This Blog Rox

Going to Gaza

2009-12-13T15:45:00.001-06:00

I really thought that I would be planning a lovely Christmas at home, might even have a party or something, yet I find myself embarking on a journey that's destined to change my life. Right around July/August I started taking an interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and a host of other sites and individuals I've become rather knowledgeable about the situation in that part of the world. I've met some wonderful people from all over the world, and we all share a common interest - Freeing Palestine and Gaza from Israeli Occupation.

The state of Israel is holding the Gaza Strip under siege, nothing allowed in or out, and after Operation Cast Lead last December, the Gaza Strip is in ruins. Peoples homes and livelihoods have been taken away, demolished, without food and water, medical aid, building supplies, and quite a large percentage live in refugee camps. Imagine living in a tent during the winter. It is inhumane!

So I find myself participating in the Gaza Freedom March (gazafreedommarch.org). I will be leaving for Egypt on Christmas Eve, arriving Christmas Day. Never in a million years would I have thought to be participating in something so monumental. There are over 1300 people from around the world planning to participate in the march, plus about 50,000 Gazans. We expect solidarity marches to occur in Israel, the West Bank, in the US, and other countries.

I am remiss in not blogging about this sooner, but I plan to correct this situation asap. I look forward to going to Egypt and Gaza. I've met a lot of great people and I'm sure to meet more. My roomie in Egypt runs the website PolitcalTheatrics.net - and she's brilliant! I say give it a read. One of the other attendees on the march is one of the co-founders of Electronic Intifada. Another brilliant website. The organization I'm going with, CodePink - Women for Peace, is a phenomenal organization, please show your support.

The march committee is still accepting donations for the march to purchase school supplies for the children of Gaza. Please check out gazafreedommarch.org for ways to help, stand in solidarity or for more information. Will keep updating.

I'm not going to say it

2009-09-30T23:13:00.001-05:00

Ok, I will, this last time. I can't believe it's September. Christmas is right around the corner and I'm impatient for it. The Texas heat has subsided and it's now absolutely gorgeous. Tonight I stood on my balcony gazing up at the expansive night sky, the moon glowing high above me. The cool breezes circled and danced with me and I gloried in it feeling its coolness against my bare skin yet its warmth enveloping me and making me feel at one with the universe. It's nights like these that make me happy to be alive. The sounds of the night, traffic driving by, trees rustling, and the ensuing calmness.

I had a few a-ha! moments today, things became clearer in my mind, and I am starting to feel more at peace with myself. This life that we live is so dynamic, constantly changing, and though it may seem as though, well, for some of us that nothing ever changes, it really does - because each day brings with it, a new experience, a new person, a new situation - something that has never been done before, and we learn something from it. This prepares us for and propels us along into the next day.

A good friend of mine, my muse, I call her, pointed out to me that I am at a huge turning point in my life. After really sitting and thinking about it, she's absolutely right. I have found my calling, my passions are aroused, and I am moving full throttle to a future I had never before contemplated.

Have you ever considered your passion? What makes you so excited you can't see straight? Your circuits are moving faster than the speed of light and your primary focus is to get the word out there, and you hope beyond all hope that somebody feels like you do and wants to come along for the ride? You say what you're feeling to your friends and family and your voice peaks, and you start race-talking because you are so excited, and your heart starts beating rapidly, your eyes are shining, the adrenaline is rushing through your system, and suddenly you realize that no one is reacting as you are, no one is getting excited as you about this, but instead of letting it get you down, you get more excited and you just decide oh my gosh, this is mine, this is me, this is what I want, and I really don't care how you feel about it because I am going to make myself happy for once and do what is right for me!

So it's been a while

2009-06-17T16:10:00.003-05:00

A really, really long while....so much has happened yet nothing has changed. Well actually yes, a few things did....I moved into a new apartment, my company moved their office, and so I now live literally three minutes away from work. How wicked is that? I have a lovely window cubicle, and I can see the traffic everyday on the North Dallas Tollway. SOOooooo exciting. But hey, at least I'm not stuck in some windowless environment.

Lost my best girl co-worker to another job, but so happy I did not lose my friend. We still hang out occasionally, most recently accompanied her and the family to see the Wizard of Oz. Hang with my other girls occasionally, and of course my former roommates, who thankfully still are friends with me - though they claim I ditched them.

1/2 Day Fridays have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaurs, but who can complain, I still have a great boss. Got a new girl working with me...she's doing pretty good, no complaints there either - I think I hired well.

Lots of personal stuff going on, quite a roller coaster ride for a while, but hopefully it will resolve itself in a few days, weeks, months, whatever.

Will close off now, and catch up later....

Way Overdue

2008-08-02T23:15:00.002-05:00

So it's now August - I can't believe that I have not posted since May or early June, I forget which. Well, a lot has happened since then. I got a new job, moved to a new state and city, and pretty much changed my whole life.

I was fortunate enough to land a job in Frisco, TX, and from all indications, it appears that I might actually really like what I do. My boss is quite awesome, and I think he's a fair, honest person, and so far has impressed me with his integrity....This is huge for me, because I really wanted to be able to work in an environment where I respect the people I work with.

My co-worker is awesome! We hit it off right away, we have a lot in common and we have the same almost crazily perfectionist type attitude. It looks like we will work well together - even if we don't share the same political views:) But she is quite brilliant, I must say, kinda makes me feel slightly intimidated - ok not really - we each have our strengths!

So I live in Frisco in the great huge state of TEXAS! Where the only temperature so far is hot! Hotter! and HOTTER!!!!!
I am renting a room in a townhouse with a gay couple who are simply wonderful, and of course they are having just a dandy time on vacation in GREECE!!!! Like how jealous am I right now. I am pet sitting their two puppies and an iguana. This is very weird and strange for me, since anyone who knows me, knows that I hate having to care for or be responsible for anything. But so far it's going ok - wouldn't go so far as to say it's going well, only because for some reason, the big puppy seems to cry and whine a lot - maybe she's missing the guys.

Now that I have a new computer now, I will start blogging more frequently - I really need to get on the ball about this - like how else am I going to get serious about writing - lol! I have to check with an English major, I think I write with too many of these things!!!! Maybe I just think in exclamations. LOL. Okay so this last paragraph is just crap - I'm sleepy, goodnight!

An Emotional Week

2008-06-08T11:59:00.003-05:00

What an emotional roller-coaster of a week. I am so angry at the DNC and the media for the way they've treated Hillary. It really sucks big-time. So Obama has clinched the nomination and yet again, Hillary was chewed up and spit out by the media. Well sorry, but I am changing my party affiliation to Republican, even though I've been a life-long Democrat. McCain will get my vote in November. I don't trust Obama. I don't like his wife, and I think they are not the right people to lead this country. At least we know McCain and he's shown more bipartisanship his whole life, than we've ever seen from the Obamas. I trust McCain. Sorry DNC, and I'm so sorry Hillary, but that's what happens when voters get disenfranchised.

My other emo this week came from seeing the Sex and the City movie. What a lovely movie. It really was perfect. Can't even elaborate so as not to give spoilers, but it was in a word, "perfect."

My temp job got completed yesterday, it was an experience grading those papers. Some kids have such a sense of humor, and I bet I graded the future Jay Leno. For others, it was quite an education seeing the shameful spelling and knowledge base of 8-graders.

On to another week of packing, sweating and cleaning :)

First Day Back to "Work"

2008-06-02T19:42:00.003-05:00

So I'm doing a temporary work assignment for a popular employment agency, correcting grade school exam papers - correction, marking one question a thousand times per day, said to continue for 7 days. It's not so bad - i.e., some of the kids' responses either make you laugh, shake your head or just want to cry. Where I come from (Trinidad), I did this sort of thing in elementary school. Apparently this is being taught in middle school, Grade 8. Not having a US elementary or secondary education, I consider myself privileged because I was way more advanced apparently at this stage of the game.

I often wonder how I would react if I had kids in the school system here, to see the things that are deemed acceptable, the attitude kids have towards learning, it completely blows my mind. Anyway, enough of that - I did meet some nice people, all too willing to help me get acclimated. They all seemed to be professional at this.

It was a hot summer day - golly gee whiz - 99 degrees on my way home, and 104 in my car! Is this what we're in for this summer? Give me central air!!!!!!!!!

So my mother is coming next week - it's a sensitive situation! Will divulge as it goes - maybe! Anyway, I'm sssooooo sleeppy. Got up at 3am this morning, I guess I was nervous about starting work today. Let's see how it goes - I need to go shower and hit the sack.

"LOST Finale, etc!"

2008-05-30T10:56:00.004-05:00

Whoa!!! The "LOST" finale was superb! It really wrapped up the story and gave us a whole new storyline to anticipate. Like how is it that Locke's name is Jeremy (something or other)? And how did he get off the island? Is that really Locke, or a Locke lookalike? OMG - I really enjoyed the show last night, and didn't feel like anything was missing. It all makes sense how the Oceanic 6 gets rescued, etc, but what about the guys on the raft, who were on their way to the freighter before it blew up? Did they disappear with the island, get blown up with the ship, or are they still adrift in the South Pacific somewhere? Oh the questions!

The writers on this show are totally imaginative, wonderfully speculative, and annoyingly but delightfully suspenseful. This has got to be the most talked about show around watercoolers today.

So the past few days I did not post anything because I was pretty busy. Suffice it to say, my hubby is healthy! I also got a 7-day gig working for Kelly Services starting Monday grading FCAT papers. Doesn't pay much, but hey it's something.

Had an interview this morning, but I don't want to jinx it, so I won't provide details until I know if I got it (or not). Oh, we bought a portable a/c, haven't hooked it up yet because we only got it last night. The apartment community will not repair the central unit, which is not unexpected. But I am not going to pay a company to fix it when we have to leave shortly. A portable unit should be fine. I hope. Well, I think the big guy (in the sky) is blessing us with really cool weather with nice breezes so we don't get too warm. I have to say Thank God for all his blessings, seen and unseen, and I know it's just a matter of time before things fall into place for me. Faith is something I've always had, but for some reason, it's so much stronger this year!

So, onward and upward I say, let's get some laundry done, some things packed up, and look forward to the weekend. I am planning to go see the Sex and the City movie next weekend, as I'm sure this weekend will be soooo busy. I hate crowded theatres. Here's to the weekend!

Gorgeous Memorial Day

2008-05-26T22:36:00.003-05:00

It's days like today when I appreciate living in Florida. This and every day during the winter up north when it's absolutely gorgeous here. It was the perfect day, sun shining, birds singing, soft breezes blowing, just keeping the place comfortably cool. The hubby got up early and worked OT, all important in this economy. I slept till noon - it was just so good being in bed with the windows open and the fan whirring. Then we went grocery shopping after he was done, not too much shopping, just the essentials. Walked around a bit in Target, one of my favorite shopping places, but didn't really buy anything. Kind of amazed at just how many people were out and about shopping, but it really felt like a holiday, everything was so calm and serene.

We decided to have Chinese takeout for dinner. It's been so long since we had Chinese, and gosh it was good. Watched a movie - finally saw Dan In Real Life, with Steve Carell. The man is a genius, he really can act in any genre. Totally love him. He's got comic ability without being over the top, he's good looking, totally unique, and a really fun guy to watch. Juliette Binoche, well, when isn't she awesome?

Also happened to catch the premiere of Living Lohan, quite by accident. Not really my cup of tea, but Lindsay's sister, Ally, she's incredibly beautiful. Hope she keeps her head on straight, and not lose her credibility like Lindsay. I still like Lindsay Lohan, she's beautiful, a great actress, and I hope she can get herself together, before Hollywood boots her out.

Anyhoo, it's getting late, and if I am to be productive tomorrow, must go shower and get to bed soon. G'night!

Packing with the a/c on the fritz

2008-05-24T22:49:00.003-05:00

My a/c decided to quit on us yesterday. It's freezing on the coils and no air is coming through the vents. This at the beginning of summer, over Memorial Day weekend in Florida, is not a joke. It's nowhere near being funny. Gosh, it's so hot, you'd think I was crying, but it's sweat pouring out my eyes! Ok seriously, it's terrible. To add insult to injury, I don't know what to do or who to call, because my apartment converted to condo couple years back, and the lady who bought my unit, (hence my landlady) is out of the picture, living in Arizona or who knows where. She stopped paying the mortgage three months after purchasing it, and now the unit is in foreclosure. I have to wait till Tuesday to call the property management office, but I'm guessing they will not be fixing this. I only found out about the foreclosure thing like a couple of weeks ago, when I got served the initial papers. Oh and did I mention that she will not return our calls? Of course she was only too happy to cash our rent checks!

So, my dilemma is, do I pay for the a/c to be repaired, knowing that my time here is short, or somehow cajole the property management office to fix the unit, which may not take place. Ok, just writing this is helping me make up my mind. I will pay to have it repaired - if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg - did I mention I am unemployed and seriously can't find a job in Orlando? Arggghhhhhh.

Which brings me to my next point. I am trying to pack up our stuff - it's amazing the number of things one collects during their lifetime. It doesn't seem like much, but once you start packing, the up, the down, the hidden things. the multitude of things, OMG - it's never ending.

It's sooooo hot. I just took a really cold shower, and know that my bones are going to pay for it in the morning. I have fans in all the rooms going, the windows open and most of the lights and electronics off - will it help? I hope so!

In the beginning...

2008-05-23T09:32:00.002-05:00

So this is the start to what I hope will be a full-fledged blog. I'm not usually the most open person, usually don't find it easy to open up to people, but maybe in writing I can do so finally. I guess all aspiring writers have to start somewhere, and fiction is not the end all be all of writing.

I have a lot of things going on, and not much of anything happening - if that makes sense. I need to vacate my apartment soon, since my landlord is in foreclosure, so I'm looking for a new place to live. However, since I'm not employed, finding an affordable place is proving to be a challenge. I've not been working full-time since December, not due to anyone's fault but my own. I left my job after being there almost 6 years. It was time. I naively thought that with my experience and knowledge, finding a new job would be a cinch! Not so, especially in the great state of Florida. So I've used the time off to do some things - start writing fiction (no self-revelations there), and had LASIK, who-hoo - I can see without my big chunky glasses, except some days are good, and others are bad. More on that later. Then I had a hysterectomy - no natural born kids for me.

So after having quite a few months, I decided to blog. An online chronicle of my battles, joys, loves, and life. Hope this year ends much better than it started.