January 2012
3 posts
this work makes me have goosebumps →
also, read the article on the Jan 9 2012 New Yorker about Leonard Ursaci
“The cleansing of the earth starts with the cleansing of our minds. ”
– Rolling Thunder, founder of Meta Tantay
December 2011
3 posts
“My soul preached to me and said” do not be delighted because of praise,...”
– Kahlil Gibran, “My Soul Preached to Me”
“the basic unit of ordinary time, the second, corresponds remarkably close to the...”
– the canon, by Natalie Angier
October 2011
1 post
September 2011
6 posts
unemployment, looming.
After a full 25 days of employment, it appears that I may be headed for a layoff.
I was hired to be a counselor for school - age children. I knew walking into it that elementary schools include children under 12 years old. I also knew that I woul not be spending all day with people less than 3 feet tall. Nothing personal, it’s just that they’re not my forte.
Something like 15...
sunday felt like it's supposed to.
a jog in the rain. some early morning gym class dancing. a lap through the farmers market before agreeing the bodega is really much better for staple food items. some errands. some hott now fall clothes.some emailing and a beer or 2.
no fights. no smoking. no negative energy.
with all and absolute respect to those i haven’t seen in the past month- i love you and wish you a life full of...
forgive.
i believe in forgiveness. holding on to anger is only good for harming self. once it has been made clear what, if any, amends are going to be made, it is best to forgive. the person who hurt you does not know that you are still angry, and therefore your anger does little in the way of punishing them. the anger you hold inside, or vocalize, only serves to change your perceptions and attitude...
morning.
ive been sleeping irratically. i woke at 430 this am. I watched “The Help” and then ate an egg. My stomach is butterflies.
I realized that this is the time of day I had been getting up at. This is the time when I stumbled into the bathroom and kitchen…and to the bus stop. Not any more. The morning is now dark at this hour. I remember that it was this time last year that I...
now on to the real deal.
Work thus far has mostly involved me meeting people and then, watching them. It’s how I learn. I have tried to show my face, and make sure people are learning about me from watching me, as well.
Friday morning, at about 9 AM, an hour after school began, I walked towards the office to speak with an administrator. On the way, I caught sight of a small boy- maybe 9 years old- being berated...
i am back.
with the past 12 months behind me, i can get back to my self.
let’s start with a quick debriefing.
a year or so ago, after a year marred with grief and loss and change, I accepted a job in corporate america. i was glad for the job- i was able to take a huge pay increase and save every single dime of it; i was able to completely throw myself into something mind numbing so i could avoid...
November 2010
8 posts
A is for Anatomy: Getting bashed in the local... →
aforanatomy:
Navigating the insurance maze
The next time you have the misfortune of requiring a therapy service, physical therapy for example, be sure to take a timer with you, request that the therapist spell out what code he is billing under and hold him to at least 14 minutes of service per code.
I…
sit →
Pieter Hugo →
Paul Theck, as documented by BWS →
“i felt connected to the delicacy and irrepressible majesty of life”
– Ntozake Shange in an interview with Hilton Als. “Color Vision”, New Yorker Nov 08 2010 p.44
Taryn Simon is amazing →
beautiful photos of socially relevant topics. what else is there?
want more? she was in Sept 2010 Interview magazine talking about her recent collection, “Contraband”
October 2010
9 posts
Here's a cool YouTube video →
Here's a cool YouTube video →
Here's a cool YouTube video →
Watch <!— /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Times New Roman”; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”“; margin:0in;...
3 tags
the ghost, sighted at 1123 am.
Long boring meeting, a flurry of repetitive accounts, paperwork, questions, and agendas. One disgruntled young man in the corner, angry that we are taking away his one shot at living in his own apartment. We have spent 18 months patiently holding his hand, explaining why it is time to self direct, self motivate…get involved in his own future.
He isn’t, we aren’t either.
Time is passing, all...
8 tags
slow day, time to write.
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things lost, whats gained?
im interested peoples internal life. im excptionally interested in my own.
the last 9 months have heralded many changes in my life. some are more difficult than others. mostly, i just feel a lot more mature now. like ive earned the right to be direct about my needs and wants, as well to not wear makeup at all.
my parents left, i underwent a medical procedure that left me feeling empty and...
2 tags
September 2010
3 posts
this was not a good idea, and i regret it.
a month into the new job- and i want out. the commute is deadly, the job is rote boring, i can not sleep, i am stressed out, depressed, anxious, angry, isolated, in physical pain…i have never felt as bad as i do now.
i am scared of asking erhu for help as i dont want to overwhelm him, or anyone else with my problms- which i feel responsible for. i dont want people to know. but i need out.
August 2010
8 posts
week one round up
on the outskirts of the Midwest’s l;largest shopping area, there are buildings populated with the people who keep these places running. each afternoon, as I impatiently wait for the 606 pace bus, I look at fellow riders,. the muscular middle aged men, with rough hands, and dirty knees. the small Latina women, with thick middles and long hair. the older gentleman, who seem as if they have...
I am
Filled with tears, so voluminous that i put my sunglasses on so the other riders don’t see. is this catharsis from the past, fear of the future, or happiness? Its been a long time sincE i was plain ol’ happy…
Some first impressions:
For the past 4 days, I ve ridden a bus to and from work. At lunch, Ive walked for 20 minutes or more. In this time, Ive seem dragonflies, butterflies, a set of geese ( who the bus slowed down to grant crossing to), and a lot of people, none of whom sagged their pants, swore, or drove like an asshole. All of a sudden, I can see the vacuum I was in, and already, I am feeling better. Even awake...
in the middle.
last week JP threw a little goodbye party for me. it was the staff i was closest to, and one youth- monster. i was glad he was there, he was the one that means the most to me. everyone went around, thanking me, telling me how sure they were that i would “be successful at whatever i do”, and that i had “deeply inspired them, and taught them”. hmbling coming from a bunch of...
4 tags
goodbye, week 2
Last week I gave notice to JP. Quickly alerted those who needed to know, and listened as those who were resistant to the change talk about their sadness at the news. Both were relatively easy to handle. What has been hard is dealing with myself.
I am surprised by how much venom i’m expelling, and how quickly. After bearing witness to the daily disappointments and tragedies of life in the...
7 tags
The problem with Monsters
Monster and I have had our share of ups and downs. Many times, I turned a blind eye to things I knew weren’t exactly correct, because I saw the best in this young person, and wanted to practice being strength- based in my apporach to a severely damaged young person.
Lord knows I tried.
But when 416 dollars worth of bus passes came up missing 3 weeks ago, and I found evidence that he was...
July 2010
5 posts
3 tags
CPD ranks. good to know
TitleInsigniaSuperintendent of PoliceAssistant SuperintendentDeputy SuperintendentChiefAssistant Deputy SuperintendentBureau of Operational ServicesAssistant Deputy Superintendent/Executive Assistant to the Superintendentexcluding the Bureau of Operational ServicesDeputy ChiefCommander, Coordinator, Director, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent & Administrator of Personnel...
5 tags
a search, no hits.
so where are the other people on Tumblr who are thinking about child welfare?
few and far between it seems.
a search for “DCFS” brought up a lot of links to “DCF” posts ( not related at all)
a search for “child welfare” brought up posts from around the country, mostly reposting updates on legislative changes
a search for ” north lawndale” brought...
Love it... →
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab co- founder was recently covered in the New Yorker…this is an example of smart research. cheers.
11 tags
traversing
I’ <!— /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Times New Roman”; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal...
June 2010
4 posts
9 tags
this is why no one likes you.
monster update:
monster, who you may remember as the kid who started off his time here by keying the cars of 2 staff members, after being confronted by me. Monster had been skipping school, and coming home early to sit on the stoop and smoke weed. on the day that I had enough, I walked out front and lit into him. he was not happy about this, and retaliated by keying cars. he was charged with...
9 tags
check it...
so…there’s this kid, we can call him Oak. His affluent suburban foster family got rid of him when he started smoking weed, and “stealing” the minivan. they were so uncomfortable with him that he was sent from his gold leafed nest and into this rats nest. He struggled to finish his schooling, got huge tattoos, began dabbling in drug trade, and other black market...
7 tags
sunk.
as predicted, the GH is over. 60 days to find new homes for the kids, and then, they’re done. Not a suprise, at all. Heartbreaking; totally.
What does this mean for the TLP? nothing until we fail to pay our expenses. Theres just no way that we’re gonna have the cash on hand to deal with this.
honestly? i’m ready to call it a day. too much harm, and i cant help but wonder...
