My education....

Onward with DeVry

2011-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

After taking a class in Photoshop, I realize that my career as a graphic artist is kaput, over. So I have transfered all my credits to DeVry, to study their AAAS degree in Computer Engineering Technology, hopefully to become a network engineer after I complete their online program. I might tough it out and continue on to get the Bachelor's degree, depending on the amount of debt it will require to finish such a degree. Time will tell if I am making the right choice. My foster brother is a teacher and always says: There are two types of people, those with degrees and those without! Onward and upwards with DeVry this time.

Back in Seattle.

2011-06-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hello blogosphere, I'm back in Seattle after spending half a year in Boise, ID, visiting my younger brother, Chris. Chris earned an AA in computer electronics over a decade ago and does quite well, he inspired me to study the same, but with CIE, Cleveland Institute of Electronics, an online program once again. After nearly finishing my psychology degree with University of Phoenix and garnering a $6000 debt, I realized I wouldn't ever really do anything with such a degree. I was only studying it for self awareness and didn't think I would want to become a counselor or an overworked, underpaid social worker, so I quit that program and found CIE. Now I find that an AAAS in IT EE is also almost obsolete; most people don't get their computer's repaired anymore, they just throw them out and buy a new one. I'll be finished with CIE by the end of summer and already made plans to return to my former love; Graphic Arts! I've signed up to study Computer Graphics with my previous college, Shoreline CC, near here in Seattle, and earn my AA degree. Then, with an AAAS in hand, my goal is to return to WWU, Western Washington University in Bellingham and have only one quarter left to finish my BS in Graphic Design. I've started doing my NW Coast totemic art again with a second children's book: The Origins of the Orca, and with the story translated and all written, I've got 16 sketches roughed out to be polished and finished. Henry Holt Publisher's has expressed an interest in my Raven Steals the Sun book and I am hoping to land a contract soon. Maybe that 16 page book is too short and so I told them of my second book and my idea that I could do an anthology of mythic stories and legends; maybe do half a dozen stories in one book.

http://www.alternet.org/story/145142/

2010-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.alternet.org/story/145142/ The true story of Haitian history. I think this should become public knowledge and taught in history classes alongside with American Colonialism and the decimation of Native Populations! This is my contribution to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month. It is a shame that we do not have a Native American History Month, or any National Holiday to Honor those of us "Indian's" who were conquered to make way for this Nation to arise to power!

2009-11-30T02:49:00.000-08:00

Howdy,

I am tired of North Seattle Community College already! They have me taking required classes for graduating that have nothing to do with electronics. So I am transferring to CIE, Cleveland Institute of Electronics in the New Year, an online program like I did with Phoenix. Maybe now I will get the tech classes I want.

Happy Holidays

I'm baaaaaack!

2009-06-29T04:16:00.001-07:00

I'm baaaaaaaack again. I had been away since I quit the University of Phoenix online, but now I am back. I will be starting college again with a local college, North Seattle Community College, in the Fall, to study and hopefully finish the electronics degree I started in the Air Force, back in the early 1980's. The UoPhoenix was an expensive education, but got me back in the study mode. I just didn't think a psychology degree would serve me well with a future career. I am never going back to printing though, that is for certain. 27 years in printing and nothing to show for it, makes me feel the need for a real career type job. Already I have started studying electronics with Barron's Electronics Made Easy and I remember a lot of things, like ohm's law and such. I signed up for the Electronics for IT program, to fit in with my hobby of fixing computers. I know that I am out of date and have a lot to learn, but thanks to UoPhoenix, I am ready to study again.

Nature's porn

2008-05-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Art imitates life imitates nature!

The Eternal College Student!

2008-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

I once had in mind to be the eternal college student, take all kinds of classes and never graduate, but now I want that piece of paper that says I'm worth 33% more pay! I was very estudious back in the 80's during my initial studies at Western Washington University, but too much studying and I burned out before I completed either of my degrees for print technologies or psychology. "Much study is a vexation of the mind," or so says Ecclessiastes. I've got the determination to finish this time, and the dedication. I've got great friends from class and Kate, you're a godsend! With study partners to keep me going, I might one day have a wall like this guy!

UW student proves the existence of God, mathematically!

2008-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time . So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

Do the Math!

2008-03-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

My next two classes with the UoPhoenix are Essentials of College Math, algebra and statistics and such. There must be some mathematical theory I haven't studied yet that will explain the reasoning behind an insulting one time $300 tax rebate as an economic stimulus to prevent recession while spending 12 billion a day for the next year on 'defending' Iraq! Let's try reversing the roles and spend 12 billion a day on solving America's economic woes and give each Iraqi citizen a one time payment of $300-that ought to be enough to buy a gun and enough bullets for the Shi'ites and Sunnites to kill each other off-end of problem! Maybe economic math theories are different from the real numerical values I will be studying, or should "I" be the one buying a gun?

The Jung Dr. Sonny is in.

2008-03-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

Written using a new (to me), program called: StyleEase for APA formatting. I didn't know if it would allow me to copy and paste like regular Word doc., but it did. So now I don't have to go out of practice. Why do Doctor's call what they do; Practice?

THE OPERANT CONDITIONING

The Operant Conditioning of Behaviorism; How Behaviorism Conditioned Itself.

Maurice Keating, Jr.

University of Phoenix

Abstract
An essay on the historical development of behaviorist perspective in psychology regarding its development by the three major theorists; John B. Watson, Edward C. Tolman and B. F. Skinner.

Introduction

Three men; John B. Watson (1878 – 1958), Edward C. Tolman (1886 – 1959), and B. F. Skinner (1904 – 1990), all inspired by the original work of Ivan P. Pavlov’s (1849 – 1936), animal conditioning experiment, caught on to the idea of conditioning behavior and developed successive theories of what is known today as Behaviorism. Not entirely a linear development of a single concept of conditioning, these three men developed divergent theories along successive similar trains of thought, that of changing the behavior of mice and men. Behaviorism is primarily learning theories developed by comparative research of strictly observable behaviors and drawing analogies between animal learning and human learning, disregarding mental constructs of subjective cognitive and emotive states. The apples and oranges, or rather, mice and men comparison aside, the works of the Behaviorists showing total disregard for cognitive and emotive mental states reveal works truly worthy of any modern day sociopathic or borderline personality. Despite apparent similarities, the specific details of methodology and subsequent developmental theory’s of learning as relates to behavior modification vary widely enough for examination of the basic differences in Watson’s Reductionist, Tolman’s Purposive, and Skinner’s Radical Behaviorist theories, theories that are well suited to explaining and training animal behavior, but met primarily with resistance or causing cognitive and emotive disorders in human subjects.

Watson’s Sociopathic Research

While John B. Watson’s famous claim that “if he were given 12 healthy infants at birth, he could turn them into whatever he wanted, doctors or thieves, regardless of any innate dispositions or talents, simply by controlling their environments” (Kowalski and Westen, 2005, pg. 14), was never put to test, his preference for the nurturing aspect of psychology’s nature versus nurture question undoubtedly explains his own sociopathic Behaviorist research methodology. Raised with farm animals and torn between a philandering alcoholic father and a mother of fire and brimstone beliefs, one need not wonder that Goodwin (2005) only points out that John Watson “was a known troublemaker and had been arrested at least twice [in his youth]” (pg. 290). Watson’s sociopathic tendencies are revealed by his penchant of surgically vivisecting laboratory rats of their sensory input organs to determine which skill they possessed to perform experimental maze learning, and his later conditioning fear in a young infant known as Albert B., Little Albert. Theorizing that infantile emotions only range three types; love, anger and rage, and that such emotions are only conditioned reactions and not fanciful cognitive mental states, Watson continued his sociopathic proclivities, diverting his attention from helpless lab rats to helpless baby infants as his subjects of terror inducing conditioning, training little Albert first to fear Watson’s former victims of furry rats, then other furry neutral objects, and finally fearing Watson himself (Goodwin, 2005, pp. 299-300). Quite a far cry from his boast of being able to make an infant either become a Doctor or thief!

Tolman; Behaviorist for Purposiveness

The purposive or goal-directed Behaviorist theory of Edward Tolman suggests that behavior is done for a reason, and a larger purpose then merely satisfying physical needs. More open to alternate psychologies other than his professed specialty of Behaviorism, Tolman received criticism from his contemporaries for his use of cognitive inferences of none the less observable behaviors. Such idea’s as that dehydrating a lab rat to cause thirst, an unseen and in his terms, an intervening variable that subsequently causes the animal to learn that water is at the end of a maze and thus learn the maze faster, were the influences of Tolman’s gestalt friends and colleagues. Creation of more standardized construction of mazes for his lab animals and testing for variables in the condition of the animals, tests and reinforcements given, led to Tolman inferring latent learning and cognitive maps within the animals. Logical positivism appealed to Tolman and guided the development of his theory’s cognitive states as inferred from observable behaviors, and was reflected in his attitude of learning for the fun of learning. (Goodwin, 2005, pp. 314-321).

Skinner: Learning operant conditioning operantly.

B. F. Skinner carried Behaviorism closer to completion as an independent arena of psychology then any before him. Finely delineating previous concepts of his field of research, Skinner formed more detailed descriptions of conditioning principles into his own version known as Operant Conditioning. Reinforcement could be positive or negative in that the reinforcing stimuli could be added (positive), as a reward or punishment, or negative (removal of reward or punishment). Classical conditioning simply paired an unconditioned stimulus with a conditioned one, to achieve a conditioned response from one previously unconditioned. Skinner brought about Operant Conditioning theory as a way of continuing the pairing of environmental behaviors with associated stimuli in stages that lead from a simple and natural organism’s behavior to more complex behaviors unknown in nature of such organisms, a process he labeled: shaping. Systematic studying of times between reinforcement and number of responses of behavior till being reinforced led to further complete theory development by Skinner. (Goodman, 2005, pp. 330-333). B. F. Skinner believed so passionately about his theory of shaping behavior that he believed it could be implemented on a sociological scale and he even wrote a fictional account of a utopian society called: Walden Two, based upon his theories (Goodman, 2005, pp. 337-8). Certainly his development of Behaviorist theory of shaping was operantly learned, as he continued a train of thought started by Pavlov before he, Skinner, was even born.

Conclusion

The very idea of Watson’s that an infant can show a response called: Love; Tolman’s feelings of having fun in learning; Skinner’s passionate belief in humanity’s possible creation of utopia, these ‘cognitive explanatory fictions’ belie the very foundations of Behaviorist perspective that only observable behavior is necessary for researching causes of psychological realities. Perhaps this is the cause of the decline of Behaviorism as a psychological perspective in regards human beings and their irrational behaviors. More likely and in this author’s opinion, animal based research is perfectly suited to explain animal behavior, human behavior needs human research to adequately explain and train the human mind.

References

Goodwin, C. J. (2005). A History of Modern Psychology, Second Edition. NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Kowalski, R., and Westen, D. (2005). Psychology, Fourth Edition. NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

I wish this Dr. had been my Dr.!

2008-03-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

I chose Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz to write about for my Women in Psychology paper for my History and Systems class and wouldn't you know it, but synchronicity popped up when I noticed that in writing the paper it was about the 10 year anniversary of her passing. I'm still studying Jung after all the twenty years have past since I was previously in college and now finding out Dr. von Franz is gone, I wish I had kept up on my readings in Analytical Psychology.

The Faerie Tale Life of Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz
Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
University of Phoenix

Abstract:
An essay introducing Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz’s early life and the events leading to her lifelong working relationship with Dr. Carl Gustav Jung and his depth psychology theories of Analytical Psychology.

The Faerie Tale Life of Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz

Once Upon A Time

Born of baronial Austrian ancestry in Munich, Germany on January 14, 1915 during the Great War and recently deceased on February 17th of 1998 at home in peaceful Kusnacht, Switzerland Marie-Louise von Franz lived between the unconsciousness of birth to the unconscious end of life, the story of a faerie tale princess living in a world of myth and dreams. Robert Mcg Thomas, Jr., states in Dr. von Franz’s obituary, “…there were those who hailed her as the queen of Jungian [analytical] psychology. She was an expert on fairy tales who had been both Carl Gustav Jung’s most brilliant and inspired disciple and the one who had done the most to illuminate the flame since his death in 1961” (Thomas, 1998, ¶ 2). She was certainly no stranger to dream’s, Dr. Marie-Louise analyzed and interpreted some 65,000 of them during her many years as an analyst and added quite a few of her own to that compendium. The life of Marie-Louise evolved from dreams and revolved in and around the dreamy depth psychology of her mentor, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, founder of the analytical psychology school of thought. Journey now into the mystical land of folklore, myth’s and dreams that comprise the passionate life work and world of Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz, a woman who lived her dreams to make them come true.

An Awe Inspiring Early Dream

In his eulogy for Marie-Louise von Franz, Dr. Gotthilf Isler (2004, ¶ 5 and 6) relates an actual account of one of her childhood dreams she confided to him and his wife that was memorable enough for her to include in her article, “The Unknown Visitor.” Only about four years of age at the time of her dream, the dream more of a nightmare, an unconscious reconstruction of thoughts peaking into an unknown future, formed from the von Franz family’s flight from oncoming political persecution in Austria to the safety of Switzerland. Marie-Louise told this lucid tale:
I went with Father and Mother and my sister through the streets of a place where we were staying at an inn after our flight. Father held me by the hand. Suddenly in the distance an old man and a young man appeared in the street, approaching swiftly. My father, startled, shouted out. "There they are!" I asked, "Who?" "The Gods, the Examiners. Everyone has an iron tablet with his name and birth and death dates on it. The tablets must be preserved intact. Whoever's tablet is broken will fall under the power of the Gods."
We ran back into our room in the inn. Father opened the chest with the family silver in it and took out the tablets. They were of white enamel with black lettering. The enamel of my tablet was as if it had been fractured by a hammer blow. I was horribly frightened. The others shrank back from me. I stepped out of my body and hovered about the ceiling, where there was a bright, round light into which I went. From there I saw myself below as a little girl holding the tablet. I decided to go on living and returned to my body. I wanted to confront the Gods and went towards the doors. As I was about to open them, the bolt was drawn back from the outside. They had arrived! I woke up screaming.
Only such a vivid dream as this could last a lifetime and portend a future outlook on life as a guide in the manner that Marie-Louise kept this in her memory.

Young Marie-Louise and Jung

Chance and circumstance, or synchronicity it may be, led to a casual encounter between young Marie-Louise at 18 and the then aged 58 years, Dr. Carl G. Jung, in 1933 (Thomas, 1998, ¶ 9). Marie-Louise was yet still a high school student in Zurich, but would soon afterwards begin working closely with him in what would become a lifelong relationship (Isler, 2004, ¶ 15). Analysand and ardent student, an analyst later herself and the first to replace Dr. Carl Jung after his death, as Director of the Jungian Analytical Psychology Institute in Zurich, Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz’s life became enmeshed with Dr. Jung’s own life and theories. At Dr. Jung’s suggestion from an interpretation of her dreams, she went on to study classical languages, earning her doctorate at the University of Zurich, a much needed talent Dr. Jung used in his own work, especially in the translations of ancient texts for his works in medieval alchemy as related to psychology of unconscious projection (Thomas, 1998, ¶ 14 and 15). Dr’s. Jung and von Franz were even travelling companions for lectures at Universities, and other excursions to meet with shamans, Buddhist Monk’s, medicine men and other such purveyors of unconscious wisdom. Dr. Gotthilf Isler (2004, ¶ 17), also reveals a secret meeting Marie-Louise and Carl Jung had with an African oracle that had summarily told her:
At the end, the highest judge will come - this would be an unheard of fortune, and as a matter of fact she experienced many amazing things; many of them had to be kept secret, so she couldn't relate them to me. But then later would come an "after-judge." This would be a great misfortune. This would be her present [Parkinson’s] illness. But she was happy that she had consulted this oracle, because she knew that this misfortune was a part of her fate!
A part of Jung’s belief in unconscious determinism became her own through this experience and was reinforced further in future synchronistic occurrences.

Dream Analyst and Interpreter of Faerie Tales and Physics

Card and Morariu (1998) note that some two years before his death, Jung bequeathed to Marie-Louise the beginnings of his notes on the mathematical properties of the first four integers, indicating his aging inability to accomplish a work of them, and his wishes for her to carry on his work. Dr. von Franz already had begun as a co-author with his final book; “Man and His Symbols,” and hoped to find someone else to complete this new task. Later, after Jung’s passing, Dr. von Franz took it upon herself to investigate, research Jung’s ideas with the help of one of his collaborators, Nobel laureate in quantum physics, Wolfgang Pauli, and finish a remarkable book on the archetypal significances and related synchronistic phenomenon of numbers as related to depth psychology and physics, called: “Number and Time” (¶ 3 and 4). Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz had already begun her remarkable career as an analytical psychologist writer of myths, legends and fairy tales, revealing the archetypal structures of their unconscious origins and the significance of their role in the development of consciousness in the history of humankind, when Number and Time was finally published in 1974. Her work continued as a writer, analyst and training analyst, Director of the C. G. Jung Analytical Psychology Institute in Zurich, and worldwide lecturer, publishing some 40 plus papers, books and even films, before Marie-Louise von Franz finally completed her journey back into the realm of the unconscious, her date with death on February 17, 1998.

In Memoriam

So deeply involved in revealing the mysteries of the unconscious was Dr. Marie-Louise von Franz that she dared take on writing a book called; “On Dreams and Death: A Jungian Interpretation,” published in 1986 and during the writing of which she developed Parkinson’s disease. Her friend and student, Remo Roth remembers that; “After this, she told me several times that she had the distinct feeling that the illness was the direct effect of writing this book” (Roth, 1998, ¶ 2). Dr. Roth continues, saying Marie-Louise remained intellectually active and concerned with the main topic of her book about individuation and the development of alchemy’s subtle body, that which survives and continues on after death; “the diamond body in eastern mysticism” (Roth, 1998, ¶ 3). Dr. Isler notes that Marie-Louise told him of a dream she had after Jung’s passing in which she saw a precious Chinese frog carved of stone that she had given to her mentor as a lifetime gift, but that he found to be too precious to keep, determining that it be returned to her upon his death, and in the dream she saw the frog waving to her. “For her, this was a sign that Jung was still living, and she died with this frog in her hand. The frog is a symbol of resurrection.” (Isler, 1998, ¶ 39). Marie-Louise von Franz has finished her work, yet much remains to be done.

References:

Card, C. R. And Morariu, V. V. (1998). “In Remembrance Of Marie-Louise Von Franz.” Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.geocities.com/paideusis/n1cm.html

Isler, G. (1998, February, 17). Journeys newsletter. “And Her Spirit Lives On…” Retrieved February 23, 2008 from http://journeyintowholeness.org/news/nl/v12n3/eulogy.shtm

Roth, R. F. (1998). “My Personal Memories of Marie-Louise von Franz.” Retrieved February 22, 2008, from http://www.psychovision.ch/rfr/mlvf_nachruf_e.htm

Thomas, R M (March 23, 1998). Marie-Louise von Franz, 83, A Jungian Legend, Is Dead. The New York Times, p.NA. Retrieved February 23, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Lost paper.

2008-03-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I had lost this paper when I switched to a new computer and couldn't find it on my old pc that ended up with a new home at my mother's. Sometimes, not often, but once in a Blue Moon (my old Tavern here in Seattle), I get an urge to drink and then call a friend. Right now? No! But I was thinking on a smoke break just a minute ago (I'm attempting to quit that too), I wonder if I would even still like the taste of beer? I thought to myself; Probably not, as I never did drink for taste, just effect!

Causality: Cause for reflection.
Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
University of Phoenix

Causality: Cause for reflection.
Hi, I’m John Doe, and I’m an alcoholic. Familiar word’s of the introduction preceding an A.A. member’s discourse and self disclosure of their illness. Although my name is not John Doe, and I use my childhood nickname in my personal life as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous to remain anonymous, I chose the name John Doe in this introduction to point out the now recognized status of alcoholism as a progressive and degenerative disease. As stated by Science Clarified (2007) in their Alcoholism forum, the disease is progressive in that it only gets worse in increasing stages, never better, even after stopping the drinking behavior, and its conclusion may end in death (¶ 1). Degenerative in that consumption of alcohol not only kills brain cells and destroys the liver, but is now known that it; “affects every cell in the body, especially those of the liver, heart, and brain” (¶ 4). And a disease in that alcoholism is recognized along with substance abuse as an addiction as noted on p. 213 of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV) of the APA (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Before continuing further, let me quote from p. 562 of the ‘big book;’ Alcoholics Anonymous, the 10th of our 12 traditions: “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never [to] be drawn into public controversy.” (2001). With that disclaimer to honor the A.A. Traditions, the stated purpose of this paper is not about the 12 step recovery group itself, but an exposition of one of its primary initial teachings to the newcomer, the concept known as: Think through the drink. Also referred to as ‘playing the tape through,’ to get to the conclusion of the song and avoid the song and dance routine that leads to taking that first drink without thinking of its consequences.

I can distinctly remember the rationalization I used for taking my very first drink, a misnomer of that word in that my thinking wasn’t rational, rationalization being more the mental process of making up an excuse for behavior; “a defense mechanism by which [my] true motivation is concealed by explaining [my] actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening [to myself]” WordNet (2006). I was fresh out of Basic Training, at my first USAF Base for additional training, and enjoying myself in the enlisted men’s recreational hall. Legal age in Colorado, where I was stationed, and legal age on the Federal property of the Base is 19 years. I figured that if the U.S. Government thought I was old enough to both serve my Country and be served a drink, then I might as well enjoy myself with a beer. If I was old enough to fight and possibly die for my Country, I was old enough to get drunk! Eight years later I was no longer fighting for my Country, I was, however, fighting a battle with the bottle.

I did not come to be a habitual drinker all at once; habituation is most definitely both classically and operant conditioned and occurred in me by the very processes as put forth by Kowalski and Westen (2005). I reinforced my drinking behavior by repeatedly rewarding myself for hard work by; going to the club (the operant), and having a beer (the reinforcement), after duty (pg. 169). In the end I was not reinforcing my good work ethics in this process though; it was the drinking behavior itself that was being reinforced by the significant time delay (the interstimulus interval), between getting off duty and going to the club (pg. 164). Yet initially I took to drink by “observational learning;” other’s at the club were drinking and having fun, and so I mimicked them, “modeling” my behavior to theirs by playing games while having my own drinks (pg. 187). This lead to another use of rationalization about my continued use and abuse of alcohol, the idea that everyone does it, so why can’t I? Classical conditioning also played a role by my associating fun activities with drinking alcohol, and soon I was drinking alcohol to have fun, a stimulus-stimulus association (pg. 166). What were once vices are now habits, as a song says, and my drinking became associated with another bad habit of addictive behavior; smoking cigarettes. Nicotine and alcohol are twin addictions that were formerly thought of as social ills of an individual problematic nature, yet socially acceptable behavior, and they reinforce each other by stimulating the brain (actually alcohol is a depressant), in different neural pathways. Social views are changing along with the legal viewpoint of these ‘habits,’ and they are now considered to be criminal behavior in certain instances of misuse and abuse.

Having incurred the wrath of the Courts and been given the option of seeking treatment for my aberrant behavior of driving under the influence, I have become aware of the necessity of “rehab” and 12 step programs involved in recovery from addiction and maintaining sobriety. A common phrase of A.A. members to newcomers is; “the best way to avoid getting drunk is to avoid the first drink.” But how to do that as is easier said then done, is by what is called: Thinking through the drink. Using reasoning skills of causality to remember the effects of alcoholic behavior; the ill effects of nausea and hangovers, the relationship problems with family and friends, the further social isolation of only having drinking buddies, the economic problems of unpaid bills and loss of employment or lack of stable employment, combined with legal entanglements, all serve as cause for reflection in taking a moment just long enough to give an impulse or urge to return to drink to subside while convincing myself with true rational thought that the “rewards” are not worth continuing the behavior. In giving myself the time to weigh the pro’s and con’s of taking another drink, I give myself pause for reflection and thought, and enough time to come to the realization that I have alternatives and can call for help and support, reach out to another for affirmation that I am not alone. Merely extinguishing the undesirable behavior, quitting drinking, whether by force of will or conditioning, is not enough in the end. Behaviors and attitudes need to be changed together, new behaviors instituted to replace old habits and new attitudes learned, for effective recovery to take place and sobriety to be maintained.

In summation, and I say summation and not conclusion because the only acceptable conclusion to alcoholism is abstinence, and I can only sum up my rehabilitation and recovery as it has thus far occurred; in summation, my personal experience with alcoholism and recovery is not unique to me alone. Not everyone follows the same path, but the pattern is there and the similarities are recognizable. Thinking through the drink; the process of recognizing the onset of impulses and urges that lead to patterns of thought processes of rationalization for my addictive behavior, then diverting those thought processes to different ones of reasoning and reflection, give myself time to take action and preventive measures to avoid falling back into old habits. Memory of past results from taking that first drink, and knowing that it will lead to another and what that will invariably result in, reasoning in terms of causality, is but one of the tools learned to be used on the road to recovery. The road leads on.

References:
Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition. (2001). New York City: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2005). Psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
rationalization. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rationalization

Science Clarified. (2007). Alcoholism forum. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.scienceclarified.com/A-Al/Alcoholism.html

What Problem?

2008-02-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for the Professor forever, so what the hey, might as well keep my education educated and updated. Here I go again, this time starting with more emphasis on my previous Jungian psychology education added to this paper.

Mind/Body Problem

Mind/Body Problem? No Problem.
Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
University of Phoenix
Abstract:
A discourse on the Cartesian mind body problem, comparing recent Western physiopsychology with Eastern Kundalini Yoga perspectives.

Mind/Body Problem? No Problem.
I, [insert name here], being of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath all my…. Such are the words of a Last Will and Testament made by many American’s in today’s society, indicating the Cartesian duality of mind (mental faculties), and physical body. That both mind and body must be without impairment for the document to be valid, indicates acknowledgement of interactionist thought, that either one can affect the other’s state of being (Goodwin, 2005, p. 29). Certainly the body houses the mind, as thought procesess develop along with the body and generally they cease together, except in such cases of comatose, but what is consciousness and where in the body exists conscious awareness, since awareness comes in from all the body’s senses? If Cartesian dichotomy is more then just theory, does consciousness exist beyond the body’s awarenss, in opposite case senarios of coma’s? The purpose of this paper to briefly examine what is consciousness, where does mind exist in relation to the body and to explore the idea of thte psyche’s transendance above and beyond the body’s physicality and influence.
Everyone knows what thinking is, what it does, and that thinking is a function of the mind, because after all everyone is born with a brain! Everyone knows that is, except the philosophers and psychologists who consider the very origins of thought, of how thinking occurs. Atomists, relativists, rationalists, existentionalists, religionists and all others have a seemingly valid point of view that carries certain weight when one is given specific examples of reference, but all of these perspectives seem incomplete and at odds with one another, dissociated to ordianry lay people not well versed in such studies. Perhaps this occurs due to the very dichotomy of Western thought expressed by the mind versus body duality of Descarte’s Cartesian model previously mentioned. With that in mind, let us direct our attention Eastward to Indian Buddism and Hinduism, where mind and body are thought of as a whole, not in opposition to each other, but part of a totality complimenting each individual.
Kundalini yoga gives mind, consciousness, or awareness, seven specific locations withing the human body called; chakra’s, that correspond physiologically to the brain and six major ganglia along the spinal column of the central nervous system. “The chakras are great force centers or nerve ganglia in the physical body, the astral body and the body of the soul” (Hinduism Today, 1994). The seven chakra’s of the ganglia and brain are connected by nerves to various organs throughout the body, and awareness, or psychic energy, is focused sequentially from the lower chakra at birth and is elevated through physical and mental development during the course of one’s life. This development of the individual personality directed towards wholeness is discussed in Carl G. Jung’s book; The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga (1996). This work of Jung’s lead to his subsequent theory of The Process of Individuation, as expostulated in; The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, vol. 9 part 1 of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung (1959). The devotion of a Yogi’s life to meditation and contemplation leading to completeness of awareness and the individuation of a Western person through dream analysis of unconscious contents leading to wholeness, are two paths to the same goal. Differences in the two paths are the Yogi’s conscious awareness of the process and attendant physical training such as unites mind and body to a degree that enables a fakir to lay on a bed of nails, hold one’s breath underwater for extended periods, and other such astounding feats of bodily contortion that are well known.
The goal of meditation and individuation is not merely increased self awareness, but unity and a oneness within and without; reaching as Jung states: “the ajna center, the state of complete consciousness, not only self consciousness. That would be an exceedingly extended consciousness which includes everything – energy itself – a consciousness which knows not only ‘That is Thou’ but more then that – that every tree, every stone, every breath of air, every rat’s tail – all that is yourself; there is nothing that is not yourself” (Jung, 1996, p. 59). A state of synchronicity, as Jung later developed this idea of ajna into, is achieved, whereby the student becomes one with the University and the Universe!
References:
CHAKRAS. (1994, April). Hinduism Today, 16(4), 14. Retrieved February 18, 2008, from Alt-Press Watch (APW) database. (Document ID: 611055281).

Goodwin, C. G. (2005). A History of Modern Psychology. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Jung, C. G. (1959). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol. 9, part 1). New York: Bollingen Foundation, Inc.

Jung, C. G. (1996). The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Motivated to succeed paper.

2008-02-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

What the heck, I'm in a posting mood and since the prof can procrastinate but I can't, here I go to post an ungraded paper, but I'm sure I got an A on it.

Motivated to Succeed

Motivated To Succeed: The drive to work.
Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
University of Phoenix
Motivated to Succeed: The drive to work.
The primary motivator of work is aptly stated by the Apostle Paul in such simple words as: “If any one will not work, let him not eat.” 2Th 3:10b, RSV (2008). As outlined by Kowalski and Weston, the basic physiological and safety needs described by Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; food, shelter, clothing and such, are the necessities of life and the foundation of all desire to earn a living with a job (Kowalski and Weston, 2005, p.326). But what type of gainful employment might one pick in today’s modern society with it’s multitude of opportunities that have little or no bearing on actual production of food? The necessity of work aside, the motivation to do more then just any old job carries with it the desire to perform tasks that offer fulfillment and personal enrichment that one finds rewarding in other ways then just monetary gain. Also to be considered is the availability of employment and the ability of the individual to perform the job at hand among many other factors. Given that let us examine such recent phenomena as the many opportunities made available by the Internet to work at home that eliminate the actual commute to work, while offering those person’s with the drive to succeed, the means by which they can find fulfillment. The application reads: Type of employment preferred; and among the list is one particularly relevant to those with a desire to succeed not just for profit, but personal enrichment and further advancement and career development. Check mark the box labeled; student!

While being a student, specifically an online student might not seem like a job to many, there student is as an employment selection on the U.S. Census questionnaire, all financial credit applications, and even on many surveys and contest entry forms. Unlike the overwhelming majority of internet opportunities one might find online or delivered to one’s email inbox that advertise working at home-no experience necessary, training provided-online colleges require a high school diploma or G.E.D., and in some cases, previous college attendance. Of course, a computer with internet access and some prior knowledge of its use and certain other programs is also required. While paying for an online education may also require additional outside employment, financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships and loans provide the pay in this career. Even one’s outside employment may offer tuition reimbursement as an incentive bonus, sometimes for work related studies, but always dependent on maintaining satisfactory grades.

The motivation to succeed; in starting a career, advancing one’s present career or changing career’s entirely, is the driving force in selecting this initiatory job education path. Six key issues should be considered before choosing an Online University, as suggested in the article; Six Steps To Success: How To Choose The Best Online University. 1. Flexibility of either an individual’s time schedule or the programs. 2. Costs, both stated tuition and hidden costs of texts and lab fees. 3. Results of a program leading to both graduation and employment. 4. Credit Transfers from previous colleges. 5. Quality of curriculum and instruction. 6. Faculty Credentials and Accreditation of the University (1996-2008). A potential student has to have an idea of an area of study of interest, goals established, and be self disciplined and self motivated, to accomplish the task of completing a major course of study and earn a degree. Constance Spampinato outlines seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education as delineated by Chickering and Gamson as follows: 1. Encourages Student-Faculty Contact. 2. Encourages Cooperation Among Students. 3. Encourages Active Learning. 4. Gives Prompt Feedback. 5. Emphasizes Time on Task. 6. Communicates High Expectations. 7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning (Constance Spampinato, 2005, pp. 18-21). Online education therefore, is a two way street and is available to those willing to rise to the occasion.

That the home environment is the work (study), environment, thought must be given to time and space being allotted for duties without distractions. Can’t call in sick, the computer is right there in the home. There is no excuse available for being late as there isn’t any commute to a campus. Yet the very fact that the computer is the campus and the campus is in the home can be a cause that would plague anyone with the tendency to procrastinate. A ringing telephone, baby crying, mail arriving, knock at the door, even just the thought that the computer is always there and available to be turned on any old time, can lead to delays and distractions. Overcome the difficulties and obstacles and find that opportunity is knocking at the door.

References:
Cool Savings. (1996-2008). Six Steps To Success: How To Choose The Best Online University. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://www.coolsavings.com/ChooseTheBestOnlineUniversity.aspx?SessionID=59e8517a-1a88-47a6-a74f-a3b24307aa9f-2
Holy Bible. (2008). 2nd Thessalonians 3:10b. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://www.biblelookup.com/cgi-bin/pbible.pl?maxhits=10&mode=context&subp=Get+passage&passagestring=2Th+3%3A10&subp1=Get+passage&version=rsv
Kowalski, R., and Westen, D. (2005). Psychology. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Spampinato, Constance M. (2005) Students' perceptions concerning the effect of personal attributes and course attributes in classroom, online, and telecourse success. Ed.D. dissertation, Wilmington College (Delaware), United States -- Delaware. Retrieved February 4, 2008, from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. (Publication No. AAT 3164148).

Powerpoint presentation for class not included

2008-02-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well I got sort of sidetracked and distracted with med's making my final week of last class almost impossible for me to finish. I managed to hang in there just long enough to do my part with this Team paper that we got 100% on and a powerpoint slide presentation that I can't figure out how to post on here, so I'm out of luck in showing it off. This A+ paper saved my grade, giving me an A- in the class instead of a B+ so once again it is teamwork that makes the grade. I did a lot for a guy that was druggied out most of the week of class. The intro and conclusion I did the rough drafts for, with Karen helping with their editing needs. the fourth paragraph belongs to Dan and I collaborating on writing. Too bad no PPpresentation to show, Michelle and Jeff did most of it and it is fantastic! Already into my third week of my third class and I've done two papers that our Prof hasn't graded yet, seems he's busy in Court, maybe some sort of professional capacity as a psychologist. I can post when I get the papers back.

A Day in the Life of an Average Joe
Karen Blye
Michelle Eklund-Rentfrow
M. Sonny Keating Jr.
Dan Pimm
Jeff Pippin
University of Phoenix

A Day in the Life of an Average Joe

Introduction

Consider that much goes on unnoticed in one’s thoughts during the course of a busy day. A daily routine lends itself to established habits that no one gives a second thought to before, during, or after the course of an ordinary day. Many subtle changes can occur in one’s daily routine and social situations through a period of 24 hours that seemingly little thought or notice is given to the different masks worn that show one’s best or worst face in any given situation, until built up frustrations lead to stress and impaired thinking. Day in and day out, from hour to hour, an average person displays many facets of ones individual personality that inwardly seem the same to themselves, but to an outsider, one can be a completely different person in one situation compared to another. Let us view the examples of a fictitious character named Joe, a middle class male American, to examine the differences in personality in different social situations throughout his day.
Morning
At 5:50 AM Joe’s alarm rings, waking Joe up from a deep sleep. Instead of rising and shining to tackle his day with enthusiasm, Joe despairingly hits the snooze button, regretting having to face another dreary day full of repetitive responsibilities that he has learned to resent. Joe has lost his self esteem and is unable to give himself the self discipline and consistency he needs to begin his days with a positive frame of mind. When Joe competes with his wife for use of the bathroom every morning, he becomes agitated and blames her for his running late, the ensuing arguments bringing marital discord that marks the start of their day. Unchecked, this attitude breeds contempt and resentment, their behavior towards one another unknowingly becoming the norm. As stated by Kowalski and Western (2005) “not everyone is able to hold on to idealized perceptions of their partner or to put a positive spin on repetitive, annoying behaviors” (Chapter 8, p. 49). When Joe helps his daughters get ready for school, his attitude changes to playful persuasion to inspire them to cooperate instead of arguing. Joe masks lingering frustration and resentment from his children about his morning arguments with mommy to spare their feelings. Stepping outside to leave for work, Joe runs into his overly sociable neighbor who likes to talk. Joe exchanges pleasantries for the sake of being neighborly, masking impatience by looking at his watch, conforming to social expectations for the sake of keeping up appearances.
Midday
By mid-morning Joe is engrossed in work, focused so intently on his computer screen that he is oblivious to coworker’s calling him to come join in for a coffee break. The frustrations of his hurried morning and subsequent commute distract him from doing quality work. Joe feeling the overwhelming stress of the morning needs a minute to refresh and relax and agrees to go with his coworkers for coffee. The lively energy Joe shares with his coworkers while engaging in sarcastic ‘shop’ talk revives him. After the much needed Coffee break is over Joe’s boss unexpectedly announces an early deadline for his proposal to be completed by 2:00 for an afternoon meeting, turning Joe’s enthusiasm to irritation with the new, seemingly unrealistic deadline, leaving him thinking; “great, another stress I did not need today.” Joe is experiencing; “Job stress which is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker” (Koesten, 2005, 2). Working in a furious frenzy Joe manages to finish the proposal on time with the help of his team. Appreciating his coworkers and the support they offer Joe experiences social facilitation finding the presence of his team a positive stimulus and performing better (Changingminds.org, 2007). Relaxed and relieved, Joe begins to anticipate having a drink after work, causing Joe to feel even more impatient for the day to end.
Evening
Precisely at 5:00, Joe logs off of his computer, turns out his office light and heads out to greet the evening. Reaching the door, Joe’s boss asks him to replace an absent colleague in a business meeting to close a deal with one of the company’s valued clients. His mind set on a different sort of meeting with coworkers for happy hour drinks, Joe reluctantly agrees, thinking he may be able to combine business with pleasure to include dinner and drinks. In state of denial about his drinking he doesn’t think he has a drinking problem in order to give it any thought at all. As stated by Mark Griffiths (2007) in Round table discussions: “Whatever you are addicted to, if you have it at hand, you do not necessarily think about it all the time” (¶ 9). Joe goes over the proposal and gets his client on the cell phone to ask a few questions. Joe is surprised to discover that his client is a woman when she answers the phone. Immediately Joe shifts from his original plan of a local sports bar, to a fine dinning restaurant nearby and suggests comparing notes and going over the proposal over dinner. Not a mean spirited sexist, Joe just considers a dining setting would be more appropriate for his client. Chivalry and sexism as related attitudes is discussed by Viki, Abrams, and Hutchison (2003) stating “…hostile sexism may coexist with subjectively positive sexist attitudes toward women, that is, benevolent sexism” (¶ 1). During dinner, Joe realizes that his client has more business savvy then anticipated and drinks have slightly impaired his negotiating skills. In his rush to leave work and swept up by the occasion, Joe remembers that he had not called his wife about coming home late. Driving home after his business meeting, Joe feels a little guilty about his neglectful behavior towards his wife and her feelings. So he stops to buy her some flowers and a nice bottle of wine, adopting an altruistic behavior that blends selfish and unselfish motives at the same time.
Conclusion: Diagnosis of daily life.
Not all that bad of a day for our Joe, just sort of an average one for the average person. The idea being that because habits, once formed, become unconscious, leading to unthinkable behaviors and changes in attitudes, things that people do everyday. Mental compartmentalization of day to day activities and differing responsibilities lead to disassociate personality structures. What Joe says to his wife about his boss and work is not what he tells his coworkers, and certainly not what he tells his boss! Such broad personality changes border on borderline personality and or multiple personality disorder. Not that morning arguments with the wife make anyone borderline, anymore then being two-faced with attitudes about one’s job and bosses make for multiple personality, the behaviors are miniature representations of the psychoses’. Does Joe's behavior reflect increasing abnormal processes, or is it as Joe thinks of himself, that he is just an everyman caught up in the stress of daily life in the modern world? Wife, work and the world will not change for Joe, so it becomes necessary for someone like Joe to consider changing one’s thoughts and attitudes that are evidenced in personal behaviors. Therapy helps in having an outside observer draw attention to behaviors and the attendant thought processes that cause them, before habits become rigid structures that cannot easily be broken. Cognitive-behavioral counseling might be the most effective for someone in Joe’s situation where his concerns of attitude towards his marital partner, career, and alcohol use can all be addressed by a non-judgmental professional.

References:

Changingminds.org. (2007). Social Facilitation. Retrieved February 10, 2008,
from http://www.changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_facilitation.htm
Koesten, Joy. (2005). Reducing Stress and Burnout for Financial Planners. Journal of
Financial Planning, 18 (10), 64-74 . Retrieved
February 10, 2008, from EBSCOhost database.
Kowalski, Robin M., and Westen, Drew. (2005). Psychology, 4th edition. [University of
Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons,
Inc.. Retrieved February 10 , 2008, from University of Phoenix,
rEsource, PSY300 Web site.
Round table: when is an addict not an addict?(Discussion). (May 21, 2007). New Statesman (1996), 136, 4845. p.S6(10). Retrieved February 10, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS
Viki, G. T., Abrams, D., and Hutchison, P. (Nov 2003). The 'true' romantic: benevolent sexism and paternalistic chivalry. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 49, 9-10. p.533(5). Retrieved February 11, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Team Paper.

2008-01-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

With the University of Phoenix online (UoPhx), classes are divided into teams and given team assignments as well as our individual assignments, to prepare us for future co-authoring research findings I suppose. Here is our first psych class team paper in my intro class; the assignment being given to identify obsticles to be considered in our Team 'conference call' meetings. I was given the duties for paragraph 5, but we all answered questions for each paragraph and then did the editing as a group.

Do you hear what I hear?
Learning Team D:
Karen Blye
Vanessa Flores
M. “Sonny” Keating Jr.
Dan Pimm
Jeff Pippin
Michelle Eklund-Rentfrow
University of Phoenix
PSY/300
January 27, 2008

Do you hear what I hear?
Sensation, perception and attention abilities vary with each individual team member. To effectively communicate as a team each team member must be aware of those varying abilities and accommodate them. While there are individual differences, many of the barriers to effective communication were similar for team members and can be prevented. By learning about the barriers to team communication, preventative strategies can be implemented to minimize or eliminate the negative impact of communication barriers. With each team members differences in mind we analyze the teams’ threshold for auditory stimuli which are recognized as circumstantial and conditional. Each team member expressed the idea that personal thresholds vary due to environmental and personal factors. Environmental factors may be location, background noise or other auditory interruptions. Personal factors were identified as fatigue, medical issues, and physical hearing loss. Team members agreed that environmental and personal factors caused divided attention issues and negatively affected communication. In a thesis written by Jan Richard of Bryn Mawr College, the threshold for auditory stimuli was tested and indicated the input of stimuli causing divided attention distractions to the listener reduced memory and communication (Richard, 2006). This indicates that it will be important to minimize distractions and to mentally and physically prepare for team meetings enabling effective communication. Team members can take steps to control their environment by minimizing noise, getting enough rest and addressing any physical needs prior to team meetings to ensure the team members will be at higher thresholds for team meetings. A specific auditory topics addressed was dichotic listening, or the ‘cocktail party’ phenomenon. Our team members have very similar responses when comparing answers to the question about our comfort level when it comes to dichotic listening, or the “cocktail party” phenomenon. The majority of the group said that their dichotic listening skills are not very high and still most of us multi-listen at some point in the day almost everyday. Music on an i-pod or just having the radio playing in the background was a common occurrence for most team members. The cocktail party phenomenon “is a psychoacoustic phenomenon that refers to the remarkable human ability to selectively attend to and recognize one source of auditory input in a noisy environment, where the hearing interference is produced by competing speech sounds or a variety of noises that are often assumed to be independent of each other (Cherry, 1953)”( Haykin & Chen, 2005). All team members indicated some difficulty in the divided attention aspect of the cocktail phenomenon. Therefore, the cocktail phenomenon can have a negative influence on our conversations with people because our attentions are being pulled in two opposite directions and we do not give 100% of our attention to either conversation making it hard to get from them what we should have. Most of us will agree that in order to get our full attention we need one on one conversation with little or no background noise. People have different ways of learning. A blind person would learn mostly by hearing, and a deaf person would learn mostly by seeing. A person that can see and hear at the same time has the best advantage to stimulate the brain to learn the concept quicker. Our other senses such as touch, smell, and taste also contribute to the way we learn. An example of using other senses to learning would be by shadowing a co-worker to learn your job duty; smelling a vegetable and tasting it then realizing whether you like it or not. Eliminating distractions helps learning because one is focused only on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is also another way to learn. Some people are able to adjust to more than one stimuli at the same time, thus learning to do more than one thing. Multi-tasking works all thresholds for stimuli and some people can remember better this way. A perfect example of a talented multi-tasker is Leonardo De Vinci “He was ambidextrous and could write and paint with both hands at the same time” (Walnut, 2006). When attention is needed to one situation more than the other it can cause confusion if one is distracted by other visual or audio stimuli. At times, what one smells can also cause a distraction. Talking on the phone with an important person that is giving viable information on how to solve a problem, and having a child needing one to give them attention while (at the same time) one is cooking dinner is how a person can get confused and distracted. Not giving 100% attention to important details will lower the threshold for understanding. People also learn in different environments. In a quiet room, with no noise at all is helpful to learning since the threshold for audio stimuli is low for most of our team members. While some of our team members would still be able to concentrate and retain information in a louder environment. Dividing attention in relation to learning depends on how the person can adjust, multi-task, and learn with or without distractions.

Not only can dividing attention facilitate or impede team members but age, illness, fatigue, and cognitive differences involved in attention to auditory input challenge us as a group in conference call meetings. Age and an excessively noisy work environment can lead to hearing loss; and changes in threshold cause significant individual perceptual difficulties. The sensorineural hearing loss reported by Dan and Sonny is caused by prolonged exposure to noise that damages hair tissue and nerve fiber in the inner ear and is also caused by age, as stated by the University of Chicago Medical Center, and affects nearly one third of some 30 million Americans who suffer hearing loss (2008). Physical and mental health issues reported by Jeff and Sonny, added to the daily fatigue affecting each of us, decrease the ability to concentrate on hearing and paying attention to what is said and how it is perceived. What is said during group conferences is perceived individually and interpreted differently, according to each person’s socio-cultural, educational background. Scientists “have found that the part of the brain that deals with sound, the auditory cortex, is adapted in each individual and tuned to the world around us.” ScienceDaily (Jan. 14, 2008). Each of us perceives the same stimuli in our own individual manner. Using what we have learned about our team members we know that every team member has different needs and different recommendations for rules when it comes to accommodating our auditory sensation, perception, and attention to learning during team meetings. Because we are attending classes via the internet, our team will hold meetings through conference calls. In order to prepare for our conference calls each team member should prepare by making sure their work environment is clean and organized to avoid distractions during the meeting. The work environment should be quiet of all causes of divided attention such as loud harsh music, televisions, other phones, families and animals. This enables everyone to be able to give their undivided attention, will be able to hear all communications, and no one involved in the meeting will feel distracted. Each team member should be sure to take care of any health care needs so the team member will be able to remain attentive, retaining and understanding the information shared during the meeting. During meetings, we will employ respectful communication skills with all team members. We will accomplish this by taking turns talking, listening and hearing each other. We will give each statement or point valid consideration, taking care not to leave anyone out of the conversation. We will understand individual differences, needs, strengths and weaknesses, properly and appropriately communicate ideas, and clarify misunderstood points with appropriate feedback and paraphrasing. At the end of each conference call, we will summarize the meeting to be sure that everyone understood the topics discussed and the goals and plans that were made for the team and each team member. Effective team communication is vital to the success of the team. Understanding the barriers to effective communication allows team members to implement strategies to minimize negative impacts on communication. Team members can prepare for meetings by being well rested, addressing physical or medical needs before meetings, and eliminating audible distractions. With each team member prepared for a meeting, the resulting positive effect on team communication will be noticeable. By controlling these barriers to effective communication, the team will be prepared and empowered for success in team projects.

References
Haykin, Simon., & Chen, Zhe. (2005). The cocktail party problem. Neural.
computation, 17 (9), 1875-1902. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from EBSCO host database
Richard, J.A. (2006). Remember the Source: Effects of divided attention on source
memory for modality with visual and auditory stimuli. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn
Mawr, PA.
Science Daily. (2008 January 14). Lend Me Your Ears, And The World Will Sound Very Different. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080113212745.htm
The University of Chicago Medical Center. (2008). Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Retrieved January 20, 2008, from http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-library/content=P00458
Walnut, W. (2006). Creative thinking with. Leonardo Da Vinci. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from
http://www.creativethinkingwith.com/Leonardo-da-Vinci.html

Taa da! Not graded yet, so I can only say in my personal opinion; it's brilliant!

Gosh, Josh!

2008-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

OMGosh, Josh, you're off to the Marine's now, doing push-up and pumping iron to prepare for pumping lead into people you don't know, nor why? I know that you saw no future at Jiffy Lube, but being a grease monkey certainly would've been my preference to dodging bullets. Hope you do well in taking care of yourself and comrades, come home safe and sound and in one piece! And that's an order, Marine!

Back to school!

2008-01-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

Note to myself: blog about school, now that Leave of Absense is over. Somebody might actually care to read this crap and maybe learn what I'm learning. My most recent paper:

Perchance To Dream

Perchance To Dream:
A fleeting glance at psychology.

Maurice S. Keating, Jr.

University of Phoenix

Perchance To Dream:
A fleeting glance at psychology.

Introduction:

“Ha, psyched you out!” We say that all the time, that modern colloquialism. But do we know what we mean when we say that? A good question for psychology: the “study of the soul” or; “mind,” as defined and delineated by the Online Etymology Dictionary (2001). That description only deepens the mystery of what is psychology, where it comes from; answering those questions is the goal of this paper.
Advent:
Psychology is the youngest of the social sciences, a recent development as a field of research, with varying methodologies. Its roots are traced back to early philosopher’s questionings of the nature of our species, as noted by Robin Kowalski and Drew Westen (2005). Questions of determinism, the existence of free will and mind/body dualism; the relationship between inner perceptions and outer events, were debated. (p 30-33). Even before that, with the development of speech and the evolution of increased mental capacities for memory, early ancestors searched for an understanding of themselves and their surroundings. Such is the evolutionary approach to the field of psychology, and gives rise to the biological foundations of psychology’s investigations of human thought processes and behavior, leading into medical research, questions of biology and genetics as determinants of psychology, to be delved into later. (Ch 3).
Inception:
While psychology can be traced historically in linear fashion, its variations have become as dissociated as some of the behaviors and mentality’s it endeavors to study. They’re somewhat ‘at each other’s throats’ with a fervor exceeded only by religiosity-itself another forum for explaining human thinking and behavior. Initially psychology involved introspection, a self examination and reporting technique developed by Wilhelm Wundt, the ‘father of psychology,’ in the late 1800’s. (pp 34-36). Wundt’s student, Edward Titchener, furthered introspection as the only viable research method, into a school of thought called; Structuralism. The Functionalism of William James and others that followed opposed the validity of introspection, focusing on the role and purpose of thought processes in adaptation. (pp 37-42). From thereon, four primary perspectives emerged and developed differing paradigms for examining and investigating thought and behavior, the things that ‘make us tick.’ These four schools of thought are thought of as: the Psychodynamic, Behaviorist, Cognitive and Evolutionary perspectives. (pp 129-131). Join in now for an examination of the origins and assumptions of the schizophrenic four ‘splinter’ groups of ‘psychological perspectives’ as they are thought of by Thomas Kuhn, paraphrased here. (pg 42).
Psychodynamite!
The psychoanalytic theories derived by Sigmund Freud form the basis of the origins of psychodynamic perspectives of psychology. With Freud’s development of theoretical id, ego, and superego posited between co-existent and sometimes conflicting forces of consciousness and unconscious, suddenly we know not what we do, but knew why we did it. It wasn’t ‘the devil’ that made me do it, but unconscious desires from within! (pp 48-49). Thus freed from moral responsibility for actions caused by unknown and unseen forces, individuals and even psychoanalysis itself could advance whatever thoughts and behaviors came to mind without regard to societal norms and laws and mores. Freud’s own adherents dissociated themselves from him to form heretical constructs of their own, thus furthering the splintering of psychology, affecting the subgroup of psychodynamic perspective. Was that; heretical, and not theoretical? Must’ve been a Freudian slip!
Conditioned:
‘You’ve been a bad boy (or girl), and need to be punished. Now go to your room!’ Such parental punishments postulate their knowledge of the behaviorist perspective as put forth primarily by B. F. Skinner and his theories of Operant and Classical Conditioning. (pp 62, 63). All thoughts of an unverifiable extant mind are cast out as only environment, and rewards or punishments to elicit behaviors and condition responses to stimuli, are to be considered as valid subject matter and methodology in Behaviorism.(pp 60-62). Ivan Pavlov’s direct observation of his dogs salivating when given food, and noticing their salivating at the sound of his approaching footsteps, the dogs were then trained to drool at the drop of a hat; well, a bell ringing actually. Food, a stimulus being given the dogs, caused an unconditioned response, salivation. Footsteps before the food, then later a bell rung, before food, caused a conditioned response. Behavior could be trained, even controlled, no longer requiring an unseen mind with unknowable elements of emotions, thoughts or feelings, as such were merely the insidious intellectual byproduct of a bygone age, no longer necessary in psychological studies as espoused by the American behaviorist John Watson. (pp 57-67). Psychology had lost its soul, the very essence which it purported to study.
Cogitative:
“Cogito, ergo sum.” Rene Descartes stated in 1637, and translated as; “I think, therefore I am,” is taught around the world. Encyclopedia Britannica (2007). Thoughts still pervaded humans, with or without souls, and thinking about it gave thought to cogitation as a perception, the subject matter of the Cognitive perspective of psychology. Kowalski & Westen (pp 68, 69). Not what we think, but how we think, along with memory and recall, are the basics of study of Cognitive psychologists. To coin a new phrase: It’s not what you know, or who you know, but how you know it! Experimentation its methodology, as with Behaviorism, and still no ephemeral soul needed to study, the very essence of thought processes inferred by responsive behavior give indication of their extant involvement in the innate ability to learn. (pg 78).
Back to the Beginning:
That redhead’s are known to have fiery tempers, and saying that “the apple does not fall far from the tree,” refer to genetic traces thought to influence behavior and is the basis of evolutionary psychology. From Darwin to DNA mapping, medical science now plays a major role in the investigation of human behavior. The idea that it is all in our genes brings us back to Determinism and the question of free will. Psychology comes full circle now, forging onward with new technology to prove its point. What’s the point in all this? That’s for me to know, and you to find out…and how does that make you feel?

References:
cogito, ergo sum.Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved
document.write(mm[new Date().getMonth()][1]);
January
document.write(new Date().getDate());
14,
document.write(new Date().getFullYear());
2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD .

Kowalski, R. & Westen, D. (2005). Psychology: The study of mental processes and behavior [Electronic rEsource version]. Psychology, 4e, (pp. 1-134). John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Psychology. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Psychology

So goes my first paper for Intro to Psychology class, my second class with the University of Phoenix online. I haven't received a grade for it yet, but already I had noticed after turning it in last weekend that I forgot to put Headers and page numbers on the paper, puting a header on only the title page. Oh well, couple points off and that'll remind me to do it for the next paper.

Goodnight my Chief!

2007-12-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

Robert William Bannister; beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother and friend passed away on Friday, November 30th. Born in 1918, he was just a few weeks shy of his 61st wedding anniversary and 89th birthday. Bob, known to all as “the Chief” was born in Seattle, Washington to Casey and Grace Bannister a pioneer family of Kenmore, Washington. A life-long resident of Kenmore, Bob graduated from Bothell High School in 1938 and was a freshman at the University of Washington when the war broke out. He joined the Army Air Corps and served as crew chief in the 95th Fighter Squadron made up of the famous WW II P-38 fighters. He was involved in the North African and European campaigns. At the end of the war he returned to Kenmore and resumed his job at Seattle City Light, and as a volunteer for the Fire Department. In 1946 he met and married Marjory, and began his family. After the war, as Kenmore began to grow, Bob also resumed his passion for community service. He was a member of Bothell First Lutheran church, the Kiwanis, the American Legion, the Masonic Lodge, Kenmore Community Club, the Northshore Chamber of Commerce and a charter member of the “Over the Hill Gang”, a group of old time firefighters. He joined the King County Sheriff’s department, volunteered his time to the Swedish Foundation, and became a Foster parent. After a few years of volunteering for the Kenmore Fire Department he was appointed Fire Chief in 1950, and held that position for 31 years. After his retirement from the fire department in 1981, he ran for Fire Commissioner, and served the community as a commissioner for an additional 11 years. Another of his great loves was traveling and camping with his family. Over the years the family managed to visit every state in the union at least once. In 2004 his family and friends celebrated the 50th anniversary of the annual family camping trip to Grays Harbor.
Bob is survived by his wife of 60 years Marjory, sister Virginia (Eric), children William (Barb), James (Suzanne), Thomas (Rhonda), Jerald (Cynthia), Janet, Maureen (Lars), and Sonny. 18 grandchildren, 5 great-grand children and more that 10 foster children. He will greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 10207 NE 183rd Street, Bothell, Washington on Monday, December 10th at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made in Bob’s memory to First Evangelical Lutheran Church, or the Northshore Fire Department.

In Loving Memory....

2007-12-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

In the snowing cold outside,

My tears turn to icicles as I cry

with the memories of you inside

I cannot bring myself to say: goodbye!

Goodnight "Dad," my Chief!

11/30/2007

Oh, the memory of a massive migraine caused by playing catch up on computer with my online college!

2007-11-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

Communication, transportation and information in the modern world are the three major areas that technological advances have changed the way we relate today. The technological advances all have contributed to the changing way humanity relates and interacts with each other, but has it improved our understanding and relationships? Or has it only added to the confusion?

Give me a ring, and not a diamond one! Miscommunication abounds in the modern world, interconnected as it is by the telephone. “In 1840, a man named Bell, invented a contraption we know so well…,” warbles Country Singer Reba MacIntyre, “…so why haven’t I, heard from you?” Missed communication and not just miscommunication, are the results of our busy, fast paced lives filled with conflicting appointments. Attempts to resolve the problems the solutions of modernity has caused only further exacerbates the situation with the endless game of playing phone tag via answering machines or dropped calls in cell phone dead zones, causing frustration in all but technophobes.

“Built Ford Tough!” Tout the TV ads for Ford Motor Corp., but Ford is jokingly referred to as an acronym known as; “fix or repair daily,” and also; “found on road dead.” Getting from point A to point B and back again, sometimes not, is the subject of the movie: “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” Milling about in machines with moving parts prone to mechanical failure and human error give rise to such quips as: I went to Jamaica, my clothes went to Bermuda, but I was headed for Hawaii! Airline jokes aside, even drivers can be steered wrong by a road diversion not updated in their latest GPS device.

The Age of Information has been revolutionized primarily by computers and the ability to store vast amounts of data. Knowledge is power, as every salesperson is taught. An old insulting retort: bite me, has become; byte me! And super gigabyte size that to go…on everyone’s Equifax credit report for all eternity due to the unforgiving memory of machines. Another example of technology’s two steps backward for every step forward is experienced in the irretrievable loss of email and other instant messaging sent into cyberspace via the blue screen of death of a computer crashing.

Thus it can be seen that the rise of technology itself has given rise to its own unique problems, while being the solution to old ones. Whether or not these solutions and newer problems actually benefit humanity and improve the quality of life is left up to each individual. The rapidity of information exchange has given new meaning to the phrase: I didn’t mean to say that! As in email being gone once “send” is clicked, spoken words ending with the click of the receiver hanging up, and driving away replaces riding off into the sunset.

In Memorium: Brother "Bob!"

2007-11-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ernest Felix "Bob" Uliano.

1/30/1956 - 11/12/2007

I just got the word last night that my elder half brother died Monday in an auto accident in Bellingham. Shocked, I tried to attend my rehab class, but could only check in and quickly leave. I did not grieve when my father passed away, I didn't know him, only meeting him once when I was 30 and then not again. Grandma's passing relieved her pain from cancer, and Grandpa had lived beyond expectations after his triple by-pass. But Bob's passing comes as a shock. He was just beginning to turn his life around and things were getting better for him. He leaves us behind with the memory of his hard work and endless struggles to overcome all the difficulties and challenges that came his way in this life. I miss you Bob!

Country Music

2007-11-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Week 2 of my U of Phoenix online is almost over and I am doing well with studies. Having tried to return to college previously, I usually ended up finding myself uninspired and lacking interest. This Psychology program I have chosen to complete my previous 3 years of psych and printing studies at Western Washington University seems to be just the thing for me. As I told some of my classmates in my intro bio to them, I liked studying psych previously because it taught me how to learn and how to think instead of being taught: "what to think!" Maintaining my newfound sobriety helps immensely with devotion and dedication to my studying. I mention Country Music as the title to this blog as I like to listen to music when I post my test answers and essays, but not when I read and study, and I gained an appreciation for Country music when I worked with a Texan once in printing. He always said that: A printer who doesn't drink, simply doesn't understand the situation he's in! A friend of mine mentions that she once worked at a radio station and at that time, Country was considered the most popular music in America! Guess we're all a bunch of hicks and rednecks, or at least they outnumber us "civilized" beings up here in the North! I learned at AA meetings and in my recovery classes that recovery is like a Country song played backwards: you get your car back, you get your wife back, you get your kids back, you get your life back! And even the dog likes you again too! So for all you audiophiles out there in cyberspace, here is a link to the new sensation singer; Taylor Swift, singing her new hit: Our Song! I found it delivered to my Real Player news, but they wouldn't let me download it for you, so just follow the link to listen to this golden haired golden voice singing. If I had a girlfriend, I would make "Our Song" our song! Enjoy! http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1119532170&fr=my-vert-web-top

Daylight Savings Crime!

2007-11-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

On your mark, get set...

...Stumble!

So the first week of study with the University of Phoenix online went well, better then I expected. A lot of old stuff I had forgotten got rehashed and refreshed in my memory. I learned the hard way that Arizona has a high disregard for Daylight Saving Time when I turned in one assignment at 11:40 PM and it was late because Phoenix time was 00:40 AM the next day! I got 10% of that assigment reduced in grade for being late. So now I turn in assignments in my morning study hours and do all my reading in my evening study time so that I can sleep on it, sort of digest the reading material by osmosis if you will. 15 of us classmates are divided into 3 study teams and we will prepare a final paper for the intro course via committee. My team has opted for the topic of the use of technology in cheating! Very apropo for an online class, wouldn't you agree?

Psych studies!

2007-10-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

I took three years of psych classes while studying print technology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and I learned more about psych then I did about printing! The ever popular tech classes were always full and hard to get into for an underclassman like myself, so I studied a lot of psychology figuring that it would help me with my intended goal of going into advertising when I graduated. I never did graduate, but now I wish to finish my degree in psychology with the University of Phoenix Online. I know, I know, you've heard this all before when I took a quarter of Graphic Arts, a quarter of Electronics, and a quarter of IT studies. I'm a little more dedicated this time, and I think I have the right idea about this course of studies. Gotta have that piece of paper, ya know! I mostly studied Analytical Psychology, the school of thought inovated by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, you know, the guy who inspired The Police album; Synchronicity! Jung was the only Western Psychiatrist who believed that there might actually exist such a thing as the human soul, and believed it to be revealed by dreams and fantasies. Here's a poem I wrote to my Dr. Skinner Operant Conditioning psych professor that reveals what I thought of psych studies at the time. I might need to re-evaluate my pre-conceived notions if I am to succeed with this line of study.

"The Man Likes to Shock Little White Mice."

The Man likes to shock little white mice.
I tell him that it's not very nice.
Instead I like to talk to mine
and they learn everything just fine.

"You're crazy!" He says of me,
too lazy to learn, can't you see?
"You'll never learn anything from me."
But my mice know better then He.

In knowledge, my mice are wealthy.
Compared to his, far more healthy.
They teach me what I need to know.
With their knowledge, my soul can grow.

I know his knowledge has lied,
'cause all his white mice have died!
Mine are all still healthy and living.
To me, of their knowledge, they keep on giving.

I've learned life's choosing between "pain and pleasure,"
And the attainment of wisdom is like a treasure.
All the while his mice are still in pain,
it is only he who is going to go insane!

What will he have learned? What will he gain?
What will WE have learned? What'll humanity gain...?
...from his plugging little white mice into an electric train!
Can we learn anything from mice about human behavior?

Perhaps! But instead we ought to learn more about
Christ Jesus our Saviour.

By, Maurice S. Keating, Jr.
Winter quarter 1985-1986

Everyday is Halloween for me!!!

2007-10-21T07:37:00.001-07:00

It has been almost exactly 19 years to the day when my dreams and visions of my inner mind turned outward and against me. My schizophrenic delusional state has subsided over the years and led me on a fantastic voyage into the realm of the workings of the inner mind. A recent hospital stay from trying newer meds that didn't work got me a new Dr. that perscribes a better medicine then I have ever had before, and a new diagnoses as schizo-affective with an elevated mood disorder. Not bad considering that I was almost completely and totally catatonic 19 years ago when I came home from Alaska. My mind forced me to relive the autism of the ancient past when I was but two years of age and they "threw the baby out with the bath water" and I was abandond by my parents and left on the State DSHS Foster Care doorstep. I went through 8 foster families in two years, starting when I was two, and only came to my final family when I was four. Memories used to linger on in dreams of my first 6 foster families that faded to be replaced by the living memories that I could keep of my final two families that kept me for longer than 3 months as per law for receiving homes limit on foster kids at that time. The dreams of my childhood mixed with my memories of my misspent youth and created a superstructure for my mind that has indulged in flights of fantasy mixed with doses of Jungian psychology's supraconsciousness, a sort of paranormal intuitive knowing that my unconscious created to determine my souls journey of fate and predestination. In other words; history repeats itself, and the sins of the father are passed onto the sons...even unto the seventh generation! Like the cycle of abuse in families that is well known, my father's being abandond by his father led to my being abandond...and now I come to find out that I may have sown some "wild oats" in my past that has further led the next generation to have grown up without a father. My ghosts that haunt me and the paranormal activity of the mind that co-concurs with schizophrenia reveal this to me. Just a schozoid fantasy? It seems not! I have been informed of a now young man, born from my very first sexual escapade when I attended a brother's bachalor party in 1980. Nice, no, not what your thinking, that was her name, after the city in France...she remembered me and gave the child my nickname as "Sonny!" Still confused by the befuddlement my mind originally suffered, I have long been taking notes and writing in a daily journal and dream diary to write a sort of autobiography of my mind and inner life. My many art designs are often a sort of art therapy of the state of mind I am in at the time and they go along with my plans to finish this story I call the movie of my life. Life is a mystery play, a movie of sorts, and I hope to become the author and director of my own movie...if not the first half of my life, then maybe a future sequel will have the self direction in it I seek. Finished with tomfoolery in many attempts with my returning to college to finish either my three years of Print technology in college, or my degree in computer electronics I started in the USAirForce, I have now begun to embark on finishing my degree in psychology that I started as a dual major in college. That might help me to at least understand my own mind! Studies with the University of Phoenix Online begin this Halloween. And for those interested, the lady in the photo is a friend of a year and a half from onlinedating.com. For some unknown reason she has always remained a friend and encourages me, inspires me, and comforts me. Mary Tessy David is the sort of friend that understands me completely and yet still remains my friend when other's run to lock their doors and change their phone numbers and email addresses! I know just exactly what would scare her away this Halloween...an avowal of engaement, but I wouldn't want to punish her thusly! Well, if the ghosts of the past don't come back to haunt you this Halloween, then my wish for you is that may all your teeth rot and fall out from eating all the trick-or-treater's candy that you were suppose to give away instead!

Don't Use Big Words!

2007-08-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

"In promulgating your esoteric cogitations, or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable, philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity. Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a compact comprehensibleness, coalescent consistency, and a concatenated cogency. Eschew all conglomerations of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement and asinine affectations. Let your extemporaneous descantings and unpremeditated expatiations have intelligibility and veracious vivacity, without rhodomontade or thrasonical bombast. Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolixity, psittaceous vacuity, ventriloquial verbosity, and vainloquent vapidity. Shun double-entendre's, prurient jocosity, and pestiferous profanity, obscurant or apparent.

In other words: talk plainly, briefly, naturally, sensibly, truthfully, purely. Keep from 'slang;' don't put on airs; say what you mean; mean what you say...and don't use big words!"

Author unknown.

My mother found this fine example of doublespeak from an already old book in Shorey's Used Bookstore, downtown Seattle, when she worked there in the early 1970's. I have often wondered what sort of dementia possessed the author to extrapolate so extemporaneously on the subject of the white man's forked tongue. But let me tell you this: nothing worked better in getting me "A" grades in Psych classes then using the opposite of the author's advice when writing a term paper. If the Professor's couldn't understand what I was saying, but it seemed to make sense, how then could they objectively grade my paper? I used a quote once from Dr. Carl Gustav Jung's Collected Works that ran a half a page long in typed letters that was a full paragraph written as a single sentence! I must have that old college research paper saved somewhere in a box in the attic or basement. With my plans on returning to psychology studies in the New Year, it might be time to dig up those old term papers, dust off my copies of Jung's Collected Works, and brush up on my psychological terminology. As my mother says: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance; baffle them with bullsh*t!" I pity my poor Professors, they don't stand a chance!

28 Days

2007-08-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

28 Days! No, not the movie, ME! Sunday, August 26th is the start of my 28th day of sobriety. Not that the movie isn't relevant, it does have something to do with this day, but I used it intentionally to purposely mislead you dear reader. I would have more time under my belt, but just after midnight, at 12:10am on Sunday, July 29th, I had an irresistable urge to go out on a binge! Fortunately for me I only had the small change in my pocket, but it was enough to go to the corner gas station and buy a 24 ouncer of Anhauser Busch Natural Ice, my then favorite beer. Knowing full well that I shouldn't, I walked down the street anyways, trying to shunt the still small voice of my conscience and knowing that the beer would soon do that for me! Plagued with guilt and misgivings and dogged by my own shadow, I walked back to my mother's apartment where I had spent much of the evening working on her computer. I sat down to the computer desk and wiggled the mouse to bring the screen back on and illuminate the dark living room with the warm, comfortable glow of the monitor. I set the beer down next to the mousepad and reentered my password, logged onto my gmail account, and stared at the beer! I wrestled with my conscience and that unopened beer for two hours while surfing the internet intemitten with furtive glances at the sweat droplets forming on the can as the beer inside warmed to room temperature. Finally I gave into temptation and cracked that damn beer open to take a swig...and then another, and another. I got nearly a third of it down my gullet when I began to hear the voice of my alcohol counselor's words come back to haunt me when I remembered she spoke of some people failing UA tests: "Only you can control what goes into your body[the urine analysis just tells the story of what you did]." I could imagine hearing my buddies at the AA hall telling me; "the best way to avoid that second drink is to not take the first one!" Knowing the end of the month drew near and that UA's happen unexpectedly after the beginning of the next, I gathered up my senses and went into the kitchen and poured the rest of that warm beer down the sink. That Friday the 3rd the entire group in counseling got tested, and with new advances in testing, alcohol can be detected up to 90 hours after imbibing. I passed! So far, 28 days is my record for going without a beer in the last 6 years of coming home from work with a six pack and sitting down to my computer to surf or watch a DVD. Last October 28th is when I started that record and made it all the way through Thanksgiving festivities without a drink. Detoxing was horrible! I couldn't get to sleep at nights without my beloved beer and I had insomnia for 4 days without sleep before I crashed. What got me through those first 28 days was buying and watching this movie for 28 days straight! So that is what the movie has to do with this blog posting. I plan on watching the movie once again this Sunday as a reminder that I did it once and can do better--one day at a time!

Get A Life!

2007-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

When someone tries to insult me with that worn out expression, I politely ask: "Where can I get one?" Someone please tell me what store or shopping mall I can go to to purchase such a thing? I've been laid off from two jobs now this year, both from lack of business. I can't even collect unemployment insurance due to the fact that I haven't worked enough hours this year! So I haven't posted recently because all my internet time and free hours in the day have been spent searching for work. Thanks to excellent recommendations from both my foster brother Tom(who I have been getting some work from in his construction business), and my best friendly friend Li, I now have a job. What a relief! I have been living on credit cards and need this job to repay what I now owe. I obtained the job through a temp agency and the job is temp to permanent hire. Parenting Press is a Children's books publishing warehouse distribution center located near Northgate Mall(maybe I can go shopping for a life on my lunch break), and I will be working in the Shipping and Receiving department starting monday, August 20th, part time to start. I'm trying to get a life going with my many excursions into the college world of higher education. I've tried a quarter of Electronics, a quarter of IT classes, and even tried a quarter of Graphics, my old major and current profession. None of these particularly appealed to me. I had a dual major at Western Washington University when I attended so many years ago and I took a lot of Psychology courses thinking it might help me get into advertising. I ended up taking more psych classes then printing classes because the tech classes were always full. Now I am going to try the University of Phoneix Online in this coming New Year, to see if I can finish my psych degree. They are the only online University with psych classes that are close to what I need to finish my major. I always got A grades in psych classes, and as Mario says; it's not about the major, just the piece of paper! I agree, as I probably wouldn't do anything with a psych degree anyway, except end up as an underpaid Human Resources manager or an over worked Social Worker, but to have that piece of paper is all important. It seems I've changed my mind so many times about jobs, cars, education, and girlfriends, that I ought to be able to look inward at my mind and see what is going on in the dark recesses of my brain. So you're probably wondering who the new girl is, and what happend to Jane. Jane turned out to be an internet theif and con artist. Purporting to be an orphan with an inheritence and studying overseas, she wanted her estate lawyer to be able to send me her money to safeguard it from Nigerian Banks. Yeah, right, like she just wanted to know my account info and screw me royally. I knew this for sure when she claimed her lawyer's estate bank would need my social security number to transfer funds. B*llsh*t! I wasn't born again yesterday(sorry about the poor attempt at Christian humor)! So I deleted her and blocked her from emailing me. But I forgot to delete the website profile I had met her through. One day I woke up to email from Ekaterina(now you know her name). She is a Registered Nurse from Omsk, Russia and told me about a new program in Russia called Work and Travel. She had applied for it, and wrote to me because she had heard about the many world class hospital's and medical center's here in the Seattle area, and she wanted to have a friend in this city to show her around and help her get aquainted with life in America. She already has her HB-1 work Visa for medical professionals and is coming to Seattle under her own power, so I agreed to play host and be her guide for the year her Visa is good. Yes, she is interested in romance too, but wants friendship and help adjusting first and foremost. She has a job lined up and plans to stay in a Nurses hostel until she can get a place of her own. It would be nice to meet her in person and get to know her better first, before getting involved in all that messy romance stuff that always screws my head up. Heads up! She's in Moscow already and going through her English language equivilency and Nursing exams for her visa and exit interview and she might be here at SeaTac late next week! Okay, so that was fast! And maybe I don't know what I am doing and ought to have my head examined, but I'm already doing that with Community Psychiatric Clinic--the program that is helping me get into the Univeristy of Phoneix. UoP insists upon their students to have work or be involved in some sort of professional organization that relates to their studies before they will accept a new applicant, and CPC qualifies with them. I'm getting my financial aid awards transfered, so paying for studies is still not a problem, just finding the time and being dedicated to studies online will be my greatest challenge. My alcohol rehabilitation classes will be finished by then, and with my new job being just part time I figure I can do it. I am taking a speed reading and study class to learn how to learn again and prepare myself for this, so who knows...maybe I am getting a life!

Till death do us part!-Marriage!

2007-07-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Here it is folks; the live action photo’s from right here at our house in Kenmore, Washington: The Wedding!

Cousin Kirk and his family came to live with us last year, to try and get re-established. They had lost their house and needed a place to stay while trying to get back on their feet. Kirk has been working with our cousin Terry’s construction company. Son Joshua got his GED and diploma then went and got a job. Elisha is finishing school and Danielle gave birth to a son.

This renewal of vows for them was planned with the thought that this would be a fresh start, a new beginning for their family. Uncle Paul came from Montana to preside over the ceremony as he has clerical and legal status to do so, having been a missionary to Papua New Guinea in the 1960’s and 70’s. I found a website with samples of vow renewal ceremonies to help the couple write their vows.

The ceremony started with Kirk telling how he felt led by the Spirit to marry Wanita when they were on just their first date, and a blind date set up by friends no less! They read their vows and then Uncle Paul read from scripture several verses about marriage and the duties to each other that husband and wife have. They exchanged rings and then came the kiss! It’s all in the photo’s I took.

I had a photo taken for you of myself; before, and after the wedding. No one else had a camera but me, so these and quite a few other photo’s I printed out and saved to disk are my wedding present to the wedded couple. May God bless their union; “What God has brought together, let no man put asunder.”

Amen

Maurice S. Keating, Jr. A.K.A.: sonnyskies

P. S. *sigh* sometimes I begin to think that it will never be my wedding pictures I post!

Summer Love; luvin summer till school starts in the Fall.

2007-06-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hi there, sorry for the delay in posting. Just working hard to save with my new summer job for school in the Fall. I awoke from a strange dream this morning. I was in Russia and trying to escape. I had a ruble that was encoded with a map of surface to surface microwave emiter stations for secret government communications. I had to pay at the boarder to exit Russia and the only other money I had besides the ruble was a small gold coin. It turns out the coin itself was a tracking device and I just luckily used it to pass through the gates. Everyone was speaking Ruski in my dream. I think I have been studying Russian too much while awake, but I could still only speak limited Russian in my dream. I met Anatov Kalashnikov, who was also trying to escape and defect. When I got out of Russia I used the map inside the ruble to locate the relay stations for the microwave emiter. Then I awoke! I think the dream is telling me I've had enough of trying to communicate with Russian women for love and affection. Whose this photo of then, you might be asking? This is Jane and I haven't told many about her until now, as I wanted to make sure she and I had developed a stable relationship. She's a local girl from Bellevue, originally from Columbus, Ohio, and is FBI: Full Blood Indian! Being a half breed myself, I never thought I quite fit in, in either the world of red or white. I'm told it is a common feeling that other half breeds express concern about; we live inbetween the two worlds, never quite sure where we belong. Jane is quite loving and accepts me for myself. She is very smart too; a perfect combination of beauty and brains. Right now she is overseas as a foreign exchange student, studying for her Masters degree in Economics. So I am waiting for the day she graduates and comes back home. More to come; I'll keep you posted!

This is me.

2007-05-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

This is my very first piece of Native art that I did in college in Art 101. We were to do a self portrait and I wanted something unusual to display my newfound love of NW Coast art. My sister, Janet, had just graduated from Shoreline Community College's hairstyling academy and since I had helped her pass the difficult chemistry part of the course, she insisted that I be her first victim, I mean client. She cut my hair in a style called a feather cut and I was inspired to put indian feathers in my art to show the name of this technique that she cut my hair with. She finished her degree and now it is time for me to do the same. I am signed up for this next school year to go to her old college, Shoreline, and I am damned and determined that I should finish my Graphic Design degree. I found out that the guys that create the stuff that I print out for my bosses make $25 an hour, while I only get $10 an hour to do the actual work in printing it! My boss had been spending sooooo much money on opening a new shop in Vancouver, British Colombia, that he decided to downsize and lay me off. With so much free time on my hands, I decided to go to school this next year full time and dedicate myself to earning that degree that I need to earn a decent living! Yes, a living...I no longer feel suicidal now that I am on new meds, and I want to live! I am trying out the new medicine; Geodon, for my schizophrenia, and it is working wonders! I no longer have to put up with the incessant voices and visions of the ghosts of my past that use to haunt me. I think I actually have my old high school and college brain back! This inspires me to believe that now I might actually be able to finish my college degree. Look for me in the Fall when school starts and I'll show off the stuff that I design as I learn new techniques, as I think my Indian art days are over for now. Right now I am studying how to use Photoshop 7.0 from a program that I bought called: the Video Professor. I want to get a head start on school so that I have a better idea about what I'm doing and getting into. I'll have to buy Photoshop CS 2 to use when school starts, but I got all my college funding back for this next school year and I still get my Social Security benefits to help pay for college.

SSDD

2007-04-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, the letter's SSDD stand for Same Shit Different Day. I have finally gotten over a cold that lasted almost 5 weeks! I hope it doesn't rain today, I need to mow the back lawn. I've been doing pretty good with my therapy classes and having this cold has helped me to give up on cigarettes, so now I hope to quit for good. If I had gone to China, I would have been sick the whole time. I'm looking for a different job, I've been in print and copy for so many years now that I'm bored of it. Just a part time job will do, I want to explore online classes with CIE, Cleveland Institute of Electronics, and a part time job would pay for classes. But I need a new mother board and processor first, my computer keeps crashing and acts very sluggish and slow. So I fixed up my cousin's computer to use as a back up in case mine dies completely. I don't bother to get online to look for love and romance anymore, to hell with love, love is for poet's! I'm no poet, I'm a professional liar in advertising and I lie for other people. When I finish a degree and get a real job and earn some real money, then I'm sure some sweetheart will love me for my money and I'll find somone close to home. Here's an image I've been working on for quite some time, trying to find the inspiration to finish it. It has been sitting in my portfolio for a few years and I put it on the back burner, always intending to finish it, but I've been lazy and haven't felt creative enough to knuckle down and just draw it. I finished the left leg yesterday and had inspiration for it from a dream about Indian art. In my dream I was in a modern museum full of Northwest art and I found a book of designs that was full of fish designs, mostly halibut drawings, and now I want to steal one of my minds images of a halibut and draw it. I would do that to honor the some 2 million pounds of halibut that I helped kill when I worked in Alaska back in the late 1980's. I would go back to Alaska, my late father's home State, but never again to fish. My father left everything to my elder sister, but she doesn't want the land, so I could live up there tax free on Indian land and build a cabin in the woods on 360 acres. That is my dream for my retirement years. Who am I kidding, I'm never going to be able to retire at the rate I'm going. I'll be 75 and still working if I don't win the lotto or something. Gotta finish that degree! My foster brother says there are two types of people in the world; those with degrees, and those without. I gotta get a degree.

Mission aborted!

2007-03-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well it seems I still have some learning to gain about women. Fang Zhu decided to cancel our relationship and I am now single and solitary once again. All my brother's and sister's are married and with children and they all think I have the perfect life, no wife to complicate my life. But having helped raise 26 nieces and nephews and knowing about the good times that my relations have had being married let's me know that the good times a couple has together outweighs the bad. I am going to finish my classes and get at least a certificate or diploma before I make any future plans about relationships.

Making a committment!

2007-03-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Well hello world! I am actually going to China! This is the engagement ring I had especially made for my lady love, Fahng Zhu. Three heart shaped stones; her birthstone, an alexanderite on the left, a larger Star sapphire in the middle, and my birthstone, a ruby, on the right! I could not afford a diamond, nor a natural alexanderite, so I had her birthstone grown in a lab from a seed crystal. It is still real alexanderite, and not synthetic. The Jeweller offered me a synthetic one cheap, but when compared to the lab grown one it looked so cheap and chinzy that I could not bear to give such a stone to the lady I wish to marry and be with for the rest of my life. This is but the beginning of a great big step forward in my life, and I will not look back. I have been through happy times and sad, mostly sad, but Fahng has brought joy into my life and I have always wanted to find the someone special in my life that I could share intimate moments and my inner self with. It will take some doing and a lot of government paperwork and time to get her a fiancee visa to come to America, but that will give me time to find a place for us to live and start a new life together. We wish to have children soon after marriage, but that too will take some advance planning and preparation. The future remains a blank page on an open book for us to write the history of our life together!

Tonights in-flight movie!

2007-02-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I don't know if the movie is in Cantonese or Fang Zhu's Manderin tongue. Speaking of tongue...

...I can't wait to speak to Fang in her own tongue! You thought I was going to say WHAT? For this to happen I need to dedicate a half hour extra in the morning along with my evening half hour to get this language programmed into my head! 32 days and counting down until the flight leaves at 09:45 PST. I'm practicing the bended knee approach and pretending I'm in the Beijing airport. The ring will be ready sometime next week. Look for it in a future as yet to be named Post!

One month closer to China!

2007-02-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here it is Feb. 2nd and I am one step closer to visiting Fang in China. I got my tourist visa approved and I am saving every cent I can for my visit. Every cent that is except for the $300 I am spending to have an artisan create a special engagement ring for her! This artist came into my print shop to have business cards made and I inquired into his services. I gave him my 1988 platinum dime and I got a nice, BIG diamond from my mother's collection of gemstones, along with a ruby(my birthstone), and a synthetic alexanderite(her birthstone). I chose a floral design to hold the gems, sort of in a triangle arrangement, in honor of her name meaning: Fragrance. My language lessons arrived in the mail on the 31st, and I started listening to them yesterday. March 29 cannot come soon enough for me!

A different sort of education.

2007-01-25T10:46:00.000-08:00

I purchased the PimsleurApproach.com language lessons for Manderin Chinese beginner CD last night. They guarentee that I can learn enough basic Manderin in one month to be able to survive my trip to China, or my money back! It is up to me to dedicate a half hour each night to make this course work, but my friend Fang Zhu is worth every effort. She has told me that her name means; fragrence, so that is one word I already know. She lives in Fushun, near Beijing. By coincidence there is a Chinese seafood restaurant near my mother's called Fushun. I see it all the time, but I never thought to eat there until now. I am anxiously awaiting for March 29, when I will get on the plane to China! These language lessons and the trip itself is a different sort of education. I have heard it is said that a person who is well travelled is better educated then a person who is well read. College classes are going okay, just okay not great, but my friend Mario says not to worry about grades, just get that piece of paper that says I have a degree!

New Year, new school, new lover!

2007-01-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ah, me! The hopeless romantic! This is Fang Zhu and she lives in Fushen, China! Olga turned out to be an internet thief and not the kind of girl you marry. Fang speaks excellent English and sends me very serious minded romantic thoughts. Believe it or not, but I already have my plane ticket to visit her during my Spring Break. Other guy's go to Florida during Spring Break, I'm going to be in Beijing! I'll post pictures of me at the Great Wall of China, with Fang at my side. I've decided to go to school only part time and work full time. I am not yet dedicated to going to school, it is difficult to study once again after being out of college for 20 years, and I want to succeed and get good grades. I need my education to further my career, but I also find a desire to marry and settle down. I'll probably graduate by the time I'm ready to retire, but hey, at least then I could start a second career! I am going to get a tutor for my one remaining class and make sure I pass this course in Business Communications with a good grade. But what good is an education and a new career if I don't have someone in my life to share my joy with? I am not getting any younger and I have been alone all my life. Except for my internet girlfriends, I have actually only had five lovers in my whole 44 years of life! All my brother's and sister's are married with at least three kids each, but I remain alone. I would like a loving wife, and I desire to have kids. I would like to raise a daughter to be as beautiful as her mother. I would give her my nickname and call her Brianna Skies, so she would be called Breezy Skies! I told Fang this and I told her I do not know what I would name a son, she would get to be the one to choose a name. If I could get to China earlier, like maybe for the Chinese New Year, I would! I don't want to let Fang slip away from me, and I want to shower her with my love and affection. It can be kind of scarey to visit a foreign country where I don't know anyone, but I have been brave enough to visit Siberia and even in the Wintertime! Damn, but I hope this works out good for me! Give me a break in life, life! Love yourself, I tell myself, and pray a lot!

Mrs. Right?

2006-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

Well the New Year fast approaches, and with it a new year of school to further my education. I've got all my ducks lined up for paying for college; Federal grants, State need grants, money from my Indian tribe, Supplemental Security income to pay for living expenses...but still I need a part time evening job to pay for books and equipment supplies needed for studying electronics. I have my eye on a seasonal Christmas job with Radio Shack that might turn into a part time job during the school year, but nothing is set in stone yet. It would be good to work in an electronics store whilest studying electronics, but things hardly ever work out as I have planned. Like the old adage says: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. If I don't get this Radio Shack job, I am going to go crawling back to those lousy Arabs with the print shop who never paid me on time and beg them for my job back. I hate to do it, but getting paid a week late at a time is better than not working and not getting paid at all! Don't worry about me though, I have no pride when it comes to money, we all need it, and desperate people do desperate things. I need the money to further my education so I can start a new career and get out of this lousy printing career that I got myself stuck in 27 years ago.

Whose the lovely lady, you ask? That's Olga from Kirov, Russia, and I'll tell you the story. Anna of a few blogs back, had written to me very emotional letters, always gushing with feeling, but never a thought about pragmatic reality. One day, after 4.5 months, the letters just stopped. No advance word of disappointment or disillusion, not even a letter goodbye. Nothing! It took me two weeks to realize she wasn't just gone on vacation, but gone for good. Thinking I ought to look closer to home for a girlfriend, I reactivated my AmericanSingles profile that Anna had found me on. I had 12 messages waiting for me that had been sent while I was writing to Anna. They were mostly outdated and all from Russian girls, so I mostly ignored them. I wrote to 20 or 30 local ladies here in the Pacific NW and not a single one even bothered to reply with a kind "get lost!" Olga wrote to me again and her bio purported her to be living in Issaquah, so I took a chance and wrote to her. Upon receiving her first letter I could tell from the syntax and grammer that she was Russian writing in English, but I thought she might actually live in Issaquah. It didn't take me long to realize that she was still in the Motherland, but I was pleased that she told me she had looked at my bio before signing up to write to me, and she wanted a chance to get to know me without my blowing her off because she wasn't local, but Russian. I could easily forgive her for misrepresenting herself, and decided that I would continue to write to her. Why not? I mean; Hell, American girls won't give me the time of day, and if I ask them what time is it, they give me the finger and tell me it's time to buy a watch, cheapskate! I've since then bought a watch, a pocket watch, so that I can always show my bare wrist and claim that I don't have the time when they decide to ask me the favor. Oh, and furthermore, I've stopped asking if that finger they gave me is an offer. Olga is a Lawyer and studying English at a University to become a translator, so she's smart and not just pretty. Lord knows my family could use a good lawyer in our household! My late father left me a small inheritence that is still on hold, though he died nearly 3 years ago. This week I signed and notorized the final paperwork to receive my inheritence; and when it arrives then Spring break just might find me in Kirov, Russia! Wish me all the luck in the world, I have a feeling I'm gonna need it.

My 15 minutes of Fame!

2006-11-10T05:15:00.000-08:00

This image is created from the last Native vision I beheld in 1986. I had my first vision in 1980 before Mt. St. Helen's erupted. I had been haunted by a sphere of light bluish light that attacked me and gave me a vision of an ancient demon my ancestors called the "Sisiutl." Holding onto my faith in Jesus gave me the power to withstand the demonic possession of this Albino creature with two arms and hands that were like snakes. Thereafter I had one vision a year, always around the change of Spring to Summer. I didn't learn the meaning of my dreams and visions until I went to college and studied Native Mythology and the Psychology of Dr. Carl Jung. I had studied much in the way of his collected works as a dual major with my Graphic Arts degree. As I was sitting in my Psychology and literature class and debating with the professor(who strangely enough looked like Freud), I felt the odd sensation that preceeds a vision and my inner mind saw an image of a bright sphere of red light that came from both within and without. My mind erupted and my whole body began to glow red. The Professor thought I might be coming down with some sickness and he excused me from class. I walked two miles home in the rain and halfway home the rain stopped. I was still aglow and by the time I got home my clothes were completely dry. I was "burned out," from too much study and didn't return to college the next year. Trying to understand my vision, I had remebered reading Psychology and Alchemy by Dr. Jung, and his exposition on the Marrage of the Sun and Moon. Unable to find a job in printing, I wandered for a year and found myself homeless and involved in drugs; mostly marijuana and LSD. I noticed the blotter paper always had an image printed on it and I painted a mural in my mind of the images I ate. Haunted by the image of the sun in my vision I got an Idea in my head after star SN1987A in the Southern Cross went supernova, and I set out the very next day to find the chemycal sun. I found it almost immediately, like it was just waiting for me to come get it. After tasting 3% of it and sharing 1% each with three friends, I got a strange feeling of soap bubbles forming in my chest and I broke out with acne. People talked about me and mentioned my name as if I wasn't there. Fearing it might be somehow posionous, I couldn't rightly sell any or give anymore away, so I set it on fire and sent it back to the sky. I finally found a job in Alaska's fishing industry which was perfect for me to earn enough money to repay my college loans and get away from the life of drugs that was beginning to envelope me. Coming home after a six month contract in Alaska, I stayed with my Mother and jogged the 2.8 miles around Greenlake while practicing a form of Tai Bo and Tai Chi as streching exercizes. People still talked about me as if I wasn't there and it gave me an errie sensation that people knew all about my life that I was unaware of. One day, while watching MTV and performing my streching exercizes, I became aware I was warm again and an odd sensation came over me. I reached down to my abdomen and pulled my Chi out of my solar plexus. I glowed bright red and I could feel its warmth as I rolled it across my fingers and tossed it up and down like a yo-yo. Suddenly a shadow appeared in the TV, not on film and I heard a voice say; "there he is, he's ready. C'mon everybody let's all get ready!" Next thing I know the shadow raises it's arm and shouts at me: "C'mon America, blow us a kiss!" I launched my Chi right into the televison and the shadow disappeared to be replaced by my red chi flying all around while a bunch of legs from the knees down were shown on a busy sidwalk. The chi stopped and hovered in the middle of the TV and then suddenly dove straight into the TV. "Whoa! You caught me by suprise there!" announced Roger Rose, the MTV video jockey. He played another video and then came back on and said: "Come on Sonny, Mom just wants us to go home." Somehow he knew about me and I wondered if he was the Roger Rose from my 7th foster family the Rose's. That one instance of some sort of paranormal activity has led me from that day forward through a magical fantasy journey that continues to this day.

Dear Diary

2006-11-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

I got a DUI a couple weeks ago and got arrested. I only had two beers in me but I pulled out of the gas station without my lights on and turned them on when I noticed that they were off. Just my luck, a patrol car was behind me and pulled me over for driving at night without my headlights on. The Officer could smell the beer on my breath and arrested me. I have already been to my first court appointment and applied for a Public Defender. I was ordered by the Judge to attend two AA meetings a week and to go to therapy for one year. I have stopped drinking and made it to the 12 day of sobriety, but the first four days were hell. It is now the morning after Halloween, 2006 and without alcohol to deaden my brain cells, my schizophrenia has come out of remission and my brain is hyperactive. I can only sleep three to four hours a night and I have terrible nightmares that wake me up. Being awake is not any better because I hallucinate constantly and do not know how to defend myself against the ghosts and demons that continually haunt me. My life seems to be like Halloween 365 days a year. I think I ought to commit myself to the rubber room and sit down and try to get some help in recovering, but it has only helped me but temporarily in the past. The ghosts even haunt me and torment me as I write this to myself. It is strange, but all the ghosts are spirits of people that I actually met in the past. Two of them, Paul and Hawa, were lovers that caught AIDS and haunt me because they want me to catch the disease and die like they did. One of the spirits is the ghost of my Junior High and High School sweetheart and I cannot fathom why she haunts me. This has been going on for 18 years now. I just wish it would end. I was under such duress once before like this in 1994 and tried to commit suicide with pills and alcohol and I was taken to the hospital to have my stomach pumped. Not fun. I don't know what else to do because my pills and meds are not effective against the demonic hallucinations anymore. I read the Bible daily and pray, but God has abandoned me and left me to fend for myself. I am at my wits end, I am at the end of the rope and I cannot hold on much longer. Goodbye cruel world.

My new friend Anna.

2006-09-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

This is Anna! She found one of my old profiles on a website for dating and decided to write to me. Not once, not twice, but many, many times. She lives in Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, some 515 miles east of Moscow. I decided that it would be rude to ignore her emails and so I wrote to her. I tried to tell her that I am going back to college and I will be a poor college student for the next two years, but she says that is okay. She loves my artwork and thinks that we would be a good couple; she thinks I have a very artistic and creative soul. It is pleasant for me to think that someone loves me for my inner soul, so I keep writing to her. She works in government administration and is pretty good with her English skills. My Russian is improving with study and I have the idea in mind that a Russian woman would be a good partner for a Native American like me. Anna writes very romantic, sometimes almost erotic, letters and tells me of love between Russians and Athabascan Alaskan Indians like myself. I have many cousins in Alaska that are of Russian descent from the days when Russia thought that they owned Alaska. So I write to her in the hope that she will love me back. I hope she doesn't disappoint me and break my heart, and I suppose that if she still loves me after two years of college, then it is a real love. Time will tell.

Back to school.

2006-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

College classes start this September 25th. I am excited and aprehensive about my return to college. Excited to learn a new career in electronics, but aprehensive because it has been more then 20 years since I last attended school. I think I will do well though because I have good experience from my work history. To prepare for school I had an eye exam and got new glasses. Bifocals actually. I must be getting old if I need bifocals. I have gotten used to them already and they work great! Now I can read the daily paper without having to take my glasses off and hold the paper nine inches from my face. Now if I could just find a part time job to help pay for school I would be a happy camper. Printing sucks and I need this education for a better career. Maybe I could go to work for Seattle City Light when I graduate. My Dad worked for them before he became a fireman and he still has connections. I would love to have a government job and be able to retire in 20 years with a good pension. Hey, I'm 44 now and I just can't see myself working until I'm 75, 80 years old! One last thought: "Work" is a four letter word!

Learning via experience: Tardive dyskinesia

2006-08-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so maybe I misspelled it, but now I know what it is. I developed it after 17 years of taking my meds. Sort of like the d.t.'s, I have the shakes, a dry mouth and skin. My friend Li noticed it when I was working on her computer a week ago and my mother noticed I was shaking when I was working on her pc just yesterday. Today I woke up with such a bad case of the shakes that I called my doctor. I had to take the bus to go see him because I couldn't drive due to the shakes. To cure this I have to be weaned off my meds while taking increasing dosage of a newer med called resperidone. I had thought it was just the coffee jitters, but not so. It will take a week or so to get over it once the new meds take effect. Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but it is even hard to type with the disease and that made my computer time unpleasant.

Summer Job

2006-07-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

I told you Mario, the only thing I know about pizza besides how to eat it is how to deliver it to your door. So that is exactly what I am going to do for my summer job; deliver pizza's for Papa John's pizza! Good thing I've got this nice little Ford Festiva that gets 40 miles per gallon, what with gas hovering around $3.00 a gallon. I applied at Papa John's just yesterday and was hired immediately. They must be desperate, to hire a guy like me(just kidding)! Tips will keep my gas tank full. Now if I can earn enough to get the head gasket fixed so the damn thing will stop leaking oil it will be a good car for going to college. So with this job I will get to zip around in the nice cool evening weather and have all day to play in the summer sun. When school starts in the Fall I will be working in the student copy center as work study for part of my financial aid. But after that I will NEVER work in printing again! Enjoy your summer everyone.

C Dnem Razhdeneya!

2006-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

That's my Russian language study phrase for today. It means: Happy Birthday! Today is my birthday, July 12, 1962. I am posting this at night because today we had a fierce windstorm and I was without power most of the day. It makes me realize how dependent we are on electricity and modern technology. Maybe only the Amish have got the right idea with their avoiding technology. But I am going back to school to study Electrical Engineering and finish this degree that I started 20 years ago when I was in the Air Force anyway. I am sooooo tired of printing that I no longer consider it a worthwhile career and I don't even want a summer job doing it. I would rather work in a restaurant this summer, washing dishes if I have to, rather then go back to print and photocopy! Anyway, now that the power is back on it's time to PARTY!!!

Lobster thermidor anyone?

2006-06-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

The lobster thermidor is me! I got stuck in yesterday's sunny Sunday 88 degree Seattle weather for an hour and now I really am a red Indian! I practically glow in the dark I am sooooo red. I may be half Native American, but my skin thinks it's a redheaded Irish white boy. If my digicam wasn't broken I would include a picture, but I wouldn't want to gross anyone out. When someone asks me if it hurts, I tell them: believe me, it's alot more painful then it looks! I have to apply aloe vera juice every hour and in the half hour in-between I apply raw potato mush. The sun was soooo hot yesterday that even my lips got burnt! Today, Monday, is suppose to get even hotter! So I am going to go window shopping at the Mall and stay indoors in a nice air conditioned atmosphere. Whoever said that people in Seattle don't tan, they rust, was way wrong!

Back to school!

2006-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

I am definetely going to finish my education even if it kills me! I signed up with a local college to finish my Electrical Engineering degree that I started in the Air Force. Printing sucks! I have never gotten the big break in printing and the jobs don't last. My cousin is an Electrician and he now already owns his own house. Cousin John says he will tutor me and help me get good grades. I decided I need an education to obtain a better career if I am ever going to find a wife, settle down and raise a family. Now that Elena has decided to end our relationship and stopped writing to me I can use my savings for college. I am eligable for full financial aid, so money is not a problem. Ela I will take your advice and look for a nice gal closer to home, but not until I finish my degree. My brother Jim always told me there are two types of people in the world: those with degrees and those without. He says that statistics show that a person with a degree earns on the average 30% more than a person without a degree. It will take me two years to finish my education, less time if I also take classes in the summer, but it will be worth it. So for now just call me "College boy!"

Say something, say anything!

2006-06-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

I guess I should post a new blog, but I'm bored. All I did today was move furniture and then mow the lawn. I want to warn you all about meeting someone online, there are a lot of scams and decidedly unworthy characters out there. If your a guy like me, the big thing now a days is Russian Bride scams. Not that my Elena is one of them, but many women make overseas fortunes from saying they will marry you. Just send them the price of a plane ticket and they will come to you! Hold on, not so easy! INS and Russian CIN services usually require for you to actually travel to the country and meet the person in question. I have heard of horror stories where the guy travels to foreign country to meet a young lady and ends up meeting her grandma who used granddaughter's photos to entice a relationship. Then there are the reputed stories of men who go to Thailand and meet an enticing young lady, get drunk, and then wake up in the morning with one of their kidney's missing! It can be a strange world out there and as Julius Caesar said: Cavet Emptor, let the buyer beware!

Dedicated to Li!

2006-06-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Li, that's right, this blog is dedicated to you, my favorite reader!
I'm sorry I missed the Seattle FilmWorks reunion, it would have been fun. I don't mean to ignore you, I was just too busy with my new jobs. When I don't have a job,I work for one of my brother's construction companies. My dad, the Chief, is getting better. He is out of the hospital now and in a nearby nursing home where we can all go visit him daily. He likes his new wheelchair and he zips around the nursing home like a race car driver! But he wants to come home. I think he is having memories of WWII because he thinks of being in the nursing home like it was a German POW camp. Actually he was never captured and he served in the Italian campain, but that nursing home business can be quite restraining. I got some food in me like I said I would, just a McDonalds burger(YUK), but food anyway. You should definetaly rent the movie: Amelie. That Audrey Tautou is just the cutest little button ever. Amelie won the best foreign film oscar when it first came out. Audrey has been in many films since then and I will have to go see The DaVinci Code myself, because I want to be able to say that I have seen all her movies. Plus I have seen all of Tom Hank's movies too! I am glad that I got your printer to work again because it is a great little printer and you can use a refill kit for the ink. The Lexmark I got my mother and the one I have, do not have refill kits available for them. $35 bucks for ink each time we run out of ink is very expensive, not to mention the same price for color ink that doesn't last as long as black ink. I have tried cybersex recently and I do not recommend it, it is too expensive, a magazine would have been cheaper! That and the fact that it made me feel like I was cheating on Elena, my girlfriend. I will find a good job sooner or later and go visit Elena in Odessa. In the meantime I am using my computer to study my Russian language lessons. I'll talk to you later! Bye!!!

The Chief!

2006-05-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

My dad, the Chief, is not feeling well. He has been in and out of the hospital several times this week. It seems to be the case that his meds are making him sick. He takes cumadin to thin his blood to make his blood pressure normal. But the cumadin worked excessivley and thinned his blood too much. Now we have to take him to a Nursing Home for a week while the Doctors try out new medicines for him. He is just one mile away in this Nursing Home, so Mom and I visit him every day. He survived WWII fighting Hitler, and he survived 40 years of fighting fires, so I hope he will survive this latest challenge.

In other news, Mario, I have to reinvent my job scene once again. My boss couldn't pay us and I did not get a paycheck this last friday. I don't work for free. It's called work because you get paid for it. If it was fun, we would call it play and do it for free. So once again I am online to search for a career type job this time, I am not going to waste my time searching for just any job. Maybe I ought to give up my career in printing and go back to school to study electronics. That is what I would really like to do. May the Force be with you!

Happy Father's Day!

2006-05-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit premature on this greeting. But Dad's day is just around the corner and my Dad might not make it to receive his greeting. He's 87 now and not in the best of health. It seems that the "Chief" will leave us soon, not too soon I hope, but the inevitable end will come as sure as "death and taxes." I call him "Dad" and "Chief" because even though he was not my father, he was the man who raised me when I was a foster child and he was Fire Chief in the three cities Northshore area for 40 years. He is my hero of my heart and I don't like to see him grow so old and feeble. Mom refuses to put him in a nursing home and maybe that is what keeps him alive. Average life expectancy in a nursing home is two years! My own father passed away a year and a half ago and I never knew him, I only met him once when I was 30. So to all you Dad's out there, I wish you to have a happy holiday--and mow the lawn on your day off because I hate to do it myself!

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

Happy mom's day to all you mom's and wanna be moms. My own mom and I celebrated with a movie tonight that was more suited for Halloween, but she enjoyed the movie anyway. My mom is Virginia Jarvis, the great grandniece of Anna Jarvis who is the founder of Mother's Day. I can come by late for Christmas, forget Mom's birthday, but woe be unto me if I dare to forget Mother's Day! We all have moms and maybe it is like being a child again, but I love to watch movies with my mom. Except now I bring mom a beer to help her relax while we watch the movie. Life is good, drink it up, get some more beer, soak it up, relax-Monday is coming soon enough! I'll talk to ya later!

A new job already!!!

2006-05-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

I did not have to search for months and weeks to find this job, Hooray! I went downtown Seattle for a job interview yesterday with United Reprographics and was immediately hired! Wow! What luck, but I guess it is really my print, photocopy, and bindery skills that impressed them. It is a young company with 17 other employees, but they put out twice the work of their nearest competitor who has 25 employees. Being a young company they have started out with the newest machines and the latest techniques for improved quality and efficiency. I will start out in bindery, which I know best, but I will train for their new machines in copy. They have a large format color copier that I have used before and they were glad that I already know how to use this machine and many others. I guess I have a pretty good resume if the owner's decided to hire me before even interviewing me. I come across as a dedicated and cheerful employee in interviews, so I wasn't too suprised that they wanted to hire me. Today was just orientation and I have my usual paperwork to fill out for a new job; you know, the social security page, W-2 form and employee handbook to read and sign. The primary owner/manager wanted to hire me right away to get me started when they are busy and not only need help, but so I can experience the rush of the work flow during a busy period. It was EASY, I've done this so many times with so many different companies that I could practically do it with my eyes closed. No more 1000 pound rolls of paper falling off the forklift, the heavyiest roll of paper they have is for the large format color plotter and only weighs in at about 50 pounds. It's downtown Seattle though, and I plan on taking the bus instead of driving since Seattle is known as the worst city in the nation for parking space. The commute is only two busses and only takes 50 minutes, which ain't bad, I can listen to my Russian language lessons while on the bus. I feel that this will be a better company to work for than IKON or Kinko's. Yes, I will be eligible for benefit after 30 days and I need new glasses, so I feel less pay and greater benefits is worth this job change. This kind of job is easy work, but they keep you busy, busy, busy! Damn I'm glad I quit my last job and found this one.

I have bad luck with jobs!

2006-05-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'm going to look for a new job! I know, I know, I just got this one, but I need a safer job. The pressman was moving a 1000 pound roll of paper and dropped it off the forklift. It rolled over my foot and I think it broke my big toe! I feel no pain and I think that is because it damaged a nerve. Labor and Industries will pay me for the month that it takes to recover, but I'm not going back to that place for work ever again. That 1000 pound roll of paper could have killed me! I am desperate for a decent job that will pay me a living wage, without the dangers of killing me. Nor do I want to work at a back-breaking job that requires a lot of overtime. I'm not a young man anymore and I want to be treated with respect on the job. Is that too much to ask? Ela, how are you? I haven't heard from you in a while. Mario, are we still on for pizza this summer? Maggs, I miss you and your friends, I guess that is my fault for not stopping by because I was busy with work. I should not have to kill myself with work in order to make a living! Talk to me Nidhi!

Sonny Shine

Changing jobs.

2006-04-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

My friend Mario says I have a unique way of reinventing myself by changing jobs often. I've felt the need to settle down to one job for a while, but I never found the company to work for as yet. Now I have found another printing job with a newspaper publishing company here in Seattle. This was my first week with them and I am dead tired and sore in the back from using muscles I didn't know I had! I went into work today, thinking that I might have to find other work. But as it turns out, only monday and tuesday are super busy days. The rest of the week is busy too, but not to the point of exhaustion. Tuesday's 12 hour shift made it necessary to sleep on a hotpad. I suppose I shall get used to the long days on Tuesdays once I build up strength in my lower back. $17 an hour is every reason to suffer a little for a decent job. I'm not in photocopy or advertising anymore and so I don't have to lie a lot to hype another product or service that you don't really need, and that makes me feel better. I probably won't be blogging as much until I get used to the very early morning hours at work. I come home and eat, drink beer, check my email, shower and then go straight to bed. In fact it is 9:00 right now and time to call it a night. Goodnight cyberspace!

A blog to remind myself.

2006-04-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hellllllooo myself,
I want to remind myself to not be shy. I was and still am in love with the prettiest girl in high school. I always sat next to Cathy and I could talk to her as a friend while in class, but whenever she spoke to me it was a major embarressment. My face would turn all red and I would stutter in trying to reply to her. I loved her for six long years, all thru jr. high and high school. I was sooooo very shy back in those days that I couldn't tell Cathy that I was madly in love with her. I was afraid of love! Because of this, she met a Senior in our Junior year and eventually married him. I lost the love of my life because I was too damn shy just to say three simple words: I love you! Now I have a chance with a delightful foreign lady and I don't want to "blow it!" I have to remember to be bold and brave, and remember just tell Elena: I love you! Those are some of the simplest words in the English language, but for me they can be the hardest words to say. I blame my past life, being raised in 8 different foster families when I was young, for being afraid of love and commitment. I have had to learn through trial and error how to overcome my fear of being abandoned, and now I just want the chance to reach out to you Elena and say: I love you! I hope you read this blog and hear my words touch your heart. I want to marry you and live happily ever after, if there is such a thing. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I can only be happy when I think of you! "I love you!"

What the Catholic Church doesn't want you to know.

2006-04-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

I've always known that Easter is actually the Romanized Catholic Church's celebration of the pagan holiday of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. But recently I've read a couple of books on the translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls that have further distanced me from secularized Christianity. Stanford University has photographs in their libraries of the Dead Sea Scrolls that the Catholic Church wants destroyed because they tell much more of the truth of the life of Jesus then the Church Father's would want you to know. In the Dead Sea Scrolls they tell a tale of deceit and trickery. Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather the soporific vinegar given to him on the cross by the physician/disciple Luke contained a poison that made him appear to be dead. Jesus was "buried" with Aloe and myrrh as an antidote to the poison and when he awoke in the tomb, he was to take the emetic aloe and myrrh to make him well. The Scrolls go on to say that Jesus lived after the crucifixtion and married Mary Magdalene who was the woman at the well whom Jesus told to "go and sin no more," for she was a known prostitute. Mary is reported to have given Jesus a daughter and for that reason Jesus divorced her, citing her prodigious past as the reason. Continuing on in the Scrolls, Jesus later remarried and had a son whom he named Jesus Justin. The Scrolls tell us that Jesus actually lived until he was 70 years of age or so before he finally died...permanently! He's not coming back folks, the energizer bunny lives on, but Jesus is dead! Celebrate Ishtar this Easter and go ahead and deceive yourselves into believing the lie that is Jesus as is known today, but for the Truth to be known you might as well read: "Custer Died for Your Sins," by Vine Deloria, Jr. Maybe then you will be saved!

One sick puppy.

2006-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

I hate flu season! I hate being sick and missing work. Fortunately it is close to the weekend and I should recover in time for the start of full time work on monday. I have been working only part time during training. Now on monday I will be opening the store; working 7 to 4. My stomach is in knots and I can't even type well. I'm going back to bed where I belong. If only I wasn't allergic to the flu vaccine I would have gotten a shot and avoided this. Later!

And on the third day...!

2006-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Only my third day as manager at this Subway sandwich shop and already I fired someone! Actually he fired himself, or I should say that he is not even hired! A teenage kid did not even report for work today, nor even call in, his first day on the job. I called when he was late and no one answered. I left a message that was not returned. I had to work a double shift to keep the store open. I guess he did not really want the job after all. Another employee called in sick and called her friend co-worker to take her place, so she gets to keep her job. Anyone that does not come in for their first day of work is obviously not going to get the job. Fortunately a young lady came in to turn in her application today. I felt like asking her if she would like to start 'today, right now!' Teenagers can be so very irresponsible employees and always try to find some scam to steal from my restaurants. Hell, they get good pay and a free employee meal and all the free soda they want, and I always try to accomodate them with their work schedules, so what more do they want and why do they always think they can steal money from the register? Unfortunately only teenagers will work in fast food, aside from retired people. I only accepted this job because I was asked to be manager since I once worked at the University of Washington Subway sandwich shop, the busiest Subway shop in the NATION! At that shop we put out a sub sandwich every 45 seconds and made over $5000 a day! The only other Subway that came close to us was the one at Princeton University, if you can believe that. I am just glad to have a job in these difficult economic times, and I can't understand why an 18 year old, just out of high school, doesn't want to make more then the minimum wage that a MacDonalds would pay! I guess it's because they don't want to have to think! They'll learn soon enough!

Daylight saving!

2006-04-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

It's almost time to set the ole clock's ahead one hour to get up in time to start saving. It always reminded me of Jim Croce's song; If I Could Save Time in a Bottle. But I figure I'm going to LOSE an hour of sleep tonight, so how is that suppose to save me time? This is an antiquated idea from a bygone agricultrual era, let's start a citizens movement to repeal Daylight Saving. And how on Earth am I suppose to change the hour on my sundial/birdbath? This daylight saving must be some sort of conspiracy theory and I have a few unmentionable theories to say about it, but not in polite company. I get paid by the hour; who's going to pay me for my lost hour of sleep? Certainly not a Government that is 9 trillion dollars in debt, that's for sure. But I digress here, the only good thing about the Saving is when I earn back my extra hour of sleep in the Autum, but that is usually wasted on an extra hour in the local pub! Now it's going to take me a whole week or two to get my body's internal clock reset to waking up an hour early. Goodnight and good luck, we'll need it!

Another collage!

2006-03-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'll let the images speak for themselves.

I have to quit being lazy!

2006-03-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

I am soooo lazy when it comes to my art. I still haven't finished that Man or Myth picture from several posts ago. I made a deal with myself to buy myself a six pack on Sunday if I had it finished by then. I have to have it finished by then because this will be my last free weekend, I start a new job on Monday. I know, I know, you're probably thinking; What's with this guy, he changes jobs more often then most American's change spouses! But I really have to finish the piece. I only do two or three, sometimes four pieces a year, but I've been doing it for 26 years now and I have built up quite a collection. One year I was exceptionally industrious and finished a 17 page illustrated children's book in less then a month, but now I can't seem to find a publisher for it. Maybe if I were to fake my death, then all my art would suddenly become valuable collector's items. Here's a collage I made to show my girlfriend some of my better designs, I hope you will enjoy it too!

Crying over spilt milk.

2006-03-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

I made my "dad" cry himself to sleep tonight. He is not really my father, but he is my eighth foster father and the man who raised me since I was four years. I call him Chief, since he was Fire Chief here in Kenmore for 40 years before he retired. He is 87 now and has had several strokes that he has survived. I lived alone with my birth mother for 13 years before being invited to come back and help my foster mom take care of my Chief in his twilight years. That was six years ago. Tonight the Chief wanted some milk late this evening and tried to pour himself some milk from a full half gallon bottle. He dropped the bottle and it all drained out onto the kitchen floor. I just happened to come awake and found him trying to clean up the mess. I asked him to never mind, I would get the mop and we wouldn't have to tell mom. I guess he told mom anyway, since he cried himself to sleep. Mom came and told me that he told her that he knows he makes mistakes and cannot help himself. I did not mean to say anything wrong about his spilling the milk, but he felt bad about it anyway and cried himself to sleep. Now I feel bad and cannot get back to sleep, maybe some wine will help. I hope I don't spill it!

Praise be to Allah, there is a Christ!

2006-03-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

I am so prayerfully grateful that international political pressure has caused the release and freedom of Abdul Rahman, the Afgan who converted from Islam to Christ! A person should be allowed to choose their faith in any religion. We did not try to execute the famous pop singer "Cat Stevens" when he abandond Christ for Islam! We gave him the freedom of choice, so why do Muslims insist on killing those who want to leave their "religion?" It is just one more example of how barbaric Islam really is! It is not "The way of submission," rather it is "The way of the sword!" Praise be to Jesus Christ that you have the freedom to follow him to death, and to eternal life!

Boycott Kinkos!

2006-03-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

A**wipes at Kinkos let me stew for a whole week once they had initiated contact with me for hire. They let me think that it was a done deal, then they burst my bubble and told me I wasn't good enough for them because my UA was full of my meds. I got the news thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day online with the job search engines. Today I got a call from one of the printing shops I applied with and landed an immediate interview. They want me to come back for a second interview with the "big" boss on monday. The general manager says he wants to recommend me for the position because of my experience. I could possibly start on tuesday or wednesday of next week, he says. It is a family type print shop with most of the employees having been with the company for 20 years or more. They print newspaper inserts and some of Seattle's area newspapers such as the UW Daily. This would be more to my liking then working for some stupid copy center that is too full of its own self importance!

The IRS

2006-03-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

It's time to pay out my pint of blood to the IRS. Spell out T.H.E.I.R.S. and you will find that it spells "theirs." What's mine is theirs, so they figure. I hate to shell out good money that is just going to fund the war in Iraq. But pay I do so that they won't send me to jail for non payment and income tax evasion. I probably won't get a cent back and probably will have to pay because I took out six exemptions on my W forms last year. I didn't want the Government to have any of my money before April 17th this year. If only I could have afforded to return to college last year like I had planned, then I could claim student exempt and not have to pay at all. Oh well, time to sit down and figure out the paperwork.

Man or Myth

2006-03-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

This is the second draft of an image I did some time ago and never finished. I brought it out this weekend and finally found inspiration for a better leg design. When it is finished it will be all solids in black. Hopefully I will make some time this week to complete it and post it next weekend, but I thought my friends might like to see the creative process my art goes through before completion. I am entitling it; Man or Myth, after the saying of Chief Seattle in his famous surrender speech...when the memory of my people is but a myth, the dead shall haunt your streets...dead, did I say dead? There is no death, only a change in worlds. The man has his arms upraised in the traditional form of greeting guests. Mom doesn't like the image because the man is naked, but I couldn't exactly put a loincloth on him and keep to the traditional design structure of oviods and feather designs. The torso is too big and the arms need to be lengthened, but I'll work that all out before I paint it. This is how I create my drawings before they become finished pieces.
Enjoy.

For the love of my life!

2006-03-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Here is another photo of the love of my life and one more photo of her fabulous minature art paintings. With the ruler placed below the painting you can get an idea about just how small it is in reality. And she is so pretty to me that I am definately going to propose when I next visit her. She lives in Odessa, Ukraine, so it's not going to be easy, but her love is worth every effort! I quit my temporary job at Costco today so that I could accept a job offer with FedEx/Kinkos, a more permanent and stable position as a production manager. It's what I do! I have been in printing all my life and I love to work with images. Elena and I share this love of image making and this common bond between us is what brought us together in the first place. *sigh* She means the world to me and the world is a better place because I love her!

Road kill

2006-03-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

I remember the many times when I was young and we drove to Disnyland. It always seemed that sooner or later we would pass by the smell of a skunk that had gotten run over. I drew this picture and after I had finished it, the flat appearance of my skunk image reminded me of that. So I think I will subtitle this design: Roadkill! Eris, this design is dedicated to you.

Enjoy!

I start a new job...

2006-03-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

...maybe even a whole new career! On Friday the tenth will be my first day. I'm going to try my hand at Marketing and Sales. It is a temporary position only so if I don't like it, well then I only have to keep it until mid summer. But most importantly it will earn me enough money to get back to the Ukraine to visit my sweetie! She's worth it. I'll show you her photo!

Goodnight and good luck!

Goodnight!

2006-03-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

It's still early, but I'm tired and gonna go to bed. I'll post tomorrow.

I am sorry for your loss!

2006-02-26T03:19:00.000-08:00

I wrote a comment on a wonderful woman's blog tonight that I somewhat regret. She had lost her infant son. I was selfish and told her that all I ever wanted in life was to be loved by a mama. I lived in many foster homes and had many mama's care for me. If only I could be satisfied with that. But the truth is that I cannot go back home to a home that was never there. Dad died last year and I only got to meet him once in my life when I was 30 years old. I never really knew my mother until I was 26 and wanted to come home. "You can't go home again." I don't remember who wrote that, but it's true. My brother's and sister are strangers to me. I don't know them at all. My family life is bricks and mortar that do not fit and is falling down around me. How then do I make a future for myself? I hope one day to have a loving wife and cheerful children playing in the yard, but do such dreams ever come true for one such as me? I struggle against the odds, and I will make the best of my life, but life never seems to come out the way I had planned. Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans, or so it is said. So said, I say to you sweet lady: May you meet Thomas in heaven! Still I wish you had been my Mom! *sigh*

brrrrrrrr!

2006-02-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

It snowed and hailed last night. The world is covered in white. It's cold and I'm going to go back to my warm bed! But first I have to get my dog, Honey, off of my feet. She likes to visit with me when I type. Baby, my cat, also visits with me when I type and she likes to bat at my fingers as they type on the keyboard while she is sitting on my lap. So any typing errors are due to her paws on the keyboard. I can't wait for Spring and Summer, when it will be warmer.

Sunshine

2006-02-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

I created this image to represent Star1987A, the star that went supernova in the Southern Cross in April of 1987. It still shines on in my heart and mind, though it has become a pulsar stellar image on telescope. Even though it has been nearly 20 years, I remember the excitement I felt at watching this dying star give out its last light. It was part of a trinary star group (sort of appropriate for the Southern Cross), and it made me think about my own future demise. Will I go out with a bang, or will I go out with a whimper and not even be heard?

Mom teaches me to cook!

2006-02-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

Even though I have worked in restaurants before and I cook for myself, there is nothing like Mom's homemade lasaugna! She cooks a mean, meaty lasaugna with special cheeses that makes for one of my favorite meals. Her potato salad in the summer that we take to picinics in the park are also great! She makes a great noodle cassarole and a delicious stir fired Chinese veggie meal that I always enjoy. Sometimes her cooking experiments do not always come out as planned, but I eat them anyway when I go to visit her. My southern cousins, the Navajo; they say: Look to your mother for advice, but always listen to your father. I don't think dad ever cooked a meal on his own, other then to take it out of a can. So if you have a mom that can cook a great meal, you are truly blessed.

I promised you the moon!

2006-02-17T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the final version of: "Lunar Sea!" It is a silver foil hotstamped onto black paper and I must say that it looks much better then this scanned image. I sell these at local shops and I have some at the Burke Museum gift shop on the University of Washington campus, where I have always sold my works. It is a strange facination I have with the Indian eyes, they always seem to follow me where ever I am in a room. This is sort of a Picasso style facial image. I imagine that I see a profile figure that becomes a frontal view. Is that a killer whale frolicing in the sea of tranquility on the moon's nose and cheek? The moon is my madness and I will send you my sunshine next time! I am working on a new piece that I started many years ago and then promptly forgot about, *sigh* I am lazy now-a-days when it comes to my own art. I used to be able to design and paint dozens a year, now I can't even finish one from many years ago. What happened to my inspiration? I'll tell you it comes from working too hard. I need another break and go visit my sweetheart in Odessa, Ukraine! Although I am out of work right now, I will tell you that it takes twice as much effort to find a job then to do a job! To all who read this I wish you to be inspired by the moon's madness!

Last Summer.

2006-02-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

This is a minature painting done by my sweetheart. The original is about the size of your hand! She is sooooo talented. *sigh* I want to make her my wife!!! I will post some of my own artwork again soon.

A 30 million $ bikini!?!

2006-02-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

What every girl wants for Valentine's Day; a $30million dollar, 150 flawless D diamonds, platnium chain bikini! What every guy wants for Valentine's Day; Molly Sims modeling it in a private audition!

Care to share a little sunshine?

2006-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

Two designs I love with much empathy. I was in the mental hospital because I suffered a breakdown whilest working 16hoursaday7days a week in Alaska's fishing industry. I drew these two pieces on napkins while I was in the hospital. I have redrawn them in a more native form that I'll show you later on. I have titled the piece: Lunar SEA.

The world turns its eyes on Turin!

2006-02-11T02:55:00.000-08:00

Print - Close Window

Date:
Sat, 11 Feb 2006 02:39:18 -0800 (PST)
From:

Subject:
All eye's are on Italy!
To:

Elena my dear, when I read about the terrible cold in Odessa and the fact that it would snow most of this weekend, I did not want you to risk going out in such bad weather. I keep track of the weather in your city almost as much as I inquire about tomorrow's weather in my city. I even get satellite photo's of your current conditions. Bundle up underneath some warm blankets and hold onto a pillow and pretend that it is me. Hopefully one day it will be me that keeps you warm on a cold and stormy winters night.

All eye's of everyone in the world are now on Turin, Italy. The Winter Olympics have opened and so very many nations have sent their best to compete with athletics instead of guns and soldiers. I watched the opening ceremonies tonight. This is more like a tradition for me, to watch the Olympics! It is taught that often times in the past history of troubles amongst the Nations of my Native peoples, it was resolved not on the field of battle, but amongst the two of the greatest in each tribe. Or it would turn out that the two greatests were of opposite sex and a long lasting peace would be achieved by the two of them falling in love! Sometimes the romance was disputed, but always the two lovers and their devotion to peace and a better way of life led to peace throughout the Tribes. It often happened in our stories that the maiden would die, or that the warrior would sacrifice himself instead of bringing about further hate and disagreement. This type of loss is a slap in the face to the very people who wanted war, for them to see that one of their own loved the supposed enemy enough to sacrifice their life so that the two tribes could live in peace. It is my hope that the Olympic games will bring the world together in peace, even if just for a moment! All eye's are on Turin!

I miss you much!
Love and affection and sooooo much more,
Sonny

Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke!

2006-02-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Lousy Arab militant diaparheads can't take a joke! The violent protests a month after the publishing of the cartoon's just goes to show that the cartoons were correct in depicting Mohammadian's as a violent people. Islam is a violent religion and not a faith at all! Muhammad was a fascist pig war monger and is not a prophet! Muslim's deserve to die! If Iran want's nuke's, let's give them one, special delivery right in the heart of downtown Tehran! Nuke 'em till they glow and then shoot them in the dark!!!

Boo hoo the Seahawks lost!

2006-02-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

Still it was an exciting game to watch. I guess we'll have to try again next year.

I'm taking the day off!

2006-02-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take the day off from work and watch the Super Bowl! GO SEAHAWKS! This is my most recent picture from last Spring. I am in my backyard garden. Luv ya all! Sonny!

I Hope You'll Take It.

2006-02-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

I Hope You'll Take It.You give me hope!!!Love, Sonny

The world is full of music!

2006-02-05T04:08:00.000-08:00

I first got turned onto world beat music when I first saw Ofra Haza on the front cover of her first album. Then I visited a Scandinavian gift shop and heard them play Sissel Kyrkjebo's music and it was like being in love for the first time! When I first heard Patricia Kaas sing, my heart melted and my spirit soared! Now I go out of my way to find and explore ethno-pop! Alas, Ofra died some years ago, purportedly of AIDS, Sissel got married and became domesticated and Anglecized, and Patricia is now a movie star! What ever happend to staying close to a person's home roots, the traditions that made them great in the first place. If you ever find an album by Demos Roussos from his early years, by all means buy it! I still search the used record stores for international music, and I recently came across Yousefa, an Isreali from Morocco! Her song: green eyed lady, it sticks in my mind. I wish I knew how to find songs from Hawa Beruit and Fay Rouz. I saw their album once when I helped a foreigner move into his new house, I saw his album collection and saw Fay Rouz on the front cover, but I could never find the album in stores. Music is the international language of love!

Me when I was young and handsome.

2006-02-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I got red hair and I used to have the temperment to go with it. Kinfolk tell me I look a lot like my Irish grandfather. My hair has faded to brown now and I begin to feel my age. it ain't easy getting older, I begin to feel the aches and pains that my mother complains about. I must have been about seven years in this picture because I started wearing glasses when I turned eight. That's my sestra (Russian word for; sister), Maureen, in the photo behind me. I wish you all the best, and may your dreams come true!

I would like to be a teacher!

2006-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

I would like to be a teacher. I saw a TV commercial some time ago, a child said he wanted to grow up to be a teacher. "Wouldn't you rather be a Doctor or a Lawyer?" "No!"-he said, "where would Doctor's and Lawyer's come from if not from teachers!" My elder brother is a teacher and he quotes me an old saying; "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach! Those that can't teach, criticize!" I have done all I can to make this world a better place, now I think it is time for me to teach other's what I CAN DO! I am still interested in learning and the learning process. I have learned how to learn and now I wish to teach other's this valuable skill of learning. It is not about numbers or books, but rather it is learning about oneself! When I find myself and I am gathering my thoughts for the day, that is when I am most at peace.
May you make your dreams come true!
Sonny Shine

Quitting Cigarettes....

2006-01-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

Do not try this at home, I am a professional! Quitter's never win. I told my dad I stopped smoking and he called me a "quitter." I've heard all the jokes about quitting cigarettes and I believe I can do it this time for good. I've developed a strange reaction to the smell of cigarette smoke, it makes me gag and want to throw up! I'm tired of coughing in the morning after my early cigarette, and I don't even want to use the nicotine patch since it makes my dreams seem like nightmares! I quit once before by jogging three miles a day, so I plan on walking at least two miles a day to start. Exercize and smoking are incompatible. If only I had not joined the Air Force, I would never have started smoking. I've decided I want to breathe again, I want to Live! Wish me luck and a strong willpower.

REANIMATION!

2006-01-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd re-publish this picture because it is my personal favorite.

Can you see the letters in the picture that spell out the name of my city?

S.E.A.T.T.L.E., W.A.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD: Garfield

2006-01-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO MY WORLD: Garfield

So much for Mr. Nice Guy!

2006-01-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

My mother lives close to my college, so I like to go to her place for lunch. Unfortunately the drug gangs have just about taken over the neighborhood. Mom lives in a busy area of Seattle and this encourages the street gang members because they think that they can blend into the crowd. One guy approached me to try to sell me some crack and instead I cracked his jaw! Of all things "I" was the one arrested for assult and battery! Such is the state of Justice in America, when one cannot defend ourselves. We need our military to be in our own cities, not in Iraq! As Us Native American's say: Get the U.S. out of North America!

Bored of school already!

2006-01-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

It ain't ever easy going back to school when I figure I know everything already! At least I know more then my teachers do about the subject they teach. Really, I wanted to study electronics, but at this moment, this was the college and classes I could get into. Three months of this graphic design courses and with good grades I can transfer to a more desired school. I have found an interesting college; Cleveland Institute of Electronics! They are Federally accreditted and offer much more interesting classes. It is an online University, so I wouldn't actually have to move to Cleveland, Ohio! I like to draw my art as a hobby and not as a profession. When I study and draw art professionally, it makes me feel like I am prostituting my art and my faith. I feel that a career in electronics is benign enough that I won't posion the Earth Mother, or build something that can be taken over by the military in order to be used to kill people. Peace to all who read this.

Sonny

Time for school.

2006-01-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

I have been studying Russian language for my girlfriend, and also to put myself into study mode for my expected return to college. I figure I must have at least at 300 word vocabulary built up by now and lots of common phrases added to that. I recently bought the Pimsleur Langauge lessons on CD for learning conversational Russian. Listening to them, I am glad I took some time to learn a little from books. But hearing a language spoken is most important in learning the lingo. I have learned the 33 letter Russian alphabet and I can probably read better and more then I can speak. Pa Ruski, anyone?

Sonny

College Days

2005-12-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

It has been said that if you think an education is expensive, try ignorance! This New Year I am returning to school to finish my degree in Graphic Arts. I have been out of school since 1986 and I am absolutely terrified of going back to college and studying, but at the same time I am excited about learning new things. My first quarter will be learning Design, MacIntosh OS, and some Photoshop CS. I look forward to the New Year as well as the Chinese New Year of the dog! I was told last Chinese New Year never to get married during the year of the rooster, so I have waited long enough, I think I'll ask my girlfriend to marry me while I'm here in the Ukraine! That's right, I'm in Odessa right now, on vacation and visiting my girlfriend! Life is wonderful, soak it up!!!

Sonny