Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[lykomancer]

"Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring— when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children— black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics— will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Comments

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

I cried.
I sat in the ugly puke-yellow armchair in the corner, cradling an ignored glass of wine, and I cried.

If anyone would have told me four years ago-- hell, ONE year ago-- that a presidential election would make me cry, I'd have amusedly asked what you were smoking.

I don't think that Obama is a savior. I disagree with him on some issues-- Afganistan, for one; "clean" coal for another-- but... *shakes head* We needed this.

Did you hear that November 4th was declared a national holiday in Kenya? LOL.


Still waiting to hear from Ed. He's probably still working...or hungover. Heh.

[infinitefirefly.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

I almost cried, which was shocking to me because I've never really felt compelled to cry out of joy or hope before. It was a really exhilarating, memorable moment.

I agree. He's not a messiah; he's a politician. And obviously he's not going to be able to deliver on every promise. But yes, the U.S. needed this. Hell, the world needed this, just to remind people of their own power and how strong a vote is and to break them out of that stagnant state of apathy. The optimism is palpable and it feels wonderful. Seriously, people down here in Toronto were celebrating last night. It was awesome.

And YES I heard about the holiday. XDDD

Haha, either way, I'm really happy for you guys. Now, USA, get cracking and clone another Obama for Canada, plz.

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

I remember, when Paul Wellstone died, I finally learned about him, and I felt sorry.

I felt-- still feel-- like I missed out. I never knew the man when he was alive. I never knew his life, his politics, his words...not until it was too late. He touched so many people, and I missed the boat.

Now I know what that must have been like, participating in that, watching a rising star. The whole damn country knows what that must have been like, on a national scale. I think of Wellstone. I think of Lincoln. I think of Kennedy. I think of Martin Luther King, Jr.

And I cry.



Randy suggested that when the current guy's term's up, I try running for Minnesota's Soil and Water Commissioner.

I might.

[infinitefirefly.livejournal.com]

Ah man I wish this feeling could last forever.


...DUDE. THAT IS AWESOME. And GO FOR IT, I SAY. And oh, oh, I was in the shower when this came to me (lol like so many other ideas)--

If you're having difficulty finding a job, why not tutor in the mean time? I applied to a tutoring academy (not even an academy--more like a one-office room) like, six months ago, and just recently got hired. They pay $12/hour, and a session is typically at the person's house for an hour and a half, twice a week. That doesn't seem like a lot, but when I got started, the mother of the kids I was tutoring got me FIVE MORE CLIENTS privately. So right now I'm not only tutoring elementary kids in reading and writing and helping them with their homework, but I'm tutoring a 42-year-old woman taking women's literature at another college downtown and some high school kids in an Ivy league-bound English class for $15/hr. And I'm a fucking undergraduate. So now I'm making around $650 a month, privately, in cash. Seriously, word of mouth does a lot.

So what I'm saying is--if you think you're up to it, you can tutor with an agency or privately; either way, it's a great way to make some extra cash on the side.

(...this is all assuming you wouldn't go insane from the amount of patience required for helping kids especially the inattentive ones with homework. XD)

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

This'll sound dorky and like a cop-out, but uh... I'm not sure if I know how to tutor.
I tutored one of my classmate's teenaged daughter's once, but I'm not real sure that I should have been paid at all; I didn't know what I was doing or where to even start. It was awkward and I don't think it accomplished anything at all. It wasn't a good experience.

(Another time I tried to help someone, he expected me to practically hold his pen for him. And do all his reading for him. And come up with a thesis, opening, body, and conclusion for him. He didn't speak English very well, and so I couldn't get him to understand what I was actually there to help with-- grammar, punctuation, etc. I gave up after two sessions of trying to explain that I wasn't writing his whole damned paper for him.)

[infinitefirefly.livejournal.com]

Yeaaah, it gets tricky when you're dealing with anything past middle school, because--like with that guy who practically expected you to write his paper--the students realize you're being paid and expect more out of you.

I would suggest starting with really young kids. It's not difficult at all when you're helping them develop basic reading/writing and math skills--all you need are beginner's books from the library that you can read to them and have them try and read back by sounding the words out and whatnot. I'm basically mimicking the teaching method used to teach me when I was in elementary.

So yeah. Little kids. KG-GR8. That's where the best, most comfortable experiences are at.

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

...the students realize you're being paid and expect more out of you.

Or they're apathetic and don't care. Or they've been pushed around too much by teachers and parents and don't want to listen to yet another person who wants them to work and not play.

Have you read Last Child in the Woods? It talks about how a lack of unstructured play is actually damaging to children, mentally (possibly causing ADD and depression) and physically (see: obesity).
Considering my animal-handling and plant-identification skills-- neither of which is PHENOMENAL, but both of which are far superior to many city-dwellers'-- I might want to look into starting nature walks with elementary age kids.

Sadly, many kids know more about endangered polar bears and amur tigers than can identify ground squirrels, columbine, or brook trout. This is one of the reasons the environmentalist movement isn't gaining more ground faster; if you don't care about your OWN landbase, then what's the point?

:D

[infinitefirefly.livejournal.com]

...so does that mean you'll consider it? XD

[lykomancer.livejournal.com]

*gives in*
Sure, what the hell.

Ed says that his two goals while he's here are 1) finding a job, and 2) finding a campaign for me to run/run in.
...I guess I'm going into politics? Yay?

He might be here this-- Thursday-- afternoon. Or tomorrow night. Holy shit. I'm anxious again.


I will respond to your post after work! But for now, CONGRATS! *high five!*

[infinitefirefly.livejournal.com]

:D :D :D

Holy crap, man. I'm so excited for you. ♥ AND DON'T BE ANXIOUS. I suggest you do a little stretching or exercise in case you're feeling antsy; it ought to help.


SLKDJF;SA THANK YOU. *high-fives back!*