Detroit?

They warned us that we'd need to be very flexible this year...

We've been preparing this week to head out to New Orleans on Saturday morning, to Camp Algiers to live in a FEMA tent with other NCCC teams from around the country. We were going to work with Salvation Army preparing food and handing out items and doing deconstruction with the First Baptist Church. Today a man came and shared his survival story and I got even more excited to go and help people like him move back home.

And then we find out that headquarters has changed their minds again and they're sending us back to Detroit. So... I'm saying goodbye to the beautiful Louisiana sunshine and hello to the midwest dreariness. I just gotta remember all the reasons I was excited about Detroit again.

YAY, photos!

Remember all those times when I said "I'll post some pics later..." Well this is long overdue...

I don't know how this works but I've posted my Zion pics to yahoo. I never could figure out how to download pictures off these sites but I have ordered prints from yahoo and they turned out really nice. Sorry I didn't thin it out very much...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/juleschiquita/my_photos

go nuggets!

Who are the nuggets? I'll admit, some of us expected to go to the Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns game tonight to find a chicken nugget doing cartwheels across the court... (I promise I wasn't one of them... but I did hope to see a little chunk of gold with legs sticking out of the bottom rallying the crowds). Sadly, the Nuggets' mascot is some sort of cat with a lightning bolt for a tail... no idea...

So the Nuggets aren't the greatest team but I think this was my first NBA game and I liked it! It was really fast and they let most of the fouls slip. Everything was going well, even the part about Denver losing, until I put on my sweatshirt to leave and it was soaked with beer from some hairbrain behind me. I reeked of alcohol the whole way home on the train and gave myself a headache.

Cheap night of fun... $11.50 including game and train. I'll try to get some pictures from people since I've pretty much given up on taking pictures since Utah. I guess I overdid it.

Alittle note to those who expected to see me in Detroit in a couple weeks... there was alittle change in the offices in DC and now they're sending 80% of their teams to gulf recovery so it looks like my team is headed to New Orleans now. We'll find out for sure next week... I'm trying to keep positive and flexible here but there was this part of me that was strangely excited about learning how to do taxes. We'll see...

juli number-cruncher neff

Well, the BIG day finally arrived... we woke up this morning and eagerly and nervously suited up and headed to the fifth floor classroom where we were to learn our fates...

We were each given a little slip of paper with separate clues on them and it was like a mad easter egg hunt. 60 people running all over campus, finding more clues that led to more clues. And finally we all found ourselves with a group of about 10 people, our "permanent teams" for the year. Though we're told we need to be flexible and allow some people to switch around sometimes and during our third round of spike everyone will be switched around, there still was A LOT of anxiety leading up to this day. I like most people I meet here. Everyone's pretty unique. Most people are pretty funny. But there are still those few who made it on my list of people I'd never want to work on a team with. So last night I went to bed with this odd familiar feeling, like Christmas Eve when you'd wonder if Santa was going to visit you or not and if just by wondering this, he would pass over your house just to spite you... I don't know how it connects, it just does.

So once we found out our teams, we had to figure out our project assignment. A LOT of nerves involved here too... you could be stuck in Denver tutoring kids or something (which is perfectly fine... I just am anxious to get out), or you could be one of the 6 teams heading to New Orleans to muck out houses that are still condemned and sleep in a FEMA tent (which sounds incredibly difficult and rewarding), or you could be part of the wildfire team that spends their first spike in chilly Chicago doing taxes for low-income families (I was so glad I wasn't a part of wildfire just for that reason).

All the wonderful options were jumping around my brain (I especially wanted a project somewhere in New Mexico or Texas camping or something) and everything came to a dead stop when I heard our assignment... doing taxes for low-income families in Detroit...

Anyone who knows me and my incredible hatred for numbers can imagine my reaction. But I've been thinking about it all day and little pieces of my brain are getting excited again. First, I feel really guilty that my oldest brother is doing my taxes again this year. I really wanted to learn so I could act grown up and now I will get to do them for 7 weeks straight... I might become a professional. Second, I will be in Michigan. Though it will be terribly cold along the lake and nothing like the warm Denver sunshiny days, I have been missing the midwest snow... alittle bit. And third, I didn't realize this til today, but this is an incredible opportunity to help out people in a very big way. These people might otherwise miss out on this money that belongs to them, money that will help pay bills and feed kids. They need this and it's free.

We're staying in a convent... should be interesting.

I've had the word taxes written on my hand for the past week or so, alittle reminder to call my brother and tell him where I hide all my important documents and stuff. Wonder if it was a sign...

So I'll be back in the midwest very soon! I leave on the 25th of February. We'll be taking about 3 or 4 days to get there. It's a 7 week project so we'll be back in Denver for our transition week by the 8th of April. It'll be fun to be closer to home.

try this instead

I have a couple brothers going to law school... they're good with their words and they have the ability to talk out of their butts and still sound intelligent. My little brother has been using bigger words than me since he was 5. My oldest brother is good at keeping his mouth shut though, most of the time. I have a hard time saying anything... I like describing things. That's easy. It's there, in front of you, no worries about whether I'm right or not. I'm just terrible about speaking my opinion, really terrible.

So... about this NCCC thing, I'm guessing he gives me permission since he posted his website, I'm directing traffic to http://imnewherenyc.blogspot.com/2006/02/getting-things-done.html

He has some good ideas, and a good attitude about it, unlike me.

ok now it hits home

I'm proud to be here. We're in our third week of training and we still have a couple more but I am so anxious to get out there and make a difference. This week the Red Cross has been in giving us an overview of disaster response and all the situations we might encounter. The other day we all were certified in first aid and CPR. Last week we learned how to change the tires and chain the tires of our vans. This week we're also learning basic construction to get ready to build or rebuild homes.

Last friday our team was at a coffee shop (in our fabulous Americorps khakis and greys) and I looked up to see an older couple walk by and the man got this cute little smile across his face when he saw us and said, "Thankyou. Thankyou for all you kids do," and he went on saying a few other things I couldn't understand. Wow. I don't know if I've ever been so proud to be a part of something. And then yesterday the Red Cross workers were telling us how much they rely on Americorps NCCC and how much of their disaster relief is made up of Americorps kids. I got that little proud smile again.

I've been thinking for some time how much I like college age kids (I still count myself as one of these of course). We're so full of potential. Like my Americorps training, we've been sitting in classes most our lives, and we're anxious, so anxious to get out and do something. We're so full of energy, and passion just searching to find a place to root itself. NCCC is such a good idea... taking this fire and passion when it's at its greatest and putting it to work, in areas that are in so much need. One of the smartest things a president has ever done for young adults was putting this group back into effect.

I was thinking about this all yesterday and then we were told we had an important unscheduled corps meeting in the afternoon. We all noisily crowded into the auditorium, and I joked how hopefully we were going to finally find out who failed the drug tests. But then a hush fell over the room as we noticed the faces of the Denver corps leaders. Some looked like they had been crying. Americorps is their life and with tears they shared with us that Bush has proposed his 2007 budget and he has decided to shut down the entire NCCC program. According to his little measuring tool, it has been deemed "ineffective" and very costly.

I have very little room to talk. I don't know what NCCC is all about. I've only been a part of it for a short time. But I have heard story after story and seen pictures of the work these people have done and there is no way this program is ineffective. And not only is Americorps NCCC cut but apparently 140 other public service organizations!

We were assured today that the money is there for us to complete our year of service but if we want this program to continue for other generations, we need to rally our family and friends. We aren't allowed to do a whole lot since we're working for the man, but PLEASE, look into this issue. I don't know a whole lot since it's so fresh and I'm so out of touch with the world lately. But I believe this is a big deal, a scary deal.

I've never been a fan of war. I never think dropping bombs on civilians is a useful way to bring peace to a country. I never liked the way our president smirks when people ask if he's seen the latest polls, "Really? I try not to pay too much attention to that." But I never outright disliked this man until this. I do not feel I am being taken care of in this country and I cannot imagine what the thousands of victims of natural and man-made disaster, environmental degradation, poor economic status, slipping schooling, limited or no health care, and just being born in the wrong place at the wrong time are going to think in these coming years when there are no more programs to assist them. Instead, the "leader" of this decaying country is off fighting a battle to win a prize of his own.

Yesterday, Rev. Joseph Lowery spoke at Mrs. King's funeral... "She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we knew, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."

NPR-Bush's cuts http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5192631
AmeriCorps NCCC http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/nccc.asp
SAVENCCC.org http://web.mac.com/thomashowardjr/iWeb/Site%203/Information.html
Voices for National Service http://www.voicesforservice.org/legis_update.htm
NCCC alumni http://www.beyondnccc.org/

I wanted to post some pics from our travels but I've realized I'm not smart enough to figure out how to download pictures from webshots, so I'm directing traffic to Shawna again...

http://community.webshots.com/album/546738458vCtXVZ

...cause you don't want to miss:
-me seducing Benjamin Franklin
-Dexter the amazing doorknob turning kitty
-visits to Franklin and Greenville Colleges and seeing the two Megans again
-asking the Two Fat Guys for directions to the worlds largest ketchup bottle and getting honked at by inconsiderate citizens of Collinsville that take their landmark for granted
-riding the St. Louis arch
-4 words... Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail!!!
-reasons why Elvis Presley is still alive
-World's Largest Ball of Twine
-World's Largest Easel Painting
-finally spotting one of the famous hoola hooping man signs
_________________________________________________________

I've also been meaning to post, because I'm insanely obsessed with receiving mail and not giving it... (but also because some people have asked for it)

Juli Neff
AmeriCorps*NCCC
Walsh Hall, Room 136
3001 S. Federal Blvd.
Denver, CO 80236

ATTENTION, MOM: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! (if you plan on sending your famous chex mix or anything...) Mail takes awhile to get here and I wouldn't suggest sending anything perishable (which does not discount Mrs. Freshleys) because we will be going on spike on February 25 and they don't mail us packages while we're gone for those 6 weeks. We do come back for a week in between spike projects.

trucker boyfriends, massive prairie dogs, and other adventures on I-70

Well I said I'd tell the story of Shawna and my trip out here to Denver, but seeing how Shawna finds ways to turn even the most meaningless details into good stories, I'm just going to use here words in this post...

(taken from her blurty, http://www.blurty.com/users/leyne/ ... hope you don't mind the advertisement, Shawna...)

Adventures on I-70!
Last night I waited in Akron/Canton Airport from 12:30 in the morning until a quarter ‘til 2. It was snowy, blowy, and I was just waiting for a proposition from one of the creepy construction guys who kept a constant eye on me, the lone passenger. It was almost 4 a.m. by the time I got home. Percy greeted me with a wagging tail... and then he peed on my bed. I slept on the couch.

The Destination: The Mile High City
The Mission: To have as much fun and see as much crap as humanly possible... the perfect mission.
The Means: Scrappy

Last Thursday Juli and I headed down “America’s Main Street,” I-70. We had no real plan other than to be in Denver by the 23rd. Scrappy was packed with a mountain of food that would sustain us for at least 3 weeks if we were to become trapped in an avalanche, or worse yet become lost on the back roads of Kansas. Along the way we recorded license plate states and any odd/interesting/stupid/creepy/waste of money vanity plates we happened to come across. Recorded below in the order that we spotted them:
~ New York ~ JOURNEY
~ Pennsylvania ~ KCK WGN
~ Indiana ~ 100 DGRS
~ Michigan ~ ANITGR8 (my fav)
~ Illinois ~ COWMAN (Indy)
~ Texas ~ FRANK (meg's neighbor)
~ Nebraska ~ ME TO
~ Iowa ~ MORRIS 1
~ Missouri ~ KAYT 4
~ Ohio ~ GC PROF
~ Oklahoma ~ LAMAR 3
~ Maryland ~ HUH HO
~ Kentucky ~ YUNEEK
~ Florida ~ BISONS
~ Montana ~ FOCUSS
~ Minnesota ~ GOT MLK
~ California ~ O GEEE
~ Wisconsin ~ JUST SEX (seriously, S. Carolina)
~ Alabama ~ VIZ LA
~ New Jersey ~ V BOY
~ Louisiana ~ KARAN
~ Kansas ~ SE AT L
~ South Carolina ~ PRO TYPE
~ Mississippi ~ MONMNT 3
~ Alaska ~ MUFFIN
~ Arizona ~ GABOR
~ Utah ~ CJANDJ
~ Virginia ~ PART THG
~ Colorado ~ SKAYM
~ Nevada ~ SHELZ
~ Wyoming ~ SHP MOM
~ New Mexico ~ MRS JDM
~ Arkansas ~ CIRCLE W
~ Oregon ~ S READ 1
~ North Carolina ~ ASHKEY4
~ Mexico (Chihuahua) ~ GREG R
~ ADHD

The trip was something like 1724 miles. Within the first 200 miles we had managed some interstate boyfriends. We went through a stretch where truckers were honking at us. Partially, I think because we were sort of hyper, and bouncing around the car like 16 year olds. And all it takes is one trucker radioing his big burly friends...

Juli and I were talking about how annoying it is when people pass you on the right. Soon thereafter a car passed us on the right. I was in the habit of checking people out as they passed us, because most people are looking at the road, not at me making stupid faces at them. I had just gotten into the bag of heart-shaped cookies from Buckeye Bakery, and I whirled around to my passengers-side window, shook my bright pink cookie at this man and yelled something like, "What are you doing?!" Well. The guy saw me, we made eye contact, I whipped my head straight ahead. Juli looked over just in time to see the guy wave before speeding off.

I nearly wet my pants I was laughing so hard at shaking a pink heart cookie and yelling at some guy on the interstate. Then I got really really hot and we had to turn the A/C on.

We stayed the first night with Megan and Ben and the last night with Juli's friend, Amy. Our first night with Megan was also the first night for Megan's new pet, a gray longhaired rescued cat named Dexter, who spent the night roaming in and out of rooms, indulging in his obsession with opening and closing doors. Unfortunately, Juli was the only one who didn't barricade her door. I found that several pillows seemed to do the trick. Megan reports that Dexter continues opening doors, and confirms Juli's hazy late night suspicion that Dex can, in fact, turn door handles.

I am proud that I picked Dexter out when we visited the shelter. Cats with sass and personality are the only cats worth having.

We left Franklin, IN early the next morning, but not before Juli seduced Benjamin Franklin.

First stop was The World's Largest Catsup Bottle in Colinsville, IL (but only after we decided to skip The World's Largest Pecan) which we were able to find only with the help of Two Fat Guys. We hustled our way across the state toward Missouri to see the St. Louis Arch, which made me proud for once to be so short and small. Very cool, and the most normal thing we saw or did the entire trip. Last stop of the day was a detour into St Charles/Weldon Spring to see the Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail and Museum (not, i suspect, its real name) which is the govt's attempt to "prettify" a former nuclear waste dump. It was very creepy, and we ended up trudging nuclear mud into Scrappy with our shoes. By the time we got back to I-70 it was completely dark, our shoes were glowing, and we needed to find a hotel for the night.

My only requirement was that the hotel had interior corridors. Juli's requirements included: indoor pool, hot tub, and continental breakfast, preferably hot. With our requirements we were able to find safe, fun, relaxing, and delicious hotels for the entire trip. That first night we stayed in the World's Largest Hotel Chain. It really was a World's Largest kind of trip.

Heading through Missouri the next day we stopped to hunt for the possibly non-existent Elvis Is Still Alive Museum...we found it...it was not yet open for the day...we proceeded on feeling satisfied having peered in through the windows. I have unofficially dubbed Missouri the most awful state in America. Granted I still have several more states to visit, but it's definitely in the top spot for the Armpit of America Award.

Kansas brought about the necessary 1 hour detour to see the infamous "World's Largest Ball of Twine" in Cawker City, KS. The twine ball is 17,874 lbs. and 7.800,511 feet... and growing! But not without the difficulties of keeping it in a "ball-shape" and one other hiccup, "the World's Largest Twine Ball is pungent with the smell of moist rot."

Loved it.

We saw a gorgeous Kansas sunset as we were heading back toward I-70 leaving the glorious ball behind us, but not before giving a sheepish wave to the Texas plates pulling in to see the ball as we were heading out. A family. The father looked perturbed, horrified, and embarassed at having driven an hour or so off the main road to see... twine.

We got "lost" heading back to I-70 having decided to take a slight detour off the main road. But it's not really a true vacation experience until you get lost at least half a dozen times or so.

The following day ended our time in Kansas, with the world's largest easel painting holding a Van Gogh rendition in some small town near the Colorado border. Disappointingly the World's Largest Prairie Dog was closed for the day, and we missed the chance to see mutant and exotic animals such as 1-6 legged steers, miniature donkey named Roscoe (awwwww!) and... rattlesnakes. It's a petting zoo too, apparently.

We rolled into Colorado the following day and veered off I-70 to head down to Colorado Springs for a night. We found so much to do in the area, and the were normal tourist things. Nothing like The World's Largest... fill in the blank. The first day we toured Miramont Castle, attempted to ride the cog to the top of Pike's Peak (you would THINK that the people working at the visitor's center would actually have some clue what they are talking about, and would be discouraged from making things up. Although if you had such a boring job, making shit up to trick random tourists would be the highlight of your day, most likely.)

We went to see The Garden of the Gods, amazing red-orange rock glowing in the sun with the white snow making it appear even brighter. That night we stayed in a super nice LARGE $80 room at a Holiday Inn Express for $45 (plus tax). Yay for the random Wendy's in Kansas and its assortment of coupon books! The following day we climbed 180-some steps to see a frozen Seven Falls, crawled all over the Manitou Cliff Dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans, and visited the Cave of the Winds, with a semi-cute and very funny tour guide, who was most likely a geology student at the local university. Since we were the only two on the tour, he loosened up his typical shpeel. Any fool knows that you can't touch things in caves, but he reminded us of that and told us that there is a MASSIVE fine and possible jail time if you're caught doing so. Later he told us that he once led a group of 20 blind and/or deaf people through the cave. Whoa. He then told us that his boss instructed him to let them "touch whatever the fuck they wanted to."

Note to self: a perk of being blind is the consequence-free touching of cave property.

Midday we headed through Denver and into Greeley, the fastest growing city in America to stay with Juli's Ontario friend, Amy and Jonah, her dog. We were all just lounging in Amy's (fabulously cute) house when Jonah snapped at Juli, just in fun. Juli looked terrified and hopped up off the couch to move away and as she turned (i have never seen anything so funny in my life) Jonah nipped Juli in the butt. Juli pranced away, holding her butt, and looking terrified, but giggling just the same.

Jonah just stared at her with innocent eyes, thinking, "I'll get you later."

The next morning after breakfast at Perkins (which was playing classical music for some bizarre reason or another) we headed off to the airport. Juli dropped me off and then she was headed into Denver to begin her training for Americorp, the real reason behind the roadtrip. We both agreed that meeting new people sucks.

A quick hug and a wave ended our little roadtrip. I secretly wished Juli would give in to her nerves and skip out on Americorp and keep on traveling with me. So much fun.

Anyone want to travel around Ohio with me to see random, tacky, pointless sites? ... No? JULI COME HOME!