Timothy Hull, Dane Ueland, First Shifts Back, etc.

Before I talk about this past (incredible) week, I want to announce that Dane Ueland, a Seattle singer-songwriter, will be playing at the Coffeehouse Bookstore as part of the Friday Night Live series.  We are very lucky to have Dane play here, because he is an amazing musician with a gift - and I am not exaggerating.  He has a bright future in music and you will want to be able to say, "I saw Dane when he was just getting started."  I promise.  Okay, on to the main blog post.


After working with Jim and Glenn and everyone else on the build site for a few months, I was called away to SEA for every Monday - Friday of the month of May, which means that I left one Monday with the coffeehouse an empty room and returned to find the books on the wall and the espresso machine up and running.  The place looks amazing and validates all of the stress and dramas and hard work.  It is unbelievable.

And who better to kick off Friday Night Live at the new Coffeehouse Bookstore than Whidbey native Timothy Hull?  I talked to him a few hours before the show and he expressed trepidation that people might not show up.  That was not a problem.

The place quickly filled up, with about forty people buying coffee and finding seats as Timothy sound checked with ambient, reverb- and delay-laden acoustic guitar.  Then, he sang, and the voices stopped as torsos were magnetically drawn forward to immerse in Tim's lyrics about love and loss and a changing world where a new chaos of shouting and destruction reigns.  He played my personal favorite, "Sorrow," during the first set and closed the show with a rambling, but poignant, meditation on the meaning of community. 

Another highlight of the night was the unexpected help from Patty, Bill, Sue, Diane, and Gena, who gamely chipped in to mop the floor, do the mountain of dishes, and close down the coffeehouse.  It was one of my favorite coffeehouse nights I've had.  Thanks to everyone involved.

Success: Open and Running

We are finally there! The doors are open and the people are streaming in. I should know because I was behind the bar during the afterschool rush on my first day, and the first day open. Everyone who walks through the door says “wow, this has really changed, it’s so nice” or something to that extent. I think that everyone who worked on the project deserves a hearty pat on the back.

There will be more later, but for now I’m off to make coffee.

AmeriCorps Week

This past Saturday began the national AmeriCorps week. The idea is to celebrate the volunteers who are currently in service, past volunteers, and also spread the word to future volunteers. The Commons and Coffeehouse have a long line of AmeriCorps volunteers helping to hold down the fort, including the marvelous Gena, and many others who I don’t know, but have heard mentioned. Molly, Caitlin, Justin, and I are planning on setting up an AmeriCorps table to explain to people about AmeriCorps, once the Coffeehouse Bookstore is open.

Alright, so you know it’s AmeriCorps week, now what does AmeriCorps really mean? It’s often described as a domestic Peace Corps. Having also done Peace Corps, I sometimes compare the two. I think many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers might tell you that it’s nothing like Peace Corps (in an offended tone); and I agree to some degree given that Peace Corps is a much more intense two years living in another country, working in a different language and culture, with some of the most impoverished areas in the world.

At the same time, I think there are tons similarities. The main ideas are the same: to strengthen underserved populations, while building community (whether it be U.S. community, or a world community). Another huge part of Peace Corps and AmeriCorps is being adaptable and versatile. Your job is to work on what the community needs and wants. I had no idea that I was going to be working in construction, blogging, starting a Spanish club, and helping to start community gardens as volunteer in Langley.

It may sound cliché, but whether in Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, these skills in adaption to a wide variety of task, situations, diverse groups of people (in age or ethnicity), are invaluable life skills that you might not get from a “normal” job. So pat your AmeriCorps workers on the back this week and tell them “good work, you are building community…and in many ways, being just as cool as those snobby Peace Corps Volunteers”!