Pitt @ MindSay

Still no word on my future schooling as I seek my certification ...

Say ... "patience" ...

~ B

Hi!  How is everyone?  I feel like I've been out of country ... but, in reality, I'm just sitting around eating bon bons and watching soaps!  ;)

This week saw an interesting series of events in "my life".  I told you that my "baby" drove me to class on Weds for my midterms, because she had to go to work.  All went well with the trip ... I had no doubts! 

When I arrived home, I checked my email and found one from my "Counselor" at Pitt.  She said my application file was incomplete.  My official transcripts from both of my former colleges were missing.  I distinctly remember giving my undergrad transcript to her at my first appointment, but somehow it never made it to my file.  The one from this past fall, though requested in November, was never mailed out and is now on "HOLD" because of the tardiness of my financial aid.  Thursday and Friday, I did my best to track down the missing information and get it to Pitt, but was unsuccessful.  Saturday morning, I received a letter from the admissions committee announcing their regret.  (Why do things like this always happen on Saturdays when no immedicate action can be taken?)

To clarify, the classes I took this past fall and the ones in which I am currently enrolled are filling in the gaps and covering the prerequisites for the program I was told I would have no trouble getting into.  It is called the Professional Year program and would involve an intensive teacher certification curriculum from 8/07 through 5/08. 

When I read the rejection letter, I confess, there were about 10 - 15 minutes of panic.  Now what?  What about my outstanding loans?  Should I continue, fight, turn back? 

Even though these question still nag me, whispering fear and doubt into my ear, I cannot help but remain optomistic.  God has placed my feet on this path.  This is not a roadblock.  I don't know what will happen, but I do know He has a plan.  This did not surprise Him even though it did me.  So, I will walk on ... I will call tomorrow and see if I can re-apply once my lonas come through and release my transcript from the other school and go from there.  I am surprisingly calm ... I wouldn't quite say "peaceful", but calm ... something is there.  It is not for naught! (I always wanted to write that!) 

Stay tuned for more in The Optomistic and Sociable Tales of Velvetdreams    

~ B

Trust is a peculiar animal.  Just when you think you have trust, a stranger will enter the picture and challenge it.  This applies whether the trust is a verticle or a horizontal variety. 

Today, because of schedulin conflicts, my "baby" had to drive me to school ... in Oakland ... busy city streets, lots of traffic, lots of people coming and going, signaling and NOT signaling ... LOTS of people.  We got there early enough to give us time to drive around a few times the route that she will need to take to drop me  off and pick me up at 10 pm tonight.  Around and around ... so many people, traffic lights, cars, trucks ... people ...

She got me here OK ... now if she can find her way home then back in tonight ... God be with her, please!  :)

My return to the academic arena has been a stimulating experience.  The first semester is on the books, as they say, and the spring semester well underway.  One tiny snag ... NOT BOOKS YET! 

The situation involves the fact that I received financial aide in September for the entire year.  Now, as a 5th year student at Pitt, I discover I cannot obtain financial aide from two institutions.  So, Pitt is my future ... Their financial aide tells me I must ask the Community College to refund the total amount received for the Spring semester before the total amount needed for the Spring semester at BOTH institutions can be disbursed.  OY!  All morning, I called back and forth, Pitt, then CCAC, then American Education Service then back to Pitt ... Finally, I had to physically go to the Community College to return the beautiful refund check into the system before the NEW amounts can be disbursed.  I arrive to learn that if the Community College indeed, refunds the monies received, I will be de-registered for the 2 classes there. 

After spending the morning running around talking to the various heads of this and that, the solution was finally reached.  My account at the Community College is now on hold for not more than one month, until the funds are received through Pitt!  The only difficulty is at Pitt, I have entered the 6th week of classes and I still have NO BOOKS!  Some, I can gather through online links, but ... the rest I will have to make up at some point!     

In other news, while I was out running around, my lovely kids moved our piano out to the living room as I had requested like a month ago!  I'm so tickled, though ... at least they did it!  hahaha  I've been wanting it out there for ages so it will get more use.  With the vaulted ceilings, it also sounds wonderful out here.  :)

Other than that ... all is well at our home, how 'bout yours??? 

~ B

I know I can be down right bitchy, mean, and nasty to ppl when they irritate me.  For the most part I do try to keep my mouth shut, it is difficult especially with lil things but I do.  For the simple main reason my mamma and daddy taught me to.  They also taught me to use my head.

This country of ours has gotten down right shamefull.  And it is disgusting.

Lets start with Karr.  Now we all know that he was not the one to kill that lil girl, everyone suspected it and DNA evidence proved us right.  But it was proven that he is still a perverted monster who preyed on kids.  And what does our court system in CA do?  They dropp 3 of the 5 charges in a plea deal.  And in this plea deal, Karr gets off with time served and a 3 year probation.  This is just as shamefull as that Judge in NE for letting that kiddie monster off for being to short to handle prision!

Next let's hit on how criminals in this country have more rights then non criminals.  Did you know that in some states, that if someone breaks into your house and you defend yourself and your property against them, you can be brought up on charges and face a lawsuite for injuring and such by the burgler?  That is about fucking shamefull!  And how about these fuckers on death row?  They sit there and go it is cruel and unusal punishment and painful to be injected or electricuted.  Well guess what mother fuckers.........your getting what you deserve for causing pain, cruelty, and grief to your vicitims and their families!  You think you deserve a peaceful death after what you all did?  Come on!  We have these orgs that were started with good intentions to help those who were wrongly accused of getting freedom.  The appeal process was started for the same reasons........all before DNA evidence came into play.  And it is dayum shamefull that now the appeal processes can carry on and on with no sign of letting up for proven guilty criminals.  And then you have these orgs that help the fucking criminals and say the vicitims and their family's and the general public should be forgiving and learn to live with the outcome?  Bullshit.

And you know what else is down right shamefull!  This world constantly needed verification that someone can do something even if they have years of training to prove just that.  What the hell is wrong with these state licensing boards, now trying to make men and women who braid hair get specialized training and certification.  It is nothing but the gov't's way of extracting more money from ppl who already pay out big bucks for training, licensing, and certification.  Many ppl are tuaght how to braid hair when they are younger and can do it and have had years of practice and others are taught in gasp......Beauty School!  Now certain states want these already taxed money wise ppl to pay out the ass for more training and more licensing and more fines if they dont' conform!  Next thing we know the gov't is going to start making parents get training on how to take care of their own children's hair!  Not to mention how to raise our kids.  Wait the gov't already thinks they can tell us how to raise our kids!

Cell phones.  Are they useful and helpful?  Yes.  Are they disruptive and sometimes a hinderence?  Yes.  Are they needed in school settings?  As a parent and as a parent that was extermly active in a variety of things in highschool, jr, and elementry, yes they are needed.  Especially when you have school districts that refuse to let the students use the fucking office phone!  And don't sit there and tell me they don't do that!  I live in a district that outright says, the kids are NOT to use the office phone for any reason.  So if my kids don't show up after school........I have to call the school to find out why or go into the school!  It doesn't matter if they are being held after school or say they got snatched and had to run away from somebody.  Granted for the most part the office staff probably would call if the last thing happened but by gods I as a Parent shouldn't have to fucking check in with the school if my kids are eing held back for some reason.  They should allow that child to call home.

Ppl want to say that cell phones are disruptive.  They are.  I fully agree with that, but what is shamefull is these adults that do NOT give these teenagers credit or the respect of carrying one and handling the responsibilty better then MOST adults.  My children when they are old enough ......upper elementry and jr high.......will YES have a cell phone on them at all times.  Why?  We live in the country school is in town.  Starting in upper elementry activites abound.  And I want to know where the good gods fuck my kid is at.  School is there for an education NOT to keep the parents away from their children like so many school districts across this nation are doing!  Plus when you have many older family memebers and you dont' live in teh same state as your family, that is the only way to get a hold of some of your family members.  If something should happen to my parents or my husband's parents or step parents, your dayum skipping that I am calling to talk to my kids and say get your shit for a week or two and I will be in to pick you up.  I am NOT calling that school first especially when they won't let my child call me!  And after everything that has happened in this country and other countries since 9/11 families need to stay connected.  Bombings are happening where so many kids in other countries are sooooooooo scared of going to school because they have no means of getting in contact iwth their parents!  And by gods I will KNOW where my kids are at, at all times!  And if that means they carry a cell phone they will. 

These schools are down right shamefull for trying to keep parents away from their jobs as parenting.  Should the phones be taken away if the kids abuse them........yes they should but the schools have no biz telling parents what to buy their childre and how to raise their children nor how to keepin contact with them intoday's world!

And lets talk about Pitt and Jolie.  Great they are using their money for charities.  More power to them.  Great Jolie is the UN's Highest ambassorder of blah blah blha...........awesome that Jolie and then Pitt adopted two orphanes and are being good parents.  But you know what...........when will actors, rich fucks, and the do gooders realize OUR country has just as many poor, homeless, on welfare, in shitty living conditions, no insurance and the like and OUR ppl need that money for OUR Citizen based charities just as much if not more then those other countries.

Politicians, Do Gooders, and the like of Pitt and Jolie need to realize we need to stay out of other ppl's biz until we clean up our own problems.  My parents always said you have no room to talk if your own back yard isnt' cleaned up!