Calling Out My Technical Peeps

I have been thinking for quite sometime that I would like to set up a website of my own but I have no clue where to begin or what I need to do. There is some part of me that realizes how pathetic this is in this day and age but hey, I know I can count on my more technical friends to help me out. So in list form, this is exactly what I would like to do:

-either import or point this blog to the new website.
-have the capability to link directly to other places where I have an online presence (namely Facebook, Twitter and my online store, Zazzle).
-have a few pages dedicated directly to certain things (for example one for an about me kind of thing, one for my work in PTA/Education, one for more professional type things like my resume etc).
-something with a very basic, easy way to update and maintain the site (and by easy I mean even someone as relatively clueless about this type of thing can figure it out).
-I would like to do this all in the most inexpensive yet effective way possible.

Can any one help me figure this out? I did go online but was overwhelmed with the amount of choices and possibilities out there. Even if that wasn't the case, I would still prefer the advice and assistance of someone I know.

Eye Opening

One of the most informative workshops I participated while in Washington, DC with the Massachusetts State PTA was called, "21st Century Voices: Using Social Media to Persuade and Inform."  I thought I already had a good grasp of how influential online/social communications could be.   I had no idea.

I  have copied my notes here as well as the video we saw as part of the presentation.  As the video indicates, it is no longer a question of if we use social media, instead, it comes down to how well we use it.

Workshop 1:  21^st Century Voices:  Using Social Media to Persuade and Inform: Notes

-71% of America is on Facebook

-If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest.

-Facebook is the 2^nd most visited site on the internet-Google is first.

-In terms of time spent on each site, Facebook dwarfs Google.

-The number of Facebook users is larger than the population of China (actual users not just people who sign up).

-It took three years, two months and one day to get to the billionth tweet. Now there are a billion tweets a week.

- A year ago, people sent 50 million tweets a day. On March 11, 2011, the tally was 177 million.

-There were 456 tweets per second after Michael Jackson died in 2009. That record was broken on New Year’s Day this year with 6,939 tweets after midnight in Japan on New Year’s morning there.

- There were 572,000 new Twitter accounts created on March 12, 2011; there were 460,000 new accounts created daily, on average, in the past month.

-Mobile users increased 182% in the past year.

 

What We've Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Most of my readers are aware of the many committees and task forces I serve on as well as the volunteer positions I hold.  If not (or if you just don't remember!), please see this post for the most recent list.  My reasons for taking such an active role in the lives of my children through these committees are many and varied but first and foremost is my commitment to the education of my daughter's and the critical role I know parent involvement plays in their success. That being said, I don't join a committee, organization or take on a volunteer position just because it looks good.  I do it because I want  to and because I care and want to make a difference.   In many of the committees I serve on or the organizations I belong to I dive right in, usually taking on some sort of role beyond just being a member.  I give my full attention and dedication to my work on these committees and make sure that I am timely in all of my communications, carry out whatever tasks are expected of me and take an active, participatory role in all I do.  There are a few areas in my life in which my commitment and dedication are lacking (mostly when it comes to taking care of me) but in the instances above in which my work will directly affect others, you can be sure that I will see whatever I start  right through to the end.

Perhaps it  is because of my overwhelmingly strong sense of responsibility that it bothers me when others don't share this intense dedication and commitment. It is frustrating beyond belief when someone else steps up to the plate to do something and they don't.  It is even more aggravating when I step up the plate to do something and  the lack of follow through of someone else impedes my ability to do my job well, or in the case I am referring to, at all.  Exactly how hard is it to respond to my repeated inquiries so I can proceed with my tasks with the appropriate information?  I can rest easy knowing I have done my part by trying, on multiple occasions to get the information needed.  What I can't deal with is someone else's lack of follow through making me look bad.

Suggestions

It is my intent to spend the entire afternoon outside tomorrow to take full advantage of the beautiful day that is coming our way.  Ideally I would like to spend some of the time walking and some, perhaps, just sitting down and taking it all in.  Normally, a walk along the canal suits these purposes just fine but I was thinking it would be nice to try something different.  So,local readers, I am looking for your suggestions.  Not to be extremely picky but here is my ideal description of someplace I would like to go:

-must be local to Middleboro (by local I mean in Middleboro itself or within 45 minutes of the town lines because I need to be home late afternoon for the girls and don't intend to head out until mid morning or so).

-must have paved or well packed down walkways (I am not at all opposed to walking through the woods but I imagine the woods would be a muddy, wet mess at this point with the snow melt and I am all set with that).

-must have some sort of option for sitting (benches would be ideal but if the walkway is paved, I don't mind just sitting along the edge) so I can just sit, relax, admire the scenery, take in the fresh air, and possibly even spend some time reading).

-Must not need four wheel drive as the only means of access (no four wheel drive on the van).

So there you have it.  Suggestions welcome and appreciated!

Aha Moment

This morning, while paging through my food journal, I decided to research some of my favorite restaurants, looking specifically at the nutritional values of certain meals, and more specifically at calories and grams of fat.

Whoa.

Appalled, disgusted and shocked just begin to describe the feelings elicited by this experience.  Having never cared enough to look before (which really is a blog entry in and of itself) I had no idea how unbelievably high some of the values were...many in fact, would account for my entire days calorie/fat intake in one sitting (some even more than that).  I haven't been living under a rock.  I had a general idea of what would most likely be the best choice when looking at a menu, but even some of the "best choices" were alarmingly high in calories/fat.  One thing I discovered...salad which is traditionally touted as being a "healthy" option, might not be.  In fact one restaurant offered a side salad (a smaller portion than the meal salad) which was so high in calories/fat that I would have had to eliminate all of the "good parts"  (which are apparently the "bad parts") to even be able to eat it!

While doing this research, I decided to make a "cheat sheet" listing some of my favorite restaurants and some of the "safe" meals I could eat should I dine out.  I found some restaurants that I will never (or very infrequently) eat at again due to their lack of health(ier) options,  their lack of available nutritional information, or lack of enough nutritional information (for example saying that an entree was considered lower fat but not providing the details like exactly how much fat or calories).  I found a couple of restaurants that had a surprisingly good selection of possible choices with very detailed information about each option.  Some restaurants also had a customizable option (taking away or adding ingredients to the entree) which I was very impressed with.

Needless to say, this was quite the wake up call.  The next time I visit one of my favorite restaurants, I will be armed and ready with my cheat sheet of available menu choices, complete with a calorie and fat count.

Things That have Been On My Mind

(in list form out of sheer laziness).

-I am wondering if it is wrong that I am already looking forward to the summer even though winter hasn't even officially begun yet. It's probably not healthy. Really fast forwarding though the entire month of March would be good enough.

-I am thinking that I should make a New Year's Resolution in which I resolve to go to bed by 10 at least 3 of 7 nights a week.

-I am very impressed with the amount of Christmas shopping I have done already but even more impressed with the amount that is wrapped...and two full weeks before Christmas!

-The Blackberry Torch is awesome.

-I need to go on a "reading retreat." Seriously I have such a backlog of books I want to read going on right now and I never seem to get enough "reading time" in. Before bed every night just isn't enough.

-I have an idea book...a place to keep track of the many ideas I get from day to day. This is great but I need to be better about making all the great ideas come to fruition.

-Also, I need to stop being afraid to ask for help. Some of the ideas I have are BIG...and taking in to consideration the rest of my everyday life, there is no way it would be possible to make them happen without assistance.

-And now? I need to go to bed...at 10:30...not so bad.
-

Ring Ring Ring

I don't like to talk on the phone. Actually, I pretty much hate it. It is much worse for me from an anxiety perspective when I actually have to talk to someone on the phone that I don't know. Even when it is someone who I am completely comfortable with (who are far and few between) I still would rather talk in person or even better through some other form of communication (email, text).

Whoever invented caller id is my hero. When the phone rings and I can see who it is calling, I can make a decision about whether I want to talk. I have to be in the mood to talk and in the right frame of mind. I can almost guarantee that if someone is calling from a number I don't recognize or worse, from a blocked line, I won't answer. I am just not comfortable being put on the spot.

Another phone related issue...when someone calls and does not leave a message. Even more annoying than that...when someone calls repeatedly and doesn't leave a message. Obviously if you are calling me you have something to say. I have a voice mail so you can say it, so would you, pretty please?

So, to the person who has called multiple times today (at least I am guessing it is the same person but regardless) not only from a blocked line but also not leaving a message: Unblock your number and I may answer and for the love of God leave a message!

P.S. Yes, I know have a little stranger/social anxiety. Knowing is half the battle though right?

Why...

...do overwhelming thoughts of what I need and want to do (with day to day things and life in general things)need to flood my head just before bed time? I am pretty sure that I will not be able to sleep now because my brain won't shut off.

Also? I really should keep a good old fashioned paper and pen style journal in addition to this one. There are just some things that aren't meant for public consumption.

One more thing? I should totally write a book. After I get over myself.

And that, is my rant for the night. Going to cue up the "sleepy time" play list on the ipod and attempt to sleep.

Today

Today, Ryun got a job.

Today, for the first time in who knows how long I actually made a conscious effort to pray for something (in this case for Ryun to get a job).

Today, just a few short hours after I prayed for this, it came to be.

It's not the first time something like this has happened to me but each time it does, it stirs up feelings that are unexplainable. It makes me question even further exactly what I believe.

Not too long ago I finished reading the book, "Women, Food and God" written by Geneen Roth. As I always do, I went through the book highlighting parts that spoke to me or that I may want to refer back to. There was one part that described the author's feelings about a higher power. It was perhaps the single most reflective part of the whole book for me, in that it seemed to perfectly describe how I feel about "God" most of the time. Here it is.

"I don't believe in a God with long white hair and x ray vision that favors some people, some countries, some religions and not others. I don't believe in the sky dweller, the knower of all things, the granter of prayers. But I do believe in the world beyond appearances, and that there is so much that we can't see or touch or know just by looking. And I do believe-because I have experienced it again and again-that the world beyond appearances is as real as a chair, a dog, or a teapot. And I believe in love. And beauty. I believe every single person has something they find beautiful and that they truly love. The smell of their child's hair, the silence of the forest, their lover's crooked grin. Their country, their religion, their family. And I believe if you follow this love all the way to it's end, if you start with the thing you find the most beautiful and trace it's perfume back to it's essence, you will perceive an intangible presence, a swath of stillness that allows the thing you love to be visible like the openness of the sky reveals the presence of the moon. I don't believe in the God that most people call God, but I do know that the only defintiion that makes any sense is one that uses this human life and its suffering-the very things we believe we need to hide or fix-as a path to the heart of love itself."

I don't know by who or what my prayers were answered-or if Ryun's getting a job just hours after I asked for it to be was mere coincidence. I'd like to think that it wasn't though. There is something comforting in knowing that the universe was looking out for me and that maybe, just maybe there is some greater being listening to and answering my prayers.

History...Part Two

What follows is the blog entry I wrote on September 11th, 2002.

One year. The days have passed so quickly. Some days were filled with fear, others with grief, and some just seemed like regular days.

Life has gone on. Not to downplay or undermine the fear or the grief but, we had to go on. We as Americans as difficult as it has been and may continue to be, had to show the world that we will not cower to acts of terrorism. The pride, the commitment, the American dream whatever you may perceive that to be, has never been stronger. The terrorists successfully knocked down two American landmarks and damaged another. The one thing they will never succeed in doing is knocking down or harming in any way American pride. It has always been here and it always will. Nobody will ever take that away, nobody ever could.

When I think of September 11th, I can't help but think of the children whose parents were taken away from them so abruptly. I think of the first group of Americans to declare a war on terrorism...the brave passengers of flight 93 who valiantly and successfully prevented the potential loss of many more lives. I think of the heroes, the men and women who thought nothing of their own lives to save the lives of others. Is there anything more noble or admirable than that? I don't think so.

I have the privilege and honor of living in a country where freedom prevails. I have a wonderful family and friends and the two most precious children in the world. During life's hard times, if I remember all of that, I will be much better off than a lot of people in this world.

In honor and tribute to the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001...with gratitude beyond words for the brave men and women serving our country today... may we never forget their sacrifices, may we never forget how fortunate we are.

History

In the days that followed September 11th, 2001 Ryun and I gathered and saved virtually everything we could get our hands on regarding the terror attacks. From newspapers, to news reports, to magazines, to yes, even comic books, we managed to gather a good number of things. Our plan was to save it, and show it to our children when they got older and could better understand what had happened, why it happened, and how dramatically it changed the world as we knew it. About a year later, near the first anniversary of the attacks, I sat down and went through it all. I compiled a scrapbook of the articles and pictures we had saved. I organized and labeled the video tapes. I looked through and documented the magazines and books. Then, I boxed everything up and put it away.

It was back in 2006 when I took this collection out for the first time. I wanted to wait until I thought Emily was old enough to at least have some understanding of what happened. Before that it was too hard to look at, and, even now, years later, it's still not easy. I will take it out again though. Katherine is old enough to see it now, and I am sure both Emily and Katherine will most likely have some discussion about it in school. I took pictures of the collection when I took it out back in 2006. Click on each picture to see a larger version.

The whole collection.

Some of the headlines I cut from newspapers and magazines, creating a two page layout in the scrapbook.

Land of the free, home of the brave.

The Heroes of 9/11/2001. Included on this page are the Firefighter and Policeman's prayers.

A close up of some of the books and tapes on which we recorded numerous 9/11 news reports.

Another close up of some of the magazines etc. To the far left is the aforementioned comic book entitled, "Heroes" put out by Marvel Comics.

This is the front page of the Boston Herald, one year later. Although it is hard to see in the picture, the small black print you see there, lists the names of every victim of the terror attacks.

Timing

Why do all of my fabulous ideas have to come to me right before I should be thinking about going to bed? Of course, now that the idea is in my head, I won't be able to sleep until I at least start forming a plan to put the idea in to action. It's always been that way for me. It's all good, except for the timing of it all.

Looks like it will be another late night.

In the things I should do more often department...

...we have:

Go outside, just after dark, sit out on the deck with the kids, listen to the sounds of night time and watch for shooting stars.

Very relaxing. Very relaxing indeed.

Have you ever...

...had one of those days where you feel so incredibly lucky to have the life that you do? Sometimes it takes nothing to remind me of this. Other times, something happens that puts my life so clearly in to perspective, that it is almost impossible to see it in any other way but blessed. In either instance, there is no denying how very fortunate and lucky I am.

Websites I Frequent

The Motherlode

The Hechinger Report

Citizens For Public Schools

The National PTA

The Massachusetts PTA

The Mom Bloggers Club

Twitter Moms

The Education Sector

Please Stop the Rollercoaster

Healthy Kids

Middleboro Public Schools

Yankee Magazine

Family Fun Magazine

On The Job Front

Ryun is applying for a job that will be two things:

-Not in the same union he is in now (he will be going from the IUEC to the SEIU)
-About 1/2 the income he made as an Elevator Mechanic, which was, well, a lot.

Assuming he gets the job, he will not be making much more money than he is making on unemployment (he is getting the absolute max that unemployment allows right now). The obvious benefits are that unemployment will eventually run out and there is no chance that he will ever get a "raise" on unemployment. It also guarantees insurance coverage which will not be as good as the insurance with the IUEC but will be better than The Medical Security Plan or MASS HEALTH. Other benefits include free use of the MBTA, a job that is way less physically demanding(not that this is a concern really), personal/sick time (which he does not have now) and way less work related stress.

All in all it seems like a good move, even if it may mean pinching pennies a little.

The Car Story

Ryun just left to get an estimate on how much it will cost to fix the back bumper of the van.



About a week ago, it was hit while in a parking lot at a store near my sisters house. It was dark out so we didn't even notice it when we came back out of the store but shortly after, I saw a note on my windshield. When we got back to her house, I read the note which, from the tone and handwriting I could clearly tell was written by a teen. I found the damaged bumper (which is actually not the bumper but a plastic covering type thing that goes over it)and went in to give the number a call. I got a voice mail and left my information. It was even more obvious by the sound of the girl's voice on the message that it was a kid. She called me back the next day (a call I missed because I was dealing with Emily who had just slammed her fingers in the car door)and left me an apologetic, possibly even tearful message, about how sorry she was. She also said that her father would like to pay for the damage out of pocket rather than go through insurance if that was ok with us. I had Ryun call her back to tell her that would be fine and we would call back with the estimate we would get sometime in the next couple of weeks. The poor girl was even tearful with Ryun.

I tell you this story because I was in awe of this girl and her moral responsibility and honesty. It probably would have been easy enough for her to leave the scene since I wasn't there. Instead, she did the right thing...left a note and is (with the help of her father) taking responsibility for her actions. I said to Ryun that it was clear that this child had been and was being raised "right." It was a nice thing to see and when we call her back with the details of the cost, I am going to make sure to tell her just that.

*UPDATE* Ryun just got back from Lenny's...cost to fix? $1100! YIKES! Apparently there is actual damage to the bumper and metal frame underneath. That price includes a four day rental at $45 per day because it will take 4 days to fix.