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

The other day I was training a new employee and as we talked they mentioned that they weren't going to get a covid vaccine. At first I was annoyed by that,  so I asked why. I figured if they had a sound reason I had no problem with their choice. Initially, they said that their parent (who lives abroad) said that they shouldn't.  At this point I had the thought about how we all tend to follow our parents advice, especially at that age. Then the said that there's a microchip in the vaccine as they texted on their phone and told me how their maternal and paternal grandparents have suffered from covid. I'm talking ventilator. Weeks in the hospital. Damn near dead suffering.  The logic behind it didn't make ANY sense. So I stopped talking about it. It felt like a losing battle.  However, they are not alone. Every day there are battles being waged against the vaccine, against calling it a vaccine, against disinformation, against masks, against restrictions, against EVERYT...

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

I'll start by sharing what I posted on social media in light of the fourteen year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting:  14 years ago I posted to Facebook "fine right now, cell phones aren't working. Call room phone". Fourteen years ago, we still had landlines in college dorm rooms. Fourteen years ago I'd just bought my first car. Fourteen years ago we could walk into any building on campus freely. Recently I was visiting the campus of Georgia Tech and needed to use the restroom in a nearby building. As I walked up, i noticed that I needed a GT ID in order to access that door. I immediately thought in that moment "My university is the reason that this university has secured doors". Fourteen years of treating a wound that never really heals, seeing the scars on your everyday life, of reminders, of knowing that day is a fundamental part of who you are and how you navigate through the world. #NeverForget #LiveFor32 #Hokie4Life On the heels of this anni...

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...

Sometimes I just feel overwhelmed about the vast amount of uncaring people in the world. It can feel like folx just don't have empathy for each other. We spend so much time condemning one another for things we disagree on.  Sometimes I can let these thing not phase me, other times it keeps me up at night.  As I spiral in sleeplessness, I become less and less hopeful about where we will go as a city, country and civilization.  I've tried to be more reflective about my part in all this but it also feels like I'm spiraling. 

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

On Wednesday January 6th after working 10 hours on the Georgia Senate Run offs...I watched in horror and anger as folx from a pro-45 rally marched to the U.S. Capitol to "protest" the election. I made the following post: The police and military responded to peaceful protests with gas grenades, rubber bullets, and helicopters flying low enough to blow out the windows in buildings. I was gassed in Atlanta, multiple times. When people say they don't understand  "white privilege", what's happening today in my hometown of Washington, DC is a GLARING example.  Today, we have a violent protest where they are literally storming the Capitol building and shoving police out of their way, and the cops are are just forming a line to push them back, then retreating when they push through that line.  You're waving the "thin blue line" flag while assaulting the police. I never thought I'd be watching an actual coup attempt in real time in America. This is ...

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...

My mom &  bro felt the need to remind me I was born on a Sunday at 3:30p and this year my birthday will be on a Sunday. So at 3:30p I'll turn 33 aka my Jesus year. After such a weird, complicated,  wonderful,  shitty, and ALL over the place year...I'm just happy for another trip around the sun. Thanks for sticking around with me for so long. Looking forward to what comes next be it the good, bad or the ugly.  Until next post....laters

This year has been at the least an  opportunity to learn more about myself,  the world and how those things correlate. This year I have been more civically aware and engaged than I have ever been. I will say my upbringing had a lot to do with my previously hands off approach. However, it dawned on me that if I have embraced other aspects of life that I once shunned, why not have my voice heard?  This year, I protested racial discrimination and bias and it's constant displays in politics and policing.  This year, I wrote hundreds of letters to registered voters encouraging them to show up to the polls. This year, I emailed and called my representatives and senators. I let them know what issues are important to me. This year, I worked at polling precincts.  This year, I made it a priority to turn voting into a fun date activity. I'm tired. I'm emotionally drained. But also I am encouraged. Encouraged by others doing the same. Encouraged by friends with opposite vo...

 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...

2020 has been a wild one to say the least. But it's also been one of self discovery and growth.  In this year I've become more outspoken,  learned more about my thoughts and what forms my political and personal stances. I've also done better with money management and curating personal relationships.  The person I am now is nothing like the person I was this time last year or anything near what I thought at the start of this year. And that's ok. It's a whole new world.

In the middle of a global pandemic....I protested. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I've been Black in America my entire life. I've dealt with overt racism (called names, looks/comments when out with my white partner, pulled over while NOT breaking any law), microaggressions (you sound "white", told white privilege doesn't exist, asked "can I touch your hair" while actively trying to touch my hair) and of course systematic racism (too much to really get into). Growing up in a highly charged  constant political climate,  I actively don't engage with other about my political stances. However, racism isn't a political issue. These last few weeks have been a culmination of years of adjusting how I act, mindful of what I wear, alert to who I am around. These last few days I've been protesting. Marching. Screaming. Crying.  And though it feels brand new...I've been protesting my entire life.  Every time I found joy. Did something different. Wo...

I am really at a lost for words as the world watched another person of color in the US become a trending "hashtag". I’m trying to calm down but nothing is working. I called my dad and ranted and that helped a bit but I feel incredibly emotional. Switching between anger and overwhelming sadness. I'm going to add photos I snagged from Instagram that I felt has started to help put my feelings into words. This is so that I don't forget,  that I feel everything, I don't become numb.