Women vs. Fairy Tales

In response to the question: "Don't fairy tales belittle women?"

There are so many fairy tales that show the strength of girls as well. They are mostly coming of age stories. Not all of them are about fairy princesses and the knights that come to save them.

Hans Christian Anderson and Aesops fables are both examples of fairy tales that teach valuable life lessons. Mother Goose too offers a whimisical outlook on life.

The Brothers Grimm tend to be more gender biased. But if you take a look at the stories it is often a wicked parent that takes advantage of the girls in the stories. Perhaps showing a strange obsession the Brothers had towards their own mother? If you read the original Grimm version of Cinderella you'd be shocked at how different it is from the modern Disney version.

One of my modern favorites is Fern Gully - where Krista saves the fairy kingdom when she discovers her own inner powers.

Gregory Maguire has written some fantastic books around popular fairy tales - giving you a completly different view on the events surrounding the heroins. Of course, the most popular being "Wicked" - fabulous look at the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witches point of view.

Folk Lore and Myth - non-traditional fairy tales - show a great deal of strength in women. Greek Mythology shows a good balance between the Gods and the Goddesses. In these ancient stories women are sometimes held in higher regard than the men {AS THEY SHOULD BE} - it makes you wonder what happened in our world to make a more matriarchal society shift towards a more patriarchal society? Could it maybe be the invent of Christianity? I dunno ... seems to be around that same time period when women started to take a lesser role in history and in writings.

The Santa Claus Myth

Someone at medialine asked a question that typically comes up this time of year - should you share the myth of Santa Claus with your children? Or would that be committing the ultimate lie?

Well .. it all comes down to whether or not you want to introduce Magic and Fairy Tales into the life of your kids. Do you want them to believe in the impossible? That anything at all could happen? That your imagination can be a wonderful tool?

I believe Fairy Tales are an essential part of the lives of children. You teach them to believe in the impossible and that anything could happen - to keep their minds open. Kids develop an imaginative and creative mind when we allow them to dream of the impossible. And the legend of Santa Claus is a very important part of that creative development.

How you tell a child the truth - and when - is the key issue. Personally I didn't know for sure until I was 11 years old. While I kind of knew - it wasn't until friends confirmed that my parents purchased the gifts that I knew for sure. Today - I still believe in the Magic of the Santa Claus legend.

My own son was 6 or 7 years old when he found out about Santa. It was actually quiet funny-really. He had been asking alot about Santa that year - and we kept encouraging him to believe knowing it would be his last year. Then one day he happened to stumble across the stash of presents in our hiding spot. He started jumping up and down screaming - I knew it was you! I knew it was you! Almost proud of himself for figuring out the mystery behind the gifts.

This is when I sat him down and reminded him that other kids still believed in Santa - that he needed to keep the mystery to himself. I also told him the story of St. Nick, and that Santa Claus was really the spirit of the holiday and the love we hold for our friends and families deep within our hearts. So, Santa is still Magical for us because he represents love.

I don't see this as lieing. You're sharing a popular tradition of our culture - a myth so to speak. One that teaches kids to believe in the impossible - and that love is what truly matters during the holidays.

St. Nicholas was a real life person - who gave gifts in secrecy to children. You are continuing the work of St. Nick by offering gifts to your own children each year. It is a continuation of tradition - just as is the Christmas Tree. It is without these traditions that our society begins to lose itself. IF we do not honor the customs of our society - what will our children be left with? Perhaps some of our morale issues have stemmed from the lack of caring for these traditions? Kids have been left with no sense of continuity - and have no hope for their own futures. By sharing customs passed on from generation to generation you give children a sense of their own ancestral history. They are following the same rituals their grandparents did - their great grandparents - and many other generations before them. The kids develop a true sense of family - a sense of who they are, where they come from, and a good idea of where they are expected to go.

If you do decide to not share the Santa tradition with your kids - be sure to form some sort of family tradition with them. Something that they can pass along to their own children.

Organ Donation Awareness Advocay

Today marks the 14 year anniversary of my husbands double lung transplant. A HUGE thank you goes out to anyone and everyone who has registered as an Organ Donor.

Every 16 minutes another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Over 88,000 people are currently waiting for a new organ. 12 people will die each day while waiting on the list. Even though one donor can help up to 50 people, only 27,000 transplants were given in 2004. It is evident that the need for organ transplants continues to exceed the availability of organs.

You can find more information about the Organ Transplant process from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) at www.unos.org. If you haven’t done so all ready, please complete an organ donor card yourself, tell your family of your decision, and share the gift of life.

Thanksgiving Menu

For those invited to the Hush Household for Thanksgiving Dinner - I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at the menu for the evening - Dinner will be served between 4:30 & 5:00pm.

Roast Turkey with Herb Butter
Rich Gravy
Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing
Wild Rice. Roasted Walnut & Cranberry Dressing
Cranberry Chutney
Creamy Mashed Poatoes
Glazed Carrotts
Corn

Dessert - your choice of:
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Ganache Tart
Cranberry & Apple Cider Sorbet

We Give Thanks

I am having a little bit of trouble finding things to be thankfull for this year, and thought I would ask you all to assist me in finding the spirit of Thanksgiving. What will you be Thankful for this year?

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Here's my attempt:
1. I am thankful for a healthy, beautiful child. The light of my life – he will survive and succeed in whatever he does no matter the stumbling blocks he's had to overcome this year.

2. I am thankful for the time I have spent with my husband – and the time we have left together.

3. I am thankful for the love of my parents, and knowing that I can be their pillar when they need someone to lean on.

4. I am thankful for having the chance to find myself again mid-life – and for the time away from work to take care of my family issues.

5. I am thankful to be alive – to be able to complain on an internet forum without worrying about being blown away in an unjust war – or thrown in jail for speaking my mind.

6. I am thankful that I have the strength to keep going each day, no matter how difficult it gets.

and last but not least,

7. I am thankful that I saw Bono and U2 in concert last week!!!!! {it's been a rough year - I needed something happy on my list!}

REMINDER - these pictures will be blurry because they were taken with digital binoculars - it took 5 seconds for each shot to process and you just can't make rock stars stand still! But you can see how good they WOULD have been if the binoculars had worked they way I wanted them to!

Gavin Rossdale from Institute

Bono lost in confetti and lights


A blurry Edge


Blurry Bono Shots

The Night I Slept With Bono

I am sure that title has caught your attention! You'll have to wait till the end of this posting to see what happened. As you know - I attended the U2 concert last night in Tampa. Let me tell you - the show was AWESOME!!!!!!! I am still having trouble talking, and can't hear out of my right ear - so you know the show was great.

You can find the set list from the show here: www.u2.com

The opening band - Institute - were smoking! And the lead singer was absolutely GORGEOUS! He's Gavin Rossdale's from the band Bush. I have a photo of him - sort of. While I took the digital binoculars and was able to snap 62 pictures - I didn't count on each picture taking 5 seconds to shoot. So the majority of the shots are blurry! But three or four of them did turn out well and I'll post them here shortly. Here's the web site to Institute - if you're a U2 or Bush genre fan - you will love them.

I almost missed Bono's entrance -while the rest of the band were on the main stage - Bono snuck out onto the center of the ellipse. As confetti fell down all around him - my sister points over to him - and I freak out! Yes - I will admit to screaming at the top of my lungs and jumping up and down like a lil' teeny bopper. I take pride in the fact that I wasn't reduced to tears!!! I was so afraid I would - because I always make fun of the girls who do that.

While I'm not going to do a breakdown of every song - I will say that I am so glad they performed Original of the Species. It's my favorite from the Vertigo album - and they did it well. The song became more special when Bono stated that it was written for their families. The entire show was amazing - it really was the best concert I've been to - tieing with the Rattle & Hum tour. A fantastic experience overall - I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

I have a new found respect for Edge. You know - I hate to say this - but he always seemed to get lost in the background for me. But tonight - he was just amazing. He has got to be one of the most talented guitarists I've seen - I was just in awe of his performance and have to give him kudos for a job well done last night.

I loved the fact that Larry Mullin JR. got out from behind his drum set as well - and made an apperance center Ellipse for a portion of the show. The group really does have the performance of the show down to a science. I know some of you have said you didn't care for this political portion of the show - but my sister and I thought it was very compelling. To think becaue of this band - because of Bono - the world has taken steps AS ONE to help the people in Africa. It's humbling. All I have to say is that only 250,000 people have been treated from American funds - it's not enough. It's not enough - we need to do more! Bono - if you lead me - I will follow. Just show me the way to go - and I'll be there.

The show ended with two encores. The people around us didn't believe there'd be a second encore and left. HAHAHA! (see my little disclaimer section below) Which left us with lots of dancin' room and a clear view of Bono and the stage. Of course - the last song was "40" and we sung the band off stage for the night.

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DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER
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I am inserting a disclaimer here - typically I try to be an upbeat individual. I respect other people and am considerate to everyone. I typically don't have anything bad to say about people - and I don't normally curse. If you have any sensitivities to curse words, Irish people or the Irish flag - please stop reading now. Finally - please understand under most circumstances I would NEVER say anything bad about a u2 concert - but this incident seriously pissed me off and I must share it with you.

Prior to the show beginning we noticed the fellow concert patrons in front of us were of Irish descent. Since I am 1/4 Irish it was kind of cool to have these natives to share the concert with. As the opening band performed - the group of Irish went on a drinking binge and were thoroughly wasted prior to U2 getting onto the stage. If you come from Britain - think of the word "Tinker" and you'll know exactly what I thinking right now. While a bit rambunctious during the show - the Tinkers were tolerable for the majority of the show. BUT ever fu*kin' time Bono stood on the ellipse in front of our section - those dam* Tinkers held up there fu*kin' Irish Flag and blocked our view COMPLETELY. I - along with about 20 others - were livid. You don't just get between me and the man I worship. I tapped on the elder Tinkers shoulder and reminded him that every time they hoisted their beloved flag - the people behind them couldn't see. Could he maybe limit the use when Bono was directly in front of us - because we wanted to see him too. BUT NO! The jack off didn't listen - and kept waving that dam* flag as if his life depended on it. I swear to God - if I were a lesser person and not so afraid of prison - I would have strangled him right then and there. But again -they left prior to the encores and I was all the more happy for it!

OK -- my rant is finished. Now that the concert is over - I'm sure you're still curious about the title of my post. I'm getting there - don't worry! My sister and I strolled back to the hotel {laughing at all the people who had to drive home} and joked around about Bono and the band sneaking through the underground tunnel back to the hotel as we walked above. When we got into the lobby we decided to stop at the lobby bar and have a little night cap before retiring for the evening. I had a Lemon Drop Martini - and she a Guinness. We noticed there were TONS of security guards lingering around - and kind of scoping the place out. I thought to myself - OMG he's here!!!!!! My sister then overhears one of the security guys speakng into his phone - "You want me to bring Bono up now? He's on the terrace so it might take a few minutes" So - of course - I'm like - OK - which terrace is he on and how do I get there!!!!!!!

Wow - I bet you guys are now all thinking - did Hush get to meet her idol? Did she make a complete fool out of herself in front of him? Was she able to live out her dream of TWENTY ONE years and sit down for five minutes to talk with Bono?????!!!!!!!!

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NO! There were too many security guards around - and the Lemon Drop Martini was too strong! When I got up to take a peek outside I could barely walk! UGH! So - we went upstairs to our room, ran out onto our balcony and screamed "BONO - WHERE ARE YOU? WE LOVED THE SHOW BONO! THANK YOU!" in hopes he was still lingering on his terrace and could hear us. HOWEVER - I can still say that I slept with Bono - technically we were in the same building while we were both sleeping.

And maybe one day that dream of meeting him will come true. But for now I will have pleasant memories and blurry pictures of the Vertigo tour - and can pop in my Vertigo CD to relive the experience whenever I need a Bono fix.

And seriously - Bono - it is because of YOU - I AM. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for all that you do - for the music you give us - for the person you are - and for the person you make me want to be. I am forever in your debt.

Obsession

Well - call me obsessed - but I couldn't get any sleep last night. I kept telling myself that it's only a concert. It's not really worth all this excitment - this nervous energy - this adrenaline. But I'm hyped all the same. {Perhaps it's the Diet Coke consumption, though?}

My sister will arrive here around 1pm - and we'll head over to Tampa then. We plan on hanging out at the hotel for the few hours prior to the concert - perhaps scout it out as a possible location where the band is staying. Wouldn't that be a hoot - run into Bono in the elevator or at the bar!

I was able to get the digital binoculars to work - HOWEVER - they are a bit reluctant to shoot photos in low light. So I am keeping my fingers crossed the stage will be lit enough to take one or two photos. If not - it was worth the shot. These binoculars will be able to take a much closer picture than my digital camera. AND they will make it past the "no zoom lens" camera issues at the venue.

Now - I just need to figure out how to disguise the binocular case as a purse - considering one of the restrictions listed at the Ice Palace web site is no binocular cases allowed. Why - I have no idea! This is case is smaller than my purse - and I can wear it around my waist. No worries about stolen purses or loosing the binoculars this way.

Well - guys - today is the day I've been waiting for. It's been one year since they announced the tour - and it's finally here! After tonight - I can stop obsessing and return to my normal HushHush self. I wonder if the hotel concierge can deliver cases of Diet Coke to our room tomorrow morning?

The Evils of Wal-Mart

The community in which I live has a pretty active Home Owners Association. We've managed to stop the building of High Speed rail (for now) and are now battling the Wal-Mart corporation. You see - they want to build a SECOND Super Wal-Mart two miles south of the first. This second location happens to be directly behind our Middle School and High School and the entrances will be located on a major road that is already congested. I just sent this letter to the Orange County representatives (substituting negiborhood & street names):

Dear Orange County Representatives:

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my views on the Super Wal-Mart project scheduled to be built on the corners of ***** Parkway and ***** Parkway.

#1 - There is already a Super Wal-Mart just over 2 miles to the north on **** Parkway and ***** Road. There is absolutely no need for a second store at this intersection. If we as consumers can't drive an additional 2 miles down the road - then this indeed has become a terrible world we live in.

#2 - Living in the ******* area for 13 years I have watched the destruction of the South Orlando area slowly over time. The amount of traffic along ***** Parkway is almost impassible during the morning and afternoon commutes - the conjestion is often worse than driving along I-4. With the construction of ******* Trail going onto it's third year (another issue we should probably discuss) we see no relief from this congestion anytime in the near future. The addition of a Super Wal-Mart at this intersection will create additional traffic problems and will put our high school students at additional risk when traveling to and from campus. The environmental impact from the congestion caused by these two stores alone could be detrimental to the South Orlando region. Our desirable community to live in has all been but destroyed for my family - and we are seriously considering relocating out of the Orange County area because of the mis-management of growth by our representatives.

#3 - Shall I even get into the whole politics behind the evils of Super Wal-Mart? Can you imagine the economic impact on other stores in the area if you allow this Mega Conglomerate to build a second store so close to the first? Also, don't you think one or the other of the two Super stores will be out-of-business within the first year? I for one have discontinued shopping at this Retailer and will become even more active in the campaign against Wal-Mart if this second location is built.

This Super Wal-Mart project has nightmare written all over it and I can assure you - if this project is passed - I will be voting each of you out of office during the next election period - regardless of your commitment to the ****** community in the past. For once I am asking you to stop thinking about the amount of tax money that will be brought in by a single company - and start thinking about the quality of life of your constituents.

Sincerely,

HushHush

I'm Going To A Place Called Vertigo

In just two short days I'll be headed to Tampa to see U2 perform. Now, if you've never been to a U2 Concert it's an expereince you'll never EVER forget. Many have compared these concerts to a religious experience. I can atest that Bono is indeed God like in his performances - and that you are moved deeply when you see the band perform live.

I'm jumping up and down {figuratively} with excitment. It's been many years since I've been to a concert at all - in fact - the last concert I went to was also in Tampa to see U2. Hubby Hush doesn't really care for concerts - worrying about his hearing and the depth of sound that eminates at these events. This could possibly be my last concert - so I'm making the best of it!

I've been studying photos of the stage trying to determine how close our seats will be to the stage. We opted for actual seats rather than General Admisson - I'm not one to be smooshed in the middle of crowds no matter how close it brings me to my idol. But I did splurge for the expensive seats. If it were a football game I'd say we're just right of the 50 yard line - level 1 section 101 - just about 13 rows up from the floor. That should put as at a pretty decent height above the masses of heads on the floor - a little above the stage so we can actually SEE the band as well as hear them. I am HOPING that the elipse extends far enough out into the crowd that we'll have a few up close encounters with Bono.

I am thinking of bringing the photo binoculars Hubby Hush has - but neither of us can figure out how the darn things actually take photos - and we can't find the instructions. It looks like it's just missing a memory card - and once one has been installed we'd be good to go. If that's the case you can be sure to check back here on Friday to see photos from the event!

Bono - if for any reason you're surfng the web today and come across my little blog - I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday! Be sure to look over into section 101 and give a big shout out to HushHush! {I'd just die!}

Car Wars - God vs Darwin

Car Wars
God vs. Darwin

Have you ever noticed the FISH emblems on the back of cars? You know the ones I mean - a shiny metallic fish symbolizing Jesus - the cars usually also have a "Choose Life" license plate along with a GWB bumper sticker, a yellow ribbon, and an American Flag magnet. We first noticed these metallic fish a few years ago - and as a family - used the symbols to identify the religious right and stayed far-far away!

One day - driving down the road we saw a car and noticed an evolution of this religious fish. It now read DARWIN and had feet! We died laughing the first time we saw that Darwin fish. It was fantastic.

A few weeks later the fish emblem evolved AGAIN - now there was a Giant TRUTH fish eating the DARWIN fish. Well - we were a bit confused over that one. Were the religious righties trying to tell us that truth would win out in the end? Weren't they just proving Darwin's theory of evolution? Think about it - the Truth Fish was eating the Darwin Fish - SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!

This past week my husband found a great web site with MANY humorous version of the FISH emblem. You'll see my personal favorites pictured above. The whole existence of this web site is a celebration in Darwin's theory. The original FISH emblem has now evolved into a plethora of religious and non-religious icons. I'm wondering now - if those original FISH emblem owners are asking themselves what they started!

I’m giving the Ring Of Fire website the HushHush American Spirit award of the week. By offering so many ways for us to express ourselves, they are the epitome of the Freedom of Speech. Our country is great! We can now make fun of one another through our cars!

It's No Wonder There's A Teacher Shortage!

I attended the HushHush County Public Schools Certification Seminar this afternoon. Let's just say the "CERTIFICATION SPECIALIST" was a complete moron and left me more confused than anything else. I had hoped to find out the steps I need to take to obtain my temporary teachers certificate. Here's what I did eventally figure out:

#1 - In order to qualify for a Temporary Teachers Certificate I will have to take a "FTCE Subject Area Exam" - as I do not have a qualified program degree. Apparently a BA in Organizational Communication is not 'accepted'.

#2 - The courses I would like to teach - Public Speaking, Communication, Leadership and Creative Writing - are all 'special' classes. There is no certification for these classes. You must get a certificate in any other specialty. Apparently these classes are 'extra' classes for other teachers - no one teacher specializes in them. So I would have to determine if I want to be certified in English, Journalism or Marketing. Or all three if I want to pay for the exams and certification. OR I could take the test for Elementary Education if I decided to teach 4th or 5th grade.

#3 - The next exams are scheduled for January - with results ready in February. So in all reality if I want to teach I won't be able to until next year.

My options - or decision that needs to be made - are:

a. Give up on the teachers certificate and continue seeking employment elsewhere

b. Commit to getting the teachers certificate - take the time needed to study for the exams and spend the money necessary to become certified (each test and application requires a fee)

c. Keep looking for a job while pursuing the teacher certificate - if I'm offered a job discontinue the teaching process.

Hubby Hush is favoring option C - but I think if I'm going to teach I should commit myself 100%. It's this whole limbo state that is throwing me off - the uncertainty is driving me insane and I'm pretty frustrated at this point not knowing what I want to do. Registration for the teacher SAE is December 3rd - so I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon so I can start to study.

Any input would be appreciated. Any thoughts on teaching high school vs. elementary school would be welcome too.

{I think I'm going through my mid-life crisis!}

Holiday Tradition Or Trendy Fad?

I'm thinking of starting a new Holiday Tradition - seemingly the latest fad. Hanging my Christmas Tree from the ceiling.

What do you think?

Human Hibernation

Have you ever thought how wonderful it would be to sleep for weeks at a time? To simply curl up into a warm, comfortable bed and drift off into dreamland? Slumber away a few rainy days without any cares in the world? I have been thinking about this over the past few days – here’s why it makes sense for me:

#1 – Hibernation in animals is characterized by huge drops in heart rate, body temperature ad metabolism. All also symptoms of the disease Hypothyroidism – which I suffer from. It's almost as if Mother Nature is telling me I SHOULD be sleeping all winter!

#2 – Stores of fat – Hibernation as a weight loss remedy. Just think about it – eat all you want over the summer months. You’ll have enough fat stored for hibernation – and when you wake up in March you’re as skinny as the Olsen Twins!

#3 - Unemployment - I've applied to over 50 unique employers. Yet no one seems to want to hire me. Why not take this time to catch up on my sleep? Perhaps the job maarket will be better in the spring - new budgets and fiscal years.

#4 - Save on spending - while I'm unemployed - hibernation will keep me from spending those 'boredom' dollars. I won't be attempting any home improvement projects or new craft projects. Hibernation will also save on electricity and other utility costs.

While I haven't completly convinced myself that hibernation is the key to curing my mid-life crisis blues -it does sound better ever day. If I were going to start hibernation it would have to be after the U2 concert next week (only 8 days to go! Ah!). Then - if I'm going to wait for the concert I may as well wait till after Thanksgiving to begin my siesta. Oh-wait .... then there's Christmas. I think I need to sleep on this decision for awhile before making any final decisions.

AWAY MESSAGE

Hello Loyal Readers!

Thank you for checking into 'Keep It Down Now'! The blog may be sporadic over the next 2 weeks. I'm headed to the East Coast to assist my parents after my dad's surgery. Though I'll have my trusty laptop with me - I don't know how often I'll be able to log into the blog to post updates. Now - for those of you from Medialine and Dyckersonville - this does not mean you have free reign to say nasty things about me behind my back! I have my ways of finding out whats going on while I'm away - and I will be taking names!

If you need to reach me during the next week - please leave a message under COMMENTS - these are forwarded to an e-mail account I can access easily. I'll get back to you just as soon as I can!

Please send positive thoughts towards the East Coast of Florida tomorrow - dad's surgery takes place in the morning. I'll be posting again very soon!

Boston Legal Episode 11/1/05 - My thoughts

I love this show - and have taken the liberty of quoting a few lines below. They may not be 100% correct - I was handwriting them as quickly as I could. But the point is the same.

For those who do not watch the show - some background. A young woman was suing the government after her brother died in Iraq. A one year contract was extended to 26 years of service, the young man was reassigned to a position he was not trained for, and he did not have the equipment necessary to keep himself safe. Alan Shore was the speaker - representing the sister:

"This solider was overextended, under equipped and non-trained. He never signed up for that and now he is dead."

"We must honor them (our soldiers) by giving a damn when they are killed"

"Our kids are dieing over there and this country, the people, the media, we're all chugging along like nothing is wrong. We'll spend months obsessing over Terri Shiavo - but dare we show the body of a fallen solider?"

"TWO THOUSAND American trees have fallen in that forest over there, and we don't even know it - not really. Maybe we don't want to know about our children dieing - so, lucky for us, this war is not really being televised. We're not seeing images of soldiers dieing in the arms of their comrades, being blown apart in the streets of Baghdad - but they are- by the THOUSANDS."

"All the American Public wants to worry about is whether Brad and Angelina are still a couple. At least with Vietnam we all watched - and we all got angry!"

"WE HAVE A PEOPLE AND A GOVERNMENT IN DENIAL. WE SIMPLY DON'T SEEM TO CARE."

And the ruling at the end of the show was -of course - for the Government. But the judge did say:
"We are headed towards another Vietnam ... but without the outrage."

Where is the outrage for this war? Why are we not showing the deaths of these soldiers? The military is misleading our young men into joining the National Guard -promising them they won't see combat - that they can leave within one year if they don't like the service. Then - once these young men are signed up and their tour of one year is over - they are being forced into additional service per the Stop Loss Law. Extending their service by TWENTY SIX years.

I'm a mom -and all I have to say to any recruiters out there - stay away from my son. Or you'll have to deal with me. I'm angry - I'm outraged - and you are NOT going to lure my son into service under false pretenses and disillusion.

Life of the Unemployed Part 2

I just arrived home from my career counseling session at the unemployment office. Where I learned - absolutely NOTHING!

I sat through the hour long "orientation" session just to find out I had already completed all of the steps they wanted you to complete during orientation. I then moved onto the "Career Assesment Test" - I've taken a dozen of these things and they all say the same thing. This one was no different - I should be an ARCHITECT. At this point I gave up and asked to speak to the head honcho - the big guy incharge - to make sure I didn't have to suffer through the remaining torture. Thank goodness he agreed with me - and let me skip the remaining session. He just needed to go over my resume for areas of improvement. His diagnosis - i was simply brilliant but my resume was too long. Shorten it to one page and you'll start getting more job offers.

Now - my only question is - if all of these Career Assessment Tests are screaming at me to become an Architect - is that what I should be doing?! Perhaps it's a message from above - HushHush you should design houses and fabulous buildings. Am I having a Field of Dreams experience - HushHush if you build it they will come?! For heavens sake - I'm in my late 30's! I can't just go back to school and learn how to draw!

The only other advice I received at the Career Center was this - it may take up to 6 months for you to find another management position. GREAT! Guess my Blog will live on longer than thought. Stay tuned world - watch as each week goes by - HushHush will become more insane!

Life Of The Unemployed

I received a summons from Work Force Central Florida (the UNEMPLOYMENT office) this weekend to appear at a "Special Orientation Session" where my 'benefits' can be explained to me. I have to fill out a questionnaire completely before going - whether I had a response or not. One of the questions is "What Type Of Training Are You Interested In Receiving?" Well - if I knew what I wanted to do - then I wouldn't be unemployed now - would I?

I guess this means my official month and a half 'vacation' is now officially over. I have a funny feeling I'll be required to report to this office once a week so that they can assist me in finding a new job. I am almost 100% sure I know why I'm unhireable - but I can't really prove it. I would LOVE to see how the State Of Florida is going to help me with my issue. You see .... I am a heavy lady. Think Queen Latifa curvaceous. I am OK with the way I look - have been battling my weight for 15 years and it's a never ending war. I've accepted the fact that I will always be curvy - I just wish other people would accept it!

It's very frustrating to walk into a job interview knowing that you have all the qualifications and credentials to take on the job. Your work effort is 110% higher than anyone else - because - as a heavy person you almost always have to prove to everyone else that you can do the job. But the second you walk into the interviewers office you can see it in their eyes - "Oh - your resume didn't say you were fat!" I want to jump up and scream ' People - I have an IQ of 148. I can accomplish many things. My weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with my ability to do this job!!!'

So - the second my employment counselor asks me why I feel I'm not winning over these interviewers do I tell him - well obviously it's because they don't want to hire someone as pleasantly plump as me.

To answer the question on training I put down - Teaching Certification. Because - really - there is such a large shortage of teachers in the State of Florida. Surely getting my teachers certification wouldn't be a bad thing. And think - you'd have the summers and holidays off to do what you wanted to do. If I'm going to teach, I was thinking of Creative Writing or Journalism for Middle School kids. Or perhaps a 5th grade class. It's at this age they are old enough to know about life - but too young to have developed a serious attitude. Wouldn't it be fun to teach kids the PROPER way to write? Wouldn't it be fun to see how the kids would develop their school newspaper?

Everyone has told me I should be a teacher - so why not give it a try? If the State of Florida is willing to provide such training - at no cost to me - it can't be a bad thing.

SO - I'm off this afternoon to see how my life is going to change. Will this magical One Stop Career Center be the solution to my employment dilemma? Will I finally figure out what it is I am supposed to be doing in this world? Will I discover what it is I'll be when I grow up? Or will it just be another frustrating and disappointing stop on the old life experience train?

Stay tuned .....