A Face in the Window ...

Or something else? My sister something odd in one of the photos she took at Manteno State Hospital. Head over to the Friends of MSH site to check it out.

Star Trek XI, Manteno State Hospital

It was announced yesterday that J. J. Abrams will produce and possibly direct Star Trek XI. The Zap2It article about this leads with "from the 'Just Wacky Enough To Work' file" and I tend to agree. I think what is most important about this announcement is that all ties are effectively cut from the past producers of all things Star Trek, most importantly Rick Berman. It is truly a blessing that the man that resurrected and subsequently killed Trek is no longer involved in any way. Some fresh blood is extremely important, and I think that Abram will make a fun movie. Supposedly the announcement by Paramount was spurred by Abrams "excellent" work on M:I:iii so we'll see if that's true. Personally, I'm a fan of the M:I franchise so I'm hoping to be entertained by the third installment.

As for Manteno State Hospital ... a light night/early morning excursion on April 19th yielded some interesting pictures and a fun time. The pictures are posted on the homepage.

Something You Should Know

I have been thinking long and hard about this and I have finally accepted a volunteer opportunity with the Peace Corps.

This may come as a shock to some since I am doing quite well for myself in Manteno (well, I haven't had to ask the parents for money in a while, at least) but in the last year or so I have realized that I am looking for something in life that is not there. I feel a compulsory need to reach out and help. What skills do I possess that will help people in 3rd world countries? I wondered the same thing as I began looking for volunteer opportunities. My first impression of the Peace Corps is that they just hand out food or build houses. Turns out they are involved in a whole host of activities, from agricultural and business development to information technology and education. It is in the area of business development that my skills will be put to use. I will be assigned to a bank in Lima, Peru, where I will work with other volunteers there as well as bank employees to provide loans and support to small business owners and other entrepreneurs.

The timeline right now is some time in May so I don't have much time to get my affairs in order. I ask that you be supportive of my decision and speak to me only in Spanish from now on - I will need the practice. I will post more details as they become available.