My Blog
Being one of those "non-traditional" students (you gotta love labels), the whole wiki thing is, well... not intimation per-se, but the most ambitious thing I have done in quite a while. (And that's after two kids through the Pinellas County School system.) Not that I am giving it a second thought. It had been quite a while since I have stepped into an organized classroom. Not only that, but it is unusual (for me, at least) to be the oldest student in the class. Shit, I got kids older than this. One in USF and the other in UCF, graduating in December. A lot to process. Not to sound like some old asshole, but I've been through worse. And so It goes...
Who are you?
As I drove across Tampa Bay with my daughter, the traffic on the bridge was amazingly light. It gave me time to reflect, and to organize my thoughts. That was a much more difficult thing than I let on. America is the land of second chances, and I am not going to let this one slip by. I came to USF with strong desire to finish what I started what seemed several lifetimes ago.
I know it might be a little of a cheat but there is a scholarship for the "non-traditional" students. It is the called the Osher Reentry Scholarship, and required a Goal statement. I thought it would be appropriate. And I wrote it two weeks ago...
The pursuit of a degree has always been a balance between work, family and formal education. In the years prior to my “break” from the pursuit of my Bachelors degree, I had become a father of two daughters, Alyson and Ashley, as well as an assistant manager for Color Tile in Los Angeles. I had already weathered one layoff, when the furniture company I worked with suddenly decided to cease operations. As one of their higher paid employees, I was one of the first to be let go. Financially we had already seen rough times. With two small children, the priority has always been to keep a roof over their heads.
Until then I had been attending classes at Los Angeles Valley College, mainly at night and mostly part time. What was most challenging was my choice of pursuing Journalism as a course of study. Journalism requires a commitment of time and effort not just limited to the classroom, and flexibility was essential. As one of the editorial staff, in addition to reporting, I juggled many responsibilities, including supervising a small staff of writers and providing content on a deadline. All this in a time before personal computers were available, especially to someone with limited means.
There was no doubt that I loved every minute of it, my GPA and Dean’s List recognitions serving as proof. Earlier the Journalism department sponsored a small writers conference, and I had been given the responsibility of organizing and executing the event. It was one of the first management opportunities for me, and it went perfectly. That was the point where I felt I had skills in business that could serve me well.
By the time 1993 came, I was presented a difficult choice. A Color Tile store was in need of a new manager. It was a struggling location that had not turned a profitable quarter in quite a while. It was in Austin, Texas, a place where neither my wife nor myself had ever visited. The responsibility and rewards would be a welcome change from what we were doing in Los Angeles, especially for Alyson and Ashley. Unfortunately it meant taking a break from school. The time requirement and devotion I would normally dedicate to school was redirected into my success at Color Tile. Off to Texas we went.
The store in Austin became one of the most improved locations in the region and the company. That soon lead to other opportunities and chances for success. But there was always a lapse in my story. I felt a bit shorted and needed more.
In meeting people, the response is surprise that I have not completed my Bachelors. I have frequently been told I carry myself as someone who achieved that level of education. I always prided myself on education, attending sales training and gathering up as much professional knowledge as possible. At times not having a degree was bothersome, but I could always comfort myself with the knowledge of my two wonderful daughters, both successful in school, and my own profitability in sales and management.
In subsequent years there were obstacles. Financially, times were tough, including several changes in fortune, not least of which becoming a single parent in 2001. A single father and two teenage daughters living together full time is challenging, to say the least. I had taken a job with Yellow Cab in Pinellas County, providing transportation for Medicaid recipients, the economically disadvantaged, the mentally challenged and the elderly. It was a job that provided me with use of a vehicle, and flexibility of schedule so I could be available “on call” for my daughters. I would continue driving for several years which was physically and emotionally exhausting. Struggling to make a living, I found myself spending most of my time with those who are also wrestling with life. It was a unique opportunity to observe people in a variety of circumstances, with points of view just as unique. And I relished it. After a severe automobile accident in February 2007, and at the insistence of my daughters, I left Yellow Cab and returned to sales.
By this time Alyson was attending the University of Central Florida, where she will graduate in December, and Ashley had soon after started at USF (go Bulls!) and is now in her junior year. In spite of several relocations, coping with their parents divorce, and growing up in general, it is with no small sense of accomplishment that they receive the success they deserve, through hard work and determination.
But the real winner is me. With all the challenges in my life what I have in return is maturity, a little wisdom, and the desire improve myself and others. I will succeed because I have an appreciation of my abilities and I understand what it takes stay at the top of my game. I will need to stay sharp. Finishing my Bachelors will give me just that. My post graduate educational goal is law school. Not to become a “big time” lawyer, but to specialize in Civil Rights and Equality. With emphasis on pro bono work. Helping those who struggle and those in need.
The purpose of the race is not only the finish line, but in the race itself. USF will provide me with a framework for achieving the finish line. I will bring the passion for the race.
Who are you?
Sorry for the cheat. Wanted to hit the ground running.
Besides, I prefer this Who song, it is a better fit.
"one must have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing star"
One does not have to be a fan of Michio Kaku and String theory (which I am) nor practiced zazen in a Zen Sitting Group (which I have) to grasp the essence of Nietzsche's quote. The whole of existence is built of the same energies, the same building blocks that flow through everything we see, feel and even think. The notion of God actually works against that "spiritual" energy by putting "him" as separate from the self. In that way "God is dead." The self is all we have, after all, and as part of an incomprehensible jigsaw puzzle, we cannot have the complete picture without the single piece. We spend our limited (or is it unlimited) existence exerting our place in the puzzle, by our will upon others. And it is that chaotic energy in ourselves, and how we use it in relation to others, that is identical to the energy of the dancing star.
"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue"
My favorite example for one work from another:
manicbeeper - some more of me.
Roshi7 Assignment (License Argument)
Fear is something that becomes currency on both sides
Roshi7 Control Through Fear Drug Testing
Roshi7 A Call For Consistency Cover Page
The problem with sustain-ability
Roshi7 Definition Paper Comments
Roshi7 Schan country definition peer edit
Roshi7 Schan "Special Comment"
Roshi7 Peer Edit/Causal Draft - Jocelyn
Note: I'm trying to keep hyperlinking to pages other than Wikipedia
(but I do love wikipedia), my HTML skills are still pretty basic.
Plus I love to wander...
but how do you do it haha. Everytime I put the code it gives me onto my page it doesn't show up with what you have, it shows up with just all the mumbo jumbo. - Lauren Dow
Folks...
As I was driving west on 1st ave north, around 61st street, I saw a sign. Not a "vision from above" sign, but a little plastic sign - professionally lettered, red with white background, wires to push it into the dirt - the type of sign that would normally say "open house","lose 175 pounds - ask me how!", or "McCain/Palin."
But No.
It read: "Vote Your Color... The BLACKS Already Have" (italics mine)
In brief... WTF?!? Are we in f**kin' 1958? I almost drove of the road. I intended to drive by after work, hoping to take a picture and document this piece of shit before I tore it out of the ground. But it was gone (thankfully).
I'm the largest proponant of the 1st Amendment, but i think this is like shouting "fire" in a crowded movie theater.
Saint Petersburg is already racially tense, and this is the just the thing to incite someone to violence. The neighborhood was predominatly white, and someone paid for this lettered sign, which is the type that is produced in batches. That means there must be more, right?
If so, we are in deep shit.
09/29/08
There must be some bad chi in the classroom, my computer crashed. But only once. I must be asking too much of technology...
10/01/08
This is starting to get a little scary. This economic bullshit will be taking its toll on all of us. It is not going to be easy, at least for now. I work in sales, and the mere hint of economic trouble will keep people from purchasing non-essential goods. Before you say, wait... wouldn't that be a good thing for America? Usually I would agree with a less consumer driven economy, but this will be a little more than that. A friend of mine tried to cash his paycheck at Wachovia, and was told that the company has to "register" the checks before it can be cashed. WTF?!? The damn check was drawn on Wachovia. That means the bank does not have enough money to cash a PAYCHECK. That is bad. Really bad. Just wait when you have to buy some gas (if there is any left) and you go to the ATM to get twenty dollars, and it says "non-sufficient funds." But not because you are overdrawn, but THE BANK. There would be no money left. And no gas in your car, making it essentially a pretty big, expensive paperweight.
10/03/08
I really can't understand it. Why is it so damn important to bail out wall street and why must it be done RIGHT NOW? After reading the text of the \"bailout\", I just love some of the add-ons to the bill (or "earmarks" - today's word). How 'bout these: "Exemption From Excise Tax for Certain Wooden Arrows Designed for Use by Children"(p.300) (?!?), "Increase In Limit On Cover Over Of Rum Excise Tax to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands"(p. 279) and "Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act" (p. 310). We have been living on "yellow alert" for these? 451 pages of good 'ol American legislation. Remember the two things you should never watch being made: Sausage and Legislation! ARRRRRGGGGHHHH! Hey guys, just float me a loan of 1/1000000th of a percent of this crap, and I'll be happy.
Not that I am biased against McCain, and although these are causes I strongly believe in (equality in ALL forms), check out the symbols under the McCain columns. A little like our favorite Aryan/Pagan misunderstood symbol? Talk about manipulation. Got this baby in the mail (yes, I am a member), and was more than a little bothered by the representation.
Godwin's Law in action!
Hmmmmmm?
I believe this is why the subject is so difficult. It is the level of discourse that will not sway either side, but mocks both sides of the argument. And people don't like to be mocked.
Roshi7 by Phil Ammann is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.