About PBMom

The real owner of PBMom? Of course that would be her dog Maddie! LOL!

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Hello fellow WormholeRiders!.

I am the person I am today because of the sum total of my life, both the good and the bad; I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I was headed towards becoming a doctor when life pushed me onto a different path. I stumbled onto becoming a serious vocalist at the same time I was becoming a medical transcriptionist. Although having bombed my vocal recital at Hamman Hall at Rice University due to nerves, my vocal instructor still thought well enough of me to extend an invitation to come out on tour with her as a backup singer. I was faced with a choice of giving up my steady job as a medical transcriptionist, or the uncertain life of a musician. I chose the stability. I am still doing medical transcription 27 years later, 21 years of that with the company who currently employs me.

Having a love of writing, especially poetry, I submitted some poetry for consideration for publication and 4 of my poems have been published in larger collections. I also have one song lyric published. When I won the SNIP (Sincerely, Nick Impressive Perceptions) award (Catholic Digest) for an article that posed the question, “Can Good Come From Evil” after the 9/11 attacks, it spurred ideas in me that my friends had been echoing for many years: I needed to write my life story (I’ve had a very interesting life)

Life threw me some more curve balls – my first child died and my second child was diagnosed at 16 months of age with autism when autism was still at 1 in every 10,000 children (recent stats are 1 in 91). When I wasn’t working my full-time job, I was trying to research everything I could about autism and implement a home program to get him the intensive help he needed as soon as possible to give him the chance at the best life possible. I proudly call myself a warrior mom because I did not realize that this struggle would be first an internal battlefield (financial, emotional, spiritual, and physical) which then would turn into subsequent World Wars with school districts not wanting to do their jobs. Seeing there was a great need at our church for people with disabilities to be included, I started the first special needs ministry in The Woodlands in 1998 and fulfilled this leadership role for 7 years.

I became active in advocacy, began to care about politics, and that internal fire turned into a regular blog on Fox 26 Houston’s web site in April 2007. My blog led to the station wanting to do a story on our family. You may view it at this link: http://tinyurl.com/dmk3o4 One week after that aired, they asked me to do a blogger commercial promotion. I loved doing it; I was hooked. I continued blogging on their site, hitting heavy into the political blogs as the primaries began to occur. In July of 2008 I was asked to be a part of a new segment they were putting together on their 5:00-5:30 live news show called “Your Family Matters.” It would feature 3 women with a topic and we would each give our opinions in the matter. Election Day was our last broadcast (that particular one on the internet only). During this time, they asked me to be a part of their chatter commercial (to promote their chat room that interacts with the news broadcasts, unique to the networks in our city). It was some of the best fun I had in a long time. I was given such a wonderful opportunity; I will be forever grateful for that. The show and the commercials were watched by over 3 million people..

My blogs on Fox 26 ranged from matters of politics, news, social justice, faith, entertainment, and occasionally weather. I organized blogger/chatter picnics so we could all meet and get to know the people behind the usernames. The people at the station care so much about my child; I feel like they are guardian angels for him and I feel so blessed.

I was honored when WormholeRiders approached me about doing the Caprica coverage. Having been a huge Battlestar Galactica fan (both the original and new versions), I hope that my 3 years of writing on Fox 26 Houston in the broad subject matters that I have will help create an unique perspective you will not see anywhere else. I see this as the next branch of this journey, yet another wonderful opportunity to keep writing and having an even larger audience see my work. I love receiving feedback, so comment away. I’m not shy of harsh comments or controversy either, having many of them posted in response to my Fox 26 Houston blog. I like to interact with my commenters regardless of their point of view.

I’m looking forward to adding a new chapter in my life by becoming part of this group. I hope you will enjoy my posts

PBMom

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Bio Questions and Answers

1. Handle/Screenname:

PBMom mostly (which does not stand for “peanut butter mom” or “primary birth mom”), JadeKirra (my Jedi name from the Xbox KOTOR game) on YouTube. Sometimes PBMom1 if PBMom has already been taken. I’m thinking about getting a personalized license plate with that name

2. Education/Awards/Etc:

I received many awards throughout high school. I was president of my sophomore class in New York. Although I only went to a high school in Florida for 3 months of my senior year as I graduated early, I was salutatorian at the time I graduated from the school. SNIP Award (as mentioned above). Published work. Won 2 blogger contests on Fox 26 Houston for most views and most comments.

3. Favorite Stargate character:

All of them. Really, I’m not trying to take the easy way out. I like them all for different reasons, even the evil ones.

4. Favorite Actor/Actress:

The list is just too long.

5. Favorite Band/Performer/s:

II like everything from classical to Adam Lambert and everything else in between EXCEPT country music. I don’t like the music from the 20’s, 30’s or 40’s either. .

6. Hobbies:

In no particular order: Blogging, chatting, twittering, politics, education, swimming, singing, watching TV/movies, debating, spending time with my family, golden retrievers, playing Xbox 360 RPG games like Mass Effect (and the future Mass Effect 2), Oblivion, Fable 2, Fallout 3.

7. Pets:

A golden retriever named Belvedere’s Madison Avenue. We call her Maddie for short. Other pets: Hmmm…does my husband qualify?

8. What's your theme song?:

“Tough question. Depends on my mood or circumstance. I’ve been relating to the song “Whataya Want From Me” by Adam Lambert lately. The song “Run” by Snow Patrol is one to which moms with kids with autism can relate. I put on “Don’t Bring Me Down” by Electric Light Orchestra or “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John when I want to get out of a funk. I like the lyrics of “If Everyone Cared” by Nickelback speaks to the social justice warrior in me. When I want to get out of my pity party, I listen to “Permanent” by David Cook, the song he wrote for his brother who was dying with brain cancer; it makes you realize that your life is not so bad.

9. If you could have a sidekick, who would it be?: My role of my sidekick is currently occupied by the role of my son. Me and my shadow. I’d like to have Matt Parkman from Heroes with me at a special education meeting.

10. Favorite food:

Filet mignon and king crab legs (both of which are a once-a-year treat).

11. What would you keep in a utility belt?:

? A blanket, vitamin D, and a magic genie lamp that grants me unlimited wishes.

12a. Favorite Stargate Episode:

Too difficult. I will have to say, though, that I didn’t watch it while it was on Showtime. I was very upset that the Sci-Fi Channel decided to buy it and end Farscape the way it did and I refused to watch for a very long time. Obviously I was later indoctrinated.

12b. Favorite Stargate Atlantis Episode:

Too difficult. Too difficult. However, the show that made me take a second look at the series was “Sateda” in Season 3 that turned my head while I was working the night shift and said, “Wow, this is a great show.” I had to go back and watch all the episodes from the beginning and got caught up rather quickly.

12c. Favorite Stargate Universe Episode:

Every single episode, but “Life”, “Time” and “Justice” are ones that stood out for me because they were rich in character development and back story

12d. Favorite Fringe Episode:

Too difficult.

12e. Favorite V Episodes:

Which one? Yes, I am THAT old. The original miniseries and subsequent series that came from that were highlights in their day. So far the last episode they aired is my favorite of all

12f. Favorite Sanctuary Episode:

: I didn’t get to watch it on the web, but have enjoyed it since the beginning on Syfy. Can’t pick a favorite.

12g. Favorite Caprica Episode:

The pilot ROCKS! Make sure you rent or buy the unedited pilot that you won’t see on January 22.

13. What was your sci-fi gateway?:

Lost in Space (yes, I’m that old), followed by Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, followed by Space 1999, followed by Star Trek (reruns), Battlestar Galactica the original version, Galactica 1980 (the sad sequel), all the Star Trek movies and series, Star Wars, to Farscape. Then I went on strike. Took me awhile to even look at Stargate SG-1 because of my beloved Farscape. SG-1 led to Stargate Atlantis which led to SGU; also Defying Gravity, “V” (both incarnations), Bionic Woman (both incarnations), Battlestar Galactica (the newer one) and now Caprica. GalaxyQuest remains one of my favorite movies. The new Star Trek movie was awesome. If it is sci-fi movie or TV, generally I’ll like it.

14. What's under your bed?:

Maddie’s dog hair (tumbleweeds of golden retriever hair; no matter how much I vacuum, another one seems to appear), and a few boxes, also the back part of my surround-sound home theater unit.

15. Favorite TV show (not Stargate):

In no particular order of preference, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Farscape, V, Sanctuary, Heroes, Jericho, Fringe, Lie to Me, Lost, 24, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, Dexter, House..

16. What is your dream job?:

To be able to be a doctor and care for those who have no insurance. Maybe in my next life.

17. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?:

Friday Harbor, Washington; Vancouver, British Columbia, or the Galapagos Islands.

18. If your life could be written by any author who would it be and what genre?:

It would be by me as an autobiography two-parter. Heavy drama in both.

19. Favorite movie:

Too many to list. They go on and on and on. However, I will say that I just watched “Up” this weekend, and the dog, “Dug”, acts just like my Maddie and what I imagine she would be saying if she could talk..

20. What are your goals/dreams/aspirations for WormholeRiders.Com?:

? I want to bring unique perspectives to my reviews about Caprica based on my history as a social justice warrior and political blogger

I would love to see that role expand to other shows. I hope that some insight I bring might make someone pause and say, “I never thought about it like that before.” I am not shy of controversial posts so please feel free to comment away.