A few more pixs

from last night's concert. Sadly my T-mobile Sidekick III camera doesn't
do justice!

Photo homeage to

All the Freaks that took fandom to a new
level :] gotta love the Lady Gaga fans!

To my fellow Little Monsters!

I look forward to seeing you at Madison
Square Gardens in mere hours.
And for the what I hope will be visual eye
candy but also unforgettable show! What I
like about Lady Gaga is she's a mix of Glam,
Shock, Theatrics, Dark, Edgy and so on.
Her work makes me think and I like that in
an Artist. And I am sure tonight's show won't
disappoint ;}

No Maine visit this year

Well I came home from my 2nd tax
preparation session and let me say, I am
not happy :( I will receive a measly $95
from federal and stupid me I paid them
$100 because I was very tired when I did
it and meant to pay them $25 and the state
$100. But it happened the other way around.
Now I gotta hope/pray/do a rain dance that
the federal government refunds me that
$100? Otherwise I am gonna have to chase
it down! Meanwhile I owe state a little
more than $1100! Ay yi yi, and so far I've
only paid them $25. The worst part of it
all is last year working at the Maine camp
actually cost me more than I earned and
really skewed my taxes! In fact I realize
going to work at the camp again this
summer would just recreate problems for
me when its time to do 2010 taxes. I sent
Ronnie an apologetic email stating I
wouldn't be able to come this year and
it sucks! Lucky for me, she was completely
understanding but this will be the 1st
summer in like 5 years I won't be going to
Maine, not cool. Plus I spent almost
$300 getting my taxes done in total, argh!
I sort of wanna join those crazy militants
in the mid-west who live off the grid,
hunting and fishing, sprouting out anti-
government sentiments about refusing to
pay taxes!

Unfortunately we do hafta pay taxes and
here's a nifty link that debunks all the
floating myths out there about not having
to pay taxes!
http://docs.law.gwu.edu/facweb/jsiegel/Personal/taxes/IncomeTax.htm
I do however wish there was a section on
the tax return in which we could check off
how we want our taxes used for? Such as
education, road repairs, hospitals etc etc..
I mean if we have to pay them, I think we
would feel better knowing where the $$$
goes to? I know it would take some of the
sting out with having to owe anything.

But damn as a recent graduate who works
3 jobs and barely gets by I resent the
amount of taxes I am hit with. Specifically
with NYC! They really get you for working
out of state but unfortunately for me, I
have to. I guess this Fall I will have to set
up automatic deductions from both jobs
to set aside $$ into a savings accounts
so that next Spring I can just pay the state
taxes without feeling violated.

Miserably hot

Here in the NE! These higher than above
temperatures has everyone really cranky grrr!
We need relief asap!

Advice to NYC tourist

If you see the subway come and there's an
empty car, BEWARE. It could mean the following;

1- the AC is broken
2- someone vomited, pissed or other bodily fluids
3-a homeless person is passed out and the car reeks!

Brought to you by your friendly neighborhood NYer

Oh beautiful for spacious skies...

For amber waves of grain. For purple mountain
Majesties upon this fruitful plain.
America, america, God shed his grace on thee

Sorry folks tried to snap some beautiful
country side photos from my window
while riding the Amtrak train back to NYC!

Weekly Mutterings #388

Brought to you by http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

1-Authorized::permitted
2-Flirting::fun
3-Bad::kitty
4-Digit::numbers
5-Sexy::hottie
6-Combination::lock
7-Guard::protect
8-Retina::eye lens (hope mine never detaches!)
9-Motion::pictures
10-Concert::music (this coming Friday I get to see Lady Gaga perform at
Madison Square Gardens!)

Happy 4th of July!

Tonight the whole family convened at
Baba's to order pizza & watch fireworks
nearby. It was great! We caught the end
of the Wizard of Oz, snacked on cocktail
jumbo shrimps & crudities with french
onion dip too! As for the fireworks which
started at 9:15pm, we didn't have to go
but a few feet outside Baba's door. The
country club across the street were having
fireworks so we grabbed a bunch of folding
chairs and set ourselves up. Awesome
and some of the neighbors followed our
lead too! This has to be an annual family
tradition from now on!
Happy 4th of July!

Gratitude & manners, the lack of thereof

I stumbled across this quote "Earth
produces nothing worse than an ungrateful
man."-Decimus Magnus Ausonius

I agree! I can't stand people who don't
express thanks or gratitude when
kindness is bestowed on them. It
doesn't cost anything and all it does
is make the others feel good about
their deeds big or small. Now and days
people in their 20s or younger have
zero manners! What's wrong with them?
Where do they get this self-entitlement?
Who brain-washed Generation Y to be
such spoiled brats? Granted some aren't
that way but far too many are.

And this sums up my gripe of the day :(

Don't be jealous Jack

But I've met a new love tonight...
Yep that's right, Pretzel M&M!
Delicious! Whoever thought of this is a genius!

EDT highlights

Well last week was Eastern Deaf Timberfest
and I wanted to share the highlights from
my time at the camp.

On Wednesday I took my new DB friend name And-Y who happens to live less than 10 mins from my Moms with me to keep me company.
It was a lovely camp ground in New Holland, PA called Spring Gulch, buried in the heart of the Amish world. *I probably saw more Amish over a 4 day period than I had my whole life in Lancaster!* we hit the pool and swam 2xs that day cuz it was sooo hot! Mingled and I
ran into 2 old co-workers from MSD, Danny
& his lovely wife Hazel who both had
recently retired. Of course they filled me
in on the lastest gossip on mutual friends
from MSD-CC! That night And-Y & I played
Dingo and we were joined by a nice man
name Sean Markel. Sean's family (Markel
clan) were the co-founders of EDT along
with a few others. I thought Sean was
very sweet and had a BIG heart to join us.
He had experience working with DBs too!
Plus another awesome man name Larry had
braille playing cards ready! Yay!

Thursday I didn't go to EDT, Blondie arrived
and we decided to chill out at Baba's and get
ready to stay at the camp grounds for Fri &
Sat night. We hit the food store, wal-mart, etc
etc. It was sooo nice to just shop with her.

Friday we hit the camp ground and we arrived
a tad bit too late for the competitions that day.
Most had finished or were full. We were a little
disappointed but believe me soon we had to
go back out of the camp ground. You see we
had empty the car with the camping gear and
started to set up the tent, but little did we know
the tent itself was missing! Yikes, we had the
tent cover, poles/spikes to set the tent but NO
tent. So we packed up the expensive stuff,
leaving the rest behind with our trusty neighbors
Rick & Frank (I knew Rick from the Gally years).
And went to a local Walmart and picked up a
new tent. Happily we returned and we enjoyed
the car ride to and from, surveying the farm
lands, passing many Amish buggies and
Amish families working on their farms or walking
along the side of the road. That night we
watched some performances by Billy Carwile
a deaf mime(ist). And then they asked for
volunteers for a contest called "ice t-shirts."
Which of course invoked dirty thoughts be-
cause they wanted 5 women volunteers. I ofc
raised my hand figuring what the heck right?
So 5 of us were on the stage and told to turn
our backs to the audience, when they said "go!"
we could turn around and find a t-shirt and
whoever put on their t-shirt 1st would win!
Ok, that's easy enough I thought. So when we
turned we saw 5 tees rolled up on the ground.
But here's the kicker, they were FROZEN! Yep,
they had been previously soaked, folded and
rolled up. It was like taking out a frozen meat
pack from your freezer! I immediately tried
to breathe on it, hoping my warm would help
defrost my tee, the woman next to me went
crazy and literally beat/kicked her shirt, I
soon adopted her method by kicking the shirt
it started to unravel. I used my stomach or
my back too for body heat but the woman
next to me won. I would've been second! FUN.
We got to keep the shirts and as I walked back
to my seats, all the nearby deafies wanted to
touch the shirt to feel how cold it was!?! You
could still see frost on it and my hands were
like icicles ha ha. A lot of fun!

Saturday arrives and most of the competitions
required 4-5 people and we didn't have
a way to join. That was fine, instead we
watched and then that afternoon we headed
to Kettle Village about 8 miles away and did
some shopping. Cute tourist attraction. Ate
a soft dough pretzel that Blondie just loved!
We came back for a swim and mingled more.
But unfortunately some kid took a poop in
the pool! Yep, we all got out of the pool in a
hurry, word spread quickly and we couldn't
believe it, and not only was there 1 but a 2nd
poop in a different part. YUCKY! Blondie & I
went back to our site and played a card game
gin with Rick & Frank. Then we cooked up
bratwurst, delicious!!! The best frigging brats
ever! Once we ate we headed to the main tent
for the night's performances. I enjoyed John
Maurice's (aka Super Deafy!) performances.
Blondie went to bed (to take a nap, but I knew
once she went to sleep, I wouldn't see her
again till morning). But me I was still alive for
the night. Rick was nice enough to invite me
along with his friends to go tent hopping.
Visiting different tents and partying. Soon I
found out there would be a poker game, buy-in
was $20. I was the last player in (a total of 14).
We were split into 2 groups of 7 to play Texas
Hold em. Now I've been playing poker since age
12. But I've never played with Deafies before.
I was lost as to their betting system with the
chips and sequence order. At 1st I look sort
of inexperience but they soon realize that
wasn't the case. I know how to play! Well
I held my own till there was only a few players
left from the 2 groups and we then became 1
group, vying for 1 of the 4 spots to win $$$.
1st place winner would win $110. By this time
I only had a handful of chips left, and I knew
I was close to be eliminated but wouldn't you
know it, I started to win! Specifically when I
got the ace and queen of spades. I joked that
I'm silent but deadly. Yeah I didn't talk much
cuz I didn't know these people and the game
was fast pace. Guess who won 1st place?
Yep, that's right, little old me :] I won $110!
I asked the ladies should I play in the Deaf
poker tourneys that happen a few times a year
and they said YES! I was soo excited I won!
And it was nice to finally do an activity since
I didn't get to compete at all. Anyone who
knows me knows I love to compete ha ha!
I partied some more and then went back to
my tent. I was buzzed and couldn't find my
flashlight and ended up waking Blondie. She
had to use the bathroom anyways and I was
so excited I won 1st place in poker and beat
out 13 other players who all thought I would
lose 10 minute into the game. I was talking/
signing a mile a minute! We ended up
gabbing for an hour, me filling her in on my
night adventure and gossip. I was sad she
missed out but I know she's a morning person
not a night owl like me. Next year when we
go to Maine's timberfest I am buying her red
bull so she can stay awake and go tent
hopping with me. I realize that you have to
be willing to go up to people you don't know
and introduce yourself to them. That's how it
is in the Deaf world. Both Blondie and I are
a little shy at times.

Next morning on like 3 hours of sleep we broke
down our tent and said our goodbyes. I enjoyed
Rick & Frank a lot. They were like brothers to
me. Btw the Frank I met is the same one from
the movie "Children of the Lesser God." He
played one of the students who got speech
lessons. It was a 1 time acting gig. I asked him
did he want to be in this movie, did he audition
for it? Or did they spot him out of a crowd and
ask him to be in it? It was the latter. I joked to
him, that his mortality in the Deaf world is for-
ever sealed! He always been known as the
speech therapy boy from that movie :] I could
tell it has been an advantage for him over
the years. I bet he got many dates that way.

All in all, I had a blast. I absolutely can't wait
attend next August 2011 Maine's Deaf
Timberfest. I made sure to spread the word
during EDT too.

I hope to go camping 1 or 2 more times before
the summer ends. Its a great activity to do and
you get to make new friends when you do it
at a camp ground. Your develop neighbors
or you pass by someone you talked to at the
camp store and wave. You develop camaraderie
with the people there over a short amount of
time.

The following things are essential if you
decide to go camping

Bug spray
Marshmallows, chocolate and gram crackers for smores-duh!
Paper towels
Air mattress, trust me, you want this
Quarters in case the camp ground showers
operate using $$$
Cooler for drinks/meats
Grill
Tin plates/bowls/cups
Suntain lotion
Books
Playing cards
Flashlights
Tarp (for under your tent, especially if it rained recently)
Tent (be sure to check it b4 you leave home, don't make the mistake I
did)

If you've never been camping its never
too late to start. My 1st time was age 30!
No excuses, Mother Nature awaits you :]

Weekly mutterings #387

Brought to you by... http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

1. Collectors:: edition
2. Passion:: desire
3. Winner:: lottery
4. Uninhibited:: carefree
5. Challenge:: strive for
6. Self:: id, ego, super-ego (depends on the time of day)
7. Your:: lore, core, door (whatever rhymes with 'your')
8. Viewer:: screen
9. Random:: chance
10. Vice:: versa

My Deaf "Sister" & Best Friend!

Here's me and Blondie enjoying ourselves
at Eastern Deaf Timberfest after a swim
in the pool the other day! She went back to
NYC today *boo hoo!* but that's ok, I'll see
her next week when I am back to the concrete
Jungle of Manhattan. We have a date for
rousing game of Skip-bo. And one night
either Wed or Friday we will be attending
the Lady GaGa concert, whee!

B, we've been friends since 1997 and I don't
think we'll ever stop being each other's biggest
fans. I will ALWAYS have you back. Thank you
for always having mine :]

Peace man *60s groovy music plays*

Loved this bumper sticker!

EDT 10th anniversary!

Proof I didn't get burned!
Yesterday was my 1st day at Eastern
Deaf Timberfest, *yay-Deaf applause*
FUN! Brought my new DB friend And-Y
to keep me company. What a day! The temps
I was told neared 90s-95! W00t! We swam
at the camp ground pool 2xs! And lucky for
me I didn't get burned! *whew!*
We missed most of the competitions as that
occurred in the a.m.. But I was happy to run
into old faces from MSD (Danny & his wife
Hazel-a real sweet couple!) made a few new
friends today as well during Dingo (Deaf
Bingo) one of the Markel brothers. The
Markel family help found EDT back in 1994!
And it takes place every 2 years. For dinner
I also ate an awesome pulled bbq beef
sandwich a local favorite in my hometown
with home cut fries (not the crap you get
in most places but honest to god/goodness
french fries cooked in LARD-yummy) and
I imagine Baba is silently retching as she reads
this but what can I say, I am a sucker for
PA-dutch fries!

Later today Blondie arrives, whee! Can't
wait to catch up with her and hit the camp
ground late afternoon. Plus I want to share
my adventures from last week's DB camp
and she share hers from her PR vacation!

Missing my Jack Rabbit still, hurry up
July 2nd! A girl can only take so much
separation from her man :}

Weekly Mutterings #386

Brought to you by http://subliminal.lunanina.com/

1-Executive: suite
2-Director: producer (as in movies!)
3-Dress: up!
4-Studio: apt (way too small)
5-Accountant: tax planner
6-Unit: segments
7-Engaged: not till Jack signs consistently!
8-Safety: patrol
9-Post: it
10-Dialogue: practice (for my students)

At the pool

Today I joined the local pool!
W00t! Fun, swam like 6 laps, am out
of shape, boo-yah! Gotta build up my stamina...

Lifes good, went shopping with Mom and got
a cute summer black dress. A throw-back
from the 80s, Jack will likeeee.

Miss the DB camp but am thrilled to be with
the family again.

No guts, no glory!

Ahoy mateys!
Its the final night at West River DB camp
and we had a fantastic party, in which the
theme was Pirates & Under the Sea!

Today my friend and camper decided we should
ride the boat (motor) in the lake and then hit the
pool. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!
We lucked out we hardly had any rain all week!

:]

I made some awesome new friends, Peggy
& FF! They were the best, next to Jess & Erin.
I hadn't laugh so hard in years with Peggy &
FF story telling, funieeeeeeeeeee. I also enjoyed
MW & RB, Martin's friends too. I totally made
the right decision to come. Sure it was a lot of
work and ill spend all day Saturday sleeping
or watching movies with Baba but it got me
out of my NY state of mind.

Not to worry, more good times on the way.
I can't wait to finally see Mom on Sunday! And
have some of her home cooked meals. I am
gaga for her chicken and meatballs over rice.
Plus her pot roast and chicken pot pie, yummy!
Her chicken pot pie recipes uses real
homemade noodles which I hope this summer
she can teach me how to make the noodles
as its a LOT of work but the end results,
delicious! I am also spoiled by Baba's stove
top chicken bbq dinner and her Greek lemon
soup too! I best stop talking about all of these
meals my mouth is watering!

Tmw I leave at 730am. The reason why is
another DB camper has a 10:25am flight & needs
an SSP to help her around BWI, my flight to
Lancaster leaves at 11:05am. Not a problem
I am happy to help. I know Baba will take one
look at me and tell me to take a nap when I get
there. She won't have to work hard to convince me!

So as the saying "No Guts, No Glory" fit the camp
theme. Because if you don't have the guts to
commit your time, to a worthy cause, you
deserve no glory in my opinion! Not that I
did this to get a gold star but you have to be
willing to get out of your comfort zone and
try new things. Your life is a story book and
you're the author, dare to try new things!

Challah bread

Today at the West River Deaf-blind camp
where I am volunteering at, we made
Challah bread! My 1st time :] this week
so far has been great! The camp caters
to both Gentiles and Jews, obviously
since the retreat center is Christian based
there are way more Gentiles but surprisingly
a few DB Jewish campers and SSPs such as myself!
Fun! Met a deaf Rabbi name Fred Friedman,
nice man.

Yesterday we went to 6-Flags in MD, and
it was a blast! My camper for the day wanted
the wild rides so off we went. My favorite was
the "bat wing" in Gothom City area where
we spent a lot of the ride upside down!
The Superman rollercoaster pretty good too.
I think my favorite part of the amusement park
was when the DB campers had a chance to
meet various characters from Looney Tunes
like Sylvester the Cat, Bugs Bunny, the
Rooster name Foghorn Leghorn. And also
DC comic characters such as Flash Gordon,
Batman's sidekick Robin too! The campers
had time to feel the costumes and the delight
on their faces is something ill never forget.
Its a tactile world they live in, 3-D is the only
way to go!

Monday, my camper and I saw for 2 hours!
Got me some much needed sun, pah!

I deAfinitely plan to come back next year!
I will also try to recruit some of my deaf
friends to volunteer with me too. Lifes too short
not to. So far I think this is my favorite
DB camp yet! I like it even better than the one in Seattle!

Week 385-Unconscious mutterings

This week's unconscious mutterings brought to you by
http://subliminal.lunanina.com/trackback/11153/lSc3IOsm/

1 offense: defense
2 bench: warmer
3 kissing: necking
4 timely: manner
5 yellow: bright, lemony
6 get up and go: cuz life's too short!
7 beer: heinken
8 calories: watch em
9 blast: dynomite
10 windows: look through

Taxes & Death

The 2 things they say you can never escape from. But I think laundry should somehow be to the list there too!

So I just got back from having my taxes done at a place not too far away. My friend Virgie who's a real sweetheart referred me to this place and I am GLAD she did! It was a small office with about 4-5 workers and I felt taken care of in terms of my taxes being filed. My hearing aid just broke out of the blue so I brought a pad of paper and pen for my preparer to be able to write to me as I couldn't read his lips at all. I of course replied in spoken English. He has to check a few things more because some of my wages were from out of state and it complicates things. But all in all I will be getting a good size federal tax refund and I don't owe nearly as much to the state as I thought I did, whew! I am glad I filed for tax extensions last April 15th. I will deAfinitely use these people again next spring. Worth it.

So last weekend during our visit to PA again, we (Jack & I) watched a lot of "end of the world"
scenarios. I am a junkie for those kinds of movies. Don't know why but it fascinates me to no end to watch stories about plagues, comets/meteors hitting earth, volcano eruptions, ice age, terrorist attacks, tsuamia, alien/creatures takeovers, biological/chemical attacks and so on and so on. What fascinates me is how the destructions annihilates land, town, cities. Especially cities! And of course a lot of them are based in NYC so I actually recognize some locations/areas. Same for DC. Never in my deepest desires do I wish to experience these horrific incidents in real life. But lucky for me my mind can vicariously wonder at how I would react to these terrible situations. Would I survive? Would I want to? What are my survival odds in said scenarios? I
recall wondering if an A-bomb went off near me like in the Terminator movies, what would it feel like to be cremated on the spot? My ex said it would be almost instantaneous that my brain wouldn't have time to process it. But what about the fear I would experience such as in the movie Deep Impact (still one of my all time favorites!) and Tea Loni standing with her father seeing a mile(s) high tidal wave angrily approaching them? Crashing down on them? The brain is a weird thing, or at least mine is, at the ideas we mull over.

So anyhoo, lets do a quick review of the most recent movies watched;

"The Road" where its a matter of survival was depressing as ill get out! Yes its does keep you interested but after seeing GRAY most of the movie it feels disheartening. I guess that's what the director was aiming for and he succeeded. The cannabalism scenes was scary and GOOD! Gave me the heebie jeebies that these movies ought to do!

The other one was called "The Happening." It was more of a plague type of movie and it starts off feeling like a bad B movie and somewhere along the way it gets better. There are some scenes, wow, especially one involving folks jumping off the roofs and a construction worker looks up to see it raining people...hmm made me think of 9/11 at the towers and nearby WTC buildings. Its a fun movie to watch and feels like the kind of movie made for tv rather than big screen. It got mixed reviews, for the serious critics the movie fall short but for those of us who have a sense of humor and don't mind the campy vibe this movie stands on its own two feet just fine and worth watching again.

Another movie not related to the end of the world but rather in my mind the best Stephen King book based films called Dolores Claiborne from 1994, it is one of my all times favorite feminists (yes I consider it to be a feminist movies) starring Kathy Bates. I qued it from netflix brought the DVD to share with Baba because I had a feeling she'd love it as much as I did. Of course at 1st she was skeptical with the opening scene and the fact it was based on a story by Stephen King but by the end she was hook, line and sinker! There were so many good lines from this movie but this is one of my ultimate favorites by the character name Vera to Dolores;

It's a depressingly masculine world, Dolores...Sometimes you have to be a high-riding bitch to survive. Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto.

Other favorites uttered by Vera;

Husbands die every day, Dolores. Why... one is probably dying right now while you're sitting here weeping. They die... and leave their wives their money. I should know, shouldn't I? Sometimes they're driving home from their mistress' aparment and their brakes suddenly fail.

Don't we have a hair across our ass this morning Delores Claiborne?

[to Dolores, who is hanging her sheets to dry] Six pins, Dolores! Six pins, not five!

[Vera is not letting Dolores change her soiled sheets]
Vera, are ya gonna sit there and maranade in it? Come on!

These quotes are from Dolores to the detective investigating Vera's death;

Now, you listen to me, Mr. Grand High Poobah of Upper Buttcrack, I'm just about half-past give a shit with your fun and games.

Detective- I'm sorry, but I think it's for the best if you got yourself some legal representation.

Dolores-You're sorry, are you? Bet the last time you were sorry was when you needed to use the pay toilet and the string on your pet dime broke.

Seriously the BEST!

In other news, I am officially done working as of Tues!!!! It didn't really kick in till today I have a strange thing now. Its called free time...wow, very nice. I also got the job for sure in Maine for the 1 week literacy camp, whee! as Ronnie likes to say. I am very excited about my upcoming plans.

Tmw is my 1st day with Jack without any work and he doesn't have any classes. We HAVE TO do something fun. Lately its been all work on both of our ends.

Saturday I will hang with Ellie and play some Dingo. Then head downtown to see my DB friend and spend the night. We have the ungodly pleasure of taking a 7:45am bus to Baltimore this Sunday. Seriously it should be a crime to have to be anywhere early on the weekends! Then its the 1 week Deafblind camp.

Life is good.

Unconscious Mutterings Week #384

Brought to you by LunaNina

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Group :: Project
   
2. Pollution :: Shame on YOU *and you know who you are!*
   
3. Getaway :: car
   
4. Mall :: rats
   
5. Believe :: Puff the Magic Dragon
   
6. Chimney :: sweepers
   
7. Curses :: Sailors
   
8. Contrite :: Atonement
   
9. Eyelash :: make a wish
   
10. Jobs :: got too many of them!
    

Unconcious muttering week 383

This week's free association was brought to you by LunaNina

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Fresh air :: outside
2. Bodyguard :: deodarant
3. Wedding :: ring
4. Remind :: me
5. Wicked :: step-mother
6. Crawling :: babies
7. Gasoline :: ka-pow
8. Anyone :: I know?
9. Dancing :: on the moon
10. Wall :: to Wall

Mental Escapist

Lately for the past month or more, I feel like I've turned into a "mental escapist." Basically with the stress of work and Baba's health I constantly during my down time want to pop in a movie or watch a tv show on Hulu with CC. Right now I am slightly aggravated because there's nothing good to watch on tv and I can't watch Hulu right now because the internet I have sucks. Plus I am too tired to do anything else :(

The good news however is....ta da! I am done teaching. Yes today was the final exam review and then the final itself. I started to grade them on the train heading back to the city but since I've come home I just can't will myself to do it. Besides tmw late morning when Jack & I are on our way to Baba's house, I can finish grading them then as well as students' commentaries and reaction papers, plus their Deaf event culture experiences. I probably enjoy reading those the most. Its often their first time seeing a group of Deafies signing away, big or small the crowd is, it doesn't matter. Most of the students report feeling worried that someone would try to talk to them via ASL. Others are more assertive and try to have small conversations with someone deaf. Almost all of my students with a very small exception and I mean small (I think in 5 years I've been teaching I've only come across 2 or 3 less than stellar experiences). I will say that of course for the 2nd semester ASL students, their 2nd Deaf event reaction paper almost always reflects on their 1st experience and they say they felt more confident and able to catch some signs or learn new ones. Some ASL teachers and former students feel this isn't always ideal expectation for 1st year language learners. I got to say, I am for it. Exposure however brief to the population at large will only serve to break the stereotypes out there on us. I often in my films try to bridge the divide between the Deaf and Hearing worlds. My biggest goal next to teaching a new language is for my students to leave with the equality perspective on us Deafies. Rather than the pity them, oh poor them, they can't hear music! Or whatever else the media/Hollywood has misinformed them about US. Boy oh boy, am I fired up or what? But anyhoo, this is a secondary goal I have when teaching ASL. 1st its a LANGUAGE not "broken English." Then 2nd is changing what is generally a pathological perspective on Deafness to a cultural one :)

Ok, time for some movie reviews from the ones I've seen the last few weeks

*Sunshine Cleaning

Awesome movie, slightly indie, a little gritty and just an all around great movie! Its about a girl name Rose who for whatever reason ends up with a son and no real future. She cleans houses and is dating a married man who is in law enforcement. In the beginning of the story, he urges her to get into field of crime scene cleanup because as they say "death can be a messy business." Its wacky enough and still we can all related to the insecurities shared in this movie. Its one of the better movies I've seen in a while!

*PussN'Boots with Christopher Walken from 1980s. It was o-k....it would be good movie if I was 6 years old or younger. But as an adult... pass. I did however research more about the orgins of this story and I had no idea it was written in the 1860s or 1870s!

*Extraordinary Measures starring Harrison Ford and Branden Fraizer about finding a cure for Pompe disease. Definitely a feel good movie at the end.

ugh am too tired to write more...

ASL video headaches!

Well, as much as I am enjoying this class
I am teaching. The grading of ASL videos
has turned into a real headache! Its hard
to gauge how much I should assess them?
And it takes time to watch and grade them.
Jack kept joking "just give them all Fs!"
Hardy har har...
I will deAfinitely make changes to this
course next summer should they ask me to
teach it again. What's worst is I thought
I would have some time after the last
class this Thurs to finish them up. But NO,
I must have the final grades done by next
Tues at noon! Ay yi yi, I was hoping for
free time this weekend since I spent most
of my weekend either sleeping off this stupid
cold, helping out at my Grandmother's home
or grading! But its got to be done! I am
headed home now and plan to take a quick
cat nap and get right back to grading! I WILL
finish them!

In other news, Baba is recovering, slowly but
surely. It was such a relief to see her with my
own 2 eyes! And it was a pleasure to help her
in any way she wanted. Jack and I had a nice
time. We were all in good company, being sick
and sleeping a lot. Both my uncles stopped by
on separate occasions and I always enjoy their
company!

Jack and I plan to return this weekend as well.
Baba still needs some help and to be honest
I would like more time with my family. Especially
Mom! Which I didn't get to see this weekend.
She's my competition when it comes to
playing cards. We're both extremely competitive
and don't believe in letting others win. What's
the fun in that?! Plus she's an awesome cook!

Jack and I did get a chance to use his grill
for steaks and corn on the cob, yum!

Not much else is new, these past 3 weeks
have been WORK, WORK, WORK! I just
can't wait to be DONE!

If I can get it all done (the grades) then
this Saturday my aunt Nancy, Uncle David
will come with Jack and me to Adam's Town
to check out the toy robot museum! We
love cheesey, campy stuff like that. I used
the website "Roadside America" which is
also a book that you can enter a location
and it maps out nearby "kitchsy" stuff to see
and do! Try it!

Unconscious Mutterings-382

I stumbled across this blog
http://subliminal.lunanina.com/ and
decided to give it the old college try!

So what is Unconscious Mutterings? (Info
below copied and pasted from the website)
Free association is described as
a "psychonanalytic procedure in
which a person is encouraged to
give free rein to his or her thoughts
and feelings, verbalizing whatever
comes into the mind without
monitoring its content." Over time,
this technique is supposed to help
bring forth repressed thoughts and
feelings that the person can then
work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for
the purposes of this excercise, we're
just hoping to have a little fun with
the technique. Each week I'll post
ten words to which you can respond
to with the first thing that comes to
mind.

"Rules are, there are no rules."
There are no right or wrong answers.
Don't limit yourself to one word
responses; just say everything that
pops into your head. AND you don't
have to have your words up on Sunday.
Take all week if you want!

Sunday, May 23, 2010-Week 382

I say ... and you think ... ?

Cream :: ice cream!
Be with you :: Obi-Wan Kenobi (from Star Wars)
Pancakes :: IHop (yummy!)
Believe :: you can!
45 :: records (before cassette tapes/CDs)
Eat :: now (I'm hungry!)
Background :: noise
Pane :: window/glass
Aim :: for the stars
Collapse :: like a house of cards!

Corn fritters!

Last night I finally got around to making
corn fritters, delish! All you need to do
is use is bisquick mix for pancakes, toss
in a bunch of corn (I used frozen) and
toss them into a frying pan with corn oil,
cook em till they're nice and brown and
viola, bon appetit! Thank you Baba & Mom!

Well I haven't blogged in a while for many
reasons. One was the fact I have been
buried in paperwork. With two schools
ending their spring semesters I had a ton
of final exams to grade and course grades
to compute. Plus I started a 1 semester
ASL course crammed into 3 weeks. Yep
I teach an ASL class 4 days a week for
over 3 hours a day! And while its going
just fine its still a lot of work on my end.
I normally have a semester to do grades
for videos assignments, tests, papers etc.,
etc. But I am finding that I can keep up
with the paper work. Just not the grading
the videos! I average 3-4 students an
hour. I have 24 students. This weekend
I must catch up!

Plus last week on my 1st day of class I came
down with such a nasty cold! Not fun, still
have it but its manageable.

In addition to all of this, my family and I came
dangerously close to losing Baba! It all
started with a bad dream I had a week
and a half ago when I woke up on Sunday
morning crying!

My dream was about Baba. I dreamt that she
had told me how tired she had been. That
Robbie (my uncle) would be driving her to
the doctors soon. The next thing I know I
find out she died! What? How? I was so
upset in my dream. I was back at the old
house trying to find answers! My
grandfather, Papa was alive and in their
bedroom folding Baba's things. He
wouldn't let me touch her things or
answer my questions! I got so mad that
I went into their bathroom and punched
through the wall. *in real life previously*
there had been a door that was later
covered by a wall. I saw my uncle David
furiously packing a station wagon
outside the garage. My Mom was in
the basement but I never saw her. And
I couldn't find Robbie to get any answers!
I woke up sobbing and immediately
called Baba to make sure she was ok!
And to insist she see a doctor right away
in case my dream was an omen. She
said she had just been to the doctors.
Then I said then "you're ok right?"

"Well..." she replied not exactly. It seemed
the doctor suspected a blockage in her
heart and she would have more tests
last week. Guess what? That very same
night her neighbor (also a nurse) came
over to visit Baba and immediately called
Robbie to take her to the hospital. It turned
out that it wasn't a blockage to the heart
but numerous clots in her lungs! She stayed
for 1 week so they could run ever tests known
to man to find out what's causing the clots.
They can't figure it out. Of course she's on
blood thinners etc etc.. She just came home
on Sunday recently. And is still extremely
weak! She will be see a blood specialists
soon.

Jack & I will head to see her tmw night once
I am done teaching and spend the whole
Memorial day weekend with her. It was so
scary to think we might have lost her. I can't
tell you how upset I was all last week. So
you can see why I haven't been blogging.

Despite how upsetting my dream was, I am
grateful I had it. Because what if I hadn't had
it and not called Baba. Perhaps she wouldn't
have gone to the hospital telling everyone she
would be ok till they ran the tests? I don't know
but I do know that if you ever have a dream
like mine about someone you care about.
Check in on them. Don't ever dismiss it.

Sniffles, coughs, coughs...

Fudge a duck
I got a cold! Damn damn damn. Why me? Why now?
Unhappily me

Online CC shows

You may be wondering which of the major network ranks champ for online CC shows and my findings show NBC had the most with CBS has the least available. Hulu still rules in the land of the world wide web. Here is a good online article from last year on the major networks in terms of CC.

I also recently discovered that Netflix has pah! finally added some online instant viewing with CC. Here's a brief bit on it but the sad part is there's no way to identify which of these are CC without going to each specific media title...time consuming. They need to add a CC filter as Hulu does.

Anyways while I am still disappointed with the limited options online, I am grateful to even have options!

Summer plans

This coming summer will be the 1st
summer in probably 15 years or more that I
have off. You see normally I work my pt media
tech job during the summer which I enjoy. But
after doing 2009 taxes, I am actually costing
myself money to work. Duh, that's stupid.
So, this summer will be the 1st time I can
pretty much do whatever I want. Yep, I
actually saved. Not like a squirrel right
before winter. No, more like I've saved (or
will have by mid-June when operation
Summer Break begins) to pay my rent
and biggest bills till the end of Sept.
This is extremely liberating. To have time
at my fingers and a little money to do it
too!

As of now here's my exciting summer
agenda.

1- volunteer for a good friend of mine at
Deaf-blind camp mid June
2- attend a Deaf timberfest late June
3- attend the ASL Terped Lady Gaga
concert in July
4- volunteer for a Deaf kids camp
in August

And I am also looking forward to seeing
my friend's new baby. She recently
got married too. I've known her mostly
pre, not post (marriage/kid) so I am
curious to be with her with all these
new and exciting changes.

Contemplating on seeing if my
Aunt Nancy and I could do a little
thrift shop tour over a 2-3 day car
trip somewhere within driving
distance of PA. I have this book
called "Roadside America" with a list
of all the cheesy/cult-y/campy museums
and tourist attraction id love to thumb
throw along our way. I figured some
time in July? What say you Nancy?

As you can see im pretty hyped about
having time to visit my family, friends
and do these amazing fun stuff too!
My soul sure is craving it!

A BIG Thank YOU

To my grandmother, otherwise known as
Baba. If it wasn't for her, I don't think my life
would've turned out as well as it did. She saved
me when I was 15 years old, miserable kid with
no self-esteem from years of bullying at my
old hearing school. At the end of 8th grade,
after being ganged up once again and
attacked by tormenters I was ready to drop
out of school. But Baba, like Wonderwoman
saved the day! She found out about a Deaf
School for me to apply to in Washington, D.C.
to complete my high school years.

Since then my life has been 1 blessing after
another once I truly joined the Deaf World.
I made tons of friends, got involved in
theater (I had been previously involved but
not to the extent I was in hs), also involved with
student newspaper and being a peer
advisor. At Gally I remained involved with
theater, the school paper and was even
a RA.

I worked at Deaf-based jobs such as MSD,
FSF etc etc back in MD. Then a
deaf friend of mine told me about
a program in NYC to get my masters
in teaching ASL as a foreign language.
Once again I moved and was welcomed by
some old deaf friends and made many new
ones. All of my teaching jobs have been
referred to me by other deAfies or CODAs
or signers.

All of the good times, all of my good luck,
wonderful friends etc etc, I owe to Baba!
I know deep down inside if it wasn't for
the Deaf World, I probably never would've
amounted to anything, or lived anywhere
else. I would've been as desolate as an
adult as I was a child. So Baba, I thank
you from depth of my soul for making all
of this possible. For helping me escape
a wretched existence. Not from my home
life but my life outside the home. I thank
my lucky stars the daily despair I woke up
to as a child, is all but a bad memory.

When I read about the Columbine
shootings back in the 90s, before it
became a norm. I immediately knew
the kid had gone through what I had,
years of mental, verbal and sometimes
physical abuse. No I never had the
urge to go shoot up a school, to be
honest I was too beaten down to be
that mad. But its the kids who like
me victimized for years at a time,
hating what they saw in the mirror,
thinking the worst of themselves
who later become adults with more
compassion than they know what to
do with. I feel my experiences made
me such an empathetic person today.
Its made me very sensitive of the moods
of the people I care about. I guess its
true what they say, adversity only makes
you stronger!

65 Red Roses

This post is dedicated to one red-head from another...
















Today I happened to stumble across an article in CNN about a blogger name Eva Dien Brine Markvoort who created a blog called 65 Red Roses. This was about her struggle with cystic fibrosis, hence the name 65 roses because many children have difficulty pronouncing cystic fibrosis. She inserted red into her blog name because it was her favorite color. She died recently and I as I began to scroll down her blog, my eyes watered, my throat clenched. How could such a beautiful young woman being taken away at her prime? I am struggling as I type to hold back the tears. She touched so many people on many levels all over the world! What a brave soul, how I admire her and it once again reminds me of my many blessings. I have been sick on and off throughout my life but nothing terminal or anything that truly held me back from living. Her parents (what strength they have!) are maintaining her blog and when she had passed away, they simply wrote


“full of love and hope and the colour red, … your girl, eva”
Eva Dien Brine Markvoort … what a life! She lived passionately, with purpose, and died on Saturday, March 27. She left a legacy of love and made a difference in the lives of thousands of people both in her personal life and in her online community. Eva’s life, almost 26 years long, was defined by her challenges related to cystic fibrosis. She knew how to live for the moment and her magnetic personality drew people in at every turn. Eva took nothing for granted and she had no time for complainers. Her life was full of vibrant moments and she appreciated all the beautiful aspects of her surroundings, constantly adjusting to the limitations presented by her health. Eva filled every room she entered, she engaged herself in the present and she learned to turn the most challenging situations into positive experiences. She was a force! Eva has enriched the lives of her parents, Janet Brine and Bill Markvoort, her siblings Annie and Hunter, her loving extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins, and her dearest core ‘team’. Eva's family expresses their gratitude for the tremendous support provided by friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, the medical team, and Eva's online community.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Eva’s memory to the Vancouver Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be gratefully accepted at www.cfvancouver.ca . All who read this are also encouraged to register as an organ donor at www.transplant.bc.ca .

Can you even begin to imagine the grief felt by so many but none more so than her family! Two days before she passed away, with her sister's help she wrote this poem;

i'm at that point now i'm done with the poetics asking for help my sister is helping me write actually helping me write the medications have been piling up they are taking their toll i am supersaturated with medications i've been medically missing in action for two days the docs started taking me off some of them to see how i would manage and i am not managing not managing at all i'm drowning in the medications i can't breathe every hour once an hour i can't breathe something has to change

I just want to say to Eva's parents/family/friends how much Eva's blog has touched me. The world at large has lost someone who mattered.

Emotions! Some days I can do without!

So recently I started therapy to learn
better coping skills. When one has ADD
they often experience a lifetime of
frustrations and inability to deal with
feelings that overwhelm them. Case
in point, me.

All my life I have always felt at the mercy
of my emotions. When I was a teenager I
had the worst temper and all of my friends
never wanted to fight with me because I
was not a fair fighter. I would hit below
the belt simply because I felt hurt, therefore
they were to be hurt just as much as I was.
I also didn't handle criticism well but id like
to think I've improved on that. Simply be-
cause I remind myself, opinions are like
assholes, everyone has one. So I always
tell people I will listen, I may not agree but
I will take what they say and digest it.

Lately I have begun learning healthier ways to
deal with my anger and frustrations. Such
as stop thought techniques and reading up
on anger distortions. Plus I am owing up to
my feelings and that I am in charge of how
I feel. Eleanor Roosevelt said "no one can
make you feel inferior without your consent."
How true.

I've only gone for 2 sessions and I feel good
to know I am on the path that will lead to
a more balance reaction when stress hits or
when I feel overwhelmed.

Funny I have always been jealous of those
who remain calm and cool during trying times.
I can do that too when the situation is about
someone else and not myself. But boy oh boy
when its me, I either roar like a lion or whimper
like a kicked dog. And then afterwards I feel
even worst because I lost my cool. I think if
only I had said this or done that but its too
late.

Therapy isn't fun but it can be rewarding,
especially when you can see the difference
in your everyday life. Right now its a little
too soon but I do see an inkling of how I am
getting better.

Sometimes

I wish I were a cat. To just lie around and
bask in the sun. Someone to feed me, love
me, and take care of me. To be able to
purr and make others want to stroke my fur.
And then I think, do cats sometimes wish to
be human? To eat all the tuna they want?
To come and go as they please? To take
up most of the bed?
Indeed the grass is greener on the other side...

Bout of Insonmia

Not fun!
When trying new ADD medications
I prefer short acting over long
acting meds simply because if
I take my meds too late in the day
I can't sleep at night :(
The past 2 nights have been horrible!
Tonight I WILL take melatonin!
I've given Jack strict orders not
to let me forget!

Faith

I remember while growing up and visiting my friend Erica, she had on her wall the following poem

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

---

Mary Stevenson, 1936

I know its a very popular poem among Christians but I feel it can be applied to anyone who has faith. What's interesting to note is there are 3 different versions of the poem above and wikipedia states as the possible origins dating back to 1880 sermon but the author is truly unknown.

So does this mean I myself believe in one supreme being, a parental figure who knows and controls everything? No, I believe in being a part of a larger whole, a life force that pumps through the veins of the universe. If there is a God I do not view it as something that possesses human qualities but more as a source of incredible and divine energy.

George Carlin once said he worships the sun. I really love this particular piece from his stand up comedy routine. George Carlin was certainly an intriguing man who made us think when he spoke. [Excerpt below from here;]

Overnight I became a sun-worshipper. Well, not overnight, you can't see the sun at night. But first thing the next morning, I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us.

Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite.

I guess lately with my more active involvement with Town & Village Synagogue it made me re-evaluate my views on religion and to be honest not much has changed except I am able to appreciate my heritage more and be a part of my religion wholly.

In different and much less exciting news, I played grown up most of the afternoon. Paying bills, calling the ins company, calling about my school loans, all kinds of fun stuff. But now at least its out of the way, freeing me up to enjoy my weekend.

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)

Another Deaf-friendly Jewish event coming this Sunday April 11th here in New York City. [Excerpt below taken from Deaf News Network]

Tifereth Israel-Town & Village (T&V) Synagogue (www.tandv.org) will be hosting sign-language-interpreted event on Sunday afternoon, April 11th, when the Downtown Kehillah (a collection of Synagogues in Lower Manhattan) gathers together to commemorate Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and we hope you can join us!

The ceremony will include remarks from Rabbis from several of the Kehillah's Synagogues, along with songs from the CBST/Downtown Kehillah choir, a candle-lighting, and a reading of names of some of the victims, and will be held from 5:00 PM -- 6:00 PM at 334 East 14th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues in Manhattan. Author Johanna Reiss, who's written books about her experience as a child in hiding during World War II, will speak, and our interpreting team will include Cathy Markland and Bram Weiser.

A reception (refreshments and social hour) will follow the event, and all are welcome to participate!

For additional information, please contact Bram Weiser at bramweiser@usa.net or (212) 677-0368v.

Thanks, and we’ll hope to see you there!

Last Saturday (4/3) I attended Town and Village Synagogue for another ASL terped services which occurred during Passover otherwise known as the Jewish Independence Holiday in which the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt, you know "Let my people go!" Imagine to my surprise when several people including Rabbi Sebert came up to me and complimented me on my blog posting of Purim. Apparently in California an online site called Jewish Deaf Community Center picked up my post and added it to their website. I was blown away! Little old me? Nonetheless I was please at the response I received and am honored to be able to advocate such a great Temple!

I was also told how the ASL terped services at T&V Synagogue began. Bram Weiser had shown a great appreciation for ASL(who recently became a RID Certified Terp) and one of the members who attended regularly at the Synagogue was Deaf. Of course she was left out of the services. So Bram would sit next to her and inform her of the page nbrs from the Torah readings or other readings, or what prayer was being said etc etc... He expressed to his mother (Marcia Weiser) about his desire to see more Deaf Jews involved at T&V Synagogue so for his birthday about 5 years ago (don't worry Bram your age will remain a secret!) his mother surprised him by paying for interpreters at that particular Jewish services and she also provided "seed" money for the possibility in making ASL terped services more regularly. And so it began with 4 ASL terped services a year and now has grown to almost 1x a month! I am very grateful to both Bram and his mother for making this a reality for me and other Deaf Jews to be able to attend, a mitzvah!

In addition to all of this, Rabbi Sebert in his sermon mentioned about including the Deaf in the Jewish community and that more efforts must be made. I couldn't agree more because ASL terped Jewish Services are so few and far in most of this country! I honestly didn't think in my lifetime I would ever be able to be an active member of the Jewish community until now (in the past year or so) attending T&V Synagogue has renewed my faith and my Jewish ties. I was also thrilled to sign "A Prayer for Our Country" last Saturday, boy was I nervous. I enjoyed it all so much! The kiddush (reception) afterwards served the best lox spread I have had in ages! I met the Cantor's Postman's young cutie-pie daughter who signed to me "Shabbat Shalom" which translated in ASL is "REST PEACE."

Before I sign off, I have an old joke to share

What's the difference between an Italian Mother and a Jewish Mother?
An Italian mother says "if you don't eat that, I will kill you!"
a Jewish mother says "if you don't eat that, I will kill myself!"
Ov vey, the gift of guilt that keeps on giving ;-)

Precious the movie

Last night Jack & I finally got a copy of
the movie "Precious." It sure was a good
movie, very nitty gritty and reminded me a
lot of the life I saw in DC/Baltimore area
as well as Harlem where I now reside.
This movie cannot be summarized, its
shocking, well performed and extremely
tragic story. Monique who played Precious
mother was at her finest acting I've ever
seen. I spent a lot of the movie wanting to
jump into the story and wrap my arms around
Precious and some of the other characters.
No one, no matter what size they are or
race they're from should ever live in those
conditions. Sadly this story may have been
based on fiction but it surely wasn't far from
the truth. If anything I hope it serves as a
wake up call for everyone that we need to
help each other and break the patterns of
abuse seen in poor minority based
neighborhoods.

Bubblegum Pudding-Farout!

Well imagine to my surprise when I saw
this package of Bubble gum pudding by
Jelly Belly. For a buck I had to buy it last
weekend while visiting my Mom. Today
I decided to brave it out and try it. Hmm,
the first spoonful was interesting. Sort of
reminded me of banana flavor for a
split second and then I tasted the
bubble gum. Wow, my mouth just didn't
know what to think. Its just so interesting
not disgusting or gross, just unusual.
I almost wish is was frosting that I could
smear on a sugar cookie.
Oh the things we try for a buck!

2 things I can live without

Allergies & Humidity. Didn't miss either one
this past winter. My allergies are back with a
vengeance! For me since I already have bad
sinuses, allergies can induce some serious
light-headiness. Not fun! Plus the constant
stream of sneezes and grabbing tissues is
not something I am looking forward to for
the next few months. Ah, "C'est la vie"
translated- such is life.
Or as some people I know, like to say
It is what it is.
Wasn't able to finish both colleges midterms
like I had originally planned. Only 1 school
is completely done. The other one I INTEND
to do on the train ride to PA this afternoon.
I read online last night that if you want to
be more disciplined, make public
statements. Why? When people make
public announcements of their intentions
more often than not we follow through to
avoid looking bad to the public. Hmm, lets
see if it works for me? In terms of paper-
work related to teaching the only other
item left is to grade videos. ASL students
videos which are SO time consuming to
grade. Id be interested in a chance to
observe other foreign language teachers
at college level to see how they conduct
their classes and assess students' work?
I wonder if I can do that at one of my
schools over the summer? Couldn't
hurt to set up a meeting with my boss
and ask.
Completed the US Census 2010 Form
last night for Jack and me. It was very
brief and easy to fill out. Make sure you
do yours TOO! Its our civic duty you know.
I really do take pride in the opportunity to
vote and participate in the US Census.
What was extremely interesting to me was
how the one section explicitly explains that
Hispanic, Latino, PR, DR, Mexicans etc etc
are not considered a RACE. Then beneath
it it listed all the other ones. Oddly there
were several Asian races listed I think?
Can't quite remember, where as for Blacks
only African American was listed. Huh? I
recall the whole debate about the Hispanic
people not being a race. Still it was strange
to see it as one of the main components of
the census itself.
By the way, as one of my favorite indulgent
snacks when traveling is Auntie Annie's
pretzels but only if they're pipping hot.
The one I am noshing on now isn't even
luke warm, what a shame :( Will save the
rest for later, my pretzel has a date with
the microwave tonight!
I am more than READY for this break
and visiting the family! Plus the
weather is gorgeous despite allergies
and humidity.
Lastly, my main goal for this visit, is a
little rejuvenation and I just don't want
to have to "think" or have major
responsibilities for the next few days :}

I Heart Hulu 4-Ever!

Seriously people, Hulu.com is ASL-"CHAMP!"
Granted some folks complain they have a
limited amount of CC viewing content but
not I! Why you might ask? Well lets see...
They're basically the ONLY website that
gives us Deafies equality to our hearing
peers when it comes to watching online
media. I too can catch up on shows like
THE SIMPSON or HOUSE with CC!
It really bothers me when some people take
Hulu.com for granted or worst complain. My
view is to be assertive, write to Hulu.com,
you can email them at feedback@hulu.com.
Now they don't always answer the emails,
you might get the standard "We received
your email, blah blah blah. Try these
helpful links/FQA blah blah blah." But
sometimes they do answer which is
really nice. I've already decided, should I
ever earn loads of money, I would invest
some in Hulu.com or the mother company.
Very rarely do I become loyal to a
brand.
Watched some movies in the last week
or so. Here's what I thought of them;
"Shrink" with Kevin Spacey, an indie
film about a therapist/counselor to
Hollywood's Stars and everyday people.
Kevin Spacey as always did a fantastic
performance. How could anyone not be
a big fan of his is unknown to me. It
was a good story with several layers
and just enough nitty gritty to keep
you interested but not make you
depressed by watching it! This
movie gets an A+
"2012" another end of the world movies.
How I love those! Using current science
theories and adding a dash of
make-believe these movies fascinate
me. Not because I secretly wish for the
end of mankind. No siree, but the sheer
awe of the infinite possible ways this
world/planet could be destroyed has me
hook, line and sinker! "2012" was non
stop action. I was literally unable to tear
my eyes away from the movie for fear I
might miss something important to the
overall story. They has this cool-ass car
scene where California's roadways were
collapsing as they drove by. Totally
unrealistic! but ah so much fun to watch :}
A very thrilling movie. Granted not a
whole lot of "substance" but rarely are
these end of the world movies about
people's personal stories. Instead these
movies are more about helping the
audience imagine being there themselves
and how they would react? I thought the
ending was cool. But like Blondie the very
last line of the movie sucked! I won't tell
you what it is, but my only guess was to
prevent that little girl/actress from being
forever know as the girl who wore pull-ups
and wet her bed till age 7.
"Crossing Over" with but not starring
Harrison Ford (one of my old favorites),
was an overlapping story about several
immigrants and immigrant-related
federal workers. Very good, I enjoyed
the one story about the Jewish guy trying
to become an American citizen and he
does so by pretending his a religious
Jew.
"Special" starring Michael Rapaport
was ok. I felt it was a little too slow,
they could've unfolded the story
a little more quickly without losing
the vibe the director was going for.
It was creative but I found myself
at times playing Spider Solitaire
while waiting for a scene that would
interest me.
Alrighty, I must shove off and give
my students their midterm. Only 1
day shy of my Spring Break -whee!

My 1st Spa Experience

So last Saturday my friend Ellie and I
hit a spa on the UES. They had a special
where you paid $100 for 2 hours worth of
services. They had a list of services you
could choose from, a total of 2, 1 per
hour. We both decided to get the Swedish
Massages. For the 2nd hour, Ellie chose
a facial and I chose foot reflexology.

We arrived for our appt right on time
and entered a small lobby area with
soft I think Chinese music playing?
Everyone was Chinese and since I
am Deaf, identifying music is not my
forte. The man immediately greeted
us and led us to the back rooms
which were all dimly lit into 1 room
that had 2 massage tables side by side.
We were instructed to strip and given
nice luxury towels to wrap ourselves in.
We both were san bras but kept our
panties on. Then we were instructed
to lie face down into the donut hole
pillow and the massages began.

Boy oh boy I was being tortured! Every
time the woman massaging me found a
spot that hurt, she dove into the same
spot over and over again! I started to
wonder if perhaps she thought I had
requested "deep tissue" massage because
Blondie explained those are horrific!
Finally after 30 mins of suffering I lifted
my head up and ask her to lighten the
pressure just a teeny bit and she did.
Once the torture factor was gone it
felt pretty nice. I admit lying face down
for an hour is too long for me and I
actually enjoy having my arms and legs
massaged more than my back which
they did for like 10 mins while the other
50 mins was all back massage.

That ended and Ellie and I wondered
what was next but they informed us to
stay and turn over onto our backs. So
we did and the women propped for the
next hour. My masseuse (sp?) started
massaging my temples and again I
wondered if perhaps she thought I wanted
a facial but soon after that she moved down
to my feet and began massaging my left
foot/calf. It felt good. I started to think
what's the difference between foot
reflexology and a regular foot massage?
I honestly couldn't tell you.

When it was all over, we both were soooo
relaxed we didn't want to move. I could've
gone to sleep happily! But sadly we had to
go.

Ironically that night about 7 hours after
the spa visit I began to sneeze uncontrollably!
I was sneezing and blowing my nose for the
rest of the night! I thought, gee my luck to get
a cold or allergies now! When I woke up on
Sunday the sneezing/blowing nose resumed
for another few hours and then all but stopped!
I read up on reflexology and found out that one
of the side effects of reflexology is it rids your
body of toxin buildups. Often people after a
reflexology appt will go to the bathroom more
or in my case mucus aglore fest! And other
common reactions follow for a few days.

I guess you could say I am a believer in
reflexology! And already want to have
another reflexology session soon! I
also have always wanted to try acupuncture
too! Some people might think I am a little
loopy but I do believe our bodies are made
up of more than just organic matter and
star dust but energies too. I have in the past
briefly studied Chakras etc etc but this
experience has renewed my interest again!

If anyone asked me what I recommend when
going to a spa I would recommend reflexology
above anything else!

Oh hell no!

Saw in the paper today that one idiot rep
from NC name Patrick McHenry (R) wants
to rid Ulysses Grant from the $50 bills and
replace it with Ronald Reagan (the worst
president of our time!). It was bad enough
when they replaced National Airport with
his name and now this? Puhleez! The man
was a terrible actor on screen but a great
actor when playing president of the US!
His failures do not overshadow Grant's
American contribution when leading the
North to victory in the Civil War! Ugh, I
grew up to seeing this disgrace lead our
country into a recession. Hasn't this man
done enough damage?! Why are there
always these republicans with idiotic
ideas and backward notions in power?
When will the American public get educated
and see the facts for what they are? Instead
of blinding themselves from the truths?
I am so sick of politics and the lack of any
social grace in the political arena.