Random Thoughts, Meaningless Lies & Yada Yada

You Don’t Know A Thing About Me…

2011-12-18T23:03:00.001-05:00

How appropriate is this song I’m listening to while writing this post? It’s “Mr. Know It All” from Kelly Clarkson. When most people are out and about having fun, I feel comfortable being inside my place. Which is sad because then my mind start doing a lot of thinking about things that I know if I just get out of my comfort zone, I would be happy but I have nobody that’s willing to do things with me. Don’t get me wrong, I do get out and about a lot but at the end of the day, I’m right back here in my apartment. This post isn’t going the way I want it to go like it’s going in my mind. This weekend, I did some thinking about an unusual topic…DEATH!!! And no it doesn’t involve me committing suicide or anything! Everybody know when death comes for me, I’m ready to die. I knew this since I was 17 years old. But this weekend I got thinking that whenever I die, I won’t have a child to carry on my name like my two brothers have their own kids. I know that I have a few decades in front of me but I just can’t help but think about this. It’s not that I don’t know I have a problem because I do. Things like this leads me to start thinking how I don’t know how to approach women that I might be interested in. That’s why I’m always lonely. Every day that goes by I can’t tell you how many women I see that I would like to get to know more. So, when I do try to approach them I chicken out or I will just admire from a far. Hoping that they would make the first move or they would notice me. This is where I wish I had some kind of mentor or something that would help me get over this fear of rejection that I have inside me. I hate that word “no”!!!! It’s just not easy for me when it comes to things like this. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m tired of people telling me I should do this or that not because I know they are right but my problem stems deeper than that. WOW…this post went far away what’s on my mind. Bottom line is that I know that I have a problem and/or that most people or friends I talk to that makes judgments about me are correct but it’s easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk. That is my problem. I can do the talk but not the walk. I need guidance.

Can’t Fight This Feeling…

2011-12-05T22:10:00.001-05:00

No, this isn’t a post about REO Speedwagon’s song “Can’t Fight This Feeling”. Ever had a feeling inside you that you just can’t explain or don’t know how to fight it? That’s what I’m having right now. Is it a feeling of guilt? Maybe that I could had done more for one of my families and that I let them down somehow? Or are these feelings more about me? How I always seem to start something but unable to finish it? It’s like I lose focus on the bigger picture of things or maybe that the picture is to big? Whatever this feeling I have inside me, it’s not good for me to have. All I know is that I’m tired of having these feelings. They aren’t healthy for me. All I think about when I come home is how I can help these people more or how I can improve myself. I really don’t have anybody to come home to talk to about it. All I have is this post but even then I sometime feel nobody is reading these posts. But I do know something? I’m sexy and I know it!

Homelessness isn’t easy…

2011-11-30T22:02:00.001-05:00

Today, was somewhat a rough day on me. As many know I’m the LISC AmeriCorps Housing Support Specialist where I don’t just help with the low income families/individuals but also the homeless. It is something that is very close to my heart due to the fact that I want time I was homeless myself. I’m in a position to give back but it’s very hard when the person I’m trying to help isn’t really willing to work at it to get out of homelessness. Nothing is given for free without some sort of work on the person part. There isn’t an easy fix to anything. For example, the government throws money at homelessness thinking that will take care of it only it doesn’t. Various agencies around the US put some limitation on their services to homelessness which is evident from outreach specialist that I follow on twitter and other social media.

I don’t claim to have all the answers but I could very well be a valuable tool with my experience at one time being homeless. There are a lot of changes that are needed to fix homelessness across the US. I think it starts with the actual people themselves that are homeless. The government and agencies really need to understand the problem before they can fix the problem. To be able to understand the problem they need to talk to the homeless and they will have a better understanding on homelessness. Everyday, I’m exposed to homeless individuals and families that I just wish I could help more than I already can but I know I can’t because these individuals and families have to want these changes. I’m always reminding myself that talking about my experience is a lot easier than when I was actually homeless.

As of right now, I have a potential of four families/individuals on my work plate that I can see in their eyes the determination that dig their self out of homelessness. We started the process as I have them referred to various programs and etc. I just hope they understand that I’m their for them if they need something. This is what I’m great out is helping others and one of the reason I love what I’m doing.

Missed me????

2011-11-29T23:31:00.001-05:00

Did you all missed me? Well, I’m not totally back on the internet but just have enough signal from somebody around me that is allowing me to type up blog. A lot has happened since my last blog attempt. As you notice, blogging from my cell phone really didn’t work out the way I thought it would. So, I decided not to use my cell phone but will definitely try again soon. Trying to find some good apps for my Smartphone that will allow me better control of my blogging. I’m still struggling in life but that’s expected. One of my struggles is my financial situation. Seems like that’s just getting worse and worse. I was hoping to have my internet back by now but things aren’t working out. I’m hoping to have it back after the New Year. Did I really just say that? Is the new year about to be upon us? Man, does time fly? As soon has I have more time and a better internet connection, I will blog a better update on me. For the time being, if any of my friends need anything, please e-mail me, text me, call me (for the ones that know where to find my number on the internet), or throw up the bat signal. Until then, this post is to let friends and family know I’m still here and will always be here somehow.

2011-08-08T00:02:00.007-04:00

ng on.

2011-08-08T00:02:00.005-04:00

feed still. You can see that on the right of the screen. If this works I might use this method to post to my Blog & give you all updates what's been goi

2011-08-08T00:02:00.003-04:00

1st time texting my post from my phone. But don't worry I will be getting my internet connection back soon. For the mean time I will be doing my twitter

2011-08-08T00:02:00.001-04:00

For those of you all wondering why I haven't updated my Blog in a while is that I'm currently without internet connection except for my phone. This is my

Showing my car the lovin’…

2011-06-18T22:20:00.001-04:00

Today was supposed to be the day that I get my Goldie (aka the car) fixed and show Goldie some lovin’. But Goldie decided she wanted to be a spoiled brat. *lol* It turns out that Goldie is going to require a lot more lovin’ and money to fix her up. I was finally able to get my car hooked up to the dealer's diagnostic computer today to really see the extent of the motor problems that have been occurring to Goldie.

1) Timing Belts - So, before I can really fix the root of Goldie’s problem, I’m going to have to spend nearly $400 on getting the timing belts replaced and fixed. If I don’t do this first, then the worst case scenario would be buying a used or new motor starting at $3400.

2) Coils, wires, and plugs – with the timing belts replaced, it is also required to either replace and/or re-sync the coils, wires, and plugs in Goldie that throws off the timing. This is another $400.

3) Input & output Speed Sensors & the trans range switch – These sensors are the real root of my problem. It’s these sensors why my check engine lights stay on. Therefore fixing these will take care of the problem. But just fixing the sensors will run another $300. But then it’s also another $135 to fix the trans range switch. Basically looking at nearly $450 to fix the sensors and the switch.

4) Upper Oil Pan & Rocker cover gasket – Another $400 to have the upper oil pan resealed and the rocker cover gasket fixed. They did say this isn’t as bad but over time it can turn into being back.

5) Airbag light – as I mention when I bought the car that the airbag light has been on the whole time. Right now, it’s not as important to get it fixed but finally got the answer I was looking for though. As long as that light is on, the airbags won’t deploy if I’m ever in an accident. For them to attempt to fix this problem, they have to take the seats out of the car and try to re-wire the wires which would cost roughly $90. If they can’t, then the worse case scenario would be to install harnesses which would roughly cost $3000.

So, as you see my day of showing Goldie some lovin’ really turned into a nightmare. I really didn’t expect this much problems with her but I have the problem now. My mechanic will be calling me on Monday he said to see what he can come up with as a plan of attack for making these fixes. Of course it doesn’t help when I really don’t have the money for this. It’s part of life and growing up. Time for me to start acting like an adult and take responsibility for things. I bought this car and now going to have to figure out some kind of plan. One that just popped in my head is the warranty that I bought? I wonder if any of these repairs can be fixed under the warranty? Something I will look into more tomorrow. I let you all know more about what is happening to Goldie. In the mean times send prays and money my way.

Cold Stone Truth About TL…

2011-06-13T23:41:00.001-04:00

I think the blog title of this post explains where this post is going. Over the past week or so, my co-workers and maybe some of my friends probably thought I’ve been unsociable or not happy? It’s not that I was or anything but more like I was doing some serious thinking about myself and the things I want to accomplish between now and when I turn 40 in three years. There are several things I want to do between now and then but before I can accomplish them I have to figure out a major detail about myself. It’s all good and dandy that I have plans and etc but what good are they if I fizzle out in the middle of my plan? Like I said, over the last week I’ve been looking back at all the goals and plans I had for myself only to find a disturbing pattern to all my failed plans compared to all my successful goals and plans I’ve had. That pattern is “accountability”.

“Accountability” is a major role when it comes to achieving goals and life plans. Without that role, how does one keep them self motivated or continue to fight the good fight when nobody is there for you to turn to or be by your side? This is what I have noticed about myself. I have noticed that I start my goals or life plans out like a wildfire only see it fizzle away when I have nobody that is by my side through the process. Without that “accountability”, there are days that that I need that motivation or the kick in the ass that a friend or workout partner can provide. In all my successful goals or plans that I have seen through, I’ve notice that this role was present but in the unsuccessful goals or plans the role wasn’t there. For example, in 2008 after I was diagnosed with diabetes I was able to lose roughly between 80 to 100 lbs. The strict diet I was on along with the exercising I was doing, my mom and step-dad was there. Most importantly my step-dad was a big influence on me when it came to exercising. My step-dad held me accountable everyday when working. He even joined me in our walking. Even though his was a faster walker, knowing that he was out there with me made a huge difference in me wanting to do the walk. Because afterward, we would talk about how that workout felt or why my time was slower or faster? It was my step-dad that was my “accountability” and got me through the walks. Another example, is my car IDA program that I started in September 2009 which ended in me getting my car in April 2011. The “accountability” in this goal was both the Financial Resource Specialist and the rules of the IDA program. I mean, would I ever been able to save $2000 for my car to be eligible for my 100% match by Brighton Center without the specialist or the goals? Believe it or not, I wouldn’t have. I have tried before and failed miserable. These are just a few of my examples which aren’t very many. Don’t have many more successful examples to give though. So, I’m going to continue think about how I can create the right “accountability” to make my goals before 40 to be successful.

What exactly is my “Goals before 40”? I think that will be the fancy name for my goals. What do you all think about it? “Goals before 40” is a plan where before I turn 40 years old, I’m going to accomplish these goals. Everybody know that when turning 40 its all downhill in life? If that’s the truth, then I want to have fun because the first 40 hasn’t been anything but fun for me. So, I want to kind of re-invent myself over the next three years. But I don’t want to fail. My “Goals before 40” has three goals to it.

Goal #1:

Before or when I turn 40 years old, I want to lose 150 lbs or weigh around 200 lbs.

That means on average for the next three years, I need to lose 50 lbs per year. That’s very doable in my book. It’s not a goal that isn’t unattainable.

I’m going to need to find a workout partner. In the past when having a workout partner, I’m very dedicated to actually working out. I have no probably on a few days to work out alone but I tend to lose focus if its day after day. But having somebody there I know will hold me accountable. This is where goal #2 will come into affect.

Goal #2:

Before or when I turn 40 years old, I want to get my diabetes under control.

Which losing 150 lbs will go a long way in helping out this goal. So, what I’ll be doing to start this goal is looking at two things?

1) Getting educated correctly. Usually when diagnosed, all the newbie get educated. I didn’t have the chance to be educated or take any classes when I was in the hospital regarding diabetes. All my education up to this point is me doing the research and filling in the blanks.
2) Finding a diabetes support group. I’m hoping this will help with the “accountability” role that I’m needing.

Goal #3:

Before or when I turn 4o years old, I want to have in my career job.

First, I need to know what my career job is? That is one thing I need to find out. What exactly is it? Is it staying in the non-profit field which I very much liked for the last two years. Or is it going back to the technology field? Is it a combo of the two fields? Or is it culinary? Is it photography? What exactly is it? Might need to figure this out first before I can start my career job.

These three goals will be a major start to my “over 40” years. As you can also tell, these three goals basically go hand in hand. These are very attainable goals to achieve only if I have the “accountability” role in place. Anybody have any websites or know somebody in the Northern Kentucky area that might be a great resource or person to contact? If so, please leave a comment here.

In other news about my life, I’ve also been thinking about other aspects of my life the last few weeks. Here is a small quick update on things going on.

One of them is about AmeriCorps. It’s beginning to look like I’m going to be doing a third and final year of it. Well, I have decided that it will be my final year if I do so get a third year. I’m kind of counting on it. AmeriCorps would help me greatly to work on my “Goals before 40” plan. Basically be working with low income families and homelessness along with some new responsibility. Keep your fingers crossed.

Second thing is that my car is slowly being repaired. When I bought the car, there were some cosmetic stuff that needed to be fixed. So, I have gradually been fixing small things. But this week, I’m going to have my “check engine” light and my “airbag” light fixed. I’m hoping my car will make it to this Saturday when it goes to the dealer. I’m having some problems with it currently due to the “check engine” light. Apparently, my car decided to give me a code of “system to lean”. This problem started about a few weeks after I had the car. So, barring no major expense I’m going to have it fixed this weekend.

Well, thank you for reading my whole blog post if you are reading this. Please leave a comment. I’m tired of having no comments because I think people don’t want to hear me but it’s all part of the “accountability” I’m talking about. Feel free to e-mail me if you want. I’m always looking to meet new friends. Again, sorry for the long post. Enjoy your morning and/or night!

Happy Memorial Day…

2011-05-30T17:25:00.001-04:00

I want to wish all our armed service members a “Happy Memorial Day” and thank you for making us safe. Great job everybody!

This weekend was very interesting for me. First of all, I went in on a Saturday to finish up some work so that I wouldn’t get behind for this week coming up. If I wanted till tomorrow to do all the stuff I had to do, I would behind this week and that I didn’t want to happen. Plus, this weekend I started back cooking meals and trying to measure out my serving size out for dinner as I’m trying to get back into eating right and get my diabetes back under control.

Off But Not Out of Sight…

2011-04-24T22:59:00.001-04:00

Just thought I let everybody know that starting tomorrow, Monday, April 25, 2011, I should be unhooked from the internet and cable TV for a few weeks. With the recent purchase of a new used car, my money has been tight. Therefore, I’m going to let some bills go for a few weeks, hopefully until May 13, when I can get back on the internet and etc. This is only temporary until I’m able to get my money situation back under control. Sometimes you have to prioritize what’s important. I’ll still have my cell phone with me which does have my e-mail and some internet capabilities. So, I’m not totally unhooked. So, until later, peace out!

Houston, we have a problem…

2011-03-27T20:34:00.001-04:00

That’s right Houston, you all are about to be invaded by the BIG BLUE NATION! Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, I hope you all have enough room to host the BIG BLUE NATION! GO BIG BLUE!!!!! This team isn’t going to take it anymore. With the play of Josh Harrellson and the other upperclassmen, has the UK Wildcats back in the Final Four. Congratulations UK Wildcats being the East Region Champions.

So, let’s talk how UK got to be where they are heading. This journey starts back in November with the Maui Invitational. Ending with UConn really dismantling UK in the Championship game. The way UK played really left a bad taste in their mouth. Then there is the regular season that probably drove a lot of UK fans to drink or something. How many close road games could this team lose? I’m not talking good teams either. I’m talking teams that UK should had blown away but struggle and lose the game by the slimiest of margins. Not once or twice but six times. WOW!!! But towards the end of the regular season, UK started playing more like a team by being a team. They made this great run in the SEC Tournament run to win the Conference Championship for the second straight year.

But then the stupid NCAA Committee decide to screw UK over again. The first time with Enes Kanter saying he is permanently ineligible. Like that was a great call. But again by deciding UK was a #4 seed. But with all that, look who is in the Final Four? That’s right! UK baby!!!!!

They got here when Harrellson decided to come out and play. Want to know why Harrellson is playing like he is playing? Not just his determination to get him in the best shape of his life and etc. But because he isn’t ready for his college career to be over. I’m surprised nobody really mention this. Determination is a powerful tool but also knowing that any game could be your last game of your career. How would you play? Another words, he is making sure his last game isn’t a lost. Way to go Harrellson. Keep up the great play. You are one of my favorite UK player. Play tough against UConn.

The other reason UK is where they are right now? Upperclassmen…that’s right!!!! I know Calipari likes the one and done players but you need to surround them with upperclassmen that have the experience. That’s where Josh Harrellson, DeAndre Liggins, and Darius Miller comes in. They bring the necessary experience and level headedness that the freshmen need in this type of tournament. Talent can only go so far in a tournament. But talent and experience will take you all the way!

Another reason UK is where they are? They can shoot. Last years team was all great and etc but had a hard time shooting from outside. When they got cold last year, they just continue to shoot those jumpers rather than using their strengths. It was almost like they were stubborn. But this years team can shoot those jumpers and make them with ease. A big difference between last year team and this years team. When you can spread the court by making those jumpers, it makes it a whole lot easier to drive the ball down the lane.

So, again, CONGRATULATIONS UK WILDCATS on making the Final Four. Let’s bring home #8 baby!!!! We got next!

Two Songs that explains TL today…

2011-03-16T23:13:00.001-04:00

Today has been a day that just is to hard to explain. You know when people know you aren’t yourself and they keep asking you “are you ok?”? But you lie and tell them nothing but in reality there is something wrong? You just don’t know what? That’s how I am feeling today. But after depressing around and watching “GLEE’s – Original Song” episode, it somewhat came to me on how I can feel to people through two songs.

The first song would be setting the atmosphere on where I would be and that is “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Michael Bolton. Yeah I know but I have to be honest. But it’s not really a bay though that I’m looking out over. It’s more like a ocean. But somewhere out in this massive area is like a “needle in a hay stack”, which I like to call my problem. All I know is I’m sitting on this dock looking out into this massive space knowing that my problem is out there but just don’t know where. So, I feel like I’m just going through the motion everyday. So, as you can tell from the lyrics it fits me perfectly as what’s going on in my head.

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothin's gonna come my way

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

The sad part is whenever I have a problem, this is how it feels like sitting on the dock of the back wasting time. It’s the same place over and over. But something happened tonight as I was watching “GLEE”. They did an original song called “Get it Right”. When I get in these moods where I’m searching for my problem I tend to watch shows either about music or I watch music type shows like in this case “GLEE”. I’m glad I picked this “GLEE” episode but as I was sitting on that dock of the bay tonight, the song they sang at the end called “Get It Right” brought several good questions about me that makes me think about “what’s wrong with me” or guide me in the right direction at least. Here are the lyrics for “Get It Right”.

What have I done? I wish I could
Away from this ship goin’ under
Just tryin’ to help, hurt everyone
Now I feel the weight of the world is
On my shoulders

What can you do when your good isn’t good enough?
When all that you touch tumbles down?
‘Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things
I just wanna fix it somehow

But how many it times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me?
To get it right
To get it ri-igh-ight

Can I start again with my faith shaken?
‘Cause I can’t go back and undo this
I just have to stay and face my mistakes
But if I get stronger and wiser
I’ll get through this

What can you do when your good isn’t good enough?
When all that you touch tumbles down?
‘Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things
I just wanna fix it somehow

But how many it times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me?
To get it right
To get it ri-igh-ight

So I throw up my fist
I will punch in the air
And accept the truth that sometimes life isn’t fair
Yeah, I’ll send out a wish
Yeah, I’ll send up a prayer
And finally, someone will see
How much I care!

What can you do when your good isn’t good enough?
When all that you touch tumbles down?
‘Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things
I just wanna fix it somehow

But how many it times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me?
To get it right
To get it ri-igh-ight

Now this songs almost fits me to a “T”. Every time I’m like this, I try to ask myself questions to figure out my problems or why I’m depressed or something. The very first question is a good one that I never have asked myself. “What have I done?” can’t be any more direct than that. What have I done to be in this certain situation (i.e. sitting on the dock of the bay)? I have been playing this song over and over trying to figure that out. I honestly can’t tell you how much this song speaks to me. In the above lyrics, everything in red is what I would be asking myself in another post that will be coming in a few days after I sit down and think about those questions. Maybe some self reflection will help me figure out myself? Maybe it’s something I need to do to see exactly who and what is wrong with me?

How many times have you all done what’s in green? You know throw your fist up in the air acting like you are punching it and then saying that’s life basically? Even though you know it’s not fair or anything but you accept it? I know I have several times. But no more. It’s time to start thinking about change. If you want to listen to the song, click here for “Get It Right” video. Enjoy!

A Small and Quick Update…

2011-03-07T23:58:00.001-05:00

I’ve been going back and forth on if I should be sitting here right now writing this post? One minute I do and the next minute I rather be doing something else other than writing this post even though I’m going to be sitting at the computer. Why do I not want to be writing this post? Sometimes I feel nobody cares what I write in this blog. I do have a small set of friends that I do know read this blog. So small that I can count them on one hand basically. But I’m happy to be writing this anyway.

It’s official. I got the official IDA word that I have completed the program and I can start looking for a car. So, that means I can start looking for my Hyundai Elantra or Sonata that’s some where between $4,000 to $6,000. But anything over $4,000 I have to try and get a loan for. Here is what I have to do. I have two months to look for this car, I have to get insurance, come from a dealership, and if I get a loan, the loan rate has to be less than 11%. Plus, have to get the car inspected before I get the $2,000 from Brighton Center. I’m very excited and can’t wait until I find the car I want. Bring on the cars!

This Thursday, 3/10/2011, I’m going to be heading to my mom’s place to setup up her home network and new computer. I will be taking off of work on Friday, 3/11/2011 and Monday, 3/14/2011 to have the time to do it. Why am I bringing this up? Because as part of our agreement, I get her old computer that I’m replacing with the new computer. So, I will be adding one more computer to my already large collection of computers I got here at the house. Yippee!!!!

Speaking of computer, I recently started working on one of my computers idea for one of computers I have here. As some of you seen from my tweet, I have introduced “Aural Euphoria” to my long list of computers I have. “Aural Euphoria” is all about multimedia. She is going to be my music computer where I download music and etc. She is also going be the computer where I create my videos and podcasts. Basically, if it’s multimedia, “Aural Euphoria” is going to be the girl handling it. As of right now, she barely has a leg to stand on to be honest. I have to do a lot of upgrading to “Aural Euphoria” to get her to a place where I can do all the things I want to do. So, it will take some time but “Aural Euphoria” will get there.

Also, lately been doing a lot of thinking about life again. I tend to do this a lot. I don’t think people or friends really understand how much AmeriCorps have really changed my life. If I could I would do AmeriCorps for the rest of my life but I can’t. The max I could would be four years. But if things go the way it does, I might not be able to do all four years as government is looking to cut it’s budget and AmeriCorps is on the chopping blocks. Which got me thinking life lately. Should I start ramping up my job searching machine and start looking? Am I ready to get back into the workforce? Is two years of AmeriCorps enough for updating my work experience I currently have? These are the type of questions I ask myself over and over. What do you think? Should I start looking and applying for other jobs? But it doesn’t stop there for me though. Also, been thinking that I can do more. What exactly I’m not sure? But just have this feeling that I can do a lot more than what I’m doing. Ever had those feelings?

Well, so much for being short and quick huh? I guess I better head to bed. Had serious allergies/sinus problems lately that I' seem to shake away from. So, I need to get as much sleep as possible to feel refreshed in the morning. Night and talk to you all later.

Why O Why…

2011-02-12T15:46:00.001-05:00

Basically the title of this post says it all. Can this day get any worse for me? Maybe I shouldn’t even got out of bed? I’m very frustrated and pissed off that it’s not funny. The more I think about it the more upset I get. Let me tell you…1) In the last few weeks unexpected bills have been coming in. These bills are putting a wrench in my “getting a car” plan. Where I should be using money to pay off old debts off my credit report to complete my IDA obligations, I’m paying off these unexpected bills. Which leads to another unexpected bill today…2) When to get my taxes done and basically I owe $571 in state taxes. Yes, you heard me right. An AmeriCorps Volunteer owes money. Great! Basically any money I get from my federal, which is only $184 and from Ohio state taxes, $93, won’t even cover it. So, I’m going to be forking out another $350 or so dollars. 3) Now, Kentucky freaking loses. Apparently they don’t want to play on the road. So, what else can go wrong? Can’t wait until this day is over with.

But the good news is though I might have a plan for me to still get a car on time according to my time table. But I won’t know until Monday when I go into work and talk to a few IDA people to see if it’s possible that I can use what I pay off to the IRS as part of my IDA obligation for paying 30% of my debt. If I can then I’ll be alright. If not, I’m going to be a few months behind. I was pretty sure I’ll have a car by the end of February but now I’m not sure. We shall see.

Update on my car situation…

2011-02-02T23:46:00.001-05:00

If you all remember from several post over the last year, I have been participating in the IDA program where once I save $2,000 that I get matched 100% by Brighton Center. In September of 2010, I made my $2,000 limit and since then started phase two of the program which was to pay off 30% of my debt off. Well, I’m only $355 away from completing this. In the whole process I was put on a waiting list waiting for Brighton Center get their money. Today, I learned that Brighton Center got their money and as soon as I pay off $355 of my debt in some fashion, I will be able to get a car. So, I’m hoping by the end of February that I will have a new used car. I’m very excited about this. I have been car hunting these last few months and do have a car in mind I want. But when I’m ready to purchase it, will it be there? That is the question. Not to mention I have to look for car insurance. Anybody have any suggestions?

So, if anybody want to donate some money to the “pay off TL’s debt” funds, I’ll be happy to take it. You can always send money to me by PayPal by sending it to jacksontho at gmail dot com. *lol* Just kidding!

Day 2: Healing Update…

2011-01-29T09:38:00.001-05:00

Day two is upon me for the healing process of my two teeth extraction. In my blog post below, you notice I had my wisdom and one other tooth out. I can honestly say I have been pain free which I’m very blessed. I never imagine it being this way. Everybody has told me to be prepared and etc. I only took a pain pill last night as I was going to bed because I was so sure I would wake up with pain. But I didn’t this morning. I did start my salt water treatment as well this morning. The little bit of swollen I had on my face from yesterday is all gone. So far, everything is gong great. I couldn’t ask for anything better. Keep sending the prays my way.

It’s over with for now…

2011-01-28T13:46:00.001-05:00

Well, I just got back from the dentist where I got two teeth pulled. One was a wisdom and the other one was a molder. Now the healing and pain process starts. The extraction was fast and without any problems according to the dentist. I got my pain meds and now I’m home resting for the next few days. Today only I can have water only and then tomorrow I start with warm salt water three times a day. So, keep praying for me.

Let’s Talk Football…

2011-01-23T23:02:00.001-05:00

First, let’s talk about the Super Bowl matchup between Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Who are you for and why? Green Bay started off strong against the Chicago Bears in their NFC Championship game. But I think they thought they had this game and they let up to allow the Bears back in the game. But in the end, the defense helped them seal the victory. As for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game, the New York Jets woke up in the 2nd half and actually made a game of it. Only if the New York Jets scored that touchdown rather than getting stopped by the Steelers on that goal line stance? We could be seeing a different outcome in that game? But man, what about the Steelers on that 3rd and long at the end of the game? I was 99.99% sure they were going to run it and then punt it away. WOW!! All I can say.

Now it’s Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Who you going to pick? As for me, I originally thought it would be New England Patriots playing the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl with New England Patriots winning it all. But since only one of my team I picked is in the Super Bowl, I’m going with Green Bay Packers, baby!!!!! The Steelers can’t win the Super Bowl because this is the Dallas Cowboys home field. Last thing us Cowboys fans want is our rival Steelers winning on our home turf but yet another Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys is America’s Team! Right Cowboys fans?

A little hometown sports talk for those diehard Cincinnati “Who Dey…Who Dey…think will beat those” Bengals, which is everybody apparently, that loud cheering that everybody in the world heard was from fans that learned that Carson Palmer is supposedly going to be asking the Bengals for a trade or he will retire. I know the fans haven’t been happy with Carson over the last few years but some changes have to be made. But my questions to the Bengals fans is who is going to be the next quarterback? Cincinnati really haven’t been developing a quarterback over these few years. JT O’Sullivan isn’t Carson Palmer and Carson’s brother isn’t really, well let’s face it, Carson or JT combine. The Bengals do have the 4th pick of the draft though? Could they draft a Cam Newton or the Bengals next franchise quarterback? If they do and I’m Mike Brown I would think about keeping Carson and draft a quarterback to develop the quarterback to take the team over. Oh yeah, that means firing their offensive coordinator rather than trading Palmer. Also, Childress isn’t the answer either there. So, Bengals fans, what’s your thought?

Dentist Update…

2011-01-21T09:59:00.001-05:00

It’s basically 9:55 am on Friday, 1/21/11, and I was getting ready for my dentist appointment when they called me like 15 minutes ago to let me know that the dentist wasn’t available and they needed to reschedule my appointment. Throwing my whole day up into air. But the extraction is still on but for next Friday, 1/28/11, now at 11:30 am. So, another whole week to get used to the idea. But now I don’t know what to do. Should I go to work at the Brighton Center or should I go downtown Cincinnati to find my AmeriCorps co-workers where we are supposed to be doing training all day? Right now I’m going to go to the Brighton Center where they are very short handed and could use my assistance unless my AmeriCorps people call me and tell me otherwise.

It’s Here…Pray for me…

2011-01-21T00:11:00.001-05:00

The time has almost arrived but it’s approaching fast. In less than 13 hours, I’ll be coming back from the dentist office with two of my teeth pulled. As many of you all know, last week I had some very bad pain that kept me from sleeping and/or sitting down. The pain at times were so unbearable that I had to get up and walk like crazy. Walking was the only thing that stopped the pain. So, finally broke down last Friday and went to the dentist office. I had a very nasty infection that they had to clear up first before they could pull out the wisdom tooth and one other tooth. They set up the following Friday, which is today, to come back and get them pulled. And guess what? That day has arrived…

I’ll be crazy to say that I’m not nervous because I’m really nervous. So, please pray for me that everything goes alright and heals correctly. Many things can go wrong but in the long run this is the right move right now. One of my concerns is that this is the first pulling of teeth out since I have been diagnosed with diabetes. How will my diabetes effect the healing process? I’m just worry something will go wrong. But all I can do is leave it up to the big guy upstairs. It’s in his hands now. Over this weekend I’ll keep you updated when I’m feeling better and etc. See everybody on the flip side and talk to you all later. Time for a good night rest.

Year 2011: Preview…

2011-01-16T14:56:00.001-05:00

So, what does the year 2011 have installed for me? As I’m sitting here in somewhat of pain from my tooth ache, the first thing I have coming up is pulling of a wisdom and one other tooth on January 21. You know I’m looking forward for that. NOT!!!!!!!! Here are some things that should be coming up this year. Of course not in any particular order.

1) Car – last year I saved up my $2000 and this year Brighton Center should be release their part of the deal to me soon. So, I’m kind of looking for me getting a car around the end of February or beginning of March.

2) Possibly moving – Even though it’s not far but I’m looking to move into a two bedroom apartment here where I’m already staying. If I can talk the landlord into the right lease and deal. I’ll basically be moving next door where my neighbor/good friend moved out. I’m going to talk to the landlord this week coming up.

3) Vacation – for the first time in years, I’m looking to take a vacation. Right now it’s scheduled for May 16 thru May 20, 2011. In this week, sits my birthday. Usually I just take my birthday day off but decided to do the whole week because I get a paid vacation from work. Where I’m going is still up in the air. Not quite sure yet or I might just stay home?

4) AmeriCorps – My service year ends in September. I do want to do another year of AmeriCorps but it has to be like a promotion for me. So, if I don’t get hired somewhere, I’m planning on doing another year of AmeriCorps. I’m allowed up to four years of service.

5) My Health – This is always on my agenda every year. I need to start regulating my diabetes and monitoring my health better this year. I really can’t afford these medical bills. So, need to find a way to make myself more healthier.

6) Visiting my mom – My mom wants me to come down soon to help her setup and transfer files from her old computer to her new computer. That will probably be my first long trip shortly after getting the car.

7) Computers – Maybe during this year, I can get some of my other computers back up and running. So that I can either sell them or put them to use like I planned on using them in the first place. Plus, I would like to create my own computer case from the plexi-glass that I’ve been saving for years. Basically I have ideas with each of these computers I got. For example, I want one computer to hold nothing but my music, movies, and videos files. Another computer I want to turn into a server so that I can learn how to run a server. I really have somewhat gotten away from this field. I need to get back into technology. It’s what my Master degree is in.

8) Photography – I want to get back into photography. This is something I have kind of gotten away from over the last few years. But every time I hold a camera in my hand, I feel the happiness and my senses coming back to me. So, one of my computers will be a photography editing computer. But first I will need to save up for a Cannon Digital SLR during this year.

9) 2nd Job – Since I’m able to get a 2nd job this year, I might just do this to help with paying some of my bills, to save for that digital camera, and help fix my computers. There is one particular job I wouldn’t mind working and that’s at a movie theatre. So, I might apply for part time at one near by?

10) Blog more – Something I want to do more of is blog. I have a unique life that I can share my experiences with people. Only if they come and leave comments and etc. I know I might not be the best writer in the world but I have all kinds of information that it’s not funny and I want to share it.

So, if anybody wants to help me achieve any of my goals, please feel free to contact me. I’m not always looking for money. I’m also looking for a mentor in photography, computers, and in life. I always wanted a mentor but never really got one. I’m always needing guidance in something. I’m a great person to be around and etc.

2010: A Year In Review…

2011-01-15T22:26:00.001-05:00

This was my first full year of being re-housed since I’ve been homeless. Even though I was re-housed the last month of 2009, I was able to stay in the same place all year in 2010. It started out rough for me as I had to get used to the idea that I had a place over my head. But it didn’t take long before other feelings started to come back to me. For example, the feeling of loneliness of when I came home from work every day. But that was remedy later on in the year as I got a roommate. Even though it’s different, have a friend to talk to is always a plus. More about him later on in this post. Year 2010 saw me grow as a person. I think many of my friends would agree with me. Even some of them think that being homeless was probably the best thing that happen to me. Even though I understand where they are coming from, I would have to disagree. Because I wouldn’t wish being homeless on anybody. Being homeless is a totally different ball game. But for me it did something though. It kicked my determination into high gear. Want to get motivated, become homeless? So, what did the year 2010 have for me? Well, let me tell you.

First, it was AmeriCorps. Being an AmeriCorps member has did a lot. I met more people that either are or were in a similar position like I was. These are people that really are their selves. No playing game or anything. The sit down with you and they listen. They don’t act to be your friends, they are your friends.

Just AmeriCorps alone has done more for me in 2010 than I probably could for myself. Besides friends, I started job training. The more I work as an AmeriCorps member, the more on the job training experience I get. It has helped me update my resume for my job career. Until September 15, 2010, I was a VISTA member and then switched over to LISC AmeriCorps for this last three months of 2010 where I am currently. The switch from VISTA to LISC is actually a promotion. It was more money but more responsibility came with the job. Also, I’m impacting family lives in my current position. But don’t get me wrong, as VISTA I was still impacting family lives but only behind the scenes. For example, it was all about making a method of a program that’s already in place and make it better. So another words, make it run smoother. Which I did. One of the projects took off big times and that was my housing packet. This packet went out to over 4500 people within the community. Now, as a LISC worker, I’m impacting family’s lives as I’m working directly with them. I’m able to give people what they need. It’s been amazing so for. I can only imagine what 2011 will hold for me in this area.

Brighton Center is an amazing place. To have this opportunity to work for them has been humbling for me. They have helped me in many ways. For example, they helped me pay off some of my bills so that I had no barrier to worry about when it comes to getting this place I’m currently living out. They helped pay off my last landlord when I was unable too. They also paid off Duke Energy bill that I had from my last place. Plus a few other things. But I think the biggest thing they helped me with that is immeasurable is the ability to get me to save money. In 2010, I started my IDA account for a car. I was able to save up $2000 in which they will match me $2000 to use to get a great car which will come in 2011. So, budgeting was an important for me in 2010. They actually got me to budget which I tried many times before. But still have some problems and a long ways to go before I can say I’m successful at it. But it’s a start. Having great co-workers is a plus too. It’s amazing what one can learn from co-workers at the work place. I’m grateful for Brighton Center and hopefully I will be hired on as an employee there.

Besides for my work life, other part of my life was enhanced in some way. My personal life has seen me go out more with friends and do more things that I normally don’t know. Like going to events that are here in the Northern Kentucky area like wine tastings, motorcycle rally, and do more volunteering. I was able to visit my mom for the first time in a few years. I also adopted a family for Christmas as I bought presents for a single mom and her two kids.

Even though it seems that 2010 was all good, it wasn’t. There were times that I had to deal with something or help a friend or two with a problem. 2010 has seen two of my friends going through a divorce. Going thru a divorce can and is a tough thing to do. But having a friend that is always there for them can help cushion the blow some. One of them is my roommate right now. He knows he has a roof over his head and a friend to talk to anytime he wants to talk. The other friend has just started the process the last few months of the year but he will know what to do but until then, he knows he has a friend in me. Another thing that hasn’t went good for me is my health. My diabetes are still high but that will change soon though.

You see year 2010 wasn’t the worse or the best but it’s by far since my homelessness the best year I have had and it can only get better for me. What does 2011 have install for me? Got to come back when I do my “2011 Preview” post in the next few days.

The New Year is Upon Us…

2011-01-05T23:03:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. We are not only six days into the new year but where have I been for the last few months? Well, work got hectic, I got sick, then the holidays. That’s what happen. Many of you all know I love my volunteer job with AmeriCorps. Well, things have been very busy for me. Since I got back from Jacksonville, FL, it’s been non-stop for me at the Brighton Center. But I love what I’m doing though. During all the work I have been doing, I get sick with a nasty cold that stuck around way to long. I think I was sick for like a month before I finally got it out of my system. After that, the holidays came. There was basically the month long holiday drive at the Brighton Center. It is basically three weeks to setup for it and one hectic week of families coming through the Brighton Center. But the good news is I survived and back online. Anybody miss me out there? Happy New Years to everybody out there. My year in review post will be coming soon. So, stay tuned…

My word of the day...Vulnerable.

2010-10-26T22:24:00.002-04:00

As many of my twitter followers know, I'm currently down in Jacksonville, FL for the LISC AmeriCorps National Orientation Training. This conference is from October 23 to October 28. I'm currently on Day 3 of the training and today was a big day personally from my standpoint. If one word comes to mind today it is "vulnerable". As part of my reasoning to do AmeriCorps is to grow as a person. That means at times, I'm going to have to open myself and be "vulnerable". Guess what? That day was today.

You see today was a session that I was dreading the most which so happens to be my last session of the day. These last day or so, we all heard how we had to dance in this session. This session was all about team building. You all might be thinking "big deal TL". But to me it was a big deal. It's usually something I want to avoid doing in public is dancing. The faciliator did say "if you don't want to do it that you didn't have too." Usually that is where I excuse myself. But I wasn't going to let me. My whole AmeriCorps experience is about "My Personal Journey" and "my growth" into this new TL. So, I reached down deep inside me and told myself that I was going to do this excercise. That mean's I was going to do the "Cupid Shuffle" with my group and I wasn't going to worry about what others think. There is a video of it but as soon as I get my hand on it I'll post it. But doing this session took me out of my comfort zone and in process made me vulnerable as I opened up. People got to see the real me and that is what "My Personal Journey" is all about. Opening myself up and letting others see and at the same time grow.

All my life, I have been staying in my comfort zone. It's time for me to start breaking out of it and start growing. My goal when I'm done with AmeriCorps is to be this new person that both old and new friends won't recognized. I want my old friends to say "I can't believe the change in me" and my new friends to say "they can't believe I was who I was back then". But most importantly, I want to feel better about myself and feel proud of myself. People, I'm going to change and re-invent myself. Either you can come for the ride or you can stay behind. This is going to be the new me. Come with me on "My Personal Journey".

TL

It Is Finally Official…

2010-09-23T22:34:00.001-04:00

When I started my AmeriCorps VISTA last year, one of the things that I started was the IDA account. It stands for Individual Development Account, where basically you save a target amount of money ($2000) and once saved, it will be matched 100%. Yes, you heard me right. It’s matched 100%. But it can only go toward whatever your saving up. In my case, it is for a car. So, for the whole year I have been saving my money. My goal was toward the end of my AmeriCorps VISTA that I would have my money saved. Guess what? It’s official…I have reached that goal. Basically starting next year off right basically, I’ll be buying myself a car with the $4000 that I’m going to be getting. I barely got on the waiting list as the fourth and only person for the list. I’m so thrilled and excited because basically this is a huge accomplishment for me. It is my first time that I actually was able to save toward a goal without taking the money out of the saving account for something else. Of course, having the rule that if you do take any money out, you will lose any match that you earned. Now you see what I’m happy?

In other things, my new position has the CFS Housing Support Specialist is off to a great start. Finally was able to nail down my goals, output, and outcomes for this position. I’m looking forward working with low income families and/or individuals over this upcoming year. Next Friday, October 1st, is my first monthly training at the LISC office in Cincinnati. Excited to see the other workers again at the other places. Also, my flight is booked for my National training in Jacksonville, FL. I’m getting an all expense paid trip to there. If last year’s training was any indicator, than I’m in for a hell of a time this year. Can’t wait.

My diet is still going strong. Found out that my food stamps really only cover enough for one week. So, I have been going off script a little and prepared meals that I normally had on week 1 again on week 2. But I’m still going at it. In October I’m going to be working out at a gym. That is a goal of mine and phase 3 of my master plan.

Well, I guess I’m done for now. Been coming down with either a cold or I have been having a lot of sinus problems. Either way, I’m heading to bed.

Exciting Week for me…

2010-09-12T23:06:00.001-04:00

Hello everybody! Long time since my last post. *lol* Anyway, today has been a very important first day in what should be an exciting week for me. All along I have been mentioning that I’ll be making a lot of changes in my life. This week continues those changes. I’m excited for this! As you will see below:

Sunday – September 12, 2010 - Today, was the day I started my diet like I planned too. Already after one day, I’m seeing results in regards to my blood sugars. When I woke up this morning, I tested my blood sugar and it was 210. Since I started back checking my blood, it’s very rare that I got below 200 for my blood sugar. So, I started my diet this morning as I woke up at 7:00 am and started my day out correctly with breakfast. Under my new diet, I’m eating three main meals and three snacks in between. Also, trying to stay within 1300 to 1500 calories per day. When I went to take my blood sugar before I ate lunch, it was down to 176. Then before supper it was 157. It will be interesting to see what it will be in the morning. Plus, I got a lot of things accomplished around the apartment that I needed to have done that I have been putting off.

Wednesday – September 15, 2010 – This is when I’m officially ending my service year as an AmeriCorps VISTA. It’s been a great last year for me. To go from being homeless to where I’m out now, is just amazing and a blessing. Even though this is two days short of my full year but it is only because I’m starting my new position the following day.

Thursday – September 16, 2010 – This is the start of my new position as a LISC AmeriCorps CFS Housing Support Specialist. I will be starting my training this day. I’m so excited looking forward for this day. It’s another chapter in my ever so changing life. This will bring me new experiences and challenges for the upcoming year. Also, this should be the day that I’ll get my big paycheck that will include my end of the year cash stipend on it. Then I’ll put around $1,000 in my IDA account for my car to reach my target. Then I should know where I stand on the waiting list to receive the match from Brighton Center. If I’m one of four on the waiting list then in January 2011, I’ll be buying a car. That would be a huge get for me. With this new position, it allows me to take on another major bill which will be car insurance.

But it will mean much more than me just getting a car though. It will actually be the first time that I actually was able to save money. Usually in the past, I’ll try to save but only to end up using it for something else. So, hitting this goal is very meaningful for me.

So, the above things is why I’m so exciting for this week.

My New Job…

2010-08-25T21:12:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I told the world about me getting a new AmeriCorps job and how it is the next step in my work life. This blog is going to be describing that new job and what I’ll be doing. Starting September 20, 2010, I’ll be starting my new job as the Center for Financial Stability (CFS) Housing Support Specialist. That’s a mouth full! But before I start then, I have a two day training on Monday, August 30, and Tuesday, August 31 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Can’t wait for this training. A blog about this training will be forthcoming next week. But my hours are basically the same from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. But since I’ll be going in early, I’ll be starting at 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. This is an AmeriCorps, which means I’ll be getting a stipend rather than a paycheck but it will be a bigger stipend than what I’m getting now. It’s basically a $7,400 raise for the year. Yeah, I know but still. It’s more money than what I’m currently getting but this isn’t about money for me. It’s about getting on my feet and staying out of homelessness. That’s what this current job has given me. This next job I’m doing gives me more experience to get my work life back on track. I couldn’t be more happier than I am right now about this opportunity. So, what will I’ll be doing? Well, follow me as I tell you.

The position description is that the CFS program seeks to help low-income households achieve greater financial stability through an integrated system of workforce development services, work supports, and financial services. So, another words, I’ll be responsible for connection families to appropriate housing services, seeking out community housing resources, and providing tenant education/counseling services. Other responsibility includes:

Assess individuals and family needs in order to determine appropriate type of housing services needed
Assist customers in applying for appropriate housing services
Make appropriate housing service referrals and follow up on referrals
Connect families to community resources such as food, clothing, transportation, housing assistance, and utility assistance
Jointly develop a housing plan of action with participant to address and meet his/her family’s needs
Maintain case notes for each customer to reflect his or her plan of action is being followed according to program procedure and guidelines
Administer monthly tenant education classes
Provide support to Family Center Case Managers and Resource Advocates
Work in collaboration with Financial Stability Navigation Specialist, Center for Employment Training staff and Financial Services staff to ensure effective integration of services and customer referrals
In a regular and timely manner, enter services and data into CFS tracking systems and generate monthly reports
Participate in trainings and meetings
Other tasks as needed

I don’t think there is a single job that doesn’t have that last responsibility that is right above this sentence in their description? The famous “Other tasks as needed”. No more saying “that’s not in my job description”. Guess what? It is! It just under “Other tasks as needed”. Got to love that. This job is going to be a challenge but I’m up for this challenge. What I will like most about this job is working with the actual individuals and/or families. So, I can’t wait until September 20 to start this job but there is also another date I can’t wait for either? That’s October 23 – 28, 2010! Anybody want to guess what that date will be? I’ll give you a hint. It’s going to be another blog post other than the blog post I said above. To the person that guess, gets free dinner. *lol*

So, I’m excited and cant wait!

The Next Step…

2010-08-24T20:10:00.001-04:00

Today was not only a great day for me but also a very big step in my life goals. I learned that I got this other AmeriCorps position that I was hoping for. So, in the scheme called my life, how does this fit in? See from day one of working at Brighton Center in September 2009, I had a plan to re-work my life. One thing I knew was that I didn’t want to be homeless again. I decided that I was going to take control of my life, of course, with Gods help. Re-working my life would take a lot of effort but one area that I knew I wanted to make a change in was my work life. Here I am, a 36 year old single guy with a Master of Science in Technology degree and didn’t have anything to show for it. I took inventory of my work life and came up with a plan. To start recover from homelessness is actually where you are starting your life all over again. Of course, you don’t have to go through all the different life stages.

Working as an AmeriCorps VISTA allowed me the necessary time and patience to implement things. Working as a VISTA allowed me to at least gain both volunteer status and full time experience. Up until that point, I didn’t have either. Yes, I volunteered at school and etc but that isn’t the same. Not only that, working as a VISTA allowed me at the end of my service year to open another area in the job market. I will get non-compete status in the government job field. Meaning that the government job market will be open to me. Also, after working my year as a VISTA, I was able to start updating my experience. Up until now, my experience was majorly out of date. So, just for this one year, I was able to gain volunteer experience, full time experience, open up the government job market area to me, gain non compete status, and start updating my experience. Not to mention using my passion to not only overcome my homelessness but help fight homelessness as well. Where can I go from here?

Working as as AmeriCorps VISTA allowed me to build capacity within Brighton Center. So, I couldn’t do that much direct service like working with individuals and families. VISTA was about me providing a better system for another person to help that individual or family. Now, I’m going to actually be that person that helps individuals and families as I will be able to do direct service now as I’m just going to be an AmeriCorps. In the next couple of days, I’ll be doing a blog post talking more about what I’ll be doing. But off hand I can tell you that gaining this opportunity is huge because it continues my step in my work life in the right direction. Not only is this job more money, it’s also more responsibility. Which means more experience for me. Experience I’ll be gaining is case management. Not only do I gain that but I’ll also receive entry level experience as this position will be considered.

But it’s not all fun and dandy though. Between now and September 20, when I officially start this other AmeriCorps position, I’ll have a lot to do from finishing up my current service year as a VISTA to doing orientation on Monday and Tuesday of next week for the new AmeriCorps position. Also have to check out things regarding my food stamps and how this position will affect that. I don’t think it will but just want to be on the safe side.

Now, for this real reason, why today was a huge day for me. I can start researching about buying a car. This means a lot for me. With this job, I know now which way to go with my $1200 end of the year cash stipend that I’ll be getting. Majority of it will be going into my IDA account where I have nearly $1000 saved up. When I hit $2000 saved, Brighton Center will match me 100 percent. So, I’ll have $4000 to either buy a car outright or put down a payment on a new or used car. This job will allow me to take on another major bill which will be a car insurance. So, probably around the new year, I’ll be driving again. Plus, it will allow me a few little bills as well. So, in the meantime, I’m going to go and relax and be happy.

Is AmeriCorps in your future…

2010-08-10T23:45:00.001-04:00

As the title suggests, is AmeriCorps in your future? This blog is going to be about my experience as an AmeriCorps and how it changed my life. But not only that, it will give an overview of AmeriCorps. The end results is hopefully after reading and looking into the different AmeriCorps program that you, yourself, will sign up to be an AmeriCorps and serve. AmeriCorps can make a big difference in your life and could help you gain that valuable experience.

What Is AmeriCorps?

According to the AmeriCorps website, “AmeriCorps is an opportunity to make a big difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. It’s a chance to apply your skills and ideals toward helping others and meeting critical needs in the community.” I must say that AmeriCorps has made a big difference in my life and this is my first year I volunteer. Before I found this, I was homeless, living with friends and out of a car for a year and half. It was during my homeless phase that a passion was lit under me. I was determine more than ever to help fight poverty, homelessness, and many other problems facing America or in my area. As an AmeriCorps member, I’m able to use my skills to “address critical needs in communities all across America” especially in any of the following areas:

Tutor and mentor disadvantaged youth
Fight illiteracy
Improve health services
Build affordable housing
Teach computer skills
Clean parks and streams
Manage or operate after-school programs
Help communities respond to disasters
Build organizational capacity

With my Master of Science in Technology Degree which has an area of specialization in Technology Management and my Bachelor of Organizational Studies with an area of concentration in Information Systems, I knew that I would have no problems doing this volunteer job. So, after many months of trying to look for a job, I was able to get my current AmeriCorps position “Housing Support VISTA Volunteer” in the area I lived in.

Besides AmeriCorps helping me, I’m helping people in my community to make a difference by what I have created for the community. Each time an agency uses my tool, it’s making a connection to the families and/or individuals. Over the last year, I have helped several homeless individuals and families start getting back on their feel either by working with them closely setting goals or by providing them with housing resource for the Northern Kentucky area. The following are resources I have created and it is disburse to over 4,085 people per month: (to read more about this project, read my post on Housing Resource Outreach Report)

Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet – This packet gives individuals and/or families the resources it needs to help find affordable housing.
Rental Resource Guide – This guide helps individuals and/or families find affordable apartment and housing the Northern Kentucky area.

Benefits of AmeriCorps

Thanks to AmeriCorps, I’m slowly recovering from homelessness. Volunteering for AmeriCorps has allow me to get back on my feet. As an AmeriCorps member you will get the following benefits:

Modest Living Stipend – depending on the area you are serving in, you will get a paycheck every two weeks that will be enough to just pay for your basic expenses.
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award - $4,725 to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans.
Professional Development – During the year, you will attend trainings, conferences, and gain valuable on the job full-time training
Non-competitive clause – after your year, you will open up a whole new job market area in the government sector and gain a non-competitive clause.

AmeriCorps Programs

AmeriCorps is made up of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). I’m currently an AmeriCorps VISTA. To learn more about these programs, follow the program of interest below:

How Do I Join?

Did I convince you to join up and start Volunteering In Service To America (VISTA), for AmeriCorps State/National, or AmeriCorps NCCC? To search for an AmeriCorps national service opportunity that fits your interests and desired location, click here. Applications for any position can also be submitted online – all you have to do is create a user profile.

If you need additional assistance or have questions, please:

AmeriCorps Fact Sheet (PDF) – great facts about AmeriCorps
History of AmeriCorps – let’s you know the history about AmeriCorps
Stories of Service – read stories about AmeriCorps members that served and how it changed their lives
Frequently Asked Questions – still not convinced?
Call 1-800-942-2677 – call to ask specific questions you can’t find.
E-mail questions@americorps.gov – or e-mail AmeriCorps your question.

There are thousands of opportunities to serve in AmeriCorps. Each one provides an incredible opportunity to make a difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. So, what are you waiting for? Tell them TL sent you! Well, not really. You can for the fun of it but they will just act like they don’t know me. *lol*

New to Homelessness??? (very long)…

2010-08-10T00:42:00.001-04:00

As you leave your house for one last time in the morning, you know that at the end of the day, you won’t be back to this house to sleep. What are you going to do? Where you going to sleep? Can you survive living on the streets, in a car, or on friend’s couches night to night? Where am I going to eat? How am I going to eat? And the questions keep coming and coming. Everything around you tends to go slow motion as you are only thinking about these questions as you are walking aimlessly around. To an experience homeless person, they can spot you a mile away. You have those “deer in headlights look” about yourself. But you aren’t alone on the streets as the newest homeless person. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness:

There are 671,859 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States - roughly 22 of every 10,000 people are homeless.
Of that number, 37 percent are people in families and 63 percent are individuals,
18 percent of the homeless population is considered "chronic," and
20 percent of the homeless population is made up of veterans.

Welcome to being part of the fast rising statistics in America called homelessness. Even I, at one point, was part of this statistics. From here on out, you need a whole new kind of thinking going on. Remember, the longer you are homeless, the faster you will lose your moral and confident. If you lose those two things, you will be homeless for the rest of your life. So, what should you do? This blog post will talk about things I did throughout my one and half years of homelessness that eventually lead me out of homelessness that I’m going to share with you. Hopefully this will somewhat be a blueprint for you to start the process of digging out of homelessness. Here we go.

VERY FIRST NIGHT:

This is a very important night. You have to decide quickly as possible to find a place to sleep, have in mind a place you want to sleep out, or if you are going to sleep in your car. I recommend calling a friend first to see if you can spend a night or two on their couch. Be honest with them. Let them know what’s going on. You never know what they will offer. I got lucky myself when I talked to my best friend. They allowed me originally two weeks but at the end of the two weeks, I got a lucky surprise as they made a deal I couldn’t refuse basically and was able to stay with them for four months.

*** TIPS TO STAYING WITH FRIENDS ***

You might not have money to offer your friend for staying with them but you do have other stuff you can offer them. This is where it’s important to do a self inventory of yourself. Know what you have to offer and make it work for you. Things to think about when asking a friend to stay with them:

If you do have money, offer to pay them a small proportion
If they have kids, babysit for them whenever they want to go out
Be available to pick up the kids if need be (special arrangement though)
Do housework
Do dishes
If you are an expert in a field and you know your friend wants to learn, be willing to tutor them
Mow the grass if you have too
Do errands for them
Have food stamps? Offer to buy food monthly or provide for your portion of the food

The whole idea is about making yourself worth more than money. Doing little things around the friend’s house could be a huge weight of their shoulder. But most important thing though is that you balance what you want to do to get out of homelessness with the services you provide to your friend. Communication is very important with your friends especially if they are a family. Always be mindful and respectful.

*** TIPS STAYING IN YOUR CAR ***

So, you struck out being able to stay with friends? But you have your car. You are going to have to sleep in your car. Sleeping in your car isn’t as bad as sleeping on the streets itself. It’s all about finding a safe, quiet, but yet somewhat public place to park the car so you can sleep at night. I slept in my car for six months during the winter. I was living out of my car from October to March. Here is what I learned:

Best parking lots to sleep in are the 24 hour parking lots like Wal-Mart, Kroger’s, & Meijer's
Blend your car in with the employees cars that work the 3rd shift. Not to close to them that it looks like you are stalking them but at the same time not to far away that you stick out like a sore thumb.
Before you go to sleep, take a walk around in the store looking like you are shopping.
Be friendly and say hi to the employees as you are walking through if you pass any
Notice what the uniforms are or what the the smokers wear coat or sweater wise when they are smoking. For example, Kroger’s hand out blue fleece or sweaters to employees.
If you so happen to have a similar color sweater or jacket, put it on each night before you do your walk around.
By doing the above, you are kind of setting a precedent. These lots are monitored and patrolled by police. But if police seeing you come out of the store with that jacket on, they will assume you work there and you are going to your car for a break. I never got bothered by police or asked to move once.
Eventually, one of the employees will start striking up conversation with you. Be honest with them as well. For example, where I stayed at night, I had a manager that was willing to back me up if a cop came to her asking about me.
Eventually, I started “volunteering” in a way at Kroger’s by helping them stock or as we are talking to start helping them put stuff back on shelves. But don’t do this right away. The best time to start doing this is maybe after a few times that the person ask you to do them a favor.
Park between two barriers if all possible. This helps especially during the winter months to cut down the wind and chill factor.
Have plenty of blankets, clothing, & warm stuff in the car
Remember the 15 minutes rule: Run your heat on full blast for 15 minutes, then turn it off and see how long you can keep warm until you can’t stand it any longer. For me, basically it was every hour I had to do 15 minutes if I was awake. When I went to sleep, it would be like 4 to 5 hours later that I would have to turn the hit on.
Best night to sleep in your car is when it’s raining. The rain hitting the roof makes this great soothing sound
Move car often. Makes you look like you are an employee. If you sleep in the lot, then don’t go back to that lot until you are ready to go to sleep.
Leave the car parked as much as possible.
Plan your day to day. Where do you have to go? Better to stay in a certain area if you have to be back there the following day rather than going all the way back to where you sleep?

Living out of your car can be very simple and easy. But don’t forget that a car takes gas. It takes money to get gas. If you don’t have a job, you have very little money. So, you can’t waste gas. One way I got money for gas was taking a person somewhere for reasonable gas money. Pay very close attention how much gas you are using and how big your gas tank is.

*** TIPS FOR STAYING ON THE STREETS ***

You struck out staying with friends, and you don’t have a car. The only other alternative is to stay on the streets. This is the most dangerous of the situations maybe? Your first night on the streets can be the scariest. You have your safety to worry about, the weather, not to mention being waken up ever so often to be told to move. You might not get any sleep at all. I really don’t have much experience as I got very lucky during my one and half years of homelessness I didn’t have to sleep on the streets. The closest I have came was actually three days. So, these tips are what I have seen or heard from various people or might experience from the above two tips:

Have very little with you (backpack, book bag size, & etc)
Go to the library during the days
24/7 Laundry Mats that are open to take camp baths late at night
Greyhound bus stations – they have lockers you can use to store stuff in.
Search for place to stay where you think nobody knows about. If you think you might have found a place, stake it out for a few days to see.
Look into shelters (a whole different story apparently which I don’t have any experience on)

I really don’t know much about this but maybe somebody will write in the comment about their experience. Bottom line is all about staying safe!

*** TIPS FOR GETTING FOOD ***

The most important thing about homelessness. Where are you going to get your food daily? Here are some tips:

Agencies has food pantry which you possibly can get some food
Various churches might offer free supper on different days. In Covington alone, I was able to have dinner at five different churches every week.
Never pass on a free meal. If somebody offers to buy you a meal, you take it.
Free sample trays: on the weekends, all your major grocery stores have free sampling. Go into each store and act like a grocery shopper and sample each free sample. Look interested in them as well by asking questions about what you sampled. Then most important, buy something very small priced.
Go to soup kitchens
Apply for food stamps. Could be a great help in the long run.

As you can see, eating isn’t really a problem if you know where to go.

DAY TWO AND BEYOND:

To survive on the streets, you need to do your homework. You need to stay ahead of the game. You need to be aware what’s going on around you. If you see something that isn’t right or something feels wrong, trust your instinct. To read more about the things I’ll be mentioning below, please read my post on “Trying to understand homelessness”.

Set up safety measurements. For example, you might not be able to stay with your friend but you can set up days when you two can talk so that somebody knows if you are ok or not. That’s what I did with my best friend and my mom. Each week, I placed a call to them. It can be for a minute to stay you are alright or an e-mail to them.

Have plans. So, you found a perfect place to sleep or place to eat? What happens if somebody else beats you to perfect place to sleep? What now? Do you have a backup plan? Always have two or three or maybe four plans just in case something happens. Have plans for everything.

Self Inventory. After find a reasonable place to stay and you are comfortable, start working on your self inventory. Be honest with yourself. What are your weakness and strengths?

Set Goals. How are you going to succeed in digging yourself out of homelessness? Set goals and milestones.

In conclusion, things that is very important to remember is SAFETY! You need to be safe! Also remember that the longer you are homeless, the more you start losing your moral and confidence. Another key thing is don’t be afraid to ask for help or accept help. Follow some of these tips I have given you, and before you know it, you could be digging yourself out of homelessness like I did.

Trying to understand homelessness…

2010-08-08T22:51:00.001-04:00

Can anybody tell me what it takes to understand homelessness? People that I asked seems to have a grave misunderstanding homelessness. Besides the obvious answers I hear, “a person without a place to call home night after night”, I also hear “how it’s the person’s decision making process that lands them homeless”. So, I ask “is it the person’s fault that they are homeless”? So, is it? In some cases it might be but very rarely it isn’t. Becoming homeless is really out of a person’s control. But don’t get me wrong though. I also believe that it takes two people to cause a problem and it takes two people to fix a problem. For example, let’s take me. On April 17, 2008, I was admitted into the hospital with cellulites infection. I was in the hospital for a week. It was this event that let me down the path of homelessness. But I can’t totally blame it on this event. As I write this blog, what’s in white is my thoughts on my homelessness, and what you see in black, bold, and italicize is what I think it takes to understand homelessness.

For the previous year, I was working at a job as the interim manager where I was averaging 90 hours a week. Yes, you read that right. I made $32,000 for that year. What did I have to show for it? Just a bunch of possessions. I didn’t save any money when I had very little bills. All I did was spent money on stuff no matter what it was. But it caught up with me. Once I was put in the hospital, I lost my job, and didn’t have my own place anymore. I stayed with my mom after I got out of the hospital for two months for my recovery. Then went on to stay with a friend for three months, in my car for six months, in a semi truck for two and half months, with a friend for one and half months, and then lastly with another great set of friends for four months before I found a job and a place to live shortly follows. So, yes, my decisions did cause me to become homeless but would it have if it wasn’t for me getting sick? I’m sure I didn’t make the decision to get cellulites infection? So, it took two events to put me in an awkward position that I never been in before. Homeless!

As every other battle I have had previously, I knew I was in a fight with an opponent I never met before. To understand what I was in, I had to do some research to get my mind wrapped around the situation that I was in. After understand what I needed to know, I made a plan to not only beat being homeless but get my life back on track and make sure I stay on track. The first thing I did was took a life inventory. Life inventory is taking inventory about yourself. I knew I had to be brutal honest with myself. I was breaking myself down and building myself back up so I needed to understand myself. I needed to be as brutal as possible but I also knew I had a chance to give myself a complete makeover if I was able to be the victor. I wrote all my faults, strengths, weaknesses, problems, friends I could trust, and everything else that I thought was very important. Like newly diagnosed being a diabetic and had depression since I was 16. I wrote down everything I had in my arsenal to fight this opponent called homelessness. One thing I wrote down for myself, is a reminder that this isn’t my first battle with a problem like this. All my life I had to battle things to get where I was. This battle just raised the bar higher. If I could defeat the previous battles, I knew I could defeat this battle. As a homeless service provider, I think it’s important to understand what the homeless individual or family you are dealing with has available. It’s all by connecting with them and listening. Don’t just tell them to get to the point on why they are there. We already know why they are there. They need help. You can learn a lot about them by just listening to what they have to say or explain what is happening.

Then I made a plan and set goals based on this life inventory. I knew it was important to stay on top of this. If I didn’t, then I knew I would lose this battle. So, at any sign of my moral going down, I knew what I needed to do to give my moral a boost. I treated me being homeless as a normal part of my life. Another words, before I was homeless I had depression and other underline problems to deal with. So, when depression came about I knew there were certain things that would help me get out of my depression phase or when my moral needed a boost, I knew what I needed to do. I ended up going out having fun and let myself stop thinking about that problem or life for a day or so. When this started to happened to me when I was being homeless, I did what I could do to make myself happy and forget about being homeless and totally change what I was doing to totally something else that would make me happy or give me that boost of moral that I needed. As a homeless service provider, you are there to help this person understand what they are doing and how you can help them. Sit down and make a plan and set goals with them. Then you can hold them to that plan and goals. Give them that accountability that they need. Make them feel like they are still part of society. The longer they are homeless, the more moral they start losing. So, it’s important that as a provider that you are there to connect them to the right resource.

When I was homeless, the most annoying thing for me was somebody telling me that I had to go here, then I go there, and those people tell me I had to go here, and I go to those people tell me I had to go back to the same place I started this jumping through the hoops begin with. Nothing frustrated me more. But I knew I couldn’t get mad or frustrated because that just made the situation worse. Instead, I killed them with kindness. That’s what I did. It threw them for a loop and allowed me to control more of the situation and get down to the bottom of what I needed or was there to get assistance for. At the end of the day, I knew what my next plan or goal was needed. As a homeless service provider, you will need to remember one thing when dealing with homeless individuals and/or families and that is “your worse day, is their best day”. So, you think your having a bad day and yet you have to see homeless people, don’t take your frustrations out on them. They are there to get help not be belittled. Then try like heck to give them the best resource based on their situation. Let them know what they should bring with them when they go there and what the requirements are. Be thorough. The person who said “knowledge is power” is so correct.

In conclusion, as a homeless service provider, it’s important to understand the situation that a homeless individual and/or families are in that you are trying to help. Try connecting with them on their level. When I provided help to the homeless individuals and/or families, I waited until they told me that I didn’t understand what they are going through. I knew once I heard that, I was in because then I could share my story with them. By the time I’m done, I have connected with them. Then I started working on providing the the best resource I could that tailored to their needs. Giving them numbers, names of people, what they needed to bring with them, what the requirements are, and etc. At the end of our meeting I make sure they have the most important resource - MY BUSINESS CARD!

This is just the start of understanding homelessness. One thing I do hate though is how these agencies care more about quantity than quality. If they start treating the problem one person at a time, we would be getting somewhere. When you have to see a certain amount of people in a day, than you lose sight of what’s important – CARING!

The Weeks in Review (July 19-30)…

2010-07-31T23:36:00.001-04:00

The last two weeks have been very busy for me. I had a conference in Charleston, West Virginia to attend for work. The conference was called Faces of Leadership. A very good conference I must say. The conference was from July 20-22. Even though this conference was mainly for West Virginians, it was still great to go too. Tori, myself, our one other person from our organization were the only three out of state conference attendees. Which we thought was funny. Plus, it seemed like it rained every day we were up there.

On July 20, 2010, my office mate Tori and I drove to West Virginia in the morning. We started at 7:00 am and after a few wrong turns and missed exits, we finally got there around at 11:30 am. We registered and went to lunch. Our first workshop was at 1:30 pm that day. I took a workshop on “Organizing your workspace”. I very much like the presenter in this workshop. His name is Timothy Johnson. He is the President/CEO of Leadership 101. He is a must see person if you or your organization gets him or has a chance to go to where he is presenting. This guy is just amazing. A personal favor of mine. The second workshop I attended was “Community Partnerships and Linkages”. Both Tori and I signed up for this workshop. The workshop was a little confusing because the presenter set up the workshop around the different regions of West Virginia and the organizations within the state. They worked on problems involving what’s going on in there community. So, Tori and I had to think of this workshop more as a conceptual and how those concepts would relate to what’s going on here in the Northern Kentucky area. After these two workshops were over, we had dinner with the West Virginia’s VISTAS that were there at the conference. Then after that we were finally able to check into our hotel rooms. We got situated and then Tori and I went out to see the movie “Inception”. Which is a very great movie.

On July 21, 2010, the second day of the conference. I slept in on this morning as our workshops didn’t start until 1:30 pm. I got up around 10 am and got ready. Around 11 am, I walked over to the Civic Center and walked thru the exhibits that were setup and got several good informational stuff. Then at 11:30 am, I went to lunch and listen to a great speech by Timothy Johnson. He talked about it it means to “Lead” and be a “Leader”. I think I would enjoy working for this guy. He would be a great leader and be able to inspire me to be great under his supervision. Then our workshop started at 1:30 pm. On this day, I signed up for a two part workshop called “Financial Fortress”. For this workshop it was about implementing a financial piece within your community. This financial piece was modeled from the Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace. What I love about this workshop was I’ll be getting the whole financial folder that is used to teach this piece. One of the reason I decided to take this workshop. After this workshop, Tori and I went to a local restaurant called “Fifth Quarters Steak House”. It was a very great steak house. Tori and I ended up staying there for like 4 hours as we ate dinner, drank a little at the bar, and was outside on the patio talking about different things enjoying the beautiful evening after it stopped raining. Just chatting away and relaxing before heading back to the hotel for the night.

On July 22, the last day of the conference. Things switched up a little. The last two workshops were first thing in the morning basically. At 9 am, the first workshop I had was “Technology used by West Virginia Youths” was mainly about an E-mentoring program being implemented in the school’s of West Virginia. It gave various overview of the program and how it will help the state. I think it’s something we here at Kentucky can used. Which reminds me I have to e-mail the lady and talk to her because I have yet to hear from her. The last workshop was “Social Media for Non-Profits”, which was ran by Emily Bennington. She went over various social media that non-profits could use and ways to use them. So, it was more of a refresher workshop for me in a way. Then after this workshop was lunch at 12:30. They had some kind of entertainment during lunch but Tori and I left right after we ate lunch. We got back on the road at 1:45 pm and ended up back in Newport 5:30 pm. We met Amy and her mom at Mokka’s for dinner right at 5:30 pm.

So, basically that was our whole conference and mainly our week at work. Yes, we had to return back to work on Friday but this conference gave us the necessary rest and energy that we needed for the last month of our VISTA service year. I have really enjoyed this year of my VISTA service. Yes, I’m doing it again that is for sure for another year. More on this later in the month.

As for this last week, July 26 through 30, it’s been hectic. One of VISTA’s important job is outreach. Outreach is very important when creating partnerships and working with other agencies. This week was very busy as Tori and I attended several meetings for outreach. Not to mention, I started a few new outreach projects with other departments within Brighton Center. Also, re-packaging the packet that I created. Plus, I had my first supervision meeting under my new supervisor. Which I loved very much. I like when a supervisor gives you ideas and bounce things off you. So, the 1.5 hour long supervision was just perfect for me. Then to end the week, I attended the company picnic. The picnic was a nice distraction. I played cornhole for three different teams and lost. I held my own I thought. But still lost. But it was good to catch up with employees. Which leads me to the weekend where it is nothing but rest and relaxation. Gotta love my life!

HOUSING RESOURCE OUTREACH REPORT

2010-07-16T21:11:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder what I do as the Housing Support VISTA for Brighton Center? Well, read the following report that I just wrote this week about one of my main projects. What’s funny about this is that my total number individuals I’m supposed to reach for the whole year of my service is 500. Read my report and see what my actual number is for one month. Below is the whole report:

HOUSING RESOURCE OUTREACH REPORT

TL Jackson – Housing Support VISTA

7/16/2010

The Housing Support VISTA distributes the Northern Kentucky Informational Packet, which includes the Rental Resource Guide insert, to various in-house departments and partnering agencies throughout the Northern Kentucky community. The four channels through which the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and the Rental Resource Guide are distributed are as follows:

1) Primary Outreach Distribution List – Weekly updates of the Rental Resource Guide and periodic updates of the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet are distributed to 146 community partners. These community partnerships agencies are comprised of, (includes Safety Net members and other community agencies), Family Resource Youth Services Centers, Brighton Center Career Connections, and local libraries. The graph below depicts this breakdown:

The Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide are sent to 58 agency’s contacts (40%), 75 Family Resource Center’s contacts (52%), 11 Career Connection’s contacts (7%), and 1 local library’s contact (1%) on a weekly basis. On a monthly average, both the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide are distributed to a total of 584 individuals (146 community partner contacts x 4 weeks).

The Housing Support VISTA expects this monthly average to continue to grow as outreach continues with additional community agencies and the Family Resource Centers. Recent efforts in outreach to Northern Kentucky Area libraries, churches, apartment complexes, and the One Stop in Covington and Florence will continue to influence these numbers.

2) Community Partnerships Distribution List – Community partners receiving the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide updates distribute this information intra-agency and inter-agency, as well as, directly to individuals and families. Reported monthly averages from 34 community partner contacts out of 146 community partners reveal that Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide are provided to 2944 individuals within the community. In order to determine the full extent of the distribution through these community partners it will be necessary to receive weekly averages from the remaining 112 community partners.

3) Safety Net Alliance (SNA) Website & E-mail List – The Housing Support VISTA distributes the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide for posting on the SNA website at http://www.nkysafetynet.org. Website tracking logs reveal monthly average downloads of 57 times a month. In addition, SNA distributes the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide to their e-mail list of 100 SNA members which accounts for a total of 400 individuals. SNA website and e-mail list distributes to 457 individuals.

4) Brighton Center’s Family Center – Brighton Center Family Center’s staff distributes an average of about 93 Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide to individual and families per month. In addition, Family Center staff stock and distribute 12 Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide from the West End building. This accounts for a total of 100 individuals per month receiving the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide from the Brighton Center’s Family Center. The graph below shows the actual monthly count for the both lobbies since the Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide started being distributed.

In conclusion, 4085 individuals per month receive housing assistance resource information and services by the Housing Support VISTA in the form of Northern Kentucky Housing Informational Packet and weekly Rental Resource Guide. This number will continue to increase as outreach continues to agencies and Family Resource Centers, as well as new partnerships with community partners. Additionally, the Housing Support VISTA plans to identifying new outreach opportunities and improving the outreach system in preparation of the next Housing Support VISTA.

Why am I doing this…

2010-07-05T21:23:00.001-04:00

Have been asking myself lately on why I’m doing this blog? Apparently nobody is interested in me. That’s evident by the number of people that visit my blog. Not to mention that nobody leaves meaningful comments. It’s rough when I’m not getting much attention in my life but even rougher when I’m not getting any attention at all online. What do I have to do? People this is me…I’m a shy kid that want friends but it’s hard for me to make them. My comfort zone is my place where I live. My only real joy in life is when I’m at work, I’m cooking, or hanging with the very few friends I do have. Here is a novel idea for you all? Maybe you should approach me first rather than waiting for me to approach you? I feel more comfortable when I know it’s ok for me to approach somebody or if they approach me. When I’m home, it’s very rarely do I turn on lights, or open my blinds. Invite me out with you all and you might just see a whole different me. Anyway, just thought I get that off my chest.

So, what’s new with me? Well, later this month, I’ll be going to a conference in West Virginia on Volunteerism. Something I’m looking forward for. It’s from July 20-22nd and I’ll be going with a fellow VISTA/friend, Tori. I’m excited. It’s like a mini paid vacation. Yippee!!!!! Speaking of work, I know I’m definitely coming back to the Brighton Center for another year. If it stands as is right now, I’ll be coming back as the Housing Support VISTA again. But I’m hoping that I’ll be getting somewhat “promoted” I guess you can say? There is a new AmeriCorps position coming open that I’ll be applying for that I would love to get. It is more of a direct service in which I want to do. Should know something in August about that position. So, keep fingers cross.

In other good news, in less than 4 hours, I’ll be able to cancel two of my cell phone lines. For the last year or so, I’ve had 4 cell phone lines and only using one of my phones. So, I’ll be very happy when I can cancel two of them finally. Been waiting for this to happen in a very long time. Yeah!!!!!!

The Hardest Thing in Life…

2010-06-08T23:20:00.001-04:00

This had to be one of the hardest thing for a family is watching a love one going off to war? I can’t honestly say what it would feel like or even be like for a family. But in the end though the reward is really bigger than life alone. If it wasn’t for the soldiers protecting the country where would we be right now? So, God Bless the soldiers that help fight for America’s freedom. This video below is a great reminder that even though it’s hard to watch a love one go away to war but it’s sweeter to see them come home to love ones. I know I’m blessed when I’m able to walk around or travel around this country. Again, thank you all the people that serve and keep us safe. Enjoy the video below.

Soldiers Coming Home Compilation - Watch more Funny Videos

Coincidence…

2010-06-06T15:34:00.001-04:00

We all heard about the passing of the late John Wooden right? For the ones that don’t know who he is, he was the UCLA basketball coach from 1949 to 1975. Over the span of that time, he won 10 NCAA titles with UCLA and a record of seven straight titles including an 88 game winning streak. Which hasn’t been broken just yet but will probably be broken next basketball season by the Connecticut Huskies Women’s basketball time who are a few games away. Anyway, John Wooden became basically the everything coach here at Dayton High School in Dayton, Kentucky in 1932. He was not only a coach but also taught English at the high school as well. Why am I bringing this up?

How many of you all can actually say that they have walked the halls and live in the same building (possibly, sill doing research) that the Legend himself has walked, taught, and coached in? I might not have known him personally but its still a big WOW for me. That’s right people, I possibly could be living in the same Dayton High School, turned apartments, that John Wooden got his first coaching job in his career. I do know that the auditorium is still here which back in the days could be its gym? I’m not sure because it’s locked. Coincidence? I’m not telling. But still a WOW!!!!

In other news, I have taken this weekend to re-work some things in my life. I have decided that I’m going to get back to where I was before I left to come back up to the Northern Kentucky area after my recovery from my cellulites infection. I’m going to start tackling my eating habit again and get it back to where I was at that time where I ended up losing over 80 lbs doing my time recovering. So, I’m going to start eating healthier and more smarter. I’m going to get back on my plan that the doctor gave me back then to follow. I’m going to be strict on myself again like I was then. I made out my grocery list, got myself re-introduced to the different carbs choices that I have and will be trying new things along the way. I need to watch the portion size of what I’m eating and the type of foods I’m eating as well. I have to eat a balance meal to manage my diabetes. Also, included in this is do a better job at exercising. I can’t rely on a magic pill to take care of this for me. I’m going to have to make this happen for myself and that’s what I’m going to do. I can’t use the excuse that I was homeless anymore because I’m not anymore. So, I need to stop making excuse for myself and start doing it.

My job at Brighton Center is going great. I only have little less than four months left of my service as AmeriCorps VISTA. Now, I have made the decision that I’ll be doing another year service as a VISTA if I’m asked to by the Brighton Center. So, keep your fingers crossed that they will ask me. I’m going to be going to a conference in West Virginia in July. I’m very excited about this because I’m going with another VISTA person that I have became very good friends with. Hopefully we stay friends after she moves on from her service. So, if anybody is looking for a great marketing advertiser or agent, I have a great person for your company. Hit me up.

Also, got a little bad news last week but its just put a little delay on my plans. You see, when I started my AmeriCorps VISTA, I got involved in a program called Individual Development Account (IDA). This program allows you to save money for a big purchase like to purchase a car, a house, or do major renovation to your house. This account sets a limit that you must save, in my case it’s $2,000, and then once you meet the limit, they will match you 100 percent. So, for example, once I hit $2,000 which is going to be at the end of my service, it will turn into $4,000. I decided I will buy a car. Only a few cons though? One, you can’t touch that money. If you do, you have to start over again. Two, it’s first come first serve. This is where the bad news comes in kind of. I was told last week that the money they have set aside for this year has ran out. Which means, if I do manage to get $2,000, I won’t be paid until they get more money in which is January 1, 2011. But once I do hit my limit, I’ll go on a waiting list and I must continue to put money into my account. So, you see it’s more of a delay. I’m still getting the money but just a little later than I expected. But as I’m looking at this situation, it’s probably a good thing? You see, working as an AmeriCorps VISTA only allows me to have one major bill and several small ones. Right now, my major bill is my rent, with my cell phone bill and electric being my small bills. I barely have just enough to live in which is less than $50 a month after I pay everything off. So, I really can’t afford another major bill right now. So, even if I did receive my $2,000 after reaching my limit, I’ll wouldn’t been able to buy a car right away and the money would continue to be in my account for a while anyway. So, it’s like a blessing in disguise?

This Monday, June 7, 2010, I’m going to a Cincinnati Reds game at the new Great American Ball Park. Been a while since I was last there but not for a game. I was actually working a game though as a photographer but wasn’t able to enjoy the game though. I’m going with two other co-workers/friends and we are looking for one more person to go since one of our co-worker that was originally going decided not to go. So, I’m hoping my friend Chris will go with us. But we shall see? We are going to a local restaurant called Mokka for dinner before the game. I’m excited to hang out with some friends after work. I have been doing that a lot lately these last few months. It has gave me the confident to do things. This is what I always wanted to do.

Plus, this week, my friend that takes me home and I are going to stop to attempt to help this homeless lady that we have notice hanging out at the end of one of the ramps here in town on a certain day. So, we are going to stop and see what we can do to help her and her family if she has any. She is always out there on a certain day only. We are going to see if there are anything we can do? I’m excited to be doing this. This is what I want to do. I will definitely give you all an update later this week to let you all know what happened.

Well, I guess I wrote enough for now. Until later this week, talk to you all later!

My Birthday…

2010-05-19T00:11:00.001-04:00

As all of you all know, today was my birthday. I must be honest though. This birthday was by far probably one of my best I ever had. What made it the best? It’s the company of friends, families, and co-workers that I hung out with that made it one of the best birthdays. Especially, since my last three birthdays have been pretty, well, down. You see, three years ago, my birthday of 2007 I basically forgot about my own birthday until a friend call me the day after to wish me a happy birthday and I told him that my birthday hasn’t occurred. That’s when he told me it was the following day. 2007 was the year I had the longest interview ever for the interim manager position that I was already doing. It was this job that lead me to being in the hospital for a week. So, 2008’s birthday was me recuperating from being in the hospital with Cellulites Infection. Then in 2009, I was homeless living out of a semi truck traveling the US with a trucker friend of mine. Those were my last three birthdays. So, I was determine to make this a great birthday for 2010. I must say I pulled it off.

You see, I had a co-worker that owed me a lunch and she asked me back in March when I wanted to go out to lunch? She told me to pick a time, date, and place. So, I decided that I pick my birthday, May 18th as the date for her to pay me back and the place was Dewey’s. Then since then, my office mate that I share an office with started asking a few other co-workers and so did I. So, I had like 7 to 10 people that were wanting to go to my birthday lunch. A few people dropped out, there were 6 people that went and the whole time we just laughed, talked, and laughed a lot more. It was something I really needed. It allowed me to forget about my previous birthdays. It’s the small things that makes me happy. Things like hanging out with friends, families, and co-workers, being taken out for lunches and dinners, and just plain having fun. It’s not about gifts for me than hanging with people and sharing a few laughs.

But I must tell you a few gifts I did get. You see, I might be 36 years old but I act like a 13 year old at heart. I’m amused easily. I just like to laugh and smile. That’s what these gifts did. But I don’t know how much my co-workers know how happy I am of my gifts or what they have gotten their self into. My first gift (in a way) was a blue boo baa. Ever heard of a Boo Baa? This is what a boo baa looks like. People think it looks like me? Let’s compare? Here is a picture of me. What do you think? Any resemblance? The funny thing about this boo baa is when you squeeze its hand, it dances and some other actions that is just hilarious. Everybody that comes into our office laughs their asses off but then say how much it looks like me.

The office that I share with another VISTA is being called the “Answer Centre”. We have all the answers to any questions. We don’t care what the question is. It can be about life, about work, about relationships, or whatever you want to know we will have the answer. So, we have a new weapon now that we can use to finalize our answers. Meet the Whomp It. This is a very bad gift for me to have. I mean this in a good way. I’m the type of person that will carry this around the office and just hit things with it. *lol* It might actually get me in trouble?

It’s hard to believe that these two things bring happiness and joy to me. People might not want to believe it or can’t believe I would actually play with stuff like this but I can’t help it when I’m a kid at heart.

So, things like this is why I was so happy today and thrilled to have friends, families, and co-workers that’s willing to put up with me. It was a relief to have a great birthday unlike my last three birthdays. So, I’m actually starting to get unstressed and relaxing now from my situation. Well, back to doing laundry. Enjoy and until next time. Have fun!

My Emotions…

2010-05-09T23:40:00.001-04:00

Ever since my attempted suicide, I have been kind of emotional when it comes to things. But I always played it off as my attempted suicide that I was emotional. But it’s not totally true. There is a second cause now at that is my diabetes. Back on April 17, 2008, I was admitted into the hospital for Cellulites Infection. It was during this stay that I was also diagnosed with diabetes. Ever since then I have been very emotional. For example, the day I got out of the hospital, I had to go back to my place and watch total strangers come in and basically take my stuff for practically nothing. My mom and sister in law would be asking me if I need this or that and if I didn’t need it it would be thrown away. It was just way to much for me and I literally broke down crying. Here is a 34 year old guy crying to a point that I had to excuse myself to gather myself. The emotions that was running through me was way to much for me. This wasn’t the last time either that I broke down crying like this.

Over the coming months, my situation continue to worse after I finally was healed. I basically lost my job, I did lose my apartment and had now where to live. My life was spiraling downward and I seemed to been unable to stop it. I was able to stay with my best friend Chris and his family for a few months before I started living out of my car in October of 2008 until March 2009. Then I ended up having to give up my car but thankful that my trucker friend, Michael asked me to come on the road with him in the truck. I did this for a few months before Michael ended up getting a new job and that caused me to be unable to ride along with him. He was able to talk his dad, Doug, in allowing me stay with him for about a month or two before I wore out my welcome I guess you can say? But then I was able to stay with Richard and Cathy in July, which was only supposed to be a month but was there until December 2009. But it was here that I was able to start getting back on my feet slowly. Just having a roof over my head is a big relief that I don’t think to many people understand that much. After having this basic need met, I was able to focus on finding that job. It took a while but in August I was able to nail down one of six positions that the Brighton Center had for AmeriCorps VISTA thanks to Denise. But of course couldn’t start until the middle of September.

I tell you this to show you that over the last two years I cried a lot but was determined to get myself back. As you can tell also I have a lot of people to thank for their help and support over the last two years. There is my mom and Ed for helping me recover from my Cellulites Infection and changing my wounds, Chris and his family for allowing me to stay with them, Michael and his dad for letting me stay with them, and Richard and Cathy doing the same staying with them. There was also Brett and my sister in law that helped clean out my old apartment. There is a lot of other people that helped me that I’m very grateful for.

So, when April 17, 2010 came along, what did I do? You got it, just thinking about this brought back memories that made me cry like a baby. As I looked back over this two year of me being homeless and no job, it was hard for me. My emotions were up and down like a yo-yo. So, between April 17, 2010 and my birthday May 18, 2010 is going to be very emotional for me. This is my first birthday with a roof and a place to call my own since my homelessness. In 2008, I was recovering from my wounds and in 2009, I was in a semi truck in some state that I don’t remember. This birthday coming up, I’m going to have a job, some real plans for a birthday, and a place to celebrate my birthday. I’m sure before my birthday I will cry one more time or so. Heck, over this weekend I cried as memories came flooding back to me as I rode the bus for the first time to Ft Thomas to help out with a food drive. I used to take this bus all the time there before I got a car.

I know what you are thinking? TL, crying is for sissies? I’m here to tell you it’s not. Every night there is an homeless person or families that is crying them self to sleep. Crying is like a cleanser of the soul? It helps them get rid of the bad and let’s them know that they are still human. As I slowly continue to get back on my feet, there will be many more times that I’ll be crying. But for me, it’s after a memory that I relived. If you are lucky to see me cry in front of you, that tear or tears you see rolling down my face is pain that that memory caused being taken away.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Bret, Christine, Danny, Ed, my mom, Chris and family, Michael, Doug, Richard and Cathy, Denise, my co workers, and whoever I forgot. Again thank you!

My Determination…

2010-05-01T14:06:00.001-04:00

There I was in my weekly therapy session in December of 2008 talking to my therapist. After explaining all my problems I had from the time I was little till then, which included me just starting to live out of my car for two months. She asked a question that till this day I have been unable to answer. That question she asked me was “where is my determination to go on coming from?” She said that most people she seen in my situation isn’t as determine to get them self out of these situation time after time. She stated that my moral and my determination is keeping me from giving up. So, she asked again where all this determination coming from? My answer to her was very simple. I said "I don’t know”, which is the truth. But since that session and the previous sessions till today, I couldn’t tell you. But last night as I was sitting here watching TV and playing on the computer, something hit me. Maybe my determination comes from my attempted suicide back in 1990?

I’m not going to lie, I really didn’t have the best high school years. Since then, nothing much in a way of me has change. I still have low self-esteem problems, still sit around on Friday’s and Saturday’s dateless. After work or school over the years, would just come home and eat while watching TV and then go to bed to do the same thing over and over. I just been going through the motion in life. For me meeting friends isn’t really not that hard of a job. It’s finding the significant other that has been tough. But that’s for another story at another time. So last night as I was watching TV, a thought came to my mind that might be an answer to the question that my therapist asked me about my determination.

You see, after my attempted suicide, I made a pact with myself that no matter how low I am in life, that suicide will never be an option or answer to my solution. When I saw how many people I hurt back then with my suicide attempt, I made this pact. I rather suffer myself than see people around me suffer like back then. Is it this pact that is making me determined that every time I’m faced with a problem that this determination comes out to help me beat the problem? All I know is when my back is up against the wall is when I’m more focused and do some of my best work. I’m determined to beat whatever is put in front of me to make myself better.

And there is one promise that I will make to everyone and anybody that no matter how depressed I sound on twitter, this blog, text, facebook, and etc that suicide is not an option in my book. That you can take to the bank.

A Very Good Day…

2010-04-15T18:07:00.001-04:00

As some of you all might recognized by my twitter messages that I was doing this morning that I was in a very good mood today. I must say, it was the first time in a long time I was in this good of a mood. It seems like whatever funk I have been in for the last month or so just lifted off of me. I was actually basically dancing down the street on my way to the bus stop. Then on the bus I was bobbing my head sideways like in the movie Night at the Roxbury were doing in the car but of course I didn’t bust out the windows like they did in the car. Thank God! It lasted all day long too. Are things looking up for me? It might be to early to tell but who knows? At the end of the day at work, I turned to the person I’m sharing an office with and asked her “how did my desk get so messy?”. She just looked at me and laughed, then said “welcome back, TL”.

I noticed it’s been a while since I last did a blog? WOW…Maybe I was really out of it after all. Could it be the UK news from yesterday’s recruiting haul finally turned me back into my real self? Was it the lost to WVU that put me in this funk? It was about the time I wrote that last post that I started being in this fun? But enough, let’s enjoy me while I’m here.

Work is going very good. I have made up my mind and have a game plan in place for when my year service on VISTA is over. I’m actually hoping that I’m hired on at Brighton Center full time but if that doesn’t pan out right now and the Brighton Center will want me to return as a VISTA that I’ll be happy to do another year as a VISTA. I really love what I’m doing here at the Brighton Center. I can see myself actually doing what I’m doing for years on years.

Well, looks like this is all that my brain has for now. Talk to you all later!

UK lost could be UK gain…

2010-03-27T23:39:00.001-04:00

Let me say this. I’m disappointed in the UK lost but couldn’t be any more prouder of the team though. Apparently it was WVU’s birthday as they seem they couldn’t miss from the 3 point line in the 1st half. How can a team go 0 for 16 from 2 point range and 8 for 15 from 3 point range and still win the game? Just pure luck that’s all! Of course doesn’t help when UK couldn’t hit anything though from 3 point line. But thank you for the great run this year. But will say this, I know Calipari said he prefer talent over experience anytime? I honestly prefer a combination of talent and experience anytime over just talent or experience. The NCAA tournament is a different beast than the regular season and conference tournaments. It’s experience that UK needed tonight against WVU that we didn’t get. It would be experience that would know when to shoot those 3’s or get it into the big fellows. We never know now!

Now is the hardest part for UK fans. The wait and see what happens next. I truly hate the one and done players. Yes, they have the talent and etc but for basketball it’s not fair to force them to go to college if they want to play for money. It has changed the game of basketball big times. But this year could be a different year when a lot of one and done players actually will stay. Because there is talk that after next year’s NBA season, there will be a lock out of players. Which they are predicting will take out the whole season of the NBA. So, why would a player go into the NBA for a year and then there will be a strike after the end of the year? Why not continue to hone your skills at the college level and enjoy playing till the strike is over at the college level?

Also, this lost by UK in this game could really be a good thing for UK. It will leave a bad taste in the players mouth knowing that this was their season to win the title but to go out like they did. So, they might want to come back for another season to prove that and erase that taste from their mouth with a national title? So, here is my opinion on what will happen over the next few months. People think that Wall is gone? I’m not quite sure he is. I think Wall is really torn between his decision and I think he will come back for one more season. If Wall comes back for one more season, I think you will see a domino effect happen where Cousins come back for sure. I honestly think Cousin is definitely coming back. As for Patterson, he has the hardest decision to make. He can’t test the waters like the others can because he did that last year. So, once he declares than he is lost for sure. I think Patterson should come back for sure and not even worry about the NBA. The only person I really don’t see coming back is Bledsoe. I think he is either going to transfer or go to the NBA. If Wall goes, we will have Brandon Knight in the lineup which it will mean that Bledsoe will be second again. Therefore, Bledsoe will leave once Knight commits to UK.

Even though this will be the toughest part of the off season in waiting to see what happens to current players and to see who UK’s incoming recruits will be. It will also be the most exciting. I think if CJ Leslie commits to UK that we can use him to recruit Wall back to UK. With the following potential class of Kanter, Poole, Knight, Leslie, & possibly one more recruit, along with the returnees of Cousin, Patterson, Orton, Wall, Miller, Dodson, Liggins, and Miller, UK will be loaded again for another run!

SO, LET’S THE FUN BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A quick update on me…

2010-03-24T22:59:00.001-04:00

I’ll be honest, my last few weeks haven’t been all that good for me but to go into details would be a grave mistake for me as it seems when I take about my mistakes people think I’m whining or don’t want to hear about my problems. But that’s just me. If you ask “How I’m doing?”, I’m not going to lie and say I’m doing fine when in reality I’m not. Just because you see me smile, making jokes, and/or laughing doesn’t mean I’m a happy person. In reality I’m as messed up inside. These last few weeks my mind hasn’t been shutting off at night when I go to bed. I just been thinking about stuff way to much. For example, I’m going to be 36 in May and as I look back on my life, I really don’t have anything to show for it family wise. I have no kids, no girlfriend or wife, or anything. Been doing a lot of thinking about adopting but know that is a very long ways off. Maybe not even feasible with the way my life is right now. I’m reaching an age where women aren’t looking to start a family. I want to have a family to give my lovely girlfriend or wife the love they so dutifully deserve. Every day going to work is a welcome break as it actually occupies my mind but when I’m off work, I cringe and don’t look forward coming home. I know when I enter my place its where everything starts going downhill for me. I have nobody to come home to to talk too or no kids running up saying “daddy’s home" and then giving me a hug. This is a huge thing for me. I know what you all thinking? You just need to get out there and talk to the women. Well, I do and when I’m about to ask for their number or something, something happens. For example, the other day, I was talking to this girl on the bus and I was about to ask her for her number when some jackass comes up and ask for her number. Did that piss me off? But that’s how things for me when it comes to women have been. I’m just tired of being alone. Someday I hope I can write about my wife or girlfriend and my kids. But for the time being, I’m going to be walking alone in single land.

In other news, UK basketball is doing good in the tournament. With Kansas losing, UK is now the favorite to win it all but UK have a big game Thursday night with Cornell. All week we have heard about the matchup and the different angles that the media has came up with. This is going to be a tough game for UK as it will practically be a home game for Cornell. With Syracuse being just 45 minutes away from Cornell, I’ll be expecting a lot of red and other fans who love to root for the underdog. If UK gets pass Cornell, they will play the winner of Washington and West Virginia on Saturday for the right into the Final Four.

Also, ended up buying an IPOD Nano finally. The music has been helping me drown out the thoughts that have been going on and keeping me awake. As I’m typing now, I’m listening to my Nano. Plus, I bought an USB wireless adapter for my computer in hopes of being able to piggy back off a neighbor’s signal to get faster internet speed. Even though I was able too it seems they know somebody has connected to their router as I get kicked off each time I log on. What’s wrong with people now a days? Nobody wants to share! *lol*

I also decided what I’m going to be doing after my VISTA assignment is finished. My ultimate goal is to get on at the Brighton Center full-time. It’s a company that I can see myself working for that can best use the skill sets that I have. If I don’t get on full-time, then I’m going to do VISTA for another year. This is huge for me to set this kind of goal for myself.

Not a creative title (can’t think of anything)…

2010-03-12T21:44:00.001-05:00

Work at the Brighton Center has been amazing. I love going to meetings and meeting other people from other agencies that are doing the same job as I’m doing. I love my “face time” that I get. I share my office with another AmeriCorps VISTA and I must say it’s fun working in there with her. It’s amazing how much work we actually do get done with all the laughing and talking we do. We call our little office the “Party in the Penthouse”. *lol*

UK won today over Alabama. But they need to play a whole lot better if they plan on winning everything. But I still need think that UK needs to lose one more game before the NCAA tourney starts next week. I think this lose will help get our guys more focus for this run. Just like ‘96, when UK lost in the SEC Championship game to Mississippi State. If they didn’t lose that game, I honestly don’t think we would had won the Championship. Even Pitino made that assumption. GO UK! BEAT VOLS!!!!!

This blog isn’t really getting much interaction. It’s like talking to myself. I already do this at my place. Now it’s happening on the internet. What’s next? Anyway, I’m outta here!

That Good Deed Might Cost You $300 in Miami

2010-03-04T23:28:00.001-05:00

Please tell me this is not true? What are the city officials of Miami thinking? This is one of the most outrageous crap ordnances I ever heard. Can you imagine walking down the street after eating out with a doggie bag and you come upon a homeless individual, you decide to give your doggie bag to them. That action right there could cost you $300 in Miami. Do these city officials have anything else to do in their city? Yes, homelessness is a problem but why compound the problem by punishing the people that should be helping with the problem? Just plain stupid and I urge all Miami, FL resident to make your voice heard on this.

That Good Deed Might Cost You $300 in Miami | End Homelessness | Change.org

Little Update on me…

2010-03-01T21:09:00.001-05:00

I thought I would give you all a little update on me since it’s been a while since I have. As much of you already know, I basically been volunteering my services with AmeriCorps as a VISTA Volunteer. I’m currently assigned to the Brighton Center where my one year service ends in middle of September 19, 2010. I’m currently the Housing Support VISTA. My job is to provide housing resources to employees of Brighton Center, to the customers or clients of Brighton Center, and other agencies that calls me. Also, I try and help homeless individuals and/or families housing as well. This is a full time job and at the end of my time I will be getting federal job experience as well.

I’m currently considering doing another year of this but in a way that depends on Brighton Center. My end goal is to become full time with Brighton Center. But if that doesn’t happen I might just do this another year. Where I’m not sure. As an AmeriCorps Volunteer I have meet a lot of great people from friends to business contacts. Also, working as AmeriCorps Volunteer has helped me slowly get back on my feet allowing me to work on the things that I need to work on personally. As well as getting me full time experience, volunteer experience, and federal experience which should open up another whole job sector for me when I start looking for a job. At the end of my service, I should be back on my feet better than I was at this time last year. To work myself back from being homeless and jobless to where I’m at now is a great feat for somebody like me. I couldn’t be any more excited than I am right now. So, I’m very happy that I’m doing what I’m doing because it has should me the directions I want to take my life in.

BlueSilhouette is up and running…

2010-03-01T06:56:00.001-05:00

BlueSilhouette is my newest oldest computer that I ended up buying at the clothing store at Brighton Center for $4. It’s a Dell Dimension 3000 2.8 ghz. After some tinkering of parts from other old computers I have, I was able to piece BlueSilhouette together. In the process, TRexSmarts, my other computer that has been with me since 2000 got a virus and will need to be wiped clean but it’s a Dell Dimension 2400, I think. But it’s only 800 mhz. I might try and piece together another computer and use it as a server? I haven’t decided yet.

More Snow?

2010-02-25T07:10:00.001-05:00

What is up with this weather? I just looked at the window and see that it snowed yet again. When is enough really enough. Granted it was only a dusting. Raise your hand if you are sick of snow? Only in Cincinnati. *lol* Well, my somewhat new computer “BlueSilhouette” I’m naming him is coming along pretty good. It’s a faster computer than “TRexSmarts”. TRexSmarts is an 800 mhz computer whereas BlueSilhouette is a 2.8 ghz computer. BlueSilhouette runs so fast that when I turn my back to go and so something it’s there ready to go. Today after work I’m going to be coming home and downloading more windows updates for BlueSilhouette and the one file that is in stored to be downloaded is going to take 5 hours and 46 minutes. Got to love dial up speed? Speaking of TRexSmarts, it’s official, has a virus on it. So, it’s beginning to look more and more like I’m going to reinstall windows on TRexSmarts. It’s been a few years since I last did it and there are software that I know I won’t be using on it anymore or haven’t used on it in a long time. I haven’t decided if I want to take the TV tuner card and my sound card out of TRexSmarts and put them into BlueSilhouette. If I do that, BlueSilhouette is going to need more RAM and either a second hard drive or a bigger hard drive. Over time though I’ll make those decision. Anyway, my lunch is packed and it’s ready for me to get ready to go and catch to bus to head to work. Got to love my job.

I’m back on the internet but…

2010-02-24T20:28:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody. The good news is that I’m back on the internet at my place. The bad news is that I’m actually on as dial up speed. I’m actually going through my blackberry acting as a modem. This will do for the time being until I actually do get faster internet access. Also, everybody will now be able to see when I do have a new blog because it will be sent via Twitter. Probably this weekend I’ll be putting finishing touches on this computer that I’m fixing up for myself and I’ll start posting more often now. But for now, I’m heading back to downloading updates and etc at the slowest speed possible.

Taking to long but worth the wait…

2010-02-08T09:32:00.001-05:00

Wow, I'm really not doing to good this year on blogging am I? Just goes and shows, one, how busy I am, and two, what happens when the only time you can get on the internet is when I'm at work. Still have no internet at home. Probably be a while before I get it too. But I do have a few things in the work for getting the internet. Let's just see how they pan out before I'll tell you all what they were. I'm continuing to work on the other computers I got and trying to get them up and running. So far every thing I have done to get them working has failed but I'm closer than I was when I got the computers. I can't wait to get them up and running. It will be a major upgrade to TRexSmarts but I can then dedicate TRexSmarts to being my TV basically.

As for me, I'm doing pretty well. I'm getting better day by day as I slowly get on my feet. Still have some things that I need to work on. For example, still have probably spending money when I shouldn't but I think that will change here in the coming months as I'll be paying for all of my rent, utilities, and cell phone bill on my own without the help of HEARTH. After I pay these bills and put in $50 into my IDA account, I'm only down to like $50 for the whole month. Of that remaining $50, I have to use $10 for laundry. If this doesn't fix my spending habit nothing will. Also, I need to start working back on getting my diabetes back on track. I was doing such a great job before all my homelessness problems started that I completely lost all that momentum. I need to gain that momentum back and get back on track.

Now, let's talk about my job here at Brighton Center. A lot of things have gone on here these last few weeks. I was moved out of my office that I had on my own on the first floor up to the third floor sharing an office with another VISTA member. Talking about a contrast of differences on the different floors is amazing. On the first floor, it's very busy and active but up here on the third floor it's very quiet. It's great sharing an office though. We both are currently working on a project together so we can talk about that project whenever rather than having to hunt each other down when we need to ask each other questions. Also, the job is going great. Here is an article about a homeless couple that I referred on to the Cold Shelter that got me recognized by Brighton Center. You can find the story here: http://nky.cincinnati.com/print/article/AB/20100130/NEWS0103/1310351/Shelter-aids-homeless-workers. Even though it doesn't say my name specifically but I'm the one that referred them on. So, print it out and save it. I'm famous in a round about way. *lol*

Anyway, back to work I go I guess. I'll try and start updating my blog more!

Long time...

2010-01-21T08:13:00.003-05:00

Not a good way to start the new year is it? It's been a while since I last wrote. It's very hard to write when you don't have internet access at home. My only place that does access is here at work. So I have a few minutes to type this up. A lot of changes are being made here at work. These last few days I seem to be running around the work place with my head cut off. But it's finally getting under control. My new place is pretty good as well. Starting to get it organized finally as friends are giving me furniture. So it's starting to feel homey. Which is good. Anyway, time for me to get to work.

TL

Year In Review

2009-12-31T11:24:00.001-05:00

This will be the very last blog post for the year 2009. So, I'm going to do a year in review. As I sit here thinking about the things I have been through over this last year, it's amazing how far I have came. At this time last year, I was literally living out of my car in Burlington, KY. I celebrated New Year's Eve in the back seat of my car. That is how I brought in the year 2009. All alone, cold, and homeless. 2009 saw me mainly struggle to stay afloat and keep my moral high. As many of you all know, back in April 2008, I was in the hospital with Cellulitis Infection. While in the hospital, I was also diagnosed with diabetes. So, the year 2009 was the first full year of my diabetes. It was only a few months after I was healed and went back to work before I decided it was time to leave SharpShooter Imaging. But I had to leave. So for me, it started my odyssey of finding me a new job. This task that took me over a year before I found employment with AmeriCorps VISTA. I'm working now at the Brighton Center.

Going back to New Year's Eve, as I sat in the back seat of my car, I couldn't believe how far my life went downhill. But what helped me carry on and stay positive was my personality. I refused to give up live. To me, this was just another challenge in my life and I was going to tackle it face on. I made a plan that night on how I was going to survive this situation I was in. It started with my spending habits. For one whole month, I tracked my spending from food to gas I was putting into the car to the monthly bills. After that month, I created my spending plan. I was able to get food stamps that kept me from spending any of my actual money on food. I was able to keep track of my gas mileage and cost of gas. I was going to have to keep track how many miles I went on one tank of gas and try to cut back on my driving. I was going to have to make my gas stretch over a period of time. But it was hard when you live in your car in the middle of the winter and I needed to run the heat. I came up with a plan on when to run the heat or turn the car on. I also had to watch what I spent my actual money on. I still went to the movies once a week or to Barnes and Nobles to read but I made sure when there I didn't go hog crazy buying stuff. To me it was my Saturday Night Date with myself. It was my way of relaxing and staying sane.

As I was doing all this, I was going to the Kenton County Library everyday from the time they opened to the time they closed I was there searching for a job, reading books on how I could better myself in the job market, how I can re-tool my resume, and etc. Can't tell you how many times I actually changed my resume or my cover letter. From January to March I was doing this every day. I was going to the library all day every day job searching and etc. Also, I was trying to elude the repo people. I was trying to savage keeping my car without it being repo. I managed to elude them until March. That's when I had a friend talked me into giving up my car and going out on the road with him in his truck. So, from March until like May I was riding in a semi-truck across the United States. It was a great experience for me. This was like a mini vacation for me but I knew I still needed to find a job. My friend decided to change jobs and in doing so, I could no longer ride along with him in the truck. So, he and his dad allowed me to stay there with them while he was on the road. At the trailer from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I continue job searching. I was receiving the calls but they were job screening calls and I never heard back from them. I stayed with his dad from middle of May until end of June.

It was at the end of June, that my friend came up to me and basically told me that on June 29 that he was going to drop me off in Cincinnati no matter if I have a place to stay or not. Luckily, the day before, a couple of old friends that I consider as my 2^nd parents allowed me to stay with them. The idea was to stay with them for only a month and be gone. That was what was given to me. But this is where my year finally started turning into my favor. The month I was given, I was able to find employment with AmeriCorps VISTA volunteering my job and I do receive a living allowance. So, I have money coming in and I'm gaining full time experience as well. But I have to give a year of my time. Which it is very much worth it for me. From July until December, I stayed with them. I started working at the Brighton Center in September. Then in December, with the help of the HEARTH program and Brighton Center, I was able to get my own apartment for now. So, I'm slowly starting to get back on my feet.

What does the year 2010 have in store for me? Well already know that I'm going to be working until September and also have an apartment until then as well. I'm slowly building up my bank account and saving account. So, I'm slowly learning about finances. Still have a long ways to go but I'm heading in the right direction. So, continue following me and my blog over the upcoming year and watch me grow as a person. Happy New Year's everybody!

Merry Christmas Everybody…

2009-12-24T20:49:00.001-05:00

I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’s. I’m currently at Richard and Cathy’s place for the next few days for Christmas. I came here right after work. Maybe this is a change in me? I usually don’t do anything for Christmas. I usually just stay at my place and stay coup up and depressed but I’m here. A lot has happened to me over a year. So, hopefully this new year will bring a lot of great things for me. I will be doing a more “Year in Review” post closer to New Year’s. But for now, I hope everybody have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s.

It's Christmas Eve's Christmas Eve...

2009-12-23T08:15:00.002-05:00

That's right folks, it's Christmas Eve's Christmas Eve! Yippee..................(ok, I got carry away there) But it was fun on my part. Not much is really going. Continuing to get settle in my new place. It's been like two to three weeks now. Finding little problems here and there but nothing that can't be fixed. A lot of petty things are going on in my life but it will work out eventually. Just gotta hang around for support. It's been choatic around work these last few days with Brighton Center's Holiday Drive. Best way to explain how it was here at Brighton Center is to imagine that you are the frog on the game Frogger. Remember that game Frogger? You have to get to the other side of the street without being splat? Well, that's how it was here but advance level. *lol* But I did manage to get a lot of things done with the project I'm supposed to be getting done. I should be ready for a launch right after the New Years.

What is everybody's plan for Christmas? I'm going to head over to Richard's and Cathy's place for Christmas dinner. Thinking about leaving Christmas Eve to go there and stay until Saturday. Then I'm off until Tuesday. So, Sunday and Monday looks like cleaning and watching movies that I borrowed from my friend Chris. So, if anybody wants to do anything, I'm free.

TL

Like A Kid in a Candy Store...

2009-12-15T08:12:00.003-05:00

That is exactly how I feel when it comes to finding cheap computers. Just like a kid in a candy store. That was me yesterday, a kid in a candy store when I found two computers in the Brighton Center Clothing Closet that somebody donated which I was able to buy for $8. One of the computers I got was similar to TRexSmarts (my very first computer I got in 2000). I was able to get TRexSmarts to come alive after matching up the ram correctly. I also found out in the process of checking out TRexSmarts that my tv cable is still on. Which allows me to use my tv tuner card on TRexSmarts. So, for now, one of my computers is up. Just have to get Glaive working. That might be a few weeks or months probably. As for the other two, I do know one of the computers I go does work. It is actually the same model but a different mhz speed. TRexSmarts is an 800 mhz whereas the other one is 730 mhz. I could basically take the sides panels off of the computer and give them to TRexSmarts if I want. But more importantly TRexSmarts is up and ready to go. Here is my to do list:

Internet:

1) Setup my network for my computers
2) See if I can get the internet

TRexSmarts:

1) Dust out the inside of computer.
2) Setup my surround sound to computer
3) Once I have internet connection:
A) update virus definitions & Nav 8
B) update windows
C) update spyware
D) update any drivers

Glaive:
1) Get Ram for computer
2) Dust out the inside of computer
3) Once I have internet connection: (same as TRexSmarts above)

So, as you can tell, I have a lot to do still with my two regular computers. But not only that, I also got two more computers to work on as well. Anyway, off to work I go feeling like a million bucks baby!!!!!!!!!!

TL

A lot has happened...

2009-12-14T08:18:00.002-05:00

Just to give a few people some update about me. Last Saturday, December 5, some of you might have heard that I moved out of Richard and Cathy's place to my own apartment. Even though this is temporarily for the year I'm working as a VISTA unless the Brighton Center hires me on. But that's a different story. Anyway, it's going to be a while before I get my computers up and running. I'm literally going to have to bring them back from the dead. There are parts I'm going to have to buy that I don't quite have the money to buy the parts. So, it might be a while, and since I can't get my computers up and running, it might be a little longer than usual between my blogs. Hence this one...

Anyway, I have stayed a week in the new apartment in Dayton, KY. There are some little problems but I'm on it. With the windows being so huge, a lot of wind drifts are coming in under the windows. Which makes the bedroom like 3 to 5 degrees different than the living room. As of right now, I have moved all my stuff out of the bedroom and staying in the living room and basically closed the bedroom door and put a towel under the door. Also, it looks like the heat isn't coming out of the vent to good in the bedroom. Also, learned on Saturday that my panel to let people inside the building isn't working. So, I'm going to have to call the management team and let them know about that. Basically, it's just little stuff like that. Otherwise, the place is great.

Also, on Saturday, I fell and hit my head pretty good as I was walking up the steps. Hurt like hell but I'm alive and doing well. The somewhat funny thing is as I was doing laundry on Sunday I was watching people walking up the same steps and doing the same thing that I was but not as serious I did. I'm just like I hit the wood frame straight on rather than on the corner or go through the glass.

What about those Kentucky Wildcats? I have been watching those games when I can. I must say they are getting better and better after each game. Just two more wins away from 2000 wins. Sorry North Carolina, we are still the best program!

TL

My New Home Sweet Home…

2009-12-05T21:49:00.001-05:00

This week has seen another big step in my big come back on setting this world on fire. This week sees me signing a lease to a new place, and moving in to the new place. So, this is another huge step for me. Now, I can turn my attention to my finances and social networking. In regards of my finances, I’m going to scale back my transfer of money into my saving account to build up my checking account again. I hate to do it but I need too rebuild my checking account up. As far for the social networking is going to help me down the road to find a job when I’m done with AmeriCorps. Networking will be a major challenge for me. But will be great for me working on this challenge.

But back to this new place. I’m very thrilled to get back into a place. I thought I would never see this for a while longer. But I very thrilled.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays…

2009-11-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

Happy late Thanksgiving and a very early happy holidays. For Thanksgiving, I went over to Cathy’s sister place for Thanksgiving. We had turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, Mac and cheese, ham, bread, and pumpkin pie. Talking about my blood sugar going up? But I had a great time though. Also, with the holiday season upon us, I’m looking forward for it this year.

I have an update on my apartment. Coming December 1st, my apartment search will be over. I officially got an apartment and with the help of United Ministries be able to pay for this apartment. This apartment is in Dayton, which will be closer to the Brighton Center. So, I don’t have to continue getting up at 5:30 am. So, things are starting to look up for me more and more!

The Week in Review…

2009-11-22T21:55:00.001-05:00

This last week have been one of those weeks. On Monday, Chris and I went to Lexington, KY to watch UK basketball take on Miami of Ohio. Even though the game should had been a blow out, it wasn’t. Walls hit a last second shot to win it for UK. But overall it was great to be at Rupp Arena. We had a great time at the time and etc. This week was a great for UK. UK Basketball won three games this week and UK football won at Georgia! So, congratulations!

Still waiting to hear about my HEARTH case. I know that on Wednesday, my case manager was supposed to meet up with the apartment people to inspect the apartment but due to the electric being turned off they had to reschedule the inspection until Monday, November 23rd. So, hopefully I will hear something shortly. I’m eager to move into my own place soon. Hopefully this week will provide something for me.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I’m going to be spending it with Cathy’s sister’s place. Hopefully it will be better. I usually get depressed at holidays because I’m always not with my family. I’m always with other people’s families. Anyway, talk to you all soon again.

It’s Here…

2009-11-15T22:44:00.001-05:00

As I’m about to head to bed for the night, I’m excited about what’s I’m going to be waking up too. It’s going to be a day of pampering for myself that will end up in Rupp Arena as Chris and I are going to be going to the UK Basketball game Monday night. I’m looking forward for this game. It’s going to be my second game that I have seen at Rupp. So, I’m excited. But before we get to Rupp Arena, there are a few errands that I’ll have to run Monday. These errands made me take a day off of work. But I must say that I definitely needed a day off. But I must say I love working at Brighton Center so much that even though I have a few errands to run and the game in the evening I had a very hard time deciding if I wanted to just take the morning off and coming in for a few hours to just work and then head to Rupp. But after asking several people, I decided to take the day off after my supervisor basically made the decision for me. Even right now, I still think I should go in and work for a few hours. Go figure?

As for my last week, it was very busy at Brighton Center. With the recent food donation drive we had, it was busy everyday as people continue bringing in food. Also, I had to make a few trips with Bear Clifton to a few companies during the week to pick up food donations from the companies employees.

Also, I learned about my HEARTH case. Looks like United Ministries is willing to give me one month of assistance for me to move into a place. But then after that month they will re-evaluate to see if I need anymore assistance afterward. I’m hoping to get between three to six months of assistance. Not just one. But as of right now, they need to inspect the apartment that I picked up and then fax a letter over to the apartment people. Then the apartment people will either approve me or denial me. So, I’m hoping to get in by December 1st. We shall see.

Brighton Center’s Food Donation Drive

2009-11-07T11:39:00.001-05:00

On Friday, November 6, 2009, I witness something that I never saw in my whole life and that was a community coming together to help out the Brighton Center. All day, I saw our volunteers coming in and out with carts full of food. It was just amazing. Also there was WLXT doing a story about the shortage of food in our food pantry. Let me just tell you all now that lonely box of cereal isn’t alone anymore. I want to thank everybody in the community. It was just amazing seeing carts after carts coming in. Great job community!!!

If I was a weather person…

2009-11-01T18:05:00.001-05:00

The best way I can explain this last week was if I was like a weather man. Maybe that is what I should had dressed up as for Halloween? If I was a weather man, I would probably call this week like this. High possibility of bad news with a sprinkle of good news over the week. The bad news mostly came in form of this new program I’m helping out with called HEARTH. Several people we are submitting for this program is being denied. Therefore, it took a lot of me because some of these people really needed the help that this program would had provided. But this is the same program I have applied for as well. Even though the good news is that I was approved for the program, they decided that it would be a conflict of interest for the Brighton Center to be my case manager. Therefore, moved me over to United Ministries. What does this mean? A lot because Brighton Center was going to work several things out for me. Now, I’m going to have somebody at the Brighton Center to call United Ministries and talk to them so I can get the necessary help that I needed and that they were going to give me.

Now that I have been approved for that, the next good news come on Friday as well, when I was told by the apartment people that I put in my application in with last week, told me that if I do get the type of assistance from the HEARTH that I would be able to rent the 1 bedroom apartment. Otherwise, I won’t be able too because they are concern with how much I’m bringing in money wise. So, this week I’m going to have a few people call United Ministries to talk to them.

Also, I got some very good news. I was offered some tickets to a Kentucky Basketball game this year. A friend and I are going to be going the November 16, 2009 game against Miami University in Lexington. I’m so pumped. This will be his first time at Rupp and my second time to see a game. But I love UK basketball. I’m so excited to see this year’s team and to top it off, it will be Walls first game back. So, I’m stoked!!!!!

Uneventful Week…

2009-10-25T22:23:00.001-04:00

Well, this last past week really didn’t bring anything that exciting until around Friday evening when I viewed an apartment in Dayton, KY. I will know more about if I get it either Monday or Tuesday. I saw a one and two bedroom. I’m going to call Duke Energy on Monday to see about what the monthly average electric bill was for the previous owners. Other than that, my week wasn’t really all that eventful. But this upcoming week is going to be very busy as I have my days packed with appointments to see families for the HEARTH program that the Brighton Center is starting. I’m going to be collecting a lot of documents and making sure people are eligible. Not to mention be hearing back about the apartments. Plus, I will find out what I will get from Brighton Center for housing. Other than that, I’m not expecting that much to happen this week though. But I’ll let you all know.

One of My Best Week…

2009-10-16T23:52:00.001-04:00

It’s going to be hard for me to explain my feelings on how this week was for me. This week was very huge for me both from work and personal life perspective. It’s been now one month since I started working at the Brighton Center as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer. According to our manual this is supposed to be about the time that we are supposedly start second guessing our self about joining AmeriCorps and possibly be over our heads at the job. Well, I’m totally the opposite as I look back. I can’t even be more happier about my decision to join AmeriCorps and do what I’m doing now. As I’m typing this blog up, I really think doing this was one of my better decisions I ever made. Just got to keep up the great work I’m doing. But since I made the decision to become an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer, nothing but good things have been happening to me. And I don’t mean good things but good things as in getting back on my feet.

This week alone, several things are happening in my life. On Monday, I was able to get my IDA Orientation done one on one with the person in charge of the IDA program. Then on Tuesday, I opened up my IDA Savings Account with the Bank of Kentucky with $100. I have decided that each time that my paycheck gets direct deposited into my checking account which I opened last week that I’m going to put $100 into my IDA account. So, that means that every month I’m going to be saving $200. The minimum that I can put into the IDA account is $25. Once I saved $2000, the Brighton Center will match that same about meaning I will be getting $4000. I had a choice on how I was going to spend that money but I decided to use that money to buy a car. But first I have to save $2000 before that happens. I decided to go with $100 a month because I can but I will probably have to adjust that when I find an apartment. But I will probably know more or at least become clearer after next week when the HEARTH Program starts which I’m hoping that I will be eligible for. But for now I will continue to put in $100 per direct deposit that I get.

On Thursday, I went to my last of two finance class that I have to attend which now means that the counselor that taught the class can pull my credit report and I can start repairing my credit. Not only is the credit repairing is critical but I will start learning on how to create a budget and keep to it. Which is another huge reason why I went with AmeriCorps. I knew once I was with Brighton Center that I could take advantage of these programs that were offered to become a better me and start the process of getting back on my feet. So, I’m thrilled on how things are going for me in the financial department. Just have to keep the momentum going that I have created.

Other things also happened to me this last week. Some of my old bills got paid by the Butler Foundation. I’m very grateful of the people from the Butler Foundation that took care of those three bills. The three bills were my old Duke Energy from my last place was paid off. My damage bill from my last place was paid off as well. Then my past cell phone bill was paid off as well. As many of you all know, I didn’t have cell phone service for about the last month. But on Wednesday, my cell service was paid which meant I was able to get my cell service back. Also, on Friday, I received the other two cell phones from my friend Michael. So, now I have four phones and lines which I’m only using one of them.

Now, all the above mentioned things was just about my personal life. Let’s talk about my work. I couldn’t be more happier about work than I am right now. The things I’m doing is what I really want to be doing. I just can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out but at least I have figured it out. Now I know where I want to go in my life. Over this next year, I’m going to be doing some more personal growing as I try to get as much training as possible for what I want to do. One of my goal is to start a non-profit organization to help fight poverty. This goal is probably why I’m always so happy when I get to work and get ready to work. I just love what I’m doing and can’t wait to see the end product.

Then as I was coming home today from work, I was wondering how could things get any better for me as things were this week? Well, can you all believe that I forgot what happens tonight? I actually did! Tonight was the first official start of the NCAA College Basketball teams can practice. Which of course means just one thing? BIG BLUE MADNESS!!!!!! Do I need to say any more? I was actually able to watch it on the internet. I’m so excited for UK this year. But not because we got rid of Gillispe but because that excitement is back and I can’t wait to watch that excitement! GO CATS!!!!! So, what a perfect way to end a great week by watching my all-time favorite sports team, THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS!!!! Or should I say the 2010 National Champions Kentucky Wildcats? Actually, I’m thrilled and can’t wait for the season. I want to see how Calipari will blend this team together with 6 newcomers and 7 returnees? I want to see a “team”. Calipari is right that it’s “one heartbeat…if this team can become one heartbeat, they will be unbreakable and unbeatable.” Can’t wait until the exhibition games to really see this team in action before I will make a prediction on this season and some of the players. But couldn’t think of any better way to end this great week than to watch the BIG BLUE MADNESS!!!!

In the Right Direction…

2009-10-10T21:24:00.001-04:00

This week for me was a very exciting week for me. On Thursday, October 8, I started my growing experience. This night was just one step forward for me as I start my trip getting back on my feet. I went to a Budget class that is just one of my two classes that I must attend before I can start getting one on one financial help. That is something I need help with is my finances. So, I can’t wait until I get the second class done this Thursday coming up. That’s when I can get my credit report pulled and also start creating a budget. So, getting this help will be great. After that I have attend an IDA orientation that will get me started saving money.

Another big step for me was on Friday, October 9, I was able to re-open a bank account. I have been without a bank account for about 8 months. After 15 years of being with Fifth Third and giving them one last chance, I decided it was time for me to change banks. So, my new bank is “The Bank of Kentucky”. It’s a big step again in the right direction. This will now allow me to get my living allowance from AmeriCorps deposited directly and get it a much earlier than waiting for the actual check in the mail. Another good thing that could help me is that the Bank of Kentucky is a little stricter than Fifth Third. So, it will help me be better at managing my money.

Also, another step is my social life is starting to take off again as well as I was able to hang out with my friend Chris and Mark as I played some Magic the Gathering game for a few hours. Then on Saturday, I meet up with my other friend Bret and hung out for a few hours. I had a great time with him and my other friends. So, all of this is a great direction to be heading for me. Let’s keep this up!

Just one of those days…

2009-10-06T21:12:00.001-04:00

Just like the title says, it really was! My day started out on the wrong foot and ended on the wrong foot but there was some good news sandwiched in between though. Apparently, in downtown Cincinnati thought they needed a motivational speak but it didn’t work as it made me late by 50 minutes. Stupid traffic that was chaotic had Cincinnati backup big times. Should had just walked across the bridge like I normally do but decided to test out the Shuttle Tank rides. Did that backfire on me? Anyway, when I did finally get to work, I learn that I didn’t get my paycheck but did get information that the Butler Foundation is going to pay my back bills. Therefore, I’m going to get my cell service back, along with being able to get utilities in my own name as well. So, I’m excited about that. Then, on my way back home, the bus that I was on almost got hit by a car. After finally getting off the bus to start walking home, it started to rain. What a perfect ending to a pretty messed up day basically huh?

Week 2 came and went…

2009-10-03T12:08:00.001-04:00

Week 2 was here and now it’s gone. Where do the days go when you are having so much fun working? I’ll be honest, in the last year and half the days went by so slow that I would actually forget what day it was. Now, the days are flying by again. But you know what? I love it! Getting back to work is huge for me. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something again. This last week’s highlight.

Mainly this last week, I had several appointment with different program coordinators that run different programs for Brighton Center. All the appointments were very useful to me as I came away from them with better understanding of the programs and with tons of valuable information that is vital for my success in the job I’ll be doing over the next year. Out of the 17 program coordinators that I have to meet with, I have already met with 6 of them.

Also, during the week, the new project that I was asked to take over re-launched with a new face lift as I reformatted the apartment listing that is used for our customers that are looking for apartments and houses to rent. I was also able to target a certain website that could benefit this project big times. I have that meeting this week coming with the owner of the website.

On Wednesday, I had a luncheon to attend and my vegetable salad was a big hit. I was hoping to have some left over so I could eat it for lunch during the week but it wasn’t meant to be as it was all ate up.

On Friday, I had the New Hire Orientation that I had to attend. It was 4 hours of information about the history of the Brighton Center, the different programs within the program, and some great Papa John’s pizza! It was at this orientation that I was able to find some key piece of information that I will need to make my year long service a success. I was able to find a way to gather landlord’s name and address without having to send out letters and etc. Now, I just provided more work for myself. Which I love to see happen to me! The more work I do, the more successful I’ll be in life and at my job!

Outside of work, I did a few things but not much really. It’s very tough to be able to do anything when you have a 2 hour trip to get home. So, 4 hours total a day on the bus really doesn’t help your life outside of work. But on Friday, I was to catch up with my friend Chris. We went to get Chinese food and then went to see GI Joe. What a great action movie it was. Can’t wait to see what they will do with the second movie! Other than that, I really didn’t do anything outside of work during the week. I love having the weekend off!

So, what’s going on this upcoming work week #3? Well, I still have program coordinator’s appointment during the week. I have a meeting with a website owner on Monday. Along with meeting with my supervisor. Another meeting about customer service task that might be required of the Vistas. Will know more about this on Monday. I have to update the apartment listing on Wednesday. Also, have to figure out the best method of reviewing information out of files to be put into a database regarding landlords. Plus, I have to setup a few appointments as well, review a lot of information, and whatever else comes about during the week.

Outside of the work week, there are some major things going on. I’m going to be starting to work on my personal life starting with budgeting. This week on Thursday, I have a budgeting class that I’ll be attending. These classes are required for me to attend if I’m planning on participating in the IDA program. Also, will be finally getting a checking account back after not having one for the last 6 to 7 months. Just waiting on my 1st paycheck this upcoming week to come in. Then I also will be viewing an apartment this week as well. So, as you can tell things are starting to look back up for me and I can’t be more happier!

First Week Came and Went…

2009-09-26T09:48:00.001-04:00

As everybody by now knows, I started my year long volunteer job with the Brighton Center. I’m the Housing Support Vista Volunteer. My main job for this year is to work on creating a resource list that is full of housing information from agencies around the Northern Kentucky area. Plus, I’ll be creating a tracking system on how these agencies use this resource list and what they think about the resource list. That is my main goal for this year. Other things I’ll be doing is helping Brighton Center counselors with any help in regards to housing. This first week was very information packed! My first task is to meet like 17 different program coordinators to help me better understand the different programs that Brighton Center has but also let them know who I am and see what I can do for them during my year service.

So, in this first week, I had a lot of information given to me and I also read a lot of information. Already did a few things like reformatting the apartment listing and working on another document that they wanted reformatted. Plus, I started setting up appointments with the different coordinators that must be done by the end of October. Been reading a lot of information about Brighton Center and the programs they offer. This upcoming week is going to be as busy because I already have something like seven meetings all this week and more to come. Not to mention continuing to get the computer and office the way I want it. I’m very much going to enjoy working there.

Now on the TL’s front, things are going pretty good. My mom would be proud of me because I’m using a gift that she gave me a long time ago when I graduated with my bachelor degree back in 2002. She gave me a briefcase that I have mainly been using to carry odds and ends things whenever I move and then it sits in the closet. Really didn’t have anything to really use it for until now. So, I have dusted it off, re-organized the inside, and stuffed it with work from Brighton Center. Are you proud of me mom?

I have to start acting and looking professional now. I guess I better look and act like one? My friend Chris commented on how professional I sounded on the phone. Not to mention I have been taken steps to keep myself more professional and making sure that I don’t get any complaints similar to the ones I did at other jobs. For example, where I’m currently staying here in Delhi, it takes me two hours to get to work. I get up at 5:30 am every weekday morning. I walk from the house to the bus stop on Delhi Pike to wait for a bus. That is maybe a quarter of a mile if that. Then I take a 40 minutes bus trip downtown to Government Square in Cincinnati. Where then I walk from there to Ann Street in Newport. A very long walk (roughly 45 minutes) but I love it. So, as you know, I’m a big person that sweats a lot. Well, now I’m not wearing my work shirt but I’m carrying it with me in my briefcase. Plus, I have deodorant and cologne in my office now. I didn’t do this in the pass. So, when I get to work in the mornings, I go and change my shirt to a clean shirt and reapply deodorant and etc. That way, I’m hoping it will help me eliminate the complaints I got at the other jobs at this new job. This is all part of me trying to work on things I know I need to work on. But I do this walk twice a day and I love it! But with winter coming won’t be doing it that much though. Hopefully not at all as I’m trying to get housing closer to the Brighton Center.

Which brings me up to the next thing which is housing. I took a step toward gaining a new place to live this week as well. Just waiting to hear that it has been accepted. I filled out my Butler Foundation paperwork today. If they get accepted then it’s in a positive step toward gaining a place. As of right now, even if I did find a place to live, I wouldn’t be able to the utilities into my own name because I owe Duke Energy, and my last landlord money. This could keep me from getting my own place. What the Butler Foundation does his it will pay off those past bills if they accept it. So, in doing my paperwork, we also added my cell phone bill. So, hoping that all three of these bills get paid! Keep your fingers crossed. Once I know about those, then things really open up when it comes to finding housing because not only will those bills be paid off, I’m also available for the Hearth Program as well. The Hearth Program will pay for my rent and/or utilities for up to a year. So, that is another huge help on my part.

Wow, look how much I wrote? I guess I bored you all enough for now. I’m trying to get more involved in writing sooner rather than having a long wait between blogs. Keeping praying for me and call me if you know my number!

The Time Has Come…

2009-09-20T18:44:00.001-04:00

It has finally arrived. T-minus 14 hours until I start fighting poverty. I can’t wait to enter the work field again. I’m going to get the experience I need over the next year as I become a new me. So, what isn’t there be excited about? Over the next few week, I will start to gradually continue getting my stuff out of storage. Tomorrow night I will start with my clothes. Since I’m starting to work I need more choices than what I currently have. Then when I get my new apartment, I’ll get the rest of my stuff. I really miss my computers and some of my stuff. But more importantly I’m thrilled to be working again.

I’m Back Baby…

2009-09-19T17:28:00.001-04:00

That’s right, I’m back from Catlanta. Just to bad I wasn’t there to watch the UK Wildcats but I was there for my next favorite thing. That would be my new passion which is fighting poverty. I’m officially now an AmeriCorps VISTA. Which also means that on Monday, I will start my assignment with the Brighton Center here in Newport, KY as I start getting back on my feet myself. So, let’s get this going. A new path in my life is starting.

Catlanta was rainy and more rain. It didn’t stop until we got on the bus to leave for the airport. But the whole time down there, I must admit it was a real eye opener for me. Not to mention I met a lot of people that will probably be friends with for years to come. So, if you are thinking about becoming an AmeriCorps Volunteer I would wholly recommend that you do. Everything that happened that was involved with the conference was great. My only complaint was the very last thing on our way home in Chicago as we were on time until a cargo net got tangled up and we sat on the tarmac for about an hour and was late arriving in Cincinnati. But know what? That I can take because that was the only thing that was bad and it was at the very end.

But today is my day of rest before I start looking over my assignment and start working on things for Monday. I also have some other things to do as well. I’m also glad to see somebody looked me up from the conference. I can’t believe somebody actually beat me to the punch on that. She was going to be the first person I looked up as well. So, Majal glad to be your friend and hope we can keep in contact as we start our journey.

Also, I realized why I was gone to Catlanta that I really do like Windows Live when it comes doing my blog. Just couldn’t believe that I couldn’t twitter out my blog post each time I did a blog entry each day. But now I can.

The End is Here...

2009-09-18T15:49:00.003-04:00

It's with sadness that the Vista Conference here in Atlanta, GA has came to an end. Today we got sworn in as we are officially AmeriCorps Vista Volunteers. *jumping for joy* As my group and I are waiting for the shuttle to take us to the airport to start our journey back to KY, I have been thinking back over the last few days. I learned a lot of things here and I meet many friends in the process that no doubt will be seeing down the road. The conference here was planned great. It went smoothly. Not to mention the Emory Conference Hotel did a great job providing great service here at the hotel. The more and more I think about my decision on to become a AmeriCorp Vista Volunteer is one of my greatest choice I possibly could have made. This is where my life will now take a change for the best. This will be that spark that will prevail me to greatness and the path in my life that I like to go. Over the next year, I'm going to grow as a person that a lot of my friends and families will be shocked to see in years time. The conference here might have came to an end but the friendship I have foster and the experience I'll be gaining over the next year will continue. If I had to choose today, I would possibly be serving another year of AmeriCorps!

TL

Day Three Reflection...

2009-09-17T22:55:00.002-04:00

Not only is this day coming to an end but also the training here in Atlanta is coming to an end as well. We have a half of day of training tomorrow before we are whisk off to the airport. But before that happens, let me tell you about today. Day three started with me having a headache and it looks like I'm going to end with a headache as well. Overall, today's training was all about understanding our VAD's and how we were choosen to serve in the capacity we are going to be serving.

Over the weekend, I'll be dissecting my VAD a little bit more before I start at the Brighton Center. As I'm starting to get even more excited to be serving my time with the Brighton Center. Also, I'm going to miss the number of people I have met here over these last few days. I hope some of us will keep in touch with me and vice versa. There are a lot of people that have similar stories or in the same situation as me. It's good to feel that I'm not alone.

Something else that I learned today that has nothing to do with AmeriCorps is that I need to freakin get more people to view my blog. I know a few people view my blog but how come you aren't responding? You know how much I hate talking to myself? That's what this is feeling like. Maybe I should do a strip tease and maybe then I'll get people speaking up. Anybody out there? *as I hear crickets cricketing*

Over and out!

TL

Day 2 Reflection...

2009-09-16T19:41:00.002-04:00

As day two comes to an end, the information that I gathered today has been overwhelming but at the same time it has helped me better understand the situation that I have been in over the last year and half better. For me, it's like putting a name to the face finally. That's the best way I can finally describe the situation I have been in. You see, everytime I was asked to explain the current situation I'm in, it has been hard for me to explain because I wasn't really homeless even though that's what it seems like. Today, here at training, I learned that I was what is called "situational poverty". Basically "situational poverty" is where a certain situation has put me into poverty. Another example of situational poverty are the people in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. A devasting event can have a devasting affect on people and/or individual. So, I challenge you to see if you can define what is poverty? What does poverty mean to you? Can poverty be totally eliminated? To better understand poverty, you have to define poverty. It's not just "lack of money", or "lack thereof anything". Defining poverty can be just about anything. Now that I better understand my situation by figuring out the name of it, it has helped me to figure out a roadmap for me to get out of this situation.

So, as today comes to a close, I'm so very glad that I decided to follow this path and become a Vista. I'm excited to get back to the Northern Kentucky area and put to use what I have and will be learning here. Anybody want to help me with this challenge? Poverty can be eliminated but not just totally. We all have to work together. I'm only one, but one can become many.

TL

Day 1 Reflection...

2009-09-15T22:08:00.002-04:00

As the first day of my training comes to a close, I thought I would reflect on the common theme of the first day. That is, "Is Vista right for you". In this case that means me. As I sat in the first session today after registration and dinner, I couldn't help to think for now that Vista is right for me. To make a difference in a person's life, let alone a community is a very big thing for me. All my times growing up, I didn't just want to make a difference in a person's life but also in a community. Up to now, all I have been doing is making a difference in somebody's life but I have been leading up to this moment but just didn't realized it until today. So, I'm beyond thrilled to be starting this new chapter in my life. So, as I'm off to bed here shortly, I really can't wait until we start early in the morning with our training sessions.

TL

Coming to you from Atlanta...

2009-09-15T14:24:00.003-04:00

As many know today I set off for Atlanta at 5:00 am. I have arrived in Atlanta safe and sound. So, after taking a small nap, I'm about to head off to the registration table to register. But thought I would stop by a computer and do a quick blog.

The trip to Atlanta went a whole lot smoother than the last time I came to Atlanta. All the planes were on time and I didn't even have to walk that far to change planes in Chicago. But the only question I have is "how does one go north to get south?" To start my trip I went from Cincinnati to Chicago and then on to Atlanta. I must say though United Airline's planes were very clean and comfortable. Not to mention the hot stewardesses. Apparently Delta need to checkout the stewardesses hiring processes of United Airlines. And take a cue from United Airlines ontime and take off time as well. Even the shuttle from the airport to the hotel was also in style. We were in a limo bus. Isn't that cool? I think Brad Harris might be happy to know where his tax dollars are going? Not only to volunteerism but I guess you can call it luxury volunteerism, Brad?

Anyway, I'm safe and sound here in Atlanta. I'm about to head down to registration and then dinner starts at 5:30 pm and then our first session of this training starts at 6:45 pm. Then the schedule for Wednesday and thursday is training from 8 am to 5 pm. Then on Friday it's from 8 am to 1 pm. Then I'll be flying back that night which is another mystery like the "flying north" that I mention above. The training and conference ends at 1 pm on Friday. Checkout of our rooms is at 12 pm. So, one will think that planes departure would be two or three hours afterward? Wrong, my plane doesn't leave until 7:30 pm. Which means, I'm going to be doing a whole lotta nothing at the airport. Anyway, I'm off to registration now. Talk to everybody later!

TL

It’s Go Time…

2009-09-14T21:19:00.001-04:00

The day has become where I’m going to be heading back to work has finally arrived. First stop is Atlanta, GA where I’m going to be doing training for AmeriCorps from September 15 to September 18. Then I will start working at the Brighton Center on Monday, September 21. I’m so excited but yet somewhat nervous. Praying that everything will go smoothly as I start this new path in my life. The only only thing left for me to do is where I find my own place and really start the process of getting back on my feet. So, I will post more when I can get back from my trip.

8 days and counting…

2009-09-06T23:22:00.001-04:00

That’s right, eight days and counting for me before I head out to Atlanta for training to work for AmeriCorps. Then when I come back, I will start working at the Brighton Center on the 21st of September. Things are starting to move a little faster now. Just a few days ago, I received my itinerary for my flight down to Atlanta. So, things are going to be moving a lot faster. I can’t wait and I’m excited but at the same time nervous. But I’m going to love it!

Apartment Searching not going to good…

2009-08-29T12:01:00.001-04:00

Let’s see the first place I went to see was to small. It reminded me more of college dorms. If it didn’t have the small fridge like back in college I probably would be considering it now. Even though there would be major drawbacks. The second place I went to see was very decent in size. Again some drawbacks like the guy that was renting out the room was also job searching nationwide and said that if he got an offer tomorrow in Hawaii, that he would sell the house and move there. Which means that I would have to apartment search again. But they guy choose somebody else to rent that room. The third place was a little to far away where I wanted to be. The fourth place which was RiverChase Apartments, the guy never showed up even though I told him I was going to be there. I might give them a second chance but after being jerked around all last week, I’m not sure. But would be in an area where I want it to be and within walking distance to the Brighton Center. But I will continue searching for that apartment. If I had a car, the search would be a lot easier but since I don’t it’s making it very difficult but of course I love challenges.

So, if anybody is looking for a roommate in Newport, KY, e-mail me. My cell phone has been temporarily turned off for lack of payment but will probably be back on in October. I can still receive calls until T-Mobile decides to officially turn it off. So, if I gave you the number to where I’m staying, please use it when you can’t get a hold of me. Otherwise, you can e-mail me, facebook me, and etc.

Long week last week…

2009-08-20T12:47:00.001-04:00

As you all can tell, it’s been a little over a week since I last wrote an entry into this blog. A lot has been going on here. I have been helping the people I’m staying with clean up their place to get ready for a 50th Birthday party on Saturday. So, there was a lot of carrying stuff here and there and downstairs and etc. Not to mention, I have been trying to find a place to stay as well. As most of you all know, I have found a volunteering job that gives me a living allowance. So, I have been looking at a few places. I will probably know about one later this week or early next week. But for the mean time I will continue searching. I also helped a friend move. I also had to go and get another months of medication. And now, I’m resting my ankle as it’s very sore from all the walking, moving, and etc.

Ex-NFL running back convicted of 7 felony counts…

2009-08-12T12:20:00.001-04:00

Man, talking about a big waste of his talents. This kid has been nothing but trouble since day one of his life! I’m sorry, as many chances as this kid has been given over the years, I hope the judge really give him a very long sentence added on to what he is already serving. I remember watching him at Nebraska and he had great talent but now it’s just going to waste because of his anger and stupidity. Once a promising star now a bust in life. Article below: Ex-NFL running back Lawrence Phillips convicted of 7 felony counts

What Proper Diagnoses means…

2009-08-12T10:47:00.001-04:00

Ever since I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in April 2008, it has changed my life in drastic way. One of those ways is understanding my body better. Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I used to get hot and sweaty whenever I go to sleep at night. Whenever I would explain to doctors and friends, they would tell me it’s stress related. Which back then could have been true. But I always thought it might be something else because these hot flashes came every night. But was told the same thing over and over, it’s stress related. Things changed after I was diagnosed with diabetes. As I study the symptoms of both low and high blood sugars, I notice that getting hot and start sweating was a symptom. I started to notice that I wasn’t having these hot flashes or getting hot and sweaty during the night as I tried to sleep. As the months went by, every time I get hot and sweaty or of these hot flashes I would check my blood sugar to notice that my blood sugar levels were low. So, I would maybe drink a small glass of milk, orange juice, or apple juice and wait 15 minutes and test my blood sugar again and it would be back to normal. Doctors want my blood sugar to be between 70 to 140. I have been noticing when I have those hot flashes or getting hot and sweaty that my blood sugars have been below 70.

Last night was no different, when I went to bed I was fine and as I tossed and turned while I couldn’t sleep, I started to get hot and sweaty. So, I got up and tested my blood sugars to see how low my blood sugar level was. It was down to 65. So, I got up and had a glass of milk and a piece of Dove Chocolate. I waited my 15 minutes or so and rechecked my blood sugars and notice it was back up to 84 which was within my normal range. My hotness and sweats went away. I had a great night of sleep after that.

With me being properly diagnosed with my diabetes, I’m starting to really understand my body better as I have been putting the two things together from my past and now my present to notice the different symptoms of my diabetes. Understanding these has helped me become a better person and more confident in life now because now I have the controls and not the other way around.

Apartment Searching…

2009-08-09T19:49:00.001-04:00

So, today when I woke up I had an e-mail regarding an ad I placed on Craigslist for housing wanted. But talking about being a small world after all. Since I’ve been in my current situation, it seems that I have been getting back in touch with old friends that I haven’t seen in years. Well, today was no different. I received an e-mail from a person regarding my ad. He was letting me know that he had a possible place for me if I was interested. As I got to the end of the e-mail I notice that the guy’s last name was “Vater” and I saw that his place that he had was in Southgate. So, I sent back an e-mail letting him know that I was interested in the place but wanted to come out to view the place. Then asked him if he knew “Tim Vater”. I let him know that I went to college with a “Tim Vater” and was wondering if he was his father. Come find out he was. What a small world after all?

You see, Tim and I met when I started college in August 1995. Of course I was a little older than him. But soon we became good friends and where you saw him, you would see me or vice versa. Of course he graduated in 1999 as I continue on with my college journey for my bachelor. He was a great friend and in the last few months I have been looking to get back in touch with him. So, I thought this was a little sign maybe when I met his dad today. But like all good things, things have to come to an end. After he graduated, we lost touch. Also, we didn’t leave things in good term but let’s see if he will contact me now a days. I’m hearing that he is married now for about two years and that he is working over in Cinti Metro Housing Association. Which is another consequence because with me starting working for Brighton Center, I’ll be doing with housing information. So, I’m sure I’ll be contacting him over at CMHA. So, it will be interesting if he will even contact me.

As for the place, it was ok. And yes, Tim also lived in the same place as well. I wasn’t to fond of the of the kitchen because it has a college like refrigerator that had very limited freezer which I would like. But the place did go furnished. Another thing I didn’t like was the many steps that it had to get to the place. For this I’m thinking about my mom. She won’t come and visit due to her knees. She hated working up like six steps at my last place. So, imagine how much more she would had 20 steps? Actually she wouldn’t come to visit me at all. But the good thing is though that he is willing to work with me and Brighton Center as well. Not to mention, the landlord’s daughter is also in the AmeriCorps Vista program as well. But this is only my first place that I really looked at. So, as I mention probably in a few other of my post, I’m looking to move into an apartment sometimes in the month of September.

Also, I want to thank my friend Brett for coming to pick me up and go see this place. I wouldn’t be able to do this today if it wasn’t for him. So, thank you Brett!

My Twitter Updates…

2009-08-08T19:13:00.001-04:00

I just noticed today, Saturday, August 8, 2009, that my text updates that I have been sending via my cell phone aren’t getting to my great followers. But I’m receiving everybody’s updates that I’m following on Twitter. So, looks like the DoS that Twitter is receiving messed up my ability to update my great followers. So, please be patient as I try to figure what’s going on.

Also, I have added “Twitter” section to my blog. So, now when people come to my blog, they can see what I’m doing. I’m going to be working on updating my blog a little bit more by adding more links and other things over the next few months. So, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment on this thread.

A change of direction…

2009-08-06T15:34:00.001-04:00

As of yesterday, Wednesday, August 5th, I had my last interview. Even though I had my mind made up on accepting the AmeriCorps position, I went to this interview because I didn’t want to burn any bridges. But I also made sure I didn’t set any other interviews up. Which on Tuesday, August 4th, I received three calls for interviews. Which, of course, I told them I accepted another position. My heart is pretty set on the AmeriCorps position. There are a lot of great pros for taking this position. Like, for example: 1) Federal employee experience status – after working with AmeriCorps, this position will give me federal status which down the road will open up a whole another job area for me when I start job searching again. 2) new experience in a new field – I feel that this job is giving me a new direction in my life. 3) Volunteering will make a huge impact on my resume. 4) The year time frame will help me work on personals issues I have that will set me for the rest of the life, so this last year or almost two years won’t happen again. So, no matter what happens with this latest job interview, I’m already know in my mind that I’m not going to accept the position. With that said and the interviews portion over, I can change the direction that I’m going in.

That new direction is to now start finding a place to live. Theoretically, I would like to move into a new place by September 1st. But really starting to think it might be middle to late September. I would like to find a place either in Newport or maybe Covington. Just depends on what I’m looking for. Which I would love to be able to get rent and utilities for under $500 but I think the only way that is going to happen is if I find a person that is looking for a roommate or I find a place with somebody. But with past experiences with roommates, this might be out of the question. I would love to find a place for myself to live. That would be my ultimate goal. So, if anybody knows of a place or maybe a friend that’s looking for a roommate, please let me know.

Then once I find this place, get settled in both the new place and the job I’m going to be doing, then my next plan of action is to start on working on my personal issues. I’m determined not to let this happened to me again. But as I look back though, this could have been a blessing in disguise though. Finding out that I had diabetes made a big difference in my life. It has helped me see that I can lose weight correctly. So, getting my own place would be a battle won itself because then I can start eating correctly again and pay attention to what I’m eating as well. I lost a little over 80 pounds from April 2008 till October 2008. Then from October 2008 until now, I find it very encouraging that I only gain 15 pounds back. Normally I would gain back the weight and then double that as well. But it’s encouraging to see that I haven’t. Another blessing in disguise is knowing how determined I am still. With the up and downs in my life, most people would have given up. I was determined not too. I will admit that there were a few times I wanted too. When I felt like I was going too, I either took some “me” days and just cutback on what I was doing and let myself tell me when I’m ready to get back with to it. I would do a lot of reading or researching on the internet that would give me a great idea or something and I would feel refresh to start back at what I’m doing again. Another blessing out of this whole situation is finally giving my life a sense of direction. Up until about a month ago, I didn’t have a direction. I was struggling with what I wanted to. Then about a month ago, a light came on to help me find AmeriCorps and do what I would like to do and that is using my skill set to help poverty communities and the people that live in those communities. Once I figured that out, things went fast and now I’m very excited and feel like some weight has been taken off my shoulders. Now, I just have to face some fallout on things that have happened in my last year or two. But tell you what though? Going through this situation has really showed me a lot. It showed me things that I need to work on personally and professionally. So, that’s what I’m planning on doing this upcoming year.

So, continue checking back more often once I find my place because then I’ll will be doing more updates more often because I will have my stuff out. Not to mention feeling better emotionally and physically as I start the healing process. Thank you everybody that has helped me out over the last two years. You all know who you are!

It’s official…

2009-08-03T23:58:00.001-04:00

As the title says, it’s official, I have been accepted into the AmeriCorps. Which means that I will be serving one year of my time to my assigned location. I will be getting a modest living expense and other help. This is a very slow way back on my feet which I think will be helpful for the rest of my life. I have been assigned to work with the Brighton Center, which is kind of funny because I have been trying to get a job with them. So, this is a way I can show what I can do and hope that they will hire me at the end of the year. But during this year, I will be working on a lot of personal issues I have. But bottom line is I’m excited to be serving my time and getting experience in the process. This is a very positive move in the right direction for my life!

Good News but…

2009-07-30T13:56:00.001-04:00

I have some good news to report today. I’m halfway there to having a job. Last week, I submitted my application to the AmeriCorps Vista Program. Then on Monday, July, 27, 2009, I applied to eight different programs that was looking for AmeriCorps Vista. By the time I got back to the house, I had two interviews set up for Wednesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 30. I’m about to go to the later interview in about an hour. But as I’ll be going there, it a big relief to know that the interview I had on Wednesday, has officially selected to fill one of their positions. And this is where the BUT goes…even though I’m excited, now I have to wait for the main AmeriCorps accepts me. As soon as they accept me and sends me that e-mail then I can officially accept the position that I’m selected for. So, I’m halfway there and just waiting for that e-mail. Once I have accepted the position, I will have to attend a training in Atlanta on September 15th thru the 18th. Then I will start the position shortly there after. I will get paid $891 per month. Remember this is an AmeriCorps job which is a service job that I have to commit one year of my time too. Plus, I get other benefits as well.

But I do see another major decision for me coming up soon that could put an end to my current situation. This AmeriCorps position is only one year. After the year is up, I will either have to re-apply for another Vista position or try to find a full-time job all over again. This is where I’m faced with the decision. As of right now, on August 5, 2009, I have an interview for a full time job that isn’t an AmeriCorps job. So, that basically means if they offer me the job and I accept that in one year, I will continue working with them until they decide to let me go. Which also means I could get out of my current situation and back on my feet faster rather than waiting another year before I can get back on my feet. Does that make sense? But first they have to offer me this job that I have the interview for on August 5th before I can make that decision or do I stay with my word that I gave to the person that selected me for the AmeriCorps position?

But the good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for me! Yeah me!!!!!!

What a great busy week this going to be…

2009-07-28T23:37:00.001-04:00

In my last post, I talked about how busy my last week was going to be. Well, this week is as busy if not busier. But it didn’t start off that busy for this week. But before I get into this week, let me give everybody a run down on last week happenings. As I mention in my last post, Monday, July 20, I had to go and pick up my medicine from Pike Street Clinic. Also, as I mention in last post, this was very huge for me because now I can get my diabetes medicine without have to pay for it. I was there for like three hours. Then I walked back up to the Cincinnati Public Library where I continue my research on homelessness. Then on Tuesday, July 21, I had to go to a WIA Program Orientation at One Stop. This program will help me pay for my training for a MCSE Certification if I qualify for the program. This WIA Program is a three step process. There are two Orientations that I have to attend and a one on one meeting with a Career Advisor. So, on Tuesday, July 21 and Thursday, July 23, I went to the two orientations. Plus, on Thursday, I went with Cathy to the Free Food Bank Store. That was a great adventure. Also, on Wednesday, July 22, I applied for AmeriCorps Vista program which was a great move for me because it is this move that has made this week a hot busy week for me. Also, I learned that my interview I had with Siemens IT Solution had their contract pulled from them meaning that job no longer exist.

So, what does this week have for me? Well, originally this was going to be a light week. As I only had one appointment this week and that was on Monday. But what I didn’t expect was that one appointment turned into this busy week.

A) Monday, July 27 – I had my one on one session with my Career Advisor from One Stop regarding my qualification into the WIA Program. But before I know if I have qualify there are numerous things I had to gather before our next meeting which is Friday, July 31. From this session, I learned more about how I to apply for AmeriCorps Vista. So, when I went to the library I ended up applying for eight Vista programs. By the time I got back to the house, I had a job interview set for Wednesday, July 29. So, here is what I have to gather for my Career Advisor:

1) Proof of Residence from Cathy here.

2) My birth certificate and social security card

3) Research and fill out a Q&A form about the program certification I want to attend.

4) Have to apply for financial aid.

5) Have to go back three months of my job searching and printout all my correspondence regarding the jobs I have applied for. This is going to take a few days.

B) Tuesday, July 28 – Mainly used this day to gather a lot of my information I need to gather for my Career Advisor, did my research for my certification, and started the printing out of my last three months of my job searching. Plus, had to help Cathy with her test that she had for her job interview she has also on Wednesday, July 29. (Good luck Cathy). As I was doing my stuff, I got a call for yet another job interview that will be on Thursday, July 30. Doing this post is my last thing for me to do on this computer for the night!

C) Wednesday, July 29 – I have a 3:00 pm interview at the Brighton Center for the Recover Northern Kentucky AmeriCorps Vista program. So, I hope the rain will stop by the time I get on the bus around 12:00 pm. Let’s pray that it will! Plus, I will be continuing working on the job searching printout for the last three months and probably start applying for financial aid as well.

D) Thursday, July 30 – I will know more on Wednesday when my interview for the Home Ownership Center of Greater Cincinnati Visa will be on this day. Plus, I will be putting finishing touches on my job searching project for the last three months and financial aid in preparation of my meeting with my Career Advisor on Friday.

E) Friday, July 31 – I have my meeting with my Career Advisor at 9:00 am. I have to present all my stuff that I have gather for her at this meeting. Then it will probably be like a week or so before I will know if I have qualified for the WIA Program.

As you see, what turned out to be a light week for me is turning out to be a very busy week. I’m not complaining but just glad to be doing something that is meaningful and productive. And there is still things I have to do like call the Ohio Food Stamp Office to figure out where my appointment letter is that was turned in over two weeks ago. This weekend will be a much needed rest when it gets here. Anyway, back to my busy week.

Another busy week coming up…

2009-07-19T17:31:00.001-04:00

If last week wasn’t a busy week, this week coming up is. Last week, I had a job interview up in Mason, OH with Siemens for a short term job which fail through that I just recently learned. Also, I went to re-apply for my KY Food Stamps Benefits again since I missed the re-certification meeting that I was supposed to have in June. In which I learned I was denied because they consider me a resident of OH. Go figure on that one out? So, the next day I turned in my paperwork for the OH Food Stamps Benefits. I’m just waiting on my appointment to be sent to me by mail. So, that might be added to my to do list for this upcoming week if I get that in the mail. Also, learned that Recovery Network Center in Covington, KY went through changes and I’ll be unable to use their address anymore. In the process of this, I also heard that there were big changes made in March of this year to programs around these services. Then on Friday, I go to go to the Pike Street Clinic to talk to them regarding my meds. As for this week, Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Thursday are booked for me. This is what’s on my agenda this week.

On Monday, I’m going to be picking up my meds and my test strips from the Pike Street Clinic in Covington, KY. This is a huge thing for me because I don’t have to spend $21 each month to get my meds plus the $60 for my test strips. Not to mention I don’t have to pay for any doctors visits and etc. I just have to go into the clinic once a month which is also free for me. So, this is a huge monkey off my back or at least until I can get back up on my feet but then I can use St. Vincent DePaul to get at least my meds for free but will have to start paying for my test strips. But until then, I will worry about that later when it comes. Then after I’m done there, I will be going to the library again to continue doing my research and my job searching.

On Tuesday, I’m going to be going to an orientation at the Career Connection inside One Stop in Covington, KY. This I’m very excited about and really will be excited if I qualify for their certification program. Career Connection has a program where they will help individuals obtain various certifications like the A+ or the Microsoft Office certification and etc. In which the Career Connection will pay up to a certain amount to help you obtain your certification. So, I hope I qualify! If I do, that means, my Thursday will be busy as well as I would have to go back to the Career Connection as well. But one step at a time. Then after I’m done there, I’ll be going back to the library again to continue my researching and job searching.

Even though the above doesn’t seem that busy, it’s actually the waiting that kills me. Good thing I’m a very patience person. It will take 4 to 5 hours of waiting at both the Pike Street Clinic and One Stop but it will be worth every penny though! But besides that, there are other things that could come up that will require me to add to my to do list this week. Like:

1) Have e-mails out regarding volunteering at various places like the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.

2) Also, trying to get various meetings with some of my networking contacts in regards of projects I’m trying to get started or ideas I have that I need to pitch.

3) If my OH Food Stamps Benefits Office mails my appointment, I could have a meeting this week?

4) Could have a few job interviews as well.

So, as you can see I will have a lot on my plate if things start coming through. Also, I will continue researching my idea that I’m having and continue working on my project to get it up off the ground. So, expect in the next month or two big news coming from me in regards of me taking my life in a new direction.

Enjoy and I hope everybody have a great week!

- TL

Interesting day…

2009-07-15T21:31:00.001-04:00

Today was a very interesting day for me. I learned from the Kentucky Food Stamps Office today that they consider me an Ohio resident because I have been staying at friend’s places in Ohio for the last two week. So, in their book that makes me an Ohio resident and have to register for food stamps in Ohio now. Which I will be doing tomorrow. Now I will see what the people here in Ohio will say. It wouldn’t surprise me if they tell me I’m a Kentucky resident. At which point, I’m going to tell them to call the Kentucky Food Stamps Office and tell them that. Then whoever wins the battle, gets me. Sounds like a plan to me?

In other developments, with my recent struggles in life and today’s development has given me a fire in my stomach that has caused me to send out feelers that could possibly lead me and my life in a new direction. More to come about this over the next few week.

Also, I have been doing a lot of walking lately. Which is good for me because it helps me lose weights and get back in shape.

Yesterday, I had a great interview which I’m waiting to hear back from. I should hear something about it tomorrow. Now the only little and I mean little draw back is that the job is only three weeks long. But it will help me get the necessary experience that I need to get updated. So, let’s hope it works out.

Miscellaneous…

2009-07-10T23:49:00.001-04:00

Well, things are starting to heat up around here when it comes to the job searching. Earlier this week, I took a different direction when it came to my job searching process. I re-did my cover letter and created a broadcast letter that I sent out to potential companies. Plus, I have been doing a lot more networking and seem to be getting my job leads. All of this has lead me to my first interview that I had in a while that’s not connected with a recruiter. That interview is Tuesday in Mason, OH with Siemens IT Solutions for a month or two job that could lead into full-time. But it’s a start at least.

In other news about me, I have been doing a lot of walking lately and notice how much strength I have after walking long distance. I have notice that since I have lost weight how much better I have felt. So, I guess a good side effect of the diabetes medication is losing weight? But it’s time for me to believe in myself. I’m just asking friends of mine to not lose confidence in me or stop believing in me. Things will turn around for me. Just got to believe!

Great day today…

2009-07-06T18:53:00.001-04:00

Today, I was in very high spirits and energy as I was job searching today. I took my job searching in a different direction and thought it was very great day after all. As I ended up with so good networking contacts that possibly could lead somewhere? We shall see!

Happy 4th of July…

2009-07-04T13:57:00.001-04:00

First, let me wish everybody a happy 4th of July. As America grows older, so does my job search. But like this 4th of July a new year for America, so will my job search. Over the next few days, I’m going to be making some changes to my job searching methods by adding some more things. I have a little over three weeks left here at Cathy and Richard’s place. If something doesn’t come up soon, I might be out in the streets for good. But I’m trying to avoid that as much as possible as I’m on the computer job searching like on average of five to six hours a day. Not to mention, making cold calls, sending out e-mails, and trying my best. There isn’t a single thing I haven’t tried that hasn’t gotten me a job or an interview. Hiring managers only want to take a few seconds to look over resumes really skips all the good fit people like me. But it’s only a matter of time something will start showing up for me. But until then, back to searching I go.

Still Trying…

2009-07-02T13:04:00.001-04:00

Well, able to get on for a few to write this. Been here in Delhi, OH since Sunday, June 28, 2009. Went to my interview on Monday, June 29, 2009, and thought I did a great job. RHT has yet to get back with me but they did say they will suggest forwarding my application to the two companies we talked about in our interview. Now just waiting to hear back from RHT. While I was still downtown, I put in my resume to Kroger, Chiquita, Wendy’s, and Walgreens. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, I have been job searching on the computer more. Now, not only have I been job searching, I also been helping Richard and Cathy around the house as well. Otherwise, just been keeping myself busy. Just keep praying and applying that something will come up.

Off on another adventure…

2009-06-28T01:14:00.001-04:00

Here later today, I will be going down to Delhi, Ohio to stay with Cathy and Richard for at the most a month. A lot is happening here with me. There might be a good chance I won’t be updating this blog as much as I have been after I move down to Delhi, Ohio. I won’t have access to a computer like I did here in Lima, Ohio. Then on Monday, I have an interview with Robert Half Technology for a few positions they feel that I’m a strong fit for. If I see things aren’t working out by the middle of July, I might be taking up an offer from a person in San Antonio, Texas by the end of July. This is getting down to a crucial time for me majorly. I will continue to post as soon as I can.

$30 Million Bikini

2009-06-24T15:28:00.001-04:00

As I was browsing one of my favorite website HighT3ch, I came upon this great looking bikini that will more likely be my future wife’s first purchase whenever 1) I get married and 2) when I get rich. I wonder if any women besides Molly Sims of course would actually wear this bikini? Yes, it’s real diamonds. So, women, what would it take for you to wear this in public? *lol* I think it would almost be worth it if I was rich to offer a woman some kind of deal? What would it take for you to wear this in public? So, are diamonds really women’s best friend?

You can find this at the following link: High T3ch » $30 Million Bikini

No Apology? No Diploma

2009-06-23T13:30:00.001-04:00

I have been noticing a lot of trends lately with school’s withholding diplomas or giving outrageous punishments to students over the last few months to a year that it’s alarming. I ask myself “Who is right?” Is there really a right or wrong answer to that question? Is it the faults of the schools? Is it the faults of the students? Or is it the faults of both the school and students? The schools job is to teach our kinds respect, to become leaders, and become a better person. When does schools have the right to bully kids to fit a certain mold?

In this article, No Apology? No Diploma out of Los Angeles, a group of 15 students at a middle school protested the guest speaker by not standing and turning their back on the guess speaker. The kids and the parents were protesting teacher cuts and oversize classes. After some of the parents heard why the kids where protesting even some agreed with the kids. Would it had matter if the guest speaker wasn’t part of the school’s board? In a statement released by the middle school states that “the LAUSD's John Liechty Middle School works to provide students with an appropriate learning environment that includes being safe, being responsible and being respectful. During any school event, Liechty Middle School expects students to demonstrate respectful behavior….”

In my opinion, last I heard this is America. We are allowed freedom of speech. I think the school should had taken the high road and not responded to the actions of the kids. By withholding their certificates was a bad move. It’s a school that is trying to bully a group of kids because the bully got their feelings hurt. There really isn’t a right or wrong in this situation. Some can make a case to say the kids were disrespectful which I can see but two wrongs don’t make a right. The school shouldn’t have responded the way they should. The media will make the school out to be wrong in this case. Can respect be taught? In the statement above from the school they mention they “expects students to demonstrate respectful behavior” but the kids were only following the behavior that they were shown by the school during the year.

Over the last few months, I have been reading a lot of articles regarding schools taking extreme actions against students for what they feel is disrespectful behavior. Of course on the other hand, it is only 8th grade? Should the parents and student just apology and just move on? Makes me wonder what schools are coming to now a days? Do you all think schools are going overboard these days? Let me hear your opinions on this subject.

Father’s Day…

2009-06-22T21:50:00.001-04:00

As I was celebrating Father’s Day with Michael and his family I couldn’t help but wishing two things: 1) That my father was a part of my life but he hasn’t been since I was six years old. I always wonder what it would be like if my father was in my life in some sort of fashion. Would I had grown up any different with a father figure in my life? Not a day goes by I think about this. But I have told myself that if I was ever going to get married that I was going to find my dad and invite him to my wedding. He would of course have a choice to attend or not to attend but if he wants a life with his son, he needs to attend the wedding so that way I know he wants a life with his son with what’s left of it; 2) The second thing as I was enjoying the celebration at Michael’s grandma’s place involving several of his family members it also makes me wonder what it would be like if my family had some kind of get together like Michael’s family did. It was a very great day as I was in the pool all day long, talking to one another, playing volleyball in the pool, and eating out as we celebrated Father’s Day. Other than family reunions, my family didn’t have anything like this. Another reason I wish I had a father.

Of course, after a perfect day like this, I thought it couldn’t get any better until Michael decided to go to the movies. We watched “Hangover” and let me tell you that it was very funny movie. Better than I thought it would be. It seriously made me laugh. Must say though, it’s definitely not a kids or a teenager movie though. So, I would whole heartedly recommend this movie to others.

Cincinnati, OH and San Antonio, TX vs. the rest of the US…

2009-06-19T03:03:00.001-04:00

What is it about both Cincinnati, Ohio (Northern Kentucky Area) and San Antonio, Texas that seems to attract my attention to these areas compared to any where else in the United States? Since August of 1995, I transferred to Northern Kentucky University and have been in the Northern Kentucky area every since. The Northern Kentucky area consist of Cincinnati, OH, Covington, KY, Newport, KY, Bellevue, KY, Dayton, KY, Florence, KY, and a few other cities. When I did try to move out of this area, I seem to be drawn back to this area. Including the three years living in Williamstown, KY from when I was 3 years old to 6 years old, I have lived in the Northern Kentucky area now for 17 years. Am I meant to stay in this area? Every time I seem to try and move out of this area it falls through or the time isn’t right for me. The thing about it though is I can see myself living in a great area any where in the US but I know what will happen when I try to make things happen. If the time isn’t right for me to move than I’m always going to be staying in this area.

San Antonio, Texas on the other hand has another strong attraction to me for some reason. Ever since I went down there for vacation with my brother back in the mid 1990’s, I feel in live with San Antonio. Ever since, I have told myself I’m going to move down there when the time for me is right. Is that time ever going to come? When I was down in San Antonio for my brother’s wedding, my family member all saw how happy I was down there. I honestly can see myself living there. But will San Antonio be able to keep me away from the Northern Kentucky area or is it meant for me to stay in the Northern Kentucky area where the rest of the US will be good for vacation?

Doctoral Degree Discussion…

2009-06-16T03:50:00.001-04:00

Well, today, I called the University of Phoenix to see about their Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership/Information Systems and Technology degree. This was my first real thought and research about going back to school to get my doctrine degree. You can read more about this degree here. I think this would be a great addition to my already collection of degrees that I go. This doctor degree would go great with my Bachelor of Organizational Studies, which is now called Organizational Leadership. Also, great with my Master of Science in Technology degree that I have. So, I feel that this doctor degree would connect the both of those degrees together lovely. But before I get to carried away, I need to really consider this.

Here is what I found out from the Phoenix people. This is a three year degree that will cost $53,000 to complete. Basically, my financial aid would have to cover all of this. Learned that there is a cap that the US Government give for financial aid and that is $138,500. Right now, I think I’m near $120,000. Not to mention there are some in class seminars that I would have to attend at a regional campus of Phoenix at my own cost for that trip. Very doubtful I’ll be able to do this. Plus, I will need to have access to a work environment as well. I will have more discussions with my “campus representative” on Wednesday afternoon regarding this.

What I would have to do is figure out if going back for my doctoral degree is really worth my time and effort or would it just be ridiculous to even attempt? As my friend Brett told me, “it would be a stupid move on my part because if a Master Degree can’t get me a job than what’s the chances that a doctrine degree will?” I will also see what my current financial aid situation is with FAFSA to see if even going back to school is even remotely an option. Only way I can go to college is if I can get financial aid or whenever I find a job, I get them to pay my way. Another thing I have to clear up is why am I wanting to go back to college for another degree? Am I doing this because I feel like I have no other option or because I think this will help me with my job? What is it that is making me want to research the fact that I want to go back to school after all the years I was already in? I told myself when I graduated with my Master Degree that I wouldn’t be going back to school unless the company I work for pays it. Of course I said the same thing about my Master degree after I graduated with my Bachelors degree. Only a year and after after graduating with my Bachelor degree that I went back for my Masters degree. And now after thinking about it, it’s basically been a year and half after graduating with my Masters degree that I’m thinking about going back to school for my doctrine degree. Also, have to figure out is Phoenix right for me or should I think about going to actual college? Would it be cheaper to go to a college compare to Phoenix?

Things are the things that I have to think about over the next few weeks to months. One thing I do know for a fact that I’m not in any hurry to make a decision on this. But if I was forced to make a decision tomorrow, it would be a “no”. I’m 95% sure that I wouldn’t go back for my doctrine degree. But don’t count out that 5% because as I continue to discuss this with friends, families, and continue researching, I’m sure that 5"% will change.