Volunteering | The Habitation of Justice

So I took a prison bus to the Medicaid office today…

Lincoln Adams | September 17, 2009 @ 10:24 pm

Yep, it was one of “those” days.

I came into work, and I see a note at my desk telling me I need to report for duty outside. Eh?

So I go outside and I see my old CO, who tells me, “Linc, thanks for volunteering to help us out today.”

“Hmm, that’s funny, because I don’t remember volunteering for anything.”

“Oh, then your supervisor must have volunteered you.”

… … … …

“Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s just for today. Here, help me bring this stuff on the bus.”

I helped him carry a few folding tables and then saw the bus.

“Dude, that’s a prison bus.”

“So?”

“I’m not getting on a prison bus.”

“Why not?”

“It’s got bars on the window! Are you gonna like, chain me down too?”

“Stop whining, look if you do this you’ll get to go home an hour early.”

… … … …

“Let’s go.”

Our trip would take me down to the local Medicaid office, where I had to help out in screening applicants. Yes, seriously. Interesting job I have, after all not many people can say they rode a prison bus to a Medicaid office so they could run background checks on applicants named Pablo.

It wasn’t a bad day though, but had I known I’d be there for HOURS, I would have taken my laptop with me and jacked it in so I could check up on all them wonderful people who follow me on Facebook, Twitter and whatnot. Ah well, maybe next time.

As the applicants rolled in, I took them in one by one and went over their forms. A middle aged lady who looked like she just got off the bus from Guatemala handed me hers and I took a quick look. I noticed she hadn’t put in her height.

“Ma’am, you forgot to add your height here.”

“¿Que?”

“Umm, your height? You need to fill out what your height is right here.”

“¿Que?”

Sigh.

Fortunately I didn’t get too many like that, but this is definitely not a job I’d want to do on a regular basis.

So what did you do today?

Tags: job, laptop, Medicaid, medicaid office, screening applicants, supervisor, volunteering, work
Categories: In The Coal Mine

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Wanna know where I’d be if this blog were a financial success?

Lincoln Adams | August 31, 2008 @ 3:15 pm

Directly in Hurricane Gustav’s path, that’s where.

Well… maybe not exactly in its path. I don’t think I’d be that crazy, but I’d definitely be down there, volunteering wherever I could to help people get ready or escort them out of the area if possible.

And then I might just stick around near the coastline for some snapshots and video that I could upload to my blog. :whistle:

Ok maybe I am a little crazy. I don’t really value my life that much anyway, and since I don’t have a house or a family of my own that I’d be leaving behind, who would miss me? :ggrin:

Seriously though, this is what I would live for. Without being tied down to a job or a house, I’d be a free spirit able to roam anywhere in the country, and since my income would be drawn from my blog earnings, I’d have more time to volunteer for any charity driven projects that I come across during my travels.

In fact, if my blog were already enjoying financial success, I’d probably be in Mississippi or Louisiana now, Red-Crossing my way around the states for a while and then driving down to the coastline so I can watch Gustav cross over. After all, nothing says fun like being trapped in a category 5 hurricane. :tongue:

I’m not sure why, there’s just something about massively violent storms that truly warms the cackles of my heart. I was actually born during a hurricane too, the lights flickering on and off in the hospital while the entire building shook and rumbled from the sheer force of the hurricane winds. Total chaos while the doctors delivered me, the same way you might expect it to be if it was the Antichrist himself being born. :naughty: It was said that the circumstances of my birth was an omen of things to come. Hee hee.

But seriously… :angelgrin:

I may not be able to achieve my financial goals with this blog anytime soon, but since I will be debt free in a few months, and my site still generates a modest income, if I can’t break free I might at least be able to extend the rope that’s been tying me down, and travel in short spurts here and there instead. Since I regularly have four days off every other week, I’ll have the opportunity to take extended weekend road trips to wherever I want to go, and I’ll be able to blog about it all too. For the short term that’s an entirely feasible goal for me, and if I keep paying down my debts at the rate I’m doing, by this time next year it may all become a reality. Baby steps here, baby steps.

In the meantime, my prayers go out to all those in the path of Gustav, and hope that the damage won’t be as extensive or as destructive as many of us originally feared.

Tags: birth, blog, charity, dream, free spirit, goals, hurricane gustav, hurricanes, income, nomad, prayers, road trip, storm, storms, travel, travels, tzedakah, volunteering
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log

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