the tide rushes in

What an awesome day.

We went to downtown Sacramento for its first annual "Make a Difference Day." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a huge supporter of volunteerism, as is Sacramento's mayor Kevin Johnson, who we met today. If you recall, California is one of the worst hit states in the economic crisis, and made the news a while back when tent cities were popping up all over due to the increased homeless population.

After a spiffy ceremony in a Sacramento theater featuring Arnold's Secretary of Service and Volunteering, Karen Baker (old Arnold is the only governor so far to create a position in his cabinet for this. What a guy!) as well as the first decent coffee I've had since leaving NY, we set off for Quinn Cotteges. This is a community of low income housing for recovering homeless people. To get in, they have to show actual attempts at improving their life, and the Cotteges will help them find their way. Its a great organization and we were all excited to help them clean up their kitchens and community gardens.

Lunch break at Quinn Cotteges

Today's work was a breath of fresh air. I'm feeling homesick, and all these moronic, unnecessary training sessions were making me wonder why I even came out here. But days like this remind me of all the important work that still needs to be done, and that soon I'll be doing the work I set out here to do.

Can you find me?