Toadfish Monastery

Hi everyone... just wanted to let you know that I didn't fall off the face of the earth... I am just very much enjoying my job search right now 

and I don't usually get much time to be online for fun 

I am still hear

Love you all dear Siblings 

Now this is too funny... but it's sooo true some man just haven't a clue

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/video.aspx

well... Tennessee has never really agreed with me mostly because there is no waterfront...

and lately I have been looking at the bright side of my situation...

since I am not tied by a very good  job... I am free to roam!

I have always played with the idea of moving to NYC, but now that I am a mom it would a suicide...

I was thinking about Connecticut... and work in NYC...

anyone up there to give some insight of what the job market looks like?

where in CT would be best to leave to reach the City comfortably?

any feedback will be very appreciated

well the banks and credit institution had theirs... the auto industry (man I can't believe it!) is having it...

why not me?

I could use having the goverment paying for the remainder of my car loan, my credid cards and, last but not least, my daughter's hospital bill (uncovered by employer's insuarnce because I had completed 2 months of service yet!) of over 18K...

I want a bail out too...

anyone else?

you siblings all know what happened last thursday, for those who don't I got sacked...

as if that wasn't bad enough now I have to endure the constant bugging of people who did keep their job and now are trying to tell me that it's not that bad really... come on, I will find another job in no time... many company will pay for my relocation....

if it wasn't out of good manners, I would just tell them to shut the f@$k up, thank their gods (whatever they may be) and leave me the hell alone!!!!!

I am not an expert and History is a big gap in my educational background (unfortunately...I loved it, but my teacher sucked big time!)

besides personal situations... tragedies dictated by the failuire of the economic system...

do you think such failure would actually lead us to WW3?

well... I was walking down the halls of my building to finish up my business before turning my badge in and lay offs were going on...

I thought it was amusing that security guards (armed) were patrolling the halls as well...

man...

Lately, I have found myself more and more interested in inner discovery and I wanted to try to walk the path of meditation...

while experimenting, an astonishing fact kept recurring disturbing my routine...

The world interference...

and it's not just about the loud neightbours or the phone ringing or my daughter watching cartoons ( on the PC, we do not own a TV anymore , proudly )...

it's just I find myself trying to focus when I finally get some quiet time at night... and I have to put a serious extra effort into it because too many distraction are crowding my head...

Internet, bills, work issues...

I find entertainment to be my biggest obstacle to the path of imporving my meditation skills... since after a day at work and an eving running after an hyper 4 yrs old by myself... I just want to be numb I guess and don't engage my brain cells if not absolutely necessary...

But the rest of the day is so loud and busy...

Is there a time of the day when the world is quiter? Or do we just have to try to turn off all the background noise?

After spending most of my adult life in the UK, I consider myself of British adoption...Love Britain if if wasn't so crowded and so expensive!

Today I was shopping around at the local grocery store and I was lost after condiments and pasta... when...

I find myself in front of a shelf named "Fine British food"...

oh delight!

Digestive cookies and HP (not Hewlett-Packard... the sauce! ) and of course the thing my daughter and I have been missing the most: the squash!

really made my day! (you can tell how absolutely pathetically boring and depressing my days are of late LOL)

For five years now I have been a loyal follower of this brilliant show... but I guess after Episode 7 of this season, they will have to shoot me to make me give it up...

Matter of fact I keep watching the same Episode 7 every night online here http://abc.go.com/player/index?pn=index under full episodes>Boston Legal...

I am sorry if I didn't explain before... the show is about the ups and downs of a Boston Law Firm... which, per se would be dull... but, well James Spader (Alan Shore) and William Shattener (Danny Crane) just make this show absolutely brilliant!

During the episode in question Shore and Crane get into a discussion about the tax policies of the tow candidates and they ended up shooting at each other with paint ball guns.... which of course creates panic in the office...

I know it doesn't really sound that funny... but it might be worth a try

No seriously... I had to share this one...

I left the blinds open (unusual for me at this time at night)...

and my kitten has started to fight against his mirrored self!

With ears back, tale fussed and all...

he got so upset that he charged "the enemy" head first only to knock himself out on the window glass!

I was all excited to get on the European library site... holding my breath I type the URL and press ENTER...and ooopppsss...

Site has been overwhelmed with over 10 million hits per hour on first day...
so they had to shut it down to allow building infrastructure to increase capacity....they _should_ be back on line by mid- December...

apparently, we of the Monastery weren't the only one interested.... yeah I know... UTOPIA right?

Pardon my excitement, but I was just browsing one of the Italian newspapers I read online and this news just made me jump on my couch with joy!

From tomorrow on the most precious and rare books withheld in the collections of museums and libraries across the old continet will be available online at www.europeana.eu !!!!

Can you imagine??? The British library's treasures online ... not having to fly to London??? (well I love London though...)

JOY TO THE WORLD...ALL AROUND THE WORLD.... JOY TO THE FISHES IN THE DEEP BLUE SEE... JOY TO YOU AND ME!

well... we have been hearing about the economic down turn for months now and today it stepped right into my own life and the ones of over 3000 other of my coworkers when our CEO broadcasted the measures that our company is undertaking to get by this bad crisis...

words like "volutary separation, voluntary part time and lay offs" creeped into the speech and to be honest... terrified me and any other i have been talking to...

For quite some time now I have been trying to help someone who very dear to my heart that has to deal with this law...

He had a girlfrind who he has proposed to (if you can really talk about proposal at 16-17!!!) and the parents of the girl were fine with their relationship... but then, as soon as the plans were about to be fulfilled (he was going to join the armed forces and marry her), th parents turned him in.

He was in WA, and according to WA laws, since he was older then the girl of 53 months (legal age difference is 48), he at the tender age of 18 has been sent to prison for 1 year...

Almost 18 years have passed. This person is an intelligent, kind, sensitive and very very well skilled Network Engineer who in 17 years couldn't get a decent job and that is now facing not only enmployment but being homeless since all the places he can afford to live turn him away because of his background.

I have a few questions I really would like someone to help me with:

I have done my home work and I know there is no expunging a sex crime, not in WA at least... so how can this person be considered for a job? or why is that that a mistake made by a person who a little more then a child can scar his own life like this???

is there any organization that you know that can give legal advice, career coaching and housing advice?

I'd really like to get some feedback from the free thinkers of the Toadfish on this one.

I am the mother of a (almost) 4 yrs old little girl and I _know_ I am trying to do the best I can to prevent any sexual abuse on my daughter....

but do you guys think this law is human at all? don't you think there should be a distinction between a stupid mistake of a teenager and a sex predator?
Don't you think the punishment should end after they have apid their debt to society?

somehow I feel these people are like shadows... they have no civil rights and their records is basicaly a scial handicap that prevents them from living a close to normal life...

I do apologize in advance if I hurt anyone's feelings talking about this, but this person is really dear to me and he has now entered a major depressive state from which we don't know he'll recover... he needs constant supervision because he might take his life... and my heart breaks every time we see him because I just cannot conceive how such a beautiful mind and soul could be tossed in the trash and forgotten like that....

1st African-american president in history...

tonight I am really proud of my decision to come to live here!

well... I thought to share with you... now that my life has finally settled into a decent routine...

I can pay more attention to myself and my emotions and feelings... and the very first, strong emotion that almost haunts me is : I miss the Ocean... in particular I miss the Medterrean sea...

but just any sea or ocean would do right now...

where I am from the water is pretty much like the crystal clear waters of the Carribean and I really miss the voice of the waves that tell stories about the people who live beyond the horizon...

I miss it so much...

( I live in Middle Tennessee)

Well... I thought to start from the foods that are available per season and in my mind the best place to start was the local farmer's market...

they were't really helpfull when they realized I wasn't goiing to buy anything... but I still got to look around...

ultemately i have found this great website that tells you exactly what fruits and veggies are in season in your local area!

Enjoy!

http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/?gclid=CM-cpK6xp5YCFQNbxwodgmMLzQ

ps: one of the most fantastic features of this site is that it offers links to the local internet resource and what i have found for my area (TN) is exactly the description of the book I was looking for a while back if you remember!

Now my humble apologies to all of you for venturing in a field of which I have limited knowledge....

more apologies for sticking my greencard holder nose into the politics of a country where I have the right to pay taxes but not to vote...

am I stating blasphemies if I say that Palin should go back to AK and stay there?

I mean the woman did not even came close to compare to senator Biden's style, communication effectiveness and strategy...

She avoided to answer most of the hot question, mostly because well... there isn't an answer...

she kept repeating "as a governor of an energy producing state" like she wanted to use the debate to advertise AK!!!!

She kept rebuffing senator Biden  for referring to the distraous policies of the Bush's admnistration like it was a bad think to do (well, I hate to break to you Sarah, but looking at the past is the only way the human race, if ever, has learnt something!)

and she said " the greed and corruption in Wall street" at least 6 time in 40 min and 59 sec of her time... like the people who could't afford to buy that 750K beach property do not have anything to do with the economy going down the toilet....

I am so greatful I do not have to vote! 

So, I have started what  consider the greatest of my work in this life... (man, sounds so formal! LOL): starting a Book of familiy traditions for my daughter and the generations to come...

I have thought to dive it by seasons and have sections for a lot of stuff (holidays, crafts...etc.)

As soon as I started the planning thought i realized that I had a huge knowledge gap that was a show stopper (well, yes ignorance...let's call things by their own name )

I don't know anything about what vegetables are in season, what flowers blossom or have to planted in what season, nothing about trees...

Isn't it terrible??? How could we possibly be so detached from the Great Mother like this?

Anywho, I am looking for a book/manual that would provide guidance...

I have tried looking itno the farmers alamnacs.. but they are not the right resource for my purpose...

Any suggestion?

Prize: Your nickname (or real one if you are confy with it)  will be mentioned in the thanks of our family book and the generations to come will be thankful for your help