What grinds my gears....

Nothing grinds my gears more than seeing "Sallie Mae" show up on my phone screen. As I decline yet another call from the now saved phone number as though I have a personal relationship with "her", I confirm that her (yes, I refer to Sallie, as though she is human) "gladiators" (If you watch Scandal, you'll know what I'm talking about) are ruthless individuals trained to do nothing but seize and destroy. I have managed to pay for forbearance for the last year since it is actually four times cheaper than the monthly amount due, and become extremely frustrated every time I am asked why I am requesting financial hardship. Why else does one request financial hardship? Hmmm.. I know!! Financial hardship maybe?!?!

The Wall Street Journal reported that student-loan debt rose 4.6% and is now higher than credit card debt. I am a part of the 4.6% that can't afford to make extremely unreasonable monthly payments because living costs too much and the economy is in the pits. It doesn't make it any better that organizations require more years of experience than the total amount of time that I've been alive and are not willing to let young adults in to demonstrate their abilities that can sometimes prove to more beneficial to the company than those with the years of experience that work there.

But of course, it doesn't stop there. I also have an autoimmune disease that requires frequent doctor visits, a copay, and an out of pocket maximum that has led to nearly $6,000 in medical bills in less than 2 years. Since I can't afford to keep up with ridiculous payment agreements, the medical bill army has also decided to compete with every other bill collector and calls from 8 am to 9 p.m, 5 days a week. I just can't catch a break!

What REALLY grinds my gears is that these heartless organizations are committed to accepting nothing less than 100% of the amount they ask for. I have asked thousands of representatives from Sallie Mae as well as collection agencies to accept what I have to give, and have been told that it is unacceptable. The audacity to refuse money! Why ask me what the minimum amount I can pay is, if you have already made up your mind that I need to pay YOUR minimum? Why offer to check if I qualify for financial assistance to tell me that I make too much money and don't qualify each time? (Which is interesting because I make too much money to afford loan repayment).

Yes, I did apply for the loans with every intention to repay them, but is it my fault that I crave higher education and couldn't afford it without aid? I unfortunately was not wearing my psychic cap and did not see my future of endless job searching when I was signing the loan term agreement. Did I ask for an autoimmune disease that sucks everything (emotionally, physically, and monetarily) out of me?

It's not that I don't plan on repaying the loans, it's that I need more time. I need time to find my dream career that will make a $1200 monthly payment look like chump change. I need the economy to improve and allow me the rite of passage into a corporation where I can grow and do what I love. I just need a chance.  I will continue to exert patience, continue to pursue my passion, and hope that I will be given the opportunity to prove that I earned my degrees and WILL be an asset to the organization that hires me. Until then, Sallie Mae will have to wait in line with all the other sharks that want money that I don't have. After all, you can't get blood out of a stone.

Hey.... I'm not bitter. Not bitter at all. (Declining Sallie Mae once more).....

Best-off-the beaten spots!! (Hartford, Connecticut)

Imagine being able to take the train andbus to travel around the state, or wake up at any time of the day and find something to do-whether it be eat, dance, or talk, or even walk to the nearest corner store to buy junk food. Imagine being born and raised in a place known as the city that never sleeps and becoming accustomed to seeing thousands of tourists visit a place that is nothing more than home to you, but a huge attraction to those around the world who travel thousands miles to take pictures as proof of having been there. That is what it feels like for a Brooklyn native and most likely for the majority of New Yorkers.

Being a city girl living in Connecticut has been a culture shock. After moving here in 2006, I thought I had met my doom. Nicknamed“the Insurance capital of the world”, I found it difficult to find lots of‘touristy’ things to do like I could in New York. After accepting that the two states were very different, I decided to take things into my own hands.

Wadsworth Atheneum

In Connecticut, you can visit the famous Wadsworth Atheneum (the oldest public museum in the country) and view its wonderful art, take a tour of the Hartford Courant (the oldest published newspaper) enjoy an event at the XL Center, stroll through the rose garden at Elizabeth Park, or enjoy the Bushnell Park carousel (the oldest operating carousel  in the country).

What else is there to do? Well, I’m glad you asked!!

(Bonitha at I at the Russell)

If you become tired of hearing the crickets from your hotel or bedroom on a Monday Night, visit The Russell Restaurant located conveniently downtown and enjoy spoken word and live entertainment as you sip on the delightful rum punch and eat the most amazing jerk chicken sandwich and fried plantains in Connecticut. You can also visit The Russell on a Friday evening after work and enjoy Happy Hour with coworkers and friends as you kick off your heels and uncomfortable work shoes and enjoythe live DJ.

If you have a taste for authenticCaribbean food and don’t mind eating where the Connecticut natives eat, stop byDunn’s River Jamaican Restaurant and enjoy amazing fried chicken or moretraditional foods like curry goat and white rice or oxtail and rice and peas.It may sound weird, but I promise that it’s “umm umm good!”

Talcott Mountaintop

When you’ve finished enjoying the tasty foods in Connecticut, feel free to visit Talcott Mountain State Park for some exercise and hike along the trail which provides a spectacular view you can see for miles once you’ve reached the top of the mountain. At the center of Talcott Mountain is the Hublein Tower which now serves as a museum with artifacts and furnishings. For this adventure, I’d recommend that you bring lots of water, bug spray and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Feeling romantic or just want to take a stroll? Takeyour significant other for a long walk along the pedestrian bridge that links East Hartford with Hartford and enjoy breathtaking views of the CT River and the city skyline. You may also be able to enjoy the boat racing and Asian festival, or my personal favorite-the Taste of Hartford, or the Caribbean Jerk Festival. During Fourth of July Weekend, you can enjoy an impressive display offireworks.

Real Artways

Real Art Ways offers live music and performances, book readings, art exhibits and more. Community events are heldon a monthly basis which is usually free or reasonably priced. Young professionals and entrepreneurs can mingle on the third Thursday of every month during “Creative Cocktail Hour” and enjoy live entertainment.

All of these fun adventures are ones that I have taken part in firsthand and highly recommend. Don’t be boring! Step off the beaten path!

*(^&*^@*&@^# ! I left my cell phone...

I read an article on CNN about the human race's dependency of smart phones, tablets, technology, etc. and could only hang my head in shame because I am a super dependent iPhone and iPad junkie. There's not one thing that I don't use my phone for. It is a multi-purpose tool that has become a requirement for me to complete my day.

In his article, John D. Sutter discusses the pros and cons of mobile technology and mentions that while mobile technology allows us to be "superhuman", it also takes away from the interpersonal relationships we once had.

I absentmindedly check my phone every morning that I wake just because I subconsciously feel like I've missed out on things that may have occurred while I was sleeping. I start with my US Weekly application to ensure that there weren't any new marriages or divorces since I last checked and that Hollywood is still up and running. From there, I check Twitter to see what the topic of the day is and what it was when I dozed off. I close Twitter and move to Facebook to check if my niece in Finland has sent me a message and to view everyone's photos as well as read the 'angry-way too much information' statuses. As I am coming to the close of my morning routine, I check my emails and delete all the SPAM as well as my text messages from friends who continued to have a conversation without me as I slept, or the night owls who simply can't sleep without some assistance from Benadryl or NyQuil. I even decide to send out a few messages disregarding the fact that it is 6:30 in the morning and expect to see responses shortly after. I check Instagram and look at everyone's pictures, make a few comments, and after all of this, I am ready to start my day.

 I have had instances where I left my apartment and had to turn back around after realizing that I left my phone. My phone is my notebook, my main source of communication, my access to social media, my access to email, my camera, my journal - MY LIFE. It's so crazy because I can remember when I didn't even own a cell phone, as well as when I got my first cell phone that only allowed me to make calls and play Tetris. I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A DATA PLAN.

But now.... I can connect my phone via bluetooth to my car, play Pandora, watch movies on Netflix, Facetime when I have Wi-Fi, and video chat on SKYPE even when I don't! I consult Google as though it were my personal consultant. Let's not even talk about my texting capabilities!! I can group chat, and I can have over 10 conversations all at the same time! (I AM WOMAN WITH SMART PHONE, HEAR ME ROAR!!!) Wouldn't you agree with Mr. Sutter that our smartphones do make us superhuman?? I would.

But then... what happens when we do start to disconnect from face to face communication and choose to keep everyone at a specific distance through the mobile world? What happens when we can argue non - stop through text all day but become silent when we are within proximity of our significant others? What happens when we cut telephone calls short because it becomes awkward when we have nothing else to say? Are we really superhuman then?

 Read the CNN article here:
How smartphones make us superhuman - CNN.COM

When life's got you down...think happy

As I performed my daily ritual browsing Oprah Winfrey's website, an article about achieving 30 days of happiness caught my attention. I looked further into the subject which revealed that Oprah is challenging her audience to keep a happiness journal which focuses on recording the happiest moment of the day. I thought about this and was inspired to rise to the challenge and focus on the things that make me smile and make me feel happy throughout the day.

I love to write - especially about my feelings and have noticed throughout the years that I write mostly about the bad days and the moments of unhappiness, anger, pessimism, and worry. If one were to read my journal, they would probably assume that I lived the worst life ever and was a depressed individual walking the earth. Don't get me wrong - writing about those not so great moments helped me feel better because I got the chance to vent my feelings without having to deal with criticism or to be patronized. I just find it ironic that I don't take the time to jot down the happy moments!

I too will join Oprah and the rest of her fans and begin to write about the happy moments and focus on the ones that make me smile, rather than resonate on the uneventful, unhappy moments that find a way to smother my happiness.

With that being said - I 'forward' the challenge to you and dare you to think about the happy moments as well as record them to see what a difference it can make in your life when you force yourself to think about the positive rather than the opposite. 

All about purpose and passion

So much has occurred since my last post in 2009! Since then, I have graduated from the University of Hartford, not once - but twice! Once with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and most recently with a Master's Degree in Communications. I am driven and motivated to pursue a career in corporate communications and won't stop until I achieve my purpose. :) Since we are on the subject of purpose...... I recently came across a "life class" on Oprah's website, hosted by T.D. Jakes on living every moment with purpose and was challenged to discover my own purpose and focus on my dreams. I've always had a desire to write, to speak to others, and to demonstrate my creativity as well as improve myself as an individual emotionally and spiritually. I was motivated to set goals, become more active in my pursuit of a career and not a job, and to believe in my self. I want to make my dreams a reality and use myself as a tool to motivate other young professionals as myself to pursue their dreams and fulfill their highest potential and calling. I desire wholeheartedly to live a better life than the one I am living right now and will not be satisfied until I have achieved this goal. So, I decided to start creating goals for myself and working toward meeting them. I'm on a mission to improve my writing as well as ME (Kimberly). So, I decided to go back to the things I enjoyed - the things I found solace in such as writing and reading. Life can become so overwhelming and one can be inundated with so many regular tasks, forgetting to do the things they enjoy. I work towards personal improvement because I believe that I am here for a purpose and that I am destined for greatness. I appreciate websites that provide useful content to motivate individuals to do something. This broadcast in particular, motivated me to awaken the passion and zeal I had when I was an undergraduate to be a great writer and to love my profession in Communications. Some day I hope to travel the world. Some day I hope to be a director in the corporate office of an innovative and exciting Communications Department, communicating internationally and being acknowledged as a talented young black women who defied the odds and followed her dreams to success. I hope to do all of this with the same hunger and desire I have now and take baby steps looking forward to the growth and maturity. Dare I ask - What is your purpose? What do you have a passion for? Have you set goals?