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Showing posts from 2018

My Second Piece for Bust magazine

So I was lucky enough to talk with Barbara Ehrenreich about the state of our union, and it was published by the Fort Wayne Reader, and now in Bust magazine. https://bust.com/books/195255-barbara-ehrenreich-interview.html

I Miss You Mom

Fourteen years ago today, I lost my mom. Fourteen years of poverty, feeling lost, like things will never be better, and so far, I've been right. I can't function without my parents. I'm living proof of that.

A Rare Lunch Downtown

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And it was a gorgeous day, too!

I Talk to Barbara Ehrenreich

http://www.fortwaynereader.com/story.php?uid=3477

Child of the Corn

Is there anything more delicious than Indiana sweet corn slathered in butter, pepper, and salt?

I Miss You, Dad

Eighteen years ago today my dad died. I'd just got home from work. He seemed like he was struggling. I got him some water, but when I got back, he was gone. I woke up my mom, who was in another room. She made the calls and my brother came over to say goodbye. It was a hot day. I remember later on going out and watering the garden. I offered to drive mom to work, because I knew--just like I know I'm going to die someday--that she would get into a car accident. Don't ask me how I knew. I've had hunches before, and they've happened. Even my brother offered to drive my mom, who insisted on going about her day as if nothing happened. She took care of a boy, and didn't want to let his parents down. She refused. I eventually went to bed and woke up to an empty house. The note on the dining room table said something along the lines of, "your brother and I went to the car dealership to see how much it costs to fix the car." It was totaled. My mother e

Did You Choose the Right One???

I ate at the fried veggie booth in Junk Food Alley. Unfortunately, I think I got food poisoning, because I threw up at work the next day.

Going Back to School

I'm going back to school again, and I hope it's better than grad school was. I had one semester of grad school that was wonderful. The rest sucked, except for the trips to California.

Junk Food Alley

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Its that time of year again! Which one did I indulge in? Write your choice in a comment!

I Went Anyway

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Ivy Tech has an annual bus trip to Cedar Point this year I wanted to go. I got the time off for it but the night before they cancelled the trip and rescheduled it for 2 weeks out because it was supposed to rain. This made me mad because I did get time off for it and I wasn't sure that I could get time off for it again especially since I was slated to start a new job and I didn't want to mess up my attendance at either place. So even though I was broke my car was in the shop I found a place that would rent me a car with my debit card and I got the event organizer to deliver my prepaid ticket to Cedar Point with me the day before. I wasn't sure if I get to Cedar Point later on this summer inside already requested the day off I thought I'd take a chance and go despite the forecast. It turned out to be a great day. When I got there it hadn't rained. Later on in the day, I took a walk on the beach and it did rain, but not for very long. It turned out to be prac

So, I Wrote This ...

https://bust.com/living/194778-damaged-little-girl-inside-woman.html So, nearly two months ago, I had a revelation about something that has bothered me for decades. I was at one of my jobs, thinking about things, and a few hours later it dawned on my why I've felt that men hated me. It finally made sense that they didn't necessarily hate me, but I was expecting them to relate to me in a way that was impossible for them to comprehend. It also points out how devastating sexual abuse and bullying can be, especially when it comes to looks. Sometimes the inner voice can be devastating, but listening to the outer voices can be even worse. I'm hoping that my life will change for the positive since this burden has been lifted. I had no idea how much it impacted my mental health. When the realization hit me, I actually did feel lighter, like I'd solved the ultimate math story problem. For decades, I couldn't figure it out, and despite therapy and anti-depressants, t

Depeche Mode 6 1 18

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Depeche Mode has aleaus struck me as a dramatic, sensual, sexy dance music group. You can move to their tines, but instead of being empty-headed, superficial types, they grapple with the more serious issues of life. Yet they know how to have fun. Dark, sexy, angry, meaningful, deep. That's why I love them.  Conclusion of an awesome concert!  Close up. Dramatic and sexy!  His solo was well received.  A brief snippet, as I was running out of space. Since no one smokes anymore, this is the new, safer, more technological way to show affection for rock groups.

Going to Try ...

To post more positive things. I'm not feeling too great recently. Still looking for decent, meaningful work. But you know that old saying, "there's always someone worse off than yourself?"  I've discovered a show on BBC 3, something called "Love and Drugs on the Street"? Not sure if that's the name, but it's about homeless people in Brighton, England. My house isn't great, but the property taxes aren't very much, thank God. So, there's that. In between stressing about money, I do seem to be able to scrape up enough for fun every so often. Stay tuned for pictures from Depeche Mode June 1 at the United Center in Chicago. Helluva show.

Surprise! It's Mail!

Kind of weirded out when I left the house today to see an Amazon Prime package in my mailbox. Is it Memorial Day? Yes, but in Casa Amazon, I guess the only person who gets the day off is Jeff Bezos. And I know some postal workers had to work too. But Bezos doesn't own them. Yet.

Tonight's Playlist

A little bit more Jamie Lidell 50 Ways to Say Goodbye Train  a world alone Lorde 8-23-16 Gloria Diaz  Band on the Run Paul McCartney and the wings Best of My Love The Emotions Black Magic Woman Santana blue LaTour Blue Bayou Linda Ronstadt blue dress Depeche Mode Cherry pink and apple blossom white Perez Prado Christmas is coming Vince Guaraldi Trio Dance Your Ass Off RTZ Belgium  Deep Throat main title from the soundtrack Wouldn't it be nice Beach Boys  Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey Paul Linda McCartney the wings  warty bliggens the toad Einstein Savage Welcome back John Sebastian Werewolves of London Warren Zevon White Teeth Teens Lorde World in my eyes Depeche Mode  Wouldn't it be nice The Beach Boys Nessun Dorma from Turandot by Luciano Pavarotti Back to Black Amy Winehouse

My Former Students are Doing Great Things

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So one of my former students held an event at Rock Hill Park on Sunday. It celebrated lowrider cultire, urban art, jewelry, clothing and food. I was impressed with the location and turnout. I had to leave for work, so I didn't get a chance to try the chicken. But I snapped a few pix, so check them out. Francisco Reyes hosted the event and was thrilled with how it turned out. So check him out! He runs Wrecklords Clothing and yes, he's on Facebook. Exciting stuff going on in the Fort!

Carroll Fine Arts Night Display Ideas!

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This post is obviously a reprint from Monday, April 28, 2014. I'm running it again because this years Fine Arts Night is coming up! If you or your classmates need display ideas, hopefully this will get you started! Carroll High School Fine Arts Night Display Ideas! It's that time of year again! No, not prom season--it's awards and recognition season, and once again, it's Carroll High School's turn. Check out Carroll's Fine Arts Night Wednesday, May 10, at 7 p.m. at 3701 Carroll Road, Fort Wayne IN. I work at a big box home improvement store. Sunday, I had two young ladies and their parents come in trying to figure out an inexpensive way to display artwork. Face it, even if mom and dad say it's okay to blow $200 on a one-time only display, why would you want to? If you ARE going to spend money, it makes sense that whatever materials you decide to use, you can use again. So here are some ideas f