The Lost Week

Last week is lost. Lost in the way that I can't get that time back. It's not that I didn't accomplish anything. I did. I just didn't accomplish much of anything for the trip. And it's not that I haven't had a seemingly unproductive week before. I have. I just haven't had one this close to leaving the country for two years. Not exactly the best time to have one. But I had one, nonetheless.

The Saturday before, I was up in Big Bear, visiting with friends I hadn't seen in a long while. They went up for Oktoberfest. It was fun. It was another good reminder of why I don't drink. Sunday, I photographed nine jobs for my dad. We traveled all over Redlands, taking various shots for the website I am designing for him. Business is really slow for contractors right now, and I am doing what I can to help him before I leave. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and sore. I should've known what was coming next.

I started the week off feeling sick. One of those sicknesses where you spend the day wandering from bed to chair to couch, fading in and out of consciousness. I don't think I have slept that much in the past several years. I still feel like I could be coming down with something. But I haven't, which I am thankful for. The latter half of the week, which went by equally swiftly, was spent doing research, physical therapy, working on my dad's construction photos, and working with Burt Clark on creating a local homeless ministry. More on the homeless ministry later. I also spent a lot of time on the phone with Guitar Center, trying to get a refund check cut for the Antioch job. Without that check, I am uncomfortable sending in the remaining billing paperwork for the job, as it buys me much needed political capital. As for the current freelance projects, the public health project is off to a slow and shaky start, as I can't seem to get the staff to find the time to sit down with me to work out the content for the DVD. The content for the project is timely, as flu season is upon us, and the material is on Pandemic Influenza. The director also happens to be leaving for the majority of November, which hinders the project pretty severely.

I know people may wonder why I am involved in developing a local homeless ministry when I am planning to travel around the world. The time could be better spent on research and planning. I decided, a little over a year ago, that if I was serious about traveling around the world for two years, being involved in humanitarian work, I might want to start in my own backyard. It really doesn't make sense to make such a grand gesture, globally, when I haven't been overly involved in humanitarian work at home. Granted, the around the world trip isn't entirely selfless, but our intentions are noble.

I had a check up Friday morning with the pain specialist at the spinal center my surgeon owns. We went over how I was doing, how things are improving, and if anything had changed. I told him about the setback from a wedding I helped with almost a month before, and how I had lost quite a bit of the progress that was made this summer. Side note: I helped out with a friends wedding toward the beginning of October, involving myself in as much of the preparation as was possible. The day after the wedding, I felt fine. Two days after the wedding, not so much. I've been told that I just irritated my back. The pain I am experiencing is likely the result of inflammation and tight back muscles. As I have continued with Physical Therapy, now that it has been, again, approved, I am gaining back some ground. My PT runs out in three weeks. I have my final checkup with Dr. Haider, my surgeon, two days before Thanksgiving. I have decided that, because of the holiday, and the fact that traveling during it would be a bad choice, that I will leave at the beginning of the following week. So, I have a pretty hard departure date of December 1. Yes...2009.

This weekend was fairly chill. I spent Sabbath afternoon helping out at the Norton Neighborhoods SACH educational center, working with underprivileged kids. I had a lot of fun. I hope the kids got something out of it. Saturday night I avoided all of the parties and traveling out to LA. I went over, instead, to Andi and Ben Galusha's house to hang out, to enjoy good food and good company. Sunday I spent with Burt and Shandi Clark, and my sister. Just relaxed. I didn't want to push it, considering I still don't feel 100%.

This week I WILL get the billing paperwork in to Antioch, and I WILL get paid. I also intend on completing my dad's website, continuing the development of a non-profit for the trip, and seeing if I can salvage enough time from the University's Center for Public Health Preparedness to develop a product for them.