Tree of Life hymn inspiration

In the process of researching my family tree, I am completing my usual postings in class.  This week we had to read a poem (hymn) from Garrison Keillor "Sweet, Sweet Corn".  One of our tasks were to write a hymn of our own, should we choose to do so (it was not required).  Inspired by my recent research of my family tree, I wrote the following hymn:

Tree of life, take me back

Scottish, Irish, French, so many more

The boat has brought you here

To this land of free and dear

New perspectives, opportunities galore

Free your mind, your heart, your soul

A new beginning, the past a memory

Though now is sought to come alive again

Teaching the ways of old

To branch out again

With the past of gold

* The picture is my Great Grandparents (my mother's grandparents)

Finding My Family Lineage

Forrest is awesome!  He started a tree for my family history, since he is the one with the paid membership.  The above photo is one of the first we found.  Her name is Annie and she is my 3rd great grandmother.  It has been interesting to see where my family has originated (so far).

My father's side of the family (grandfather's side) has only been in the United States for about a century.  Before that, they were in Prince Edward Island, Canada for approximately a century.  The lineage traces back to Isle of Skye, Scotland.  That is as far as we have gotten so far.  We will work more on it Saturday (tomorrow).

My grandmother's side (father's mother) was interesting and difficult to start because I could not remember her maiden name.  We did figure it out and have started it, but we have not traveled far with her history, yet.  I cannot wait to find more information on her side.  This means a lot to me because the final year of her presence on this Earth was spent talking for hours about her family.  She never talked much about her side, so it is a pleasure to be able to find it all and share it with my sister, loved ones, and everyone reading this.

The opposite side of the family is in progress as well, but I have another picture from that side I will post and talk about.

The Future is Bright

I have not made as many posts as I have wanted to on here, but school has priority.  Speaking of school, I am in my 9th month straight without any break at all.  The majority of that time was 7 days per week.  Some days included less work than other days, but that is not including housework and taking care of the dog.  That is not involving the stress of the math courses I had to endure, trying to get financial aid figured out (the transition from Associates to Bachelor's messed some aspects up), and trying to figure out my next adventure for publication.

As far as the financial aid is concerned, I know I should not get my head soaked up in that mess.  I am not one for math, nor do I understand much of what they are saying.  I do, however, understand the generalization of this situation.  It just freaks me out because when there is a problem, I automatically think I may have to pay out of pocket.  I do not think that is going to be the case.  It does get scary though.  That is a lot of money, I do not have.  Hence, this is why I am back in school: to get an education with a huge pay out in the end.  Of course, not to mention to enjoy my career.

Speaking of career, I have decided two things: to take a vacation after this course and to write a short story during that vacation, then try to have it published.  Should this one become published, that would make two publications this year!  I am not entirely sure what the short story will be about, but I have a couple of ideas.  I have time to figure that all out.

The vacation is needed!  I need to step away and relax the mind for a few.  I have decided to take 2 weeks off, which is the maximum for between classes without interfering with financial aid.  I did that on purpose.  First reason is because Forrest is taking his week vacation the first week I am; therefore, we will have one week off together.  We are thinking about taking a day trip somewhere, maybe Hilton Head, but not sure about that yet.  We are definitely going to go downtown Savannah and take pictures.  For those of you who know me, yes, there will be a stop at a coffee shop!

Yes, I mentioned the math courses again....again.  It was traumatizing (you should sense some sarcasm there).  I have let it go, but without a break, it seems to always come up.  I think because I am tired, drained, and need to blame something.  Though, I do realize I do not have to blame anything, it is more fun to blame math.  If you had not noticed by now, I do not like math.  Any chance to blame it for anything is worth my time.  (Insert smile here).

Nothing much going on other than that stuff.  I know exciting stuff.  What can I say?  I do not have an exciting life just yet.  Although, the dog (K.B.) does keep me on my toes.  She is so cute.  That reminds me, I have to post a picture of her.  I may do that on my Google+.

I will have plenty to post about in March 2015.  Forrest and I are going to Key West for my sister's wedding (or should I say prenuptial).  I cannot wait for that.  She surprised me one day when she called up and asked me to give her away!  I did not hesitate.  (Okay, I did for a second, only because I realized I would have to dress up.  It is for her though, so I can muddle through a couple hours.  Believe me when I say, when it is over, the jeans and t-shirt is back in style!)  For those who do not know, my sister is my best friend.  We have always been close and I look up to her.  She is smart, beautiful, has a heart of gold, and inspires me to be better every day.  Who knows where I would have ended up if she was not in my life.  I love you, sis.  Okay, enough of the sappy stuff.  I have never been to Key West, so this will be an exciting experience.  Forrest lived there for about 10 years, if I remember correctly; therefore, he knows where to go.  That will be a huge help.  We do have to reserve a room still, which we will do very soon.  That is his job.

I guess I should stop there.  I could mumble on some more, but that would only bore you all.  Have a great night!  Until next time, keep smiling and spread the love!

Humanity and Media

I do not understand why the media insists on providing their audience with graphic details, images, and videos of inappropriate material.  For instance, a friend posted on a social media site of her same dilemma not too long ago.  This friend was upset that a spam post was encouraging people to click on the link, which in turn the person had to 'like' the page in order to view the video.  The trick was to get your information.  However, the original content of the video was about a recent celebrity saying goodbye.  First of all, who would want to see that?  The death was difficult, and very shocking, enough as it was.  Why would someone want to see that?

I remember when my grandmother was ill from cancer.  She was admitted into hospice.  I remember this time very well because it was not only heartbreaking to know she was on her way out of this world in physical form, but to watch her transform from what I was used to seeing, to a memory I wish to delete from my brain.  Remembering this time makes me wonder why anyone would want to see the explicitness of a crime or situation.  Granted, my experience is personal and media news is not as personal, but I still would not want to see it.

Now there is a video going viral of the St. Louis, Missouri crime scene just after it took place.  (In case you were wondering, no, I did not click on the link to watch the video.  Seeing the post of the video still was too much).  I was deeply offended that a news station would even consider posting this on a social site.  I know in their eyes, they are seeing 'ratings', but seriously, where are the editors?  Where is the voice inside their head?  Does no one have a conscience anymore?  Do they not comprehend what is good and bad; what should be displayed and what should be refrained?

I will admit, I do look at an accident when driving by.  Although, in the back of my mind, I realize there is a chance I may see something I do not want to see.  This I contribute to the natural curiosity of the human race.  I cannot fathom why anyone would willingly watch a video of a person saying his last goodbye's before taking his life.  I cannot grasp why any person would want to see a video of a dead person lying on the street.  To me, this is not human curiosity.  Again, in my opinion, this is morbid.  Have we lowered our standards as a human race to such horrific thoughts and indulgences?

Tonight's breaking news about Robin Williams was difficult to hear.  I did not know him personally, but saw many of his movies, which I am sure many of you out there have.  He was a talented man.  If I remember correctly, the first movie I saw starring Williams was Popeye (1980).  Of course, I was too young to know how great he was, or would become.  I was not familiar with Mork and Mindy (1978-1982), mostly because I saw a couple episodes and was not interested.  Williams caught my attention on the big screen, even his recent sitcom did not enthuse me.  On the other hand, Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Aladdin (voice of Genie) (1992), Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), Robots (voice of fender) (2005), and The Birdcage (1996) are my favorites from him.

I am sure most will agree with me that he was incredible at what he does, or did.  Wow, growing up watching him on television and now I have to use past tense.  It is very sad.  What really surprises me is to hear he may have committed suicide, and that he was fighting depression.  I have one thing to say to that: he was such a great actor to not show any signs!  Every movie I saw him in, he did his job, and did it more than above average!  I cannot tell you how many times I have watched one of his movies, and laughed each time.  No matter how many times I watch Mrs. Doubtfire, for instance, I laughed almost all the way through.  There are times I am watching television and hear the phrase, "Help is on the way!" then I revert back to Mrs. Doubtfire, include the accent and "Dear" after.  Obviously, I laugh to myself after.

He will truly be missed by this world, and hope nothing but the very best wherever he ends up.  Peace to you, Robin Williams.  Hugs and loves!

Wonders of Science and the Universe

I just completed watching two weeks worth of Ancient Aliens, which I recorded and just did not have enough time to watch last weekend because of finals.  One episode was about the Higgs-Boson particle.  It was fascinating about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that scientist used to discover the Higgs-Boson particle, or the God Particle.  One thing they said that I have heard many times, stood out more because of an article I recently read about black and white holes.  The article basically said that the black and white holes only last for less than a second.  The distortion in time and distance from the actual hole can make beings from far distances perceive this event lasting in millions, even billions, of years.  This really got my mind's wheels spinning.  If the Higgs-Boson particle and black and white holes only last less than a second, what does that say about our own universe?  How do beings outside our universe perceive us?  Do they see our universe as an explosion in their night sky (as we view as a supernova for example only), which lasts less than a second?

I am very curious about this, as I am sure many others are as well.  Maybe one day we will know the facts about this particular situation.  Maybe one day in my lifetime!

Essay

This is the first week of Multicultural Literature, which I have to say is very interesting!  I am really enjoying the reading and information I am acquiring.  The first assignment was a bit of a challenge for me.  First, it had to be a maximum of 700 words.  Now, after writing many essays over 1,000 words, I thought it was going to be simple.  Not so.  I completed it, though I have to edit and revise it now.  The most difficult part was editing while writing to keep under the maximum.  I could have written double that word count!  That is funny because two years ago, I was worried about making the minimum word count.

The assignment itself is to write about an experience I have had with someone of a different culture or ethnicity.  Growing up in New Hampshire, this was not a problem.  New England is full of diversity.  I think that may be why I loved it there so much.  No one cared about what another was doing, who they loved, or what they looked like.  Okay, if someone dressed as a clown and walked into the mall, yes, people would have looked, but for the most part, people did not care.  If I had worn some outfits down here (GA) as I did up there, I would get some looks for sure.  I mean, some were not bad, holes in jeans or whatever.  Heck they look at me weird when I wear my spring coat in the middle of winter, and they are dressed like they should be in Alaska.  Wow, so anyway, back to my point.  I did choose a person that I met who was originally from Africa.  A very interesting man.  An incredibly smart man.  I knew he would be the perfect candidate for my narrative essay.

The other difference to this particular assignment is the format.  I have to write a narrative essay, which means writing in first-person (I, me, etc.), instead of APA format of third-person (They, he, she, etc.).  That part was not difficult, but remembering it after so long of not permitted to is a challenge at times.  I got in the habit of it, so it became second nature to me.  It will be interesting to see what happens with the grading.  I will not post the weekly grades, but I will continue to post the final grades on here.

As promised, I have received my grade from the previous course, Survey of Literary Masterpieces, which was as follows: 99% = A!

I am a little shocked by this grade because I am (did not think I was) good at poetry, which there was a lot to read.  Obviously, I am doing something correct.  I am not complaining at all, just the opposite.  I am glad to be back on track with high grades again.  Math really was not my strength (as mentioned in a prior post, my grades in two math courses were lower than I was used to).  Every English course, I am realizing more and more the switch was the best decision.  It is not easy.  It is a challenge, but I enjoy this challenge.

The starting of this course made me nervous.  First of all, the book contained 3,000 pages.  It does not sound like much, but when you figure in that most of the works in the book are short stories and poems, that is a bunch of little readings!  It averaged about 150 pages per week, sometimes more, sometimes less.  If the print had been just a tad bit bigger, it may have been less strenuous on my eyes, but I held on and was determined to complete it all.  I did.

The final consisted of two portions.  One was a matrix and the other a Powerpoint presentation.  They were not difficult to complete, just time consuming.  The most difficult part in English is making sure everything is properly sited.  I think that is my ultimate fear.  I do not want to plagiarize!  That would end my career before it begins.

I am looking forward to this new course, Multicultural Literature.  So far, I have read three stories.  Those three are: Kazuo Ishiguro "A Family Supper" (1982), Ha Jin "The Bridegroom" (1999), and Jamaica Kincaid "My Mother" (1996).  The latter is, well I will just say it was interesting.  I really enjoyed the other two.  The diversity is captivating.  I cannot wait to read the other three for this week.  I will be reading those tonight.

I want to address humans and the lack of respect.  I was brought up to respect others, no matter who they are.  People are treating others like there is no tomorrow.  Well, there is a tomorrow, and if there is not then my thought is: I would rather go out knowing I was nice to people.  That is just me.  My friends and family, which I love dearly, feel the same as me.  They spread the love and respect to others.  I am proud of each one of them for doing so!  Hopefully, this post will get out there to others and remind them that we are all the same.  Yes, we may have different skin, love someone of the same sex, have different religious views, but we are constructed the same.  We all have a brain, blood, bones, atoms, minds, and most of all....a heart!  Use it for what it is for:  L O V E !

Just imagine what this beautiful planet of ours would be like if every single person tried just a little bit harder!  Just imagine what we could accomplish, the many fascinating people we would meet.  Imagine a world without bullying and murders.  Just imagine!

Help me spread the love and respect around the world.  I want the "imagine" to become reality!

Almost the end of class

Tomorrow is the last day of class.  This will make 8 classes, 8 months straight, without a break.  Last year, I had to take approximately 3 months off for moving and switching degrees (from Associates to Bachelor's).  I am a bit drained from the work, especially having 2 math courses mixed in, which I am not very comprehensive with; however, I am experiencing a feeling of accomplishment.  I will post my grade when I receive it.  Sometimes it is at the middle of the following week, but most of the time it is toward the end of the following week.  The professors have 7 days to post the grade.

This year was a bit of a struggle.  I had become familiar with 90% and above, but the math courses were mid to upper 80's.  Yes, I know, it is still not bad, but it did bring down my grade point average (GPA).  For me, it is quite an accomplishment because in high school I was receiving C's at best.  I never really tried in school.  I had a bunch of issues occurring, that I was not able to concentrate on the important things.  I should rephrase that to, I did not allow myself to concentrate on what was important: school.  That is the past, I am doing it now and that is all that matters.  

The best part about this year is that I am in school, studying hard, trying to work on my health a little more than I have been; walking 3 times a week on the treadmill, trying to eat healthier, and manage food portions better.  I do have to confess, I failed the latter tonight.  The portions for supper were not exactly small.  My weight is fine, I could lose a few pounds, but otherwise I am happy.  My doctor and nutritionist tell me I am at my ideal weight for my age, height, there may be more, but I honestly listened to half that conversation.  Once they said I was at my ideal weight, I tuned the rest out.  

The reason I want to be healthier is for me, first and foremost, but for my partner, family, and friends as well.  I want to be there to enjoy my education and career afterward.  Furthermore, I want to be able to enjoy my loved ones with their birthdays, anniversaries, and so forth.  Another reason is because my family does have a history of heart conditions, strokes, and cancers.  To me, it is better to start late than not at all.  

I started out this post with school, then worked in health, and I thought I had nothing to say today.  There are days I could talk forever (sometimes literally, at least it seems to others), then there are days when I just want to keep my mouth shut and not say a word.  The latter does not happen very often, I guess it is the author in me: always talking or writing.  Maybe that will subside (talking other people's ears off) now that I have school and this blog to keep me extremely busy.

My partner is doing work on his computer, I am sitting writing on here, and we're both waiting for the Next Food Network Star to begin!  I am addicted to that show.  I have no idea why I started watching it, but at this point, I do not care either.  I am addicted and that is all that counts.  LOL (I know, "LOL" is not academic, but this is a blog!).  Another show I am addicted to, and have been since the first episode, is Project Runway.  I cannot believe it is in its 13th season!  I have not missed one episode, including Project Runway: All-Stars, and now Project Runway: Under the Gunn!  Come on, who does not love Tim Gunn!  He is amazing.  Well, on television.  I have not yet had the chance to meet him, but maybe I will be lucky when my novels and short stories become big sellers!

I think I should leave this post at that.  I could go on further, but that will leave more for the next time!

Take care to you all out there in the virtual world!  Spread the love, peace, and happiness!

HUG