Friday, March 21, 2008

This is the saddest thing:

No words could ever express what the father of this beautiful little girl must feel. This is likened to having his heart ripped out and thrown in the dirt.



Sadly, I do know children who are being abused right now, verbally, emotionally, mentally, sometimes physically. The saddest part - I see these children on a regular basis and nothing I can do as our Child Protective services don't take family reports of abuse as seriously because it might just be a 'family dispute'.

I pray that an intervention comes through to save these children who suffer abuse and torture at the hands of the very people that are to care for them and to give them life.

Why can't our Child Protective agencies do their jobs? Is there too much bureaucracy? Is there too much politics? Or is it maybe because the ones making the protocols are the ones that never deal with these cases everyday. Sad, so sad.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Strange & Stupid News. Tsk-tsk....

This is the closest humans have come to building a Death Star on earth:
Ryoungang Hotel - the world's ugliest building......
Worst Hotel Ever Be sure to watch the You Tube videos in the link. Whoever the videographer was in the first video is damn lucky.

Woman sits on boyfriend's toilet for more than 2 years.
Something ain't right here folks. The man and woman BOTH have got some issues they need to work out. Thank goodness they didnt breed.
MSNBC Health - Woman sits on toilet for two years

The Houston Chronicle - Man whose girlfriend sat on his toilet for two years being charged.

I personally find this humorous yet repulsive at the same time. Anyone of a sound mind would think to call EMS after she had locked herself in the bathroom for 2-3 days. There are two things possible here: 1. he was grossly negligent in hoping the problem would resolve itself by ignoring the signs of squalid living conditions. OR 2. he simply wasnt of sound mind either to make a rational decision but instead did what he thought was best, by enabling her to stay in the bathroom for so long that she now suffers permanent physical and emotional damage. But before charging the boyfriend with anything he needs to undergo a mental evaluation to determine if he understood what he was doing or if he did not understand. If this goes to court that's going to be the evidence they are looking - was he of sound mind to make a rational decision? Without an evaluation by an outside 3rd party neither side can prove their case on whether or not the man should be charged.

Sad world we live in eh?

Saturday, March 15, 2008

US Troops Losing Hearing in Warzones.

AP IMPACT: US Troops Losing Hearing in Warzones

Yep - US Troops are becoming hoh or deaf due to being in a warzone. This isn't surprising in itself, but what is alarming is that its happening at the same rate of soldiers losing their hearing in WWII. Our soldiers today are issued hearing protection unlike those of WWII where there was very little regard for hearing protection in those days. But unlike the war of WWII where there were 'dogfights' in the air and epic tank battles, today our war is fought in ambushes, road side bombs, our soldiers can't just yell out 'TIME OUT! LEMME PUT MY EAR PLUGS IN! OK!", they are in a fight for their lives where they can't stop to put their ear plugs in.

They also can't wear them all the time because it may cause them to miss sounds that could be a sign of an immenent surprise attack from insurgents.

The Navy had issued specialized ear plugs that were two sided but did not issue them with instructions on their proper use, so soldiers were putting them in backwards and some cut them in half making them useless. Now they are being issued with instructions for proper use, but still for the soldiers who have lost their hearing this is a harder adjustment than a loss of a limb. Deafness is a hidden disability, you can't see that someones deaf, you can't hear that someone is deaf. The only person that can know of this disability first hand is the soldier himself who has lost his ability to hear.

Fortunately though the Pentagon has taken notice of this and has begun deploying hearing specialists to field hospitals so that soldiers can have proper care of their ears. They are given a hearing test when they return from battle and before being deployed.

But still the numbers are high and hearing loss and deafness will likely continue to be a leading disability among veterans.

I myself have always had a hearing loss - Ive always had to learn to adjust on my own but I also havent been in a life or death warzone situation either. I cannot say how hard it must be for these men and women to one day have their hearing intact and then the next they have severe ringing in their ears, or even in some cases total deafness from a blast.

I dont think of being hoh or deaf as necessarily a bad thing because it's not in my opinion and experience with it. But to have to totally re-adjust your means of communication in a matter of days can be hard. Often people cant 'see' your deafness and think your just simply not listening when in fact you cant hear at all. It's frustrating and when communication becomes ineffective within a family, a family can fall apart so for some of these soldiers they are losing more than just their hearing.

Cochlear implants won't allow these men and women to return to active duty within a warzone. SImply because a CI isnt effective enough, when a soldier can't properly hear instructions he can jeopardize his life, his buddie's lives, and ultimitely the mission they were sent out to accomplish.

Yes a soldier can return to 'active duty' with the use of a HAs or a CI, but likely they will not be deployed to a warzone, and likely they become a paper pusher for the remainder of their enlistment and will not be allowed to re-enlist as the military does not accept deaf and hoh candidates, as well as flat footed, blind, and diabetic candidates.

But what is sad is how quickly the VA forgets these veterans, and the care they receive in 'state of the art' Veteran's Hospitals is no where near the care that a civilian would receive in a civilian hospital. These are the people that have fought and risked everything for our country and this is the thanks the VA can give in return.

There have been 'experiments' with a so-called 'hearing pill' that can reduce the risk of hearing loss but a pill is not and will not be sufficiently effective in protecting these soldiers.

What I would like to see is some military money going towards the soldiers and their families to help them out - not some monkey research for a dubious hearing pill. Ah, the oxymoron of military intelligence once again runs freely.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

No rest for the wicked....

Here lately I have felt like there has been very little down time between work, mom duties, church activities, family drama, and being there for a friend.

Earlier this evening out of a moment of randomness I decided to check out the my church's web site. I clicked on 'Pastors Page' to see what Bro. Jamie had to say and he hit me right in the nose with his entry.

No, nothing as to what the title to this entry implies, but rather a rest meant for those who are caught up in today's 'work til you crash' society. You see God placed an importance on rest so much that it is one of the first noted things in Genesis. When God had completed his work he spent a day resting.

I myself could be considered a workaholic, but believe me there are people out there who do work harder than I do. OK maybe not necessarily harder, but do work many more hours per week than I do (paid work that is on top of work to be done at home.)

I have been known to quite literally work until I crash. You see I am boderline diabetic (low blood sugar) as I have severe blood sugar swings from time to time. One day not too long ago I had been working in an exhausted state for about a week or two. Not getting sleep, not eating right, and overdoing the nasty habits. In general not giving myself priority over other things. Things that, in hindsight, probably could have been prioritized lower on the totem pole. I went into work completely wiped out, blood sugar out of whack and all. I got up to the line and I was placed across from a friend of mine. I worked for about an hour until I was very much on the verge of crashing right there in the production area.

I became very weak and pale, barely able to speak, much less coherent. I started swaying from one side to the other until finally I laid down over the machine, begged God for some relief. But I still kept doing my job through all of this albeit not as effeciently as I should. My friend started shouting for a line boss anybody to come catch me before I fall. A line boss came over and immediately took notice to my condition, grabbed me in a bear hug. Mind you I am stil trying to do my job, I didnt want to stop or be perceived as 'lazy'. She kept telling me to let it go, I kept telling her no. Then she shouted for another worker who was free to take me to the sick bay. I dont recall much from there to the sick bay when I looked up and noticed the nurse standing over me telling me to stay with her. She left then returned with a bottle of orange juice and told me I would have to drink all of it before I could get up. I sat there, defeated, in the sick bay. I felt hopeless.

My line lead came up to me and asked how many occurances I had. Zero. It had stood at zero for quite some time and I had planned on keeping it that way unless my daughter became sick, necessitating me to stay home with her. She had fully expected me to clock out and take the day off.

Regardless, I drank my orange juice, got my sugar back up. Then nurse came back in to check on me and said I looked less pale.

I got up, put my PPE back on and hobbled my way back to my work station. I still felt like crap - but I wasnt about to go out without a fight. The only way I was clocking out that day was on a stretcher. I worked the whole shift in a barely able to stand state. My co-workers kept asking if I were OK. At one point they were worried to the point they asked for a line boss to let me have a break. (I said no.)

I got home that evening looked in the mirror - I was a ghost. There was nothing there in my face. I took a shower, put my pajamas on and laid down only to wake up 2 hours later with a fever. I took a fever reducer and went back to sleep. The next morning I woke up with chills. And yes I went in to work in this state. I get there and the first thing they said was - youre going home, you look like s---.

Thanks for the compliment boss. They worked me off without an occurance against me. I return home at 6:30am and laid down on the couch and did not wake up until noon. I got up made some soup then I started feeling better.

After all of that, I have come to realize that in this workaholic world you have to draw the line somewhere and say enough is enough. No mas.

Even after all of that, the day I returned to work, I went back to my 10 hour shift. I needed (and still need) the extra money. I am willing to work til I crash for it.

Sadly, while I wish everyone, including myself, had the opportunity to rest and not feel the pinch of having done so, I can't.

My profession obviously does not pay that well, especially for a single parent. I can't rest because:
1.) I need out of the house
2.) I need the money
3.) I need the money to buy a vehicle
4.) I need the money to eventually return to my ungraduate studies at ATU.

If and when I return to school - I do intend to work a full time job on top of the added load of school work on top of everything else I do.

But in Jamies message posted on the Internet, I have realized that rest is a vital importance of obeying God. He commanded us to work, but also rest for our well being. Statistics continually show that exhaustion leads to poor work quality, weight gain and related health problems, as well as depression when it is extended out.

As I type this I am considering taking a position at a different company where they work 13 days on, and getting one off. Why? Because it would give me a means to try and accomplish my goals.

But right now my exhaustion is forcing me to end this post despite my mind wanting to drag it out further. I will continue this tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

1989

Ive had a flashback to 1989 today whilst picking up my DD from school today. I noticed a friend of mine from my school years was there picking up her two kids. I rarely see her as our schedules and pick up times are usually quite different but today we run into each other as we occassionally do. I noticed another girl in her car that looked vaguely familiar so I asked - "Who's your friend?" My classmate replied - "Oh that's Misty."

OH. MY. GAWD.

This Misty is my best friend from Kindergarten, my first friend that I made while riding the school bus. I offered her a seat and we clicked from then on. Unfortunately in 1995 tragedy struck as her great-grandmother who had been raising her and her younger brother from birth passed away. She then moved to her mother's house and in 1996 she transferred to another school. I have not seen her since 1996 - 12 YEARS!

I had seen her a previous week or two earlier at Taco Bell and thought to myself - 'That girl looks familiar but cant quite put my finger on it.' Then today BOOM. I was shocked as I had occassionally thought of her and wondered how her life turned out and after so many years just figured she probably wouldnt return to the area. I thought wrong evidently.

Right now I am trying to get us three girls together for a night to catch up over dinner. It has been ages since we three were able to sit down and talk. Wow. Time flies.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Snow and pinkeye

Yes you probably heard on your news that Arkansas was blanketed in snow on Tuesday March 4th. Well I have pics to show you - and this aint no light dusting either!
NOTE - to view the entire photo, simply click on it and will open up in a new window or tab.

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Yes we got that much snow! We had 9 inches in total officially and not farther north of here they got anywhere from 10-13 inches of the white stuff! Needless to say- schools were closed and work was cancelled. But it was fun to have a day off to play in the snow anyway.

Im looking out our back door now and there is still remnants of snow on the ground, and its rainng. And they are calling for more tonight and tomorrow! EEK! I have already missed two days of work already. First the snow day, and today because my DD has come down with pinkeye and is not allowed to return to school for 24 hrs after she has been on antibiotic eye drops, but I will blog about that later.

I sort of wish we get more snow - but thing is I have already missed two days worth of pay and if we miss another day then my check will not be worth the paper it is printed on. Oh well everyone has good weeks and bad weeks. Maybe next week we will make up for it- meaning we will be gauranteed working Saturday to get caught up on orders. I wouldnt be surprised if we had to work multiple Saturdays to get caught up. Oh well the way I see it is less time to spend the money Im working hard to make.

I hope everyone has had a good week!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Deaf Events for Arkansas

Starting today during the first week of every month I will be listing deaf events and happenings in Arkansas and border states.

I mayself cannot attend all of these, so dont feel obligated to go, but I do encourage you to attend these events if you're fluent in ASL and just wanna hang out and make some new friends. To get you guys started there is a Deaf Coffee Chat in Ft. Smith, AR at the Sweet Bay Coffee Co. Coffeehouse on Rogers Avenue. It takes place on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month from 6-11:00 pm. For more information vist: http://deafchatcoffee.com/html/arkansas/fortsmith.html

If you are not in Arkansas but are interested in joining a Deaf Coffee Chat in your area, click on the link below:
http://deafchatcoffee.com/

Also later this week I will be posting my first vlog given time permits it. It should be up by Saturday at the latest.

Added: The Breckenridge Theatre in Little Rock is now showing Open Captioned movies. Click the following link and scroll down to Arkansas to see what movies and their showtimes.
http://www.insightcinema.org/films_statesA-D.html

Sunday, March 2, 2008

New web cam!

Hey guys I have just bought a new web cam, after having much trouble with the last web cam. The problem was I tried installing it but the drivers would not take on my Vista OS. So I boxed it up and *attempted* to return it.

This is how it went: I went in and took it to customer service, then the lady said we had to take it back to electronics where they had to approve it. Well we get back there and we had to wait 10 minutes to get seen, finally someone comes to the register. Then I told him why I was returning it, then he said take it back to customer service, I thought WTF? They sent us all the way back here for that?

So I went back to customer service then the lady says 'Well for you to return this and get a gift card in exchage for it we need some ID.' I lost it right there, I wasnt about to start playing their game. I just looked at the lady and said - Dammit Ive walked all over this store trying to return this to get my money back and now your'e sending me back out the store for my ID? FORGET IT, I dont think you need my money that badly anyway, here's the cam do what you want to with it, I dont care, its a piece of shit anyway.' Then I gathered my daughter up, got the few things we actually needed and left. Needless to say I will not be returning to that Wal-mart and please heed this note:
NEVER PURCHASE ANYTHING ELECTRONIC FROM WAL-MART. Because it may not work, and when you do try to return it for a refund they make you jump through flaming hoops to do so, making you feel criminal in the process. The camera was tagged as legit Wal-Mart merchandise at the front door when I had to check it in for a return, it showed the purchase price shelf code, everything. You should be able to return it if it checks out that it's a legitimate product that the company carries.

But now I have since purchased a new camera from Staples, an entirely different store, and its a Logitch - an entirely different brand as well. And this time I checked for the 'Vista certified' sticker on the box to ensure that it would work, I have carefully kept the reciept and the box and all pieces in case I need to return it for whatever reason.

So in the future maybe I wil have some vlogs to share with you. Right now its 12:48 am and Im ready to start watching the insides of my eyelids for a while. Have a good day and I hope I will have more to post about in the future.