Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I Remember what "Worn Out" Truly Means.

I want to go to Magnolia Mountain
And lay my weary head down
Down on the rocks
On the mountain my savior made
Steady my soul and ease my worry
Hold me when I rattle like a hummingbird hummin'
Tie me to the rocks on the mountain my savior made

Yes, I would love to go to Magnolia Mountain right now as Ryan Adams describes it - as long as the pollen count up there is reasonable.


You know, in past years I have often lamented at my great lack of activity. I like being busy. I like having things to do – important things. It gives me a sense of worth, which I think any decent person strives for. Well, now that I have a lot to do, I’m wondering if I am worthy.

So as you know, I’m about to start classes at Coosa Valley Tech for Medical Transcription. And as most of you know, I am also on the board of directors for the New Echota Rivers Alliance (as secretary because apparently I just look so damned secretarial). And as some of you know, I went hiking this past weekend after a long time of not hiking – which resulted in the searing ache that now resides in my hips. So yes, I’m a busy girl. But suddenly, I’m about to be a lot busier.

NERA has been trying to help the many (insert sarcastic snigger here) agricultural and environmental agencies of Gordon County get together a grant. A grant that would fund and support and pay us to monitor the possible sources of non-point pollution. Non point pollution (according to my limited knowledge) is pollution that doesn’t come about from the natural erosion and cycles of a river or creek left to its own devices. By monitoring, I mean that samples would be taken from the river and tested using a kit provided and available from the EPA. Our concern with this grant would be the Salacola Creek watershed (my Calhounian buds might know what I’m talking about). The Salacola Creek watershed has apparently been ransacked by sediment – sediment that ain’t supposed to be there. We would be testing (and trying to find the source) for various types of sediments that don’t belong and are aging the creek and its watershed too rapidly. In short, it’s a big friggin’ muddy mess and we have to figure out what’s causing it.

So we had a meeting tonight about this Grant and our plan for it and how to go about getting it written. Somehow, I ended up being the only NERA member present – and I am the least knowledgeable of all the NERA members when it comes to politics, rivers, and pretty much everything else this meeting was about. So I sat there with the strangest sensation that I had a dunce hat on my head as members of various important municipal organizations talked way above my head.

Luckily, I’m good at asking questions when I overcome my natural shyness. And I must have looked pretty smart (man are they fooled) and very secretarial (do I really look that secretarial?) because they charged me with the task of summarizing (on paper) all that we plan to accomplish at upcoming public meetings. So I will be breaking out the highlighter sooner than I thought. I’ve got to shuffle through fifty pages of scientific talk that would be impossible for me to decipher if I didn’t have a decent knowledge of Latin and Greek roots, a menial knowledge of how river systems and erosion work, and basic knowledge of geology and physical geography (I knew those classes would come in handy one day). But it’s all okay, because it’s for a good cause. I’m just terrified of making a terrible fool of myself and (worse) NERA.

But my darlings that’s not all. No, my eyelid would not be twitching now if that was all. NERA also has a fundraiser coming up (on my birthday no less) that is just barely holding together. It would have already fallen apart if not for our fearless Executive Director, Mr. Clayton Jones, who I think puts up with a lot more than he should. As a result of this gigantic mess, poor worn-out Professor Jones has appealed to dear sweet secretarial me to write a press release announcing the fundraiser concert. (Plug time – Mike Compton from O’ Brother Where Art Thou fame, his buddy David Long who is also a damn fine mandolin player, the super remarkable James & Rachel Bryan, and Professor Jones himself are performing in all their bluegrass/string duet glory – Calhounians take note: it’ll be a hell of a show – it really will.) Because I’m such a sucker for overworked, underappreciated, worn-out men doing good works, I agreed to help. But I’m also a sucker for making sure an event my name’s attached to will succeed in helping us to clean up and venerate our lovely little river.

All the while, my hips still hurt, I haven’t heard from my advisor at CVT who I hope will get me signed up for another class, I don’t know if I’m going to get a HOPE Grant yet, I have to find a good example of dialogue I’ve written for my writing meeting Thursday, I have mixed CDs to make for other music-addicted people like myself, I’m worried about the lack of rainfall, I’m worried about two or three of my closest friends, I’m worried about my Grandmother and my Mom, I’m worried about my Dad, I’m broke, and my car is acting like its transmission is a little pissed off. Oh yeah, and I have to work 8-5 every weekday.

No wonder my eyelid keeps friggin’ twitching.

Somebody go get me a fifth of Jack Daniels. Please.

And here is just a taste of some Mike Compton and David Long. Yes, I'm still plugging.

3 comments:

  1. What's the date of the fundraiser?

    ReplyDelete
  2. How about a 1/4 Jack Daniels? :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ally - The fundraiser is on the 21st of April - if you can, PLEASE COME!!!

    Aaron - same goes for you and the actress: COME TO THE FUNDRAISER! - and if it came in forths, I'd be all over it.

    ReplyDelete

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