Grad School and Beyond . .

As I prepare for graduation in May I reflect on how far I have come and how much further I have to go. I am looking forward to starting Grad school in August, but there are so many changes that are coming along with it. My son will become a Senior this year, my best friend of over 25 years is moving to Hawaii in September and I am expecting my 2nd child in July! With all of these changes I can not take focus off of my goals, and what I want to accomplish. Getting my Masters degree is only part of the plan, the part includes making more money this year, and laying the foundation for the school I will build. I am thankful to have such opportunities and milestones ahead of me. I take every step with pride and gratuity. Sometimes I get overwhelmed because I feel like I am needed in so many places, that I don't have time to breathe.. That's when I step back, assess and start again.


Be Well,
The Diva

How Do You Connect To Parents Who Are Not Tech Savvy?

In measuring the needs of the parents in my school community, I am constantly at a loss with how to best connect with the ones who do not embrace, or are not familiar with technology. For the most part the phone seems to be the best way to reach people and communicate, but to a certain degree it seems antiquated compared to the level of technology out there. I do realize that a lot of people are just not "into" the computer. I am trying to figure out ways to break down that wall and bring people on board. When it comes to education there is so much information available to parents via the Internet, but if they do not know how or where to look they can miss out. I try to keep parents as informed as possible but things are always changing, at times I feel overwhelmed by the abundance of information. I also take into consideration there are a lot of grandparents raising 2nd and 3rd families and to them the use of technology is something that they leave to the "young people". I want to change that, I know it will not happen overnight, hell it hasn't happened in the 5 years I have had my job. Progress has been made but we still have a ways to go. If you are a parent what are some of the ways your child's school keeps you informed?


Stay Warm,
The Diva

Keeping things in Perspective

Yesterday was a very busy day. Phone calls, meetings, scheduling appointments, life! I made it through and I'm thankful. My energy took a nose dive in the latter part of the evening because sometimes once you stop moving you realize how overwhelming things can be. I got some news yesterday that put me out of sorts, because yet again just when I though I was getting ahead a little nugget drops. From the universe to let me know otherwise. So as with most important decisions I think on it over some really strong coffee, ice cream or head straight for the comfort food. Yesterday's dilemma was a coffee level one. Money is the issue between a kid in private school, daily living expenses, and just a bunch of other things that require money I truly feel defeated and deflated. I don't earn enough money to keep myself afloat but I manage. I'm so tired of managing and working with less. Every day we are bombarded with stories of celebrities, or those with excess wealth and the things they spend their money on seem so trivial. After about 20 minutes of my 30 minute subway ride home last night I decided I need to take control and stop feeling sorry for myself. I grabbed some falafel on my walk home and there's a homeless man a along 2nd avenue I always see him but I've never given him anything. Last night I decided to, I walked over and put a $1 in his hand not the cup he was holding but in his hand. Here I am feeling like shit but I'm walking home to a nice but small and warm apartment. He looked at me and said thank you, then said that he always sees me but my face always looks intimidating and therefore he said to himself he would never ask me for money. He apologized for judging me without knowing me, he goes on to tell me that earlier that day he asked god to take him home because he knew killing himself would not get him into heaven. He goes on to tell me that I changed his perception and he now has hope. He has a lot of health problems and is only 51 years old . I can't say that I wasn't emotionally affected by that. It made me take stock in my life and want to work on the things I can change instead of feeling defeated by the things I can't.

Thank you Nathaniel

Goodnight,
The Diva

Train Ride Home

Tonight's ride was a little more eventful. I saw one of my former students from the after school program I used to run in the homeless shelter. She is all grown up if say around 14 or 15 now but still had the same face. I wanted to talk to her but she was with friends and the last thing I would want to do is embarrass her. It made my heart smile to see her. It always does when I see kids I used to work with and they are doing well. Unfortunately that's not always the case. There was an Asian woman randomly going from empty seat to empty seat when she did this after the 3rd time I realize she was selling bootleg dvd's. At 72nd street a guy gets on with a Yorkie that is barking uncontrollably. Quite a few gentlemen in this train, I've seen 3 different guys give up their seats to women. Overall today was a productive day and I can't wait to get home and dig into my pint of vanilla ice cream and watch what's left of the Knicks game! Hope you have made it home safe!

Goodnight,
The Diva

Monday Morning Subway

Living in NewYork the only way to really travel is via the subway. For those if you who do not live in New York or have never taken the subway, every Monday ill be taking you along for the ride.Today my normal train was over 15 minutes late! Thanks MTA. I had the pleasure of being able to get a seat but good lord why does it have to be next 2 teenage girls who spent the entire ride talking about Justin Bieber!!!! There is a grown man reading a Ramona book I'm going to assume he's a really involved dad or a teacher. The train has decided to go from 59th street express to 86th which causes mass confusion, yelling and pushing. Finally around 96th it emptied out and my last few stops will be a little more peaceful. It got crowded again around 125th but finally it's time for me to get off. I'm 10 minutes late for work but I've made it in one piece.

Happy Monday
The Diva

Dealing with Negative People

Lets face it assholes make the world go round. If every one was nice and pleasant to each other, what kind of world would that be? In this age of social media and so called reality shows based on the biggest assholes it seems like the good guys or girls can't win. Well I refuse to acknowledge or assimilate. If someone is an asshole, let them know it. I can't stand people who are negative because of their own self pity or misery, to the point where they need to make everyone around them feel like shit. It's not healthy and its not fair. Its not easy to deal with people who are always such a downer but I have noticed the happier you are the worse they feel. If they see that their bad attitude has no affect on you, it makes them feel worse. This is very common with women, you can be having the best day, but because some other broad is having a crappy one she has to bring you down. Every time something like this happens to me, I thank the universe for giving me the ability to have real relationships, integrity and a FUCKING LIFE! Why the hell would I want to spend my energy bringing down someone else, because her hair looks better than mine, or she has the purse that I can't afford? People need to take stock in themselves and build their esteem. In the long run bringing me down is not going to do anything for you because you have no power over me unless I give it to you. So as we start off another week going into the world to face our destiny, know that somewhere there is an asshole waiting to piss you off! Don't let them win! Take the high road, pat yourself on the back, treat yourself to a cup of coffee and ask the universe to help them!


Peace,
The Diva

First Day of The New Year

Today was the first day of the new year and the last day of my holiday break. I have to return back to work tomorrow, and more commitments in the next coming weeks than I can count. I spent most of the day watching the Twilight Zone, no matter how many times they have a marathon I still have not seen all the episodes. I will be spend this week getting samples ready for sale for Valentine's Day for my customers. I am so happy to be able to get back to creating things, I love being able to take my visions and bring them to life. Photos coming soon! Mentally I am preparing myself for the next 6 months of work and life which will be very, very eventful. I hope you spent the New Year in a happy place and are looking forward to great things in 2013!


Goodnight,
The Diva