On Any Given Day...

Automated

2009-11-07T16:55:00.001-06:00

There once was a time when utilizing a bathroom one had to push, pull, turn, or tear something. Now, so much stuff is automated:

The toilet flushes automatically (when they work).

Place your hands under for the soap to be dispensed.

The water comes out by placing your hands under the faucet. The only issue I have with these, sometimes, is the temperature of the water. It is generally not hot enough for me.

This, by far, is the best tool to me. I love not having to touch a wet handle to get out the paper towel.

This bathroom even had an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser.

The only thing missing in this bathroom was a sensor to automatically turn on the lights. That would make all of the automaticity complete in that bathroom.

Unexpected motivation

2009-11-07T15:01:00.001-06:00

This morning I was challenged on my thoughts on an issue. That didn't make me happy. In fact, I've used it as motivation to continue this effort. Prior to this, I was debating with myself about resigning from this task. Now, I have extra motivation.

Is that crazy?

I wasn't too happy going into this meeting for many reasons, but now my feelings have changed. I'm determined to stick it out mainly due to the actions of that person. Perhaps that is what I needed to focus and make me more into this topic.

Small talk

2009-11-06T18:20:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, I really despise having to engage in small talk.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Comfortably cute

2009-11-06T10:41:00.000-06:00

Personally, I prefer comfort over cute. I like looking good, but comfort is key. Therefore, I like to think I look comfortably cute. Especially when I travel. I just don't see how some of these women are comfortable walking through the airport with those high heels on.

-- Posted from my iPhone

What's wrong?

2009-11-05T17:04:00.003-06:00

Baby placed in a box under the baby bed, missing for 5 days before found. Babysitter, babysitter's husband, and mom of the baby have been implicated in this incident.
A man lives with 11 bodies (possibly more) in his house! Rotting bodies after the women have been raped. :(
A man scalds his child's (4 years old) feet with boiling water because the child has a bed wetting problem.
Up to 11 people are killed on a US Army base and over 2 dozen injured, allegedly by US Army soldiers.

Good Grief! What is wrong with this world?!?!? Those are just a few of the stories headlining the news this week. Tomorrow, next week, the following week, and each week to come there will be something different. I just don't get it. I don't quite understand why people are so cruel.

What is it about them that makes them like that? Will we ever know why?

Thrown off

2009-11-04T06:13:00.003-06:00

The time shift has me totally discombobulated. I was ready to go to sleep at 8 pm last night, and I didn't wait too much longer. I think I was asleep by 8:30. Of course, I was awake at 4 am. I lingered in bed until 5 though.

The conference doesn't start until 8 and I don't really see any sessions that I want to attend. Booooooo! Such a waste considering I didn't really want to come in the first place. I will say I did attend some fairly good session yesterday though. Anywho, I force myself to go to a session at 8 and then I'll hit the road home.

6 blocks

2009-11-03T17:11:00.002-06:00

I'm attending a state conference, and my hotel is about 6 blocks from the convention center. I was at the check-in desk yesterday when a phone call came through to the front desk asking for a shuttle pick-up from the convention center. Really? A shuttle? For 6 blocks? It was such a pretty day also! Personally, I couldn't see not just walking. It would have been much quicker as the lady indicated that the shuttle had 2 other stops before it would get to the convention center, basically it would be about 45 minutes. The person could have walked to & from the convention center in that amount of time.

Now, let me say this, I do realize that not everyone has the ability to walk that distance. I am well aware that folks have different physical capabilities that may prevent them from various physical activities (and that may have been the case with that lady), but 9 times out of 10 that is not the case. It is generally someone who has the ability to walk it themselves.

This morning I was in the breakfast area and many people were discussing how they were going to get to the convention center. Again, the people appeared to be able bodied (on the surface) and they were talking about driving. 6 blocks! Then they would have to pay to park once there. Hmpf! Perhaps I'm too cheap, or I just want to activity get some exercise. I walked. I mean, it was only 6 blocks.

Light & Shadow

2009-11-02T06:27:00.000-06:00

Giving it a go: NaBloPoMo

2009-11-01T10:18:00.004-06:00

Perhaps this is jumpstart I need to get back into this space. Today is the start of NaBloPoMo and I'm going to actively participate this year. At least, I'm going to make an effort to participate this year.

30 posts in 30 days.

Building a home

2009-10-31T16:52:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, for the first time, I worked on a house as apart of Habitat for Humanity. It was such a rewarding experience! I am so glad I participated, and I plan on doing so again in the future. Above is the house that we, my church, worked on. Below are more images from the day...

So young

2009-10-28T20:27:00.004-05:00

Here's an image of my cousin. I forgot to mention in my earlier post his age. He's 52 years young. Yes, 52 years. That is all, and his brain is totally mush.

Unfortunately, as I stated before, it is his own doing. He did a lot of hard drugs over the years. Of course if you ask him, he'll say that he only did marijuana. So not true. I think if it was something one wasn't supposed to do, he did it and he did it hard.

This evening I labeled the clothes that he's taking with him. I asked him to bring me four pairs of jeans. He brought me two. I said I needed 2 more. He responded, "That's it?" I said I needed 2 more. He brought me one. It is the simple things that he has a hard time with.

Later we wanted to know where we going. :( In all honesty, I don't think he knows what's about to happen. Yes, he's been told and he's been to the facility. He just doesn't recall.

Tough decision

2009-10-28T15:01:00.004-05:00

I've been back in home state since 2007. My move was so quick that I didn't have time to look for a place of my own. I moved into my mother's home. This was good for 2 reasons: I could save $$ for a place of my own, and my mom could use the help. You see, my cousin also lives with my mom, oh and my mom has Parkinson's.

Since I've been back home, my cousin's health has severely declined. He was diagnosed with drug-induced dementia earlier this year. I would say that over the past 18 months my mom and I have noticed a decline in various mental abilities regarding my cousin, but we couldn't understand why. Well, the diagnosis came back in March and light-bulbs went off for us. That is why he did x, y, or z; or didn't understand this, that & the other. I tell ya, we (mom, brother, sister-in-law, and others) have been extremely puzzled by his behavior. It was all explained with the knowledge that it is dementia.

I've said this in this space and others that I am ever so grateful that I've never had the desire to take a mind-altering drug. The damage that my cousin has done to himself is really tragic and sad. He is so very confused. I could write paragraphs about his confusion, but I'll spare you. Just know that his brain capacity is basically mush. That commercial about this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs showing the scrambled egg - it is true!

Since my cousin could not do a lot of stuff, it fell to my mom or me. So my being there has been a huge help. However, the stress from dealing with my cousin is not good for my mom. Stress aggravates the disease that she has, and dealing with a person with dementia is quite stressful at times.

We knew that at some point my cousin was going to have to placed in a facility that could care for him in such a manner that we could not. Well, that time has come. We didn't expect for it come so fast, but it has. He is actually moving tomorrow. As expected, my cousin is none to happy with this development. He doesn't see all of the troubles that he causes. In actuality, he thinks everything is normal. Believe you me, nothing is normal.

I have no idea of how this will occur tomorrow. I think he is in denial about this taking place. While this has been difficult on my mom, making this decision. It is what has to happen. She is thinking about her own health as well. Making this decision has been really difficult, but needed.

Fasting done

2009-10-21T11:59:00.002-05:00

I applaud those that fast on a regular basis. It is truly not for me. I had to fast from midnight until after my doctor's appt. My appt. was at 9:30 and I was there for a little over an hour. I was good until about 8:30 this AM. It was at that point that I wanted some water. You see I generally drink 1 L of water prior to 7 am. So I was parched!

At 9 am, my stomach started growling. I was done, after getting a flu shot and giving 3 vials of blood, about 10:45. I had my small water bottle (20 oz) with me and I downed it immediately. Water never tasted so good!

I headed to Jason's Deli for soup & salad. Yum. Drank another 20 oz of water also. Now I'm feeling better. Well, I feel better after I get some coffee which I'm sipping on now.

Fasting

2009-10-21T08:36:00.001-05:00

It sucks.

That is all.

A Complainer

2009-10-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

Do you know someone that complains about EVERYTHING? Those type of people make my ass ache.

It is too early for that type of complaining on a Monday morning. I was just told that the formatting of a document that we are suppsed to review is just awful. Why didn't the person that originally uploaded the document make the font the same throughout the document? Why go from bold to regular and back to bold?

Ugh! Just like in my previous post about doing it yourself, this applies. You didn't volunteer to do it, so don't complain. Just deal.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Do it yourself

2009-10-17T18:25:00.001-05:00

If I am asked to do something, be it cook, clean, create, etc. best believe I am going to do it to the best of my ability. I will also do it in the manner in which I know how to do it. I mean why wouldn't I do it how I know how to do it.

Since that is the case, please don't question how it was done. Just know that it was done.

So, if you want it done my way, then you better do it yourself. Just sayin'.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Opportune time

2009-10-16T09:37:00.002-05:00

I've been in contact with a good friend for quite awhile about an online course development and teaching opportunity. It is finally coming to fruition at the most opportune time (with all of the looming cuts here and no pay raises).

I'm doing my best to put away for a rainy day and I have a huge trip planned for next summer. The dollars from this extra gig will surely come in handy.

The unknown

2009-10-15T13:16:00.002-05:00

Higher-ups have confirmed that there is the potential for 50 persons to be laid-off at my agency.

There is no word on how or when this will happen. Just during this fiscal year.

Many people are on edge, which is understandable.

Around the table

2009-10-12T17:47:00.002-05:00

I've been selected to sit on a committee that will have a major portion of writing a large scale grant for my employer. The initial meeting was today, and it is always interesting to me the persons who are around the table. Just as it was when I was privy or apart of these types of meetings in grad school state, I was the only person of color.

Why is that?

There are plenty of persons of color employed where I am, but they are not at the table making the decisions.

That is very disconcerting to me.

I'm not saying that persons of color should or must be at the table, but I wonder what does that say about my employer. Where are the persons of color? I know that we are present, but we're not in the positions where the major decisions are made.

I guess I should be grateful that I am at the table.

Film canisters

2009-10-11T10:12:00.001-05:00

The other day I was presenting in a computer lab that was well stocked with all sorts of supplies. Markers, scissors, tape, paper clips, staplers, etc. anything you would possibly need to complete a task. There were bins with all sorts of stuff. One of the bins had film canisters:

That was a different thing to see. I think my 8 year old, perhaps even the 10 year old, nephew have no idea of what those canisters would hold.

Since the move to digital cameras (and camera phones as I took the image above with my iPhone) those little canisters have gone by the wayside. I wonder if the folks that stocked that facility asked people to Dave them for a long time. I have a feeling that once the last one is gone...that will be it.
-- Posted from my iPhone

Ready to go

2009-10-01T15:02:00.001-05:00

I am SOOOO ready to go. But we are waiting on one of Z's frat brothers His lady friend had to work until noon. Fine. That meant, at least what I was told, leaving no later than 2 pm. Well it is now 3 pm and we still haven't left yet. Ugh!

I fail to understand why we are waiting for them. It is not like they don't know how to get there. I know, I know. It is good to travel in a somewhat caravan for safety reasons, but gracious! C'mon already!

From originally leaving at 11 am to 2 pm to who knows when...I'm not happy.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Travel

2009-10-01T09:39:00.001-05:00

Hitting the road today for Homecoming at my alma mater. It is also the 35th anniversary of my sorority's founding at my university. We are having a reunion so it should be a lot of fun.

Negativity

2009-09-29T20:03:00.002-05:00

Negativity is so draining. I don't understand why some feel the need to be like that all.of.the.time. Gosh, that would make me such an unhappy person. Perhaps that is how they like to be. I know that just couldn't be me.

So.Very.Long

2009-09-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

This month that is. My gosh, is September not over with yet? Sheesh!

Fair

2009-09-28T08:13:00.002-05:00

Sometimes things are just not fair. Such is life.

For the most part, I go to the gym 4-5 days per week. I go in the morning prior to work so I must shower and change for work at the gym. There is another lady that is there about the same time as I. Some days I make it to the locker room first and sometimes she does. No matter who is gets in there first, I'm always done before her. Last week she stated that wasn't fair. It was fair that I'm always done before her. Well, I stated, I don't wear make-up. She spends about 15 minutes painting her face each morning and I don't. Therefore, she has a step that I don't have to go through.

Fair is not an equal opportunity concept.