Baby It's Cold Out!

Here I am sitting in my studio. My toes are freezing.

And yet, when I look out the back door window, I see both of my Labs sleeping on the ground in 28 degree weather.

Better them than me.

In a World of Their Own

My humbling new job can often be a challenge to me. I serve 5 austistic young adult women, many of whom also have mental retardation. As such there is not much in the way of "normal" conversation to be had with these young ladies.

As they sit in the living room, seemingly oblivious to the blaring TV, they all appear to be in their own little worlds. But what kind of worlds do these girls visit?

What DOES go on in their minds?

And can we really be sure that the girls are really zoning out and being in their own little worlds?

Standardized testing may have placed them in a lower IQ category and a low-functioning capacity. But what if these tests missed something? What if the girls are much smarter and more aware than what they appear and what we expect of them?

They are smart enough to know that I am the new staff member. And everyday they test me to see what they could get away with.

And for all we know, these young ladies could be working on developing a way to bring peace to the world. Only we don't know it because the brain glitches these girls have do not allow them to verbalize and communicate such an exalted concept.

They do try to communicate. Honestly, they do. And just like I get frustrated in trying to understand what they are saying in between humming, grunts, perseverative speech, and echolalia, they get frustrated that I am not getting their message.

That would be enough to frustrate anyone.

There Is No Doubt...

...why the obquitous "they" call the television the "boob tube."

I've never been much of a TV watcher. In fact I can go for months, even years, without even the slightest inkling to turn on the telly.

However, ever since I got my new job, I have seen a lot of television. And what I have seen even further convinced me that I have missed nothing by not watching TV.

While I do find some shows, like The Family Guy amusing, I take exception to the glut of reality TV shows. They are like train wrecks in that no matter how awful the scene, you cannot help but look.

Two such train wrecks that I have recently seen were Flavor of Love and its vanilla version Rock of Love.

There really is no difference between the shows. Both Flavor Flav and Bret Michaels give a half-hearted effort to show their sincerity. However, that sincerity is readily eclipsed by their lack of shame in flaunting their pursuit to find the perfect bed warmer.

Basically that is the point of the show. It's a celebrity version of the Dating Game ~ the Dating Game on steroids.

Instead of having one bachelorette choose one of 3 guys (who are behind the screen) based on how she liked that particular bachelor's answers, these shows portray easily a dozen very needy and co-dependant women competing to be either Flav's or Brett's girlfriend and arm candy.

In the meantime, both supposed "gentlemen" are enjoying tasting and gorging themselves on the fruit.

Can it get any more pathetic than that?

Is this what the mainstream calls "entertainment?"

Whatever it is to anyone else, to me it's another strong reinforcer for my avoiding the boob tube and train wreck TV.

Brrrrrr

It is days like today that make me not complain about winter.

Today is actually a very beautiful day outside. The sun is shining brightly, and there is a delicious crispness to the air.

But the temperature is in the mid-teens ~ well below freezing. And the howling banshee wind is making that already frigid air feel colder than it actually is.

After spending a couple of hours in my studio ~ which happens to be the coldest room in the house ~ I broke down, got off my PC, and set up my laptop in the much warmer kitchen.

My only complaint there is having the shining sun make it difficult to see the screen, let alone the cursor.

However, that is much more preferable than sporting many layers, wearing a polar fleece hat, fingerless gloves, and my fleece-lined fur apres ski boots, while having an afghan on my shoulers and another one on my lap.

I tell you, such multitude of layers belongs outside, not inside.

Slacking and Writer's Block

I cannot believe that I am at a loss for words. Not only have I been slacking on this blog, I have been doing the same with my personal hard copy journal.

Could it be a case of writer's block?

Perhaps.

I feel bad that I have not been able to write for quite awhile. I've been either too tired or too busy. Sometimes both.

And I can assure you that I will be very busy tomorrow when I pull a double shift at my new job. I've been there barely a month, and already I am scheduled to work mondo OT.

In fact, I have discovered that working double shifts is quite common at the May.

While I could most certainly use the extra money, can my body and mind deal w/the extra work hours?

I guess I'll find out sooner or later.