I realize I take long to update myself, but at least that does not mean that I have stopped reaching for my dreams... This fact actually means that I keep on doing what I need to do to achieve the stepping stones to grab my dreams and that means that I have little time to sit down and reminisce on what has transpired... Still, the idea of this blog is to keep track of life, so I am somehow grounded at least a bit... So here goes...
UPDATE on BS IT SECURITY
I have not given up the WGU courses. Right now I started the A+ course. So, yes, I'm still enrolled in the IT SECURITY track, and so far I have earned two certifications:
CIW WEB DESIGN SPECIALIST Jan 25, 2011
CIW WEB FOUNDATIONS ASSOCIATE Nov 30, 2010
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
For myself, I found out that Full Sail University has a Internet Marketing MFA, and that definitively calls me more than what I had planned after the new degree... They have a Certificate that is really enticing me as it cover SEO stuff that I can find handy. They also have another certificate that attracted me, Education Media Design & Technology. So, who knows... maybe just the certificates will do so I can go on with the security thinguie... All I know is I may skip it and just go to the PhD of Emerging Media, my ultimate goal. Yup, I still have that on target.
I also considered being Assistive Technology Professional. After some search, I found the course and then RESNA's test site. I also found another certification that may complement it... But both things would be better for my dear hubby as it would actually make use of his Associate's degree in computers and will help us all. So, that is a new goal for him.
MOVING?
We still want to move to Florida. We are trying to get all facts and things in place for that. There is nothing else left for us here in NJ.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Plans and screams, and a few good things
Plans come and plans go, everything seems like liquid silver taking diverse shapes at diverse temperatures... Before it was all straight-arrow schedules, now it all has been changed into a shapeless mesh that bends to the will of the new boss in the house. The baby's arrival has been very disrupting, as she is very loud, very demanding, very colicky, very energetic, very fill-in-the-blank. She is outrageous. And she is making sure that mommy gets no sleep, daddy gets no sleep, and sister is very annoyed. Oh, well... On with the show!
So... June, July and August were basically all about the new baby, Kalisto, and keeping on top of Deedee's appointments and therapies. Deedee turned 3 years old on August, and we definitively celebrated this miracle (she has beat the SMA odds going beyond 2 years of age). These three months left me no time at all for keeping on with studying or to try persuing any kind of job. I got two calls from Disney for an IT Internship, but I could not go for it because of the c-session and everything unexpected about having a newborn. You see, when Deedee was born she was actually well behaved and mild tempered after the first two months... Kalisto in the other hand behaves like... an emissary of chaos and mayhem. The c-session brought a bad reaction from the epidural, so now my right leg is weaker (I could not move it at all for the first two weeks, and it gave me trouble afterwards). The nerves from legs and right arm are all busted... The doctor basically got to the conclusion I have arthritis that should have appeared 15 years from now... So the pregnancy accelerated that, plus affected me in many other ways I'll discover through the months ahead...
In September I planned to start studying again, but Kali has made sure that it was not possible. Her being a colicky baby brings on endless nights of wailing, so by the time she decided to sleep is after daddy arrives from work (he works the night shift)... I don't get to sleep more than 3-4 hours during the night, and mornings or afternoons all depend on Deedee having medical appointments or therapists coming over or nurses showing up... By now I see that getting a job will be an ideal maybe after I finish studying, maybe after that plan is completed and we have moved from here, and maybe if we get some help somehow... Until then... a job is out of the question, and studying is a trial and error test in itself...
October arrived, and I got a Hispanic Scholarship Award for the next two semesters. Following the master plan that should be perfect coverage if I get to finish by September 2011 (my main goal). I have to keep $3000 aside in case I must go for a final semester if I don't finish by then, as my student loans will get maxed out. So... By now I'm trying to get back in track for the by now never-ending course of basic technician... I need to review, test and kill the first book by this weekend, and do the same by the end of October with the second book. Third book shall be covered in the first week of November, and the review book should be for the second week of November. I expect to get the certification test before Thanksgiving, if God allows.
This plan is laid out, hopefully for success. I need to complete this by the end of November, so I can do the second course and get the big test before the end of December. I hope to get the Webdesign course done and tested by the end of January (should be a breeze as I already know the material). I want to be able to add one more class for February... maybe the third part of IT Fundamentals or a course like Technical Writing. I must do this so we have a better chance of success in Florida when we move... So that keeps on being the biggest incentive... Me going back to being the "powerhouse" of the family. It is the best way to achieve all our dreams: Nice little house, good services for Deedee, good school for Deedee and for Kali, actually being able to have a car to take Deedee places and money to pay for the places, and to help Auntie be with us... Crossing fingers and trusting God will allow this to happen.
So... This is all that has been going on. Next destination: Kali's baptism (next week), Halloween, my test, Sesame Place, Thanksgiving, second test and Christmas. Hopefully we will get to do this all, strengthening family and our own vows. All with God's blessing.
~V~
So... June, July and August were basically all about the new baby, Kalisto, and keeping on top of Deedee's appointments and therapies. Deedee turned 3 years old on August, and we definitively celebrated this miracle (she has beat the SMA odds going beyond 2 years of age). These three months left me no time at all for keeping on with studying or to try persuing any kind of job. I got two calls from Disney for an IT Internship, but I could not go for it because of the c-session and everything unexpected about having a newborn. You see, when Deedee was born she was actually well behaved and mild tempered after the first two months... Kalisto in the other hand behaves like... an emissary of chaos and mayhem. The c-session brought a bad reaction from the epidural, so now my right leg is weaker (I could not move it at all for the first two weeks, and it gave me trouble afterwards). The nerves from legs and right arm are all busted... The doctor basically got to the conclusion I have arthritis that should have appeared 15 years from now... So the pregnancy accelerated that, plus affected me in many other ways I'll discover through the months ahead...
In September I planned to start studying again, but Kali has made sure that it was not possible. Her being a colicky baby brings on endless nights of wailing, so by the time she decided to sleep is after daddy arrives from work (he works the night shift)... I don't get to sleep more than 3-4 hours during the night, and mornings or afternoons all depend on Deedee having medical appointments or therapists coming over or nurses showing up... By now I see that getting a job will be an ideal maybe after I finish studying, maybe after that plan is completed and we have moved from here, and maybe if we get some help somehow... Until then... a job is out of the question, and studying is a trial and error test in itself...
October arrived, and I got a Hispanic Scholarship Award for the next two semesters. Following the master plan that should be perfect coverage if I get to finish by September 2011 (my main goal). I have to keep $3000 aside in case I must go for a final semester if I don't finish by then, as my student loans will get maxed out. So... By now I'm trying to get back in track for the by now never-ending course of basic technician... I need to review, test and kill the first book by this weekend, and do the same by the end of October with the second book. Third book shall be covered in the first week of November, and the review book should be for the second week of November. I expect to get the certification test before Thanksgiving, if God allows.
This plan is laid out, hopefully for success. I need to complete this by the end of November, so I can do the second course and get the big test before the end of December. I hope to get the Webdesign course done and tested by the end of January (should be a breeze as I already know the material). I want to be able to add one more class for February... maybe the third part of IT Fundamentals or a course like Technical Writing. I must do this so we have a better chance of success in Florida when we move... So that keeps on being the biggest incentive... Me going back to being the "powerhouse" of the family. It is the best way to achieve all our dreams: Nice little house, good services for Deedee, good school for Deedee and for Kali, actually being able to have a car to take Deedee places and money to pay for the places, and to help Auntie be with us... Crossing fingers and trusting God will allow this to happen.
So... This is all that has been going on. Next destination: Kali's baptism (next week), Halloween, my test, Sesame Place, Thanksgiving, second test and Christmas. Hopefully we will get to do this all, strengthening family and our own vows. All with God's blessing.
~V~
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
KALISTO's BIRTH
And my Warrior Empress is born!
Kalisto Beatrix (Kali)
Get to know her adventures and see more pictures of her in her own diary: www.KalistoMedina.blogspot.com
Mommy's rants about everything Kali at the blog www.ANewMageInTheFamily.blogspot.com
~V~
Monday, June 7, 2010
Latest News
It's been a while from my latest life update, so decided to write something... Maybe 5 years from now I'll look back and smile at it all...
ABOUT NEW HOUSING
Well, the latest threat in our lives was an eviction notice. We had no means to pay the rent, the temporary rent assistance ended without us knowing it, and the landlord sent us a notice... We worked the system, giving our real proof of our efforts to find housing and a job and so the rent was paid in the end... We also got emergency assistance for moving to a more affordable place. We got help from the NCC, so finally we are now in housing that is income sensitive. The good news is we have a roof over our heads. One less stress about that... The bad news, public housing is rough and we've had some incidents in just days of being here... All in all, we try to keep ourselves positive and see this as the emergency measures until we can complete our master plan.
ABOUT SCHOOL
The move was not foreseen, so that unexpected event has kept me away from books for 3 weeks. Hopefully things will go well, and I can start and finish the Leadership course so I'm left only with the computer one after the C-section. Just 1.5 weeks to get to this goal... wish me luck!
ABOUT NEW BABY
C-section is scheduled for the 23rd of June. Clinic watching me closely. Will have to go to L&D tomorrow after the NST and OB-GYN appointment, to humor everyone and make sure it is safe to actually be at home. I feel very tired, and i know Kali wants out! This is my 36th week... Legs are getting very swollen, and the waddling walk is killing me. Just 16 more days...
EPILOGUE
So, May was very unnerving, action-packed, and filled with suspense and drama. Hope that June gets everything flowing and that everything gets to its right place... Hope that Kali will bring many good things to our lives, especially to Deedee. Let's see how this tale ends...
V.
ABOUT NEW HOUSING
Well, the latest threat in our lives was an eviction notice. We had no means to pay the rent, the temporary rent assistance ended without us knowing it, and the landlord sent us a notice... We worked the system, giving our real proof of our efforts to find housing and a job and so the rent was paid in the end... We also got emergency assistance for moving to a more affordable place. We got help from the NCC, so finally we are now in housing that is income sensitive. The good news is we have a roof over our heads. One less stress about that... The bad news, public housing is rough and we've had some incidents in just days of being here... All in all, we try to keep ourselves positive and see this as the emergency measures until we can complete our master plan.
ABOUT SCHOOL
The move was not foreseen, so that unexpected event has kept me away from books for 3 weeks. Hopefully things will go well, and I can start and finish the Leadership course so I'm left only with the computer one after the C-section. Just 1.5 weeks to get to this goal... wish me luck!
ABOUT NEW BABY
C-section is scheduled for the 23rd of June. Clinic watching me closely. Will have to go to L&D tomorrow after the NST and OB-GYN appointment, to humor everyone and make sure it is safe to actually be at home. I feel very tired, and i know Kali wants out! This is my 36th week... Legs are getting very swollen, and the waddling walk is killing me. Just 16 more days...
EPILOGUE
So, May was very unnerving, action-packed, and filled with suspense and drama. Hope that June gets everything flowing and that everything gets to its right place... Hope that Kali will bring many good things to our lives, especially to Deedee. Let's see how this tale ends...
V.
Friday, March 26, 2010
WEB DESIGN DIPLOMA ARRIVED
This month began with good news. My Web Design diploma from Art Institute Online arrived, so I am officially a web-designer. Visit my web-design site, KATABOLIC DESIGNS, to see my portfolio and services for web design, illustration and animations.
ABOUT MY CAREER
I just enrolled with the Western Governors University to complete a BS in Information Technology Security (I begin in April 1st). Many will ask a simply shocking why, as I already have a BSBA in Computerized Information Systems... Well, let's be completely realistic about it. I earned my BSBA in 1996... Yes, many years have passed (14 to be precise). I have 12 years of experience within Information technology, but my certifications are completely expired by now, and my areas of expertise and experience need an overhaul if I want to compete for a senior IT related position. So... This is where everything makes sense. The WGU offers the programs at accelerated pace, and in the end you get a degree plus certifications. When I finish this, I will have gathered these certifications:
* Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®)
* Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®) Security Certification
* CIW Professional
* CIW Associates
* CIW Database Design Specialist
* CompTIA A+ (2009 Objectives)
* CompTIA Project+ (2009 Objectives)
* CompTIA Security+ (2008 Objectives)
* Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) – Windows 7, Configuration 70-680
This will definitively make me a better candidate when doing job searches. Since right now I am 6 months pregnant, I cannot get an official job anyway... so getting the certifications, honing my IT skills to make them actual, is a definitively assertive decision. I didn't take it lightly, I wanted to go with being creative all the way... but when you look at my resume it makes more sense to get into security and then add the emerging media as compliment to make a whole competitive monster out of me. I expect to be able to complete this within two years. It will all depend on how my transcripts and experience gets translated into the classes in the program.
When I finish this, I'll go on for the Master in Information Security and Assurance, in which I'll get these certifications:
* CompTIA Network+ (2009 Objectives)
* PW0-200 Wireless LAN Security Exam
* EC-Council Disaster Recovery Professional Exam (312-76)
* EC-Council Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures (EC0-350)
* EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (EC0-349)
* GIAC G7799 (Standards and Policies)
And the last step in my master plan, is to then enroll in the Colorado Technical University to get a Doctor of Computer Science in Emerging Media, which will definitively benefit from all the certifications and the Web Design diploma. Let's see how this mega-plan unfolds... (Fingers crossed).
ABOUT MY GROWING FAMILY
Yup, I mentioned it before... I'm 6 months pregnant. I still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, I just know the baby is SMA free! So we are all very happy! You may follow the newest addition's whereabouts in its blog, A NEW MAGE IN THE FAMILY.
My big girl has been healthy (thank God for that) and so we are making preparations for her 3rd birthday. This means we began Special Education reunions for her transition from Early Intervention to the Pre-K next Fall. It's all VERY exciting, as we see technology opening options for her. We are also adding PT in the pool and Beckman's oral therapy to her normal PT, OT, ST and Developmental sessions. Yup, this girl is amazing, and we are helping her to show it to the world! I'm overhauling her website, so I hope that by the end of March it has more details, pictures and videos. I know I need to finish it before April 1st arrives, don't want to drive myself insane with the new school work.
Hubby & me celebrated our 3rd Anniversary in February, and it's all been just fine. We are just very scared of how time is flying and how everything seems as if it happened only yesterday... Wow! Talk about time ans space traveling!
So... the growing experiences continue... Pray for us, so we get to a sound happy place after all this long journey!
~V~
ABOUT MY CAREER
I just enrolled with the Western Governors University to complete a BS in Information Technology Security (I begin in April 1st). Many will ask a simply shocking why, as I already have a BSBA in Computerized Information Systems... Well, let's be completely realistic about it. I earned my BSBA in 1996... Yes, many years have passed (14 to be precise). I have 12 years of experience within Information technology, but my certifications are completely expired by now, and my areas of expertise and experience need an overhaul if I want to compete for a senior IT related position. So... This is where everything makes sense. The WGU offers the programs at accelerated pace, and in the end you get a degree plus certifications. When I finish this, I will have gathered these certifications:
* Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®)
* Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA®) Security Certification
* CIW Professional
* CIW Associates
* CIW Database Design Specialist
* CompTIA A+ (2009 Objectives)
* CompTIA Project+ (2009 Objectives)
* CompTIA Security+ (2008 Objectives)
* Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) – Windows 7, Configuration 70-680
This will definitively make me a better candidate when doing job searches. Since right now I am 6 months pregnant, I cannot get an official job anyway... so getting the certifications, honing my IT skills to make them actual, is a definitively assertive decision. I didn't take it lightly, I wanted to go with being creative all the way... but when you look at my resume it makes more sense to get into security and then add the emerging media as compliment to make a whole competitive monster out of me. I expect to be able to complete this within two years. It will all depend on how my transcripts and experience gets translated into the classes in the program.
When I finish this, I'll go on for the Master in Information Security and Assurance, in which I'll get these certifications:
* CompTIA Network+ (2009 Objectives)
* PW0-200 Wireless LAN Security Exam
* EC-Council Disaster Recovery Professional Exam (312-76)
* EC-Council Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures (EC0-350)
* EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (EC0-349)
* GIAC G7799 (Standards and Policies)
And the last step in my master plan, is to then enroll in the Colorado Technical University to get a Doctor of Computer Science in Emerging Media, which will definitively benefit from all the certifications and the Web Design diploma. Let's see how this mega-plan unfolds... (Fingers crossed).
ABOUT MY GROWING FAMILY
Yup, I mentioned it before... I'm 6 months pregnant. I still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, I just know the baby is SMA free! So we are all very happy! You may follow the newest addition's whereabouts in its blog, A NEW MAGE IN THE FAMILY.
My big girl has been healthy (thank God for that) and so we are making preparations for her 3rd birthday. This means we began Special Education reunions for her transition from Early Intervention to the Pre-K next Fall. It's all VERY exciting, as we see technology opening options for her. We are also adding PT in the pool and Beckman's oral therapy to her normal PT, OT, ST and Developmental sessions. Yup, this girl is amazing, and we are helping her to show it to the world! I'm overhauling her website, so I hope that by the end of March it has more details, pictures and videos. I know I need to finish it before April 1st arrives, don't want to drive myself insane with the new school work.
Hubby & me celebrated our 3rd Anniversary in February, and it's all been just fine. We are just very scared of how time is flying and how everything seems as if it happened only yesterday... Wow! Talk about time ans space traveling!
So... the growing experiences continue... Pray for us, so we get to a sound happy place after all this long journey!
~V~
Monday, December 21, 2009
ENDING OF AIO JOURNEY
So, it's time. I just finished my last class in the AIO, Portfolio. It was the perfect closure to put together all my creations within my AIO learning trip, and it came out really good. I surprise myself, I had more than I thought and I really learned and tweaked my own design style. For now, my Portfolio site can be found at Katabolic Designs temporary address. I hope that I begin the new year with a home of its own for this website, as I hope it will bring on a new phase in my professional life (this time as a Web Designer).
Changes are what's cooking in my pot, I also have to place in halt my prospect project of beginning a Masters in Animation and FX in the Academy of Art. I planned to begin that one in Spring, but I have recently discovered that I am expecting, and my second child is due in Summer... I don't want gaps in the middle of my projects, so I'll wait until Fall/Winter next year to launch myself in that mission... So right now I'll have three focuses: Katabolic Designs, The Green Crew, and my family. Just with that I've got quite a handful!
I'm glad I finished the Web Design Diploma in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Online Division. It truly honed my skills, putting me up-to-date with the latest technologies, making me more marketable and allowing me to actually match my art with computers. I hope that this is the big investment that will be the key to a bright future. I strongly feel that what my BSBA and MBA didn't do for me, this simple diploma will. Why? Because it is in a field that I know I like, and that I know will take me to different artsy/creative paths. I feel it is the beginning of a big, beautiful journey in which I will work with real purpose. That alone takes my breath away.
May God bless my new beginning.
V.
Changes are what's cooking in my pot, I also have to place in halt my prospect project of beginning a Masters in Animation and FX in the Academy of Art. I planned to begin that one in Spring, but I have recently discovered that I am expecting, and my second child is due in Summer... I don't want gaps in the middle of my projects, so I'll wait until Fall/Winter next year to launch myself in that mission... So right now I'll have three focuses: Katabolic Designs, The Green Crew, and my family. Just with that I've got quite a handful!
I'm glad I finished the Web Design Diploma in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Online Division. It truly honed my skills, putting me up-to-date with the latest technologies, making me more marketable and allowing me to actually match my art with computers. I hope that this is the big investment that will be the key to a bright future. I strongly feel that what my BSBA and MBA didn't do for me, this simple diploma will. Why? Because it is in a field that I know I like, and that I know will take me to different artsy/creative paths. I feel it is the beginning of a big, beautiful journey in which I will work with real purpose. That alone takes my breath away.
May God bless my new beginning.
V.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
JUST ONE MORE!
Just finished Photoshop and I'm very excited. Just as I wanted & expected, I learned more stuff that I know will make a big different in upcoming designs. Now, I am beginning my last course, Portfolio. Graduation should be December 18th. I won't be able to attend, but I'll celebrate anyway. Whoohoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)