The good life

Catch-up

2009-05-12T10:12:00.001-07:00

Wow! It has been months since I have written on my blog. Things have been busy with school. However I can't say that I didn't have time, I guess in reality I have just been all about Facebook! It is much easier and more entertaining to get on Facebook than listen to professors or blog. I have been fairly diligent about reading the blogs of my friends, so that I can catch up with them.

I am almost done with all of my classes. I will be finished with everything but student teaching the week of June 22nd. I actually caught up with most of my work from this last semester and the first. The only thing I have yet to complete is a group project from my Methods and Materials in Language Arts class. I have completed the minimum requirements, or so I hope, of my e-portfolio. You can visit it at www.nathanbrinkhoff.com. When I have more time I actually plan on linking work that I have completed so that I can actually use it. Being done with that Technology class is a lot of stress of my back. I took both Praxis II tests needed for elementary education at the end of April. I feel confident, and should hear more in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! In July I have signed up for the brand new testing requirement for certification, the Foundations of Reading Test. This was another $130, but unlike the Praxis there really is no test preperation material. Ugh.

This last weekend on May 9 I walked in the commencement ceremony for my Master's degree. I was hesitant to walk, considering I had planned to do it next year. I was told a few weeks ago that I had to walk this May, but I was trying to fight it so that my family could come and see, as I know my dad really wanted to. They wouldn't let me. Lucky for me I have such a sweet and caring husband, and he surprised me greatly. He had arranged to get buddy passes from a friend, and they flew into JFK airport in NYC on Friday, and I drove them back on Sunday morning. I was under the impression that we were going to visit the aforementioned friend as he was flying in for the night, but to my surprise my dad, his wife, and my younger brother were there! I was ecstatic. We drove them around and then went to eat in Times Square. Saturday after the commencement we were all tired so we hung around Connecticut! I loved having them here! I really hope they come back for a longer stay soon.... that goes for all of my dear friends! The commencement was wonderful with almost 1600 students graduating. I must admit that now I want to get my doctorate (in about 10 years) so that I can have an awesome robe to wear!!!! I saw one professor who looked like she was straight out of Harry Potter with a beautiful light blue robe! With some research I found out that her alma mater was Cambridge University..... so the UK it is :) LOL.

Hope everyone is well!!

Survey

2009-01-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

Well my friend JL had an idea to do a survey on her blog. Here are the questions she asked me. It is a simple way to make sure I blog. If you would like to do a survey please let me know, and I will send you questions to answer.

1. What is your favorite thing about living on the East Coast?

My favorite thing about living on the East Coast are the people. People may be a little less hospitable than they are in Colorado, but they are also more accepting. People are judged more by their character than what they are. Being gay is what makes me difference, but here in Connecticut few people have a problem with that, and if they do they keep it to themselves. People understand that one's sexuality is part of an individual but does not define them. When I lived in Colorado I felt constantly judged, and still do when I go back to visit. In Colorado it seemed that individuality was not really sought for. Here on the east coast I also love the different people and cultures that live here. Being so close to New York City we see immigrants all the time. While my family in Colorado says all Muslims are bad, I see many of them around here, and some even go to my school. At the University I attend a large apart are Asian. Going to NYC is fun as you really get to see different cultures. There are sections of the city where large groups of individual cultures resided, such as Chinatown, Little Italy, Koreatown, etc.

I also love the East Coast because of the history. Since the East Coast was settled earlier than the rest of the country, there is more history. I also love the fact that states in the East are much smaller than in the West, and distances between major cities are less. For example, in Colorado it would take 8 hours to cross the state. Last year in 8 hours we went from Bridgeport, CT to Montreal. From where we live it is 40 miles to NYC, 2 hours to Boston, 5 hours to DC, 4 hours to Philadelphia. There are also numerous methods of getting around: train, subway, taxi, bus, etc. We are planning on moving to Boston within the next 5 years, and I am looking forward to it because I plan on getting rid of the car and using the T to get around.

2. Being the music guru that you are, what do think is one album that everyone should own and why?

This is hard. I love music, but I am well aware that my musical tastes are not in tune with everyone's. I love Janet Jackson and Britney Spears as most of you well know. I would have to say Janet's "The Velvet Rope" and "Rhythm Nation" are two that everyone should hear. I also loved Robin Thicke's "Evolution" CD. One of my most favorite albums of all time is Eric Benet's "A Day in the Life..".

3. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?

My favorite thing about teaching is opening up the eyes of students to the options they have. It is depressing that not many of them seem concerned about it, they accept life at such a young age. When I am able to help them see differently it is beyond words.

4. How would you describe yourself? Do you think your friends and family would agree?

I would say that I am very honest and caring. I always hope for the best for people. Even when they have done me wrong I hope them the best. I have been told that I care more for others than for myself. I enjoy life overall. I am very loyal to my family and friends, though I may not talk to them as much as I would like. I may be shy at first, but when I am comfortable I am very talkative. I try to make things as enjoyable as possible. I am not the brightest bulb in the bunch, but I try ;) LOL. I am also very open-minded and accepting. Even when I don't agree with someone about their beliefs I do not hold it against them. I think this is how others would see me as well.

5. If you could change something or several things in your life, what would they be and why?

What would I change..... hmmm... well I am absolutely happy with the way my life has turned out. I guess one thing I would change is that I would have started sticking up for myself much earlier, with people or at work. I also probably would not have stayed with Wal-Mart as long as I did. I let stress consume me too often, and I have learned not to do that. I should have also adopted the attitude of "If I ignore it or let it pass, then I condone it" long ago.

Past/Present

2009-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend I checked my Myspace page, which I rarely do anymore. I had a message from somebody named Josh from Colorado. I had no idea who this person was, until I read the message. The message was from my half-brother. He said that his Grandma wanted my brothers and I to know that her husband had died in October. This message brought so many different emotions.

My brothers and I were born to the same parents, as most people are LOL. When I was around 4 my parents divorced. My dad remarried shortly after. For years we would travel from the Denver area where we lived to Stratton in eastern Colorado, where our biological mother and family lived. Conveniently my paternal grandparents also live in the same county still. I have very few memories of my biological mother or her side of the family. I remember her parents, our "grandparents" and their house. I remember how I loved how at noon a siren would sound to tell everyone it was lunchtime throughout the area, as it still does when I visit my paternal grandparents, my favorite people, in Flagler, CO. I remember being very intrigued by the laundry chute in their house. I remember playing outside their house feeling the prairie wind blow. I also remember that it was at their house we learned how to make passing truck drivers honk their horns whenever we motioned with our arms. I remember stopping by Dairy Queen often as we travelled the almost 3 hours between Denver and Stratton. I vaguely remember playing with cousins. I remember some of my Aunt and Uncles' names. Of my biological mother I remember very little. I remember her as unstable. The only vivid memory I have of her is gathering my brothers and I in the round carpet covered staircase in her parent's house, where she was frantically asking us if we loved her as she held a knife to her wrist. I remember the three of us (aged 6-10 maybe) crying and trying to reassure her that we did love her. I also remember being at a family gathering in Arvada with my dad's family and getting a phone call that our mother was in the hospital. She had been at a bar and some guy had raped her and beaten her, she had a hole in her lung. I remember panicking, but I do not remember seeing her anymore. Later we heard a rumor that she married the guy who raped and beat her, and they had two children, a son and a daughter.

In October of 1992 my parents moved us from Denver, CO to Durango, CO. It was a move across the great state of Colorado, that took us relatively far away from everyone in our family, anywhere from 3-8 hours travel time to any family member. It was shortly after we moved that I remember talking to my maternal grandparents on the phone, and crying because they were so angry because we never called them. I remember I was very upset because I thought I had truly hurt them. It was not until later that I realized that they were the adults, we were 9, 11, and 13 years old, why did we have to be the responsible ones. I remember still being upset when we got a letter from our "mother". The multi-page letter written on a yellow legal pad came rushing back this weekend. That letter was one of the most painful to read. Our mother said that she did not want anything to do with us anymore, that she had so many responsibilities that she could not worry about us too. She gave up all legal rights to us. That was the last we ever heard of her. I remember we all went to Denver to a court where she gave up parental rights hoping to see her one last time, but we did not. She would not come. After that our stepmother adopted us, and we referred to her as Mom. That was the last we heard from our biological mother or anyone in her family. We were cut out of their lives.

We still heard about them all from time to time as Kit Carson County is in rural Colorado. My dad's parents live in Flagler, CO and often go to Burlington for Dr. appointments and Stratton to get groceries. They would run into someone from our mother's side of the family. Apparently they asked about us a few times, and we heard about them. I remember sitting out in the car with my Grandpa one time while my Grandma was grabbing something in the grocery store years after contact was ended, and I saw a familiar face look in the car as she walked by. It was my maternal grandmother. I was later told that the next time she saw my paternal grandmother, she asked if it was me, and was pleased to see me. We had heard that our biological mother had indeed had two more children and was married, but we did not know to whom.

I remember that my parents made us go to counseling, which was a waste of time. I realized that I was comforted only by my father's family. I never felt close with my stepmother's family, except with her mother. Now that she is gone and my parents divorced, I do not see myself has having any family other than my dad's family and my husband and son. I tried to reach out to my biological mother and her family be inviting them all to my high school graduation. I only received one reply back and they could not make it, nobody else bothered to reply. Apparently from what Josh told me though he remembered seeing a picture of me at his aunt and uncle's house, the ones that replied.

I am actually quite anxious. I do not want to be rude to him. I have thought often of driving to Stratton and finding and talking to my former family members when I was in Flagler visiting my grandparents, but did not want to give up time with them, so I never did. I have exchanged numerous Myspace messages with Josh and now email messages. I know that he and his sister are innocent so I will be civil with them. They would like to meet us. I do not know if that will ever happen. He gave me my biological mother's email address, but I kindly told him that I was not interested in emailing his mother.

I hope everyone out there is doing well. I am rather numb at the moment. I do not know how I feel. I should be asleep but right now I am emotional as I write this. I am sending my love out to anyone who wants it...xoxoxo

A Day to be Proud Of

2009-01-20T13:03:00.001-08:00

I am disappointed only because I was unable to watch the inauguration in person as I had hoped. It was too expensive and as I came into work this morning one of the staff members said they just came into 4 tickets yesterday, and they wanted to call me but didn't have my number. C'est la vie I suppose ;) I am also disappointed as we were unable to watch the swearing in ceremony via the internet as the feed was too slow and our school does not have very many technological capabilities. I will watch it on replay over and over again after my classes tonight...much as I watch Hillary Clinton's speech at the DNC at least twice a month..if not weekly. :)

Now that former President Bush is heading back to his hole in Texas (it feels great referring to him as former President) the reality of the situation for President Obama is upon us all. I am so proud of President Obama and his vision for America and the world. I am disappointed in some people who have been saying that he is doomed for failure. Even though I am staunchly anti-Bush, I never hoped that he would fail. Granted after he did, I made no qualms about letting my feeling known. I would never hope for failure as it would also be our burden to bear. I understand that President Obama may not be able to live up to the hype that has been built up for him, but I am sure that he can deliver on his promises.

Here are just a few of the things that I hope President Obama and Congress can quickly get to work on. They are in no particular order, and I will add more later. For starters here is my list:

* The economy is obvious. Too many people are being put out of work and too much is being cut. Here in Bridgeport we are facing a $20 million+ deficit in the budget. Half of it has been made up, but people are asking to take more from the Board of Education. People are being asked to give back some of their vacation days or pay. There are some things that should not be touched, and our public school systems is high on that list. I am not saying this as I am working to be a teacher, but would say it at any point. Especially here in Bridgeport where approximately 95% of the students are eligible for free or reduced meals, determined on poverty. The schools are not in good shape. Many do not have what they need to begin with, and taking more away from these kids is too much to ask.

* Diplomatic efforts- I think that Hillary Clinton will be a superb Secretary of State and eagerly look forward to her being confirmed and getting to work to repair our relations with the world. Many people still think that the US is the number one country in the world, which in most aspects it is. It is no surprise however that people around the world look at Americans differently thanks to the Bush administration. Last year when I went to Canada I was afraid to speak. I am very proud to be an American and have a vision comparable to President Obama's. However, under Bush I did not want people to assume that I was supportive of him or his policies. I am liberal yes but more importantly I consider myself fairly intelligent. I have always understood that more problems can be solved using diplomacy and conversation than combative tactics. As teachers, parents and respectable adults that is what we teach our children, so it does not make sense to have an administration that chooses violence over words, or has ridiculous/dramatic stipulations in place before they will discuss problems with other world leaders. Obviously we expect President Obama to pull out of Iraq, particularly since it is still unclear why we are there to begin with. Afghanistan has human rights issues, I understand that. Iraq has not since Saddam Hussein was captured, let alone put to death YEARS ago. There are many issues throughout the world that need to be solved (Israel/Gaza) but working with other countries to solve them is the way to go. The United Nations was created for this reason, to be like the "world police" but we have taken it into our own hands. It is too costly for us to continue to do so. We need to repair ourselves domestically before looking to help internationally.

* AIDS Awareness- I will give kudos to former President Bush for his fight against AIDS in Africa. He saved millions of lives, but he could have saved millions more by stressing safe-sex practices. The same goes for here in the United States. I really hope that President Obama and Congress nix the Abstinence based sex education program. This program may be ideal but it is not realistic. Rather than stress abstinence use the education platform to talk about ways to practice safe sex, as that is the way most people seem to be heading. Condoms would help slow the spread of HIV and AIDS and other STDs. While I acknowledge Former President Bush's attempt, it is an example of him putting faith before humanity.

* Equality Issues- This must first be done here in America before worrying about elsewhere. Many of these equality issues pertain to the LGBT community, and so are not much interest to many people. They are to me however. I would love to see the passage of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act at the federal level. It is ridiculous that in today's day and age American citizens/taxpayers can still be fired for being gay. I am so tired of hearing that homosexuality is a choice, it is not. The choice is whether one accepts who they are and is honest with themselves or they suppress/lie about their true identity, marry and eventually fall from "the hands of grace" and bring innocent victims along with them (I am talking to you Larry Craig and Ted Haggard among others). As much as I would love to see Marriage Equality passed so that I could feel free to travel across my country without risking everything, it is not feasible yet. I think we need to continue having the discussion about keeping religious beliefs out of the Constitution. We also need to educate Americans that Civil Unions are not comparable to marriage, as there are approximately 1138 rights that show the difference between the two, but at least it is a step toward acceptance. I would of course love to see the damn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy revoked.

These are just a few of the tasks that I would love to see President Obama tackle. I don't have much faith in many politicians but I do have a ton of faith in his abilities. I also think that he has made a very wise choice in Vice President Biden and the rest of his cabinet. Whatever direction we travel with this administration it will be in a more positive one.

Cheers to all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone out there a wonderful and safe end to 2008 and welcoming of 2009! In the near future I am most looking forward to say good riddance to G.W. Bush and his satan-incarnate cinet (esp, Dick Cheney for many reasons) and welcome in a new hopeful president in Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden....with my girl Hillary as Sec. of State hopefully!

I would just like to say a few words to some of my friends:

O- of course I always look forward to waking up to your smiling face every morning, but I eagerly look forward to what 2009 brings us (maybe a baby brother for T).

T- You are the smartest, cutest, and kindest boy I know... I love you so much. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life.

Piscesmama- I hope that the Rooferman drama ends SOON so you and LB can move on with your lives. You deserve to be happy and if there is anything we can do for either of you please let me know. I love you so much and can't stand to see you upset. I also hope that 2009 you will find a man who will treat you right and love LB as a father should. I also hope that your professional woes are solved :) XOXOXOXOX

JL- I hope that your business ventures prove successful a hundred fold. I hope that you and your family stay well. I am sorry to hear about your uncle. I also hope that you are soon swept off your feet by a tall handsome man who knows the prize he has found in you. You are one of my best friends...and have been for what 14 years?....and I always wish for you to be happy. My wish for you is a thousand wishes more.

Curmudge- I hope you and N. continue to be a beautiful example of love.....don't get sick..hold it in ;) I know you may not read this. I also wish you the best in health and whatever you choose.

E and Tesa- May the birth of your new baby bring you all and A. the most joy and excitement! I hope that the drama between your parents cease and you can all be happy again.

For all of my other friends. I wish much happiness and love for you all!

Happy 2009! I love you all!

BTW-I have not had a drink ...yet..... so this is not liquor sap.... though I do have a whole bottle of champagne waiting for me... :)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T19:30:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope your day was full of good food, good friends, and good times with your family. Maybe even a drink or two!!

Our Thanksgiving consisted of going to Manhattan. While we were sleeping O. woke up freezing so I turned up the heater and gave him an extra blanket. Then he said he was burning up. I thought, oh crap he is getting sick! Not good. When we finally woke up he was dizzy and had a huge headache. We had arranged to go serve food at a community center in Manhattan. I said that we could cancel, as T was also not feeling well during breakfast. Rather everyone took some Dayquil plus a day's supply and we went!

I got up and baked a french toast/apple/cinnamon casserole type thing that I had prepared the night before. I had never tried it but a few years ago my aunt was talking all about it and gave me the recipe. The other day I came across the cookbook and read the recipe. It was delicious but if I make it again I think I will go with granny smith apples rather than the gala ones I used. I will also add raisins!

After breakfast we got in the car to drive down the road to the train station (we were running a little late). We parked the car and hauled ass across the street to the train station, as the train was pulling in. I had a backpack (with Hillary's book which I am almost done with) and we had two pumpkin pies that we had made the night before. We barely made the train. Luckily O had tickets already. The conductor said he saw us running so he waited. That was nice. Then we had a relaxing ride on the train to Grand Central. Then we took a couple of subways and a nice walk to the Goddard Community Center. There we were among many volunteers serving the needy and elderly. It was a lot of fun. At first O and T were in the kitchen making coffee and I would bring the large metal containers back and forth to refill either coffee or hot water. Then they said that kids were not allowed to be in the kitchen so T and O went out and started serving desserts and cider to the people. There was live music there. We were really glad to we did it. We are supposed to do the same thing Christmas Day but we are going to try and find somewhere more local to volunteer at then.

Originally we thought that after we volunteered we would swing by Chinatown for some dinner. Then we remembered that O had won a gift card to a group of restaurants from work. One of those restaurants is one of our favorites, Ruby Foo's. It is a great sushi place with excellent food all around. O and I have gone there a few times on dates, the first being our wonderful first weekend alone, our birthday weekend in April of 2007, after we met in Febuary. We decided to try their newest restaurant, Wildwood BBQ, as they offered a Thanksgiving menu. However after being in a kitchen and watching hundreds of plates, maybe even a thousand, of turkey pass by us, turkey was the last thing we wanted. So we just ordered some pulled chicken sandwiches. The food was good. It reminded us a little bit of Serious Texas BBQ back in Durango!! Delicious food, only more expensive. I even had a drink, my first in a couple of months. It was too much money, but it tasted so good! A smoked pear margarita!

We then returned home on the train. O passed out as soon as he sat down. I guess after taking Dayquil every two hours, his body grew a bit immune to them. I tried to read Hillary Clinton's autobiography, which I started months ago. I have not had a chance to read it much in the last four months. I read as much as I could as well as attend to T's attentive needs ;) After we got home I was craving pumpkin pie so I made one, in a graham cracker crust. That seems to be the way to do it here in New England. I had never had it that way until O and I made pie last year for Thanksgiving. As I was making the pie I called my grandparent's house. I talked to my aunts, my younger brother, my dad and his wife. I heard my grandma went for a walk with a group of my family around Flagler, about a mile. Though she had a walker she did the whole walk and still had energy to play cards!! I was so happy to hear that! I also called my older brother and my mom. By then I had a massive headache. So I took some sleeping medication and passed the hell out!!

This makes my day!

2008-11-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is a video that I first saw in orientation for the University of Bridgeport. It expresses my feelings exactly and shows why I am proud to be a teacher (working toward it technically).

2008-11-18T12:00:00.001-08:00

I am in the midst of rushing to complete my assignments for my classes at the University of Bridgeport. I just turned in my 10 lesson unit on Colonial America yesterday for my Methods and Materials Teaching Secondary Social Studies class yesterday. I am working on my M/M Teaching Elementary Social Studies lesson plans. There only need to be 6 out of the unit....some in the beginning, middle, and end. For that class I chose Connecticut History for 6th grade. I am reading to get ideas and also to learn about the history of Connecticut, so it has taken me some time. I also have lesson plans to do for my other Methods classes as well. I can't wait for this semester to be over. I have been going to bed late at night and it is catching up to me. This morning I must have hit the snooze alarm without realizing it as I set it last night and I happened to wake up an hour late at 7:20, T's bus is scheduled to be at the house at 7:30 though it is typically there around 7:45.

I was amazed today while I was at my internship. Luckily I was not needed to cover any classes, so I was able to hold a quick Student Council meeting. It is great to see the kids energized, but it is also sad that the majority of the students are not capable of being on the Council because they are not good examples. Things are ridiculous. These kids are something else. I have received a couple of letters from parents that say they don't like my approach on dealing with kids. One of them was from the parent of a 4th grader who I caught chewing gum (AGAIN!!) and I had her spit the gum onto a piece of paper which I folded up and stapled to a letter home in which the parent had to sign. The mom said that what I did was disgusting. I agree it may not be the best but after being called a liar numerous times by parents saying their kids were innocent because I couldn't prove they were chewing gum, this is the best alternative. Probably the most shocking thing that happened today is that 3 students (so far) were caught stealing from the Book Fair at our school. WTF?! At first I thought to myself "Its good they want to read but come on." Then I remembered there were also toys and gadgets at the Fair, and that is what they got caught stealing. Seriously. How pathetic is that? It made me very cautious because I am actually working on my laptop today in an office. I stepped out of the office for a moment. A teacher said they saw my phone on the table and they hid it because they walked by and saw students in the office. Not 5 minutes later I went into a 6th grade classroom and one of the students told me "Mr. B, I like your laptop." Next time I will have to hide in the teacher's lounge, considering last year on the last day of school a 6th grader stole another teacher's laptop. I don't know why I am surprised. After being graphically threatened by a 1st grader (I am gonna filet you like a fish (when I asked him to describe filet he couldn't so I told him to sit down and be quiet)) to the fact that we have already 5 fire "drills", the first being the first day of school, why am I surprised anymore? Why do I bother is really what I am thinking sometimes.

I am also worried because the city of Bridgeport is in dire straits financially. We are looking at $30 million budget deficit and the mayor wants $7million cut in Board of Ed. He is asking that each member of the Board of Ed give $7,000 back. At this rate I may not get a job here. Maybe I will go elsewhere with better students and get $10,000 more a year...yeah right. Or after I graduate we may move to Massachusetts then.

Have a good day!

Beyond Thrilled...and disappointed

2008-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

As my first post since the election I want to say how thrilled I am by the election results especially in Connecticut. I am so happy that Barack Obama is going to be the next President of the United States. I find him to be very real, very composed and collected. He is also very eloquent and brilliant. I find it amazing that he went from being a state senator in Illinois to President-elect in 3 years. As I have said before I was rooting for Hillary Clinton, and still am. After he clinched the primaries though I began to listen to him speak. He and Senator Clinton are fairly aligned on their political ideologies so it was not hard to transition. I find both Clintons to be very eloquent as well as Obama. This election we participated more than just voting. We canvassed in Pennsylvania, I called people in IN, OH, and PA, and we were outside the polls on Tuesday. I really do believe in Obama and the change he can bring. I think he ran a great campaign and didn't focus on the negative as much as past campaigns (and his rivals thanks to the one who went back to Alaska)... and by the way to the people like my aunt, linking McCain to Bush is not negative... its probability lol. I am also excited that in Connecticut we are sending a new congressperson with fresh ideas to replace the last Republican congressman from New England. I am also excited that the people of Connecticut voted against a constitutional convention which appears on the ballot every 20 years but was really pushed after the state Supreme Court voted that marriage equality was legal.
Though I am ecstatic about the election results as a whole, I am very disappointed by the millions of people who have lost their rights. Yes I am talking about my gay brothers and sisters. It was very disappointing to hear that in Arizona, California, and Florida the people voted to write discrimination as amendments preventing marriage equality and in Arkansas a measure was passed to prevent gays from adopting. I was actually surprised with the California vote, and I am broken hearted for all of those who did get married (such as the dear Ellen DeGeneres) and now they are unsure of what will become of their marriage. O and I call each other husband without it being official, but having that recognition of equality truly is something. O was born and raised in Miami, and he said he was not surprised. We still do not understand how people can be so hateful and write it into the constitution, but I will go more into that another time. O and I were talking and we agreed that we should boycott going to those states as much as possible, as well as any other state that supports such measures. I included Colorado as the people in my homestate voted for such an amendment a couple of years ago, though I was impressed with how close the vote was. It really bothers us both that the states we are from don't accept us and our relationship. Our families and friends still live in those states. Due to other people's hatred we do not visit home very often. Money is a small part of the problem too. We love it here in Connecticut and New England, but it also feels that maybe we are excluded from living in other parts of the United States. A coworker of mine asked me the other day if I knew that if we got married in CT that it would not be valid in the majority of other states, I said of course. Not many people can relate to that. It is horrible. It is not fear of being hated that keeps us away from our homes, it is also to protect our family. People do not understand how great it is to be recognized as married by the government, married not a civil union. If something were to happen to either one of us in a state outside of CT, MA, and NY (who accepts marriage equality from other states but do not allow it themselves yet) then lots of things can happen. If something happens to me and I have to go to the emergency room, chances are very great that O and T would not be able to see me, even if I were dying, because we are not family in the legal sense. If something were to happen to O, T could see him but I could not. If O were to die while we were outside our "acceptance zone" who knows what would happen to T. Since I am not on his birth certificate he could be taken away from me and I would have a huge legal battle on my hands to try and get custody or even visitation. That doesn't even take into account inheritance and such after a death. There are hundreds of ways that a marriage is different than a civil union or simple domestic partnership that people do not understand. It is not that we don't want to visit our family and friends, it is just that there is a lot at risk. For those of you who may think I am being dramatic, just be happy it is a drama that you don't have to be a part of.

Politics Politics Politics

2008-11-03T15:48:00.001-08:00

First I must say I learned something new about blogging. Last week in my Technology class we learned to blog and went over blogspot. I learned you can email your blog so you don't actually have to get onto blogger, which is great because at school we are not able to get onto blogger, but I can access my email accounts :) The purpose of our blog is to help create another way to have a discussion forum for parents and students..which is great I think. I do not think that it will help if I stay here in Bridgeport, but will give it a shot. If you want to check out my "Education Blog" that I just started and have experimented with you can go to http://educationisnumber1.blogspot.com/ .

Last night O, T, and I attended a Democrat rally at a local Baptist church. It was mainly to get support for Jim Himes who is running for the US House of Representatives. He is trying to take the seat of the last Republican Congressman from all of New England. There was a huge turnout, and I enjoyed it a lot. Of course it was also to get support for Senator Obama. I must say everyday I learn more about Barack Obama and become more impressed. There were numerous speakers, and with it some great quips. Our Secretary of State for CT made a comment that she has 2, 171 more days of experience at the state level than Sarah Palin, and I almost wet myself. Perhaps the greatest line I heard was from the Reverend of the church where the rally was held. He was talking about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how he walked to get support, and marched. The Reverend then said, "Dr. King walked so Obama could run and our children can fly!" I was very impressed with that line. Another funny moment came when our state's Attorney General was talking about his son who is in PA working on Obama's campaign. He started off by saying that his son never campaigned for him, and his son's response was "well this race was important." Then Dick Blumenthal (the name of the of the Attorney General) said that at least his son believed he could be an astronaut, to which he said he didn't understand. Then he told us exactly what his son said, "If Sarah Palin can claim having foreign policy experience because she can see Russia, then you can be an astronaut because you can the moon!" The key speakers were Jim Himes but also Ted Kennedy Jr., and our US Senator Chris Dodd, who had also been in the Presidential race with Obama, Clinton, Biden, and Richardson. All of the speakers were phenomenal. After the rally I was able to go up to Chris Dodd and shake his hand, thank him for being such an excellent politician, one of high morals and ethics. I told him that I would love to have the opportunity to be voted into the Senate, to which he smile and replied, "I will keep my seat warm for you." I know that may be cliche, but it meant a lot to me!!

I am so nervous about the election tomorrow. We will be outside the polls tomorrow evening to try and get people to vote NO on the question to have a Constitutional Convention convened, whereas last year I was doing the same thing except then I was getting support for marriage equality (which the Supreme Court ruled was legal, and that is why they are pushing the Convention, to take people's rights away....lots of them). I have been obsessed about checking the polls like 3 times a day, average. I have gotten myself worked up that now I get daily migraines. I know that if Obama loses then Wednesday morning I will probably be lifeless emotionally. O and I agreed that if he is elected though we would drive down to DC for his inauguration. I had never really thought of it until the rally yesterday where our mayor said he saw Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton's inaugurations. We know it would be a great and memorable experience for us and T!

I am also trying to wrap up Student Council elections for my Elementary school (not too early right?!) I was hoping to have the elections today to coincide with the elections tomorrow (as schools are polling places, so students have the day off). I got a late start and am trying to still get some petitions in so that I may put students on the ballot. Of course I am still missing many. I am aiming for elections on Friday. Of course there won't be campaigning like there is when students are older, but I still think it should be fun. The school district had a mock election that students participated in and more than 90% voted for Obama, so I am hoping they are right ;)

Obama

2008-10-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well tonight was the 30 minute ad that Barack Obama put out and of course we all watched it, including T. I am finding that Obama is very eloquent and I do believe he can bring about some much needed change. I still wish Hillary were in the race, but maybe in 2012...maybe a Hillary v. Crazy Evil Palin. I really do think that Senator Obama is the best choice for President, he is the only one who has continuously acted like a statesman. I am proud that the three of us went to King of Prussia, PA to canvass for him on Saturday. On Sunday we are going to a Bridgeport Democrat rally. I have also been making phone calls to voters in OH, PA, and IN, and will continue to do so this weekend. I am getting irritated at the ignorance that many people have though, including my family, as they still swear that Obama is a Muslim. I have 2 things to say to that: Who cares if he is? and HE ISN'T YOU RACIST IGNORANT SOB! I am learning that people are too lazy to check facts for themselves, either that or they are so gullible they will believe anything. I do find it interesting even Republicans are predicting that McCain will lose.

O and I are also signed up to be at the polls on Tuesday from 6-8pm (in different locations) to help get people to vote NO on 1 here in CT. It is a question on whether we need a Constitutional Convention to meet. It is asked every 20 year, and this year it is really being pushed by conservative and religious groups, even more so after the Supreme Court supported Marriage Equality. We are trying to get people to understand that even if we had a Constitutional Convention the people would not have any control as to who went to it, and there is a good chance it would be dominated by special interest groups. The teachers union is also advocating to vote NO as they think that the same fate will befall CT as MA awhile back, where teachers lost their jobs, and pay was reduced. NOOOOOO!!

Anyway, it is late. I am tired. I didnt finish all of my homework. C'est la vie!

I just wanted to send special warm wishes to my friends and family! JL- I hope everything is alright and ends soon!! I hope tomorrow is a better day ;) Piscesmama I wish you the best of luck tomorrow against Rooferman, although you won't need it. I am sure everyone is aware, or soon will be, of the kind of person Rooferman is, and it ain't purdy ;) xoxoxox

Lightning Strikes Twice!

2008-10-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, October 10, 2008 was one of the greatest ever for two reasons! Both reasons are political, but the first one is mostly social.

I was substituting in a sixth grade class yesterday when I checked my email. It was an email I, and O, had been waiting to see for over a year now. It was from Love Makes A Family, and it was saying that the Connecticut Supreme Court would issue a decision about marriage equality! It had said there would be a gathering at 5:30, and if victorious, a party at 7:30. It was about 11:30 when I read the email. Love Makes a Family is a great organization in Connecticut that I got emails from. Last election day, I stood outside one of the polling places in Bridgeport, postcarding to get support for LMAF. I stood outside and talked to dozens of people for two hours, many asked for more information and filled out the postcard to their congressmen to express their approval for marriage equality. A few said they did not see why we didn't have the same righs, but did not want to fill out a postcard or get information. VERY few walked away and turned their religious righteous noses at me or said that "God will deal you!" It was an experience. I was out there talking to people about something very important to me. Many wanted to know why a civil union was not enough for us, and I was obliged to let them know what I had found out, that civil unions give few rights. In many cases, a civil union does not allow you to go the bedside of your dying loved one. It does not always guarantee you rights upon a death. In fact a civil union only gives couples a few rights compared to the hundreds that a marriage entitles. Still I was ecstatic to see in the email that we were victorious, and became the third state to allow marriage equality. Immediately O and I discussed going up to Hartford to the state capitol. I decided that I would skip my Technology class that I have on Fridays (the same one I will miss next week as well) even though we are not supposed to miss any classes. I was so excited that I refused to let some kids with attitude ruin my day. I rushed home where I found O and T all dressed up, luckily I already had my professional teacher clothes on LOL. We then went to go get haircuts quickly, and to pick up my ring. O and I had gone to a jewelry store about a month ago where they had great sales and ordered rings, which I had to get redone because it was too slow. Yesterday O got the call that my ring had come in (coincidence, I think not!). So we finally were on the road by 4:30, and figured we could make it to Hartford y 5:30, as it is only like 60 miles away. Of course it was Friday and rush hour, so we finally got to the capitol at 7 as the ceremony was ending :( We had planned to exchange rings at the ceremony with some friends, but since we missed it that didn't happen. We are thinking that we may just get married soon, but still have the ceremony in a year or two so that our friends and family can join us. We did go to the party at 7:30 for a bit and danced around. It was a gay time! LOL....

On the way home, I was reading on O's Blackberry for work that Sarah Palin was found to have overstepped her authority! WOOHOO!!! I had read that a decision would be given yesterday as well, but after the marriage equality news, I forgot all about it! I was ecstatic to hear this. I can not stand Sarah Palin, and through her actions I have lost much respect for John McCain. I am composing a nice long email to send out to my friends and family, mostly Republicans, who feel the need to send me Obama hate mail, and emails that try to persuade me to vote Republican. I am tired of this. I have noticed that Republicans as a whole are pushy and hypocrites. I love all of my family and friends, and good for them for having their opinions, too bad some of them don't feel that I can be entitled to mine. Anyway, back to the devil who wears lipstick. I find her to be the most hateful person in politics, and that says a lot as I used to think Dubya was. I think she is a horrible choice, but I also know that people are willing to overlook the findings and her evil traits just to make sure the Republicans win the White House again. O and I have both said, if she ends up as President we are moving to Canada. I will go more into detail about her and McCain in my email, which I will probably post. I am just appalled that she his spewing hate at her rallies. To me she is a terrorist just as Osama bin Laden is. She called the Iraq War a "god willed war" aka a "holy war" aka a jihad. She also is lying about Obama to get people to hate, so much so that at one rally last week someone shouted out "kill him" and she did nothing to stop that... so by accepting it she is condoning violence... so condoning violence as bin Laden does.

Anyway, I am going to get back to work and then need to try to call more people in Ohio for Obama's campaign. I have only called 15 so far, but I will continue to make calls daily, if I can.

The next couple of weekends are going to be exciting. O, T, and I are taking off Friday to head to Salem and Plymouth again, with some friends. We went last year, and it was so much fun. Here are some of the things we are hoping to do in Salem for the 17th-19th: http://www.hauntedhappenings.org/dailyevents.php and here are some things we are hoping to do in Plymouth:http://www.plimoth.org/calendar/index.php?ev=2454757&mo=10&yr=2008. Plimoth Plantation totally rocks my socks off! I am looking forward to the haunted pirate ship LOL. The following weekend the 25-26 we are going to Montgomery county in PA to canvass and volunteer to get support for Barack Obama. I am excited!!! Unfortunately we aren't going to get to tour much (as it is near Philadelphia) this trip ( I totally want to go to Lancaster county and check out the Amish), but we will go back sometime. Too bad we didn't sign up to volunteer this weekend as my girl Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton has a rally in Scranton, PA OMG!!!!

I hope you all are doing well and loving life like I am.... hoping that everything that has happened doesn't get taken away! xoxoxo to all!

Update

2008-09-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

As usual, things have been busy here. At the end of the day, I am too tired to update my blog. I finally made myself do it! I will try to keep it short, but a lot of things are going on, and have gone on the last couple of months.

Well things are going well with O, T, and I. We are trying to get a house visit from DCF to start the process for the fostering/adoption of another child. With my family in CO, things are alright. My grandma was taken to the hospital about a month ago because she fainted. She was told she had Hepatitis (not sure which one, I think A). She was in the hospital for a few weeks, as she also had a hole in her back that would not heal. While in the hospital the doctors told her she needed to have an operation on her heart. However she was told that while the operation could be done, she would not make it out alive as her body is too fragile to heal properly. Rather they said that she has a few months to live. This set off a debate within my family as to whether to put her in a home or let her return home. Ultimately it was decided that my grandparents would live at home. My grandma is by far the strongest person I know and she will live much more than a few months!

I am doing my internship during the day at the same elementary school that I was a long-term substitute at last year. For my internship we have to do a few projects. One of them is to look at the Strategic School Profile for our internship school. To give you an idea of the school I am interning at, let me give you some statistics. More than 95% of the students are eligible for Free/Reduced meals (a benchmark for poverty), which falls in line with the Bridgeport school district, while for the state of Connecticut it is only 27.7%. 23.1% of the students at the school have Non-English home language, while in the district it is 39% and the state it is 13.5%. 91.3% of the students are minority (56.8% Black, 30.1% hispanic, 8.7% white, 3.9% Asian American, and 0.5% American Indian). The average 5th grade class has 30 students, while the district it is 25, and state it is 21. It is a good school, at least the ideas behind it. The staff is pretty much all new now, and a lot of them are African-American, which I think is great.

My classes at the University of Bridgeport are going well. I am finding it true that Connecticut is one of the hardest places to get certified! I have lots of Methods classes, so there is a lot of work. On top of that like I said there is a lot of work for my internship, a portfolio of projects. I am doing lots of lesson plans to get practice writing them. For our Technology class (as Technology is a requirement for certification) we have to do an ePortfolio. You can check out my model at nathanbrinkhoff.com. It is filled with mostly filler until I get the stuff to fill it LOL. I love the University of Bridgeport too. I am seriously among the minorities. It is a private university, and a majority of the students come from Asia! Something you would not find in Colorado. It is funny.. O has pointed out that I am very comfortable being a minority...I feel like there is less judging going on.. I don't know.

Politics have also taken up much of my time too, as I am constantly catching up on and venting! I am a Hillary girl, and was disappointed when she did not get the nomination. I cried during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. I think how she asked for all of her supporters to support Obama was very important. I JUST LOVE HER!! I find every year I get a little more political, but this year I am all about politics! Though I have nothing against John McCain as an individual, he has horrible policies.. I don't believe being a war hero earns you the Presidency. I will not get into this a whole lot...but his choice in VP is an idiotic moronic bigot, even worse than George Dubya (as if that were possible). I find the SNL skits hilarious and the fact that they aren't much of a stretch even more so! We are planning on going to Pennsylvania in a few weeks to canvass for Obama. I am talking to a 3rd party in CT to try and maybe work with them, but I don't know if I will be able to. I am also going to start going to City Council meetings and watching. I vow one day I will be at the Democratic National Convention....

Well I have written a lot, but I promise more will come! I hope all is well with you!

2008-07-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well it is the end of the month, so why not blog right? :) This way it can say that I wrote 2 blogs for the month of July.
Things are going well here. I got a PT job at Target...I know retail again. It is familiar and not difficult at all....which will be good in a few weeks when I will be interning then going to class.....but right now it is not enough. We are also looking forward to our trip on the 5th to Florida. It was one of those trips that are less expensive because you have to listen to sales pitches on timeshares or something. It also helps that we had paid for the majority of it when I was making more money. We decided to add one more thing, and go camping at Dry Tortuga National Park, an island about 60 miles away from Key West. It has an old fort on it (yay!!! A good thing for my imagination!!) and it takes a couple hour boat ride to get there. It will be the first camping experience for both O and T...and O has a fear of camping in a place where there is no escape...but we are all excited about it!! It will be our first family vacation where we can relax the whole time. Not that CO wasn't relaxing, but it was also a lot of driving/work with some stress. LOL. I can't wait to take pictures of our trip, and I need to get pics from our trip to Colorado. I will be coming back on the 15th because I have orientation for University of Bridgeport the 14-19th of August. Though I will miss the first 2 days, I will make them up in January. I will also miss the time to register for classes, so I hope that when I come back the classes that I already have planned out will be available, so I can get the classes I want at the Bridgeport campus and not have to commute to either of the other 2 campuses....especially since UB is seriously across the street from our house, and Waterbury is like 20 miles away or something, and Stamford is as well...almost to the NY border. It looks like I will be taking out student loans again...LOL.
We are trying to finish up our basement to make it into an apartment to rent to students. We have the electrical almost done, and are working on plumbing. I have even been helping pull stuff down and all that other macho stuff. That income will help offset the fact that my dumbass won't be bringing in much money for about a year.
We also had some people come out to look at our house and are looking into putting solar panels up to help offset our electrical costs/needs. We are all about lowering our carbon footprint...we need to pay off the damn Jeep and trade it in for some sort of hybrid. Our roof is not that big, but it is big enough to maybe lower the costs about 50%. The quote they gave us said that it will cost about $40k. The good news is that the state of Connecticut has a program where they will pay up to half the cost, and there are other federal programs. Connecticut also has a program where you can lease the panels...it just started in July and only is available to December. We are seriously looking at all options....but the earliest we would get them is October because there is a shortage on the panels...thats a good sign right?
Oh and I have thought of a couple of things that I would also like to do in the future to earn some extra $$. I think it would be great if we wrote a children's book together, and get it published :) The earnings can pay for our vacations every year. T maybe could do the illlustrations :) Plus O is looking to get his Realty license renewed to do part time....and even though I could never sell candy bars for fundraising in High School, I would like to maybe get my Realtor license in the future.. Just one sell could help lots....especially after watching an episode of that Top Listing show on Bravo! That could also be a better paying Part-time job than Target....
BTW...I borrowed JL's movie review idea.....so look over here somewhere -----------------> :)

2008-07-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaah....July. So pretty out. So warm out. SO FUCKING HUMID!!!!! LOL.
Well we just returned from visiting fantastic friends and family in Colorado! It was so nice there. Everyone had a great time and it was so wonderful to see all of my friends again...well at least the ones in Durango....I unfortunately didn't get to see any of them from CO Springs, but c'est la vie. It is so odd how different places can be. Here in CT it is humid, but it is never dry....so I do not need to wear chapstick often. In Colorado, not a day after we landed, my lips were chapped, as were T's. Jogging is kind of a bitch though when it is really humid, but I have been trying to bear it.

Not much is going on here in CT. I am just loathing myself, as once again I am looking for a job. Nobody wants to work with the availability that I will have when school starts. I am so desperate, I even applied at Wal-mart......and as my friends may remember, that place was HELL!!!! Been there done that, you know that feeling you have when you think of your exes....yeah that is the feeling I have right now. But right now wherever I can find work, I will pretty much take. LOL. I was thinking I may be able to swing working overnights somewhere. Then I got to thinking...work from 8-4 interning at school, then from 4-8 taking classes for my Master's Degree. That leaves 12 hours to work right? Except I would get 4 hours of sleep a night, and have to be alert and calm to work with kids, not to mention work on papers. I have done that before, and almost failed some classes, so I will have to pass. I am contemplating financial aid. I don't know why I didn't think about before my friend K in Durango mentioned it, but why not fill out the FAFSA and try for grants? Of course it may be too late for that now, but I may take out some additional student loans to help with our living expenses. As usual, I am kicking myself for not being a better planner.

I am also trying to figure out ways to get into local politics. I am going to try and become a Justice of the Peace. I think that will be great, as in Bridgeport you have to be nominated by your political party. So I am going to find the number of the Democratic Party Chairman here in Bridgeport, call them up, and ask them some questions. I know they serve 4 year terms, and this is the election year, so I may be too late. Never hurts to ask though. I think it is a good place to start (considering the last mayor is still one) in politics, but also a decent way to bring in some extra cash by marrying people (and performing civil unions)! I think what I will do next is take ventriloquist classes so at O's and my wedding I can perform the ceremony too....I would totally do it for free for family.... Miss you all!

Why not? It might be fun!

2008-05-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Well I was a Junior in High School. I was working full time at the local DQ (and eating continuosly and gaining lots of weight). I was hanging out with my friends after school as much as in. Good times. Good times. I was still living in little ol' Durango, CO. Seems so long ago!

2) What are five things on your to-do list for today
Well it is already almost 7 pm here, so lets see.
a) eat something
b)possibly go to an Art show in New Haven.
c) possibly go to a movie since T is at O's ex's house
d) maybe drink some wine
e)maybe grade some papers
f) definitely go to bed!!!!

3) What snacks do I enjoy?
Too much of whatever it is. Thats for sure! I enjoy fruit bars, fruit in general, meat/cheese, hard boiled eggs, Natural Cheetos (seriously tasty!), Pita chips, various nut crunches

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Pay off all of our debts, pay off all of our family debts, bring out all my friends and family to visit then take them elsewhere. Start a military school, set up numerous scholarship programs, Donate millions to charities for AIDS, Cancer, MS, among others. Find a way to sue George W. Bush's sorry ass for the state of the Union, and for being so stupid. Donate to Hillary Clinton's campaign (and/or Obama's) to make sure we do not have another crotchety old white man in office, especially one who shares similar thoughts with the man who has embarrassed us all.

5) Three Bad Habits
a) not going to the gym 5-6x a week anymore
b) not putting things away all the time/being a slob sometimes
c) not being patient enough

6) 5 places I have lived…
Denver, CO
Durango, CO
Colorado Springs, CO
Groton, CT
Bridgeport, CT :)

7) 5 Jobs I have had
a)Dairy Queen slop server
b)Wal-Mart fruitcake
c)Wal-Mart manager....oooh so wonderful
d)Navy bitch
e)Substitute teacher

Quick post!

2008-05-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

A quick post to show all of my friends in Colorado that I am indeed alive. Things are going so well here! Sort of. I am also making this short as I have a killer headache that I am toughing out because I only can get so much migraine medicine refills, and have to spare them (seriously 9 pills a month!).

I am still doing the long-term substitute teaching thing for a 2nd grade class. Spending the majority of my day trying to instill the concept of respect in these kids' heads, and manners, and trying to get them to understand they can follow the simplest rules (raise your hand to talk, stay in your seat, keep your hands to yourself, etc). This week has been fairly quiet since I have 1 student who was suspended for attacking a 2nd grader from the other class in the hallway (he was just working quietly), then pulling the fire alarm as the security guard came to get him out of my class, and of course for screaming and swearing up and down to teachers, and the principal, that he was going to "bring a gun to school and shoot {me} through the heart, and slice my f&*$@ing throat." He is one of 3 students who have to go to a special therapeutic program to work on their behavior (ya think?!). Then of course I sat in on my first PPT and 504 meeting where we had to come up with even more behavior plans for him when he returns....why he is returning I do not know. Last I checked a false alarm fire alarm was a federal offense, I may be wrong. He also has spent more time out of school on suspension this year than in school. He is the same student who decided to throw scissors at a girls head. He is a very bright kid, but he needs help. Right now he is being homeschooled, but he should be back in a week or 2. I want to help him, but I also am upset he is returning to my class, where every second he is a danger to the other 27 students.

I did get my acceptance letter to the Graduate program at the University of Bridgeport today. I just need to apply for the Internship program so that by January of 2010, I will have a Masters of Science and a teaching certification. :)

I am also excited because my bro K is in Mississippi now after returning from Kuwait last week. He is supposed to be back in CO in a little over a week. I am flying to CO on 5/16, and returning on 5/20 to see him, but I am not even sure if he will be home then. It was an estimate. Of course I am flying on Frontier, which recently filed for bankruptcy, but said my flight was still alright. MMM... We are also still planning our road trip to CO in June, as we watch the price of gas approach $4/gal. Fantastic! Good thing we have a Jeep Liberty.. LOL.

Sorry to all of my dear friends for being so distant. Please know that I love you very much, and think of you often!!!! xoxoxox

Yippeeeee!!

2008-04-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is almost over :( On a very high note though, that means O and T will be back from Miami!! YAY!!!! I have been spending a lot of time the last few days lying down on a heating pad for my back. I have not been lifting, but have gone to the gym the last two days to do cardio. My back seems to be doing better, a little anyway. I have to work with my trainer Saturday, so I hope it feels better by then,
I got my PRAXIS scores in the mail today...I passed!!!! I got 172 on the Secondary (High School) Social Studies test, and the passing mark was 162!!!! Woooohoo! Once I get my certification in Elementary Education (for which I have to take 2 tests) then I will try to get cross-certified in Secondary and possibly Middle Grades (which there is one test for!). That will take some time, but then I have more flexibility on jobs. I honestly didn't think that I would pass, but hels yeah! I mean I haven't studied any History since I graduated college in 2003. Granted I have read some of my books again since graduating, but nothing that was on the test....especially my textbooks from my Colorado History class, which is one of the books I just finished. I mean Colorado History on a Connecticut teaching test.....if only! Also, I never took Economics, and haven't been exposed to Pychology or Philosophy since High School, about 10 years ago. Thank you JL for sending your Economics textbooks, I will definitely be reading that soon. My lowest score wasn't Economics like I thought it would be, it was indeed Behavioral Sciences. ...I am just glad I won't have to retake the test for awhile......
Well I am off for now.. I am going to let our dog Orbit out to do her peeps and poops. Then it will be time for a nice soak in the tub...and I am out!

Spring Break!!!

2008-04-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Thank god Spring Break is upon us. Earlier today I took O. and T. to the airport in White Plains, NY to fly to Miami for the week to visit O's family. So I am currently bored at home alone, getting ready to pop in The Village to watch it for the first time ever. I am being rather lazy, and not sure if I enjoy it. I am taking it easy partly because during my workout with my persona trainer, I was doing leg presses, and came down too far perhaps, and felt something "pop" in my side. I continued to workout, and my trainer said that he doesn't think it is a hernia. Just when I lie down on my back or on my right side and take deep breaths it hurts....so its sitting up for me. After all that though I was highly surprised because we too my body fat percentage again, and it was much better than I thought. As I had posted before, I was at 21.9% when starting with the trainer, then a few weeks ago I was at 18.4%. Yesterday he took the reading three times, and took the average. 15.4% baby!!! It doesn't look like any less to me than before when I look in the mirror, but I feel better than I have ever felt before. My trainer guarantees me that my love handles will be the last to go, but when they do, they will go quickly......so lets hope so!!

I am so glad it is Spring Break. On Friday, one of my students got upset in Art, and decided to throw scissors, and hit a girl in my class in the back of the head. Mind you this boy is already in a special program where he goes to therapy for 5 hours a day. In fact I now have 3 boys in that program. One of the therapists called asking for information on the other two boys as they have just started the program, and was shocked that the three of them are in the same class. The day before this boy came back form therapy toward the end of the day, with some things that he got for good behavior. He asked to go on the computer, and I said he has to earn it as its a privilege. He decided to start throwing things. He was sent to the office, but I told him he wasn't leaving until he gave me what he was throwing around the classroom. He got very frustrated, shouted "Go to hell, motherf*&cker!" Then ran into the hallway downstairs to the office yelling at the top of his lungs, saying "I am going to kill him!" He has issues...which is sad because he is actually the smartest kid in the class academically, in fact he is in 2nd grade, and could do 4th grade work. After the scissor throwing incident, the Art teacher told me she really was afraid of what he could do (she was in his path during his tirade the day before), so I told her he will not be returning to Art class. He will stay with me.

On Thursday I showed the class "Finding Neverland." I wanted to show them that when an author writes a book, they are putting their imagination onto paper, and as readers they should be able to picture what the author was picturing. They are still learning to read, but too many of them are just reading to know they read the word properly and not knowing or understanding what they are reading. Immediately after Spring Break, they have their District Reading Assessments, to determine if they can go onto the 3rd grade. Friday morning the school had a talent show, which was so much fun. A lot of break dancing, hip hop dancing and singing...and all very good! There was even a girl who sang country....much better than talent shows I remember from school!

Tomorrow I am going to finish up report cards, take them in and then reorganize the classroom. Then I have an open house to go on Thursday at Southern Connecticut State University to get more information on their Graduate programs. This week I will try and call all of my dear friends....I hope you know I love you all!!

WTF?

2008-03-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

So, I am getting settled into my role as a 2nd grade teacher for the rest of the year. There are 28 students in my class. It is definitely a learning experience. Today 2 more of my students got suspended, and not In-school. 1 is still suspended from last week, because he got into a fight before school even started on Thursday. The two who got suspended today decided to see what would happen if they called 911 from their cell phone. First of all, I have no idea what kind of parent would get a 2nd grader a cell phone, nor why they are dumb enough to bring it to school. Secondly, why hasn't their parents told them what would happen? I feel horrible because I didn't even know they were on the phone, as I was in the back of the classroom with a group of 4 other students who are way behind in reading. I am trying to help them so they can pass onto 3rd grade. It is sad, because I am supposed to devote time to them, I want to devote time to them, but I can't give them my undivided attention. The moment I turn my back or sit down, the class is all over the place. There is no respect and no discipline with these children. Last week, I had to get up quickly to pr`event 2 students from fist fighting, (1 of whom was suspended today, the other was out for 2 weeks for discipline issues). The only time I feel like I accomplish anything is during Math, where in 25 minutes I get them quiet enough to do a lesson on the overhead.
I really don't remember school being like that. Sure in 2nd grade I got yelled at once for laughing whenever someone said the word "but" because I thought they were saying "butt." Now things are so different. Today, one of my students were talking about seeing Walking Tall and The Hills Have Eyes with their baby cousin...WTF?
Last week I went to the Dr's because I hadn't been feeling well. They gave me samples of medicine for possible Migraines, and some pills to help me get into a better sleeping routine. Also, the Saturday before last I was excited because I found out that after 5 weeks of working with a personal trainer I went from 21.9% body fat to 18.4%!!! I was stoked. I can't tell by looking, but I do feel better. This last Saturday night O and I were going to go to the Black Party in NYC with some friends...a huge gay party. We were going to nap until midnight, drive to the city, then party until 10am or so, as it ended after noon on Sunday.....well we never made it....we were both so tired. Is it that we are old, or is it from having a VERY active, yet adorable, 7 year old???
I hope al is well with you all....and will see my friends in CO this summer!!!! Love ya all!

Another week...

2008-03-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well another week has come and gone. I have managed to catch some crap going around. I had been doing the Science teacher thing at an Elementary School here in Bridgeport, 3 days a week. Being in school is full of germs. The week before last I was at another Elementary School, and one of the students had come to school with pink eye...again. Apparently his parents sent him to school so they can stay home alone. Classy huh? Then there is the fact that many children have no respect or manners whatsoever. So would I really expect the kids to cover their mouth when they cough, or try to use a kleenex when they sneeze? Would I really? Why yes I would. Of course they don't though. Good hygiene is not a priority. Was school this disgusting when we were in school? I feel like I should wear gloves to keep from getting sick again, though it is highly inconvenient. This was a short week, yet I was still only able to teach 2 days. The other two days that I could possibly teach, I woke up with splitting headaches, congestion, and nausea. Wednesday, the last day I worked last week, was the worst day so far. I was having to almost yell all day. I came home with a huge sore throat, and a headache. FANTASTIC!! This weekend has been me taking pills to get more sleep, yet still unable to.
Wednesday, I was also informed that Monday I will take over a 2nd grade class for the rest of the year. It will be nice to have a class to call my own, even if it isn't really my own. Thank god that the damn Connecticut Mastery Tests are over with, they are stupid as hell to begin with, but now I can worry about teaching for them to learn.
Thats all for now. Talk to you all soon! Hope all is well

Its about damn time!

2008-03-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since writing on the blog, it has been crazy. I apologize for the delay. I have signed on a couple of times to check to see how all of my friends back in the C-O are doing :)
Things have been going well here. About 6 weeks ago, I had started a 2 week substituting assignment at a local elementary school. This was for the same class, a 4th grade class. It was interesting, because at that school, the teachers only work 4 days a week, because they do a program at that school, where school doesn't technically get out until 4:40pm. It was fun, but also stressful, as it just confirmed what I thought about kids in this area, they have no respect. Many parents in the Bridgeport school district seem to not care about their children's education, and the children therefore don't care. Though I thought I was not doing a good job, the principal asked me if I would like to do a long-term substituting position for the science teacher who was going on maternity leave. So I am the "Science Wizard" for the majority of the rest of the year, if not the rest of it. I only work in that capacity 3 days a week, and I roam from room to room. On Tuesdays I have 1st and 2nd grade, Wednesday 3rd and 4th, and Friday 5th and 6th grade. I spend at most an hour and a half in each class, and there are 2 classes for each grade. The other two days I am able to substitute at other schools.
I am still applying to programs to get my teaching certification. I have decided I would like to stay with elementary school at the moment, rather I want to focus on grades 4-8. I have began then application process at the University of Bridgeport and Southern Connecticut State University. I am leaning toward the University of Bridgeport as it has a tuition-free intern program, where I work at the schools during the day, then class at night and weekends. There in about a year and a half, I can get a Masters in Education and certification. At SCSU, I would get a Masters of Science in History, which comes with a teaching certification as well. I could possibly go there tuition-free as well, as CT has such benefits for veterans who served at least 90 days in a time of war, and I may be eligible. May as well take what I can, right? lol
A couple of weeks ago, my friend K. from Durango came for a visit! She was the first person to come out and visit me, and it meant the world to me. I understand that it takes $$ to come out here, and not everyone can do such a thing often. It just seems like some of my friends in CO have accepted to just see me when I make it out there, which is not often because of the aforementioned $$. So for her to make the effort to save and make the trip meant a lot to me, especially since she is in college. I understand that all of my friends have lots of things going on, but sometimes I wonder. My husband and I will be having a civil union ceremony in June of 2009 or 2010, we don't know yet, and hope to give at least a year's notice. I have told some of my friends about it, and their reply was "well we hope we can make it." I feel bad because my reaction was surprise. Though I know some people may not be able to make it, I feel at least a year is plenty of notice to get time off, save money, etc. To me, they dismissed the possibility so quickly, it kind f hurt. Also, I have mentioned that we may drive out to CO this summer for a week or 2, but after driving all that way, we may not want to drive around the state to see everybody, and may pick a central location so people can see us. I had someone tell me they don't know if they would want to make the drive. That surprised me, as if we are going to drive more than 1800 miles, they can't drive maybe 200.It just made me wonder if I am selfish in hoping people to make the effort to come see me. It has been an issue. I told them we would hopefully be in CO for at least 1 weekend so they could come. I digress. Anyway K. and I went to Boston and saw the Fine Arts Museum. We spent the week going to NYC, a couple of days O. joined us, and various museums and sights. I finally went to see the Statue of Liberty, which was fun. Too bad it was cold out. We ended the week going to Gay Bingo. A bingo night to raise money for the Mid Fairfield AIDS Project. It was fun. 2 drag queens were among the hostesses/hosts. One of them was named Gefel Tefish. We had been before, as they do it monthly, but it has been a few months. We had so much fun, and can't wait. Having people visit, I realized, makes you feel good.
Everything else here in CT has been going well. Our son T. is doing well in school, and enjoying it, which is good. There is still a little drama, often involving O's ex J. He told O. last week that he felt O should not have let me make the Myspace page I did for our family, yet he did not say anything to me. O. told him he was not going to police how I used pics of our son, and if he did for me then he would do it for him too. The thing to remember is that O. is the only legal guardian for T., J is not, nor am I. J is just upset that he is not in the pictures, as I consider our family O., T. and I. J is a part of T's family, not mine. It just bothered me he can't talk to me about it personally. I have gotten used to the fact that I am not welcome in the family therapy session that they all attend weekly, it hurts, but it is not forever.
OK I think I have written enough to make up for the last 2 months. I will work on keeping up on this better. Hope all of you are well. I love and miss you all!

What can I say?

2008-01-31T19:27:00.000-08:00

Why am I so crappy at keeping up with these things? LOL.
Well, lets see. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, we spent in Montreal. We took T's friend D. The four of us, and our dog Orbit, drove the 7.5 hour drive each way. It was so much fun, and beautiful too! It was cold as hell though.
Starting Tuesday after MLK day, I started substituting. I have had applications in to 5 districts, with no calls. I had my interview with Bridgeport, and have been busy since :) I like Bridgeport Public School's electronic substituting system. I go online and can get jobs that teachers post up to 30 days prior. It is awesome. I want to substitute for all grades so I know what I want to teach. All I have been doing is elementary schools so far. It is completely different than I remember. First of all, Bridgeport is not the best area to live. I remember my first day subbing, after school there were 4 police cars to break up a huge fight....at an Elementary School! I have signed up for Kindergarten and 1st grade classes, but when I get to the school, they put me in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade classes, as they did today. The next 2 weeks I am in one class, so that will be interesting. A 4th grade class. It just amazes me because there are buttons in the classrooms to push to get security in the room ASAP to take students out....once again an Elementary School! I had one 5th grade class who asked me what kind of car I drove, and color.....ummmm....
Also, I am super excited about Super Tuesday. I am going to be showing my support for Hillary!! Also, I am going to be postcarding outside to help get support for gay marriage in CT. At least Connecticut has civil unions, which is better than most states, O and I decided we wouldn't be moving back to either of our homestates, as neither is very supportive of gay rights. I think staying in CT will be a good way to get into politics!
Hope all is well! Talk soon! much love!

So....this is a computer

2008-01-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well.....it is the New Year...2008....in case you hadn't heard. OK so I am 17 days behind the times, but whatev. LOL. The New Year is going very well here in Connecticut. I started off the New Year, not in Times Square as I did last year, but with my husband, our child, and our roommate Juel. I had just picked up Juel at the airport in Hartford, as she had gone home to the Virgin Islands for Christmas. Earlier in the day I had picked up a bottle of champagne, thinking someobody would share it with me, and we had some sparkling cider. Our son had gone to bed, and we agreed we would wake him up to watch the ball drop on TV. So we did, and it was great. T did not really understand the concept of New Years, and he loved watching the ball drop and he was shouting "happy 2008!" It was so cute. We all had our wine glasses filled- they all had cider, and I alone had champagne. I don't drink very often anymore, but I swear they make the champagne bottles smaller now than they used to because I had polished off the bottle in approx. 10 minutes. It was great because I called my friends and family in CO and talked to them as they joined us in the New Year. My friends in Durango, CO were together at a party, well some of them, it was nice. It took me back 5 years.
The New Year has been fairly routine. I have not yet substituted, but have my applications in at 6 districts, so I am expecting it to pick up quickly. I have also submitted the application for the Alternate Route to Certification, just waiting for some letters of reference. I am also going to apply to Southern Connecticut State University to get a M.S. in History, which comes with a Teaching Certification for CT. T has returned to school and is doing very well. He had an awards ceremony today at school which was great. He is so cute and funny. He got an award for being a great helper to peers and teachers.
We have also started to spend time in NYC, as if we ignored it. We have been going to museums the last couple of weeks. We finally went to Central Park, my first visit. It was beautiful. Last weekend we went to get our haircuts with T and a friend of his, and we ate dinner at a diner in Times Square that T refers to as the "Train Diner". It is called Ellen's Stardust Diner or something, where the wait staff sings showtunes and songs from the '5s, it is a great place, it was my first time going. There is also a train that goes around the restaurant on a timer, and that is all T was concerned with. He asked the wait staff countless times about the train.....he loves trains. He says he wants to be a train conductor.
We have seen a few movies in 2008. O, T, and I all went to go see "Water Horse" which was a cute family movie. The landscape was beautiful, thats fo sho. O and I went to go see "Juno" on a Tuesday night, our only night we have to ourselves. That was a GREAT movie!!!! I want to see it over and over. We also "Sweeney Todd" when it came out....pure perfection!! The other day, I went to see "P.S. I Love You" by myself, as romantic comedies are not O's cup of tea. Again, I loved it. I teared up 4 times during the movie. I got to see Gerard Butler and another hot Irish actor...didn't get his name. It is one of my new favorites. Next up "Atonement".
We are getting more into the family role. For months I have taken O and T to Family Therapy with O's ex Jeff. I had wondered why I wasn't involved, but accepted it. The therapist had been wondering the same thing. So this week, it was O, J, and I, without T. It went well, but it was uncomfortable. O and J were together for 9 years, and it was when they began the process to adopt T that their relationship fell apart. The only uncomfortable part for me was the end really, the last 10 minutes. It was after the therapist had asked if I continue to come in, as I am talked about in the sessions, but not present, mostly because J is not comfortable. I have come across the situation a few times, where my presence was in question. It sucks. I thought that the time where I needed approval had passed me, but its on another level now. I know it isn't a huge deal, but it does suck sometimes. O does stick up for me, but to ease the tension and to not make J feel uncomfortable, he asks J if I can be at certain events, and sometimes it is a no. I know that it won't last forever, but I can't help but feel that J needs to get over it sometimes. He is a nice enough guy, but he and O have been broken up for 4 years now. There was a time when O said he felt we shouldn't hold hands as J may feel uncomfortable, so I grabbed O's hand and didn't let go. A couple of months ago, I was able to begin attending meetings and events at T's school, so I know ultimately J will be okay with everything.
O and I have also been in the beginning stages of planning our wedding. We are looking to have the date be June 27th, 2009. We are trying to find a place to have the wedding in New York City. A cruise on the river? Central Park? United Nations? There are many great and affordable places in NYC to have a wedding. Granted it will be a civil union, which we will sign in Connecticut. I am going to try and get involved with "Love Makes a Family" a group trying to get gay marriages legalized in CT, we shall see. We are going to continue paying off our debts in 2008 and try to be as debt free as possible before the wedding. We are hoping to send out Save the Date cards by March, to give people 15 months to make plans, save money and be there. It will be summer, when the kids are out of school (and me too as hopefully I will be teaching by then). To be honest, with that much warning, there will be few excuses allowed for people not to be there ;) We also decided on NYC as it may be the only time some friends and family may get to the New England area, so it will be a nice opportunity for them to do some tourist stuff :) So for our friends and family, be on the look out for those Save the Date cards!!!
Cheerio!

The year is almost over!

2007-12-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

It has been hard to write in the blog the past week, as it was the Christmas weekend after all. O is lucky as he has had off work this whole week as nobody is in the office, and he is able to work from home. He has basically gotten a week of vacation, without using any of his vacation days! Ha! What a great job! It helps to work for a UK based company I guess. Also Friday morning T. left for Washington, D.C. to spend Christmas with O's ex's family. He returned Christmas Day. O and I took advantage of the fact that we were alone, and were able to sleep in and relax all weekend long!! It is funny, I never used to enjoy sleeping in, but it is funny how when you have a child it is damn near impossible to sleep late. haha. It was fun as Friday I went to Manhattan to spend the evening with O in the city. I got there around 1930, and we walked to Rockefeller Center, as we had planned to go ice skating in Rockefeller Center. It was crowded, thats fo sho. It was cool as in Grand Central Station they had a light show, as well as outside Saks 5th Avenue. Also while we were walking around Rockefeller Center we heard Alicia Keys playing live somewhere, but couldn't figure it out. Everyone it seemed was looking for where she was. We were told that it was at a private club or something on top of the Rockefeller Center. Damn! Unfortunately, the rink was closed until 2200, so we went to dinner at Ruby Foos first and then ice skating. A side note, Ruby Foos is amazing, they have the best sushi ever!!! After dinner we went to the 2200-midnight skating slot. We waited in line until 2330, and skated for half an hour under the tree....which was massive! Cables from buildings were holding it up!
O and I cooked a Christmas dinner to be ready when T came home. I was hoping to have just a dinner with the three of us, but we decided to invite O's ex over for dinner and presents as well. It was nice and I am glad we had the four of us there. We got T a new bike, when we were getting it, O was reminiscing when T was on a tricycle.
The job search is going better. I am gathering information to take the PRAXIS II test to get a teacher certification for CT. I am taking the Social Studies exam so 130 questions on U.S. History, World History, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and the like....best get to studying! Also I got fingerprinted so I can substitute teach, and am putting in for more school districts. When I first got out of the Navy I saw that they were looking for Mail Carriers around Bridgeport, so I sent away for information. I never heard back until last week. Apparently I am scheduled to take the test in February, so there is always that to fall back on. haha.
The past week has had me worrying more about my family. As you may know my brother K is in Kuwait. My dad told me that last week they were ambushed, and a few people in the convoy were injured. It just made everything seem so much more realistic. It scared me. K is going out on more convoys, and he is actually hoping to stay over there, or at least go back after changing jobs. Also I got a call from my dad on Saturday telling me my grandma had blacked out and fell in the bathroom in a rest area in Rifle, CO as she, my grandpa, and aunt were heading to Grand Junction for Christmas with the family. They had to take her to the hospital as she broke her shoulder. Unfortunately, she has to lie down, and can't even go to the bathroom without assistance. She hurt her back as well. The doctor told her she just bruised it. Luckily, the hotel they are staying at in Grand Junction allowed them to use the conference room for Christmas dinner free of charge, as my grandma couldn't get into a car to go to my cousins. So rather than taking her to the family dinner, the family came to her. I wish I were there. I was talking to her on Christmas and wanted to cry because I could hear deep pain in her voice. It was decided my grandma will have to go to a hospital where she can be cared for, as my grandpa can't take care of her himself, as he is not stable or strong enough to carry her from the bed to the bathroom (it takes 2 people). So they were doing research and to get her to a hospital in Denver it would either be $12000 up front to fly her or $3300 up front to take her in an ambulance. Another option is to keep her in the hospital in Grand Junction, but then my grandpa would have to stay in a hotel so there are those expenses. It sucks because she may end up staying in a nursing home, which I know she doesn't want to go to, and I fear for her going to one. Today they went to a doctor in GJ and an MRI was done and she has a compressed fracture in one of her vertebrae, so she is currently in the hospital in GJ. It makes me feel as I should have been there for Christmas so I could spend time with her and help take care of her. I know we just have to see what happens, but it sucks.

Time just keeps on passing.....

2007-12-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is the middle of December already. What a crazy year it has been, and how it took an unexpected turn from what I thought I would be doing a year ago. Not that that is bad in anyway. I talked to one of my good friends in the Navy via email as he is on deployment. He told me he got his dolphins, meaning he is a qualified submariner, and in only 4.5 months. I know that may not mean much to the average joe, but it is a big deal. I am proud of him. I once thought I could accomplish that feat in a few months, they give you a year to do it, as it entails a lot of work and learning. However, I was unable to get far into it, as my mind was always on my husband and our son, and I couldn't focus to get very far. If I were still on the boat, I would be staying late everyday studying..on top of the weeks that would last anywhere between 80-90 hours..in port! I know I have made the right decision, but I still maintain many friends in the Navy. I hope to be along for the ride as they fulfill their enlistments, and beyond.
Things have been going smoothly here in Bridgeport. Very cold winter weather. As we live near the coast, we don't see much snow, though there is still some on the ground. Our problem is the sleet, and freezing rain....ice ice baby. We have snow on the ground, but that is because it covered in ice. Today was a fairly warm day, but it is a freezing night, so not much progress is being made on getting rid of the snow/ice.
Saturday was fun. We started off the day by going to a breakfast with Santa, organized by the Child Guidance Center. An office devoted to helping children with emotional and learning disabilities, among other things. They are looking into our son, and seeing if there are any good after school programs for him. It was fun, but it was also sad as many of the children there were very poor. They were handing out gifts, and for some it was the only gift they would get this year. It made me vow to do even more charity work, and donate even more next year. Our son was so cute, he wanted a toy, but he chose instead to just get a picture with Santa so that the toy may go to someone else who needs it more. He was so sweet. It was kind of funny because after, he was wishing he had taken the toy...but we assured him, he would get some at Christmas. It was nice, because he did a very sweet thing, but probably doesn't know how big of a deal it was. He is starting to understand how lucky he is. We have been starting off showing him that others are not as lucky as we are, through donating and volunteering. I remember one day last month, we went into NYC to have dinner with my husband, as he works in Manhattan. After dinner, we decided to do some grocery shopping, and came across a homeless man. We asked T. if he knew what the man was doing. He didn't understand, but we tried to explain it. We ended up giving the man some of our groceries, and our son asked to give them to him. It was so cute.
With the cold weather, comes illness. Yesterday we all went to the Doctor. Our son has bronchitis, and my husband has a sinus infection. We all got flu shots, so that was good. Ah medication to make this a Merry Christmas ;)
I am happy because I have gotten my application into a few districts to be a substitute teacher, and working on more. I have an appointment on Thursday for my fingerprints. I actually got a call this morning at 0700, but didn't hear the phone ring, and only realized I missed a call (on the home phone) when I went to use it at about 1100. It was a call to substitute gym class for half a day at an elementary school. Doh! Leave it to me to miss calls that I need! Hello! I am also working on applying to training to get my teaching certificate here in CT. I am taking the PRAXIS II test in March, which I need before being licensed. I got the practice book in the mail today, I have got some studying to do!
I am sorry for the long post. I hope this finds all of you warm and cozy!!!

Snow Day!

2007-12-13T19:55:00.001-08:00

Today was the first day that I have ever known for school to be cancelled BEFORE there was any snow on the ground or anything. Last night we went to bed and the weather was calling for 3-5" of snow, and a mix of sleet, snow, and ice in the afternoon. So as we went to bed last night, our son's school was calling for early dismissal. We normally wake up at 0600, as it takes our son quite a while to get ready in the morning, this morning we hit the snooze button too much, and woke up at 0700. So we had T. get ready to shower when we turned on the news, and saw that school was cancelled. So we sent him back to bed, and looked out the window. It was cold, but nothing else. At about noon, it started snowing frantically, and the rest of the day it was nasty. Either way, snow days are just so fun! I was supposed to go get my fingerprints done today, but had to cancel and reschedule for next Thursday. It is funny, because I was complaining about having to go to each school district to pay and get my fingerprints done. On Tuesday I went to take my application to one school district, and they told me that I could go to one school, which is the school our son goes to, and pay $48, and they will give my fingerprints to 9 school districts of my choice. Which is good. In the mail, I got confirmation of the waiver for the Praxis I test to get my teaching license. So that is moving forward. Now my husband and I just finished watching Ellen's Here and Now stand up. It just ended, so it is bedtime. Oh not to mention my husband rubbing his feet against mine ;) Hope all is well where you are!

The Weekend is over :(

2007-12-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Since the last post, time has gone so fast! It was a great weekend, and I am just amazed how quickly it went!
Thursday, was a horrible day. I had a 24 hour bug, or something. Either way, I was in the bed most of the day, leaving it only to run to the bathroom. I was unable to keep water or food down. My husband made some chicken noodle soup for me at dinner time, but I wasn't feeling like I could keep it down.
Friday was better. I felt completely different than the previous day. It was also nice because I got to spend all day with my husband, as he didn't go into work because all his meetings were cancelled, and he thought he was getting sick. Then Friday evening we took our son and we met his former teacher and her son, who is one of T. best friends, for dinner and a movie. It was so much fun. We saw Enchanted. It was either that or Bee Movie, and none of us adult type folk could handle that much of Jerry Seinfeld's annoying voice. Enchanted was, much to our surprise, a really good movie. If you have not seen it, I would recommend it. My husband is not a romantic movie type of guy, he is a horror or comedy flick guy. I am the one more into chick flicks, but we both enjoyed this, and so did our son and our friends.
Saturday was alright. T. and I went to Trader Joe's and picked up a gingerbread house kit, while my husband was at work. It was hectic, because I wanted to get some stuff to make cookies. Traffic was hell, it made me nervous driving around with T. sitting in the back with everyone else driving like a maniac. Around 7pm we had some friends come over. It was a guy O. introduced me to who adopted a child with his partner. It was great to see T. play with another child, because unfortunately it doesn't happen very often, at least not where they come over here to play. We made some sugar cookies, and the kids decorated them. They turned out alright, even though we made them with wheat flour...ok so after they decorated a couple of batches, we threw the rest of the dough out....
Today we drove to Elizabeth, NJ to get a lamp from IKEA, as the one in New Haven hasn't had the one we wanted for a month. Then we stopped at the outlet mall there. It was indoor...thank god! It was me. my husband, our son, and our roommate J. It was only a little over an hour away, but my first trip to Joyzeey. Then we came home and made our gingerbread house. The first one I have ever done, it was a small one, but next year we will make one from scratch...our son loves the activity!!!
Hope all is well :)

so dumb

2007-12-05T19:48:00.001-08:00

Well, I am still figuring out the school situation. I have been waiting for my SAT scores for the Alternative Route to Certification program, so that I may get a Praxis I waiver. I have been waiting forever it seems. I called them today to see where my scores were, as they took the processing fee. They said they were still looking for my scores, that it may take awhile, as my scores were archived, and they had to go all the way back to 1998....as if that was SO long ago! (Granted it was, but whatever). So I was irritated because I can't even apply for the program until they get my scores and I either get the waiver or take the Praxis I exam. You need a minimum of 1100 to get the waiver. I remembered that I got just that, so I figure I will be fine. After all that, I went to check the mailbox, and guess what was there?! My SAT scores! Now why the hell did they tell me they were still looking in the archives, when the damn thing was already sent to me? Obviously, nobody knows what the hell is going on. So I open the envelope and see two scores. I had forgotten that I had taken the SAT twice. Indeed when I took it in May of 1998 I got 500 verbal, and 600 math. Then I looked at the November 1998 score, and I got a 500 verbal, 510 math. AAAAAAAAAAAARGH! My score went down instead of up! I felt so dumb, Then I had a flashback to when I got my scores 9 years ago, and upset I was at myself. I remembered some people in my class (just a couple of jackasses) who succeeded in making me feel stupid for my 1100 score, that I decided to retake the test to get a better score, and was even more disappointed when the score went down. I never made that public. I am now paranoid now that it may affect my desire to be a teacher......god I hope not! Though I enjoyed high school for the friends I made, and still have ( YAY!! :) JL, Piscesmama+1, Curmudge, and jiji!!). I had a complete flashback at a time when my supposed best friend made me feel so low and bad about myself. To make it worse, I was going through my hotmail account, I found a letter I had written for him to tell him to fuck off. It was depressing, but I also had to laugh at the DRAMA! haha.... oh well. I feel better now. I never said I was a genious! Hope everyone is well!! Miss all of you guys in CO!

Sunday Sunday Sunday

2007-12-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well another Sunday has come and gone. It was a very cold Sunday. We woke up this morning to snow on the ground. I have said it before but I will say it again. I miss having lots of snow, as I was accustomed to back in Colorado. This morning was just a little snow, and from what I have been told, and experienced last year, living near the coast, we don't get much snow. We just get a lot of FREEZING wind and rain. Ice is a big concern. Unfortunately, not lots of fluffy snow to build snowmen with. :(

Today T. came home after spending the weekend with J., O's ex. They went to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Broadway. When T. came home we all had mint hot chocolate (organic from Trader Joe's which is my favorite grocery store!) made from soymilk and decorated our Christmas tree. Of course we still have our Halloween lights out front, but I took down the skeleton holders today. We will leave the orange lights out front and mix them with Christmas lights, and leave them out. That way we can just plug them in next year :) haha. Above is a picture of our tree.

I also got a gift for my brother K. and have to send it tomorrow to Kuwait. Last time I sent him something I had to declare it when I mailed it, so he will find out what it is before he opens it, but oh well. I had an episode earlier where I got really depressed as this will be the first Christmas where we weren't celebrating it together, and the fact he is so far away makes it so much worse.

I hope everyone is enjoying their winter weather.

BTW I couldn't forget to say Happy Birthday to Britney!!! Woohoo! Gimme More!! I heart you Britney!! :)

Recap

2007-12-01T11:48:00.001-08:00

Well here is a quick recap of my week. Unemployed still. I have been thinking about getting a job and then going to school later. However, after talking to my husband, we agreed that I should become a substitute teacher and then get my teaching license, as that is what I have always wanted to do. So I have gotten the application requirements for about 15 school districts around here. I was thinking about applying to each one, but I have to pay a fee for each one of them for fingerprinting, and they are all $20-$25. I always assumed that I would only have to pay one time, and they would stay on record with the county, but alas in Connecticut, there are no county governments! No Sheriff's office, nothing. O. had a good point, just apply to 3 this month, and some more later. I have been looking at classes, and I think I will try to take classes at Community College in the Spring, if its not too late. I also have to call the SAT place, as I ordered my scores about 6 weeks ago, and have yet to get them. Not much is going on other than that. We went to go see Walmartopia off Broadway last night, and it was pretty good. Nothing new and exciting really. We found out this week that our application for DCF to adopt another child was declined, as we have an open case with our son. Because we still have someone from DCF who checks in on our son, and there are a couple of other services that are provided through DCF. We are going to try and talk to a supervisor however, because it doesn't make sense that we can't adopt another child unless we cut the services that our current child needs to be successful. Our son is so bright, but he does have some challenges, and has to go to a special school. I was extremely hurt when I found out, but am optimistic. We know our son would really enjoy to have a sibling. To top it off, our son was put on a temporary prescription for Ritalin, to see if it has any affect. Poor kid. It doesn't seem to have any, so maybe they will not make him take it. Of course with his luck, they will increase the dosage. He has had a bad week, in the sense that he has physically tried to hurt his tutor and others twice this week, something he had not done for a long time, since last year with his incident where he ran out of his school. It is amazing when I think back a few years ago when I said I didn't want kids, and now I can't imagine a life without them and I want more. Especially ones like our son :) Though he can be a handful, every moment with him is unlike any I have ever witnessed. He is so cute and funny, and kind. He has some problems, but you really get the sense that he really can't control himself, and that he really doesn't know he is performing those actions. Well I am done for now, will write more soon!

Pure Craziness

2007-11-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I know its a day late, but I was unable to get on the computer yesterday. I hope that everyone had a great day. I thought of my friends and family, and just want to say how thankful I am for all of them. Life wouldn't be worth living without great friends (such as JL, Piscesmama, Curmudge, Jijikero, Tesa, among many others) Family is the most important thing in the world, and it was great. I called all of my family, and even heard from my brother who is over in Kuwait, actually he was in Qatar for some liberty. My friends are just like my family, and I know that without them I wouldn't be living.
I had a great Thanksgiving. It was the first major holiday that I spent with my husband and our son. We decided to do something irregular and special for our first Thanksgiving together. O. found some tickets for a Thanksgiving lunch aboard a glass boat for a cruise on the river through NYC. It was a lot of fun. We got some good pictures. It was also fun because we all had slacks and button up shirts on. Our son was so cute. He is so funny. He brought one of his favorite guests (he doesn't have stuffed animals, he has "guests" who stay with him, some here, and some at O's ex's house) a small cat named RJ. The cruise also had a DJ, so they were playing music, and he got up to dance, and was his usual self making new friends. The cruise was a good price, and was a great two hours. I was kind of glad we decided to not have a traditional Thanksgiving, because I love turkey, but am kind of glad we don't have the leftovers. When I was on board my boat in the Navy, we had "Thanksgiving" EVERY Thursday, so I grew a little tired of Turkey, potatoes and gravy, and Pumpkin Pie, every week, especially when we were underway, where sometimes we had so much leftovers, we had them meal after meal, week after week. Blah.
We had decided that we would experience "Black Friday" by going to Woodbury Outlets in Woodbury, NY, which opened up at midnight. It was either that or go to Clinton Crossing in Clinton, CT which is only like 35 miles away, but 1/5th the size. So we got home from the cruise about 5:40pm, and O. went to take a nap. That is when I called my family at my grandparent's house (which was kind of depressing as it was the first time ever that it was just our dad, and not one of his sons there for the holiday). It was also when my brother K. called. At about 9:30pm I went to lie down, and we got up at 10:15 to drive the 70 miles or so to Woodbury, NY. We figured it would be crowded, but it was RIDICULOUS! We finally got there about 1:45am after being stuck in a traffic jam that was at least 10 miles, all 3 lanes were backed up, and people were even driving on both shoulders, so it became like 5 lanes. It was so crazy, people just cutting each other off, trying to get there before everyone else. After we went through a toll, it was all hell trying to get into the one lane exit, so imagine that, all those cars trying to get onto one exit! As we got closer, we saw all the other ways to get into the area, they were all backed up as well. Then of course there was the backed up parking lot, everyone trying to find a place to park, luckily we happened to see some moving trucks parked and we made our own parking lot :) There had to have been over a million people there. We walked around at many of the 100+ stores, but most had long lines to get in. It was too cold, and we weren't very well prepared to be outside waiting, so we didn't get to go into quite a few stores. We finally tried to leave at about 5am. However, traffic was backed up trying to get out as well. We had been running on E, so we couldn't keep the car running while we waited. We napped while we were in traffic, and decided to park and nap, and hope that it would die down when we woke. However, we napped for about an hour, and realized, nobody had moved! In fact people were napping in their cars all over the place. We asked how long they thought it would take to calm down, and they said maybe 4 hours. At about 10:30am, we FINALLY made it out after cops came to direct traffic. We were hoping we could make it to a gas station before we ran out of gas. Luckily we did. We finally got home around 1:45pm after we stopped at Target to buy the movie Hairspray, which we saw in theaters and loved!
When we got home we napped for a couple of hours. We are all groggy as we didn't sleep well at all in the car, so it was like we got no sleep at all. We ate dinner, and just finished watching Surf's Up. It is a really funny and cute movie! Hopefully tomorrow we can watch HAIRSPRAY! We were planning on watching it tonight, but it is definitely bedtime! :) BTW we probably will never do the whold Black Friday thing so early again.....I have always worked on that day so I thought it would be fun to go shopping...it was fun to do ONCE :)

Another Day

2007-11-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a hot minute since I have written, and yes I just said that! The job search continues, as does the education search. I am leaning toward taking a few classes next semester so I can get some letters of reference for either grad school or the Fellowship at Yale University that I had mentioned in another post. My husband has suggested I focus on the education aspect because if I want to teach, then getting a full time job may push me away from that goal again. I was looking at a program at Western Connecticut State University that offers a M.S. in History, and it would be the Masters plus a teacher's certification. Sounds fun to me.
Yesterday was fun. Tuesdays are the day that our son stays with O's ex. So O. and I try to make Tuesday nights our time to focus on us and our relationship, like our date night. Awhile ago, O. said he wanted to be a volunteer firefighter, and I figured it would be fun. So last night, my first meeting, we went to a training. It was supposed to be a training on car fires, but instead it was finding tools in a dark smoky building, with a thermal imager being the only way to find what we were looking for. I had not expected to do anything, I figured it was a "watch the professionals" type of thing, what was I thinking. I hadn't done anything with firefighting really since I was in training for the Navy, in Submarine School. We had to practice putting out fires, classifying what types of fires were burning, and get introduced to the gear and the masks, with limited air supply. When I was aboard the submarine, during drills we had to have fire teams, I was never appointed to one, as it would have come later. I did get to practice using the Thermal Imager however. That was cool. That was one thing that was kind of cool about being on a submarine. All the training you had to go through, as if a fire were to break out (as happened fairly frequently I am told because of the washer and dryer, everyone needed to be able to fight it, and everyone needed to have faith that other people could stop it, and save the boat. So it looks like we may become volunteer firefighters. They said doing it every other Tuesday may be a problem, as it is a day that is already full of people, but I figure if it is volunteer then what the hell. We shall see.
Speaking of volunteering, we are not going to be able to volunteer to feed the homeless tomorrow, as they were already full of volunteers in NYC and here in Bridgeport. Which is good to hear, but wish we could have been a part of it. Christmas is coming up soon though.

TGIF

2007-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

Since I am an umemployed bum, I have taken to watching tv some, but I am also reading more. Even before I got out, my husband got me addicted to a show that is probably one of the best shows on TV, too bad it was taken off the air 3 years ago. I never had Showtime, nor had I heard of this show. I wish it were on regular TV rather than cable, maybe it would still be on. The show is called Dead Like Me. It is about a group of grim reapers who live in today's society, how they go through every day life, with their primary job being reaping the souls of those who are about to die. The show may seem morbid, but it really is not. It has a great cast, a great mix of characters who work so well with eachother. The main character's name is George (Georgia really) Lass. She was 18 and on lunchbreak from her first day of work at Happy Time, when she was struck by a toilet seat that fell from the Mir space station. She is such a great character. She is probably one of the most sarcastic and rough yet pretty girls ever to be on TV. . At first she has a hard time coming to terms that she is a reaper and that she died so young, at a time when she was not close to her family. She tries to change the fate of others, but she learns that though she is a reaper, she has no control over someone dying. As reapers they all get post-its with first initial and last name of the victim, time and place. Thats it. I really can't say enough about the show, other than I wish there were more than 2 seasons of it, because I have watched every episode of those 2 seasons over the last couple of months. Another funny show that my husband and I try to watch (other than Family Guy and the Sarah Silverman Program) is still on FX and is called Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show is so funny, it is almost like there are no scripts and the cast is able to improvise their way through the show. It is another must see TV! haha
OK now I have to get back to the job search. So far I have not heard anything back yet. I still have to drop off my applications at Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware. I also applied on Monster.com for Bed, Bath, and Beyond management. I have not heard from any of the banks (other than Citibank whose ridiculous questionnaire I must have failed as they said I was unable to go further) or anything. I am even getting info to take a test to be a City carrier for the US Postal Service.....:) It sucks trying to find a job. If I wanted a career I could have one, but I want a job. Oy vey! Hope all is well with you !

Limbo

2007-11-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

It has been one week since I was discharged from the Navy. One week of rest, one week of TV watching, one week of unemployment, one week that I don't repeat much longer. I went on an interview with NY Life last week, but I decided that I just wanted a job, not a new career. I must also admit I want a job where I can be off at 5, possibly have some weekends off. I admit I want to be picky, but damnit I have worked enough crappy jobs with crappy hours where making plans were difficult. Plus I would like 40 hours a week, which will be much easier than life on a submarine, where dependent on the duty rotation, whether it was a 3 or 4 day rotation, one was at work between 80-90 hours a week, and if underway then every minute of every day one was at work. I know I may not get a job, but its worth a shot, eh?
I am really hoping to get a job at a bank, where the hours can be better, though pay is not. I have applied to many Teller positions, and have yet to hear back from them. The other alternative would be go back to retail and just get a cake job, but unfortunately it could just be seasonal, however Wal-Mart will be my last option as I would like to try something else if I decide to do retail. So today I filled out an application at a local Bed Bath and Beyond, and turned it in with my resume, where they questioned my availability. I have also picked up applications from Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware. I will probably drop off the Williams-Sonoma application and a resume tomorrow. A bonus is the discount (they have great kitchen ware) but the company also owns Pottery Barn....maybe some gifts eh? Haha. Though that is still expensive. I am not sure about Restoration Hardware. They have beautiful and elegant bedding and decor, but the clientele may make me lose it. Mind you the county where it is located, and where we live, is apparently the wealthiest county in the US (we live in the ghetto part of it, but it is so comfortable and not so stuffy). Where the store is located however is full of wealthy bitches. When we went in to get the application, I overheard some lady tell her husband, "If we are going to put the tree in the living room, we will have to get new ornaments again and they have to be this color." I don't know why, but that sent a chill down my spine. Who knows, but we shall see how this plays out.
I am also looking into different options to get my license. I have started the application process for the Alternative Route to Certification. Oscar found some links that someone had given him, as he too is thinking about teaching at some point. One good thing is that I may be eligible for free tuition in state schools as a veteran, but I am not sure yet. There are many great alternatives. Perhaps the best deal is a Fellowship through Yale University. It is difficult to get into (obviously) as its Yale, and there are only 10 positions for the Fellowship available. What it would do is teach equivalent of 13 courses in 14 months, pay a $20K stipend, and get a M.A. in Urban Education in that year. How cool would it be to say I went to Yale?! Fat chance, but I will try.
Today was a good day. I kicked ass at the gym doing the elliptical machine for 45 minutes and Stairmaster for 10 min to burn 750+ calories according to the machines. I also reserved a spot for our family to help serve and take down dinner at a community center in Manhattan for Thanksgiving. We are going to make it an annual tradition. We want to give back, and also think it would be a good lesson for TJ, and our next child as well. I want to volunteer more. I am going to look into delivering meals to elderly/AIDS.
And now its time for bed :)

Blogthings

2007-11-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

Your Values Profile

Loyalty:

You value loyalty highly.
You're completely devoted to your friends and family.
Even if they totally screw up, you're still there for them.
Just make sure they're equally loyal to you!

Honesty:

You value honesty highly.
You're unflinchingly honest, even when it's not easy.
For you, integrity is very important - in yourself and others.
People may not always like what you say, but they know they can trust it.

Generosity:

You value generosity a fair amount.
You are all about giving, as long as there's some give and take.
Supportive and kind, you don't mind helping out a friend in need.
But you know when you've given too much. You have no problem saying "no"!

Humility:

You value humility highly.
You have the self-confidence to be happy with who you are.
And you don't need to seek praise to make yourself feel better.
You're very modest, and you're keep the drama factor low.

Tolerance:

You value tolerance highly.
Not only do you enjoy the company of those very different from you...
You do all that you can to seek it out interesting and unique friends.
You think there are many truths in life, and you're open to many of them.

The Five Factor Values Test

You Are 84% Democrat

You are a card carrying Democrat, and a pretty far left one at that!
There's no chance anyone would ever mistake you for a Republican.

How Democrat Are You?

You Are Las Vegas

Wild and uninhibited, you enjoy all of life's vices.
You're a total hedonist, especially with sex, gambling, and drinking.
You shine brightly every night, but you do the ultimate walk of shame each morning.

Famous Las Vegas residents: Wayne Newton, Howard Hughes, Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy

What American City Are You?

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"So, you're a cannibal."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

Your Birthdate: April 21

You are certain and confident when you choose to love someone.
Even though your romantic choices may be unconventional - you stand behind them.
Your friends never know you as well as a romantic partner does.

Number of True Loves You'll Have: 4

Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 1

You are most compatible with people born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, and 30th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

Your Personality Is Like Ecstasy

You're usually feeling the love for the world around you - you want to hug everyone.
And while you're usually content to sit back and view the world with wonder...
Sometimes you're world becomes very overwhelming and a little scary.

At your best: You're totally buzzing, and every little thing makes you happy.

What people like about being around you: You're a one person party. Dancing, hugging, tons of smiles!

What people dislike about being around you: Once you're done partying, you're pretty exhausted and depressed.

How addicted people get to you: Not very. Though don't take it personally. They still like you!

What Drug Is Your Personality Like?

Ding Dong the Betch is Dead

2007-11-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

OK well not dead....yet. Out of our life thats all I care about. Today I got some great news about one of our fantastic neighbors. Most of the people that live in this area are so friendly, except for two. Here is her story:
First we will call her "D" for anonymity. "D" is a real "C U Next Tuesday" if you know what I mean. We live in a section of Bridgeport, CT called Seaside Park, because just down the street a block is a nice park, and the ocean, well technically the Long Island Sound. We live in a Victorian townhome that has 3 levels, and a basement. Ours is one of a cluster. One of the townhomes right next door is owned by the family that lives on the other side of us, but is seperated into 4 individual apartments, one on each floor. Each townhome also has its own back yard. For some reason when they built the fire escapes however, they joined these neighbors onto ours, so that their escape route is into our backyard, rather than into the backyard owned by the landlord. Apparently the only one of the four apartments next door with access to the backyard is the one in the basement.
"D" is an angry, bitter old hag. She hates our dog, Orbit, with a passion. Orbit hates her more. Orbit only barks at her (and her dog), and the other neighbor we have a problem with. Thats it. Well and other dogs when we are walking her in the park. "D" basically wants us to get rid of our dog because she barks at her. The problems really started over the summer, Orbit ran out of the door when our roommate/friend Juel was bringing in groceries, and out the front gate. She ran to where "D" was getting out of her car, and started barking at her. "D" called the police and said Orbit attacked her and bit her, which there was no proof. The cops came, and we were told we had to put gates on the fire escape in the back to prevent Orbit from going to her side. "D" claimed that Orbit barked at her just for lounging on the fire escape, later she admitted that she went into our backyard often, "and would whenever she wanted." Apparently, because she rents an apartment from someone else she has access to our backyard. She often made rude demands, which we ignored. It was odd, because Oscar would say he remembered how he tried to help "D" get her landlord to adjust the rent and to fix broken things in her apartment, also he carried her dog up the stairs when it was sick to help "D" out, and this is how "D" repaid him. She is one of those people that loves to complain about every little thing, and are assured they are not part of any problem.
Anyway, so we put the gates up, and she promptly called the fire marshal and zoning department. They told us we had to take it down, n case of an actual fire, so she could get out. I personally had other thoughts :) I will admit I am by no way innocent. I remember I was driving by in the car with Juel one night, and saw her. With my window rolled down I said "Well look who it is my favorite person, I wonder what she b*itched about today" so she could hear me. I could have taken the high road, but whateva. "D" would do things like tape random notes to our door threatening us, or putting newspaper clippings of dog training classes on our door. This went on until one morning, Oscar and I were in our room on the top floor, and we were going to let Orbit out to do her thing, and the other neighbor we have a problem with happened to be out there, and Orbit barked then ran down the fire escape to do her duties...or doodies. He called the cops because she barked at him, and of course "D" started to complain again. The outcome was we have to put Orbit on a leash whenever we take her into our own yard, and we can't go out if either of them are on the fire escape. This bothered me to all hell, especially because all she does is bark, like all dogs do. After numerous calls to zoning, fire marshal, mayor,etc. we still have no answer on if the fire escapes have to be there (the townhomes are old), or how much it would cost to tear them down, rebuild our own, and have their landlord rebuild theirs into their own property. It was about this time I decided I would take the high road, and just say Hi to "D" and be friendly. This led to her leaving notes on our front door asking me not to say hi, actually it was directed to Oscar's partner...I am his husband ;) Whatever. I took the high road because I want to show our son how to deal with people you don't like. In the note she threatened to call the cops because I say hi to her. It got to the point we told her if she stepped foot on our property or put another note on our door, we would get her for trespassing, maybe even a restraining order. It is a constant headache with her. In front of our house we had sign for the local democratic candidate for mayor, and she moved it. Granted it was on public property, but Oscar told her that she should ask her landlord before she moved something, and that her rent doesn't give her control over everyone else's property.
Either way today we found out she was moving to FL, and soon to! Good riddance....just a side note I can get along with most people, except those who thinks everyone owes them something....especially her. We had a little celebratory dance in our house, and it truly will be a great Christmas!

New York Life

2007-11-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today was my second day as a civilian, and I had my first interview. My first major interview, the one where the dress code is a suit, ever! I had an interview at New York Life, an insurance company. It was a role to become an agent. I have never really wanted to be an insurance salesman, and could never do it. I am not the kind of person who can go door to door selling things. I have always believed that a person's home is the only place they have to escape the world, and infringing on their escape is plain fucked up! That is why I dislike Jehovah's Witnesses and the like, although one of my best friends used to be one!!! Key word is "used". Just kidding. I remember I got to the point when I was younger that I would answer the door nude when someone came to bother us at home. Anyway, I digress. So in the interview I asked the question how agents got their clients. I was told there were 15 ways. All in all, the job didn't sound so bad. I am not good at selling anything, but they assured me that after their training, I would be able to sell ANYTHING! He even mentioned that the average agent makes between $60K to $100K their first year. This didn't even help me. Part of me thinks it could be a fun challenge, so I did a survey on the computer for them. They asked me to call them back tomorrow to get the results, and if we were both interested we would move forward. I was honest with my answers. There were questions such as "Do you get angry when salesmen call your phone?" HELL YES! So I am not thinking it will go any further. I have decided I have pushed off teaching long enough, and that is the career I have always wanted. I am in the midst of applying to Connecticut's Alternative Route to Certification to get my teaching license, and that may be as early as this summer. So I guess I am just going to look for a job, not a career, for the next 6 months at least, and then pursue my teaching. Maybe something like working at a bank, or doing seasonal work at Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, or Macy's. The only problem with the latter is it is only until January, the upside my husband pointed out is that it will give me a good discount(hopefully) so we could do our Christmas shopping there! Who knows where I will work, all I know is I am unemployed STILL! I don't like the feeling because I feel lazy, but at least I have made it to the gym both days and plan to keep going!

Me, a Civilian Again?!

2007-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Well it is official, as of about 1315 on 06Nov07, I was officially discharged from the United States Navy with an honorable discharge for "Homosexual Admission/Conduct." I will always remember my time in the Navy, though it was short lived. I remember when I was getting ready to go into the Navy. I was excited. It was something I had contemplated back in high school. Back before I acknowledged I was gay. I chose not to enlist as I wanted to continue my education and teach History. By the time I chose to enter the Navy I had come out of the closet, and had a few relationships under my belt, but no major ones. My longest being 3 months. I was tired of trying to find someone to spend my life with, and in fact I had given up. I went to bootcamp knowing about the whole "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, I mean who didn't? I thought that it wasn't going to be a problem because I was single, and had given up on trying to find love. It was something I had always hoped for, but just didn't see it happening. Then I met my husband, and I realized how discriminatory the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is. It bothers me and I plan on helping to change it. Everyone in my chain of command felt the same way. How odd, that it is an unpopular policy, yet it has not been changed. All I know is that I am in love with Oscar, and look forward to raising a family together, and there is no way that I would give that up, or live a life where I am not allowed to express my love and happiness, not allowed to talk about my family. I am very happy to be a civilian again, where there is still judgement and discrimination, but there is not a policy I have to accept to promote it.

:)

2007-11-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

I am starting this blog really to keep my friends back in the C-O informed of how life is going here in Connecticut. Mostly because I suck at communicating. Also because they have one, and I get to keep up with them, when I actually get online.
I guess I should tell how I came to live in CT. I grew up in Colorado, and lived in Durango and Colorado Springs mostly. I always knew that I wanted to be a History teacher, and wanted to travel. So in June of 2006 I went to Basic Training with the Navy. I knew I was gay when I enlisted, but I figured I would stay single (as my longest relationship was 3 months) so I figured it wouldn't be difficult to be in the military even with the stupid "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy." After Basic Training I came to Groton, CT to go through 4 schools of training to be a submariner. I was in training from August 13, 2006-May 18, 2007 to be on an Electronics Technician. Granted I alwasy wanted to be in the military, and in high school thought about being in the Navy. I want to run for office one day, and believe that a political figure should serve time in the military so they are not making blind judgment calls for the military. However, my plans changed when I met the man of my dreams on February 11, 2007. He is by far the most perfect man and person I have ever met, or could ever hope to meet. It just so happens that he had a son, who was 6 at the time. I remember a time when I couldn't imagine being a parent, but a couple of years ago, that also changed. So now I have a great family. There is no way I could give that up. As much as I love the military, I can't stand the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy" especially now that I had a family. I didn't like the fact that I technically had to keep quiet about my love, and that others could fraud the government by "marrying" random strangers just to get extra benefits. I began to feel that I truly didn't belong. I also knew that I could not give up the opportunity to share a love with someone so great. A corny side note, but I know it is easy to love somebody, but finding a true mutual love is not something one should pass up. If it were anything else or anyone else, I would not be making the choice to get out of the military, but for them I would give anything. So I am on my way out of the military with an honorable discharge. I am going to get a job to support my family and so our love can continue to grow. We also have begun the process to add to our family through adoption with Department of Children and Families.
Living in New England with my family is beyond wonderful. There is so much to do, and so much history to explore (YAY!!!). We live in Bridgeport, CT near the Big Apple and we go there frequently. Oscar, my husband, has introduced me to the wonder that is Broadway, and we have seen 4 FANTASTIC shows!!! For our birthday weekend (yes we share the same birthday!!) we went to NYC, and saw "Avenue Q", which was hilarious! Then we saw "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and "The Color Purple" in subsequent dates over the next few months. A few weekends ago we took our son TJ, and a friend to go see "Mary Poppins." All of which I would gladly see again!! Last weekend we took a family trip, to include our cute dog Orbit (a husky eskimo mix), to Salem and Plymouth, MA. Both were fantastic and we plan on taking more trips there maybe with some of TJ's friends or make it an annual family thing.
Either way I am excited to start the next stage of my life in Connecticut!!! Though I miss Colorado and my family and friends there, there is something I love about this area and the ocean, which I had never seen until after I met Oscar!