an excerpt from an Easter Vigil Homily by Pope John Paul II

The Scriptures we have just heard in the Liturgy of the Word find their fulfilment and run through every stage of the entire salvific plan. At the beginning of Creation, "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gn 1:31). To Abraham he had promised: "by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves" ( Gn 22:18). Here is again proposed one of the most ancient themes of the Hebrew tradition which reveals the meaning of the Exodus when "the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians" (Ex 14:30). The promises of the Prophets continue to be fulfilled in our time: "I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes..." (Ez 36:27).

On this night of Resurrection everything begins anew; creation regains its authentic meaning in the plan of salvation. It is like a new beginning of history and of the cosmos, because Christ is risen, "the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor 15:20). Christ, the "last Adam", has become "a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor 15:45).

Don't Stop (Believin')

Apologies for the lack of posts as of late, but the Perfect Storm demands all of my attention these days.

We finished our first job today in triumph. Tomorrow we move on to the second Perfect Storm job of Workfest 2008. We have had various media guests from CAP; Bill the photographer as well as the video team. We saw Dave and his video team down in Tennessee doing a documentary on CAP and the disaster clean up. I told them about the perfect storm and last Thursday they showed up, eager to see the Perfect Storm dominating. Picture this. Me up on a ladder, the camera below me, Dave asking questions and me referring to the Perfect Storm as an "unstoppable poverty-eliminating machine". That's pure gold for any journalist. I wonder if it will make the video....

So. Shirley, the homeowner of our first job. Has a pet rooster. A baby rooster... which she said we could borrow. So, Ross and I, in all of our deviousness panned to put this rooster (named Roo Roo) in Jennie's room for her as a pre-Easter surprise of sorts. What a surprise it turned out to be; heralding in the Rising of our Lord with a mighty crow... and several more following it.

More to follow. The Perfect Storm takes a lot of energy.

Cheers.

Perfect Storm Engulfs Kentucky. Seek Shelter.

The Storm has arrived!!!

This is the moment you have all been waiting for, dear friends, WORKFEST 2008 and all of the hoopla and shenanigans that come along with it. Workfest lasts for 3 weeks in March and is the highlight of the CAP experience as well as the most important 3 weeks for housing. I have been looking forward to these weeks ever since I came to CAP and now that they are upon us, I can barely contain myself.

Ross Peters (aka St. Peters, warm front, and Ross the Kid) and I form what has commonly become known as "The Perfect Storm". The Perfect Storm was created in concept back in October, when Ross and I first thought up this genius and perfect work crew led by the both of us. We knew that if we combined our Jedi powers and united our two forces, the effect would form some kind of unstoppable, poverty-eliminating super crew. We have been combined to prank the McCreary Boys and Callista ("The Cat") on several occasions. When we went on disaster relief, the Perfect Storm gained strength over the state of Tennessee. For some reason, the volunteer department saw fit to give Ross and I a cargo van to take to disaster relief which has been appropriately named the Perfect Storm-mobile. After we completely cleaned up that state in a matter of days, we turned our attention to Workfest.

We are working on Shirley and her son Buddy's home. They are some of the most genuine, loving, and appreciative participants we have had and our work crew loves working for them. Our work crew hails from Eastern Illinois, Macomb, MI, and the University of Louisville. We have had Callista, Britney from the East Side, and Katherine (a former Jackson volunteer) as guest hosts this week and we have many more surprise guests to come. The Perfect Storm has already done, in three days, 75% of the siding on the house, insulation, half a roof, 2 windows and sofit on 75% of the home as well. We are completely dominating this job.

Ross and I have prepared identities for ourselves for every week. This week, he's a former NASA scientist and I'm a former British Navy sailor. Maybe next week Ross will be a former ballet dancer, who can say. Kevin Black keeps reminding me that in the movie the Perfect Storm, the boat sinks in the end...but we are prepared to accept any disastrous situations that should arise.

Cheers, and Holla at yo boy!!!



quote of the day:

Look, look at this. We got Hurricane Grace moving north off the Atlantic seaboard. Huge... getting massive. Two, this low south of Sable Island, ready to explode. Look at this. Three, a fresh cold front swooping down from Canada. But it's caught a ride on the jet stream... and is motoring hell-bent towards the Atlantic. What if Hurricane Grace runs smack into it? Add to the scenario this baby off Sable Island, scrounging for energy. She'll start feeding off both the Canadian cold front... and Hurricane Grace. You could be a meteorologist all your life... and never see something like this. It would be a disaster of epic proportions. It would be... the perfect storm.