To Write a Murderer?

Corey Hollinger 2007

Would you write to an admitted and convicted murderer in prison?  At one point in my life I would have said “no way.”

Now, I was assigned to read a story about a man serving out his life sentence in prison in Pennsylvania.  I was curious about his life in prison.  It started when he was 16 and now he is 41.  http://girlboxer1970.com/2012/03/14/life-sentence-at-16/  I received an A+ on my review of the original article about this crime.

So, I typed two paragraphs to Corey Hollinger and I received six hand-written pages in return.  He doesn’t seem like a horrible person.  Actually, he seems like a pretty decent guy.  I could scan his letters and let you all read them but, I can sum them up much easier.  He works as a teacher’s aide teaching other prisoners English to earn their GED.  He enjoys almost all types of music.  He found God.  He believes he will get the chance of parole someday.  He works out and is in very good shape.  When he is paroled he wants to finish his college degree (he started college while in prison) and be an ordained minister.

At least he has hope.  I don’t see Pennsylvania every letting Corey out of prison, but that’s just my opinion.  Who am I to rain on his future parade?

(Corey doesn’t have access to the Internet so I can pretty much write whatever I want.)

I wrote Corey a “real letter” this time, explaining why I even know who he is.  I told him what I study in school.  How I’m trying to get through a divorce.  I even printed off some of my papers I wrote for college and some blogs to entertain him.  He will be the only person who reads my blogs off of paper!  I sent him copies of the paper I wrote about him and his little brother Tracy and my opinion piece on life sentences in Pennsylvania.  http://girlboxer1970.com/2012/03/20/life-without-parole-in-pa/

So I’m writing to a murderer…I never would have guessed.

~P.

Blaine’s 8th birthday party

Happy 8th birthday Blaine!  We had a blast celebrating with you!

Dear John~ so sorry

Letters he never learn from

Dear John,

I am SO sorry Tesla didn’t do her homework paper while she was with me this weekend.  We did practice her math, spelling, writing, cutting, pasting, and reading.  The homework was very basic.  Just X out the pictures that don’t start with J and color the ones that do.  That should take Tesla about 2 minutes.  Remind her to write her name on it as she forgets that regularly than doesn’t get credit for doing her homework.  See….non-crisis resolved, Drama King.

What I don’t get is why you feel the need to drive into the townhouses parking area through the exit to chew me a new ass over a two-minute homework paper.  Don’t you realize if you want to tear me a new ass over a homework paper that Tesla knows she needed to do, that’s fine.  Call me after you get home or email or text message me.  You can record yourself bitching at me if you would like.  That way I’ll get the full-blown message, including your scowls and arm-crossing, hand-waving and of course, that Mickey Mouse voice that pops up every time you are aggravated or excited.  Hell, record Heather rolling her eyes and shaking her head at what a failure I am at caring for Tesla this weekend.  Maybe then you two will see how stupid you look.

Your actions only make Tesla feel bad.  Why?  Because she will feel guilty for waiting to do her homework until after she went back with you.  I told her it was fine, she just had to make sure she did it and put her name on it.  We had a very busy weekend with friends and family.  I’ll blog about it eventually.  I know you don’t care, but we had the most fantastic weekend.  It went to quickly.

Here are a few things Tesla said this weekend:

“I don’t want to call my dad.”

“Dad says I can’t call you sometimes.”

“I won’t see you on Easter because Daddy said no.” (This she said on her own BEFORE I even asked you if we could split Easter and she stay overnight to Monday.”

“Dad said to Heather, “I work all day, I don’t want to have to come home and cook too.”

So maybe instead of flipping out over something that is just not worthy of the drama, focus on what your child is saying.  I know she will get her homework done.  What I don’t is how much longer she will respect you for all the drama you and Heather make.  Heather with her “don’t talk to my kids, my kids aren’t going to Tesla’s birthday party.”  What kind of attitude is that?

What I write on my blog is my opinion and I don’t voice my opinions to Tesla.  You on the other hand, actively force your opinions on Tesla by acting like an immature child and pitching a bitch fit in front of her.  Though you swear you don’t, I know you read my blog as you enjoy quoting me.  I know what I wrote, you don’t have to quote me.

Next time, just bitch to Heather.  She’s the only person who wants to hear your squeaky voice.

~P.

 

Kissed N Licked

Just a few pictures.  🙂

Delauter/Crider ~Custody Order

Here’s all 12 pages.  Free Advice Welcome!  🙂   OXOX ~P.

College, kids and soccer

It’s 8:15 PM and I’ve finally sat down in a comfortable seat for the first time today.  It feels good.

<Big pause in typing while I relax and let my hands rest on the keyboard. >

My day started off with Geography, a class I happen to enjoy.

<Currently failing, but I have faith I can fix that.>

We took a quiz and I think I passed.  I’ll know on Friday.

<Did the extra credit map for an extra 22 possible points.>

Next was Information Literacy (or IFL) which is a relatively informative and interesting computer class.

<The girl next to me is prego.  She has terrible breath.  I feel bad for her, the girl to her right, and me.>

I am doing a little presentation on Identity Theft for extra credit.

<The guy next to me looks at cars and car parts almost the entire class.>

So far only one other person has signed up.  I guess no one needs the extra credit.

<Unless you don’t show up for class, there is no way to fail.  Car Dude with pass with no problems.>

We could even work with a partner, which I think is ridiculous.

<I’d ask Prego, but her breath would probably kill me.>

I had a hot dog at the Chemistry Club’s Weenie Wednesday stand.  $1 hotdogs and they’re all beef.

<They never have any burned dogs!  I like my dogs burnt and very crispy.>

In the Professional Writing Studio, I worked on my Spanish presentation.

<Me llamo Rosetta Ramirez…>

I printed some research questionnaires about balloons.

<I think balloons are sexy.  Who doesn’t love balloons?>

I chatted with some friends who were also hanging out in the studio.

<We must band together to fight the Writing Lab Trolls!>

Ying and I took several walks around campus because we both need the exercise.

<Well, I need the exercise.  Ying is a skinny rat dog.>

Five and one half hours later I went to my daughter’s soccer practice.

<It was hard as hell to find her team.  The coach didn’t give out the t-shirts at the beginning of practice.>

I watched her practice and signed up to provide a snack at a future game.

<Heather, the coaches’ girlfriend came over and gave me a schedule and hit me up for the snack list.>

Tesla did really well with the ball and following the directions of the coach.

<The pink cleats she got from a friend were adorable.  Her daddy didn’t have to buy new ones after all.>

The coach did a great job considering he’s never coached soccer before.

<He’s a better softball player, everyone would agree, including him.>

I was proud of the coach.  I could tell he was giving it his all.

<There was a knee brace on his left leg.  A softball injury?>

He really enjoyed having all these children run around him, carrying out his directions.

<Let me tell you, this coach is very good at giving directions.>

The coaches’ girlfriend left, no one noticed but me, and maybe the coach.

<Heather isn’t the Head Soccer Mom for the purple team.>

After practice I hung around until there was no one left but Heather’s daughter, Tesla and John.

<Bria is adorable.  She always says hello to me.>

The four of us walked towards the parking lot.

<Tesla said to Bria, “you can’t drink my mom’s iced tea because you don’t have the same germs.”

It was a very long walk and Tesla held my hand.

<Tesla said to me, “you and Daddy have the same germs.>

My other hand was full or I believe Bria would have wanted to hold it.

<I giggled and said, “Mommy’s germs mixed with Daddy’s germs and that made you!”>

Tesla and Bria laughed like crazy at that statement.

<Tesla said to John, “isn’t Mommy funny Daddy?”  “Yeah, she’s funny.” John replied.>

John and I held conversation on the way to the truck.  We can be civil.

<Well, I think we can.  There are days I have my doubts.  Deep down, he misses me.  LOL>

I said goodbye to Tesla (and Bria) and asked John if he would send a note in to school Friday.

<I held my breath, waiting to hear his answer.>

He hesitated briefly and I said, “John, please send a note so I can get her Friday after class.”

<Don’t you dare say no in front of Tesla and Bria….>

He replied, “yes, I’ll send in the note.”

<Do I miss John?  There are times I do.  Especially when it comes to watching him play sports.>

“Thank you,” I replied.  “What happened to your truck?” I asked, noticing the damage to the rear.

<Didn’t surprise me to see the damage.  He can be very careless when driving.>

“I hit Ladonna’s car.”

<Is working as a secretary for John really worth the stress and drama?>

I went my way and my child, husband and husband’s girlfriend’s daughter went the other.

<I feel ripped off on so many levels by this marriage.  Thank God for blogging.>

~P.

Feet, shoes and balloons

At least once a day I search balloon + something to see what kinds of balloon pictures I get.

Today I searched:  balloon + feet, balloon + high heels, balloon + toes, and balloon + shoe

Here’s what I got!  There is no limit to the imagination!  ~P.

The Spanish Chef

Second oral presentation in Spanish II.

 

Hola!  Soy una jefa de cocina y me llamo Rosetta Ramírez.

Me gustan las frutas como los plátanos y las uvas.  También, me gusta el yogur y la granola.

Mi familia y yo comemos estos ingredientes en un parfait.  Es refrescante comer fruta.

Los ingredientes son: plátanos, uva, granola, y yogur.

Los pasos para preparar el parfait son:

Primero, usted coloca los plátanos cortados en el tazón.

Segundo, usted coloca la granola encima de los plátanos.

Después, usted coloca las uvas y el yogur de Dannon en el tazón.

Por último, usted coloca la granola encima del yogur.

 

Es delicioso y usted disfrutará comer un parfait.

Gracias por escuchar la receta favorita de mi familia.

ENGLISH:

Hello! I am a chef and my name is Rosetta Ramírez. I like fruits such as the bananas and the grapes. Also, I like the yogurt and the granola.

My family and I eat these ingredients in a parfait. It is refreshing to eat fruit.

The ingredients are: bananas, grape, granola, yogurt.

The steps to prepare the parfait are:

First, you place the cut bananas in the bowl.

Second, you place the granola on the bananas.

Then you place the grapes and the Dannon Yogurt in the bowl.

Finally, you place the granola on top of the yogurt.

It is delicious and you will enjoy eating a parfait.

Thank you for listening to a favorite recipe for my family.

 

The Abuse of Indian Children

The Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, PA was doomed from the very beginning in 1879.  Establishing a school in a former a military barrack is not a conducive educational environment.  The relocation of Indian children, often without the consent of their parents, to this militia inspired location was inappropriate.  This and many other actions had negative results in the lives of almost all the children relocated to Carlisle and affected generations of Indians to come.

Richard Henry Pratt was an officer of the 10th Cavalry, and while he may have had good intentions, the Carlisle Indian School did not lead to positive results.  The first day at the school was a failure.

“The group arrived at Carlisle in the middle of the night, October 6, 1879. They stepped off the platform to be greeted by hundreds of townspeople, welcoming them and accompanying them to the army post. But when Pratt, Miss Mather and the children arrived at the empty military post, tired and hungry, there were no provisions awaiting them. No bedding, no food, no clothing – none of the requested necessities. Once again, Pratt had been thwarted by the BIA. (Bureau of Indian Affairs) The children slept on the floor in their blankets.”  (http://www.sd4history.com/Unit7/carlisle.htm)

Pratt removed the Indian children from the care of their parents to teach them to be like white people.  In 1879 there were no laws to protect one’s religion, minorities or children.  This was Pratt’s school to “Kill the Indian, save the man” and this slogan had two meanings.  Force the Indians to act like white men and to accept Christianity as their faith.  This may have sounded like a just cause but the actions taken to enforce the white man’s laws were abusive.  It took centuries for the “white man” to admit the actions taken during the school existence from 1879 to 1918 were not necessarily in the best interest of the Indian population.

“When children came to the school, the teachers cut their long hair. The students also got different clothes. No one would let them talk their own language. Many children became very homesick. Their teachers showed them how to read and write in English. They also taught them trades like farming, sewing, and baking. The Indian children were sent to church and Sunday School. Their teachers wanted them to know how to live like white people when they left the school.”  (http://home.epix.net/~landis/histry.html)

The Indians did not adapt quickly to their new environment.  The emotional toll was extreme and physically, their bodies were not able to fight off the diseases the white men brought with them.

“Illness and death among the children were common. Many of the children suffered from separation anxiety, smallpox and tuberculosis. As most of the children were sent back to their reservations, many others passed away at the school, which made it necessary for a cemetery. A hundred and ninety children are buried in the cemetery, with the majority of those buried are from the Apache tribe.” (http://christinemusser.suite101.com/carlisle-indian-school-a20733)

While there were success stories of Indians who were sent to Carlisle, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission stated in 2003 on a permanent marker located on the school grounds at the cemetery, “Despite idealistic beginnings, the school left a mixed and lasting legacy, creating opportunity for some students and conflicted identities for others.  In this cemetery are 186 graves of student who died while at Carlisle.”  (This number conflicts with the number of graves noted previously.)  (http://www.suite101.com/view_image.cfm/183702)

Regardless of 186 or 190 children, their deaths were senseless and were caused by the actions of Pratt and those who supported the assimilation of the American Indians.  The United States of America has acknowledged the inappropriateness of forcing the Indian children to change their heritage to suit the white men.  Now, in the 21st Century, the American Indians are encouraged to share their heritage, customs and religious beliefs with the foolish white men.

Geronimo stopped to visit Carlisle…did you know that?

~P.

Sexy Fruitloons

A friend asked me if someone likes to have sex with fruit does that make them a fruitist?  I said no….that would be food play, and they have a fruit fetish.

Enough already….back to balloons!  ~P.

Looks good enough to pop...I mean eat!

 My fav for last!