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Even though it has been a long time since I last posted, I do not think I will go too much into updates about my life. I will cover some big things, but mostly, I am just here to write.
In the past few months, I have switched jobs, acquired some new pets, had a birthday and barely have had any time to rest. Life has been a little chaotic and very stressful but thankfully, that stress has been leading to some improvments
Three weeks ago, I worked my last day as an in-home paraeducator with little Christopher. I have worked with this deaf/autistic boy for two years, so it was hard to say goodbye. His mother then asked me if I could still work the occasional weekend, which made the goodbyes easier. No matter the circumstances though, I knew it was time for a change. There is a point when working with children, that you know you have done about all you can do. It is a fine line between "teacher" and "caretaker" and over time, the lessons morph into something more emotional and somehow, lose their potency. I knew that I have crossed that line with Christopher not too long ago. He saw me as family, and as such, I wasn't as "respected" in a way. My lessons fell on deaf ears (pun intended). Christopher's advances slowed down because I was no longer the right person to teach him. Even though this fact can be hard to greet, it made leaving, actually easier. So what am I doing now?
Well, now I am working at the Travis Unified school district as an instructional assistant to a special needs- middle school class.I am enjoying the change quite a bit, actually, mainly because every word I say is understood. Christopher need sign language and constant repetition to understand your message (under no fault of his own of course) and it was exhausting at times. These older children, if I need to repeat myself, then that means that they just were not listening and then there are consequences-- which I have all the ability to dole out when I see fit. Needless to say, I am the "mean, strict" one a lot of the time, but some students are coming around and seeing that I am nice when they are nice and respectful towards me. It is a welcome change in scene-- and the pay raise is pretty cool too.
That is basically it for the jobs, now onto the pets. As many of you know, I recently (well, not recently anymore-- 3 months ago!) found a pit bull who had been abandoned on our street. She was most likely used for breeding puppies and then dumped. She is such a sweet and amazing dog. The only downside is, we just can't keep her, but finding a home for her has been pretty impossible. There have been a few people who actually met with me to see the dog but most of the replies I have received ended with me describing the dog and then never hearing back from the interested party. I do not understand why people just stop responding, especially when they were the ones who reached out in the first place. Anyway, if you know of anyone who would want a sweet, loving pit bull, let me know. She deserves a wonderful home.
The other, new pet that we have is a one-eyed rat named Lola. Kris is in a Physiology class and they were conducting observations on rats (seeing how much air they took in, nothing harmful), and when the observation was done, the instructor said that the rats could be taken if any one wanted them, or else they would be sent off to a lab where real- dangerous experiements would be performed. Well, Kris is a big-ol' softy like me and he called me up and asked if I wanted to save a rat. Of course I said yes and that is how we came upon this, adorable little girl:
I am 26 years old now, which is really weird to see in writing. I don't recall 25 feeling old, but 26 sure does. When I give advice to someone, or when I am working with the kids in class, I feel so-- old! All the older people I know will probably laugh at that, but think back to when you officially left your "early 20's", your kid days were over . . . it's a trippy experience to say the least. I don't really mind it though-- I have always felt older than I am and now I am feeling like the rest of me is catching up with my brain. My actual birthday was a bit uneventful, but I that didn't bother me. I know everyone around me is busy so I do not expect them to drop everything for my sake. I did eventually have parties and get togethers, but they were all a week or two later. I just think I am at the point where birthdays aren't that exciting anymore. Oh well, what'cha gonna do?
Well, that is basically it. My brain hurts and I am tired. I may just take another nap, considering this is my first, real day off in a month. I am tired and gosh darn, I deserve it!
Okay, well, stay happy safe and healthy all!
Hey people.
So life has been pretty crazy recently. I know I used to be so much better about blog posts but I haven't been motivated lately to write any. Now that I have graduated and things are somewhat settling down, I feel the need to write.
So what's new? Well, I did graduate! I finished my B.A. in English with a focus on creative writing back on the 15th of June. It was a lot of fun having my family around and I got to introduce Kris' family to my own for the first time after 51/2 years!! They all got along very well which was nice. I must admit though, the entire thing was so, freaking stressful for me. I am just glad its all done and I don't have to concern myself with tiny details anymore!
The day after my graduation, Kris' sister Rachael threw me a party which was a lot of fun and very sweet of her to do. Quite a few people didn't show up which stunk but the people who did show made up for it by being amazing, true friends.
So once graduation, the party and all the craziness was done, I worked for a few days and then got a week and a half off. It has been really nice to just chill, relax, get things done and ignore other things for a while. Not that there hasn't been stressful situations but at least work wasn't added onto it.
This past Sunday was a local radio station's free concert in Golden Gate Park. I won VIP tickets that allowed me and a guest to sit in a special area to watch the show. We would get free lunch, drinks and a private bathroom (which was very nice). I wanted to win the tickets originally for Kris' mom: Karen. Karen's birthday is in July and I know she loves live music and I thought this would be really fun for her. Well, it was fun to an extent but San Francisco weather is always unpredictable, so it rained throughout the whole concert. Then, due to the rain, the final act: Ed Sheeran, was 2 hours late! We ended up leaving before he even showed because Karen had to work in the morning. It was fun in spite of all the hiccups though.
We Met Ginny Blackmore!
Alice 97.3's Morning Show Cast
Our VIP area
Our View.
One of the most exciting happenings this week is my new internship! I applied for a writing internship two days ago and now I am going to be writing for a internet company! Most writing internships are really just you, watching someone else write while you get their coffee but at this one, I will have articles with my name on it! I am so excited. The site is focused on Sustainability and healthy choices for your home, self and baby. I will be focused on the home and baby side of things because all my experience falls into those categories. I can't wait to have you all reading my work on a site other than a blog! Its a great place to learn new things too and they are always looking for new topics so if you have questions about how to live a more sustainable, healthy life. . . Let me know! The site is called Greenopedia, Greenopedia.com. Go check it out!
Well I think that is is for now. Hope you all are doing good! Love ya!
So it has been forever and a day since I have written a blog post. I am sorry that I am such a freaking slacker! Honestly, I wouldn't even be writing this if I wasn't so mentally blocked for my academic/creative writing. I am hoping that just by rambling about something-- anything, I will find my narrative voice again. We shall see. . .
Well, what shall I write about? Well, as many of you know, I will be graduating next month. I am very excited to be done with school (at least for now) but on the other hand, I feel like I am leaving with absolutely no skills in my pocket. I began looking for job a few weeks ago and everything either requires a degree in a field that I never studied in, a focus in the field I did study in but not my particular focus and/or two+ years experience in the field. Well, crap! I had one fall back option but thanks to budget cuts and schedule changes, my future in ASL translation is still far, far away. I honestly do not know what I am going to do; therefore, leaving school is only bittersweet at best.
On the upside however, I may not be able to get a job in writing but all my childcare and special needs experience will still allow me to find some employment. I just hope that through internships or possible future connections, I may actually be able to write for a living. Also on the upside, the little boy I watch is in speech therapy and his therapist has said numerous times she would hire me as an assistant. I have no idea how much she would be willing to pay and her office is over an hour away so there are downsides; but if she pays enough, I would make the drive. I can also stay working with the family I am currently with until I find a better job. Honestly, they wish I would never leave but I just can't do child care forever-- it's just not where my heart is.
So, other news, information, current events in my life? Well, there really hasn't been much going on since the last time I wrote on here. Yeah, Kris and I have went to various places: friend's weddings, Tahoe, various hiking and camping trips. I started volunteering at the California School for the Deaf, but I am still floundering as far as comprehension of the language. Mostly, I have just been doing school work and work-work with very little time for sleep in between. I am mentally drained and I think that is perhaps why I haven't written in so long. All my mental energy is being put towards these final weeks.
Ultimately, as I come to the end of this chapter in my life, I just hope that certain things will get easier for me. I really just want to not struggle as much with my finances. I know everyone wants extra cash but I really just don't want to have to borrow from people anymore or panic that some bill is getting neglected. I have always been frugal so extra money for things I want doesn't concern me. I would just like to keep more than ten dollars in my savings account for a decent period of time. I would like the idea of moving out (again) to be an actual and near possibility. I would like to go to sleep knowing that everything is paid off for once. I suppose I just want peace of mind and I hate that money is the only way I will get it. That is the world we live in though. Even those of us who hate money are still controlled by it. Its not fair, but that's just how it is.
