What's New, Pussycat?

Car rides make me a happy boy! #frenchie

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:59:27 -0700

Car rides make me a happy boy! #frenchie

gomighty: Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #13: Pei...

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:33:49 -0700

Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #13: Pei Ketron

Meet Pei, a teacher and photographer based in San Francisco. She is currently consulting for the super-fun mobile app Lightt, working as freelance photographer, and eagerly awaiting her next adventure. Perhaps you’ve seen her on Instagram as @pketron - She was named one of the 10 Best Photographers on the mobile app by Complex Magazine. That said, we love her stunning film photography even more.

We love Pei’s work, and couldn’t wait to learn more about her story and what inspires her Life List.

So, Pei, what’s your story?

I was born in Taiwan and raised as part of a blended White/Chinese family in a small town on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. I’ve always been a little culturally confused, but I embrace diversity and appreciate when those around me do, as well. My childhood love of reading helped to fuel my desire for travel and adventure. I get restless when I haven’t ventured far from home in a while.

I moved to the Bay Area after grad school and discovered that San Francisco, a city full of wanderers who decided to land here permanently, was the city I felt most at home in. I worked as an elementary school special educator for ten years before getting my credential to be a school administrator. It was right around then, however, that I discovered I could no longer ignore this itch to take my creative side more seriously. After a temporary move to New York, I’m currently back in San Francisco working on figuring out how I can best combine this random conglomeration of skills, talents, and interests that I have.

Tell us a bit more about these ten goals from your life list. What’s the inspiration behind the goals you chose?

Like most people, I want to be a healthy and accomplished individual, with room in my life for happiness and adventure. The goals I’ve shared are both long and short term goals that reflect an overarching theme I would like to have carry through my life. They also reflect how my varied my interests are and help explain why I sometimes lose my focus.

Any advice for others on how to stay motivated/focused on achieving their goals?

Embrace challenges and never do anything but your best, even if those around you aren’t doing the same. Learn from your mistakes and surround yourself by people who love, support, and challenge you.

Follow Pei’s journey through completing her Life List here.

Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here.

(Photo by Chris Connolly)

This is my friend, Pei. She is awesome.

ladymisskate: x ____ x

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:19:51 -0700

ladymisskate:

x ____ x

I did a thing and I’d like you to read it. gomighty: Go...

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:18:55 -0700

I did a thing and I’d like you to read it.

gomighty:

Go Mighty’s 31 Days of Inspiring Women, #4: Dottie Guy

Meet Dottie. She’s an Iraq War Veteran who now works for the VA as an advocate for other Veterans (particularly current era and women Veterans). Every once in a while she takes (incredible) photos. Fried chicken and potatoes are her best friends. It seems like everyone we meet, near and far, not only knows Dottie, but is her biggest fan.

Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to learn more about her story and Life List of goals.

So, Dottie, tell us a bit more about your story.

I joined the Virginia Army National Guard on a whim in 2000. I had some military ties in my family, but nothing really significant. It was something no one thought I would do. I chose the job of Military Police because I wanted a challenge (and boy, was it for me).

I finished my training in March 2001 and went back to my hometown to help my recruiter and wait tables until it was time for me to go to college.

Then September 11 happened and my world changed.

Life decided that I was going to go to Iraq in 2003, and I had to live a life where death was a part of it. Even though I was in an “undisclosed location,” tomorrow was never a guarantee. I knew it while I was there, but it didn’t really hit me until years later. As time passed by, I realized that I was not the same person that went into a war zone.

In 2011, I went to put in a disability claim in for an ankle injury that had been an issue that had been plaguing me since active duty. My claims representative kept asking me questions about my everyday life and he referred me to a counselor because he felt that I was dealing with the invisible wounds of war. He was right. I’d been a slave to PTSD, depression, and anxiety for years and I’d let it take over my life. I’d stay at home, I had panic attacks, I was a mess…I thought it was my new normal. It is a hard road, but I now know that I (and other folks that have been through abnormal traumatic experiences) don’t have to live like this. There is help.

Now, I dedicate my life to make sure Veterans get the help that they need and the benefits that they’ve earned. I want to look out for those populations that have served, but feel that they aren’t getting what they need. I want to be there to help them.

I am motivated by knowing that there are so many Veterans that don’t know what’s available to them. It’s a heartbreaking reality, but it’s hopeful knowing that there is assistance available.

Having shared what motivates you personally, do you have advice to others on how to stay motivated in achieving their goals?

My advice to anyone is be realistic. It’s good to be optimistic, but know that it’s going to be a hard climb with barriers. It sucks and there are going to be moments when quitting seems like an easy option, but if you believe that you can make a difference, you can make it through. No one ever succeeded by quitting.

Follow Dottie’s journey through completing her Life List here.

Want to make a Life List of your own? Easy—join the Go Mighty community here.

Two forms of government ID… (at City of San Leandro)

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:06:44 -0700

Two forms of government ID… (at City of San Leandro)

The VA Backlog

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:21:21 -0700

I went to a town hall regarding the disability claim backlog yesterday. Representatives Jackie Speier and Barbara Lee held this event to discuss the nearly one million claim backlog that has been a dark spot on the VA.

Many veterans of all generations were there telling how they’ve waited for decisions with very little (if any) action from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Tales of lost records, no response, denials where clear evidence was presented were all too common.

My biggest issue? The people from the Oakland Regional Office treating this as just a monetary issue. The money will help these Veterans. There’s no question about that.

Having a claim adjudicated in the Veterans favor is more than just a check. It’s an acknowledgement that something happened to you in the service of the country. Something that is still plaguing that Veteran as they try to maintain a life as a civilian. It’s a step towards becoming whole again.

We volunteered to put out lives on the line in defense of this country. Some gave their lives. Some came home with wounds that are invisible.

But ALL Veterans deserve to have their disability claim to be handled in a quick, dignified manner. I didn’t ask a million questions on 9/11 when I was told to help keep my fellow citizens safe. Don’t treat me like a 2nd class citizen waiting for a check. We don’t deserve that. We deserve better.

dottielou: ladymisskate: Perma-grin status. Baseball is truly...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:00:25 -0700

dottielou:

ladymisskate:

Perma-grin status.

Baseball is truly a metaphor for life. There are days where you are average. There are days where you get lit up and nothing seems to go your way. There are days, like yesterday, that you go out there and you are perfect. But no matter what, tomorrow is another opportunity to be the best at what you do.

Congrats to Matt Cain on his perfect game and thank you for the reminder.

Just wanted to repost one of my favorite things from last season.

Play ball.

This was fun. Let’s do it again.

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:41:30 -0700

This was fun. Let’s do it again.

Reflecting. (at Vietnam Veterans Memorial)

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:01:13 -0700

Reflecting. (at Vietnam Veterans Memorial)

Sunday afternoon constitutional. (at The Alembic)

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:21:59 -0700

Sunday afternoon constitutional. (at The Alembic)

Today I was thinking about media coverage and how unfair it is to women Veterans. When the bin...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:39:34 -0800

Today I was thinking about media coverage and how unfair it is to women Veterans.

When the bin Laden shooter shared his story of how after 16 years of service and misrepresenting the services available to him, he is granted the audience of our elected officials and getting job offers from all over.

After I told a part of my story of how I was in a combat zone without proper protection, I was said to be overreacting and “in it for the money”.

To be fair, the shooter did receive quite a bit of criticism for what was published. Some of the facts were misrepresented. In my opinion, he should have known better than say he had no benefits and I know for a fact that demobilization briefs are heavy on the planning for your family following deployments.

I didn’t tell all of my story to the media. I don’t feel comfortable doing so because of reactions like the ones I’ve received. I also don’t need the world to know some of the fucked up things fellow soldiers did to me. Will it have made a difference in how I was judged? Possibly. But I am not going to put things out there that I wouldn’t even tell my family. I’m just now telling my father about how I was there without plates in my vest.

And I’ve noticed that it’s not just me getting this pushback. There were plenty of comments of support, but when women Veterans are brave enough to tell their stories, we get comments about how we shouldn’t be in combat, that we are overreacting, or that we are somehow at fault.

I’m not writing this for sympathy. I don’t care about what some anonymous person posts on the Internets, but it does bother me that women Veterans aren’t getting the respect that we’ve clearly earned.

In today’s episode of Shit That’s In My...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:27:37 -0800

In today’s episode of Shit That’s In My Office…

Funtimes are happening. #sognac (at The New Black)

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:23:10 -0800

Funtimes are happening. #sognac (at The New Black)

Love in a time of live music. (at The Independent)

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:31:31 -0800

Love in a time of live music. (at The Independent)

Me and my sister @thathappigirl (at Piedmont Mall)

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:09:39 -0800

Me and my sister @thathappigirl (at Piedmont Mall)

Today I drove from Raleigh to DC to Dulles. Now, I fly to my...

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 13:49:45 -0800

Today I drove from Raleigh to DC to Dulles. Now, I fly to my hedonistic little bubble, San Francisco. (at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD))

tiffanyb: Can’t…look…away… (Updated to include link to source,...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:36:21 -0800

tiffanyb:

Can’t…look…away…

(Updated to include link to source, which is watermarked on the image.)

Protect Ya Decks @theloinsf (at the loin)

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:22:08 -0800

Protect Ya Decks @theloinsf (at the loin)

Last Sunday, I was drinking whiskey, spraying champagne, celebrating with my friends. I even got my...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:48:58 -0800

Last Sunday, I was drinking whiskey, spraying champagne, celebrating with my friends. I even got my ass smacked so hard that my iPhone fell out of my hand and the back shattered.

Today? I’m at a Veterans Day parade with prayer and republicans. There were shirts that said “Vote Bible”. It’s like I’m in the ‘50’s.

I love my job, but holy hell.

At least the weather is amazeballs and the program is well done.

So. This happened. #starwars (at Pleasanton, CA)

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 13:30:44 -0800

So. This happened. #starwars (at Pleasanton, CA)