MikeSpeaksOut!

A Week of Intrigue!

At the urging of a friend who shall go nameless (Sharon), I am posting to my blog.  It seems that FaceBook (according to my friends) has turned into an obsession for me.  BTW....If you are on FaceBook...look me up.  It's off the chain.  AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY FACEBOOK EXEPRIENCE....First, I have truly been against getting a FB (that's what we call it) account.  But, at the urging of a wise man, I decided to jump in.  It seems that .....EVERYONE IS DOING IT!  Through FB, I have met friends that I have lost, been invited to events (I may even go to Christmas services at a church for which a former high school friend is Pastor).  I got invited to go see the movie "Milk" (see below).  I love looking at the photos -- and have even started sharing some photos.  Compass (see below) also has a page -- you can see our photos ... COOL.  NOW...I know what you are saying.....ADDICTION!  NO...NO ADDICTION!  Just because I spent days trying to figure out how to get the FB app to work on my iPhone...and even woke up in the middle of the night when the answer came to me in my sleep (the password was too long -- you can't have long passwords if you want your iPhone app to work)  Just because I was almost late to work the other day when I was trying to post photos on FB -- that was coincidence!

I am in AWE of the audacity of some people.  No, I am not the only person to write about this man.  BUT Mr. Madoff and his story have been nothing short of INCREDIBLE.  It is hard to believe that one man can literally take down THOUSANDS of people, destroy their financial futures, ruin foundations that support children and schools in need.....and really portray him self as an innocent person.  Locally, the local community is devastated.  The Picower Foundation, a huge supporter of schools and medical research will close its doors!  Eilie Weisel, famous holocaust survivor and novelist (Night, Dawn, etc.) also was deceived!  Shame on your Mr. Madoff!  May you rot in hell.....in a foreign country with a lack of air conditioning and clean water in their jails.

I was invited (through FaceBook) to go see the new movie, "Milk".  YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!  I am NOT a huge Sean Penn fan.  But, honestly, if he doesn't win an Academy Award...he will have been robbed.  I knew the ending (read Milk's bio).  I still wept at the end.  The movie is true to the story -- showing the good parts and the bad parts.  Many famous people worked with and for Milk.  Including the founder of the NAMES Project (AIDS Quilt).....Oh....and the cool part is that there are a lot of other really good actors in it -- including James Broland and that kid from High School Musical (Sharpay's Brother).......COOL.

IN OTHER NEWS.....Jen bought me some really cool VINTAGE LGBT Pins (the pins aren't gay...they just ...well, you get it).  My favorite is one that has the pink triangle with the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller's Poem that starts...."First they came for the socialists......."  (See the link)

COMPASS' New Facility is going to be AWESOME!  i posted pics on FB........Can't wait...can't wait....can't wait!  OH....follow the link ... you can purchase items that will be used to furnish our new center!  SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NOT-FOR-PROFIT....Or for that matter, your "not so local" not-for-profit.

So there you go, Sharon......a POST.

12 on 12

Finally..I am doing 12 on 12.  Started by Chad Darnell of the Unititled Chad Darnell Project...it's world-wide fun!

"High-Stakes Testing" Begins...Thanks to GWB, testing begins across Florida....I made a trip to get donuts.....sugar rush for the kids.

I am NOT a morning person...I arrive at work (I'm a teacher) and confront "the mailboxes" every morning.  Without fail....it's always full.  So many papers.....for so little pay

Cubicle ... sweet cubicle.  NOTICE SEVERAL THINGS...Fiirst....there are no drawers to store...let's say..pencils, etc. etc.  There is no place to store tape, a stapler, ANYTHING.  NOTICE...No chair.  There are 5 chairs in this room.  There are 10 people in my department.  The chairs serve double duty.....all 5 of them.  God Forbid we should ever be in teh same room at the same time. Notice no file cabinet.  SOOO...all my confidential documents are covered under CRAP.  The BULL horns and the SOY sauce are extra.

Okay...I tested for three hours and then I took this picture.  I didn't dare take a picture.  Testing is sacred.  Even taking a picture of me carrying documents that could be used for testing...let alone the room in which I tested could be grounds for me to lose my job....so I asked a student to take a pic of me in my class.  The first one didn't have "the skills"...the second did a little better,

Lunchtime in the school cafeteria....don't aske me what I ate...Pork, Chicken, Fish, Beef (aka soy)...it's all the same if you close your eyes.

ARMPIT GIRL. Our school payed an artist a butload of money to paint murals throughout the school.  This is supposed to be someone in the flag corps. I call her "Armpit Girl"

I love the courtyard between 6th and 7th hours. So sunny.....it's about 80 something degrees....I love to just admire the weather.

People complain about heat...but I LOVE getting in my car and feeling the warmth.  I am a "South Florida Boy".   83 degrees is fine with me.  It took me most of my life to realize that the rest of the US wasn't GREEN all year!

The trees were "brown"...okay.....a few leaves fell off for a couple of weeks...but they're back.  Nothing like home sweet home.

This is the "water feature" that I created in my "courtyard".  It's green year round..and a great source of color and pleasure.  Frogs love it...in the "pond" are papyrus, lilly pads, etc. etc."

After a few hours home, it's back to work (I'm a teacher.....In Florida...I have 3 jobs).  I hit Interstate 95...just after rush hour to go to my night job testing for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)....It's one of my 3-4 jobs.....

Back to the mailboxes..  200+ during the day.....25 at night......so glamorous.

Membership has it's privileges.  At my night job...we have our own toilet in the room....BUT .... You have to obey the boys and girls toilet rules!  OR ELSE!

Living in PARADISE? I love where I live...I always laugh when I see this sign on the way home.....To the Left...BEAUTIFUL Miami...to the right..West Palm Beach (and home)....Yet, as a teacher, I work 3 jobs...in paradise.

I live in a gated community (which I work 4 jobs to support...housing is awful here....I could sell my house and move into a carboard box...but I digress).  I always have loved Palm Trees.  they are always in bloom here. This tree is at the entrance to my community.

The CR-V left at 6:30 and got home at 8:45....it's at rest until tomorrow.

Always waiting at home is Chandler-Bing.  We take a few hours nap between jobs...not pictured are his brother and sister (Monica and Ross)......and so ends 12 (or more or less) on 12).

Later from SOFLA (South Florida)

Deaf Danger!

A little over a year ago, two young men -- best friends for many years -- climbed into the rafters of the art cabin (that was hosting the that they both had grown up in). They decided to make a statement...."Deaf Danger!!!!" In Deaf culture, the bond between individuals can be strong. I learned that 11 years ago when I first started volunteering for GACHI (Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired). As I have written before, I knew Kyle from the time he was a "little kid". He and Jake...both young men...growing into Counselors at the camp they loved....MADE A STATEMENT. This was both in what they wrote and in their actions. Jake would return to camp this year......Kyle, was killed. I remember looking at Jake this year thinking, "What a great young man..".

A little over a year ago, I remember sitting with the other counselors thinking "How crazy these young kids are". They climbed up into the rafters...they made their mark!. The rest of us played it safe and wrote within arms rearch. This year, upon my return, I was determined to experience what Kyle and Jake felt. Let one night, on top of a table and several other items...I made my mark. DEAF DANGER FOREVER!!! Understanding this statment may be difficult for those who have not enjoyed the company of those who were deaf and Hard of Hearing. Kyle was Deaf first --- but he loved excitement (danger). To me....Kyle and Jake are super heroes. One is in heaven.....one is with us...reminding us of their collective gifts.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we planted "Kyle's Garden" at camp in memorium to our beloved friend. Here's a picture of us as we planted the last plant in the garden. EVERY camper helped. We saved the last plant until the campers were gone. We needed to have a time to reflect. You can see the rocks that campers painted to line the garden. I hope that Kyle's Garden will blossom each year to remind us all to perform a little "DEAF DANGER!"

My life will never be the same without you. I remember thinking on the first Saturday of camp, "I can't go to IHop today -- that's what we did with Kyle". You have impacted our lives...You are always with us!

On the Monday that I returned to S. FL from camp, I saw a "double-rainbow" while working at my night job....I took a photo. One has to wonder if "DEAF DANGER" was involved in this rare occurence.

RIP K-REDD!