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Showing posts from 2011

Stuff I Need to Change in My Life

I need to stop worrying so much about what other people think.  I do need a good reputation, but I don't need to worry too much about what others think. I need to start saying "no" to people more often.  If something is not something I want to do (and I don't have to do it), I need to just say "no".  I need to start being more asssertive and just tell people my concerns when I don't feel something is right. I need to stop seeing people I don't want to see.  I know there are times when I can't help but deal with some people because I may have to work with them.  Yet as much as possible I need to stay away from people who hurt me, people who I think are too weird, or just anyone I don't feel like hanging around with. I need to stop staying in situations that are no good for me when I can get out of it. I need to get rid of more clutter and keep my place neat. The more useless stuff I get rid of, the easier it will be to clean things.

Snow storm before November

I have seen snow in October a few times.  The snow wasn't much and didn't last long. It was beautiful to see snow on autumn leaves. I do remember seeing that phenomenon while living on a college campus in Massachusetts. I took a few photos of it. Last Saturday, October 29, I was able to see snow in October again. This time it was a big blizzard.  October blizzards are very rare.  In fact, the first blizzards don't usually start until December, with the first snow falls starting around Thanksgiving. This snow storm gave half a foot of snow in my area.  Some other places had more than one foot, others up to 17 inches. My family's house only lost power for 4 hours.  Unfortunately, some people are still without power and should be without it for a few more days.  The storm is also blamed for 12 deaths.

Snow.

Last night it snowed for the first time this season. It is unusual to have snow so early, yet it isn't something I haven't seen before.  I didn't like the cold coming so fast.  Yet, thankfully, things didn't stay too icy for long.  My dog Jack was thrilled to see the snow.  There wasn't much on the ground, but when I took him outside today he spent some time digging into the snow with his paws and eating some of it.  At least somebody is happy to see the snow.

To Hell With Him

A week ago today I went out on a date with a man.  He seemed like a nice guy.  We have a lot in common.  We both picked out the onions in our salad.  He said he liked eggplant after I mentioned that I grew some in my garden last summer.  He likes the outdoors, travel, going on day trips to the city, etc.  I like all that stuff. He later said that he'd be at my church on Sabbath.  I was excited to be able to see him again.  I went to church in my best dress. I tried to look my best.  I went to church--and I didn't see him. He didn't show up at all. I looked for him during Sabbath School and during the church service.  A few days later I sent him a message and asked him how he was doing.  He said that on Friday night a friend called him and asked if he could work the sound equipment at another church that day. He went there instead.  I do wish that he sent a message to tell me that he wouldn't be there.  Anyway, he decided that going to the other church was more impor

Philemon Vespers

I did a vespers service a few years ago .  It was one that I was proud of.  I decided to publish the text of it here. Hello! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Christine ******. I am from Putnam, Connecticut, USA. Connecticut is the 3rd smallest state in the USA. (USA pp). Here is where the Pilgrims landed, that’s Canada, and that’s New York. We call this area “New England”. It is the birthplace of Adventism. The first SDA church is in New Hampshire. Ellen White was born in Maine. William Miller was from Pittsfield, MA and Joseph Bates was from New Bedford. I am going to talk about a book of the Bible that we don’t hear much about. It is the book of Philemon. It’s so small that it gets overlooked. It is a letter from Paul to a friend named Philemon. It is said that Philemon lived in Colosse. It is in present-day Turkey and was near Laodicea. In this book Paul was writing to Philemon in regards to a slave that he had owned. The man was Onesimus and he was a thief. He

Washington DC

Last month I went to Washington, DC for a few days with my mother.  I went there once in 1997 when I went with my high school.  I was there with my sister and classmates over Spring Break.  That was a good time. That was my first time visiting there since. My mother had never been there before, and at age 62 was finally getting to see the place for the first time.

Earthquake!!!

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Yesterday the East Coast of USA had an earthquake.  It's very rare for earthquakes to happen in the eastern USA.  A 5.8 quake hit in Virginia, not far from Washington DC.  Some structures got some damage, but there was nothing catastrophic.  The National Cathedral lost one of its spires and the Washington Monument is now cracked and closed indefinitely. Some people thought the quake was a terrorist attack because it's very close to the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 attacks.  The Pentagon and Capitol Building were evacuated, but people soon went back to work. The quake was felt even as far north as Massachusetts and Toronto.  Some people in my state (Connecticut) felt it, yet nobody in my town did.  Government workers in Hartford left their places after the quake. Well, it looks like it was uneventful, except the fact that everyone was shaken up by it.  And there is some damage that should be fixable for most structures.

Poppy by Lisel Mueller

When they stop reaching for the moon, the children begin to reach for the poppy. They know without knowing that death is red, its petals thinner than the thin skin of their crackling crepe paper fevers, and that it has a dark center in which they can disappear. It is not that they want to die, only to come as close to death as anyone has who is still alive, run through the fire quickly enough, pull open the parachute just in time, They want to taste one pollen grain from the bitter bread that grows among the yellow, ignorant wheat. Years later they  will reveal to you there was a time when they almost drowned in the river that flows backwards, the water that has no place to go. They will tell you as gently as they can.

Fiction by Lisel Mueller

Going south, we watched spring unroll like a proper novel: forsynthia, dogwood, rose; bare trees, green lace, full shade. By the time we arrived in Georgia the complications were deep. When we drove back, we read from back to front.  Maroon went wild, went scarlet, burned once more and then withdrew into pink, tentative, still in bud. I thought it only as we could go on and meet again, shy as strangers.

Drawings by Children by Lisel Mueller

I. The sun may be visible or not (it may be behind you, the viewer of these pictures) but the sky is always blue if it is day.  If not, the stars come almost within your grasp; crooked, the stars reach out to you, on the verge of falling. It is never sunrise or sunset; there is no bloody eye spying on you across the horizon. It is clearly day or night, It is bright or totally dark, it is here and never there. II. In the beginning you only needed your head, a moon swimming in space, and four bare branches; and when your body was added, it was light and thin at first, not yet the dark chapel from which, later, you tried to escape. You lived in a non-Newtonian world, your arms grew up from your shoulders, your feet did not touch the ground, your hair was streaming, you were still flying.

Boston Again

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Today my sister and I headed back to the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston again. Tickets are good for two visits, as long as the second visit is done within ten days of the first. I was happy to get back there. We also ate food at the Cheesecake Factory, a nice restaurant chain that has GREAT food. We also wandered around a mall. We first went to the subway stop called "Alewife", which is named after a type of fish. The place has a huge parking garage with many levels. It's a common place for people to come off the highway and park their cars and take the trains into Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts is right off the subway stop named after it. My sister and I were hungry when we got off, so we decided to find the Cheesecake Factory. We ordered salads. I got one with endive, raddicchio, pecans and cheese. It was to die for. It was so tasty I just savoured every bite. I can now die in peace because I have tried that salad. We also ordered pasta. We wandered ov

Stuff

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Last Sunday I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  It rained heavily when I arrived there with my sister.  It was to be the last day of the exhibit by Chihuly.  My sister and I were met by big crowds.  The line was going down the block.  Neither of us had an umbrella.  We waited in line for a few minutes and then decided not to bother with Chihuly, just try to see the rest of the museum.  I felt that we could do that.  We ran ahead of the line and inside.  Nobody tried to stop us.  We found the room to buy tickets in and stood in line some more, dripping wet. I got to the vendor and he said that anyone who had a Bank of America card on them would get free admission.  Thankfully I had mine on me and I got a free ticket.  I could also see the Chihuly exhibit after all.  So, my sister and I walked into the museum as line cutters. First we saw the musical instruments.  The museum has some harpsichords, virginals, many stringed instruments and some very old woodwinds.  I liked

I went to Campmeeting

Last week I was at Campmeeting in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. It was a good time.  It started on Friday night, went on throughout the weekend, and then all the next week.  I did meet up with some old friends and acquaintances and met some new people.  I am glad I went.  The last part of the week was cold and rainy, yet I was still glad to be there.

Grave Hunting

Today my mother and I decided to look for some graves of our ancestors in Rhode Island.  We went to the Pocasset Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island. It is a suburb of Providence.  I did know that my great-grand parents were buried somewhere in or near Providence.  My Uncle Jimmy told me which cemetery to go to, and I was anxious to go.  I haven't known much about my family's history until recently.  He told me that my great-grandmother arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on a ship from Liverpool, England.  It was November 28, 1880 and it was her fifth birthday.  Her parents, Samuel and Mary (Standring) Jackson had 10 or 11 children.  I do wonder how many came with them from England. The cemetery has 25,000 burials and has three sections.  We had no idea where to start looking in there.  We drove into the back of the cemetery.  My mother decided to take a right because that part seemed like the old section.  There were some areas that had just a few gravestones here and there, yet

The King's Speech

I watched The King's Speech yesterday. I was enthralled with Colin Firth's acting as King George VI.  I do believe he deserved the title of Best Actor.  I do think Colin Firth is one of Britain's best actors.  In the film, the king has a problem with stuttering.  He works with a language therapist to help him overcome his stutter. He improves a lot.  Later on it turns out that the therapist doesn't have a degree in linguistics or speech therapy. He just learned to work with WWI veterans that had speech problems as a result of shell shock.  I do think that one lesson learned from the film is that people don't always need credentials to do a good job at what they do.  Knowledge is essential of course, yet passion for what ones does is also important.  We don't always need a certificate to prove what we know.  Sometimes those without a degree may know as much as someone else with the degree, if not more.  Likewise someone with a bachelor's degree may not alw

We Lost Max

My family lost Max on Monday morning.  We got a phone call from the vet and she said he took a turn for the worse. It turns out his bladder ruptured and his body became toxic.  It was a hard blow for us because we had thought he was going to be fine. We were hoping he could come home with us that day.  We arrived at the vet and poor Max couldn't lift his head up.  He was gasping for air and grunting.  We were so shocked and heartbroken.  We were with him for a while and talking and talking to different staff members. It was evident that nothing more could be done for him, yet none of us wanted to believe that. My aunt and I left the room when the vet tech put Max to sleep.  My mother was with him, petting him. Earlier she was singing to him the same song she always sings to him when she arrives home from work.  Max could recognize his Mama.  Max was brought out to us wrapped in a plastic bag and blanket.  We buried him in newspapers and a paper bag.  I planted two lilies and som

Max Update

The vet called and said that Max's skin has been stitched up.  They had to stretch it a lot since the wound is large.  He did lose some skin during the accident.  It is sutured shut.  One toe had to be amputated. I did notice that one of his feet was hurt badly.  He did make one poo since arriving, yet they had to put a catheter in him to release some urine.  I do hope he does that on his own soon.  So far it looks like he's being one resilient little Maltese doggie.

Garden Shop and Later Max

Early this morning my mother and I went to a garden shop.  We got a blueberry bush that will have pink berries. I never saw such a thing before. I just had to get it since I like unusual plants, as well as blueberries.  I guess "blueberry" won't be such an appropriate name for them now, but I am not sure what else to use. So "pink  blueberry" even though it sounds silly.  We also got a gooseberry bush, which is more popular in Europe.  Our local expatriates from Europe have called the store to ask for them.  We got a raspberry bush and a kiwi plant. My mother also bought two pear trees (Bartlett and Asian pear) and an apple tree that will yield four types of apples. Since it's a grafted tree it can pollinate itself and not need another tree.  It will have Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Gravenstein apples.  It's a good idea, since it sells.  We left the trees to be delivered to our home later and took the bushes home in the car. My

Going to New York City

Last week I got to spend a few days in New York City. I have wanted to spend the night in Manhattan for a long time. My mother and I spent two nights at Hotel Carter, a cheap hotel that's just over $100 a night.  It's not fancy at all, the couch was ripped and the water had to run for 10 minutes to get hot enough for a good shower. Yet, I can't complain. It's better than spending over $300 on a hotel for a night.  To me, a hotel is only good for sleeping, showering, and keeping my things.  I am willing to stay in a cheap place.  The hotel was in a great location because it was so close to Times Square. Let those other people break the bank on a hotel. I went to see Phantom of the Opera on the first night. It was good. I saw Phantom back in high school.  It brought back memories.  I was with the school's music department.  The seniors all had their names put in a hat and some names were drawn to get the better seats. I was one of the lucky ones that got to sit close

Royal Wedding Recap

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I woke up early this morning to watch the royal wedding.  I didn't start watching as soon as the coverage started, but I didn't miss much.  I got to see all the royals being taken into Westminster Abbey.  It was different that the royals were driven there in cars, and many lesser royals were driven in mini-buses.  I do think it was a good idea since it would be safer and cheaper than a long procession of carriages. One thing was fun to watch was all the hats the women wore. It reminded me of My Fair Lady .  Many of the hats were perched on the front of someone's head, or resting on the side of the head.  They were more like hairpieces rather than hats. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrix, above, wore some crazy outfits. Their eyeliner was a bit much.  I don't understand why so many women think they need to look like Cleopatra or a raccoon.    The prime minister's wife, Samantha Cameron, didn't wear a hat.  The news cas

And death shall have no dominion

And death shall have no dominion. Dead mean naked they shall be one With the man in the wind and the west moon; When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone, They shall have stars at elbow and foot; Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion. And death shall have no dominion. Under the windings of the sea They lying long shall not die windily; Twisting on racks when sinews give way, Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break; Faith in their hands shall snap in two, And the unicorn evils run them through; Split all ends up they shan't crack; And death shall have no dominion. And death shall have no dominion. No more may gulls cry at their ears Or waves break loud on the seashores; Where blew a flower may a flower no more Lift its head to the blows of the rain; Though they be mad and dead as nai

Easter

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I did have a good Easter. It was rainy in the morning, but finally the sun came out.  The flowers are nice in the yard. There's forsynthia, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, and many buds on the lilac bush.  I went for a long walk with the dogs. I went to Walmart to get some of the cheaper Easter candy.  There's nothing like Easter eggs and Easter bunnies.  Even though I'm in my 30s I can still like that stuff.  My mother, aunt, and I had sandwiches at Subway.  I like their vegetables, so fresh.  Honey oat bread is the best. I later planted some gladiolus bulbs and uprooted some grape hyacinths that were in the yard and planted them in the flower bed and on Mindy's grave.  I miss Mindy so much. I found three ticks on Benji and two on Jack.  I don't like ticks. I want the dogs to get shots for Lyme Disease, since it's so prevalent here. I miss Mindy a lot. I am so used to having her in bed with me every night and seeing her sitting on the couch n

Goodbye Mindy

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Mindy, 2010-2011 Died of FIP This week Mindy deteriorated.  She didn't walk around as much.  She stopped eating and drinking on her own.  I felt crushed because she made such great improvements since November, when I first noticed her having neurological problems.  She used to be paralyzed and didn't eat or drink on her own.  Later she started walking, even though it wasn't well-balanced.  I no longer had to spoon-feed her and give her water with a syringe.  She did have a sort of shaky head and her eyes darted back and forth sometimes.  She had FIP, or Feline Infectious Peritonitus.  I gave her a vaccine for that, but it's only 60% effective and she may have been born with the virus. Last night around 1 am I was trying to sleep with Mindy on me.  Suddenly she started hyperventilating.  I knew her mouth was open and she was seething. I wasn't sure if she was vomiting or just foaming at the mouth. I put my hand there and she bit my thumb hard.  It bled a lot. I

Andrews University

I want to go back to Andrews University . I went there from 1999-2001.  I have missed it a lot since I left.  It has been a long time though.  I wish I didn't leave. I mostly left because my family talked me into leaving, saying Andrews was "too far away".  I do wish I held my ground and said "no".  I do realize that saying "no" to people is very important. I know that going back there won't bring back my old friends, my former life there, or make me able to pick up where I left off.  I will be going there as a graduate student this time.  I won't fit in with the crowd of 18, 19, and 20-year-olds who will dominate the campus. I will be studying International Development. I am sure I will like that degree. It will be a master's degree, so I can spend time with other older students. I will be there for a three-week session next month.  There will be other three-week sessions in other venues. They are in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Italy,

Death Be Not Proud

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so, For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow, Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, 5 Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie. Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell, 10 And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well, And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then; One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. --John Donne

Diana with Cystic Fibrosis

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Diana may not be her real name.  Yet, there is a girl in Ukraine that is living in one of the many orphanages there.  She has cystic fibrosis, a congenital disease that affects the body's way of digesting food and causes mucus to grow in the lungs.  With better medical care these days, many CF patients can live to be in their thirties. I do hope and pray that Diana will get a family soon.  She shouldn't have to live her life without a family to be with her. Link to profile: http://reecesrainbow.org/diana-29 Link to older girl's collective grant: http://reecesrainbow.org/category/waitingchildren/angels-6

Going to Lancaster

Last Thursday I went to South Lancaster, Massachusetts to visit the Adventist Book Center.  There was a sale of books, music, and vegetarian foods.  My family got a lot of food to stock up since we are all vegetarians.  I looked at the books, but I didn't get any.  I don't think that many books from Adventist publishing companies are worth reading.  That's because there aren't many good authors these days.  The better books are usually those written before the 1980s.  Those are good stories of missionaries and early Adventist pioneers. I went to my alma mater to get a new diploma, since I lost my original one when I was in Korea. I moved a few times and I ended up losing it somehow, along with my alien card. I was upset. Mindy the cat came along for the ride.  She was a good girl and sat in the back seat without any trouble. I didn't want to leave her at home.  She sat beside me or on my lap and was very quiet. We went to a grocery store and got lots of food. I d

A Reply from Fred Phelps

A man thought that God is mean. The reply: Psalm 11:5, Deuteronomy 25:16, 1 Samuel 2:25,Romans 9:11-13, Job 16:9-14, Job 23:13-17, Psalm 90:7-12...these are just a few! I hope you have not been going to the building you call a church for many years. God is righteous! He is not like us. And for the unbelievers here Psalm 14:1. I pray that some here God will grant fear of him, that is the beginning of wisdom!

Mindy

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These are photos of Mindy after I brought her home from the vet in Korea. She ended up having neurological problems and was paralyzed. They were saying it may be Feline Infectious Peritonitus (FIP) which is caused by the Corona virus.  They said she may  have been born with it.  She started the bad neurological problems on Nov. 13.  She is still living and doing better. I brought her home to the USA with me on Dec. 7 and she now walks around and drinks on her own and eats a little. I do still give her some canned food by spoon.  I have been giving her L-lysine tablets and that has been helping her. I won't be doing animal rescue again for a while. I have been tired of the diseases and heartbreak it has caused me.  I also have enough animals to take care of right now.  I do hope Mindy keeps improving.  The vets all say that FIP is incurable, but none have been able to make a sound diagnosis of Mindy.

I Miss Korea

I do miss Korea. I do miss many people there and many places there.   I have been wishing I was there now to do some things with the friends I left behind. What I don't miss is teaching.  Teaching is what most of us foreigners do there, unless we are in military. I would gladly do something there that doesn't involve teaching a class.  Teaching is something I don't like doing.  I have wondered if I learned better skills with it, that maybe I would like it better.  Yet after doing it for so long things haven't changed.  The problem is that since I have spent so much time since graduating from college in Asia, I have gotten accustomed to life there. I haven't readjusted to American life well at all.  Frankly, I don't really want to get used to the USA again. I don't want to live here, unless I can live in one of the bigger metropolitan areas like New York City or Boston.  If I lived in those places I could get used to walking around a lot and using public t

My Alma Mater Will Cease to Exist

I found out last week that my alma mater, Atlantic Union College will lose its accreditation at the end of summer 2011.  It has been in existence since the 1880s, but it has been having financial problems for over a decade now.  The problems with AUC have been very controversial.  Many students were defaulting on their loans when I was there from 2001-2003.   There was at least $7 million in debts for the school.  The reasons that students were allowed to default is something that's hard to speak out about.  Clearly some favoritism existed.  The president at the time was accused of firing competent staff members and replacing them with cronies that were less qualified.  Such mis-management was enough to bring the school into ruin.  Even though he left just before I graduated in 2003, the damage has proven irreversible. It has been voted that Washington Adventist University in Maryland will take AUC as a satellite campus.  It is good that WAU now has university status (it only gai

Mokpo

I didn't get the job in Mokpo.  The director of the language school decided he didn't need a new teacher after all.  That is fine though. I can still get another job somewhere else. I do hope that I do get another job soon. Last week I talked to a school where a friend of mine works, and there are no openings there either.  I do feel disappointed.  Mokpo is a city on the ocean, and I love the ocean.  I also feel that a change from Seoul would do me good if I'm to return to Korea, because Seoul's air is very dirty. A friend of mine is working at a school in California, which is a lifestyle center and a training school.  She likes working there. I met her in Korea when we both taught English for the same chain of language schools.

31st birthday

Yesterday I turned thirty-one years old. I spent a lot of the morning trying to fix the internet connection on the house computer.  It didn't work. I was frustrated. I went outside to take the dogs for a walk and I was pleased to see some daffodil bulbs coming out of the ground.  The winter was extremely harsh and the snow was very high.  My area had many roof collapses and driving was difficult due to the high snow banks on every corner.  I did want to go to a certain Mexican restaurant, but the restaurant has temporarily closed because of problems with its roof.  My family decided to go to another Mexican restaurant in town, but the restaurant was closed because it was Monday.  We decided to go to a pizza parlor instead.  The pizza was very good, I shared a vegetable pizza with my mother. My sister and aunt both had salads and pasta. At home I had chocolate and harlequin ice cream with a cake.  The cake was nice, double-layer with real frosting and green/white jimmies on the

Moving Out

I have decided that I want to get out of my mother's house by the end of March.  I will be 31 years old next week and I don't want to live with my family.  I don't hate my family, but I am old enough to be on my own and I should be.  I have decided to look into various jobs so I can get some income and move out ASAP.  I have realized that I have changed a lot since I moved out of the house.  I keep changing too.  I don't want to do the same things my family does. I don't agree with them on every issue. I also don't want to attend my home church anymore.  I am still a Christian, yet I don't want to attend the same congregation for many reasons. The two years I spent in Korea were rough.  I made many mistakes.  Yet, I learned from my mistakes. I realized there were many things I needed to change about myself. I did get angry at God over some things that happened to me, but there were some lessons I needed to learn.  I do wish I learned those things earlier.

Hope For Orphans

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Last summer I came across an organization called Reece's Rainbow  that helps children with disabilities who are living in orphanages in various countries.  The disabled children in those orphanages usually are transferred to mental institutions when they are 4 or 5 years old. I never knew that happened. Yet many children with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, blindness, deformed limbs, deafness, and cranio-facial deformities are sent to mental institutions once they leave the baby homes.  They are left there to stay until they finally expire.  And many of them die within their first year there due to neglect. It is an atrocity.  I feel that they deserve to be rescued and have loving families. Not everybody can adopt children.  Yet there are things we all can do to help them out.  This charity and some others have grant funds to help families with adoption expenses.  Many would have never been rescued if it wasn't for the grants.  Lives are saved, literally, because they were resc

Being Back.

I have been back for two months now. I think I have been at my mother's home long enough. I am very restless. I want to be on my own again desperately. I don't like the idea of stagnating. I also don't think that a woman in her 30s should be living at her mother's house. I need to move out again. I have heard of a possible English teaching job in Korea. It's not near where I was before, and I would rather be with my friends I made over there.  Yet, I can learn to get used to a new place and blossom there. I could make new friends. Maybe I can really like it.

Jack in the Snow

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My Mother's Birthday

My mother turned 62 years old on Monday.  She had to take my aunt to Willimantic to see the welfare office. My aunt has lost her health insurance and they had to settle things.  I stayed home.  After a while I decided to take the dogs outside. I walked Benji.  After that I took out Max and Jack.  While I was going back up the street, Jack's leash snapped and he ran up the street.  Thankfully he went into the driveway and stayed out of the street. When I got into my driveway, I tried to call Jack over to me.  He decided to run around the yard in the deep snow.  The snow is up to my knees. I tried walking toward him, but he kept running off.  I did get to walk on top of the snow, but sometimes I sank into it.  I decided to put Max in the house and when I did that, Benji ran out. I quickly grabbed him and put him back. Jack decided he would run around the side of the house and the backyard. He wouldn't come.  The problem is that he isn't afraid of cars. I didn't want hi

Children Around the World by Jane Hodges-Caballero

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I had this book when I was a child. I doubt my mother realised how much of an impact it made on me. This book was about countries around the world. It devoted a few pages to one country, introducing at least fifty countries. It showed pictures of children and dolls in native costumes. The book had pictures of flags, maps, words in various languages to learn, and some activities for each country. There were a few recipes and folk stories for some countries. I spent a lot of time pouring over the pages and wishing I could visit those countries and meet those children. I didn't grow up in an area with lots of diversity. I grew up in a small town that was filled with mostly white people who were of Polish background. The town was a Polish enclave for many years. There was Polish food and music at church festivals every year. I have some Polish blood from my grandfather. I knew I had Polish relatives in town that we didn't know. They never accepted my grandmother who had pa

Being Back Home

It was nice to take a break and go home for a while. I left Korea on Dec. 7.  Yet now I am feeling the urgent need to move on. I am going to look for new jobs in Korea. I will also look at study options. I must do it this week. I am not interested in living with my family, even though it will be cheaper. I am almost 31 years old.  I need to be on my own again.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen

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I read this book in 2007 when I traveled to Venezuela. It was a good companion to have on the airplane ride. The book is about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. I never realized how much the fair changed things. Some products were introduced at the fair such as Cracker Jacks, Juicy Fruit Gum, Aunt Jemima's Pancake mix, and the hamburger was introduced to the USA. I found it to be very interesting that a few of the buildings from the fair that stand today are part of the Museum of Science and Industry. I went there in 2000. I didn't know about the history of those buildings until I read the book. The book is about the World's Fair and also about a series of murders that were committed by a serial killer during the time of the event. He went by many pseudonyms. H.H. Holmes was his most popular one. He came from the East and moved into Chicago where he wasn't known. He was a good con-artist, making business deals with people and later refusing to pay his loans

Andrew Wakefield is a Fraud

The anti-vaccine debate is something that has been raging for over a decade.  The debate started in 1998 when British doctor Andrew Wakefield published a study that said vaccines may cause autism in toddlers.  The result was that millions of parents refused to vaccinate their children, decided to space vaccines out, or also selectively vaccinate their children.  The result was that many children were sickened by vaccine-preventable diseases and some died.  There were people who were vaccinated and came down with the illnesses because their vaccines weren't enough to give them full immunity.  Some diseases that were almost non-existant in some areas made comebacks among those unvaccinated populations. This anti-vaccine debate boils my blood.  First, the risks of vaccinating are low.  They are so low that in fact, when someone does have a reaction to a vaccine, doctors are not sure if the vaccine caused the distress or something else.  Even then, the risk of getting the infectious d

The Gifted Adult by Mary-Elaine Jacobsen

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The issues of adults with intellectual giftedness are something that isn't brought up often among psychological circles. Giftedness in child development is something that is talked about, yet still isn't addressed enough. After all, only a small part of the population is gifted. It is an important topic because people with giftedness have unique needs. They are often misunderstood. Many gifted people have heightened sensitivities, emotions, drive, imagination, and creativity. Having relationships with other gifted individuals is essential so they can have people with whome to relate. I decided to read this book so I can understand myself better. I know I was an outsider in school. I was one of the students with good grades and never joined any groups. I was a non-conformist and I never felt that I was like the other students. I often didn't know what to talk about when they talked about things. I just didn't find their topics to be interesting. Of course I got

Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults

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By James T. Webb, Edward R. Amend, Nadia E. Webb, Jean Goerss, Paul Belian, Richard Olenchak This book is a very interesting book about the subject of intellectual giftedness. It is about how gifted people often get misdiagnosed with disorders such as Bipolar, AD/HD, Asperger's, and Obsessive Compulsive. It also mentions how gifted people can have these disorders along with their giftedness. Psychologists are realizing now that gifted traits can mimic certain disorders because of the overexcitabilities and drive of people of high intelligence. Gifted individuals with learning disabilities and other psychiatric disorders are known as "twice exceptional" and they are a challenging group of people to understand. I have noticed that many children are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and and many other disorders. They are being put on drugs like Ritalin at a high rate. Many of these children are very bright kids. I wonder how many of them really neeed that medication. Hi

Names for Plants

Some  names I thought would be great for hybrid plants if I were a botanist: Ice Princess, Snow Queen, Emerald City, Kaitlin, Gracie, Zephyr, Shianna, Shayla, Desert Queen, Taehan, Jinju, Paek-Jangmi, Cham Sarang, Cloud's Silver Lining, Pink Frosting, Villanelle, Moonbow, Po Eun, Cheyenna, Georgia O'Keefe, Angeline Grace, Sugarplum Fairy, Boston, Geumgansan,  Baekdusan, Jet Black, Tharaya, Dali, Picasso, Sheena, Silver/Gold Jubilee, Mulled Cider, Pot of Gold, Ariel, Silver Bells, April Showers, Double Rainbow, Philos, Aristotle, Lauralee, Christmas Candy, Clear Joy, Confetti, Sepia, Peaceful Breeze, Zephyra, Zephaniah, Crystalline...

Why I Want to Be a Drifter

I have had old friends and family members in the United States asking me when I'm going to stay in the country and settle.  They see my wanting to live in other countries to work and explore as "immature" and think I need to get a "real" job and be "stable".  I know what they think would be best for me: a great job where I can make lots of money and have prestige, a house with a big yard, a few children with names like Mackenzie and Aidan, and a golden retriever.  A bonus would be a white picket fence and a SUV.  It is considered "success" to fit into the typical suburban lifestyle and have lots of things people will envy. I have decided to opt out of the "American Dream".  I have realized it's not worth it to chase after it.  Having a home would be nice, but that would also mean having to pay a mortgage and keeping the home up.  I would like to own a home, yet it's not something necessary.  I also don't want to have a