HOBY is EVERYWHERE!

Hello All,

Not this past Thursday, but the Thursday before (October 28th) reminded me how strong HOBY is and how this organization will always be apart of my life. For those of you that do not know what HOBY is, I can't begin to describe it. I could write pages and pages about how much it has impacted and changed my life but that wouldn't even come close to doing it justice. It's something that needs to be experienced. And once you experience it, you never want to stop experiencing it. If you would like an actual description click here.

Since I'm still new to the Saint Bernard Project (SBP) I don't have any SBP shirts yet. So I've been wearing my old HOBY shirts. Sometimes my co-workers will ask me what HOBY is and I try my hardest to describe it to them, but as I mentioned earlier, I never feel like I do it justice. I always follow my descriptions with, why not come back with me to MD in May and find out for yourself. I'm hoping some take me up on that offer. HOBY can always use the support!

It was about 830 and some volunteers were showing up to the offices. I was walking across the street from the office to the warehouse when an elderly woman and her husband approached me. She said, "They still have HOBY?" I stopped dead in my tracks and didn't hesitate to walk over to her. For the life of me I can't remember her name, but she went on to tell me how her daughter was selected as an ambassador back in 1992. She went to a high school in Ohio but now she lives near DC because she has a job working for the government. She went on to tell me how her daughter was also selected as one of the Ohio representatives for the WLC. At that time the WLC was in Minnesota and she was surprised to hear that, since 1992, it's moved to DC and now LA and that it has gone international. She went on to say that HOBY has had a big impact in her daughters life and she's hoping her grandkids will be selected to go to HOBY when they reach high school.

The rest of the day, as stressful and busy as it got, I was on a high. Just knowing that no matter where I go in life HOBY will follow,  made me reflect on my entire HOBY experience so far. I started in 2005 as the inaugural ambassador for Sollers Point Tech not knowing what to expect. I didn't know anything about the program or anyone else that would be going. But after that weekend, I knew my life would never be the same. And here I am 5 years later, still involved in that organization, and using the ideals and values I learned at HOBY and applying them with my own volunteer work. 

I can honestly say, if it wasn't for HOBY and my OUTSTANDING and tremendously supportive HOBY family (with very very big HOBY Hugs and thank you's to Aaron, Matt, Carol, Alecia, Caitlin, Tracy, and TA 06!!!) I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now. I'm already looking forward to the 2011 Seminar and can't wait to share my experiences with everyone!

Serious Apologies.

Hey All,

I just want to apologize for the lack of postings. I haven't had internet at home and I don't have a work computer (even though I'm the IT guy) so I haven't been able to post. But I promise a few posts today and more throughout the week. I'll even have pictures!! This week I'll have postings covering everything from parties, to second lines, to HOBY PRIDE!!! and even Bad Religion?? So, again, apologies for the lack of posts but there is more to come!

-Nick

An Interesting Weekend.

Hello All,

So this past weekend (and yes I'm going to count Friday) was rather interesting. I was struck with a wide range of emotions and was unsure of how to process them. I spoke with some friends down here about it, but I figure why not talk about it on here with you all. Now, unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to take pictures this weekend but I promise to get better about it. Maybe I'll have a few posts that are just pictures or something.

Anyway, Friday, I had to do some work with a large group of 8th grade girls. Not my usual Friday, but I'm adaptable and up for anything. These girls were volunteering for service credit, but they were removing large weeds and small trees on a potential lot. Once this lot is cleared, we're able to go through with our people and take care of all surveying, permits, etc. They were only scheduled to be there from about 9-12 but had to leave early. Well, while I was waiting for my boss to pick me up, as well as the fifty some odd bags of trash and the tools, I walked around the neighborhood a bit. I was in the Lower 9th Ward.

As I walked down streets and over a few blocks I didn't feel like I was in a community. I felt like I was in a massive field. Grass was higher than corn stalks, and weeds and vines choked street signs and stop signs. I stood in silence and started to cry. I was looking at what used to be streets. I saw what used to be homes. I saw what used to be families. Communities. Neighbors. Life. All of this was gone. There were maybe 5 total homes in the span of a few blocks. The rest was wilderness. It was unreal. These types of things happen in third world countries and not America. I closed my eyes and opened them again. I rubbed my eyes and opened them. I wasn't dreaming. This was real. There is still so much work to be done here. Hundreds of families that need to come home. It's been five years. Five. Years.

I can't really say more without going on a rant about what happened with the hurricane and the aftermath and that's not what this blog is about. It's about me sharing my adventures from New Orleans. But I will say this: If you ever get the opportunity to volunteer down here do it. Through SBP or Habitat for Humanity, volunteer and give time down here. There is so much more work to be done.

On a lighter note, I didn't have to work Saturday so I slept in. Kinda bummed around and walked around the neighborhood. But Saturday was when it got interesting. SBP had a fundraiser at the Half Moon Bar and Grill on Saint Mary Street. The proceeds would benefit the SBP Mental Health and Wellness Center. What was the fundraiser? Ladies Arm Wrestling!! Yes! This is real and if you ever find yourself lucky enough to see an arm wrestling event in New Orleans DO IT! It's unreal. The spectacle and pageantry of it all is awesome. It's almost like Halloween. But for adults. And the women are arm wrestling. Still don't believe me? Their website is: http://wearenolaw.wordpress.com/

Check it out. It's interesting. SBP's very own "Phirey" Phoenix took 1st place and won an awesome trophy that my boss James built. I'm not sure how much money we raised, but the place was jam packed and we had a lot of people sign up to volunteer some time for the SBP which is always great. Overall a successful night.

I was feeling really hungry (and possibly drunk) after the even so me and my housemate Christian went to a burger place literally steps from the Half Moon.  It's called Down The Hatch and man oh man do they have awesome food and amazing french fries. I got the Texan Burger. Imagine a massive roll with a big burger, cheddar cheese (lots of it), bacon, caramelized onions, and (drum roll......) a fried egg. Oh yeah. Tasty. Greasy. Deadly. But it was incredibly delicious and I can't recommend that place enough. They have a large variety of burgers. Everything from veggie to classic to the colossal mess I had. And of course I didn't think to take a picture of it. Grrrrrr. I promise to work on that.

Hope you all had a great weekend and expect many many more pictures. Seriously.

Introducing....

Hello All,

So, I work in the warehouse for about half of my day. The other half is between the two offices taking care of computer problems. I could be fixing chop saws and lawn mowers in the morning, and by mid-afternoon i'll be diagnosing printer and network issues. It's fun and challenging and definitely keeps me on my toes. I've only been working a week, and already we have a special visitor. Introducing....

Colonel Lynch!!!!

A co-worker found this stray kitten wandering around the building so she grabbed it and brought it to the warehouse. The poor guy was shaking and you can tell he hasnt been eating well if at all. I had just finished a doughnut and he instantly tackled my milk. He drank and drank and drank. He started to warm up to myself and James (the Warehouse Manager) by purring heavily and being very playful.

He's a dirty kitten and probably has fleas. Gross. Needless to say I showered twice when I got home.

You're probably wondering why we named him Colonel Lynch. We at the warehouse, since there are four of us, are referred to as the 'A-Team'. And it's a lot easier to call a cat Colonel Lynch than it is to call him 85 GMC Custom Van hahaha.

This other picture is of him sleeping on James' chair. He really really liked sleeping here whenever James wasn't there.

Sunday Reflection

Hello All,

I know I haven't posted in a week, but this week has been hectic. Lots of planning and moving and doing. I'm gonna go through and recap the days as well as give a little background on why the delay in posts.

So, when I first arrived in New Orleans, I had nowhere to call home. The apartment complex I was going to live in cancelled my application because I wasn't going to be meeting their income requirements. Fantastic. So, when I arrived in New Orleans last Friday, I had nowhere to go. So, I went on Priceline.com and was able to snag an unbeatable deal. 30 bucks a night at a Super 8. I gave myself until Wednesday to find a place so my stress and motivation levels were at constant highs. And to make a rather long story short, myself, Lily (an SBP volunteer), Christian (another SBP volunteer), and Vanessa (an AmeriCorps volunteer) were able to find a sweet place off of Magazine Street. So I really didn't have a place to call my own where I could focus my thoughts into tangible ideas. But now I can. Recap time.

MONDAY.
Met the other volunteers at a Park next door to the St. Bernard Project (SBP). Very awesome people with very similar goals and ideals. I could already tell that I was going to love my work and love the people I work with. The day was an orientation day. Lots of paperwork and seminars on how things run. Nothing too exciting. That night I grabbed dinner with Christian (my roommate and all around awesome guy). We went to Pita Pit. I've never had a pita before so I was interested to see how this would be. I got a buffalo chicken pita. Amazing. Really delicious and really cheap.

TUESDAY.
The day was split into half. Half was orientation and the other half was out in the field. The morning orientation was about the office side of things. How to conduct yourselves, protocols, etc. Since I'm going to be the Warehouse Mechanic/IT Support for the project, i'll spend more time at the office and warehouse then out on the field. That afternoon I went and did some mold remediation at a home. Spent hours and hours scrubbing wood with a wire brush to "activate" the mold so we could use chemical wipe to disperse it. Needless to say my arm was tired haha.

WEDNESDAY.
Much like tuesday, a majority of the day was at a site until that afternoon when we returned to the office to fill out paperwork and such. We sanded and mudded a home in south St. Bernard. Luckily for me, I was doing that to my Uncle's garage two weeks before I left so I had plenty of experience. That night after we had moved our belongings in myself and Christian hit up a "Circle K" which is a basic 7-11/Royal Farms/whatever. We just got a few things to get us started. Christian played it smart and got some bread, soups, and tea. Me? I got a pizza Lunchable, milk, and beer. Such a smart decision.

THURSDAY.
It was my first day in the warehouse. I met Joe (Head Runner), Mike (Runner), and James (Warehouse Manager). They refer to themselves as Team War Horse and they were very glad I have a beard. That and flannel is one of the unofficial requirements of working in the warehouse. They are very awesome dudes. When you talk to James, and you close your eyes, you'd think you were talking to Jason Segel. It's awesome. They gave me my own table to work on projects and things. My first project was to fix and adjust the safety guard on a chop saw. Mission Accomplished. Fixed it within minutes and felt very confident. The rest of the day was spent cleaning my new work area and fixing computer problems. Some networking, printing, and file share issues. Rather standard. That night, me and Christian went to Wal-Mart for some household items and groceries. We then went out to Slice, a really really delicious pizza place on Magazine Street. I got an all meat Calzone. Delicious. The dough they use isnt your standard pizza dough. It's garlic bread. Sooo good. Christian got a side salad. It looked tasty. I got a pizza to go so I would have lunch for the next two days.

FRIDAY.
Much like thursday, fixed this, repaired that. I had planned on going out but ended up falling asleep early. Lame.

SATURDAY.
Decided to work a Saturday and see how it goes. Very slow. Lot of time on our hands to fix and repair whatever needs to be fixed or repaired. Fixed some computers and diagnosed some lawn mowers that i'm going to attempt to fix on Monday. Got out of work Early and got ready to go to Hammers and Heels at the New Orleans Fine Arts Theatre. This past week was Women's Build week. A majority of the volunteers were Women. A big dinner and auction was held at the Theatre and I swung by to help with clean up. I was starting to feel kind of homesick so instead of going out with everyone I went back home. I stopped at Ms. Mae's ( a popular local bar) and had a drink. Took in the surroundings and enjoyed a little me time. It slowly started to hit me that I'm in New Orleans making a difference. It's funny to think that all of this was just a dream I had back in May.

Since I'm "home" now, I'll be posting more and I will be taking more and more pictures to post as well.

First!!

Hello All,

Welcome to this blog. Those of you reading this might be family, friends, or even total strangers. Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy it. I'm gonna use this post to give you a bit of background on what is exactly going on and what I am doing.

I dropped out of college last January. I wasn't happy with what I was doing and I found myself losing interest. So I left. Many thought it was hastily done and others though it was a bad idea. But it wasn't their decision to make. If you don't like something, you stop and do something else. You don't wait around waiting for something to happen. You don't hope for it to get better. You move on and move forward. Many of my friends and colleagues will be graduating in the spring. I'm happy for them and I wish them the most success in their respective fields.

When I dropped out, I was depressed. Who wouldn't be? It was the first time in my life I had never completed something. It was tough. What made it tough was me not having a job or motivation. I didn't even get a chance to go to HOBY that year because my grandfather had passed away before the seminar. It was a slow time. But, with all that time, I used it to reflect. What did I want to do in life? What were my dreams?

My dream in life has always been to direct movies. I love everything about movies. I love the process and all the behind the scenes of movies. I knew thats what I had to do. So I put an application in for the New York Film Academy. And wouldn't you know I got in. I was going to start a journey in life that would ultimately end up changing my life for the better. But it didn't happen. I feel deeper into depression and had a nervous breakdown. So I went into therapy. Nothing fancy. Just met with a specialist to talk. Discussed everything from my childhood to where I was in life. I learned a lot about myself and became a better person.

So this past january rolled around and my Uncle was nice enough to get me a job. I worked with him until I lost the job in May. Long story short, the management was awful.

Now, one thing you must know is i'm a massive fan of 'The Wire'. I love everything about it. So when I found out creator David Simon was doing a new show I was excited. He does a show called 'Treme' and its about life in Post-Katrina New Orleans. I watched every episode of the first season many many times. Mainly because I would miss parts of the episode from crying. Most of the episodes did not call for an emotional response like that. But when I watched the show, I didn't see acting. I didn't see the story or plot. I saw a medium staring back at me screaming. Screaming what are you doing to help? Why are you just sitting there?

But it wasn't until HOBY that I decided to make a difference. I spoke with many of the other volunteers. But these people aren't just volunteers. They are Inspirations. Mentors. Crushes. Best Friends. But most importantly, they were there for me in my time of need and they all told me the same thing. Go for it. So thanks to that support, and the support of my family, I'm currently in New Orleans embarking on what is easily the most exciting adventure of my life.

Tomorrow starts my first day working for the St. Bernard Project. I'll be rebuilding homes of Katrina Victims in the St. Bernard Project. What will I be doing specifically I'm not sure. I will be updating more and more throughout the week the specifics and obviously the many stories I will hear.

I'm going to end this post with the greatest quote someone has ever given me. Alecia, if you're reading this, from the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough for these inspirational words.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."