Good 2 be back in NYC!!

Got home Saturday around dinner time, the Tin Man picked me up from LaGaurdia ariport and whisked me back to my apt right below Harlem. It was great to see him, I was exhausted from only getting a few hours of sleep the night before and also traveling in all three transportation modes (ship, plane and car) was tiring as well.

Yesterday I was a LAZeeeeee bum. Woke up super late to my Sweetie who went and brought me a blueberry muffin :) I did some unpacking and a lot of snoozing. I will write about my trip in details later on when I get the photos on my computer (not sure how to do that yet.) Overall the vacation was a great experience. There were only 2 complaints I had about the cruise,
1- not many deafies (a total of 31 in all.. not like the 400 they originally said) so while those who went were nice, I was disappointed by the lack of deafies in all.
2-the cruise itself (ship activities) were very limitied in terms of things to do. For example most of the activities require additional money such as bingo, gambling, drinks *sodas and alcoholic*, spa, etc etc. I enjoyed going to the Islands and sight seeing more than the activities on the ship itself.

The other thing about going on a cruise is you do get cabin fever big time by the 4th day there. When you first board the ship, it seems so overwhelming like a small city but once you get around, you see how small it really is. Cruises are for people who like to eat!!! I was astonished at the amount of roly poly sized American's onboard. I felt skinny on the ship, unlike NYC where I am average. I got annoyed when people would ride the elevator for one stinking floor! Hello, the stairs are not that long or hard to walk and I often would walk anywhere from 2 to 7 flights of stairs because they were very easy to do. I've decided in the future if I go on another cruise it would have to be 4-5 days max. I want to try a different cruise line than Carnival, to see if the others have better activities??

My favorite island was Jamica! And the Cayman Island the least *too touristy and expensive*, Cozumel, Mexico was my more historical visit (seeing the Mayan Ruins). The whole week was full of sunshine and I did get burned once but after that I made sure to slather on the sunblock lotion and stay in the shade. The water was magnificant, I have never seen such clear, blue waters before. I tried snorkeling for the first time and got to touch Sting Rays at the Grand Caymnan Island.

I didnt touch a computer for a week, except during the Grand Cayman visit where I logged on for 15 mins to check emails. It was good to be "unplugged" and I realize the break served to clear my head up. I hadnt realized how stressed I was till the end of the cruise and how much more carefree and optomistic I felt. Knowing I didnt feel that way on Friday the 13th, worrying about this and that before leaving for Miami proves to me how much I did in fact need a vacation.

My Mom's friend Rich sent me the joke below which I thought was pretty funny;

Football FINALLY makes sense..........
A guy took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience. "Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents."
Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of
the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!

Cute huh?

Also from my Sweetie's blog, I copied and pasted for your enjoyment on hearies perspectives on deafies *grins*

Seen but not heard...

So I woke up this morning and decided to go to the drug store since My Girl had not yet awakened. Before I left, I decided to remove her hearing aid battery and obtain a new one since it had been dying all last night. When I got to the store I went to the seperate hearing-aid battery section (which is usually right next to the pharmacy) and all they had were batteries half the size. A little 30-something year old white guy came up to me and said in a pleasant voice "May I help you?". I noted the fact that he got right in my face, but couldn't make out why just yet. I told him that I was looking for a larger battery and immediately he jumped back and said "You don't wear a hearing aid..." I replied that I didn't and never actually said that I did. The way he looked at the battery in my hand was as if I had robbed it from a deaf person and it was a piece of forensic evidence. He curtly stated that he didn't know where the proper battery was located and walked away. I realized that he had wanted to play the hero to some poor deaf guy and when he realized that he wouldn't have that opportunity, he couldn't care less.

One thing I've noticed about some "hearing" people is that they take a paternalistic attitude toward deaf people. They get some kind of silly sense of heroism and self-approval from doing so. Some of them will explain to me how they are trusted and known in the (capital D) Deaf world. And how they have "mastered signing" - which usually means they know less than me over my few months of picking it up at random. They explain how deaf individuals inspire them and how they are so wonderful. It actually reminds me of how people talk about their cats and dogs because they refer to all of the tricks and neat things that signing has within it. "They're so lucky that they can talk in loud environments! - It must be great to sleep during a thunderstorm - Wow, it's cool how they can turn their hearing on and off with the flick of a switch - Watch them sign, even though you can't understand doesn't it look lovely?!" This is the point where I just sit there nodding my head until they realize that I don't really give a damn about anyone's trust or approval, whether they are deaf, hearing, short, tall, black, white, have wings or can shoot laser beams from their eyes. I could really see myself a couple of years in the future and knowing how to sign in a basic capacity. Also have more knowledge of deaf people and be asked by one of these "hearing trustees" how I've "come so far in this wonderful world". I'd then make up a statement; perhaps that I met a deaf girl and wanted to get in good with her and then "kept it up with the deaf bullshit". Anything to get a do-gooder's jaw to drop on the floor ;) I thought this was HILARIOUS!!!

The art of ASKING

Well me and 3 other ladies are prepping for an event in NOV, and I have been emailing various companies asking for samples or discounts to use at this event. After all the worse thing they can say is "no." So far I have gotten 4 companies and I am sure more will reply in the next few days.

Its interesting to see their replies, whether its yes or no. Most of the time it is no because this event is not for non-profit, but rather social/educational. The larger companies flat out say no but you know what? I am gonna try some of these larger companies stores in person here in NYC, ask for a manager and explain the event. Hopefully they have some leeway as to what they can give us compared to the parent company.

I am sooo excited to be leaving for Miami this Friday, the cruise leaves the port Saturday afternoon. I will be sharing a hotel room with my friend Karen friday nite, I am hoping to get a chance to see a little of Miami night life, as I hear dancing is the main attraction.

Been preparing syllabus for my 2 classes I will begin teaching upon my return. A lot of paperwork but luckily for me my work is allowing me to borrow one of their PC laptops for the trip :) this will save me money from not having to pay roaming charges from my pager or internet cafe fees on the ship.

Tmw nite my Sweetie will come by to help me with any last min preperation and to drive me to the airport Friday late morning. I sure am gonna miss him a bunch but hes been very busy working on his business so I know he wont be bored while I am gone.

Things at Gally are not looking any better :( Ive been saying it for 6 months now, JKF sucks! STEP DOWN JFK!

Hmm what else, been editing and real progress is being made for the website, heck it might even be done before the end of October!

Outrageous!

I couldnt believe one of the insurance quotes I got for individual health ins. They wanted between $600-$750 a MONTH!! Hello, thats a little less than I spent on the school's health ins which was approx $900 per 6 months. I have decided that my best plan of action is to keep a list of free clinics I can go to on as need to basis and just pay for the rxs myself as its cheaper than the actual insurance! You better believe I will be taking my multi-vitamins this year! I have never had consistent health insurance anyways, the only time I was given ins was when I was a student attending ungrad and grad school and for 1 1/2 years of my 3 years employment at MSD. So living without health ins is not new. If I could find a low-cost rxs plan, that would be ideal to help lessen the prices for my prescriptions. The Tin Man is looking into that for me today.

This weekend I went to 2 different workshops with King. We met up at 7 30am on a saturday morning, both bleary eyed and dragging our arses to the workshops. I really liked the guest speaker, who is from Long Island. I would love for her to come to my school and give a lecture for the TC ASL Club (Hint hint, Rusty-).

Got the most adorable pictures from Ronnie and her cutie pie Averi! I think Averi looks more like Hoswer than Ronnie. I sure do miss that gal!!

Saturday night when I got home. I realized after frantically searching for my apt keys that I didnt have them! In my morning rush to get out in time to meet King, I mustve forgotten them. Worse yet my roomie was out on a job (flying the friendly skies of what airline, unknown) and only Blondie/Cain as well as the Tin Man have the spare keys. Luckily for me my Sweetie came by from working on his cars and let me in. We hung for a bit but I went to bed at 7pm. I was behind in my sleep all week! I only woke up for 2 hrs on Sat nite and then slept in till 930am yesterday morning. Spent the morning cleaning before the Tin Man came by. We went out for Sushi and walked around a little. Basically we just watched some movies and worked on our own projects, mine was logging footage, his was setting up his wireless business.

I wanted to post the replies I ve gotten so far in regards to the Gally Protest. Here's the automatic reply from Senator Clinton;

Thank you for your e-mail. It is very important to me to know the issues
that are of concern to you. A growing number of my constituents are now
choosing to communicate with me via e-mail. I hope you will understand
that, because of the volume and range of e-mails I receive, it can take
some time to send a response that specifically addresses the subject
raised in your message. I do, however, want to let you know immediately
that your message has been received. Hearing from you and others through
e-mail helps me to quickly learn the views and interests of New Yorkers
and others, which is very helpful to me in my work in the United States
Senate. I hope you will continue to monitor my work through my website
at http://clinton.senate.gov, and I welcome hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Now does that mean anything, who knows? This one is from Schumer

Thank you for your e-mail. Each and every piece of correspondence I receive
is important because it allows me to better understand the New Yorkers I
serve in the United States Senate.
As you can imagine, my office receives a great number of messages
every day regarding a variety of issues – this is particularly true of
e-mails. It makes me proud to know that my constituents take an active role
in our government by corresponding with me, and I look forward to
responding to your concerns in greater detail. In the meantime, I just
wanted to let you know that your e-mail has been received, and to ask for
your patience until I send you a more detailed response.
Again, thank you for writing. Please feel free to visit my website
http://schumer.senate.gov to follow my work in the Senate and to learn more
about the services my office can provide to you.
Warmest regards

Hmm, like my Sweetie says, if Gally's Protest makes the NY Times, then I King and JKF are truly up the "shit creek!"

One last thing before I go, the term Tent City usually refers to a location of homeless people such as it was back in the day in NYC Central Park, called Hooverville. According to Virtual NYC Hooverville is as followed;

Hooverville is a term describing a series of villages that appeared following the Great Depression in the United States from 1929 through the 1930s and 1940s. These villages were often formed in desolate areas or unpleasant neighborhoods and consisted of dozens or hundreds of shacks and tents that were temporary residences of those left unemployed and homeless by the Depression. The government did not officially recognize these Hoovervilles and occasionally removed the occupants for technically trespassing on private lands.
The word "Hooverville" is a spin on the last name of the 31st President of the United States during the beginning of the Depression, Herbert Hoover. Some of the men who were forced to live in these conditions possessed building skills and were able to build their houses out of stone. Most people, however, resorted to building their residences out of box wood, cardboard, and any scraps of metal they could find. Some individuals even lived in watermains.

According to Wikipedia, Tent City means;

The term tent city has been used for temporary settlements made of tents, such as the beginning of Anchorage, Alaska. As a proper noun, it now is also used for series of organized encampments of homeless people in the greater Seattle, Washington, USA area.

Now whether or not GUFSSA protestors were aware of this or if they intentionally chose the name "Tent City" is questionable. In one respect, I could see why they would choose it as most Deaf people do not earn a lot of money and are often not in a position of power so not unlike the homeless people. Or the fact that "no one cares" in the real world is also a possibility of this term being used at Gally. In a way this whole protest does leave many deafies feeling without a home base which was Gallaudet, but now we can't even rely on Gallaudet to represent us fairly. I am proud of all the deafies standing their grounds! JKF has to GO!

Day 4 of Tent City II

[Update; a copy of the letter(s) I emailed to Senator Schumer (NY), Senator Clinton (NY), Rep. Rengal (NY), Rep. Barlett (MD), Rep.Cardin (MD)]

Dear Senator Schumer;

My name is XXX and I am deaf resident here in NYC. (or in the case where I wrote to MD reps I put; "I am a former deaf resident here in MD where I lived in Prince George County from 1995-2004") I am a former alumni of Gallaudet University in Washington DC and currently there is a major crisis happening there.

Jane Fernadez (JKF) was elected as the new President of Gallaudet University last May which prompted a Tent City I protest. The search process for a new president was seriously flawed and bias. There were several more qualified canidates or interested persons for the job but due to questionable standards and selection process, we were given JKF as our new Gallaudet University President.

This decision by the Board of Trustees (BOT) was not well recieved by Gallaudet U campus nor the nationwide deaf communities.

JKF has not proven herself to be a worthy leader. Her record at Model Secondary School for the Deaf was at best atrocious! She manage to cut many programs that hurt the overall school and lowered the enrollment numbers and education level. She has never been about the deaf students or the Deaf community. She has been mainly about self-glorification and recieving a hefty paycheck. I am dismayed and quite upset as many other deafies are by the BOTs unwillinginess to look into this matter seriously and respectively.

I am writing this to ask you to please look into this matter and if possible to discuss it with other senators about their thoughts and views on the situation at Gallaudet U.

Any advice and or help would be much appreciated by myself and on behalf of Deaf Community at large.

Thank you for your time,
-Deafening Chameleon


Current updates and videos on Tent City II. First thing first, KING JORDAN suspended the SBG!!!!Read more at Mishka Zena's site (thanks Joe Joy 4 posting it).

Also Tent City II made the news on the West Coast, San Francisco Gate. Thank you California deafies!!! You can also go to Joey Baer's site and watch this video;

there was also a flyer posted and handed out on campus at FSSA with the following statements;

The flyer below was passed around to all members of the Board of Trustees and shared with the Gallaudet community.



Gallaudet University Board of Trustees

IT’S TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK!

· Have you independently verified the situation at Gallaudet?

· Do our own Gallaudet Administrators really support the selection?

· Where is the support from the external leaders in deaf education?

· Do you know how many alumni and others have said they will not contribute to Gallaudet or to a Gallaudet controlled GUAA?

· Do you know that more than 80% of Gallaudet’s deaf faculty oppose this selection?

· Where is the evidence that we are coming together to follow the President Designee’s leadership?

· What will happen in 2007 if the majority of this community either actively oppose the new President or just simply “give up?” Can Gallaudet succeed? Elizabeth Zinser said “no President can succeed without the faculty!” Has the BOT not learned this lesson?


Please talk off the record to these people and find out what is really happening and what key people are thinking. You NEED to know this!

Talk off the record to:

· former Board members / Chairs

· Deans, Directors and Department Chairs

· Administrators in College Hall, Chapel Hall and in EMG

· NAD leadership

· leaders of deaf businesses, schools, universities and organizations

Also there's a video clip on Noah Beckman who is Gally's SBG prez, I met him briefly last spring during the Tent City I protest. If you noticed at the beginning of the video we see JKF sitting there with a sour look on her face *you know why? cuz she knows she's f*cked*

Then there's also this clip on Roy Ricci who I met thru my friend Coleslaw a few times over the years. I also saw him at the Tent City I protest last May and we hung a little. He got to watch my SDI trailer and seemed to like it. Here he's talking about an artwork he did based on the events from Tent City I thats for sale and 30% of the proceeds will go to FSSA funds.

The last clip I want to post is from Monday morning when Tent City II resumed. Ryan Commerson is ironically I think wearing the same jacket from our picture last May when he was still PNG. I believe all 3 of these videos (Noah Beckman, Roy Ricci and Tent City II) were done by Ryan Commerson. In the Tent City II clip, you can see Jesse Thomas puttering around in the background. I sure wish I was there but work and life keeps me in NYC! At least Gally knows I am there in spirit!!!

According to Elisa's site there will be following (which should be happening right now as I type)
[Make sure to scroll down to "tent City relocated" post. There are 2 Tent City II video clips you can watch]


* Noon - the naming of the buildings ceremony. Student leader Tara Holcomb said that the alumni are very upset about the new names, that they do not agree. The alumni had recommended for the arts building to be named in honor of Debbie Sonnenstrahl, who did a LOT for the arts department at Gallauduet. A walk-out is planned for 10:15 AM and then everybody will meet at Tent City to prepare for the protesting of the naming ceremony. "There will not be a celebration, there will be a funeral here," said Holcomb.

* Then the protestors will show support for the faculty members who will talk to the BOT members at 2 PM. The faculty members have already sent a letter to the BOT - read it at http://gufssa.org/.

* The BOT is expected to meet with select students at the cateferia from 4 to 5 PM. Holcomb urged every student to go, to be sure it is not limited to only selected students.

* At 7 PM, there will be a retirement gala for Jordan hosted by Jordan. "We will go. We will show them that there is nothing to celebrate about," said Holcomb.

After all this is finished, the protestors will meet again to discuss plans for Friday.

Holcomb also said that a laywer is actually spending the night at Tent City to make sure that everybody will be protected. Then the protestors spread out, some discussing the events that has happened and will happen, some writing down art and quotes and statements on the sidewalks with chalk, and others tucking into their sleeping bags in their cozy tents.

Well thats pretty much all the news I can gather for now; Man how I wish I had a DV Camera, I would so make a short video for FSSA to show NYC deafies support, Joe Joy you up for the task???

"BC/AD who's he?"

The title of todays post is a line from a stand up rountine Dressed to Kill by Eddie Izzard who is one of my all times favorite comedian. I like his views and topics he uses in his routinies which often include world history and religion.

Back to the point, it used to be known that BC stood for "Before Christ" and AD stood for either "After Death" (which is stupid because Christ was born in 4 A.D.) or as an abbreviation for "Anno Domini" in Latin or "the year of the Lord" in English. This came up during a conversation with the Tin Man last night. We disagreed with whether or not the term/abbreviations are still being used or changed. As we both truly think we're always right and the other wrong. I knew BC/AD was an outdated term usages but I couldn't remember what had replaced AD, only BCE was all I could think of. So I had to check online today when I arrived at work, to confirm whether or not I was right? And apparently I am. It seems that recently historians and theologists are expecting the terms to be changed from BC to BCE (before the common area) and AD to CE (common era). I liked this excerpt below that goes on to explain why they encourage the newer terminology. Religious Tolerance

The Ethic of Reciprocity (the Golden Rule) suggests that one should not intentionally cause unnecessary pain to other humans. We should treat others as we would wish to be treated. Since only one out of every three humans on earth is a Christian, some theologians and other authors felt that non-religious, neutral terms like CE and BCE would be less offensive to the non-Christian majority. Forcing a Hindu, for example, to use AD and BC might be seen by some as coercing them to acknowledge the supremacy of the Christian God and of Jesus Christ.

Consider an analogous situation: the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. The most recent version of this pledge includes the phrase: "Under God." Imagine what a Wiccan (who believes in a God and a Goddess), or many Buddhists and strong Atheists ( who do not believe in the existence of God) feel when having to recite those words. Consider how a Christian would feel if the pledge read "Under Buddha" or "Under Allah."

Although CE and BCE were originally used mainly within theological writings, the terms are gradually receiving greater usage in secular writing, the media, and in the culture generally.

I like this idea because it encourages more neutrality than the old abbreviations. The world is a big place, better to make it so everyone is a part of it. There was another quote I came across while at Religious Tolerance website by the Dalai Lama that sums up my views on all religions. "Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people's suffering. On these lines every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal." Its the fanatics or those in power who abuse religion ideology to fit their own personal goals/agendas. A few rotten apples does ruin the barrel.

Got to visit Eddie last night, he's hanging in there. You see he had to have his knee caps replaced and the 2nd one got infected, thats why he has to have the surgery again. But only after the doctors are secured that the infection is completely gone!

I had a wonderful time with my Sweetie. We ended up talking up late and it was just nice being with him. We plan to go to this winery fall festival on Sunday afternoon in NJ.

BTW, last night's ASL class went very well. My student was pleased we played a "game" that King recommended to me in regards to fingerspelling. We also worked on classifiers and descriptions.

Today I'm at work, trying to keep my eyes open. No amount of diet coke or chocolate can save me today. Maybe I'll get my second wind in a bit?

Important Updates for Deafies!

Tent City II resumed officially Monday Oct 2nd!

You can go to Washington Post to read todays article, Protesters Renew Fight Over Choice Of President

Here's an excerpt;

Many said that they are fed up with the board, that trustees have been unresponsive. And they have complained that new rules limiting on-campus protests are stifling their rights.

Others complained that it's time to move on, that they are happy with the selection of Fernandes, see increased efforts by the board to listen to concerns or are dismayed by the divisions they see widening at the school.

A faculty report submitted to the board began by expressing dismay at what it said was a dismissive attitude from trustees.

And tents once again colored the lawn in front the main gates yesterday, with such signs as "We won't move on 'til our 2 demands are met."

According to Ridor's blog
Ricky writes,

"...that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officers has started to get the identification of Tent City residents in an attempt to do something at this hour.
Carl Pramuk, the Dean of Student Affairs, has indicated that if the residents of Tent City remains after 11 PM, the ties between the SBG with the Business Office will be terminated. Oooh, I’m not afraid of threats, Carl Pramuk."

Plus even some of Gally's teachers are on board according to Ridor's site;

"Yes, Five Different Professors Taught at Tent City: Several classes were conducted at Tent City. I was informed that five professors did this. Bravo! Let’s hope that more professors will follow their example in search of our social justice at Gallaudet. Students, faculty and staff members, it is time to muster your courage and stand up for what is right — after all, it is your principle that may be jeopardized by others."

Thank you Ricky for the above and posting Thomas's blog link below;

From Jesse Thomas' blog I love what he wrote about Gally's adminstration placing MANURE *ugh* on the front lawn to prevent Tent City II from happening last monday;

"Enough is enough. The rules of protest? Manure. Jane even being the Provost in the first place, without having distingushed herself at MSSD AND with a qualified Deaf woman already in the Provost's office (but, alas, refused to be King's lap dog)? Manure. The presidental search process? Manure. The results of the search? Manure. Saying they support, then doing nothing about the Audism Mandates? Manure. The culture of distrust and fear the current administration (including King and Jane) has created among the faculty and staff? Manure."

Seems Gally students staged a walk out yesterday and today there will be FSSA meeting for supporters. Tmw is the dedication ceremony to I King Jordan and his wife Linda. Gally will be renaming the student union, formerly known as the ely center in honor of their names *excuse me while I go barf*! Plus the BOT will be meeting tmw and Friday. Great more expenses go on Gally's tab as they feast and dine and discuss how they won't budge from their decision and continue to milk Gally out of their funds.. grr BOT make a decision and stick with it, but for god sakes stop pretending you guys care. We already know you don't!

Update on Closed Captioning Cuts by FCC, according to Joe Joy's blog;

This is the problem with "deregulation": it puts lives at risks. TV programs are one thing, although God knows we are paying customers too and entertainment should make sure they can reach as many people as possible (you can BET they're not going to take off spanish-language options.) Now they're putting the safety of thousands of Deaf people at risk. Or maybe we should say MORE at risk.

More can be read at VA Young Democrats Senator Allen is Silent as FCC Undermines Captioning Rules For the Deaf With Damaging Policy Changes

on September 12, 2006, the FCC suddenly undermined closed captioning rules that had been established in 1998 based on the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The rules required closed captioning to be phased in gradually over 8 years, with a requirement effective January 2006 that 100% of all new TV programs must be captioned unless captioning would be “an undue burden” (due to difficulty or expense.) Between 1999 and 2005, the FCC approved 3 of 67 requests for waivers – and each of the waivers was limited in duration to 1 to 3 years. On September 12, the FCC unexpectedly announced that it was for the first time ever granting permanent waivers to two TV programs and announced that it was “inclined favorably” to granting similar requests by a new category of TV programs. The FCC then granted nearly 300 additional requests, which made it clear that the FCC had essentially changed the rules without admitting that this was what they were doing. Advocates have filed for a notice of review and stay of both FCC decisions.

Thank you Joe Joy!

Amish, snipers, interracial dating, "Oh my"

Well I lost my original post so starting over again. As many of you know there was a shooting 2 days ago in my home town. My grandmother was attending Temple on Monday when she saw the helicopter land on the emergency pad on top of the nearby Hospital with one of the victims from the Amish School Shooting. 5 girls died, 5 more are in critical condition due to being shot in the heads :( Today's paper in Lancaster, according to Baba, has the information for the funeral services for the 5 Amish girls killed. Plus there is a fund being established for the others in the hospital to help cover the hospital bills. Of course Baba being the humanitarian that she is, wrote a check to donate and her Temple is meeting soon to discuss what they can do to help.

I don't know why its become popular with disgruntled people going into schools and opening fire. Its even harder to deter because how can we punish them? Most of them commit suicide. Whats the answer? I don't know other than to ban firearms among civilians. But of course the NRA (National Rifle Association) would have a fit to be tied. They are one of the biggest lobbyist when it comes to political campaign contributions and backing their puppet-like politicians. This has been hard on my family back home, having something like this happen nearby. I went thru a similar experience when the DC sniper hit the area a few years ago. It was soooo scary, you couldn't even go to the gas station without worrying. The word was when walking outside, was not to walk in a straight line but in a zig zag like fashion so that you as a "target" could not be as easily spotted or lined up with a gun.

Anyhoo on a different note, I realized last night while having insomnia that ironically the Tin Man is not the first person "of color" that I've dated but the 1st one that I've dated seriously. So in my boredom I googled "interracial couples" and a few interesting things came up.

Excerpt from the Washington Post, Dec 1998 Interracial Marriages Eroding Barriers
In much of Latin America, for example, marrying a person of lighter skin color is considered a move up the social ladder. Some Latinos invoke the phrase, mejorando la raza, improving the race, to signal their approval.

"There is a bit of colorism in the [Latino] community," says Greta Gilbertson, a Fordham University professor. "It is often times perceived as prestigious to marry outside of the group. And if that person happens to be white, so much the better."

another excerpt from the same article;

When it comes to housing, blacks are the most segregated of the nation's racial minorities, "by orders of magnitude," says Rebecca M. Blank, a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, which recently compiled a report documenting the nation's racial dynamics. On average, blacks live in neighborhoods that are 60 percent black, while Hispanics and Asian Americans tend to live in far more diverse neighborhoods.

"When you are talking about Asian or Hispanic middle classes moving into neighborhoods, you don't see the same tripping mechanism causing whites to move out that you see with blacks," Harrison said. "These things suggest that the black-white color line is still with us and that the integration of blacks is going to be a different story than the assimilation of Asians and Hispanics."

An excerpt from Usa Today, Dec. 2005 Love is no longer color-coded on TV

Racism is often reflected on television through hate crimes and other violent stories, Nagra says. "We know racism exists. Let's show people getting on. Let's be positive about it."

Mixed-race romances on television have never been plentiful, as the mass medium has been fearful of alienating viewers and advertisers.

In 1957, on Alan Freed's weekly rock 'n' roll show, black singer Frankie Lymon was seen dancing with a white woman. ABC promptly canceled the show.

On Star Trek, when Lt. Uhura and Capt. Kirk kissed (against their will) in 1968, it was heralded as the first interracial smooch on television.

And when Norman Lear featured a black woman and a white man as married neighbors to 1975's The Jeffersons, it was considered groundbreaking.

In real life, the gap slowly is narrowing. According to the most recent Census, interracial marriages grew from less than 1% in 1970 to nearly 6% in 2000. And as more of the world becomes a melting pot, interracial relationships have popped up more frequently on TV as well, though often tangentially. Some examples:

• Debra Messing's Grace dated guest star Gregory Hines on Will & Grace in 2000.

• David Schwimmer's Ross character fell for Aisha Tyler's Charlie on Friends in 2003.

• Gary Dourdan's Warrick has a history with Marg Helgenberger's Catherine on CSI.

So as the TV landscape has evolved, the issue now is less of whether mixed couples are featured on top shows, but when, how and if the writers will make their race part of the story line.

Hmm gives me food for thoughts. So far I have experienced mostly dirty looks, especially on the Upper West Side where the facial expressions range from disgust to "how could you?!" looks. As well as one time at Ikea, there was a Black woman working as a customer service rep and she was all smiles for the Tin Man but wouldn't even look at me and when she did, her face dropped into a look of disgust. I guess the thought running through her mind was "oh another White girl, butting in on my dating pool."

Work is going well, my schedule is now full all week and I am very happy. I am also glad to report that after sitting down with paper and pen and calculating roughly how much I would earn from all of my jobs, net not gross with taxs taken out, I will actually earn enough to live and pay my bills *whew!* I wont be raking in the dough but I won't go hungry either.

Been working on my lesson plans for tonights class. And tutoring plans for my tutor students in math and reading/writing. And since we're on the topic of tutors, my FCP tutor, Dj Tikki Marlsa came by and we got a lot covered last night. On my next day off, I plan to edit till the cows come home!

Tonight I will visit my friend Eddie who is still at home due to complications with his knee surgery. He's been majorly depressed and I don't blame me. How many days can a person stay inside and deal with the boredom? He's spent most of 2006 at home! Hopefully time will pass quickly enough for him.

Gonna see my Sweetie tonight at Eddies, looking forward to giving him a big old hug and kisses!

"Love Sees No Color"

or in this case, Love sees no specie, only Love. Last week Baba sent me this cute email that I just had to post. But after you see the photos, keep on reading. This is a prime example of how facts can become rumors or in this case, an urban legend. The info below was obtained from About

In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.

After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger.

Would they become cubs or pork chops? Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!!!





Comments: The photos are genuine, but there's more to this story than meets the eye.

To begin with, the snapshots were taken at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand (near Bangkok), not some nameless zoo in California. Moreover, it would appear that the sad tale of the tigress falling into a deep depression after losing a litter of cubs was fabricated, as was the claim that the piglets were substituted for the deceased cubs by zookeepers in order to console the "mourning mother."

As it happens, this sort of intermingling of species is not at all unusual at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo, where "creating successful relationships with animals of different species" is something of a guiding principle. The facility, more accurately described as part zoo and part circus, boasts offbeat attractions like basketball-playing elephants, "lady crocodile wrestlers," and a petting zoo where customers can bottle-feed baby tigers with their own bare hands. Visitors have reported seeing tigers, pigs, and dogs all housed together within the same enclosure, with sows nursing tiger cubs and tigresses nursing piglets "adorned in tiger-print costumes."

The costumes are strictly for show, by the way. The mother tiger pictured above, who has been photographed on other occasions suckling piglets au naturel, was herself nursed by a pig in infancy and apparently regards the other species as family, not prey.

Mother Teresa was right;

“Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless” Mother Teresa was quoted saying in 1979 when she won the Nobel Peace Prize. How appropriate for today which is Yom Kippur (it began at Sunset last night). The Day of Atonement which could be measured not only in acts of regret and wrong doings but to also reflect why it is important to do acts of kindness and try to send out positive energy rather than negativity. As it is, the world is already quite negative these days.

Interestingly enough the most recent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize went to 2 Americans,Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for their contributions in science. Basically as reported on CNN; "for discovering a powerful way to turn off the effect of specific genes, opening a new avenue for disease treatment." My grandmother is a genetic junkie, she reads everything she can get her hands on when it comes to gene research and Mitochondrial DNA which is basically the life force if you will. From Wikipedia "mitochondria have their own DNA and are assumed to have evolved separately."

I am sure today both Baba and Uncle David are at the Synagogue back in PA, observing Yom Kippur which is the holiest day of the year. "...In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD." -Leviticus 16:29-30 I'll admit being a reform Jew, I don't always follow the High Holidays rules and regulations. For example this holiday you are to make amends against other people you have wronged during the year prior to this day (Yom Kippur) and then you make ammends for wrong doings against G-d today. I personally use this day to reflect on the past year on my mistakes or inappropriate behavior I may have acted against others and I then make the effort to rectify my mistakes. Whether its in a form of apology or just making a note not to repeat the same mistake twice, everyone has something to owe up in one form or another. I believe in G-d in a sense of it representing life's ability to exist but not in a way where I contribute human qualities to G-d such as judgements or G-d being a paternalistic being. I think the way to disrespect G-d would be to not take care of the planet, to destroy things (organic in nature) etc etc.. Almost like Native American view's in how we treat nature shows our respect of lack of to G-d.

Also I do not fast during the high holidays. The only time I am willing to fast is in political protest or fund raising $$ for countries that have extremely low food productions or where starving is the norm. I did that once in college at Gallaudet where we had people sponsor us by donating $$ to us for this organization and we agreed to fast for 36 hours to get a sense of what it is like to go hungry. I remember there was approximately 20 of us, we had sleeping bags and stayed at the Gally Field House. It was so hard to sleep on those wooden floors (the same one used for basketball games) and I also recall being cranky and having headaches by the 15th, 20th hour. Then at the end we all got to eat together but it was a bittersweet experience for me. Knowing what real hunger feels like isnt fun. Sadly tho its not limited to our poor international neighbors. It exist in our own backyard because so many Americans face hunger everyday.

Saturday was a miserable rainy day. I went to orientation for one of my jobs that afternoon. Later on Joe Joy stopped by so we could catch up and make plans for PA trip next month. The Tin Man and I basically just hung out that day, the energy level in general was very low and most people I talked with that day, had either napped or plan to.

Yesterday the Tin Man and I went to the UWS to eat brunch and walk around. There's a small flea market off of Columbus Ave and approx 75th st. The weather was gorgeous and I picked up some fresh peaches.

We also watched Cinderella Man, based on a true story of Jim Braddock as a boxer during the depression here in NYC. I enjoyed the movie immensely. He was one of the few men to beat the famed Max Baer who critics disagree with his portrayal in the movie Cinderella Man. Some argue he was this horrible, snobbish Jew who literally killed his opponnets in the ring by beating them to death. Others say he wasn't even a Jew because his mother was Catholic and his father a non-practicing Jew and Max was raised in the Catholic faith. But by the time he became a boxer, he had announced he was a Jew and even during one fight in 1933, he wore boxer shorts with the star of David symbol on it as he fought his opponent who was of German background. I have to be somewhat skeptical and wonder if he didn't use the "Jew Card" to promote his own status during his career?

Knowing how the Americans felt about the Nazis, it wasn't a bad time to be a "Jew." I don't think we will ever know truly whether or not Max Baer was a Jew or whether he was as malicious as portrayed in Ron Howards' movie.


Today at work in between tasks, I gotta do lesson plans for tonights and wednesday's class. Plus for tmw's tutoring session. I realize I enjoy teaching quite a lot. There's such a sense of accomplishment seeing your students progress from point A to point B and then onto point C, D....

"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.