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

So the calendar that most Americans (like me) go by says it's a new year. Generally that also means folx make resolutions that they don't keep or changes that are superficial to themselves just to say "I did it". Welp, this post isn't that but I'd be lying if I didn't say it's in the same family 😉. This month I am reducing my alcohol intake. I don't really want to call it a "dry January" per se but more a decision to not consume alcohol. Several years ago after a very traumatic event,  I stopped drinking. I didn't tell anyone except VERY close friends why I wasn't drinking and I sometimes think about how I approached that. Instead of dealing with the event and how it affected me, I latched on to a superficial cause. In my mind, what happened to me, happened because of alcohol. Which wasn't the case. Was alcohol involved? Yes. Was it the sole reason this thing happened to me? ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT. So with that in mind, not d...

I told myself I wasn't going to make one of those "goals for next year" post but here I am making a goals for next year post 🤣. In my own defense, no one reads this blog and yet again it's for MY own reflections, experiences and memories.  So past Moe can shut it because present & future Moe WILL appreciate it. Without further ado: Take a boxing/kickboxing/self defense class Learn gun safety & how to use it Attend Dapper Day (any Disney Park) Go back to Disneyland California  Travel to the UK Travel internationally (yes, Canada, Mexico AND Jamaica count) & intentionally  Get back to therapy regularly (you've been slipping into some VERY unhealthy habits 🙃) Get ahold of your retirement finances & work with a financial advisor  Rollerskate & Cycle more...even if it's just a little bit more Randomly message/write/call friends (all relationships take WORK...so do it) Say yes every chance you get Say no to protect your peace 2023 is just over ...

  I ran my first 10-miler and much like it's namesake, Tower of Terror, it was full of ups, downs, tears, screams and joy 🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️ Right around the 8 mile mark, I could barely sustain a running pace and it sucked. But I had My friend/coach  right beside me. And complete strangers/runners checking in on me. And folx chEARing me on. And I got to see Cast Member friends along the course. 🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️ This was not my first RunDisney  event but it was the first time I've been on this run part of RunDisney My main goals were to keep going, stick with my friend and not let the balloon ladies catch me. 🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️ I may have scared a few folx with my very loud yelling once I crossed the finish line, but it didn't matter because once that ride was done I was reminded that my body is enough 🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️🏃🏿‍♀️ Going to share some photos from the race and reward...better known as Eating and Drinking around the world a la Epcot's Flower and Gard...

It's been a long (yet short) couple of weeks in 2022. With it has come some big ups and downs. A few major celebrities died (Betty White, Sidney Poitier, Louis Anderson, Andre Talley, Meatloaf) and I've really been thinking about quality of life. In that regards I've taken a few steps towards things I want to accomplish this year. I wouldn't say they are goals per se but I wouldn't actually say they aren't either 🤷🏿‍♀️. Talking in circles I know but here goes: 1) Started locs 2) Training for a 10 miler 3) Run 3 miles a week 4) Cook 2x a week  5) Read 50 📚  6) In bed by midnight  Until next post...laters

So I've been thinking more and more about things I've enjoyed or wanted to try in the past but never gave my full attention. The more I think about it the longer the lists seems to grow. The following things are some of those that I want to work on improving this year and beyond. Form better habits if you will.  Learn to roller skate & practice 2x a week  Rollerblade more (alternating with skating 🤔 maybe) Bike 1,000 miles Practice my ASL Cook a meal from scratch 1x a week Meditate for 30 minutes every day  Drink water every day Work out biweekly  I wouldn't call these "resolutions" but I am resolute in my determination to give this a go. Until next post....laters

I am trying to be more accountable (for real this time...I promise) and thus am making measurable, attainable goals for 2020 & beyond! Here we go: Walk to work 3x a week (no matter the weather!!!) Cut out seafood/shellfish & become completely vegetarian Practice my ASL once a week via YouTube/Classes/In Person Take a day off 1x week to not work ANY job...not even a short shift or to "help out" Attend a concert/play/live show 1x month Drink 32oz water EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!  Save $50 a month (immediately transferred to UK) Cut back on drinking Go to the movies 1x week Also work on cosplay goals: Steven/Connie, Rogue/Gambit  This is a good start I think. I will add to this as more thoughts come along.  I'm getting older and it's getting harder to have balance and fun in life...but alas we all have to start somewhere

I've realised that I've been posting here a lot. Not that it's a bad thing. In fact it's probably helpful. An outlet for my thoughts and feelings that I reflect upon. Moments in time where something or someone weighed on my mind so I felt the need to document it. Today was a mentally tough day. Work is good but full of so many ups and downs and considerations and worry if I'm going about it the "right way". On the way to finishing up my day while listening to NPR and actually getting angry at the general state of the world I live in, I saw some little black kids playing in the street. I derived so much joy from that. It reminded me of days that I did the same with my friends and family.  It also reminded me of why I have to keep doing what I'm doing. Though at times it feels like it's not enough or not sufficient, in the end so one like kept going on mentally tough days while I played in the streets. I'm going to do the same. These moments matt...

I just wanted to share a few photos of the graduation trip: Until next post....laters

So I've been around a lot of reflective people as of late (which isn't surprising...it's the beginning of the year) and initially I just tried to not be as reflective myself.  To be honest, it feels a bit cliche. That being said there's a reason people do it. There's a reason I am going to do it. I want to be purposeful with my time and choices. Means to an end. A satisfactory end. A few posts ago I created a bucket list, think of this as a continuation of sorts to that. So here we go: I want be more active regularly. To me that means manageable fitness goals. I want to play Quidditch again, get back to doing circus arts and ride my bike at least once a week. I want to build new friendships through existing avenues. There are coworkers I adore, pokemon go folks I keep encountering, and neighbors I'd like to cultivate stronger bonds with. I need to actively carve out time for these things while still maintaining time for myself. Whilst I want to cultivate ...

It's almost been a year since I left the place I've come to call home for the unknown. That unknown being life abroad and graduate school. Making the decision was hard, in fact when I first began the path of graduate school I was single, unsure of any potential for growth or diversity in my job and had started to feel like I had outgrown my life. No longer was I the young 20something, new to the city, exploring and discovering myself. In fact I felt the opposite. I felt like I had been there...done that...time to move on. I don't always think that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that our path is winding and we don't always clearly see what's ahead of us. Anyway back to the reflective bit. I was in a place where I needed a change (or so I thought) and thus decided to apply for grad school. Fun fact: I looked for schools here and abroad. I also explored taking the GREs again or doing a short course to see if I could even handle being in school aga...

What a week! In the last 7 days I have finished and submitted my dissertation (whew), attended Dragon Con, celebrated J's 30th birthday, saw lots of friends, made some new ones, saw Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie (swoon), danced until my feet hurt, listened to the Georgia Philharmonic play nerd tunes, finished a cosplay, handed out free snacks, stayed up for hours and made life long memories. This has been a week for the history books. Until next post... laters

I've been thinking about the future a lot lately (probably to ignore the present, but that's a story for another time) and it has dawned on me I should make another bucket list. My bucket lists are things I'd like to accomplish but won't be super down on myself if I don't. More like a life wish list. This will probably be updated again but for now, here we go: Travel to each continent (Africa, Mainland Asia & South America left) Learn to ride a motorcycle Visit every Disney Park in the world Attend an Olympics Have an office (which I can decorate however I'd like) Become a flight attendant/work for an airline Learn another language and be proficient (American Sign Language, Spanish or French) Own a old Jeep or Mini Cooper or any car made between 1970 & 1998 Go to San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con Take a Disney Cruise, hopefully to Alaska Update Jan 2019: I mentioned in this original post that I would probably update...

There's been ups and downs and I've almost reached the finish line. Just wanted to pop in and say EuroTrip 2018 has been a great way to finish up my time in the UK. The plan was to stay in the UK until mid-September but as they say...best laid plans. Due to a turn of events, I'll be heading back home sooner than originally thought so I booked a EuroTrip with some of my friends as a send off to my time here. The trip included 5 countries (The Netherlands, Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungary & Austria) and 6 cities. Of those, 5 were totally brand new to me. As per usual I do 2-3 things in every country I  have visited since I first studied abroad in Italy back in 2007... 1) Drink beer/wine/liquor 2) Eat McDonalds 3) Purchase a button. When I travelled to Italy for the first time, I learned the drinking age was 18 and also to love wine. To this day I still appreciated the fact that I bought amazing red wine in a juice box while there. I still talk about it as well. I...

So it seems as though I've only been in the UK for a few months but actually it's been almost 9 months. In that time, I've traveled more than I have in my life, made friends from all over the world and really started to appreciate that I have the best network of family and friends anyone could have. As my time here comes closer to its end, I could not be any happier that I took this leap. I wasn't sure it would be worth it to leave the life I had setup for myself and the path I was dedicated to but these last few months have helped me grow so much. I honestly believe I am a better person than I was when I got here, for all the trials, tribulations and triumphs. Here are a few pics of my latest UK adventures, looking forward to see what is next.

Last night I had a dream. In this dream, I was making out with someone...and it wasn't J. I woke up in a panic and really sad. Normally when I have a weird dream, I tell him, or my brother or my best friends, Normally all I had to do to share this experience was roll over or send a text message. If I'm really feeling out of sorts, a phone call. I've been in grad school and the UK for just about six months now. As evidenced by my subconscious mind, I miss home. I have been independent since the moment I left the womb (a trait my mother finds ever so worrisome) and was taken aback by the feeling of homesickness. I took some self-reflection to reconcile with myself the feelings I experienced. For the first time, I have a sense of true belonging. It goes like this, when I left for college it was an opportunity to grow into myself. I was stepping out of the shadow of an amazing older brother who excelled at just about everything, away from the close-knit family, extended famil...

So I've been looking at my friend's blogs and having a bit of blog envy. Then I remember to tell myself who my audience is.....mostly me. This is a digital diary of sorts to help reflect and remember things that I at the point at least found important to remember. I have been in grad school now for a semester. Literally 1/3 of the way through this degree and thousands more into debt. It's been a roller coaster ride, even now I'm not sure that I should have done this. I'm glad that I have and am sure I won't regret this decision but in a recent talk with my mother, I had a moment where I felt that everything I do, that any of us do is fleeting. None of it is forever. This made me reconsider the decisions I've made, it's hard trying to plan for a future with a feeling that it won't actually matter what you do or what decision you make. On the other hand, there's the feeling that you can't just float through life without DOING something. Tha...

I have found that when I get things down in writing that I am more likely to do them for the following reasons: 1) Written Record=Accountability 2) Reference point 3) Sense of accomplishment when completed 4) Trackable & quantifiable Therefore here are a few additional goals for 2015: Organize one group activity a month (game night, dinner, sporting event,  etc) Hang with Jim once a week (even if it's only an invite & he can't do it) Read 1 book a month Work out 3 times a week (30 minutes minimum) Be more fashionable (invest in decent/presentable clothing & find a stylemodel) Save $100 a month Take a multi vitamin every day Go to the grocery store and cook once a week (possibly combined with Jim related activities) Splurge on myself every 3 months (buy tixs to a play or concert, go to a really nice restaurant, spa day etc) Get more involved in the lives of my niece & nephew (details TBD) Post 2x a month on Blog (pictures count) ...

So I totally deleted the first version of  this list so I am redoing for a reference point.  I will still refrain from calling this a New Year's Resolution list and give it the name of goals/wishes instead. That way they are less daunting and I am more accountable, which in the end is just what I need, Accountability.  Organize one group activity a month (game night, dinner, sporting event,  etc) Hang with Jim once a week (even if it's only an invite & he can't do it) Read 1 book a month Work out 3 times a week (30 minutes minimum) Be more fashionable (invest in decent/presentable clothing & find a style model) Save $100 a month Take a multi vitamin every day Go to the grocery store and cook once a week (possibly combined with Jim related activities) Splurge on myself every 3 months (buy tixs to a play or concert, go to a really nice restaurant, spa day etc) Get more involved in the lives of my niece & nephew (details TBD)  Post 2x...

So it is June, time to do a check up on my goals for 2015. To refresh your memory  here are the goals and their associated updates: Organize one group activity a month (game night, dinner, sporting event,  etc) This goal has been going very well. Generally I plan the activity for later in the month so that people have time to plan and add it to their calendars. So far my favorite activities have been Whirlyball and Karaoke. Hang with Jim once a week (even if it's only an invite & he can't do it) This one has been a bit harder to accomplish mostly due to my work schedule,  however he has attended most group activities and is generally available to chill if and when I have free time...I will work more on this goal in the coming months Read 1 book a month This is probably  my most successful goal thus far. I have actually read 15 books thus far (I read 5 in April alone) Work out 3 times a week (30 minutes minimum) This is another goal th...

So my first camping trip was awesome! It was a group of 10 of us and 3 dogs. I have never really been camping before so I asked every friend I knew that had been or would enjoy it and turns out they all said yes! So we left yesterday morning and headed up to Gainesville, GA to meet 1/3 of the group. Next we packed up the cars (I proceeded to pass out, because if I am not driving long car rides do that to me) and drove up into the the Chattahoochee National Forest, Woody Gap on the Appalachian Trail. We hiked about 1.5 miles in, with a ton of food and all our gear and found the best site almost immediately. It's a good thing we went when we did. Once we set up camp we had about 4-5 groups follow us up. Soon we were passed by more hikers and campers and even a couple of people who were actually  walking the whole AT from South to North. On average it takes people about 6months to make the trek. Last year one of my college  professors took a sabatical to do so. Not something I pl...