The Aquarian Exposition...

Today is the 4oth Anniversary of the legendary Woodstock festival. Something deep down tells me that in my previous life, I was one of the love soldiers of 1969 who attended the historical event: celebrating love, peace, and music.

Woodstock 1969 is to this day, the most historic music festival in history. It marked the height of a peaceful counterculture revolution. Woodstock sent a message to the world just before the intense wave of dissent washed back to sea. Embodied in this music festival is an entire set of ideals which are just as prevalent in today's society as they were in forty years ago.

Woodstock marked the peak for hippie counterculture. The ideals of peace, love, and expansion resonated throughout the country, and the world had little choice but to pay attention when 500,000 supports of these ideals met in the 600-acre farm where Woodstock was held. The long list of musicians, which would shape the history of the art, is unparalleled.

The Woodstock festival which manifested by a splatter painting of random events and freak occurrences, will forever be solidified as one of the most important events in the cultural history of America. The wide-legged, tie-dyed, glazy-eyed spectacle that was Woodstock changed the history of rock and roll and exemplified an entire era.

A Perfect Ten...

The amazing Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a devoted mother, wife, grandmother, sister and aunt who taught by example and with passion; what it means to live a faith-driven life of love and service to others. She was a guiding light in an often stormy sea.

Inspired by her devotion to her family and her relentless belief in the dignity and worth of every human life, she worked without ceasing - searching, pushing, demanding, hoping for change. She was a living prayer, a living advocate, a living center of power. She set out to change the world and to change us, and she did that and more.

She founded the movement that became Special Olympics, the largest movement for acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities in the history of the world. Her work transformed the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, and they in turn are her living legacy. Eunice scores a "perfect ten" in my opinion, and will continue to inspire me in the work that I do each day working with disabled youth. A true hero, Eunice's legacy will live on in the hearts of the world.

"Special Olympics athletes are spokespersons for freedom itself - they ask for the freedom to live, the freedom to belong, the freedom to contribute, the freedom to have a chance. And, of all the values that unite and inspire us to seek a better world, no value holds a higher place than the value of freedom."

~Eunice Kennedy Shriver~

If You're Happy & You Know It...

Today, August 8th, is "Happiness Happens Day". It is a day intended to spread sunshine and smiles everywhere you go, to everyone you meet. As hokey as this may sound, it has some merit to it. I truly believe in manifest destiny: what you imagine and believe to happen, will. For example, if you wake up in the morning and think/meditate/pray for good things to come, they will. It is your choice to wake up on the "wrong side of the bed" and determine your destiny for the next 24 hours of your life.

Being the positive and optimistic person that I am, this naturally comes pretty darn easy for me. However, I have had days that I CHOSE to wake up on the wrong side of the bed...and nothing good ever came from it. And then there were the days where I had no cash left in my wallet, halfway to work my gas light came on, and knew I had to go to visit a dear friend in the hopsital immediately after work. On this particular day however, I CHOSE to smile and look on the bright side of things. The result was incredible: I won $250 on an old Lotto ticket I had not yet scratched off, gas prices dropped 12 cents that day, and I found out that my friend had no more detectable traces of cancer in his body!


So I ask you, for today (on annual HAPPINESS HAPPENS DAY), to wake up on the "right side of the bed", smile proudly at yourself when you first look into the mirror in the morning, and think about the simple things that you can do today to change someone's life for the better. It will come back ten-fold and happiness will surely happen to you in return.

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."
~James M. Barrie~

I am now, and will forever be, a Duckman...

John Hughes

(February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009)



Dear Mr. Vernon,

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us...In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours,

The Breakfast Club

POP! Goes the Weasel...

Today is the birthday of my all-time favorite artist, Andy Warhol. A central figure in the pop art movement, Andy actually got his start as an illustrator. He is most famous for his wonderful brightly colored silkscreen images of cultural icons such as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and of course, Cambell’s tomato soup cans. He also made several films, collaborated with many musical giants such as The Velevet Undergound, and served as a mentor for other visual artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, among many others. Although highly controversial, Andy is widely recognized as one of the most influencial artists of the 20th century.

One day I will own my own piece of authentic Warhol. My buddy Kim and I are soon taking a trip to Pittsburgh, to visit Andy's grave and also to explore the Warhol Museum (http://www.warhol.org/). But for now, I leave you with some of my favorite quotes from this highly original and unapologetic genius:

"People need to be made more aware of the need to work at learning how to live, because life is so quick and sometimes it goes away too quickly."
~Andy Warhol~

Candle in the Wind...

On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide." Four decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains a major cultural icon. The unknown details of her final performance only add to her mystique.

Even as a young child I was fascinated by this beauty. I had a poster of Monroe on my wall, would watch her films over and over again, and was so curious with the mystery that surrounded her death. How could someone so young, beautiful and full of success be so depressed and not have the strength to go on anymore? It still baffles me to this day.

Although I was not even alive during her career or her passing, Marilyn Monroe will always remain of of my favorites. Goodbye Norma Jean...your candle burned out long before your legend ever did!

Back to School...

After a scalding, yet wonderful summer, it is time once again to go back to school! School, meaning work. Work, meaning school. :)

I am actually extremely excited to get back on campus, preparing for another year of assisting and educating the amazing high school kids who I work with. I am also very excited to be working with Debra, my amazing co-worker again this year. I have learned so much from her and I look forward to another successful year at DHHS!



PS--> I am now back on TEACHER TIME-please no calls or texts after 9 pm-LOL!

How Sweet the Sting...

This past weekend I was stung by a bee. In my 30 years of life, I have never been stung by any sort of winged-creature. The moment it happened, I grabbed my foot and fell hard to the ground. I screamed out in agony, alerting my boyfriend Joshua of what had just occurred. I sat, rocking back and forth, on the cool green grass. My body began to sweat as I began yelling at Josh to help me. He went inside to get the tweezers and, which seemed like hours, came running back, now in full nurse-mode.

When he finally returned, he smiled at me (he maybe even let out a small chuckle), and slowly began to approach the stinger that was protruding from my swollen toe. I took a deep breath and started doing something that could have resembled lemaze breathing. Joshua laughed and within seconds, the stinger was out. He saved my life!

I rolled onto my back and looked up at the sky, still breathing heavily, now feeling an uncomfortable throbbing in my toe. Joshua looked at me, smiled again, and shook his head. I started to giggle, which immediately turned into an uncontrollable roar of laughter and an eventual returned smile to my man.

My first bee sting reminded me of the fact that I have an amazing partner, who, whether it be a tiny insect bite or something much much worse, will always be there to take care of me.

How sweet the sting!

Video Killed the Radio Star...

On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV (Music Television) launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!" Those words were immediately followed by the original MTV theme song, playing over a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Appropriately, the first music video shown on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.



The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs. Due to the popularity of trashy reality television however, the current state of MTV is not at all what it used to be. Despite this, since its premiere, MTV continues to have a profound impact on the music industry and popular culture worldwide.



I grew up watching this channel and I truly believe it partially shaped who I am as a person. As a child I would sit in front of the television, spellbound, watching the glorious videos of Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Rick Astley, and Michael Jackson. I would recreate the videos in my backyard and record my favorites on VHS tapes (which I still have). My love for music and pop culture have a lot to do with MTV, and although the videos are few and far between now, I continue to exclaim, "I WANT MY MTV!"