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Thursday, January 24, 2013

You Done With PST? Yeah, You Know Me!

This post is a little late, but...

The Thobe Bros. at the swearing-in ceremony
(from left: Daniel, Me, and Cody)
As of January 15th, I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps "Volunteer," which constituted a step up out of "Trainee"-dom into the real thing. That said, I'm not sure if the swearing in is officially recognized, because I, along with most of the PCTs soon-to-be PCVs, butchered the repeat-after-me session with the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan. It was one of those "I [state your name]" deals. Luckily, almost of all us avoided embarrassment at the predictably troublesome part by saying our actual names instead of "state your name." But, what followed was a series of phrases that no one got right on account of the ambassador ("His Excellency" or some shenanigans like that) being a little generous in his estimation of our capacities for short-term memory in a high-stress environment. Oh well...whether we said "and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter" or "and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office about which I am going to mumble," it doesn't really matter. It's the thought that counts with these things, oaths and swearings-in and whathaveyous...right?




Above are shots of (at left) my group from the village of Al-Hilaliya and (at right) Tom and me with our host family: Abrahim (our host's brother), Mosa'ab (our host), and Nuah (another of his brothers).
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7 comments:

  1. Dillon J. WelchJanuary 24, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    Woops. I really meant to post that last comment (the one on your snow day post) on this post. Post post post.

    Oh well. The message is still the same. Happy easter!

    - D

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    Replies
    1. Conor McGuireJanuary 24, 2013 at 6:58 PM

      Dillon!

      I'd love to check out the trailer, but I need to re-up on my gigs first. I think I'm going to do that like tomorrow or Saturday. If you have a copy of the movie, is there some way to send a digital copy?

      Also, you are a constant source of inspiration to me! Any news on the poetry front?

      Stay well, and I like the early Happy Easter. Hahaha...

      -C (...onor?)

      Delete
    2. Dillon J. WelchJanuary 25, 2013 at 10:25 AM

      I don't think there's a way I can send you a digital copy of the movie. My only choice is to ship it to Greece (Jordan is in Greece, right?) in a small box filled with packing peanuts. Either that, or I could transcribe the script for you. Might take a while, & the film would certainly lose some of its luster.

      On the poetry front: in April, I will have two chapbooks coming out (online), from two different presses. One called "Domestic: A How-to Guide for Couples" from White Knuckle Press. Another called "I Fall in Love with Every Attractive Woman I Meet" from NAP.

      I'm particularly excited about the second one, because NAP is an AWESOME online publication. Check them out when (& if) you get a chance: http://naplitmag.com/

      Hope you are well, my friend.

      - Dillon

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    3. Conor McGuireJanuary 28, 2013 at 3:45 PM

      Haha! You're brilliant, Dillon. Brilliant. I checked out NAP, and the titles of the echaps alone speak to how AWESOME it indeed is. It's totally your zone, too. I'm stoked for these puppies to be released. This is real, man--you're really doing it. Will the echaps be free to view? Either way, I'd like to toss you some of my PC allowance to fund the process. You can pay me back some day when you're famous. Or not, actually. I just ask for recognition that I called it first. Deal?

      Delete
  2. Gina E. McGuireJanuary 28, 2013 at 6:49 AM

    Conor!
    I love your title of this one! I will once again proclaim that the McGuire Family has their collective finger on the creative pulse of the Universe. You are so clever. And if Dillon reads this, I LOVE the title of the NAP submission. He's like another hilariously creative brother, but I would remember that!
    I love you!
    XOXOXOX,
    <3 Mom <3 PS: LOVE the Thobes.

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    Replies
    1. Conor McGuireJanuary 28, 2013 at 3:48 PM

      Thanks, Mom! (And I love the thobes, too!) It's all thanks to years of pun-grooming. Dillon, too, is no stranger to the wordplay and general literary brilliance, as you can see. I hope you get a chance to check out his poems--they're too hilarious to attempt to describe.

      I love you, too!
      XOXOXOX,
      <3 Conor <3

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    2. Dillon J. WelchJanuary 31, 2013 at 11:03 PM

      conor-

      totally free from the NAP website.

      Ms. Conor's Mom (Gina)-

      that was the nicest compliment a son could ever receive.

      Delete

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