Old Ebbit Grill
675 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
Somewhere Out There
Somewhere out there in the world may be a Nashville mother and her family who wonder about a baby boy born early March 1946 in Memphis. Maybe they offered him for adoption. Maybe they were told he died in childbirth. Maybe he was outright stolen. Who knows. He actually went to a very wealthy family in Scarsdale. He had a very recognizable facial birthmark, if his mother ever got to see him, she would know it. I have before and after photos, and a photo of him in recovery from having it surgically removed when he was a teenager. He's almost 80, I hope they are looking for him and find me.
He doesn't want to be found. He's convinced himself it was probably for the best, and that he's probably better off for it. I can attest he is not better off having been separated from his birth-mother, placed into a toxic home with parents more focused on money and image than love, and literally shunned by his adoptive family upon the subsequent birth of a natural son.
Starbucks Update
Just to tie off a couple loose ends (imho), she doesn't work there anymore, but her bf is a manger, and their roommate is a shift supervisor at a union store, so there has been occasion where bf must cross the roommates strike line. Also, my all-time favorite was White Chocolate Mocha w/toffeenut, but they discontinued the toffeenut last holiday season, so now it's just plain WCM.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax 10am Sundays
We never got around to going to the UU in Burke, and now we've moved again, so headed to UUCF soon. His interest in Parkwood was a girl, and nothing else, so when that soured, so too did his interest in Parkwood.
Adulting 101 by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 1/17/2024 The Psychology of Spending & Saving by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 2/12/2024 Fostering Healthy Relationships by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 3/19/2024 Keeping Your Money Safe by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 4/10/2024 Cover Letter & Resume Writing by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 5/15/2024 Build & Protect Your Credit by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 6/06/2024 Traveling on a Budget by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 7/16/2024 Cooking Basics by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 8/12/2024 Summer Berries: Jam & Jelly by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 9/16/2024 Changing the World with Your Vote by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 10/16/2024 Paying for Post-Secondary Education by @MSU.edu/4-H
- 11/19/2024 Cracking the Code to College by @MSU.edu/4-H
Parkwood Baptist 09:30 Sundays
I am firmly agnostic. I also fully support the exploration that should occur before one settles into a spiritual life, or lack thereof. My 16yo son wants to explore churches, so explore churches we will! Up first, at the invite of a school friend, Baptist. 🫤 I’ll pick the next one.
Pesach Seder at Chabad Tysons Jewish Center
It was my distinct honor and pleasure to attend the Pesach Seder with Carol, prepared and led by Rabbi Deitsch and his lovely family.
Western Fairfax Christian Ministries
WFCM serves qualified individuals and families of all races, colors, national origins, ages, genders, disabilities/differing abilities, and religious beliefs, from the communities of Chantilly, Centreville, Clifton, Oak Hill, Herndon, Fairfax, and Fairfax Station.
NPRC Digital Delivery Notification
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Gratitude for April
1st - I’m grateful that people in my life don’t play pranks and pull tricks for April Fool’s Day.
2nd - I’m grateful for my husband who embraces domestic responsibility, he let me sleep in while tending the worst kind of cat mess. I'm grateful for the inclusive activities and meals my sister always plans and hosts that really keep our two families bonded, and for today's yummy cook-out/eat-in dinner.
3rd - I'm grateful that my daughter is interested in, capable of, and motivated to work, she starts as a barista today, her third stint at p/t employment. I'm grateful for Spring Break, which also starts today, I love my school mornings w/just my son, but I shall certainly enjoy the brief reprieve from the alarm clock! And I am particularly grateful today that life keeps proving to me that when doors close, not only do other doors open, but other new doors appear too! I'm embarking on a journey I didn't even know was a possibility!
4th - Again w/the embracing of domestic responsibility, his Jeep's well again finally(!), and instead he's out there mowing to keep our place in good shape, even as our lease was not extended and we are suddenly house-hunting again, he never slacks (he either just doesn't ever, or can't relax, I'm still not sure). And I'm super glad my company has a paid bench.
14th - Today I'm grateful that my daughter and I both have good listening and conflict resolution skills, and also grateful to have several positive outlets for my distractedness (TeamSubAlumni.org).
24th - This is hard to keep up with, even w/this flexible monthly format I've allowed. Today I'm grateful that I finally had a meds mgmt appt - finally! And for an atypical Rx, Remeron. And for new beginnings! Today's my first day w/Pantheon Solutions.
25th -
Starbucks Barista Extraordinaire!
It's her first day. 💕
She was excited about being a pro-union liberal in a non-union store, but already she's more concerned with how the transition to union work is impacting smaller stores, low-level managers, and partner-manager relations, already she knows that her new manager's feelings would actually be hurt if the team unionized "against" the manager. I'm glad she gets to learn these complexities and this nuance in an environment in which her adult livelihood is not on the line.
I don't know enough about unions to advise her, but I suggested an approach might be to ask her manager to support their union efforts, so they can ensure they get as good a manager as she is if/when she ever leaves or gets promoted. They could organize under a current manager, agreeing to shift to union at next manager turnover, could they not?
Gratitude Quiz Results
Greater Good Gratitude Quiz Results: Your gratitude score is 72 out of 105.
Your responses suggest you are a grateful person. You sometimes foster gratitude by comparing your situation in life to that of people who have less than you and by remaining mindful of how much harder your life could be. It helps that you also make an effort to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t. Still, it seems that you could benefit from trying to do all of this more often. Studies suggest that nurturing your tendency to practice gratitude could bring you more positive emotions, better health, stronger relationships, and greater life satisfaction.
If you want to develop your gratitude practice, try these exercises:
- Reflect on the positive. Keeping a Gratitude Journal or journaling about Three Good Things that happen every day can highlight the positives in your life and help you stop taking things for granted.
- Write a Gratitude Letter. Writing—and then delivering—a heartfelt letter of gratitude to someone you’ve never properly thanked can not only boost your sense of gratefulness but also strengthen your bond with them.
- Imagine a different life. It’s easy to grow accustomed to the good things in life, but imagining their absence can shake you out of this habit. In Mental Subtraction of Positive Events or Mental Subtraction of Relationships, you call to mind a certain positive experience—the birth of a child, a career achievement, meeting your future spouse—and imagine how things might have turned out differently.
- Deprive yourself. In a similar vein, abstaining from a pleasure for some time can make it all the much sweeter later. To take advantage of this effect, try the Give It Up practice.
- Take a Savoring Walk. On a 20-minute walk, observe the sights, sounds, and smells you encounter—freshly cut grass, an epic skyscraper, a stranger’s smile. Each time you notice something positive, take the time to absorb it and think about why you enjoy it. On your subsequent Savoring Walks, strike out in different directions to seek new things to admire.
You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community. And check out our new book, The Gratitude Project: How the Science of Thankfulness Can Rewire Our Brains for Resilience, Optimism, and the Greater Good, to discover how gratitude can lead to a better life and a better world.
Values, Mission, Gratitude
Homework: examine and reflect on core values, explore mission and purpose, focus on opportunity instead of challenge, express gratitude.
Starbucks Union-Busting Hearing
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz testified today before a Senate panel chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is leading an investigation into the coffee chain’s labor law violations.
We tried to go, but underestimated all the logistics, arrived on-time, but not early enough to account for the long lines and scarce parking, so went instead to a SBUX at the Wharf in SW and watched the hearing on our phones. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We’ll do better next time! 💕
SRTNinjaUSA
@SRTNinjaUSA.com / @IG / @YouTube / @TikTok
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she said...
It is so bittersweet for me to have my mom's comments - and mostly just hers - sprinkled throughout my blog - I miss her so much. She loved that her initials were also the correct pronoun in the right context. I love that her comments now show up as "she said..." so I tagged them as such, so that we can more easily find them to enjoy.
Do What Makes You Come Alive!
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
~Howard Thurman
Dedicated to my nephew AJ, who in ninth grade has figured out already that he likely wants to be, and seems very well-suited to be, a Title IV School Teacher, and is considering switching high schools to enroll in a rising teachers' program.
Hello 2023, Hello Blog, Hello Random Visitors!
I've been away too long, busy, overwhelmed, too distracted by life to blog. I sincerely look forward again now to filling in the backstory of how life has been unfolding since the Pandemic hit - it hasn't been easy! It's been such a roller-coaster, and the hardship isn't over yet, we're still very much in churn/recovery.
I am pleasantly surprised by the analytics showing how many folks randomly make it to the blog, given I have exactly three subscribers (two family (one deceased), and one friend).
Welcome!
Accept & Also Expect More
"We can accept ourselves and also expect more from ourselves."
~Gretchen Rubin
🥋 RIP Josett Pina Camacho (2005-2022)
Forever In Our Hearts
Our Hapkido family was profoundly saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our yellow belt Josett Pina-Camacho on December 7th 2022, just three days shy of her 17th birthday. 💔 Josett’s family, loved ones, and friends remain in our constant thoughts and prayers as they grieve, may their heartbreak give way gently, and may they find increasing moments of peace throughout this most difficult first year without her.
Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) Request
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Please do not respond to the following message. This message has been auto-generated by NPRC.
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Thank you for submitting a request to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) through eVetrecs.
Your request number pertaining to FULLER, STEPHANIE is 2-273########.
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Administratively Discharged Under Honorable Conditions
I was harassed for months and kicked out of the Army - 33 years ago this month - in October 1989, by an all white chain of command, because I was dating a black guy. I bore the shame of my discharge heavily at first, there were men in my unit trying to get kicked out, there were men in my unit because the Army was their alternative to jail. And there I was, Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Legal Specialist trained, serving honorably, just barely 19yo white girl, being kicked out of the U.S. Army, by racists, after just 13+ months of service - I didn’t know what to think or do.
I landed in NoVA, started working for the Navy (under contract), got my degree, and have spent my entire professional life in service to this country. I grew more confident in the injustice of my discharge, but never fought it after-the-fact, beyond the initial denied appeal. Recently however, my children (both, but separately) asked me, on principle, to fight harder, and so I shall. I will seek time-served credit for my four-year contract, some time-adjusted benefits, an Honorable (vice General) discharge, new discharge and reenlistment codes, and whatever else my veteran advocate counsel suggests.
I will tell the (back-dated) full story here as I build my case. I am encouraged that this decades-old injustice is no less offensive to my children today, perhaps even more so, than it has been to me all this time.
References
- Army Regulation 27-10 Military Justice
- Chapter 3 Nonjudicial Punishment
- Army Regulation 635-200 Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations
- England, Eric [BMO]
- Gendron, Terry [JAG] Now Director, Veterans Affairs, York County, PA
- Owens, David(?) [CO HHC]
- Rado, Mark [XO HHC] Now Deputy COS, U.S. Army Europe & Africa; and President, VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association
- Rousseau, Arthur [JAG]
- Settlemire, Lavonne(?) [JAG]
- Watson, Terry [JAG]
- Wroten, Rhonda [HHC Admin]
🥋 Northern Virginia Hapkido Academy
for Students/Fans of Northern Virginia Hapkido Academy 🥋
#합기도 #Hapkido #USKMAF #NVHA #NovaHapkido #SelfDefense #MartialArts
Recommended Reading
Hapkido, the History of Korea and Hapkido, and Other Books by Dr. He-Young Kimm
Hapkido: Traditions, Philosophy, Technique by Marc Tedeschi
Special Self Protection Techniques of Hapkido by Grandmaster Kwang Sik Myung
Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction by Adele Westbrook, Oscar Ratti
Shopify Merchant & Partner
I looked up Shopify for the first time in mid-January, signed up immediately for the free trial, within a day had a shop ready with a customized theme and needed paid apps so got the paid plan, within three days had merch drop-shipping sorted out and the shop populated w/products, and within a week transferred the shop to its actual owner - done and done!
Then I started reading the instructions and tutorials! I’m having so much fun, and I’m almost ready for my Shopify fundamentals exams.
Bored Busy Unproductive
It has been suggested to me that being bored but unable to be productive is a symptom of depression. If the shoe fits, wear it. I am bored, but I have lots I should do, and lots more productive I could do, but instead I mostly just futz around, nesting a bit, cleaning and re-arranging, starting new hobbies, re-kindling old hobbies, and here lately - WordArt'ing.
So, I registed a Little Free Library, can't wait to get it up and running! Need it built, going to ask neighbor Rob first, then carpool guy Brian. Gonna put a Geocache in there too.
So, I registed a Little Free Library, can't wait to get it up and running! Need it built, going to ask neighbor Rob first, then carpool guy Brian. Gonna put a Geocache in there too.
ASCII Art
I've been turning 1s & 0s into meaningful information for a long time, we coders like to put little stuffs in our code. My initials morphed into a nickname "SMurF" during a coding project for my first Navy customer. I've always enjoyed ASCII text art for txt-limited environments, but the new tools available for it are even better than ever! Pat or JK has a Text to ASCII Art Generator, plus some other neat stuff.
.-'''-. ,---. ,---. ________ / _ \| \ / || | (`' )/`--'| , \/ , || .----' (_ o _). | |\_ /| || _|____ (_,_). '. | _( )_/ | ||_( )_ | .---. \ :| (_ o _) | |(_ o._)__| \ `-' || (_,_) | ||(_,_) \ / | | | || | `-...-' '--' '--''---'
,---. ,---. ,-----. ,---. ,---.
| \ / | .' .-, '. | \ / |
| , \/ , | / ,-.| \ _ \ | , \/ , |
| |\_ /| |; \ '_ / | :| |\_ /| |
| _( )_/ | || _`,/ \ _/ || _( )_/ | |
| (_ o _) | |: ( '\_/ \ ;| (_ o _) | |
| (_,_) | | \ `"/ \ ) / | (_,_) | |
| | | | '. \_/``".' | | | |
'--' '--' '-----' '--' '--'
( * ( )\ ) ( ` )\ ) (()/( )\))( (()/( /(_)|(_)()\ /(_)) (_)) (_()((_|_))_| / __|| \/ | |_ \__ \| |\/| | __| |___/|_| |_|_|.-. . ..---. ( )|\ /|| `-. | \/ ||--- ( )| || `-' ' ''___ __ __ ___ / __| \/ | __| \__ \ |\/| | _| |___/_| |_|_|__ __ (_ |V||_ __)| ||
Fight Camp!
This should help w/the cabin fever! Plus she gravitated to the heavy bag during therapy . . . me and Phoebe are getting ready to take it up a notch! Can't wait for our FightCamp equipment and gear to arrive! I'll keep you apprised of our journey. :)
Got the tribe version w/gloves for all, the boys will want to fight too. And after the pandemic it will likely lure Dianne and AJ over more too I bet, win/win/win/win. :)
Got the tribe version w/gloves for all, the boys will want to fight too. And after the pandemic it will likely lure Dianne and AJ over more too I bet, win/win/win/win. :)
2020 & Back to Blogging & Global Pandemic
Welcome to 2020! For a variety of reasons, I'm back to blogging. Our global novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is well underway, our national leadership is a joke, the infection and mortality rates and statistics are horrendous . . . they say these next two weeks will be our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11, but worse, our cities will bear the brunt of it, then the suburbs, then rural America. I don't think we'll ever be the same after this. I hope we're not the same after this.
"We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature." ~Sonya Renee Taylor
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). For example:
- experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
- witnessing violence in the home or community
- having a family member attempt or die by suicide
Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:
- substance use problems
- mental health problems
- instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison
Please note the examples above are not a complete list of adverse experiences. Many other traumatic experiences could impact health and wellbeing.
ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. ACEs can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential. However, ACEs can be prevented.
from the CDC > Injury Center > Violence Prevention > Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)