In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Compromise . I don't always like to do it, but it's a necessity for change. I think if people were willing to compromise more, societies would be a lot more productive. The attitude that winner takes all leaves to many losers. Currently, I'm a registered Independent, have been since I've been able to vote. Although I take great pride in being a registered independent, I want to give my support to Barack Obama for "Super Tuesday." I believe he represents this country's best chance for positive change. I feel and polls across the nation suggest that every vote is going to count in Obama's candidacy for president. It's been a fight from the beginning and it will be a bitter fight to the end. While I still have my qualms with a two party system that poses as a democracy, I still want to exercise my right to vote. Tomorrow morning I'm going to switch from an Independent to a Democrat. Obama will get my vote on "Super Tuesday," and...

I'm not as far behind as I thought I would be, but I've still have to do a better job of cuttting out the television. Monday night wasn't good. Major relapse. I watched six episodes of season four of The L Word. I didn't go to bed until 1 a.m. No work was done that night, and when I got home the following day, I was to tired to work. I know it may seem like I haven't made progress but I'm heading in a better direction. I've made a list of the assignments that I need to focus on in the next couple of weeks. I have two assignments due on February 4, 2008 and I'm going to make those my major focus this weekend, along with some work on my outline for Finding Patience . Tonight when I get home, I'll be putting together another scholarship application and it will go out first thing in the morning. Probably before I go to work. I've written assignment deadlines in my calendars and will schedule my work according to when things are due. I'll alwa...

Hello fellow bloggers , Another cold weekend is behind us. I'm already counting down to Spring. I wish I could enjoy the winter months, but I find the cold, especially when temperatures dip below -0 a non-motivator. Despite the cold tempatures, I managed to get out on Saturday. Karim and I went to his co-worker's home to partake in a movie night. I think a good time was had by all, but while I was laughing at the movie I kept thinking to myself, this time could be better spent for me. I should have been reading Aristotle's Poetics or better yet working on my synopsis or restructuring my outline. The upside to me not getting any work done is that I got to spend time with Karim. It's something we don't get to do often, since we both work full-time during the week. Having to keep that balance between work and play is tough. I always find myself getting sidetracked or losing focus when it comes to my schoolwork. The semester has just started and I already feel like I...

Hello Folks, I'm cringing inside, the hell that consists of balancing school and job responsibilities has officially begun. My social life hasn't been that eventful, I've been mostly hanging out with Karim and catching up with some close friends. I've also been getting T.V. shows viewing in, I've watched season one of The Tudors, Deadwood season one and two, and the first episode of Entourage, season 4. When I start my required reading for the various courses, I won't have time for those guilty pleasures, not if I plan on getting any sleep. Last semester I cut back, but I still found myself saying "I'll watch one show," and before I knew it I was watching three shows and to tired to read when I was done with TV. I love T.V but it does suck the life out of me, especially when it's a show I'm really into. Sometimes I tried to squeeze in my reading when I went to the gym, but I was only moderately successful. I also don't want to pull a...

Hey Folks, Last night I had one of what I hope will be many enriching experiences this tax season. I filed my first tax refund for the 2007 tax season. Grant it, it took me 40 minutes to do, but I got it done. My site coordinator said, "I will get faster each time I due one." I'm sure she's right. This year I'm volunteering at the San Jose VITA tax clinic in New Haven, CT. The site is in the heart of one of New Haven's Hispanic/Latino communities. The last time I volunteered was in 2005. This free service is great for individuals who make less than $45,000 a year. We make sure that individuals claim their Earned Income Tax Credit ( EITC ), if they are eligible. Today, the EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty tools in the United States (despite the fact that income measures, including the poverty rate, generally do not account for the credit). Right now things are slow, but as we get closer to the filing deadline for U.S taxpayers (April 15, 2008), more an...

Happy Friday. I'm so glad the weekend is here, even if it looks to bee a gloomy and rainy one. I like the fact that I get to sleep in that, although in my college days I wouldn't have considered 9 a.m, sleeping in late. It would have been more like 12 noon or 2 p.m., depending on how much I partied the night earlier. I guess it's good that the days are behind me for the most part... lol . The semester has yet to begin and I'm finding myself busy and already rushing against deadlines. Earlier this week I found two scholarships that I'm going to fill out applications for, and one's deadline is next Tuesday. I've been struggling to write a personal statement/essay for the application. I really have to give it to writers who write their memoirs. It's hard enough to write a fictional story or non fictional work, but I think it takes a special kind of person to look at themself and their family experiences, and expose hardships, personal demons, and family ...

Hey Folks, This past Sunday I had my second reading of Finding Patience . It went well, but I was disappointed by the audience turn out. Since it was part of the WestConn Literary Festival, I anticipated having most of the MFA students there to check out a fellow writer, but since I had my reading on the last day of the residency, most of the students were ready to get the hell out of dodge. A select group stayed and I really appreciate those who did. I want to send out a special thanks to the following students and friends: Louisa, Adam, Holly, Kathy, Kirsten, Matt, Brian, Laurel, Allen, Vonda and her family, Mary Ann, Gillian, Agatha, Kim and her family, and my mom. I hope I didn't miss anybody, if so let me know. I would also thank those who gave me advance notice about not being able to attend: Mike, Deb, Paula, Carmen, Karim, Catherine, and Don. Let me not forget the cast, especially those who traveled from New York City. You all did a wonderful job. Now that the reading is be...

Hey Bloggers , I want to say Happy New Year, but I think it's a little cheesy, especially considering the state of the world. Despite some of the tragic world events, I still have some excitement for 2008. Like many I've set new goals and am going to work hard to achieve a good number of them. I really do feel like I'm showing some gains in these last few years. I'm still not at where I thought I'd be, but I doubt most people can look at themselves and say "this is where I thought I'd be" or "this is where I want to be." I hope I don't sound to pessimistic because that's not what trying to exude. It's just that when I was a naive teenager, I thought I knew everything, I had all the answers and I was going to be making really good money when I graduated college. Real life was a rude awakening for me. Getting a good paying job in communications was impossible for me. I had to hustle with odd jobs being a jack of all trades and that...