What Kind of Message Does That Send?

The state of Michigan certainly is fickle. I should probably give you a little background before explaining further...

Back in 2006 I was receiving Unemployment Benefits from a job that ended in 2005. The short version is that I misunderstood the guidelines and thought having a side-job that would provide me with roughly $10 per week was going to cause my benefits to come to an end. So, I quit it (why I would I keep getting $10 per week for something I enjoyed doing when I could be getting $320 per week???). Needless to say, I was confused and my benefits actually ended because I quit that little job. So...after earning the required sum (somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000...I don't recall the exact amount), I was once again eligible to receive those benefits. Needless to say, this came in handy when I first went back to school.

When I began receiving benefits the second time, I was eligible for a "waiver" as a student. So what in the world would a waiver do for me? Basically, it meant that because I was a full-time student I didn't have to look for work as long as I provided weekly documentation from my professors indicating that I was attending classes. Fast forward a couple of months to the State's decision to alter their current policy on students. They decided that only training programs (for careers in things like automotive maintenance, massage therapy, and hair styling) would now be eligible for the waiver because those individuals were learning specific skills. While it was seemed somewhat devastating to me at the time, I survived. I continued applying for jobs (none of which I was hired for - thank goodness), receiving my benefits without the waiver, and going to school to become a teacher.

Fast forward to 2008. Apparently, the state has decided to extend the benefits of those individuals who had received them in the past (I have submitted my paperwork and will hopefully be deemed to be eligible once again). Immediately, I was curious as to what the current status of the "waiver" for full-time students had morphed into. Right away I checked with Michigan Works (they are the agency that issues the waiver) to see what the deal was. This is where I have to ask, "What kind of message does that send?" Apparently, the new policy is as follows: if you are in a two-year program you are eligible for a waiver; but, if you are in a four year program you are forced to pound the pavement and look for work. Of course, this means that if you do manage to find a job that you will have to drop all of your classes and become part of the work force.

My question is this: What sense does it make for me to take a minimum wage job or even $9-10/hour (neither of which are likely to have benefits) when I will be eligible for a teaching job once I have finished my program? How could that possibly be in my best interest? Not to mention all the loans I have taken-out for the year that I will still owe, but have nothing to show for? I wonder what would happen if I switched to a two-year program now, even though I actually only have one-year left in my current program? I bet it would be fine. How ironic is that?

Why aren't more things recyclable?

As "going green" seemingly becomes more and more popular, I have discovered that I am checking more and more packaging and items that I am purchasing (or have purchased) to see if it is recyclable. Because of this, I wanted to share a listing of items that are regularly used that I think should have the capability of being recycled that currently are not.

Here is my plea to manufacturers to find a way to make a greener world. Please make the following items recyclable:

• Birth control containers
• Bread bags
• Toilet paper/paper towel packaging
• Water purification filters (btw...available in Europe)
  
• Pet food bags
• Tampon applicators
• Plastic silverware
  
• Plastic hangers
• Dryer sheets
• Pens
• Markers
  
• Fast food places: please institute separate containers for recyclables and trash (many soda lids and containers get thrown away)
  

If you can think of others...please feel free to share.

Busy With School

I hadn't realized how long it has been since I've been writing in this blog: nearly a month! Needless to say, classes have been busy. My writing skills have been well utilized in writing papers for various classes and working on projects of all kinds. Believe it or not, I've even slowed down on tagging sites for del.icio.us and diigo. I've so missed playing with the web2.0 stuff online. I haven't even had a chance to checkout Second Life since I signed up for it and there are so many interesting things happening out there right now. I have blogged a bit at my other blog, but my tags update there automatically every day, so you really have to search back through that. I'm not sure if I like that are not. So, that's it for the moment. Even though I don't have the time, I'm taking a much needed break tonight.

Experimenting With A New (To Me) Technology

I have just downloaded the browser by Mozilla known as Flock. It is an amazing tool. I have access to everything - right in my browser, without having to go to all the web pages themselves. In fact, I am writing this blog from a window that comes up in the browser - I don't even have to go to Blogger to do this. I have to admit that I am quite impressed. If you want to know more about Flock, you should check out this screencast that was created by Liz Davis, a woman that I follow on Twitter.

If I could give a piece of advice: experiment with web2.0, embrace technology, and find your own Personal Learning Network. There is so much out there to learn about...we just have to be willing!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Whatever Happened to Common Courtesy?

I have to ask myself why pet peeves get to me. As a young adult, I didn't even think that I had a list of pet peeves. Seriously. Apparently I believed that there were no annoyances in my life. With each passing year that once non-existent list seems to grow exponentially. I'm beginning to think that maybe I should create a few pigeon holes or categories or buckets to group them by. Maybe that would make these type of things easier to keep track of. Then again, maybe not. And - there is always the chance that it isn't even necessary.

One aspect that seems to crop up rather regularly is the topic of common courtesy. Why is it that people seem to show so little courtesy towards one another these days? I first started noticing this of the elementary school children back when I was in middle school in the mid-to-late 80s. It seems to have picked up momentum, and - like a disease - infects more and more of the population each and every year. Watch out: the lack of courtesy will get you. I can hear it working its way through town right now. It has already overtaken our neighbors (they never saw it coming).

To force myself into a moment of catharsis, I will share with you some of the annoyances I have with my neighbors. To be honest, I have not bothered them with my thoughts because I believe that it would probably only strain what little relationship we do have.

• Currently, we cannot park in our garage because a friend of their's is blocking the entrance.
• They have only plowed the yard & cleaned the sidewalks once this year (we get 200+ inches of snow each winter and the tenants must keep up the yard year round.
• The grass on the front lawn is dying because their dog repeatedly pees in the same spot (I do not blame the dog).
• They do not pickup after their dog: not in the front yard or the back yard.
• They often park their cars on the lawn in the summer time.
• The snow/ice on the sidewalk was yellowed & smelly from the urine.

Alright, now that I've enlightened you, I will take a deep breath and leave it all here. I cannot tell you how much better that feels.

My world these days

Technically, I'm involved in what has been named by some as "spring break". People tell me that this break from the normal portion of the school year generally involves: (1) traveling to a climate that is considered warm or tropical in nature, (2) throwing caution to the wind and willingly experiencing all those things that that "angel on your shoulder" tells you not to do, (3) altering your state of mind with various legal and illegal substances (note: this definition can vary depending upon where you travel to for this break), (4) taking time away from the things that you are generally forced to think about.

It's a good thing that I'm not going to be graded for appropriately participating in the wonders of "spring break" because I would be handed a big red "F" on a silver platter. Currently, I'm breaking all the spring break rules. All of them. I've already broken the rules for item #1: while I am actually traveling - to another part of the state that is equally as cold as where I am, I am not going for fun. I will be attending a conference in Kalamazoo, MI, for MASAL. Shhhh. Don't tell them, but I'm not quite finished putting my PowerPoint together yet. I'll be speaking about Independent Reading and Writing. It should be pretty interesting. I will enjoy it! I will. I just wish I had time for an actual "break". As for #2: there will be no "caution-throwing". I'm not even sure if I can lift caution up off the ground. I have a bad back you know. In relation to #3...let's just say it's pretty rare for me to alter anything these days. I'm not even sure if my mind will fit properly under the foot of a sewing machine. I may just have to check into the specifics on that. As far as #4 goes. Well...I'm still thinking about all those things I shouldn't be thinking about. And more. Yes, a break would be nice.

In addition, my mother has been having some small strokes which have affected the Vertebral Arteries. The local doctors have done very little for her, so my uncle and his wife are driving her down to Detroit so that she can talk to the doctors down there about the possibility of having a stent put into the arteries. Hopefully, she will be considered a candidate for this procedure, it will go forward safely and relieve the stress on those arteries which will help improve her vision and put an end to the mini-strokes.

With any luck, these week will end with many good pieces of news.

Anthony Bourdain and the Merry Cemetary in Romania

I won't lie to you. I'm a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. His current season of "No Reservations" is true to form and each time I watch the show, I somehow manage to admire him more. Bourdain is honest, he tells the viewer exactly how it is; yet, he is always very respectful of the people and the culture that he is encountering. I rarely feel as though he is attempting to create a falsified television version of what he has experienced. That is rare in the over-edited, superficial, exploitation-focused world of television today.

Now, for something interesting. While it is apparent that Tony was annoyed by his traveling partner Zamir, he still managed to encounter some unusual locales while traveling within Romania. The one place that I would absolutely have to visit would be the Merry Cemetary in Sapanta. The individual crosses are very colorful, sporting hand-painted portraits of the deceased with creatively written poems describing their vices. Apparently the headstones are repainted about once every ten years by Mr. Pop. Talk about a wonderful opportunity to experience a very local form of art and learn more about the people of Romania. The experience certainly seems unlike any other! If you'd like all the details, check out this blog. Of course, if you're more interested in reading a couple of the epitaphs then this may be the spot for you.