So, we’re back from the East Coast Graduation Tour 2011, have watched both Eric and Carolyn graduate from college … congrats! It was a good trip, but too short even though it was long — we hopped around so much we didn’t really get to see anyone for very long.
Anyway, new things are happening! While we were running around, I 1) had a phone interview that turned into an on-location final interview in Wyoming! and 2) took the first steps towards becoming a bone marrow donor. The interview is next week, and I haven’t heard about whether or not I’m an actual match for the donation, but I’m guessing that I’ll know more about both the job and the donation by the end of June. The donation bit is a little poignant, as a woman who I worked with in NJ, who is my age, died from leukemia on Memorial Day. If you haven’t and you’re interested, it’s really easy to join the national bone marrow registry. All it takes is a mouth swab, and it sounds like the donation process is less invasive than it used to be.
Also, flooding. I know that the Mississippi River flooding had been on the national news, but things have actually been pretty bad here in Montana too, and unlike the Mississippi, it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better. Things haven’t been all that bad in Bozeman; we have a creek that runs through downtown that was flooding out some of the roads a few weeks ago. It’s still high, but not on the roads any more. However, in the eastern part of the state, towns are underwater and a couple reservations are in some serious trouble. The Crow reservation is seriously flooded; they had to lay off 150 people working for the tribal government in order to have the money to pay for disaster relief/recovery. That’s a big deal anyway, but it’s a really big deal on the reservation, because tribal government is one of the primary employers.
And all this is from rain. We still have way more snow in the mountains than we usually do this time of year, which means at some point soon it’s all going to melt once and come rushing down the rivers, and the flooding will happen all over again. Dave, Amy and I went to Costco last weekend to get a bunch of stuff to send to the Crow reservation; they’re desperate for clean water and baby supplies right now. If anyone is interested in donating to help out, let me know in comments and I’ll link to some organizations that are working to directly help flood victims right now.
As for less depressing things, it’s fake summer in Montana! It has been cold and rainy, and the garden hasn’t been doing well at all, but I defended so I’m just hanging out right now! Dave and I are moving out of our apartment and in with friends at the end of June, so we’ll be nomadic for a little while until we figure out where we’ll be for the next year (or few years). I’ll be sure to update everyone with our new address once I have it. For now, we’re starting to sell off furniture and pack up the apartment. I’ve also been finishing up some work at the VOICE Center; we have a summer to-do list, and since I don’t have much else going on, it’s given me something to do.
That’s all for now. Hopefully it’ll warm up here soon!
June 22, 2011 at 6:54 pm |
Hey Megan, what are those links to help out?
June 23, 2011 at 12:20 am |
There are a few. To help with flood relief efforts on the reservation, you can check out http://www.collegefund.org/content/floodrelief. Also, the food bank in Billings has been coordinating getting supplies to the Crow reservation, as well as serving as a central point for other communities that have been flooded out as well. You can donate to them financially at http://www.billingsfoodbank.com/donation.htm.