I know. It’s a cliche’ excuse, but this time it’s me…or things around me that I can’t necessarily control. May is usually a joyous month as there are back to back birthdays, my parents anniversary and if there is any one graduating, getting married… OH! not to mention Mother’s Day… May is exhausting, but satisfyingly full of love. This time around it was slightly different. At the top of the month, my father has a common procedure done. The surgery went well, but right after he went into cardiac arrest. After 15 mins of being resuscitated, he was immediately put under heavy sedation (a medically induced coma), where his body went through a cooling/warming process to protect his brain, vitals, etc. and to make sure damage wasn’t done (he didn’t loose oxygen to his brain) during the 15 mins he was “out.”
As you can imagine my family has been by his side ever since. It’s been a whirlwind with me wanting to write, in this blog, pitching articles, accepting a couple of assignments sent my way and even the side project I’m working on, but I’ve been so unmotivated. In helping nursing my dad back to good health, my mother and I have been moving at the speed of light and eventually into zombies has we been going back forth to the hospital, plus taking care of home. Thankfully all of this seems to be coming to an end as my father is slated to come home tomorrow! After spending nearly the entire month in the hospital, like a true solider he has pulled through. He is still going to need a bit more care once he comes home, but we’re all just thankful he is finally coming home and the Snickerdoodle can look in his face. She hasn’t been able to see him in his room, just talk to him over the phone and a few times on Facetime.
This month has been so icky that I haven’t had a chance to really promote or share a recent article of mine in the Spring issue of The NAACP’s Crisis Magazine. The article is a brief spotlight on KidGINEER, a STEM program specifically for elementary school-age children. I interviewed the founder, patent and trademark attorney Andrea Hence Evans, a few months back after she was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change. Evans invited me to spend a Saturday morning with her and the participants of KidGINEER and I was absolutely blown away by how 4th, 5th and 6th graders were creating a video game from scratch and were genuinely excited about it. I wish my story on them was a full on feature, because it was so much information and details I wanted to share. Yet, the spotlight still gives a good view into who they are and what they do.
Check out the article here: Building Blocks of Change by Tiffany E. Browne (Pg. 6).
Things are coasting along with the PR gig as I’m continuously learning this part of the field (hospitality communications/journalism). At this point, I’m not sure what is needed to get me back on track and motivated to really write again. Before my father’s hospital stay I did find my mother’s copy of Terry McMillian’s A Day Late and A Dollar Short. My initial goal was to read it within a week so I could catch a rerun of the Lifetime movie version of the book. My week has now extended to this whole month. I’m trying to finish this up soon, as I am excited about Walter Mosley new release; Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore. Hopefully, by reading all this good literature my writing mojo can stir around. I do know a revamping is NEEDED, especially with this blog. It’s coming.
Thank for hanging in here with me.
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
Posted on May 27, 2014
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