At the Oscars

First, let me correct the record. It was not Billy Dankos who said my emails are too long, (in fact, Billy said they are not long enough). It was Jim Gleason who said my emails are too long, but then, I make it a point not to listen to him unless he says (as he so often does), “I will be there, and I am bringing your favorite truck.”

Second, (and if it weren’t for the “long email” kerfuffle, would have been first), I am overdue for giving full throated credit to one of our volunteers who lives and works at the very heart of OTS, without whom, we would wither and die on the vine.

Karen O’Brien is our chief cook and bottle washer. She took on the job of finding the best deals for, literally, everything we buy to deliver to our clients. She plays Walmart against Amazon, against Costco, and the rest like an orchestral maestro. Beds too hard to put together? Karen fixes it. Are bath towels not good enough? Karen makes it right.

Moreover, when all those goods arrive, it is Karen who joins Kathy Nalls quietly heading over to the storage unit to restock the shelves and fill the baskets for the next move.

We gave out the CMH already, so we can’t go there again. This time we are awarding the Oscar for Best Performance by both a Leading and Supporting Volunteer. Coming to the stage to receive her award — Karen O’Brien.

Now we move from the sublime to the seemingly mundane.

Last Monday, we had two moves, miles apart. Phil Burroughs, Billy Dankos, Brendan Ellis, Joe Ferrante, Jim Gleason, Andre Jackson, Susie Dyer, Joy Jacques and Pat Succar all stepped up. Unfortunately, the first one was into a high rise, and nobody thought of reserving the loading dock and freight elevator, so it had to be scrubbed. The second one, however, went off without a hitch.

The first one was rescheduled for yesterday, and the crew included Chris Baliko, Billy Dankos, John and Luke Swarthout (lifter) Michael and James Dyer (serious lifter), Barbara and Frank Emanuele, Bob Kane, Andre Jackson, and Pam Collins. A big crew for a small move, I hear you say. Well, good thing it was, because we got word of a second move the night before that one, and again, they were miles apart. Fortunately, we were able to split the crew — Chris and Billy took one squad while Jimmy Nalls and Mike Dyer took the other, and they collectively knocked them out of both parks.

Tip o’ the hat to the Toy and Book gang once again. The moves involved two little ones (those are easy) as well as a teenage boy and girl. As you can imagine, you can’t give them Tonka toys and “See Spot Run” books, but, thanks, in part, to a brand-new basketball, and a very cool water bottle and downy comforter from the Nancy Burgess’s haul, as well as books donated by James and Sadie Dyer, everyone was appropriately supplied.

We are heading full speed into summer, and that means that all of us won’t be available for some of the moves due to travel and easy living. But, if we have learned anything in the past fifteen months, it is that we are nothing if not flexible and adaptable. We may miss you when you are gone, but we look forward to seeing you when you return.