Thanksgiving Weekend

It's the last day of the long holiday weekend. I woke up this morning thinking of all the stuff I didn't get accomplished - pack, clean out the closet, clean up the kid's room, get some work done. Before I started to let all of that Ididn'tdo anxiety stress me out - thank God I quickly realized all I did get accomplished - celebrated Thanksgiving with the hub's family, hung out with hub and kid, went to my girl's 40th birthday dinner, took two glorious naps, started a great book. Lots of fun stuff. I guess I can get the other stuff done at the end of December.

Michael Jackson Renaissance

"...don't you carry nuthin' that might be a load. Come on and ease on down..ease on down the road".

We have been jamming to The Wiz in my house today. Hub and I hadn't seen it years and the kid has never seen it, so I reserved it at the local library and picked it up today.

The kid is responsible for a Michael Jackson renaissance in our house of late. Starting back in Easter when hub received the 25th Anniversary Thriller CD in his Easter Basket (yeah, that's another post..and yes, I'm well aware that Easter is about the Resurrection of Christ not bunnies and candies and mess). Anyway..the kid became mesmerized by the pre-weird, still black (somewhat) Michael Jackson in all of his 80's glory. This is the Michael that went to the White House and hung out with Reagan, glamorized greasy jheri curls and had people all over the world jamming to his music. It was an amazing (except for Reagan) time.

My eight year old sat just as transfixed watching the Motown 25 performance of Billie Jean a few months ago - just like I had back in 1983 on the night when he performed it live.

At first - I didn't quite get the kid's interest in MJ. I mean this is a ChrisBrownSeanKingstonRihannaChaChaSlide listening to kid. He's constantly dogging the hub and I about our music. I mean when you were born in 2000....Jay Z is old school. But something about the pre-weird, still black Micheal and his music and genius has connected with the kid.

So I've dug out my old copy of Off the Wall, gotten on Amazon.com to look for Jackson's An American Dream and have been checking out the oldies racks for old J5 collections.

I'm thinking we'll let the MJ history lesson stop with the Bad album. That's kinda when he lost the plot. Banging up cars, grabbing his crotch and bleaching his face and stuff. Crazy.

When the kid asks for the post Bad album, I'll stick The Wiz DVD in again. I mean it has Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell and the lovely Lena Horne - not to mention MJ in a really, sweet, brilliant performance as the scarecrow.

Come on and Ease on down the Road - indeed!!

I Didn't Believe He Could Fly

Once again the sexual victimization of a black woman at the hands of a black man has been dismissed...not to mention ignored and joked about. Last week a jury in Chicago acquitted R&B singer, R Kelly of his charges involving child porn. Yes there is that infamous tape (no, I haven't seen it - though I've been offered) and yes there is his history of liking young women. However, a jury of his peers in his hometown did not find enough evidence to convict Kelly of any wrongdoing. Wow, wow and wow.

I told RB that the smartest thing Tawana Brawley did back in the day was to claim white men as her attackers not black men. You can best believe there is no way Al Sharpton would have holed her butt up in a church on a story that brothers raped her. Yeah - the child lied, yeah she went through a whole lot (understandable if you know the wrath of black parents when missing curvew) in concocting such an incredulous story - but politically she knew that in order to get black folk to buy her story she had to make her attackers white. That says a lot about a lot.

Essence...I hardly know ya

My internship at Essence Magazine was one of the highlights of my senior year of college and the bar by which I set my future professonal forays. I interned in January 1991 during the first (or second) Essence Fiction contest. It was also during the infancy of Operation Desert Storm and I have fond memories of Editor in Chief Susan Taylor stopping by my desk to ask about my mother (first) and then my brother who was in the Marine Corps. I also worked with the most incredibly talented and serious men and women. Stephanie Stokes Oliver and Angela Kinamore supervised me daily. Veronica Chambers was on staff as an editorial assistant, I believe. Entertainment maestro Gordon Chambers and I would chat about the crew I knew from Brown University - he would also rave about the headscarves that I wore. It was a magical time where I was nurtured but never coddled. I wish all students would have an internship where they felt valued and where people took the time to impart knowledge.

The Essence of today though - is a far cry from my 90's Essence. Yes, diva extraordinaire Mikki Taylor was at the helm of the beauty and fashion department. But babies - I do NOT remember pages full of $3900 boots or $100 skin cream (yes, I'm giving room for inflation). My college and young adult Essence didn't roll like that. This magazine is SO foreign to me. I had not had a subscription for years and accepted the eye rolls and incredulous looks that I received from other black women - in my family and not when I told them that.

My black female card gets snatched so often (and has since I was born) by sisters that I'm used to not fitting in. There are so many reasons for that - my not giving a damn about how my hair looks (I worry more about what's in my brain), my taste in music, men, politics, travel AND that fact that I can't cook for naught. About a year ago - I decided to give Essence another shot. If I could read Marie Claire and InStyle surely I could give old Essence a try.

It's been a challenge. More often than not I pass right over the monthly book club lists (groups in Savannah, Montclair and Denver reading the latest ghetto lit), the celebrity profiles (Tyler Perry's house, The Blactresses' wax poetic and too many features on Jada Pinkett Smith to even shake a stick at) - and THEN there are the fashion spreads. Yes, I LOVE the diversity of the models from the lightest light to the darkest dark and thin, thick and everything in between. What KILLS me though are the "How to get out of debt" pieces right next to the articles about Christian Lacroix shoes. Are you kidding me?

Oldheads sit in barber shops and beauty parlors all over this country and lament over young people killing each other behind LeBron and Jordan shoes. I wonder why. I'll probably see more real Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags at Black Expo this summer hanging off the arms of people living in they momma's house.

Oh well - I'll wait for the next issue. It will be around Essence Music Festival time so that will surely warrant a Mary J. Blige or Jill Scott cover. In the meantime, I may holla at Marie Claire to see what's new at Target this summer.

..And a Little Child Shall Lead Them

Even though I abhor war, I am the proud sister of a US Marine Corps member. My brother was in Desert Storm (craziness - the theatre launched on Martin Luther King Day back in 1991) and thankfully made it home alive and sane.

I have nothing against military service it's not something that I wish for myself and quite frankly for my son. I'm all about voluntary service. The idea of folk choosing to go into the military because they feel they have no other options - makes me sad. I've been telling my eight year old for the past eight years to promise me that he will never join the military. There are tons of other ways to demonstrate that you are a patriot and love your country, I say. Don't let the war mongers try to pull the patriot card on you because you don't want to join the military. Well, I guess eight years of yapping has paid off. Last night I asked the kid to give me three things that you can do to show that you love the country.

Here is what he said:

* Run for President
* Recycle
* Write Picket Signs

My hub said, "What would be on the picket signs?", "Don't litter", he said and "Be nice".

Words to live by indeed!!

Hillary in Indianapolis

My son and I had the opportunity to hear Hillary Clinton during her stop in Indy. It was an incredible experience to hear first hand from the candidate and her vision for an American future under her leadership. It was also exciting to expose my son to a real life civic lesson. We were fortunate enough to get escorted into the event by members of the Clinton advance team and my son was able to talk with them and get a real high level (8 year old) version of what running a campaign involves. He got that look on his face that he gets when he is really engaged or impressed with something. At the end of the event he turned to me and said, "Mama. I think I will work on a campaign when I grow up".

This country could only be so lucky.

Peace!

Cool Stuff Part 2

I'm two years away from turning 40 and loving every day of the journey. Lately - I have been finding myself saying and thinking things that I never would have dared or allowed myself to in my twenties and thirties up to this point. You know how your nana or aunties would always say the CRAZIEST stuff to you - and you would be like "I can't believe this chick just said that". I'm slowly turning into that chick. It's all good, though - just like I said part of this new journey and becoming comfortable in the skin, place and time that God has gifted to me.

Having said all that - the almost 40 part is what led me to my first cool thing of this post. Charla Krupp's book "How Not to Look Old". I'm certainly no slave to fashion with my thrift store items in heavy rotation, but I'm all about getting some inside information on how to keep my glam on. This is a very well written book with tips for real women with real budgets (I'm about five minutes from having my mom cancel my Essence gift subscription if they have one more spread with $1100 boots and $600 suits...who the heck can do THAT).

Charla's book had high end stuff but she also had regular stuff that you can score at Target, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc.

Some of my other favorite things right now:

Law & Order - SVU - there used to be a test on nbc.com that analyzed your personality based on which L&O you liked. I'm SVU all the way. Mariska Hargitay is a bad chick!!!

Amy Winehouse - LOVE this girl. She can sing her butt off and while her life is a soap opera - you have to pray that she gets it together, gets cleaned up and is around to sing for years to come.

Niecy Nash - Clean House is must see TV for me. I live vicariously through all the LA folk (why don't they do these shows in Indianapolis) that are lucky enough to have their houses cleaned and reorganized. Niecy is the reason to watch the show - she is so sista girl real without being too over the top. She makes chaos and foolishness sound like cuss words.

Election 2008

I cast my first vote via an absentee ballot in 1988 for Dukakis/Bentsen. The electoral process is exciting and affirming to me. This upcoming election will prove to be unique in so many ways. The current three contenders are all different from the straight, white men we typically elect in this country. McCain is a Vietnam Veteran, not a lawyer, not a blue blood. Clinton is a former first lady, working mother, female and Obama is a biracial former community organizer. How could you NOT be excited about the potential for change in November 2008.

My son is 8 and his class has been watching the primaries and following candidates. They have even voted on scholastic.com. This dude was HOT though when he came home from school one day. "Mama, how old do you have to be to vote", he asked. "18", I said. This kid was like "Dang. I can't VOTE".

Funny. I hope everyone who can vote - will. Think about my son and all of our sons and daughters when you do.

Cool Stuff

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I live in the Midwest, so I'm blessed with the beautiful colors of the changing leaves and weekend jaunts to orchards, pumpkin patches and fields with great views of the blue sky. Yes - it's odd for a woman from Brick City to wax poetic about this kind of stuff - but I'm nothing if I'm not an eclectic, fabulous, mix of goodness.

There is a great deal of incredible creativity out in the world right now. A guilty pleasure I have allowed myself of late is a Sunday subscription to the New York Times. I love sitting on the couch after church - listening to the football games and being lost in the print wisdom that is the New York Times. The Book Review has kept me running to my local library as I've happily rediscovered the voracious reading addiction of my youth. I just finished reading, "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller, and if you're a believer of Jesus Christ or wondering how people get there - I highly recommend this book.

Miller is a regular dude, not some pious, self-righteous Super Christian. I found myself laughing with him, saying "Amen" and appreciating his journey as a regular man in love with a Divine Christ - and seeking how to make that love real and active in his life. What a treat.

I'm also listening to the brilliant Ryan Shaw - young brother from Decatur, Georgia with a New Jack (is that too much of a 90's term) spin on classic soul. I saw him live last week here in Indy and he was a marvel. First of all, he sings and has a band that plays music. In this day and age - that is a rarity. Go pick up his CD and more importantly see him live if you get the chance.

Back To School!!

I can't believe my kid starts school next Tuesday. Wow. Where did the summer go? Just yesterday we were buying the first bottles of sunscreen on the store shelves, now I'm getting school clothes and checking out the new glue bottles for school supplies. One good thing about summer ending is the return of my new favorite show Footballer$ Wive$. This show on BBCAmerica is truly a hot mess..and I love it. Yeah, my friends have accused me of being a straight anglophile but you don't have to love all things British to get down with this show.

The Revolution will be Accessorized!!!

Saturday my son performed at the White Privilege Conference in St. Louis. Their website is http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com/. I didn't get a chance to attend the conference but browsed the information booths and chatted up some of the attendees and vendors. Since I LOVE to people watch - the conference provided me a golden opportunity to check out body types, interpersonal dynamics, touch styles - all the stuff that semi-voyeurs like myself peep when people watching.

Of course - going in to the conference I sterotyped folk based on my own stuff - vegan eating, patchouli smelling, prius driving, real liberal, progressive, pro-choice, pro-gay, pro everything people.

Scoping out the black women - my permed head, gold hoops, coach bag and really non-revolutionary outfit of stretchie jeans, a green hoodie and the savior to walking moms everywhere - blue crocs slides - was a rare look amidst the dreads, afros and no makeup wearing other chicks.

I've been to other book signings, conferences, art shows, protests, etc. where sisters are clad in lovely hemp skirts with natural cotton t-shirts, birkenstocks and always the most exquisite natural hair. Me in sweats, digging in a ridiculously expensive bag to pull out MAC lipglass sometimes gets me some serious stares. But heck - I mean I'm a revolutionary (sorta), too. I might roll up to the joint in an SUV instead of a Prius, but I'm there. I might have to dig out my pen from a Coach bag - but I write the checks. Healthy communities for our kids, sane economic policy, racial and gender justice that's all just as important to me as the LV Speedy Bag I'm pining for.

Getting Started

Finally bit the bullet and started a blog. It's one of the list-crossing off things that always amazes me with the level of satisfaction that completing provides. Y'know - like cleaning the bathrooms or getting around to dropping that bag of clothes to Goodwill. I've been trying to do this for a minute - so yippee--lots of props to insomnia I guess for being the catalyst to get this done.