Every day I wake up and think to myself, "Fuck." That's considering if I slept at all that night. Many nights are sleepless. Just tossing and turning, not being able to shut my brain off. The nights I am able to sleep, I have terrible nightmares and wake up soaked with sweat, barely knowing where I am. Did you know that after about 5 days of no sleep, you start to hallucinate? I didn't. No one warned me about that. That tidbit of information would've been useful so I didn't think I was going TOTALLY insane. People on the outside of my life looking in may think that everything's fine. I have a roof over my head, a good job that I love, family who I love, 2 beautiful boys who I love...what could possibly be wrong? Also, I seem like I'm in a pretty positive mood most of the time, so nothing could be wrong, right? WRONG!!! I don't know why I think the way that I do. To be honest, it scares the shit out of me...and I'm not easily scared. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for what I do have. I am definitely not some ungrateful, spoiled little shit. I do have family, friends, food, shelter, and a career. Which is a lot more than most people have. So why am I so fucked up? Why am I having these terrible thoughts? I DON'T KNOW!!! And that's what scares me the most. Could it be all the twisted crap that I did in my past? Maybe. Could it be due to the fact that I have pretty much blocked out 12 years of my life? (Which multiple psychiatrists have determined is because of a trauma that was so severe that I simply can't handle it, so I repressed those years.) Possibly. Could it be that no matter how hard I try to be healthy, and stay sober (for the most part), I continue to have severe health issues that are totally incurable, and the treatment for them (so far) has been a total waste of time? Could be. Could it be that every month I lose another one of my friends to overdoses, suicide, accidents, etc.? Might be. Honestly, it's probably a combination of all that crap. It can't just be one thing. I know I'm not a weak person. I've been through shit you probably can't even imagine...not even in your worst nightmares. Honestly, I wouldn't want you to be able to imagine the shit I've dealt with. I wouldn't wish any of that on my worst enemy. I don't even really know where this is going. I just needed to write this, just to get some crap off my chest (metaphorically speaking). I know I have issues. Trust issues, issues with anxiety...I have a lot of issues. Most of them I deal with, some I can't handle. The only things keeping me on this earth are my kids. This is not a "cry for help". I don't need or want anyone's sympathy. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for me. Just take this thought with you: Simply because a person may seem like nothing is bothering them, like nothing's wrong. That they're happy in life...that may not be the case at all. This is going to sound really cliché, but don't judge a book by it's cover. The cover may be all sunshine and rainbows, but once you actually start reading that book, it may be one of the most terrifying experiences of your life. That's it for now. Usually I have a little funnyish thing to put here, but I'm not in the mood. If you are having any similar thoughts, get help. Seriously. Don't mess around. Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me:
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So you guys totally blew me away with the amount of readers on my last blog "Things You Should NEVER Do In a Tattoo Shop (Unless You Want to Look Like a Total Asshole)". So to follow up, here are things you should ALWAYS do in a tattoo shop. 1: Look at the artist portfolios! Don't just go for the cheapest price. This is probably the most important thing, that only about 15% of people actually do. The majority of the time, potential clients come in and simply ask for a price, without even bothering to even skim through any of our work. This makes it pretty obvious that you are only looking for the lowest cost, as opposed to looking for a high quality, well executed tattoo. You have to keep in mind that, especially in this industry (I hate that word, but that's what it is), YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Say I give you an estimated quote of $250 for the piece you want. You think that's kinda high, so you go to the hack shop down the street. They quote you $100 for the same piece. So you think to yourself, "Why should I go to her? She's asking $150 more! Overcharging bitch! I'm going to the $100 shop." Yeah...usually a pretty bad idea. Did you even bother to look at either of our work? Definitely not, or you wouldn't just jump on the cheapest deal. The "artist" who quoted you the $100 piece just started last week, has no idea what he's doing, and will probably mess your whole world up. You'll walk out with a traced flash piece, with crap line work, choppy shading, no solid color saturation, and probably tons of scarring. That's why it was so cheap! Look at the work, and spend the extra money to get it done right. You will probably have to look at it for the rest of your life, unless you choose to try and get it salvaged by someone who knows what they're doing, and guess what...now you have to pay MORE that the original quote to get it done right in the first place! 2: Get a babysitter! Okay, I get it. I'm a mom myself. It's hard to find a decent babysitter, and it's another expense. But seriously, you really shouldn't have your 2 year old with you while you're getting tattooed. You can't really watch your kid too well, and it's not like you can jump up every 15 minutes to grab your kid up and keep him out of trouble. So make sure you line up a babysitter! 3: Have a basic idea of what you want. You don't need to be insanely specific. In fact, if you're not crazy specific about every single little tiny detail, you'll probably get a better tattoo. Obviously if you want lettering done, you should specify what you want it to say, and if you want something significant included, you should definitely let your artist know. Aside from that, have a basic idea/theme and location/size. If you have reference pictures, bring them with you, but allow for your artist to get creative and design you a tattoo that is made custom for you. Trust me, you will get a better tattoo if you allow your artist creative freedom. 4: Eat before you go! I can't even express how important this is. Even if you just have a PB&J...EAT SOMETHING! Getting tattooed takes a lot out of you, and getting one done on a totally empty stomach is never a good idea. I've had people come in for three hour (or longer) sittings, when they haven't eaten a thing all day. They're fine in the beginning, but after about an hour, lightheadedness starts to kick in, and that is never a good thing. So eat before you come! Oh, and bring a drink with you too. Water's always good, but something with a little sugar is always better. 5: Practice good hygiene. "You shouldn't even have to put this on the list, right? That's just common sense.", you're probably thinking to yourself. I really wish I didn't have to include this, but apparently not everyone HAS common sense. I've had people come in fresh from the gym, people who haven't showered all day, haven't brushed their teeth in what seems to be years. All kinds of disgustingness. So wash your ass & brush your teeth before you come in. Do not subject your artist to your various body odors. It's not cool. 6: Prepare the area that's getting tattooed. I'm not saying go get a wax job so you're completely hairless or anything crazy like that. Shaving the area is part of my job, and I'll probably do it out of habit even if you had just shaved. If you're a girl, and your getting a tattoo on your foot, maybe get a pedicure before. You won't be able to for a week or two anyway. It also prepares the skin with the exfoliation & moisturizing, also your foot won't smell horrific (see #5). To prepare your skin, exfoliate (don't go crazy and damage the skin), and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!! Especially on rougher skin like elbows, knees, etc. It will soften the skin and allow the entire tattooing process to go much more smoothly (pardon the pun!). 7: If you don't like something about the design, SAY SOMETHING!! So many people think that they're going to piss me off, or annoy me by asking me to change something. You won't piss me off, and you definitely won't annoy me. It is my job to create a piece of work that you love. If there's something you don't like about the design, tell me! 8: SIT STILL DAMNIT!! Tattoos hurt. They all hurt. I have over 300 hours of work on me, and I can seriously tell you that every single one hurt. Some hurt a little, some totally killed. You know it's gonna hurt going in. Don't drag the process out longer than necessary by squirming around. Now for leg tattoos especially, you will get involuntary muscle spasms. THIS IS NORMAL, and a good artist should be prepared for this. Just try to relax your muscles and focus on your breathing. That'll actually make it hurt a little less also! 9: Always pay attention to the aftercare instructions that your artist gives you. We give these speeches for a reason people! Not every artist will give the same exact aftercare instructions. I've always said that if you put 10 artists in one room and ask them all for aftercare instructions, you'll probably get 10 different answers. I personally ask my clients (if they have other tattoos) what they used in the past. Unless it's something horribly wrong that will screw up the tattoo (like using Vaseline or Neosporin for healing ointment...DON'T DO THAT!), and it worked for them the last time, stick with what you know. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, especially if you're a tattoo virgin, PAY ATTENTION! We usually have aftercare instructions printed out available for you, should you need it. Follow them, and you won't have a crappy healing process. 10: Don't be afraid to ask questions! Ask! Ask away! It's part of our job to answer them! We WANT you to ask them if you are unsure about something! 11: TIP! You tip your hairdresser. You tip your waitress. You tip the pizza guy. TIP YOUR TATTOO ARTIST!!! Most artists are only actually getting between 40-70% of the money you paid for the tattoo. The other portion goes to the shop. I mean seriously. You tip the guy who brings the Chinese food to your house, but you don't tip the tattoo artist who spent hours drawing up your tattoo, then a couple more hours actually doing the tattoo. Does that sound like it makes any sense to you? No! Because it doesn't! So tip!! (Unless you are not at all happy with your tattoo, but that goes without saying) That's pretty much it. Not too complicated. If you do these things, you will have a good tattoo experience....unless your artist is a total asshole. If that's the case, you should probably get a different one. That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist or the revelation you had the other day that you may be a mutant! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: Things You Should NEVER Do In a Tattoo Shop (Unless you want to look like a total asshole!)1/14/2014 Hi everyone in internet land! Miss me? I missed you! Anyway, let's get right into the topic at hand: Things You Should NEVER Do In a Tattoo Shop (Unless you want to look like a total asshole!) There are so many things that so many people do at tattoo shops that should never, under ANY circumstances, unless they want to look like a complete asshole, that I can't list them all, but here are some that aggravate me the most. 1: Asking for a price on a tattoo, without giving any specific details, and in some cases, no details at all. This happens a LOT. Someone comes in with a really vague idea of what they want to get tattooed, and barely an idea of where they want to get it tattooed on them. That conversation usually goes something like this: Client: "I want to get a dragon tattoo" Me: "Okay. What style dragon? Oriental? Mid-evil? New school? Traditional? Realism?" Client: "I'm not really sure." Me: "Okay...color, or black and gray?" Client: "I don't really know." Me: "Umm...okay. Where do you want to get it?" Client: "I don't know, I was thinking maybe my thigh, or my arm, or my ribs." Me: "Are you sure you're ready to get this done? It doesn't seem like you've given this too much thought." Imagine playing 20 Questions every day, except the person who you're playing with doesn't have any of the answers. Sounds irritating as hell, doesn't it? Well it is. It's even worse if someone doesn't even have a basic idea of what they want. If you don't know what you want, how can you expect me to know what you want? 2: Coming in and pulling up a picture (of a tattoo that's already been done) on your phone, and demanding to get that exact tattoo done, without allowing any changes. This one is pretty much the polar opposite as #1, but it's just as annoying, if not more so. There are a lot of tattooers out there who have no issue with tracing someone else's work, tattooing it onto a client, and, in some cases, claiming the design as their own. I am not one of these tattooers. You're more than welcome to bring in a reference picture to give me an idea of what you want. In fact, that's fantastic if you do. It gives me an idea of the basic design that you want. However, a reference picture should be used as REFERENCE, not traced to be identical. Not only does this show that a total lack originality and creativity, but it's also stealing. You are stealing the original artist's work, AND you're also devaluing the original piece. 3: Saying anything about how your boy does "sick tatts" out of his house at a much cheaper price. (Especially if you're covered in his horrible work!) Not only does this make you look like an asshole, but you also sound like a total idiot. If your "boy" can bang out a totally rocking rib piece for only $30, then why are you here? Oh...that's right. You boy's garbage, and you know it. That's why you came to me: to get it done right. 4: Trying to talk down the price to some ridiculously insulting number. I'm usually pretty fair with my pricing. I know it's just as hard for you to come up with money as it is for me. That doesn't mean that I should give you such a low price that I wind up getting screwed. 5: Asking for a "hook up" This one is probably the most irritating to me. If you are a regular client, I'm already giving you a lowered price. If you don't know me, or if I tattooed you 3 years ago one time...don't even bother asking this. It's just going to piss me off. There's probably a billion other things, but I can't really think of any right now. If I do, I'll write a part 2. That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or lick a kitten's face, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: I'm pretty sure that you've probably seen this posted, over and over again. The words "Bullying" and "Bully" are being tossed around a little too loosely, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I do NOT advocate REAL bullying, but a lot of the actions that are now labeled as "bullying", are not really "bullying"! That is the definition of a Bully. Cyber bullying also has to be a repeated action. So if someone was to post a single comment about someone, or a threat toward them, one time, it isn't cyber bullying. REAL bullying isn't right. When someone REPEATEDLY attacks (verbally OR physically) another person, for no tangible reason, THAT IS bullying. And in no way, shape, or form, is that okay. They are using the anti-bullying platform to (in effect) bully our children into being friends with everyone (if they like the person or not). Children are forced to include everyone they know into, pretty much, everything they do. In my opinion, that is wrong. There are also those times when just the facts are stated, and they can be misconstrued as "bullying". Sometimes.....you're just calling it as you see it. That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/104204766948735523107 Email me: So a couple days ago I kinda went off and posted a ton of "Annoying Facebook Status" types on my Facebook. If you've already read them, they're not new to you, but if you haven't, I hope you can relate and get a little giggle out of them. That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/104204766948735523107 Email me: Ok...I've calmed down a little bit. BUT I'M STILL PISSED!!!! Also, I got kinda lazy with the blog & YouTube vids....so....yeah. ANYWAY.....here ya go: Vids are soon to come. Dear Ben Affleck: Where do you get off thinking that you, of all people, have the capability of playing the Batman?! Stop it. Stop it now. You can barely act. You're more famous for banging JLo...which isn't really an accomplishment. Stick to the tiny parts that Kevin Smith allows you to have in his movies, AND STAY THE FUCK OUTTA GOTHAM!!!! Sincerely, Everyone, everywhere That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/104204766948735523107 Email me: So this year I didn't even bother to watch the VMA's. Or the year before that, or the year before that...it's been a while. Why? BECAUSE MTV DOESN'T RUN MUSIC VIDEOS ANYMORE!!!! How are you going to host a music video award show....WHEN YOU DON'T RUN VIDEOS?!?! You know who SHOULD be hosting it? YouTube. Think about it, where do you go to watch ANY music videos? MTV?! (If you said yes to that, just stop reading this blog right now...you make no sense) NO!!! YouTube is the ONLY place that runs music videos. Of course, because I'm linked in to like EVERY SOCIAL NETWORK IN THE WORLD (pretty much)...I was pummeled by VMA posts all Sunday night and Monday morning. (Thanks for that, by the way) Here's an idea MTV. How about you stop hosting the VMA's, let YouTube take that over, and you guys can start hosting the "I'm Glad You Didn't Fuck Your Life Up Any Worse Than You Already Did" awards show. You can give awards to the girls & guys from "16 and Pregnant" who actually are raising their children (or who managed to NOT get knocked up right after they were on the show) You can give awards to the cast of "The Jersey Shore" who managed not to overdose, or totally fall off the wagon. Just spit balling some ideas. Not everything was terrible. We did get ONE good thing from this whole disaster. We got a new spin on an old joke: "Guess what..." "What?" "Miley butt!" Love you all!! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/104204766948735523107 Email me: Someone mentioned that there hasn't been any "THE FUCKING WORLD'S GONNA END!!!" theroies recently. As a survivor of Y2K & 12/12/12 (and the shit ton of other "doomsdays" we've lived through) I find it troubling that everyone isn't convinced that humanity is going to collapse upon itself this year. I mean, come on...every other year had one, right? So we're just going to leave 2013 out of it? The world's not going to end this year? WRONG!!!!! That's just not fair to 2013. Look at it. All lonely and with no fanatics freaking out that we're all going to die tomorrow. IT'S A GODDAMN SHAME! So, I came up with an "end of the world day" for this year...you know, so it wouldn't feel left out. (Poor 2013) Everyone will be forced to buy the Xbox One over the PS4 due to a rash of explosions at Sony's factories/warehouses causing mass suicides, and homicidal fits of rage. Blood will pour into the streets. Millions dead. Bounty hunters will hunt down Bill Gates and string him up in Times Square. Steve Jobs will arise from the dead and release the iPhone 5s, 6, & 6s over a span of only three months, causing the survivors of the Xbox massacre to wreak havoc all over the world because they had just bought the new one, and now there's another one out that has a single new feature that the previous version didn't have. Rioting and looting will become increasingly common, as billions line up at Apple stores to get the latest version, but the stores are only receiving deliveries of 1,000 phones. Hipsters will switch back to Nokia flip phones, and the reanimated corpse of Steve Jobs will hunt them down and feast on their flesh. Once bitten, they too will become a "Jombie" (a zombie Steve Jobs). Their need for constant mindless apps, and pointless conversations with Siri will attract them to anyone who has an Apple product, and they shall be turned as well. Billions are dead, millions are obsessively playing Candy Crush (or hunting down people with an iPhone/iPad so they can upload selfies to Instagram). The handful of survivors will be forced to find refuge in remote locations, and go mad from a total lack of technology. They will brave the infested zones in a futile attempt to locate a PC to update their Facebook status. Mark Zuckerburg will eventually hit a kill switch, removing any trace that Facebook ever existed, causing more suicides. The people who don't kill themselves, will massacre each other in a bloody war know only as the Interaction. It will be brought on by the lack of ability to express speech or emotion without utilizing pokes, likes, and status updates. Gyms and restaurants will be burned, as no one can check into them anymore, so they prove useless. After 16 months of war, someone will remember that there is still MySpace, and the treaty of the Friends List will be signed, restoring peace. People will then realize that they no longer have access to Apple's IOS system, and the cloud will delete everyone's data. People will be forces to use only Android powered devices. This causes the great Android Plague. Those who are using the Android systems, will go insane by its lack of speed & ad-free apps. They will have to be put down as to not spread the disease to the half million uninfected survivors. And that, my friend, is how humanity will fall. We only have until 11/12/13. It can be prevented...but as of yet, no steps have been taken. Find me on: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Instagram: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube: http//www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick Google+: https://plus.google.com/app/basic/104204766948735523107?gpsrc=gpmobile:ios&partnerid=gpmobile:ios&source=apppromo Email: People are generally misinformed at what a police officer's job duty is. They really believe that it's "to protect and serve". Now that may be true, but to protect who? To serve who? The majority of people think it's to protect and serve the general public...civilians. That is WRONG.
"In 1856, the U.S. Supreme Court (South v. Maryland) found that law enforcement officers had no duty to protect any individual. Their duty is to enforce the law in general. More recently, in 1982 (Bowers v. DeVito), the Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit held, "...there is no Constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents... but it does not violate... the Constitution." Later court decisions concurred: the police have no duty to protect you." ( http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=34199 ) So really, the police can literally (and have) stand right next to you while you are being attacked, and have absolutely NO responsibility to stop the attack. The ONLY thing that they are required to do is detain your attacker AFTER you file a complaint...even if they witness the attack themselves. The police are ONLY required to "protect" themselves, and that is all. (Of course, having a shit ton of money always helps, and can buy police protection) The "serve" part is a whole other story. It's not the literal definition, as many believe. In fact, it is the "legalese" definition, and only refers to serving paperwork (tickets, summons, warrants, etc). So what does the police department actually have to do for you? Not much. They must accept and file complaints and reports, serve legal documents, and make arrests ONLY if there is a complaining (or deceased) victim. Another little known fact, assault on a police officer is defined as "unwanted TOUCHING in any way". This INCLUDES if you attempt to defend yourself, while you are under attack BY A POLICE OFFICER! So basically, they can do WHATEVER they want to you, and if you so much as TOUCH them, YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH ASSAULT!! How fucked up is that?? The fucked up reality is that, as civilians, we have very few rights, when it comes to the police. The Miranda Rights are a joke, and when they ask "Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"...it's actually in legalese. What they have ACTUALLY said to you is this: "Do you stand under me?" meaning "Do you grant me authority over you so that you then obey and answer to me, and whatever I tell you to do?" ( http://knowledgeispower-uk.weebly.com/legalese---acts--statutes.html ) (I know that it's a UK site, but the same applies in the US) The whole point to all this is...POLICE ARE NOT THERE TO PROTECT/ASSIST/AID YOU IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! Their sole responsibility is to protect the GOVERNMENT (town/state/local). THAT IS ALL! They will lie, cheat, beat the innocent, steal, rape, murder, you name it...with absolutely NO consequences. Why? Because the police will protect their own, because they are a BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT THEY ARE SWORN TO PROTECT!! The rights and needs of civilians will ALWAYS come secondary. And this is why WE need to PROTECT ourselves. Not just from civilians who wish to do us harm, but from the POLICE who will do whatever they wish, in order to protect their employer...the government. (Side note, there are a few officers who are not totally fucked up, but they are very few, and far between) Hellllloooooo!!! Long time, no blog, huh? Missing me yet?
Anywho...I'm scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook (which I REALLY need to stop doing so much because it usually pisses me off a great deal), and I see this ridiculousness from the morons over at News 12. Here's a link to the actual posting: http://www.facebook.com/News12LI/posts/10151436343658551:0 (You do need a Facebook account to see it, but the above picture is a screenshot of the original post) Link to the SC Sheriff's "Test, Don't Guess" program page.
http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/sheriff/CommunityPrograms/DrugTestingInitiative.aspx (Note they changed the "Scared Straight" program to the "Y.E.S. Tour") So, here's my opinion on the subject: [DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY OPINION. IT IS BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPIERENCES WITH DRUG TESTING, TEEN DRUG USE, AND THE PARENT'S APPROACH (as well intended it may be)] First of all....THEY'RE NOT "FREE"!! It's a waste of tax money. If you think your kid is doing something, and you want to "Test, Not Guess"....PAY FOR IT YOURSELF!! You can buy home drug tests at any pharmacy, and health insurance covers most rehabs/drug testing. Don't make ME pay because you can't trust your kid, or you can't just shine a flashlight in your kids eyes to check for pupil dilation. Second...IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE ANYTHING DIFFERENT!!! I was drug tested, pretty much every week, from when I was 13-17....and I only tested dirty one time. I SHOULD have tested dirty EVERY time, but there are ways to get around it. So your kid tests dirty. Then what?? You get into a huge fight, they: (A) Stop talking to you about ANYTHING. (B) No longer trust you, and feel like you're "invading their privacy". (C) Let you yell, scream, and threaten them, and do the same crap they were doing in the first place. (D) Decide they're going to "run away" (E) ALL OF THE ABOVE And what are you supposed to do? (A) Put them on PINS probation, so you kid can keep violating, and get sent to a state house, and/or Juvie? (B) Kick their ass so they "learn a lesson", and possibly get reported to CPS? (C) Do nothing, and possibly get reported to CPS anyway, for child neglect? (Only now, they can prove it) (D) Throw your kid in rehab? (E) Put your kid on "lockdown", so they can run away, and you have no idea where they are, if they're alive or dead, who they're with, what they're doing.....? (F) All of the above? If YOU think that YOU'RE kid is doing something then YOU need to take your kid to FAMILY COUNSELING, and try to reestablish a good rapport with your children. The counselor WILL do a drug test if you request it. The most important thing is to take a look at what you're doing. If you're constantly drinking in front of your kids, they will probably drink too. If you're smoking weed all the time, and think your kids don't know...I got news for you...they do, and they will smoke too (probably steal it from you!). If you're at home eating Valium/Xanax all day so you can "deal", they will too! The most important thing of all is to keep the communication lines open between you and your kids. Granted, this gets nearly impossible when they're teenagers, but it can still be done. And a little ass whooping (NOT BEATING!!!) goes a long way. I have been unable to find exactly how much of the taxpayer's money they are wasting on this program, but I have heard up to $2000 for every 100 tests*.
*This may not be accurate. I searched for the budget allotment for this program, but was unable to find it. I wouldn't be surprised though. At home drug tests range from $7.88-$47.78, and can be a simple 5 panel cup piss test, to a hair follicle test.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/at-home-drug-test-kit/ID=prod368689-product http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/home-drug-test-kits I'm sure they have MASSIVELY inflated the costs of the "free" drug tests (probably to cover up some of their insanely high saleries, which have FINALLY been brought to the public's attention) The most important thing is to talk to your kids, and raise them correctly. Lead by example! If you're doing a decent job, you should be able to trust them. Still have your doubts, just use a flashlight! If their pupils are little pin pricks, even after you remove the light from their eyes, they're using some kind of depressant (opiates, alcohol, etc...). If their eyes are largely dilated, even while you're shining the light into their eyes, they're using some kind of stimulant (cocaine, meth, etc...). And if you shine the light into their eyes, and they scream something like, "FUUUUUCCCKKK!!! THERE'S A LASER BURNING A HOLE INTO MY FACE!!!!", and start trying to rip their face off....they're probably on some kind of hallucinogenic drug (LSD, PCP, etc.) Love you all!!!!!! xoxoxo |
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