Three months ago,  I started a practice in Buddhist chanting and it has made a difference in my life.

Hopefully, continuing with the Tools program will be beneficial as well.

Have a great day!

Right now I'm singing in two choirs. I will be singing the song, "Summertime" by George Gerschwin for my next solo performance with the Senior Choir. I'm also taking an art course at the senior center and just finished a class doing mixed media at the Creative Center. I take two online courses; one in Business Writing and the other in Improving your Memory. So I am keeping busy.

I want to wish everyone good luck on their journey in TOOLS. When I was feeling down, the support I received at TOOLS really made a big difference in my life.

Have a great evening!!

My other adventure was my participation in the summer volunteer choir at Marble Collegiate Church in NYC. The choir was talented with some members working in the theatre  and  doing work in the opera . I followed the more advanced singers and got through the church service without any mishaps. I'll try to attend this choir on a weekly basis during the summer.

I'm growing bit by bit and becoming a little more courageous. It's difficult  to attend so many social events since I am so shy and introverted, but I'm trying to move out of my comfort  zone.

On June 28, I will be singing some selections from an Italian opera for another choir event.

I'm also working on a collage in a mixed media art class and continuing with jewelry making and a survey of American music class.

I realize I still need to work on my attitude. Maybe because I'm in menopause, I'm unusually irritable and more cranky than I used to be. I'm getting a new psychiatrist so I will mention how I feel to her and see if she can change my medicine.

I don't want to make this blog too long.

I hope everyone is having a great evening and have a great day tomorrow!

Linda

This week I have my annual spring choir concert. We will be performing African-American spirituals which are very beautiful. We're going to have some professional singers as soloists so the concert should draw a big crowd.

I've not been successful so far with my job search. I went to Good Temps agency to apply for a job as a reader for the visually handicapped, but the agency told me they only had one job for a reader and that was a long time ago. Instead, I was tested for clerical work, typing and my knowledge of WORD. I had perfect scores on the clerical test(but I hate clerical work and would not consider doing it), but only was average in typing and I scored 70% in the WORD test. The interviewer was rude and unsupportive and I did not have a good rapport with her, so I do not want to work for this agency.

However, another option opened up. My VESID counselor told me of a free class near Columbia University for different levels of expertise on WORD, Excel and Powerpoint. I called this agency, and on Friday I will take a placement test and then I will start classes shortly after in Word and maybe then Excel. This seems like the best route to go at this point--to improve my computer skills and be better qualified for work at agencies.

My other activities consist of the American Music class, and  next week I start Jewelry Making at the senior center and Mixed Media at the Creative Center. So, I'm keeping busy.

I hope everyone is doing well with their goals. Have a great day!

I'm trying not to focus on what I don't have in life. Right now, I'm taking an essential writing skills course as well as courses in film appreciation and kinesiology in which I get a chance to write short essays. And I can always sing which cheers me up.

I'm also going to try to become more involved in this community and try to support others in their goals.

The loneliness I feel is painful but I have to be grateful that at least I have a place to live where I can work on my artistic disciplines which mean so much to me.

On May 31 I  will be performing in my community choir. We are doing a selection of African-American spirituals. This should be a great concert. I really love to sing.

On Monday I start a class on American Music at the senior center and my senior choir starts on Wednesday. We will be doing a selection of songs from the vaudeville time period.

So, I'm keeping busy. That's all I can ask for.

I haven't written for a long time. I miss everybody because some of the members in TOOLS have been very kind to me.

I've had a recent dashing of my dreams. I've stated in the intro to my profile that I have schizoaffective disorder. Recently, I went to a three week evaluation at the Rusk Institute. I  performed well on most of my aptitude tests, scoring the highest marks possible on all my basic academic skills and the 98% percentile in language arts. I did above average in my proofreading skills. I also had perfect attendance at the evaluation and got along with the other clients.

When I went for an interview with my V ESID counselor (VESID is an agency that provides funding for job  training for disabled clients), I was told that jobs in publishing which is the field that I wanted to enter went to young graduates from college and that as a 53 year old woman, I would find it exceedingly difficult to secure employment or even an internship in this area . I was offered possible volunteer work at the clerical department of a hospital or a possible job as a reader for the blind. I've done both jobs in the past and do not want to do them again, especially the clerical work which I find exceedingly tedious.

Tomorrow I have to call the VESID counselor and find out the exact plan of action. There may be some options but I feel some trepidation at contacting her.

For those of you who read through my rant, thanks. I appreciate your effort.

Linda