Job Coaching

Location: Open Door Shelter

Date: Monday, February 22, 2016; 6:45-8:30 pm

My roommate Jason was attending this one with me and we arrived at ODS to see that other volunteers had already assembled.  Susan, who had impressed me as a volunteer, had now graduated to be a leader and that was great to see.  She mentioned that Chicago Cares had finally moved to a curriculum based system and had partnered with “Junior Achievement” to have a more structured approach for the youth. She showed us how it was a 7 session program, starting with 4 sessions on the 4 “C’s – Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity”; and then proceeding to sessions on getting hired, knowing who’s hiring and finally, building your own brand.  It sounded terrific to me.  Every session came with materials and guidance and the youth had already been through one of the modules.  Today we would be doing “Communications”, more specifically geared towards “Conflict Resolution”

"Conflict Resolution" again

We went upstairs and as it had been a long time since my last visit here, everyone was new to me.  We got the 7 youth who were present together, and they looked enthusiastic.  The first order of business was introductions, where we had to tell the group about our current as well as our first job. During my turn I said that my first job definitely appears to be more exciting than the current one.  I said that my first job was making miniature sensors using wires thinner than a human hair.  Now, I just keep the lights on.  But nothing was as relevant when one of the volunteers said that he was a pilot in the “Air Force”.  I mean, the only way to beat that would be to say that you’re “Batman”!

We then started with the “ice-breaker” game, where Susan split us into 4 teams of 3.  She would walk up to the team and hold an object on top of one of the members.  The other 2 then had to give one word clues so as to let them guess what the object was.  The main thing was not to give out the word which was included in the object. For example, one of the items was “nail paint” and they could not use the words “nail” or “paint” or “polish”. I was assigned to be the person who would count the number of words used to guess the object and for every “taboo word”, there would be a 2 word penalty.  It was fun, though many kept using words that drew a penalty.  For my team the item was a “Scented Candle” and despite giving out clues like “flame” and “dark”, our team could not identify the object.  But we had all enjoyed this activity.

Unlike the previous sessions, today we wouldn't have different groups, but it would be a joint exercise.  While the pros are that we get to share the experience, the biggest con is that some volunteers may not get as involved, since we really needed just one person to conduct the activity.  We started discussing examples of “Good vs Bad Communication” and Susan was encouraging the youth to participate…and they were.  I was also chiming in with some examples on working in a professional environment.  The volunteer who is a pilot was taking notes on “post-it sheets’ and we started by writing down some “do’s and don’ts” of communication

We then played a game where 2 sets of 2 youth would role-play a scene where in one example both parties would be communicating poorly and then a scenario where only one of the parties would communicate poorly while the other was more professional.  The first scene was in a “cell phone store”, where a customer came in with a complaint on their bill and got into an argument with the sales rep who was indifferent.  The next scenario would be them coming back, and this time while the customer was still upset, the sales rep would be more reasonable.  The 2 youth who did this were fantastic and the one who played the customer was as flamboyant as they come, delivering on both scenes with great panache and even taking a bow at the end.  It was fun to watch and perhaps acting is their true calling. 

The next scene was in a “Car Wash” where the supervisor wanted one of the part-time employees to come in for some extra shifts.  The problem was that the employee was a student who was being forced to be late for classes due to these extra shifts.  During the first scenario both weren't being very communicative and thus it didn’t go anywhere in terms of a resolution.  For the next scenario, the supervisor became more communicative, while the student was still the same – though the youth playing the student was actually quite soft spoken and a nice person.  This duo did a good job as the one before and I certainly felt that the youth had learnt a lot through this exercise.  We did a quick reflection with the youth and they confirmed that it had been a good session.  During the volunteer reflection I mentioned that we had probably not given the volunteers a good experience and Susan agreed.  She said that the other modules should be conducted differently so as to allow the volunteers a chance to participate more.  The fact that she acknowledged this makes me think that she will be a terrific leader.

Adler After Dark

Location: Adler Planetarium

Date: Thursday, February 18, 2016; 5:30-10:00 pm

The theme for tonight was "Stellar Speakeasy" and had been sold out quite quickly.  I arrived and as per the new protocol, had to sign-in with a security guard to get the pass code for staff area.  It seemed a bit excessive, but whatever.  I went down and after checking in, joined my colleagues in the breakroom, just as Michael gathered us around.  Tonight was heavy in terms of science, which was great.  We went over the experiments, the first being “Hoberman Sphere”, the expanding plastic sphere that the kids have so much fun with.  The idea was to let guests play with it and explain the concept of an expanding universe while galaxies - represented by plastic diamonds on the sphere - stayed the same size.  This was because of “Dark Energy”, which we can't see but has been predicted.  We were also to demonstrate another concept - the collapse of a star - through this sphere folding when dropped, which was dramatic to say the least.

Next was a demonstration of "Gravitational Lensing" or "Einstein Rings", where light is bent around an object which you can't see, and is termed as "Dark Matter".  We demonstrated that through laser pointers and a convex lens, which would change the laser pattern on the wall when projected through the lens.  Another demonstration was of the recently proved "Gravitational Waves", which travel through the fabric of “space-time”. Einstein had predicted these in 30s, but could never prove it.  Finally, we had the sophisticated instruments that could record at milliseconds intervals and prove something that even he thought was unprovable.  “What does he know”, someone said!

We then saw the demo of "wireless", using an audio source, which was Michael’s phone.  We had fun teasing him, saying things like if his mom calls, we should mention that he's with a parole officer etc.  We also had a speaker with a photodetector and laser, which transmitted the sound waves to the speaker when focused on the detector, using mirrors - similar to a satellite.  I had done this experiment once before, with limited success.  It was now time for walking tour and we started with the wireless and the “gravitational wave” station followed by the community classroom where “Frank Lloyd Wright Trust” would be making “stained glass windows” from paper.

'Hoberman Sphere'

As a surprise, Michael had arranged for us all to take turns attending the lectures in “Johnson Theater” and I was scheduled at 7 pm to attend a lecture on “Distilling”.  I thought this was a brilliant idea for volunteer perks and said so.  It was time to start and my first shift was “pocket science” with the “Hoberman Sphere”.  I walked about the top floor and people had come out fully decked in their best “Speakeasy” attire.  I went to “Mission Moon” section and engaged a couple of guests in a discussion on the “Expanding Universe” using the sphere.  The idea was to let them play with the prop as I educated them.  They enjoyed it a lot and I also took the opportunity to show them the “Gemini Capsule”.  I was getting some traffic for this activity and felt that the people were learning through my questions.  I would ask them what was happening and they would say that the sphere was expanding.  I would follow up by asking what else expands and that would lead to the universe discussion.  Then I would talk about the galaxies and eventually “Dark Energy”.  I would then end with them dropping the sphere to the ground and watch it collapse.  Then I would ask them what else collapsed and lead them to the stars.  I would say that this could be the fate of our sun one day and that they shouldn't be in the neighborhood when that happened.  I then said that come that day, I would probably be still doing this explanation.  Yeah, I am a comedian.

It was 7 pm and I proceeded downstairs for the talk in “Johnson Theater”, and it was from ‘Koval Distillery’ on their bourbon making process.  The guy giving the talk was a bit uninspiring and I saw many people leave during the early part of the lecture.  But after an uninspiring start he got going, no holds barred, on some of the more interesting things going on in the distillery.  I mentioned to my colleague who was with me that I hoped none of his bosses were here!  The lecture was over well before the hour was up and I had 20 minutes to kill.  I went to the staff area and Michael was there on a break.  I asked him when the next Council meeting would be and he said that it was on a temporary hiatus, which was a bit surprising to me because I thought that we had done some good work.

At 8 pm I went over to the “Gravitational Wave” station and saw that the staff facilitator was having the guests hold 4 corners of a black sheet, which was the “space-time fabric”.  She would then ask them to toss in pool-table balls and as they came together in a spiral manner, she would talk about the physics behind this experiment.  After she was done, I talked about how we had detected the merger of 2 “Black Holes” and how their combined mass was slightly lower than their individual masses, meaning excess was given out as energy travelling at the speed of light; as “gravitational waves”.  “E=MC²”, indeed.  We did the routine with a couple of groups and then the facilitator left and was replaced by another staff member.  He was even better at this and demonstrated the concept of a “black hole” using a really heavy ball which sank in the cloth.  He also deferred to me to talk about the detection of the “gravitational waves”, which I termed the "finest measurement ever taken".

The hour went by quite fast and At 9 pm I went for my last shift, which was "Scavenger Hunt".  The idea was that in the spirit of “Speakeasy”, the entry to an "exclusive bar" – located within “Planet Explorer’s” section - was via a password.  The only way to get that password was through fulfilling the requirements of this hunt, which was showing the visitors photos of different locations in and around Adler and they had to identify them.  I was paired with another volunteer and our table was right next to the band playing “20s jazz”, complete with dancing.  People would come and show us pictures of the locations and I would then give them a small paper with the password, which was "juice joint".  All in all people just wanted to get into that bar, which was exactly like any other bar in the cafe.  Aah well, people just like the chase I suppose.  Some pleaded with us for the password and we were a bit accommodating by giving them hints.  Considering that 2 of the locations were of the exterior and right behind us, it wasn't that difficult. 

Around 9:40 pm, Michael came to get us and our task was to help with the cleanup at the “stained glass” program.  I saw that the people had been creative and as we cleaned up, I chatted with the staff members of the “Frank Lloyd Wright Trust”.  They told me that they do this program in schools and other museums.  There was a wall where people were drawing their interpretations of the mysterious “Planet 9” and it was hilarious, with everything from aliens to Pluto to even the Sun wearing sunglasses; and someone had even drawn their mom.  What?  I helped with wiping down the tables and picking up the litter from the floor, after which I left - an exhausting, yet fun evening.

Dinner At The Wells Street Cafe

Location: Breaking Bread Ministries/LaSalle Street Church

Date: Wednesday, February 03, 2016; 5:45-8:15 pm

I arrived to see that little Hannah was checking-in some new volunteers.  I couldn’t spot Marianne and asked where she was.  I was told that she was recovering after getting some stitches, though it wasn’t clear where or for what.  After cleaning up I went and asked Chef Dan where I could contribute and he pointed me to a station where some garlic was being mixed with butter to make, well, “garlic butter”.  There were several rolls of baguette and I took over the task of cutting them.  A fellow volunteer was brushing the freshly made butter on the bread slices as soon as I placed them on a sheet pan.  With 4 pans of “garlic bread” ready, we placed them on a rack, waiting for the right moment to put them inside the oven.

"Ambrosia Salad"

I saw that a duo was making some sort of fruit salad with “Cool Whip” and marshmallows and they mentioned that it was “Ambrosia Salad”.  I went outside and saw that one of the guests with whom I usually converse with was in attendance.  I had not seen him for a long while and so we chatted for a bit before going back in to start toasting the bread.  Chef told me to put it in the oven for 5 minutes and then turn the trays around and then toast for an additional 5 minutes.  With my instructions in place, I watched over the oven while John – who had taken over the leadership duties for this evening - addressed the volunteers, especially the new ones.  The toasts were ready soon and I took them out, before joining John and the group for conclusion and prayer, which was led by the chef.  I joked that it must be strange for a chef to see everyone praying before a meal that he has prepared.

We went outside and I was on plating.  The menu was “spaghetti with turkey meat sauce”, “peas in Mornay sauce”, “garlic toast” and then “ambrosia salad” as dessert.  The dessert was going to be served in a big bowl at the center of the table, meaning that we would be bringing back filled bowls back and throwing them away.  Once again I asked the chef why not serve this in individual bowls and he said that having a common bowl would mean many folks stay back at the table to share, rather than just leave.  I wasn’t too sure about that.  I was on plating the peas with the cheese sauce and it was “seizing” as it cooled and was sticking to the ladle.  We got 60 odd plates out and then I moved to counting the volunteer meals and seconds.  We didn’t have that many people come back though. 

We had some of the dessert left to hand out and as I had predicted, volunteers were bringing back filled bowls from the tables.  They were putting them amongst the seconds and I had to tell them that once something comes back, we cannot serve it again, but had to throw it away.  I went over to help with the cleanup by stacking and moving chairs and we were done earlier than usual.  Hannah wasn’t feeling her best and John mentioned that she was a bit overwhelmed with schoolwork and other activities like sports etc.  Once again, I told her not to grow up too fast and enjoy everything.  Soon these days would be gone for good.

Adler After Dark

Location: Adler Planetarium

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2016; 5:30-10:00 pm

Today’s topic was “First Contact”, meaning it was all things "aliens".  Jola had sent us some reading materials and ‘Peggy Norbert Nature Museum’ was going to be in the house with some interesting creatures, including something called “Targardis”, a truly disgusting creature.  Then she sent out another communication, saying that they were backordered and so we wouldn’t have them.  Backordered.  What are they, ‘iPhone’!  I arrived and after chatting with my fellow volunteers in the classroom for a bit, we left for a walking tour of the activities.  We were also given a list for “scavenger hunt”, including some key words with which to respond when people say key phrases like “ET Phone Home” or “KHAAAN”.  Something similar to what we had done before.  There were also some simultaneous equations and we had answers to that!  Excellent.  Let’s make the guests do some Algebra after a few drinks.  Worked well for me in school! 

"The Drake Equation"

Our first stop was to see the “Planet Pursuit” experiment where we were demonstrating how “Exo-Planets” are detected, with light sensor in front of a bulb and a device measuring the readout when an object like a planet passes in front of it.  Next, we went and saw the room where guests would be making “UFOs” and then upstairs to see the station where the “Drake Equation” activity was taking place.  There were “iPads” where guests would enter their numbers for each of the 6 variables in the equation and it would calculate the probability of finding “intelligent life” in our galaxy.  Our last stop was “Aliens Amongst Us”, which was in the “PXP Classroom”. This is where the ‘Peggy Nortbert Museum’ folks were stationed and they had bought with them some interesting creatures, including a scorpion, some things like cockroaches as well as some other disgusting things.  Besides that, in this room we had some microscopes and slides with “Protozoa”, as well as one that was being projected on the wall, where they would be seen as giant slithering worm like things!  There was also a model of the infamous “Targardis” and looking at that I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want that thing so as to be backordered.

This location was also my first stop at 6 pm and so I stayed back as the rest left.  It was early and there was no one in the room, so I chatted with the girl from the “Nature Museum” and learned that like Adler, they too have an “After Dark” event.  One guest came in and I welcomed them to take a look at the slides, and the other creatures.  We also had a provision to make a slide with yeast and I said that my aversion to biology in school meant the guest would have to make their own, which they did.  We also had some cards with weird looking creatures and out of the 20 cards, 3 were fake.  I was asking the visitors to guess and almost all of them failed.  There was a blue frog that was fake and I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that.

Many called the model of “Targardis” cute, though I would have never said that.  I would point out how this creature could survive the “hottest of hots” and “coldest of colds” and have also been in space and survived the radiations therein.  This was one of the reasons why we were displaying that this evening.  As people would come, I would encourage them to see the yeast slide and then ask that if yeast were living creatures, should vegetarians be allowed to eat any bread products!  This would get the guests to think, though one lady said that as long as creatures have no "central nervous system", they do not feel pain and so it was okay.  “Easy for us to say”, I replied.

At 7 pm I went to my next station, which was “Drake Equation”.  There was a big crowd there and a white board was recording everyone’s answers.  The idea was to do an average at the end, getting a “crowd sourced” number.  I took over and since all the “iPads” were being used, I would ask questions to guests and enter using a keyboard, and they could watch the responses on a TV screen behind me.  The questions started off by asking (1) how many starts were formed each year: 1-20, (2) How many had planets: 40-100%, (3) How many could sustain life: 0.001-4, (4) how many actually developed life: 1-100%, (5) How many developed civilizations that transmitted signals in space: 0-50% and finally (6) How many years had they been transmitting the: 0-100000.

It was fun to engage people and answers ranged from very optimistic 20,000 to 0, meaning there were no intelligent species in our galaxy besides us!  I would guide people as well, for example at the question on “intelligence”, I would say that cats and dogs were intelligent, though they did not communicate much with alien species – though I had seen a movie called “Cat From Outer Space” many years ago.  People had a lot of fun doing this as did I interacting with them.  Some of them were trying to manipulate their answers so as not to get zero while some wanted to get answers close to the current average.  My fellow volunteer, Bob, mentioned that Prof Francis Drake’s – the man who invented the equation - niece was here this evening and I said that I hoped to meet her. For people who got zero, I would ask that if we were alone in our galaxy, how many life forms were there in the Universe.  They would say one and I would follow-up by saying that if there are millions of galaxies and if each had just one “intelligent species”, there would still be millions of civilizations out there – the exact premise of this equation.

At 8 pm I went to my next station, “Planet Pursuit”, outside the “Atwood Sphere”.  There were several units on the table to measure the readout from the light sensor and I quickly learned how to use them.  As people came over, I would say that this was a demonstration on finding “Exo-Planets” and then would ask them if they knew what they were.  Then I would tell them to turn the planets at a constant rate while I collected the data.  They did that upon which I would show the data, which was a graph with pronounced dips of different amplitudes.  I would ask them what the “peaks” and “valleys” in graphs usually meant – even in other datasets like stock market or temperature – and suggest that a dip means there is usually less of something, which in this case was the light being collected.  Then I would ask why the amplitude was different and that was because of the different size of the spheres on the roller and their distance from the light source.  Plus another variable was the speed of rotation, which was being controlled by the guests.

I would mention that this is how we study distant stars and all those fancy pictures of “Exo-Planets” are artist’s renderings since no one has actually photographed an “Exo-Planet”, only predicted using data such as the one we had collected.  One group referred to “Spectroscopy” as one of the mechanisms for telling us the chemical constituents on distant planets and I said that it was true, relating to the “Smelly Space” experiment that I usually perform as “pocket science”.  I said that the 3 main activities this evening were related – this one telling us about “Exo-Planets”, the “Drake Equation” about the number of alien species out there and then something like the “Targardis” showing us that life can exist in extreme conditions.  Some people were also carrying their model “UFOs” and it was fun to see the designs, though no one asked me questions regarding the “Scavenger Hunt”. 

My final stop at 9 pm was once again at “Aliens Amongst Us”.  Michael came over and told us to start wrapping up and clean.  I waited for a few visitors to leave, though they were busy taking pictures and once they did, I arranged all the microscopes on one table and left.  It had been a fun evening and there was a lot of “real science” on display today.  People had enjoyed themselves, as had I.

Just For Starters Bingo

Location: The Imperial Nursing Home

Date: Thursday, January 07, 2016; 6:30-7:40 pm

It was first Thursday of the year, meaning I was going to Imperial for Bingo, like I have done the previous years.  I arrived and saw that Celene was there along with Vita, who I believe comes here for every session.  Celene said that there were 5 others signed up and it was the usual New Year’s resolution thing.  While we did not get all 5 – surprise surprise - 2 new girls did show up. Celene talked with the 2 new volunteers as Vita and I went inside.  The Bingo room was full and I saw Polly and went over to chat with her.  She recognized me and said that it had been a long time.  I said yes indeed as I grabbed a chair and sat next to her.  She looked like she was getting on in years, but just as sharp as ever

Also present at our table was another lady and when I asked Polly how her new year’s was going so far, the lady said, “I’m alive”.  I said that people forget that and they shouldn’t.  She said that she was a 30 year cancer “survivor”, had been blind earlier and also survived a stroke.  She said she had over 15 grandchildren who lived in Omaha but she had never met them.  Talk about a strong woman!  I asked Polly how her Christmas had been and she said nothing special.  Though one of her friends had come over a couple of days after Christmas with some nice dinner.  I asked what was in it and she said “Cornish Hen”. 

Loved the prizes for this evening

It was warm and Polly asked me to help remove her cardigan, which wasn’t the easiest of tasks considering that she wasn't very mobile.  Celene asked if I could help distribute the prizes and I said certainly.  She handed me a bag and went over to call the game.  Polly was indeed sharp and did not need any help with the numbers, though Celene was really going fast.  Soon, someone won and I went over with my bag and showed them the selections, which ranged from “fluffy animals”, to “word search” books, to socks, to hand lotions and face creams and candy etc.  People were taking their time choosing and I was moving around the room presenting them with options.  In fact, Polly said that I was getting my exercise in!  She was also clearing my board while I distributed the prizes. 

While I was away on one of my distributions, I won and I said that this is what was required – me being away.  I offered my prize to Polly and she took batteries – though she said that she had no use for them. She won again and this time took a case for eyeglasses. The game was progressing fast and very soon we were out of prizes.  I asked Polly if she needed a push back and she said yes.  I took her to the elevator and then a nursing assistant took her inside.  I was hanging on to her bag and before going inside the elevator, she reminded me to give it to her.  I dropped another resident off and then left after a fun evening.

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy

Dinner At The Wells Street Cafe

Location: Breaking Bread Ministries/LaSalle Street Church

Date: Wednesday, January 06, 2016; 5:45-8:15 pm

"Holiday Cookies"

My first project of the New Year and I was back over here, being welcomed by a trolley stacked with “Holiday themed” cookies.  After greeting Marianne and little Hannah, I cleaned up and was ready for the shift.  It was good to see that Chef Dan was back and he put me to work, sending me over to peel and chop apples.  There were already 3 people doing this activity and so I sought out something else.  I saw some cans that needed opening and said I that I would do that.  There were cans of tomatoes, cans of beans and some tomato sauce.  Lots and lots of cans; perhaps the apples task wasn’t a bad idea.  But as Marianne put it, I applied some "elbow grease" and after I was done, all of this stuff was added to a giant saucepan.

Next to me there was a volunteer cooking a lot of turkey along with onions and peppers.  Chef Dan came over and added spices to my tomato sauce and then the volunteer and I transferred all of the meat into my pan.  The pan was huge and required multiple burners.  I had a small ladle and it was taking some strength to do the stirring.  I guess today was all about hard labor.  Next to me a volunteer was cooking all of the apples for some sort of chunky “applesauce dessert”.  The chef added cinnamon raisins and frozen blueberries to it as well as lemon juice and salt.  He was also giving us cooking tips on why salt should be added to apples etc.  I said to my fellow volunteer "who needs food network"?

The chef added some chocolate “disks” to my pan saying it would give it a “mole taste”.  I asked if the chocolate should have been melted and he said that it would melt with the heat in the pan.  I said that I would just take it out and eat it if it didn't.  Another volunteer started making pasta in a giant pot with boiling water and after it was done, chef carried that big heavy pot to drain.  He crossed himself before that saying this was the advantage of being “Catholic”, praying that you don't screw up!  Yep, I was starting to like Chef Dan a lot.  The meat sauce was done and Chef asked if I wanted to carry the pot over to the pasta.  I said I would if I was the only person eating, but considering that many were depending on this, we should not take the risk of me dropping it.  So instead, we got the pasta near the pot and used another saucepan to pour everything into serving pans.  It was my job to mix everything and then take it to the warmers. 

We had a lot of newcomers today – maybe because of New Year’s resolutions – and Marianne did the usual welcome with everyone.  I was assigned plating and now we were ready.  We were in the assembly line and I was plating a scoop of Pasta and sauce and passed it on to next person who was plating the carrots; and then finally to the person plating the applesauce dessert.  We had a full house today, so much so that we even had to get more plates out of the cabinet.  After the first round, I took over the tallying job and counted all of the seconds.  After that I helped stack chairs and then we were ready to leave.  I asked Marianne if she needed anything and she requested some coffee creamers; which I immediately communicated to Wilson.  Then I asked about the “Valentine’s Day Dance” and she said that about 10 volunteers and desserts were required.  I sent this to Wilson as well and then left, first project of 2016 in the books.