Trip to Boston

I drove my dad into Boston, Massachusetts so he could take a work test, he studied in the car. We hit the road at nine a.m. We just missed the morning traffic and arrived at Kendall Square just before ten. He brought me inside so I would know where he would be. I decided to stay in the car outside the testing building, where we got a metered parking spot. As I sat in the car I watched many people walk by. Not one person looked, acted, or dressed alike. The city always amazes me because I never know what I am going to see. One man was walking on the sidewalk barefoot, it’s December!
I sat in my dad’s red SUV for about an hour and a half. It hardly felt like ten minutes, there was so much to keep me occupied. When my dad finished he came out and took over the driver’s seat. We started to pull out of the parking spot when he asked what I wanted to do or if I wanted anything to eat. I knew what we need to do and that was to visit my aunt, his sister. My dad agreed but insisted that we get lunch first. I suggested Regina Pizza (there are about three within a ten mile radius), so we searched for a parking spot. We drove all around the city for about forty-five minutes before we finally found a spot three long blocks away. We sped walked the whole way. I ordered two slices and a drink and the total came to $8.10. I was shocked at how expensive it was. I ate one slice and saved the second for leftovers. We headed back to the car which was only one block from my aunt’s house. We decided to walk over. She was so surprised to see us. I am not sure how long it has been since I have seen her, but it is safe to say it has been at least five years. She doesn’t speak much English so our visit was quick but it certainly felt good to see her.
I started the day thinking it was going to be a drag having to bring my dad to Boston, but by the end I had a great day with my dad. Especially because my dad is not the type of person who says I love you often but his actions that day certainly said it.

Black Friday

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
I was one of the crazy people who went shopping on Black Friday =) My boyfriend and I woke up at 4 a.m. and got to the mall right after it opened. Target was our first stop and it was insanely packed, we were in the express lane to check out for at least 20 minutes! The rest of the mall wasn't too bad, but it was unbelievable how many people were up so early!! We spent over $400 and are pretty much done our Christmas shopping in November, woot. How about you guys anyone go out? Get any good deals?

"No Goats, No Glory"

Picture taken from Filmofilia.com

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a comedy/action film about a reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) who tries to impress his ex by going to Iraq to prove he is worth something. On his journey he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) a former member of the U.S. Army’s first Earth Battalion.
Although it may not be apparent what these two strangers have in common, you soon discover there is more to war than weapons as they demonstrate the powers of a Jedi Warrior. The two are joined by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) and Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).
WARNING THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER !!!!!!!!
This movie provided a few laughs but overall disappointing for a so called “comedy.” There are a few scenes that did not make sense but that could also have been because I lost interest. It was a pity because they had a great cast just not great material.
WARNING SPOILER ALERT!!!
The part of the movie that I actually really enjoyed because I did not see it coming at all was the last scene when Bob Wilton runs through his office wall, very unreal but still it impressed me.

"On Writing"

For my media writing class we are required to blog about our reading assignment from a book called “On Writing” by Stephen King. I was not thrilled about reading the book in the first place and to have to blog about it made me hate the assignment even more. Well to my surprise the book was actually an easy read, which is rarely the case when it comes to required reading. I like the style King uses; it is as though he writes the way he talks. An interesting point he brings up in the beginning of his book is how writing is telepathy. It is true; writers are able to communicate with their readers through writing. He even uses an example having his reader picture a red cloth on a table, with a cage on top, a white rabbit inside and a number eight in blue ink on its back. King and his reader’s are connected by this image.
I have already learned a lot of things about writing from King including how to spell fuhgeddaboudit. In all seriousness, I learned how important it is to read and write a lot to be a good writer, to write about what you know and don’t lie.
One thing that really stuck in my mind after reading it was when King told the story about his son, Owen, being a fan of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and learning how to place the saxophone. He paid for lessons for his son but he noticed that his son only practiced when his instructor required it. King wrote something that others may have read and thought nothing of… “If there’s no joy in it, it’s just no good.”

Young at Heart

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The fort, the dugout and the treehouse

"Hang you Hat" by Artist Lisa Rae Winant
Image used by permission of the Artist
37x10/ oil on panel

It was late-May in a dilapidated neighborhood just south of Griffenville, New York. The scent of freshly cut grass lingered in the warm pre-summer air. There was a buzz of excitement filling the streets as the town’s Dream Baseball Camp was about to open for the season. It was a long sought-after dream for three young boys; Michael, Brian and Jacob, to one day play on one of the numerous leagues at the camp. Unfortunately, the cost to visit Griffenville Dream Baseball Camp was five hundred dollars. Every fall, the boys each asked their mothers if they could apply to camp and the answer was always a disappointing “I can’t afford it!” What could this Dream Camp have that was worth more money than a single mom’s two-month salary?
One day while Jacob was throwing a baseball around, he discovered an old abandoned baseball field just behind his mother’s mobile home. This would be his only chance to play baseball on a real field. Jacob ran the entire two miles it takes to get to Michael and Brian’s neighborhood. The other two boys were baffled as to what could have possibly gotten into their friend, who was now so wound up he could barely speak. As the boys made their way back to the scene of Jacob’s incredible discovery, they were anxious with anticipation of what they would find. When they finally laid eyes on the field they just stared in awe. The boys played for hours. They even lost track of time. It wasn’t until the sun vanished on the horizon that they realized it was time to go home. The boys planned to meet again the next day for another fun filled day of baseball.
That night, all three boys had the best dreams that they had ever had in their lives. They all dreamt the same dream, that they were playing with each other on their own private baseball field. The next day, after a few hours of playing ball under the hot sun, the boy’s needed to find shelter. Michael suggested they build a tree house, Brian suggested a dug out and Jacob wanted a fort. After arguing, the boys decided that they shouldn’t settle on just one form of shelter when they could go to the dump and find things to build their own dream shelter. And that’s what they set out to accomplish. They each experienced more from using their own imagination than they could ever get from one week playing at Griffenville Dream Camp. They now had a place to play baseball all summer long.

"Snap! Crackle! Pop!"

A passion I have had for many years is working with children. It all began the summer after graduating junior high school when I began working at a private school/daycare center/summer camp in Nashua, NH, with two women, Danielle and Jessica, and a group of about sixteen two-three-year-olds. I was not quite old enough to have a “real” job so I was paid $5 an hour from 9-12 Mondays-Fridays as a counselor in training (CIT). When I arrived at work I would play with the children, help them clean up, go to the one foot pool with them and help out at lunch time. I found it so rewarding that I often stayed until 3 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I loved the women I worked with and the children so much that I decided to go back the next summer. Each summer I worked with Danielle and Jessica and we had a new group of lovable two-three-year-olds. I learned so much from the job such as how to work as a team, leadership skills, patience, and best of all I learned how to take care of a child. When I turned sixteen I received a new title, afternoon assistant, and continued to work in the same classroom but with new hours 11-6. I worked with Danielle and Jessica for six years.
This past summer was the first summer in all my years working at the school that I no longer had a position in pre-school. I was asked to work in a classroom in the infant wing because one of the teachers was on maternity leave. I was not thrilled at all. I was going to miss working with Danielle and Jessica and most of all I was going to miss the two-three-year-olds. I was put in the young toddler group; these children were only a year and a half old and had very little skills besides walking. On my very first day the amount of screams and cries was enough to make me want to yell I quit on the top of my lungs. I was very overwhelmed to say the least. I tried very hard to look at the bright side of working with this age group. One benefit was there was a smaller ratio of children; at most we would have twelve. I also didn’t have to worry about the kids missing me when I left at the end of summer because I thought to myself how would they have any awareness of where I was? These kids couldn’t even talk; all they did was cry.
A few weeks into summer camp and the crying was minimal and the children seemed to actually have fun and enjoy themselves. It wasn’t long before we taught them how to use sippy cups and then taught them how to drink out of cups. We introduced silverware, taught them how to throw away their trash and even how to wash their hands. Many children even began to use the words hi and bye. Soon we introduced more, please, and water into their vocabulary. I was amazed at how quickly they were able to learn. Some children took longer than others but at the end of summer I had helped teach the children how to do simple tasks that they would use for the rest of their lives. The greatest feeling was when I had children calling me by my name! It brings me to tears just to think about how much I will miss coming into work and hearing the kids yell out my name! At the end of the summer six children knew my name. What a wonderful gift they have given me.