A Day in the Life of a Master(s) of Education

So I went to NYC for the first time as an adult without a parent. It was a learning experience and adventure.  We're still dealing with Covid-19 (🙄😤😬) so a few months ago the city enacted a law that in order to do indoor activities (movies, clubs, dining indoors, visit museums etc) you must be fully vaccinated against covid. So we headed there to explore and see what life is like in a place were you either do the things or you don't.  We walked just about every where after catching the train into the  city daily. We looked at the cityscape from the Rockefeller Center. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.  We caught a ferry and rode just about every MTA Subway line. We saw a Broadway show and went to botanical gardens and art museums.  We danced the night away at gay bars and clubs (some VERY questionable decisions were made) and ate pizza and bagels and drank beer. It was a delightful trip and reminded me of a time before the selfishness of humanity was on s...

It's time for the Olympics. After a year long delay because of the panorama, we're finally having the Olympics. It should be noted that the pandemic isn't over, athletes have been barred from the games for positive covid test and there aren't any spectators. That being said....I FUCKING LOVE THE OLYMPICS. I'm so excited to watch everything I can. This year a few new sports were added including skateboarding, surfing and 3x3 basketball. Jamaica also had its first competitor in Judo. I'm glad that we're able to have a semblance of the games we've grown to love and I hope that we grow closer as the human race through experiencing it. Probably not going to happen but hey 🤷🏿‍♀️ Until next post....laters

For a really long time I felt like I didn't have a hobby. I garden for a living, have zero creative talent (i.e. crafting,  painting, singing etc) and generally just like doing a variety of things, whenever folx would ask : What's your hobby? What do you like to do?...I'd draw a blank. I'd ask myself well...what do you like to do 🤣? In doing so I came to a couple important thoughts/stances. 1) I don't need to define a "hobby". I don't need outside validation that the things I enjoy doing qualify as "hobbies". I've never really been one to feel like I have to have validation in most other areas of my life...why should this be any different 🤷🏿‍♀️. 2) I DO have hobbies,  just ones that may not necessarily fall into one's mind initially when you hear the word hobby.  3) See 1) & 2).  Alright, so now that that's cleared up on to the reason for this post! One of my hobbies is traveling and exploring a new place. People are fascin...

I'm going to Oregon. I've never been. I'm excited (and privileged) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, have a little spending money and friends willing to host me. And I am pummmmppppeeedddd. I am beyond grateful to get back to a favorite hobby of mine, to have lessened the likelihood of me catching & spreading this disease that crippled and continues to cripple the world. I can't wait to visit cooler temperatures,  wonderful food, natural landscapes and beautiful people. I. AM. READY.  Here's to science helping bring back a sense of normalcy.  Until next post....laters

It's been one year since the outbreak of Covid-19. The world is still shit. People are still being targeted because of their race, gender or economic status. Every day is a struggle. Every DAMN day. Today I'm just exhausted. I am hopeful though. Today I got my first of 2 vaccinations for Sars Coronavirus-19. And that's the bright spot I'm holding on to today amidst the trash world we aren't currently living in. 

After almost a year of Covid-19 we caught it. And it sucks. We've been sick for over a week but seem to be on the upswing. The draw of normalcy was a huge temptation. We're not sure where we caught it but have a few theories. In any case glad to be feeling better.  In my grad school friend group of 11 folx, 6 of us got it. And we're all over the world (various UK cities, various US states and Germany). I'm just glad my parents have only one dose of the vaccine to go and I have antibodies. Maybe I'll get to see them this year 😞  Until next post...laters

I was thinking about this the other day. It's been almost a year since we've been dealing with the global pandemic that is Covid-19 aka Coronavirus bka "The Rona". 12 months!! 12 months of no hugging,  wearing masks, washing your hands for at least 20s multiple times a day, closed businesses, an ever rising death toll etc.  This past weekend I got the opportunity to do something normalish. I went to a wedding. I thought about this wedding a lot. It was originally in November 2020, but was rescheduled. In 2020, I was to attend 5 weddings and participate in 1. All were postponed, some for a few months, others for a year and even one indefinitely until the pandemic is fully over and covid is under a semblance of control.  This one was the first. An exercise in what could be done to make those in attendance feel "safe", while still allowing those who couldn't make in person to be able to participate. The entire wedding (ceremony, cocktail hour & receptio...

This year has been HARD. For everyone.  I said that in light of me being separated from my job at WDW and the like I'd make a post reflecting on all the great times and fun adventures I had. But I can't right now. I'm still really sad. The memories still hurt. For the first time in years I will not be spending the holidays at WDW. Even when I was in the UK and living abroad I still made it back to my happy place and rang in Christmas or the New Year with my favorites. But not this year...and not by choice. I knew I wasn't going to do it forever. It was honestly getting harder and harder but I worked my butt off to make my swan song a beautiful one. And it was all taken away from me. I know others have had a harder year and I don't want to trivialize that in any way but talking with my therapist also helps me remember, it's ok to grieve. I am grieving. So I can't reflect yet. I can't handle the memories yet. Maybe one day soon I will.  Just not yet. Until...

 Well, it's October. Crazy to think we're in the 10th month of 2020 and it's been a rollercoaster of a year. Between the health crisis, the social justice upheaval and the political climate I am starting to feel older than my years. What started off as such a hopeful, expectant year has been a series of really high highs and low lows. I am not making jest of the serious issue that mental health is but this year has been personally very bipolar.  After not going since February and desperate for some normalcy and the ideal of maybe seeing my parents, I attempted my first out of state long trip to Disney World. Several things happened over the last few days. 1) J & I closed on our first home together. We bought property...so we're in this now, this being our relationship hahahaha. 2) I have gotten into a wonderful flow of working out and managing my workload after a tough transition in the beginning of the pandemic that allowed me to continue to work though not in the ...

I recently read an op-ed article entitled "America’s Most Unequal City Doesn’t Trust Black Women to Lead" (here's the link to read it yourself) and it really hit home. Instead of trusting Black-led organizations in this moment, the overwhelming majority of that capital was committed through a closed-door process to almost 200 white-led organizations.  My job is tied to philanthropic work. I work within a system where I seek to support those who are trying to build food equity. At times this work comes with a heavy burden.  The burden of adjusting how grant and funding letters are pitched in order to have access to the type of capital needed to make a realistic impact. It is a constant challenge. Really I just wanted to make this post as a reminder to myself. A reminder to keep fighting. A reminder that I am not alone in this fight.  Until next post, laters

These last 6 months have been.....well you know. However, in the last month or so I have actively been trying to do more and be better. Though I fully disagreed with reopening when we did (late May/Early June), I've waited until now to start doing things with people again. Covid-19 is still a thing and recently GA has taken over the distinction of having the most new cases. Literally haven't been going down, couple that with the Governor suing the Mayor, schools restarting (with most having some form of in person education) and of course the "Great Mask Debate" I'm not at all surprised.  All that to say, I am an extroverted person and I haven't been the same since not seeing people and doing things regularly. There have been days where I just...couldn't. So I've taken my mental and physical health by the reins. I found a gym where I loved the safety measures they put in place and challenged myself to work out at least 2x. I also attend a class in the m...

So I have been on WFH/ Social Distancing guidelines since March 14th. I've been able to work at a Farm 3 days a week, help do grocery deliveries and do other things to help create a schedule and keep busy.  I've been thinking though of all the things I want to do when the world feels manageable and safe again. I'm going to list them here for reasons: Get a new tattoo   (got one! It's a rose by Bree at City of Ink. Made an appointment for another in Feb, wore a mask) Get a new bike (got one! Her name is Shuri and I love her) See a live musical/concert (I should have said "in person", virtual concerts have been a staple) Get my hair braided or start dreadlocks ( got faux locs...seriously thinking about locing my hair, wore a mask) Dye my hair (I did a home dye job which turned out fine but I am aching for a real drastic change) Get a new ear piercing...maybe another nose piercing  Get a massage  (After several months got one in Oct to celebrat...

I just wanted a place to put this Atlanta Journal Constitution article in regards to Govenor Kemps decision on the shelter-in-place and to slowly start to open up GA. This is purly for my future referecne. I am hopeful that people will make the right decisons for their familes and situations, empathically.  Here are the highlights I especially want to remember and want others (no one else reads this but...okay) to as well: Q: The governor just last week said it was too early to talk about reopening the economy. What changed? A: Kemp cited reports of declining emergency room visits for flu-like illnesses, expanded hospital bed capacity and projections that show Georgia’s peak may be in the rear-view mirror. He also said documented COVID-19 cases have “flattened and appear to be declining.” There are other factors, too. President Donald Trump has pushed states to begin easing the restrictions, and Kemp has faced urgent calls from some of his conservative allies to start rolling ...

A few posts ago I talked about the ongoing pandemic coronavirus/COVID-19.  Since then not only has the city been on lockdown, the Governor went ahead and issued a shelter-in-place decree. This whole situation has been a mess to watch. On the one hand, there's the part of me that worries for those I may encounter who may be more susceptible to the effects of COVID. On the other hand, there's the part of me who worries for the financial and mental health of others who are losing jobs, healthcare, homes, food businesses and more due to things like the shelter-in-place. My brain is swirling and so am I. I am not generally an anxious person but I can't tell which way is up right now and I can't help but wonder if my actions have or will lead to the ill health of another. Have I been outraged enough? Have I helped enough? Am I being thoughtful? Empathic? Selfish? Today during a briefing , the Governor claiming to rely on a team of medical and other experts has decided that ...

Wow-what a month it has been. I am going to try and catch you up but it is A LOT. So the entire world is currently dealing with a pandemic named Covid-19 better known as Coronavirus. Here is a link to some information but for record-keeping sake highlights: What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans, but most just cause cold-like symptoms. Two other coronaviruses – Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) – are much more severe, having killed more than 1,500 people between them since 2002. The new virus, officially called Covid-19, is also dangerous - so far, around 20 per cent of confirmed cases have been classed as severe or critical. So far, around 15 to 20 per cent of hospital cases have been classed as "severe" and the current death rate varies between 0.7 per cent and 3.4 per cent depending on the locatio...