Friday Freebie

Friday 30 September 2011

- Print out this coupon from Staples to get a free ream of paper via rebate. Exp Oct 1.
- Free Scary Face Pancake from IHOP on Fri, Oct 29. 1 per child 12 and younger.
- Get a free $2 in Amazon MP3 credit by entering code fallmp3s (case sensitive) here.
- Get a $10 credit when you sign up at Save More. Today's deal is a reusable, BPA-free, collapsible water-bottle for $5 plus free shipping.

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"Filthy"

‎"Filthy"


Can you see?
Do you even try?
Of course you don't.
You don't ask why
Until you ask the world
In hopes of feigning confusion.
You feed them the illusion
That you're lost or Disillusioned.
That's when you're afraid.
What a mess you've made:
Nothing happens in the light;
But nothing ceases in the shade.


You're starting to fade.
You're not looking well.
You pretend you've got it made;
But you're living in hell.
Ah well.
It's never been my style
To watch others wade and rile;
So sit there and self-defile.
It looks like you'll be awhile.
Why so worried? Smile.
You've no reason for regret.
This life is your best bet.
All your wants have been met...


...but you refer to them as needs.
All your glory. All your greed
Strewn across cold hearts like seeds;
Growing up to choke them like weeds.
Go on. Proceed.
You make this so fascinating.
Thought to be exacerbating;
It's become so satiating.
This is just so interesting:
All this time you've been investing;
Mistaking shortcomings for blessings.
You swear to God that you're progressing....


....but soon the day will come
When you can't hide the setbacks;
And when they ask you to step back,
You'll rewind to all those hollow "facts"
About the "nature of your condition"
Or how you're "in transition."
You'll send yourself on that mission
Just to make them look and listen.
You pretend to care so much.
Yes. That is my honest opinion.
You can dust it off and such;
But dirt clods will never glisten.


They don't believe you.
They never needed to.
You can cover yourself in mud;
But you will always be see through.
You flawlessly fool yourself
As you aim to sway the masses;
But the sheep will never follow
A shepherd mistaking them for asses.
Take off those glasses.
Rub some more soil on your face.
Cover up that faulty grace.
Lick your fingers. Have a taste.


All prior remnants of truth
Have been scattered and misplaced
From filling in those nooks
Where purity has been erased.
Divinity is now obscenity.
Eclectic has become decrepit:
The pupil of all impurities
Has fallen victim to it's method.
Don't worry about the stench.
It simply separates the guilty
From the hearts they wish to clinch.
No thoughts are wasted on the filthy.


Written By: Devin Joseph Metz

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5th Annual 31 for 21 Blog Challenge

Thursday 29 September 2011

Tricia from Unringing the Bell is once again hosting her annual 31 for 21 Blog Challenge for Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

For those that aren't 'aware' - October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Down syndrome is a 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome (a trisomy), so in medical terms it is called Trisomy 21. Or T21.

The challenge is to blog every day in October (31) for Down syndrome T(21). Hence 31 for 21 blog challenge.

The challenge isn't to blog every day ABOUT Down syndrome, but just to post every day. You don't have to be a parent of someone with Down syndrome to participate either ... any one can sign up, post the badge (should be available on Sat) on their blog, inform their audience what it is all about, and post away about any topic.

I have no idea what I'm going to post about for 31 days, but I've done it for the past 4 years so I'm not going to stop now.


31 for 21 - here we come!

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Special Exposure Wednesday

Wednesday 28 September 2011

The fall season of the Summerville Miracle League has begun!

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Learn A Ton When School Is Fun Giveaway

Monday 26 September 2011

One of the easiest ways to support your child's school is by cutting out the Box Tops for Education logo you see on numerous grocery products and sending them in to the school. (Kayla eats a lot of Chex cereal and Lucas and Joe eat a lot of Cheerios, so I'm always clipping those logos!).

Totino's realizes that there is a direct connection between having fun in school and a better academic performance. So this school year they are giving away 1 million Bonus Box Tops (which = $100,000) to help bring fun ideas to life inside and outside the classroom through the Learn A Ton When School Is Fun sweepstakes.

Four participating schools will win 250,000 Bonus Box Tops = $25,000 from Totino's to help fund a fun project at their school. (Enter daily to win!)

Totino's Pizza Rolls and Party Pizza will feature double box tops to help you earn even more for your child's school.

Here are some tips from Gerald Richards, CEO of the non-profit 826 National which focuses on collaboration and creativity in the learning process:

- Creativity is a classroom staple. Encourage creativity in every area, including writing, drawing and in subjects like science. Kids need to know that there’s not always a right answer; sometimes, education is subjective and experimental.

·         Learning can take place outside school walls, too – field trips are a great way to make learning fun. Venturing beyond school boundaries for a hands-on approach excites students and can help spark, or reinvigorate, a passion for learning. Teachers can even consider taking “mini” field trips to the school library or auditorium for a change of scenery and a new lesson.

·         Time outdoors, be it for recess or after school activities, allows kids to explore the world beyond the classroom and is often the place where lifelong lessons are learned. Taking a break outdoors during the school day – even if it’s just having lunch outside – allows youth to recharge and has been shown to help enhance concentration and learning in the classroom.

·         Through programs like Box Tops for Education (BTFE) and the Totino’s “Learn a Ton When School is Fun” sweepstakes – which will award four schools across the country with 250,000 Bonus Box Tops, the equivalent of $25,000 – parents and teachers can help bring fun projects to life that otherwise might not be possible due to resource and funding limitations.

Totino's has provided a "Learn A Ton When School Is Fun" prize pack to give away on my blog. The prize pack includes coupons for free Totino's products, Brain Quest Smart Game, Micro Rubik's Cube key holder, and a drawstring back pack.

To enter to win the prize pack just leave your name, making sure I have a way to contact you if you're the winner.

"Disclosure: The information and prize pack has been provided by Totino´s through MyBlogSpark."

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Friday Freebie

Friday 23 September 2011

- Get a free sample of Emergen-C Kidz.
- Request a free America's Byways Map.
- Order, or download, a free Land O Lakes Holiday Recipe Brochure; you can also download a free Gluten-free PDF edition!
- On September 29^th, 7-Eleven will celebrate their caffeinated version of National Coffee Day, CofFREE Day, by offering everyone in the United States and Canada a FREE medium-size cup of hot coffee (or cappuccino…or latte) from 7AM to 11AM.

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Special Needs Blog

Thursday 22 September 2011

My blog is a nominee for a blog award on Parents.com website under the category of Special Needs Blog.  

Not sure how many readers I have left anymore ;-) but sure would appreciate any votes, if you don't mind.

By Best Special Needs Blog

Thank you!

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"The Man I Never Met"

Wednesday 21 September 2011

"The Man I Never Met"

Khaki pants with cuffs
that draped over house slippers.
Suspenders clamp to his pants
and he always checks his zipper.
A buttoned down dress shirt
that was always tucked in neat
and a dusty old cushion
that always lined his seat.
Glasses thick enough
to reflect the sun's rays
and the same multicolored tie
that he wore every single Sunday.
Coffee mug on the table
and the sports page in hand
that barely hid his eyes
from the neighborhood he scanned.

There's that old man again
flirting with his "lady friends."
He never asks when they are leaving;
just when they'll be back again.
Some find it awfully absurd
for him to have a way with words.
Others just hope when they get old
that their words can still be heard.
No matter what the weather,
he will always find a way.
Hell, he put that deck together.
He sits out there every day.
He always had something to say;
be it witty or wise
and knew everyone by name;
even when wearing a disguise.

His wife was a saint.
She was such a nice lady.
He talks about her often
along with his seven babies.
Six boys and one girl.
Two of them are twins.
Three of them fuss and fight;
as the eldest sits and grins.
One loved to lift weights;
but he's lost all of that muscle.
Another traveled upstate;
claiming to stay out of trouble.
One was a Jack of all trades;
but his life was hard to master.
One took right after his father;
finding women to chase after.
The daughter was quite profound.
He called her his firecracker.
Every time he came around,
she brought him joy and laughter.
Her and his wife would butt heads
as did most mothers and daughters;
but she was always Daddy's girl.
She never disobeyed her father.

His wife was more than nervous
when he was called for service.
She didn't know how to act;
but he promised he would be back.
Indeed he did return
with a big bag of clothes
that were torn and burned.
She was happy, yet still concerned.
He still looked the same.
He still had that familiar grin
that beamed from his dark skin;
but he was not the same within.
It only took one pointless war
to incur the most painful scars:
His were memories he can't forget
as he saw things he surely regrets.
Her's were things she's never seen
from one who can't recall his queen.
The children were often caught between
all that was vulgar and obscene.

As the days dragged by,
his tortured mind began to die.
His mood swings were too much.
His wife would often cry.
His simple life was upstaged
because he couldn't turn the page.
His violent temper was the primer
for his drunken fits of rage.
There was nothing he could do.
There was no one who could help.
He lost all that he once knew.
That was when he lost himself.
That's when he left without a sound.
He was nowhere to be found.
His wife often asked around;
hoping he'd soon be homeward bound;
but he left without a trace
until a body was misplaced.
They let her see his face;
but it didn't carry his grace.

No one knows the truth.
Very few knew he was gone.
There were no remnants of proof;
so they eventually left it alone.

Dark pants with cuffs
that rested above dress shoes.
Matching belt around my waist
that had the exact same hue.
A buttoned down dress shirt
featuring a Double Windsor
and a solid sport coat
that I often wore in the Winter.
Contact lenses in my eyes
although I love my glasses
and a watch I often checked
whilst my sister was in choir practice.
A thermos sat on the table.
I kept my phone in hand.
I kept my mother on the speaker
as I text my girlfriend for later plans.

I often think about that man;
wondering if I have any of his ways.
If he were sitting next to me,
I wonder what he would say?
Would he constantly remind me of
how much I look like his daughter?
Or maybe how my brother is so active
that his uncle could've been his father?
Maybe I'd get the chance to hear
about how much Grandmother scolds him
about eating so much bread with dinner
although he says she never told him.
I know it would've been great
to observe where I come from;
but I guess I came too late;
so I just sit here; feeling numb.

I never got the chance to forget
or even a small shot at regret;
so I sit outside every day
thinking about the man I never met. <3

Written By: Devin Joseph Metz


For you, Grandfather.

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Special Exposure Wednesday

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The Hellmann's Chicken Challenge

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Chicken breast and tenderloins are a staple in our house and I admit I usually end up sticking with the 'tried and true' and 'quick and easy.' (Although I do have drumsticks in the slow cooker right now!)

Hellmann's is on a mission to change up the dinner menu monotony and I'm looking forward to getting out of the recipe rut and trying some new meals. Hellmann's and Best Foods mayonnaise have launched the first-ever Chicken Challenge - a series of head-to-head chicken dish challenges to help diversify weekly menu planning.

Each week 2 recipes will go up against one of the most popular recipes on Hellmann's - Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Try one of the recipes each week and cast your vote for your favorite. I think the first recipe I'm going to try is the Chipotle Lime Chicken (although the Parmesan Crusted Chicken is still in the lead!)

While you're there checking out the newest recipes and voting, you can also enter a weekly sweepstakes for a chance to win one of 4 $250 grocery gift cards. And... if there are more than 10,000 entries the value of the cards will double to $500!

"Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's® prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place. All opinions are my own."

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Getting Ready for the Buddy Walk

Monday 19 September 2011

Five years ago was the first time I blogged about the annual Buddy Walk we participate in. I was so touched by the support we received back then, and continue to receive to this day.

For new readers to my blog the Buddy Walk is a one-mile walk to raise money, awareness, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. It was established in 1995 from the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate National Down Syndrome month in October. It has grown from 17 locations to more than 300 expected this year across the US and around the world! Last year 285,000 people participated in a Buddy Walk raising more than 11.2M to benefit local programs and services as well as national policy initiatives that benefit all people with Down syndrome.

With so many Buddy Walks taking place you might be able to find one near you!

We will be walking in the Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry's Buddy Walk on Daniel Island. This will be our 9th year walking (and 5th state!)

If you would like to support Kayla by sponsoring her in the Buddy Walk, please click here (it is tax-deductible.)

Thank you!

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bodymore, body less, either way i ain't skipping breakfast

Saturday 17 September 2011

One exciting way a cockroach gets to enter your home is through your bathtub drain. I feel like this would be such a fun way to visit friends! But I am too big to fit. So instead I watch The Wire and tweet that I can’t tell whether the sirens are from the show or the world. In other words, I am a white person living in Baltimore. The farmer at the 32nd street market showed me a photo of a tree base he’d painted to look like an elephant foot.

Besides living in Baltimore, what I've been doing is looking at the time and thinking "if it is 5PM here, it is 4AM in Thailand." This is fun because you don't need any special uniform to do this, just something that tells you the time and someone in Thailand you love and miss a lot. Been talking to Carrot Cake on Skype and it's very futuristic! She's in Bangkok, where the travel clinics are open weird hours and one whole floor of a seven floor mall is a food court with directions like: "For Islamic vegetarian food, see C4. For Brazilian liquid-based desserts, see H9." I miss her, but I am excited for her adventuring.

In criticism news, Mark Cugini's students think I'd be a miserable relationship partner based on their reading of "Is That It's You." One of them said "It sounds like Mr. Young does not approve of love." Which is strictly untrue: I prove love all the time, with a beaker and a stylish bevy of equations.

More thanks are due this week to the champ-ass* (*like bad-ass except better) Barry Graham for his review of Look! Look! Feathers at The Collaigst. I haven't got the chance to read the rest of the new Collagist yet, but I am really excited for something called "In the Time of the Blue Ball." Here is the first paragraph of Barry's review:

If Mike Young told me he grew up in a suburban castle full of lawyers and lion tamers and medicine men, or that he was raised on the edge of the ocean, the adopted son of a snake charmer father and truck-driving mother whose real parents escaped a cult and left him on the front porch of an orphanage, I would believe him. If he told me he grew up the son of uneducated peasants who drank and gambled and whipped their pets and their children equally, I would believe that too. That how's convincing his prose is. Young writes with authority. His voice and his words and his sentences feel earned, authentic.

Barry, you were so close. I grew up in a castle made of tamed lawyers on the edge of an uneducated snake. My parents were a front porch and a whip. Together we drove every day in a truck to an orphanage, where we gambled away children in exchange for medicine and shares in authoritative cults.

Speaking of cults, I read part of a long thing I wrote called The Age of the Tire Boat in NYC (this was in the Center of Fiction, which had beautiful balustrades) and here is me reading the whole thing for Peter Cavanaugh's awesome audio mag Tulip: http://tulipparlor.com/issuetwo. Thanks, Peter! Other cool peeps in the issue include Gian Ditrapano, Eylsia Smith, Galen Dekemper, Tyler Gobble, Sam Edmonds, Eric F Johnson, and Ted Barrow.

Warning: my thing is long to listen to, thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds. 13:42. But I have conference called with Table Mountain and Mt Shasta and Arnold Schwarzenegger and the ghost of John Sutter, and together we have concluded that "The Age of the Tire Boat" is the definitive Northern Sacramento Valley poem-ass thing. Now that it's written, no one else has to ever write about the Northern Sacramento Valley ever again, especially not me. So, yeah, we'll see how that works out. In the meantime, I have tokens in my pocket that will allow me to go back to the 32nd Street Market next weekend and buy Old Bay flavored hummous.

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Oh Those Kids!

Thursday 15 September 2011

This video is about 6 months old, but I never got around to sharing it.

We were having just a typical day hanging around and talking about school when I don't know what got in to Lucas ... but his antics cracked Kayla up so much that she had the giggles that I love so much. Her deep belly giggle that just makes me laugh when I hear it ... fun times!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

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Special Exposure Wednesday

Wednesday 14 September 2011

I finally submitted a picture of Kayla for Prevent Blindness America's Most Beautiful Eyes contest. I posted about this contest last month.

Here is the picture I submitted of Kayla:

She could really use some votes! If you have just a couple of seconds (really that's all it takes!) I'd appreciate if you would click on this link and then click "vote." Really, it's that simple! You don't have to 'like' their FB page, you don't have to register, you don't have to sign up for anything, you don't have to fill out a form with your name or email, all you do is click the vote link. Voting runs through Sep 30th and you can vote once every 24 hrs. Thank you so much!

A little information about the contest and sponsor:

Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight.


The program is designed to support the Star Pupils program, the signature vision and education platform for Prevent Blindness America. The goal is to help 5 million kids through preventative vision care.

The winner will become the face of the Star Pupils program and receive a $25K scholarship. 

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Bed Of Nails

Monday 12 September 2011

We spent Labor Day weekend at Surfside Beach. It was just a couple hours drive and a little weekend getaway. Before heading back home we went to Wonder Works. It was neat to explore all the things they have, but I admit to some relief when we left as it was a bit of sensory overload even for me.

Lucas was brave enough to try out the bed of nails. He was doing so well just laying still, but then he figured he was done and started to roll over to get down. The employee stopped him from going any further and had him lay back down so he could put the nails down. I was impressed that Lucas didn't make a single sound about those nails - especially when he started to roll over! I tried it too and while it didn't exactly hurt, it was a bit prickly!

Here is Kayla attempting to pull herself up in the chair pulley.

There was this mind relaxation thing. Two people sit across from each other wearing headbands with sensors to detect brain waves. There was a ping pong ball in a tube. You just sit in the chair as relaxed as you can and the ball moves back and forth depending on who is more relaxed ... eventually reaching all the way to one end or the other. It was neat to watch. I thought Lucas would beat Kayla in a matter of seconds since she never seems like she is relaxed! He did beat her (ie the ball moved down to her side) but it took several minutes. Joe beat me, which I wasn't surprised about at all!

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Still Remembering ... Never Forgetting

Sunday 11 September 2011

Five years ago I wrote this post about 9/11 and where I was that day and what I remembered. And just like 5 years ago I'm wondering how did another 5 years seem to pass in the blink of an eye?

I don't think there is much more to say on this 10th anniversary that isn't already being thought, or said, or written.

My thoughts and prayers still go out to all those who lost someone on that awful day. That day that America was changed forever. That day that the NYC skyline changed. A seemingly simple date - 9/11 - that will forever carry a weighted meaning with it. A day that will never be forgotten.

And now a moment of silence to reflect on all that was lost and to never forget the courageous brave men and women who lost their lives.

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Prosecutor Princess (2010) K-Movie

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Mar-31 to TBA
Air time: Wednesdays & Thursdays 21:55

Synopsis

Ma Hye Ri is a woman with an excellent memory and ability to focus, which allowed her to pass the bar exam with ease. Despite her talents, she is more interested in being fashionable and dislikes hard work, so she is far from being an ideal prosecutor and has doubts about her suitability for her job. Through her conflicts with senior colleages and struggles with difficult cases, however, Hye Ri gradually matures into a brilliant prosecutor with a sense of duty and justice.

credit: Drama Wiki

Download :

waiting another mirror (megaupload shutdown)

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"The Scenic Route"

"The Scenic Route"

She would've been a catch at 22
If not for the catch 22:
See: I caught her on her knees
Fulfilling some unsavory needs.
Even when she wouldn't feed,
They still urged her to proceed:
Kept her knuckles to the wall;
Knees scraped till they would bleed.
She thought I would take heed;
But instead, I took the lead.
I wanted to see her face
Because she still deserves grace.

Ever woke with a change of heart?
I slept with a stranger's heart
In my hand.
Lately, its been strange on her part.
Is it me she cannot stand?
She mutters for me to expand.
My mind will countermand.

I completely understand;
But she clung to her demands.
I thought all was in hand;
But she had much more planned.
I implored that she desist
Although she was hard to resist.
She would push on and persist.
She said that I was on her list.
Her confused mind consists
Of all the hapless charm and wit
That tore her Psyche to bits
As she did things she can't forget.
She invited me to follow;
But deep inside, she was hollow:
Filled with filth and guilt to swallow
Searching for solace to borrow.
Her eyes held no self care;
Just loneliness and sorrow.
She has so much more to share.
But she never hoped for tomorrow.

At a time I offered her a plan:
Something to help still suicidal hands.
I requested that she release with ease.
She accepted then released pleasantries;
Still withholding from me, nothing;
I sat in horror of stories that included barter,
Explained long ago the thing
was pride she had swallowed
Then hopeless eyes peered at me;
Pleading to leave the judgments behind
while she stood before me.
How can I resist a face so heavenly?

I gave her levity.
Her heart hang heavily;
Sinking down beneath her soul.
No balance. No control.
She wasn't clay for me to mold
Or a story to be told.
Most left her out in the cold;
But she was a sight to behold.
She was so much more to me;
More than others cared to see.
She doesn't need charity.
She needs someone to help her be.
She deserves the best from life.
She endured her share of strife.
No more emotional gashes.
It's time to get rid of the knife.

Incandescent was her stance of life.
She wiped out any indecorum with a pipe.
I hoped only as her savior,
I can reverse this erratic behavior.
She'd get though the night
in a stuporous state
To wake you with streams
of tears on her face.
Listening, my heart filled with distaste......
That's when I knew no longer
could she win any race alone.
So I decided to take up
first place in her life
I decided to illuminate her path
I decided to be the hand
that she can hold.

She cried a myriad of tears;
drowning herself to sleep at night,
but dry eyes purge fear;
so I offered her sunlight.
She needed someone to side with;
not just someone she can ride with.
I've no desire to dive in.
I just need her to confide in me.
She is so much more
than she'll allow herself to be.
A world of blessings are in store.
I know that nothing is earned free;
but she can transcend potential.
She can go further than possibility.
With or without the credentials,
she can enjoy the liberty
of knowing that her life
is no longer marred with the pain
caused by her past decisions.
There's so much for her to gain.

We dance to the tunes
of the marrowy facts
that at last life
has turned around,
There's no looking back.
Our first step forward
as we move toward the
life that I promised
as we push onward
I smiled knowing that
this decision was final;
the security she found in me,
the solace in we.
She and I trudged
up what was rocky
Happily we come to a place
where we could be free.
Finally.

Our undeniable, everlasting affirmation
was the fact that there is a destination;
no matter the route of navigation
or what form of intricate formation.
She relinquished most of her sanity
for a life of shame and vanity;
but when given a second chance,
she found a love that was uncanny.
It's ever so easy to backslide
when the ceiling greets your backside;
but when given the chance to stand,
she found where she should reside.
No more abiding by the rules
of a litany of unsavory tools
that drool as she warms bar stools.
Life is no longer minuscule.
There's so much beauty to be found
when looking at the bigger picture.
Chain smokers have lost control
over when her light can flicker.
Love repaired her broken jaw
and healed her blackened eyes.
It may not hide her flaws;
but she no longer asks God why.
She willingly opened her heart
without having to part her legs.
I stretched out my loving arms
and she never had to beg.
A path cluttered with maybes
eventually brought us to together.
Time will plot our next direction
as we draw closer to forever. ♥

Written By: Allan Ricketts And Devin Joseph Metz

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First touch after so long...

Friday 9 September 2011

I am Back !!!!!
actually i get nothing from this blog... but that was fine...
im glad someone or many ppl still visiting here
i'll going to search many more links movie to put here...^,*
asap...

ncen

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Petition For World Down Syndrome Day

Thursday 8 September 2011

Down Syndrome International, with other organizations around the world, created a campaign to get World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) officially recognized in the United Nations Calendar.

WDSD is celebrated on Mar 21, or 3/21, because Down syndrome results from 3(copies of the) 21(st chromosome).

From DSI: Since 2006, over 60 countries around the world have made efforts to mark the date organizing hundreds of events to improve the quality of life of people with Down syndrome, point out their human rights and offer them an opportunity to be heard. 

By getting the date observed by the UN, we expect to spread the celebration to many other countries, especially those where people with Down syndrome are still marginalized and institutionalized, giving them the opportunity to fulfill their human rights. The measure also complies with Article 8 of Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the UN on awareness-raising.

Please sign the petition asking Member States to adopt a resolution at 2011 General Assembly Session.

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"Silent Screamers"

Wednesday 7 September 2011

"Silent Screamers"

We no longer have voices.
You have lent us no ear.
We've faced our fears.
We've shed our tears.
So many years....
We've been around for awhile.
We've been openly defiled;
but all you'll see are smiles.
We've walked a million miles
and endured so many trials
It was so sweet at first.
Now, all that's left is bile.

We tread this wretched landfill:
Numbers spread wide across the earth;
wanting so bad to be your thrill.
We aimed to prove our worth.
We did all we could:
Made you feel good,
listened when we should,
and so much more than most would.
We gave you more than enough.
We stuck by you when it got rough;
yet you still bound us in handcuffs.
Our blackened eyes could see no bluffs.

So now that the noise is killed,
we've no need for your drills.
We no longer wish to fit the bill.
You'll beg us for every shrill.....

But your requests will not be granted.
Our feelings are dead. No more enchantment.
Cloaks of darkness cover our heads
and our feet are firmly planted.

 You look at us every day;
but you know not what you see.
We will not go away.
We offer you no liberty.

We are the losers:
The ones slammed against walls
and dragged down dark halls
if you suspect us as accusers.

We are the children of drug abusers
who go days with nothing to eat.
Dozens of dollars reserved for users;
but no shoes to protect our feet.

We were once beautiful hearts
that you stole and tore apart,
scratched and picked at for sport
and flung around like darts.

We are the Mothers
struggling to raise sisters and brothers
that never receive the assistance
that you gleefully grant others.

We are the little girls
that you forced into your bed
after placing fear in our minds
and a pistol to our heads.

We are the best friends
that you held so deep inside
until you incurred new trends
and said that we can't coincide.

We are the blind.
The left behind.
The disregarded.
Swiftly discarded.
We are the forgotten.
The ones that you've deemed rotten.
The rugged and downtrodden.
The ones that could not win.

We are the helpful neighbors
that you've granted no favors.
This sullen clan of the bland
that you've stripped of all flavor.
Nothing is left for you to savor.
Nothing remains that you can claim.
We have imparted years of labor.
You don't even remember our names.

We are the lowly;
the ones who move slowly.
We took part in all of your games
and you only offered shame.

We are....
We were.....

We have come to take charge
against the guilty souls at large.

Black runs through our veins.
Darkness is our domain.
We quietly walk these plains
with power that can't be contained.
We will cause no physical pain.
There will be no blood stains.
You will implore that we abstain;
but we will remain.

So much was yours to gain;
now fear ravages your brain.
The guilt can't be contained.
You'll run out into the rain.
You'll cry out for help
whilst we wander in stealth.
You can't run from yourself.
Sick souls in need of health:
For every body you've bludgeoned,
You will receive their welts.
You'll stare at the rain soaked sky
in futile hopes of drowning yourself.

With bloodshot, misty eyes
and a mind filled with shame,
you will ask God why.
That's when you'll remember our names....

.....but we no longer have names.
We don't see your tears.
Lest you forget: We have no voices.
You wouldn't lend us your ears.
We will not revoke your fears.
We only serve as reminders.
Your stale remorse is of no use.
We are no longer care providers.

Our hearts are as black and bleak
as the wounds that used to leak.
Your love we used to seek;
but now, you've never looked so weak.
The boisterous will become meek
as we taunt and haunt all dreamers
but we will not talk or speak:
Both we and thee are silent screamers.

Written By: Devin Joseph Metz

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Special Exposure Wednesday

Kayla being silly during one of her Miracle League games. She was wearing her shirt this weekend and kept saying she wanted to go to "Green Wave" - guess she's anxious for the season to start back up!

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Pineapple Lemonade Punch

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits. I like them fresh or canned or in a fruit salad. I also love them in frozen yummy drinks. About the only way I don't like to eat a pineapple is cooked on a ham! But I don't mind them warmed in a pineapple upside down cake!

I was just recently made aware of a delicious drink combining pineapple juice and Crystal Light Lemonade. It's a perfectly refreshing drink on a hot summer day. Yes, I know summer is coming to a close, but here in the South it is still pretty darn hot! I will definitely be making this drink more often!

Here is the recipe for Pineapple-Lemonade Punch:

1 pkt. (makes 2 qt. drink) or 2 pkt. (makes 1 qt. drink each) CRYSTAL LIGHT Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix*

2 cups  cold water

1 can (46 oz.) pineapple juice

2 Tbsp.  grenadine syrup

1 can (8-1/4 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, drained

8   wooden skewers

EMPTY drink mix into large pitcher. Add water; stir until drink mix is completely dissolved. Stir in pineapple juice and grenadine syrup. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
MEANWHILE, insert pineapple chunks evenly onto skewers; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
SERVE in 8 tall glasses over crushed ice, if desired. Add 1 pineapple skewer to each glass.

*NOTE: CRYSTAL LIGHT Packets come in two sizes. Please note packet size before preparing recipe.

My usual beverage of choice is water, or ice tea. In the past I've used Crystal Light to give change up my water and give it a kick, or just a different flavor. The packets were also easy to send to Joe while he was deployed; he appreciated being able to add the packets to his water bottle while in the dessert!

I know a lot of people switch to diet soda when trying to cut back on their sugar intake. Crystal Light has created a movement to take it even farther and trade in the diet soda for Crystal Light - the Crystal Light Flavor Over Fizz Challenge.

Besides taking the challenge you can also win instant prizes daily through Sep 9 (and no purchase necessary).

Disclosure: I received a sample of Crystal Light from Kraft Foods.

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American Express Prepaid Card

Monday 5 September 2011

Budgeting. I know the importance of having a budget; it helps you to see where your money is going and to not overspend. It helps you to set aside money for bills, other monthly expenses, charities, tithes, savings etc. I've never actually sat down and made a hard and concrete household budget though. I've just paid myself first, paid the bills, and tended to not spend on many unnecessary things.

To be honest, living in base housing most of my life I've been lax with feeling the need to do a budget. We didn't have mortgage, or rent, utilities, gas, water or any of those expenses that typically come along with owning a home.

Now that we own a home I'm seeing the value in sitting down to do the not-so-fun task of creating a budget. We need to budget for the mortgage, electric, water, home security, warranty, insurance and it seems on and on and on.

Living on base I also used to only shop at the commissary; not so much anymore. In most areas I do find the commissary to have cheaper prices, however they don't double coupons and I have to consider the mileage and cost of gas to get to the base as opposed to the grocery store around the corner.

My next goal is to come up with a grocery budget and try to stick to that set amount every month. To help me out with this I'll be trying out the American Express Prepaid Card. Every month I'll load the amount I've chosen for a grocery budget and take only that card with me when I go grocery shopping. When I've used it up I'll know that I'm done for that month and will have to make do with whatever is left in the house!


The are no fees for ordering an American Express Prepaid Card, monthly maintenance, activation, balance inquiries, alerts, card replacement, or loading via bank account. These are all big pluses for me; otherwise I wouldn't consider using it - it would defeat the purpose of trying to save money wherever I can!

There is no credit check to order a card, so there it won't impact your credit history. The money on the card doesn't expire and if lost the card can easily be replaced. Users have full control via an online account where you can load money, view transaction history, and set up alerts. You also get some of the same benefits that you get with an American Express card like Roadside Assistance, Purchase Protection and 24/7 customer service.

It was very easy to order the card and add the amount of funds I wanted through my bank account. There is no charge for standard shipping of the card either. Hopefully this little change will get me well on my way to creating, and sticking to, a household budget!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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"Numbers"

Sunday 4 September 2011

"Numbers"


It took ten steps
to find my ninth wonder;
but it wasn't a figure eight.
It never looks that great.
I may need all seven days
to figure out how to get back;
and I'm nowhere near together.
I'm a few cans from a six pack.
I never got that fifth chance.
The fourth one was for free.
From what I've gathered, I can see
why two stands between me and three.


We don't get along well;
so three stays away from me
because one is the loneliest 
and three is company.
I spend most of my time
thinking about the number two.
That's my friend and confidant.
She's my favorite number, too.
She's was my first second glance.
She may be my last second chance.
She always gives me another pass
and puts extra cubes in my glass.


But still.....
I often fear
that I might be her first tear
or her last one.
I don't want my last flaw
to be the last straw.
It can't end like that.
That's way too raw.
I mean.....
Is it still love at first sight
if I got it on the first night?
Is she not first rate
if we slept together on the first date?


And what about me?
What if I find a three
that pulls her away from me?
Am I wrong for what I see?
I don't need five senses
to know I don't need five wives
and I'm not into climbing fences
to preserve what's left of nine lives.
If four is too square for me,
Would I take three the hard way?
Am I willing to avoid those six degrees
and still rest the seventh day?


I'm so far from completion.
I'm closer to deletion.
There's no degree of satiation
derived from problematic multiplication.
I can offer her cloud nine
to keep her from having to wonder
if my motives are defined
while I continue doing numbers.


I met her in the summer.
We've endured the winter;
but I have to check my math
if we will make it past December.


I'm far from a beginner.
I just resemble a cynic
because it's hard to find my center
when engaged in arithmetic.


At the end of this countdown
lies liberty or lock down.
She will smile or frown
contingent upon what comes around.


Even if it takes ten tries
and all nine of my lives,
I'll make sure that I'm not late.
She deserves that figure eight.
I can't get her to heaven;
but she will get that seven.
She deserves completion;
not the emptiness of depletion.
I don't need to mix
or try to juggle six.
I'm not stacking bricks.
I need not try to fix.
I just need to strive
and draw close to five stars.
Sometimes, it seems like I'm on mars;
but I'm not placed behind bars.
I want to give her much more
than the allotted four score.
I don't want forty years
if each day is filled with tears.
Every wholesome possibility
begins and ends with three:
A stronger she, a better me
and he who watches over we.
Two halves of one heart
should never remain apart
but everything begins with one.
That's where it has to start.


We are more than nickels and dimes.
We transcend space and time
with minds filled with wonder
and hearts brimming with numbers. <3

Written By: Devin Joseph Metz

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sometimes i live in the country / sometimes i live in the town

So Irene kept us inside with our beans and bottled water. Only some minor flooding in Northampton, but we missed calamity by a whisker. Very bummed for Vermont, which is full of strange antique barns buried behind weird rivers, and might not be so full of dry ones right now. One story I remember about Vermont is a few activists drove to the woods in search of chupacabras, but one of them was a diabetic and started getting insulin withdrawals, so they had to stop at some strange house and knock on the door. Nobody answered. The diabetic began scratching himself. Then a truck pulled up, and this guy got out carrying a cage with a parrot in it. The activists tried to explain the situation to the guy, but he just held up the parrot cage and grinned. He went inside the house. A few minutes passed. The diabetic was kneeling in the driveway controlling his breath. Then an old woman opened the door and invited everybody in. She led them into the living room, which was full of Nestle crunch bars. "I was just watching my programs, which is why I couldn't hear y'all," she said with a Texas accent. The guy with the parrot was in the kitchen still grinning, still with the parrot cage. Someone told me this story at breakfast one time, but it might as well be a story I made up because I didn't eat enough for breakfast. Good luck, Vermont.

In other news, hoo doggie, so much change. Took my last shower on Orchard Street. Moved to Baltimore. Taught my first class at UMBC. Seems good. I'm very
excited to ride the 35 back and forth between UMBC: when I first rode it, there
was a new father covered with IT'S A BOY STICKERS and everyone congratulated him/joshed him for having too much sex. There was a jovial mass
battle over whether to turn the A/C on. There was a man who gave up his
seat for an old man and he sat down next to another man and said "If
you don't respect yo elders you ain't got no mowls" and they became friends.



Next Saturday, I'm seeing Jeff Mangum in Boston with my carrot cake as a nice climatic-type event before she goes to Thailand. Kind of can't believe we're doing this. Then we're having a big Bye Bye Have Fun in Thailand party on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, which is much better than a lot of other things to do on the 10th anniversary of September 11th. Kind of weird to think my UMBC students were eight years old when Nine-Eleven became more famous than Seven-Eleven. I remember the first thing I heard about it that day was my mother told me the Weather Channel told her that all planes in the country were grounded.

So speaking of hearing and telling, it turns out I am doing a lot of readings this September! There is one stretch where I'm doing readings three days in a row: three readings and one panel discussion. Kind of nuts. I've made a thing on the right side of the blog to keep track of it all. If you live in NYC or Baltimore, I would love to give you a high five.




Thanks Barry Graham for putting Look! Look! Feathers on this list of his favorite books he's read so far this year. And thanks to him also for this Fab 5 feature he did, where I picked my 5 favorite of my online published stories and also 5 other stories online by others that I really like. Also Tyler Gobble and Layne Ransom's ultimate enthusiasm magazine Stoked just put out Volume II, which is full of great stuff from Matt Hart, Daniela Olszewska, Carol Guess, Nate Pritts,
Adam Moorad, Joshua Helms, Thomas Patrick Levy, Christopher Newgent, xTx, Len Kuntz, Parker Tettleton, Nick Ripatrazone, Ryan Rader, Ashley Farmer, and J.A. Tyler. I have a little piece in it talking about how much I was taken by the book Sayonara, Gangsters by Genichiro Takahashi. Do do the checking out if you do that sort of thing.



Wow, hard to believe how much is in the pipeline right now, and that's not even counting the pipeline that people are sitting down about. Let's end on a sad and happy thing and thing: sad is that my sister's dog Sasha is gone. =( My best energy and love her way.

The happy thing is this:

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