Not Another Homeschool Blog

Unlike last time, I got a letter back from the women's center saying my mammogram is all clear. "No abnormalties that indicate breast cancer. The last time THEY acted completely freaked out, called me back in, did another mammogram while making no eye contact, then left me laying on a table for over an hour while a doctor went around looking at women's results, doing a hands-on exam and telling them whether or not they had cancer.  I lay on that table for over an hour listening to women crying... I started planning my will.  Fortunately, I had some pearl-cysts he said... not cancer...  but what an ordeal.  To rub more salt in the would, they completely messed up my billing ( hence the experience this time ).  But the cysts eventually went away, I poked them daily for like a year until I could not feel them anymore, and I am all good. I don't know about this FitBit. Maybe I'm nuts, but I think I can feel the sensors... I am very aware of my wrist the whole time...

No I don't have Zika... I don't think.  But according to the signs I passed at the airport, on my way out, I very well could and not know it. Had I known about the possibility of Zika in Puerto Rico, I would have used more bug repellant while I was there, even though I am allergic to Deet.  Now I am using repellant to prevent getting bit at home so I am not personally responsible for brining Zika to GA and beyond.  Other than that, celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary on a tropical island was fun. And pretty.  See.  If you look, city is pretty apparent through the facade of resort. And if you know anything about Puerto Rico, things aren't going well for the people who live there.  Much like New Orleans, Puerto Rico relies on tourism, but it is not pulling the numbers to keep it afloat. The US Territory is currently in the midst of bankruptcy.  (The US should be paying closer attention because this can happen to us).  ...

As is typical in Metro Atlanta, I live in what some would call a McMansion, in a gated community. It didn't take me long to discover that I was locked in with the crazies. The people within this gated community act just as squirrely as the people on the outside. Within our upper-middle income community, we have had thefts, drug deals, speeding on streets kids play on, and vandalism... the people that did the crimes lived within the community.  Take for instance the fact that my car was ransacked last night. The thief took my backpack. But before they took it they removed the contents.. My binder for the community theatre board, my folders and receipts for each costuming project. They just took the backpack and the cell phone charging brick that was in the pocket.... well, that and then they tossed the car looking for change. They didn't even take the Gas card that had $17.00 on it. Chances are, this was a neighborhood kid.  Who lives in my community. If I see my backpack ag...

People keep telling me to give tRump a chance.  Well here it is: FIX HEALTHCARE In anticipation to his inaugur-disater, Republican lawmakers have voted to repeal Preexisting conditions, keeping young adults on parents plans, pretty much just the whole damn thing. I hope people are happy, but here's what it means to me. I AM UNINSURABLE. My mother and several of her sisters died of cancer. I have polycistic ovarian syndrome I am pre-diabetic. I have had a hysterectomy. (But I am valuable) I am a bad risk for insurance companies.  If I get sick, I will die. Period. I have many people in my family in worse shape than me... they have had cancer and are lucky to be alive.  But lawmakers are yelling, repeal baby! Why? Because a black president is attached to it.  (it is what it is) Yes, it was imperfect, but it is what THEY helped design. So tRump... slow down the repeal, and replace it with something that won't make getting sick a gamble. I nev...

I got a text of Facebook messenger on Sunday, when I was on the way to eat with my family.  Here are are some tidbits. The note started saying that I posted a story where two people defended two Chinese women who were being racially attached on a train... The story said that this we part of the Trump Effect. I believe it is.   Personally, I would rather be approached publicly where I can defend myself publicly than under the "I love you" guise of friendship... we last talked 2 years ago.  I'm like... uh... no... I'm pretty sure Jesus ruffled some feathers by not falling in line with leadership.  Otherwise they wouldn't have hung him.  I don't have to respect "leaders who ever they be"... I just need to pay my taxes.  And this is where they lost me.  For real.  I started spitting and cursing and my son threatened to take my phone and delete the Facebook messenger app!  I don't care how you feel about Obama... really, I don...

This is part of my Anger and Loathing Series re the 2016 election .  Feel free to read my other posts. So women of all hues have opted to start wearing safety pins in a silent protest and show of solidarity.  We, as women of the Pantsuit Nation have chosen to wear this symbol to let people who need to SEE allies see them.  People are seeing the pins and making eye contact, and smiling, because that symbol makes one feel not alone. I think it is a great idea. Furthermore, the pin for many is a promise that if they see you being stepped on, marginalized, or threatened that the wearer will step in.  I think it is a beautiful thing. (T he safety pin movement offers solidarity post-election ) But then there's the opinion that the safety pins may not be such a good thing.  (I'm just going to add here that a white man wrote the article and has started the question... and directed it toward white women, the article spoke to both protect and shame in my opinion)....

I am deeply rooted in an overwhelming sense of depression. And I wrote that sentence and let is set for a whole 5 minutes. I am depressed because I now realize that good does not necessarily outweigh bad.  I believe that those who made this decision may have meant good, but they had to willingly choose to ignore the bad to make this decision... And so the bad wins. And here are how people are acting since the election. Black people are being called nigger in the streets... and being told to go back to Africa.  Some kids at a school put up signed for colored and white water fountains.  Muslims are being attacked even more than before.  Hispanic children, Mexican or not, are being taunted with "build a wall, build a wall". ... and worse. And instead of these same good people standing in and saying, this is not who we are, they are instead deflecting with "well you have no right to boycott" and "you're exaggerating". And as a black wom...

First, you might want to read yesterday's post and then come back to this one. ( Anger and loathing and the 2016 election ) Second, let me state that my faith in God has not been shaken by this election. Finally, My faith in humanity, however, has been. I became a Catholic around the age 5 when my mom married my Catholic Stepdad. My family left the Catholic church when there was a problem with my long-abandoned grandmother decided to divorce. At a more traditional black church I got my hands on a bible... The King James Version....  I was elated. ... and faithful... except for the college years through the early 20's... typical, right? I stayed faithful for many years, but the message stopped sitting well within my heart.  I found myself struggling with depression and eventually realized that it was worst on Saturday night... I didn't want to go. I felt a struggle between the word spoken every week, and my heart.  The words didn't sit well with Jesus' commandm...

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 and went to the polls to work to make sure that all my fellow citizens (that I could affect) got a change to exercise their vote. I returned home around 10pm.  I was tired, and after glancing over the results tapes from my 11 voting machines... I was discouraged.  I didn't want Trump to Win... As of this moment, it seems as though he has. Inspite of Sexism , An active Child Rape case , Consumer Fraud , Bankruptcies , and other scandals ... And I am angry.  I am angry that I processed hundreds of voters yesterday and while some of them were just a-holes toward me, most of them smiled in my face, called me sweet-heart and voted against my best interest. I know that's reaching to expect any empathy, but it does get under my skin.  What I am really angry about though is that I know that countless people, many on my "Facebook friends list" and those who have "befriended" me in real life, voted against my best interest.  I a...

It sounds good, right?, but somehow I'd never even heard about it until I ran across a Facebook video today.  I couldn't pull the video, but here is the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/KeepGeorgiaSchoolsLocal/videos/249804532083705/?pnref=story Then I read this:  https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_Authorization_of_the_State_Government_to_Intervene_in_Failing_Local_Schools,_Amendment_1_(2016) And this:  http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/fight-over-opportunity-school-district-amendment-gaining-steam/article_1b261f1b-f247-5edf-b21c-d54ba637286e.html and I am not feeling too good about it... to paraphrase, from what I understand is the state will take over failing schools that could not meet the numbers in 3 years.  Then they would be able to hire and fire and change curriculum, and hold that school for 5-10 years, and if THEY could not then bring the school up to par, they would close the school. That's bothersome.  I'd like to know more.....

This month has certainly raised my blood pressure. It started when we decided to not take the new apartment in NYC, and instead to fold back and go back to GA full time, for family reasons mostly. Hubby's company was great about it.  We lost some money with the apartment complexes (just this moment realized I have not gotten my deposit back from the new apartment complex.) The biggest headache came from the movers who pulled a big time bait and switch, and the then destroyed our belongings like a gorilla destroys a suitcase .  I wrote a review ... and I am working on the issue... lawyer involved. The theatre show I am currently costuming, and my daughter in is ... stressful.  But the costumes are great, and the actress is pretty good too... photos later. I found myself also working on set with a children's theatre camp, while my daughter worked on

Sketch a day, day 1 I am trying to force my creativity by doing a sketch a day.  I am using some free video lessons by  http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-lessons/free-art-instruction-videos.html to inspire me.  I used a lesson today on using shapes to draw buildings... this is the house across the street from me.  You could say I am homeschooling myself in art... kind of as a refresher. This sketch took all of 10 minutes.  I am sure I will revisit it later and add ink. As I was drawing, the news was on. I got distracted from my task when I heard the phrase "the devil in the White House". They were interviewing an elderly early voter who was saying he was voting a straight Republican  ticket because he dislikes the devil in the white house. I had a personal heart response to his comment. It hurt my feelings. I've heard presidents called a lot of things by fellow Americans but never the devil. I couldn't help but wonder what in him made him view Obama ...

I have been very, very distressed about the state of politics lately.  Feeling that it was fueled by a lot more than issues, conservatism, and liberalism, I began to feel jaded and cynical.  I still do.  In short, I'm disgusted. I had lunch with a good friend Saturday, and we went there.  We discussed politics.  He said something that helped me compartmentalize what I was feeling about the state of our nation and it's rulers. "Politics is like sports", he said.  "Everyone has a favorite team", he said.  "They don't care who's right or wrong, as long as their favorite team wins". Yes.  I think that is the crux of the problem.  There are also underlying issues that dictate which team people join, but I really think he hit the nail on the head. Do you see some truth in this? Do you think I'm full of crud? Just curious.

Sometimes things won't go your way.  How will you respond? What will your reaction say about your character? My daughter spent 6 years in a homeschool drama program.  For the program to be successful, parents needed to be on board and needed to each have a role in keeping it successful.  Some years I was the parent organizer.  Some years I was in charge of costumes.  I did the job I agreed upon regardless of the role my child received in the play, even though there were plenty of times I was less than enthused about it.  Meanwhile, from time to time, there was a parent who backed out of their responsibility usually because they did not like the role their kid received in the play.  I had little respect for such behavior. I think my daughter was in about 11 plays over the years.  In only 3 of those plays did she get a role that she sought and that we as parents thought she deserved.  There may have been one other show where she got a role ...