Holidays are Hard!!!!!

For many years now, I haven't been looking forward to the holidays. I'm usually happy right up until the moment comes when we arrive at a family member's house. It's so hard for my son to get adjusted to so many people. When I finally get him inside of someones house, he takes off, to find him a quiet place.

Which is fine, but everyone starts to bother him when they realize he's there. They ask him questions, when they know he won't answer. They try to get him to come out when they know he's not coming. They overfeed him because they know he loves food! Jeez! Here we go again....

Happy Holidays Everyone.

Aiding and Abetting?

Scenario: Your ex-boyfriend, whom you haven't spoken to in over three years suddenly gives you call out of nowhere...you're chitchatting away for over an hour, then you realize..wait one minute...you're in jail! How are you talking on the phone for so long? He then tells you....I have a cellphone....WTF!

What do you do?

I overheard a woman in the restaurant describing the above-mentioned scenario. I could have choked on my steak! In a nutshell, she talks to her 'boyfriend' everyday on his cellphone and they exchange pictures weekly on Face Book.....OMG! He's in jail!

Apparently, this is not news to anyone I asked. They've heard of people who've had cellphones in prison. Wow!

If inmates can get away with this...what is the state of our country? Another question is...is she aiding and abetting?

Hold, please...your wait will be worth while:)

*In a nice female robotic tone*



Its now been five minutes since you've been waiting...our reps will be sure to apply a five dollar credit to your account.....Its now been 15 minutes...our reps will be sure to apply a 15 dollar credit to your account...Its now been 30 minutes...our reps will be sure to apply a 30 dollar credit to your account, and we will launch an internal investigation into WTF is going on so important that they can't get to you in a timely fashion! You are our most valued customer.<<<<<<<<Lol!

Cosmetic Surgery...Nope! I'll deal with MY BIG NOSE!

Ever since I can remember, I've had body image issues...If that's what you'd want to call it. The people I know call it 'having a complex'....I've had this problem for as long as I could remember. I was called 'big-nose'...'high-yellow' 'big-butt' (the latter is not a huge problem these days, people pay for what I have)...but those and a host of other names are what I believe led me to be haunted by this so-called 'complex'.
The image to the right, is me of course...my nostrils are huge...I have a big nose. So big, that I refrain from taking pictures as much as possible because all I see is NOSE. I can't seem to find anything positive about the picture...all I see is nose. I know...I know...I watch TYRA, and she says that you are not supposed to take pictures from below the nose, but....I was just trying to make a point...I have a big nose.
The weird part about it is, I don't think I'm ugly. It's just that for some 'freakish' reason, I think that when I take a picture, my nose grows 5x's bigger than it was before I snapped the shot. I'd be posing for a picture which I think has to be cute because that's the way I was feeling at the time...then POW! An ugly picture comes out...my NOSE has taken up the entire shot...lol (major exagerration, but you get the point.)

Although I have a big nose, I would never dream of getting a nose job. I will deal with my nose as it is...I was born with it. I'm not a fan of cosmetic surgery....I'm not that vain, but some people are so traumatized by certain body parts, they will result to surgery to fix what they deem as problems. Here is my motto: "Get it how you live." That just means it you are find with it, and that works for you. Go for it!

Personally, I don't know anyone who has had cosmetic surgery...neither for medical or vanity reasons. It's not a normal thing amongst my family and friends....but I understand that is the norm in various parts of the country, even in parts of the state where I'm from.

So, I did a little research. It's not scientific...heck...I don't even know if its true, but I wanted to find other African Amerian women who had nose issues, but the most information I could come up with in such a short amount of time is this website about black celebrities who've allegedly had rhinoplasty. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but...hey, I'm a blogger not a real journalist...lol...

I made sure I put allegedly because there are too many false stories going on around the web as it is...

Here is the link...whadda u think?

http://www.africanamericanrhinoplasty.com/rhinoplasty_celebrity.htm

Faith Restored....

I'm finally done with my classes at PSC, it wasn't as hard as I originally thought it would be, but I'm glad I came out with good grades. My faith is learning has been restored. I owe a great deal to two of the best instructors I've had throughout my entire educational career. Professor Fogarty and Kim Heintz Chou....really engaging instructors. Professor Fogarty really gave some thought provoking lectures, really made me interested in learning....and teaching.

I could have applied myself much more but I have a unique living situation....I have no complaints and some in my situation may feel 'unraveled' most times, but I keep it together most times, or at least I think I do....I'm a caregiver...a mom...a business owner...a student...this and that....

My son has autism...(broad word)...AUTISM...THERE I SAID IT. I hate that word. I deal with it, because that's the label that he's been given.

You know for a long time, I couldn't even look at words that resembled AUTISM. ARtistic....ARtist...AUtomatic...AUtomobile...I couldn't bear to look at them....

I would change the channel on the television, shut off the radio...and cry......long...cry hard....cry silently....cry loudly, EVERY SINGLE TIME...I heard the word.....I faded into black! All the while smiling as if I felt good inside....

I went into a place where I didn't even recognize myself. MY son was gone.....at least that's what I thought, I was mournig him....shit! He wasn't the same boy I knew. Fuck! He was saying his alphabets in Spanish before turned 1. He was reciting the Preamble...you should have heard it....his little baby voice..."We the people, of the United States"....I was so proud of him...we would all crowd around him. Ask him to say it again...we'd ask him to say his ABC's in Spanish, we'd ask him point out all the things he recognized around the house....then he turned 2.

He was different...remember...I said above that I faded into black...well, I pushed certain things into the darkness that I never got back, but when he turned 2...he was different. His speech pretty much disappear, he started walking on his toes...I knew...I knew...I knew it...

Funny thing is, I knew it, I felt that fucked up word called AUSTIM when he was talking....So, fast forward a year...now he's three. After the incognito early intervention....I panicked! It was time for school! I WASN'T READY FOR THE LOOKS...THE ASSUMPTIONS...THE RIDICULE...THE WHISPERS...THE ACCUSATIONS....I got it all...

NO need to bash..NO need to blame...BUT it was a terrible experience...then, I had a revelation! I drug MYSELF out of the darkness and decided to help myself...so that I could help my son....I started reading...reading...researching...reading...talking (as much as I could, I'm not a big talker...lol)...the point is I became proactive...I found my son a place that offered what I felt was the best education/therapy for him. I'm happy with this place, but its funny how something so little can influence how one lives their lives...

After researching facts, talking to my doctor...I wanted to start my son off on the GFCF diet...I ordered supplements and other things to help aid us...I prepared his meals...yada...yada...yada...then I sent a letter to the school explaining to them that I was doing this, with the blessing of his doctor and I was met with opposition! MY son...MY responsibility...needless to say...I was pissed....Anyway...to make an already LONG story short, I made a small difference in the way my son was eating at school.

After that point, I was a little frustrated...I decided that I want to learn how to teach my son myself....thing is...I've always wanted to be a teacher, but I gave up on it long ago....

It resurfaced because of my son...I want to teach Special Education....BUT I also want to teach English...Social Studies...Literaure...or History. I'm conflicted! I want both....Maybe I can do both somehow...I do know that I will do what is best for my son.

Anyhow....my story is not over...I will teach....God has given me the strength to pull myself out of the darkness...I'm positive that when the time comes, my choice will be easy to make.

My faith is restored...

Confessions of an Insomniac

Oftentimes, my brain goes into over-drive. I find myself swamped with many things to do, many ideas, but...they ideas are going off in my brain..*pow, pow*, like little cannons that won't defuse. I'm on the verge of finishing up some things that I need to do, but there is absolutely nothing I can do about the scatter brain symptoms that I am experiencing this night/morning....

***Whoa...I just erased one longest, sleep-blogging sentences ever***

Time for me to go to sleep...

B. Vikki Vintage

Okay so, I'm writing on my blog for the Ed. class that I have, and my attention-deficit kicks in...I start wandering around on Blogger, something I rarely do, and somehow I come across B. Vikki Vintage, hence the aforementioned title...ha!

I go onto her blog because I blown away....I, we are so much into the same things, I can't even believe it! The pictures of her family, the clothing from the 50's and 60's..and the other items had me so intrigued. It fascinated me so, that I went onto twitter, and followed her, and the caption says she from my hometown...wow! I don't get excited much....this has me thrilled.

Anyhow...I must get back to my assignment now. I will be sure to follow B. Vikki Vintage very closely....I have a resale shop of my own...I very interested in opening another...geared towards vintage items only....I'm SO excited...I know...*lame*

ED 160A: Great Class...I recommend it.

Years ago, I thought I wanted to get into Computer Information Systems (CIS). I'm not sure why, but I do know that everybody and their mothers was jumping on the 'computer' band wagon at the time--I didn't want to be left behind so I jumped on too! All I knew was that I was fascinated with the idea of learning all about the computer and its components, but I didn't know which--CIS or C ++ programming.



Ultimately, I chose CIS. I took a couple of CIS classes and they were HORRIBLE. The class descriptions always read 'hands-on'....there was nothing hands-on about the experience! The instructor, (had him twice) was hands-on with his computer while he had the class reading from the book and answering the chapter questions. When he felt like interacting with us, HE READ DIRECTLY FROM THE BOOK....WORD FOR WORD! I began to get 'Charlie-Brown' syndrome after while (wah, wah, wah)....I can't stand to be bored in class, especially as an adult. Needless to say, I was turned off by the idea of taking another 'computer' class, so I changed my major...



Fast forward a couple of years, here I am majoring in Education. When I read the class description I was obviously reluctant because of my previous experience with 'computer' classes, but I enrolled anyway...not knowing what to expect.

Fast forward again, to the end of the semester.....



I'm happy to report that I really enjoy the class. I was just the opposite of what I assumed it would be like. I scanned over the text book before the class begun, so I had all kinds of awful thoughts about what to expect. Truthfully speaking, I thought the instructor would be boring, and out-of-touch...it was awful for me to have such preconceived notions, but I based my ideas on my experience throughout my previous years as a student.

Again, I really enjoy the class. My favorite part of the class would be just what I didn't get in my previous classes, that hands-on experience. The instructor knows what she is teaching, and she is ready and open to answer any all questions that are brought to her.

She is very engaging with us, it helps when an instructor gets to the matter at hand instead of spending a lot of time of lecture that escapes our memories as soon as its over...

I don't have any major hang-ups about the class, but my least favorite part would be loss of points. If I didn't receive full credit for something, it was my fault...on two occasions, I lost points for something that drove me nuts...

FIRST OCCASION, I lost points on my brochure, or newsletter (I forgot), but I didn't sign my name in cursive...I absent-mindedly, put my name in the font that I thought most resembled my style of writing...I rarely use cursive, if ever...anyway, I lost points for that....

SECOND OCCASION, I always lose points on the quiz...it's always something small...anyway, as I said before, it's my own fault, but I still dislike it...I've learned to not go nuts over a half-point now...lol.

To elaborate a little more on the quiz, I felt that some of the questions have different answers based on the individual. Like one of the quiz questions...it asked for the abbreviation for the Department of Education. I looked it up on the web because I was familiar with another abbreviation, (ED)...I knew it because I was on the website previously. Anyway, I got the answer wrong because the book had a different abbreviation, (DOE), which is also the abbreviation for the Department of Energy.

No big deal though, I had to write about something I disliked...lol

Overall...the class is great...I would recommend it to anyone else who wishes to take it.