- No complaining about my writing in the passive voice - yeah I do it alot...
- Know that I'll always come back and correct any glaring grammatical or spelling errors
- Have patience with my desire to "write as I talk"
- Laugh at the fact that some how for whatever reason, things like this ALWAYS happen to me, and yet I'm still smiling
I'm a Penn Stater, bleeding blue and white deep into my core. I do my best to connect with our local alumni group wherever I move. Tonight was to be my 1st group activity - volunteering for a local food bank, preparing meals for those in need. Here's the rub, we were supposed to arrive by 6, I work until 5:30 and I had no idea where in the hell I was going. Nonetheless, I was committed. So at 5:35 I headed to the metro and hopped on the red line in search of the Brookland stop...while sitting next to a local, and a rather friendly one at that, I realized what I really needed was the Ft. Totten stop. And just as I was about to disembark he stated if you're going to Share our Strength, that was Brookland, sorry I led you wrong there... What?? Brookland, Ft. Totten, I have absolutely no idea, what I'm supposed to do. So I did what anyone else would do, I pulled out my phone and programmed in the address and asked for help from the lord-GPS. And as many of you know I was promptly greeted by the familair dulcet tones of, "re calibrating." As I quickly ran across the platform and headed back to the Brookland stop I checked my watch and breated a sigh of relief, "almost there."
I get off and with my trusty moblie in hand head off into the dark towards volunteer-land. I'm pumped - turn left in 150 ft, cross the street, turn right in 250 feet, travel south...travel south...travel south WTF? How far is this thing taking me, I'm only supposed to be going 2 blocks from the metro? When I finally get smart enough to look up and assess my surroundings I realize - oooohhhhmyyygooodnesss what have I done? It's dark, it's cold, and my god is that man selling crack over there...no no no no no, I did not just do this, I did not conciously place myself in this situation......panic - panic, don't panic. I head over towards the gas station on the corner. Did it just get darker? No, no, I'm just imagining it..."Sir can you tell me where 219 Riggs Rd. NE is from here? What?? I need to do what? No, no I need to go to Riggs Rd, I just came from the metro." He continues to yell at me through scratched thick glass - 'go around back.' So I go around back and ask the mechanic, "how do I get to Riggs Rd. from here?" "You need to go to Ft. Totten.' "No, no I just came from there they told me to come here." "Ft.Totten I tell you, Ft. Totten.'
Well as you can imagine, I determined getting into a shouting match about directions with a mono-sylabbic, one-eyed mechanic wasn't going to help me... and for chrisssakes it's 6:45 I am so friggin' late. I dejected, and yes I must admit, on the verge of tears. Not because I'm scared but because I was stupid enough to put myself in this position. I didn't write down the meeting instructions, I didn't map out the route, and I didn't give myself enough time to get here---shoot, shoot, hell, SHIT!!!! So I put on my super mean face, shoved my phone into my pocket and headed towards the metro, only to be stopped by a passing police car, 'HEY!'
So I did exactly what you're supposed to do when a cop yells HEY across a crowded 4 lane street in the middle of the hood, I RAN MY ASS OFF!!! My awesome black heeled boots were killing and I swear I almost fell, twice...but I got there and decided - I'm just going to have to be a bad citizen of the world and call this adventure quits. As I boarded the train I logged onto the alumni page on FB and typed quickly... I felt like a heel, but I really couldn't imagine getting there and being any help to anyone. I hit "SEND" and went to verify my mea culpa went through...What??? I have a message in my inbox, Jim Tressel, who the hell is Jim Tressel? Are you shittin me? The message read simply....Tonight's January Food & Friends Volunteering event has been cancelled.
Classic. What did you do today?
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