Its not a shed!

I've moved! Thanks to Jon for helping me do so. Like the title implies, the new place is not a shed. But sadly, its honestly only just a bit better. These past several months have really made me realize how great it is to have great people to live with. I don't think I realized before how blessed I've been over the years. I have gotten to live with some great people. We've had good times and have grown to be good friends through it. Now I just wish I could move back in with any of you!
When I went to move in to my new place I had to call Zach to wake him up. Walking in Jon and I are assaulted by a mess of a place. The first time I went to visit it was a mess but they (Zach and Bailey) had promised to get it all cleaned up and that that it was normally cleaner. Well... Its a mess. The biggest problem is that they don't have a vacuum cleaner. and they do have a cat. And thats just the beginning of it! That is just the superficial stuff that affects me. More significantly, this past week Bailey found out that she's pregnant. She's 19. Zach is 18. When I first met him I thought he was at least 20. She's getting an abortion this friday and they've broken up. even though they are still living together... I think my fear of relationship-y drama is going to be inevitable.
But hey, maybe I just need to help them find a vacuum cleaner, kindly encourage Zach to be more responsible and do the dishes and maybe mediate a conversation or two! This first two days I've been pretty negative about the whole thing. I guess coming home Saturday night to Zach sitting there in the middle of the dump of a living room smoking weed doesn't help. But still, its true that I wont be home much. Last night I had dinner with the YAV's (Young Adult Volunteers) and helped some of them with their bike problems, Saturday I spent at the Menno Mansion and watched Space Jam for Jon's birthday, and this coming week I'll be starting my new job at Performance Bikes! (which I should probably say a word or two about soon) but the point is, I wont be home much! Maybe I'll just deal with it. Also, I'm going to get a motorcycle, probably this one, so that'll help with being able to go visit people and generally just be out of the house.

Whew, well now that that's all out, maybe I can start refocusing my attention on HAVING A NEW JOB!!! That really should be the headline here. They are working on filing paper work now and I'm hoping to get a call soon saying that I can go in some morning this week to get started! I'm going to be really busy soon but I'm going to keep in mind that its all for good things! Its for summer travel, its for a motorcycle, its for Brazil 2014.

On the up and up!

The big new is... I have a job interview! Which is great! except that all of a sudden I begin to think about all the exciting things that I'm going to do next!!!
First I'm going to get a motorcycle!
Then I'm going to work like mad for a year! make a bunch of money and go to Brazil!!! As you all should know, the World Cup is being held there from June 12 to July 13 and I plan on being there. I dont know how I'm going to do that yet... maybe I can get Lucas to bring the good Ol Hippie Van and we can drive it a couple of miles, break down and then bus the rest of the way. Or maybe I'll bike! or maybe public transportation! the possibilities are endless! but it will happen. and I am super excited.

In other news, I'm going to be moving tomorrow. The Shed Life  is now behind me. I am moving on. The new place is going to have a pool and two roommates. They are a dating couple. I'm hoping that relationship drama isn't an issue. Originally I was only just a bit concerned. But then, just this past week the news came that Bailey is PREGNANT! WHAT?!?! yep. So we'll see what that means, but I think drama will be inevitable. www.tucson.craigslist.com/roo will still be one of my favorite websites.

And in closing, my good buddy David Rudy stopped by for bit! David is a skilled singer and has the honor of singing on Hesston's Choir. They just so happened to stop by Shalom Mennonite for some singing. It was very good stuff. It was extra cool to see David here because he and his brother were integral part of my Nov '12 travels. Also this one.
At one point a soloist sang this song. Its a good one.

Lunafest!

Tuesday night I went to Lunafest with Kat and Carrie. Lunafest is a film festival 'by, for, about women'. It was totally awesome. There were nine short films, all really well made. Some of my favorites:
Whakatiki - A Spirit Rising - Was really powerful, and magically touched on so many powerful themes without explicitly addressing them that I was just blown away. There were themes of body image, family, freedom of the spirit, and it all came together in about 12 minutes.
Chalk - This one was also largely wordless. It was kinda weird to watch a young girl go through the process of having her first period, but it was still a very good video. It followed the story of two young girl gymnasts who are at a competition or something. They are clearly close friends, but then they start to fall apart. There is a boy, the one friend doesn't make the cut, and there is the whole thing with the period. In the end though they come back together and its quite touching.
Flawed - Was another very good one. It was funny, but yet still quite serious in how it dealt with the topic of plastic surgery and how we view ourselves. In the end though I thought the message was a bit shallow; basically your big nose is a part of you and makes you who you are. 'Why try to be ordinary when you can be extraordinary!' was, I think, a line from the end of it. I wasn't convinced. It seemed very much like a grownup trying to make the awkward kid in middle-school feel less awkward even though its the other kids, not the grown up, that has any say in the matter.
And then there was Lunch Date which was just funny and sweet. About a girl who gets dumped when her boyfriend sends his 14 year old brother to pass on the message. There's not so much to say about it except that it was a lot of fun.

As a follow up to my last blog. The hymn sing was great! I think hymns are pretty much the best. Such great poetry, but even better because they are put to such great music. And even better still when sung by a group of people who really enjoy it.

Also, Ben, I'm sorry to report that I have no good mountain biking pictures because I did not end up going mountain biking this weekend. It proved to be just a bit too much of a chore. Mountain biking for me requires switching my tires (not a huge deal, but still a pain) taking my rack off (which I guess I wouldn't have to do...) and then biking at least 45 minutes to the trail head (which is definately doable, it just didn't happen this weekend.)
So I went road biking instead! I biked on over to a park with Kat and Emma, they went running, but I didnt feel like running in biking shoes so I sat by the lake and listened to the Dianne Rehm show on the topic of the legality of the torture of terror suspects. It was very interesting. Evidently the rulings handed down from the military/ secret courts were often thrown out by other federal courts because the courts or the processes themselves were ruled unconstitutional.

Sitting by water is nice.

This park had lots of kids running around and made for good people watching. 

In other news, we got a whole bunch of donations from a recycling center. Its good that we're getting stuff. Our meager shop needs more bike things, but this is some of the stuff that was donated:

We salvaged a couple parts from it!

I don't think the brakes worked very well...

The Other America

from the color of the faces in sunday's songs

to the hatred they raised all the youngsters on

once upon a time in this country long ago

she knew there was something wrong

because the song said yellow, red, black, and white

everyone precious in the path of christ

but what about the daughter of the woman cleaning their house

wasnt she a child they were singing about

and if Jesus loves us black or white skin

why didn't her white mother invite them in?

when did it become a room for no blacks to step in?

how did she already know not to ask the question

left lasting impressions

adolescence's comforts gone

she never thought things would ever change

but she always knew there was something wrong

Last night I watched a documentary about Anne Braden. Its a good one. It seems the history of that time and of those issues too often gets brushed over. Or maybe I'm just not a history major. Even so there are lessons here for everyone and for all times that I wish I would've studied more and that I wish I knew more about. We do live in a society where something is wrong. Although it may not be codified in Jim Crow laws or to the same extent that it was in the past, white supremacy is still rampant in our institutions, culture and demographics. 

This American Life (the radio show, not the abstract idea of a US citizen's journey from birth to death) recently did an incredibly powerful two part series on a highschool in Chicago. Although the show's main emphasis was on gun violence and how this group of people dealt with it, I was struck by brokenness of the whole system. Then, hearing Anne Braden's personal life story and testimony I was struck by the reality that, no matter how far removed you or I may feel from those students at Harper High we are still apart of the same society. We are under the same government and the leaders that I help elect make policies that more often than not hinder rather than help kids like Devonte. 

Throughout the Anne Braden documentary the issue of economic justice for all is touched upon in various ways. It seems to me that poverty and wealth are defining issues of any era. In the 50's and 60's it may have been more explicitly tied to race but even now the trends from the past continue. Race aside I still agree with Anne in that there is something wrong. When highschool kids have to put up with their friends being shot by their peers and when the highschools that are supposed to be helping those kids find ways out of that violent system are looking forward to their funding being cut, I say there is something wrong! 

Anne Braden got it right. We must ask the tough questions, seek out what where we are being unjust and join the 'other America'. The other America that is not ok with failing schools, with discrimination, or with policies that make keep people down.

That said, I also have to add a confession. This blog is, after all, about the life and times of Tyler Groff. The above simply covers what happened last night, the documentary I watched, a radio program I listened to and some of my musings on the subjects covered therein. Its easy to call out the injustices around me. To a certain extent its kinda fun to get all fired up, to try and pull at your heart strings the same way the story of Harper High and Anne Braden did to mine. But thats only half of what this blog is about. The other half is about what I'm doing and so I feel I need to add that even I am not living up to my own hopes of what people might do. I wish I knew my country's history better. I wish I had a clearer idea of what to do from here. I wish I had the drive and passion to work justice and a better life for all. 

Instead I get overwhelmed by annoying neighbor dogs or crappy weather; I get the travel bug or the biking bug; In short I'm selfish. And I guess, thats not really what I'm wishing against. I wouldn't think to wish that I didn't love mountain biking, or that I won't get a job at a high end bike shop. I don't expect myself to not get depressed about lousy weather or living in a shed. I just wish that I could go beyond that.

But for now I guess I'll just keep working on it. I'll go biking, or maybe hiking tomorrow and I'll be sure to get some good desert pictures no matter what I do. There's a hymn sing tomorrow night that'll be sure to lift my spirits even if it doesn't do a damn thing for the neglected or the poor. 

Shed Life

Figuring out my new life here in Tucson has been tough. I don’t think its overly cocky to say that I’m doing a pretty good job of getting by, and being patient, and making the best of things, but despite that it's still tough. There are many things about these early days that are interrelating and obviously affect the other aspects of my life so I’m not sure which to put first. But basically this whole episode is going to be one of complaining, whining, or general expression of looking forward to better things. 

Most generally, its tough not knowing people, or not being near those you do. I’m just under an hour bike ride from the MVSers, especially if I don't want to show up sweaty and gross. So hanging out with them has proven to be a weekly event reserved for the weekends. Unless of course they’re in Mexico at the beach. Then I just get jealous. To add to the jealousy... My more regular readers will remember Derek my mountain biking friend, he’s a great guy. Expect that he too is in Mexico enjoying the beach with some friends.

But hey! I’m good at entertaining myself. I went mountain biking on Saturday (more on that further down), cruised around downtown and played darts with some random dude at a bar on Friday and went to church on Sunday. So I would be misleading my dear reader if I were to imply that social connections were my only concern. 

Its also tough when what's supposed to be a balmy sunny paradise, is actually cold windy and wet! Well... at least its colder, windyer, and wetter than I thought it would be. But its not like I'm unprepared. I've got enough clothing, bedding, etc. but it can’t be denied that this cooler weather has a way of encouraging indoor activities; activities that make it harder to go meet new people, that make it harder to visit those I do, or even just entertain myself with the grand outdoor adventuring I normally go in search of.
Of course, it really should be said that the weather isn't all that bad. The majority of my time it has been fine and pleasant. My particular current disdain for it stems from the bitter and strong winds that led me to take the bus home from church on Sunday and stay cooped up in my hovel watching a poor quality pirated version of The Godfather, and some West Wing.

Then there's the dogs! I used to like dogs. Along two sides of this property are dogs that get very close to driving me berserk. Their vehement and continuous! barking means that I generally avoid being seen outside, even with nice weather, to clip my nails, or change my tires, or read my book. And it's not just my neighbor dogs. I've gone jogging a time or two. The whole way down the street my movement can be audibly tracked from the resounding aggression of these beasts who are seemingly bent on tearing my apart.

And so, I often find myself working on figuring out how to make this stupid 8x8 box of a home of mine as livable as possible. Since the acquisition of my rice cooker and electric skillet, my food prep capabilities have dramatically improved.

BACON!

However, despite such wonderful conveniences I am still nearly constantly left pining for such simple things as counter space. Or a chopping knife (I have been checking goodwill regularly btw). Or a real fridge! Mine is so small I can only fit the bare essentials in it. Milk, cheese, bacon, salad dressing, maybe a few vegetables, maybe some spaghetti sauce, or an open can of beans.

ANYWAAAAY... I think I'm done being childish, churlish and cantankerous for now. 

In other news I have restarted the housing hunt. Just this morning I visited one place that seems pretty great, except for the price tag. rent is $410 (utilities included). That compared to my current $150 would take some getting used to. There is another place a bit further away for a much more manageable $260, but it would be sharing an apartment with a young couple and I can imagine that getting kinda weird. We shall see. I hope to meet them soon.


More excitingly, the mountain bike ride on Saturday. It was super gnarly. This is same loop that I did with Derek the week previous, but this time I took a left instead of a right and that kept me on the trail and off the road a bit longer. It was a harrowing descent full of large drop offs and sharp corners. These pictures are two view of the same scene hopefully demonstrating the 90 degree nature of this corner. In a couple cases I had to pop up on the front wheel and swing the back around just to take the corner. In other cases I just jumped off to avoid tumbling into a sharp rocks and even sharper thorns.

Brakes, Housing, Work and Biking!

I bled my brakes early this past week. It was a fun time. Getting bubbles out of brake fluid sucks. Otherwise though its great and makes for awesome braking power! unless of course... you contaminate the pads. In which all the sqeezing in the world doesn't do much. After spending much of the week lamenting the cost in both time and energy required of these marvelous pieces of cycling engineering and getting myself mentally prepared to maybe spend even more! I have come to find that my brakes seem to starting to work again... its really weird. But hey, I'm happy!!

In housing news, I might be moving out of the shed here in a bit. I found a guy on craigslist who needs help with his rent (even though its a one bedroom house) so I'll be taking the living room and we'll set up curtains or something to make it a regular ol' room! The guy seems like a cool dude and it'll be nice to have a kitchen right there with real sized burners and a full sized fridge and counter space and silverware utensils and pots and pans! and a bathroom!  Anyway, I think it'll be well worth the ~$80 bump in rent.

Work... I probably actually should say too much, especially not out here in the interwebs. I mostly just want to complain about slow progress and the difficulties of starting a new program. There's a lot that needs done although too often I've found myself with nothing to do!

Most interestingly though! I finally went mountain biking! My newest biking buddy Derek and I went out to the Tucson Mountain park and did some good old fashioned exploring. Although it took more time than it should've, we eventually realized that hiking our bikes straight up the side of a steep slope with loose gravel and cacti attacking us was a sign that we were not on the right course any more. Once we corrected our ways we tore off! Although soon the thrill of the ride proved too much as Derek ended up trying to eat the handlebars. Which, as it turns out, is a bad idea. Three stitches on the lip will help us keep that in mind. But, between a busted a lip and some bruises on his part and a flat tire on mine I think we can call that first short foray into desert mountain a relative success. especially when compared to not biking at all!

Once again, I find myself sadly apologizing for the lack of pictures. I guess this edition is one of the boring ones. I'll do better next time.

The Hobbit Hole

Well I’ve found a place! Its cozy and rent is good. Well, rent is good relative to my other options. For what I’m getting its just ok. 

I’m living in a shed. Its a 10’ by 10’ (roughly) room in the back ‘yard’ of Sergio, my coworker’s, place. I say yard with ‘ ‘ around it because its not a nice green grassy space that I can lay a blanket out on and read. In fact there hardly are any such spaces out here. 

But getting back to the topic at hand, my little hobbit hole really isn't bad. I've got a pretty cool mini fridge, in fact its a Google fridge. I also have my tiny little camp stove that I use for cooking oatmeal or pasta, or whatever else I might want to cook next!  Sergio is also great with leaving the door open and letting me in to use the bathroom or shower when ever I need.

In addition to the procedural (although sometimes interesting) details of life, the more important and weighty issue of moving across the country has been finding people and making connections. In this realm the MVSers have been a real blessing. Getting to spend Sunday afternoon learning how to play hearts, and then teaching them how to play Jungle Speed was a blast. Then watching the Superbowl and getting really worked up about putting together a puzzle really did wonders for my mood.

In addition to doing some great social activities this weekend I also got a chance to skype with my amazing sister who is learning difficult and poignant truths about the plight of the Palestinian peoples and about the beautiful humanity that still manages to push through it all like the desert plants that show resiliency in the times of glaring sun and high temperatures but yet burst forth in life with the rejuvenating rains.

Hearing from Nicole is always great, but I must say that being so thoroughly immersed in the historic and current suffering of the region must be heart breaking and at times overwhelming. Hearing about it second hand is hard enough. Hearing about it from those involved (let alone actually being involved) in the conflict or experiencing repercussions of it is hard to imagine at this point. But the CrossCultural  seems to be a good way to go through it all so I'm pretty sure she can handle it!

The Tucsons

And so it was with these weighty topics in mind that I embarked on a lovely of bike ride through the Tucson Mountains. It was Saturday afternoon and the weather was just oh so pleasant. So, in all the splendor of work clothes (I had been hoping to put interrupter brakes on my new road bike) I took off on a ~30 mile adventure that wound up some gentle but impressive slopes leading to some remarkable descents and views!

In other news, work should prove interesting this week. Especially in relation to last weeks overwhelming feeling of lack of progress. This week we plan to present to highschool students about our program and maybe even go as far as to recruit some interest. Furthermore, our order of bike tools is scheduled to arrive which will be much like Christmas. Only better because it wont be as cold. My work, though, is focused much more on curriculum. One of major projects for the week is to get demonstration bike parts; gathering various types of brakes, a couple of hubs, headsets, etc. It’ll be fun, and hopefully I can keep myself on track and not be distracted by the other bike repair projects going on all around the shop!

This is a bike path in the shape of a snake. Its a lot of fun to ride through it nohands.

More of the Tucsons.