Jo's Personal Blog at Blogger.com: The Book of Me Written by You

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Sunday

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

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:

Movies

The Brief:

What is your feel good movie?
Can you remember the first time you went to the cinema?

What did you see?
Can you remember the price?
Who did you go with?
Recall those magical movie moments?

What is your favourite movie or favourite genre?

Growing up, I loved movies, but they had to be on TV or else I couldn't see them as we didn't have extra money to go to the movies. Usually they had to be playing on normal TV to be watched and then it was HBO or Cinemax as that was the only cable we had.

Drive ins
I do know I did go to the drive ins with my oldest sister, Theresa a bit. The last movie I saw in one of those was in Maybrook and it was "On Golden Pond" in 1981. The drive in only survived until about 1997 or 1998 when it was turned into apartment houses.

Today we do go to the drive in that's about 10 minutes down the road on the South Gippsland freeway. I can't remember what was the first movie we went there to see though.

Movie Theaters
I can't remember what the first movie was that I saw. It might have even been into my teens before I went to a movie theater. I do know when I was in my teens, I did go and see movies, but usually it was the latest Star Wars movie that was out.

Feel Good Movies & Genre

I don't have a feel good movie really. I do know I watch a lot of romance movies, like the Danielle Steele movies, or Hallmark movies. Sometimes the TV stations even put these movies on during the day or on the weekends when they think no one's at home.

I do like comedy but I have to be in the mood for it or I need to be cheered up. Action and murder, I must be in the mood to watch them.

I do have some older tickets of the movie tickets but I have to dig them out as they are around here some place.

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

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Is Blood thicker than Water?

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:

Is Blood thicker than Water?

The Brief:

We all have them.

Family that are like friends
Family that are like acquaintances
Friends that are like family
Friends that are new, but seem old ones!
Family members that are like strangers
Emotional links to generations past?

Does it matter how we feel about the friends and family we have?

Is it a case of when the times comes family comes first?
Define good friends
How do you distinguish friends -

real
virtual
colleagues
long term friends
does it not matter

This is an interesting post and topic. As growing up I only knew my immediate family and my grandmother and uncle on my father's side. However, I had friends through the different schools I went to. In fact, most of my friends today are from those days (some I've known over 35 years!). By high school I had pretty much figured out who is a true friend and ones that say they are but either they talk about you behind your back or stab you in some way. There are some friends that are friends but they are the quiet sort. I've got a range of the different friends.

In fact, some of my friends are closer to me than even my family his - a sad but true fact. People who are your family should love and respect you unconditionally - although you will have fights and argue over time which is a sign of a healthy relationship - but they shouldn't just ignore you until they want something. With my family, you really do need a score card of who's talking to whom and who's ignoring whom, because without it, you are lost.

New found family
Now that being said, I've now found some cousins and an uncle that I never knew existed. We are slowly getting to know each other and have found we have common likes and dislikes and goals in life which is great. We're finding that bond of family. Hopefully, it will continue to grow and the families will reunite as they should.

Direct family members

Now that being said, I do have one "outstanding" sister. She's a bitch and admits she's a bitch and is actually proud of that fact. Personally, I wouldn't be, but to each their own. I haven't spoken to her in about 18 years. Why? Well, let's just say I had enough of the name calling and other things she spoke about and it was time to say enough. I'm not the only one she's alienated over the years. Our other 2 sisters don't want contact with her as well because she's done something similar to them I think. I think her 2 sons have seen the light and have backed away from her as well. I do have some contact with at least one of them, although its not regular contact.

You can never have too much family. I know mine seems to overwhelm me in large amounts, but you take time out for other things and then family isn't so bad.

Friends
Like I stated above, I have had some friends over 35 years. We don't talk every day but we don't need to. We respect each other and if there's anything any of us needs, the others will be there for us.

That being said, there are others who try and use these friendships to either get further or just turn against you and say awful things they know aren't true. These are the testing friendships - usually I give people a warning or two and then I throw up my hands and walk away. I figure if they want the relationship bad enough, then they will contact me to talk about it.

I also have friends which are more of acquaintances because we don't actually talk about anything other than what's currently happening but we don't generally meld together though hobbies and such. Its not a bad thing, its just more of a general friend relationship rather than a deeper emotional one is all.

Virtual Friends
I do have some of these, where we met online through something happening or a hobby but we never met in person. Sometimes these do intend to cross over to IRL (in real life) meetings. Back when we (hubby and I) first started using the internet and Bulletin Boards (yes we've been around that long), we used to have "meets". In fact, when I moved to Australia, I had a small group of people I "met" online meet me at the airport along with hubby and his family. Then later on, I went to a few meets here in Melbourne to catch up with them. In fact, we had a table at our wedding for people who would attend meets that met online!

In conclusion, relationships are what you make of them. You must judge each person on their actions and what they say and not what others tell you. Why? Well that's simple, if someone wants the others to look or feel in a bad way, by telling another person a lie or twisted fact which could cause their relationship to turn. Only your experiences will tell you want is right and wrong with each person. It doesn't matter if this is a friends or family - as we are all people and its in how you treat each other.

Some pictures of my friends & family:

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

Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Addresses and Locations

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:

Addresses and Locations

The Brief:

Are there addresses and locations from your childhood you can recall?
Can you remember your next door neighbours?

Their name
What they looked like
What car they drove (if any)

Addresses of family and friends
Describe the houses
Shops
Clubs
Do you have any pictures - houses, street signs etc

Locations:
I can recall most of the places I've lived which is quite a few since my mother - for some unknown reason - loves to move about every 3-5 years. She always gives great excuses, but its a pattern that I'm not sure why she got into as everyone else in her family stays at locations for years.
We've stayed in the following places:

Newburgh
Walden
Maybrook
Montgomery
Lyon Mountain

Neighbours:
I do still remember some neighbours. These are:

The trailer park - I used to go and talk to another little girl in one of the houses behind and another who visited her grandparents who lived next our trailer.
South Montgomery Street, Walden - I still talk to one of the families that lived first in front and then behind the places we rented
Capron Street, Walden - the sister/brother who lived across the street
Next to Jim Brady's/White Rabbit Inn in Montgomery (going towards Walden) - I still talk to a few of the people I hung out there with
And the other places, I didn't really get to know the neighbours - usually because we didn't speak to each other.

Picture Recall:

Some pictures I do have of where we lived and others are at my mothers in photo albums. I will put a few of the pictures up that I do have. Further, I've been looking up our old houses in Google Earth and then taking a "snapshot" of the buildings now if I could. As there are many addresses, I will pick only some to do.

Birth - late 1970s - Newburgh (that's me with the puppies)


Same house taken from Google Earth 2013

1970s. We stayed here (bottom) when my mother left my father for a short time

1970s. We then stayed on Walnut Street (the weird shaped building was the elementary school) for a bit

1970s. We then moved to get a bigger place when my sister came to visit (above the agency)

1980s. This was the trailer park. We lived in the most back corner with the loop - away from everyone.

1980s. We then moved into the this lane (middle of page) We stayed at the 3rd house (with tree) and then moved to the top house

About 1988. The house we lived at in Lyon Mountain. We rented the back and my sister rented the front.

1988-191This changed ALOT. When we lived here, by Jim Brady's, it was a duplex with 2 steps leading up into the house. We lived closest to the telephone pole.

1989-1991 lived on first level (my car is in the front!)

1991-1997 we lived on the top part (the yellow boards with fire escape)

Hope you liked the picture list.

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

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - How do you measure success?

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:

How do you measure success?

The Brief:

Can success be measured?
Medals or Trophies
Money or reward
Status
Personal Knowledge
Achievements
How others view you?

Award for participation in Basketball

When I was growing up, I used to measure success by going to school and bring home good grades. Then when I started to run, play basketball and other athletic things, I measured it, at first, by making it through first a game and then the season. This included some of the runs I did where I actually did get mentioned in the newspaper and by getting a trophy.

Two of my running trophy's (see newspaper clippings)

My placement in one of the 4th of July races in Walden NY (Wallkill Valley Times)

Award for most trying & most improved in Elementary School

I was also trying very hard at school. I did get a medal for the most improved student and found that when I tried harder, I could do it, but I had to try ALOT as I know what I want to say its just hard getting it out and down. I always got very frustrated at myself, others and subjects because I knew what I had to do, but I couldn't put it down on paper. However, it took me years to get it to the point of being able to put it down either on paper on the keyboard. I've only just become more able to do this within the last handful of years. I also starting thinking success was in the bank balance - meaning I had to find a job that paid big bucks to be successful.

Placed 4th in the NYS conference award

Outstanding Student Award

By the time I got towards the end of college, I started to realize it was the small things that really count - being acknowledged for a job well done - handshake, hug, slap on the back - all counted. Yes, you couldn't revisit them, unless it was by memory, but at least it was an acknowledgement.

Trade School Honor Society

High School Honor Society

Does you family celebrate?
I didn't realize until after my high school and trade school graduations in 1991, that you were supposed to be congratulated, praised and usually there was a celebration mixed in. It was really weird to me because when my graduations happened, and I went to other graduation parties and were talking to others, they were all celebrating and having parties. I quickly figured out that was what people did.

When I graduated and celebrations before and after

My family didn't, and still don't, do things like normal families. My family does buy the cards, and may put either money or a gift with it, which was handed, or almost shoved, at me afterwards. They said congratulations and walked away. My mother, for my high school graduation, complained the whole way home because she was cold and would probably catch pneumonia because it had started to rain and we had to go inside while her and my sister went and sat in the car. There was no dinner, no party, no nothing - a normal day resumed after we got home. For my college graduation, my mother and nieces went (I drove my car) and I forced the issue with celebration - I met a group of friends and we finished getting ready together and after took pictures together. However, after I dropped my neices off and we went home, again it was like a normal day. This time, however, a few days after I had planned to have celebrations where I worked by renting a few rooms and, after clearing them out, I had one for food, one for dancing and partying (games, etc) and one for people who wanted to sit around and talk quietly. My mother did go and sat in the one room and talked quietly to some of the others. I paid for the whole thing myself, but at least I had a celebration of sorts.

When I started to work for Manpower Temp agency I got this award for my work.

After that, I gave up. I don't celebrate my birthday and if I get a certificate or anything else, I just don't celebrate it. Its just too depressing. Only because of my husband did we even have a proper wedding and reception because if it was left up to me, we probably wouldn't have had one.

Do you celebrate anything later in life?
Even to this day, I just don't celebrate anything other than holidays because I've found each time I counted on something, from growing up and into adulthood in my life, it just wouldn't either happen or something bad would happen. In fact, when I got my Certificate IV in Web Based Technology, which I got high distinction (think high 90's out of 100), nothing was done other than me saying thank god I'm done and receiving the certificate in the mail.

My latest Certificate in 2014

Now I measure things in I'm alive what else can life throw at me rather than how far can I reach, which is sad.

How do others see you?
When I was going to school, I had a few friends that would call me brainac (lovingly). It didn't really matter to me because I had nothing to judge and only what I saw others do. I think it annoyed them I had so many good grades without really trying or so they thought. However, what they didn't see was even though they didn't have the upper grades like me, they were the ones that were richer - they had a family that was happy for them with hugs and kisses on the day and the celebrations. In my eyes, I saw they were the richer ones than myself. However, I do know of at least one that thought I was in the better position because of the grades.

This is what a friend wrote after I failed either a mid of final exam.

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

Thursday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Clubs and Societies

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:

Clubs and Societies

The Brief:

Do you belong to any?
Do you have to belong to any?
Are there any you belonged to and now don't?
What made you join them (and perhaps leave)?
What were they about?
Do you have membership details of organisations that family members belonged to?
What does it mean to belong to group / society / organisation?

To belong to a group, society or organisation means that you are with a group of people who have a common interest, bond or view of topics - unless you are family and then its a common ancestor you are related to and usually have common values.

In my lifetime, I belonged to many groups and organisations. Some where when I was in high school and it was due to high marks and standards (think honor societies), others were due to group who liked technology and business (Future Business Leaders of America), and then there were the sports or exercise.

In college, I was a member of (in different levels) and was the VP of the Computer Club (again common thing was technology and computers. When I was going to the SUNY or state university, I was accepted as a common member of the radio team, but that was only because I hung out with them on campus.

Lessons Learned
While I learned much about how to run the club like a business, how to organize and run meetings, and politics of it all, I also learned sometimes you just have to say NO. Why? Because I was running myself down and ended up really sick, and even at one point, threw my back out because I was constantly on the go. People came to see me and I had to fit them into the schedule - usually with a 10 minute chat which was sometimes fitted in while walking to class. My health - both physical and mental - was not worth it. I would try my hardest but I wouldn't put my health at risk even though I had to remember this lesson learned when I started work in 2006 as I started to get into the habit of just go, go go!

Below are some pictures from these clubs I belonged to.

Basketball

Chorus

VCHS Honor Society listing names.

VCHS Pool aide manual that was used

FBLA voting delegate member

VCHS honor cords for honor society

National Honor Society sash

Computer club membership

Computer Club committee member

Winning OCCC Computer Club of the year

I have also done running, raising money via riding bikes and running for charities, and countless other committee or membership things like Girl Scouts or Girl Guides.

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