The Last 20 Years

So, I read an old(ish) blog entry at the Letter B today about a 20 year reunion and the 1 paragraph life summary that would be given at such event. I'm a wee bit younger than the Letter B, so 20 years ago I was not graduating from high school, nor was I in high school. I was 11 (or 12) depending on when you're counting from and how old I think I am today...I'm 31. I swear I was just 25 and sometimes I wake up and think I'm 32. I don't know. Right. Onward.

I give you my life since the age of 11 (or 12 - ish):

Finished up 6, 7, & 8th grade at St. Patrick School in Lawrence, MA. Ever the rebel child, I did not matriculate to either of the all-female Catholic high schools in the area but instead went to Lawrence High (where I was assured I would not last and people had been shot). Had a great time in high school - managed the volleyball, wrestling & baseball teams, was involved, got good grades, acted in some non-school plays, goofed off. Graduated high school 3rd in my class (or 4th or 2nd, it doesn't really matter, does it?) - and went off to Tulane University in New Orleans for college. (It was a tie between Hamilton in upstate NY and Tulane...parents said that they could not picture me in NOLA - plus I think they were having a pretty good shooting year. Picked Tulane - this is a theme). Hated it for the first semester. Stubborn bitch that I am told myself I would stay for a full year. It is a well known fact that you cannot hate New Orleans during the 2nd semester or spring - because you have the Super Bowl (which actually took place in NOLA twice while I was there), then MARDI GRAS, then St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break and JAZZFEST and then you're done. It's a veritable whirlwind of activity. Came home and worked my summer job (woohoo York Beach Dairy Bar - from age 14 to age 22) - went back to Tualne. Managed the volleyball team and traveled all around - not as fun as in high school, involved lots of laundry. Again, fall semester, not my favorite but knew spring was coming. Nothing really exciting for the next couple of years. Learned to love New Orleans, made some excellent friends, worked in Maine in the summers, graduated from college. One last summer in Maine. Moved back to New Orleans - worked at Tulane, O'flaherty's, and Margaritaville (among others that I would sooner forget) - not the best use of a BA in Art History, was desperately poor and had a fantastic time. Took up with a Rock Band (Tom's House), played mom, girlfriend or wife as was called for - icky girl won't leave: girlfriend or wife; need to go home already: mom. Met some super duper cool people. Moved home in 2002 after losing forgetable job. Lived with parents, worked at hotel in Boston (as a glorified secretary, again, not the best use of a college degree or MY college degree). Moved out of parents' house and into the apartment of my now husband. Started dating husband. Got a dog. Went to NOLA as much as possible. Scammed me a job at Jazzfest working security. Got engaged. Had THE BEST Wedding in NOLA in June of 2007. Quit/lost hotel job in August 2007, enrolled in a master's program for secondary education at UMass Boston in January of 2008. Now it's Christmas 2008, almost finished with my masters and getting a little antsy for a trip to NOLA but it's almost Jazzfest.

El fin.

NaBloPoMo

I am totally bummed by the end of NaBloPoMo! Not because I was writing every day, because I obviously was not. But because so many of the blogs I follow were updated every day and then, come the first of December, POOF. I'm going through withdrawal and it ain't pretty!!

College is not for everyone and not going to college is not a sign of failure

A comment I posted on Boston.com in response to an article further condemning our elementary, middle and high schools because all of those students who finished with their secondary education and moved on to college did not necessarily get a degree. I maintain that a college degree or a high school diploma are not, in themselves, measures of success. Instead, it is the student who is evidence of success or failure in how she feels about her life, what her goals are and how prepared and realistic she is to meet and exceed those goals.

College has been touted for years as the be all and end all for students. Those who do not go are considered losers or not worthy.

The truth is college is NOT for everyone. The fact that every student who attends college does not complete college is not a sign of a failing school system, except in the fact that that system pushed and pushed and pushed students towards college when those students were feeling pulled in another direction.

The fact that Bill Gates did not finish college is not a poor reflection on his high school but a reflection of Bill Gates, he knew what he wanted, he knew how to get it and he did. That is how we should look at our students. No, they will not all become the next Bill Gates, but they probably wouldn't be the next Bill Gates if they finished college either. College is a hugely expensive investment that is not for everyone and leaves many (graduates and non-graduates alike) with nothing but a huge mountain of debt.

You can be successful without college and it's time we stopped pushing it so much to everyone. Now, it is not for the teachers, administrators, parents, etc to make that decision but if a child feels she should go to college (or wants to) and is able, she should. If she feels like college isn't for her and she has other plans, she should be able to make that decision. What's the point of thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars spent or debt incurred if all along the student knew she wanted to be a fire fighter, or a hairdresser, or something else? Or she didn't know WHAT she wanted to be but went and dutifully got her degree only having to re-do it later when her true passions emerged?

Musings of Procrastination

Because I don't want to start on my work or maybe I do but I can't....One is the non-ADHD definition, the other the ADHD definition. This is not my musing, but I'll go with it for a moment anyway. So, if I don't want a label, I'm a lazyass, but if I don't mind the label, I can still be a lazy ass without it actually being my fault*.

On to my musing. I've figured out the whole pro-choice, pro-life Republican/Democrat conundrum and it goes like this:

Pro-Lifers and Republicans (definitely for the first and mostly for the second): don't care what happens to your child after birth, they just want it to be born. (Healthcare? Special needs services? WIC services? Parenting classes? Financial Aid for college? Uh, not on their dime.)

Pro-choicers and Democrats (again, for the most part): don't care if your kid is born or not BUT if it is, want to make sure that it has the same good start in life and the same chances as any other kid..(Healthcare? Special needs services? WIC? etc, bring it on, baby. It's just a child and can't help it.)

Which is more child friendly?

*This is not to say that ADHD is not a real condition or can be turned on and off and it's not that I'm disparaging anyone who has a mean case of it...I'm just saying sometimes I feel like I'm right there on the cusp and the way I choose to lean (my fault, not my fault) says a lot.

Rock the Vote

Get out there and vote. And, if there's a Ben and Jerry's near you, go ahead and get you some free ice cream when you're done. Don't waste your time reading this silly blog, I almost never update it.

VOTE!

My smaller government conundrum...

Those on the right have a love affair with saying they support smaller government, especially when it comes to the tax issue. At the same time, those on the right want to get all up in the personal business of me as a woman, of gays and lesbians, and others. They want to do this by passing laws, laws that need some sort of enforcement. How does that make the government smaller? How is regulating my choice to have children or not different from regulating what kind of health care I am allowed to have? Or education for my children?

John McCain, in reference to the health care issue, said that the government should stay out of the relationship between him and his doctor. At the same time, he wants to insert the government whole hog into the relationship between me and my doctor....What part of hypocrisy isn't being understood?

Amazing!

Actual title of an e-mail just received by me:

	"> AdminSecret		5 Steps to Becoming an Administrative Assistant

Don't you want to know the secret?