Whew baby!
I pulled off another week of 3-5 hours of sleep a night. And working super-efficiently during the week and weekend.
It's nice that things are FINALLY getting crossed off the list.

Friday night I took a break and went to church to watch The Pruitt-Igoe Myth. It was about factors that caused St. Louis to become so racially segregated.
Do you know what was MOST nuts?! When married individuals/families (black or white) moved into the projects, the husbands/fathers could not move in OR visit. EVER.
People talk about the plight of the (absent) black father. That just promoted it.
I mean, I knew that men were not allowed to be husbands or (often) fathers in slavery, but I had no idea that was true in the1960s!!

The movie made me proud to be doing something about the racial gap, though.
I could regale you with stories about the overwhelmingly positive experiences that I've had working alongside or with black folks, but I'd probably be preaching to the choir.
I've learned a lot from the culture and people, and I'm grateful for the experience.
I know that there are two sides to every story, and I don't invalidate anyone else's experiences.
It's just, this is a big problem in this area! You can't really dispute with facts. When I go into the community for my sickle cell protocol or to read in my school, I'm usually the only non-black person that I see for hours.

"For a first-time visitor suddenly deposited on its eerily empty streets, East St. Louis might suggest another world." The city, which is 98 percent black, has no obstetric services, no regular trash collection, and few jobs. Nearly a third of its families live on less than $7,500 a year; 75 percent of its population lives on welfare of some form. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development describes it as "the most distressed small city in America.""


On another note, Saturday I went to our OT school party for a little bit. It was at a local bar/lounge. My two good friends (Ashley and Catherine) couldn't go, so I just went, socialized for an hour or two, danced a bit, and left. It was nice to get out.

Today was the Go! St. Louis Marathon. Getting around town with that was an experience! It was fun to watch all the racers. Soon I'll be back at running! This summer I hope to officially stage a comeback.
The goal is a sub-22:20 5K or a sub-6:10 mile by the end of the year. I've "given up" the dawn of my peak running years to school, but I still have dusk to drop some good times (eventual goal of the mile in 5:39 or less. My current best is 5:55). I know that if I train, I can do it!

That's all, folks!