Happy Birthday Maya Angelou!

 Hey friends,

I know this was suppose to be a Musical Moment post, but word reached me today was my favorite poet Maya Angelou's Birthday, and it is now National Poetry Month, it's also Take Your Poet to School Week, and anyone who's been here a bit knows I enjoy poetry, I'm a pot myself, I've actually been published, I mean it was one time, but still makes me published (anyone who has a March 2015 issue of WNC Woman will find my poem Believing in there). Well for all these reasons and a call out to Maya's fans to help celebrate this years Dr Maya Angelou Day of Reading theme Still I Rise, I decided to delay my planned post for this great celebration, by doing the post for Maya I'd already planned to do sometime this month.

How I Discovered Maya Angelou and Her Impact On Me

My first encounter with the activist/poet/writer/actress/singer/any other titles I can't thing of right now was back in middle school. It was in my 8th grade Language arts class taught by Mrs. Hooker where it happened. Our reading for that day in our books was a excerpt taken from I know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I think a section involving the woman in Arkansas she knew growing up who had her own home library that she let Maya use. Well Mrs. Hooker informed us it was part of a whole autobiography and offered it up for any of us to read, maybe for extra credit. Well I joined the list. I remember starting strong plowing through it with my usual read frenzy, but as we got to her older years in the book I suddenly just dropped off reading to the point I'd had it so long I was afraid I'd get in trouble so I had to return it as an unfinished read. I'm still perplexed as why I dropped off, It makes no sense given things I was reading at that time. But that was the start. Over the next couple decades she'd become more elevated in my favorites. Her poem Phenomenal Women would get on my radar when it was used in the movie Beauty Shop. I know this movie isn't a well like as the rest of the franchise, but I love it, and it was curiosity at what beautiful poem they were quoting that led me to look it up, and discover it was Dr Angelou. This is now one of my favorite poems of all time. Maya also is a contributing factor to which Madea movie is my favorite. Madea's Family Reunion is my top favorite and one of the reasons is because Maya has a role as one of the matriarchs in the family. One of my classmates had the pleasure of meeting her at a health convention some years ago, I was jealous of this guy cause he got to shake her hand. I'd hoped to get to get to meet this amazing woman, but sadly it did not get to happen, at least this side of the veil of life, for as many or you know, or may not know, she passed in 2014. I honored her my watching OWN's Sunday dedication the did, by airing all the specials they did involving her. It was during that watching that I burst into tears. I'm not sure if it's what Maya was saying, the fact I never got to meet her, the fact she was gone, or some combination, but this is the first time I've cried over a noted human's passing. I've been sorrowful over many. but never cried. I even created a digital art piece in her memory, called The Caged Bird Is Free. I like to think she's ascended to a glorious higher form.

Still I Rise

This years theme for the theme, for Maya Angelou's Birthday celebration they've decided for her  Day of Reading to do it around another powerful poem of hers: Still I Rise.

I find this poem to be one of her most amazing works due to the fact how it speaks to me and empowers me. I've often found people who'd suppress because I'm poor, or a woman, and there's probably people who'd try to suppress me because of my mental health. It's due due to my mental health that I find a bully in my mind in the form the Mental Health Hydra. When she describes the things people do to her  it sounds like some of the the thoughts the hydra sends my way trying to break me, but like the poem says I keep rising. Even when this monster crushes me and I feel like I want to give up, I keep coming back, rising up from my broken thoughts, because I will not give it the satisfaction of beating me. When I read this poem it reminds me how I constantly am rising up in my daily battles.

My Future Maya Angelou Shelf

It's my goal to someday have a space big enough where I can properly display my books and book/author items. I'd also like to dedicate shelf space to certain series or authors. One of the authors I want to give space to is Dr Angelou. So I thought given the day I'd take time to discuss what that'd include or what I'd like to to have included as part of that space, if this is something you have no interst in just skip to the conclusion.

First a foremost are her books, sadly all I have been able to get is the Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women book which includes the title poem and Still I Rise, it's the book I used in the above picture. I also have her Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes cookbook. My book goals is to purchase the blue version of this Juniper Books set of her complete works they would look gorgeous in her space.

Included in this space would be the Maya Angelou items I have acquired in addition to her books. First there's her lovely quarter that I managed to get a hold of thanks to my Granny:

 

Speaking of issued items, there is also her stamps, which I swore my folks had given me a framed set, and I haven't found them yet, so yes those will be included if I find them, if not they'll be something I want to get. Other items I want to get include this Maya Angelou Barbie® Inspiring Women™ Doll, cause this hits my poetic and toy collector sides. She's beautiful in doll form, and I just love the Barbie mint of her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, it's so cute.

Lastly is this beautiful Litographs poster for the Phenomanal Woman book I have. This wouldn't fit on the shelf, but it would be displayed on a wall nearby, at least I hope it would. I was actually a contributor for their tribute project they did in Dr Angelou's honor after her passing. I use to know where I was at in this guess I'll have to hunt for it again. Wouldn't mind the bag from this as a book tote she says hinting to gift giving peeps, actually this whole section is a gift giving hints for you in case you guys missed it.

Conclusion Section For Those Skipping The Last Section

So to conclude I wish Maya a happy birthday. I hope she is celebrating today phenomenally, cause she truly is a "phenomenal woman", and yes I said "is" cause death does not negate this fact. Happy Birthday Dr. Angelou!

So my friends take time today to read her work, watch one of her movies, and just remember her. Also remember it is Take Your Poet to School Week, with Poet in a Cupcake Day this Friday, and Tweetspeak does have a Maya Angelou cut-out you can use for the celebration, and you can reuse it for Take You Poet to Work Day in the 3rd Wednesday in July. 

So have a good week, read a poem (especially a Maya one), and God bless!

*Thrifty Geek*

Monthly Randoms: Where I'm back From Oblivion and Playing Catch Up

 Hello Friends, 

I know what you're thinking: Where has she been? Or probably not. Probably didn't notice. It's okay I get overlooked frequently. Well according to this it's been right at six months since I posted, my bad. So I decided to start off with a Monthly Randoms that'll cover things for the last six months. So sit back, this one might take a minute...

Why Radio Silence?

So where I have I been? For those who have been here a bit once more the Mental Health Hydra B---- has been making a mess of things. Yes she's earned her B. Why have I decided to make her a female, cause she's frequently PMSing and she's been mucking things up the last few months. So one thing that has been getting worse thanks to her is my ability to focus and sit still. I've been wanting to make posts on things for the last few months, but motivating myself to write a blog post and focus long enough to do it... yeah... Not easy.  See I have anxiety which can cause being unfocused and fidgety, or on the rare occasion it's my Bipolar 2. Well it has been getting so bad lately that my therapist wondered if I had ADD/ADHD. So she gave me the assessment quiz for ADHD and from that she's like well it's looking like it's just this part of anxiety getting worse. Well a couple sessions later I was bemoaning my seemingly worsening state of focus and staying put and she's like "Oh is it you ADD?" and I'm like "You said I didn't have it." to which she replied "That's the problem with these things it's hard to tell." Though in out recent sessions she's pretty sure I do, but she wanted to get my Medication Psychologist to take a look and see if it was. I've had two sessions with him and we haven't breached that yet, I actually don't even wanna mention those sessions, I don't even discuss my Medication Psychologist drama for the last two to three years, it's that frustrating. 

In the summer things I felt were good mental health wise, then September came and with the dip of temps my mood. Christmas day wasn't actually bad this year, leading up to it little rough I mean there was the usual holiday stress induced breakdown, a few holiday related anxiety stuff that's bothered me the last few years that my therapist and the Captain finally helped me overcome, plus my TV blew leaving me with no TV now, and the sudden urge to redo my room a week or so before Christmas, which I still haven't finished, boxes are still everywhere in here. Then there was the fact my lack of motivation left me not making a gift for Jesus's birthday as I usually do every year and not wrapping Pop and mine's gifts till early Christmas morning, plus my sleep suffered all the week of Christmas but other than that I actually enjoyed Christmas. The day after my sister and her partner came up and spent the day with us and exchanged gifts, first time in two years we got to have a holiday visit. After that Sunday I assumed like usual after Christmas that week leading up to New Year's Eve would be one full of rest and settling back into normalcy... heh. Sleep apparently got peeved at me and decided to leave me. I started sleeping three hours then I'd wake up and couldn't go back to sleep so get up crash a few hours for another three hour sleep and that's the way it was all through January. The was two days where I'd get six hours in one go and one night of broken sleep, but not enough to make me feel better. My mental health was taking hit from this, plus add in this bitter cold we've been having... the Intrusive Thoughts have been partying. Well last couple days of January I've managed to get some decent sleep finally. Day before yesterday I actually woke up refreshed thought I was gonna get some writing done on my book, which I don't think I've worked on the actual book since Summer, but my anxiety bothered me a bit, and then I crashed for a couple hours, woke up and still bothered me and then I crashed till 1 am yesterday morning, then fell back asleep around noon or 1 pm till 4 pmish. So good I can sleep, but I'm hoping I'm not shifting from the unable to sleep portion of anxiety to the doing nothing but portion of it. 

So yeah that's my issues and how it's fracked in a nutshell. How about we move onto some more fun topics. That good with you guys? Good!

Pumpkin Festival 2021

After a year off due to Covid she was back bigger and better than ever... Quite literally she had the largest population attendance she's ever had, which we, Fangirl and I, as seasoned attendees felt as we safely tried to enjoy ourselves. We didn't get big with our costumes. Like we usually put a year long thought into our costumes, but last year we didn't learn till like halfway through the year I think that the festival was still on, plus Fangirl had medical issues that we didn't know what would come of that. So we decided to just have a chill year at the festival. I rewore my 2019 11th Doctor costume:

 Well Fangirl wore her medieval outfit she wears for her demonstration group at Ren Faires:

We saw a few cool characters around the festival like Angel Ponies and Batman and his Batmobile:

 

 

Fangirl and I usually compete in the costume contest, but do to our lax approach to costumes and the fact Fangirl is unable to stand in the long lines, which was difficult before her even before getting hit with her current medical issue, we just sat and watched from the porch of the Crabtree General Store while playing Pokemon Go. 

Seeing Econut 

 

After the festival we went to see Econut at her job as we always do. Hugging her up was a moment, that's all I can say. It'd been two years almost since I'd last seen my sister in person, it made me so happy to finally give her something as simple as a hug. Didn't want the visit to end even when her quitting time came, so her partner and her invited us back to their place for pizza. I was excited to learn they'd begun watching Supernatural, they'd made it to season four. We talked that a bit, caught up, and exchanged two year worth of gifts. It was a great end to a good day.

Of course it made it even better when the next day her partner texted me saying they had met Chuck and if we could trust him... Well of course I had to lie not spoiling that for them. I still hate myself for ruining Harry Potter for my sibling, not doing that again. They finished the series a few weeks ago. It's been fun seeing where they get to, slowly making fandom posts on Facebook, and both of them texting me lines and parts their at, and the inevitable disgruntlement over the series finale. I'm so proud.

 

Now to our usual sections in these posts. Sadly very poor job of saving things to post here for the last few months, so I'll share what little I have.

 

Favs On My Socials

 

Ok let's share the few things I've faved or the like on my socials:

 

1. I loved this pin on Pinterest involving a Black Panther actress and how it's not too late to go for your dreams. Is this actually true she'd started acting at 88?  

2. I love this Instagram post from The Good Advice Cupcake. It's a great reminder we're all beautiful. I love this Cupcake, she's making me smile. I first discovered through Perpetual Kid, and I'd like that product.

What Am I Jamming To?

At one point I was jamming to Five Days North's- Heaven Hold Us I first heard the song on Becca and The Books blog post. An awesome booktuber you should check her out.

 

Domino bu Jessie J which I found looking for the cover the group Venice did of it that I found watching this Supernatural video. Before you click be warned it is Cockles themed, so if no like no watch, but if you like that be it as a friendship or you ship it, then enjoy.

 

Also jamming to songs from Taylor's version of Red and Fearless. 

Things I Want

I want this beautiful set of Maya Angelou's entire works from Juniper Books. I love they come together to form the picture on the spines. I'd get the blue and red set. I'd really like her complete works, cause I only have her cook book and this collection of four of her poems in a book called Phenomenal Woman, and she was, I gotta say it, a phenomenal woman. I also want quarter which was release last month! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled!

 

Halloween last year Michael's had a nice Moon Phases piece that I would have totally hung on my wall, that's right I'm one of those people who utilize Halloween and Christmas decor year round. It's sadly no longer on the website, but you can view it in this Old Fashion Halloween post. Maybe I'll encounter it on a thrift store run.

 

 Ok, finally done! Ya'll I'm telling you my focus is shot. I use to be able to write post with in a couple hours this took me 24 hours or more. I hope we can do something, cause I feel like I use to be a multitasking master, now nope... Well happy 2/2/22 hope twoday is good, see what I did there, it's also middle of the week so there's a plus. I'll be back soon. I have a couple posts planned for the next few days. So here's hoping I will be starting to post regularly again. Good day, much love, and God bless.

*Thrifty Geek* and Vampire >vv< Kitty