For a few months, I have been volunteering on the marketing committee of Piedmont Environmental Alliance, mainly with Instagram – and even this handy blog post.
However, I am hardly the world’s best volunteer. In an attempt to assuage my guilt, I signed Hampton and myself up to work a night of the Particle Falls exhibit.
What is Particle Falls? This website will provide more details, but, essentially, it’a a live-time artistic display of the dangers of air pollution. All we had to do was hand out flyers and talk to anyone who asked.
Our original signup date, I was just coming off this terrible cold, so I switched us to Friday night. Our friend Ali wanted to hang out, so we all had dinner at a restaurant across the street from where the projection would be shown and up the block from where I had to get the volunteering materials.
It turns out that the other volunteer for the night was a gal who I should have met well before given our mutual artistic and environmental tendencies. And she used to work at the Trader Joe! More small world shenanigans. We all chatted a bit while waiting for the display to start.
…And then while I texted a gal from the Arts Council to say the projector wasn’t on.
….So they reset it.
….Twice.
Around this point, Hampton and Ali decided to get a round bc we could all drink on the H&H/Side Bar patio while watching the side of the building where the display was to happen.
While they were inside, I got a message that there was a bulb issue, so…. no display that night.
I took the flyers and nametags back to the arts building and then rejoined the group. My new friend Laura and I discussed various upcoming projects and ways that PEA and her work could overlap.
Also, one of my walks to and fro the Rhodes Center, I found a credit card on the ground. It belonged to a specific person at a non-profit, and, thanks to my Masters of Library Science (j/k, just Google) and astounding powers of deduction (ok, that part’s kindof true), I was able to figure out an email for the cardholder. George and I met up with her the next day at one of the coffee shops on the corner, and then I took him on a longer and more adventurous walk than usual.
I got home from the walk to find the cardholder had emailed me an Amazon gift card as a reward. Totally unnecessary, but greatly appreciated! Flat 493 is working on paying down debt and every little bit of extra cash is handy.
Even though things don’t always work as planned – sometimes it’s better that way. Excited to get more involved with environmentally-friendly projects, especially with this weekend’s tease of spring. Snow again this week? Really?? Stay warm and flexible – in attitude, at least – my friends.
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[I think the oft-used cover photo was originally found here. Apologies to the actual artist if I am wrong! Always happy to reattribute.]
Ann Davis-Rowe 