"A game please"

It dawned on me last night while subbing for an ASL class that my teaching methods are very serious and direct. For 2 1/2 hours with a 15 minute break, my goal is to cover all the vocabulary in the unit. Practice sytax/sentences in ASL. Introduce concepts such as compound signs (where the verb + noun becomes a sign) ex would be "all day," Or "don't like." Ad well as the ability to use facial expression in place of a negation sign. Like when saying "me shop" with the signer's head nodding no, means "I didn't shop." But near the end of the class, one of my student asked me if we could play a game. I admit, I was caught off gaurd as I consider ASL activities to be "games." but she wanted something FUN. Imagine that, someone wanting me to be more fun. Most people know I am always up for fun, BUT only after my work is done. This student started to be really silly during the last 15 minutes and I basically continued with the lesson and ignored her. After class ended, I told her next week (as I am covering the class 1 additional time) I will have some games for us to play next week. She seemed very happy. Lesson learned, in ordered to keep my students interested, I better come up with at least 1 or 2 games that can be played in a reasonable amount of time.

Part of the problem is I just hate the idea or the myth people have about ASL being easy and fun. Its not easy, its like any other foriegn language, with its own semantics and rules. But I forgot, it can still be fun. I just know that if I convey a certain level of expectancy and seriousness, the students follow the same manner. I cannot stand the idea of wasting time on activities that will not benefit my students other than to make them "happy" or to have "fun." Now my plan is to look for activities that can be used next week and start testing out which ones work? Which ones waste time? Etc etc..

I got approached by one student last night during class break for a request of 1 on 1 tutoring lessons. I'll contact her later today. And I got a referral from one of my other jobs for teaching ASL. When I called this referral, I learned that they are not looking for a teacher but rather a terp for a 1 on 1 meeting between a deaf client and a rep. I then asked whether or not the client requested a certified ASL terp because I am not qualified or RID certified. I would hate to show up to the meeting and have the client become upset. But the woman on the phone reassured me they just wanted someone who can sign. The woman kept telling the relay operator, "ask her... tell her..." I wanted to so badly explain the etiquette of relay calls but decided against her. Because after all I need a job (even if its freelance) more than I need to explain the rules of speaking to a deaf person thru relay. Besides if this becomes a regular thing, then fine sure, I will take the time to explain.

Been making phone calls, sending out emails, the usual bs. Tonight I will have dinner with Blondie. I havent had much chance to see her in the past few weeks. It will be good. I will also get to see my Sweetie tonight. He has been busy working on his cars, getting one of them ready for inspection to be used as his company car. i.e. more tax breaks!

Went to Radio Shack and got the friggin cord I needed for my external HD. I plan to work on my movies tmw if time permits and for sure SUNDAY will be dedicated to that soley.

Overall I feel good, my moods are upbeat. My sweetie is so kissable! My family rocks and my friends rock harder. How much better can life get?

Why I heart Cats!

Get this video and more at MySpace.com Saw this off of Queen Alpo's blog and had to post it for you all as well. The mirror scene in this video is my favorite! Meanwhile back at my apt, the Tin Man's cat, Kat is settling in sort of, the hisses have dropped from several hundred times a day to approximately 50 to 100 xs a day. Tom on the other hand, has full range of the apartment and comes and goes as he pleases. He doesn't pay any attention to Kat.

Been working on several things today such as my lesson plan for tonights ASL sub class that I'm covering and math lessons for next week tutoring meet. The tutoring yesterday went really well. Basically we covered areas such as circumference, diameters and radius. My student has to memorize the formulas in order to do the math problems. We also covered means, median and mode for statistic purposes. I think she will be fine as long as she practices and solves the problem in a neat fashion.

Hung out with my Sweetie Monday, it was a lazy day. I wasnt feeling too good so stayed home. We ordered pizza with my roommate. Last night after the tutoring session I met up with Szymanski for dinner where we ate at the Blue Angel Thai restuarant. It was good to see her. Apparently ASSwipe (my old roommate) is now on her case as well. Its no surprise to either one of us. But knowing how much of an asshole he can be, I know it makes the atmosphere hostile.

Overall I am happy to be back in NYC, working and getting ready for my trip to the Carribbean. I leave in 2 weeks for a 1 week cruise that I'm going with my friend Karen from MD. There are approximately 400 other deafies going, the rest are hearies. I am so excited about going somewhere new! I have never been snorkeling so my Sweetie is gonna take me somewhere soon to buy eye mask and snorkeling stuff so I wont have to rent them. I will of course have to use my special sea shoes. Its the kind you see surfers or beach goers wear. I hate anything touching my feet, it makes me panicky and I can't relax enough to enjoy the water. Its one of my many little quirks.

I got one of the needed wires for editing purposes but the 2nd one is still missing. I may just cave in and go to Circuit City and buy a new one. I am itching to edit!

See Food?

Remember that old joke kids would tell each other? "Do you like seafood?" and when you would answer "yes" the kid would stick out his tongue with bits of food and reply "see food!" while grossing you out!

Anyhoo I took Mom yesterday to Red Lobster in York for a belated birthday lunch. We both order snow crab legs (Mom got the King crab legs) and we feasted like royalty! Then I slipped into a food coma for an hour before we went to visit Nancy and Bobby and run some errands.

We also watched Galaxy Quest which we had both seen numerous times but it never fails not to make us laugh! I especially like the aliens they were trying to help (the way they walked, and laughed.)My Mom's Tv doesnt have CC because it was built before the law required built in caption decoders on TV sets. So when we want to watch something we are always limited to only DVDs that have English subtitles.

Today got up and went to the thrift store that I favor and unfortunately it was slim picking today. I asked the sales lady before leaving if it was me or did it seem like the selection was limited? She explained a bunch of people just quit so they werent processing things as quickly as possible to get them out on the floor. I was only able to snag 1 top and a pair of courdory pants, good for cooler weather. I also gave Mom a Barnes and Nobles gift certificate. My family have always been readers, no one home is complete without a bookcase(s) of books. Otherwise it seems like an empty house.

Came back home and got my things packed. I am taking the 5:21pm train back to NYC where my Sweetie will pick me up. The visit this weekend overall was very nice and relaxing. It always is!

The Tin Man brought over his cat, Kat to my apt this weekend. Seems where he is staying currently till he moves into his apt this October isnt taking good care of his cat. I ordered him to bring over Kat to my place so that he wont have to worry about whether or not she's being fed or taken care of. I hate people who get pets and for whatever reasons decide to get rid of them. Hello they are YOUR pets, your responsibility. If you didnt want to be bothered with an animal, why did you get one at all. To me, my pets are just as important to me as my family or children (if I had any.) Apparently Tom was very amicable and tried to sniff noses with Kat, but she wasnt having any of that and hissed 2xs before walking away. I am very excited to meet Kat tonight. Shes approx 10 years younger than Tom and has never met another cat before. Meanwhile Tom being as wordly as he is, is used to diversity and mingling with numerous cats that this is just one more notch on his belt. I hope Tom is being a good kitty host to Kat?

While sleeping last night

I woke up vaguely to feel the coolness in my room and in a weird way, its one of the reasons why I love fall. The coziness of being under the blanket and snuggling with Tom or the Tin Man when hes there makes me very happy. I am the most romantic in the fall out of all 4 seasons. The smell of fire burning and leaves changing are wonderful! Its not majorly significant in the grand scheme of things, but it makes me happy to be alive and to be in love with someone who I care for as deeply as I do for the Tin Man. He s a great hugger and isnt afraid of PDA. I cant stand people who yank their hands from their partner or refuse to kiss in public, not the kisses that people utter "go get a hotel kids!" But rather a quick peck on your sweeties lips because they're irrestible. My Sweetie has these great full lips. He has no idea how handsome he truly is.


Wednesday nite I popped in Battlestar Galactica opening season disc 1. I LOVED the story line. The Tin Man was telling me how great the show was and I was like *yawns*. Because I tried to watch it last year when it premired but its one of those shows you have to watch from the beginning episode otherwise you're lost. I have a new sci fi story to get lost into. I must add its very well done. The Tin Man is ordering the 2nd DVD for us to watch together. I cant wait!
Yesterday work went well. I mostly took the time to refresh up my memory on fractions (adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying) as well as converting fractions to % and % to whole nbrs. I also got a list of useful formulas for how to figure out the area, radius, circumferences etc etc.. Now I have to find a way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand. Thats the real challenge.

When I got home from work, I immediately started my laundry before my trip to PA today. Let me tell you something, its hard doing laundry with 6 flights of stairs both ways! Whats worse is one of the washers seemed stuck on rinse so after an extra 30 mins of waiting for the 2nd washer, I caved in and pulled out the soak towels and tried to squeeze out the excess water. I did those 6 flights of stairs approx 6 times! When my sweetie arrived, I txt msg him to please pick up some Thai chicken coconut soup and to grab the laundry, the wet towels, (tho by the 3rd time in the dryer they were just damp) out of the dryer and he did.

I also watched Survivors last night, I missed the 1st episode but it seems the tribes are divided by race. There are 4 tribes, Latino/Hispanic, White/European American, Black/African American and Asian/Asian Americans. I am curious which tribe out of the 4 retain the most members? I was sad to see the discrimination within the Latino/Hispanic tribe how they voted out one guy name Billy because he wasn't gung-ho, Spanish-speaking commarade they wanted him to be. Instead he is in a metal band and prefers the heavy metal culture. Another incident was within the Asian/Asian American group where one of the members performed as a stereotypical Asian accent that the other tribe members did not like. They didnt want that images perputated by this guy even tho he thought it might give them an advantage when faced by other tribes. That they would be fooled into thinking he wasnt very smart.

Today grab some brunch with the Tin Man before boarding the train to Lancaster. It was a smooth trip. Dozed off a little but luckily my pager has an alarm that I can use set on vibrations, so I wouldnt worry about missing my stop. Baba picked me up, we returned home for supper and yakked for a few hours about her maternal and paternal grandparents. It was very interesting and dinner made by Baba, DELISH! I will make it for the Tin Man and Joe Joy when they come to PA this November for the annual Greek Bazar weekend. I love for the pastitsio and honey balls!

Jericho

Tonight the TV called JERICHO premires and guess who s in the cast? Sho Stern! Yep, not only has she been on Weeds lately but now she's in this show as well. Check it out it comes on CBS @ 8pm! Give Sho your support!!!

Life keeps

me on my toes these past few days. On Monday, a friend, Franklin from MD stopped by my work to visit. It seems the place where she and Trebek were crashing at had a bitchy roommate who flipped when she saw Trebek sleeping on her beloved couch. It was later explained that the roommates weren't getting along and Franklin/Trebek got caught in the crossfire. So I offered up my living room for them to crash at.

I met up with Szymanski and Blondie for a wonderful Indian meal, when is it never wonderful?? We ended up gabbing for a few hours before I went home to meet up with Franklin and Trebek. They arrived, drop off their stuff and we hit the bar down below, called Toast, which is well-known for their hamburgers to grab a bite (me, I had a margarita and some ff cuz I was still pretty full from the chicken marsala.) It was great yakking it up with them. I realize I enjoy haning with lots of different people, it makes life so much more interesting and gratifying. Franklin also got the opportunity to meet my famous bitchy kitty, Tom and my roommate's Hamster name "Lazy Bastard." The funny thing is, Tom shows no interest in Lazy Bastard, no licking his lips, or crouching to sneak up on the little guy, more like, hmm.. "maybe if you chopped it up in smaller pieces, Ill feast, otherwise I am not gonna get my paws dirty." My roommate and I hung out with Franklin and Trebek for an hour or so, discussing airlines and what its like to be a flight attendant. I dont think people realize its hard work. My roommate comes home after being gone from 3 to 5 days at a time and goes into a coma for the next 15 hours due to pure exhaustion!

Yesterday I met up with my Sweetie down by 42nd st for lunch before I had to be at work later that afternoon. I decided to go into "touristy" mode and begged to hit Hard Rock Cafe. I have only been to the one in DC and wanted to see if it was a lot different? it sure is, the entrance is a small gift shop with Hard Rock Logo items. Then there's a staircase going down where we then were greeted by a host who ushered us to this area (I had no clue as to what was being said) but it quickly became apparent that our photo was gonna be taken. Snap, flash and a few seconds of seeing stars we then continue to another area where a different host sat us. Now granted I thought the food was lousy, its always lousy, same as DC. But the company was great! We talked and bs for an hour or so. The woman came by with our photo in 2 picture frames and 2 keychains with our photo selling them for $25 as a package. Neither me nor the Tin Man felt the picture did any justice, only verified our confusion to having our photo taken. We both have a puzzled or unsure look on our faces. We vetoed the package. No way would I ever shell out $25 for that crap. I know what we look like, we live here in NYC so its not the same as it might be for Bob and Marge from Iowa. They may actually be stupid enough to pay that ridicolous amount. Thinking "oh well, thats NYC for you, very expensive."

I went to work and met with my tutoring student for math. A native of NYC, and a deafie we hit it off right from the git go. After we did some stuff and agreed on a game plan, we had 45 mins left for the tutoring so she asked me to help her with her reading. Basically she would read a paragraph and then sign the concept to me. I would then let her know if she was right, partially right or off the mark and explain what the author really means. For example "we'll hang in there" doesnt mean people sitting around, hanging out but rather its a hearing slang for "we'll be fine," "we can put up with it" or "its not too bad, its manageable, tolerable..." The student was a little frusturated and I explained that these are cultural norms that hearing people pick up on everyday by listening to various conversations. Its the same for international folks who first language isnt English, its hard from them to graps our American sayings. During some of the clarifactions I would act out the emotion or the behavior being read by my student. Funny she remarked my facial expression was like that of a Black person and it was surprising for her (herself Black) to see a White Jewish woman like me, looking like that. I guess living in DC area all these years has altered my whitey DNA to at least an olive tone?? I didn't bother to explain I was involved with theater all my life and directed movies so its easy for me to mimic others. I could never be a FT actress simply because while I can act a certain way, its more for an example to my performers rather than a skill I could maintain for long periods of time. I just don't have the dedication to lose myself into a character, for a few seconds sure but all day long, day after day, week after week... I dont know it just doesn't appeal to me like it did when I was younger. I do enjoy being a background/ensemble extra more than a lead actress any day.

After work ended I swung by Cain's place because even tho I got some of my things the night before, I left behind important stuff like kitty cat liter scooper and trust me, every Cat Owner needs their scooper to keep their sense of smell intact. I arrived home and immediately cleaned my room up as it was driving me bonkers. Then I hooked up the I-Mac but no wireless service was accessible. I will have to call the cable company to see about having a wireless account open or try finding a plug in thinging like my bfs laptop that has a much broader range to pick up singles for wireless. I may be close enough to the several colleges nearby to pick up on theirs for free?

Later I joined my roommate to watch some cartoons and then we popped in MurderBall,
the documentary. I didnt get to finish it, but wow one of the characters Joe Soares brings major drama to the piece and the testosterone levels in this piece is extremely high. If they ever make a movie on this guy's life, they should get Woody Harrelson to play Joe Soares. They do look like they could be brothers!

What I liked a lot about this piece is they follow 3 to 5 different Quadriplegics life stories. And clarified many myths such as one rugby players gave an example of how he was out and about when one of his neighbors came over and remarked "why (name) its so good to see you out and about." as if he was hiding in a basement somewhere! Another guy remarked how he went to the food store to do some shopping and in the parking lot as he was getting ready to leave, someone approached him and asked him if he needed help getting into the vehicle? He's like "hello, how do you think I got here, did my food shopping, put the food in the vehicle and not be able to get in on my own!" Its the same crap deafies face about being "inspirational." Hell, go find something to do yourself thats inspiring but dont go up to every person who is different from yourself and make that dumbass remark! The movie also taught me that a Quadriplegic physical ability varies depending on where their neck was broken. The higher up the neck, the less mobility. But most do retain some functions in their upper body, such as arms and hands but maybe they cant grasp things. One guy likened his hands to spatulas. So the Quadriplegics rugby players have this tendency to identify themselves as a 2, 3, 4 whatever nbr they are to discribe where their necks were broken. I thought that was very interesting none unlike deafies who may identitify themselves as Deaf, deaf, oral, hoh, hearing impaired *shudders*... They also broached the topic of whether sex is doable or a dead issues. The goods news is, while everything waist below is paralyzed, their penises are NOT. What it didnt address was how much they actually feel while having a hard on? Most of them said, that was their biggest concern as to whether or not they will be able to wank off or be sexually desirable to others. I do wonder about female Quadriplegics, do they have any feelings in their clitoris? When having sex and being penetrated, can they feel this? I will watch the rest of it tonight but I gotta say, its one of the best documentaries I ever saw. If the American Rugby Quadriplegics Teams come to NYC for an event, I am sooo their. I would get Mark Zupans autograph in a heartbeat.

Here's a picture of Zupran in action, he is the USA team!

Last but not least, the USA Quad Rugby team has won the paralympics from 1990 to present every year except in May 2002 where they lost the championship by 1 point to Canada thanks to Joe Soares! You can read more about the US Quad Rugby Team here.

I ended up going to bed very late not because of Tv or the computer but simply couldnt fall asleep, finally at 3am, I popped in a melatonin to help me sleep and then dragged my sorry butt to work this a.m.. Tonight I have to burn some of my movies in quicktime format for my webdesigner. Currently the website is under construction but at least theres a site to go to. I will post it when its ready :)

JKF's lost twin...

Seems now the whole fiasco with JKF has only grown from bad to worse. I think its an interesting tatic now that many of the protestors are using Audism discrimination by the BOT. I went to Peggy's website and saw this link, its eerily accurate!

Its hard for me to share an opinion on this issue because I am not in DC anymore. I do not want to see JKF become the 9th prez this Jan.. this is has never changed and never will. Being a MSSD alumni I know what destruction she is capable of doing. JKF go HOME and stop holding onto your pride. We don't give a flying dead rat about your resume or self-glorification. We're looking at the bigger picture as to whether or not you are leadership material and guess what your records show that you are NOT! I consider her appt as prez to be as fishy as Bush's appt. It reeks of foul play. BOT wise up, admit your mistakes, vow not to do them again, re-open the selection process!

Hmm tasty!

Been mulling over an idea for a new script to do later this fall, probably during the holidays when I am not working as much. It will probably be 5 to 10 mins long. I am planning to ask one of my deaf-blind friends to star in it. It would be easy to shoot because so few characters and the locations are few as well.

I will admit, I am feeling kinda bummed lately for the lack of progress with my film editing. I haven't taken the IMAC out of the box sinced I moved in. My Sweetie unpacked it for me this weekend but it hasnt been plugged in or turned on. It only serves as a reminder for what hasnt been completed. I know I have been tending to my responsibilities the last few months (finding a place to live, acquiring more jobs...) still its a disappointment to myself when people ask me how it is going with the movie editing? I have decided that SDI is gonna take forever do to the voice overs (still have 3 people left to do). I will go ahead and begin editing PAWs with I-Movie instead of FCP because the scenes themselves do not require any extensive editing.

I was also not feeling too good this weekend. I did get to visit Eddie some on Saturday nite with the Tin Man and Szymanski. Yesterday met up with Szymanski and we went to Soho area for a few hours.

I have no more boxes left to unpack, just a question of organizing things. I feel pretty much settled and Tom is loving all the space he has. Everyone remarks how much nicer he is at the new apt. He didnt bite my Sweetie all weekend! Thats unusual for him. He loves a juicy tender bit of arm with just the right amount of hair to sink his teeth into. One of the tail signs is when he goes and licks you, because basically he's thinking "hmm, tasty!"

This Friday I head to PA for the weekend. It will be nice to take a break from NYC and see the folks back home. Tonight I meet up with Blondie and Szymanski for some Indian Marsala Chicken, yum!

Tmw is my first tutoring session for one student in regards to Math. I am looking forward to it and completing my paperwork at HR. I forgot my SS card last week so tmw I gotta bring it. Already took a marker and made a HUGE X on the back of my hand to remind myself to pack it in my purse tonight.


The Tin Man moved my TV to the living room but the cable line is too short (and I think chewed up?) so I am using it mostly for VHS/DVDs. I got to watch American Movie with the Tin Man. I love that movie, the main guy is this struggling film maker who has this Uncle Bill who helps finance the money. My favorite lines (cheesy stuff) is the script lines the filmmaker writes and has his uncle Bill recite "It's alright, its okay! You have something to live for. Jesus told me so." they did 30 some takes before the Uncle Bill quit. He couldnt seem to say all the lines without inserting, "umm..." here and there. Hysterical!



We also watched the lame ass movie Mystery Men. At times it was hilarious but about 2/3rds of the way into the movie we had to stop watching it. We just couldnt take it any more, the lame story lines.

Having the TV in the living room has help me to watch a lot less tv and actually read more in my bedroom. I know in the past having the tv in my room often causes me to go to bed later because I just can't resist catching the end of a show or movie and suddenly its 3 or 4 am! This week I plan to finish watching "Koko the signing Gorilla" and Ghandi the movie.

a'ight back to work!

Behind SDI Scenes

Joe Joy did "Behind the Scenes at Stone Deaf Interrogation" SDI works, you can check it out here. This will give you an idea of who's involved and what we had to do in order to get it done :)
Thank you Joe Joy!!!

These past few days

have been a blur! Monday nite's 9/11 film gig went well. I was tired but I enjoyed the event and being with deafies. I realize this summer I have been mostly in "hearing" mode. I need to strike a balance between the two.

The other day when I posted the bit about Jews being stereotyped as money grubbers or cheap I wanted to show that not all Jews have or come from money. As a matter of fact up till the 1900s, most Jews in Europe were farmers. When they came to this country to escape perscution in Russia and all around in Europe as well as the Holocaust they settled mostly in NYC and Boston. Since they were limited to where they could live and farming isnt really an option in the city environment they had to form new trades. There have always been some Jews who were wealthy none like any other race or nation. But a majority like me work hard every day to make an honest living. The only advantage the Jews may have over the Christians or other Western religion, is our religion (Judaism) encourages education and thinking for one's self. It is up to each generation to interpret the Torah with a fresh perspective and how it applies to their lives today. The Christians notorious for the dark and middle ages kept their masses ignorant by having only those in power, (church leaders, etc) learn how to read and write. Thus forced the masses to heed to whatever they said. I think this hurt a lot of gentiles for centuries. Judaism would fall under Eastern religion if it were not for the fact there is a diety involved (G-d). I like Eastern philosphy a lot because again it encourages thinking, retrospection, analyias etc etc. I am a big fan of Confucius. I thought his life story was fascinating. If you ever get a chance to brush up on his background and how his beliefs like Jesus, Muhammad, Ghandi and others influence the public during their time, I gaurentee you, you will no longer consider him to be limited to fortune cookies!

Yesterday met up with 2 of my supervisors and took care of paperwork for Human Resources. Spent most of my afternoon there. Last night I focused on my room, switching summer clothes for winter clothes, organizing my drawers, hanging stuff up. Then I moved some of the smaller furniture around to create space and allow me to further unpack personal stuff like perfume, hair products, lotions etcetc. All the things a woman needs to live in NYC. The last thing I have to organize is my "office/computer" stuff. I want to make some kind of nook or cranny where I can edit in the living room, that still has to be figured out. I also need one end table for next to my bed for reading etc etc. The one I have is too big that the door to the room can't close. The other one too small. Like Goldilocks I haven't found the one "that just right."

Right now I am at work, then I will meet my Sweetie after work. I can't wait, havent seen him since the weekend. We will hit BrawdyVille tonight as well. Here's a promo that Joe Joy did for you to review.

Today is MOM's Birthday, happy birthday MOM!!!

I'm awake.. I think...

Woke up this morning and rolled out of bed. Was up late last night, watching a Jennifer Lopez movie Enough on TNT, the only cable channel on my set worth checking out. It seemed TNT was doing a marathon with Lopez's movie, I caught the beginning of Angel Eyes which looked promising.



With the wireless internet we have the minimal access to tv channels, mostly the giants like (ABC, NBC, Fox...) public tv (MNN, NOVA, PBS...) and crap channels like (food network, tnt, telemoundo...)My netflix movies came too, I ordered "Koko the signing Gorilla." made in 1973, and its CC!







Funny when I was 10 years old, I got a dog, a black lab who my family and I named Koko, after the signing gorilla. I used to have a poster of Koko and her kitten above my bed. This was before I became a "deafie" with cultural identity.

Speaking of TV, the Tin Man sent me a link about Star Trek being digital remastered, you can read more about it at Star Trek




anyhoo my weekend was awesome! Friday nite I had dinner with Knob, King and Szymanski at Harbour Lights. It was right on the water in South Seaport. The dinner was pricey but the company and ambience was more than worth it. Even tho I was grumbling the next day to the Tin man I couldve had 3 or 4 meals out of what I spent but thats just me, I am cheap. I must admit Jews are known for being thrifty, (money grubbers) but I am thrifty not because I am a stingy Jew but because damnit, I am POOR! Besides its like a quest for me, how much money can I save? Buy clothes at thrift stores, food on sales or generic brand, taking the subway over a cab, etc etc.. some days when I get compliments on my clothes, I proundly reply the whole outfit aside from the undies and socks may have cost me 12 bucks or less! After dinner, it was DPHH time, the bar that was choosen was actually a sit down kinda place. Many deafies like to stand around and yak so they moved to a different bar, and I headed home to unpack more. I'm in the first photo in NYCDPHH website. Also here's another pix of me, taken by Szymanski!


Saturday met up with Joe Joy for Brunch/Lunch in Union Square. It was great to finally sit down and catch up with my main Gay! He is my first Gay friend who I consider myself to be his fag hag. I have had gay friends all my life but every woman knows theres always one or two gays out there that you become their fag hag for life. Joe Joy is mine! He came to my new apt, gave me thumbs up and went into Mama Joe mode by folding clothes of mine and helping me break down cardboard boxes to take to the recyclables. I had a blast.

Then @4pm Sat I met up with my Sweetie who brought me a new SideKick 3 in leiu of my digital camera not arriving in time for my birthday (its on back order and should arrive any day now) he felt bad that a whole month went by without a bday gift. I explained to him the trip to Niagara Falls and dozen of roses was more than enough but he disagreed. Hey I am not minding being spoiled, its just I am not used to it. If anyone who knows me, I LOVE presents, gimmie gimme gimme.... funny my ex was terrible at gift giving. He felt material goods was in no way able to show the "love" but he's wrong. Gifts show consideration, thoughtfulness. It shows you are thinking about that person such as their birthday or during an anniversary. I gotta say one of the things I love about the Tin Man is he is VERY considerate of me. For example the new SideKick 3 has an MP3 player for music. I can never use headphones not because they aren't loud enough but because everyone around me has to listen to my music which ranges from Metallica to the Doors to Madonna! So he order a special headphones with an amplifier for me and apparently this set not only increases the volume for me, but decreases the likelihood of it bothering others around me. I may also be able to use it for phone calls with family or him (peoples voices I know, not for everyday calls.) He was a little concerned when he told me this because he felt I might think he was being "audist" by giving me this but I told him I thought it was so sweet of him to go out of his way to find me headphones I could use. We will test it out when it arrives, if it doesnt work, back it goes! We also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for some needed items to help me settle into the new apt. I ended up spending $140 on a set of sheets that I thought were $99, thats way too much, I love the sheets but not that much. I will return it later this week.

Sunday I unpacked more, went uptown for a little shopping and had my first dinner party. I invited Blondie, Szymanski and King for dinner. I was originally gonna make salmon but the stores nearby didnt have it or if they did, it looked questionable, so instead I order chinese take out, steamed chicken, shrimp and veggies. Blondie and King brought bottles of Chardonay which we killed off both bottles last night. Szymanski brought this delicious lemon cake, with berrie toppings to die for. We also played Set. (Szymanski intro me this game last year, excellent choice for deafies who pride their visual abilities). This website has a daily puzzle so check it out, it was created for folks like those involved with Mensa. If you dont know what Mensa is, then dont bother going to the site...that automatically lowers your IQ to under a 100 if Mensa is a new to you *winks* We also played some 90's trivia pursuit. It was a blast, a lot of good conversations and laughing and it was just so nice to be able to have a small dinner party. I havent been able to do so since living in MD.

My roommate got home late last night, she's a flight attendant so it was funny to see her walk in with the uniform on and her wings pinned to her lapel. She was disappointed not to see Tom my bastard kitty, I explained that Blondie and I will be bringing over on thursday evening. I want to finish unpacking before bringing him home and get his food and cat box set up. I asked her if she was ok with the few boxes that have to be unpacked and some clutter, she didnt care. I am relieved because I am not trying to take over the apt.. I believe in sharing and shes a nice girl. I feel very lucky to have a new home with a cool roommate, in a good location.

Tonight I have a film gig downtown for a friend's premiere. It totally slipped my mind today is 9/11. Wow 5 years, they went by quickly. Also since the cat is out of the bag, I've decided to post a photo of my new tattoo I got on July 27th signifying the end of grad school, Sarah's passing, becoming a real filmmaker, dating the Tin Man.



The smaller one I got 7 years ago in honor of Chanda's death. Of course my family wasn't very happy, they never are when it comes to this. But I was geniunely surprised by Baba's reaction which was very minimal and short lived. I expected her to be mad for days but I think she knows, thats who I am, agreed or not, I'm still me, the deafening chameleon! Below sums up my mood (this was a magnet on Eddie's refridgerator door and I just had to snap a shot of it)the pix is kinda small but it reads "Its been lovely but I have to scream now."

Crocodile Tears...

I am sure my nephew Bobby is upset along with many other children in this country and abroad about the unfortunate death of the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin who was killed a few days ago by a sea creature which stung him! Whats worse is that school started nationwide about the day after he died so I am sure many children went to school sad and the teacher's had them write fan letters to his family. I didnt watch his show much, as thats not my kind of genre but I knew kids loved it, even when I worked at MSD, my students would want to watch it and considering all the crap on cable, this was one of the better shows out there.

Last night, I mostly hung around watching tv with the Tin Man, without my hearing aid on all evening. It was a nice break, I did unpacking, smooching, watch Without a Trace all in deaf mode. I did wonder if he minded so when I asked him he said it was so much easier to focus on my signing or teaching him the right signs when its just the two of us alone. When living with Cain and Blondie, it could be distracting at times. Besides I notice most guys in relationships want alone time more than women do. I think women naturally enjoy the company of others more so because we are more communicative by nature, I forgot the nbrs but it was like for every 4,000 words spoke by a guy, equals like 10,000 for a woman? Or something along those lines. I did enjoy relaxing with my Sweetie, he was smiling more and so was I. Its been a stressful summer for us both and the whole hearing/deaf differences can be trying at times. I also noticed, we re both getting used to how the other one is. For example, when I am overtired or trying to work on cleaning/unpacking I can get a little bitchy. He took it in stride and instead of getting upset with me, he let it roll off his back. Thus I then would say things like "I am sorry for being snappy or bitchy, its cuz I am tired(or want to unpack)." Because I will always admit when I say or do something wrong, no matter how trival it may seem. I think he knows the difference to me being moody and me being upset with him? I am trying to do the same for him.

Funny every day that passes my work load increases, whether its at Media or teaching related, by Oct, I am gonna be working pretty much FT all week. Now I have to focus on getting affordable healthcare, which I hope to do next week wed. Perhaps tmw I will pick up my new earmold, see see?

Being tired is an Understatement!

I am sooo worn out, but the move is officially over! Yesterday the Tin Man, one of his friends, Erfo and King all helped me move my things up 5 flights of stairs, in the rain too. It was hard work, and I am a little sore today but very happy to have a place to call my own. My new roommate was there last night, so we celebrated a little with some champange, pizza and good conversations.

I had to drop off the truck this morning before going to work this afternoon. Lucky for me its an easy day today at Media Services. Basically during my free time in between jobs, I am making relay calls and figuring out my plans for the month of Sept.

The Labor Day weekend was nice, I mostly packed and spent a lot of time with my man. I also got to meet Erfo's aunt who was cool and is a psychologist. She had a book collection in her field that had me drooling! She was kind enough to offer me her old dresser (which was in excellent shape) except as we discovered the dresser had no backing, so there wasnt anything to support the frame. Thereby if we moved it, it would collaspe in itself. So I only ended up taking a small little box with drawers that has these nifty plastic handles shaped as crowns, hand fists and one more thing that escapes me due to being so worn out.

Tonight will work on my apt some with the unpacking. I am looking forward to Friday to eat dinner with Joe Joy and catch up before hitting DPHH. I miss being in a room full of many deafies, my hands are aching for some BIG time socializing with other deafies!

hard 2 believe

its been 2 years since I moved to NYC (Manhattan). It was the best, scariest decision I ever made. Never during my 20s did I ever think I would end up here. I figured me and my ex would get married, settle down in MD. I would keep teaching at MSD but in 2002 it all changed for the better. Even tho at the time I was heart broken, and my self-esteem was at a nil.

I remember how packed my old car was with all of my belongings. Every inch, nook and cranny filled with odds and ends like a can of soup here, a shoe there, anything that had an opening was filled. Poor Tom he had to sit on my lap the whole way up from MD to NYC. He would try to get up and move around but there was no where for him to go. I moved up here after the Republican conventioned ended, I refused to share this wonderful city with them! Besides I knew traffic would be worse with all the newsreporters and what have yous in town that week.

Funny I am not racist, but I am prejudist against the following;
-hard core right wingers (republicans)
-religious fanatics who can't see more than one way to live
-racist against anyone but themselves (including any groups, Blacks, neo-nazis, deaf militants, etc etc)
-holier than tho folks (who act superior or belittle others)
-bullies (mean people still suck!)
-people who commit animal torture/children abusers/rapists
-snobs (intellectual and financial)

See there is no way for anyone in the world not to be bias. Bias comes from personal experiences. Out of all the folks I listed above the only one I may have crossed the line is with Republicans because I do know some who are good people. Sure it boggles my mind, how can they think Bush is a demi-god, I am not sure but they are also a product of their environments.

Friday night, I met one of my Bf's friend from Brooklyn. Basically it was a "double date." I was a little nervous cuz I didnt know what to expect so when we arrived at Unos, I order a chocolate Martini to calm my nerves a little. Once we sat in the booth and ordered dinner, the conversation flowed quite easily. Occassionally my Sweetie had to terp for me, but overall it was fun. I would like to see this couple again soon. Maybe go shoot some pool or bowling?

Spent the afternoon with my Sweetie yesterday, even tho it was lousy weather (major rain and wind from the Hurricane down south). We ht one little clay shop that sold ceramic pieces (plates, cups, piggy banks, etc etc) that you could paint and buy. Then after they fire it in a Kiln, you can return 1 week later to pick them up. My ex would never do things like this with me of his own free will. We went to his rich aunts "Clay Cafe" in VA with some friends a while back. He gave me a hard time the whole way there. I was miserable even tho both of his sisters were there, and my friends too, the fights with him on the way to that event made it sour experience for me as a whole. It was nice to go with the Tin Man and relax, joke some. Plus theres not a whole lot to do on a rainy day. Last night basically watch tv and read, needed a little "me time."

Today is beautiful but I had plans to pack, do laundry and edit so Ive been inside most of the day. Argh the weather isnt cooperating with my schedule!

The Red Cross meeting last friday was a huge success. Basically due to the lack of terps or instructors who can sign ASL, they are drafting up a contract for me to be trained as a certified Red Cross instructor for free in exchange for volunteering the amount of hours these classes take *approx 40 hrs* (5 8 hrs days of training). I would have to fulfill my volunteer obligations within 2 years. This sounds like a great plan. I will recieve my training one on one because with my hearing aid, I can hear well enough in a quiet background and if the person doesnt have an accent. I already told the coordinator during our meeting last Friday that (while its ok for me to have 1 on 1 training with a hearie) if another deaf individual comes in wanting to take classes or whatever, that the Red Cross needs to be prepared to provide them with a terp, regardless of their speaking ability. Its still new to many hearies that a deaf person speaking ability is not a reflection of their deafness. Trust me they do NOT go hand in hand. That the Red Cross should not expect any other deaf person to be willing to do 1:1 training just because I did. They got the message, I wasnt mean just upfront and honest. I often tell hearies, I am a bad example of a deafie, (esp when I am the first one they ever met). I dont want hearies to look at me and say "well look at her, her speech is understandable, she seems to understand me, why cant they all?" why? cuz deafies varies as much as any other human beings. Some need glasses, some need asthma meds etc etc..

I decided to postpone tmw tutoring session because I need to focus on packing and getting ready to move tuesday. I have my things scattered at 2 friends apt and 1 storage unit. Tues gonna be a long day but a good day because now I can finally settle and nest my newest living abode.

Soon I will head downtown to meet the Tin Man at Union Square. I want to treat him to dinner, because he paid for me friday and yesterday. Plus walk around a little tonight, stretch my legs. Enjoy this weather while it lasts.