Fumigation and Friends

When I came home from Santa Barbara I felt the need to write a love note to everyone in my program. I felt so happy, centered and focused on the good in my life, which includes the amazing people that I'm in this program with. Also when I came home, things in my house kind of exploded, with the power turned off for several days and the bed bugs issue, that I had not seen everyone for a few weeks. I finally had the time and energy to go out to Long Beach on Sunday night and visit everyone there. Harvey, who is from Louisiana and who is an amazing cook,  has been making us epicly tasty meals a few times this year, and did not disappoint this Sunday evening.  It was so good to reconnect with everyone again, after a few very stressful weeks. I am over and over again very pleasantly surprised by the other nineteen interns I'm lucky enough to spend the year with and now that we've been together long enough to start to develop relationships beyond just being in the same place at the same time, I am ever more grateful.

Like I said, we've had an issue with bedbugs. Well, since the first fumigation which involved us leaving the house for several hours, washing and drying every piece of fabric in the house and moping all the floors, tables, chairs and counter spaces, we found them again a week later. In my bed this time. This lead to another afternoon spent looking for more bed encasements (which keeps them from a) moving into a new bed and b) from getting out of a bed where they already live and biting the person sleeping in said bed. Eventually they will die without blood or food, so apparently we just wait several months then take the encasement off.) a lot more money spent on the encasement for each bed and we're at upwards of $200 spent on laundry. We found a different company to do the fumigation this time (even though the other one offered to do it again for free we decided it was not worth it to go through the process just to see if it would work this time) and when they came through yesterday they ransacked the house. Beds overturned, couches torn apart, chairs upside down. I mean, in the end it was done right. Right?

I had to stay at work while my roommates all took the day off to do laundry. Here's them at the laundromat beginning the second round of  washing and drying. And that's minus my clothes, which all stayed outside for the night and were washed today.

In other news, work is becoming insanely busy. Its the holidays, so we have more people registering to come to the pantry, more people weekly, less volunteers who can come in and more and more people who want to come in only once on Thanksgiving day or for a special event. I appreciate that people step up to help around the holidays, but it takes me a long time to train volunteers in and really what we need is a weekly commitment, not just a one-time helper. This does very little for me, in fact. I also want to challenge people who want to give just for the holiday season to consider the fact that hunger and need does not go away all year, and that by giving up your Thanksgiving for someone else, though a great idea, doesn't get at the root of the issue, or help the pantry in July, when our shelves are empty because there are no major "giving" holidays. 

Finally, my mom is coming tomorrow! I'm so excited to spend a long weekend in LA with her. Fingers crossed she likes it better here than San Francisco! It will be nice to have her here because a) it's always wonderful to spend time with my mom and b) she'll be renting a car so we can get out and see parts of the city that I've not been to but wanted to see, and we'll probably be able to go up the coast a little bit again. Hiking in Malibu? Its on my list of things to do this weekend! 

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Photos from this weekend with the group. I had my new camera and was "taking pictures like an Asian tourist" as my friend Joey so lovingly put it. But, I kind of was. The picture quality is just so much better!

Hollywood sky after a crazy rainstorm.

Harvey making his amazing food

Me and Allison.

Harvey introducing the meal that he made. Sarah my roommate is standing expectantly next to him.

Sally enjoying it all.

The "urban intern" version of s'mores roasting. I didn't find it so strange, to be honest.

Harvey didn't eat any of the food he prepared for us, but he did eat his first s'more. He is considering it now, but in the end he gave a nod of approval.

Me, Valerie and Sally.