Kiara CT

You know how every food blog has a bunch of words at the beginning about their life story? Well that’s not this post. I made fried shrimp with some baked French fries. Only thing I’ll tell you is this: I measure nothing. If you came here looking for teaspoons and measured pinches of seasoning, you’re in the wrong blog. Season until your heart is content. Let’s get started!

For the shrimp, I bought deveined raw extra large shrimp. I de-shelled and pinched the tails off the shrimp because I have a five year old.

Shrimp seasoning: fresh ground black pepper, fresh ground salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika. Besides that, I got 1/2 bag of fish fry and coated the shrimp (no egg dip, I don’t like thick batter on shrimp).

For the French fries, I got two russet potatoes and washed them. Cut them up nice and slender, and put them in cold water with some salt and ice in the fridge. The cold water drives out the starch, and the salt really takes all the moisture out. Once I took them out of the water, I thoroughly dried the potato slices and dried them on a metal cooling rack for about an hour. I DID NOT SEASON THEM before I baked them. Believe it or nor, I wanted my French fries to taste like potatoes. So, I stuck them in the the oven on 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes and let them crisp up. Once they were done cooking, I then salted them and put about two capfuls of extra virgin olive oil. They were great, and I regret nothing!

‼️PRO TIPs: 1. Salt the shrimp once you’re done frying for extra flavor. 2. Squeeze some lemon 🍋 on the shrimp once it’s done, and 3. If you’re into tartar sauce and have a Wegmans near you, buy store brand! I’m a label girl when it comes to sauces, but Wegmans tartar can rival any name-brand tartar out there. Try it!

Tonight, I was on the phone with one of my best friends for about two hours. And in those two hours, a realization came to mind: I have to make a life or death choice for my four-year old daughter this year.

See, I live in non-sensical Florida, where their decision-making for the international pandemic has been abismal. But for this post, I’ll leave politics out of it.

What I want to talk about is the anxiety I get from thinking that my daughter’s education will be lacking because I am unwilling to put her in harm’s way. Sure, her daycare has done the absolute best they can, and there haven’t been any cases reported since the crisis began. But that was when the school was at 50% capacity. What happens when the school goes back to full capacity, and children are … well, children? There’s no social distancing for toddlers. There’s not enough soap and water to wash off COVID for 50 Pre-K students. And there’s not enough time in the day to convince me that the school system cares about my child’s health more than the state’s reputation during COVID.

What’s worse? For VPK (think pre-kindergarten), my county hasn’t even offered the option for online or distance learning. So now, during my child’s formative years, before she goes into the ‘system,’ which will constantly berate her for test scores and progress exams, parents are left to their own devices without so much as a lesson plan to help their child succeed.

Now, will I be on Google, Khan Academy, WBC Mouse, and YouTube? ABSOLUTELY. But don’t I pay taxes so that I can have the option to teach my child in the safety of my own home without risking exposure to COVID-19? Abso-freaking-lutely. I’ve done my part: I wear masks when I go out, I don’t take my child out unless absolutely necessary, I have avoided mass groups and skilled family gatherings.

Trying to do something a little different for Jesse Philippe’s campaign to congress: start a podcast. A vlog more than a traditional sit-down, we’re going to interact with the community in Florida more than any other campaign! I know the competition (Adam Hattersley, Alan Cohn) may have a few more broadcasts in their pocket (pun intended), but I’m sure they don’t have the heart, hunger, or drive that we do.

Episode 01 of the W.I.P. Podcast can be found on Youtube.

We didn’t come here to play!!! We’re coming for our things. And we will Bring Congress Back to the Community.

W.I.P. Podcast: Episode 01 is up on YouTube and Facebook, shared across all platforms.

Want to Follow Jesse’s Journey? His Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are constantly sharing information and updates.

I've got about 380 friends on my Facebook account, all of whom I've met and interacted with at one time or another. Of those 380 friends, about 300 of them are in the public service industry, to include my husband. From US military, doctors, policeman, and firefighters, every one of those friends are in the business of helping others. While the nation is in a state of emergency, it's the 300 friends that are still out serving us.

The hospitals and pharmacies don't close. The military has a stop movement in effect, but many military professionals are still going to work to take care of the mission. Restaurant workers are still getting orders out, and t eachers are always finding ways to educate their students remotely. It's dangerous out here, but public servants are still working hard for everyone.

So what can you do? Send a quick text or call. Let them know you're thinking about them. Check on them to see how COVID-19 is affecting not only their job but their well-being. Lastly, stay home, and stay away from the public as much as you can. If you haven't been mandated to, and have the means to do so, keep your kids at home. Because the quicker we respond, the quicker the nation can recover.

Over the years, I've been described as ambitious. Naturally, I think of Wale’s 2011 Album ’Ambition, ’ putting it on repeat as I type this blog entry. However, I wonder if ambition is the best word to describe what I am and who I am.

A quick visit to Google’isha (i.e., Google) displays the definition of ’ambition’ as ’ a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.’ At first glance, it sounds pretty generic to me, not quite capturing my emotions. Then, the second example of ambition grace my attention:

”Life offered few opportunities for young people with ambition.”

This sentence along speaks to my experience more than I care to admit. For me, I like I'm aggressively moving towards a vision that I can only see in the distance. When I stay focused on the blurry outline of a future that I could have, I can see how every step I am making brings me closer to where I want to be. But when I get distracted and look around the room, I see less ambitious people seemingly go further. Sometimes, I think its the drive to success that holds me back.

After a few missteps, I have found that it's the comparison to others that holds me back. It's my journey and my journey alone. It's not just a desire to be successful, but a requirement. It's a fire that refuses to be extinguished. It's a vision of leaving my daughter a legacy that not only she can be proud of but can build upon a story of her own.

There are a few names that I believe have become American royalty of sorts: Kennedy, Rockefeller, Bush, and Carter to name a few. With the vision I have, I can be the matriarch that initiated a generational change for centuries to come.

My ambition will only last my lifetime. But my legacy will outlast my grandchildren. if it starts with a blog post.

There is a three-pronged approach to learning: keeping resources current, active participation, and multi-faceted learning .

Current resources are necessary for linking concepts and theories to reality. While academic resources are essential, articles from reputable news outlets, nonprofit publications, and video resources are all ways to associate recent activity to the current topic at hand. Access to international relations resources like The Economic and Foreign Policy have proven useful in presentations to senior leaders, amplifying information found in the classified realm.

No matter the class, active participation is a must! Adult learners need to be engaged in order not only to understand the concepts discussed in class but also to be able to apply those lessons learned in a presentation or essay. Encouraging note-taking and recording sessions is the first step. However, recent articles and essays allow for conversation to take place among the audience, often cementing theories for future uses. Starting a conversation based on recent events transforms the student from an inactive learner to an active instructor.

Finally, a multi-faceted approach to learning not only expands the capability of the student in terms of resource proficiency but also broadens the learning audience. Including synchronous and asynchronous materials makes the experience allows for different types of VARK learners the ability to flourish at times while strengthening other areas in need of improvement. As millennials and Generation Z students flood the academic realm, diversity in literature and learning styles needs exploration.

PS This is more a thought than an approach: We've got to get over the stigma that online schools have acquired over the years. While some are infamous for bad education and promote a pariah atmosphere, there are many more that strive to provide more student a more flexible educational experience. There are too many working professionals that need access to good education, and too many good institutions to limit the platform in which they teach. Many prestigious institutions are including online coursework to their student body, and are gearing up to move to a totally online degree program. So, to any academic institution reading this: expand your mind, read the research provided by the leading schools in our nation, and reach the millennials and Generation Z students that will not only take over the classroom, your company and office as well. Talk to you soon!

Listen For this post I have two assumptions (ie FACTS) in which i'm basing my comments:

The presidential election is November 2020.

President Trump has to get up out of office.

These are not up for debate. If you disagree, I understand, and I hope you find a blog that you agree with. For everyone else, carry on.

I've heard of Super Tuesday, but I never really understood what it was about. Long story short, it's the day where we can try and narrow down the presidential nominees that we've got to vote on in November (formally referred to as the Presidential Primary). As of 2 Mar 2020, 11:07 PM, we've got five Democratic presidential nominees. Two are really neck-and-neck (Sanders, Biden), but the results of Super Tuesday could definitely impact who gets the nomination for office. We need to narrow the candidates down so we can push all the support to the one democratic presidential nominee for November's presidential election.

Not all states are able to participate in Super Tuesday . The states that are able to participate are as follows: Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia. If you are in one of the states listed above, I encourage you to find out what you need to do to vote. Usually, you need to be registered to vote and have a valid state ID, but it may differ in your state.