Jo's Personal Blog at Blogger.com

Tuesday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Technology

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

The prompt for the week is:

Technology

The Brief:

What technology changes did your ancestors see?
What technology changes have you seen?
Did your family own one of those early changes? - such as television
Do you like or dislike technology?
What do you think has been the best technological change in your lifetime and historically?

My Ancestors Technology
My Great Grandparents
I know when my paternal great grandfather Adam came from Poland to the US, about 1911 or so, it was during the industrial revolution. My great grandmother Mary and grandmother Jean followed in 1920. However, during that time, Adam would have seen farming go from almost no machinery to

Sample of picture of jobs of the industrial revolution - image taken from http://www.gaumatanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/house.jpg

doing much by machine. Further, when my great grandfather's, on both sides, came to the US it was by steam engine ship and took weeks. However, by the time my great grandmother's and grandmother came to the US the ship was more industrialized and took only a few weeks.

Betamax machines (from Wikipedia)

My Grandparents
My grandparents seen more technology because of the years of innovation - this ranged from radios to phones with answering machines and black and white television. I still remember my grandmother's face when I brought a small Pac Man portable game when I went to visit her. I do remember when I would spend a few weeks with my grandmother she was confused with records (remember the 33's and 45's), answering machines. She figured if anyone wanted to talk to her they would call back, she understood records but not the record players which were used in the 1970's and 1980's. My grandmother Jean and I used to play cards or to bring something to read. I do know at one point my grandmother had a camera that when she took a picture put it on a glass plate. We know this because one of the pictures my father gave me the print of we could tell because my husband's family, which had photographers in it, took those types of pictures.

My grandmother Jean drove a car as well. My great grandfather Adam didn't as he would take the bus from New Jersey to Newburgh, New York to see my grandmother and my father. My grandmother did drive, however, it was not very fast due to her being in a serious car/train accident in the mid 1930's where she went through the windshield and almost died. She suffered until she died because she would have tiny slivers of glass her pores would spit out every now and then. I helped her get them out every time I went to her apartment. Because of that, she drove very slow and very carefully until she passed away.

Technology I've seen
1970's
When I was born, there was already black and white televisions and the telephone. I do remember the telephone party lines we had which were annoying and I didn't use the phone because of it, but I knew many people loved them. However, it wasn't until the mid 1970s my father had an answering machine. I still remember when HBO and then, later, Cinemax or cable started. I remember the turntables which had a radio in them. The radio which you could turn on the 70's disco lights and flash and dance like John Travolta. LOL.

From http://winktimber.com/photos/radios/zenith_1.jpg

1980's
Then in the early 1980's we went from black and white TV to colour TV and by mid 1980's we had an Atari game console. I loved my watch with a calculator in it. I had a bicycle that was a 10 speed, and I still remember Mom and I trying to figure out how to use an electric stove with a cleaner in it. I also had a Polaroid camera and then the rolls of film, then onto the daisy wheel film.

Atari Game picture from http://arcade-games-web.com/galleries/atari/atari_2600_5.jpg

One of the Polariod's I used to use - http://www.georges.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/270x270/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/i/m/imp600camcloseup.jpg

Daisy Wheel Negatives - https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdevers/2782581581/

By the late 1980's computers were starting and Mom went out and bought me a typewriter which had a 2 piece ribbon - black for the typing and white for backspacing and correcting the mistyped word. When I wanted a computer, my mother got me a Franklin ACE 500 which was battling Apple and IBM with the 5 1/4 floppy drive and only 8kb of RAM memory to start it. You needed to know commands to get into the programs and games. What fun! *grin* Recently I was searching for something and saw Oregon trail game and shuttered in memory because that was one of the few games I had for it. I always died in the game. I even had a few report cards which were punch cards!

Franklin ACE 500 computer (no monitor is shown but it had one) take from http://oldcomputers.net/pics/ace500-right.jpg

The Oregon Trail game - screen print from http://lparchive.org/Oregon-Trail-(by-Chewbot)/Update%202/13-introGame1.jpg

1990's & beyond
Then in the 1990's, I bugged all the teachers about the Apple computers and finally they let me to a trade school for Business Computer Technology which we used adding machines and 286 computers with the monochrome screens to do things like typing and letters. It was great - I was using a computer and loved it. By the time I graduated in 1991 and started Orange County Community College, I learned how to program, use a computer to do helpful things. I couldn't get enough. This included at night when my mother wasn't at home, I found a place I could dial into and play Bulletin Board Role Playing Games.

286 Computer - image from http://ksinfos.perso.sfr.fr/Collection/computers/ibm/xt-286/Dscf3947.jpg

Late 1990's, I found myself at State University Technology at Utica Rome in Utica New York. I then learned all about the computer, telneting, FTP, and the list went on and on. Then after I met my husband online and I moved to Australia, I started to learn how to do HTML coding. Over the years, I've learned how to code in CSS and a tiny bit in Javascript and PHP. In 1996, I took my first airline flight - it just happened to be to Australia. Not the smartest thing I've ever done (first flight almost 40 hours long? Not good.), but compare that against my great grandparents and grandparents doing things by ship - WOW!

HTML sample

CSS sample

Then you have the things the computers and attachments can do today - scanning, photocopying, faxing, saving, USB sticks, USBs, idrives, and the list goes on and one. I know if my grandparents and back further could see the things we can do now - wow! They would be completely shocked and concerned about everything.

Even if you go between countries (like we do between the US and Australia), you run into huge differences. For instance, my sister came out to visit a few years ago from the US. She couldn't understand why we didn't have any toll booths but heard beeps. I showed her that the beeps were us going through the toll booths and we just pay an account. She was shocked - pleased but shocked.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

Monday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - What are your priorities?

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

What are your priorities?

The Brief:

The American author, Kathleen Winsor owns this quote:

"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do."

So, what do you want to do? how can you achieve that? and why is it important to you?

I want to know, at least name, most of my ancestors back within their own homelands. I'm trying to figure out why some of them were the way they were. Was it because of what they were shown growing up? Or where they the "blacksheep" of the family? Did they just run off to the United States and never contacted "home" again? Did they have emotional abuse put to them and that's why they passed it down? Same with drinking? Same with gambling? Where they using any of these to help deal with at least one of the other abuses?

Why won't they speak to each other? Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil?

I'm also trying to find out why my family (all parts it seems) just stop speaking to another part of the family. My cousins and I have been trying to figure this out and we can't think of any logical reason why siblings, such as a sister and brother, just stop talking and don't try and find each other for over 40 years. Why? What could have been so bad they just move and stop all communication with them? As I've been researching, I've found this was very common within my family - my paternal side has done it (my father to his father's family), my maternal side has done it (my mother to her brother, uncle's, aunts on both her mother's side and her father's side).

A picture of me in the 1980s

What makes this very heartbreaking is that growing up, I felt like I fell out of the turnip truck and someone decided to pick me up and bring me home. There was no talk of uncles (unless it was my father's side), no aunts (again unless it was the aunt that was married to my paternal uncle), no cousins (unless it was the paternal side), no second cousins, no nothing. In fact, when I sit thinking about it even once my siblings married and left, most of the year we didn't hear from them either - unless they wanted something like me babysitting their kids. Its sad when you think about it.

Are these part of my family? If so how...so many questions so little answers!

Because of the findings and thoughts, one thing is certain - these cycles MUST be broken - somehow and some way. I've started to break the cycle, but finding an uncle and cousins on my maternal side. We are just beginning to get to know each other. That being said, we want to find out the common links between the Gauquie last name in Belgium and the VanRompaye's and who is exactly related to us. I'm not sure what's happening but there is NO mention of Jules. I'm starting to think no one liked
him, so they sent him to the US with his other cousins. I have recently posted on a website which has many Gauquie's on it - Geneanet. I am hoping someone sees my posts on there and contacts me. If not, then I do have a few more avenues to explore - contacting one name which lists Gauquie's but I'm not completely sure on how we're related and making a Facebook page up with the last name Gauquie on it in hope we might all connect, and lastly hiring someone to do research in the area. I'll give my post in Geneanet some more time and then think about the other options.

From Wojtkowice? I don't know...

On my father's side, its not that easy. Why? Because my father doesn't want to talk about his father's side at all, so its hard because the name Matthew Schmitz is very common name in Germany. On my father's maternal side, I'm trying to track the Polish side back, but again its hard. Why? Because the town they came from Wojtkowice, as at the start of the 1900 century, everyone's name in the tiny
town was Wojtkowski. Because of this, I'll have to go to the Parish and get records which isn't very easy because I don't speak/read/write in Polish, Russian or Latin. Its a bit of a barrier. Again, I do have a few options like this outline in the Gauquie last name; however, there is no other relatives that I can explore with, so that isn't an option.

I also want to explore the DNA options that are out there. I have done the testing through Family Tree DNA, but understanding it and how it all links is something else altogether. I've had my DNA for about a year now and I'm still having trouble understanding it.

And my DNA shows....

Whether doing the above mentioned things will pay off for everyone in the long run I don't know. Besides we don't any children to pass this information along to, I just hope other nieces and nephews and family will find it useful and important in the future.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - What is your most treasured possession?

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

What is your most treasured possession?

The Brief:

This could be something that you have bought from an inheritance
A gift from a family member
An item that you have been left by a friend or family member
How do you plan to secure it's survival with future generations?

I have 3 mostly treasured possessions besides my research that I have been doing.

I have spoken about these many times in past posts, so it shouldn't become as a shock. However, this might change if I was able to find out anything more or "rescue" pictures or paperwork I didn't know about.

Treasured Possession 1:

The tiny cup my grandmother gave to me growing up. She gave this to me when I was very young. In fact, it was part of a bigger set including a tiny teapot but as we moved the set was broken and all lost except for the cup I've glued back together.

Treasured Possession 2:
The recipe for Bow Ties or Cruschiki which my grandmother used to make. I hope to pass this along to my nieces and their children. Unfortunately, to date, we haven't been able to have children, so this will have to be passed along to my nieces.

Treasured Possession 3:
My great cousin's, James J Sherman, silver WW2 Air Force wings. These are a very rare and have been loved by my mother and myself since they've been given. They were with me when I married in 1997 as something old and it was like having part of my family with me when the marriage happened as no one else was there in person - only in spirit.

As for my research, I'm not sure who that will go to. I do know I am going to start writing up life stories on the ancestors I've found. At the moment I'm working my way through all my time lines and making them very detailed.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

Sunday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - What do you treasure?

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

What do you treasure?

The Brief:

This week I am leaving the prompt wide open.

You choose on what you treasure, the things, the people,
The things that are not seen,
The things that are seen yet not obviously treated as a treasure.

Treasure's can be found as long as you are looking. They also change over time.

When I was growing up and into my early 20's, I considered it a treasure if I could find myself in a job and had nice things around me. The higher the position the better. However, what is even better is the truth and respect. If you don't have either of these, then you have nothing.

My husband and I

In my 30's this had changed. It went to have to work to create a better life for my family, meaning my husband and our future children. It would also give us those children as they weren't "arriving" we we thought they would. In fact, we had to pay professionals to help us after loosing two children. These children were not born, but they were confirmed as pregnancies. One aborted by itself and one had to be taken, so my life could go on. I treasure each and every day I spent with each of these.

2003 One of our children who were never born

By my mid-30's, I learned to treasure the memories of people that were once in my life - my paternal grandmother, my paternal uncle, my children I never got to hold. Also, those who accept me as I am - my husband and nieces. Although those said nieces don't realize how much for them I did when they were growing up and am starting to realize they never will know, which is sad. The reactions they have had when they were growing up influenced my life and they don't even realize it. My husband and I discussed and looked at alternatives to having children - fostering? maybe but do we want to, adoption? I don't want to ever be told no because your not MY mother ever again, medical treatment like IVF? Maybe but that requires money we just don't have.

Jackie who we lost in 2012 and Buddy who keeps me company today

Now in my 40's, I'm almost resigned to never having children which makes those two we nearly had even more of a treasure. My husband's a treasure for being here with me and dealing with this. I treasure my dog, Buddy, because he knows when I just need those cuddles and kisses. I recently have found cousins - 1st, 2nd and even more cousins than I knew. I'm starting to cherish what we have in common and forge relationships with each and every one of them.

Lesson in life still pretty much remains the same - if you have the following in your life, you are richer than you'll ever know:

Truth
Respect
People who love you for who you are
Love (remember this can range) for people who are in your life and who have given you and you ancestors life
Pets can give you so much
Children are more precious than gold

If you can make enough money to survive, and have what's outlined above, then you are your own king of your own castle and you have everything. Think of the movie The Castle...

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Jobs and Careers

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

Jobs and Careers

The Brief:

Did you have a Saturday job, holiday job?

Where was it?
What did you do?
Can you recall who you worked for and with?
What was the biggest / most important thing you learnt here?
Did it inspire your future?
Do you have any pictures / photos / clippings?

Did you have full / part time job?

Job or career

Does it not matter?
Is it the same?

Did you enjoy what you did? - Why?
Was it a passion or a means to an end?
Who did you work with?

Did you have work place reviews?

Did they fit with your personal plan?
Did you have a career / employment work plan?

Did you stay at home?

Or did you really want to?

Did you have employment hopes and dreams

Regrets

While growing up, I started having "jobs" outside of the house at about the age of 12. These were a range of things from babysitting, to picking up trash outside of businesses, to helping deliver newspapers, to wash dishes, to be a prep cook in a bar, to washing down stock shelves that were layered with oil and then you have the toilets to scrub before businesses opened again just to name a few things I've done before the age of 18. Yep, I was a worker.

Work after high school
By the age of 18, I worked on Saturday's and after school at the High School's pool as a student swimming aide. By the summer, they put me in charge of kids from 4 to about 13 that couldn't even put their faces in the water and there were about 2 dozen of them! I still remember when I couldn't

figure out why one of the kids wouldn't even get into the water which puzzled me. When the mother came to get the child I asked her what would be the reason for this. After asking me if I couldn't handle her son, I told her that's not what I asked - I asked why he wouldn't get into the water. After awhile she broke down saying his twin brother died from drowning. Duh! And she didn't think about telling someone? *sigh* On a positive note, by the end of the summer, I had all of my students up at different levels but they were more than one level up from my basic level, so I was very pleased. In fact, one of the kids that had the biggest problem of putting her face in the water, made up to jumping off of the diving board but she wouldn't do it unless I did it first and then they couldn't keep her off of it. The little boy I mentioned above with the twin? He was swimming above and below the water by the end of the summer, but he hadn't made it to jumping off of the diving board - yet.

Summer vacations

Between high school and trade school and starting the local community college (see prior posts for this information) I worked for temp agencies. It was interesting if nothing else due to the fact I had no office experience to go by. The best one was a local oxygen supplier for people with breathing difficulties. You never knew what you were going to run into and more often than not you would get panicked people, not because they ran out, but they were on their last part of breathing oxygen. Most of the time it was going to be delivered on that day, but the customers "forgot". I think that's how I've learned not to panic with most situations and just deal with what you can and start a list - lists are
what makes the world go around and have saved me loads of times over the years. Also, you are rewarded if you keep up great work as I actually was awarded a Tiffany necklace because of my work.

Working at the community colleges

After that summer, I started at the local community college as I've listed in prior posts. After about a year, I found out I could work in the labs between classes. I wouldn't have to leave the place, and I could fit in work between classes instead of just having to find a place to hang out. I learned about
backing up, different types of computer and audio visual equipment, and just want people, who spend hours in the labs, actually do. Interesting if nothing else. Besides, it brought in the much needed money as my mother was laid off from her job.

As I've just stated, my mother lost her job, which was a big blow to us because even with unemployment checks, we were not going to have enough to buy food with, run the cars or any of the other necessities you have. I then started working at the local Super 8 Motel, as a front desk clerk. I would work mainly on the weekends, but during the summers or when they needed me I would work. In fact, I even started helping out at the Middletown, NY Super 8 for awhile too. What would be tricky would be when I was slated to work until 4pm at one and start at the other one at 4pm. I told them I didn't care what they did, but I needed

Super 8 in Montgomery where I spent almost 4 years working

about 30 minutes between these times - I had to get something to eat AND drive from one place to another unless they knew of some way they could beam me there. Somehow it all worked out. The main thing that I learned while working at these places? Be nice but be strong with everyone. If you weren't this way with customers, they would walk all over you. If you weren't this way with the bosses and other workers, again they would walk all over you. After almost 4 years of this, I finally had enough, and walked out after giving notice. However, the management must have thought I was kidding as when I went away to college, they actually called my house asking if I could work - after I gave notice and walked out. I guess some people are thick headed like that.

As for working the labs and at Super 8, I was approached to tutor other students by advisers. I asked they why on earth would they think I would be good at it and I would be screwing up these students as badly as I was. They denied that, and thought I'd do a good job. I worked as a tutor on and off for the next 3 years. I tutored in different things from WordPerfect and Lotus (yes it was that far back ok?) to coding in COBOL and answering questions in RPG. I have to admit the coding stuff was great! Lessons learned here were sometimes you had to be patient even when you wanted to slam someone's head into the keyboard/monitor/desk and sometimes you had to say things in more than one way. Further, make sure you backed up and talked with the teacher of the class so you knew if you had to try other things.

Life after colleges
After starting at SUNY, and working more jobs at the temp agency and other part time jobs, I learned that you must be able to get along with the bosses and there are better ones out there than others. Ones that would listen and ones that wouldn't.

Employment in Australia
I found this country is probably one of the hardest to actually gain full time employment - and keep it - in. I've never had jobs that I had a hard time keeping and they were sad for me to leave. I even had one where they were looking for any and all reasons to fire the person that normally had the job so I could stay. I had to talk them out of this due to ligation but even then it was over 2 weeks of talks with them.

I started with Hayes Employment which I had a temp job with. I figured it was a foot in the door with IT and AV equipment with a college. No problem. I know all about the politics that went along with it. It was supposed to be 2 nights a week unless they needed someone. Well, that 2 nights went to 5 nights fairly quickly (within 2 weeks) and I was getting called in even after I told them I wouldn't be available on certain days. What I found was the other 2 people in the full time positions, were calling me in and then going down to the local pub and drinking and picking up women. I lasted less than 3 months (a month after I found out and told them to stop or else I was out).

Then it took me another 4 months to find another position. This one I found on my own with P&O. It

wasn't hard but it was frustrating as they listed me as an EDP Operator (who uses those terms in the late 1990's??). However, they expected me to keypunch, run the mainframe and backups, play IT help desk and a range of other IT duties. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but I was pulling about 50-60 hours a week, without the IT pay and without the title. Then they sold off about half of the business. They wanted me with the new business but in the accounting department. When I asked about duties they said the same thing as I was currently doing. Really? I asked about pay (the same) and then about a title (the same). Again really? My boss was going to stay with the head company, but I was to go with the new company. I could see it would be a bad decision, and I was made redundant and given a package. Again, off to look for that job.

The ACFE office where I spent hours

I had a few odds and ends jobs here and there but nothing stable.

After 3 long years of looking, I finally landed a job with Adult, Community and Further Education which as a small business. It was only after I was there, temping, for a bit, I realized it was part of the
Victorian Government, which I figure would be stable (as in I was going to be employed) so I could settle in and deal with politics of the place. After nearly 6 years there, my whole level was made redundant. Off to the woods I go, looking for that job.

Current

Since then, I've went back and gotten my Certificate IV in Web Based Technologies. I've also taken up writing my blogs (a personal blog, a genealogy blog, and an IT blog). I have started reading and doing family genealogy and indexing again.

I have been teaching at a few Learn Locals which teaches community people different skills. Its very rewarding and its very interesting. However, the downside is there just isn't enough promised work or the base rate isn't very high, which isn't the fault of the Learn Locals - its because the government doesn't give enough money out for these types of services.

I am looking for work doing Web Based Technology (web design, web content) type of work, but as I don't have any commercial, only personal for our web page for about 18 years, and I'm trying to keep up with the technology in this area, but not many businesses are looking to give people a shot - they look at the lack of experience in this area or the age of the applicant - and they reject the applications. Its very frustrating.

The Future
I will continue on looking for web paging work. However, I think I'm going to be forced to either go back into admin and finance, which is what I was doing, or spend the money to someone to basically buy a internship. I remember when internships you were given an interview and either accepted or not. I feel buying (or paying money for a company to get you one) is wrong. That's why I'm having such a hard time with that one.

However, that being said, I don't want to stop the teaching - weather its at night or on the weekends, I'd still want to teach and help out the community.

If you are looking for people to hire, why not hire someone that is a tiny bit older? I still have a good 30 or so years before the government will let me retire.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Memory Tree

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

Memory Tree

The Brief:

As we head into the festive / holiday season I want us to think of those who will not be with us for the season. If this was your memory tree who would you put on the tree and why?
This can of course be friends and family, but what about former pets and colleagues.

I guess the question is who is on the memory tree. Every year when we put up the tree, we have ornaments which are respective of people or pets that have been close to us. However, for my husband's side of the family, he hasn't done anything like this.

Our 2014 tree

On the tree are in remembrance ornaments. I started this in 2013 for each of my Polish ancestor families - Wojtkowski/Wojtkowska, Jagodzinski, and Ostrzycki. This was because I found Polish ornaments that were made in Poland.

I haven't been able to find ornaments for Denmark or Belgium. If I don't, then I'll have to get ornaments from countries near there and put a tag on them like I have the ones from Poland.

We have remembrance ornaments for the 2 babies we lost - our February baby and Jamie Sweetpea.

Also, we have remembrance ornaments for past dogs - JR, our Jack Russell, and Jackie, our terrier cross. We do have one for our current dog, Buddy (another Jack Russell), but it does not have an end date on it.

All year around we have pictures out of people who have passed - Brett's "Uncle Al", Brett's friend Mrs. Hodges and now Brett's grandmother, Wendy.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Colleges & University

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

The prompt for the week is:

Colleges & University

The Brief:

Did you go to college and / or University

if not, did you want to or did you not want to?
did you perhaps change your mind at a later date?

What did you study?
Was your studying vocational or a step on the ladder to another profession?
What was the educational path you took to get to University or college?
Where did you go? & why there?
Regrets of study choice?
Did you belong to clubs there?
Friends?
Pictures?

As always, share what you are comfortable with.

Elementary/Primary to High School
Education was always a big thing with me, but at the same time it was hated because I was always made to feel like I was different because of my learning disability the school system said I had. From elementary school, when it was first noted, I always felt like an outcast whenever I was at school because I was always separated from everyone else for most of the day because I needed "special" classes they said.

This went with my envelop with the award in 5th grade

My fifth grade teacher, Mr McGinnis, took the time and spent time with me to make me feel special and made me feel like I was like everyone else. It was the first time I ever felt like that - ever.

An award I won in 5th grade

Then it ended and I was mixed back in and it seemed like I was shuffled around a bit more. I got frustrated and started to let grades slide. I just didn't care any longer especially after my ankles started to cause programs and the teacher, Mrs Goldberg, took it out on me like it was my fault. Again, it caused me to be separated out from everyone else and after awhile I didn't care anymore. My grades slid.

Then something, I have no idea what, clicked and my grades started to go up by the 8th grade. To the point where half way through the school year they took me out of my lower math class and put me into the higher class. I did struggle but so would anyone who came into the class when it was 2/3 of the way through the school year. Ever since then, I've had a hate relationship with math. However, I started putting in a tiny bit of effort and my grades went up and up. I fought to take beginners French, and ended up making a deal of if my grades slid then I was out of the class, but if they didn't then I was to stay in the class. I stayed and finished with almost a A or 90 grade level. Needless to say I told them don't ever tell me no because I will fight you - the guidance counselor smiled and knew I meant what I said.

Orange-Ulster Vocational Center in Goshen, NY

Trade/Vocational School
Then came talk of what to take for my 11th and 12th classes. I told them I wanted to go to Orange-Ulster BOCES or Vocational Center and I wanted something to do with computers. They started saying they didn't know and made noises of it being to hard for me. I just told them if they remember the French class I had just taken. That shut them up quickly. Off I went to do my technical degree in 1990, while finishing up my high school diploma.

Then I was asked kindly, at first, if I wanted to go to the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) conference they were having. I knew money was a problem and told them no. Then they asked again, and I rejected it again. Then about 3 months before I was told they really wanted me to go and would help me in any way possible. Personally, I think they did it because I was getting board and kept "visiting" the other two classes in the hall to see what they were learning and then going back to my class because I was bored. Anyhow, they found out about the financial situation, so they put it if we could sell enough cookies then that would pay for the trip except for spending money. Then I agreed, only to find the teachers said there were competitions and they wanted me to go into the Financial Information Processing contest. I was told it wasn't easy, but just do the best I could. They gave me practice exams and I asked many questions as to what it contained and slowly figured things out. Apparently no one ever won any plaques from there for the competition, but they kept trying.

Clubs & Organizations
Anyhow, I buckled down and got to studying how things went together and put things together to make sense to me. I had them give me tests and figured out where I went wrong - and I kept up with all my studies both at Orange-Ulster Vocational Center AND at Valley Central High School. This is in addition to working part time and watching and visiting my nieces, who I am very close to.

Then came the weekend I was to go away to the conference in Rochester, New York. Most of the weekend was a blur I have to admit. What I can remember is when it came time to sit down and take that test, I started to freak out. Then I calmed down and focused - problem after problem. Then it was over with. For myself, I felt like I failed - myself because I didn't get it done, the school because I thought I got more wrong than right due to my freaking out and just felt like an idiot. Then came the last day and the presentation of awards. How flabbergasted was I when I tied for 5th place in all of the state of New York? I don't remember walking to the stage, but I remember all the lights and flashes of cameras going off. Apparently, I was the only one (to that point) to ever win anything at one of these conferences.

By the time June 1991 arrived, I finished both High School and Orange-Ulster Vocational Center's courses - both with high 90's grade point averages. I ended up inducted into both Honor Societies, and was given the Outstanding Student Award at Orange-Ulster Vocational Center. I even ended up winning a small scholarship.

Orange-Ulster BOCES Vo-Tech Award

BOCES Vo-Tech Honor Sash

VCHS Honor Cords

Scholarship Award from the PTO

My official card to the Honor Society

Community College
Then I started college at Orange County Community College (OCCC) (www.sunyorange.edu - however each time I try this link its broken) in Middletown, New York in the fall of 1991. It wasn't encouraged at all. If anything it seemed like I shouldn't be going because it was all a waste of time. My mother was trying to pull me to get a full time job after the first 6 months (which I ended up getting 3 part time jobs). I had a difficult time at first as it was different studying than what I was used to and it took me about a year to adjust and my grades sucked - in addition to the school threatening me to do better or get out. Once I did, everything was fine - I wasn't a great student but I was no longer failing either.

Clubs at Community College
I got into the Computer Club. First as a member and by the time I graduated from OCCC, I was Vice President of the club and we won Club of the Year. A first for the club as everyone didn't know much about the club, but by the end of the year they did.

Computer club trip to Boston, MA

One year's members for the Computer Club

Winning the club of the year award

In summer of 1994, I graduated from OCCC in Business Computer Technology. It was quite a deal as there was over 30 people that started and there was only 8 of us who finished. I was proud of what I accomplished if nothing else.

State University

In the winter of 1994, I was talking to a group of friends about what I was going to do. I could stay and look for jobs in the area but chances were not good unless I wanted to be an office worker. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but my passion was coding. I fell in love with lines of code - I could sit down and write and figure it out without a problem. In the end I was talked into taking out a couple of huge loans and went for 2 terms (one in 1995 and one in 1996) to SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (now known as SUNY Polytechnic Institute). Financially I knew it was going to be a struggle, but I figure at the end at least I would be able to get some place. However, the struggles with the financial side of things was too much for me and I ended up leaving because I just couldn't affording. The one great thing that came about was I met my husband while away at SUNY. It resulted in me leaving the US and moving to Australia.

Australian University

Once life started to slow down a bit and I had a bit of money to spare, I applied for and got into Monash University as a distance learner. I was working about 60 hours a week as and EDP operator /
Assistant Manager when the IT manager wasn't around for P&O. My grades where in the normal range - about a C level. I was happy with that. However, I ended up loosing my job which meant I could no longer finish my degree - again. Further, they kept changing the course name and courses and it frustrated me to no end.

It took me awhile to find another employment position for some reason. After this, I gave up taking classes unless they were small ones. I figured they weren't getting me very far so why bother? Then when there was rumour of job losses (one of them was my level) I looked again and figured I could get the paperwork of what I have been doing for years - coding webpages. It was still coding, which I hadn't given up I had just switched from mainframe to pc based and then into webpage based coding.

Vocational/TAFE

In 2013, I received my Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, at Chisholm TAFE, so I could teach in the Learn Local sector. This is I could help out the community by teaching business, IT or computer classes. Shortly after, I lost my government position as they had cut my entire level within our department.

In July 2014, I finished up a Certificate IV in Web Based Technology, at Chisholm TAFE, with HD grades - high distinction grades. HD is basically 100 or nearly 100% of a grade. I was thrilled and figured it wouldn't be too long before I had a job.

However, sitting here just starting 2015, and still no full time job prospects. Now I'm wondering if the investment I put in for my Certificate IV was really worth it as I'm still not working in that industry.

Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.