WriteWoman

Being a novice

2011-07-01T06:50:00.000-04:00

In June the Asia Yoga Conference was held in Hong Kong. I saw an ad about it and immediately thought I should go. (At the time I was in Hong Kong - so it was close and easy).

Many of the yoga sessions were free and there would be vendors to check out as well.

But there was a problem in my mind. I have taken yoga classes and sometimes practice at home. My practice is irregular and I am not in anyway advanced. The conference, I thought, would be filled with yoga teachers and people with far more time on a mat than me.

I began to think that I wouldn't belong there and that maybe I shouldn't go. I mean, really, I've never even been to a yoga conference or retreat.

I decided to go to one session, which is what I could make time for over the weekend. I went Saturday night and as I got closer to the conference hall I could see all the yoga people with their mats, lithe bodies and yoga clothing. I felt so clunky in my sneakers and regular workout pants and, frankly, my out-of-shape body.

After walking around the vendor area I saw lots of cute and cool gear. A little high-priced for me, considering I'd also have to fit it in luggage. And most of the yoga clothes were too small.

Then, as I stood outside the room where the yoga and dance session was scheduled, one of the conference volunteers asked if I was coming in. I said I didn't have a mat, so I wasn't sure. He said that was fine and I did see folks with no mat.

A few minutes later I found some sort of clearance vendor booth with yoga pants for a mere HK$100 and in a size I could wear. Pants purchased, I changed and went to the session.

It was set up as a yoga session with a DJ, which was why I wanted to do it. As we went through poses I reminded myself to just do what I could and not worry about being out of place. And to have fun.

After a series of poses the instructor had us begin dancing and that's when I really let go of my worry of being a novice among experts. It was so much fun to free dance around the room, even as I was careful about the ankle I sprained late in 2010. There are really so few opportunities for grown ups (okay maybe I should say middle aged folks) to dance and play anyway.

As I left I was tired and figured I'd be sore the next day. And I was so happy I'd gone to the session.

It reminds me that even though it feels like, at 40+, I shouldn't be a beginner, in many areas I am. Instead of avoiding new things because I am a novice, I really need to seek out the beginner experience.

Doing that means I need to become more comfortable with failing, being the old kid in the class and even ready to counter if people think I'm too far along in my career or life to try something new.

It's tempting to decide that at this point in my life, my career, to only do the things that I have done before and do well. And there is such value in using your strengths. I have been limiting myself, though by leaning too much on the sure things and not being willing to fail.

I will probably look foolish sometimes when I dance or try yoga or anything else. But failure and foibles happen anyway, even when I'm avoiding them - I may as well enjoy the experience.

Re-thinking my investments

2011-05-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

In the past month I’ve had more time to myself than I’ve had for more than 10 years. I’ve been in Hong Kong without my family for nearly 5 weeks now.

During that time I’ve been thinking about my writing and all the things I already know about why I’m not writing more, completing work and submitting work. The two biggest hurdles are fear and time. (And the time is very much connected with the fear. It is so much easier to focus on other things than the big bad monster of rejection).

I also don’t make the necessary investment in my writing. I don’t put my whole self into it; I am still holding back (fear!) and I don’t act as though I own it.

My commitment is lacking and I can see that in how I decide to spend my time. I’m a working mother and wife and I have a long commute and blah blah blah with my excuses. Everyday I’m choosing the time drains that take energy and time away from writing. Or choosing fear – this idea’s not good enough, you’ll never finish, so-and-so can do it better, blah blah blah.

Then there’s where I put my money. Writing can be done without a big financial investment, but it is important to get help/coaching/editing when you need it and resources, too.

One of the things I’ve wanted for a long time is to settle on one of my many ideas and complete a book proposal for it. I start and stop and switch ideas and am spinning around producing no finished proposal.

I know myself. I love research and sharing information and writing. I also know that I need someone to nudge me (push me). There’s a reason I do well in classroom settings, but struggle with open ended, non-dated, big goals.

So, I am going to start working with a coach on getting a project finished. That’s another thing – I don’t like to ask for help or admit I need help. I have to claim that little step, too.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time – years. And I’ve been a fan of Deesha Philyaw’s magazine writing and platform-building for more than a minute - starting back when I read her work in Wondertime and Bitch magazine years ago.

She consults with writers to help them write, finish and polish book proposals. I’m going to start working with her soon.

This is what I need to keep moving forward. And I decided to switch my investment strategy to put my money where my dreams are.

Seeing the Tian Tan Buddha

2011-05-01T02:01:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I went to see the Tian Tan (or Big) Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

I’m so glad I went. To get to the Big Buddha you can take a bus or a cable car. I took a bus roundtrip – not sure yet about getting in a cable car.

About midway through the bus ride I turned to my right and saw the Big Buddha. We were still a ways away, but the statue (not sure if I should call it a statue or structure – it is so big) was easy to see.

I won’t pretend to do a travelogue about it. You can read more about the site here and here.

Actually, I wish I had read more before I went to visit. For instance, I didn’t know about the Heart Sutra on the Wisdom Path – so I stopped before I got there. I want to go back to see that. I’m thankful that I’ll probably have another chance to visit before I leave Hong Kong.

This is the largest Buddha statue in the world. I walked up the more than 200 steps to see it and also go inside the structure beneath the statue. Inside there is a relic from Gautama Buddha’s remains and historic artwork and inscriptions as well as information and history about Buddha and the statue.

I took many photos outside. Photos are prohibited inside the structure beneath the Buddha. It is very interested to be there and see the mix of tourists and Buddhists. Especially seeing people stop in front of various statues, kneeling, and lighting incense. I was continually reminded that this is a religious site and experience for many people and more than another tourist site.

Throughout the area there are signs reminding people that no alcoholic beverages or meat are allowed. So if you go and take a picnic, remember that.

There are two vegetarian restaurants there and a vegetarian snack bar. I really enjoyed the vegetarian lunch I had. The stir fry of vegetables and cashews was so brightly colored – the way fresh vegetables that haven’t been cooked to death are supposed to look. Asparagus, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms made for a wonderful lunch. There were also spring rolls, soup, more mushrooms, a green that I don’t know the name of, but was thankful for. I didn’t take pictures of the food because of the no pictures signs in so many places. I wasn’t sure if pictures were allowed there or not.

I almost didn’t go to the Big Buddha on Saturday. It was a little rainy and overcast and I thought it wouldn’t be a good viewing day. Then I decided that if I put off the trip until a good weather day, I might miss it altogether. When I got there it was fine – not rainy and only a little overcast. It would have been fine if it was raining also. I can’t control everything and I don’t want to miss life waiting on the perfect conditions.

The day didn’t go just as planned. And it was wonderful.

Chopsticks: Or not using the fork option

2011-04-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

At home when we eat at a restaurant that has chopsticks, I use a fork and knife most of the time.

(Photo by sparktography via Flickr)

I had sushi for the first time on a date with my husband (in the last 2 - 3 years, definitely tardy to the party) and I didn't know what to order or expect and certainly didn't think I could handle chopsticks and sushi. I ate it with a knife and fork.

When I have used chopsticks I've felt very self conscious and clumsy. Actually I was actually clumsy, not just a feeling - it was my reality.

And I was sure that I was doing it wrong and would make a fool of myself.

So I avoided them as much as possible to keep from being foolish/looking foolish.

In the weeks I spent getting ready to come to Hong Kong I never once thought about chopsticks or the fact that I might need to develop the skill to use them.

When I sat down to my first dim sum I was told that there would be some places where a fork would not be available. So even though I probably could have requested a fork in that restaurant, I didn't. I knew I'd have to get used to using chopsticks.

I also was very hungry when we sat down, so I was going to eat whether I looked like a clumsy American tourist or not.

I'm not particularly good at using chopsticks yet (I've been here less than a week). And I may always look like a tourist - even after weeks here. But not giving myself the option to ask for a fork was a little mind trick that made me adapt, try harder and focus enough to have a wonderful meal with chopsticks.

Were there faux pas? Probably. I survived, though.

It's a small internal triumph for me. One of the ways that I know I'm up for this cross cultural adventure - I'm willing to try most things and working on not being so self-conscious that I limit my experience.

A taste of Hong Kong

2011-04-02T13:49:00.000-04:00

I'm in Hong Kong for the next three months and in the first 48 hours I've learned that the food is amazing. (I've learned a lot of other things as well, but I can't share everything all at once).

Though I've had only a little time to explore (and am glad to have people guiding me through my first few days), I can already see that the dining choices are almost too plentiful.

Naturally there are Hong Kong and Chinese cuisine options and Japanese and Indian and tonight we had pizza and pasta. The world's food cultures are represented so well here. I will have to be very careful not to go too far overboard!

In addition to the dinner tonight, I was able to go into the city this afternoon and walk around the area of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. It was busy of course - we even saw a bride and groom taking pictures as well as plenty of local people and tourists with cameras.

One of the amazing things about Hong Kong is the number of malls in the city/region - this afternoon I browsed a bookstore, Page One, at Festival Walk. It was a little overwhelming, but wonderful as always to see books. Many of the books are shrinkwrapped, though there are copies that are open for browsers to flip through. Very interesting to see the shrinkwrapping.

I saw lots of familiar authors and titles in the English section. I didn't even make it to the magazines, but I'm sure I'll go back and spend an entire afternoon there.

I will post some of my photos and what I've been able to see and experience in Hong Kong here. I'm not sure yet whether I'll pick a standard format or, like tonight, just string together a few thoughts.

But I do know that my excitement about Hong Kong is absolutely growing each day as I see more things to do here.

A place for rough drafts

2011-04-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

This post is just a draft. The kind of post draft that I compose almost daily in my head and (as you can see) rarely post.

I have an idea, an experience to share or just a question. But it comes while I'm driving to work or running an errand or any of the "supposed tos" in life.

And when I am online, mostly at night or very early in the morning, I can't remember it. Or I remember it, but think it's not worthwhile or no one is reading this blog anyway, so what's the point?

If I make it past those minor hurdles I wonder if I can write it in a way that is useful, meaningful or even interesting.

I decide that I can't. Maybe if I had more time or focus or [fill-in-the-blank quality].

And I post nothing.

I'm too tied to not putting my rough drafts out in the world. Sometimes that means I never float a draft -story, blog post, business idea. Later I try to remember what it was that seemed like such a decent idea when I was thinking about it. But there's not even a rough draft to go back to.

And I'm stuck with nothing.

There's always something missing - something that isn't quite ready in my life. So that's one of my excuses for not doing. A lame excuse.

This post is rough and I don't think I can even close the circle of the idea. It's a rough draft. But I wanted to do something other than nothing tonight.

Walking away from even casual writing and opportunities in general because things aren't perfectly in place is one of my weaknesses [edit: opportunities for growth :)]. Everybody needs rough drafts. Nothing is finished without a draft, a first attempt.

[Of course Anne Lamott writes about this so well. I need to re-read Bird by Bird.]

Gourmet Saturdays ...

2011-02-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

Last week my oldest child said we should start having "Gourmet Saturdays" and pick a gourmet recipe each week and make it on Saturday. He's a true "foodie" and likes to try new foods, make up recipes and just learn about food.

Last night (Saturday night) I remembered pretty late in the day that I'd said we could start having Gourmet Saturdays. Instead of making excuses and putting it off for another night, I decided to find something simple we could make and achieve the goal.

Fortunately we'd been to the public library earlier in the day and I had checked out Rachel Ray's Yum-O! family cookbook. While the kids played at a local playground, I looked for something easy and quick.

I chose the Farmer's Stack Pancake Dinner. The kids agreed. We still had to make a trip to the store for some ingredients, so it was a late dinner.

I know, pancakes aren't exactly "gourmet", but I knew I wasn't up for anything more complicated or with more exotic ingredients. Plus, I'm confident I can make pancakes. The kids enjoyed the pancakes and fruit / maple sauce, but not the sausage. I enjoyed the whole thing. :)

Hopefully, I'll plan better for next Saturday and we can make something that's closer to gourmet. I love the idea and I really want to continue to support my son's willingness to try new foods and his interest in food. He's not been a picky eater and he's willing to think about healthful food options. And I'm thankful for that.

Stop and eat the roses

2011-02-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

One of my challenges is that I delay even the things I want to choose for myself. Even simple things.

For years, since I first read that it could be done, I've wanted to have crystallized rose petals. The idea of eating sugary flower petals seems so fancy and ethereal. What would a rose taste like?

Every year before Valentine's Day I think about making those rose petals. And I then let the date pass while I beat back my "silly" idea because:
I'm the only one who's interested.
It's frivolous.
I should wait until I have a grand dinner party.

This year, I beat back the excuses and made them. On a whim. I saw containers of organic rose petals while shopping at Whole Foods (which is my favorite place to shop even though it's expensive, impractical, etc.).

My daughter really wanted roses on stems, so we go those instead. Still organic and edible.

And that night I found this recipe on the NPR site and my son and I made the crystallized rose petals (we also used organic sugar). It was simple and the next day (they have to dry overnight) the petals were wonderful. Very light and like a little taste of beauty.

I didn't make an elaborate cake and use them for garnish or have a fancy Valentine's Day dinner. Just the rose petals. And they were worth it. I will try to remember them and remind myself not to wait for the perfect this or that; and not to diminish the wonder of everyday. Will I remember not to delay and to do even simple things just because I want to? I don't know. The rose petals are one of the things that were on my list of "I wish I had ..." and hopefully I'll take more steps to just do those things.

A handshake moment

2011-02-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

I went to a reception for playwright David Henry Hwang this week. (He is a prolific writer and wrote M. Butterfly, Aida, Yellow Face and many other plays as well as film scripts.)

The reception for him was one where I was meeting nearly everyone for the first time - as opposed to an event that is filled with people from my regular circle(s).

Thus I shook many hands.

Near the end of the reception a gentleman extended his hand to me and introduced himself. I took his hand shook it.

Then, a few moments later, he apologized. I had no idea why he was apologizing, so I asked him why. And I learned something.

He said a man isn't supposed to extend his hand to a woman first. I assured him that didn't bother me at all and that I was not even aware of that rule.

I did think about the rule though. And I remembered moments in the past when I've met men of a certain age who did not extend their hands to me or even properly introduce themselves.

They offended me. I couldn't imagine a reason why they wouldn't extend a hand to me other than race.

And that may have been the case. But hearing about this handshake etiquette of men not extending their hands first to women made me think that maybe there were other reasons and other history involved.

I'm glad this gentleman thrust his hand out and shook mine. I learned l something and will be thinking on that the next time I think a handshake is being withheld. I'll offer mine and hope they take the second chance to connect.

Letting go of the expert goal

2010-12-16T06:46:00.000-05:00

I've been curious about wine for a long time. But I rarely ordered or bought wine because I didn't know what I was doing.

And I am very (overly) worried about doing or saying something that shows I'm out of place in any way. So rather than ask questions of a server that might show I don't know all the right wine terms, I just order something else.

This year I'm working on getting over that as I start to visit local wineries and just try things and buy what I like.

As I do that, I continue to remind myself that it's not necessary for me to become an expert or to be able to talk about wine like a sommelier. This is something I'm doing for me, because it's fun and it gives me another way to look at Florida and anywhere else I'm traveling.

Letting go of the goal of becoming an expert (or the fear of show how little knowledge I have) is freeing. I have avoided many things just because I didn't want to show my ignorance. So I'm going to be asking dumb questions and tasting wine in the "wrong" way (I've probably already done that).

And I'm sure someone is going to smirk when I decide I like a particular wine but can't describe it other than to say it tastes great. I'm still going to have fun with it - already am - and do me.

Here and there I'm going to do some reading, maybe even take a class to learn more, but I won't wait to have the knowledge. This Wine 101 article in the WSJ about how to taste a wine is a first step.

Later this week I'll post something about my visit in November to Arrington Vineyards in Tennessee - which was a lot of fun.

2010-12-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Just saw that there's a 31 day Reset Your Life challenge happening this month and headed by HappyBlackWoman.

It sounds fantastic. And I'm thinking about doing some of the exercises - but I may not do any. December is so jam packed and I am also committed to doing a better job with holiday decorating and am nursing a sprained ankle.

Full plate.

Would love to do this as a face-to-face exercise. That is one of my current goals - doing more face-to-face time with my friends and just being out in the world more, doing what I love, rather than caving in to things that feel like obligations.

This blog is one of my 4th quarter 2010 ideas, but I haven't done much with it. I have 4 winery visits to write up and just haven't put anything down. So that feels like a failure. But is it? This is a hobby blog added to another hobby I have in addition to being a mother, wife, full-time working professional and a human being.

So I am going to stop calling my failure to blog the wine visits failures. I will write them. And I know that actually having visited 4 wineries and having fun trips every time is more important to the journey.

But yes, I will get pictures and stories up soon.

2010-11-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

This is the first post in the new portion of this blog. Obviously it's been a long time since I've posted as WriteWoman. Most of my blogging has been through my Black Books Blog since 2005.

I'm posting again here because I wanted to write about some non-book topics, specifically travel and wine. But, as usual, I have been wringing my hands in worry and procrastination about launching a wine and travel blog perfectly. On my own domain, with the right look, etc.

And I've let weeks and months pass me by.

It would be better to do this that way. And if I wait, I might never do it at all.

Fortunately, I've been doing what I envisioned and visiting vineyards. But not posting.

Here's where all of this comes from - the seed of this new blog. I've been a little blue about my suburban life. I go to work, I parent, I get excited when I can go to a mainstream movie and have dinner at a chain restaurant with my husband. Boring and typical. Fine most of the time. Except when I'm sad about not making a second trip to France or never having been to West Africa. Or on the nights when I wonder if I'll ever have the time, money and opportunity to visit a country long enough to learn something and make friends.

Focusing on what I couldn't do was draining and pointless. So I decided to do what I can for now. Even if it meant only a little day trip.

So in August, when my husband and son were on a weekend trip to Chicago (hey, that's somewhere I could have gone!), my daughter and I had our first No Boys Allowed (NBA) weekend. We invited two friends and went on a trip to a winery. It was one of our best ever days. (And I'll post pics from that trip very soon).

I decided that what would be fun and uplifting and enough would be to make day trips and side trips that would be my right now adventures. Yes, I still want to plan big trips and travel out of the country again. But I had fallen into a habit of waiting for the perfect time to do everything. And everything was passing me by - and I am tired of regrets.

So this blog is my little project to record the adventures. I'm starting with trips in Florida to our region's wineries. And I'm reading about wine and learning something new.

Of course, this has great benefits, as I have lovely glasses of wine at home. My little suburban life is already improved.

If you are a wine lover and have a favorite wine blogger or winery site to recommend, please leave it in the comments. Maybe you'll give me an idea for another adventure.

2003-09-07T10:11:00.000-04:00

Random notes
John McWhorter, author of Authentically Black and Losing the Race, makes me uncomfortable. He is one of the black neo-conservatives who challenges the old-guard civil rights establishment and says that many of African America's coping mechanisms and ideas about race and class are self-defeating. I try to read and listen to "the other side" from time to time and am working my way through Authentically Black as a result. McWhorter makes me uncomfortable because what he says a)often comes across as harsh b) or what we might otherwise label as racist and c) because I find myself agreeing with some of his points (definitely not all). Anyway, I read this essay in City Journal recently. Here he writes about how rap retards black success. Since I had my son (even before, really) I've listened to less rap, hip hop and even youth-oriented pop. A part of that is because I'm older and partying and talking trash is not on my agenda. But part of it is that I am over the bitch and 'ho labelling, the cursing in general and the often unhealthy sexual imagery. Now, though, I can't even listen to it because it's going into my son's head too. I won't keep him from listening to popular music, but I definitely want to wait as many years as possible and I will be monitoring the airwaves and CDs and mP3s like a hawk.

Shifting Sisters
HarambeeJournal sent me a note about this book, Shifting, The Double Lives of Black Women in America. It sounds like something I should read. And it makes me want to get serious about starting my luncheon book club. Perhaps I will, if I can find another couple of hours a week and a few friends to buy in.

New reading
I've been very mystery-focused lately, with Paula L. Woods' Charlotte Justice character. I've ready Inner-City Blues and Stormy Weather and both were good. I do think that her stories are a bit less intense than some other mysteries. The main character is under duress, but not in the same, end-of-book fashion as some other sleuths. Still, I like her tone and the way it's very contemporary, but still written, not just thrown together.
I'm now reading Douglass' Women, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, who I've never read. It's a novel about Frederick Douglass' black wife and white mistress. I haven't read any historical novels for awhile, definitely not slavery novels. I think I had my fill of that for a time after taking the Slavery in the Novel class during graduate school. I loved the work and the research, but now that reading is chiefly an escape from dishes, laundry and a day job, I need a lot more fun fantasy in my head.

2003-07-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

Save this Mag!
Bitch Magazine is on the edge and they need subscribers to save the pub. Lisa Jervis, publisher, has sent out an email appeal. I'm going to post it here. Please pass it on and subscribe. www.bitchmagazine.com

Dear friends--

As many of you know, Bitch has always functioned on a shoestring budget, especially in the spreading-the-word department. Well, our mid-year financial statements show that the shoestring has gotten even stringier of late. We're falling pretty short of our projected magazine sales for the year, and to ensure that there's a Bitch next year and for many years to come, we need your help now. To put it bluntly, we need more subscribers. About 3,000 more.

Here's why subscriptions are so crucial to our financial health: When people buy Bitch at a bookstore, we eventually (four to five months later) get between $1.77 and $1.98 of the $4.95 plus tax that it costs. When people subscribe, they pay only $3.75 per issue (better for them), and we get all of the money right away (better for us).

A lot of people think that buying Bitch on the newsstand supports us just as much as subscribing. Some even think it's more helpful because it convinces bookstores that Bitch is worth carrying. But the bottom line is that Bitch is much better off having you as a subscriber than as a newsstand buyer. (Of course we'd rather have people buying it in the bookstore than not buying it at all, but I promise that stores will continue to stock the magazine, and new newsstand buyers will always come along.)

And then there are all those folks out there who say, "Oh, yeah, Bitch, I've thumbed through that in the bookstore/been to the website/read a friend's copy, and I always meant to subscribe." Now is the time to get all of these people to actually sign up!

Here's what you can do to help:

-If you are not a subscriber right now, become one today. Go to www.bitchmagazine.com/merch.htm, call us toll-free at 877-21-BITCH, or send a check for $15 to Bitch, 1611 Telegraph Ave Ste. 515, Oakland CA 94612.

-Buy gifts for your friends and family. Multiple subscriptions are even cheaper: $15 for the first and $12 for each additional. See info above, and please note: If you are ordering online, the discount for multiple subscriptions will not show up automatically. Write a note in the comments field about it (along with the other addresses, of course) and we will manually adjust the price.

-Pass this message along. This e-mail is going out to about 700 or so people. To meet our goal, every one of you would need to buy 4.3 subscriptions--or we would collectively need to reach out to a whole bunch more than 700 of Bitch's closest friends. So please send this to anyone you know who likes the magazine or who you think would like the magazine. Help us get the word out!

-Tell people about Bitch. Read it on public transportation. Leave a copy in places where people will discover it (your local coffee house, your college's student center, the waiting room at your friendly women's health clinic, etc.). If you want to take part in a more formal effort to do this, e-mail publicity director Marisa Meltzer at marisa@bitchmagazine.com and tell her you're interested in helping to promote the magazine in your area.

-Buy a t-shirt, too. We have a bunch of styles now and they're super-cute. If you're an exhibitionist, we also have very happenin' underwear for sale. (Pictures and descriptions are at www.bitchmagazine.com/merch.htm.)

-Pester your local library to buy a subscription (they really do listen to patron requests).

-Donate a subscription to your local campus women's center, community resource center, or the like.

Anything you can do to get us further toward the goal of 3,000 subscriptions will help Bitch be strong and healthy!

With gratitude,
Lisa

--
Lisa Jervis
Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS!
1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 515
Oakland, California 94612
510-625-9390/lisa@bitchmagazine.com/www.bitchmagazine.com

2003-07-07T06:04:00.000-04:00

Not Raymond
I posted earlier about E. Lynn Harris' new book. It's out tomorrow. Here's a NYTimes story on him and the book.

More Books
Walter Mosley's latest, Fear Itself, is now out. It's the second Fearless Jones novel.
Related: I'm pretty sure I heard that one of the cable networks is going to produce a series of mysteries based on the Easy Rawlins novels, also by Walter Mosley. But now I can't find the reference. Anybody have a clue?

2003-07-05T09:12:00.000-04:00

Can't Get Enough
Barry White died yesterday. He was 58.

Liberty and Truth
CSMonitor had an excellent story this week about the truth about our founding fathers and slavery. Too often we gravitate toward a simple, easy version of our history. And we're told it's unpatriotic to think otherwise. That's lazy thinking and a disservice to our public history. And for me, that makes all our contemporary patriotic moments hard to swallow. I love being an American and I know that it has never been the kind of all-welcoming place we're taught it was from the beginning. It still isn't.

Book Anticipation
E. Lynn Harris's own invisible life will be revealed this week when his memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, hits shelves. I've read all his novels and often wondered how much of the tales are based on his own life. Now I can't wait to find out. I'm also curious about his style in the memoir and whether it will be as readable as the novels. They are very much popcorn reading - fun and light and easy to turn one page after another.

2003-06-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

Standing on the Top -- Whiteness Studies
Darryl Fears has an interesting article in the Washington Post about Whiteness studies, the new discipline of studying and critiquing the creation of the white race and white privilege. Worth a read. (via HarambeeJournal). While I know that white people often perceive themselves as raceless (if they think about race at all), I'm concerned that these efforts aren't focused more on bringing an analysis of race into the established disciplines. It seems to me that would be more appropriate in the long run. But I'm no longer walking the academic path, so what do I know?

Speaking of White
This mob idea seems like a very "white" thing to me. I'm not calling people out by race, but rather, noting that this seems to be something only a privileged class of people could or would do. What is the point of having a mindless mob with no real goal to pursue? And if this were a group of poor people or people of color doing this, would it be interesting or would they all end up in jail? Someone needs to do this kind of action with a purpose - to actually address some of our society's problems, rather than just as a lark.

And yes, I'm reminded again that I need to read Smart Mobs.

2003-04-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

"Overeducated" Black women and Negro Nerds in general
Excellent links over at George's place about Black women and education. Including an excerpt from Trudier Harris' essay, Mind Work: How a Ph.D. Affects Black Women, at the Chronicle of Higher Education. She talks about how the pursuit and attainment of a Ph.D effectively makes African American women outsiders in their own community and makes dating more difficult. Selfishly I'd like to hear about women who have gone the Ph.D route after having children. I notice that many of the sisters in that set are without children as well.

2003-04-07T10:52:00.000-04:00

Friendly takeovers
I love this idea. Just this weekend I had brunch at an upscale pseudo-bistro and when I arrived the hostess knew exactly who I was meeting. Before I even said a word. My girlfriends and I were the only black people in the restaurant. I've gotten so used to that (being the only or one of) at this point. It's still wonderful to go somewhere and see other black folks, though.
The friendly takeover idea does remind me of the swarm, however. Which reminds me that I have yet to read Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs. From the web site's summary of the book:

Smart mobs emerge when communication and computing technologies amplify human talents for cooperation. The impacts of smart mob technology already appear to be both beneficial and destructive, used by some of its earliest adopters to support democracy and by others to coordinate terrorist attacks.

The war thing
PopMatters has some good essays on the cultural aspects of our war efforts and coverage.

2003-03-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

Tuned out
Well, I've pretty much buried my head in the sand for the last week. I've only caught bits of the President's pronouncements, like the money request to Congress today, by accident. And, though I am listening out for war news, I am so glad that I don't have to watch it 12 hours a day for work. Unfortunately that makes it all too easy for me to avoid it altogether. That is one of the things that makes our modern wars even scarier to me. That we as Americans can just ignore what's going on and watch our cable tv, our hoops, or just keep on living our normal lives. I wonder how the lack of impact this has on American life relates to our willingness to engage in warfare. Are we more willing to let our government start the fight since it doesn't mean we'll have to go hungry, worry about bombing raids or go to hospitals that are ill-equipped to help us?

Being out of the war loop I was stunned by the story of the American sergeant accused of a grenade attack on his superiors. Apparently this happened in Vietnam as well and was called "fragging." He's an African American Muslim so that of course is being raised as a possible issue. I think it's just another part of this strange and horrific journey that we're on. It reminds me also that although I was an adult during GWI, I really didn't think about it that much. So this feels like my first "real" war - and even this feels very remote. I wonder what would happen to the national psyche if we got real, unfiltered information about all the atrocities in this "conflict."

2003-03-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

It's been too long.
Well, the war has begun and I haven't much to add to all the alternative coverage and commentary. Only that I've been here, and here to get other views and ended up reading notes from a blogger in Baghdad.

I decided to make time today to post photos from the one protest I did attend earlier this year.

2003-02-07T15:32:00.000-05:00

Babysitter Bums

Note: the following is really just a vent, so if it doesn't make sense, that's just too bad for you. There are many challenges in new motherhood/parenthood and this week I encountered a big one. The babysitter quest. My second babysitter bailed, just as the first one did - no notice, no call, just *poof.* It makes me crazy. Just crazy enough to think about calling their phone numbers over and over again and leaving mean messages, but not insane enough to actually go through with the harassment. It makes me crazy to be dependent on anyone for precisely this reason -- people fail you all the time.

In the regular, non-babysitting-obsessed world, we're on some kind of higher terror alert. And once again I don't know whether to go bury my head in the Florida sand or gather our canned goods. I firmly believe we won't know when such a disaster is planned or carried out until it's upon us. Even if we were sure something was going to happen, we'd never be truly prepared. I'd rather not know so I won't waste my final hours worrying.

Rev. JJ

This old news, but from a small town, so maybe it's not all over. Jesse Jackson's home county, Greenville County, S.C., has not made MLK day a government holiday. He wants to change that and was involved in a recent demonstration about it.

In looking for that clip, I found a site with a letter from Jesse Peterson urging Americans (like me?) to help him stop Jesse Jackson's push for reparations. Here's a sample:

Millions of blacks (not to mention many white liberals) simply LOVE Jesse Jackson. Yet this evil man has done more than any other single person to undermine the morality of America and destroy our country.

Yeah, Jesse has problems, I don't deny that. But is he evil? Has he done more than any other person to destroy us? Hmmmm. The answer would be NO! I can name any number of people who've done more. And I'm confused about the destruction of our country - aren't we still here? And if we're so decimated by Jesse, how are we about to stomp Saddam? Doesn't sound like Jesse's really a problem. The real problem is many Americans refusal to even talk about reparations and affirmative action and national health care and many other issues. Even as millions are without healthcare, Blacks continue to lag behind in employment, education and wealth. What are they afraid of if we talk about these issues? Justice? And no I'm not going to link to the site.

2003-02-06T21:08:00.000-05:00

Just a quickie

I've been off for awhile, mothering and writing mostly. Here's something that published today -- a review of the new Zora biography. More work is on the horizon!

Have a C*ke and a smile

Heard today on Marketplace that Russell Simmons and crew are boycotting Pepsi because of "cultural disrespect." Apparently the soda makers dropped Ludacris after some conservative talkers went after them for his sexually explicit lyrics. So Pepsi hires Ozzy Osborne, who's used profanity here and there. That, Simmons says, is a double standard and folks out to quit drinking Pepsi.

But do boycotts work anymore? Or will it just be the glare of publicity that brings Pepsi back into the rap fold? And isn't it interesting that Pepsi shies away from Ludacris and sexually explicit lyrics, but has no problem with (and isn't pressured for) using ~~Britney's~~ Beyonce's body to titillate. Don't say a word, just look at the pretty pictures.

2003-01-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

Things to read and see
Bayard Rustin documentary, Brother Outsider, on PBS Monday, Jan. 20. I got this link from Aaron, who I don't actually know, but read frequently. I saw it one day after telling L. about Rustin, who, though an important figure in the civil rights movement, is rarely talked about in classrooms. He was a strategist, worked with King and organized the March on Washington. Why do we hear so little about him? Because he was gay.
UPDATE: Read Nat Hentoff's piece in the Village Voice to find out some of the folks who tried to out Rustin.

Thulani Davis on Malcolm Shabazz' papers going to the Schomburg. The "trove" will likely yield new biographies, speech compilations and other insight on the man and his work.

2002-12-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

First Lott, Now Frist
Okay, I'm not so innocent that I expected the new Republican leader in the Senate to be better than Lott. But I am amazed that his biographical spin includes this tidbit: Until he was 37 years old, Bill Frist had never voted in an election. This makes me crazy. Why? What? How could he not vote? I guess, if you come from money, you know where the power really is and you don't need no stinking ballot to get it. Grrr.

2002-12-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

Lott-ie Dottie, He Likes to Party
Well it's over, Lott has resigned and all kinds of black people are reportedly cheering. And I'm wondering if it was all worth it. Bush is still president, we're still heading to war and Trent just becomes the undercover racist conservative's new hero. I don't believe he's the devil, but I do understand that he believes what he said and is just sorry to have slipped.

The thing that keeps nagging at me is that if we could get this riled up over the war, corporate scandal or elections, we could really do something. I suppose one could argue that it's easy to get all righteous when there's one person to focus on. I'm thinking that's a big cop out, though.

Holiday Consumption
Last night - yes on 12/20, all last-minute -- I went out to buy some music for a gift. I was looking for gospel on cassettes - which are pretty scarce. Anyway, I went into our nearest Christian music store and it wasn't that busy. Which was a sharp reminder of where our collective heads are at (those of us who *celebrate* Christmas). I naively thought a Christian store would be kind of busy on Christmas. But apparently everyone was at Tar-jé. Then again, I'm not exactly a textbook Christian. More of a backslider, so what would I know?

Zora! Zora!
A new and fabulous (so I've heard) biography of Zora Neale Hurston is out this month. It's penned by Valerie Boyd, an editor at the AJC. There's also a new book that contains volumes of her letters - so more insight, more love for ZNH. I haven't gotten either book yet, but perhaps I'll get into them before the festival.

2002-10-30T15:50:00.000-05:00

Missing in Cyberspace
Yep - I've been so far from the blogosphere it's funny. Or sad. I am struggling with time. Juggling motherhood, writing, a full-time job and reading is no joke. I really like blogging and reading blogs - I feel challenged by both pursuits - but it is one of the first things to fall off my to do list. Lately I've been questioning whether or not I am really a blogger, or just a lurker. Since I haven't figured it out yet, I figured I might as well post some things.

Secret of longevity: avoidance of men
Mary Parr, the oldest living person in the U.S., died yesterday. She was 113 years old. Her secret to long life: never getting married. Well, there goes my shot at living to 113.

Tavis on Fresh Air
Fresh Air had an interview with Tavis Smiley on yesterday's show. Tavis, formerly of BET, broadcasts on Tom Joyner, CNN, and now NPR (how many jobs does that brother have?). Well he and host Terry Gross started off with a strange conversation about how black people don't listen to NPR (National Public Radio). I was shocked and appalled. Apparently I am either a) not black or b) having aural delusions, since I swear I've been listening to NPR for years. Anyway, Tavis made some comment about how his friends are more likely to know about the NBA than NPR. Now let's be real here. If anybody else, say Andy Rooney or some other obnoxious white commentator had made the same remark, we'd be calling him or her out of his or her name. It makes me sad to hear an African American make such sweeping generalizations about us -- a very diverse population. Okay - so I've vented. The interview is really interesting, once you get past that moment. I wonder, since we don't listen to NPR, who is listening to Tavis' show? Alright, enough.

2002-09-06T15:39:00.000-04:00

Not Much, But Something
I believe my horoscope for today says it all: Taurus for Friday, Sept. 06: You have that rare ability to say the right thing at the right time. Complete strangers are easily impressed, as well they should be. Let your self-assurance carry you forward in a blaze of light. (finally, someone got it right!)

Quickly
Miss N.C. (yes, I am actually referring to the winner of the pageant) is on her way to the big Miss America shindig. Only there are two of the tiara-ed ladies. One is Native American, one is white and there's a nude photo involved. As with the Vanessa Williams mess, I think it's very interesting that a franchise built on exploiting women's bodies can restrict women based on what they do with their own bodies. We're so confused.

2002-09-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

Return Ramblings
Yep - we hit the road, or rather the skies, for the Labor Day weekend. Family, baby and the last rainy days of August. On the flight into South Carolina, on a small jet with less than 20 passengers, the flight attendant (the only one) said that if any of us dipped snuff or used chewing tobacco that we should, please, use the lavatory. I have never heard mention of those tobacco products on any other flights. *sigh* Only on a flight to S.C. Oh well, at least when she said that I was sure we were headed home!

Boxer Brother
Here's an interesting discussion of the Joe Boxer ad - you know, the one with the black man dancing in his undies and smiling something fierce - from Kmart. I really thought the ad was bizarre, but it did it's job and got my attention. Now I think: Joe Boxer - guy dancing - KMart. Some folks think it's a bit buffoonish. I'm still contemplating that - I wonder will we ever get to be playful without all those years of history tainting every black grin, quick step and laugh. I think Spike Lee was doing some KMart commercials. Surely this isn't one of them? See one of Spike's ads.

2002-08-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

Bars Beat Books
Expect to see lots of stories tomorrow about a new study called Cellblocks or Classrooms. The study shows how states have spent astronomically on jails in recent years, but have not kept pace with education money. No surprise. We'd rather lock 'em up than educate 'em.

Cellblocks or Classrooms? shows that as corrections expenditures have grown, state spending on higher education has not kept pace with increased spending on prisons. Between 1985 and 2000, spending on corrections doubled or tripled in most states, while only one state doubled its higher education spending in real dollars.

Thanks to harambeejournal for passing this on.

Selling Tech To Black Folks
In a column for BusinessWeek online, via yahoo, Roger O. Crockett comments on the Blacks and Technology conferences convened by Tavis Smiley. Interesting numbers: 90% of those logging on from home are white. (Only 5% of African American small businesses have an e-commerce plan, compared to 35% of white businesses). I find their ideas for marketing to us a bit unsettling. I don't really think selling web pages to me as "homie" pages would strike the right chord. Maybe I'm just not black enough.

Starvation in Zimbabwe
The land redistribution efforts in Zimbabwe will probably end up starving thousands. Among all the things black Americans could be talking about, is this one of them? It feels like something we ought to be paying attention to. Then again, it is Africa and you know we gots issues with thinking about any nation on that continent. Anyway, it was wrong for so few to own so much of the land and it seems right to try to correct that. But to do it in a way that simply replaces one elite class with another and leaves people in peril is unconscionable. Here's a profile of President Robert Mugabe. And a short profile of Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia.

Gay Backlash in Florida
From NPR: Black Churches and Gay Rights, "some of Miami's African-American churches and civil rights activists are campaigning against a local law protecting homosexuals from discrimination." Listen here. According to one woman, part of the motivation may be some black folks need to find somebody who we can be 'better than.' People For the American Way is involved in a lawsuit about Take Back Miami's efforts to repeal the law.

A few hours north, in Orlando, the city doesn't even have the law on the books yet and churches are trying to fight it.
At last count, 6,590 pieces of correspondence had arrived at City Hall, most of them copies of the same form letter. Letters from opponents outnumber those from supporters more than 2-to-1.

If you live in Orlando, send the city commissioners a letter and change those numbers. Orlando City Hall, 400 S. Orange Ave., P.O. Box 4990, Orlando, FL , 32801. Fax: 407-246-2842. Email the mayor: ghood@ci.orlando.fl.us
It feels like Florida is slipping backwards. Perhaps a boycott, like the ongoing NAACP tourism boycott of S.C., would work here. Question is, can Florida tourism take another financial hit?

2002-08-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

9.11.02
Naturally, there are scores of events around here scheduled to commemorate September 11. Most of them are prayer/vigil/service/mass things at churches. That's what we do when we grieve or remember heroes. But somehow, the tone of it doesn't sit well with me. The big focus seems to be lifting up any firefighters and police officers, in spite of the fact that most in my area, and probably in yours too, had nothing to do with the rescue efforts at the WTC, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. And it seems we're still stuck in this knee-jerk, superficial, patriotic fervor that accepts anything and anyone draped in red, white and blue. That's why some folks are salty that the Boss is singing American Skin (41 Shots) on his tour.
All that to ask - does anyone have any alternative ideas about a way to mark the date? I'm not looking for protests, but a way to memorialize the dead, but not fall into jingoism. I'll post any ideas I hear about (so send 'em on!).

2002-08-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

Lynching documentary
Orlando Weekly has a piece this week about a documentary on Ocoee, Florida that is getting some attention. Some of you may remember the play I co-authored on the subject of that election day massacre 80+ years ago. Read more about what happened in our author's note. Go here for more on the documentary, Ocoee: Legacy of the Election Day Massacre, by UF graduates.

Terrible history
There is an exhibit at Emory University of photos and postcards of lynchings (yes, people actually sent postcards and photos of murders). The exhibit, Without Sanctuary, is based on a collection and book of the same name. Here are the photos online, here's the book. The Emory exhibit ends this December.

The Ocoee documentary and talk about reparations got me thinking on this. I hope to see the exhibit next month during a reunion trip to ATL.

2002-08-22T17:38:00.000-04:00

Opening weekend
That Wes and Ving pic I mentioned earlier - well it opens tomorrow! The film: Undisputed, the story: Wes and Ving fight it out as prison boxers. You might also want to start checking out africana.com's new Black Box feature with a list of "black" movies coming out. I think their definition of black movie is any film with a black person in the cast or as a decision-maker. (For instance, Gold Member is listed - and is that really a "black" movie?)

Sorority Flames: Fire at black sorority house at U of Alabama

Journalists - check this
Here's a new site for journalists of color. Get news and commentary about us in the media from harambeejournal. Send items to harambee_editor@yahoo.com

Oh yeah, thanks, massa
For those of you who missed it, Dinesh D'Souza was on NPR on Tuesday talking about reparations. He, of course, is against them. I wouldn't expect anything less from the guy who wrote The End of Racism. His point this time out is that we ought to be thankful that our ancestors were enslaved. Otherwise we wouldn't have all this western culture and opportunity and we'd still be stuck in the African bush. Um, that argument's hundreds of years old. And it's still an arrogant, patriarchial point of view, even if it's spouted by descendants of former subjects.

He argues that while slavery and colonialism injure those who grow up under them, the systems can prove to be beneficial to the descendants.

You can listen to him here.

2002-08-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Speed posting

Okay, so maybe this is cheating. But time is short these days.

Where's Wesley? In a new movie with Ving Rhames. I'll be there opening weekend. Thanks to George for pointing me there.

Want more of DCF Chief Regier's views. Go here (pdf). Thanks to Gwen for passing that on.

Payback: negroplease has a good discussion with links on the reparations issues. Don't be too simple about it - get some information, then decide. That's what I'm about to do.

2002-08-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

Sunday reading

Legal in black and white
Florida A & M University's law school begins classes in Orlando next week. (The first FAMU law school was closed when FSU's law school opened in the 1960s). Here's how the class looks:

Of the law school's 93 students, 41 percent of them are black, 56 percent are white, 7 percent are Hispanic, 1 percent are Asian, and 5 percent did not disclose their ethnicity on their applications.

Okay. So now FAMU has a mostly white law school. Where is this going?

Perils of a baby daddy
Jesse Jackson has decided to weigh in against Jeb's choice to head the Florida Department of Children and Families, an agency that actually loses children. Gov. Bush' choice has come under fire for some ultra-conservative beliefs (see below). The Rev. Jackson has drawn attention to himself once again, but of course his newest title, Baby-daddy, is being used against him. A Bush spokeswoman says:

“For Jesse Jackson to expound upon issues of morality and family, this is absurd. It’s comparable to Bill Clinton volunteering to teach a class on abstinence.”

Jesse should have known that kind of stuff was going to be thrown in his face. What I want to know is, how come it's okay for Bush folks to throw dirt, but not for the Democrats to talk about his druggie daughter and drinking nieces? Oh, now I remember, they have "substance abuse" problems and we're all sympathetic to his family issues.
I still kinda wish Jesse wasn't a baby-daddy. Kind of takes the moral out of his moral outrage.

2002-08-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

Welts, bruises and Jeb

Well our esteemed first brother (aka governor of Florida) is in the hot seat. Again. For those who haven't been following this, here's the nuggets. It was recently revealed that the state Dept. of Children and Families has lost children placed in foster care. Most notably, a 4-year-old girl named Rilya Wilson. The head of the agency just resigned and within a week (less than, actually), JEB appointed Jerry Regier of Oklahoma to the post. Well, turns out Mr. Regier was once a part of a group that said corporal punishment that results in welts and bruises is okay. Huh? Now Regier and Bush are both under fire.

Here's what else the group, The Coalition on Revival Inc, has to say:

"We affirm that the husband has final say in any family dispute, insofar as he does not violate Biblical principles; that a husband's headship is irrevocable; and that if the husband is incapacitated, the wife may exercise his authority as his deputy, not as his replacement."

"We affirm that an able-bodied man must make every reasonable effort to support his family continuously ... that the wife may augment the family's income through effective management of resources or, with the husband's consent, by home business; and that in cases of family financial crisis, the wife may, with her husband's approval, accept temporary outside employment, but that the family should view this as bondage, strive to liberate itself and petition God for liberation."

Good to know that I'm only my husband's deputy and that my work is "bondage."

Run, HRC, Run

Speaking of wives and their place. Folks are saying Hillary Clinton thinks her place is back in the White House. She's supposedly working up for a run in 2008, giving her time to do some image-spinning and fundraising. It's no wonder that with groups like the aforementioned extremists that it's taken this long for some viable women candidates to get going. Of course, she'll be held to different standards and being the wife of Bill will probably be a stone around her neck. But it's a good start.

2002-08-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

cyberethnic notions

I had a bit of eye-shock the other day when I decided to show someone negroplease. Jason has a new design for the site. It looks cool, but it certainly gave me pause. As would any image, anywhere, of a pickaninny eating watermelon. But Bamboozled is one of my favorite movies, too. Still hard to see those images. If you haven't seen Bamboozled (Spike Lee) and Ethnic Notions (by the late Marlon Riggs), you need to go watch them. Rent, buy, whatever. You might try a library, especially at universities, for Ethnic Notions. Bl**kbuster probably doesn't have it!

2002-08-13T14:19:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time ...

K. Maybe not that long. But still. Anyway, there's a lot to think about out there. For starters:

Going backward -- schools re-segregating based on race
Harvard says so...

2002-08-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Shameless self-promo

Bare Your Soul: Thinking Girls' Guide to Enlightenment is available for pre-order (ahem) at amazon.com. You might want to reserve a copy. And I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the contributors. Well, maybe I am just saying that because I'm in the anthology. Whatever. It will be out in November - just in time to get your enlightenment on for the New Year or Kwanzaa or just because.

But enough about me. We can always pick that discussion up later.

George is back. That's a relief ;). Get your fix of another culture watcher.

Milk fest

More than a 1,000 moms breastfed simultaneously in public this weekend. It's a record. Now if we could just make more places as breast-friendly as the Bay Area, maybe more mothers would breastfeed longer. C'mon, aren't America's children worth it?

2002-08-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

Is He Or Ain't He?

Vin Diesel is taking over the world. Or so it seems. Until Friday he didn't even rank a passing thought/glance with me. But now, I'm all over that! I read at uppity negro that Vi - Di was on the covers of Jet and EW. Now, does Jet ever have a cover with someone who is not, at least partially, black? Hmmmm. It's been reported (EW, Savoy) that Diesel is black and Italian-American, with some other possible add - ins. Cool. Makes him very attractive for H-wood. And makes me think about that whole miscegenation question again (see below). Another multicultural action hero (see The Rock). Does this mean anything? Will they ever be in a movie with Halle? Does this mean race is less of an issue, or does it still loom large, since you have to look like a certain race or none at all to succeed on screen? And, finally, where is that other action hero, Wesley Snipes?

2002-08-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

Read It And Leave It

As a book lover, I am intrigued by the folks at bookcrossing. Concept: viral book sharing/tracking. Basically, you read a book, leave it in some random place and whoever picks it up posts to the site and passes it on again. Fantabulous! I can't wait to leave a book somewhere. Hope to find a couple myself. What a way to get ideas out there and touch the lives of complete strangers! Almost as much fun as blogging!

Speaking of books - it would be great if someone would leave Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point lying around for me. No? Okay, it's off to amazon, I go.

2002-07-30T17:45:00.000-04:00

Man In The Comic

If you don't already get Aaron MaGruder's Boondocks strip in your email box, go to ucomics today and get that. He's doing a cycle about our favorite porcelain doll, Michael Jackson, and his recent umgowa, black powa makeover. It's so sad it's hilarious.

2002-07-30T17:24:00.000-04:00

Mixin' it up

About 10 years ago one of my high school teachers told me she thought miscegenation was the answer to our race problems. I had been out of high school for several years by that time and was fervidly studying African American literature and culture. I thought she was dazed by her idealism and that it was very convenient for her to think that would solve our problems. Turns out, she's not the only person thinking this way. Andrew Sullivan had a post recently about miscegenation as a balm. His idea is that the new reports of rising rates of black women/white men marriages mean that a) black women are "making it" and b) that they're helping create a future where race won't be restrictive, because people will be mixed together.

I think his view is also a bit convenient, like the aforementioned high school teacher. However, unlike the me of a decade ago, I'm not stuck on the idea of inter-racial love as more negative than positive. (Though I must admit, particularly when it comes to black men, I've still got some healing to do.) Now, I'm concerned that the turnaround on miscegenation may just mean we'll have another label for people. So we'll have blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians and "colored." And this doesn't seem like a good thing. So I'm still pondering the miscegenation as salvation argument and I think we've to to look out for the creation of another label, which doesn't solve anything. One other question this discussion raises with me is what happens to the people who aren't recently mixed ('cause many of us are mixed somewhere in our lineage)? If miscegenation is the answer, are we obsolete?

2002-07-26T17:28:00.000-04:00

Totally frivolous

I know this is mean - but our marriage has, thus far, lasted longer than J-Lo's marriages combined. Whew. Now we can relax. Question is, why didn't she just marry Sean/Puffy/P.Diddy? Too many names to remember?

Find me, stalk me

Latest cyber-scare: people can look you up on Google. Okay, so that's a big duh! But the NYT article does point out how this is a privacy issue and screw up your life. Yet it's like anything else, if you do something different, alternative, or subversive you are both challenging the system and taking a personal risk. This just makes it easier for folks who would use it against you to find out.

2002-07-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

Oooh, child

Austin Powers in Goldmember (yes, they do mean that member) starts this weekend. Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child is in it as Foxxy Cleopatra, a spoof of female blaxploitation icons. She's on the cover of a couple of magazines and with that blonde hair (or is a weave) and the way she's shot, she's looking kind of "exotic." As in, 'we think she's beautiful because she's just a little bit black, but not enough to scare us off.' I'm amazed that that is still the way Hollywood sees black women - and the only way to some extent. Think Halle, Vanessa, Beyonce, and some of the television folks, like Nicole Ari Parker and Sallie Richardson. To be a black woman at the megaplex or in primtime, it seems you've got to be on the light side. Anybody seen Angela Bassett lately?

And is the returning fascination with blaxploitation's stereotypical images tied to this color struck casting? Beyonce isn't alone. Halle is set to star in an updated Foxy Brown. Does this mean less boob footage? Considering Halle's latest work, I don't think so!

I am glad to hear that Halle will be starring in Nappily Ever After, based on the Trisha R. Thomas novel.

2002-07-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

Bush Burden

Noelle Bush is a troubled young woman. She's serving time in a drug rehab program in Orlando after faking a prescription for Xanax. She's also the granddaughter of a president, niece of a president (that sounds like a joke, doesn't it) and daughter of a governor. An article yesterday in the Orlando Sentinel talks about the pressures such a lineage hold for her. And the mostly sympathetic piece talks about her brother's very different and successful life as a young politician and law student.

What I want to know is, why this particular addict is getting the kid glove treatment? Is being born into one of the most powerful families in the country such a burden? I mean, if you can be a slacker with that kind of pedigree, you must really be working at it. Anyway, I'm sure she'll get straighted out in time for the 2002 election (her father's) and 2004. Perhaps they'll even marry her off and get her hidden for good.

In other addiction news

Normally, I wouldn't even read a story from The Enquirer, much less reference it. But alas, never say never. I heard on the radio (Tom Joyner's tease this weekend) that Eric Benet was in rehab for sex addiction. Had to go get that. The Enquirer "broke" the story. Apparently this is the attempt to save the marriage with Halle. Now I don't want to make light of a brotha's problems or medical terms, but is there really such a thing as sex addiction? Or is he just a playa who doesn't know how to quit? Because if this sex addiction thing is taken too seriously, I can see all kinds of playas getting over on that. "Well, baby, you know I got that problem - that addiction."

2002-07-18T08:03:00.000-04:00

Harris is back with Ray

Yesterday, I spotted the marketing material for e. lynn harris' next book, A Love of My Own, at one of the chain stores. It's due out on July 30. That man is a writing machine. Anyway, the cover was a different style than the recent installments in his novels, so I thought maybe he'd written something completely new. Not so. At his site, the synopsis says Ray Tyler is back. And while I am glad to hear that, I'm sort of getting tired of the same old twist on the bi-closeted brother story. You know - brothas on the down low in college, the professions, music and sports. Have to say this, though - Harris always provides a page turner. So I'm going to read it as soon as I can get my hand on it. I'll post a review here someday.

Interesting that he hasn't ever dealt with brothas on the down low in church. Now that would be a head turner for sure.

2002-07-17T08:14:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! Here I am, blogging my ramblings for the world to see. Admittedly, I'm a bit late to the whole weblog game, but I've been busy working, birthing a baby and reading paper books. But in the last few weeks, as my newborn son began to sleep more and our television has begun to die a slow, annoying death, I've been spending more time on the web. Big thanks to soapboxgirls and allaboutgeorge for introducing a sister to weblogs. I am now looking at weblogs every day - unbelievable!

Anyway, today allaboutgeorge referenced an article that hypes the potential benefit to G.W. Bush of a Colin Powell vice presidential run. Hmmm. They seem to think black voters will go for the okey-doke and cast ballots for the Republicans so we can get one of us near the top. If only Colin could just run for president. He'd be a good choice for our first try - he's one of the least threatening black men I can think of. His hair blows in the wind and he's the son of immigrants - people love that. But no offense to the man, I think he's pretty cool and we could use a pro-choice, pro-affirmative action voice in the Bush camp.