• Photographer, student, caregiver, lover not mother
• Hungry fed lost found barren beautiful
• Hopeful hurting struggling succeeding loving longing

The top one is the one I posted and the others are just ideas. I heard about this on NPR on my way home and it's got my brain whirring! Check it, this is way cool:

Six Word Memoirs

Smith Magazine

My Smith Magazine Profile Page

WARNING: This probably shouldn't be seen by kids!

I guess I'm all about EMBARRASSING MYSELF this week! I actually can't even believe I'm posting this on my blog but I guess it is pretty funny. Thanks to my baby sister for exploiting me in such a delightful manner! :)

So check it out...I decided to start posting to my bloggspot blog again now that I've gotten the hang of how blogger works.  You might see some cross posting but I'll try not to do that too much. 

Good Times

Such a catchy word...environment...truly it is everything.  In a restaurant  if you are pleased with the environment you will return.  The "home environment" is so important to students that it is often the first culprit when kids start having learning difficulties.  A happy, healthy, well-balanced environment is important, indeed essential, to our well being as humans and yet we continue to abuse our most precious environment--our Earth--on a consistent and recurring basis. 

For my part I've made a conscious effort lately to only use my car when I have to and to turn off the engine when the car is idol.  This was a big thing on NPR a few weeks ago.  They said that just by switching the engine off when the car is in idol you can reduce carbon emissions by a substantial amount.  I think it's the least I can do.  And that's the point...even if all of us do the very least we can do--the small things every single day--we could make a big difference.  There is power in numbers and we MUST get together on this if we are to make a difference. 

I learned in my Earth Science class that even if we fixed all the problems with out environment today, right this minute, we would still have 50 (yes that's fifty) years of damage to live through.  That's how bad it's gotten and that's why some scientists think we're already too late.  How very sad and devastating for our future generations.  What will they have to live through because of our stupidity, ignorance, and inaction? 

The bottom line is that it is down to the individual at this point.  We must all start thinking about this and demanding better answers from each other and from our government "leaders" and big business.  The next time you see someone (especially if they are alone) driving a large SUV or truck I challenge you to ask them why they think they need such a huge car.  Obviously the last thing we need is to pick fights and be rude to one another but I truly wonder  why there are still so many of us lumbering around in huge vehicles we don't need.  If we have genuine interest in each other and in the problems we've created as a collective group of people, and if we can learn to help each other learn what we can do to make our environment better, one small step at a time, then maybe we can make a difference together. 

Most of the people I know are doing the best they can.  Most of us don't intentionally go out of our way to harm the environment but by choosing to ignore the issues at hand we are choosing to add to the pile of problems we've already created.  We must wake up and start becoming involved and mindful of the choices we make on a daily basis.  Talking about this stuff is an essential part of the puzzle.  This "blog action day" thing is a great idea and maybe if we have more of the same then will build more of a general interest among us "little people" who truly do care and want to make a difference but who are also just going about our business trying to do the best we can day in and day out.

That's it for now. 

Peace Out,

Melba  

...with this idea!!!

http://blogactionday.org/

three...four...five...six...you get the point! 

My life has turned into one giant string of tests lately.  It's been a LONG time since I've been in classes that were this annoying and now I'm remembering why they were so annoying.   Jumping through so much information in such a short time frame without any practical application for what is being learned and then having to spit it all back out on a test for a grade.  Just not my preferred style of learning.  I feel more stressed than not lately and I'm especially stressed right now because my MTTC Basic Skills test is this Saturday and I'm pretty nervous about it. 

The math is the part that's causing me the most anxiety.  I'm terrified of math and of taking tests in general and this is pretty much the worst combination of both of them.  I just don't do well on standardized tests--I never have.  And on top of it I am a product of a highly ineffective school system of the 80's and early 90's.  We were actually "labeled" as 1, 3, or 5 depending on how smart (or not) we were and that was how classes were assigned.  Talk about an archaic self-esteem busting way of doing things! 

To me the whole system is flawed and dysfunctional.  When someone who performs well with practical applications and written work fails to pass a test that is required in order to move forward I think that's a flaw in the system rather than a flaw in the person being tested.  Whatever.  These are not problems that are going to be solved or go away today so I may as well just stop the rant and do what I can do.

I am trying to set myself up for success and I sincerely hope it works.  If it doesn't then I'll try again, like I always do.  Today I literally burned (on paper) my fears of math and of being tested, along with my self doubt and negativity.  Then I made a list in my journal of the qualities/attitudes I want to keep.  Maybe on some level these symbolisms will help me become a better me, I guess we'll see. 

Anyway...I just needed to vent a little, it's been a VERY stressful week or so and it's not likely to get any better until after this weekend.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SEND GOOD VIBES FOR ME ON SATURDAY!!

Peace Out,

Melba

So I'm on to volume six in my paper journal world...I guess the writing trend for 2007 continues! 

Life is extremely busy and hectic right now.  14 credit hours+ 29 (or more) hours of work+ family+ friends+ just balancing life in general every week is exhausting and overwhelming to say the least.  I won't say it's more than I can handle, at least not quite but it's definitely a full plate.  I was up until about 3:30 this morning finishing my chemistry homework.  I should have left my house by 7:30 and instead I woke up at 7:40.  That's the first time this has happened all semester, despite having pulled several similar all-nighters.  My morning was quite stressful and hectic, though I did still (somehow) manage to make it to class with a couple minutes to spare.  Still though…I don’t like to be that rushed in the mornings, especially when there is a long day ahead, it seems to set the day off on the wrong foot. 

Despite my complaints though, school is going pretty well.  I’m enjoying my classes (with the exception of chemistry) and generally feeling pretty good about what I’ve chosen to do.  I’m still really WCC-sad and feeling a little (or a lot) disconnected from my photographic self but I think that’s going to take a while to subside with such a drastic change in a core area of my life.  I keep reminding myself that change is good—in fact essential—for growth in life but that still doesn’t make it easy.

Other than that there’s not much to report.  Our adoption process couldn’t be more at a standstill if I locked it deep inside the bowels of a closet somewhere but the bottom line with that is that I can’t change the things that have slowed us down (mostly lack of money) right at the moment so I’m just trying to accept the fact that we’re slow for a reason and not let it upset me too much.  Easier some days than others, for sure but what else can I do?? 

Peace out,

Melba          

 wear it! 

So yesterday was the big day, my first as an official EMU student!  I didn't expect to feel quite this excited and...proud...of what I'm doing.  Overall throughout the day there was a prevailing sense of belonging for me, like I was exactly where I was meant to be.  Even in chemistry class, which in theory should make me feel very out-of-place I felt like everything was OK.  I'm still processing it all as yesterday was very long for me but a few of the things I learned are:

• I can learn a lot in one day
• I can be thoroughly physically exhausted and still keep pushing
• I'm stronger than I think I am
• Pre-ordering bookstore books online isn't always the best way to go
• Backpacks with wheels are a Godsend
• Even for an 8:00 a.m. class I need to get there earlier
• Forgetting to brush my teeth on my first day of school isn't exactly a crisis
• I need to stop needing my huge purse
• Having more than one right place--more than one passion for my life is OK
• University apparel is much cheaper at Mike's bookstore

In thinking about it now I'm not exactly sure what all the anxiety was about!  It seems absolutely clear to me at this point (and I may need a reminder when the going gets tough) I am undoubtedly supposed to be a teacher.  Let's hope this positive attitude prevails.  I have to say I feel a little bit like my old self...like the "I can do anything" woman inside me has finally shown her face again.  I guess time will tell...

Melba

This was posted here by Anny a little bit ago but I just saw it and completely agree with her that everyone else should see it too.

So for anyone who doesn't know...I am totally IN LOVE with Flickr these days!! Michael gave me a "pro" account for my birthday this year, which basically means I have unlimited upload limits, etc. Until recently I hadn't done much with my Flickr account but boy has that changed! One of the features I'm loving most is the community aspect. You can watch people upload photos all over the world minute by minute by clicking on the 3D map. Now that is just cool. Plus there are photo groups (I'm still learning) and other ways of networking with people who love pictures. Check it out:

* Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melanielove/
* Profile: http://www.flickr.com/people/melanielove/

I'm having so much fun that I'm actually getting photographically motivated again for the first time in quite a while. I've been taking tons of pictures but mostly of the kids I care for and family events, etc. Now all of a sudden my interest in photos outside the day-to-day norm has been sparked. That is a welcome change to say the least.

Maybe just maybe I'm finally going to get out of my funk? It's been hanging around off and on for the better part of the last couple of months and I'm glad to be feeling excited about something again.

Melba