Author Archives: Meeshell X

Living my life in the tropics.

Exploring Italy: A Culinary Adventure by Bike

Daily writing prompt
What countries do you want to visit?
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There is only one country I truly want to visit, and that’s Italy. But when I say “visit,” I don’t mean the typical tourist trip where you hit the famous landmarks and snap photos with historical monuments. No, no. I want to bike and eat my way through Italy. If I didn’t see a single tourist attraction, I’d be perfectly okay with that.

My love for Italian food began with my first boyfriend, Salvatore—better known as Sloopy, who, of course, was Italian. Thursday nights were pasta nights at his house, and they quickly became the highlight of my week. The gravy, as his family called it, was the best I had ever tasted. Needless to say, every Thursday I was having dinner at my boyfriend’s place. Holiday meals were another favorite. The traditional Christmas Eve dinner of fish? To die for.

In addition to having an Italian boyfriend, my first job was at an Italian bakery called Maria’s. My bosses—yep, Italian. The owner barely spoke English. All the workers, except for me, were Italian. I was constantly surrounded by Italian cookies, cakes, and pastries. It was a great job and I loved working there and making cannolis. I especially loved dipping my hand into the empty cannoli cream bucket and scraping off the leftovers stuck to the sides. Don’t worry—the bucket was empty! Calm down.

Even my friends at the time were Italian. Imagine that. When I transferred to a public school, the student body was mostly made up of two groups: you were either Black or Italian. I was neither, and I ended up becoming friends with the Italians. I spent so much time with them that I naturally absorbed parts of their culture and even picked up some of the language. That influence has stayed with me throughout my life.

So, in the end, there’s still only one country I want to visit: Italy. Biking and eating my way through the diverse landscapes of Italy sounds like the most authentic way to experience its cuisine and culture. Sure, my plan comes with a few logistical challenges—extra clothing, storing items I collect along the way—but I’m confident I can figure that out.

Teachers and Bathroom Breaks: A Struggle

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

I need to go to the bathroom but I can’t because I can’t leave my class alone.

If you are a teacher reading this, I am pretty sure you can relate. Going to the bathroom ,for teachers, is a luxury. Bladder relief is a timed situation, morning, lunch, planning period, or passing time.

Oh my, here comes a student to talk to me. I guess I will have to hold it for another hour or so. No big deal, I hope.

Question, what other professions have a similar situation with lavatory usage?

AI & Prompting

What is the last thing you learned?

The most recent and useful thing I have learned is about AI and how to prompt it properly to get what I want. When I first started dabbling with AI, the results required me to “fix” the information. I was spending a lot of time fixing and reprompting the responses I received. I wondered what the big deal with AI was, where was the usefulness? It seemed like more work to edit everything than if I had just done it myself from the start. But after some investigation and a few online tutoring videos, I now see the wonders of AI. It is most definitely a time saver and a great idea generator.

If you have dabbled and not gotten the results you were looking for, the problem might be with your AI prompting approach. I recommend watching a few tutorials. Hopefully, this will be as helpful as it was for me.

Office Culture & Social Interactions

Are Work Friendships Real?

We spend a lot of our time at work, surrounded by the same people every day. But does that make them friends? I’ve always thought that just because you talk to people on a daily basis, it doesn’t mean they’re your real friend. They might just be a “work friend.” But some may see it differently. Some people will say that their closest friendships started at work and has continued. This got me thinking, are work friendships real?

Besides friendships, there are so many personalities we encounter at work. For example, the Office Energy Drainer. You may know this person too. The one who always has a complaint, a problem, or some drama that somehow drains you before you even finish your coffee. They can turn a simple “How are you?” into a 10-minute rant that leaves you emotionally exhausted. Or what about the Strategic Friend. Not exactly your bestie, but they’re in your corner when you need them. They always know what’s going on, know how to navigate tricky situations, and most importantly always have the best timing when it comes to covering for you. Is this a friendship? hmmm

Of course, these are just a few of the personalities that make wok interesting. If you want to hear more about the unspoken truths of work relationships, and maybe laugh a little along the way, check out The Nobody Talks About It Podcast!

A Tall Glass of

What is your favorite drink?

Water.

I love water. Room temperature water is my favorite drink. I will take it anytime over anything else.

Ice you say? No. Gets in the way.

How about cold water? Well, cold cold, no. Cool water on a hot day is good but still no ice.

Lemon water you ask. Nope. Not needed. Plain ol’ water from the tap usually works.

There is nothing like a glass of water to quench your thirst any time on any day. Nothing beats it!

Favorite Candy

What’s your favorite candy?

Three Musketeers is hands down my favorite candy bar. Light and airy, reminding me of a chocolate mousse. I love chocolate mouse so I guess it make sense that Three Musketeers is my favorite candy bar.

Second favorite candy bar is SKOR. Not sure if this is even made anymore as I am no longer a frequent shopper of candy. The hard toffee, I think it is toffee. Not sure but whatever it is, it is super yummy. I used to love when my teeth would stick together while I are it. I am sure that was not good for my teeth but still I had fun eating it.

Now I am a dark chocolate lover, 80% or higher and only a small square is needed to satisfy my chocolate craving.

My how things change.

Listen up ladies!

Daily writing prompt
Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.
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Most definitely, my brush blow dryer! Every time I use it, I actually say to myself, “Wow, this is the best gift!”

Some may think, A blow dryer? And I say, YES, a blow dryer! But it’s not just any blow dryer—it’s a two-in-one! A brush and a hair dryer. WOW! Amazing!

I have thick, wavy, sometimes unruly hair, and drying it at home is a royal pain. This dryer frees up one hand! Instead of juggling a brush in one hand and a dryer in the other, I have both built into one device. Now, when one hand gets tired, I can switch to the other. Before, both hands would tire—one more than the other—and I could only switch between tools, not actually rest my arm. But with this blower brush, I can finally give my arm a break. What an amazing invention!

Ladies, if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s the closest you can get to a salon-quality blowout at home. My only advice? Invest in a good one. The cheap ones don’t work as well—you’ve got to spend a little to get the best results!

Marriage. Is It Still Worth It?

Recently, it became very clear that many people my age are either divorced or in the process of getting divorced. The media has also been talking about how more people are choosing to stay single. What’s going on? Why are so many people getting divorced, especially later in life?

My theory is simply time, change, and children. Over time, people change—we know this. You are not the same person in your early thirties as you were in your early twenties. The same goes for your thirties and forties. By the time you reach your thirties, you are likely married. Eventually, you have children. When children come along, a couple definitely changes. Your focus becomes your children, not your spouse. And it is during this period, raising children, that you start to change. The changes are subtle. You dress differently, your views on issues change and maybe you no longer enjoy something you once loved. Maybe you start liking something new. These subtle changes go unnoticed by your spouse. Why? Because both of you are no longer focused on each other but on your children.

Fast forward fifteen to twenty years—now your children are leaving, and it is just you and your spouse. And then you notice. You have changed. Your spouse has changed. You don’t enjoy the same things. You have different views. You want different things. You love them, but not in the same way. And then it hits you like a ton of bricks. You have grown apart.

Two things can happen here. You both realize and understand this change. As a couple, you commit to work and stay together. Or you choose to divorce. Many reading this will think, “No, not me. I would definitely work through it. That’s what marriage is about.” Well, that may be how YOU think, but that is not necessarily how your spouse thinks. They may be ready to move on.

Many will argue that those getting divorced were not committed, married the wrong person, or have a lover. Some of this might be true. However, statistics show that people in their fifties or older are overwhelmingly getting divorced. In fact, the numbers are up. Since the 1990s, the number has increased by fifty percent. For those sixty-five and older, the number has tripled (Pew Research).

Why are we still getting married? In the end, it will most likely end in divorce. Are we still telling our kids to find someone, get married, and have kids?

This only speaks to those who make it to this stage. What about all the failed marriages before this? What are the numbers? At a quick glance, they don’t seem much better. So again, why are we pushing for marriage?

What to hear more about this topic or know the reasons people are choosing to still get married? Tune in to The Nobody Talks About It Podcast.

Are Kids Overrated?

Recently I was asked “Should I have kids?” and I answered “Kids are overrated.” Boy, did I get eyeballed. Comments included, “What do you mean? ” ” I can’t believe you just said that!” “How can you say that?” “What’s wrong with having kids.” “Don’t you have kids?” Yes, I have kids. I have two, in fact, and they are wonderful. However, that does not mean you should have kids too. Nor does it mean I would recommend you having kids.

There is an unspoken blueprint in life. We are born, and then we grow up, get a job, find a partner, and have kids. Before anyone has kids, they should think long and hard on the topic. Having kids and raising kids is no picnic. It requires a tremendous amount of strength, time, energy and commitment. It’s easy to assume that, parenthood is the next step. However, we rarely consider the parts of ourselves we will have to let go of.

This question of “Should I have kids?” is very complicated and should not be taken lightly. What does having children really entail, for YOU, as an individual? For more thoughts around this topic, listen to the Nobody Talks About It Podcast, episode Are Kids Overrated. Here, Karen and I talk openly about this topic and try to shed light deciding to have kids.

If you like what you hear, be sure to like and follow us! On major podcast outlets.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Wait Maybe.

Daily writing prompt
How are you creative?
View all responses

Initially, my response was, “I’m not. I’m not creative.” Then I gave it a second thought and realized, well, writing this blog post makes me creative. I wonder how many others posted this exact response.

But, just as I was about to close my computer, it hit me—I am creative. Standing in front of middle school kids every day, teaching social studies, requires a lot of creativity. How does one keep their interest and spark curiosity in a topic so they want to explore it further? That takes creativity. Managing classroom behavior also demands creativity. Yelling, scolding, and threatening? Sure, they might work occasionally, but those methods wear thin quickly.

And let’s not forget the constant need to adapt lessons for neurodiversity within each class. Creating variations of the same lesson to meet the needs of every student—that’s creativity in action.

In the end, I am creative. As someone said, “Teaching is an Art!”