Kelsi’s Blog

Happy day! I got letters from both of my sponsored kids, Tricia and Justine. I won’t be able to post pictures until at least Wednesday because my scanner is at the salon, but here are transcriptions as best as I can make out.

I am sitting here, without internet, and therefore bored out of my mind. I am half-watching a new episode of Ghost Hunters, which is interesting, but not interactive. That is the problem. It is hard for me to just watch TV, or any other activity that is entirely passive. If I am not doing at least two things at once (and I prefer three or four) then I get all A.D.D. and can’t concentrate. The more things that I have to concentrate on, the better I concentrate. Supposedly that’s a Gemini quality, and I am a Gemini, just barely. 

I am also pretty good at tuning things out when I want to, and really horrible at tuning things out when I am trying to concentrate on one thing and one thing only. That was always a really big problem for me in school. I would be trying to read a chapter from a text book and every whisper, every pencil tapping, every cough, and every page turning was a maddening distraction. I could read the same passage five times and still have no idea what it said. Lectures are the same, unless I can take notes, or doodle. Of course you get in trouble if you are doodling, but it’s the only way I can concentrate sometimes. I swear. But I digress. 

I am here watching Ghost Hunters. Sometimes these shows freak me out. Usually when I am home alone. I just heard a noise on here that made my face go numb. I twittered about it and that made me feel less disconnected and less… numb. I will see a creepy image or hear a noise on TV and I start getting paranoid. I see reflections and shadows from the corner of my eye or I hear a noise outside… all of my senses are heightened. It also doesn’t help when Switch starts barking at nothing. I’ve thought about writing a book about all of the weird paranormal things I’ve experienced. The ACTUAL paranormal experiences, not the paranoid bumps and shadows that I get when I watch shows about ghosts… the things things that I can’t explain that happen without warning or any prior thought about it. The things that other people have experienced with me. I haven’t had anything happen lately, probably not since I moved. At least not at home, and now that work is more busy, things like that are less noticible. When there are a bunch of people around, and you’re constantly moving, it overrides the feeling of someone you can’t see walking up behind you, or footsteps coming up the stairs with no feet to attach the noise to, or even things being moved that shouldn’t be moved. I have thought about writing it all down, but who knows if I ever will. There are so many ghost stories out there, I don’t know if anyone would want to read it or not. 

It will still be another 45 minutes until Brendan gets home and I am distracted by him, and by dinner and am completely comfortable again. I am snacking on Tillamook cheese and crackers, and feeling slightly bad because it’s not vegan, but I am hungry, and there is no other food in the house. At least not until Brendan gets home and we can make spaghetti. Spaghetti is one of my comfort foods. If only we had vegetarian meatballs, it would be perfect. If I could get on the internet I would feel better. Sometimes when I’m alone and feel cut off, I’m afraid that I will open the door, and everything will be different. Or I will wake up one morning and everything will be different. My life won’t be the one I thought I was living. Maybe I was in a coma and I’m old and have amnesia about the life I lived. Maybe I’m in a strange place and I don’t recognize anyone, and they are all calling me a different name. Maybe I’m a ghost and I can’t interact. I’m sure there are movies about it. Maybe it’s a common fear or a common thought. I think I read a book like that when I was younger. One of those youth novels by someone like R.L. Stine. Maybe that’s what planted the seed, or maybe I already had that fear and the book just compounded it. 

From what I remember, it was a pretty good book. I think it was called Amnesia. I did a book report on it. I had a few books that I would do a book report on almost every year, so i wouldn’t have to read new books. Since we had different teachers every year, they never knew the difference. It’s not that I don’t like to read, I just find a hard time finding fiction that I really like. I own shelves and shelves and shelves of books, but they are mostly instructional or informative in some way. A few are biographies. A couple are poetry, but very very few are fictional stories… the ones that are fictional stories are either classics… Alice in Wonderland for example, or graphic novels, mostly by Neil Gaiman, aside from the ones that I borrowed from Alex and really should return.

It’s 20 minutes until Brendan comes out, and Ghost Hunters is over. There are a few episodes of Jefferey and Cole Casserole OnDemand that I haven’t watched yet, and I think that will be a better, more lighthearted way to spend the next 20 minutes. Maybe I will be comfortable enough to leave the room and get some laundry done. Wow I must really sound like a hermit. I blame it on PMS. I’m a woman, so I can do that.

I just received a thank-you letter from Children International for an extra donation I made for “Special Hug Day”, so I thought I would share that.

Dear Sponsor,

On behalf of your sponsored child and all of us here at Children International, I would like to thank you for your generous Special Hug gift.

Every September 17, we celebrate “Special Hug Day” here at Children International. This day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the families of sponsored children in our program by providing them with special household gifts to make daily life a little easier. 

As I visit the communities we serve and meet the families of sponsored children, time after time the mothers and children point with pride to the Special Hug presents they’ve received from their sponsor. Often, these gifts are used by the families every day. It’s not unusual for Special Hug gifts to be the nicest items in the family’s home.

I’m pleased to tell you that your sponsored child’s family will receive the following Special Hug gift:

Justine’s family will receive a plastic water container with a lid and a spigot. Everyone in the family will appreciate this gift, as it will allow them to store and serve water from a clean source. The container will last a long time, and the family drinks water from this container, they’ll be reminded what a caring friend they have in you. 

Once again, thank you for helping us give the family f your sponsored child a “Special Hug.” These gifts mean so much to the families in our program, and on their behalf, I extend my thanks.

Sincerely, Jim Cook, President

I also got a letter about an extra donation that I made for Justine’s birthday (in addition to the clothes and stuff that I sent).

Dear Sponsor, 

Thank you for taking such good care of your sponsored child, Justine, with your thoughtful extra gift.

The field staff in your child’s area will use your gift to purchase the presents Justine and her family need and want the most. These may be toys and clothing for your child, or they may be other items that will help increase their quality of life.

Justine will receive your presents during the next quarterly distribution of these gifts in her community. These items are accumulated each quarter and give to the children in this organized manner to help hold down administrative and transportation costs.

When Justine receives your special gifts, she will sign a personal thank-you card to let you know how much she appreciates your thoughtfulness. This card will also let you know exactly what items she received, so you can share in her excitement!

In the future, any additional gifts over $25 that you provide for Justine will be used to provide special gifts as I’ve described above. Although you will not receive a letter like this one each time, you will continue to receive thank-you cards from your child. And your gifts will be acknowledged on the statements you receive in the mail.

Thank you for your friendship and support.

Sincerely, Jim Cook, President

So I’m glad that I went ahead and got her the clothes and toys that I sent directly, because I didn’t know that when you send extra money, they don’t give them something right then. I knew they don’t give the family the money- they buy things for the family with the money or use it for services, but I didn’t know that they gave out the gifts quarterly.

I still haven’t sent my letter, no excuse really other than I forget to mail it. I’m also thinking now that I might re-write it, so I probably will.

Have I mentioned that I am thinking of sponsoring another child through the salon (by way of guests donations)? If I could get connected to the internet for more than 5 seconds at a time, I guess I could go back in my blog and check! But that’s not looking too promising, not today.

That’s all for now. P.S. today is Justine’s 10th birthday!!!!

it’s cold, i have nothing to write about.