Field Trip

 I woke up bright and early today -- 5:15!  Joy!  No, I tried to go back to bed, failed, and decided to start the day... I don't have any plans tomorrow (or, obviously, any other day) so in theory I can sleep in.  Of course, I think we all know I pop up at 7 or something.  I mean, I am a morning person, and I can get stuff done, but I still need to sleep once in a while.  I suspect my internal stresses are manifesting themselves in this matter more than anything, and either I will have to get a handle on it... or, of course, get a job again.

Since I have so much free time now, I decided to start one of the projects I have been meaning to do for a while -- see all of the other food pantries of the SVDP in the Diocese.  Thus, this morning I visited our Brookside pantry at Pearl and Archwood, on the West Side.  It was quite revealing!  They are open three days a week, and people can come twice, and they have a different operational method than us; people come inside and can get a box of canned goods, or "shop;" canned goods and such are arranged on a shelf and people have a choice of them.  They also can get other stuff -- milk, meat, bread, etc. -- as available.  Overall, I would say they get half the canned goods our clients get, and about the same amount of the rest of the stuff; bit less meat, not so much produce, but...it's close.  As they are open three days a week, their average count per day is about 30-40 (getting 120 a week, which is about what we have a week).  It was interesting; most of the people were nice, some were not, and they were kicked out -- they kicked out more people today than I have in 18 years at the OC.  The pace was a bit slow, as everyone had to pick out what they wanted -- such a thing would NOT be allowed at the OC.  They also serve people very tightly by area; they literally have a book listing ALL of the streets they serve.  People coming from the wrong area are served once and then referred elsewhere; if they return...nada.  (We always give produce out at least.)  I will send out a report to the OC Board tomorrow, which, I am sure, few will read.  

Five Reasons Why Democrats Should Focus Obsessively on Working Class Voters (liberalpatriot.com)
Interesting; not sure I fully agree with all of it, but... let's hope they do not.

Conservative Supreme Court returns to form in final two-day spree - POLITICO
Two more wonderful decisions today; and this is indeed correct -- John Roberts was masterful in his leadership and rationale today and this term.  Honestly, while I can understand the arguments in the cake case... well, as one friend noted, you have to be pretty lazy and stupid NOT to find a cake baker who doesn't support one cause or another... to which we all replied in grouptext that pretty lazy and stupid is the basic operational level of the average (if you will) Hope and Changer, so...