This is a story that circulated around the office many years ago. I thought it was appropriate for the eve of our first snow storm. Enjoy!
December 8
6:00pm It has started to snow The first of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat by the window watching the soft flakes drift down all over the area. It was BEAUTIFUL!!
December 9
We awoke to a big beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering the landscape. What fantastic sight! Every tree and shrub covered with a beautiful mantle. I shoveled snow for the first time in years and loved it. I did both our driveway and our sidewalk. Later the snow plow came along and covered up our sidewalk with compacted snow from the street, so I shoveled it again.
December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Oh well, I am sure we will get some more before the winter in through.
December 14
It snowed 8 inches last night and the temperature dropped to 20 degrees below zero. Shoveled the driveway and sidewalk again and the snow plow came by and did its trick again.
December 15
Sold my van and bought a four wheel drive so I can drive in the snow and bought snow tires for my wife’s car.
December 17
Still cold, below zero, and icy roads make it tough to drive. Also fell on my ass from ice on the sidewalk leaving the house.
December 20
Ad 14 inches of the white shit last night. More shoveling is in store for me today. The goddamn snow plow came by twice.
December 22
We are assured of a white Christmas because 13 inches of the white shit fell today and with this freezing weather it won’t melt till August. Got all dressed to go shovel (boots, snowsuit, heavy jacket, scarf, earmuffs, and gloves) once I got outside I had the urge to pee!!
December 24
If I ever catch that son-of-bitch that drives that snow plow I will drag him through the snow by his balls. I think he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at 100mph and throws snow all over what used to be my lawn.
December 25
MERRY CHRISTMAS! They predict 20 more inches of the F@#&@ white shit tonight. Do they know how many shovels full of snow 28 inches is? The snow plow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with the snow shovel.
December 26
We got the 28 inches and then some. I must be going snow blind or have a severe case of cabin fever because my wife is beginning to look good to me.
December 27
The toilet froze. If you go outside look out for the yellow snow!
December 28
The house if for sale. Heading south……
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
My Thanksgiving memories…
When I was a child most of my holiday meals were at the mess hall. I am not sure what the reason was but I can only speculate. Maybe the commissary didn’t stock turkeys and all the fixings. Maybe the stoves in military housing couldn’t accommodate a turkey, or the turkey burned every year. Whatever the reason, we would get dressed in our Sunday clothes and go to the mess hall.
At the mess hall there was a special area for the dependent families. This doesn’t mean a special room it was just a sectioned off part of the hall. The tables were decorated with paper turkeys and pilgrims to commemorate the holiday. Now these tables were not the usual dining table with chairs, they were cafeteria tables. I remember how hard it was to straddle across the bench to set down for dinner. However, I have no memory of how my Mother did it in a pencil skirt. I guess I am left with a mental picture of a 30 something, 5’11” in heels and a pencil skirt straddling a bench. Anyway, back to my Thanksgiving eating memory. Once we had settled at our table we would wait till the chow line had diminished enough for us to go through. We would get our standard chow tray, plates and utensils and place them onto the tray slide. This was cafeteria style so you would hold out your tray and the cooks would place your dinner on the plates. There was no customizing…you got what you got.
I had no idea how delicious a home cooked Thanksgiving meal could be till I married into the Colloton family. Mrs. Colloton made the best turkey, gravy, potatoes, stuffing, pies, and macaroni and cheese. When dinner was over I was always amazed at how this woman could pick every morsel of meat off the turkey till the carcass was bone dry. It was quite the art form to watch. The next week it was all about turkey soup! Mrs. Newland could also make a mean turkey and the family would bring a cover dishes. Everything was yummy and the Newland boys were always entertaining.
So, if you are doing the math we are up to almost 40 years and I have yet to make a turkey dinner. This is probably a good thing as the only way I know to cook is mess hall style. What are your Thanksgiving memories?
At the mess hall there was a special area for the dependent families. This doesn’t mean a special room it was just a sectioned off part of the hall. The tables were decorated with paper turkeys and pilgrims to commemorate the holiday. Now these tables were not the usual dining table with chairs, they were cafeteria tables. I remember how hard it was to straddle across the bench to set down for dinner. However, I have no memory of how my Mother did it in a pencil skirt. I guess I am left with a mental picture of a 30 something, 5’11” in heels and a pencil skirt straddling a bench. Anyway, back to my Thanksgiving eating memory. Once we had settled at our table we would wait till the chow line had diminished enough for us to go through. We would get our standard chow tray, plates and utensils and place them onto the tray slide. This was cafeteria style so you would hold out your tray and the cooks would place your dinner on the plates. There was no customizing…you got what you got.
I had no idea how delicious a home cooked Thanksgiving meal could be till I married into the Colloton family. Mrs. Colloton made the best turkey, gravy, potatoes, stuffing, pies, and macaroni and cheese. When dinner was over I was always amazed at how this woman could pick every morsel of meat off the turkey till the carcass was bone dry. It was quite the art form to watch. The next week it was all about turkey soup! Mrs. Newland could also make a mean turkey and the family would bring a cover dishes. Everything was yummy and the Newland boys were always entertaining.
So, if you are doing the math we are up to almost 40 years and I have yet to make a turkey dinner. This is probably a good thing as the only way I know to cook is mess hall style. What are your Thanksgiving memories?
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Art of Hanging out the Wash
The other day I was thinking about hanging out laundry and remember the day my Appalachia Grandmother learned me on the hanging out the wersh. (Smoky Mountain Accent)
This was 1967 and I was sent to live with my Grandparents till my Father was transfer from Andrews Base. At that time there was resentment towards the government’s mandate for integration. My Dad was not able to get on-base housing so we lived off base. I was in middle school and coupled with the normal trials of being in middle school I was harassed because my Dad in the service. The service being representative of the government. I was taunted in class, beat up in the girl’s bathroom and followed home from school. These were very turbulent times and my parents felt I would be safer in the South. So off I go to live with Rose and Ransom in Western North Carolina.
The first couple of weeks were fun to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s house without my parents and brother. I loved the attention. Then all the attention became too much as I was watched all the time. I couldn’t go any where by myself. I had to stay at the house. I began to think I was sentenced to hell having to live with these old people. I was registered to go to the local school but school didn’t start for three months. My Mother told me to be a good girl and make sure I help out my Grandmother.
One day my Grandmother asked me to go hang out the wash. Like any other 14 year old I took the basked of clothes and carried it like it weighted a ton. Once I made the long journey across the yard to the clothes line I began hanging up the clothes. I hung each article with the most anguishing effort. My Grandmother sat on the back porch and watched this entire dramatic display. When I was finished and came back to the house she told me I did it all wrong. I thought, Oh My Gosh, how can you hang up clothes wrong!?
This is when I learned on how to hang clothes on the line. You hang all your towels together, shirts together, socks together, pants together. The sheets go facing the road and under clothes are hung between each item on the line. This way no one can see them from the road. You NEVER! hang your under clothes together and she took all the clothes off the line and made me do it all over again.
I want it to be known that all my adult life when I hang clothes out I hang them just like I was taught.
This was 1967 and I was sent to live with my Grandparents till my Father was transfer from Andrews Base. At that time there was resentment towards the government’s mandate for integration. My Dad was not able to get on-base housing so we lived off base. I was in middle school and coupled with the normal trials of being in middle school I was harassed because my Dad in the service. The service being representative of the government. I was taunted in class, beat up in the girl’s bathroom and followed home from school. These were very turbulent times and my parents felt I would be safer in the South. So off I go to live with Rose and Ransom in Western North Carolina.
The first couple of weeks were fun to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s house without my parents and brother. I loved the attention. Then all the attention became too much as I was watched all the time. I couldn’t go any where by myself. I had to stay at the house. I began to think I was sentenced to hell having to live with these old people. I was registered to go to the local school but school didn’t start for three months. My Mother told me to be a good girl and make sure I help out my Grandmother.
One day my Grandmother asked me to go hang out the wash. Like any other 14 year old I took the basked of clothes and carried it like it weighted a ton. Once I made the long journey across the yard to the clothes line I began hanging up the clothes. I hung each article with the most anguishing effort. My Grandmother sat on the back porch and watched this entire dramatic display. When I was finished and came back to the house she told me I did it all wrong. I thought, Oh My Gosh, how can you hang up clothes wrong!?
This is when I learned on how to hang clothes on the line. You hang all your towels together, shirts together, socks together, pants together. The sheets go facing the road and under clothes are hung between each item on the line. This way no one can see them from the road. You NEVER! hang your under clothes together and she took all the clothes off the line and made me do it all over again.
I want it to be known that all my adult life when I hang clothes out I hang them just like I was taught.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The 360 of Life
This summer I participated with a group of recruiters who were organizing an event called the Milwaukee JobCamp. The purpose of this event was to assist people with learning the skills necessary for searching for a job. There were sessions on Resumes, Interviewing, Social Media, Dress for Success, and round table discussions.
During this project I met and worked with many dynamic people, Jayne being one of them. Her role in this project was to secure paying sponsors for the event. She is a gifted Salesperson and her efforts in generating sponsorship contributed to the overwhelming success of the event. I really enjoy Jayne’s energy as she is very thought provoking, a passionate learner for varying points of views and opinions, an adjunct professor at UWM and a great person to know. Like many of us, Jayne too is unemployed.
Last Saturday night Jayne invited me over to visit with her and a couple of her friends, Karen and Terri. As it turns out we are all unemployed and life is lean for all of us. We came with wine, of the price point of Two Buck Chuck, and Jayne put out a bowl of almonds. So, here we are, a bunch of 50 some-things too broke to go any where sitting in a Eastside Flat eating stale nuts and drinking cheap wine. Who would have thought? A year ago we were downtown, dressed to the nines drinking martinis, fine dining, and going to the theater.
It is an amazement how quickly life can change. Instead of commiserating about our circumstance we instead had a good ole girlfriend night. We talked and talked, played with our camera phones, watched Jayne monitor her son’s whereabouts on a GPS link between their phones and drank some more wine and talked some more. Jayne does Astrology so we moved to her study and played with the stars throwing out birth dates of husbands, boyfriends, children and each other. The only thing missing was a Ouija board. Instead of a bunch of 50 some-things it was like we were 12 again. It was a lot of fun. The only thing that interrupted this moment was when the pizza delivery man came and we instantly went into cougar mode. What cute honey… hum hummm
During this project I met and worked with many dynamic people, Jayne being one of them. Her role in this project was to secure paying sponsors for the event. She is a gifted Salesperson and her efforts in generating sponsorship contributed to the overwhelming success of the event. I really enjoy Jayne’s energy as she is very thought provoking, a passionate learner for varying points of views and opinions, an adjunct professor at UWM and a great person to know. Like many of us, Jayne too is unemployed.
Last Saturday night Jayne invited me over to visit with her and a couple of her friends, Karen and Terri. As it turns out we are all unemployed and life is lean for all of us. We came with wine, of the price point of Two Buck Chuck, and Jayne put out a bowl of almonds. So, here we are, a bunch of 50 some-things too broke to go any where sitting in a Eastside Flat eating stale nuts and drinking cheap wine. Who would have thought? A year ago we were downtown, dressed to the nines drinking martinis, fine dining, and going to the theater.
It is an amazement how quickly life can change. Instead of commiserating about our circumstance we instead had a good ole girlfriend night. We talked and talked, played with our camera phones, watched Jayne monitor her son’s whereabouts on a GPS link between their phones and drank some more wine and talked some more. Jayne does Astrology so we moved to her study and played with the stars throwing out birth dates of husbands, boyfriends, children and each other. The only thing missing was a Ouija board. Instead of a bunch of 50 some-things it was like we were 12 again. It was a lot of fun. The only thing that interrupted this moment was when the pizza delivery man came and we instantly went into cougar mode. What cute honey… hum hummm
Friday, September 18, 2009
Breadth or Depth .. What is the Answer
I have never been in one place, job, or relationship to develop any depth of experience. In my blog on August 13, 2009 “Child of Change” I shared that I have moved 25 times in 54 years, attending 13 schools, four colleges and 17 jobs. This certainly does not lend the opportunity for depth. I do, however, possess breadth, a board brush of life.
Is this a bad thing? I am not sure. When I landed in Milwaukee some 30 years ago I remember I had a hard time fitting in. I had always been with people just like myself, military dependents. We shared a transient upbringing and change was no big deal to us. Our time spent and our conversations were filled with diversity and experiences. It was exciting to learn what another had learned and to share with another. Friends would come and go and there was always something new going on. The one constant was a friend and their family was short term and soon there would be someone to fill their place.
Now that I am in Milwaukee I was faced with an environment where people’s horizons expanded a five block radius. Their children, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, bothers and sisters all lived within that same radius. All social functions revolved around family gatherings, weddings, funerals, graduations, or impromptu dinners. There were no opportunities to spend time with a new friend as they were always obligated to the family. These people also had generational succession within companies. The Grandfather, Father, Son, Brother and so on all worked together. They had depth with work and family but not breadth. I couldn’t relate to them and neither could they relate to me. At that time I had moved 13 times, had lived in five different states and two different countries. I had breadth but not depth.
This disparity shortened through the years as I tried to adapt. I got married, had children and got involved within the community. I have often wondered if I missed out on a normal life. Well maybe normal is not the right word, how about a life filled with structure, routine and complacency. The question now is, do I want to fit in? Fitting in is not so important to me any more. I think it is because I have become comfortable in my own skin.
I have had one long relationship since I have been in Milwaukee and it is with my Mother-in-Law. Through the years I have learned that she and I have a lot in common. We both have had a transient upbringing, we both married the same type of man and we both have the same type of relationship with our children. I have enjoyed our many conversations through the years and our time spent. She has been a very special friend considering the dynamics around us and we are both comfortable in our own skin.
So my question today is, how do I package my experiences both personally and professionally to reinvent myself for the next stent of my life. The one element I would like to include is change.
Any thoughts out there???
Is this a bad thing? I am not sure. When I landed in Milwaukee some 30 years ago I remember I had a hard time fitting in. I had always been with people just like myself, military dependents. We shared a transient upbringing and change was no big deal to us. Our time spent and our conversations were filled with diversity and experiences. It was exciting to learn what another had learned and to share with another. Friends would come and go and there was always something new going on. The one constant was a friend and their family was short term and soon there would be someone to fill their place.
Now that I am in Milwaukee I was faced with an environment where people’s horizons expanded a five block radius. Their children, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, bothers and sisters all lived within that same radius. All social functions revolved around family gatherings, weddings, funerals, graduations, or impromptu dinners. There were no opportunities to spend time with a new friend as they were always obligated to the family. These people also had generational succession within companies. The Grandfather, Father, Son, Brother and so on all worked together. They had depth with work and family but not breadth. I couldn’t relate to them and neither could they relate to me. At that time I had moved 13 times, had lived in five different states and two different countries. I had breadth but not depth.
This disparity shortened through the years as I tried to adapt. I got married, had children and got involved within the community. I have often wondered if I missed out on a normal life. Well maybe normal is not the right word, how about a life filled with structure, routine and complacency. The question now is, do I want to fit in? Fitting in is not so important to me any more. I think it is because I have become comfortable in my own skin.
I have had one long relationship since I have been in Milwaukee and it is with my Mother-in-Law. Through the years I have learned that she and I have a lot in common. We both have had a transient upbringing, we both married the same type of man and we both have the same type of relationship with our children. I have enjoyed our many conversations through the years and our time spent. She has been a very special friend considering the dynamics around us and we are both comfortable in our own skin.
So my question today is, how do I package my experiences both personally and professionally to reinvent myself for the next stent of my life. The one element I would like to include is change.
Any thoughts out there???
Monday, September 14, 2009
Doing the Right Thing
In any industrial loading dock in any city is a man named, Joe. Joe is second generation European decent living in the USA. He brings with him strong values, morality, and pride. One day Joe came to work on the loading dock sporting a black-eye. When his co-workers saw the black eye they began to heckle him. “Hey Joe, did your girlfriend give you that black-eye?” “Hey Joe, did your Mama smack you?” After enduring much ribbing about his black-eye he decided to tell his fellow co-workers how he got his black-eye.
Joe said, “Being a good Christian boy I went to church on Sunday. I listened to the priest, prayed, and sang. Sitting in front of me was this bigga fat lady. I noticed that every time this bigga fat lady stood up to sing her dress was stuck in the crack of her ass. Well like a good Christian boy I leaned over and pulled the dress outta the crack of her ass. POW! she smacked me in the face.” Joe’s co-workers were just besides themselves and heckled Joe for days. Joe just kept to his work and ignored them.
The following Monday Joe comes to the loading dock very quiet, keeping his head down. Joe’s co-workers were standing shooting the shit about what they did over the weekend. Joe usually is right with them in a spirited exchange of brags but this Monday Joe went right to his station. The co-workers began to hassle Joe and when Joe looked up he had another black-eye. Oh, this was too much for the co-workers to bare and could not pass up the opportunity to give Joe a hard time again. As usual Joe could only take so much of the unrelenting borage of teasing.
Joe said,” O.k O.K I’ma gonna tell you once and only once what happened. Being a good Christian boy I went to church on Sunday with my good friend, Ernie. We listened to the priest, prayed, and sang. Sitting in front of us was this ah same bigga fat lady. We noticed that every time this bigga fat lady stood up her dress was stuck in the crack of her ass. Wella I know that she doesn’t like it when you try to help her so I just let it alone. When I had my eyes closed singing my heart out my friend Ernie leaned over and pulled the fatta ladies dress out of the crack of her ass. I knowa that she doesn’t like that so I quickly stuffa it right back. POW!
Joe said, “Being a good Christian boy I went to church on Sunday. I listened to the priest, prayed, and sang. Sitting in front of me was this bigga fat lady. I noticed that every time this bigga fat lady stood up to sing her dress was stuck in the crack of her ass. Well like a good Christian boy I leaned over and pulled the dress outta the crack of her ass. POW! she smacked me in the face.” Joe’s co-workers were just besides themselves and heckled Joe for days. Joe just kept to his work and ignored them.
The following Monday Joe comes to the loading dock very quiet, keeping his head down. Joe’s co-workers were standing shooting the shit about what they did over the weekend. Joe usually is right with them in a spirited exchange of brags but this Monday Joe went right to his station. The co-workers began to hassle Joe and when Joe looked up he had another black-eye. Oh, this was too much for the co-workers to bare and could not pass up the opportunity to give Joe a hard time again. As usual Joe could only take so much of the unrelenting borage of teasing.
Joe said,” O.k O.K I’ma gonna tell you once and only once what happened. Being a good Christian boy I went to church on Sunday with my good friend, Ernie. We listened to the priest, prayed, and sang. Sitting in front of us was this ah same bigga fat lady. We noticed that every time this bigga fat lady stood up her dress was stuck in the crack of her ass. Wella I know that she doesn’t like it when you try to help her so I just let it alone. When I had my eyes closed singing my heart out my friend Ernie leaned over and pulled the fatta ladies dress out of the crack of her ass. I knowa that she doesn’t like that so I quickly stuffa it right back. POW!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
"What If"
Anyone who knows me knows I am an incurable optimist. I can take any situation and find the good news in it. Anyone who knows me knows I have not had an easy life, however, with each challenge I found myself in a better place. It is not in my nature to quit. I am a fighter. When diagnosis with Breast Cancer I stayed on the up side and maintained a positive attitude. I was very blessed to have employers who provided health insurance to me as part of my benefit package. I was able to receive the necessary treatment to remove the cancerous cells from my body. I was able to receive the necessary reconstruction surgery to make my body whole again. I am now able to receive the monitoring and medication necessary to maintain my remission. I am truly blessed.
I have a new challenge. I have become unemployed due to our economic crisis. I have been unemployed before and quickly secured another position. This time is different. I am going on seven months of unemployment. I am grateful to have unemployment benefits from my employer and the unemployment benefit extensions from both the federal and state government. I also have COBRA insurance for 18 months and very grateful the federal government is subsidizing my premium by 65%.
I have been actively looking for employment and in seven months I have responded to over 150 advertisements. I have posted myself on all the major company’s websites. I have attended career transition training. I have networked. I am doing all the right things but jobs are not available. I have seven out 18 months of COBRA used up. I have 28 weeks out of 79 weeks of unemployment used up. These stats don’t seem so bad; there is plenty of time for the economy to recover. I will be O.K. Right?
Here it is; my first doubt, my first skepticism. My first” What If”. I have a pre-existing condition and without an employer’s insurance benefit I am uninsurable. Unemployment and COBRA will not last forever. So, “What If’ I am not able to secure another job before my benefits run out? How will I pay for the monitoring and medication necessary to maintain my remission?
There is a nasty debate going on regarding Heathcare Reform. There are nay sayers who don’t support any Healthcare Reform. They want to keep things just as they are. They claim under government run healthcare your grandmother will not get necessary treatment because she is too old. I wonder how this is any different from my situation? I guess either way we are both left to die.
Someone please help me understand why Healthcare Reform is such a bad thing?
I have a new challenge. I have become unemployed due to our economic crisis. I have been unemployed before and quickly secured another position. This time is different. I am going on seven months of unemployment. I am grateful to have unemployment benefits from my employer and the unemployment benefit extensions from both the federal and state government. I also have COBRA insurance for 18 months and very grateful the federal government is subsidizing my premium by 65%.
I have been actively looking for employment and in seven months I have responded to over 150 advertisements. I have posted myself on all the major company’s websites. I have attended career transition training. I have networked. I am doing all the right things but jobs are not available. I have seven out 18 months of COBRA used up. I have 28 weeks out of 79 weeks of unemployment used up. These stats don’t seem so bad; there is plenty of time for the economy to recover. I will be O.K. Right?
Here it is; my first doubt, my first skepticism. My first” What If”. I have a pre-existing condition and without an employer’s insurance benefit I am uninsurable. Unemployment and COBRA will not last forever. So, “What If’ I am not able to secure another job before my benefits run out? How will I pay for the monitoring and medication necessary to maintain my remission?
There is a nasty debate going on regarding Heathcare Reform. There are nay sayers who don’t support any Healthcare Reform. They want to keep things just as they are. They claim under government run healthcare your grandmother will not get necessary treatment because she is too old. I wonder how this is any different from my situation? I guess either way we are both left to die.
Someone please help me understand why Healthcare Reform is such a bad thing?
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Good For All
I feel very contemplative today about the Kennedy family. This family has been around my entire life. I have thought a lot about their history and where I was and what I was doing at the time of news events. I am not a historian and could not even begin to engage into a facts or fiction discussion. I just know what I have seen and felt.
In November 22, 1963 I was out on the playground hanging upside down on the monkey bar watching ants in the sand. My friends Mother came across the street and sat down with the other Moms. They talked for a moment and then they started crying and hugging each other. I got down off the monkey bar and watched them and I remember I felt scared. This was my first time to experience a national tragedy. The reactions of the adults scared me because something bad had happened. President John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed. I knew who he was because in school I had won a certificate for the President’s Physical Fitness Program and his name was on it. I knew everyone was sad but at nine years old I couldn’t understand the magnitude. It was not until later on in life did I learn and understood what had happened. There was one thing that always stuck with me and that was a quote from his inaugural speech; “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For, You but What Can You Do for Your Country”
Well first of all this quote is a paraphrase from “The New Frontier” by Khalil Gibran published in 1925. Setting that aside, what did it mean to me? I was in the fifth grade and my class had a discussion on what we thought the meaning was. The over arching theme was around Patriotism. We were in the middle of the cold war and America needed to be stronger then the Russians. (Hence the Presidential Physical Fitness Award)
So, how do we make America strong? How do we keep America strong? Why do we need to be strong? Those were pretty tough questions so we left it at “It means that you're the one that is supposed to give for your country so that it can give to you.”
I think about where America is today and I don’t feel we are a strong nation any more. I read that our educational system is slipping and health care has concerns. It seems to me the only way to have heath insurance is a benefit of employment. If you don’t have a job then you have two choices; you pay out of pocket for the entire expense or pay insurance premiums in the event of a health issue. If you don’t have a job you don’t have the money to pay for either. If you get sick, you get sick and possibly die or infect another.
How can we have a strong nation if we have a society of unhealthy and uneducated citizens? How can we provide proper healthcare and education for our citizens? Here are some approaches that then fuel quagmires
One- Be free to donate money where you see a social need.
Two- Collect a tax that fills certain buckets for social needs.
Here is how I see number one: when donating money there could be prejudice and needed funds for social needs would not be there.
Here is how I see number two: When collecting tax one has to trust the money collected will be allocated appropriately for social needs.
So I ask, why can’t we do both, tax and donate? We are doing it with education. We have both public and private schools. Well there is something wrong with this formula as we rank low globally in education. So, then I ask myself, when did we have a strong educational system? I went to public school in the 60’s and 70’s and I got a great education. Who paid for my school? Public taxes. So what happened? Why don’t we invest into education anymore? Why don’t we want to invest into healthcare?
Here it is…..Prejudice. Why should we take care of “Those People” !? Let me remind those who ask this question, they came from “Those People” Not so long ago their grandparents migrated to the United States. It was my family who was prejudice then as they arrived in the 1600’s. They were White Anglo Saxon Protestants, WASP. They hated having Catholics and Jews in our country. It went against everything they believed in and had fled from. Well the world has kept on turning. Just like when we had our first Irish Catholic President…the world kept turning.
So let’s ask ourselves, What is the right thing to do for the good of all?
In November 22, 1963 I was out on the playground hanging upside down on the monkey bar watching ants in the sand. My friends Mother came across the street and sat down with the other Moms. They talked for a moment and then they started crying and hugging each other. I got down off the monkey bar and watched them and I remember I felt scared. This was my first time to experience a national tragedy. The reactions of the adults scared me because something bad had happened. President John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed. I knew who he was because in school I had won a certificate for the President’s Physical Fitness Program and his name was on it. I knew everyone was sad but at nine years old I couldn’t understand the magnitude. It was not until later on in life did I learn and understood what had happened. There was one thing that always stuck with me and that was a quote from his inaugural speech; “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For, You but What Can You Do for Your Country”
Well first of all this quote is a paraphrase from “The New Frontier” by Khalil Gibran published in 1925. Setting that aside, what did it mean to me? I was in the fifth grade and my class had a discussion on what we thought the meaning was. The over arching theme was around Patriotism. We were in the middle of the cold war and America needed to be stronger then the Russians. (Hence the Presidential Physical Fitness Award)
So, how do we make America strong? How do we keep America strong? Why do we need to be strong? Those were pretty tough questions so we left it at “It means that you're the one that is supposed to give for your country so that it can give to you.”
I think about where America is today and I don’t feel we are a strong nation any more. I read that our educational system is slipping and health care has concerns. It seems to me the only way to have heath insurance is a benefit of employment. If you don’t have a job then you have two choices; you pay out of pocket for the entire expense or pay insurance premiums in the event of a health issue. If you don’t have a job you don’t have the money to pay for either. If you get sick, you get sick and possibly die or infect another.
How can we have a strong nation if we have a society of unhealthy and uneducated citizens? How can we provide proper healthcare and education for our citizens? Here are some approaches that then fuel quagmires
One- Be free to donate money where you see a social need.
Two- Collect a tax that fills certain buckets for social needs.
Here is how I see number one: when donating money there could be prejudice and needed funds for social needs would not be there.
Here is how I see number two: When collecting tax one has to trust the money collected will be allocated appropriately for social needs.
So I ask, why can’t we do both, tax and donate? We are doing it with education. We have both public and private schools. Well there is something wrong with this formula as we rank low globally in education. So, then I ask myself, when did we have a strong educational system? I went to public school in the 60’s and 70’s and I got a great education. Who paid for my school? Public taxes. So what happened? Why don’t we invest into education anymore? Why don’t we want to invest into healthcare?
Here it is…..Prejudice. Why should we take care of “Those People” !? Let me remind those who ask this question, they came from “Those People” Not so long ago their grandparents migrated to the United States. It was my family who was prejudice then as they arrived in the 1600’s. They were White Anglo Saxon Protestants, WASP. They hated having Catholics and Jews in our country. It went against everything they believed in and had fled from. Well the world has kept on turning. Just like when we had our first Irish Catholic President…the world kept turning.
So let’s ask ourselves, What is the right thing to do for the good of all?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I Got Friends
Since I have been unemployed I have seen, heard, and read about social networking. There are a bazillion ways for us to communicate at the speed of a thought so we can react at the speed of a knee jerk. I am very excited about this new technology and want to engage. I am having a hard time of figuring out how to integrate these technologies into my every day life.
I would like to use social media with my circle of influence but here is my dilemma; my peers are duds. Yes duds! Most of them have a computer and use it for surfing the internet, shop or look up something medical. Only a few send emails and when they do it has, FWD:FWD:FWD and then the subject which is usually one of those urban legends. You know the ones that condemn you to eternal bad karma if you don’t forward to 15 more people. I have begged and pleaded to please stop sending me these emails but they continue to show up in my inbox. God…please help them figure out how to remove me from their distribution lists; which by the way, I am impressed they created a distribution list in the first place.
Now, I don’t know where my mind was when I set up a Facebook account, as Facebook is all about friends. I have friends and family and some who live out-of-state so I sent them a request to join Facebook. I thought it would be fun way to keep in touch and share what’s been going on with each other. I waited and waited and no one joined my Facebook page. I felt like the unpopular kid in school…my page had no friends ;~(
I tried to educate them on the functionality of Facebook and the benefits, like sharing pictures and videos. I got a lot of push back, as they didn’t want the whole universe to see their stuff. Here is another technology challenge…. They use cameras that use film. Then they go to Wal-Mart and use the kiosk to print out hard copies. OMG! This hurts me. So, I gave up on them and have all their kids as my Facebook friends. Now here is the reality with this; I know all the details of their day…really!
I would like to acknowledge, Jackie, Pam, Karen and Kay. These ladies have crossed the line and live wildly on the .net
I would like to use social media with my circle of influence but here is my dilemma; my peers are duds. Yes duds! Most of them have a computer and use it for surfing the internet, shop or look up something medical. Only a few send emails and when they do it has, FWD:FWD:FWD and then the subject which is usually one of those urban legends. You know the ones that condemn you to eternal bad karma if you don’t forward to 15 more people. I have begged and pleaded to please stop sending me these emails but they continue to show up in my inbox. God…please help them figure out how to remove me from their distribution lists; which by the way, I am impressed they created a distribution list in the first place.
Now, I don’t know where my mind was when I set up a Facebook account, as Facebook is all about friends. I have friends and family and some who live out-of-state so I sent them a request to join Facebook. I thought it would be fun way to keep in touch and share what’s been going on with each other. I waited and waited and no one joined my Facebook page. I felt like the unpopular kid in school…my page had no friends ;~(
I tried to educate them on the functionality of Facebook and the benefits, like sharing pictures and videos. I got a lot of push back, as they didn’t want the whole universe to see their stuff. Here is another technology challenge…. They use cameras that use film. Then they go to Wal-Mart and use the kiosk to print out hard copies. OMG! This hurts me. So, I gave up on them and have all their kids as my Facebook friends. Now here is the reality with this; I know all the details of their day…really!
I would like to acknowledge, Jackie, Pam, Karen and Kay. These ladies have crossed the line and live wildly on the .net
Sunday, August 23, 2009
We Need More Whistle Stops
I woke up this morning thinking about trains. I was remembering the sound of a train whistle from a coal train on its way to Canton’s paper mill. (Canton, NC) I was a little girl that was put down for a nap and refused to go to sleep. I would lay there and listen to the sounds outside. The birds, the dog down the street, my Grandmother cooking in the kitchen and the train whistle. I love this sound; it is so comforting to me. There is a train down the road from where I live now and every time I hear the whistle I go back to that moment lying in my Grandmother’s bed.
When I was a little older it was fun to sneak out at night and walk the tracks in the dark. I would be visiting my other Grandparents and there were train tracks right behind their house. I have a younger Aunt and Uncle that are my age and we were always agents of mischief. We would walk almost to Lake Junaluska and back; walking on the rails and skipping the tracks. It was a feeling of being free. Of course we were 10yrs old and doing something naughty. There is always excitement in that!
Recently I went to see my son who lives in Chicago. I made my trip an excursion by using public transportation the whole way. This required planning and time management. I live in a bedroom community to Milwaukee with freeway flyer transportation into the city. I did a little research and discovered there was a freeway flyer that would drop me off in front of the train station. So I coordinated the time of the bus drop off to the time the train pulled out of the station. My wait in the station was 5 minutes and ride to Chicago took about 45 minutes. I then walked across the street from Union Station and caught the Metro and took a 10 minute ride to the stop where my son lives. I had a really nice time taking the train and it was fun.
I was very pleased with myself and felt like a responsible citizen. I had someone ask me why I didn’t just drive. Claiming it would not have been so much trouble. This got me thinking, what trouble? So I did a little math and here are my results:
Time: Car -150 miles at 60mph = 2.5 hours
Time: Public Transportation = 1.5 hours
Cost: Car: 150 miles at 25 miles per gallon at $3.89 a gallon = $48.00 round trip
Additional consideration: maintenance and wear and tear
Cost: Public Transportation- $40.00 for Amtrak, $2.75 Freeway Flyer, $ 3.00 = $46.00
Stress: Car- Maximum – Rush hour, I-94 construction from Ryan Rd to the state line, constant attention to the road, toll road (don’t have enough change), the guy in front of me is really pissing me off to the point I just want to rip that fish off their trunk, “Shit” I just missed my exit, now where the “Hell” am I, can’t find my phone to call my son for new directions and ”Damn It “he never answers his phone he only does text messages, “Shit” now I have to pull over and text him and by the way I didn’t plan my trip I just got in my car to drive to Chicago and “Damn it” I need gas.
Stress: Public Transportation - Minimal - I was a passenger; I read my book, drank my coffee, closed my eyes and had polite conversation with someone interesting.
I have never understood why passenger train travel is so undesired. It makes so much sense to me. It is quick, it is efficient, and it is practical. Ah! HA! There it is, “Practical”. Why would we do something that is practical? We like the convenience and control over our lives no matter what the consequence. So why don’t we change? Oh Gosh, there is that word again, “Change”.
Mr. President, Let’s get this Health Care reform done and we can move on to improving our train systems.
When I was a little older it was fun to sneak out at night and walk the tracks in the dark. I would be visiting my other Grandparents and there were train tracks right behind their house. I have a younger Aunt and Uncle that are my age and we were always agents of mischief. We would walk almost to Lake Junaluska and back; walking on the rails and skipping the tracks. It was a feeling of being free. Of course we were 10yrs old and doing something naughty. There is always excitement in that!
Recently I went to see my son who lives in Chicago. I made my trip an excursion by using public transportation the whole way. This required planning and time management. I live in a bedroom community to Milwaukee with freeway flyer transportation into the city. I did a little research and discovered there was a freeway flyer that would drop me off in front of the train station. So I coordinated the time of the bus drop off to the time the train pulled out of the station. My wait in the station was 5 minutes and ride to Chicago took about 45 minutes. I then walked across the street from Union Station and caught the Metro and took a 10 minute ride to the stop where my son lives. I had a really nice time taking the train and it was fun.
I was very pleased with myself and felt like a responsible citizen. I had someone ask me why I didn’t just drive. Claiming it would not have been so much trouble. This got me thinking, what trouble? So I did a little math and here are my results:
Time: Car -150 miles at 60mph = 2.5 hours
Time: Public Transportation = 1.5 hours
Cost: Car: 150 miles at 25 miles per gallon at $3.89 a gallon = $48.00 round trip
Additional consideration: maintenance and wear and tear
Cost: Public Transportation- $40.00 for Amtrak, $2.75 Freeway Flyer, $ 3.00 = $46.00
Stress: Car- Maximum – Rush hour, I-94 construction from Ryan Rd to the state line, constant attention to the road, toll road (don’t have enough change), the guy in front of me is really pissing me off to the point I just want to rip that fish off their trunk, “Shit” I just missed my exit, now where the “Hell” am I, can’t find my phone to call my son for new directions and ”Damn It “he never answers his phone he only does text messages, “Shit” now I have to pull over and text him and by the way I didn’t plan my trip I just got in my car to drive to Chicago and “Damn it” I need gas.
Stress: Public Transportation - Minimal - I was a passenger; I read my book, drank my coffee, closed my eyes and had polite conversation with someone interesting.
I have never understood why passenger train travel is so undesired. It makes so much sense to me. It is quick, it is efficient, and it is practical. Ah! HA! There it is, “Practical”. Why would we do something that is practical? We like the convenience and control over our lives no matter what the consequence. So why don’t we change? Oh Gosh, there is that word again, “Change”.
Mr. President, Let’s get this Health Care reform done and we can move on to improving our train systems.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
My Fellow Democrats- Facts Over Fear
It feels like a new lie about health insurance reform crops up each day. Government taking over all health care? Not true. Euthanasia for seniors? Couldn't be more false. Rationing of care? Reform will stop rationing, not increase it.These lies create fear and anger, and we're seeing the results around the country. Frightened crowds have flooded town halls, and the office of a Georgia representative was defaced with a swastika. It's time to set the record straight -- and, more importantly, expose the special interests and partisan attack organizations behind the lies and misinformation. Go to..."Setting the Record Straight" site. Check out the site today and then spread the word to your friends.
As the site makes clear, these lies are no accident. They're part of a deliberate plot by the special interests who profit from the status quo to kill any reform at all. While Americans watch their paychecks dwindle, their coverage disappear, and their businesses struggle, special interests are trying to scare folks into opposing reform.
"Setting the Record Straight" site has all the info you need to fight back, as well as easy ways to get involved in the fight for health insurance reform. As we learned during the campaign, lies like these can spread like wildfire through viral emails and from friend to friend. The best way to stop them is to arm yourself with the facts -- and make sure your friends and family know the truth.Check out the site, and share it with everyone you know:http://my.barackobama.com/record
Mitch Stewart
DirectorOrganizing for America
As the site makes clear, these lies are no accident. They're part of a deliberate plot by the special interests who profit from the status quo to kill any reform at all. While Americans watch their paychecks dwindle, their coverage disappear, and their businesses struggle, special interests are trying to scare folks into opposing reform.
"Setting the Record Straight" site has all the info you need to fight back, as well as easy ways to get involved in the fight for health insurance reform. As we learned during the campaign, lies like these can spread like wildfire through viral emails and from friend to friend. The best way to stop them is to arm yourself with the facts -- and make sure your friends and family know the truth.Check out the site, and share it with everyone you know:http://my.barackobama.com/record
Mitch Stewart
DirectorOrganizing for America
Friday, August 14, 2009
Catching the Next Wave
OK..There is a huge wave coming and it is bigger then I thought. I just finished reading Groundswell and I really need to learn about and apply social media to my tool box. So, I have been digging around on the web to find out what kinds of social media are out there...OMG! There are so many different ways to organize, communicate, market, share and I am sure there is other stuff. It seems to me we have a couple demographics where professionally I could position myself. So in my efforts to chunk it all down categories and a sampling of what I have found. Here they are if you are interested:
Social networks:
Facebook - One of the many social networking websites, Facebook was originally confined to users with
college or university email addresses, it is now open to anyone and is currently one of the fastest growing
social networking sites. http://www.facebook.com
Myspace - A social networking website that allows users to post images, personal profiles, blogs, music,
and videos, as well as form networks with each other that span the globe. Still the # 1 social networking site.
http://www.myspace.com
Bebo: http://www.bebo.com
Hi5 http://www.hi5.com/
Ning: user created smaller social networks built around a subject or product.
http://www.ning.com
Social Bookmarks:
Del.icio.us. - A social bookmarking service that allows users to tag favorite sites and articles with
descriptive keywords, discover new content, and share their favorites with other users. http://del.icio.us
Ma.gnolia - http://ma.gnolia.com/
Social News:
Digg - A community based popularity website that combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication.
Users submit content and stories find their way to the front page (or not) through a democratic user-based
ranking system. http://www.digg.com
StumbleUpon – A web browser plug-in that allows users to discover and rate web content, videos, and
images, and to “stumble upon new ones based on previous rankings and ratings by friends and users with
similar interests. http://www.stumbleupon.com
Mixx – All of the content is user-generated, which means that they don't have an editor who decides what
you should find interesting. They make it easy for you to submit stories, photos, videos—whatever you find
interesting, informative, different or fun. You can also see—and vote on—the stuff that other Mixxers submit.
http://mixx.com
Reddit - A social news website where users can post links to content on the web. Other users may then
vote the posted links up or down, causing them to appear more or less prominently on the Reddit home
page. http://reddit.com/
Search engines:
Mahalo - human powered search. Users submit sites and content managers approve/disapprove listings.
http://www.mahalo.com
Technorati - A search engine dedicated solely to indexing blogs, Technorati tracks the state of the
blogosphere, ranks blogs according to popularity, and lets bloggers see who is linking to them.
http://technorati.com/
Microblogging:
Flickr - A searchable social image sharing site that allows users to tag pictures with specific keywords and
descriptive terms http://www.flickr.com
Twitter - A social networking and microblogging service that allows users to post short updates (text-based
posts up to 140 characters long) through SMS text messaging, email, or the twitter website
http://www.twitter.com
Tumblr - Easily and quickly post and share anything you find or create. To make a simple analogy: If blogs
are journals, tumblelogs are scrapbooks. You can also look at tumblelogs as slightly more structured blogs
that make it easier, faster, and more fun to post and share stuff you find or create. Most tumblogs have no
comments. http://www.tumblr.com
Pownce – Send messages, files, links, and events to your friends. Create a network of friends and share
stuff. http://www.pownce.com
Blogs:
Movable Type – what we use in house to create all our blogs – http://movabletype.com/
Vox – Free hosted blog, that users need to log into comment on. http://www.vox.com
Wordpress – an alternative blogging platform to MT. http://wordpress.org/
Rss Reader:
Google Reader: http://www.google.com/reader
Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
Start Page:
Netvibes - Lets individuals assemble all in one place their favorite websites, blogs, email accounts, social
networks, search engines, instant messengers, photos, videos, podcasts, widgets, and everything else they
enjoy on the Web. http://www.netvibes.com
Pageflakes - An easy way to discover and share your favorite things on the Web. Pageflakes has
thousands of widgets or modules including Facebook, a universal News Search, YouTube, Twitter, message
board, blog, and hundreds of RSS feeds to choose from. Design and create a page that you can have for
yourself or share with anyone you choose. http://www.pageflakes.com/
Events:
Upcoming – Upcoming is a community for discovering and sharing events. It can help you find stuff to do,
discover what your friends are doing, or let you keep private events online for your own reference.
http://www.upcoming.org
Social networks:
Facebook - One of the many social networking websites, Facebook was originally confined to users with
college or university email addresses, it is now open to anyone and is currently one of the fastest growing
social networking sites. http://www.facebook.com
Myspace - A social networking website that allows users to post images, personal profiles, blogs, music,
and videos, as well as form networks with each other that span the globe. Still the # 1 social networking site.
http://www.myspace.com
Bebo: http://www.bebo.com
Hi5 http://www.hi5.com/
Ning: user created smaller social networks built around a subject or product.
http://www.ning.com
Social Bookmarks:
Del.icio.us. - A social bookmarking service that allows users to tag favorite sites and articles with
descriptive keywords, discover new content, and share their favorites with other users. http://del.icio.us
Ma.gnolia - http://ma.gnolia.com/
Social News:
Digg - A community based popularity website that combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication.
Users submit content and stories find their way to the front page (or not) through a democratic user-based
ranking system. http://www.digg.com
StumbleUpon – A web browser plug-in that allows users to discover and rate web content, videos, and
images, and to “stumble upon new ones based on previous rankings and ratings by friends and users with
similar interests. http://www.stumbleupon.com
Mixx – All of the content is user-generated, which means that they don't have an editor who decides what
you should find interesting. They make it easy for you to submit stories, photos, videos—whatever you find
interesting, informative, different or fun. You can also see—and vote on—the stuff that other Mixxers submit.
http://mixx.com
Reddit - A social news website where users can post links to content on the web. Other users may then
vote the posted links up or down, causing them to appear more or less prominently on the Reddit home
page. http://reddit.com/
Search engines:
Mahalo - human powered search. Users submit sites and content managers approve/disapprove listings.
http://www.mahalo.com
Technorati - A search engine dedicated solely to indexing blogs, Technorati tracks the state of the
blogosphere, ranks blogs according to popularity, and lets bloggers see who is linking to them.
http://technorati.com/
Microblogging:
Flickr - A searchable social image sharing site that allows users to tag pictures with specific keywords and
descriptive terms http://www.flickr.com
Twitter - A social networking and microblogging service that allows users to post short updates (text-based
posts up to 140 characters long) through SMS text messaging, email, or the twitter website
http://www.twitter.com
Tumblr - Easily and quickly post and share anything you find or create. To make a simple analogy: If blogs
are journals, tumblelogs are scrapbooks. You can also look at tumblelogs as slightly more structured blogs
that make it easier, faster, and more fun to post and share stuff you find or create. Most tumblogs have no
comments. http://www.tumblr.com
Pownce – Send messages, files, links, and events to your friends. Create a network of friends and share
stuff. http://www.pownce.com
Blogs:
Movable Type – what we use in house to create all our blogs – http://movabletype.com/
Vox – Free hosted blog, that users need to log into comment on. http://www.vox.com
Wordpress – an alternative blogging platform to MT. http://wordpress.org/
Rss Reader:
Google Reader: http://www.google.com/reader
Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
Start Page:
Netvibes - Lets individuals assemble all in one place their favorite websites, blogs, email accounts, social
networks, search engines, instant messengers, photos, videos, podcasts, widgets, and everything else they
enjoy on the Web. http://www.netvibes.com
Pageflakes - An easy way to discover and share your favorite things on the Web. Pageflakes has
thousands of widgets or modules including Facebook, a universal News Search, YouTube, Twitter, message
board, blog, and hundreds of RSS feeds to choose from. Design and create a page that you can have for
yourself or share with anyone you choose. http://www.pageflakes.com/
Events:
Upcoming – Upcoming is a community for discovering and sharing events. It can help you find stuff to do,
discover what your friends are doing, or let you keep private events online for your own reference.
http://www.upcoming.org
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Child of Change
Change has been the basis of my life. I was the oldest child of a career US Navy Father. I was born in Oakland, Ca and the following are the address since:
Keller St, Waynesville, NC
Norfolk, VA
Keller St, Waynesville, NC
C St, Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico
V St, Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico
Shelton St, Waynesville, NC
Off Base in Keflavik, Iceland
On Base at Air Base, Keflavik, Iceland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Hazelwood St, Waynesville, NC
Webster St, Men Riv , Charleston, SC
Pagoda Inn, Waukegan, IL
First Apartment, Waukegan, IL
35th St, Milwaukee, WI
Martha Washington Dr, Wawatosa, WI
Wilson Dr, Shorewood, Milwaukee, WI
74th Center St, Wawatosa, WI
Fulton St, Milwaukee, WI
Pryor Ave, Milwaukee, WI
27th Loomis Rd, Milwaukee, WI
Hyw 100 Loomis Rd, Milwaukee, WI
Witte Lane, Glendale, WI
Idaho St, Milwaukee, WI
4380 Pioneer Road, Cedarburg, WI.
This is 25 moves in 54 years, 13 schools, loss of 9 best friends, and17 jobs. This is the greatest gift a person can have or the most traumatic experience.
It didn’t take me long to adapt to change and the unknown. The turning point was in the third school, in the 2nd grade. At recess I realized I needed to go over to some girls who were jumping rope and asked if I could play with them. It was a positive experience as they said, “Come on and it is your turn to jump the rope.” After this I have never been afraid of taking the first step. I knew it will be O.K.
I learned social tolerance. In living outside the United States in other countries I experience different social norms and values. I learned not to fear different ways to eat, play, work, and worship. My Mother taught me that this is how they live and this is how we live…there is no right or wrong. I have taken this with me into my adult life where I live social tolerance. The only real test I have ever had is dealing with my South Baptist, Evangelical, Republican relatives! God Bless then and those who fear change.
Keller St, Waynesville, NC
Norfolk, VA
Keller St, Waynesville, NC
C St, Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico
V St, Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico
Shelton St, Waynesville, NC
Off Base in Keflavik, Iceland
On Base at Air Base, Keflavik, Iceland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Hazelwood St, Waynesville, NC
Webster St, Men Riv , Charleston, SC
Pagoda Inn, Waukegan, IL
First Apartment, Waukegan, IL
35th St, Milwaukee, WI
Martha Washington Dr, Wawatosa, WI
Wilson Dr, Shorewood, Milwaukee, WI
74th Center St, Wawatosa, WI
Fulton St, Milwaukee, WI
Pryor Ave, Milwaukee, WI
27th Loomis Rd, Milwaukee, WI
Hyw 100 Loomis Rd, Milwaukee, WI
Witte Lane, Glendale, WI
Idaho St, Milwaukee, WI
4380 Pioneer Road, Cedarburg, WI.
This is 25 moves in 54 years, 13 schools, loss of 9 best friends, and17 jobs. This is the greatest gift a person can have or the most traumatic experience.
It didn’t take me long to adapt to change and the unknown. The turning point was in the third school, in the 2nd grade. At recess I realized I needed to go over to some girls who were jumping rope and asked if I could play with them. It was a positive experience as they said, “Come on and it is your turn to jump the rope.” After this I have never been afraid of taking the first step. I knew it will be O.K.
I learned social tolerance. In living outside the United States in other countries I experience different social norms and values. I learned not to fear different ways to eat, play, work, and worship. My Mother taught me that this is how they live and this is how we live…there is no right or wrong. I have taken this with me into my adult life where I live social tolerance. The only real test I have ever had is dealing with my South Baptist, Evangelical, Republican relatives! God Bless then and those who fear change.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Web of Technology
Today I created a blog, for what I don't know.
Years ago I re-entered the work place after a 12 hyades. In those 12 years I had totally missed out on the wave of technology and I almost stopped breathing. A warm hearted 20 something showed me how too enter my time into a computer. I had to embrace it or I wouldn't get paid. I promised myself that I would never be that far behind ever again.
I embraced email and then instant messaging and now it is social media.
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