BambisOutToGetMeAndSnakesInTheStore2011

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Photos And Video Body BackToTopic TryAgainBackToTopic Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20110526

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

I'm an outcast even among people who benefit from

Federal Grant money we applied for.  Most of the

local old timers are not here, that we were mentors

when we came in, were involved in RRWG,

they get nasty, use people to advocate for funding

and then, well maybe get us started and like college

after we get our feet wet, it's up to us, what we do,

we helped start some of this Network stuff,

and well maybe I finish it?

 

WTF is he talking about?  Coded.  Will decrypt

(if possible) when privacy of communications

is assured, as hostile type administration,

("They're TOWING", no college conference people

seemed to care about issues with parking,

gravel lot not working, Lot D,

the only other place we were allowed Lot C

too far away and down the hill, and while wearing

heavy and dark safety stuff in the midday sun,

having problems with the heat,

while there was parking intended for my type of vehicle

right out front, so went and talked to parking services

which gave a visitors pass, but had to go back to dorm,

find vehicle registration and back to parking office,

all while missing ORIENTATION and other lecture event paid

to get to, risking life, liberty and pursuit of happiness...

PHOTOCOPIED IT WITHOUT ASKING, and

vomiting the first night there...,)

no privacy, as threatening towing,

we need to know who you are,

we control you, or are suspicious of you attitudes,,

as you are a threat to our way of life,

our system, our campus, our rural being?

and they wonder why stuff like Tech Happens.

 

Photos And Video

 

iPhone 1079.MOV

 

Click the link above for a little video (wind and engine noise, so mute?)

similar to the still below which is upside down

(turn the screen, I can't find rotate photo on this machine)

 

 

 

And people would not believe me, so a photo of the snake.

Walking through the aisles and came upon this, thought it was

a careless child leaving something out, put my boot near it,

and saw a slitherly tongue, so real and live, not moving

while I was taking photos, but as went about telling others

it was in different places of the store, round the corner,

etc...

 

 

 

 

Body

 

Some interesting things happening in a rural college town,

and on the way, Bambi (Deer) were just standing in the Skyline

Drive, like gang members marking their turf...

 

After about 20 of them in about 100 miles,

as the sun was going down, I began to see stuff

headlights going on, in the edge of my vision,

becoming threats to me, was that a boulder

or a deer head/ body?

 

Especially after one tried charging me,

I tried to avoid the couple, quick near stop

emergency avoidance, I think I honked the horn,

and revved the engine to cause disruption/ annoyance

and get them to flee, but one of the two came back

around, back in the direction of the first fleeing,

and I think it was trying to charged me sideways

and would have easily WON.  Deer 1, Jerry 0...

 

But he was protecting his dear/ doe or friend,

so I can't be too mad, and while I didn't see any antlers

on any of them, maybe not that time in the season?,

I now understand some of what my motorcycle

3 wheel safety class instructor was trying to tell me/ us

about his experience with a deer...

 

And I need a side car for the stuff coming back though.

Books and other clothes will not fit well, and mailing

things back is going to be a pain.

 

RidingInVansWithGirls is one way to get to stuff like this,

I've bicycled to an On Our Own of Maryland Annual Conference

in Cumberland, MD, doing the C&O Canal,

started bike touring to CELT at 4 H Center in Front Royal

back in 2004? and did a trip back in 2006? to Richmond,

(not MH related, just a tour to Richmond, got to get the F***

out of here tour), these trips took lots of time,

which I don't have this week, too many miles

(1 hour of driving equals about 1 day of biking)

so I motorcycled to the Conference in Radford, VA

took Skyline Drive from Front Royal (where basic CELT was in 2004?

and some other substance abuse counselor stuff and

finally did the length of Skyline Drive, even if on Motorcycle

and mostly dark through the second half. 

 

It takes mucho dinero (OK, I can't speak Spanglish)

and not sure how I survive the trip back,

length of travel (told it was 4 hours, some said 8,

and mostly had done 1-2 hour trips to Baltimore

and down to Richmond for MLK Rally

Rally2011 , so far, each direction)

 

I ended up vomiting on the open trough type cafeteria food,

the first night there, and from the sound in the dorms,

someone else was vomiting too, but not sure why?

 

There are many sounds in the dorms,

TOO MANY, and perhaps notice them more in new places,

unlike living in main floor apartments in poverty type areas

(read slums) was on second floor, and facing the quad...

 

Noise from early morning construction in the buildings across

the side walk from Norwood, to people talking for hours

at the entrance beneath me, to doors slamming

(and it wasn't tile, but carpeted, I don't know why

they can't/ don't make doors quieter,  just some rubber pads/ stops...

to elevator noise, and people talking loudly,

to plumbing that is high pressure instead of quieter tanks,

and I know some of why my first college experiences

were so bad.... 

 

Maybe I should have just commuted to community college,

but I would have missed lessons in Culture Shock

(first year engineering program like overflow in a remote

rural liberal arts school to second year urban big city campus tech),

Politics (being an object of), and as an object of ...

social experiments? (I would find it odd that all the other

liberal arts classes didn't discuss the issues and tech people,

so an Us and Them created by major, and they had been there

upperclassmen, the real students, charter faculty, but declining

enrollments, purchasing university vs college politics/ disputes, etc)

and some ridicule.  After the college CLOSED for Good,

(like the song, Schools out of Summer, Schools out FOREVER)

and eventually failing out of engineering school,

as a 1L ;-), First year I was doing well, grade wise, had rested

on the laurels of the different school systems, and put more effort,

the conflicts had not yet grown, and I did Shakespeare

and lots of journaling for English class

and well, there wasn't much else to do in a rural area.

After the weather got cold and it was what I now call Tundra,

drifting frozen ice, crunchy, bitter cold and lake effect winds...

In the Washington area it is mild, you can get by with light clothes,

maybe shorts if jogging, biking and stuff year round,

but not up there...

 

BackToTopic

 

This Conference rural town has a bike shop,and rental place,

more than just a liquor store, Peppermint Schnaps or something

was the rage, we could buy at 16 then, and college experiments

like drinking and how to get laid (aka PC, a girlfriend),

were top on the list, but it was such a small place,

less than my high school graduating class for the whole college

and everyone knew everyone and everyone else's business,

and I felt about the same way as this, that in a small pond/ town,

coming from the big city, Warhsington at that, and was immediately

suspect, I had to be a big fish, and as a freshman, you don't win the girl,

upperclassman do, unless you are my roommate, who was admitted to

Computer Engineering, applied early, and rolling admissions,

and get the RA too.  That got him milk poured on his head,

but I don't really know why that didn't go well after that...,

but maybe Milking Bessy (as the large breasted but young

food service woman called it, awkward, for a guy, a city guy,

the soft serve ice cream machine, making noise and

trying to get chocolate soft serve for others,

with some successes then blamed for breaking it,

 

TryAgainBackToTopic

 

Atta Boys vs Uh, Ohs, remember the ratio and exchange rate,

1 "Uh Oh", kills 100 "Atta Boys"...

and other such diversions to actually learning

from lecture (I've been TOLD, so I do the opposite,

like the Keynote said) and well, if they want to learn

about government, probably don't just advocacy it might help,

make a real representation,

Northern Virginia has next to no representation

in VOCAL AFAICT.  A few board members, but if one

per HPR, then we, as a highly populated area,

are getting Loudoun, and to me disrespectful people

at that, instead of honoring what has been done,

with RRWG, talk over them is the MO (Modus Operandi),

and well, just get your name out there and take positions,

instead of listening, learning, serving the community

and population you are representing.  As they say,

This Is The Senate, not the House, and we named the locally elected

representatives to the VOCAL board called Representatives,

(NAME CONFLICT WITH REGIONAL REPs)

but will see how it goes.  Heard the previous guy, a lawyer died,

and people insinuated that he was like me,

a scooter or something, died mysteriously, (read threat)

but happy, so maybe the threats, and the bringing up Intellectual

Disabilities in the Peer talk, dropping "dyslexics won't understand

the papers [they were pushing]"

and other parking problems, invasion of privacy

(why don't I have a disabled sticker? we are all disabled,

of some sort, and just let us park like everyone else,

instead of segregated to the corners of the campus,

we have other people here, [ and they take priority...

read are the real students, not just out of town visitors

READ PAYING CUSTOMERS TOO, and it seems inhospitable

 despite a few nice people working in the dorms, finding

shower curtains, getting pillows, towels, pillow cases, etc

last minute, or I was early... ])

and other issues I'm having are [ assumed ] all

my problems instead of systemic, conference services,

we are cattle to be herded, ignored, disrespected,

or provider vs peer (so many in VOCAL are both)

vs hatred from an area nearby VATech,

complaints are trouble makers, and probably one of those

_insert something bad here_ ...

and seeing what can be done so it doesn't happen again...

 

And yes that means complaining about it online,

and I filled out some paper evaluation forms at the time,

and well, photographed them to add up here,

and keep a record and log / history...

 

Keynote Peter Ashenden or similar was seen before,

he was at SAMHSA meetings I went to a few times,

he is previous DBSA president, talked humorously

to a full audience, a just from the cafeteria, large meal

sleepy, non interactive audience, about recovery,

and his personal experience, introduced us to the

Wonder Dog, his service animal, and was

more Med Controlled, than Anti Psychiatry

DBSA is pharma funded, IMO, and well, after

 a while caught some stuff but stopped listening,

I have issues with lecture, Blah Blah Blah,

like the Peanut's Cartoons very quickly

and need the dynamic ones, were we get to effect

change on the state, so by the Peer one,

presented by someone I knew I was talking back,

got the group to change to a circle seating arrangement,

closer to peer, than didactic, and probably pretty annoying,

as had my ears full, brain full, and I'M MAD AS HELL

AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE

(vague reference to Network TV Movie),

usually someone assumes it's going postal,

but just reactionary.

 

So in the last 10 minutes can we effect change?

Or are you just introducing a report on COSIG

and hoping we will advocate for it,

take the MEDS/ REPORTS, and ....

 

Despite my respect for Becky (one of a few Becky's)

known from before, probably a VOCAL Retreat

in Madison at Seven Oaks, and many other places

over the years, I think we need to talk...

 

And later in the Annual Meeting, I was feeling

herded and told what to do, we were NOT given

the State of the Union/ Onion, presented with candidates

and allowing self nominations, it was the other way around,

vote people in, get it over with,

and then report on the last year's events

WHILE THEY ARE COUNTING THE VOTES,

probably just take a break then...

introduce the staff, it is a heavily staffed non profit,

over the ten years, going from one staff,

to maybe 10 staff, and well, they are all NOT

Northern Virginia, because VOCAL is not based there,

we have had a visit or 3 or 4 over the decade,

a few events, CELT Trainings, or 2 or 3,

and I waited at the train stations, for some visitors,

took Brian around to the drop in Centers developing,

later called OOOFC, CWC and drove him to Reston,

on personal funds, IIRC... 

 

But in Winter, trains don't run on time,

we were pretty much too late by then,

people had already gotten further along,

it took too long to organize,

and it ended up being just networking. 

While I have respect for Brian and Cassandra

and Chris Owens and some others,

I try being friendly, even despite

crashing this party (force add by showing up/

dropping in, as didn't have a way to do it

until the day before it really started,

needed travel time, and stopping for endless calling

and online searching/ planning/ looking up

was too late...)  I was let in, last room available,

more than last, too late, made room, but fit in,

THANKS YOLANDE,

and got some blowback from Ann about that,

being protective of her, and well, some people

just don't know ahead of time, and why I've pushed

for drop in centers, but then had problems staffing

them, working at them, because I don't know ahead,

and can't make plans and reservations ,that is the life

we live, and why non provider and alternative services

are needed.  Most can plan ahead, and bless their souls,

good for you, but some of us don't have nice ordered lives,

and well we need to register on site, so I did.  Made the time,

took the risk, drove a motorcycle 400 miles or whatever it ended

up being, and showed up.   Then without preparation,

had some serious problems, but made it there, missed last

year in my local area, because they didn't scholarship

residential thinking that NoVA is all close to GMU,

and don 't know MetroAccess won't get us there

2-3 hours each way, and early morning, and I just

didn't do it, and was dealing with other stuff...

 

Harrisonburg, JMU was a conference center,

the last one I went to,

RidingInVansWithGirls

VOCALCon2009

VOCALNetworkConf2008

VOCALNetworkConference

VOCALRetreat2006

and I really should follow the convention

of using the Con name in the writings

page name, maybe do another one that

points to this and refactor (edit) it???

 

So Annual Meeting, and then dinner,

10 year nice white linen cloth, people cooking

on gas grills/ skillets/ crepe pans, and an silent

auction, and then a dance, I didn't know and

was auditioning for What Not To Wear,

my $10 jeans, could not go out and find

Levis, so ended up at Dollar General,

where the snake was, and didn't survive,

and sat alone, only one at a 8 or so person table,

all the others full, until some brave soul sat

and talked with me,  So I talked and showed her

the photos and motorcycle, and called it an early

evening.  I was beyond exhausted, needed to get

away from people, white linen clothes, and formal events

then dances, and I don't dance, dyspraxia and

while I like loud music, not to be expected to socialize

and romance, long distance relationships and

while there are probably a lot of lonely consumers

out there looking for love (in all the wrong places...)

and I didn't know what was going on, was this

professional networking, or social / romantic?

 

Guys are dumb like that, we need to be told,

but at the same time we are supposed to be

taking control, so basically I was low vision

instead of socially blind as I've written ad nausium

up here...

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Made it there alive, despite deer, and long travels

by motorcycle, trucks and late arrival night before,

connected a little, reconnected a little, argued

over the history of RRWG, and not taking blame

someone was trying to give me,

while totally blind to his own effects on RRWG,

criticizing when hadn't been there for what people

were trying to start, and heard some stuff,

talked with an interesting but missed lecturer afterwards,

it was a suicide topic, and maybe

some other people want to learn more about Kate?

and the lecture, I just got slides, shared a little

of my links here and photos, slideshow of the drive down,

and exchange emails, while forgetting to

exchange emails and do Jerry Springer type

presentations, wrap up, as at the end,

I had to leave early Thursday AM to get

back to a little two hour bike training in DC that evening,

and take it slow and safe with plenty of breaks, riding back

and as a bonus got to talk with a Rolling Thunder,

really Ride To The Wall LA to DC motorcyclist

and grand father Adult Foster Care, interesting guy,

hoping to catch up with him again, we had lunch

in Front Royal at a little place, couldn't find the diner

where I was at CELT years before, think it's gone,

building vacant, but on the way up did a new B3B

Burgers and before, as appetizer, the B&L Frozen Sundae,

and got in the park, lack of funds, needing the disabled rate

FREE vs $15 and signed some Federal Documents to that

effect, and didn't get copies of what I signed,

seems illegal to expect a signature and not

get a copy???

 

Survived the deer, long drive, snakes in the

aisles, and metaphor for local college administration,

and frankly some VOCAL staff, vomited the first night,

overate, and that would not have done it,

just make me feel too full, so something

wrong with the food or preparation, plus some chemical

type smell, could have been air freshener, deodorant,

or hairspray, or could have been bug spray and poison,

I had pin point eyes and vomiting, so not sure,

and can't trust, now can't confirm, but got there,

bought a lot of stuff, Poetry book, VOCAL t shirts

and last years bag, lots of silent auction books,

and the EeePC writing on now (will need to get rid

of M$ Winblows ASAP)

 

And got back alive, a little help from a fellow

motorcyclist, who is a veteran, riding ahead of the pack,

entertaining patches for "Doesn't Play Well With Others",

and something similar I forget, I didn't take photos,

nor Video, didn't want to ask, and frankly busy talking,

eating and socializing with more of my own kind

instead of MH Conference people,

so bikers will be bikers (and there are a few in VOCAL too)...

 

"Doesn't Play Well With Others" seemed appropriate,

and while a little scary looking at first,

odd that the tables are turned on that,

usually I'm the odd one, he (and presumably me)

turns out to be one of the good guys...

 

Still not sure about the town, my history with

small college towns isn't so good, but might

want to think of another place next, year

renegotiate the parking and policies/ read

contract, and rotate it around the state,

we haven't done Richmond area in years,

and well, I think we should all be going to the

beach anyways...  Even pre Memorial day

weekend, higher costs, more traffic,

but well we would be mainstreaming....

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

 

20110527 Jerry

• REWORKING AND FIXING SOME OF IT, REALLY NEEDS TO BE REWRITTEN
• as so out of sequence, missing threads, overlapping, and well maybe just
• like the deer coming back to hit me?

 

 

20110526 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to ...

 

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