 fast forward here and say I nailed it. The interview that is. I was funny. And charming. And scared shitless. And might have embellished how deep my desire was to help wayward youth. I just needed the paycheck. HIRED! Hired?  A mix of happiness and total fear filled my parents. And me.
It was everything you picture it to be. It was sad and depressing and eye-opening and life changing. Working in a Juvenile jail. I worked there for a year before moving to Austin to work in Juvenile Probation there for several years. I learned more about the world, about me, about people, about everything in that first year working than I ever did in years of college. That job shaped my beliefs….political and social. It changed the way I look at people. It slapped my stereotypes in the face. These kids and their families taught me more than any book ever could have.
One of my first night’s on the job two 16 year old boys were brought in for murder. I spent 8 hours a day for a year with them. Taking them meals, walking them to class, giving them chores to do, medication, walking them to visitation, speaking with their families, walking them to court dates. You really get to know someone when you spend 8 hours a day with them. They were tried as adults. And sentenced to 75 years in prison. I don’t have much to say about that. 
When I tell people now that I was a Juvenile Probation Officer they laugh, then look at me and say “Seriously?”. It seems like a bazillion years ago. I guess it was. I had my hair pulled out, was bitten, spit at and had a few things thrown at me. There were moments I was scared. But the good far outweighed the bad. Those few years…before kids, before you get old and jaded, when your mind is open…I wouldn’t trade them for anything. That job changed how I thought. And shaped how I raise my kids. How I look at other kids.  Funny how things, moments, people can affect your life in so many ways, for so very long after they over.
TorqStorm is introducing two new centrifugal supercharger kits for GM LS transplant engines that have become popular fitments in a wide range of older cars and trucks. The twin kit supports 1,000-plus horsepower while the single sustains 700 plus. Both can be adapted for use with electronic fuel injection or carburetion. But this is only the start.Abt Associates seeks a senior leader to grow our climate change practice in the area of natural and working lands, focusing on climate solutions for the farming, forestry, and other sectors. This position will involve work with a range of governments, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Agriculture, and state, local, and national governments. Key areas of focus include emissions mitigation and sequestration analysis, policy and financing design and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and program implementation.
Disney + Food and Wine?
It doesn’t take much to get me excited about visiting Disneyland Resort (DLR), but the notion of amazing eats and adult drinks has me absolutely elated. I didn’t have the chance to visit DLR for last year’s event, and sadly this year I will not be eating and drinking my way around Disneyland California Adventure Park (DCA), but my bestie, Sarah will be so stay tuned because she will be reporting on her fun soon!
Are you a food and/or wine enthusiast with a love for magic? You will want to mark your calendar for this year’s Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, now through April 16, 2017. There are just two weeks left of this event, so make it a date night (or day) and head to DCA! There are so many activities for all ages, so feel free to bring the kiddos!
Bonus, if you’re an Annual Passport holder, make sure to check out AP Corner for limited edition experiences and treats.
There are over a dozen marketplaces open daily that will offer complementing cuisine to the Festival-inspired menus throughout the theme park’s restaurants and eateries. We have picky eaters & food allergies in our house, so knowing the amount of options available to all of my kids (and me) is important.
So many amazing celebrity chefs have been scheduled to appear since opening on March 10th!
Here’s the lineup for the last two weekends. Visit Disneyland.com/foodandwine to purchase your tickets!
You know Disney does it big, so they have an amazing schedule of activities and opportunities for pretty much everyone in your group.
Sweet Sundays sound like an amazing way to spend a lazy Sunday – learning how to make sweet treats, and then eating them! This is a 90-minute culinary demonstration that includes a light breakfast and sparkling toast!
Winemaster & Brewmaster Dinners (Thursdays) offer a four-course meal, paired with either wine or beer. Courses are created by the Disney Executive Chef Team and you’ll have an opportunity to hear from the winemakers and brewmasters about the pairings!
*Signature Events require separate ticketed admission to enter Disney California Adventure Park.
Who wouldn’t want to cook with Chef Goofy?! I seriously wish this was around when I was young! Kids ages 3 to 11 are invited to get their cooking groove on with Chef Goofy and the Jammin’ Chefs, and you can’t forget sous chefs, Chip ‘n Dale. Get hands on cooking experience and go home with a yummy treat! This musical program will happen daily in Paradise Park, near Golden Zephyr. Space is limited and is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Don’t miss out on a chance to hang with some of Disney’s celebrities!
Alright, magic makers, if you’ve got the time and the budget agrees, clear your calendar for a day to enjoy the Disney Food & Wine Festival, it would be a wonderful time spent, especially if your family is getting ready to relax for spring break! Feeling extra spontaneous? Make it a weekend and book a trip with my travel partner – Get Away Today. Use my code “SPARKS” to get $10 off a 2 night package.
So, what do you say? Will you be making your way to experience Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival?
Book Reviews: Central Asia

In December 2006, Tajikistan’s President Rakhmonov succeeded in having himself re-elected for a further seven-year term, by the end of which he will have been in power for 20 years. This kind of régime entrenchment, rather than democratic progress, has increasingly characterised the former Soviet Central Asian states. In December also, the President-for-life of Turkmenistan died suddenly, with no apparent succession mechanism in place. What was swiftly devised involved multiple breaches and/or changes of the constitution. In neighbouring Afghanistan fighting continues in the south, and much of the heroin cultivated reaches Russia and Europe via Tajikistan. Corruption is endemic and fuelled by the drug trade. Poverty is ubiquitous. Jonson’s book is informative, timely and welcome, for books on Tajikistan, one of the smallest, poorest and least-known of the former Soviet republics, are thin on the ground. Were it not for the events in Afghanistan since the late 1990s and 9/11 in 2001 there would probably be even fewer of them. Tajikistan is a mountainous and inaccessible country, differing from the other Turkic-speaking, former Soviet Central Asian states by language and ethnicity, which link it to Iran. Unlike Iranians, however, most (85 percent) of Tajikistan’s Muslim population are Sunni, and only about 5 percent Shi’ite. Statistics indicate a population of just over seven million, with an average age of 20 and an average birth-rate of four per woman, with an estimated GDP per capita (PPP/purchasing power parity) in 2005 of $1200. Sixty seven percent of the workforce is still employed on the land, mainly growing cotton. Jonson seeks to clarify Tajikistan’s foreign policy orientation in the context of its geographical situation, economy, and politics. She traces early history, featuring star roles for Persia, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamurlane, and empires such as the Samanids, Bactria and Sogdiana. Independence came unexpectedly to Tajikistan in 1991, bringing economic collapse and the urgent need to fashion an identity. Before it had time to tackle these challenges, civil war intervened. International efforts helped to end the war in 1997–98. Soon after, new threats arose with the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and increasing Islamic tension in another, less friendly, neighbour, Uzbekistan. The tensions emerged in the Fergana Valley, a desperately poor region split by Stalin between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In response, Uzbekistan has regularly sealed and mined its border with Tajikistan under various pretexts. It has also made it difficult for Tajiks to travel by train to Russia to seek work. Central Asians, especially Tajiks, do virtually all the more menial jobs in Russia’s service sector today. They get little thanks for it: murders of Tajiks by Russian skinheads have become all too common. But half a million are estimated to work in Russia and their remittances are vital to the economy. In early January 2007, rather than tackling racism, Russia adopted tough restrictions on migrant labour.Typod wrote:Im getting