m.e.g.h.@.n.o.l.o.g.y.!

It occurred to me...

I am sure that you are all familiar with this ad:

Did you notice, like I did, the lady changed? Before the picture was of a girl who looked like the girl with the glasses from Scooby Doo and now it's Barbie with Farah Fawcett hair -- anyway -- who is this guy? And why is *he* being used as the epitome of "oh la la" ... when I was in high school I was stuck in a mad crazy crush with (oh, like there was just one) but, regardless, none of them ... nevermind, my point was just - why him? What about those of us who liked the guys with the military cut (or, skinheads as my dad called them) or the guys with the darker hair (hotties!) not the little blonde mama's boys. What!? In addition to that - he looks like a baseball player. hate them! If you wanted a guy in high school, well, there is a *reason* why football players are popular; they freaking rock AND some of them have a brain. (imagine.)


Anyway, mentioning Barbie (and hot guys) (and military cuts) ((whew, I am ALL over the place)) Mattel gave Ken a makeover. so he can get back with Barbie. BUT, a gay guy gave him the make over so now Ken looks especially gay.............. well, the one that will be selling in stores does... the collector one... NICE.

I laughed because they were showing all the different Kens and I sure do remember having the one with actual hair (not painted plastic, right) and this swirled magenta/lime green polyester shirt... yeah. that was MY Ken.


And for those of you that were wondering, his last name is Carson. (illegitimate son of Johnny?)

posted by meg @ 3:06 PM 2 comments

Questions for the Deaf community

To: Members of the Deaf Community
From: A curious, nieve, slightly stupid future interpreter

So, I was reading tonight and I had some questions. Mostly their answers will include information beyond the scope of my knowledge, which is why I don't understand, but I feel compelled to ask.


How is language skill assessed when a Deaf child enters school (Residential or mainstreamed)? Who sets the standards for what is acceptable and what is not?
If a child is below standard, how is that addressed? Is ASL taught alongside English for Deaf children of hearing adults? (Clearly, not if they are mainstreamed. Why not?)

** One of the things the ITP program has taught me is "" Don't ask 'why' ask 'how,' "" and usually that sustains me but ... REALLY? **

South Dakota School for the Deaf seems to be very strong. Is this because SD has adopted a Deaf child's Bill of Rights? (And implemented it?) How are they doing at working with "just" Deaf children and Deaf children with handicaps?

** I am especially interested in Residential schools because NE had one that was closed. **

In regards to mainstreaming children AND CODAs public education. There is SO much that happens outside the classroom proper, how could an interpreter possibly ensure communication for all situations? For the Deaf child: from the school day proper, open house, programs, after school events where they may be present, how is there any consistency? And if the parents of that child are Deaf? Throw in parent teachers conferences, PTA meetings, school board meetings, Come ON! yeah, AN interpreter may be to all of those functions but is the level of communication truly what hearing parents would consider acceptable ? (Chances are good... no.) AND I was thinking -- Say, you've got a CODA (okay) and you run into their math teacher at the store. Are you really going to bust out a pen and paper to discuss his last algebra test? SURE as a parent you would -- but what about that math teacher? Are they really going to be as engaged? I would *hope* so, but ... yeah.


Can you recommend any of these books?

Seeing Voices
They Grow in Silence
The Deaf School Child
Raising and Educating a Deaf Child

They mentioned "critical mass" in this book, too, in regards to children attending school with other children that they could communicate with. I know that awhile back ISD used to allow siblings of the Deaf students to attend, also. WOW! How amazing is that? AND you have a whole generation of students who are part of this supportive, caring community. WHY would you not want that?

I understand that I have now been watching and interacting (just a little) bit the Community in my area but... why not send your kids to the same school? And if one of them is Deaf -- why not? I think, too, that it would encourage students to challenge each other to excell, rather then mainstreaming Deaf students to a place where they are if not intentionally then at least inadvertantly outcast.

I went to high school with J and he was the COOLEST kid I had never met. I was too chicken, and he was Deaf, what was I going to say/do/act/ communicate? So, I took notes instead and I have regreted not starting a friendship with him then ever since. Luckily, I'll get another chance. ( That was really random, I just wanted to throw it out there. )

posted by meg @ 7:43 PM 4 comments

when in Rome...

Today we started our introduction to language class and I am excited because we are going to be studying the evolution of language, of sign language and the history of language in general.

To me, this is fascinating and I can't wait to start.

So, we're sitting in class ~ side note, I feel bad for some of these kids because they've never had a Flagg class before ! ~ and she is explaining

posted by meg @ 5:14 PM 2 comments

And I wanted to go back?

What the freaking heck was I thinking?!

So - today had some good moments, Great moments and Really sucky moments!

I have two Flagg classes - and this woman is phenomenal but I can't even begin to tell you what her classes are like. Take the hardest class you have ever taken and multiply it by 10 to the fourth and MAYBE you're getting close.

Oy.

AND then I found out that I only have BW three times a week - what?! I'm crushed.

Two girls that I thought would positively drop the program were there and some that I really thought were doing okay aren't. SAD.

A new girl, Molly, came - she seems nice enough. She's in one of my groups.

PTK is nuts and I am exhausted and must be off ---

I'll write more tomorrow I just wanted to touch base.

posted by meg @ 9:36 PM 0 comments

HERD of DACHSHUNDS!

Today was very exciting!

First of all my hankering to "build something" was satisfied - check this out,
my dad and I built part of a work bench!





BUT THEN the doorbell rang!

I looked outside and here were these two people with two dogs.

"What?!" I said to myself, then I remembered! From the dog rescue!
We were getting dogs today!

We got two dogs: Ben and Johann (aka YoYo).


















So - NOW we have a herd of dachshunds at my parents home!



How fun is that?!

posted by meg @ 8:11 PM 0 comments

Week I: Go Tigers!

My new years resolution this year was to do something "interesting" every week. I'll post them here so "Week #" blogs aren't like "real" blogs -- they are actual thoughts on specific things that I've done. hm.

About 6 months ago - no, maybe more - the Nebraska School for the Dea was mentioned in class and I wondered where it was. Plattmouth? Grand Island? Kearney? I assumed that if it were in Lincoln or Omaha I would have heard of it, somehow.

Yup! I was wrong. There IS no Nebraska School for the Deaf because ... well wait. Here, I stole this from NAD.org -- read it yourself:

The Nebraska Legislature, with minimal input from parents of deaf children and deaf professionals, has decided not to provide continued funding for NSD, favoring instead a plan put forth by the Nebraska Department of Education. This plan, effective Fall 1998, will establish four regional/statewide programs for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Those four programs will cover 1) Omaha metropolitan area, 2) Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska, 3) Northeast Nebraska and 4) Central-Western Nebraska.

The NAD has been working with the NeAD to oppose this plan. The NAD believes that deaf and hearing children should be afforded with a full continuum of educational choices to choose from. With the closure of NSD, parents will be denied a vital option in determining the most appropriate educational setting for their children.

Legislative Bill (LB) 1276 was introduced by Senator Kiel in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislative Session on January 22, 1998. LB 1276 proposed standards of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and stated that NSD could not be closed until other programs that would meet those standards be established and fully functioning. Unfortunately, this bill died in the Education Committee.

The Governor of Nebraska convened a special one week session in May 1998 to revise and pass a previously vetoed bill for special education funding. There was a line in this voluminous bill that would repeal the statute requiring the [existence of the] Nebraska School for the Deaf. Parents and the deaf community attempted to amend this bill to adopt standards of deaf education, as outlined in the failed LB 1276. Legislators, however, turned a deaf ear to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children.

Because the Nebraska Legislature has chosen to ignore the pleas of parents of deaf and hard of hearing children, educators, the deaf community and children themselves, favoring instead to adopt a supposedly cheaper plan proposed by the Nebraska Department of Education, the following events have taken place:

• The Nebraska School for the Deaf will close its doors on August 1998.
• No standards of education for deaf and hard of hearing children have been adopted, leaving such in the hands of those who are not fully aware of the full ramifications of the current plan.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) deplores this situation and calls upon the Nebraska Legislature to put the future of quality education for deaf and hard of hearing children above the value of the current dime.

In the 1999 Nebraska state legislative session, there will be another attempt to introduce a bill establishing educational standards for deaf and hard of hearing children. The NAD will continue to work with the Nebraska Association of the Deaf and related individuals and groups within the state toward this goal.

Nice, huh?

So, I decided that I wanted to see the museum that the Alumni Association had established. The museum is within the property that once was NSD; now owned by Turning Point which includes the Omaha Street School.


I headed up there today. On the one hand it was amazing - there was pics and momentos -- but on the other I was so sad. This was a thriving, industrious, educational place to
members of the Deaf community to gather and socialize and ... now - what? They get mainstreamed with kids they can't communicate with, stuck in classes with interpreters that maybe aren't the greatest -- not a slam against 'terps, okay! just truths -- and why? I don't understand. SO, it made me sad.

THEN at the end there is a book for you to sign. Yeah, the last person that went was in - oh, October. How flippin' sad is that? I want to email the curator guy and say, "Hey! every three of four months you should have a new exhibit - " I'd freaking arrange it FOR HIM just to get people to be more involved. ugh.

anyway - I've been ... I'm not sure inspired is the right word. But not really enraged, either. hm. I'll think about it and get back to you.



* * * * * * * * * * * * *

COMING NEXT WEEK: SCHOOL STARTS -- oh, wait. That doesn't count.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Going to go see "The Good Shepard" with my dad and grandpa. And school starts. whooo hoo.

posted by meg @ 4:13 PM 0 comments

Dodge Street

A friend of mine one time grimaced when mentioning Dodge Street. I laughed at him.

I love Dodge Street! If I could write odes, I would write on in honor of Dodge Street.

Omaha is cut in half, north/south and smack in the middle is Dodge (unless you count Bellevue - then Dodge is actually like 1/3 of the way down). Dodge Street is good therapy, cheaper than a psychologist and open twenty-four seven.

I used to live further west than I do now, and at one time I lived in Council Bluffs so I would start on the far east end of Dodge. So far east it was actually Douglas ... hm.

When I need to get out and think I buckle up and head east; starting on 72nd and Dodge. I love it, sometimes I go through Starbucks and get an apple cider to keep me going. I pass UNO, which has this fantastic new library I must go check out... perhaps take a nap in.




I pass Memorial Park. Tonight, this morning? about 1 am there were people in ball gown standing on the overpass crossing Dodge. I love Omaha. I honked.

My godmother's restaraunt is up on 50th as are apartments that I would Love to live in... and then Saddlecreek which is one the most random crankified streets in the city running northwest (or, southeast, I guess. Depends on where you're headed). I used to live of California so I'd have to get off Dodge and wrap around that bank or cut through the BK parking lot to get to my house. Bizarre.

I love 42nd street. I love that there is a sign that says, "Turn right to go left," I want to steal it and hang it up ... maybe in a hallway? The med center is freaking awesome; and they finally tore down that crack-whore motel.

The best parts of Dodge are the hills and curves; coming down from 42nd you not only have a sweet curve, but it's downhill, too! I'm excited that mutual of omaha is turning that area into a park. It will be a really nice addition to the area (not to mention that I'm looking at an apartment there abouts... whoo hoo).

Dodge gets funky as it gets downtown. My family used to go to Kountze Memorial and that's there are you head east, next to channel 7. It was about 2:30 when I passed it and I never realized they turned off their scrolling message board thing (what are they called?) at night. Hm. You'd think they'd keep the time and temp up at least.

I usually turn around about 20th - I love to drive up past the Children's Museum. They are re-doing the outside and it looks fantastic.

tonight I confess I hit I-80 to the WOE (West Omaha Expressway, haha) and came back around. I get slightly a little bit motion sick and coming east as the WOE drops is NOT always a pleasant experience. I will say, though, that when we had our first frost/ice/snow thing I really thought that people would die because... hello! You know they FLY on that stupid thing and what would happen if there was an accident up there? How would medical vehicles get up there?

BUT it was awesome to see the skyline of the city and drive down to meet Old Mill Road (ish)...I am so excited that there is a Cheesecake Factory here now - YUM! It's weird that I live so close to Westroads, my 'rents are 2 minutes from Crossroads but I would chose MotB over both.

I hated driving home on Dodge when I worked at Marriott because some random company has a sign that tells what the Dow averages were and forever they were just DOWN DOWN DOWN and who wants to see that?

This new tree that the Salvation Army put up at the Bank on 90th is .... big. and bright. and not a real tree. When I first saw it I thought that they would light up the percent of money that they had made to their goal but, no.

That's a great part of Dodge, right there - from 90th to 72nd. Lots of stuff happening - like the Village Inn that you can't really get to because of the Firestation and the new Blicks -- there is a Buffalo Wild Wings right there, too. I heard that you can learn to Salsa at Arthur's every Thursday night -- fun!

Then you're back to 72nd. (( Depending on how much I needed to think on it's entirely possible I'd head south, hit i-80 then cruise around the Circle -- i-80 to i-29 to 680 and around and around and I'm really glad there aren't cruising laws on the interstates. )) AND talk about a nasty, mean street - ugh. I loathe 72nd, AND they want to add a freaking wal-mart? WHAT?

The only crazy thing about Dodge Street is the malls - Village Pointe (e!), Westroads, and Crossroads - but even those aren't too bad provided you don't get stuck behind a bus!

posted by meg @ 2:31 AM 2 comments

HP

January 3, 2007

Hewlett Packard:


I purchased an extemely overpriced Compaq nc6220 a year ago. (Okay! Maybe 18 months ago.) It was a wonderful piece of computer hardware once I realized, bought and installed Windows so it actually did what I wanted it to.

My laptop was a "want," I wanted it so I bought it. However, it was not a "need." A friend of mine needed a computer as our studies are insanely difficult and long, so I let her borrow my computer.

Foolish? Perhaps, but really How much damage could one do to a laptop that can not be fixed by wiping off the harddrive and starting over? There is nothing so sacred on my computer that I wouldn't be willing to let a friend borrow it for a few weeks.

BUT my built=in CD/DVDrom DISAPPEARED.
((Have you seen Jeff Dunham?
"The elephant disappeared! It just ******* disappeared!"))
(just like my CD player!)

Anyway, not only is my CD/DVD r No Where to be found, when I turn it on I get that "wrong disk" messages that people would get when they turned on computers but had left old floppys in. Something like... I don't remember and That Part really doesn't matter BECAUSE I can ctrl+alt+delete and then it goes away BUT it's a pain in the tuckus.

My Point? How the HECK do I get my CD/DVDr to act the way it's supposed to?? Really, this is the only thing I care about because I'm out of CDs and need to re-burn my bnl greatest hits.

Please advise. soon.

Yours most cordially,




meghan leigh

posted by meg @ 1:04 AM 0 comments

One More Thing

Why I try to NOT shop at flippin' wal mart.

posted by meg @ 1:19 PM 0 comments

It's trite! It's banal! It's... New Years Resolutions!

SO! I'm SUPER excited because I have three! Count 'em THREE! new years resolutions.

Are you ready?

OKAY.

1) (damn, I already forgot).... oh, okay -

1) WEEKLY EXCITEMENT! AND! for those of you hanging out on myspace with me - they'll be put up as bulletins SO you can JOIN ME ~ provided my weekly excitment isn't like a day at the spa.

2) Be QUIET and THINK before you speak. AND I'm really excited about it BECAUSE together the letters say "QT" and so I am going to Doodle It on everything and hopefully it will help. What do you think?

3) OH, ho! No crazy, perfectionist goals this year. For example: I will lose 20 pounds. I will NOT. I will try to be healthy, I will find ways to walk more BUT I will not hold myself to an arbitrary number of pounds lost!

(100 pounds! I want to be anorexic!)


A friend of mine, so cute, sent me this:

Hey Miss

May your new years bring you all that you wish! But be careful WHAT you wish for ;)

I seriously hope this year brings you a place, a job, money, and a guy!

Because you have to have a daughter for my son to marry!!!!

I love ya!

So, I thought. HMMMM. how could I possibly incorporate these into my three ~ and ONLY three ~ resolutions? Understand now, my primary concern was maintaining the intent of goal three --- no mad-crazy goals! And I realized! AHA!

A place: well, I had a dream and now I have goal. I'll keep you posted .... there will probably be a moving/ pizza party in 18 months.

A job: WHOOO HOOO! ISD called me back and wants me as a sub-house parent and I could NOT be more excited. The hours are eclectic and random ~ just like me!

Money: Well, with the job I'll have money, right? And there is always Uncle Sam!

A guy: OH! PLAY NOW! Tell me - which number is your favorite? 47, 56, 45


oh! gotta run. ENJOY THE RANDOM LINKS!

love, meg

posted by meg @ 12:17 PM 2 comments