Gatsby says hello

Every damn day.

I eated a rat

Give me crepes

Crepes!

Congratulations

Today, I'll be attending an awards ceremony, honoring my mother for her volunteer activities on the UCI campus. It is called the Pacesetter award.

She can't comprehend why she has been selected. When I was in grade-school, she dedicated an immense amount of time to volunteering. She probably put in more effort than some of the teachers. Jogathon, meet the master, pta and countless other activities.

She feels like her job has precluded her from giving as much now as she did then, and thus she feels unworthy of the award.

Bollocks.

She has spent every spare moment of her life to improving the community around her.

In the time before me (and my brother) she worked for an organization which provided services to elderly people around Kansas City. In her spare time she gathered recyclable goods, and drove them to the single recycling center in the area. This was all WAY before recycling was cool.

Now, as a UCI couselor, she routinely goes above and beyond the call of duty to help her students. During finals week, she came home an hour late one day. She had spent that hour comforting student who got violently ill during a final exam, and ultimately drove the young woman across campus to her car.

With the organization honoring her today, well I can't count the number of gift baskets, toys, and other things I have helped distribute over the past years, and that is just a small part of the work that was involved.

Anyhow, I'm putting on my good Chelsea boots and I'm happy to support and congratulate her today. Though I do dread being interrogated by her friends.