Ban Smoking

What sense does it make for us to get outside and take in the fresh air and be active when every other person around us smokes? Smokers pollute the air for us non-smokers. I love being outside, but hate having to breath in second-hand smoke. It is nasty and disgusting. The government should ban smoking in public all together because it involuntarily affects other people's health. Think of the children...I do.

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV)

There are 3 groups in my Medical Administration class and each group had to do presentations on a specific infectous disease. My groups was on Cytomegalovirus. During our research on the topic we found this clip on Congenital CMV. I never pay much attention to news reports, but after reading up on CMV I am going to start paying attention. You never know what's out there that you might have to deal with first hand.

Is it worth helping?

I am the kind of person who tries to be helpful. For instance, in class there are many who are inexperienced on how to navagate a computer and browse the web. I do my best to help my classmates, but at times I have several people calling for my help and I am trying to do my work as well. I get very overwhelmed at times and can't help everyone. Then, I get an attitude from someone who I am unable to help and they make rude and inconsiderate comments to other people about it. When I try to fix the problem they continue to be rude and belittling. I'm not perfect and I'm not a genious. I learned my way around a computer by playing with it. I didn't go to school to learn. If I can learn it then others can too. Don't be afraid to explore!

Merry Christmas

This is supposed to be a time of caring, sharing and giving. All too often I see greed, selfishness and commercialism. We have lost the true meaning of Christmas.

Jena Injustice

Last fall, when two Black high school students sat under the "white" tree on their campus, white students responded by hanging nooses from the tree. When Black students protested the light punishment for the students who hung the nooses, District Attorney Reed Walters came to the school and told the students he could "take [their] lives away with a stroke of [his] pen." Racial tension continued to mount in Jena, and the District Attorney did nothing in response to several egregious cases of violence and threats against black students. But when a white student--who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses--taunted a black student, allegedly called several black students "nigger", and was beaten up by black students, six black students were charged with second-degree attempted murder. Last month, the first young man to be tried, Mychal Bell, was convicted. He faces up to 22 years in prison for a school fight.

http://www.freethejena6.org/

www.local6.com/news/14151648/detail.html

Helping

Helping others gives me a good feeling about myself. I have been in situations where I have needed information or help of some kind and was not able to get it. There are supposed to be government and community organizations that have this information, but they are not always well informed. It was frustrating for me. I keep all information I find within the community that has or hasn’t helped me and if I find someone who could benefit from this information, I pass it on. I have helped many people and have received a lot of help too.

Lack Of Tax Information

It wasn’t until recently that I was informed that anyone could itemize on their tax return. That all the taxes you pay for your purchases can be returned to you. I go to a tax professional and have for over 15 years and not once have they said anything to me about this. I think of all the money I could have received back and feel like I’ve been ripped off. I work for this money and the government takes it from me with the “promise” of getting it back only to get part of it back. I think we need to be better informed about our rights.

Yet To Be Famous

My 12 year old daughter loves to sing and dance. Every time I turn around she is singing a song she likes or making up her own. At school, she and her friends are always dancing around too. They want to enter the talent show this year, but they can’t seem to agree on what to do. That’s kids for ya. I would love to get her into some sort of class, but money is really tight for us right now. Not many places have scholarships for this type of thing.

My World

My children are my world. They pick me up when I’m feeling down. They make me laugh when I am crying. They encourage me forward when I feel like quitting. If it weren’t for my children I don’t know where I would be. Of course, my life could be really great – an excellent job, own my house, have a brand-new car and travel around the world. But, I have children and I don’t have all these things. It doesn’t matter. I have the world anyway.

Giving My Cats Away

I feel terrible about having to give my cats to the Humane Society. They were like my children. When I had to move I had no place to go myself and ended up in a homeless shelter. None of my friends or family would take my cats for a short period of time. I have, however, taken in their animals and even ended up keeping a few because my family didn’t want them back. I resolved not to get another cat until I am sure I will be in a place where I will be settled in for a long time.

Carlos Mencia

Carlos Mencia was recently in Madison and I was really bumbed that I was not able to go and see him. I think he is hilarious! My oldest son made me watch an episode with him one night. I fell in love with him instantly. When I watch him on Comedy Central I laugh so hard my sides hurt. I can’t remember any other comedian making me laugh like that.

Vampires

Vampires. What is the attraction to them? They are dark, mysterious, sensual and sexual. It’s the way the vampires stalk their prey. They way they lure and entice them. The way they embrace their victims. The way they excite their victims and get the blood flowing. For most of us it’s not the drinking of blood itself. Just the way the vampire makes the victim feel. Wanted. Then again, not all vampires are romantics.

Broken Furniture

My 17-year-old son and his best friend are the biggest pains in my butt ever. Over the past 5 years they have broken 2 sofas by wrestling around. One time my son was trying to avoid a plate of spaghetti. They broke 1window playing smear the queer. Another one by punching it when his younger brother and sister were looking through making faces at him and yet another one when throwing a shoe. They put a whole in a door when my son threw a baseball bat at his friend for fun. They ran a bike into another wall making a huge hole. And when they were “cleaning” my son “accidentally fell into the wall making a 2 foot round hole. A recliner and kitchen chairs were also destroyed. All because of wrestling around and playing games. They don’t do this at his friend’s house however. I must be way too lenient.

Motley Crue Saves The Day

When I was about 15 years old, I was at home with my best friend and one of my younger sisters just watching TV. A couple of Jehovah witnesses came to the door and unfortunately we answered it. They would not leave so my sister ran upstairs and put a tape in the stereo (dating myself). The tape she put in was “Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil”. She put the stereo in the front window and craned it. The Jehovah Witnesses quickly took off. We never had another Jehovah Witness show up for as long as we lived there.

Parents Need To Be Involved

It’s very important for a parent to be involved in their child’s life. It don’t matter the distance or circumstances. Children are affected by the absence of their parent(s). My youngest son for instance, his father is incarcerated. It kills my son not having his father here with him. It kills me to have to try and be both a mother and a father to him. It isn’t the same. My son will cry for his father. Tell me he misses him and wants him. He has begun to cling to his older brother now. My 12-year-old daughter wonders what she did to make her father hate her. It hurts me to see her upset. What do I tell her? I don’t know his reasons.

Getting To Meet Wrestlers

Batista, Triple H, John Cena, Ray Mysterio, Jeff and Matt Hardy….just a few of my favorite WWE wrestlers. I would love to meet them all sometime. I check the WWE web site regularly to see when they will be in or near our city. On October 25, 2004 I met The Hurricane and Rosey during an autograph session. I was able to get my picture taken with them as well. They smelled so good! Okay, maybe a little silly to mention, but it’s something I remember. You’d think wrestlers would be sweaty and smelly. I guess not out in public though. Anyway, it was the best birthday present ever!

A New Sprititual Path

When I need help with things in my life I ask The Goddess and Gaia for their assistance. I don’t just sit back and wait for them to fix my life. I do my share of the work and they aid me as they see fit in obtaining my goal. Because I have finally found what works for me I have been much happier and things don’t worry or stress me out like they used to. I thank The Goddess and Gaia for leading me on the right spiritual path.

(creator of picture unknown)

Dutty Wine Video

Shelter Life

I try to get along with people, but it hasn’t been an easy task. Everyone in the shelter has issues they are dealing with. Some may work odd hours, or are really stressed. I try to be considerate and respectful. Others, however, don’t seem to understand that concept and continue to be disruptive. Their children run up and down the halls playing, yelling and banging on walls and doors. Parents yelling at their children or other adults that are down the hall. I have tried to talk to these people as adults only to be given attitude. So, I felt I had to go to the staff and complain and I’m not the only one to do so. I have been called a snitch, a bitch and pretty much called a racist. I was angry and upset. All I want is for there to be some sense of common courtesy and respect for others. There should be a common ground that makes everyone somewhat happy. That apparently makes me a bitch. Apparently I’m a racist because I cannot deal with the “nigger” factor as they put it. Everyday my patients is being tried and my tolerance levels pushed by some of the other shelter residents. What really bothers me is that now I’m being harassed. People knocking on our door and running off. People knocking into me as they pass by me in the hallway. I have also been threatened and no longer feel safe here. As much as some of the staff tries to convince me otherwise, I know it’s because of my skin color. I’m the only white resident here.

Passion For Jewelry

I have a passion for making jewelry. I love to come up with ideas, designs and creations. I began learning on my own in 2005. I just walked through the craft department of a local retail store and grabbed supplies. I then experimented with the different materials to see what I liked to work with and my family and friends liked the things I made. Now I’m looking into taking beading classes to perfect my craft. I have also discovered a series of metal working classes that I can take at the local technical college. My goal is to have my own line of jewelry in stores or maybe even my own shop. Wish me luck.

Family Time

My children and I have decided to have a family game night. Some people think it’s silly. Since my children and I have set up at least one night a week to play some sort of board game we have become a lot closer. I don’t think it’s silly. I love the idea of being closer to my children. They feel more comfortable talking to me about things because I show interest in their lives. We have fun, talk about what they did that day or the week. Whatever they want to talk about. We talk all the time now and find more things to do together. Silly? I think not.

[MV] Beenie Man ft Akon - Girls

Gorillas

Of the primates, the Gorilla is the largest. They live throughout the jungles and forests of Africa. Besides the chimpanzee, they are the closest living relatives to humans. Their DNA is 97% - 98% identical to humans. They have a life span of 30 to 50 years. The average male weighs anywhere from 310 to 440 pounds and 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 9 inches in height. Females average 4 feet 7 inches in height and about 220 pounds. There is a gestation period of 8 ½ months. The human gestation period is 9 months. Another similarity humans and gorillas share is individual fingerprints. Gorillas are considered to be very intelligent. Case in point, there have been some gorillas in the wild who have been seen using “tools” such as sticks to test the depth of water, logs as bridges and rocks to open nuts.

Raised as a Luthern

Growing up I was raised as a Lutheran, but as I got older I began to question things. When I turned to our Pastor to try and get answers, he told me it is this way because the Bible says so. Not a very good answer in my opinion so I drifted away. I still called on God to help me in my time of need, but of course things still didn’t go too well. I tried to have faith and wanted to go to church and did a few times over the years. It didn’t feel natural to me. Yet, I still held some sort of belief. I just wasn’t sure what it was.

Love

It took me a long time to realize love is NOT supposed to hurt. As a child and young adult I have been through physical and emotional abuse. It took the support and love of my children to make me realize that that is not how someone is supposed to treat another that they claim they love. There are many ways to show someone you love and care for them. However, raising your hands in anger is not one of them. Controlling every aspect of their life is not love. Keeping them away from family and friends is not showing them you love them. Making them feel insignificant and worthless is not loving them. Love is giving respect, being honest and open to one another. It is communicating with words when there is a problem and working it out together. Unless you have a reason not to trust the one you love then trust them. Love is many good and positive things.

Passing Away

I was a few months shy of 21 when my mother passed away in 1993. It was very hard on me. We had gotten into an arguement and I couldn't even tell you what it was about. Something stupid would be my guess. Anyway, the last words I said to her as she left for work were, "you're a fucking bitch!" Nice, huh. To this day it still bothers me that those were the last words she heard from me. I have forgiven myself and promised to have a much better relationship with my children. I'm not saying that I didn't have a good relationship with my mother. I just think it could have been much better. I love her and I know wherever she is that she knows it.

Going back to school

I have always wanted to continue my education throughout my adult life, but always had excuses not to. First, I was pregnant with my daughter so I made that an excuse not to go back. Then, I had 2 kids to support so I made that an excuse. When I started to think about going back again, I got pregnant and used that as another excuse. Finally, I was given an opportunity to go back and though I tried, I couldn’t find a legitimate excuse not to go. I am in the program and love it. This is an opportunity for me to quit going from job to job and have a career. Also, I have begun looking into additional courses to further my education. I am on my way……