INSPIRED.

Besides passion, that is the one word that I have always associated with the organization and the people involved. We throw around the catch phrases - challenge your world view, impact others - and people honestly never cease to amaze me in the way that they carry this out to the fullest.

Nomadlife has always been my comfort zone, a connection to those who I have considered to be an inspiration in my life, whether they were across the table from me in good old Helen C or thousands of miles away. Lately, the discussions that have been going on across several blogs, the explosion of comments, linking to others' opinions, full of as much emotion as critical, strategic thinking is incredible (the nomadlife-as-a-coffeeshop conversation has been sparked).

It has been over a year and a half since I was involved on a local level and it blows my mind to think of what my community has achieved since I graduated. The organizational conversations that we engaged in around recruitment, member criteria, growth, and integration were intense, but nowhere close to the level that currently exists.

Madison has always pushed harder, farther, faster. Work hard, play hard was not something that you merely said, it was a way of living. The leaps that have been taken in just a few generations are phenomenal and I tingle with pride every time I hear someone around the country looking to Madtown as a leader in our organization.

Amongst all the comments that I have skimmed, as I have spent half of my work-day following this discussion, one stood out - most student/non-profit organizations would kill to have this dilemma. I am excited to see where further discussion leads and how other communities across the nation can look to each of you as an example to follow.

It is challenging sometimes to play an extremely different role in the organization, one that is much less community driven, and retain that same level of passion that I once identified so easily. A small piece of me looks back longingly on my days as a member of the most inspirational community I have ever been a part of. I may no longer fully understand the intricate, complex LC-reality, but I know that even from far away, they are still working toward the same goals that I am. I have been given an incredible opportunity to work for our organization, full-time, doing something that I am passionate about every single day. I continue to be challenged and inspired by those around me.

I am not going to make an argument about the best strategies for sustainable community growth or the potential implications of recruitment size and integration challenges. I believe that those conversations are best had by the individuals who do fully understand the current LC reality. Many excellent points have been raised to support a multitude of different opinions. I can only hope that an equally healthy debate is going on in person back in Wisco.

I am excited to see what legacy this next generation of Badgers is able to leave inside the halls of Grainger.


All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.
- Albert Camus

Con limon y sal...

My new gym has latino and afro-caribbean dance classes. I love it already. Incentive - a potential trip to my favorite coast in a couple months ;)

All alive and brand new...

Hot and steamy mug of coffee next to me. It's going to be a challenging week. Nine days until Vegas. Bring on the day.

Si entiendes español, este video es chevere.

Let's rearrange, I wish you were a stranger I could disengage...

I stopped to listen to the snow this weekend. Six hours west of the city, I felt closer to Wisconsin than New York. The stress melted away with the first snowball that I packed between my gloves. We hesitantly stepped out onto the frozen lake, our laughter slicing through the wind. I had not left the city in over two months, which may as well have been two years, as the weeks blend together, often with little to distinguish one from the next. I have longed for my Caribbean winters, without realizing the magic of snowy winters up north that had been absent for so long.

Conversations about everything and nothing, team bonding that had nothing to do with work and everything to do with the best coworkers in the world. Peppermint hot chocolate after snowmobiling, snow angels, wine. Home cooked dinners, s'mores in the microwave. Holding my breath into overtime, crying after a disappointing loss, laughing at the irony of finding out later that I will be flying during the entire game two Sundays from now. Blasting Britney, Alicia, and REM in the mini-van over and over and over. More pictures than we can possibly count.

2008 has brought many thoughts of a new beginning, although I have not yet been able to articulate what I want from that fresh start. I need motivation, an incentive, but I can't figure out what the end goal is that I am reaching for. My ideas seem less clearly defined, my objectives fuzzy. Am I still lost in the blizzard of Chataqua?