Introducing myself and my journal: Be conscious, be aware and be a vessel of change.

About Me:
I am a mom, a feminist, a vegan, an animal rights activist and a student. I am outspoken -- more like I have a big mouth. However I use my powers for good not evil. I am an only child. I have two daughters of my own, nearly grown up. One in high school and the other in college. I am divorced, and before you say 'oh, that is too bad, I am sorry...' I left him and I have a new outlook on life and what really matters. For some reason people tend to say they are sorry to hear or some variation of that when they ask if I am married and I say no I am divorced. It is not a defect or debilitating condition you know?

I volunteer for a low cost spay and neuter clinic and help with the pet food bank. I enjoy attending consciousness raising events a.k.a. protests of the peaceful variety. Raising awareness is my goal when protesting. Education is power, gee if I only realized that in my early 20's, things would have been a little easier.

I have a B.A. in Liberal Arts and I am currently working on a B.A. in Women's and Gender Studies. I enjoy the subject matter a great deal. As I am 40 years old, it is very interesting to see and hear the reactions of very young women in class regarding the 'olden days', which to some of them means the 60's. :) I went back to school in 2000, when my girls were old enough to handle coming home from school and me not being there. I must say, I absolutely love taking classes as an adult, a huge difference from my first attempt at college after high school. I am planning on continuing courses for the rest of my life, I really enjoy it as it is now a challenging hobby.

I love reading, especially biographies and non fiction. I carry a book around in my bag everyday, just in case I am stuck waiting in traffic or a long line. I write in my books too, like, a lot. I make notes in the margins and highlight points of interest and I dog ear the pages. That is the reason I do not go to the library to borrow books. I do have an obsession with books. I have shelves and shelves full. I really like going to used book stores or when the library has their used book sale. I find really cool books at estate sales also. Old books are so interesting to me, It is so neat to find a note or folded letter in an old book after I get it home and really look through it. I like reading the inscriptions too.

I have cats and dogs and a turtle. I sometimes do foster parenting for homeless cats until they can find a forever home. There is a blind cat sanctuary I really would like to visit in the spring. It is on the east coast, so it will be a fun road trip.

I would love to travel to India and Africa someday. I have seen videos, documentaries, and read the accounts of the oppressive and abusive conditions women must endure and I have also seen a lot of good beginning to be done in these vids and articles. I would really like to do some volunteering with rural women. I sometimes get angry with myself when I complain about traffic or too large of a laundry pile...when there are serious abuses and injustices happening every moment of the day to girls and women. The devaluing of women is pervasive and I think westerners could learn a great deal from seeing these situations first hand and working toward doing good for them. And by doing good, I mean what they actually need, not what we think they need. I know I could learn so much from the women and maybe they could learn something from me too.

Thanks for reading my journal.

Terri

My Passions:
animal and women's rights

My Challenges:
not enough time to do and see all that I would like to

My Vision for the Future:
continuing my education, traveling, advocacy

My Areas of Expertise:
animal care, accounting, cranking out research papers ;)