For the past two weeks, I’ve been traveling and trying to keep up with the school gig. Last weekend I attended the Florida Education Fund’s “2008 McKnight Doctoral Annual Fellows Meeting” in Tampa, FL. At the meeting, I had the pleasure of interacting with dozens of African American scholars who shared their experiences of the graduate education process. One of the specific aims of the conference was to address issues pertinent to the needs of matriculating graduate students. With several panel discussions and workshops, I can honestly say that many of my needs were definitely addressed. I also had the opportunity to sit down and speak with the president regarding my shortcomings in school thus far. He listened very attentively and was able to hook me up with someone who is where I want to be in 8-10 years; a female who had successfully been through the process in my field!

The other meeting I attended was actually a trial hearing which was held yesterday by an organization that I joined almost half a decade ago.  I had been waiting for that day to come for over a year. I traveled to South Carolina and back home to Florida within the same day because I couldn’t afford to stay at a hotel. Many of the unanswered questions that I have had for well over a year were answered and I am glad that I could put part of my mind at rest. Unfortunately though, I don’t believe the outcome of the trial will be in my favor. Because of that, I am in a very somber mood on my birthday. I keep replaying yesterday over and over in my mind and I keep wondering what else I could’ve said to get my point across. There was a very complex issue at stake and it seemed impossible to be able to successfully prove my case. My memory had failed me. This experience has made me think about the numerous individuals who may be in prison or even death row for crimes that they did not committ. In any event, I learned to be more aware and cautious of the people that I choose to associate with in my life and to be more obedient to the warnings/words of the wise instead of trying to understand their logic and reasoning. At this point, I am not sure what to make of my membership in this organization. A part of me wants to just close that chapter of my life because I cannot name anything positive that has come out of it since I joined. Yet, another part of me wants to hold out because what I experienced could just be one big isolated mess and if I continue, I will eventually have the privilege to see the “greener” side.

Decisions, decisions. I am sooo wishing I had listened to my parents when they told me to enjoy being a child and not to be in a rush to grow up. Being a grownup sucks!

Since my expertise in computer programming/database design/web design was all pretty much self taught, I have started some online tutorials to get some official training. I am very proud of myself that I was able to learn many complicated processes on my own! After I finish these series of tutorials, I will seek certification from an educational institution…but I’m not quite there yet. There are other pressing items that I am dealing with right now, namely the move that I’m preparing to make. I should be back in Tampa, FL on 08/01, at which point I have 1 week to pack all of my things. I also have a meeting with a potential client next week as well, so I am preparing documentation for that meeting. All in all, all is well! ]]> http://bloglorious.com/2008/07/recharging-my-batteries/feed/ 0 http://bloglorious.com/2008/07/i-am-soooo-overwhelmed/ http://bloglorious.com/2008/07/i-am-soooo-overwhelmed/#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:39:09 +0000 Neci Baby http://bloglorious.com/?p=59

Hey readers! I would like to announce that at this very moment I am blogging from my new PC. It feels so great to finally have a computer that fits my needs! A lot has been going on, so I thought I’d write a post to summarize everything:

I had my 10th retight done yesterday. The next time I get my hair done, I’m going to have to travel 2 hours to get there (due to my upcoming move). For all of you constantly searching for Johadeni Nappi’s website, it is still under construction. As promised, I will continue to post their contact information (Address: 1638 9th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33704, Phone: (727) 823-9899).

• Over the weekend, I travelled to Gainesville, FL (where I’ll be moving to) for the 3rd time searching for an apartment. Thankfully, this time was successful and I’ve located my future place of residence! Next step is coordinating the actual move for the first week of August.

• Today is the first day of my last week at my current job and I am so ready to move on. An interesting situation has been brewing and let’s just say that I need to get my software copyrighted ASAP!

• I have more potential customers who are interested in my product. That means that I’m going to have to work at superspeed to get my business site, paperwork, pricing, etc. up and running. It’s going to be a LOT of work but I’m looking forward to it.

• I am going home to Miami, FL this upcoming weekend to drop off my puppy Chino (I’m not taking him with me when I move). Sure I’ll be sad but I think that’s the best I can do for him right now. When I move to Gainesville, I need to focus on getting situated with everything. Besides, my parents love him and they have a huge yard for him to run around in.

I think that’s about it. I’m trying to be quick because I do need to go off to work soon. TTYL!