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BarCampCHS, et al. – Charleston, I love you.

// October 29th, 2009 // Comments Off // Everything Else

I think it’s safe to say that if you live in Charleston, SC and have a either a twitter account or do something with computers, then you already know about BarCamp Charleston, but what you may not know, unless you attended, is that something magical happened…at least for me.  I saw the reality of a community that supports each other, one that wants to learn from one another and relate.

As an outsider to Charleston (only 2 years in), I am truely inspired by how welcoming, intelligent, and sociable everyone has been.  With all the new social technologyness, it’s still hard to make ‘real’ connections and actually meet real people behind the monikers and profile pics.

Luckily, here in Charleston, #chs for some, it’s super easy because of all the ways to meet and greet:

• Lowcountry Bloggers – an aggregation of local blogs, with weekly, sometimes daily roundups
• Social Media Club Charleston – monthly meetups empowering others to use the likes of twitter, facebook, and other ’social’ media tools
• #chs hashtag - used regularly on twitter as a hub point to check out happenings in the Charleston, SC area, made popular by the efforts to standardize local hashtags on twitter.

And now, BarCampCHS….an annual ‘unconference’ – for a better explanation, go HERE

Being a planner gave me a unique perspective (a post dedicated to this will be coming), one that also was mixed with high hopes that everyone had a good time, learned a lot, and hopefully got to network and connect with some really cool people.  All in all, I think we set the ‘bar’ high as the comments have blown me away with the positivity….generally saying, “Barcamp Charleston has arrived, and is here to stay”  For that I am thrilled and anxiously await the next (after some recovery time, of course).

Some of my highlights (I’ll try to use the flickr photo pool to help illustrate)

Team 342 Robotics team and Summer Py-Games Initiative:

(photo:librarylion)

Meeting Dave Moulton (made bikes for olympians and wrote a book on rock and roll)

(photo:Eugene Mah)

Learning about and eating Bacon:

(photo:Chrys Rynearson)

And seeing happy people learning and connecting with each other:

(photo:Chrys Rynearson)

I’m so lucky to be here in Charleston, SC!  Just by being involved with planning this event, I’ve made at least 20 more friends!  Thank you!

As a former educator, I’m inspired by the interactions that happened because of BarCampCHS and am proud to be a part of it!

Thank you Charleston, I love you!

Here’s an awesome video made by Geoff Marshall – yet another new friend who’s sadly leaving #chs

social media – a changemaker’s way to communicate

// April 10th, 2009 // Comments Off // Everything Else

How many times in the past few months have you heard of people talking about, twitter, facebook, you tube, or flickr?

I feel like social media is all the rage nowadays, with everyone and their grandma signing up.  As a web developer, we have companies that call us all of the time that just shout out the ‘magic’ words of ‘twitter’, ‘facebook’, or ‘blog’.  My first gut reaction to hearing them ‘name-drop’ is that of excitement and said company harnessing the ever-increasing power of the internet to connect others, but oftentimes….someone or something ‘they’ read told them to do it…….because it’s free marketing….or is it?  If you just sign up for twitter and make 2 updates a month, the only followers you are going to get are bound to be spammers.  What is the value in that?

They don’t tell you that you have to work it, use these services regularly with quality content in order to garner a respectible audience, but as they say, “haste makes waste”.  However, why would I be grilling these companies for at least trying to harness some of the wonder programs that exist now to their advantage?  I should be extremely excited that they are becoming savvy and embracing these new technologies that they would have scoffed at even a few months ago.  Actually, I am extremely excited!

Social media is starting to get traction, everywhere. Period.  And I must say that it has me really giddy and hopeful to see how it evolves….hence this post.

Realizing the increasing ubiquity of social media, combined with ‘continuous  computing’…..reaching people in profound ways is now actualized in cyberspace.

To a fault, I am somewhat an altruistic person who loves connecting, organizing, and communicating with people…and, to this end, I seek ways to make this easier through technology.  I seek because I am inspired by what is NOW, currently being done!

Following are some truely amazing examples of how social media is shaping our world and helping others through education, action, and connecting.

  AnomalousNYC’s Palestine Project on FLICKR -

Relevant as it is right now with Obama trying to help out with the ‘two-state‘ solution between Palestine and Israel, this photostream really invokes strong emotions about the enormity of the human rights issues being broken by showing, with some artistic enhancing, some of what is going on in the West Bank and Gaza strip.

in this example of the use of flickr, anomalousNYC uses photojournalism to invoke emotion, which definitely invokes emotion.

    frontlinesms – is a revolutionary software tool that allows people to use the already ubiquitous cellphone as a platform for action.  People use it all over the world.  Basically, frontlineSMS is a piece of software that you install on your computer which allows you to send text (SMS) messages to cell phones.  many organizations have used it for their elections, observing elections, mobilizing people.  recipients of the text messages from this program can reply back as well…so you can send quizes and gather information.  You should check them out!

facebook – if you haven’t heard of facebook, then you’ve been out of the loop for sure!  the causes application is such a tremendous way to reach people.  back when causes were still new, i created this group “Save the Sea Turtles” which now boasts more than 18 thousand members….with over a $100 in donations to the nonprofit I chose.  with a click of a button, I can email all of these members and help educate people on these wondrous animals….all, with minimal effort!

 kiva – microlending is changing the world! just ask mohammed yunis, a nobel laureate…who started an idea that has been the foundation of kiva.org. It’s simple.  All you have to do is sign up on the site, have a debit/credit card handy…and make a minimum payment of $25 dollars and you can help lend to a host of people that are running their business.  What is cool is the ‘Web 2.0′ aspect of it.  If you are a person/family in need of money to help grow your business and you need, say, $1000….most people probably can’t give that amount, but with kiva….everyone contributes to the total.  You get monthly reports from these people…and they pay you back!  so you then can reinvest in someone else.  It’s amazing!

twitter – realitime information, on demand!  from your sms text phone, smart phone, iphone….computer, laptop…you and a network of individuals share information, almost as fast as chat!  It’s great!  What if there is a traffic accident in/near where you are going, many times…you wouldn’t know, but with twitter….if you set it up right, it’s right there.  (more in a later post)

youtube – ever see that funny video of that kid breakdancing?  how about learning about environmental education? or photoshop tutorials?

It’s simply amazing….and inspiring what social media can do!

SEO, yo! an introduction…pt 1

// February 13th, 2009 // Comments Off // Everything Else

While I am a confessed novice when it comes to most of these latest trendy phrases, I’ve decided to try and explain what it means to me here, then try to offer my evaluation of the ecology of how SEO and Web 2.0 are related.  This is obviously a vast subject that is alive with information.  I don’t feel like one post could do it justice, so I hope to accomplish more with multiple posts on this subject.

SEO -
Search Engine Optimization, period… How do we find things on the internet/web?  Search engines, of course,.. well, mostly.  With most internet browsers making their automatic homepages that of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft or some other variant, it’s hard to discount how people move around in the vastness of the internet world.

One of my favorite quotes sums it up nicely:

What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it. -Herbert Alexander Simon, economist, Nobel laureate (1916-2001)

The Internet = Information in my eyes…and it creates a “…poverty of attention” and the best way to “allocate” that attention, at least via the web, is to use search engines.  Most people that have used the internet know this.  Some type it into the address bar of the browser, some go to their favorite search engine, usually a home page, but if you use the internet, you know what a search engine is all about.

Well, that was lengthy!  If you have a website, chances are you want people to view it.  For online business, this links to thier ‘bottom line’, or otherwise their profit.  With the really high ROI (Return on Investment) involved with creating a website, businesses are increasingly turning to the web for profit.  Ever wonder why Google.com is so rich and had such a record breaking IPO?  Because their reach is virtually unmatched on the web.  And if you want to be seen by the average web surfing consumer, then ranking high on google is a no-brainer.  And when I say, “ranking,” I mean showing up ‘organically’ in the search results.  An ‘organic ranking’ is the natural order of websites that are listed when you perform a search on a search engine such as google, not the sponsored links or ads you usually see.

So knowing that having a high ranking in a search engine is valuable, mostly because it will make ‘your’ website become more visible to the world, is the first step in understanding SEO – Search Engine Optimization.  And knowing how to make sure your website will rank well in search engines is definitely a big step in getting visitors to your site.  Having the skills to make a website rise high in ‘organic rankings’ can also earn you a lot of money.  Conversely, having someone to get your website to rise high in ‘organic rankings’ can cost you a lot of money.

Luckily, there are many things you can do for FREE  with a little planning and a lot of initial hard work.

Planning
If you have a website and need to retool or are a new website owner and have no clue on how to get people to see it without spending unsightly amounts in passing out the website address, then follow me.

Planning, especially when considering SEO, is one of the single most important time savers when it comes to getting what you want out of your website. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

1. Who will find my site valuable?
2. Does my website have a regional, national, or international appeal?
3. Am I trying to make money from my site?
4. What makes me stand out from the rest of the websites that are similar to mine?

Knowing you want to make money from your site, puts it in a whole different world when it comes to SEO.  Whether you want to put ’sponsored links’ on your site so that google pays you or if you want to sell products with your own shopping cart software, or making sure potential donors have a chance to do their due diligence before giving your organization money, having a good SEO plan is definitely key in being successful in bringing your presence to the masses.

4. What makes me stand out from the rest of the websites that are similar to mine?

It’s always about selling yourself, right?  So why are you so great?  Why do I want to visit your site?  Think of your website as a version of yourself or business online.  Or, even simpler, a personals ad.  You want to be attractive, not deceptive.  So maybe a personals ad isn’t the greatest example, at least in the deceptive part, but I digress…

Knowing what makes you stand out helps to shape your story (people love stories, I promise).  By defining what makes you special, you not only have a good marketing spiel to bring to the table, but it makes your site have more, what I like to call, integrity.  Knowing who you are and exactly why you want to be online directs your goals for your website.   And being honest with your site visitors builds a brand and trust.  People will like you and what you stand for, even if your website isn’t the prettiest.

To be continued…

Seeing as how SEO is such a huge topic, I thought breaking up into digestable parts.  Here, I discussed, albeit briefly, the planning.  In future posts I am going to dissect out some simple principles in optimizing your website: keywords, meta, h1 tags as well as content, while talking about keyword density, easy navigation, etc.  Then, I plan on talking about funneling and conversion rates….eventually leading to online marketing campaigns, blogs/social media and building community and loyalty to your site.

All that makes a blog: dereliction and my lack of organization

// October 30th, 2008 // Comments Off // Everything Else

Poor blog…I have neglected you!

These past few months have definitely been a blur to me in regard to updates and managing my personal web/head space…but I think I’ve reached a point where I can finally consolidate and be consistent.

This blog has seen its up’s and downs over the past few years, usually only seeing a few posts a month.  this will change as I feel like I have a lot more to say and the regular means to say it.

Since I am somewhat starting new with this blog (only importing posts from my last iteration), I think it will be a little fun to at least document the history of my blogging activity so as to also see how my focus has changed as well. (this is more for my own personal documentation)

Blogging, for me, started out of necessity….the need for me to tell the world what I feel and how I view things.

My first ‘online posting’ (10/23/2003) to an actual blogging platform, Xanga, was when I was in a lot of transition personally and professionally (I wasn’t even a professional at anything yet), just getting out of the ‘i’m a college student mentality as well as a life changing break up of then-fiance….I had a lot to say and a lot of idle time as I was unemployed. 

My next big transition (when I moved to Durham, NC – 02/2005) was when I started to get serious about learning technology, specifically blogging and organizing, to which I met 3 wonderful and inspiring people: Brian Russel, Ruby Sinreich , and Lanya.  I became more passionate and was all ‘activist’ (still am on some levels)…which gave me a purpose to write and track my learning via blogging…..these efforts even let to some linkage by MIT’s Technology Review for a post I wrote about Continuous Computing…whodathunk….

After my departure from Durham, I was unemployed again!…so I spent the month or so between jobs really ‘upping’ my computer ‘game’…by purchasing ~$500 dollars of O’reilly books and overhauling my desktop machine to dual boot with VMWare installed.  It is during this time I started self-hosting my own blogging platform as I started to become more adept and actually had time to do it ‘right’….I also started teaching people and I wanted to Podcast, so I did..

Recently ~<1yr…I moved here to Charleston and became a full time internets-worker while also having my previous hosting service contract end.  What a better time to switch and learn/apply more, right?!?  Right….so here we are and I look forward to chronicling my adventures while living in charleston!

I guess the title of this post is that I see a lot of potential for this blog to be useful to others (but as of late has been a derelict)….but in order to do so I need to become more organized and regular.

Some things I want to document are my experiences in learning some technologies for the total newbie because a few of my friend have asked, but also I have been brimming with thoughts related to many other topics that I just want to get out there!

explaining racism…

// March 19th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I read an article today, quoting Barack Obama about racism…..and his view. After reading it, I feel like he articulates very well, some of the same feelings I have about the issue…this snippet is from the LA Times by Johanna Neuman

So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town, when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentments build over time.”

White resentment, like anger within the black community, “have helped shape the political landscape for a generation,” he said. Now, he added, both black and white have to “move beyond some of our old racial wounds.”

“The profound mistake of Rev. Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society,” he said. “It’s that he spoke as if our society was static, as if no progress has been made.” Instead, he said, “America can change. That is the true genius of this nation.”

Noting the Constitution signed just across the hall, Obama said the document the founders produced “was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished — stained by the nation’s original sin of slavery.” Now, he said, whites need to acknowledge that the legacy of racial discrimination does not just exist in the imagination of African Americans but that it is real, and to acknowledge this by investing in schools and providing “ladders of opportunity.” And blacks, he said, need to be respectful of their history, without becoming victims of it.

Urging a moratorium on speech “as fodder for the nightly news,” Obama urged the political culture not to “pounce on some gaffe” by a supporter for rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or speculate on why white men are voting for Republican John McCain.

“We can do that,” he said. “Or, at this moment, in this moment in this election, we can come together and say, ‘Not this time.’ ” Calling instead for a discussion of issues and a renewed national effort to overcome racial injustice, he concluded, “As so many generations have come to realize over the course of the 221 years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.”

Just the other day, the same thing occured that seems be be occuring in more frequency to me….

I was getting gas at the gas station, when a driver drove in front of me and yelled in a really sarcastic snide tone, “que pasa! amigo!!” Now, seeing that he just wanted to point out that I apparently spoke spanish, and could not talk in english, I just simply nodded, gave him a smile and kept pumping my gas.

But the feeling….that feeling of being judged or misunderstood was bleeding from my thoughts and I felt like I couldn’t hide my fear of him coming out of the gas station and actually saying something to him in english. The simple fact that I am not hispanic, nor do I really speak good spanish and how when he found out his assumption was wrong. How would he react? Would he care?

Some times I am enraged when this happens, and sometimes I simply think it’s funny (i do tend to joke about it) or extremely sad. For instance, my roomates….Darren has a ringtone of an oriental chime as my ringtone, and I know that it’s in jest and that its just funny, but the same instance a few months ago also comes to mind when Kim was referring to something I cooked (lumpia) having dog/cat meat in it. These stereotypes, although sometimes used for levity, are like sand paper to me. And I know/realize they have no intention of offending/making fun of me….you sometimes can’t understand it.

You have to take it in stride sometimes when you think about it….as people are scared confront the issue for fear of offending. Part of it, I feel for stereotyping or judging based on looks, are just survival instincts to make judgements and avoid situations. You make stereotypes to make quick decisions when needed, and people naturally do that….I do as well. I guess I just wish people would try to dig deeper, learn more about others and embrace everyone’s differences, diversity….not just racially, but other ways as well.

Candidacy – my view (part)

// January 6th, 2008 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

Not sure of how to really breach this ‘in the now’ subject, with the Iowa Caucus just finishing up and the New Hampshire Caucus happening in a few short days, I am deciding to just let it Flow…so here goes…

I am extremely scared/hopeful about our future as a country!

Things dealing with many domestic issues like jobs, health care, education, and immigrant legalisation reform directly affect me in some way:

(Jobs) – I am currently unemployed and trying really hard to get a job…so being extremely poor at the moment is having me reflect a lot upon issues related to jobs and the economy.
(Health Care) – I recently underwent surgery…and face the issue of actually having any follow-up work done or needed….I had coverage previously with my former employer, but now…I am being very careful about my well-being because I couldn’t afford to seek medical help if I needed it. Also, my mother has Paranoid Schizophrenia, which is regulated with medication, but she has limited psychiatric resources do to the beaurocracy that is our government, making her unable to be seen by a doctor for over a year, while others who may not need medical treatment more urgently get care almost immediately.
(Education) – Although I currently have my BS degree and am paying my college student loans, the prospect of grad school is very attractive to me. I also used to teach K-12 from many different schools (I’ve taught over 9,000 students from about 300 schools across NC and elsewhere) so my perspective is deep when talking to the respective schools’ teachers about their programs or lack thereof.
(Immigrant Issues) – More from a humanitarian perspective, I am very curious on how immigrants connect with others and find the resources they need to flourish in our country.

Foreign Policy – Generally I have a gutteral reaction to how Bush is unilaterally fighting these wars he is waging all over the world….saying that, I also have very deep emotional connections to what is happening. I grew up in a military family with my father serving in the Marine Corps, so I’ve lived in/near military bases my entire life. During my upbringing, my father served in Desert Shield/Storm….and living with a schizophrenic mother with two younger siblings brought many traumatic times…not going to elaborate, but it wasn’t the easiest of times. Further, since growing up in/near military bases, naturally many of my friends are from military families who also, then, go on to join the military. Many of them, I see, serve and do okay I suppose, but when they get back from their service…..they can’t find suitable work…they become disabled and don’t get proper care, so on and so forth. There is a certain patriotism involved with them serving, but mostly and I think more weighing on their decision to serve is the prospect of a stable life and regular income, not to live in another country being in danger.

I could go on…and maybe I will later about what I feel about this war in Iraq, but this brings me back to our leading Democratic Candidates. Here I am only talking about the Dems because, well, I am a democrat, but also I am not very interested making this post longer than a small book.

Before I begin, a good resource to find out good information on all public officials is at the VOTE SMART Project website, so check it out.

Also-Voting Records of top 3 Democratic Candidates:

(Alphabetically)
Hilary Clinton
John Edwards
Barack Obama

Since I’ve been unemployed, I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the leading candidates, trying to figure out which one seems to line up best with what I belive and hope. I am not an expert, pundit, but a person who cares deeply about things that affect me and ones I love.

In brief, there are a few things I really like about all three leading candidates:

Hilary Clinton – I like that she is leading the way for women in the US for being a pioneer as far as empowering women to become President. The fact that she has consistently stood up for children is also great since I love children.

John Edwards – I like that he has clearly define policy objectives that are easy to understand. I lean toward his campaign platform. I like his personal journey.

Barack Obama – I love his ability to speak; he sounds so much like an inspirational leader. I like his level logic and clear communication.

Trying to be brief, here’s what I do not like:

Hilary Clinton – She always seems disingenuous and scripted, hardly showing emotion in her public speeches. I don’t like her corporate connections. I don’t really trust her and there seems to be many instances of ‘dirty pool’…like one of her senior campaign staffers connecting Obama with ‘muslim’ and questioning his schooling…Why is being a muslim bad? He is not muslim anyway….but that branding of something adhered to Bush’s already well-known ‘war on terror’ is transitive to muslim and being ‘evil’. Nope, don’t trust her.

John Edwards – I don’t like how his message sometimes feels like he hates companies and all lobbyists…I understand what he means, which is that there are a few (companies) that have a disproportionate amount of influence on many, but I don’t know if hey conveys that well sometimes. I also don’t like his former stances on issues (like his authorization to go to war)….but upon researching, I feel like he grows as he learns more, unlike some others.

Barack Obama – His platitudes are wearing thin on me insofar as not seeing the substance supporting what his keywords (hope, change) seem to articulate. I am unsteady with his sudden switch to ban corporate and pac money for his campaign (his Illinois state campaign accepted those funds). That is not to say I know if Edwards has ever accepted monies similiar previous to this 2008 campaign.

I will try to write more, but for now I feel like I would make this post too long!

But I found this letter that Michael Moore wrote….and I think it expresses things similar to my own…

Michael Moore’s letter <== READ THE FULL LETTER!

Two months ago, Rolling Stone magazine asked me to do a cover story where I would ask the hard questions that no one was asking in one-on-one interviews with Senators Clinton, Obama and Edwards. “The Top Democrats Face Off with Michael Moore.” The deal was that all three candidates had to agree to let me interview them or there was no story. Obama and Edwards agreed. Mrs. Clinton said no, and the cover story was thus killed.

One more thing….VOTING and being involved in this election, I feel, is one of the most important things to do this year for yourself, your future, and your legacy….!!! I know it’s cliche’, but it WILL make a difference and WILL determine the course of our lives. For those that say, well…they are all ‘corrupt’…I am sure to some extent, there are inadequacies, but you need to inform yourself and find the best fit for you!!!!!!

photoActivism, spreading news on Palestine

// November 16th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

so I am disturbed….and extremely sad about the atrocities/genocide on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

People say it’s complicated, people think they are Terrorists, but when you carve out a country in the name of Peace….where the basis of Muslim and Christianity colllide, you are going to have war.

But think about this…for the last half of the 20th century…and going….you have been moved, mutilated, killed and forced to live on land with no resources and people are killing your families, friends, and loved ones all the while driving around with guns, harassing you…threatening your life. you, no food, clean water…You throw a rock because you are pissed! They….drop a big bomb to kill all of you. Something is wrong with this. Why don’t more people know about this in our country!

President Bush’s branding of a ‘War on Terror’ has scared everyone to think that anyone in the middle east is evil…deserves to die, etc….but in reality…albeit a sad one, we, the United States are the biggest terrorists, having military bases in many countries, using other governments for proxy wars….all for resources, our quality of life, but isn’t there a better way?

And, of course whenever I hear someone speak out about things of this nature….we supposedly hate our own country! I support our troops (they are absolutely brave, but I feel misguided by Bush and his supporters, but I want them home and safe)….I don’t want proliferation of nuclear weapons (who does?)….am I not patriotic? of course I am, but I am angry! Angry at what is going on in this world, where media glazes over things like Palestine and spins it in a favorable light….America is good, America always does good for the world…we are the benevolent force behind democracy! Everything is not going well in this world….we have to do something; we ALL have to do something positive….VOTE, educate people about what is going on….

Most people I talk to refuse to believe that we (as in our government) are supplying “oxygen lines” as well as providing popular “public opinion” to continue this…sad sad…enormity

Anyways….go see Anomalous on flickr.com or view the pics below

changes…decisions

// November 16th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

There are lots of really cool things going on in my life now, so I figure it’s time for a good update (albeit not comprehensive…we’d have to talk on the phone or something)

I’m happy. There is your update.

Actually, a little over a week ago, I was sitting in surgery getting arthroscopic surgery on my left knee due to an injury I could no longer ignore. It, my knee, is doing amazing now and am pretty thankful for having such a great support group and great doctor. I had two very bad tears on both sides of my meniscus (cartilage that covers your knee joint, kinda like a washer between a nut and bolt). This injury probably happened during the summer when i was playing ultimate frisbee with some pretty hardcore people. Seeing as how these people are very awesome people doing great things for the world (noaa scientists, duke CEM students, conservation/science gurus)…I wanted to impress them and contribute to the ‘team’….long story short, I ran flat out jumped in the inzone, caught the frisbee…planted my foot while I was still in motion and basically bounced my femur off my tibia, then proceeded to unscrew the tibia from the rest of my leg, effectively popping it out of joint….and well, I didnt do much about it except for put a brace on, take some motrin….and take it easy for a few days. Fast forward a month later I am running in a sprint triathlon after cycling, swimming, and running for close to 2 months….

all was fine and well, until I tried to impress yet again….to a very amazing woman named Sam (my girlfriend now, heehee). It was pretty much my second day hanging out with her during seafood festival weekend at Baxter’s second birthday party. Here’s a cute video of Baxter and I digress…BUT

Did you get that?!? I have girlfriend!!!! (more on that in a minute) Anyways, at Baxer’s party, there were obviously a lot of kids, and what do you do with a lot of kids you may ask? Play, of course! So play I did. While I was playing, another child threw a frisbee kinda high in the air…in which I proceeded to jump and catch. Well, I caught it, but got a nice horrible pain when I finally landed. My knee did pretty much the same thing as before, except more pain. I tried to play it off though because Sam was there, but quickly proceeded to sit on the swings. It didnt hurt that much after that, mostly just a tingling/numb sensation, but the next day I couldnt walk for an hour….then hobbled into work…where my boss quickly pointed her finger to the phone and told me to call the doctor. I did…and after a series of appointments, I had surgery….on my knee.

Well that’s that and it’s doing better, but during this whole time, I also have put my 2 weeks notice at Trinity Center because they were looking at hiring anyone else unless I told them I was leaving and I have reached my end of 70 hour work weeks and very low pay….so, I’m unemployed as of last Friday, Nov. 9th. I will truely miss that work and the amazing people I encountered while there, but it’s time to move on.

I am moving on….but where?

In the past month, I have probably applied to at least 60 job postings and now have 2 very promising prospects:

Hawkes Learning Systems

I believe the position with be in some form of an IT analyst, doing really cool things with .NET, C# with the possibilities of using Flex and Silverlight as well as helping with database development, technical support and other related tasks. The job is in Charleston, SC and the company has really cool and nice people Also, I forgot to mention that what they do is create mathematics courseware and textbooks for colleges. So I will be enabling people to learn math!

My passion for technology and helping others will be realized in this position

Craven County Home Care and Hospice

Hmm…drastically different than the previous job opportunity, but this one is very cool as well! If in this position, I will be their volunteer services coordinator, writing grants/fundraising, training volunteers, and helping terminally ill people have a better quality of life in their final days. Although not technology related, I will be keeping track of hours of volunteers and their impact in a database, similar to what I did at NCCU In this position, I would be able to learn a tremendous amount about fundraising (they have a foundation), marketing/PR as well as, I feel, lattitude in getting more people involved in other’s lives in a very positive way!

So there you have it, my job prospects thus far….I’m still pretty nervous because nothing is nailed down as of yet and there are a whole heck of a lot of jobs that still haven’t contacted me.

So now Samantha….:D I think she is amazing, funny, and she lets me be me Can’t you see how giddy I am getting just thinking about her!? I love her very much already! Things are going great and I only see them getting better

Here is a recent pic of her when we went to the FilAm Coronation Ball

Hope ya enjoyed the update!

Free Burma!

// October 4th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

I am writing this post in an effort to gain attention on the recent protests from Burmese Monks to stop this genocide! (and it’s not just happening in Burma)

The world has been changing rapidly in the past couple of weeks, President of Iran Speaks at Columbia, hired mercenaries are clogging courts because of ‘reckless’ murder, and of course, monks are protesting the Burmese Government. Why?!?? I’m sad and feel helpless during these hard times. Recently my boss at work was involved in bringing some refugees from Burma just a week prior to all of this protesting and mass media attention. They are looking for jobs in Carteret County, although they do not speak english (well), the father and daughter can speak enough to understand things. They have all of their documents to work in the US.

This video shows a little of the protest.

In related happenings…well, not really related in the sense that things like that happened, my work had this program called, “Under Ground Railroad” And, you guessed it, it’s all about the underground railroad where children are told a story about a child from the Sudan who is taken away as a slave (true story actually – a class of children raised money to buy him out of slavery at about 15 dollars) then the kids go on a voyage over the ocean in rough weather where the finally find themselves on the shores of the slave-trade. Fast forward and the kids get separated into conductor groups (because they are now escaping) and are led through our 60 acre property only to be discovered by bounty hunters and other hazards before they finally end their journey at ‘Canada’ where they have to find work, but are free. After this simulation, the children are then debriefed and talk about how they felt which hopefully leads to a conversation about slavery, racism, sexism, and how we can put an end to said issues. The talks are usually amazing, speckled with children revealing how, in scary detail, they have been called names and pushed just for the color of their skin.

Well, I ended up prepping all of the adults and chaperones that will be fully participating in this program as conductors and harriet tubman as well as bounty hunters when one guy gets really nervous about how the kids might explode into heated arguments with the other kids. And while I explain, I use the word levity to kind of explain that you want add a little relief to this heavy subject (like a bounty hunter thinking the kids to be pumpkins in the wagon), but to still honor this past and respect it, while also making sure the kids get a good empathy session by really being treated like slaves, but a lady has a huge problem with the word levity, like it will cause an infection of total disrespect. She then goes on to explain that she does this for colleges all over. So as to not offend her, I humbly state how I see her point of view, only for her to keep trying to push her point on the word ‘LEVITY’!

So, here I just want to say that in order for there to be progress in changing our world, understanding each other, and making progress towards compassion and tolerance, you can’t always be afraid to engage in discussion about race, slavery and the like! You just can’t, so it entirely makes me upset when people want to get on their ‘high-horse’ and proclaim that, albeit in a subtle way, they don’t think that the kids can handle it. For goodness sake, give some trust to these kids! Anyways, I’m glad we went through this meeting, despite my thousand explanations and use of words like, ‘ethnically homogenous’ and ‘disparity of discussions’…(it was getting ridiculous)

All in all though, that meeting opened the floor (and made people confortable – the adults) in confiding their views on race throughout the rest of the day. And I have to tell you, there were some heavy conversations about being marginalized, thought to be less, and not feeling worth it- and big feelings of fear for offending other people in their group. People are scared to touch this subject…but I guess the people I talked to a few days ago are more equipped to engage in discussion. It feels like they do anyways.

Swim, Bike, Run

// September 9th, 2007 // Comments Off // Uncategorized

As many of my friends know, recently I undertook the task of competing in a triathlon. Of course, being as how I am not really in shape, the obvious question was whether I would survive the task. The answer is I did, and did well…at least for me!

However, the weeks previous to this event, I was a wreck with getting ready, littering my days with nervous tension and half-ass workouts, for sure I was going to fail.

I triumphed in the end, especially with the support of friends and the knowledge that I was helping a foundation that conserves one of our natural resources, the Neuse River.

The Neuse River, as Wikipedia states:

The Neuse River is a major permanent stream rising in the piedmont of North Carolina, emptying into the Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approx. 325 km (195mi), and its drainage basin, measuring 14,582 km² in area, lies entirely inside the state of North Carolina. It is formed by the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers prior to its entering the artificial Falls Lake reservoir in northern Wake County. Its fall-line shoals lie submerged under the waters of Falls Lake. The Neuse River has recently joined the American Rivers’ list as the eighth most endangered river.

The Neuse has been plagued in recent years with environmental and public health problems related to municipal and agricultural wastewater discharge, storm runoff, and other sources of pollution.[1] Pollution was particularly bad in the aftermath of Hurricanes Fran and Floyd in the late 1990s.

The dinoflagellate Pfiesteria Piscicida[2][3][4] is present in the river, and is affected by nutrient levels in the river. This organism is sometimes connected to fish kills as well as adverse health effects in humans.

So, armed with the knowledge that I was helping The Neuse River Foundation and Duke’s Coastal Society Chapter, I felt ready to give it my best!

It all started with the swim (pictured I am in the middle with the red shorts)

Then, the bike ride

Then finally, with some help from my friend June, the run!

Finally! I finished!

It feels good that I finished and am now entertaining the idea of doing one in Emerald Isle next month! After this triathlon, I went surfing because of the tropical depression offshore pushed up some waves! What a productive weekend!