Saturday, November 15, 2008

Cardboard Testimonies

This entry doesn't need words. Just click on the video and watch. You will be moved.
-xD

Sunday, September 14, 2008

BREATHE!

Yes I finally got some time off to catch my breath. I did what Patrick Starr would do, absolutely nothing. Usually I am a fairly productive person, getting nearly everything done in a day. However, yesterday was different.

Yesterday, I didnt leave the house. Yesterday, I stayed in my pajamas all day. Yesterday, I didnt even turn the stove or microwave on. Yesterday, I fasted. Yesterday was the least productive day so far this year. I did absolutely NOTHING. But by 2:00pm I was starting to feel like I was going mad, because by 2:00pm my day is half over with. Up at 4:30, at work by 5, off work at 3:00, then off to either class or AWANA Clubs with my daughter by 4 or 5 in the evening.

But after working four six-day workweeks in a row, it was starting to take its toll on my body. I was to the point that I was literally waking up exhausted every morning. Where even brushing my teeth became a chore. With hypoglycemia, this doesnt bode very well at all. I made it through the weeks.

But this past week I didnt want to dissappoint my daughter, I kissed my incentive and a day of pay goodbye to take my daughter to the fair parade. But not only was I taking her to the parade - I was also having her ill-behaved cousin join us becuase his mother didnt want to take him. (That could take up another blog entry altogether later). So I spent all day Friday wrangling two pre-schoolers in the heat so they could enjoy the parade. My daughter was happy and that is all that matters to me.

This week only gets busier as I have my first test on Thursday night. Eek, this could be mind numbing - me and linear equations and their applications do not go well together. However, me and a 2 1/2 page rough draft for composition was WONDERFUL. If you haven't noticed, I like to write, I like to write well. Needless to say, I have nothing but straight A's in my compostion class. In Algebra, Im drowning in a suckhole of numbers and variables. I need a calculator that can solve all the variables for me. Just give me 'X' for Pete's sake!

But for tonight, Im going to sit back, watch a TV show or two, drink coffee then go to bed around 9:30 or 10. And back the grind at 4:30 in the morning. I finally got my much needed 3 day weekend, but at a cost I'm afraid.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Deaf Baptist has changed layouts again.

I grew tired of the dark page, and I think it was too much strain on the eyes so I opted for a new lighter layout that may or may not be better. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Also the widgets will be re-added tomorrow possibly.

I have been incredibly busy

Yes, I know it has been quite some time since I last posted an entry on here, but nonetheless I continue blogging on.

As you knew in previous posts, I had hopes of returning to school, well guess what - those hopes have materialized and I am now taking two courses at night at ATU - Russellville. I am taking composition and algebra. With me working full time, that is enough of a load to start with. I struggle with math as it is so I decided to pair it with an easy course such as comp so the stress isnt quite so much.

I go to class on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. Then my composition class is being taken online through the same school which helps. I hope to get these two courses knocked out this semester so that I can take comp II and Algebra for General Education requirements.

What am I going for you ask? I am working on getting my degree in English Education. I was previously a Journalism major. But I decided to switch as you know that journalism isnt exactly conducive to being a single mother.

So right now my week looks like this
M__________T_________W_____________T___________F
Work______Work______Work__________Work________Work
Class_____Check_____AWANA_________Class_____Football
_________ATU mail

WHEW! Plus I have had to work the last two Saturdays and my Sundays are booked solid everyweek, so I haven't really been able to catch my breath.

But today I finally got a breather, sort of. I went to work this morning, and there were no lights! I thought 'weird no lights'. I walked up to the group standing outside. There was no power whatsoever. So we ended up standing outside in the rain from 5:30 AM until 9:30 when they finally let us come home as we could not run any production. I was soaked. I had two options, either stand out side in the rain or go stand in the dark, stiffling break room where I couldnt see or breath. I decided to stay outside underneath the awning.

Due to no production today, that is a gauranteed full day of work on Saturday unless some of the chicken got too warm and they tossed it out, but I doubt it as the freezer is well insulated for this reason.

There is flooding here and if people do not show up for work in the morning and we run just a few lines, that also means we work Saturday, so this is just a bad week altogether to even plan anything for Saturday which I originally had - I was going to take my daughter to one of her friends birthday party Saturday afternoon and now we can't. I wont tell my daughter yet though until the sign is posted at work we are working on Saturday.

But I suppose the upside is that we stood outside and did nothing for four hours and got paid for it. Crazy.

Thats all for now, so I hope to have another update posted sometime soon.

Monday, August 18, 2008

A New Beginning.

Yes, it is that time of year again. Children return to the cool confines of schools across America, and parents return to the chaos of homework, athletics, and what have you not.

For me, this week also marks a new beginning. I, too, am also returning to school. More specifically to work on completing my Bachelor's Degree of Fine Arts, majoring in English Education. I plan to teach at the secondary level, where hopefully the majority of students will have matured a bit.

I formally begin classes on Thursday night, going two nights a week, while also taking an online course, through the same University.

So yes, I am a single mother working full time as well as completing college coursework, and I'm deaf. The upside is, that from here until Christmas, dull moments are going to be few and far between. I plan to start living at twice the speed of life. I'm tired of droning through life like a lemming doing only what it is commanded to do.

I want to have fun, I want to LIVE. Health problems and piddly paychecks be damned.

What do I plan to do? One put back money starting now to plan a HUGE week-long vacation for next summer. I may do a week long road trip or I may spend a week at a resort of some sorting, flying out and flying back.

Secondly, I want to really put a dent in that degree I'm working on. I dont want to be one of those people that spend 10 years going to school for a 4 year degree. Finishing that ONLY when my own child starts college. Not good. I want to better her life NOW while she's young enough to enjoy and realize that mom made every effort for her.

Third, I want to do something I've never experienced. For most people I have already done it all, seen it all, blah blah. But there's a couple things on my Life's To Do list I want to mark off this year.
A) I want to fly in an airplane. Yep, that's correct. I have never been on an airplane. Not that I'm afraid of heights, its just that I have never been presented the chance to experience it.
B) I want to see the ocean. I know its not far, and I could probably get there in a day, but once again I have never been presented with the opportunity to see it in real life for myself. I want to know what the salty air smells like. I want to know what it feels like to walk on a beach with waves crashing at my feet.

A new beginning, a step into the light. I feel like I'm on the edge of something wonderful. Wish me well in the new beginning hoping that I succeed in at least one thing.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Political Hogwash in my Inbox

Yes its an election year complaint. If you have email and you've got friends, you've likely been 'forwarded' these political smear campaign emails claiming that one or both of the nominees are the 'Devil'.

An example of such hogwash:
Subject: Who is Barack Obama?



whether our bleeding-heart, secular, Liberal friends believe it or not. This man fits every description from =the Bible of the 'Anti-Christ'!

I'm just glad to know that there are others that are frightened by this =man!

Who is Barack Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please
forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to
think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United
States...better heed this and pray about it and share it.

=
/> snopes.com
< =
/> http://snopes.com >' confirms this
is factual. Check for yourself.

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack
Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu ,
Hawaii , to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM
from Nyangoma-Kogel , Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from
Wichita , Kansas =20

Obama's parents met at the
University of Hawaii .
When Obama was two years old, his parents
divorced. His father returned to
Kenya . His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL
Muslim from Indonesia . When Obama was 6 years
old, the family relocate
to Indonesia . Obama attended
& nbsp;a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two
years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that
he is a Muslim . He is quick to point out that, 'He was once
a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.'

Obama's political handlers are attempting to
make it appear that that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this =
influence was
temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to
Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence =
over his
son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, =
introduced his
stepson to Islam. Obama
was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta .

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim =
terrorists
who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is =
politically
expedient to be a CHRIS TIAN when seeking major
public office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has
joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay
his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was
sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.
Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will =
he show any
reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their =
hearts, Obama
turns his back to the flag and slouches. Do you want someone like this =
as your PRESIDENT?

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential =
candidacy.

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside =
out, what
better way to start than at the highest level - through the
President of the United States , one of their own! The
Bible says 'He will come from among you!'

Please forward to everyone you know.

Would you want this man leading our country?

NOT ME!!!

=20
WITHOUT GOD, WE ARE NOTHING!!!=20

=20

=20



What turns me off altogether from the very get-go is the fact that the Subject line contains the name of a Presidential candidate.

Secondly, skimming down the email, it is ill-formatted. The links are not true links to http://www.snopes.com. Hovering your cursor over them reveals another source code or 'link source' that is questionable and therefore I do not click. It is simply formatted to fool one into clicking the link. This chaps my rear-end for two reasons, one of which is obvious - it discredits a reputable source of information by 'piggybacking' the name to a dubious source of information. This is illegal, and in the brick and mortar world - their have been civil suits and large law suits over this practice.

Reading the actual content reveals even more bull, best put on your waders because it is about to get thick!
It first states that Barack Obama 'fits every discription of the Anti-Christ' from the book of Revelations. I think someone has been spending WAAAAAAY too much time watching those cheesy 'Left-Behind' movie series from the late 90s. Its Hollywood, it is fabricated, cannot be issued as fact, simply prophesy. It is impossible to state the future as fact because it has not happened yet. No one can really say what the Anti-Christ will look like or will manifest itself as. A Presidential Candidate is just a sitting duck for this type of stuff. A perfect target for the media, sadly.

Before it even gets to the juicy content - it begs the reader to forward it to all of their friends before really even reading it and considering it's 'message'. People who blidly forward this junk should be banished from the Internet altogether.

Then it offers the fake links to snopes.com claiming that it is factual.

Then it states that his parents are Muslim and Atheist. For Pete's sake, does it matter what diety one's parent's worship? This is a very weak argument for the sake of the smear campaign put forth by the McCain supporters. One's parents can be Wiccans and yet the person of discussion (in this case it is Obama) can be a Christian. You're not BORN into Christianity, you have to ask your way into it according to the Scriptures. Ah yes, more political hogwash, and sadly using religion to justify their words. They'll answer for it soon enough.

His parents divorced at age two - his mother then remarried to a supposed 'radical' Muslim. Again who cares, this is polital poop and not much more. My above statements reaffirm why this information is yet another weak argument for the McCain supporters.

When Obama was 6 his family relocated to Indonesia and he attended a Muslim school as well as a Catholic School. DOES IT MATTER WHERE HE WAS EDUCATED? Indonesia has a very large Muslim population as well as a Catholic population. Just because he wasnt educated in the public school system or a private Christian school in the good ole US of A doesnt mean he necessarily adheres to the beliefs of the Muslims or Catholics. Here in America where we want to admit it or not, we have Muslim and Jewish children attending Catholic or Christian charter schools right here. Why? Because it boils down to the fact that the parents want the best education possible for their children. Now couldnt it have been that Obama's Momma and Step-father only wanted to ensure that he got the best education possible regardless of the religious affiliation of the school? Absolutely. Some people just don't want to admit this.

'He takes great care to hide the fact that he is Muslim and that he once attended a Catholic school.' Well gee golly molly! Could it simply be that he converted from Islam to Christianity? I think someone is just wanting to beat the dead Muslim horse some more just for the sake of argument.

The final bits that his advisors and campaign handlers are downplaying his Islam and his affiliation to the Church of Christ and etc. And that he does not show reverence for the flag and that he used a Koran to be sworn into office?

DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHEN WE'VE GOT GUYS BUSTING THEIR TAILS OVERSEAS?

The part about irreverence is hooey. And those throwing a hissy fit over whether or not Obama wears a silly pin need to get a life.

Those who start and send such emails should put their hands on the computer desk and give it a good shove and push themselves AWAY from the computer and learn to get their information from more reputable sources other than random emails floating into their inboxes as well as their posterior.

For those of you who send me such emails - I never read them, I simply toss them into the junk box without ever opening them. But for the sake of blogging I opened one today to use as an example in my blog. :)

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Neon Bird

Some of you may have noticed the neon bird widget at the footer of this page, if you haven't scroll down to the bottom for a moment to take a peek. It is a countdown ticker for a DVD release of Darren Hayes' 'Time Machine Tour'.

But you mostly notice the neon bird, the origami crane which is the main theme for the entire album and DVD series for this go around. (For the record he is possibly working on some new stuff, but nothing for sure yet, just a mention of being in between albums on his blog.)

Well if you go to www.neonbird.com, you can learn how to make an origami swan. (I have made a trio of them ranging from large to small.)

Darren has decided to launch an experiment of random kindness, and your left wondering what does origami have anything to do with kindness?

Well in ancient Japanese tradition, the unfolding of paper releases a wish to be fullfilled.

What you are supposed to do is, get some square paper and write a wish on it for a friend, a relative, or a random person. Then follow the instructions on neonbird.com on how to properly fold it. Once you have folded it, write 'A wish for you' on one of the wings then leave your swan in random places, mail it, leave it at their door step, office desk, anywhere. You can even directly hand them to their reciepients as a small gift.

I will continue practicing on a few more until I have gotten perfection with them. Once I am satisfied, I will purchase origami paper from a craft store then make several to send to the people I care about.

I will post photos of them before delivering them.

Also if you want to take part in the neon bird version, be sure to write 'www.neonbird.com' somewhere on the swan so that they will visit and hopefully 'register' their swans with th site.

There is nothing quite like seeing the smile of someones face when they receive a random act of kindness. This is just one unique way of saying/doing so. Be sure to check back for pictures in the next day or so.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Where You Want To Be

Yes this post is titled after a Darren Hayes song of the same title. As I listened to the lyrics thoughts and memories of close friends past came flooding in. Good times and bad times and intimate moments shared.

Out of the few friends I have made in life - I'm the one that's failed or so it seems. Am I jealous? Not really, but sometimes I wonder if they are really happy with what theyve ended up with. It terms of worldy measures of success and material things, yes these people went on to be very successful and I am glad they accomplished everything they set out to do. But I have stop and wonder - are they really where they wanted to be? Did they wait for love or did they settle for someone to hold?

I don't have much to offer in terms of money, or things, but I have my love to give and frankly to me, thats worth more than money or gold.

But at the same time, when people would imagine that I am content of where I've landed, and considering where I've been. I still feel this void that desires to be filled. I have this longing for something to make me whole, complete, a finished work. Something that can allow me to look back on my life and say 'Hey it was worth it and I'd do it all again to get right back here.'

Do I desire to go higher? Absolutely. Anything has got to beat being a single mother working in foodservice and given the rising cost of living, obviously cannot make it on her own, and consequently, setting her child up for the same fate becuase thats all the child knows. I want to better my life so that in turn I can better my daughter's life. That's my motive.

Where do I want to be? I don't know. I do know that I want to break free of the glass ceiling thats holding me in. For now is slow-going, almost feeling like Im trudging through a swamp in search of dry land.

What happened to my friends? We grew apart and Im sad that I don't have these relationships in my present life. During these relationships I had the best memories of my life and I felt like I was going places. But sadly, I turned a sharp left when I should have turned right. But that's life, sometimes it can be full of regrets and memories, could have beens, and hopes for a higher future.

Maybe someday I'll find another decent somebody to share my life with.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Time Machine Tour DVD Trailer released on YouTube.

Wow, if this is only a hint of what the DVD will entail, this will be money well worth spent.

Video: Sexy blender.

This was taken while on vacation in Texas, we were all up late and had clearly lost our minds when this was taken. Enjoy the laughs.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Im back from Texas!




Yes I have returned from Texas and I am glad to be back home, back in my own comfy bed. Ahhhh!






We planned to return today, but not in the way expected. One of my mates got sick due to some sort of airborne bug that gives you a VERY upset stomach and you're going from both ends. Well she stayed behind in Texas while me, my DD, and my friend's mom came back to AR. My friend's mom is headed back to Texas as we speak and will call in the morning to let me know she made it OK. I wouldve stayed, but



1.) I did not want me nor my DD to get sick from this bug.



2.) I was getting restless from having spent only 1 day out and about, the rest of the time was spent loafing or sleeping. Stuff I could have easily done at home. Im not pleased with the vacation overall.



3.) I was more than ready to get away from the controlling mother. (not me).






I did enjoy the time I was able to get out, but I just feel like Ive been used as a means to take someone else on vacation rather than getting a vacation of my own. I doubt I will ever return to this part of Texas given the circumstances and the interesting information Ive received and the things I have seen.






So I will simply put a list of photos here for you to view:




An old Victorian-era style house that is now a Bed & Breakfast.
Zoom of the lion's head on the B&B.
My DD and I posing on the train at the train museum.
An old stagecoach hotel in Denison, and yes it has actually been there since stagecoach times.
The photo of the train at the train museum.



Denison's official welcome sign.
My DD posing whilst outside playing with the other kids.
Another pose, this time in grayscale or B&W.
A really good Willie Nelson look-alike.
Logo of the local depot on the side of a train at the train museum.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower's birthplace. As you can see it is well protected from terrorists with a wooden fence, some bushes, and OMG even a chain-link fence! LOL.
Life size sculpture of a full grown horse.
Deer are the same size as real deer.
Life-size sculpture of a buffalo.

I wish I had more exciting bits to share, but sadly due to circumstances I do not. Maybe next year's vacation will be better.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Live from Denison, TX!!

Hello! We are live from Denison, TX via wireless Internet. Yesterday we departed from Danville at approximately 2:00 pm, and drove 8 hours to our destination.

We had four major stops along the way, with one being quite unexpected. My daughter's lunch did not agree with her just outside DeQueen, AR. That required an emergency stop on the side of the road for a clean up and a change of clothes. Thank the Good Lord that we had airconditioning. And let's just say that I will not be eating macaroni and cheese for quite some time. ICK!

Then we debated whether or not we should eat in DeQueen depending on how my daughter was feeling. Well, actually she felt better and even returned to her talkitive self and said she was hungry so we stopped at the 'Ranch House' Restaurant in town for some wonderful food. I had the Chicken Fried Steak and WOW!, it was good and I hate to admit this but the food there is better than alot of the food in Danville and some cases Russellville as well. Maddie had chicken and fries and ate quite well. My mates, Sharon and Juaniva both also had the chicken fried steak. Needless to say we left satisfied and wasn't hungry again until breakfast this morning.

We arrived in Denison around 11:00 pm, we unloaded, got cleaned up and went immediately to bed.

This morning was off to a jumpstart. Laying there in bed partially conscious I felt the pitter patter of feet running towards the door then BOOM!! I jump up to see a young boy of not more than 4 years and an older lady barreling through the door followed by my mate Sharon laughing hysterically. Appearently, the boy was told that someone was sleeping in there and curiosity beckoned him to look and see, his grandmother followed to try and stop him only she reached him only as he burst through the door. Startling at first but funny looking back on it.

This was only the start of many oopsies for me. I went to pour one my mates a cup of coffee only to pour coffee all over myself as well as the counter top as well as having coffee grounds all around. My mates laughing hysterically, we all agreed that if it were going to happen, it was going to happen to me. I still think it was rigged.

Later we went grocery shopping to pick up some needed items. We got a fun cart that was shaped like a race car, only it would not go into the direction guided into. 'Nanu' somehow managed to get it wedged into a shelf and I thought to help I should grab the front end and pull it over. Only when I grabbed it, the entire cab portion came off and I was left standing in the aisle holding a large piece of shopping cart. Several other customers around me saw the entire spectacle and one lady in a bright green shirt gave me a standing ovation and were laughing. I'm telling you whether intentional or not I am usually in the middle of the action. I put the piece back on and ensured it was snapped in place.

That was the last of the hysterics for the day and I will conclude this with photos from our day which included feeding chickens and a rabbit on the farm.




Giant maze on the Christmas Tree farm next door. It took us close to 15 minutes to complete it and find our way out.


my daughter feeding the baby chicks.

Maddie and 'Nanu' feeds the roosters and hens in the laying pen.
Maddie feeding the little chicks again.Farm fresh eggs for cooking - YUM!



Roosters (above and below)


Oreo the farm bunny.

Monday, May 19, 2008

What to pack in carry-on and what to pack for the luggage??

Ah 3 days til the day of departure. Its not so much that I dont have enough luggage for everything its just the sorting out what needs to be packed in a carry-on bag for the cab and what needs to go in the luggage in the truck bed.

I have since invest $10.00 USD for a device that is basically a backpack for your seat and the person in the back seat has access to it. Why? Because I need to take several things that will keep my DD occupied for those lulls in conversation during a road trip. I will have her coloring books and some crayons, an activity set, as well as some short picture books for reading. No movies, no DVD player, nada. I dont want her growing up feeling like she has to constantly be plugged into something to feel human. (I honestly feel robotic when I'm running around work wearing my iPod.)

I will be taking the laptop in order to provide a daily summary of events whenever possible as well as uploading photos to share. My problem is this: with the small icechest in the cab between the back seat and the transom, my Sony DSC-H7 Camera (It is a full-size camera, not a wimpy P&S)in the bag of course with its accessories and a spare memory stick. My tripod, my laptop and its accessories, plus the overly priced, overy done 'auto safety kit' I absolutely had to buy (not my idea folks) when I could have put one together myself for less than half the price of the one I bought. Sometimes those package deals arent such good deals after all.

Where and how am I going to fit all of this in? These are items I dont feel safe just leaving in the bed of my truck- these are high dollar valuables I have worked my tail off for. Well I can easily leave the safety kit in the truck bed and not worry, I mean who is going to steal a safety kit anyway? Mr. Safety?

Right now - I'm trying to figure out how to get all of my needed laundry done so that come Thursday night all I have to do is pack and gather essential items and toss it in the back of the cab before I go to bed so that I am all set for Friday morning. Get up go to work, volunteer out, come home change out of my work clothes, change into travel clothes, get gas, get my mates, cash our checks, get my DD, then were off.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

ROAD TRIP!!

OK Today begins the countdown to my road trip to Texas. We are planning to leave Friday morning, and Friday afternoon at the latest. We are headed to the Witchita Falls area of TX, specifically the suburbs of Denison. The vehicle of choice is my 2001 Ford SporTrac, dubbed, 'Bubba'. So any future references of the SporTrac will simply be 'Bubba'.

The overall driving time will be around 8 hours so it will be done straight through, with one major stop in De Queen, AR for a late lunch or dinner, again depending on the departure time.

I will try to keep the blog updated throughout the trip, from the countdown to the departure day as well as the trip itself. I will include vlogs and photos where possible using my Sony DSC-H7.

Until the next entry I leave you with a link of some tourism information of the area I will be visiting.

City of Denison, TX.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Guest Vlog: Access to ALL music WARNING: not suitable for children.

First the video:



Commentary by me:
Finally! Something from the same old 'let's-interpret-hymns-for-the-deaf' to something that some if not a lot of deafies like. Not all deafies are holy rollers, some are hardcore and love it. Don't get me wrong I believe in Jesus Christ and spreading His word, but sadly it's often thought of as a 'new' idea when in fact interpreting only 'nice' music to the deaf has been around for decades if not centuries. Also I dont share the same views and perspectives as Manson, but I do believe in keeping an open mind to new experiences.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The State of Connection

As I sit here sipping my coffee, I catch a glimpse of a show on National Geographic. An entire hour long prime time slot is dedicated to a popular video on YouTube called 'Battle at Kruger'.

I realize that our need to stay connected at all times has become the norm, even when we feel the need to disconnect ourselves we often feel that we would be missing something if we did.

Cell phones, laptops, internet, tellyboxes, and iPods in our earholes. If we are not plugged in to some sort of electrical device we feel naked. Welcome to the 21st century.

In recent times, you tube videos have made national news headlines of teenage girls ganging up on one of their unlucky classmates and beating them to a pulp.

Others are of teenagers protesting the lack of an adequate skating park in Hot Springs AR.

MySpace, YouTube, Google, and Hotmail.

We have 26 gazillion ways to connect to each other. And 26 gazillion ways for those whom we do not want to have contact with to contact us (or at least attempt to). For the latter, thank god there are 'delete' buttons for this, as well as the 'decline' buttons on Facebook.

These are the times that anyone can be published online via Blogger, Wordpress, and others. The day to day documentation of the life of Joe Blow.

What would happen should the lights go out? Would we just stare blankly at our tellyboxes or would we begrudgingly engage in conversations with our housemates? Would we pull out the board games of decades ago and drag the kids in from their rooms for a family game night?

No, I dont think so. I think we would wander aimlessly in our minds searching for something to feed it to entertain it while we take on our day to day tasks. We would dust off the books from our bookshelves and read them before we realized the best storylines come from reality. The best entertainment can only happen in real life.

I pity those who are lonely and have shut themselves in to the Internet believing the world is at their fingertips. The information about the world at their fingertips, but the experiences of that world lie just outside their doors.

We live in more than just states of a nation, we live in a state of connection becuase rarely do you meet someone that doesnt at least have cell phone and/or an internet connection.

Sometimes I wonder if man would go mad should he find himself completely disconnected with the modern means. Instead having to rely on mail from the mailbox and having to wait several days for a reply versus having an instant reply.

Friday, April 25, 2008

New Truck

Yes that is correct I have purchased a new truck. I settled on the gold 2001 SporTrac and it is nice! I paid $3,000 USD down and my monthly payments are $145 USD a month for 30 months. Not a bad deal! Not only that I traded my green monster in for $200 USD from the dealer and this is the sad part - the dealer said "It would cost more to fix it that what it is worth." and I agree with him 100%. While the green monster was pretty beat up she was more reliable than she looked. The sad part? Her blue book value was less than what I make a week at work.

Pic of the green monster the only one I have on photobucket:


And photos of my new ride: a 2001 Ford SporTrac






I am very happy with it. It handles well and rides very smooth. I love the bed extension as well as the power point in the truck bed, the power windows and even the back glass is automatic. It is an automatic v6 engine and gets 21 mpg, not bad for a sport utility truck or SUT. I love everything about it. I have gotten compliments on it ranging from cute, sweet, and sexy which is giving me mental visions of a Victoria's Secret model, lol. Now that I have a vacation coming up the week of May 26th I will have some time to enjoy my new ride. Im very proud of it.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Truck Shopping Day 1

Yesterday was day one of truck shopping. We found not one or two of what I was looking for, but four of them. One of the models we looked at was a supernice 2004 model SporTrac, XLT edition, cloud white in color and very few miles. Asking price $19,995 - way outside my budget range - but the sting of the price was enough to turn me off to it.

Second model was a 2001 SporTrac, metallic tan in color 97000 miles on the sucker and not to mention a few dings and dongs in the body. It is obviously used but not abused. Asking price is $6,995. Very affordable - we are looking at monthly payments of less than $200 a month for 30 months. Considering the damage Ive done to my current vehicle I can live with a few dings and dongs and high mileage. I test drove it and it runs smoother and is perfectly aligned unlike what I have, but it's stuff I can live with if need be.

The third one is one that the dealership has not yet put out on the lot for sale yet, but rather one theyve had for about 2-3 days and are waiting to have it detailed and checked before it goes on the lot, normal car dealership stuff, but I am going to keep an eye out for that one for the next week or two.

The fourth one we we looked at was a 2005 SporTrac, black in color, 35000 miles, asking price is $18,500 - sales tax paid. It was very clean and very few dings and dongs but one problem, the battery was dead in it. That right there put some red flags up Im tempted though thinking I can get the dealer to replace the battery but it could be more than just the battery so Im mentally pinching myself everytime I think about it. I dont want a lemon on my hands.

So far that is what we have found and the one we are looking the closest at is the 2001 tan color model going for $6,995. We have already made an offer but we are going to let them sit on it for a day or two and see what happens next. Dad will be contacting them about it tomorrow.

My heart isnt set on anything yet until I find an exceptionally good deal that would be ludicrous to pass up. We have also looked on the Internet as well as newspaper ads and I have suckered an uncle into looking around Little Rock for me. Hopefully in one of these avenues something will turn up.

I will continue to keep the progress posted as we go along.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Sick

Update: I have finally been notified of a source confirming that this in fact a hoax, but it sure did get a lot of upheaval. I feel like my pants have been pulled down and my posterior slapped in order to make some sort of cheap point that people will react to what they are told to like sheep. G. Vargas ultimately did feed and water the dog and was released to the streets where it was originally captured. This could have had a better ending, but maybe somone in Costa Rica has spotted this dog on the streets and taken it in. At least it would be one less starving dog on the streets.


G. Vargas, also known as 'Habacuc' has garnered worldwide attention for using a dying dog as an art form. Story goes that he paid two boys to capture this malnourished and sick dog from the streets and he took it to a museum to be a part of an art exhibit.

His exhibit was titled 'You are what you eat.' The letters were made entirely of dog food. He tethered the dog into a corner and left it there for days without food or water and in obvious need of urgent medical care.

Was this an exhibit to bring awareness to the starving and abandoned animals in his country? NO. The exhibit was entirely done to memorialize a criminal that was mauled by two Rottweilers that were trained to protect property.


This man is sick and twisted beyond comprehension. Despite pleas from exhibit visitors to free the dog, he refused the release of the animal.

Why does an innocent creation of God have to suffer so needlessly at the hands of humans? He has been invited to represent his country of Costa Rica at the 2008 Bienal Centroamericana Honduras and repeat this act of cruelty as an art form.

Please sign the petition to ban him from the event - the more signatures the better!
Sign the Petition


Below are photos of this so-called 'art exhibit' *WARNING - photos may be graphic to some audiences*






Get the word out - make sure everyone you know, also knows about this disgusting form of abuse, conveneinently disguised at 'art'.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The silliest things people have said...

OK this is something I can no longer ignore. Over the course of the last several weeks I have heard many stupid comments in abundance from random people. Some of the best I've heard recently? Read on.

1. Them:'I am thinking about getting a part-time job at the hospital working just one day a week for some extra money.'
Me: 'Oh you are huh?'
Them: 'Yeah, but I just feel so tired, I hope Lisa (last name witheld) lets me go home today though.'
Me: 'Wouldnt it just be easier for you to work everyday at your one job rather than try to get a one day a week part-time job along with your 5-6 day a week job?'
Them: 'What?'

2. Them: You know what was wrong with the baby?
Me: What?
Them: The doctor said she is allergic to eggs.'
Me: Oh that's too bad then, no green eggs and ham for them, eh?'
The next day- Them: (same person) You know what was wrong with the baby?
Me: She's allergic to eggs?
Them: No, she had an infection.
Me: Oh well I hope she gets better.
The next day - Them: (Same person) You know what was wrong with the baby?
Me: No - but Im sure its different than the last two maladies.
Them: The doctor said she may have a stomach virus and she threw up all over the bed 5 times last night.
Me: Well then I feel sorry for the both of you.
The next day - Them: (Same person) Do you know what's wrong with the baby?
Me: Yes I do - she suffers from an overly dramatic and incompetent caregiver that cannot assimilate the truth and may or may not suffer from a mental disorder in which she uses untruthfulness and storytelling to gain sympathy and pity from others.
Them: What?

3. Them: I think I may be pregnant
Me: Oh, thats not good.
Them: Yeah a guy tried to rape me.
Me: Oh, did he actually penetrate?
Them: No but he tried to take my clothes off and he beat me with a cane pole from down by the river.
Me: Oh was this an immaculate conception?
Them: No, I was on birth control!

4. Also after having read a certain blog which I will not name for privacy reasons, the author stated that earning a doctorate degree was likened to having a job - only problem is this - the author to my knowledge has never held down a job, nor even needed to hold down a regular 40 hour per week job. Uhhh the only rebuttal I can offer is this - come down to PJP with me bud and work line 10 cutting shoulders for a while, then let's compare that sitting in a chair reading books all day to standing on a stretched aluminum stand on concrete floors for 8 hours a day 5-6 days a week. And you have to cut shoulders all day - there is no rotation of line jobs each round like there is at other companies. Oh and by the way your surrounded by non-English speaking immigrants and crabby middle aged menopausal women for line bosses. I don't know about you, but I would much rather go for earning the doctoral degree rather than spend my life cutting poultry.

Thats my top 4 for now. I will add more silly sayings as I get them. There must be something in the water though because Ive been getting alot of them as of recently.

Monday, April 7, 2008

I'll Bet He Was Cool

The other day while listening to this song on the iPod via the car stereo I got to thinking - what would Jesus be like today?

Darren Hayes took a funny twist on that - but I can honestly see Jesus doing some of that.

Darren asks "What would happen if He just passed you by?
Would you be scared?
Would you believe in Him?
Or would bust your asses to get him institutionalized?"

What would I do? Hmm Id would probably turn into a teenaged girl again, point at Him and say "OMG - Its JESUS!", and then fall over flat. LOL.

Would I be scared? Probably not since He comes in peace - at least for me anyway.

Would I believe in Him - I'd be pinching myself or having my occipitals checked but yeah I would believe in Him!

Would I try to get Him institutionalized? Well if I didnt know I was looking at Jesus then yeah I would probably think he's just another religous nut walking down the street and would be better served in the State Hospital. We have alot of religious nutcases walking around today claiming to be Jesus, so Im hoping he can differentiate himself from the rest of them or risk being put in jail.

Would he wear Tommy Hilfiger or Urban Outfitter? No, I dont think so, both of those are outdated and so 90's. Would he like Gaultier? Them high-dollar threads, yep! Who wouldn't? But knowing Jesus, we would never find him in that, but he'd like it if he tried it.

Would he be good looking? Uhh as the son of the most beautiful Man in the universe, uhm hands down He'd be way better looking than George or Brad. Would he smell divine? Well I dont know but Im not sure if Jesus would be the type to wear cologne, but if he did what would He wear? I know what he wouldnt wear and thats anything by Britney! HA!

Would He movie star? I think so - but one of those that donates to charities and spends time in 3rd world countries during vacations - kind of like a male counterpart Angelina Jolie. I can see Him adopting kids from the worst situations in the poorest countries. I can see Him working in soup kitchens to bring awareness to the homeless problem in developed countries. I can see Him working as an ambassador to end the violence in the Middle East.

He was a celebrity in His heyday - what makes anyone think He wouldn't be celebrity now? At least He would be one of those sane celebrities, the ones you never read about in the grocery store tabloids.

What would it feel like to stand next to Him? Darren compared it to standing next to Elvis Presley - but Elvis is dead and not returning. I think standing next to Jesus would be like standing next to Hillary Clinton but multiply that feeling by one million. Everyone knows Hillary, not everyone likes her, but most people wouldn't mind meeting her just for the simple fact she's something of celebrity.

Yeah I bet He was cool. Can't wait to see Him in this life.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Drama and more drama

IF you are a member of AllDeaf.com forums you probably know what this post is about. Now I admit I am not one that likes to post about 'he said she said junior high' type drama, but because this seems to be the highlight of everyone's day why not?

A year ago myself and others had sent donation money to AllDeaf to help make improvements and to keep it running. However one member has gone to say that the donated money was used to purchase a Les Paul guitar. The fact that we sent him money and he comes up with Les Paul guitar isnt necessarily evidence of fraud, however if the money he sent was never used towards the forum and instead used for personal recreation then that would be where the problem lies. That just means the person I sent my money to for a donatio towards the forum was not a good steward of the trust placed in them. There is no way of proving or disproving this theory. If its a false claim thats what it is, a false claim and nothing more.

In the last 12 months there has been alot of drama going on behind the scenes that I and other members were not aware of. I knew that the AllDeaf Caucus and the AllDeaf cruise had been cancelled 'due to not enough money raised'. I never really had any serious intentions of attending either one due to my personal financial limitations - I simply could not afford it. That was fine with me. I wished everyone who were able to go a good time.

Appearently someone was stuck with a large bill. When I heard about this I felt bad, but I did nothing nor did I say anything because I did not want to become involved in the mess.

Well recently Alex posted a thread that there would be additions made to the moderating team, three new mods were introduced after much waiting then just like that 3 other mods were abruptly demoted and banned. No warning, no idea that anything was going on, just poof and they were no more.

I received an email tha AD (AllDeaf.com) had come 'under attack' and that it was dubbed 'Black Wednesday' You may find more on this here: DreamDeaf's Blog.

After reading the vlog's, blogs, posts, and chats with other members I have concluded that this was all over a $100.00 debt. $100.00?!?! Come on! There are worse things to have a fit about. Sure $100 is $100. In buisness you just have to take a loss and move on. Nothing more.

It sounds to me like all of this could have been avoided had someone take better records of finances. All of this could have been avoided had someone just let it go and not hold on to a grudge for so long that it has allowed them to become bitter. All of this could have been avoided had someone just realized that you are going to have to take some losses in life and just move on.

In the meantime I am not going to take sides as I feel that I have not yet gotten the complete story from all sides. When I do I will then decide my future on AllDeaf.com.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Anything and Nothing

I've been in sort of a funk lately in regards to my spirits. It's like Ive been muted emotionally. There are several things to chalk it up to, but mainly it is because of a person that is so irritating that it actually stresses you out just thinking about them. I have one of these people at work. Every morning I walk into work to start the day and automatically they are within three inches of my face. On Monday of this week, I was assigned a different workstation for the day due to absentee workers and I felt relieved to actually have been moved from one side of the building to the other to get away from this certain person.

No, this wasn't enough to keep them at bay. They came to me on their break and searched me out to converse with me. For a normal person just wanting a quick chat about something actually important it wouldn't be so bad. BUT this person was standing so close to me, I was moving over a few inches to gain a little bit of space. But everytime I moved to the left a few inches, the person in question also moves over to the left a few inches. Eventually I was wedged between the machine and a lug of product (wet raw product mind you). My right foot was on the edge of the footstand, and my left foot was on the foot of the machine. I finally got to the point I could not move over anymore so I started leaning over a bit. Finally this person said they gotta go but not without a slap to the back. If this was a significant other, I really would have not minded the bonus opportunity to cuddle a bit but when it's someone you try to avoid - it's very abrasive I guess you could say.

If this person was given the chance they would spend all day every day with me and fry my brain quite thoroughly. It is bad enough I have to spend 8 hours a day with them - but 24, 48, forever? No thanks, I'll pass on that.

Short of elbowing them sharply in the diaphragm, does anyone out there have a suggestion in dealing with this type of person?

I try to be nice, and nicely drop hints but this person is simply not getting it. I wish I had my spine when I need it most when I could just tell this person off and be done with it. But oh no this person is the type that needs to be handled delicately. Yup that kind.

So with the thought of that I have started thinking about 'getting away'. If it weren't for the financial reasons - I would be far from here living my life in London. Yes London. Im a Brit at heart despite my Southern American upbringing.

My style of clothes clearly depict that inward Brit. I consider myself Southern with a touch of English delicacy thrown in. In recent months I have come to realize that clothes do matter, and I like clothes that are made beautifully. Like, used to I would be content in jeans and a t-shirt and maybe flip-flops. As late as 3 years ago, my style was maniac like you really couldn't figure out what I was trying to do. But to be honest most days I would roll out of bed and throw on the nearest thing that smelt clean and went out.

Now - I stil do the same for my work clothes, but for my going out clothes it's different. For instance right now I am wearing a light blue tuxedo shirt underneath a black Beatles t-shirt, with the blue shirt tucked in. Along with that are a pair of dark colored khaki pants (Levi's) and a pair of leather oxfords in brown. I have it nicely accented with a watch that has a wide leather strap but the face sits over the strap rather than between two seperate straps (which I refer to as 'traditional timewear') - the stlye is contemporary I guess you could say. I top it off with a plaid ballcap from American Eagle or style up my hair in a messy but clearly meant to be that way sort of look.

My wardrobe is stil undergoing a renovation though - but Im finding that more times than not my choosings from the store have an English look to them whether it is leather oxfords, a sweater, or a Beatles t-shirt - but the way it is put together however is American.

While we are on the thought of England - I have a travel map I inserted (hoping this will work) to show you where I have been in the Lower 48 states and where I want to visit in those states and abroad.


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.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Free At Last! DEBT Free At Last Thank God I am DEBT Free at last!

Yesterday I sent off my final payment for my student loan - I feel so ridiculous with these things. I went to university for only one year and it has taken me nearly 5 years to pay off the bill.

While Im happy that Im debt free surely there has got to be a better way to complete a college education without having to go into serious debt to do so. This is almost as expensive as buying a house. While not everyone should complete a degree - it is however becoming increasingly more difficult for those who are ready for university to complete their degrees. Often they run out of money before completing their degrees and end up working factory jobs for several years paying off the bills before being able to return, some simply never return despite their longing and desire to return and finish what was started.

Its also becoming easier for those NOT ready for college level course-work to enter college, this doesnt add up, this doesnt make sense.

I wish the government could step in and put a cap on the price tag of a college education for certain universities where tuition has increased dramatically - this can be done for state colleges, but not so for private universities which receive their funding from private donations (often from ridiculously rich alumni and tuition paid by the families of trust fund students).

What also bugs me is the fact that many students entering college are shying away from the educational field primarily because when they sit down and do the math they realize they cannot effectively be independent upon graduation because the educational system does not pay teachers well enough despite the heavy burden placed on them and the overwhelming amout of paperwork and student track reports required for each individual student. Teaching is no longer the main job of being a teacher, its now more of a side requirement with paperwork taking up the majority of the time spent at work. Alot of would-be educators are now considering options such as law-school, management positions at certain buisnesses, or even blue collar factory work, simply because for the amount of hours worked, it pays better.

I myself, have given much consideration of entering the educational field to work with deaf/hoh students, but I may also want to teach at post-secondary level institutions. At that level I can teach and share information with students who are willing to learn. I have also considered mass communication and media relations as an option given my love for the written word.

No matter which route I am led to take - I do hope to complete a bachelor's degree as well as obtaining a master's degree.

But before all of that can take place - there is one thing left to do - I have to buy me a new truck! ;)

Friday, February 22, 2008

Photography

As some of you know I am interested in photography and wouldnt mind doing it for a living if I could. I have posted alot of these photos on chats and some included in emails, but this is a collection of my personal favorites. Some are taken with a point and shoot camera, and the others were taken with a Sony DSC H7 camera which is a step down from a full on dSLR but is a step beyond your typical point and shoot. The Sony allows more control, but also has a fully automatic setting as well as a fully manual setting too. Please enjoy the photos.

* = taken with a point and shoot (Pentax Optio)
** = taken with Sony DSC-H7 (Cyber-shot)

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