My friend L. is getting married in October and I am very happy for her. Her fiance is a wonderful man and I know they will be happy forever. L. wants to have a moderately sized wedding, and she wants to have a full wedding party including a ring bearer and a flower girl.
L. is a spiritual aunt to my little guy and he loves her. We will actually be signing paperwork soon that in the event me and my husband were to pass away, L. would become his guardian. She has been close to him since he was born. Before the wedding was announced L. said my son would be her ring bearer. I got a little nervous because he didn't start walking until last December so I thought for a while he might need a wagon. Now the wedding date has been announced, L. and I spent a little time hanging out and looked at suits and tuxedos and discussed her wedding colors. I am so excited my son will get to be a part of her special day.
I am nervous though because of the developmental delays. He does not respond to verbal instructions. Also, he lives in his own little world. He might not want to walk down the aisle, but wander around the venue. He might not want to give up the rings when the time comes. He also gets bored with objects easily and when he does, he throws them over his shoulder and walks away. All I can see is my son getting distracted, tossing the rings, and me crying and apologizing like crazy on my hands and knees scrambling to find their rings. L. is going to have him walk with a 10 year old flower girl so she can instruct him down the aisle. We also will be doing ring bearer practice at home. I have asked L. if we can have him carry plastic rings so if he throws them it won't matter. I am very much looking forward to all of this for him, and he is incredibly photogenic so he is going to look great in her wedding photos. Also L. and her fiance know that my son has some limitations so I know they won't get upset. I think this is just my overthinking and everything will be fine and go smooth.
Does anyone have any tips for us?
Showing posts with label overthinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overthinking. Show all posts
Monday, June 8, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Hearing Test 05/18/2015
This was a pediatric hearing test done at the Rhode School For the Deaf. M. the Speech Therapist suggested we get a hearing test done to rule out hearing problems as a reason for delayed speech. A. asked if we wanted her to go. Since she is my son's Early Intervention Service Coordinator, I feel she should come to all our specialist appointments. Not only is she an advocate should we need one, she is also an impartial third party. She would definitely ask us how the visit went, but I feel that I would give her opinions, not just facts and she needs facts to add to my son's record.
When we met the Audiologist we gathered in his office. He asked who we all were and why we were there. He then had me and my husband take our son into a sound proof room and sent A. into the lobby. My son sat on my lap and the Audiologist gave him a stuffed animal to play with. With my son distracted, he checked his ears and said they looked fine. Being nervous, I asked how can they look good with all the potatoes growing in there? He said a few potatoes were fine. He then did a small test to check the anatomy of the inside of my son's ears. The scan was fine. He then conducted the same hearing test given at birth to all children born in the state of Rhode Island. My son passed. The next phase of the hearing test was the Audiologist left the room and went into a room directly in front of us. I was reminded almost of a sound recording booth. There was a large sheet of glass in front of us. We could see him, but could not hear him unless he activated a microphone. He could hear and see us. In our room there were three speakers. One if front of us, and two to the sides. There were also three light boxes in the room. One directly in front of us with Mickey Mouse, one on the left with Donald Duck and one on the right with a third Disney character. My son was still clutching the stuffed animal. The Audiologist would activate the microphone for the speakers in turn, then flash on and off the light box. My son was totally unimpressed and ignored everything except for the stuffed animal. The Audiologist then asked if I could take the toy away. My son took that opportunity to toss the toy on the floor. The Audiologist proceeded to say my son's name at different volumes through the speakers. For about half a minute, my son was responsive. Then it was all over.
We went into the lobby to join A. and wait while the Audiologist prepared the results. When we gathered in his office, he asked what my son's developmental age was. A. said her agency does not assess developmental age, but stated my son scored 5 out of a possible 35 on his communication assessment at our annual review. That assessment was based on an average 2 year olds developmental level. The Audiologist said the results were inconclusive. Because my son's ears are anatomically fine, he doesn't believe there is damage to the ears, but my son was incredibly unresponsive to the stimuli. He said if I want to 100% rule out a hearing deficit, we can sedate my son and then do a brain scan. I am not even a little ok with that. I think at 2 years of age sedation for an unnecessary procedure is totally not ok. I know for a fact my son isn't deaf. When he is deeply napping, when I go to wake him up I rap loudly on his bedroom door. He immediately gets startled. I believe there could be some pitches he might not hear, but I don't think he is deaf. The Audiologist suggested we come back in a few months for another hearing test, no sedation. He then gave us copies of the inconclusive results for the Neurologist, the Speech Therapist and the Pediatrician.
My mom has been reading up on autistic children and autism in general. Based on several of the behaviors my son displays, I think he may have autism. This is not a bad thing, but I think if he has it, then in order to help him succeed we need to mold his therapies around his abilities. My mother is currently reading The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin. One of the topics discussed is hearing and autism. Some people who have autism can only hear vowels, other only consonants. Other people with autism can only hear certain tones and pitches. Other people with autism are so into their own mind, or activity, they can't hear you. I asked A. if she feels my son might be displaying some of the symptoms of autism. She danced around her answer. She finally said we can discuss my concerns with the Neurologist or if I can't wait until August to see him, we can call a different one. I told her I understand she can't diagnose, but based on her experience does she think I might have an autistic child. She was quiet and hesitant and then finally said she has not worked with enough autistic children to give an opinion.
I know my son has sensory processing disorder. Maybe that is all we are looking at. But I want him to succeed and to live the happiest life he can. Although I think we are into labels, if I knew what we are dealing with, I feel I could better help him succeed.
When we met the Audiologist we gathered in his office. He asked who we all were and why we were there. He then had me and my husband take our son into a sound proof room and sent A. into the lobby. My son sat on my lap and the Audiologist gave him a stuffed animal to play with. With my son distracted, he checked his ears and said they looked fine. Being nervous, I asked how can they look good with all the potatoes growing in there? He said a few potatoes were fine. He then did a small test to check the anatomy of the inside of my son's ears. The scan was fine. He then conducted the same hearing test given at birth to all children born in the state of Rhode Island. My son passed. The next phase of the hearing test was the Audiologist left the room and went into a room directly in front of us. I was reminded almost of a sound recording booth. There was a large sheet of glass in front of us. We could see him, but could not hear him unless he activated a microphone. He could hear and see us. In our room there were three speakers. One if front of us, and two to the sides. There were also three light boxes in the room. One directly in front of us with Mickey Mouse, one on the left with Donald Duck and one on the right with a third Disney character. My son was still clutching the stuffed animal. The Audiologist would activate the microphone for the speakers in turn, then flash on and off the light box. My son was totally unimpressed and ignored everything except for the stuffed animal. The Audiologist then asked if I could take the toy away. My son took that opportunity to toss the toy on the floor. The Audiologist proceeded to say my son's name at different volumes through the speakers. For about half a minute, my son was responsive. Then it was all over.
We went into the lobby to join A. and wait while the Audiologist prepared the results. When we gathered in his office, he asked what my son's developmental age was. A. said her agency does not assess developmental age, but stated my son scored 5 out of a possible 35 on his communication assessment at our annual review. That assessment was based on an average 2 year olds developmental level. The Audiologist said the results were inconclusive. Because my son's ears are anatomically fine, he doesn't believe there is damage to the ears, but my son was incredibly unresponsive to the stimuli. He said if I want to 100% rule out a hearing deficit, we can sedate my son and then do a brain scan. I am not even a little ok with that. I think at 2 years of age sedation for an unnecessary procedure is totally not ok. I know for a fact my son isn't deaf. When he is deeply napping, when I go to wake him up I rap loudly on his bedroom door. He immediately gets startled. I believe there could be some pitches he might not hear, but I don't think he is deaf. The Audiologist suggested we come back in a few months for another hearing test, no sedation. He then gave us copies of the inconclusive results for the Neurologist, the Speech Therapist and the Pediatrician.
My mom has been reading up on autistic children and autism in general. Based on several of the behaviors my son displays, I think he may have autism. This is not a bad thing, but I think if he has it, then in order to help him succeed we need to mold his therapies around his abilities. My mother is currently reading The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin. One of the topics discussed is hearing and autism. Some people who have autism can only hear vowels, other only consonants. Other people with autism can only hear certain tones and pitches. Other people with autism are so into their own mind, or activity, they can't hear you. I asked A. if she feels my son might be displaying some of the symptoms of autism. She danced around her answer. She finally said we can discuss my concerns with the Neurologist or if I can't wait until August to see him, we can call a different one. I told her I understand she can't diagnose, but based on her experience does she think I might have an autistic child. She was quiet and hesitant and then finally said she has not worked with enough autistic children to give an opinion.
I know my son has sensory processing disorder. Maybe that is all we are looking at. But I want him to succeed and to live the happiest life he can. Although I think we are into labels, if I knew what we are dealing with, I feel I could better help him succeed.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron (As spoiler free as I can make it)
I saw this movie today. Yesterday morning my son and I watched this: https://youtu.be/AHPn5d7wRtk because obviously he is way too young to see the actual movie.
Before I talk about the actual plot, let me just say Joss Whedon, I love you. I have been a fan for a long time now. Dollhouse, Firefly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you are the man. I understand you must move on from the MCU and I am going to miss you. I look forward to your next project. Thank you for the fun ride.
It's actually sort of hard to review this movie because I don't want to spoil anything. I will digress one more time to discuss the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I think their superhero names are alluded to with visual clues more than once although I don't think they are ever actually said. I like the rebooted storyline for them, but they will always be Magneto's children to me. Scarlet Witch has always been my favorite Avenger. I will admit her "Hex power" is the ultimate deus ex machina, but it is an awesome power. I don't like later in comics where she becomes an actual witch like character. Ever since the first Iron Man movie I have been waiting for her to be onscreen. Her character was excellently portrayed. For those of you not familiar with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, they originally started off as villains of the X-Men where they were working with Magneto. It was revealed he is their father. The two then join the Avengers, then they find out their father is the true villain, and eventually join the X-Men. Scarlet Witch though, she was just too cool when I was a kid. I wanted to be her. She was not as straight forward as Wonder Woman, who I also liked. She had some baggage. Also, her and Vision have some interesting adventures in the comics. It was hard not to giggle when she first sees him. I wonder if Elizabeth Olsen was aware of this and tried to convey it on screen.
Second diversion, while I was watching this movie I had a few side thoughts. I again realized why I like comic books and superheroes so much. We all have our strengths, but we all have our secrets, or in other cases our weaknesses. In particular I thought about Reggie Lewis. There are of course, several other examples. Stephen Hawking comes to mind as well. He is awe-inspiringly smart, but suffers from ALS. Some of us have suffered losses so great that they are like millstones around our necks to us, but we keep moving. It is extremely hard to see Captain America on screen and not think of soldiers affected with PTSD or other afflictions. Maybe we don't have green giants impervious to pain in us, but maybe we live with guilt over ways we have brought pain to others in the past. The comic books touch upon this, but these new movies really bring it home to me. Superheros are just like us. They are people who have been through the fire, or carry secrets, but still do good.
Disclaimer: I am not terribly familiar with the Ultron storyline or Ultimates storyline. I am going to try to keep this as focused just on the movie as I can. I have read Avengers and Nick Fury Man from S.H.I.E.L.D comics as well as watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If I stray too far off course, please forgive me, and if I don't come close enough please also forgive me.
Let me not keep you guys in suspense, I loved this movie. I have read mixed reviews of this movie and went in with a negative outlook. I have read reviews that rated this movie from okish to skip this movie. I loved the banter, the action, the storyline, the costumes, the everything. What I thought was lacking was the fact that there is a few cut scenes and you can tell where the scenes where cut. It is almost distracting. There should have been more background given as to what happened then just "Avenger disappears, then is somewhere weird doing a strange thing, HEY look now he is back!" There are some scenes that are definitely rushed and/or oddly edited. It is not very distracting, but it is noticeable. All in all though, the main plot progresses in a timely pace. There are some surprises which is always nice. There are some cameos of characters from other movies, but then oddly some probably key side characters are missing. Again, not distracting, just noticeable.
Tony Stark wants to use technology to help improve the world around him. Sometimes our actions however noble they seem can be quite detrimental. Tony Stark inadvertently creates Ultron who quickly goes from a global peacekeeping system to "KILL ALL HUMANS". This is a familiar trope, but always entertaining. There are shades of a division, an internal war almost, between the team, but they manage to fight together against Ultron.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has shown us that Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker who we saw in the mid credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been experimenting on people. Oddly two people volunteered, and survived his experiments. They are Russian twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. As Maria Hill states "He is fast and she is weird." They work with Ultron to defeat the superhero team.
I am not sure what direction the MCU is headed in, but we see the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones. We saw the the Space Stone in Captain America and the first Avengers movie. The Reality Stone was featured in Thor:The Dark World. The Power Stone was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. We have not seen the Time Stone, or the Soul Stone yet..............or possibly have we? Are these a McGuffin or essential plot point?
One more note, there are an insane amount of in jokes. If you are a comic reader, or watched the other movies, or the TV show, you will be rewarded for your efforts. Some references were over the head, under the feet for me, but some I got.
In a very fast paced movie filled with satisfying action sequences and witty fast paced banter as both sides seek to reach their goals. The movie is incredible. I can see why some won't like it, but I loved it and will watch it again as soon as it hits Netflix. I deliberately left a lot of the plot out of this review because sometimes the internet is too spoilery. I can tell you there are a few things you will be disappointed if I come right out and say. I will not address the deaths that I heard about myself before seeing this movie because only one is sort of on screen, but I have frankly seen worse injuries in action movies. If you like comic books, witty banter, action movies, Guardians of the Galaxy or the X-men, I highly suggest this movie. There are scenes of violence, as well as mild language so use caution with allowing young children to see this movie. 10 out of 10 stars.
Before I talk about the actual plot, let me just say Joss Whedon, I love you. I have been a fan for a long time now. Dollhouse, Firefly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you are the man. I understand you must move on from the MCU and I am going to miss you. I look forward to your next project. Thank you for the fun ride.
It's actually sort of hard to review this movie because I don't want to spoil anything. I will digress one more time to discuss the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I think their superhero names are alluded to with visual clues more than once although I don't think they are ever actually said. I like the rebooted storyline for them, but they will always be Magneto's children to me. Scarlet Witch has always been my favorite Avenger. I will admit her "Hex power" is the ultimate deus ex machina, but it is an awesome power. I don't like later in comics where she becomes an actual witch like character. Ever since the first Iron Man movie I have been waiting for her to be onscreen. Her character was excellently portrayed. For those of you not familiar with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, they originally started off as villains of the X-Men where they were working with Magneto. It was revealed he is their father. The two then join the Avengers, then they find out their father is the true villain, and eventually join the X-Men. Scarlet Witch though, she was just too cool when I was a kid. I wanted to be her. She was not as straight forward as Wonder Woman, who I also liked. She had some baggage. Also, her and Vision have some interesting adventures in the comics. It was hard not to giggle when she first sees him. I wonder if Elizabeth Olsen was aware of this and tried to convey it on screen.
Second diversion, while I was watching this movie I had a few side thoughts. I again realized why I like comic books and superheroes so much. We all have our strengths, but we all have our secrets, or in other cases our weaknesses. In particular I thought about Reggie Lewis. There are of course, several other examples. Stephen Hawking comes to mind as well. He is awe-inspiringly smart, but suffers from ALS. Some of us have suffered losses so great that they are like millstones around our necks to us, but we keep moving. It is extremely hard to see Captain America on screen and not think of soldiers affected with PTSD or other afflictions. Maybe we don't have green giants impervious to pain in us, but maybe we live with guilt over ways we have brought pain to others in the past. The comic books touch upon this, but these new movies really bring it home to me. Superheros are just like us. They are people who have been through the fire, or carry secrets, but still do good.
Disclaimer: I am not terribly familiar with the Ultron storyline or Ultimates storyline. I am going to try to keep this as focused just on the movie as I can. I have read Avengers and Nick Fury Man from S.H.I.E.L.D comics as well as watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If I stray too far off course, please forgive me, and if I don't come close enough please also forgive me.
Let me not keep you guys in suspense, I loved this movie. I have read mixed reviews of this movie and went in with a negative outlook. I have read reviews that rated this movie from okish to skip this movie. I loved the banter, the action, the storyline, the costumes, the everything. What I thought was lacking was the fact that there is a few cut scenes and you can tell where the scenes where cut. It is almost distracting. There should have been more background given as to what happened then just "Avenger disappears, then is somewhere weird doing a strange thing, HEY look now he is back!" There are some scenes that are definitely rushed and/or oddly edited. It is not very distracting, but it is noticeable. All in all though, the main plot progresses in a timely pace. There are some surprises which is always nice. There are some cameos of characters from other movies, but then oddly some probably key side characters are missing. Again, not distracting, just noticeable.
Tony Stark wants to use technology to help improve the world around him. Sometimes our actions however noble they seem can be quite detrimental. Tony Stark inadvertently creates Ultron who quickly goes from a global peacekeeping system to "KILL ALL HUMANS". This is a familiar trope, but always entertaining. There are shades of a division, an internal war almost, between the team, but they manage to fight together against Ultron.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has shown us that Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker who we saw in the mid credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been experimenting on people. Oddly two people volunteered, and survived his experiments. They are Russian twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. As Maria Hill states "He is fast and she is weird." They work with Ultron to defeat the superhero team.
I am not sure what direction the MCU is headed in, but we see the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones. We saw the the Space Stone in Captain America and the first Avengers movie. The Reality Stone was featured in Thor:The Dark World. The Power Stone was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. We have not seen the Time Stone, or the Soul Stone yet..............or possibly have we? Are these a McGuffin or essential plot point?
One more note, there are an insane amount of in jokes. If you are a comic reader, or watched the other movies, or the TV show, you will be rewarded for your efforts. Some references were over the head, under the feet for me, but some I got.
In a very fast paced movie filled with satisfying action sequences and witty fast paced banter as both sides seek to reach their goals. The movie is incredible. I can see why some won't like it, but I loved it and will watch it again as soon as it hits Netflix. I deliberately left a lot of the plot out of this review because sometimes the internet is too spoilery. I can tell you there are a few things you will be disappointed if I come right out and say. I will not address the deaths that I heard about myself before seeing this movie because only one is sort of on screen, but I have frankly seen worse injuries in action movies. If you like comic books, witty banter, action movies, Guardians of the Galaxy or the X-men, I highly suggest this movie. There are scenes of violence, as well as mild language so use caution with allowing young children to see this movie. 10 out of 10 stars.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Open Letter to the Woman who Got Noticably Mad when my Husband used WIC checks at the Store
Dear Woman in Line Behind My Husband at the Store,
Hello. You don't know me, but you were shopping at Dave's Marketplace a few weeks ago. My husband used WIC checks to pay for groceries for our two year old son. You sighed audibly, rolled your eyes and grumbled. I am so sorry that you were inconvenienced because he choose the same line you did.
You see, it is actually my fault we are on WIC. I failed to research the high cost of daycare before I got pregnant. I did not realize daycare cost 1200 to 1700 per month, this does not include crib sheets (I needed six for the daycare alone) and food. I was making about 1200 at my old job per month so you can see where this was a problem. Also, I worked about an hour commute from my apartment so I needed a daycare my son could stay late at, at an extra charge to me of course. I actually got quite fortunate for a while. I found a daycare that was 980 per month. Between the cost of daycare and gas, I netted about $25.00 per month for diapers and formula and with my commute I saw my son for about an hour a day.
I also needed to take about 5 days out of work per month for my son's various therapies and weight checks. You see, his daycare was not in the state we live in so the program could not visit him at daycare.
It was with a heavy heart that I had to resign from my job. I just could not afford to work. When the daycare closed, we could not at all afford a more expensive one which would have been our only choice. I actually did look for several months for another job, but interviewers didn't believe that I loved my job, it was only due to daycare issues I needed a night job.
My husband was nice enough to get a second job, but I was the main bread winner. I have been looking diligently for an evening or night job, but you see it is hard for a middle aged woman to switch careers. Perhaps you are a hiring manager and can give me a job? I am quite a hard worker, but I can only work evenings or nights so I can make all our son's appointments.
It soon came down to paying bills or feeding our son. I can eat bread sandwiches but you see my son was so underweight we had the state sending a nutritionist out to the apartment. The decision to sign up for WIC was actually hard. We budget but we just can't make ends meet. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have to have people know you can't afford to feed your kids? Can you imagine how it would feel to have strangers judge you? Oh wait.....
I am not asking for pity. I have worked since I was 17. My husband has worked since he was 15. Has your life turned out exactly how you planned? Did you ever need someone's help? There are definitely people off worse than us and they don't want pity either. They want the same as you, to be treated fairly.
Again, I am so sorry that my husband choose to inconvenience you, but you see my husband didn't have time to tell you our story. It is really embarrassing having a store manager double check the groceries we are going to feed our two year to make sure we didn't select the wrong state approved foods.
The next time a parent inconveniences you in this manner, think what would happen if you lost your job, or if your life changed in an unexpected way. How would you feel if all you wanted to do was feed your child?
Thank you for your time,
Mom Loves Sci-Fi
Saturday, March 21, 2015
The First Review I Wrote on a Blog. J.J. Abrams' abysmal Star Trek.
(This is a really old post from my first blog on Myspace.
Please Renegades do not make me cry. I am hoping you will be everything you promise to be.
I had to edit this but I kept the tone. The idea is I am trying to improve my writing.........I hope it is getting slightly better as I get older. I was incredibly upset when I wrote this. By the end of the movie I was literally in the fetal position and crying in my seat at the movie theater. By the time I got home I was livid. Nerd rage is a powerful thing friends.)
I'm not going to bother nit picking over the weak storyline or "red matter" or how a drop of "red matter" can implode a planet and create a black hole, but yet when a ship full of the "red matter" detonates it only explodes one ship. Or how a mining ship has a chain long enough to reach from their ship in space to a planet's surface. Or how you can base jump out of a starship to a planet through the atmosphere. Or why if you did and didn't explode in the atmosphere you would need a parachute that also doesn't explode due to well traveling at speed of light. Or how Earth is now four seconds away from Vulcan at warp two when it used to take months at the same speed (Guess they stole the idea of increasing the speed of light from Futurama.)
The biggest problem is Uhura and Spock were not lovers. Ever. There are too many reasons for this and I will not go into them here
Next, in the Star Trek universe ships aren't built in Iowa. Utopia Planitia on the moon, or Mars, yes, Iowa, no.
Incidentally, they don't launch ships from Iowa either, they are launched from space docks.
Since I'm upset about the ships right now, lets talk about Enterprise. Kirk was not on NCC 1701's maiden voyage, since he was the third captain of the ship, but it was launched in 2245, or when Kirk was the ripe old age of 12.
Spock doesn't use phasers. There is this thing called the Vulcan nerve pinch. Spock is Vulcan or anti-violence. Oh, and Spock doesn't wear fur. Vulcans don't kill animals.
McCoy was not technologically minded. He was a Doctor dammit. He never ever ever worked at a console on the bridge. He would visit the bridge yes.Work on the bridge, no.
Chekhov was not a wunderkind. He was a bored teenage pilot. He never got excited and ran around the ship solving problems. Hell he never ran.
And they did not all start on enterprise together. Huge inconsistencies here.
Now lets look at each individual character.
CHRIS PIKE---Took command of Enterprise in 2250 and lead two of the five year missions.He relinquished command to Kirk in 2263. Kirk did not serve under Pike.
SPOCK--Born 2230. As of 2267 he earned the Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor,and had twice been decorated by Starfleet Command. Spock served under Pike for 11 years and 4 months, so roughly say in 2252 Spock went on the Enterprise. Did not create Kobayashi Maru. He was certainly not Kirk's teacher at Starfleet. He was never upset about his mother, Amanda, dying when Vulcan was blown up, because Vulcan was never blown up. That was Alderman from Star Wars and Princess Leia. Maybe J.J. Abrams was really trying to make a Star Wars movie?
JAMES KIRK--Born 2233 in Iowa, not space and by 13 was living on Tarsus IV where he was one of 9 surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4000 colonists by Kodos the Executioner. He served aboard Farragut in 2254, so Enterprise was not his first ship. He had an older brother, who was born in Iowa, and his dad did not die in space before he was born.
DR. LEONARD MCCOY-- Born 2227, or in other words, he was older than Kirk. As of 2267 he had earned the Legion of Honor, and had been decorated by Starfleet surgeons. He joined the Enterprise in 2266, three years after Kirk became captain. He most definitely did not attend Star Fleet Academy with Kirk.
UHURA--Yes, she has a name. It is actually Nyota Uhura and her name is definitely not a mystery. She was born in 2239, or in other words, shes younger than Kirk. Her first appearance was in "The Corbomite Maneuver", or episode 3 which means she joined the Enterprise after Kirk, but before McCoy. She never met Kirk in a bar in Iowa prior to joining the crew. Sorry to disappoint, but she wasn't Spock's lover.
PAVEL CHEKOV-- Born 2245. He came aboard the Enterprise in 2267 or, after the rest of the established bridge crew and McCoy.
CHRISTINE CHAPEL--She was in love with Spock. If Spock never dated her, I doubt highly he went after Uhura who wasn't interested in him. She joined Enterprise in 2266 or after Kirk.
HIKARU SULU-- Born 2237.He came aboard the Enterprise in 2265, once again after Kirk, and by the way, he was initially a physicist.
MONTGOMERY SCOTT--Born 2222. His engineering career began in 2243 and he served on 11 ships. Oddly enough he never served on Hoth, and he didn't ever have a weird mutated Greedo as a personal sidekick.
There is so much more wrong with this train wreck of a horrible movie, but I am very tired now. Plus, my head hurts. Oh by the way, I have the STAR TREK encyclopedia, so I, Alana, wrote all of this. This is not some review or something. I'm just a huge Trekkie and the movie hurt my brain.
This was the worst movie I ever saw. I saw X Men 3, Mercury Rising, and all the Look Who's Talking Movies.
Please Renegades do not make me cry. I am hoping you will be everything you promise to be.
I had to edit this but I kept the tone. The idea is I am trying to improve my writing.........I hope it is getting slightly better as I get older. I was incredibly upset when I wrote this. By the end of the movie I was literally in the fetal position and crying in my seat at the movie theater. By the time I got home I was livid. Nerd rage is a powerful thing friends.)
I'm not going to bother nit picking over the weak storyline or "red matter" or how a drop of "red matter" can implode a planet and create a black hole, but yet when a ship full of the "red matter" detonates it only explodes one ship. Or how a mining ship has a chain long enough to reach from their ship in space to a planet's surface. Or how you can base jump out of a starship to a planet through the atmosphere. Or why if you did and didn't explode in the atmosphere you would need a parachute that also doesn't explode due to well traveling at speed of light. Or how Earth is now four seconds away from Vulcan at warp two when it used to take months at the same speed (Guess they stole the idea of increasing the speed of light from Futurama.)
The biggest problem is Uhura and Spock were not lovers. Ever. There are too many reasons for this and I will not go into them here
Next, in the Star Trek universe ships aren't built in Iowa. Utopia Planitia on the moon, or Mars, yes, Iowa, no.
Incidentally, they don't launch ships from Iowa either, they are launched from space docks.
Since I'm upset about the ships right now, lets talk about Enterprise. Kirk was not on NCC 1701's maiden voyage, since he was the third captain of the ship, but it was launched in 2245, or when Kirk was the ripe old age of 12.
Spock doesn't use phasers. There is this thing called the Vulcan nerve pinch. Spock is Vulcan or anti-violence. Oh, and Spock doesn't wear fur. Vulcans don't kill animals.
McCoy was not technologically minded. He was a Doctor dammit. He never ever ever worked at a console on the bridge. He would visit the bridge yes.Work on the bridge, no.
Chekhov was not a wunderkind. He was a bored teenage pilot. He never got excited and ran around the ship solving problems. Hell he never ran.
And they did not all start on enterprise together. Huge inconsistencies here.
Now lets look at each individual character.
CHRIS PIKE---Took command of Enterprise in 2250 and lead two of the five year missions.He relinquished command to Kirk in 2263. Kirk did not serve under Pike.
SPOCK--Born 2230. As of 2267 he earned the Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor,and had twice been decorated by Starfleet Command. Spock served under Pike for 11 years and 4 months, so roughly say in 2252 Spock went on the Enterprise. Did not create Kobayashi Maru. He was certainly not Kirk's teacher at Starfleet. He was never upset about his mother, Amanda, dying when Vulcan was blown up, because Vulcan was never blown up. That was Alderman from Star Wars and Princess Leia. Maybe J.J. Abrams was really trying to make a Star Wars movie?
JAMES KIRK--Born 2233 in Iowa, not space and by 13 was living on Tarsus IV where he was one of 9 surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4000 colonists by Kodos the Executioner. He served aboard Farragut in 2254, so Enterprise was not his first ship. He had an older brother, who was born in Iowa, and his dad did not die in space before he was born.
DR. LEONARD MCCOY-- Born 2227, or in other words, he was older than Kirk. As of 2267 he had earned the Legion of Honor, and had been decorated by Starfleet surgeons. He joined the Enterprise in 2266, three years after Kirk became captain. He most definitely did not attend Star Fleet Academy with Kirk.
UHURA--Yes, she has a name. It is actually Nyota Uhura and her name is definitely not a mystery. She was born in 2239, or in other words, shes younger than Kirk. Her first appearance was in "The Corbomite Maneuver", or episode 3 which means she joined the Enterprise after Kirk, but before McCoy. She never met Kirk in a bar in Iowa prior to joining the crew. Sorry to disappoint, but she wasn't Spock's lover.
PAVEL CHEKOV-- Born 2245. He came aboard the Enterprise in 2267 or, after the rest of the established bridge crew and McCoy.
CHRISTINE CHAPEL--She was in love with Spock. If Spock never dated her, I doubt highly he went after Uhura who wasn't interested in him. She joined Enterprise in 2266 or after Kirk.
HIKARU SULU-- Born 2237.He came aboard the Enterprise in 2265, once again after Kirk, and by the way, he was initially a physicist.
MONTGOMERY SCOTT--Born 2222. His engineering career began in 2243 and he served on 11 ships. Oddly enough he never served on Hoth, and he didn't ever have a weird mutated Greedo as a personal sidekick.
There is so much more wrong with this train wreck of a horrible movie, but I am very tired now. Plus, my head hurts. Oh by the way, I have the STAR TREK encyclopedia, so I, Alana, wrote all of this. This is not some review or something. I'm just a huge Trekkie and the movie hurt my brain.
This was the worst movie I ever saw. I saw X Men 3, Mercury Rising, and all the Look Who's Talking Movies.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Quick thought on Star Trek Renegades
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZPbX2x3Ug Renegades trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRJWBB12GA Renegades trailer
So does anybody else think that the blue guy (he's a villain but I can't remember his name) looks similar to The Destroyer of Worlds from Doctor Who Battlefield? I giggle every single time I see him. I really want to see Renegades but that distracts the hell out of me.
The Destroyer of Worlds is in the clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6T1wcFwms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRJWBB12GA Renegades trailer
So does anybody else think that the blue guy (he's a villain but I can't remember his name) looks similar to The Destroyer of Worlds from Doctor Who Battlefield? I giggle every single time I see him. I really want to see Renegades but that distracts the hell out of me.
The Destroyer of Worlds is in the clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6T1wcFwms
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Being Multiracial and having a Multiracial Child
I fully understand the rules involved with sharing on the Internet. Most of you I will never meet and therefore you have no idea about any facet of my life. If I don't share it, it stays my secret.
Writing is cathartic to me, it always has been. I started writing my short stories at age 4. My mother found them and tried to do creative writing exercises with me. She would tell me who I had to add and what the characters were going to suddenly decide to do. Or she would find an article in the paper or the Reader's Digest and make me either write a report or expound upon the article. I am writing this blog as a follow-up to those dreaded exercises. I have to get the stories in my head out and journaling is not working any longer. Because I need to do this cathartic exercise for myself, and not for anyone else, I will be as honest as I can be. The more I write, the better I will become.
This entry will be difficult to write because it is so personal.
Being mixed race is not new to my generation. My family roots in America can be traced to slavery. I had an ancestor who was a slave of a man whose last name was Page. She ended up having his child. He in turn left her money and land. My family lived in the land as recently as my Grandfather. My family had another slave who ran away to the Blackfoot Indian tribe. He had a child with an Indian woman. It is not truly multiracial but my Grandfather's parents were from two different regions of Italy. My Grandfather's mother was from Northern Italy and was so fair they called her the Dane (this was the turn of the 1900s, life was different. ) My Grandfather's father was from Sicily. This caused a disruption because this was just not done, and the immigrated to America. My Grandfather was a soldier in World War 2 and was billited at my Great-aunt's house in London. My Welsh grandmother fell in love with the tall, dark, and handsome Italian American. He looked like Tyrone Power.
As you can see, my family is pretty open minded.
My parents dealt with direct opposition, not from family, but from the world around them. They were married in the early 70s and the culture of America was not what it is now. They got either flat out denied apartments or evicted. They stayed together long enough to have a child.
I never thought about race really as a child. The first time it even entered my thoughts was when my step-father's mother bought all her granddaughters Barbie dolls. I don't remember my exact thoughts when I opened the gift, but I am pretty sure "Cool! A new Barbie" was the extent of it. She pulled me and my mother into another room and started to apologize that the store didn't have any black Barbies, would this one be ok? I literally had no idea what was going on. A Barbie is a Barbie. My mother was quiet for a moment then said it was fine.
That was the turning point. The damage was done. Pretty much growing up with a family that looked like a photo negative of my complexion led to many "Are you adopted?" inquires.
I moved to North Carolina when I was 17 to go to Job Corps. Not my proudest achievement, I must admit. The ratio of African American students to non-African American students was incredibly disproportionate. I felt I surely had to fit in, I was color coded after all. Being from New England, I am pretty friendly, but not really outgoing. I am pretty guarded against strangers. Something about not seeing the sun for seven months a year makes us shy up here. I didn't fit in because the other students thought I was "stuck up" because I wasn't as outgoing as they were. If only they knew I have pretty bad anxiety.
I eventually came back up here to the frozen tundra. Almost immediately, I met a really cute guy and we started dating. He was a former skin head, but for a black person I was pretty cool. We did not last.
My biggest issue up here is one that is heavily cliched by the media. I am not going to rob your store. To the cashier at Homegoods, the heist is not your $3.99 glasses that you accused me of price tag switching on. To the cashier at Bath and Body Works, thank you, I no longer shop at the chain because of you. I do not plan on going to jail for scented hand sanitizer, there was no need to trail me around the store and randomly jump at me from behind displays. To every store ever, please stop following me around the store asking every 10 seconds if I need your help. No, I don't. I know my sizes, I know what I like and if you give me room to breath, I will make a purchase. I went shopping once with my younger brother and he started laughing after the 30th time in five minutes I was asked if I needed "help". He wanted to know why that was happening as he had never seen it before. Either I have the money on me, or I am browsing.
I now have a child who I love dearly. Because of my mixed heritage, and his father being Puerto Rican, my son is significantly lighter skinned than me. There is no reason to come up to us and ask me who his mother is. There is no reason for the Pediatrician to ask if I "watch" him. It bothers me that my son will have to face the same trials I do and did. People assume my 64 year old mother is his mom because they are both olive skinned. When I get asked his ethnicity, I laugh a bit because he is everything. I hope with his generation, we can do away with some of the negativity regarding racial backgrounds in this country.
I have made my own "culture". I don't really like rap, well I like party rap. I actually really like Tori Amos and Regina Spektor. I like alternative, and 80's hits. I read, too. Mostly Dickens, not too many modern authors although I really like Jacqueline Winspear. I like antiques as well. Probably my favorite guilty pleasures are Royal Dalton and anything stamped occupied Japan. It bothers me when people assume I know what a Lil' Wayne is or Beyonce's new song. Pop music doesn't really appeal to me either. I am just not hip like that. I am really comfortable with who I am and the things I like. I don't think of myself as black, I think of myself mostly as just being me. If you get anything out of this, its mostly don't assume. Family comes in many different combinations, always has, always will. People's likes are not based upon their backgrounds. If you are curious, ask but don't ask insulting questions......You will find most people would rather clarify if they don't feel insulted or ashamed.
I moved to North Carolina when I was 17 to go to Job Corps. Not my proudest achievement, I must admit. The ratio of African American students to non-African American students was incredibly disproportionate. I felt I surely had to fit in, I was color coded after all. Being from New England, I am pretty friendly, but not really outgoing. I am pretty guarded against strangers. Something about not seeing the sun for seven months a year makes us shy up here. I didn't fit in because the other students thought I was "stuck up" because I wasn't as outgoing as they were. If only they knew I have pretty bad anxiety.
I eventually came back up here to the frozen tundra. Almost immediately, I met a really cute guy and we started dating. He was a former skin head, but for a black person I was pretty cool. We did not last.
My biggest issue up here is one that is heavily cliched by the media. I am not going to rob your store. To the cashier at Homegoods, the heist is not your $3.99 glasses that you accused me of price tag switching on. To the cashier at Bath and Body Works, thank you, I no longer shop at the chain because of you. I do not plan on going to jail for scented hand sanitizer, there was no need to trail me around the store and randomly jump at me from behind displays. To every store ever, please stop following me around the store asking every 10 seconds if I need your help. No, I don't. I know my sizes, I know what I like and if you give me room to breath, I will make a purchase. I went shopping once with my younger brother and he started laughing after the 30th time in five minutes I was asked if I needed "help". He wanted to know why that was happening as he had never seen it before. Either I have the money on me, or I am browsing.
I now have a child who I love dearly. Because of my mixed heritage, and his father being Puerto Rican, my son is significantly lighter skinned than me. There is no reason to come up to us and ask me who his mother is. There is no reason for the Pediatrician to ask if I "watch" him. It bothers me that my son will have to face the same trials I do and did. People assume my 64 year old mother is his mom because they are both olive skinned. When I get asked his ethnicity, I laugh a bit because he is everything. I hope with his generation, we can do away with some of the negativity regarding racial backgrounds in this country.
I have made my own "culture". I don't really like rap, well I like party rap. I actually really like Tori Amos and Regina Spektor. I like alternative, and 80's hits. I read, too. Mostly Dickens, not too many modern authors although I really like Jacqueline Winspear. I like antiques as well. Probably my favorite guilty pleasures are Royal Dalton and anything stamped occupied Japan. It bothers me when people assume I know what a Lil' Wayne is or Beyonce's new song. Pop music doesn't really appeal to me either. I am just not hip like that. I am really comfortable with who I am and the things I like. I don't think of myself as black, I think of myself mostly as just being me. If you get anything out of this, its mostly don't assume. Family comes in many different combinations, always has, always will. People's likes are not based upon their backgrounds. If you are curious, ask but don't ask insulting questions......You will find most people would rather clarify if they don't feel insulted or ashamed.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Yeah, Baby! Thoughts about Elmo and Seasame Street
Growing up, I really enjoyed Sesame Street. I don't ever really thinking I should be learning from it. It was a fin mix of muppets, songs, surreal cartoons, and songs. I definitely enjoyed it more than The Electric Company
Possibly the most important moment from Sesame Street was the passing of Mr. Hooper. This taught us 80's kids a very deep lesson in sadness. My mother says I was very distraught.
Of course, I outgrew the show. My much younger brothers watched it but was a baby show and I lost all interest. That is until one day. I heard a very familiar song and it evoked memories of listening to my Sesame Street record as a young child. The tune that I heard was "Thats Big Bird's Song" but when I went closer to the television, it became apparent it was not. It was being sung by Elmo. I felt let down by a childhood favorite that day.
I never really thought about Sesame Street again until I was in my late 20s. Most of my friends had small children, but I did not have any children at the time. When they came to visit I had very little to keep their children entertained. One day at Walmart, I happened to find a dvd of the first seasons of Sesame Street.
This was great. I had found the perfect dvd. Shortly after I bought it, a friend came to visit with his small son. I put on the dvd and we started talking. We were not paying much attention when a cartoon man came out and informed us this was for adult entertainment purposes only and not to be viewed by children. I sat there stunned. I did not remember buying a porn parody of Sesame Street. We both examined the box and it clearly stated it was a Jim Henson production. We watched the first episode and other than a very hypnotic segment that made us want milk quite desperately, there was nothing I found to be inappropriate, nor did he. He actually remembered watching the episode as a child.
When my son was about a year old, I decided that television in small portions would be acceptable. My youngest brother was 24 at the time and the last time I had any exposure to children's television was when he was little, so it has been some time. I was upset to hear the Mr. Roger's is not being shown in reruns. Then I found out Sesame Street is very much still on the air on PBS.
I am not very uptight when it comes to entertainment, but everytime Elmo came on the screen, I wanted to break something. It took me a while to realize it, but I don't think Elmo is very toddler appropriate. Every other sentence is "Yeah, Baby!" which is not a phrase I like. Maybe because of "Yeah, Buddy!" which is what I think when I hear it.
Then there is this:
Notice what is said around the 2:34 mark.
It is not just Elmo. There is this Wizard of Oz parody : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ2taTzhwrI. A well known adult movie is titled "Behind the Green Door". I did not really like the connection at all.
Maybe I am overthinking this. Afterall, doesn't Pixar have many "in-jokes" that adults snicker at over their children's heads?
My son still watches Sesame Street, I think overall its a fine show. I must say, I love how diverse the cast is. Leela makes a fine addition, even though she was not written as being Indian when first cast. Maria and Luis along with Gordon and Susan are still on the show. Alan who runs Hooper's store is of Japanese descent. The songs still do a good job of teaching ABCs and 123s. I do change the channel when something I don't like comes on.
What do you think? Am I overthinking? What children's shows do you feel have controversial tones?
I do want to state, this is a blog. This is my opinion. I think that in the last few years people feel their opinions are facts, but they really aren't. I am not looking to start an opinion war, these are just random thoughts I had.
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