I never ever

want to write an academic paper under pressure again!

Sure amazing stuff comes out after 12-14 hours
blocks of serious solidatary commitment to my
laptop and data to filter through.

So far I've have had 2 "a-ha" moments. I experienced my 1st just this
past Sunday. After 2 bs days of NO progress and massive frustration, I
wanna quit mode I finally had a sense of direction and REASON behind the
paper.

Just recently I had my second "a-ha" moment. When I finally GOT what
Rusty kept saying about the difference between knowledge and
recollection in SLA. Basically the former is a lot harder to prove
because is mostly theories based while the latter is measurable.

And I wouldn't finally be able to go to sleep now if it wasn't for my
very own editor, thank YOU!

Ack!

Ppbftt!
Bleah
Boo hoo
Laptop got infected!
Why me!
thesis deadline near
Ackkkkkk!

Pick any or all of the below;

Yep, that's me right now with my thesis... be afraid, be very berry deliciously afraid :-)

Hulu Replied :-)

Hi,

Thanks for writing.

We currently rarely receive the caption files directly with the video itself, so
sometimes there is a lag between when a new episode or video is posted on our site and when we can enable captions on that video. We also have to build in time to hand synchronize the captions with the video/audio to fix timing problems, and sometimes the caption file is bad and we have to ask for a redelivery.

Captions are a priority for us. We have not received the captions for this episode of Celebrity Apprentice yet but are trying to track it down from the content provider.

Thanks for your patience,

-E
Hulu

Well that makes a lot of sense now. I had no idea that there was a "caption" file that is supposed to be included. I really appreciated their detailed response.

Well my thesis is coming along. I am using Excel for the 1st time and its not exactly user friendly for making charts etc etc but I need them for my paper. I am on a roll today and it feels good.

No Hulu Noooooooo!

I am depending on you Hulu to keep my sanity the next few weeks till my thesis is DONE! Tonight I went happily to your site and was soooooo sad to see the most recent episode of Celebrity Apprentice isn't closed captioned. Noooooooooooooooooooooooo

See when Hulu came into my life, I didn't give them much thought. I figured they'd let me down like the other major players (Netflix, ABC, NBC, etc) with their online viewing content and providing CC/subtitles. But to my surprised last fall, they DID have CC episodes of shows I acTuALLy wanted to see. Sure not everything on that website is CC, a Deafie can dream can't she? This was me after being Hulu-ized This is me after being semi drenched from the rain tonight on my way home from work and to find zero chance to see my anticipated show!

Since the Superbowl commercials, I do not get a quick or personal response from them anymore and I am worried they are going to follow the directions of these other major players and leave us deafies out in the dusk. And yes I am aware they are owned by FOX. I've already emailed them about the new tv show Sit Down and Shut Up not being available with CC and got this automated reply;

Hi I am deaf and I use Hulu all the time. I LOVE this website its the only one that gives any decent variety of shows with CC! I want to see the new show "Sit Down and Shut Up" but its not closed caption. Will the future episodes be cc?
Thank you
-DC

This was their reply;

Hi,

Thanks for writing. We're always interested in hearing from you, and we'll try to respond as quickly as possible. We can't answer every e-mail we receive, but we read them all. If you need an answer to a question or support for an issue, we recommend scanning our FAQ first as it addresses the most common inquiries.


http://www.hulu.com/support


We also have some specific e-mail addresses set up to handle certain issues. Using one of these e-mail addresses, when appropriate, will get your note the proper attention more quickly.

Thanks,

The Hulu Team
hulu.com

I sure hope I do get a real reply within the next few days. The last few times I've emailed them since the Superbowl, I havent. Compared to the nice one I got last November;


Hi (DC),

We have coverage on a portion of our catalog, but it looks like Fringe isn't captioned at this time. We know the coverage could be better. The closed-captioning data that's used for broadcast TV isn't easily translated for online use, so we're investigating alternative solutions to boost our closed-captioning library.

On shows where closed captioning is available, you'll see a "cc" button to the left of the volume control. Click on that and select the appropriate language and closed captions will display.

We also offer a default setting for closed captioning, and it will turn on captioning whenever it's available. To activate this setting, go to the Privacy & Settings tab in your Hulu profile (hulu.com/users/settings). You'll find a Closed Captioning box on the left. Select "yes" to automatically run closed captioning whenever you play a video that offers this feature.
You can easily find closed captioned videos by browsing our Most Popular (http://www.hulu.com/popular/videos/today) and Recently Added (http://www.hulu.com/recent/videos) lists, both accessible from the Hulu home page. At the bottom of the column on the left side of the page, you'll find a "Special Features" filter; select "Closed Captioning" to display only the videos with captioning. You can also find this filter on our search results pages.

Thanks,

-R
Hulu

So Hulu folks, if you're reading this, come on, bring the LOvE, CC backkkkkk so we can be this again

A kind soul

There's a man in Harlem. An older gentlemen
who when the weather permits, often draws/
writes inspiring messages on the sidewalk
aimed to young men and women who live in
Harlem. I've seen him 2xs. I realized he does it
early in the morning like 630-7am when its
still quiet and leaves different msgs on different
blocks on Lennox Ave. Usually between 125th
and 130th. One time I approached him to tell
him he was a wonderful human being to do this.
He said he wants to go to the different schools
and talk to the youngsters about the
importance of Education and to be good to
one another but the schools do not invite him.
What a shame. Here's a man who has tons of
wisdom to share and he's turned away from the
schools :( so what he does instead is this. And
this I think speaks volume!

Cutting back on hours

Somethings gotta give for the next several weeks. I am just not able to work the extra hours that I have and still do my thesis, in addition to 2 jobs and along the way maintain my health. Ugh, I have always been a sickly person but this sucks.
I mean mentally I am willing and able. But my body doesn't and hasn't ever wanted to comply. I feel like the poster child for CFS (Chronic Fatigued Syndrome). No I do not claim to have it but I'd be a food er I mean fool not to see the parallels.
I am gonna speak to Eddie tmw and ask to be taken off of Mondays and I wish Thursdays too but I absolutely cannot afford to give up 8 hours a week. 4 sure, but 8, multiple that by 3 or 4 weeks and viola, I am in the hole.
I figured the reason why Monday works better for me than giving up Thursday is that Sunday is my day to work on my thesis ALL day and Night if needed and if I am worried about getting up early (ok in my world 10am is early) on Monday morning to work 2 jobs I cannot relax the Sunday night before. It was maddening because I was on a roll last night with my thesis but then I began to worry about finishing up other things related to my lesson plan and I still feel crummy from this current sinus infection that I could not SLEEP. The idea of facing this dilema again and again for the next 2-3 weeks is not good for me. Nope, I am gonna give up 4 hours a week for my thesis. And for my health too.

Beware of the Leech Woman!

So right, I should be in bed, sleeping but duh, its me. Always a night owl.
Anyhoo I stumbled onto another gossipy site that I like called DListed and came across the post Hot Slut of the Day
Warning, a little gross sometimes but otherwise frickin' hilarious, at least to me.



Leech Women Tribute *PUPPET MASTER* - video powered by Metacafe
Seriously, it was just the pick-me-up I needed after hours of working on my thesis. It left me with a huge smile on my face. It's corny, but funny and well done in terms of shot angles, quality of the film and the length they went to make Leech Woman animated.

Graduation "extras"

With graduation right around the corner, I am finding last minute details I must attend to such as reserving my graduation guest tickets, buying the cap and gown, and recently I've been informed I must have an "exit" interview too. The exit interview is for the Office of Fiancial Aid to discuss your existing loans and the expected repayment plan. Oh joy, what fun that's gonna be. Anyways they included a website which shows you all the loans you EVER had and it sure is handy. For anyone who is unsure of what loans they owe from undergrad as well as grad school *ding ding ding! That's me!* then go to NSLDS (National Student Loan Database System). You must know your dept of Ed Pin to use this. If you don't have one, go to Dept of Ed and register.

Boy, I gotta tell ya, these sites sure make things a lot easier to keep track of!

Well my state taxes were not as nice as my federal tax refund. Can you believe I am only gonna get $5 back from NYC? Yep, something weird about this city's issue (aka jealousy) with me earning 1/2 of my income in NJ. Uh ok. It took FOREVER to do my state taxes in the back room and I finally got out of there at 530pm. I arrived at 2pm. But its DONE. Nonetheless I am having with my federal so I am not complaining :} Me is the happieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Taxes done!

Whee (as Ronnie always says)
I will get enough of a tax refund back to buy a new bed!
Im so excited because last year I actually
owed due to one job I worked didn't deduct
taxes and never again will I work that kind of
job! That's all I was hoping for, enough of a
return to replace the futon because the frame
is bent and I am sinking into a ditch every
night.
Happy Passover everyone. Tmw I will meet
Martin and ssp for him for the Passover
Services. It will be my first "Deaf" Passover.
Not much else is new, battling another sinus
infection, bleah. But I am still working on my
thesis. Its coming along, right now I am
focusing on the methods (my research
design) part of my thesis. I still need
more info on L1 learners and plan to
look for that next week.
This weekend I will use what I have so Rusty
can have the newest draft by Sunday night. I
want to be DONE by the 30th. I will feel cheated
if I have to wait till Oct to get my degree. I can
still march even if the thesis is not done but I
don't want that at all! Im determined to finish it,
sweat, blood, tears and all.
Hope you all have a wonderful Passover or Easter weekend!

The Thing From Where....

Deaf Mosaic #710

Filmed in 1991, released that spring 1992. For years both deafies and hearies have come up to me and exclaimed Oh I saw you on Deaf Mosaic! And I know exactly what they are referring to. You see for my junior year I had to complete a 2nd year of science. Since I barely eked a passing grade for Biology and despise chemistry enough to prefer a root canal to a chemistry lesson I signed up for a team class of Alegebra II and Physics. I have always LOVED math (well maybe not so much geometry) but I have a deep appreciation for numbers and enjoy calculating crap in my own head such as total costs of several items.

Anyways the point is my teacher Mary Ellsworth (whom by the way is probably one of the best teachers ever to instruct at MSSD) decided we would participate in a contest called the Pumpkin Chunkin competition. The goal is to build a machine that would toss a pumpkin the furtherest of all. Since of course we had to incorporate elements of physics such as velocity, gravity, impact of forces etc etc. We spent several months building these machines. The class had been divided into 3 different teams. I was the captain of mine (what a surprise right?). I still remember building it in the area by the old art room (now the eagle center) and across from the pool/gym near Dorm B. Mine was based on medievel catapult pictures and we added weights to increase the velocity of the pumpkin for when it was flung.

I dont know how the heck we got those pumpkin chunkin machines to deleware but we did and it was a WINDY that day. We didn't know at the time that everyone else was using metal/computers to create their machines and ours was wooden based. We were small league compared to some of those pumpkin chunkin machines but I am proud to say, out of the 3 teams from MSSD, I lead The Thing From Where to victory! 91 feet, was how far our pumpkin was thrown.

Of course I have a cameo in this part of Deaf Mosaic. What you can do is click on the link above or HERE and either watch the video from beginning or open the movie player in another window and scroll to approx 5 minutes and 20 secs and thats the beginning of the Pumpkin Chunkin segment. I appear around 7 minutes or so. Man you have to keep in mind 2 things when you see me. 1 I had only been signing for a little over 2 years. and 2 when I learned ASL, Total Communication or SimComming was all on the rage and actually promoted on MSSD campus so I am just appalled at how much I MOUTH! So for those of you who complain I mouth too much, look no further and you'll see how far I've come :) Other than that I don't look much different except younger and skinner. I was 17 in this video.

We also did some other cool experiments that year such as the typical egg drop where you use a limited amount of supplies such as paper and tape and construct something that would protect an egg being dropped from 2 stories. I still remember how I built mine, with layers of "tubings" to cushion my egg and it did survive. Lastly I remember attending some kind of science fair/exhibition that Mary Ellsworth arranged for all of us to go. There were these cool toothpick or popcicle stick bridges made and I think we were invited to create our own bridge and to see how much pressure it could stand. The more pressure your bridge took without falling apart the better. I remember seeing those bridges be destroyed by this pressure 'punisher' machine. I appreciated what Mary Ellsworth did, she gave me a real understanding and opportunities to explore physics outside the classroom and to this day it has helped foster my love of astronomy that I've had since early childhood. Watching programs on deep space or planets I would not understand them the way I do if it hadn't been for her class.

So for the 1st time, through the caption media program I got to see for myself this particular episode. I think I may have seen it 1x in the early 90s but otherwise, its been over 15 years. But I can recall so much details, it might as well have happened yesterday.

A General Jen's Day- yay!

Today is the 1st day in weeks I have actually STAYed HOME! No work, no errands, no TC just me in my pjs with my thesis notes and laptop. The tv is on to keep my company as I work. Its so nice not to have to be anywhere at anytime till tmw morning for work.

Yesterday was such a LONG day. I had my alarm set (6 different alarms) so I could be at work by 7:30am but I woke up at exactly 8am! Oh no! I scrambled to throw on some clothes and brush my teeth so I wouldn't injury innocent people with my killer morning breath. Hopped into a cab and go to work probably I want to say 8:15 or so. I am not kidding, I ran like a blur and the cab driver put the pedal to the metal!

Lucky for me, there was 2 of us working the event, and I was already there the day before setting up the mics and making sure that all of the equipment was working. Still the woman in charge of the event was not happy to see me when I arrived. I immediately apologized, didn't offer any excuse except that I took a cab straight away there. She seemed fine the rest of the day and I have worked for her many times during the week setting up or breaking down for her classes so I hope she wont make any complaints to my department about me being slightly late? She may because Mr. Coffee (god, he makes so many mistakes!) had told her there would be 2 techs in the a.m.. and 1 tech in the afternoon. But both of us techs worked all day because it really was a 2 person job so when she went to sign our time sheet, she told me what Mr. Coffee had told her which is kind of moronic as she was with US both all day and knew we were on the clock. Ugh so now she will have 2 complaints to follow up with tmw if she decides to. I mean the event went really well and we had no major problems with the equipment so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I really shouldn't worry because this would be the 1st time this has ever happened during the 4 years I've worked there in terms of a tech event.

I also used the time to do students grades and look up more L2 research. My 1st round of a thesis was "denied" and instead labeled as a "preliminary" round. Uh ok. I knew it wasn't anywhere close to being done but time is running out and I hope I can hand it in 5 more times before April 30th? This week I will have a much more solid piece of work to turn in.

Szymanski came by last night and cooked me dinner. It was interesting meal, it consisted of shrimp, bacon bits, grits, cheese and I dont know what else. Very THICK and refreshing to taste. Definitely the kind of meal to have on a cold, snowy day. We watched a movie about Bettie Page called The Notorious Bettie Page. Very well done, I would have like to have seen more depth to the story but overall very good movie. I thought the actress Gretchen Mol from Life on Mars the TV show did a fablous job playing Bettie Page! I didn't even recognize her, but Szymanski did as she's a fan of that show. The only major complaint I had with the movie was neither the subtitles or the CC used when it cames to songs lyrics. They played a lot of songs that sounded good but I had no idea what was being said and that sucked. Who out there decided that deafies don't like music or want to know the lyrics???

(see how different Gretchen Mol looks in these 2 different characters? The one on the right is her from the tv show Life on Mars)


So now that I've slept in and made a good lunch that included a side of corn bread I am ready to dive in the deep end of my thesis and do a few laps in my "thesis pool" with periodical breaks.

L2 updates

Well I think I found several researchers who
have done studies on L2 (2nd Language Learners)
Which will help me tremendously! The difficulty
Im currently facing is ACCESS to the research
articles themselves. I've gone as far as to contact
1 researcher through 2 different email address
I found through google. Yes that's right. I emailed
a complete stranger (I think? Not sure if we ever
met bc she's a deafie too) and explained that
Im currently finishing my thesis and my research
topic is parallel to hers. The only difference is hers
was based on I think teenagers. Mine is based
on adults. And of course different methods
of the research process too.

Im still "phantom"-ingly kicking myself for misplacing
that USB stick! Every now and then I close my eyes
and TRY to remember where it is?

6 subjects LOST.

Do I during the very last weekend of May take a
quick trip to PA and if found I could turn in a
decent paper that I feel meets my standards?
Or do I risk the opportunity not to be focus
because I will be completely out of my academic
environment and my 'thesis' mindset is here.

Part of the hazard of ADD and no meds was
disorganization is FULL-BLOWN, I can
testify to that :] I just accept it for what it is.
And hone in the positives of ADD such as the
times when im super focused. Sometimes I
admit I feel like what's wrong with me that I
need a stimulant in order to be able to function
and get things done? That knowing what my
weaknesses are should have been enough.
But after returning from spring break that
Monday when I took the ADD med I felt a
sense of relief.
And
I was more productive that day than I had
been in weeks!

This whole writing stuff

Is freaking me and Blondie out! I was very
happy to see Rusty today to tell him what
I had done and he gave me much needed
feedback to steer me in the right directions.
I think it was very hard for us to have to send
him our 1st draft tonight. But I have been
researching nonstop since Sunday
and working at the same time. You bet I
look like hell today. I looked like a typical
graduate student around this time of year.
Its good and an honor to be in such company.

I didn't make it to the bookstore today to pay
for my gown/cap. But I have a few weeks
left to do so. Its exciting making plans for
my graduation such as Baba and Mom coming
up for a visit. Id like very much for them to
stay with me. Keeping my fingers crossed Baba
will give it a go. She has never in all these
years stayed with me. Im also excited bc they
will have a chance to meet Rusty and Eddie!
Especially Eddie. Plus since I work at as media
tech at my grad school, I will have the chance
to show them where I work b4 or after the
ceremony. What kind of equipment I deal with
on a regular basis. Meet my co-workers, etc., etc..

I think this will be the 1st time im excited
about a graduation. Back at MSSD '93 when
I graduated from HS. I remember that morning
how UPset the assistant principal was that
I was wearing a simple tee and jeans. She
demanded I go back to Dorm D (I was a PA
that time) and put on a dress. I told her flat
out I didn't have one. She didn't believe me
until we were standing in front of my dorm
closet with no dresses in sight. She gave up
and assured me my family would be very
disappointed with me. Boy, was she wrong.
Baba didn't care and she agreed with my
argument. That since I would be wearing a
gown anyways and no one could see under-
neath who cares what im wearing. Im graduating!
For MSSD's graduation both Baba and my Uncle
Rob came. When I look back on the pictures,
we were all very HAPPY that day. I also
remember how LAME the ceremony was. I was
annoyed by Maureen's desire to have us all
stand in a circle, HOLDING HANDS! Not "cool"
in my book. Way too sappy. Especially for a
teenager that I was. Still being a senior at
MSSD was the best!

As for Gally's graduation. I didn't even bother.
The reason why was, I transferred to Gally
2 years after graduating from MSSD from U
of Pitt, and 1 year of working. So all of my MSSD
classmates were 1 1/2 - 2 semesters ahead of
me and I no longer knew them. None of my close
friends were there. So I ended up making all new
friends and met my ex. Without that I would
never met great friends like Knob & Blondie!
By the time I was done with my coursework
I had lost Chanda the year before and never
got into the whole "Im class of 99" I had
such a large circle of friends that extended
over class years, age and race I didn't need
to walk across the stage to get my BS degree.

But this tme its DIfferENt. I get to share this
joyous occasion with my best friend and
finish a program that usually takes 2 years
to complete. Not the 5 years route, in which
we took for variety of personal reasons.
There were times I was about to give up,
especially the 3rd year. And that damn CST
exam which I wasted all that $$ for and now
I don't even want to teach at a HS level so
having passed it, it no longer matters.
And doing the required student teaching last
year help get me to the final leg which is
NOW.
Boy its hard to believe but in 1 month I will
have a finished thesis.

Me and my quotes!

The past 2 days have been super
productive! Between working at
2 schools and my thesis I got a lot done
in 48 hours :]

So earlier tonight at work, I
remembered what Baba said to me the other day.

"A foolish man dies a 1000 deaths
A brave man dies one."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.