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Keeping History Alive….

QM LEGO

Commodore Everette Hoard, Queen Mary LEGO Model

Photo Credit: Stephen Russo

It is apparent that I have a passion for History and strongly believe in educating our younger generations on the importance of recognizing that where we come from has an influence on where we are going, and the historic landmarks of our great nation have so many stories to tell.  I love British Literature from the Victorian and Romantic era so it is no wonder that I was fascinated by the Queen Mary, ultimately falling in love with her on my first visit.  Her history is vitally important to the rebuilding of America after WWII and amazingly many do not know her story, many do not even know she exists.  I have written a Children’s Picture Book on the Queen Mary, that led to a series, History Comes Alive,  where I plan to continue to write on iconic California landmarks, using a child’s perspective in giving a brief history behind these treasured places or venues.  My goal is to not only educate but inspire an interest to continue learning, and delving further into the history.  This is why I am so happy with the opening of the Shipyard on the Queen Mary.  A space dedicated to Historic and Archival photos and antique tools.  It is impossible to walk the ship without learning of her history, but the Shipyard has the history right at your fingertips, you can’t help but not learn a little bit by just spending time in this space.  What really draws the crowd is the LEGO model of the Queen Mary built by four certified master LEGO builders, of Britain’s Bright Bricks, that spent four months, 600 man hours, to recreate the Queen Mary with 250,00 LEGO bricks, weighing in at 604 lbs, and 26 feet.  An incredible feat that draws the attention of all, but especially children.  In the last two years, there have been a lot of changes aboard the Queen Mary and my favorite is their focus in drawing the attention of children.  They are in the process of building an interactive children’s museum that will be open in the near future and I cannot wait to see how much fun it will be, because Learning is Fun when given to our younger generations with their thought process in mind.  Our future needs to learn from our past, and it is our responsibility to teach them!

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Strength of a Woman

 

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Here are the new promotional cards for events.  I like them a lot, they came out better than I expected, but it is a strange feeling to see your image so boldly displayed.  I have always tended to shy away from photos, history has proven that I don’t know the “right selfie” pose to do myself justice.  I tend to be the one slouched in the group, or laughing too big,  or even with eyes closed.  I can distinctly remember two grade school years where my school ID had closed eyes.  My picture history guarantees that you will see just my head in the back of a group shot in order to avoid embarrassment , now I have a logo, a brand, not only of my name but my name in my self image.  I couldn’t say No, because I thought the concept was so cool, and I really am trying to gain that self confidence that lies within all of us.  We all have it, but often we fake the appearance of being independent and confident, maybe even needing a new selfie to gather admiration and a false sense of approval.  With social media, there are not as many “hidden family secrets,” and we put our lives completely on display, sometimes unknowingly or unwilling.  I may shy away from pictures, but I have also never been one to change my image, or completely filter pictures that would be used, simply because I believe “what you see, is what you get.”  I am more afraid of someone judging a pretty picture and being disappointed in person, but for me that goes beyond physical looks, and more of my character.  I need recognition and positive reinforcement for a job well done.  I always have, and it may be because I am an Only Child.  I feel unsatisfied in a project without a pat on the head and I don’t want to be that person.  We need to be appreciated, acknowledged for our good deeds, but knowing our self worth is a treasure worth more than words.  I think this is especially true for women.  So often, I hear that they don’t feel valued.  That they may as well be the maid, or a piece of furniture in their home.  Women do so many things for so many people that make not just households run, but communities, cities, states, the world.  Yes, this is true.  If women (mothers, sisters, aunts, girlfriends, wives) did not take care or teach men, children, other women, how to cook, wash, launder, give that sensitive maternal instinct that we, people, need than the world would not function as well as it does.  This is a weight that women bare, and we wouldn’t know how to stop if we wanted to.  This weight equals strength that is immeasurable and by such, proves that our worth is just as incomprehensible.  So, although this post may be controversial to some, I am sticking with it tonight, and say being a Woman truly Rocks!

 

 

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McFarland USA – Fresno

I don’t like silence while I am working, put it down to having a house full of little boys, I think better among the chaos.  This being said, I tend to throw on a movie while writing, working, or even thinking and this is often how I catch up on the new releases.  The other night I watched McFarland USA and I loved it, of course, I enjoy most Kevin Costner movies, but this movie had all the action, comedy, drama, to keep me entertained throughout the whole thing.  I was surprised that there was not more of a buzz about this movie, either people haven’t taken the time to watch it or our world has become so “Hollywood” that we have lost the heart of America.  I don’t follow the Kardashian’s or Bruce Jenner, but because of social media, I know more about them than I care to admit.  Yet this movie about small town America and boys that worked hard to achieve and make a difference in their communities has fallen by the wayside.  However, I know that this is just the way things are nowadays and not really the point of my post today, what made me want to comment was that I cannot believe there was no Fresno love for this movie!!  The movie itself, involves the Central Valley, but two of the young men from the movie graduated and went on to Fresno State, yet still no mention across facebook or twitter about that simple fact.  I have lived around the world and Fresno is one of the proudest cities I know, but no love for a heartwarming, family oriented, rise from the ashes movie that not only put McFarland on the map, but acknowledges the higher education and successful athletic department of Fresno State University.  Let’s give credit to the underdogs, support the community, and make our hometown famous for the good, not the negative statistics that most people associate with Fresno.

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